Ethiopians March in Mass Rally Condemning Slaughter of Christian Compatriots at Hands of ‘Satanic’ ISIS

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Ethiopians March in Mass Rally Condemning Slaughter of Christian Compatriots at Hands of ‘Satanic’ ISIS
A woman mourns with the framed picture of a man said to be among the 30 Ethiopian victims killed by members of the militant Islamic State in Libya, in the capital Addis Ababa, April 21, 2015. (Photo: Reuters/Tiksa Negeri)

A woman mourns with the framed picture of a man said to be among the 30 Ethiopian victims killed by members of the militant Islamic State in Libya, in the capital Addis Ababa, April 21, 2015.

Tens of thousands of Ethiopians marched on Thursday in the capital of Addis Ababa in solidarity with the 28 murdered Christians at the hands of terror group ISIS. Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn described the terror group at the rally as “Satanic.”

“This week’s cruel act, which was committed against our citizens in Libya, not only gives a glimpse into terrorism, but also shows the Satanic acts and objectives of those who committed the act,” Desalegn told the mass rally in Addis Ababa’s Meskel Square, according to BBC News.

The response comes to a video released by ISIS on Sunday depicting the execution of two groups of Ethiopian Christians, one where the hostages were shot, and the other where they were beheaded. The militants directed their message to “the nation of the cross,” referencing a previous video they released in February that showed the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians.

ISIS has become active in several towns across Libya after capturing significant territory in Iraq and Syria.

Reuters noted that protesters at the rally carried slogans such as “We will not bow down to terrorism!” and “The world must be united against terrorism.”

Although the rally was condoned by the government, several scuffles reportedly broke out with police, forcing officers to use tear gas to subdue the protesters.

Desalegn further said that Ethiopia must fight “home-grown extremism,” and warned that those who decide to illegally immigrate risk falling prey to human traffickers.

“It is clear to everyone that our fellow citizens all have the right to live and work in any part of the world. But the illegal migration that leads to unnecessary suffering and death carried out by illegal human traffickers must stop,” he warned.

The murdered Ethiopians are believed to have been migrants making the route across the Sahara aiming to reach Europe via Libya. Many in the region take their chances with such trips in order to escape high unemployment rates and conflict.

Family members have so far been able to identify two of the victims.

“I am in pain. The innocent son of a poor mother butchered like he was,” said Ahaza Kasaye, the mother of one of the men. “But I am heartened to see so many Ethiopians mourn him.”

According to the CIA World Factbook, Ethiopia is a religiously diverse nation, with close to 43.5 percent of the population belonging to the Eastern Orthodox Church, another 33.9 percent identifying as Muslims, and the majority of the rest belonging to other Christian denominations.

The faith communities in the country, which enjoy relatively peaceful relations, have said that they have been left stunned by the terror act.

The slaughter of the Ethiopian Christians has been condemned both by Christian groups and Muslim leaders around the world. The University of Al Azhar, the highest academic center of Sunni Islam, said earlier this week that the killings committed by ISIS “go against any religion, law or human conduct.”

Source : Christian Post

Watch 5,000 Years of Religious History in 90 Seconds to See the Amazing Impact of Christian Missions

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Watch 5,000 Years of Religious History in 90 Seconds to See the Amazing Impact of Christian Missions
History of Religion (Photo: screengrab from MapsofWar.com)

History of Religion

Christian Post Report – An animation map showing 5,000 years of religious history in 90 seconds shows the effect of Christian missions on the spread of Christianity.

Created by MapsOfWar.com, the “History of Religion” map shows the areas of the globe where the five main religions, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam were dominant.

The video begins with the birth of Hinduism in 3,000 B.C. Then you see the birth of Judaism in 2,000 B.C., followed by Buddhism in 480 B.C., Christianity in 32 A.D. and Islam in 570 A.D.

For most of the 90 seconds, Christianity is isolated, at most, to the Mediterranean and Europe. Then in the last nine seconds, or 500 years, you see Christianity expand to most of the globe.

According to its “about” page, Maps-of-War was created by “a graphic-design hobbyist and professional history-buff,” and has been around since 2006.

The website’s creator said it is “all about the ‘Big Picture’ of history, not measured in years, but in centuries. The media does not show us this viewpoint and my hope is that Maps-of-War will help fill this gap.”

Watch the video map below:

Maps of War
History of Religion
Contact: [email protected], @NappNazworth (Twitter)

Source : Christian Post

Tina Campbell Reveals New Album Release Date; Project to Feature Stevie Wonder and Joel Osteen Church Choir

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Tina Campbell Reveals New Album Release Date; Project to Feature Stevie Wonder and Joel Osteen Church Choir
Tina Campbel (Photo: AMC Networks)

Mary Mary’s Tina Campbell

Christian Post Report – Tina Campbell is tapping some big names for her solo album debut, It’s Personal which is officially slated for a May 7 debut.

Campbell, 40, took to Instagram to reveal some of the well known people that would be featured on her new projects, including her husband Teddy Campbell, sister Erica Campbell, brother-in-law Warryn Campbell, and mother Honey Atkins.

“Who’s on Tina Campbell’s solo album entitled it’s personal,” Tina questioned on Instagram. “Stevie Wonder, Teddy Campbell, Erica Campbell, Warryn Campbell, Honey Atkins, Aaron Lindsey, The Underdogs, Eddie Brown, Jason White, Donald Lawrence & his singers, PJ Morton, Shanta Atkins, Allen Sides, Joel Osteen’s church choir, my kids, me, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost! U oughta buy it May 7th!!!”

One of recent musicians to be unveiled is songwriter, recording artist and choir director Donald Lawrence and his well known choir The Co. Lawrence, 53, took to Instagram to reveal the big news that his choir was working on a song for Campbell.

“Took a few members of TheCo into the studio to track a song for @TeddyandTina (Tina’s solo album) Produced by @aaronwlindsey #TheHeartOfASongIsEverything,” Lawrence wrote. “WhatComesFromHeartsReachesHearts.”

Campbell, one half of the gospel music duo Mary Mary, has been vocal about releasing her solo material after her sister and fellow group member Erica Campbell found success doing so. Tina previously announced that she would release her forthcoming book, I Need a Day To Pray, and album It’s Personal next month.

Last Nov, the gospel singer created a special night where she previewed her upcoming book, solo music and testimony at her church for “An Evening With Tina Campbell.” She previously spoke to The Christian Post about her decision to do so.

“I figured I would create the model or create the event, create what God gave me to give to the world and we’ll just see what He does with it. I mean, I really wanted to share with people what He’s done,” Tina previously told CP. “When people go through devastating scenarios in their lives they go through a great transformation. Sometimes I’m singing that, sometimes I’m saying that, sometimes I’m praying and confessing that.”

Source : Christian Post

Nigerian Catholic Bishop Claims Jesus Visited Him in Vision to Say Boko Haram Will Be Destroyed Through Rosary Prayer

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Nigerian Catholic Bishop Claims Jesus Visited Him in Vision to Say Boko Haram Will Be Destroyed Through Rosary Prayer
Nigeria (Photo: Reuters/Afolabi Sotunde)

Members attend a memorial church service for victims of a suicide bomb attack at St. Theresa’s Church in Madalla, on the outskirts of Nigeria’s capital Abuja, December 23, 2012. Boko Haram has killed hundreds in its campaign to impose sharia law in northern Nigeria and is the biggest threat to stability in Africa’s top oil exporter.This Christmas, the police and military are expecting more trouble in the north. They’ve ordered security to be tightened, people’s movement restricted and churches to be guarded.But such is the commitment to religion in a country with Africa’s largest Christian population that millions of people will pack out thousands of churches in the coming days. It is impossible to protect everyone, security experts say. Picture taken December 23, 2012.

Christian Post Report – A Nigerian Roman Catholic bishop has claimed that he was visited last year in a vision by Jesus Christ, who told him that the terrorist group Boko Haram will be destroyed, key to which will be praying the rosary.

Catholic News Agency reported that Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme, who leads the Diocese of Maiduguri in Borno State, said in an interview conducted last week that he is urging Christians to pray the rosary, which will rid Nigeria from the militants.

“Toward the end of last year I was in my chapel before the Blessed Sacrament … praying the rosary, and then suddenly the Lord appeared,” Dashe said.

The bishop explained that Jesus extended a sword, which then turned into a rosary when he reached out to grab it. Christ then said three times “Boko Haram is gone.”

“I didn’t need any prophet to give me the explanation,” Dashe asserted. “It was clear that with the rosary we would be able to expel Boko Haram.”

He added that “prayer, particularly the prayer of the rosary, is (what) will deliver us from the claws of this demon, the demon of terrorism. And of course, it is working.”

The cleric revealed that at first, he did not want to share his vision with other people, but then “felt that the Holy Spirit” was pushing him to do so.

Boko Haram has killed thousands of Nigerians since it began carrying out its attacks in 2009, and is determined to drive out all Christians from the country. The militants have also declared their allegiance to ISIS, which is spreading its Islamic Caliphate throughout Iraq and Syria and other countries in the region.

Boko Haram has been less successful when attempting to expand its territory outside Nigeria’s borders, and has been pushed back by neighboring countries, like Cameroon.

Nigerians have also expressed hopes that the nation’s newly elected president, Muhammadu Buhari, will be able to drive out the terror group all together. Outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan had been widely criticized for failing to implement an effective strategy against the terror group.

As a retired general, Buhari focused his presidential campaign heavily on promises of putting an end to Boko Haram’s terror attacks.

BBC News reported that a heavy offensive by Nigeria’s military has managed to win back a significant deal of the territory the Islamic extremists had captured in the past year. Ground troops are now searching for the last known hideouts of the group, which are believed to be located in the northeastern Sambisa forest.

Despite the many acts of terrorism Boko Haram has carried out on churches and Christian communities, especially in the Borno region, Dashe said that he believes one day his diocese will completely recover and grow.

“These terrorists … think that by burning our churches, burning our structures, they will destroy Christianity. Never,” he said.

“It may take a few months or a few years … but ‘Boko Haram is gone.'”

Source : Christian Post

The Rewards of Being Humble

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The Rewards of Being Humble
The Rewards of Being Humble

Jesus says in Matthew 5:3 (AMP), “Blessed…are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!”

Christian Post Report – Let’s face it: humility isn’t a very popular word. Yet, all throughout the Bible, the Lord instructs us about the benefits of being “humble-minded.”

I love James 4:6. It says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (ESV). In other words, the humble get the help!

I believe humility is often misunderstood and even viewed as a weakness. But it’s the exact opposite. Humility places us in a position to receive God’s grace and become everything He’s called us to be.

A humble person is also a happy person. They can take joy in their life and what God has called them to do, regardless of what the world thinks about it.

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/9-characters-of-a-humble-person-137932/#zLqiXzqeMPZZhkzO.99

Source : Christian Post

A Christian Mission . . . to Harvard!

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A Christian Mission . . . to Harvard!
A Christian Mission . . . to Harvard!

 Harvard University was founded in 1636 with a clear Christian mission statement: “To be plainly instructed and consider well that the main end of your life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ.” Today, Harvard’s purpose is starkly different. No longer upholding a mission statement citing Jesus Christ, the university only expresses that its charge is “to educate the citizens and citizen-leaders for our society.”
A bastion of liberal secular education, Harvard University is certainly not the most open environment to Christian faith and values. The same is said of Yale, Dartmouth, and Princeton. Still, God is working within Harvard University and America’s Ivy League universities.

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/god-goes-to-harvard-137913/#qUhcbbGQIplqUAI8.99

Source : Christian Post

Roma Downey, Mark Burnett Named Among Top 10 Christian Leaders in America; Couple Recognized for Reviving Christian Entertainment With ‘A.D.’

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Roma Downey, Mark Burnett Named Among Top 10 Christian Leaders in America; Couple Recognized for Reviving Christian Entertainment With ‘A.D.’
Mark Burnett and Roma Downey at "The Bible Experience" opening night gala on March 19, 2013 in New York. (Photo: The Christian Post / Stoyan Zaimov)

Mark Burnett and Roma Downey at “The Bible Experience” opening night gala on March 19, 2013 in New York.

Husband and wife team Roma Downey and Mark Burnett are being recognized on Newsmax’s list of top 100 Christian leaders in America this week for their work in television and film, including the hit series “A.D. – The Bible Continues.”

Selected based on their ability to “make a real impact on modern lives in 2015,” the annual list of Christian leaders celebrates individuals beyond televangelists and pastors. As co-creators of the “Bible” series as well as its NBC spinoff “A.D. – The Bible Continues,” Downey and Burnett “have resurrected the Christian entertainment industry,” according to Newsmax.

“A.D. – The Bible Continues” premiered on Easter Sunday as the No. 1 television show of the night on the major networks in every key measure — adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49, and 25-54, with over 9.5 million people tuning in. The series also became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter.

In addition to “A.D.,” Downey and Burnett co-produced both CBS’ “The Dovekeepers” and the upcoming film “Little Boy,” which hits theaters on Friday, April 24.

Among other notable Christian influencers named on the top 100 Christian leaders in America list are: Franklin Graham, Joel Osteen, Rev. Billy Graham, and Mike Huckabee. Rounding out the top 10 list are the Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Saddleback’s pastor Rick Warren, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., author Joyce Meyer and Christian Broadcasting Network’s Chairman Pat Robertson.

Meanwhile, Downey and Burnett’s “A.D. – The Bible Continues” picks up right where the “Bible” left off, telling the harrowing yet uplifting journey through the birth of the church. Exploring the first 10 chapters of the book of Acts, the television series depicts the aftermath of Christ’s death and its impact on his disciples as well as his mother, Mary, and key political and religious leaders of the time.

The 12-week series airs at 9 p.m. ET each Sunday on NBC. Watch a video about the making of “A.D.” below.

Source : Christian Post

ISIS’ Sexual Brutality Forces Up to 60 Female Captives to Kill Themselves Each Month, Says Iraq-Based Aid Worker

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ISIS’ Sexual Brutality Forces Up to 60 Female Captives to Kill Themselves Each Month, Says Iraq-Based Aid Worker
Iraq (Photo: Reuters/Ako Rasheed)

Members of the minority Yazidi sect who were newly released hug each other on the outskirts of Kirkuk, April 8, 2015. More than 200 elderly and infirm Yazidis were freed on Wednesday by Islamic State militants who had been holding them captive since overrunning their villages in northwestern Iraq last summer.

Christian Post Report – Up to as many as 60 girls and women kidnapped by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria die by suicide each month after suffering physical and sexual abuse at the hands of ISIS jihadis, an aid worker stationed in Iraq has claimed.

The aid worker, who’s referenced by the name of Yousif, told the British news site The Express that he has witnessed women who are subject to rape, forced marriage and physical assault by ISIS militants killing themselves at a rate of one or two per day in order to escape their horrific ordeals.

“Everyday between one or two commit suicide,” Yousif explained. “There are different methods they use inside there, whether they hang themselves, cut themselves, different ways they do it.”

As the militant group took over large portions of Syria and Iraq last summer, enslaved numerous religious minority women and killed religious minority men, It has been widely reported that many ISIS female captives commit suicide out of fear of being raped or in the aftermath of rape and abuse. But now, Yousif’s claim provides a general idea as to the frequency that ISIS hostage suicides occur.

Yousif, who is based out of Canada, added that many of ISIS’ female captives end their lives not only because of the horrible abuse they suffered but also because of “shame and honour.”

Religious minority women, some being as young as 8 years old, are passed around, sold, beaten, tortured and shared sexually by multiple ISIS fighters, who claim that it is their Allah-given right to hold infidel women as sex slaves and property.

Many ISIS female captives are afraid that even if they are able to escape and reunite with their families, their families will not accept them because they either had sex with jihadis or because they are pregnant, Yousif said.

“They don’t have hope that their people will accept them, at the same time they don’t want their babies,” Yousif asserted.

In an interview with thestar.com, Yousif explained that even the husbands of escaped ISIS hostages won’t accept them back if they are pregnant.

“If they are married, their husbands won’t take them back if they are pregnant. And, it’s clear that the babies will never be accepted,” Yousif said. “I don’t know what the future would be for their babies. The girls and women don’t want them. They suffered so much they just want to forget.”

Yousif explained that many girls who are impregnated by militants are told to abort their babies or leave their newborns at orphanages.

“There were different reactions, some of them [among the Yazidi community] said abort the babies. Others said ‘we don’t want to do anything with them,’ some of them said they want them [the mothers] to get married to young people,” Yousif stated.

Yousif also spoke of the 9-year-old Yazidi girl who was raped and impregnated by as many as 10 ISIS fighters.

“ISIS was the father,” Yousif stated. “She had been raped by more than nine or 10 men.”

Yousif also said that since the girl is so young, she could die if she attempts to give birth.

“This girl is so young she could die if she delivers a baby,” Yousif told thestar.com. “Even a caesarian section is dangerous. The abuse she has suffered left her mentally and physically traumatised.”

A recently released report by the Human Rights Watch, which features interviews with women who were sexually enslaved by ISIS and were fortunate enough to escape, states that ISIS militants sometimes hold lottery drawigns to determine which girls the fighters will be able to take home as property.

Additionally, the report found that ISIS militants beat, torture, underfeed and electrocute enslaved religious minority women.

“Later that day they [ISIS fighters] made a lottery of our names and started to choose women by drawing out the names. The man who selected me, Abu Ghufran, forced me to bathe, but while I was in the bathroom I tried to kill myself,” 31-year-old Rashida told HRW. “I had found some poison in the house, and took it with me to the bathroom. I knew it was toxic because of its smell. I distributed it to the rest of the girls and we each mixed some with water in the bathroom and drank it. None of us died but we all got sick, some collapsed.”

Source : Christian Post

Creflo Dollar Slams Critics: ‘If I Want to Believe God for a $65 Million Plane, You Cannot Stop Me’

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Creflo Dollar Slams Critics: ‘If I Want to Believe God for a $65 Million Plane, You Cannot Stop Me’
Creflo Dollar, Airplane (Photo: Screen Grab via YouTube)

Televangelist Creflo Dollar postures as he rips critics for talking about his appeal for million from the public to purchase a luxury jet for his ministry.

Christian Post Report – After coming under heavy criticism for asking the public for $65 million dollars to purchase a luxury airplane for his ministry last month, popular televangelist and founder of World Changers Church International Creflo Dollar responded in spectacular defiance in a recent message to his church declaring: “If I want to believe God for a $65 million plane, you cannot stop me.”

“Let me tell you something about believing God — I can dream as long as I want to. I can believe God as long as I want to. If I want to believe God for a $65 million plane, you cannot stop me. You cannot stop me from dreaming,” he said in a clip of the message posted on YouTube showing his congregants rising to their feet and cheering in approval.

“You cannot stop me from dreaming. I’m gon’ dream until Jesus comes. And here’s another thing I want you to understand. … If they discover life on Mars, if you think a $65 million plane was too much, if they discover that there’s life on Mars, they gon’ need to hear the Gospel and I’m gon’ have to believe God for a billion dollar space shuttle because we got to preach the Gospel on Mars,” he said.

“I dare you to tell me I can’t dream. I dare you to tell me that I can’t believe God. If I find Jesus, I’m gonna look at Jesus until it comes to pass, because with God all things are possible to him that believe. And so, I say to you, dream on. Dream on baby, don’t dream on what you can have, dream about what the devil says you can’t have. Dream for the best. Dream for the best healing. Dream for the best deliverance; dream for the best house. Dream for the best car. Just ’cause the world don’t have it, doesn’t mean you can’t have it. You are the children of the Almighty God. Dream, dream,” he told his adoring congregants.

Dollar explained earlier in the message that he felt led by the Spirit of God to address the issue of the plane and other rumors circulating about his life because his critics are determined to discredit his voice and his ministry.

Creflo Dollar, Airplane (Photo: Screen Grab via Creflo Dollar Ministries)

A screen shot of the website appealing to supporters of Creflo Dollar’s World Changers International church to help him purchase a million airplane.

“I wouldn’t say this except the Spirit of God led me to say it. Now you see why the devil tried so aggressively to discredit my voice. I’m on my sabbatical and the enemy is trying to discredit me. Heck, I found out this past week I was supposed to be in jail for stealing the tithes,” he said as his congregation laughed.

“And therefore, yesterday, they were transferring me from one county to the other one. I sure wished somebody woulda told me. Found out my real name is not Creflo Dollar. You know what it is? It’s Michael Smith,” he said, addressing a number of online rumors.

“Found out that none of y’all can ever get in the dome unless you show your W-2 form. What you say? Are you listening to what I’m saying? The enemy has got to discredit the voices of faith and grace and truth because he don’t want you to know that you can walk on the water if you can look at Jesus. I’ve got to discredit that man before he starts showing people Jesus,” he continued.

He further explained that he never once asked any member of his congregation to donate to the $65 million airplane fund because he has three million donors around the world who contribute to his ministry and people have been giving to help him get a new jet for his ministry.

The Christian Post had contacted his ministry earlier to find out how much money was collected but received no response. Dollar’s team also repeatedly promised that the televangelist would sit with this reporter to address public concerns about his ministry but the Lord apparently had another plan.

“We are in the midst of a great fight. The enemy, like he always have, is trying to stop the preaching of Jesus and we’re not gonna stop. I never one time, you can attest to it. I never one time came to you for a dime and asked you for an airplane, did I?” Dollar asked his congregants.

He then mocked headlines highlighting the request roundly declared sheer extravagance by the general public.

“‘Creflo Dollar asking his members for $65 million. I ain’t never asked you for a dime. We’ve got over 3 million partners around the world, 3 million donors around the world who support the ministry so I can get to where they are. I had a man from the Middle East send a letter to say they cut off my relative’s head. We need you in the Middle East, here’s a check right here for that plane,” said Dollar.

“You understand what I’m saying? You cannot stop and you cannot curse what God has blessed. Are you listening to me? Half the people that are commenting on the Internet don’t even know me. They don’t know this ministry. They don’t know what we do. That’s why they ask the question: ‘What does a preacher need with an airplane? If you knew what we did then you wouldn’t ask that question. But you don’t know what we do,” he ended in the clip.

WATCH CREFLO DOLLAR’S COMPLETE REACTION BELOW:

Contact: [email protected]; follow me on Twitter @leoblair

Source : Christian Post

Jesus Is Lord

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Philippians 2:5-11

Christian Post Report – What does it mean when we say that Jesus is Lord? We hear the word used so frequently that we are in danger of losing the significance of its sheer power and magnitude.

  • Dr. Charles F. Stanley
    (Photo: In Touch Ministries)
    Dr. Charles F. Stanley (File).

Lord is far more than a mere title that Scripture bestows on Jesus. The second chapter of Philippians emphasizes this fact by repeatedly mentioning the word name. We see that God gave Jesus the “name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus,” all of heaven and earth will bow down and “confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (vv. 9-11).

In that passage, the name given to Jesus is none other than “Lord.” You see, that word is not used to describe what Jesus does; it’s simply who Jesus is. He is, and will always be, the sovereign ruler of everything in heaven and on the earth.

Therefore, if we echo the confession, “Jesus is Lord,” then our lives must reflect that confidence. Is there anything in your life that you attempt to hide from Christ? Have you refused to do something that He has called you to do? These are acts of rebellion, and they simply demonstrate our lack of faith in Jesus as Lord of our lives.

One day everyone will recognize that Christ is Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15). We who are His children should show our faith by inviting Him into any dark areas of our life and allowing Him to conform us to His image. We can begin with the simple yet profound confession: “Jesus is Lord.” And when we confess those words, we should be mindful of their meaning.

Used with permission from In Touch Ministries, Inc. © 2015
All Rights Reserved.

Source : Christian Post

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