Our pastor Bro Dennis is beginning a men’s study on leadership. Men, if you are a member of Midway Baptist Church or live in the Florida Panhandle, please consider this an invitation to join us on Monday evenings from 6:00 – 7:30 (Bible Study begins at 6:30).
I am so looking forward to this teaching.
Last night I presented this question to my social media followers and blog email list:
If we were to be perfectly honest, I would guess that 75% of Christians struggle the most with self-control – especially men. Whether it be lusts of the flesh, our tongues, covetousness, whatever the issue, we struggle with self-control. For many of us, we try to get to a level of temperance without first building our faith, integrity, and Biblical wisdom. And it’s not a destination either; we have to maintain those if we are to achieve and sustain self-control.
At times I like to pat myself on the pat if I have “a good week” of walking the straight and narrow, but I really shouldn’t:
Why redemption? Why do we need a Redeemer? I think we answered the part of the price of sin and its unquenchable cost. But what of after we are saved? Do I still need a Redeemer if I have salvation in hand? How does Christ the Redeemer help me after I am saved?
We, although saved from it, we are still living in a fallen world. And if the world looked like Hiroshima after a nuclear strike, then no doubt we would not be enamored with it. And yet we live in a lovely world, a lustful world filled with wonders and wants that our flesh greatly desires even after redemption. We still look at the world with loving and longing eyes and we do so for only one reason.
So by all accounts the earth is still spinning on its axis and evil has not prevailed. You would think that evil had triumphed by looking at the headlines, but evil is just having its heyday. As I wrote earlier, Satan knows his time is short and he is emptying out hell. But his time is short, nevertheless. Solomon wrote of evil’s fullness and finality:
Jesus’ first sermon in the synagogue was a rejected one. As you read the words, one would think those in attendance would have embraced Jesus’ words and rejoiced in their hearing:
How do we deal with the horrors wrought about the people of Newtown, Connecticut and our nation as a whole? Where do we turn to in such dark times? The ever-present punditry are spewing out their normal tripe, be it right or left-leaning, like an unstoppable sewer. Neither side has it right because each is looking to man.
It is my natural inclination to look to my own wisdom and opinion to determine the right course in such dark times but I am trying to learn to no longer rely solely upon myself. I am untrustworthy; at best I am a depraved man saved by grace and molded by the Holy Word of God. So that’s where I’ve turned these last few days; to prayer and my Bible.
Glory to God, for He is on His throne! Jesus is King, Lord, and Savior to all who call to Him for salvation. America is today still the greatest nation in history and I praise God for being born an American. No matter the outcome of our elections throughout history, the peaceful transition of power is a God-breathed miracle captured by godly men who founded our nation. They were God-fearing men who recognized and relied upon the Providence of God.
Our nation is truly at a crossroads. The political outcome of yesterday’s election is a reflection…a symptom…of what ails our great country. Over half of our country clearly has an entitlement mentality where they believe by merely being Americans who may or may not have been dealt a bad hand that they are entitled to other people’s money. Beloved, that is a clear indication of a deeper issue that must be addressed.
Alan Keyes
I struggled with writing yesterday’s devotional because I knew I was missing the mark on what I was trying to explain. Alan responded to my devotional and has wonderfully written of what I was only beginning to figure out. Without understanding it, it was the imperfection of which Alan writes that I was trying to allude. Alan has given me permission to publish his response.
So here we go starting a new work week. What are your goals for this week? To make so much profit? To make so many sales? To land that one elusive client you’ve been after for months? To finally get the courage to ask your boss for a raise? To finally find a job? None of these in and of themselves are wicked. Goals are not wicked, only hearts are. Goals are, however, fleeting, just as the treasures these goals can bring are fleeting. So what’s the answer?
This past Tuesday our nation’s debt rose to 16 trillion dollars. I spell that out because I’m not really sure how many zeroes it takes to write it out numerically (I think it is 12). That comes out to over $53,000 owed by every man, woman, and child. Is debt immoral? It all depends on the purpose of the debt. If you are subsidizing sloth, then yes it is immoral:
The shootings at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado last weekend has brought every type of expert and pundit out from under every sort of academic and professional rock. If I hear one more nonsensical explanation for what happened my head is going to explode. What drove James Holmes to go on a murderous rampage is a simple concept; he is evil. How he got to that point is also a simple concept; he let evil have its way.
All of us are capable of unspeakable evil should we stop resisting the devil and our own flesh. God instructs us on this through the Prophet Jeremiah:
In this week’s The Truth Newsletter I write about the Injustice of Chief Justice John Roberts and the Supreme Court decision on Obamacare. Men and women who are in seats of power who are not governing from a foundation of righteousness will almost always make poor if not lawless decisions. And when I say lawless I mean any decision, or law for that matter, that violates God’s law. Obamacare is theft and the Eighth Commandment clearly commands against stealing.
Lawlessness from judges is not a 21st Century phenomenon; it’s not exclusive American History. It has been in effect for centuries. King Solomon observed:
Our men’s ministry at Midway Baptist Church has had the blessing and privilege of hearing this strong man of faith preach. His church is our sister church and this pastor is a close, personal friend of our pastor, Dr. Dennis Brunet. These mighty warriors have stood in the trenches opposing evil and both ministries are being blessed because of it. Please share this video with all your friends.
Since Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling on ObamaCare, I have seen all manner of exposition and explanation for why Chief Justice John Roberts’ ruling was brilliant. I have been asked if I want conservative judges, oppose liberal judges, want those that are Republican, and oppose those that are Democrats. Do I want originalists and oppose activists.
I take none of the above.
If you stand on the Word of God, you will, as in for sure, be persecuted. The hard part is many times it comes from other Christians and those close to you. You see, standing on the Word of God is almost always inconvenient and definitely culturally insensitive. Too many Christians would rather rationalize compromising God’s Word then be counterculture. The problem with that is Christians are supposed to be counterculture; that’s why Jesus called us salt and light.
It is important to remember though that we are to be peaceable in all we say and do. This is where it gets real tough for me as a Christian. I am by nature a warrior; that is why the Army was such a good fit for me. However, even in the midst of battle we are to conduct ourselves in a manner that brings glory to God.
If you must take a stand for God, you must expect persecution to come. You cannot stand on the truth of God’s Word and all around you accept it peacefully, unless you are doing so in a “Christian ghetto” and even there pure aletheia truth is not always welcomed. And yet we do not have a choice of where we will stand for God; we can only choose to obey or disobey. David understood this calling very clearly.
This year’s Hope Rides Alone Banquet Keynote Speaker Michael Prell peels back the onion on Obama’s not so funny fiscal record.
What a Great God we have! Amen?!
So why do we so often forget this truth, or at least live our lives as though we have forgotten?
Can you think of anyone more annoying that the ungrateful person? This person takes everything for granted. He or she assumes everything in life is cast upon him or her simply because they exist. The bounty of our nation, the liberty as a people, and for Christians, our salvation in Jesus Christ.
How does ingratitude happen? We turn our hearts from God and turn our eyes upon ourselves. Very simply it means we love ourselves more than we love God. Having a Holy God means we have to live holy lives, and too many of us simply are unwilling to surrender our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
