Cry Out To Those Who Are Perishing

Terrible things happen to those who forget Yahweh. Not so long ago there were entire nations that had embraced Christianity, who called on the name of the Lord in good times and in bad. I would not call them Christian nations because there are no such thing but they were nations where the majority of their people had professed Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Some of these people were not true to their word but only spoke because the majority believed. Yet, now these nations have forgotten.

They have forgotten and terrible things are happening within them. The psalmist knew of that which I speak:

The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.

The Lord is known by the judgment He executes;
The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. (Psalm 9:15-16)

Sometimes people call out in times of catastrophe, "Where is your God now", and it is often pointed out to them, "You have replaced him by that which is not God". The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made. They made the problems. They turned their back on the Lord and set their heart on evil things and those evil things open the door to disaster. Their foot gets caught in the net which they hid. They are snared in the work of their own doing.

Consider how many of those countries that once stood with Jesus, who based their laws on righteousness, are now slaughtering innocent children in the name of their own laws and their own justice? Not just the unborn children but those children deemed of lesser worth. And they do it in the name of compassion. Without the light of Yahweh's holiness evil looks good and the common begins to look holy. There is a reason why economies are failing. There is a reason why there are wars and rumours of wars. 

Even in our individual lives, there is a huge difference between a life of righteousness and one bent on its own destruction. If you are lacking joy, look to where you stand with Jesus. What are you allowing to happen within your own city gates? If you are lacking peace, look to where you stand with Jesus. Who or what is your council, guiding your steps, making your decisions? Where is your heart? It goes beyond words of worship? Do you consider the poor? The Widow? The orphan? Are we fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves?

There is not much you and I can do about entire nations, they are the dominion of our Lord, but we can do something about ourselves. We can also be a great influence on our family and friends. Do not be tempted by the evil of our day. Do not make your own god and your own rules. Stick to Jesus all the way. Walk in obedience and allow him to provoke righteousness in you. Love as he loved, not the soft kind but the fierce kind; the kind that takes risks to save those who are heading to their death. Yes, even in the face of the sanctions of nations we can stand, because we do not stand alone.

Remember:

The wicked shall be turned into hell,
And all the nations that forget God. (v. 17)

Father does not want this to happen. He is more interested in forgiveness and reconciliation, but he is also just and will carry out his judgement. However, we should work within his will that everyone would be saved. We should pray with the psalmist:

Arise, O Lord,
Do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged in Your sight.

Put them in fear, O Lord,
That the nations may know themselves to be but men. (v. 19-20)

... and Jesus to be King over them. May they all come to know you Lord, turning from their evil ways and be saved from the fiery pit of hell. That is why we are still here my friends, to call out the Word of Truth, the Word of Life, to the doomed peoples of this earth. Cry out!

Emotions Will Not Tell Me What To Do

How will I serve Jesus?

With all my heart.

How will I praise Jesus?

With all my heart.

How will I trust Jesus?

With all my heart.

I cannot begin to tell you how often I have been or almost been the victim of my emotions. I am not exactly a "weeping man" sort, keeping my emotions to myself most of the time, but discouragement provokes debilitating emotions. Failure can bind the heart. Destroyed expectations, disappointments, missed opportunities can leave you with an emptiness, which is the worse emotion of them all. Yet none of these things matter when it comes to our responsibility to praise God.

Most of us will allow ourselves to become a victim of our emotions. We will allow despair to separate us from God. Even though the Word says nothing can separate us from his love, we allow ourselves to feel separated by negative emotions; we will neglect our responsibility to praise our God. But we are expected to praise our God in all circumstances of life because of his character of love and faithfulness. He is our hope and he is with us all the way as we go all the way with him.

So how do we do it? How do we praise him when circumstances have despair knocking on our door? Would you hate me if I told you it is a simple matter of your will and your words?

I will praise you, Lord,
    with all my heart
    and tell about the wonders
    you have worked.
2 God Most High, I will rejoice;
    I will celebrate and sing
    because of you. (Psalm 9:1-2)

"I will" are the most powerful words you can use in the face of emotions that want to undermine your will. I will praise you. I will tell about your wonders. I will rejoice. I will celebrate. I will sing. I will shout. I will dance. I will proclaim. I will speak goodness. I will declare your praise before my enemies. I will send those shadows packing as I allow your light to shine in me.

It is not positive thinking. It is not sticking your head in the sand. It is trust. It is faith. It is trusting that Jesus is who he said he is. It is trusting that he will keep his promises. It is faith in the power and will of our Father to strengthen and equip us to go all the way. He may not remove us from the circumstances but he will enable us to overcome those circumstances with the power and authority given to us by Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

How do you overcome? Lift up the name of Jesus. Don't feel like it? Who cares what you feel like. What have your negative emotions ever done for you? How are you better off with despair, or loneliness, or anger, or hatred, or depression? What have they ever done for you? Nothing but destroy you! Now what has Jesus done for you? Everything! So who do you want to spend time with?

Get your butt up off that chair, turn up the worship and start dancing and shouting the praises of Jesus. Watch what happens. I guarantee you will not be left the same. You decide. You make up your mind. You make the decision what will have power over you. Decide and then do something with that decision.

All praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ who did not leave us on this planet, weak, miserable or powerless. Praise him for his love that overcomes everything that would try to separate us from him. Praise him for know all of our days and laying down his plans to accommodate them. Praise him that nothing surprises him and he is here to make sure we win. Praise him that we belong to him and not this place. Praise him that we are in his hands and nothing else matters. May the whole earth shout the praises of our King!