Now is the time

Rebekah L. Holt, Quest For Christ,

 www.equest4truth.com

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. 2 Chronicles 7:14

 

It has been a turbulent year. Precious lives have been lost at the hands of wasteful, wicked malice. For most of us, our elections haven’t turned out like we want. SCOTUS has done their damage. The special interest groups have only appeared to gain teeth.Arguments and discord circulate among voting Christian conservatives. Finger pointing. Anger. Opinions. Foolish speaking.

This is where the rubber meets the road for all of us. These are the acid tests.

What is the Christian’s response to all this?

This I do know, the answer is not apathy. It is not giving up. It is not empowering evil by our disunity and quarrels between us. The answer does not lie within ourselves.

Though there can be corruption, tragedy, flawed political candidates, we are not left without a leader or direction. This is not the time for Christians to get weary and to take a back seat. This is not the time to quit! This is the crucial point. Now is the appointed time.

We have a responsibility today. If we are professing Christians—we have a God given duty and it’s time for our commitment to Christianity to be consistent with this in the way we speak, act and conduct ourselves.

1) We need to speak less and do more. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. James 1:19


2) We need to be in prayer for God’s wisdom. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. James 3:13

Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant. Ps. 25:8-9, 12, 14


3) We need to live in obedience to God’s commands. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine. Ex. 19:5 

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love....Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you...Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. John 15:10, 14, 16


4) We need to realize that God’s will always, always, always goes beyond human frailty. He alone remains unchanging in our decaying world. This world is not all that we have to live for. Christ came, the only perfect man as the Son of God and His own leadership and rule was rejected and a disappointment to many. Considering this, can we expect one man or woman to be a “fix all” for our entire nation? Can our dislike for a governing individual or an “establishment” party exempt us from our God given responsibility to vote, to be active or to withstand the assailant when the battle is the toughest yet? 

Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. Isaiah 46:10

Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. Isaiah 40:15

5) God uses imperfect people, even Godless men He uses (the Bible is full of this).  But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.1 Corinthians 1:27 


6) We need to live like we believe in what we profess. It starts now, in our own lives, in our own responsibilities to live out and be the change. Nations are made up of individual men and women, boys and girls; the buck stops with us in our homes and our communities. While we desire an entire nation to come before the Lord, first let’s do our homework and examine our own lives according to the standard we require of others. Can we be the men and women that God wants us to be? If we were, there would be a revival of our nation that would trickle from community to community, reforming homes, communities, towns, cities, states and beyond. Bottom line, we must seek the Lord humbly according to 2 Chr. 7:14. Humbling a nation starts with individuals humbling themselves. Repentance of a nation begins with the repentance of individuals turning away from individual sins. Changing a nation begins one life at a time.

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Ps. 32:8

Nothing of eternal value is lost when we choose to live in allegiance to Jesus Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. Philippians 3:8

Let's get the eternal perspective of our times. Yeh, we might not get the Presidental candidate we wanted (Republicans)--but our hope is not based upon a man and we SURE don't need to empower the wicked by our throwing up our hands and giving up. Let’s not waste this time. Let us be the men and women of the hour and seek the Lord for something beyond our human reasoning. Let us make the committment to trust that God is capable to sustain righteousness and even capable of using people to His end. We must not give up nor give in, as other generations of Christians have. Yes, we must keep trying to overcome the whiles of the devil; yet, we cannot give over in the battle because it "appears" we've already lost the fight. Our times our in God's hands. He knows the end from the beginning. His ways are not our mortal ways--He is all powerful and able to move the hearts. God remains in control despite wicked men. Christians let us come together as individuals that have committed our lives to righteous ways and stand firm, anchored in the bedrock of Jesus Christ. He will continue to renew us for fighting a battle that His is already the certain victory.

Don’t give up folks—now is the time. Keep your armor on and if you dropped it, pick it back up and stand your ground. Remember, with God nothing is impossible! Our help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth—He will not suffer thy foot to be moved! In Christ, we can be more than conquer

ors. Don't lose sight, nor allow circumstances or disappoints to permanently jade your hope in Jesus Christ.Keep focused on Christ, the Author and Finisher of our Faith!