No Weapon Formed Against Us

“If the missile complex is ever torn down, we ask that the bricks be used to build churches.”(1)

This message was found in an empty artillery shell sealed in a brick wall. Christians found it in 1992 while salvaging building materials for a church from an old Soviet missile silo. The message explained the bricks in the silo had come from churches Stalin destroyed after WWII.
 
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin “promoted atheism through special atheistic education in schools, anti-religious propaganda, the anti-religious work of public institutions (Society of the Godless), discriminatory laws, and a terror campaign against religious believers.” (2)

How interesting that these bricks returned to their rightful owner--God. The Society of the Godless had a short-lived history, but the Church of the Living God lives on!

If you're a Christian you are also owned by God. And that means no matter what happens to you, God's purposes will not be thwarted.

"'No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,' declares the LORD." Isaiah 54:17

(1) The Missile Silo That Became a Church, Open Doors News Brief, 10-92, page 3
(2)  WIKI article on Stalin

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I've always been interested in the affect of Communism on the hearts and minds of those enslaved by it. Let me explain why:

My husband is a retired Army officer, and during our 22 years in the military, we lived 3 years in Mainz, Germany when the Soviet “Iron Curtain” still existed, separating Communist East Germany from free West Germany. Living there during that time gave me a deep interest in the Communist block countries called the “Soviet Union.” 

Then in 2005-2010, we lived in the former Communist country of Hungary doing Christian work. This gave us a further interest in those countries controlled and oppressed by the atheistic Communist Russian government. If you'd like to read one-minute devotions about our time in Hungary, check out:

💙4 Puzzle Pieces - How God sometimes directs our lives.

💙Just Another Day in Paradise - our time on a 100-year-old farm.

💙When God Changes Our Plans  - How we ended up in Hungary.

💙Our Divine Translator - Things I learned from speaking with a translator and how they apply to us as Christians.  

💙Did You Know My Brother is a Songwriter? - A wonderful revelation about God's family.  

💙God is Good Even When our Circumstances are Bad  - The story of being pick-pocketed.

💙He Developed a Curriculum for Survival While in Prison - this is such a good testimony from a Hungarian priest!

💙My Friend Lived in a Box - The spiritual consequences of Communism.

💙How Can You Shine Today? - Revelations from a Tram Ride. 

💙Praying for Those in Your Path - No matter where you live.

💙Caffeine-free or Extra Espresso
What ordering in a different language taught me about God - a story that is both humorous and profound!

💙100-year-old Hungarian Farm - This is a pictural look at our 3-week stay in an old farm...beautiful!!

💙Commie-Condos and God's Prevailing Beauty - This devotion talks about Communism's attempt to minimize the creativity and beauty in everyday life.

💙Memory Collage - This is a creative post, something I featured the first few years of Bible Love Notes. It's about saving our memories from Budapest.