The Power of the Cross--Because HE Wanted To

We can talk about all of the technicalities of the cross that you want.  Was it Roman in design?  Which one was the first nation to use it?  Why did Jesus die on a cross and not in some other manner?  Why the cross?  All of these can be debated to the highest degree.

We can talk about the need of mankind for a Savior.  We can discuss and prove from scripture all of the types and shadows from Moses to Boaz.  We can tell all kinds of stories and take dozens of analogies as to the how, the why and wherefores.

BUT--------THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE BEHIND THE POWER OF THE CROSS IS-----BECAUSE JESUS WANTED TO.  The unselfishness of His sacrifice still leaves me awestruck.  He could have swept the slate clean and done away with mankind and re-created the earth with a different and better set of inhabitants.  BUT HE WANTED US!!!!!!!!  Puny, whimsical, defiant and rebellious US.  His love for us is far greater than we can imagine.  But, it is worth the imagining. 

Thinking and meditating on His love for us is THE greatest faith builder there is.  Out of all the books, pamphlets and online sermons we could read, NONE could do us any greater good than to take between five to fifteen minutes out of every day and think of nothing but how much Jesus loves us.

Your love for Jesus and your fellow man would go up.  Your faith in Him would be stronger.  Your blood pressure would go down.  Your small stress-induced aches and pains would go away.  Joy would begin filling your soul until it spilled over.  There's no telling what kind of miracles would take place in your life if you spent time meditating on His love for you. 

The power of the cross would become more alive in you than ever before.  You would find new meaning in your relationship with Him.  Plus, you would be more willing to share your experience of love for Him with others.  And, THAT is what the Christian experience is all about.

Much love,
Henry

The Cross-God Does Not Throw Mankind Away

Gen 3:15-And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

This is the curse that God placed on satan after he deceived mankind  and led them into sin.  It is interesting to note that God dealt with satan BEFORE He dealt with Adam and Eve. 

Enmity--Satan and his imps have always been at war against the saints of God.  It would be the greatest awakening in the Christian world if they would wake up and understand that God wants us to fight satan and not each other.  However, the master deceiver has convinced us that the Christian's battle is against each other and not him.  Paul knew the truth.  Eph 6:12-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].  One of the keys to Paul's soul-winning success is the fact that, through prayer, he made war against his real enemy, satan, instead of those who were puppets of the deceiver.

Vengeance-I pray that I can get this word over to you the way God has impressed it into my heart.  God said to satan, "You have caused my loved one to stumble and fall.  You have brought shame and disgrace into her life.  You have caused her grief.  You have picked on her because she was a weaker vessel.  You kept after her until she fell for your evil scheme.  BUT, from this very one that you have hurt the most, SHALL come an avenger.  Satan, you WILL NOT get away with this.  THE SEED OF THIS WOMAN SHALL BRUISE YOUR HEAD."

We need to take great joy in the fact that where satan intended a life time of grief and woe, God instituted a plan to bring love and joy.  God DID NOT leave mankind to satan's evil devices.  He REMAINED faithful in His love and providence to His love child, even though they fell.  Let me say it again---God's love NEVER failed.  Where satan intended destruction, God called for HIS rebuilding program that was greater than the destruction.  The God-powered reconstruction process began with the cross.  Our sins were nailed to that cross by vicarious death of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.  As He rose victorious over life's destruction, He paved the way for mankind to be rebuilt by the glorious power of God.

Just because Eve sinned, God did not throw her away--He redeemed her and brought her vengeance.  Just because Mary Magdalene allowed seven devils to come into her--God redeemed her.  He not only cast them out of her, she became a key player in His resurrection.  The thief crucified with Jesus was paying the penalty for his treacherous ways.  However, Jesus did not throw Him away.  At his repentance, Jesus said, "Today you will be with Me in paradise."  God has no throw-away people.  People throw their own lives away.  God's intention with the cross was to bring people BACK into fellowship with HIM and restore all that satan had taken from them.

The Preaching of the Cross is the Power of God

1 Cor 1:18-For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

In this simple statement, Paul places before the Christian a very strong foundation from which we can build a successful life.   He declares that the preaching of the cross is the power of God to us.  The Greek word for power in this verse is 'dunamis' from which we get the word dynamite.  Here is the definition of the word dunamis.

1) strength power, ability

  a) inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person       or thing exerts and puts forth
  b) power for performing miracles
  c) moral power and excellence of soul
  d) the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth
  e) power and resources arising from numbers
  f) power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts

Let's examine some of the reasons that Paul declares that the preaching of the cross is the power of God.  One of the key reasons for the cross is found in John 3:16--For God so loved the world.  We will all agree that there was no real reason that God should love His created creature after Adam sinned and sold his right to rule the world.  This great Creator God, could have destroyed this miscreant and started all over with someone else that would have been more worthy to give a world full of beauty to.  However, we have to see that as easy as this seems, God's 'dunamis' love refused the idea altogether.  His great love for the human race put in place a plan to buy back sinful man and restore to him all of the pleasures that God had instituted in the first place.

Let this be totally apparent to us all.  It was His love for us that kept Him from destroying everything.  It was His love for us that caused Him to send His only begotten Son.  It was His love for us that made Him devise a plan to put a stop to the torture and ridicule of satan.  As I have stated in previous blogs, the believer should meditate wholly on God's overwhelming love for us instead of all the meanness that surrounds us every day.

As we meditate on His great love for ourselves, we become fearless giants.  As we meditate on His great love, we become more encouraged to enter His presence not only on a daily basis but remain there more and more throughout the day.  As we meditate on His great love for us, it fans the smouldering embers of the fire that we once knew the day we received Him as our personal Savior.  On that day, we drank deeply of His love and became filled with joy at His presence.  When we meditate on His great love for us, we also become aware of His great love for all mankind.  And as we do that, we push away the habits that we have gotten used to and begin to bring forth a greater habit.  The POWERFUL habit of prayer to a loving God who DESIGNED the cross to display not only His power but His great love.

Tear the devil a New One

1 Cor 10:5-Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Eph 6:12-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].

James 4:7-Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  (The word 'flee' means to run as if in terror.)

When you TAKE control of your thoughts, satan LOSES control over your life.  Let's qualify Paul to qualify his statement to the Corinthians.  Was Paul successful in adverse circumstance?  Yes.  Are you? _____________________ (Fill in the blank.)  Was Paul a successful soul-winner?  Yes.  We don't need to go there do we?  I have to admit that I am not as good as I want to be.  Shouldn't we be putting into practice some of the things that a successful soul-winner does if we have a desire to be a successful soul-winner?  Aren't there at least a few more lost people to be saved out there?  Aren't there a few more battles to be won?  Sounds like we need to be picking up on some of Paul's and James' successful ways.

Paul said to cast down EVERY high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.  He goes on to admonish us to BRING INTO CAPTIVITY EVERY THOUGHT.  Have you ever noticed that when times get shaky that we tend to think about every bad thing EXCEPT the Word of God?  We play out bad and fearful scenario after scenario of what we FEAR is going to happen.  Have you ever considered what God would do if we REFUSED the think like that and started thinking about His Word being true?  That was Paul's lifestyle.  He faced more  ugly stuff than most of us could ever dream of.  Yet, he forced his mind to think about God's promises rather than what bad thing MIGHT happen.

Pau calls bringing your thoughts into captivity of the Word of God wrestling and resisting the devil.  He has given us insight into his successful warfare and great accomplishments for the cause of Christ.  Remember, he told Timothy to "fight the good fight of faith" and "I have fought a good fight.  I have kept the faith."  (1 Tim 6:12, 2 Tim 4:7)  The fight, and you'll have to admit it is, is keeping our thought processes from running in the muck of doubt and unbelief.  Paul had learned that bringing his thoughts into captivity of the Word of God was a warfare with the devil that he could win.  When people physically fought against him and the cause of Christ that he stood for, Paul learned to fight back by bringing his thoughts into captivity.  He called it wrestling and resisting the devil.  Even though the beatings, shipwrecks and imprisonments seemed to have the upper hand, God would lead Paul to other places where His glory would be poured out in abundance.  It might not have been at the place of his suffering and often it wasn't.  But, Paul KNEW that God had a plan for him even in the rought times when all seemed lost.  As Paul consistently 'wrestled and resisted' the devil, God was faithful to bring him into a time of glory and honor.

I don't believe that my Grandpa invented the phrase "I'm gonna tear you a new one."  But, I sure heard him use it a time or two.  When we take the advice of two great soul-winners, Paul and James, and bring our thoughts into captivity, that is exactly what we do to the devil and his imps.  We 'tear them a new one.'  They might incite people to come against us and do all manner of evil against the cause of Christ, but they CANNOT FORCE me to quit meditating on God's Word.  I am on the only one that can do that.  Since God brought that to my attention last week, I have put it into practice on a daily basis.  I can tell you for a fact.  I now walk in more peace than I ever have.  As I capture my thoughts and force myself to think about the Word and God's love, a greater assurance that God will prevail rises in my soul.  My spirit is refreshed instead of exhausted.  Praises flow freer throughout the day.  And, my enemies have begun to be at peace with me.  I do believe I will continue the fight of the Lord.  I believe I will spend my waking hours "tearing the devil a new one."  C'mon and join me. 

Take Control of Your Thoughts

2 Cor 10:5-Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

These words have taken on new meaning for me and I would like to pass it on.  Some of you know that I get up around 4:00-4:30 and seek God's presence and study His Word before I go about my daily routine.  I have been doing this for almost 10 years.  This has served to stir a greater desire for His presence.  I have increased in my knowledge of HIM and have become keenly aware of His presence more and more in my daily life.  As a result, there are times during the day when He will drop a golden nugget of thought into my spirit.  Some of you have probably experienced the same thing.  It may be any time during the day and frequently, for me, it his been a word of wisdom the very first thing in the morning.

Almost a week ago, He dropped such a nugget my way.  In essence, here is what rose within me.  When we take control of our thoughts, satan loses control over our lives.  And, when we take control of our thoughts, we take control of the will of God for our lives.  I have studied and preached from 2 Cor 10:5 many times but on that particular morning, it took on newer meaning for me.  I saw something new in that verse that challenged and changed my actions.

We find the words of Jesus, "Get thee behind me, Satan" in two instances in the Word of God.  One is recorded in Luke 4:8 where Jesus directly challenges the master deceiver himself as Jesus goes through temptation.  That is a message in itself.  Instead of giving place to the enemy and his thoughts, we should directly tell him that we will not obey his suggestions or even entertain the desire in our minds. 

The other instance was when he confronted Peter with the same words.  As recorded in Matt 16:23 and Mark 8:33, Jesus turns to Peter and says, "Get thee behind me, Satan, for thou savourest not the things of God, but those that be of men."  In the first place, Jesus had been meditating for years and years about God's will for His life.  He KNEW that God had appointed Him to die for our sins and was convinced that God would raise Him up from the dead.  Jesus NEVER gave credence to any other thought.  Any time that He thought about the will of God, He always thought about His suffering, His pain, His death but He really, really, really got excited about His resurrection.  As He continued His thought process, He thought about the joy (Heb 12:2) that would be His as His atoning blood would once again allow Him spiritual fellowship with those that He loved.  He thought about it over and over and over.  He prayed it to His Father, over and over and over.  He thought past the nasty now-nows and into the sweetness of just a few more days. 

Peter, on the other hand, looked at just the happening itself and not the future consequences.  He had heard and thought about Jesus dying.  He had heard and thought about Jesus being arrested and beaten.  He had heard and thought about the shame and what seemed to be defeat for the Jesus movement that they worked so hard to get cranked up.  Like us, he concentrated on the nasty now-nows and DID NOT meditate on the WHOLE Word of God.  That's why Jesus correctly labeled that thought and statement from Peter's mouth as a message from Satan.  Because, it was.  Peter held on to an imagination and a high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God and Jesus rebuked the imagination and not Peter.  The imagination came from the devil using the front of human emotions and thoughts.  Peter learned better.

Paul learned better also.  Paul learned that no matter what happened to him, God had a plan in all of it.  He was beaten, jailed, kicked out of synagogues, kicked out of cities, shipwrecked and in danger almost all throughout his ministry.  But, Paul KEPT his mind on God's will for his life.  Paul's mind did not run through the mud of the nasty now-nows.  Instead, his mind stayed on the glory of God that God promised to pour out through him or through any faithful child of God.  According to Phil 4:8,9, Paul knew that controlling his thoughts would produce an anointing that would bring about the glory of the Lord.  It did and millions of souls found Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.  And, souls are still being added to the church daily by the fact that Paul, like Jesus, controlled his thoughts and controlled his Godly destiny.

Your Enemies ARE Your Footstool

We are entering a time when Christians are preparing to celebrate the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.  The general ideas that are being preached and talked about in Sunday School rooms and from the pulpits are how "mean" and how "awful" these religious bigots were.  As mentioned in the previous blog, they refused to give credence to the miracles and good works that Jesus accomplished through the power of God.  At every turn, they called for His ouster of every synagogue and some tried to kill Him at the very beginning of His ministry.  Many a sermon has been preached and many lessons have been taught about the evil subtlety with which the 'religious' leaders tried but failed to catch Jesus at His words.

Do you remember hearing a sermon or a teaching series on how STUPID these religious bigots were?  Well, you are about to.  Plus, I'll give you something to think about as you travel through your own trying times.

The religious leaders, up to and including the high priest, were borderline incompetent.  They were so fueled by their anger and jealousy that they could ONLY haphazardly put together a mockery of a trial.  As a matter of fact, their accusations and testimonies were so-o-o-o weak and illegal, that the trial was only going down hill.  All they needed were two witnesses to agree on ANY death-worthy claim by the high priest.  Even though they paid witnesses to conjure up some lame testimony, they still could not get two of them to agree.

They were so incompetent, that it was up to Jesus, Himself to bring in the evidence to convict Himself, in their eyes, and bring about the cry for His crucifixion.  Time was running out these bunglers and Jesus needed to die on the right day and the right hour.

It did not fully, fully dawn on me until yesterday.  Jesus' enemies, and the enemies that we face, were in all actuality ONLY 'footstools.'  (Psalm 110:1)  Jesus could not have crucified Himself.  He had to have someone to accuse Him and carry out the sentence.  There were more than enough jealous people to carry out the will of God.  (Remember that.)  The angry, jealous bigots were ONLY puppets in God's hands.  Did God make them bigots and make them crucify the Lord?  Absolutely not.  God left them to their anger and jealousy and let it boil all by itself.  God doesn't create jealousy and anger.  It is already here on this earth and it will accomplish the evil that the devil intends it to do ONLY as it suits the will of God.

Point to Ponder:  Just as in Jesus' life, we have enemies that are stirred up because of satan's jealousy and anger.  The intent of satan is to destroy the work that God is trying to accomplish in our lives.  Keep that in mind as you are fought by 'religious' demons, also.  (Sorry, that's all I can call them.)  You come under attack in the market place and in the church by people fueled by anger and jealousy. 

That is not an indication that you are out of the will of God.  Just as in Jesus' case, He was doing EXACTLY what God told Him to do and He got into trouble for it.  But, now think about it, God WORKED that trouble around to where the END of it brought glory to God.  It brought glory to His Son also, the object of their spite.  When all THEY wanted to do was bring Him shame, they were only puppets in God's hands to exalt the Son of God through what He suffered.  (Plenty of scripture for that.  Find it.  It'll do you good to look it up.)  GOD'S plan for Jesus far outweighed ANY plan that His enemies had.  Plus, every plan that His enemies had only turned to His benefit when God got through with it.

His enemies were INDEED His footstool.  And, so are yours.  Just rejoice that God is working His will in your life and when He is finished, you will see that you needed those enemies after all.  God will manifest His will in your life and the glory that He brings will far outweigh ANYTHING that your enemies have thrown at you.  Pass this on to other enemies of the devil.  They need it just like you did.

Don't Stop What God Is Doing For You

The most common 'doubt trap' that we fall into as Christians, is to judge the will of God for us by the things that happen to us.  Does this sound confusing?  Yeah, it did to me at first, but let's take a look at the life of Jesus Christ.

Prejudice and religious politics kept Jesus from be accepted and appreciated.  You know, it just doesn't make good sense for the religious geeks of Jesus' day to treat Him like they did.  In John the ninth chapter, we find the story of Jesus healing a man that was blind from birth.  I'm on the side of the ex-blind man.  He jumped into the Pharisees' grits by telling them that since the world began no one has ever healed a man that was born blind.  He finished by saying "If this man were not of God He could do nothing."  So, with those convincing words and actions the 'powers that be' heaped praises on the Son of God, right?  Wrong!!!  They not only refused to give any credit to Jesus, they also kicked the ex-blind man out of the synagogue.  Boy, howdy.  Now that was a great big 'gotcha' against that blind man, wasn't it.  We're gonna kick you AND your Jesus out of our religious hog pen.  You won't be able to wallow around with us any more.  It's like the ex-blind man really cared.  You gotta understand. They could do anything in the world to him that they wanted---BUT THEY COULD NOT MAKE HIM BLIND AGAIN.  Jesus gave that man something that the religious ding-dongs couldn't take away.

All through Jesus' life it was that way.  No matter how much compassion He showed, the only thing He got from the mucketty-mucks was a turned up nose.  However, Jesus' eyes were not on how He was being treated.  That is the biggest 'doubt trap' that we could ever fall into.  You CANNOT pay attention to the negative way people treat you as you serve a Risen Savior.

If you want to be a good hitter in baseball, what do you do?  You KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL.

If you want to keep from having a wreck on the highway, what do you do?  You KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE ROAD.

If you want to be a good baseball pitcher, what do you do?  You KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE SPOT YOU WANT THE BALL TO GO.

Phil 3:14--I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  This verse describes what Jesus did when He faced rejection and prejudice from the people.  He kept His eyes on the prize.  Heb 12:2-Who for the JOY that was SET before Him.  He was surrounded by doubters and haters of God.  The high priest and all of his cronies NEVER, NEVER accepted Jesus.  Did that make Jesus a loser?  No.  Jesus DID NOT focus on what they 'said' or 'did.'  He kept His eyes focused on His prize for being obedient to the will of God.  He KNEW He was destined to suffer and die.  However, His focus went PAST the crucifixion.  His gaze, His meditation, His hopes and everything within Him was focused on the Resurrection.  He actually went 2,000 years farther than that.  His focus was on what His Resurrection could do for us, right now, today.  His focus was on what the outpouring of the Holy Spirit could bring us into today, tomorrow and all next week.  Not only that but for every today, every tomorrow and every next week that we will ever see.

Folks, Jesus saw the Resurrection as a historical fact that just had not occurred yet.  That is the way we need to accept every promise in the Word of God.  The revival, the healings, the deliverance for us and our children, the financial blessings, the turn around of this country, the safety of our troops are all historical facts that haven't been manifested if we do two things.  Believe His Word and keep our eyes on that prize.  Don't let your gaze, your meditation or your heart be centered on the ugly things you and I have to go through at this very moment.  Psalm 23 says that even though I WALK THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death.  The Psalmist said that the valley might be where I am now but, pardon the analogy but it's a truth, I AM GOING TO BE THROUGH WITH THIS VALLEY BECAUSE I AM GOING TO KEEP ON WALKING.  Amen and Amen.  Shout somebody.

Pawns Under the Mighty Hand of a Righteous God

House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will be in the spotlight this week.  They will continue their piddly little antics with the budget negotiations so that, if possible, some functions of the government will not shut down by this Friday.  Well, as inept as some of the government functions are, it would be VERY OK with me if some of them did shut down.  They need to let my wife be in charge of the purse strings.  Her strategy is simple, "We can't afford to do that."  Hey!  What's wrong with that?  Sounds like a great plan to me.  Do I have the digital camera that I want so I can create another blog about my backyard?  Not yet.  Do we have cable or satellite dish any more?  Nope.  Couldn't afford it right now.  And, frankly, except for the Florida Gators football and the Atlanta Braves baseball, it hasn't made a whole lot of difference in our lives.  Our house payment is being made.  The lights are still on.  There's food on our table.  Sure, I had to take ramen noodles for lunch last week, and I kinda grew to like them.  Is my household much different than yours?  Not really.  It's all a matter of, "We can't do that" when it comes to spending money.  Why can't our CURRENTLY elected officials figure that out.  My suggestion is that if the CURRENTLY elected officials can't figure it out, then they are the ones who should be FIGURED out in the next elections.  Why keep throwing money away on useless politicians?

So, what's the answer? Ex 2:23--And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.  No, I am not advocating that someone assassinate the president or any of our leaders.  What I am advocating is that those of us in bondage need to start crying out to God.  The children of Israel new that God had said that they would be in bondage for four hundred years before they would be released.  They kept track and it was coming up on the four hundredth anniversary.  They began to pray and cry out because of the cruel bondage that they were in.

We are coming up on the Easter season where we celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He was cruelly crucified and died as a ransom for our sins.  Three days later, he was resurrected and began a new reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.  Notice the big "K" and the little "k".  That means the HE rules over everyone else that thinks they are the little "k" on this earth.  And that includes every member of our Congress.  Folks, let's get this idea that running our government is out of our hands and we can't change things.  When our hands are folded in prayer and our knees are bowed before the KING of kings and LORD of lords, we, in essence begin to take on the role of leaders of our country.  If God's people will only see the necessity of powerful, corporate prayer, the congressmen that are elected to serve us would indeed begin to serve us.

Pharaoh did not want to let God's people go.  He commanded his armies to tighten down on the rebellious Hebrews.  These children of the covenant went over his head and began to cry out to a righteous God that had cut a covenant with their Patriarch Abraham.  God is a righteous covenant keeping God.  He said that He would keep His covenant down through a thousand generations. (Deut. 7:9, 1 Chron 16:15, Psa 105:8)  So what are we waiting for?  Take control of your government by taking control of your knees.  Bow before Him and plead the blood of His covenant, the blood that Jesus poured out on Calvary's cross.  Repent of every sin He convicts you of.  Turn to Him and He will turn back the tide of oppression.  Pharaoh was only a pawn in God's hands and, through prayer, our leaders will only be pawns for Him, also.

AN ISSUE OF A GOD KIND--IS AMERICA NEXT

Over the past several months, nations like Egypt, Syria and Libya have been rocked by unrest.  Their rulers have been toppled or are in the process of being deposed.  The common thread that has lead to each of these devastating situations has been the same thing that plagues the United States.  The rulers of these countries have taken in money hand over fist while ignoring the dreadful poverty of their people. 

America was originally founded on the premise that every citizen of this country was allowed to have his voice heard.  Different citizens might have different views on certain situations but every citizen SHOULD have the right to voice their opinions and have their concerns heard.  These countries that are in distress right now are having their trouble because their rulers have failed to address the issues that concern the majority of the people.  Their countries used to thrive on oppressing opposite views.  The ruling parties have for so long raked in the money and left the poor to fend for themselves now find that the poor are more numerous  than they are.  AND, the poor have gotten sick and tired of being poor while those that govern the land get richer by the moment.

It is so easy for those that CLAIM they govern our nation to point their fingers at these rulers and tell them that they SHOULD have known better and that they SHOULD have seen it coming.  However, our lawmakers and leaders ought to take heed to the attitude of the general populous and address their righteous concerns before a similar type of rebellion take hold of this country.

Our congressmen rake in a salary of $150,000+ and can't even get their act together to put together a REAL budget.  A REAL budget is one that lives within the means available.  For too many years our congressmen have been living in a dream world of deficit spending.  This deficit spending has been fueled by entitlement spending.  In other words, they are paying the poor to stay poor.  The United States of America has gone back to the days of slavery.  We have created a society that is no longer free but is "chained" into depending on government handouts to live on.

We have two categories of "poor."  The government can no longer continue increasing the entitlement programs to feed the greedy that depend on it.  Those that pay their taxes and work hard are having more of their pay checks eaten away by an overpaid and under producing congress.  If the working class of America got as little done for their companies as our congress does for this nation, our GNP would take a nose dive.  Businesses would fall to pieces, incomes would vanish, more people would apply for entitlements and the congress would vote themselves another pay raise.  We, too, a rushing headlong into a revolution of the poor.

Since Congress fails and refuses to do anything about this ungodly situation, it is up to us, the PRAYING Christians to get the job done.  In Deut. the 28th chapter is listed the blessings and cursing of God.  The first fourteen verses list the blessings that God will pour out on those that "listen" to Him.  The remaining fifty-three verses list the dreadful things that will "come upon and overtake" the people that refuse to listen to God. 

Second Chronicles 7:14 tells us that if God's people would humble themselves and pray, that our land would be healed.  That means that we stop complaining about our situation and do something about it.  Godly repentance and heartfelt prayer CAN and WILL turn this nation around.  Do I have the answer to America's problems?  No, I don't.  But, I serve the one who has promised to heal this land.  How will He do that?  That, dear readers, is our faith commitment to the promise of God.  We are the ones who are in doubt right now.  God has proven Himself faithful time and time again.  If He said that He will heal our land, then, obviously He has a plan of action that He intends on putting in place when WE, the praying populous make up our minds to rebel. 

A rebellion!!!!!!  That's what America needs right now.  A thunderous, direction-changing rebellion!!!!!  First of all, when we rebel against our slothful ways and begin to pray more than we complain, the revolution starts.  When we refuse to negotiate with the enemy and will accept nothing but repentance of their sins, when we refuse to accept life as it is and will only be content with a nation-wide revival that brings souls to Jesus....the revolution is on it's way.  Saints, it is not up to a lazy and fat-cat congress to straighten out America.  They have already proven themselves to be incompetent.  It is US, the blood-bought redeemed that are willing to put more stock into 'knee-ology' than we are theology that are poised to bring about a change in this great nation of ours.

Pass this on and let it reach every household.

Urgent Prayer Request

Dear Readers,

I know this blog travels the world and many sincere believers are subscribed to it.  My cousin, Wayne, has just found out that his wife Donna has stage IV cancer and will be undergoing treatment soon.  They are committed Christians and have submitted themselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Would you put their names on your prayer lists?

Does cancer come from God?  Absolutely not.  It doesn't make sense that God would inflict suffering just for the egotistical benefit of healing it.  That's about as crazy as a fireman going out and setting a forest on fire just to have something to do.  That also happens to be a crime in this country.  To me, as well as others that KNOW the Lord and don't just know about Him, we know that the awful things that happen to mankind come as a result of man's original sin in the garden of Eden.

All of us know that we serve a great big God that loves us more than we know.  All of us know that all healing comes from God, whether it be by doctor or by supernatural manifestation.  However, just like salvation.  Neither are automatic.  According to God's design, forgiveness and healing come through prayer and faith in God's divine love for us. 

Let's pray, not only for Wayne and Donna, but for Christians everywhere to be strengthened by His mighty hand. 

Much love in Jesus,
Henry