“It’s not about you.”

Psalm 43:1-5

“Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me!  For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me?  Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?   Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!  Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.  Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?  Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation, and my God.”

This morning I attended a Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, with about 800 like-minded followers of Christ, the guest speaker did a great job of sharing his life, defeats, and successes, and how often his life was centered on self.  He shared about a book that many of us have read by Rick Warren, “The Purpose Driven Life” and may have forgotten the opening line, “It’s not about you.”  May I share the paragraph that follows the opening line?   “The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness.  It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions.   If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God.  You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.”

As a follower of Christ if you are blessed to live in the USA, and even better Texas, you should awake each day and give thanks to the Father.  In my 77 years on planet earth, I’ve seen freedom slipping away, ignorant people both in the Church and outside wanting the government to meet their needs, and the government is more than willing to do so, but at a price you will not want to pay.  I’ve also seen the evil one and those who follow him attacking the Church and any moral authority.

News flash, and it is real news, we are living in a time where good is called evil and evil is called good.  We are seeing a frontal attack on people who stand on the foundation of God’s Word and believe me they are under attack.  We are observing the hate for God’s chosen people, the Jews, and people who want once again to destroy them as a people group.  News flash, it’s not going to happen for they have a prince called the archangel Michael who will fight for them; he is just waiting for the Lord to send him.  The battle on this earth often seems to be centered on people, but that is not right, it is a spiritual battle, and you better know who to run to when the attacks begins, believe me, they have started.  News flash, it’s not a political party, they are just people on a chessboard, if you look at Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”  Many a person is willing to sell their soul to the devil for wealth and power, Washington D.C. is full of them, and so is your local and state governments.

I learned the following from Psalm 43:5, all who are in Christ are not under condemnation, and so look up and walk in victory, we are part of a great family, and our Father is Creator of all that has been or will be.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice