Psalms 12:1-8 (HCSB)
1 Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains; the loyal have disappeared from the human race.
2 They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaks boastfully.
4 They say, “Through our tongues we have power; our lips are our own—who can be our master?”
5 “Because of the oppression of the afflicted and the groaning of the poor, I will now rise up,” says the Lord. “I will put in a safe place the one who longs for it.”
6 The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times.
7 You, Lord, will guard us; You will protect us from this generation forever.
8 The wicked wander everywhere, and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.
I’ve heard each generation for many years say things like –
The world is going to the dogs.
It gets worse every year.
If Jesus doesn’t come back, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.
Have people changed so very much?
1 Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains; the loyal have disappeared from the human race.
2 They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.
Sounds like our world doesn’t it? There is no loyalty or goodness (putting the welfare of others above our own). There is no selflessness, only self-centeredness. And what about lying? Most people would rather lie than tell the truth. As long as the situation warrants it, anything goes. Situation ethics abound. Integrity got on a jet and flew away. Sin abounds and lawlessness is upheld. When I go to court, I’d rather be the criminal than the victim. And that is just in the secular world.
Situation ethics exist in our churches. Rather than unconditional love, we advocate unconditional affirmation. The creature is worshipped rather than the creator. And if we speak the truth, it isn’t done in love, but to gain self satisfaction and render pain to the hearer. We think we are a democracy rather than a theocracy. And instead of pastoral authority, we have pastors who are whipping posts and scapegoats.
So…we take Prozac, pay psychiatrists, seek release in entertainment, transcendental meditation, and alcohol.
8 The wicked wander everywhere, and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.
We live in a world where it is cool to be mean and cruel and uncommunicative.
Are you depressed yet? I am. (smile)
Can we live a victorious life in a world like this? You bet your Prozac we can!
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaks boastfully.
4 They say, “Through our tongues we have power; our lips are our own—who can be our master?”
5 “Because of the oppression of the afflicted and the groaning of the poor, I will now rise up,” says the Lord. “I will put in a safe place the one who longs for it.”
Who can be our master? For those of us, who have accepted Jesus as our Savior, He is our master. And He is seated on the right hand of God waiting for the Word. What word? The one that will say, “Bring my children home.”
That is why we can live victorious lives, lives that glorify Christ in spite of our circumstances. Because we have HOPE. We know that one day Jesus will come again and take His church out of this world.
Philippians 2:9-11 (HCSB)
9 For this reason God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow— of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth—
11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
One day everyone will know that Jesus is Lord. If you don’t believe in Him now, you will when you die. There is no in between. We are transported from this body to either Heaven or Hell. The devil knows this. That is why he works so hard to deceive human beings; his time is marked. Revelation tells us that he will be cast into the bottomless pit for all eternity.
When Jesus comes back the second time, Revelation tells us that He will come on a white horse; not a donkey of peace, but as a mighty warrior.
Christians take courage and hope in the fact that this earth is not our home. We are pilgrims passing through. We do not focus on the world and its evil, but on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
Hebrews 2:1 (HCSB)
1 We must therefore pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.
In our entertainment, leisure-oriented society, it is easy to drift away from what we have heard through the Word and through preaching.
We keep from drifting by daily focusing on Jesus. 
Hebrews 4:14-16 (HCSB)
14 Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to the confession.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin.
16 Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.
Jesus left the wonderful home of Heaven to be born and live on earth. Why did He do that? So that when you are discouraged, you will remember that He understands what you are feeling. He understands discouragement and rejection and persecution. He understands long days of standing for something when no one else understands or encourages you. He knows what it is like to be forsaken, beaten, and crucified: physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, financially, and relationally.
Focus on Jesus: Study the Word, Pray, Worship, Fellowship with other committed Christians.
*Lord Jesus, sometimes my heart feels so heavy that I think I can’t bear it. Sometimes the words and actions of others are impossible to understand, and they hurt me very bad. Help me to remember to come to You as the little child finds his father when he is hurt. Help me to remember that when I don’t know what to pray, You and the Holy Spirit are praying for me. Fix me, Lord. Heal my broken heart and help me to keep my wandering eyes on You. Amen.
