Heroes of Faith Today

"A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom." - Bob Dylan


 Within the last 7 days there have been countless numbers of heroes to avail, some stories will  reach the media and some may not. And those that haven't it does not diminish your bravery one bit.

 4-year-old Adele Bitton was severely injured in 2013 by rock-throwing terrorists. Sadly, she passed away this week. Her parents in Israel are in mourning over the death of their child at the hands of Palestinian terrorists. Adele was an innocent child simply coming home from visiting her grandmother.

  
Is she considered a hero of faith?

To some people probably not. In my eyes a big, emphatic Yes!
 But through this unfortunate act of guiltless terrorism to an innocent child, I am sure other parents in Israel are holding their children a little bit tighter, and praying for them even more.


“I have been shown in darkness, light ; and have learned that even in prison, one can be free,” “I am grateful. I have come to see that there is good in every situation, we sometimes just have to look for it.” 
- Kayla Mueller, American Hostage in a letter to her parents months before her recent death

 The 26-year-old aid worker was kidnapped by Isis militants in Aleppo
 in August 2013. In her final letter to her parents she wrote that her time in prison drew her closer to God.

Is she a hero of faith?

Absolutely. I believe while in prison her faith grew even stronger as she attests to in her letter to her parents.
She did not give in and denounce Christ.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

The most recent heroes of faith known throughout the world today, are the 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians who were executed by Isis militants for their beliefs. 

I think everyone can agree, true heroes of faith.

One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is Hebrews chapter 11, known as the hall or chapter of faith.

³² And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: ³³ who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.  

³⁵ Women received their dead raised to life again.
Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. ³⁶ Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted,^[f] were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— ³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.

The key to their faith was whom they believed in, not what they saw before them:
 
³⁹ And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, ⁴⁰ God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

And to those heroes of faith today, how many of them really knew they would become true heroes of faith?

I like what author A.W. Tozer brings before us on heroes, 

"We can be in our day what the heroes of faith were in their day - but remember, at the time they didn't know they were heroes.” 

 Words to live by.

Rest in Peace Adele, Kayla, and
1.Hani
2.Yousef
3.Towadros
4.Madrad
5. Milad
6.Abanu
7. Kirollos
8. Bishoy
 9. Malak
 10. Girgis
 11. Mina
 12. Samuel
 13. Samuel
 14. Ezat
 15. Loqa
 16. Munir
 17. Esam
18. Malak
 19. Sameh Salah (
 20. Girgis
 21. Unknown