Healing a divided America with revival, respect for life

People call it a divided America, we have such big problems. I give a few ideas below on how to improve things, but it requires a heart change, not just an outward one; we need leaders who won't be Pharisees, and they can come from anywhere - you can be one. Because, if we move forward trusting God, things can improve.

God made each of us special. As Tony Evans said recently, we have too much division, and God's people must lead the way in showing how to heal the many rifts we face. And, that fact is one of those major Biblical facets we must unite in. While each of us is special, we must also realize that means, logically, that others are, too.

Accepting that others are important as living human beings is a big part of starting the healing process, as I've stated numerous times like here, and someone else mentioned in this blog post I found on the importance of teaching kids God made them special. Instead of doing that, though, we tear others down more and more. About the only thing Americans agree on is they are tired of the election, even if Google searches find things better if they contain Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump - or Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton if you want them in that order. :-)

Don't worry. This is the last you will hear in this post of the name Trump or Clinton (or Clinton or Trump) or any world leaders. That's because imperfect people can't create a perfect world the way God can.  Although, the Cubs and Indians making the World Series, the Cubs for the first time since 1945 and the Billy Goat game, may have made some feel a lot better.

We can, however, start the healing process by valuing others the way God does. Only by following God's ways can we truly be victorious, as we trust Him for a Repentance Revival.

Repentance means turning from sin. While people have trouble agreeing on anything, I imagine most would agree that the very destructive climate in our world is sinful. Reconciliation - with repentance both personal and national - needs to take place, because our prayers for revival won't work without us repenting not just for 50 years of sin but for the 400 our nation has done since the colonies were founded. As the last link mentioned, we've all sinned. That leads to things like that example I often used early in this blog, the person who hates and screams at someone for cutting them off in traffic, not bothering to think that the person may have only done so because they were rushing to see a loved one in the hospital - something many of us would do ourselves.

We each struggle with that sin nature, so the world won't be perfect till Jesus returns. However, we e can each begin with ourselves by following the Lord with all our hearts, turning to Him for renewal.

Here are things we can do to unite and end this horrible division.

Why Are We Here? Uniting in God's love

We are here, fearfully and wonderfully made by God, for a reason. No, you are not an accident - in fact, many have said DNA is so complex it proves there was an intelligent designer.

God is many things. He is Holy, He cannot come in contact with sin. He is just. That means he must punish sin. However, He is also mercy and grace. That means that He doesn't want to punish the wicked but wants to offer them that grace and mercy. He has no joy at the punishment of the wicked.(Ezekiel 33-11.) So, God had to make a way to punish our sin that didn't cause us to also be condemned.
 

So, because of the above, God chose to come Himself. Jesus was fully God and fully man. Because He was fully man, He could die for the punishment of each of our sins. Because He was fully God, He was perfectly sinless and therefore didn't have to suffer for His own sins. He could suffer for each of our sins. Also because he was God, after He died on the cross for your sins He rose from the dead.

Knowing the facts isn't enough of course if you don't trust Him to do anything for you.

That trust is all you need, though, just calling on Him by true faith to forgive you and save you from your sins: Admitting that you're a sinner in need of His salvation, Believing when he bled and died He took the punishment for your sins and then he rose from the dead, and Calling on Him by faith to save you and forgive you, choosing to turn from your sins and let Him make you new inside. You are only a single, sincere prayer of repentance away from eternal life. You can even go here and talk to an Online Mentor who will help you grow in faith or answer any questions.

Once we trust Him by faith and are reconciled to Him, we need to show others that love so they can see there is that unconditional love out there.

 Repenting and Returning in Our Hearts

Of course, we've had major problems in our history. I have said numerous times that we must repent not just for 50 years but for 400 years of evil. We have problems with priorities even now, problems which can be corrected by looking at what the Bible, which can be shown easily to be the Word of God - says is important. Sure, we failed int he past because people selfishly wanted to see themselves as superior (still the main problem today in many places) but that doesn't excuse us from our need to avoid that problem now.

This nation must return to the great love God has for each of us. This is the Love which allowed us to disagree without hating each other. It allowed us to overcome barriers and triumph over anything.

This is why in 2 Chronicles 7:14 (and, if you think that only applies to Israel, Jeremiah 18:5-10) talks of the people repenting  (turning from their wicked ways) and then God healing their land. Think about it: You can't just say, "Give me a cure for this disease if you are running away from the doctor at the time. You have to actually go up to that doctor and receive treatment.

Of course, that doesn't mean we have to do everything right and then God blesses us. That return means a change in our hearts and actionst hat show a genuine willingness to change will follow as God gives us strength to do so.

As an example, a person who has been an alcoholic might go to Reformer's Unanimous and make Christ (not just a generic deity but the One who has the Power) the center of their lives. They still have to work day by day to trust God to keep them free those problems, but he gives them strength to avoid the peoplew ho dragged them down, the places that tempted them, etc.. One woman in our churchw as saved out of that and for the last 44 years of her life never entered a restaurant with a bar in it for fear she would return. her friends could but they knew not to do it with her since that would tempt her more. (The mark of a true friend, understanding the other's needs and taking action.)

She trusted God to be her victory. He knew the way she was built and what alcohol had done to her - a logical consequence. There, by the way, is something else we must return to, accepting as common sense that our actions have consequences we can't avoid, something that was easily understood before.) He gave her a way to overcome it that may be more drastic than others saved out of that, but that is something that can ruin the body and casue such problems it is best never to start.

Anyway, the point is that we must trust the Lord to bring us victory by being our victory. We can't bring Victory ourselves because there is a spiritual battle here, and it must be won with spiritual weapons.

Ironically, at times we seem to recognize that it is a spiritual battle. However we are actually on the opposite side of what we should be.

How to fight the enemy, and not fight ourselves

You may guess that forgiveness is a big part of it. That is certainly true. We must fight the enemy by not opposing each other so fiercely, and one reason we do is we don't have that forgiving attitude. It's true that the vicious nature of society today is one of the problems. However, we must also not be united in the wrong things, as mentioned before, such as here and here.

Forgiveness isn't saying something is right. Forgiveness is saying "I love you anyway." Remember, God forgives us by saving us from our sins, but he is also just in that He had to punish sin and took it upon Himself. He still allows us to face the consequences of our sin on Earth, though, it's just that His mercy nd grace give us more chances.

Not only that, but His justice, like anything else, is better than ours because he knows the priorities which matter most, such as described above. the terrible injustice of this world comes about becasue people don't hold to those priorities.

So, you can see how that heart-mind decision to trust Jesus to forgive and sve us and then turning to Him with the intent of correcting such things - and letting Him be our strength in doing so - is cricual.

Ephesians 6:12 says, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but agaisnt powers, against principalities, gaainst the rulers of the darkness of thhis world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." So, when someone opposes us, we should - instead of reacting harshly - say, "We're on the same side against this evil." And, of course, be willing also to work with that person to help them.

Communication with each other, then, is vital, but of course, as noted and linked before, it's still vital to stand for the absolute truth of God's Word. That same devil who tempts us so much 9though we also have our own sin nature)  can also mislead us by getting us to unite in the wrong things. There is great deception coming, according to the Bible; here is how to be prepared not to fall for it. The only way to do that is to know Him personally now, though there may be a chance during the Tribulation it's not safe to presume one will make it alive, so many bad thigns will happen. This discusses that Tribulation and gives other links about it in more detail which you can copy for others.

AS for now, though, we are still here and have a chance to unite in God's perfect love and peace. So, after doing that, what else can we do?

Further Healing the Divide

What are some other things we can do to heal this divide?

1. Proper priorities are needed. As noted above, God sees each person as important. Those priorities, then, should include valuing human life and having a concern for everyone.

2. Build the fruits of the Spirit. Gentleness is mandatory, for instance, God wants us to have it. That's why it's one of the Fruits of the spirit of Galatians 5:22-23. Our treatment of others, especially those who are weaker, must be with the Godly compassion we are called to have. Of course, the fruits of the Spirit can only come if the Holy Spirit lives in you, which he will if you have trusted Jesus to save you. People can have such a deliverate attitude without it, but only God can perfect it, and the Spirit will increase it and will give it to those who don't have it. Especially in families, it's vital to have these fruits. (Note that I've mentioned in other posts about the King James Version's superiority - here is a good show discussing the fruits in depth.)

3. Have meaningful conversations. Try to understand each other's perspectives; when they don't conflict with sound Biblical doctrine, like the Bible says in Philippians 4:2-3, we should be of one mind in the Lord. Some people have been through horrible thigns, and need others to show understanding and compassion.

4. Commit to building meaningful relationships. instead of focusing on social media, we should be trying to talk with each other and not using sound bytes all the time. Our society has a short attention span and we may need to work to lengthen it, but God can do that when we trust Him and turn our hearts toward Him.

5. Give of yourself. Don't just talk about how others matter and pray for others, but be willing to put feet to those prayers and get out and work with others. This isn't just protesting and letting words be heard, this is actively trying to find solutions to problems.

6. Have patience. It will take a long timeand the Bible says things won't be perfect till the lord's return. But, we can improve things for some, at least.

7. Keep the Gospel at the center. Remember that being nice and friendly and all the other thigns are good, but we must ensure that the saving of souls is our top priority.

After all, each of us will some one day, and go to either heaven or Hell. The Lord will return for His people. It's why I've done posts sharing about how to reach Muslims, for one thing, and indeed witnessing to them and anyone.

We must start by uniting, as noted above, in sound doctrine and turning toward the Lord and away from the bitterness which has plagued us int he past as we've let our free will make us think we can do anything. In reality, though, common sense xisted for so long because people knew that with freedom came responsibility.

So, let's all take more responsibility for our own actions and establish that right and wrong as fundamental to our society once more, united as one nation and not a bunch of individuals who don't have any common goal. After all, we were never meant to be just a great big mess of individuals. We were meant to be a melting pot of peoplew ho worked together with a respect for liberty and expected others to respect that absolute right and wrong which we knew had been established since the foundation of the world by the Lord Himself in His Word, including the freedom to accept or reject HIm and the freedom to follow Him and the importance of respecting thsoe who do; something in past times that nonChristians consistnetly did.

In this day and age, we face spiritual battles which are increasingly fighting believers in Christ (but, note, not other religions, because the devil only has to fight the truth). However, God will prevail in this. We just have to make sure we're on the winnings ide.

Part of revival; Avoiding danger in fallen world

Would you avoid something you knew was awful if you could, be it something as awful as a mile fall from a plane or a shark attack, or as simple as spiders or mice, which spook a lot of people?

We all avoid things we think will destroy us. This recent post discussed celebrating the Abundant Life Jesus gives when we trust in Him to save us from our sins, it's so much greater than what we get when we look at only what we can get out of it. And, as much as we say "live life to its fullest," nobody rushes to be attacked by a shark. Even "Shark Tank" has people taking huge precautions. That or falling a mile from a plane without a parachute would be on everyone's list of things to avoid. For some, even something as simple as spiders or mice make them run in horror.

In the wake of the tragic death of Jose Fernandez, I considered that recent post on enjoying the abundant life Jesus gives. It's very appropriate as a subject itself, of course. And, there are so many good thoughts - like these from Philippines 4:8 - which God shows us in His Word are important for us to live happily.

(Notice I didn’t say to be happy? Happy is an adjective. Happily is an adverb which modifies the verb "live" in the old fairy tale ending. They live happily ever after, but that doesn't mean everything is happy. They simply choose to focus on what they are thankful for. Even if Mongols attack there castle or smallpox ravages the kingdom, they can focus on the love they share no matter what happens. We shouldn't let circumstances define us.)

So, God clearly gives us some wonderful things to focus on as we enjoy the abundant life He has given those who trust Him to save them from their sins. It's something we need as only He can give divine protection against evil.
 

However, one should also avoid certain other things just like one avoids the really bad stuff mentioned above. (And as some people avoid spiders, etc.) We can avoid evil, nightmare-inducing things on our own and - as long as we have a relationship with God - improve it. Just as you avoid things that you know will kill you (a shark or a fall from a plane) or that you are really scared of.

Divine Protection From Evil

 The first step to avoiding evil is to make sure you're on God's side so He can protect you - sit in that chair of grace, so to speak.

God is holy and can't touch sin; He can't allow it into His perfect Heaven; I'll explain in the next section where that sin came from originally. You can go to that section if you want and come back, of course, but for now, suffice it to say that God has it this way so those who are covered by His atonement for sin can't have anything bad happen to them in Heaven.

We have a sin problem, though. We are all sinners; nobody is totally, 100% righteous.(Rom.3:10,23, etc.) Though all we like sheep have gone stray, and turned to our own ways, God laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all.(Isa. 53:6)

So, we all have sin in us, but God reconciled us to Himself by bearing our sins in His own body.(1 Pet.2:24) Jesus, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for each of our sins - yours, mine, everyone's and rose fromt he dead. That gift of His grace and mercy is free to anyone who trusts in Him to save them. It's not about praying certain words, it's calling on Him in your heart to save you and forgive you.

A good way to remember that is ABC - Admit you're a sinner, Believe Jesus, God in flesh, died to take your punishment for your sins, and rose from the dead, and Callon Him to save you from yoru sins, Choosing to repent (turn from your sins) and make you new inside.

You can do that right now, in fact. If you haven't, you should do so now because we never know what will happen. You can turn from your sins and tell God something like this: "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner, I know I can't get to heaven on my own, but You died to take the punishment for my sins and rose from the dead. Lrod Jesus, I trust you today to save me from my sins and make me new inside, come into my heart today and save and change me. I believe you have saved me not by anything I have done but by the fact I totally trust in what You did for me. In Jesus' name, Amen."

If you don't know Jesus as Saviour, you can't go to God's perfect Heaven where you'll be free from sin and all those burdens when you die. You'll be separated from that perfect love and peace and goodness forever in a horrible, wicked place meant only for the devil and his angels.(Mat.25:41) So, it's important to trust Jesus as your Saviour first.  Here is a great tract with more explanation. Gotquestions is a great site to help with questions, and online mentors here can help personally.

Anyway, we should love God's grace and mercy because He has given it as a free gift to anyone who will trust him to forgive them for their sins. He will cleanse them from all unrighteousness. A saved person can't be possessed by the devil.

However, a saved person can be oppressed, just like Job when he followed the Lord and the devil was allowed to try to ruin his life, but Job apparently kept his sight on those eternal rewards. And, the devil can certainly possess an unsaved person and, made bad enough, can totally wreck that person.

Thankfully, there is hope for such a person, as we see witht he possessed man in Mark 5, but the best thing is to never allow evil to be in your life in the first place.

Yes, i talked about possession. there is a spiritual realm; indeed, superstring theory has proven there are more dimensions than jsut what we can see plus time. I mentioned it because it, and all spiritual warfare, is very real. We need God's protection from that evil so we can enjoy the freedom from oppression God gives us.

 

Making the shark from Jaws look tame

This leads to the main subject - avoiding Deception like mentioned to some extent in the previous post, though it focused more on the devil counterfeiting things. This centers more on a type that would be a big problem even without a movie about it. it is something which can appear harmless but is really dangerous and is something to avoid at all costs.

Before the Sharknado movies - which I have never seen but which I have heard one could make fun of on the level of Mystery Science Theater 3000 - there was Jaws. A shark attack is one of those really important things to avoid, though thankfully there will not be tornadoes with many, many sharks in real life. They almost certainly won't happen even in the tribulation period, that terrible time when God will judge the evil of the Earth and the devil will try to take as many as he can with him to hell.

Even today, however, the devil is at work trying to lure people away from God's goodness and to his evil. And, he does that through things that look innocent.

As discussed before, the devil was a created being that had untested creature holiness, meaning he had not been tested to see whether he would sin. He chose to try to overthrow God. (Isaiah 14:12-15,Ezekiel 28) This rebellion caused him to lose his place in Heaven and he took a third of the angels with them him(Rev. 12) and they became demons.

So, think about it. When you see images of things that are demonically possessed, these are things that hate God and want to destroy His perfect love, peace, compassion, and all the other good things about God. They do not love His grace and mercy.

These things are real and they can and do possess things and even people. It may seem innocent, and when you walk out of a movie theater or turn off a TV you may think it's okay now" - or at least after about a month when you finally go near the water again after watching "Jaws." However, keep in mind that these things not only hate love, mercy, and other good things, they also hate you. The beasts of the field stalk their prey by blending in with their surroundings till they can pounce. Even so, the devil walketh about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.(1 Peter 5:8)

God gives us hope. he gives us freedom from the terror those evil things cause. However, we need to put our faith in Him to do somust as one must put their whole eight into a chair to sit in it; you aren't trusting it if you think it'll collapse and thus you're ready to spring out of it if it starts to teeter.

How To Avoid Evil

As noted numerous times, revival begins with us. That means not just trusting Jesus as your Saviour and then doing good, but also staying away from things which can hurt us, just like you stay away from a shark attack.

 Yes, demonic things and things which have them in them can hurt us. They want to, in fact, because they hate God's creation. Therefore, we should stay away from them.

How far away? Obviously, some people can handle a little more than others. But, there are some limits all need to have as we trust the Lord to protect us.

First, understand that any so-called games or other activities involving magic really are inviting evil spirits into your life, those bad guys that want you to eventually be miserable even if they make things look fun at first.

Next, remember that Hollywood and other places want to make money. They want to make things seem innocent because if they made things really horrible and gory who would watch? Okay, things have gotten a lot worse than they were with Jaws back then, so maybe people would watch.  But, that just shows that the devil is trying to downplay things so that people can be drawn in.

If you have to deal with the subject, bathe it in prayer. Jesus is more powerful then these things. He cast them out all the time, after all. But some can't be stopped without prayer, and lots of it.

This is where I say that some people can handle it better. Look at a passion play, for instance. Somebody has to play Judas, who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and had so much hatred in him, right? Someone else may play people who shouted to crucify him. Still other performers have played Nazis like the Gestapo and SS. They weren't the bumbling people who were likely in on the prisoners' plans and worked to defeat Hitler in Hogan's Heroes. They were cruel and hateful and despicable people. Some actors and actresses can do that and not have it affect them, well others might find themselves deeply bothered by it.

However, that is when acting is someone's job. There is no need to pretend the scary stuff at other times.

When it comes to certain things, of course, they are urban legends and really can't happen. A youth told me once of a story that if you said "Bloody Mary" she would appear. That is a trick to scare people, although there was a real queen named that - she persecuted Protestants in the 1500s in England. Her spirit won't reappear if you say her name - although it might cause you to then think bout her.

Evil spirits do exist, though, and we should be careful never to attempt to communicate with them or use them. They are not dead loved ones - those types of things are really calling up demons. Same with any sort of fortune telling or astrology. The devil might try to trick you into thinking he's guessing right, but it's usually very vague, and God commands us to live by faith anyway, and He actually does reveal quite a bit to us when we trust Him. He gives us as much as we need to live and the rest, well, some people really want to live an adventurous life, right? Not knowing everything about your future is actually an important part of that adventure. Of course, you want to be sure where you'll go when you die, but that's different.

Things like that prey on the imagination. The imagination can be good, of course. It's great to be creative and use the talents God gave you, of course. The key is, first, people with imaginary friends when pressed will admit they are imaginary, and they serve a developmental purpose anyway, though not everyone has them. They should ot be turning the person away from God, though. In fact, when I got older I prayed and dedicated my stuff ed animals to the Lord to be used however he wanted; because of some developmental delays(possibly very mild Asperger's Syndrome) I knew He could use them to help me and He did.

You know what I found then? They always pointed me toward God or if I was talking with one of them since it was hard to verbalize stuff that "animal" would remind me to talk with God about the situation. Why? because I knew that God was using them. In fact, my biggest struggles in lie came at a time I thought I was grow up enough I'd never need them anymore to help me verbalize things and make sene of thigns in my mind. It was never "them," though - in fact, I readily say I'm them or they're me. That ws God at work using what He needed to use to help me.

Don't let it take you away from God

Whatever it is you are thinking about, then, make sure that God remains on the throne of your heart.

The devil wants control of this world, and one day he'll hve it for seven years of the worst stuff in human history. God will judge the world's sin then. This post tells how to avoid trouble and what to do if it starts and you're still here.

For now, remember that there is great deception out there even without the devil having complete control of things. To avoid deception, stay in God's Word and away from the evil things like the next Ouija movie and any boards or other things like it. There are so many good, family-friendly things you can d, and so many non-spooky characters you can be and things you can write. You don't have to include the Gospel in everything you write - unless God leads you to do it. However, God wants to protect you from bad stuff He knows is out there.

So, stick close to Him, know He is personal and knows you better than you know yourself. You are fearfully and wonderfully made by Him(Ps.139:14) for a special purpose, and that is to glorify Him and show His love, goodness, grace, mercy, compassion, and all those other great attributes of His to a lost and dying world.

The only way to show them is to be following Him and not the spirits of darkness in this world. He died and rose from the dead to give you freedom from all that, and to give everyone else that freedom, too.

How To Avoid Being Fooled

Youthquake just recorded this radio show on Daniel 9 and praying for repentance revival.(Which also faced spiritual attack as it wasn't able to be uploaded on the Youthquake site for a while because of computer glitches.) It meshes with what I've said about the need for a repentant heart, like here, and reconciliation.

Part of that is avoiding deception, too. It's vital to know what's real so you can avoid being tricked, because if you fall for the wrong trick, it can be fatal. It's like if you think your road is clear when there is invisible ice and you wind up skidding and crashing into a tree or slipping and breaking something while walking. The ice can't be seen since your senses (which, being human, can be wrong) may say it's not there, but your faith(trust in what you know of driving) tells you to be careful.

Yes, our senses are faulty at times. Even places like this secular article suggest there are dimensions beyond what we perceive, thus explaining the spiritual realm. The devil uses tricks I'll discuss to turn people away from God.

However, God has unconditional love for each of us and is always longing for people to come to Him for salvation. You are only a single, sincere prayer of repentance from eternal life.

He made this world without suffering or sin in it. However, mankind brought sin in by choosing to rebel(Rom. 5:12), and things have been declining since. Still, each of us - you - have God's Word: You are "fearfully and wonderfully made"(Ps.139:14), a special creation of God here for a special purpose. The devil wants you to think you have no purpose or design, but you do - to show God's love to everyone once you are saved from your sin. While we've all sinned and come short of the glory of God, and we earn spiritual death - separation from God's perfect love forever - because of our sin, God has given each of us the free gift of eternal life by simply trusting Him to save us from our sin.

Indeed, if you or anyone else were the only person ever on the face of the earth. God still would have come to this world, and Jesus Christ, God in flesh, would have died to take the punishment for your sins and risen again. He wants to give each of us life more abundantly, with eternal rewards that will last forever. You can go here to talk to an online mentor who can help guide you in your walk with God.

God reveals His truth so we can avoid deceptions, just like something that can reveal when that invisible ice is there so we don't slip driving or walking.

What Counterfeits Can Trick Us?

Some things have been discussed, like how to pray the devil doesn't counterfeit things in a revival. Others haven't. I'll mention them later, but first, the need to understand and follow sound Doctrine is vital. There are many traps that sound good but aren't. A milkshake might sound great, but one little bit of dog food will make it very yucky and you won't want to eat it. At least I hope not. Yet if it is only called a milkshake and you don't investigate it, you won't know till it's too late that it has dog food in it.

That's why, as some are famous for saying, there are no counterfeit $47 bills. There aren't any real ones. Sound Doctrine comes from the inspired Word of God, and even the original Antiochan texts have been counterfeited. (This is why, while we know the Bible is fully reliable, in places like this,  I've mentioned it's important to use the King James; others come from the Alexandrian texts.)

No, I'm not talking about some weird place that serves dog food milkshakes. If only I was talking about something that simple. It would be funny. However, the devil tricks us with much different things, things which look very satisfying on the outside but are destructive inside, just like having a $5714 bill might feel satisfying till you try to use it and find out it's worthless.

One of those things is the ecumenical movement. Many churches in it do not preach sound Doctrine. That in itself should turn you off. They may be nice people, but they are deceived as to what is most important. God is most important. We can't create a perfect world because we are sinners who come woefully short of the glory of God. God's ways will always be better than man's ways, as posts like this on God's justice shows, and this on His ways versus the world's.

It's just one of the things I warned about here. It's leading to the One World Religion of Revelation which even the devil will fight (2 Thess.2:3-4) before this world of sin is destroyed by God. We must lovingly warn people away from it in a spirit of compassion so God can protect them. It will be the devil's way of trying to draw many to destruction. They are trying to create a world in their image by making works the most important thing, but nobody can overthrow what the Bible says,. The Bible says salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.(Eph. 2:8-9,John 3:16,etc.) It is available to everybody, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.(Romans 10:13.)

Others focus only on the world. They think that God will give us worldly things. However, this idea doesn't even make sense logically. God wants us to focus on treasures that can never grow old, can never wear out, and so on. In wanting what is best for us, God doesn't let everyone become rich with worldly things because He knows those will never last. If a person happens to be rich with them, God expects them to use that for His Glory by giving to missions, tithing, and so on. Sure, he provides their needs, but many people have lived for Him while facing poverty, persecution, and so on - the case of George Muller and how he had to pray and have God provide that day's food that very morning at times is a perfect example. He says, "In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."(John 16:33)

The above factors are important to take into account whenever we pray for revival. There is another solemn assembly being called September 21, but we must be repentant and not just call on God without turning from our wicked ways in our own hearts and lives. We can't say, "Turn this wheel and let me drive North" as we continue to push the gas pedal to the floor and speed South.

Avoid "Science Falsely So Called"(1 Tim.6:20)

 Superstring theory shows that extra dimensions beyond our three physical and time can exist. There is a spiritual realm; we know that from the Bible.What we take in should be tested against God's perfect, inerrant truth.(John 17:17)

Creationism isn't a requirement for salvation, you just have to trust that Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead and call on Him by faith to save you and make you new, putting all your trust in Him to do so. Still, the devil uses what the Bible calls "science falsely so called" to trick people a lot. This Bible quote shows the Bible supports science but doesn't support pseudoscience, things that are based on false assumptions, etc..

For isntance, even secular Discover Magazine had this article on Neanderthals, for instance, debunking a lot of evolutionists theories about them. Actually, their DNA is present in many Europeans and Asians today, and could easily be said to have just had normal diseases. Much about them has been debunked by science, which keeps changing, whereas the Bible's comments about science, such as here and here, have been true since time began. God told of them thousands of years before we discovered them

 Evolutionists use time to try to prove things, but they claim the simple becomes more complex without an outside force, when it can't, any more than a bunch of airplane parts can form an airplane.Cave paintings of dinosaurs and dragons, all of which are remarkably consistent, seem to indicate - along with some Out of Place Artifacts - that people lived with them and were much more intelligent than we credit them with being.

Let's leave that aside, though, because some are now claiming it was aliens because they can't explain it any other way. This leads to the spiritual realm and an even more dangerous deception. This link is around 2 hours long, but it's a video from December, 2011 that talks about how demonic creatures may appear from other realms pretending to be aliens, but they are not. That link, starting at about 29 minutes, starts talking about string theory and why there are multiple dimensions we can't see. Starting about 1 hour, you'll hear the connection to Genesis 6 and the evil Nephilim.

Even Worse Tricks To Avoid - Occult, etc.

Those are big problems. However, the occult is an even bigger one since there is so much spiritual warfare. In fact, the devil does so much to get into our minds that I've chosen not to link occult stuff; it's not good for even adults like me who are strong in their faith, let alone those who struggle. Event he strong should do lots of prayer and even fasting, immersed in God's Word, before searching the 'Net about it. It is vital to recognize some things are real problems. One video tells of something which clearly exists and speaks of a desire to limit human population to 500 million; this lack of concern for life goes against God, who values each person individually, as I shared above and have blogged in places such as here. He is personal and wants a relationship with you to not only save you from sin and hell but to be a trusted guide, comforter, helper, friend, and so much more.

The devil makes things very enticing, drawing people into it, if they're not careful. People who refuse to accept God's unconditional love will fall for a strong delusion someday in order to continue doing wickedly. The Bible says it's coming. We don’t know what that delusion will be. However, we know two things for certain:

1. Every spirit must be tested, to see whether it is of God.(1 John 4:1) In fact, 1 John 4:1-3 – along with 2 John 7 – show why a certain question from the Bible is important to ask any creature.

2. Today is the day of salvation. Whether or not that delusion involves demons posing as aliens - mentioned in part of this radio show from Youthquake - the greatest evil is being restrained. That delusion will come full force on those who remain after the restrainer (the Holy Spirit) is taken out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:7) as believers are caught up in the Rapture. Jesus’ return is imminent. He could come at any time.

Superstring theory proves there is a spiritual realm, as noted. The devil could use the idea of aliens when it is really demons appearing to people. Thus, this warning is issued.

There is a lot more out there than we can see, including spirits. Those who experience strange, supernatural things generally view them as scary, and have dabbled in occultic stuff beforehand. These are NOT aliens from other worlds. They are demons. These people did not test things to see if they were of God. They got caught up in evil instead.

That's why this question will allow that person to know for sure if something can be trusted. It must be answered “yes.” Such a question is important.

Before the question - a summary of what the devil/demons are

The Bible warns that God has an enemy, the devil. The devil can masquerade as an angel of light. He hates humans. Why? We are God’s creation, formed in God’s image.

God created everything in the beginning, and gave angels freedom. However, in his pride, the devil – an angel named Lucifer - tried to overthrow God, and become like the Most High. Instead, the devil was defeated by God’s perfect love, goodness, etc.. Now, the devil works with fallen angels which followed him to deceive God’s creatures. That deception is what led to the fall of Adam and Eve, which is when sin came into our formerly perfect world. It’s also what leads to those spooky sightings, if those sightings are of evil spirits and not some experiment.

God is a God of love, though, as well as one of justice. He wants us to believe and follow Him willingly. He gives us free choice. He doesn’t want us to be mindless robots. Still, He wants us to be in His perfect Heaven someday. We can’t get there ourselves, because we are imperfect. We say, think, and do things that displease God; that’s what sin is. We can’t earn our way there, because we can never be perfect. Only perfection can be in Heaven, because it is a place with no pain, no suffering, no tears, no decay, no death. We, as imperfect people, can’t see, hear, or even imagine the wonders that await us. But, we will always have that sin on us unless something is done for us.

God not only made the way, he gave Himself for us. God couldn’t just say “Sin is forgiven” from up in Heaven. He had to come to this world, be born as a baby, and live a perfect life, before He died on the cross as the perfect, sinless substitute for our sins. He took the punishment for each of us, the punishment we deserved. He had to be human in order to die for us humans, to take human punishment. And yet, He was also God the Son, so after He died, He then rose from the dead. God the Father sent God the Son to die for us, but at the same time, God the Son came willingly. He lives in every believer through God the Holy Spirit, and intercedes on our behalf before God the Father in Heaven.

This is why I emphasize salvation so much. We need God's protection from that evil, since we are powerless against it ourselves.

Even the devils – the fallen angels – understand who God is. That’s why in Matthew 8:29, and elsewhere, they cry out that Jesus is the Son of God. This means that he is God. It’s just like James and John were nicknamed the “sons of thunder” because of the way they acted, or Barnabas, the “son of consolation.” The devils feared God, and trembled. However, there is one important difference between those evil spirits and good spirits.

Evil spirits deny that Jesus Christ is God in flesh. That is the spirit of antichrist, as the Bible says. It poses great danger. They deny that Christ’s salvation cleanses from sin. They try to lead people down another path, a path that seems good to people. But, it’s a path that ends in destruction.

That’s why we must test the spirits, to see if they are of God. And, why we are warned so emphatically about the spirits that deny that Jesus Christ is God in flesh. They must *never* be followed, because they lead man away from our perfect, loving, yet holy and just God.

So, what is the question which must be asked?

After all that, i imagine you can guess it. It is this: “Is Jesus Christ God in the flesh?”

What does this have to do with aliens? See, claims of life on other planets would change all of society. However, we’d have to be sure the “aliens” were not lying spirits, since we wouldn’t know what their inside was. It's just like we need to gauge whether a person is saved by how they act and not just by their words. I can say I'm the King of Belgium but it doesn't say anything about the real King of Belgium. And, I sure wouldn't want Belgians thinking I was their king. (Though they do make great waffles. :-) )

Another reason is that strong delusion God warns of in 2 Thess. 2:8-12. That strong delusion could, possibly, be devils disguised as aliens. They could also be the Nephilim of Geneses 6:1-4, about which there is much debate, but which some believe to be part demon, and part human.

Is there intelligent life on other planets?

No, it will be up to those who have been saved from their sins to explore the cosmos once we get to Heaven.

Here’s why: 1. Creation began on Earth, no other planets are mentioned; 2. Jesus died once for all. He didn’t die in several places; 3. God never changes, he is always faithful and true; he wouldn’t have one plan of salvation for one planet, another for another – even in the Old Testament, salvation was always by faith; 4. Jesus’ talk of others “not of this flock” refers to Gentiles, as His followers then were all Jews; 5. God wiped all flesh from the Earth during the Flood, save for those in the Ark, because of the gross evil – in His mercy, He gave them one last time to repent as the waters rose. There is no sign people built spaceships before then. Even 10 Edisons and Einsteins living centuries couldn’t create all that would be needed for interstellar travel. So, that eliminates that option.

Even if there could be, though, that brings us back to the question that must be asked, and why they'd have to say "yes.":

God had a perfect relationship with Adam and Eve until the Fall of Man. If creatures never fell from grace, they’d have a relationship like angels who remained loyal to God. He’d tell what He had done for humankind. Since Jesus died once for all, and Jesus is God, they would know. They would clearly say “Yes, Jesus Christ is God, and He came in flesh as mankind’s Savior, for all who receive Him, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord (Jesus) shall be saved.” They’d testify that the Bible was true. We’d know they were friendly. And, they’d be people. They’d see common history from the start of Genesis. The Word of God is swift, and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, and can easily pierce the hearts of His creation – us. (Hebrews 4:12)

God can’t lie. It’s impossible. When He says something exists, there it is. He tells the story of Creation, the Fall, Redemption and through it all, His great love for His creation. When the fullness of time was come, He came into this world to die once for all of His fallen creatures. He would not leave His fallen creatures without the possibility of salvation.

The Bible is our authority for everything. Jesus Christ alone should be followed, as He alone is perfect love and goodness. Only He provides salvation, as He is God in flesh; only He was the perfect, sinless sacrifice for our sin. The Bible has an answer for everything. One key passage is James 1:5, the promise that God will give wisdom to anyone who asks; He will give cheerfully, and never complain about it. Go to Him with all your questions, and all your problems, because He can help you like noone else.

Jesus is, after all, God, Who came in the flesh; He is well acquainted with our infirmities, yet was without sin, so He could take our punishment when He died on the cross, and then rose triumphantly from the dead. The Bible clearly shows (in Revelation 19) how He’ll come after the Battle of Armageddon, and rule and reign on this Earth.

Don't be a Pharisee - 'cause they're no fair you see

School starts soon, and with that, the chance for young people to be part of changing their culture. However, of course, this past has tips for anyone who is trying to let God use them to bring revival - or even who is just trying to figure this world out. :-) (This will also soon appear on the blog of the ministry I volunteer with, too, focusing more on Youth Leader Training Institute.)

School brings fond memories to some. However, it's very stressful for today's youth. I noted in this post that young people can certainly change the world by trusting the Lord to guide and help them do it. This will focus more on another problem related to one of the stresses mentioned: Pharisees.It is a problem which hampers society in a few ways, and which we who follow the Lord need to avoid.

The Pharisee problem must be seen with the background of Jesus' teaching, of course. He taught that they weren't perfect because of what was wrong with their hearts. They were too quick to criticize when, for instance, Jesus healed people on the Sabbath. Anyone was allowed to do what was necessary on the Sabbath. They just wanted to appear righteous by not working, and that meant they didn't even want God to work. (I suspect, for instance, that someone like Josephus, a great historian of his time, would have noticed and mentioned it if no babies were ever born on the Sabbath. But, they were.) The Pharisees' system went against God's absolute right and wrong which has existed since the foundation of the world.

It's great to know the Lord so He can help you through the rough times and to help you celebrate in the good and bad times. We all need this whatever our environment. That's wonderful and important. It should cause us to want to help others out of compassion and kindness and all those good things, too. This is so we can not only help them trust the Lord to save them and make the world better, but also so we can please God. However, we shouldn't please God because we have to; He doesn't force us. We should please Him because we want to, because of what He has done for us.

Pharisees wanted to please people and not God. It can be a daily struggle for some, because it is tempting to be just like the world in how people talk, treat others, etc.. The Bible, on the other hand, says "Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..."(Rom. 12:2) In other words, let God help you (transforming from the inside out) be kinder, more loving, more compassionate, and so on.

. This can be easy for some, too; some people are naturally more able to reach out to those who need a friend, ignore cliques, and so on. Either way, there are two problems that need to be watched out for so we can follow the Lord and make a difference in our schools, homes, communities, etc..

The first problem is that the need for compassion has not stopped people today from being pharisaic. Second, it may seem odd to say that pleasing people can be done selfishly, but true compassion means not always doing what the world says(like when the world says to lie or cheat). True compassion sometiems means standing for what's right and understanding consequences, too.

Learning to show compassion

Learning to show and have compassion - not just pretend to - is one of the keys to bringing change through repentance revival to this country. We can't just talk about it or go through the motions. Constant testing, which ignores individual learning styles and special needs, as noted in the first post I linked, is just one of the ways modern Pharisees act. Hence, the problems of the Pharisees will help young people understand the modern world.

There has always been tendency to focus on the outside because of human nature. For instance, people feel attraction based on looks and not on the person inside. That, of course, goes against what the Bible says. There are four different types of love in Greek, and they become much deeper and more important as they consider more of the inside and what one can give and become more lasting. Only looking at the outside is focusing on what one can get, like when one says "I love pizza." We don't want to dedicate our lives to helping pizza, we want to eat it and it tastes good to us. This is why modern-day Pharisees aren't thinking of trying to help people as much as they are glorifying themselves. (And, in many things, teachers are caught in the middle, so please have compassion on them and don't be upset at them for how the system is. They are often struggling with it themselves, when "teacher evalutation" should be based on patience, kindness, understanding, and things like that - things on the inside.)

In other areas, too, you can probably see how too much focus on one's self causes so much trouble when we should be thinking of others. Everyone is special to someone, as this discusses. Often, when we focus on others we end up worrying less about our own problems.

The Pharisees only thought of being in the right clique and others doing everything the way they wanted. When they cared about others, it was only so they could have everyone look at them. This isn't just a school problem - although what clique you were in in school won't matter one bit once you leave - it is a problem with society, too. Man looketh on the outward appearance, but like God looketh upon the heart.(1 Samuel 16:7.)

So, as shown in a number of places, one key to revival is looking on the heart. Jesus criticized the Pharisees even though they claimed to be doing God's will - prayer for instance won't work if there's something between that person and God. However, thankfully, reconciliation is just a single, sincere prayer away. Anyway, Jesus reproved them that they should have been focused on doing what God wanted and caring for others for those other peoples' sake. Our society needs changed by people turning to the Lord.

It's up to us to be examples of Jesus, letting our lights sine, so people will believe when we tell them how God changes us on the inside and works in us.

Receive God's compassion and forgiveness

Jesus loves you no matter who you are, and no matter what you have done. He showed Godly compassion because He was God in flesh. He died to take the punishment for our sins and rose from the dead. Thankfully, each of us only needs to call on Him by faith to be saved from our sin.

God did this because God is personal. He wants a relationship with each of us, to give us peace that passes understanding, perfect wisdom, and so much more. He'll help you be more loving and caring and compassionate. He wants to help you through all the problems of life and help you to make this world better, so that others can see Christ's love as well.

That's because there is a penalty for sin. That penalty is separation from God forever in a horrible place that He does not want you to go. He created it only for the devil and his angels(Matt. 25:41), but people choose to go there when they fully reject His love and forgiveness. We all need changed on the inside. That is what happens when you call on Jesus by faith to be saved from your sin and made new inside. You need to invite him into your heart to make you new. Then, He comes to live in you through the Holy Spirit. You can call on Him to forgive you and save you from your sin and make you new right here reading this, in fact;a person doesn't have to be in church.

Showing Godly compassion, not the false kind

This, then, brings us to that second problem I mentioned. You may have thought I forgot about it, but I did want to bring up the false compassion that some show. It is false compassion for the same reason that not warning someone of a hot stove is false compassion. We can pretend that stove is not hot, and there is no problem. However, that does not stop the stove from being hot. It does not prevent us from getting burned if we touch it.

In the same way, there is a false compassion which is part of the world's system.

God's system, as shown here, is far better than the world's system. The world's system doesn't see each persont he way God does, because God sees each individual as important. However, God's system is also different because it says that it's important to say that sin is sin.

We should love sinners but we have to accept that there are things that God says our sin such as lying, cheating, bullying, and so on. Indeed, some of these Pharisees of today are more like the first part when it comes to bullying, too; they talk about it but they don't really stop the bullies.  (Of course, in many ways, they can't, becasue it's a heart problem. And, at other times, being kind to them and teaching them how to be nice is needed because the bully has never known how. We should help others overcome such difficult lives, and that starts by helping them see they are special to God and to others.)

We love sinners by kindly warning them that sin has consequences. After all, people need to be saved from their sin and that means they need to realize they need a savior. And, that Saviour died to save them, and rose again. Trusting Him to save us, calling on Him to forgive us, is all that is needed. We can't get to Heaven by our own works, only by what Jesus did for us.

Indeed, the fact that we can't work our way to Heaven is a wonderful thing that unites us all. God does not want us to boast of how we got there. From the person who did the most throughout their lives to the person who thought he was good enough and then got saved right at the end, to the child who was too young to understand and so never was able to trust in Jesus but who got there because of the cross, and many others, all are equal. All get to Heaven only because of what Jesus did, and then trusting in what Jesus did by calling on him by faith to save them.

We go around telling people that we are sinners too, not just that they are, but we serve a greater Saviour. Our Testimony should include how God has redeemed us and is working in us.

In so doing, we learn things like how Muslims believe sonship is about physical relations when it is not, and that therefore they have a misconception which we can politely help clear up, because of course it is good to help people have more understanding. Sonship is the Arabic IBN, which means a perfect likeness, as this explains in part, because Jesus was God in flesh. He was not born of Joseph and Mary,  He was born of the Holy Spirit.

It is things like this that help to show true compassion. We need to realize that since other people matter, we need to be willing to say that sin has consequences and then turn away from that sin so that other people aren't hurt by those sins. A person who thinks adultery has no consequences, or should have no consequences, is having no concern for any person who they are hurting. And, sometimes we must be the ones to say that sin is wrong and either do things to prevent such sin (such as protecting people from those who would lie about certain things to fulfill their own lusts) or enforce consequences at times.

After all, in God's perfect Heaven there can be no sin, because there is no pain, no suffering, no tears, no heartache, nothing bad can happen. So, He must keep sin out of Heaven.

Thankfully, He has made a way for us to get to Heaven. We warn people of the consequences so they can get there too, but also to make this world a better place.

Actions Must Speak Louder

However, we must act, too, not just talk. Living the correct way doesn't help if we aren't also helping others by being nice, thoughtful, etc.. If we are to have Revival and change this country, we must stop being like the Pharisees. We must realize that the inside is what matters. We must also, however, stand for what is right. As I have noted before, we must repent for not standing against certain evils sooner, and start to take positive stands agaisnt such thigns as domestic violence, which is clearly against God's Word, praying that the Lord will change hearts and stop it.

We must also be known for what we are for, not just what we are against, and that means the love and forgiveness and sound doctrine that the Bible shows. After all, many places, like this, show that the Bibleis truly reliable and trustworthy; we can trust that it is the Word of God. If there are problems it is becasue the wrong Greek is used - stick witht he King James from the Antiochan Greek, as other English ones are from the Alexandrian.

It starts with each of us. We should all endeavor, whether in school or wherever we are, to care about others the way God does. We should love others no matter what and help those who need help. We should be friends to those who seem to lack friends or have trouble making them. We should make sure that things that people call Biblical really are, and that they aren't just being Pharisees.

However, we should also recognize the absolute truth which God established and which should guide all of us. That truth of being honest, kind, gentle, and so many more things. Use the fruits of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23 and seek God's help to build them up more in you. Focus on those good thoughts of Philippians 4 8. Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32. And many other things.

Of course, we need God's help to do this. We need Him to save us if we are not and then to change us on the inside. That means a continual transformation, continual action from the outside by God who loves us and wants the best for us, to help us get rid of those things that so easily beset us.(Heb. 12:1) We struggle with our sin nature. Even those who behave very well all the time can struggle with pride and such. But by trusting God to work in us, and praying for Him to do so and to work in others, we can see Him move in our lives and in our nation.

The reconciliation to God needed for repentance revival

I used to link an incident or two at the start of a post, but so much happened in the last few days that would be very hard. It's better to just start with what is needed to solve it. After all, everyone can tell we have a big mess on our hands.

The Bible speaks of a type of reconciliation that doesn't just involve person-to-person, though. We must be reconciled to God so we can have that proper relationship needed to be the loving, caring people He made us to be.

Yes, we can care about others without Him. However, that is a selfish kind of caring, puffing ourselves up, not God, who is personal and loving and desires a relationship with us. We fall short of His perfect glory, and have a sin nature, but he wants to correct that problem through what he did for us, and then work in us to show His love and improve the world.

We can't  rely on ourselves to fix it because there is such a sin problem, a problem that grows when we fail to focus on God and His perfect ways. We instead try to do thing on our own strength and isntead mess up. The Dallas police protecting a Black Lives matter protest and getting shot provide a perfect example - here were people trying to unite for peace, the police were protecting peaceful protesters, and yet the devil still broke in riling people up outside of it to do mean stuff. (Okay, I linked to one - these police and protesters were working together in what seems to be a Godly fashion. It just shows that we can't rely on people to do this themselves - we need God to be our victory.)

As people, we struggle with things like evil. Not everyone will be tempted to be as violent as some of the people in the news lately. However, we all fall short of the mark of perfection. And, we can't make ourselves perfect. The world's system tries, but that system is much better, as this shows from my ministry blog.

God's justice is better, his forgiveness is better, his mercies last forever. So, how do we receive that if we can't do it ourselves? How do we become reconciled to God? Because, that is what needs to be done for there to be a repentance Revival.

New on the inside

First, one must become a new creature in Christ. As I have mentioned often in this blog, each of us sins - even if we don't commit every type of sin, we still are not perfect. So, we must be made new on the inside. It is being a new creature that allows us to be reconciled to God. It's as easy as ABC - Admit you're a sinner, Believe Jesus died to take the punishment for your sins and rose from the dead, and Call on Him to forgive you and save you from your sin, Choosing to trust in Him completely as having done all that was needed to make you new inside.

That reconciliation allows God to have a personal relationship with us. God reconciled us to Himself by taking the punishment for our sins when he came to this Earth as a man, fully God and fully man, died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead. It Is by trusting Him, calling on Him by faith to forgive and save you, that you become reconciled to Him.

When you do this, Jesus comes to live in you through the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit is how he works in you to help you grow more Christ-like in things like the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. He will help you be kind and tender-hearted, like in Ephesians 4:32. You can learn to focus on the many positive thigns of Philippians 4:8. Many other verses which show God's perfect love.

Once a person is reconciled to God, so they know they can go to heaven, they will have life more abundantly here on Earth too, as I speak of here.

More importantly, they will have gain the ministry of reconciliation so that they can be ambassadors for Jesus Christ and share his love with others.

Represent God With Love

An ambassador's job is 2 represent his or her country in another country. An ambassador will work too ensure that businesses have the help they need and working with that country. And, more importantly, the Ambassador will work to ensure his or her nation's citizens are not mistreated and provide help where they can. They speak to the government for the citizens.

As Christians, our role as ambassadors fits perfectly into the admonition to be in the world but not of the world. An ambassador cannot represent his or her country without going to that country. And yet, they also would not be doing their jobs if they broke off contact with their home country and decided they were going to become a citizen the country they were in. That would be laughable if they did that.

Romans 12:1-2 says, among other things, that we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds. That means continuing to allow our minds to be made more in the image of Jesus Christ in our love, compassion, and so on.

We need to care for non-Christians as well as Christians. Ultimately, God wants everyone to come to know him as Saviour. It's just that we fail sometimes because that old fleshly nature wants to do other things. It wants to seek revenge or spout off angrily or do other things that will hurt people.

Thankfully, of course, we are fully reconciled to God and will not lose our Salvation. However we will lose blessings and rewards if we don't take advantage of that relationship and let God work in us to help us to grow spiritually and glorify Him.

So, the key is to reconcile others to God, leading to the Gospel. Gospel is a word that means good news. We have good news to tell people, that the God of love has reconciled us to Himself despite our sin. In His perfect Heaven, we will all gather around the throne and celebrate forever no matter what we do. That is, members of every tribe and kindred and tongue and nation.

In other words, we will all be equal in heaven and that equality should start here on Earth. God is personal and only looks at the heart, not the outward appearance.(1 Sam.16:7) We must put aside differences - while standing firm on sound doctrinal facts that are from the Bible, sharing with others that Jesus save, not man's works - and come together in the spirit of unity.

The answer must involve remembering God's love

It is in the spirit of unity we need to realize that all lives matter - black, blue, green with red polka dots and orange swirly thingies, whoever you are, you are special to God. You matter to Him, and you are special to people here on Earth too. We should see each other as special.

The problem, of course, is that some people, on both sides, don't seem to recognize that. There are too many people acting in anger and frustration. That is a spirit of the devil witch comes only to destroy, rather than to build up. That verse where Jesus promises to give us life more abundantly is in the same place as Jesus warning that the thief does come only to tear down and destroy. That life more abundantly comes as we encourage others and let God encourage us in our walk with him to be more Christ-like in our love for everyone. After all, we are all created in God's image.

In order to do this, we must remember that God is still in the picture. In many ways, we have sadly chosen to ignore God. There are many times when people will only do that which is right in their ownsight(Jud.21:25) , instead of the common sense God gave which allows us to realize other people matter and that we can't simply do whatever we want. True freedom can only come in Christ and what He did for us.

It can sound like a broken record, of course, to say that we need to share with others how they are creations of God and should not be tempted to do violence - and how we need to realize that ourselves so we do not feel tempted to do it to others but instead recognize that God loves them and does not want people to be acting rashly against them.

There are, of course,  bad things in this world. However, that should not cause us to act in a rash manner. As the Bible says in ephesians 4, be ye angry and sin not, let not the sun go down upon your wrath. In other words, don't let anger fester and turn into sin. Instead, make things right by working together in love with those who hurt you. Do good to those who persecute you, and you will heap burning fire upon their heads. This means that if they do not get saved it will torment them that they did not show that kindness and repent. And, if they do, Jesus Christ will have taken the punishment for their sins, just as He did for yours.

We need His help, however. Just as being strong in the Lord means strengthening from the outside, this work of coming together must come from the Holy Spirit working in us and in the country. And, He can. Jesus says the Holy Spirit isn't come into the world only to dwell in saved people. He came to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.(John 16:7-12)

So, be reconciled to God, and as discussed elsewhere in this blog, pray without ceasing and encourage others to be, also, so that God the Holy Spirit can work int his nation and bring repentance revival. And, if the devil attack like he did in Dallas, just remember, God has already won the final battle. We just need to help people see His love and feel His perfect peace and comfort here on Earth.

Trust the Lord to raise up Godly people, be willing to let Him use you

A good beginning for this post - given its timing - would be what was stated in the post on being a role model. Or, perhaps on teaching others to overcome difficulties or forgiveness - after all, all these things, firmly standing for the right things, and numerous other posts in this blog all relate to Father's Day.

Instead - yes, I know this sounds silly - but, here's a question about dictionaries. If you had a choice between a perfect definition and something people made up, which would you choose?

Hopefully, the perfect one, otherwise you could pick up a pile of mud and leaves and define it as whatever your favorite meal is. Or, you could define a random squirrel as a nation's capital. The first one would taste bad, and the second could lead to jokes concerning nuts that are in bad taste - and are likely pretty old, anyway. The point is that neither definition makes any sense.

We do the same with the word "father" for various reasons when we use only human definitions - false pride, selfishness, and so on. This is why God's definition of a loving, personal man who always gives of himself is vital - after all, God is personal and desires a relationship with us. It is also why the focus here will be how anyone can fill that role, just like Mordecai raising Esther. This doesn't mean the way the world says it - because the world only focuses on the physical - but the tenderhearted, unconditional love God has for us, whereby we call Him "Abba" - that word really means "Daddy," not just "Father." This is a term of great tenderness and trust, the way a small child should see a father.

Of course, as noted before, the devil counterfeits everything God makes. We need to help others overcome and become more resilient, be role models, etc., as the above links said. This post links several former posts ideas together with some other things to help show how we can pray for - and sow seeds of - repentance revival.

Humbling Oneself to Take the Spiritual Lead

God's Word recognizes that. Take 2 Timothy 2:1 or any other verse which speaks of being strong in the Lord, or the call to stand in Ephesians 6:11-13 before the full armor of God is discussed showing us how to fight the battle. The verbs for being strong, standings, etc. imply a continual action from outside. It's a continual action of letting the Lord strengthen us, or help us to stand (through the full armor of God) so we can stand in that evil day and, having done all, to stand.

 As I note in my free blogbook for all, the story of the Shunemmite woman lays the groundwork for how anyone, even a child, can be a spiritual leader when nobody else is willing. It requires that the person be a Godly example as she was and not follow the ways of the world. It's very easy for a person to be drawn away when their minds and hearts are not focused on Jesus.

That's why it's vital that any leader be humble and let God be the one to guide through His Holy Spirit. I'm not going as far as I've heard some preachers go - they say that people were never meant to marry (and thus conceive) apart from being born again believers in Jesus Christ who are led by Him to be Christlike individuals. Books could be filled on debate about what the alternatives would be and how God might or might not use such institutions for His purposes. Not only that, but we are all sinners in need of a Saviouir.  We must rely on Him to have the strength to overcome our weaknesses, and on others to help us to do so, because He uses otehrs to help us.

That is how the devil has counterfeited fatherhood and families in general over the years. There have been ideas such as a refusal to admit one's wrongs and apologize to an insistence on phsyical toughness to many other things that have nothing to do with Godlness as it shows in the Bible.

Indeed, Biblical manhood has nothing to do with toughness - men are called to be tender, affectionate with their words and actions, and so on. Look at how Paul spoke of the way he nursed the Thessalonian church.(1 Thess.2:7-12)

For there to be a Revival in America or anywhere, we need leaders. God's Word clearly says that His people can pray, call on him, turn from their wicked ways, etc.. So, it doesn't take a ruler to do so. A couple of businessmen in 1857 devoted to prayer begin a Revival in New York City. They simply met and prayed at lunch each day, and brought more and more in to join them. These prayer meetings and the subsequent turning away from sin and adopting honest, fair, etc. business practices and honoring God in all they did spread from New York to Chicago and elsewhere.

However, we do need people to step up and lead like these men did. They don't lead because they are rulers, they lead because they are following Godly principles and encourage the people to follow Christ like they do.

This, then, is what we must Honor on Father's Day, not the fact that a person has a title, but the fact that a person leads with Godly character and the unconditional love, compassion, and so on that Christ exemplifies. 

Remember that Jesus Christ is God in flesh.(That is what Sonshi means, not physical relations.) In the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.(John 1:1,14) Jesus Christ is God in flesh, so we must use His example as to how to live our lives. Yes, He took bold stands against sin, but He also loved the sinner.

This is why it is possible to say that anyone can provide that kind of Godly leadership, the kind a father should. Some people will struggle because they lack certain things. Some might not have learned how to provide for others or remain committed to something or show that love, but that is why God provided the comforter, the Holy Spirit, to every believer, so He can teach them. That just means relying on Him to do so.

An example to us

 

A perfect example is my great-grandfather. He spoke in glowing terms about his mother all the time, but never mentioned his father once. My great uncle says that even if you got him to where he would spout off about everything he wouldn't mention anything about his dad. His dad died in an accident, and it was sad for him in his late teens, but his mother died in a much worse accident, a house two years earlier, yet while he never shared about that accident he would about what she was like before then.

The family figures that my great-grandfather's dad was either never there or not very nice. My great-grandpa never learned how to be a loving, caring father who children always talked about how wonderful he was and looked up to him so consistently. And yet, he was that way as a father himself, a wonderful, gentle, loving man who his children, my grandma and her siblings, would often talk about so lovingly.

There are a few other things that point to his having trusted Christ as his Savior during a Billy Sunday Revival in 1912. I won't get into those, but suffice it to say that the man was changed on the inside at some point in his late teens, he learned to do things as he had not learned how to do otherwise because he did not have the example to show him.

Letting God show us how

This example is one of many which could be used to demonstrate the fact that God can and will teach us how to be the loving, caring people we should once we trust Him. The Holy Spirit works in people to change their hearts and help them to be more like Jesus.

This, therefore, means that we must trust him too guide us in the things that we have lacked for so long. Not only for the last 40 years, but the last 400, as I have often said in this blog.

 We must trust the Lord to heal this land by raising up leaders, but they must be the right kind; those who will be kind, loving, caring, etc., but will not wilt in the face of pressure.  person can certainly be emotional (like John Knox, founder of the Presbyterian church, when he punished his children), the key to strength Biblically is going through with it even when it is emotional. Some thigns can be difficult, but that goes back to the fact being strong in the Lord means a continual strengthening from outside.

leaders must be committed to what they do - that's why it's vital that a leader be able to show he or she cares in everything they say and do. It's why leadership is about showing that other people matter, as has been noted numerous times here, such as in this post. It's a joy, not a a burden, to be able to make a difference in the world.

Much of the problem we have in this lack of leadership is that we look at things the wrong way. We always have - we're imperfect people, and as sinners, we all need God's help to guide us in the right direction. Some, like I was, always try to behave well and the main problem is not realizing the problems that thought life can cause; that's what got me saved was realizing that even my thought life caused me to fall short of the glory of God, and I also didn't always do or say what was right. For others, it's a rebellious nature that they must trust the Lord to bring under control.

Whatever the problem is, we know this. We know God is a loving, personal God who gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who was God in flesh. He just chose to manifest Himself this way because it was easiest for us to understand, God gave that gave for a reason, Jesus came for a purpose. That purpose was to willingly suffer and die for each of us, taking on the sins of the whole world. Then, He rose from the dead, having triumphed over sin and death. Talk about a great task and greater victory! All one must do to have a personal relationship with Him is call on Him to save them from the punishment for their sins and forgive them and make them new inside. Because, He took the punishment we all deserve for our sins. You can see more abut this, and talk to someone to grow spiritually, here.

I noted before in this post that many people - through the Internet - have a desire to be connected, yet also seems to hide behind computer screens, perhaps because tehre is so much pressure in today's world. A relationship with God can give us the peace we need to make it in this world, so we don't just play video games or get online all the time. Each of us can step out and lead, sharing our faith in Christ and being able to withstand all that comes our way.

We need to be able to admit we make mistakes, but strive not to make them. Be blameless, as one of those verses in 1 Thessalonians says which I mentioned. That doesn't mean sinless, it means not being involved in eveil so if someone accuses you, people will know it's false because you wouldn't do whatever it is. Of course, that also means getting rid of sin in your life, such as addictions. Reformers Unanimous is a great group which offers help in a Christlike way for those; there are chapters in many churches.

It also means taking the lead in prayer, spending time with others, and so on even if you don't feel like it; I loved what one youth group girl said about how she felt really sick just before her group was to lead worship this Sunday. "I feel sick. Let's do this." She was determined not to let something little get in the way of serving the Lord - and, of course, serving others, too, but with the ultimate goal being to glorify God.

That should be our attitude, too;not only for our families, but for anyone who needs that role model, that encoruagement, whatever they need. This world provides lots of discouragement, we need to go out and build others up, not tear them down.