Plucking the Eagle's Wings

Plucking the Eagle's Wings

extending to the fourth generation and perhaps beyond 2000, what can our leaders do to break this cycle? Four Spiritual Guidelines for Future American Leaders

1. Repent and make atonement to those who have been

wronged.

Asking for forgiveness is not a weakness; to the contrary, it is a sign of moral character. Only the proud cannot ask for forgiveness and pride will eventually bring destruction (Proverbs 16:18). Asking people for forgiveness and making amends is the true Christ-like way to behave. This will ensure peace and God's favor, something man cannot give. There are other important guidelines. If I were the president and believed that the "zero curse" resulted from mistreatment of the Native American Indians, I would call together the Indian leaders, truly apologize for the sins of the fathers, and pronounce spiritual reconciliation between the past and the future to the nation. I would not do this just to break a cycle; I would do it because it is the right thing to do. 2. Do not walk in fear. Dake's Annotated Bible Concordance states that the words "fear not" and "be not afraid" are mentioned in some form 365 times in Scripture. So the Almighty has given us a "fear not" for every day of the year. People cannot be effective if they live in fear. Each of us must cherish the promises in Psalms 91—when we abide in the secret place of the Almighty, we can be assured of His favor and His protection. 3. Don't ignore warnings. The apostle Paul was a Jew who received Christ as Messiah. Afterward, many of his Jewish companions felt betrayed, so they persecuted Paul. Some made attempts on his life. On one occasion, the Holy Spirit warned Paul not to travel to Jerusalem because trouble awaited him (Acts 21:4). Paul was warned of danger a second time, but he was stubborn and ignored the warnings and went anyway. He was arrested and imprisoned. Had he avoided Jerusalem at that time, his life's journey

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