Glorifying Satan

     If you read my post yesterday, you know that I questioned if God is going to give us one last chance to turn from our sinful ways, repent, and embrace Him.  I found myself wondering if the brief glimpses of some of our political leaders'  honesty and forthrightness regarding the evilness of humanity that is found in ISIS, could be the starting point of hope for this nation.  Oh, how I want to believe that we honor and revere Him enough to see through the lies and deception that permeates our culture!    

     And then the Enemy throws his intentional and false depravity square in our faces!  And it's all right there for the entire nation to see; couched in the emotional and fictional lives of a popular TV show -- yet cleverly portrayed using a storyline right out of our national headlines.  It happened two nights ago, on an episode of the ABC show, Scandal.  The character was the mistress of the U.S. Republican President, and she was depicted undergoing an abortion as the religious hymn "Silent Night" washes over the scene.

     The outright blasphemy that was on display made me sick to my stomach.  But just in case you didn't get the message, the woman on the table recalls the words of her father telling her that a family is merely "a pressure point, soft tissue, an illness, an antidote to greatness.... it makes you weak, pliable... family doesn't complete you; it destroys you."  Then the choir swells to its apex, and sings "Heavenly hosts sing, 'Alleluia' ", as the character exhales, the abortion complete, and she stares serenely at the ceiling, with a hint of a smile on her face.  She is later shown sipping a glass of red wine as "Ave Maria" plays in the background.

     Oh, and let's not forget what preceded the depiction of the abortion.  In true TV fashion, just prior to entering the operating room, the producer has the character watching television coverage of First Lady and U.S. Senator Mellie Grant, who launched "the longest filibuster in modern history" to kill a bill reducing Planned Parenthood funding. The impassioned speech, on the eve of the Christmas recess, made Grant - a Republican senator from Virginia - a feminist hero and inspired the hashtag "I Stand with Mellie."  The sad thing is that there are millions of people across this country who will pay more attention to the actions of these TV characters than they do legitimate legislators!

     I am so disgusted with the arrogance and irreverence of Hollywood, and the fact that they think they speak for the rest of us!  But I guess it should come as no surprise, since the creator, producer, and head writer of the show, Shonda Rhimes, serves on the board of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, according to Time magazine.  Therefore, I guess PP felt emboldened to make this statement immediately following the airing of the episode:  "Tonight, the millions of people who tune into Scandal every Thursday night learned that our rights to reproductive health care are under attack. Never one to shy away from critical issues, Shonda Rhimes used her platform to tell the world that if Planned Parenthood lost funding for contraception counseling, STI testing, cancer screenings, and safe, legal abortion — millions of people would suffer. And this episode wasn’t the first time one of Rhimes’ characters had an abortion, yet tonight we saw one of our favorite characters make the deeply personal decision that one in three women have made in their lifetime. We applaud Shonda Rhimes tonight — and every Thursday night – for proving that when women are telling our stories, the world will pause and watch. We just hope those in Congress — and throughout the nation — who are steadfast on rolling the clock back on reproductive health care access are taking note."

     Maybe it IS a woman telling that story, but producer and creator Shonda Rhimes does not represent me, nor is she telling my story or the millions of stories of women like me.  We do not see fetuses as "soft tissue", nor do we think "family destroys you."  But sadly, her ability to pluck at the heartstrings of women who choose to base their moral principles upon prime-time soap opera fantasies will persuade more of my fellow females than I would like to admit.  

     And even sadder is the idea that the website Life Site puts forward:  This abortion-themed episode airs as the real Republican-controlled Congress seeks to deny Planned Parenthood most of its taxpayer funding for one year after undercover videos showed abortion industry officials discussing the harvesting and sale of aborted babies' organs and tissue. The reconciliation bill must pass the U.S. Senate, currently bogged down in debate over the Syrian refugee crisis.  

     I find it incredibly tragic that this carefully crafted TV piece of propaganda will likely have more influence in the coming days than the sickening real-life videos of gleeful procurers of dead baby body parts.  I'm sorry to be so crass, but I can no longer stomach the lies from those who will stop at nothing, nor stoop so low, to justify their wicked ways.  

     I guess the final blow for me was what happened in the abortion facility's waiting room as the character contemplated her upcoming abortion.  You could hear the TV announcer breaking away from the coverage of the Congressional filibuster of Planned Parenthood funding, and saying, "We now return to 'It's a Wonderful Life,' already in progress."   It was as if to say, let's get this abortion over with, so your wonderful life that is in progress can continue.  When the truth of the matter is this: in It's A Wonderful Life, the main character, George Bailey, is allowed to see just how worse off the world would have been had he not been born.  The movie shows us that each life is precious and touches so many others.  Yet, again, the truth is distorted and twisted into a lie that benefits Satan's agenda.  

     Shonda Rhimes might be a talented TV writer, creator, and a successful producer, but one day she is going to have to stand before the Divine Creator and explain why she used her talents to glorify death over life... why she chose to write a scene having a choir sing a song that glorifies heavenly angels announcing the birth of the long-awaited Savior of the world, while a precious life He created is ceremoniously destroyed.  

     So let the media and the feminists applaud this TV show and it's writer/creator.  Let them call this blasphemous display "awesome" and "no-big-deal" and "revolutionary" and "honest".  I see it through the eyes and heart and spirit of someone who loves the Lord and abhors their callousness and desecration of His Holiness.  My heart breaks for the pain we cause Him.

Job 33:4    "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life."

     

The Veil Is Pulled Back -- But For How Long?

     Based on news reports in the U.K.'s Daily Mail, and our own national media sources such as Breitbart, The Blaze, and The New York Post, the threats of terrorism on our home soil are greater than ever before.  In fact, all these sources report that terrorist suspects have not only been arrested over the past 18 months, but officials are openly admitting that terrorists are crossing our borders, and are, as a matter of truth, already in this country.
     Why all the transparency and truth-telling, after so many months, and even years, of denying that the threat is real?  Has God pulled the veil of deception back for just a moment -- for one last opportunity for us to get this right?  It certainly feels like that as The Daily Mail reports that over the last 18 months, nearly 70 people have been arrested for ISIS-related terror plots, including a handful of so-called "refugees".
     The frightening aspect of these arrests is that they include such unlikely suspects as a young nurse, a pizza parlor boss and schoolgirls tricked into becoming shrouded ISIS brides. They also include a husband and wife team, both of St Louis, MO,  who face trial over allegations they gathered cash to buy military equipment for ISIS fighters in Syria; six Bosnian immigrants -- three from Missouri, two from Illinois and one from New York -- who conspired to support ISIS with money and equipment.  According to the US Attorney's office, three have become naturalized citizens of the United States, and the remaining three have either refugee or legal resident status.
     There are refugees from Kenya, Somalia and Syria.  There are homegrown Muslim converts, and even an Air Force veteran who is accused of joining the ranks of ISIS to wage war on the country he once served.  The bottom line is this... what we have all sensed for so long is now being revealed -- in spite of the continuous denials of those who are charged with keeping us safe.
     We are also now seeing representatives of the Middle Eastern communities in our nation revealing what they know.  The New York Post ran an article in which Aarafat “Ralph” Succar of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn (and a member of the Bay Ridge Community Council) said that ISIS terrorists have “absolutely” sneaked into America by posing as civil-war refugees — and joined sleeper cells just waiting to be activated.  “I believe the terrorists from Syria have been coming into the United States, not only in the past few years, but way before that,” he said.  “I think they’re already at work.”  Who, of us who are awake, haven't instinctively known that?

     Then there is Breitbart.com, who is reporting that Border Patrol agents are now coming forward to report that groups of illegal Middle Eastern immigrants are crossing our southern borders.  Such is the case of the five Pakistani men and one man from Afghanistan, who were captured by U.S. Border Patrol agents after having illegally crossed the porous U.S.-Mexico border in the Tucson Sector of Arizona.  We also have the two federal agents operating under the umbrella of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), who are claiming that eight Syrian illegal aliens attempted to enter Texas from Mexico in the Laredo Sector.  The question is why such crossings in the past were not prosecuted by the Department of Justice, and were dismissed "due to circumstances?"
     I truly want to grasp on to the hope of yesterday's vote in the House of Representatives, which overrode the President's veto, in regards to strengthening the vetting process of Syrian and Iraqi refugees admitted into the U.S.   According to The Blaze, the measure, which in effect would suspend admissions of Syrian and Iraqi refugees, would require the FBI to conduct background checks on people coming to the U.S. from those countries. It would oblige the heads of the FBI and Homeland Security Department and the Director of National Intelligence to certify to Congress that each refugee “is not a threat to the security of the United States".
     But can we trust that show of defense on behalf of the American people?  Does this action on the part of Congress, in reality, speak of hollow promises -- especially in the light of testimony from foreign officials and intelligence officers that say there is no way to compile adequate information on any of these "refugees" from their home country?  Haven't we heard such words and rhetoric in the past that have given us a false sense of security?  Remember, the legislation still must pass through the Senate, and these bills have a habit of changing radically by the time they get to the vote.  And I think the aspect that bothers me the most is that those of us who are concerned about the possibility of a Paris-style attack (which has been promised by ISIS), are accused of somehow abandoning "age-old American values."  Is it against our values to want to protect the lives of our families and innocent victims?  Is it against our values to take a stand against man's inhumanity to man?  Is it against our values to be bold in the face of Evil?
     I am not exactly sure why it seems as if, for once, many of our leaders are refusing to play the politically correct game, and actually seem sincere in their warnings and desire to speak the truth.  How long will it last?  Will God have mercy on us; and will we, as a nation, turn to Him in repentance and hope?  I know that He can protect us, if it is His will -- even as the odds are stacking up against us.  He is Sovereign and Mighty in His power.  May He honor our obedience as we pray in the name of His Son!

Psalm 147:11     "The Lord favors those who fear and worship Him [with awe-inspired reverence and obedience], Those who wait for His mercy and lovingkindness."
   

What Do You Know About "Grave Sucking"?

     Strange question, huh?  If you're like me, you knew nothing about it.  But apparently this is a distorted view, among some Christians, of the spiritual powers that are available to us through our faith in Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
     I have shared with many through this blog, and through personal relationships, the direction that God is taking me in regards to spiritual matters.  Both my husband and I have discerned from our many hours of Biblical study, and listening for the Lord's guidance, that we Christians are engaged in spiritual warfare, whether we acknowledge it or not.
     This new awareness has led us to the Scriptural knowledge in the Gospels and throughout the New Testament, that Jesus has empowered us with the Holy Spirit to partner with Him in continuing to carry out the works He did in the Father's will, while on earth.
     This is oftentimes (actually, most of the time) met with skepticism or resistance by the traditional Church.  I can understand that... this insight has not been taught nor encouraged in the Western Church.  The thought of real demons afflicting Christians is a foreign concept, and one that just doesn't fly in the face of our "God is Love and Grace" and "Prosperity Gospel" messages.
     Yes, God IS Love, and He DOES pour out His Grace and Mercy on us, but the Devil is real, too, and if he can deceive us into dismissing this piece of our Christian walk, then just think of all the havoc he can cause in our lives!  Or better yet, if he can substitute a false teaching... but one that mimics (and resembles) our authority from Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, then he can lead Christians down a path away from true Biblical instruction and towards an unholy indoctrination and empowerment.  Such is the case with a phenomenon known as "grave sucking", or "grave soaking".

     It even sounds evil, doesn't it?  And to be honest, I had not heard of it until my husband brought it to my attention, and apparently it is a very real practice among those who think that it is Biblical.  Just what is it exactly?  I found the following description on a website called Youth Apologetics Training, which seeks to help teens understand and defend Christianity -- which tells me that this strange practice may be gaining popularity among our younger Christian population.  The website debunks the unscriptural and unholy exercise, and explains what it is:  Grave sucking, or "mantle grabbing", is the belief and practice of pulling the supposed Holy Spirit powers from the dead bones of a previously empowered believer.  It is taught that when a Spirit-empowered individual dies, their mantle or mission dies with them.  In other words, God’s mission for that believer was thwarted when that believer died.
     Maybe that believer had a gift of healing.  Maybe they were an apostle, prophet, evangelist, teacher, had the gift of serving others, or of encouragement.  From my understanding, there are those in the Christian community that believe, with that person's death, God’s plans for that particular anointing are placed on hold.  So, how does God correct this and get his plans back on track?  They actually suggest that we, as believers, must find a way to retrieve the mantle, or anointing, from the rotting corpse six feet under.  Only then can we get God’s plans back on track.  This is achieved by placing hands on the gravestone of the deceased, or lying on top of the grave.  Sometimes a prayer will be offered to God to aid in this perceived power transfer.
     How perverted and unholy is this exercise?  As if God Almighty actually needs us to intervene and claim His lost anointing, and bail Him out and get His plan back on track!  What happened to the Sovereignty of God in that whole messed up scenario?  And doesn't it suggest that the Holy Spirit is trapped inside that dead body, is confused, and doesn't even realize the person is dead -- that is, until He senses someone above ground seeking that untapped spiritual power and just decides to give them the supernatural God-given abilities?  Doesn't that belittle the Holy Spirit?
      How can anyone who calls themselves a Christian believe in this?  But, remember, our kids have grown up in a generation that promulgates wizards, vampires, zombies and the soft-sell of the occult. This would make sense to them.  And where do they find the evidence that this bizarre understanding is Biblical?  The whole foundation is based on one verse in Scripture:  (2 Kings 13:21)  And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.  Supporters of grave sucking suggest that the man lived because there was power left in the bones of the prophet Elisha.  But this "charismatic" teaching is reaching way too far; even to the point of being ludicrous.

     First of all, it distracts from the One True Source of our anointing.  All anointing comes from God, and it cannot be "transferred" from one person to another.  Secondly, the idea that any God-given gifts can be imparted from the body of a dead person is taught nowhere in the Bible -- no matter how hard someone might try to distort 2 Kings 13:21.  I'm not saying that God couldn't extend a generational legacy from one person to another, but it would be a Divine appointment, not obtained from "sucking" the power or gift from the grave!
     Then, there is our Biblical knowledge that when believers are absent from the body they are present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8).   Doesn't this tell us that our spirit leaves our body when we physically die?  The Holy Spirit that was imparted to a believer is no longer on the earth, and thus that Divine power is no longer in the grave.  Any attempt to retrieve a spirit or power from the dead comes perilously close to necromancy, which is defined as communicating with the spirits of the dead, which in turn involves witchcraft, sorcery and black magic.  Who would want to take the risk that you could conjure up a spirit from the dark side?
     Furthermore, this unholy practice threatens to further divide the Body of Christ by discrediting any experience of the power of the Holy Spirit in a Christian's life.  I have personally witnessed the Holy Spirit at work in a person's life, and the power He has over demonic spirits.  But it was all done through the authority of Jesus, and the power came from the Holy Spirit --- not from power being summoned and transferred from one person to another.
     There is nothing in the Bible that tells us we can "absorb" the spiritual gifts from another.  And I like how the Apologetics website for teens disproves this unscriptural teaching:  "In this view of the Father [and "grave sucking"], we have a God who both gets His plans foiled because His Holy Spirit-empowered followers die; and then to make matters worse, He forgets to tell His believers how to resume His plans by retrieving the powers from a grave site.  Then, it takes God several thousand years to realize He goofed and reveal this new information to His modern day “prophets”. "  See how ridiculous the whole concept sounds?
     The sad thing is that kids (and some adults) are being easily deceived to follow this unholy practice.  If they would just study their Bible, they would realize that there is no foundation for this concept in the Bible, and that it does not fit the Divine Nature of God.  Why would God tell His followers to lie down on an unclean grave site to receive a lost portion of the Holy Spirit?  He is Greater than that and does not need our intervention to fulfill His purposes here on earth.  I find it incredible that people who call themselves Christian could be so deluded and confused about who God is and how He acts in our lives.  This is just another sign that Satan's power to deceive is getting stronger ... even in the Church.

Isaiah 8:19     And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?

WARNING! Beware of "Mindfulness" and "Mindful Intervention"!

     As usual, in the busyness and chaos of my life, I manage to hear snippets of the world's conversations all around me, and sometimes the Holy Spirit will "zing" me with a "Pay attention to this" summons.  Such was the case when I overhead a Fox News announcer commenting that the Department of Education is spending upwards of $2.5 million to bring a "mindfulness intervention" to kindergarteners in Chicago, where kids can go to “calm spots” in the corner to watch nature videos.
     What the 10-second sound bite did not tell the audience was that this government program is in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health, which has spent over $100 million studying this New Age meditation technique called "mindfulness".  What's more, The Education Department has introduced this “Calm Classroom” program into 3,000 schools through its Investing in Innovation Fund.  What?!?!  Exactly what are all these "government programs" that taxpayer dollars are funding, and what exactly is it that they are trying to accomplish??

     To begin with, Investing in Innovation Fund is "to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access."  And if you follow the rabbit trail, they propose that advancing student achievement can be accomplished through this theory based on "mindfulness intervention".  But what, precisely, is that?  According to the grant abstract, written to acquire funding, "Mindfulness is a secular, psychological mode involving non-judgmental focus on present-moment sensations, and has been shown to have a number of benefits to well-being.  Our project offers an innovative approach not only because mindfulness is unique relative to traditional social-emotional learning (SEL) programs, but also because of added elements designed to replenish children’s focus directly back into the content of school, including always-available ways to take very brief ‘brain breaks.' "  (Please pay attention to the words and phrases that I have underlined; you will see their significance shortly).
      So, if kindergartners in Chicago are the focus group for this grant, just what is the government hoping to accomplish or prove?  According to the written grant, the Chicago Public School System, along with various Institutes and a trademarked program called Calm Classroom, hope to employ a mindfulness-based intervention to increase the self-regulation and engagement in learning of young children in low-performing schools.  Furthermore, the grant states, "The need for this approach arises from two conditions. First, mastery of self-regulation skills during the early years of schooling has been shown to be as, if not more important to long-term academic competence than intelligence or domain-specific knowledge. Second, increasingly younger children are experiencing high levels of trauma, unpredictability, and toxic stress, thus arriving at school with tendencies to either act out or disengage, rather than being ready to participate productively in the classroom community and learn."
     That whole line about "increase self-regulation" says to me that they don't want any original thinkers, or kids who think outside the box, or who might challenge the teacher and other students with their uncontrolled imaginations.  What happened to the psychological motto of "not killing the child's spirit", that was so popular in the 60's?
     Besides sounding like a bunch of New Age hocus-pocus, it seems very clear to me that the public school systems have lost control of their students, and now need to engage in some kind of "brain games" to mollify and reduce classroom disruption.  I don't know about you, but a trip to the principal's office in my grade school days, was enough to keep me from acting up.  I knew that at the end of that hall might be the Athletic Coach with a paddle.
     But it's not enough to point out the lack of discipline in schools, or to lament the decidedly "secular", environmental, and mystical approach to maintaining classroom control.  You really need to know what is really behind this "mindfulness" movement.  Here it is:  The skill of mindfulness can be gradually developed using meditational practices that are described in detail in the Buddhist tradition. The Five-Aggregate Model, an ancient model of the mind and body, is a helpful theoretical resource that could guide mindfulness interventions.  The term "mindfulness" is derived from the Pali-term sati, which is an essential element of Buddhist practice, including vipassana, satipaṭṭhāna and anapanasati. It has been popularized in the West by Jon Kabat-Zinn with his mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program.
     Now, here is where it gets frightening for me.... Did you know that in 2012,  Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio published A Mindful Nation, and has received a $1 million federal grant to teach mindfulness in schools in his home district?  Or, in 2000, The Inner Kids Program, a mindfulness-based program developed for children, was introduced into public and private school curricula in the greater Los Angeles area?  Or how about the fact that The Holistic Life Foundation, a non-profit organization that created an in-school mindfulness program called Mindful Moment, is currently serving almost 350 students daily at Robert W. Coleman Elementary School and approximately 1300 students at Patterson Park High School in Baltimore, Maryland? At Patterson High School, the Mindful Moment program engages the school's faculty along with the students during a 15-minute mindfulness practice at the beginning and end of each school day.  They are allowed to practice an element of Buddhist meditation, but a prayer to the One True God of the Universe is illegal?
     And just to top off the widespread use of the Mindfulness Movement, consider this: One study involved enrolling college students in a course about mindfulness that included guided mindfulness meditation as part of the curriculum. After the semester, pre- and post-levels for different aspects of mental health were compared and students were found to have more non-judgmental stances towards their thoughts and feelings. This is believed to result in better stress-coping skills, improved academic performance and quality of life.  Furthermore, scores continued to improve for the weeks following the end of the course, demonstrating the long-lasting effects of mindfulness meditation.
     Do you see what I'm trying to show you?  For years now, our public schools and universities have been preparing our kids to become robots!  Let's not teach them critical thinking skills!  No!  Let's teach them all to hum a mantra and dull their minds so they are easily contained and mastered.  And it is now instituted from kindergarten to college!  If you really want to see the full scope of what I believe is a harmful movement to capture and control the minds of our kids, read the Wikipedia entry. I know not everyone thinks Wikipedia falls under the banner of incontrovertible truth, but if even a fraction of what they report is true, it should frighten all parents.  Don't be fooled by the claims that  "calm spots" and "brain breaks" are needed elements to help your kids learn better.  Just teach them Readin', Writin', and Arithmetic, and how to think for themselves!

Go to the article at The Free Beacon website for more information on what the Department of Education has in store for your kids.  
   
2 Corinthians 11:3    "But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ."
   

Modern Educayshun

      Although I do not wish to minimize the ongoing situation in France or the world's need for security, I thought you might need a break.  So, this is a little bit of entertainment for your morning.  Actually, nothing much needs to be said about it.  It's a masterful commentary on the current state of our Education System in this country -- Cultural Marxism, Political Correctness, Neo-Progressivism, Social Justice, and feminism all rolled into one.
     Sadly, although it was created by Australian comic genius Neel Kolhatkar, the underlying truth in the short video is anything but funny.  It is pretty much the average college student's experience in a Liberal Arts class here in the good ol' USA.  And if you combined George Orwell's Animal Farm and his 1984 into one book on social engineering, then this video would come awfully close to that horrifying collaboration.
     And if you have been paying attention to my rants on Common Core, then this is what your college-age kids are facing.  It is not parody or satire, it is fast becoming reality.  So please take a moment and watch this amazing YouTube video.  At only 21 years old, Mr. Kolhatkar, is wise beyond his years, and he says it better than I can.  I applaud his talent and ability to show us the truth in a serious, yet mocking manner.  Sit up and take notice, parents and grandparents!

Proverbs 4:13   "Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life."

How Do We Reconcile the World's Struggle With Refugees and Migrants?

   

     The nations of the world are grappling with the "problem" of refugees emigrating from the dangers of the expanding Caliphate in the Middle East.  Leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel maintains that no limits should be placed on the number of people allowed to enter her country; that European values of humanity and compassion in the face of terror need to be upheld.
     But the newly-elected government of Poland has announced their country won't accept migrant quotas imposed by the European Union.  And Dutch anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders says, "The only way to deal with it (the refugee crisis) is to regain our national sovereignty and close our national borders... We close our borders to migrants, not refugees."
     So, what does that mean?  What is the difference?  Actually, as The New York Times points out, there is a legal difference.    Briefly, a refugee is person who has fled his or her country to escape war or persecution, and can prove it.  More specifically, The 1951 Refugee Convention, negotiated after World War II, defines a refugee as a person who, “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.”
     On the other hand, anyone moving from one country to another is considered a migrant unless he or she is specifically fleeing war or persecution. Migrants may be fleeing dire poverty, or may be well-off and merely seeking better opportunities, or may be migrating to join relatives who have gone before them.  So, in the face of the crisis in the Middle East and the onslaught of Isis's atrocities, you can imagine the political and social implications of these distinctions -- and the ensuing confusion.
     Under the 1951 convention, countries are free to deport migrants who arrive without legal papers, which they cannot do with refugees.  But complicating the immigration of refugees is what is known as "the Schengen policy".  Again, according to The New York Times, this is an agreement to abolish border controls among the European nations that have joined. For the most part, people in any Schengen country can travel freely to any other without stopping to show a passport or visa, just as travelers can between American states or Canadian provinces. Only when entering from outside the Schengen area are a traveler’s credentials regularly checked.
     So, once an emigrant from the Middle East arrives in Greece, and is registered, he is pretty much free to travel throughout Europe under this policy.  So can you see, in the wake of the Paris terror attack, just how significant it is that Greece is swamped with those seeking admittance into Europe.  In fact, the latest United Nations estimates show over 800,000 migrants have passed through the Mediterranean on their way to Europe this year, with 660,700 landing in Greece and 142,400 in Italy. Based on these numbers, it is not surprising that the Greek minister for Citizen Protection, Nikos Tosca, has announced that one of the Paris terrorists with a Syrian passport was "masquerading as a refugee".  And it just as understandable that leaders in countries like Hungary and Austria and Poland feel that the Greeks are not doing their job properly in securing Europe’s borders, but simply processing all that come, and sending them on into Europe.
     So don't you think that as a nation, the US should be very careful how we handle this thorny and dangerous issue of Middle Eastern refugees?  And do you see just how difficult a situation this is?  Naturally, the Middle Eastern Christians, who are being brutally persecuted for their religious beliefs come to mind when considering who should be allowed to enter our country.  But what exactly is the vetting process for all others?  If, as the news agency Reuters reports, our government is moving to increase and accelerate the number of Syrian refugees who might be admitted into the United States by opening new screening outposts in Iraq and Lebanon... shouldn't this be a major concern and raise some red flags?  In the wake of Paris, doesn't this qualify as a national security issue?
     As always, I try to see any situation from my Biblical worldview, and the Bible clearly tells us that, as Christians, we are to accept aliens into our land and help them to conform to our laws and our traditions.  In fact, the law of the Old Testament was that aliens were to be treated with respect and given aid. If things were so desperate in their home land that people would rather move to Israel and live under Israel's strict judicial and ceremonial law, the Israelites were to honor that desire.
     However, this does not apply to those aliens who enter a country for the purpose of crime or violence. The caveat God gave the Israelites regarding aliens is that they needed to obey the laws of the land (Leviticus 24:22), and the Israelites needed to make it possible for them to obey the laws of the land by giving them opportunities for sustenance (Leviticus 23:22). Aliens who came in to steal, fight, or draw the Israelites to other gods were to be disposed of quickly.
     You see, these same laws should be applied and followed today.  Careful investigation and evaluation is absolutely necessary!  But we can all recognize that the world is in crisis, and the sheer mayhem and chaos created by Isis and the schemes of Satan threaten to overwhelm our human abilities.  So, it is in humility and meekness that I approach God, asking Him to show us the way through His righteous and loving nature.  Let us welcome and give aid to those who truly desire it, and repel the wicked plots of our enemies who wish to destroy us.

Nahum 1:7    "The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him."

Deuteronomy 32:35

‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution,

In due time their foot will slip;

For the day of their disaster is at hand,

And their doom hurries to meet them.’

     The world is still reeling from the horror of the Parisian terror attacks.  We Christians join the inhabitants of earth as we mourn the overt display of Evil that occurred two evenings ago; even as we struggle with what our response should be.  We look to Scripture for comfort and understanding, and one message comes through loud and clear… our God is a God of Justice, and He will repay those who choose to align themselves with the Enemy.  

     As today's verse instructs us, we see that God proclaims that Vengeance is His.  We are not to take that task and burden upon ourselves.  In other words, He will avenge the injured and the innocent; He will bring a full and complete punishment upon those who dare to follow Satan so boldly. 

     Their idolatry of a false god, and their rebellion against the One True God will be rooted out and exposed for what it is.  I like what Matthew Henry has to say on this subject:  "The Lord will never disgrace the throne of his glory by allowing this transgression to go unanswered.  But notice that the retribution will happen "in due time"; when they least expect it.  When sinners deem themselves most secure, they will suddenly fall into destruction.  That is when "their foot will slip."

     And in case the minions of Satan think they will escape God's payback, they need to understand that His hatred of sin, His strict justice, and His faithfulness to His threatenings as well as His promises, demands that He carry out His vengeance… in His timing and in His way.

     They need to remember God's vengeance against Sodom and Gomorrah, and against Edom, and even against His chosen people, Israel, when they rebelled against Him.  The one thing He always made sure of… that they would know that He was Lord!  Nothing has changed.  The enemies of God may think that their reign is ascending, and that the kingdom of the beast is perpetuating his darkness and confusion, but the Lord has declared that "the day of their disaster is at hand, and their doom hurries to meet them."
    We must not forget that there are other Saints who also have been slain by those influenced by the AntiChrist spirit, and they are crying out from beneath God's altar; they are the souls of those who have been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they maintained.  There are new Saints being added to that number each day, as Christians across the Middle East give up their lives, rather than deny their Savior.
     Once again, we should consider the words of Matthew Henry:  "They commit their cause to Him to whom vengeance belongs. The Lord is the comforter of his afflicted servants, and precious is their blood in his sight. As the measure of the sin of persecutors is filling up, so is the number of the persecuted, martyred servants of Christ. When this is fulfilled, God will send tribulation to those who trouble them, and unbroken happiness and rest to those that are troubled."
     It is not for us to understand how or when God will exact His vengeance.  It is enough to know that there will be a reckoning one day soon... and those who have been deceived by Satan will receive their due.  Lord, have mercy on all those who loved you unto death.
     

Please, Father ... Help Us To Understand!

It's still too early to make any kind of sense of the terror attacks in Paris, France, other than to say that with each new hour, the news is more devastating.   At this moment in time, all I want to do is plead for God's mercy on His people... and to pray.

Dear Heavenly Father,

     How it must grieve You to see how Man, made in Your image, can be so cruel and evil to each other.  In these first hours after the horrendous attacks upon the innocent people of France, my heart is shattered in pain, imagining the fear and the panic that must have been a part of all those people's last minutes on earth.
      Father, I pray that each one of those people had a personal encounter with Jesus before they breathed their last.  I know that is illogical and unreasonable to expect, but it just makes me realize how quickly lost are the chances of those who don't know Him ... and how much bigger will that burden of pain be for their families.

     And, Father, I have to be honest.  I admit that I don't know if I can ask forgiveness for those who perpetrated this evil.  Your Word says "they know not what they do".  I know they have been so blinded by hate, which does not come from You.  And I believe that their souls are full of demons.  How else can you explain the atrocities they committed against another human being; a person they did not even know?  And I am aware that our Enemy roams the earth, seeking whomever he can devour.  And it sure feels like he has consumed every ounce of You that might have remained in the monsters that robbed Paris of their peace last night.   But I know I must forgive, so I have to ask the Holy Spirit for the power to be able to do that, because I am unable to do so on my own.
     Most of all, I know my words sound weak in asking for comfort for those people left behind -- for the family members who are in shock and pain; for those who witnessed the carnage and survived; for those first responders who could not have been prepared for what they saw; and for law enforcement and the nation's leaders, who have to wonder if there was more that could have been done.  But, Father, I know that only You and Your Spirit can commune with our spirits; no human words or actions can heal the wounds and the damage done to our inner being.
     We were not made to experience such pain; that wasn't Your plan for us.  But from the first moment that Man listened to the lies of Satan, we have had to pay the consequences for our disobedience.  And the acceleration of lies, sin, and Evil that Your Word has prophesied was on display last night.  And, if there is one thing we know for sure, Father... it is not over.
     My spirit discerns the Apostle Paul's message to us in Ephesians 6, and that Satan has appointed a dark ruler to preside over France.  And I know assignments have been given to those who have pledged their allegiance to the Enemy's false promise of conquest.  So, Father, I intercede in prayer on behalf of all those who belong to You, and on behalf of those who still have a chance to know You... I ask you to send Your army of Heavenly Angels to battle against these rulers, against the powers, and against the world forces of this darkness -- both on this earth and in the spiritual realm.  I pray this in the Name of Jesus, knowing that it has supernatural power to effect the future.
     Because we are not intimidated; nor are we conceding defeat.  Because we believe in Your Sovereignty and Your Justice, Hope is what will soothe our pain and heal these ghastly wounds.  Jesus is our balm and our Physician, as well as the Sword of Your Vengeance.  While suffering the pain of those lost to Him, He will remain steadfastly in our presence and we will overcome this Evil.  Father, I pray that His tears will touch the heart of every person across the globe, and our spirits will unite in recognition of Your love for us and what Jesus's blood, shed on the Cross, has accomplished for each person who seeks to know Him.
     Father, accept these humble words on behalf of all those who love You.  We ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to help us forgive, and we thank You for the gift of Your Son, that we might know how to love each other... Father God, help us to love each other!  Amen.

John 11:35         "Jesus wept."
 
   

What's Up With The Ring Of Fire? Are We Paying Attention?

   

     It's always interesting to see how the public reacts when a scientific-style article comes out on natural disasters.  The latest concern of both the U.S. Geological Survey and the average citizen, is the increased activity along the area of the Pacific Ocean, known as the "Ring of Fire".
     In case you're unfamiliar with that term, here is how Wikipedia defines it:  "The Ring of Fire is an area where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a 40,000 km (25,000 mi) horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements.  It has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 75% of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes."
     Didn't know it existed?  I did, but don't usually think too much about it --- until I start seeing a proliferation of articles on it and a rise in concern over its activity.  A website called The Truth reports that during late 2013, ten major volcanoes erupted along the Ring of Fire, and while the mainstream media in the United States was strangely silent about this event, it was a very big deal.  They say that during that time period, scientists saw eruptions at some volcanoes that have been dormant for decades.
     To see one or two simultaneously active volcanoes is not unusual.  But ten is nothing to sneeze at! And since approximately 90% of all earthquakes and approximately 80% of all volcanic eruptions occur along the Ring of Fire, don't you think it makes sense to pay attention to this highly unusual activity?  Especially since the Ring of Fire runs directly up the west coast of the United States?  And although we haven't yet seen major activity in our region, the Ring of Fire has certainly been active in other parts of the Pacific Ocean, as witnessed by these news stories in foreign countries:
     Volcano creates new island off the coast of Japan.  A dramatic volcanic eruption in the Pacific Ocean has created a tiny new islet in Japan’s territorial waters, the first time in decades the nation has seen the phenomenon.
     Mount Sinabung in Indonesia.  During that same time period, a volcano in western Indonesia erupted eight times in just a few hours, “raining down rocks” over a large area and forcing thousands to flee their homes.
     But it wasn't just the Far East that experienced a higher rate of activity.  A series of eruptions occurred in Mexico, Guatamala, and the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia.  And do you see that the West Coast of the U.S. lies between those pinpoints on the map?  Alright, so maybe we didn't see anything to report about back in the fall of 2013... but does the same hold true today?  What's the latest on the Ring of Fire?
     According to the latest U.S. Geological Survey updates, A total of 583 small earthquakes have shaken San Ramon, California, in the last three weeks or so – more than five times the record set 12 years ago.  Could this be the prelude to "The Big One" that everyone in California is waiting for?  Everyone knows that a major earthquake and/or tsunami off the coast of California, or in Alaska, may well be enough to destroy everything in its path.
     And is the American public prepared for such an event?  An estimated 750,000 people would need to be evacuated from Los Angeles alone, with comparable numbers in other large metropolitan areas, according to experts. Even a relatively mild event could be sobering.  It's been over a year since a 6.0 earthquake rocked the Napa Valley in California; and over 20 years since the 6.7 quake in Northridge, California.  Have Californians, and Americans in general, become lulled to sleep?
     The truth of the matter is that California hasn’t dealt with a serious tsunami wave or earthquake in the recent and short memory of the public, and hence the general population remains clueless on what to do. Most will follow instinct and head for higher ground or flee the city, but are the highways and routes capable of facilitating a quick exodus from the most danger-prone areas?
     Let's face it, for years, we have watched as the rest of the Ring of Fire has been absolutely ravaged by major seismic events.  We all remember the earthquakes that caused the Indonesian tsunami of 2004 and the Japanese tsunami of 2011. And the world mourned when major earthquakes devastated New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Japan and the Philippines.  Don't you think it is only a matter of time before the San Andreas fault is affected by whatever appears to be happening to the earth's crust?
     I don't want to come off as "doom and gloom", but I think it is time to begin paying attention to the signs that the earth is giving us.  Huge, unexplainable sinkholes; rumblings and strange noises coming from deep inside the earth; and an increase in activity along the Ring of Fire are nothing to ignore or blow off.  I just think it is prudent to be prayed up and prepped up for what my spirit is telling me could be a major event in our near future.  Yes, the Lord is in control, but He gave us a brain and an innate instinct to survive. Are you listening to that instinct?

Revelation 16:18   "And there were flashes of lightning and loud rumblings and peals of thunder; and there was a massive earthquake—nothing like it has ever occurred since mankind originated on the earth, so severe and far-reaching was that earthquake."
   

   

The Danger of Video Games: Satan's Playground

     What do the names Adam Lanza, James Holmes, Jared Lee Loughner, Elliott Rodger, Dylan Roof,  and Chris Harper-Mercer have in common?  Besides being among a growing number of mass murderers, they were all fanatic video gamers.  I have been criticized in the past for making that connection, but I do not think that anyone can deny that there are some people who simply have a warped sense of what's real and what's not, thinking that real life is just like a video game.
     And what is even more alarming is the number of people who may not be capable of following through on their own distorted sense of reality, will nevertheless glory in the acting out of these killers.  Think this is an over-the-top representation of a popular pastime in America?  Just read this bit of information printed by Charisma News:  Chris Harper-Mercer killed 10 people, including himself, and left seven more injured in the massacre that took place on the Umpqua campus in Oregon.  Harper-Mercer was known as a recluse who was obsessed with violent gaming and the digital world, even finding supporters on those sites. On an anonymous chat room website, he left messages about what he was planning to do.  One of his comments was,  "Some of you guys are alright. Don't go to school tomorrow if you are in the northwest. So long space robots." The responses he got back to this were terrifying to say the least:

"DO IT" 

"You might want to target a girl's school which is safer because there are no beta males throwing themselves for their rescue."

"I am so excited for this. If this comes true then thank you for my late birthday gift anon."

"I suggest you enter a classroom and tell people that you will take them as hostages. Make everyone get in one corner and then open fire. Make sure that there is no way that someone can disarm you as it possible. I suggest you carry a knife on your belt as last resort if someone is holding your gun,"

Then, here are some of the responses after the shooting:

"That score, ouch. Not even double digits on current reports."

"THE MADMAN ACTUALLY DID IT"

How can people actually gloat over someone killing another person, or refer to the death count as a "score"?  It is beyond my comprehension!  Yet, the killers themselves leave us clues that the fantasy violence they become addicted to leads to their murderous actions.  Harper-Mercer is reported to have said, "I've been waiting for years to do this" before he opened fire on his victims.
     Yet there are mothers who will tell me that they have let their sons play video games their entire lives and they know the difference between make-believe and reality... their sons would never act out a video game.  Yet the afore-mentioned mass murderers are sons of other mothers, and they did just that.
     But why is it not conceivable that such violence in video games -- especially the first-person shooter variety -- could lead to a destabilization in a young person's mind?  Whether you believe the devil takes advantage of the spiritual aspect of a kid's life or not, surely our society should be able to recognize that, overall, violent video games may not be suitable for children and their impressionable minds.
     And it's not only the pliable minds of children that we have to worry about.  Recently, researchers at Ohio State University conducted a study and concluded that, "People who have a steady diet of playing these violent video games may come to see the world as a hostile and violent place." Brad Bushman, professor of communication and psychology at OSU, continues, "These results suggest there could be a cumulative effect in making video game players more aggressive and violent over the long term as well as over the short term."  In other words, a steady diet of depersonalizing and dehumanizing violence just might numb the brain to a zombie-like state.
     In fact, Evan Ramsey, who snuck a shot gun into his high school and shot a student and the principal and wounded two others, was clearly deprived of his power of reasoning. He claims that a video game, Doom, distorted his version of reality: "I did not understand that if I pull out a gun and shoot you ... you're not getting back up. You shoot a guy in Doom, and he gets back up. You have got to shoot the things in Doom eight or nine times before it dies."
     Michael Carneal shot girls as they prayed in a prayer group. Carneal never moved his feet during his shootings, and never fired far to the left or right, but instead fired only once at each target that appeared, just as a player of video games maximizes his game score by shooting only once at each victim, in order to hit as many targets as possible.
     And I'm sure you remember Anders Behring Breivik, who shot 68 people dead at a youth camp of the Norwegian Labor party, and another nine in a bombing of government buildings.  According to the judgment rendered against him, he liked playing violent games. He actually used the video game Call of Duty to train for his shooting massacre.
     By now, I'm sure you're getting the picture.  Whether you want to give credit to Satan and his use of technology, or merely lay these horrendous crimes at the feet of unstable people; it should be clear that realistic and violent video games are doing something to our cognitive behavior.  Too many people (primarily male) are developing negative patterns of thought about the world, and are unable to distinguish their fellow human beings from created video characters.  And in turn, they have a distorted view of themselves in the role of avenger, victim, hero, or any other number of disturbed roles.
     This is not an indictment of all children who play video games, anymore than it is of all video games, themselves.  However, when will we, as a society, realize that the most dangerous weapon a person yields is their mind?  And yield is the key word.  The way Satan gains control of a person's mind is when their mind is passive, idle, and not occupied with God's will.  The more we allow our children's minds to be consumed with images of violence and killing (even if it is represented as coming from a moral authority), the more Satan will pull them into his web of deception and lies.  And the more minds are corrupted with death and violence, the more dangerous society becomes.  How much longer will we deny this truth?

Psalm 11:5   "The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence."