Heading Home

Are children abducted near you or even in your town for sex trafficking? Don’t think it just happens somewhere over in Southeast Asia. It happens everywhere. Here’s a link to check a map reposted by Human Trafficking (read their post) with documented cases within the U.S. The map is created and maintained by the Not For Sale Campaign, founded by David Batstone (more following).

I know I have written on this topic before, but I wanted to make you aware of it. Again. Because it is a very serious, worldwide problem.

January 11 is National Human Trafficking Day and the whole month of January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

A large part of trafficking is sexual slavery. I can hardly bring myself to write this. My heart breaks with pain and my eyes flow with tears. I force myself to type this. These children are raped repeatedly, more than 30 times a day, just for profit. Just for someone’s twisted pleasure. Now, my stomach turns. One report says that the younger the children, the better for the trafficker. That means even under the age of six.

Human trafficking is the #2 fastest growing crime in the U.S. with 50% of the victims being children. The average age of those forced into sexual exploitation is 12-13 years old.

While statistics are hard to pin down, as no one really knows the exact numbers and each site lists different figures, it is estimated that trafficking amasses $7 billion dollars annually.

Two men found this ugly truth existing right in their hometown of Atlanta. Their search led them into the secret world of America’s modern slave trade and to a global undercover operation to rescue victims.

The two men, Dillon Burroughs and Charles Powell, wrote a book about it. Not in My Town: Exposing and Ending Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery tells the story and provides many resources for those who care to stop the injustice. Together, these two men have founded Mercy Movement.

New Hope Digital has a great article entitled Ideas and Resources to Join the Fight Against Modern Slavery. It lists ideas of how we, John Q. Public, can help. One I especially like: buy free-trade products, which are 100% free of slave labor.

Another who is fighting this atrocity is David Batstone, of the site Not for Sale, and lives in the San Francisco area. One day, he read an article about one of his favorite Indian restaurants, which had been “trafficking women from India to wash dishes, cook meals and other tasks.”

David says, “This was happening in my country at a restaurant I frequented. My shock turned into a consuming passion that took me around the world to learn more about how slavery flourishes in the shadows...And I knew I had to do something. The Not for Sale Campaign combines technology, intellectual capital, abolitionist groups and a growing network of individuals like yourself – joined together to end slavery in our lifetime.”

A cyber-friend who also fights doggedly for this cause is Diana Scimone of Born2Fly. She has written a wonderful wordless book, so no translations are necessary, for children called Born to Fly which I told you about last month, in the article A Child is Born. The book helps at-risk children, “to educate kids, parents, and teachers about the dangers of child trafficking—with the ultimate goal of ending it,” says Diana.

A sister site to Born2fly is The Butterfly Project, which markets jewelry made by women and girls rescued from trafficking. Why not stop by and *like*
The Butterfly Project on Facebook? Better yet, support them with a purchase. I know you’ll be glad you did. You can contact Jané at gautieronfire@gmail.com and follow her on Twitter as @SireneduMississ.

Another cyber friend, Kathi Macias, an award-winning author of over 30 books and several ghost-written ones, has also joined in this fight by writing what critics call a superb novel on the subject. Deliver Me from Evil shines the light on this horrific injustice to humankind. She has been interviewed on the radio and speaks on the topic.

Gary Haughen, the founder of International Justice Mission, has written the book Good News About Injustice.

He says on his site, “International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that brings rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to secure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to ensure that public justice systems - police, courts and laws - effectively protect the poor.”

The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC), a program of Polaris Project, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that has set up a national, toll-free hotline that answers calls in the U.S. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year.

So many wonderful people lending a hand in whatever way they can to combat this atrocious crime that I couldn’t possibly get it all in this post. I know I have left out many worthy people.

Oh, my sweet friends, what will you do? Please, please do something! Even if it is only to pray.

~Lord, bring rescuers into the lives of these unfortunate ones who are at the mercy of wretched traffickers. Both the victims and the miscreants...Deliver them from evil!

~~A big thank you to Tony Marino of Alive in Christ Radio LIVE program for mentioning the awareness day last night on his program.

“And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from the evil one.”(Matt. 6:13a NKJV)
(This is the seventh segment of The Model Prayer series.)

The negative side.

Lead us not into temptation.

In other words, “Lord, do not carry us into those situations where we might succumb to seductions or enticements to sin, or trials of our fidelity.”

But does God actually guide us into those situations that would suck us into a lapse of faith or holiness? Of course not. James said, “And remember, when someone wants to do wrong it is never God who is tempting him, for God never wants to do wrong and never tempts anyone else to do it. Temptation is the pull of man’s own evil thoughts and wishes. These evil thoughts lead to evil actions and afterwards to the death penalty from God. So don’t be misled, dear brothers.” (James 1:13-16 TLB)

Paul encourages us to “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph. 6:11NIV), so that we “do not give the devil a foothold.” (Eph. 4:27 NIV)

The positive side.

Deliver us from evil.

The word deliver means to rescue or preserve from, rush or draw for oneself. Evil is described as hurtful, annoyances, hardships, pressed and harassed by labors, denotes evil that causes pain, sorrow, bringing toils, perils, of a bad nature or condition, or wicked.

In other words, “Lord, draw us to Yourself and away from those wicked, hurtful perils and conditions.”

If we willingly succumb to the dangling lures and shiny baubles of the enemy’s seductions, we venture out of God’s protection.

One of my favorite murder mystery movie series is Agatha Christie’s Poirot, the great Belgian detective. Once, as his “little gray cells,” as he calls them, pondered a puzzle of clues, he said, “The devil himself dances among us; we just don’t see him.”

He was right. The devil and his cohorts waltz around, dangling temptations before our eyes and ears to steal our joy, kill our faith, and destroy our fellowship with God. They do all they can to dance around us, to divert our focus away from God and to delay or defeat His answers to our requests.

We always have a way out, for the Word says, “God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Cor. 10:13b NIV) We just don’t always use it, do we?

David pleaded with God, “Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies.” (Ps. 141:4a NIV)

What captivates our hearts? What attracts our eyes? Are we focused on worldly possessions, temptations, and thinking or on all that the Lord says in His Word?

~~Lord, “Don't let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” (NLT) Draw us to Yourself and away from the evil that would seek to cause us pain, sorrow, or other perils. May Your Word be stored in our hearts to keep us from sinning against Your love. Amen.~~

Do Not Repay Evil for Evil

“Do not repay evil for evil.”
(Romans 12:17a NKJV)
Evil.

Its presence circles around humans like shadowy Ringwraiths from the time we enter the world until God takes us home again.

***Note: Originally nine kings of men, the Ringwraiths were given a ring of power by Sauron the Deceiver but ended being controlled and bound to his will. From Lord of the Rings***

Some folks, if they’re lucky, manage to avoid evil most their lives. Others of us fight it off all the time—either because of circumstances we’ve created ourselves, or because we’re in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Ultimately, when I think about evil, I think about injustice: purposeful, premeditated injustice. Evil is at the heart of everything from child trafficking, human slavery, rape and incest, to a boss who verbally assaults her employees, the town gossip who spreads untruths, or a bully on the playground.

I wish I could say I don’t know what any of those situations feel like, but I can’t. I was bullied as a child. I survived incest and molestation. I’ve been berated by bosses and torn down by gossips.

I’ve looked Evil in the eye, and I hate him.

I wish I could say that hate didn’t cause me to wish harm on those who’ve hurt me. I wish I could say I lifted my eyes to the heavens, embraced the pain, and forgave my perpetrators in an instant, letting anger and fear float from my heart as effortlessly as a silver mist in icy air on a clear winter morning.

But too often, I want to hurt evildoers back. I want them to feel the same pain and shame I felt. I wanted them to crumple at the burn in the gut that comes with the sunrise, awakening me to the knowledge I have another day to heal. I want them to feel the prison bars of dread and isolation that result from evil’s heyday on the soul.

Too often, I want to repay evil for evil.

Yet this attitude is in direct conflict—and indeed disobedience—to the will of the One who set me free.

I love The Message version of Romans 12:17a, “Don’t hit back.” “But Lord,” I reply, “I gotta hit back! No one besides me can make them understand how much they hurt me! Lemme at ’em! Please!”

And the longer I cry, the more my frustration morphs into bitterness.

Hatred.

And more pain.

Here’s the thing: when I want to hit back, I own the evil. Taking my skewed perspective of justice into my own hands means I don’t trust God enough to lay my burden in His hands.

When betrayed, hurt, or mowed over by evil, trust is difficult. Trusting an invisible God is even harder. And yet trusting God with the evil—letting Him handle it—is the only solution that frees us from the evil forever.

The familiar story of Joseph in Genesis 37 is a perfect example. Though thrown into the pit, beaten, sold and betrayed by his own brothers, Joseph did not retaliate. Even when they came to him decades later, hungry and needy beggars, Genesis 50:19-21 (The Message) tells us Joseph replied, “Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now—life for many people.”

Surrendering our need for payback to God isn’t easy. Evil reduces a person and their view of the world and of God to a miniscule powerless enigma. Like a beaten horse with blinders on, we can’t help but kick back at those who kick us, convinced God is no greater than the man in Oz, smoke and mirrors, hiding behind a curtain. As such, our human need to repay evil for evil is to ultimately dismiss the sovereign, all-powerful, lovingkindness of God (see Isaiah 40)—who promises over and over that He sees all and knows all and brings justice to all.

The only way I’ve found to rise above the evil and the desire to payback those who’ve hurt me is to turn my eyes to creation, in order to re-remind myself of God’s greatness. As so many of the prophets and psalmists knew, turning our eyes to the expanses of the universe reminds us of the infinite power and awesomeness of our God, the One who breathed stars and worlds into existence without even lifting a finger. In doing so, we attest to truth of Proverbs 20:22, which says, “Do not say, ‘I will repay evil; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.’”

Too often it feels like no one knows or cares about the evil we face. But waiting on God...basking in the stillness of His flaming justice in the reds of the maple trees in the fall...breathing in the mercy of His presence in the form of a friend’s embrace...realizing the enormity of His grace in caring for me, a vapor in the wind of eternity...choosing those things makes evil-for-evil nonsensical.

Pointless.

Vain.

Colossians 1:14 tells us we are redeemed through His blood. If we believe that, we must believe Christ fought our battles 2,000 years ago. He laid evil bare in the empty grave. He saved us then, and He will do it again for you today.

The blood of Christ is, was, and ever shall be the payback for evil.

And that, my friends, is payback enough for anyone.

For each one.

And for all.

Today, I’m happy to bring you Abhor What is Evil in the Behave Like a Christian series, written by Marja Meijers…

“Hate what is wrong.” (Rom. 12:9b TLB)

The apostle Paul’s ancient call for Christian living couldn’t be more timely and fitting for our present day and age! His pleading for love-based moral behavior is a cry that needs to wake up the church as we know it today.

His words are a clear call to lifestyle evangelism. In his exhortation, Paul uses words to set the stage for the epic battle between good and evil, between light and darkness, and grants us a role in this power play.

He urges us to stand up for what is good, loving, and honorable and to be living witnesses for our generation. The message has not changed: love is still the most excellent way!

Paul starts his appeal in Romans 12:9 with the mentioning of love and hatred, good and evil. His commending when it comes to the deeds of darkness is quite simple: abhor what is evil.

According to the Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, to abhor means ‘to think of with hatred and disgust.’ So, having knowledge about good and evil by itself is not enough; we must cultivate a strong dislike for evil.

Paul’s words are actually a serious warning not to be casual about sin or evil, not to be slack in resisting it, and not to ignore the red signals in our lives. Looking back at the history of mankind, we learn that our knowledge of good and evil is a result of eating from the tree in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:22). And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.”

That knowledge, also known as our conscience, is, therefore, not a virtue, not something to boast about but simply part of God’s nature in us. It is, however, our reaction to that knowledge which makes all the difference in our daily Christian walk!

Paul calls for action, for a simple but dedicated decision, to make a stand against evil, starting with our thought pattern! The author of Psalm 97:10 makes that choice very clear, “Let those who love the Lord hate evil.” (NIV) Make it your decision today to guard your thoughts!

Why does Paul advocate such black and white thinking? I personally believe it is necessary to take a radical stand against anything evil because if we don’t, it will turn out to be more and more difficult to see a clear difference between good and evil. If our thinking about evil is slightly blurred, our feelings will be and eventually our actions will be. When we neglect to take a stand against darkness, we will, often unknowingly, allow the enemy of God to gain territory in our lives.

Paul warns the believers against the deception of evil over and over again, for example, in Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (NIV)

When we refuse to clearly say NO to evil, we will give the enemy of God access and permission to come in and stay with us, and he will do so in often subtle ways. That is why we need a clear picture of darkness versus light, as Paul paints it in Romans 12:9-21.

When studying this part of scripture, I was reminded of my days of dating and courtship, although a long, long time ago. At a young age, I quickly learned that whenever I wasn’t clear about my feelings for a guy, he either kept pursuing me or totally ignored me. A clear yes or no was often needed to set the boundaries for friendship or relationship.

That boldness and clarity should also be our attitude when it comes to anything evil. We must learn to set the boundaries, to think with hatred about evil and, as a result, clearly say NO to anything that opposes the goodness of God.

“God loves all who hate evil.” (Ps. 97:10 Msg)