The Irony Is Too Much

Being in Women’s Ministry, I get to see women at their best and women at their worst.  God gave me a heart for women…for their insecurities (which I often suffer) for the parenting issues, aging issues, friend’s issues and the list goes on.  Women it seems are never satisfied with the way God made them and that makes them vulnerable to women who seem to have it together.  When these insecurities raise their ugly heads, I have found that comparisons begin to take shape.  You know what I mean: If I could be skinny like… If my husband was like… If my children were like…  If I lived there, then… If I had a college degree and this list has no end.  When we do our own comparisons and don’t measure up then we get the jealousies going…which lead to turning into mean girls. 

Now, none of that is new.  It has been going on since the beginning of time and most women struggle with some of these issues throughout their lives. God has and will show Himself faithful in over-coming them.  There is, however, among Christian women, a new comparison, which is causing unneeded comparisons and divisions.  It is the most ironic comparison I have ever seen. I was faced with it last week and I walked away shaking my head in disbelief. 

Before I tell you what it is, let me also mention that each of us is fearfully and wonderfully made and each of us has a preferred way of learning. We are unique and often “one size does NOT fit all!”   Being an educator, I know there are different learning styles and when I teach I try to incorporate a bit of all of them when possible.

We also are in different stages of our lives…a single woman is different than a mother with an infant, who is different than a mother with teenagers and still yet different than a retired person.  Each is in a different stage of life.  Time constraints are different in each stage.  Some women are working while others stay at home.  All of this to say, while women are the same we are all different in our needs and abilities afforded to us.

I love studying the Bible…those who know me know I am also a theology geek. My personal method is expository study.  I love to look up the Greek and Hebrew meanings of words and search out truly what the verses are saying…in context and in original language.  I have time to do that BUT I didn’t when my children were 3 and 4.  I studied what I could, in the bathroom, in-between crises!!  When I taught school and volunteered to make sure my kids were supervised, my time was limited.  I found more time to get into the Word of God but it still wasn’t hours on end!  God understood and filled me with Himself in the time I had.  He was with me 24/7 reminding me of His words to encourage and keep me going as I navigated my busy life.  My ministry then was raising my children and God’s word was there to help me do that to the best of my ability.

My ministry now is to women…those who are young mothers…those who have teenagers, those who are going through the empty nest…  Women who feel they aren’t as good as other women, as smart as other women, as pretty as other women are my ministry. That is why this new comparison bothers me so much.

Are you ready??  This comparison is the method we use in Bible study!  We are blessed in this day and age to have so many strong, biblically sound* resources available to us.  No other generation has had the volume of studies in various learning styles. We should be so glad but instead we are like college sororities creating “Bible study cliques”.   I am sure you have seen it: The two most popular are:  Beth Moore groups and the Kay Arthur, Precepts groups.  There are more but these are the most prevalent.

Both Beth Moore and Kay Arthur love the Lord with everything they have within them.  Both have wisdom to share…so do Priscilla Shirer, Jennifer Rothschild, and many more.  God has gifted this generation with many women who have an ability to make the Bible come to life and therefore make us grow spiritually.  They are just different in their approach just as we are different in our learning styles.

II Timothy 3:16-17 says:  All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training the righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Notice it doesn’t say it is useful if you use Precepts, Topical, or an Expository method.  The Word of God is to equip us for every good work. The Holy Spirit will use whatever scripture we put into our minds, no matter how it gets into us!  Let’s be very careful to not put God into our own comfortable little Bible study box for that is when pride will take over.  If your method is biblically sound use it.  Make sure that what you study changes you and equips you for every good work!  Make sure you are not putting others down spiritually because they don’t use your methodology. Watch out for Bible study cliques…for they exclude instead of include.

Isn’t it ironic that again what should unite us, satan uses to divide us.  Be watchful for his devices!

Now, go get some of His Word into you so you can be equipped.

  

  *There are studies that are opinions and not sound theology.  I do NOT endorse those. 

Too Old to Sin???

I have gotten to the point where I blog only when something really bothers me!!  You know, when the Holy Spirit won't let something go!  Today is one of those days...and if I am honest, one of those months.

Sometimes I get defensive when I hear young(er) people talk about how judgmental the church is. You see, I try my very best to look at each person and see them as Jesus does.  I don't always succeed, but I do try. So, I become defensive...that is until this month.  God allowed me to over-hear and see some things that showed me that maybe the "church" is judgmental.  Stay with me.

After our Easter service a comment was made that it is so much more worshipful when we are dressed nicely and in robes and the next week some women began counting the number of women in pants and the number in skirts with those in skirts being the more spiritual.  I laughed that off.  But then last night I over-heard this comment, "The person speaking tonight only talked about sin.  Can you believe that? He was talking to a group of senior adults about sin?"

That was when it really began to bother me because I think I finally got what those outside the church meant!  We in the church think we can get too old to sin!!  (tongue firmly planted in my cheek!) We (because the church is one and is judged by every member) also believe only young people sin and we must always call them out on their wayward ways.  We seem to be saying, "We older people have arrived."

That just might be what is happening in our congregations, we think we have arrived.  It reminds me of what the angel said to the Church at Ephesus:  "Yet I have this against you. You have forsaken your first love.  Remember the height from which you have fallen!  Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from it's place." Rev 2: 4-5

When we forget that it is about Jesus we lose our light. When we forget where we have come from, we will look at others in a prideful way.  Pride goes before a fall, removing God's lampstand in the process.  The lampstand is the light that leads others to Christ.   We need to always remember who we are in relationship with a Holy God We have no right to think more highly of ourselves than we do others.  As a matter of fact, the opposite holds true: we look at those who are caught in sin and remember our own behaviors and we have nothing but mercy on them not judgement.  As James 2 says, Judgement without mercy will only lead to us being judged without mercy.  I love James 2: 13 "Mercy triumphs over judgement!"

I am not judging these sweet people...they are just deluded into thinking that because they have gone to church FOREVER that they don't have to worry about sin. Many think of only outward behaviors. Those are easy to spot but the sin of bitterness, anger, unwholesome talk, and pride far outweigh those outward sins.  These sins come from deep within the heart and cause our lights to go out.  Instead of drawing people toward Jesus, we push them away.  The Pharisees were experts at this and Jesus had some very harsh words to say to them.

So, do we get too old to sin?  I don't!  I need to be reminded of how far God has brought me and thank Him for it.  I need to be reminded, for as long as God leaves me here, I will struggle with the enemy.  Sometimes the enemy wins and that saddens me but it keeps me on my toes...reaching out to God for wisdom and strength and His MERCY.

I apologize to those who think we are judgmental...my eyes have been opened.  I know I have not yet reached His goal. For you who have not gotten there either, I would love for you to run along with me as we, together press on toward the mark of the Glory of God.

Why I Disappeared!!

Yesterday I “disappeared” from any social media to show what it is like to have someone disappear from your life.  Every day this happens….as a matter of fact one of my facebook friends posted that her daughter had been missing since the day before.  She was an honor student and had lots of things she was involved in that were positive.  She just disappeared with no trace.  Sadly, this is happening more and more in our country.  And while what I am going to state in this blog is not the situation for some of these disappearances, for a huge number it is. 

Human trafficking is becoming epidemic in our world.  What is it? Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings. It has been perpetrated mainly for the purposes of sexual slavery or forced labor; other purposes include extraction of organs or tissues and even surrogacy and ova removal.

While we want to pretend that everything is fine in our little world, it behooves us to realize that even in our communities this heinous situation exists.  There are transport trucks passing us on interstates filled with victims of this industry…and yes, it is an industry.  Big money.  But there can only be an industry where there are customers and that is a secondary purpose of this blog.  We have so taken purity lightly that sexual appetites have gone wild.  God set boundaries for His people but many have broken those boundaries and we are reaping the devastation.  Now, I am not saying that we, ourselves, have participated in pornography or an illicit lifestyle, but not teaching or standing for purity has caused a lethargy toward what is truly destroying many lives.  Our uncomfortable feeling toward standing against what God had deemed detrimental to our lives is showing what can happen.  The world would say it is ok and that anyone who stands against such things is “old Fashioned” but the ONE who made us knows what will destroy us.   Not standing for values is the same as saying they don’t matter.  

So, how does this start?  It starts by letting loose of morals one step at a time…by accepting them as normal and perhaps laughing at them.  Once a sin is laughed at, it tends to no longer be looked upon as a sin.  (just watch the new comedies on TV!) It is that first look at a magazine…or reading “that” book…or watching “that” movie.  Our boundaries are eroded bit by bit.  For men, it might start with the computer until seeing sexual images becomes an addiction…they then not only want to “see” but want to “experience” and so on.  I need not to go farther with this…you get the idea.  The scripture says, “God gave them over to their evil desires” and we are seeing the harvest.  Many innocent girls and boys are sacrificed for lusts needing to be satisfied and the industry grows. We need to begin working on the cause and not just the effects.  Begin standing for what is pure and wholesome and stand against the evil one. 

So, what can we to do to fight what is already an epidemic?  First of all, get your head out of the sand and see that this is truly modern day slavery and it is happening right in your back yard.  Secondly, educate yourself about who these enslaved people are. Perhaps some are those missing girls you hear about or perhaps the next time you get your pedicure, wonder if the woman at your feet is there by her own will or by the force of others on her life. Let the Holy Spirit guide you.  Thirdly, check out web-sites on human trafficking and spread the news. Lastly, be aware and pray for a stop to this illegal trade.   Mississippi has two bills right now concerning this.  Here is a plea from Sandra Nash:

 I received the following from an attorney with the MS Attorney General's office in regard to the Human Trafficking bill-- “I don’t think either the Senate or House has considered the other chamber’s bills, yet. The house bill has been referred to Senate Jud B, and the senate bill to House Jud. B. Continuing the phone calls expressing your concerns regarding this issue is extremely important; we don’t want this to fade from their radar….

During the session, when each chamber passes a bill, it must be transmitted to the other chamber for consideration. The bills are then referred to a committee. Our HB 673 has been referred to senate jud b, and SB 2719 has been referred to house jud b. The deadline for these committees to act on the bills is March 5th! The next deadline will be March 13th, which is the deadline for floor action on these bills in each chamber. “

I found the names of the committee members and how to contact them; I hope you will make some contacts and let them know we need to pass the Trafficking Bill.

Members of House Judiciary B

Andy Gipson, Chairman; Kimberly Campbell Buck, Vice-Chairman

Members: Willie Bailey; Nick Bain; David Baria; Charles Busby; Gary Chism; Dennis DeBar; Casey Eure; Jeffrey S. Guice; Joey Hood; Kevin Horan; Timmy Ladner; Sherra Hillman Lane; Sam C. Mims, V; Alex Monsour; John L. Moore; Brad A. Oberhousen; Ferr Smith; Greg Snowden; Tommy Taylor; Joseph L. Warren; Jason White; Adrienne Wooten; Henry Zuber III

To find the phone number or e-mail address for the above Representatives go to http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/members/hr_membs.xml

Members of Senate Judiciary, Division B

Hob Bryan, Chairman; Chris McDaniel, Vice-Chairman

Members: David Blount; Sally Doty; Angela Burks Hill; W. Briggs Hopson III; Sampson Jackson II; Perry Lee; Derrick T. Simmons; Sean J. Tindell; Gray Tollison; Giles Ward; Michael Watson; Brice Wiggins; J. P. Wilemon, Jr.

To find the phone number or e-mail address for the above Senators go to http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/members/ss_membs.xml

Thank you for your help!

There has been some bits of good news!  During the Super Bowl (one of the industries most profitable weekends) women all over New Orleans were out on the streets fighting this plague and just by telling others this exists great strides were made to help fight this evil.

I disappeared from Face book for one day.  Some people missed me, I hope.  But everyday children and women go missing and never show up again.  Often they are thrown out after their usefulness is gone.  Pray for these.  Pray for those on the front lines fighting this.  Pray for yourself that you will not be so calloused that you do not care.  I will be back on face book…but I will never take my freedom for granted.

God cares about this and so should we.  Commit to pray for this and perhaps one day we can feel safe again.  Until then, watch, teach your children God’s way but also teach them to stay safe and away from strangers. 

For more information, please check out the follow sites:

http://www.humantraffickinged.com/

www.MannaFreedom.com

http://advocatesforfreedom.org/

Also, if you are on Face Book and from the Jackson area, go “like”

·      Metro Advocates for Freedom

·      SWAT Ministries  (Spiritual Warriors Against Trafficking)

Why I Love Football!!

People often ask me why I like football so much.  It is a valid question for I am female and involved in Women’s Ministry…shouldn’t I love shoe shopping instead??  At first I didn’t think it strange that I had this love but I must admit my conversations concerning the last SEC or NFL playoff game with other women tend to be very short.  When I try to talk to men, they just look at me like I am sporting one eye in the middle of my forehead!  It could be a very lonely existence but God has been gracious to give me one girlfriend who loves football as much as I do, so I don’t feel completely alone.  This season, however, I began to ask myself the same question, “Why do I like football so much?”  I often say because my daddy did…and he liked it but his favorite sport was World Federation Wrestling and  (to the relief of all my family) I don’t follow that at all.  So, why do I?  It is not to support my husband because he really could care less…he will watch it with me but would rather watch Pawn Stars or Duck Dynasty! (a blog for another time!)  I would like to think it is because I am supporting “my” team…but it really doesn’t matter who is playing…I get involved.  Now, I LOVE the Saints which brings another dynamic into the mix…  So, I went to my little quiet place where I contemplate the big things in life and asked myself, “Why?”  Here is what I came up with!!

·      I love that at the beginning of each game there is hope!!  The scoreboard is even…the field is freshly painted and the crowds are cheering and hoping for a victory!!  It is like the life God gives us through His Son!  We start out each day with a clean slate and the hope that today we are going to win the race!! 

·      I love that like life, there is going to be opposition to getting to the goal line.  It excites me to see the players pushing on to the goal without giving up.  I used to love to watch Deuce McAllister carry an entire defensive line on top of him as he moved closer to the line that would bring a first down or a touchdown.  I want to be that person…one who will push on…one who won’t give up when it gets hard.

·      I love that even after a mistake (interception, fumble, or missed tackle) that the players come back out on the field and play like it never happened.  This is where I really wish I could would learn the lesson because often in my life when I mess up (happens a lot!!)  I just want to go to the sidelines and have a pity party…I want to just quit the game rather than go onto the next play.  People like Drew Brees, who comes back every time, inspire me! 

·      I love it when my team wins!!  But I also realize for that to happen another team must lose and believe me, I find myself feeling sorry for particular players on the other team who played their best and still lost!  When I have victories in my life I want to shout it from the rooftops but I want to be aware that there are those who have fought hard and still their victory hasn’t come.  I don’t want to be so consumed with my life that I forget those who are struggling to find some small victory…I want to urge them on to try again.

·      Finally, I have learned that sometimes my team doesn’t win!  (this year has been a great example of this lesson!!!)  I often say, “Next year!”  and I mean it.  It is also like life…sometimes things don’t turn out like we thought it was going to at the start but God in His graciousness, gives us more games to play.  I want to learn from my losses---not wallow in them.  I want to become better because I learned what to do and what NOT to do next time!  Most of all, I don’t want to just stop playing the game.  Many of us do that when our losses become more than our victories…I feel like doing that but then I look at my Saints…who lost more games than they won even to the point of being called “the “aints!”  The fans returned every year with hopes of a winning season time after time only to go home empty handed.  But then came that year!!!  We didn’t know what to do with win after win…then the playoffs…then the Super Bowl.  Finally, we had a victory after years of defeat. 

And after that big win life hit hard again and it starts all over because victories in this life are short-lived…and for many teams it is back to “next year!” 

I guess that is why I love football…the hope that it can be better next time…if we listen to our Coach….work hard to prepare and don’t give up!!   Paul said it best in Philippians 4:13  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  It is not about giving up….it is about pressing on toward the goal!!!  I guess I just took that goal literally. 

So this New Year, learn the lessons of football and Geaux Saints!!!!

When is Christmas Over???

Ok…today is the day after Christmas.  I have been reading my Facebook friends pages and how most have already taken the decorations down and put  them away.  I cannot do that…I love the tranquility of the tree and the lights shining in the evening.  I began to think about this and that is dangerous!!  This is what my brain began to think:

When a baby is coming, we have showers for the mother to be, become busy decorating the nursery in anticipation, have family all together at the hospital pacing while the mother delivers.  There is organized chaos! The baby is born and all go and see it…some wanting to hold it and the new mom and dad stare intently at this creation of God until the nurse comes and gives them some rest. Then BOOM…reality hits!  This little family goes home.  There are sleepless nights and the awesome responsibility of raising this child who comes with his/her own agenda!!!  The how-to baby books are thrown out the window and for many frustration replaces the joy of that anticipation.

Doesn’t sound very encouraging does it?  So, why do we have a desire for these little ones if they bring a mixed bag of emotions?  Because deep inside this little one is the spark of life that God created and the hope that things can be better.  The frustration turns into patience…the sleepless nights cause a reliance on something other than ourselves.

Preparing for Christmas is much the same way…we decorate, have parties and family gatherings and then boom it all disappears…much more quickly than it appeared.  We return to “real life” where there is frustration and stress and tend to wonder why we even desired to celebrate that little baby.  This wasn’t the Christian life I thought it was going to be!  Why am I hurting?  Isn’t it suppose to just be “the most wonderful time of the year?” Was it worth it?  Oh, dear one…when we stop and reflect on this baby we see more than a spark of life---we see LIFE abundant.  We, in our stress, see the peace of God.  We hear His words that yes, there will be trouble on this earth but He has conquered this earth.  We grow stronger and more patient and more loving because of this baby.  We can’t put Him away with the decorations any more than that new mom and pack her child away until next year!  Intentionally see this birth as your hope.

I am keeping my decorations up a little longer…to reflect…to relax and to rejoice in the fact that this is not about a “day” but a life! 

TBA Part 2

Friends, it was amid all of the disobedience and wailing that there rose up a young king of Judah who did some pretty incredible things.  II Chronicles 34-35 is where we find his story. This young king had come from an evil family line. II Chron. 33:10 “The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people but they paid no attention.”  Manasseh, Josiah’s grandfather, was a extremely wicked king of Judah…he so disregarded the ways of God, he put pagan gods into Solomon’s temple for worship.  It says, “Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations of LORD had destroyed before the Israelites” II Chronicles 33:9.  Manasseh died and his son Amon, Josiah’s father, became king.  We read in vs22, “He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done.”   Like father like son…Judah was in a bad way.  They were pompous, arrogant, loved their idols and their lifestyle…when God spoke, they did NOT listen. (Sound familiar?) Amon was assassinated after only 2 years of reigning but God’s everlasting love was shown in the next verses:

II Chron. 34:1-2 “Now, Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem 31 years.  He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.”

What???  Here was a young boy, whose father and grandfather were evil idol worshipers, and yet he decides to follow the LORD (YAHWEH.)  Yes, God had heard the prayers of His prophets and the wails of the women and answered by providing a young king who followed the ways of David.  

Wait though, before you think Jerusalem was saved, history shows it did not escape the destruction predicted by Jeremiah and Habakkuk…things for Jerusalem did NOT get better so you might wonder, “Why Josiah?” God had pronounced judgment on Judah.  Jerusalem WAS destroyed because the people had strayed too far from the ways of God.  BUT those who turned back because of what Josiah did, were protected….we call them “the remnant”…those who individually followed and kept the statutes of the LORD… God provides a “way out” in every generation in order to provide for a remnant of believers…and He is calling His church to revival today! I don’t know where we are going as a nation but I believe we as a church need to begin to stand on God’s principles and return to Him.  We all are in a battle but this is not a battle of nations, political parties, or religions…it is an internal battle.  We must quit blaming others for our situation…WE are responsible for where we stand with God…Are you ready to face your battle? How can Josiah’s life help us? This is what he did:

·      Vs. 3 In the eighth year of his reign (he was 16!) he began to seek the God of his father David.  We must begin to seek the God of the Bible…not the gods of this world.  We must not be deceived…this world has so many conflicting words about who God is and what He requires and we are falling for it!! He is a God of love but also of judgment.  We have forgotten that! When I hear Christians say, “A loving God wouldn’t do that.” I wonder how they know. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts!”  His Word is evidence of what He can and will do and Jesus did not negate God’s judgment…Jesus gave us a way of escape. Josiah began to seek out this God that neither his father nor grandfather showed him and God was found!  Jeremiah says,

“You will find me when you seek me with your whole heart!” Jeremiah 29:13

·      VS 7  He tore down (with his own hands) the idols.  He knew that idols kept him for worshiping the true God.  Folks, idols are not always carved images but they can be good things in our lives…family, jobs, even our church…but if God isn’t first in our lives these things become idols.  God must be first…He will not share His glory with anything or anyone.  Not even your family!! GOD/FAMILY/CHURCH

·      Began to rebuild the temple…the place of worship.  We don’t have temples today to rebuild but Paul said, “We are the temple of God.” We must begin to worship again…in spirit and in truth.  In our hearts and in our minds. The word worship in the Hebrew (Shahach) and Greek (Proskuneo) mean in reality, to put yourself under the authority of God.  We mistakenly have limited it to music and satan has used music styles to change our focus away from worship….satan knows how important worship is and has done what he can to destroy it in our lives.

·      In rebuilding the temple, vs.14, Josiah found the book of the law…the Torah…the Bible…God’s plan for living.  We must know what is in the Word of God!  It is truth and our guide for this life.  I enjoy reading commentaries and books by preachers etc. but they are NOT a substitute for God’s word.  It is time we quit reading ABOUT the Bible and begin reading the Bible! It is time we quit listening to teachers who tell us how they think we should live and listen to God’s Word, which KNOWS how we should live.

·      Vs19 After reading God’s word, Josiah tore his robes…he repented…he wept over how far his people had gone away.  Read vs. 21 “Great is the LORD’s anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.”  He was broken and grieved over what was happening both in his life and in the lives of his country...no excuses. Are you grieving over what you have done, or are you only afraid that your lifestyle might change?  There is a difference!! It is time we truly repent in our lives and become broken before God. When was the last time you cried over your rebellion against God?? I love this quote: ‎"There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who believe themselves sinners, and the rest, sinners who believe themselves righteous." -- Blaise Pascal

·      Josiah lead Judah back to God Where are you leading people?? You are leading them somewhere!  Very soon we will be asked to stand for God’s truth. It will not be easy but it is necessary. 

Part 3 will cover what the New Testament says we are to do to stand for righteousness in our world...I look forward to sharing it with you!!  

TBA---The Battle Awaits

Peace, Love and Happiness!!!  I was in junior high in the 60’s (yes, I am old!!!) and remember seeing the flower children and listened to the cries for peace…it seemed innocent enough and who wouldn’t want peace???  But these years later I realize how blind we were to the craftiness of satan.  Yes, our world is in terrible shape today because in part, to my generation.  The 60’s generation grasped the teachings of Nietzsche who decided that God had died so live anyway you want.  What we called “free love” was really “free lust” only to discover that it wasn’t free.  Humanism became the new religion…rational thought rather than faith.  IF God was alive, then He was distant and didn’t care about us.  Even the sign we most associate with this era, calling it a peace sign, was a reproduction of an Roman sign after Christ’s death…a broken, upside down cross which meant there was no power in Christ after-all.  None of us knew that then but that is the way satan works, ladies…he is crafty and slips in lies among even those of us who call His name.

There is nothing that I would rather share than, “Things are going to be ok so go about your lives as usual.”   Really, I would but the message God gave me is poles apart and  to write things are going to get better would mean I wasn’t being obedient to God.   Things are never going to be like they were but the good news is this is not a surprise to God and He has a plan for His children... one that offers hope.  Yes, this is a serious message but it is His message to the church…will we listen and respond?  Lest we think it has never been like this before, listen to this.

Habakkuk 1:2-4   

How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? 

Why do you make me look at injustice? 
 Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. 

Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.

(Sound familiar?)  Yes, our country is in trouble.  There is violence, immorality, selfishness, greed and lawlessness.  I expect this from the world…but these are also found within the church and it grieves my heart.   The books of Jeremiah and Habakkuk contain some scarily similar situations and while these prophets were sent to warn the people of Judah (God’s people) of God’s impending judgment, the people scoffed and continued living in sin.  They were wealthy, selfish and followed pagan idol worship…yet they thought it was all, “ok”... (Sound familiar?)  Warnings had been given but ignored. When tragedy comes, we ask, “Why?”  We thought we were good and we thought God was love!!  Listen to this:

Jeremiah 9: 17-18; 20 

This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Consider now! Call for the wailing women to come; send for the most skillful of them. 

Let them come quickly and wail over us till our eyes overflow with tears and water streams from our eyelids.

Now, you women, hear the word of the Lord; open your ears to the words of his mouth. Teach your daughters how to wail; teach one another a lament. 

 Jeremiah is saying do more than cry out; wake up and grieve over the circumstances surrounding us.   Wail…Weep.  Things are bad…teach your daughter’s to grieve.  But, what can grieving accomplish??  It will accomplish God's protection for His children.

It was amid all the disobedience and wailing that there rose up a young king of Judah who did some pretty incredible things.  II Chronicles 34-35 is where we find his story. This young king had come from an evil family line. II Chron. 33:10 “The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people but they paid no attention.”  Manasseh, Josiah’s grandfather, was a extremely wicked king of Judah…he so disregarded the ways of God, he put pagan gods into Solomon’s temple for worship instead of God.  It says, “Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations of LORD had destroyed before the Israelites” II Chronicles 33:9.  Manasseh died and his son Amon, Josiah’s father, became king.  We read in vs22, “He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done.”   Like father like son…Judah was in a bad way.  They were pompous, arrogant, loved their idols and their lifestyle…when God spoke, they did NOT listen. (Sound familiar?) Amon was assassinated after only 2 years of reigning but God’s everlasting love was shown in the next verses:

II Chron. 34:1-2 “Now, Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem 31 years.  He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.”

What???  Here was a young boy, whose father and grandfather were evil idol worshipers, and yet he decides to follow the LORD (YAHWEH.)  Yes, God had heard the prayers of His prophets and the wails of the women and answered by providing a young king who followed the ways of David.  

Wait though, before you think Jerusalem was saved, history shows it did not escape the destruction predicted by Jeremiah and Habakkuk…things for Jerusalem did NOT get better so you might wonder, “Why Josiah?” God had pronounced judgment on Judah. Jerusalem WAS destroyed because the people had strayed too far from the ways of God. BUT those who turned back because of what Josiah did, were protected….we call them “the remnant”…those who individually followed and kept the statutes of the LORD… God provides a “way out” in every generation in order to provide for a remnant of believers…and He is calling His church to revival today! I don’t know where we are going as a nation but I believe we as a church need to begin to stand on God’s principles and return to Him. We all are in a battle but this is not a battle of nations, political parties, or religions…it is an internal battle. We must quit blaming others for our situation…WE are responsible for where we stand with God…Are you ready to face your battle? How can Josiah’s life help us? In my next post I will give you the steps Josiah took to bring the "remnant" back!!