The Legacy of Uncommon Courage

     It has been nearly 14 years, but if you are in your mid-twenties or older, you could not help but notice the similarities.  On September 11, 2001 a group of brave Americans jumped into action in an attempt to stop Islamic terrorists from murdering innocent citizens.  Again, just a few short days ago, on a train bound from the Netherlands to France, heroic Americans once again prevented what could have been a murderous rampage of defenseless individuals.
     The story of United Airlines Flight 93 should be burned into the consciousness of every American alive today.  If there is anything that could be called a success on that horrific day in 2001, it was the fight that the passengers took to the terrorists, foiling their plans to crash the plane into an unknown site, possibly the White House or the Capitol Building.

(left to right: Glick, Bingham, Beamer, Burnett)

     Time may have dimmed our memories of all the names, but it doesn't take but a moment to recall the actions of Jeremy Glick, Mark Bingham, Thomas Burnett, and Todd Beamer.  We know of their plan to storm the cockpit and either take the plane back from the hijackers, or drive it into the ground.  We know more about what went on in that plane because passengers were able to call family members, and they were informed that other planes had been hijacked and crashed into the Twin Towers and Pentagon.  We have more details about the plan to fight back and the subsequent struggle that when on between the Americans and the Muslims because Todd Beamer, in an attempt to reach his wife, had been connected to a GTE air phone operator, Lisa Jefferson.  They recited the Lord's Prayer Together and the 23rd Psalm, and then Ms. Jefferson heard Beamer say, "Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."
     A similar narrative played out August 21, 2015 when three Americans battled an Islamic extremist hell-bent on murdering passengers on that high-speed train in Europe.  Only this time, they won the battle, and lived to tell their story themselves.  Anthony Sadler, Spencer Stone and Alek Skarlatos were long-time friends on a holiday, dozing on that train, when U.S. airman Spencer Stone was awakened from a deep sleep, and turned around to see a man holding an assault rifle, which he said “looked like it was jammed and it wasn’t working.”  His friend, 22-year-old National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos “just hit me on the shoulder and said ‘Let’s go,”’ before moving in to tackle the gunman.  Skarlatos grabbed the gun, while the third friend, Anthony Sadler, joined in the brawl, and the three successfully beat the gunman into submission, with Stone putting a chokehold on him until he lay unconscious.
     The gunman was armed with a small arsenal, including an AK, a pistol, and the familiar terrorist tool, a box-cutter, with which he was able to stab Stone in the neck and slice at his hand and thumb (which was successfully reattached in a French hospital).  Stone is also credited with saving the life of a French-American teacher wounded in the neck with a gunshot wound and squirting blood. Stone said his military training kicked in and he "just stuck two of my fingers in his hole and found what I thought to be the artery, pushed down and the bleeding stopped." He said he kept the position until paramedics arrived.

(Left to right:  Sadler, Skarlatos, Stone)

     What a different outcome this might have been if those Americans had not been on that train and decided to step in.  But isn't it eerily reminiscent of the choices that those other Americans had to make?  Perhaps it has not escaped you that these young men would have only been about 8 or 9 at the time that Beamer and his companions selflessly gave their lives to save what could have decimated the ranks of America's leaders.  Yet, Stone, Sadler, and Skarlatos are surely a legacy of that harrowing day 14 years ago.
     Two of them are members of a U.S. military that is still engaged in wars on multiple fronts against a branch of those same Islamic extremists.  We can argue about the effectiveness, success, or hidden political agendas of these wars, but there is no debate about the bravery and honor of our U.S. military -- or that of ordinary citizens, such as Anthony Sadler, a student.  Asked if there were lessons to be learned from this ordeal, Sadler had one piece of advice for all who find themselves faced with a choice such as theirs .... "Do something," he said. "Hiding, or sitting back, is not going to accomplish anything. And the gunman would've been successful if my friend Spencer had not gotten up. So I just want that lesson to be learned going forward.  In times of terror like that, please do something. Don't just stand by and watch."  For their acts of courage, the three young Americans received France's highest award, the Legion of Honor.  Whether they qualify for Purple Hearts, remains to be seen.
     But as we near the anniversary of September 11th, I hope we will renew our pride in the American spirit; that we will recall the extraordinary things that ordinary citizens are capable of doing in the face of pure Evil.  It also seems fitting to recall the words that former President George W. Bush spoke only a couple months after the 9-1-1 tragedy: "Some of our greatest moments have been acts of courage for which no one could have been prepared. But we have our marching orders. My fellow Americans, let's roll!"  And that's exactly what this latest generation of fearless young American men did as that train sped through the French countryside.  Americans need a little boost to our national pride these days ... not to mention that it feels so good to see Evil defeated!

Joshua 1:9    "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."



   

What Will This Day Bring?

     It happened on Friday.  Wall Street's stock market suffered its biggest loss of the year.  That's right... the Dow plunged 531 points, which is its worst week since 2011.  And if you listen to the talking heads, such as those on the CNN website Money, they will tell you that the big drop was due to three major events in the world-wide economy:  1) China's economy is slowing down faster than their government would like you to believe;  2) The growing uncertainty over what the Federal Reserve has planned for September -- will they raise interest rates or not?;  and 3) Oil prices have dropped below $40/barrel, signaling a decline in the one industry that has been keeping the American economy afloat.

     Of course, those who make their living off selling you those stocks on Wall Street will tell you that this is just a natural "correction"; and that we are still not at the predicted 10% adjustment, so don't be surprised if we see a further drop.  But don't worry, we're in the stock market "for the long term" and stocks will bounce back; they always do.
     But there are others, such as MarketWatch, who say, "It’s not just about China, or Greece, or slowing earnings, or the 'death cross' on Apple’s stock. It would be because, for the past 30 years, Wall Street stock prices have been increasingly boosted by financial factors: collapsing interest rates and Federal Reserve manipulation, culminating most recently in 'quantitative easing.' But at some point, that game has to come to an end."
     I am just a normal citizen, with a level head and pretty good discernment, so it is not hard for me to agree with the basis of that statement.  It just makes sense that we cannot continue to spend money we don't have, while printing fake money to pay our sky-rocketing debt.  And fancy words like "Quantitative Easing" don't fool me.  In plain English, it's nothing more than manipulation -- or to put it more succinctly, a clever and unscrupulous way of controlling our financial situation and economy.
     But here, let a more experienced person lay it on the line for us ... Michael Pento is a well-established specialist in the Austrian School of economics and a regular guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, FOX Business News and other national media outlets. His market analysis can also be read in most major financial publications, including the Wall Street Journal. He also acts as a Financial Columnist for Forbes, Contributor to thestreet.com and is a blogger at the Huffington Post.  What he has to say makes a lot of sense.
     In an article on King World News, Mr. Pento cites three examples in the global economy where Quantative Easing (QE) has been a disaster.  First is Japan, which just a few short months ago, was hailed for its robust growth.  Japan has been the world's third largest economy, largely due to their adoption of QE protocol.  But their growth has been contracting; in fact, their Gross Domestic Product fell by an annualized 1.6% in the three months ending in June; the second quarter in a row.  Mr. Pento asserts that this latest contraction proves that massive money printing coupled with government spending does not lead to a path of sustainable growth, and Japan now appears to be headed towards a triple-dip recession.
     The second example of failed QE policy is the foray of the European Union and the European Central Banks into this form of economic manipulation.  In fact, Mario Draghi, an Italian economist and current President of the European Central Bank, promised that he would do “whatever it takes” to bring growth to the flailing European Union.  Translation:  print money and buy debt.  That resulted in $67 billion a month in money printing, and the eurozone is still flat-lining.

     And, of course, there is our own horrendous $3.7 trillion of debt and Federal credit.  While I dispute that "the Great Recession has ended", no one can fail to see that any economic growth we have engendered has been anemic at best.  The Feds can tell us that we are at a steady 2% growth rate, but who is willing to buy that nonsense?  We all know that manufacturing in this country is nearly non-existent, and after almost 7 years of QE, resulting in sub-par economic growth, how is it that the S&P stock index still shows a 160% growth rate?
     Mr. Pento gives us this plausible answer:  "Time has provided three clear and indisputable conclusions about QE: QE pumps stocks to levels that are completely disconnected from the underlying fundamentals of an economy. It allows bond prices to soar and yields to drop to levels the free market could never accept. And perhaps most importantly, QE does not lead to robust economic growth. This is because whatever unsustainable job growth there is comes from the building and servicing of asset bubbles, while it also encourages further unsustainable debt accumulations. The US oil fracking industry is a perfect example of this."
     I can attest to that.  With plummeting oil prices, we here in Texas have seen a halt in the gas/oil exploration industry.  Companies accumulated huge debt through loans to buy the equipment to go get the gas, pipes to transport it, and trucks to haul it.  The Big Boys have stopped further exploration in an attempt to limit additional debt, and the small companies have halted production altogether.  But those sites that are still in operation need servicing.  So now, those who are still afloat are playing a game of survival --- trying to balance the servicing of the industry while keeping the associated debt at a minimum.  We have seen just how quick a pipeline can be installed, and have also witnessed just how quickly it can be shut off.
     Now, those Central Bankers who endorse QE economics would like us to believe that things would have been worse without it ... instead of a Great Recession, we would still be suffering through another Great Depression.  But I think our economic expert explains the real truth about this failed policy:  "QE prevents the economy from truly healing because it keeps asset bubbles and debt levels from contracting. What you end up with are massive capital imbalances, increasingly unsustainable debt loads, and financial asset inflation that sits on top of a crumbling economic foundation."
     Maybe I'm simplifying it too much, but it seems obvious to me that the Central Bankers, in collusion with the New World Order, wish to control the world's economy to their advantage.  We've all heard the rumors of the financial gains that the likes of George Soros and his cronies have made on currency collapses and other economic manipulations.  The bottom line seems to be that they are intent on collapsing any form of "free market".  But why should we be surprised ... anything that smacks of humanity's inherent freedoms is a threat to their domination.  But the evidence is there for all to see.  The QE-induced faith in the world's Central Banks, and their ability to save the world, has failed.
    But the Bible has told us that the End Times would show us man's greed and the illusion of monetary success.  And we are warned that the opening of the Third Seal will be a time when people will have to work an entire day just to have enough money to purchase a loaf of bread (Revelation 6:5).  And there is a warning for the rich and powerful, too.  Those who have "lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence" and accumulated wealth on the backs of the poor will have to answer to the Lord.
     As Christians, we cannot bury our heads in the sand, dreaming of peace and safety.  The Bible makes it clear.  There will be hard days of famine and economic collapse before the coming of the Lord.  None of us can say how close we are to that day.  But even a casual observance of the economies of the world and our own stock market should have us considering that Biblical prophecy may soon be fulfilled.  Be observant, stay informed, get prepared, and be steadfast in your endurance, prepared to do the will of God in your life.

Hebrews 10:37    "For still a little while (a very little while), and the Coming One will come and He will not delay."

Hebrews 5:7

He (Yeshua) offered up prayers and supplications

with great shouting and tears to the One who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His fear of God.

     How many people in the world sense that unprecedented Evil is about to come upon the world?  Both Christians and un-Believers have a heightened awareness that there is danger and darkness in the offing; and how many of you have heard the warnings and prophecies concerning the month of September?  I've heard everything from world-wide economic collapse, to serious natural disasters, and even the beginning of WW III... all guaranteed to strike fear in the hearts of men and women.

     But I don't think anything could compare to the anxiety and dread that our Lord must have felt in the Garden of Gethsemane.  If I may paraphrase one of my favorite Bible commentators, Matthew Henry, "Jesus had an awful sense of the wrath of God, of the weight of sin. His human nature was ready to sink under that heavy load, and would have sunk, had he been forsaken of help and comfort from God; but he was heard in his prayers, he was supported through the agonies of death."

     This understanding, along with the example Jesus gives us on how to approach God in our times of distress and agony of soul, is something that I wish us all to embrace.  Yes, we have examples of Jesus praying throughout the gospels, including His rising early in the morning to pray (Mark 1:35), praying all night (Luke 6:12), and praying while fasting 40 days (Matthew 4:2).  In fact, the disciples saw how important prayer was to Jesus and asked Him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1).

    But this passage in Hebrews shows us that at this particular time, Jesus's prayer was not casual or routine; it was intense and passionate.  Let's look at what is involved in His prayers during this time of apprehension and foreboding.  The most common component of many of our prayers is tears, which Jesus also exhibited during His time of intense prayer. Tears are often a sign of pain in our soul.  Jesus had a heart full of compassion for His creation and could feel in His heart the sickness, suffering, and coming death of mankind.  Our "lostness" pained His heart.  Our pain was His pain.  He wept for us as He prayed.

     Notice also that He prayed with great shouting.  Have you ever shouted out loud to God during your most private conversations with Him?  Shouting is often a sign of resistance.  In times of spiritual warfare -- and believe me, there was a war going on in the spiritual realm as Jesus faced His crucifixion -- we all face the forces of sin and Satan.  While shouting and praying, Jesus was fighting in the spiritual realm against the moral darkness of the world.  He was opposing evil and overcame it.  In His fervent prayer, He was fighting energetically on our behalf.

    Lastly, we see that part of His prayer at this time was expressed in His fear of God.  This was not normal fear or worry, but the pure fear and reverence of God.  And look at the effect of that fear/reverence... He was heard by God; His prayers reached the throne room of His Father.  And what were the results?  Once again, I will let Matthew Henry express it more eloquently than I can:  "He was carried through death; and there is no real deliverance from death but to be carried well through it. We may have many recoveries from sickness, but we are never saved from death till we are carried well through it. And those that are thus saved from death will be fully delivered at last by a glorious resurrection, of which the resurrection of Christ was the earnest (a sign or promise of what was to come) and first-fruits."

     I know that most of you are joining me in solemn and dedicated prayer, asking God for mercy and forgiveness in His coming judgment (that we so thoroughly deserve).  None of us know what the future holds for us, and I'm sure many of us are consumed with fear over the possibilities.  But, let us strive for the same kind of prayer communication that Jesus exhibited on the eve of His most frightening and devastating experience.  It's OK to cry out to the Lord and shout to Heaven in our moments of agony, fright, and doubt.  But if we approach our Father with godly fear and reverence, He will hear us and will provide the means for us to be carried through whatever awaits us.  I can only imagine that this has been the experience of those faithful and obedient followers of Christ in the Middle East who have been beheaded for refusing to disown Him.  

    Just as Matthew Henry wrote, I am convinced that, like Jesus, they were not forsaken in their moment of need.  They were helped and comforted by God, who heard their prayers, and they were supported through their deaths. They followed Christ's example, devoting themselves to Him, denying themselves (and their natural human fears); and taking up their cross, followed Him into death, proclaiming their victory over Evil.   Praise the Lord for the standard He has set before us, and for the courage of our Brothers and Sisters who have shown us that God's mercy is sufficient, and enough to see us through death.

     

It's Time The Church Stepped Outside The Box

     Before you think that I'm about to counsel that we abandon our Biblically-endorsed doctrines or compromise with the culture on any matter that is not found in, authorized by, or based on the Bible, I think you know me better than that.  But I would like to ask you to consider stepping outside of the box of our man-made suppositions on how the Church or the Body of Christ is to fulfill our commission to the unsaved of the world.
     Perhaps it is just me ... I have always been unconventional in my thinking, and I have a natural propensity for looking at alternative ways to accomplish the same goal.  I tend to look at things from a different perspective than the majority of people, and when it comes to the Church, I feel that the Holy Spirit is telling me we need to throw off our biases of how Church is to be conducted, and be bold in our efforts to reach those who desperately need Christ's saving grace in these last days... before it is too late!
     That is not to say that we give in to changing attitudes on the divinity of Christ, or the authority of the Holy Bible, or question if only followers of Jesus Christ can be saved.  That might sound like a ridiculous assumption, but believe it or not, many churches and denominations are doing just that!  For instance, a 2011 survey of pastors in the Presbyterian Church revealed that 41% said they agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that Jesus was the only way to salvation, while 45% said they disagreed or strongly disagreed.  This was the opinion of PASTORS!  That is defying the core of Christian faith and doctrine!  All you have to do is open the door to other ways to salvation, and that reasoning leads you to acceptance of all kinds of biblical sin within the church.  Once you've compromised on that core principle, it is easy to accept anything that the Enemy presents.

     So, this leads me to the conclusion that something is terribly wrong in how the Church is conducting its mission.  Even if you are reading this and thinking, "That's not my Church.  We're sound in our teaching and preaching of the Gospel Message.  We know that salvation comes through the Word, and the Word is Jesus", let me ask you this ... Is that enough?  If so, why are there so many people within your church walls that are unhappy and confused and unfulfilled?  If that model holds true, shouldn't everyone who proclaims themselves saved by the blood of Jesus be able to overcome their fleshly sin at some point and share that message of salvation with others? But do they?  How many are continuing to fight their own battles, over and over, and never get to the task of saving others?
     Let me take it a step further ... if "doing Church" as we've been doing it was accomplishing Christ's goal for reaching the world and saving them from the Adversary and their own fleshly nature, would we have 55,000,000 dead fetuses; or would we be seeing the destruction of God's model for marriage and the family; or would a website that advocates infidelity make $55 million per year?  Shouldn't we have made a bigger impression on the culture than we have?  After all, look at the impact that only 12 disciples made on the Middle East, parts of Asia and even into Europe!  Yet a Pew Research survey in 2014 revealed that 70.6% of Americans identified themselves as Christians -- that's over 225,000,000 "professed disciples of Christ", folks!  I think you would agree with me that based on the state of our society, we haven't done a very good job.
     Can we agree that in order to minister to and rescue lost souls we need to be doing more than preaching and teaching the Word of God from within the four walls of a church building?  And can we agree that preaching and teaching are not enough?  Oh, the Church is good at telling us who God is, but I think we have failed to tell our fellow Christians about who Satan is; and how he can not only fool and deceive the world into following after him and his servants (just look at our culture!), but he can also oppress Christians with false messages about our limited role in defeating him.
     When Jesus gave the Disciples their commission to share the Kingdom of God, He was very specific about the tools He was giving them to accomplish that job ... preaching and teaching the gospel; healing the sick; and casting out demons.  Until we realize that Satan wants to keep us from recognizing that Authority and Power, we will never be able to deliver non-believers from their broken state.  And until we deliver ourselves from this false understanding, we will be ineffective in  delivering and feeding others.
     But here's the catch ... because we have kept to the same old model of the Church, we have been indoctrinated into thinking that as long as we are associated with a Church denomination or sit in a pew every Sunday, then we are doing the right thing; and there is nothing wrong with how we see ourselves as the Church.  But all the letters Jesus wrote in the Book of Revelation were to the Church, and they were mostly about what needed to be corrected!
     I believe that all we have to do is take an honest look at the state of this country -- our schools, our entertainment, our government, our communities and families -- and we will see that maybe it is OK to step outside the box (and exchange Church ritual for unconventional methods) in order to reach all the lost souls.  It isn't hard to realize that the majority of lost souls are outside the church walls.  The personal experience of my husband and myself has taught us that principle.  The Holy Spirit has brought us into touch in recent weeks with two young women who have both led lives plagued by the Enemy. They have been oppressed in varying degrees, and one is desperately seeking to know all she can about God, spending many hours reading the Word and asking countless questions in her journey towards deliverance and salvation.  I am in awe of her desire and her commitment.
     The other's struggle is even more difficult.  She has huge trust issues, and while she says she wants to pursue God and be rid of the overwhelming oppression in her life, she is struggling against forces that physically won't allow her to open her Bible.  Every time she makes the effort to read the Word of God, she feels a weight on her body that keeps her from being able to turn a physical page.  The Enemy is trying to convince her that she is not worth our trouble.  Of course, that is a false and damaging message!
     I can honestly tell you that these are two young ladies whose souls need to be snatched out of the hand of the Enemy, and through God's sovereign means, they have been brought into our lives.  I can further tell you that we would never have encountered them inside the church.  I truly feel that, as The Church and the Body of Christ, we are running out of time to fulfill our commission; we have but a short time to win souls and claim victory over Sin.  It's time to step out of the pew, engage the lost, and start winning souls!  With the help of our Lord and Savior, we can be assured victory!

Matthew 10:7-8    And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.



   

Immoral vs Amoral

     If you have been uncertain if we live in modern-day Babylon, then this should settle any doubt you might have.  I found it sadly ironic that the website that tempted over 32 million people to cheat on their spouse by advertising "Life is too short.  Have an affair", is now accusing the group that hacked them of being "immoral."  Spokesmen for Avid Life Media (ALM), which owns the tempting website Ashley Madison, released the following statement:

     This event is not an act of hacktivism, it is an act of criminality. It is an illegal action against the individual members of AshleyMadison.com, as well as any freethinking people who choose to engage in fully lawful online activities.
     The criminal, or criminals, involved in this act have appointed themselves as the moral judge, juror, and executioner, seeing fit to impose a personal notion of virtue on all of society.
     We will not sit idly by and allow these thieves to force their personal ideology on citizens around the world. We are continuing to fully co-operate with law enforcement to seek to hold the guilty parties accountable to the strictest measures of the law.

     In case you are unaware of what this story is all about, Ashley Madison is a website where anyone can register for an account and make contacts with other unfaithful people in order to cheat on their spouse.  In other words, they facilitate extramarital romance and sex for married people.  And in case you cannot believe that such a site exists, perhaps their profitability will shine a light on exactly how popular it is ... their 2014 pretax profits have been estimated at $55,000,000.
     A month ago, the site was very publicly hacked and the hackers, who call themselves The Impact Team, leaked snippets of the compromised data and threatened to publish names and salacious details of as many as 37 million customers unless Ashley Madison and its parent company were taken down.  A couple days ago they made good on that threat.  But did you note how quick ALM is to call the hackers "the guilty parties"?
      The blame game that ALM is trying to establish attempts to follow this logic ... The Impact Team dumped a huge cache of data containing customer information, including email addresses and credit card details on the Dark Web.  And what is the Dark Web?  It is sort of an "internet black market" which cannot be accessed with the usual search engines such as Google, instead requiring the use of a covert internet browser called TOR.
     As their statement proclaims, ALM would like you to believe that they are a target of cyber vigilantism, and claim that the hackers have appointed themselves as "the moral judge, juror, and executioner, seeing fit to impose a personal notion of virtue on all of society," Avid Line Media said in its statement. "These are illegitimate acts that have real consequences for innocent citizens who are simply going about their daily lives."
     Excuse me?  Did they say "innocent" citizens?  How is anyone innocent who is caught actively seeking an opportunity to cheat on their spouse?  Since when is one innocent who thinks that having an affair is OK?  And even if you don't believe that marriage is a sacred and holy institution in the eyes of God, you can't tell me that there isn't a part of every human being on the planet that feels a sense of wrong in betraying the trust of a loved one!
     So which are they, these millions of men and women who feel it's OK to commit adultery, and these company executives who proudly promote this temptation?  Are they immoral or amoral?  First, we have to understand the difference.  Immoral means ‘failing to adhere to moral standards.’ Amoral means ‘without, or not concerned with, moral standards.’ An immoral person commits acts that violate society's moral norms. An amoral person has no understanding of these norms, or no sense of right and wrong. Whereas amoral may be simply descriptive, immoral is always judgmental.
    So, let's just cut to the chase, shall we?  As sad as it is to admit, I am beginning to discern that our moral standards are becoming a thing of the past.  Is anyone even interested in being "moral" anymore?  If you are a moral person, you are concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character.  It seems to me that the parent company of Ashley Madison doesn't give a flip about whether the behavior they promote is right or wrong, good or bad for the people it affects. They're just loving the money!  And the millions who have signed on as subscribers to the site?  I think they fit both descriptions; they are both immoral and amoral --- they have abandoned any moral standard they might have had, and obviously aren't concerned about violating any code of honorable behavior.
     And even if you have a sense about what is right and wrong, or have determined what you think is good or bad for society, would you agree with me that our standards have slipped?  Our acceptable guidelines and patterns of living are becoming widely divergent.  It is obvious that the standards between secular and faith-based groups are moving in opposite directions; but even as Christians, we are seeing a division among those who strictly adhere to God's standards, and those who want to merge with the culture.
     As bad as all this sounds, there are still some in the business world who are resisting the lure of Ashley Madison.  I think we can all agree that pornography is a pervasive, yet common, cancer upon the human soul --- even Subway's ordinary spokesman, Jared, has pleaded guilty to porn and soliciting sex with minors.  Did you know that statistics say that 68% of young men, and 18% of young women view porn on the internet at least once a week?
     But take heart!  Even in the midst of this shocking revelation, a site such as Ashley Madison which promotes adultery still has the power to offend.  (Remember that adultery is listed after murder in the Ten Commandments).  Ashley Madison is banned from South Korea and Singapore, and the justice secretary in the Philippines said she would like to do the same.
     And despite the parent company's 2014 ad budget of $34 million, Microsoft's Bing search engine will still not run Ashley Madison ads, although Google will.  Many TV stations in the U.S., including ABC, and all stations in Britain won’t run its spots.  Cisco classifies Ashley Madison as an adult site, making it easier for corporate IT to block access for employees.  Ryanair turned down Ashley Madison's offer of 120,000 euros to paint the Ashley logo on one of its planes that flies to Spain (site of possible vacation trysts).  But here's the other side of that coin ... Ashley Madison has found plenty of willing media outlets, including MSNBC, CNN and Fox News.
     It will be interesting to see where this story goes from here.  Will society view the hacking through a superficial, self-centered lens, and condemn the release of personal data as a criminal act?  Will we also bemoan the loss of privacy and the rights of individuals to lead their lives as they desire, without the fear of disclosure or judgment?  Or will it be a wake-up call to the sinfulness of our culture and the need to examine our souls and re-establish measures of virtue, and right and wrong?  In the end, how we choose to view this situation, and how we choose to answer those questions will reflect the moral compass of our nation, and its ultimate success or failure.  

Thanks to the U.K. website "The Telegraph", and Forbes.com for much of the facts and statistics on this post.

Isaiah 47:10   You felt secure in your wickedness, you said, “No one sees me”; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me.”

What Were They Thinking?

   
     I'm sure the readers of this blog were just as astonished as I was when I heard that the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts made changes to their permanent parenting plan form.  Very quickly after the Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage, the AOC revised their forms to replace "Mother" and "Father", with parental designations "Parent 1" and "Parent 2".  WHAT?!?!?  I thought to myself, "isn't it enough that this wicked generation desires to expunge gender from marriage ... now they want to rid parenthood of gender, too?"
     As appalled as I was at that decision, I was equally elated to hear of the adverse reaction to that insane decision.  Apparently, the AOC received so much criticism for this amendment, that they have reversed their decision, and once again will legitimately recognize a mother and a father as parents of a child ... for now.
     I understand that we are likely to see our society rush towards similar changes in an attempt to recognize the "different types of families" that now dot our cultural landscape.  But that doesn't mean that we have to approve of it, or go along with such changes.  How have we come so far, so fast, that we think the terms "mother" and "father" should become obsolete?
     And if, in this politically correct world, this kind of controversial decision is supposed to signal equality by removing the gender qualification for a parent, I must ask this question ... doesn't the designation of "Parent 1" indicate that this parent is somehow superior to "Parent 2"?  And by removing "mother" and "father" from these forms, isn't that, in effect, violating the rights of heterosexual parents who embrace these titles?  Why must we be forced, or reduced, to a lesser classification?  Isn't that what the fight for gay marriage was all about... the right to call your relationship as you see fit?
     But this particular form is just the tip of the iceberg, and it is not the end of Satan's battle to eradicate our Biblical identities.  In 2011 the State Department removed the words mother and father from U.S. passport applications.  Of course, they had a culturally acceptable explanation ready to explain that decision:  “We find that with changes in medical science and reproductive technology that we are confronting situations now that we would not have anticipated 10 or 15 years ago.”  So, is there anyone else besides me that doesn't necessarily approve of where medical science and reproductive technology have taken us ... that think perhaps we've abandoned or corrupted God's design for our bodies, our marriages, and now our families?
     Of course, I understand that the basis for that last statement is a fundamental belief that God exists.  Without that core component, there is no justification for my argument.  But here's what I don't get .... the understanding of distinct genders among the human race; the concept of marriage as between a man and woman, and who makes up the individual parts of a family, have been consistent and unchanging for thousands of years.  How in the world, in the last couple of decades, do we think that we're so evolved that we've got a better plan than our Creator?  I suggest that these social progressives stop for just a moment and tell me what is wrong with the following logic:

     • Mother is the term that the One who created us gave to a woman who bears a child in pregnancy.  Only a woman can do that ... the gender-neutral term "Parent" does not designate if you are the person in whose body that fetus grew into a full-term baby.  The role of a mother is to be taken seriously; her job, as defined in the Bible, is to be available morning, noon, and night; to interact, discuss and help her child process life; to teach her child a Biblical worldview and to love the Scriptures; to train a child in developing their spiritual gifts and strengths; and finally to nurture her child --- a term that has always had a distinctive feminine connotation.  So, tell me, can you identify if it is Parent 1 or Parent 2 that has delivered the fruit of the womb?
     •   Secondly, Father is the term that God used to indicate the person who would instruct and discipline those borne by the mother.  The Father is the instrument by whom God shows His ultimate authority.  The human father models God as the teacher and ruler of his family.  It is the responsibility of the Father to provide Christian discipline that will enable children to grow up with reverence for God, respect for parental authority, knowledge of Christian standards, and habits of self-control.  Chastening, discipline, and counsel by the Word of God, giving both reproof and encouragement, is at the core of a father's duty.  There is a distinct countenance of leadership that distinguishes a father from a mother --- that is true no matter how hard the feminists and progressives try to convince us that their advanced social agenda is better for the development of a confident, secure individual.
     And here's what really concerns me ... by using the designations "Parent 1" and "Parent 2" are they paving the way for "Parent 3, 4, or 12"?  If you take away the male and female identification of a parent, what is to stop us from saying multiple parents are necessary to birth and raise a child? And by denying gender roles in parenthood, is Satan trying to signal that he has a plan to introduce a way to create a child without male and female interaction?  Can we truly say that we are that far off?  All you have to do is browse the internet to find all the freaky experimentation being done in the name of .... oh, yeah, medical science and reproductive technology.  
     In the end, I guess I shouldn't be that surprised that this renaming of parental roles has come so quickly.  It seems as if the goal is to confuse and control the next generation.  If Satan, through his representatives in this realm, can remove the distinctive and unique characteristics that make us who we are in the eyes of God, then he will be able to convince mankind -- no, wait!  I can't use that term.  How about human race?  Nope!  Reproductive technology is combining human and animal DNA, and also trying to create a hybrid human robot ... so, I guess I'm going to have to settle for the fact that Satan will successfully disassociate whatever form of existence the next generation becomes from the Source of Life who created them.  There will be no need for terms like man, woman, wife, husband, mother, father, son, daughter, sister, brother, him or her.  We will be reduced to a life form that is generic, nonspecific, bewildered, and debased.  Unfortunately, I'm afraid we are taking the first steps toward that reality.  Sweden has even gone so far as to adopt a gender-neutral pronoun ... hen.  Really?!?!  Please, God, save us from ourselves!  Preserve us in Your image, just as You created us!

Proverbs 1:8-9   "Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck."

An Old Lesson On Liberty

   

     I want to share with you a speech that was given on May 21, 1944, in New York City's Central Park.  It was given by Judge Learned Hand, who first served on New York’s District Court, then on the U.S. Court of Appeals.  Judge Hand’s legal decisions were so respected they were referenced in U.S. Supreme Court cases.
     His judicial opinions were time-honored; it is my viewpoint that we should revisit his decisions on cases such as the one which considered a citizen's duty in paying taxes (“Anyone may arrange his affairs so that his taxes shall be as low as possible;. … Nobody owes any public duty to pay more than the law demands”); and his decision on limiting free speech if its goal is to overthrow the Constitution and set up a government which would not allow free speech. Doesn't that sound like a breath of fresh air in this age of judicial activism?
     But the real purpose of this post is to let you contemplate his words to a crowd of nearly one-and-a-half million people, just two weeks prior to the D-Day invasion.  The place was Central Park, and it was the site of the annual “I Am an American Day,” including 150,000 newly naturalized citizens about to swear their oath of allegiance to the United States.
     The United States had been mired in WWII for nearly 3 years, and while patriotism was running high, the weight of the war was resting on everyone's shoulders.  But none of the speeches that day -- including those by New York Mayor LaGuardia, Senator Wagner and clergymen of Protestant, Catholic and Jewish faiths -- spoke to the crowd like that of Judge Hand.  The title of his short speech was "The Spirit of Liberty", and I'd like you to read it and see if it still applies to today....

     “We have gathered here to affirm a faith, a faith in a common purpose, a common conviction, a common devotion. Some of us have chosen America as the land of our adoption; the rest have come from those who did the same. … We sought liberty; freedom from oppression, freedom from want, freedom to be ourselves. …
     I often wonder whether we do not rest our hopes too much upon constitutions, upon laws and upon courts. These are false hopes; believe me, these are false hopes. Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it. …
     And what is this liberty which must lie in the hearts of men and women? It is not the ruthless, the unbridled will; it is not freedom to do as one likes. That is the denial of liberty, and leads straight to its overthrow. A society in which men recognize no check upon their freedom soon becomes a society where freedom is the possession of only a savage few; as we have learned to our sorrow.
     What then is the spirit of liberty? I cannot define it; I can only tell you my own faith. The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the mind of other men and women; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which weighs their interests alongside its own without bias; the spirit of liberty remembers that not even a sparrow falls to earth unheeded; the spirit of liberty is the spirit of Him who, near two thousand years ago, taught mankind that lesson it has never learned, but never quite forgotten; that there may be a kingdom where the least shall be heard and considered side by side with the greatest."
     Judge Learned Hand ended his speech, after which he led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance:  “In the spirit of that America which lies hidden in some form in the aspirations of us all; in the spirit of that America for which our young men are at this moment fighting and dying; in that spirit of liberty and of America I ask you to rise and with me pledge our faith in the glorious destiny of our beloved country.”
   
     This speech was given 71 years ago.  Do we still retain that Spirit of Liberty in this country?  Do our judges and rulers still recognize that the spirit of liberty is born from the spirit of Jesus?  That it is God's Kingdom we should seek, rather than our own?  Would he recognize us as the same America?
     The good Judge was fervent in his belief that there was a destructive nature in political correctness and the labeling of someone’s opinions as “hate speech”.  He had this to say on the subject:  “That community is already in the process of dissolution…where faith in the eventual supremacy of reason has become so timid that we dare not enter our conviction in the open.”  Sadly, I fear that reason has been replaced by the pursuit of one's ideology at all costs.
     And Judge Hand must have sensed that agenda as well.  He was clearly clairvoyant when he made the following statement:  "I confess it seems to me that we are pretty plainly headed for some fairly comprehensive collectivist ordering of industry; people don’t want it. … Can you have a collectivist democracy? The future has all sorts of creatures in its womb. … There seems to me great obstacles; a society in which the individual’s fate is completely in the hands of the government can scarcely manifest itself as a succession of resultants of ‘pressure groups’ – it won’t stand up."  Apparently, no one told Cloward and Piven that!
     In looking back on his legacy, I find it ironic that Judge Hand was nicknamed “the tenth Justice of the Supreme Court.” Boy, could we use him on the Court today! He died 54 years ago yesterday, and it is a sad commentary on the current state of our country that I doubt he would get more than a handful of people to show up to celebrate an "I Am An American" Day, or to hear him speak about Liberty.  But perhaps we should listen to his opinion on history ... "The use of history is to tell us … past themes, else we should have to repeat, each in his own experience, the successes and the failures of our forebears.”  May future generations look back upon this time in our nation's history and celebrate how we snatched victory out of defeat... and may we finally learn that two-thousand-year-old lesson of Liberty that we so desperately need to grasp.

Thank you to Bill Federer, writer for WND.com for his inspiring article on Judge Learned Hand.  

Job 8:8-10    "For inquire, please, of bygone ages, and consider what the fathers have searched out. For we are but of yesterday and know nothing, for our days on earth are a shadow. Will they not teach you and tell you and utter words out of their understanding?"

Space Aliens and The Demonic Agenda

     I bet there's not an American alive who has not been exposed to the idea of aliens from outer space.  No matter your age, you've probably seen an episode or two of Lost In Space or Star Trek; or sat wide-eyed at the revelations of movies like War of the Worlds; 2001: A Space Odyssey; the Alien series; or Prometheus, just to name a few.
     These examples of entertainment present different scenarios regarding the alien species ... a few are sweetly sentimental, like E.T., while others have scared us to death with their overt images of brutal and powerful adversaries who wish to conquer us, such as those in Starship Troopers.  But a new trend has intrigued me in recent years -- that of benevolent visitations by aliens from outer space who reveal that they wish to see Earth and its population free of war, and that they have actually been watching our evolvement from afar ... as our creators.  This line of reasoning has been shrewdly introduced on the popular series Ancient Aliens. 

      And now we have former astronaut Edgar Mitchell, who walked on the moon, announcing to the U.K. online website, Mirror, that sources within the space industry, along with military officials, have revealed to him that space aliens "have been attempting [for years] to keep us from going to war and help create peace on Earth."  His opinion is nothing new, and this was, in fact, the exact storyline of the recent TV series "V".  
     Mitchell is on record as having spoken of U.S. missile bases being monitored by UFOs, as well as relating stories of missiles being disabled and even shot down by alien spacecraft.  But Nick Pope, a freelance British journalist, who was an employee at the British Government's Ministry of Defense, and responsible for investigating reports of UFO sightings, has this to say about the former astronaut's claims:  "Edgar Mitchell is an honourable and truthful man, who I've had the privilege of meeting... Clearly, because of who he is, he's had access to government, military and intelligence community personnel at the highest level, but because - quite understandably - he won't name his sources, we can't be certain these people were being straight with him, or indeed that they were privy to any classified information about UFOs."
     Pope further stated, "the idea that peace-loving extraterrestrials are here to warn humanity about our destructive ways is popular with those who take a New Age view of the UFO phenomenon."  And that's where the convergence of space alien "myths", ancient texts, New Age religion, and Christianity takes place.
     This blog post is by no means meant to be an exhaustive treatise on this subject.  I simply want to begin a dialogue on the similarities between the ancient Scripture of the Bible and today's superficially altered version of the original agenda, which is still in play.  I have made no secret of my acceptance of the literal translation of Genesis 6.  I believe that the "sons of God" who cohabited with human women to produce the giants (nephilim) of the day were fallen angels.  I base that interpretation on the fact that this view of Scripture was accepted as true by the early Church. In the first century A.D., Flavius Josephus in his Antiquities of the Jews (1:3:1) held the position that angels co-habited with women. Later authors such as Philo of Alexandria (early first century A.D.) also held this position as did many rabbinical authorities. The Genesis Apocryphon, among the Dead Sea Scrolls, states this angelic interpretation. Furthermore, many Christian interpreters also took this position. These include: Justin, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Cyprian, and Ambrose.
     Those who reject this angelic view do so by rejecting the historicity of the Bible, and they feel the angelic interpretation in Genesis 6 is an example of the myths that were common among people at that time.  Those, like me, who believe in the authenticity of the Bible, suggest that the later myths that arose concerning angels and women producing monstrous offspring may have been derived from the actual occurrence as recorded in Genesis.  It's kind of a question of what came first, the chicken or the egg? 

     But for the sake of arguing the veracity of modern space aliens, we must consider if there is a connection to this ancient account of "fallen angels".  Could the stories be one and the same?  Could it all be part of Satan's evil agenda to lead man away from God by introducing not only new DNA that would corrupt our bodies and negate us as "images of God"; but also tempt us with an alternative origin --- one in which Satan suggests the theory of "panspermia"; that we are the products of some unknown ancient civilization that seeded our planet with life.  This theory is furthered by the notion that they have been observing us for thousands of years and are displeased with how we're treating not only the planet, but each other.   Therefore they will be returning soon to announce that they are mankind's true creator, and all the religions of the world are nothing more than man's pathetic attempt at explaining his existence.
     This "directed panspermia" theory was created by a Nobel Prize winning molecular biologist, Francis Crick, and biochemist Leslie Orgel.  A brief summation of the 1973 Crick-Orgel theory of panspermia is stated in this way: "It now seems unlikely that extraterrestrial living organisms could have reached the Earth either as spores driven by the radiation pressure from another star or as living organisms imbedded in a meteorite. As an alternative to these nineteenth-century mechanisms, we have considered Directed Panspermia, the theory that organisms were deliberately transmitted to the Earth by intelligent beings on another planet. We conclude that it is possible that life reached the Earth in this way, but that the scientific evidence is inadequate at the present time to say anything about the probability."
     Fast forward 42 years, as we see that their theory still has a life of its own in our secular society, as evidenced by the trendy popularity of Ancient Aliens.  But here's the thing ... there just may be enough truth sprinkled among the false narrative to lead many impressionable people astray.  They have twisted the story just enough to remove it from the Biblical narrative and to create their own similar story with a different ending.  Those who left their estate in Heaven (according to Genesis 6) to "seed" the earth with their own DNA fits both the Bible's account and the Ancient Alien story (as extraterrestrial living organisms deliberately transmitted to Earth to create life -- albeit not in the "image of God").
    There is just enough symbiosis between the two theories that it will be easy for Satan when he appears as the Anti-Christ to say "you almost got it right ... but the god that you've been worshipping was the wrong creator.  I really orchestrated the whole thing with my faithful servants!  That Bible you've been reading is just a fairy tale.  Listen to all the evidence of your scientists and yes, your astronauts.  They have given you the proof that other planets exist and that there is life on those planets.  Your Bible is just a primitive and inaccurate interpretation of alien and UFO encounters.  Remember the tales told by Ezekiel of the four living creatures, and the turning "wheels"?  Those were really space aliens and my spacecraft."  Can you see how countless humans, both the easily-deceived young, and the weak-in-faith will fall for this deception?

     You see, Satan is a master counterfeiter.  He will not sit by and watch God redeem His people without setting up a counter-narrative that promises "saviors" of mankind. But in order to pull off his deception, he must convince the human race that the Bible is inaccurate and our faith is without foundation.  He must find a way to encourage us to accept alternative ways to immortality and that perhaps life began on other planets, then evolved, and that space aliens are really our "brothers" or even .... our creators.  If he can get us to accept the possibility of space aliens, and that our religion has been misguided, then it's only a small matter of introducing a substitute global religion based on the occult, which will be presented as supernatural knowledge and experiences from our alien "ancestors".
     I know this is hard for us strict, Bible-believing Christians to accept.  But I want you to know what your kids and grandkids are hearing through their songs, their video games, and their forms of entertainment.  I want you to see how the alien agenda is being woven into our secular culture and directly challenges our Christian religion.  Any similarity is embraced in order to give this demonic agenda credibility, while true Biblical teachings are mocked.  Sadly, the delusion is slowly becoming acceptable as legitimate scientific data.  After all, if NASA and a celebrated astronaut believe it, who are we to deny it?  So, take this as a cautionary piece of advice.  Be ready to debunk this popular theory and refute it with clear Scriptural evidence.  This UFO and space alien storyline is growing and gaining steam ... I don't doubt the existence of "inter-dimensional beings", but let's not play word games.  Why will the public acknowledge the existence of "aliens", but deny the plausibility of "angels" or "demons"?  It is time for those of us who know their true identity, and to whom they belong, to declare the Truth and expose the lies.


Ezekiel 1:16:  "As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel."
  

       
     

Personal Reflections on Ferguson, One Year Later

     Yesterday, my sister texted me a photo of my nephew, a police officer in St. Louis County, Missouri; a photo that has appeared in countless newspapers.  He is standing with fellow officers in riot gear during a protest in Ferguson, Missouri on the one-year anniversary of the death of Michael Brown -- a death that has polarized that community and all of America.
     It is one thing to view that image as an American concerned over the racial violence that has spread across this nation; and quite another to view the steely gaze of a loved one who is standing for law and order, and putting his life on the line to protect the community and innocent citizens from further destruction.
     I guess I thought as long as I could not distinguish him from among the policemen whose images have become part of the disturbing montage of rioting and mayhem, I could pretend that he was safe and far removed from harm.  But there he was, his eyes and features clearly distinguishable through the glare of the lights on his helmet's safety shield.  He had often texted me not to worry, he wasn't assigned to that area and he was stationed in other parts of the metroplex.  But now I know that to be an effort to calm the fears of his anxious aunt.
     So now the turbulent and unstable state of race relations are up close and personal.  After a long year of turmoil and genuine efforts to change the conditions in Ferguson that led to this point, I am desperately looking for signs that positive change is happening.
     Admittedly, there has always been an uneasy relationship between the citizenry of neighborhoods like Ferguson (and nearby East St. Louis, close to where I spent much of my childhood) and the police, whose job often seemed to be about keeping the violence from spilling over into the surrounding middle class suburbs.  It is easy to blame the disparity between education and job opportunities among the races; all of which seemed to grow worse after the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal.
     It has been 51 years since this law was passed.  The Civil Rights Act was declared the most wide-ranging civil rights legislation since Reconstruction, nearly a century prior.  So what happened?  Why are we still seeing the imbalance in education, skills, and upward mobility in the black communities? Why is there still a perception that more crime is committed against blacks by white authority figures,  while statistics are ignored that suggest black on black crime is the primary cause of death among young blacks?  Why, as an article in The National Review points out, do we, as a nation not consider that "the disproportionate criminality among the black population is the reason that the police are deployed in much higher numbers in black neighborhoods, where they are trying to save innocent lives. There are thousands of law-abiding inner-city blacks who live by conventional values and who need protection from criminals. Only the police are willing to provide that protection."  Doesn't that indicate that "black lives matter" to them, too?

This photo of police officers in Trinity, TX went viral

     Are the police perfect?  Of course not!  And there will inevitably be incidents where bad cops prevail, but let me ask you this .... there are honorable black men who become police officers; is it the authority of the police department that is so despised, or just the particular skin color of the officer?  Why are we, in the 21st Century, still judging people by the color of their skin... and why is it this racial prejudice always one-sided?
     I am no social or cultural anthropologist, but it isn't hard for me to see the correlation between the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the subsequent War on Poverty, that introduced the Job Corps and Head Start (both designed to help disadvantaged youth to combat poverty and raise their standard of living), and perhaps the most damaging and divisive legislation of my lifetime -- the Food Stamp Act of 1964.  Does is strike anyone else as antithetical that these two forms of legislation were signed back to back in 1964?
      Were these components of LBJ's dream of a "Great Society" merely empty promises, that were really designed to counter any forward advancement made by the Civil Rights Act?  I know that sounds cynical and conspiratorial, but it just seems odd that at the same time that the disadvantaged segment of our society were given the keys to economic and social equality, they were also given a ball and chain called "Welfare" that enticed them to avoid employment, and kept them indebted to the politicians who controlled those welfare checks.
     And it all leads to Ferguson, Missouri. As Breitbart.com reports, there have been some positive changes .... "The city has a new police chief, a new city manager and a new municipal judge — all blacks who replaced white leaders. All Ferguson officers [now] wear body cameras. The city council has new members, too, several of whom are black. And the business district that was at the center of last year’s sometimes-violent protests is slowly rebuilding."
     It appears that this proud community is engaging with those who govern them, and both sides are listening to each other.  Ferguson's leadership is now reflective of the demographics of the community.  At the time of the Brown shooting, just three of Ferguson’s 53 officers were black. The department now has five African-Americans among a total of 50 officers, including the newly appointed interim chief, and has four budgeted positions still to fill.  Nearby West Florissant Avenue, a scene of pillaging and destruction one year ago, is poised to get $37 million in upgrades. The improvement plan is expected to include bricked sidewalks, bicycle lanes, stylish lampposts and landscaping. Those are the positive signs of change and hope.
     But the prejudice and doubt among the community is harder to transform.  It's going to take more than millions of dollars of cosmetic changes to erase the mistrust.  The peaceful protests of Ferguson residents did not fall on deaf ears, and I pray that continued efforts to heal this damaged city will be successful.  It remains to be seen if outside agitators and those who stand to profit, both politically and socially, will fail in their efforts to make the race division permanent.
     One year later, some progress has been made -- and while the peace is holding, it is not guaranteed.  I pray that Ferguson can become a model for other cities who sincerely want to see improvement in race relations, and foster mutual respect between law enforcement and the community.  As a nation, it is imperative that we succeed in this mission.  And as a concerned aunt, I would like to be able to sleep better at night.

Romans 12:9-10    "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;"

Proverbs 4:20-22

My son, attend to My words; 

consent and submit to My sayings.

Let them not depart from your sight; 

keep them in the center of your heart.

For they are life to those who find them, 

healing and health to all their flesh.

     The Scripture for today's post was suggested by my husband, who is reading a little book by the late Derek Prince, noted Bible teacher and prophetic minister.  The title of the book is God's Medicine Bottle, and is the result of what Prince discovered about the healing power of God's Word during his own debilitating health crisis in the deserts of North Africa during WW II.

     I don't know if you can commiserate with Derek Prince over human infirmities, but I certainly can.  It seems that recently, one of the ways that the dark forces of the spiritual world love to attack me is through various assaults on my physical body.  But we need healing not only from physical attacks, but from spiritual bombardment.  I am happy to say that I am learning to fight back by loosing those strongholds in my flesh, binding the particular spirits, and rebuking them in Jesus's name; in short, using the Authority given to me by Christ, along with the Power of the Holy Spirit to fight an effectual spiritual battle.  I have seen great success using this method, but I also find impressive wisdom in Mr. Prince's instruction for healing using the Word.

     This selected Scripture, in Proverbs, Chapter 4, actually serves as a prescription from God; to be taken just as ordered, with an infinite number of refills.  The first step in God's spiritual protocol is to attend to His words.  He is demanding our full attention -- not to be divided between Him and the distractions of this world.  If we are to heal, we must listen and pay strict attention to His words that He speaks to us in the Bible.  Hearing God is the key to Biblical healing.  And how do we hear, or attend, to God's words?  By starting with the Bible and staying tuned in!  You can only hear God while reading the Bible when your mind is diligently occupied with Him and His Word.  

     The second order of the prescription is to consent and submit to His sayings.  That indicates that we are to have an attitude of humility and teachability; surrendering ourselves, and both our physical flesh and spirits to the receiving of His Word in meekness.  If we come with our own preconceptions and our demands, then God's Work will not be able to teach you and heal you.

     The next instruction is to not let God's Word out of our sight.  We are to focus our spiritual eyesight so we get a sharp picture of what God wants to teach us.  We must be careful to let the Bible be our authority, and not get too caught up in endless commentaries and theological doctrines.  Don't look around at what the world says about God's Word; instead, focus on it alone and read the Bible as it is written, and take it as meaning what it says.

     The next instruction on how to take God's medicine is to keep His Word at the center of your heart.  When we pay strict attention to His Word, and hear His teaching through surrendering ourselves to His instruction, and focus on what He wants us to see in His Word, then that Word will arrive at the center of our soul and dwell in our heart.  And the last verse tells us why it is so important to guard our hearts... for that is where our healing will originate; healing is the very essence of life and health.  

     God's Word brings us life through hearing the Word, which leads to faith, which provides spiritual joy and fullness.  It also is the cure for our physical infirmities, providing us with the ability to heal infirmities, disease, or physical and mental weaknesses.  Just as we follow the doctor's orders when taking prescription medicine, we are to ingest God's Word; let it enter into our body and mind and spirit in order to start breaking down what is defeating us and begin to heal us wholly and completely.  The Word is truly God's medicine for what ails us.