Restoration

Psalm 51:3-4 - For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight--that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge. 

I wrote about Manasseh yesterday, a king who did evil in the sight of the LORD. Remember all he did? From rejecting God to offering his sons as a sacrifice to other gods. But God...forgave him when he cried out in his affliction. These words above might have been similar to what he pleaded to Him. Even if they weren't his acknowledgment of his sin was important to God.

So often it is in our affliction, when we come to the end of ourselves, that God gets our attention. When the stock market crashes, when a marriage fails, when we lose a loved one, or when we lose a job or the business fails. All examples of devastation. 

And we remember the upcoming tenth anniversary of 9/11, as we watched in horror the safety of our comfortable living being shaken. For a brief time, our focus was on the Lord. 

We might say we come to our wit's end, being very worried because every possible way to solve a problem has been tried but to no avail. Another "or" is when we choose to back away for a time from Jesus...not totally gone, but ignoring Him. When the light has grown dim and the flame needs to be fanned. When all else fails, go back...or go to...Him.

Manasseh came to the end of himself. Perhaps the realization of all he'd done wasn't yet on his mind but he was faced with a very personal conflict...affliction...that he was so totally not prepared for. What caused him to call out to God? I suspect Manasseh had always known the LORD but even as many as today, he strove to do as he desired and rejected God's ways. When he was at his wit's end he implored the LORD his God, (a sure sign he knew Him) and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers (2Chronicles 33:12).

And God responded favorably. He took him out of his bondage, returned him to Jerusalem. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD He was God (2Chronicles 33:13). Yes! We come face to face with our God and we know that we know who He is.

God forgives His children when they err just as forgives those who do evil. He loves them both. If we have received Him we are engraved in the palm of His hand (Isaiah 46:16). We are the apple of His eye (Psalm 17:8). We are His children (1John 3:1). We are kings and priests (Revelation 5:10) clothed in righteousness (2Corinthians 5:21). These things are available to all who call on the name of the Lord, to those who will humble themselves and seek Him. He is quick to forgive. He will put out of His mind the offenses against Him and the sins we've committed. He will rejoice in us.

Pride, stubbornness and blatant disregard for our Creator separates us from Him. Even when we choose to walk away for a time, it has been our choice. He has not left our side but He is silent, sadly watching as His child wanders down his own path.

What was that Manasseh did for God's forgiveness? He humbled Himself greatly before the God of his fathers. and he prayed to Him...and what did God do in return? He was entreated of him and heard his supplication (2Chronicles 33:12-13). And Manasseh was brought back. He was restored.

Oh, how God is in the restoring business. How He longs for not only His own people who fail to admit their faults and failures (and I believe He urges them all along till they recognize these faults) but He also longs for those who have not felt a need to seek Him in the first place.

The first place! He is to be our first love. He is to be our strength, wisdom, provision for all of life. We are nothing without Jesus. We are like Manasseh. We may not be as evil as he, but we are kicking against the goads, which is very much a biblical term meaning there is a futility in fighting against God. He will have the last word in our ultimate demise. Either we are for Him or against Him.

But He is ever willing to forgive if we humble ourselves before Him. The step to take today is to seek Him while He may still be found. Put aside the pride that so hinders us. Admit the failures in life; admit the helplessness. He will forgive. He will restore. He will save. He has more to offer in the long run than the world.

Our Father in Heaven love us more than we can know and wants to take care of us. Everything the Word promises us is true and ours for the asking. There are hundreds of examples in the Word of God taking His people out of their bondage, just like Christ has done for us. All examples for us to learn from. All people who came to the end of themselves and humbled themselves before their God.

Psalm 51:17 - The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart--these, O God, You will not despise. 

Our Choice, Our Consequence

2Chronicles 33:12-13 - Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom.

A glorious Sunday at church. Our pastor, Rory Grooters, returned from a relatively short but serious illness and had an amazingly powerful sermon on King Manasseh's Reversal. We can all benefit from hearing about Manasseh! Although the personal account I have to share is minimal compared to Manasseh, there is a connection. Praise God for His mercy!

Israel had determined they wanted a king to rule over them, like other nations, not their godly priests. So God gave them their desire. (Sort of like the United States which has chosen for a "king" instead of looking to God like our founding fathers.) 

King Manasseh was one of the many kings the people of Israel chose. He was the king of Judah. His reign began at age 12 and as we read in the account in 2Chronicles 33, he did evil in the sight of God, for about 50 years! 

As Pastor Rory told us: sin will swallow us up and God will let it happen. Why? Because He honors free will choices. He gives us free will to choose when we have options. And sometimes the wrong choice is made and the consequences are felt later. The wrong choice WILL have consequences. 

So what did Manasseh do that was so wrong? In a nutshell he rebuilt previously torn down high places where idol worship took place, rather than worshiping the one true God. He raised up altars for these idols and served them. He went so far as to built these altars in the house of the LORD. And to top things off, he sacrificed his own sons to these gods! He practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery and consulted mediums and spiritists. All practices God abhors. God tried to speak to him and the people but they refused to listen.

God allowed the consequence of Manasseh's actions: He was captured by the enemy. And when he felt the affliction, the consequence of his action, he turned to God for help. He repented of his deeds...and God heard him...and He forgave him. How in the world could God forgive his deeds? Don't we sometimes wonder how God can forgive us? Even if it is over and over. It's a mystery.

So, as a follow up to Friday's blog on the heartbeat of God, staying close to Him so we hear it...we also pay the consequences of unrest and confusion when we are not spending the time we should with Him. It's a choice all right. The enemy captures us, we feel the affliction, receive the consequences of our action(s). 

But God...who doesn't leave us or forsake us, nudges us to repentance. He hears and then forgives. Oh, we might not be in Manasseh's shoes but we have forsaken our first Love...even if momentarily. He is ALWAYS ready to take us back. ALWAYS. And we must not ever feel too ashamed to do so. We must not let vain imaginations or insecurities prevent us from returning. We will always have a sin nature in us. But God...has given us Jesus Christ to cover that by His blood and He has filled us with His Holy Spirit...and offers His mercy and grace.

So here is what the Lord spoke to me at the end of service during a time of prayer:

I am waiting for You. Return to Me. Seek Me. Fear not because you are written in the Book of Life. You are engraved in the palm of My hand. Fear not because you can do anything through Me. If you humble yourself, I will be faithful to forgive. Fear not--you are My child who strays but I know you do not want to. Just return, repent, come back to your loving Father, Savior and Friend. I know you don't understand all I had to go through just for you. Don't try to understand; just know I did. I love you with more love than you could possibly know. I AM jealous after you. Don't let your insecurities take first place--My Spirit is in you. MY Spirit. All my children are in different places and seasons in their walk with Me. No one is better than another. Do not compare yourself with another. You are where you need to be and that comes from My lips. Just return to Me.

Quite a far cry from the sins, the evil, the wickedness of Manasseh, but even the slightest deviation from Him is sin and disobedience. Thankfully, His mercy is new every day and remember the consequences...that dry spell, that emptiness, that confusion. But God...

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... If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (2Chronicles 7:14 and 1John 1:9)

Heartbeat of God

Hebrews 10:25 - ...not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. 

An appropriate verse for today. Settles the spirit for a few things I've felt all week. This scripture popped up in my email this morning. God's timing is always perfect.

There is something wonderful about Thursday nights. It's a time of gathering at church for a small group of us. We are in prayer for whatever the Lord puts on our hearts. We pray for the recovery ministry that is taking place that night. We pray for the church. And quite often God will speak to each of us...and sometimes it is a confirmation of the words given to some of the others. An assembling, exhorting one another...

Last night was no different. I had not been there for a couple weeks having other things going on. I went sensing a bit of trepidation! Yes! Yet, there is something so comforting as we gather in the sanctuary. The world is outside those doors, but we are hunkered in with the Spirit of God hovering over us.

I have had a dry week or so spiritually. And as is usual, instead of pressing in with God, sorting it out with Him, asking for His help, I feel ashamed and back away instead. I find things, or there just are things, to occupy my time keeping me "busy" enough to be delinquent with my quiet time. Oh, how I hate that! I really do.

I think it started when I missed church last week to be part of a women's golf event/tournament. I was disappointed it started earlier than usual Sunday. I signed up thinking I would have time for church first. I missed church and missed the Lord. 

But the Lord is merciful and gracious. I felt I had distanced myself from Him...and that feeling of shame came over me. But last night, as I felt so unworthy to receive from the Lord, He showed up. I shared my struggle with a friend and she said she has times like that too. We need to talk, was the solution. But of course my busyness is preventing even that. Arrggghh.

What does it feel like when you have received the Lord into your heart and momentarily, in the grand scheme of things, slip away from His presence? It's an empty feeling. Nothing one does feels like it's worth anything. The idea that we are nothing without Him is so true. If one does not feel that, I wonder if they really know Him?

I looked for solace in little things that had absolutely no meaning and offered little satisfaction. I wandered aimlessly. You hear Him calling for you but there's that idea that you aren't worthy to return...or is it pride that causes us to hold back? There is a popular song where the chorus is You never let go, You never let go, You never let go. And He doesn't.

There is an emptiness in our lives...because we have pushed the Lord out. There is a lack of peace because our Prince of Peace has been ignored. Oh, people, we are NEVER worthy enough to be in His presence but God...is merciful because of His Son Jesus. If there are those who think they need to clean up their act, sort of what I was feeling, before receiving Christ or being in God's presence, that idea is a lie. He wants us as we are...dirty, shameful, arrogant, prideful, and lost.

He knows us. He knows what we are but knows what we can be when we let Him clean us up. There is no shame, but what we feel. That shame is the door to our freedom if we allow it to be seen by the Lord and then removed by His tender mercies. It only takes admission of our faults and sins.

Reminders popped into my head. He calls us into relationship with Him. He loves us more than we can imagine (another song I think!). Even to the most unlovable person His love is strong. He waits, like the father of the prodigal son, for us to return...even if it's only been a short while. His arms are always open to take us back.

When He is not alongside the things we do there is a hollowness. Why? Because we are not doing for the Lord. Everything we do should be to honor and glorify Him. We should be doing to please Him with what talents He has given us.

I prayed last night that the Holy Spirit would come upon our church like a huge blanket. We feel comfortable and secure wrapped up. His blanket over us would bring comfort, security and safety. The chorus of another song pierced my heart: in His presence, that's where I am strong.

Oh, that's it. In His continual presence. First thought in the morning, thoughts all throughout the day and the last thought as we enter our rest at night. The words heartbeat of God came to me. I didn't feel a need to understand what that meant, but if we are in His presence, closely tied to His Spirit, we should be able to hear His heartbeat. It should be a comfort to us, it should remind us of the safety we have in Him and the security we have if we acknowledge Him in all we do...if we make the time for Him.

As we gathered together after individual prayer another person was reminded that although  her prayers for others were a good thing, she was neglecting her time alone with Him. A confirmation for all of us of the need to find that time to be in His presence...and sometimes to just sit and listen for Him to speak instead of always coming with a list of things. Be still and know I am God, she said He reminded her.

Thank You, Lord, for Your words of truth mixed with love and mercy. Today is a new day and I will rejoice and be glad in it.

So what did Oswald Chambers have to say today?? Are you ever disturbed? ...inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. ...it is a peace which comes from looking into His face and realizing His undisturbedness. How do we realize this when we take our eyes off Him, are out of His presence? We get disturbed because we have not been considering Him. Lay it all out before Him, and in the face of difficulty, bereavement and sorrow, hear Him say, "Let not your heart be troubled." I had lost my peace.

Yes, taking our eyes off Him causes distress, even a sorrow we don't always associate with our being out of His presence. The heartbeat of God should be ever present as we do life. All He wants is to let us know that in all things we can have peace in Him.

Praise God He never lets us go unless we are determined to ignore His gentle Spirit coaxing us to return because He chose us and He loves us. The days are growing short for His return. The days are experiencing more and more worldly disasters. If we don't have our Peace beside us now, we may be so shaken as to fall into the hands of our enemy. Listen for the heartbeat of God. If you hear it respond. If you don't, begin to listen for it and respond. He is only a heartbeat away from receiving. We should realize He only wants good for us.

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Consider Your Ways

Haggai 1:2 - Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, saying, "This people says, 'The time has not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built.'"

There must be a strong message going on. I flipped open the Bible to Haggai, an Old Testament prophet. And the words above made another impact on what I've been writing lately about turning ourselves around and thinking we are not like "those" who need a Savior.

In the fourth verse of Haggai we read what the prophet was prompted by God to speak: "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?" And verse five goes on to say: Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: "Consider your ways!"

Here's more that the LORD of hosts admonished the people: "You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes." 

Now I realize this was in regard to rebuilding God's house, His temple, while the people were bent on putting their time, resources and efforts into their own homes instead. But I think there's an underlying message here, one that fits in with the past two days' blogs.

First of all let me just say that God calls our bodies a temple. When we are in Christ it houses the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 16:19). We must work at maintaining it. We should not live our lives on earth doing only as we desire...and if and when it is necessary to look to the Lord for whatever it is we need in a time of disaster...then do it. Christ came so that we might have life and more abundantly...even here on earth. There should be a seeking and thirsting now after the Lord, while He may still be found. There is no better time than now to consider your ways, says the LORD of Hosts. 

As an aside...God provided a bit of an example of thirsting, coming to the end of self and seeking a life sustaining drink. I was working in the yard and was heading back into the house when I heard the familiar sound of hummingbird wings. She was trapped in the garage, unable to see the wide-open doors to freedom just below her. She hummed and buzzed and squeaked flying back and forth looking for an exit. I stood helplessly knowing it's not easy to capture a creature so small, fast and so distraught.

A thought flitted through my mind and I acted upon it. Get the hummingbird feeder. Hang it on the garage door. It will be low enough for her to see out and when she gets weary enough and needs some of that sugary sustenance she'll rest and drink and might see her chance for freedom. So I did that.

I sat on the steps in the garage and waited and, yes, she perched and drank...and drank...and drank. As she did I prayed that the Lord would help her find her way to freedom and in an instant she was out to a nearby garden.

Do you see the connection? We get helplessly lost and need a Way out. Jesus is that Way and He provides the drink that will satisfy and nourish. He is the Drink and the Way to freedom for our souls.

In life we are never fully satisfied...we sow but don't bring all we think we really need; we have food to eat and enough to drink, but we sometimes want more, just because it "tastes like more"; we are clothed but there's always that new item we just have to have; the money we make...is spent and spent and spent. This is an indication there is something missing deep within. Something needs to be built up within us.

There is only one thing that satisfies and needs to be built up...a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the wellspring of fresh, living water. He is our provision. He is all we will ever need because what we need is the assurance of eternal life. Pure and simple. Consider now your ways and take this delicious drink.

John 4:13-14 - Jesus answered and said to her [Samaritan woman], "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." 

Are You an Aristocrat?

Mark 2:17 - When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Just prior to the words above, Jesus had seen Matthew in the crowd and called him to follow Him. He was then invited to dinner with Matthew and his tax collector friends. He chose to sit with them. They, by all accounts, did not have very good reputations! The Pharisees, who just happened to be hanging out, probably looking for a reason to pin something on Jesus, noticed all this. The Pharisees were religious leaders of the time. They believed they held all the answers to righteous living. When Jesus came along and poked holes in their teachings, they were not too happy and sought to undo His ministry. Jesus heard them question, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?" His answer is above.

Righteous, according to Strong's Concordance, in this context means of those who seem to themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves in their virtues, whether real or imagined.

So, I heard something that prompted me to consider what I had written yesterday, August 16. It has to do with those who receive Christ as Lord and Savior.

As I mentioned there are many who don't feel a need for a Savior. Their lives are doing well, there are no problems to speak of. They are on top of the world with only little annoyances here and there. Their goals may be accomplished, businesses stable or they are climbing ladders to success and believe they have what it takes to get there.

The words I heard from Perry Stone were discussing another subject, which I am not going to address. It was one thing he said that stopped my thinking and the recording dead in its tracks: At the turn of the century or the 1800's there was a manifestation of the Spirit among people...common people, uneducated people and poor people...because in the ministry of Jesus it was the poor people who accepted Him immediately. And it was the aristocrats who didn't...they looked down on people.

That's all I needed to hear. Although he's talking about certain beliefs and manifestations in some churches at that time, I believe Stone hit upon the idea I wanted to convey yesterday. A common belief is we only need a Savior when things get too overwhelming in our lives. NOT. Jesus is there to enhance every part of our lives, in good times and bad. We are all sinners in need of a Savior and He considers all of us lost sheep. He is the Shepherd. But so often we don't view ourselves as lost. We consider ourselves as having "the right stuff." We tend to need to get to the end of ourselves before we feel a need to receive Him.

This is sad. That's the way it was for me; I knew who Jesus was so what more did I need to do? Stop buggin' me! Pharisaical? Prideful? Aristocratic? That's the way it is for many. Those who are not needy, not common, but educated...today's aristocrats, if you will. Their intelligence might be in question if they made a choice for the Lord. The Pharisees were not common but educated and so full of themselves for the vast knowledge of what they believed to be accurate religious practices. They might have been up there with aristocrats. Where do we fit here?

Like I said, it usually takes a disaster for God to get our attention. He allows us to take life on in our own strength and own intelligence until something occurs that knocks us off our feet or pushes us into a pit where the only way out is up. The only thing left is to look up to the Lord, stretch out our hands, plead for help, and receive it from Him.

However, this is not the only way it works. Some are just humble enough to realize their need for One whose wisdom is greater. (Wish that had been me!) We are generally not humble people. So full of ourselves, even when we think we are humble! Our pride. Oh, that pride will trip us up or bite us where the sun don't shine.

If we are doing well in the world, aren't we all a bit aristocratic? We are not poor, common or uneducated. And can't we think a bit more highly of ourselves than we truly are? Jesus came to seek and save the lost. That's all of us. None of us are righteous on our own. Our righteousness comes when we acknowledge and receive Jesus. We all have need, spiritually, of a Physician. We are no better or worse than those Pharisees or tax collectors. We all need a Savior and He's just waiting to be received.

As the disciples began to follow Jesus, their Master, they learned that humility was His trademark. He took on the role of a Servant (Mark 10:45). Look at those who followed Him. They were, apart from Luke, a physician, from humble backgrounds, or like, Nicodemus, a Pharisee, willing to humble themselves to believe Jesus had something better to offer. As His ministry grew and also His followers, the people were those whose physical or emotional illnesses were healed by this great Man or those who heard His words and believed them. Even today He still heals hearts, turns them from stone ones against Him to fleshly ones who accept Him.

There is none righteous. Not one person, even of those saved, who can say they are better than another. They may be better in that their lives have improved for acknowledging and receiving Christ. The disciples tell us this if we take the time to hear their accounts. Comfort and peace abounds in the midst of trials. A hope looms large in the distance of our lives. We know in our healed hearts that this world, given to us by God, is nice and has a lot to offer, but the greater things will be seen someday when we spend our lives with the Lord.

1Timothy 1:15 - This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

Turn Around

1Corinthians 15:9 - For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. - Apostle Paul

There is a song that is somewhat new. Turn Around by Matt Maher. It speaks mainly of people with serious problems, addictions, tragic stories, insecurities, but it speaks to all of us in some way. We all fit somewhere. However, there is no person, no problem too big or too small for God. We only have to turn around. He's there. Here's the chorus:

If you're scared that you don't matter

If you're lost and need to be found

If you're looking for a Savior

All you gotta do is turn around

That song was not what triggered this blog. I was thinking about people who have the "right stuff." Those who aren't scared or who don't think they're lost. Those who believe they are in control of their earthly lives. God has given them talents, strengths and convictions. But, oh, if they used them for the Lord instead of holding on to them in the world, how amazing it would be. How they would glorify God! But there has to be a desire; too often they are content as they are or they long for the praises of others whom they can see. 

So that thought took me to the account of Saul who became Paul. Here was a man who persecuted Christianity. His convictions were intense. BUT GOD...met him on the side of a road. He knew he had been in the presence of the Lord when He said, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? I don't for a minute believe the Lord was angry, just saddened...and also fully aware what Saul was to become. When we fight against the idea of a Savior who can redeem lives, heal and who only wants the best for us, we are fighting directly, rejecting personally, our Lord Jesus Christ. And He is saddened.

So, Saul came face to face with the Lord of all creation. He was stopped dead in his tracks. And he asked what he needed to do. And when he was told, Saul turned around. The name Saul means enquired of, responded. Suits him. He was enquired of by God and he did respond. The name Paul, on the other hand, means small or little. The name change I've read  could have been God's or Paul's. If it was God I think He is telling us it doesn't matter the stature in our character; He can use anyone. Paul called himself "the least [little] of the Apostles" (1Corinthians 15:9). Quite the opposite of Saul's old image. Just saying...  At any rate, Paul's conversion was the big thing. And the turn around that took place was amazing...from old to new. We might be strong in our earthly selves, but God might show us we must come to the end of that person...turn around...and allow Him to use us as the least, with the strengths and convictions He has given us.  

When we reject Jesus it's our own form of persecution toward Him. I don't mean totally rejecting Him, angrily or scoffing Him, but determining in our own minds that if we only believe that Jesus existed and choose not to receive Him as our own personal Savior...that also is a form of rejection. We must be born again, as Jesus tells us. And that means receiving Him and turning our lives around. Saul was born again. He turned his life around. The strengths he had used to persecute were now used to praise...to the glory of God.

God is the one who meets us on a road Face to face. I remember like it was yesterday when that happened to me. There's nothing like it. From the simple belief that Jesus was to meeting Him Face to face and then knowing Him personally. The biggest turn around is saying yes to Jesus instead of denying His importance in one's life. He is there for us. We just need to turn around and "see" that voice that we might see beyond our narrow little lives on earth. Then the rest becomes history.  

Praise God for what He is beginning to do in these last days, for the lives that are going to change, for the peace He will bring in families and communities, churches, nations, the world. He is changing lives. He is at work and like Uncle Sam, His finger might be pointed right at you...He wants you. Maybe you sense it. I dare you to turn around and look. You might see His face...you might hear His voice asking us to arise and go, turn ourselves around.

He can use you. He can develop the strengths He has built within you. He can make what seems a successful life even more successful, or He can take what seems a dead end life and make it alive. All you need to do is turn around. Arise and go....

Acts 9:6 - So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." 

Okay, I'm Cheating

Okay, so I'm cheating today! After Friday's blog and my attempt to explain something, I read this article by James Robison that came in my mailbox, which I believe is closely related to what I tried to point out. 

As I've mentioned before, Robison can say things in such a way that I cannot! We are on the same page, though. And he uses others to explain in detail. So I'm using Robison and those he used! 

There is no gray area with God. It's black or white, bad or good, cursing or blessing. If our country could humble itself, as the Bible tells.... 

(Highlighting is mine.)

The Church of State

By James Robison

Created Aug 12 2011 - 10:11

Permit me to open with Prime Minister Cameron’s remarks concerning the riots in Great Britain. He indicated that the problem was the result of “a culture that glorifies violence, shows disrespect for authority, and says everything about rights and nothing about responsibility.” He then pointed to parental failure and the breakdown of families. Without a return to God, here in our own nation, we are headed in the same direction. In fact, we have already seen it in the past week with “flash mobs” in Philadelphia.

America’s overbearing, foolish, secular theocracy is using their “church of state” (political correctness) to cram their self-defined values down the throats of the U.S. population and place an unbearable burden on the backs of present-day and yet-to-be-born citizens. We need a miracle from above, and God offers it freely. Now is the time for Christians to become that city set on a hill that cannot be hid because God’s glory is revealed through the disciples of Jesus.


Oh, yes, these people will vote—and vote wisely. But our hope is not in any political party or politician. Our hope is in the Lord, and He works through those who love Him with all their heart and love their neighbors as themselves. These are the people who can be depended on to inspire necessary corrections.


Recently, I visited with Kevin Miller, a gifted writer, businessman, and founding dean of Colorado Christian University School of Business. He shared with me his legitimate concerns for our nation. In a new book titled Freedom Nationally, Virtue Locally—or Socialism, he expounded on these concerns and the inspiration necessary to preserve and strengthen true freedom. It was the first time I had heard the term “secular theocracy” and their enforcement arm, the “church of state.”


Kevin and I agreed that when Americans ask the government to deliver both freedom and virtue, they will ultimately get neither. The bigger government gets, the more people depend on it…the more insignificant and less productive they become.


For many months, I’ve been encouraging people to pray for the personal lives of believers, Americans and for our ship of state to turn from moral and economic danger toward safety and security. 


Individuals will most certainly determine their own course, but it will take wise, committed people coming together, united in purpose, to turn our nation. For the “indestructible” Titanic, it was turning from hidden icebergs—it did not, and it went down. For us, it is turning from out-of-control, all-consuming, misdirected federal government, which has continually drifted toward becoming a secular theocracy. This power is effectively using the church of state to enforce their view of essential doctrines. Let me simply touch on some of those Kevin Miller listed in his thought-provoking book:

• The doctrine of “using deliberately mushy words and terminology.”Straightforward, accountable definitions simply don’t work to get the results desired. Terms such as “justice” won’t do. They use phrases such as “social justice” because no one can really define what they mean. They use the vitally important word “justice” within their phrase because this works to condemn people who aren’t moved to do something—something really, really important, urgent and necessary as conveniently defined by those in the secular theocracy.

• The doctrine of “never enough.” No matter how the non-believers try to comply with the mushy definitions of needed secular virtues, as defined by the federal government, of course their efforts are never enough. More taxes and federal programs are always necessary.

• The doctrine of the federal government always defines neighbor. The secular theocracy must have complete control over the definition and classifications of neighbor. For example, a Mexican citizen illegally in the United States taking advantage of various U.S. taxpayers’ social services—well, he’s definitely a NEIGHBOR for secular theocracy purposes. That’s because he’s a voting constituent created merely by his presence on U.S. soil. In contrast, his brother—a U.S. citizen—barely scraping by in Mexico, minding his own business—is not a neighbor. A workable and compassionate solution can be found to benefit everyone involved, but the secular theocracy would rather define those who disagree with them as racist, and a racist is always what a secular theocracy says it is to suit its purposes of the moment, time and again.

(A personal note: I see all who suffer and need help as a neighbor. I am thrilled people want to come to America to build a better life. I am, however, opposed to anyone disregarding the law.)

• The doctrine of the federal government commands how Americans will love their neighbors. The secular theocracy social justice demands that Americans love their neighbors, but that isn’t the end of the story. Citizens must love their neighbors exactly how the federal government instructs them. Here’s an example of how loving your neighbor works. Private organizations who are not secular theocracy-friendly will be compelled to embrace the transgendered person (God made me this way), while the billionaire, driven to employ thousands of people and earn piles of money (God made me this way), will be punished by extracting taxes on the fruits of his compulsive, unappealing behavior. Of course, it doesn’t matter how God really makes a person. It’s up to the secular theocracy to determine which is good and which is bad, according to the political needs of the moment.

• The doctrine of results don’t matter—only good intentions matter. Whether before a federal social justice program starts or after it fails, the federal government’s activities are entirely justified by its good intentions and the cost to the taxpayers is simply not important.

• The doctrine of “rules about rules.” These rules are to be communicated to ordinary citizens. First, the rules are made by someone other than you. Second, specific enforcement of the rules is determined at the whim of someone other than you. Third, the specifics of the rules may change at any time. Fourth, the rules may change at any time without notice.

• The doctrine that only the federal government can solve these problems. Got a business too big to fail? Got a huge social justice opportunity? Well, friend, the only answer is the federal government.

Now please keep in mind that these doctrines are being forced on us by people whom citizens put in power. Many of the people who are most greatly concerned about the problems didn’t even participate in the process of selection—and if they did vote, they voted from a very uninformed position. As a result, we now have a secular theocracy with their doctrines enforced by their church of state, which, because of their superior belief system, they are convinced they know what’s best for all the rest of us. (Let me strongly emphasize that America will never have a religious or spiritual theocracy or state controlled by religion because people of true faith would never, never tolerate it.)


It is time for people who know the truth to start demonstrating it, or we might as well reinstate Pharaoh himself, submit to bondage and get ready for the day when we will, as with Old Testament Israel, be forced to “make bricks without straw.”


You really need not pray for a deliverer. He has already come and lives in the life of every believer. It is time for us to stand up and once again embrace the freedom offered by nature’s God and our nation’s founders. It will take prayer, God’s wisdom and relentless determination to do God’s will, beginning in our personal lives. The necessary correction will come from the bottom up, from hearts committed to God—not from top down, by foolishly trusting in mere men. If we will lift God up, He will lift us up.

Psalm 144

Psalm 144:15b - Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!

To those who delight in the Lord. To those whose trust is in Him. To those who know His lovingkindness. To those who understand the truth of His Word. To those who understand that verses 3 and 4 speak of those who live by the Word of God in all aspects of their lives, then God is mindful of them. To those comes happiness! I ask you to take a moment and read all of Psalm 144.

Oh, more random thoughts! How my mind bounces around! Pardon my rabbit trails today. Many people, without God as center, believe their lives are going well...and why is there a need for God if that is the case? But the better blessings when He is center! A concept too hard to explain.

The Lord WILL stretch out His hand to rescue those who love Him (not a nameless higher power). He will deliver me out of life's challenges, be they people or situations. When we see God's hand at work we CAN sing to Him a new song. We CAN know what truth is in a world full of deceit and falsehoods coming across as truth. Thank God for the real truth, for the real God and not some counterfeit. Our God is alive and watching over us. Our God supplies all our needs according to His Word and His riches in glory through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). His.

Just this week our state, Wisconsin, underwent recall voting for Republican senators. This was done because our governor, Scott Walker, has turned the liberal tables of our state to conservative much to the chagrin of many. Let me say that Scott Walker comes from and submits to Christian ideals and I totally believe God is on his side as we've seen the conservative policies holding their own, as this recall election fell flat and all the money spent to bring it about wasted. God always upholds goodness and truth. I look at Walker in the midst of all this and see peace in his demeanor. Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!

It's hard to explain and even harder for some to comprehend that the truth is always a good thing to uphold. Walker is holding to truth and it's aggravating many. As he continues to do what is right in God's eyes, I believe he will be favored. There are many who believe something which seems right to them (Proverbs 14:12). They are believing lies. If we seek the truth, listen and note the goodness and fairness that comes out of doing what's right, God will provide...both happiness and provision. I believe with all my heart that there is a close connection between understanding God's truth and our lives in general. We WILL see things differently in the world if we know what real truth is. It's best to stand behind the truth and morally right thinking and actions. 

This isn't where I really wanted to go with this but there's a link here! Psalm 144 describes how Happy are the people whose God is the LORD! If God, our LORD, is our center, goodness prevails and happiness is a result.

God is truth and truth is good. If we believe that then Psalm 144 is a reminder that when we hang on to that God will be our supplier. The Psalmist tells us He will deliver those who believe, trust and adhere to the beliefs that His ways are good. We can believe that our days and needs will be supplied through Him in the midst of bad times. Why shouldn't the same hold true in the world? God gives to us the talents and when we use them justly and give of ourselves to Him, He continues to supply. I'm believing like in the case of Scott Walker....

Psalm 144:7-8 and 11 both tell us: Stretch out Your hand from above; rescue me and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of foreigners whose mouth speaks lying words, and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.  Foreigners here are those who are considered strange,--those who think in opposition and those who misunderstand and misconstrue truth, who are corrupt in their judgment and enterprises. Oh, I'm sure I'm going to step on toes! Yes, it's all about interpretation, which is understanding the difference between truth and lies. Seek the truth for yourself. Let your heart be open to receive. Know the truth and let it set you free (John 8:32).

Psalm 144 tells me that if we do what is right in God's eyes, both individually and as a nation or politically, we will be supplied by the God of all creation. But seeking that truth, believing in that first, is the key. Oh, where have we gone and what lies ahead? For God's faithful followers, the answer is clear. He will supply our needs. And as long as there is someone out there who stands by God's truth and who gets chosen for the job of leading our country or state, truth and happiness will prevail. Getting them into that position is where the problem lies! Reliance on man seems to be the issue. No one wants to hear that a candidate relies on God (truth). 

Know God, know truth...even politically. Live a life consistent with God's desires, centered in understanding His truth. Then the true blessings and happiness (even for a state or country) will be the outcome.

Psalm144:15a - How blessed are the people who are so situated...

A New Thing?

Isaiah 43:19 - For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?

This scripture along with a devotional by David Wilkerson entitled God is Doing a New Thing came one after the other the other week. I'm convinced He is doing a new thing. Do we want to be part of it? We certainly should.

I was convicted a bit listening to Beth Moore on James Robison's program early this morning. It stirred me like too much coffee!

I'm not being stretched as I should be...er, I'm not letting God stretch me as I should! I wonder why God doesn't use me more and Beth answered that question by saying we need to get beyond our comfort levels to see the wonderful things God has in store for us...if we just step out in boldness. Oh, I've heard this many times and have probably written about it. Fear not! He is with us. We are nothing apart from Him. Shake off self-reliance and doubt that "I can't do that." Yes we can!! If we really want to.

There are others who know God is wanting to do a new thing as well. We can sense something. We see the signs as God's Word has shown us. In the last days.... We need to be the remnant in these days. We need to allow ourselves to become that remnant and that can't be done in our comfort zones. Come on...we know it. I'm as guilty as the next.

We have been told if we would humble ourselves... But I'm sure there are many who don't give credence to these words of wisdom, even when it comes to our country. Humble...in knowing nothing is impossible with God; knowing I cannot do on my own. Knowing I fail time and time again but need to pick myself up and try again...letting more of myself go and allowing more of the Lord do!

I was up nort'  in Wisconsin about a week ago. How glorious, how refreshing. A beautiful cabin in the northwoods-cabin style. The house was on a narrow, dirt road and I was reminded of the narrow road we are to follow as believers in Christ. It was hard to even see beyond this tree lined road for all the over grown vegetation. Stepping off that path would have been difficult. Twisted ankles, skin or eyes pierced by sticks or twigs, even the remote possibility of getting lost if wandering too far. There is a reason there is a path. Staying on it is the best idea.

But back to doing new things. A "new" thing during that week was no air conditioning. How refreshing is that? Fresh forest and lake air. Ahhhh. Instead of grumbling, I cherished it. And then there was the day we had a severe storm when we were all sitting somewhat quietly in the dark living room after the power went out, candles lit. A refreshingly new thing. Too bad the power didn't stop the iPads, iPhones and Blackberries from working! It was rather comical watching everyone with heads buried in technology with an occasional utterance before everyone was back into their own little "smart world." How distracted from what was happening around us.

I wonder if this is how God feels about how we view Him? Too distracted to notice; too distracted to listen or talk to Him? Too intent on our own ideas of fun that we miss the small but wonderful things of God like the night time sound of loons on the lake. I felt like I was the only one who relished in the sound and whose heart skipped beats.

I have to admit the busyness and/or noise of the weekend made it difficult to enter deeply into His presence. But He reminded me of who He was in the small things, like loons and thunderstorms. And at last a moment when, thunder rolling, rain pouring down and a few moments alone, I got to think on and sense His presence, but only momentary!

A new thing. Some of us know He is doing something in our church after years of disruption...and years of some desiring something fresh. The signs of the times are causing us to look more closely for that relationship with One who controls all that happens around us and Who desires we seek Him and trust Him in our daily lives.

(Just seemingly random thoughts, but confirmed by a few different scriptures written by the Lord Himself and various teachings.)

I know how difficult it is to bring up God when no one else feels the same as me. I saw God in so many things up in Eagle River, Wisconsin, where I felt many missed Him altogether. It saddens me to not be able to talk about Him when I'm enjoying some of the things we did, like golf or boating. But then...isn't that my job?? To do just that and let the words fall on the ears who want to hear? And if no one hears to know that He Himself is most pleased that did? What was that about comfort zones? Guilty, guilty, guilty.

Oh, I did manage to speak some words when the words about a "higher power" were spoken. I could only say, "My higher power has a name and it's God." Couldn't help myself. It's true.

Then there was the article by James Robison who somehow manages to say things with such elegance and tells it like it is. If I would say the same things I'd probably be considered critical. He said a few things came to mind in prayer one day: 

THE MOST HATED PERSON WHO EVER LIVED – JESUS.

THE MOST LOVED PERSON WHO EVER LIVED – JESUS.

Then God spoke to my [James'] heart and said, “Get ready, because the closer you follow Me and make an impact on the culture, the more similar the response.” Remember, “If they persecute Me, they will persecute you. All that live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Blessed are you when men cast insults at you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely on account of Me. Rejoice and be glad…for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

I [James] then wrote something else I felt God impressed on my heart. If you boldly stand for God, you will be misunderstood by some and misrepresented by many.

We need not be ashamed when we bring God up, even if all falls flat and others don't know how to respond. That's not our problem but theirs. It's up to the Lord to do the work. Thank You for removing that much responsibility from me! A word here and there will open up hearts. Like mine when a woman I worked with (and now one of my closest friends) kept talking about church and Bible studies. I grimaced one day at the lunch table and these words of distain spilled out of my mouth: You told us that already. But those words began to do a work in me despite my wanting to reject her words. We can't despise the looks, actions or silence. God may just be doing a new thing in someone else. This is God announcing that new thing that we don't even understand yet! See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?

Oh, this was supposed to be about a new thing in the Church but look where my rambling mind went. Same concept though for the Church. Letting go and stretching. Allowing a new thing to be done instead of fighting it. Stepping out. Letting God do a work, even if we want to reject this new thing, like people rejecting Him. God will not begin a new thing [in His Church] until He does away with the old - David Wilkerson. That's what I'm talking about. In Christ we can do. It may not seem like it, but God's ways are far greater. 

See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (Isaiah 42:9, 2 Corinthians 5:17)