Reclaiming American Integrity and Pride!

In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish, and Judah’s enemies will be destroyed; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim. They will swoop down on the slopes of Philista to the west; together they will plunder the people to the east. They will subdue Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them. The Lord will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind he will sweep his over the Euphrates River. He will break it up into seven streams so that anyone can cross over in sandals. There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt. Isaiah 11:11-16 NIV

Taking a few literary liberties to use this scripture as the foundation for an analogy this morning.

No matter what the tRump administration does to subdue the press or depress the public, we will not be left alone to fight this fight of faith. We will be victorious with The Lord on our side. We will reclaim the trust of Americans and our allies once the cancerous boil is removed from the White House and we no longer have the stench of corruption and treason oozing throughout the nation.

God has not forgotten us, but unlike those who claimed God chose trump and some even said, “Jesus went into the voting booth and voted for trump,” we know God always works through people. It was ill-informed, undereducated, and misled people who voted for trump–many of whom simply voted out of the hatred they had for President Obama and the Clintons, and “facts” did not matter to them.

For those of us who are true Everyday Americans, we know better–facts do matter and fake news is collected lies used to misinform those who refuse to think for themselves. It’s truly a shame critical thinking skills are lacking from such a large portion of our population. If people were capable of critical thinking, they would know (not think) truth has never been part of the current administrations platform.

• The coal mining industry will never be what it once was–trump lied to them.
• Companies will still send their jobs to other countries–trump lied to them
• Repealing and replacing ACA has been a nightmare, lived daily for those who hated Obama so much, they voted for trump to rid themselves of Obamacare and now–trumpcare will help to see early deaths.
• “The election is rigged! They’re going to rig the election!” trump cried. Hillary didn’t rig the election–he did.

For those who claimed they were embarrassed by Obama as a president let me ask this:

• Did Obama insult our allies by shoving them around?
• Did Obama need a golf cart to walk a short distance?
• Did Obama speak with word salads that most media decree “unintelligible?”
• Did Obama hire unqualified family (or others) to hold key positions in the White House?
• Did Obama fall asleep during a photo op with other world leaders?
• Did Obama attempt to man-handle other world leaders when simply shaking their hands?
• Did Obama decide that humanitarian efforts (saving humanity) was not worth it?
• Did Obama launch missiles to flex his muscles?
• Did Obama use commencement opportunities to whine about how the press treated him?
• How many students at commencement ceremonies stood up and turned their backs,  or walked out on Obama while he was speaking to them?
• How many times did Obama not show common courtesy and affection to his wife while they traveled?
• Were you embarrassed when Bin Laden was killed?
• Were you embarrassed when gas prices came down below $3.00?
• Were you embarrassed when he held press conferences and took the tough questions without whining?
• Were you embarrassed when his wife cared enough about other children that she wanted to see all eating healthy, nutritious meals?
• Were you embarrassed when Obama wanted to make sure everyone had access to affordable healthcare?
• Exactly what did he do to embarrass you and make you ashamed he was President of the United States?

Only those who harbor hatred within their hearts–against any who don’t look like them or worship like them–are claiming to be embarrassed when they should be ashamed of themselves–for espousing their bigotry.

Though there were many outcries for his impeachment, it was simply because people didn’t agree with his policies, not because he committed treasonous acts. We cannot say the same for trump. His policies belittle and leave the poor bereft–facing even more financial challenges than they have before. But the rich–the 1% of the nation will enjoy even more riches under trump/GOP corrupt policies.

We will soon be able to celebrate reclaiming sanity, integrity, and honor returning to the White House–as long as we continue to fight to reclaim it.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for the challenges of reclaiming American pride!

 

 

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Brought Into Relationship By His Blood Shed On The Cross!

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13 NIV)

Relationships–of all kind–have historically been cemented by the shedding of blood. The significance of the blood is apparent throughout the Bible.

Sacrifices–to pagan gods and in the law given to Moses–were by made by the shedding of blood. Even before The Law was given, Abraham was told to sacrifice his son to demonstrate his obedience, but God provided the ram for the sacrificial offering.

Circumcision–requires the shedding of blood.

For hundreds of years, people have cut themselves and shared blood to indicate a new-found relationship with each other as “blood brothers.”

The bloodshed when the hymen in a woman was broken on her wedding night was significant in the new relationship between a man and wife. Unfortunately, most females are never taught the significance of being a virgin when they marry in order to solidify the new relationship with her husband.

When God made the decision to come down to earth to fulfill The Law–making the ultimate sacrifice for us–by the shedding of His blood on the cross–solidified our relationship with Him, when we choose to accept the finished work of making blood sacrifices.

Notice–the finished work of blood sacrifices is no longer necessary for anyone to make in order to prove a relationship with God. What has to happen now is for anyone proclaiming a belief in Christ Jesus, must accept His sacrifice as the means to having a relationship with God. If we are not willing to understand the significance of the work on the Cross, we lie when we say we have a relationship with God. It is not possible to have a relationship with God without acceptance of His sacrifice on the cross.

Paul reiterated the importance of recognizing that we who were not born culturally or biologically into the first family (Israel), now have access into that relationship through the blood of Jesus Christ. We are joint-heirs with Christ–when we acknowledge Him as our Savior because of the work on the cross. There is no other way to get to the Father, except by the Son, no matter what others may teach or preach. There are no more sacrifices that can bring us into right relationship with God. There are no more acts of piety or any other act–no symbols, no beads, no crystals, no statues, no emblems, no repetitious rituals, nothing but the blood of Jesus brings us into relationship with God.

If we deny the importance of the work on the cross, we deny knowing the Truth about God and can have no relationship with Him. It is not baptism that solidifies our relationship–it is the shed blood of Jesus Christ and our acceptance of that sacrifice that solidifies our relationship with God.

It is the blood–flowing naturally through our bodies—carrying needed oxygen that makes living possible. It is the blood–shed on the cross–that makes living worthwhile, in Him.

I know it was the blood, shed for me on that cross, that saved me and brought me into a right relationship with God that will sustain me for all eternity. Hallelujah!

God vs Idols!

“Present your case,” says the LORD. “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.  “Tell us, you idols, what is going to happen…”(Isaiah 41:21,22 NIV).

For just a moment, imagine we are spectators in the court of life and we hear Isaiah speaking for God to the lost–those who have turned their backs on Him.  In earlier verses, God has already declared what He will do–make the barren places come alive with growth, provide for the poor and the needy, so they will know that it is Him who is their provider.  And now, it is time for the people to explain what their idol gods will do.

The case being made here is that any idol (anything we worship over God) can do very little on its own.  No statute, no beads, no job, no car, no amount of wealth (anything we make with our own hands or a facsimile thereof) can operate on its own and will do nothing to benefit mankind. The children of Israel had been warned time and again about what would happen to them if they put their trust in man.  I can imagine–when put to the test and if they had been smart–they would have immediately destroyed all the idols–the gods they worshipped in the hills or sacrificed children upon–would no longer exist and they would have benefitted from God’s mercy and love.

But what did they do?  They ignored the warnings–the reminders of what God had done in the past for them and the prophecy of what He would do in the future.  In fact, they detested what God had to say so much that they later sawed Isaiah in half–thinking that would stop God from talking.

God has always and will always have someone willing to speak on His behalf.  He will never be silenced and as He has proven in the past, if we will not speak for Him, He’ll use an animal or have the rocks cry out in praise of Him.  For whom will you be a witness of today?  God or the idols?  I refuse to have use an animal or stones to speak when I have a tongue and a voice that I can raise loud and long in praise of Him, who has done all things marvelously well, on my behalf.  Glory to God!  Hallelujah!