Prisoner of Hope

Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;
    even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.

- Zechariah 9:12 

Let's talk about slavery, shall we? No, I'm not going to plea for activism again. Let's talk about the average American Christian Joe or Jill. That's me and you. Oversimplification? Um, yes. Bear with me. 

We are all slaves/prisoners of something. I'm sure you've heard this before. As Christians, we were slaves of sin but now are slaves of Christ (Romans 6:22.) This is final. Nothing and no one can change this fact.

However, there is a more specific imprisonment that involves a daily exercise of the will.

Will I chain myself to fear or to hope?

Yes, it is I who imprison myself to either option. Since I am set free by Christ's death and resurrection, I am empowered.

 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power,love and self-discipline.

-2 Timothy 1:7 

Forces are strong against me.

²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sinat work within me. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature^[d] a slave to the law of sin.

- Romans 7:21-25

A daily battle. 

I have been learning to pray not only for wisdom but also the courage to carry out that wisdom. 

That includes battling my fears. That includes battling the fear of my fears. That includes humility and vulnerability.

Today, I choose to chain myself to hope instead of fear. Circumstances will sway me. But instead of chaining myself to fear, being absolutely positive of its return and condemning myself for it, I choose to be a prisoner of hope. That means centering in on meaning, beauty, and perfection found only in Christ.

I want to be so held captive by hope that it overwhelms me. 

All else may fail. Even best friends and family are guaranteed to let me down at some point. I will let you down, I'm sure of it, even though I never want to. 

It's a daily mindset struggle. 

But I have a key around my neck and the Spirit of God within me to remind me that I always, always, always have the key to hope. 

Help me choose to be a prisoner of hope, my God. Day by day by uncertain, glorious day.

Taylor University, get ready to welcome a prisoner into your midst! :D

Sidenote: I AM SOOOOOO EXCITED ABOUT JUNIOR YEAR!!!!

Okay. End. :) 

Help!

I've tried to start this post several times, but the written word fails to provide the urgency I would like to convey. I think it is fairly safe to say that the greatest humanitarian crisis of the past several decades is the nightmare communist state of North Korea. I wanted to write about the striking comparisons between the hugely popular Hunger Games dystopian novels/movies and the North Korean crisis, but apparently someone else has also noticed the similarities. It's a great short article that I encourage you to read if you have time.

I myself am an unashamed fan of The Hunger Games novels/movie. The testament of Katniss's (lead protagonist) selflessness, courage, and loyalty in the midst of atrocities is inspiring. But there are real people like Katniss in North Korea whose government abuses them. There are also people in North Korea who do not know the concept of love or friendship. It's survival mode in many starved areas where the government turns a blind eye. Prison camps that hold thousandsare ridiculously evil. Think Nazi cruelty, except this has gone on for decades. Propaganda is rich with lies and layered with threats. Freedom of religion and speech are foreign concepts to a NK citizen. Freedom of any sort is a contorted, hazy dream.

But hope is there too, and it is determined to win. North Koreans are, more and more, able to access entertainment and information from the outside world via jump drives. People are beginning to receive new ideas about the outside world. Even with no access to internet, limited access to radio and television and a constant watchful eye from their "Dear Leader." And there is more to get excited about! A non-profit called LINK (liberty in North Korea) dedicates their work to rescuing and resettling NK refugees and making the North Korean plight known all over the world. Click here for just one rescue story.

Please consider contributing to this life-saving effort through LINK on my fundraising page! Any small, one-time donation will help. Consider it as a birthday present or just an opportunity, but don't be guilt-tripped into this. Helping North Korean's is one of my passions, and I realize that people may have different passions to which they are contributing. I'd also appreciate some FB advertising, if you have it. I currently do not have Facebook, but I know it is a good platform for this kind of thing. So if you want to put this link in your status update with a quick blurb, by all means feel free! www.stayclassy.org/happybirthday