Time To Stand Up!
By Doug Harrell
Mitchell County
I very seldom get angry, I find that when I do it really messes with my mind and spirit. I cannot remember a time that I have had to deal with that more than the past few weeks. I am not angry with any particular person, just the attitude in our country as a whole, the crazy stuff that is going on. I deal with chemo at the hospital or at home three weeks out of every five and that, in itself, is quite challenging but that has not been the problem. What gets me is that people are dying in the hospital and no one is allowed to even go in and see them! Not good! We are not supposed to gather more than 50 people together or we will potentially die of COVID 19, yet it is okay for people to protest, riot, loot, burn down buildings and destroy things and businesses that folks have spent their lives building. I see our law enforcement being vilified and actually being murdered in cold blood and so many are saying that needs to happen! I have had to spend more time in prayer for myself, my family, and our country, crying out to God to help us, to bring some sense to this crazy world than ever in my life.
“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:21-26 KJV
Lord, I am seeking to honor thy faithfulness each morning, praying diligently for our country and our leaders. Remembering one of my go-to verses when I look at our world and praying that we will take heed before it is too late.
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV
In today’s troubled world are you willing to stand up and be counted? It seems that everywhere we look the forces of evil are surrounding us. The very mention of God and Jesus tends to bring an outcry from those that would remove any reference of morality from society. They tend to position themselves as the promoters of social equality and nondiscrimination, when in fact the ones that are being discriminated against are those that believe in law and order, that believe in the right to give thanks, to pray in Jesus’ name, and believe in our justice system. The song “Stand up, Stand up for Jesus” has these words:
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high his royal banner,
It must not suffer loss.
From victory unto victory
His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished,
And Christ is Lord indeed.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Stand in his strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you,
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the gospel armor,
Each piece put on with prayer;
Where duty calls or danger,
Be never wanting there.
Are we willing to stand in the face of evil and say, this is not right? When those that gather to intimidate us and threaten our very core beliefs as Christians, do we go hide in a corner and say, God, will take care of it? Granted, all things are in God’s hand, but are we willing to be His ambassadors, to lift high the royal banner when we see His instructions and commands being violated? Jesus told us that blessed are the peacemakers, and I agree, but He Himself always stood up and did not duck the issues. When He went into the Temple and it was being desecrated what did He do? He stood up and cleaned the house!
“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Matthew 21:12-13 KJV
The Bible is full of stories of people that stood up for their beliefs, that said this is my rock and my foundation and I shall not be moved. We see modern-day examples of people standing up and saying “I Believe” and being willing to be murdered because they would not denounce the name of Jesus Christ! Are we willing to do the same? Maybe the time has come in America for God’s people to stand and say, “WE BELIEVE”, and stand their ground, peacefully if possible, but stand their ground nevertheless.
Pray for our nation, our leaders, our states, our cities, our local communities but be willing to also take a firm stand, be willing to say, “This I Believe”!
Lord bring us back into your fold, get us back in the houses of worship, put our families back together, let us honor those in authority as you have commanded. Turn us from our wicked ways and back to the roots of Christianity that this great country was founded on. Help us realize that our help comes from the Lord. Amen
You can read more from Doug Harrell HERE.
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Doug Harrell is a life-long resident of Mitchell County, Owner of Harrell Hill Farms, a member of Bear Creek Baptist Church and former publisher of Blue Ridge Christian News. You can find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/doug.harrell.77
Find more Life Lessons at https://blueridgechristiannews.com/category/lifes-lessons/
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