Voting for Righteousness

Hey friends~ Just wanted to share with you an article written by Kay Arthur.

Voting For Righteousness Part 2 by Kay Arthur

". . .I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."-1 Timothy 2:1, 2

Beloved, we cannot be apathetic about righteousness. Apathy leads to apostasy. Apostasy means you turn away (depart) from something you once believed. This we have done as a nation. What we once considered sin and would not tolerate as acceptable behavior is now acceptable. And where does apostasy lead? To anarchy-no absolutes! The individual determines what is right and wrong.

The last five chapters of Judges summarize anarchy and the times in which we live: "every man did what was right in his own eyes." In the dark days of Judges, the people professed God but lived in anarchy. So they reaped what they sowed. When they did not honor God as God, God gave them over to idolatry (Judges 17, 18), immorality (Judges 19), homosexuality (Judges 19), and internal war (Judges 20, 21).

It's right where America is today, isn't it? Wouldn't you call it anarchy when local governors and courts flaunt the laws of our nation and marry homosexuals, granting them equal status with heterosexual marriages?

And what must you do about it if you are to be salt (a preservative) and light (a dispeller of darkness)? You must vote righteousness. You must choose daily, moment by moment, situation by situation, and opportunity by opportunity to do what is right in God's eyes. You must determine to be righteous even in the midst of unrighteousness. To be righteous is to live by what God says is right.

And you must vote-you must push aside the apathy and get up and go to the polls and vote for the candidate that is closest to the standards of the Word of God.
If you don't, Beloved, then you need to be prepared to bear the consequences of a nation that continues to rebel against the absolutes of God's Word. Get prepared for the judgments of God spelled out for us in Ezekiel 14:12-20, where God Himself says, "If a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness..."

Unfaithfulness is our scarlet letter, emblazoned on our foreheads. You see it not only in our relationships, our business practices, and our duties to God and His Word, but also in the chambers of our lawmakers. Our nation has been unfaithful to the God whose name is chiseled on our monuments and engraved on our currency. If you vote the economy rather than righteousness, you can rest assured the idol of greed will be crushed under the powerful hand of God; and we, like Israel, will drink the water made bitter, sprinkled with the powder of our idols (Exodus 32:20).

God gave us a wake-up call on 9/11, but time has proven we turned to Him in worldly sorrow rather than godly sorrow. We regretted our unpreparedness and accused whomever we could accuse, but we never sought our Sovereign God with a godly sorrow that would lead to repentance as described in 2 Corinthians 7. What will it take next? What will it take to get us, a nation originally founded on fear and respect for a holy Sovereign, to turn from our ungodly ways?

O Beloved, go to your knees and stay there until you’ve confessed all personal unrighteousness. Then, as Daniel did in Daniel 9, plead with God on behalf of this nation "so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." Then get on your feet and go to the polls and cast your vote for righteousness.

We can make a difference, Beloved! The polls are our God-ordained opportunity to make a difference. And if godless leaders are voted in, in spite of our votes and prayers, then we will know we did what we could, and God will see and honor our obedience.

Benjamin Franklin, who was a deist, not a Christian, concluded his remarks with these words:

"'We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel; we shall be divided by our little, partial, local interests; our projects will be confounded; and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing government by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war, or conquest.'"i
At Precept Ministries International, we're so concerned about the state of our nation and we're committing to prayer every Thursday at noon to pray for our country, and for this upcoming election. We invite you to join us. Go to http://www.preceptsforlife.com/ and click the "America at the Crossroads" banner to download "A Call to Corporate Prayer." May the Lord bless you, Beloved, and may He continue to bless and preserve our great nation!

Bill O'Reilly On The View

Today is the first day that I actually enjoyed watching the view. Bill O'Reilly from "The O'Reilly Factor" was there. View for yourself.

Voter Issues - 2008 Election

I don't know about you, but I am so ready for the election to be over. I know how bad the economy is right now, but I also know that God is in control and that I totally have peace in Him. There are so many different issues out there. For me it all came down to fourteen different positions held by the candidates. http://wallbuilders.com/LIBissuesArticles.asp?id=5386. After reading this article, my advice is to pray and get into God's Word and then decide.


In the meantime, here is a funny from my little Jack:

Jack: "Well, I know I am not voting for Obama."

Me: "Why, Jack?"

Jack: "Because he wants to turn all the televisions off after school."

Kids are so funny!!!!

It's Not About Me

Have you ever asked God to put someone in your path on a particular day that you could minister to, but you got so caught up in your busyness and your daily routine that you totally forgot you had requested this? This seems to happen to me from time to time.

Philippians 2:3 says "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit but, in humility, count others more significant than yourself." And so you don't merely look out for your own interests, you look out for the interests of others.

How do you count others more significant than yourself? To begin to do this, during my quiet time, I make a list of ways I can begin to look out for the interests of other people. For instance, for my husband, I begin to write down – what are the things that speak to him or might be his love language? It's getting on his agenda, entering his world, doing things the way he likes to have them done, and to spend my time with him on his agenda. I have to admit that I have alot of work to do in this area. If you haven't seen the movie "Fireproof", it is a must see. It has totally changed the way I view my marriage.

Also I must keep my radar up for my children. What does God want to do for them today? Then my neighbors, extended family, friends, grocery store clerk, doctors, nurses, teachers, principals, janitors, cafeteria workers, waiters and waitresses, postman, ups man, banker, teller, florist, insurance rep., pest control man, plumber, and the list goes on. Please don't get overwhelmed by this list and feel that you must touch every person every day. Sometimes it may only be one person a day. Other days it may be more than one. The purpose of this list is to get you to open your eyes to those in need around you.

Several years ago, I felt like I was in my own little Christian sheltered world. I only hung out with other Christians. I asked God to get me out of my comfort zone so that I could be a light for him in a dark world. What he has made me realize over the years was that I was the one putting that shield around myself. He opened my eyes to those in need around me. They were around me all along, I was just to busy and caught up in my own agenda to notice. Recently, I have started to pray, "Lord, what is your agenda for my day?" It is not about me.........

Here are some other related scriptures regarding this topic. As you can see, I love reading the same scripture out of different versions of the Bible. Hope you enjoy!

Philippians 2:3 (The Message)
1-4If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Philippians 2:3 (NLT)
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Galatians 5:26 (NASB)
Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;

Ephesians 5:21 (HCSB)
and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

Romans 12:10 (HCSB)
10 Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Romasn 12:10 (NIV)
10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Colossians 3:12 (HCSB)
Therefore, God's chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Big Sister - Little Brother

Someday you may live thousands of miles apart. You may go months and even years without seeing each other, but I want you to never forget there was a time when you spent hours and hours together laughing and playing. I hope the bond you now share will be closely guarded forever.

Fall Baseball

Just wanted to share a few pictures of our last week of fall baseball. Jack is sad, but ready to move on to basketball season.... mom's favorite.

Keeping a tight rein on our tongue

Hello friends ~ Just wanted to share with you what God has been teaching me over the past few months. I have found myself greatly challenged and convicted over my words and thoughts. Can anybody relate? As I have studied God’s word about this particular topic, I have found that I talk too much. Can you believe that? For those who know me well, you don't have to answer that.

When I was in highschool, I knew all the words to a rap song called “You Talk Too Much” by Run DMC. Does anybody out there remember this song? Wow! Have my tastes in music changed over the years!

Below are some things that God has been teaching me about my tongue. Maybe we can pray for each other about this.

The best way to improve speech is to improve the heart, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). A heart filled with the Holy Spirit and the truth of the Word of God will produce godly speech that brings life to the speaker as well as the listener. This is where we start.

We create a world for ourselves by what we speak. Words have power, and we can either speak life or death into a situation. When I say something over and over I start to believe it. The Bible says that what we say can get us into trouble or keep us away from it. It can even save our lives. “ He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction” (Proverbs 13:3).

Here are a few other verses out of Proverbs.

Proverbs 10:19 (New International Version)
19 When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Proverbs 12:18 (New International Version)
18 Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing

Proverbs 17:27 (New International Version)
27 A man of knowledge uses words with restraint,
and a man of understanding is even-tempered.

Proverbs 21:23 (New International Version)
23 He who guards his mouth and his tongue
keeps himself from calamity.

Proverbs 10:8 (New International Version)
8 The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

Proverbs 29:20 (New International Version)
20 Do you see a man who speaks in haste?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

In a commentary by Nancy Leigh Demoss , she says it this way:

Proverbs reminds us that in the multitude of words—too many words—sin is inevitable. Too much talking leads to all kinds of other sins: the sin of exaggeration, lying, foolish jesting, meaningless chatter, and criticism. You get in a group, start talking, and you say too much. Invariably, I find myself about to say something—about someone else—that is critical. Almost always, I would have been better off if I had just restrained my lips and spoke less.
The tongue reveals the condition of my heart. The words that I speak are a mirror into my heart.

The words come out. That’s what’s heard; that’s what’s evident. But they reveal what is not so evident until I speak the words, and that is the condition of my heart. So if I’m a foolish person, I’m going to speak foolish words. If I have a wicked heart, the words that come out of my mouth are going to be wicked words.
Hundreds of years ago Francis DeSalles said this: “Our words are a faithful index of the state of our souls.” So, you want to know what’s in your heart? Jesus said, “Out of the abundance [or overflow] of the heart, the mouth speaks.”
So if I have a critical heart, what kinds of words are going to come out? Critical words. If I have a mean-spirited heart, what kinds of words are going to come out of my mouth? Mean words, unkind words.

If I have a proud heart, I’m going to speak arrogant words. If I have an unloving heart, I’m going to speak unkind words. A self-centered heart is going to speak selfish words. And when I speak angry words, what does that tell you about my heart? It means I’ve got an angry heart.

If I speak profane words, what does that tell you about my heart? It’s profane. Impatient words come out of an impatient heart. Complaining words come out of a discontented heart. A heart that is selfish is going to talk about what? Self.
I can remember my dad telling us as we were growing up that one of the important things in conversation is not to talk about yourself. He said, “People want to talk about themselves. So ask questions that draw them out.”
As you think about the people you know who have a lot of friends, people that others want to be around, one of the things you’ll notice is that they talk about others. They ask questions about others. They’re not always talking about themselves.

Also in the book of James:

James 3:1-12 (New International Version)

Taming the Tongue
1Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. 3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt[a] water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.


And last but not least:

Psalm 26:2 (New International Version)
2 Test me, O LORD, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;

Psalm 51:10 (New International Version)
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.


I could go on and on.

Change my heart, O God!