Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals:
Tuesday April 28 2026
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James 4:13-17-13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Have you ever noticed that life changing events usually come with no warning?
That’s how it was with me on Friday, April 28, 2023.
I had just wrapped up a podcast with my friend and fellow Gospel preacher, Hunter Mellott (available on YouTube) on the subject of Satanism. My nephew (of whom I am extremely proud) was graduating from Marshall University the next day, and I was going to drive to Louisa, KY and stay the night at the Best Western to pick up my parents and take them with me to his graduation the next morning.
Early the next morning, my wife called me to tell me that someone had come to our house that night, knocking on the door and loudly calling out, “brother Mark, brother Mark.” She could not make out who it was and didn’t let him know she was home, and he stayed the night on our porch. Not knowing what was going on, I got back in my car and drove back to Hazard. By the time I arrived, the gentleman was gone. (We found out later that he was a good friend who had come to warn us about what had happened).
Heather and I sat down with our dogs and cats, trying to figure out what was going on.
It was then that we received a phone call that changed our lives.
Without going into too much detail, we learned that some powerful and extremely depraved people in the area had made very serious and malicious accusations against us. In short order, here are some of the things that transpired relatively quickly:
Our friends were treated terribly and spent the next two years in court over false allegations made against them.
I was accused of being a cult leader. Indeed, one of the police officers involved in what happened was going around and asking women if I was the father of their children. When they said “no,” the officer then would say, “It’s okay: we know how cults work.”
A poster with my name and image was put up at the local hospital, declaring that I was banned from the premises.
Police officers claimed that they had personally identified me at a local gas station, when I was in fact checked into a motel some ninety miles away. These documents, which I have seen, were later introduced into official Grand Jury testimony. They also said that by the time they were finished with me, it would be the next Waco Texas.
Our church was maliciously slandered in open court, being labeled a “cult” for anyone and everyone present to hear.
Someone showed up on our church cameras, seeming to deposit a package, and walking away saying, “Don’t worry, I’m going to get them.” (We believed that a bomb had been placed at our church building).
At this point, we realized that these people were willing to go to any extreme and that our church family was in danger. So, after asking advice from two other good friends from another local church of Christ, we decided to leave, in the middle of the night. We relocated to Corbin Kentucky.
Our friends and our church family?
They are well, and I am very proud of them.
One of the officers involved in all of this apologized to me personally after I confronted him, although he refuses to apologize to our former church. Perhaps he is afraid of retaliation from his fellow officers? I really don’t know.
We are not certain why these wicked people targeted us, although we have theories. Nevertheless, here are a few lessons that I have learned, three years later.
First, remember that we are just pilgrims in this world (1 Peter 2:11). I lived in Hazard longer then anywhere else that I have ever lived. I loved it: the people, the area, the ministry. I still do! But one thing that I have come to realize is that nowhere in this world is permanent. I am not certain if I will ever fully feel “at home” anywhere again. On the one hand, that is difficult: but on the other hand, it helps me remember that my true Home is Heaven (Philippians 3:20-21).
Second, the Lord has good reasons for allowing what He does, even if they are not immediately evident to us. Example after example in the Bible teaches us that God’s wisdom and goodness extend far beyond our limited and finite comprehension. Sometimes He has reasons that we cannot conceive of. His allowance of evil and apparent silence at times does not amount to His absence. He is with His people (Romans 8:37-39). Trust that God can allow whatever evil and suffering in your life in order to bring about good (Genesis 50:20). He works all things together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Commit yourself to Him, and don’t grow weary while doing good: for in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Galatians 6:9).
Third, there are powerful forces of evil at work in the world. The Word of God reminds us that there is a spiritual warfare taking place (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-19). We have an adversary in the devil, who is at work to try and destroy us (1 Peter 5:8). Satan and his host know that they have a short time before the Lord casts them into Hell at the Second Coming (Revelation 12:7-12). This makes him dangerous. Yet in Christ, our victory is assured (Revelation 2:10). So keep on suiting up with the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), and keep your focus on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Finally, I have learned this: anger can be a good thing if it is righteous, but don’t allow your heart to become hardened and bitter.
Psalm 76:10 (ERV)-Even human anger can bring you honor when you use it to punish your enemies.
Ephesians 4:26-BE ANGRY, AND DO NOT SIN”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
My therapist diagnosed me with extreme PTSD, brought on by my experiences with the wicked people who did this all to us. My anger towards them at times nearly blossoms into hatred, and I have to actively work to not let that happen. Thankfully, the Lord helps me. He does this through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:12-13, 26) and His Word (1 Thessalonians 2:13), and through the church locally and around the world (Hebrews 10:24-25), and in ways that I don’t even know (Ephesians 3:20-21). But the point is: He makes a way! So keep walking in the Lord’s mission for your life (Psalm 138:8), share the Word of God with those around you (Matthew 28:19-20), pray against the evil and for your enemies (Matthew 5:44-45; Romans 9:1-3), and keep going.
Thanks Lord for always being there. Amen.