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Proverbs 29:2 – “When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.” NLT

I normally would not get involved in politics but I am concerned that our deficit spending will put today’s children and grandchildren in an overwhelming debt. I am also disgusted with politicians assaulting our Christian values. As the above Scripture points out we must do more than just groan? I read an article by N. W. Hutchings and it has made me think: what is going on in America?

God ordained three institutions: the family, resulting from the marriage of a man and a woman. The government is established to maintain civil order, protect the innocent and prosecute the guilty and to provide a defense for the nation. The church was formed to proclaim the gospel and the message of salvation. It is my belief that each were to exist in order to perform their missions independently but for the benefit of everyone.

God did not form governments to provide homes for families. In 1938, a program called Fannie Mae was created in order to help those who had lost their homes during the great depression. Money came from all over the world to invest in Fannie Mae because interest rates for homes were exorbitant. In 1970, government added a new sub-housing program called Freddie Mac. Both programs were expanded by a Christian president Jimmy Carter. In 1999, the government removed almost all restraints on mortgages. Acorn literally forced banks to make sub-prime loans to many people who had no way of ever making their mortgage payments over a period of time. Hundreds of thousands of illegal residents were granted loans. Otherwise, Acorn would picket the bank. Is it Scriptural that governments were established to provide homes for families?

What does the Bible say about the family? The 2008 World Almanac states that over the past 17 years there have been approximately 80 million babies born. Fifty percent of those babies were from unwed mothers. In 1966, under the Great Society an entitlement program was initiated to provide each mother a check depending on the number of babies she had. We developed a Welfare Program that became out of control. Today, we have a drug problem and a general crime problem causing our prisons to be over run. Statistics indicate that approximately 80% of those involved are from single-family homes.

Is it any wonder that the government has been greatly responsible for destroying the family unit? Do we need to point out what the justice department’s function in our government has done to the spiritual authority of the church? It has caused a breakdown in morality, abortion, separation of church and state, whether a cross can be placed on a mountain miles from public access and hundreds of more restrictions.

How many churches are fulfilling its God-given function to proclaim the gospel and the message of salvation? I believe some religious leaders are more fearful of our government than they are of God.

I truly believe the only true hope that America has is a spiritual revival spread across our U.S.A. to the point that Americans vote into office godly politicians regardless of party. I believe what Proverbs 29:2 states: “When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice.” It can only come from the church, established by God, to provide man’s God-given right to be free and live in peace. As Christians we can no longer remain silent. Then maybe the family will become what God intended and the Government will accept its responsibilities and stop meddling into what the churches and the family priorities are.

We must recognize there are those who are just not interested in being redeemed by the grace of God. They have ultimately been deceived by Satan’s messengers. They believe to become saved and surrender to Christ they will no longer have any fun. They do not want to be restricted from living as they please. They believe there are greater rewards living outside the will of God than being obedient to His will.

Most never consider the consequences of what sin can bring. How many have such guilt in their lives that they end up depressed, fearful, living constantly with anxiety and have no joy or peace in their lives? In fact, the result of sin in many situations may cause health problems. Sin can cause an individual to become so scarred, that their previous living and guilt can never be forgotten. There may be a time when they have reached bottom and feel there is no hope.

For years I have taught we can’t rely on feelings. We must rely on what God promises. This is our hope—there is only one sin that can’t be pardoned and that is rejection of Christ as the Son of God and denying the Holy Spirit. All other sins can be forgiven.

Grant Fishbook brought to our church a message on redemption. He told the story of Rehab the prostitute in the Book of Joshua. God had sent spies to Jericho and she took them in and protected them on the condition they would protect her family when the Israelites attacked. They promised to save and provide for her and her family. When you look at Jesus Christ’s family tree, she married a Jew and became a part of that family tree. The point was made that God can redeem anyone regardless of their past.

It reminded me of a man who had headed the Jewish religious leaders in their determination to destroy Christianity. If a Christian would not deny Christ they were thrown in jail or killed. This man was a murderer. He was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians and was hit by a light from heaven. He heard a voice say, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He asked, “Who are you Lord?” “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

These two stories tell us the character of God and His grace and mercy. We define mercy as God “not” giving to us what we deserve. We define grace as God giving to us what we do “not” deserve.

These two illustrations that the Bible gives shows what a person can be before salvation and what they can become after salvation. It shows that the Apostle Paul’s salvation came immediately after Christ spoke and he did nothing to earn it. Paul was told to see a man named Ananias. Arriving, Ananias placed his hands on Paul and he received the Holy Spirit. The sanctification process began. God sets him apart so that the Holy Spirit can transform his life. From that time on he stayed separated from the world’s ways.

A number of times I have used the illustration of what happens to a caterpillar. It’s a bug that crawls through the grime of the world. Who knows all the messes that it goes through? Then one day it dies a caterpillar’s death and turns into a beautiful butterfly. It then sours above the grime and messes below. It has been completely transformed. This is what happened in the life of Paul. He was into the devil’s grime but repented and joined the kingdom of God and lived apart from the sinful world.

What better illustration could God have given than to show what the Holy Spirit can do once it enters the life of a sinner? If God can turn a caterpillar into a butterfly can He not turn a sinner into a Christian by giving to us His Spirit?

I realize that to most of you reading this blog, this message doesn’t apply. However, we probably know many family, friends or neighbors that it fits. Hopefully, it will help us become better witnesses when dealing with those who have been deceived by the devil’s lies and have given up on God.

On Monday October 12th I wrote about a Christian’s advantage in the workplace, school or family. I did not receive this belief from prosperity preachers but from Scripture. Tuesday October 13th our office was broken into. Stolen were computers. To prepare that it doesn’t happen again and replace lost equipment, it is costing thousands of dollars. It was suggested that it was from a Satan’s attack because of my blog on A Christian’s Advantage. Whatever the cause may be, I believe my reaction is more important than what happened.

I believe it is extremely important that we as Christians realize that God wants to bless us. But blessings and advantages are not necessarily guaranteed. So I wrote that unforgiveness, hate and now anger can keep us from being blessed and having advantages. If you listen to many TV preachers they say advantages come from faith, love, giving, etc. They rarely state what may block God from giving us those blessings. This is why I feel it is so important to realize that if we have hate in our hearts, we have an unforgiving spirit or we have a spirit of anger within us, we may be blocking some tremendous blessings.

If we see rage, hostility or a venting dislike for others, we see a person with problems. Anger can break our relationship with God and others. And it may cause us to become isolated from others. It can give us a critical spirit and cause us to become judgmental. Anger can take away joy, happiness and a peace of mind.

Ephesians 4:26 – 27 – “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” What may be the result of being angry? It can become a sin. The apostle Paul says that we can have strong feelings without being sinful. Paul is talking about our temper. There are ways to express and control our anger. If our anger causes bitterness, wrath and malice, anger can control us rather than we controlling it. Therefore, there may be times we have feelings of anger but they must not affect our Christian attitude and our actions to the point we commit sin. Anger can become dangerous and must be under the Control of the Holy Spirit within us.

We know that anger can cause anxiety and frustration. But do we realize how much it may affect our health? When we become angry our blood pressure goes up, our heart beats faster, we become more tense and our adrenalin starts pumping. An angry person is susceptible to heart attacks and strokes.

In regard to the break in: In my blog, “A Christian’s Advantage” I had mentioned how an individual went through some very trying times and asked God: “What am I to learn from this!” This was the first thing I thought. When I arrived at the office at 5:00 a.m. a police and two forensic ladies were looking for information to apprehend those who had taken the equipment and damaged the office. Normally, I may not have had three from the police department immediately on the spot trying to gather information. As a store manager I have had a number of break ins but rarely ever had anyone seemingly trying too hard to gather information. However, my reaction was what I had learned previously: “Lord what am I to learn from this?” If Jesus hanging on the cross said: God, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. Should I not have the same mind-set over just equipment? The point: don’t let anger keep you from receiving a blessing from God and the advantages we have as Christians.

I John 3:14 – 20 – “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”

We stated that we would make suggestions that will help us have an advantage in the workplace, school or at home. Do Christians realize that hate can be a destroyer of most every opportunity? Not only can it become a tremendous disadvantage it can hinder our relationship with God.

I believe Scripture is very clear; no one can take the Holy Spirit from us but can we give Him up? The Bible says the unpardonable sin is rejection of the Holy Spirit. God promises that if we accept Christ, ask for forgiveness and repent of our sins and we get baptized He will seal us with the Holy Spirit. Later we begin deliberately out-and-out sinning and continue to do so. We have allowed money, fame, power or sex become more important than Christ and totally reject the Holy Spirit. Are we not committing the unpardonable sin? And if we are, won’t the Holy Spirit leave and will we not lose our salvation and eternal life in heaven?

What if we are saved and receive the promised Holy Spirit into our lives and then develop a deep hatred for those in our church who disagree with us? Isn’t John telling us that the Holy Spirit will not co-exist with hatred in our hearts? Do we understand what hate can do to us physically?

Have you ever worked with a person who had a hateful heart? It seemed to affect their whole personality. They appear to be negative and never have a good word for anyone or anything. Did their attitude inspire you and make you want to be part of their team? Have you worked with a person who had a truly loving heart? Did you notice a difference between the person who hated and the person who loved? Who had the advantage?

Paul then goes on to define love which is the requirement needed to receive eternal life with Christ. If we want to know what true love is we must follow the example set by Christ. Love requires real sacrifice and a servant’s heart. Laying down our lives may mean giving up our rights. It may mean putting the needs and interests of others before our own. Love develops a heart for sacrificial giving and provides selfless attributes in us. There becomes a desire to serve others without any reciprocal expectations. Would you do your best working for a very confident leader who had the above attributes plus a tremendously humble heart? We are not talking about a leader who is a wimp. He or she can be very stern and demanding but in a gentle and caring way.

There will be times when love requires action. When I was a child neighbors helped neighbors. If a person needed help you dropped what you were doing and went to assist. Love was helping those who found themselves in situations that they had little control over. This kind of love usually will work in the workplace; at least it can be an advantage.

Each of us have different personalities and temperaments. Some will have a guilty conscience no matter how much they do or how much they help others. It will never seem like they do enough and they believe God will hold them responsible. There is a limit as to what is required. Some supervisors may try to manipulate us, placing heavy demands, stating that if we really care, we would do more or work harder. We must be careful not to become enablers. We must develop a discerning spirit and let the Holy Spirit within us, guide us to whom and when we are to truly help others. There will always be those of us who feel we never do enough and other employees or family members who really never do enough. God wants us to have peace and joy in our hearts. He does not want us feeling guilty for the needs of the world, unless we are the president or the needs required of a business, unless we are the owner.

What has the above Scripture taught us? A person who has unconditional love in their hearts will never hate another person. They may hate what they do. We should pray for a spirit of discernment. Who do we help, when do we help and how much do we help? If there is any hate in our heart it must be released immediately. Regardless of what someone may have done to you, don’t let hate destroy your relationship with God or others. As difficult as it may seem, we must develop a loving heart.

The greatest of all commands is to love God with all of our might and others as ourselves. We cannot love with the love Christ teaches with hate in our hearts. Accomplish these two loves and never worry where you will spend eternity. God’s grace is sufficient!

With the help of Doug Lee and Dick Shine we have a book being published the latter part of January. It points out the advantages we have as Christians. Dick and I have been elders, on the church board at Central Christian Church for many years. We worked on many things together and decided to share some of our experiences in the workplace. Doug and I have been in a weekly Bible study group since 1999. He has always wanted to share some Christian advantages he has had as a professional basketball player and as president of an international business here in Las Vegas. Dick was an engineer at the test site north of Las Vegas. Dick and his wife Carole owned for a number of years two Christian book stores here in town. For many years I was a store manager for Montgomery Ward. At one time, we were the second largest store in Las Vegas. We believe the Lord wants us to share with others the advantages we and others have had by being Christians. Too often we have heard Christians think it was a disadvantage to be a Christian in the workplace unless you were on staff at a church.

The opportunities for Christians are almost unlimited. We have felt led to point out what Scripture teaches about the blessing available to each believer. We came from God with a given purpose. It makes no difference who our parents are or how dysfunctional our lives may have been. God can create in us a new person with potential and abilities. Yet, the devil will continually try to deceive us in believing we are just too unworthy and will never amount to much.

Here are some examples similar to what is in the book. A Christian young lady in her last year of college is interning at a business here in town along with other college interns. Like many of us who live as Christ instructed, she is very responsible and has a servant’s heart. She was selected, out of the interns, to receive money toward her education and was given a two year work contract beginning once she graduates. She believes being a Christian was a definite advantage.

We do not know whether this story of being selected is a “God thing” and she was blessed; or, the fruits of the Spirit such as being kind, good, patient, having self-control and a positive, peaceful attitude was her advantage. All she knows is she was selected and believes it is God’s “will”. Seeing positive things happen in our Christian lives, we can think: wow, I am lucky or God had a part in it. Most Christians do not realize that Scripture tells us God wants to continually bless us. (See the “Beatitudes” & John 20:29)

A supervisor was having a horrible day. Everything that could go wrong was. She prayed: “Lord what is this all about? What am I to learn from this?” Later an employee asked her: “How can you stay so calm with all of these things happening around us?” She said this was the first time she was able to witness that it was the Holy Spirit who keeps her calm. The advantage was that she had put her trust in God and knew that He had a purpose for what was happening. What she learned: God wanted her to be His witness that day so He allowed chaos. It was her “trust in God” that she shared with the employee.

However, too many Christians never expect to be blessed or have an advantage and as a result do not recognize it when it happens. We want Christians to realize God is waiting to bless us. But first, we must learn to listen to the Holy Spirit that is placed within us to comfort, council and direct our lives. Blessings and advantages come to those Christians who put God first in their hearts and love others as themselves. Those who are Christians only on Sunday probably may not receive the advantages we are describing or the blessings that many see day-in-and-day-out!

Some of our future blogs will point out the advantages or the changes we must make to receive God’s blessing that will assure us of an advantage. When we hired employees there were certain attributes for which we looked. When hiring a supervisor, we expected much more than a general employee. We will share some of those requirements.

“God willing”, in the future we want to hear all of the Christian advantages you are having and pass them on. It may be that another book is possible. Having seen all of the supernatural things happen in my lifetime has given me a tremendous faith. We want others to increase their faith once they begin looking for the advantages that result from living a committed life for Christ. If you journal, write all of the advantages that occur or keep track of any supernatural event that you would like to share with others.

Besides family or the love of your life, over the years who do you remember most? Many of us may select a teacher; or it may be a pastor, Sunday school teacher or a teacher in elementary, high school or college. It may even be a friend or neighbor. It could be about anyone. Who has made a tremendous influence in your life?

The teacher I remember most was a very ordinary person who was my business professor in college. He was my instructor in at least 15 classes. He was Hayes Johnson, a World War II army veteran. He was captured in the Battle of Bataan in the Philippines. He was part of the Bataan Death March that took place in 1942, during World War II. The death march was 60 miles long and it took nearly a week. Approximately 72,000 Americans and Filipinos started and 54,000 made it. Along the way they were beheaded and throats were cut; they were casually shot, raped and stabbed by bayonets. Falling down was a death warrant. They were refused food and water.

He never discussed what he went through only to say that he was a participant of the Bataan Death March. He exuded with faith and confidence. As young college students his positive attitude affected many in the class. Two of my closest classmates shared the same response. One became president of a Christian college and the other became the college’s business manager.

One of the greatest influences we have is being a parent. However, we can be influential to friends, co-workers or neighbors. Do we represent the Son of God well to others? Do we have a sense of purpose in our lives or do we have no sense of direction? Do we really care what others think about us? How can we have the unconditional love that God tells us to have if we do not care how others see us?

One thing that Scripture has taught me is to be true to my convictions. I believe this is one of the greatest examples we can leave to others. Let’s define conviction as having a personal belief that the truths of the Bible are not to be compromised regardless of the circumstance. In the Book of Daniel there were four teenagers who refused to compromise. They were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who refused to obey the commands that were given to them and were given death sentences. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were told to kneel and worship an idol. They refused and were thrown into the fiery furnace, but God saved them. Daniel was commanded to stop praying to his God and he continued to pray. He was thrown into the lion’s den and survived. We learn from Scripture the convictions of Jesus and that of the apostle Paul. They were unwilling to compromise their morals or principles. Scripture is very clear, God blessed those who had strong convictions and refused to compromise.

We are living at a time when our political leaders will compromise at the drop-of-a-hat. They will deceive or do whatever it takes to get elected and re-elected. It seems like the only true conviction most have is to stay in power. How about the average Christians? How strong are our Christian convictions or how easy is it for us to compromise if it will be to our benefit?

I am far from being perfect but I have some strong Christian convictions and I believe it has been a tremendous advantage. I also believe my Christian convictions and unwillingness to compromise has influenced my family to accept and commit their lives to Christ. I urge you to develop strong convictions in what you believe and do not allow yourselves to compromise on principles. This must be part of our walk and it is our walk that people will remember and not just our talk.

What I saw in my business professor were strong convictions, love for life and for his students. What he had was catching. To this day I caught that positive attitude and it changed the direction of my life forever. I hope I may pass it on to others. I believe if you asked those who know me best they would tell you that I am positive, have a God-given faith and strong Christian convictions. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, Scripture and a teacher who really cared and instilled these attributions in his students.