The Awakening
September 21st, 2008 by Northern FarmerHeavenly Father, we come before you today to ask for forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know your Word says, “Woe to those who call evil good” but that is exactly what we’ve done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it a lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!
The above was a prayer I came across today while paging through a little paper I get called the Christian Ranchman. It is said to be from Billy Graham and I suppose it is. But who ever its from I believe it says allot. Here and there for quite some time I’d write what I’d call Sunday Evening Sermons, but haven’t done that for quite a while around here. Today I was just barely surviving the day here, sore from shingling at church all day yesterday and a thought came across that I should start doing this again. Because there’s been a few things on my mind as of late and I never do seem to get them written down like I used too. So maybe for a season I’ll start firing up the weekend sermon writings and let er at that!
The big talk is the economy, and I must admit I was really behind on keeping up with that. I live a fairly peaceful, isolated life of sorts. Always working, but generally just minding my own business. So as I started to catch up on this news the last week about the economy going into a tailspin it perked my interest a bit. I’m not overly worried about it, but a healthy concern is more like it. But what I’d like to write about is a slight disagreement I have with many, nothing where I get bent out of shape or anything like that, but I must put in my two cents and leave it at that. One major disagreement that I have was with something I read from a Christian preacher that said the devil was attacking the economy and we were to pray as one that the government would save it from this attack. Now let me give my belief.
My belief is the economy was totally in the hands of the devil for quite some time now. That’s one reason I inserted the prayer above. It can be denied and all, but still it makes not a hill of beans difference as far as the truth goes. The economy is utterly anti-Christ in this day and age and one would have to really do some slick talking to try and deny it. Everything is geared to an anti-Christ message, everything and to even suggest that it is good shows how far we’ve fallen from the teachings of Jesus. Greed, lust corruption are the norm and considered good nowadays. Our retirements fund abortions, gay propaganda, anti God teachings in schools and the list is endless. But we call it prospering.
Today in church during worship it hit me like a ton of bricks, this series of events has always preceded an awakening. An awakening where the power of God sweeps through a people and nothing can stop it for the time it runs. This has happened several times in our nation’s history and what hit me today was the realization of why this happens. Corruption cannot stand in the presence of God! When this sunk in deep I durn near started shaking and not from the very sore muscles that were used shingling yesterday either. Corruption, greed, lust, all start to fall apart when God begins to step down! This series of events hasn’t happened in our culture in a long time, but each time it used to the events were very similar. Out of control greed and material lusts were the norm as it is today, although I’d bet its on a slightly larger scale today.
I don’t know if this will be an awakening like in times past, if at all. But my hope is that its on a grand scale, my prayer is that it comes swiftly and stays a long, long time. Pretty much everyone has a huge amount of blood on their hands in this day and age whether they realize it or not. From global trade that enslaves folks for expendable labor, to funding abortions with our retirements, to glorifying porn, to patenting living things for profit and other things by letting it happen without as much as a slight fight. Oh Lord forgive us, because we have fallen, far. I pray that I see literally millions of folks on the ground, hit by the power of God, convicting them of the truth and the true state that we are in. A totally fallen people that need Jesus. We’ve totally failed on our own and need the hand of God to come down and set things straight like He did several times in the past.
This is not popular talking about the present economy like this, but that’s OK with me. Same thing happened in Judea many moons ago when old Jeremiah was preaching the truth, the only one at the moment, and hundreds of false prophets we’re preaching prosperity. In the end old Jeremiah was right and Judea was annihilated.
September 21st, 2008 at 11:11 pm
This verse came to mind as I read “The Awakening.”
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. ” From Ps.20
Keep looking up! Enjoy your thoughts
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Dave,
Thanks for the verse because it sure does fit the times. I was out pumping water for the cattle this morning and looked it up in my little pocket testament and the verse following spoke to me also:
“They have bowed down and fallen;
But we have risen and stand upright.”
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Amen Brother!! Keep on preaching the truth, John 8:32 You and I should know the truth and it will set us free!!!!! Keep the sermons coming, encourage, edify and lift up. God Bless, Tim
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Tim,
I’m gonna try and do this every weekend, I kinda like getting my thoughts out from my perspective and I just love it when folks throw a verse or two in to kinda agree with what was written. Now that don’t mean folks have to have a verse or anything to comment! And that don’t mean folks have to even agree with what’s written here.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Tom, it is this very thing that gives me idea’s for sermons and Bible classes. I like to hear and read other people’s perspectives. We may not always agree but that’s often times how we learn. It is always wise to give consideration to a fellow Christian and not be to quick to judge. I believe this is a problem in today’s society we always want to point the finger and judge. I know the Lord cautions us about judging and challenges us to love our neighbors. I appreciate you sharing the above prayer. It gives me a couple good outlines for lessons. Keep Looking UP!!! Tim
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Tim,
Right you are about judging others. Personally I try to never judge folks, but I will speak out against things that ain’t folks like society, corporations, etc. For myself the pain of seeing society follow materialism is huge. I truly feel like an outcast much of the time because of it. But when given a chance to just share the simple Gospel with anyone I just love it. There’s so much to do, so few who care, it gets a person much of the time. As in the post, folks looking to the government for answers, trusting in the government and banks. These are the last places anyone should be looking to. They always fail without the Lord.
I was going to post tonight again but fell to far behind. Just got done moving pullet hens up from the chicken tractors into the hen house for the season. Got done well after dark catching those hens. Now its time to catch up on some business here, call some folks about orders of meat, read the Word and hit the hay. Tomorrow evening go teach Children’s Church, (which by the way is much easier than shingling), and every spare moment plan for Hillbilly Night in late October so we can take the Gospel out to the community and give the kids a good time to boot. So after the farm work is done besides what I just wrote there will be many opportunities to get outside of the church walls and hit the countryside in this region doing the Lord’s work. You know, this farming and ministry do go hand in hand. A feller can think all day working what to do, what to speak and such, and be more than ready when the time comes to apply it all.
Well, I’d better finish up around here for the evening. Y’all keep looking UP too!
September 24th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Tom, I know the feeling of being an outcast, you ought to see the look on people’s face when I tell them we have 5 children and raise most of our own food. It is interesting you mentioned your pullets, last night we picked up pullets from our neighbor you raises them, we put ours in chicken tractors our winters have been mild enough for them to stay in them all year round. Most of my dad’s family is from Minnesota and I remember the winter’s. Concerning materlism, I have often made the comment in some lessons that you never see a u-haul trailer behind the hearse going to the grave site. You sure can’t take it with you. I am encourage by your desire to go and spread the gospel, you know that is a challenge our Lord gave the disciples in Mark 16:15. People ask me is it boring driving a tractor for hours going around a field and I tell them no it is great therapy, it is amazing what a person can figure out. Keep the faith. Tim
September 25th, 2008 at 5:55 am
Tim,
Yesterday I picked up a couple of Foxfire Books from the library and was confronted with somewhat worried folks. In fact I see this almost daily, folks wondering where it will all lead and now even considering if times get really tough will they be able to get basic food in the future. Now folks are starting to remember the outcasts that raise their own food!
Didn’t get around to answering last evening, was at church and by the time I get back its time for hitting the hay. Slept good though and today continue fence making or something of the sorts. I noticed yesterday a person can think and dwell pretty good doing that job out in the meadows just stringing out electric fencing wire. Every once in a while take a break and just sit down reading my pocket testament, life is pretty good.
Take care and God Bless!