Keeping Yourself in the Love of God

 

"Walk in love" is sometimes easier said than done. This book gives the reader a simple understanding of what the scriptures mean when it commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves. If most people would put into practice God's definition of llove, the enemy would have less footholds in our lives. Read this book and give your faith the power it needs to operate more effectively by "Keeping Yourself in the Love of God." – Martha Evans

 

 

You may purchase the book today at the publisher's website for $5.99.

 

The Political Climate in Jesus’ Time

   

At the time of Jesus' baptism, a contrast existed, just as it does today, between what people thought of Jesus and what God thought. Coming from Nazareth, there was a question that followed Jesus all of his life, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” This was certainly not the most "promising identity"[i] for one with such a monumental task ahead of him, but the Father had already openly identified Jesus as His Son the day he was baptized. Through his intimate knowledge of the scripture, Jesus now understood his God-given identity through three unique Son passages, Psalm 2:7, Isaiah 42:1, and Gen. 22:2. This unique identity but old familiar term brought to mind the willingness of Isaac to be sacrificed and the required obedience of Davidic sonship.[ii] Jesus' genetic code, or his DNA, was all there in the scriptures,[iii] and had he not have known them, he would have missed his true identity and would not have been able to withstand Satan's attack on his identity immediately following his baptism.

Jesus was aware of the people's expectations of him. Many of these expectations were scripturally based, and he could have easily sought to interpret his own ministry and mission in relation to them.[iv] The political climate of that day was right for the making of a false messiah, if one had a mind to capitalize on the angers, frustrations of the people, and even to feed them false hopes. Jesus' mission was squarely based from the scriptures using passages and types already established in the scriptures. Jesus avoided the frequent use of the term ‘messiah’ even though it was a very popular term. The political climate of the day was so charged with hopes and angry aspirations of a Messiah in the political sense. Jesus, knowing the times and knowing the deeper sense of his mission through knowledge of the scriptures, avoided falling into the trap of the peoples’ expectations of him.[vi] By using the term ‘Son of Man’ to describe his mission, he avoided "the package of misunderstandings surrounding other familiar messianic titles" and conveys "his own true perception of who he was and what he had come for."[vii]  

He avoided the trap of being pushed into a role based on popular opinion. There were the Zealots who sought to overthrow Rome's occupation by violence, and on the other hand, there were the Pharisees who sought to bring about revolution to make Israel distinct again by their own brand of holiness. Jesus answered the Father's call for holiness, but he defined it in a more practical way of loving your neighbor as yourself,[viii] a way that put him at odds with his contemporaries’ more ritualistic approach to holiness. Contrary to God’s definition of holiness, the politically correct missions of our government today with all its humanitarian efforts, pompous declarations and charters are no different. God simply defines holiness as being benevolent and compassionate to others, just like He is, without all the fanfare.[v] Jesus threatened the whole system and its very existence with his application of the law, for he set himself in its place.[ix]  By feeding constantly and meditating deeply on God's Word, Jesus avoided these pitfalls and became what God had sent him to be instead of what the people want him to be.   

In the recent 2008 Presidential Campaign, new contribution records were set, especially among the younger generation, and the resounding theme was "change." This was a clear indication that majority of the people had placed their faith in a political party to bring about that change, for the Bible says, "Where your treasue is there your heart will be also."[x] In this atmosphere of change, hope, backed by action (contibutions), was at an all time high. We got change alright, but during the election buzz, people wanted change so badly that most failed to ask what change meant. If we adopt the world-view of the Bible, we know that politics is not the solution. We as Christians always get into big trouble when we put our faith in the political systems of this world. From Daniel’s prophetic view of all the empires of the world leading up to the awesome Day of the Lord, we see that Kingdom of God will crush all the kingdoms of this world:

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Dan. 2:44

 God’s hope is clearly defined in His Word. When we are filled with expectation of change as described in the Word and when our giving starts to back our expectations, we will have the God-kind-of-change that this world so desperately needs today.

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Fact Check on the Muslim Prayer Day on Sept. 25th

The prayer event took place at the Capitol as scheduled, attended by "thousands of Muslims," according to CNN. The network quoted an organizer, Abdul Malik, as saying:  "But I will say something it took me my whole adult life to come to: America is not perfect, but I want to tell the truth: It is one of the best places in the world to live."

Update: Sept. 26: The event went off without incident. Fox News reported:

Fox News, Sept. 25: Several thousand Muslims convened on the Capitol grounds for a peaceable day of prayer Friday, voicing their religious fervor and solidarity with American values while ignoring scattered protesters of other faiths. . . . No arrests or disturbances of any kind could be seen in several hours of observing the event.

For the record, the words Abdellah refers to in Obama’s inaugural address are these: 

Obama, Jan. 20: To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.

And at Cairo University the president called for "a new beginning" for U.S. relations with the Muslim world, in a speech that was broadcast around the world and later translated by the State Department into Arabic and more than a dozen other languages. Among other things, the president said:

Obama, June 4: So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, those who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity. And this cycle of suspicion and discord must end.

Planning for the Capitol event began soon after that speech. Capitol Hill police granted a permit for it on July 28. Some conservative bloggers at first speculated incorrectly that the event might be on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S., but the planned date is actually Sept. 25. The prayer service is scheduled for 1 p.m., not 4 a.m. to 7 p.m., as the e-mail states.

Abdellah says the purpose is to pray "for the soul of America" and to show other Americans that "we love America." He told the Star-Ledger:

Hassen Abellah: Most of the time, when Muslims go to Washington, D.C., they go there to protest some type of event. … This is not a protest. Never has the Islamic community prayed on Capitol Hill for the soul of America. We’re Americans. We need to change the face of Islam so people don’t feel every Muslim believes America is ‘the great Satan,’ because we love America.

The e-mail message’s author also complains: "This country (founded as a Christian nation) can’t have our national day of prayer, but the Muslims can have theirs and on capitol hill?" That’s untrue; the "National Day of Prayer" went on as scheduled May 7. Organizers said the 58th annual event produced "a greater outpouring of prayer for our nation … than ever before." The message is a twisted reference to President Obama’s decision not to participate publicly. Instead he issued a presidential proclamation but did not hold a public service in the East Room as President Bush had done in previous years. (The chain e-mail actually links to Obama’s proclamation, in which he "call[ed] upon Americans to pray in thanksgiving for our freedoms and blessings and to ask for God’s continued guidance, grace, and protection for this land that we love.")

The author also recycles the misleading claim that Obama said the U.S. is "not a Christian nation." What the president actually said April 6, during a trip to Turkey, is that the U.S. is a "predominately Christian nation" that, like predominately Muslim Turkey, is "bound by ideals and a set of values" rather than religious identity.

Obama, April 6: I think that where – where there’s the most promise of building stronger U.S.-Turkish relations is in the recognition that Turkey and the United States can build a model partnership in which a predominantly Christian nation and a predominantly Muslim nation, a Western nation and a nation that straddles two continents – that we can create a modern international community that is respectful, that is secure, that is prosperous; that there are not tensions, inevitable tensions, between cultures, which I think is extraordinarily important.

That’s something that’s very important to me. And I’ve said before that one of the great strengths of the United States is – although as I mentioned, we have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation; we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.

-Brooks Jackson taken from Muslim Prayer Day Sept. 25

I wanted to put the facts out and try to correct the rumors about the National Day of Prayer and the Muslim Prayer Day. I stand corrected, because I had said that President Obama didn't issue the proclamation as other presidents had done in the past, but chose to observe it privately. That, as you can see from the above article, is only part right. President Obama did submit the proclamation last year, but instead of observing the day publicly with a service in the East Room, he choose to observe privately.

Also, I stand further corrected that the Muslim Prayer day was not sponsored by the White House. It was only permitted at the Capitol as any other event. The sponsor only claims that he was inspired by the president's Cairo speech earlier that year.

I hope this helps,

Pastor Kent

Is God Your Delight?

If you do this, the LORD will be your delight. I will give you great honor and give you your full share of the inheritance I promised to Jacob, your ancestor. I, the LORD, have spoken!" Isaiah 58:14 NLT

If you do this, God will be your delight. Do what? Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, honor the Lord in everything you do, and engaging in God speak. In the second chapter of Revelation, Jesus speaking to the Church of Ephesus said that He had somewhat against them, because they had left their first love. Remember when you first got saved and how you loved Jesus and others so much? Remember how you couldn’t keep quiet about Jesus and how He saved you? And don’t forget you even loved your church and wanted to invite everyone to come with you. If they didn’t come, that was ok; you would manage to tell them all about what happened anyway. You can tell when people are in love, and sad to say you can tell when the fire has gone out too!

How do you get the fire back? Remember where you have fallen from, repent, and do the first works all over again. That is what Jesus told Ephesus in Rev. 2:5. What were your first works? Reading your bible and praying all the time, loving every body, being glad about going to church and studying God’s Word, and being excited about winning souls. We have to make Jesus numeral Uno, and let no person or no thing take His spot! If we are to keep fired up in Jesus, we must meditate on God’s Word day and night to keep our faith built up, and our faith must have corresponding actions so that others can see it! Let’s be careful also not to fall into Satan’s trap, giving God a holy fifteen minutes in the Word per day and then the unholy tube three hours a night!

If we delight in Him, He will give us great honor and the full share of the inheritance of Jacob. The nation of Israel is often represented by Jacob since God told him that he would no longer be called Jacob but Israel (Gen 32:28, Is. 43:1). Going back to the covenant with Abraham his father, God promised Abraham to make him a great nation, give him a seed, give him land, and to bless and multiply him (Gen 12, 15, 22). Now that we have made God our delight, we have tapped into this blessing through Christ. Paul puts it this way, “So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham” (Gal. 3:9). In addition to being God’s children, we too now have land, seed, and the blessing through our covenant with the Father! 

Pray with me today that we all remember from whence we have fallen and do our first works all over again, so that Jesus can be our delight again. Pray also that we would speak God’s Word this year, keeping ourselves and others built up in the faith. Now that God is our delight, let’s claim our land, seed, and that God would bless and multiply us this year like never before! We must remember that Abraham was blessed to be a blessing! We too are blessed so that we can be a blessing to many others! Pray that we would be channels of blessings this year.

Today’s Prayer Points: Pray that God would be our delight all year long so that we will enter into the full share of our inheritance this year!

Lord put a Watch Before my Mouth!

"Stop oppressing the helpless and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors! Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as day. Is 58:9, 10 NLT 

Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Ps 141:3 KJV 

Again, God is telling us to feed the hungry and help those in trouble! Also, He says again not to oppress the helpless. We have dealt with that on previous days, but let us get this message about our mouths today! Stop making false accusations and spreading rumors!  

I was cautioned some time ago while watching a clip of when Mr. O’Reilly was on Dave Letterman’s show. Whether you like Bill O’Reilly or not, you have to agree that he is very factual. It was apparent from Letterman’s audience, as he proceeded to speak anti-Bush and anti-war accusations, that you can easily get big cheers when you bash the president these days. Mr. Letterman said, “I am not smart enough to debate you point for point on this stuff, but I convinced that 60% of the stuff that you talk about on your show is crap.” Mr. O’Reilly asked him did he watch the show, and Mr. Letterman said that he never watched the show. I thought my how often we criticize our leaders and falsely accuse them when it is not even based on the facts. At least Mr. O’Reilly sought to find the facts and accurate sources to base his reports for the president and the war, but I can’t really say what Mr. Letterman’s accusations were based on except opinions or hear say. Pray for our leaders as the scripture instructs; let’s not criticize them. 

When dealing with sensitive issues, get the facts straight. If someone brings a report of a fallen brother or sister, ask them did they see them do this thing? Ask them who their sources are. Don’t spread news based on hear say; get the facts straight. Better yet, let’s do what the word says and pray, not gossip.  

Pray today for your church leaders today. No one is ever going to like every decision that your leaders make, but are you praying that God would give them guidance, or are you just flapping your jaws about your opinion? Let’s pray today that God would put a watch before our tongues, so that we wouldn’t be a part of spreading vicious rumors, making false accusations, and gossip. Pray with me today that God would increase our prayer life which in turn will automatically reduce gossip and idle talk.

Today's Prayer Point: God, put a watch before my tongue this year and increase my prayer life for others.

Lord Send Your Power!

 If you do these things, your salvation will come like the dawn. Yes, your healing will come quickly. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind. Is. 58:8 

Remember if we line up with God’s Word the blessings will flow, for the Word says in Psalms 84, no good thing will He withhold from those who walk up rightly. If we do these things that our text speaks of, our salvation will come. He didn’t say might come, He said WILL COME! Oh it gets better! That healing you’ve been waiting for that seems like it is taking forever is going to come quickly!  

Begin to claim salvation today for that loved one that looks like there never going to get saved because your salvation will come! I do believe that if you are on this fast, you are already saved, but what about your household, your relatives? What about your neighbors? What about people in our church community? Let’s pray today that salvation WILL COME to our families, that salvation WILL COME to our church neighbors!

Begin today to rise up in faith and thank God that your healing will come quickly! When you are keeping God’s commandments, loving God with everything you got and loving your neighbor as yourself, then you have a right to tell the devil to leave your body, leave your mind because you are in right standing with God! Once you are healed, let’s pray today for others in our church and community that need healing. 

Today's Prayer Point: Father, I believe I receive my healing. I also pray for the healing of others in my church and community today!

 

Love Covers a Multitude of Sins

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8 NIV 

Once, on my first assignment as a pastor, I took an elderly member to the hospital to see his wife. This feisty old fellow was a handful to say the least. Walking was quite a chore for him, and for him to sit required a doughnut-shaped cushion. After trying to persuade him for a half an hour to let me take him home for the night, he talked me into letting him stay with his wife. When I left him and got in my car to go home, I discovered that he had left his cushion. After trying to convince myself that he probably wouldn't need it, I realized that this was hogwash. This man was dependent on that pillow, and I had better take a few minutes to treat him as I would want to be treated if I were in the same situation. Now me being a faith teacher and having prayed the prayer of faith for him, I thought he should be standing on the Word for his healing, but he wanted his pillow. No matter how many scriptures I had shared with him and no matter how much faith I had, I couldn't make him receive his healing.             

Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.    – Matthew 18:19

This verse says, "If two of you AGREE as touching anything they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father." I was believing for divine healing, but he was believing that God would ease his pain through the pain pills and the pillow. We were not in agreement. If I knew then what I know now, I would have agreed with his faith. Thank God I listened to the Holy Ghost and did the best thing I could have done in that situation, give him his pillow. When I gave him his pillow, he said "Oh brother, love covers a multitude of sins, and you just covered a multitude of sins." Knowing this man's character, I realized that my kind deed had prevented a major scene. At first, I thought his interpretation of the scripture was way off. After further consideration, I realized that if we in the Body of Christ would do things for weaker Christians to help them avoid temptations, the devil wouldn't be near as successful in his attempts to make people stumble and fall as he is. The devil is always trying to offend baby Christians. We stronger Christians ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves (Rom.15:1). We should help them to shake the devil off, or better yet stop him before he gets his toe in the door. After all, the Bible says, "give the devil no place" (Eph. 4:29).

Those Who Followed God’s Prophetic Roadmap

During the 400 years between Malachi and the first Gospel, Matthew, Antiochus IV from Syria, a committed Hellenist (1), enters Jerusalem in a rage to stomp out the temple worship and the Jewish religion. He made it unlawful to practice Jewish temple customs and place a statue of Zeus in the Jewish temple and offered a pig on the sacred alter, the ultimate sacrilege (2). Mattathias, refusing to compromise when offered money to lead the people into pagan sacrifices by the officer, killed him and ignited a revolt. He gave a charge to those who were “zealous for the law and support the covenant” to come out and join him in this fight against paganism (3). He shortly died thereafter, but through his son Judas’ military efforts, known as the Maccabean Revolt, paganism was defeated and the true temple worship was restored in 164 B.C. The flames of this revolt burned brightly for awhile and then fizzled. It would appear that the fire had all but gone out, but there were those who still received divine guidance in a period of so called 'prophetic silence.' Let’s examine a few very special people, at the time of Christ’s birth, which clung to the written word, followed God’s prophetic roadmap, and stayed on course.

John the Baptist was actually the silence breaker prophesied by Malachi, but before we look at his example of hearing from God, we must take a quick glimpse at his parents. In Luke’s Gospel, the first chapter, we read of a priest by the name of Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth, who were both “righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless” (Luke 1:6). Zacharias, before his divine appointment, went before God “in the order of his course” and he went according to the “custom of the priest’s office” (Luke 1:8-9). This priest was in the right place, at the right time, doing what God had told him to do. In studying divine visitations in the Bible, we find they occur to people like Zacharias who are found in the right place and doing the last instruction that God gave them. During his visit from the heavenly angel, he was told that his son was to be name John. Zacharias, having a problem with believing the message that day, came from inside the temple unable to speak. Later, at John’s circumcision, Elizabeth confirms the child was to be named John and not Zacharias. This couple, John’s parents, were certainly people how heard from God and stayed on course.

As we see, there can be no doubt as to the hand of God on John’s life because of the numerous confirmations at his birth. Also, there are two prophetic confirmations given at his birth that I wish to point out: “he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children” (Luke 1:17) and “or thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways” (Luke 1:70). As we have already examined, these were given from God’s messenger, Malachi, in the last word before the prophetic silence. John no doubt heard from God before he launched out in his prophetic ministry, for he was looking for someone special to appear. When he saw Jesus, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29), He announces that he had had a previous conversation with the One that sent him to baptize with water, and the distinguishing sign to indentify this special person was that the Spirit would descend upon him and remain.

We can use John the Baptist’s message as an indicator of how far people had strayed by the time he came on the scene as God’s messenger and broke the prophetic silence. By examining his message, we get a clear indication of how far the people had deviated from God’s Word during the time of Christ’s arrival.

"John called upon Israel to repent in view of the soon coming judgment of God when his wrath would be poured out upon a disobedient nation. He calls for a radical turning to God, a returning to God from their rebellion back to true covenant obedience. This is a burden of his preaching: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matt. 3:2). And his call was urgent, for “the axe is already at the root of the trees (3:10)." (4)

John’s message of repentance was part of the preparation prophesied of by the prophets Isaiah and Malachi. Baptism was an outward evidence of one having received John’s message. John not only challenged the people to repent and be baptized, he sought for “fruits meet for repentance” or evidences thereof (Matt. 3:8). Some evidences of repentance were generosity, honesty, and kind treatment (5).

There are two less spoken of servants of God, Simeon and Anna, who prove so well that God indeed spoke during this period of prophetic silence, and they being led by God, were in the right place at the right time. Simeon, was a perfect example of one that held on to the written word, worshiped God, and followed God’s prophetic roadmap. Luke’s Gospel records that Simeon was “just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him” (Luke 2:25). We also find that he too has special instruction by God that “he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ” (Luke 2:26). First of all, he was in the temple, where every good Jew would have brought the firstborn male according to the law to be presented unto the Lord, waiting on the Messiah. This tells us that he knew the law, and followed it. We also see that not only did he hold to God’s written word and worship God in the temple, he knew God’s prophetic roadmap and followed it to the right place at the right time. He was so on time and according to God’s plan that he was ready to “depart in peace” after he saw God’s salvation that day (Luke 2:29-30). His work was finished; his life’s mission was accomplished.

Now, Anna, a prophetess, also was there that day, for it was said that she lived in the temple and gave herself to prayer and fasting. We also read in Luke’s Gospel of her timeliness and guidance from the Holy Spirit. The scripture says, “She coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord” (Luke 2:38). She came in at that instant, the instant that Jesus was brought to the temple to be presented to the Lord. She no doubt knew and obeyed the written word of God, she served God in the temple by praying and fasting, and she followed God’s prophetic roadmap. Not only did she follow God’s map, she, apparently from this scripture, had an audience and began to proclaim to others who were looking for the “redemption in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).

God always is speaking to those who will listen, and when there is no new word, it means God is waiting for you to digest the last one He gave you and act upon it, for it is that last word that will prepare you for the coming trials of the enemy, and it is that word that will prepare you for His next move. Let’s follow the example of those, at the time of Christ’s birth, who followed God’s prophetic roadmap, arrived at the right place at the right time, and were able to be apart of God’s next move.

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Footnotes 1. Lea, Thomas D. and Black, David A. The New Testament: It’s Background and Message. (Tennessee: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 16. 2. Ibid, 17. 3. Scott Jr., J. Julius. Jewish Backgrouds of the New Testament. (Michigan: Baker Academic), 83. 4. Kingdom, David. “John the Baptist; the silence that breaks the silence.” Founders Journal 199 (Fall 2002): 24. 5. Lea, Thomas D. and Black, David A. The New Testament: It’s Background and Message. (Tennessee: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 179-180.

God’s stumble-free path

Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. Ps. 119:165

In trying to help people learn from their mistakes and move on with life, it is so important to identify what caused the fall in order to prevent if from happening again. Often times, I come away from these conversations shaking my head because you know they just didn’t get it! God will lay all the facts right in front of their faces, and they still will blame it on someone or something else. Even worse, in some cases, the person will “spiritualize,” making up some super attack scenario. In other cases they will cling to the claim that God told them to do it, still missing it all together. Prince described that behavior best years ago when he sang, “Just blame it on the rain!” All the while, what is really needed is a good ole healthy admission that they missed God!

We know that a person that does not know Christ is walking in darkness or spiritually blind. The following scripture describes the dangers of that path:

The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. Prov. 4:19

Notice the danger of the path of the wicked is not that there are obstacles, but that first of all they can’t see the obstacles, and secondly, they don’t know what they stumbled over once they have fallen.

The “right paths” as described in Prov. 4:11, 12 is path that when you walk you will not stumble; as long as you stay on the path that is! This path, opposed to the path of the wicked, is well lit, and it gets brighter and brighter “unto the perfect day” (Prov. 4:18). For those that continue on this path, the words of the old song come to mind, “When we all SEE Jesus, what a DAY of rejoicing that will be!” This has to be the perfect day that he is speaking of, for in another place, he says, “The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath” (Prov. 15:24). I will never forget the words of Kenneth Hagin after being rescued from gates of hell three times, he said, “There is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun!” Have you made preparations for that day? Are you ready to meet Jesus if you slipped into eternity today?

Now back to the Christians that don’t “know at what they stumble.” I asked the Lord for wisdom, and He gave me the following scripture:

But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. 1 John 2:11

Actually, we could say that this brother, or believer, has gotten themselves in the same blind state as the wicked because of their failure to walk in love. Now, their once well lit path, has become darkened because their eyes are now blinded by unforgiveness. They, although retaining their spiritual talk, don’t even know where they are going much less know “at what they stumble.” Did you know that is a dangerous thing for a blind Christian to go around trying to explain spiritual things to others? Jesus said of the scribes and Pharisees of His day, “they be blind leaders of the blind.”

Humility is a beautiful thing, but it seems to be in short supply these days! Again, a healthy confession of “I missed God” would cure what ails a lot of Christians today. Since we know that a haughty spirit comes before a fall (Prov. 16:18), humility must be a requirement for staying on this stumble-free path. Another attribute associated with humility is receiving correction, and that may well be the key to understanding this beloved verse, “Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble” (Ps. 119:165). If you are to remain on the path of the wise without stumbling, you must receive correction. The Word is not just to “enlighten and empower” you (the Christian buzz words the day), it “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16)!

Stay in love with God’s Word, and stay on the stumble-free path. If you do stumble, remain humble and receive correction, then you will know what you stumbled at and be able to avoid that pit fall the next time it presents itself. According to Prov. 24:16, the key difference between the just and the wicked man is that though they both fall, the just man gets back up again! Think how mad the devil must be when we get back up again from his snares and began to warn others of the dangers along life’s way. My prayer for you today is that you will receive and walk in God’s wisdom, and “then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble” (Prov. 3:23).

Senate ready to vote on ‘hate crimes’ bill

American Family Association sent the following email on July 15, 2009:

Dear Friend,
We have confirmation that a vote on the Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes bill (S.909) will happen this week. It is likely that the bill will be introduced as an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill. If the Senate approves the Hate Crimes amendment, President Obama will sign it into law.
The Hate Crimes legislation would authorize the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute certain bias-motivated crimes based on the victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. Even more troubling is that S.909 could create special protections for pedophiles. Democrats voted down an amendment to the bill that would have excluded pedophilia and other “sexual orientations” from the definition of “sexual orientation.”
For years, AFA and other pro-family groups have issued warnings about federal Hate Crimes legislation. The reality is that the purpose of this bill is to silence those who speak out against homosexuality. If the legislation passes, pastors could be prosecuted under the federal inducement statute for preaching the biblical view of homosexuality. For example, a person could commit an act of violence against a homosexual individual and blame it on the pastor’s sermon. Similar laws have been used to prosecute religious speech in the U.S. at the state level and abroad.

Many consevative groups and pastors, including myself, feel that this will be the open door that the “thought police” need to criminalize sermons on the Biblical persective of marriage. If you don’t think this is where this type of legislation is heading, why do you think Carrie Prejean, former runner up to Miss America, lost her crown? Was it here racy photos or for her stance on marriage? You may say, what has this to do with the Senate bill? My point is that Hollywood and some liberal politicians seem bent to force this lifestyle on the american public and make it “ok.”

The President is eager to sign this bill that has already passed the House in April. Click to see his statements from the White House website. We must stop this bill before it reaches the President’s desk. Please call or email your senators today! Click here to find your senators email address.

I emailed Senators Warner and Webb of VA with the following:

Please vote against bill S.909, hate crime legislation. I believe that any human being should be protected from these horrible criminal acts, but why do we need to give these persons with such peculiar “sexual orientations” special rights? Anyone who commits such crimes should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the “existing” laws? Aren’t these acts already a crime?

Senator, although I read that this will in no way interfere with the right of our freedom of speech, I am concerned that this type of legislation will give some an opportunity to silence any speech that is against the agenda of the gay and lesbians. A citizen is a citizen period! Why must we form a special category for “sexual orientation?”

thanks for listening,
Pastor Harold Evans

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