Monday May 14, 2012

Ring up one of the leaders in your congregation and encourage them by asking them how you can be praying for them.
Pray for them too.

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Read Deuteronomy 17:1-13; James 3:1

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In chapter 13 of Deuteronomy we saw that God has a pure and holy heart and does not and will not accept the worship of other gods. God has been repeating Himself over and over again simply because the threat to Israel was greater than they could have ever imagined. They underestimated the power of sin in their lives individually and corporately. As history shows us, they fell into the very sin that God had warned them against over and over and over again.

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The judges appointed in the earlier chapter were to thoroughly investigate all charges of idolatry and they were to punish offenders accordingly.

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The judges and leaders of the nation were to send a clear and loud message to all - idolatry was not acceptable and would not be tolerated in any shape or form. Unfortunately, history again shows that it was this very leadership that led the way into idolatry not away from it. Rather than denouncing it, the leaders embraced it and encouraged the people to bow down in sinful worship of false gods.

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God proved faithful and kept His word. He eventually punished the nation by sending them into exile in Babylon. Many smaller punishments, such as the invasions and military defeats warned the people that the big one was coming but they refused to listen. God kept His word and sent the Babylonian army to decimate them. They suffered in exile for decades for their stubborn sinfulness.

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Heaven help leaders who deliberately pervert the truth and lead the people astray. Heaven help those leaders who water down the Word of God or change it to make it more palatable to the world. Heaven help those who deliberately pervert true godly justice by their actions or words. God will punish them most severely but for now He is patient and gracious allowing time for repentance.

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Prayer:

¥ Pray for the Christian leadership across this nation. Pray that God would grant wisdom where needed and that leaders (ministers, councils, elders, deacons, ministry leaders etc) would be given a deep spirit of holiness and righteousness. Pray that Christian leaders would be setting a great example for the rest of us to follow.

¥ Pray that your Session and Committee of Management would be filled with men and women who love the Lord and seek first and foremost to do His will and to obey His Word. Pray that God would greatly bless these men and women.

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