Asaph's Soul-Battle

Psalm 73:2  

"But as for me, my feet were almost gone; 

my steps had well nigh slipped."

     Here is the beginning of a narrative of a great soul-battle, a spiritual battle hard and well-fought, in which the half-defeated became in the end wholly victorious. "But as for me," Here He contrasts himself with his God who is forever good; he displays his personal want of good, and then also compares himself with the clean in heart, and goes on to confess his defilement. We know the Lord is  good to His saints.
    We as Asaph may have at sometime or several times have ask these two questions “but as for me,” am I one of them? Can I expect to share his grace? The answer is Yes, we do share it; even if one has acted an unworthy part, which is very unlike one who is truly pure in heart.
   “My feet were almost gone.” Errors of heart and head soon affect the conduct. There is an intimate connection between the heart and the feet. Asaph could barely stand, his uprightness was going, his knees were bowing like a falling wall. When men doubt the righteousness of God, their own integrity begins to waver. “My steps had well nigh slipped.” 
    My Friends, I'm sure many of us have been at the same point in life that Asaph was. He could make no progress in walking on his road of faith, his feet ran away from under him like those of a man on a sheet of ice. He was weakened for all practical action, and in great danger of actual sin, and a disgraceful fall. How much more should we to watch the inner man, since it has so forcible an effect upon the outward character. 
Amen!

Reading: Ps. 73:1-28
Ref. HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

  

Christ Witness In An Iranian Court

Philippians l 4:12,13  

"I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." 

    My Friends, in the last four Devotions, we have talked about being chosen to be His Friends and Called to Be His Witness. We have read the sacrifice's that the Hero's of the Bible have suffered, and the greatest sacrifice of all; "Jesus Christ Our Savior."  Today I want to share with you a sacrifice that  started in 1984 and ended on the 21st of Dec, 1993.
    Mehdi Dibaj had committed an unpardonable offense: He had rejected Islam and turned to Jesus Christ in his country of Iran. In 1984, Mehdi was arrested and held without trail. After serving nine years in prison, and part of it was in solitary confinement, He was convicted of apostasy. Then on Dec, 21 1993, an Islamic court sentenced him to death. I want to share with you, Mehdi's  defense letter that he wrote and sent to the Sari court of justice. In the following excerpt from his defense Mehdi boldly shares the gospel with the court:

      I am a Christian. And a sinner, I believe Jesus has died for my sins on the cross and by His resurrection and victory over death has made me righteous in the presence of the Holy God. The true God speaks about this fact in His Holy Word. 
      In response to this kindness, He has ask me to deny myself and be His fully surrendered follower, and to fear people even if they kill my body, but rather rely on the Creator of life who has crowned me with the crown of mercy and compassion.
      I would rather have the whole world against me, but know that the almighty God is with me. I wold rather be called an apostate, but know that I have the approval of the God of glory, because man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. For Him who is God for all eternity, nothing is impossible. All power in heaven and on earth is in his hands.
      To know Him means to know eternal life. Life for me is an opportunity to serve Him, and death is  an opportunity to be with Christ. Therefore, I am not only satisfied to be in prison for  the honor of His Holy Name, but am ready to give my life for the sake of Jesus Christ, my Lord. 
      On Jan,16 1994 Mehdi's death sentence was overturned and he was released from prison. Then five months later Mehdi was abducted and murdered. My friends, Mehdi Dibaj was ready to give his life for the sake of The Gospel of Jesus Christ. His example still inspires Christians in Iran and around the world to live with that same commitment and boldness for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray this excerpt from Mehdi Dibaj's defense documents will inspire all that read this, both  Christians and Non Christians around the world today.
Amen!!

Ref: The Voice of The Martyrs
        Iran: From The Persecuted       

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

He Called Us To Be His Witnesses

John 15:27  

"And ye also shall bear witness, because ye 

have been with me from the beginning." 

    When we face those who show us hatred a majority of us don't respond and just retreat. We must remember that it is not us they hate it is who we are loyal to; which is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus tells us to do the opposite. we must go out in to the world and testify about Him.
    A witness must speak from personal experience. So we testify to what the Lord has done in our lives. A witness must speak from inner conviction. Ours comes from our intimacy with Christ. A witness must speak what they know to be true. Our Friend is full of  grace and truth. He is the Truth. "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth," ( John 1:14). We are help and empowered in this task  by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me," (John 14:6)  
    My Friends, We should strive and pray that our lives will be Christ like, so that there is no reason to hate us except that we bear the Name of Christ.   
Amen!!

Reading: John 15:26-27
HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

  

  

Things That Causes Us To Be Hated

John 15:25  

"But this cometh to pass, that the word might 

be fulfilled that is written in their law, 

They hated me without a cause." 

    We know for a fact that those who are friends of Jesus are normally hated by the world. I am talking about "human society organizing itself without God. Many Christians are persecuted by their governments. When Roman emperors were worshiped as gods, all Roman citizens had to join in the worship. But today our Christian beliefs are being attacked.

    Christians are persecuted by society at large. Tacitus wrote this about the Christians, "hated for their crimes, the mob call Christians."  Christians were not criminals then and we are not criminals now! Christians today are thought to be immoral, because we greet with a kiss on the cheek and a friendly hug. 

    It has also been said that serving God damaged family relations. However; this is the only charge that has some basis to it. Jesus himself said that families would be divided as some believed in Him and others rejected Him. "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household," (Matt 10:34-36). 

    My Friends, This world will always have hate for a Christian because of the loyalty to Christ. The triggers of hate may be different from those in the first century, but the hatred and persecution are just as real.

Amen!

Reading: Matt. 15:18-21,22-25

Ref. HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

            

Chosen To Be His Frends

John 15:14-15  

"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.  Henceforth 

I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what 

his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for

all things that I have heard of my Father 

I have made known unto you."  

    We did not choose Jesus. He chose us. In His grace and love, He made us the amazing offer of friendship. In a society of slaves or servants, status depends on who your master is. A servant or a slave of God was and will never be a title of shame; It is a title of highest honor! If you are a child of GOD, you are a child of THE KING! 

    But did you know that a friend of God is even greater than a servant of God. Jesus offers an intimacy which no one never knew before. Abraham was called the friend of God, (Is. 41:8). Even though Abraham called a friend of God's, he never knew the closeness that Jesus now offers.

    As friends of Jesus, we do not need to gaze longingly from afar off. We are not like the crowd who just got a glimpse when He passed by. We are His dearest and closest friends, who can come into His presence at any time. 

    My Friends, Jesus shares His mind with us. An important part of any friendship is staying in touch. Abiding in Christ, remaining in Him. Christ keeps us from falling. We cannot bear fruit in the tasks He gives us, we cannot glorify Him through our lives, unless we cling to Him moment by moment, and allow Christ to abide in us. 

Amen!!

Reading: John 15:1-17

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

Hated Because of Love

John 15:18  

"If the world hate you, ye know that 

it hated me before it hated you."  

    John wrote his Gospel toward the end of the first century, at a time of intense persecution. Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire at this time. Anyone who admitted in court to being a Christian was handed down a death sentence. No Christian could say that they had not been warned.

    For Jesus had explicitly told His followers that they should expect to be persecuted. If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Christ first. If they persecuted Christ they will persecute Christians today. There is no reason or cause for this hatred, it's noting but the Love we have for Jesus and the Love He has for us! 

Amen!!

Reading: John 15:18-21

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Does God Bend His Ear To You?

1Peter 3:12 

"For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears

are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord

is against them that do evil."

    That my friend is a question that you, yourself should answer. But I ask you not to answer until you have read this Devotional Study.  Let us see what God's word tells us about, who He hears and who He don't. Then we will find out why? God is sovereign and can choose to answer any prayer He sees fit. But Scripture clearly indicates that God does not listen to or answer every prayer. In fact, Scripture gives us reasons for unanswered prayer.

    God hears every person that calls upon Him and those who pray in Jesus name. God don't answer prayers of those who: (1) Who have personal and selfish motives. "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts," (James 4:3). (2) Who regard iniquity in their hearts. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:" (Ps. 66:18). (3) Who remain in sin. "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear," (Is. 59:2). "Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth," (John 9:31).

    (4) Who offer unworthy service to God. "Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts. And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the LORD of hosts. (Mal. 1:7-9).

    (5) Who forsake God. "Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence, (Jer. 14:10-12). 

    (6) Who reject God's call. (Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:  (Prov. 1:24-25, 28).

Amen!

Reading: Devotional Scripture     

Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry