“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when faith is lost, all is lost.”
~Alex Misiats (Sasha)
Our congregation has benefited from hearing Sasha speak to us recently regarding the war, challenges, death, and loss in Ukraine. The travesties, gruesomeness, and inhumane treatment brought on by Russia is beyond comprehension! By speaking to us, Sasha has put a face on the war for us and allowed us to have a personal connection. Sasha is not only seeking support for the church in Ukraine, sharing a message of hope, but he is also in constant communication with family, friends, and community. Sasha has allowed us to feel the emotional connection for the concern he has for those on the other side of the world who are experiencing a battle for their life, but we are gaining insight on the attack on Christians and their faith as well. We recently were given the opportunity to sit down and interview Sasha for an episode of Soul Training (the episode with Sasha will be released on April 15th) and we learned so much in such a short amount of time! {We hope you will listen to all of our episodes, but especially this one!} For me, the two “takeaways” from our conversation are Ukrainians are having their values attacked and an attempt is being made by the aggressors to rob Christians of their “faith.” As of the writing of this article, since the Russian attack on Ukraine begin on February 24, 2022, 2,685 civilian casualties have occurred, more than 4.1 million refugees have fled Ukraine to escape the assault by Russia on freedom and the onslaught continues! Sasha reminded us the resilience of the Ukrainians, especially his mother, is grounded in their willingness to not only defend their country, but to also defend their faith!
As I listened to Sasha speak of how so many faithful Christians continue to respond to being attacked physically, emotionally, and spiritually, I was reminded that our faith is: a must to be pleasing to God (Hebrews 11:6), providing us continual hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (I Peter 1:3), and is more precious than gold (I Peter 1:7)! Our faith in Jesus Christ is truly what holds us and allows to stand strong. Hebrews 6:19-20 says, This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
We know faith is…
-The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen… Hebrews 11:1
-Originates in the heart… Romans 10:9-10
-Yielding to God’s will… Romans 10:16
I, like you, am so thankful we have so much freedom in our country! While we have some challenges, we are not being attacked by an army. The adversary we all share is Satan! We may experience financial loss, a decrease in our emotional/physical health, but may we hold on to our faith in Christ and never let go!
