MO #515... Death, Where is Your Sting?

LET THE

SONSHINE

..."Your eyes light up your inward being.

A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul."

Luke 11:34a

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Death, Where is Your Sting?

Jesus holds the keys to life and death for the believer NOW!

Today's M.O. deals with overcoming death. We believers know that the bodies that we live in are only temporary tents (as they are called in the Word). When they wear out and we die, we will go on living in heaven because Jesus overcame spiritual death for us when He rose from the dead. This is a great comfort, especially when we've lost a loved one that we know will go to heaven. But one day death in the natural will also be defeated by what Jesus did. There will be no more sorrow, no more pain, no more tears and we will live FOREVER with Him.

When my daughter was only 15 years old, she went to the beach in Virginia Beach on Mother's Day and didn't return. We waited, then went looking for her...but she had disappeared. The police were no help...they said to just wait, she'd show up...she was a teenager! Several days went by, still no sign of her...then it turned into a week. The pain and agony we went through not knowing what had happened to her, whether she was hurt or dying some place, was the most terrible pain a parent can feel, except for death. Not knowing was a "death" in itself.

I hadn't eaten for the entire week. I was stretched out on the livingroom carpet and I profusely began sobbing, I began to plead with God to show us where she was. A peculiar thought entered my mind...

"Go to Warren, Ohio and the police there will help you find her." Could this possibly be the Lord speaking? It wasn't an audible voice...just a thought. I had never ever heard of Warren, Ohio, and didn't even know if such a place existed. We had no money to just up and leave, but about 30 minutes later the Vice President of the Christian Broadcasting Television Network came to our house and said the Lord had spoken to him to bring us $300 and he was there to give us the money. My husband and a friend left that day for Ohio in a borrowed economy car.

The police there were sure they had a "looney tunes" on their hands when my husband told them what he had come for. He checked with them regularly in between searching for our daughter, and each time they just shook their heads. The fourth day when he went in to check, they showed him some clothing and a purse that had been found in a park in Warren... It was hers! They tried to convince him that she was probably already dead, but he reminded them that the Lord said that they would help him find her, and he wasn't leaving until they found her...dead or alive.

After she had been missing for two weeks they did find her. A group of young men had taken her from the beach. They had plans to use her in a porno ring. The night she was found, one of the younger of the fellows called me. He was sobbing and could hardly speak. He, at one time, had loved the Lord and he was doing his best to repent of his actions. He told me that he wanted to come to Virginia to personally apologize. We were doing a Kids' Crusade at the time, so I told him to come to the church that we were ministering at when he arrived.

Several evenings later...four young men came from Ohio to the church in Virginia to tell us how sorry they were, but first they watched our program. When I made the altar call for those who wanted to receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord, all four of them came forward and prayed with me to receive Jesus into their hearts.

How tragically different this story could have ended. I'm convinced that because Jesus has overcome death...that even premature death can also be overcome by faith. Satan came to steal our daughter, but Jesus came to give her life, and life more abundantly. He certainly spared her, and us, from some additonal needless and horrible events that could have transpired.

To be an overcomer, we have to personally know the One who has overcome FOR US, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. I'm so glad that He is my Lord and my Savior! I'm not saying that you'll never lose a loved one...I am saying that when the enemy comes to rob, steal and destroy, that we can turn to Jesus in faith and He will bring us victory. He is a tested help in times of trouble.

In Him and He in me,

Marlene

MARCHING ORDERS #515

Marching orders are compiled from paraphrased verses out of the Living Bible. No commentary is added...they are the pure Word of God.

"As Christ's soldier do not let yourself become tied up in worldly affairs, for then you cannot satisfy the one who enlisted you in his army." II Timothy 2:4 L/B

He will wipe away all tears . . .there shall be no more death nor sorrow . . .All of that has gone forever.

He will swallow up death forever. The Lord God will wipe away all tears and take away forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The Lord has spoken: he will surely do it! - Your sun shall never set; the moon shall not go down: for the Lord will be your everlasting light; your days of mourning all will end.

The people of Israel will no longer say, “We are sick and helpless,” for the Lord will forgive them their sins and bless them. The voice of weeping and crying shall not be heard there any more. For them all sorrow and all sighing will be gone forever.

Shall I ransom him from hell? Shall I redeem him from Death? O Death, bring forth your terrors for his tasting! O Grave, demonstrate your plagues! . . . the last enemy: death. This too must be defeated and ended. . . . then at last this Scripture will come true: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

(Living Bible:)

Revelation 21:4.

Is. 25:8. Is. 60:20. Is. 33:24. Is. 65:19. Is. 35:10.

Hos. 13:14. - I Cor. 15:26, 54.

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