A Spur to Repentance

It is better to go with difficulty to heaven, than with ease to hell. We should repent now, that we have sinned so much and wept so little, that God's bag has been so full and His bottle so empty (Job 14:17). We should repent now that we repented no sooner. We should repent now that we have loved Christ no more, that we have fetched no more virtue from him and brought no more glory to him. It should be our grief on our death-bed that our lives have had so many blanks and blots in them, that our duties have been so fly-blown with sin, that our obedience has been so imperfect, and we have gone so lame in the ways of God.

Many are now in hell that purposed to repent. Satan does what he can to keep men from repentance. When he sees that they begin to take up serious thoughts of reformation, he bids them wait a little longer...
It is dangerous to procrastinate repentance because the longer any go on in sin the harder they will find the work of repentance. Delay strengthens sin and hardens the heart and gives the devil fuller possession...
Certain people conceive it an easy thing to repent, but a belief in the easiness of repentance is a great hindrance to it. This opinion makes a person bold in sin. When a man thinks he can lash out in sin as far as he wishes and then with ease pull himself back to repentance when he pleases, this emboldens him to more wickedness...
Delighting in sin hardens the heart. In true repentance there must be a grieving for sin, but how can one grieve for that which he loves? He who delights in sin can hardly pray against it. His heart is so inveigled with sin that he is afraid of leaving it too soon. Indeed, if prayer does not make a man leave sin, will make him leave prayer...
O dreadful day, when Jesus Christ, clothed in his judge's robe, shall say to the sinner, 'Stand forth; answer to the indictment brought against you. What can you say for all your oaths, adulteries, and your desperate wickedness?'
O how amazed and stricken that sinner will be! And after his conviction he must hear the sad sentence, 'Depart from me you workers of lawlessness, I never knew you!'
What a spur to repentance this should be! ~Thomas Watson

A Horse Wedding

Today was a sweet blessing from the Lord...

The house was clean...

The children were freshly bathed...

There was a yummy smell of homemade bread baking...

and laughter was coming from the kitchen table...

I snapped this photo to capture the moment...

and to tell you the story of "The Horse Wedding"

My sweet Leah began the conversation between horses by saying, "let's have a horse wedding".

Lacy: OK

Leah: You have to put all the boys with a girl

Lacy: But I want these two together

Leah: But that is two girls! A girl cannot marry a girl!

Lacy: Momma! Can a girl marry a girl?

Momma: No Lacy, God intended for girls to marry boys.

Lacy: OK momma

Leah: Lacy, you walk them down the aisle and I will say all the "stuff"

Lacy: OK (walking horses across the table)

Leah: Sir, do you take the lady to be your wife?

Lacy: Yes!

Leah: Do you love her?

Lacy: Yes!

Leah: Will you build her a house?

Lacy: Yes!

Leah: Will you take care of her when she gets a boo boo?

Lacy: Yes!

Leah: Good then. (turning to the girl...)

Leah: Lady, do you take this man to be your husband?

Lacy: Yes!

Leah: Do you love him?

Lacy: Yes!

Leah: Will you sew his clothes when he needs it?

Lacy: Yes!

Leah: Will you love him when he gets a boo boo?

Lacy: Yes!

Leah: Good then. You can kiss.

GIGO

GIGO—garbage in, garbage out; godliness in, godliness out. The cognitive is basic to the behavioral—you become what you choose to feed your mind on. ~Randy Alcorn

"The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." ~Henry Scougal

"You don't judge the glory of a soul by what it wills to do with lukewarm interest, or with mere teeth-gritting determination. To know a soul's proportions you need to know its passions. The true dimensions of a soul are seen in its delights. Not what we dutifully will but what we passionately want reveals our excellence or evil." ~John Piper

"A good man out the good treasures of his heart brings forth good things and an evil man out of the evil treasures of his heart brings forth evil things." ~Jesus

"The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil." ~Jesus

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness." ~Jesus

"Let no corrupt word proceed from your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers." ~Jesus

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things." ~Jesus

How to Survive the Currently Unfolding Depression

Excerpt taken from SurvivalBlog:

•Work cheerfully and diligently. It is slackers that find themselves unemployed first.
•Get debt free and stay debt free. Take on no new indebtedness, and pay down the debts you already have.
•Learn to distinguish essentials from non-essentials.
•Write a budget, and stick to it. Whittle it, as necessary, to avoid debt.
•Sell off your useless Beanie babies and assorted knickknacks.
•Increase your savings
•Build up your food storage
•Diversify your investments. Don't put all your money in one bank.
•Check your bank or S&L's safety rating at TheStreet.com. Check your stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and insurers, while you are at it.)
•Hedge your investments with some tangibles
•Sell off any vacation or rental properties that don't have retreat potential
•If you move, then it should be to a place near a secure job, and preferably to a piece of farm or ranch land that provides some self-sufficiency.
•Develop a second stream of income.
•Release yourself from your addictions. Pray fervently, and if need be, seek help.
•Plant a garden.
•Stay in shape.
•Be willing to accept work that is lower paying or less appealing
•Be charitable.
•Most importantly: Get right with God. (Believe, repent of your sin, confess Jesus as your savior, and be baptized.)

Important Lessons Drawn from the Decrees of God

By Thomas Boston
(this is a small excerpt)

See here the evil of murmuring and complaining at our lot in the world. How apt are you to quarrel with God, as if he were in the wrong to you, when his dealings with you are not according to your own desires and wishes? You demand a reason, and call God to an account, Why did this happen to me? Why am I so much afflicted and distressed? Why am I so long afflicted? And why such an affliction rather than another? Why am I so poor and another so rich? Thus your hearts rise up against God. But you should remember, that this is to defame the counsels of infinite wisdom, as if God had not ordered your affairs wisely enough in his eternal counsel. We find the Lord reproving Job for this, chap. 40:2 "Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?" When you murmur and brood under cross and afflictive dispensations, this is a presuming to instruct God how to deal with you, and to reprove him as if he were in the wrong. Indeed, there is a kind of implicit blasphemy in it, as if you had more wisdom and justice to arrange your circumstances, and to carve out your own portion in the world. This is what you really mean when you say, "If I been on God's counsel, I would have ordered this matter better; things would not be with me as they are now." Oh presume not to correct the infinite wisdom of God, seeing he has decreed all things most wisely and judiciously.

For all the lessons click here:
http://www.puritansermons.com/boston/bost8.htm

A Challenge to Women

By John Piper January 1, 1995

1. That all of your life—in whatever calling—be devoted to the glory of God.

2. That the promises of Christ be trusted so fully that peace and joy and strength fill your soul to overflowing.

3. That this fullness of God overflow in daily acts of love so that people might see your good deeds and give glory to your Father in heaven.

4. That you be women of the Book, who love and study and obey the Bible in every area of its teaching. That meditation on Biblical truth be the source of hope and faith. And that you continue to grow in understanding through all the chapters of your life, never thinking that study and growth are only for others.

5. That you be women of prayer, so that the Word of God would open to you; and the power of faith and holiness would descend upon you; and your spiritual influence would increase at home and at church and in the world.

6. That you be women who have a deep grasp of the sovereign grace of God undergirding all these spiritual processes, that you be deep thinkers about the doctrines of grace, and even deeper lovers and believers of these things.

7. That you be totally committed to ministry, whatever your specific role, that you not fritter your time away on soaps or ladies magazines or aimless hobbies, any more than men should fritter theirs away on excessive sports or aimless diddling in the garage. That you redeem the time for Christ and his Kingdom.

8. That, if you are single, you exploit your singleness to the full in devotion to Christ and not be paralyzed by the desire to be married.

9. That, if you are married, you creatively and intelligently and sincerely support the leadership of your husband as deeply as obedience to Christ will allow; that you encourage him in his God-appointed role as head; that you influence him spiritually primarily through your fearless tranquility and holiness and prayer.

10. That, if you have children, you accept responsibility with your husband (or alone if necessary) to raise up children who hope in the triumph of God, sharing with him the teaching and discipline of the children, and giving to the children that special nurturing touch and care that you are uniquely fitted to give.

11. That you not assume that secular employment is a greater challenge or a better use of your life than the countless opportunities of service and witness in the home the neighborhood, the community, the church, and the world. That you not only pose the question: Career vs. full time mom? But that you ask as seriously: Full time career vs. freedom for ministry? That you ask: Which would be greater for the Kingdom— to be in the employ of someone telling you what to do to make his business prosper, or to be God's free agent dreaming your own dream about how your time and your home and your creativity could make God's business prosper? And that in all this you make your choices not on the basis of secular trends or yuppie lifestyle expectations, but on the basis of what will strengthen the family and advance the cause of Christ.

12. That you step back and (with your husband, if you are married) plan the various forms of your life's ministry in chapters. Chapters are divided by various things—age, strength, singleness, marriage, employment choices, children at home, children in college, grandchildren, retirement, etc. No chapter has all the joys. Finite life is a series of tradeoffs. Finding God's will, and living for the glory of Christ to the full in every chapter is what makes it a success, not whether it reads like somebody else's chapter or whether it has in it what chapter five will have.

13. That you develop a wartime mentality and lifestyle; that you never forget that life is short, that billions of people hang in the balance of heaven and hell every day, that the love of money is spiritual suicide, that the goals of upward mobility (nicer clothes, cars, houses, vacations, food, hobbies) are a poor and dangerous substitute for the goals of living for Christ with all your might, and maximizing your joy in ministry to people's needs.

Oath Keepers

OATH KEEPERS is an association of Military, Veterans, and peace officers who will honor their oaths to defend the Constitution, will NOT just follow orders, will stand for liberty, and are trying to save the Republic.

Obama's Science Czar

John Holdren is his name and here are some quotes from him...

“It has been concluded that compulsory population-control laws, even including laws requiring compulsory abortion, could be sustained under the existing constitution if the population crisis became sufficiently severe to endanger the society.”


“If some individuals contribute to general social deterioration by overproducing children, and if the need is compelling, they can be required by law to exercise reproductive responsibility”


“Moreover, if the United States government refuses to take proper measures, they authorize the United Nations to take compelling force.”

President-elect Barack Obama stated in December that he had nominated Holdren as Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy as part of his Administration's mission to promote an unbiased science. The goal, said Obama, was to protect "free and open inquiry" and "ensuring that facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology."
"It's about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it's inconvenient - especially when it's inconvenient."


Isaiah 5:20 "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil..."

I love to read the Psalms when I hear of such wickedness being devised. Especially Psalm 37, here are some excerpts...

Do not fret because of evil men...for like the grass they will soon wither...

The wicked plot against the righteous...but the Lord laughs at the wicked...

The wicked draw the sword...but their swords will pierce their own hearts...

All sinners will be destroyed...

The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.

Not just History but Depravity...

I recently blogged "No one needs to ask "Why?"...

That blog covered the fact that America is in the shape she is in because we have forgotten our HisStory, which is to say, we have forgotten to learn from what God has said and done.

Today, I want to blog about the BIGGEST reason why we have the problems we have in America.

Let's look at 3 questions that I believe are at the heart of the issue...

Q. Why have so many Americans surrendered their faith in God for faith in the State?
A. Sin.
"Thou shall have no other gods before Me". Exodus 20:2

Quotes:
Sin is trying to fulfill a God-given need without God. ~ John Piper

The State is suppose to be the provider of justice, NOT a dispenser of sustenance...
When the state enlarges its jurisdictional boundaries, without any regard to limits; it gradually assumes what God alone possesses; unlimited power and authority...
Therefore, the more we turn to the State for assistance, the more we make it our God.
~ Gary Demar

Q. How did this happen?
A. It began in the garden...and it's called total depravity.

Quotes:
Read R.L.Dabney on depravity at http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/dabney/5points.htm#t

Salvation is accomplished by the almighty power of the triune God. The Father chose a people, the Son died for them, the Holy Spirit makes Christ's death effective by bringing the elect to faith and repentance, thereby causing them to willingly obey the Gospel. The entire process (election, redemption, regeneration) is the work of God and is by grace alone. Thus God, not man, determines who will be the recipients of the gift of salvation. http://www.reformed.org/

Q. How does this sinful nature manifest itself?
A. This sinful nature man possess has led to many false religions and ideologies that have plagued our nation for decades and brought us to where we are today. Here are just a few examples of these false religions and ideologies that flow from a totally depraved heart; the excerpts were taken from our Biblical Worldview Curriculum, to which I highly recommend: http://www.summit.org/

Religious Humanism: believes man has the power to change people...where Christians believe, God and God alone has the power to change people.

Utilitarianism: believes that the greatest happiness of the greatest number should be the aim of all actions.

Moral Relativism: believes that right and wrong are determined by the individual or culture.

Post Modernism: believes there are no moral absolutes.

Pluralism: all beliefs are true.

Globalism: the belief in the need for one-world-government.

Egalitarianism: all people should get the same and be treated the same regardless.

Deist: God created the world but is not in control of it.

Polytheist: ok to worship many gods.

Atheist: believe there is no God.

Agnostic: believe it is impossible to know if there is a God.

Existentialist: life has no meaning outside of what you make it.

Evolutionist: believe one species develops from another and God (if He exist) did not "create" anything.

Theistic Evoluntionist: believe that God works through evolution.

Pantheist: God is everything and everything is God.

Transcendentalist: God exist only in the mind.

Universalist: all souls go to heaven.

Jihadist: Moslems who war against unbelievers of Allah.

Naturalist: believe there is no supernatural or spiritual creation.

Annihilationist: believe when we die we will simply cease to exist.

Historical Revisionist: those who revise historical events in order to support their worldview.

Economic Interventionist: those (secular humanist, post modernist, etc...) who recommend economic intervention in order to control man's economic affairs.

And the list goes on and on...
I would encourage you to make sure your view of what is going on in America is a biblical view.

No One Needs To Ask "Why?"

Is it too late for America?
Morally, she has already fallen and economically, it is only a matter of time; just do the math!

Yes, a reformation and revival would be nice and I pray God would be merciful and grant such a blessing but I must also acknowledge the book of Revelation and be willing to pray..."Not my will but Thine be done."

No one needs to ask "Why America is failing?" because every one knows...
When men do not learn from their history, they are doomed to repeat it and after several thousand years of history, it is obvious that men DO NOT learn from history!

So! As a refresher...
What would a nation have to do or not do in order for God to remove His blessed hand of restraint?

I believe there are several but here are 5 major concerns Dr.Peter Ruckman, President, Founder, and Teacher of the Pensacola Bible Institute, points out.

#1 The undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the HOME...meaning: role-distortions such as: making women equal to men, thus removing the man as the "head" of the house, and removing the wife\mother from the home, and so on...
By inventing "families" composed of sodomites and lesbians and so on...
By unbiblical practices of divorce, spiritual training, schooling, etc...
#2 Unbiblical stewardship, Unjust weights, Higher and higher unjust taxes, etc...meaning: Welfare, Medicare, Social Security, Food Stamps, Socialized Medicine, Bail-outs, etc...
#3 The mad craze for PLEASURE...every one doing what is right in his own eyes, while becoming more and more brutal and immoral every year.
#4 The decay of INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY...just as an example, in America, we have went beyond freeing the black slaves (during the Civil War) to making them innocent of crimes they commit on the basis that their accusers were "racists". Then you give them "special rights" given to no other race - called "affirmative action". With that in place, you not only put blacks over whites, you put women over men, children over adults, and queers over straights on the grounds that they are all "oppressed minorities". (This is heartbreakingly sad because this line of thinking puts everyone in a "victim mentality" which is completely unbiblical and enslaving!) (Not to mention that it will soon be the reason for silencing preachers who speak out against this!!!!!)
#5 The decay of religion..."faith" fading into just "forms"...in America we have atheist, communist, humanist, and a whole host of others, including some liberal protestants, supporting the National Education Association that teaches our young people: life came accidentally from dead organic matter and therefore everyone is relieved from obeying their Creator. From this point on, all "guiding" is by hook or crook, revising history, or ignoring reality in order to make carbon copied "world citizens." And this is just one example!

All 5 of these America posesses plus more!
Congratulations America, the depression is here...a total economic collaspe leading to a "one-world-government" is very nearby... and God is steadily removing His hand of blessing!

"All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing" ~Edmund Burke

What will you do?