Who Will Stand?
1 Peter 4:18 (The Message)
17-19It's judgment time for God's own family. We're first in line. If it starts with us, think what it's going to be like for those who refuse God's Message! If good people barely make it, What's in store for the bad?So if you find life difficult because you're doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he's doing, and he'll keep on doing it.
This morning I awakened to a devastating news report, Ted Haggard, a leading evangelical, charismatic pastor, has been accused of a three year tryst with another man along with an accusation of some type of substance abuse...laying in bed this morning I literally screamed...NO!
Understand my words here, I'm not sentencing the man, condemning, or saying that I have made a judgement of his innocence or of his guilt...I'm saying, not Ted Haggard...and then I'm saying, O God, let it not be me...while I believe in God's keeping power I also understand my personal responsibility to guard my heart...there are some things God isn't supposed to do...I am responsible for me, to me, to my family, and to those around me...to those that I lead.
The thing that is impressed upon my spirit today is that this man has been accused of something horrendous, and that it is subtle reminder that all of us are a target of the enemy and of our own flesh...don't be offended, but you have to keep the little preacher in the pulpit! One man said that there are three things that will destroy a minister: 1) Self; 2) Sex; and 3) Silver
The things we are seeing today are nothing new, David had issues, one of his sons raped his half sister, and Solomon, wise as he was had women problems. Gehazai had money problems as did Achan, Judas, and Annanias and Saphira, and there are plenty of biblical examples of men and women in scripture that were full of themselves, pride destroyed their lives simply because they forgot God desires to be first.
I'm no judge nor jury in this case, I pray that this is a case of a man with a vendetta trying to destroy some preacher, and that he will be exposed and Pastor Haggard will be exonerated. I also pray that each of us will guard ourselves, pray for the protection of the Holy Spirit, and that we will remember that these last days are filled with opportunity, we decide which ones we'll partake in!
5 comments:
All I can say is "here we go again."
Gonna be a bumpy ride for all of us, but especially for Ted Haggard. We need to pray for him and his wife.
hi, neil! i heard this on the tube this morning and had to admire Rob Parsley for his comment to an interviewer..he was not judgemental of the man as some would have wanted him to be..you know how media news is, always looking for the negative and hoping for "dirt"..Parsley stood his ground and was respectful and not critical.
Once again, the church has the opportunity to showcase the love of Christ. We need to recognize that He is getting His bride ready for the wedding, and those who fail need our prayers. He doesn't turn His back on us, and I don't plan on turning my back on his servants when they truly repent.
It amazes me how sympathetic we are to sinners before salvation, but once they've made a statement of faith...they better line up...if they fall, we'll forgive them but never forget...we may forget them, just not what they've done.
If I ever fall, please don't excuse me, don't sweep it under the rug, but I beg of you, while you are correcting me, restoring me, and helping me get back on my feet...don't forget me! You don't have to tell me that I've fallen, I know, you won't have to tell me it was wrong...I know...I will just need to know that the same God that loved me and gave His Son for me to be saved, still loves me and wants to forgive me again...And that His children who were happy to see me saved are now happy to see me restored!
God bless the Haggard Family and all involved...bring love, life, light, and peace to their hearts in this dark moment! May the church arise as Jesse said to it's finest hour in restoration!
I had blogged on My xanga, I didn't bring it over to blogger.. maybe I should but I had talked about the haggard thing also... my take was remembering when it happened to swaggart and bakker... then I had asked and wondered what if all of a sudden the news media was after you and shone light in every area of your life... and your heart.. would you have something you'd want to hide?
We do have to keep ourselves clean and good! Because one day we will give an account for our lives both good bad and ugly!
( Still giggling over the little preacher in the pulpit that's funny ) ROFL
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