The Word

According to the My Faith Votes website - 90 million Christians in America are eligible to vote, but as many as 40 million fail to vote in Presidential election cycles. And 15 million are not even registered to vote.

I want to talk a little today about TIME – and specifically tell you that it is Time

If I can put it more simply – It’s time for us as Christians to stop being marginalized, ...pushed back, ....pushed around, ........ silenced, and disregarded

God has told us time and time again to Not be stupid – its in the bible – well maybe the

Message translation –I’m paraphrasing of course ... but it’s in there

Hosea 4:6 NKJV

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

It’s not lack of:

Prayer – not lack of giving – of worship – of serving or even a lack of attending church

When things aren’t going the way I think they should be, as a Christian I think that means – I need to pray more, I need to serve more, I need to do more But that’s not how God wants us to be with Him

I don’t have a relationship with God because of the things I do, I have a relationship with Him because of Who He is

I want you to focus on two words: DESTROYED and KNOWLDEGE

DESTROYED from the Hebrew – to be dumb – nothing to do with how smart you are – it means you can’t speak or you’re silent (to not speak); to fail or perish; be brought to silence – in other words you can speak but you’ve been brought to silence.

KNOWLEDGE (Hebrew) – perception, discernment, understanding, wisdom; to discern and to recognize

So understanding this I want to convert that passage to today’s language – or the Guy Beveridge version based on the days and times that we are currently living in:

Hosea 4:6

My people are failing because they have been brought to silence (we can speak, we just don’t speak) from (or because of) a lack of discernment and an ability to recognize, understand and see with their spiritual eyes ..... (bring in Ecclesiastes 3:1) ...the season and time they are living in.

So, as Christians we are choosing or allowing ourselves to be marginalized and pushed back and

silenced because of our lack of knowledge – and our unwillingness to speak up.

We must guard against falling into the devil's trap and stop being the leaders we are called to be just because we get some resistance

And we need to make sure we are using the gifts and talents that He gave us to combat evil and unrighteousness.

Our treasures are a trust given to us from God to give Him a return on His investment – Our TIME is also a trust from God to give ROI – our talents our abilities are also a trust from God.

As Christians We must guard against falling into the devil's trap and stop being the world changers we are called to be just because we get some resistance

And we need to make sure we are using the gifts and talents that He gave us to combat evil and unrighteousness.

Listen to what the Bible tells us about talents .... Matthew 25:14-19 " For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 "And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 "Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 "And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 "But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money. 19 "After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

Now in this passage a talent was a form of currency – something valuable. Monetary value based on the type of metal...