November 3, 2024

What are the Saddest Words in the Bible and Seven Encouraging Ways for Overcoming Them?

It’s almost Election Day 2024, the most important Election Day in my lifetime. As I consider how divided our country seems to be, I am reminded of some of the saddest words in the Bible. Let’s talk about them, and I will prayerfully offer some encouragement to overcome those words.

The Jesus’ powerful Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 is one of my favorite passages in Scripture and definitely an excellent moral compass for us. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7, Jesus gives several profound messages, from “asking and it will be given to you” in Matthew 7:7,  The Golden Rule in Matthew 7:12, and the  Gate is narrow and the way hard that leads to life (heaven) in Matthew 7:13.

Then Jesus begins to talk  even tougher. He warns us of false prophets in Matthew 7:15-16, 19- 20

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits….Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” 

And then the Lord does a “mic drop” with this harsh Truth in Matthew 7:21-22  ““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

And here it comes… the saddest words from Jesus from Matthew 7:23…. “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”  

Holy Moly! I don’t know about you, but my heart falls each time I read this.  Truly the saddest words from Jesus, I believe, in the Bible. So what can we do to bear fruit and not to hear those words that He never knew you or me and to depart from Him?

As we approach Election Day and the world seems to become darker and less Godly, we are living out these words daily. So how can we stay strong in our faith and deepen our relationship with Jesus, so He knows us well and we draw near to Him?

  1. Pray daily. Thank the Lord as you wake up, pray Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (ACTS). Pray on your knees and even face down as we bow low with humility. “As we decrease, He increases.” –John 3:30
  2. Read daily in God’s Word. The Bible is my most prized possession. Each of the 66 books written are God-ordained and serve as our moral compass, our encouragement, our Comfort through the Power of the Holy Spirit, our plumb line, our standard of excellence.
  3. Surround yourself with a handful of deep, Godly leader friends who encourage you and hold you accountable. Find a few true mentors/friends of faith who stretch and convict you. They are your mirrors. Iron sharpens iron.
  4. Join and become an active member of a Bible-based, Holy Spirit-filled, healthy church family. Sadly, the Church is where so many will be found as false prophets and where the Lord will say “depart from me, I never knew you.” Ensure your Church aligns with scripture. Ensure your pastor is humble and points all sermons to the authority of the Bible and scripture, not opinions from himself. Ensure the focus is on the Great Commission of making disciples and Acts 1:8 of Missions and outreach.
  5. Spend as much time as you can serving and volunteering for Kingdom-building efforts. We are only given 168 hours in a week. Evaluate how you are spending your time? Is it playing a ton of golf, tennis or pickle ball? Is it watching a ton of Netflix or Hallmark Christmas movies?  (ouch)  Let’s be encouraged to reevaluate how we are spending our time on more mission-focused, faith-based ministries that are leading people to a closer walk with Jesus.
  6. Shine your light for Jesus! Let your light shine. Tell others about the saving faith in Jesus Christ. Let’s not be silent on letting others hear our testimonies and how Jesus saved our lives and is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
  7. Vote in a way that most closely aligns with Biblical values.  I pray you voted early. If you are waiting for Election Day, please vote for the Lamb in the way that most closely aligns with Biblical values with Judeo-Christian focus, pro-life (Psalm 139), pro-Israel (Genesis 12:1-3, Psalm 122:6, Zechariah 12:9 , capitalist economy (Matthew 25:14-30), and secure borders (Numbers 32:17).

These seven ways are only a few of the many ways for us to deepen our relationship with the Lord.

I pray to instead hear those precious words from the Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:21)

I pray for revival in me, in each of us, and for our country and world, and for the Lord to know each of us deeply as His sons and daughters. Lord, thank you for blessing America. May America bless You, Lord.

October 29, 2024

Getting Back to Our Country’s Basics –Voting our Faith

As early voting is underway and Presidential Election Day 2024 approaches next week,  my heart is yearning for our country to get back to the basics and to unify. I pray for us to get back to our foundational basics of our deep-rooted Judeo-Christian values.

You may already know this, but I sure didn’t. Our first President George Washington had a deep faith. In fact, even after he was elected, his inauguration was bathed in prayer.

On April 6, 1789, following the ratification of the Constitution, George Washington was selected president; he accepted the position on April 14, 1789, and his inauguration was scheduled in New York City (the nation’s capitol) for April 30, 1789. A leading New York Daily newspaper reported on the planned inaugural:

On the morning of the day on which our illustrious President will be invested with his office, the bells will ring at nine o’clock, when the people may go up to the house of God and in a solemn manner commit the new government, with its important train of consequences, to the holy protection and blessing of the most high. An early hour is prudently fixed for this act of devotion and . . . is designed wholly for prayer. (New York Daily Advertiser, Thursday, April 23, 1789, p. 2)

Beautiful. Our country basically had a revival to prepare for our first President’s inauguration.

On April 27, three days before the inauguration, the Senate resolved:

…That after the oath shall have been administered to the President, he, attended by the Vice President and members of the Senate and House of Representatives, shall proceed to St. Paul’s Chapel, to hear divine service. (Annals of Congress, Vol 1, p. 25, April 27, 1789; available online at Library of Congress.)

Prayer was the first act of the joint Congress of the United States! What a blessing! How encouraging!

Do you know the chilling irony? St. Paul’s Chapel in New York City is the same church used for triage at Ground Zero on and after September 11, 2001!

Now is the time for us to get back to our Founding Fathers prayerful foundation. Please join me in praying for our beloved country, our leaders, our upcoming leaders. Your vote and prayers count.

This anointed prayer of George Washington appears on a plaque in St. Paul ’s chapel in New York City. Although it’s a little fancy to read, may our hearts echo this prayer for our wonderful country.

Almighty God,

We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy Holy protection; and Thou wilt incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field.

And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with… humility…and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reflect:

–How do you feel about our Founding Fathers faith?

–How will you respond?

Renew:

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.” –2 Chronicles 7:14

“For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” –Isaiah 9:6

Resource:

Barton, David. Original Intent, p. 113. New York Advertiser.

Cahn, Jonathan. The Harbinger.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0209/st_pauls/online_extra.html

November 6, 2018

The Foundation of Our Country and Its Founding Family

On this Election Day and as Veterans’ Day and Thanksgiving approach this month, my heart has been filled with gratitude for  our country’s founding father George Washington. Recently I learned how prayerful and faithful President George Washington was, and how his mother Mary Washington bathed our new country in prayer each day.

On a recent trip to Virginia to visit friends, I took my first tour of Mount Vernon, George Washington’s estate, as well as Mary Washington’s home in Fredericksburg, VA. The home and grounds were lovely. I was pleasantly surprised to learn how deep the faith was of both George and his mother Mary. Even on the museum at Mt. Vernon, you are given an opportunity to place your hand on the Bible and repeat the words George Washington did as our first President. Scripture is carved and engraved throughout his burial site and home.

After leaving Mt. Vernon, we headed to Fredericksburg, VA to see where George Washington grew up and where his mother lived. President George’s mother Mary was married to Augustine and was widowed at a young age. She raised seven children. While the Revolutionary War was being fought, Mary lived in Fredericksburg, VA. She frequently prayed near her home at a landmark called Meditation Rock, where she is buried today. She prayed for her son and our country.

George Washington had served as commander of the Colonial Forces and led to win the British claim to America. George came to visit his Mother Mary just days before his presidential inauguration in New York City. Their meeting on March 12, 1789, was the last visit before her death from breast cancer three months later.

George and his mother met in her bedroom sitting area and George gave her the poignant news that he had been selected to lead our new country as its first president of the United States. The Mother of our country placed her hand on his head as he knelt before her. She gave her final blessing and told him that “Heaven’s and his Mother’s blessing would always be with him.” They embraced at her bedroom door and said tearful goodbyes.

Their family was focused on prayer and meditation on God. Divine intervention saved George Washington many times. One glowing instance is his narrowly escaped death in Pittsburg on an expedition to overwhelm the Native American stronghold. Washington had been sick in bed for 10 days, weak as he fought. Four bullets passed through his coat. Two different horses had been shot out from under him.

He was also the last of 20 officers to command their small army before they won. He said, “The all powerful protection of Providence had saved him.”

I visited Meditation Rock myself. It is located on a cliff that now overlooks a city playground. Mary Ball Washington’s memorial, a mini-Washington monument obelisk, is a few yards away from the rock.

I knelt and prayed. I felt the cool rock under my knees, rock worn smooth from hundreds of years of kneeling prayers. I thanked God for our country, for Mary, who represents so many of our praying mothers, and for our faithful first president George Washington. He, led by the Holy Spirit’s wisdom, gave us roots and wings as a nation. I prayed for unity and revival in our country today. I asked for forgiveness for the times I have been silent.

I prayed for the Deborah’s Voice Prayer Gathering I planned to attend at the Lincoln Memorial the next day where 2500+ Christian women gathered to pray for unity of our nation (www.deborahsvoice.net). I prayed for our President, Congressmen, state, city, and local officials, pastors of our churches, and those who are unbelievers.

I lingered there after my prayer, imagining Mary Washington kneeling in the same spot and crying out to God for her son and her fledgling country. What a strong and courageous woman she was. I considered that just like Mary, our circumstances will be hard and uncertain. We too will discover, like Mary, that prayer moves God’s heart into action and intercession is vital in this crucial time in our country before Jesus returns.

No matter where you and I stand politically, we have much to learn from George Washington’s deep faith as a leader. He exemplified the four points of this Old Testament life verse for our nation:
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”—2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV

  1. Humble ourselves—George Washington was a quintessential humble leader. In the museum at Mt. Vernon, he said “Good moral character is the first essential in a man.”
  2. Pray—President Washington was prayerful, as demonstrated in the examples above.
  3. Seek God’s face—President Washington was dependent on the Lord and His Word, the Bible, through the years.
  4. Turn from our wicked ways—President Washington was known for his good moral character and manners. When he was a boy in Virginia, he hand-copied a list called “The Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.” The rules were written almost 150 years before by French Jesuits—priests and teachers in the Catholic Church—and passed on from generation to generation. The rules covered everything from how to have good table manners, how to respect other people, how to be a good citizen, even how to sit, stand, talk and what expression to have on your face.

May we do the same as American citizens and leaders. May we humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from our wicked ways, THEN God will hear us from heaven and will forgive our sins and heal our land. Amen and Amen.

PS. My gifted fine artist friend Dale Glasgow painted the two poignant moments I describe—one entitled “Mother’s Blessing of George Washington” and the other of “Mary Washington Praying at Meditation Rock.” His work is hanging in the White House and the Smithsonian Museum. You can purchase these giclees or prints on his website at www.daleglasgow.com.

“For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” –1 Corinthians 3:11

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