How badly do we want for God to heal this nation, our neighbors, the homeless, our loved ones, us? We, even as Christians, are putting much energy and faith in what man can do. Protests, boycotts, calling our government representatives, political movements, and voting are all good things, but where is our faith in the Lord? This country is headed for major trouble, possibly even disaster, hunger and lawlessness. Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-- the Lord, who remains faithful forever. Psalm 146:3-6
Many in our great nation claim to be Christians, but do we really know what our God is capable of and willing to do for us? If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. Jeremiah 18:7, 8 Christian people! This includes us! If we ourselves do not repent of our sins, then how can we expect our nation to be healed? We are called to be the salt of the earth and to shine the light into darkness. But we are so busy with our lives that we have little time for God. Oh yes, we attend church on Sunday and maybe some during the week, but do we spend personal time with our creator, in the word? That means reading and studying our bibles and discovering our individual purpose as well as our purpose as the body of Christ. Do we pray like we tell others we do? Do we fast? That, my brothers and sisters, is where we find answers, truth and the power of Almighty God. It is truly more important than anything else we can do. Do we wait for disaster to take place before we act?
But it seems that many of us are afraid of the truth, because we are just so comfortable with our Hi Def TV and our video games and our junk food and whatever other idols we place before God. Do we seriously believe that God will allow us to remain comfortable if we continue to ignore Him? Look around. Do we see what is happening to our nation, to our neighbors, to our loved ones, to us? If we don’t see, then we are deceived by Satan. This is beyond what we can fix by ourselves.
If we believe the One we claim to follow we need to pay attention to Him. So Jesus said to them, ".....for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." Matthew 17:20, 21 NKJV I know, FASTING? And yes, I truly believe that means food. What an unpleasant request, but it does not have to be a major thing. Begin small, maybe give up one meal per week, or sugar, or chocolate, or sodas and junk food for a period of time. This is not a weight loss plan, it is an act of faith and sacrifice for the Glory of God to move the mountains that we need moved. And we need to get a nice fluffy cushion to put on the floor and get down on our knees and ask the Father what to do next. A bible will come in handy too. Psalm 102 is a good place to begin. A prayer of an afflicted man. When he is faint and pours out his lament before the Lord. Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. Psalm 102:1, 2 I tell you if we do not get serious about the power of God in our lives then we deserve whatever we get. So I urge those of you who have not already been called to consider this request. Let us see what our Awesome God will do.
