Don’t Be Deceived!

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else,  for each one should carry their own load. Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.  Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:1-10 NIV

For anyone listening to the 45’s speech last night–written for him, practiced by him, and to his base supporters–Republicans, we who have discerning spirits saw through the empty rhetoric.

Yes–the tone of the speech was modified so he would sound more presidential–which some have said he accomplished, but note–the comments were, “he sounded presidential” not that he was.

Yes–he is attempting to litigate the case he’s simply trying to keep campaign promises, but those promises were not made to or for all Americans, but his base. There are more of us, than them.

What’s interesting to note is that though some were in agreement about the tone of the speech, they knew the person speaking was not was not the real person, but a masquerade to try to keep the public duped into believing he cares.

How do we know he doesn’t really care–he had the temerity to invite the widow of a recently slain Navy Seal–manipulating the situation to give an appearance that he cared, after not accepting responsibility for the botched raid in Yemen. At first he tried to blame Obama (what’s new there?), then he blamed the generals, and though he said valuable intel was procured, reports from those in the field, deny that claim.

“Just so we’re clear, it’s not Obama behind the leaks. Approx 50% of staffers are actively participating one way or another. #Iamtheleak” (from Twitter account from those on the inside).

So, what has changed? Not much. He will always put on the appearance of caring about Americans, but his scope is limited to those who worship at his feet. Since I have never worshiped an elected leader, I’m not about to start now; especially when he has done nothing noteworthy that will benefit all Americans.

The fact-checkers have already determined that much of what he said may have been true, but misleading. In other words, the speech included some statistics and figures, but were used out of the appropriate context in which they were derived. For instance, he failed to say that of the millions who are not working, over 75% are senior citizens or students. So that leaves only 25% who are actively seeking work that are yet unemployed.

On Obamacare–the ACA–I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again–if Republicans had not been so vitriolic in their attempt to belittle the healthcare act–by calling it “Obamacare” more people would have understood what was at stake when he was running around the country screaming about repealing it. Once people understood that Obamacare and ACA were the same, they screamed foul and started showing up for town hall meetings with their representatives. No one in their right mind would vote against their own interests unless the truth was shrouded.

On my confidence meter–the marker is still on the “very low” end and if I was to give him a grade, it would be an F–. His “America First” only includes those who support, not the rest of us and as stated above–there are more of us–than them and we’ll simply show him what that means in the coming months.

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Let The Lord Lead!

Listen to my words, LORD, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong; you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, LORD, detest. But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple. Lead me, LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies— make your way straight before me. Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies.Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.  Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. Psalm 5 NIV

Is the Lord leading our already great nation? Too many (without express guidance from God) are saying that God is using Trump to bring people back to Him! Does God need to use deceitful tactics to bring awareness of who He is? Does God need to take “choice” from us to bring people to Him?

If that was the plan (and I sincerely doubt it), it’s not working. More people are turning away from those bastions of religious ardor than ever before. In fact, the attitude of a number of people is borderline hatred for anyone claiming to be a Christian. I was told that I couldn’t be a Democrat and a Christian. When I asked the person who said this, “why not” they responded by saying Democrats don’t believe in the bible.

NEWSFLASH! From what I see of Republican behavior, they are the ones who don’t believe in the Bible. Oh sure, they “select” a few talking points to justify what they do, but the bible should not be used for talking points, but righteous living before God. If a person spewing forth cherry-picked scriptures are not living The Word, what they say means absolutely nothing. They are not letting The Lord lead them anywhere other than to “seize opportunities to control the masses,” just like the Pharisees.

The more I talk to Believing Christians (not the pseudo-Christians–who profess a form of godliness, but know not God), the more I realize that people are running from those who claim to be Christians but don’t want to love others.

Let me see if I can make a case for what I see and believe (based upon The Word). The first thing I look at in The Word is knowing what I’m supposed to do–Love God and love others.  God gives each of us the right to choose what we do and He honors our choices--and leaves us to receive the consequences of our choices–good or bad. This is why I am Pro-Choice (which does not mean I am pro-abortion as some are saying–promoting the lie that a person cannot be pro-choice and a Christian).

According to The Word–Christians are to defend the rights of the poor and the needy, those who are vulnerable and don’t have a platform to fight for themselves. I have been involved with non-profits and in volunteering for many years–making sure the rights of others are not trampled and that they have access to what they need. This is the Christian walk–always considering the needs of others above self. Do we see that from Republicans or the rats scurrying around the White House?

Do I love God? More than life itself and have enjoyed serving Him. If He called me home right now, I would not be concerned about His final words to me for I know, I’ll hear, “Well done.”

How do I know this? I say what God says and do what He tells me to do. When I allow Him to lead, I cannot go wrong. Does He always take the road I’d like to take? No, and I often wonder why I can’t go the way I want to go. I can–He doesn’t force us to do anything nor does He make choices for us. He has planned our lives (Jeremiah 23:11) and if we want to obtain what He has planned, we must believe Him and follow His directions, not man’s.

How about loving others? Not a problem–I know how to love because of the love He pours into my heart–unconditionally, even the unlovable. That doesn’t mean that I like what others do or condone lifestyles that are not of God. I discovered a long time ago that we encourage people to come to Christ by how we treat them, not by preaching them into hell. Christ loves the sinner–so can I–but I don’t become a sinner to show them Christ; I live what I say I believe. If people don’t want to change who they are or what they do–they won’t and that’s not on me. My responsibility ends with my representation of who Christ is, not whether they accept and believe it.

And herein lies the problem with the “representation” of who He is by Republicans who promote a liar-in-chief. Many who have straddled the fence in coming to terms with Christianity have now chosen the other side–alongside the non-believers and atheists because they want no part of “Christianity” as demonstrated by pseudo-christians. I refuse to be a hypocrite, listen to them or support them since they lie to themselves and others about who they are.

That is truly the sad part. When people have an opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ, they have chased people away with their attacks and delusional beliefs that God would choose a mentally incompetent pathological liar to lead millions of people–into total chaos, pulling apart families, making people fearful and obstructing justice to try to keep their wrong-doings hidden. That doesn’t sound like the God of Heaven to me and it certainly doesn’t demonstrate who He is.

Fortunately for me and a number of others, we won’t have to answer to God for this folly when we stand before Him. On a daily basis, I seek The Lord for guidance and implore Him to help me get through another day, without resorting to the tactics I see from others. That does not mean I won’t use every avenue open to me to point out the hypocrisy of those in leadership positions or to let them know–they lie and mislead and we see it. I thank God for Him keeping my words–civil (just barely, but He does rein me in) so I don’t come across as a hypocrite.

My criticism of those in White House and on Capitol Hill is justified and needed in order to bring them to a place where if they never respond to me or others; they will not be able to stand before God and say, “they didn’t realize they were wrong.” There are a number of us who remind them on a daily basis that what they’re doing is wrong. We can’t make them do right, but we can keep letting them know just how wrong they are and we do.

Whenever anyone attempts to violate a person’s rights–in Christ or according to the Constitution, they are wrong.  Using bullying tactics and deceitful strategies and bribery to get others to do what they want is wrong. Separating families who have committed no crimes and just want the opportunity to have a better life is wrong. Yeah, yeah, I know there is a “legal” way to obtain entrance into this country, but desperate people often do desperate things in order to save the lives of their family–especially when children are involved. So what happened to “defending the rights of the poor and needy?” With those who love Christ and have more love to share with others, we’re doing just that. It’s the others–the pseudo-christians–who are not being led by The Lord.

Do People Know We Have Integrity??

Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said,”Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Mark 12:13,14 b NIV

Isn’t it amazing that even when people do underhanded things, trying to undermine or sabotage a person’s reputation, by their words they actually confirm truth about the person they are attacking, and reveal truth about themselves?

In a recent event, I was attacked when by an individual who provoked a commentary about their work ethic in a volunteer organization. They had deluded themselves into believing they were actually, “doing the best they could,” and when I refuted that statement, they wanted to know–specifically–what I thought they should be doing. My response was–show up at meetings and do their job–reading the information already provided so they would know their job. Their response–“This is a volunteer group–nobody is paying me.” And later, “That’s your standard and since everyone has their own standard, no one has to work to yours.” That’s very true.

Though they did not realize it when they said it, that was truly a high compliment. I do have high standards–being paid or not–a standard of excellence and “doing my best” means I know what I’m supposed to be doing because I actually read the instructions and attend scheduled meetings. After being associated with non-profit ventures for over 20 years, not being paid for 15 years, I have a clue about how things should be done. And the first thing that anyone should understand about a non-profit is its purpose and intent and the organizational structure. For without order, there is chaos and constant misunderstandings and instead of moving forward, people are left in a rut.

Those who came to see Jesus didn’t really want an answer to their question, but they recognized His integrity–not being swayed by others who did not know truth. They were simply trying to trick him into committing treason against Caesar.

In so many other situations in life, we may discover that people have been sent to us, to commit treason against truth. But how wonderful it is when truth–is stated in the mouths of those who seek to defame and destroy–for all to hear.

Now, I can imagine that if they had known the truth and what Jesus was going to say, they never would have approached Him, in a public forum. Sometimes, if we’re not sure of the end results, we might want to say certain things to people, privately. For when the truth is known about a person and it is understood–in a public forum–the person doing the attacking–also reveals truth about themselves. In the case of the meeting I referenced earlier, the person attacking me revealed, they don’t plan to do any of the work because they are not getting paid and a volunteer position is not worth their time and commitment.

I wanted to ask why they were there since they felt that way, but Holy Spirit told me to be quiet. Now, I wonder why anyone would accept a position as an officer of a non-profit–knowing in advance there was no monetary payment (just personal gratification in knowing we make a difference) and simply become a space filler (just holding a position, not honoring it).

So, when I read this passage of scripture this morning, I was reminded of that conversation and hence the question arose, “Do people know we have integrity?” According to the scriptures, they will know when they see us not being swayed by others who do not operate in truth or integrity themselves.

We, who believe God, know Truth–and we understand that all things must be done, decently and in order. When we think we can undermine those who operate in truth, the truth about ourselves is revealed and now–everyone knows the truth–about all.

Lord, help us to be people of integrity, honoring You and positions we hold–living up to the expectation and requirements to get the job done, without being persuaded by others to do anything else, but to do all things that please You.

 

 

 

Right in God’s Sight!

“A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart. To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” Proverbs 21: 2,3 NIV

In this world–societies of men determine what is right and what is wrong–sometimes these determinations are made with the guidance of God’s Word and sometimes, men fall prey to the dictates of other men and decide that was wrong is now right and what was right is now wrong.

The real challenge is knowing–whose “right” is right! Can what man says ever be right over what God says? Not for those who believe God’s Word. For us, His Word settles all questions that may arise about right and wrong, good and evil, and judgment for saints and sinners alike.

Looking back in history, we know that man has constantly abused other people by putting them into bondage and making them build civilizations with blood and sweat and sometimes their lives. Though some think that slavery began with people being exported from Africa to other nations, slavery began in the history of man, when one group discovered they could manipulate others. Though usually as a matter of who won a battle in war, some people were enslaved out of manipulation and deceit (African transports). What has always been amazing to me is the fact that a minority group of people can terrorize the majority into doing their bidding. We see this dilemma played out again and again in history and what happens eventually is rebellion of the masses, leading to bloodshed and more change.

This appears to be the cycle of mankind whenever we attempt to change or deviate from God’s Word. Deliberate misinterpretation of God’s Word leads people to believe they are the superior race over others and they have a right to mistreat others. Foolishly have some believed that the Ham’s curse was that his descendants were black people. A closer study of man’s beginnings would bring understanding of the fact that the first man–Adam–was a person of color since all life began on the continent of Africa. Migration–moving away from hot climates into colder ones, led to the change in skin color–not superiority of one race over another. Who decided man’s skin color from the beginning? God–when He created man from the dust of the earth. Who decided the nature of man from the beginning? God–when He created them male and female.

What changed things? Superiority and avarice changed things for mankind from one continent to another and has not changed since the beginning with the first act of disobedience. When man thought he knew better than God, change in the atmosphere led to manipulation and deceit which is why we are where we are today. Manipulation of a minority of people who have changed the atmosphere of doing right in God’s sight into doing whatever they want to do–has led to controversy, hatred and turmoil. Persecution of Christians is on the rise because a minority feel their rights override the rights of Christians. Believers are being sued because they stand on their faith in God. Hatred is running rampant and the minority is leading the pack–claiming their “right” supersedes God’s right. 

In the final analysis–all who have eyes and ears will see and hear that God’s right is always right and His wrong is always wrong. But since Satan has blinded those who believe they can call God’s wrong, right, they will reap the benefit of not heeding God’s Word and be cut off and remembered no more; their deliverance from their enslavement–created by the minority–will end with the deaths of the minority since their seed ends with them.

We must–in order to sustain our civilization of mankind--understand that only God is right and what we do in His sight, will ever be accounted right.