Money, Money, Money!

Sitting here thinking about “the new world” Christopher Columbus was so excited about when he was making his journey from Spain and got lost. To be clear, he was not the first person to set their sights on the Americas, but that’s a discussion for another time. For now, people need to take a serious look at what we have called a democracy in America.

The pillars for which this democracy upholds are being eroded by Russian influence and a traitor to America. We know that Russia attacked our electoral system and I believe it was not just through the social media accounts–gaslighting gullible people, but it was also through deliberate bribes of those in the electoral college. Notice that in all the swing states where a recount was requested and in some cases started, money convinced judges to call them off. So if money can determine the direction of our country, what is the purpose of the Constitution? What was the purpose of establishing three branches of government by which all policies would be established, reinforced and adjudicated when needed? We have an illegitmately elected clown in the White House–who has ignored the Constitution from the beginning and more despicable clowns in Congress who refuse to exercise their oversight responsibilities. And now, with the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh, a blatant liar, and possible serial sexual predator, the Supreme Court will never again be seen as an arbiter of justice and truth. Three pillars missing from the democratic structure leaves only one left–a free press and even there, that pillar is endanger of toppling with all of the vicious lies told by the White House clown.

I have to wonder if people really understand the significance of this process in which it was nothing like the process, usually observed. Brett Kavanaugh has had several sexual assault allegations lodged against him, he perjured himself under oath during his last hearing, he’s had political PACs paying for advertisements (out of the norm for a judicial nominee), and then because he knew he had screwed up with his belligerence, wrote an OP ED in the Wall Street Journal (owned by Rupert Murdoch who also owns Fox), which defies all logic, other than to conclude, he was begging for the position. His behavior is abominable, but that won’t stop Republicans from confirming him into the position he feels he’s entitled to have. Law Professors have sent letters to the Senate warning them not to confirm him; the ABA has warned them not to confirm him and former classmates have attested to the fact that he was lying while under oath. And why oh why wasn’t the FBI allowed to question the 20 or more people who contacted them with information? Cover-up anyone? If Brett Kavanaugh had any integrity or honor he’d step aside rather than have the Supreme Court’s reputation tainted forever.  Oh yeah, the Republicans know he’s not fit to sit on the bench of the Supreme Court but they don’t care because they care more about their agenda, than people and doing what’s right. Traitor Don will have his “get out jail card” when the crap catches up with him. That’s what this is really all about–along with all other Republicans who are complicit in the Russian meddling. We know. We are not the victims of the gaslighting. That’s trump’s base. Gaslighted into cult worship.

Here’s the thing–all women, Black and White–our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren will be subject to Supreme Court decisions for decades to come. And the one thing I don’t understand is why women would sit back and allow this travesty to continue. When women vote, they should vote for people who are committed to serving them, not the lobbyists who pay them. We deserve a return on the tax dollars all elected persons get for their pay. As a result, voters must take more time in getting to know who it is they’re electing, since we are actually their employers. I don’t want to pay anyone who neglects or ignores my rights in order to obtain money from corporate entities or rich old white men who have nothing better to do with their money than to influence politics and politicians.

With the Supreme Court appointment–a life time appointment–we pay them, too. And if they choose to screw over us all, we’ve allowed it to happen by those we elected who confirmed them. So, now–it really boils down to–how do you want your tax dollars used–to promote sexual predators and those like-minded elected officials who support them or people who look out for all the people, protecting their interest for decades to come? The real issue here is that elected officials get greedy with corporate lobbyists and others. They’re not happy or satisfied with the $174K salary, they want more money and some think they are entitled to more money so they allow their greed to lead them into situations like Russia, where so many are guilty of receiving money from a foreign entity.

So, if we want democracy to work–to have government, “by the people for the people,” we must engage in the process. We must get to know the candidates that seek our support and vote, before we vote for them. We must work side-by-side with those candidates we have *vetted* to encourage others to vote for them. If we’re not going to be part of the process, we can expect to see the dismantling of our democracy by those who wish for it to crumble–the rich and powerful–who will not consider the people since they only care about money. Think–Mr. Scrooge (A Christmas Carol) and remember how the only thing he cared about was his money and making a profit. That’s what we have in the White House now–policies are legislated for the rich, not the poor; tax dollars are being wasted on the rich (US Marshall protection of DeVos, Conway, and others) instead of being used for the poor (healthcare, education, etc.). They’re stripping away all the consumer protections just so their rich cronies can make money–ravaging the land, out of greed. We see it. Gas prices rising along with food costs and everything, but do those in the legislative branch of our democracy care about what happens to the people they’re supposed to be writing legislation for?

I can’t speak for anyone other than me at the moment and all these shenanigans are giving me a headache. My blood pressure is also rising and I guess the next step I need to take would be in suing the White House for decimating my health. That’s a thought. I have to think about it more. Perhaps, the ACLU will take on the case as a class action suit.

I’m not rambling incoherently, I’m thinking out loud about my options and the possible options for others. Someone has to be thinking about–what’s next? We already know trump lied about his own wealth and how he accumulated it (I’ve known since 2016) and the fact that he doesn’t want anyone to see his tax returns, is telling. But we will see them, one way or another. But knowing, definitively, won’t change a thing about our lives, so we must muster all the energy we can to get people out to vote. This is key! We must get people to vote. This is our voice in our crumbling government and if we want to salvage it, we must vote and vote Blue or we may never get a chance to vote again. This is not a scare tactic–this is reality. Anyone can do the research for themselves–pay attention to what Steve Bannon said–destroy democracy in America. Pay attention to the Koch Brothers who have never wanted government in charge of anything. Pay attention to all the Republican politicians who are only interested in pushing forth their agenda–taking steps to move us backwards instead of forward. PAY ATTENTION! If you don’t see what’s happening right in front of you on a daily basis, it’s because you’re not paying attention or you’re willfully blind to the facts as they unfold.

I’m not blinded by gaslighting, nor am I gullible. I am fully capable of thinking for myself, researching information and analyzing what I discover, and drawing accurate conclusions. I know there are millions of others who are just as capable as I am of knowing what needs to be done–65M others who know right from wrong and they are not Putin’s puppets and we don’t have an agenda that involves us getting more money, money, money by ripping off the US Treasury.

Who’s Negotiating For Us?

Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” The LORD said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?” “If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.” Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?” He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?” He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home. Genesis 18:23-33 NIV

Abraham was a great negotiator because God’s favor rested upon him.

Who has the favor of God resting upon them now–in a time of need to save millions of people–who is negotiating on their behalf? Good people obtain favor from the LORD, but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes. Proverbs 12:2 NIV

Just like The Lord was willing to negotiate with Abraham for the sake of the city of Sodom, He is willing to negotiate with us–through Holy Spirit–for the sake of the millions who risk losing their healthcare because of the wicked schemes devised by those on Capitol Hill and in the White House.

For the effectual, fervent prayers of the righteous avail much. The righteous and Holy Spirit can do marvelous things for the sake of people who know Him and even those who out of ignorance don’t acknowledge Him–not the ones who reject Him, but those who never knew Him.

A righteous, just God does not judge people by those things they never knew, only what they claim to know. So when someone claims to be a Christian, but does not live a Christian life, they set themselves up for judgment more so than the persons who never claimed to know God.

The “so-called” negotiator in the WH resorts to threats and bribes in order to have his way, but those who know God, who are humbled by His love and favor, know how to please God and never resort to “the pettiness of mere mortals” in order to get what they want. We are told in God’s Word by The Word, whatever we desire is ours when we ask for it in the name of Jesus.

I therefore urge the righteous to keep being righteous and humble and to keep seeking the favor of The Lord while praying on behalf of the millions who may know or may not know Him , but will benefit from having true negotiators, negotiating for all.

And while praying, keep calling upon those in Congress letting them know where you stand on all issues that impact your life and the lives of others. If we never let them know where we stand, they’ll never know if their decisions are truly based upon the wishes of those who put them in office.

There are millions of people counting upon Congress and we who know God, know the power of negotiation is not with those sitting in seats of authority in Washington, but the One who seats on the Seat of Authority in heaven. He can and will speak to the hearts of all who are willing to hear Him and obey.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we ask that if we have favor in Your sight, that You will grant our humble petitions to keep all Americans in a position to maintain their health coverage–at an affordable cost–so none will be without and can live all the days You have determined them to live. Speak to the hearts of those in position of authority and remind them they are there because of the will of the people and not by their own design. Thank You for using even the 32 who were willing to stand on their principles–knowing how to best serve the needs of their constituents. Amen!

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.

Return To The Lord!

In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo: “The LORD was very angry with your ancestors. Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty. Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the LORD. Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever?  But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors? “Then they repented and said, ‘The LORD Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’ ” Zechariah 1:1-6 NIV

There are many people waiting for “revival” in the land. Considering the state of the nation, we may be waiting for a while. Revival–renewing our determination to live for The Lord, receiving a refilling of Holy Spirit–and reviewing and reflecting upon our commitment to promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

But where have we gone astray? When we promote man’s ideology over God’s Word, we open the gates of destruction because we forget that man’s fickle beliefs–those that are constantly changing–do nothing more than to confuse and cause doubt. And when confusion and doubt creep into the hearts of people–fear takes the reins and then hatred and bigotry rise like lava until it overflows–leaving in its wake–destruction that cannot be restored.

When a volcano erupts and the hot lava flows–everything in its path is destroyed, nothing left to reconstruct any semblance of those things that were. And this is what has happened in our nation and across the globe–when hate, ignited by superiority complexes–rises and flows over the land into the hearts of people–all resemblance of common decency is destroyed and we wonder why we see such violence in the land.

There is a solution to the problem, but it will take more than a month, more than a year, and perhaps more than a decade to see a recovery of what has been destroyed--complete trust and dependence on The Lord. We know that has been destroyed because all too often we are encouraged to trust and depend on man/woman to relieve our situations.

Restoration of faith and trust can only be accomplished when we are totally dependent on The Lord and therefore, He is waiting for us to return to Him. When we return to doing things His way–based upon His Word–then we can enjoy peace in the land and see an end to the violence and hatred. But we must make a decision to do so now, before it’s too late and all is destroyed, never to be seen again.

The Lord is–the Almighty God–and it is only when we obey Him that we can enjoy all of His many benefits. The first step–recognize who He is and then open hearts and minds to receive His wisdom and obey His Word.

Politicians don’t have the answer and neither do the church leaders who are only concerned about making themselves to be something they are not. They are not God and no one should heed them over God’s Word.

We are all responsible for what we do and we will stand before The Lord on That Day and we won’t be able to blame the politicians or the preachers or anyone else for what we have done when we choose to ignore the dictates of God.

It is time we return to The Lord and learn to love all unconditionally–just as He does.

 

 

How Easily Deceived Are We?

Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.Then the LORD’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the LORD is giving you. Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. Deuteronomy 11:16-21 NIV

Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; Deuteronomy 11:16 KJV

POLITICS ALERT

If we spent more time delving into God’s Word–from the beginning and throughout–not just reading familiar passages, we would begin to see and understand why it is important to have our hearts and mind receptive to Him.

When I read news articles and see what’s presented in broadcast media–politicians and surrogates and some journalists–encouraging people to “bow down” to a man, my heart is disturbed. When I see how hypocritical those who claim to be Christians, browbeat others into believing their church leaders have a right to “tell them who to vote for” my heart is disturbed because I know–God is not in what they say.

What I’ve discovered–by reading publicized information–is that the devil’s influence is evident in the arena of politics and no one–who has political ambition–is immune to succumbing to the dictates of the enemy.

When politicians and their followers and surrogates repeat lies which are easily dissected, it tells us what is in their hearts.

When those with political aspirations and ambitions for maintaining power and control over people demand the allegiance of others–in writing–this shows us how the devil works in their heart.

God expects our allegiance to be to Him–not a flag or a man or a woman. When we have embedded His Word in our hearts, repeated His Word–to ourselves, our children and those around us–then when we speak–everything we say should reflect our understanding of His Word.

Those who are repeating the lies–written in an obvious playbook since what is being said is scripted and repeated verbatim--either have not read or do not understand the vision given to John about who the lake of fire is reserved for and why.

I am so tired of the rhetoric employed by those pretending to be Christians that my prayer has become–“Come quickly, Lord!” When we misuse the positions in Christ we have to command allegiance from others, we are not representing Christ, but we are being used as a tool by the enemy. How do we know? Satan is the father of liars–and we see the lies displayed on a daily basis, yet there are some who keep perpetuating their promotion to follow their lead and lie, lie, lie, and lie some more. Those lies are not of God and anyone with a brain and a heart for God can see through the lies. As an ambassador for Jesus, I must represent who He is and call out the liars and warn them that nothing good shall ever come from misleading those who are either very gullible or weak or incapable of thinking for themselves.

When Omarosa told an interviewer, “People are going to bow down to President Trump; he’s going to be the most powerful man in the universe,” my heart cringed–not out of fear from anything she or Trump can say, but about those who believe what they say. First of all–no one bows to a president in the United States and America does not encompass the universe. But what she says is indicative of what they are selling to people–to trust a man more than God because they have made him–their god.

Is this not what Satan attempted to do with Jesus in the desert? “If you bow down and worship me–I’ll give you control over the people.” I’m reminded of the movie–Rosemary’s Baby, when I see the comments of those who trust Trump. They have pledged their souls to the devil in order to achieve something that will not happen. They do not understand that they are hearing empty promises and they refuse to hear truth that is displayed on a daily basis–because they prefer the lies.

I’m praying for all to truly seek God–not man or woman–and then for all to hear and obey God–not man or woman.

 

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.

Misplaced Confidence Causes Chaos!

I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes. Psalm 118:5-9 KJV

Confidence–the belief in a person’s trustworthiness and reliability or in oneself. Integrity and honor displayed in people will usually garner confidence in them by others. But the real problem with having confidence in people is–people change–from one moment to the other and when they change–any confidence or trust we have placed in them, crumbles.

In this psalm, we see the writer asserting that they called upon the Lord when they were distressed and the Lord responded to them. We are at a time and season when we see just how fallible man is and why we cannot place our confidence in them.

In the political arena–we see candidates rise and fall at the whim of the feelings of the people who have bamboozled by all the glitz and media attention garnered by those who have demonstrated a lack of self-discipline–with all the trading insults, openly expressed bigotry, and blatant ignorance of their understanding of how government works.

In the legislative arena–in Michigan and probably elsewhere–politicians who have been elected to safeguard the people and protect the interests of all have ignored the needs of students in the Detroit School District and have blamed the teachers–who care more about the students than some of their parents–for all of the financial woes and dysfunctional administrative decisions made for them, not by them. 

In the schools–where those in authority are expected to act with professionalism and encourage confidence in their ability to lead–we have dysfunctional agents of chaos and greed. When people in authority show their true selves in how they handle conflict, how can we expect students to respect them, when they lie and steal from students?

When we see that we cannot trust those in positions of authority and watch the chaos that results from our misplaced confidence, the only person we can call upon to straighten out the mess is The Lord! We can count on Him to resolve issues without bias and to minister just judgment. This is not true of people who think they are worthy of respect but have not shown themselves to be respectful of others.

In our society today, it is difficult and almost impossible to teach kids to respect adults  when the adults become the problem. We see the results of our misplaced confidence in the media–teachers, coaches molesting children, principals absconding with funding intended for students, other adults abusing their positions of authority to manipulate kids into doing wrong things–who is it that we can trust with our kids?

I have concluded that we cannot place our confidence in the adults who are in our kids lives, so we must earnestly and vigorously train our children to act with integrity and to be mindful of those adults who will either steer them in the wrong direction or who will intentionally target them for various reasons. We cannot trust adults to always tell the truth when we catch them in a lie–for any reason! Our trust and confidence can only be placed in The Lord, who will never lead any astray.

We need to trust our kids to tell us the truth and they will when they know we are listening. We need to trust our relationship with God to lead us in all decisions, especially when it comes to electing political candidates. We need to stop thinking we know everything we need to know and trust in The Lord, only and hear Holy Spirit when He speaks!

 

The Devil–Cloaked With Deceptive Devices!

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 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. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 2 Corinthians 4:1-5 NIV

Disclaimer–I am a devout Believer in Jesus Christ and claim no denominational ties or affiliations, I am ordained by God and man to teach God’s Truth, no matter what the circumstances or who it may expose. I’m not particularly impressed with any politician because I know they all lie, but when it comes to mocking a practice that is pivotal to our faith, I tend to get a bit incensed.

Your thoughts are welcomed!

I am unable to attach the link I wanted to reference, but please check on YouTube and search for “Donald Trump Meets With Religious leaders.”

Please note that this video posted in September 2015. Much has been revealed about the man, by himself, since then.

I’m praying even the more for God to pour out His Wisdom upon all flesh, that blinders will be removed and ears unstopped so they will receive Truth.

 

A Little Folly!

“As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” (Ecclesiastes 10:1 NIV)

The dead attract flies who are drawn by the decay and odor and when I see flies swarming–over any dead thing–I smell the odor that accompanies death. When people choose to function without wisdom from above and have no honor–for themselves or others, the folly that is the end result–outweighs the good of those who operate with wisdom and honor.

We see demonstration of folly getting more attention that wisdom on a daily basis. One of the reasons most people there is more bad or evil in the world is because that is what is reported the most.

Racism seeps and creeps into minds of people who think that all people are like those who are reported caught in doing stupid or evil. People from all races of people–all ethnic backgrounds–do stupid, but that does not mean that all the people categorized as that particular race do stupid all the time.

Because all we hear or see in the news is negative–we soon develop negative attitudes about all sorts of things. Most of us no longer trust politicians because of a few doing stupid things while in office, but that doesn’t mean that all politicians are corrupt, dishonest, adulterers, or philanderers. Not all politicians are only interested in preserving the economic classicism that exists in this country, but the few that actually care about people are seldom discussed in the news.

Not all teachers are sexual predators, but because those who are have made the headlines on more than one occasion, some people think that teachers are the reason for all the ills of education.

Not all teenagers are foolish and depraved, but when we only see those who are–splashed across the television screen or posted on social media doing stupid, we tend to think that all teenagers act like those we see–shown in a negative light.

Not all preachers or priests or church leaders are morally bankrupt, but we wouldn’t know that if we base our opinions on what we see in the news.

Not all poor people commit crimes, live off welfare and are ignorant. There are a number of people who commit crimes who were not raised in poverty, and are highly educated, but those are not the ones who get the negative reports and we make assumptions about the poor that are not true of all poor.

I’m thankful that God has given me an observant heart and a desire to understand people and why they do things. I try not to draw conclusions about anyone without having sufficient information to do so. I’m not inclined to try to persuade others to share my opinions about people because others may have different experiences with the same people and have different outcomes. When we draw conclusions about people without understanding– and we don’t have to know everything about them–we are guilty of being presumptuous and foolish.

When people are going through difficult times and don’t acknowledge us, we cannot conclude that they have a problem with us. The reality is–the problem is usually with us because we expect people to act as we want them to act.

I’m guilty of expecting people in certain positions–especially positions of leadership–to act with integrity and honor. And when that doesn’t happen, I tend to not respect them in their positions because the position is being disrespected. A little folly–being self-absorbed, thinking the world should evolve around us–leads to others having a bad impression of the whole and those who actually function with integrity, are overlooked.

O Lord, help us to be more like You, more determined to understand and slower in drawing erroneous conclusions about people or situations in which we do not have sufficient information. Help us to not spread negative reports, but to do all we can to function with integrity and honor, seeking wisdom from You, at all times.

Are You Convinced?

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39 NIV)

With all of the negative, depressive, and oppressive media reports we see and hear on a daily basis, it’s difficult to understand how we could be convinced of anything good. Every day–rumors of unrest and violence all over the world–Afghanistan, Pakistan, all over the land from the middle to the far corners of the world–we seldom hear good news.

How we function as children of The Most High should not be predicated upon “world news” but by The Word of God–the Good News–that no matter what happens here on earth, nothing–absolutely nothing shall separate us from the love of God.

And one of the things we need to stop doing is bashing where we live–in America. Instead of complaining about the negative events–we should be praying for God to fill all with His wisdom and love–so we can live in peace. When we rise up against authority–whether we like the authority or not–we put ourselves in a position to not receive God’s blessings because of our disobedience.  That’s right–it is disobedient to rise up against authority (unless the authority is totally ungodly).

I see constant denigrating remarks about the President by people who claim to be Christians. Their remarks cause me to wonder if indeed they are followers of Jesus Christ. That is not to say they should agree with everything the President does, but it does mean we should not stoop to name-calling and cartoon caricatures that are demeaning. When other countries see our lack of respect for elected leadership, they sit back and laugh at all of us–waiting for disaster that is bound to happen.

So, since it is obvious the President is not hearing or listening to God–let’s pray for him.

Since no one in Congress is doing their job--we need to pray that people will elect those who will.

Since those sitting on the Supreme Court have lost sight of their purpose as it pertains to upholding laws–not changing them, we need to pray for them–that they’ll repent and hear God.

Since there are people who think they have a right to take lives–indiscriminately, we need to pray for them.

Since there are people who think they are superior to others–we need to pray for them.

Since there are people who live in total submission to those who have enticed them with evil, we need to pray for them.

Since there are people with idiotic notions about family, education, and raising children–we need to pray for them.

Since there are people on this planet who think everything should be given to them–we need to pray for them.

There are so many things we need to pray about and people who need prayer–direct instruction from God–and if we were praying, we wouldn’t have time to denigrate others–in any way.

Nevertheless, we know these things are happening and no matter what–whether people stop hating or not, stop killing or not, stop being foolish or not, nothing–absolutely nothing shall separate those who truly love God from His presence or His love.

I am convinced–especially since I know the end of the story–in the end we who Believe God, win–and while we wait for the victory of ascending to heaven, we can live this life, knowing we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.

Are you convinced? If not, get into The Word and know–not just believe, but know He is our risen Savior and we can do all things well through Him.