Thursday, June 26, 2014

Which Flag Are You Waving?

   
The day is coming, and now is surely upon us, when you and I must decide which is more important: freedom or salvation. Whom do we serve? The God of The Holy Scriptures or the god of this world? All across the airwaves I see unrest, upheaval and change; change that is seldom for the better only for the worse. And not just far from home, but right in home's backyard. And, yet, where folks used to turn back to God with repentant hearts, now there is the clanging emptiness of hardened hearts and hardheadedness striking its blows for empty freedoms.

     True freedom comes from submitting to God's will for our lives. We have the right, once we are saved through Jesus Christ, to Obey God's Word in our lives. We choose to surrender all of our rights, our desires, to God, that we might become the person God wants us to be, not the person we think we should be.
     The only weapons we should be concerned with are what we are given by God. The Sword of The Lord, The Word of God: It is our primary weapon. The other weapon we are given is Worship and Praise. It is a two-fold diversionary tactic; when wielded with a right heart, God is in that praise and it is He who defeats our enemies. Lip-service praise will not be heard by God; for it is empty and vain.
     The rainbow is a symbol of covenant between God and mankind. God created it and set it among the heavens to remind not only us, but Himself that never again would He destroy the earth with a flood.
     Our words have power. With a single word we can either build or destroy. The Bible tells us that 'the tongue is a flame' and can do much damage (James 3), so we should be careful of what we say. Not only because we can set in motion actions which cannot be undone, but because God holds us accountable for every word we speak. Therefore it is wiser on our parts to speak but little.
   America is country made up by many nations who came here seeking freedom from oppression in their own countries. Each nation within America uses self-promotion to obtain what they see as their inalienable rights. But in God's Kingdom, it is not self-promotion which gets things done, but a humble heart wherein God reigns that gets things done. We have no rights; everything we have, everything we are, we have and are because of Christ in us and The Holy Spirit moving in us, changing the course of our lives for the better.
    It is God who blesses us when we bless and honor Him. It is God who sets up kings and governments, not we ourselves. It is God who protects us with His strong and mighty arm, when we obey His Word. It is God who created the universes and everything in them. It is God who desires to be the focus of our worship and praise for there is no other god like our God.
    Idolatry is worship of something or someone who is not God. Turning away from God and doing whatever you want to do is not true freedom, it is the enslaving of one's soul (the mind, the will, the emotions) to a god, an idol.
    There will never be true religious tolerance. Though a one-world religion is nearly upon us, and a one-world money is imminent, these things will not bring world peace, nor will they allow inner peace to be in a person's heart and mind.
    True freedom, true peace, comes from knowing God intimately by having a relationship with His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. A true life can only be lived when The Truth of God's Word lives in us.

     So, which flag are you waving?