A World Gone Mad!

Image by F. Muhammad from Pixabay

“At times it can seem as if there is no God when the state of the world goes from bad to worse.  Can it be stopped, or is man a god unto himself, doing as he pleases with no accountability, no justice?  Is there any hope for a world out of control or is evil destined to reign supreme?”  

 

Across the globe, corrupt political leaders institute laws and policies that oppress their people. Debased wealthy abuse their power for personal gain. Possibilities of World War III and nuclear war are spoken of. Criminals go unpunished while the just are defamed and imprisoned. Deception, lawlessness and perversions of all sorts abound. Our world has gone mad. Where is God?

At times it can seem as if there is no God when the state of the world and your own community, goes from bad to worse. Can it be stopped, or is man a god unto himself, doing as he pleases with no accountability, no justice? Is there any hope for a world out of control or is evil destined to reign supreme?

To discover the answer, lift your eyes above the news headlines. Look beyond what you see, which is a foggy mist of deception and fear. Above is a truth that hangs like a mighty banner which states in bold letters, “For God is the King of all the earth . . . God reigns over the nations . . .” (Psalm 47:7-8) Despite this truth, many of those in power have no fear of God, “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed . . .” (Ps. 2:2) Do the rulers not realize that God sees their plans and will hold them to account? “Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence.” (Ps. 19:9) For God will become their enemy if they persist and do not turn from their ways, “Strike them with terror, Lord; let the nations know they are only mortal.

The nations and those in power that defy the Lord God, misunderstand His patience. They act without any concern for God nor of consequences. It is a veil of deceit the evil one has laid over their eyes.

As evil proceeds from bad to worse and corrupt men become even more so we might wonder why God does not respond to the arrogance of the merciless. Why does He not pour out His wrath on the cruel, unjust and grossly immoral?

God’s ways are opposite of mankind’s. We want instant action and often revenge. God responds differently.

He comes to where the prince of darkness dwells, who orchestrates the madness. The Holy One listens as the father of lies arrogantly declares “I am King of the Earth. God has no place here.” But while Satan speaks, the sovereign King of the Universe, with His saving light, quietly and humbly moves about in the darkness. He walks the ground He spoke into existence long ago searching, looking, calling and drawing men and women through the power of His unseen Spirit. The light of His Word of Truth pierces the darkness. His Spirit-empowered servants boldly expose the evil, while proclaiming the way of salvation to those held captive by the wicked prince.

The evil one fights back using every weapon available to silence the Most High’s servants.

Satan once battled God’s only Son, whom was killed on a cross. He was the prince’s greatest enemy. Three days of celebrating went by. Then all the sudden, the Son rose from the dead, and the prince of darkness’ head was smashed by the Son of God into defeat.

As evil exerts itself in our world understand this. The King of Kings has defeated Stan, evil, death and sin. He is the Victor! He is here and at work among us. Today, flee from the slavery of sin. Run to Jesus and be free!

A prayer for you. “Lord God, open our eyes to see you high and lifted up above the evil plans of men. Reveal yourself to us. Let us not be held captive to fear or destructive ways. We turn to you. Only you can save our souls and the nations of the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

How to Stop Living in Chaos

                                          Image by Yatheesh Gowda from Pixabay 

“Only Jesus can save you out of the constant chaos of your life.  The chains of immoral living that are shackled around your feet, only Christ can lose them and set you free."  

There are people whose life is one chaotic moment after another. Constant crises. Why? Because of their own poor choices. It seems to be one bad decision after another. And as time goes on, it is natural to wonder, “Will anything ever change?”

I can confidently say, the Lord God is the God of second chances.

Jesus once told a story about a young man who was one of those who lived a reckless life, but through a miracle of God, was changed. It is known as the parable of the prodigal son. “There was a man who had t
wo sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. (Luke 15:11-16)

The son displayed a selfish and rude attitude toward his father. His dad, in a humble act of wisdom, gave his son what he demanded. What he wanted, was something beyond money. He wanted freedom, so he could be free from his father and do as he pleased. So he went far away to find it, and at first he enjoyed his freedom, but then reality hit. A famine swept across the land, and soon he was penniless. This was the moment the rebel began to change.

First, he recognized he was in need. He had empty pockets and needed to find some income quickly. He did not turn to God for help. Instead, he tried to dig himself out of his own hole.

Second, he experienced no one giving him anything. He soon realized he could not fix himself. And fortunately, he did not have anyone who tried to solve his problems for him. He also did not go person to person and try to manipulate others into helping him. He was able to sit in that awful pig pen and reflect on the stupid decisions he made that put him there.

Third, he came to his senses. The next part of the story states, “But when he came to himself . . .” (vs. 17) Gone was living by impulse and desire. He wisely evaluated his life and what did he see? He saw how his recklessness put him in the spot he was, and was separating him from God and causing harm to others.

Fourth, he rose to his feet. He knew he needed to leave his old ways behind to change. But he did not just think or talk about it. Instead, he stood to his feet and walked away from his old life and toward the only person that could save him. He went to his father.

The son knew that only his father could save him out of the desperate situation he was in. Who does the father represent? Jesus. It is truth, that only Jesus can save you out of the constant chaos of your life. The chains of immoral living are shackled around your feet and only Christ can lose them and set you free.

How did the father receive the son? The father ran and embraced him because the father knew his son was broken over what he had done. Jesus is waiting to embrace you. Come to Him humble and broken over how you have lived and be set free today.

A prayer for you. “Lord God, open the eyes of the reckless to see their destructive ways. Help them to take responsibility for what they have done and realize you are their only hope. Bring them to leave behind their old life and turn toward you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Why Do We Want to Change Ourselves?

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

“God made you a man or woman, and did not make a mistake. Sometimes it can feel like He did when we look at other people and compare, listen to the hurtful words of others or the destructive voices in our own mind. Here is the truth. You were made by the one who sits as King of the Earth on His throne in heaven.”

Do you like who you are? I am sure all of us wish we could change a few things about ourselves. Even the most beautiful or handsome among us. But I am asking something deeper. Do you so dislike some things about yourself that you are willing to go to great lengths to change yourself?

Whoever is walking through such feelings is not alone. Many are traveling this path. This goes beyond feelings though. This is about who someone really is, and where they came from. I am not talking about their family. Large numbers of people come from difficult homes. They may have had a single parent, raised by their grandparents, or have been abused. I want to go back further than their family.

Let us go back to where all of us have come from. “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . .’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…’” (Genesis 1:26,27-28)

This is where you and I have come from. We have been created by Almighty God. Before you were born, you were fashioned together by Him. You are not a product of science or biology, but a miracle of the one who fills the universe with His presence.

He made you a man or woman, and did not make a mistake. Sometimes it can feel like He did when we look at other people and compare, listen to the hurtful words of others or the destructive voices in our own mind. Here is the truth. You were made by the one who sits as King of the Earth on His throne in heaven.

What is the evidence of this? You were made in God’s image and the imprint of His likeness is upon you. Where does your laugh come from? Your ability to love, gain knowledge, be creative, show kindness and a host of other things? All from God. This is who He is and He gave some of His likeness to each of us along with physical life. For it is not just your heart, blood and brain that keeps you going. Ultimately, it was God’s Spirit that breathed life in you to make you live. And one day, that life will be withdrawn from you upon death.

Even though we are a wonderful creation of God, there is something not right. Something is amiss. Each one of us is born with a bent toward disobeying our Creator. The bent is called sin. It has touched everything God has created in us and corrupted it. We love, but only certain people. We gain knowledge, but it may not be good or edifying. We are creative, but not in always creating honorable things.

And sometimes this corruption shows itself in the rejection of what God has made – ourselves. This is the root of why we often want to change who we are. Instead of giving God thanks for how He made us and loving ourselves just as we are, we condemn ourselves and want to change what God has made. God is not pleased when we reject what He has made and called it good.

What is the answer? God sent His only Son to rid us of this internal brokenness. If we turn from our disobedience and to God by faith, we will instantly become a new person. Then the separation between us and God will be bridged. You will be one with the God who made you, and finally see yourself through His eyes.

A prayer for you. “Lord God, I pray for those who look at themselves and want to change who they are. Open their eyes to see how they were created by you. Help them to see how there is a corruption within them causing all this. Bring them to turn from their sin, and to faith in Christ. Then lift the veil of darkness so they can see and be made new by the light of Jesus. In His name. Amen.”