We have been in a drought! For the last dozen years, the Panhandle has seen some of the driest weather on record. To be sure, we have had some nice "wet" years scattered in during those times, but it has still been a lot of dry weather and more than a few failed crops. Were it in our power to end the drought, we would do it, but the good Lord has never seen fit to entrust men with the power over sunshine and rain. So, we instead trust God and beseech Him for the rains that we so earnestly desire. Still, if we could just order the rain from a catalogue, we would probably do it. 

 

"Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD."

Amos 8:11, RSV

 

The interesting thing is that we can in fact do something about cycles of drought and famine in a much more important area - namely, our hearts. We look around this mean old world and we see things that shock our sensibilities. We see God being denied and fairy tales in the name of "science" being embraced. But, since God is the creator of true science, we realize that the voodoo science of the modern world has very little to do with scientific pursuit at all. Further, we see perversion being normalized and normalcy being trivialized and even condemned. We pay more and more money to those who say they will provide for our peace and safety, only to find ourselves with more turmoil and a complete lack of security.

 

In short, we are in the middle of drought and famine. Not the garden variety, for it is a famine of the soul. We have abandoned the Infallible teachings of God for the ever changing doctrines of men. As a result, we are dying of spiritual thirst - our souls are starving to death! But what can we do?

 

In 28 days, on the first day of the new year, we are going to start a program to end our droughts and famines. We will begin with the challenge to read through the New Testament in 30 days. It will be harder than you think, as it will require at least half an hour a day. That means a half an hour away from our busy schedules. A half-hour away from our television and video games and social media. In other words, it will require a sacrifice, but the Word of God has the power to absolutely change the direction of your life. Did you think something as monumental as the salvation of your immortal soul would be easy?

 

If you end the drought... would you? Why not begin praying in earnest, right now, for the plans that you will be making to do so? 28 days will pass more quickly than you think, so begin planning and praying right now, for your commitment to end your spiritual drought forever!

 

By the way, if you know others who might benefit from such a commitment, why not share and like this article. It will get the message out on a much broader scale, and I would appreciate your kindness in doing so.

 

 

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work

Thomas Edison

 

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children... a people without understanding shall come to ruin.

Hosea 4:6, 14(b), RSV

 

Two men looked out from prison bars, one saw the mud, the other stars.

From Dale Carnegie's book, "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living"

 

In thirty-one days, on the first day of the upcoming new year, you are invited to join us in a challenge to change the world. Seems rather optimistic, doesn't it?

 

Let me back up a little and ask you to explore for a moment something you have likely already been thinking about, namely, that this world we live in seems to be falling apart at the seams. Why is that?

 

I think it has a lot in common with the people that God was addressing in the passage above through the prophet Hosea. It was towards the end of the Kingdom of Israel, and only a bit longer for the Kingdom of Judah. These two kingdoms, once united but then divided through their own wickedness, were on the verge of destruction because they had rejected God. They had wicked leaders who were doing wicked things. Since these evil men were their leaders, the common men and women thought they could do nothing about it. So they watched the decline of their once powerful nation, at first with distress, then with resignation fueled by the lie that there was nothing they could do, and finally with acceptance as they took part in the very sins of their leaders.

 

Does this sound vaguely familiar? A wise man once said that history may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes. We live in a time when we watch with distress the reckless path our leaders are on and we often just resign ourselves that there is nothing we can do so we eventually become comfortable in just going along with the crowd. How's that working out for you?

 

Well, it's one thing to just complain, but there is something far more excellent to be doing with our time: We can change the world!

 

How do we do that? By first changing ourselves! The challenge I have for you is something that approximately 100,000 people have already taken part in. Over 400 churches have taken part as a body of Christians in the challenge, and from all reports, have had very favorable outcomes. What is this challenge? I'm glad you asked! It is to begin the healing of this world in which we live by first beginning to heal ourselves or, more accurately, to allow God to heal us.

 

In the passage above, God told us that His people were destroyed by a lack of knowledge. We have the solution built-in to this very statement, for the cure for ignorance has always been knowledge. In this case, the knowledge we are speaking of has only one source - God, Himself! The only access to that "Source" is the Bible. So, here is what I would like to encourage you to do during the next thirty-one days: Prepare yourself to cure your lack of knowledge. Do so by beginning to pray. Pray for forgiveness - this means we first have to repent. Pray for wisdom to know what to do. Pray for perseverance, because you are going to need it in this challenge. Pray for healing, first for your own hard heart, then for the hearts of those in your circle of influence, then for the nation in which you live.

 

The challenge I'm asking you to join me in, beginning on January 1st, is this: To read through the New Testament in thirty days. Once you have accomplished that, there will be additional challenges to then study the New Testament, and then to tackle the Old Testament. It is a big challenge, but it comes with an incredible opportunity: To ensure your salvation by finding out what God wants you to do and then do it! Then by helping as many other people as you can to do the same.

 

A word of caution: Most will not do this. They will fail to see the opportunity because it looks too much like work and make no mistake, it is work! Many will feel trapped in the prison that this sin has built for our world and view it as does the majority: A filthy, muddy mess that cannot be cleaned up.

 

But for the visionary few whose eyes are lifted up past this mess we are in, the stars will be clearly seen. We have an opportunity to serve The Lord God Almighty and His Holy Son for all eternity. Did we think it would be easy?

 

I hope that you will join us in this challenge. Start praying now and making preparations to do just that. Be determined to begin and to never give up, for a person that just keeps on trying regardless of the obstacles that may arise cannot be defeated. With the Lord's help, we are going to Heaven! Do you think something so magnificent can be done without your best effort? Of course, it will not be easy, but I ask you to join us on that difficult path. Together, with the Lord's help, we cannot fail!

 

Do you see the opportunity?

 

By the way, you can help us get this message out by liking and sharing these articles. Please do as a challenge so monumental as to change the world will take every one of us doing the most that we can!

When I was around nine years-old we moved to a house on the edge of some woods near Seattle, Washington. Our property was right next to these woods and leading up to the trees from our dead end street was a hill. It was not particularly long, nor was it particularly high, but it rose so sharply from the street that it was very steep.

 

It was a challenge for a young boy that could not be ignored!

 

I got a green, Stingray bike for Christmas one year when we lived near those woods. It had chopper-style handle bars, a banana seat and a "wheelie bar" on the back. It was the best bike ever!

 

I can remember riding that bike as fast as I could to get as close to the top of that hill as I could. When I ran out of steam, I would fling myself and the bike down and then drag the bike the rest of the way up to the top. Then I would sit on my bike at the top and work up the nerve to look down at the bottom of that hill. It seemed like a sheer drop off from the top of a cliff, but I would muster my courage and push off with my feet and, for a few brief moments, it felt like I was flying.

 

To this day I cannot explain why, but whenever there was a hill or a tree or a big rock, It was like a taunting challenge, and I felt that I had to do something about such an affront to my budding manhood, or I would have to forever live with the shame of backing down. The rocks had to be scaled, the trees had to be climbed and the hills had to be ridden down by bike or sled.

 

I don't think it was from an urge to show off, for these challenges were nearly always made when I was by myself. For some reason unknown to me, I literally felt compelled to do them. I'm sure a psychologist would have a field day psychoanalyzing this compulsive disorder, but for me I suppose  that there was just such a thrill from the experience and a feeling of accomplishment when the challenge was met that the effort simply had to be made.

 

I guess it was one of those delights of being young that we all look back on with such fondness. It is this very "delight" that draws those who will follow to God and Jesus:

 

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. 

Psalms 37:4-5, ESV

 

When I was a boy, I didn't think much about the consequences had I failed in some of the stunts I took part in - I was just caught up in the exhilaration of the moment. And, though I do feel we could all use a little more caution from time to time and use some of the common sense that the Lord has given us, I  do think that there are too many people who are afraid to take any risk at all. Maybe this is the reason so many decide not to give their lives over to Christ - they have counted the costs and have just decided they are too much. So they live their sad little lives, safe from any big effort or big risk from taking such noble challenges, but in the end they are absolutely devoid of the joys that come from trusting God and delighting themselves in His love.

 

Perhaps it simply boils down to this: Service to God does require big effort, for it is a big challenge. Far too many people view these things as insurmountable hills that are just too high to try to climb, so they don't and they never reach the top. But for those who will take up this challenge and expend the great effort to get to the top of this hill, there is delight! We just need to trust in God and start the climb.

 

For reasonably intelligent people, Carolyn and I have spent more than our fair share of time searching for our keys. Like you, we need our keys. You might even say that they are vital to our being able to function. On our key rings we have the keys to our cars, the keys to our house, and the keys to our various places of work. In a separate key box we have dozens of keys that we don't use anymore. Some of them (okay, most of them) we don't even know what exactly they go to. But, since they might prove to be the very key we need someday, we keep them around just in case.

 

Getting back to the question, "Have you seen my keys?" Why, if the keys are essential to the proper functioning of our everyday lives, do we have to ask this question? You would think for something as important as being able to drive our cars and being able to get into our houses and our places of work that we would be a little more careful. If you did think this you would be wrong, for we still ask this very question all too often. Who knows how many hours we have had our lives on hold just waiting to find the right key.

 

This, in essence, is the purpose for my daily articles: I believe that there are certain keys to life that we cannot function without, but that we all the same have somehow seemed to misplace. Here is one of them:

 

The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.

Isaiah 33:5-6, NIV

 

In a world that is highly unstable, we have a sure foundation: The Lord! He offers us wisdom and knowledge and even salvation - in abundance! We cannot function properly without knowing what to do and how to do it, (knowledge and wisdom) but we very often are trying to access these great treasures without the right key. And while the worldly keys we have may actually open a door somewhere, the wisdom and knowledge these rooms contain are counterfeit and often do more harm than good.

 

Then we have the offer of salvation! The very reason that we are here is that we might be saved and live for all eternity in service to the Lord, but we rarely think about it. And if we do, we usually take for granted that salvation is just something that God will give to us, no matter what. If you don't believe that, consider this: When was the last time you went to a funeral where the person being memorialized was not "for sure" already in Heaven?

 

But, we can be sure of our salvation. We just have to have the right key. Isaiah reveals that this very key is the "fear of the LORD", yet we rarely think about this key at all. In fact, it is often just one of those keys that we might keep around somewhere, but we may no longer even be sure what it is for anymore. This is why we read and study the Word of God. It is so that we can find out about the keys to the treasures we so earnestly desire!