The Rest In Political Unrest

© 2013 craigtowens.com

© 2013 craigtowens.com

Due to it’s placement in Book II of the Psalms, these words were most likely penned during a time of political uncertainty in Israel—

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1).

These words are recorded after Israel has been torn apart into two kingdoms, with rival kings from the northern and southern kingdoms constantly scheming against each other. It’s a time of assassins, and throne usurpers, and even other kings looking to swoop in.

During times like this it is tempting to turn to political means to achieve some sense of stability or security. But the psalmist urges us to remember that God is our fortress of strength, not politicians. In Him is our safe and stable place.

God’s plan for kings, governments, armies and parliaments will always prevail!

  • Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. (Psalm 46:10, emphasis added).
  • God makes wars cease (46:9).
  • He subdues nations (47:3).
  • God is the King of all the earth (47:7).
  • He reigns over every nation (47:8).
  • All the kings of the earth belong to God. (47:9).

Be still, my soul, your King is THE King over all of the politicians, princes and nobles. Your God is your refuge and strength, your safety and stability. Put your trust in Him!

Links & Quotes

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Some links to some interesting reading and quotes I found this weekend.

Eric Metaxas shares some interesting archeological finds: Make No Camel Bones About It.

“No man has any moral right to go before the people who has not first been long before the Lord. No man has any right to speak to men about God who has not first spoken to God about men. And the prophet of God should spend more time in the secret place praying than he spends in the public place preaching.” —A.W. Tozer

A couple of family men (not!): Sports radio hosts blast player for taking paternity leave. UPDATE: I was glad to see that one of these guys, Boomer Esiason, apologized for these remarks. Good job, Boomer!

Helpful post for parents: How To Notice Changes In Our Kids.

“How many have we in our churches of crab tree Christians, who have mixed such a vast amount of vinegar, and such a tremendous quantity of gall in their constitutions, that they can scarcely speak one good word to you; they imagine it impossible to defend religion except by passionate ebullitions; they cannot speak for their dishonored Master without being angry with their opponent; God if anything is away, whether it be in the house, the church, or anywhere else, they conceive it to be their duty to set their faces like a flint, and to defy everybody. They are like isolated icebergs; no one cares to go near them. They float about on the sea of forgetfulness, until at last they are melted and gone; and though, good souls, we shall be happy enough to meet them in heaven, we are heartily glad to get rid of them from the earth. They were always so unamiable in disposition, that we would rather live an eternity with them in heaven, than five minutes on earth. Be ye not thus, my brethren. Imitate Christ in your loving spirits; speak kindly, act kindly, and do kindly, that men may say of you, ‘He has been with Jesus.’” —Charles Spurgeon

Rush Limbaugh’s take on the resignation of Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich.

“To be a Christian it is necessary that he serve his generation as well as his God.” —A.W. Tozer

“God’s presence is not the same as the feeling of God’s presence and He may be doing most for us when we think He is doing least.” —C.S. Lewis

Links & Quotes

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These are links to some interesting quotes and news stories I was reading this weekend.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder still thumbing his nose at the law he has sworn to uphold.

Apparently it’s more important to win games than it is for student athletes to get an education. Check out this whistleblower report.

[VIDEO] Congressman Bruce Braley thinks only lawyers are qualified to serve in Congress … certainly not “a farmer … from Iowa” !

“May God raise up more ministers like William Booth, who support gospel proclamation with practical ministry to those who need it most.” Amen! Check out this great article about Salvation Army founder William Booth.

The Hollywood movie Noah has been called “the least biblical biblical movie ever made” by its director Darren Aronofsky. But check out this article: The Folly Of What Noah Preached.

“Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.” —Rick Warren

Tell your Congressional representative and senator not to turn control of the internet over to the U.N.

Glad to see that World Vision reversed their decision on same sex couples.

“I fear John Knox’s prayers more than an army of ten thousand men.” —Mary Queen of Scots

Astronomers have found a new planet! Think what else the Creator has out there for us to discover…. “It goes to show that there’s something we don’t know about our Solar System, and it’s something important,” says co-discoverer Chad Trujillo.

Links & Quotes

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These are links to articles and quotes I found interesting this weekend.

Read this one prayerfully: Why Christian Supporters Of Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Are Wrong.

Some on-the-go missionaries explain How Technology Helps Our Marriage.

Continue to let your voice be heard to save Pastor Saaed from his wrongful imprisonment in Iran.

Amen! “The minister must experience what he would teach or he will find himself in the impossible position of trying to drive sheep. For this reason he should seek to cultivate his own heart before he attempts to preach to the hearts of others.” —A.W. Tozer

[VIDEO] John Maxwell explains why failure is not fatal.

[VIDEO] HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius proves why so many people don’t trust Washington, D.C.

Scientists show that the 5-Second Rule for food on the floor is legit!

“It is a mistake to think we must feel good before we pray; we need to pray most of all when we feel poor, and empty, and weak.” —Hannah Whitall Smith

Links & Quotes

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These are links to articles and quotes I found interesting today.

[VIDEO] Great challenge from John Maxwell about being our best.

It doesn’t matter what you do … Your Job Is More Important Than You Think.

“You see Agape is all giving, not getting. Read what St. Paul says about it in First Corinthians Chap. 13. Then look at a picture of Charity (or Agape) in action in St. Luke, chap 10 v.30-35. And then, better still, look at Matthew chap 25 v.31-46: from which you see that Christ counts all that you do for this baby exactly as if you had done it for Him when He was a baby in the manger at Bethlehem: you are in a sense sharing in the things His mother did for Him. Giving money is only one way of showing charity: to give time and toil is far better and (for most of us) harder. And notice, though it is all giving—you needn’t expect any reward—how you do gets rewarded almost at once.” —C.S. Lewis

Parents and teachers, this is good advice from Tim Elmore on working with ‘difficult’ students: How To Lead An Outlier.

David Wilkerson has a solid word for those in a difficult marriage: Is There Any Hope?

John Stonestreet addresses Generation XXX: Responding To Our Pornified Culture.

Don’t let him get away with it! How Harry Reid Is Trying To End Debate In The Senate.

Links & Quotes

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These are links to articles and quotes I found interesting today.

Some wonderful quotes from Dr. Seuss.

“Pride is ruthless, sleepless, unsmiling concentration on the self.” —C.S. Lewis

Because he is not defending the Constitution of the United States of America … A Coalition Of Civil Rights Leaders & Pastors Want To Impeach Attorney General Eric Holder

On March 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address. It is good to remember his words: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”

“If I would have my family ennobled, I must honor the Lord in all things. God may allow the wicked to win worldly honors; but the dignity which He Himself gives, even glory, honor, and immortality, He reserves for those who by holy obedience take care to honor Him.” —Charles Spurgeon

9 Ways To Fight The Temptation Of Pornography

[VIDEO] Funny! What if buying coffee was like buying ObamaCare?

Links & Quotes

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These are links to articles and quotes I found interesting today.

Planned Parenthood announces their plans for the 2014 election, and Michigan is on the list.

Rush Limbaugh’s take: Religious Liberty Defeated In Arizona …

…and the Gospel Coalition’s look at the same topic: When Tolerance Turns To Coerced Celebration

Here are some good ideas for supporting missionaries: Heart For The World

[VIDEO] Constitutional law professor slams Obama’s use of executive orders.

“You are not leading or teaching a child. You are leading a future adult. Everything you do and say will either serve to prepare them or prevent them from being ready. The more you maintain that focus, the better choices you’ll make as a mentor” (Tim Elmore). Read more: Two View Points To Avoid and check out Elmore’s book Generation iY.

“The full, literal meaning of the word ‘repent’ in the New Testament is ‘to feel remorse and self-reproach for one’s sins against God; to be contrite, sorry; to want to change direction.’ The difference in meanings here rests on the word ‘want.’ True repentance includes a desire to change!” —David Wilkerson

How the media misrepresents what scientists say about climate change

Chinese police break up child-trakkicking ring and save hundreds of babies 

[VIDEO] Cecile Richards (the president of Planned Parenthood) isn’t sure when life begins

Links & Quotes

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These are links to articles and quotes I found interesting today.

Today is the day to END IT: Modern-Day Slavery By The Numbers

“If the very worst should happen, our God is still the greatest and best. Therefore we will not fear though the postman’s knock should startle us or a telegram wake us at midnight. The Lord liveth, and what can His children fear?” —Charles Spurgeon

Eric Cohen says embryo research is potentially more corrupting than abortion.

“No amount of falls will really undo us if we keep on picking ourselves up each time. We shall of course be very muddy and tattered children by the time we reach home. But the bathrooms are all ready, the towels put out, and the clean clothes are in the airing cupboard. The only fatal thing is to lose one’s temper and give it up. It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present to us: it is the very sign of His presence.” —C.S. Lewis

[VIDEO] So Rep. Peters votes for Obamacare but he doesn’t want anyone sharing what it has (or hasn’t) done for them?! Check this out.

[PHOTO] How dictators keep their people in the dark. Literally.

Links & Quotes

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These are links to articles and quotes I found interesting this weekend.

Victory! FCC Pulls The Plug On Its Unconstitutional Plans

John Maxwell talks about delegation: Overloaded & Underempowered

“Before I became a Christian I do not think I fully realized that one’s life, after conversion, would inevitably consist in doing most of the same things one had been doing before, one hopes, in a new spirit, but still the same things.” —C.S. Lewis

“The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.” —John E. Southard

“I’m a fool for Christ. Whose fool are you?” —John Wimber

“Holiness is not freedom from temptation, but power to overcome temptation.” —G. Morgan Campbell

Are environmentalists going too far? The War On Humans

[VIDEO] The more I hear Sen. Ted Cruz, the more I like him. “I don′t work for the party bosses.”

Eric Metaxas on a baby′s innate sense of morality: Babies & The Not-So-Blank Slate

“Forget others’ faults by remembering your own.” —John Bunyan

Links & Quotes

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These are links to articles and quotes I found interesting today.

May God have mercy! Belgium Parliament Approves Euthanasia For Children

[VIDEO] Nailed it: Jon Stewart Calls Out Obama For Corrupt Ambassador Choices

Watch out! 7 Times Obama Ignored The Law With His Executive Orders

“The Christian who goes out without faith in ‘wonders’ will return without fruit. No one dare be so rash as to seek to do impossible things unless he has first been empowered by the God of the impossible. ‘The power of the Lord was there’ is our guarantee of victory.” —A.W. Tozer

Tim Elmore prepares us: Welcome To Our McCulture

So excited!! The Assembly of God and the United Pentecostal Council of the Assemblies of God Unite

Ronald & Nancy Reagan loved each other deeply: Valentine′s Day Advice From Ronald Reagan

“Our blunder (or shall we frankly say our sin?) has been to neglect the doctrine of the Spirit to a point where we virtually deny Him His place in the Godhead. This denial has not been by open doctrinal statement, for we have clung closely enough to the Biblical position wherever our credal pronouncements are concerned. Our formal creed is sound; the breakdown is in our working creed. This is not a trifling distinction. A doctrine has practical value only as far as it is prominent in our thoughts and makes a difference in our lives. By this test the doctrine of the Holy Spirit as held by evangelical Christians today has almost no practical value at all. In most Christian churches the Spirit is quite entirely overlooked. Whether He is present or absent makes no real difference to anyone. Brief reference is made to Him in the Doxology and the Benediction. Further than that He might as well not exist. So completely do we ignore Him that it is only by courtesy that we can be called Trinitarian. The Christian doctrine of the Trinity boldly declares the equality of the Three Persons and the right of the Holy Spirit to be worshipped and glorified. Anything less than this is something less than Trinitarianism.” —A.W. Tozer