The Storm Is Here!
Weekly devotional by Barbara Sanders

2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

I can definitely say, 'the storm is here!' After taking our grandchildren to Mom this afternoon, and doing a little shopping, we headed home. We decided to stop to eat on the way. Just as we got to the restuarant, it had started a good downpour. Right after we got inside, it began to storm violently, thundering heavy and lots of flashing lightning that seemed to light up the whole outside. We were sitting near the windows, and it wasn't a comfortable place to be sitting! Many people were coming in and out, and lots of them without umbrellas. Needless to say, there were plenty of wet bodies in there tonight. So, we just sat and talked, giving the worse of the storm time to pass. There are other 'storms' among us today. There's the 'storm of terrorism' that is plaguing our nation and other countries around the world. It just won't seem to go away or get much better. It just lingers on and on, kind of like the Engergizer battery that 'keeps going and going'. Today, I heard another story that seemed like a 'storm' about to hit the air waves. All of you surely know The Muppets from Sesame Street. Politically correct couldn't leave innocent muppets alone. They are about to introduce a new muppet, a five year old, HIV positive. It will first be introduced in Africa, where so many people are dying of Aids. But, it will surely make its way to America before long! What child of two, three, four, or five is able to understand about being HIV positive? Why are we having to subject our little children to things like this on their innocent learning programs? Are we making them suhject to what growing up so young? I heard this discussed tonight on television. The host had a two and half year old, and he said his child would never be able to understand it, and wouldn't be subjected to the program. But, the defense for the new muppet figure was to introdue the kids to HIV, 'because it would be too late to wait until they were older, because so many teenagers are coming down with HIV.' Where are our parents? Is it not our duty to teach our children right from wrong - what is right in God's eyes - not what is politically correct? I believe, if we, as parents, taught our children by God's laws, we wouldn't have to worry about them even having to worry about this disease! The storms are raging against the Christian. When you turn on the television, or read the news, there is something about a Christian being persecuted, or a Church having problems with the government. Being a Christian is no longer an easy task. The day will come when the STORM is going to hit home. I believe its already here - maybe not in our own hometown, but here! But, remember, if your faith and trust lies only in God, He will be your refuge in times of need!