2019 has been a rough year in terms of news. While there has been some recent good news about protecting the unborn, there has been bad news with new abortion laws that allow for abortions even later in pregnancies than ever before. There has been reports of sexual abuse within Southern Baptist churches, news stories about racism, people picking on Chris Pratt for just going to church (c’mon he’s StarLord, man…), politicians saying really stupid things (on both sides of the aisle), stories of church scandals and pastors sinning their way out of the ministry, the heartbreak of the impending Ben Zobrist divorce, and, at the end of the day, it can be deflating as a human being just to check the news or check a Facebook feed. I often find myself seeing a headline, getting angry, and asking myself, “How could this happen?”
A few months ago, I found this Tweet by a guy named Darrell B. Harrison. Harrison is a podcaster and works with the ministry of John MacArthur in California. He often provides some solid Biblical insight to several social issues on Twitter. He wrote this following Tweet in response to the report of the sexual abuse with Southern Baptist churches,
“A key reason many are shocked at the scandals occurring in politics and the church is they’ve become desensitized to the fact that we are sinners. We are not “good people who do bad things”. We are sinners. Each of us. The human heart is capable of all kinds of evil (Gen. 8:21b).”- Darrell B. Harrison (@D_B_Harrison)
2019 America is off to a weird start, but it isn’t because of abortion, angry celebrities, racism, sexual immorality, or Illinois representatives (ok, maybe it is a little bit their fault!) The root issue is ultimately sin, and, as Mr. Harrison and Genesis 8:21 point out, we are all guilty and capable of more. The truth is we aren’t good people and we deserve hell just as much as an abortion doctor. The only difference is that we have put our trust in Jesus Christ who took the punishment and blame for all of the sins that we have committed and will ever commit.
I once again don’t have a big rah-rah speech about how to be a better human being but I would encourage my prayer team to continue to very intentionally pray for us and one another. God’s Word tells us that the enemy prowls around like a lion and wants to see us fall (1 Peter 5:8). I have no doubt that Satan would love to see our Saints team fall and be unable to participate in 2019. I have no doubt that Satan would like to attack our marriages and attack us as fathers. Jesus acknowledges Satan’s intentions to sift Peter like wheat in Luke 22:31-32 (Ironically in verse 33, Peter was ready to go to prison with Jesus but not for the same reasons we go!). Jesus’ response was prayer. He doesn’t perform a miracle and protect Peter with a team of Army Rangers or send him through a 12-step small group on how to avoid being sifted like wheat. The weapon Jesus uses is prayer. Jesus lets Peter know that He has prayed for him. Please be praying for us as we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the men we see tomorrow at Pontiac. Please pray that God draws men closer to Him and that they would put their faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior!
Tomorrow we are planning on playing 4 games. It looks like rain but that just means we will either be wet or playing wiffleball in the prison gym!
Thanks for all of the prayer support so far this season! I am looking forward to a great day at Pontiac Correctional Center!
