God's Calling Us To Decide: Commitment vs Compromise?

It seems that Thomas Paine's historical quote becomes more appropriate with each passing day. These are the times that try men's souls ... we, like Christians of the past, are facing a critical turning point in our faith. The Enemy is challenging every proclaimed Believer to stand firm in our commitment to follow the Lord. Notice I'm not talking about commitment in other facets of our lives, such as to our spouse, our families, our job, or even to our church. I'm talking about the kind of commitment that puts Jesus above everything and everyone else in our lives -- and that includes ourselves. 

Jesus promised that we would have trials in this life, and I believe we are just at the beginning of what will become supernatural tests of our faith. After all, the Bible tells us this will happen, and I'm always amazed at believers who try to circumvent this truth with modern theology that somehow we can avoid the affliction/suffering if we just worship more or work for a revival. Mind you, both worship and revival are desirable outpourings of our faith, but in facing the consequences of our compromises in the last half century, God needs our commitment to start doing things His way ... to follow Him all the way, all the time. 

What exactly does committing one's life to God look like? Some common understandings for the word commitment are responsibility to, obligation to, duty, dedication, allegiance, faithfulness, and fidelity. But here's the tough truth: giving God the commitment that He desires and demands is costly. Our commitment to Him must replace and override our commitment and loyalty to anything else -- causes, jobs, or family. And that means those relationships and connections can come to an end. If we are presented with an either/or decision, we must choose to follow Jesus and leave all else behind. Can you honestly say you would do this? If not, then we do not qualify to be His disciples.

If we are to fulfill our purpose on this earth, it is imperative that we understand there are tough trials headed our way; our endurance will be tested. And Jesus didn't pull any punches when describing the cost of being His disciple: If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. Jesus showed us what that looks like: selflessness, service, sacrifice, and total self-denial. We must be willing to sacrifice everything of this life for the privilege of following His example, even unto death. The question of our lives is Am I prepared to do this?

OR, in order to maintain the life I love, will I choose to make concessions and adjustments to His commands? I'm not saying that all compromise is bad or wrong. There are certain instances when God prefers we keep the peace and remain in harmony rather than cause undue strife and conflict. But when it comes to His holy and righteous commands, there can be no compromise. We have seen the consequences when Christians have relinquished their commitment to God [in favor of compromise] in the areas of abortion and marriage, for instance; and have turned a blind eye to child trafficking, child pornography, corruption in government, and immorality throughout our society. 

We may try to fool ourselves by saying, "I don't partake in any of those sinful activities", or if we do, we convince ourselves that God will forgive us because we still have Jesus. But that is not acceptable to our Holy God. It's okay to compromise on whether your Church uses wine or grape juice during Communion; or what charity you and your family decide to support. But when it comes to the Lordship and Authority of Christ in your life; or your moral convictions or rightly representing the Word of God, there can be no concessions or compromise -- no matter what it costs you! We must not only know and speak God's Biblical truth and commandments, we must walk them out and do them. A committed and real relationship with God demands that we obey Him in all things; that we look neither to the left nor the right -- compromise is never an option! 

I'm afraid, my fellow believers, that we have come to an apex in our country, in the world, and in our personal lives. If we take an honest look at our current state of affairs, it is quite evident that compromise has infiltrated our commitment. And the instability of our future reflects that. The impending trials we face are a result of our failure to give Christ sole authority over every decision made. We must return to true and uncompromising commitment to follow Christ, no matter the pain or cost. We must unerringly trust Him, fix our nature upon Him, and preserve His Holy principles and commandments. 

We cannot avoid the trials and, yes, tribulations that are coming -- Jesus, Himself, said we will experience them. But if we hold fast to our commitment to Him, He will help us through them. When we commit our whole life [heart, body, mind, soul and spirit] to Him, we receive His strength to endure and we will be empowered to serve Him in the midst of all things. So, will you agree with me to no longer suffer compromise in our areas of influence, but rather to commit to representing our Savior in all we do and say -- to surrender by trusting Him to be our sole authority in all matters and to be our moral compass in all our ways? "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments". That requires commitment, and there is no room for compromise. 

Psalm 119:9-16     How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word. With my whole heart I seek You; let me not wander from Your commandments! I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me Your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of Your mouth. In the way of Your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts and fix my eyes on Your ways. I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.

 

The Biblical Message of Memorial Day (2023)

On Monday, the nation will be remembering those who have been willing to make the ultimate sacrifice so that we, the people of the United States, could continue to live in peace and prosperity. It should be a very sobering day, and one that should be commemorated down through our generations. My own father served in WW II, and I have had the privilege to serve those who have served us through a ministry at one of the Fisher Houses at Fort Sam Houston. 

Those who have gone before us [and paid the price] should never be forgotten. I hope that everyone honors Memorial Day for what it really is: a day to remember and commemorate the people and events of our history.  And in context of the Bible, the meaning of the Hebrew word for memorial is actually “to remember.”  And God makes it very clear that He feels memorials serve a valuable purpose: to remind us of all He has done for us. 

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Joshua 4:1-24.  The Lord was finally delivering His People into their inheritance, and had appointed Joshua to lead the tribes of Israel across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Joshua was given very specific directions ... have the priests carry the Ark of the Covenant ahead of the people into the Jordan, and God would stop the flow of the river (which always overflowed its banks during this harvest time). The priests were to stop on this dry ground, in the midst of the Jordan, while the people of Israel passed to the opposite shore.

Then the Lord instructed Joshua to send one man from each of the 12 tribes of Israel to where the priests were standing, and to gather a rock from the riverbed. They were to bring them back to where the people were lodging on the west bank.  The purpose for these 12 stones was very important to God: "Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever."

This very visible memorial would be a reminder to all future generations that the Lord of all the earth had delivered them out of the land of Egypt and into the Land that had been promised to their ancestor, Abraham.  The memorial of stones would cause each succeeding generation to ask of their meaning, and then be reminded of all that the Lord of all the earth had done for them.  It would be a lasting reminder and memorial forever of the goodness of God.

 

But I love it that Joshua, himself, also erected a memorial in the middle of the Jordan, where the feet of the priests stood in the dry riverbed.  Perhaps he wanted to offer a personal memorial to God, separate from the corporate one that would be erected on the west bank of the Jordan.  But I think there is a much more consequential meaning to Joshua's actions. We must take note that once the priests continued with the Ark of the Covenant and set their feet upon dry ground on the opposite bank, the waters of the Jordan were released and this memorial was buried under the raging waters, never to be seen by anyone. Is there significance to this memorial, as well?

 

Perhaps we can glean some meaning from the waters of the Jordan as being symbolic of judgment, just as the waters of The Flood condemned all corrupted flesh in Genesis 6; and the waters of the Red Sea buried the Egyptians; and Jonah was buried under the waters during his own judgment.  Then there is Hosea 5:6, when God says, "I will pour out my wrath on them like water".

 

 If this is interpretation is a possibility, what is the difference between the two memorials?  Why is one established in the Promised Land, and one is buried under the Jordan River?  If water is judgment, then it makes sense to me that the memorial on the west bank is a picture of being saved from the waters of Judgment.  The Ark of the LORD, which typologically points to Christ, stood in the midst of the Jordan, holding back the waters and allowing the stones to be brought up and erected on the shore as a memorial and sign of God's Deliverance.

 

But the other memorial of stones was covered by the Jordan. They cannot be a sign of deliverance because they cannot be seen. Those stones are a warning! It was Joshua alone (whose name means YHWH is Salvation) who did the work of setting up the twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan.  It is not only Joshua's name that points to Jesus, but his actions. Jesus is the judge of the living and the dead. Those 12 stones are a warning about death and judgment! If people do not repent and trust in Jesus, they remain in the miry clay of a river— and that river will overflow in judgment at death.

 

Those 12 stones represent the unredeemed, who have rejected Jesus and are buried in death by the righteous judgment of God… “and they are there to this day”.  But here is the really sad part... they will never be seen or inquired about. They were quickly forgotten and there would be no evidence of them for the rest of eternity.

 

As we celebrate this Memorial Day established by our nation, it is my prayer that we would share our own memories of what the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ has done in our individual lives. Don't let the unsaved think they are safe on whatever dry ground they are standing upon. Tell them how they can be saved from the waters of judgment. Tell them how, through the work of Jesus in saving and sanctifying them, they can be a memorial stone of remembrance of God’s goodness and saving grace.  Let this Memorial Day mark a new remembrance of the work of the Lord in our nation. 

 

Now, in the patriotic sense of this holiday, I am dedicating this post and blog to the memory of Captain John Hardy, USAF, a pilot who was shot down over North Vietnam. At the age of 16, I wore an MIA bracelet bearing his name, and I wore it for years. It wasn't until around the year 2000, that I discovered that there was a website where you could find out the status of MIA/POW soldiers in the VietNam War, that I learned of his fate. Throughout the years, I had always prayed for him, and hoped he had made it home. I was devastated to find out that he died in the jungles of that far-off country.  I never knew him, but he was more than a name on a silver bracelet.  In the year 2004, I had the opportunity to visit the VietNam War Memorial in Washington D.C., and the impact of that long black marble wall with all those names on it was overwhelming.  I have a pencil rub of his name, and I keep it in the Bible my grandmother gave me, and I will honor his memory for the rest of my life. Here is his official status as listed on THE WALL, a website devoted to those who gave their lives in that war:  

 

Captain John Charles Hardy, USAF

Length of service 8 years

His tour began on Jan 15, 1968

Casualty was on Apr 3, 1968

In NORTH VIETNAM

Hostile, died while missing, FIXED WING - CREW

AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND

Body was recovered

 

Psalm 116:15     Precious [and of great consequence] in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones [so He watches over them].

 

 

 

  

Let Your Spirit Hear: There Is A Way That Leads to Destruction!

There is so much on my mind these days, and so many promptings in my spirit to share, so I've been trying to organize it all in a cohesive manner that will make logical sense to the Christian mind. First of all, let me say that I take the whole counsel of God into consideration, and that includes the entire Bible and its history, teachings, and revelations. But I also highly value my spiritual relationship with God, the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. There are many, many times I hear from them independently of the Word [although I always test what I hear with the truth of the Word]. So, as you can imagine, I often hear differently than my fellow Christians, and it doesn't always coincide with what our 21st Century Christian culture might believe.

Lately, my spirit has been experiencing a heightened sense of forewarning, and I am being drawn to the Bible's prophecies of what leads to destruction among the world's population; especially those who profess faith in the Most High God. This is not meant to be a doomsday post, but rather cautionary advice to pay attention to what has led to destruction among God's people in the past. Remember, He never lowers His standards for righteousness, and what warrants His judgment is still the same. So, let me share just a couple of observations that my spirit is discerning in the here and now...

We have an identity crisis in this nation and it has led to confusion about who we are in Jesus Christ. The author of the confusion is Satan, and it is his job to rob us of our identity so that we never discover who Jesus made us to be or our purpose here on earth. The Greek word for confusion means instability, a disturbance, a state of disorder; and we see that in the huge controversy over transgenderism that is permeating our national conscience. But this confusion is at a deeper level than just how one identifies his or her biological gender. It is a deliberate attempt by our Enemy to change the way you think about yourself, and about the Creator who made you.

If your thinking is corrupted by lies that lead to confusion, you can be in danger of misunderstanding or misinterpreting God's Word, thereby finding yourself outside the will of God and His approval. And if the results of your wrong thinking are unpleasant or devastating, then how long before you no longer believe in His Word [as Truth] and discard it altogether in favor of a sinful and immoral path? It can lead to anger against God and outright rebellion, which can leave you unstable and vulnerable to Satan's agenda, which is to make you a willing participant in his schemes to discredit the authority and power of Jesus Christ in our lives. And what is especially sad to me is that people will lay at the feet of Jesus what Satan has done. Too often Jesus or God is blamed for the free will choices we make because we become confused by the lies of Satan. We must never lose sight of this Biblical truth, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, is a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour. Don't let Confusion lead you on a path to destruction!

My spirit has also become sensitive to the increase in wickedness in our nation. We Christians always hold Sodom and Gomorrah up as the epitome of sexual wickedness and evil. But, haven't we surpassed even their sinful standard? In the Scripture, the men of Sodom begged Abraham's nephew, Lot, to turn his angelic visitors over to them that "we might know them [intimately]". Sadly, we have eclipsed even that unholiness, and now traffic in the sexual perversion against our own children and the children of sojourners in our country [whether legal or illegal]. Sex trafficking and pornography have become a big business in our nation and we are exporting it to the world. God brought severe judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah for far less. Do we really think we deserve less for sanctifying this evil at the altar of Satan in our own midst? How can we call ourselves a Christian nation, if it continues to flourish? Turning a blind eye to it because it is all cloaked in Satan's  darkness doesn't give us an excuse. And singing our worship songs in our sanctuaries every Sunday does not eradicate this abomination from our nation's soul. We must all seek the face of the Lord for what part we can play in setting the captives free. Don't let apathy or indifference lead us on a path to destruction!

And the last spiritual issue that I want to discuss today (there will be more in the coming days) is that of how we each discern the implications of a Rapture event. As I have grown in my faith and understanding of God's heart, my position on the Rapture has grown, as well. And my thoughts on how we should live our lives as we await a Rapture (whenever you think it will occur) can be best defined by a comment from my good friend and disciple of Jesus, Steve Harmon, on his Facebook page. In his latest post, Steve wrote: "If you want to believe in the [Pre-Tribulation] rapture, that's fine. Just don't live it". By that he explained that it can produce a quitting and escape mentality in the Believer that the demonic just salivates over, because it results in Christians who sit around, doing nothing and waiting for Jesus to take them to Heaven. It doesn't produce fruit for the Kingdom and teaches Christians to just wait til the time Jesus comes down to take them away from this evil world. So believe in this particular theory, if that is where you feel led; just don't live it. 

I'm in total agreement with Steve, and with a little different addendum to my position. I believe that the Pre-Trib rapture theology doesn't prepare the Body of Christ for the work that Jesus will need us to do when the persecution of the Tribulation begins and we're still here. He will need us to witness and encourage those who are still lost. Remember, the Father desires that no one perish. So, I think we need to be here to make sure that every last person we can influence has the opportunity to hear the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. Also, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 tells us, Let no one in any way deceive or entrap you, for that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first [that is, the great rebellion, the abandonment of the faith by professed Christians], and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction [the Antichrist, the one who is destined to be destroyed], who opposes and exalts himself [so proudly and so insolently] above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he [actually enters and] takes his seat in the temple of God, publicly proclaiming that he himself is God.

None of that has happened yet -- although I do not deny that all signs point to the possibility that we are fast approaching these events. But I believe that there will be an important assignment for the remnant of Jesus's true believers, and we will be needed to encourage those who fall away from their faith when they realize that the Man of Lawlessness is here and destroying mankind, and they were not raptured out of here. Just think of the fear and despair and hopelessness that will sweep through the Christian community! There will need to be a faithful remnant to help restore their faith and reveal the Sovereign purpose and power of God in those tumultuous times. We must not let fear and despair leave us surrendered to evil, nor lead us to a path of our own destruction!

In summary, I refuse to be convicted of negativity or not recognizing the hope and possibilities of miracles that are ours in the Lord. I write out of love and the desire to empower my fellow believers to identify the false hope and deception that come with the promises of deliverance from any suffering or times of trouble and sorrow. I believe that we are not subject to God's wrath, which will occur on the Day of the Lord, when Jesus returns to wipe out the evil on the earth. And I also believe that when we will seek Him with all of our heart, we will be given the power to overcome the waves of destruction coming against  us, and we will be hidden in Him and protected. He will know us as His own, and He will be in the midst of the conflagration with us. 

Yes, I believe there is a path that leads to destruction, and the choice belongs to all mankind; to individuals and to nations. While we may find ourselves surrounded by the wickedness, we do not lose sight of the One who has defeated death for our sake. I refuse to take the path that leads to destruction, and I choose the narrow gate that leads to redemption and my eternal home in the House of the Lord. All Glory belongs to the King of the Universe!

#endtimes #rapturetheology #pretribulationrapture #confusionofthedevil #identityinjesus

1 Thessalonians 5:14.    We [earnestly] urge you, believers, admonish those who are out of line [the undisciplined, the unruly, the disorderly], encourage the timid [who lack spiritual courage], help the [spiritually] weak, be very patient with everyone. 

Thank You, Jesus! I Have Found Favor With My Lord!

If you're like me, you have been on a journey to grow in your relationship with God. For years, I did not know or understand all that encompassed - what it felt like, looked like, or how to experience it in its fullness. Oh, I knew that I believed in Jesus Christ as my Savior, and He died for my sins, delivering me from Death into an Eternal Life in Heaven. But I wanted more; I wanted the intimacy and to KNOW Him!

I had often heard in Church about the men and women whom God favored and I intuitively knew that their relationship with Him was something special. But how did you define "favor", and what made God single them out for His favor? When I did an etymological study on the word "favor" in the Bible, I was overwhelmed with its implications. It is most heavily used in the historical books of the Old Testament (from Genesis through Samuel), and is best exemplified by the Hebrew words, chén, chánan, châçad. 

The first time we read of God's favor is in Genesis 6:8 ... But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. In this instance, the word implies God's grace towards Noah, and according to the meaning of the word cháchan, it is especially seen [in this instance] to be God's deliverance from Noah's enemies and the surrounding evils in his day. Further connotation of the word implies that God extends this favor in His own sovereign way and will, to whomever He chooses. We certainly know from the previous verses in Genesis 6 that the Fallen angels colluded with the wickedness of man on the earth until only evil was evident in their hearts. God was greatly grieved in His heart and was determined to blot both man and animals from the face of the earth.

And then we have that verse ... But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. It is important to recognize that out of all the humans on the earth in that wicked time, God CHOSE Noah to establish a covenant to renew the earth and bless mankind through his descendants. God extended His lovingkindness to Noah based on Noah's characteristics of strength, steadfastness, and love -- God could trust him to be loyal and reliable in their relationship and to be faithful to the covenant. Therefore Noah could be counted on to live a sanctified life within, and in response, to that covenant.

But Noah wasn't the only one who was chosen to receive God's favor. His eight-times great-grandson, Abraham, studied at Noah's feet and recognized the voice of the Lord when He called him out of the land of Ur and promised to bless all the families of the earth through him. [NOTE: there is a rich history of Abram's relationship with the Lord in the Book of Jasher. It fills in all the historical gaps of the Genesis account]. Just like his ancestor [Noah], Abraham displays the strength, steadfastness, fidelity, and love of the Lord that leads to God making covenant with him, and declaring, For I have CHOSEN him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has promised him. 

There are others in the Bible worth noting who received the favor of the Lord ... the prophet Samuel: Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man. Interestingly enough, a similar description appears in Luke concerning Jesus: And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. The Bible records that after his removal to Babylon, God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials. Jospeh found favor during his captivity in the land of Egypt: But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. Throughout Moses's struggles with the people of Israel, how he must have found comfort in the Lord's words to him: you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name. And there was King David, the apple of God's eye, of whom it is written, So it was until the days of David, who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.

This by no means completes the list of those favored by God ... there was Enoch and Elijah, of course; Lot; Sarah; Isaac; the Israelites escaping from Egypt; Joshua, Rahab, the prostitute; Gideon, Barak, the Disciples, and all those who have been martyred for their faith. So, what can we take away from their lives -- what can we do to gain the favor of the Lord? I believe that what all these heroes of the Bible have in common are those characteristics that are mentioned in the Hebrew definition of "favor". God chose them because He knew they would be steadfast in their faith; had strength of character to see their calling through; loved Him without any doubt or hesitancy; were loyal and devoted servants; and would put obedience to their covenant with Him before all else. They understood that His favor was stronger and more enduring than man's. What's more, God's favor is ultimately beyond the covenant He makes with His chosen, because it will not be abandoned even when the human partner is unfaithful and must be disciplined. Moses and David are prime examples. 

In recent years, I have come to recognize that God has granted His merciful and gracious favor upon me and my husband. I have shared our testimony many times and the vision that my husband received of being sanctified unto the Lord; with a unique calling that has brought us into covenant with Him. I do not claim to be counted among the aforementioned heroes, but I know that my Lord trusts us to be strong, reliable, obedient and dedicated to sharing the Good News of what He has done in our lives and the lives of others through us. All the Glory belongs to Him, and we are grateful for the protection He provides us as we serve Him. And I will tell you the spiritual attacks are getting stronger, in both body and spirit. But nothing in this world compares to knowing that He will protect us from our enemies and the surrounding evil that seeks to stop us from completing our purpose and assignment.

I want to leave you with this thought ... my husband and I are no more special than anyone else. We have made ourselves available and willing to serve God's Kingdom, no matter the cost. We do not seek the favor of men, but rather the acceptance and delight of the Lord as His righteous servants. You, too, can know the favor of the Lord! You can become His chosen in this hour of the world's need! There are no promises that His favor will come without struggles or sorrow. But the rewards are so much greater! All you have to do is ask Him to use you. Then listen for the invitation and just say, YES! 

#favorofgod #godsfavor #whatdoesgodsfavorlooklike

Psalm 84:11     For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.     

What's In Store For Those Who (Truly) Know the Lord

I've been pretty open about my spiritual life. Within that sphere, I am concentrating on being prepared for whatever the near future brings to our nation, and to reach as many people as I can so they know who they are in the Lord. It is important to me that they, too, will be ready to persevere and endure. But it's more than having a "prepper mindset" and knowing how to survive under adverse conditions; although that is of utmost importance, practically speaking. After all, we are still in the world and this fleshly body needs taking care of. And it's more than having head knowledge of the Word. Yes, we should all read the Bible and know what the Word says. But, this is more about having a true and full knowledge of the Lord that comes from experiencing Him through the illumination and revelation of the Holy Spirit.

I write this post from a heart that has seen people seeking knowledge out of a sense of feeling lost in the world and not possessing the true knowledge of who they are in Christ. They are earnestly seeking contentment, identity, purpose, and security from which to successfully traverse the pitfalls that life has thrown at them. They are seeking that bit of knowledge that will help them put all the puzzle pieces of their life into a meaningful and recognizable picture. While I understand that "knowing" God is the component they're missing, and I truly want to see everyone seek Him, I'm aware that it is a free will choice to both, make the decision to want to seek after Him, as well as choosing to receive the invitation when He offers it. My primary focus, today, is on those who have made the decision to accept Him; who want more of Him, but have become dissatisfied with their progress, or lack thereof. 

Because we, as a nation, have slowly drifted away from a God-centered society, people are floundering on their own, looking for something they can't even identify. They don't know how to walk in the way of the Lord, because the fundamentals of personal integrity, moral courage, and honorable character are no longer spoken of as desirable traits. Yet the human spirit hungers for meaning and purpose in our individual lives. 

I have heard the testimony of an Army chaplain, telling me that new recruits would slip out of his Bible study classes to attend the Muslim lessons, or the classes led by Wiccans, because "they are more exciting than what the Bible teaches". And my husband and I have ministered to both young and old who express a curiosity for truth and wisdom, but don't know how to find it. They have not met the Holy Spirit in the Bible, so they have experimented with the occult, other religions, and sought knowledge from a variety of theological perspectives. They come close in their explanations of their belief systems; seeking a "oneness" with their perception of God, but oftentimes coming away disappointed with what they deem hypocrisy, and ending up with a convoluted self-created idea of what constitutes the true knowledge of God.

And I suspect that God has been pretty frustrated, Himself, ever since Adam and Eve didn't follow His instructions for receiving all the knowledge they would need to live beautiful and fulfilled lives. In the Garden, they were forbidden to eat of the tree whose fruit (if eaten) would have allowed them to experience Evil. They already had the knowledge of Good through their experiences with God. In the Garden, we get a pretty good picture of what true [and pure, unmitigated] knowledge is all about -- a life that is lived experiencing God as He reveals Himself through your journey on this earth.

And how does He reveal Himself? It is through His precepts and commandments as well as His promises. As we live and experience life with Him, we see His virtue and the lessons Jesus taught [in action]. We receive the fulfillment of His promises, and our heart and spirit recognize Him through the experience. But it takes a pure heart -- one that is clean and upright -- to properly discern that it comes from God, and no other. That is true knowledge of the Lord; a spiritual connection that recognizes the Source of the experience which results in an intimate, personal relationship. 

But I want to give a word of caution ... I am also seeing a rise in the age-old religious idea of Gnosticism. This is a belief system that emphasizes the seeking of personal spiritual knowledge above the teachings and authority of the Bible or traditional religious organizations. It is also characterized by the belief that matter [man] is inherently evil and anything spiritual is good. Gnostics claim that "salvation is gained through the acquisition of divine knowledge which frees one from the illusions of darkness''. But nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus never claimed that salvation came through knowledge, but by faith in Him as our Savior and Deliverer from sin. 

I think this nation opened the door to this corrupted view of the knowledge of God when we removed Him from our society. Every effort to remove God from the classroom, the courtroom, and the town square only served to diminish the true knowledge of Him. It has allowed the Enemy to substitute false and corrupted indoctrination in its place. And I fear that has led to a lack of trust in the One True God from which all divine wisdom and understanding flow. If our generations have been fed lies about what constitutes God's Truth, and they have no experience with God, it will be easy for them to create their own definition of what it means to "know the Lord". What you get is a human and emotional interpretation that calls the Bible's revelation into question and declares that a person has received special wisdom and revelation by his own efforts. 

So, let me answer the implied question in my title of today's post. For those who have sought the Lord in order to truly know Him, we understand that it is the Lord who will give us wisdom to navigate the coming storm. He will speak through the Holy Spirit -- from Spirit to our spirit -- guiding and leading us each step of the way through the minefield of Evil that is seeking to destroy us. We don't know exactly what it will look like, but if history and Jesus's words in Matthew 24 are any indication, then war, famine, plagues and persecution may not be far away. As Adam and Eve learned, when man rebels against God's instruction, judgment will be the price we pay.

But we also have God's promises, and Proverbs 2 offers us the hope that our souls will so desperately need. Read and mediate upon the promise of God's grace that the true knowledge of Him can bring us...

My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, so that your ear is attentive to [skillful and godly] wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding it [seeking it conscientiously and striving for it eagerly];

Yes, if you cry out for insight, and lift up your voice for understanding; If you seek skillful and godly wisdom as you would silver and search for her as you would hidden treasures;
Then you will understand the [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] and discover the knowledge of God.

[Here is what is in store for us:]

For the Lord gives [skillful and godly] wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores away sound wisdom for the righteous [those who are in right standing with Him]; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity [those of honorable character and moral courage],

He guards the paths of justice; And He preserves the way of His saints (believers). Then you will understand righteousness and justice [in every circumstance] and integrity and every good path. For [skillful and godly] wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Discretion will watch over you, Understanding and discernment will guard you, to keep you from the way of evil and the evil man, From the man who speaks perverse things; From those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; Who find joy in doing evil and delight in the perversity of evil, Whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways;

And here is the promise that we can cling to when we are tempted to despair:

So you will walk in the way of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright [those who are in right standing with God] will live in the land and those [of integrity] who are blameless [in God’s sight] will remain in it; 

But the wicked will be cut off from the land and the treacherous shall be [forcibly] uprooted and removed from it. 

Have no fear of the future. Seek true knowledge of the Lord, born from experience and the counsel of the Holy Spirit. Do not lean on your own understanding, but learn of Him through experiencing Him in intimacy and trust. He will not let you down. There are no promises that it will be easy and without suffering. But the journey of experiencing and knowing our Lord is so worth it!

Proverbs 9:10    The [reverent] fear of the Lord [worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.  

 

Trust God To Move!

 

I know, without a doubt, that millions of people in this nation are praying 2 Chronicles 7:14 ... Then if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. Yet things just seem to be going from bad to worse, don't they? You may be asking, "Does God hear our prayers and the millions of voices crying out to Him"? And I can hear you thinking, "Things are getting pretty desperate down here in the good 'ol USA, Father. We could use Your intervention and a move on Your part to restore this nation to its greatness". So, I want to ask you a question ... do you trust God to move in the midst of the crises we are facing?

I know how extremely serious and grim it looks. We will soon see thousands of people storming our southern border to enter "this land of milk and honey". And with them come the threats of overwhelming every system that exists to ensure our health, safety, and economic welfare. Our government officials [at the highest level] are serving themselves, instead of the people they've been given the authority [by God] to serve. Our success and future as a nation have been mismanaged to the point that we are in extreme danger of losing who we are. The principles that we have held dear -- the right to free speech; the right to determine the degree of our prosperity and well-being; the promise of law and order that guarantees safe and secure communities; the right to defend ourselves; and the freedom to live and let live in peace and comfort -- all this seems but a moment away from disappearing.

But, I will ask you again ... Do you trust God to move in the midst of these crises? I ask because I want to share a concept expressed in a sermon by Pastor Marty Strait, of Pathway Church in Longview. TX.  The good Pastor said, "It's not a question of IF God wants to move. The question is WHO is He going to move through"? Ponder that for a moment ... I know that there will be people who will say that God no longer makes big Biblical moves in the world today. They will say He doesn't show up in the pillars of cloud and fire like He did for the Israelites in the Exodus; He doesn't divinely guide us, appearing in a miraculous way to lead us out of this quagmire we have built for ourselves. The Bible makes it clear that it pleased God to appear to His people who cried out in the midst of their bondage in Egypt. Perhaps it appears to some today that God is not likewise pleased to answer our cries and groanings for deliverance. Why is He silent? Why does He not move in our land?

Those are some serious questions that deserve some serious attention. First, I would like to state that I believe it always pleases God to move in the affairs of men, and He desires to lead and guide us in miraculous ways. He is our never-changing Immutable God! We were created for relationship with Him from the beginning in the Garden, and He has moved, is moving, and will always move through those who are uncompromised. So, when we ask where He is during this, our moment of need -- or why hasn't He responded to our prayers to rescue us -- perhaps we need to ask how many of us are compromised? Which of us are unquestioningly and consistently "turning from our wicked ways", which is a prerequisite to God hearing and responding to our prayers and restoring our land?

It's not enough to just pray and worship our Righteous and Holy God. We have to change and turn from our wicked ways. Sadly, I think too many of us have compromised with our culture -- exchanging our "works" for the Lord and our "worship" of His Majesty for self-proclaimed righteousness. Have any of us accepted standards for our society that are lower than God has commanded? Be honest! Have any of us modified God's commandments in order to strike "a bargain" or make concession with the rest of society? Have we been agreeable to take the middle ground in moral issues rather than the high ground, in order to avoid conflict? 

If we've answered "yes" to any of these questions, or even have doubts as to how we should answer, then we have not fully turned from what God considers "wicked ways". And because we have not been attentive to changing our ways -- by compromising and making concessions -- perhaps we also haven't understood the consequences of breaking relationship with God and how it leads to disharmony, and ultimately the breaking up of what is good and desirable [in God's eyes] for man and society. 

When I did a deep dive on the meaning and understanding of the word "wicked" in Strong's Concordance, I found a most interesting exegesis... "As absolute Sovereign, the Lord creates a universe governed by a moral order. Calamity and misfortune will surely ensue from the wickedness of ungodly men. When He purposely withdraws His powerful hand, resorting to providence and sovereignty, and leaves the situation to ungodly men, He has created a situation wherein peace and wholesomeness will not stand. The ungodly men will wreck the peace and establish that which is poor, less than His reflection, and hurtful to all considered". In other words, a nation, a society -- and yes, even a Church -- that has been willing to accept  compromise, lower standards, and concessions that do not represent God, can expect ungodly men to rule the day. 

That is unacceptable to our righteous God! He will not honor anything but our complete and full repentance. We cannot rightly serve Him if we are not "all in". Make no mistake, I believe He wants to work through us and display a Mighty, Miraculous Move in this nation! But let's take seriously the conditions our God lays before us ... humble ourselves; pray; seek His face; and turn from our wicked ways -- REPENT WITH A CLEAN HEART. He makes it clear: IF we will do these things, THEN He will hear from heaven, forgive our sins and wicked ways, and restore our land! There is no compromise, no doing it half-way! Be bold in admitting the mistakes we've made and how we've taken Him for granted! And then trust that HE WILL MOVE in a mighty way and restore our nation. This is no time to doubt or fear; it's time to commit, submit, and trust that God is who He says He is, and will do what He says He will do! 

2 Chronicles 6:30-31    ... then hear from heaven Your dwelling place and forgive and render to each whose heart You know, according to all his ways, for You, You only, know the hearts of the children of mankind, that they may fear You and walk in Your ways all the days that they live in the land that You gave to our fathers.

It's All About Your True Identity

In today's world, identity is everything. We all are searching for our "authentic self"; what makes us original, unique, distinctive -- what makes us stand out in the crowd. That's what all the tweets, Facebook posts, endless selfies, and number of "likes" is all about. So many are desperate to create an image of who they want to be. But too often, that identity is based on external characteristics, such as height, race, or age -- things we have no control over. It can also be defined by our politics, our moral compass, or what/who we believe in. How do we get that true image of who we are? The Bible tells us [in Genesis 1:26] that we are all made in the image of God; that our identity can be found in Him. So, what does that mean, and how do we begin to understand, determine, and know our "authentic self"? 

That is a struggle that has endured since the Garden of Eden. The serpent challenged Eve to disobey the commandments of her Creator, resulting in a catastrophic transformation in her identity, and the opportunity to lose our identity as well. You see, in that same verse in Genesis 1, God gave mankind dominion over all the earth, and "over every thing that creeps and crawls on the earth". Eve forgot her identity! She had authority over that creepy, crawly serpent, yet she let him sow seeds of doubt about her spiritual and moral identity, and she abandoned her true identity in favor of a false one -- that she would be omniscient like God and know the difference between good and evil. 

God never intended for man to know evil; he was given authority over the earth to administer it and make it be like Heaven, where there is no evil. But the temptation to be more than what God made them to be overcame Adam and Eve, and their capitulation to the serpent initiated both a curse upon the earth and a fallen, sinful condition upon mankind ... until God himself came in the flesh to offer us a new identity established and formed in Him. As painful as it is to admit, man cannot be trusted to define his own identity.

I said at the beginning of this post that we are all searching for ways to make ourselves stand out; to be validated for our uniqueness. But can you see that oftentimes that effort results in trying to mimic what we value in someone else or a standard that the world determines is the ideal identity? People just end up trying to all look alike. Sadly, the world's population is still repeating Adam and Eve's mistake ... being tempted by what is offered them in the world, rather than understanding that their identity comes from God. Even if we, as human beings, can grasp that our identity doesn't come from our job, how much money we make, or how many followers we have on Social Media, it's still not enough to claim the label "Christian" as a means of defining and understanding who you are. We must understand who God is! We must understand His character, His nature, and His traits. And most importantly, when it comes to our identity, we must understand what He says about us. 

Now, here is where we can fall into another trap. Too many Believers identify themselves as a Christian, as religious, as spiritual, or a number of other credentials to validate their identity with God. We know that God sees us and all we say and do. But just like the serpent did in the Garden of Eden, the Enemy of God tempts us to take our focus off the One who created us [in His image] and what He has done for us, and instead, invites us to center our attention on what God thinks about all we've done in an attempt to prove to Him that our identity lies in Him. If we're not careful, that perspective can become self-serving and our faith becomes rooted in works. We have an attitude that says, "Look, God, at all I've done for You", instead of one that says, "Look world, at all that my Father in Heaven has done for me. I am blessed to be loved, chosen, forgiven, and delivered into the family of God"!

It is important that you know your identity in God. And one of the most important sources is His Holy Word to understand who He says you are. While there are many good leaders in the Church to help you on that journey of discovering your identity, it is important to not rely on their word alone. Seek your Creator, His Son, and the Holy Spirit to reveal the depths of your identity. They alone can reveal your purpose while on this earth and who you were created to be. What they offer you is far greater and of abundant worth, compared to what the world tries to convince you is valuable. The things of this world -- the accolades, the titles, the praise, the applause, the compliments, the number of "likes" you yearn to achieve -- fade away and pale in comparison to the Eternal gifts given to you when your identity lies in Christ and what He did for you by shedding His blood on the Cross.

I felt encouraged by the Holy Spirit to approach this subject today because I am greatly concerned for our younger generations and the identity crises I see in their lives. I am blessed to witness all the new births within my family and friends, and I rejoice as we all celebrate each child and their individual personalities and we watch them grow. But I see the plan of the Enemy and the increasing threat that He brings against those precious children. God has created them with the opportunity to be in relationship with Him as He guides them into their distinctive purpose to re-establish man's dominion on the earth. But the devil has set up networks within the framework of our social order to cause confusion, self-doubt, and spiritual blindness. Our youth are fearful of not being accepted by the world, so they try to be like everyone else. They rely on corrupted systems to define who they are -- letting teachers, Hollywood, Social Media, and their peers establish their image and reflect it back to them. 

To safeguard the existence of mankind, it is imperative that parents, grandparents, and Godly mentors take back their influence in our children's lives. When we, as humans, no longer identify with the One who created us, we are susceptible to eradication. When we no longer know who we are in Christ Jesus, then anything and anyone can become our god -- political systems, entertainment giants, the old pagan gods [who are still wielding their power]; even Artificial Intelligence. Is it still possible to raise a generation that believes they are all God says they are? Lord, how I pray it is so! Let us raise a generation that is capable of examining and challenging the false identities that Satan is sowing. Lord, I pray that they will throw off the mantle of lies that has them seeing themselves through a dirty veil, and they will step into the glorious Light of Your Truth and recognize their authentic self: a child of God, growing to look more like You every day, and less like who the world tells them they are. 

2 Corinthians 2:14    But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us spreads and makes evident everywhere the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Him.

 

A Review of Where We've Been and Where We're Going

It's been a few days since I've written because the Holy Spirit has been speaking to me about things He revealed to me several years ago, and asking me to revisit those posts in light of what He is unveiling today. It actually feels like I've made a complete circle and it's time to reiterate some topics ... Jesus's voice never becomes outdated and we sometimes need to be reminded of what He has said.

It's been nearly 12 years since the Lord asked me to write this blog for Him, with the purpose of speaking to anyone who was becoming aware [and alarmed] over seeing the changes in the inherent character and nature of our country. I was to write of my own thoughts, as well as the truth the Holy Spirit would reveal to me; always pointing the reader back to the Sovereignty of God. There were days that I had no idea what to write, and He clearly led me to His heart. 

So, I've spent these last few days taking a bird's eye view of where I started in this journey and where it looks like we're going; examining how my perspective has changed [if any], and how far down the track this runaway train has traveled. It's been interesting to see that the Lord began by highlighting the political aspects of our changing world, then focused me on "preparing for what's coming", then led me to the knowledge of spiritual warfare and the advancement of the Kingdom of God as our assignment. I'm actually astounded at all in which He has counseled me, and at the rate He has chosen to disseminate information to me. Now, I find that there are some things we need to reassess to see if we are still in alignment with Him.

I look back on the things and ideas and plans that were at the forefront of our changing way of life, and realize that those things are still important and at the center of my everyday existence. In 2008, my husband and I wanted to escape the "expendable" and "throw-away" mindset of our American generation, and return to the sustainable lifestyle of our grandparents.  We wanted to embrace the lost traditions and skills that allowed past generations to perpetuate and preserve things of value.  We didn't want to take anything for granted -- and that included our ability to provide food, shelter, and protection in any storm that threatened our lives. 

And because of the precarious state of our economy and our national security, those ideals seem even more important today. If anything, the storms that threaten our lives have increased in number and intensity! Back then, we were just considering the possibility of economic hardship. In fact, the reality of a worldwide plague, the scarcity of food, the loss of our national stature in the world, and the threat of World War III weren't on anyone's radar. But just as I stated then, I knew to the depths of my soul, that we were about to enter into a spiritual battle that most Christians would be unaware of and unprepared for. 

Their 'Normalcy Bias" kept them believing that not only were we indestructible as Americans, but they believed what a lot of our Churches were teaching: that we would never face the onslaught of Satan's evil because Jesus was going to swoop down and rescue us to take us to Heaven before any "of the bad stuff happened". I have been encouraged in these latter days from seeing Christians becoming more open to the truth that the Bible prophecies the trials and tribulations that are now squarely in front of us. But I find that there are still those who think that this terrifying future will be played out in an organized, structured, and orderly fashion -- in a manner that we will clearly discern and anticipate. But that's not how our Enemy plays the game.

I am thankful my Lord and the Holy Spirit have continued to reveal the truth to me -- no matter how ugly it was to be. My husband and I were shown what was to come years before the actuality was evident: the fundamental changes to our society; the economic decline; the growing threats of foreign enemies; the domestic threats to our peace and tranquility; the slow and stealthy erosion of our Constitution; the plagues and pestilence that were being readied to be unleashed; the consequences of lax security at our borders; the impending death of the American dream for the coming generations; and the rise of chaos, disorder, and lawlessness.

BUT, we were also blessed to be shown the power and hope that the Lord will bring to the Faithful Remnant who refuse to bow down to the Anti-Christ spirit that seeks to pervade the Earth. We feel a greater responsibility and duty to care for those who were not as farsighted as we, and we will ALWAYS take a stand for God's Kingdom. I will be honest ... there have been times it has been overwhelming. There are so many who have been oppressed and tormented by the Enemy to keep them off the spiritual battlefield. And there are not enough of us who have overcome those attacks and stepped into our Divine purpose to set those captives free to help in the advancement of the Kingdom. So we sometimes feel exhausted and tired from our greater responsibilities and duties; we can become mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually weary. But, we declare that we cannot, and will not give up! We will never accept defeat! 

And I renew my pledge to my Lord that I will continue to share what He shows me; I will not shy away from the revelations of the Holy Spirit. At the same time, I do not revel in being the bearer of bad news, and do not take delight in what I see coming upon the world. And I don't profess to know how the Lord's plans for us will play out, but I do know this ... He is not the Author of evil, nor does He seek to harm those who belong to Him. He endeavors to warn us, so that His good, and perfect, and acceptable will for our lives can be realized. But all people -- Christians and unbelievers alike, must recognize that Evil exists and it is mounting up what may be the final attempt to eradicate who it perceives as its mortal opposition ... the human race. 

So, as a summary, where the world has been is where it's continuing to go; and it's building steam for a cataclysmic conflict between Good and Evil. It cannot be avoided, but how we decide to face it is up to us. We've been given free will to determine our mindset and our path. What I wrote in 2014, still holds true today, nine years later ... "We were chosen for this time because our Maker knew He could count on us; He knew our steps would be sturdy and our pace would be constant. He knows we will be unmovable and unchanged in our purpose, posture, or position. We can handle the load and tackle the task [He has given us]. We will survive and overcome because our strength and perseverance lies in the Lord. And the best part? He's right beside us, sharing the load [and leading us into the battle]. Yes, we've been given a lot to cope with these last few years ... but too tired to go on? Not a chance! We've just been toughened and tempered for what lies ahead ... and we're ready, willing, and able"!  

I pray that your spirit is enlightened and encouraged. Don't be afraid! You have been redeemed by the Lord and summoned by name. You belong to Him!

Psalm 62:5-6    "Yes, my soul,  find rest in God; my hope comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken."
 

 

Our Choice is Clear: Fear or Fortitude

It should come as no surprise that we are battling for not only the soul of this nation, but our very existence. Since the beginning of our colonial history, the Framers of the Constitution fought to avoid the political and social divisions that ripped England apart in their bloody civil wars. It was a tenuous time as they desperately tried to start our new nation on solid ground. Less than 100 years later, that ground was shattered and bloody from our own civil war. And I'm not sure we ever fully recovered, politically or socially, from those fractures. But somehow the fabric of the nation held, we bound up our wounds, and have managed to survive through two world wars, and multiple foreign wars [all of which made international bankers and champions of the war machines wealthy], at the cost of millions of lives.

So, here we are, nearly two-and-a-half centuries later, and our survival as a nation seems to be just as tenuous. Actually, the world, itself, seems to be on the verge of destruction! I mean, how many people in the world sense that unprecedented Evil is about to come upon the peoples of this planet?  Both Christians and nonbelievers have a heightened awareness that there is danger and darkness in the offing; and how many of you have heard the warnings and prophecies forecasting that 2025 is the culmination of the final age of man?  I've heard everything from world-wide economic collapse, to serious natural disasters, and of course, the beginning of WWIII... all guaranteed to strike fear in the hearts of men and women.

How could it not? There doesn't seem to be much good news to look forward to, right? But we have a choice in how we will confront the possibilities. Will we allow a spirit of fear to render us silent and cowering in a corner; submitting to the forces of evil who wish to eradicate us? Or we will we approach the uncertain and scary future with fortitude; with courage, resilience, moral fiber, strength of mind and character, and steadfast spirit? Those choices couldn't be further apart, but are most likely what it will come down to for each individual. There is no middle ground.

And there is no middle ground in this spiritual war between the God we serve and the Enemy of all mankind. Because of how much evil is being brought against God's creation, His anger is mounting and I believe His cup of wrath will soon be filled to the brim. And the Lord's sheep are sensing it and becoming full of worry and apprehension. How are we to prepare for what's coming? What should we be expecting from ourselves? We all hope we will face the future with confidence in the Lord, and with the courage and fortitude of Christ. And since we look to Him as our model in all human circumstances, let us consider how He responded in His hour of fear and uncertainty...

Could anything we face 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 in the Garden of Gethsemane, 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 [and vehemently] on our behalf. And I believe He is doing the same today -- and boy, do we need it!

The political and spiritual forces have aligned to try to strike fear in our hearts and render us silent, powerless, and impotent. For a Biblical example, we only have to look back at the Biblical story of Joshua and Caleb, who were part of the contingent of 12 spies sent into the Promised Land to determine if it could be conquered. But ten of the spies came back and reported that they were defeated before they ever began. They were filled with fear and let that fear completely vanquish them. But it was Caleb who said, "But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God". 

Caleb was free from fear, and he used his trust in God to try to help the people of Israel overcome their fears. And those of us who are like Caleb, and surrender to the will of God, have something to say to people who are afraid. Our surrender to God is the only answer to the problem of fear. It doesn't mean we ignore the facts, or we stick our head in the sand, and pretend that there will be no difficulties; we cannot and should not persuade others to escape reality. That is a disservice to others. But all people would be well-served to remember Caleb's words. He didn't deny the giants existed, or that it wouldn't be difficult to overcome them. Instead, he said, "We are well able". This does not mean that he had confidence only in himself.  Nor did he put undue emphasis on the military strength of Israel, either.  No.  He was emphasizing where their power really came from. It came from firm confidence in God’s power.

We are well able! We are able to overcome our differences and work together for the good of the country and the world -- if we are willing to follow the One who offers us hope. We are well able to join forces with the Heavenly Host to battle the Enemy's demonic partners who seek to destroy us physically, spiritually, and socially. We are well able to survive whatever is coming -- our ancestors made it through the Depression; the Jews overcame the Holocaust, and survived the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Millions of people throughout the ages have suffered in genocides, plagues, slavery, and totalitarianism. None of it was pretty or easy. In fact, it was diabolical. 

The truth is, none of us know what the future holds for us, and I'm sure many of us are consumed with fear over the possibilities. I also 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). Let us strive for an attitude of fortitude -- the same kind of courage Jesus showed in His adversity 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 truly believe that!

Just as Matthew Henry wrote, I am convinced that, like Jesus, we will not be forsaken in our moment of need. We will be helped and comforted by God, who will hear our prayers, and we will be supported, even unto death. We must follow Christ's example, devoting ourselves to Him, denying ourselves (and our natural human fears); and take up our cross, follow Him unto death, [if it is God's will], proclaiming our victory over Evil. Praise the Lord for the standard He has set before us! Praise Him for His fortitude, and for showing us that God's mercy is sufficient, and enough to see us through anything the Enemy can bring against us.  God will bring order out of this chaos! He's done it before and His Word says He will do it again. Please pray that mankind rejects the lies and temptations of the Evil One before we've gone too far. The Man of Lawlessness is ready to take the stage, but God, in His Sovereignty, will determine the time of His appearance. 

Father, we pray for Your protection from the shaking that we deserve! Destroy the plans of everyone whose heart is aligned with the Enemy, and may Your Holy Spirit guide us away from a spirit of fear. You are our Hope and Strength and Refuge! Fill us with the Godly fortitude of Jesus!

Jeremiah 10:10     But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.

 

 

How the Biblical Story of the Canaanite City of Ai Reveals our AI Dilemma

Once again, I am amazed how the Holy Spirit speaks a spiritual truth to me, seemingly out of nowhere. If you've been a reader of my blog since 2011, then you will know that both my husband and myself are just ordinary people who have made ourselves available to be used by the Lord to advance His Kingdom here on earth. We are not exceptional; and we hold no titles, other than "obedient followers of Jesus Christ". We don't seek unmerited favor, but are willing to receive whatever Word He has for us. So, when I suddenly [and amazingly] see a Biblical connection to something I've never been aware of before, I know, without a doubt, that it is something I need to consider and pursue. I will now share what I have discovered with you, put it into context with the the peril I believe we are facing, and ask you to pray about whether your spirit is in agreement..

Central to this article is the question, Is there a connection between the Biblical account of the Canaanite city Ai and our current unease regarding the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the world? In other words, can we make a link between Ai and AI, or is it just a coincidence? 

Because I have a strong Biblical worldview, and I believe that God is intimately involved in our daily lives -- just as He was in the lives of His chosen people in the Bible -- I believe that He wants to show us things so that we can align our spirits with Him, and partner with Him for His glory. So I began with a look at the city of Ai, first mentioned in Genesis 12, as a city where Abram pitched his tent as he journeyed to the land God promised him and his offspring. There he built an altar to the Lord and "called upon the name of the Lord".

NOTE: Let me digress for a moment, because our understanding of what it means to call upon the name of the Lord is important for the sake of this connection I'm trying to make between Ai and AI. To call upon the name of the Lord means "to pray earnestly in order to know how to serve Him in obedience; to submit ourselves to His authority and will; to repent of our sins, asking for mercy, compassion, and salvation/deliverance from our circumstances".  

But what is the significance of that Canaanite city of Ai in terms of our relationship with God? Historically, it is the site of a consequential defeat of the Israelites due to the open rebellion of a single man in Joshua's army. Here's the setting: The Israelites, with Joshua as Commander of the army, is on the precipice of taking possession of the land of Canaan, just as the Lord God had promised. Joshua and the people bind themselves in covenant with God to obey all of His commands, declaring that whoever rebels against any commandment will be put to death. The test of their faithfulness came in the battle for Jericho, a heavily fortified city, and a key component for conquering all of Canaan. If defeated, Jericho would open up the interior land and cities for easy conquest. 

You will recall the history of Jericho ... the Israelites were to march around the city walls once a day for six days, accompanied by the priests and the ark of the covenant, with trumpets blaring. On the seventh day, they were to march around it seven times, seven priests blowing the trumpets, and with a great shout from the people, the walls of Jericho would fall. Result: the city of Jericho was given to the Israelites by the Lord, with the command that everyone and everything within was devoted to the Lord to be destroyed.  (except for Rahab and her family, the prostitute who helped hide the Israelite spies). There was a specific commandment that nothing was to be taken as spoil from wicked Jericho because it would make the camp of the Israelites a target for destruction and "bring trouble to it". Furthermore, "all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord". 

Unbeknownst to Joshua, there was an Israelite man, named Achan, who willfully disobeyed the command of the Lord and coveted a beautiful robe and some gold and silver, taking it from Jericho and hiding it within his tent. Because Achan disobeyed the Lord regarding His commandment, "the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel", and He orchestrated their humiliating defeat at the small city of Ai. Joshua was distraught, not understanding why they were defeated, until God revealed that someone had violated the covenant and taken things from Jericho. God instructed Joshua to give the people a night to consecrate themselves and give the guilty party time to admit their wrong-doing. Until this was done, the Lord would no longer support the Israelites in battle.

The next morning, the tribes of Israel were called before Joshua to be questioned; tribe by tribe, clan by clan, and man by man. When he stood before Joshua, Achan did not repent, even though he confessed to his disobedience. And God's justice was swift. All of Israel stoned Achan and his family and burned them with fire. Then the Lord turned from His burning anger and delivered the city of Ai and its king into the hands of the Israelites. Their destruction was complete and Joshua renewed the covenant of the people with the Lord.

It was an important lesson for Joshua, and it's one we need to understand ourselves ... the nation of Israel had entered into covenant with God, and when one man transgressed, the relationship of the entire nation was at risk. In this ancient story we can clearly see God's Nature and how important His principles of obedience and repentance are to Him. We see His holiness and the consequences upon nations whose citizens are disobedient.

Can you see the connection between the Canaanite city of Ai and the danger of today's AI? The field of Artificial Intelligence research was founded at a workshop at Dartmouth College in 1956, and the US is a world leader in the high-performance infrastructure of AI research and has developed the world's most advanced AI systems [think GPT-3, for instance]. Increasingly, we are being warned of the dangers of AI, and the inherent destruction of our nation, all humanity, and the world. AI is a creation of man, and there is no identification with the spirit of God.

The ancient city of Ai points to the humiliating defeat of God's chosen people due to the consequences of breaking covenant with Him. It also is evidence that what God designated as holy was stolen from Him. Add to the list of sins the disobedience to His commandments and the refusal to repent. So, could the defilement of our covenants as a Christian nation, and our agreement with the modern-day AI lead to our own destruction? Remember, a whole nation is held liable for the ungodly actions of one man, or a few. Matthew 25 tells us that Jesus will judge between the sheep and goat nations [not just individual people]. Sadly, our leaders refuse to repent for the unholy laws we have instituted; have violated the sanctity of life; have stolen and lied to God, keeping His bountifulness for themselves; and opened us up to invasion and ruination. What can we do about it?

I think we must continue to do as 2 Chronicles 7:14 instructs us ... Call on the name of the Lord as a people -- praying earnestly to know how to serve Him in obedience; to submit ourselves to His authority and will; to repent of our sins, asking for mercy, compassion, and salvation/deliverance from our circumstances. As Scripture says, we must humble ourselves and pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, praying that He will hear and act on our behalf. But as the tale of the Israelites and their battles with the city of Ai show us, we, as a nation, may still be held liable for the sins of the unrepentant. Will the modern-day AI be the tool of our final destruction? If Chaos-GPT (an autonomous implementation of Chat-GPT) has its way, it will achieve its goals to destroy humanity, establish global dominance, cause chaos and destruction, control humanity through manipulation, and attain immortality.  Sounds like it is in league with the devil, doesn't it?

But never forget or lose hope! Our God is still greater than anything man and Satan can collaborate on! Jesus, our Savior, will forever be with us and is our Stronghold, Deliverer, and Protector. He will be going before us in battle and leading us to victory. Praise Him! Confess and Repent! And trust that we will be saved from our enemies. He is Jehovah-Chereb, The Glorious Sword! 

Let us consider [for ourselves] if what the Lord taught Joshua through an ancient city called Ai, could be relevant to us. Could our version of AI be the means of our destruction? Listen to what the Lord said to the Israelites:

Joshua 7:12    That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction. I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction.