Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 2416 BOCNEWS.com AUGUST 2016 In God We Trust “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” — Psalm 20:7 Everyday our news sources reflect a significant amount of bad news. If you have not come to realize it yet, we are in a war. I’m not talking about the war against terrorism on foreign soils, but here in our homeland, in your home and mine. We can- not bifurcate, that is, separate or divide, the physical manifestations which we see and read of daily from the spiritual. We are in a battle for the spiritual and moral well being of our nation. All that is going on in our world ought to make us stop and recognize that something needs to be changed. All around us, we are being challenged as to what, and in whom we really believe, what is and is not truth, what is wrong and what is right. In times like these where shootings, violence, and murder seems to be the order of the day, where peo- ple are struggling economically, astronomical rates of HIV Aids among our black women, incarceration of black males, and the general breakdown of the Black family, we could become easily discouraged. We could become depressed, in despair, be tempted to further abandon everything that seems to be good and wholesome, accept the situation for what it is and allow the enemy to acquire a firmer foothold in our lives. That would the easy answer. However, I believe that it is a wakeup call to change, to be better in the future than we have been in the past. In the midst of war, it is sometimes hard to know just what we ought to do, whom we ought to trust, and what ought to be our expectation of victory. Our text is a royal psalm; King David was about to go to war, but before he did he stopped to pray in the sanctuary, where he was joined by the congregation who interceded for him. From his words, and the words of those who interceded for him, we find that it is only through a continuing and growing faith in God that we have any hope of victory, any hope of seeing our present and future generations arise above the seeming hopelessness in which we find ourselves. WE MUST BE PRAYING PEOPLE (vs. 1-5). The peo- ple’s prayer for David’s victory was based on his past performance, his faithfulness. They prayed, may He [God] remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice. What can and will the Lord remem- ber about each of us. Will our obedience assure, give us confidence in the daily battles, of our victory? It is only as we live lives in obedience that we can claim and appropriate the power of God. The problem is that for too many of us sin, and the resulting wrath of God, is no longer a deterrent. Somehow we know what is wrong and do it anyway with little fear of divine wrath. We will shack up with men/women before our children. We will engage in alcohol and drug use and encourage our children to do so as well. We will engage in sexual relations with same sex individuals and molest little children, and expect that somehow generations following are going to be better. One has to wonder how patient God is, and if God has not given up on us. He has given up on human- ity before as the great flood of Noah’s day would witness and recorded in Scripture. When we see the might acts of God throughout our land, and the world, we ought to stop and ask ourselves is God’s patience growing thin. Is he on his way to reclaim this world, those that are his, and set unbelievers on a path towards destruction. Our real enemy is not Muslim, not ISIS. Our real enemy is Satan (Ephesians 6:12). Satan has so dis- tracted us with a multiplicity of concerns that we have become desensitized to the real need of the day, which is to pray. Satan has used his greatest tools of distraction and discouragement to have us major on the minor things in life, and minor on the major things in life. We are being lulled into a deep sleep and overly confidence in our own abilities. We need to recognize that we are in danger and we need to pray for our politi- cal and spiritual leadership, for our world, nation, homes, and children. Only in God can we have victory. Only in God will things change for the better. WE MUST HAVE CONFIDENCE IN GOD (vs. 6). The problem with victory is that sometimes the vic- tors fail to realize to whom to attri- bute the victory. Throughout bib- lical history we find the nation of Israel was favored by God in bat- tle. Oftentimes when severally out- numbered God would miraculous- ly deliver: Gideon, etc. However, in spite of the deliverance the people would fail to acknowledge God in a continued way. Prosperity has a way of leading people down a road to trust in themselves rather than to trust in God. David expresses in verse 7, con- trary to what others may have been saying, or thinking with regard to the military might of the army, his confidence as to why he senses victory. He says, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” I am sure there were generals who were taking inventory, counting the number of soldiers, the number of chariots and horses, the number of swords and spears, adding up all the military resources in preparation for battle. However, contrary to those who trusted in military equipment (or in chariots and horses, 33:17), David trusted in the Lord. David envisioned a great defeat of the enemy. He foresaw the certainty of his army's vic- tory. The object of his faith was the name of the LORD. David's faith came from meditating and pon- dering on the known reputation of God. David had confidence in God. He trusted in God’s name. We live in a country of abundant resources. We are the richest nation on the face of the earth. We are also becoming one of the most immoral. We are grad- ually becoming a godless society. We seemingly are becoming more trusting of our military might and our intellectual wisdom, and our personal resources: MC, Visa, AMEX, and Discover, more than in the name of the Lord our God. We must have confidence in God, for in him alone . . . IN WHOM OR WHAT DO YOU TRUST? In Jules Verne's novel, “Mysterious Island” he tells of five men who escape a Civil War prison camp by hijacking a hot air balloon. As they rise into the air, they realize the wind is carrying them over the ocean. Watching their homeland disappear on the horizon, they won- der how much longer the balloon can stay aloft. As the hours pass and the surface of the ocean draws closer, the men decide they must cast over- board some of the weight, for they had no way to heat the air in the balloon. Shoes, overcoats, and weapons are reluctantly discarded, and the uncom- fortable aviators feel their balloon rise, but only temporarily. Soon they find themselves dangerously close to the waves again, so they toss their food. Better to be high and hungry than drown on a full belly! Unfortunately, this, too, is only a temporary solution, and the craft again threatens to lower the men into the sea. One man has an idea: they can tie the ropes that hold the passenger basket and sit on those ropes. Then they can cut away the heavy basket beneath them. As they sever the very thing they had been standing on, it drops into the ocean, and the balloon rises. Not a minute too soon, they spot land. Eager to stand on land again, the five jump into the water and swim to the island. They live, spared because they were able to discern the dif- ference between what really was needed and what was not. The "necessities" they once thought they couldn't live without were the very weights that almost cost them their lives (Heb. 12:1). There are so many things in life that we think are needful. Some say I need a man/woman in my life. I need to be sexually fulfilled. I need a bigger house. I need a better car. I need a better job. No one can deny that we all have needs and desires. The problem is not so much with our needs and desires as with what com- promises we will make to get them satisfied. Instead of getting rid of the bad stuff in our lives, some of us have thrown God overboard. We have thrown away righteousness, holiness, and trust in God. We have set forth to fulfill our desires without any concern for what’s right, and not caring what the eternal conse- quences may be. Whether or not you realize it or not we are at war. We are in a war right now for the moral well being of our society. We are in a war for the very lives of our young men and women, against terror- ism, against spiritual immorality, against corporate greed, against financial ruin, against unemployment, HIV Aids, complacency and hopelessness among our youth. Who are you going to trust? Many have trusted in personal resources. Many have trusted in corporate America and the government. Many have trusted in their employers for their subsistence. All these resources will ultimately fail. We should all be praying for the moral and spiri- tual well-being of our nation. We ought to be peti- tioning God for the success of our leadership. Let us not give in to the pressures of a godless society. Let us declare like David that we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Each day we are challenged to compromise and deny our faith in God: In the way we live. In our refusal to live holy. In our refusal to accept the teachings of the Bible. Will we deny the fact that it is in God we trust? Let us boldly proclaim: in God we trust, so help me God, as God is my witness, and we are one nation under God. We must refuse to let God be fired or thrown overboard, from our society! What part can you personally play in establishing a better society? It begins with your personal commitment to truth and holiness. “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God”. Who do you trust in today? By Rev. Dr. William T. Golson, Jr. DMin William T. Golson, Jr., MDiv, is President of the Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance. Rev. William T. Golson, Jr. In times like these where shootings, violence, murder seems to be the order of the day, where people are struggling economically, astronomical rates of HIV Aids among our black women, incarceration of black males, and the general breakdown of the Black family, we could become easily discouraged. SERMON