Today's Prayer Focus:
Today's Topic: Honoring Our Huguenot Heritage
(Part Two)
A Scripture to Decree:
REVELATION 12:11 (KJV)
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."
Our Prayer Focus: Entering In
Our Prayer Focus:
Preparing our Hearts to Honor the Martyrdom of the French Huguenots
. . . As we ended our story yesterday, we saw that several hundred Huguenot believers had perished at the hands of 600 Spanish Conquistadors in three separate massacres:
One at Fort Caroline, and the other two on the marshy sands of an unnamed inlet, south of St. Augustine, now called Matanzas.
Tonight, we honor each one who perished, standing for his faith. For you see, at Matanzas, Pedro De Aviles Menendez had drawn a line in the sand and promised that, if each man would recant his faith in "Lutheranism" and pledge his faith to Rome, he would be placed on the ships waiting in the harbor, and be taken safely back to Rome.
BUT, TO A MAN, NO ONE GAVE UP HIS FAITH FOR THE EASY WAY OUT. NO ONE COMPROMISED HIS BELIEFS IN THE ONE TRUE GOD. WHEN SHOWN THAT LINE IN THE SAND -- THE WAY OF ESCAPE -- EACH ONE INSTEAD STOOD HIS GROUND . . . DIED FOR CHRIST
. . . and they loved not their lives unto the death."
On those days in October, 1565, in Matanzas Inlet, the French Huguenots, who had come here only one year before with such high hopes of being able to freely practice their Christian faith without fear . . . instead lost the battle.
BUT GLORY!
EVEN THOUGH THEY LOST THE BATTLE . . . THEY WON THE WAR! That land, soaked in the martyr's blood, is owned by JESUS CHRIST through his saints, and no demon of hell can ever rule over it. SATAN CANNOT RULE IN AMERICA!
Whether he is now disguised as an anarchist, a communist, an ANTIFA activist, a BLM activist, an Occupy Wall Street activist, or any other brand of demon-possessed rioter, THE POWER OF THE BLOOD OF THE MARTYR CANCELS THAT OF OUR ENEMY.
PRAISE GOD!
The Two Legacies of Jean Ribault
HIS FIRST LEGACY:
DEDICATING OUR SOIL -- OUR VERY LAND -- TO THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB!
. . . THE DEATH OF THE OVERCOMER
As the leader of the French military, Jean Ribault set a standard of courage at that line in the sand that all his men then followed. Ribault literally stood for the TRUTH, inspiring his many men to do the same.
Again, by dying for CHRIST, Ribault and his men gained the victory because it is written:
"I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed." (Malachi 3:6)
HALLELUJAH!
HIS SECOND LEGACY:
A COVENANT WITH ZION!
As he lay dying on the sands of Matanzas Inlet, Ribault recited the words of Pslam 132 with his dying breath. In doing so, Jean Ribault struck a covenant with Zion. dedicating our land-now the United States of America-to "the mighty God of Jacob":
"Lord, remember me, and all my afflictions: How I swore unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob; Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed; I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob." (Psalm 132:1-5)
Clearly, the heartcry of this passionate Huguenot leader was to devote his life to establishing "an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. " As Jean Ribault lay dying in the sands of Matanzas inlet that day, 455 years ago, his sacrifice established our land as a permanent "place for the Lord." May we never forget this legacy, as we remain in covenant relationship today with Zion - the land of the mighty God of Jacob.
Summary
The second massacre of the Huguenots on the sands of Matanzas Inlet marked the end of the brief history of French colonization in La Florida. But this is only the beginning of a more profound story, for the death of the Matanzas martyrs has left a legacy in this country that, until now, has been either largely unknown or ignored.
What is this legacy? Consider the promise of the Word of God in Revelation 12:11: "They overcame him through the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony and they LOVED NOT THEIR LIVES UNTO THE DEATH." The martyrs of Matanzas chose death as an act of conscience rather than to bow to the false gospel of Rome. Because they did so at the time of the very (hidden) foundation of our nation, this act of self-sacrifice is one on which our whole nation now rests.
When Pedro Menendez drew the line in the sand against Jean Ribault, the Lord Himself drew a line in the sand against Satan. God's ultimate destiny and purpose for this nation is to function as ONE NATION UNDER GOD and to release the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. It will be fulfilled. No weapon formed against us will prosper because of this blood-washed line in the sand. This is America's hidden treasure.
Today's Prayer
Lord GOD Almighty,
We come before You tonight on bended knee, freely admitting that we have lost our way . . .
Forgive us, O Lord, for looking to CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC and many other of men's sources for our news, direction and guidance.
Lord God, we need only to look unto YOU, the author and the finisher of our faith, to find the way we should go.
We now see that the enemy is at the gate, and we PRAISE YOU, O Lord, that he has no power, for ALL POWER WAS GIVEN TO YOU AT THE CROSS. Although he prowls about as a lion, making big and scary noises, we confront him with the TRUTH of Your Word, because it is written:
"According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity
And those who sow trouble harvest it.
9 "By the breath of God they perish,
And by the blast of His anger they come to an end.
10 "The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion,
And the teeth of the young lions are broken.
11 "The lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the whelps of the lioness are scattered."
(Job 4:8-10)
WE REPENT THAT WE HAVE BEEN AFRAID OF HIS LIES, AND THAT WE HAVE NOT PLACED OUR TRUST FULLY IN YOU, O LORD. HELP US, O LORD, WE PRAY, AS WE NOW ENTER INTO THIS DAY OF GREAT BATTLE, FOR THE BATTLE IS THE LORD'S!
IN YOUR NAME, WE OFFER THIS PRAYER, AMEN AND AMEN!
In Closing: A Very Special Treat for You!
Dear Friends,
Before we leave the tale of the Huguenot colony and move on to other topics, we want to share a special treat with you tonight:
THE SONGS THAT THE HUGUENOTS SANG!
Several years ago, a dear friend of our Ministry, Mickey Roman, was inspired to research the songs that the Huguenots actually sang on those ships as they came across that vast ocean in 1564.
These were the songs they sang when they built their fortress and stopped each day at noon to worship our Lord.
These were the songs that sustained them through much hardship when they arrived on the land, and these were the songs they sang as they died.
Mickey Roman has since produced a CD to capture their song, and that era . . . ARISE AMERICA!
To quote from its jacket:
These Psalms were the first Christian songs sung in America and taught to the Indians by the French Huguenots arriving in Jacksonville, Florida 1562. We took the liberty to add rhythm and timing to these melodies for recording purposes. These songs are recorded both in English and in French.
For those who care to, you can now order this CD online from Amazon,by going here.
May you each be blessed as you listen to the chimes of the chapel bell at noon, calling us all to gather, and to worship our King. Amen!
Tomorrow's Prayer Focus:
CONFRONTING THE SIEGE - DEALING WITH THE MEDIA
What is "The Siege?"
What is "The Siege?"
Radical activist group plans to "lay siege to" and "occupy" White House in September
The radical activist group that takes credit for the #OccupyWallStreet movement in 2011 has announced plans to occupy the White House next month. Adbusters, a digital publication that describes itself as "a global network" determined to "advance the new social activist movement of the information age," issued a post dubbed "#WhiteHouseSiege - Tactical Briefing #1."
"It's been nine years since we set off the political earthquake of #OccupyWallStreet, laying siege to NYC's Zuccotti Park and inspiring thousands of similar protests around the world," the post reads. "The Occupy anniversary arrives September 17th, 2020. And it may be the perfect day to trigger another global big-bang moment - a massive collective action of the sweetest kind of disobedience."
"It's time again for dramatic, decisive action. Which is why, on September 17th, in the original and enduring spirit of Occupy, we and tens of thousands of our fellow citizens will stream into Lafayette Square, in Washington. D.C," the post continued. "We will lay siege to the White House. And we will sustain it for exactly 50 days. This is the #WhiteHouseSiege."
Our Response:
Our strategy
In confronting this enemy, we will follow Christ's example. Accordingly, every day for the next 40 days, we will join forces with prayer points, Scriptures, and worship to confront the enemy at the gates and to render him null and void.
We will begin now, and end on Sunday, September 20, just after the siege of the enemy has begun. BUT. by the grace of GOD, the enemy will instead find a big surprise at that gate: the LOVE OF JESUS, with His Hands extended towards each one, waiting to welcome them home.
By marshallng our forces in advance, just as was done this month in Austin, Texas, the plans of the enemy will be routed and OUR GOD WILL REIGN on the streets of Washington, D.C.!
Please note . . .
When lifting up prayer about these "enemy troops," our intercession is in fact aimed towards the forces in the heavenlies that are holding them captive!
It is written:
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12)
"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." (Ephesians 6:13)
Let us now stand together, dressed in the full armor of God in this evil day, at the gate of the highest authority in this land, praying for our nation, our President, and our upcoming elections.
In His Amazing Grace, we invite all of you to join us as we LAY SIEGE TO THE SIEGE IN WASHINGTON, D.C.