The Shield

"For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice, and He preserves the way for His godly ones." PR. 2: 6-8

Character is built by knowing the right thing to do and having the courage to do it at the right time. A life of wisdom is not filled with the regrets of "wouldah, couldah shouldah." Sound wisdom comes from listening to the sound of the Lord's voice. Standing upright, next to The Champion, provides courage because it provides cover. "He is a shield" reminds us to walk in step with Him, and never rush in where even angels fear to tread. Justice is a matter of giving God enough elbow room to make things right even when everything is going wrong. Fools take matters into their own hands. The Wise place every crisis, large and small, into God's hands. As they yield to His pace, and His will, they become shielded by His Presence.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Reverence

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom & instruction." PR. 1:7

The mission statement of an independent fool is, "I did it my way." The Wise are not self-righteous "know it alls." They simply never get over their daily dependence upon God for His direction, protection and correction. They approach Him with wonder-filled, bold, humility relying on His Word, not their prejudices, and preferences to guide them. Prayer is the posture of a humble heart. Prayerless people are prideful fools. Despising wisdom and instruction begins by refusing to bend weak knees before Almighty God. It leads to ignoring His Word. The power of prayer is not found in your eloquence, but in your reverence for His Presence.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Prophet

"Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy." PR. 31:8-9

Proverbs is filled with a father's advice to his sons. It served kings as a training manual for their next generation of leaders. Perhaps Proverbs has no greater words of wisdom than these shared by a mother with her son. They contain a timeless challenge for those given a platform to speak truth in the public square and for those who exercise influence within the halls of justice. Those who cannot speak for themselves have the right to be heard. Those who are afflicted and needy have the right to be judged without prejudice. These words not only voice the heart of a mother, but they reveal the mind of God. Many pulpits remain silent to the cries of infants being ripped apart from their mothers' wombs. In a fearful attempt to protect the non-profit status of the church, these self-muzzled preachers create a non-prophet institution. Don't be one of them.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Unbridled

"Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law." Prov. 19:18

God's Word describes vision as divine revelation, your source for His prophetic sense of direction needed in a world filled with foolish advice. Those who say you cannot legislate morality have never read God's Word. Happy and blessed are synonyms. You are blessed by living within the bounds of God's commands. You are cursed by choosing to ignore them.

Disobedience is driven by the false hope in your own right to choose wisely without any guidance from God. Fools choose unbridled lawlessness as their road to happiness. They court disaster by crashing through God's warning signs at every cliff they see. The Wise seek God's counsel and take His advice. Are you happy?

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Compass

"An arrogant man stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper. He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered." Prov. 28:25-26

There are few words that can drain the soul like, "There is nothing else we can do." When the doctor left the hospital room, I turned to my 93 year old father, and tried to express what he was facing. With a calm voice, and a peaceful countenance, he said, "I sensed things were different this time. We can still trust God. Will you pray for me?" I did my best, but I can't tell you what I said. My heart was all over the map, and tears were all over my face.

Dad's compass was pointed in the right direction. Over a life-time of faith he always turned to the immovable, Presence of God, and put his trust in Him. One of Dad's favorite sayings was, "The best is yet to come." He often said it while seated in his prayer arbor swing, facing the rising sun. He would smile, and whisper, "Someday Someone wonderful is going to come from that direction. I want to meet Him. On April 22nd of this year, Dad did.

It is so foolish to believe, there is nothing else we can do. We can always trust God.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Intervention

“O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your Servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man.” Nehemiah 1:11

Nehemiah served in the court of a pagan king, providing protection from poisoning and personal security to the monarch, but His Sovereign was Almighty God. He appealed to the Sovereign Lord of Creation to influence the heart of a king who had the earthly power to provide relief to the cries of God’s people on earth.

Nehemiah turned to intercession as the primary means of inviting God’s intervention into the affairs of man. With our own nation in crisis, we should do no less.

“…Be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name…”

Intercession is an expression of great personal concern being pointed towards God calling for His intervention. Still, it is a form of spiritual delusion on the part of any prayer warrior to believe, in the midst of the battle, that they fight alone.

Nehemiah didn’t allow himself to be deceived by the clamor and the chaos of the crisis. He called on God to be attentive, not only to his prayers, but to all the prayers of His servants. Nehemiah reminds us of those who take great delight in revering God’s name. His words bring great comfort in the midst of the battle.

The power of intercessory prayer is not found in eloquence, but in reverence. Listen carefully to the prayers of people and you can discern very easily the difference between those who “delight to revere Your name” and those who are trying to make a name for themselves. Nehemiah was only interested in lifting up and honoring the name of God. Pray like him.

At a recent prayer event I attended, one man couldn’t resist the temptation to slip his website into his remarks. He did it twice. He was more interested in connecting the people with himself than he was in connecting the people with God. At another prayer event, men who were given the responsibility to intercede, couldn’t resist a hot microphone, and succumbed to the tempter’s snare to address the audience with a few well-chosen remarks before entering into a conversation with God. It was disappointing to me. More importantly, it was grieving to the Holy Spirit. This foolishness needs to stop!

Being eloquent before men is not always being reverent to God. Answered prayer is not concerned with being heard by men. Intercessory prayer becomes answered prayer only by being heard by God.

Putting God on hold before you pray does not revere His name. It is an insult. Warming up the crowd with a fit of eloquence does not warm up the heart of God. It is irreverence.

Nehemiah was interested in God’s undivided attention, not the attention of man. Though he was a cupbearer to the king of a great empire, before he placed his request for aid before a man of earthly power, he pointed his prayer to the source of spiritual power, Almighty God. Follow his lead.

This is the great need of the day, men and women of Issachar who are able to discern the times for a nation in crisis. They will not only make the effort to intercede for God to intervene. They will be willing to take their intercession to the next level and be instruments of God’s intervention.

Nehemiah entered into intercession, and became an instrument of intervention. As a cup-bearer to the king, he held a position of privilege and responsibility. It was not an accident, but a Divine appointment.

The privilege of intercession led him to take personal responsibility for the intervention that was needed. His burden for his nation left him tearful over the condition of His people and fearful of the consequences of intervening. He could lose his job, and his life. He did it anyway. Thank God he did.

Nehemiah prayed for God to intervene in the heart of one man before he spoke one word to him. Nehemiah didn’t lean on his own eloquence or confidence to create compassion in his heart for the cause of God’s people. He turned to God. Nehemiah’s prayer appealed to God, to move the heart of the king to express compassion. Without asking, God moved in Nehemiah’s heart to create great courage. Prayer always does.

NOTE TO SELF: God may place a burden on your heart and call you to intercede for a specific person or a specific need. Don’t be surprised if he uses you as a personal instrument to carry out His plan for intervention. Encourage pastors and key lay people all over this nation to pray for their country to turn back to God. Pray for them to be willing to be instruments of His intervention in this nation. Nehemiah did, and God used him. The rest as they say is HIS story.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Reports

“Lord, I have heard the report about You and I fear. O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.” Habakkuk 3:2

There was a time before news “journalists,” when those who delivered the news were called reporters. They didn’t invent the news. They just reported it. Those days are gone forever, but the reports keep coming, as the heads keep talking. Empty though they may be.

The prayer of the prophet Habakkuk was prompted by a report he had heard about God, and driven by the fear of God. He appealed for mercy. This is the desperate cry of a man who knew what he needed, was convicted he didn’t deserve it, and believed God was his only hope for it.

Scripture connects the dots and provides a picture of what revival looks like. It is an outpouring of God’s mercy upon people who deserve his wrath. It is a response to the humble death cries of people who know they are in a desperate condition, and they have no one else to blame but themselves.

Revival is not a new and improved work of the flesh, glorifying the achievements of an ambitious pastor and a self-centered church. Revival sets a man on fire, but it doesn’t necessarily put his name in lights.. Revival is not the result of a man making a name. It is God making a difference.

Never forget this. Revival is the work of God The prophet prayed, “…revive Your work in the midst of the years.” Those who long for revival are on their way to receiving it, when they admit they don’t deserve it, and they can’t create it.

The airwaves and news pages of this nation have been filled with bad reports for years. In recent days the level of malignant messages have spread like a cancer eating away at the soul of America. The response to these reports has been varied, yet relentless. For some the news has been joyful, but for others it has left them hopeless. The prophet gives direction to us “in the midst of the years.”

The prophet did not expect God to dilute His righteousness by minimizing His wrath. He called on God in all His holy anger to transform it into a powerful, purifying outpouring of His mercy. Mercy is healing, but it is not painless. Those who receive it are purified. Anyone who has ever had peroxide poured into a puss-filled cut knows the experience. Expect tears.

This is the very essence of revival. God descends from Heaven and by His Spirit, He walks among His people, purifying them by His undiluted Presence. When His people pray, God brings revival. Revival is God. We pray. He stays. Is your church praying for the Presence of God. The only other option is the wrath of God.

Revival is not series of meetings. It is a prolonged, outpouring of God’s mercy upon His own people, until they become saturated by His Presence. Revival pours out from the four walls of the church and into the public square when purified people are more concerned about receiving the approval of God, than they are about seeking the approval of man.

“Revival is a community saturated with God.” Duncan Campbell

Revival will be rejected by people inside the church, as well as by those outside of the church. The purification process is painful because it is humbling. Prideful people are prayerless people. Admitting failure is more painful than the failure itself. Calling upon God for mercy for your own sin is more painful than pointing out the sin in others. Revival gets personal before you get right with God. Get the picture?

NOTE TO SELF: Pray for mercy. You don’t deserve it. You need it. Pray for your nation to experience a fresh work of God’s mercy “in the midst of the years.” The spirit of desperation precedes the outpouring of revival. Pray for God’s people to become desperate enough to come to the end of themselves and the beginning of God. The wrath of God is kindled to its greatest intensity by the rebellion of His own people. Pray for the church to repent and to turn back to God, praying to Him, in the name of Jesus, these same words, “in wrath remember mercy.”

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Words

“When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before God of heaven. I said,

‘I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.” Nehemiah 1:1-7

The Words from the recent Supreme Court decisions unleashed upon our nation an endless stream of comments spewing over the airwaves and released a floodgate of posts on social media. As the judgments of man collide with the judgment of God, cultural Christianity is being called to account for what they truly believe. The fundamental choice in life is to choose between wisdom and foolishness, between a fear of God and the fear of man. Some will choose wisely. Some will play the fool.

The purification of the church is never a pretty picture, but it is part of God’s plan for Spiritual Awakening. Those who are determined to come down on the right side of history, while landing on the wrong side of God’s commandments are in store for a rude awakening. Those who remain faithful to God’s commandments are in store for a Great Awakening. Make sure you stick the landing.

One of the least popular passages of Scripture in the Bible may very well be, “Judgment begins at the house of God.” The birth of the next Great Awakening won’t begin in The White House, the schoolhouse or the state house. It will begin at your house.

Nehemiah’s response to the words that came to him about the condition of his nation brought him to great sorrow and sadness, but they led him to personal repentance.  This is always the right response for God’s people to a national tragedy.

Fixing the blame where it belongs is the key to fixing the problem. Repentance comes from the mind of God. It is not meant to punish or shame. It unlocks the door to personal as well as corporate revival, by renewing and refreshing companionship between The Father and His children.

Nehemiah didn’t try to pray down the wrath of God on the enemies of his nation. He was moved to pray and to intercede for the people of Jerusalem. To be sure, they were suffering under the hands of their enemies, but he didn’t voice a prayer for blessing, but a prayer of confessing.

“…confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.”

The point of repentance is where the next Great Awakening begins. This is the turning point. It is not a matter of taking a nation back, but turning a nation back to God, one heart at a time. The contemporary church may try to postpone it or deflect it, but the ancient message from the book of Nehemiah calls the church to do it. Nehemiah didn’t try to blame others for the condition of his nation. He held himself accountable, and said, “I and my father’s house have sinned.”

In America, a tearless, prayerless church has presided over the creation of a form of Christianity that values style over substance, and image over integrity. Before God heals a land, He holds His people accountable to express a spirit of humility, not a spirit of independence.

Recently fireworks exploded all over the land celebrating the birth of our nation. They are always spectacular, drawing “oohs” and “ahhs” from delighted crowds of people watching in the darkness. Rockets fired into the air paint vivid, beautiful, multicolored lines upon a velvet backdrop, but they only last a few seconds.  Even so, the experience can be an inspiration. The author of our National Anthem found this to be true.

“The rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof to the sight, that our flag was still there.” Francis Scott Key

The Words heard by Nehemiah broke his heart. They drove him to prayer, but not to despair. He was desperate for a solution, not despondent over the bad report. He turned to God. This is the only way for God’s people to respond when they discover they have lost their way.

The church of Jesus Christ is not a rocket thrown into the air, to briefly light the night. The church is built upon The Rock, and called to be just like their Savior, “The Light of the world.”

NOTE TO SELF: Take the words that have come your way, and darkened your nation, and place them in God’s hands. Allow Him to shed His light on any area of your life that has contributed to the weakening of your church’s or your nation’s respect for His Word. Repent of it. Restore consistent companionship with Him. This world is dark, and His Word will still light the way home.  While you are in it, light it up. Like the old songs says, “Let it shine!. Let it shine! Let it shine!”

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Declaration

In 1776, the Continental Congress approved what has become known as “The Declaration of Independence.” Though this title is not mentioned in the document itself, posterity and the content of the document established the title. It was, indeed, a declaration of independence.

The Declaration begins with a soul-stirring reminder of the significance of this act, and the God-given entitlement to respond to tyranny.

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them…”

The causes for the separation are are preceded by The Preamble. This may very well be one of the most powerful statements ever expressed in the English language.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

“The pursuit of Happiness” was an 18th Century expression best described as self-rule. Jefferson understood real freedom to be found in self-sufficiency, not in government dependency.  This kind of happiness cannot thrive or survive under governmental tyranny.

In the 21st Century, “pursuit of happiness” has been dissected and tortured by secularists until it is barely recognizable. It has become a tired horse mounted by the forces of liberalism. Assisted by tyrannical judges, it has been ridden into the ground in an attempt to turn self-sufficiency and freedom from tyranny into a passion for personal licentiousness.

The body of The Declaration contains  “the causes which impel them to separation.” They express an American virtue, the absolute intolerance for tyranny. It is in the DNA of the American idea.

“It is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

Though addressed to King George, the causes of the separation are not driven by a personal grudge against the King of England, or a hatred for the people of Great Britain. They are referred to as facts that must be stated.

“The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”

What follows is the list of causes that brought about the crisis, and severed ties between a free people and the source of the tyranny they abhorred. The birth of a free people was based upon a rejection of tyranny. The death of a free people begins the day they begin to ignore it. Growing accustomed to tyranny a slow but sure process to complete the suicide of a free people. No one has described this better than Os Guinness in his book, “A Free People’s Suicide.”

“A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”  

The Declaration held The King responsible for being the tyrant, but it also held the people of England accountable for allowing the tyranny to be directed towards their fellow-citizens in America. The Declaration called for an absolute separation from the English government and the creation of another one in America. The Declaration would lead to war, but it also contained a hope for peace.

“We must therefore…hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.”

The Conclusion of The Declaration of Independence expresses the level of commitment the signers of the document brought to the causes they had expressed.

“And for the support of this Declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

The signers were not blind to the consequences of their action, but they were not clairvoyant. They were separating themselves from the richest nation in the world, and challenging the combined might of the largest navy and most successful army on earth. They could not have possible foreseen what it would cost them.  Thank God they didn’t flinch when it came to paying the price.

It took the vision of John Adams to see beyond the storm clouds of war and into a brighter future for these United States.

“I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure it will cost us to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states. Yet through all the gloom I see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth all the means. This is our day of deliverance.” – John Adams

Adams would write to his wife, Abigail, about this special day. To be clear, he thought it would be celebrated on July 2nd. He missed the date, but his sentiment was spot on. You can’t miss it.

“It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires, and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” – John Adams

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! Go out and celebrate accordingly. Observing the local ordinances of your city and state, FIRE AWAY!

May these words of John Adams be ever true, and may we be faithful to pass his priceless legacy on to our children.  Pray for our nation. It is in great danger, but the greatest enemy of this nation may very well be a prayerless church. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Judge

“Judge not…” Matthew 7:1

Apparently these two words are all some people need to know to become experts about the Bible, and the mind of God. For them it is enough information to dispense with a proven standard for marriage, and to invent a new right for something God never had in mind. It is not enough to tolerate their new creation. They expect everyone to celebrate it. Those who don’t are marginalized an ostracized as bigots.

My alma mater recently removed sodomy from their student manual. It is no longer considered inappropriate behavior for their students. Time will tell, but I expect the next step in this journey off God’s grid will be campus weddings for same-sex marriage. Toleration of sin is the first step towards the celebration of it. Those who don’t celebrate what they can’t tolerate will face the wrath of the tolerant.

People who attempt to quench their thirst at the well of self-gratification discover it leads to self-destruction.  Hungering for the approval of others more than the approval of God leads to a famine of the soul.  When it comes to the Word of God, ignoring the obvious and embracing the obscure leads to the ridiculous.

Justice Anthony Scalia wrote a powerfully prophetic and a scathing dissenting opinion to the recent Supreme Court decision. He accused the five lawyers of judicial arrogance, creating a right that never existed before in the mind of God or in the language of The Constitution. This will result in a floodgate of consequences. They have yet to hit the beach of this nation, but the wave is coming.

“It is one thing for a society to elect change; it is another for a court of law to impose change by adjudging those who oppose it hostes humani generis, enemies of the human race.” Justice Scalia

When Roe vs. Wade became the law of the land no one could possibly have imagined it would lead to the deaths of 60 million children. Creating rights that God never created is not creative, but judicial arrogance. Anyone who ignores the counsel of God and shreds The Constitution is blinded by the light of their own self-importance. It is always a dim bulb.

Comedians have wryly stated, “I have no problem with gay marriage. Gay people have every right to be as miserable as the rest of us.” Behind this humorous remark hides the proverbial sliver of truth that cuts to the quick and gets under the skin.

It is true. More marriages are made in heat than in Heaven. Therefore, it is hard to hold up the sanctity of marriage and the sacred bonds of matrimony while installing a revolving door at the marriage altar. Mountains of wedding cakes and miles of train from expensive bridal gowns have not produced indestructible marriages that model God’s standard.

“No fault” Divorce is another one of those flawed gems of bureaucratic language and governmental logic that lulled the church into thinking that ending a marriage without fixing the blame would fix the problem. It didn’t. Shame on us for taking the bait.

“But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery;…” Matthew 5:32

Critics of “same-sex” marriage have every right to refuse to recognize it as marriage. Jesus didn’t. He was very clear. Marriage is between a man and his wife. He didn’t create a new right. He died to give people a new life.

When the early church welcomed homosexuals into the church it was not based on a misguided toleration of their sin. Their presence was met with a celebration of their new life. There is a huge difference between toleration and sanctification. There is nothing to celebrate when the church changes the price tags of anything that cost Jesus Christ his life’s blood on The Cross.

“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of Jesus.” 1 Cor. 6:11

On the other hand, heterosexual marriages that do not reflect God’s standard should not be tolerated or celebrated. The number of young people entering into marriage as chaste virgins is probably hard to document, but it is hardly an overwhelming statistic. The Bible has more to say about fornication and adultery than it does about homosexual behavior. This truth hurts, but it is meant to heal. It is time for the church to take its own medicine.

Church members have been negligent to abide by God’s standards, and pastors have been quick to break them. Hardly a day goes by without the news of another “evangelical” pastor who has been exposed as a heterosexual deviate. The gay community has grounds to say to the church.

“Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye.” Matthew 7:5

The talking points of the secular media and the homosexual agenda are meant to shame conservative Christians into denying their Biblical root system in order to be accepted in this brave new world. The church is told they must move on and come down on the right side of history. This will bear bitter fruit if the church swallows this line of thinking.

History is HIS story.  Removing something from a student manual doesn’t change God’s mind about it. What is in His Word still reveals His mind. HIS story has a happy ending for those who follow Him. It is a disaster for those who rebel against Him. Make sure you land on the right side of HIS story.

Creating something new out of nothing by court jesters doesn’t change the law of God. God will have the last word. He is The Judge. Not me. Not you. Not the media. Not the Supreme Court of the land. What is wrong, He will make right. If not here on earth, then certainly He will do it in the court of Heaven.

NOTE TO SELF:  Don’t judge. Leave that to God. He is going to judge behavior that is out of line with His will. That includes yours. Don’t be intimidated by the pressure of the secular media, spineless politicians, and compromising pastors. You don’t’ have to move on. Moving in the wrong direction may be the path of least resistance, but it doesn’t avoid the judgment of God. Strengthen your marriage. Reflect God’s best in the worst of times. Challenge the church to stop ranting and to start repenting. This nation is where it is, not because it was led to this point by the gay agenda, but because it was abandoned by Christian apathy. Pray for mercy. You don’t deserve it, but you need it. So does your nation.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!