Displaced Iraqi Christian Girl Who Fled Home to Escape Death Asks God to 'Forgive' ISIS, Despite Her Terrible Living Conditions in Half-Built Mall

Even though her village was seized by the Islamic
State and she's now living a rough life in an
unfinished mall in Kurdish-protected Northern Iraq,
a displaced Christian refugee child is asking God to
"forgive" the ISIS militants.
After ISIS seized most of the Mosul region of Iraq
last June, over 400 mostly Christian displaced Iraqi
families from the villages of Qaraqosh, Bartella and
Kharamles descended upon the Kurdish capital of
Erbil to live in a half-built mall in the in the
Christian neighborhood of Ainkawa.
As the families had picked up and fled their villages in
a hurry before the ISIS militants reached their
towns, the families could only afford to bring bare
necessities and are now living in the mall without
much more than the mattresses, blankets and other
handouts they receive from humanitarian
organizations.
A correspondent with the Arabic Christian television
network SAT-7 's "Kids" program interviewed
children living in the Ainkawa Mall's refugee camp
and asked them what they missed the most about their
lives back home.
In talking with the reporter and camera crew, a little
girl named Myriam, from Qaraqosh, assured that
although her life has changed drastically in the last
year and her family's future remains uncertain, God
continues to provide for her and her family.
"We used to have a house and were entertained,
where as here we are not," Myriam said. "But thank
God. God provides for us."

The reporter was a bit perplexed by Myriam's
comment and asked what she meant by "God provides
for us."
"God loves us and wouldn't let ISIS kill us," she
explained.
(PHOTO: REUTERSR/AZAD LASHKARI)
Displaced Iraqi Christian children who fled from
Islamic State militants in Mosul, gather around a
Christmas tree at a mall still under construction, used as
a refugee camp in Erbil, December 24, 2014.
The reporter followed up by asking Myriam what she
would do if she ever had the opportunity to retaliate
for ISIS' onslaught of her hometown.
"I won't do anything to them," Myriam asserted. "I
will only ask God to forgive them."
After the interview, the reporter thanked Myriam for
her time. Then, Miriam replied, thanking him for his
sympathy.
"You felt for me," she said. "I had some feelings and
I wanted people to know how I feel."
Two other girls from Qaraqosh were also
interviewed. They were asked what they missed the
most about their lives before ISIS took over the
region.
"Our school and our church," Flourine responded.
Maryouma added that, although they miss their
church, "Jesus will be with us no matter where we
go."
The reporter subsequently asked, "Is Jesus with you
in this camp?"
"Yes," Fluorine asserted. "In our hearts."
The video concludes by showing the refugee children
outside the entrance of the mall singing: "My love for
my glorious Savior will increase with each new day.
A new life, a happy day, the day I reunite with the
Lord."

Explaining Matthew 6:21

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21 NIV)

You are going to enjoy forever what you invest in Heaven, and you invest in Heaven every time you use money for good.

Yesterday we talked about investing in eternity by using your money to grow your character, encourage fellowship in the Body of Christ, and serve others in need. There are two more funds that you should invest in so that you can yield eternal dividends in Heaven. 

The fourth of God’s investment funds is the Global Fund. This is when you use your money to share the Good News and bring people to Jesus. Luke 16:9 says, “Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings” (NIV). A lot of people have no idea what this verse means. Is it saying that you can buy friends? Not at all. It means that God wants you to invest in things that help get people into Heaven so that when you get to Heaven, they will welcome you there. It’s the greatest investment of your life. Is anybody going to be in Heaven because of you?The last investment fund is God’s Treasury Fund. When you give money to God as an act of worship, that’s called the Treasury Fund. God makes a promise in Proverbs3:9: “Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income, and he will fill your barns with wheat and barley and overflow your wine vats with the finest wines” (TLB). A tithe is when you give the first 10 percent of your income to God. Anything given above a tithe is called an offering. You can’t really give God anything, because he already owns it all. But think about the allowance you got as a child. If you went out and bought a birthday present for your mom, you’re really using her money. Does that mean she would like the gift any less? No! Because she cares more about the thought and the love behind the gift. God feels the same way about your giving.

The Bible says that wherever our treasure is, our heart will also be there. If what’s most important to you are the things of this earth, then every day you are moving further and further away from your treasure. Because every day you are here on Earth, you’ve got one less day here on Earth. You’re moving further and further away from the things you’re going to leave behind.

But, if you’re investing in God’s funds and using your money to serve God’s purposes, then you’re storing up treasure in Heaven every day. You’re getting closer and closer to your treasure instead of further and further away.

Jim Elliot once said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

Pray this aloud or in your hearttoday: “Dear God, forgive me for all that I’ve spent on things that aren’t going to last. I want to start investing in Heaven. I want to invest in these godly funds. I want to use my money the way you want me to use it. Today I commit to using my money to grow my character and grow in spiritual strength, wisdom, and knowledge and become all that you want me to be. Help me to see ways that I can use what you have given to me to strengthen relationships and show love to my brothers and sisters in Christ. I want to invest in eternity by using my money to serve others. I want to learn to be generous. I want to be a blessing to others. And I want to use my money to bring people to you. I want people to be in Heaven because I gave. I want to spread the Gospel through my acts of service. And Father, I want to show where my treasure is by investing in eternity through my gifts and offerings to you. I want to honor you by giving you the first part of all my income. I want to give up my lust for money so that the Almighty himself will be my treasure. Help me to remember that I’m not a fool to give up what I cannot keep to gain what I cannot lose. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”-Pastor Rick Warren

Explaining 1JOHN 2:15

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

2:15-17 The things of the world may be
desired and possessed for the uses and
purposes which God intended, and they are
to be used by his grace, and to his glory; but
believers must not seek or value them for
those purposes to which sin abuses them. The
world draws the heart from God; and the
more the love of the world prevails, the more
the love of God decays. The things of the
world are classed according to the three
ruling inclinations of depraved nature. 1. The
lust of the flesh, of the body: wrong desires of
the heart, the appetite of indulging all things
that excite and inflame sensual pleasures. 2.
The lust of the eyes: the eyes are delighted
with riches and rich possessions; this is the
lust of covetousness. 3. The pride of life: a
vain man craves the grandeur and pomp of a
vain-glorious life; this includes thirst after
honour and applause. The things of the world
quickly fade and die away; desire itself will
ere long fail and cease, but holy affection is
not like the lust that passes away. The love
of God shall never fail. Many vain efforts
have been made to evade the force of this
passage by limitations, distinctions, or
exceptions. Many have tried to show how
far we may be carnally-minded, and love the
world; but the plain meaning of these verses
cannot easily be mistaken. Unless this victory
over the world is begun in the heart, a man
has no root in himself, but will fall away, or
at most remain an unfruitful professor. Yet
these vanities are so alluring to the corruption
in our hearts, that without constant watching
and prayer, we cannot escape the world, or
obtain victory over the god and prince of it.

Fire Chief Fired for Writing Religious Book that Addressed Homosexuality Files Lawsuit

Kelvin Cochran, the
Atlanta fire chief who
made national headlines
after being fired for
writing a religious book that addressed
homosexuality, has filed a lawsuit against the city
and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.
Fox News reports that the lawsuit asks for
Cochran to be reinstated and financially compensated
for the previous loss of his job.
Cochran’s book, entitled “Who Told You That You
Were Naked?” was written for a Bible study that
he was leading. It mentions homosexuality on six
pages; still, an unidentified person showed some of
the book’s passages to city Councilman Alex Wan
who called it discrimination.
“I respect each individual’s rights to have their own
thoughts, beliefs, and opinions, but when you’re a
city employee and those thoughts, beliefs and
opinions are different from the city’s, you have to
check them at the door,” Wan said in an interview
last November.
Cochran is represented by Alliance Defending
Freedom (ADF) attorneys. ADF senior counsel
Kevin Theriot said, “Every American should be
concerned about a government that thinks it can fire
you because of what you believe.”
The ADF is calling Cochran’s dismissal
unconstitutional, arguing that the fire chief lost his
job because of his religious beliefs.
“Americans are guaranteed the freedom to live
without fear of being fired because of their beliefs
and thoughts. The city of Atlanta is not above the
Constitution and federal law. In America, a
religious or ideological test cannot be used to fire a
public servant,” ADF senior counsel David
Cortman said.

Christian Florist Who Refused Gay Wedding Found Guilty of Discrimination

A Washington woman
who refused to make
flower arrangements for
a gay wedding in 2013 has been found guilty of
discrimination.
Christian Today reports that Barronelle Stutzman,
who operated Arlene’s Flowers, refused to provide
the floral arrangements for Robert Ingersoll and
Curt Freed’s wedding because her Christian beliefs
prevented her from doing so in good conscience.
After two years of legal proceedings, Stutzman was
found guilty of discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation.
Stutzman will be likely fined, though the damages
sought by the couple will be determined at a later
date.
Legal group Alliance Defending Freedom
represented Stutzman in the suit; a statement from
the group said that the attorneys intend to appeal
the court’s decision.
Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Kristen
Waggoner said in a statement, "You put your home,
your family business, and your life savings at risk
by daring to defy a government mandate that forces
you to promote views you believe are wrong."

Court Rules 'God Bless America' Not Unconstitutional

The Florida high
school that told a
student not to say “God
bless America” during
morning announcements said this week that the
student did not violate the U.S. Constitution.
"Upon consultation with legal counsel and review of
legal advisories, the Nassau County School
District has taken the position that a student's use
of the phrase "God Bless America" during the
morning announcements at Yulee High School does
not violate the Constitution of the United States,"
the school district said in a statement.
Charisma News reports that the student will still
have to remain on-script during announcements.
The unidentified student has not been named, and
according to school officials, he was not punished.
"The student in question has been quite cooperative
and understands not to add to the script," said
Nassau County School District spokeswoman
Sharyl Wood.
The controversy started when the American
Humanist Association sent a six-page letter to the
principal at Yulee High School on behalf of two
atheist students at the school.
In the letter, the Humanist Association said the
phrase "God bless America" is a religious message
that "is invidious toward atheists and other
nonbelievers," and that it violates the U.S.
Constitution's First Amendment that "commands a
separation of church and state.”

A Prophetic Warning From the Holy Spirit

It is no secret that the spiritual environment in the world is undergoing a radical change. A great gulf is beginning to divide those who reject absolute truth and those who see what is happening and respond by renewing their commitment to the faith.

The winds of change are blowing, separating the wheat from the chaff.

Even identifying who is "wheat" and who is "chaff" can become a point of contention, depending on the group to which one belongs. Unfortunately, what we currently see and feel is only the beginning of the rift that is developing within the church world. Unless a major revival occurs, this rift will only grow deeper and wider. If repentance doesn't melt the hearts of people throughout the church world, it will eventually seem like there are three churches:

        A church who holds fast to the truth and faces the brunt of opposition because it refuses to bend.
A church in the middle trying to "ride the fence" through accommodation or compromise in order to avoid persecution and societal rejection (see Rev. 2:12-17).
           A lukewarm, "Laodicean-like" church (see Rev. 3:14-22) who has allowed compromise to run its full course, stripping it completely of the power of God and leaving Jesus standing on the outside.
It is not too late for the body of Christ to make a full recovery. In fact, it is never too late as long as there are believers who are willing to hear and hearken to what the Spirit is saying to the church. However, in order for the church to receive the divine power it needs for correction, change and restoration, it must undergo a transformation from the highest to its lowest levels.
The Holy Spirit is prophetically warning His people that the only way they can thwart this impending dark spiritual season is to heed Christ's warning and apply His prescribed solutions found in His Word. Christ's words to all seven churches in the book of Revelation are vital for this top-to-bottom transformation.

However, this is especially true regarding Christ's message to the angel and congregation of Pergamum, who were under assault in the very area being discussed.

The cross is always the path for believers who have decided to walk the straight path with Jesus. The cross is never enjoyable, but it always results in resurrection. Therefore, believers today must be willing to face the cross and believe for resurrection power to flow through them—even if it means they have to suffer the brunt of a changing society that has no tolerance for people who hold to an exclusionary faith or to fixed moral absolutes. If the church has no fixed, non-negotiable biblical truths to stand on, it will simply become a spiritually weak humanitarian organization with a "Christian" philosophy that lacks the power of God.
In Jesus' message to the church of Pergamum, He commended the Pergamene believers who refused to be intimidated by the forces of darkness that were lambasting them from all sides, trying to make them abandon their commitment to the gospel (see Rev. 2:13).

These opposing forces took on a variety of forms for all early believers, ranging from strife among family members to communal ostracism to large-scale government crackdowns against the church.

However, despite the diverse ways in which this antagonism might manifest, these attacks against the early church were all deeply rooted in one common defining characteristic—an adamant adherence to the system of beliefs collectively known today as "paganism."

Now we are approaching the end of this age in an educated, highly sophisticated, and technological world, and we are witnessing a return to that pagan premise of the past that everyone's belief system can be right. More and more, society has no stomach for spiritual or moral absolutes.

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In fact, the public reaction to moral proclamations is often so adverse that many pastors today are hesitant to take strong positions on issues of morality, even though these truths are clearly stated in the Word of God. Rather than answer difficult moral questions, they dodge the questions and skirt around the issues in an attempt to avoid conflict.

We will discover that this is precisely what the errant leaders, whom Christ called Nicolaitans, were doing in Pergamum. Theirs was a doctrine of self-protecting compromise and accommodation with the pagan culture that surrounded the Pergamene congregation.

As a result, it is possible that the pastors and spiritual leaders in that city who decided to "take a stand" and preach the gospel in its pure, unadulterated form were labeled as irrelevant or intolerant hate-mongers.

Early believers endured bullying, ridicule, imprisonment and even death because they refused to conform to the pluralistic pagan world that surrounded them on all sides. The religious, social, cultural and political forces of the city exerted tremendous pressure to coerce these Christians into modifying their message to encompass a more moderate, inclusive view that would make them compliant with the spirit of the age. Although some believers collapsed under this pressure, many steadfastly resisted this coercion to conform and held fast to their faith.