DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE TIMES?
From Issachar's descendants there were 200 leaders who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.
1 Chronicles 12:32 GW
The wisest man who ever lived was Solomon, the son of David and king of Israel. He was not wise due to sheer brain power, however. He was wise due to a specific prayer request: “So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil” (1 Kings 3:9). God loved this prayer, and He answered it in spades!
Do you ever pray for discernment, the ability to understand and perceive situations and conditions? It seems now more than ever we need people with discernment, people like the sons of Issachar who understand the times and know what to do.
THE TIMES IN WHICH WE LIVE
If you want to know the current moral, spiritual, and social climate in America, all you need to do is read Romans 1:18-32. We are a society that has, for the most part, turned its back on God and His Word. We do not like to honor or acknowledge God in the public square. Since the Scripture says that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” it makes sense that we no longer have any wisdom, even on the most basic of questions. (It has gotten so pathetic that we can’t even understand the difference between males and females. May God have mercy!)
In Romans 1:18-32, God tell us what happens to a society that makes the decision to reject His wisdom for their own.
They become fools. “Professing to be wise, they become fools” (Romans 1:22).
They become idolaters. “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever” (Romans 1:25).
They are given over:
to impurity (sexual lust and immorality that defiles the body). “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them” (Romans 1:24).
to degrading passions (homosexuality that defiles and diseases the body). “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error” (Romans 1:26-27).
to a depraved, corrupt mind that calls “evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind …” (Romans 1:28).
Do you understand that these are the times in which we live? Romans 1:18-32 is as fresh as this morning’s newspaper headlines. So the question is this: what do we do?
We get right with God while there is still time. It is not His ways that are not right, it is our ways that are not right (see Ezekiel 18:29). We desperately need to turn from sin and the wisdom of the world and humbly embrace God as King and His Word as truth.
We need to spend time in the Book. To know the truth that sets us free, we have to spend time reading the Bible and evaluating situations, circumstances, and decisions through the Word of God.
We need to stand up and be counted. We are called to be salt and light. Salt preserves against corruption when it is applied to the fresh fish, meat, or poultry. Light illuminates when it shines on the darkness.
May God wake us up to the truth so that we can discern the times and do what is necessary to make a difference!
Love,
Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries
Dr. Jeff Schreve believes that no matter how badly you may have messed up in life, God still loves you and has a wonderful plan just for you. From His Heart provides real truth, love and hope on over 700 radio stations each day, in 182 countries each week on TV, and is always available online. Pastor Jeff takes no income from this ministry. All donations go to furthering the broadcast outreach. As a listener/viewer supported ministry, we thank you for joining with us to help speak the truth in love to a lost and hurting world. Go to www.fromhisheart.org for more information.
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