One Is Not Like The Other

     I have been wanting to comment on this topic for the last few days, but honestly, did not feel that I could speak on behalf of Black Americans because I felt it would be presumptuous of me to say that I could identify with their objections.  So, I was happy to hear that the president of the Coalition of African-American Pastors (CAAP) say that it is "a gross insult" to suggest that "gender-confused" individuals are being discriminated against in much the same way that Black Americans have been discriminated against in the United States.  In fact,  The Reverend Bill Owens suggested that the homosexual and transgender community is attempting to co-opt the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and all those who "faced fire hoses and hatred"  in their very real struggle for equal and civil rights.

     Now, that Rev. Owens has spoken out, I can take a position of whole-heartedly agreeing with him. To compare a difference in skin color (and the suffering and injustice that was perpetuated against Black Americans) to a difference in sexual behavior and anatomy (that has resulted in which bathroom transgenders can use) is obviously dissimilar and ill-matched.
     It is simply untrue that a person who is confused about their sexual identity has suffered the same injustices or lack of rights that Black Americans have.  As far as I know, transgender Americans have never been horribly enslaved, endured forced separation of families, or been denied the ability to drink out of a water fountain, eat at a lunch counter, or attend the school of their choice.  Sadly, it took this nation until the 1950s and 60s to begin to right these wrongs.  To give a quick summary, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned segregation in schools, at work, and in public places. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 guaranteed citizens of all races and ethnic backgrounds the right to vote.
     And now, the LGBT community wishes to equate their struggle with the Black community and suggests the idea that "Transgender is the new Black."  The current Administration is backing that idea by supporting HR 3185, which is legislation that would amend the Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.  In fact, Attorney General Loretta Lynch argues that “gender identity is innate,” in the same way that skin color is innate.
     How is it, then, that the American Psychological Association (which generally supports transgenderism) says, "Sex is assigned at birth, [and] refers to one’s biological status as either male or female, and is associated primarily with physical attributes such as chromosomes, hormone prevalence, and external and internal anatomy. Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for boys and men or girls and women. These influence the ways that people act, interact, and feel about themselves. While aspects of biological sex are similar across different cultures, aspects of gender may differ."
     In other words, "sex" and "race" appear to be equivalent, since both are assigned at birth; while "sex" and "gender" are not the same, since aspects of gender can be different, depending on roles that are "constructed" or developed.  Therefore, for the government to tell us that the amendment to the Civil Rights Act insinuates that gender identity is equal to a person's sex (or the color of their skin) is flawed logic.
     Now let's carry the erroneous legal argument one step further.  The Civil Rights Act was intended to stop separation of the races on a moral and rational level.  Likewise, separate bathrooms for men and women is a moral and rational idea, but separate bathrooms for blacks and whites is not. … A black man’s nature and physiology is not different from that of a white man, an Asian man, or an Hispanic man. The same is not true of sex differences.  Males and females are inherently different from one another. Their physiology is different and their body parts function differently.  For thousands of years, those differences have been respected in performing the most private of bodily tasks.
     Now, to try to equate bathroom privileges to blatant discrimination against the Black race is not only demeaning and dishonoring the struggle of Black Americans, but an obvious attempt to hijack Black history in order to give a false interpretation of the transgender issue.  As Reverend Owens stated, “Transgendered persons are not asking for equal rights—they are asking for special rights that violate the privacy of women and simple common sense.”  I agree!  Let's not exaggerate and make their agenda something it's not.   And you need to know that this amendment to the Civil Rights Act is not the only legislation being expropriated.  Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is also being upheld as legislation that applies to the transgender issue.  It is a comprehensive federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity.
     As the National Review reported on Friday, "This morning the Department of Justice and Department of Education released a joint statement of extraordinary breadth and scope. Under the guise of offering “guidance,” the Obama administration put every single public and private educational institution receiving federal funds on notice that it intends to interpret and enforce Title IX — a statute, written in 1972, that by its explicit terms only prohibits sex discrimination — as also prohibiting discrimination on the basis of “gender identity, including discrimination based on a student’s transgender status.” If a boy claims he is a girl, then, according to the Obama administration, he is a girl and must be treated as such by the educational institution."  In other words, if an individual wishes to embrace a different sexual identity, then the federal government is going to try to coerce everyone else to embrace their choice, too, and our daughter''s school locker rooms, showers, and bathrooms will no longer be "for women only".
     You can see where all this is leading. Any attempt to maintain traditional distinctions between the sexes is being declared illegitimate, bigoted, and illegal by our culture, our society, and now our government.  And this radical opinion is being sold by hijacking the injustices done to Black citizens.  Bigotry was a huge aspect of the Civil Rights movement and it was right to declare it illegal, based on race.  But to equate the transgender bathroom debate on par with the struggle for racial equality is contrived, unconvincing, and insulting to every Black American.
     I have sympathy for those who are confused about their sexual identity, I really do.  I can't imagine what it must be like to not know how God sees you, or how He made you, and to be led by false messages meant to confuse you, confound you, and lead you astray.  But to equate the fraudulent transgender argument with the immoral practice of slavery and discrimination is both disgraceful and offensive.  It's just another sign of how far the Enemy will go to spread his lies and deception.

Luke 16:15    And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God."



   

Acts 4:12

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.

     Although this is an oft-quoted verse from the Bible, I wonder how many people truly comprehend the significance and consequences involved in believing this passage.  Peter and John certainly did, when they were hauled before the Sanhedrin, and Peter spoke these words so boldly.  

     Since the day that the Holy Spirit had descended upon them on the feast day of Pentecost, they had been preaching and teaching to the people gathered in Jerusalem for the Lord's Feasts.  At this particular time, they had been arrested for healing the lame man at the Temple gate, and declaring that they had done so in the name of Jesus.  Furthermore, they taught that Jesus was the Messiah, whom God spoke about through the mouths of His holy prophets.  They contended that God raised up Jesus, His Servant, and sent Him to bless the people by turning each of them from their evil ways.

     We must remember that the Sadducees denied a resurrection, and didn't believe in an after-life, so this was blasphemy to their ears!  So, to preach that salvation came through a man the disciples claimed was raised from the dead could not be tolerated.  They must be stopped from preaching and inciting the people to believe in this Name.

     But notice that Peter didn't merely proclaim Jesus as a way of salvation, but as the only way of salvation.  The Jewish leadership could not accept the idea that there is no salvation in any other, and that there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved; yet Peter could not have stated it any plainer.  That statement enraged them.  And you know what?  The world still cannot accept that truth and hates that claim.  There is a rising swell of voices that protest that Jesus is the only way to heaven, and even some of our own church leaders deny the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ as the only Savior.  

     I guess it's the same old game plan that Satan has used since the Garden of Eden:  Isn't there some way that I can save myself?  Isn't Jesus just for those ones who can't save themselves?  The people of the world simply can't fathom what Peter was teaching that day ... Jesus is the only One who can rescue you from eternal peril, and you must be saved by His Name, alone.  That means that each and every person must make a personal decision to accept Him as their personal Savior -- no one else, or no other god, can do it for you; only belief in Him brings salvation.  

    But the world, who doesn't want to believe in Him, counters with, "What about the infant who dies? What about the person who has never heard about Jesus?"  I believe that our answer to that should be, "God will deal with them fairly and justly, and those who are saved will be rescued by the work of Jesus done [on the Cross] on their behalf, even if they lacked a full knowledge of Him." That is up to God to decide in His Sovereignty.  

     My concern is for those people who have heard the Word of Salvation preached, and who have been told that "there is no other name under heaven given to people" ... and still reject Him.  That concern extends to anyone who wishes to believe that all will be saved, or that there are many roads to heaven, or that one can take the best of all faiths and blend them into one, or that Jesus is just one among many who can punch your ticket to heaven.  All these paths are being preached today, and I daresay that those who adhere to them do not foresee the consequences of their foolish opinions.  

     But nothing has changed since Peter quoted the words of our Savior through the mouth of King David in Psalm 2 ... the nations rage and the people plot futile [fruitless] things.  The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers assemble together against God and His Servant, Jesus Christ, the Anointed One.  We, who know Him and the power of His Name, must be as bold as Peter.  We must pray the prayer that He spoke during this time of harassment and intimidation against him:  "And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your message with complete boldness, while You stretch out Your hand for healing, signs, and wonders to be performed through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus” (Acts 4:29-30).  And may we be as blessed as Peter and the other disciples were, when the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God's message with boldness.  There is no other Name that brings salvation! 

It's Time For ALL Of Us To Wake ALL The Way Up!

     I would venture to say that more people are becoming aware of the real substance of our lives every day.  To begin, it's not hard for us to see that we're being lied to.  I mean, novelists and clever marketers are hired to "create" the narrative of our foreign policy, and it is sold to the American public in 140-or-less characters on Twitter, and that becomes the story.
     Forget that in days gone by, veteran reporters would dig for the truth, and politicians couldn't escape authentic journalistic scrutiny.  Now, what is dispensed as "on the record", has been carefully crafted and pre-packaged with "talking points" that will not be denied, and everyone with a computer "reports" them as truth.  The digital age is a willing and convenient accomplice to such deception.
     At the same time, digital technology has allowed us to see behind the curtain, so to speak, and if we are discerning, we can tell that Iran is thumbing their nose at us, and the Iran "Deal" is a sham.  It's also obvious to us, when our family members and friends have been laid off, and companies are closing their doors and moving to Mexico, that the positive job numbers we're being sold are false.  Also, how many people are beginning to seriously question the effectiveness of vaccines; the very real existence of chemtrails and what they are doing to our health; and the legitimacy of our election process?  The availability of the internet has allowed us to do our own research and not rely on the media or "experts" to tell us what they want us to know.

     While I think it is a good thing that Americans are starting to think for themselves, there is still a majority, I fear, that are victims of their own normalcy bias (of which I wrote about here in 2012).  And of those who are starting to awaken, it is my opinion that they are still just dealing in surface levels of the truth.   If we are going to survive this forced transformation of our world, then we have to quickly move beyond these first stages of perceiving the truth, and step out in boldness to see "the big picture".
     I will admit that it's hard to face those dark truths.  It's hard to admit that there is collusion between those whom we've elected to represent us and the medical/insurance conglomerates who profit off our illnesses and diseases.  It's difficult to accept that the food industry sells us unhealthy food products.  And it is especially unfathomable that the military/industrial complex could initiate wars and global conflicts in order to profit from the inherent destruction and subsequent rebuilding.  Those are all sinful and evil practices.
     But sometimes that's as far as people are able to go in their awakening process.  To go further means to contemplate a truly frightening world in which human beings are under the influence of dark forces, and we must admit that our limited human capabilities are unable to defend against them.  Far too many people are willing to remain in a state of ignorance, rather than go there.  If they just don't look at the evil, they tell themselves, then perhaps it doesn't really exist.  I'm afraid I'm one of those who, once awakened, doesn't want to go back to sleep.  Once I've seen the curtain pulled back, then I know that in order to survive the forces I see coming against us, I must know the Truth, and all of it... not just enough to try to secure my safety and that of my loved ones; but know the depth of the Truth so I can be victorious against the threat of Evil!
     That's why people like me can look beyond the corrupt policies of the medical/insurance industries and Big Food conglomerates and see the next layer of Truth ... that's why, as reported on the website, NaturalNews.com, "we begin to understand why glyphosate herbicide is sprayed on wheat crops (that aren't even GMO) to promote cancer and infertility. [We] come to realize why vaccines in Africa are covertly laced with sterilization chemicals and why high-level virologists openly talk about wanting to genetically engineer viruses that would wipe out humanity."
     That's when we start reading between the lines of speeches by Bill Gates, in which he says, "If we do a really great job on new vaccines, health care, reproductive health services, we could lower [global population] by perhaps 10 or 15 percent."  Suddenly, all the experimentation with Ebola, Bird Flu and biological weapons makes sense, doesn't it?  And why do you think we are suddenly hearing so much about replacing physical workers with robots?  We're constantly being told that the world's food supply is shrinking.  Do you think there's any suggestion that less food equals less people (due to starvation); and a less-populated planet relieves global warming and pollution?  After all, robots don't have to be fed, right?

     So, if you're able to go that far, why not go all the way?  Why not peel back the surface layers and see into the supernatural realm, where all the things we see in this world (the wars, the pharmaceuticals, the transhumanist/robot agenda, etc) are, in reality, the manifestation of the spiritual war between Good and Evil.  If you can begin to see that all the "good" and "bad" things happening in our society and culture are a part of this spiritual war, then perhaps you can begin to see what it is going to take to defeat the forces of our enemy.
     It is time to see that we are living at the beginning of a dark period in which all the forces of Evil are joining together for a final assault, in order to defeat Good (and God) forever.  As difficult as it might be for my fellow Americans (and even my fellow Christians!) to believe, it is imperative that we understand what is going on.  At the highest levels of national and global institutions are people who are being influenced by dark, demonic forces to ultimately destroy this world.  It is as old as the creation of this earth, itself.
     Those of us who believe in YHWH serve a Lord who promises us eternal life and rewards in His coming kingdom.  But we need to understand that those who harvest organs from aborted fetuses and partially-born babies, or those that allow the children of Flint, Michigan to drink poisonous water for almost a year without telling them, also serve a lord that has promised them rewards in this life. We cannot continue to look at these acts as misguided attempts by ignorant or misinformed people.  They have given their souls (their minds, their emotions, and their wills) over to a force intent on ruling (and plunging) this world into darkness.
     It is time to fully awaken to this reality, and to fully engage in the war to defeat this darkness.  If you know Jesus, then ask Him to equip you for the battle, because I promise you, it is coming in our lifetimes.  It's already here!  We have just been slow in acknowledging it.  And if you don't know my Lord and Savior, Jesus, then please don't waste another minute without asking Him to reveal Himself to you.  He is the only way for you to win the battle each and every person will be forced to face.  Take just a moment and step back and look -- really see -- the world and what is happening in it.  Can you deny that humanity is under attack?  I urge you to please shake off your lethargy and come awake!  Join me in the freedom that comes from knowing the Truth and clearly seeing the Enemy we face; and I promise you, with that comes peace and courage and ultimate victory!

Romans 2:6-8   "He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, He will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury."

What's On My Mind Today ....

   

     I told my husband this morning that it is getting more and more difficult to breathe new life into tired old topics.  I am not inspired, in the least, by our political prospects.  And, to be honest, I don't know what to think of our impending Presidential choices.  Party platforms don't amount to a hill of beans, and it's hard to tell what the Puppet Master has in mind.  Frankly, it's become quite boring and wearisome.
     The immigrant issue (both national and global) continues to be polarizing -- Can we get an honest assessment?  I know there is no easy answer, and our nation has prospered because we have benefitted from past generations of immigrants.  And I welcome those from foreign lands who want to better themselves by becoming part of America.  But, really ... Don't we have to be concerned that we might be importing terrorists to our shores?  Is anybody minding the store?
     And our educational system -- from kindergarten through our universities -- is becoming more and more about propaganda and distorting history than it is about teaching our kids how to think for themselves and stand on their own two feet.  An education used to be considered a privilege, in the sense that it was a rare opportunity to better yourself and gain valuable knowledge that would benefit your community.  You worked hard for that privilege and acknowledged the sacrifices made by your family to give you that opportunity.  As we move further towards Socialism, education is now considered "a right", and you are owed it, at no expense of your own.  I guess I'm just old-fashioned, but I worked to pay for my college education, and at the end of that hard-fought four years, I felt I had "earned" something.  I never took it for granted, and maybe that's the difference.
     Then there is my outright bewilderment and concern over the "rights" of transgenders to use the public restroom of their choice.  Add to that the U. S. Department of Justice's ridiculous argument that North Carolina's House Bill 2 (which is a law aimed to protect the general public from sexual predators in bathrooms) is in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. How have we come this far, so fast, in the culture wars, that the government can force us to share a restroom with someone we can't sexually identify with?  And does anyone else foresee the possibility that forcing little girls, teenage girls, and grown women to share a restroom with anyone who claims to "identify" as a female will result in a pedophile's playground?  What has happened to common sense and decency?
     And lest you think that I am exaggerating about where all this could lead, let me tell you a quick story about Richard Hernandez, a male-to-female transgender woman who prefers the pronoun “it”, and says it believes it was born not only the wrong sex, but also the wrong species, and has been undergoing human-to-dragon transition procedures to fix the problem.  You read that correctly ... “Eva Tiamat Baphomet Medusa,” has already had a whole slew of transformative work done: Tooth extraction, eye coloring, horn implants, ear removal (!), nose modification and a procedure to give it a forked tongue.  And that's not all ... it has also gotten tattoos and scarification on its face and chest to make it look like it has scales instead of human skin.  Don't believe me?  Just click here to see how far down the road towards perverseness this world is willing to go.  (All you have to do is consider the names it has given itself to see who is behind this transformation).
     All we need now is for the San Andreas or New Madrid Fault to rupture, or the volcanoes under Yellowstone Park to activate, and we can complete this picture of confusion and chaos.  How do folks who don't have the hope of Jesus deal with all this?  I guess they just don't see beyond the immediate objective or cause that affects them personally.  Whether it be immigration rights, LGBT rights, women's rights, minority rights, or where the next handout is coming from, for more and more of my fellow citizens, it comes down to "what's in it for me?"
     I must admit that I am glad I am part of the Baby Boomer generation.  I have seen the best of America and enjoyed the benefits of some of the greatest inventions in the world.  But I am old enough, and have seen enough, to discern that the future is taking us to places I don't want to go.  I will tell you that I am deeply concerned about my nieces and nephews, who will have to navigate a society in which their freedoms will be curtailed and their faith will be persecuted.  Fortunately, my godly husband and I still have some time to offer to them our knowledge and our experiences and the blessings of our relationship with the Lord. I want them to know the real history of their country, and that their individual freedoms are a treasured legacy of those who fought and died for them.  I want them to always think for themselves, and never submit to "the collective".  I want them to know there are absolutes when it comes to morality and justice; and mercy, honesty, and integrity are worthy character traits.  And most of all, I want them to know that faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior is the most important thing to assure a peaceful and prosperous life.
     I know this post has been a random hodgepodge of thoughts, but that's simply where I am today.  It has been a day of quiet contemplation and rumination on what I see before me.  While it may seem as if my thoughts have trended towards the negative side, never doubt that I know what my eternal future holds.  My spirit keeps focused on that, but my flesh cannot ignore the turmoil in this world.  I will remain steadfast in my outlook, committed to my purpose, and joyful at being in the presence of my loved ones.  After all, I'm one more day closer to Paradise!

John 16:33    "I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

Even Mother's Day Has Become Politicized!

     Have you ever wondered why every important (and sometimes trivial or insignificant) topic in our national discourse becomes a matter for political debate?  How is it that our society has suddenly become obsessed with politicizing everything?  For the sake of our discussion, can we agree that by "politicizing" something we mean that we either attack or cast doubt on inappropriate facts ... or assign invalid evidence ... in order to achieve the targeted outcome for a specific agenda?
     A little less complicated way of saying it is that instead of discussing an issue independent of political opinions, or based on its own merit, we tend to tie that issue's significance to an ideological viewpoint.  And in order to win people to our side of the issue, it has become a kind of game of total warfare in which the other side must be obliterated.  Take something as benign as Mother's Day, for instance.
     You might be interested to know that History.com reports that celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced all the way back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele.  But the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.” Once a major tradition in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, this celebration fell on the fourth Sunday in Lent and was originally seen as a time when the faithful would return to their “mother church”—the main church in the vicinity of their home—for a special service.
     As you can see, that tradition has evolved into a more secular observance here in America where children present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation for the sacrifices they made to care for those children.  Mother's Day became an official national holiday in America in 1914.  So how could this seemingly harmless holiday become politicized, you might ask.  After all, we all have mother's, right?  And how can we disagree over a day set aside to celebrate someone as identifiable as, well ... mothers?!
     Over 100 years ago,  Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 8, 1914 (38 Stat. 770), and designated the second Sunday in May each year as "Mother's Day".  Congress also requested the President to call for its appropriate observance.  Every year since then, each President has made an official "declaration" of the day.  If you want to see politicization in action, simply note the gradual change of tone and substance in the last few Presidential proclamations on Mother's Day, as noted in a World Net Daily article: 

     2014:  "For over a century, Americans have come together to celebrate our first friends and mentors, our inspirations and constant sources of strength. Our mothers are breadwinners, community leaders, and pillars of family. They pioneer scientific discoveries, serve with valor in our Armed Forces, and represent our Nation in the loftiest halls of Government. Whether biological, adoptive, or foster, they play a singular role in our lives. Because they so often put everything above themselves, on Mother's Day, we put our moms first...".
     2015:  "Each May, Americans dedicate a day to honor the remarkable women who strive and sacrifice all year to ensure ours is a Nation where all things are possible. Whether married or single, LGBT or straight, biological, adoptive, or foster, mothers are the bedrocks of our lives and the foundation of our society...".
     2016:  "On Mother’s Day, we celebrate those who are first to welcome us into the world.  Performing the most important work there is, mothers – biological, foster, or adoptive – are our first role models and earliest motivators. They balance enormous responsibilities and shape who we become as adults, their lessons guiding us through life... Regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status, mothers have always moved our nation forward and remained steadfast in their pursuit of a better and brighter future for their children...".
     Whoa, wait a minute!  I can definitely see the move towards our cultural acceptance of LGBT families in 2015, but did you catch the reference to gender identity in 2016?  Rather, did you catch the implication that regardless of gender identity, anyone can be identified as a mother?  Even the liberal-leaning dictionary app on my Mac computer identifies "mother" as "a woman in relation to a child or children to whom she has given birth."  And I even have to disagree with that definition.  I do not believe that you have to give birth to a child to be that child's mother.  To be a mother is a function of the God-given character traits of a woman; a genetically-determined characteristic to nurture and train a child.  I'm sorry, but because a man wishes to "identify" as a woman, does not make him a mother.  I know that may sound like a ridiculous proposition to you, but I promise you that it is a very real consideration to those who subscribe to the transgender movement.  And if you re-read the politicized Presidential proclamation you will find that as outlandish as my statement might sound, that is exactly what is being asserted ... that a man may self-identify as a mother.
     As you can see, those who have cultural or political agendas they wish to force on the populace will take every opportunity to make an argument personal, and present the opposite side as cold-hearted and unbending.  "By any means necessary" is the motto of those who wish to push everything from alternative sexual lifestyles to climate change to redistribution of wealth.  All's fair in love and war, after all -- and politics isn't about love.  Politics is a game, and you must play to win, and not give a damn how you achieve the victory.  Attack your opponent, and make it personal; cast doubt on the opposition's belief system; and connect the dots to your agenda and the desired outcome.  That's politicization in a nutshell, and Mother's Day just became the latest victim.

Titus 1:7-9   "For an overseer, as God’s administrator, must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not addicted to wine, not a bully, not greedy for money, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it." 


     

Deuteronomy 33:29

Happy and blessed are you, O Israel;

Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord,

The Shield of your help,

And the Sword of your majesty!

Your enemies will cringe before you,

And you will tread on their high places 

[tramping down their idolatrous altars].

     These are the last words spoken by Moses in the Bible.  And as I contemplated them, I saw such a glorious picture of Jesus!  Although Moses is directing his monologue to the Israelites, we are the seed of Abraham, and his words apply to us, too.

     He is telling us that we, who are saved by the Lord -- saved from the wrath of God, and delivered from captivity of the Enemy -- are Happy and Blessed.  These last words are spoken by a man who was a mirror of the Lord to come; a man who had saved the Israelites from the wrath of God when they rebelled and worshipped the golden calf; a man who had delivered them from the bonds of slavery and captivity in Egypt; a man who stood at the entrance to the Promised Land and knew all that the Lord would do for His people in the future.

     And Moses gave us such an encouraging image of who that Lord was, is, and will be ... He gives us a picture of the Lord as our Shield and our Sword.  I hope that you see this as part of our spiritual armor that Paul cautions us to put on in Ephesians 6.  Moses tell us Jesus is the Shield of our help, and that help comes by way of our Faith; which is our trust and confidence in Jesus as our Savior, and the Faithfulness of our Lord to "quench the fiery darts of the Enemy [the wicked]". 

     You can imagine the scene ... the tribes of Israel are poised to enter the Promised Land, and I'm pretty sure that they still remembered the words of the spies that accompanied Joshua and Caleb ("we are as like grasshoppers to them"); you can understand that more than a few of them would have been frightened and scared to take this step.  But in the verses just prior to this one, Moses assures them that the eternal God is their refuge, and underneath (girding everything) are His everlasting arms.  

     It is the same for us today.  Jesus never leaves us nor forsakes us, and we have His almighty power to trust in, and to dwell in, for our safety.  He is our defensive shield that protects us from the assaults of Satan and his forces of wickedness.  But note that He is also our offensive weapon.  He is our Sword, and by the Word, we will defeat the Enemy!  He is in the Word, and the Word is the strongest weapon we have in our spiritual warfare.  When we say it out loud, it is effectively, Jesus fighting for us! And when the Word comes forth from our mouths, it is an expression of Him dwelling in us, and all the forces of evil will cringe at the spoken Word.  

    Jesus becomes our Shield and our Sword in our battle against the strongholds of our lives.  We, too, wait to enter the Promised Land, and Satan loves nothing more than to whisper the lies that he whispered to those frightened spies in ancient times .... your enemy is too big for you to defeat; don't trust in your God to deliver you and save you.  Stay here and be satisfied with what I am offering.

     Instead, Moses offers the hope that we can tread on those false altars; those strongholds that Satan has us holding on to, but in reality have a hold on us.  Because of the weapons of Faith (our Shield) and the Word (our Sword), we can trample those altars and beat them into dust at our feet.  How glorious for Moses to have seen that reality ... that we would be able to crush and stomp and grind the Enemy into submission under our feet!  No one else has that power over Satan except those who are saved by the Lord!  Who is like us?  No one!  Blessed and Happy, indeed!

      

Just A Few Cracks In The Moral Wall of America

     I recently ran across an article on a website called The Truth which outlined 100 Facts that have contributed to the moral collapse of America.  I'm not going to spell them all out for you; if you're interested in seeing the entire list, you can click here.
     But I would like to highlight just a few that I think we can all agree have led to the breakdown of our moral fabric, which in the end leaves us vulnerable to both physical and spiritual attack.  And I will admit that it is hard to think that this country, in which I have believed since I was a child, could ever be anything but the "beacon of freedom and an example of the best of humanity".  But all any of us have to do is look around us and we can see that our foundation of faith has been excoriated and criticized, which has led to moral compromise in order to gain ungodly acceptance.
     The truth is, we have been in the process of decay for a few decades now, and everything from our homes and family, to our forms of entertainment, to our government, to our military all show signs of degradation and degeneration.  We are simply in decline.  Here are a few of the things that have contributed to the cracks in our moral wall:
1.  Approximately one-third of the entire population of the United States (110 million people) currently has a sexually transmitted disease according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  It's kind of funny really ... Disease is defined as "a disorder of structure or function in a human...".  And when it is sexually transmitted, we need to ask ourselves where and how have we, as a society, so disrupted the normal function of sex that it is making us ill.  To think that 1 out of 3 people in the entire population (and that includes infants, children, and the elderly) is suffering from our corrupted sense of the purpose of sex, well ... it is heartbreaking.  We have demeaned and debased this beautiful joining of two people to something that is for personal gratification only; the idea of beauty and respect as being involved in sex is nearly obsolete.  And that is why we have fact #2.
2.  Every single year, there are 20 million new STD cases in America. Obviously, we are not doing a good job of curbing our sexual appetites, and there appears to be no reversing the trend.
3.  At this point, one out of every four teen girls in the U.S. has at least one sexually transmitted disease.  I guess there is no point in asking, "What happened to celibacy?"  I'm afraid that having sex in the teen years is a given these days.  That should make for some sleepless nights for every parent or grandparent of teenage girls.
4.  According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, there are 747,408 registered sex offenders in the United States.  I'm sorry, but that figure is almost a joke! The obvious question for me is, how many unregistered are there?  Because we all know that the sex trade is one of the most egregious businesses in this country, and there are millions of vulnerable women and children who are trafficked throughout this country.  And many innocent children are victimized by sexual predators and it is never reported!  I am totally convinced that Jesus had sexual abusers in mind when He warned against anyone who would cause a stumbling block to be placed before one of His "little ones"; that it would be better for him to have a millstone placed around his neck and drowned in the depth of the sea... I think He knows exactly what justice He is going to bestow on them, and it will be on behalf of every single child who has ever been harmed.  I look forward to that day!
5.  An astounding 30 percent of all Internet traffic now goes to adult websites.  This is the by-product of the breakdown of our moral fabric.  Not only has sex become less personal and less private, along with being less healthy, but now it is public and for sale.  And these websites fuel the appetites of perverts, predators and the promiscuous.  This is a fact that does not exactly support a strong moral foundation for a country.  And here's a fact that should thoroughly disgust you...
6.  It has been estimated that 89 percent of all pornography is produced in the United States.  Not quite acting like the "best of humanity" are we?
7.   America has the highest divorce rate in the world by a good margin.   Although sex is readily available in a variety of arenas, that fact doesn't exactly lead to the enhancement of good and godly marriages.  When you've been sold the lie that sex is impersonal and about erotica and self-gratification, then what can the sanctity of God's marriage covenant offer you?  Especially if you don't even know the One who created it?
8.  At this point, approximately one out of every three children in the United States lives in a home without a father.  The moral foundation of any land or country is the family.  When sex outside marriage becomes acceptable in a society, it is obvious that the dismantlement of the family will follow.  The Welfare System began that journey, and now we've re-defined not only what a family is, but even what constitutes gender.  Confusion, chaos, and catastrophe are the end results when "father" has no absolute meaning.
9.  Without strong families, our young people are constantly in search of an identity.  According to the FBI, there are now more than 1.4 million gang members involved in the 33,000 active criminal gangs in the United States.  That statistic can be coupled with drug use, crime, and murder -- none of which can be classified as hallmarks of a moral nation.  How could we have lost our way so terribly that gangs become the substitute for a loving and supportive family?  That crack in our moral wall is becoming more dangerous every day.
10.  The number of American babies killed by abortion each year is roughly equal to the number of U.S. military deaths that have occurred in all of the wars that the United States has ever been involved in combined.  Can you even fathom that number?  How can we even think of ourselves as a moral nation when that is our reality?  Once again, I remind you what Jesus had to say about those who harmed His "little ones".
11.  One very shocking study found that 86 percent of all abortions are done for the sake of convenience.  What does that say about how we feel about God, the Creator?  If we can so effortlessly and callously destroy what the Creator of the Universe created  -- just because it's not convenient for us -- then we have no system of values which we can extoll.  Which leads me to a fact that shows exactly how far from a rational and moral sense of values we really have...
12.  A Department of Homeland Security report that was released in January 2012 says that if you are “anti-abortion”, you are a potential terrorist.  I don't even know what to say about that fact!  How can upholding the holiness of life be considered terrorizing?  I can't get there, no matter how hard I try to twist rational theories.  The use of the word "terrorist" is intentional and purposeful; posed to promote an agenda of child sacrifice as old as the abominations in the Old Testament.  The indefensible use of that word is applied to one who wishes to preserve the sanctity of a fetus's life, yet it will not be used to describe someone who kills innocent victims because of their Christian faith. Explain that to me, if you can!
13.  According to one absolutely shocking study, 22 military veterans kill themselves in the United States every single day.  And we still call ourselves a moral nation?  These men and women have sacrificed more than any of us will ever know, and we do not show them the respect, nor give them the care they deserve.  They return home to face their demons alone, and that, my friends, is just plain wrong and immoral.
14.  America has the highest rate of illegal drug use on the entire planet.  It's because we are in so much pain.  Everyone from our military veterans, to our elderly, to our hyper-active children are given prescriptions for anti-depressants... legal drugs to numb the pain of their realities.  But those prescriptions are often abused, and if you're not on a legal pain-killer, then there are the street drugs like heroin, which has seen the number of addicts more than double since 2002.  Whether legal or illegal, it's obvious we are a drugged nation.
15.   Nearly 20% of all U.S. adults have no religious affiliation whatsoever.  Back in 1972, only 7% of all U.S. adults had no religious affiliation.  I believe this fact should measure Faith rather than religious affiliation.  Because without Faith in God, you see what we get ... all of the other 14 facts I have mentioned, AND the balance of the 100 facts mentioned in the article on The Truth website.
     These are just a few examples of the downward spiral in morality that is consuming our nation (and the world).  When 46% of Americans never think about whether they will go to Heaven or not, then it is pretty obvious that nearly half of this nation thinks there are no consequences for immoral behavior or a lack of moral values.  In fact, we're continuously being told that morality is relative; in other words there is no absolute right or wrong, therefore we should simply tolerate all behavior.
     Yet, I dare say that no one would tolerate a new father putting his 6-week-old daughter in a freezer to keep her from crying, right?  (This horrific scenario is from an actual news report).  But when there is no concern about what happens to you one second after you are clinically dead, then it's perfectly understandable that concepts like "right" or "wrong"; or "moral" and "immoral" will have no effect upon how we live our lives in the here and now.
     Just glancing over the 15 statistics I have listed gives us a pretty good idea as to the direction this country is headed... and it sure isn't towards holiness.  We have become a nation focused on self-gratification and self-indulgence.  It's all about us and enjoying the things that bring us pleasure and fulfillment.  And whether it is the pursuit of money, sex, fun, or self-glorification, it will never satisfy our physical needs or bring us spiritual satisfaction.  It just leads to more statistics like those above, and more moral failures.
     I have to admit that I barely recognize my country anymore, and I shudder to think what new statistics will be recorded in the coming years.  And the worse it gets, the more I feel pulled from this culture.  But that doesn't bother me, because I know there are others like me; people who still cling to the Good Book and try to live their lives by walking in the footprints of our Lord.  We live within our own set of statistics and could care less about whether our moral values are accepted as mainstream or not.  We answer to the God of the Universe, not to the Prince of this world; and we are not afraid to stand for our principles.  So read over this partial list of statistics, and determine whether you are willing to accept them as defining your life.  If not, then join me in walking that straight line that leads us through the narrow gate and look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.  We do not have to become a statistic when we live in the shadow of the Almighty.

Proverbs 4:14-15     "Don’t set foot on the path of the wicked;
don’t proceed in the way of evil ones.  Avoid it; don’t travel on it.  Turn away from it, and pass it by."

The Truth Behind Those May Day Clashes

   

     This last weekend, we witnessed the annual public homage to anarchy as expressed in May Day riots and protests.  Flares, bricks and Molotov cocktails were thrown at police in Seattle in an effort to communicate hatred for anti-capitalism, and passion for workers and immigrants.  Demonstrations were held across the country, from Los Angeles and San Francisco to New York, and towns and college campuses in between.
     But did you know that May Day protests and rallies were held world-wide?  France, Turkey, Russia, Great Britain, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Brazil all saw groups gather to protest everything from low wages, to the lack of jobs, to immigration problems, to failing government policies.  But the over-riding sentiment was a call for disorder due to the nonrecognition of authority.  I think one of the underlying themes of these current May Day demonstrations could best be summed up by a sign carried by one of the protestors:  "We Are Ungovernable."
     Before I tell you what I think is at the root of that belief, I'd like to share some of the interesting history behind the modern May Day observances.  There are some websites, like Jacobin, (whose theme is "Reason in Revolt") who pay tribute to their namesake.  The Jacobins were the most radical and ruthless of the political groups formed in the wake of the French Revolution.  Although they called themselves "Friends of Freedom and Equality", they colluded with the French politician, Robespierre, in what became known as the Reign of Terror in 1793-94.
     An article in Jacobin will tell you that "the first May Day was celebrated in 1886, with a general strike of 300,000 workers at 13,000 businesses across the United States. It was a tremendous show of force for the American labor movement, which was among the most militant in the world."  Here, we see the foundation of the various protests and clashes with police this past weekend.  But let me continue with some of their other views of May Day.  They urge modern protestors to rally "under the banners of anarchist and socialist organizations" ... and they believe that "when workers act together, they exercise tremendous power over their employers and over society as a whole. Working-class radicals [understand] the unique power of collective action, fighting to ensure that the aggression of employers is often met by a groundswell of workers’ resistance."
     Today, they advocate for May Day to be recognized as a day of solidarity with undocumented immigrants — a fitting reminder of May Day’s origins in the late 19th Century when successive waves of immigration brought millions of immigrants to the United States, and high unemployment and dehumanizing working conditions spawned a movement that saw native-born and immigrant workers standing together to defend their common interests.
     All that is the history behind what we saw this past Sunday.  But did you know that the significance of May 1st is much broader than what it means to the work force?  And that it is much older?  The website InfoPlease tells us that it's a celebration of Spring. It's a day of political protests. It's a neopagan festival, a saint's feast day, and a day for organized labor. In many countries, it is a national holiday.
     They go on to give us a white-washed version of some of these celebrations, such as May 1st as Beltane, a pagan Celtic feast full of rituals.  One of these traditions centered around Beltane cakes, which would be broken into several pieces, one of which was blackened. They would be drawn by celebrants at random; the person getting the unlucky blackened piece would face a mock execution.

     Then there is Walpurgisnacht, creatively portrayed in the Walt Disney movie Fantasia, during the "Night on Bald Mountain" segment, and to which I have devoted a post.  InfoPlease wants you to believe that this holiday is just a legend; one in which witches were said to meet with the Devil on the eve of May 1, on the Brocken peak. The night of April 30th became known as "Walpurgisnacht," and the annual meeting was dramatized by Goethe in Faust.  It's just a legend, they say; like a fairy tale .... albeit a terrifying one!
     And how can we forget that idyllic symbol of May Day, the Maypole?  The pretext of modern celebrations of May Day is that it honors ancient festivals of Spring and Fertility, in which a pole would be hung with greenery and ribbons, brightly painted, and decorated.  Dancers would then begin to braid the ribbons by weaving in and out among each other.  All in all, it is presented as an innocent celebration of Spring.
     I don't mean to burst your bubble, but from the picture of pagan festivals, and celebrations of Spring, down to workforce protests, there is a far more sinister element to this first day of May.  To begin with, that innocent vision of the Maypole?  It is actually an ancient symbol of fertility and also the Egyptian God and King Osiris' phallus.  (And don't forget that Osiris is simply another name for the spirit of Nimrod, who was the original man who resisted God's authority and led a rebellion at the Tower of Babel).

     The Maypole is a modern-day portable ancient phallic symbol that is meant to represent the male generative powers in the phallus, which is really just an idol or image of an erect penis. They have been worshiped for thousands of years as a reminder of the sacred act of sex and also represent the phallus of the kings who rule the world.  If you really want to take this piece of information to its full conclusion, then click here.
     What I really want you to see is the spiritual forces that are behind these festivals and movements.  And the modern slogan of "We Are Ungovernable" should tell you exactly who is at the head of these forces, and how he has managed to maintain that spirit of rebellion and anarchy throughout the centuries.  It is my strong belief that "legends" don't persist if there is not some truth to them,  or some force behind them, perpetuating and encouraging an underlying power to continue indefinitely.
     I find it rather interesting that this one day at the beginning of May has become synonymous down through the ages with mock sacrifice; with homage to the power of men; and with resistance and opposition to Authority.  Who does that remind you of?  The spirit of Nimrod might be at work to compel mankind to overthrow any governance over his life, but we must not lose sight of the fact that  Lucifer was the power behind Nimrod -- Lucifer, whom God called "the anointed Cherub"; the one whose position was to guard the very throne of God. His position was that of protecting the holiness of God. Satan had the highest of all positions, a position which he despised and lost.
     So it has been his mission ever since to convince men that we, too, should rebel against God.   He whispered in Nimrod's ear his own vow: "I will take over heaven, I will be God." That is Lucifer/Satan's sin and that was Nimrod's sin in erecting the Tower of Babel.  And now that spirit of rebellion is present in everyone who listens to that lie -- and there is even a day Satan has made one of his holy days --- May 1st. He does not want to be God's servant. He does not want to do what he was created to do. He wants to be served and there are millions who have chosen to do just that; serve him and worship him through the various festivals and protests. They have listened to his lies and chosen to follow him.  They may think they are "ungovernable", but one day soon, the One who will come to rule and reign will show them just how deceptive that lie is.

1 John 3:8    "The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil."

From Boredom to The Beast

     Can you contemplate the possibility that with all the distractions we have in this Age of Technology, that we could actually find ourselves "bored" in our day-to-day lives?  By bored, I mean that we have become so over-stimulated by Facebook and all the other social media avenues, that if we are not constantly hooked up to it, then we feel we are missing something.  By bored, I mean that our brains are so aroused by the highly visible special effects in action movies, or the explicit and graphic sex scenes in R-rated movies and TV, that our normal everyday existence can seem unexciting and discouraging.

     Basically, the more we are entertained, or stimulated, or engaged in sharing our every waking moment, the more we need of whatever triggers a sense of excitement in our lives.  In other words, we don't want to tolerate the average; we want more of the sensational.  That's why people are bored at their jobs ... sitting in meetings, or writing reports becomes intolerable and tedious.  Listening to a professor lecture, or studying for exams becomes monotonous and uninspiring.  Changing diapers, doing laundry, or preparing meals for your family becomes repetitive and mind-numbing.  We have become so accustomed to the instant gratification of our technology, and so reliant on it to take us outside our normal existence, that we cannot appreciate our "real" life.
     Dr. Sandi Mann, Senior Lecturer at the School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, writes, "Our attention spans are now thought to be less than that of a goldfish (eight seconds). We are hard-wired to seek novelty, which produces a hit of dopamine, that feel-good chemical, in our brains. As soon as a new stimulus is noticed, however, it is no longer new, and after a while it bores us. To get that same pleasurable dopamine hit we seek fresh sources of distraction ... Does any of this matter? Research suggests that chronic boredom is responsible for a profusion of negative outcomes such as overeating, gambling, truancy, antisocial behaviour, drug use, accidents, risk taking and much more. We need less, not more, stimulation and novelty."
     Of course, all of these negative side effects of boredom are alarming, especially when they result in keeping us from reaching our full potential.  But let me tell you about another side effect that secular psychologists like Dr. Mann may not consider. As a member of the pre-Millennial generations, it is pretty easy for us to see the consequences of our rapidly increasing technology -- in effect, we can measure it from a "before and after" perspective.  It is easier for me to see the negative ramifications of too much technology in my life because I have reference points ... I remember what it was like to actually engage in a face-to-face conversation, or at least telephone conversations with friends or loved ones.  So when I find myself avoiding that personal interaction in favor of non-verbal phone texts, I can recognize that I need to disengage from technology and make that human connection.
     Or, I can remember when the entertainment I chose to watch was more wholesome and respectful of human relationships and the family, so when I see something in a movie or TV show that transcends those older moral values, I can recognize that it is probably not something that I need to expose myself to.  But the Millennial generation has only known the continuous, highly suggestive version of the most creative minds in the technology and entertainment industries.  And here is the area in which I am most concerned ... when those two businesses combined forces, this generation of kids and young adults have been inundated with a steady diet of ever-increasing supernatural concepts.  They receive it in their video games, in online movies, in their music, on TV, and even in books (if they can take the time to read one).
     Harry Potter books, to Katy Perry's songs, to The Twilight movie series, to The History Channel, to The Terminator, Transformers, Aliens, Star Wars and Star Trek; all of which have spanned a couple of generations in successful movie franchises.  There is even a video game called Supernatural!  Our kids have been shown so much of the supernatural in movies, books, and music that they want to see a demonstration of it in their everyday lives.  It's become such a part of their psychological makeup that they instinctively know it is real, but it's never talked about.

     Think about it ... witches, and aliens, and demons abound in all those sources of entertainment that I just mentioned.  The Supernatural has been featured in everything from the
     Their parents don't know how to explain it; the Church can't address it, because it has nearly lost the supernatural sense of its own Bible and the God it serves.  So, out of boredom, or restlessness, or dissatisfaction, or just the sense that life has become too slow and dull, they begin looking for further stimulation, and sadly it often leads to the dark side.  I'm afraid that we have failed to recognize this in our youth.
     It can be something as evident as a young man or woman, who was raised in the Church, and begins to question the validity of God, and ask all the questions that are natural in our human frailty ... Why would God let a young child die tragically? Or, Is there really life after death?  But sadly, technology is expanding those questions and doubt.  They now begin to think thoughts such as This God I've been told about all my life is too restrictive, and following Him is not very exciting.  The internet is showing me that I can astral project and actually leave my body and experience supernatural trips.  I want to experience what's beyond this realm NOW! Maybe there's more out there than what God is offering me here. 
     During a trip to minister to our wounded warriors at The Fisher House at Fort Sam Houston, one of the chaplains shared with our ministry group that he was having a difficult time getting the young soldiers in the Army to attend Bible study classes he taught.  When he questioned a few of them, they said that Christianity was too boring; they preferred attending classes taught by the Wiccans or the Muslims because they were more exciting and stimulated their imagination.  We have gone so wrong in the Church by refusing to recognize, embrace, and teach that the Bible is a supernatural book about our Supernatural God!
     But the Enemy has not been so shy.  He has taken advantage of our reticence and twisted the supernatural aspects of our faith, and exploited it for his own benefit.  So our kids instinctively know that the supernatural exists, but they've only been shown the dark side's version, and with the help of technology, they have been convinced that this version is not simply the only version of the supernatural, but it is more real and true for their lives than the staid and conservative paradigm of their parent's theology.
     Those of us who see clearly what the Lord wants us to know for this time and age, are aware that the supernatural is about to collide with this realm.  And it is imperative that we strengthen our younger generations with the Truth of just what a Supernatural God we serve.  We cannot let the boredom that this generation perceives be used to lead them away from the most exhilarating and intoxicating and enthralling relationship they will ever have, this side of Heaven.  We cannot refuse to see the supernatural in our Bible and we must share the truth that Jesus constantly interacted with the natural realm supernaturally.  We can to, through the power of the Holy Spirit!  And that's anything but boring!

Acts 9:11-12    "God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them."

Jeremiah 7:9-10

Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then do you come and stand before me in this house, which is called by My Name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations?

     Jeremiah is my favorite prophet in the Old Testament; perhaps because I can feel his angst and frustration over the continued disobedience of his stiff-necked fellow Jews.  He spent 40 years delivering the messages of God to his countrymen, only to be despised and persecuted.  Although he frequently expressed his anger, he never lost his compassion or desire that the inhabitants of Judah would surrender to God's will in order to escape the coming calamity.  

     In today's featured Scripture, we actually hear from Jehovah God, Himself.  He is angry -- not only because Judah continues to follow after other gods and their religions, but because they have the audacity to think that they are still "delivered" from their sin because they regularly attend services in the Lord's Temple!  Does that sound familiar?

     And God doesn't hold back with His accusations.  He accuses them of stealing, and murdering, and committing adultery -- all sins, not only against the covenant they have sworn to with Him, but sins they have enacted against their neighbors and countrymen.  They have boldly committed them with no thoughts of repenting or amending their ways. 

     He then accuses them of swearing falsely, which in that region of the world, and in that time in history, was an offense that all nations abhorred.  To make an oath, and then break it, or lie under that oath, was not only a legal crime, but an immoral act of the highest degree.  Sadly, today oaths are no longer valued as the solemn promise, invoking a divine witness, in which they were once regarded.  A pledge, or word of honor, is easily dismissed and rarely kept.

     And then YHWH condemns them for making offerings to Baal (who Matthew Henry called "a dunghill-deity") and going after other gods they don't even know.  Basically, God is asking the people of Judah, "Will you exchange a God that you know, and whose power and goodness and mercy have been bestowed on you for over 13 centuries, for gods who are strangers to you and whose ability and willingness to help you is an unknown"???  Again, I ask you does that sound familiar?  

     How quickly have we seen the people of this nation (Believers and unbelievers alike!) be willing to accept the dictates of satanists, pagans, and humanists which run roughshod over the laws of this land; laws which originated in Biblical statutes and commands?  How many communities and courts are now Sharia-compliant?  What I think far too many people fail to realize is that these movements have real spiritual power behind them -- they are real spiritual "gods" that we, as a nation, have surrendered to in our attempts to compromise with the world.

     Just look at how "the Church" in America has changed in just the last few years!  Obviously, each church follows it's own doctrine and bylaws, but look how many have changed God's definition of "marriage" to mean something He did not institute.  How many churches are willing to declare that other gods are on equal footing with YHWH?  That they are all the same?  How many churches have wittingly (or unintentionally) allowed members of Freemasonry to control their churches, or excused the immoral actions of their shepherds?  How could we have so easily abandoned the rock-solid principles of our Father for the transient promises of acceptance by lowering our standards?

     And then comes the most critical (and heart-breaking for me) assessment by God ... the audacity that these people had to come stand before Him in His Temple, which was His place of dwelling and called by His Holy Name, and to say, "But there's nothing to worry about ... we're the Chosen People; we will always be delivered from the consequences of our sins, and we can just continue to do these offensive things, as long as we follow our rituals."  I know that it is an elaboration of what the Word says, but it is the essence of it.

     And how is that any different from what we do today in His House?  Oh, yes, we tell ourselves that by going to church every Sunday, carrying our Bibles to the service, dropping some money in the offering plate, serving on the committees, and proudly displaying our Christian crosses that we are displaying [to God] our worthiness to be "delivered" or "saved".  But how many sin again, or begin to compromise with the world, within hours of displaying our "devotion to the Lord"? 

     Do we not think that God's House is a holy place?  Has it become a refuge and shelter for unholy people who practice unchristian lifestyles under the banner of the Christian name?  Nothing has changed since God made this declaration in Jeremiah's time... people of faith in the One True God still fall prey to temptations by other gods; they still steal, murder, commit adultery, and lie; and they still enter God's House thinking they can fool Him.  But His discerning eye is as sharp now as it was then.  We cannot deceive Him with dishonest devotion ... and He is just as angry about it now as He was then.  But how many of us will consider the consequences of Judah's actions, and that our future holds the same ill promise of destruction and calamity, if we do not amend our ways?  I pray that His remnant, which is growing stronger by the day, can effect real change across this land.  If not, we stand to suffer from the same harsh lessons that awaited Judah.