Christians Have Lost Their Voice !

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We as Christians are losing our voice. Why is that? It’s because we are not using it. 76% of Americans claim to be Christian, plus this nation was founded on Christian beliefs. But we are not standing up and taking charge of our Country.

 I’m not wanting a church government, but I’m wanting what every American wants, the freedom to worship as I please. I think we are still guaranteed that right.. But when judges are removed from the bench and marriage counselors are sued simply because they refuse to condone same sex couples, we are losing our voice.When the Ten Commandments are removed from a courthouse in Alabama, even over the protest of many to satisfy the few, we are losing our voice.When our schools refuse to teach anything about God or Jesus, but will gladly teach same sex unions, Muslim beliefs , abortion, and evolution, we are losing our voice.

When we allow the government to spend tax dollars on abortion, supply money to groups and projects that directly undermine Christian values, we have lost our voice. In fact our current President, voted in by a majority I might add, did not want to display the nativity scene in the white house as it has been for decades.  His reason, he didn’t want to offend anyone,  and this man leads our Country, leading to what is my concern.

When we don’t remove ungodly politicians from office we are losing our voice. I have heard Christians tell me that they do not vote. I cover that in detail in my posting Should Christians Vote. When we do not stand up for God and godly values then we have lost our voice.

The Bible tells us that if we deny him among men, He will deny us..

Ever heard the term, the squeaky wheel gets the oil , well every minority group in America is squeaking louder than us.

I’m not preaching a Christian radical message, I’m simply pointing out that our country, which was founded on sound doctrine, has lost its voice. If Christians would once again stand up for Biblical principals this Country would be far better off than it is now.

No Christian is a perfect being, and God gave each of us free will to live as we choose. But when that right interferes with any group, other than Christians, there is trouble. But let a Christian be removed from office, fired, sued or humiliated, There’s joy in the streets..

My summary is this. Stand up for God and Christian beliefs. Don’t set out to harm anyone. Love everyone and show Godly love in all situation. But do not compromise Christian values to please the wheel.

Ambition vs. Arrogance

This article is a reprint of an article by Pastor Steven Furtick.  I felt that it was an awesome article and I agree with it so much that I had to share.........

Steven Furtick

StevenFurtick.com

Steven Furtick is the Lead Pastor of Elevation Church, an incredible move of God in Charlotte, NC with more than 9,000 in attendance each week among (soon-to-be) six locations. He is the author of the book, Sun Stand Still. He lives in Charlotte with his wife Holly and their three children, Elijah, Graham and Abbey.

Leadership Character: Ambition vs. Arrogance

Steven  Furtick

Steven Furtick: "If you’re never accused of being arrogant, you’re [probably] not being ambitious enough."

There’s a word many Christians are afraid of. It’s almost a bad word. If you have it, many people assume it means you’re self-serving. Power hungry. But most of all, arrogant.

I’m talking about ambition.

It’s almost like if you want to excel at something or do big things with your life or organization, then you must have a God-complex. An all too elevated sense of self-importance.

There’s no denying that that’s definitely true in the case of some people. But I also fear that our fear of ambition is severely limiting other people who have been called to do great things for God. Why should we put a cap on their potential because some people can’t put a cap on their pride?

I’ve seen too many pastors settle for reaching hundreds when God called them to reach thousands. I’ve seen too many talented businessmen stop short of the impact God had called them to make on their field. All because they feared being thought of as ambitious.

So let’s clear this up once and for all: nowhere in the Bible is ambition condemned. Selfish ambition is definitely warned against. But ambition for the sake of God’s glory is not only condoned—it’s commended. It’s a required asset for anyone wanting to rise above the mass of men and do something extraordinary.

Ambition led Noah to build the ark. David to expand the borders of Israel. Solomon to build the Temple. Nehemiah to rebuild the walls. Paul to spread the gospel to the ends of the Earth.

I wonder if people accused them of being arrogant? Maybe. But then again, if you’re never accused of being arrogant, it’s probably a sign that you’re not being ambitious enough. You’re dreaming too small. Your goals are too easily attainable.

Let me free you: it’s OK to want to be the best at what you do. It’s OK to want to achieve as much as you can with your life for the sake of the God who gave it to you. I sincerely doubt God is going to look at you at the end of your life and say, “You did too much for me.” But I do sincerely believe that God is going to look at many people and say, “You were too 'humble' for your own good and the good of countless people you could have impacted if you'd had a little more ambition.”

Don’t let anyone ever tell you that ambition is synonymous with arrogance. Godly ambition is what God uses to do incredible things in our world.

If that makes you look arrogant, don’t back down from what God has called you to do. Instead, mourn for the people who are living so far beneath their potential that anything greater must be arrogance.

Fatherless Homes: Reasons and Impact.

So  where have all the daddies gone?   I have been working on some research for an article that I am writing about the loss of father’s in the home and what impact it has on the family.  I’m amazed by what I’ve found.  A large portion  of  children are fatherless in America today; two main reasons exists for this trend. First, the working American father is gone all the time to work and/or play, although he may technically been considered in the home, he is not engaged in his children’s lives.  This could be worse on the family than him actually not being in the home at all in some cases.

The second issue is the actual single mother home. This is an ever increasing trend among all races. However, African-American families experience this at a much higher rate than all other races combined.  Many experts agree that this is a factor in gang expansion. Young boys are looking for acceptance and validation from other men, or at least older boys.  

According to an article published by  The Root.com  11-09-2010.  72% of African-American children are born to unwed mothers.  They site many reasons for this, but the impact is the same.  Children of fatherless homes are much more at risk for  suicide, run away,  behavior disorders, and high school dropout, just to list a few.

But why is this occurring?  The number one reason is that the “family unit” is not looked on as important anymore.  We , as a society, have allowed the degradation of the family to get to a point where it’s seen as a negative rather than a positive. It’s looked upon as “old fashion” or to “evangelical” for today’s world. The increase in casual sex, gay marriage, and similar symptoms are adding to the problem.

I read a book  a couple years ago titled, “what if America were a Christian nation again”.  I have to agree.  Whether you are a Christian by faith or not, you must agree that the principles of family, love, mandates against sexual immorality,   service to a higher authority, as well the basic context of the ten commandments,  all make for a good society.  

The cure for the fatherless home is simply stated but not always simply implemented.   It is obvious that if America would put their values back into the Bible, as this nation was founded on, the problem would nearly disappear. But as l long as we continue to live against the Biblical foundations set forth for us to follow, the problem will only get worse.    

Pray for my pet...................Really?

I  received a phone call the other night from a friend of mine asking me to pray for his dog. He told me that she was in an  ICU unit of a large veterinarian clinic.  He went on to tell me how this little  dog had become such a huge part of his family since only he and his wife lived at home. He explain that since all the kids were  grown, he guessed she has just become another one of the  kids.

I joined him in praying for his dog and continued to remember her for several hours into the night. This got me to thinking.  Does God really honor our prayers for animals, and will our pets go to heaven when they die?   So like any good researcher  these days, I posed the question on facebook, “ will our pets go to Heaven” and  “will animals be in Heaven” . As you might imagine I received several comments.  

But before we explore pets in Heaven let’s consider this idea of praying for our pets and livestock. This too is a bit subjective.  God must value animals to a high degree, He made them before man.  God has given  us a command through the Proverbs in 12:10 to be kind to animals, saying a righteous man regards the life of his animal. 

So the question posed was; is it appropriate to pray for sick, hurting, or lost animals.  I’m going to say that it is. God has given man authority over every living thing and has instructed us how and why to pray. I believe that God is in the business of answering our prayers no matter how big or small.  As in all prayers, God may decide to allow life to proceed without His intervention, but without prayer He surely would not  intervene.   As in all things, prayer is the key to all successful outcomes.   

What farmer won’t pray over good crops, we accept that as okay prayer;  so why not a sick dog or a lost cat, or a declining milk cow.  If it is concerning for us, it is concerning to God.  So keep praying for your pets and animals. God will is sovereign and His will is always accomplished, but asking for favor is always allowed.