Liberals

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The Empty Offers of Liberals

Numbers 22:5

"He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:"

One of the stories in the Scriptures that epitomizes the compromise of preachers and the offers of liberals is the story of Balaam and Balak. At the time the story started in the verse above, Balaam was a respected prophet. Though most of the time when you think of Balaam you think of a compromiser, apparently up to this point in his life God's blessings were evident upon his life. Balak's offers to Balaam were empty offers. Though on the surface the offers seemed enticing, when you look at the end of the offers you see that they were empty. These empty offers are still offered today by liberals, but you must not be enticed by them for they are empty. Notice the four offers Balak offered that did not produce what he originally claimed.

First, he offered something he could not give. Balak offered Balaam honor and promotion in Numbers 22:17. Balak made it sound like Balaam would become greater if he would just compromise. Liberals always offer position that they cannot give. They will always tell you that your influence will be greater if you will just compromise. Christian, God is the One Who promotes. You must remember that if the liberal promotes you to great influence, then they can take away the influence at any time. However, if God is the One Who promotes you, then no man is able to take away what God gave you. Never let the liberal's enticement of promotion and honor pull you away from that which you know is right.

Second, Balak spiritualized that which was not spiritual. In Numbers 23:2, Balak made it sound as though he wanted to worship God the same way that Balaam did. This was not true! Liberals always try to spiritualize their actions. Let me make this very clear, their is nothing spiritual about compromise. You can try to spiritualize wrong, but sin is sin. It is never right to do wrong to do right. Wrong is always wrong, and right is always right. Liberals always create a gray area and try to make it sound like the gray area is spiritual. No, the gray area is wrong. Don't ever spiritualize wrong, for sin is sin no matter how you put it.

Third, Balak wanted to bring Balaam to places where he should not have gone. In Numbers 23:27, Balak continued to bring Balaam to see different parts of Israel that he could curse. Liberals will turn you into something that you don't want to become. If you accept the liberal's offers, then one day you will look at what you have become and see that you never wanted to go that far. Liberals will take you to places of spirituality where you don't want to be. Therefore, you should never accept their offers of compromise.

Last, Balak offered freedom that only brought bondage. In Numbers 24:11, you see the true side of liberalism was to control everything that Balaam did. Balak's anger was kindled at Balaam because he didn't do what he wanted him to do. Christian, liberals want you to do what they want. They lie when they say they will come your way if you will make the first move. If you move, then they won't move, but they will want you to move again. Never move from the position where God commands you to stand.

Always remember that the offers of liberals are empty. What they offer they cannot and will not give. Stand where you are supposed to stand, and let God be the One Who promotes you to the position where He wants you to be. Don't seek position, but seek to do right.

Another set

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Another Set of Eyes

Numbers 10:31

"And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes."

How often have you heard a person say, "Do you need another set of eyes?" While Moses' father-in-law visited his daughter, Moses asked him if he would stay with them so that he could be another set of eyes as they journeyed towards the Promised Land. Apparently, Moses thought very highly of him and wanted his insight as they faced difficult situations.

Throughout life it is wise to have someone to whom you can go to and get another set of eyes. Getting someone else's perspective on decisions is good because many times they have no bearing on the decision being made. Just as important as getting another set of eyes to help you with decisions, likewise it is important to choose the right person to give you their perspective. Choosing the wrong person could cause you to make a decision that you could regret for the rest of your life.

When seeking another set of eyes, choose someone who is a wise person. Don't ask someone their perspective because you know they will tell you what you want to hear. Likewise, don't choose someone because they are your friend. Choosing someone with wisdom is important because their perspective could likely influence the outcome of your decision.

Furthermore, when seeking another set of eyes, choose someone who has already been down the road of life. Getting a perspective from your peers isn't always wise as your peers probably have not faced what you are facing. It isn't necessarily wrong to choose one of your peers for another set of eyes, but be sure that they have been down the road where you are going before you get their opinion.

In addition, choose someone whom you can trust. Trust is very important when getting someone's perspective. You don't want to ask someone their perspective when they have a loose tongue. If you ask someone something, you need for them to be someone who will keep it private. It is wise to ask the person from whom you are getting another perspective to keep it private. If you choose the right person, then you will find this area won't be that big of a problem.

Finally, choose someone with common beliefs. This may be the most important point I can give you. Finding someone with the same philosophy and beliefs is imperative. You don't want to ask someone whose philosophy will guide you away from what is right. Therefore, choose people who are going in the same direction in philosophy and belief to keep you from making a wrong decision.

Everybody will need another set of eyes at some point in their life. Choose those to whom you will go to for their perspective before you are ever faced with a decision. Choosing the right person to give you their perspective will save you from making costly mistakes, and they just may help you to achieve greater heights.

His Place

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In His Place

Numbers 2:17

"Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards."

When God organized the congregation of Israel, He commanded them to camp "every man in his place..." Every institution must be organized for it to succeed. An institution will only be as successful as the degree of its organization. God knew that the children of Israel would never make it through the wilderness without organization. You must understand that for forty years there were over two million people whom Moses led through the wilderness. There had to be organization for it to succeed.

However, it does not matter how organized an institution is if the people in that institution are not in their place of service. Leadership can have an organizational plan in place, but the people in the institution must be in their place of service for that plan to work. The verse above teaches us that people are important to the organizational structure. God told them that "every man" needed to be in their place when the camp went forward.

There are two institutions that God started: the home and the church. Both of these institutions will only be as successful as their organization. A home without organization is a home where there is strife and contention. A home without organization is a home that is dysfunctional. Likewise, a church without organization is a church that is missing its potential. The church must be organized if it is to reach the lost for Christ to the degree that God wants it to. However, in both of these institutions it is important that those inside of them are in their place and fulfill their obligations for them to reach the potential that God has for them.

In your home, are you fulfilling the roles of organization that God set up? If you are the man of the home, are you leading the home or is the home leading you? When men won't lead in the home, then they are hurting the organization of the home. If you are a lady, are you following your husband and leading the children? Ladies have a twofold role in the home. They must submit to their husband's leadership, but they must also be a leader to the children. You must be in your place if you want your home to run smoothly. Children need to be in their place of following their parents if they want a peaceful home. Children out of place will hurt the structure of the home.

Moreover, your church needs you to be in your place of ministry. When you are given a position in your church, your pastor needs you to fulfill that role without him having to constantly remind you. Be in your place on time. When I say on time, I am talking about being there before it's time to start. Be in your place of service all the time. Don't be one who constantly has excuses for not fulfilling your roles of ministry.

Christian, you are important to every institution in which you are involved. Be sure that you are in your place so that institution is can succeed. You cannot worry about whether others are in their place, but you can be sure to be in your place and do what you are supposed to do. You will hurt the organizational structure of any institution when you are out of place. Follow God's command to be in your place so you can be a part of helping God's institutions to go forward.

Burying

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Burying Your Head

Leviticus 20:4

"And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not:"

Have you ever heard of someone burying their head in the sand? This statement comes from the idea that an ostrich buries its head in the sand thinking that it is safe. However, though its head may be buried in the sand, its whole body is shown and is vulnerable to its enemy's attack. The only thing that is accomplished for this ostrich by burying its head in the sand is a false sense of security that will eventually get it killed.

The verse above says, "And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man,..." God was teaching Israel not to bury their head in the sand when it came to idolatry. God held them responsible for knowing about someone's idol worship and not doing anything about it. It was very important to God that they face reality and not bury their head in the sand. Likewise, you must be careful about burying your head in the sand especially in four areas.

First, don't bury your head in the sand about yourself. There are many Christians who bury their head in the sand about their spirituality only to hurt themselves. If you would be honest with yourself, you would acknowledge that you have some work to do on your spirituality. When you won't be honest with yourself about your spiritual problems, then the only one who you are truly fooling is yourself. You will never change the problems in your life without taking your head out of the sand and facing your problems head on.

Second, don't bury your head in the sand about your family. I find that there are many people who just won't face the reality that their family has problems that need to be corrected. When a school teacher approaches a parent about their child, many parents get upset at the school teacher instead of fixing the problem. When church members approach their pastor with a good attitude about problems with his children who are on staff, I have watched many pastors blacklist the church member instead of taking care of the problem with their family. Every family has problems, and until you take your head out of the sand you cannot fix those problems.

Third, don't bury your head in the sand about your church. Christian, you must be careful not to allow liberalism to creep into your church. When liberalism creeps in and you continue to stay because you refuse to accept that your church could be going liberal, then the one's you are hurting the most are you and your family. You should never bury your head in the sand when your church begins to go liberal. Realizing that everyone is capable of going liberal will help you to keep your head from being buried in the sand.

Last, don't bury your head in the sand about your nation. Their are many citizens who bury their head in the sand about their nation's problems by not listening to its nation's problems. It is imperative for a nation to stay right that its citizens are informed about what their government is doing so they can do what they can to keep it from being destroyed.

Burying your head in the sand like an ostrich about any area of your life will only hurt you in the long run. Sure, you may get a false sense of security by doing so, but you cannot change any problems until you face them. Be determined in your life not to be one who buries their head in the sand.

The Point

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The Point of Responsibility

Leviticus 5:3

"Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled withal, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty."

One of the questions that I am often asked is if a person does wrong and doesn't know it, is it still a sin. This is asked because people know that there are times when someone does wrong and doesn't know it. However, though ignorance may be bliss, ignorance is no excuse to do wrong. It is the responsibility of humans to find out what they are supposed to do. God fulfilled His responsibility by giving us His Word. Therefore, we are to do our part to find out what is right and wrong. Let me give you several principles that God discusses about a person doing wrong through ignorance.

First, God acknowledges that there is a sin of ignorance. In Leviticus 4:2, God says that a person can sin through ignorance. God understood that there would be times when we would do wrong because of our lack of knowledge concerning His Word.

Second, ignorance of sin does not change God's laws. In Leviticus 4:13, God shows us that though a person sins through ignorance, they are still guilty in His eyes. Just because you don't know God's laws in a certain area doesn't mean that you are not guilty. For instance, there are times when you may be speeding and not know it. Maybe you entered a certain roadway and the speed limit sign is not posted. Depending on the laws of the state, the unposted speed limit could be lower than what you expected. Does your ignorance of that law make you not guilty when the policeman pulls you over? No! You are still guilty of breaking the law. Likewise, you are still guilty of breaking God's laws even when you break them through ignorance.

Third, the point of knowledge is the point of guilt. In the verse above, you will notice that God says, "...when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty." It is when you know that you have done wrong that you are now guilty, not only in God's eyes, but also in your own eyes. You are already guilty in the eyes of God when you committed the sin, but when the knowledge of sin comes to personal reality, then guilt will set in.

Fourth, the moment of guilt is the point of accountability. In Leviticus 5:5, God shows that a person is to immediately confess their sin upon the point of accountability. God holds you accountable for your sin once you know that you have done wrong. You become accountable for your actions at the moment you know you have done wrong. In other words, accountability should cause you to confess your sin to God.

Last, your response at the point of accountability determines God's blessings. What you do once you know you have done wrong will determine how much God blesses you. If you continue to do wrong after the point of accountability, then God will withhold His blessings from you.

Let's make this applicable to your daily life. When dealing with people, if they do wrong out of ignorance you need to use that opportunity to show them where they were wrong. However, if they did wrong out of ignorance then apply mercy, but from that point forward you must hold them accountable. This principle should be applied to rearing children, the workplace, the church, etc. When people know that they have done wrong, then that is when they should be accountable for what they have done.