Are We Defeated?

The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. I Corinthians 6:7-11 NIV

When victory is not the end result–there lies defeat. Are we defeated?

I submit to you–that as long as we do things according to The Word–we will not be defeated, but know victory at every turn!

When we tell the truth–we know victory!

When we stand up for and promote righteousness–we know victory!

When we refuse to cave to popular opinion and reject the ways of the world–we know victory!

No matter what the doctor’s report says–we are victorious!

No matter what our bank account shows us–we are victorious!

No matter what people think of us or who we support–politically–we are victorious!

No matter what temptation the enemy puts in front of us–we will not be tempted to live in opposition to God’s Word–we are victorious!

With God going before us in everything we do–He is more than enough! In Him, we live and move and have our being! We are victorious through Jesus Christ!

So, keep going–living The Word, daily–never expecting or ready to concede defeat in anything. Just keep going and going and going–looking to Him–the author and finisher of our faith–knowing that no matter what happens on earth, in the end–we win and will spend eternity with Him!

 

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What To Do About The Message!

Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: “LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. “It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, LORD, are the only God.” Isaiah 37:14-20 NIV

What should we do when we receive a message that causes us anxiety?

We do what Hezekiah did–we turn our concerns over to The Lord since He has all the answers, we don’t.

The doctor’s report with bad news–spread it out before The Lord.

The bills we can’t pay–spread it out before The Lord.

The disobedient child–spread it out before The Lord.

The tragedies occurring all over the world–spread it out before The Lord.

The divorce papers you weren’t expecting–spread it out before The Lord.

The lawsuit you were just served about–spread it out before The Lord.

The violence and crime sprees the media reports–spread it out before The Lord.

The chaos and instability of this political cycle–spread it out before The Lord.

And once we spread our concerns before The Lord, we acknowledge we’re incapable of resolving the issue and need Him in our lives. Then we listen, hear, and obey. That’s what Hezekiah did and since we know that God is not a respecter of persons, He’ll do for us what He did for Hezekiah–save the day.

We don’t have to sweat the small stuff or the big stuff–just spread it out before The Lord and know–God’s got this!

Many Benefits

Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. Proverbs 25:28 NIV

Picture it–a walled city with holes punctured by battering rams–and an entire army from the enemy coming through to either capture or kill those within the walls. Such is the person who is incapable of controlling themselves because they lack discipline–their lack of self-control allows the enemy to come through to capture or kill.

How does that end? The end result for anyone who lacks self-control is disaster–whether it is from a lack of self-control with eating, greed, speaking without thinking, drugs or alcohol, or stealing and lying–whatever it is that refuses to be disciplined in a person’s life–will end in disaster.

But we yet have hope with receiving Holy Spirit into our lives! One of the many benefits of allowing Him room to reign in our hearts is self-control.

With Holy Spirit guiding us–we shower others with love, we know peace and joy, we are compassionate and kind, gentle in reprimands and corrections, but firm in our convictions and faith to do what is right and submitted to Holy Spirit’s guidance to help us be in total control of what we say and do.

If our spirit-being has been ravaged by the holes punctured by the enemy, we may be setting ourselves for rejection by people and Holy Spirit’s guidance. For when our spirits are low–we put our souls at risk when depression seeps in, and clouds of doubt about who we are and what we can do–creep through the holes and blind us to the truth–we are more than conquerors–not because of who we are, but because of who He is.

Perhaps, for some–it is time to allow those holes that have been punctured to be sealed with Holy Spirit so we can receive His many benefits and know wholeness and Holiness, not holeyness (full of holes).

Is it soup yet? Time is marching on and we don’t know the day or the hour of His return, but we can live with the expectant hope of living with Him in glory, when we allow Him to live within while we wait. There are many benefits we can receive when we receive Holy Spirit and allow Him to reign.

Holy Spirit, You are welcome to take up residence in my heart, to guide me all the days of my life and to reign with full authority in teaching me–reminding me daily of God’s Word–keeping me full of love and self-control.

Maintaining Our Focus!

I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. LORD, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the LORD your God.” So they all praised the LORD, the God of their fathers; they bowed down, prostrating themselves before the LORD and the king. 1 Chronicles 29:17,18, 20 NIV

Do we know who our God is that we can keep our focus on Him?

Our God–the One who created all things and without whom–nothing was ever created.

Our God--the God of heaven and the bible.

Our God–who is love and loves us so much He willingly sacrificed Himself when He came in the flesh of man–His Son–to take our sins upon Him, that we might have eternal life.

Our God–the One who provides for our every need.

Our God–the One who provides us with wisdom from Him, and never thinks little of us because we asked for more wisdom.

Our God–the One who heals all our sicknesses and diseases.

Our God–the One who forgives our sins when we repent and seek Him.

Our God–the only One who has prepared a place for us to spend eternity with Him.

David understood the significance of making a distinction when talking about The Lord, Our God, because so many were worshiping gods they made with their own hands and thought those things they made had power. They worshiped their gods with human sacrifices and burning children–thinking (influenced by the god of this world–Satan) that their sacrifices would mean something or save them from something. They did not realize that nothing made by the hands of man has the power to save anyone from the wrath of God–who removes His hand of protection when we choose to go our own way–rejected Him and His wisdom.

It is not that God destroys anyone or anything, but that He allows the destruction because of our disobedience. And there are some now who think we are headed for destruction because of this election cycle. This election cycle–has proven and revealed where the hearts of people really are. Satan has truly blinded some to the truth by wrapping up the wolf in the guise of being a Christian–who doesn’t even know what the term means. More hatred and vitriol has been spewed towards others who disagree with the candidates and their supporters than I’ve ever seen.

I am absolutely sure–God is not pleased with our behavior and I am just as sure that we shall all feel His wrath when He removes His hand of protection and we find ourselves captured–held in bondage-by allowing the enemy to influence our decisions.

So, what do we mere mortals do? We maintain our focus on God’s Word and living it so others will know who we are–not by what we say, but by what we do--aligning our lives with The Word. We stay positive and when the negative nannies throw venom our way, we stop the flow with love and correction, turning the focus to Him, not us.

God is love–and for any who do not know how to love those walking the earth, they cannot love God. My choice in this election cycle is following the dictates of Holy Spirit who will only speak as God directs.

Is Praying Ever Futile?

Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee. Jeremiah 7:16 KJV

“So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you. Jeremiah 7:16 NIV

Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble. Jeremiah 11:14 KJV

“Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress. Jeremiah 11:14 NIV

Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. Jeremiah 14:11 KJV

This is what the LORD says about this people: “They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the LORD does not accept them; he will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.” Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.”  But I said, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! The prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ” Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. Jeremiah 14:11-14 NIV

This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 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 hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” Jeremiah 29:10-14 NIV

For those who think that the answers is to always pray for some people–think again. There are times when we’re told NOT TO PRAY for those who refuse to acknowledge and obey God. That’s what Jeremiah’s thankless job was as a prophet of God. God’s messengers–those He selects–do not always have a message of “pie in the sky” and because those in positions of influencing others–they like to think their message is the only right message. It would have been redundant for me to say everything Jeremiah said to a rebellious nation, but I would encourage every Believer and those who read this blog–to read, with understanding, all Jeremiah said and see with God’ Wisdom and insight how that message then-is relevant today.

Is it possible that we are faced with the possibility of captivity (naturally and spiritually) if we continue on this path of blatant disregard for God’s Word? Can we trust any religious leader (false prophets) who proclaim messages that do align with God’s Word?

Not every person who proclaims their belief in God is telling the truth. We know by what we see and hear them do. Therefore, The Word of Lord tells us how to discern–spiritually those who truly belong to Him. Do they say what God says or they are intertwining personal feelings and opinions into The Word to convince? When we allow our feelings (which are fickle) and opinions to distort the message of The Gospel, we betray God’s trust in us. What is the message of The Gospel? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son (as a sacrifice for all) so whoever believes in Him would not perish but would have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (paraphrased)

“This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.” I John 3:10, 11

Therefore, if the message is not about LOVE FOR ALL PEOPLE, the message is not from God and the messenger is a liar.

Okay, let me clarify this for those who think this is simply a rant–it is not. If we are not saying what God says and promoting love and not hatred–we are on the path to certain captivity–opening the door to all sorts of depravity–and evil. When we see evil and won’t address it–we are condoning it. And for this reason–just like He did with Jeremiah, God is warning us–there’s no point in praying for people–either as an individual or a nation–who refuse to obey God. The better prayer is for us to be able to endure until the end.

We see the evidence, daily, at the political rallies that are simply stoking the fires of hatred and then it spills over onto the crowds and people feel empowered to hate others simply because they are different. This is not of God and we have been warned about the consequences in His Word. Now, we have a choice to make and our choice–will lead us into a place where God desires us to be–into captivity to get our attention–or to keep us on the path He has planned for us. It’s up to us. Do we listen to God or the false prophets? Will God listen to us or ignore us? When people tell us to pray that God will change a person’s heart, we miss the mark. God will not change a person’s heart who doesn’t want their heart to be changed.

I’m praying that God’s wisdom will be received into the hearts of all who know Him and overflow into the masses and we will know love as God defines love–not us.

Lessons Learned!

Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults; whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse. Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you. Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer. Proverbs 9:7-12 NIV

#Politics Alert

For the past two days, I have–as per my habit–scrolled through various media articles and commented on those I thought warranted a comment. It is always my intent to simply comment “to the article” and I never comment on what another poster has said–unless they reply to me directly.

Herein lies the challenge–for them and me. It would appear that many who post to Internet articles feel they are the only ones entitled to an opinion and they repeatedly end up calling people names when asked to produce verification of what they said. Here’s an example to a comment I wrote regarding the use of the song, “We Are The Champions” on CNN 7/19/16.

Mary Hall-RayfordNot surprising–he thinks he can get away with anything. After all, he hijacked the GOP in order to pursue his own attention-getting agenda that’s all about him!

Tony GuidrozWell Hilary knows that she will get away with everything, including murder, illegally sending classified information, and perjury. You let me know when Donald gets on that level.

Mary Hall-RayfordTony Guidroz Who did Hillary murder? I must have missed that trial!

Tony GuidrozThose are FACTS.

Mary Hall-RayfordTony Guidroz You didn’t provide any facts–just more speculation and obscure biased opinion. Who did she murder and when was the trial held? Just the facts, please!

Tony GuidrozLet me guess you are denying all those others or no? I gave you all facts that you can look up yourself. You seem pretty lazy not wanting to do any research for yourself. Typical.

Mary Hall-RayfordTony Guidroz Actually, you gave me NO FACTS–just innuendo–there is a difference. I usually research information before I proffer an opinion–about anything. Who did she murder and when was the trial? That is factual information and unless you can prove it–with documentation–you might want to take a nap and then wake up from your delusional world.

Tony GuidrozI told you. Where are your factual rebuttals for the FACT that she is a thief, that she sent classified information illegally, and that she committed perjury? All things that are on video. As for the murderer part, she didn’t pull the trigger, but she may as well have. Oh and she was investigated for it. She’s not in prison for the same reason that she’s not in prison for the email scandal. She is apparently above the law.

Tony GuidrozShe sat there and lied to Congress on 2 separate occasions, about 2 separate cases. So sad that you defend a woman who takes money and sympathizes with the very people that view women as property. She belittled and berated women that were sexually abused by her sex crazed husband. She calls black men super predators, yet she has your support. Lmao. Who’s the delusional one?

Marvel Amber John If she was this bad she should be behind bars. She’s not.. Your point? No wait! Don’t tell me.

Mary Hall-Rayford Tony Guidroz I didn’t say one word about anything other than your allegation that she had committed murder. None of what you just spewed provides any factual information of your allegation. But I won’t belabor the point that you keep straying away from. You’re entitled to your delusions and as for the other allegations that I’m defending her–where did I say that or did you just assume that? Not much for facts are you? Just spewing bigotry, I guess–is a way to spend your time. Have a wonderful day!

My point to titling this post, “Lessons Learned” is that even though I tried to end the conversation with calm, it escalated into something far more sinister than needed to be.

While I realize every person on the planet has already concluded who their political candidate is, I am extremely cautious about making accusations about anyone–without concrete evidence. I have to admit, I seldom experience the kind of hatred for one person that I’ve seen lately about Hillary (in the past about Obama simply because of his skin color). People have criticized everything about the woman–from the clothes she wears to her husbands past indiscretions and everything in between and beyond.

Who has never committed a stupid act in their life? Who has never made mistakes? As I pointed out to several people on that thread yesterday, I usually research information before I speak on it and can and have provided links to support what I say. But the lesson I have learned is that no matter what you say to some people–they go into attack mode and never recover from it. At that point–it is wiser to stop talking to them–even though they won’t stop.

I’m not afraid of controversy and I don’t back down from anyone attempting to bully or intimidate me–I know who I am and don’t have to prove that to anyone. I am concerned about the level of hate that people don’t have a problem displaying and how all that hatred impacts the challenges we see on a daily basis.

I encourage substantive discussion about issues I care strongly about, but I refuse to be embroiled in stupidity–where what we say, matters not. While I can respect a differing opinion by anyone, that courtesy is not often reciprocated, but it won’t stop me.

When The Lord speaks to my heart, I will respond and obey. It does not matter if people accept what is said; what matters is my obedience and therefore, I will continue to obey God for He is the only one who deserves my praise. Politicians–come and go--and in the end, only what we do for Christ will have any lasting impact in our society.

Is This You?

I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Revelation 2:2-7 NIV

This letter to the church at Ephesus was also written for the benefit of 21st Century Believers as were the other six letters. Why? God loves us so much that He is unwilling to allow any of us to fall by the wayside. It was true then and it is true now. However, have we lost the love we had for Him when we first believed?

Do you remember when–your eyes were first opened and your heart was receptive to the love of God and His Word ministered to your soul? Do you remember how you wanted to share with everyone you met–the enlightening experience you had so all would know it, too? Do you remember the light of love that shone so brightly people knew something great had happened to you?

Does the light of God’s love still shine brightly and people know who we are without telling them? Or has the darkness–the dark deeds of the enemy distracted us and caused us to allow fear to reign in our spirits and we’ve closed our hearts to hearing God because of what we see in others?

Every once in a while, when we feel ourselves getting weary of the nonsense that perpetuates the atmosphere, we need to take time to reflect upon how we first loved and then muster enough of that love–to energize us so we can keep going.

If you’re like me–you’ve stopped watching the news because it is so disheartening and if we allow all the negativity to embed itself in our spirit, we’ll start looking like the walking dead–still here, but wandering–trying to determine which way to go.

We know we cannot encourage anyone to practice a faith in anything or anyone other than God. This is what the Nicolaitans did–encouraged people to worship idols and false doctrine which included sexual immorality.  When people worship money and people above God, we have allowed the enemy to reign. We must remember God’s love for us and know that nothing we do–unless we turn from Him–can cause Him to abandon us. He promised He would never leave us alone.

This is why it is important for us to stay in The Word and to keep our spiritual ears open and our hearts receptive to hearing from God. We must not allow others to influence us to do anything in opposition to God’s Word and that includes all that we must consider on a daily basis. The Word must lead us–all the way through our journey on this side of heaven–not people.

The reason we should not follow people is because people are imperfect, fallible beings and if they are not following the precepts outlined in The Word, they are not worthy of our time and attention. Therefore, we must seek The Lord and His wisdom, only!

Now, is this you? Are you following people more than God? If so, step back and take a good look at where this may lead you and know–God’s love for us never changes, but we often get tired and weary and lose sight of our first love for Him.

 

Know Who To Trust!

Let those who fear the LORD say: “His love endures forever.” When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; he brought me into a spacious place. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. Psalm 118:4-8 NIV

For those who truly reverence The Lord and stand in awe of His goodness and mercy, we can say, “His love endures forever.” For those who don’t know, it’s time they understand what it means. “Fear” in this passage does not mean to be scared or afraid of–it means to hold in high esteem–reverence–The Lord. There is no need for anyone to be afraid of God, but there is a need to know and understand how He will allow negative consequences to fall upon us when we choose to ignore Him.

Though there are those who indignantly proclaim that the bible is simply an ancient book of myths, those who believe God–know better. The bible is a blueprint for living.  In it we find records of God’s interactions with the people He loves and instructions to keep us from falling into the pits and snares set by the evil one. If people want to believe the bible has no significance, they have every right to believe just that. They also have every right to receive the consequences of their unbelief.

Throughout history–as recorded in “the history books” that people trust, we see how The Word of God aligns with the events recorded by others. There is no mystery or magic involved with the bible. It simply provides a historical perspective from another view. That’s what history is–a record of events as reported from the perspective of those recording it. Historical accounts of anything will vary based upon perspective and the ability to publicize the account. It’s like a police officer getting accounts of an event by witnesses who were positioned in various locations of the event. Their account will vary, but the primary tenets of the event will be the same. Although some might say, someone lied; they didn’t lie–they simply told what “they saw” from their vantage point.

In spite of all the media attempts to persuade us about–anything–we must learn to trust our relationship with God for–everything. The rescue we need in our society won’t come from mere mortals who perpetuate violence and hatred. It will come from The Lord when we decide enough is enough and repent of our evil ways and seek His direction in all things. God is able to provide us with clear insight and direction, but are we willing to trust our relationship with Him to obey?

I am praying and have been praying for the bigotry and hatred to cease, but it won’t stop until people are willing to look into their hearts and acknowledge what’s there. “For out of the abundance of the heart–the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:24). Is there hatred or love overflowing our hearts? Will we be acquitted by the words we speak or condemned by the words we speak?

Bridle our tongues, Lord that we may only speak what we hear You say!

I Will Bless The Lord!

I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:7-9, 11

No matter what happens, no matter how dark and evil the world becomes, no matter how much the enemy influences others to do stupid and hate, no matter how heavy my heart becomes, no matter how many tears I shed, no matter how often I stop in the middle of the day to pray over the bad news broadcast, non-stop (in various mediums), no matter how empty I feel some days because of the wrongs I cannot right, no matter what happens, I will bless The Lord at all times–His praises shall continually be in my mouth!

Great is The Lord and greatly to be praised!

There is none like our God in all the earth!

His love and mercy endure forever!

Because of Him and His love towards me–a love that overflows–I know I can face every tomorrow!

Because of His goodness towards me–I can do good for all I meet–and pray for those who will not receive!

Because of Him–I can rejoice when I am drained of hope while He replenishes me within.

Because of Him–I can continue to do all He has called me to do–thankful that He chose me.

Because of Him–I don’t let what others think of me, influence what I do or when I do it.

Because of Him–I can walk with my head held high, never ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ or all He’s done for me.

Because of Him–I know that sadness and weeping indeed may last through the night, but when I wake up to a new day, I am blessed with new mercies and joy and new opportunities to speak His Word.

Nothing–not sickness or disease, naysayers, unbelievers, or any negative news shall by any means deter me from the path He has established for me and I will bless The Lord–I will bless The Lord–I will bless The Lord!

For it is to Him, I give the glory. It is to Him, I give the praise! He has done so much for me and I will bless His Holy Name.

I am thankful that even when I sleep, He speaks to my heart and provides me with direction and instructions to keep going–to keep loving–to keep living according to His Word. I wake even more determined to keep telling His Truth–aligned with His Word–so all may know that He is Lord and nothing escapes His notice—He sees all, hears all, and knows the end of every matter, before the beginning.

Be of good cheer when bad news tries to encroach upon your heart and attempts to keep your focus off Him. He is never surprised at any event, but I can imagine His sorrow at the needless violence. Because He is God–He knows and we can be comforted with His Words and know–He loves us and His never-ending mercy shall sustain to the end.

And It Shall Be!

And so it shall be:

Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench;
Instead of a sash, a rope;
Instead of well-set hair, baldness;
Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth;
And branding instead of beauty.

Your men shall fall by the sword,
And your mighty in the war.

Her gates shall lament and mourn,
And she being desolate shall sit on the ground.  Isaiah 3:24-26 NKJV

Whenever we as a people–men and women–male and female–all created by Him who created all things–refuse to obey God and do things His way, we find ourselves on the receiving end of the consequences of disobedience. And when we see these things coming to fruition, most don’t acknowledge the role they play in helping us get there and instead, point fingers–blaming others–never accepting responsibility for what they do.

This has been the story of mankind–from the beginning when we are discovered in our muck–blaming others. In the garden, after succumbing to temptation and listening to the serpent who influenced doubt about God’s Word (“you shall not surely die”), Adam and the woman both blamed others for their act of disobedience. Adam blamed God for giving him the woman and the woman blamed the serpent because they apparently forgot that God knows all. Even though they refused to accept responsibility for their actions, they all received the consequences of their disobedience--the man having to work the land in order to eat; the woman having children accompanied by pain, and the serpent–once able to walk upright–having to crawl on his belly.

Though there are many who refuse to understand and accept God’s Word in totality--the refusal to accept does not change the reality of the consequences we shall all feel when we disobey. God’s Word shall stand long after all the “politically correct” nonsense fades away, long after mankind enters a new phase of generated extinction because of “feelings” and long after lies are exposed–about everything the enemy has influenced, God’s Word shall stand and it shall be as He warned us.

What we have overlooked–time after time–is that we are simply to obey God–no matter how we feel. No where in the bible will we find God telling us to function based upon our feelings. Though He wants us to be compassionate–loving and helpful to others–He does not tell us to act out of emotional turmoil. He recognizes all the feelings–the emotional capacity He placed in us, but He expects us to obey Him in all things and that includes–being self-disciplined (not submitting to our feelings).

That’s the biggest problem we face and have faced throughout history–people operating in their feelings. Wars have started because of a lack of discipline and disobedience. When people don’t control their emotions–they ignite negative environments and we see strife, bigotry, and hatred towards others because of “feelings” and not because anyone has actually responded to another person’s feelings.

When we allow our emotions to overrule common sense–we end up with problems that run rampant causing all sorts of evil against humanity. Emotions are fickle at best and for some–their feelings change as often as they blink their eyes and every time their feelings change, they allow their tongue to wag--without control–speaking when they should be thinking and then they wonder how–they arrive at the door of destruction. If we refuse to read God’s Word with understanding, then we dig a hole in which there will be no way out and then–it shall be as God said.

It’s past time we woke and smelled the stench that pervades the atmosphere–the hatred, the bigotry, the lies that lead to people living by their feelings and expecting others to embrace their disobedient, emotionalized feelings. All of this comes before God as a stench so strong there will never be enough air freshener to change it. Disobedience is a horrible smell and it leaves a stain for all to see–and Tide can’t clean it. And since it smells horribly and makes God cringe–all of the consequences promised to us for our disobedience–shall be.

It’s time we got our act together and stopped stinking up the atmosphere and send up a sweet fragrance of obedience to God in all things and submit our feelings to His Will.