God Bless America

“Inquire, I pray thee, of the Lord for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the Lord will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.” Jeremiah 21:2

When sung with reverence, there are few songs that stir the soul like “God Bless America.” It seems to be an important medium to convey that our success as a nation has been due to Divine blessings. We are thus reminded that for continued blessings, we must meet Divine expectations.

At patriotic events, there are still those who call for God’s favor and blessing, in view of the enormity of the challenges facing our nation. Many of those calls are from sincere-hearted patriots. Some follow the pattern of Zedekiah, who habitually ignored God’s Word, but when faced with Nebuchadrezzar’s army that he could not defeat, called upon Jeremiah to pray to God, that God would bless the kingdom with His wondrous works to cause Nebuchadrezzar to depart from them.

But instead of Jeremiah being able to say, “The Lord’s blessings are on the way,” he had to deliver the message from God: “And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.” Jeremiah 21:5

Even though God’s judgment was thus announced, God revealed that His hand was stretched out still for Judah’s repentance: “Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.” Jeremiah 22:3

America needs to turn back to God, breaking off from her sins and abominations that provoke the wrath of God. I feel it is safe to say that judgment for our willful ignoring of God as Creator and the rejection of His Word, has been decreed against our nation, but that we are in a period of “longsuffering,” where “God’s hand is stretched out still,” even as we see the Nebuchadrezzars of our time moving against us. We cannot continue on as we are, without drastic consequences. The call of God to our nation going out all across the land, is the call to repentance.

God’s arm is not short that is cannot save. But sin and iniquity will separate between a nation and God. God spared not the angles that sinned. He sent the flood, He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He spared not Israel. He will judge our nation. Who is on the Lord’s side?

SHARING

Upholding The Truth

“But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth…” Galatians 2:14

“Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment: Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.” Exodus 23:2-3

Our obligation to uphold the truth, the will and way of God, is clearly set forth in the scripture. We are not to let our sympathy or pity for someone become justification for going along with them in doing something unscriptural, for God’s grace is sufficient to minister to their need, if they turn to him.

“…withdraw yourself from every brother that walketh disorderly…” 2 Thessalonians 3:6

“Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Romans 14:22-23

“…neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.” 1 Timothy 5:22

A person undertaking to do that which they know differs from the laws of God, usually seeks to get others involved with them. It does not really matter if they know it is wrong, for if they can just get others to go along with them, that gives them the courage to go ahead with what they are doing.

This is when God’s children need to accept the call to be the salt and the light. To declare God’s position on the issue, is our responsibility as a Christian. God wants us to stand with His Word. When someone asks you to do something with them that just doesn’t seem right, ask them to show you what they are doing from God’s Word to be God’s will for their life. Let the burden of proof rest with them: “Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:10,17) Should a person not respect God’s will enough to do this, then it is not going to be in your or their best interest to get involved with them in what they are doing.

There are times when people think only with the desires of their mind and they are going to do what they desire to do, regardless. But when this is apparent, that is when it needs to be made clear that they are on their own. “For every man shall bear his own burden.” Ephesians 6:5

One unscriptural course of action will lead to others. “They did it, so I guess I can get by with it, too, etc.” This leads to sin getting the upper hand, and lives being swallowed up in that which is contrary to God’s Word. KEEP THYSELF PURE!!

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Developing Our Children

“It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.” Lamentations 3:27

“And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4

Nurture = the act or process of promoting the development of; training; rearing; upbringing.

Admonition = training with warning against faults; to inform or remind by way of warning.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

Training = making the demands upon the child to do what they have been taught and told to do.

Development occurs when children respond to the demands that are made upon them. For example: physical strength is only developed through exercise. The greater demand one makes upon themselves to exercise, the greater strength they will develop. One thing is for sure — no one develops beyond their level of exercise. And it takes a repeated and consistent effort, with no let up, to affect development.

DEVELOPMENT IS THE RESULT OF RESPONDING TO THE DEMANDS THAT ARE MADE UPON US.

To fail to make the right demands upon our children, is to prevent and even impair their development. For example, you may tell a child that they should pay attention in church. But until it is demanded that they pay attention, they will always fall into distraction. The amount of attentiveness they have is in direct proportion to the demands that are being placed upon them.

Also, a child may be told that they are to stay awake in church, but until it is demanded of them to stay awake, they will just yield to drowsiness.

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) Thus, a child can develop no more faith than the demands that are being placed upon them to stay awake and pay attention.

“Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” Proverbs 22:15

The goal of raising our children is to be their proper development. To let a child develop as they may or may not wish to on their own terms will be too little, too late.

To let a child decide on their own when they will take hold of things that they should be doing, rather than make proper and timely demands upon them, will be about as effective as letting a child discipline themselves on their own terms.

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Making Baptism A Stumbling-Block To Salvation

“Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” Galatians 5:4

Back then, man’s religions insisted on salvation conditional on works, using the works of the Old Testament system of which all were familiar. Since then, the works and ordinances of the New Testament are more familiar, so man’s religions insist on a salvation conditional on these. Thus, the application is like this, “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by baptism, good works, etc., ye are fallen from grace.”

To make baptism, or good works, or both, as the conditional factors whereby one is saved, kept saved, or will be saved, is to divert one’s faith for salvation from what Christ did to save us, unto what man does to save himself. Thus, even though one claims to believe in Christ as Saviour, their belief in Christ is of no effect for the salvation of their soul, because their trust for salvation is in their baptism and their good works. They will even confess that their faith in Christ will not save them without their baptism and their good works. Thus, their faith in Christ is of no effect for salvation, and they have fallen from grace, having put their trust in baptism and their works as the means of obtaining eternal life.

Thus, an evil use has been made of baptism, due to the false place it has been given in the belief systems of man’s religions. The efficacy, which belongs only to the blood of Christ, has been attributed to water baptism. The regenerating work of the Holy Spirit has been transferred to water baptism. Thus, the figure of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection has been put in the place of the substance.

The ordinance of baptism is only valuable so long as it conveys Christ. But if it, in the smallest degree, comes between the heart and the actual work of redemption of the Saviour for one’s salvation, is ceases to be an ordinance of Christ, becoming a diversion from faith in Christ, and thus an instrument of the Devil to make one’s faith in Christ for salvation of no effect.

In the teaching, where ordinances are being added to Christ and the work of Christ, the sinner no longer believes he is saved by faith in Christ, but he believes Christ is obligated to save him because of his faith in the ordinances. Thus, it is no longer salvation by grace through faith, but salvation merited by works, thus, “ye are fallen from grace.”

The devil persuades men they are honoring Christ when they elevate His ordinances to the means of acquiring salvation. Whereas, he is merely leading them to set Christ aside and deify the ordinances themselves. Be not deceived!

SHARING

Unanswered Prayer

By Dr. Curtis Hutson

You say that it seems the Lord will not hear your prayers. The thing you ought to do is to analyze your prayer life and see if there is something that may be hindering God from hearing your prayers. Here are seven things that might do so.

1. Immature, impulsive praying.

“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” – James 4:3

This doesn’t mean that God does not want to give us things for our pleasure and enjoyment. It simply means if our prayer life is nothing more than asking for whimsical things that we want right at that moment without any regard to whether it is right for us or whether God would be pleased with our having it, then God will not answer our prayers. If there is no kind of relationship, no real desire to please the Lord, and if there is just the desire to have what we want, and that’s the only time we pray, those kinds of prayers will never be answered.

2. Irregular, inconsistent public worship.

“He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” – Proverbs 28:9

This verse suggests that if the manner of your life is not to attend the services where you will hear the Word of God preached, then the Lord is not too interested in what you have to say.

3. Intolerance or indifference when there is an offense.

“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” – Mark 11:25

Anyone who is nursing a grudge against another has closed the door of prayer in his life. If we do not learn to forgive just as God forgave us–from the heart, no strings attached–God will not hear. If there is someone in your life who has offended you, you must forgive him.

Complete forgiveness is the exclusive privilege of the believer. We have been forgiven an unbelievable debt by God Himself. When our brothers sin against us, we have the power to forgive, because the One who forgave us everything lives inside of us.

We must also seek to right things if we have offended another.

“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” – Matthew 5:23-24

If we offend others and think nothing of it and never try to make it right, then we cannot expect the Lord to hear our prayers.

4. Inconsideration toward your spouse.

“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” – 1 Peter 3:7

Improper treatment of your spouse will keep God from hearing your prayers. For the man, his role is to love his wife, giving honor to her and treating her with love and affection.

5. Inflated self-appraisal.

“Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.” – Job 35:13

If we come to God with pride and a high-and-mighty attitude like the Pharisee who thanked God that he was not as others (Luke 18:11), God shuts the door and say, “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.”

6. Idolatry in all of its forms.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” – Matthew 6:33

Anything we put before God becomes an idol. If we want Him to hear our prayers, we must put Him first. As long as such a thing is in our life, God will not hear us.

7. An impenitent heart, harboring iniquity.

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” – Psalm 66:18

Any unconfessed sin will keep God from hearing prayer.

SHARING