A City On Its Knees

A City on its Knees

9/29/15

Many references are made to cities and this type of representation will include everything from individuals to entire nations. The condition of these exemplified cities also falls to the same categorical standards which should personalize our thoughts about these issues.  The Bible is very specific about cities and their appearances and while this subject has been written about many times, including myself, the spiritual condition of the cities God is wanting us to examine thoroughly again.  Making sure that our city is lighting up the correct way both for our personal lives and for our nations as well, for it is our choice to be on our knees, whether it is voluntary accomplished or by God’s mighty hand; consequences differ greatly.

Being labeled as a city has many implications that should warrant a closer examination of that person’s life.  And in the case that a city is being referenced as a nation this type of comparison should be further warranted since a larger representation of people is the subject of such example.  This type of classification also places implications of how the person or place has arrived at this status and most importantly how that personage is projected towards others.  Many times we do not even think about being this type of example, but if we stop and think about what our lives represent to others it becomes crystal clear that we are indeed such a description. 

We also must understand the meaning of a city on its knees because there is one of two ways that this example can occur.  It is vital for us to realize that it is through our choices that we arrive at one of these two ways and both endings are of eternal value.  We often forget about this eternal ending, but it is just that, a permanent and eternal place of gatherings that are determined which way we either an individual or a nation, becomes situation on its knees.  As this article unfolds place your heart into the thinking mode and reflect about yourself as an individual and the nation that you live in, then see which city on its knees is represented.

A few years back there was a popular Christian song out called “City On Our Knees” that was written by Toby Mac.  The song has a wonderful message in it because it describes the atmosphere of the persons who voluntarily bow their hearts to God when we kneel before God and pray for guidance.  This song represents so many of the saints, ministers regular Joes, and sinners before us who have made the choice to commit their lives to God’s ways instead of living as the world deems fit.  No, their lives were not made any easier by living in this manner nor was their life journey any smoother, all was rough but through God’s help and guidance each one of them had an eternal light that shone to whomever they were around and through this light these people had numerous opportunities to witness and spread the Gospel to a dying world.  It should be common knowledge that if we are not shining our light for God’s Kingdom then we must not be voluntarily representing a city on its knees for God.

These people voluntarily placed their lives in the hands of God and the only way that they could do this is to bow their hearts to God by praying.  Of course they were mocked, laughed at and even ridiculed but their lives were different for their belief and commitment to God and His ways.  The world does not and cannot understand the difference that bending our knees to God has and what kind of strength it gives us when we voluntarily perform this act.  If we continually seek God and His ways through prayer He is faithful and just to hear our hearts and to provide extraordinary measures of wisdom so that we can make it through each day.  These bended knees and hearts are a true symbol of dedication and freedom that only God can provide and as long as we complete this bended knee and have an open and true heart, God shall protect His children in all circumstances.

If we choose to bend our knees to God voluntarily then God has a way of allowing our daily routines to glorify Him without us even knowing.  Our individual lives mean so much to others and to the world and for most of us we do not even know that this truth collides with sinners every second of the day and night.  We are the Kingdom of God, each and every one of us that was what we were created to be and it is through the light of God within our lives that advances God’s Kingdom or on the other hand, advances the kingdom of Satan.  We are called to be separated from this world and to defeat the worldly presence from our lives, not to invite it inside our hearts.  A bended knee will have the same type of heart, bended towards God and thus ensuring our light to shine while we walk into the darkness that encompasses the world.

When we stand up and proclaim this bended knee the world shall automatically have a response and it will not be pretty, for your bended knee towards God represents surrender to Him and not to the ways of the world.  We cannot help but notice that others will not agree with our choice, but it is a choice that shall bring us purity and holiness to our Creator, not our temporary dwelling place.  In this position our city on its knees will be looking towards the only eternal source of life and protection that can be offered and will have such an enormous amount of spiritual and supernatural strength that is beyond our comprehension.  It has been demonstrated throughout the Bible and if one reads history they will see that there are countless events that have been waged that have no other explanation than God alone.

The other aspect of being on our knees is totally opposite of the voluntary settings, for this situation is always a defeated knowledge and the ending outcome is not a favorable one.  As history has dictated there are countless examples of kings, queens and other royal figures on their knees in a position of submission to their conquering foes.  It does not take too much research for one to understand that when a person loses a battle or war the victor shall always have a regimen that includes some type of humiliating ceremony for the defeated.

This type of procedure is completed for a purpose, one that serves both sides of the ended battle or war.  For the victor, it is a sign of complete authority over the conquered and it serves as a “changing of the guard” for the leadership of the losing representative State.  The ceremony is usually conducted on the battlefield or in the conquering lands with plenty of witnesses, again on both sides of the battle or war.  It is meant to be a final judgment of the losing kingdom and what lies ahead for its subjects and sets the fate of the leader of that kingdom in motion and with almost 100% efficiency that result ends with an eternal rest for the loser.  The glorious magnitude that the winning ruler portrays makes a lasting statement on the newly acquired subjects and slaves that have been taken and the attitudes and presentations of the winners also sets into motion the reality of the non-royalty as well.  Total capitulation is now in force and all compliance is demanded for the winner has spoken and their word is now the loser’s law.

For the loser of this battle or war, a totally new way of life or in many cases end of life is forged.  In almost every account, the leader of such kingdom is either put to death or placed into permanent confinement so that they can never have any further influence on the conquered people and lands.  Their reign is over and even though they fought valiantly for their kingdom, their fight lies in vain.  They are forced to write their names into the history books and other documents and words as a memory.  A defeated king on their knees in front of the conquering king has no honor in any form and can only represent an entire wiping from human life.  This is why many defeated leaders throughout history have had their lives ended almost immediately after the battle or war was completed, it sends a direct message to others who may have adverse thoughts of performing the same acts against the stronger leader.

When a person is on their knees in this capacity all dignity and fortitude of life has been stripped away.  There is no longer any available cavalry to save the day nor is there any ally coming to aid their release.  The leader or captives are placed on their knees for a reason, total surrender at the feet of the victor.  When a person is in this position involuntarily no power or strength remains in their lives and they have no choice but to take their punishment.  It is also understood that these people who have been placed in this position have also been on the other side of the issue and had others on their knees in the past.  At one time, they knew winning and peace on their terms, but now the tables are turned and their fate has been determined.

I have shared with you two types of settings when people are on their knees and while some may not agree with these examples both are very relevant to our lives today.  It is a given that the world will mock those who voluntarily bow their knees to God and pray for His guidance and help, it is also a given that the world will consider these people weak, hapless and non-useful in the world’s societies.  If a person is viewed as such then that means that person is doing exactly what God wants them to be, separated from the world representing a different Kingdom than the kingdom of death that the world offers.

This type of voluntary bowing of the knees will also mean that when we complete this motion in the presence of God that we will not be doing so and begging for our eternal lives but receiving our eternal reward for a job well done.  Even in this setting we shall understand that in no way deserve such grace and gratitude from a perfect Creator but speechless when He looks at our life and only sees holy blood over our existence.  Our finite minds cannot comprehend this feat but I know that one day I shall witness this act.  While my eyes will be focused on Jesus and all of the beauty that surrounds my presence, I still will no understand all that is around me but I shall have the assurance that I will have an eternity to do my best to understand those glorious details of God.

On the other side of this war, there will be those who will not be in the same glorious conditions for their knee bowing setting will be of another standard.  They will not be a part of the victorious crowd that has previously passed but will be a part of those who will not be present and in communion with God for eternity.  God shall not make a mockery of your life but only show the exact details of your life and compare them to what His Word has decreed as truth in life.  Then at some point He shall once again look directly at your spirit and wish to see nothing but blood and yet sees your naked spirit cringing at the sight of absolute truth.  It is at this time when your embarrassment will not be exploited by God but sadly will be taken away from His presence to enter into the eternal setting of isolation from Him, all on account of the choice you made during your life.

It is important that we understand this concept on an individual level but there is another level that is evident that we have forgotten about and that is a national level.  A nation can be represented in this exact way when it comes to bowing its knees.  It is easy for us to ignore this principle and easy for us to write this concept off but when we do ignore this truth we are setting ourselves up to be involuntarily bowed on our knees in front of our enemies, or in front of our Creator. 

There is no question that when a nation places God first in their practices and beliefs that country is blessed beyond measure. These blessings may not always be in monetary measures or in stature but in many other distinguishable ways their blessings stand out above the crowds.  With this admission and stance the portions of the world who do not agree with this stance shall demand that you comply with their differing standards, yet when and if this country admonishes these other opinions further contemptuous isolation shall be present.  As we have witnessed over the past Israel has been the epitome of this type of worldly hatred and isolation yet while this type of activity is continually launched in their direction they have stood tall for God and have received countless restorations and blessings from God Almighty.

I wish that I could say the same type of stance has been taken by this country, but if I made such a claim I would immediately be called, and rightly so, a complete liar.  This country has subjectively committed herself to isolating God and instead bring in the world’s opinions as her foundation.  We were created as a beacon of hope and truth to anyone who wishes to live in such manner but over time we have corrupted that standing and have made ourselves into an idolatrous State which serves and provides only what seems right in our eyes.  In other words we have stood up from our humble and holy foundations and are now refusing to return to our knees for our guidance; thus, taking the divine representation off our hearts and replacing it with a selfish stigmatism as our guide.

There cannot be any more precise example than our current country’s beliefs to show whoever wants to know about our stance with God.  We have no intentions of returning to our knees and present our hearts back to God.  We refuse to acknowledge Him as our foundation and our Creator, yet we ignorantly plunder in the blessings that He has given us.  It is this type of behavior that defines a defeated king when it comes to the ultimate victor of our existence and it is one that will shortly reverse its trend from the conquering side to the conquered side.  There is no way that God shall allow our existence to continue its sinful course and for Him not to do something about it.  We are a special land and specially created light to the world, but God did not spare His own chosen people from destruction because of their haughtiness and sinful demeanor in His eyes.

It is clear that we as an individual and as a nation have a choice to either voluntarily bow our knees before God or to be forced to bow before Him.  An individual is a single representative and when a single representative finds friends than they are on their way in becoming a nation with a specific goal.  Those goals will influence our choices and will eventually become our laws and thus place us on our knees before God for guidance or place us on our knees before God for judgment.

When this country bowed before God she was on top of the world and a defender of the truth for all who wanted the same.  But now, our hearts refuse to bow before anyone but our own selfish desires and at some point God will have to bring us back to our knees but this time it will not be on a voluntary setting.  God will at some point say “enough” and will have to turn our conditions against us.  We have missed the last two warnings and are beginning to believe that God is allowing us to slide bye once again.  But this belief is wrong and just as He has done in the past He will strike a blow that will bring us to our knees again.

But when this time comes, it will not be as a conquering kingdom but a defeated kingdom which once knew the glory of winning.  This land is God’s and our hearts belong to God and the choices that we make are ours but shall always secure our fate, either right or wrong.  As of this second we still are standing tall as a beacon of hope but that beacon is weakly lit and its light is fading fast due to our contentious behavior with God and it is this root that the world has allowed to be planted in our hearts that will lead us to be stricken to our knees.

As of this very second, we still have an opportunity to cry out to God for help, salvation, and restoration but it is very unlikely that this heart motion shall occur.  I pray for this country and its current status in God’s eyes and I also pray for my status in God’s eyes.  I want to voluntarily bow before God and to place my life and eternal life in His hands, not mine.  I can only hope that this country will do the same immediately for if we do not God shall take our mantle away from us and break it into pieces, for He cannot be associated with voluntary sin.  The just and the unjust shall be included in this act for even innocent children were used and sacrificed when nations and kingdoms were conquered, both by other kingdoms and within kingdoms themselves.

One thing must be kept in mind about this situation that we are facing, if we do not repent now and allow God to bring us to our knees according to His ways, it will mean that the entire world shall never be the same again.  There is no question that our presence as an intact and functioning country means a great stability to the world and if the beacon of hope within the world is supernaturally taken out, then there cannot be any question that the remaining portions of the world shall follow.  God love each one of us and it is His desire to see us on our knees asking Him for directions and guidance.  This is our communication line to Him and if we return to our knees now, as a nation, maybe we can stop the devastation that is about to fall upon us.  God is still calling His cities to be a light unto the dying world, but in order for us to understand this calling we must be on our knees before Him and speaking to him on an individual level for if we do not accomplish this communication skill with God our position of knee bending will change, both now and for eternity.  The question remains, which city on its knees will you be?

DLB

The Just and the Unjust

The Just and the Unjust

9/21/15

In this day and age of crying out for justice against others, the concept of true and complete justice has been washed away.  All human activity is now a game that entails some sort of revenge as being the definition of justice, with violence thrown in if a finite mind feels thwarted.  We all know that sometimes the guilty get off and the innocent punished incorrectly but there is one being that does judge equally, yet we fail to see this side of truth as well.  The just and unjust together on the surface does not make sense but if the separation from the world has taken place, the human has a better understanding of such grace, love and parenting.

About five years ago I was introduced to a song that was written by one of the popular country music artists.  It was dealing specifically this time of the year, how summer was changing to Fall and that the first sports of the “year” were starting; in this country it means football season.  This song was written and sung by Kenny Chesney and it is called “The Boys of Fall”.  Every year since I was introduced to this song I play it at the beginning of the football season, for it brings back so many personal memories and it provides hope for many others around this nation, especially the kids.  This is one of the great things about the internet, so much information, good information can be passed down for others to hear and see.

One of the portions of the video takes place in a locker room with the coach giving a pre-game speech to the boys.  The coach is talking about being a leader and how important it is to be that leader at all times.  He addresses the fact that many who consider themselves leaders do so when the times are good, easy, glorious and prosperous.  These are the fun times and usually all is well within our world during this time, but these types of good times do not truly define a leader, but they do portray what type of leader one will become when times change; and we all know that when humans are involved, the times shall change at some point and things must be dealt with accordingly.

The other portion of the coach’s speech dealt with being a leader when times were tough.  It is not easy being a leader during these times but when the challenges begin a true leader should always be ready to take the lead, and be that true leader.  It is through these tough times that people look harder for a leader to follow and will usually follow any type of leader that they find.  The sad portion of this is that today many leaders are only concerned about their personal or party beliefs which drastically narrows the vision of their surroundings and thus harms those who have entrusted themselves under their guidance. 

If a leader is true at their word then they will understand and then convey their wisdom to those that are with them.  True leaders are sure of themselves and provide their followers or teammates with a clear and steady refuge during tough times; a bad leader will provide the opposite and have no clear understanding of what is around them, about like the world itself.  It is through these two types of leadership skills that define the just and the unjust, both on a personal level and on a national level.

The choices of leaders should be taken into this consideration before elections are held and then those appropriately chosen.  All aspects of leadership potential should be carefully weighed, not just favorable conditional statuses which this country has fallen in love with over the past few decades.  As we have endured all types of leaders we must keep in mind of exactly how each leader represents the will of the people, for it is through their response to such leaders that project attitudes towards the public, on any level.  We easily and timely forget that God is in control of all things and places His people into these leadership roles all the time, so even though some may not like who is in leadership, God understands what needs to occur before He can proceed with His plans for your life and for the life of nations.  This too is an act for the just and unjust which also defines one further description of God’s completeness.

There are countless wars and conflicts that are currently ongoing around the world today.  It is difficult to find a newspaper, news website or social media site that does not have some type of conversation or report ongoing about these wars and conflicts.  Just as the choosing of leaders, the result of such choices can lead to circumstances such as this where both the innocent and guilty clash against each other and both pay dearly at some level.  There have always been wars where humans have inhabited and the outcomes of those wars have defined borders, nations and tribes with the individual being the viable and common denominator in all cases which gains or losses.  Here again, we see the just and the unjust being secured or being thrown away for one’s selfish purpose and not ordained divinely.  On the human level, it is through this type of situations that we tend to proclaim our limited just and unjust conditions.

We like to say that God is in control and that He has everything under His hand, but do we really accept that offer when evidence points directly to His hand in action?  Another question that must be answered is if we really understand what God is trying to tell us when His hand is in motion and do we even recognize this justice as such when it is in motion.  The majority of the time, along with the majority of the people does not recognize this motion and readily dismiss it as such because it does not fit into their boxed concepts of God and what He would allow to occur.  This type of belief also defines their understanding and how they consider the Bible and its content, which then in turn defines their beliefs in God.

If we take the first complete word in this phrase and define it, it states the following: based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair.  This is the adjective definition of the word “just”.  The synonyms that accompany this definition speak just as loud as the definition itself and some of them are as follows: fair, fair-minded, even-handed, impartial, unbiased, neutral, unprejudiced, and nonpartisan.  This definition and its accompanying synonyms describe a condition that many of us humans fail to recognize or refuse to comply with on a continual basis.  Even though we may cry for fairness and justice, we fail to adhere to these basic standards on all levels, with this definition accurately defines as such.  There is no doubt that every base of the “just cause” is covered when using this definition, and if we are going to use this as our standard for anything, we must include all angles and then accept every consequence accordingly, whether good or bad.  This then begs the question are we ready to accept such deeds and their consequences, for our flawed resistance to those who disagree shall nullify this standard and place us into the unjust category of existence.

Now let us take a look at the other major word in this phrase, unjust and look at its definition.  The word unjust is defined as follows: not based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair.  As one would expect the synonyms for this word will closely mimic the opposite of the word above and some of them are as follows: unfair, prejudiced, discriminatory, partisan, one-sided, unequaled and biased.  It is easy for us to claim this portion of the phrase for we do it every time we try and justify our actions or someone else’s actions that we agree with when situations within our lives occur.  It is human nature to stand with others while the “facts” are being presented to others, whether it is authority figures or other friends.

For this word to be used correctly it must include the other word within its content and vice versa.  All inclusive details must be examined and weighed over time before an answer can be presented to the parties involved.  As we saw in a couple of instances within this country some people did not accept the answers given and responded according to their own biased beliefs and thus more people ended up suffering because of these further actions.  But are these people acting justly or unjustly for the entire cause and whose side is the just and whose side is the unjust?

To be honest, the word unjust is the portion that we humans like to standardize more often than the word “just”.  It is within human reasoning that even though the criminal gets their just punishment, the possessions that were taken or the lives that were stolen from our midst cannot be replaced, so our unjust stance continues its original position.  Many times I have heard family members stand up in front of a loved one’s killer and wreak their words of condemnation against the guilty party, but only a handful of those grieving people have had the courage to truly forgive those that have done wrong against them.  This is a hard position to be put in and I pray that my family never sees this day arise but it is easy to understand since the permanent closing of a situation still ends with loss.  It is also easy to portray each portion of the definition of the word unjust and all of its synonyms into our judgments, thus leaving out the total aspect of the opposite word being fulfilled, just.

It is very difficult to house a just and unjust position when we humans hold onto our personal and finite feelings and beliefs.  That is why it is hard for us to understand and then comprehend how god works; we place into the “mysterious ways” category so our minds can somewhat define these events.  This concept of just and unjust, therefore, can be proposed as the correct atmosphere to which we strive to achieve but in relative terms it is an unthinkable and utopian presentation that we can only marvel at when it occurs.  Let’s be honest, when the Ferguson incidents were occurring all of us who watched the events had our own opinions, many still do.  However, have we all come to an agreement as to what occurred there and have we all accepted the final results as the truth, both for the just and the unjust?  Think about that small incident and notice how much it exploded not only across our country but infiltrated into many other societies around the world.  We are still living its time bomb mechanisms today and as humans progressively continue their searching for their own personal utopia, this process shall never live up to this phrase.  This situation also begs that old and famous question of: is God in control?

In common terms, this phrase can be broken down into patterns that humans follow, not only on a human level but a godly level as well.  I have moved over twenty-five times in my life and while some of those moves were just neighbors away they represented a change in my life.  These changes are exactly what humans do and it is a part of our natural behavior when we have the opportunity to do so.  However, it is possible for parts of our individuality not to change when our settings pass away, which is exactly what is suppose to happen, yet in many cases with the new opportunities that are presented from such moves our changes sometimes are fluent enough that everything aspect of our lives change right along with the move and it is through this type of situational change that defines our cause and effect of just and unjust.

But God is on a different plane than us and there are many times that we forget this important detail about Him.  We have purposefully placed God into the same situational changed category as we change ourselves and this action by our hearts has proved to be most dangerous.  For we have allowed this concept to develop into a belief within our lives and thus pushed the truth away from our facilities.  It is way too often that we internally justify our methods of existence by finding some red letter verse within the Bible to obscure the truth in motion, rather than understanding the entire life of Christ and living freely with an ever-changing and unstable world.

On the other side of the spectrophotometer, we have those who faithfully have given up the world for their beliefs in God and fearfully believe what God has to say in all terms and conditions.  They are not a part of the hedonistic lifestyles of the world nor do they draw attention to themselves when that type of atmosphere is being portrayed.  While those who seek the world and all of its calamity, it is not surprisingly unreasonable that the world accepts them into its crumbling empire, but to those that choose to be separated from this destructive union are usually the ones who are set as examples from the crumbling crowds and publicly pointed out as traitors to the union. Yet, both groups live accordingly with their beliefs on the same planet, the same nation, inhabit the same neighborhood and even live next door to each other.  These are the people who are upright in standing within the community, happy and keeper of God’s laws within their hearts.  These are the people who one would think that are the unjust when it comes to the judgments of God and all that it encompasses, but within all nation building situations God has to be equal in all that He does, for it is only He who can honestly state and live through equality.

These two examples provide the foundation as to why God is the only being that is able to include both the just and the unjust when His judgment is poured out upon His people.  God is the only being that has the true capability, holy ability and true equality to complete this type of action.  It is through this truth that we have contemptuous beliefs and there is a wondrous reason as to why we indulge ourselves in this manner.  The problems that we have with the just and the unjust goes beyond the immediate surrounding effects of the physical and unless we continually study the spiritual aspects of this concept we cannot begin to understand the implications of how God establishes His command over this truth.  When it comes to our personal feelings concerning potential liabilities or situational crimes against the heart we can contemplate this concept but when it comes to things of the matter which our minds are not subject to it becomes difficult for us to reason out this concept. 

For example, one of the current trends of our society is gay marriage and the acceptance of homosexuality as a law throughout the country.  To the person who does not have any real belief in the Bible or what God has said in His Word then this concept is a breeze and really should not be of any question for its stability and rule of law.  To the true believer in God, this rule of law is highly scary and proves to be a defining point in which God has complete control to wipe mankind off the earth for acquiring such beliefs.  Notice here that I said mankind and not just the people who accept this rule of law.

To add to the confusion and distortion, we have churches and denominations which readily accept this belief into their congregations and do nothing about the sin that graces the pews each week; along with every other type of sin as well.  Further, some denominations now allow homosexual ministers to preach from their pulpits, adding to the complexity of this simple law that God states within His Word.  While we are supposed to accept all sinners into the congregations, we also have the responsibility to teach them that their sins are just that, sins.  If they show no signs of repentance then it is our responsibility to pray for them harder and to teach them further about their sins.

With this acceptance without recourse position that churches are taking today, it hinders the Kingdom of God and it furthers and advances the kingdom of our enemy Satan.  It also dulls the spiritual senses so much that our concept of the just and the unjust begins to blend together, graying the line of our conceptual reasoning about this status; in other words clouding our judgment on the truth concerning this phrase and thus dividing us further from our Creator.  When the focus fades away from God and is placed upon our lives it proves again that our finite abilities are jaded through human standards and not upon true equality.

This single example cannot even be considered a drop in the bucket to all of the issues that humans will confuse and distort in order to justify their denial or acceptance.  The number of issues that we can place into categories is countless and is continually growing due to our progressive thoughts and patterns, so it is almost impossible that we can honestly say that we understand the true concept of the just and unjust.  This point is also where our definition of God must increase and not decrease.  Our lives are strictly held within His breath and at any moment our lives can be swiped away from our existence and placed into our permanent eternal state.  Loved ones die way too soon in our opinions and young children are sometimes taken away from us before the “natural” cycle of life has its complete turn, proving once again that we cannot begin to realize this just and unjust phrase unless we have God’s knowledge and truth within our hearts.

This phrase also captivates the entire authority of God upon our lives.  How so?  Because God is our Creator and He is the Creator of all living things.  We cannot fit ourselves into this category which places us at a disadvantage when it comes to the all-knowing status, in fact it places us totally out of this category and thus out of the running to authorize the just and the unjust phrase.  God’s Word is His authority over humanity for His Word was written about us, to us and for us; all encompassing. Since He knows every detail about humanity that means He can even know the number of hairs on your head which qualifies Him to have complete authority over the just and the unjust, solidifying His love for our lives wishing none should perish but because of our choices many do, on both sides of this phrase.

The just and the unjust should trigger our hearts to make the correct choices for if we grasp this concept that means every person will fit into one of those two categories.  We also know that one day our physical life will be over and we will have to face our Creator and answer for our lives.  We should also know that individuals make up a nation and if a majority of individuals seek a certain direction for a period of time, and it goes against God then at some point god must act accordingly; both sides included.

If, God did not act on both the sides of the just and on the unjust then He could not be considered a just God.  He must include every constituent within a nation in order to bring humanity back into line with His principles and laws, it is through His love that many should live after His judgment passes.  All throughout His Word one has plenty of examples of where people have doubted the ways of the world yet they are not spared from the wrath of God when that time arrives.  God is a consistent God and He is a thorough God in all ways, He cannot deviate from His laws or words for if He did then He would be a liar.  Have you read where God has had to apologize for one of His acts because He misled someone or because He was wrong?

For whatever reasoning it will be hard to contemplate God’s total just and unjust judgment, for we cannot even predict when this judgment will occur so why could we ever dream that we could explain the concise mechanisms of such an event?  God is God and He has given us plenty of examples throughout human history for us to follow, He has also provided us with the opposite and the resulting circumstances of both cases.  God is God, no matter how we try to transpose Him into our ways and means and He is the only one that can honestly complete this phrase without honorable ridicule.  God is love through and through which is also another aspect of the just and the unjust being grouped together.  God is all in all and with that statement, I shall close and allow yourselves to ponder on these words from God.

DLB

Abraham's Knowledge

Abraham’s Knowledge

9/8/15

Many of us know about the story in the Bible when God set His destruction in Sodom and Gomorrah, and many of us also know the outcome of this historical fact.  There are those that have come to understand that similar conditions exist within our societies today and in some instances surpassed even those two cities.  How many understand what Abraham immediately before this act of God was based upon how much he knew about the land and the history of the land.  It is a fascinating series of events that occurs when Abraham begins this scene and if truth be told it is in play once again today and accurately described this nation and its followers.

The timing of this message is one of great importance and one that should teach us a basic concept about our lives at the same time.  As I have stated many times over the last few years up until about 15 years ago I could not stand the subject of history.  It did not matter what type of history one would try to talk about I quickly shut out my ears, and for the most part, stopped listening to what those people had to say.  But it was my own heart condition that swayed me from this view for as I was adopted I had no idea of my medical history.  When my family found me almost 6 years ago I began to learn about my medical history and all of the troubles that my biological family had endured, and consequently I had many of the same issues that I was facing.

It was at this point that I changed my views on history, not only my own personal history but history about humanity as well. There is a little caveat that I must mention and that is when God changes a person for His reasoning, in that humanity does not look at things the same as others or as the general public views them.  When I view history I look at it from a neutral position one that seeks the truth about the human heart instead of padding my reasoning and beliefs, in other words, God’s way of teaching history, not man’s.  And it is this type of history that Abraham demonstrates when he is communicating with God about the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah.  It is this identical history that defines our country today and soon it shall come into harvest just as those two cities yielded.

When I was a kid I vividly remember many of our trips to Arkansas to visit my paternal grandmother.  I thoroughly enjoyed going to Nanny’s house for she always had great food and I had plenty of things to do while I was there.  Sometimes there were storms in the area and sometimes cold weather but whatever the weather presented it was always nice to visit her domain.  I also remember on a couple of occasions when the atmosphere in the house was not the best yet overall I still had and still have the same memories today.  It is this type of specific history that one can tell to others if warranted and through this personal and up close history of the land Abraham could ask those famous requests and questions to God as He was on His way to complete His mission.

In Genesis Chapter 18, the stage is set for a true miracle to occur and one that would seal the fate and origins of the nation of Israel.  Yet at the same time God had another mission that was pressing and it had to do with a few cities in the area that had totally accepted a lifestyle that God had warned about in the past.  And in verses 16-19 make statements about the relationship that God has with mankind and vice versa, providing one knows the extent of such a relationship.  God had chosen to inform Abraham of the events that were about to transpire in his land and that it was a deed that was necessary due to the choices that those cities had prepared for themselves.

Now, first of all if an angel, God or Jesus would physically manifest themselves to me I would definitely be in awe and probably be in a state of semi-shock, wouldn’t you?  So my words and my sentence structure probably would not be in the best form; just saying.  Yet Abraham presents himself in clear conscious and sound mind when he begins a series of questions concerning the mission and the state of the cities.  We must remember that Abraham is talking directly to God here so words and truth would be of the top priority; this is a given because one would not dare speak an untruth or question God based upon an untruth, correct?

The angels had their orders and were sent on their way to complete the mission that had been given them, with Abraham still in the presence of God.  The first question posed to God from Abraham was one of a sneaky nature because it sets the stage of a bargaining stance that we try and mimic today.  The first question that Abraham asked was if there were 50 righteous people in Sodom if God would destroy the righteous with the unrighteous.  A logical question that God was willing to accept and at the same time both parties involved in the question and answer session knew was not possible.

How did both parties know this fact that 50 were not present in that city?  God knew because God is God and He knows all about everything at all hours of the day and night.  Abraham knew because he understood the land and the people that inhabited that city.  There is no question or doubt that Abraham loved God and that God was moving through him like no other being on the planet at that time.  It is also understood that God had dumped a huge amount of information about his present and future just a few moments earlier, information that actually embarrassed both he and Sarah.  So in any instance why would a human place themselves into a lying argument with the overall Creator of everything, at any time I might add but especially right after a heart-wrenching conversation about his future.

So, we can come to the conclusion that Abraham knew the state of the wants and choices of that city and that he also understood what was about to occur because of those choices, which means that while he understood them, the people of the city had no clue because of their involvement and belief of their current state.  Another issue that must be addressed here is the amount of people that Abraham began with when he started his questions to God.  On the flip side of this number, Abraham used his historical memory to choose a number that God would not question right off the bat.  This means that at one time, Sodom had at least 50 people in that city who considered themselves to be righteous and would justify his initial question without provoking a lying question for God to respond.

The Lord agreed to spare the city if 50 people proved to be righteous to the all holy and all-knowing heart and eyes of God; both sides knew this number would not fly and Abraham had to do some more quick thinking.  God understood perfectly what Abraham was doing with Abraham having personal interests in Sodom in the manner of Lot and his family.  So, the bargaining game continued and Abraham began his countdown to 45, to 40, to 30, to 20 and then finally reaching the number of 10.  Could God not find 10 righteous people in a city?  Well, Abraham knew the city well enough to ask for that low of a number so probably he knew that not even that number existed.  But at that moment God ended the conversation and went from Abraham and Abraham then went back to his residence.

Can you imagine what thoughts and figuring Abraham did while walking back to his house?  His mind raced trying to remember who all could be considered righteous and who would stand up for God in that city.  He must have wondered about how God would judge this city and what would become of it since God was specific when He gave details of the mission.  He had a vested interest in this city and fought for Lot to retrieve him so that he could live there again after being captured.  It was this history and the knowledge of the conditions of the city that Abraham also had to contend with, historically speaking.  And it was through this historical knowledge that Abraham had the grounds to ask those famous questions to God without having God laugh him off because they were based upon lies.

It is through this history that Abraham understood how important it was that he asked these questions for it had meaning to him, just like a nation has a meaning to people today.  When you look around the world one can see the pride of heritage and lineage bursting out from almost every inhabitant.  Many Hungarians are proud to call themselves Hungarians or Poles Polish, etc.  But from this portion of the biblical story it seems like Sodom had reached God’s “Point B” in their inhabitance and through their selfish wants and demands their hearts had completely turned away from God loud and far enough that God had to take a stance.

A serious question we must ask ourselves is this: would we be able to recognize God if He appeared to us and stated His mission?  While Abraham recognized God and His messengers the question still remains if we would or not since we have done our best to severe any ties with God.  It is a logical thought that if a person met their cousin for the first time when they were 6 years old and did not see them again until they were 36 years old, it would be logical that both would not recognize each other. The same is in play here as well because once a relationship is established and then is torn apart the recognition and separation between both parties becomes dim.

This attribute of recognizing God was portrayed during this story and while I am not going to dwell on this particular detail it is important for us to remember that these men that went into Sodom were angels and the men of Sodom were so enthralled with “knowing” them that they could not distinguish the truth of their identities.  Lot even presented these men of the city his daughters and the men of the city ignored him and then became more violent in their actions.  It is this point to which their fate was sealed and it shall be the exact same when God levels the playing field with this country as well.

Abraham clearly understood all sides of the issue when he was talking with God, and so did God.  If Abraham had no recognition of what was about to occur or had no interest in the land of Sodom, he would have felt bad for the people but that would have been it.  All of us act in this manner when we find out that a close friend’s uncle has passed away we feel sorry for them but usually do not shed any tears.  The same is in play for this story, we must remember that the Bible is filled with humans and it is through this human history that we can obtain invaluable knowledge about God, the land and ourselves.

At one time in Church history, she served as the one entity that differed enough from the world in which no one had any problems recognizing who she was.  Today, the Church has lost her edge against the world and instead of recognizing the world for what it is she has joined forces with the world and consequently has lost her mission statement.  It is through this lack of knowledge and opposite positioning from Abraham’s knowledge that we have become an endangered country ready to be struck from the record books.  Instead of a sore thumb to the world we are embellishing our worldly ways in such mannerism that no doubt place God into a sickening position.  Israel did the exact same thing many times during her storied history and she eventually paid for it drastically, losing her identity as a solid and formidable nation for millennia.

It is safe to assume that we have lost Abraham’s knowledge about the area that surrounds us, both the spiritual land and the physical land.  For both lands matter because God created each of them and it is He that should be represented on both levels.  It is our responsibility to inform the world that it is wrong and should repent of the sins that engulf it, but if we can no longer understand the area around us, we cannot have a legal right to argue for this salvation.

If we personalize this type of activity and look at our internal condition, could we even identify our history or past life enough to warrant salvation from certain destruction?  It is sad to say that in this country we have received so many blessings since our creation we have sought to end the relationship with the One who gave us those blessings.  We have thrown out our “leg to stand on” and have no defense to save ourselves.  God is a merciful and loving God but if we do not have the knowledge about our surroundings we will be placed into the same category as Sodom and Gomorrah with a prophet crying and pleading God to save our country, but falling on deaf ears because of our own choices.

It was through the choices that Sodom and Gomorrah made that established, created and executed their destruction and Abraham could not save the land.  His knowledge of the history about that land was vast and he fought well for that land many times but in the end it was the personal choices of the cities that sought out their destruction.  There have been many warnings that have been placed upon our land and through our selfish lusts we have failed to recognize the knowledge we need to survive from the world.  Instead, we have placed our knowledge into the intellectual instabilities that humans can only offer, thus burning a bridge of salvation we might have with God.  We were created to have eternal knowledge about our lives and our surroundings and we have voluntarily cashed this wisdom in for a quick fix of humanity.

I have no idea when God is going to say that He has had enough, but I believe it to be VERY soon.  I do know that there are many prophets and prayer warriors that are begging and pleading with God to save this country, but while they complete these prayers to the Almighty Creator of everything, His will is already in place and judgment must be enabled.  Just as Abraham’s knowledge was well demonstrated to God in those desperate times, there was nothing he could do to stop the will of God.  This country has come so far in helping to turn the world around     and yet we have crossed a line that we no longer can perform the mission that our land was established for, and so, God must act accordingly including the just and the unjust together.

DLB

Taking God Seriously

Taking God Seriously

9/5/15

We all like to believe that we alone are in control of our lives, and for the most part, this is a correct assumption.  But there are countless examples where this belief has overrun the reality of our creation and consequently pushed out our Creator.  God has given us free will and free choice, but it was never His intent for us to live our lives without His umbrella of protection.  It is obvious today that we have strayed far enough away that we no longer take God and His ways seriously and it looks like through our actions that we have crossed a major line which shall lead to God turning His blessings back into remembrance. God wants to lose no life and we need to realize this full heartedly and repent and turn from our ways.

Over the last few months, the topics for these articles has become a tad bit hard for many people.  Believe me these articles are not easy to share with you but they are strict and precise messages from God that He has revealed to me to give to His people so that they might understand what has occurred, what is ongoing and what is in store for our lives.  There have been some recent choices made in our country that has turned the tide in our relationship with God and He now must reiterate His authority over His people because of our choices.  First and foremost God wants us to understand that He loves us so much more than we can ever comprehend and He wants to shelter us from any harm, but He cannot do this while we love our sin enough to place our fortitudes without Him being first. 

There have been two great warnings that God has given to this country over the past 14 years, but these have not been the only warnings that He has provided, however.  On certain occasions major choices of this country have been made that represent a direct slap in the face to God and yet when something terrible goes wrong we put those choices aside and run back to Him for protection.  Then, after we deem it is “clear” we turn back around, pick up those choices once again and scream for more.  This pattern has rung true ever since our first big warning arrived on 9 September 2001.  I have shared with you the actions of such an event and the actions of our people afterward.  The same pattern held true again in 2008 when the crash occurred that brought many people to their knees; yes, it was hard on the innocent as well.

But as with the first big, warning we eventually crawled out of our problem and set course once again on the same road picking up the same old choices and starting our journey again placing God on the back burner and ignoring His pleas for true repentance and restoration.  From these two examples alone it is easy for one to recognize that our attitudes towards God have drastically changed, so much so that we no longer wish for Him to be a part of our daily lives.  It also explains and gives a prominent reason as to why we do not take Him seriously and have no real desire to change those beliefs either.

Another clear portion of guided evidence that proves we do not take God seriously is that many people in the world, including Christians, love to make their own interpretations of God’s Word.  This process is done by many means so that we can justify the feelings that we believe should be in order, thus trying to change the Bible to fit our whimsical and ever-changing thinking patterns.  This type of watered down gospel is popping up all over the world from the newest convert to the great leaders of the Church and it is getting worse as each day passes.  The enemy is using this pacifistic mentality to subdue the authoritative Word of God and making into a fictional palace of lies and what we do not understand is that we are falling for this evilness by complying with his message and not God’s.

A watered down gospel is a half truth and a half truth is a lie!  I know many people that have had heart attacks; I have to include myself in this group.  I was lucky, very lucky not to have severe damage to my heart for I had plenty of warnings due to the advances in modern medicine.  Yet I continued to ignore those warnings and play the part of the “superman” and had the belief that nothing could touch me for I felt strong and healthy at the time.  If one stops and thinks about the comparisons here, I watered down the truth with my blinded belief because of my current feelings of health, not knowing that I was a ticking time bomb about ready to explode and change my life forever.

Because of my ignorance and blind stupidity, that day of major change came to my life and from that day forward I had no option but to place myself into a different category than other people.  As I stated before I was lucky in the fact that no hard or severe damage was done to my life and I no one to thank or to give credit to other than God because if the truth be known I should have died just as some of my uncles did in the past.  It is evident now as I look back on my life during that time that my blindness to my health served as the foundation of why I refused to accept the truth about what was occurring in my vessels. Even though I was in the medical field and should have recognized the symptoms, I flat ignored them and refused to take into consideration that my body was sending me warning signs for me to change my inner surroundings.

It was the function of my inner (spiritual) heart that convinced me that I was right to ignore the warning signs that my physical heart and physical condition were giving me.  When our inner heart function is in this state of denial it is easy for one to miss the actual warning signs that are around us.  This process falls into the category of choice and it through our choices that we make decisions and it is on these decisions that we govern ourselves through laws, both on the spiritual side and on the physical side of our lives.  These conditions serve as the groundwork that we claim to be the reasoning that we interpret God’s Word according to our feelings instead of ignoring the truth; this state also causes us to miss the events around us and their true meaning for our lives.

The Bible overtly states that God has certain ways that He operates through and that He wishes for every single one of His children to manifest their lives through these means.  When we have the concept that we can change God’s laws to fit our own beliefs it places us into a portion of the atheist category in as much that we no longer believe that God is who He says He is and what He can do.  Any portion of unbelief in God of this nature defines atheism and thus automatically places us into that category; more on that subject at another time.  If this type of belief is allowed to continue within our hearts it will become the progressive institution of total denial where God and His ways are concerned, this too is not difficult to see in this country.

We know that the world has nothing to offer our lives but hate, discontent, and death, so this must mean that every blessing we receive comes from God.  We have numerous examples in the Bible and in our own personal lives that proclaim this truth loud and clear.  But we cannot ignore the opposite of this issue in that if we curse God or push Him aside to pursue our own ways those blessings are at some point taken away.  When we study God’s Word it becomes evident that every time Israel finds herself in a state of turmoil and disarray they have disobeyed God to the point where He must do some correcting, usually with some type of enemy taking charge of their affairs.  The opposite rings loud and clear as well for when it was evident that Israel kept God’s commandments Israel’s life and existence were none greater and all her enemies were kept at bay.

The above example concerning Israel and their living conditions may seem like an extreme environment to exist within, but if we truly understand God’s Word we will know that His laws are for everyone and if they are not obeyed, we automatically take ourselves out of grace’s protection and, therefore, allow our enemy to pursue our destruction unabated.  This is what occurred in the Old Testament and it is occurring today as well, God is not a respecter of persons and that is why the just and the unjust are included in His actions.

I have mentioned this fellow’s name in some of the articles in the past and his name is Job.  Job provides us with an excellent example of the difference between knowing God’s laws and ignoring them.  There can be no mistake that Israel understood God’s laws when they were in existence during Bible times.  Their entire lives depended upon God for it was He who established their nation and defined every single portion of their presence on the earth.  Even today the Jewish people know and understand that this is a true fact and while not every one of them follow God, they cannot deny their existence without putting God into their equation.  So, any argument from those who claim to not know God’s laws fall into the category of “should have known” because of their origins; this includes the modern day Church as well.

Job had a relationship with God that serves as a prime example of how we should be in our lives as well.  Job knew God well enough that when all of his troubles began and his family and land were destroyed he did not waiver in his faith.  When his wife told him to curse God and die he ignored this advice and served God with a greater fervor for Job knew that something was amiss because God would not destroy him for a secret sin.  And here holds the key to the difference between Job and Israel or if you wish to put it in modern times, those who seek to understand God from those who know of God and survive day to day without any true relationship with Him.  Consequently, this describes the modern Church and the West as we know it.

God had provided many warnings to Israel before their way of life was totally destroyed in 722 BC, and we all know how long it took them to restore their nation back into one unified country.  God gave Egypt 9 warnings before the 10^th plague took effect, thus devastating Egypt of its future.  God also devised warnings for our country as well and it was through these warnings that we once again exemplified that we know of God but have no desire to have any type of true and holy relationship with Him. 

For a long time, I never had any notion or inkling of an idea of why it was important to have a relationship with God.  I was born and raised in church and have been taught the Bible all of my life, but I had no intentions of expanding my eyes and heart to what exactly God’s Word says and what it means to my life.  I can honestly state, with a sad and mournful heart, that as I hear the responses of the Church about today’s condition of our country that it is obvious the Church is in the same condition as I was some time ago.  This state of affairs concerns me because the Church has no idea of what is coming nor will it have a true sense of why God’s judgment occurred.  Do not get me wrong, there are those out in the world that do understand what is going on and what is about to transpire, but they are few and far between and for the most part ignored.

This type of action not only by myself but to those around the world begs the question as to why over time we begin to doubt God’s existence and then through our own actions force God to demonstrate His supernatural power in an adverse manner instead of the opposite.  What makes things even worse is that even after God has shown this type of power we still refuse to take it to heart and truly change our hearts.  An example is when the Israelites were allowed to leave Egypt, the desert that they were in is not that large and they could have easily made it to the destination that God had for them rather quickly.  But they refused to let Egypt go from their hearts which forced God to demonstrate that He was in control of their spiritual land and not themselves.  What did it cost them?  It cost many of the elderly ones not to physically see the Promised Land, including Moses and many of them never received the fulfillment of their destinies.

Today many of the people who call themselves Christians or people of God fall into the same category as the Israelites did so many millennia ago.  We have been taught the correct ways to follow God but over time we have inserted our own particular selfish wants into the picture and watched as God allowed this choice to occur; God allowed it but that does not mean He accepted it as His will.  The Israelites refused to notice the true meaning behind the blessings of manna from God and complained about it continuously.  This type of activity rings loud and clear from our voices today, we cry and complain about the true freedoms and symbols that have been beacons to countless numbers of people for over 250 years.  And from the sounds coming from our hearts today, we too must endure the adverse power of God’s supernatural state.

All of these examples are ones that protract a certain demeanor which shouts that we do not take God seriously and that we place more faith and trust in ourselves.  Our capacity for blessings has been stripped and shall not return until we have truly with open spiritual eyes turned back to God and stay with His commands.  To be honest, with all of the things that are transpiring in the world today and how they are step by step lining up with God’s biblical timeline I do not believe our nation shall ever return to its previous status.  Our days of being a leader to the world and a shining beacon to all humanity are over and we have no one to blame but ourselves.  It saddens me that we shall face such tragedy but at the same time we will not even know who to truly turn to during this new state that we are about to endure.

There are many who do not doubt God and live in His ways.  God wants you to know that He loves you and understands your faithfulness through these coming times.  He knows where you are and what you are doing.  God also wants our hearts to understand that while He loves us like no other being could. He is a serious God and that His laws must be obeyed so that we may have eternal life.  Yes, God has a sense of humor, yes, God is more than we shall ever be able to understand but one thing is quite clear to us through His Word and that is if we do not obey His laws He must act accordingly.  It is now time we take God seriously on all levels of our existence because it looks like some of us may not be around to have this choice much longer.

DLB