The Woe's

The word "WOE" is found in the major prophets, 24 times in Isaiah, 12 times in Jeremiah, 1 time in Lamentations,  and 9 times in Ezekiel. In the minor prophets 2 times in Hosea, 2 times in Amos, @ times in Micha, 1 time in Nahum, 5 times in Habakkuk, 2 times in Zehaniah and 1 time in Zechariah. In the New Testament it is found 14 times in Matthew, 2 times in Mark, 15 times in Luke, once in 1 Corinthians, once in Jude and 13 times in Revelation. 107 times all together. You can find these by searching for the word "woe" in your favorite bible program. Or if you are "old school" you can look it up in the Bible concordance.

The word "WOE" means "ah! expressing grief or alas!, (in the sense of crying out after); lamentation; also interjectionally, Oh!: - alas" in the Hebrew language and "A primary exclamation of grief; “woe”: - alas, woe." in the Greek.

It's not a word that we use as an expression of joy and exuberance in a happy way. It is a word the proceeds impending doom.

Speaking of impending doom . . . Andrew Strom shared a good post that should get all of our attention. It is a picture of an impending doom we should be aware of. We are not in Kansas any more Toto! 

"WOE to THOSE WHO CALL EVIL GOOD"by Darren Smith

I am sickened at the state of this country and truly sad that it's ata point of no return. The tide has turned and those who seekjustice and righteousness are no longer the majority. Now we areat the time to confess that we let America and what she stands forslowly slip away while we sought after comfort and prosperity andself fulfillment.

Our land has become a place of greed and self promotion, shallowand spiritless. I know as soon as I send this out many willsay to "remove me from your list" or call me unpatriotic, but I'mbeyond the point of restraint and holding back words because theyare controversial and offensive. Political correctness means nothingto me and I will not be quiet any longer.

Isa 5 is a perfect picture of America today - a nation that lost it'ssoul. We need to admit where we are and what we have becomeand quit walking in step with the false notion that we are a "justnation". I want to start with the gay issue that dominates our mediatoday. The very fact that you can't say that being gay is againstGod's Word is ridiculous, but now as a nation we call - in fact wepromote homosexual activity - call it good. Woe unto a nationthat calls evil good!

I don't hate homosexuals at all. In fact we reach out to them withChrist, but I cannot condone their behavior and I will never call itgood when God says it is wrong! Lets move on down the list ofindictments.

Abortion is considered birth control, not murder. Again - ournation calls it good for women to be able to choose whetherto have a child or to kill it. The argument is that a womanshould have a right to have control over her own body. Butthe very reason they use is faulty at the core. If a womanhas a right to choose what she does with her own bodythen why does this nation's laws have her arrested for beinga prostitute? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying prostitutionis not wrong, but if you are going to hold the position that awoman has the right to control her body, then be consistentwith what you believe.

The sad truth is that abortion is a several billion dollar industrythat has bought our leaders and they have spent billionsspreading lies with their partners in the media to numb yourminds. Abortion is murder, cut and dry, and its effect on devaluinghuman life cannot be reversed. I have met and prayed with scoresof women that themselves were victims of abortion. I have nevermet one that was glad they chose to abort, yet as a nation wecall abortion good. Woe unto a nation that calls evil good!

We still say that we are a chosen nation, even though wehave the highest rates of drug use in the world, the highestalcohol abuse rates in the world, and the highest crime rates.Do you realize that you are more likely to be killed in Chicagoand many other major cities than you are in a war zone?
What we are seeing is the breakdown of society playing outbefore our eyes. The cheapening of life and the increase ofpeople with no compassion for others multiply at a mindblowing rate. Why? Because we call evil good and woe isbefalling us as we speak. Yet we as a people are too busyseeking comfort and entertainment to open our eyes. Weare far more concerned with sharing our opinion onFacebook, while we post selfies and try to make our lifelook interesting to others.

How did we ever come to a point where selfie could everbecome a word - much less an action - we take pride in?Jesus tells us to be selfless and not to promote our selfwith things. People should find us interesting, if we belongto Christ, because of our love and our actions. We are at apoint in our land where you can't hold a conversation with aperson because they can't look at you for looking at theirphone.

We celebrate bad behavior by making people famous and wealthybecause we like to watch their bad behavior on TV to entertainourselves in a righteous land. Could the Kardashions or Pdiddy orany others of the hosts be a role model? Would Jerry Springer orany of the other freakshows get any airplay?... Woe unto a nationthat calls evil good!

We celebrate greed in our nation by our fascination with thewealthy. Would you trust Donald Trump with your kids? Wegive the greedy a prominent position in society because ofwhat they have and because we are jealous and want or eventhink we deserve to have it too.

We have gone so far that we have modeled our churchesafter the world and the world's business plan - the bigger, thebetter, the more comfortable, the more holy we are. But truthcan't be found in this model, nor can courage, just moreentertainment. We even treat the rich better than others sowe can gain from them. Jesus said in Luke that you cannotmeasure a man by the abundance of his possessions. But westill do.

As a nation, we try to tell the rest of the world how to actwhen we are a total mess ourselves. We even export ourgreed as well as our false doctrines to anyone who will listen.I will close with this last point. If God's people would stand fortruth and justice, no matter what the personal cost, we wouldmake a difference. If men who say they are called to preachwould preach truth instead of feel-good humanism andprosperity, a fire would ignite that could not be contained.
What has brought us to this point is conforming to the worldinstead of conforming to Christ. There is no difference in themodern church and the world. They are one in the same. Themodern church just feels better about itself after hearing themotivational speech and the upbeat music a couple times aweek. A real preacher - preaching and living the Gospel - willcause a stir every time he speaks, instead of not rocking thecomfortable boat he is cruising in.

I really don't care if you think I'm too radical or that I'm unpatriotic.I cannot yield to this false system any longer. I will not defendthe actions of a nation and government that has turned it's back onGod, nor will I defend a church system that has done the same. I'mlooking for people who feel the same way and are willing to stand,take action and live the Gospel. We can't wait any longer to actbut nothing good comes without a fight. We need to networktogether and make a difference.

-PLEASE COMMENT on this topic at the following website-
http://www.revivalschool.com/ 

Spiritual Mechanics

When the car breaks down you go to a mechanic to locate the problem and fix it. (Except for those of you who are mechanics or DIY's) He locates the problem and fixes it, then you are back on your way till something else breaks down. So goes the automobile industry.

Tozer takes a look at our spiritual lives in the same way. How do we fix the problems that arise in our spiritual lives? Individually and corporately. What happens when the breakdown becomes a point of contention and impending destruction of the church God is building? God takes measures to fix it.

History records the actions and words of the prophets for us. If you are not familiar with those records you can find them in the old testament. None-the-less, the people of God are still in need of direction and correction. God deals with his people because he cares about them. We need correction and direction to stay on course with his adventure in life. 

We have access to the throne of God, salvation from sin and direction from the spirit of God at all times. What we decide to do with all that is up to you and I. When we refuse to follow God he corrects as his children. Nothing unusual about that process, I believe, since I do likewise with my children. He does it because he loves us. So, we need everything that God has for us and that includes fixing when we get broken or off track.

Consider reading Tozer's "Why Revival Tarries". It's a great book. Here is snip of the Foreword I received in my email today. You can find his other writings and information by clicking on the link HERE.

CLASSIC WORDS from A.W. TOZER
[-From the foreword to the wonderful book 'Why Revival Tarries']-

Great industrial concerns have in their employ men who are needed only
when there is a breakdown somewhere. When something goes wrong with
the machinery, these men spring into action to locate and remove the
trouble and get the machinery rolling again.

For these men a smoothly operating system has no interest. They
are specialists concerned with trouble and how to find and correct it.
In the kingdom of God things are not too different. God has always had
His specialists whose chief concern has been the moral breakdown,
the decline in the spiritual health of the nation or the church. Such
men were Elijah, Jeremiah, Malachi and others of their kind who
appeared at critical moments in history to reprove, rebuke and exhort
in the name of God and righteousness.

A thousand or ten thousand ordinary priests or pastors or teachers
could labor quietly on almost unnoticed while the spiritual life of
Israel or the church was normal. But let the people of God go astray
from the paths of truth and immediately the specialist appeared almost
out of nowhere. His instinct for trouble brought him to the help of
the Lord and of Israel.

Such a man was likely to be drastic, radical, possibly at times
violent, and the curious crowd that gathered to watch him work
soon branded him as extreme, fanatical, negative. And in a sense they
were right. He was single-minded, severe, fearless, and these were the
qualities the circumstances demanded. He shocked some, frightened
others and alienated not a few, but he knew who had called him and
what he was sent to do. His ministry was geared to the emergency, and
that fact marked him out as different, a man apart.

To such men as this the church owes a debt too heavy to pay. The
curious thing is that she seldom tries to pay him while he lives, but
the next generation builds his sepulcher and writes his biography, as
if instinctively and awkwardly to discharge an obligation the previous
generation to a large extent ignored...

-A.W. Tozer.