I read a statement by Anne Graham Lotz recently, and it struck a chord in my heart:

“We may never have another Great Awakening in our nation until you and I stop pointing our finger at ‘them’ and deal with the sin in our own hearts and lives.”

There are so many ways that we point fingers at others—by the little assessments and judgments we make just by watching people, or when we read news reports and the commentaries on Facebook posts; by the frustrations we feel when people don’t “get it” like we get it, and the “if onlys” that lurk hidden behind our eyes.

Just thinking about myself over the years and the grace of God that has caused me to grow in His love, I have experienced a progression of looking inward and seeing a victim to looking inward and recognizing a sinner. From being bound with condemnation and denial to being set free in His mercy and love. And it is only God’s grace that sustains me. Nothing in me qualifies me to be a judge of others.

I’m still not fond of admitting to pride or self-righteousness, though. I still try to find ways to justify judging others. Fact is, all are sinners needing God’s mercy and grace; and everyone needs to humble themselves before God. Yet humility is very difficult to achieve when being right is more important than being kind.

Coarse language, vitriol, and name-calling characterize many of the attitudes and responses to political and religious disagreement nowadays. Sadly, I see many Christians caught up in the angst, also participating in word-bullying and name calling. This isn’t just disagreeing, this is judging!

Scripture provides the best advice for us as we navigate these turbulent times:

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV)

Our words and our actions are good barometers indicating the atmosphere of our souls. If we don’t like feeling frustrated or the Holy Spirit highlights a thread of self-righteousness running through our thoughts, the best thing we can do is regularly transform our thoughts and attitudes with scripture.

Comparing ourselves to others is a dangerous game the enemy plays with our minds—it is judging with a twist, usually as an attempt to justify ourselves and condemn others. And when we compare ourselves with other people, whether consciously or unconsciously, we are behaving (whether in our words or our attitudes) like the Pharisee in this story Jesus told:

“He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt. Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God I thank you like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other….”  (Luke 18:9-14)

I think many Christians would like to see another Great Awakening in our nation; I also recognize hinderances to that happening—primarily an enemy dead set against believers shaking themselves out of indifference, complacency, and compromise with the standards and philosophies of this world.

I can identify with the angst of many who are saying that if Christians are “sleeping” or indifferent about this upcoming election, we are going to lose this country.

I can relate to the frustration expressed about the compromised and the lukewarm church, which is not “the” church of Jesus Christ.

But if I am not taking my angst, my frustration, as well as my propensity for comparing and judgment to the cross of Christ in repentance, then I am a part of the problem, not the solution.

Only the Holy Spirit can do the work of the Holy Spirit, so it is pointless to think that we can convict people or change their minds. The best we can do is to, without hesitation, share the truth in love—and pray in faith for the Holy Spirit to work in lives and in churches throughout this nation and around the world. It is on us to be repenting and praying instead of “tut-tutting” and wringing our hands in frustration about all those other sleeping or compromising saints!

Again, I’m struggling to figure out how to finish this post; writing it hasn’t been easy, finishing it is even more difficult. I think because of the sleepiness in my own soul, my less than avid devotion to the Word and prayer, the propensity in my own life to spend hours in front of the T.V., constantly checking social media or news, and the conviction that I am not actually responding with like intensity to the horror of child trafficking, deranged hatred, and demonic violence that is rocking our nation right now.  The Holy Spirit is working in me the desire to daily fall on my knees before God—still praying at times when I am sitting, standing, or walking, but also bowing before him in repentance and surrender.

I think the problem with the different diversions, distractions, and media outlets is that they hinder the communication God wants to have with us. Praying, talking to God is one thing; however, stilling our souls to hear His side of the conversation is essential!

The thing is, the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God and prayer are necessary elements of our battle armor and our spiritual battle strategies—and the enemy knows this—so satan and his minions are going to want us to neglect them. To be too busy, too distracted, too tired (that’s a big one for me), too complacent, or too indifferent to engage, through speaking the Word in faith and intercession and prayer, in the battles being fought all around us.