Continue to Worship

Image by doug88888 via Flickr

By David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 - April 27, 2011]

Moses had a disposition like many of us today so there was only one way for him
to stay in victory. He continually communed with the Lord: “And the Lord spake
unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend” (Exodus 33:11). I
believe the secret to holiness is very simple: Stay close to Jesus! Keep
looking into his face, until you become like the image you behold.

One evening a hysterical woman stopped me on the street and blurted out a
desperate confession. “Mr. Wilkerson,” she cried, “I’m facing the
darkest hour of my life and I don’t know which way to turn. My husband has
left me and it’s all my fault! I have failed God and my family. What in the
world am I going to do?”

I was moved to tell her, “My friend, lift up your hands right here on this
street corner, and begin to worship the Lord. Tell him you know you are a
failure, but you still love him. Then go home and get on your knees. Don’t
ask God for a thing, just lift your hands and your heart and worship him.”

I left that lady standing on the street with her hands raised to heaven, tears
rolling down her cheeks, praising the Lord and already tasting the victory that
was surging back into her life. “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the
praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3). The Lord makes his dwelling with his people
who are worshipping, and where the Lord is, victory follows.

Christ says: “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John
6:37).

“Come unto me, all ye [failures] that labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Don’t be afraid of failure. Keep going in spite of it. Worship God until
victory comes! This may sound like an oversimplification, but the way past
failure actually is simple.

Living an Obedience-Based Life

Image via Wikipedia

Today God Is First By Os Hillman

“They trusted in Him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.”- Daniel 3:28b

Have you ever known someone who lived an outcome-based Christian experience? This means that their decisions are made based on the positive or negative outcome, not on absolute obedience.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were three men who lived an obedience-based life. When King Nebuchadnezzar passed a law that said all were to worship his idol, these young men determined they would not worship anything other than God. You can be sure these men did not make this decision at the time of the decree. Their decision actually had been made years earlier. Their convictions were already in their hearts.

Each of us must come to a place of knowing what our boundaries are in given situations. What will you tolerate from your employer? What situation crosses the line for you? Where are the boundaries for questionable practices in your life? If these are not worked out ahead, you will live a life of situational ethics, determining what decision to make based on the merits of the situation.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were willing to die for what they believed. In this case, they were delivered from the fiery furnace. God used their faithfulness to impact a king, and they were promoted to higher positions.

Are you an obedienced-based Christian? Or are there situations that can move you based on the outcome? God wants to know that we will stand firm on the issues that are important to Him, no matter what the outcome may be. God is looking for those who are radical in their obedience. Does this describe your commitment to Christ? If not, pray for this kind of conviction. The Lord will honor you for this.

When a Nation Turns It’s Back on God

2 CHRONICLES 33:1-25

Hezekiah was a god-fearing king who brought about reformation among the Israelites. His son Manasseh, however, was an evil ruler. He had watched his father walk with God and live according to Scripture. Yet he chose to ignore the Lord.

Manasseh worshipped false gods, even to the point of sacrificing his sons by fire in order to praise Molech. He practiced much evil—including witchcraft and sorcery— and led Israel astray, thereby provoking God to anger. The king, along with the people, paid a high price for his rebellion.

This story illustrates the Lord’s intolerance of a nation’s disregard toward Him. Now consider our country. We, too, are a nation that pushes God aside—one that has turned away from the only true God and embraced idols. Perhaps these aren’t statues of stone, but we worship money, sports ability, fame, and reputation, to name a few.

The United States of America was founded on biblical principles with the intent to guarantee freedom of worship. But over time, we have removed the Lord from many aspects of public life. Prayer in schools, for instance, was deemed unconstitutional. What was once a “nation under God” has turned into a country that tolerates a growing number of sins and yet belittles absolute truth.

If a nation turns its back on the Lord, His judgment is inevitable unless the people repent and make Him Lord once again. As believers, our responsibility is to pray that God would draw the heart of our country back to Himself—and to help the gospel and truth spread through our land.

Dr. Charles Stanley