More Coal

We will face trouble or opposition in this life, but when we encounter it, we don't have to surrender to fear, but we can stand in faith; we can be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Isaiah 59
states:
19 So shall they fear The name of the Lord from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
20 "The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob," Says the Lord.

We may face opposition from flesh and blood or struggle with adverse circumstances; but, we know from Scripture that we are not at war with flesh and blood, but there are powerful spiritual forces that work to short-circuit the work of an all-powerful God.  So, when we face trials, we can be motivated to turn to Him, looking to Him as our rescuer and redeemer, who will give us the strength we need to face opposition and to flee temptation.

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In Psalm 57, we see that the Psalmist is facing opposition, and offers us some insight into how we can respond when we are opposed:
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise.
8 Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.
9 I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations.

More coal for the atheist organization out of Wisconsin that seems to be content with trolling Southerners for their religious practices.  In contrast to the subject of yesterday's comments, the Washington Post social media reference to a three-year-old questionable story about the existence of Jesus - again, this was on Christmas morning, a more appropriate message was posted on Facebook on Christmas Day:

“My fellow Alabamians, today, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, I pray that each of us share His light and love with one another. As we’re upon the Christmas season, reflecting on the past year, let us be filled with hope and joy as we look toward the opportunities that lie before us. May your days ahead be filled with the light of God and His abundant grace.”

According to Yellowhammer News, those were the words of Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, who also made a Christmas video.  Pepper Bryars of the website wrote: "A seriously annoying anti-Christian activist organization has signaled out Alabama’s governor because of what they call 'preaching' on social media, demanding she remove the offending statements or face lawsuits and fines."

The article quoted from the Freedom from Religion Foundation's press release:

“Wishing people good will and good cheer is all fine on Christmas, but not this overtly religious homily that the governor felt fit to send forth,” the foundation’s co-president said in a news release. “She’s insulting residents of the state who aren’t Christian by such sectarian preachiness.”

Again, a lump of coal for the FFRF, which has been fueling an increase in Christian activity at a high school not far from here.  According to Faithwire, East Coweta High School football coach John Small was filmed praying with students, and the FFRF got involved by sending one of their famous letters decrying the practice.  The article states:

An attorney for the school board reportedly circulated a guidance document for staff following the complaint, The Christian Post reported.

That document proclaims that even student-led prayers cannot be joined by teachers, coaches and other staffers. More specifically, the memo instructs staff not to “join hands, bow their heads, take a knee or commit another act that otherwise manifests approval with the students’ religious exercise, at least where it would be perceived by a reasonable observer to display government endorsement of religion.”

Students at the school took matters into their own hands and the players organized pre-game prayers in the stands with students before the game.  Small told The Christian Post, “Instead of it being 100 players praying, it turned into 400 students praying. That’s their right and we are going to support them in that.”

And, where are the coaches during this time? Small said to the Post: "We are not allowed to be in the middle of it but we have a right to be there with our players. We don’t have to flee [the scene],” adding, “If my head is bowed, nobody can tell me what I am thinking. I am not leading the prayer. I am there supporting my kids. Whether I am praying or not, nobody can say I am or I ain’t.”

There was a rally to support the coach that was held at the school's stadium back in November - WAGA television states that:

Coach Small encouraged the crowd, especially the students, to take advantage of the adversity to strengthen their faith.

"I would encourage you, that when adversity comes your way, you stand up, you look at it, and say ‘God, you got this don't you?" the coach said.

And, there you have it - a great example for us regarding how to respond to opposition.  We don't surrender to fear, but we stand in faith.  We will face opposition in our life; we do have to make sure that the trouble comes as the result of our faith in Christ, not because of provocation that is outside of the will of God.  But, if the vertical relationship is right, we do become vulnerable to opposition, but we don't have to be defeated by it.

We also recognize that when we face those times of struggle and adversity, that we surrender to God and not try to stand in human wisdom.  We can become so reactive that we lose our sense of dependence on Him.  If our response is Biblically-informed and Spirit-inspired, God will produce His desired result.

Finally, we know that there are spiritual forces that are intent on rendering us ineffective for the kingdom of God, that would prevent us from doing the will of God.  We are called not to become discouraged, but to become emboldened by His power and to know that He is with us.