Do You Hear What I Hear? (Not Just A Lyric)

King David's love for God's creation
King David was a great psalmist.  Many of the psalms in the bible are attributed to him.  In Psalm 19:1-2 David says,

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.  

Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge."

Before King David was king, he was a shepherd. He had the pleasure of lying out under the night sky and observing the constellations, maybe seeing a shooting star here and there.  During the day he watched the sun move across the sky.  He probably observed those neat moments when the sun and moon both appear to be in the sky at the same time.



In this day, we are so busy that we don't even notice the sun except to be bothered by it's brightness and put on sunglasses.  At night, especially in the city, you have to work really hard to see the stars.  We still seem to be fairly enamored by the moon and it's phases.  Not to mention when it gets really big or takes on some beautiful and unusual color as it reflects the suns' light or is eclipsed.

Childlike love for creation
The greatest way to enjoy the glories of the day and night sky are through the eyes of a child.  For myself, those eyes first came in my oldest son Ryan.  When Ryan was a toddler and learning to speak, his first word was moon.  He loved the moon.  He would ask for it and when he saw it, his face would light up as big and bright as the moon itself.  But when it went out of sight, he would get sad.  His whole countenance would change.  To this day he still loves nature and science.

We recently had the pleasure of getting up at 5:30 in the morning and watching a lunar eclipse as a family.  The stars were so clear in the night sky.  It was awesome and Psalm 19:1-2 kept coming to mind and I quoted it a few times to the boys.

Taking creation for granted
I believe David's appreciation for the life of the sky was as vibrant as that of Ryan's with just one difference.  A young child does not realize that they are looking at the very handiwork of God.  Do you?  As adults we get so busy with day to day life that we very rarely look up and appreciate God's handiwork.  We certainly don't think of it as declaring God's glory.  Oh from time to time, on a peaceful night and somewhere that there aren't many lights, I can get a good look at the sky.  When I do I actually remember, to some degree, the awe and wonder that is God's creation.

Do you take God's creation for granted?  I know I do.  I don't spend nearly enough time appreciating and expressing gratitude for what God has given me.  My boys Ryan and Alex know that nature is God's handiwork but at ages ten and six, I can already see them enjoying it, but not with the same awe and wonder that they did when they were smaller.

Teach your children!
What about your children?  That's where we come in.  Not only do we need to make a consistent effort at appreciating the splendor of the trees, the birds in the air, and the stars in the sky but we must remind our children.  We must help them never to forget that, not only is nature there, but it is crying out
 "Look at our Creator!  I'snt He Majestic?" 



 "Glorify Him for He has done great things!"


The pics could go on forever but you get the idea

Once you hear it, teach your children to be active participants.  Ask them, "Do you hear it?"  "Do you hear what I hear?"  The heavens are declaring it.  All of nature is declaring the glory and majesty of our Almighty Creator.  Now obviously this is something we learn to see with our eyes and perceive with out hearts by God's grace.  However, we must teach our children to desire to do the same and pray that the Holy Spirit will open their eyes to it.

Creations Revelation, Our Rejection.
Romans 1:18-21 states, and I paraphrase, that the very condemnation that necessitates a Savior is ours, because what can be known about God is plain in the things that have been made.  This is known as general revelation.  It says that we are guilty and without excuse because we know our Creator and yet we reject Him.

At the fall, Adam and Eve decided that what God had provided wasn't good enough if they could not take of the one tree that they were instructed to leave alone.  God's creation has been crying out to us about himself since the beginning.  We have been rejecting God's provision and God's authority ever since.

That is why we are all guilty, condemned, and damned to hell.  That is why Jesus had to come to earth, take on flesh, live the life of perfect obedience that we could not live and die the death that we should have died.  He took the punishment by becoming sin.  He took all of the wrathful response to that sin which should have been ours.  He satisfied our debt.




Good news!
The good news is, HE IS RISEN!!!  He conquered death.  Now the righteousness of His active obedience and victory over sin are available to us so that we can have eternal life.  Isn't that amazing?  We rejected God!  Yet, He sent His Son to live righteously and die to take the punishment for our sins; then raised him from the dead so that we could have access again to the Father for all eternity.

All we have to do is repent and have faith.  By God's grace we can have that childlike faith which once again appreciates all that God has done for us and yearns to obey Him.  If you have never known this gift of faith that leads to belief, repentance, and eternal life, you can have it.  Cry out to God.  He hears our cries and He can save you and change your life right now.

May we all come with childlike faith and learn to enjoy the majestic handiwork of our Heavenly Father, from creation to the cross, once again.

In Jesus name,

Amen.

EBOLA!!! To Fear or Not to Fear

EBOLA!

A bloody, painful, plague-like mess of a sickness that strikes fear into the hearts of people when they hear it.  According to the CDC, it first reared it's ugly head 38 years ago in 1976.  Incidentally, the year I was born.  It was hit or miss through the 80's and then made a small comeback between 1995-1996.  There have been a number of outbreaks of Ebola in Africa in the 21st century, but the most recent, and the most deadly at 2,431 deaths so far, is the first to make contact inside the borders of the US.

With an incubation period of 4-16 days, Ebola rests quietly until the signs and symptoms suddenly arrive.  Without warning patients experience fever, chills, headache, anorexia, and muscle pain. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and sometimes sore throat and cough will develop as the disease progresses.  Eventually the victim of Ebola will bleed out internally and through orifices because the virus has attacked the platelets and arterial walls.  This often causes shock and respiratory distress.  This virus is highly contagious via significant contact with bodily fluids from person-to-person.

On October 8th, Thomas Eric Duncan of Liberia, died of Ebola in Dallas, TX.  Since then there has been a healthcare worker in Spain and in Dallas that have contracted the virus.  The government and every healthcare facility in the country are trying to make sure that no one else contracts it. 

In spite of all the precautions, fear abounds.  Why?

Do You Fear What I Fear?
Fear is natural.  To dislike the idea of death is natural.  Death is the antithesis of what we were created for.  We were created for life.  Yet we live in a broken, sinful world in which sustained life for eternity is impossible.  This body will, at some point break down and we will die.  Whether it happens due to age or a disease remains to be seen.  But death and fear are most certainly a part of our sinful nature that we will wrestle with until we one day pass from this world.

I confess that I am no fan of death.  I worry about what would become of my family if it happened early.  I want to be used of God for as long as possible.  I suppose it speaks to my need for greater sanctification.  The Apostle Paul said that to live is Christ and to die is gain.  I suppose I need to do more living for Christ that I may more greatly appreciate death as gain.  If we truly have confidence in God as sovereignly in control of all things including the numbering of our days, then we have no need to fear our death or fear for the lives of those we leave behind.

But should we fear Ebola?

What Confidence Do We Have?

It may seem dark, depressing, and unnerving to be reading what I have written so far.  It should be. You may be asking, "Why in the world are you putting this out there?"  For one, we need not allow fear to cause us to remain ignorant of threats.  There are practical tools and processes to be utilized when fighting any enemy whether human or disease.

We should know the threat and we should know what our defenses are.  They are put in place by God for our protection.  They should however, always be accompanied by prayer and faith in God that they would work.  But, when those defenses fail, and they do sometimes, then we must continue to trust that God is still in control and; He has our best and his glory in mind.

The truth is that this is the world we live in.  It is broken, often dark and depressing, and to be sure the idea of Ebola is unnerving on some level, no matter how strong your faith is.  We still live in a vessel of clay that experiences pain and suffering and we still battle with a sin-nature that would rather ignore problems than face them head on.  But we must.

There is hope.  There is a confidence to be had.  However, it is not necessary or even healthy to ignore a problem in order to exercise faith in that hope.  The Apostle Paul continually points to problems involving sin and suffering and expresses his own frustration in having to wrestle with it

(Romans 7:7-25).  The fact is that Ebola is real, death is real, and fear is real.  Now let's look at the very real promises in scripture as they relate to these things.  

Promises From God's Word

Psalm 39, 90, and 139 all speak to God's sovereignty over the length of our days.  One peace that we must learn to rest in is that, as believers, our Heavenly Father caused us to come into existence and determines when we will leave this life and enter into a glorious eternal existence with Him.

The primary text that comes to mind for me as a promise to stand on regarding Ebola is Psalm 91. Though it is only sixteen verses it would not due to quote it hear.  I would encourage you to read it and meditate on it.  I will point out that it speaks of The Most High as our refuge and fortress delivering us from pestilence and plague as well as physical enemies.  It is wonderful news that we can trust in and depend on.

Think Eternally, Believe Biblically
However, it is imperative that you know in whom you have believed(2Timothy 1:12).  You really must know that you are putting your trust in the biblical God and the biblical Savior.  It is in
this God and Savior that you will find safety and protection.  The reason that this is so important is because the promises of healing, protection, and deliverance in scripture do not always come to pass in this life.  There are times that God chooses for His children to experience these promises in eternity, through death's door, at the end of life here on this earth.

If we have a healthy understanding of eternity and we trust that God always does what is right then this should not be shocking news.  The bible is full of not so pleasant endings for very faithful followers.  It is either ignorance or denial to believe or insist that all of God's promises always come to their full realization in this life.  That is why it is important to understand who we are placing our faith in.  That is why it is important to understand that to be a true, bible-believing Christian is to begin eternity now, while not experiencing it's fullness until we are with Jesus in heaven.

No Hope For The Dying
If you have not placed your trust in Jesus then THERE IS NO HOPE.   Ebola is the least of your concerns.  The symptoms I described above, at their most horrific, could not possibly compare to the eternal suffering that awaits you in Hell.  Without Jesus we are ALL condemned to the same fate. We will all face endless suffering for all eternity.

If you are picking and choosing what scriptures to believe and apply, you are in danger.  If you believe in a God that will not ask you to deny yourself, crucify your flesh, take up your cross and follow Him, then you are in danger(Matthew 16:24, Luke 9:23).  If you are putting your trust in any of the good that you do, up to and including religious rituals, attendance of church or membership in any given denomination, then you are in danger.

You are already dying.  You are already headed for an eternity apart from God.  Ebola is just one means by which all hope could be lost for redemption...if it kills you in your faithless, unrepentant state.  There are so many in this state.  So many, living for themselves and trusting in a lie.  Trusting in a God made in man's image rather than the Biblical God in whose image all of man is made.

The Blessed Hope
There is one God, Maker of Heaven and Earth.  He is holy and cannot abide sin.  He will punish impenitent sinners justly at the judgement.  This same God is also a loving Father who sent His sinless Son to take the punishment for our sins so that we could find redemption in Him.

This Son willingly came, lived a perfect life of obedience and died a horrible death on the cross.  Not only was His physical death horrendous, but He experienced, in the spirit, the righteous wrath of the Father that was due every sinner.  This, so that everyone who believes in the saving power of the Son's sacrifice and submits to His Lordship will be saved from that wrath.



The purpose of this salvation can be found in many places in scripture but I am inclined toward Titus 2:11-13.  Here Paul is writing to Titus, a Pastor whom Paul put into place at the church in Crete.  He states, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed  hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works."

Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us that we are saved by grace, through faith, unto good works.

Peace Everlasting
If this God, who does not save you for your own happiness and purposes, but for His purposes and His glory, is the God in whom you have placed your faith; then you you are believing in the God of the Bible.  You are surrendered to His will and trusting in His righteousness, rather than your own, for your eternity.

If this is the case then Christ in you is the hope of glory(Colossians 1:27).  You need not fear Ebola or death because your life is eternal and will be made whole in Christ at the last day.  No matter how much suffering we endure now, it will not compare to the glory that will be revealed at the second coming of Christ.  God knows all the plans that He has for you and your family so you can trust Him with your life and theirs.  You and all in your household whom believe will know everlasting peace.

If you have never placed your trust in Jesus, now is the time.  It does not matter if you have rejected this teaching one hundred times or if this is your first time hearing it, the truth remains the same. Romans 10:9-13 tells us that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead that we will be saved.  It goes on to point out that God does not discriminate between nationalities(or degrees of sinful offense), but that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Find Joy
So call on Him.  Cry out to Him to save you.  Place your faith in Christ.  Surrender your will to His. He will never leave you, nor forsake you(Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5)  Though your sins be as red as scarlet, He will wash you white as snow(Isaiah 1:18).  You will not have to live under the condemnation of sin any longer.  You will be able to enjoy life in the spirit.(Romans 8:1-2)

You can be delivered from your suffering.  Whether you suffer physically, emotionally, or psychologically you can be delivered.  Suffering in this life is momentary and light compared to the eternal joys that are to come(2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

You see our joy in this life is not found in a perfect life, free from suffering or conflict.  While we will sometimes experience victory in this life over suffering and conflict, it is not promised in every case.  No, our joy comes from the eternal promises.  The promises that no matter how many challenges we face this side of eternity, when Jesus returns; He will wipe away every tear from your eye and death shall be no more.  Neither shall there be any mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things will have passed away(Revelation 21:4).




Above all these other benefits is the infinite value of having relationship with God himself.  So great a relationship that if all these other benefits of salvation did not exist,

HE IS ENOUGH!!!

So don't fear Ebola, death, suffering or any other trial this world has to offer.  Trust in Jesus and then rest in His peace.  For God's word say's that for those who are in Him, "neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation , will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."(Romans 8:38-39)

Now Celebrate!!!

A. P. T. A. T. Living in Dependence

Do you struggle with keeping in step with the Spirit of God?  Do you find it challenging to keep God at the center of everything you do in this crazy busy world that we have created for ourselves?  There are many great resources on the internet and in books to help drive us to Godliness.

I have been particularly blessed of late by listening to conference talks and oral biographies on great Christian giants in church history at the ministry site of John Piper known as Desiring God.  It is a wonderful resource for all of us "Christian Hedonists" who want to learn deeper ways for our joy to be made complete in God's glory.

John Piper recently retired from about thirty years as senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN.  He is a popular speaker at Christian conferences and author of many best-selling books including Desiring God.  This book was the inspiration, over 25 years ago, for the founding of the ministry by the same name.  He has many helpful tools for helping us to better understand and live with sustained joy in our daily walk with God.

We are not talking about superficial happiness, as is spoken of in relation to the prosperity gospel that suggests God wants you to be "happy" and experience "your best life now" as it were.  I am talking about joy unspeakable and full of glory(1 Peter 1:8).  A joy that under-girds your faith at all times even when your life seems to be falling apart and things are not going your way.

A. P. T. A. T
John Piper and the staff have used this acronym at Bethlehem for many years now.  It is useful for application any and every time you are beginning something and you feel it is beyond your ability. However, John Piper would say that this should be your approach to everything that you do.

1 Peter 4:11 states that we are to "serve in the strength that God supplies, that in everything God may get the glory."  We are incapable of doing that on our own.  In our sinfully selfish state, we will always corrupt everything that we try to do on some level.  As the prophet Jeremiah said, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it"(Jeremiah 17:9)  Even if no one else sees it, God knows what happens on the inside.  He knows the intent of our heart.  That is why we must engage Him in everything, that He may get the glory in our hearts, even when no one else is looking.

So here is what APTAT looks like:

Admit you can do nothing without Christ's help (John 15:4-8)

Pray for assistance and help in everything. (Psalm 50:15, Matthew 7:7)

Trust a particular promise of God to provide what is needed.
(Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 40:28-31, Isaiah 41:10, Galatians 6:9, Philippians 4:4-7).

Act- Take action.  Do something. Always remembering that it is in the strength that He provides by which we are even able to have the grace to act.
(Philippians 2:12-13, 1 Corinthians 15:10, Colossians 1:29)

Thank-  Thank the Lord for the enabling power to obey. (1Thessalonians 5:16-18)

That's It
It's just that simple.  However, just as the message of the gospel is simple, it is not easy.  It requires work.  It requires action.  It requires prayer.  It requires faith.  It requires humility.  This is what
A. P. T. A. T. is all about.  We humble ourselves, rely on God, trust his word, lean into his grace with faith-filled action, and show abundant gratitude for His faithfulness.  Then we rest in the peace that He provides.  However, if we leave out any one of those steps, then we are prone to self-reliance, pride, doubt, and failure.

I encourage you to be a faithful disciple.  Memorize this acronym, the general thoughts behind it, and memorize the related scripture references.  The scripture references here are ones that John Piper uses primarily, with a couple of my own tossed in.  But if there are others that are more relevant to any given point of the acronym, then substitute them and memorize those.

If you utilize this you will be one step closer to Christian Hedonism because you will find joy in depending on God and using the means of grace to do so.  If you are doing so, you will also be bringing glory to God as you depend wholly on His resources and consequently, give him praise and glory for the results throughout the process.  It is a God-centered joy that we, His children, get to experience.

The statement that exemplifies this whole concept was coined by John Piper and goes like this:

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him".

My friends, if you look to God's glory for your satisfaction, you will experience great joy.  I pray you find this tool helpful.

In Jesus name,

Amen.

CHRISTIAN PARENTS: Protect Your Children From Morally Compromised Materials, Especially In School

This is an interruption of my discussion on Altar Calls for which I am sure anyone who reads this is thankful.  When I became aware of the information below I was compelled to write out of concern for parents and children alike.  I hope it is informative, convicting, and encouraging.  We all need to think this one through more often.

This blog post was inspired by reporting done on The Briefing by Al Mohler.  The Briefing is a podcast done by the President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  The transcript can be found here.  He is well known as a speaker, pastor, author, and theologian throughout much of conservative evangelicalism.  He does an 18-20 minute, daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview.  It is useful to anyone who is interested in thinking about the major themes that are going on in the world through a biblical lens.

A Wave of Transgender Children's books
An article by Megan Cox Gurdon in the Wall Street Journal entitled "Heather Has Two Genders", suggests that these books are intended to reach the hearts and minds of young children and adolescents with the goal of nudging the needle of the culture one heart at a time in the direction of the acceptance of gender identity issues. (To see article, google the title Heather Has Two Genders)

"Beyond Magenta, Transgender Teens Speak Out" by Susan Kuklin was published last February 2014
-It is a series of first person accounts of teens struggling with sexual dysphoria aka. a profound dissatisfaction with with gender of ones biological DNA.

"I Am Jazz" by Jessica Herthel--the story of a transgender child based on the real-life experiences of Jazz Jennings, who has become a spokesperson for transkids everywhere. In this book she states "I have a girl brain, but a boy body".-Already published Sept. 4, 2014

"Some Assembly Required" by Arin Andrews and "Rethinking Normal" by Katie Rain Hill are two memoirs for adolescents describing either side of an apparently much publicized romance between two transgender teens.  Coming out September 30, 2014 according to Amazon.com.

"Gracefully Grayson" by Amy Polansky-- about a 12 yr old boy undergoing sexual transition, set to come out in November-2014

"Alex As Well" by Elyssa Brugman- - a conflicted male/female character, set to come out in January 2015

Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall -about a red crayon with a blue label.  a picture book that reads like a fable of gender identity. i.e. inside and outside not matching geared toward young children.  Set to come out January 2015

-If you begin looking up transgender children's books on Amazon you will discover quite a few more.

According to Megan Cox Gurdon, there has been a concerted effort over the last 25 years to get these kinds of books into libraries and public school libraries because the publishers understand that stories like this do so much to influence the thinking of young people.  She states that publisher are utilizing periodicals such as The Wall Street Journal to create awareness.

These statements are straight from The Briefing transcript and should be seriously considered.

The author of one of these new books, presenting a celebration of the transgender identity – that’s Jessica Herthel – her book is entitled I am Jazz. She writes,

 "The window of time in which children are truly open-minded is startlingly small."

 In stating the issue just this way, Jessica Herthel is actually stating something that Christian parents should already understand. There is a vulnerability to the hearts of children, there is an openness to the power of the story and the kinds of stories that get read to our children, and are read by our children, they do have an important out-sized influence on the development of their hearts and their minds – and especially of their moral intuitions.  

Just consider the fact that as Christian parents we often find ourselves considering a story that we understand is affecting us emotionally in a way that is not consistent with our own biblical worldview.  We see something on television, we observe something in the cinema, we read something in a book, or in any other format whereby a narrative comes to us, and we discover that our emotional response, our moral intuitions, are actually responding in a way that is implied by the story, but is inconsistent with our own worldview.  We understand at that point that our responsibility is to bring our moral intuitions into accountability to biblical truth. 

But that is something that is accessible only to adults, in terms of an ability, and to later adolescence.  The development of critical thinking, or abstract thinking, is not generally accessible to children – who find no way of distinguishing carefully between their own emotional response and their moral intuitions and the truths to which they understand themselves to be absolutely committed.  They understand that something is wrong because they had been told by a moral authority such as parents that it’s wrong, they may even understand that the Scripture very definitively declares it to be wrong and yet, they find themselves confronting a story in which the opposite claim is made.  And the opposite claim is made with the impact of a narrative that grabs them at the heart and creates a very confusing experience.

Let’s be brutally honest – that experience can be difficult enough for adults, much less for children and young teenagers. 

Al Mohler ends this section of The Briefing by making this important statement:  But the main importance of this article that appeared in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal is to remind every single American parent, they’re coming for your children – this time, they’re coming with books.

Don't Forget The Heterosexually Compromised Literature
Make no mistake.  There is, and has been, plenty of morally compromised heterosexual material out there.  It has been around for much longer and is far more dangerous in many ways.  I read a blog post by a well-known Christian blogger named Tim Challies in June that was reviewing "The Fault In Our Stars." 

The review makes clear that this book has more than enough profanity, to include G-D, and sexual innuendo, to include the two main characters actually going to bed.  There are other aspects of it that are altogether antagonistic to biblical truth.

Though Challies states that, whether his children were allowed to read or watch it would depend upon their age and maturity, I don't think there is any point at which I would condone it for my kids as long as they are under my direct supervision.  I may have to make that decision one day because I have seen the cover of the book posted up on the wall of that magnet middle school that my ten year old attends. We each have to know our own children however, I think we as parents are often in danger of thinking we know our children far better than we actually do. Many an unsuspecting, naive parent has been surprised by unknown sinful tendencies in their children.

Don't you have images from video or from the way your imagination was stirred by words that you wish someone had warned you about.  I know I do.  It did not matter whether I could "handle it" or not.  I wish I had avoided many an image or figure of speech that is in my brain unnecessarily.  We fool ourselves about what is going to be problematic for us or our children down the line. We just have no way of knowing.  If I can do anything to save my children from unnecessary brain porn, etc. then I am going to try.

Through What Lens?
I had a discussion with a teenager about this book briefly this summer.  She was not altogether thrilled with my or Challies take on the book.  She is a strong Christian girl in many areas but was blinded to the many ways in which this story steals glory from God.  She probably has no idea in what ways she will look back with different convictions and wish someone had kept those images from her.  She, like so many others was struggling to view this piece of literature through the lens of eternity.  If we look honestly at the characters in the book, their thoughts and their actions, it is evident that those characters would have gone to hell.  And yet Christians read the book or watch the movie and think it is a beautiful story with a tear-filled ending. It may be sad however, I dare to say it is sad for all the wrong reasons.

How many Christians think through books or movies that way.  I admit I do not consistently, but I should.  That is what Al Mohler was speaking to in the section that I included from The Briefing above.  Too many times we want to shut down and see entertainment through rose-colored glasses. Stories make us prone to respond in ways that do not line up with our own biblical worldview.  It is at this point that we are responsible to bring our emotional responses to stories under the scrutiny of scripture i.e. Philippians 4:8 and Psalm 101:3.  If we struggle with this as adults, how much more should we anticipate the struggle of our children with such things.  Never assume your child is too old to be shepherded through difficult judgement calls.

This Is A Literature/Entertainment-Oriented Spiritual Battlefield
This is simply one topic that is spoken to in this article.  We must be aware that there are books both narrative and educational that are being designed to normalize homosexuality and same-sex marriage. And the sex education that is out there in many schools curriculum is borderline porn in written description and pictorial depiction.  We must protect our children.

We as Christian parents must not be so naive as to think that our children are beyond the influence of these books.  We must be involved in our children's lives, knowing what is out there and not allowing it to be read or watched if it serves no benefit or is inherently dangerous as these books are.  We must also have the guts to realize when our children have already been exposed to this material and to bring stern, biblically saturated warnings and teaching regarding it.  We cannot simply assume that we have talked to our children once and that they know what the bible says so it is all done. We ALL need reminding and accountability.

There is a battle raging for the hearts and minds of our children and we must be on the front lines fighting for them and equipping them to fight alongside us when they are ready.  Never cease putting into action Proverbs 22:6.  Teach your children to critique what they read, watch and listen to through Galatians 5:19-24 and ask whether it magnifies the works of the flesh or the fruit of the Spirit.  Equip them with a solid understanding of how to utilize their spiritual armor(Ephesians 6:10-20).

  The goal is that by the time they leave the roost and head out into this dangerous spiritual battlefield on their own, they will have a solid understanding of what it means to live a life worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ(Philippians 1:27), not only externally but internally as well.

May it be so in Jesus name,

Josh