The whole truth about speaking in tongues, the sign and the gift.

Growing up Baptist, I had never actually heard anyone speak in tongues.  It was a  

subject that both terrified me and excited me. What would it be like? What did it 

feel like? 

But then, there were some people that told me that tongues had ceased being used 

by God when the Bible as a complete book was put together. Furthermore, they 

said, if it did happen now, it was of the devil. So, then I'd think, "well, I don't want 

to go to hell." 

It wasn't until later in life, after I was born again, that the Lord began to show me 

some things. 

1) Everyone that is born of the spirit will speak in tongues at least once in their 

lives. This is called "the sign of tongues."

Mark 16:

 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

According to Jesus in this passage, everyone who Biblically believes in him will speak with new tongues. It's a sign of being born of the spirit. This doesn't mean we learn a different language than your own. It means to supernaturally speak in a language that you've never learned before. It is God speaking through you. 

This is further proven by what Jesus said in John 3:

8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Some have tried to say that this is saying it is the changed life of a Christian that others will see when we're born again. While, Philosophically, this is true, that is not what Jesus said here.  He said when a person is born of the spirit, there will be an accompanying sound. 

When people were born of the spirit in scripture, the only sound that is commonly referred to- after they are born of the spirit/baptized with the Holy Ghost is that they spoke in tongues (Acts 2:1-4, Acts 10:44-46, Acts 19:1-7). 

In Acts 8 there are two instances where people are spiritually born again, but it doesn't say they spoke in tongues. In the first instance, verses 14-19, the warlock had already seen miraculous healings and demons cast out of people (verses 5-13). Yet, he hadn't offered money to be able to do it. But, when he witnessed the spiritual births of these people, he saw and heard something that impressed him enough that he was willing to pay to be able to do cause what was happening. When he heard these people that he'd known for years begin to speak in languages that he knew they did not know, it blew his mind! 

This is what happened on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). There were at least 17 different languages being spoken that day (verses 9-11), if not more by these 120 uneducated Galileans. The crowd knew that they didn't have the education required to know all these foreign tongues. It got their attention. 

The second instance (verses 26-40) was Philip meeting the Ethiopian Eunuch. The Eunuch would be baptized in Jesus name and filled with the Holy Ghost. Again, it doesn't say that the Eunuch spoke in tongues, but if there was enough power of God there to catch Philip away to a completely new location miles away, and it happened all the other times someone received the spirit in scripture, then it must have happened to the Eunuch, as well.  After all, in the mouth of two or three witnesses,(Deuteronomy 19:15) God's word is confirmed. There are at least three definite instances of tongues accompanying the new birth. Why should we not believe it happened the other times? 

2) There are two types of tongues: Angelic and Human languages. 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels... (1 Corinthians 13: 1)

This means that when a person speaks in tongues it can be one of the hundreds of languages in the world, or it can be an angelic language. If this were not so, then Paul, under the anointing of the Holy Ghost, would not have written this verse in that way.

3) There is a difference in the Gift of Tongues and the sign (or evidence) of tongues. 

1 Corinthians 12 explains that there are different gifts of the spirit, but the same Lord who gives them out severally (as He wills to whom He wills). It is in this context that Paul asks the often misused question,"Do all speak with tongues?" (Verse 30). He is discussing spiritual gifts and we do not all have the same spiritual gifts, so naturally, the answer to Paul's question is no. 

But, this in no way negates Jesus' proclamation that these SIGNS shall follow them that believe (tongues included) and that there would be a sound accompanying everyone's spiritual birth- and that the scriptural example of that is tongues. 

Yes, when someone is born again they will speak in tongues. But, they may or may not ever speak in tongues again. It depends upon what gift of the spirit the Lord wants to use them in at any given time. And, for you Bible scholars, it can be we are used in different gifts in different places depending upon what the Lord needs to be done within any given body of believers.

4) Tongues are also used as a prayer language.  

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)

There are times when we are in prayer (for ourselves or for others) when our own languages just aren't enough to express how we feel or what we are trying to say. Times when the spirit of God within us will just take over our prayer and pray for us in a language we do not know. Even if that language sounds to us like nothing more than groaning or gibberish. 

5) A little explanation about 1 Corinthians 14. 

A) This section is referring to what happens in a service corporately. 

B) The 120 did not have interpreters on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). They were all speaking in tongues and not one of them stopped to give an interpretation. It was the crowd that was standing there that heard their own languages being spoken that gave the interpretations to those around them. There was no interpreter in Acts 8, 10, or 19 either. Does this mean that one of the Apostles should've stopped the move of God? No!

C) If you've ever been in service when the gift of tongues and interpretation is operating, you'll understand that there's a difference between this and normal speaking in tongues. You see, normal speaking in tongues is us (through the spirit) praising, praying, and worshipping God. When tongues and interpretations happen it is the total opposite- it is God speaking to us as a church body! 

What I call a "holy hush" comes over the congregation. Simultaneously, or shortly thereafter, someone will begin to speak in tongues loudly and with unnatural authority. You can feel the presence of God in a much more powerful way. When they finish, either they or (usually) someone else, will begin giving the interpretation of the tongues. This interpretation edify's the whole church (what Paul referred to in 1 Corinthians 14).  

D)At any time in a church service, any or all of these things may be happening. At the altar or in the pew, someone may be speaking in tongues as they receive the Holy Ghost. Someone else may be praying in tongues. Some praise or even sing in tongues as a form of worship to Jesus. All of these are individual experiences between the person and God and require no interpretation for the larger body of Christ to hear. None of it is out of order or breaks 1 Corinthians 14. 

Paul was not saying that any of this was out of order. The Corinthian church simply had a lot of people who were trying to operate in tongues and interpretation at the same time. It also had people who were trying to speak in tongues as a way to be seen by others (of course these were not real tongues). Paul was correcting these errors in 1 Corinthians 14. But, he also said: 

39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.

40 Let all things be done decently and in order. (1 Corinthians 14:39-40)

So, those who try to say tongues have ceased are wrong. Those who say that a service with tongues that are not interpreted is unscriptural are wrong. 

There is a sign of tongues. All will speak in tongues that are born of the spirit. 

There is a gift of tongues. This is used in personal praise to God, personal worship of God, and personal prayer with God. And sometimes in a service, tongues go forth from God with an interpretation to the whole body of believers.  

I pray this helps you to understand what's happening in folks who speak in tongues at home and at church. 

The heat on the rock

9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.

10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth. (Zechariah 4:9-10)

Many times in life, following God can become frustrating. 

Now don't stop reading. I'm not putting the Lord down in any way. I'm talking about from our human perspective. 

You see, we are excited. We receive an unction from the Lord about something and start to obey whatever he has told us to do. In our minds, we picture having a huge impact on people for the kingdom of God. We believe millions will experience closer walks with God, or new walks with God, as a result of our obedience to the Lord's direction. And, who knows? This may eventually happen.

Zerubbabel had received a word from the Lord and a grant from the king to rebuild the house of the Lord. And for a while, everything seemed to go well. They finished the foundation of the house of God pretty quickly. Everyone was excited. 

But, then came the trouble. The enemy found out about what was going on and began mocking and trying to stop the building. When that didn't work, they petitioned the new King to try and stop the work of God. When that didn't work, they began trying to physically attack them.

Ever feel like everything that can go wrong, is going wrong when you're trying to live for God- especially when you're trying to do a work of some kind for God? You look up at heaven and say, "But, Lord, I'm doing what you said. Why is this happening? 

Zerubbabel and the others grew weary. At one point in Nehemiah (Nehemiah 4:10), it says that the people grew tired of the work because of the attacks of the enemy and the lack of building supplies. They had developed a case of "this is hopeless, why are we trying?" So, God sent a prophet to encourage them. 

He told them that the same man that began the work would finish the work. The enemy's attacks would come to nothing. No matter what the enemy would try, God's work would be finished. It's a promise from God written in stone. 

And here's where I wanted to get to today. That stone. 

Do you want to know why things are happening when all you're trying to do is obey God? Do you want to know why God allows it to happen? Doesn't he know how frustrating it is to you? Doesn't he care how upset these attacks make you? I'm tired and I have nearly nothing to work with, Lord!

He sees and he knows.

But, he sees what you cannot see. 

The word plummet comes from two Hebrew words. The first means "Stone." 

Don't lose heart! Because the same rock (stone) you began working with is the same rock (Jesus) that you will work with through the whole process of doing what God's called you to do! In fact, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:!" (Philippians 1:6)

Take heart, if Jesus has given you a mission, he will help you to complete it! 

Now, the second Hebrew word that comes from "plummet" means, "alloy found in ore, mixed with silver which is separated from it by means of fire." You see, a little heat applied to the rock begins to separate the treasure and metal from the rock. 

Scripture says it this way:

 12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. (1 Peter 4:12-13)

Stay in the fight! The end of the process will be glorious to God and you'll be a part of it.

The reason that the Lord allows us to suffer is that the heat of trouble begins to work in our lives. 

It separates the impurities out of us. Fire is a much greater purifier than water. You can clean with water, but to really get into the nooks and crannies of say, an old iron chair, you gotta put some fire to it. It'll get all the grease, paint, and rust off the iron and allow it to be remolded into a usable and strong iron chair again. God allows fire in our lives to reshape, strengthen, and remold us so we're usable for him again.

The fire brings forth the metal in us that will give us the strength to not only finish the current work he has us doing but to stand firm in the face of the enemy's attacks. And it will work as the basis for beginning other (and more difficult) works that God will ask of us later. 

Furthermore, the heat of tribulation forces us to cling to God even more. This has the effect of bringing out God's treasure in our lives- his fruit. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

These fruits are not our natural human state of being. God knows that unless we learn to trust him and let him live through us, we will never have the fruit he requires in our lives. So, he gives us tasks that he knows we cannot do. 

The enemy sees a weak spot (because we cannot do it) and attacks us. This "turns up the heat" on us. We cling to God even more. This produces God's fruit in our lives that we would never have had before. And God just sits back and smiles at his handiwork in our lives. It's a beautiful treasure to him. 

He sees his love in our lives where we were once selfish and self-absorbed. He sees joy in our hearts. He sees peace in our minds. What once was rough has become gentle. Where we were impatient with people and circumstances, now we're longsuffering. We were once evil in our thoughts and actions, now we become good- looking for and trying to develop goodness in ourselves and others. Once we trusted in no one but ourselves, but now we have faith in him and his people- and in ourselves. We used to be proud and high headed, now we have become meek. Once we gave in to every whim of the flesh, but now we have become temperate (self-controlled). 

This makes it much easier for people to accept a word from God when we need to give it. They look at our lives and see the fruit of the spirit within. They will take what you have to say much more easily because they will know you've been with Jesus. How? Because they see him in you. 

But, without the fire, it would never happen. 

So, follow and obey the Lord in all things. Do what he tells you to do. And don't be surprised, but be thankful, when the heat turns up in your life. It's just God growing a little fruit within you, purifying you, and making you stronger. 

Lord, heat up our rocks and form us into who you want us to be. 

Amending our lives to agree with the Amen

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. (Jeremiah 7:3)

Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you. (Jeremiah 26:13)

And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. (Mark 16:20)

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

My beloved wife was listening to the Bible this morning. The section that was being read was Mark 16. I've read it many times, but for the first time I noticed that it ended with the word, "Amen."

The word Amen means, "so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled," when it is used at the end of a discourse (teaching).

So, by saying Amen after this verse, the word of God says, "they went forth (so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled), and preached every where (so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled), the Lord working with them (so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled), and confirming the word with signs following (so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled)."

So it is (past because it's already happened), so be it (present), may it be fulfilled (future). 

The word "Amend," means "to be or make well."

That's a mouth full in itself. But, when I looked up the word Amen in scripture and was working my way down the list of all those verses (there are many. It should tell us something about agreeing with God's word and will.), the app I was using (Bible Gateway) also listed Amend along with Amen. 

When I noticed this, it was as if the Lord whispered, "take notice, pay attention."

Our Engish word Amend literally comes from the word, Amen. 

We Christians like to throw the word repentance around a lot! When asked what repentance means, we tend to answer "to turn away from sin," which is true. However, we are leaving off 1/2 of the equation with that answer.

An alcoholic can turn away (repent) from alcohol and no longer drink, but that repentance doesn't mean he's forgiven by God.

A drug addict can turn away (repent) from drugs and stop using them, but that repentance doesn't make him right with God. 

God's word gives us all a huge clue to the other half. 

When all we do is repent and we do not replace it with God and his ways, we create a vacuum in our lives. That vacuum will be filled with something. And because of our fallen and sinful nature, it's usually not something good.

Our Engish word Amend literally comes from the word, Amen. 

Why did I restate that? 

To amend our lives we do not just make a change. Rather, we are making that change towards God and his ways. We truly are coming into agreement with God on how to live our lives. We are amending our lives to come into agreement with his Amen!

That means we change (past- because it's forgiven when we make the change towards God), and we change (present- because we intend with his help to live in God's ways right now), and we change (future- because we intend with his help to live in God's ways forevermore). 

So we do not simply repent by turning away from sin, but we amend our lives to come into allegiance with him and comply with how his word says we are to live. 

Lord, please help us to amend our lives to be pleasing to you. Help us to repent AND amend our lives to comply with your amen!

I'm not a trinitarian

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: (Deuteronomy 6:4)

My pastor said something in his sermon last night that blew me away. 

He said, "I am not a trinitarian!" 

How refreshing in these modern times where most "Christians" worship either a "God-headquarters", or a 3 headed monstrosity. 

Yet, scripture itself proudly and boldly proclaims that there is only ONE God. 

That is not a unity, as many like to say. No, sir. It is emphatically only one in essence. ONE divine being. 

The confusion seems to center around the incarnation. How can God be one God, yet Jesus be God? 

Let's have a look, shall we? 

The first thing that we must understand is that God is omnipresent. In other words, he's everywhere all at the same time. David put it this way: 

7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. (Psalms 139:7-12)

In other words, there is no place we can go where God is not there! I realize that this is more than our minds can usually comprehend, but it's still true. 

So, why does scripture say that Jesus is at the right hand of the father?

It's a spiritual word picture that expresses the fact that Jesus has all power and authority. 

Take when the children of Israel crossed the red sea, for example.

Exodus 14: 21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,

25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

26 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.

27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.

29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.

31 And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.

Great story! An awesome move of God almighty! Now look at the song of praise in the next chapter 15:

6 Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.

Go back and read the story again. Please show me where a huge arm came down out of the heavens and smashed the Egyptians. I'll wait.

It's not there because it's a spiritual word picture of what physically happened. Why the right hand? Because most humans are right-handed and that is their strongest arm because it gets the most use. So, when scripture refers to God's right hand, it is not referring to a literal arm or a literal place. It is referring to God's strength and power!

How about this one?

8 And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

Read the story of the red sea again. Please show me where a literal nose comes down out of the clouds and sneezes, causing the waters to divide in a heap. Again, I'll wait.

It's not there because it's a spiritual word picture of what physically happened. God causes the wind to blow so hard that the waters divide and the ground below dries up allowing the Israelites to cross. 

10 Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.

Did enormous lips descend from the sky and cause the waters to return to where they had been and cover the Egyptians? No! It's another word picture used to help our finite minds to understand something our infinite God did. 

The term "right hand of God" is used 8 times in the New Testament. "Right hand of power" is used twice. 

These 10 verses seem to be the central cause of misunderstanding "the Godhead." BTW, the term Godhead simply means "divinity." It means he is GOD. It is not, as many say, a God headquarters. 

A simple question to ask. 

If God is omnipresent and there is no place where he is not, then how does anyone stand or sit beside him in any way, shape, or form? I'll wait.

To sit beside a being that is everywhere requires another place to be created outside of God for this being to sit. But, there's no place anyone can go where they can be beside God. 

The term right hand, when it is used in reference to God, always refers to God's strength and power. It's never a literal place. So, when scripture says that Jesus is on or at God's right hand, it is simply saying that Jesus is God and is all-powerful! 

Jesus said this himself. 

Matthew 28:18

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Now, let that sink in. If Jesus has ALL power, then, if there's a trinity, the other 2 "God's" are powerless because Jesus has all power. 

If Jesus is a part of a "trinity", then they have shared power and none of them have all power. Therefore, this verse would not be true. Furthermore, if Jesus is part of a trinity, then he would have no need to be given anything. He'd already have it. 

But, wait, brother Mike. Are you now saying Jesus is not God at all? 

Not at all. 

Here's the crux of the matter. God became flesh. 

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

It does not say "God the Son," or even "the Son of God" was manifested in the flesh. It clearly says GOD HIMSELF was manifested in the flesh. What's the difference? 

First of all, the term God, the Son is never ever found in scripture. Not even once. It's a made-up term by people trying to defend a false "triune" god. 

Secondly, the terms "son of God" and "son of man" are synonymous terms that refer to the flesh, or the MAN Christ Jesus. 

The angel told Mary about her baby that: "therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:35)

Satan and his demons called Jesus, "son of God" on multiple occasions (Matthew 4:3; Matthew 4:6; Matthew 8:28-29; Mark 3:11; Luke 4:3; Luke 4:9; Luke 4:41; Luke 8:28). 

And yes, John the Baptist and others called him the "son of God" (Matthew 14:33; Matthew 27:54; Mark 1:1; Mark 15:39; Luke 1:35; John 1:34; John 1:49; John 11:27; John 20:31).

And Jesus himself said he was "the son of God" (Matthew 27:43; Luke 22:70; John 3:18; John 5:25; John 9:35-37; John 10:36; John 11:4).

Therefore, I truly admit that Jesus is the son of God. 

But, notice this often overlooked scripture: 

6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Corinthians 2:6-8)

Satan (the prince of the powers of the air-Ephesians 2:2) and his demons (Ephesians 3:10; Ephesians 6:12) DID NOT KNOW who Jesus really was! Their human counterparts on earth DID NOT KNOW who Jesus was! 

Indeed, if they had known who Jesus truly was, they would've fallen on their faces before the very LORD OF GLORY, the Father and creator of all! So, God hid himself in human flesh in order to pay for our sins and restore relationship with man. 

Yes, Jesus is the son of God, but he is also GOD ALMIGHTY in human flesh! (John 1:1.14; John 1:18; John 5:18; John 8:56-59; John 10:30; John 14; John 15:23-24, Isaiah 9:6 and many more).

Jesus has all power (Matthew 28:19), therefore if there's a trinity, the other 2 are powerless!

Jesus has all wisdom (Romans 16:27; 1 Timothy 1:17; Jude 1:25), therefore if there's a trinity, the other 2 have no wisdom! 

God is our only savior (Isaiah 43:3-11), and Jesus is our savior (Philippians 3:20), therefore Jesus is God!

I could go on and on. 

The flesh of Jesus is the son of God. The spirit inside of him and everywhere else is God almighty. Jesus is God alone!

Yes, God sent his Son to die for our sins, that's how God shed "HIS OWN BLOOD (Acts 20:28). But, get the bigger picture here.

This was not a father looking down and seeing all the sin and turning to his son to go and die for that sin. 

This was The Father BECOMING a son and shedding HIS OWN BLOOD in order to pay for our sins. 

How much more loving a God could we have? 

I am not a trinitarian and never will I be. Jesus is GOD all by himself. Any other teaching cheapens the message of calvary and places divisions in our God that do not exist.  

America better take heed!

Isaiah 5:18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:

19 That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!

20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

We are living in a very sad day. 

It used to be that righteousness and peace were the law of the land. People used to care about each other. People used to know right from wrong. Wrongdoers used to be prosecuted in order to keep the righteous safe. Poor folks used to be helped by their neighbors and their churches rather than being told to go and sign up for a government-controlled handout. Men were willing to work to care for their families and women were willing to be good mothers and wives. Businesses looked to hire and train men of good character rather than looking for someone who just connects the dots they want to be connected. 

Rioting was nearly unheard of. Treating people as equals was expected. People working for their living was the norm as was helping your neighbor. 

Not anymore. 

Now, the culture has been inundated with a me-first attitude. We are told that we should allow what God says is an abomination as normal. People who are struggling are turned away by "God's people" and told to go and sign up for Government help. Men who want to work are turned away because they don't exactly line up with the job qualifications. Employers can't be bothered to train good workers anymore. 

People don't want to protest and sign petitions to right wrongs anymore. Rather, they want to riot and destroy other people's lives. Please tell me how in the world that solves any of the underlying issues? 

Congress passes laws they say are meant to "help" the people. Yet, a careful examination of the laws shows that what they actually passed was something designed to subvert our Constitution and destroy our liberties. And the media pats these evil people on the back for doing it. 

And the masses truly don't care because all they want to do is "eat, drink, and be merry." As long as the party goes on, they don't care about the wrongs of our society. In fact, they endorse them because they believe it makes things better for them!

Noone cares about aborted babies. No one cries for the homeless. No one weeps for the needy that don't know where their next meal will come from. Who cares that millions of illegals are taking jobs that legal citizens should hold? Who cares about the tears of families whose livelihood has been destroyed by riots about a death that was wrong, but was twisted into something meant to cause riots? 

Pastors teach and preach love from their pulpits, but ignore God's judgment of sin so people keep partying on their way to hell- thinking they're alright with God. 

Churches would rather move their congregation than reach out to the hurting masses that surround them. 

God is looking for intercessors! 

God is looking for people who will hit their faces and cry out to the only one who can fix our problems- Jesus Christ!

I pledge to pray! 

Every day, several times a day, I will seek my Lord and cry out for the iniquities of our land. 

He said if we will humble ourselves and pray, repent of our wicked ways, he will heal our lands. 

Come on, people. Pray!!!! If you've never prayed before, now is the time. If you've grown lax in your prayers, today is the day to start over. All people everywhere need to pray as if our country, our communities, and our very lives depend on it. 

Because it does.

America is in the hands of an angry God. The only hope we have is to repent and turn back to him. If we do not, America will go down in flames. 

And don't say it won't happen. 

If he'd take down his people, ancient Israel, he'll take us out too. They went down because of their sins. We will, too.

Every "great civilization" that rose up in the past has fallen. Rome did. Greece did. Great Britain once controlled 1/3 of the world. Now they're reduced to a small bit near Europe. Don't tell me God won't do it to us.

But America has done so much good for the world!

Yet, she's done much evil, too. God doesn't wink at our evil because we do good things.

He's serious. He's angry. And his judgment is even now beginning to fall. 

We had better fall on our faces and pray. 

Today. Right now.

Or we may not be able to in the very near future.