Being With Hurting People

The thought i had that i have today is...

'Be present with those who are in pain.' and just 'Be with people when you are in pain.'

The problem is often that people can amplify or minimize pain that others are having. They 'write it off' or 'focus to much on it'. So people want to withdraw.

Also... hurt people hurt other people. They lash out at times... can we endure that... absorb that.

People grieve
People who were wronged are genuinely hurt

Forgiveness is real and possible... Heaven is real.... hurt is also real.

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." - Isaiah 53:3 KJV

That is Jesus in prophecy.

"But of the Son he says, 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.'" - Hebrews 1:8-9 ESV

That is Jesus also but i love how it says, 'of the Son' because we are adopted children in Christ and we can 'love righteousness' and be exalted also. He already is exalted and we can experience that in Him.

"As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" But when he heard it, he said, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.' " - Matthew 9:9-12 ESV

Jesus loved righteousness and sat with people at the same time.

I practice confrontational evangelism but I'm not that way when it comes to healing... that takes time, kindness, laughter (if possible) and love.

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Now Meets Later

"Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off." - Proverbs 23:18 ESV

Sometimes 'now' is awesome. Sometimes it is lonely. Sometimes there is pain.

Later can be forgotten or focused on so intently that now is forgotten or minimized.

God links now and later. God lives in both places and we can have hope in both places at the same time and that is amazing.

"And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment." - Revelation 21:6 ESV

Eternal life isn't just 'not dying'. It is living now and later at the same time because of hope.

Now may not be much fun. It may make it seem like later won't be either but that is a self-perpetuating illusion. In time the two never really meet and mix.

In eternity they will mix and hope will not be needed. Hell's pain will be perpetual and Heaven's joy will be unending.

I look forward to meeting Jesus in my moments today. That may sound corny but it is true. It is like meeting my best friend who has come home from war. He brings my future joy into my present life and that means the day has a kind of bright unpredictability to it. Mine does at least.

I hope yours does also. He Is the same Jesus. If you know Him (or get to know Him) the same hope that enabled the martyrs to face death with expectation can be yours no matter what your 'now' looks like.

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Past The Thorny Crown

"Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe... So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, 'Behold the man!' " - John 19:1-2, 5 ESV

"Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain." - Mark 4:7 ESV

Thorns create a barrier of painful experience and yet Jesus endured wearing them on His head in full identification with us. That crown must have made carrying the cross that much more difficult.

I think having painful thoughts is a part of our human experience. We all have them at times. Jesus knows all about that. He led a shame free and guilt free life but He knows.

He wears a different crown today.

"I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." - Ephesians 1:16-23 ESV

He identified with us and now we identify with Him. He experienced shame and pain and we experience glory and majesty.

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," - Philippians 2:5 NKJV

God gave us a way to handle the thorns. Jesus is the way. We think with Him. He is past the pain and He extends His hand to us to bring us past it also.

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A Way To Process Pain

God doesn't ignore or discount blame. Pain should be processed. If we don't process pain then we just repress it. He provides a scapegoat as a healthy means to deal with blame.

"Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD and use it as a sin offering, but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel... And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.

Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there. And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people." - Leviticus 16:7-10, 20-24 ESV

Jesus is my scapegoat and it is because of Him that I can minister.

There are two goats in this sacrifice. Which one is He? First He satisfied what justice demanded and then He took on the role of removing iniquity from our consciousness.

We might say, 'The goats didn't do anything... how can they be a substitute.' They are a perfect example really because Jesus didn't do anything either. He was spotless but we can lay our blame on Him and send that blame away into death where it belongs.

Unlike those goats... Jesus rose from the grave because of His innocence.

If we don't put the blame on Him we will blame someone else. We can process our pain with self blame and grow sick because of it. We can blame others. We all know about that. Lastly, we can blame God but where does that deception get us?

Jesus is God's scapegoat. He took on the role willingly. He wants to be that for us also. Can we take Him up on His offer? Send your iniquities (the source of bad emotions) away on Jesus so they can get lost in the wilderness. They will stay out where He went when He died. They will be as far away as the east is from the west. Then you can bath, be clean and minister.

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Do We Have A Ninevah?

People think of Jonah as a stubborn prophet. Actually he was a patriotic man of God that had a hard time reconciling his patriotism with his calling.

"And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?" - Jonah 4:11 ESV

John was appalled at Ninevah because of their heathen practices and he wanted to withhold mercy from this people group but that was not God's heart.

Do we have a Ninevah? Is there a group that has hurt our group or stands in direct opposition to it? Who are these people? Is it ethnic, religious, economic or political in nature? Do we impute sin to a whole group? Have we said, 'Guilty' in our own little court of law?

Maybe Our Nineveh is a person and not a people group. Maybe we have taken the lion's share of our blame for the difficulties we have had and placed it on a person's head and we can't minister because of it.

"The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it." - Jonah 3:6-10 ESV

I often think that these people might have turned the way they did because they knew that Jonah, a man bleached white from his time in the whale, had good reason to hate them because of past hurts but was preaching mercy anyway. God seemed to use the contradiction.

Imputing sin is the relationship killer. Declaring mercy is the bridge that heals wounds inside and out. Sometimes it isn't an easy declaration but it is a powerful one.

If we have a Nineveh it is easy to identify who they are. They thought of him, her or them shows us. But who is our God? Is it our ideology, loyalty or theology or is it the God of all grace?

People think of Jonah as a stubborn prophet. Actually he was a patriotic man of God that had a hard time reconciling his patriotism with his calling.

"And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?" - Jonah 4:11 ESV

John was appalled at Ninevah because of their heathen practices and he wanted to withhold mercy from this people group but that was not God's heart.

Do we have a Ninevah? Is there a group that has hurt our group or stands in direct opposition to it? Who are these people? Is it ethnic, religious, economic or political in nature? Do we impute sin to a whole group? Have we said, 'Guilty' in our own little court of law?

Maybe Our Nineveh is a person and not a people group. Maybe we have taken the lion's share of our blame for the difficulties we have had and placed it on a person's head and we can't minister because of it.

"The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it." - Jonah 3:6-10 ESV

I often think that these people might have turned the way they did because they knew that Jonah, a man bleached white from his time in the whale, had good reason to hate them because of past hurts but was preaching mercy anyway. God seemed to use the contradiction.

Imputing sin is the relationship killer. Declaring mercy is the bridge that heals wounds inside and out. Sometimes it isn't an easy declaration but it is a powerful one.

If we have a Nineveh it is easy to identify who they are. They thought of him, her or them shows us. But who is our God? Is it our ideology, loyalty or theology or is it the God of all grace?

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Thoughts From 2 Timothy Chapter Four

This morning I'm reading 2 Timothy chapter 4 again and again. It appears this is the Apostle Paul's last book and chapter 4 is the last chapter of the book. Paul is wrapping things up. For a man who 'forgets those things that are behind' he recounts a great deal of pain and love.

"For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message." - 2 Timothy 4:10-15 ESV

Even in this last chapter of his life Paul is suffering because of mistreatment and separation.

The last few days my mind has been flooded with faces and names of people. I have struggled with giving myself grace for not being able to put a name to a face I am praying for.

At times like this I am very aware of secret pain. People have it. I have had it and I'm sure there is more coming. I was crippled emotionally by pain before I believed in God. Then after God converted me and began the healing process I was hurt again and many times since. I have been hurt in His house and out if it. Patches of my hair has temporarily turned white with grief to the point where even though I believed in God there have been times when I could not imagine ever being truly whole and happy again.

I am happy now and I have no bitterness. Memory... Yes. Blame... No. That in itself is miraculous. At the same time I understand why people are bitter and marvel at the depth of what different people go through.

Over time God has given me ways to process pain. I never hurt alone nor do I desire to push away other people's pain the way I used to. God has become my burden bearer. My arms tire from handing Him things but I am learning not to carry them myself for very long. I identify very strongly with Paul. He is not claiming mastery over these very human issues. He is expressing a believable hope as a little person with real needs.

Paul says...

"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing." - 2 Timothy 4:6-8 ESV

Anyone who has ever 'loved His appearing' will one day be satisfied. There will be a grand reunion.

I think of Timothy learning of Paul's death and then at some point pulling this letter out of a drawer and realizing that it was the last one. No more new guidance was coming to him from that man he loved so dearly. Pain mingled with love. Memory. How many times did Timothy read this letter? How many times have believers reread it?

Paul walked with God and finished his course well. He didn't spend his life safely insulating himself from potentially painful situations. He walked with God and knew he had a crown waiting. Timothy remembered Paul and continued in his call having had an example of endurance in his life.

God, Help us to be mindful of each other. We can't wait to see you. Until then we want to live our lives fully casting down anything that would cause us to be bitter. There are many chapters left to be written. We want them to be filled with faith and freshness. Today we are not as naive as we have been before. Today we ask you fill us with hope and childlike faith for what can be if as believers we will only believe.

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Thorns Outside The Garden

Thinking about thorns and thistles this morning and the difference between the garden and the world at large.

"thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field." - Genesis 3:18 ESV

God made thorny plants before He made Adam. They were there in the world. These plants just didn't pose a problem in the garden. It wasn't until the fall that they became an issue.

"A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed... And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it... And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature." - Luke 8:5a, 7, 14 ESV

There is something about thorns and thistles. You can't eat them and you have to be careful around them. Just ask any child playing frisbee in a field that has thorn bushes.

Thorny areas choke out truth.

"Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe." - John 19:1-2 ESV

They tried to mock Him and make Him a 'King of Pain' but in truth He was and is the King of Kings. He bore our sharp burdens on His head so we don't have to bear them.

"A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed." - Song of Songs 4:12 KJV

We are a garden enclosed. Thorns will be out there in the world but in our garden we have a grace relationship with God. Our past can't hurt Him any more. In the garden it doesn't hurt us. He plants nourishing food in our garden. There are wide open spaces to play and run in our garden. There is joy and communion there. It is cultivated place.

"In that day, A pleasant vineyard, sing of it! I, the LORD, am its keeper; every moment I water it. Lest anyone punish it, I keep it night and day;" - Isaiah 27:2-3 ESV

"Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall." - Genesis 49:22 ESV

God waters us so His plantings grow high and reach over our wall to others. What a beautiful picture that is of a life of faith.. of a heart established in grace.. The spring feeds a thought life that bears fruit and feeds others yet it is locked up so that it remains protected from defilement.

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The Science of Suffering

In today's devotional in "Reaching Towards the Heights" Richard Wurmbrand uses the term 'Sufferology'. If you know anything about his life he certainly has an understanding of that subject matter.

For many people I think this is a subject they would rather avoid not something to be studied or systematically understood. Some time in the classroom benefits us for our time in the field and some practical application turns theory into something beneficial.

"Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress." Psalms 48:1-3 ESV

Yes. God is beautiful in His elevation... even in this subject. There is a lowness that a sufferer can experience but God elevates the sufferer who suffers in Him.

"For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground, but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward. As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause, who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number" Job 5:6-9 ESV

Here is an interesting exchange God had with a man, Ananias, regarding Paul the Apostle:

"But Ananias answered, 'Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.' But the Lord said to him, 'Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.' " - Acts 9:13-16 ESV

Ananias spoke to God about the Earthy authority that had been given to Paul and God answered with the Heavenly authority grace would soon give to the man. Paul's authority was in his ability to suffer well.

Grace gives us many things in unsearchable quantities... Love... Freedom... Forgiveness... Access... It also gives this great ability to survive the un-survivable. Those who suffer with grief might rather not survive it but God elevates us.

Yes. Suffering can be seen as a science. The Bible is it's textbook. We can learn it's principles and laws and then it will not seem so scary.

"Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful - for he cannot deny himself." 2 Timothy 2:10-13 ESV

Positional salvation is assured by faith in Christ's death burial and Resurrection. It is a once and for all thing. Situational salvation is a science of faith. Learning endurance qualifies us for leadership. How can we bring someone else down a path we have not ourselves traveled before?

Christ is our Shepherd. He suffered what none of us could and will teach us this art if we are willing to be His students.

Vexing Is In The Mix

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 5:8-11 ESV

This word translated 'suffered' is Pascho (G3958) and it means to be vexed or immersed in sensory identification. The woman with an issue of blood suffered at the hands of her physicians before she touched the hem of the garment of the the great physician and found healing. Jesus was vexed in many ways. The Messiah had to be vexed first and so do we have to be vexed.

There is no strengthening, confirming, or establishing without a period of vexing. It is a short period but a measured period that must seem long even though it is by comparison to eternity short.

Vexing causes identification with frustration and that is a necessary ingredient for the established person.

Has God poured a measure of vexing into your mixing bowl of late? Has He?

No worries it will all be folded in soon enough to make a batter that will rise and produce eternal glory. Our God of all grace will make sure of it.

Just like when divine red blood touches the blackest sin and makes it white as snow when mercy grace and truth are mixed with great vexing God makes something beautiful out of it. The dry wood of our humanity is overlaid with gold and a work of art is created.

Don't get me wrong it isn't easy. It boarders on intolerable. Jesus' body flinched at the crack of the whip and His brow hated the crown of thorns. It would not be vexing if it was easy. In the midst of suffering He was a lamb that opened not His mouth. He didn't beg His captors to stop... He poured out His soul to His Father.

I want to refuse to let my sensory identification with frustration to get me to speak words I will regret later. Let the frustration be wiped away like dross from silver and the purification process proceed as planned.

Eternal glory is never a deserved result. Only a God of all grace can establish us.

I surrender all to You the God of all power and dominion. I want to marvel at Your artistry. Today my eyes are fixed on You.

For Pain Prescribe the Gospel

"Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; For how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another. Listen to Me, O Jacob, And Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last." Isaiah 48:10-12

"However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, 'We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.' " Acts 14:20-22 NKJV

God's message to His people has never been 'Things are going to be easy.' In fact it is quite the contrary. The furnace of affliction is a common theme.

When grace is sufficient than the Gospel is sufficient because Christ is our all in all.

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" Rom 1:6a NKJV

We learn that we can trust the message to deliver because we can trust Christ to deliver. God will use pain and pleasure... He will employ joy and sorrow... riches and poverty... sickness and health... youth and old age... the Gospel spans the length of the human experience. This love covers the multitude of sins.

Perhaps if I like Paul have something that I ask God to remove again and again and His answer becomes 'My Grace is sufficient for you.' that thing becomes a furnace of affliction for us. In the furnace is where the fourth man is revealed. The furnace burns away my bonds and leaves the garment of righteousness untouched.

If I learn to trust it for myself then I can boldly entrust it to others.

This deliverance is a deep deliverance. It delivers the depth of a person and the height of a person. The experience of the Gospel disarms fear in my life. If fear is disarmed and pain has purpose I will not prescribe comfort as a solution. The Gospel is the only method we will prescribe once we are fully convinced.

Christ was not sentimental. He cried tears over Israel for what they had been through and the suffering that was to come to them. He wanted to gather them in His arms and He also wants to gather us into His arms.

In those arms we find a deep hope that transcends our state and healing that makes us truly whole. When the gospel is presented people see an entrance into Christ's embrace.

The Place No One Wants To Go

Golgotha 'The Place of the Skull' is the haunted place. In human nature places become personifications of men's fears. It is place of aversion to the natural man. A place that signifies death.

As a child maybe you had a 'Boo Radley' type of house nearby... from To kill a Mockingbird. I did. A place that children tell stories about and those stories get passed from the older children to the younger and change over the years to form a local horror mythology. It is very common and most societies large and small have something like this going on.

Golgotha is a picture of this place in the scriptures. In Mark 5 verses 1 through 5 another place like this is described in the country of the Gadarenes across the Sea. Jesus and the disciples met a possessed man there who was cutting himself with stones and crying out in the tombs. Jesus strolled into that place and made short work of the situation. Demons did not have power over Him nor did fear.

Jesus also willfully went to Golgotha, a place of torment, of horror, of shame and judgment. He went right into the heart of the fears of all mankind on purpose. He was brought there but He also chose to go. He was the most liberated man on Earth and these are the places He chose to go.

It is healthy for any person to face fear. It demystifies it and removes it's power in that area. It is an exercise of the will that shows immediate benefits because of the release that comes afterwards. People turn it into a lifestyle actually and because of that they realize personally that man is capable of much more than it seems. It is one thing to know that on paper... it is another to know it experientially. Then there are others that hide in the shadows and are mastered by what lies just below the surface into lives of safety.

Oh, We could talk about demons here but I'm not going to. They are real but fear is fear no matter if it is true danger or imagined. Fear clouds the mind, energizes the emotions and makes options that would normally be dismissed out of hand seem plausible. A person who faces fear and lives to tell about it now has something real to say. Jesus faced fear and has demystified it by conquering it. Fear, shame, guilt, death, danger and demons are all notches on Christ's belt. Jesus spoke to His Father right in the heart of that place. Golgotha became the place of God's manifested victory.

That victory is ours now. It is a victory given to everyone who believes in Christ. Timid or brave, quiet or loud, reserved or bold... it is on your account if you are hidden in the Son of God and yours to walk in when you walk with the Son of God. It is good to exercise our will in a cross-ward direction. When free in the Spirit we have liberty to do it. It's not like we won't have "What have I gotten myself into?" moments. But, so what! We can stroll through those also.

Are you afraid of something? Maybe it is something that has been reinforced by past pain so it really causes you to wince. Christ has passed through to the other side of it already and he has shrugged off any demon associated with it. Now He passes His hand through that thing and offers it to you saying, "Take my hand and follow me. I have the keys to death and Hell." When we take His hand and go with Him, listening to His words then liberty is our companion and joy is what we end up with.

There are no haunted houses in Christ's kingdom.

"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 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." Rev 12:10-11