The Cry of the Innocent for the Soul of a Nation
Text: “There are six thing which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him; haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to do evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.” Proverbs 6: 17-16-19
Purpose Statement: Pastors must call their people to pray for the soul of a nation in crisis, and lead them to personal and national repentance by ending the shedding of innocent blood.
Introduction: Since the 1973 Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision made abortion the law of the land, the cries of over 50 million babies have reached the ears of Almighty God. His immutable character and inerrant Word remind us that He still hates the shedding of innocent blood. His ear is always attentive to the cries of His children.
“You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry.” Exodus 22:21
Proverbs provides clear insight into God’s character. He has a personal hatred for seven things. God judges them to be so odious that they are an abomination to Him. His character will never allow His hatred of an abomination to evolve into a toleration of it. His children should be resolved to reflect His character, not to redefine it.
The Wise give shape to their personal and national character by loving what God loves and hating what God hates. Fools worship gods created by their vain imagination. They drift from the compass of God’s character. Their ears become deaf to His voice and their hearts become calloused to the touch of His hand. Any accumulative error of moral judgment is disastrous on a personal and a national level.
The abomination of any individual or any nation begins with the first act of disobedience to God. He finds rebellion disgusting, abhorrent and repugnant because it leads to a separation from Him and a loss of intimacy with Him.
When an individual or a nation stiff arms the character of God and embraces an abomination as the law of the land, it ends in disaster. When rebellious people disregard the compass of the most powerful, it is a very short step to dismembering the bodies of the most vulnerable. Like other nations, America has taken that step. It is time for a turnaround.
“You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God, for every abominable act which the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.” Deut. 12:31
Illustration: Accumulative error is a navigational term that describes the inherent danger when a pilot continues flying off course so long that eventually the plane reaches a point of no return. The earlier an error is recognized a proper course correction can be made. Pilots who refuse to correct their course invite disaster.
The Turnaround: It is not enough to know what God hates. There must be a turning away from it in thought and behavior. There is a difference between a feeling of sorrow and an act of repentance.
Recent videos exposing the gruesome practice of Planned Parenthood’s harvesting of the organs of babies from their mother’s womb. Exposing evil to the light of day has brought waves of sorrow to millions of tenderhearted people. Sorrow is redemptive only when it leads to repentance. Repentance requires a stopping point and a turning point. Without both there is no Spiritual Awakening on a personal or a national level.
There must be a point in which the accumulative error of an evil decision thrust upon the nation by secularist jurists stops. It must be followed by a turnaround that is spiritual, not politcial. That day has come. Let the breath in your lungs be used to pray for it to begin in your own heart.
The Battle Ground: The turnaround begins in the spiritual arena, not the political arena. Waiting for the soul of a nation to be changed by the election of a political leader postpones your repentance and ignores God’s Word.
God hates the shedding of innocent blood. God’s hatred for it is the primary motivation to stop it. Calloused judges and a complicit media have sought to stifle the cry of the innocent. If no cry is heard, they believe there will be no call to end it.
Can you hear God’s voice? What He hates, His children must not tolerate. There can be no procrastination. If you lack the motivation to end an abomination, you have wandered too far from His voice. His hatred for the shedding of innocent blood is clearly stated in Proverbs. It is also deeply embedded in the spiritual DNA of every one of His children.
“God is love.” As children, this was one of the earliest truths we learned about God. Though it is still held dear to our hearts, it should not dull us to the truth of God’s Word. Knowing what God hates, and ending what God hates are driven by love. We cannot love Him and tolerate what He hates.
Being right with God is not achieved by feeling sorrow over doing wrong. It involves forgiveness of sin. It is impossible to be right with Him, and ignore what He hates. He expects His children to agree with Him on matters of right and wrong, and to make right what is wrong when it is in their power to do so. God’s children are not perfect and proud of it. They are forgiven, and humbled by it.
“The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but He loves one who pursues righteousness.” Proverbs 15:9
The Victory: Obedience is not an option in the spiritual arena. God expects His opinion and His Word to be taken seriously. Immediate obedience is essential to any personal or national turnaround. Delayed obedience may eventually lead to a turnaround, but it is still disobedience, and it has serious consequences. Delayed obedience invites accumulative error.
“The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the LORD. “ Proverbs 21:31
The Victory begins with a fresh act of obedience on the part of God’s children. Victory in a spiritual battle does not come from exercising authority over the enemy at the gate. It comes when your own wayward heart is broken and placed in God’s hands for His restoration.
“It is amazing what God can do with a broken heart, when you give Him all the pieces.” Samuel Chadwick
The ash heap of history is filled with the remnants of nations who ignored God’s direction, protection and correction. They changed the price tags on all that God considered precious, and became spiritually bankrupt. The anthem of a proud rebel and a fallen nation is, “I Did It My Way.”
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” Proverbs 14:35
The Conclusion: Continuous repentance is an expression of genuine obedience, but the Spiritual Awakening needed in this nation begins with a fresh act of repentance on your part.
Don’t wait for someone else to pray for a nation in crisis. Align yourself with God’s character, not the moral depravity of a lost culture. Being on the right side of history requires being right with God. After all history is HIS story.
The cross of Jesus Christ is the point of reference for every person and nation seeking to get back on course. Recognizing error and agonizing over error does not correct error. To experience a personal and corporate turnaround th
ere must be a turning back to God.
The Father points a lost person or a wayward nation to His Son, Jesus, as, “The way, the truth and the life. No man comes to The Father but by Him.” John 10:10
A repentant person turns towards Jesus, and receives God’s forgiveness. A praying church mobilizes an army of repentant people calling on God to use His children as instruments to guide lost people and a wayward nation back to The Father.
God can do more in five minutes, through the life of one obedient person than millions of rebels can accomplish in 50 years of their own effort. Be the one. The Victory is His. Pray for it. It is only a breath away.
After you pray for your life to be back on course, pray for your Congressmen and Senators to hear from God regarding the ending of the slaughter of the innocent. Let them know that you are praying for them, and you are expecting them to do the right thing. You will no longer tolerate any excuse when they have the chance to vote to end government sponsored support of the murder and dismemberment of babies in this session of Congress. God hates it. You can stop it. For God’s sake, make it happen.
“The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.” Samuel Chadwick (1860-1932)
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