The Obvious Switch

The Obvious Switch

 4/9/13

There is no question that God has blessed the world in many ways.  It is obvious that our riches are all inclusive and nothing that our minds can imagine can argue with this fact.  It is also evident that there are huge differences in physical conditioning that the people in the world live in as well, and we cannot forget all of the beauty that our eyes witness every day.  However, while we bask in our own personal glory and gain the wealth of selfishness, we have allowed our feelings to overcome the laws that God has set as our standard.  This example is one that is now in play and should be heard and understood so that there is no mistake in what God is trying to tell us.  The roles have been reversed in this world and if we do not turn our spiritual world back into the correct and Godly direction, this shall come to pass.

All of you that have been reading my articles over the past year will know that the theme for these articles has been restoration.  The other day my mind was doing its normal scanning process and a thought popped into my mind that dealt with how bad things would be if a restoration process was finally initiated in “something’s” life.  I asked my mother what kind of conditions she believed would be presented if this situation was occurring and her answer did not surprise me at all when she said that it would be total destruction.  I had never really thought of conditions being in this manner, to that extreme but in reality it makes perfect sense and understandably it is those conditions that humans finally wake up and smell the roses so to speak.

A short time later God popped into my head the story of David and Goliath.  Most of you that read the bible have heard about this event many times and have heard how David slew the giant and then cut off his head, a great victory for God and for Israel.  Many things were established concerning our history in that story and one of them is that no matter what the situation man faces, God is always in control of things and will see us through them, whoever wins the battle.

As I began to think about this story, I immediately began to think about the world and its current conditions.  So, my mind immediately placed the USA and its philosophies as David and the big bad world and its philosophies as Goliath.  God allowed me to continue this “thinkage” for a while, almost a day in fact.  Then He began to change the scenario a tad and approached the story in a different light.  I must be honest I had never thought about this story in this way but when I took a hard look at what God was showing me it made perfect sense.  We all have a tendency to place everything in a physical realm; it is easy for us to do this since what the majority of what we see is physical.  But God was not only showing me the physical side of the story but also the spiritual side of the story as well and then He placed the final answers in the art of restoration.  And He did make one aspect of this scene VERY clear to me and it is one that needs to be recognized for our survival.

Many of you know that I have a military background and that many of my articles deal with warfare, both the physical and the spiritual.  Warfare, on all levels is the message that God has for us in this article and we are going to face this catastrophe if we do not change our ways.  Please keep in mind all of these scenes as you read this article because both are in play here.  Also keep in mind that these forces have been lined up and ready for the battles that are about to commence; however, there is a very small window of time that we have in order to prevent the final action being taken, but it strictly our choice in the matter.

When we take a serious look at our country’s history we will find many issues that we have faced during our growing period.  And while this growing period has progressed over the centuries we have begun to believe that the ways and means of this growth has been given to us for our own hands.  This belief has infiltrated every thought pattern and we have relied on this self centered growth process so long that we have forgotten the true meaning of why our lifestyle was given to us in the first place.   These freedoms that we were divinely given were manipulated by self as soon as they were handed over to us.  No one that has been exposed to this freedom is exempt from this concept and we are about ready to reap what we have sown to the world.

Many of the historical scholars if they would use the David and Goliath story as an analogy of the world issues would automatically assume that the western philosophy would represent David and that the backwards and larger population of the world would assume the role of Goliath.  And to be honest we have actually fallen into that type of mentality when it comes down to the nitty gritty.  Our good will not even be subjected to what Goliath is doing in the world and the spoils of “his” actions are not being portrayed to our world as it should be.  Oh, how wrong this concept is, yet how true it is at the same time.

Our country was formed as another example of what God desires of His children, yet we have perverted it into a selfish kingdom which now solely relies on ourselves as its god.  This is the Goliath that we have created and that we present to the world as the norm or as the example that all should follow.  We have forgotten what life is about through the means that were so humbly given to us by God.  We have used our growth process to establish ourselves as the dominating force that controls the world, afraid of no one and shoving our concepts to the world and reacting like a child when others question our abilities.  We have allowed this type of domineering authority to overtake our culture and beliefs which has led to a haughty attitude towards the entire world.  We are not David we are actually Goliath.  All of us know and have heard about the history of the Arabs and the Jews.  There are many different opinions out there about who is right and who is wrong in this situation.  To be honest there will always be different opinions concerning this manner since the issue was created thousands of years ago; it will not have any end in sight that we can foresee, it shall continue. 

I can see where the USA and modern western thinking believes that they would be David and to be honest at one time we did represent David’s character in this story but we have voluntarily destroyed that concept and accepted the ways of Goliath.  Both armies in this story had an opportunity to survey each other, to know their weaknesses, strengths, motivations, etc.  This process takes time so when the battle lines are drawn it does not take too much observation to figure out the overall conditioning of the opposing forces are.  Enemies will use both the past and the current conditions of their opponent to gain the upper hand in battle, this is a major tactical play and it has been used since day one in warfare.  Enemies see the current conditions of others and plan accordingly, they do not take for granted that things will not occur, the expect them to occur.

David was a small, young boy with basically no leadership skills of his own that others could see.  Yet he had a shepherd’s heart and willing to get down in the muck to get the job done if necessary.  Now compare that attitude with our country and its western beliefs, but include the differences between from when our country was created to the current conditions that we consider “right” today and when you complete this comparison, and if you are honest in it, you will realize that we are no longer David and we actually have become Goliath and everything that the Bible says about him and his army.

Goliath was a large man and this fact is well known.  The army of the Philistines was large, well equipped and had every modern bits of warfare that should have made them impenetrable.  They were confident and proud of their past accomplishments and looked to spread their ideas on whoever got in their way.  This is evident with the charge of Goliath concerning slavery and who would be what to the winner.  A boasting attitude was being portrayed through Goliath’s words and then he began to beg of an opponent to challenge him and his right to speak for the others in his army.  This sounds so familiar to what our attitude is today concerning western philosophy, another example of what we have become.

The Israelite army must have looked ridiculous in comparison to the Philistine army.  By the comments of Goliath he really was appalled that this small group of farmers, shepherds, carpenters, and family men were actually serious in their beliefs of success against the best in the world.  He continually put the Israelite army “in their place” so much so that he was ready to walk away from the battle for he saw it not worth fighting over.  This scene actually depicts the USA and western philosophy in its entire growth course.  Western philosophy and its freedom concepts began with the USA and in its infancy proved their status as a bunch of rag-tag people with a vision that turns into a physical and arrogant monster who believes the world is its stage.  The comparisons are clear on all aspects including the spiritual aspects of living and the direct consequences of ignoring the absolute truth and divine truth that set forth the foundations of modern believing.

The size of the armies and nations in the biblical days, Dark Ages, and Medieval times were a lot smaller in comparison of the size of the armies of today.  The maneuverability and instruments that are available today is far more advanced than in the olden days as well.  This means that while an army in the past could draw their attention in basically one direction and for the most part be assured that their kingdom would be intact upon their return.  However, today is a different sort in that the nations of the world are greatly populated and have more opportunities to create, buy and sell technology that allows these nations to be more efficient in their endeavors in warfare.  It has been a policy of the USA and other western nations to have a military force strong enough to maintain a two front war, or wars in two separate areas at the same time.  While this does not satisfy the David side of the issues it does reflect on the Goliath mentality of size, strength and attitude of the Goliath side of the equation.

This increase of nations within the world has the potential of providing nations with numerous enemies.  We see this concept at work today just as it did in our history, yet we ignore the threat between these nations and in some cases also ignore the warning signs from these potential enemies which they have vocally conveyed to us and the world.  This is a side of western philosophy that loves to invoke on others, by provoking these smaller and weaker nations who do not like us into submitting to our demands because of our current size and demeanor.  Up until the current times these minor nations have not had the resources to adequately defend themselves or to attack other bullying nations in ways that would be seen by the other mightier nations as a true threat to its security.

As stated earlier, the armies and nations in the history of humans have thoroughly studied the other nations before they went into battle with them.  For a very long time these minor nations did not have the means to do this type of activity, but with modern technology and travel it is possible for these nations to accomplish these acts.  Even though these acts of intelligence are completed these small countries still understand that alone they cannot end the tyranny that the all powerful nations of the world represent.  However, there is a tactic that they have adopted and are using very effectively and that is the idea of working together with other minor countries that feel the same way towards the powerful goliaths.

What is amazing about this fact is that the goliaths of the world recognize that these smaller nations are uniting but fail to see what they are uniting against and against whom they are planning to attack.  It is a perfect plan that is being executed as they sit back and watch the western philosophical nations direct their attentions inwards towards themselves all the while the smaller nations go about their business building up their defenses and plans of attack.  It is actually funny to these smaller nations because they have sat and listened to the threats of the bullies and have cowered to their demands without questioning them and still continue that practice today, but they have an alternative motive that is in the works and they are just waiting for one of them to step up and take the lead.

Enter back into the picture the story of David and Goliath.  The large army of the Philistines was getting tired of the delay tactics that the smaller army of Israel was accomplishing so Goliath spoke up and wanted to settle this thing once and for all.  The laughter must have been so loud when David stepped forward to represent the Israelite army, for you know that the Philistines saw this move as a sign of immediate victory since all of their modern armor, weapons and defenses could withstand any attack that this boy could pose to them.  Even though the Philistines knew that the Israelites were farmers, shepherds and carpenters, they knew nothing about how the trades of these people would provide them with an advantage, and they especially knew nothing of this boy and what his capabilities were and just how dangerous he was to them.  The stage was now set, all the marbles were on the table and the final play was about to acted out.

Flash forward to today’s settings and we find that we are faced with the same situation.  You know that the larger Philistine army had to question the motives of the smaller and weaker nation by sending out a young boy.  The same questions are being asked today concerning the actions of some of the smaller nations that are threatening to attack the western nations with modern weapons that could do a great deal of damage.  And while we look at the process unfolding we stand in awe and wonder what will become of the situation and ignore the detailed fact that this one action of this single nations will be the beginning of a series of events that other smaller nations will take in order to complete their flawless plan of attack to totally bring down the larger nations. 

When one who is up on the news of the world and reads this type of behavior, they could draw the conclusion that this sort of action would be suicide and not rational by any means, but when you deal with the human mind and the factors that they believe in, you cannot be surprised by any action taken since all human actions stem from the belief that what they are doing is correct and good for mankind.  There is a reason for ach action man takes and this action that he takes is justified in his mind and heart and it does not matter if the consequences favor his side of the story after the smoke settles.  And if the one who strikes has the secret backing of others who have the same feeling then their confidence is strengthened two fold and their growth will position their allies to advance their similar agendas as well.

So how does all of this reflect our conditions of today?  I am glad you asked because this is the part that God really wants us to understand.  When we are born we are born into sin, just a fact.  Sin represents death and death is something that we all know will come to us eventually.  There are thousands upon thousands of ways that our bodies can approach this setting and each of them has their own specific manner of destroying God’s perfect creation. 

Many of us in the world believe in God and that He sent His Son to die for our sins so that we may have eternal life without having to really know the eternal meaning of death.  However, there are just as many people out in the world that do not believe this fact and up until now have thoroughly rejected God and His ways.  It is the job of the Church to change this large percentage of people that do not know God and when this is accomplished as Jesus taught it reflects the inner sanctum of our hearts to those who are lost.  These actions retrieve the concepts of repentance and acknowledgement of the lack of God within our lives, which in turn when received gives us true hope and life as God intended it to be.  This is a heart of a shepherd, carpenter and family person who does not place one self before a fellow person.  This is what God meant for us to be like, living a true freedom that has no inhibitions to self while continually giving to others.

This is not the image that western philosophy portrays to the world today.  It has not always been this way but our reliance upon self has created a beast within us that must be fed with self absorbent food in order to thrive in its dastardly ways.  As this process grows it becomes less and less dependent upon others especially others that try and to see things in a different way.  Other militant and cutting edge tactics are accepted since it brings excitement to their surroundings while the common and constant truths are discarded as old and boring.  This process increases the concepts of self in every area of life and eventually overtakes all other forms of knowledge of others.  It becomes so large interiorly that it no longer cares about the minor details but must have enormous results in order to be considered successful, so the minor details are ignored.

Now think to yourself how western philosophy has operated in the past and what it represents now.  There are many similar concepts and ideas that were present both then and now, yet there is a huge difference in some due to the fact that we have incorporated self as the defining measure instead of God.  This is when the reversal occurred in which we began as David and have transformed into Goliath.  The blessings that God intended for us to use throughout the world, and in some manner we have done, we have used them for our own benefits and have hoarded them with selfish intent.  This is evident to the minor nations of the world and it ironically has blinded us at the same time all while the results have continually been poured upon us. 

Our country has seen its share of failures, wars, controversy, hate and division throughout its history and all of western philosophy can be included in this example.  This is the link that ties us all together when we are being referred to as Goliath.  But it the links do not end just in the physical aspects of our lives, they involve and are rooted in the spiritual as well.  I am not going to deal with the spiritual side in this article but I will begin with this aspect as soon as this article is completed.  Both of these aspects are the driving forces in our conscious world that we must realize that exist and as long as we continue to ignore this fact and rely on the human answers of others, our condition will continue its course and our lives will be altered completely as we know it.

The story of David and Goliath should fit into this picture clearly now.  As the story goes after David took the initial step towards the enemy the entire mood of both camps changed.  The idea to allow him to step forward was agreed upon.  The reaction by the enemy when he came forward was also received.  Both sides have made their decisions to fight and while one side is so confident in their advantage the other side hangs on a thread of hope and trust in their faith for survival.  This switch of sides is not clear to us in any fashion and we are walking right into a trap that is set into motion by man but ordained by God.  And while we are in our selfish basking in our selfish ways, the smaller yet determined enemies will provide a solid blow to our head that will render us defenseless enough for other smaller enemies to invade and complete their mission.

The process of David throwing the stone and hitting Goliath in the head can be one single act or it can be an act that is executed in tandem.  That event is an event that is so shocking that it stuns Goliath physically and his army mentally so much that it completely paralyzes their activities that now if other enemies wished they could overrun the large army with little or no resistance.  This tactical and minor event completely hit its studied and intended target so effectively that the battle had been won even before it really had begun.  Human have the capability of making a statement so loud to one another that it stuns us for a moment in time so that a further portion of our enemy’s plan can be enabled.

David then went over to Goliath who was on the ground and drew Goliath’s own sword and proceeded to cut off the head of Goliath, symbolizing the complete destruction of Goliath and the hopes of the Philistine army.  After the altercation has completed, one side cheered and the other side cried but for both sides the actions were complete and final and all had to live with the consequences.

God is speaking to us in His own constant manner but our ears are deaf to hear His voice.  The examples that I have written for you today is another attempt for His words to get out to His people.  He understands that you have defined yourself in selfish ways and He understands that you have chosen this path for your life.  He also understands that you are using the gift of choice that He gave to you to execute your will while you breathe, but God also wants you to know that He created you and that He loves you and as a father must discipline his child so must God when the time comes.

There is not much time for us to change our ways, it is still possible to ward off the main attacks that will cut off our heads.  If this action occurs then all of the world will see defeat within man and the results of our actions will be devastating for mankind.  Does western philosophy have all the answers, definitely not but it is a process in which man can live blessedly and fruitfully when orchestrated with God as its guide.  This is the direct manner in which God allowed man to live in the beginning but our choice of personal gain has made our ways cloudy with God. 

I do not know how many attacks on man will be allowed but because of the choices that we have made to snub God from our existence God will ordain them to be fulfilled.  There is still time for us to repent and to accept God back into our ways before the major events occur.  The sling is being swung in its circular motion, are we willing to let a God ordained event continue when we have the option to stop it?  I do not know if the slings that are in the hands of these nations can be stopped; for it is up to the wishes of these nations that have made the choice to defend their resolutions that control this outcome.  But what about our head and its end result?  The physical is but just one of the areas that we need to change.  It is not an immediate change but a process and all God is asking us to do is to stop and turn towards Him to show that we are listening to His voice.  The choice is ours, I guess.

I trust that the ones who are reading this article understand what I mean when God is saying that Goliath will fall.  Goliath is the entire philosophy of the modern day and everything that it has to do with in the world.  It is NOT God’s desire that we live in division, despair and destruction but as it has been demonstrated in His word many times, He will allow it to come to pass in order to turn our hearts back towards Him.  He loves us more than we can imagine, let us lose our pride, selfishness, and our individual greed and restore that relationship with Him.

DLB