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COMING TO THE SANCTUARY – PART TWO

Posted in A Nation Divided, tagged , , on May 19, 2013| Leave a Comment »

“Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion  forever” (Psalm 73:25-26 NAS).

Our house is a flurry of activity from sun-up-til-sundown. And our lives are jam-packed from the moment our feet hit the floor in the morning until we lay our weary bodies down late at night. Then we rise to repeat the process next day.

God instructs I am to be still and know that He is God, but I must be disciplined and determined if I am to sit quietly before the Lord.

Over the years I’ve learned if I’m not worshiping God during the week, chances are I’m not going to worship Him in the sanctuary Sunday morning.

In order to sit before my Father in Heaven, I must choose His peace, before my day begins, else chaos creeps in unannounced and before I know it, I’m off the road-and-in-the-ditch.

And then comes Sunday morning. Why do I go to the sanctuary? To see friends? To be seen by others? To be entertained? Or is it just a habit? A lifelong practice I’ve become accustomed to.

Historic Churches 0007_edited-1Whether I attend a small country church or a metropolitan mega church, or any size church in between, the reason for coming to the sanctuary should be the same—to worship the Lord God Almighty and His only Son, The Lord Jesus Christ. But what should worship look like?

What does it mean to worship?

This word has been so trivialized in our modern culture. Teen girls worship rock stars and movie idols. Goodness, those are dangerous words. Can a boyfriend or rock star become a god? Yes. Anything that interrupts or replaces a relationship with our Father is an idol. A god.

I’ve heard lovers remark, “I just worship the ground he/she walks on.” I believe folks have misconstrued the meaning of the word worship, else we wouldn’t be tossing the word into trite conversation.

Our Sunday School teacher, Dr. Henry Morris, III, relates that the First Commandment “You shall have no other gods before Me” literally means: Nothing between God’s face and my face.

Rogets Thesaurus describes the word worship to mean anything from faith to cultism. From piety to fanatic. But Strong’s Concordance of the Bible states the Old Testament, Hebrew word for worship in Exodus is “shachah—to depress or prostrate or bow down. The act of  bowing down in homage by an inferior before a superior ruler.”

DSCF2344The New Testament word for worship is “proskuneo”. Pros means “to make obeisance, do reverence to/towards” and kueno “to kiss”. It is used of an act of homage or reverence to God.

Each time I see a pre-incarnate appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ or hear the Spirit of God speaking to someone in the Old Testament, how did they react? Face down in the dirt!

I’m sure every one of us have heard someone say, “When I get to heaven and I see God, I’m gonna ask Him …” No they won’t. Like all those Old Testament folks, we will all be face down, at the feet of Jesus, in heavenly turf.

So when we come into the sanctuary, shouldn’t that be the attitude of our heart too? If you remember Jesus said:

“The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, ‘God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God be merciful to me the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18 11-14 NAS).

Who or what is the object of your worship? Your home? Your career? Your children? Perhaps famous athletes? Money? Or self?

Who or what comes between your face and God’s face?

Who or what is worth the choice of an eternity separated from the Lord Jesus Christ?

How and why we come to the sanctuary matters.DSCF2352 Forever.

Next week: ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS

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MOTHER’S DAY — AGAIN

Posted in A Nation Divided on May 9, 2013| 7 Comments »

I posted this article last Mother’s Day and had so many responses I am re-posting. What a week this has been from the Gosnell trial, to those three precious women and one child rescued from ten years of evil. How fitting that we should turn our attention to the numerous blessings and miracles from our Father in Heaven…praise, honor, and glory to His Name.

            “Oh dear, Mother’s Day—again. One of the most difficult days of the year for me.

            February 17, 2001, forever changed my life.   Our twenty-eight year old daughter suddenly died from a hemorrhagic stroke in her brain stem.

            Gone in an instant.

             She left behind a four-and-a-half-year old daughter, a seven month old baby boy, a grieving husband, and family.

            For you who have experienced tragic loss, you understand. You know the tsunami of grief and the secondary losses that bring chaos to your life and to the family. I’m sure you’ve asked the same why questions I asked—with one exception.

            Thirteen months earlier our Michelle was three months pregnant with this now motherless seven-month son, Noah. She and her husband had gone for a routine sonogram one Friday. After reviewing the images the doctor learned the baby was horribly deformed with organs outside the body.

             The doctor recommended an abortion.

            He gave them ‘til Monday to make a decision—abortion or life with a special needs child.

            After the tearful phone call I received from our daughter I caught a plane so I could be there for the follow-up visit Monday. Before I left, we called our church family and asked them to pray.

            The first thing I noticed when I stepped off the plane was the set of my daughter’s jaw. They had made the decision. After a shower of hugs and kisses, Michelle announced. “We are keeping this baby. Whatever God gives we will receive and love. This little one…” she patted her tummy, “…is a gift from Him. There will be no abortion.”

            The appointment time arrived Monday morning. Clint and Michelle left for the doctor while I treasured time with our first grandchild, then two-and-a-half year old Ashton. The minutes turned to hours. I prayed, laughed and played games with this precious, blonde-haired child of my child.

            Until Michelle and Clint burst through the door. Their faces bathed in joy, both talking, laughing, and crying.

            God had answered our prayers!

            Michelle told us how the doctor repeated the sonogram, then slumped onto his stool, and signaled other nurses and doctors to come and see. Monday’s picture showed a perfect baby—all organs in place—like a three-month-old baby in the womb should be. He placed the image from Friday beside the image from Monday. They appeared to be two very different babies. He had no explanation. But Michelle and Clint did. God healed Noah—in the womb. Just like we had asked Him to do.

            Noah 2013And this is the picture of our miracle boy today. Thank you Lord Jesus!

            But now I stood by her grave site and cried “Why God? Why would  you heal this baby and then thirteen months later take his mother?” There was silence. The heavens were brass—for months.

            Then one morning I sat with the Word of God opened in my lap and read “The secret things belong to the Lord God, but the things revealed  belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

            The quiet voice in my soul asked, “Do you trust Me, DiAne?”

            With trembling heart and lips I replied, “Yes, Lord. I trust You.”

            “Even with this secret thing?”

            “Yes Lord, even with this secret thing.”

            And then there was peace, the beginning of acceptance and a giant step of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

            This scripture has been a life-ring for me. Have I asked why since that time? Oh yes. But I answer—quickly, “Yes Lord, I know. It’s one of those secret things that belongs to You. I don’t need to know, because You know.”

            Other moms are surrounded by their children on Mother’s Day. My child is with the Lord and I feel alone, very alone.

            However, I have learned to remember there are millions of moms, just like me. Moms whose children no longer celebrate this special occasion with them. A few years back I was prompted to send a Mother’s Day card to those mothers who have lost a child. A card to let them know someone loves them and remembers.

            My daughter’s best friend remembers me with cards that carry bitter sweetness that fertilize the blossoms of joy in my heart which grow and bloom out of the soil of pain.”

            gggAnd this year we have connected through FaceBook. Happy Mother’s Day my precious Sarah Jane. Our Michelle turned forty-one-years-old, earth time, this past March.

            “If  you know a mom who has lost a child, why don’t you send a card to them this Mother’s Day. God will bless the sender and receiver. I know because He has blessed me.”

            Those of you who have lost one you love there is help, hope and healing from your grief. Please contact GriefShare at: www.GriefShare.com for a group near you.

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A GLIMPSE INTO THE PIT OF HELL

Posted in A Nation Divided, tagged , , on May 4, 2013| 21 Comments »

 

It’s 4:30 AM and I can’t sleep. I sit appalled and pierced after viewing the Fox special “See No Evil” last evening. Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s actions of a lifetime were laid open for the world to see. Americans were allowed to gaze at the horror and atrocities this man committed over the past thirty years. And I am sickened at the depth of this depravity.

I  will never forget the pictures of that baby—those babies—brutally murdered, then stored in a freezer by this doctor and those working in his clinic of evil.

Should this man be sentenced to death? Yes. Should every person who participated in this heinous crime be put to death? Yes. But so should every citizen of the United States of America. We are guilty. By sins of omission.

Guilty for allowing this deception to remain the law of the land. Guilty for turning our back and refusing to demand accountability and regulation from these “houses of horror”. Guilty for not “training up our children in the way they should go” (Proverbs 22:6 NAS).

We give lip service to our choice for life. Then pull the lever in the voting booth for candidates, from the federal to city governments, who openly agree with Dr. Gosnell, that it’s okay, even necessary to murder unwanted babies.

Pro-Life marches and prayer vigils are scheduled in our cities and few show up to march or pray, but stadiums and athletic centers are full every weekend. We’ve grown accustomed to the sound of the drum beats on both sides of this issue. We’ve lost our courage and focus to stand, draw the line in the sand, and require accountability from our lawmakers and judges.

It’s easier to look the other way.

Sanctity of Life Sunday rolls around at church once a year and we write a check or pull a twenty out of our wallets and drop it in the plate. We’ve done our duty and pat ourselves on the back to affirm our stance for life. We refuse to hear the screams of innocent babies sucked into a sink or stabbed in the neck. And go on with our sanitized lives.

But the darkness of sin never remains contained. The black goo seeps out of the pit like a lava flow, ever attempting to smother the light of Truth. And if you haven’t noticed, it’s making steady progress. Because we haven’t oiled the lanterns of our heart with the light of God’s Word and let them burn brightly where we work, where we play, and where we live.

We are guilty before God for tolerating this abomination that will destroy this nation.

We have failed or refused to teach our children the commandments of God. Commandments He gave to assure life and blessings to us and to our children and our children’s children.

Like Eve we have listened to the whispers of the Father of Lies and believed the miracle of life growing in the womb is just tissue. A fetus. Refusing to believe that God alone is the giver and taker of life. Calling Him a liar and choosing to be enemies of the God of all Creation.

Medical science has proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that life begins at conception. Just look at an ultra-sound. Hear the heartbeat. Yet we give credence to the idolatry that abortion is okay within certain time limitations. Lies that have brought devastation and destruction to our nation, our families and our future.

In the Old Testament, God records the account of a priest by the name of  Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, who saw an Israelite man thumb his nose at God’s law and take a pagan woman into his tent, in spite of God’s command not to intermarry with the inhabitants of the land. This priest of God took a spear and ran them through in order to stay God’s judgment on His people. But not before 24,000 Israelites died. Look in Numbers 25:1-12 to read what God had to say about Phinehas’ actions.

What depths of abomination will we tolerate before we fall on our faces before God? Appalled. Confessing our sin against God and against those fifty-four million plus babies we have allowed to be butchered

During the weeks of this trial and last night’s expose’ God allowed Americans to glimpse into the pit of hell through the doors of that Philadelphia abortion clinic. Dr. Gosnell’s greed of money and his own depravity were finally thrown open to public view. God has stabbed the conscience of this nation, perhaps for the last time before His judgment falls.

The Word of God says the shedding of innocent blood pollutes the land He has given. (Deuteronomy 19:10-13)

Whether you believe God’s Word or not in no way changes the truth of His Word or the reality of His judgments. If we are to survive as a nation, we must demand all laws legalizing abortion be overturned.

Our children must be taught that sex outside of marriage is sin. We must teach them holy marriage is between a man and a woman. And we must teach them it’s wrong to kill what you don’t want. If you don’t want a baby, don’t have sex.

Forces of Satan have spun the deception we are animals and must give in to the lusts of our flesh. We are not. We don’t have to. We choose to. And that choice is sin. We must teach our children that obedience to God’s Word brings blessings and peace.

 We have grown tone-deaf to this counter-culture of disaster and chaos every night on local and national news. But why do we never hear about the men who sire these babies? Where are they?

God has extended a brief moment of grace for Americas to see the ugly, terminal result of unchecked sin. Will we pick up our spears and drive them through the abominable laws of Roe v. Wade? Or will we wait for God and the land to spew us out?

May God have mercy on each one of us, especially the mothers and fathers who have believed the lie and now live daily with the mental pain and anguish abortion always brings. May He grant us the ability to be conduits of His love, grace, and forgiveness to those trapped in the deception and shame of this pagan practice.

“O, my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to Thee, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads, and our guilt has grown even to the heavens” (Ezra 9:6 NAS).

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IN THE SANCTUARY – PART ONE

Posted in A Nation Divided, tagged , , , on May 2, 2013| 2 Comments »

“Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my groaning. Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, for to Thee do I pray. In the morning, O Lord, Thou wilt hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch. For thou art not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; no evil dwells with Thee. The boastful shall not stand before Thine eyes; Thou doest hate all who do iniquity. Thou does destroy those who speak falsehood; the Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit. But as for me, by Thine abundant lovingkindness I will enter Thy house, at Thy holy temple I will bow in reverence for Thee” (Psalm 5:1-7 NAS).

From the moment the pilgrims stepped foot on the shores of this continent, there has been church in America. Those courageous men and women sailed across an ocean to find a place to worship God. And this nation was founded on the laws and principles of the Word of God. These first Americans gave their lives so you and I could worship the God of our fathers.

Imagine getting up next Sunday morning and not being able to meet with those of like faith. No sanctuary to worship together. No place to pray and no brothers and sisters to join in singing praises to the Lord .

But during times of God’s judgment, ancient Israel had no temple. He destroyed His temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C. because His people had desecrated the holy sanctuary with perversion, idol worship, and rebellion. Then in 70 A.D. God again destroyed the temple for the same reason. And for almost two thousand years the Jewish people have had no temple to gather on the Sabbath. No holy place to bow in reverence to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

 I’m ashamed to say I often take the privilege and blessing of coming to the sanctuary for granted. Many Sundays I gather the baggage of my heart, with little thought, and get ready for church. I show up, to load up on encouragement and comfort from God and from friends so I can function within the turmoil and stress of the world for another week.

From the beginning God set the Sabbath Day apart and called it holy. He knew I would need a day to shift gears. He knew I would need a day to come aside and contemplate who He is and who I’m not. He knew I would need a day to come together with a body of believers to focus, to praise and worship The Lord God Almighty. El Shaddai and His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ.

Scripture tells us, “For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant and praise is becoming” (Psalm 147:1 NAS).

I’ve learned I’m not alone in my journey to the sanctuary. All who come to the altar of our God Jehovah have layers of pain and hurt only Jesus can heal. If we are to live through the whirlwinds and chaos of this world, all of us must come to the sanctuary. To the altar of our God. On a regular basis.

Like me, many stumble in the door wounded, ragged, and bleeding. And if the edges of our hearts were visible, an ambulance would be called and we would be admitted to ICU.  We’ve lost a child, a spouse, or been diagnosed with an inoperable disease. We’ve lost our  means of  income or been told a spouse is leaving. Or worse.

Then there’s the group labeled “Don’t want to be here. Not going to listen to a word.” We sit silent, tight-jawed, arms crossed. Unapproachable. Coming to please spouses, parents, or sweethearts. But still needy. Still coming to the sanctuary.

Some of us creep in unnoticed. Overwhelmed by guilt. Crushed by something Satan has convinced us God will never forgive. We don’t know Satan’s other name—Father of Lies. Deep inside our hearts a stirring begins. A glimmer of hope. Maybe God would…If only He could. We are fragile. Desperate. Then we look around, hear the music and the voices and listen as Satan whispers in our ear, in a first person singular voice, with a southern accent voice—I don’t deserve to be here, my sin is too much to forgive.

Others of us bounce in the door with hearts bulging, brimming with joy over the good things God has poured over us during the past week. Starved for the next serving of God’s Word and we don’t want to miss a syllable or become distracted by wiggly children or those who straggle in late.

However, a greater number of us arrive just plain weary. Weary of the stresses and trials we’ve endured the past week. Weary of injustices and changes occurring in our culture. We’ve stretched our time, money and energy far beyond the breaking point and we need help.

If we’re honest, we’ve been in each one of those groups at some point in our lives. Seeking. Unaware of what we need. Just knowing we’re empty and need refilling. Renewing. A time to bow before our God. A time to worship Him, in an orderly manner, with praise and thanksgiving.

So how can we be helped in those few hours Sunday morning? Who could possibly meet the diverse needs and solve this horde of problems and troubles?

Only the Lord Jesus Christ, our omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, High Priest. (Hebrews 4:14-16 NAS). He alone has the ability to heal us. All of us. If we acknowledge our need and cry for His help.

Why do you come to the sanctuary? To meet God? To a holy place to learn His Word and boldly draw near the Throne of God’s grace? To pray? To worship?  ‘Cause quiet places are few and far between outside the sanctuary.

What do you experience when you stand on holy ground?

What does worship and praise mean to you?

Is there a special way you must come into the House of the Lord?

I hope you will take the time to read the 9th chapter of Daniel, verses 1 through 22. And then turn back and read the 9th chapter of  Ezra, verses 1 through 15 and Ezra 10:1 before next week’s post.

What preparations did these two men make before they prayed? Where were these men when they prayed? And what happened as a result of their prayers?

What happens when you pray?

 

NEXT WEEK:  IN THE SANCTUARY/ PART TWO – What is worship? What is thanksgiving? What is praise?

 

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…BUT THEY DESIRED A KING

Posted in A Nation Divided, tagged on April 19, 2013| 3 Comments »

This morning I sat in my favorite chair, sipping coffee, with my Precept homework spread around me. Before beginning today’s study, I asked God to teach me what He was saying in this lesson that could be applied in my life.

With the last homework question answered, I was closing my notebook when the Holy Spirit began calling scriptures to my mind, flash-card style.

 “That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So, there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one might say, ‘See this, it is new’? Already it has existed for ages which were before us. There is no remembrance of earlier things; and also of the later things which will occur, there will be for them no remembrance among those who will come later still” (Ecclesiastes 1:9-11 NAS).

Genesis tells us God gave Abraham the promise of a land, a seed, and a blessing. Hundreds of years later, God delivered Abraham’s descendants from slavery in Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land. God set up a system of judges to govern this young nation; but the people were dissatisfied. They wanted a king—like the nations around them.

Just like people from every generation since that time, the Israelites rejected God as their king. They wanted to be like everyone else in their world—they wanted a human king. And God gave them the desire of their hearts.

Then Samuel’s conversation with God raced through my mind, when the people demanded a king and Samuel was angry, but God told him:

“Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure of the king who will reign over them” (I Samuel 8:7-9 NAS).

We know the result of their demand, lived out over the next 475 years—from 1011 B.C. when Saul was anointed king over Israel, until 536 B.C. when the first exiles returned to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylonian.

And it was predominantly ugly and broke the nation into two kingdoms.

That period of Jewish history was collage of chaos for the northern kingdom. Their continuous rebellion to God’s statutes ended when the Assyrians hauled them away into slavery. The southern kingdom had a few godly kings, but the people and their leaders, even the priests, were equally rebellious and disobedient to the Lord God until He banished them into captivity for seventy years in Babylon. God told them:

“Behold, I Myself am going to bring a sword on you and I will destroy your high places…and you will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 6:3-7 NAS).

God still gives us our own way. But there are consequences. He’s done that since the garden. He’s not a dictator. He is the Righteous King who desires our allegiance, our love, and our hearts.

In December of 1620, a ragged band of pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, searching for the freedom to worship the Almighty God. It cost them, and most of our founding fathers, their lives. But their determination to maintain their allegiance to God birthed a nation—under God—the United States of America.

And as long as Americans pledged their allegiance to the God of our Fathers, He blessed our land, our people and our children.

But the seed of Adam’s sin infects every generation. Just like in the Garden of Eden, man still struggles with the sin of rebellion against God. Each of us must decide where to place our allegiance. Each of us must choose the laws we will follow. Each of us chooses to give our love and our heart either to God or to Satan.

There is no middle ground and “there is nothing new under the sun.” We are no different from our ancestors, all the way back to Adam and Eve. We just think we’re different because we’ve tossed mud into the waters of the sovereignty of God’s law, hoping our pitiful attempts to obscure His truth in education will silence His Word. But God’s Word will remain forever, in spite of our futile efforts to diminish, twist, and destroy it.

The final flash-card repeated:

“The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it (the king’s heart) wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1 NAS).

God is the same God in Genesis that He is in 2013. His ways are the same. His authority is the same. His power is the same. And His judgments are the same.

Today fifty-one percent of Americans are screaming for a king. Fifty-one percent of Americans want nothing to do with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob or His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Fifty-one percent of Americans desire a government like the other nations who have either a dictator or a king.

And God will give the people what their hearts desire.

Just like He did to the Israelites who stood on the border of the land God promised and assigned their loyalty to ten lying spies who refused to believe God’s Word and His promise. And that cost those folks forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Until they died.

God was Israel’s king until they rejected Him. And their wrong choices culminated in 475 years of generational pain that ended when they were dragged into slavery in Assyria and Babylon. And the pain that began continues to this day because the people of  Israel refused to believe the promised Messiah was born in that manger in Bethlehem.

Choices bring consequences.

Refusal to address sin and rebellion in our lives, in our families, and in our nation is a refusal to seek God’s presence. Only with God’s presence can we have His blessing and His peace. Without Him there will always be chaos.

What will the cost be to Americans if we continue to reject the Lord God Almighty and desire to be like the other nations? What will the consequences be if this fifty-one percent grows to seventy-five percent? What will become of our young people, our grandchildren, being schooled in the murky waters of Day Age, Evolutional Creation, self-worship, pride, homosexuality, infanticide and millions of other deceptions writhing in the cesspools of evil?

Are you satisfied with Jesus? Does your heart truly belong to Him? Is He your Lord, your God, and your King?

Or does your soul desire another king? If so, are you willing to pay the price?

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WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

Posted in A Nation Divided, tagged , , , , , on April 12, 2013| 2 Comments »

I’ve spoken these words of warning so many times. To my children. To my husband. And (sigh) to other folks’ kids too. Haven’t you?

My inference has always been: “Stop! Think about what you’re doing. Get your head (and your heart) on straight and fly right.”

In Haggai, Chapters One and Two, God told the exiles who had returned from Babylon that same thing. He instructed them to stop, and to consider their ways, five times in two chapters.

These folks had been taken captive for seventy years because they continually disobeyed God’s Word.

Their seventy year captivity was completed. God had stirred the heart of Cyrus, King of Persia, and he had given permission for those who wanted to return to leave. The hearts of these Israelites were moved to rebuild the House of God that Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed. You’d have thought they would have learned to trust and obey God. Right?

Wrong.

Like us, they struggled with the human condition—sin. Added to the equation, there were enemies in the land who were not happy to see fifty thousand exiles returning to Jerusalem. And those returning Jews were terrified. Even though the king of Persia and the God of heaven were on their side, they were filled with fear.

Don’t cluck your tongue just yet. Hasn’t the Church of our generation been filled with fear? Silent for years? Haven’t we gone inside, shut the doors, and dared any but those just like us to come in?

Could it be that God is shouting for Americans to consider their ways?

The prophet Haggai delivered God’s words to their leader, Zerubbabel:

“You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes” (Haggai 1:6 NAS).

Then God asks:

“You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why? Declares the Lord of hosts, because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house.

I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on men, on cattle, and on all the labor of your hands” (Haggai 1:9-11 NAS).

And as soon as the people heard Haggai’s words they listened, got up off their backsides, and obeyed the voice of the Lord. And the work that had begun fourteen years previously was completed.

Are there any comparisons with the Church in America today? You bet there is. God will not and cannot bless rebellion and disobedience to His Word.

There are enemies of the living God ruling our nation. Enemies who rebuke, revile, and reject the God of heaven and His Word. Enemies who, like those in ancient Israel, demand we compromise with them to make a union with their diverse and perverse ideologies. And we have. Enemies who shout discouraging words, fearful words, words that frustrate the message of God’s Word. And we’ve listened to them.

The Church of this century has developed spiritual Alzheimer’s. We’ve forgotten who we are and whom we serve—the Lord God of heaven. We’ve neglected to study the Bible so that we know, for ourselves, what His Word says. We’ve allowed these enemies of the cross to influence and steal the hearts and minds of our children because we’ve been too busy to teach them Truth. But you can’t teach what you don’t know.

“Consider your ways,” said the Lord. In recent years, we have experienced enormous terrorists attacks on both Oklahoma City and New York City. Hurricanes of super-storm-magnitude have struck the northeastern states, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. Tornadoes of incredible strength have ripped through the nation’s mid-section. Wild fires in the west, floods in the south and northeast, and droughts. What is it going to take to get our attention and turn our hearts back to God? Will we have to be carried to Babylon to learn to listen to God?

“Consider your ways,” said the Lord. The majority of our politicians have trashed the Constitution and the people they are elected to represent. The federal government has become a monster of gigantic proportion, gobbling up our resources and the liberty of  people this entity was formed to protect. Judges who flagrantly ridicule the Word and person of the Lord God Almighty preside and rule over our Courts of Law. And we continue to return these enemies of God to leadership in this land.

“Consider your ways,” said the Lord. We have turned aside from Jesus’ instructions to “go and make disciples.” Like those Israelites returning to Jerusalem, in the face of our fear and dementia, we’ve given our attention to the acquisition of things—idols—that turn our hearts from the Lord God to self-worship.

Financial markets are in chaos all over the globe. Families are ripped and torn by divorce, disease, and addictions of every description. The faith of our fathers lies shredded and trampled beneath the lies and deceptions of enemies we’ve chosen to tolerate.

If God is the same yesterday, today and forever—and He is—what are our options? Is there time to “consider our ways” before more and harsher judgments come?

When God told Zerubbabel and the people to “consider their ways,” they did. Immediately. They obeyed the Lord, finished the work of the temple, and God promised, “I am with you” (Haggai 1:13 NAS).

Folks, why do we attend church? Just to be seen by man or to worship God and build up His Church?

The New Covenant states we are the temple of the God of heaven. Living stones, assigned to build up one another. Instructed to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth of the Word of God with a world that desperately needs to hear God loves them.

Are we fulfilling His command to be living stones or are we sitting in the pews on Sunday while the pastor’s words fall on iron ears that cannot hear? Never allowing the Spirit to apply the Truth to our own heart. Never speaking the Truth to those we come in contact with during the week. Never interested enough to seek God’s Truth beyond those few hours on Sunday morning.

If we intend to be living stones we must have clean hands and a pure heart in order to worship our God. And that washing is accomplished each day when we read His Word and allow His Spirit to convict our hearts. To wash us clean again and again.

The fact is, we have an enemy who is intent on diverting us from God’s Word—because he knows the only way the building up of the body can be accomplish is by the living stones remaining steadfast in the Word.

What will be written about our generation? Are we going to be recorded in the likeness of the Church at Laodicea—neither hot nor cold? You know, the ones God is about to spit out of His mouth? Or will we listen as He asks, “What are you doing?” and then follow His instruction to, “Repent and return to Me.”

Remember, a great shaking is coming. A day when God will shake the heavens, the earth, the sea and the dry land. What is your heart set on? Knowing God and His Word or serving self? Will you stand firm in the Truth of the Lord your God or will you be shaken?

 

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. . . AND HE WAS WILLING — ARE YOU?

Posted in A Nation Divided, tagged , , , , , on March 29, 2013| 3 Comments »

In generations past, folks were willing to adapt their lifestyle to fit their income. Families were willing to sacrifice financial gain for the sake of their children and grandchildren. Parents were willing to teach their children the Word of God. Relationships  and time spent with friends and family were treasured.

The large majority of our nation was willing to make Sunday a holy day, a day set apart to worship Jehovah God. Establishments chose to forego Sunday’s profit and closed their businesses. Churches were full and America was a nation united under God.

Americans, Congressional Representatives, and Judges would not have believed a time would arrive when they would be voting to kill babies and allow men to wed men and women to marry women. There was no conversation about death panels or shredding our Constitution. Because our people, our courts and our government obeyed the God given laws of the land. But Americans grew complacent, then greedy and sluggish. And they took a nap. A long, Rip-Van-Winkle-nap. And many are still sleeping.

Two thousand years ago a very different form of government ruled. The Roman Caesars. The rich were very rich, the poor were very poor, and there was no in-between. Times were brutal. The Sabbath celebrated by only a handful of Jews. Crime and violence knew no bounds and corruption marked and devoured the world.

Yet on that appointed night in Bethlehem a King was born. Born to die. Anointed by God, before the foundation of the world, to be crucified on that cross. Jesus would pay the penalty for all of mankind’s sin and rebellion against God—and this King was willing. Willing to die for you and for me.

Jesus was willing to leave behind His right to rule at the right hand of the Father. Willing to confine Himself in the human womb of a young Jewish girl to be born a helpless baby. He was willing to step out of immortality into mortality. Willing to suffer and ridiculed for thirty-two years before being tortured and crucified by those He came to save.

This perfect Lamb laid His life’s blood on the altar of God. So that any person who would accept and believe that His indescribable sacrifice would pay the penalty for their sins, would be washed clean with His blood, and would receive God’s promise of eternal life. With Him forever.

He was willing to trust the Father’s power to raise Him from the dead and give to Him an eternal kingdom that He would rule and reign from David’s throne in Jerusalem. Jesus was willing to wait for His Father’s instruction to collect those who have received His gift of new life at Calvary. Willing to forgive, comfort and love each one who comes to Him, believing He is Immanuel—God with us; if we are willing to honor, obey and love Him in return.

Our culture is changing, like ancient Rome, and those changes headline the news each day. We have moved the ancient boundaries God set in place for our protection. Please explain to me, how a man, woman, boy or girl who names the name of Jesus can support what God calls an abomination?

Many Americans don’t have a clue who God is nor are they interested in finding out. Many have turned their backs and walked away from the only way to the Father—His Son, Jesus Christ. Many have chosen to worship at the feet of false gods, and are still choosing to scream, “Crucify Him. Crucify Him.”

This Easter Season what is the Spirit of God saying to you? He whispered to my heart during the Lord’s Supper this past Sunday evening “…and He was willing.” Which begs the question, what am I willing to allow the Spirit to accomplish in me?

What are you willing to allow the Spirit to do in you?

Are you willing to lay aside pride in order to repair and restore family relationships that have been damaged in a sea of turmoil and misunderstanding?

Are you willing to crucify secret sins, addictions that require repentance and God’s forgiveness?

Are you willing to turn loose of the mess of anger, hatred, and bitterness you’ve harbored, asking Jesus to replace those destructive habits, thoughts, and emotions with His love, grace and mercy?

Are you willing to stand firm, speaking the truth of God ‘til Jesus comes? No matter the cost?

He was willing to suffer and die for you. What are you willing to put to death for His sake? Because you love Him and desire to be like Him?

“Even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep…For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father” (John 10:15-18 NAS).

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STIRRING OF THE HEART

Posted in A Nation Divided on March 23, 2013| 10 Comments »

It can begin with a thought, a song, a word. Or perhaps an emotional tug that swirls through your heart like a recurring melody that refuses to depart. For a moment, a day, maybe much longer. Ever whispering. Ever nudging. Ever growing.

That is, if you listen.

In the beginning the  Holy Spirit moved over the dark, formless void of the waters and stirred them in preparation for God’s magnificent work of  creation. This same Spirit now rouses the believer’s heart to accomplish the Lord’s sovereign plan in this age.

Have you experienced this flow of the Spirit that moves through you like a current? How have you responded? Have the crashing tidal waves of life drowned the sound of His whisper and swept you away from the blessing of obedience? Or have you disciplined yourself to be still, to be quiet, and tuned your ear to hear when the Spirit of God stirs your heart?

If you turn away from the Spirit’s prompting, He will find another heart. A heart that desires to please God. Another heart who will do what you refused to do and you will miss the blessing.  But if you choose to allow the Spirit to fill you, you will become like a mighty river that swells and grows with purpose and direction under the power of God’s hand.

In 539 B.C. God stirred the heart of Cyrus, King of Persia, just as Isaiah prophesied.

“It is I who says of Cyrus, He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire. And he declares of Jerusalem, She will be built and of the temple, Your foundation will be laid” (Isaiah 44:28 NAS).

God called Cyrus by name, one hundred seventy-five years before he was born. His purpose was already anointed and at the appointed time the Holy Spirit stirred this king’s heart. And Cyrus listened.

He released those Israelites whose hearts were also moved by the Spirit of God to return to Jerusalem to build a house for the Lord God. And Cyrus paid all the building costs.

Then the king went into the treasuries of Babylon and brought out all the vessels which Nebuchadnezzar had removed from God’s temple, before he destroyed and burned Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and Cyrus returned them to the new temple in Jerusalem.

The Book of Ezra records how God moved the heart of this pagan king, the Jewish people, the priests and the Levites to rebuild the House of God and the Holy City of God at the appointed time.

But how about your appointed time? How long has it been since the Spirit of God stirred your heart? To rebuild a broken relationship. To listen for the whisper of the Spirit’s direction to complete God’s plan in your family, your church, or your nation. To anoint you as a conduit to pour out His love, His grace and His mercy on the hurting folks your life touches every day.

The Book of James tells us faith without action is dead faith. To maintain true faith we must be continually stirred, filled and spilled by the Spirit’s work in our heart.

“For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (James 2:26 NAS).

God uses the testimony of His work in our lives to encourage and give understanding to others for the sake of the Kingdom. Would you tell us how God, through His Spirit, has stirred your heart. Did you respond? When? How and what did God do as you listened and obeyed?

Or perhaps yours is a word of warning. A warning that teaches us not to quench or ignore the whisper of His Spirit. A warning about missed opportunities for blessings.

I encourage you to encourage one another with an affirmation of your words that God’s Spirit still moves in obedient hearts today.

“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth, that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (II Chronicles 16:9 NAS).

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DADDY, IT’S DARK AND I’M AFRAID

Posted in A Nation Divided, tagged , , , , , on March 1, 2013| 2 Comments »

What mom or dad hasn’t heard these words? Many times. And what did you say to that frightened child? Be quiet and go to sleep? Did you fuss and tell your child you needed to sleep? Or did you get up, go to your son or daughter and lovingly give them proper comfort and instruction?

But where does a parent go when shadows fall like a shroud and pitch you into the depths of unknown terror?

If you haven’t been there yet, just wait. It will come.

Twenty years ago my husband had an aneurysm rupture in his leg. Petrifying weeks followed as we waited to see if he would loose his life or his leg. Waited to see if he would be able to work or still have a job. Waited for that time of unequivocal darkness to pass.

Until job loss, heart attacks, financial distress, deaths—all long black tunnels of fear, sucked the light from our lives and plunged us into the inky abyss of anguish. We couldn’t hop over ‘em, dig under ‘em, or run around ‘em. I sobbed, “Abba, Father, it’s so dark and I’m afraid.”

And when I cried, my Father was faithful to hold me, comfort me, and give me His strength. Strength to put one foot in front of the other.  One step at a time. And travel with Him through the sightless night back into the light. During that time I feared I might stumble and die in the process.

But God taught me there were lessons I must learn in the dark. Lessons I can’t see in the bright light of day. Lessons I must learn in the discipline of darkness.

This discipline required me to walk in lock-step with the Lord Jesus, forced me to focus on His face, instead of the things that creak and groan in the night. And reminded me to call out, “Daddy, I’m afraid.”

I only do that when I’m forced to abide behind the sooty curtains of heartache.

God shines the truth of His love on me in the light of day. But in the darkroom of trouble He develops the knowledge and understanding of my faith in Him. Then I see the profane and unclean things lurking in my mind, things I have refused to acknowledge in times of blessing. I see pitfalls and traps that would have entangled me, had I not slowed my pace and clung to Jesus. And I am convinced it is better to walk with God in the dark than to stand alone in the light.

But as sure as day follows night, turmoil will pass and His light, like the sunrise, will disburse trials and tragedies. I will blossom again, strengthened by His comfort to know when darkness returns all I have to do is cry “Abba, Father—Daddy— I’m afraid.”

And if you’re His child, He will wrap you in His arms of comfort and carry you through ’til morning. Because He loves you.

“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but  you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15 NAS).

“What time I am afraid I will trust in Thee” (Psalm 56:3 NAS).

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FISHING, TORNADOES AND DRIVE-IN MOVIES

Posted in A Nation Divided, tagged , , , , on February 23, 2013| 10 Comments »

Every mother worth her salt will read this, laugh, and say, “you go, girl.” Right after you tell your son or daughter, “I have a direct line to God, or maybe He has a direct line to me. In any event, think about where you’re going and what you’re doing, ‘cause I’ll always find out.”

*     *     *     *     *

The weekend had been miserable. Cold and wet. Rained from sun-up ‘til sun-down for three days. And it’s a fact, cold rain’s  more bone chilling at the lake.

The lake. Where our husbands decided we would spend Thanksgiving. Cooking dinner over the fire, like pilgrims had done so long ago would be fun, they said.

Fun? Agrrrr. I wore three layers of clothing. For three days. The shower facilities at Lake Livingston were less than hospitable in the winter. No heat. No warm water. No creature comforts. We were roughing it, right? Guess who refused to shower? Yep. Me. Just played fruit-basket-turnover with the three layers.

We arrived Wednesday night and by Saturday morning the other wife and I had endured enough fun and issued orders to pack up and head home. I needed my large bathtub filled to the brim with hot water, central heat and an electric range.

Just as we loaded the final items into the vehicles the sun burst through the clouds and blue sky appeared. The boys, three of them, two sixteen-year-olds and one thirteen-year-old, begged to stay and fish. The dads put their heads together and decided it would be a great learning experience.

For whom?

My husband chose to leave my car for them to drive home the next morning. What could go wrong? Besides, they figured by leaving the younger brother to tattle, would assure good behavior. Our husbands, boys in men’s bodies, reliving their teen years vicariously through their sons.

The other mom and I objected. Vigorously. To no avail. The boys would stay at the campgrounds, fish, eat, turn in early, and then return home first thing Sunday morning. They’d be fine.

The dads said so.

Both dads waved goodbye while the other mom and I shook our heads, knowing this was not a good choice and we all drove off, leaving our three teenage boys in God’s hands.

Half way home the radio blasted a weather warning that South East Texas would be under tornado watch ‘til late Saturday night. I argued to turn around, go back and get the boys. They had no radios and I knew they’d be frightened out of their bedrolls. My husband said, “No. They’ll be fine and those weather guys are always wrong.”

I stewed all the way home waiting for the opportunity to  call the other mom. When I did, Dad #2 repeated the litany of Dad #1. “They’ll be fine. The Ranger will watch out for them.” Hmm. More man logic.

At 4 PM the weather reports indicated the storms were headed right for the State Park. Tornado warnings were issued. Like any other panic-stricken mom, I had to reach the Park Ranger, but phoned the Park Grocery Store by mistake.

A lady answered. And I spilled the entire contents of my heart and mind on this unsuspecting soul. She said, “I’m sorry ma’am. You’ve reached the Park Store. The Ranger’s office and campground is on the other side of the lake. Miles and miles away. But what’d you say those boys looked like?”

I repeated their description and the make and model of the car they were driving.

She laughed and said, “Why they were just in here. Asking directions to the drive-in movie in Livingston.”

“And how far away is that?” I asked.

“Thirty, maybe forty miles,” she replied.

Now hell has no fury like a woman scorned, but let me tell you a mother who catches a kid in an act of unspeakable foolishness, driving her car, runs a close second.

With as much composure as I could muster, I asked if she had the number of the drive-in movie. Still chuckling, she gave me the number and I’m sure, if she had boys, enjoyed imagining the capture and fate of these young fugitives.

The lady at the drive-in was helpful and promised when the teens arrived she would have them call home.

Now this is the point I’d have given the gold in my teeth to have been a fly-on-the-window of that car.

My unsuspecting son, Michael, pulled up to the ticket booth, his friend in the passenger seat, and rolled down the driver’s side window expecting to pay. But the ticket lady said, “Michael, your mother said you’re to call home immediately.” She leaned closer to the window and peered into the back seat. “There’s supposed to be three of you, where’s the other boy?”

A gasp and a cough from under a blanket on the back floorboard answered her question. They had only enough money for two tickets.

My telephone rang and my son’s raspy voice asked, “Mom, how’d you know?”

*     *     *     *     *

Now we could end this story right there and it would have been enough. Right? Wrong. I’m convinced our God has a marvelous sense of humor and a unique ability to teach very hard lessons, up close and personal, when needed.

I minced no words instructing the boys to get their fannies back to camp and stay there until sunrise. Tornadoes were on the way. And this mother spent the night on her knees.

The bedraggled boys arrived home early next morning and related a harrowing night in the log lean-to, by the shores of Lake Livingston, huddled in their sleeping bags, listening to the freight train roar, tree branches crashing, wind howling, lightening, hail and the groans of the ancient lean-to.

Yes, God’s hand of discipline holds the perfect scourging brush for rebellious teens and for big folks too.

Neither the boys nor their dads ever suggested camping again.

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives” (Hebrews 12:5-6 NAS).

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