Burning Issues

Occasionally God begins to stir things inside my heart that I don’t understand or know how to interpret. It seems like I continually get bombarded with thoughts, ideas, images, songs or articles that have a consistent theme connecting them. I begin to see God pointing me in directions that I am not always sure I desire to travel. It is those moments that I need to be fully aware of the movement of God in my heart and mind.

I am not someone who sees spiritual messages in everything. I don’t see things as being necessarily blessings or curses from God. I don’t have enough wisdom to make those distinctions all the time. I simply know that god is big enough to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, for whatever reason he wants. If I understand it or not is not part of the equation.

Lately I have been deeply impressed on two areas that have been put in my face over and over again. They are not earth shattering revelations or are they specific to me, but God has been stirring my heart about two areas: marriages within the church and reaching people who don’t know Christ. It seems like every article I read, every blog I scan and every Twitter update that I follow deals with one of these issues. It as if God is stirring within me something that is on his heart.

Marriages in churches today are falling apart. Life is stressful on its own, but when you add in the current economic situations it is creating a level of stress that is almost unparalleled in people’s lives. I don’t know of anyone that is not impacted by all that is going on. Therefore the relationships at home are deeply affected by the strain of the economy.

One of the aspects that I feel must happen is that the church must be intentional and passionate about communicating biblical solutions to this issue. We must confront head on the idea that divorce is a financial option and teach the biblical principle that God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). The church must be the vanguard of the covenant of marriage. If not, we will never see the family structure be united and strong in our society again.

The second aspect that God has laid on my heart is that people are going into eternity without Jesus. Every day thousands of people die separated from God. The church is the only remedy for this crisis. It is not the church as a corporation, but the church as individual members living on purpose and with the attitude that we must make a difference in the world around us. We are here for the purpose of worshipping God and helping others come into relationship with him.

This week ask yourself the question: “What am I doing about these two issues?” Then, follow the leading of God’s Spirit as he speaks truth into your life.