God's Judgement on Jerusalem

I have been reading the book of Joshua in the Bible the last several days. What an incredible job that God gave Joshua to do. Jerusalem's impending doom and destruction was at hand. God basically told Joshua to phophecy to the people about the upcoming destruction. Yet, God also tells Joshua 'oh and by the way... they won't listen'. Wow, how is that for an encouraging word.

The bottom-line though is that Joshua is FAITHFUL to what God called him to do.

God judges the people of Jerusalem and they end up in captivity for 70 years after a 2 1/2 year siege on the city. Why? Because they have forsaken their first love. They have turned to idols for worship. The priests of the day told the church goers only what they wanted to hear. They included 'idol' worship even in the services. The people longed for debauchery, lust, greed and the like.

How might that compare to America today? What are we wanting to hear in a church service instead of the voice of God? Good music... the hymn played correctly? Words from the pulpit that underscore what we are doing and give credence to it? Or do we want to hear the WHOLE truth from the Word of God... the Bible?

What are we saying to others... are our ears itching to hear tidbits of tantalizing information about celebrities and friends, or do we want to hear God Himself?

What are our eyes longing for... more and more violence that we see on TV and in the movies? More and more bed-hopping and lust that is so common today? Or do we want to see Jesus face-to-face?

It is time to wake up and smell the coffee, folks. I envision that America is not long for this world in the path that we are presently on. We look A LOT like the citizens of Jerusalem in the days of Joshua. Will we as a nation wake up and REPENT (i.e. turn around)? Or will we continue down this path to destruction?

The day is near...

Fences to Protect Your Integrity

As I strive toward the integrity that God intends me to have, I have found that I must place in my life fences to protect this integrity. These are Moral Fences to guard my heart. I am taking part in a Leadership Class at church and one of the Character Traits of a godly leader is that they are sexually pure. This is an area that our society in America scoffs at and belittles constantly.

So, what are the moral fences that I have placed around my heart? Here is a list that I have developed over the past year.

1. I will not turn on the TV in a motel room when staying alone. Sound silly? Well, tough beanies. I am serious about my integrity and I want my bride to be completely at ease when I am out-of-town on business.
2. I will not drink any alcohol when I am away from my wife. I only have an occasional beer anyway but I see to much happen when people 'loosen up' after a drink or two.
3. I will not ride in a car alone with any other women except my wife or my daughters. Is it that I'm some pervert? NO, it is just a faith issue to me to have these fences in place.
4. I will not watch any movies or TV shows that show sex scenes. This is difficult as some happen without much warning and when that does happen, I will leave the room momentarily or even close my eyes. Again, I do not want ANYTHING to tug at my heart in that way but my bride.
5. I use a technique that is know as 'bouncing of the eyes'. I live in Florida and women here sometimes dress pretty scantily. When someone dressed like that comes into my view, I quickly 'bounce my eyes' away from her. Its not the first glance that would get me in trouble; it is the second. I will not allow that to happen.
6. I compliment my wife constantly to others. I also have an 'I Love My Wife' bumper sticker on my car which I have found to be a great tool that starts conversations. People constantly ask me if my wife 'made' me put the sticker on my car.

Do you have any additional moral fences that you use? Tell me about them. Maybe it is something that I can incorporate in my life as well.