Don't be distracted: Souls need saved for anything to change

Problems and frustration seem to be everywhere. So many seem angry and ready to tear things down or just overwhelmed and numb.

Whatever you see as the biggest problem today, God has the answer. Imperfect people can't provide perfect solutions like He can, though the devil will try and soon will deceive the world by uniting all against God's perfect love, a time you must prepare for as I show here. I also show how to avoid it (or spread around to help people if it's too late) in this post. Here you can see how to turn to Him, and how turning things over to God will free you.

I know I made that sound very simple. However, you can easily start a Gospel presentation that way.

How to start true change 

It starts with an individual choice. Because let's face it, if you want to go to Florida becasue it's really cold this winter, you have to go the right direction or you'll end up in Alaska, and no road to Alaska will get you to Florida.

 

Many expect protest and rage over a variety of things, but hearts must change through God's love and forgiveness. That means for ourselves first so we can be reconciled to Him, forgiven and saved from sin? The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We earn spiritual death because of our sin. That is separation from God forever, from His wonderful love and mercy and separation from any goodness or peace. The good things so many truly want.

God promises us that if we receive his free gift by faith, though, we will go to his perfect Heaven someday where there is no pain, no suffering, no sorrow, no sin. And, He'll give His peace to you whenever you turn to Him once you've trusted Jesus personally to save you.

You can make that choice today. Just call on Jesus by faith, believing He died to take the punishment for your sins and rose from the dead.

You can pray a prayer something like this. "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I am not perfect and don't deserve your perfect heaven. But I know you died for my sins, you took my punishment for my sins, and you rose from the dead. Lord Jesus, today I call on you to save me, I trust you to forgive me, I ask you to forgive me and come live in me and make me new inside. Lord Jesus, today I believe that you saved me not because of any work I've done, but because of simple faith in calling on you to save me. In Jesus name, amen."

We must choose individually whether to follow God or the devil every day. We can be sure of our Salvation once we are saved, but we lose blessings and rewards when we stray from Him.

God provides a way for us to follow Him which is very simple if we come together as equals before Him. We complicate it so much as people. We also add things that don't need to be there.

Focus on eternal, call on Him to solve here and now

We are easily distracted by things on the outside. But, causes we stand for and  man-made things we love won't last forever. God may or may not want us to support them - it depends on if they line up with the perfect will of our Creator. Some do, but many things people support don't. Also, sometimes there are important causes but we must remember to put God first and let him use us to make things right in  Godly way, not through disruptiveness. Sometimes, like with certain scandals, it is most important to seek the Lord and pray evil be revealed quickly. As hard as it is for some, myself included, t, let go and let God work, it is important to keep giving things over to Him since He handles issues of the heart best and always has a better solution than people can have.

We must look at the heart for God to change things, and give that heart to Jesus, as I have shared when discussing things like the reconciliation needed for Revival.

Jesus loves everybody. He always has. The cross is not political. It is sad that some try to politicize it. But that doesn't mean it is. It only means that people are using it the wrong way - selfishly, not glorifying God.

It's just like if you lift a lawn mower to trim the top of your hedges. That doesn't make it a hedge trimmer, nor is your mower bad.

The true answer to everything is to take it to God who forgives any who come to Him in Repentance becasue He makes them new inside. He can even revive this nation, but it must begin with us.

it must involve talking with each other and coming to an agreement, understanding and not just planning one's own agenda. Imperfect man can't create a perfect system,  so it stands to reason that we all bring different thoughts of what things represent and need to get along.

However, just 'getting along" isn't going to create a perfect world - that won't come till Jesus returns. We still should work as hard as we can to support Godly causes, but followers of God should be known for what they're for - a loving God who forgives sin and makes people new inside and so on - not just what they're against.

Anything else - as much as we may love things like our country - distracts you from the real issue.

Trust God to heal this land - counter-intuitive but logical

I posted numerous times that God's justice is better than man's, and how God will bring peace and justice when He reigns. We need to be careful because, as noted, the Antichrist will come first and try to lure people into his false peace.

 

 God's peace is something you can have now and forever.

It may feel counter-intuitive, because we want to solve things ourselves. However, since we, as imperfect people, can't create something perfect becasue of that heart problem, it makes sense to need to solve that heart problem first, in ourselves and then in others.

God can use us to heal the land, but it must be through cnostructive, not destructive things. If you drop something on your toe, you might soon forget about your headache, but you might also have a broken tow because of it. That might make you forget your headache but it won't heal it. (So, if you wondered if I'd come up with a different analogy for a change, there it is. :-) )

This is why I've posted before about resilience being important, and the importance of teaching it, so we can be constructive in our actions. Of course, rumor has it that some people are siply paid to protest, but I won't get into whether I even believe that.

The important thing is tht it doesn't matter how much we try, how much we clamor for change, true change can only come from heart change, and that can only come because the Holy Spirit is working in hearts. And, the Spirit will only work in hearts when we repent of our sins and turn to God. then, he will hear from heaven and heal this land.

 

 We need people to follow Him and not be distracted by all the mess around them. It's not going to last.

 

What we can take with us if nothing here will last - signs of a healed land

So, if everything here is going to disappear someday anyway, what will those who trust Christ s Saviour take with them?

The rewards they earn for doing Godly things here for Him, and the souls of those they helped.

A healed land would have people helping others - including you, the reader - for God's sake, not angrily acting out for selfish gain in things that won't even last.

It would have everyone working together for good, just as many people seek now anyway.

It would have all of these thigns done for the glory of God because people wouldn't be selfishly thinking only of what they can get out of it, they would not be throwing money at sensual thigns that can only harm relationships.

This nation hasn't been perfect - it has ideals that it hasn't lived up to, but we can take the right kind of action by calling on Jesus to heal us and to change hearts from our own all the way to the White House and everywhere in between.

Rather than taking thigns totally the wrong direction, falling into the hands of the devil, we can and must call on the Lord and turn to Him for salvation and for Godliness to return to this land.

Forgiveness - for selves, others, and country - just a sincere prayer away

 I want to start this by making a distinction brought to mind by a contact's question with Global Media Outreach.

All sin causes us to fall short of God's perfection. It all had to be atoned for, nailed to the cross, for us to receive God's free gift of eternal life. As Ravi Zacharias says, “The four absolutes we all have in our minds: love, justice, evil, and forgiveness." These are absolutes that we try to imagine for ourselves, but God's Word tells us the real definition of each. And, all were present at the cross; God in His absolute love defeated the absolute evil which led people to sin by meting out upon Himself, Jesus Christ, absolute justice for our sin so that He could give us absolute forgiveness.

However, once we confess to God that we're sinners in need of a Saviour, and trust Jesus Christ by calling on Him to forgive and to save us, we don't need to pray Psalm 51 after every little sin. Our prayers for forgiveness can usually be along the lines of a child whose loving father comes into the room and tells the child kindly, "You left the cottage cheese out of the refrigerator." The expected reaction is just a "Sorry, Dad" and then going to put it away (repenting - turning from that sin).If we keep our hearts right, we'll keep those little ones from growing into bigger ones.(Such as how so many sins were committed, leading to that Psalm 51 prayer, because David didn't look away from Bathsheba and control himself.

Forgiveness is there if we just receive it by faith in three types - our own, others', and then as a part of that our country.

For Ourselves

Why repentance? I've mentioned this elsewhere on this blog; this post is a good example. We all have a sin nature. The song The Power of the Cross by Stuart Townend speaks much more powerfully and I encourage you to listen. However, suffice it to say that "every bitter thought, every evil deed" has been placed on our Savior, and He has borne all the wrath, the full weight of the world's sin.

If we're not careful it can become easy to forget that among all those people was each one of us. No, we haven't all committed every type of sin. But, all our bitter, wrathful, uncaring, prideful, and others types of thoughts, along with all the evil acts we commit, were paid for on the cross. Without Jesus Christ taking our place and bearing our sins, the just for the unjust(1 pet.2:24), we could not be forgiven and could not get to God's perfect Heaven, because there can't be any sin there. So, we must trust Jesus to save us and make us new.

This is why I began the way I did. Each of our past, present, and future sin is paid for on the cross. It was all an affront to God and His perfect righteousness, but it has all been paid for. Once you trust Him to save you and forgive you and invite Him to be your Saviour and to make you new inside, you stand forgiven at the cross. We who are forgiven have a relationship with God that wasn't present before we called on Him to save us. If you've never done that, you need to, and your are only a single, sincere prayer of repentance away.

Remember, of course, that while those little sins may not be as big as others, they are still sin  - all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.(Rom.3:23) The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.(Rom.6:23) False pride, being mean, lying, and so on all those bitter, spiteful, vengeful thoughts, pile on top of each other and all add up to the reason Jesus Christ came for you. if you'd been the only person ever in this world He still would have come to die for you and rise from the dead.

You can go here if you'd like to make a profession of faith because you just trusted him as Saviour right now or you would like to know how, or you can ask questions to one of the numerous online volunteers.

For Others

Did you ever notice Jesus never says not to remove a mote from another's eye? He only says to first remove the beam from one's own eye.

The Bible says that with whatever judgment we judge, we'll be judged.

That can be both comforting - we can stand up for the truth - and scary if we aren't living that truth. When we pray, we must have our hearts right with God, as I remarked here. In other words, not entertaining thoughts of evil like revenge, hatred, bitterness, and so on. These are the kinds of things we should get rid of fast by going to someone and discussing the hurt right away, as the Matthew 18 principle shows. "Be ye angry and sin not - let not the sun go down upon your wrath"(Eph.4:26) means it's okay to have righteous anger, but that anger should never be used as an excuse to sin. "let not the sun go down..." means don't let anger fester and become worse and worse, go to the person and get things right before the day ends if possible.

Sometimes, that forgiveness must be extended decades after something happened. Corrie Ten Boom had an experience like this. It was only a couple years later, but her story of seeing a former concentration camp guard who was so clearly a new person is quite amazing. However, either way, we must be willing to put that behind us and not keep punishing that person; even if, as she did, we must ask the Spirit in us to be the one to extend that hand of forgiveness..

Forgiveness isn't the same as forgetting, as she recognized. Traumas come in many forms, and sometimes it is a struggle with PTSD to avoid having a flashback when certain triggers are present or mentioned. The devil makes us recall those traumas. It's not something God wants. He wants us to successfully move onn. In such cases, it's important to trust and pray God will help you avoid such triggers and give you good ideas for how to cope - based on your own individual makeup - which will help you not have them. Remember that flashbacks are the devil's way of trying to make you think you are still in that place; so, for instance, if you were being terribly bullied perhaps you can envision it stopping somehow. You know that it is merely a mechanism to keep you from thinking that the evil is still happening. 2nd Timothy 2 1 says to be strong in the Lord. That is a continual strengthening from the outside, which only God can provide. And, it shows that he understands it is hard for us to deal with some things.

However, you can still forgive and pray that God help the person become more like Christ and to receive Christ as Savior if they haven't. You can still choose not to hold it against that person, though of course there are consequences to sin. Sometimes those mean separation, such as when Paul and Barnabas agreed that the problem between them was not something that allowed them to remain together. This is where if a person is being abused, they have every right to stay away from that abuser.

All that being said, most things brought to mind are not PTSD-related but simply things we must get rid of by forgiving, letting go and letting God handle it rather than continuing to be bitter.

God calls us to forgive just as Christ did. Those extreme examples might even be compared to King David, who when King Saul sought to kill him didn't just stop in his tracks, go up to Saul, and let him kill him. (Although, being God's anointed, I suppose God would have raised him from the dead - which might have given Saul a fatal heart attack on the spot!) However, when David had a chance to harm Saul, he refused to take revenge.(1 Sam. 24)

David's example of sparing Saul's life is the perfect picture of how we should be. David trusted God to handle things, just as are told to in Romans 12:20. Indeed, when we love our enemies it is as if we heap burning coals upon their heads. After all, if someone else will not receive that forgiveness it can constantly haunt them that they didn't when we were so loving. But, we must give them the chance to do so because God can make them new inside so they're not like that.

And, that's the biggest thing. "Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."(Eph.4:32) God has forgiven each of us for every sin we have ever committed. I'm sure there are some who have been very mean and cruel, but not every sin they ever committed was against one person the way we have offended God with our sin.

God's Heaven is perfect. There can no sin there. it will be impossible to be sinned against, but it will also be impossible to sin. That's why God must make us new creatures.(2 Cor.5:17). this can only be done by putting your trust in Jesus Christ to save you and calling on Him to forgive you of your sins.  If you have been made new, there should be a desire in your heart to do what's right to glorify Him. We will still sin, but we should do it less and less as we give more and more to Him.

And, as we learn to love others more, we can see great things happen. Our country, as bad a shape as it's in in many areas, still can be forgiven, but we must seek God now.

For Our Country

2 Chronicles 7:14 says, "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then shall I hear from Heaven, and I will answer their their prayers, and I will heal their land." While this verse is meant for Israel, we Gentiles have been grafted in, receiveing the spirit of adoption by God. In addition, Jeremiah 18:5-10 proves this promise is also for Gentile nations.

So, God is willing to forgive us. We see through personally receiving forgiveness and sharing it with others  that God forgives people; He'll forgive our nation, too. But, it's up to us. And, it's a choice we should make for a few good reasons.

First, forgiveness wipes out the sin debt which we have. Our national debt is horrible, but it is really nothing compared to our sin debt. The judgment which would come down upon this country if we didn’t seek god’s face and turn from our wicked ways is huge – remember that absolute justice requires that sins be paid for somehow.

Some might argue that our nation doesn’t deserve forgiveness, but remember, neither do any of us. Jesus didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. That may sound confusing at first because there is none righteous, no not one.(Rom.3:1) however, what He means when he says this is that He isn’t going to grant forgiveness to those who don’t think they need to be forgiven. He won’t force us to trust Him. He lovingly woos us.

In the same way, this nation was self-righteous and didn’t feel it needed forgiven for a long time.People were only Godly when they chose to be - in other words, not against minorities or poor people or whatever other people they didn't like.

Such an evil attitude is why I often emphasize that repentance means turning away from sin.it's agreeing with God that one's sin separates one from a perfect and holy God and letting God take that sin upon Himself.

Therefore, we must - as a nation - seek forgiveness recognizing that this means turning away from our sins and turing to a Biblical way of treating others with love, kindness, compassion, etc. regardless of what they look like or where they are from.

We can't just pick and choose what of God's tenets to follow, but we can simply turn back to God and trust Him to heal this land by trusting Him to reveal to us what our stances need to be on certain things to be right with HIm. This, of course, understanding that it's important to focus on what we stand for, not jsut against.

That verse in 2 Chronicles calls for God's people to do these things, not a leader. He wants moral, Godly leadership, but first we have to want it, too. The way to get it is not by following the establishment - which is man-made and filled with sin - but it is also not with forsaking the establishment with a totally unGodly person, either. (More on that problem later.)

Instead, the solution is for us to call on Jesus in prayer and urge others to as well, turning from our sins and trusting in God to heal our land.

He still can. He takes no pleasure in punishing the wicked.(Ezek.33:11) however, time may be short. We don't know how long we have, but we do know that God's love is waiting for us to call on Him to forgive. And, he will remove our sins as far as the east is fromt he west and restore us. Maybe not to the worldly standard of superpower, but remember, we should build our treasures in Heaven, where moth and rust cannot corrupt and thieves don't break forth and steal. For where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also.(Matt.6:20-21)

In new year, pray, trust God the Holy Spirit to guide nation

I've often written about how many problems occurred in what many call the "good old days."

As we pray for God to work mightily in our own hearts, lives, families, communities, and ultimately nation, it's great to recall the War Room movie which has done so well. It shows very effectively that we wrestle not against flesh and blood.(Eph.6:12) We are fighting God's enemy, the devil - as noted, the devil was a created being with "untested created holiness" who chose to rebel against God.(Isa.14:12-15,Ezek.28, etc.) The devil's end will be hell and the lake of fire. He wants to take as many with him as he can.

Most readers here are laypeople, but that isn't a problem. Laypeople can and should be determined to go to God to pray for revival; in fact, God deserves all the glory, anyway, since He alone is worthy - we've all sinned and come short of the glory of God. So, just as in 1857 a concerned layperson began a prayer meeting that led to a great revival, you can, too.

 The Holy Spirit's Work

It's our job to be Christlike and lovingly guide people to trust Christ as Saviour so they can go to Heaven instead. We have the Holy Spirit's help - how God lives in each believer. In "War Room," for instance, the father's heart is moved because he apparently has trusted Christ as his Saviour already, and so he has the Holy Spirit in him and is convicted of some sins he is doing or about to.(Hope that doesn't spoil anything. :-))

However, Jesus promises(John 16:7-12) that the Holy Spirit is also here to convict unbelievers of their need for repentance, of the need to do what's right - and how we all fall short of God's perfection - and of judgment on those who don't trust Jesus to forgive them. The Holy Spirit is free to do that because at the moment of Christ's death on the cross, atonement was made for all mankind's sin, and the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.(Matt.27:51) The Holy Spirit was free to roam around the world and indwell believers and work in nonbelievers.

So, when we seek God's face for revival, after repenting of our own sins - those over the last 350, not just the last 50 - we can do two types of things. For each believer, pray that they follow Godly principles,stay faithful,put others first, especially family, etc.. And, for each nonbeliever, pray that God convicts them and that they come to know Jesus as Saviour and let Him change them on the inside, but in the meantime, also pray that they do what is right, not be corrupt, accept responsibility for actions, and so on.

it's not our job to convict of sin or to force others to do what's right, but it is our job to pray and seek God Almighty to intercede on our behalf. And, to know the Bible so we can know what those Godly principles are, of course, such as how to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit(Gal.5:22-23) and thus pray for others to, also. Because, Jesus says we'll be known by our fruit.

That fact, by the way, is why it's easy to trust God's Word to show what it means to be Christlike - loving, caring, gentle, meek, etc. - and when people aren't acting like Him.

Two problems - Counterfeit Christians and Heads Versus Hearts

The post before illustrates how to do things nationally by using the example of revival efforts in Los Angeles ,and ways the Holy Spirit can work and ways the devil counterfeits it. Now, let's examine something else the devil counterfeited - actual Christians. Mankind's meddling improved some things, and changed others on the outside for a while, but it has not gotten to peoples' hearts, and that is why there is still so much more evil and why what was there has gotten much worse.

Originally, there were many things we did right in being Godly examples. We respected others, were thoughtful, courteous, compassionate, and so on. However, we were like that poem about a little girl, often thought to be a nursery rhyme. We were either very good or horrid, and there was little in between. We were often only good when it suited us. However, God's Word instructs us to see everyone as equal and to look on the heart. God says to ignore mankind's system, because the world's system - the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life - ignores God; it will pass away someday and mean nothing.(1 John 2:15-17)

We have improved in some ways, as noted. Our laws prohibit the terrible brutality, injustice, and segregation of the past. In other words, the counterfeits of the past don't have legal authority to act in the way they did. However, these things merely impacted head knowledge. Oh, it has helped a lot, there are far fewer people, because of education and being able to live and work together, who think the way people did a century ago. However, while hearts were impacted in that way, we have not improved the heart in the most important way - too many people think mankind can dream up any system it wants and ignore God.

This ignoring of God's laws is what has caused so many problems. While injustice and oppression aren't supposed to happen, laws haven't prevented cases like Tamir Rice's. Without as many people praying and seeking His Holy Spirit to move in peoples' hearts, people more and more act unjustly, and the love of many waxes cold, people are without natural affection, and other signs that Jesus is returning soon.

Another example is in how society was never this vulgar decades ago, because we all felt a responsibility to others. however, because we have ignored God, we now have a nation of people who hound the good ones with their awful vulgarity and tear others down consistently instead of building them up.

There are many other examples, but the key is to seek God's face to end the horrid stuff and heal our land. Then, the meanness, hatred, and so on will diminish not because people have to, but because people want to; because they want to serve the loving, living God who graciously saved them from their sin. And, the spirit of Godliness will be caught by those who don't believe.

What the Spirit's Movement Would Look Like

For the Holy Spirit to work, there must be a conscious effort to let Him  work in us first. We should be "filled with the Spirit"(Eph.5:17) - that verb implies a continual action, which can only happen if one is relying so much on the Spirit as to be controlled by Him.(Yes, the Holy Spirit has qualities of a person just like the other parts of the Godhead.) We can't do that in our fleshly natures, but we can continue to strive for it. And, when enough people seek the Lord in prayer, great things can happen.

As to what it would look like, both War Room and the 1857 Prayer Revival link show great examples. Not only do people trust Christ as Saviour in a revival, but people get right with the Lord. Businesses stop being crooked, people stop harming others, and so on. These are spiritual blessings, after all - God can't suddenly give everyone a million bucks because God's nature is to focus on the eternal, although he will reward those who He knows will use that in a way that will help others or help them grow closer to Him.

The increase in honesty, respect for others, and so on will in turn, end oppression because those doing the oppressing will be following Jesus instead. Yes, there will still be sinners around, but thepower of the Holy Spirit will move people to do right.

So, why doenst it now? Isn't God just as powerful? Yes, of course He is; He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. However, He is a gentleman and won't go where He's not wanted.

God wants you to want Him to move in this country.

As to how to pray, we've discussed numerous key points in this blog. As the new year starts, just reemember that each believer has a personal relationship with God. When we pray with a repentant heart, we're showing that we understand God doesn't have to honor our prayer requests, but He chooses to when we are right with Him becasue of His love and peace.

So, for  saved person, it would mean unselfishness, concern for others, putting God first on the throne of your heart, etc.

For those who have not placed their trust in Jesus yet, please still pray. As you seek God with all your heart, you will find He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.(Heb.11:6) You will find He gives you total peace and comfort when you trust Him - He gives peace that passes understanding, in fact.(Phil. 4:6-7) he gives perfect, Godly wisdom to anyone who asks.(James 1:5) There are many other promises in the Bible of His goodness to you. No matter who you are, you have been fearfully and wonderfully made by Him(Ps.119:14) - I have numerous handicaps myself but He has still used me for quite a few great things. He will relieve your burdens - His yoke is easy and His burden is light.(Matt.11:28-30) It is simply a burden of following Him and sharing the Good News of His salvation, and he will give you the strength to overcome - He will be your strength, in fact. he will cotinually strengthen you.(2 Tim.2:1)

I've missed quite a few promises and even of those I did, I may have missed some cites, but if you want a really good, encouraging short video on who He is, this is an excellent one. The important thing is that one must simply call on Jesus by faith to save them from their sins, trusting that he is God in flesh and died to take the punishment for their sins and rose from te dead in order to be saved.

We won't just spend our time praising God when there's a revival, though. As noted in the 1857 one, many people repented of their wicked ways, people started to behave justly, families would be restored and many other great things happen in a repentance revival, too, with people treating others as they should, with love and respect.

There will be evil until the Lord returns, of course. However, seeking Him can allow us to truly see thigns change as the Holy Spirit moves. Right now, it is as if God is saying, "This is a big job, a problem that only i can solve, do you want Me to work or do you want to keep trying it yourself?"

We keep trying it ourselves, and it doesn't work. Let's do like that man in 1857, let's get together in the new year and start praying fervently with others. It's a much bigger nation, meaning more problems and mroe of a need to see the Lord work. However, we serve the same God who spoke the world into existence, and He do wonders here, too.

Why God's justice & God's love, not man's, in seeking justice or else

I'll be honest, I don't watch TV news anymore; too much violence, too many mean people, etc.. Radio & Internet are enough.

So, I wanted to comment on a recent Million Man March I missed till the day of it, but one of the slogans on Twitter and probably elsewhere, "Justice or Else," caught my eye and it inspired this blog post, which will - as I disclosed with another - in the event someone should read both - likely go on our inner city ministry's blog with very similar wording.

We must seek to make sure the justice system runs fairly, but there are reasons why we must pray and let God deal with the details instead of we ourselves.

The phrase "Justice or Else" reminds me of numerous Psalms, one I've quoted here - "Why dot he heathen rage" from Psalm 2 - and a number of others. There is so much evil in the world, and racism is one of the biggest human rights issues. It's so sad, because we're all one race - the human race. Racism is just an excuse invited by people to selfishly try to get their way, ignoring the fact we are all equal in the eyes of God - man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart.(1 Sam. 16:7)

This problem, however, shows why justice from man, woman, or any person, is not as good as God's justice. We all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.(rRom .3:23)

I have one example I use in a context showing why we must repent ourselves - perhaps to regular readers I use it too often, but here it will at least seem a little different. It is that of being cut off in traffic. We often criticize the person who did so without bothering to think that they may have a loved one in the hospital who has just been hurt seriously and who they are worried may be dying. Of course, it would be wrong to try to seek justice or revenge on a person who is rushing frantically to see a possibly dying loved one. Yet, in our selfishness as people, we end up doing so if only our justice is used. I read, for example, of a horrible case of a woman chastising a man who had just come out of the hospital after his little boy had just passed away. All she could think about in her selfishness was the fact he tripped over a purse and kicked it. Here for more worries on his mind and her job was to simply forgive and not pay attention. At the most, she could have said in a kind way,"Uh, you just tripped over my purse." Then if she did, she would have had the moral duty to listen politely while he lamented on his terrible loss.

We are all guilty, myself included, of jumping to conclusions and being too upset at someone, not knowing the pain they were feeling. (It's harder for me because with my handicaps I can't see there gestures as well to know if something might be a problem, so I try a lot harder to be nice, but I'm still human.) This is why we should not be thinking we must have justice on others in a rash manner, but must look at our own selves first and, then, seek the Lord. He states several times that vengeance is His, and that He will repay. He'll do a much better job than we ever could.

Why? God knows our hearts. He knows what each of us is thinking at any time. "You know my thoughts afar off," as part of Psalm 139 says. He knows exactly when we should have compassion on someone and when we should seek justice. He knows who is hurting terribly and who may realize they have done something wrong but just needs us to kindly speak to them and show forgiveness. And, he knows what needs a tough response.

America has had a lot of horrible things go on in its history. I've always said, we need to repent not just for the last 40 years, but the last four hundred years of our history. It could be argued that God's justice is deserved, but we also need to remember God's mercy.

The Bible shows God is love many times. Even when his people turned from Him so much, even as they crucified Him, He cried out, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."(Luke 23:34) I don't have time to get into great detail, but the Godhead(explained a bit more here) is how God manifests Himself in three ways, just as I might say, "I am a legally blind male, I am a baseball fan, I am such and such height." One person, three attributes.(Here is another good site to explain some questions Muslims have about the Bible, etc. Or, you can visit here and click that you make a decision or not and get connected to talk to someone personally.)

So, one of the big names of God is love. He is a very personal God who desires a personal relationship with each of us. He wants to give us justice. However, it's delayed sometimes because, first, sometimes His divine justice contains so much wrath against sin many innocents would die unless He waited and gave people time to repent; and, second, we ourselves need to get right with God and He is waiting on us.

Jesus made full atonement for us on the cross when He died, then rose from the dead. This way, punishment was handed out for our sins, and yet He also showed His mercy. Since Jesus was God in flesh, He went to the cross willingly for each of us. It is our job to share that mercy and grace and love with others.

When we don't Romans 12:20-21 says it's as if we heap burning coals on their forehead when we have been forgiving and they have continued to be defiant instead of ending the terrible oppression of this world.

You can see, then, how that divine mercy plays out. This doesn't mean America is off the hook, of course. But, that is because one must trust Jesus Christ to forgive them and save them first. And, in the same way, this country must repent. That means each of us.

What is Repentance and How do I do it?

When we repent, we are simply agreeing with God that our sins dispease Him and then turning away from those sins by accepting that He took the punishment for those sins. Nobody else could do so becasue all of us are iperfect. Only Jesus couldbe the perfect sacrifice because only He is perfect.

So, repenting of our sins and trusting Jesus Christ to forgive us is vital for a personal relationship with God. Then, we can pray anytime, anywhere, about anythign, we aren't limited by any strict rules. God comes to live in each beleiver through the Holy Spirit in this age of Grace.

It's as easy as ABC, one might say - Admit you're a sinner and don't deserve His perfect heaven, where there's no pain, no suffering, no tears, none can imagine the wonders; Believe Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for your sins and rose fromt he dead; and, call on His to save you and turn from your sins, trusting Him to make you new inside. You're only a single,s incere prayer of repentance away from eternal life - and that life starts the moment you believe. You can pray something like this, knowing the words don't save you, it has to be your own words from your heart asking Him to save you. "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner, I know you died to take the punishment for my sins so I could go to Heaven, because I can't make it myself. Lord Jesus, come into my heart and save me, I turn from my sins and trust you to make me new, to give me the "want to" to follow and serve you and to not sin. Thank you for hearing my prayer, for saving my woulk, and coming into my heart. In Jesus' name, Amen."

And, what of America's fate?

Trust the Lord to save you, and when you pray, you will be a mighty voice crying out for God to heal this land. This land really does need healed, but it is not we ourselves who can heal us. There is a spirit of decay that set in centuries ago and which only got partly fixed several tiems.

Now, America is at a crossroads. Justice is a very real need - and God is waiting. But, in the meantime, we all need His mercy becuase of our sins.Not only that, but when we do repent and trust Him by faith, he will reward us and hear those prayers. I don't know what exactly God's plan is, but He wants you as a great prayer warrior.

So, when it comes to justice, just remember, God will prevail. He has already promised it, showing how much damage will come partly becasue of man's own evil ways. Revelation bears it out - the devil's time is short and he wants to cause as much destruction as possible.  So, justice will be done.

It's important to remember God's divine mercy, too, so we ourselves can be saved and we can share that mercy with others. Becasue, in times past many people pretended to know God but didn't. But, He still exists and He wants to be part of you, guiding, helping, comforting, and so much more as He has me for 25 years and counting, and for as long as the Lord tarries His return.

Where America is going as a country

It's become an epidemic, as shown by how Ferguson still ignites problems a year later, with more provocations, protesters being arrested, etc.. The violence which has marred our nation shows people have giant holes in their hearts - searching but not knowing where to fill them. It is not just a racial issue, though that is one of the big problems for people who fail to recognize we are all one race. It is a spiritual battle, as declared numerous times in this blog. It is an issue for an entire country to analyze where we came from, where we are, and where we're going.

Of course, as has been shown, our past can be summed up by saying that America has a great heritage but also many problem areas.

Those problems stem from the fact that - while America has had some very Godly people - but has also always had people who only followed certain Godly principles and not others. We insisted on honesty and justice when it came to some things but not others, for example. We refused to accept that all people were equal because we are all one race. Many other things God saw and kept giving us chances to turn from our wicked ways.

Now, it's crucial to seek His forgiveness and for Him to change us not only for the last forty years but for the last four hundred, and to unite in fervent prayer for repentance revival so god can use us to do that.

That is because our country is at a crossroads.We must turn around now.

We could find ourselves going so far down a road of violence it would seem more like a third world country if it gets bad enough. (Some would argue it is now, but I don't know, since I didn't live through the sixties. And, we've had many other very tumultuous times, especially in the South. I only know that the latest incident with the Cleveland police and someone dying in prison is one more problem which shows a need for togetherness and God's cleansing.) And, this doesn't into the horrible drought in California which has dried up at least one river and could really impact the food supply and prices.

Or, God could bring a repentance revival to us.

It is up to us. I know it may seem difficult, because there are so few of us and so many problems. However, remember that in Genesis, God told Abraham he would spare Sodom if there were even 10 righteous people in that large city. There weren't, but the point is that God is very longsuffering and has such incredible patience for us.

That patience does eventually have a limit, however.

Some people have said America's doom is sealed. I don't like to get into wild speculation or fear mongering. The message of the Gospel - God's love toward us in paying for our sins through His death and resurrection,, and our salvation by grace through faith - is the utmost concern, because this world is not our home anyway. Even secular scientists agree there are multiple dimensions because of string theory - which requires at least ten - and it wasn't "Back to the Future' but Albert Einstein who added to our three dimensions the fact time is a fourth dimension. So, it's easy to look at things and say that the spiritual realm is simply another dimension. But, the Gospel is the crucial thing, for it is by grace you are saved through faith (in Jesus Christ, calling on Him to forgive and save you from yoru sins.)

However, I do know that we have strayed so far that God is surely looking for anyone to allow themselves to be used to do great things in our country. Add to that the fact that the Lord's return for his church could be very near - though even if it is I wouldn't be dogmatic about when, we must be about the Lord's business no matter what - and one can see that time is short.

Time for what? I don't know. But, whether it is time is that short before the Lord comes for his church or simply that it is short before God totally removes His protective hand, our task is clear.

We must see that people realize what we believe isn't what makes us Christians. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is what makes one a Christian. One believes certain things by following the Bible. However, where it is not a matter of the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith, while following the Bible leads to certain beliefs, we as Christians must agree to disagree and simply let God work in each situation. Paul says this to Euodias and Syntyche in Philippians 4:2-3. Their disagreement was not over doctrine, as Paul addresses this problem differently than if it were some manner of doctrine, where he says for instance in Galatians 1:8 that if anyone - or even an angel (who could be a fallen angel) - preached another Gospel let him be accursed.' No, these women were to be helped and encouraged to get along and focus on the main thing - the Gospel and not on their beliefs on other things, as long as those things didn't contradict the Word of God.

We must be committed to following the Lord with all our hearts and sharing His love everywhere we can.

At the same time, while we must be kind and considerate sharing our views and accepting others, we must stand on God's Word as absolute truth and speak that truth in love.

We must be committed to ensuring we are right with the Lord. If you have any doubt whether you have trusted Jesus Christ by faith alone to forgive you and save you from the penalty of your sins, settle it now by calling on Him to save you and make you new inside, so you can have a personal relationship with God. You're only a single, sincere prayer of repentance to Jesus Christ away from eternal life.

Will this save America? We don't know how much longer we have, it could be days or years or anywhere in between. But, as long as we are here, we must be about the Father's business, just as Jesus was. We must also work to build leaders among our young people, or be those leaders ourselves, as I've mentioned here, who can be dedicated to the Lord and change the culture to one which is still diverse yet which constantly honors Christ. Remember, before His throne will be people from all people groups everywhere. There will be many different customs, but what we follow as customs should line up with that desire to be more Christlike in our attitude toward others and toward His ways.

Let us all call on Jesus Christ to forgive us and save our land. Only He can heal. And I invite you to please read the other posts here to be encouraged by how we must unite at the cross, where Jesus has borne all of our sorrows and can restore that right, loving relationship we need with Him and will help us do so with each other, too, just like those women mentioned in Philippians 4.

Why repent, and history

We often hear older people say there isn't as much respect for history anymore. That is especially true when it comes to things like entertainment, where social media has caused people to only pay attention to what is recent, and for everything to be up for criticism and for people to then follow the crowd. It is true with other things as well, because people like George Washington aren't placed on quite the pedestal they were decades ago.

This can seem like a bad thing, because respect for what has come before us is important. It helps us to have a foundation to who we are, and the good guys of history can show us examples of good, upright behavior that we can be like. It is good to have achievements recognized for more than a few years, months, or even weeks like they are now, before they are forgotten, so we can see the benefit of a lifetime of moral living despite the fact they weren't perfect.

But, when it comes to prayer for our country, it can actually be a very good thing to not put such people on such a pedestal but instead to remember the imperfections.

In the olden days, we put people like George Washington on a pedestal; it seemed like they could do nothing wrong. Only one man ever lived who did nothing wrong, though, and that was Jesus Christ, who was God in flesh.

Therefore, it is not as hard to humble ourselves and seek forgiveness for the wrongs of a country dating back to its founding, and in fact before then. It is easier to accept the faults of our founders - Washington, for instance, apparently never paid late fees on a couple library books - instead of exalting them to the point we forget they, too, were imperfect.  The trick is that we must recognize that we, too, have faults, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.(Romans 3:23)

In the old days, it would be more difficult to seek repentance for the wrongs done centuries ago, because we only heard, for example, that George Washington "never told a lie" (a story that is not meant to say he was perfect, but to say that he tried very hard to always be honest,which is an admirable trait we, too, should have) or that Lincoln freed the slaves. However, let us consider, for instance, President Lincoln at the start of the Civil War cared as much about preserving the Union. And yet, he, too, provides a great model for us in repentance, because by the end of the Civil War, he said, in his second Inaugural Address, that it was possible that the war would last until every drop of blood which had then shed by slave owners for 250 years would be required of Southerners.

Thankfully, God is merciful, His mercies are new every morning, and though He must punish sin - and Lincoln's statement about the war might be close to accurate, given that it cost the nation so many lives and maimed many others (I hesitate to link as it's graphic for younger viewers, but Google "Civil war" and "surgery" or "limb amputations"), and that the financial cost - while it can never be completely known - was so much that the public debt, for instance, exploded to 40 times what it had been just 5 years earlier! God is long suffering toward us not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance. 2nd Peter 3:9 His patience will not last forever, of course, but while we are among the living we can be sure of His love and mercy. It can be argued whether the nation, in the Civil War and afterward, has already paid the economic price for its sins, but the important thing is that we know for certain that Jesus paid the sin debt that we all deserved to pay for our own sins. And, because of it, each person who has called on Jesus for forgiveness and placed their trust in Him to save them can go to Him and seek forgiveness for this country.

See, we too are guilty of sin just as everyone else. We don't all commit the same sins - Washington and Lincoln did try to always be genuinely honest, but they still sinned. And, looking back to the Old Testament, Daniel is the same kind of leader. And, it is important for everyone who will step up and pray like Daniel does in Daniel 9 to recall that in seeking forgiveness for America's sins.

If anyone could have said, "I followed you Lord when nobody else did," it was Daniel. He was a mere teenager, possibly as young as 11 or 12, when he was carried away captive to Babylon. He was noted by God and by the heathen around him for how he worshipped the Lord.(Daniel 6 records the others were jealous of him yet couldn't find anything to accuse him of.). Yet, we read that he sought forgiveness for all of the turning away from God that his forefathers had done by saying *we* have sinned. He sought forgiveness for the sacrificing of human beings to idols when it was the most horrible thing he could imagine. He asked God to forgive those who had done that because he himself was also a sinner. No, he never did anything like that. However, he recognized the central truth of God's Word, that we can't justify our selves, a word that means to "declare oneself righteous before the law." We can't declare ourselves as righteous as God. No, we have not always had it good here, there has been terrible oppression and some have been victims even recently in places like Ferguson and Baltimore and the horrible fight in Waco. (By the way, speaking of the spiritual battle that is going on, CNN has singled out the only black biker involved in that, as if the devil is again trying to stir things up. Don't let him do that, but instead pray to God for revival.)

However, the standard is not are we as well off financially or socially as someone else. The standard is not are we being kind and considerate while others are being violent toward us. The standard is found in Matthew 5:48. "Be ye perfect even as your Father in Heaven is perfect."

So, even though we are certainly not doing some of the wicked things othersdo, we must remember we, too, are imperfect and, as you can read in earlier blog posts, we must get our hearts right with God about those times we're mad at someone cutting us off when they might have been rushing to the hospital to see a dying relative or other times we have not been Christlike.

Let us remember that Washington was a man of prayer; let us see how the secular world has tried to ignore this famous painting - and the fine art that it is - and put down the faith that Washington had, regardless of the exact facts of his prayer. Let us remember that our heroes, like Washington, were fallible, but let us also emulate their good qualities.

However, we should remember the one we want to be like is Jesus Christ. The way to do that is to let Him make us new on the inside - "For if anyone is in Christ he is a new creature, old thigns are passed away, behold, all things are become new."(2 Cor. 5:17) This is done by simply Admitting you're a sinner, Believing Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for your sins and rose from the dead, and Calling on Him to forgive and save you from your sins, inviting Him to change you ont he inside as you repent. Then, once you have done so, nothing you do can separate you fromt he love of God.(John 10:28-30, Romans 8:36-39, Jude 24, etc.)

And, then, call on God and ask Him to draw you closer to Him and to forgive you and everyone for the sins of this nation as Daniel did - you can read Daniel 9 here. And, pray that God will bring a repentance revival to this nation, that he will start with each of us, with our homes, with our communities, etc., as we turn fromt hsoe things which dishonor Him and seek His face and his healing for our land. And, feel free to pass this free blogbook around, too, to encourage young people to take the lead themselves, to take their frustrations and bitterness to God and let Him lead them to be leaders themselves.