If you missed yesterdays Daily Jot, we were discussing what to do about the condition of our nation. The first step, I believe, is self-examination. It starts with every individual determining the cost of action. The cost of taking up their cross and following Christ beyond four walls-of your church, of your home, of your safe places. Then you need to ask yourself, "what is it that I want to change?" The Holy Spirit will guide you if you pray and seek the Lord on what you should do. Now, I know that this is not answering the question in whole about what to do about our nation, but these are fundamental questions you must ask yourself to be an effective world-changer. It's about relationship with the Lord because without him, we cannot win.
As with any warrior, you are going to be challenged in whatever you do to change the world. It is important to be suited up, well armed, and trained. Hosea 4:1 says, "For the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is not truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land." Sound familiar? Hosea 4:1 says, "For the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is not truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land." Verse 6 says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Get educated. Study your Bible. Study the area you want to change. Have discernment. Be able to spot the danger areas, the hypocrisies, the principalities. Prepare yourself for battle.
Part of putting on that full armor of God is to not be offended. People will disagree. Your salvation will come into question. You will be accused from the content of others' hearts. To prevent me from being offended, the Lord gave me Ezekiel 3:17-21. Verse 18 says, "When I say unto the wicked, You shall surely die; and you give him not a warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life...his blood I will require at your hand." In other words, "you better tell them what I tell you to tell them and it is up to them to do with it what they will. But if you don't tell them, its on you." This prevents offense. You are just the messenger. Once you have given the message, it's on the recipient to act. But remember to deliver the message from a heart of love and obedience. A kind word turns away wrath. Pray before you act.
Prayer is wonderful if that is all you can do. James 5:16 says, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." But as James wrote even before that in 2:17: "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." The Lord wants you to act. Pray and act. If you are not hearing from the Lord on what to do, pray more fervently. It is not up to me to tell you what to do. The Lord will tell you by his Holy Spirit. You must hear and take action. The Lord will not tell you to do anything that does not align with his Holy Scripture IN ITS CONTEXT--that is how you confirm if you are hearing from the Lord. Righteous people must be more vocal and active about what is just and right. Move beyond your walls.
