I’ve been a little busy lately fighting against hate and sooner or later, I’ll have to amend my self-designated blogging schedule from daily to whenever I can post.
At any rate, all is not lost, I refuse to give up the fight–daily everywhere I go.
Internet
The Leadership Charge!
Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning. I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism. Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever. I Timothy 5:19-25 NIV
In Paul’s letter to Timothy, instructions are given for those in leadership positions in how to govern and teach others as well as for himself. Any good leader–knows they need to have the wisdom of those who know what they’re doing in order to lead others. Wisdom from above–is immeasurable and when followed–peace and love will reign.
We are living in an age where many people think that whatever they find on the Internet is credible. Those of us who know how to determine credibility of information know–without question–that not everything on the Internet is trustworthy and we certainly should not share the lies and falsehoods promoted by others. For when we participate in the spreading of lies–chaos reigns and reputations are destroyed. And then we are reminded by what Hosea said, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.”
We must remember that God sees all and more importantly, He knows our hearts and intent for everything we do. We mere mortals can only see what is exposed–not having the ability to read a person’s mind, but if we are careful to observe a matter and seek Holy Spirit, we can accurately assess information gathered and draw conclusions–predicting what happens next.
There are so many false news outlets infiltrating the Internet, that I cannot begin to name them all, but I have seen how they operate. Many of the URLs–include the name of the party providing the information and we know is skewed to favor them and impugn others. The real travesty is that when people don’t know how to discern the truth from the fiction, the gullible believe the fiction and will not hear the truth. When leaders–anywhere–but especially in the church–promote fiction as truth, they will have to answer to God, not only for what they do, but what they have led others to believe.
How do we discern truth from fiction in a news outlet? Look at the source–how many writers are involved? What is their source of information? What is the level of bias detected? Is this a true journalistic endeavor or is it simply a means for someone to vent? Blogs and most other social media posts are merely there for the purpose of espousing the writer or group’s opinions and many of those expressed opinions are not based upon any legitimate facts. Unless the site is an actual news outlet (NYT, WSJ, WP, or local news chains), chances are–what is said needs to be verified or confirmed through another legitimate source. The other method to determine truth of a situation is by the end tags–.edu, .org or .gov. Some–not all–bearing the .com or .net tags are not credible sources and need confirmation. Research the author of the site and their credentials or expertise.
As Believers–we should be able to discern truth from fiction by seeking the basis for what is said on The Word. Holy Spirit will guide us in all truth and we shall know the truth, if we have a mind to listen.
With the above premise–how can we then participate in vicious lies told to destroy a person’s reputation without seeking credible witnesses? Specifically, I’m referencing the lies promoted and advocated by Fox News, Breitbart, and Alex Jones. The things they promote are based upon fractions of truth–becoming whole lies–and there is never credible confirmation of anything they promote. Does not Paul warn us about–participating in the sins of others in his letter to Timothy? So, if people publish lies and we promote the lies, are we not just as guilty as the person or entity who started the lie?
If what we see or hear cannot be confirmed by two or more credible witnesses–we should not partake in the character assassinations advocated by false news sources. Do we not have ears to hear, eyes to see, and Holy Spirit within to direct us in all things? If so, we need to rely more upon Him than in the production of fake news, designed to destroy–not only the targets of the lies, but the gullible who believe the lies. Facts are verifiable, while fiction–is just that–made up in the minds of those who promote it.
If what we do does not promote love, peace and harmony, then we might to re-think what we’re doing and get our relationship with God right!
Listen!
Now therefore, listen to me, my children;
Pay attention to the words of my mouth: Proverbs 7:24 NKJV
How many ways must it be said? Watch over our children before they are dead! Is no one listening, do we not hear, how the predators are seeking all we hold dear?
Children are a precious commodity in our society and everyone should treat them as such, for if they cease to exist, so does our society as we know it.
Parents! Teach your children the dangers that exist in the minds of the depraved. Don’t sugarcoat the truth and leave them open to the enticing ways of those who seek to destroy them. Pay attention to what they do and to those with whom they spend time. Get to know the parents of the children they play with and what kind of homes they visit. Pay attention to what your child is doing!
A 13 year-old male is missing, abducted from a neighborhood store parking lot at 11:00 p.m. Why was he out of the house at that time of night?
An 11 year-old female is missing, seemingly having been enticed by some man through a chatroom with her access on her tablet.
People will devise any method they can to entice children out of their homes or forcefully take them away. No child should be out at night without an adult accompanying them. Parents should be aware of who their children are communicating with over the Internet.
The warnings are out there and yet, we still hear about missing children! The depraved do not care about the feelings of a parent–they only care about what they want. Whether it is for personal gratification, revenge or greed, they take, use and abuse those who are precious to those who love them.
When are we going to get it? When all of our children are gone or have been so traumatized by horrendous experiences they will never be productive citizens? We must do better in protecting our children from those who are sick–the predators–must be stopped and the best way to stop them is to teach our children the truth about the predators, guard them and love them.
T N T was written as a warning to all parents about the dangers of Internet predators and how they manipulate the innocent into doing what they want. They entice them to leave home–without cell phones–so they cannot be tracked. It would appear that this is the method used by whoever is responsible for the missing 11 year-old girl.
Please, please, please parents and guardians–watch over the children and teach them truth–God’s truth and the truth about those who will trick them into doing things they really don’t want to do.
Lord, speak to the hearts of those who know where these children are and lead them to safety.
Where Do We Stand With God?
But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; they have turned aside and gone away. They do not say to themselves, ‘Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest. Your wrongdoings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good.“Among my people are the wicked who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch people. Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not seek justice. They do not promote the case of the fatherless; they do not defend the just cause of the poor. Should I not punish them for this?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?“A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end? Jeremiah 5:23-31 NIV
No matter how hard we may try, we cannot ignore what the prophets of earlier times have said, especially when we see–hundreds of years later–the same thing happening across the globe.
While we have no control over what other people do, are we exercising control over what we–individually do? If we are not capable of self-control and living right before God as individuals, how could we expect a nation to do what is right? After all, the nation is the collective group of individuals. So therefore–each individual’s action becomes a benchmark for the nation to be judged. Are we setting a standard to be admired or mocked, to be rewarded or punished? Where do we stand with God?
Unfortunately, we often say things that are attempts to justify our inability to live according to God’s Word like, “No one is perfect.” While that’s true, it is simply not an excuse to live in opposition to God’s Word.
Our imperfections and flaws and shortcomings are a result of disobedience and lack of understanding, both of which we have control. We miss the mark when we allow the dictates of our flesh to lead us and not Holy Spirit. We allow our emotions to reign in our lives instead of wisdom and uh-oh, dare I say it, “common sense.” When we refuse to get into The Word of God and seek Him for understanding, we continue to fall short of being who He desires us to be and in doing what He desires us to do.
As the Word points out to us, “we are without excuse” and there is no point in our attempting to justify living according to the dictates of our flesh. Though there may be many who claim they do not believe in God and certainly won’t read a bible, there are just as many Believers who blog on a daily basis–promoting God’s Word and His love. Since many spend more time on the Internet than they do in opening a book, there is much to be found to keep people on the path where God would have us. The global opportunity means we have far-reaching capability to make sure everyone has access to understanding of God’s Word. Indeed, there are many people–especially some who claimed to be atheists, who have exposed to the truth of God’s Word and accepted.
Now, what was that excuse again? No Bible–no problem–there are many online bibles with commentaries and many bloggers who do an excellent job of explaining scripture and connecting the application to our lives. We are indeed without excuse. So, where do we stand with God? Each individual has to answer that question for themselves and then we can accurately conclude whether or not–we are in the same place today as the people were when Jeremiah spoke to them.
Having A Goal!
“My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,” (Colossians 2:2 NIV)
How thoughtful of Paul! In sending this letter to the church at Colosse, he reminded them of his goal–to encourage and to unite in love so they would be in position to receive a clearer knowledge of God.
Like so many people who have a heart for God’s people, Paul is reminding them that should not be fooled by those who would teach false doctrine or bind them to human rules and policies–forsaking the opportunity to allow Holy Spirit to rule in their lives.
That was then–who is trying to encourage hearts and unite people in love, reminding them of God’s love for them and the many blessings He has for them, now? Think about what is heard in churches, on television, on the radio, and seen on the Internet! Is there an encouraging word to comfort hearts coming from those in “positions of authority” or is it all smoke and mirrors–the great pretenders, who are in charge?
Those to whom God has spoken will only speak those things that God has said and those things can be confirmed in His Word. Whenever someone–no matter who it is–attempts to change God’s Word to promote their own agenda, know that their goal is to enslave others in opposition of The Word. Did you not know that Satan has a goal? Satan’s goal is to steal your joy, kill your spirit and destroy all that God loves. Don’ t be a willing participant by helping him to achieve his goals.
Instead, get into the Word, know what God has said pertaining you. Develop a right relationship with God so He can instruct, correct, and guide you into all truths! God has a goal and it is found throughout the Word, but clearly expressed in Jeremiah 29:11.”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
Do you have a goal? “If you fail to plan a course of success, you plan to fail and will not achieve anything worthwhile.”
Whoever You Are!
“For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved” (Romans 10:13 NKJV).
I am so glad that I am a “whoever” and I have called upon the name of the Lord and I am saved from an eternity of unrest and agony! How do I know? For the bible tells me so.
When Paul wrote the letter to the church in Rome, he knew there was great misunderstanding among those who were trying to convert others. Apparently, in the midst of the bickering, there were some who attempted to convince some they would never have the opportunity to see heaven. If we look at the beginning of this chapter, we see the discussion and the “formulaic response” (v.9) by many when a person makes up their mind about receiving Christ. So, yes there is something every person must do–believe, confess, repent–and then “call on Him–call on The Lord!”
What is so great about this is that anyone, no matter how many sins committed, can repent and receive the heritage of heaven with Jesus as their Lord and Savior! God is not a respecter of persons and He will respond to the sincere prayer of whoever calls upon Him! Hallelujah! Thank God for saving for me when I called upon Him!
Okay, I’m getting a little carried away, but moving right along, through the scriptures–how can anyone believe unless they hear the Good News? “Faith comes by hearing (seeing in this case) and hearing The Word!” We must proclaim the Gospel however we can, through whatever venue we have, and as often as we can! Preach the Good news and bring others into the knowledge of Christ. Pray that God will provide them with an experience that lets them know they need Him in their lives.
For those of us who are promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the laying on of fingers upon a keyboard and publishing on the Internet, God is pleased! We don’t know who we are reaching and the difference we are making in how we express what The Bible says. As long as we are saying what God says and not getting in the way of people being saved by promoting what “we say,” we are paving the way for others to be saved. Hallelujah! The love of Christ is shed abroad in our hearts and keeps us moving forward to make sure others have the same opportunity we have–assurance of our eternal resting place and receiving the many benefits of being a counted a child of the Most High God. Whoever we are–we can do this!
maryhallrayford 