Tuesday, July 19, 2016

America is in the Empire Trap by Samuel H Johnson

America is falling apart like the great empires of history. One of the contributing factors is an overabundance of poor and prideful leadership.

In Job 12; 24-25, God spoke through Job about disobedient leaders - "He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, And makes them wander in a pathless wilderness. They grope in the dark without light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man"

This is America in 2016. Too many of our leaders have a blindness over them that they cannot seem to be honorable statesmen putting the needs of the country above their lust for money and power. They justify and defend lies and wrongdoing of mostly the rich, the influential and the powerful but toss the poor and lowly into bondage or prison for the smallest offences. They toss aside integrity and principles for the sake of power and influence. These are leaders in every area of society - politics, business, entertainment even the church.

This message is to those who fit this category and to warn others to expose, stay away from or find better replacement for them. So

To politicians - it is God who give you the authority to enforce true justice because you are His ministers (Romans 13:1-4)

To business leaders - it is God who gave you life and the talent to conduct business, so do it with integrity (John 2:14-16; 1 Timothy 6:9-10)

To church leaders - it is God who gave you the ministry gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors/teachers to equip and edify the saints for ministering to people and conforming to Christ character. Stop compromising the scriptures for worldly desires and giving Christianity and the name of Christ a bad name among the society. (Ephesians 4:11-13) 

Satan and the kingdom of darkness has has indeed  blinded too many of our leaders. When a nation abandons God and makes sin and idolatry normal, the consequences are what we see around us. It is indeed the time for more principled leaders to stand up and be counted worthy of truth, honesty and integrity. Principled and honest leaders be encouraged and stand firm. God loves the world and He wants the world to repent and turn to Jesus Christ.

John 3:16 (NKJV) "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.


God also loves America but He is looking for America to repent and return to Him.

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Corrupt Speech by Samuel H Johnson

This excerpt from the Bible Expositor and Illuminator is such a powerful piece on corrupt speech that I felt the urge to share it. It servis a warning to Christians and unbelievers alike.

Corrupt Speech (Romans 3:13-14) As Thomas Schreiner notes, "The universal dimension of sin is nowhere more evident than [in] human speech." The evil in a person's heart inevitably comes out in a person's speech. Here Paul, (the writer of the book of Romans), drew upon Psalms 5:9, 140:3 and 10:7 to picture this aspect of human depravity. The comparison of people's throats to an open sepulchre or grave, likens their speech to the stench of decay. Although it may not always be evident, their speech flows from an unclean heart and has a corrupting effect on others.

The tongues of sinners are purposely used to deceive others. Flattery and lies are crafted to lead people astray and promote self-interest. Their speech is pictured as the deadly venom of asps or vipers, spiritually poisoning people with their words.

Finally borrowing from Psalms 10:7, Paul describes their mouths as "full of cursing and bitterness." (Romans 3:14). It is not just on rare occasions that they spew forth curses and evil words; their mouths are filled with such speech.

A clean heart is the key to clean speech (Matthew 12:34-35). Yet even believers find it hard to break sinful habits; and unwholesome and evil communication can come out in an instant. Our tongue is perhaps the most deadly weapon any of us will ever wield. Undoubtedly, this is why the Bible has so much to say about controlling our speech. By so doing, we become a source of blessing rather than destruction, and we save ourselves much grief.



Source: Bible Expositor and Illuminator, Summer Quarter 2016, Published by Union Gospel Press, Cleveland, Ohio. page 77