Warriors Arise: October 23, 2020
John 21:20-23 (NKJV) Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”
22 Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”
23 Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?”
John makes a clarifying statement as he is writing. There are times when people find out information about us and we need to have the courage to set the record straight.
Nobody likes having people push them in a direction they don't want to go. To have this spread around only spreads misinformation. Jesus was not truly answering Peter's question bout the man who was following them. What God calls one person to do or not to do should not affect whether we do what God has called us to do. This is the point Jesus is making, "Peter, we aren't talking about someone else. I am talking with you. I didn't come here to tell you about your future or anyone else's. I came to make sure you know I still have plans for you. What you did does not remove what I have called you to do. Are you going to follow Me?"
Nobody wants other people to read into what someone says about them and then tell everyone else. This is gossip. When we know information and add our own opinion when sharing with someone else, the information is no longer valid. John is setting the record straight. Gossip and slander are a powerful tool of the enemy. Once the truth has been tampered with it taints the hearer's mind.
Nobody likes to be lied about. Jesus said "if", He did not say John will remain alive until I return. It was none of Peter's business what anyone else is called to do or the way they would die. Sharing this information could really get out-of-hand. As we know, Jesus did not return before John died. John needed to address this, making sure those who heard this would not take it as fact. John protected the Word of God by making sure what Jesus said was shared in truth. John defends the words Jesus spoke to make sure no one would use them against Jesus. The enemy enjoys giving a little twist to the things we say. We have to be able to state the facts.
My concern: Do people want facts? Do people care about the truth? Does the truth even matter?
When I was growing up lying was unacceptable and we were disciplined. My brother was mowing in town. I guess I was pretty young, because when I was sent to go get my brother I didn't ride my bike. I had to walk. I didn't realize how much mowing my brother had left to do. I walked downtown to the donut shop. Ms. Lil gave me a donut. I chatted with her for a little bit and then proceeded to walk to where my brother was mowing. When I arrived, he was gone. That donut that tasted so good a few minutes earlier was not sitting so well. I hurried toward home. My brother was riding his bike coming in the opposite direction when he saw me. He had made it home before me. I could tell I was in trouble. I knew I would be disciplined. The remaining two and a half blocks home, I tried with all my might to think up a lie. I didn't want to tell my parents where I had been. I'm not even sure I ever did. I told a lie. It was a silly lie but it was the best I could come up with. I had told them that I must have been behind the big tree along the sidewalk when my brother passed by on the mower. When I got to the place they told me to go, he wasn't there so I went to another place to look for him. I remember my dad coming into my room to discipline me and saying, "Veridee, this hurts me more than it hurts you." No way did I believe that! (At least not until I became a parent and had to discipline my children.)
Thankfully, my lying ability never got any better so I share the truth and admit my wrongs. Not that I didn't try after that, but I always seemed to be found out. Or at least enough that I decided I didn't like getting discipline so I might as well tell the truth. The discipline was not as painful, if I confessed my sin. But when they knew I had lied, the pain equalled the lie and the wrong doing. I am thankful I have parents who cared enough to discipline me, to help me understand the need to be a person of integrity. There are times when lies circulate and the only thing one can do is share the truth with those who want to know or have the integrity established that people would not believe the lie told. People want to believe, what people want to believe. Sometimes the truth isn't what they want. That doesn't change my character, it reveals their's. So I forgive them and move on. I probably do this more for personal reasons. I know I am not perfect and there are times when I need people to do the same for me. Being upset that people do not want to know the truth about me, will only cause me anxiety that I don't need.
There are times to share the truth. When they ask. Because when they ask, they are the most open to hearing the truth instead of allowing the truth to be twisted as it leaves my mouth and enters their ears. Have you ever wondered how a conversation went south so fast? You shared and they totally heard something other than what you said. It is a terrible feeling. My advice, as soon as you identify that they are not hearing what you are saying, gently end the conversation. When people have their mind made up before they get the truth, only an act of God will open the mind to receive the truth.
Take for instance the first presidential debate, not last night's. Biden told 14 lies about President Trump. It was published on Facebook the next day. Each lie Biden quoted with the truth sited below it. The truth about President Trump was sited with documentation. Yet, within an hour it could be found nowhere on Facebook. They had blocked the truth. My question to the people who do not want to know the truth and were so upset with President Trump interrupting Biden that night, "If you arrived at a company-wide meeting today and the person who wants your job begins to lie about you, would you interrupt them to defend yourself and share the truth?" President Trump and Biden were in the debate for 1 hour and 30 minutes. If someone stood up in the company meeting and lied about you 14 times within an hour and a half, at what point would you defend yourself? After 1 lie? 5 lies? 10 lies? Would you allow that person to continue to talk about you or would at some point would you interrupt them? What point would that be? If the moderator told you to be quiet and stop interrupting would you? Your job is on the line with the lies of the person who wants your job. Would you let them continue to lie about you?
After I learned of the lies, I then understood President Trump's interruptions and gave grace. I'm not sure I would have remained as calm as President Trump did. Therefore, prayer continued for the American people to want to know the truth and for the truth to be revealed. Do you want to know the truth? Then you will have to look up the facts yourself. Find documentation. I highly recommend The Epoch Times. They site everything and place legitimate facts before their readers. They let the reader decide based on the facts. I had become a lazy American voter. I decided to use the brain God gave me and vote according to validated information and vote according to the things that matter to God.
I am thankful for a president who seeks God, asks for prayer, and blesses America. ( I did not say he is perfect. Jesus said, "No one is perfect, no not one.") I have never had a president who has prayed for America in public like our president.
I am thankful for a president who chooses to resolve international problems with peace instead of war.
I am thankful for a president who protects our jobs instead of giving them away to 11 million illegals.
I am thankful for a president who doesn't cage illegal children left by their illegal parents.
I am thankful for a president who doesn't throw money at every problem but seeks to find the answer to eliminate the problem and funds the solution.
I am thankful for a president who sees the health needs of the people and comes up with a better plan, not as costly and increased benefits.
I am thankful for a president who doesn't just ride out the chaos but looks to find a way through it.
I am thankful for a president who when faced with the coronavirus doesn't promote fear but gives direction for our safety and encourages Americans to work together.
I am thankful for a president who gets our country making the medical supplies needed to protect Americans (masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, ventilators) and help Americans back to health.
I am thankful for a president who is educated about the harm of solar and wind energy have created for our country.
I am thankful for a president who gets his information from those who work in that area such as the forest rangers who say we need to clean out our national forests from the debris to prevent fires. (My family was told the same thing by the forest rangers at Yellowstone National Park two years ago.)
I am thankful for a president who does away with needless rules and regulations that hurt our businesses.
I am thankful for a president who sends task forces to remove from our neighborhoods gangs and drug dealers while freeing those trapped in human trafficking.
I am thankful for a president who is restoring homes, schools, and neighborhoods.
I am thankful for a president who promotes the best people to accomplish the task instead of someone who doesn't know what they are doing.
I am thankful for a president who knows raising the minimum wage to $15 across the country would be a disaster for small businesses and sabotage their American dream.
I am thankful for a president who won't allow himself or our country to be lied about.
I am thankful for a president who knows we need a strong and equipped military to defend our freedom.
I am thankful for a president who honors those who serve our nation; the military, the police, the health workers, and the fire fighters.
I am thankful for a president who does not condemn all because of one person's error.
I am thankful for a president who wants everyone to have the opportunity to live the American dream and creates jobs.
I am thankful for a president who is concerned about our schools, what is being taught and establishes the importance of an excellent education.
I am thankful for a president who serves the American people instead of himself. He is not president for the money he gets paid, because he has never accepted a paycheck from the government, the American people.
I am thankful for a president who knows killing unborn babies is not only wrong but a sin. (By-the-way, over 186 of every 1,000 babies aborted comes out alive and the doctor either snaps the babies neck or leaves it to die alone.) Are you okay with this?
I am thankful for a president who knows our constitution and protects it.
I am thankful for a president who values the American voter and is unwilling to let our republic crumble.
I am thankful for President Trump.
Father, You want us to know the truth. You want us to be one nation under God. You want us to honor You with our words and our lives. You want us to be responsible with the republic in which we live. You want us to take a stand against the father of lies and look to You to reveal the truth. You want us to vote with You and not against You. I pray for Americans to take the time to search for the truth. I pray for Americans to seek You during the next 11 days and plan their vote according to Your direction. I pray for Americans to do everything possible to rid themselves of lies and seek to establish the truth in their life. I pray for Americans to be free from the prison of main stream media and seek to know the facts. I pray for Americans to acknowledge and give honor to those who have worked so hard to get us through the pandemic, search and research for a cure to the coronavirus, and people returning to jobs and getting new jobs. I ask for You to meet with the American people. I ask for conviction to come for those who have tampered with ballots to confess and those ballots be removed. I ask for You to intervene to keep people honest throughout the election process. I ask for You to move through America and put at peace those who are angry and wanting to abuse our republic. I pray for Your kingdom to come and Your will be done as it is in heaven. What you have established in heaven cannot be overturned in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy
My hope is for Believers in Jesus Christ to join together each day to pray, to push back the enemy as we release God’s power here on earth against the coronavirus, riots, and lies. The prayers will be listed each day as Warriors Arise. I will put a date with it so we can keep them straight. If you have any questions please feel free to make a comment or private message me. If you would like this to come to your email directly please go to verideehand.com and subscribe.
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