Fireproof Your Life: Never Leave Your Heritage Behind, Especially In A Fire

"Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance. The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; from His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works. The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a false hope for victory; nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness, to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us, according as we have hoped in You. --Psalm 33:8-22

This Psalm, obviously written about Israel, still has implications and applications for us. There are eternal truths woven within these verses that should cause us to examine where we are as a nation. Are we giving our children the kind of land our forefathers fought to give us?

I. The Issues That Can Destroy Us

We have known our share of battles, turmoil and controversy, yet, to this point, we have survived. What is it that makes a nation able to withstand the tests?

The Medo-Persians were great, but they drank their way to destruction. Alcohol is the #1 drug in America today and one of the major factors in teenage deaths and the destruction of the family.

The Egyptians flourished for hundreds of years--thanks in no small part to Joseph--but they eventually passed off the scene as a powerful nation.

Greece and Rome both rose to world domination, only to fall to second-rate status because of lust, materialism and immorality.

What about America?

* We have survived a civil war, world wars and the Great Depression.

* We lead the world in humanitarian relief.

* We have been and continue to be the great "melting pot" of people from cultures and nations around the world coming to our shores to find freedom.

But we are in trouble...

Everybody seems to know the problem, but nobody wants to fix it. No one is willing to take the blame or offer up a legitimate solution. We have serious issues:

* Dependence on foreign oil

* Economic destabilization on a variety of fronts, mostly because American workers are greedy, and it is cheaper to send jobs overseas

* The questionable future of American car-makers

* The embracing of same-sex marriage

* Loss of faith in politics and politicians

* Lack of support for our troops who fight for our freedom

* Loss of traditional family values

* The devaluation of human life through abortion and euthanasia

All this has led to a jaded and grim view of life and the future.

"Change is occurring so rapidly that there is no time to react." --John Naisbitt

As we approach a presidential election, I believe more is at stake than we can possibly imagine. Francis Schaeffer said, "People vote their pocketbooks to protect their personal peace and affluence." This is sad, because it reveals that moral and ethical issues will not be hot topics for this campaign. Rather it will be about gas prices, the economy. The resolve of this nation is being put to the test, and much is at stake.

II. The Decisions That Will Define Us

Do we as Americans even have the stamina to defend ourselves? I’m not calling for another moral majority that seems to care more about politics than revival. What I am calling for is a people, a family, a church, a denomination that is willing to say we need the touch of God on our land. We need to repent, so we can be restored. As Anne Graham Lotz said, "If God doesn’t judge America, He owes Sodom and Gomorrah an apology."

One of Satan’s great methods to destroy a nation, home or church is disunity. His strategy is to divide and conquer, but God is not the author of division, disunity or disharmony.

* In the Garden, Satan destroyed the unity God intended for marriage.

* Satan has destroyed the witness of hundreds of thousands of churches because of infighting, disunity, bickering, gossip and power brokers. Jesus prayed in John 17 "that they may be one, just as We are one." Paul admonished the Ephesian church to "be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."