The Father's Loving Discipline

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? (Hebrews 12:5-7). Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law (Psalm 94:12).
 
God is the most wonderful Father! He loves us enough to discipline us. I loved my four children enough to discipline them when they were young. They needed the correction that only a parent can give. MY goal as a parent is that by the time my children are out from under my care that they are guided from within by a conscience tender towards God.

God disciplines us for our profit, so that we will become just like Him in holiness. But contrary to religious ideas, God does not chasten with sickness and disease, accidents, poverty, and a host of hurtful things. God is not an abusive parent. We’d send law enforcement after a parent caught breaking a child’s arm or leg to teach him a lesson! But many accuse God of being a child abuser when they say he disciplines us with all these hurtful things.

God disciplines us with His Word. When we get out of line, the Holy Spirit deals with us and removes His peace. He reminds us again and again of the promises of God, and draws us to the Father through the Word. A believer out of line with the Word is under the discipline of the Father. Over and over, the Word challenges, and His presence within woos away from the hurtful thoughts or actions that will bring ruin. Everywhere the disciplined believer turns, he’s reminded of what God says and why He says it. 


When a believer under discipline from the loving Father God turns a deaf ear to Father’s voice, the Father may withdraw His protection and allow the enemy to have his way. The Father’s heart bleeds for the wayward believer to repent and recover from the snare of the devil. As God withdraws His protection and allows circumstances to sour, the wayward believer may, like the prodigal son in Luke 15, come to himself and run back to the protection of Loving Father God.

A believer who doesn’t submit to the discipline of the Word is in danger of hardening his conscience toward God, and is in a place where the enemy can deceive. Be careful not to violate conscience. When you do, repent immediately. A believe who will not listen to the Word and to the voice of conscience is eventually left to reap the consequences of his wrong choices.
 
God said to Israel, Choose today whom you will serve, life or death, blessing or cursing. The Father wants us to choose life through obedience to the Word, so that His blessing can be ours to enjoy.
 
Choose to yield to the discipline of the Father’s Word today. He’s training us in right living, and is pleased when we choose the discipline of His Word. He wants you to have His best!
 

Break Up Your Fallow Ground

Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you (Hosea 10:12).
 
Fallow ground is unproductive, untilled ground. When I was young my dad bought some land in the “country” and built a house there. There were fields of various kinds of produce surrounding my house. One field sat unplowed for a long time. The government paid the farmer to allow it to lie “fallow.”

The ground in this unplowed field had a thin crust over it that made it difficult for water to permeate. When it rained, the water simply ran off into the lowest place. Weeds grew in abundance.
 
I noticed that when the farmers would plant crops in an adjoining field, some of the seed would be thrown over into this “fallow” field. They never germinated because the ground was so hard. The seed just lay on top of the soil and produced nothing.
 
Jesus mentioned four types of heart soil where the seed of the Word is planted. In Mark 4 He mentioned wayside, stony, thorny, and good ground. Fallow ground is much like the wayside, stony, and thorny ground.
 
Hosea was encouraging Israel to break up their fallow ground or to allow the Word to penetrate their hearts. And it is wise for us to check up on the condition of the soil of our hearts, and make sure that our ground is not “fallow.”
 
Sin in all its varying forms, unforgiveness, pride, worldliness, self-centeredness, and refusing to walk in love are a few ways that our heart soil can become fallow. The word just won’t produce fruit under these conditions. And the Holy Spirit’s voice is easily “muffled,” just like water rolling off fallow ground!
 
Breaking up “fallow” ground involves allowing the Father through the Word and the Holy Spirit to show us areas of disobedience, confessing it, and forsaking it. Repentance plows the soil of the human heart and allows the Word to germinate.
 
If you’ve noticed “weeds” growing in your life, sins that easily ensnare you, or if you notice a hardness in your attitude towards others, let me encourage you to take Hosea’s advice and do some spiritual plowing. The results will be that the seed of the Word will more easily germinate in you and produce a harvest of right living.  

Your Ministry

My family and I spent a week at the beach during my vacation this year. As we went on walks down the beach, I noticed the great diversity in the shells we picked up. All of them were from the ocean. All had originality.
 
In the body of Christ we are members of one another, but we all have a unique function. The Father has placed different giftings in us all, and He wants us to function in the gifting that He’s placed within us.
 
The ministry offices are Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher. They are given to prepare the saints for the work of the ministry. All of these have a preaching and teaching anointing. I stand in the office of the Pastor and Teacher.
 
But there are other giftings of ministry that are important and necessary. Romans 12 mentions as the other necessary areas of ministry the following: prophecy, ministry (deaconing, being a helper and a servant), teaching, exhortation (being an encouragement to others), givers (those with a special knack for making money and financing the gospel), leaders (those with organizational skills that can assist ministry offices), and mercy (those with a special enablement to help those who are down and out for whatever reason).
 
1 Corinthians 12: 28 also mentions helps as a necessary place of ministry. Those called to help assist those who fulfill the ministry offices found in Ephesians 4:11. All of us should be involved in helping. I started out in the ministry of helps over 30 years ago. As I was faithful, the Lord opened up what He had planned for my life.

I believe every believer should be involved in the helps ministry. And as they prove faithful there, the Lord will open up what He has for each one.
 
Don’t wait for something to open up without doing anything. You may wait a lifetime. Choose today to be a faithful person. Find a need and be the supply for it. Don‘t wait for someone to ask you to do something. Be faithful to help fulfill whatever need you may see. I believe this is often a test for us. The Lord wants to see if we will just be faithful in whatever needs to be done before He places us in our life’s call.

We are as diverse as sea shells. All of us are necessary, but we must choose to be used by the Father to bless others. Find a need today and fill it!
   

Faith

All things are possible to him who believes; All things are possible with God; This is the victory that overcomes the world-our faith; Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one; Fight the good fight of faith; But without faith it is impossible to please Him; The just shall live by faith; As you have believed, so let it be to you; Daughter, your faith has made you well; Be it unto you according to your faith.

   

The above references point to the importance of faith. And the key to faith is believing that right now (not some time in the future) I receive what the Father has promised me in the Word. Faith believes, says, and acts as though God’s Word is true right now! Hope is continually looking for the manifestation of an answer, while faith stands and acts as though the answer has come. So if I’m looking for a manifestation to prove an answer, then I’m still in hope and not faith, and I will not receive what God promised!

  

When you’re actually standing in real Bible faith, there is an inward excitement. That’s because you know that the Father has honored His Word to you, not because of any physical or circumstantial change, but simply because He said it! Joy is a byproduct of faith. Faith does not have the foreboding, gut wrenching thought that says what if it doesn’t work? The only possibility that faith sees is the answer! When thoughts of doubt come, faith pushes them away and refuses to speak them. And in return faith speaks out loud what it believes to counteract the thought of doubt.

   

Faith calls those things that be not as though they were. Faith looks beyond the seen and felt, and speaks what it believes. And faith also acts what it believes. In Romans 4, Abraham looked beyond his 100 year old body and beyond his wife’s 90 year old body. He looked beyond his present circumstance and chose to keep his attention fixed on God’s promise to him.

  

He remained in faith in spite of the looming circumstances by praising God for honoring His Word. His praise life moved his faith and kept him from looking at the wrong thing. He just kept looking at God’s Word to him and praising Him for doing what He said!

   

Act your faith today. Look beyond the present circumstance. Imitate the faith of Abraham and praise God for honoring His Word, even when nothing seems to be changing. Faith works! God honors His Word when really believed. All things are possible to you today. Don’t quit. Choose to look beyond and believe you receive!

Encourage Yourself!

And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God (1 Samuel 30:6).
 
David and his men came home from a battle to find their wives and children missing, and their city burned. His men blamed him for what happened and wanted to stone him. Even his friends and best buddies turned against him. But David found a way to keep himself strong. He encouraged himself in the Lord!

When hardship is pressing, and the test is of long duration, you must find a way to keep yourself encouraged and not lose strength. I’ve used David’s example many times when pressed. I’ve learned to encourage myself. And here’s how.
 
I forced myself to praise God, not because I feel like it, but because I know that praise brings the manifestation of God’s power into my situation. Israel won battles without lifting a sword by putting the praise team on the front line! Praise brings God’s presence, where there is fullness of joy. Joy produces strength.
 
One other thing I do is to remind myself of times in my past when the Lord has answered prayer and delivered me from a difficult situation.

Many years ago I endured a severe test while pioneering the church in a small city in South Carolina. Nothing was going my way. I was challenged from all sides. To deal with the pressure, I would take long walks alone and praise God for honoring His Word. Then I would remind myself of all the times that the Lord has answered prayer and had helped me in my past. I would start with the beginning of my walk with God and go from their, sometimes speaking aloud of the Lord’s mercy time after time.
 
By the time I was finished, time after time I found new zeal and fresh strength. The Lord did not bring me this far to let me down now! This exercise enabled me to press through the hard place to victory.

Go read about how David encouraged himself in Psalm 42, and go and encourage yourself in the Lord today!
 

The Confident and the Ashamed

And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming (1 John 2:28).

Two classes of believers will stand before Jesus when He returns; the confident, and the ashamed.

The confident are those who loved not their lives to the death. They resisted the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. They kept the world at a distance by bathing themselves daily in the Word of God, and by constant communion with the Father. When they did slip up and sin, it broke their hearts and they cried out to Jesus, confessing their sin, and asking for His power to overcome the weakness and to walk in the spirit.

The ashamed are those who were born again, but did not take advantage of their rights and privileges as a child of God. They were rarely found bathing in the cleansing lather of the Word of God. The cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust for other things overpowered their desire for God, and they mostly walked in the flesh. Church attendance was hit and miss since they did not value the power of the spoken Word of God through the ministry gift of a pastor.

For the ashamed a guilty conscience was their constant companion. They knew what to do but rarely did it. They were saved so as through fire (1 Corinthians 3:15).

Jesus blazing eyes will look into yours and mine one day. He will look deep into our souls with His piercing gaze and immediately discern the thoughts and motives behind every word and action in our lives!

General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army had a vision of the rewards seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3). He saw multitudes of believers who had arrived in heaven, and Jesus was there, going from person to person. In His hand was a torch. As Jesus approached each person, the flame from the torch would immediately consume all wood hay and stubble their earthly lives had produced (1 Corinthians 3:12). All that was left was gold, silver, and precious stones.

Some people touched by the torch had nothing left when the smoke cleared. No precious stones were found. Others had a pile of beautiful gems at their feet after the fire.

One other notable thing happened in General Booth’s vision. As Jesus approached each person, He heard either guttural sobs of remorse for opportunities not taken, or he heard ecstatic shouts of joy from those who had daily consecrated to do His will while on earth.

A hymn sang in my church as a boy went; must I go and empty handed, must I meet my Savior so, must I go and empty handed, must I empty handed go. We are each day accruing by our actions and motives either gold, silver, precious stones, or wood hay and straw. What will be left at your feet to present to Jesus when the smoke clears?

I want to be in the company of the confident and not be one of the ashamed when I meet Jesus. Come with me on the journey for God’s best today. Let’s consecrate ourselves to the Father. Let’s be the good ground believers found in Mark 4 who acted on the Word with all their hearts.

Forget the failures of the past. Reach forward today in repentance and consecration and let’s go for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ. Let’s purpose to be one of the confident ones when Jesus returns!

First Love

Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love (Revelation 2:4).

On occasion, it’s good to examine our “first love” status with Jesus. Do I love Him now as much as I did when I was first born again and Spirit-Filled? Is His Word as exciting to me as it was when I first met Him?
 
First love is a condition of the heart, and must be guarded against the erosions of busyness and deadlines that must be met. Dietrich Bonheoffer said, be aware of the barrenness of a busy life. Life with Jesus will always be first of all a heart contact, and that means taking time to know Him.

That’s not performance, just like romance is not performance. Romance is a heart thing between two people. They want to be with each other. They want the companionship. They crave intimacy with the one they love.

There is a pure romance of the heart that each believer should foster with Jesus.  Forced time alone, clock watching during prayer, hurriedly reading the Word because of the deadlines of life can quench first love. Heart relationship takes time, lots of time. Listening, gazing, and absorbing the other person’s thoughts and feelings are keys to romance.

In Philippians 3 Paul mentioned that he counted all things as mere refuse to the goal of being intimate with Jesus. His reputation, his education, his social standing, his expertise created by his excellent education, all of these meant nothing in the light of knowing Jesus and the Father intimately. We must ask ourselves, do I feel this way? Is anything in my life more important than knowing Jesus and having a heart intimacy with Him through prayer and the Word?

It’s a good thing to examine ourselves. As the Greek philosopher said centuries ago, an un-examined life is not worth living. I’m taking time during this break to examine me and my life priorities. Go with me on this journey to insure that first love is still there with Jesus and the Father. Eternity rewards heartfelt obedience.

Stability

Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; the fear of the Lord is His treasure (Isaiah 33:6).
 
The only consistent thing in the universe is the Word of God! It is forever settled in heaven. Jesus said heaven and earth would pass away, but His Word would never change.

In a world of increasing instability, we have a rock upon which to stand! Jesus said that practicing the Word is like building your house on rock instead of shifting sand. When difficulties come, you’ll be unmoved!

The more Word you practice, the stronger the foundation of your life will be. All weakness is the results of our leaving the Word in some way. The strength, the life, the wisdom, the rest, the grace, and the power of the Word of God will sustain you in life’s most arduous circumstances.

I had been a believer for just a few years when a spiritual leader rocked my world. He said some things to me in a private meeting that were untrue but very hurtful. The impact on my life was severe. I was only 20 years old, and his words affected my mental and emotional equilibrium.

Day after day his hurtful words ravaged my mind. The enemy used them to bring great condemnation and discouragement. I felt hopeless, alone, and abandoned.

But I was not without help. I decided to ignore my feelings and these aberrant thoughts that ceaselessly attacked my mind. I would spend the entire day forcing a scripture to revolve over and over in my mind. I chose to believe God’s Word over man’s Word. And after a period of time, I regained my mental and emotional balance, and found peace again.

This experience taught me the power of the Word in my life, and how the Word can bring stability. Since then, I have given the Word room in my thoughts and in my life every day. And the stability of the Word has rooted itself into who I am and what I do.

Regardless of how tough the circumstance may be that you’re facing, choose to act on God’s Word. Say it aloud. Let it role over and over in your mind. Refuse to let your emotions rule you. The Father will provided you with needed wisdom, and the Word will produce freedom and liberty. You’ll come through the hard place. And you’ll know that God’s Word produces results.

Give room in your thought life today for the Word to dwell in you richly, and you’ll find the Father’s stability and strength for every situation!

Renewing Spiritual Strength

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

Spiritual strength dissipates just like our physical strength. When you exert yourself physically, you tire and must rest and replenish your energy reserves. If you don’t, your body will force you to rest. You’ll faint!
 
Spiritual energy is expended in a similar way.  It takes spiritual energy to live in a fallen world, where the world (the mindset around you that opposes God and His kingdom), the flesh, and the devil must be resisted and kept at bay. And you get tired spiritually just by living for God each day. It takes energy! Be aware that one of Satan’s tactics is to wear out the saints (Daniel 7:25)!
 
You also expend spiritual energy when you minister to others. Witnessing to an unbeliever during a break at work, teaching a Bible study, visiting the sick in a hospital, ministering in a nursing home, even praying in intercession takes spiritual energy. And those energy reserves must be restored!
 
The Word is spiritual food. It feeds the spirit in a similar way that natural food nourishes our bodies. After a season of ministry and of just living in the world, we must take time to step aside with the Father and partake of His spiritual source of life and health. If we don’t, then we’ll become weak spiritually and may falter when the pressure of the world or the flesh come against us.
 
Praying in other tongues is another way to strengthen the spiritual nature. When we pray in tongues we edify or build ourselves up spiritually, much like an alternator in your car engine builds up your car’s battery for its next use. Jude tells us to build ourselves up on our most holy faith by praying in the Holy Ghost! Isaiah said that praying in tongues brings a rest and a refreshing! Take advantage of what God has given you!
   
Build yourself up from the inside out today by feeding on the Word during your break or lunch, and by praying in the spirit quietly throughout the day. You’ll find God’s power overwhelming your weakness, or as Paul said it, your mortality will be swallowed up by God’s life!

Anger Management

Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath (Ephesians 4:26).

    
When I was a teenager I would get angry and go into a rage. I would scream and kick. I remember one time I was working on my car and having difficulty. I beat the side of my car and slammed my fists repeatedly on the ground in anger. I knew I was out of control.
 
After I was born again and Spirit-filled anger sought to work its way back into my life. I saw quickly that if I didn’t get it under control, I would end up doing something that would hurt my relationships and my employment. So I researched the subject of anger, and implemented some simple principles to keep myself out of trouble. Here is what I discovered.

All of us have to learn to deal properly with anger. Anger in itself is not sinful. It’s the motive behind it and the actions that it produces that make anger sinful and harmful.

If you can be angry and not sin, then anger must at times be an appropriate emotion. A person who is never angry has some serious emotions and mental issues to deal with. Even God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11). Jesus became angry when He saw His Father’s house being defamed by the crooks and thieves doing business in the name of the Jewish religion. He overturned their money tables and turned the animals loose. He drove the hypocrites out in blazing anger! But Jesus never sinned! This episode of anger was not sinful.
 
Here’s the bottom line. Anger rooted in selfishness (not getting your own way) is sinful anger. Anger that is motivated by a desire to honor and please God and see fairness and right rule is not sinful anger. Anger at injustice and wrong living are appropriate, but anger must always be controlled.
 
Notice what the Word says about anger. An angry man stirs up strife, and a furious man abounds in transgression (Proverbs 29:22). He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city (Proverbs 16:32). A wise man restrains his anger and overlooks insults. This is to his credit (Proverbs 19:11- Living Bible). Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:9).
 
Ask the Father to help you control anger. Make a decision not to confront or speak about a difficult situation until your anger is under control. I usually separate myself from the situation that brought anger and find a place to be alone. Then I ask the Lord to help me understand what’s going on. And I pray in the spirit. But I will not confront until I have love, joy, and peace within me. Sometimes I find that I must delay confrontation for hours and sometimes a few days until I know I have anger in check. Great harm results from uncontrolled anger.  

Above all, mediate on God’s Word about anger. Go to a concordance and find the scriptures that relate to anger and mediate on them daily. The Holy Spirit will then empower the Word and enable you to control your responses to difficulties. Make a decision to walk in peace, and when you lose it, get alone and sort out what happened. Ask the Father to help and cast the care of the situation on Him. Never speak when overly angry. Remember, a soft answer turns away wrath.

Morality Upholds Freedom

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. (Proverbs 14:34).
 
Freedom is an expensive thing. Its cost is blood. Our spiritual freedom was won by Jesus spilling His blood for us. The freedom that we have to worship, to express ourselves, and live as we please has cost many thousands their life. Let’s take moment and thank God today for the privilege we have of living in a free country. And let’s remember that with freedom comes responsibility.

We’re responsible as citizens of a free society to uphold the law and to honor God. No nation can remain free if it does not adhere to moral law, and each citizen be held responsible for his own actions.
 
Back in 1983, during the cold war, the Christian school in our church had a guest speaker from Russia speak to the high school. He was a former military man in his country. This man was not a Christian, but had a message for America. I will never forget his words. He said, “If you want to remain a free country, you must be a moral people. If you lose your morals, you will one day lose your freedoms!” His words have resonated within me since that day.
 
I’ll leave you with a few quotes from our civil leaders of the past:

It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favors. (George Washington - 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation).

We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. (John Adams - 1798 Address to the Military).
  
The only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments. (Benjamin Rush- 1806).
 
Statesmen my dear sir, may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is religion and morality alone, which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand....The only foundation of a free Constitution, is pure virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our people, in a great measure, than they have it now, they may change their rulers, and the forms of government, but they will not obtain a lasting liberty. (John Adams -1776 letter to Zabdiel Adams)

If My People...

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

The land of the free and the home of the brave is in crisis; a crisis of choosing darkness over light and cursing over blessing. Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known (Deuteronomy 11:26-28 -NKJV).

As we celebrate the fourth with our families and friends, let’s take time to pray for God do a HUGE work in us, the church of the Lord Jesus. Because as goes the church, so goes the nation.

When a nation is challenged, God looks to the believer in that nation to humble themselves and pray.  All change within a nation starts with the believers in that nation. We must humble ourselves, examined our lives, repent of sin, and ask God for mercy not only for ourselves, but also for the nation in which we live.

We are to also seek His face. Seeking God’s face in Old Testament usage means to live in such a way that our lifestyle makes Him smile. A small child will often do things to get mom or dad’s attention, and to make his parents smile.

The next phrase in this scripture is turn from their wicked ways. When we turn in repentance from that which displeases the Lord and do the things that bring His smile, He goes into action for the nation.

Then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. All of this starts with three words: if my people.

Let’s not wait until the congress passes laws that are in favor of christian values; let’s not wait until prayer is allowed in schools again. Let’s not wait until laws are passed that outlaw the killing of  innocent children through abortion.

Let’s start right now to deal with ourselves; to make a choice to live in obedience to the loving voice of a Father through His word; to love our neighbors as we love ourselves; to treat others the way we want to be treated; to let His light shine in how we behave each day at home with our immediate families.

His mercies are renewed every single day. Let’s beseech God on behalf of our beloved country. Father, forgive us for our personal sins against you and your Holiness. We humble ourselves and ask you to manifest your presence in us in a fresh way in us. Use us as individual lights in the darkness of the hour. Move us into positions to speak with others about you and your love, mercy, kindness, and forgiveness. Bring a fresh moving of the Holy Spirit to this nation through the prayers of your people. Bring healing to this land, in Jesus’ name.

Above the Fray (part 2)

The God of American civil life is distinct from the God revealed in the Word of God! We Americans are often guilty of creating our version of God from thin air, a God that comes from our imagination with no basis in the Word of God!

In almost every State of the Union address in recent decades the speech has ended with God Bless the United States of America! But what is meant by that? What kind of God is being appealed to? Does He have any standards with which we are expected to abide by to receive His favor and blessings? Or does He just dole out wonderfulness to anyone regardless of heart and life?

But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to declare My statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth, (17) Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you?  (18) When you saw a thief, you consented with him, And have been a partaker with adulterers. (19) You give your mouth to evil, And your tongue frames deceit.  (20) You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother's son. (21) These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes (Psalm 50:16-21)

The above scripture says it all. Theologian R.C. Sproul speaks of the God of the American public as being as a “deity without sovereignty, a god without wrath, a judge without judgment, and a force without power.1”

Is the God of the American public not in many people’s eyes just a larger one like us?

When many Americans say God Bless America, it  may mean so many different things. Listen to this insightful quote from Erwin Lutzer about what God Bless America may mean to a large part of the American public:

It may simply mean: Lord, I pray that you protect us; especially I pray that my family might not die; or may I live in good health, may I be able to pay my mortgage, and above all, Lord, may the stock market not fall so my retirement is secure. They implore the God who does not call upon us to forsake our cultural idols, but rather invited us to indulge ourselves. This is the God of the American flag. In contrast, the God of Moses and of the Old Testament Scriptures is the God who invites us to choose: “Choose Me and receive my blessing; disobey Me and be cursed.2”

God owes me as an American nothing. But I owe Him my ALL. God has provided for all my needs as a Christian according to His riches by Christ Jesus.

The True God of Christianity and the Bible is Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Powerful, Loving, Sincere, Trustworthy, Faithful, and HOLY!

The God of the Bible looks for heart obedience before blessing:
Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: (27) the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today;  (28) and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known (Deuteronomy 11:26-28 -NKJV).

Jesus introduced the idea that Satan comes to steal. kill, and to destroy (John 10:10). Before Adam sinned, earth was a blessed environment of life and light. Death and darkness came with the fall of man. Is “judgment” as some mention an effect directly from the hand of an omnipotent and holy God, or could judgment be simply the effect of the violation of natural and spiritual laws that God set in motion.

Here’s an example.The law of gravity is a natural law that, if I violate by jumping out of a five story window could kill me. If I jumped and the sudden stop five stories down killed me, could I say that God directly killed me. Of course not. His indirect involvement was only in setting the law of gravity into motion.

Any nation or person for that matter that turns from light and chooses to walk in darkness will eventually lose God’s blessings and inherit the effects of darkness being allowed to govern and thrive. This just may be where America is today.

Resultingly, it will not be legislation, government, congressmen, senators, and presidents that will change the course that we are on. It will only be a revival of the heart that is preceded by repentance, and followed by obedience.

For that reason, the answer to our ills as a nation are found in Jesus’ words: But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33). As Christians it’s time for us to focus, not on politics alone, but on Jesus and His commission to us to preach the gospel to every creature. More tomorrow!

1. From Is God on America’s Side? by Erwin Lutzer (Chicago, Il: Moody Publishers, 2008) p. 12
2. (from Is God on America’s Side by Erwin Lutzer (Chicago, Il: Moody Publishers, 2008) , p. 14).

Above the Fray (part 1)

In our church service at Victory yesterday, I began a short series talking about how we as Christians should approach the polarized political arena in our nation today.

It’s obvious that our once great nation is in trouble. A rapid downward spiral, politically, economically, spiritually, socially, morally. What are the answers?

We live in a totally divisive age. Our nation has become as divided as ever: Republican versus Democrat. Rich versus poor. Black versus white. Conservatives versus liberals. The vitriol has become intense if you listen to the political news and radio shows. Really, people just aren’t nice to each other any more. Can’t we disagree without being disagreeable?

I asked the question, if Jesus were here, would He be a democrat or a republican, or neither? What is the role of the church on government?

The underlying New Testament idea of our attitude towards political issues is in my view addressed well by Jesus as He was put on trial by the religious leaders of His day.

Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. "Are you the king of the Jews?" he asked him. (34) Jesus replied, "Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?" (35) "Am I a Jew?" Pilate retorted. "Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?" (36) Jesus answered, "My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:33-36 -NLT).

The Jewish leaders replied, "By our law he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God." (8) When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. (9) He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave no answer. (10) "Why don't you talk to me?" Pilate demanded. "Don't you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?" (11) Then Jesus said, "You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin" (John 19:7-11 -NLT).

Jesus emphasized in the above scripture that His Kingdom was not on earth, and that there was a greater power behind every earthly ruler, and that power is the power of our great Father God! In the light of Jesus’ statements, I believe it’s really important today to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

What this means is that we must put the great commission Jesus gave the church to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature  above seeking to change our government to agree with our Christian beliefs!

We are sinners from birth. The human heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). Sinners desire sin over godly living. Practically speaking, there is no way to legislate prayer in the public arena when the hearts of the masses of people have no desire for God. And sinners enjoy sex without the confines of marriage. And if that behavior they enjoy produces life, the sinful heart has no problem with aborting that new life. It’s in the way of their self-pleasure. So, we can picket abortion clinics and deride those entering them for their wrong living, but there will be no change in our culture that desires these things until an internal heart change has occurred. And for that reason we must seek the Kingdom of God and the salvation of the sinner as our number one priority above national redemption. In fact, I believe strongly that our nation can only be saved from total ruin by another great spiritual awakening.

I want to introduce here another way to deal with the political issues of our day from my viewpoint as a Christian. Here it is:  God did not call us to win the political debate, He called us to represent Jesus in our culture, regardless of where we live. Our life as a Christian should transcend the country where we live and its values.

Our main calling in the great commission given by the Lord Jesus is not to change our government, but to win individuals to Jesus, one person at a time! And that will come as they observe our lifestyle as we deal with the same pressures and issues that all people face in the 21st century.

There is a huge ideology alive in the church today that to win our nation back, we must win back the government, and change the laws to favor our Judeo-Christian ethics. Of course, I certainly believe that we should vote and be educated and involved in politics. But we must at the same time be careful that we don’t allow these political issues to dominate our lives to the point that we push away (because of our differences) the very people we’re seeking to reach with the good new of the gospel of salvation by Jesus blood!

I submit to you that we’ll not change the course of our nation until we the hearts of the masses are changed, one person at a time!

I’ll continue this theme tomorrow. Don’t forget, If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).