This week we continue the study of our calling with Ephesians 2:8-9:

The Spiritual Lessons of Katrina:
The most common question I have been asked about this tragedy is, “Is this storm judgment from God?” Without question the answer to this is “yes,” but it is very important that we understand why it is.

        A few weeks ago, President Putin of Russia wrote a controversial op-ed to America that was stimulated by the crisis in Syria. In his article, he took exception to the phrase “American exceptionalism.” That is understandable, especially with the problem of how this is translated into other languages.

I am going to begin a series of bulletins on "The Worst That Can Happen," and "The Best That Can Happen," but first I need to address the following important issue.

          Our God is so big and so wonderful we will be marveling at Him for all of eternity, so it is good to get started! Because the first commandment is to love Him above all things, the ultimate issue by which it will be determined if we are successful human beings or not will be by how much we love God. Therefore, this should be the greatest devotion of our lives.

Before proceeding, I would like to address one more little stumbling block that hinders some Christians from sound financial planning. Because the Law of Moses forbade God's people from charging interest to a fellow Israelite, many feel that it is not right to do so today. If this is something you wrestle with, please consider this: The Lord's own teaching in the Parable of the Talents condemns those who do not at least get interest for what they have been entrusted with, and that does not conflict with the Law of Moses.

     We discussed in a previous Word for the Week how discernment may operate through impressions, which is where we start to feel in ourselves what someone else is dealing with. One reason many prophetic people suffer depression is because they pick up on so much spiritually around them that they think it is their problem and fail to distinguish this as the gift working. Just because we feel depression does not mean that we have depression, but we may be feeling what someone close to us is dealing with.

     The most frequently asked question that I receive is for my opinion of the Republican Presidential candidates. There is much evidence that people are more engaged in the process this time and have a resolve to know the candidates. Many believe that President Obama did not get vetted by the media or even his challengers, and there is good evidence the citizens of the U.S. will not allow that to happen again. This engagement is cause for hope.

         As we have covered, the biggest falling away from the faith began after the Roman Empire made Christianity the imperial religion. This brought a flood of unsavory and selfishly ambitious people into the church. They sought leadership positions in the church, viewed as the easiest and quickest path to wealth and power. Quickly, the church was transformed from a vitally alive and powerful force spreading faith throughout the world in the face of relentless persecution to little more than a political pawn of the state.