Being a Man of Conviction: Who am I? What do I stand for?

Who am I?  What do I stand for?  Today it seems like people have been brainwashed by consumerism.  People don't necessarily have faiths they defend or causes they believe in anymore, they more so have favorite sports teams, favorite movies, and favorite foods.  Young people are obsessed with rappers, pop stars, video games, fancy new products, smart phones, tablets, and funny YouTube videos.  But what about things that really matter?  We have communities around us that are struggling.  We have a crisis of depression and suicide in young people.  We have a crippling national debt.  We have corruption growing in business, culture, academia, and government.  

When will we decide that it's time to take a stand?  Today, right now is our chance.  Now is the time for good men to stand  But how do we go about it?

Assuming I'm looking to start to take a stand on issues, how do I develop my beliefs?  How do I learn, grow, and progress toward goals and causes?  I had to ask myself those questions after years of confusion, addiction, and hedonism in my life.  

Just over three years ago a savior changed my world forever.  Soon I discovered with my new eyes, that I could change the world.  I discovered that I could step up and make a difference.  My pessimism slowly faded away.  But I was left with a conundrum: What should I stand for?  What do I believe?  And what are the practical action steps to become who I ought to be?  And once I recognize who I am, how do I take action?

I'd like to walk you briefly through how I discovered who I am and what I stand for.  I hope these practical actions and areas of inquiry will help you to break free from the matrix of materialism and selfishness, so you can start to make a difference in the world.  Be the change you wish to see in the world, pull your eyes off the television box and the consumerism attitude of "what next to titillate my senses" and instead wake up to the spiritual battle raging all around you.  You can change things, you can make a difference.  Stop believing the cynics, and believe in the power of truth in the world.  

1. Family Heritage - After being freed from slavery to sin by the risen and glorified Lord Jesus Christ I realized that I'm part of a family.  I had lost touch with my parents, with my sister, with my grandparents, aunts, and uncles and so on.  Part of becoming a man of honor meant connecting with my family.  I asked my Grandpa about our heritage.  I listened to stories of his time in the Korean War.  I learned my family on my mom's side is Polish.  I began to study the history of Poland, from the Protestant wars to the battle of Warsaw during World War II.  I began to take pride in my Polish and Germany heritage.  My heritage slowly and effectively became a part of my own personal identity.  And I draw strength from that heritage. 

2. Country - I'm a citizen of the United States of America.  In the past I used to mock and criticize the United States.  Mainly I did that because all my hip college buddies routinely did the same.  But I began to realize that the United States was my home.  I began to realize that the United States is really an incredible nation, made up of many different peoples from all over the world who believe in personal freedom, religious liberty, free markets, due process, and limited government.  I began to learn more about the USA.  I watched the John Adams miniseries (very historically accurate).  I watched presentations by Dinesh D'Souza on America.  I read several books like Team of Rivals by Doris Goodwin and 1776 by David McCullough. I learned about the founding fathers.  I studied the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.  I began to realize how amazing the history of the USA is.  

My identity began to grow. I started to take a certain pride in being a citizen of the United States, a Christian nation.  I made American values like liberty, justice, personal responsibility, and free speech part of my own identity.

3. State - I was born and raised in Central Wisconsin.  This part of the state is beautiful.  It's also very cold.  The area is made up of mainly Polish, German, and Asian immigrants.  I grew up being out in the woods almost everyday.  I grew up 3-wheeling, fishing, hiking, and snowmobiling.  I began to integrate my local heritage into my identity.  I'm a Packer fan and a Badger fan.  I'm a strong north-woodsmen who can endure harsh winters.  I'm part of a state with a rich political and social history. 

4. Heroes - Who do I admire?  What people in history or in present times inspire me?  For me, I read a lot of biographies and I watched evangelical leaders.  I watched political speeches and debates.  I began to admire people like George Washington, John Adams, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, and many others.  I read their works, listened to their speeches, and began to develop my character based on many of their beliefs and visions for the world.  I encourage you to do the same.

5. The Bible - These categories are not in any order.  If they were, the Bible would be listed first.  Ultimately the Bible, God's word tells me who I am.  In Jesus Christ I learn everything there is to know about my identity.  My identity as a "Christian" represents 100% of who I am.  My family, country, state, and heroes are all interpreted through the lenses of my Christian identity.  

The Bible tells me a great deal about who I am as a man.  The scriptures tell me that I'm not a randomly evolved goo-man.  Instead I'm a being who is designed, by God, in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).  For those of us who belong to Jesus Christ, we have wonderful promises.  We have a rock solid identity that can't be crushed.  1 Peter 2:9 (ESV) says "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." The Bible tells me I have a redeemer named Jesus Christ.  The Bible tells me I have a destiny.  The Bible tells me I'm meant to stand for goodness, righteousness and justice in the world.  The Bible tells me I need to love others.  The Bible tells me I'm a warrior of God, meant to stand for the light in the darkness of this world by donning my spiritual armor.  

Now that I understand more about who I am as a man, next I have to ask myself: What do I stand for?  When I take a stand on issues it will usually involve looking at my core values, my convictions, then through those values moving toward political action and Christian action that I feel a passion for.  I have to look at my convictions and where those convictions draw my desire to serve.

1. Core Convictions - What are my convictions?  What am I willing to stand for?  What if necessary am I willing to die for?  Martin Luther King Jr. said you aren't really a man until you've found what you're willing to die for.  I think he's right.  Would you step in front of a bullet to protect your girlfriend?  If you recall the shooting at the movie theater a few years ago, a terrible tragedy; but the silver lining around that tragedy is that three guys stepped in front of their girlfriends to protect them from the flying bullets!  Chivalry isn't dead, it's just been forced from the mainstream.  It still exists, but now only as a resistance movement.  

From all my core convictions come my political, social, and Christian action.  I test all my decisions by my core convictions, which are all based on my Christian worldview.  It's my conviction that people should be treated with dignity.  It's my conviction that I ought to love others.  It's my conviction that I ought to forgive others.  It's my conviction that I need to stand against abortion, gay marriage, political corruption, and many other injustices.  It's my conviction that Jesus Christ is God, and my life needs to be a reflection of his purposes.  It's my conviction that I would rather die then turn against my savior Jesus Christ.

2. Political Action - "I don't do politics" is not an acceptable attitude in our case.  You have to do politics.  Why?  Because you need to stand for something in a world full of men that stand for nothing but alcohol, parties, bars, and sex.  The world needs you, and it needs you in the realm of politics desperately.  If good men refuse to participate, then we're screwed.  I'm a firm Christian conservative, and I believe in the Constitution of the United States.  Get involved with your local political party.  Get involved with an action organization like The Heritage Foundation, the Tea Party, Students for Liberty, or a dozen other political movements.  Get involved, participate on social media, in person, and stay active.  The world of politics is starving for good men who will stick to their guns (stick to their principles).  

3. Christian Action - Be a Christian in more than words, but in actions.  The churches in the U.S.A. are 60% women and only 40% men.  It's your lucky day single guys coming into the church.  But all kidding aside, the body of Christ needs men.  Men are suppose to be the leaders of the household. Men of honor are needed in ministry, to serve those in need.  Here are some suggestions for getting involved in Christian Action: 

a) Start a Christian blog and/or share your faith regularly on Facebook and Twitter, by the Spirit's leading of course. If God isn't calling you to this, then don't do it. Always follow His lead. 

But if you are called, please do it. This is the easiest way to start getting active.  Pray for willingness, and pray for zeal for the lost.  Use your creativity and your skills to stand for the cause of Christ.
b) Volunteer 1-5 hours a week at your local hospital, nursing home, food pantry, or charity (like the Salvation Army or St. Vincent De Paul.)
c) Join ministries at your local church and serve regularly.  Or join a small group at your church.
d) Share your faith at your work place.  Yes, you heard me right. Do it!
e) Share your faith with your family and friends.  Engage in morning devotionals with your wife and/or children.  Make Christian rituals a part of your holiday celebrations.

Being a man of honor in a troubled world means knowing who you are and what you stand for.  Being a man of honor means being unshakable in your convictions, and dogged in your action.  Please take a stand, because as Mark Driscoll said, "Godly men are an endangered species."  It's true.  We are in desperate need of Godly men.  And of course godly women too!  Please be the change, today.  Let's do it and let's do it together.  


Related Posts:

1. Be a Man
2. Am I called to Ministry? How can I know?
3. Mighty Men, Men of Valor, Men of Honor, Men of Renown
4. What is the Gospel?
5. Does man need God in Western Civilization: Young People are Hungry for the Truth
6. Real Christianity: Clothing, Buildings, Money, & Extravagance
7. The Stairway to Heaven
8. The Modern Man
9. Imagine a Perfect Universe: Genesis, Revelation
10. Life Formula for the Growing Christian

The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom: Why do we Fear God?

source

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
    all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
    To him belongs eternal praise. -Psalm 111:10 NIV

The scriptures read "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."  Wisdom is something we desperately need in our world.  We need it today especially.  We need it as the body of Christ on Earth.  

The scriptures are very clear: Wisdom begins with fearing God.  This offends our modern sentiments.  Why?  I suppose because we assume fear is a bad thing.  But is fear always bad?  Fear alerts us to danger.  Fear reminds us we are walking close to the edge from a steep height.  Fear keeps us within our boundaries. 

Of course fear can become out of whack.  Fear can overcome us, and become things like chronic anxiety, worrying, and even depression.  Fear can certainly be a bad thing.  But fear can also be a good and healthy thing.  It's part of our make up.  It helps us to flee when danger is near.

1 Corinthians 6:18 says "flee from sexual immorality."  2 Timothy 2:22 says "flee from youthful passions."  Once again, running from temptation flies in the face of our modern views.  We think we can handle it.  In fact we're told we can handle it.  We're told we deserve it.

Flee from sin!  And fear the Lord.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  As an early Christian I read right over that verse.  I didn't like it, so I ignored it.  But instead let's crack it open, see if it's true.  God's word is truth right?  Always.

Psalm 23:1-6 ESV reads,"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."

The beautiful psalm reminds that we must not fear evil.  Again in Isaiah 41:10 it is written: "Fear not, for I am with you."  Many times in the scripture we are told to "fear not!"  So how then can we say to fear is good?  

Well, to me it seems like the scriptures are pointing to a fundamental truth about the human condition: Our poles are reversed when it comes to fear.  We fear the world, we fear people, we fear the future, and we fear the past.  But we don't fear God.  In fact even those who know there is a God don't seem too concerned when they break his commandments and shun his presence.  We've got a pole reversal problem.  

The proper state of fear is that we fear God and we are completely fearless in the face of the world and the future.  We're as bold as lions, we're filled to the brim with zeal.  There is nothing we cannot do before the unbelieving world.  But this zeal, this fearlessness and courage begins fundamentally with a fear of the Lord.

"The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm." -Proverb 19:23 ESV

The greatest book of wisdom in human history is a book called Proverbs.  It was written by a man named Solomon, and by several others.  King Solomon was the son of King David.  King David was called a man after God's own heart.  His son Solomon was made an offer by God, to ask him for anything.  Solomon was wise when he made this request: "Grant me wisdom Lord."  God was very pleased with this request, and granted the request to him.  

Solomon penned the words of Chapter one of Proverbs as such:

1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

² for gaining wisdom and instruction;
    for understanding words of insight;
³ for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
    doing what is right and just and fair;
⁴ for giving prudence to those who are simple,
    knowledge and discretion to the young—
⁵ let the wise listen and add to their learning,
    and let the discerning get guidance—
⁶ for understanding proverbs and parables,
    the sayings and riddles of the wise.

⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
    but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Once again we see, in the very first chapter Solomon describes line by line all the various uses for the book of Proverbs. Then in verse 7 he gives his very first piece of wisdom: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge."

And again, in Psalm 34:8-14 (NIV) it is written: 

⁸ Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
⁹ Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
    for those who fear him lack nothing.
¹⁰ The lions may grow weak and hungry,
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
¹¹ Come, my children, listen to me;
    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
¹² Whoever of you loves life
    and desires to see many good days,
¹³ keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from telling lies.
¹⁴ Turn from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it.

It's quite certain that we are in need of the knowledge of the fear of the Lord.  I hope it will be your prayer tonight, to ask of God: "Teach me to fear you Lord." So what does it mean to fear the Lord?

1. To fear God means to tremble before the him. Psalm 2:11 (KJV) instructs us to: "Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling."  In Philippians 2:12 it says we ought to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.  The message spans both testaments.  To fear God means to tremble before him.  This is the aspect of the fear of the Lord that offends our modern sentiments the most.  We refuse to believe that fear should be any sort of motivator.  But the truth is that fear is an excellent motivator when used properly.  Understand that we are not fearing hell or torment or brimstone.  We are trembling before God.  This trembling motivates us toward action in our lives.  This fear instructs us of the proper place of God in our lives.  He is our master.  The current state of man is to assume that: "I'm the master!"  I can admit that.  I always thought that way.  I wanted to be in charge.  I tried to play God in my life, to force things to turn out how I wanted them to turn out.  Yet it never worked!  Trembling before God is acknowledging God's sovereignty. 

2. To fear God means to revere him.  To fear the Lord means we consider him completely holy.  We think of the Lord in sacred terms.

In the 1828 Noah Webster dictionary the definition of holy (in terms of describing God) is as follows: "Applied to the Supreme Being, holy signifies perfectly pure, immaculate and complete in moral character."

In understanding how good God is, we hold him in reverence.  We respect God.  We express emotional and intellectual reverence for God.  We are humbled by his vastness.  We are humbled by how complex he is.  We are humbled by the immensity of his creation.  We are amazed by God.  We are found to be in awe of God.  We find ourselves within the eternal love of God.  We find ourselves within the wonderful grace of God.  We are amazed, humbled, and found to be in our proper place as we kneel in reverence before the infinity of God, the complexity of God, the power of God, and the love of God.  

For it is written: "The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
    the earth is full of his unfailing love.

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
    their starry host by the breath of his mouth.

He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
    he puts the deep into storehouses.

Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all the people of the world revere him.

For he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm.

 The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
    he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
    the purposes of his heart through all generations.

  Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people he chose for his inheritance. From heaven the Lord looks down
    and sees all mankind;  from his dwelling place he watches
    all who live on earth— he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do."


3. To fear God means to be inspired by his perfection. The result is that the fear centered on God reflects back to us in the form of ambition toward holiness.  Fear spurs us toward holiness, like the competitors in a basketball game inspire the players to level up their game.  

While I was in college at the University of Wisconsin campus extension in Wausau I worked for the college newspaper.  During 2008 I served as a staff writer and distribution manager.  I became very good friends with the editor that year, a young man by the name of Hans.  We had a mutual love for basketball.  We made it a habit to practice together regularly, which developed into one on one basketball games.  We'd be working in the office and it would come around to 10 or 11 pm and we'd go out to the courts and we'd play.  I always remember how the competition inspired me to play at my very best.  He was much better than me, but through the challenge of the struggle of the game, my skills rose to match his.  I had a new motivator to drive me toward excellence.  In a similar way, the fear of the Lord causes us to drive toward growth, holiness, and Christ-like perfection.  We seek the mind of Christ in the fear of the Lord. 

One could also say that the inspiration found in the fear of God is akin to being pursued by a monster.  The fear keeps us running at full speed.  But God is no monster.  A more apt metaphor would be that we are the (gratefully recovering) monster, pursued by the hero who justly guides us.  

But truly, to be inspired by the fear of God is simply to see reality as it truly is.  We are having a mini-revelation as to our own shortcomings in reflection of the perfection of God.  The natural response is to be filled with enthusiasm for becoming more like Christ in all things.  We are bowing to the actual truth of anthropology.  We are admitting the obvious facts of anthropology (the state of man.)  When we fear God we are acknowledging that we are sinful beings.  We are acknowledging to God, in humility, that we need his guidance.  

In humility we challenge the greatest weakness provided by the terrible gift of the evil one: pride.  Pride drove Satan to turn against God.  And Satan tempted the first humans with pride and they were deceived by it.  To this day our race is continuously deceived by pride.  Pride destroys our world.  Pride drives good men to do terrible things.  Pride turns men evil.  We are able to keep pride in check indefinitely when we remain inspired, humbly reverent, and fearful of God.  

I hope my language has not frightened you.  God is not primarily a God of fear, but primarily a God of love and mercy.  Yet God is also full of justice . He is entirely just and good.  He is pure.  Yet he is also so loving, to give us full grace, and further, adoption as sons into his family.  We have wonderful promises of God our creator in his son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  

Jesus Christ took our place on the cross, freeing us from sin.  Which is why it's so important that we put off all the sins of the body: sexual immorality, greed, pride, gluttony and envy; among others.  

The fear of the Lord is key when endeavoring to be freed from every sin that can hold us back.  Consider 2 Corinthians 7:1 (ESV) which states: "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God."  We are instructed by the writer of 2 Corinthians to bring holiness into completion with this keystone: the fear of God.

But I think one of the most amazing benefits of learning to fear God is that we lose our fear of people and the world.  It just fades away.  With fear in it's right place, it evaporates from all the wrong places.  

If there is one universal for modern people, it's fear.  Fear and taxes.  Fear and debt.  But when we turn fear to it's correct location, we understand the truth.  Within the fear of the Lord, we find fearlessness before the world.  

In closing, the fear of the Lord is our strength. I encourage you to ask God to teach you to fear him.  Learn the fear of the Lord, and you will comprehend another immutable facet of life, the universe and God.  For it is written: "My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding— indeed, if you call out for insight
    and cry aloud for understanding,and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones."
Proverbs 2:2-8 (NIV) 

Related Posts:

1. Eternity & Christ: The Promise of Life 
2. The Paradox of Victory through Surrender: Rise Above
3. The Heart & Mind of Humanity: Reflections on Suffering
4. Coming into Maturity: Grace, Love, and Service
5. A Cause Worth Dying For: Materialism, Millennials, and the Radical Mission
6. Life after Death: Law, Eternity, and the Changed Mind
7. Wisdom from Above: Living in Light of the Victory of Christ
8. The Mindset of Christ: Teach Me How to Live, Lord
9. Sex, Cuisine, and Television: Overcoming the World
10. What is the will of God? 

50 Prayer Requests for 2016

Here are 50 Prayer Requests that I would like to make for this next year.  Please consider writing down a few of these requests and pray over them.  Thank you for your help.  Prayer changes everything.  Prayer is powerful.  God answers prayers.  He has answered them in the past, and he answers them today.  

1. Pray that the message of Jesus Christ would reach the lost in unreached people groups in western civilization.  Pray specifically for the lost in the United States.

2. Pray for those unreached people groups in the 10-40 window.

3. Pray for God to raise up principled, uncompromising Christian patriots to lead in our local, state, and Federal legislatures.

4. Pray God will orchestrate events to put a godly man or woman in the White House.

5. Pray for the truth to shine through the lies of the mainstream media.

6. Pray for grassroots organizations to grow in strength to take on the corrupt Washington D.C. system.

7. Pray for luke-warm Christians to be set on fire for God.

8. Pray for sound doctrine within the churches.

9. Pray for Christians who will stand up for their faith.

10. Pray for religious liberty.

11. Pray for the Salvation Army and her leadership.

12. Pray for atheists, that they would know Jesus Christ as their savior.

13. Pray for young people who are exposed to so much depravity and sin in this world, that they would be able to stand and resist every temptation and that they would know God.

14. Pray for public schools, and for the lies, and for the truth to be taught.

15. Pray for God's power to end the scourge of human abortion forever in this world.

16. Pray for the Christian message to reach out into all sectors of media and popular culture, including television, radio, the news media, movies, documentaries, history, and the sciences.

17.  Pray the Lord's kingdom come in the area in which you live.

18.  Pray for a great awakening in the United States.

19. Pray for Godly men to be raised up, who refuse to be shamed by the current culture, who live as men ought to live, and stand firmly as leaders and warriors of truth.

20. Pray for women, who have been so deceived by our culture to stand for morality, for truth, and for justice.  Help women to stand as beacons of wisdom, truth, grace, and humility.

21. Pray for young adults to seek after Jesus Christ as he truly is, and not as we would have him be.

22. Pray for Christians to get involved in politics in meaningful ways, given Romans 13's requirement for us to obey the authorities, which means participating in our democracy style government.

23. Pray for persecuted Christians in the middle east who are being beheaded for their faith.

24. Pray for persecuted Christians in Iran, including Pastor Saeed.

25. Pray for persecuted Christians in China and North Korea.

26. Pray for wise Christian leadership who refuse to be caught up in sex scandals or immoral controversies.  We have a great vacuum of good leadership in evangelicalism. 

27. Pray Gospel for Asia's leader K.P. Yohannan to repent from his new agenda of centralized leadership, and to return to a grassroots effort of raising up churches.  (Read more on Patheos).

28. Pray for many of the televangelists who do not endure good doctrine and who pervert the word of truth. And pray that if they do not repent, that the Lord would remove them from the airways.

29. Pray for a new conservative media.

30. Pray for the leaders of Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan and other massive banking institutions.  Pray for their leaders to be wise, godly, and to turn from corruption.

31. Pray for the owners of fortune 500 companies like Starbucks, Wal Mart, Costco, and others.  Pray they would know Christ and be charitable and generous with their wealth.

32. Pray for the end of corporate cronyism and corporate welfare.

33. Pray for ISIS to be brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ, and also pray that they would be defeated, to prevent the murder of innocent people in the Middle East, Europe, and the United States.

34. Pray for the victims of mass shootings and for the healing of their families.

35. Pray for those who are suffering from cancer, pray they would be healed and restored to health.

36. Pray for the LGBTQ community, pray they would receive the gospel and turn from their past ways and live in rightness with God.

37. Pray the church of God would spend more time in the word of God.

38. Pray that churches, organizations, and groups would promote healthy eating and help stem the tide of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes in our nation.

39. Pray that the body of Christ would spend more time in prayer.

40. Pray that young people within the body of Christ would take the Bible's teachings on sexuality seriously including the issues of masturbation, pornography, and pre-marital sex.

41. Pray for the church to help end the horror of child sex slavery.

42. Pray that believers would be better stewards of their money, and would learn better ways to manage their finances.

43. Pray that Christians in the world would have a closer walk with Jesus Christ.

44. Pray for cutting edge media, movies, and music to help transform the culture.

45. Pray for those addicted to drugs, pray they would seek recovery and know Christ.

46. Pray for alcoholics and for recovery and faith in Christ.

47. Pray for those addicted to cigarettes, that they would have the power to quit and stay quit. 

48. Pray for children who are led astray by the sexualized culture. 

49. Pray for sex addicts and relationship addicts to experience recovery and hope.

50.  Pray for prostitutes to be freed from their captivity, pray for Christians to help them be set free.

Praise the Lord for how good he is to have set us free in Jesus Christ!  God willing 2016 will be a year of growth, transformation, and spiritual awakening. In Jesus name, Amen.

Related Posts:

1. The Great American Culture War: Religious Liberty, Gay Rights, Naturalism & the Christian Faith
2. Christianity in the Public Square: The Apologetics & Philosophy Renaissance
3. Christian Activism: Can Christianity survive the new cultural attitudes?
4. Gay Marriage, LGBTQ Issues, and the Christian Worldview
5. A Rational Inquiry of the Bible: Is it reliable? Is it the word of God?
6. On the Fourth of July: Freedom of Speech & the New Intolerance
7. The Supreme Court, Same Sex Marriage, Religious Liberties
8. Ten Great Minds, Ten Controversial Presentations
9. What is the Truth about Abortion? Fact, Fiction, Christianity, & Humanism 
10. Faith in the 21st Century: The Seven Key aspects of Faith

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone, may this be a year for you and for I, in which we grow closer and closer to God, and that in his radiant presence we find the numerous shackles of sin tumbling from our limbs as our eyes lay be-fixed on the giver of life, the redeemer of man, our blessed, resurrected and glorified Lord Jesus Christ.

It's all about Jesus.