For us to do the things God has planned and purpose for our lives He must be able to get our attention. Getting man's attention seems to be something God has problems with. God loves His children whom He has created very much and will stop at nothing, short of bending our will, to get our obedience.

God comes to us first in His love, grace, and mercy this is the wonderful story of the Gospel, but if God cannot get our attention with His mercy, grace, and love then He will use other means and ways such as His judgments and wrath to get our attention. For many Christians this is a real revelation. Most Christians refuse to believe a loving God would not draw His children to His side through harsh dealings to get us to our knees. The Bible is full of examples of God dealing harshly with man to get his attention. In Isaiah we read, “ That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. 7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things .” (Isaiah 45:6-7) Many Christians reject these verses. We cannot choose what verses we want to believe, it is either we believe all or we believe none of the Bible. The word “evil” here in the Greek is often translated calamity. What, God creates calamity? Yes my dear friend read the Bible. Yes a loving God creates calamity to get our attention so that we might get back on track with the things He has for us to do. What, God creates darkness? Yes my friend God creates darkness so that we may be able to learn to lean on Him as we come into the light He has purposed for our lives. Every time the Children of Israel or anyone in the Bible got off track God brought, when His mercy and grace did not get their attention, calamity to get them to bring them to their knees and to get them back on track. It seems from our knees we have just enough light to see the way we should go. When God brings His judgments and wrath on His children it seems He always uses one's enemies and other things of His creation to get their attention. Many Christians still today do not believe on 11 September 2001 God was trying to get our attention. Well my friends was it not the enemies (whom we are to pray for) of America who fly our own planes into the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon taking the lives of almost 3,000 people? Did these planes go unnoticed by God? Did they take God by surprise? Is not God in control of the heavens? And now we have a hurricane (named by man) called Katrina which means pure, to make pure, or to purify. Is not God in control of the winds and the waves? God always uses His ways and means through the things He creates to judge the sin of man. Here in New Orleans , Mississippi , Alabama , and all of the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina God, in His loving mercy and grace, has again judged America and found her wanting. This time I believe the death toll will be twice what it was on 11 September 2001 . And if America does not turn her heart back towards God and humble herself under His mighty hand, as led by a repentant Church, the next time (and it will happen) the death toll will be double what Hurricane Katrina cost in lives for disobedience, selfish delights for fleshly Mardi Gras and gambling. “ . . . for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: “ (1 Peter 5:5-6) In the Jacksonville paper today (5 September 2005) on the front page was the picture of a man sitting in great despair from the devastation with his head in his hands, but turn the page and you can read of the Southern Decadence Parade (a week long gay festival second only to Mardi Gras) which was held in the French Quarter last Sunday. Jesus said, “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12) In the face of great loss of life and hope many in New Orleans exalted themselves through their lustful homosexual and decadent ways, in open defiance to God, refusing to humble them selves “under the mighty hand of God.”

Make no mistake Church of America , God will not allow America to thumb it nose at Him forever. God will not allow the Church to play fast and loose forever. God will not allow the Church of America , who He has raised up for a time like this to share the Gospel around the world, to exist in her fleshly pursuits and desires for popularity, fame, ambition and a feel good religion. God hates this spirit of bigger, nicer, and better. God hates our self-exalting and self-seeking approach to Him with our emotions and feelings and not our heart and spirit. Well my friend this is wrong thinking out from wrong teaching and a wrong heart condition towards God and man. God takes great exception and will bring us to our knees one way or the other. “ He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” (Proverbs 29:1) The spiritual well-being of a country reflects the heart and desires of its spiritual leaders. Let us be honest and face the truth. Many spiritual leaders in America have gotten off track and are drunk with the spirit of bigger, nicer, and better. Many spiritual leaders today desire popularity, fame, are ambitious, and go after a feel good religion that will allow them riches of this world instead of teaching truth from the word of God. And because of this, even in the face of God's loving grace and mercy, “ shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Let us be honest and face the truth. We the Church of America collectively have failed to get the true message out to America and the world. We have our part of shame in God's judgment and wrath. We must do better. We must fall to our knees, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17) We, the Church, are the house of the Lord and judgment begins with us.

Brethren we must not allow this special time of God's dealings and judgments with America get lost in all of man's strength of salvation through wonderful organizations such as the Red Cross and others. After 9-11 God was after repentance, but America gave Him patriotism. God is still after repentance. Now please do not misunderstand me this all is needed, but the main focus for man's salvation must come from broken people as they share the glorious message of the Gospel, “saved by grace, not by works unless any man would boast.” I watched a very well know black TV evangelist and pastor squandered his God-given opportunity by telling the world what his church has done to help the people in New Orleans . Who cares? What people need to hear is a message that points them to God. What people need to hear is a message of repentance and their great need to call on God to save them and their family.

What people need to hear are words that will point them to a loving heavenly Father. Our charitable organizations and Government will take care of our physical needs (as we do our part here also) but, our mission as called by God to be light in darkness is to share the Gospel to those who are suffering. While I watched this pastor blowing his own horn I thought of John Wright Follette when he told the story of an evangelist who took the pulpit and asked, is everybody happy? John Wright Follette thought who cares if we are happy or not, give us some truth. Brethren we must be about giving America and the world the truth. We must not be about politics and government favor. Nor is it a black or white issue, we must understand it is a heaven and hell issue. Too many churches are “silent no more.” Well, I implore them to be quiet and fall on their face in obedience to God's word, fall on their face before a holy God and His sovereign plan for America . I would beg they heed, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19-20) Now please know I am not making excuses for those who choose to turn their backs on God, even in light of the Church of America 's failure, we in America have no excuse before God. But it is our responsibility before God and man to pray for our leaders and be quiet as our life shines forth to the lost. Let us allow God to get our attention through His love, grace, and mercy, if not He has other ways to get our attention.