Where Did Our Confidence Go?

Church what has happened to us? What have we done? When did we stop believing our God is greater and stronger and can do anything? If God is for us, who can be against us? 

We are not the remnant like in Esther or Daniel. Even so, God gave the Jews in Esther a special day to destroy all that opposed them. We are not Joshua and the Israelites trying to claim our Promised Land where we are aliens. Yet, the God who brought down the walls of Jericho while maintaining and keeping safe Rehab's house which was on those walls is our God. 

Comfort has taken precedent over the authority of the Bible. The current thought is that if we speak out people will not like us. But, I want you to get over it. I fear what we are looking at if we do not stand on the principles of the Bible - being slaves just like the Israelites in Egypt. We let the world around us dictate what we believe rather than God.

We are stronger than any force of darkness or evil of this world. Jesus Christ has paid the price. Stand up. Make Jesus' death and resurrection mean something. Missionaries are sent from this country to witness to other countries around the world when our own church is drowning here. What is wrong with that picture? Our focus is on saving the rest of the world when our brothers and sisters are falling away from the church. Where is our courage?

In Hebrews 10:35-39 the author writes, "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he promised. For in just a very little while, 'He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I am not pleased with him.' But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."

Sadly, I think the church has started to shrink back. We believe the miracles of the Bible are in the past and the God we worship now is not capable of using us to change the world like He did with the heroes of the Bible.

The world is questioning the authority of the Bible. Why would they not? When the church, as an example, stops listening to the Bible's authority and shrinks back behind worldly acceptance and comforts. Church, stand up for the authority of the Bible! Stand up for Jesus! Stop sitting in your Lazy-boy and get on your knees to pray for this country, for the church to rise, for God to come and claim this country back for Himself. Do not be one destroyed for losing confidence in God. Instead stand up and believe and be saved. The God who used ordinary men... "who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies" (Hebrews 11:33-34) is the same God that can use us to change the world now.

We do not serve a passive God, but a God whose word and action are active. He is just waiting for the church to rise up. To lift their hands and pray as David did in the Psalms. If you do not know what or how to exactly pray, read the Psalms. You will find many prayers and pleas for God to deliver His people.

Churches across America are meeting to question the authority of the Bible. The world has an agenda- destroy God's reputation. Are you part of God's church or with the world? Are you just being a pansy on the sidelines saying, "The world has gotten too bad already, what is the point?” I tell you the point…for your children and grandchildren. Do you want them growing up in a world that says the only normal marriage is between same sex couples or perhaps the next agenda is to openly accept and perform marriages for Zoosexuals-those who have sex with animals--or bestiality? Read Leviticus 18-20 to see that it has happened before, so we can’t assume it won’t happen again. It’s already legal in Demark and a quick web search will tell you it’s not as uncommon as you might think. The world may say ‘no that is just wrong’, but that is now. When my grandmother was growing up gay just meant happy. That was not that long ago, two generations later and gay has come to mean same sex relationships which the world and many churches just accept as ‘normal’.  What does the Bible say?  Who are you listening to: the world or God?

The other option is to destroy our reputation for the sake of God's. To do the opposite of the world and know through perseverance we will receive our reward in heaven. I would rather God is pleased with me than have the whole world accept me and throw the Bible and its authority out the window. Will you as a believer in Christ Jesus stand up for God? Jesus has already stood up for you. Tell the world you cannot defeat us, because we have God on our side.  God is stronger, greater than anything thing in this world.

As God reminds us through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 51:6, "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look to the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants dies like flies. But my salvation will last forever, and my righteousness will never fail," God's salvation will never fail, but this world will wear out like a garment. Comforts of this world will disappear. Are you willing to stand in God's salvation and work for His kingdom that will reign forever for the sake of losing a few temporary comforts? Stand up church. Believe in God!!