LISTENING 


How long has it been since you had a quite time with God?   No No No....Not a prayer time but a quite time.  For me, it had been awhile.  Oh I've had plenty of prayer times,,, "Good prayer times."  I've done prayer request and I've thanked Him for answering my prayers.  I've praised Him and I've knelt in awe at how good He's been to me and my family.  I've looked to the heavens and often wondered why He loves me so much.  But again I ask..."How about a quite time with God."

Now as you read this,  some of you may think I'm talking about you.  Let me assure you this is all about me.  If by chance it speaks to you,  maybe you should have  a quite time with God yourself.

As I stated before I've had my prayer times.  I'm not talking about that.  What I'm talking about is coming into the presence of God and keeping my mouth shut and listening.  Got that.... "LISTENING" to God.

I did that last night.  It was a cold night.  Our first below freezing night.  I went to bed and pulled the covers up tight against my body and as always I said my prayers.  I thanked God and I asked of God.  I praised God and I thanked him some more.  I told God He was great and I was amazed at His saving grace.  I thanked Him again and said Amen.  Amen is suppose to be the end of the prayer but for some reason it didn't feel finished and I laid there.....And I laid there...And I laid there some more.  And then it hit me,,,I was through with my prayer but God still had His turn coming.....He wasn't through.  God had listened to me,  He had listened with a loving heart and a loving concern.  God had heard my every word.  It was now God's turn to speak.

I pulled the covers tighter,  I turned the volume on the TV down ( I sleep with the TV on) and I said...."OK God...Speak to me."  And He did.

He talked to me about my reaction to the election.  No it wasn't an audible voice but I know it was God's voice.  He said "I know you're disappointed in the outcome and that's OK.  Nothing wrong with being disappointed.  What is wrong is the way you are reacting.  Your reaction has been to argue.  To call the other side names.  To get angry and let your anger fester.  Then you think to yourself...I'm just going to quit.  I'm not going to do my part anymore.  It is totally "us against them" and I'm sure not going to do anything to help them.  I'm going to take my ball and go home."

Then God said something that really hit home.  He said something that I went to sleep thinking about and woke up thinking about.  God said...."Wesley,  your attitude doesn't please Me."  What I was thinking,  What I was saying,  The way I was acting  didn't please God.  I then asked God to forgive me for responding the way I had been.  I ask Him to guide me in the way I should go I asked Him if it was possible to mix Christianity and politics.  The answer came to me not in that Godly voice but in a voice that nonetheless I was assured was from God.  I am a Christian first, and although I'm not of the world I am in the world.  I am in the world to make it a better place.  I am in the world to serve not only God but to likewise serve man.  I am in the world to minister to mankind.  I will hold to my morals,  express my morals and beliefs but I will do so with humility and love and not with haughtiness and anger. 

I had coaches in high school that just like me hated to lose.  To name a couple Julian Mock and Benny Davis.  But they taught me to not only win with dignity but to lose with dignity also.  They taught me about character.  I thank God for reminding me of what these men taught me and I pray I will carry myself in the future as I was taught.

And don't get this wrong.  The fight isn't over.  I will not change my beliefs in order to win but I will fight to change the minds of my brothers and sisters of this great country as God would have me do.  I will treat them as I would have them treat me and by using this strategy, God and the USA will win.  If I have offended anyone of you during this election period I ask for your forgiveness.  Now on to 2014 and 2016 and beyond

To God be the glory...Great things He has and will continue to do.