1. Don't be surprised. It should not at all surprise us that the world is bad and does bad things. That people who are lost don't produce godly actions and despise God and Christianity. That things are getting worse. The Bible is full of verses describing the world as evil, sinful, dark, wicked; a place contrary to God, godly things, and Christians. And it even tells us specifically not to be surprised when we go through trials and are hated:
1 Peter 4:12- "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you."
1 John 3:13- "Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you."
2. Don't fear, worry, or be anxious. God's most common command in Scripture is to not be afraid. Fear, worry, and anxiety weaken us, distract us, enslave us, and rob us of our joy. There are many, many verses on this. Here are just a few:
Philippians 4:6- "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."
Matthew 6:34- "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow for tomorrow will be anxious for itself."
Isaiah 41:10- "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
3. Trust God. We are to trust in God, not our country, not our president, not our economy, not a list of values. Those things are tainted; they change; they crumble; they can be taken away. But by trusting in God we have a stable, pure, unchanging Rock. Don't ever lose hope. We need to trust that He will "work all things together for good" (Romans 8:28). Trust Jesus. Trust Him with your self. Trust Him with your future. Trust Him with your children and their futures.
Psalm 18:2- "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."
Psalm 118:8- "It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man."
Proverbs 3:5- "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."
4. Get involved in a good cause. One of the things that I decided to do during this election process is to volunteer at our local pro-life crisis pregnancy center. It's a pro-active, applicable, and direct way I can support the pro-life movement and help unborn babies. What's some evil especially burdening you? What's a good cause you can plug into to help combat it?
Matthew 5:16- "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
Titus 3:1- "Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work."
1 Timothy 6:18- "They are to do good, to be rich in good works."
5. Pray and give thanks: If we are burdened, we must pray. We need to continue to give thanks and be joyful. Instead of focusing on what we don't have, or on what might happen in the future, we can choose to focus on what we do have; and be glad that while it could get worse, right now it isn't.
1 Peter 5:7- "Casting all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you."
James 1:2- "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds."
Philippians 4:6- "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."
6. Remember that Jesus died for everyone. He died for our president, for each and every homosexual, for each and every woman who has had an abortion, etc. Because He loves them. Because He wants a relationship with them.
John 3:16- "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
1 Corinthians 15:3- "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures."
7. Remember that we are sinners too. We have been just as lost as "they" are. We are "the least of these". We crucified Christ. We are no better than anyone else. We are forgiven and changed only by the blood of Christ and His Spirit. We have received abundant grace and mercy, that we are so unworthy of. We need to be humble and filled with compassion by such truths.
Titus 3:3- "For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another."
Isaiah 53:6- "ALL we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned- every one- to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us ALL." (emphasis mine)
Romans 3:23- "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
8. Remember who the enemy is. In Catching Fire of the trilogy The Hunger Games, Haymitch tells Katniss "Remember who the enemy is." We need to heed the same advice. Satan likes to distract us, causing us to point fingers every which way, forgetting that he is THE enemy.
Ephesians 6:12- "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."
1 Peter 5:8- "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."
9. Share the gospel. We can't expect godly behavior from the unsaved. We can't expect sanctification of those who don't have the Spirit. Being a light to the darkness requires there be darkness. In order for lives to change, hearts must change. Instead of being dismayed by the evil around, think of what great opportunities we have to share Jesus!
Mark 16:15- "And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.'"
10. Focus on your own sin first. The evil that will most impact our lives, and our children's futures, is our own.
Knowing that President Obama was re-elected does not make me nervous for Silas' future. You know what does? Knowing that I'm his mother. Me, a weak sinner, who's prone to wander.
Knowing that homosexuality and marijuana is becoming legalized does not make me quake for Silas' future. Knowing that Silas has already seen sinfulness from his mamma does. The times I've not been patient with his crying. The times I've worried about money for formula I didn't know I'd need. The times I grumble about dirty dishes. The times I don't respect his daddy like I should. The times I skip my devotions because I'm just too tired.
These are the actions that bring me to my knees in shame, in fear, in sole dependence on God. That make me cry "God, have mercy!"
If we turn our pointing fingers back around to ourselves, we might be slower to cast stones. At the same time, we can be empowered. Because no one but ourselves can keep us from glorifying God. It doesn't matter the laws or lack of laws, you can still glorify God!
Matthew 7:1-5- "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or, how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."
John 8:7- "...He stood up and said to them, 'Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.'"
And, on that note, I leave you with a song:
I always think of you when I hear this song. :) I loved your list - especially the last point. I wanted to pass along an article I read on Facebook today but I don't think I could link directly to it, so here's the whole thing in my comment. :)
ReplyDelete"My thoughts on the election.
Some of you are upset about last night’s results. Disappointed. Dispirited.
In many ways, the results are no surprise. Our country has changed and continues to change, and we should not act like it suddenly crept up on us.
Here are some things to consider.
Are you worried about the spiritual condition of our country in general? Good, you should be. But remember that righteousness starts with you and your home. Are we each individually pursuing righteousness?
Are you concerned about the ever-growing national debt? Good, but are you as equally concerned about your personal debt? Are we still paying for things we don’t need with money we don’t have?
Are you concerned about issues such as abortion and homosexuality? Good, but are we reaching out to love those around us? Are we truly loving our neighbor as ourselves? Are we being salt and light so that the world will see our good works and turn to give glory to God? Do we sit at home and watch television shows that turn adultery and homosexuality into punchlines, and laugh along with the studio audience? Are we aware our children are watching us and we are therefore showing them what we actually believe and therefore training them in the way they should go?
Are you concerned about the integrity of our leaders? Good, but what about our own personal integrity? What kind of person are we when no one but God can see us?
Are you concerned about the sanctity of marriage? Good, but what about our own marriages? Are we doing the things necessary to nurture our relationship with our spouse? Are we making that relationship a priority? Are we modeling a loving, pure, and holy marriage to our children? Are we allowing personal lusts or bitterness rule our hearts?
Are you concerned that more and more people are becoming reliant upon the government for their needs? Good, but what are we doing through our own churches to meet those needs? Are we giving the tithes and offerings so that we can look after widows and orphans and single mothers and the homeless and the jobless in their affliction?
Are you concerned about a President who doesn’t seem to concern himself with church attendance? Good, but are you personally praying for that man and his family? I mean really praying for him specifically, not just throwing up a general catch-all prayer toward heaven. And what about your own church involvement? Are you making your own attendance a priority? Are you involving yourself in Bible study with fellow believers on a regular basis? Are you involved in the ministries and missions of your local church?
I’m asking these questions of myself today. Before I can cry out against the ills of our country, I must be personally broken before God and repent of those same ills in my own life first.
There are so many more questions I could ask, and many more you’ve probably thought of yourself. Let’s ask those questions of ourselves first, and take action in our own lives to be the people of God as He called us to be.
Do we truly believe God is sovereign? If so, then let’s not walk around moping and live like an election result that didn’t go our way is the end of all things. This is an opportunity for the Church to rise up and be the Church. Let’s not squander this opportunity.
John 15:4-5 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
This was by someone named Jeff Miller. Just thought it went along with what you were sharing! :)
Carrie, that is FANTASTIC!!! wow, so right on and well said. Thank you SO much for sharing!!
ReplyDelete