America has a strong Christian heritage. The nation was founded on Biblical principles and made up of states all united as one nation under God. This YouTube video shows the Christian heritage of this nation. As we celebrate the July4th holiday, may Christians all across America take time today to pray for a revival in our nation.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. — Psalm 33:12
What would our founding father’s think about what we’ve made of America today? The America they were willing to lose their homes and land for. The dream of America that were willing to lose their lives for? What would every American soldier who gave their life for our nation think about what America is today? And for every soldier who has defended our nation and protected our constitutions and our freedoms — what about the mothers and spouses who lost their sons, daughters, and partners? What about the children who lost parents?
May the people of God fall on their knees, humbly seeking God and pray for Him to arise in this nation. It’s past time for us to invite God back into America.
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Now you can enhance your Bible Reading with the Verse Mapping Template
Our Verse Mapping download is FREE and includes 6 pages: 3 pages of instructions for using the template and the 2 page template, plus the cover page. If you’re looking to go deeper into God’s Word, learn more about God and develop a stronger spiritual life, Verse Mapping will help you dig into the scriptures. As you apply God’s Word to your life, you will develop a more intimate knowledge and relationship with God.
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We’ve put together 52 memory verses for you to hide God’s Word in your heart! You can download the full document for free and then print a new verse each week and as many copies as you’d like. Each verse prints four times on a page so that you can then cut them into index size cards and place them in prominent places where you will see them frequently throughout the day to help you remember to memorize them. Just because you visited our site, they’re yours for free! Download today.
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With just 30-40 minutes per day, you can read the entire Bible in one year. The One-Year Bible Reading Plan consists of both Old Testament and New Testament readings for each day of the year. The Bible is God’s personal Word to you. What is He saying to you today? Open your Bible and find out!
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Scripture to memorize and meditate on.
Conversation Starters.
Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages.
Romance Builders.
Relationship Builders.
Personal reflections.
Date ideas.
Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples.
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Are you feeling the weight of the state of our world? Are you burdened about all that is going on? It seems as if every time a news headline comes out I just want to say, “What is going on?!” Well, what’s going on is called sin and sin is rampant in our world, now more than ever. And what’s going on is a spiritual battle – a war between Satan and God. Every time we compromise on one of God’s standards, we can expect more sin, more brokenness. Every time we compromise on one of God’s standards, we allow Satan to have more control over our world. And for every compromise, Satan get a win. But God gives the battle plan that will restore and heal our land in 2 Chronicles 7;14.
The Battle to heal our land
There is definitely a spiritual battle taking place and right now it feels as if Satan is gaining ground. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” It’s time the people of God put on their spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:10-18) and take a stand if we want to see God heal our land!
The Battle Plan to heal our land
2 Chronicles 7:14 gives us the battle plan for gaining ground in a spiritual battle and the keys for God to heal our land:
if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
The battle plan to heal our land begins with “My people”
Gaining ground in this battle doesn’t start with government officials. It doesn’t start with the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines. Gaining ground starts with “if my people.” In this verse, God is speaking. So the “my people” are the ones who are called by His name. That’s Christians. So dear brother or sister, it’s time we get suit up and get in the fight!
The fight to heal our land isn’t won through protesting, although we should protest any unnecessary violence that causes loss of life or harm and do so without perpetuation the problem. But, we need to understand that the root problem is one we can’t see. We can see the effects of it, but because the real problem is Satan at work in our world, we don’t see the actual problem. And to fix any problem, we must first identify what the problem is. And our problem is two-fold.
Two Problems we face for God to heal our land:
1. Satan is at work in our world
The first problem, we’ve already stated. Satan is at work in our world and he is gaining ground. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” He is looking for every person who will give him a foothold in their life so he can move in and take over. Every time he is successful, our land becomes a little more infected with sin.
As a Christian, we do not belong to him, but he is our adversary. He targets our mind and fills it with lies. His lies are not the kind that are spotted easily. They are subtle – just like when he tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. And he’s spent thousands of years craftily telling his subtle lies to get us where we are today. He will twist God’s truths so they sound good, but they are not the truth. But in doing so, we question God’s Word, His purposes and His will. The only way to defeat Him is by hiding God’s Word in our heart through memorizing it, meditating on it, and knowing it. That is how Jesus overcame Satan’s temptation in the wilderness and its how we overcome it today.
2. God’s people have allowed Satan to gain ground
The second problem, is God’s people have allowed Satan to gain ground. We haven’t put on our spiritual armor and gone to war. Instead, we’ve allowed the world’s standards to supersede God’s standards. We’ve allowed sin to become such a norm that its just “part of our world.” Christians sat back and allowed prayer to be removed from schools and the ten commandments to be removed from government buildings. Sex outside of marriage has be come an acceptable way of life that carries very little shame. We’ve allowed the government to redefine marriage. And then, its as if we are taken off guard and shocked when we see the evidence of sin rear its head and we say, “What’s going on in our world?!” What’s going on is exactly what God’s people have allowed simply through complacency and by not standing up when we should have
If we want to take back the ground Satan has gained, its time to follow God’s battle plan. God, as our commander in chief, has given us four steps to the battle plan that we are responsible for and when we do our part, God will then enact his three steps to heal our land.
Our part in God’s Battle plan to heal our land
If we want to heal our land, we must humble ourselves
The first step in God’s battle plan is for God’s people to humble themselves. To be humble is to be free from arrogance and pride. 1 Samuel 2:3 says, “Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.” And James 4:6 tells us that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
To humble ourselves, we must see ourselves as God sees us
If we are going to humble ourselves before an omniscient (all-knowing) God, then we have to be able to see ourselves as God sees us. Ecclesiastes 7:20 paints the picture of how God sees us: “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” The Apostle Paul reiterates the thought in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” We’ve done our part of infecting our land with with sin. The first part of the cure is to humble ourselves before God.
To humble ourselves, we must be willing to be obedient to God
If we are going to humble ourselves, the we must be willing to be obedient to God. Jesus said that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15). Romans 12:2 says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” We cannot both keep God’s commandments and conform to the way of the world. We can’t serve two masters. We pick a side in the battle and you either fight for Satan, or you fight for God. As Joshua said, “Choose you this day who you will serve.” Will you stand with Joshua and say, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord”? (Joshua 24:15)
To humble ourselves, we must be submissive to God
If we are going to humble ourselves, then we must be submissive to God. James 4:7 tell us: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Submitting to God means accepting His authority and sovereign rule over us. We can’t choose the parts of Christianity that sound good or are easy. Submitting to God means to arrange oneself under the command of divine viewpoint rather than to live according to one’s old way of life based on a human viewpoint. It is a process of surrendering our own will to that of our Father’s.
When was the last time you came humbly before God with a broken and contrite heart? Psalm 34:18 says: “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” And in Isaiah 57:17 Isaiah writes, “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
People of God, if we want God to heal our land – its time we humble ourselves!
If we want to heal our land, we must Pray
The next part of God’s battle plan is for His people to pray. Only God’s people have access to the throne of God through prayer. For the lost person, they gain access through a prayer of repentance and accepting Christ as their Savior by faith. Only then can they come boldly to the throne of God.
Prayer makes a difference in what happens in our world
Prayer makes a difference in what happens in our world. When we pray, all of heaven is moved to action. Jeremiah 29:7 says, “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Sometimes it feels as if there is nothing we can do to change our world. But God reminds us that we can make a difference in our cities and nation if we devote ourselves to prayer. In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul urged believers to make “petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving . . . for all people—for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
God shapes society through the prayers of His people
God shapes society through the prayers of His people. By God’s design, our intercessory prayers releases grace, fosters peace, restrains evil, protects innocent people, averts disasters, enforces justice, and increases harvests. What is our land missing out on because we are not praying? What are you dissatisfied with in our nation? Have your prayed about it? Are you disgusted with laws that have passed that clearly go against God’s Word? Have you prayed about it – or just complained and said there’s nothing we can do about it?
Since prayer affects the state of our world, then we need to pray without ceasing for God to send a revival to our nation and our world. If you do not have a sense of desperation for our world, then I ask you, “How bad do things have to get before we reach desperate?” The point of desperation is the spark to repentance. True repentance occurs when we experience a change of heart accompanied by remorse. Repentance is the flame that ignites revival.
When was the last time you felt such a sense of desperation and urgency that you fell on your knees before God and cried out to Him in humble submission with a repentant heart for your own sins and the sins of our nation?
People of God, if we want God to heal our land – it’s time to pray!
If we want to heal our land, we must seek the face of God
The Hebrew word for “face” in the Old Testament is often translated “presence.” When we seek the face of God, we are seeking His presence. The call to seek God’s face was issued to His people because they had abandoned Him and needed to return to Him. The same is true in our nation today. We have gone from “One nation under God” to a divided nation. We have gone from “loving our neighbors” to loving ourselves.
In Psalm 105:4, God’s people are called to “seek his face always.” Even if we have not abandoned God, there are times when we neglect to pursue Him. If we draw close to Him, God will draw close to us: “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world” (James 4:8).
Jeremiah 29:13 tell us that we will seek God and find Him when seek Him with all our heart. Is knowing God your greatest passion? Do you long to know Him personally, intimately. Is He your greatest priority? Do you long for the moments each day you spend in His Word? Can you say with the disciples on the Road to Emmaus, “Did our hearts not burn within us?” (Luke 24:13-34) Does your soul pant with the thirst for the living God? (Psalm 42:1-2) When was the last time you felt the presence of God in your life?
People of God, if we want God to heal our land – it’s time we seek God’s face!
If we want to heal our land, we must turn from our wicked ways
It’s easy for us to compare ourselves to the world and say, “I’m not that bad.” We rarely see ourselves as “wicked.” And when measured by the worlds standards, we shouldn’t fall into that classification. However, we need to see sin as God does and sin doesn’t come in sizes to God. A “little sin has just as much consequence as a “big sin.” To Him, sin is sin and its all wickedness.
Isaiah 64:6 says, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” When Isaiah wrote about “filthy” he was referring to the rags used by women during the menstrual cycle. So the greatest possible thing we do that is good and right, is still just filthy rags.
Until we come to the realization that we are just as wicked as the person lost without Christ, then we will not see the need to turn from our wicked ways. We also can’t come humbly before God without an understanding of how much we do not deserve God’s grace and forgiveness. But when we see our sinfulness for the filthy rags we are, and come to Him with a broken and contrite heart poured out before Him, we then experience His grace, love and forgiveness. If you have difficulty with understanding or acknowledging your own wickedness, then ask God to break your heart for what breaks His.
People of God – It’s time we turn from our wicked ways.
God’s part in His battle plan to heal our land
God’s part is conditional on our part. He doesn’t move until we move and and bend our knees in humble submission to Him, pray, seek His presence, and turn from our wicked ways. Its there in a small two letter word that begins 2 Chronicles 7:14 – it’s the word “if.” This verse is what we call a conditional promise. We can’t ignore the first part of the verse that is what we must do and expect God to just get right to His part. It is only IF we do our part, THEN God will do his. So what is His part?
He will hear us from heaven
God created prayer as a means by which we can enjoy Him (Revelation 3:20), confess our sin (1 John 1:9), ask Him to meet our needs (Psalm 50:15), and align our wills with His (Jeremiah 29:11–12; Luke 22:42). One kind of prayer is guaranteed to be granted. Luke 18:13–14 describes the prayer of repentance. When we call upon the Lord in humble repentance, He is eager to justify and forgive us. So we have a guarantee that God hears the prayer of a broken and contrite heart.
Prayer God Does Not Listen To:
However, we also find in the Bible that there are prayers God does not listen to. If we hold on to known sin and do not confess it, God does not listen when we pray. When we pray out of a selfish heart, God does not listen. When we pray outside of God’s will for us, He will not listen. And when we pray without faith, God does not listen.
So if we are not willing to humble ourselves and turn from our wicked ways, God will not listen to our cries for Him to heal our land.
If the reason we want God to heal our land is purely selfish (ie: to make life easier for me to live and enjoy), God will not listen. Instead, we need to approach His throne out of a burden for the lost in the world to know Him and with a desire for Him to be glorified in our world.
We also need to search the Word of God and know His will. For example, we know that the Bible tells us is God’s will that none should perish – meaning God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell. We need to align our prayers with God’s will.
And if our prayers do not have the power of faith behind them, God doesn’t listen. Faith is not believing for something; it is believing in Someone. Our faith is in the character of God and His desire to bless and comfort us. When we pray, we should have faith that He hears us and will grant every request that is in line with His will for us (1 John 5:14–15).
He will Forgive our Sin
The prayer of the repentant heart is the only prayer in the entire Bible that gives us a guarantee that God will hear and answer. 2 Chronicles 7:14 was God’s reminder to Solomon about God’s covenant promise with His chosen people. God knew the nation of Israel would stray from Him and turn to worshiping false gods. As a result, He would send judgment on the nation. But when the nation came to together as a nation to humbly seek God and repent of their sin, God would restore them.
So does this verse apply to us today? Yes and No. No, the promise is not made to America. However, the principles of the verse do. When God’s people get serious about being God’s people through humbly seeking the presence of God and turning from sin, we know that God will forgive us. For true repentance to occur, we have to stop doing what we’ve been doing and change our sinful way of living for God’s way of living. You can’t live God’s way and not impact our world. You can’t live God’s way and Satan continue to gain more and more ground.
Pushing Satan back or even sending Him in retreat requires us to live repentant lives, fully submitted to and in obedience to all of God’s commands. In Matthew 5:14, Jesus says that we are the light of the world. We are light because His light shines through us when we live His way. So as we repent and seek God’s forgiveness, the result should be living in obedience to God’s Word and then God works through us to change the winning force in the spiritual battle that rages around us.
He will Heal Our Land
Our land is our nation. Wherever you are in the world reading this, your land is your nation. Our nations are torn, tattered, and sick. They are ravaged by the sickness and brokenness of sin. It is sick with the diseases of hatred, division, violence, self-centeredness. It is sick with the disease of blindness of sin. And until Christ comes again, sin will continue to be part of this world. It seems as if we Christians have just accepted that sin is in this world and there’s nothing we can do about it. We stayed quiet over the years as slowly our Christian nation can hardly been separated from the world. Israel’s biggest sin was wanting to be like everyone else and they worshiped the false gods of other nations around them. Standing up and standing out is hard. Conforming is easy.
History clearly shows us that when a nation makes God the Lord, that nation is blessed (Psalm 33:12) But not only the nation is blessed, but it’s people are happy. Psalm 144:15 says, “Happy is that people, that is in such as case: yes happy is that people whose God is the Lord. On the other hand, when those nations then turn away from God, they crumble and fall. And that my dear brother and sister is what our nation has to fear. And when the nation crumbles and falls, it will be because the people of God refused to humble themselves, pray, seek the presence of God, and turn from their wicked ways. So suit up, dear Christian, and get on the battlefield.
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Now you can enhance your Bible Reading with the Verse Mapping Template
Our Verse Mapping download is FREE and includes 6 pages: 3 pages of instructions for using the template and the 2 page template, plus the cover page. If you’re looking to go deeper into God’s Word, learn more about God and develop a stronger spiritual life, Verse Mapping will help you dig into the scriptures. As you apply God’s Word to your life, you will develop a more intimate knowledge and relationship with God.
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Download our Free 2021 Bible Memory Verse Plan
We’ve put together 52 memory verses for you to hide God’s Word in your heart! You can download the full document for free and then print a new verse each week and as many copies as you’d like. Each verse prints four times on a page so that you can then cut them into index size cards and place them in prominent places where you will see them frequently throughout the day to help you remember to memorize them. Just because you visited our site, they’re yours for free! Download today.
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Download our Free 2021 Daily Bible Reading Plan
With just 30-40 minutes per day, you can read the entire Bible in one year. The One-Year Bible Reading Plan consists of both Old Testament and New Testament readings for each day of the year. The Bible is God’s personal Word to you. What is He saying to you today? Open your Bible and find out!
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The Self-Care Wheel provides ideas for practicing self-care in six dimensions of yourself: Spiritual, Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Sensory, and Social. NOTE: You will need 11X14 paper to print the wheel.
Want to know more about self-care? Our Self-Care blog series targets people who serve in any ministry position and takes a Biblical approach to self-care.
Don’t listen to what people say about you. The critics don’t define God’s calling on your life. Listen to what God says about you… He says you are chosen and loved. His voice is the only voice that matters. Listen to Him.
God, Love and Marshmallow Wars is a book that includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:
Scripture to memorize and meditate on.
Conversation Starters.
Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages.
Romance Builders.
Relationship Builders.
Personal reflections.
Date ideas.
Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples.
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Last week, we watched as protestors stormed the capital. If you’re like me, you probably thought, “This doesn’t happen in America. We’re not a third-world country. We’re the United State of America.” As a nation, our founding fathers built America on Christian principles and the Word of God. It was a good beginning. But arrogance and pride is an infecting stench in our nation that is tearing us apart.
The founding fathers were mostly men with Christian backgrounds who had studied the Word of God and incorporated the truths of the Bible into the very fibers that wove our country together. You will find those fibers in our Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the laws that govern our nation. Those fibers were strong, sturdy, a sure foundation. A rock-solid foundation to withstand the test of time and the storms of life. Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-25 that “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”
The problem is that for years we’ve heard the words of God, but we’ve not done them. We’ve become complacent and comfortable within the walls of our churches. It’s past time for Christians to wake up and take action!
A not so good beginning
We’ve come a long way since then. We’ve withstood wars, the Great Depression, scandals and all the “storms” of our history. The one thing that got us through it all was that humble foundation our founding fathers gifted to us: a nation built on God. They built this nation on the Rock of Jesus and His eternal Word.
However, unfortunately, there is one thing we’ve never learned – unity. Today, we are as far away from united as we can be. We’re divided by race, religion, politics, and class and that has been true from the beginning. It makes you wonder why we’re called the “United States of America,” doesn’t it?
Division within the Church
Even among Christians, we’re divided by denominations and religious beliefs. To this, the words of Paul stretch down through time to say, “I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)
We may worship the same God and read the same Bible, but we — mere humans – attempt to interpret the words and meanings of the Sovereign, Almighty God and have the audacity to believe that we are the only ones who’ve interpreted it correctly. Satan has us so busy drawing lines in the sand and picking sides while arguing with those on the other side that it is impossible for us to carry out the mission Jesus gave to the church – to be “salt” and “light”, to be “fishers of men,” to disciple the saints and evangelize the lost. We can be guilty of being more concerned with who is correct in doctrine than who is lost and on their way to hell. All while the rest of the world is watching. What testimony do we give to the world if this is their view of us?
The result
The result is what we are seeing unfolding in our nation now. Racism. Protesting. Rioting. Anger. Hatred. Murder. Division. Jesus said in Mark 3:25, “If a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” These words are true for our individual homes, the House of Representatives, the Senate, Congress, the White House and our nation as a whole. And the division we see in all of these is great indeed. You see, Satan wants nothing more than to stir up divisions so that we fall. And if we are so busy picking our battles, drawing lines in the sand, refusing to work together – this nation built on God will cease to be blessed by God.
The foundation our founding fathers established for our nation has been traded out for the sinking sands of political gain, financial gain, fame, and success. Our leaders have tossed out the Word of God. Demolished the Biblical foundation. And we – the Christians – in our complacency, have sat back and allowed it to happen. We’ve kept our voice quiet. We didn’t go out to vote. We’ve neglected our prayer closets. We’ve not raised up spiritual leaders. And now, our children, marriages, homes, and government are suffering.
In fact, if we take an honest look, the division in our nation has become a gaping, infected wound, and the life of our nation is pouring out of it. As with every wound, something has to be responsible for inflicting the wound. We need to identify the knife that created the wound.
PRIDE: The Knife that Divides
Division doesn’t just happen – something has to be cut in order to be divided. The same is true when we look at the division tearing our nation apart. It goes by several names. Ego. Self-centered. Narcissistic Personality Disorder (yes! It’s so prevalent that the DSM has a diagnosis for it!). And, as it is more commonly known: PRIDE.
The problem with pride is that pride is unbending. It is only concerned with my wants, my needs, my desires. It thinks that I know better than anyone else. That I am the only one that is right. I am all that matters. It refuses to see a point from someone else’s perspective. It is demanding, controlling, unyielding, and it rips apart relationships, homes, governments, and countries.
At the center of the word, “pride” is the letter “I” and when our focus is on “I” we cease to care about others. We become the knife that divides this nation.
Pride refuses to “Love Your Neighbor?”
No matter how we might try to get around it, Jesus expects us to love each other. In Mark 12:31, Jesus said we are love our neighbors as we love ourselves. In Mark 5:44, He said we are to even love our enemies. So, there’s no way around it. We are supposed to love others. All others. Not just those who look like me, think like me, dress like me, or vote the same way I do. But everyone.
Love your neighbors. Love your enemies. Not just tolerate or accept each other. Not pretend on the outside that we love them and then stab them in the back when no one is looking. Love doesn’t run their name through the mud on national television just to win a vote. It doesn’t cut them off in rush hour traffic because you’re the only one on the planet with a long list to get done today. It doesn’t turn away the vulnerable and hurting for materialistic gain or personal recognition or professional advancement. Nor does it slant the news story to make your favored candidate look good. Love does not raise your hands in worship at church then go home and bash the pastor over lunch. That’s not love.
How are we to love others? We can find at least three ways in the Bible that can be a healing salve:
1. Love fervently with a pure heart.
1 Peter 1:22 tells us, “See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.” A pure heart does not seek the harm of others. It doesn’t dig up dirt on others, sling it over national television without any thought to the opponent’s family members or their children who have to go to school the next day with all their classmates who heard the trash (true or false) about their parent.
A pure heart also doesn’t participate in such actions by reporting it or talking about it with others. Rather it recognizes that doing so stirs up strife.
A pure heart means no guilt can be found in how we love others.
This verse also says we are to love others fervently. Not just a little bit – but intensely with a whole lot of pure love.
2. Love in truth
1 John 3:18 says, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” In other words, you don’t go around saying you love someone, but then your actions speak differently. Your deeds should match your words if there is any truth to them. It’s the old saying of “actions speak louder than words.”
Loving in truth also means that we can’t veil our true thoughts and motives behind false words of love. In other words, statements such as, “I’m only telling you this because I love you, but….” and then your words are anything but loving and the motivation behind them isn’t love.
Sometimes it is necessary to confront others, but that should also be done in love and only truth should be spoken. Ephesians 4:15 tells us to speak the truth in love. Therefore, this verse tells us that bashing others with our words in wrong. We can’t speak the truth in love when we’re slinging their name and character through the mud. Instead, we point out the truth of what’s wrong, point them to God’s Word, and lead them to Jesus where they can discover His grace, mercy, forgiveness and love. We have a responsibility to speak the truth of God’s Word, but we are just as responsible for doing so in love.
3. Love like Christ
Jesus said in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I gave unto you, That ye love one another; as I have love you, that ye also love one another.” Jesus also said, “Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) It is easy to love those who love us – but what about those who are different than us? What about those who think different than us? We don’t get to choose who we will love. We are called to love everyone the way that Jesus loves them. What about it Christian? Do you love others as Christ has loved you – unconditionally, sacrificially? If love were measured on a meter, would your meter register in the “Christ-like love” category for both your neighbor and your enemy?
Let all that you do be done in love
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 tells us, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” We must be watchful because Satan, the father of lies, will deceive us so that we stumble and fall into sin.
We counter his attack the same way Jesus did – by standing firm in the faith. You can’t stand firm in the faith if you don’t have a clue what the Bible says. So, you need to be in the Word of God every day, treasuring it and hiding it in your heart so that it will be a light unto your path and to keep you from sinning against God.
Paul also said, “act like men” [or women]. We aren’t to act like spoiled brats demanding our own way, but mature children of God who reflect His character wherever we may go and to whomever we may encounter.
We also must be strong because the battle we fight is a spiritual battle so we must go to God who is our strength and our refuge. Only then can we overcome pride so that we are able to do everything in love.
Pride has made America “the all about me” society
We sing “America the beautiful” but the reality is more like “America: the all about me society”. Put that way, it doesn’t sound very beautiful. Proverbs 16:18 warns us that, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” In Psalm 10:4, the psalmist wrote, “In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” The problem with saying “There is no God” is that you will also believe God’s Word is irrelevant. Therefore, loving your neighbor can just be thrown out and you just simply love yourself. No one else matters but you.
Pride says “There is no God“
Doesn’t that seem like the cry of our world today: “There is no God.” Why? Because if there is no God people can go on living anyway they want and not worry about retribution and judgement from God. However, Proverbs 16:5 warns us that, “Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.” And so, people do not acknowledge the existence of God. If we did, then we just might have to also acknowledge the possibility that COVID is a punishment for our arrogance and pride that believes we don’t need God.
Is COVID God’s punishment?
Is COVID a punishment? Only God can truly answer that question. But over and over again in the Bible God punishes nations for their wickedness, pride and refusal to turn back to him. We find in the Bible where the world became so full of sin that God regretted creating people. Only Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord and God saved him and his family from the flood. From Sodom and Gomorrah, to Nineveh, to even his own chosen nation of Israel. Assyria, Babylon…and on down the pages of history.
Nations have come and gone when their sin became so great that God said, “Enough!” But we also know that Nineveh experienced a revival when Jonah went to preach to them, and God relented in His decision to destroy them. So, we know that when nations turn back to God, He does stop his judgement. But when they refuse to repent, the nation is destroyed.
Pride demands Independence and Control
There’s another reason people do not acknowledge the existence of God. Pride says, “I don’t need anyone or anything. I can do it my way.” But if we acknowledge God, then we know that we are dependent upon him for every single thing we have in life.
Pride also wants to be in control. We do not like it when we feel like we can’t control what’s happening around us. It stresses us out, makes us afraid. When a pandemic happens and our entire lives are changed all at once, it’s scary. Acknowledging God means that I have to accept that even with COVID, God is in control. This world is His creation and nothing happens without Him knowing it. He’s never caught by surprise at what happens on earth. We may not understand why some people – good people, pastors, children, and Christians — die from COVID and some do not. But if COVID is God’s judgment on the world, it will not end until God’s judgment is completed. We don’t like that. It’s out of our control.
God exists whether we acknowledge Him or not.
Choosing to say “there is no God” doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist. God is real whether a person chooses to acknowledge him or not. Quoting Isaiah 45:23, Paul wrote in Romans 14:11, “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God.” You can choose to say there is no God today – but one day you will stand before Him and confess that He is God. And if you deny Him in this life, you will reap His judgement of eternity in hell.
Pride is determined to Stamp out God
Not only do people choose to not acknowledge His existence, but people have been trying to stamp God out of this nation, little by little, for generations. Prayer was removed from schools. Abortions became legalized murder, wiping away an innocent’s child’s right to life and discrediting God as the creator of life. The Ten Commandments were removed from government buildings. Some would have us remove the motto “In God we Trust” from our money and any other thing it is stamped on. Marriage was “re-defined” and same-sex marriages became legal. In a nation that claims freedom of speech and freedom of religion, we’ve seen Christian business owners receive retribution from the government for denying services to homosexual couples.
Yes – our world today wants to cry out, “There is no God.” Because they believe if we can stamp out God, then they are safe from God’s judgements. Do we need to even ask, “Is there just cause for God to judge America?”
A Putrefying Stench
Because people continue in their stubbornness and pride, the division of our nation has become a gaping wound with a putrefying stench. When left untreated a wound develops bacteria that causes an infection. Infections often stink and the greater the infection, the greater the stench. If left ignored and untreated the wound turns to gangrene and the only way to save the life is amputation.
Our nation has a bacteria infecting it. We don’t like to call it by its name because it both convicts us and condemns us. It’s a tiny, little word but holds our nation in its grips. Like the word, “pride”, it also has the letter “I” at the center. It is this one little word that is the whole crux of the problem. The bacteria infecting us is…Sin. Proverbs 21:4 tells us, “Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin. And wherever you find pride you will find sin. And wherever you find sin, you find the work of Satan.
Be Vigilant
1 Peter 5:8 tells us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Right now, he is trying to devour our nation – and we Christians are sitting back within the walls of our pretty churches and allowing it to happen. Our complacency is our sin. We’ve been complacent as the world attempted to stamp God out of our nation and we’ve been complacent in acknowledging the true state of this nation. As long as what happens in the world doesn’t reach within the bubble of our homes and families, we’ve looked the other way as we shake our heads and regretfully say, “Well, bless their hearts.” Then we go on with our lives. We have failed to be vigilant. We’ve allowed Satan to sneak in and steal away the firm foundation of this nation.
The Problem with Complacency
The problem with complacency in Christianity is it destroys the effects of being “salt and light” to the world that Jesus commanded us to be. In Mark 16:15, Jesus told his disciples to “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. But after he ascended into heaven, we find in Acts 1 that the disciples stood around staring up into the sky. Two angels had to come to them and say, “Why are you all standing around here gazing up into heaven?” (My paraphrase). They could not both “go into all the world” and stay there staring into heaven at the same time. God had to send the angels to say, “Get to work!” (Again, my paraphrase) Likewise, we can’t stay within the walls of our church and effectively be salt and light to the world.
It’s time we wake up from our complacency and get out of our churches and go into all the world and bring the love of God to a world who so desperately needs Him.
The Second Problem with Complacency
There is a second problem with complacency. It nauseates Christ. We find in Revelation 3 that the church at Laodicea had a complacency problem. Jesus told them they were “lukewarm” – neither hot nor cold. In verse 17, Jesus said, “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” As a result, Jesus says that he will spew them out of his mouth.
It comes back to pride again. Pride fools us into believing we are better than we are and keeps us from realizing just how wretched we are. Isaiah 64:6 says, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” We have to stop comparing ourselves to the next person and saying, “I’m not as bad as them.” When we do, we fool ourselves into thinking we’re okay and we can’t see that even our best righteous deeds are just filthy rags.
How then do we heal the wound of division caused by the sin of pride?
If we are to rebuild the biblical foundation of this nation, it starts with the church. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “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 will I hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.” If we want to see our nation healed, we must wake up out of our complacency. It is up to the people who are called by God’s name – that’s the Christians. The children of God. Those who have acknowledged God and accepted Jesus as their Savior. It’s the Church’s responsibility – our God-given assignment.
We need a revival!
What is wrong in our nation is not going to be fixed by politicians. A stimulus check won’t fix it. COVID vaccines won’t heal it. What our nation needs is revival. Christians need to return to our prayer closets with fasting and prayer. We need to get rid of pride and humble ourselves before God. We need to seek His presence. And we need to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the wicked ways within us (not in our spouse, children, co-worker, boss, neighbor or enemy) and seek God’s forgiveness. Will you be the wise person that hears and does the words of God? In Matthew 7, Jesus says this kind of person builds his house upon the rock so that when the storms come, the house will stand.
It is time for the people of God to cry out the words of the Psalmist, “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” (Psalm 85:6) We invite you to join us in praying for revival. Start by memorizing 2 Chronicles 7:14:
“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 will I hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.”
A Call to Action
Choose a set time this week to set yourself apart from the world to fast and pray. Get alone with God and His Word. Then commit to praying daily with an attitude of humility and repentance. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any sin in your own life and seek God’s forgiveness. Pray for God to send a revival, to forgive the sins of this nation and to heal our land. Then go out and invite others to pray and fast with you. If within every Christian church in America the people of God joined together to pray, fast, and on call on the Name of God with humble hearts of repentance – we will experience revival. Will you be the one in your church?
Lord, send a revival to America, and let it begin in me.
Our nation and our world need to experience a revival. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “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, forgive their sins, and heal their land.” Revival begins with the people of God.We invite you to join us in praying for revival for America and our world.
Revive us again, Lord
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In Acts 17:22-31 Paul was waiting in Athens for Timothy and Silas to join him. We find that Paul’s spirit was troubled within him because of all the idols that were in Athens. In fact, the Athenians wanted to be so sure they had every god accounted for that there was even an idol to “the unknown god.”
In Romans 1:20, Paul said, “For his [God’s] invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”
The Athenians may have been worshiping in ignorance because they did not know about the “unknown god”. However, God’s invisible attributes, eternal power, divine nature had been perceived. And, at some level, they knew there was a God who was responsible for all of creation because they made an idol for this God they did not know. Because of this they were without excuse for being ignorant. Neither are we. Paul stepped up to remedy their ignorance and preached the gospel to them and with his words preserved within Acts 17, he remedies our ignorance as well.
What idols do you have that you are worshiping in ignorance?
Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it—He is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in shrines made by hands. Neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.— Acts 17:23-25
The idols we worship in ignorance
All of us are guilty of creating idols in our lives. They may not be in a shrine or carved out of stone or cast into golden images – but we have idols just the same. They may look more like our career, image, position, money, possessions, hobbies, or children. Whenever we make things or people more important than our personal relationship with God, we have “demoted” God and “promoted” these other things or people to status of idol. Just ask yourself what you give the most time, money or attention to and if its anything other than God, then you’ve found an idol.
You can no longer worship these idol in ignorance now that you have found them. Romans 1:24-25 teaches us, “Therefore God delivered them over in the cravings of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!”
Have you exchanged the truth about God for the lie of the idol that you worship? Do you believe your idol will bring you peace, happiness, contentment, love, joy? If you do, then, yes, you have exchanged the truth about God for the lie of your idol. You will only know lasting and true peace, happiness, contentment, love, and joy when you surrender your heart to God and make Him the God you worship with all your heart, mind, and soul.
Hidden idols we worship in ignorance
When ministry becomes an idol
Sometimes we make ministry an idol. We can be guilty of forming our identity in the ministry we serve in rather than in Christ. We look for that next “bigger” ministry or greater opportunity rather than serving where God has called us to serve. Whether the ministry is a megachurch or a large non-profit, or you’ve become a well-known Christian speaker ask yourself – “What’s my motivation?” Then ask the Holy Spirit, “What’s my motivation?” If you are struggling with your “small” ministry and can’t understand why God doesn’t grow your ministry or move you to a bigger one, ask yourself – “What’s my motivation?” Then ask the Holy Spirit, “What’s my motivation?” If your motivation is or has become more about fame, self-importance, recognition, or money, then your ministry has become an idol you are worshiping. However, unlike the Athenians, you are not worshiping your idol in ignorance. You’re idolatry is just a straight up sin – because you know God and choose to make ministry an idol.
When church becomes an idol
Sometimes we are guilty of making an idol out of the building we call “church.” We need to remember that God made the world and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth. He does not dwell in the church building, even though we may call it “God’s House.”
Being God’s offspring then, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination. –Acts 17:29
We need to remember that he dwells within each believer. Our bodies are His temple. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). So whether there is a pulpit or not on the stage, doesn’t matter. The color of the carpets don’t matter. Where the piano is positioned on the stage doesn’t matter. Whether there is a choir or praise team doesn’t matter. What matters are these simple questions: Does God dwell within you? If He does, then does He have first place in your life? If not, are you seeking Him?
Seeking God
From one man He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. He did this so they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring. — Acts 17:26-28
God created each and every one of us. From Adam and down to the newest baby just conceived. He has determined everything about us – from the moment in time and history that we live, where we live, to whom we are born, our nationality, our personality, and our individuality. He gifted us with exactly what we need to fulfill the purpose for which He created us. Why? So that we might seek Him and just maybe reach out and find our Creator.
Why am I here?
Just about every single person at some point in their life will ask “Why am I here? What’s my purpose?” We all seek that because in seeking the answer, it draws us to our creator who knows the answer. However, if we seek the answer through career, status, partying, drugs, or sex, the question goes unanswered and we become miserable people. We only find the answer to our purpose and being in God. Paul said we live, move, and exist because God willed it to be so. Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.“
In Jeremiah 29:11, we find that God has plans for us – good plans. Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Jesus said in John 15:16, “I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.” In other words, we have been called by God to tell others about God and lead people to Him. Isaiah 43:7 says, “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” — That’s why we were created — for God’s glory.
The time of worshiping idols in ignorance is over
“Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has set a day when He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.” –Acts 17:30-31
If you have been worshiping an idol and unaware of doing so, the time of ignorance is over. The Holy Spirit may be speaking to you right now to repent and return or make God the God you worship with all your heart, mind and soul. If you’ve felt lately that you life is out of balance, that something is off, or that God feels far away, then its time to seek Him with a repentant heart.
A Set day of Judgement
God has established and set a day when He is going to judge the world. His measure of doing so will be according to the righteousness by the Man He has appointed – Jesus – God’s only Son who lived a sinless life and died in our place to pay the penalty and price for our sin. And then God added proof to whom Jesus is by raising Him from the dead. 1 Corinthians 6:9 says, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?” On God’s set day of judgement will God find you righteous or unrighteous?
Depart from iniquity
2 Timothy 2:19 tells us, “But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” If you’ve discovered idols in your life, God gave as part of what we call the Ten Commandment, this command in Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before me.” If you’ve discovered an idol, then you have a ‘god’ that you have placed before God and you have iniquity or sin.
God calls all people everywhere to repent
There are many memes going around about 2020 and all that is taking place in our world today. Idolatry was one the biggest reason that God judged Israel and Judah and America is just as guilty. Perhaps the biggest idol America is guilty of is the idol of “I.” We live life according to how each one of us wants to without regards to what God says. We’ve kicked God’s laws to the curb and instill our own so that we can live without guilt. But God’s laws still stand no matter how we attempt to rewrite them and when God’s day of judgement comes, it will be by His laws, not ours.
God is calling America to repent, but our hearts have become as hardened as Israel and Judah. How bad do things have to get before God’s people humble themselves, pray, seek God’s face, and repent? If we are to see a revival in America – if we want to see God heal our land – then we must remove idols and seek God with all our heart and soul as we humbly come to Him in repentance.
#revival #America #repentance #idols
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Proverbs 22:4 says: “Humility is the fear of the LORD; its wages are riches and honor and life.” When we come before God with humility, we’re acknowledging how great and mighty God is. That He is our creator. We are the created ones. To humble ourselves, we must abandon arrogance, pride, and narcissism. We recognize our great need and dependence on God for even the next breath we take. A humble heart doesn’t stomp its foot demanding its own way, but submits out of reverence and love to God’s way. Humility is a heart posture before God in reverence and submission ready to obediently do His will.
What does the Bible say about a humility?
“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.” Psalm 25:9
Scripture is full of insight about how God responds to both arrogance/pride and humility. Within the Bible we find that God delights in a humble heart. James 4:6 tell us that God favors the humbled and opposes the proud. Proverbs 18:12 says pride comes before a fall and humility before honor. Micah 6:8 says God requires that we walk humbly with Him. Palms 149:4 tells us that God crowns the humble with victory. 1 Peter 5:7 says that if we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, He will lift us up at the right time. Luke 14:11 warns us that those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. And in Psalm 25:9, we’re told God rewards humility with His guidance and wisdom.
A proud nation
If pride comes before a fall, then we (God’s people) need to wake up and realize that for too long, American has been a proud nation. We have been abundantly blessed by God and have become so proud that we no longer see a need for God. As a nation, we foolishly come to believe that our way is better than God way and so we have tried to stamp Him out so we can live exactly the way we want to.
We foolishly believe that by removing the 10 commandments from our courtrooms and prayer from our schools, we can erase our guilt for living against His commands. And we think that by incorrectly teaching history and remove from the history books the fact our founding fathers were very evangelical Christian men who wrote the Constitution and Declaration of Independence based on the Bible, we can then convince the nation that the founding fathers initiated separation of church and state. In truth, they believed the two should not be separated. In fact our first Congress approved the Bible as the Primer in school for learning to read. The first session of our congress began with a prayer meeting.
Proud and Impenetrable
We think we are impenetrable and yet all it took was a virus to bring us to a screeching halt. And still we stomp our feet against God’s commands and insist on having our own was. Like hard-headed children who have to learn life’s lessons the hard way, God has stepped back and allowed us to live the way we wanted. And if we do not humble our hearts before, He will allow the consequences of our actions to show us our way is not better than His. The choice is ours: we can come to Him with humble hearts now or allow the consequences of our proud and arrogant hearts do it for us. Either way, we will end up bowing before Him. How bad to things have to get in our nation before we humble ourselves to Him?
One Nation No More
Yes, our nation is full of pride and arrogance. That pride has not only brought division between us and you, but it has divided out nation. No longer can we boast of being one nation under you. We’ve allowed theology to divide the church into denominations. Skin color divides races. Socioeconomic status divides people. Pride, anger, hatred, and unforgiveness divides families and marriages. The race to “get to the top” divides corporations and even friends. We need a good dose of humility to bring us back to “one nation.”
“The coming revival must begin with a great prayer revival. It is in the closet, with the door shut, that the sound of abundant revival will be first heard. An increase in the secret prayer of ministers and members will be the sure herald of blessing.”
Andrew Murray
Acknowledging our Pride
Father, we, your people, have arrogantly and foolishly believed that we could live within the walls of our homes and churches and ignore what was happening in the world. But you say we are to be salt and light in the world. For generations now, we have allowed you to slowly be stamped out of this nation – a nation built on you. Our founding fathers were willing to give their very lives for the belief of a nation led by You and You have abundantly blessed us. But now that we are strong, we have each turned our own way and arrogantly demand to live however we want.
As our government took prayer out of school, we sat on the sidelines. When they passed abortion into law, we sat on the sidelines. When they “redefined” marriage, we remained silent. And when they removed Your commandments from government buildings, we didn’t fight hard enough to keep them. We have voted people into political and government offices who do not honor You and will not follow Your commands.
Bowing with a humble heart
Father, we humbly bow before you, acknowledging our own pride and arrogance in thinking that we were safe within our church walls. Our nation no longer walks humbly with You. But God, we declare as your people that our hearts desire to that we will walking humbly with you – that we choose here today to live as you lead and guide us. We acknowledge that you are God, our creator. We don’t even take the next breath without you willing it. You have crumbled strong nations before who have turned away from you. So God, we humble ourselves before you in reverence, love, and submission to You and ask you to send a revival to our nation.
