MORNING

Here at the Glorieta conference center nestled in the New Mexico mountains, we have worship every morning at 7:30 a.m. It’s called “5.3 Worship.” The text for the name comes from Psalms five and verse three…

Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD.

Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. (NLT)

The main point is, to start your day off by speaking with the Lord. He is the source of strength, peace, love and life itself.

When you look to the Lord as being the authority over you and each day freshly commit yourself or more appropriately, yield yourself to Him, you have an entirely different perspective on life.

• No longer are you in charge of all the problems that come your way because you have turned them over to God.

• No longer are you working hard to please everyone around you…you are allowing God to love them through you.

The last part of the verse speaks of taking our requests or our needs before God. The key is the last part of that sentence. We are to

WAIT EXPECTANTLY

Waiting for God’s timing can sometimes be frustrating because we always want things done NOW. We simply have to keep in mind that He knows everything that was, is and is to come. He sees the big picture whereas we see now and can only speculate about the future. But he does not say simply “wait.” He says “wait expectantly.” In other words, wait for God’s timing, but expect Him to answer you in a way that will benefit your life.

Start your day off right by becoming a 5.3 worshipper. That doesn’t mean you have to set aside an hour every morning. You can accomplish that by speaking to Him in the moment before you get out of bed. You can accomplish that by singing a song of praise to Him in the car on the way to work. There are many ways to become a 5.3 worshipper. Be creative. Try different ways to make Him your first thought in the morning. I know you’ll be pleased.

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BISCUITS

Ok, it’s an odd title for a devotion, I know. However, it comes from the message this morning by our Conference Pastor, Rev. Wayne Barber. He was speaking about the Christian life being intertwined with Christ.

The text for his message came from Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia:

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20 NKJV

He gave an illustration about how Christ lives in us really works. He took us to Paul’s letter to the church in Rome first…

⁵For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, Romans 6:5 NASB

There are a couple of words in the Greek for united. He used a baking illustration to illustrate the difference. If one is making biscuits, all the ingredients are put into a bowl. If you want to add more of a certain ingredient to the mixing bowl, you can. If you are skillful, you can remove some of the ingredients as well. That illustrates one meaning of united in the Greek…you can add or subtract to the whole, but it is still the whole. That is one of the Greek words but not the one in Romans 6:5.

The word used in Romans 6:5 has the meaning of inseparable. In other words, after you take those ingredients and put them in the oven to bake them, the product that comes out is it. You can’t take salt out. You can’t add flour. They are united.

We are biscuits for Christ. We are united, inseparably with Him when we invite Him into our lives. Pretty cool, huh?

How does that apply to our every day life? He is ALWAYS with us. He alone has the power, wisdom, righteousness and holiness to name a few things, to make our lives work. Being yielded to Him is our task. Think about it!

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FOLLOW

I read a great article this morning in Worship Leader magazine by a young man named Glenn Packiam. The article was called “Follow the Leader.” He pointed out that the most incredible leader that ever lived on this earth, Jesus Christ, didn’t have marketing strategies, news conferences or a “look-at-what-I-can-do” attitude when he built his team of workers. He simply said, “Follow me.”

¹⁸Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁹And He said^* to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Matthew 4:18-20 NASB

Their response was immediate and complete. They left what they had considered important and followed the One who was all-important. They didn’t ask Jesus, “How shall we eat” or “Where will we live,” they simply followed the Son of God.

As I sit here writing this, a family rode by on bicycles. The Dad looked toward me and said, “Mornin’.” His son who was riding next to him thought he was talking to him and said, “More?” In that moment, it was as if all he lived for was to please his dad as he clung to every word he said. He didn’t want to miss one word, one opportunity to please his father.

Isn’t that the way it should be with our heavenly Father and us? We too, need not ask “How shall we eat” or “Where will we live” but instead, listen to every word He says to us through His Holy scripture, the Bible, and then spend our lives trying to please Him.

To you and to me, the Son of God says, “Follow me.” To His Church He says, “Follow me.” Don’t worry about each other and who has more power or the more glamorous positions…just FOLLOW ME. Don’t worry about who you think is doing it “right.” You simply do what you believe God is telling you to do.

Remember when Peter inquired of Jesus as to what was going to happen to His disciple John…

Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” John 21:22 NLT

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HOPELESS

The other day I was talking with a teen who had given up all hope. By that, I mean he believed that life as he envisioned it was just not going to happen. He wasn’t going to be happy at home. He wasn’t going to have a normal job, make money and live a productive life. He had given up those hopes. His hope now was to be arrested and thrown into prison so that he would have some “normalcy” in his life. In his mind, he would have three meals a day, people to talk with and somebody to care about him, even though they were correctional officers!

All of us, even the Apostle Paul, give up hope at one time or another. When Paul was on a ship sailing for Rome, a storm came up that endangered the ship and all those aboard…

When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved. Acts 27:20 NIV

Notice it says “we.” Paul had given up hope as well just as the teen I was talking to the other day had. None of us is immune to that type of thinking. However, when you know Jesus as your Savior He will make some provision for your hope to be restored.

We only need to look to the Word of God for those reminders, those promises:

• It tells us in Deuteronomy 31:6 (also Hebrews 13:5) that He will never leave us nor forsake us.
• In Jeremiah 29:11, the Lord tells us that he has plans to prosper us and not to harm us. He has plans for your life that will give you hope and a future.

We simply need to listen to Him, to God, as He attempts to communicate with us. The main way He communicates with us is His Word (the Bible), but He has other methods too! Through our coming to Him in prayer, He may speak in a voice that only we can hear. He may send the answer through a friend. Paul’s answer came in the form of a message from an angel and he shared the message of that angel with the men on his ship…

²²But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. ²³Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me ²⁴and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ ²⁵So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Acts 27:22-25 NIV

Giving up may be the easy thing to do. It doesn’t require faith in God to lose all hope. I guarantee, no GOD guarantees, that if you look to Him for your hope, to save you from your circumstance, He WILL save you.

The first step is a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Admit you need help, that you have fallen short of God’s perfection for your life (sinned – Romans 3:23, 6:23) and ask Jesus to help you turn that around. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

Things are not hopeless. Life is not hopeless. Place your hope in the God of all Creation, the LORD who made heaven and earth and all that is contained therein.

He is worthy of your trust…

⁹Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 2 Corinthians 1:9-10 NIV

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UNFAILING

We can often be disappointed by other people. Sometimes it is a loved one, a mother or father, a sister or brother or perhaps just a friend. We expect them to act as though they love us but our expectations may be based on a false definition of love. We want people to love us with an unfailing love, a perfect love.

Is it reasonable to expect unfailing love from someone? Here’s what God’s word says on the subject…

Many a man claims to have unfailing love,

but a faithful man who can find? Proverbs 20:6 NIV

While man’s love is often imperfect (women’s too by the way!), God’s love can be trusted…

⁸ It is better to trust in the Lord

Than to put confidence in man.

⁹ It is better to trust in the Lord

Than to put confidence in princes. Psalms 118:8-9 NKJV

God’s love never fails…………………..1 Corinthians 13:8

God is love…………………………………….1 John 4:8

Therefore, God’s love is unfailing!

Let’s look at how realistic our interpretation of what love should be is. We generally want someone to love us no matter what we do, even when we’re selfish and mean to them. We want them to always give us what we want (not necessarily what is best for us). We want to be the center of their attention. We want!

Now let’s look at God’s definition found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, 13

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸Love never fails.

¹³And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (NIV)

DESIRE TO HEAR (READ) A FRESH WORD FROM GOD ABOUT HIS LOVE...

⁸ Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go,

for to you I lift up my soul. Psalms 143:8 NIV

THANK HIM FOR HIS UNFAILING LOVE…

³¹ Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love

and his wonderful deeds for men. Psalms 107:31 NIV

Remember, whereas men can disappoint you, God never will. You may not always get your way, but God in His infinite wisdom and out of His unfailing love for you, will always give you what is best for your life as you seek to follow Him…

²⁸And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 NLT

You can trust in His unfailing love. You can trust the God of all creation. Seek His will for your life. Seek His help in all things…

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HOPE

I hope I get a good grade in Math. I hope my boyfriend (or girlfriend) likes my outfit. I hope that the person that got hurt is going to be ok.

We all hope for certain things. But what is our hope based on? Is it in fate, karma or some mystical sounding word? Can we affect the outcome of our hope? Can our hope be based on something real?

Some of you may remember the story of Daniel’s friends that were thrown into the fiery furnace. Their hope was in the LORD. Here is their reply to the King regarding their forthcoming punishment…

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. ¹⁷If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. Daniel 3:16-17 NLT

Was their hope in vain? See for yourself…

“Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” Daniel 3:25 NKJV

The three men walked out of the furnace unharmed!

Is your hope in yourself and your abilities or in the GOD of all Creation?

King David put his hope and trust in GOD.

¹ To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;

² in you I trust, O my God.

Do not let me be put to shame,

nor let my enemies triumph over me.

³ No one whose hope is in you

will ever be put to shame,

but they will be put to shame

who are treacherous without excuse.

⁴ Show me your ways, O LORD,

teach me your paths;

⁵ guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long. Psalms 25:1-5 NIV

¹⁷ A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;

despite all its great strength it cannot save.

¹⁸ But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,

on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

¹⁹ to deliver them from death

and keep them alive in famine.

²⁰ We wait in hope for the LORD;

he is our help and our shield.

²¹ In him our hearts rejoice,

for we trust in his holy name.

²² May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,

even as we put our hope in you. Psalms 33:17-22 NIV

⁵ Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;

my hope comes from him.

⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

⁷ My salvation and my honor depend on God;

he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

⁸ Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your hearts to him,

for God is our refuge. Selah

Psalms 62:5-8 NIV

⁵ I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,

and in his word I put my hope. Psalms 130:5 NIV

The Prophet Isaiah put it in these words…

²⁸ Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and his understanding no one can fathom.

²⁹ He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

³¹ but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV

Jeremiah, another Prophet of the LORD proclaims…

¹¹For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

For those of us who know Christ as Savior and the reason for our hope, this passage is meaningful…

²³Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. ²⁵Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:23-25 NIV

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LIBERTY

Today we celebrate liberty and freedom. Those words mean different things to different people. Here is how those concepts are defined in God’s view…

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

Because the LORD has anointed me

To bring good news to the afflicted;

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to captives

And freedom to prisoners; Isaiah 61:1 NASB

For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. ⁶He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 NLT

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. ⁵God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. Galatians 4:4-5 NLT

He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. Ephesians 1:7 NLT

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2 Corinthians 3:17 NKJV

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1 NKJV

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13 NLT

I will walk in freedom,for I have devoted myself to your commandments. Psalms 119:45 NLT

If you love Me, keep My commandments. John 14:15 NKJV

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CHOICES

Life is filled with choices. We will all make some bad ones, but how can we increase the odds of making right choices, right decisions, more often?

¹ Oh, the joys of those who do not

follow the advice of the wicked,

or stand around with sinners,

or join in with mockers. Psalms 1:1 NLT

See, it isn’t just your mom and dad saying it! God said it first through the Psalmist, King David.

² But they delight in the law of the LORD,

meditating on it day and night. Psalms 1:2 NLT

While we today are not under the law (no one can keep all 613 commandments) because of the grace of Jesus and His sacrificial death on the cross at Calvary on our behalf, we are to study His Word, the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15) and consider how it applies to our lives.

³ They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season.

Their leaves never wither,

and they prosper in all they do. Psalms 1:3 NLT

Jesus often referred to the results that our lives produced as “fruit.” If we are doing good things, hanging out with good friends and obeying the authorities over us we will produce good “fruit.”

Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Matthew 7:17 NKJV

The good news is that when we choose to depend on Him (Jesus) and let Him help us…we will produce good “fruit” and everyone around us will notice.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5-6 NKJV

Obviously, if choosing to hang out with good friends, studying and meditating on God’s Word and bearing good fruit brings a lasting joy and blessings to our lives, the opposite choice must produce depression, gloom and at the very least, short-lived “joy.” Here’s the rest of Psalms 1

⁴ But not the wicked!

They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.

⁵ They will be condemned at the time of judgment.

Sinners will have no place among the godly.

⁶ For the LORD watches over the path of the godly,

but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Psalms 1:4-6 NLT

In the words of Jesus from verse six in John chapter fifteen,

⁶If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

The choice is ours to make. The stakes are high. Think about it…

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DIFFERENT

There is a marked difference between how God thinks we should act (as He puts forth in His Word, the Bible) and how the rest of society believes we should act.

The title of an article intrigued me the other day, so I opened it to see what the author had said. The title of the article was “How to find inner peace amidst outer chaos.” Dr. Mercola, who puts out a newsletter on health related issues, wrote it.

The phrases following “The WORLD” were part of Dr. Mercola’s answer to how we are to find inner peace. Immediately following are Bible verses addressing the same issue.

The WORLD: Learning that saying “no” to others is saying “yes” to yourself.

The BIBLE: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)

The WORLD: Trusting your instincts -- they won’t steer you wrong. Realize, too, that if you’re too distracted you may not be able to recognize these inner cues.

The BIBLE: Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.

⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes;

fear the LORD and shun evil.

Proverbs 3:5-7 (NIV)

As you can see, there is a marked difference in ideologies. Here is God’s answer to how to experience inner peace…

Get to know God and His Son Jesus…

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 2 Peter 1:2 (NIV)

Have faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior…

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1 (NIV)

Let Him be your Lord…

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15 (NIV)

Rejoice!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)

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ANSWERS

I saw a statistic not too long ago that stated, 86% of all people pray (yes, teenagers too!). They may not know to whom they are praying, but they are looking for help; they are looking for answers.

The problem is, so many of us think we have to hear a booming voice from heaven that gives us the answer to our prayer. Let’s look at an example from God’s Word about how he answered the prayer of King Hezekiah…

¹⁵And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: “O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. ¹⁶Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God. 2 Kings 19:15-16 (NIV)

The answer didn’t come to him in a booming voice or even in a little voice inside his head (or heart). It came through the prophet Isaiah…

²⁰Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. ²¹This is the word that the LORD has spoken against him… 2 Kings 19:20-21a (NIV)

Isaiah is now a book in the Bible. God’s words that were spoken through him were written down. The words that God spoke through Moses, Jeremiah, Matthew, Luke and all the other authors in the Bible were written down so that we could find answers in God’s Word.

How about this prayer…”Lord, I don’t know what to do.” Could these be possible answers?

• Love each other

⁷Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7 (NIV)

• Help others

Look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27b (NIV)

²¹Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Matthew 19:21 (NIV)

Or how about this prayer…“God, I’m so mad at my friend, I don’t know what to do”

Could these verses be an answer from God?

¹⁴For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV)

²¹Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

²²Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22 (NKJV)

The point is God has answers to our concerns. He also has promises concerning what we can expect from Him…

⁸The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

²⁹But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 4:29 (NIV)

The answers to our question, concerns and prayers to God can be found in His Word. We simply have to take the time to look! (If you’re interested in speed, get a software version of the Bible and use the search feature!!!)

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RETURN

Sometimes we look at calamity as being entirely evil…death, wars, accidents and things like these. In the book of Second Kings, we read about the Israelites being captured and deported from their land…

⁵The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. ⁶In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes. 2 Kings 17:5-6 (NIV)

What a horrible thing to happen. It surely must have been from the devil, right?

Hear the Word of the Lord…there is an accounting for sin, yes even the sin of an entire nation.

⁷All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods ⁸and followed the practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. 2 Kings 17:7-8 (NIV)

Was this punishment undeserved? Perhaps the people didn’t know!

¹³The LORD warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your fathers to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.” 2 Kings 17:13 (NIV)

What about us in the United States? Have we been warned? Has God sent His servants to warn us? What about the preachers and teachers that proclaim the message of God’s Holy Word…are we listening to them?

Does this scenario sound familiar?

²⁹Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places. ³⁰The men from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men from Cuthah made Nergal, and the men from Hamath made Ashima; ³¹the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. ³²They worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. ³³They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought. 2 Kings 17:29-33 (NIV)

Now when he says, “they worshiped the Lord,” he is saying, “They went through the motions.” Listen to the next verse…

³⁴To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the LORD nor adhere to the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel. 2 Kings 17:34 (NIV)

Does that scene sound familiar? Here in the United States today do we not have a similar situation? Do we not have more and more people that are just “going through the motion” but worshiping something else like position in their particular social circle or “church”, career advancement, new cars, new houses, or just plain old money?

Do we not have people from other countries living here that worship Allah, Jah, Amlak, Brahman, Vishnu, Artemis, and a myriad of other gods? Yet it is becoming more and more “taboo” and considered “narrow-minded” to worship the One True God who Created us.

Do we not see more and more of our children being sacrificed to the gods of selfishness, addiction and apathy? Should we not expect God to punish us as He did the Israelites?

Here are the first three of the Ten Commandments…

⁶“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

⁷“You shall have no other gods before me.

⁸“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁹You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ¹⁰but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. Deuteronomy 5:6-10 (NIV)

We must pray for our nation. We must pray for a return to God, the only God, through His Son and the Way that He prescribed…

⁹That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 (NIV)

¹²Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (NIV)

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