LET US PRAY

I would like to share some thoughts that will help us with our prayers. I think one of the greatest mysteries of God is prayer. I have told this story in the past and share it (in brief) to express my point. God took me all the way to India to teach me this lesson. God will go great lengths to teach us the lesson we need to learn to be victorious in Him if we have a heart to be obedient and a willingness to learn. I think one of the most troubling heart conditions I see in the church today is most Christians do not have a desire to want to learn. Here seems to be a lot of know-it-alls in the church today. Now I will be the first to admit I do not know everything and the things I thought I knew, well God is showing me years later truth is progressive. What I once considered to be true (and would die for) now I confess I know nothing at all. What a safe place in God. But while in India after two weeks of eating chicken, curry, and rice because of a stomach upset and diarrhea and ministering three times a day (for two hours each time) and praying for the sick in between, I was weak, drained, I had no strength within me, another safe place in God. When we are weak, then and only then is God strong. Paul learned this truth time and time again as God worked in His life and as Paul laid down his life for the Brethren. We will never have a desire to lay down our lives for anyone (even our family) unless God can first work in our lives and bring us to place of selflessness, the place of total perfection in God. At about 10:00 pm I was looking down the barrel of another plate of chicken, curry, and rice when Pastor S.J. Peter asked me to pray for a little girl who has not walked in months. To make a wonderful long story short I prayed this long, religious, and powerful prayer something like this, Oh God please heal this little girl. I had no words or strength to muster up a religious prayer. I saw no lightening bolts nor did the hair on the back of my neck stand up. My emotions were stilled and my spirit was down in a low place (where Jesus is) expecting nothing when the father put the little girl on the ground. When her little feet hit the ground she was not walking she was running. I have never in my life (even today) seen a girl run so fast. I never got to my chicken, curry, and rice that night a line quickly was formed and we had church. How did God do that? How does prayer work? My friend prayer is mysterious. It is beyond me and my thinking, yet another safe place in God. In Colossians Paul shares these words, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; 3Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: 4That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.” (Colossians 4:2-3) And one of Christ’s greatest mysteries is prayer. There are five points on prayer I think I have learned (to some degree) over my many years that I would like to share with you. Now the word “prayer” is translated six ways in the Bible, but most often the word prayer is translated as, communion with God and does not substitute for each other. We are to let the Spirit of God teach us. If the Spirit does not give it to us then we will never really get it. The word “prayer” is not in the Gospel or Epistles of John, but “prayer” is tied into john’s life more then the other disciples. It seemed there was a greater quality of love in John’s life. One can not really be involved in prayer if there is no love in our lives. Understanding these previous thoughts are critical for our understanding of knowing God and His ways through “prayer.”

The first of the five points is; we learn to pray by praying. How can we expect God to answer our prayers if we never pray? I am reminded of the story of the man who prayed, “God bless the work of my hands” and God replied, “Do something.” This is the same with prayer. God is waiting for us to do our part so He can do His part. God does not engage in our lives to do what He wants to see happen, in anything. We must start the process when dealing with the things of God. We sing the Vineyard song, “Change My Heart Oh Lord,” well God is waiting for us to do the things required to allow a change of heart. God does not have a magic wand to bonk us over the head or heavenly angel dust to sprinkle over us that magically changes us. Oh no my friend change in God is deliberate and difficult. Those who think change in God happens effortlessly have been deceived by the major denominational religions of the day. Change in God will put to death our fleshly carnal desires and ways. Change in God, becoming the new creature Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 5:17, will require us to be obedient and submissive to God and some men. Our selfish nature adamantly rejects God and His ways and must be put to death by us. For this to happen we must pray. Please know we do not have to pray, we really do not. But if we do not pray we will not get very far with God. If we have a hunger in us too, “draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” (James 4:8) then we must pray. Prayer is how we “draw nigh” to God and how He “draws nigh” to us.

The second point is; we cannot change God’s mind with prayer. Most Christians would rather prayer for hours then give one minute of obedience. We think if we do not like God’s answer we can pray and our earnest heartfelt prayer will change His mind, probably not. God is sovereign and He has plans for our lives. Why would we want to twist God’s arm to get what we want? We seek the understanding of all things, but when we find something we do not like or understand we push for a different understanding and most often we come up with a misunderstanding. Understanding got Eve in a lot of trouble. We do not need to know everything in prayer, we need to rest in prayer. Our understanding in prayer comes from God not figuring things out. In prayer we really do not know much. We often think we know that is why we pray and pray wit the gimmies so much, but the Spirit knows and the Spirit who knows will help us who do not know much. In prayer the goal is not to know what God knows, but to know God. If we can know God then He can tell us what we need to know. To do this and flow in the will of God in prayer we must lay down our ways and will to take up His ways and will, we must lay aside our thoughts and take up His thoughts.

The third point is; prayer helps us to adjust our heart and thinking to God’s will. God knows what we want before we even ask, right? Wrong! Jesus said, “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” (Matthew 6:6) We many times in prayer insert the word “want” for the words “ye have need of.” There is a big difference between a want and a need. Anyway it is God who gets to say what we are in need of not us. Prayer helps us to see things from God’s perspective. God knows (He made us so) we are beings that need to talk. In prayer it is not God needs to know, but we need to tell Him. Please remember prayer is rarely a time to receive something from God. There is a divine spiritual principle at work here, what we want we must give that away. If we want God to bless us we must ask God to bless others. Remember, God already knows what you need you do not need to ask Him, but He is waiting to see if you are willing to spend the faith He speaks to you on your self or others. Did you know we are to invest the faith God gives us in others? Will we be selfish or selfless like Jesus? And still a deeper thought, God is trying to teach us now how He thinks so that we will be able to function and operate with Him now, but more in our next life with Him. In prayer God is training us. We ask God for something and He says no. Okay, fine. After we stop crying and bellyaching, we learn the next time we come to this cross road we will not have to ask we already know God’s heart in this matter. Again and again different issue after issue God is teaching us how He operates and thinks, what He wants, what His will is through our prayers.

The fourth point of five; obedience to God is never substituted by prayer. Charles Haun told the sad story of a lady who God would wake at night to pray for people and things. God is God at disturbing us at the most inopportune time. You think not? Well serve Him long enough and He will see what you are really made of. One night God woke up this lady (it was very late) to pray for a missionary in Peru. She got out of her bed, went over to the chair in the corner, knelt down, and began to pray. After maybe one hour she went back to bed. A little later God woke her again. This time she got out of her bed and knelt by the bed. After maybe 30 minutes she slipped back beneath the warm blankets. A third time God woke this lady up to pray for the missionary, but this time she did not get out of bed. She just laid there all warm and cozy in her bed praying a few minutes then drifted off back to sleep. God never tried waking her again. About three months late the word came to her church that a missionary had died. The Holy Spirit pricked her heart letting her know it was this missionary she was to pray for the night she slept. A tough lesson in deed it cost someone else their life. There is always a cost for our disobedience and most times to others bear that cost. Prayer is never substituted for obedience. Enough said about that point.

And the fifth and final point, Jesus always prayed because He wanted to maintain contact with His Father, not to do or get things. Prayer is communion with God not taking with God. Our best prayers have no words, just groanings. Never forget Jesus was not given “a name about all names” because He was God’s Son, oh no my friend but because, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:8) We must never forget Jesus gets everything from the Father. He does not do or say anything of Himself, only those things He sees the Father doing and what His Father would be saying. Prayer is something alone, between us and God. Prayer is not wordiness, nor must it be loud. God is not hard of hearing. He knows our heart’s cry and groans better than our native tongue. Prayer cannot be formed or read, it must be natural, it must be something of the Spirit, it must be spontaneous. Prayer reveals God’s nature and heart to us. There are three patterns of prayer: duty prayer (praying over food, for people, and etc.), a prayer life (spending time alone with God where we stop living our life long enough to pray), and what God is looking for in prayer, a life of prayer (where our life becomes a prayer of God). God’s goal in prayer is not to give us things, but to be able to bring us into righteous living, where all we do is righteous. Our lives before righteous as automatic as breathing, everything we do is righteous, every thought and action is righteous just like Jesus’ life. Is not God’s grand objective in our lives to conform us into the character and image of His precious Son Jesus Christ? Yes of course, well how will He do this? What tool will he use to show us how he operates and functions? What tool will He use to show us our selfish and self-seeking heart condition? Prayer! God must be able to get us over our “give me things” thinking so that He can take us deeper into prayer. I believe we have only scratched the surface of prayer and in our next lives God will open up so much more about prayer to us. But until then let us pray. Written by David Stahl

KNOWING GOD THROUGH HIS WORD

When I was a little boy I would sing, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” and I believed it until the words struck hard at my heart and I crumbled beneath the load of hurt. My friends in reality words hurt more than sticks and stones. Bones and flesh can be easily splinted and repaired, but once our heart is damaged only God can do the healing. We must be careful to speak words that are of God (even if they are stern and hard) because they ultimately and in time build up and edify our friends and acquaintances. I think if James and Paul were alive today they would not be well received by the church because their words were to hard and cutting at our flesh to be called loving and kind. Today we seem to go after John the beloved type of fluffy words. We often think our words have to be soft and fuzzy to be full of love and kindness, but you know soft and fuzzy words rarely have a positive change for our betterment. Most often it is those strong, stern, and cutting words that move us to a place of spiritual improvement, growth, and maturity. Often it is those cold and prickly words that rub us the wrong way that seems to energize the Holy Spirit and gets us thinking and soul searching as David said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24) I wonder why we most often like to hear warm flattering words that stroke our ego or words that pat us on the back? One would think God is trying to make us happy, well my friend God is not trying to make us happy, rich, popular, or successful as many in the church teach, but has started something in the Book of Genesis and has not changed His mind, God is still in the process of creating man into His own image and will do everything we allow Him to do to bring this process to completion. One of the greatest truths I seem to continue to learn about my self is out of our mouth speaks our heart. Please notice knowing or not knowing the truth is evident of what is in our heart and by our words that come rolling our of our mouth. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” (Luke 6:45) Now I love my wife very much and she loves me, but there are times when we do not see eye to eye on some issues. During these times getting the words “I love you” to easily roll off my tongue can be a challenge, but when all is well with her and the Lord words to show my eternal thankfulness and gratitude slip off my tongue with ease. If we really love (agape) someone we will say we love them without realizing it. Our words of praise and dedication become automatic as natural as breathing. Make no mistake, have it be a good or evil treasure it will be seen as it comes out our mouth. We also see this process in the way we live our individual lives. Understanding correctly and applying truth makes up the way we live our lives. Our understanding correctly and applying truth is always the foundation of our lives. From our understanding (not applying yet) truth we develop our precepts; a maxim, original individual bits of truth that govern our ideas, thoughts, and intentions. And from our precepts we get our concepts; the way our ideas, thoughts and intentions are executed. It is important to know if our precepts are wrong then our concepts also will be wrong. If our understanding is wrong in areas then our application in these areas also will be wrong. It is no wonder many in the world and in the church today are wayward and off track, their original individual bits of truth (precepts) is wrong, they did not lay a correct understanding to truth and everything built on this wrong thinking also is wrong. Never forget our precepts and concepts come from our truth. I hear so many Christians say they know the truth, but their words, doctrine (what they believe), and lives do not match up with the words of Jesus and the words in the Bible. When Jesus stood at Pilate’s judgment seat, Pilate asked him (like many Christians and non-Christians today) “Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. 38Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?” (John 18:37-38)

Truth is not what we believe is true or even what we want to believe is true, but has been settled in heaven for all times. Truth is always from God’s perspective and always progressive. Truth is eternal and has already been spoken and for those who have the Spirit of God dwelling in them this spoken word can speak to our heart with a newness and freshness of life. There are two types of truth written and spoken, both born of the Holy Spirit. Written (the Bible) is general and applies to everyone, but spoken is personal, intimate, and applies individually. We cannot serve God correctly unless we have the ability in God to access both veins of truth this too is another reason why we have so many denominations in the world today. Most major denominations and religions do not believe God through His precious Holy Spirit speaks to us while others go over board and believe God speaks to them about every little thing. Many denominations pay lip service to the Holy Spirits as being involvement in our day-to-day lives and the church, but when it is all said and done the functioning and real power (Act 1:8) of the Holy Spirit is left laying on the ground in favor of traditions and doctrines of men by most denominations. As previously stated both types of truth are from the Holy Spirit and I think we do well in understanding the Bible being the written type of truth, after all most if not all major denominations use some version of the Bible. But the spoken type of truth (God speaking to our heart) often is misunderstood and by some totally rejected missing out on the God of the universe personally and in an imitate way speaking to them. In short, spoken truth is what God speaks to our heart. In Romans we read Paul sharing this truth with us, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17 (KJV)) But in the Greek text we get a better feel for what the Holy Spirit is speaking to us, “So then faith by hearing a word from God.” (Romans 10:17 (Greek)) Now is the KJV of Romans 10:17 wrong? Absolutely not! The word “cometh” was added by the translators to complete the thought and has not changed the meaning of the verse. However, the Greek text has a different and more complete meaning. Often words do get in the way. Here faith comes by hearing a word (spoken) from God. In the late 80s and early 90s many Christians in the church would ride around in cars or run with their walkman listening to the Bible on tape or CD and expect to get faith, well my friend faith comes to us when we hear God speak a word to us. If we could get faith by listening to the Bible on tape or a CD there would be no need for God’s work in our lives or God speaking to us. Sadly many people sit in churches around the world listening to sermon after sermon on Sundays (and maybe Wednesdays) and leave with no faith, but when God speaks a word and we hear it, faith is birthed in us. For in the word spoken, faith and all we will ever need to do what God wants us to do is contained. In the hearing and receiving of God’s word to us we can move in power and authority. Even in the ministering of God’s written word this process of receiving God’s spoken word is critical, the difference is the difference between receiving God’s life or ministering man’s doctrines and traditions of death in the church. There is a process of receiving God’s word that a Godly man must endure to be able to speak words of life and not death. Like all things of God this process starts and ends with communion with God. Many Christians say they have no power or authority in God, well these come by way of communion with God. No communion (spending time with Him alone) with God no power or authority (revelation) in God. Never forget God measures us not by how many miracles we can do by the Spirit or how long we can speak in tongues or fast, but by how much revelation we possess about God. Revelation is God’s measuring stick to how much we look like His precious Son. After time spent in communion God will lay a burden to minister the word on us. This burden is only released when we deliver the word God has put in our heart, until then we carry it in our spirit waiting for our obedience to discharge it. Next while we are alone with the Lord we will experience quick, brilliant flashes of light (sometimes before our eyes) in our spirit and mind. These enlightenments are hard to hold in our thinking, but are the revelation the beginning to the words we are to shared with the people. Before these revelations become words they must first transfer into thoughts. I really like this phase a lot. As I ride down the road with Karen or while alone with God I get these thoughts and as I mediate on them (many for years) these thoughts are turned into words; first external words many words (usually in the form of written notes and the like) and then internal words, a few words are produced in my spirit. These are the words God is after in us ministering to the people. When I first starting ministering God’s word, I would have pages of notes and would read them more in an expository format, but as time went on my notes became less and less and God’s Spirit because more and more in my delivery. God can use a few words to speak volumes to our heart.

As we can see God’s two types of truth is woven together and cannot be separated. Written truth is the word of God (the Bible) and what makes it true is what the author was saying through the written words the Holy Spirit used to capture the authors thoughts. The truth of the written word of God is contained in the written words not in what we think it is saying or what we spin the words to be, but what the Holy Spirit is saying to the church then and now to us. To understand (and lay those correct precepts so that our concepts will also be correct) the written word of God we must study the individual words in the Bible for the truth is contained in the words. This too is why the statement, what we do with the Bible we do with Jesus, is true. When we arbitrarily change the word of God; so that we can read it better, do not agree with the way it is worded, or worse disagree with it is saying we are changing Jesus. For us to understanding God’s written word (the Bible) we must dig out the treasures buried in each word that the Holy Spirit draws our attention to and to do this we must go backwards in translation to study the Bible; back to the Greek and Hebrew and this is why it is almost impossible to use the NIV and other versions of the Bible. Now please do not think I am saying you cannot use the NIV (or other translations, this is your choice) and be a Christian, but I am saying you will not be able to study the Bible as Paul instructed Timothy. What I am saying is the KJV must be the beginning point and compared backward to really understand what God is speaking to His Children. We can see with the example with Romans 10:17, there is a difference. With a change of one or two words (adding or omitting) in a verse the meaning of that verse can be changed and truth can be lost. We see this in Luke when Jesus at age 12 was teaching the Teachers in the Temple when Joseph and Mary found Him He explained, “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49) If you look at the Greek text of Luke 2:49, you will not find the word “business” it was added by the translator. Even Dr. Strong tried to mend it my giving “Father’s” and “business” with the same number #3962 for each words. But Jesus was saying something more powerful and exciting. Jesus was not saying He had to be about doing the “business” of His Father, but was saying it was time for Him to be about being or becoming His Father. Do you see the difference? All throughout the Gospels Jesus would say, He does nothing of Himself, except for what the Father tells Him to do and say (John 5:19, 12:49) and of Himself He has no power, except what the Father gives Him (John 8:27, 14:10). Even at age 12 Jesus knew He had to be about becoming like His Father, He would send Him to earth to give His life. My friend do you not think it is time for us to begin to look like our Father? Another error we can make when reading the Bible is transposing word meanings of today over the written words of God. For example in Galatians (also in Romans and Ephesians) we read, “To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” (Galatians 4:5) Here we read the word “adoption” and think of the 21 Century meaning of to take another’s child into your home, well this is not the meaning the Holy Spirit is expressing. The “adoption of sons” is a Jewish custom, a three day feast the father holds for the son AFTER the son completes his training and schooling. Now (and only after his training) the son can speak for the father in all affairs of the family. So too when we complete a phase of our training and schooling the Father adopts us as children and not until. Until then we are a bastard (spiritually) in school learning the lessons God has for us to learn. Another example is in Hebrews we read, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” (Hebrews 4:13) Here we read the word “naked” and over lay our thinking of someone being without clothing, well this is not what the writer of Hebrews (I believe to be Paul) was expressing. Here the word “naked” was referring to a gladiator submission hold of death, called the “naked hold.” All good citizens would go to the gladiator games and cheer their favorite gladiator. They were given almost a god like status and knew their moves and holds. And they also knew once a gladiator got the other gladiator in the “naked hold” the contest was over with a little pressure of his forearms he would crack the neck of his captive. While in the submission hold all the captive gladiator could do is look up in the eyes of the one that held him and hoped for the favor and grace of the people or a swift and painless death. The writer of Hebrews knew the people knew of this submission hold and expressed the thought of how the Holy Spirit holds us too in this naked hold and with a little pressure He presses us into submission and even death to our selfishness and self-life. All we can do is look up into the eyes of our captor and hope for mercy and grace.

How can we say we know God and His ways and do not handle His word correctly? What we do with God’s word (both written and spoken) is what we do with God. My friend let us handle God’s word (both written and spoken) with understanding and significance. I see in my life often I am casual with my approach to His written word after all I know this verse or that verse, but later I can see my casual approach to His spoken word to me. Oh Lord please forgive me of this familiarity. They say familiarity breeds contempt. Oh how I can see (if we have eyes to see) this dangerous shift when I think all is well. We must never get comfortable with God, but always allow Him to be sovereign and holy. How shall we come to know God, through His blessings and gifts? I think not. Maybe through our singing and dancing or service and money we give Him? No I think not. We come to know God through His dealings and judgments in our lives, as we walk with Him and talk with Him. And yes through His written and spoken word as He speaks to our heart sweet words of instruction and encouragement guiding us into all truth. Written by David Stahl

DECISION 2008

Back in 2000, I wrote an article “Decision 2000” from the Christian perspective on the election and since then my friend things have only gotten worse. Now I am not a gloom and doom kind of guy, but God expects certain things from His children and one thing that is sorely lacking in the Body of Christ is spiritual growth and development. You know you never hear any one speak on spiritual maturity any more, yet it was the heart cry of Peter, James, John and especially Paul. Maybe this is the reason for America’s (me too at times) continual drifting away from God? As much as we hate to admit (and preach the contrary) the affairs of this world often moves the Body of Christ to get involved and influence the political affairs of men (at the cost of their spiritual demise), but sadly when we do this we lose the spiritual high ground. I will be honest I have struggled within my self (because I too love America, I have given 24 years of service in defense of her and do not want to see her continue walking away from God) not to get my heart involved with the election of 2008, for I know my identity in God is not tied to a man, a political party, or a political belief, but is founded, rooted, and settled in being “in Christ” our hope (not in winning the White House or a majority of the Congress or Senate) of glory. Nor is it moved by our economic situation and circumstances. It is God not a man who makes our way prosperous. Those Christians who believe a man can change things to make their way prosperous know not the God of the Bible. Now I did not vote this election, Jesus never got involved with the politics of His day, He was far above the masses of people trying to save a country or an ideology. He had the truth, He is the truth, and expects us to walk in His footsteps. I do not know why so many Christians who say they are not of this world get so emotional, so passionate, and give almost all of their energy and resources to see a political party take power on earth. Could it be they have never really been transformed into the heavenly way of thinking and living? I think so. Jesus kept saying He has no power except what the Father gives Him and He changed the world. We run around like leaves on the wind saying we have the power and change nothing. Oh how foolish we are thinking we can do things outside God. And my friend politics is far far outside of God and His ways. Did you know the concept and practice of voting is not in the Bible. In God, if we really serve Him, we do not get an opportunity to vote on what we want God to do, He is God and does what He wants to do. Those Christians who think they get a voice in what God is doing do not know the one and only true and living God of the Bible. God is not a democrat or republican, He is an autocratic loving dictator and if you do not go His way you cannot be a Christian, your disobedience has willfully forfeited the name (even if we go to church, sing and dance, pay our tithes and offerings, and faithfully serve the Pastor) and are not a son or daughter of God.

Yesterday while Karen and I were raking up some leaves in our yard the Lord began to birth this article in my spirit. I think one of the reasons I like doing yard work is I find the Lord often speaks to me; my big mouth is shut and I can hear His words. One of the first things He spoke was I was to write this article as a father not as a son and parts are prophetic. Now I have already stated I did not vote (nor did Karen), but if we would have voted we would not have voted for some one because they boasted of their tax policy or domestic plan to restore wall street to its former glory or even because of the color of their skin, but we would have voted the Bible. I hear many in the church today say it is okay to vote, just vote your conscience, wrong! If we are a Christian we MUST vote the Bible. If not we have mocked God and called Him a liar. Now this may be strong, but I cannot understand how a Christian can identify with the democratic party; who believes in killing babies (abortion) and who believes sodomy and lesbianism is okay and normal, but God, all through the Bible, has called these lustful (not love) acts sinful and an abomination to Him. These Christians who identify with the democratic party have said in their hearts God is wrong, we know better, they have said God is a liar and mock God’s Holy Scriptures. You cannot believe in some things the political parties believe and reject others. It is like believing in the Bible, we must believe it all (every verse) or we must believe none of it. There is no defense of this, no words or spin can change the fact they have turned their backs on God, because they have been blinded by generational traditions and deceived by the gods of this world. They all stand guilty before God and must repent while they still have air in their lungs and there is time. Jesus said, “either you are for me or you are against me.” Either you believe what I say is true or you do not believe my words and have called me a liar in your hearts, actions, and associations. James talks about these types of so called Christians, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5-8) “Ask in faith nothing wavering” to what? What we believe or what we want to see is true? No, to what God has said is true in His words and revelation. The Bible (God’s written word) is the standard and no family tradition, self-belief, or political cause can change that eternal truth. A Christian that identifies with the democratic party “wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed” because they have known the truth, but fail to agree with God what He is saying is true and now they are “double minded” (going in two directions in their heart at the same time) and “unstable in all their ways.” Now the Bible says, “all their ways” (when the Bible says “all” it means all not some or a few) not just the way of wrong thinking, but everything they say, do, and think they are unstable in it. They have shaken their fist at God in defiance, like Nimrod and his people, “And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven (presumption: man desiring to go up in his heart, the opposition of what God expects in us to go down in our thinking and heart condition); and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” (Genesis 11:3-7) These folks too called God a liar in their hearts, actions, and associations and God showed up to correct their disobedience. Please do not think I am endorsing a political party, I am not. My friend our disobedience (oh me) to God will always be dealt with by Him. Oh He may wait 10, 20, maybe 50 years, but make no mistake our disobedience as a person and as a country will be dealt with.

Please do not think the winner of election 2008 was elected by man, oh no God is the power that elects a man to a place of authority. If you think man elects man you are wrong in your approach to God. “But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.” (Psalm 75:7) The winner was selected not by the popular vote or even the electoral college, but by God according to the hearts of the people. The nation of Israel was led by Prophet Samuel, but they wanted to be like every body else and have a king, so, “The LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.” (1 Samuel 8:7) The people were not rejecting Samuel, but (like most people and many churches today in America) were rejecting God. Thus God raised us a king after the heart of the people. (read 1 Samuel 8:11-17 for complete understanding)

The Bible says, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:32) If as a people we do not stand for “righteousness” how can God exalt our nation? He can not. How can God go against His word? He will not. My friend sadly, I believe God has raised us a king or leader (like Saul), after the hearts of the America people, to fashion America (like He did Israel) as a vessel for dishonor because America has chosen to shake her fist at God’s words and what He says is true. How can God exalt a nation if so called Christians embrace things that are ungodly? How can Christians (republican and democratic alike) embrace unrighteous practices, ungodly behaviors, and engage in the deception of politics trying to win favor, influence, and money from a political parties? And we think God will wink or turn His head at this? Oh no my friend we have deceived our selves and the truth is not in us. I have not been moved to write this article because my man did not win (the only man we vote for is Jesus) the election, oh no my friend I have been moved by the Spirit of God to share His heart and give warning to the critical need to change our heart condition and maybe God will relent from His wrathful plans and once again America will come under the shadow of the Almighty God. God will use our enemies to chastise us. God will allow our wealth to be carried away. I really believe God has raised up leaders to lead America as a vessel of dishonor because of her continued slide and waywardness from the truth in the word of God and from God Himself. “Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? 22What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering vessels of wrath fitted unto destruction: “ (Romans 9:21-22) They were chosen by God based not on their ability, talents, and skills, but based on the heart condition of the people and for His divine and sovereign purposes. My friend God will not allow us or America to play fast and loose with Him. There is an end to God’s longsuffering. You see from God’s perspective it not about an election, but about the righteousness of the people within a nation. There is no such thing as a Christian nation, but there can be a nation of many Christians. Christians that are not double minded, Christians that believe the word of God in their hearts, actions and associations. My friend unless we humble our selves under the mighty hand of God I fear He will come quickly and remove America’s candle stick from the world. Let us be, “ . . . clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5) Let us, “Humble ourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:” (1 Peter 5:6) and heal our land before it is too late.