This is just lengthy "word vomiting", not soundly based on the bible and full of errant theology and errant politics while claiming an assumed authority.
Where in the bible does it say we have free will and not inclined to anything but evil?
This group is for sending and responding to prayer requests and not a auditorium for uninspired pontification.
--------------------------------------------
On Tue, 9/12/17, Stephen Hall [email protected] [GodsRestPrayerRoom]
Subject: [GODS REST PRAYER ROOM] September 11, 2001 Part 2 - What Next?
Date: Tuesday, September 12, 2017, 11:05 PM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~NOTES FROM THE
VALLEYSeptember 11, 2001 Part 2"Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil for you are
with me." Psalm
23.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~WHAT NEXT ? Editor’s
Note: Monday was the 16th anniversary of the terrorist
attacks on New York City and Washington D. C. This week, I
am posting excerpts from edition of Notes originally posted
in the days after the attacks occurred. I’m reposting
them in remembrance of the events of 9-11-01. Some say we
should forget about those events and move on. Based on the
lack of observances yesterday, I’d say many already
have. But, given the ongoing stories of horrific acts of
barbarism against the innocents in the world today, I
strongly disagree. There is so much we need to remember about that period in mankind’s history - about our enemies; about ourselves, and about our God. I pray
these “notes” will help.
------------------------------------------------------
Based upon the many articles and inputs I’ve received this week, plus my observations of various national news
sources, it seems fairly clear that there are two major camps seeking to influence the form of our impending
response to the attacks of September 11th. One camp is angry. VERY angry. Legitimately angry. So angry that I don’t think any of them would be the least bit upset if President Bush ordered our military to level any nation that supported the terrorist attacks and make paved parking lots out of them all. And the other camp is scared. Legitimately scared. Scared of the actions threatened by
the Taliban if we do attack them. So scared, that they distrust any course of action that involves the use of
military force. One side screams for revenge. The other side pleads for patience and diplomacy. Who’s
right? Is either side right? And more importantly, what is it that God would truly want us to do next? To those
who are angry let me say, I share your anger. Every time I contemplate the cold blooded, carefully calculated and
brutal acts taken against our citizens on September 11th, my
blood boils. I cannot comprehend the kind of human being
who could act in such a heartless manner towards other human
beings. The level of hatred and bitterness they must
nurture towards us as a people goes beyond my ability to
understand. I can only characterize it as the darkest and
most sinister form of evil I have ever encountered. To me,
they are the very personification of the devil himself.
And I long for the identification and punishment of each and
every one of them as quickly and severely as possible. I
long for it as deeply and earnestly as I long for the day
when I can see the devil himself fall defeated before Christ
and then be cast out from our midst into eternal torment.
But as angry as I am, I also know that our response, if
governed by a desire for revenge rather than justice, will
result in the deliberate massacre of innocent civilians.
And if that happens, we will be as guilty of wrong doing as
the ones we seek to punish. The harm that has befallen
innocent Americans of Arabic and Indian heritage in this
country over the last two weeks, solely because of their
physical appearance or their belief in the Islamic faith, is
validation that anger can be a very heady and easily
misdirected emotion. We cannot allow ourselves to be
dragged into that dark and vile place. We must resist the
type of angry responses that would take us there. To the
angry, God says, “Be angry, and do not sin: do not let
the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the
devil.” Ephesians 4:26-27 For those of you who are
scared let me say, you are not alone. Truly honest people
everywhere will admit that their hopes and dreams were
forever changed by the events of September 11th. And with
those changes came uncertainties and fear. That fear,
authored by the devil, is the counterfeit of faith. It is
his primary weapon and he uses it to freeze us into inaction
while he and his cohorts continue about their sinister
business. We cannot allow ourselves to be deceived by that
fear. If we do, we will end up in the same dark
destination our unrestrained anger would take us. But we
will have crawled there voluntarily to hide behind his dark
illusion; seeking safety in a lie. To the scared comes
this reminder, “God has not given us the spirit of fear;
but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2
Timothy 1:7 Having said all that, what’s the answer to
our question, “What next?” It’s certain the answer
won’t be found within ourselves. For all our energies
and achievements, events have brought us face-to-face with
the reality of our own insufficiency to deal with the
challenges that lie ahead. So, what comes next is a
choice: Where will we seek the answers we can’t find
within ourselves? The world offers us many choices. God
offers us only two. Himself or all the rest. I know
everyone has heard the much quoted scripture from 2
Chronicles 7:14 this week: “. . . 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 heal their
land.” It is my firm belief that we have reached that
point where God will no longer accept a part time
relationship with His children. It breaks His heart. And
it is destroying us slowly from within as our spirits grow
weak from our lack of communion with Him. God did not
author the events of September 11th. I cannot emphasize
that strongly enough. The evil in men’s hearts did
that. But He is using those events as a wake-up call to
His people. And what comes next is our answer to that
call. From that choice will flow all the events that will
prepare and define us for what lies ahead. When faced with
Goliath, the nation of Israel cowered in fear. But David
chose to trust in God instead of in Goliath’s prowess or
his own meager abilities. And David defeated Goliath with
only a slingshot and a stone. The lesson for us is very
clear. It wasn’t the superiority of the warrior or the
weapon that mattered. It was the one who guided them
both. Later in his life, David would write: “ In my
distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him,
into his ears. He parted the heavens and came down; dark
clouds were under his feet. He reached down from on high
and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He
rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were
too strong for me . . . he rescued me because he delighted
in me.” Psalm 18:6, 9, 16-19 (NIV) God does not expect
His people to cower in fear before evil in any form. But
before we dare come against that evil, we had better prepare
ourselves by making the same wise choices that David did.
We’d better put our faith and trust in God. God bless
you all. God bless America. May we all remain sheltered
under His wings and overwhelmed by His love, Steve
Why Does God Allow Evil?
(Author Rick Warren, Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church)
Tuesday's horrific mass murder of innocent Americans
leaves all rational people shocked, angry, grief-stricken,
and numb. Our tears flow freely and our hearts carry a deep
ache. How could this happen in our nation?
This week as mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends,
neighbors, and co-workers begin to share their stories, this
tragedy will be become even more personal. As this tragedy
becomes more personal, it will become more painful. As our
pain deepens, so will the questions. Why does God allow evil
to happen? If God is so great, and so good, why does he
allow human beings to hurt each other?
The answer lies in both our greatest blessing and our worst
curse: our capacity to make choices. God has given us a free
will. Made in God's image, he has given us the freedom
to decide how we will act and the ability to make moral
choices. This is one asset that sets us apart from animals,
but it also is the source of so much pain in our world.
People, and that includes all of us, often make selfish,
self-centered, and evil choices. Whenever that happens,
people get hurt. Sin is ultimately selfishness. I want to do
what I want, not what God tells me to do. Unfortunately, sin
always hurts others, not just ourselves.
God could have eliminated all evil from our world by simply
removing our ability to choose it. He could have made us
puppets, or marionettes on strings that he pulls. By taking
away our ability to choose it, evil would vanish. But God
doesn't want us to be puppets. He wants to be loved and
obeyed by creatures who voluntarily choose to do so. Love is
not genuine if there is no other option.
Yes, God could have kept the terrorists from completing
their suicidal missions by removing their ability to choose
their own will instead of his. But to be fair, God would
also have to do that to all of us. You and I are not
terrorists, but we do harm and hurt others with our own
selfish decisions and actions.
You may hear misguided minds say "This must have been
God's will." Nonsense!! In a world of free choices,
God's will is rarely done! Doing our own will is much
more common. Don't blame God for this tragedy. Blame
people who ignored what God has told us to do: "Love
your neighbor as yourself."
In heaven, God's will is done perfectly. That's why
there is no sorrow, pain, or evil there. But this is earth,
a fallen, imperfect place. We must choose to do God's
will every day. It isn't automatic. This is why Jesus
told us to pray "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in
heaven."
The Bible tells us the root of evil: "This is the
crisis we're in: God's light streamed into the
world, but men and women everywhere ran for the
darkness...because they were not really interested in
pleasing God." (John 3:19 Message Translation)
We're far more interested in pleasing ourselves.
There are many other questions that race through our minds
during dark days. But the answers will not come from
pollsters, pundits, or politicians. We must look to God and
his Word. We must humble ourselves and admit that each of us
often choose to ignore what God wants us to do.
No doubt this weekend houses of worship across America will
be packed. In a crisis we cry out for a connection with our
Creator. This is a deep-seated, universal urge. The first
words uttered by millions on Tuesday were "Oh
God!" We were made for a relationship with God but he
waits for us to choose Him. He is ready to comfort, guide,
and direct us through our grief. My prayer is that you will
attend a house of worship this weekend and reconnect with
God. But it's your choice.
______________________________________________________
Copyright © 1998 - 2017 by Stephen J. Hall -
Letters of encouragement to Christians written by Stephen J.
Hall unless otherwise indicated. Notes from the Valley are
meant to brighten your day and encourage you along the
way. If you are blessed by them, please feel free to make
copies and pass them along to others. If you have
something you’d like to contribute to a future edition,
would like to ask a question or make a comment, please
contact us at:
_______________________________________________________ “Surely
God does not reject a blameless man or strengthen the hands
of evildoers. He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
and your lips with shouts of joy.” Job 8:20-21 (NIV)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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