I'm troubled about many things in these troubled times. Please join me in prayer.

I have my own personal issues that I could probably fill several pages up with. But, I'll make it short and sweet. Please pray for my family.

Looking around at the broader picture is even more troubling.

There are people running scared to death worried about a virus that has a much lower kill rate than the Flu. I'm not advocating foolishness, but who do you put your trust in? God? Or the Government?

If your faith is in man's government, get ready to be very disappointed! As Reagan said, "The scariest words in the English language are "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." If the Government is our help, you can bet it will put them even further in our pockets and lives- and it will come at a very steep cost!

If God is who you trust, then keep praying and let him have control. He's busy working everything for our good and his glory. So, just hold on, help is on the way! Count your blessings. How many times has he made a way where there seems to be no way?

One time we were in desperate need and God sent a little old lady over with a sack full of groceries to feed our young family! One time we were so in need, my wife and daughters were out in an abandoned yard picking Raspberries and Blackberries, when a church van full of food showed up in our driveway! One time my wife and I weren't working for 6 months (not by choice) and God kept us fed, clothed, sheltered, gas in the car, etc for 6 months! Whatever you're going through, rest in him! He will make a way!

There are powerful people within our government that are trying to use this virus crisis to crash the economy in order to 1) steal the upcoming elections and 2) even go so far as to completely convert our nation to a Socialist nation! And many people do not know how bad this would be!

Look at Venezuela. They had a democratic government and a thriving economy. The people were promised lots of government freebies if they voted in a socialistic government. They did. Now, a dozen eggs cost them a month's wages! It's horrible!

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Someone has to pay for it. If we go full socialism, say goodbye to free speech. Say goodbye to freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom to own things yourself- even freedom of your own bank account. There will be no more freedom to work hard and make your own way and care for your family!

We now have a government that is willing to let hundreds of people go to a business but will only allow 10 inside of a church. They close churches and allow abortion clinics and liquor stores to stay open? Does any of this make sense to anybody?

As Reagan said, if we lose freedom here, there is nowhere else to run to. America is the last bastion of freedom left on earth.

On the flip side, there are those who are ready to go to arms to fight the government because of the acts of tyranny the Government has already done. I understand this. I even to some degree support it, if necessary. But, we better be very sure there's not a better way to do this before we start pulling triggers.

There's no such thing as a clean war. Evils are perpetrated on all sides. Many thousands would die- and not just of bullets, but of starvation and pestilence. And even if we went to war and won, who's to say the government we end up with won't be worse than the one we fought? When one set of humans defeats another, there's a tendency to try and keep punishing the losers and buckle down on the winners to be sure they won't turn into being like the losers were.

Yes, there are many changes that should and need to be made, but those changes must start in the hearts of men. And only God can make those changes.

Trusting the courts to make changes is like rolling dice to win a dollar. Many times you don't get the results you hoped for.

Trusting elected officials to make the necessary changes is a bit like asking the mob to stop pushing gambling. Politicians have a vested personal interest in the Government complex growing and getting bigger.

Trusting company's to do the right thing is just as much a fools errand as trusting politicians. Corporations are after one thing and one thing only, the almighty dollar. And they will do whatever they believe they need to do to people in order to secure ever larger pieces of the monetary pie. Companies are even now having farmers throw away perfectly good food products in order to keep the prices higher during this crisis.

No, you cannot force change. You cannot legislate change. The only true and lasting change must come from the heart. And the only being capable of truly changing the hearts of man is Jesus (God almighty).

So, join me in praying for our families, our communities, and our nations! In truth, Jesus is the only hope we have! And only Jesus can be trusted to make the necessary changes in the hearts of mankind that will help everyone.

Pray, people pray. If we pray, we have hope. If we do not pray, we have no hope. Pray like you've never prayed before!

Let the watchman do his job- and respond the right way!

Ezekial 33: 2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:

3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;

4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

We have seven dogs in our home. This means that we have seven watchdogs. None of them are small. They range from about 70 pounds to 110 pounds. So anyone who's foolish enough to break into our home will most definitely be in trouble!

However, the dogs will usually bark and growl and carry on to let us know something is up and to warn the person or people outside that there will be consequences if they don't leave. Unfortunately, we sometimes don't want to be bothered to check out the commotion. Sometimes, we yell at the dogs to "shut-up!" 

In ancient Israel, the cities were walled. They kept watchmen on the walls to scan the landscape- checking for any danger. God ordered that they be there. It was to warn the people and spur them to action. God told them that if the watchman sounded the alarm and the people did not respond, they would die- and their blood would be on their own hands.

Just as with our dogs, many people would ignore the sound of the warning trumpets. Some would be irritated. Some would even yell at the watchman to shut-up! 

But, what of the watchman themselves. 

6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.

If a city came under attack, and the watchman didn't warn the people, then people would die. Because he didn't warn the people, God held the watchman accountable for every death he allowed. 

In the military, if you're on guard duty, you can get in serious trouble if you slack off or go to sleep while you're on guard. The guard is required to be diligent. If he is not, people could die- including himself. In a time of war, the guard can be executed if he doesn't do his job and people are hurt and killed because of it. 

God is just as serious about watchman as the military is about its guards. 

God told Ezekial: 

 7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.

8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

God told Ezekial "I'm going to give my people warnings through you. If you tell them and they don't hear, you and I are okay, but they're in trouble. But, If you don't tell them, you have a problem with me!" 

Ezekial was arrested, jailed, and hung up (not with a noose) in one of the castle dungeons. People were telling their Watchman to "Shut-up!" Ezekiel went through a lot to obey his calling and his Lord. 

Today, God still has watchmen. They're called preachers. Preachers, be they Pastors or evangelists, are to listen to God. When God gives them warnings, they are to tell the people to "Repent!" Whatever sin(s) the Lord leads them to call out, we the people should listen in the fear of the Lord. Why, because the warnings are coming from God almighty, not the preacher. If we refuse the warning, our blood will be on our hands. We could go to hell. God is not playing! NO sin will enter into heaven. 

Too many times, we want to tell the preacher to shut up! Too many times, we want to ignore the preacher. We don't want to be bothered with having to change. If he irritates us bad enough, we may want to persecute him or try and get him fired. But, the preacher doesn't work for us. He works for God. The preacher is God's watchman to us. 

But, if the preacher chooses to scratch our ears and tell us what we want to hear, rather than what God is telling us, then we will still go to hell! We won't be able to tell God, "He didn't warn me." God gave us a conscience and most of our homes have a Bible in it. We can pray and seek God and read His word ourselves. In fact, scripture tells us to do just that. 

But, the preacher who refused to warn us will go to hell as well. He doesn't get off the hook because he refused to warn us. 

Beware, people, God is not mocked! God will one day call all of us to judgment. He is not playing with sin. If our preacher is warning us, don't fight him. Repent! And thank God you have a preacher that will stand in the gap for folks. If our preacher is not warning us, we need to find another preacher. The one we have is in it for personal gain of some sort and has no love for God or people. 

So let our watchmen do their jobs. Pray for God to warn them and for them to hear and deliver the warning. When the warning is given, let us seek God in true love and repentance! 

Pray for the watchmen and the state of the world. Jesus is soon returning and we all need to be ready when he returns.   

Do we have rights?

Judges 17:6

In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Matthew 24:14

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in allthe world for a witness unto all nations; and then shallthe end come.

I enjoy politics, I guess. As a political conservative, I focus mainly on what the Constitution does and doesn't say. I love the Constitution, for it is a document that allows freedom and protects our citizens from the evils of big government.

On the other side of the political aisle are the progressives/liberals. These have spent the last 100 plus years chipping away at the Constitution in order to give the federal government more and more control of our individual lives. This is a very bad thing and I will fight it to my dying breath.

However, in the church world, we have the opposite problem. 

We spend a great deal of time "spreading the gospel" and trying to get people "saved." 

That's all well and good, except our focus is wrong. 

We teach lessons, sing songs, write books, etc the goal of which are to show people what God will do for them. I guess the theory is that, in order to reach the "me generation," we have to "get them saved" by explaining the benefits of becoming a Christian. After all, everybody needs Jesus as their savior, right?

That's true.

But, we do them a disservice because we are only showing them half (if that) of the picture.

Jesus didn't come just to seek and save that which was lost. He came to impose his kingdom and displace the devil's kingdom. 

Every step he took towards Calvary and beyond was in direct and open warfare with the devil's kingdom.  

For example, Jesus didn't heal everybody he met that were sick and injured. He could have. Why didn't he? 

Acts 10:38

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

If he didn't heal someone, they were sick of natural, not supernatural, causes. 

Put simply, the kingdom of God had come to war with the kingdom of Satan. And Jesus won! 

But, there are some things that we must understand.

Jesus MUST be savior AND Lord (supreme controller) or he cannot be savior at all.

Human nature is that if we do not have an authority above us that we must follow and obey, we will do whatever we think is right.

The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). We must obey that gospel to enter into his kingdom and become a citizen (John 3:1-8, Acts 2:38, 1 Peter 4:27, 2 Thes. 1:8). 

But, when we enter the kingdom, we have been bought with a price and are no longer our own (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23). We can no longer do anything we want. There's a higher authority that we must (and will) answer to.

The kingdom of God has a king. His name is Jesus. As king, he has the right to allow us to do something. He also has the right to tell us no. 

As citizens of his kingdom, we have the right to ask, and we have the responsibility to obey the ruling that the king gives on any given matter.

The reason the church cannot allow a homosexual teacher/preacher/singer in it's walls is not that God (and we) don't love them. It's because the king's decree (the Bible) forbids it.

The reason we must stand against all sin is because our king has decreed that sin will keep men out of his kingdom and condemn them to eternal punishment in hell. 

Politics involves compromise. In the kingdom of God there is no compromise. 

When you become a citizen of the kingdom of God, you willingly submit yourself to his rule over your life- in all areas. 

There is no middle ground. It's the kings way, or the devils way.

Do we have rights? Yes. The right to obey God in all things. Period. 

.

How gray is our God?

2 Corinthians 1:20

For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

Matthew 5:17-18Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

There is a song by Chris Tomlin called "How great is our God." Aside from some minor theological disagreement, I love the song. However, when I hear it sung, the singer in me cringes at the same time the preacher in me does. 

Why?

Basic singing instruction teaches us to enunciate clearly so that we can be clearly understood. Therefore, the word "great" ends in a "t" and that letter needs to be clearly pronounced when it is sung. 

Why does it matter?

Which version sounds like a true gospel song to you? How gray is our God? Or how great is our God? The "t" is extremely important! Without it, the whole message is changed. God is changed from great to gray! Not a good change.

Is this important enough for a blog? Yes...with a twist.

You see, the modern "church" is under the impression that God has completely done away with the old testament law through Calvary. Yet, Jesus said none of it would go away until all be fulfilled.

The "church" says, "Yes! That's what he did on Calvary."

I beg to differ. Jesus says here in verse 18 that the law would still be in force "until heaven and earth pass away." Jesus fulfilled the sacrificial and ceremonial parts of the law. However, the moral laws that show us what sin is, are still in force. 

The reason this is an important distinction is that the modern "church", because of a misunderstanding of Calvary and Grace, practices what many call, "greasy Grace." They believe that everything is already settled for them. They're saved. It's done. Now we can live, talk, act, dress, however we wish. It's party time! "I got a blank check!"

WRONG!!!!!

This is why there is so much despute over what is a sin and what ain't. If you do away with the Old Testament foundation, then anything goes. 

"Churches" can ordain homosexuals. Women can lead their home. "White lies" are OK as long as they accomplish something good. A drunk can die in their sins and "preachers" say they are "in a better place." 

Indeed, perhaps the way many sing Chris Tomlin's song (without proper diction) is symbolic of how most modern "Christians" see God: "How gray is our God."

Yet, the scriptures declare that the righteous will scarcely make it in (1 Peter 4:18). We give it all we have and, with the help of God, we will barely make it in. 

Perhaps we could all learn a lesson from king David. 

2 Samuel 24:18-25Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)

18 And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto theLord in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite. 19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. 20 And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground. 21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the Lord, that the plague may be stayed from the people. 22 And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and otherinstruments of the oxen for wood. 23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The Lord thy God accept thee. 24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So theLord was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

How can we offer ourselves a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, and believe that it should cost us nothing? 

No, my friend, there are two crosses in Biblical Christianity. A) The cross of Jesus. Truly without his shed blood there would be no hope for us at all! B) Our cross! Jesus says for us to take up our cross and follow him. Paul said that to live is Christ and to die is gain. 

We must allow God to crucify our flesh. We MUST walk after his spirit and keep our flesh under subjection. Otherwise, we risk the same thing Paul was afraid of: becoming a castaway. 

So, which is it for you?

Do you want "How gray is our God?" Do you want to use "greasy grace" and slide into hell? 

Or, do you want the narrow road that tells us "How great is our God?" The way of the disciple. The way of submission, love, and obedience to our Lord (Supreme Controller) that will lead to hearing him say, "Well done." (Oops! I guess there are some things we must do to be his. Otherwise, he wouldn't say, "Well done." He'd say, "Well believed.")

Of course, James states: 

James 2:14-26Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; whatdoth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Do you want 50 shades of gray and an eternity in hell? Or do you want the true faith of Jesus? Choose you this day whom ye shall serve! 

The path of most resistance: Honour thy Father and thy Mother.

Exodus 20: ¹²Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Ephesians 6

 ¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

 ²Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

 ³That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

 ⁴And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

We live in a day and an hour where rebellion seems to be the new name of the game. Like never before, this modern generation seems to scream, "I'm going to do what I want to do!" Parents, who are on the front lines of this battle, seem to be fighting a losing war.


The scriptures tell us to "train up a child in the way that (they) should go..." (Proverbs22:6), yet we find resistance to that training on every side. Children are indoctrinated by schools with false theologies (evolution, falsified history, global warming, etc). These ungodly philosophies paint parents as being "stuck in the past", uneducated, unable to cope or dwell successfully in the new and evolving world. Movies, television, and music, all to often paint the parent as an idiot and the child as the hero who shows up to save the day. So the kids begin to doubt the word of the very people who love and care for them, and want them to be successful in life: their parents.


The scriptures tell us that, "foolishness is in the heart of a child, the rod of correction shall drive it far from them." (Proverbs 22:15) Yet the schools we send them to, and even (in some cases) the laws of the land, have declared that spanking is child abuse. So, when the child is acting in rebellion, as children do, and we reach for the rod to correct them with, the child begins to reach for the phone and threatens to throw us in jail for attempting to do the very thing the scriptures TELL US to do: drive that foolishness out of their hearts and far from them.


Yet, when our children act up, the law wants to point a finger of blame at us for "not controlling our children properly." When we point out the obvious reasons of the shackles they have placed on us, they tell us to go see a psychologist. These "professionals" (for after all, we parents are the idiots and can't possibly know what's best for our own kids) then put our children on mind altering and harmful psychotropic drugs to help control them. These drugs open our children up to demonic attack! Many of the people who do the worst violence in our society were raised on these very drugs that the professionals tell us will help our children be good people.


Sadly, huge numbers of these children wind up leaving the God of their youth, going wild, and end up in jail for crimes that they probably otherwise wouldn't have committed. 


The 6th commandment boldly tells our children how they are to respond to their parent: Honour thy Father and Mother. What does the word Honour mean: I went to the Hebrew, but it basically said "Honor". So, I turned to Websters and found this: 

1: a : good name or public esteem : reputationb : a showing of usually merited respect : recognition honor to our founder>

2

: privilege honor of joining the captain for dinner>

3

: a person of superior standing —now used especially as a title for a holder of high office Honor please>

4

: one whose worth brings respect or fame : credit honorto the profession>

5

: the center point of the upper half of an armorialescutcheon

6

: an evidence or symbol of distinction: asa : an exalted title or rankb (1) : badge, decoration (2) : a ceremonial rite orobservance honors>c : an award in a contest or field of competitiond archaic : a gesture of deference : bowe plural (1) : an academic distinction conferred on a superior student (2) : a course of study for superior students supplementing or replacing a regular course

7

: chastity, purity honor and her life — Barton Black>

8

a : a keen sense of ethical conduct : integrity honor>b : one's word given as a guarantee of performance honor, I will be there>

9

plural : social courtesies or civilities extended by a hosthonors> 


So, since our children are commanded by God to look at us with respect, love, admiration, as being above them and obeyed by them, God gave them a promise. IF they will honour us, HE promises them "thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." After all, if they will learn to honour us, they will one day learn to honour God.


This honour that they are to show us starts with how we raise them. If we raise them in "the nurture and the admonition of the Lord" by obeying HIS recipe for raising a child they will become children that bring us honour and respect us. 


Real love doesn't defer to "the wisdom inherent in the child". Rather, real love teaches them how to live and corrects them when they are wrong. 


Spanking is necessary because it teaches them that there are painful consequences to doing wrong. Planting the seed in them that they want to live Godly. It also reinforces God's warning of ultimate punishment (hell) for those who choose to live ungodly. After all, if my earthly Father will punish me, how much more will my heavenly Father punish me? 


But, we are also to teach them:


Deuteronomy 6: ⁴Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

 ⁵And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

 ⁶And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

 ⁷And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

 ⁸And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

 ⁹And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

We are to carry God's word in our hearts, decorate our homes in Godly ways, and take every opportunity we can find to teach our children about God and his ways. 

Spanking without this will do very little good. This PLUS spanking will reinforce the word of God in their hearts and minds. If we want Godly children, we MUST raise them up in the way they should go. Our lives should be a visible Bible that they can read. We need to LIVE the way we are teaching them to live. 

We don't need to entertain them, we need to teach them. We don't need

to drug them, we need to correct them and give them responsibilities and Godly activities to do. We don't need to get them all that they want, we need to provide them what they need to be successful for God. We can't let them be involved in ungodly activities and hang around ungodly so-called friends, we need to guard them against these things that will ultimately send them to hell. 


When the scriptures tell us not to "provoke our children to wrath", it doesn't mean not to make them mad. It means to raise them in a way that will keep them safe from God's wrath! Sometimes, a little pain to the rear or a little doing without something they think is so important, may be the difference in their lives between heaven and hell, freedom and jail. 


If we truly want our children to receive God's promise of a long and Godly life, then we need to honour them. We do this NOT by treating them as if they are in charge. We do this by praying, being diligent in the things of God, and setting up a Godly structure in our homes that they can later emulate in their own lives and homes. If we do this, then they will begin to honour us. If they begin to honour us, then they will be open to honouring God.


They may think us crazy now, but later, they will thank us for teaching them and showing them the way. They will proudly tell their own children: "Your Grandparents are the reason I am who I am today. I thank God for them and I thank them for teaching me about God."   

Excuse me, but your insides are hanging out!

Imagine with me that your walking through the streets of your town. As you walk, you begin to notice that some folks are looking at you strangely. The farther you walk, the more folks keep looking at you. You don't wonder about yourself. You know there's nothing wrong with you. You're not sure what's gotten into these people, but they have problems. You decide to ignore their stares.

Finally, a kindly old gentleman approaches you. He begins to speak to you in a nice, but concerned manner. His words strike you as strange, for what he says is, "Excuse me, but your insides are hanging out." You're offended at first, but your automatic reaction is to look down. Sure enough, your insides are hanging out!

You are stunned! Fear takes a hold of you. You begin to feel weak and dizzy. Your breathing becomes rapid and shallow. But, the old man, places gentle hands on your shoulders, looks you in the eyes, and says, "It's OK. I'm a doctor. Let's get you into this hospital over here and we'll fix you right up.

Does this sound ludicrous to you? Of course. Yet, millions of people every day do just what you were doing in the above story: they walk around with their insides hanging out. Not physically, to be sure. But, all of our inner lives are on full display for all the world to see everyday. It's obvious by our actions and speech (remember, "out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh", Jesus said.) to any who care to look closely, what we truly believe.

Proverbs 23: ^{7a "}For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..."


Our actions always follow our emotions. Our emotions always follow our beliefs. Our beliefs always follow our thoughts. Who we are on the inside is- quite literally, who we are! 


This is why the scriptures warn us to think only on godly things and, in this way, to guard our hearts. If our thought life is in line, then our beliefs will be in line. If our beliefs are in line, then our emotions will be in line. If our emotions are in line, then our actions will be in line. 


As an example, lets look at Saul's life. 


King Saul's story begins in 1 Samuel 9. We find him out looking for his fathers donkeys with a servant. His father, according to verse 1, was a "mighty man of power." His father evidently was a man of some financial means, as he owned animals and had multiple servants. With money comes power. So, he was an influential man, as well. 


Saul, was a young man who seemed to have his life planned out ahead of him- beautifully! Grow up in wealth and prestige. Take over the family biz. Grow that wealth and prestige. But, the Lord God had other plans.


Israel had lived in a theocracy for hundreds of years. But, Israel wanted to be like everyone else and have a king. So, the Lord looks around and chooses Saul. He doesn't allow Saul to find the animals. He gets him so frustrated that Saul goes looking for the judge/prophet Samuel to learn where the animals were.


This is where Saul's life takes a sudden turn. Like Saul, most of the time, when God wishes to call us into a different direction, it seems he reaches into our everyday lives to work things to get our attention and point us in a different way. 


Saul is told that God is calling him to be King over Israel. Talk about unqualified! From herding animals to leading a nation- Oh what a change. God equips him by filling him with his spirit to strengthen and guide Saul in his new duties. God gave him a great start! 1 Samuel 10: 9-10)


Saul is a bold man, if nothing else. We've already been told of the wealth and prestige his Father had. Yet, he has the audacity to LIE to God's prophet about who he is in society: ^21"And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?"


He's a liar who suffers from low self esteem- as most liars do. Already, his insides (who he really is) are beginning to show. To top that off, on the day of his coronation, Saul is nowhere to be found. Where is he? He's out "hiding amongst the stuff." (1 Samuel 10: 22) He doesn't want the responsibility God has given him. More of his insides were hanging out. 


How many of us RUN from the call of God on our lives because we don't want the responsibility, nor do we desire the necessary change in our lives. So, we hide in the stuff of life. We get caught up in entertainment, our jobs, finances, parties, status, etc. All the while, God has a job for us to do that will benefit many other people- IF we will submit.  


Later, he is told to wait on Samuel to come and sacrifice before he goes off to war. Samuel is late. Some of his men begin to leave him. Saul's lack of faith in the God who called him, his looking to others to validate his self esteem, and his impatience come rapidly to the surface. He steps out of his God-given role and tries to stand in Samuel's role. He performs the sacrifices.


As he's cleaning up his mess, Samuel comes. God requires obedience and listening to him MORE than he requires sacrifice. Saul's lack of letting God change him costs him dearly. He fulfills the ritual, in the wrong way. 


He should have been praying and seeking God all along. When he was hiding in the stuff, he should have been asking for God's direction. Instead of religion and ceremony, he should have sought relationship. 


Due to his bad insides, he has a bad ending. He loses his kingdom and loses out with God. 


Saul was placed under immense pressure. This pressure caused the real him to come out for all the world to see. 


Like Saul, God calls us- even with our bad insides hanging out. But, if we don't enter into relationship with him and allow God to change our insides, we will lose our promises and lose out with God as well. 


Let us be like David: "Create in me a clean heart, Oh Lord, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, Oh Lord. Take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me all the joy of thy salvation."