Rising Stench!

See now, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: all supplies of food and all supplies of water, the hero and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter.“I will make mere youths their officials; children will rule over them.” People will oppress each other— man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise up against the old, the nobody against the honored. A man will seize one of his brothers in his father’s house, and say, “You have a cloak, you be our leader; take charge of this heap of ruins!” But in that day he will cry out, “I have no remedy. I have no food or clothing in my house; do not make me the leader of the people.”Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling; their words and deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence. The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves. Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done.Youths oppress my people, women rule over them. My people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path. The LORD takes his place in court; he rises to judge the people. The LORD enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: “It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?” declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty. The LORD says, “The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, strutting along with swaying hips, with ornaments jingling on their ankles. Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion; the LORD will make their scalps bald.” In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, the earrings and bracelets and veils, the headdresses and anklets and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, the signet rings and nose rings, the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls. Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-dressed hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding.Your men will fall by the sword, your warriors in battle. The gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the ground. Isaiah 3 NIV

Do we get it yet?

God is not pleased with what He sees,

Soon, the world will be brought to its knees,

With the poor abandoned and without hope,

Because the ill-informed, and ignorant did vote,

For the clown who claimed business acumen,

And proudly boasted of his deeds of sin.

Those who led the charge of change with lies,

Have let all know–darkness in their heart resides,

And reigns–saving money but resulting in early deaths,

Of those uninsured, covered indeed with casket wreaths.

A little literary license with words this morning to make the point–God is not dead, nor is He blind or deaf, nor is He indifferent to the plight of the poor or the deeds of the wicked. He will take care of the righteous though they be few, in Him on a daily basis our hearts can renew our hope in Him and Him alone, since lawmakers have made their positions known and unless we are part of the 1%–who don’t have to worry about rent– they could care less about us.

The stench from the ugliness and smokescreens in Washington have not reached the height or depth–with fuel constantly being added to the smoldering tinderbox that is bound to implode or explode with all the new revelations coming forth.

Get out the gas mask, the shovel and hip boots because it’s about get deep and the stench, could kill–clogging respiration, digestion, circulation, as the desperation becomes apparent and finally–truth emerges.

Just a little while longer and we’ll all be free to see the death hold of lies, Russian connections and ties and false propaganda cease with complete purging of the White House and Capitol Hill.

Hallelujah! Soon and very soon, we will be free from the wickedness that rules in the guise of  being Christian leadership.

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Nevertheless

Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Philippians 3 NIV

There is so much that can be said by way of a commentary to this passage of scripture, but I suggest that anyone reading this and others–let it marinate–steep–settle–into your spirit and then hear what God has to say.

I do not have a problem saying the same thing over and over and over again and will most likely do so until I hear church leaders repent from their lying ways.

When people lie–they are the enemies of god and Paul gives us a perfect picture of what they do–their god is their greed–in money and power; their minds are set on earthly things like–a Supreme Court Justice who will do their bidding.

How do we know the enemies of God? They do not live according to God’s Word. They do not make considerations for the poor and the needy–the vulnerable who either have no voice or do not know how to articulate their needs. In political arenas–they cut funding to assist the poor, making excuses to enrich the wealthy at the expense of all others. They lie against those who think differently than they do and they encourage those who follow them to promote the lies.

God has a response for them and they will know it sooner than later for when all is said and done; God still has the last Word and He will pronounce it publicly for all the world to see.

I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ nor am I ashamed to speak on behalf of those who may not have the same venue or platform that I do. And I will speak out–often and loudly. I will also encourage any who love The Lord as I do--to live according to His Word, and not the dictates and false propaganda perpetuated by the pseudo-christians who have not the love of God dwelling within.

I have no fear of losing my mansion in heaven because I know I am doing as I am directed to do by my Heavenly Father and others—I will not hear, for they have not heaven or hell for me.

As long as there are lies spread abroad by those professing to be Christians, yet are not living the life (and we can see by what they do), I will speak out against all church leaders who mislead God’s people. And if I have to call them out by name–I will not hesitate to do so since their actions are public knowledge and I have nothing to lose, yet everything to gain by making people aware of who they are. Some are televangelists–many of who I have stopped paying attention; some are traveling evangelists–whose words don’t line up with God’s Word nor do their actions; some are bloggers and authors–who consistently publish their nonsense on the Internet.  Oh yes, I know who they are and anyone with a discerning spirit also knows who they are. Those in the pulpits in various churches who lie to their congregants–will have to deal with God since I won’t visit them to verify or confirm what they say.  They know who they are.

And if anyone–I do mean anyone–thinks God cares about our political views that don’t align with His Word–they are seriously deluded for Christ did not die for Republicans or Democrats. He died so that anyone–and He meant that–anyone who chose to believe would be saved  (John 3:16) and there was no other criteria established by Him; but man has perverted God’s Word to promote their own agenda as they are prone to do.

Nevertheless, I say once more that we all will stand before God on that great day and give an account what we have done in the earth–did we promote Jesus or political ideology that did not demonstrate God’s love for all?

What Did You Miss?

“Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness. “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit. “If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it.If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it. “Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.  Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty. “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent. “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt. Exodus 23:1-9 NIV

ATTENTION: EVANGELICAL LEADERS/PSEUDO-CHRISTIANS

I guess you missed reading some of the bible when you chose to lie to people. I don’t have time to go into all the details, but just from what the world has seen–you stand to be judged for the lies you promoted about 45. How does it feel to know the world is laughing at America and the totally useless buffoon you elected as president? Do you feel good about lying to people, now?

We are watching a daily circus–a clown show in which the big tent is now the White House and all the players–lost sheep, looking for a way out of the madness.

The global buffoonery with his lies is not even funny. He lies about terror attacks. He lies about the media being fake news. He lies about the media being the enemy of the American people. He lies about his taxes. He lies about his connection and ties to Russia. He lies about removing himself from his businesses. He lies about his intellect. He lies about his business acumen. He lies about his role in creating job growth. He lies about “inheriting a mess.” He lies about being the “only one who can fix things.” The bottom line is–he lies and you promoted the imbecilic pathological liar to your constituents. Why? Just why?

Was it worth it? Now, we’re all going to pay for your stupidity and lies saying God chose him. You know you lied and the rest of us–who actually have a relationship with God–knows you lied. I would not want to be in your shoes in the end–when we must all give an account to God for the things we have done. “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God” (Romans 14:12). I didn’t vote for a person who has no regard for the lives of those outside a womb in endorsing legislation for the mentally unstable to purchase guns. I didn’t vote for a person who cares nothing about the environment and deregulated all the safety precautions so people could have clear water and air and safe food production. I didn’t vote a person who who fires others simply because they dare to speak their minds–and not agree with him. I didn’t vote for a person who unilaterally wants to remove all people who are not white in America. Don’t bother to deny it–you know it’s true. You did this–now own it.

I’m so thankful that I know the first human being God created was a person of color and that God in His infinite wisdom cares about all of His creation–not just those who migrated to colder climates and their skin tones changed. But that’s what you believe right? You think that “white” is the right skin tone and all others are to be dismissed, right? Apparently, you missed a few history and geography lessons and totally missed what happened in Genesis. Don’t take my word for it–read it again with a map in your hand.

Your lack of understanding about God’s Word and His intent for all mankind is astounding! How you can call yourselves promoters of God’s Word when you lack understanding is–criminal. I’m guessing–the donations made to your respective churches or the promises made–had you feeling this was all worthwhile. You drank the shake and brain cells were scrambled. That’s the only excuse I see for what you’ve done. Fortunately, I do not have to answer for you–you do.

When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:7-15 NIV

Perhaps, you–the pseudo-christians are merely fulfilling your role in God’s plan–being the tool Satan uses. For God warned us in His Word that those who know and love Him–are not ignorant of Satan’s devices and how he does things. I guess you missed that or it was missing in your bible.

For long as I have breath in my body and the use of my limbs–I will continue to advocate for the poor and needy and rail against religious debauchery and its leaders who lead people astray--causing confusion and promoting lies to accomplish an agenda that is not worth all the destruction that results from it.

May God have mercy on your souls and all those you convinced to believe a lie.

When God Judges gods!

God presides in the great assembly; he renders judgment among the “gods”: “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?  Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.“The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. “I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’ But you will die like mere mortals; you will fall like every other ruler.”Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance. Psalm 82 NIV

Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. Exodus 23:24 NIV

Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods. Exodus 23:32 NIV

If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Deuteronomy 8:19 NIV

When the bible talks about gods (lower-case g and plural), the reference is actually to those things or people who are influenced by Satan. In the New Testament, 2 Corinthians 4:4–The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

The King James Version states–“the god of this world” has blinded.

So who are the gods of this world? Anyone or anything that keeps people distracted and not focused on living according to God’s Word. This is especially true of those who think they are a “god” and believe they are the only ones who can “fix” things.

In June, we heard Trump declare, “America was in a terrible mess and he was the only one who could fix it.” Last week, he declared at a National Prayer breakfast that, “the world was in a mess and he was the only one who could fix it, because that’s what I do–I fix things.” He holds himself in very high esteem about everything.

Sounds like he “fixed” his way into the White House by encouraging the hacking by the Russians and helping to rig the election with the false propaganda promoted and lies spread about his opponent. It’s too bad he could not have won on his own merits because he has none. He has no integrity or honor–no sense of right and wrong–he simply does what he wants to do–without thinking about the consequences–blinded by the god of this world who has convinced him–he’s a god.

Now, people can argue or disagree with anything I say or anyone else says, but if they love truth and are guided by truth, they can ignore the blatant lies consistently being told by Trump and all of his spokespersons. He even posted a lie (fake news) deliberately on his FaceBook page about problems with refugees in Kuwait--simply to persuade his supporters that he’s right and everyone else is wrong. The lie was quickly exposed and debunked by officials in Kuwait--but he didn’t remove the post.

There are so many lies that he has posted on FaceBook and Twitter that I can’t keep up, but when I see them, I refute them and dare him or his mouthpieces to provide facts for their lies. The media is finally catching on–and fact-checking them at every turn–except for Fox News or Faux News because they don’t care about truth either–just sensationalism. They have demonstrated their lack of journalistic integrity time after time–but then–they are not a “real” news network; they are licensed as an “entertainment network.”So they entertain the gullible with sensationalized lies and people accept it as truth.

His need to be “better” than others is driving the insanity we see in the White House. I recently read that he was quite irritated about the Executive Orders being drafted and not being told what was in them before he signed them. Anyone with an ounce of sense could see–if paying attention--that his signing of the EO’s was for show and he had no idea what he was signing-–that was evident with his difficulty in attempting to read some portions of them.

An interesting caveat to his need to be “better” than others–he’s number one–with the most lawsuits filed against a sitting president than anyone else (over 50), which by itself should not surprise anyone since he went into the White House with 75 lawsuits pending against him. If that wasn’t a red flag to people–well–to those who worship him–nothing matters.

And now–this obsession with maligning judges–is going to affect his nominee for the Supreme Court–since many in the Senate seem to have finally found their backbone.

At any rate–we see from the bible what happens to people when they worship gods, above the God of Heaven. Their gods will let them down and they will fail and be utterly destroyed. This is God’s judgment for the gods and those who worship them.

30 Days of Prayer and Praise–28!

The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. Great is the LORD in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations. Let them praise your great and awesome name— he is holy. The King is mighty, he loves justice— you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right. Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on the LORD and he answered them.He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them. LORD our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds. Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy. Psalm 99 NIV 

Day Twenty-Eight!

Lord Jesus,

Thank You for reminding us in Your Word about all You do and have done for those who have a heart to serve You. You reign over the nations and nothing the enemy does shall change who You are.

When sin shrouds righteousness, You shake up the earth with quakes and squalls and allow the ground to open and the seas to overflow because You have been ignored.

Lord, we thank You for delivering those who live right before You from all danger and harm and executing righteous judgment against all those who would intentionally harm any who proclaim You as Lord.

Though this country was founded on the beliefs and foundations of Your Word, some have strayed from loving all and caring about the rights and needs of all, help us to rekindle our love of mankind in order to keep this country moving forward–embracing diversity, fighting for justice and equality of all, and teaching our children to know love, receive love from You and share the love of Christ with all they meet.

Lord, seer the consciences of those in leadership positions–who proclaim to know You–to cease their acts of hatred and disregard for those who are unable to speak up for themselves. Remind them You are both Savior and Judge and will judge them according to their acts as You will with all of us.

Lord, for those of us who are fighting for justice and equality of all Americans, strengthen our resolve to keep fighting the good fight of faith–calling out injustice and liars and inequity everywhere we see it. Keep filling our hearts with hope and renewing our faith on a daily basis, reminding us at all times, we are victorious in You, no matter how things look on the surface.

O God, root out all the evil and wicked plans that reside in the hearts of those who don’t know You and are only interested in their corrupt power-grabs for power, greed and status. Bring them down for all to see as You expose their evil. Let not one of Your children be destroyed in the wake of the evil, but all those who perpetuate evil, let them be destroyed and all who have promoted their evil be destroyed with them.

You are a mighty, just, and loving God and we lay all our hope and trust in You. What an awesome God to love those who live simply and love whole-heartedly all who cross their paths.

Thank You for truth and ability to see through the lies of the enemy and for boldness to call out all unrighteousness; especially in those who profess to belong to You.

We give You praise, honor and glory for there is None Like You in all the earth!

In Jesus’ name we pray and thank You, Amen!

To Whom The Lord Is Speaking!

These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the LORD. Zechariah 8:16, 17

For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path.For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse,who have left the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. Proverbs 2:6-15 NIV

Many people attempt to read the bible like a novel or documentary–totally dispassionate with no connection to the words they read, void of understanding. Reading the bible for understanding must be conducted with the ability to connect and align all of what is said, for no one verse of scripture is meant to be a stand-alone.

From the first book to the last and all in between the message from God to us is clear--we ought to obey Him, rather than man and in order to do that–we must love Him and love one another. If we have not the love of God residing within, we cannot have love for our fellow human beings. For God is love and the only thing He hates is sin–He does not hate people and never encourages evil–harm to another without cause. And the only cause we have for harming another is protection of self when attacked without reason or in the midst of wars.

We are to submit to God in all things, resist the devil and all the evil that’s afoot and he (the devil) will flee. Most people remember the “resist” part, but totally ignore the “submit” part that comes first.

With all the hatred demonstrated recently, we can see there is no submission to God–just evil from those with a dark heart and evil plots running through their minds. And the hatred and the haters feel empowered by the one they elected to lead a nation–that I refuse to believe–denounces love and propagates hate–of others simply because of differences. Even though it seems like all is lost–integrity, honor, love, and common sense–we have a Savior in Jesus Christ and we know He has not forgotten us. And we also know that judgment–will come–upon all who promote hatred and bigotry.

How do we recognize those who hate? By their lack of love for others who are different than them. We know those who hate by looking at what they promote and their desire to control others. We know those who hate when “reason” is not part of their intellectual toolbox. We know those who hate when  their actions towards others are instigated out of a sense of superiority rather than love. We know those who hate because their insecurities about self fuel hatred for others. We know who they are for The Word has given us insight and given us ample ammunition to fight back.

Our fight–begins with the love of God overflowing from within, seeking and receiving His Wisdom, refusing to engage in the foolishness on the terms of the foolish, and in obeying God in all things–totally submitted to His leading and thereby resisting the temptation to acts as the unrighteous act.

How do we know when we are fighting the good fight of faith? When we stay in The Word, understand who God is speaking to and why and determine to live our lives for Him who loves us, not in fear from those who hate us.

When we are admonished to speak out against injustice–we simply do so for The Lord is with us and He will not allow us to sit quietly and do nothing when people are treated callously and inhumanely. When we are told to speak truth in the face of the lies promoted by evil, we must speak truth based upon His Word, not our opinions. This is what we do when we are in the army of The Lord–we fight to combat hatred with love, and evil with love–never veering from the path of righteousness.

We stand on The Word of God allowing it to shine brightly into our lives and into the lives of those we meet and greet and we will not walk in darkness in order to appease the evil all around us. For the just (those living according to God’s Word) shall live by faith in God–not man! In Him alone, shall we trust for He is the only one who is worthy!

 

Judgment Passed Upon Us!

Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised; Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart. Jeremiah 9:23-26 KJV

I have not turned on a television or read any news, but I speak what The Lord spoke to my heart. We have reached a place where judgment has been passed upon us and we will all suffer the consequences of the same judgment for our God is a just God and the rain falls upon the sinner and saved alike–just like the judgment. In the coming days and weeks, before January, we shall understand what stands before us–and there will be no need for any weep or moan, or regret for we should have sought The Lord before making any decision.  Buyer’s remorse cannot be attended to in this grave situation and many do not realize the gravity of this time, yet. Even those who proclaim to know God and love have not determined what is about to befall us and we shall enter a time for which we cannot escape the foolishness of our judgment.

And after turning on the news, I understand why The Lord was speaking to me as He was.

“Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.” Jeremiah 5:14

Have we not learned anything from the past? Apparently not for when we refuse to learn from history, we are bound to make the same mistakes.

It would appear from the history of past presidents–that when Democrats are in office, the nation prospers, but when Republicans are in office the economy bleeds and wars and rumors of war spread across the land. More specifically, other than now–the last time this nation prospered was when Bill Clinton was president and he left a surplus in the treasury. When George Bush was in office, he re-distributed the surplus and started a war, depleted the nation’s gain and initiated a mountain of debt. When President Obama came into office, he had to keep our economy from going over the cliff with saving the auto industry and it worked. Just when the economy is experiencing a bounce-back, the stock market bottoms out upon the announcement that Donald Trump was elected President–an event they had warned us about. It is also public knowledge that North Korea and Russia stand ready to do battle with the United States so they can further decimate our standing with the rest of the world.

And speaking of the rest of the world–I can hear them laughing, totally dumbfounded at the stupidity we have exercised in allowing a megalomaniac to sit in the White House. This is not just my opinion; this is the opinion of many other countries before the election.

Now, we have heard for over a month that the election would be rigged and I’m assuming that it was against Hillary Clinton since false ads were placed with her picture on it indicating she was encouraging people to vote by texting their vote. Then there were all the glitches in voting apparatus that occurred yesterday in swing states. I can only imagine what kind of other shenanigans were in place to keep people from voting or having their vote not counted. When the enemy reigns–only evil exists and there is evil on the way to the White House.

But my hope is in Jesus and while I shall suffer like all the rest, I shall be saved for The Lord knows the hearts of those who love Him and obey Him. I truly thought Americans were too smart to fall for the con artist’s lies, but I guess I was wrong.

We can pray and my prayer is that God is still willing to hear us and will by a miracle show us the truth of the matter.

When The Greedy Have Oversight!

As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him. When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison. Acts 24:25-27 NIV

Since we know human nature does not change, we can understand that any time someone starts talking about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come--the conversation instills fear in the unrighteous and they change the conversation so they won’t feel condemned.

When faced with situations that Paul faced, we who know God and His intent for mankind, must continue to say what God says–no matter what the intent of those who have authority over us–in the natural. For no mere mortal can ever have authority over God or those who obey Him.

But in this passage we see Felix as a pretender–someone who pretended to want to know more about Paul was teaching, but in essence was really hoping that his imprisonment would keep him quiet (as far as the Jews were concerned) and would eventually end up with Felix lining his pockets in order for Paul to know freedom.

There are people who are imprisoned–in both buildings and mindsets–waiting for release and will not be bribed to go against the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Though I am not a prisoner in a building, like Paul, I count it all joy to be bound with the Good News and I will not keep silent and will not accept a bribe to be silent. I cannot be bullied into compromising my faith in God and I will not allow any authority on earth to persuade me to rebel against God.

But we know–from all we see–that has occurred with some people. Though the bribe may not have been money–instead it was support and promises of greater things to come, but the greater things will never eradicate the judgment that is sure to come–when those who live a life in opposition to God’s Word and promote others in doing the same.

We shall all stand before God and give an account of what we’ve done with our time here on earth. I hope never to be ashamed of promoting the Gospel of Jesus and the power of forgiveness and love. I have been forgiven for those things which I did without understanding of Truth. I am loved beyond measure by my heavenly Father–who willingly died for me that I would have another chance to get living right for Him.

There is not enough money on the planet to convince me to move from my stance–total faith in the resurrection power of Jesus and the embodiment of power from Holy Spirit who dwells within me. Unfortunately, not all can say with confidence they feel the same. We see this in politicians who are willing to compromise themselves in order to gain status. We see this in people whose principles are determined by a dollar value. We see this in the church–when the leadership is more concerned about the numbers in the building that souls being saved when Truth is heard and they compromise the Gospel–to be politically correct.

Lord, help us all when we allow greed to reign over the needs of the people to know the Truth.

Where Are They?

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first .After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. I Thessalonians 4:13-18 NIV

If we truly want to comfort others when they lose a loved one–we should use God’s Word–instead of our traditional responses that are not based upon truth.

Yesterday, someone told me (in a response to something I said about my deceased mother) our moms are watching over us. Now, I know this is a common response used by people to comfort others or themselves and if I did not know The Word, I’d buy into it. However, since I do know The Word and I know that, “the dead know nothing” I cannot promote an untruth, based upon God’s Word–not my opinion.

When I reminded the person about God’s Word, I was told, “everyone has their own opinion and her mom was watching over her.”

Here’s the thing–everyone does have an opinion about so many things, but when it comes to the things of God–shouldn’t we say what God says and not espouse our opinions? I am, and will, to the best of my ability always say what God says, even when it seems that I’m aloof or a bit cold. I am neither. I’m simply trying to do what I’m told–by God in His Word–and I’m breaking the chains of tradition wherever I find them. If people want to be misled and shackled to traditions–that’s their option. I choose not to do so.

So, while I cannot put anyone in heaven who has gone before me–I cannot say with certainty where anyone is. I know–because of The Word–that when we die, our spirits go back to God who gave them, our bodies return to the dust from which it came and our soul awaits judgment (Ecclesiastes 12)–when Christ returns. I don’t know when we’ll rise after He returns or when we’ll be judged, but I do know–when He returns–those who died in Christ–knowing Him–will rise first and we’ll be taken up with them. Whether I’m alive here or not when Christ returns remains to be seen. I am assured of this one thing and so can others be–my mansion in heaven is reserved and one day–I shall inhabit it as promised in The Word.

I’m praying that soon we’ll be able to tell people the truth and stop lying to them when a loved one dies. We cannot put them in heaven or hell–that’s a judgment call that we cannot make for them–only God can–based upon their relationship (or none) with Him. As much as I’d like to believe my mother is watching over us–I know she’s not and I’m okay with that. I hold her memories in my heart and soon in what I write. Whether I’ll know her or not when we all get to heaven is not as important as knowing we’ll be there–at the same time.

Instead of lying to people (and telling them someone has gone on to glory is a lie), let’s comfort and encourage people with God’s Word. “Though they sleep in death right now, when Christ returns, they shall rise first and we who are yet live shall join them.”And while we wait for that glorious day, let’s keep their memories alive in our hearts to enjoy them any time we want.

 

 

Enriched and Waiting!

For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge—God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you.  Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. I Corinthians 1:5-7 NIV

What does it mean to be enriched in Him? When we are filled with Holy Spirit and He takes up permanent residence in us, we are enriched with knowledge and wisdom from on high and this is God’s confirmation–His continual presence with us.

Since Holy Spirit directs our spirit (when we allow Him to do so), we have access to all spiritual gifts–gift of healing, miracles, tongues and interpretation, wisdom, knowledge, discernment, and prophecy, all working according to the dictates of Holy Spirit’s directions.

When Paul wrote this letter to those at the church at Corinth, he acknowledged the gifts that worked within them and within the body of Christ, but he also admonished them for abusing and misusing their gifts–some for profit and others to make them superior to the masses. And while they had access to the gifts of the Spirit, they continued in sin, influenced by the idolatry that reigned and held them in bondage.

While some of us have been gifted to do great things for The Lord, can we say that we are using our gifts to His glory or our profit? This is not to say that some natural gifts–gifts that are honed by experience and practice cannot be used for profit–but the spiritual gifts are for the benefit of the Body and if we are misusing those gifts–and some are–we bring no honor and glory to God, but instead condemnation from others when truth is revealed.

The most misused gift–is the gift of prophecy–and we know because we have so many prophelying to the masses in an attempt to bring glory to themselves. How is this manifested? In the horoscopes, astrological chartings, the psychics and seers who lie to people all the time and many believe them. Then we have the “Christian Prophets” who are some of the worst liars on the planets. They don’t speak as God speaks to them, but they speak in attempt to appease people and make themselves to be more than they are. They know who they are–and they perpetrate the lie by wearing the title “prophet.” A “true prophet” speaks what God says and they have no need to bring attention to themselves. The false prophet exercises no discernment at all because they’re too busy trying to make a name for themselves and what they say, seldom manifests.

Although there are those who move ahead of God, there are also those of us who simply wait–and while we wait–we seek God’s direction for our lives–exercising the gifts He has given to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ and not ourselves. When Jesus returns and we are standing before the Judgment Throne, how will we defend ourselves and the use of the gifts He gave us to use?

I’ve often heard people say, they don’t know what gifts they have. I would suggest that all Believers spend time in The Word, understanding how all the spiritual gifts operate and then seeking God for understanding of the gifts He has given to all. When we ask of Him, believing all that He is, He will respond and keep our focus on Him and not fame and fortune. Serving Him with sincerity is all He requires of us–having faith in Him alone. Knowing we shall reap the reward of our faith in Him, makes waiting for Him, worthwhile.