There is no greater folly than to know the great salvation of God, but to then go on living for yourself.

Hope is hearing the eternal, Heavenly music of the future, and faith is dancing to it.

Voice of the Martyrs did a study of the lives of martyred and severely persecuted Christians and came up with 8 different qualities that they had in common. Do you possess any of these qualities?
1. They are energized by an eternal perspective. Individuals with heroic faith see beyond this world to the eternal realities. Rather than live for the moment and for this world, they look to the next, knowing that this life is not all there is.
2. They have an uncanny dependency on God. This quality is evidenced primarily by a life bracketed by prayer. Those whose faith is of a heroic caliber talk to God as if they know Him, because they do. And because they believe He hears them, they are less anxious than most.
3. They love the Word of God. They love to read it, study it, and hear it read as well as preached. Not every person with a dog-eared Bible is a hero of the faith, but it its likely that all who are have well-worn copies of the Scripture.
4. They are outrageously courageous. When it comes to standing up for what they believe in, they aren't inclined to sit on their hands. These people possess a heroic boldness that flows out of their perspective of, total dependence on, and love for God's Word.
5. They are living examples of what it means to endure. Quitting is not a concept with which they are familiar. And because faith heroes view life as a long-distance race, speed is not nearly as important as stamina.
6. They take obedience very seriously. Pleasing God matters much more than accomodating people's unpredictable expectations. Heroic disciples delight in doing what they know God desires.
7. They are unquestionably self-controlled. Men and women who serve as heroic examples to the rest of us, are not victims as much as they are victorious. They decide what the circumstances call for and act accordingly, even if it means voluntarily laying down their lives.
8. They are marked quite simply by love. Their eyes do not lie. Their countenance can warm the coldest room. People who have heroic faith are people who genuinely care for other people, and their actions prove it. Some might call it faith in action.

I read something this morning that really woke me up. It was a post in Urgent Prayer Requests by a woman who has belonged to a coven for many years and is planning to leave it. She is afraid for her life and the life of her son as she attempts to leave. In her post, she mentioned that she sees us as being caught up in, and worrying about trivial things. The fact that she would come to a Christian web site and ask for prayers is amazing and says a lot.
It was particularly interesting to me, because when I was 18, I was into witchcraft and looking for a coven to join. I never found the coven, but I did find the Lord, yet I know that but for the grace of God, I could easily have been where she is.

As I was praying and meditating on what she posted, I felt impressed to pick up a book by Max Lucado, "It's Not About Me," which I had started a couple of months ago, but never got very far into. In the book, Max talks about a man, G.R. Tweed, who was rescued from the island of Guam during WWII by using a small pocket mirror to flash SOS and flag down a passing Alllied ship.. He then muses about what would have happened if the mirror had been like us, and become insecure, afraid that it would make a mistake, or that it's blemishes would be seen. Or even if it had been riddled with self-pity and decided that since it had been stowed away in the bottom of Tweed's pack and therefore gone unnoticed and felt unloved, that it wasn't going to cooperate and allow itself to be used. What if it had decided to flash LAM (look at me) instead of SOS?

Max then goes on to mention 2 Corinthians 3:18, which many of us learned as "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord." yet can be also correctly translated as, "And we, with our unveiled faces reflecting like mirrors the brightness of the Lord, all grow brighter and brighter as we are turned into the image that we reflect. This is the work of the Lord who is the Spirit." (emphasis mine)

The Greek word "katoptrizo" can be translated either as "beholding" or "reflecting." When Moses beheld God, he had no choice but to reflect Him. As Max says, "The brightness he saw was the brightness he became."

We are God's mirrors. Our sole job description is to be a tool of Heaven's heliography," to reflect God's glory in whatever capacity He chooses. In order to reflect, we must behold, which implies a long, deliberate study, not a cursory peek.

How does this tie in with the story of the woman I began this post with? She, and millions others like her, whether trapped in witchcraft or as even many Christians and non-Christians alike are, enslaved to their past, are desperately looking for the glory of God. They may not even know it, but that is what they are desperately seeking. The god she serves, who is also the same adversary that holds so many of us captive, is powerful. Yes, he is a defeated foe, but that does not lessen his power.

It is in seeing God's glory alone that captives will be set free. God and His glory alone, are more powerful than the enemy.

I love the Southern Gospel song written by the Gaithers called. We Shall Behold Him, yet, let us not wait until the future to behold Him, let's do it now, so we can reflect His glory and rescue many souls who are otherwise destined for the pit. Let us set aside the things that so easily entangle us, and get our priorities aligned with His. Doing so will bring persicution, but so be it.