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These Are The Overcomers - A Bible Study by Jack Kelley -
https://gracethrufaith.com/popular-posts-from-the-past/these-are-the-overcomers/ In this study, we're going to deal with a new definition that's coming into the Christian lexicon. The word being re-defined is overcomer and the new definition is that an overcomer is someone who lives a Christ-like life, as opposed to just believing in Him. They have died to self and now live a life that's holy and blameless. Some who embrace this definition claim that only those who meet its requirements will become the Bride of Christ. All other believers will still go in the rapture but will spend the millennium in the "outer darkness" learning the sanctification that they failed to learn on Earth, so they'll be ready for eternity when the 1000 years are over. Others say those who aren't overcomers will be left behind at the pre-trib rapture, to endure part or all of the end times judgments as a way of purifying themselves. The fact that the Bible never uses the word in this context doesn't seem to be a problem for advocates of this new definition. It's like the word repent, which is never used in the Bible to describe a change in behavior, only a change of mind. Because that definition is never taught, most people don't know its real meaning and believe it means to change one's behavior. The common understanding of overcomer is facing the same future. But to set the record straight, let's see just how the Bible does define an overcomer. The word overcome first appears in connection with believers in John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Even though this world isn't a perfect place, we can have peace in our lives knowing that Jesus has overcome the world. No matter how bad life is for us here, in Christ, we're assured of a better one to come. Jesus is the overcomer, and He told us this to encourage us. (Imagine how you'd feel about this word of encouragement if you arrived in Heaven only to discover that you had to complete a 1000 year indoctrination program before you were deemed worthy for the Kingdom. Or worse yet, learned after it was too late to do anything about it that you failed to qualify for the rapture.) Paul said that we should overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21) But while he admonished us over and over again to go beyond salvation and achieve victory over the sin nature in order to win the crowns available to us for doing so, he never once said that our participation in the kingdom depends on it. Of all the New Testament writers, John used the word most often, saying that those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God are overcomers. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. (1 John 2:14) Every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:3-4) Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:4-5) We've overcome the evil one, the spirit of anti-Christ, and the world, and how did we do that? Through faith, by believing that Jesus is the Son of God. As is always the case, it's our faith that makes us appear holy and blameless, not our behavior, which could never qualify us. In Rev. 2-3 the word is used in each of the seven letters to churches to describe those who resist or reject the religious sin for which the church is being criticized and/or remain true to the gospel. Overcomers In Ephesus Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Rev. 2:4-5,7) By the end of the first century, the Church had already become busy doing religious works. They had forgotten that the work was already done and our primary purpose is to worship the Lord and give Him thanks. The relationship He gave His life to have with us was already becoming another religion. Those who changed their attitude and overcame the human tendency to earn our position with God, and rested in the fact that Jesus did it all would meet Him at the Tree of life in paradise. The overcomer was the one who rested in faith and worshiped God. Overcomers In Smyrna Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. (Rev. 2:10) History tells us the ten days referred to here are the reign of 10 Caesars, which lasted for 250 years, through the third Century. During this time Christians were persecuted relentlessly. Many were called upon to give their lives for their faith. The Lord offered no escape from this except that which comes from death. But those who remained faithful in believing His promise of everlasting life received it. The overcomer died in faith and received life. Overcomers In Pergamum Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. (Rev. 2:14-17) In the 4th Century, the church was married to the pagan Babylonian religion, and practices that were not only un-Biblical but detestable to the Lord became common. The Lord threatened to fight these practices with the sword of His Mouth, which is his Word. The overcomers were those who stayed true to the unadulterated Gospel and lived by faith in its promises. They received the Bread of Life, and a token that would commend them to the Father in the name of the Son. Overcomers In Thyatira Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): Only hold on to what you have until I come. To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations. (Rev. 2:20-26) The illicit marriage of the Church to Babylon produced four children, all alive on Earth today. Thyatira represents the Catholic Church, the first child. It became wealthy by confiscating property through false accusation, like Jezebel had, and also instituted the sale of indulgences that authorized licentious practices for a fee. But to those who hold Jesus in their hearts and reject the traditions that would add to what He accomplished on the cross, Jesus promises salvation. They haven't learned Satan's secrets of Jesus plus Mary, Grace plus works, Scripture plus sacraments, and have overcome, living by faith alone. Overcomers In Sardis Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. (Rev. 3:2-5) The Protestant Church, represented by Sardis, carried out the Lord's threat to judge the Church's practices by the Sword of His Mouth. The call of the Reformation was "Sola fides (only through faith), sola gratia (Only by grace), solus Christus (only with Christ), and sola Scriptura (Only His Word)." For the first time, the Bible was available to all who could read it. Great seminaries were founded to teach pastors the Word of God. But into these seminaries, the devil crept, and the authority of God's word was challenged. It was all in the name of intellectualism so it was thought to be good, but soon the Gospel had been robbed of its power, the light of faith had gone out, the Spirit was quenched, and the people had been lulled to sleep. Many still are asleep, but there are a few who remember the Gospel and cling to it. They've repented of the Documentary Hypothesis, Modern Rationalism, and all the rest. They've overcome what Walter Martin called the Cult of Liberalism and have retained the power of the Gospel. They've been washed in the Blood of the Lamb and been given clean clothes. Their names have been written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and He will never blot them out. Overcomers In Philadelphia I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. (Rev. 3:8,10-12) "Hold on to what you have," the Lord commands the Evangelical Church, "because I'm coming soon. And because you've waited patiently for me, I'll keep you from the hour of trial that's going to test the whole world." And what do we have to hold on to? We have His Word, His name, and His promise. He's coming soon. There are 5 crowns mentioned in the New Testament, to which believers should aspire. But here the Lord mentioned only one. Which one? I think it's the one described in 2 Tim. 4:8, the Crown of Righteousness, for those who've longed for His appearance. Who but the Bible-believing, prophecy studying Evangelical Church can even qualify for this crown, and which one is more descriptive of the yearning in our hearts? Overcomers In Laodicea I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne. (Rev. 3:15-16-20-21). Here's the fourth child, the End Times Apostate Church. Prosperous and in need of nothing. They like to call themselves followers of Christ, not just believers, and the focus is definitely on doing. Hardly anyone hears His knock on the door, which means He's standing outside trying to get in. Some will overcome this mad rush to conquer a world beyond saving, in the name of a Jesus many of them don't know, in the hope of accomplishing something He doesn't want. To those who hear the knock and invite Him into their heart to kindle the fires of faith, He will give the right to sit with Him on his throne. These seven letters give us seven examples to show that we overcome by faith alone. From the church in Ephesus, we see that we overcome by worshiping the Lord and thanking Him for doing all the work of our salvation. From Smyrna, we see that it's by remaining faithful to the point of death that we overcome and receive life. The overcomers in Pergamum rejected the pagan rituals of Babylon that obscure and pervert the Gospel Story. Those in Thyatira refused to add to the simplicity of the gospel, while in Sardis they refused to let its power be taken away. Overcomers in Philadelphia hold on to His Name, His Word and His Promise, and Laodicean overcomers listen for His knock at the door and open their hearts to him when they hear it. While it's God's will that we be conformed to the image of Christ in our behavior, and that we go beyond salvation to achieve victory, it's clear from Scripture that we overcome by clinging tenaciously to our child-like faith in the Lord's completed work on the cross. The seven churches were just that, churches. Yet for the most part, they introduced gospel obscuring, faith destroying doctrines that over the generations have kept untold millions off the path to eternal life. Only those who overcome by faith survive. He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son." (Rev. 21:6-7) The Book of Revelation ends as it began, by telling us that eternal life is provided without cost to those who walk by faith in Him alone, believing that the work is done, that the Lord is the beginning and the end of their quest for eternity. These are the overcomers. 700 Reasons Not To Create A Palestinian State - By Moshe Phillips - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=3192 The nearly 700 rockets fired at Israel by terrorists from Gaza by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in early May were not just another round of the same mini-wars between Israel and Hamas to which the world has become accustomed to. Coming just as U.S. President Donald Trump's "deal of the century" for Arab-Israeli peace is reportedly weeks from being launched, the rockets offer 700 vivid demonstrations of why a Palestinian state must not be created. The international community for years badgered Israel to leave the Gaza Strip. Israelis were told that if only the occupation ended, then Gazans would embrace peace. That the presence of Israeli soldiers and Jewish communities in Gaza were the obstacles to peace. That once Israel withdrew, the Gaza Palestinians would no longer have a reason to attack Israel. And that "if even a single missile were fired into Israel from Gaza," the Israeli army would be justified in reoccupying the area. At the time, many leading Israeli military experts warned that withdrawal was a dangerous scheme. They believed that Gaza was a vital security belt for Israel's south, and a buffer between Israel and an increasingly unstable Egypt. That Gaza under Palestinian control would become a breeding ground for Islamic terrorists and one gigantic storage depot for weapons to be used against Israel. But eventually, the international pressure became unbearable. The constant browbeating by U.S. State Department officials and New York Times columnists and European Union envoys wore down Israel's political leaders. They decided to gamble. In 2005, with zero demands or preconditions, Israel withdrew all its soldiers from Gaza and forcibly evicted all of the area's 10,000 Jewish residents from their homes and neighborhoods. For promoters of Israeli territorial concessions, Gaza was supposed to set the precedent they hoped would soon be repeated in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). Instead, Gaza has become the most graphic illustration of why relinquishing Judea and Samaria to the perennially hostile and extremely corrupt Palestinian Authority is a fantastically dangerous idea. Imagine how the actions of the Gaza Palestinians would have looked if the terrorist armies had instead been West Bank Palestinians, acting from inside a Palestinian state in the West Bank. Despite the nice-sounding turn of phrase, there is no such thing as a "demilitarized Palestinian state." An independent state controls its own borders. "Palestine" would be free to open its borders to truckload after truckload after truckload of Iranian weapons. If Israel tried to intervene, it would be accused of violating Palestinian sovereignty, denounced at the United Nations, and threatened with international sanctions from the European Union. Now about those 700 rockets. A Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria would mean that the border with Palestine would reach the outskirts of both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Those 700 rockets might have been aimed at the Western Wall, at the Knesset or at passenger airliners landing at Ben-Gurion Airport. The terrorists and their rockets would quickly vanish behind the civilian shields of Palestinian orchards, tunnels and safe houses. The government of Palestine would declare that the attacks were "regrettable," but that they "cannot control every extremist element." All the while, Palestine would continue to amass a huge arsenal of weapons--just as Hamas and Islamic Jihad have done in Gaza, and just as Hezbollah has done in southern Lebanon--and Israel would be helpless to stop it without launching a preemptive war and inviting the wrath of the international community. There are many other reasons to be opposed to the creation of a West Bank Palestinian state. There is the likelihood that a drastically shrunken Israel will be unable to prosper economically and have room for new immigrants, that its cities will become unbearably overcrowded and increasingly unlivable. There is the tragedy for the whole Jewish people of being completely unable to visit Jewish biblical shrines such as the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron and the Tomb of Rachel in Bethlehem. There is the danger that the mass, forced expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Israelis from those the territories could provoke an all-out civil conflict in Israel. But for now, let us be reminded that the national security of all Israel is at stake. Those 700 rockets gave us all that we really need to know. Nearing Midnight: We Are Living in Violent Times - Todd Strandberg - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ It is stunning how violent American society has become in the last few years. What is most saddening is how quickly we become desensitized to the new level of violence. We wonder what has become of society when someone murders 30 people at a university, and then we are all the more dismayed when someone murders a larger number of people in a gay disco and then a country music concert. The 1959 Clutter murders are a very useful milestone in showing how violent our nation has become. In Cold Blood is a non-fiction novel by American author Truman Capote, first published in 1966; it details the murders of four members of the Herbert Clutter family in the small farming community of Holcomb, Kansas. It's amazing to realize that the killing of four individuals was able to captivate the nation for several years. Today, the murder of four or more family members occurs several times a year. Last month, seven people were killed in the Tennessee community of Westmoreland. Michael Lee Cummins, 25, is suspected of killing six people in one home and a seventh victim at a second location. All seven victims were beaten to death by Cummins, including his parents and a 12-year-old girl. Even though this was the deadliest homicide event in Tennessee in at least 20 years, it hardly got any news coverage. The newsrooms in New York collectively decided that no one cares about the deaths of a bunch of Tennessee hicks. It's not just the quantity of murder that shows how bad things are getting. Where it takes place reflects on the rising level of violence. When I was young, it never entered your mind that you would face gunfire in a house of worship. Sitting in a pew, the general view was that you had an equal chance of being hit by a meteorite as being hit by a bullet. The unthinkable has become reality as religious centers are now fair game for violence. In seven months' time there have been two major shootings at synagogues: the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburg and the Chabad of Poway synagogue near San Diego. Another thing that needs to be noticed is the change in the nature of the person behind the gun. Going back to the In Cold Blood killers, Richard Eugene "Dick" Hickock and Perry Edward Smith were ex-convicts recently paroled from the Kansas State Penitentiary. It is easy to see why they turn to murder and robbery. John Earnest was the gunman in the Poway synagogue shooting. He had no criminal record. He described himself this way: "I'm just a normal dude who wanted to have a family, help and heal people, and play piano." It is just pure madness for Earnest to say he needed to kill Jews because there is "no other option." The liberal media deserve much of the blame for the normalization of violence. It has a set agenda for downplaying bloodshed. The nation of Mexico has had record murder rates in 2017 and 2018. The press covered up the violence because it didn't want Pres. Trump to be able to cite the stats as justification for his wall. The liberal media don't have a logical reason for why they minimize the violent acts of Muslims. The press does this because it is run by evil people. 2 Timothy 3:1:3 warns us "that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves..." and "Without natural affection." One of the most distressing examples of the lack of natural love is parents that murder their own children. This week I ran across a story about a stepfather who intentionally shot his daughter in the chest with a pellet gun because she stole food. I was dumbfounded that this man thought this nearly fatal form of child abuse was the proper way to administer discipline. God is in full control of all world events. As we get closer to the tribulation hour, the Lord is slowly granting Satan more freedom. We won't know what level of wickedness will trigger the rapture, but know it must be very near. "The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10). Pressed into a corner, Iran threatens oil exports from Persian Gulf - By Yaakov Lappin - https://www.jns.org/pressed-into-a-corner-iran-threatens-oil-exports-from-persian-gulf/ Fearful for its economy and domestic stability-and angered by U.S. sanctions and stance-Tehran sends escalation warning signals. Recent developments in the Persian Gulf demonstrate that Iran has taken a strategic decision to respond to escalating U.S. financial and diplomatic pressure against it by threatening the ability of Arab Sunni states-bitter rivals of Iran and allies of America-to export oil to the world. The message from the Islamic Republic to the Trump administration is clear: If Iran won't be able to export its oil, neither will its Arab Sunni neighbors-and so the entire global market is at risk of disruption and destabilization. This is a direct response to the ever-tightening sanctions being placed on Tehran by Washington. Recent U.S. steps include Trump's decision in April to cancel sanction waivers to eight countries that purchase Iranian oil. In recent days, the United States imposed new sanctions on Iranian industrial metals. Last month, the State Department classified its Islamic Republican Guards Corps (IRGC)-a major player in Iran's regional power projection, terrorism network and inside Iran's economy-as a terrorist organization. The latter move is one that some in the American defense establishment assessed could result in retribution. The decision by Iran to retaliate and extract "a price" for these moves must have been approved by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. It has already been translated into action on the ground, with two attacks on oil sites in recent days. The first occurred the UAE, in which four commercial ships were damaged in sabotage attacks by an oil-tanker hub near the Straits of Hormuz-a major international oil-shipping artery that Iran has threatened in the past. The second attack took place in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, targeting oil facilities near the Saudi capital of Riyadh with explosive drones. It is safe to assume that the IRGC is behind both attacks, even if its role in the second incident was limited to passing on instructions to the Iranian-backed Houthi organization in Yemen to launch the drones. Iran maintains a large network of terrorist, heavily armed proxies throughout the region, giving it the ability of hitting targets while maintaining a facade of plausible deniability. Its targeting of these sites is no coincidence, as Tehran is particularly enraged by statements from Saudi Arabia pledging to keep the oil-production market steady to make up for the drastic reduction in Iran's oil exports. On April 24, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates "owed their existence to Iran" because the Iranians had refused to help former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invade the two countries. The speech was part of a rebuke of those Gulf states for their willingness to assist the American sanctions. It appears as if the rebuke did not end at the rhetorical level. Tehran pushes back in a calculated approach Iran's actions aren't limited to escalating the security situation in the Gulf. It has also imposed an ultimatum on the European Union, giving it 60 days to rescue the 2015 nuclear deal. Iran is demanding that Europe come through on financial mechanisms that would allow it to bypass American oil and banking sanctions. To make it clear that it is serious, the Islamic Republic declared that it would stop observing limits for stockpiling low-enriched uranium, which the nuclear deal limits to 300 kilograms, and its heavy water (which can be used to produce plutonium). Tehran said the nuclear agreement allows it to take these steps if other members of the deal exit it, as the United States had done in May 2018. Iran is threatening, in essence, to walk away from the nuclear deal if the Europeans cannot shield it from Trump's sanctions. So far, the E.U.'s leaders have made due with calling on Iran to refrain from any dangerous steps. Ultimately, Iran is so far telling the United States that it will not succumb to pressure tactics designed to get it back to the negotiating table, which is Trump's openly stated goal. Washington wants to drag Iran back to talks in order to come up with a better nuclear deal, as well as address Iran's destructive, aggressive conduct throughout the Middle East. This approach was summed up last year by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his 12 demands of Iran, which include ending support for its network of terrorist proxies and an end to its ballistic-missile program. The Iranians are signaling that they have no intention of going down that route, even if Pompeo's demands represent an "opening position" in Trump's bargaining tactics. Meanwhile, America is flexing its own military muscle, both through the mobilization of a carrier strike group to the region and through media reports. This includes Monday's New York Times report, describing how Trump's security team are weighing the sending of a massive U.S. force of 120,000 soldiers, backed by air and naval firepower assets, should Iran resume its nuclear program or attack U.S. forces in Iraq, Syria or at sea. At this stage, Iran appears to be pursuing a calculated and phased approach, which is limited to sending warnings. But it is a dangerous new development in the standoff with Iran, which is prone to miscalculations and rapid escalations, even if they are unintended. With no one blinking at this stage, Israel will need to be on high alert for Iranian proxy attacks on it. Whether from Syria or Lebanon-where Iran has built an armed force that has more firepower than most militaries in the world-or in Gaza, Iran has the ability to drag Israel into the fray should the situation escalate further. Daily Jot: What to do Part 2 - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com If you missed yesterdays Daily Jot, we were discussing what to do about the condition of our nation. The first step, I believe, is self-examination. It starts with every individual determining the cost of action. The cost of taking up their cross and following Christ beyond four walls-of your church, of your home, of your safe places. Then you need to ask yourself, "what is it that I want to change?" The Holy Spirit will guide you if you pray and seek the Lord on what you should do. Now, I know that this is not answering the question in whole about what to do about our nation, but these are fundamental questions you must ask yourself to be an effective world-changer. It's about relationship with the Lord because without him, we cannot win. As with any warrior, you are going to be challenged in whatever you do to change the world. It is important to be suited up, well armed, and trained. Hosea 4:1 says, "For the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is not truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land." Sound familiar? Hosea 4:1 says, "For the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is not truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land." Verse 6 says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Get educated. Study your Bible. Study the area you want to change. Have discernment. Be able to spot the danger areas, the hypocrisies, the principalities. Prepare yourself for battle. Part of putting on that full armor of God is to not be offended. People will disagree. Your salvation will come into question. You will be accused from the content of others' hearts. To prevent me from being offended, the Lord gave me Ezekiel 3:17-21. Verse 18 says, "When I say unto the wicked, You shall surely die; and you give him not a warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life...his blood I will require at your hand." In other words, "you better tell them what I tell you to tell them and it is up to them to do with it what they will. But if you don't tell them, its on you." This prevents offense. You are just the messenger. Once you have given the message, it's on the recipient to act. But remember to deliver the message from a heart of love and obedience. A kind word turns away wrath. Pray before you act. Prayer is wonderful if that is all you can do. James 5:16 says, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." But as James wrote even before that in 2:17: "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." The Lord wants you to act. Pray and act. If you are not hearing from the Lord on what to do, pray more fervently. It is not up to me to tell you what to do. The Lord will tell you by his Holy Spirit. You must hear and take action. The Lord will not tell you to do anything that does not align with his Holy Scripture IN ITS CONTEXT--that is how you confirm if you are hearing from the Lord. Righteous people must be more vocal and active about what is just and right. Move beyond your walls. 
FROM THE HEART
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