THE SITUATION DEMANDS THE SOLUTION - BE STRONG, BE COURAGEOUS

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:8-9
THE SITUATION:

Every Sunday morning as I drive by the lake on the way to church, even in the winter, there are always guys out on their boats fishing for fish they can't eat (because of mercury in the water), and most often, so small they have to throw it back into the water anyway. If there ever was a pointless exercise, this is it.

From Spring to Fall, the brand new sports complex, with its six baseball/soccer fields, are packed with children and their minivan-driving parents playing the town version of little league baseball, or some community soccer thing. Sunday mornings are their favorite time to be overflowing with humanity. Afterwards, they may go through the Steak and Shake drive-thru for burgers and shakes and head home to relax for the next week's activities. 

Golf courses are full on Sunday mornings. The over-priced Starbucks and others like it are packed with brunch-eaters and their electronics. The upscale set visit their favorite brunch or lunch place at the Crowne Plaza or the local Eatery or Bistro. Some just sleep in from the Saturday night hangover, or the late night movie watching so they can watch sports all day, cuss at the TV and eat nachos.

This is Western "Civilization". There is the alternate universe- people who are saying for all the world to hear, that their islam is NOT "the religion of peace", are systematically wiping out God's Elect - Christians - across the Middle East and Africa, Asia and Southeast Asia. This is happening in full brutal color while the turban-clad sad excuses for humans persecute the "people of the Cross", thinking they are getting back at the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The two parallels do not sync in the human consciousness. Most westerners, including presidents, prime ministers and kings, pretend the one thing (anti-Christian bigotry) does not exist and therefore, the residents of the west do not care either, about the barbarism from a violent 1400 year old religion. That includes the majority of celebrity American and other western church leaders, from Jakes to Osteen to Warren to Stanley to Brian Houston in Australia...none are even asking for prayer for the persecuted! They WILL be held accountable (by God) for that more than any secular politician, who calls themselves a Christian because "Christian" is a respectable title.

But for the people of the Book in persecuted Third World, Arabic and other nations and increasingly here in the west where the United States Supreme Court may soon legalize the persecution of Christ's church, God has the final word. He also has the same word He had because He never changes. The Words of God are written forever in the Heavens. They are written down in 66 Books of the Bible. They are real. They are powerful. They are real powerful and they are the Truth.

When Yahweh (I Am Who I Am, the real name of Jesus Christ) brought His people (Israel) out of slavery and captivity and into the Promised Land after a long time in the wilderness, He gave them this encouragement from Joshua Chapter 1 (see the two verses at the top of this post). This, as is emphasized by Paul, is NOT just for Joshua, but for all peoples of all times who are released from the bondage of sin, despair, death and hell by repentance and acceptance of Jesus as Messiah, Lord and ruler of our lives. This promise above stands firm, true and in effect for the following:
- The saints who are being murdered for being Christians since 2003 in Iraq and across the entire Middle East.
- The saints, from little kids in Christian schools in Nigeria and Kenya to entire villages in India and Pakistan, who are being tortured and burned alive by "men" of the "religion of peace".
- The saints who are slandered and worse in Ireland, England, Canada and increasingly in the United States, which was actually founded on Christian principles. 
- The saints of the coming Tribulation. These are those who will be left behind when the "harpazo" or "taking up" or the "rapture" (from the Latin word for "taking up") happens before Revelation Chapter 6. There will be several million saved during the Tribulation but they will not survive after their conversion as the anti-Christ will be in charge of the world, when Christ takes His Elect home.
THE SOLUTION:
These words can be relied upon. The takeaways from His Promises in Joshua 1:8-9
**This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth - If you are truly born-again and know it and Christ lives in you, through the Holy Spirit, you instinctively know that this is true, that the Bible is true and His Promises are REAL!
** You shall meditate on it day and night - Because all His Words/Promises are true, embed it in every fiber of your being and it cannot help but shine through you as you live, walk, talk and operate as He would. There is NO other way to do this than through Prayer, Pleading, Pondering on and Proclaiming His Word.

** Be careful to do according to all that is written in it - This is not a passive, mindless  religion with fictional benefits if you do "x, y or z". This is REAL....and really interactive. Be careful means - be obedient. The man or woman or child of God, through Christ, will automatically want to do what He said....and even when we fall short (sin), our consciences bring us back to the Cross in repentance and liberating joy! Only Jesus can do that!
** Be strong and courageous - this is a difficult one for real Christians in the west, when we see what is coming to our own countries. We see what it has cost people in China, North Korea and all the islamic and Hindu countries. But the most subtle persecution will be coming from those who call themselves Christians in the west, but are actually working against God. The only way to stand in this and be strong and full of courage is Radical Faith in the Son of God. Surrender to Christ equals standing in the face of danger and modern evil.
** Do not tremble or be dismayed - it is natural to tremble and shake in the face of rampant evil in the world today. But we are in the realm of the Supernatural. The Spirit Who raised Christ from the Dead on Resurrection morning, lives in every truly born-again believer. This is a cause for calm, contentment, certainty and courage in the face of what is happening now and the worse, which is yet to come.

God gives the bottom line to all of this in the final phrase of Joshua 1:9 and it is the reason for our Hope, Our Faith and our Standing. Yahweh says (in light of all of what He said previously in Verses 8 and 9), "for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go'.

I believe Him. 

As for the Sunday morning do-nothing crowds in restaurants, ball-games and lakes, they have a relatively short time to wake up and see what is ahead of them, if they refuse to recognize Jesus, in this life, is their Lord and Messiah. Eternity is a long time to be separated from Him.

MODERN DAY EPHRAIMITES? - WESTERN CHRISTIANITY & COMING JUDGMENT

A stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not prepare its heart and whose spirit was not faithful to God. The sons of Ephraim were archers equipped with bows, yet they turned back in the day of battle. They did not keep the covenant of God and refused to walk in His law. (Psalm 78: 8a-10)

This passage, in context, from Psalm 78 describes the Tribe of Ephraim. God

Himself was angry with Ephraim, one of the tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel which sold out to false pagan gods until they were finally wiped off the map by the Assyrians. Hosea 5:9-10 says "Ephraim will become a desolation in the day of rebuke; among the tribes of Israel I declare what is sure...on them I will pour out My wrath like water". People in the west, who have 3-10 dusty bibles in their houses have no clue what any of this means. Even so, the question most people of Christian-life faith would have is "what does any of this 'Ephraim' stuff have to do with me, anyway?"

As we will, right as rain, find out on Judgment Day, it has everything to do with us. We are a people born for such a time as this, when the possibilities and potential of reaching the 'ends of the earth' are greater than they ever were. The Apostles and disciples from Bible-writing days would have longed to see days like these. These are times when we have Bibles galore in all forms - electronic; audio, video, book form, even magazine form. We have super-star multimedia ministries all over the place. Rock star preachers and "worship singers" and television empires masquerading as ministries all over the place. Still, the Body of Christ, in what was once the most Christian nation in the world - the United States is feckless, reckless and void of any passion, courage, knowledge or biblical discernment. We don't pray, study the Word and worse, those who know the Word of God and even spout platitudes to their millions of viewers worldwide weekly, would NOT even stand up for ANYTHING at ANY TIME. 

The number of church leaders and clergy who stand for righteousness outside of the leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and some Independent Bible (John MacArthur etc.), Assemblies and non-denominational churches may number less than 20% of the church in America. Credit men like SBC president Drs. Ronnie Floyd, Johnny M. Hunt, Robert Jeffress and power evangelists like Franklin Graham and Greg Laurie for standing up for Jesus, regardless. Christians around the world are being dehumanized and religious cleansing is happening over and over before our eyes, yet, apart from these courageous men, not one word of encouragement, or prayer or concern from the guys with the big national Christian TV shows etc. who have the reach and influence to ask millions to pray for Iraqi Christians, or the families of those left behind when Christian villages are burned in Nigeria or people are thrown into the Mediterean by the 'religion of peace', because they were praying to Jesus, the Savior of the World. The silence from those who can do something about it is deafening and in this way, they are exactly like the Ephraimites of Psalm 78:9. God has equipped them with everything at His disposal. The church in America and the west could not be more blessed with riches, buildings, electronics, comfort and good food. Yet, we do nothing with it. We pack up our picnic baskets, dust off the blanket, say we would "pray for ...(fill in the blanks), never do...and walk over to Starbucks for a latte. God help us.

It is time to stop writing books about "Your Best Life Now" and starting preaching repentance, prayer and perseverance of the saints. Any real Christian knows our best life is not NOW, but the one to come!!! 
It is time to stop worrying about $65 million state of the art jets and $5000 suits and start reading the Book of Romans to get your mind back on the sinful nature of man, and why Grace is all we need and actually have.
It is high time to stop being ashamed of the Gospel as if it is something to be twisted and manipulated to conformed to the corrupt debased culture of the day.
it is also high time to stop worrying about what political leaders ought to do because why are we surprised when lost people act like lost people? We need to worry about what WE are not doing for which we will answer one day!

Should we ignore the warning, which Hosea went on to give to Israel in Hosea 6:1-2, the church in general will face a terrible time when the Books are open on the "day of Rebuke" (Hosea 5:9). There is still time, but it will require the men and women of God, who are all in for Jesus in these last days, to stand up and say:
1 “Come, let us return to the Lord.
For He has torn us, but He will heal us;
He has [a]wounded us, but He will bandage us.
2 “He will revive us after two days;
He will raise us up on the third day,
That we may live before Him.
3 “So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord.
His going forth is as certain as the dawn;
And He will come to us like the rain,

Like the spring rain watering the earth.” (Hosea 6:1-3)

IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY...

KIRK AND WIFE CHELSEA NOBLE

VERSE OF THE DAY: 1 Peter 3:16 (ESV) "But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Continuing from this headline,  you know the rest of the story "...don't say it"! That is drilled into our lives from the moment we can understand the first words our moms say to us. Apart from the time I was once part of the media stream in the mid to late high-flying 1980's, I don't know anyone who wakes up in the morning thinking or saying to themselves "I am going to get someone today"!

Granted things are different in the political and business world, but that is not where most normal people live. But what about some of the things going on these days. I am not talking about the Rush Limbaugh controversy or so-called comedian Bill Maher's personal attacks on conservative women. I am not even talking about all this garbage about "the lack of civility" by people don't practice the opposite. But what has seemed to have gotten under a lot of people's skins are the comments by Kirk Cameron, about an oxymoron called "gay marriage"!

In brief, here is what the former GROWING PAINS star, Cameron, said on the Piers Morgan Show (CNN) recently: 

- He called homosexuality unnatural.

- He called it  "destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization.

- He said Marriage between a man and a woman was "older than dirt"

So was he correct? Yes, on all counts.

Why did he say it? - He was asked by the interviewer, Morgan and did NOT volunteer it.

SHOULD he have said it or punted like most modern day American christians, including Joel Osteen, who can't take a real stand for anything Biblical? Yes on all counts again!

But what if Kirk offends people?  Doesn't he know that in 2012 his belief in the 6000 old story of Creation and the Bible is outdated? Doesn't he know that more and more young Americans and even seven American states are allowing 'gay marriage'?

I have seen and heard Kirk speak as well as spoken to him when he came to town about 10 years ago. First of all, this brother is the real deal. He has not changed his beliefs one bit and neither has his sister Candace Cameron. They are firm believers in God; live according to the Bible and follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 

The new move in America, according to certain high government officials is this - it is okay to have these views and "freedom to worship", just don't take it outside the walls. This is not only wrong, but unAmerican and unconstitutional. The very first Amendment guarantees Freedom of Religion. That is, freedom to practice whatever your religion is! This is how the country was established - by people who left oppressive Europe and sought out the new world!

So not only did Kirk Cameron call homosexuality a sin against God (as is adultery, lust etc) but he had the nerve to quote God in Genesis 2:24 " Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." This is a most important Scripture verse because Jesus Himself quoted it in Matthew 19:5 and other parts of the Gospels.

Marriage was instituted by God Himself at Creation - for Adam and Eve. Why can't a man who believes the Truth speak it? Have we gone totally off our rocker that we must bow down to the false gods of this world and deny Him? This is what the god of this world wants. This is what many so-called Christians from the highest positions in the land to the lowest, live in the course of their lives. 

Knowing Kirk Cameron and his ministry, he will never back down from God's Word. The man is as solid as it comes. He may not sell as many books or TV shows as the rich TV preacher from Houston with the big smile and positive message. However, when he stands before God, he will not have much answering to do as he stood firmly in the face of the culture and lived up to the commands of the Word, in our Verse of this Friday at the top of this page!


This verse is not just about what the Word of God says about the Great issues of the Day. It has everything - from cover to cover - about the only Hope of ALL mankind, if they (all the world) will only receive it. 


This animosity to Kirk Cameron and anyone who proclaims the Word of Truth in the public arena, is really an attack on the One Who gave it, not just His messengers. Those potential attacks should never deter us from preaching the Good News of Jesus from sea to shining sea, no matter what the cost! Those attacks should never detour us, from preaching the Gospel and if possible, at times, even use words! Amen.



But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
(Romans 10:8-11 ESV)

Keep on speaking up, men and women of God! He will honor you for it, on that Day! Amen!

HOW DO I THINK ON THESE THINGS....

PART 1 - DALE CARNEGIE, PEALE, OSTEEN OR JESUS?

The best selling Business book of all time is "HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE" by the great self-help author and business trainer - DALE CARNEGIE. In terms of impact, while other books like "A Purpose-Driven Life" by Rick Warrren may have sold more (over 26 millions copies) per unit, Carnegie's book and philosophy has influenced more worldwide, due to its ongoing training institute.

Dale Carnegie's personal story is very instructive in doing the right thing (for himself) at the right time. Even his name change from Carnegey to Carnegie, was a stroke of marketing genius. At the time, famous US steel magnate Andrew Carnegie was as well-known as Donald Trump's is today.  Carnegie took the world by storm on the following principles, which formed the foundation of the best known course in the world:

1. Build greater self-confidence
2. Strengthen people skills
3. Enhance communication skills
4. Develop leadership skills
5. Improve our attitude and reducing stress

His "How to Win Friends...etc" book was based on the following four pillars:

1. Part One: Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
2. Part Two: Six Ways to Make People Like You
3. Part Three: How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking
4. Part Four: Be a Leader - How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment

If you look at these items above, there seems to be nothing wrong with any of it. However, I am more interested in How Christ would measure up to any of these things. This is important because a person's relationship with the Lord Jesus is more significant than succeeding in the natural.

One major fault I find with this book and its successor - Norman Vincent Peale's "THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING" - is its complete dependence on Psychology. Peale even said " Positive Thinking is another term for Faith"!

WHAT???? 

While Peale's Guidepost Magazine is still a wild bestseller, it should not be confused with biblical Christian doctrine, as it sometimes includes stories of other religious Faiths.

Back to Carnegie, some of his philosophy stretched away from a Biblical worldview, which Christ was not about. His modern counterpart in the church would be Joel Osteen, who practices and preaches a combination of both Peale and Carnegie.

The Bible gives us the complete way to both Think and Act positively.  You can be the most successful businessman or woman by following both these men to the letter, but unless your foundation is Christ and the Word of God, what good does i profit to gain the world and lose your soul?

The first thing to ask here is not would Carnegie or Peale say, but what would Jesus do?!

Here are two examples of how Jesus Christ, Creator of the Universe contradicts one of his creations - Dale Carnegie:
DALE CARNEGIE TEACHES  in Six Ways To Make People Like You:  Talk in terms of the other man’s interest. 
JESUS CHRIST TEACHES: And he said unto them, How is it that you sought me? knew you not that I must be about my Father's business? (Luke 2:49)

DALE CARNEGIE TEACHES: in Twelve Ways To Win People To Your Way Of Thinking:  Show respect for the other man’s opinions.  Never tell a man he is wrong.

JESUS TOLD THE RICH YOUNG RULER WHO WANTED TO KNOW THE WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE: 

LUKE 18:

[22] When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."[23] When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.
[24] Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! [25] Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

Did Jesus appeal to the rich man's psyche and say " You know, dude, you're right. I will just forget the part about following Me. Just go ahead and make as much money and create more businesses and have all kinds of stock options as you want, and then when you feel ready, start coming to church and say My Name once in a while...except when you're using My Name as a cuss word!!"

Did Jesus say that? NO! He told the rich and powerful man that he was literally DEAD WRONG!

In the first counterpoint I listed, to Carnegie, Jesus said He was about His Father - Our Father in Heaven - Father God's Business!

Father's Business is not commerce! Father's Business is obedience, repentance and Holiness among all else!

Father's Business is the recognition of how our own sin has separated us from Him.

Father's Business is the realization of our total depraved nature of sin, sex and Satan and how we need to make a complete break from this or we will perish eternal.

Father's Business is the reassurance from His Word that this complete break from the Adamic Sinful Nature we were born with, is more than possible - it is a Gift.

Father's Business is the responsibility He took to repair the breach between Him and man after Adam blew it right from the beginning.

Father gave us His Word Who became flesh and dwelt among us.

Father gave us His Word which is living and breathing in 66 Books for us to study.

Father gave us His Wonderful Spirit to teach us, guide us and to confirm that Word, if we would just listen and obey and ready and study it.

Father's Word -the Bible- blows any book by Carnegie, Peale and Osteen out of the water and none of them can measure up to any phrase in it.

Tomorrow, we look at what God says about Positive Thinking...and it is ALL FROM HIM...nothing from the flesh!!

Tuesday: A 31 Day Challenge.

Amen.