Comfort Food

Ray Comfort now has a blog. Ray is the author of "Hell's best kept secret" and many other humourous and enlightening books on evangelism.

Together with Kirk Cameron they host "The Way of The Master" television series. If you have not read brother Comfort's material you are indeed missing out.

Repentance

At the heart of the gospel is the issue of what constitutes saving faith. If gospel means "good news", then the question becomes what is this good news? All evangelical christians would agree that salvation is a work of the Holy Spirit and is brought about by the grace of God. Further to that we would all agree that the only requirement for salvation is faith. Our works have no bearing or place in the act of justification. Christ completed His finished work once for all time by taking our place on the cross at Calvary and paying the full price of our redemption.

So how and where does repentance fit into the picture? Many would argue that unless repentance is present a person has not been saved and born again by the Spirit of God. Now if we define repentance as simply agreeing with the promises of scripture as opposed to our natural thinking than I would have to say that repentance is therefore present in all true conversions.

However, there is a much greater aspect to the work of repentance. Without the shadow of a doubt it is impossible for any christian to continue their walk with Christ unless there is an active process of repenting. Repentance is not a one time thing but rather a continual dealing as the light of God's word exposes our natural thinking and self centered focus. Unlike confession which is simply agreement with the Spirit's conviction in our conscience, repentance is the act of turning from that sin and walking in the light we have received.

Failure to repent of known sin will cause us to become more hardened and fall into greater sin. It is impossible to continue a life of walking by the Spirit when we consciously and knowingly spurn the truth of God's word.

Sadly, I have seen this too many times. Christians who began well and had the fruits of the Spirit evident in their lives but failed to repent when the Spirit revealed sin. They allowed their sin to lead them astray and soon were cast shipwreck in the sea of life. What follows is broken marriages, scarred children, and a worthless testimony for Christ. This is of course not what God desires for our lives. We are not puppets however and the Lord gives each one a choice to follow. This is no excuse to live a carnal and loose life as we will give an account of our lives on the day of judgement. So let us be sober.

State of The Union

Read this article first.

The sinking US dollar is the result of a lot of factors. However simple economics 101 tells us that you cannot spend more than you earn. For many years now the US govt. has consistenly spent into a deficit position. This kind of fiscal irresponsibility is also reflected in the way most corporations and personal households are run.

The little shiny plastic in your wallet is simply the symptom of a much greater problem; the ability to live within our means.

At the rate the US is going, they won't be able to fund a military large enough to fill the national guard, let alone fight any foreign battles. A strong economy is the backbone of a strong military, and a strong economy is the product of fiscal prudence along with the implementation of wise money principles. The Bible has a lot to say about how to manage our finances which we have neglected both personally and corporately.

What if anything can be done to repair the incredible damage already produced?

First of all, determine to live within your means individually. Then work towards a position of zero debt. This will require saying no to your fleshly desires often, but hey isn't that part of taking up the cross.

From a practical standpoint we must realize that everytime we purchase something made from another country we are in essence putting our neighbor out of work. Consider the impact your buying choices will have.

The financial catastrophe we are currently facing is really the fruit of a much larger and important problem. The breakdown of the family unit and the resulting moral collapse are really at the root of every problem we face be it financial, political, etc. If a country is only as strong as its fundanmental unit, what does that say about our current strength?

Why has the family unit eroded so quickly? There are several answers I'm sure and I don't suggest to have them all but let's look at a few.

Prosperity

The Israelite nation was warned that when they inherited the good land they should be on guard against becoming cold in their love and obedience of God. Similarly today, the love of money has caused countless hearts to grow cold.

Pride

Riches and Power are strong motivators to pride. Just like Nebuchadnezzar we have begun to think that our power, intellect, and strength have gotten us to the place we are now. The failure to give God the credit and glory for our blessings results in a proud attitude.

Apathy

The indifference to injustices both domestic and foreign are but a result of our coldness towards the gospel. We have become largely callous about the lost state of millions of our fellow citizens. This apathy is most evident in the miniscule amount of money spent on missions and evangelism compared with church programs that emphasize self improvement and entertainment.

Disobedience

This last one is probably the biggest reason for our woes. We have come to think of God's Word as optional for our lives. His moral standard and righteousness are not up for discussion. Yet everyday we hear of preachers giving a new spin to the doctrines of scripture, in favor of their own moral perversion. Marriage is no longer a sacred lifelong institution but can be annulled at a whim. Purity in thought, word, and deed is heard less and less in churches across the land. Life enhancement is now the flavor of choice, and yet our lives are becoming more empty by the day. True joy and happiness are but a notion for many christian families.

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people."