Has The Culture Worn You Out?

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And that which I can do, by the grace of God, I will do.” D. L. Moody

Do you feel small and inadequate in the world we live in? I do. Are you overwhelmed by what is going on in the culture around us? I am. Do you sometimes ask yourself, “What’s the point?” I do.

I liken this feeling to sitting in a leaky boat with water coming in through various holes. You try to plug them, but you don’t have enough hands. You can’t plug holes and bail at the same time, so your efforts seem futile; you’re going to sink.

The state of our culture has many of us feverishly bailing. I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle sometimes.

There are so many causes to get involved in, so many injustices to fight. We can wear ourselves out standing for righteousness and truth.

I have to ask myself though, should we really be worn out? Saddened by the evil that is running rampant, yes. Weary from the onslaught of opposition to God’s Word and truth, of course! But worn out? No, I don’t think so.

I tried looking for a scripture this morning that encouraged us to be worn out. Would you be surprised if I told you that I didn’t find a single one?

When we hear or say the phrase “worn out,” it suggests tired, empty, weak—all things that occur when we are physically spending ourselves. We get to the point at which, to rephrase a common saying, we become so earthly minded that we are no heavenly good!

My friends, it is easy to take on the burden of this world. But all through Scripture Jesus tells us that His yoke is easy, His burden is light. We know that the battle is not an earthly one, but oftentimes it’s easier for us to try and fight verbally and physically, through social media posts and protests, than it is to fight on our knees, where the battle is truly fought and won.

I do believe we have to take a stand and engage the culture. We are called to be salt and light in this world. We are to be the voice of righteousness. But not in our own strength.

We should not be taking on our shoulders a burden that only God can carry. We can’t plug all the holes and bail at the same time.

Our hearts should be broken for lost souls who believe the lies of the enemy, and that should drive us to pray.

Pray for those who are in such darkness that they believe they are something other than what God created them to be. Pray for the evil hands that shed the innocent blood of the unborn. Pray for those in authority in our nation who are pushing agendas that fly directly in the face of the Lord. Pray for churches that are watering down the truth. Pray for those who have a platform and claim to know Christ but are compromising for money, book sales, and popularity.

The question we need to ponder is, what has God called each of us to do?

For me, He has called me to raise my children to be a blessing and a beacon to the next generation. He has called my family to be a remnant family, a kingdom family. He has called me to proclaim truth in a culture that is saturated with lies. He has also called me to trust Him with the issues that are out of my control—to rest in His peace and remind myself often that He has not and will never fall off His throne.

For those of you who, like me, have been struggling to bail the water out of the boat, stop wearing yourself out.

Second Samuel 22:33 reminds us that it is God who arms us with strength, and He makes our way perfect! Believer, “the Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still” (Exod. 14:14).

Get out of the boat and keep your eyes on Jesus, because He wins in the end.

Lord, help us to trust You in a culture that is so adamantly against You and those who stand for righteousness. Help us to take up only what You have called us to take up. Help us not to become weary in doing good but to rest and gather our strength for the battle from You. May we be broken for the world around us, seeing people as You see them. Amen.

New York – Honoring the Dead While Celebrating Murder

My heart broke a little today. For today, we as a nation took one more step onto the slippery slope away from decency and morality. On the anniversary of the Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision, as a sample of women from different races and ages gleefully looked on, the governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo signed into the law the most radical abortion legislation we have ever seen.

While my heart breaks for the millions of babies murdered every year, I am angered and disgusted by the fact that we have allowed this to happen in our nation. Women are high-fiving and celebrating; dancing, crying with joy at their newly received freedom. Our elected officials are proud to have passed such empowering legislation, and Andrew Cuomo is flaunting his accomplishments on social media like he is some kind of hero. No, Governor Cuomo you are not a hero; you are a wicked man. You have the blood of millions of innocents on your hands.

As I look at photos of One World Trade Center and the spire lit up pink in celebration of this decision, I find it ironic, that the building erected to honor the death of thousands, is now celebrating the murder of millions.

It is obvious that our culture is drifting further and further away from any sense of the Godly morality our country was founded on. My question is, how long will God remain patient with a country that is sacrificing children to the god of Self? Galatians 6:7 tells us that “God will not be mocked. Whatever we reap, we will sow.” I am afraid for our nation and I weep for it.

So what are we to do? I have been asking myself this question over the last few days. It isn’t practical for everyone to be camped outside of abortion clinics or attending rallies.

I am realizing that it’s time to take a stand. Many of you are weary, but it’s time for Christians to stop being afraid and start being bold. It’s about preaching Christ and His power to transform lives. God’s arm is not short, but His church is anemic and passive. We are afraid to speak out because we might lose friends or offend family members. We are afraid to post on social media, because we don’t want to rock the boat. Let me tell you something -the boat needs to be turned over! It’s time to get into the battle Christian. It’s time to pray! The enemy is alive and well and is no longer hiding his tactics; he doesn’t need to anymore.

Dr. Martin Luther Kind Jr said “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”

I believe we are at a turning point in our culture. As Christians we know how this all ends, and we are hopeful. But until then, lets take up are armor and finish well.

Lord, help us to see life through your eyes. Help us to take our focus off of ourselves and place it on Your purpose for us. Bring our leaders to repentance and help them to see the wickedness they are perpetrating in our culture. Help us to realize that You have called us to be Your voice here and to use them for Your glory and for Your kingdom. Help us to finish well, Lord. Amen.