I heard tonight of the death of a local teenager.  He was a 17 year old junior at South Western High School in Hanover.  His name was Ben.  I know that sometimes people seem to be taken before their time, but this case was especially tragic.  This young man's life was cut short not in a car accident, work accident, or by sickness, but by the hand of his own father.  In an apparent double murder-suicide, the father shot and killed his wife and son.  Almost immediately I thought of something a guest speaker said yesterday in church:  Far too often the church sits back and says, 'God is in control', while not going to battle for our world, families, or friends.  Prayer changes things, and so we should cry out for God to save our children.  The enemy of our souls is raging in this broken world, and I believe his intent is to destroy the generation that is coming up right now.  Right now in my church, I have young people whose fathers are physicaly present in the home, but offer little support, love, and encouragement, let alone spiritual guidance.  Other young people have no fathers present at all and are being raised by single moms.  Still other young people seem to have no one who cares, and they are struggling desperately to figure out who they are.  My question at this moment is one that may seem harsh, but it needs to be asked.  DO WE CARE?  Do we care that the generation coming up now is being ravaged by drugs, teen pregnancy, absent parents, suicide, homicide, and hopelessness?  Do we care?  Or are we too wrapped up in our own problems and issues to see what is really going on?  I fear that this is truly the case.  While we lament our own problems, the enemy comes in and destroys our children.  People of God WAKE UP!!  CRY OUT to God for our children, for the inheritance that God has given us.  Don't lie down and let satan take our children from us.  FIGHT!! FIGHT for them and for their future.  Oh God, give us eyes to see and ears to hear what is really going on in the spirit realm, that we may be wise and discerning people, that we may advance your Kindgom and push back the kingdom of darkness!!  Help us O God...........        
 
Far too often, we allow fear to lead us.  We are afraid of offending people, so we don't speak up.  We are afraid of things turning out differently than we expected, so we don't pray.  We are afraid that God's will may not match up with ours, so we don't step into the calling He has for us.  Whatever the situation, fear often speaks louder than God's voice.  And we listen to it's voice more than the voice of God.  Today I want to encourage you, NO, challenge you:  DON'T LISTEN TO FEAR!!  Fear cripples us, while the freedom we have in Jesus releases us.  Don't look back on your life and have regrets because you gave in to fear.  Walk by faith and be free to be all He meant for you to be.  I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul to his spiritual son Timothy:

1 Timothy 1:7 --  "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."
 
So many times, we ask the wrong questions.  We ask God why.  Why does this happen?  Why did He allow that?  Why do I have to continue to go through this?  Why?  Why?  Why?  However, the Word tells us that we need to be asking a different question: "Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night?" (Job 35:10).   If we do this, it will change our perspective.  Knowing that God comes in the dark of night & brings a song should give us hope & reason to praise Him.  For more revelation on this topic, check out this message from my mentor & friend Pastor Shane Warren:   http://firstassemblywm.org/pslams-in-the-night/ 

May God give you fresh revelation today.

Pastor