|
The Special Forces Prayer
Almighty God, Who art the Author of Liberty and the Champion of the Oppressed, hear our prayer.
We, the men of the Special Forces, ackgnowledge our dependence upon Thee in the preservation of human freedom.
Go with us as we seek to defend the defenseless and to free the enslaved.
May we ever remember that our nation, whose motto is "In God We Trust", expects that we shall acquit ourselves with honor, that we may never bring shame upon our faith, our families or our fellow men.
Grant us wisdom from Thy mine, courage from Thine heart, and protection by Thine hand.
It is for Thee that we do battle, and to Thee belongs the victor's crown.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. AMEN.
To learn about the history and author of the prayer, as well as the prayer itself, visit the beautiful site I got it from: www.prayer.sfahq.com. This prayer was written by Special Forces Chaplain John Stevey.
TOP 5 MYTHS ABOUT CHRISTIANITY
1.) "It's for women and children."
This could not be further from the truth, but it's a common mantra. RELIGION may be for women and children - the kind that insists on weakness to take the place of meekness - but Jesus isn't.
2. "Christians are greedy, money-clutching wretches."
This, unfortunately, is true of many of the huge TV preachers and it sickens me. It disgusts many Christians because it goes in the opposite direction of what Christians are supposed to be known for: love, generosity and self sacrifice. The problem is that these few rich wretches give the average Christian a bad name and creates a contradictory image of Christians. There are so many corrupt people who claim to be Christians and it is a sad state of affairs.
3.) "I'll have to part my hair in the middle, be soft-spoken and wear glasses."
The problem with this myth is that there are alot of men who do these effeminate things in the name of being holy. This is so wrong. When God gets a hold of someone's life, he makes them bold like the apostles. Weakness, femininity, soft-spokenness, drastic sobriety and wimpiness in men is cause by religion, not by God. And yes, they are two different things.
4.) "Jesus was a slow-moving man with long hair and a halo around his head who never smiled or raised his voice."
Where do these religious images come from? They come from religion - the kind the Pharisees exhibited. And JESUS HATED IT. This does not come from God at all. The "holiness" of the Pharisees was merely a series of religious rituals based on twisted notions. We are told, in the Bible, that Jesus was like all other men (only outwardly, of course). He felt joy, sorrow, boldness, compassion and righteous anger, such as when He drove the tax collectors out of the synagogue with a whip. He was masculine.
(Also a note about angels: They are God's messengers, who are described in the Bible as being masculine and of superior strength and size. Jacob wrestled with one and ended up with a sore hip. And in Revelations, we are told that they will be the ones to pour out the seven vials with the seven plagues upon the wickedness of the Earth.)
5.) "Christians and Catholics are the same thing."
The Vatican stands for everything Christ and His followers do not. It is a corrupt organization; twisted and greedy. NONE of their religious rituals are anything God would approve of and they are not based on the Bible at all. Praying to Mary is just another of the corrupt practices.
Here are some very good comic books on the issue!
"Murph" "The Death Cookie" "Why Is Mary Crying?" "Last Rites" "Are Roman Catholics Christians?"
The Salvation Message
The Bible says, "...For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." This means that no one - no matter how good the person - is completely free of sin. We've all done something wrong at one time or another. And ever since Eve sinned, and got Adam to, we have all done the same.
According to God, there has to be payment for this. Nobody gets off free. In the Old Testament, the way to atone for sin was with animal sacrifice, prayers through the high priests, many rules and rituals that were often accompanied by instant judgement for sin.
Then Jesus, God's only Son, came, and the rules were changed. No longer was it "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." And for the first time in history, no amount of praying, sacrifice or "good works" - Roman Catholic-style constant paying-off for wrongdoing - could get you into Heaven, according to Jesus. Hence he said, "...For by Grace are ye saved, and not of works, lest any man should boast." Then no man, no matter how righteous, could boast of saving himself - accepting Jesus' death on the cross as the payment became the only way.
Jesus was God in the form of man, yet he was not "religious". So unreligious, in fact, that he broke all of the Pharisees' laws and angered to them to no end. To the point that they had him killed, in fact, because to them he couldn't have been from God.... simply because he did not subscribe to their form.
The crucifixion of Jesus was all part of God's plan for the pardoning of sin: the rending of the curtain that had separated God and man since Adam and Eve disobeyed. Until that time, only the selected priests were allowed to talk to God or enter the Holy Temple. When Jesus was crucified - for our sins - that barrier was broken and opened to everyone.
And ever after, the curtain has been open so that any man can come to God. No separation of Jews and Gentiles, young and old, holy priests or simple men. All were given access to God Himself.
Therefore each man is now responsible for his own actions, his own acceptance or refusal to God's gift of Eternal Life. No perfect mass/church attendance record, payment to priests or a trillion "Hail Marys" can earn it. There is no way to earn your way into Heaven!
Instead, it is by accepting God's offer of Salvation, turning our backs on our old ways, if they were wrong, repenting of all sin and starting a new, godly life that we may enter Heaven when we die.
I'd also like to clear something up. One need not become a solemn, religious, hair-parted-in-the-middle kind of person when they get saved. This kind of lifestyle is a form based on religious myth that it is godly to live a bland, stagnant, joyless life. The more courageous, aggressive, bold and passionate a person is, the better, if all of that is used for good after that. It is only a blessing, not unholy or anything else that may be planted in a person by religiosity.
At the same time, neither may caution be thrown to the wind and abandon all moral values and guidelines simply because a person is saved and now God doesn't expect them to be righteous. These are both twisted notions. The contemporary and conservative views can both be twisted - for example, the Amish are in the religious rut of a life lived in form, while many of the Foursquare Churches and other such congregations who promote Christian rap and other such music and resources are in the contemporary, who-cares-now-that-I'm-saved rut. You have to be somewhere in between.
My advice? Read your Bible! Not a Latin Catholic version and not the modern, funky translations, but a New King James or NIV translation. The Bible is God's guide for Christians, and no important issue is not addressed there. Be well-grounded in the Word and you will be able to fight the temptation of the devil and others who wish to destroy your relationship with God. As my father says, the Bible is God's book of instruction he left for us.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments; I have a guestbook here and would gladly answer any questions you might have.
www.chick.com is an excellent website that sells Chick Tracts, and there you can read all of the comics tracts illustrated by Jack Chick! I would highly recommend going there; it is a wonderful resource with alot of good reading.
The Christian Life
I would like to clarify something here too - in the Hall of Shame I list the names of traitors and liars who have had an influence on America because of their involvement in politics. Though we are to love our enemies, we are not to imitate them or be accepting of their ways. Sin is sin, so hate the sin and love the sinner with a Godly love that prays for his soul.
Persecution
The average American has no idea how our brothers and sisters in Christ are persecuted for their faith in different countries. Their stories are heartbreaking yet inspiring and encouraging all in one. These Christians are the real thing. Please do visit The Voice of the Martyrs' website and sign up to recieve their free monthly magazine.
Go to the website and order the necklace called "The Martyrs' Cross" to help you to remember to pray for persecuted Christians! This can also be ordered through The Voice of the Martyrs. | 
