GUSTAV = "THE ROD OF GOD"

Most of you have already seen the weather reports concerning the sorm brewing in the Caribbean named, "Gustav." Just as many did with Hurricane Katrina, no doubt many will look to see the meaning of the name if any significant damage occurs in New Orleans. I'll save you some time: Gustav means The Rod of God!

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Because of the meaning of Gustav, many will then look for a corresponding Bible verse to tie it do the divine judgment of God. My guess is that this one will be a favorite:

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"Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood." Exodus 7:17

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I for one do not believe that Hurricane Katrina (Cleansing) or Hurricane Gustav (The rod of God) are attempts by the Lord to reign down judgment upon the Crescent City. Storms, earthquakes, forest fires, floods etc. are not the result of God unleashing His vengeance through what your insurance company calls "Acts of God", but rather the 6,000 year old consequence of man's fall and the subsequent effect on all that he was given dominion over.

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Having lived in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and having just been back to the city last week doing ministry, I can tell you that this is indeed a place wrought with sin and debauchery! There are still thousands packing Bourbon Street. There are still psychics and fortune tellers lining Jackson Square. But there are also many faithful believers praying, seeking the face of God, and taking the message of salvation to the streets of the Big Easy.

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More so than at any time that I have personally been aware of people and churches are coming together to truly impact New Orleans for the sake of the Gospel. Prayer walks and city-wide meetings are taking place and (Praise God) more local than ever have taken to the streets of the French Quarter to proclaim the message of the Cross.

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While we saw tremendous times of ministry occur following Hurricane Katrina, the last thing New Orleans needs right now is another catastrophic disaster. For one, the infrastructure of the City just could not handle it. Secondly, many good people (Jesus-loving people) would be faced with overwhelming hardships.

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The National Weather Service has released models that say Gustav could make landfall near New Orleans as a major (category 3 or higher) by Monday afternoon. We have a team that is working diligently there in New Orleans and we have many friends and family there as well. IN short, our prayers is for Gustav to dissipate and to not be a threat to any of the Gulf States.

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While some may be hoing for Exodus 7:17, we are standing on Job 21:9 "Their homes are safe and free from fear; the rod of God is not upon them."

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If it so happens that this storm reaches New Orleans and there is a significant amount of damage, you can be assured that we will be there on the ground afterwards assisting in every way possible. Our prayer though is that we will be thanking God and breating a sigh of relief late Monday that "His Rod" was withheld from a place we now call the "Big Grace!"