Fulfillment

Fulfillment

8/29/14

It has always amazed me of how God works through humans in order to fulfill His plans for humanity.  While that statement may seem a bit ridiculous in stature it brings out a relevant point that most people in the world forget about or totally ignore altogether.  It is through us that God reveals His existence and why He has created us in the first place.  It is through our lives that we reflect His life and it is through this lifelong learning that we should teach other that God is real and that His plans are true.  However, reality dictates that not everyone will accept this belief and through these already recorded actions God tells us of our own personal futures.

Each one of us has a life story that we could write about.  Our lives and pathways are unique in many ways and through this manner, each one of our stories could be a huge success in the literary world.  When you place an entire family into this setting a pattern would be noticed which would then be compared and one could find similar patterns between those members as well.  Even though sisters may get on each other’s nerves, if they take a close look at their lives and patterns they would have to admit that they shared many similar tastes, patterns and beliefs.  Yet there would be some differences which bolster the concept of our uniqueness.

We have stated many times over the centuries that humans are the only beings that God has o use in order to get His message out to others.  This statement is an absolute truth that we need to keep within our hearts, but do we actually believe this or do we even consider it to be a truth?  I know the world and all of its standards do not because it is constantly trying to separate and divide according to its ever changing ways and as long as this holds true a constant cannot be remembered.

One of the most important duties that our enemy has is to get us to think that our lives are not important, for us to believe that we would not be missed if we were not around any longer.  This degradation of existence can be presented to us on many levels from the simple to the complex all of which has the corresponding results of each level attached to them.  Why is it that we become so engrossed with our personal lives that we fail to see what our worth really is and just how important each one of us are to the world’s future?  This question seems to be very difficult for many people to answer but as many struggle to provide an answer to this question, it is so ironic and iconic that we automatically and sometimes purposefully throw away the one constant of the answer, and that is God.

It is impossible for us to understand ourselves unless we believe in God.  There is no way that we can ever begin to believe in our existence if we brush off our Creator.  Think about this for a moment and ask yourself how can I know my life if I cannot believe in the One who instilled it in the first place.  All of us know that our physical lives were created by our father and mother but I am talking about the overall picture here and the beginnings of our existence as humans.  If we do not have this concept within our lives there is no way that we can further our understanding about life, without a #1 it is impossible to reach #2.

When we do not know our Creator it is hard for us to comprehend what goes on in the world as well.  With all of the modern technology at our fingertips it is easy for us to know and to physically see what is occurring in Egypt when we are living New York City, not on a recorded tape but as it is happening.  This is amazing bit of technology but it is here and it is here to stay and we also must take into consideration that even this minor detail has been mentioned in the Bible; now, how would someone back in ancient times that only had horses, donkeys and camels as transportation know that one day the entire world could sit on a bench and watch a war unfold thousands of miles away. 

Somehow we tend to forget that everything that is happening in and around our world is strictly a human thing and that every issue that we are facing is solely our doing.  I am not including in the environmental things here because we have no control over what the world throws at us but when someone actually learns how to steer a hurricane or tornado, then I might mention some things.  Anyway, the problems, coups, assassinations, murders, situations and invasions are all due to humans and their belief that what they are doing is correct.

Now, it would be fascinating if humans could have dreamt up all of this disorganization was spontaneous and that life itself is this chaotic by nature.  But I am here to tell you that it is not that way and that our lives are directed by a predestined order that has been set in motion millennia before and we are just falling right into the place that has already been foretold.  Yep, your life has already been planned out and even how and when you lose your eyebrows has already been witnessed.  What I also find fascinating is that when we recognize that our eyebrows are now gray in color and we spend the next two days sulking about our so called age problem, that little incident plays into God’s ordained plan for the world.

See that action even though it is very small in nature plays a huge part in how you view the world and more specifically your little corner of the world.  Because when you leave the house in the morning most of us still have the same attitude when we arrive at our destination as we did when we left our original house setting.  Does the phrase “having a bad hair day” ring a bell?  How many times have we used this petty detail about the start of our day to stay within the confines of a sulky or bad day?  Think about that for a while.

Now let us think about the major issues that are ongoing.  We have the fighting in Nigeria, the uprising in Egypt and in Libya.  We have the on again and off again threats of war in the Ukraine, the social unrest in Belgium, Netherlands, Us and in Central America.  And none of us can ever forget and should NEVER forget the constant attacks on Israel.  There are countless other skirmishes and hate filled situations that I do not have time to mention in this article but each and every one of them have a purpose and a point to them that already has been drawn out.  It is hard for our minds to conceive this fact mush less to develop it within our thought patterns, but we need to know that these circumstances have already been put into motion and unless we as a world come back to God and to rid ourselves of our selfish ways, these patterns shall continue and the Bible will be fulfilled step by step as we sit and roll around in our own mud and muck.

Do not believe me?  Then I challenge you to do something, it is not a short term thing but one that will take a while to complete.  Locate everything that you can in the Bible about the end times and all of the prophetic conditions that have a central role in Israel.  Read some of these very carefully and take specific notes.  The key here is to understand that while God recognizes nations it is the heart of that nation that grabs God’s attention and causes Him to act.  It is through the human action that draws nations into the actions that they deem necessary. 

For instance, take the fact that one day every nation throughout the world will come against Israel.  While each nation may not physically attack Israel they will in one way shape or form support those that do have that capability.  For centuries the West has been a steadfast ally to Israel and even after Israel’s official creation the support for their existence has been undeniable.  However, over the past decade of so we have began to witness some cracks in that support from many countries of the West and even those who have vowed never to leave Israel have presented red flags of dishonor towards her.

Eventually the entire world will stand against Israel and everything that she believes in.  This is a huge effort by a worldwide community and it is something that never has been done before.  Yes, many nations stood against Germany during World War II but even with their numerous atrocities there were still nations that took her side.  Look at every skirmish, war and revolution and you will find that the winning side and the losing dies both had countries, provinces and kingdoms that stood by tem even after the fighting had ceased.  Place that into context with every nation and then you will realize a couple of things, first of all that is a lot of people that are against you and secondly that type of situation has never been portrayed before and until it does we have no clue of how that situation feels.

It is factual to say that turmoil and everything that surrounds that condition usually takes precedent over the peaceful and tranquil lifestyles that we all wish to achieve.  It is also factual to say that these unsettling times are more newsworthy.  We must include this ideology of humans as well as a step by step progression towards God’s divine plan for humanity.  We all love to wake up in the morning and casually get out of bed, take our shower or bath, drink coffee and read the newspaper before getting dressed and head off to work.  But even in this type of society where the spoils of war have not touched the land before, unrest and animosity still headline those newspaper columns. This land of luxury provides just as much specific corruption as the war torn societies around the world and this too adds up into God’s overall conclusion and foretelling of mankind’s demise.

My challenge to you is that you take all of these circumstances and place them into one group category.  Do not place them according to your personal beliefs or wants for the world but place them into reality, what is actually going on.  Make a list and then compare them to what God says about Israel.  Line them up then wait for more news or another headline and then add it to the list.  If you do not want to pick the Israel issue, that is fine grab another one from the Bible and do the same process.  Comparing the USA to the Roman Empire is another great example to use and could explain why the West is not mentioned much at all during the last days.  Whatever example you choose it will show that the overall human activity has already been written by God’s messengers a long time ago.

So when you are protesting to your boss about the coffee in the cafeteria being cold after ten minutes in the pot or if you are angrily attacking the maneuvers of the press about how they are covering a story that has no concern towards you, remember that your actions will have some influence on someone else and then your progressive and aggressive tactics could actually lead to a nation to form a negative opinion about your cultural status.  Seem far-fetched?  I do not think so.  The political garbage and entertainment trash and other situational episodes have played a part in the deep division that has now been permanently etched into our lives.  We believe that we have “defined” our problems to a few groups and ideas, and in truth all we have done is to widen the gaps of division through this division.  We have not asked for any solutions nor have we heeded into the direction of finger pointing and declaring that I am right and you are a racist for not believing exactly in the manner to which I believe.

Look around the world and you will find that no one is trying to find a reasonable solution to the instabilities.  We currently have another cease fire between Hamas and Israel, how many is this now?  Too many in my opinion.  The day that the leaders struck this latest timed delay of events the alarm that indicates that rockets are being fired into Israel was constantly going off.  For hours it continually sent barrage after barrage of rockets into numerous cities and towns in Israel.  This is NOT a sign that peace is wanted or even needed.  This is a sign that I have to hit you as hard as I can before I am told to stop for a while.  The same occurs at so called peaceful demonstrations and protests that pit citizens against other citizens where dialog, not debating occurs.  In the eyes of God these situations are no different simply because God looks at the heart of an individual or society and not the cultural or religious aspects of a human being or society.

It is through these steps that we as an entire race are successfully proving the Bible correct.  Once a mind and heart gathers the truth about what is occurring around the world, it becomes a humbling and scary thought.  Not about a specific issue but for all of mankind, because once a person has recognized this they understand that the potential for humanity to ruin the world on every level is possible.  Everything that we do is ordained and has a purpose, whether you use that purpose for deterrence or an accelerant is strictly up to that person, group or nation.  But always remember that if you try and make it as big as Bill Gates has your steps are already recorded and your actions will lead someone else towards that next step in a societal heartbeat.  So keep this in mind while you are protesting God or the Constitution, you are actually fulfilling God's plans and proving that He was correct all along.

DLB

Employees Only

Employees Only

8/27/14

All of us have run across one of these signs in some store, restaurant, factory, or hospital at some point in our life.  And even though those signs are placed in strategic places in order to keep the general population out of restricted areas, it can be frustrating to those who are trying to find a way out of that particular facility.  Employees only also was a concept that the Church had for centuries and given the living conditions of earlier days this rule was extensively enforced which the Church was in total error with this belief and should have employed millions to spread the gospel instead of dictating it through a few people.  In some instances this concept is still being followed today not just by the leaders of the Church but by its members as well.

When I have noticed these types of signs before a couple of things have automatically popped into my head.  First that there is something dangerous behind those doors and if I would step behind them I might have the opportunity to get injured in some way.  Knowing my luck this would be what the warning was and would lose a finger or hand because of my disobedience.  The second thing that pops into my head is that the employees are doing something sneaky or illegal and do not want the general public to find out about it and then report it to the appropriate officials.

A third thought that I sometimes have about the usage of this sign is that the corporation has something to hide from its public.  This thought is probably the most sensitive and the most dangerous of my thoughts but in this case one has to understand that this pattern is possible and could be detrimental to everyone’s life if it is true.  I would like to believe that this thought of mine could be swept under the rug or at least kept to myself but as recent issues have come about, it most likely cannot be placed to the side.

Are these thoughts of mine irrational or can one conceive that they are legitimate?  The philosophy that I bear on this issue is that when you are dealing with a human mind anything is possible, and with all of the crazy practices that humans are displaying today, chances are at least one of my thoughts might be accurate.  I wish that I could say that this type of belief is nonsense and that I need to get my head back to reality but as we all know one can never totally rule out any unusual details about anything.

There are legitimate reasons as to why Employees Only signs are necessary and they are justified to the hilt.  In some factories and manufacturing plants there are enormous machinery that could crush a person if they do not know where to stand.  One small error in this setting and the person would lose their life and then the company would have major problems on its hands.  Food contamination is another reason to have these signs up in cafeterias and hospital kitchens.  Even though you consider yourself to be a clean person we do harbor many bacterial conditions that could present a danger to others if presented into the food supply.  Whatever the reason these signs do protect us and should be placed in appropriate places; with one thing in mind, to obey them.

Unfortunately throughout most of the history of the Church we can see this usage of the Employees only sign.  It is a tad confusing since the mission of the Church is to go out into all the world and preach the gospel and if one wishes to dive into this meaning further they would conclude that it is just plain hypocritical.  Yet the Church lived by this rule, flourished through it and even demanded it for selfish control over the people for centuries.  They even killed millions of people because of this concept and one can only question just how many lost their lives in vain due to Church persecution instead being told by the Church about God’s plan of salvation for their lives.

It is well known that during ancient time and all that way up to present day that many of any culture or society cannot read or write.  This lacking of a basic necessity can play an important factor in the livelihood of an individual or family and if exploited enter them into a slave like condition.  During the ancient times there was no written language until the hieroglyphs came into light then after some time a formal and more specific written language became the standard.  And as we all know as time advanced so did the amount of languages and today there are literally thousands of them that are still widely or sparsely used around the globe.

For centuries the majority of the people within a community could not read or write and this was a tactic used both on a personal and political level.  The idea that only educated people had the right to read and write dominated for quite some time and even after these patterns began to change women and children were still left out in the cold so to speak.  This practice became a label and for many around the world this label stuck to them for the remainder of their lives and some families continued to wear this letter for generations to come. Everything from buying food to finding a job was taken advantage of if one did not know how to read and write, for if you could not perform these duties then whose to say exactly what the daily price of bread would be for that specific day.

It sounds like an unjust world if you ask for my opinion, and it is the truth because everyone should be able to have that ability when presented to them.  This way of lifestyle promoted so many wrongs within civilization and kept so many minds and hearts at bay due to the simple fact that they could not be on level playing fields as those “privileged” others.  While this philosophy was rampant in the secular world one would believe that since the Church was prominent throughout that age that she would offer an alternative to this poverty likening cause from the world.  However, the Church actually embraced this policy and forcefully placed it as one of their duties to remind their parishioners that they did not have any authority or say when it came to Church business.

This concept of totalitarianism dominated the Church for centuries and eventually was accepted by all positions within the Church.  The people were kept as subject of the Church instead of vessels that should be given the benefits that God had provided for them.  What an excellent opportunity for the Church if they would have taught these people how to read and write and not hand selected certain individuals.  The aristocracy was prominent within the Church as well and this was the major reason as to why the “commoners” were not allowed to be taught.  This method also squelched any real opportunity of people of having a true relationship with God and forced them to see the truth about religion which went totally contrary to what Jesus taught.

This is how the Medieval Church and its immediate generations projected the Employees only sign.  It was a huge success in a power grabbing society and it made sure that its powerful controllers remained unchallenged while they were in office.  This policy sowed the seeds of discontent and hatred towards the Church and gave the ideas of the people that the Church was just as corrupt and evil as the political societies that they lived amongst.  What the Church leaders did not recognize was that this belief of superiority would cause the condemning of the Church, on a personal level, centuries down the road and render the Church ineffective due to its unforgiving ways that it portrayed during the same time span. 

The Church today still presents this sign today but on a different level, one that is far more dangerous than we understand or wish to study. While literacy is still a worldwide problem the majority of those who live in Western societies and who have modern technological advances are usually literate at some level.  But the problem that is present now is that the Church officials have handed out these Employee Signs to the people themselves and we now carry this sign with us as we walk and talk with our friends.  It is a sign of progression that has taken decades to develop and to spread but it is working its “magic” like a charm.

We have adopted this sign as our trademark and have basically stopped witnessing to those who are in need of God.  Witnessing is not an easy thing to do especially when you have to fight both the world and the Church’s double standards.  The love of God is a huge issue right now and while that concept is true it is not the only thing that needs to be taught now-a-days.  God’s salvation and His judgment need to be taught just as much and if we cannot or refuse to accept the differences between right and wrong, God’s love will not matter to anyone anyway, for they care not to see the truth while living with this choice.

For those of you who only wish to address the God’s Love theory of salvation and acceptance you are the prime targets that our enemy has chosen to use this Employees Only sign.  If anyone is wise and is trying to seek out God and they hear this message only, they should run away as fast as they can because if the world is trying to promote this philosophy then why would the Church be doing the exact same thing and presenting this concept in the exact same manner?  An Employees Sign only can mean that the Church has something to hide since it is not preaching anything else but this subject.  If my mind can think about an area such as this concerning a business, then another person could have the exact same thought as I do when the Church is involved.

With this in mind let us look into what the Catholic Church is facing right at the moment and add this dot into the picture.  The question of why would God send His only son to the world to die just because of “love” alone?  Yes He did do this out of love for His children but there is more to it than that, there has to be!  And any logical person who comes into contact with a church going believer and is given just the “love” message, they will automatically reject it since it would not seem truthful in their eyes.

While in many cases it is a great idea for a company to have an Employees Only sign in certain places but in the church environment is should never have been put into place and it does not belong within any church leader’s philosophy nor should it be in any of the churchgoer’s either.  This concept is wrong and we should hide nothing from dying people.  Yes, God does love each and every one of us, including those who hate Him, those that hate Him and even those who have never heard His name before.  God hides nothing nor should we when it comes to sharing the gospel to others. 

God desires a relationship with each one of us and as long as we continue to wear the Employees Only sign around our spiritual necks, the world will continue to die in their sins and have no chance of redemption.  This sign is a tremendous asset that our enemy has given to us and we have adorned it with brazen attitudes.  It is time that we take off this sign and return to preaching the truth about God, our lives and our futures.  This is the authority that God designed for His people not the kind of domineering and acceptance that has been commanded from centuries past until present day.  It is time for us to repent and to allow God back into our lives so that we may know and understand what is transpiring around us.  God is not evil, He is not mean or ugly.  He is not selfish in any way because if He was He would have not allowed us to have any choices in our lives.  He would have simply forced Himself upon us, just as some within the Church have perfected.

God loves you!! And God loves His Church!!  He wishes only peace, love and joy for every life that is on this earth.  His ways are not hard but simple and easy, and to restore them back in our lives is the best thing that we could ever do for ourselves.  God’s relationship is wonderful and peaceful and it is His desire that you experience it in this manner.  God is a complete God not just one-sided and it is our responsibility to promote this God and not the god of the world.  The "employees" of the Church should know all the information about God and since God has no problem with sharing His details we should not either.

DLB

Should Have Known

Should Have Known

8/26/14

When I was a youngster I heard this phrase many times immediately after it was found out that I had did something wrong.  This phrase is a telling one since it places all of the blame upon the individual or group of people that are involved in something amiss.  Yet we tend to argue our points to the reasons why we did such ugly things instead of accepting that we should have known the rules and took our punishment. In the same manner we have a tendency to do the exact same thing with God, and challenge His authority over us when we make mistakes.  However, with God He is not the one that is quick to judge or to punish, that only comes when we have reached a certain level. However, there will come a time when we do have to answer for our mistakes and sins and while our accuser will laugh our Creator will state, you should have known.

Every person that is alive has a set of parents.  Even though some of these parents we might not ever meet, both male and female must be present at some point for your creation to occur.  Thus the bloodline is established and your life begins.  I was very lucky to have a great set of parents that was always there for me and even up to this day are still there for me and my family, even at a moment’s notice.  I have heard horror stories about parents and how the person’s family was a total disaster and every other type of story in between.  While I cannot say that every household is always fair for everyone, I know that mine was and when I did get into trouble….well, I deserved it.

Mom and dad made sure that I followed the rules of the house and while I found that some of those rules I did not like they were in place for a certain reason.  Mom and dad never hid anything from me especially when it came to right and wrong, both of them were right on the money when it came to this area.  They never once hid the rules of the house from my friends either so if they wanted to be around the family they too had to abide by them.  I basically had no excuses as to break any unknown rules because for each one of them that I did break I fully understood that I could be in big trouble if my actions were found out.  I could not use the excuse that I did not know that the rule of ______ was in place; I always knew what the rules were.

As I grew older and began to understand a little bit more about the world I started to understand how some of the outside laws worked. Listening to some of my friends tell their stories about how they spent the afternoon in court with their parents or sitting in a judge’s chambers and waiting for some private verdict to come down really got me to think about what I did and did not want to push or to experience.  While I really had no complete idea of how the judicial system worked, I eventually picked up on some things about the specifics of certain laws.  Most of which dealt with driving and the concepts of being behind the wheel.

While it did not seem fair to us teenagers that we could not drive in any form or fashion that we wished, it did not take us long to understand how the laws worked and why they were put into place.  Some of the stories that my friends were telling made my memory jog back to when I took drivers education and how my instructor specifically covered the areas that my friends were complaining about and how they did not know about those laws.  If I was aware of them and at that time I had been driving for some time that they should have remembered what their instructors said as well. 

When some of my other friends began to argue along with those that were complaining and they themselves questioned the laws the ones who were actually in trouble made a huge statement of why they still had to pay the fine and to accept points on their license.  They mentioned the fact that after they presented their case to the judge his ruling still came down against them solely based upon the fact that the laws were in place and that by being issued a drivers license that they should have been aware of the laws governing that entity.

At the time I did not recognize that the rules of my parent’s house and the laws governing everyone else around me had basically the same principles involved.  The phrase “should have known” really takes into consideration the responsibility of a person after they have become part of any community or organization.  It was not until decades later that this phrase clicked into my head that both set of laws were deemed important for my life and that there were reasons why these laws were in place.  After a while of trying to figure the laws of our land out, it dawned on me the real reason why that phrase was put in place within the context of the laws.  It was a simple phrase and its meaning was totally justified for if it the phrase was not there then anyone who broke the law once, could have legitimate reasons to use the concept of “I did not know” as their sole reasoning and according to the law could be exempt from that law the first time around.

What a novel idea of placing that phrase into the laws of the land and it is a statement which changes the entire code of ethics on both sides of the issue.  The phrase puts into play the usage of our minds and that since our minds are a part of each of us we have the opportunity to obey or to break laws.  And when a law is broken and we are deemed a citizen of the land, then every misfortunate act made by such person is subject to that specific law.  This phrase as it is written means that every person has the responsibility to read and to understand the laws of the land and to make the choice whether or not to obey them or not.  The human mind is a fascinating organ that one can place into overdrive when trying to get out of trouble and this phrase stops that process from occurring as much as possible.

Speaking of the human mind and its ability to change or to try and change its situation, human laws do indeed change over time.  There is not really any formal reason as to why a person could not sheer sheep after 5 pm on Wednesdays any longer, nor is there any reason that people cannot whistle inside their offices on Saturday either.  It is kind of funny when you look back at some of the laws that were on the books in the 1800s and early 1900s; and some are still in the books today in fact.  We can see this pattern occurring in our world today with many issues being challenged on all levels of the judicial system.  Whether we like these laws or not the pattern of human change is constant and the laws of the land will eventually be a direct reflection of how said humans think and believe.  Change is one of the prerogatives that humans like to exploit amongst ourselves and when this change occurs we cannot help but to flaunt the new state.

The human brain is one of the more complicated organs that we have residing within our bodies.  It is very complex and as of this moment we only know about 20% of its abilities and its capabilities, which means we have a long way to go in studying this dynamic organ of ours. The brain is developed when we are young and it continues to accept knowledge as long as we allow it to come into contact with outside information.  It is our choice whether or not to use this organ at its capacity and while we all have a brain it is evident that sometimes we do not use it very wisely.  But in order for us to read, walk, talk and eat we must use the energy and electrical pathways that our brain provides.  This means that everyone has the knowledge to understand or to ignore what has been provided for them and in this case we are talking about laws. 

One area that we tend to argue about is the area in which God has established laws for His people and how we react to them when we have read their meaning.  Many of us love to argue our interpretation of God’s laws for we can do this in such a manner that it can support our ways of believing.  We also categorize this method by acknowledging that since it is a human thing to change that we can automatically change God’s laws to compensate just as the human laws dictate.  The question remains if this swapping and changing of God’s Laws is possible and why would we even consider them vulnerable to change in the first place.  The answer to that question of changing God’s Laws is an absolutely NO!  God cannot change and since God cannot change His laws cannot change either and it is important that we remember this in ALL circumstances.

We currently have some prominent people along with many “unknown” people within the church walls that seem to believe that they have found a way to justify their habits and beliefs that go contrary to God’s Word.  This is a very dangerous practice but one that has been predicted to come to pass, so in other words, God already has known about these people and how they have intended to try and change His laws to suit their actions.  I know that I have done many things in my life that I am not proud of and at the same time I understand that when I stand before God I will have to account for all of these things.  I also know that I have violated His Covenant many times as well and I deserve nothing better than to be destroyed in such a manner that my molecules within my body should be wiped away from living record, but for some reason His love and grace has covered me as long as I accept Him into my life and do my best to keep His ways, laws and covenant within my heart and mind.

I do not even want to dare to try and test God on His ways and laws with my limited and finite mind.  To be short and brutally honest, if someone tries this and actually believes it I really feel sorry for you because you have no chance of winning; for if you in front of God’s throne defending yourself and trying to escape the consequences, it is already too late my friend.  See, when God instructed the people to write His laws God could not change, when God showed the prophets of what was occurring within the nations, God could not change His ways and when it is our turn to stand in front of Him and give account, God still cannot change His ways or laws.

It is through His Word that brings into play the same phrase that our human laws have and that is “should have known”.  Since at that time it will be between you and God the word “you” is a given and really does not need to become a factor.  So that leaves the phrase should have known and God will say something to the effect that He provided us with every possible form of information in order that we would understand Him as much as our minds could fathom.  His word even says this directly which proves that humans do have the capability to read and understand the laws of God and then have the choice to abide by them or to ignore them and go on about their own business without God.

When Eve was tricked in the Garden she was allowed to have a “do over” and the consequences were set and the results final.  She believed the enemy and he won victory over the human race for that moment for he too understood that God could not change His ways after disobedience had been achieved.  Our enemy is good at convincing us that we know better for our individual lives than God does. To some extent he wins this argument for many of us and it is evident that he wins this argument with many people who attend church.

Testing God and seeing how far He will budge is a process that I do not recommend.  Not many people have done this and actually survived the process.  But in every case no matter how hard the human has tried to change things, God has always completed His mission without wavering.  This process has been tested and proven probably billions of times over by the human race and I can guarantee that each time God has been correct and just.  So why do we believe that we are any better than the previous billions of people?  We are not! No matter what the scientists have to say nor what technology has made our society into, we are still humans just like Adam and Eve and until God decides to complete His mission with us, that shall never change.

My advice to those who wish to try and challenge God and His ways is to don’t.  The world may coach you along and say that it is your right to do so but that is exactly what the ruler of this world (which is our enemy) wants us to do.  We must remember that he challenged God at one time and was damned to an eternal separation, which in the end all he has to offer those who try and complete this impossible task. 

On the other side of things I do suggest that you try and change your views towards God’s laws in a truthful manner.  Try and understand these ways and laws in a manner coming from a parent and not a dictator.  God’s ways are meant to protect us from so much of the garbage that the world has to offer us and if we learn to embrace these ways we will find that they provide true freedom from this world. We need to study God’s Word and do our best to understand why God put those laws in place due to the history of what transgressed from the Garden onwards.  God loves each and every one of us and it is His responsibility to provide us a way that is best for our lives. What makes God even more spectacular is that He does not force us to choose Him and His ways, He allows us to make that choice for ourselves and when we look at things in this manner it places so much more emphasis upon our choices and how we go about to make them as well.

Read God’s word with an open heart and allow Him to show you why He has chosen to make our road different from others.  Embrace His ways and when you do if will be a freedom not a chain or bondage.  God is calling us to repent of our ways and to see Him for who He really is and not how the condemned world sees Him.  It is the job of our enemy to lie, cheat and steal from us while it is God’s job to provide health, strength and eternal life to us, just as a Creator should.  Restoration is a beautiful process and God desires to begin with you.  For if you do, in which ever direction, the phrase “should have known” may or may not pertain to you.

DLB

Unity

Unity

8/25/14

The events that are taking place around the world can be mind boggling at times.  With all of the violence and tensions that have been in place over the past few months, it would seem like there is no possible way that the world can be unified once again.  But there is a solution to our current position and it comes in the simple form and acknowledgment of God.  We may find temporary rest and comfort in our quest of selfish unity but a worldly feeling of unity will only last for just a temporary moment. The peace and relaxation that all of us seek can only be found through God if only we just open our hearts back up to His ways.

As some of you might have heard the World Cup tournament just concluded a few weeks ago.  For those of you who do not know what the World Cup is it is an international tournament that is held once in every four years to determine the best soccer country in the world. The United States made this tournament and provided some much needed relaxation and unity while they were competing in this arena.  It was refreshing to see some of the current and ongoing national animosities go by the wayside for a while and to enjoy togetherness by many of our citizens.  It was wonderful to see a great number of our citizens from different races, social beliefs and denominational backgrounds to embrace each other in festive dances and songs while all gathered around to watch our country be represented in this spectacular event.

The world by now knows that the US team bowed out of the tournament in its knockout round by a determined Belgian squad.  This Belgian squad had much to prove to the world and to its own citizens while they were performing on this stage level.  While this was an important match for both squads it represented a great deal of unity to the Belgian team and country.  For the most part our country has been decently unified ever since the mid 1800s and has kept our union intact with little or no major obstacles to impede this stabile environment; however, this topic is up for debate now too and will probably continue to stride along divisional lines until something ridiculous occurs within our society.

What many people within the United States may not understand is that Belgium has been torn in half with its heritage at stake.  The country of Belgium was once a great country and had an influential empire that dominated many areas of the world.  Belgium suffered greatly during both world wars and has yet to recover, on a personal level, since that era in history.  Belgium is ethnically split into two parts and the divisions of this country run directly across this line as well, to the point where there is serious consideration that the country be separated and made into two different countries.

Of course this type of condition cannot bode well for Belgium and it is difficult for us in the States to comprehend what kind of feeling that would be to continually live under.  For as long as soccer has been in existence it has brought unity to its supporters and while this unity may just be on a local or small scale it does help the morale of that area.  The World Cup is one of the longest and toughest competitions to enter and compete within and if a country’s team is lucky enough to qualify for this competition the country can be thrilled beyond belief.  Belgium is one of these countries that need this type of unity even if it is only a temporary one.

Many news articles have been printed over the last few months concerning the unity of Belgium and the dire need of some type of help in order to re-establish the country’s belief in itself.  The World Cup was deemed this “needed help” and the manner in which the Belgian team is playing it is obvious that this tournament is working along these lines.  The Belgian press has been doing its best to promote the team and its accomplishments and up until this moment have had plenty of good reports to deliver.  The match between the US and Belgium was going to be the toughest for Belgium so far and from the quality of their play, the team was ready to make their mark back onto the world setting.

We also know that Belgium did not survive past the third round of the World Cup and that their team did a lot for the temporary unity of that small country.  I do not know how long those specific feelings of unity will last in that country but I hope that Belgium will find peace within herself for an extended period of time.  And in that manner I trust that our country’s feelings of unity last for quite some time as well. But given that note we all know that when humans are involved in any matter confusion and division is a possibility, simply because our eyes are on the physical instead of the spiritual.  Yes, even in dire needs of a country’s unity the spiritual aspect of our lives and survival comes into play; a concept that we have voluntarily thrown away.  And holding true to form our country has once again been plunged into a heated controversy from within the confines of our heartland.  The temporary peace and tranquility is once again marred by humanness.

Anyone who has followed my family for any amount of time knows that my father took many missions trips during his pastoral career. Even though some of these trips were made to one certain country the reasons for those trips always varied.  Mom and dad made several trips to El Salvador when I was younger and through these trips many accomplishments to those people were made.  No one can ever deny that my parents loved the mission field for not only did they send regular offerings to these people they went to these people and they loved spending personal time with them as well; when they were in country.  This is exactly what Jesus would have done when He was on earth, spending time with the people and teaching them the ways of God. 

On many occasions my parents stayed with one particular family while they were visiting El Salvador.  This family had no real connections to the United States but were godly people who also wanted to help their country recover from a brutal civil war as much as possible, so welcoming missionaries was a wonderful concept in their lives.  The head of the household was a man by the name of Tony.  He was born and raised in El Salvador and had never really been out of the regional area; namely Central America.  His wife’s name was Sylvia and they had kids between them which were teenagers at the time that my parents were traveling to their country.

Many of the trips that my parents were involved with had to do with building projects.  Churches, housing complexes, schools and water facilities were a few that were completed during these trips.  All of these projects required approval from the El Salvadoran government and then had to have governmental approved supervisors on location as well.  This added only to the language confusion but somehow everyone got along and understood the ultimate goal of the project and worked together to complete the job.

Tony spoke no English at all and up until that time had no real reason to do so.  Tony’s son Tony Jr. did speak English and when necessary did a fabulous job translating for both sides of the language barrier.  Most of the time when on the work site locations some sort of interpreter was available to everyone out on the work sights, but it was not a guaranteed detail that all would understand the exact meaning of what was being communicated; lost in translation became a famous and unique phrase to the ones involved.  When these details came about communicating could prove to be difficult.  Tony Sr. was always willing to help out as much as possible but the communication skills concerning the English and Spanish language barriers were troublesome at times.  Anyone who has been overseas where the people surrounding you do not share a common language knows that it can be frustrating when the communication lines are disrupted for any reason.

A cultural crossroads came to ahead on one of these early trips to El Salvador, so much so that the frustrations of the workers on both sides were running a little thin.  Dad and Tony tried to communicate once more in order that the project to move forward.  While I have not heard Tony Sr’s version of the story, which I will have to wait until heaven to hear, but according to dad God decided to show up at that site and change the perception of each other’s communication skills.  According to dad when he would speak to Tony in English his words seemed like they transformed into Spanish because Tony understood what dad was trying to convey to him.  In return, Tony would speak Spanish to dad and through this spiritual communication dad could understand what Tony was trying to convey to him as well.  Both men speaking two separate languages understanding what the other had to say without understanding a physical word of the other language.  It is also of note to say that once this communication link was started between these two men, it never broke.  Dad said he could never explain it completely but he knew that God had His hand in the communication process between Tony and him and this bond continued every time that dad and tony worked together.

This type of communication is not unheard of and to be honest it is not the first time that I have heard of it happening either.  Later in my life I heard of a story, a close personal friend of mine, which traveled to another country, this time in Africa, who was sitting in a room where the other occupants spoke their native languages yet this person heard the entire conversation in English.  There is only one explanation for this phenomenon and that is God.  We must remember that God can do whatever He wishes especially if we have a heart that is open to the advancement of His Kingdom.

Tony and dad never really spent much time together with the exception of the times that dad was in El Salvador.  There is no physical possibility that both dad and Tony could understand each other on a conversational level unless God had something to do with it.  I use this example as a reference point to allow us to understand that if we are willing to allow God to rearrange the inner order to which we live, He will place His spirit first within our lives and we will be amazed at how many things get completed.  Will God allow you to understand a different language that you have never even studied?  I have heard of that happening but I do not honestly know.  God created everything so He has everything to work with as long as we allow Him to work through us and not vice versa.

Did this mean that Tony and dad would now agree on everything?  Probably not.  But what it does signify is that when we allow God to be number one in our lives He will find a way for us to agree on things that represent a potential barrier.  All God wants is for us to have hearts that are set on His Kingdom being advanced which means that our selfish and denominational ideologies take a backseat to God’s Ways. This is a prime example of how the Church is supposed to work with others throughout the world and it is a purposeful statement to the kingdom of the world that God is the ultimate being in charge.

It is through this concept that we can work together as long s we place God number one in our lives.  When we believe in this manner it does not matter what church we attend nor does it matter what our goals are within our individual church organizations, the only thing that matters is advancing the Kingdom of God to a darkened world.  This is exactly what Jesus portrayed His Church and His Bride to be. Out in the open helping and serving others in His name and not for a denominational record book.  When our focus lands upon denominational plans or any other type of plans besides the advancement of God’s the unity that we hold at that moment will fall away as soon as the enemy gets a chance to intervene.  It is only through the placement of God first in our lives that human unity will be seen and witnessed as a permanent marker.

It has become evident that the Church has lost the vision of God and has turned to the world for sanctuary.  It is also evident that the Church, right at the moment, does not wish to reconnect with God and to return to His ways and that she is satisfied with the outcome of her involvement with the world.  God shall allow this action to continue for a set amount of time and the so called “unity and love” through the world’s standards will collapse; it is not a matter of if, but when.  Anyone who watches the news or reads a newspaper will agree that the world is spinning out of control, so why would anyone wish to align themselves with something that is headed for a disaster?  Yet, we mask the truth with a false flag of opportunity and expand our risk of tumbling for eternity.  The concepts of a dying world cannot be a safe bet and we continue to place the blinders on our eyes when it comes to this situation.

It is time for the Church to wake up and to change her course.  For if we do not there will be millions that will miss the intended plans of God and therefore miss out on God completely.  We need to repent and change our ways immediately and seek restoration so that we may once again fulfill the mission that God has for us.  I do kind of find it funny that we try and ask God for directions on this matter yet continue to try and justify our sinful actions.  Spiritually the Church cannot afford to walk in this manner for very much longer because if she does then the complete spiritual authority of her presence will be in question and her physical legitimacy will be rendered impotent. Returning to God and His Ways and allowing our faith to be led by the Spirit, will be the only way that we can become permanently unified again to be effective in our true mission.  At the moment it is still our choice to either place God first or to reject Him but even the Church needs to be reminded of this saying, every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord over all!

DLB

What Is In A Parable

What Is In A Parable

8/24/14

It is difficult at times to understand some of the meanings that Jesus was trying to convey to those that were around Him when He was speaking.  Many people have the notion that He was a false teacher because of His usage of parables and that He did not give direct and precise answers to those who were around His during His ministry on earth.  Still, others pursue these parables to try and subvert the truth behind them in order to justify their own acceptance of their behaviors.  Both settings are in plain sight within the Church and her walls, both in the physical walls and of the hearts as well.  There is a reason why Jesus spoke in parables and it follows the overall concept of Kingdom principles, one that we need to take very seriously and keep close to heart as the worldly conditions continue to bang at our heart walls.

Parables are stories that really do not occur yet have a specific meaning to those that are listening to them.  While this may seem a bit confusing to some these verses do have a purpose in them and should be thought about for a while.  The question about people using parables as truth can prove to be cumbersome but we need to keep one thing in mind when we are reading these brilliant examples of life, that they are intended for us to recognize our place in this world, who actually controls the world and who is the keeper of everything.  When you wrap all of these parts into one parable one can understand why Jesus used them in order for us to use what God has given us, our minds and our hearts.

God gave us the ability to walk around and He expects us to use this gift as much as possible.  Even in an age where cars, trains, and planes dominate our methods of travel we still must use our legs at some point to reach a specific destination.  You have read in some of my past articles that I walk back and forth between two buildings for my work.  I can call the other building and talk with someone but in order for me to get a sample over there I must walk it over so that it can be processed correctly.  This is one of the examples of the gifts that He has given us and another brilliant gift is the ability to think and to use our minds and heart to obtain the information that we need to survive.

When we read the Old Testament Scriptures we can easily pick out the fact that there were many laws that had been created for the Jewish nation.  When we read some of these laws it is also easy for us to come to the conclusion that God was a very strict God and did not want His people to do, go, say or eat the same things as others.  While some of us may look at these laws as a restriction others may try and use them in a worldly sense in order to gain acceptance for the way that they want to believe.  Using Scriptures to justify a certain belief that you hold is a VERY DANGEROUS position to take and when one does this it automatically places those people into direct conflict with God.  One cannot honestly and biblically support a notion that their personal views can overrule God’s, no matter what the circumstances might be. 

We must also remember that God made these rules because we messed up in the beginning when we did not follow one simple law, in other words it is our own fault in the first place.  God in turn had to write and direct laws in order to continue the notion that humans are separate and that what He created is unique and should be different from the current surroundings.  This is not a hindrance or a punishment but a code that is in place so that we may remember that we are different from what the world wants us to be, another example of why it is important that we have NO common ground with the world.  It is also why Jesus spoke in parables instead of preaching to the people from a synagogue and in a dictatorial or lawful manner.

By the time Jesus reached the earth, Jewish law was at its height and basically ran the entire show concerning God and what God could do.  The laws of the Jews became hard and strict with ever so slightly of movement or leniency which the priests doled out quite readily.  This area was one of the sticking points that Jesus had against the Jewish leaders and proved to be a serious concern of these leaders since in their eyes Jesus’ words were going contrary to what they had control over.  What the leaders could not see was that Jesus was fulfilling the exact laws that had been established for the Jews centuries before and that was to be separate from the laws that controlled their surroundings.  The laws that God had ordained for them were now their captors and they had lost all of their freedom in God and they had fallen into the worldly trap of acceptance instead of separation.

If Jesus was going to be understood and listened to by the people then He knew that He had to take a different approach to things, an approach that was ordained by God.  See, God shall never force any person to accept His ways, it is always our choice.  God presence the evidence to us and then leaves it up to the gifts that He created in our lives to help us make a choice about His existence and His love for us.  The people knew the Jewish laws for these laws were spilled upon them each day by the religious leaders of the communities.  Does this sound familiar in today’s society?  It should because the Church and its ministers have deemed it necessary to preach the same laws without in turn proclaiming the entire truth behind them.  There is a reason as to why God says to do certain things and not to do certain things and it is our responsibility to understand the scriptures well enough to ascertain the two areas.

Jesus knew God’s laws quite well and it was through His teachings of parables that allowed the people to take another look at what God was trying to convey to their lives.  At no point while Jesus was on this earth did He ever take anything away from the laws of God, nor did He water down anything that the prophets foretold or spoke concerning God.  When a law is spoken in a certain tone or manner towards the ones that it is designed for, those people tend to become very defensive at first.  Then after a few moments of pondering what has been said to them, true anger sets in and the battle lines are drawn.  Jesus understood this method and never took any measures in trying to convey God’s love and His laws to the people; the only time He did this was when He directly addressed the inclusion of worldly standards within the House of God.

Jesus used parables so that the people could understand for themselves the laws of God and how God wanted to be a part of their lives.  Jesus always took hold of the situation by giving the people a picture of a current setting, such as a vineyard.  He taught that there was a keeper of the vineyard, workers and consequences of what would happen if no one showed up to work or did not work up to their abilities.  This type of teaching spoke volumes to the people that He was speaking to and allowed them to understand what God was saying to them about their lives.  Jesus never once spoke against God’s laws but He enhanced them in such a manner to which those people could understand them, think about them and then incorporate them into their daily existence.  Jesus had to have a very vivid imagination and a complete knowledge of the physical gifts that God has given us in order to complete such a task.  These gifts are unique to each one of us and are to be used in such a manner as this.  It is no wonder that the king of this world is trying desperately to hinder each of us from these gifts in order to cloud our minds and hearts from understanding the truth about God and His ways.

It is amazing how well God knows humans, so much so that He knew that once we had broken our first law that we would have the desire to continue that trend.  He also knew that with the gifts that He created within us that we would take these gifts and use them for selfish reasons in order to prove that our thoughts and decisions were always correct.  God also understood that while we were formulating these apparitions within our hearts that we would totally lose all concept of why we were created and who was directly behind these “new” thoughts originated.  In very short terms this explains why blood was the key element in the symbolic redemption process of humans and why it was necessary for those guidelines to be followed when time came for repentance.

All of the laws, whether mankind agrees with them or not, were designed to keep God’s people and the ones who wished to know His ways, separate from the world and the death grip that it has over those who wish to accept its mannerisms.  There is nothing about the world that God can accept for its ruler is the one who God considers to be His arch enemy and a rival that is only after one thing, to trick and to lie to God’s most prized creation so that those people may experience the same fate as he will. A few weeks ago I wrote an article that dealt with Eve in the garden when the serpent tricked her into eating of the tree.  It was a specific tactic used by our enemy back then and he is still using the same tactic today and what is so sad is that even though millions of people around the world have read that story, many of us continue to fall for that tactic and then try and justify it so that we can keep it in our lives; Eve did it so why don’t we follow the same path, eh.

These tactics come in all shapes, sizes and colors and they do not discriminate against anyone.  Our enemy does not care anything about you except for the fact that it is his duty to blind you enough in such a way that he can convince you that what you believe can go against God’s Word and you still be accepted into God’s manor.  Our physical lives themselves represent nothing but death in the eyes of a Holy and perfect God, so why would anyone deliberately challenge our eternal existence any further by flirting with the protective regulations that God has set into place?  The problem is that we all have a tendency to try this on for ourselves and then forget to drop it when we use our gifts and realize that it is wrong. 

This is where the fire and brimstone points of the ministers comes into play and stones are thrown.  God’s laws were put into place for a reason and it is our responsibility to look at our past and to ascertain what exactly occurred in humanity for God to say, hold on a minute, this is the way it needs to be done.  It is our responsibility as well to teach these people that what they are doing is wrong and that their actions do have a consequence.  It is our place to do this in a manner to which they will listen and to think things through b using the tools that God has given each one of us, not to cram the truth down their throat in a Sanhedrin kind of way.

God was brilliant in the fact that He sent His Son to the earth once in for all to show us that God is a loving God and that He wants us to follow His ways so that we may be totally separated from the world.  We cannot have any part of this world and it should be our heart’s desire to rid ourselves of the world instead of grasping for it.  God is calling His people to repent and to change their ways and to separate themselves from the world.  There is a reason for this and if we truly focus our studies on God’s Word in a godly manner instead of a selfish manner it will become clear as to why it is so important that we follow God.  God is in the restoration business and it is His delight for His children to return back to Him.  It is important that we figure out that our life is a parable and it was Jesus’ way to say to each one of us that I understand your life and I know what makes you tick and my Father wants you to understand your complete story in the manner to which it was created.

DLB

Medals

Medals

8/18/14

It is easy to try and place Jesus into a political category and it does not take long while completing a short internet search that we can find many people doing this, but how many of us know that when we do this we nullify His exact reason for being here on this planet.  Jesus had no physical agenda that was awaiting Him while He was alive even though His birth, death and resurrection signified all of the spiritual reasons as to why He was sent for us.  It is hard to understand a person not having a political agenda especially since it is such a human thing to do, yet Jesus came to the world in the flesh and had only one spiritual agenda, your eternal life and existence.

We all know that medals are a significant piece of history that tells a story.  Medals are usually awards for those who have performed at a higher than expected level than others.  While some medals are ranked higher than others each one has a standard to which a person or group must achieve before it can be awarded to them.  This means that some sort of compliance to a cause must be agreed to by the receiving person in order to be eligible for this medal.  A medal is something that is earned by actions and deeds and while some of these awards are superficial others cost lives and therefore are placed upon a higher pedestal, which warrant further dedication.  A medal is earned by people in order to have their names remembered for their sacrifice even though future generations may not have a clue as to why the medal was given out.  It then becomes superficial in meaning and in face value and usually placed in some box that is stored up in a dirty attic.

Some of you may remember a Christian music group that was popular in the very late 70s and throughout the 80s called “The Imperials”. This group came out with some excellent music that lifted up the name of Jesus and was known all around the world.  In the mid 80s, their lead singer Russ Taft left the group to start his new solo career.  This came as a shock to some but everyone the group knew that it was the correct decision and both sides moved on afterwards.  Mr. Taft immediately found success even though there were some hard feelings by the listeners because his leaving from The Imperials.  It was not long until the Christian music scene was once again filled with both The Imperials and Russ Taft’s music on the airwaves and it seemed like all division was over, which was good for the music scene.

One of the first songs that Mr. Taft wrote for his new album became a huge success and it so happened that the song was also the title of his new album “Medals”.  The song had a wonderful message and a powerful Kingdom statement in it as well, one that should ring loudly in our divisive ears today.  I do not know if Mr. Taft understood just what this song’s words meant but there is no doubt that God had a hand in writing this song and I am so thankful that Mr. Taft was listening to God at that moment in time.  If you are not familiar with the song “Medals” I ask you to find it on the net and listen to the words.  The beat is a little up tempo which was a typical 80s style of beat.  I am going to use some of the lyrics in this article but not all of them so you might wish to listen to the song to understand where the words are coming from.

Many people around the world, especially those who attend church here in the West, like to try and portray Jesus as being a political figure.  We spend countless hours trying to justify His movements and sayings in order to prove that He saw things like we see them.  To be honest, that is totally backwards thinking and should be banned from all people’s minds who claim to be Christians.  It is also a sign that our enemy has infiltrated our church walls enough to spread his lies concerning Jesus’ mission on this earth and it is one that we need to seriously repent of before we take it further and it becomes engrained in our personal doctrines.  Jesus had only one agenda while He was alive on this earth and it was of a spiritual nature, one of spiritual restoration and the re-establishment of the spiritual communication lines between God and man; just as the sacrificial lambs represented in Scriptures.

The first verse of the song states: “He is a man who speaks His mind”.  What an opening line to a song.  This sentence could be a topic for an article by itself but in short it states Jesus’ intent to present God’s authority while He was on earth.  Jesus; authority was always questioned by the religious leaders of His time and it is not hard to understand just how much animosity that setting proved to be against those men.  Jesus never once backed down from their demands and questioning of the Scriptures because Jesus saw right through their hypocritical mannerisms and called them out when they tried to speak against His mission.  The religious leaders had allowed the world to infiltrate their ways and laws enough that they had become comfortable enough to accept this compromise; Jesus said No!  Not one politically religious reason here, in fact He did just the opposite, He challenged the leaders of their acceptance of worldly practices within the walls of the Synagogue.  This poses the question of why did Jesus see their medals and they did not?  No medals here.

The first sentence of this song also meant that Jesus could not have pacified the local people with plain social language.  It cannot be denied that Jesus was a social person for many times we read that He was with the people as He went from place to place.  There is nothing wrong with being social and being around people; however, we also find that Jesus never backed down from telling these people the truth either.  Look at all of the sermons and parables that He used in trying to convey His Father’s message to them.  Also, if Jesus was pacifying their wants and ideas then there would have been no reason for Satan to try and tempt Jesus, for Jesus’ mission would have already been compromised on the spiritual level; which is all that matters.  Jesus had to maintain His spiritual authority when He was on the earth, on all levels.  No Medals here either.

Second verse of the song states: “His answers are you to find”.  This sentence represents another powerful statement that can only come from a complete God.  Have you ever wondered why God would make a statement and word it in such a way that it would take a person time to figure out its meaning?  Ingenious plan don’t you think?  Why would God give a person an answer that forces a person to act in a certain manner?  How could that type of action be consistent with a loving and all powerful God to an unbeliever’s mind, it would seem more like a controlling one.  In the Garden of Eden God gave us dominion over everything and through this statement a Kingdom principle was born. 

This statement gave humans the authority to think, make decisions and choices which means that in order for us to understand God and His ways we must think about what He has done, is doing, and will do in the future, including figuring out what God is saying to His people through godly and biblical references.  So it would be natural for God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to speak in terms to which we would have to make choices in order to fully understand what they are trying to convey.  Again, no medals here.

The third line of the song states: “Just open your eyes”.  This is one of the so called controversial statements that Jesus referred to while He was on the earth.  From all of the things that Jesus did here it cannot be denied that He was a visual person for He taught through parables.  Have you ever tried to do this?  What eyes was Jesus talking about when He was referring to the times when He mentioned our eyes being opened?  First of all He was referring to our physical eyes and how biased they can become when we have prejudicial opinions about our surroundings.  It is easy for us to get sucked up into the crowd’s opinion and to “go with the flow” so to speak, but how troublesome can this ideology and practice be?  Jesus wanted us to understand what He saw and knew and one of the most important ways for us to do this is to use the wonderful gift of sight that His Father gave to us upon our creation.  So in keeping with His command of course Jesus was meaning for us to use our physical eyes for if we fail to see what is actually occurring around us how then can we expect to see what is going on around us spiritually?

Jesus also meant for us to use our spiritual eyes when He used these words as well.  Being spirit and flesh Himself, Jesus understood that we need to both our spiritual eyes and our physical eyes to be complete in Him.  Jesus cannot be one-sided nor can He only use one aspect of His eyes, so in order for us to completely understand what He said, we must do the same.  This is where some of us get hung up in that we will use our physical eyes and forget that we have spiritual eyes which are almost exploding with information that we need.  If Jesus would have been referring to just the physical eyes then He would have played right into Satan’s hand by formulating an incomplete setting to which we should use our eyes. 

This is hard for some of us to understand but it is imperative that we realize that our physical eyes cannot fully function and in their correct manner, concerning the activities around us, unless our spiritual eyes are focused on its surroundings as well.  Please, stop and think about this concept for a moment and try to understand this concept and how important it is that both sets of eyes are seeing properly.  For if we do not, one of the most important defensive mechanisms that we have against our enemy becomes a detriment and liability instead of an important weapon.  Once again, Jesus presents Himself with no medals here.

A fourth sentence in this song states: “He sees their truth burned down in flames”.  WE all know that fire is hot and we do not even have to actually touch the flames to be burned by them, only get close enough.  God references fire for many things throughout Scriptures but in every time those flames represent a purification process.  One of the more famous pictures of fire in the Bible is when God spoke to Moses through the burning bush.  While this miracle is mind absorbing enough it is almost impossible for us to comprehend that the bush did not burn away.  But this was not God’s purpose at that moment and His reasoning for this was remarkable.  God wanted to make a point with Moses and for him to understand that God could do anything He wished.  It must have been staggering for Moses to stand there and watch a tree catch on fire yet not break down as other wood had when he started a fire.

In our physical world fire is hot and it consumes the very fuel in which it is sourced.  Fire uses things in order to bring purity and when the heat is added to the equation most of the imperfections of that substance are burned up.  When dealing with wood the majority of the time there is nothing left of that wood except for a few ashes and when firer is placed into contact with ore only pure elements remain after its burning.  How many of our tongues produce a fire that would like to consume another person, their belief, or ideas?  This is a common factor in our personalities and we use it freely most of the time.  It was through spiritual truth that Jesus used the fire to squelch the flames of the world.  The truthful words that He used both to the religious leaders and to the people that He spoke to, put out their flaming words of division and allowed them to look at things differently; some chose to do this and some did not.  Again, it was the human who had the choice and was not forced to do so which says that Jesus had no medals here either.

The next to the last line that I am going to talk about is the one that states: “And He will fight for your release”.  Automatically one will ask this question, “release from what?”  It is a legitimate question that everyone should ask because it is the ultimate answer to which Jesus came to this earth.  If we think back to the Old Testament Scriptures and remember the process of killing a lamb for the sins of the people.  Do we actually know sin on a physical plane?  Nope.  We feel the effects of sin and we can see the directions that sin leads us, but the literally physical aspects of sin we really do not see.  If we deliberately tell a lie to someone or about something what physical effect do we have?  Nothing really, until your parents find out about what you did and then your butt will feel the consequences.  So, it would be “natural” for Jesus not to fight for a physical release since that will come in time if warranted; which further reinforces that concept that Jesus came for an entirely different reason concerning your freedom.

The topic of slavery is constantly being thrown around in our world, whether it is through a history book or by someone trying to make an issue of what they think is a raw deal coming down.  Being a slave, in any capacity, represents nothing good about life and the existence of humanity.  Yet we voluntarily allow ourselves to become slaves to this world and the pressures that come along with it.  Our captivity may not be in the physical even though physical slavery is still rampant in the world, and the majority of us have not grasped this concept yet or choose to ignore it and accept it as a part of life.  It is the spiritual slavery that binds our lives in such a manner that if we do not find a way to free ourselves we will die in a dark world that will forever separate us from our Creator.  This freedom is exactly what the innocent lamb provided for the people living in the Old Testament and what Jesus’ mission was while He was on the earth.

While some people physically gained their freedom from Rome, Greece, Nazi Germany, etc. it was through the innocent sacrifice of Jesus that allowed humans to free their spirits from the world and its ruler for eternity.  Jesus chose to walk this earth and fulfill His mission, fully understanding what it meant both in the physical and in the spiritual.  God does not wish to be separated from His children and through His covenant with us He is obligated to provide a perfect sacrifice in order for us to achieve this freedom.  This perfect sacrifice was His Son and only through His Son could our eternal choice be legally justified in God’s eyes.  It is our spiritual freedom that is at stake here and not in the sense of being free to do what it wants, but to have the choice in being free from the chains of this world.  Choice plays the center part here which was demonstrated by God, by Christ and by us, which concludes that Jesus had no medals here either.

If Jesus were on a physical mission then there would have been no reason why He could have not been created by two physical parents. For this reason alone we all should know that His mission was from the spiritual aspects of God and of our lives and not for the physical. One might question of why I could use a song to justify this setting about Jesus.  I can honestly use this song because it follows directly in line with what Jesus portrayed, said and did while His feet walked upon this earth.  Just as an innocent young lamb is used for the sacrifice so was Jesus and it came at the perfect time in human history.

Restoration is not just a physical condition its main purpose is for our spiritual conditioning.  God communicates through the spiritual and when that avenue is broken then He must use the physical in order to grab our attention.  We do not have to see God’s use of the physical in order to understand this concept, plus it would be a lot better for everyone if we found this out before the physical is used.  It is through Jesus’ life and resurrection that allows us to have spiritual freedom again and for us to be spiritually restored in the eyes of God.  God does not come through physical glory but in a spiritual glory that only He can provide through His perfect status. 

Jesus had no earthly or physical medals and through this song and through His own actions proves this fact.  In using one last line of the song “Medals” and it as follows: “We are His medals”.  This is the final proof that Jesus had no earthly medals in that if He had come to the earth in any other manner He would have personally invalidated His claim to the spiritual.  Earthly medals represent a specific physical activity that has a physical agenda.  Jesus’ agenda was spiritual for He knew that our physical lives would eventually wear down and fade away but our eternal lives is just that, eternal.  Our choosing Him as our Savior and accepting God’s Laws into our lives presents ourselves to God as Christ’s medals.  Not as a battle reminder as such but as one who chose Him instead of this world and in spiritual terms that is a huge choice.

Our lives contain two entities one spiritual and one physical.  There is nothing that we can do to make our physical lives immortal, this is a given.  But our spirits are a different story in that that entity within us is the opposite, it shall never die.  So when asked the specific question of which is more important than the obvious answer would be the eternal one.  Therefore, why would Jesus come to the earth and store up physical medals that will only fade away and become useless?  He would not!  He came to this earth to bridge the gap that our choices made between God and us.  Yes, Jesus was a physical person and yes He had a physical message, but it was through the physical that He was allowed to convey the spiritual necessities that we need to have restored.  It is through this Kingdom that we are restored to God, not by the world’s spiritual plane.

The song that I have referenced in this article is a beautiful one in that every line in it I could use for this topic.  I am not going to continue but please if you read the lyrics of this song stop and think about them and try to understand the meaning of each line.  It is a fabulous Kingdom song and should be remembered by every person that loves God and Christ.  I thank Russ Taft for listening to God and penning this song down so many years ago, I just wish I had understood the meaning of those words sooner, but God has His own perfect timing.

If one accepts this choice of Jesus, the reality of true life has an entirely deeper meaning other than just existing or occupying a void in space.  He is a freedom that our spiritual lives crave and need and what the world cannot provide.  A godly restoration is the perfect process to which we can truly feel alive.  It is a spiritual freedom from this place that is guaranteed to spill over into the physical and when this occurs, slavery is no longer an issue and abundant life can be experienced.

DLB