Today starts 21 days free of the chains of social media. Funny thing about chains, they are choices repeatedly made…my own choices. I’ve wasted a lot of precious time over the years mindlessly perusing social media sites that are hostile to my way of thinking.
I won’t miss it, and it won’t miss me.
One thing that no one is missing, unfortunately, is the confusion and turmoil plaguing our country. (And I’m not talking about the corona plague.) I have a feeling politics are nowhere near finished with us, and likely will get worse before it gets better. There is still a battle raging, and God is very involved. There are believers who will continue to seek His will for our Nation, others will stand aside or stand in the way.
I’ve seen 2 Chronicles 7:14 posted a lot social medial lately. Some people seem to think that God can only move on this nation if the unsaved turn from their wicked ways. Perhaps they do not know just how much prayer has gone up for America, and not just from Americans…years of prayer, fasting, and seeking Him from a faithful remnant to a faithful God. It’s not over. God has heard the prayers of His children.
Now if you’ve posted that scripture on your Facebook timeline or other social media, don’t go thinking I’m judging how you think. But I do see how some are thinking. They are waiting for non-believers to act like Christians, and that’s not going to happen. Deceived people are convinced they are right.
Cades Cove
I wish I knew God’s immediate plans for ending the chaos in America, but I do not. I know He is not sitting on the throne wringing His hands, ready to throw in the proverbial towel and lift His protective hand from us. No matter what He allows, still I will trust Him, seek Him, serve Him, and love Him. And still, He is faithful, merciful, loving, and long-suffering.
While this is an age of which most of us have never seen the likes, we cannot get caught up in the spirit of fear that is trying to envelop us. Keep praying and looking up. We are not “done for” just yet.
Having a discussion about racism is dangerous territory. Emotions run high from the start, and so many people feel as if they have been just as mistreated as the next person. People are angry! Christians can’t agree, so we don’t talk about it, at least not for very long.
The deception is much more complex than just the way people are treated. Everyone has room to grow, to change, to understand, to concede, and to forgive. These things do not come from a behavior change, but a heart change. The tactic of the devil in this thing called racism is to keep us divided and get our eyes on each other instead of God. Our enemy knows the only way to conquer the deception of racism is by the revelation of Christ Jesus in the hearts of His people. Lack of knowledge is destroying us.
Christians must refocus on Jesus and not be so attuned to the evil around us. Cable news and social media definitely keeps us plugged into the pollution. We cannot afford to keep feeding ourselves on chaos! Now more than ever, we need to seek His face.
When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness...
Psalm 27:8; Matthew 6:33
When we come together seeking His face and not outside acceptance, we will find justice poured out from a righteous God, infinitely better than any counterfeit justice the world can give. When we put God first in our lives, setting aside the traditions of denominations and the chains of religiosity, the blessings that follow are far beyond social justice…it is supernatural justice! And believe me, after forgiveness, once mercy and grace is received, we want justice!
If we obey Jesus’s commandment to love one another as He loves us, lives will be transformed. We can’t continue to let how we feel and what our natural eyes see drown out the voice of the Father, who is no respecter of persons. If there is hate and mistrust against a brother or sister in Christ, skin color is not the issue, the heart is. Who can change hearts? God. We look to Him to change us!
Unfair is unfair. A hurt is a hurt. Discrimination is wrong. An injustice is an injustice. It doesn’t matter what body God placed you in, that was His choice! Our bodies are just our shell! The person is who is inside. What a terrible injustice to deny a person love based on the packaging in which we arrive on this earth! Rest assured, God does not like injustice! Isaiah 59:16: “…The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice.”
Until God’s people realize the origin of racism, we will never put out the spreading flames or stop the destruction. Division is a tactic of our enemy who kills, steals, and destroys, and when we try to fix the issue by the standards and definitions of the world, we are helping him. We are not fighting flesh and blood! The end of the age is just too close for Christians to be sidelined by skin color. The world is lost and dying, and Christians must bring the light that is Jesus to them. How can we do that if we believe lies about each other? It’s not just skin color! It’s Church of Christ against Pentecostals, Baptists against Methodists. We MUST come together as ONE BODY. Denominations separate God’s people, but He has called us to be in one accord, it’s mentioned all through the Bible.
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It’s time for much PRAYER. Then we must continue with PRAYER, and then more PRAYER. __________________________________________
Do you want to know what happens with much prayer? Repentant hearts. What comes from repentant hearts? Relationship with our Heavenly Father. When we have true relationship with the Father, it will infiltrate into the rest of our lives and encompass our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It will then spill out of the church and into the world. A coming together of the Children of God! The church should have always shown the world how to love each other. But we aren’t doing that. We’re showing the world more of what they already have.
The only way to stand up to racism is on our knees. Our altars need to be full of people without labels calling out for Truth until we see each other as God sees us. There is no place in the body of Christ for discrimination. I wish churches would begin having old fashioned prayer meetings again, where people who are willing to fast and pray for our nation come together with the sole purpose of entering boldly before the Throne of God! Praying His will, seeking heart changes, learning to submit to Him, and finding unity in the family of God. A meeting for prayer, not discussion. Sadly, too many people do not like to attend prayer meetings, but they do like to talk, and the devil really likes that in us.
While the enemy has the free world arguing over whose life matter’s more, God is saying, “Children, draw near to Me. Seek Me first. Love your neighbors as yourselves. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Forgive.”
It is important to remember that not everyone claiming to be a Christian is, in fact, a child of God. False teachers will always be among us, and they are well-followed. Often their ideologies are quite inviting. If what you are hearing causes even small red flags to wave, compare what you are hearing with what is in the Word of God. And if it doesn’t line up…no matter how “good” it sounds, shake the dust off your feet quickly, and shun the very appearance of evil. Not every Bible-quoter is of a pure heart, and often they twist the words just enough to make the wrong way sound enticing. Know the Word well enough to not be drawn in.
Conversely, Christians make mistakes, say the wrong things, take the wrong action…sin. Yep. We sin. And it rarely goes unnoticed; that alone should make us always aware of how we act and the choices we make. Others are watching, and we should be light in this dark world. Forgive others, forgive yourselves, and make the time daily to be in your prayer closet for alone time with Jesus…wherever your “closet” may be! With more time spent in prayer, we just may find ourselves consistently choosing the right way over the easy, often sinful, way.
You will not convince anyone else that you are right any more than they will convince you that they are right. We are living in a world where people are confused and deceived, and they do not care about truth or facts. We can’t fight that…and the battle isn’t ours, anyway, it belongs to the Lord. Don’t allow yourselves to be drawn into arguments over whether or not black vs blue vs all lives matter…or any other current social debate. The stench of the world will envelop you if you get involved in the fracas. Just don’t go there…no matter how hard it is (and keeping our mouth closed can be quite hard at times). You have to remember that when people aren’t seeking truth, truth will make them mad. It must matter to us, though, and the one who can pour out Truth is the one we need to be talking to…not the one who is convinced you are a bigot.
We have an election coming up. It’s going to be a very volatile time in our country, even more so than it is right now, though that is hard to imagine. We need to start covering the election in prayer, and I cannot stress the importance of it enough, my Christian brothers and sisters! The devil is desperately seeking to steal kill and destroy us; and in our mortal bodies, we are useless to fight him, and the greater masses of our population are standing with the devil, not with God.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12
I would like to think a godly person already knows who NOT to vote for, but I’d be wrong in thinking that. Deception is so much louder than Truth! So while we are praying for an honest and fair election, let’s cover Donald Trump in prayer, as well. And why stop with him? Pray for all the candidates…from the local ones all the way up. This mission isn’t a minute or two a day project. It requires a real commitment. Are you ready to commit to prayer for a better, safer, God blessed, Holy Spirit infused country?
Friends, don’t be distracted by the very things that are put in place by the enemy to divide! America is in peril, and it does no good to point fingers and place blame on any one person or entity. We must start doing what God has instructed us to do, starting with repentance. Then we do those other things He instructed us to do: Seek Him first. Draw near to Him. Do good. Love others. Forgive. It has to start somewhere, and it may as well be you and me. We cannot change others, but we know the One who can. Pray, Friends, pray!
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:10-18
When this is all over, when people calm down, businesses reopen, schools are accessible, and the doors of churches are opened again…we will live in a different world. Everyday life as we know it is shifting, and the weight of prayer will decide which way things shift. Seek Him first. Pray without ceasing. Find out what God’s word says…if you are not studying your Bible, get it out and begin reading. Psalms, Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, Galatians, all are a great place to begin, or begin with Genesis…just read! I pray that God opens our understanding so that we comprehend the scriptures! (Luke 24:45) May He open our eyes that we may see wondrous things from His law (Ps 119:18)
Today begins Passover. There is no doubt that Christians need to be praying passionately during this season for our nation that God will lift this plague that has beset us…that He will pass us over. There is a lot more going on with this virus on a spiritual level, and few of us have taken the time to truly seek God and His thoughts and His plan for where we go from here.
PRAYER for today: O God, You have cast us off; You have broken us down; You have been displeased; Oh, restore us again! You have made the earth tremble; You have broken it; Heal its breaches, for it is shaking. You have shown Your people hard things; You have made us drink the wine of confusion.
Psalm 60:1-3
I am not saying that God caused this. But there’s no denying He has allowed it, and He has a reason for all He does. It could be that His foremost purpose is that we would begin to seek Him. Could God be gently warning us with how quickly American people and the economy have been shut down? It is not just about a virus or just about America; God’s people are all over the world, and we know the scripture well: “If my people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face…” (2 Chronicles 7:14) Don’t you imagine that outside of America, God’s persecuted children have been crying out for His return for decades?
Who can disagree that our politicians and our media made this virus political, and I don’t believe they meant any of it for good. It is imperative that we pray for our leaders. Even if you don’t like President Trump, put your feelings aside and do what the Bible tells the Children of God to do: Pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:2). If you don’t know where to begin with, start with his salvation, that he will be a born again, on fire, Bible-believing thorn in the devil’s side. Pray that God continue to surround him with God-fearing men and women, people who know how to listen for the voice of God in decisions and in advising the President. Pray for his protection, strength, and wisdom, godly wisdom. Pray for God to have His way in the life of our president, in the lives his cabinet, and in the lives of all our elected officials.
People are afraid this God’s final judgement, that He is pouring out His wrath on America because we have turned our back on Him. It is true that God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11), but if you are feeling hopeless, anxious, or angry in this time, take comfort in knowing that people have been earnestly praying for America for years. Remember Abraham’s request of the Lord: “Suppose ten (righteous) are found there? And He answered, “On the account of the ten, I will not destroy it.”
God loves justice. I don’t believe He enjoys pouring out judgment on His people, but if you read the Old Testament, you know that He did, and there were times it was quite harsh. In His mercy, He is giving us a reminder to turn to Him. What will you do with your choice? He loves us all. Let’s love Him back.
We Shall Behold Him (written by Dottie Rambo, sung by Sandy Patty)
In Quest of Truth 