It starts with me

Raise your hand if you are concerned with the future of this nation, and the future of our children...

I'm guessing most hands went up. I wonder if any of you are like me, and pray for change in our country, but wonder what you are supposed to do. I'm facilitating a Bible study at my church with Beth Moore's Esther It's Tough Being a Woman. We got into a discussion based on Esther 3:15. King Xerxes and Haman are sitting, enjoying a drink while the rest of the kingdom is in an uproar. King Xerxes has ignorantly agreed to allow Haman to annihilate all Jews in the kingdom, and this will include his own queen. It seems so ludicrous when you read it. Sitting and drinking. Enjoying a chat with a friend. The rest of the world is in panic, and he is having a relaxing moment of fellowship. Disgusting, isn't it?

What am I doing about today's world? What am I doing to right any wrongs I see around me? Am I actively involved in challenging the threat I see to my children's future? Or am I sitting drinking my coffee, and reading my Bible, and saying, "Oh well, it's such a shame. If THOSE PEOPLE wouldn't make the decisions they're making, we wouldn't be in this situation." Because, really, what am I supposed to do? My hands feel tied. I pray for our leaders daily. I pray for this country daily. But what more am I to do? Yes, I can vote when an election comes. But,what about right now? What can I do to make a difference this very moment? Write a letter? That's a great starting place, but I lack the conviction that it will make a difference. Attend a tea party? I think these are great, but I haven't actually know when they were going to occur, or exactly what they were partying about. That is my fault. I should have my finger on the pulse of what's going on around me.

Think of Hitler. He didn't immediately come up and say, "Let's kill all the Jews, and anyone who is disabled, or slow, or less than us." No. It was a slow, insidious process. It was small actions that many people shook their head at, and thought "that is wrong," then did nothing to stop. That is how our world is changing today. We see something that we KNOW is wrong, and we shake our heads thinking, "shame, shame, shame," and then we do nothing.

Yep. Bible study was pretty heavy today. We talked about some heavy issues that most of us have not done enough to speak out against. Abortion. Premarital sex. Homosexuality. All of those seem so harsh to read on the page to me. Sadly, they are not taboo topics anywhere. They are all freely discussed and embraced by our society. What are we as Christians to do in a culture that has so radically changed it's world view?

The only answer we could come up with was 2 Chronicles 7:14, which states: If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will HEAL THEIR LAND.

So, it starts with me. I am one of God's people. I am to humble myself and call to God, and pray and seek his face. Then, He will forgive me. And He will heal our land. One lady commented, "if enough people will pray..." NO! I will not think that way. This is a call to each of us as individuals. If I am unwilling to make changes until the rest of the world falls to its knees, then it will never happen. No, I can't control other people's actions. I can only control what I do with my relationship with God, and how that affects my decisions. I cannot expect the lost to turn from their wickedness. They do not know because they do not have the Holy Spirit to show them the way. So, as a Christian, I am to be light to them. If I as a Christian am unwilling to reflect God's truth to a lost world, where will we be? It is my God given job to present the gospel to them. After they have heard the gospel, and accepted God's truth, then I can expect them to seek God. Not before. How will they ever find healing if I don't present to them the Healer?

My challenge is this: What am I doing that ENABLES the wickedness that is prevalent in our country? Do my television shows represent a Biblical view or a world view? Ouch. What about my reading material? Ouch. Do I pay attention to my every day purchases? Do I know what the companies I'm buying from support? Do I even evaluate where they are made, and who made it? Nope.

As a Christian, I believe I am called to evaluate all of these things, and put them before God's Word. If they don't match up with what it tells me, then it needs to be removed from my life. End of story.

You are enough to make a difference. God has placed you in the position you are in, for such a time as the one you are facing now. Just as Esther was one woman given the challenge to save her entire race, you are the one person God has chosen for the destiny He has for you. Yes, God's will is always fulfilled, but your decision to participate in the destiny He has for you in this time and this moment is totally up to you. Seek His face. Call to Him today. He is listening, and He is enough.

That's my starting point for change. What is yours going to be?