Thursday 4/30/15 Love or Hate! (4)

Dear Father in Heaven: I love You very, very much. I thank You for Jesus and for His dying for me on the cross and I thank You for taking my sins with You to the cross and covering me with the Blood of our Dear Jesus. Father, please protect Your people, and Lord, I pray that there will not be riots and the truth about all things will come forth.  Father, we can see what Your Word tells us, that if we hang out with evil this is what happens. Please, Lord, help pastors start calling on You instead of calling on evil like some of them are doing. Lord, please protect our military as they serve the world over, and Lord, please protect them as they are called on to protect us here on the street of the United States. Lord, please show we who really love You how we can help in what's going on. Lord, please protect police officers and first responders. Lord, please be with our Matthew and help him. Lord, please bring peace, please come back and get Your people. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

Dear brothers and sisters: As I mentioned last night, we need to pray and pray and pray. Please keep praying and please put our Matthew back on your prayer lists. We think he is back in a mental hospital. We know he needs long-term care. Okay, let me get to the message and try and get it finished as we have an incoming storm. Love or Hate!

Thursday: April 30, 2015: Love or Hate! (Day Four)

To me, and tell me if I am wrong, I look at these marches that turn into riots, or dare I say mini-riots, are found in the Bible. Are they not wars and rumors of wars? The only difference is we think of these things in foreign lands and think they do not happen here in America. Let us look at some scripture.

Psalm 5:4 - You are NOT a God who takes pleasure in evil: with You the wicked cannot dwell. 5 The arrogant cannot stand in Your presence; You hate all who do wrong. (NIV)

Here we are told that our God does not take any pleasure, not one little bit of pleasure in evil. However, here in the United States we have people who are rejoicing in what is going on in the streets of our nation. And I am going to be bold here and just say I think one who rejoices in these things is a pastor and his name is Al Sharpton. Instead of getting involved with people and leading prayers, he comes in and turns up the heat. So today I ask all of you to pray for Reverend Al Sharpton that he might get on his knees in front of those who follow him and confess himself over to God and ask God to take over in the areas when trouble is expected. Let us look at more scripture.

Psalm 45:7 - You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. (NIV)

It is very plain to see that our Lord God loves those of us who are righteous and hates those who are wicked. And let me tell you, He knows the difference and He knows who might be "putting on the dog." In other words, God knows which of us who really love Him and try our best to walk with Him and those who are just trying to impress others. With that said, we indeed are sinners, but Jesus knows whose faith runs deep. I am going to say here, I think there are news reporters who are also trying to get things stirred up by the questions they ask. And why would they do that? Well, so they can tell the stories.

News breaking right now as I am writing this. Trouble has now broken out in the "City of Brotherly Love," Philadelphia, PA. Please pray again right now for peace. Back to scripture.

Psalm 97:10 - Let those who love the Lord hate evil. For He guards the lives of His faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. (NIV)

Again we need to trust in God and we need to pray for those who follow Jesus, and brothers and sisters, we need to be praying for all those Christians who are home in these areas where trouble is being stirred. Think of it, you are seniors like us, or maybe parents with young children and fires are started in a home that is attached to yours. You fear for your lives. You fear for the lives of your small children. Where is the answer to all of this? It is in Jesus!! More scripture.

Matthew 24:4 - Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains." (NIV)

These Words of Jesus are telling us that we need to watch that we are not deceived. Jesus is not going to deceive us, but how about politicians? Do some of them not run around like they are God? Like they have control over everything? They state how if elected they are going to do this and that, but after election they cannot fulfill the promises while others do not even try. Some are lining their own pockets. Here we also see the statement about we will hear of wars and rumors of was. The Bible does not say that they will not occur in the United States.

Brothers and sisters, please just have faith in God, try your very best to stay away from trouble and do not get caught up in the rumor mill. When things seem to be getting worse. Go back to God and remember it is He, the Great "I Am" who is in charge. God is great, God is Good, thank Him for everything. Pray hard for this to be over. It is time that we who love Jesus help kick Satan's evil ways out of our lives. (Yes, I was tempted to say we need to kick Satan's backside.) Let's pray.

Dear Father in Heaven: Please forgive our sins, and please help us stand firm against Satan and his evildoer buddies. Make us stronger, protect Your people. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

Now go forth praying and praying and believing. Sing some praises to God and pray for peace. And yes, share your love of Christ and some of your other blessings. Love ya.

Pastor Dan