Mariam Ibraheem

Mariam Ibraheem

(by R.P.Edwards)

Bold confessions

Are Easily said

Where freedom guards

The speaker's bed

But feel the knife

THEN speak the words

These, my friend

Are in heaven

Heard

^{Jesus said, 32} “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. ³³ But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

(Matthew 10:32,33)

Hopefully the reader knows the story: Mariam Ibraheem, a Sudanese citizen, was accused of apostasy (i.e. leaving Islam) and sentenced to death unless she recanted her new-found Christian faith (Truth: she NEVER was a Muslim; always a Christian. She did, however, marry an American who was also a Christian). Shackled in prison (also caring for a toddler), she gave birth to her second child, all-the-while pressured by visitors to renounce and renew. She refused.

Just a thoughtful observation: How easy it is for we American believers to say we are followers of the Nazarene. We who had this "freedom" handed to us (we certainly didn't earn it). We, who only risk having our "feelings" hurt for our proclamation (rather than facing the noose or the knife). And I wonder; I wonder if I--knowing my predisposition to compromise and "get along"--I wonder if I would be so bold as to place my head, willingly, in the noose as brave Mariam Ibraheem did. I hope so. 

Anyway, she could use some support (prayers and otherwise). Here's a link to her website:  Mariam Ibraheem

"I had my faith in God...I knew that God would help me"

(Mariam Ibraheem)

****

"Belief" equals "Actions"

Wiser Men
(by R.P.Edwards)

Some would say
We’re nothing more
Than molecules, gone mad
Environment, the only cause
For making good…or bad
“If you can’t see it…it’s not there!”
The atheist decrees
But wiser men seek something more
And finding… bend the knee

And so…a fairly recent convert to Islam…drives by a recruiting station in Little Rock, and shoots two soldiers, one fatally. It was the result of his politics and “ideology,” say the “experts.” Do tell. How amazing to suggest that what a person “believes” effects how he acts. Of course, these commentators conclude that he was on the “fringe“…a zealot. However, I heard one fellow, a former “extremist,“ say something like --concerning another with a similar mindset--“No, he was merely devout.”

Yes, it comes down to what you believe. Years ago, when the word “values” was used, it was often prefixed by the phrase “Judeo-Christian.” These words implied an acknowledgment of God…a Supreme Being who defined right and wrong by a Biblical standard and, when these “rules” were transgressed…a punishment was due…often by the state. In fact, to “not” punish, was to invite “His” displeasure….a condition we could ill afford. Now, since we have become reeducated and enlightened…our “values” are secular. Actions that were punishable just a few years ago, are now championed, celebrated, extolled. And the result on society…well…you decide. But--to the point--we need to understand that there are individuals (many, MANY individuals) who think they are doing a great good by killing us. This is their “belief system,” and it is a strong one. And to pretend that these are just a few slightly off balanced individuals…is naive. A naivete that just might destroy us.

The conclusion: we need to become anchored in what we know works. We need to acknowledge that the “new” morality--the destructive, self-centered, new morality-- is espoused by individuals who have had nothing to do with our inherited blessing (nor the defending of it). And we need to, quite frankly, return to the God of our fathers. Political Correctness--the bludgeoning tool of the elite--would have us believe that all faiths are grounded in sand. But the reality is, that there “is” a foundational truth, a once known truth, that, when built upon, is an enduring bedrock on which a nation can securely stand. I suggest we start digging until we find it…again.