Change*

I think this will be my most heartfelt blog to this date. I think sometime in the past I wrote about the scripture below. I think if you were to talk to just about any Republican / Conservative, they would agree, this country is in trouble. Conservatives and most Christians would probably think our last chance was to elect Mitt Romney. If you talk to a Democrat / Liberal, they would probably also agree, this country is in trouble, but would probably point to all the Republican / Conservative  Senators / Representatives in office and probably still blame George Bush. Maybe it is time for both sides to wake up. Washington is not the answer. I think many Christians had their hopes in the Republican party winning this last election and turning things around. I think many Black Christians and other minorities had their hopes in Obama being able to turn things around if he had a second term.  Maybe both sides realize this country is going downhill fast and it doesn't seem to matter which side is in control. II Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." A preacher preaching on some verses in James the 4th chapter put some perspective on this verse and made me think about me and this verse. Perhaps this scripture says Christians need to change. My people in the first part of this verse to me is talking to Christians (or even to me). Who are God's people if not Christians?  Which are called by my name, that again makes me think God is talking to Christians. Christians are God's people who have surrendered their lives to Christ. That is why they are called Christians. Is there any doubt that God is talking to Christians in this verse? I claim to be a Christian so he is talking to me. Humble themselves, So many times the Bible tells us to humble ourselves in the sight of God. Come under God's authority, come under his direction. Obey his orders, (the Bible). The story was told about the worlds most humble man being found and they gave him a button that said World's most Humble Man. He started to wear the button and they came back and took the button away. We need to obey God. Do we really obey God? When is the last time you had an issue with something the Bible said and decided that was not for you, it was meant for someone else? Someone said we tell more lies in the church on Sunday than what is told in a bar on Saturday. We sing Sweet Hour of Prayer and pray for ten minutes. We sing I Surrender All but say I won't go to church there - all they want is money, they talk about tithing and all that stuff. Someone said recently there are two types of sin, big sins, and little sins. Big sins are what others are doing. Little sins are what I am doing. Its time for Christians to look into their hearts and see their own sin for what it is. Haven't we actually started to look more like the world, go to most churches and find a couple living together as husband and wife and no marriage ceremony. And it is acceptable.  I don't want to come off legalistic, but we as Christians do need to look inside, in our own hearts and see where we are disobeying God. It is so easy to see what everyone else is doing and skip over our own sin. What about that look when you see that pretty girl walking down the street?  It is what is in our own hearts that God is concerned with.  The scripture above tells Christians ( I claim to be a Christian so it's talking to me) to turn from their wicked ways. Those ways where we have started to look the same as any pre-Christian around us. Man, I know what I have done in my own life, I lived together with a woman outside the bounds of marriage and it didn't bother me like it should have. Here again, I want to make a statement I have made many times, Christians are not perfect. But when we read this verse above, we need to be honest with ourselves and take a good look inside and see what sin we are allowing in our life. Yours may be different than mine. I have to deal with mine. Turn from your wicked ways, your sinful ways. Look into your heart and see if there are any doors that say do not enter. Do we really surrender all? I believe if we really want to turn this country around, it's going to start with Christians, turning from their sinful ways and repenting of their sins and returning whole heartily to God. This verse was written to God's people and not to pre Christians. We do not have to be in the majority to turn this country around. We do need to start in our own hearts and lives. But if and when this country turns around it will because Christians obeyed this scripture above. It can happen, but am I willing to do my part?  It starts with me. Is the world changing me or am I changing the world around me?  When I have looked at this scripture before it was kinda like Christians need to get off their butts and start seeking God on behalf of this country. Today I see it as more personal. I need to get off my butt and start seeking God with my whole heart. I need to search my heart and see if there are any doors in my heart that say "DO NOT DISTURB." I need more than a ten-minute prayer life on behalf of my family, my church and my nation and where my heart is at. I need to look at my motivations. When I get serious I can touch the heart of God on behalf of my family, my church and my country. When God moves it will not matter if it is a liberal or a conservative in office. When God moves, we will know it was God. When God moves, he will probably start in my heart first of all.  God Bless, LVZ.