Why Is Our Nation Suffering?

2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Ultimately, political leaders and secular authorities are not responsible for the rise or fall of their nation. Our presidents and representatives don’t have the kind of power it takes to ruin and restore our country. That kind of responsibility rests squarely on the shoulders of God’s people! God declared that all it would take to heal a nation is for His people to truly seek Him and turn from their wicked ways!

Is our nation being healed? Can we see the restoration of American morality and culture? If we are still in a downward spiral, doesn’t that indicate that the American church needs to do something different? If this nation rises and falls because of the spiritual health of the American believer - isn’t it about time we pay attention to what God told us to do?

If we want this nation to be healed, the first thing we’re told to do is humble ourselves. We need to come to the realization that our ways haven’t worked! Church-growth programs, seeker sensitive churches, secular lifestyles, and wishy-washy faith is not going to save this nation. Church invites aren’t going to cut it! If we want a real revival, we have to understand that our own ways of running the church, of running our families, and of running our lives haven’t worked! Are you willing to admit this?

Once we humble ourselves, the next step is to seek His face. We simply don’t do this anymore! Do you want proof? How many believers do you think spend time every day in prayer? How many believers do you think read their bible daily - let alone “study to show themselves approved”? Yet, this is the only answer for our country! Why are we so quick to blame President Obama and our congress for the state of our nation, and yet so slow to do the one thing that brings healing?

If I were you, I wouldn’t let anything stop me from seeking God! I would make it my first priority in my life! And then, whenever someone starts to complain about the way this country is heading, I would ask them if they’ve humbled themselves and are seeking God. After all, this is the only answer!

Finally (you knew this was coming!), we have to turn from our wicked ways! This is why we need to humble ourselves. If we stay in our pride, we’d be quick to say, “I’m a Christian! I don’t have any wicked ways!” But this is God speaking to His people! We need to turn from our wickedness, Christians! It’s time to clean house in our own lives, in our families, and in our churches.

It’s the wickedness of God’s people that’s hurting this nation! And it’s only the repentance of God’s people that will heal it!
We need to learn what wickedness is!

In Numbers 16:25-26, Dathan and Abiram were called wicked for conspiring against the men that God put in authority. It is wicked to rebel against the authority that God delegated to certain men. I go a little more in depth on that here.

Psalm 37:21 says that the wicked man borrows and doesn’t pay back. Did you know that it is wicked to owe money to someone and then go spend it on something else?

Psalm 52:7 says that it is wickedness to trust in your money. Whether you have a little or a lot, we are required to look to God, not our possessions, for life!

Proverbs 6:12-14 speaks of a wicked man that “sows discord among brothers.” Gossip - even when it’s true - is wickedness! Love will cover a multitude of sins!

Jesus said in Matthew 16:4 that it is a wicked thing to look for signs instead of simply believing what God has already said!

According to Matthew 18:32-33, it is wicked to harbor unforgiveness toward anyone. Jesus forgave us of more than we will ever realize! We are required to sincerely forgive our brothers and sisters!

When we do these things - humble ourselves, seek God’s face, and turn from the wickedness we’ve been doing - God’s promise is forgiveness and healing for this nation. Do you realize that millions of people in this country are counting on us to get it right?

The Company You Keep

How many times have you seen a believer connect with the wrong person and throw their life away? How many times have young Christian girls gotten into trouble because of the people they spent their time with? How long will it be before we recognize the value of 1 Corinthians 15:33? “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

The Bible doesn’t leave us in the dark about friendships. It is very clear concerning who should have a place in our life and who shouldn’t. Many Christians get into trouble when they don’t know what God said on this subject; others get into trouble when they ignore what they’ve been taught.

Whatever the reason is for choosing the wrong friends, God’s Word doesn’t hide the consequences: Proverbs 12:26 says, “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.” Your friends will make you or your friends will break you.

King Reheboam fell into this trap. When he took over the kingdom from his father Solomon, he had this choice to make. He had to choose from the proven advice of his father’s counselors or the opinions of his “friends.” He chose his friends – and it cost him more than half of his kingdom.

Godly people cannot afford to have ungodly friends.

God set some simple guidelines for friendships:

#1 – Stay away from people who gossip or talk too much

“A person who talks about others tells secrets. So avoid anyone who talks too much.” Proverbs 20:19

#2 – Stay away from people who are rebels or don’t respect authority

“My child, fear the LORD and the king. Don’t associate with rebels.” Proverbs 24:21

#3 - Stay away from people who get angry easily

“Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go”

Proverbs 22:24   

#4 - Associate with people who have a history of making good decisions

“He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.” Proverbs 13:20

#5 - When you have a wise friend that you can trust, pay attention to their advice - even if it hurts

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” Proverbs 27:6

   Pay attention to wise advice from your friends. It may make you mad, it may hurt a little; but if it’s good advice, it will help you - if you listen! Real friends love you enough to tell you the truth. Be cautious of people who are only interested in making you feel good.

#6 - Godly friends will sharpen you, making you more effective for the Kingdom of God

As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.   

Proverbs 27:17

    A real friend should be interested in God’s plan for your life. Their interest in

you goes beyond how much fun you have together. They truly want God to use you in His kingdom - so they want to help you become stronger in your faith.

#7 - Not every acquaintance in your life is going to be this type of friend

    But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

“Friend” is a powerful word. I think we use it too often in our lives. Just because we know and like someone, doesn’t make them our friend. Just because we hang out with them once in a while, doesn’t mean they should hold this kind of position in our life. A true friend is someone we share life with, someone who we trust to speak into our life, someone who is genuinely interested in God’s purpose for us. Think carefully, how many people does this apply to in your life?

Very few people have more than one or two true friends. Usually we call everyone we like “friends” - while calling the one or two “best friends.” Sadly, there are a lot of Christians who don’t have this kind of true friendship. Many more have the wrong type of person in that position, and it hurts them instead of helping them. If you have a genuine Christian as a true friend, thank God for them!

If you have that kind of friend, you have to remember that this kind of friendship is two-way. Remember what Proverbs 17:17 says to you, “A friend loves at all times.” Everything that a true friend does - building you up, speaking God’s Word into your life, staying with you no matter what - now becomes your responsibility too!

True friendship is an amazing, powerful thing. It can help both of you grow and become effective in God’s kingdom. But be careful! You will rise or fall because of the company you keep!

“If you want to know the character of a man, inspect his friends.” -Old Japanese Proverb

Slackers Don't Get This

Proverbs 25:19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.

Do you remember when you had loose baby teeth? You would go to take a bite out of something at dinner time, and it would just give way! Or how about this, have you ever sat on your leg until it went to sleep and didn't know it? You would get up and take a step, only to have your leg buckle under you! That feeling – knowing that something should work and it fails you – is the kind of feeling that comes from depending on an unfaithful person.

Have you ever depended on someone, and they didn't come through for you? It stings, right? Or, have you ever been the cause of that kind of frustration? I have been in both places, and I didn't enjoy either!

Faithfulness and loyalty are not common in this world anymore. Even in the church, where we should be true to our word, there are a lot of unfaithful people. Even Solomon noticed that trend back in his day; Proverbs 20:6 says, “Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?”

In the New Testament, the Greek word for faithfulness is “pistis” - and it's used to describe both reliability and faith! Why is the word for faith used to describe our reliability (faithfulness)? Because, the Bible is describing a faithful person's trustworthiness from someone else's viewpoint (“I have faith in them”). In other words, our faithfulness should allow people to put their faith in what we said we would do!

Faithfulness is our human reflection of God's character. God is always faithful to His word – that's why we put our faith in Him. As His kids, we should be faithful to our word as well! From marriage vows to job contracts, a believer's word should be binding. Psalm 15:4 shows how a faithful person views his promises; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change. Even when it's costly, a faithful person does what he says. This is the kind of character should be found in the home, on the job, and in the church.

God's currency is faithfulness!

For example, if you want to advance in your workplace, make sure you're faithful to your boss! Luke 16:12 says, “And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?” If you have to be told two or three times to do something, if you're badmouthing your boss behind his back, if you're always complaining about the job you have – why on earth would you be expecting a better position? If you're not faithful to what your boss is giving you to do, you will never be made a boss yourself. 

When you're faithful, other people may call you a “kiss-up”, but God will honor your faithfulness to your boss!

This type of faithfulness applies to ministry as well. When someone has a call to preach, the best thing they can do is submit to another man's ministry. Be faithful in what is another man's and God will give you your own! The worst thing a young minister in a church can do is badmouth the senior pastor and constantly maneuver for a better position! You're setting yourself up for failure, my friend, so stop it! Take a lesson from Paul, look at how he was placed in ministry: “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry” (1 Timothy 1:12).

Luke 16:10 sets the rule - He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Go ahead, try to claim that you'll do a better job when you have something more important to do. But I'm telling you – the way you serve in the little things is a picture of what you will do with greater things. In God's eyes, someone who faithfully cleans the church bathrooms for ten years is more qualified to step into ministry than a fresh Bible school graduate!

Faithfulness is essential for your Christian walk! God emphasizes it over and over again. Be faithful to the people in charge, and God will bless you!

A faithful man will abound with blessings Proverbs 28:20

Covering Sin

Proverbs 10:12 Love covers all sins.

Pop quiz, how many kids did Noah have?

We all know the story of Noah. Somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 years after the world was created, the human race had become very, very wicked. The Bible says in Genesis 6:5 that "everything they thought or imagined was totally evil." Then again in verse 11 that the whole earth was filled with violence. Can you imagine being Noah - the only righteous man on the planet?

Well, fast forward about a hundred years or so. Noah and his family had just gotten off the ark into a brand new world. Nothing here was the same. All of a sudden, all of humanity bottlenecks into one man and his family! So, it's easy to see that Noah might've have been a little overwhelmed for a while. Unfortunately, the way he handled that pressure wasn't very smart. He made some wine and got drunk. The New King James Bible says, "he became uncovered in his tent." That's a nice way of saying that this mighty man of faith was passed out naked. Can you believe that? How could Noah, a "preacher of righteousness", hero to our faith, ancestor of everyone on earth, do something so stupid?

While he was passed out drunk, naked in his tent, his son Ham walks by and sees him there. He was shocked that his father would do that! He was disgusted at how Noah was acting! But now Ham had a choice to make. Was he going to take care of his dad in this moment of weakness?

He didn't so much as close the tent! Instead, he literally told the whole world! He went to his two brothers, Japheth and Shem, and told them. "You are not going to believe what our dad is doing! That old man got himself so drunk that he can't stand up. Now he's in bed naked - how in the world did he end up naked?"

Japheth and Shem didn't listen very long. They loved their dad too much to let him stay like that! The went to his tent, put a blanket on their shoulders, and walked in backwards. They didn't want to look at what Noah was doing wrong! They covered his sin! If I had to guess, they never brought it up again.

Now think about this. In your mind, which was worse - to pass out naked and drunk, or to pass on the news that someone is passed out naked and drunk? The fact is, nothing more came out of Noah's little episode. He seemed to sober up and still remained the head of his family. Ham's gossip, though, brought a curse on his family line! The flip side is, Shem and Japheth's act of love (their covering of their dad's sin) brought a huge blessing on their families!

Remember this when you see your brother or sister do something stupid and crazy. In God's eyes, your repeating the matter to your friends is worse than the matter itself! God hates gossip! According to Proverbs 6:19 ("these things are an abomination to Him...one who sows discord among brethren") and 24:9 ("a scoffer is an abomination to men") - God feels the same way about gossip as you would feel about someone who is constantly laughing and making fun of you. He hates it!

If you want to walk in God's love. if you want to receive your Father's blessing like Shem and Japheth did, then you must guard your tongue from gossip. Even if what your saying is true, even if you really did see that person mess up - love will cover that up. No one else needs to know!