"If our God is for us, who can be against us?"

I survived security contingency training! I now know what to do in case of a robbery, questioning, or whatever else may come my way. Boy, can you say reality check?

It was definitely not a coincidence that the week before we talked about persecuted followers around the world. Father definitely weighed on my heart once again the cost of following that we so often in America don't face. I was reminded of the passage in 1 Pt that talks about resisting our adversary, "knowing that the same kinds of sufferings are being experienced by our brotherhood around the world."

Persecution is normal in over 80% of the world. Normal. Not something to complain about, not something out of the ordinary; it is to be expected. In fact 2 Tm flat out says this: "All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."

That brings up the question: Is He worth it?

Is He worth abandoning everything for? Is He worth being rejected and being ridiculed by peers? Is He worth risking not only your life but the lives of your family? Is He worth it?

The answer: YES. 100% yes. JC left EVERYTHING - He abandoned GLORY - to redeem His people, a people who ridiculed and rejected Him. And He gave Himself so that we may be made alive and live with Him.

With that in mind, Father gave me strength and peace to sit through sessions about what possibly could happen during service, things that I would normally be freak out about and probably be having nightmares about. Instead, though, in an enormous act of grace, I could sit and tell myself, "He is worth it. He is worth way more than my feeble life can give. He deserves all glory and praise, no matter the cost."

Sorry for the rant. That was definitely not the direction I meant for this post to go. Maybe later this week I can actually talk about what I meant to talk about. :)

Pr--er Request:
It's starting to get crunch time as we only have 2 1/2 more weeks here. We're having to memorize lots of stories and methods. Be pr--ing for sharpness of mind and, honestly, sincerity in my motivations to memorize. I don't want to know these things just because they tell me to know them; I want to sincerely be affected by them and desire to share them with those I encounter.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom 8:35, 37-39

"'Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.'" Rv 4:11