Would God allow evil men in leadership to destroy America? Would God allow American Christians to become so liberal that they don’t follow His Word? Would God allow America to be overcome and overrun by foreign gods?
Yes, to all of the above questions. God will allow a people to destroy themselves. God will allow people who ignore His authority and teachings to go their own way. He has in the past, so why not now?
The fruit of American's rebellion is destroying a once great country. Murder, rape, physical abuse, drugs, political corruption, divorce, abortion, homosexuality, and much, much more is the fruit of disobedience to the one true God. Education and intelligence has not made us a better people, but only highly educated; unwise, immoral people. We are smart but so immoral and ungodly.
Ask yourself if this country is better off because of all our technology and education? Is it a good country to raise our families? Has our modern stuff, made our lives better? No, our lives are more complicated, more stressful and more greedy. It is not easier, but more difficult. We are so busy taking a advantage of all our opportunities that we don’t have time to live or even to enjoy life. We don’t have time to smell the roses.
How could this happen to such a great nation like America? Progress has not made life better nor easy. No, progress has enslaved us. We have become slaves to our successes. We have become slaves to careers. We have become slaves to our money. We have become slaves to keeping up with the Jones’.
It’s the old “tail wagging the dog” deal.
II Peter 2:19b “A man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.” A truer statement was never written. Now that we know what the problem is, what is the solution?
The solution is that America must return to God. Going backwards is very hard, but America needs to go back to the basics that made us great. God and family. Local governments that minister to the needs of their people. Pride in community and family. Pride in hard work and the building of something that has lasting value.
The solution is for people to take back their lives. No more bondage to materialism. People need margin in their lives. Most people are carrying too much stress in their lives. Stress because of too much debt. Stress because of uncertain work conditions. Stress in marriage and stress with the children.
The solution is to make peace with God first. People are living and dying fighting God and self. The solution is surrender to God. Surrender to God’s authority. Surrender to a life under God’s leadership.
Can America become great again? Yes, but it is going to take sacrifice and dedication. God’s promises are true but they are conditional. God is not obligated to America if she lives in disobedience and rebellion. We can’t have it both ways.
As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. What are you going to do”
See ya in church,
Bud
Where is your focus this week? On what are you seriously concentrating? Is it the economy, your job, your home, your kids, or maybe your future? I have learned a simple principle. “What gets your attention gets you.” To say it another way, “what you are focused on gets you.”
How about trying something new this week and also in weeks to come? Live stress free. Yes, I mean it. We are all too stressed out. Everyone seems to be under so much pressure and stress these days. It’s like a contagious disease. And, it seems as though the stress is coming from everywhere.
There is stress on the job, stress in the home, stress on the highways, stress with our children, stress in our marriages, stress in our friendships, and of course, today, financial stress. Stress, stress, stress.
Just stop and look around. The world is going mad and life is going faster and faster. The treadmill never stops. Everything is becoming so insecure and people are operating under a great load of stress and fear. All of this stress is not changing anything, just robbing lives of true joy and happiness.
But what is really causing all this stress? We have to define the problem before we can fix it. To live stress free we must discover and control what is causing our stress load. And I submit, it is a load!
As I see it, most of the stress is coming from what people lack, not from what they have. The number one lack is the lack of enough time. There are too many things we think we must do and there is no margin. Then you have the lack of enough money. This lack is really stressing people out and have them running emotionally on fear. Then you have the lack of the right kind of jobs. The lack of opportunities. The lack of the right kind of friends. The lack of success and too many failures. All these things bring on the big one. Stress.
Now in the beginning I mentioned living stress-free lives. Is it possible? Yes, but it will take desire, determination, and discipline, my favorite three words. They are words that have changed lives and peoples’ futures in the past and will do it again.
Step one: Desire will drive you to search out and eliminate the stresses in your life. You must be totally honest. What are the stresses? Could it be your cell phone, your computer, your job, your friends? You must decide.
Step two: Determination will drive you to face the truth and decide if you truly want to live stress free. Then begin to eliminate the stresses in your life one at a time. Don’t attack everything at once; one at a time. This will take real determination and sacrifice. But it’s the only way.
Step three: The final step is discipline. Determination keeps you going but discipline enables you to make the hard decisions. Discipline is the power to say no to something that brings stress into your life. Discipline is how you lose weight and keep it off. Desire and determination will get you there, but discipline will keep you there and give you the victory.
To be stress free you may have less, but you will feel great. You may not be understood by others, but you are in control of yourself. Now you can really enjoy life.
Chaplain Bud
To solve a problem, we must first identify the problem. I see the problem as a God problem for us. I am talking about the church in America. So, if that is true and I believe it is, then we must do certain things to solve this problem.
First, we must seek God as never before. This includes prayer, fasting and preaching that produces convictions.
Second, we must produce disciples not just converts. We need real salt and real light. We need total commitment from those who profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Third, we must, as a church, return to a life as Jesus called us to live. He called us to be God-fearing people who produce God fearing children. It’s the future generations who must turn our country back to God. Our children are being programmed to paganism in the schools and colleges. They are determining the future of our children not the parents and the churches.
Fourth, we must, as a church, evangelize like never before. We must teach truth and expose false doctrine; we must expose false teachers who teach lies and cheap grace. Not everyone will listen, but some will. We are not here to be popular but to preach the good news. The church needs to wake up and we need shaken up to do the will of the Father.
Fifth, we need a revival in America; an old-time convicting, weeping, truly repentant sinners’ revival as we come to the foot of the cross. No more dancing around the problem but exposing sin as the Bible declares. As long as people are entertained they will be beautiful and not deal with sin.
We are living in bad, spiritual times but they are great times for the Christians, if we follow God. He is our King and we are not permanent in this world. We have a heavenly home where thieves and robbers can’t destroy. Praise the Lord.
God must revive us before he can restore us. In fact, as a nation, our understanding of God is almost non-existent. We are generations away as a nation that obey and reverence God. But I believe it can happen for us because it has in the past, God is a forgiving and loving God.
In the book of Hosea, God told the people: Your deeds do not permit you to return to your God. Hosea 5:4; Israel’s arrogance testifies against them. Hosea 5:5; You are unfaithful to the Lord- you give birth to illegitimate children. Hosea 5:7; I long to redeem you but you speak lies against me. Hosea 7:13; the days of punishment are coming, the day of reckoning is at hand. Hosea 9:7.
Here could be God’s advice to America. “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord until he comes and showers righteousness on you.” Hosea 10:12
It’s not too late to return to God. But, how much time do we have left before we totally destroy ourselves? Heaven is for the prepared and obedient. Hell is for the rebellious and disobedient. We Americans can solve our problem, but we must return to the Lord soon.
See ya in church,
Bud
How many times have you started something and never finished it, or have been so excited about something only to lose your enthusiasm very quickly? Why do we become great starters but poor finishers?
One reason we are poor finishers is because we are too often driven by impulse. We see it and want it now. We dive in without thinking things through. Our easy-come, easy-go society has made not finishing very easy in the past. However, with the times changing that could also be changing.
Another reason people are poor finishers is the lack of preparation and information. We don’t consider what we are getting into and the preparation time to accomplish whatever we are trying to do. People in college change courses for this very reason. They did not investigate the time and effort needed to complete the course. Poor information and preparation is a guaranteed failure almost every time.
Another reason many people who go into business starting well, but finishing badly is because of poor financial planning. It’s one thing to know how to do a trade, it’s another thing to know how to make and handle money. It takes money to make money, but it also takes brains and discipline. It takes years to build a good, solid business and it also takes sacrifice and discipline. Many times good ideas and business dreams die for the lack of sacrifice and discipline.
So, now the question is how do I become a good finisher? Those who finish, and finish well, have done a lot of things; both right and wrong. But they stuck with it and would not give up. Sometimes it’s skill and good efforts and other times it’s just plain refusing to give up.
Life is nothing more than a lifetime of ups and downs. To finish, there must be more ups than downs. To overcome many of these down times in your life you must do the little things well. The simple things well, such as being on time, always keeping your word, always save a little money regardless of how little you have, being a friend to the friendless and giving something to others out of your plenty.
But here is the real secret to finishing whatever you start. Whether it’s your marriage, a business, paying a debt off, learning a new hobby, getting your education, or doing a good job where you work, the secret is know who you are. Know where you want to go. Know how to get there, and how much it will cost. Each of these are keys to the other. It takes it all.
To know who you are is to know your potential and to know your dreams and desires. To know where you want to go speaks to your character and integrity. To know what it will cost speaks to your willingness to sacrifice and to be patient.
Everyone could be good finishers, but not everyone will discipline themselves to whatever it takes to get there. The good news is that we can change. What do you need to change to be a good finisher?
Chaplain Bud
Christian Church at Cogan Station
Do you ever become discouraged? Do you ever become tired of trying to convince people to believe, let alone to be committed? Do you ever become tired of people putting down our doctrine? Do you ever get tired of people putting down the church and Christianity? I sure do.
The Bible teaches us not to grow weary of doing good, but this world is wearisome. People today are becoming so stubborn and hard headed. They are becoming so closed-minded and so tunnel-visioned. And, these are not the world but people who say they are Christians or at least believe in God. I am going to term them “non-believing Christians” in this writing.
In fact, I find the non-believer easier to deal with today than these “non-believing Christians. They say they believe, yet deny the authority of God’s Word. The devil has so deceived these people that they believe his lies and they spread his lies for him. And, do you know what is sad? They think they are right. God help us.
The American Christians are in big trouble and our churches don’t even know it. Sunday after Sunday people come, sing, give their money, and live lives that are so contrary to God’s Word. We have become divisive, greedy, selfish, and down right un-teachable. Ask yourself this question, are the Christians bringing glory to God or just playing church?
Here is my point; we as a church are to set the standards of morality and spirituality. Is it really happening? NO! Read the book of Judges in the Old Testament and then compare the Jews’ lives and how America lives today. In the book of Judges, they worshiped idols and ignored God’s teachings. Our idols are different but still idols. An idol is anything that separates you from God and you worship it. Our idols are money, cars, homes, positions, titles, politics, etc. we are consumed with self and having no time for God.
Just sit down and compare the 1st century Christians in the book of Acts with the Christians today. We are not even close. No boldness, no witnessing, no revivals. We cannot even start a riot! The world is not concerned about us because we are not much different from them.
What will it take for the churches in America to become God living, God preaching, God believing people of God?
Psalm 51:12 has the answer. “Restore to me the joy of your salvation..” We have lost the joy. And when the joy is gone the passion is gone. We need a revival of the simple basics of our faith all over again. Our behavior and our fruit are bad because our joy and passion is gone.
Please tell me I am wrong. Please tell me the churches in America are healthy and growing. But you know I am right. We are what we believe, we live what we believe, and what we believe is coming up short for the next generation. I believe God is calling His churches to repentance today, but we are not listening. We need to wake up church, before there is no time left.
See ya in church, Bud