WHO ME? WORSE THAN AN INFIDEL? WELL…

Ah, the refreshment that comes from repentance…

The first words that come to my mind to express my sentiments of how I was affected by the 2010 Operation Save America National Event are, “Thank you Jesus!”  Why?  Because he smashed me with the truth of His Word, I confessed my sin, repented, and now I’m free.  Hallelujah!

Now, please allow me to explain.

On the last night of the event, Rev. Flip Benham gave an altar call to anyone who had not been faithful to be in God’s Word every single day.  Of course, I arrogantly looked around the room at all the “sinners.”  Then, I saw my wife stand up.  Oh, I knew that she had struggles with being in the Word everyday.  After all, she has to take care of two kids all day.

So I watched my wife respond to the altar call and God busted me, big time.  It’s almost as if he said, “Look buddy, you think you’re doing such a good job by being in the Word everyday, but you’re a failure.  Who do you think is responsible for your wife being in the Word everyday?”  Then, all of the sudden, two verses were brought to my remembrance.

First, it was 1 Timothy 5:8, which says: “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

I remembered that verse because God had just showed it to me through an article written by Dr. Patrick Johnston dealing with ways in which we, as husbands, can do a better job of loving our wives.  “Wow!” I said.  I was busted.

I realized that Paige was not the one that should be at the altar.  I should!  So, then, being the prideful man that I am I thought, “Well, if I go down there, everyone will think that I’m not in my Bible everyday.”  (Yes, I repented of that, too.)  So, I walked down to my wife, put my arm around her and told her that this was my responsibility and apologized.

As I was down there, I started to think some things over.  I have always taught young men I disciple that, before they can pursue the opposite sex, they should be 100% prepared to provide for their wife physically, financially and spiritually.  So I realized that, because of 1 Timothy 5:8, I had become “worse than an infidel.”

The other scripture that the Holy Spirit brought to my remembrance was Ephesians 5:25-28, which says: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.”

There have been times that I have washed my wife’s feet to show my love and devotion to serve her.  Oh, my wife thinks I am the greatest husband ever.  Well, I know better.  I realized this night, that despite the emotional, physical and financial support that I show to Paige, if I do not wash her with the Word of God, I have completely failed as a husband.  I have become worse than an infidel.

Well, throughout the week, God had showed me several areas in my Christian walk that needed to be improved upon.  The biggest things were my not being a good husband and father.  I remember feeling horrible all day Tuesday.  I tried to put this stuff before the Lord, but it seemed that it didn’t do any good.  Then, I recall someone saying, “No one has ever come to God in repentance and been turned away.”  So, I realized there was hope.  The reason I felt so sorrowful was because it truly was godly sorrow and God just wasn’t done dealing with me.

So, praise the Lord!  On Friday night, I was finally confronted with the very specific sin that I was committing.  I was not fulfilling the responsibilities of being a godly husband. On Sunday, I was able to confess it to my church and ask them to hold me accountable.

I am just so thankful for God’s tender mercies.  And I am so thankful for the men of God in OSA who took the time to talk to me about how to become a better husband and father.  I thanked Doc Johnston for his booklet that I read (I’ll include a link to it at the bottom of this page).  I explained that I had to repent and he told me something like, “If you don’t get it right with your wife, you won’t get it right with your kids.”

God showed me so many things.

I had a critical spirit.  Believe it or not, even though I was completely failing at my job as a husband and father, I had the nerve to criticize Paige when the house was not as clean as I thought it should be.  What a hypocrite I was!

I already talked about my failure in not teaching the Word to my wife, but I was also failing in the area of training my children in the fear of the Lord.  I am so thankful that Frank Campana and Rusty Thomas took the time to show me how to do better in this area.  Their practical pieces of advice have already paid off, tremendously.

Praise God for his grace and forgiveness!

Now that the log’s been removed from my eye, I wonder if I could encourage some of you to examine yourselves to see if there are areas where you need to repent.  I’ll just give you some simple questions and admonishments for fathers and husbands, for mothers and wives, and for young men and young women.

Questions for husbands and fathers: Are you providing for your wife and children financially, physically, emotionally and spiritually.  I’ve already explained how to provide spiritually.  If you would like to understand more about the others, please ask me and I’d be glad to help you on this.  Remember this, God has entrusted you with your wife.  He has entrusted you with your children.  You better not forget that.  You better love your wife and treat her as the gift from God that she is.  Likewise with your children.  And you better not forget that your children are eternal souls.  They are future mothers and fathers, missionaries and martyrs for Christ!  Don’t forget the value of those whom God has entrusted to you.

Questions for mothers and wives: Are you submitted to your husbands as unto to the Lord?  Are you committed to the call on your life to raise godly children and to come along side your husband as a help meet?

Questions for young men: Are you prepared to provide for your future wife financially, physically, emotionally and spiritually?  Are you prepared to leave and to cleave?  Are you committed to study God’s Word?

Questions for young women: Are you willing to trust God and wait for Him to send you a husband?  Are you committed to surrender all to your calling to raise children and submit to your future husband?

Just so you know, God might call some of you young men and women to celibacy.  That’s fine.  But, if you were my children I would still raise you to be good husbands and fathers and good mothers and wives.  That’s what biblical manhood and biblical femininity is all about.

I hope this has been encouraging and provoking.  Remember, there is only One that can deliver you from sin.  His name is Jesus!

For His Glory,

Adam Tennant

Here is a the link to Dr. Patrick Johnston’s article:  http://rightremedy.org/articles/305

Asa and America: Two Peas In A Pod

As I was reading about king Asa in the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth chapters of 2 Chronicles, I started to see many similarities between his life and the life of the our nation.  We aren’t going to do an extensive study on these three chapters, so I would just ask you to read them for yourself.  You will find that Asa was a king that started off tremendously well. “He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles.” (2 Chronicles 14:3) He also built up the towns in Judah, urged the people to worship the true God, and prepared his army to protect the nation of Judah.  He was a good king.

You’ll see in verse nine that Zerah the Cushite wanted to start some trouble with Judah.  Then, in verse eleven, you’ll see that Asa was a king that relied solely on the Lord.  And in verses twelve through fifteen you’ll see that the Lord delivered Asa.  2 Chronicles 15:2 says, “The Lord is with you when you are with him.  If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” We need to forever remember, that the Lord will be with us as long as we are with him.  But, we should also remember that as soon as we forsake him, he will forsake us.  Deuteronomy 31:6 is a verse you see all over the place, which says, “the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you.” The sad thing is that it’s been taken out of context.  Later in that same chapter, you read that the Lord will, indeed, forsake you if you forsake him (Dt. 31:17).  You see that repeated again right here.  The important thing is, that you won’t have to worry about it as long as you don’t forsake the Lord.

We see this principle very clearly as we study the life of king Asa.  For, he was a king that started off trusting in the Lord, and the Lord delivered him.  But, as time went on, Asa started to make, seemingly, small compromises.  He began to put his trust in others.  Therefore, God forsook him.  And, just as Asa started off on the right track, so did America, but she is now barreling down the path leading toward destruction.  How has this happened?

Alexis De Toqueville said this about America:  “I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there. In the fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there. In her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits, aflame with righteousness, did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

We recently celebrated Independence Day.  A day where we celebrate our Independence from the oppressive British Monarchy.  In our government schools, we are taught that the main reason for the Revolution was taxation without representation.  However, we are never taught the origination of that phrase.  The truth is, it comes from a sermon delivered by the Reverend Johathan Mayhew in the city of Boston in 1750.  Why are we not taught this?  Because, as a nation, we have turned our backs on Almighty God.  Our leaders do not want us to know that this nation was founded on the Word of God.  They don’t want us to know that all of the ideas in the Declaration were taken from sermons that the founders had heard over the past fifty or so years.

You’ll find in chapter sixteen of 2 Chronicles that Asa also turned his back on God.  Even though God had delivered him from a massive army in chapter fifteen, he now bribed the pagan king, Ben-Hadad, to take care of his enemy, Baasha king of Israel.  He had forsaken the Lord, and now the Lord would forsake him.  In America, we have forsaken the Lord, and he is now forsaking us.

In our early years, when we relied on the Lord, he delivered us over and over.  Now, as we have become so clever as to believe that our greatness comes from ourselves, he has begun to forsake us.  He is draining our wealth, turning us over to our enemies, and slapping us in the face with one natural disaster after another.  He is allowing the sin, which we celebrate, to rule over us.

I wonder what De Toqueville would say if he were to take a look at America today.  If he were to seek for greatness, he certainly would not find the trace of it.  Even our leaders have openly confessed that America is no longer great.  And why is this?  Because, as a fulfillment to De Toqueville’s statement, we have ceased to be good.  We have forsaken the law and praised the wicked.  We have called good evil and evil good.  But, if we are to seek the root cause of all of this, we need not point our fingers at the governmental leaders.  If we ask ourselves why we are no longer good, we will find the root of this decay behind the pulpits of this land.  Because our pulpits are no longer aflame with righteousness, we, as a nation, are no longer good.  Therefore, we are no longer great.  The pitiful state of our nation is due to the pitiful state of our pulpits.

Just as the compromises of Asa led to his downfall, so have the compromises of the church led to the downfall of this nation.  And, just as Asa began to persecute the prophets and oppress the people (2 Chronicles 16:10), you are now seeing, in the United States of America, the same thing.  The land of the free and the home of the brave is quickly becoming a meaningless phrase.  This same nation, that was once a shining city set upon a hill, is quickly becoming a lonely flagstaff on a mountaintop, a banner on a hill.  And, just as we have seen in 2 Chronicles, God’s judgment will continue to be poured out on us until we get to the point that we have no where else to go.

So, is there an answer to this madness?  How can we stop America from barreling down the track toward her destruction.  Maybe we could continue to put our trust in big government or in the Republican Party.  Hey, I know what.  We just need to get some true conservatives in office (whatever that means).  Yeah!  That will fix it!  Conservatism fixes everything!  Hmmm…book, chapter and verse, please.

No, the answer to our problem will only come when we realize who and what our problem is.  Our problem is God!  Why?  Because we have forsaken him.

God sent the prophet Isaiah to the nation of Judah to deal with the same thing.  They were a nation that had turned their backs on God.  Therefore, God sent his judgment against them, in hopes that they would repent and, once again, trust in him.  However, instead of dealing with their sin, they too turned to political saviors and alliances.  Listen to what Isaiah had to say about this:

“This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.  You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’ Therefore you will flee! You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’Therefore your pursuers will be swift!  A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.” (Isaiah 30:15-16)

I would highly recommend that you read the entire chapter of Isaiah chapter thirty.  God has a message for us.  The question is, “Are we willing to listen?” Or, are we going to be like king Asa when he was confronted with his sin in 2 Chronicles 16:7-9?  How did he respond?  “Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison.  At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.”  (2 Chronicles 16:10) Is that going to be our response?  It certainly seems so.

For His Glory,
Adam Tennant

WITNESSING ENCOUNTERS – 7/4/10

Today we celebrated the fourth of July, otherwise known as Independence Day.  It’s a day when we celebrate the birth of this nation; when fifty-six men of God came together to pledge their lives on a document, declaring our independence from the tyranny of Great Britain.  But, more importantly, our Dependence upon Almighty God.

So, as much of you probably took part in some sort of festivities, so did we.  My family and I met some friends at a park in Harrisburg to enjoy a people-packed festival and some incredible fireworks.  Our sole mission, though, was not entertainment.  We were on a mission, on a day in which we celebrate freedom from the bondage of a tyrant, to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Which is the only path to true freedom from the bondage of sin.  How incredible it is to see men and women, boys and girls, as they are pricked to the heart with the convicting message of the gospel.  Yes, convicting.  For, you cannot be set free until you realize that you are in chains.

Tonight, I would like to share with you a few conversations that I had.  I am partly writing this so I don’t forget it, but also to encourage you to get out and share the gospel, too.  If you would have seen the sea of people tonight!  The field is white unto harvest, but the laborers are few.  So, get out.  Jesus commands us to go!

The first conversation that stands out was with two young men and a young lady.  Their names were Mike, Mike and Amanda.  Let’s go with Mike and Michael, so we don’t get the two mixed up.

My first question, when witnessing, is typically asking them if they can help me with a project I am working on.  They said yes, of course.  So, I then asked them what they believed was on the other side of death.  Mike answered with a quote from a 1946 movie called, “Stairway to Heaven.”  I don’t remember the exact quote but it had something to do with inheriting a whole new set of problems in the life to come.

Mike had embraced many of the teachings of Hinduism.  But, not Hinduism alone.  He said that he had chosen the things that he liked from several different religions.  I had a great time listening to what all he believed.  It’s very important to listen when witnessing.  People have a lot to say if you’ll let them talk.  And we talked about all sorts of things.

His friend, Michael, was a little more argumentative.  He, from time to time, would misquote some scripture.  It was obvious he found Christianity offensive.  His periodic stabs at Christianity were actually golden opportunities though.  Mike was watching intently as I was able to shoot down his attacks on Truth.  Mike was extremely smart.  I really liked talking with him.

I went through the Law a little bit with them, and they quickly realized that they had broken it.  But I had to take a detour.  Mike kept going back to the beliefs of Hinduism, so I asked him, “What do Hindus think of Jesus?”  He told me how they believed that he was an enlightened individual and a great teacher.  I took that opportunity and ran with it.

I said to them, “If Jesus was a good teacher, than He taught the truth, right?”  “Yes”, they answered.  I showed them in the Gospel of John that Jesus claimed to be God.  “So,” I asked Mike, “was Jesus a liar?”  Mike said no.  “Than He must have been a lunatic.  Was Jesus a lunatic, Mike?”  Mike said no.  So I said, “Well, than Jesus must have been God, because that is who He claimed to be.”  Things were starting to sink in with Mike.  You could see an inquisitive look on his face.

We then talked about the faith of the apostles.  He said that he had heard that the apostles were martyred but did not know that all of them had scattered at the death of Christ.  I asked Mike what must have happened to these twelve men, who at one time cowardly forsook their Lord, yet ended up dying martyrs death.  Mike’s exact words were, “They must have seen the truth.”  Wow.  His eyes were being opened right in front of me.  What an incredible sight it was!

We talked about some other things, but as we parted ways, I gave him a pocket-sized Gospel of John.  His eyes lit up when I gave it to him.  I told him that he was in for an awesome experience if he committed himself to search the Scriptures for the truth.  I also gave him a copy of Mark Cahill’s, “One Heartbeat Away.”  I could see the excitement in his eyes.

I had a few more conversations but the other one I’d like to talk about was with Eric and Tyreke.  They were both sixteen years old.  These kids were fun to talk with.  We went through the Law of God and both of them fell under conviction.  It was incredible to see their countenances change from happy-go-lucky to extremely concerned.  Both of them were met with the truth about eternity.

I asked Eric if he was willing to surrender to Christ.  He said, “Sure.”  Sometimes people are willing to say a prayer or something, but they don’t understand the cost of complete surrender.  So, tonight, the Holy Spirit showed me a practical way to explain it.

I asked them if they were willing to save themselves until marriage.  Tyreke said he probably would, but Eric said he doubted it.  So, I explained to them, that they were not willing to surrender all if they could not completely commit themselves to the will of God.  Of course, I told them that the power to do this would not come from them.

So, I asked them again.  Are you truly willing to surrender your entire lives to Christ?  Tyreke said he was, but Eric said he wasn’t.  So, I looked at Eric and told him firmly, “Then you are committing your life to eternity in Hell.”  His eyes perked up.  I explained that there is no middle ground.  You are either with God or you are against him.  This really hit home with them.  Eric never really could give me a solid answer and that’s completely understandable.  It’s a lot to swallow, all at once.  It’s good to go home and search these things out.

We ended the conversation with prayer and I gave them some books and a dvd.  They were grateful and I could see it in their eyes that they were eternally grateful that I had shared the truth with them.

What a night.

THE GULF STATES CALL TO PRAYER…A SIGN OF REVIVAL?

Every Friday, on his show, “Wallbuilders Live,” David Barton has a special called, “Good News Friday.”  He finds good things that have happened across the nation over the past week to encourage his listeners that, despite all the bad, there are some good things going on.  Recently, I have heard him saying that he believes our nation is in the midst of a revival.  The latest occurrence that he used to exemplify this was the call for prayer coming from the governors of five gulf states.  This call to prayer, of course, was concerning the gulf oil spill.

Before I respond to Mr. Barton praising this act, I want to tell you that I have much respect for him.  David Barton is a great historian and has done much work to get true American history back into the hands and hearts of the people of this nation.  He has, no doubt, been an instrument of God in turning the hearts of this nation back toward our founding fathers.  So I don’t want you to think that I am encouraging not to listen to him.  Quite the contrary.  I would encourage you to read every book he’s written.

However, Mr. Barton has a problem, sometimes, discerning whether or not something is good.  Every time I hear him praise another piece of incremental “pro-life” legislation being passed, it makes me cringe.  How can he not see that they all end with the caveat, “then you can kill the baby?”  Probably because of his loyalty to the Republican Party, who’s very platform contains that caveat.

This call to prayer was touted by David Barton as a sign of national revival.  When I heard him say this, I had to check out the actual proclamation by the governors.  Of course, it was no coincidence that, in my Bible reading schedule, I was reading through 2 Chronicles six and seven when I read this proclamation.  Isn’t it amazing how God works!  If you are reading His Word, He will speak to you.

So, before reading the governor’s proclamation, let’s take a look at what God calls us to do when hit with a national tragedy.

We see, in chapter six of 2 Chronicles, that Solomon has just finished building the temple of the Lord, and now he is going to say a prayer of dedication.  There are many things you can pull out of Solomon’s prayer in chapter six, but a great summation of the main point to his prayer comes in the answer God gives to Solomon in chapter seven.

2 Chronicles 7:13-16 says, “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.  Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.  For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.”

I encourage you to read all of chapter six and seven, in your own time, to see if what I am about to say is accurate.  Here is what God is saying, through Solomon’s prayer, and through his answer to Solomon’s prayer.  “When my people sin against me, I’m going to send them judgment.  My judgment is meant to humble them and lead them to repentance so that I can pour out my mercy on them.  Both, my judgment and mercy is given so that they, and all the world, will fear me and walk in my ways.” Pretty simple, right?  And you’ll find that principle throughout the entire Bible.

You’ll find a good example of this in 2 Chronicles 6:28-31, which says, “When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when enemies besiege them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel—each one aware of his afflictions and pains, and spreading out his hands toward this temple- then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of men), so that they will fear you and walk in your ways all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers.”

In order to properly understand this, you really need to read this passage in it’s context.  Read all of chapter six.  God gives four examples in this chapter, showing that these disasters come because His people sinned against Him(2 Chronicles 6:22, 24, 26, 36).  The formula is obvious.  You sin, God sends judgment.  You repent, God sends mercy.  It’s that simple.

So, about the gulf oil spill.  Is it a judgment of God?  Well, let’s just think about that.  Let me just mention a few things that might cause God to send judgment on this land.  Over four thousand babies are murdered every day.  Homosexuality has been called a good thing, while the altar of marriage has been desecrated.  Christianity has been prostrated to the same level as all religions, except Islam, of course.  Islam is given more respect than them all.  And here’s the kicker: the church continues in her slumber.  No repentance.  No speaking out.  Nothing.

Therefore, God has, once again, sent His judgment with the goal of leading us to repentance.

So, now we can look at this proclamation for a day of prayer and say, “Yes! Finally! We are turning back to God!” Right?  Well, you might want to hold your tongue for a minute.  Let’s take a look at the actual wording of the proclamation,  keeping in mind what we just learned in 2 Chronicles.  I want you to pay close attention to the number times sin and repentance is used in this proclamation.

“Now, Therefore, I, Jeff Kottkamp, Lieutenant Governor of the State of Florida, do herby call for a Day of Prayer on Sunday, June 27, 2010, urging citizens to pray for comfort for the families of those killed in the Deepwater Horizon initial blast; that God would crown with success efforts to stop the flow of oil in the Gulf; that He would interpose to mitigate further damage and strengthen the hands of clean up crews; that He would sustain those whose livelihood is directly impacted by this tragedy; that He would preserve the health of citizens along the coastal regions; that He would comfort all citizens impacted by the oil spill, reminding us that He is a strong refuge in times of trouble; that He would guide and direct our civil leaders and provide them with wisdom and Divinely inspired solutions to the many complex problems associated with this disaster; and that He would prevent future recurrences of this oil spill.” “NOW, THEREFORE, I, Bob Riley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby declare Sunday, June 27, 2010, as a Day of Prayer in Alabama and encourage individuals to pray on their own or with others, according to their own faith, in an expression of faith and hope. NOW, THEREFORE, I, Bobby Jindal, Governor of the State of Louisiana, do hereby proclaim June 27, 2010 as a Statewide Day of Prayer In the State of Louisiana and in the Gulf of Mexico.” “NOW, THEREFORE, I, RICK PERRY, Governor of Texas, under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Statutes of the State of Texas, do hereby proclaim Sunday, June 27, 2010, as a Day of Prayer in the State of Texas. I urge Texans of all faiths and religious traditions to offer prayers on that day for the healing of individuals, the rebuilding of communities and the restoration of entire Gulf Coast environment in the wake of this disaster NOW THEREFORE, I, Haley Barbour, Governor of the State of Mississippi, hereby proclaim June 27, 2010, as a Day of Prayer in Mississippi for relief from this crisis and restoration of the Gulf of Mexico and shoreline.”

I wonder if this is reminiscent of something Elijah would have prayed with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.  Wait a minute, he cut the heads off the false prophets who were calling on their false gods!

I imagine that you are all asking the same question I asked after reading this.  “How in the world does David Barton not see that this prayer is an abomination to the Lord?” If you read through Solomon’s prayer, you will find a great emphasis on “this place.”  God has always been very specific with the way to reach Him.  All through the Bible, you will find that there is only one way.  In the Old Testament, God’s people had to come to the temple of the Lord.  Now, Jesus is the way to reach God(John 14:6).  We know that neither sin nor repentance was mentioned, but how many times was the name of Jesus mentioned?  It wasn’t.  Why?  Because these governors, despite their sincere convictions, are bowing to the altar of pluralism.  That’s right.  They don’t want to offend anyone so they just prostrate the God of the Bible and put Him on the same level as all the false gods of the world.

Bob Riley encouraged, “individuals to pray on their own or with others, according to their own faith, in an expression of faith and hope.” Rick Perry urged, “Texans of all faiths and religious traditions to offer prayers on that day…” What an abomination!  How can we, as a Christian nation, expect God to answer prayers like that?

There are two major problems with this prayer proclamation.  First of all, there was no confession of sin or admission that this gulf spill came as a result of national sin.  And secondly, it was a prayer offered up to a multitude of Gods.

David Barton, when touting this act as a sign of revival, discussed a little bit of the history of national leaders calling our nation to a day of prayer.  He compared this prayer proclamation, namely, to the those of George Washington, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson.  But I wish he would have actually done a good job of this, because if we study the prayer proclamations of our founders, you will find that there are no similarities with what the governors of the gulf states released.

I want to be clear on something.  I truly believe that now, more than ever, our president needs to proclaim a National Day of Prayer.  We have sinned against Him and are experiencing His judgments.  We need to realize that God is our problem, and that He is the only answer to that problem.  But this proclamation can look nothing like the one you just read.  For a better model, let’s read the one called for by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, in the midst of a civil war:

Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the supreme authority and just government of the Almighty God in all the affairs of men and of nations has by a resolution requested the president to designate and set apart a day for national prayer and humiliation.

And whereas, it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God: to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon: and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord:

And insomuch as we know that by His divine law nations, like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?

We have been the recipients of the choices bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown; but we have forgotten God.

We have forgotten the gracious land which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God who made us:

It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

All this being done in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the divine teachings, that the united cry of the nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering country to its former happy condition of unity and peace.

Abraham Lincoln

Do you see the differences?  The gulf state governors were only asking God for help.  Lincoln is confessing the great sin of this nation.  He humbly recognized that the judgments falling on this land were a direct result of our sin.  He prayed for forgiveness from the “offended Power.”  Then, at the end of this proclamation, Lincoln let the people know that deliverance would only come after humbling themselves, and crying out to God in repentance.  And until we realize this, our national disasters will only increase.

So, you might be asking, “How do I apply this to my life?” I know, you aren’t the president of the United States.  You aren’t a high ranking government official.  But, you may be one day.  Or, just as important, you might have the ear of someone like that one day.  Hey, that’s a good place to be.  But if you ever get to a place like that, you had better not compromise truth.  Never compromise truth.

Another application, which is just as important, is taking what we’ve learned in 2 Chronicles and applying it to your family life.  Dad, it’s not time to be playing Xbox.  It’s not time to be so consumed with work that you don’t get to spend time with your wife and kids.  Hey Dad, if you’re not loving your wife and kids the way God calls you to love them, you had better repent.  It’s time to get your home in order.  You want national revival?  Well, you’re gonna have to want revival in your home first.  It’s time to get on your knees, Dad.  Seek the face of the Lord to guide your family.  If you’re not reading the Word of God, everyday, than you had better start.  Without it, you are lost.  And you had better make sure your family is being led by the Word of God.  Come on, Dad.  This is not time to be playing around.  It’s time to get your home in order.  Teach your kids obedience.  Teach your family the fear of the Lord.  And don’t just say it.  Do it.

I say all this because I recognize that the gulf oil spill is a judgment from God.  I believe that God has been sending us one wake up call after another.  The problem is, we aren’t hearing it.  Therefore, be sure of this.  If this nation does not repent, judgment will continue to be poured out on us.  He will absolutely smash us until we come to repentance.  Until we realize that “in repentance and rest is our salvation.” (Isaiah 30:15)  It’s time to get your family ready.

I don’t claim to be some great writer, but I’ve been sending out these writings for a while now.  My very first one, involved high gas prices and I proclaimed that God was draining the wealth of this nation.  I warned that this would continue to get worse, unless we repent.  I warned of the judgment to come.  Now, I don’t claim to be a prophet.  The truth is, I am surrounded by godly men who have shown these things to me through the Scriptures.  My job is simply to take these truths, and get them to all that I can.  What happens with that is not up to me.  I’m just the mailman.  But I’ll warn you today that we haven’t seen anything yet.

So what’s the answer.  2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” This is something we need to do as a nation.  More importantly, this is something we need to do as a church.  But, first and foremost, we need to do it as a family.  For, according to Malachi 4:6, the curse which hovers over this land is a result of absent fathers and broken homes.

Here’s what we need to do.  Call your family together and search your hearts for the sin within.  Deal with it, and deal with it ruthlessly.  Get your homes in order.  Dads, if you’ve wronged your wife, or even your children, confess it.  The same goes for Moms and children.

Last of all, I want to take this opportunity to stress to you the importance of reading God’s Word.  Regardless of who you are, or where you are in life; without the daily consumption of God’s Word, you will drift away.  I guarantee it.  Dad, I cannot stress enough, the importance of devoting yourself to the Scriptures.  You need to know God’s Word.  If you don’t, you will lead your family astray.  There are so many deceptions out there, right now.  If you do not have the compass of God’s Word, you’ll be lost in a sea of deceit.

I started by mentioning David Barton and this call for prayer from the governors of the gulf states.  I end by saying this:  I have no doubt that these governors are well-meaning Christians, but they have not committed themselves to be students of God’s Word.  If they had, than they would know that you have to deal with sin before you can expect the Deliverer to hear from Heaven.  They would know that there is only one Way; that being the name of Jesus Christ…not a multitude of Gods.  But they don’t know the importance of that because they don’t know the Word of God.  By the way, how did God answer that pluralistic prayer?  Hurricane Alex?  Hmmm…something to think about, isn’t it?

Now do you see the importance of knowing God’s Word?  Let’s get back to the Scriptures.

For His Glory,

Adam Tennant

P.S.  I also should state that David Barton is a great historian.  If you want to know the truth of America’s godly heritage, there is no better source.  So, don’t think this article is an attack on David Barton.  It’s not.  I just wish he had better discernment when it comes to certain things.  Especially, since he has the ears of so many influential people.  Hey, he’s night and day better than Rick Warren.