PEOPLE GIVE SHOUT-OUTS TO OTHERS EVERY DAY! “You ROCK!
You are AWESOME! That is AMAZING! How INCREDIBLE! Wow … you are THE BEST!” And on and on!! I am sure you have shouted out your own
accolades to others that you appreciate – and received some accolades of your
own from others that want you to know how they are impacted by you! And hey, I am all for patting each other on
the back and gifting others with uplifting affirmation. If more people lived by the rule of sowing
positive words into the lives of others, not only our nation, but our world
would be such blessed places. And why? Because those who walk among us and around us
would be blessed by the value that we speak into them! That principle is scriptural, after all. People are starving for godly
attention/affirmation. Children are
tossed aside … and they just want to hear at least once in their young life
that someone loves them, cares, and believes in who they are – that there is something
good in them. Who will they hear
it from?
Deuteronomy chapter 11 gives us some powerful instructions that
we would do good to heed, especially in these days we are living in! Starting in verse 18. we are told that we
“shall do something”, which is “laying up God’s Words in our minds and hearts,
and entire
being”, and then we are to “bind them for a sign upon our hands and as
forehead bands between our eyes.” The
scripture goes on to tell us in the next few verses: “And
you shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your
house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you rise
up.” Doesn’t leave a lot out of how
we are to live and pass the truth of God’s Word on to our family and each
generation who follows us, does it? Oh,
but there is a bit more: “And you shall write them upon the doorposts
of your house and on your gates.” and then comes the promise attached to
what happens when we do these things! “That your days and the days of your
children may be multiplied in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to
give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth,” … and there is
MORE! Hold on!!
WAKE UP AMERICA! That is
the theme of this year’s 65th Annual National Day of Prayer which
will be held in the next few days on May 5th. Listen to the theme scripture verse: “SHOUT IT ALOUD, DO NOT HOLD BACK. RAISE YOUR VOICE LIKE A TRUMPET … ” Isaiah
58:1a (NIV) We really need to
read and digest the entire chapter for this to get into our hearts like God
would like it to. This is in all
actuality, a call to repentance! In
America, it is so easy to call ourselves Christians; to think that we are so
holy and righteous and that we are doing what God wants us to do. In all reality, God is calling us to truly
repent … to truly fast with a condition
of heart that He wants us to have – which you will discover fully if you read
the entire chapter! Then “our right
relationship with God will go before us and the glory of the Lord shall be our
rear guard.” The verses are filled with promise after promise of what God
will do for us and through us – and don’t miss the last verse (read it below)!
WAKE UP AMERICA! Wake up, born again Christians! I know you are election-weary,
confused, frustrated, and feel like there is no point to anything anymore. But we must remain steady and true to God’s
Word and engage in shouting the call to repentance aloud, not holding back; we MUST raise
our voices like a trumpet – lest we lose our voice in the fray! We cannot give up! Billy Graham’s son, Franklin, is not giving
up. He is traveling to each one of the
50 states and sounding the call for believers to PRAY. VOTE.
ENGAGE. Dare we do any less? Back to Deuteronomy 11, now in verses
22-24a: For if you diligently keep all
this commandment which I command you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk
in all His ways, and to cleave to Him – then the Lord will drive out all these
nations before you, and you shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than
you. Every place upon which the sole of
your feet shall tread shall be yours …”. You see, God says that He has set
before us a blessing and a curse: a
blessing if we obey His commands – and a curse if will not obey them! America is where she is at because we have NOT
obeyed God’s commands. Only our decision
to wake up and act … to repent and obey … to pray, vote, and engage our rights
in Christ – will save us from utter destruction on this soil in this year of
2016. Let’s decide TODAY to place the
soles of our feet solidly upon the Word of God, so that wherever we tread we
can lay claim to for the Kingdom of God!
The choice lies before us ~ WHAT WILL YOU CHOOSE TO DO, children of God? SHOUT IT ALOUD!
REMEMBER . . .
“Then will
you delight yourself in the Lord, and I will make you to ride
to the high places of the earth,
to the high places of the earth,
and I will
feed you with the heritage (promised for you) of Jacob your father;
for the mouth
of the Lord has spoken it.”
Isaiah 58:14
Serving Christ Joyfully . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
