Knees and Tongues

Knees and Tongues

12/30/16

There are not many other descriptive details about a condition of a person when one reads history than these two portions of our bodies in action.  The human body and all of its character can be defined through such articulations and can even define our spiritual side of our lives as well.  It is easy to understand the physical aspects concerning these but when it comes to the spiritual many do not recognize this connection.  The Bible refers to these instances many times and these examples are present for a reason, for us to understand the importance of our foundation and what shall occur in our lives as our lives develop through this foundation.  However, as many civilizations before us, we have lost this holy foundation both physically and spiritually and are in need of returning to the Creator for restoration.

As I look over the younger generations of this nation and the world, then include the generations of my age with some of the older ones thrown in as well it is hard for me to understand why pride has its own specific definition.  There is nothing wrong with having pride in one’s work and knowing at the end of the day that you have completed an honest day’s work and provision for the surroundings that you labor within.  In fact, it is this type of pride that accelerates our physical lives so that we make a better life for ourselves and for our families and it is one that God intended for us to strive for each day.

I wish that I could say that every work day of my life was filled with this type of pride that advanced my career, but I cannot.  I know that all of us have at one time in our work life went to work with a bad attitude or one that did not care about completing what had been asked of us that day, week, or month.  But it is our perseverance that we have from God that allows us to fight through this blah moment and push through to achieving the goal that has been set for us or the one that we set for ourselves.  Sadly, it is also evident that many times we do not fulfill this goal and push and choose to derail our livelihood work status by choosing to fail at reaching this goal.  Is this attitude wrong and what does it actually represent in our lives?  Why is it so important to us not to achieve daily goals?  It is this portion of our life that we turn away from the pride of our establishment and allow the pride that the world has to offer to invade and take over and sets into motion the dangerous choice and nasty business of eternal damnation through our knees and tongues.

We must understand that pride comes from one source but can be distorted by the ruler of this world in order to keep us from the eternal holiness that we were first created in.  In Genesis 2:15 God gives us the example of Adam’s job and how he was supposed to dress the Garden and to keep it up as God commanded him.  This verse states: “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”  Now, we must remember that God has created mankind holy, pure and without any blemish yet possessing the ability to choose what to do or not to do; a gift that will haunt mankind for their entire life soon.  God meant for Adam to have good work ethics while he was in the Garden of Eden for Adam was made in God’s image so that he could work as God did; to be complete in all things.  This is what God meant by having pride and exemplifying our creation through this type of holy pride and completeness, not what our society deems is necessary to have today.  When did this sinful pride take hold of our existence?  Genesis Chapter 3 deals with this setting but with human nature already created, it was present before God instructed the author of Genesis to write about it.  When we place this setting into context, it is easy to understand why there will be many references to knees and tongues throughout the God’s Word.

It is clear that Adam and Eve became complacent with their surroundings and began to take for granted their surroundings instead of living according to what God had commanded them to complete.  It is this philosophy that many Christians have adopted as well, for they have come to believe that their work is done by being confined to and inside church building walls instead of dressing God’s children properly according to His Word.  In truth, we should be fearful through the realization of the eternal consequences, if we do not dress and keep the Kingdom and applying kingdom principles instead.  It began with Adam and Eve and it has not changed today so that means we cannot afford to let down our guards when it comes to this important detail of our lives.  This also explains why it has become so easy for us to not believe in God, or to effectively disclaim and then proclaim that no God exists with any admonishment realization coming from God.

Throughout history, we can read about how one earthly kingdom invaded and then eventually took over another one.  With countless lives at stake, each leader thrust themselves into the spotlight when it came to winning or losing.  When the defeated leaders were taken to the thrones of the winning realm they were subject to countless embarrassments including total and complete submission to their new rulers.  Often the losing rulers would have to kneel before their victors and submit their entire kingdom to another leader and confess their kingdom and possessions to the new leader as well.  Many times in order to provide a perfect example of defeat versus victor the losing king, queen and their entire families would immediately lose their lives to complete the victory.  It did not matter if the loser of the battle and war started the fight or not, the only thing that mattered was that in the end total subjugation was required.  It is through this example of what occurs when we do not understand what our enemy is doing around us and how the strength of his tricks has on our lives.

It is through the lie that God is not all powerful, all knowing, and all seeing that our enemy gains enough ground to reroute our beliefs enough to warrant us in turn, to believe that we can bring God down to our level, thus putting our self-will in control of our situation and surroundings.  It is through this lie that we develop the notion that we do not need God and if allowed to continue and to grow this thought shall become a belief that God really does not exist and therefore no need for Him in any way.  In truth, it is this belief system that has resulted in the current situations that the world and its societies are facing and while we seek to find earthly answers through selfish beliefs prove the Bible correct.  So, what really takes place when people adjust their lives to accept this lie that God does not exist or for them not to have any need for God at all?  And if we ask ourselves these questions we must also ask why does God’s Word say that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that God is God and that Jesus is Christ and Lord of Lords.

First, throughout the Word of God, it is clear that there were many people that believed in God and that understood He was the true Ruler and Creator of everything.  It is also evident that just as many people and most likely far greater number of people that did not believe this truth.  It does not take too much argument to figure out that those who knew God and loved His ways had no problem with mentioning these words when asked, nor did they hide from this phrase when living out their existence.  Also, it was these people who feared God and did their best to keep His commands as much as possible and did not take for granted His presence in their lives.  They also gave a strong witness to God’s power and love through their lives, which came easy for some to understand yet hated by others.  Isaiah 45:23 - 24 sums up this truth by saying: “I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.”

Secondly, the reality that the physical no longer matters and that our real life has not yet begun will further advance the Kingdom of God when people understand that this truth is easily obtained.  This part of the truth about our existence occurs when we are still walking on this earth and are functioning in the physical and complements the first example above when we understand that God is alive and that He cares about every spec of concern when it comes to our existence.  If we understand that God made us with an eternal communication device built within and know that it is the lifeline of true freedom from this world, it is self-denying the physical through the connection of the spiritual with God.  As we see in Genesis, it is God’s desire to have direct communication with His prized creations, not to have them isolated and alone as the world tends to seek.

Understanding that God is real and that everything His Word states is real provides a greater knowledge of exactly what is going on around us and serves as the third reason that every knee shall bow and tongue confess.  When we know this about God, His Word becomes alive in our inner being and we strive to keep what He has given us close to our hearts.  We place His words in the forebrains of our mind and when we lead with this truth in front of us, our enemy cannot defeat us.  It is at this point that while we are still walking on this earth we will come to the realization that not everyone around us will believe what we know about God and His Word.  It is also at this point that many of those around us will begin to back away and some shun our presence due to this truth, which begins the process of the other side of the block when it comes to every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, and Isaiah Chapter 45 referred to above, the rebels against God’s Word will be humbled eventually.

It is a joy to know that God has provided an all knowing and holy verse that gives us every defensive and offensive methods of living a fulfilling existence while we are alive on this earth.  Knowing that God is always in control and everything that we experience is approved by His loving heart and hand acknowledges that His Word is true and cannot change in any shape or form.  It is this fourth example sets the tone for the eternal because for those who do not know this truth cannot understand why we believe the way we do and for those who do live in this truth it gives us the uncomfortable feeling when the world tries to invade our lives.  Romans 4:11 – 12 states this truth: “For it is written, As I live saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” 

In my normal and “quiet” life I have known many people who consider themselves atheists, agnostics, and spiritualists who have no acclamations about wanting to know God on any level.  There are also others who have no animosity towards God but have no care or need for God in their lives and while their spirits may be different towards God all of them need God and it is here that the tables turn.  Many of these people I have daily contact with and they know my relationship with God, and while some of them do not share their lives with me my presence, others hardly give me the time of day I do my best to share God in their life by continuing to witness to them through my actions.  In some of these people there is no way possible that they would ever confess that God exists or would they even consider bending to their knees to God and submit their lives to Him – why would they bow to someone or something that does not exist or that they believe in?  And it is here that the spiritual aspect takes over and completes the message of every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that the Bible repeatedly shares with us and it is also at this point where the Word of God is revealed to every person because now the person is no longer alive and only the spirit remains which throws all human and physical considerations and beliefs out the window.

It is obvious that the world is approaching total chaos.  This is an acceptable sentence to believe and while our physical eyes recognize this setting, the answers that we have for its reckoning and resolution all are falling short of even scratching the surface much less finding the answers to solve these issues.  We have willingly kicked God and His Word out of our lives even while attending church every time the doors are open.  We have ignored to understand the warnings that God has given us to repent and to fully and wholly return to His Ways.  We have increasingly accepted the physical world as our provider and have come to rely on this flawed existence as our savior through self indulgence and piety.  It defines that we no longer fear God and His Ways, but see them as a distraction and interesting fictional work that we can read when we are having hard times.

The fifth example comes from the spiritual truth that not everyone will accept God when their lives are over.  It is at this time when the people who fit into this category realize that they were wrong and have no covering that was mentioned to them while they walked on the earth.  Their lives are known to many in heaven and the majority of them probably understood God’s Word yet did not live in His Word as it was shown to them.  It would be tough for anyone to have to watch this type of proceeding occur and if God was strictly a human His judgment would be according to human standards and not His Ways and Word.  It is also at this time that Philippians 2:9 – 11 comes into play according to the obedience of God’s Word in our everyday lives.  It states: “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ id Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Once again it is this verse that proves that there are two sides to our lives, one physical and one spiritual.  It is obvious that not everyone in the physical shall fulfill this truth from God’s Word; therefore, this truth shall be fulfilled when the spiritual aspect of our lives takes over.  We must contend that we can avoid this problem if we allow our spirits to be in holy communion with God while we are alive, but many people must go through this process when our physical is over.  The question remains why would anyone bow before God and confess this truth if they did not do it when they were alive?  The answer lies in the fact that God’s Word is complete and everything that occurs in our lives is for a reason and if we do not heed to God’s Word through our choices, then we must face the consequences when it comes to the spiritual.  Adam and Eve set the stage of the separation from God and it was through the blood of Jesus that gave us the direct access to God again.  His blood also provided a pure covering that we need in order for us to appear clean before God’s eyes before we enter into His presence for eternity.  God is complete, He is eternal, He is perfect in every way and this truth shall not and cannot change, so that means some permanent setting will be before us in order to change our words and proclamations.

As we stand before God on that day we have no choice but to watch our lives unfold again before our eyes.  I have no idea what shall become of that day but I do know that everything that I have done shall be received into evidence against me.  I also know that I have accepted Jesus as my Savior and that I am counting on His blood to cover me from all of my wrong doings that my accuser shall be arguing against me.  And it is through this sixth example concerning our life that we need to understand shall occur and everything we do is being recorded and will be used against us at some time down our road.  What will not be of purity and holiness shall be burned up and will stand before God as ashes of sin that cannot be taken away.  Here we have the first setting in which people begin to try and justify their actions before the Creator of their lives and while they do their best to try to convince God otherwise, the words they hear will be “I never knew you.”

The seventh and last example that will eventually fulfill God’s Word to be true comes from the only one that will be laughing on that terrible day after God says those final words of departure to you.  Yes, we shall see our enemy, the one that we believed in over God, the one who convinced us to live for the physical world and to accept its ways instead of living for the eternal Prince of Peace.  His laughter shall ring throughout the heavens for he will have accomplished the exact same feat as he did in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.  It will be then that we realize that our lives as we know it is finished and our spirits shall begin to cry towards God for mercy and redemption, yet none shall come for our lives have chosen the other path.

All biblical truth shall be before our eyes and we will have no choice but to accept the fact that we shall not be with God and His presence very much longer.  How can a God who says He loves us do or allow such a plan to be completed?  It is just that, it was His love for us that He gave us His eternal Word, it is His love for us that He beckoned us on a second by second basis to return to Him and His Ways, it was His love that He showed humanity everything that was necessary to be covered by the blood, and it was through His Word that He sent the true Word to the earth so that our eternal covering could be provided by His blood.  The final blow is that when this moment in our lives comes to pass we will also understand that our eternal separation from God cannot be reversed in any way or manner.  Plus, it will be revealed that we will be spending eternity with the one who hates us the most, and be subject to his constant and unabated hatred for a period of time that we cannot completely fathom.

It is this stage that I can guarantee that those who are facing this horrific setting shall fall on their knees and bow before God and that every tongue from these people confess that God is real, He is eternal, and that His Son is Lord of Lords over everything and everyone.  Why?  Because their lives are about to eternally change and they will be doing anything that they can think of to avoid the consequences of their choices.  How can this be fair you ask?  How can it not be is the question that is really at hand.  God is a just and holy God on ALL levels of existence and He cannot change or vary from that position at any time.  It is NOW that the Church needs to confess this phrase and to repent of her sins and to return back to God before it is too late.  The Church is the one who needs to be proclaiming the separation of the Church from the world for an eternal reason and NOT through the words of the physical.

The questions that need to be asked today are as follows:  Will your knee bow before God on that day knowing that you are really covered by His Son’s blood and that your tongue shall be singing your confession to Him, or will you have to revert to such acts as mentioned above to try and change the situation at your judgment time?  Remember, if you deny Christ and His Word in the physical, your choice of eternal placement no longer exists at the time of your judgment.  It is through this truth that God’s Word was given to us and it is through His Word that God completes himself on all levels of creation.  It is this reason that God reiterates this phrase throughout His Word, for everyone shall complete this phrase but ultimately it is up to us in how we say it.

DLB

In Charge

In Charge

12/20/16

We all like to believe that we have elected great leaders and that those leaders can do no wrong while in their position of leadership. We also understand that not everyone will share this belief and have to deal with these voices in some manner. But why do we continually stop with the physical aspect of this truth and ignore and forget the eternal? With this forgetfulness, we invite nothing but tribute to a failed system when the forever truth stands right in front of our hearts. Not much shall change as long as we continue to accept the physical as reality even when we believe things are going in our favor. God is and has always been the Supreme ruler of all creation, for He alone created all things.

As I was walking across the parking lot yesterday morning, my body could not help but feel the wrath of the cold front that has gripped our part of the country. And while I shook a bit from the temperature I cannot complain about this type of weather for I understand that it is a part of nature’s cycle that it follows and it is the end stage of a new beginning portion of that cycle that we shall see in a few months. After a while, at work, the sun began to appear from behind the mountains that surround this valley. The light in the sky was stating that it was going to be basically a cloudless day and that the sun shall do its part in warming the land for a few moments.  It was still considered before dawn so while the sun was approaching, I could not see the beauty of what God had in store for my eyes as of yet but I knew that soon I would.

As I was once again crossing parking lots, I had the opportunity to witness one of the beautiful sites that my eyes can behold and that was the sun's hitting the tops of the mountains and turning those lands purple. I must admit that when my eyes see this majestic view, without fail do I remember the words of that glorious song that contain “purple mountains majesty”. This sight is one that I share with the person who wrote those words that many of us sing on a regular basis and hide those words in our heart. It does not matter which side of this nation one witnesses this sight, it binds us together as God intended our existence to be.  But the question must be asked is this: how many people living in this great nation realizes this beauty and what it means to the spirit of this vast land and the representation through this beauty of the realization of its Creator.

December 19^th, 2016 holds an important process in our country’s history, a storied process which has saved this nation from the wiles of evil people and one that is now being bashed because individual wills are not recognizing the real truth of the genius that our founding fathers had. Threat after threat has been heard around the nation concerning this portion of our Constitution saying that it needs to be repealed in order to accurately “hear” the people’s voices. With proven voting processes in place and with the distribution of certain population numbers concentrated in a few areas, it is this purpose alone that the Electoral College is in place so that all citizens of this nation have an equal part in voting. One candidate did win the popular vote but that margin of popular victory was solely driven by one populous state and therefore the Electoral College once again proved to be a fair and balanced check for this nation. As my readings and studies about our founding fathers continues, I stand more in awe with their abilities to prove themselves accurate in governmental affairs centuries down the road. While this process not goes my way 100% of the time, I accept the results and plug forward in trying to make this country what God intended it to be; His! This land is His and you are His land but we cannot argue that we have placed personal feelings first in our hearts and have placed God on the backburner.

A few events of yesterday have also caught my attention and for some others as well. I find it very intriguing that the Russian Ambassador to Turkey was assassinated and that a shooting occurred in Zurich, Switzerland. While the assassination in Turkey should not come as too much of a surprise the violence in Switzerland does because it means that extremism has now infiltrated the neutral settings of this world; which means that all areas of worldly political beliefs have been infiltrated, no one can say they are immune. The Russian Ambassador to Turkey was shot from behind, a cowardly defense for any attempt on a person’s life, but what can one expect when self rules the ways of the heart.  If these incidents were not bad enough, someone decided to drive a truck into a crowd in Berlin, killing approximately a dozen people and wounding many more.

For the past few months I have been struggling to define a phrase that God gave me, the phrase is “the Election of Jezebel”. I am currently writing another article concerning this phrase and as each day passes I read about our activities and how much they align with her life and her spirit that she demonstrated. How quickly her husband forgot who he was and in what position he held, for Ahab clearly allowed Jezebel to command actions from his subjects and then had them destroyed when they did not obey. I am not saying female leaders are bad or wrong, but when any leader is controlled by a worldly spirit their leadership shall become deadly in all directions.  It is the deception of our leadership that is concerning to God and the will of the people to accept it as a norm, which means they are either ignorant of what is really transpiring or they accept it because they see nothing wrong with their actions, or worse yet, deem both as accurate descriptions of our lives.

We as a nation and as the Church fail to recognize this spirit that we have allowed to incorporate itself in our lives. When we protest a process that our state has won there is a serious issue at hand. We must recognize that the old administration of this nation did not bring us back to a unified state and more importantly we must recognize AND acknowledge that the incoming administration cannot and will not be able to unify us either without God being place first in EVERY aspect of our daily lives. The Children of Israel failed to realize this, every democracy formed before us did not realize this, and our eternal enemy has done a superb job in lying to us in order for us to follow this death march.  Yes, the Church was a great symbol in previous nations and empires but just as today its presence was used for personal gain and conquest instead of what Jesus commanded us to do in Hi name AS the Church.

How bad is the spirit that we harbor? Those that are protesting and calling for a Civil War have no remorse or regrets for calling such actions. I am not old enough to remember the assassination of President Kennedy, but a good portion of my family are and when we discuss this specific issue, the fear of a nation can be heard in their voices because they directly understand what it means when a leader or process of a nation dies and what tries to come into the national spirit when a situation like this occurs. We must remember that God is a complete God and He allows both good and bad things to occur in our lives but if we fail to recognize His laws and ways in our lives the bad shall overwhelmingly present itself over the good. As I sit and scan the comments of this important day in our history, I cannot help but feel pain and agony of what is about to come for if something does occur to this incoming administration there will be a great number of people celebrating this event instead of an entire nation be in mourning. How far have we fallen from the moral institutions that were once going forth before us? I have no doubt that our societies have redefined what a moral standard is but in truth we have not found out what that delineated majority will result in.

More importantly we are witnessing the reasons as to why this nation shall not be intact when the last days arrive, for it will be the witness of our national heart that God will have to act, for while He loves us far greater than we can ever imagine, He cannot idly sit bye and watch sin overtake His beloved children. He did not do this in biblical times and therefore cannot allow this to occur in our day as well. What one must realize that is not one side of the aisle that has created this issue within the world’s societies, it is all of us who have failed to recognize the truth about the path that we have chosen and until we recognize this fact and then return to our Creator, our lives shall change every day that we awake.

At first, I believed that this election was going to be different due to the phrase that God laid in my heart. As election night unfolded I realized that something else was in store due to the results of that evening. I was reminded tat Jezebel not only was a physical person but a spirit as well and it was at that point when God showed me that it was the spirit that was well and alive in this country. We have forgotten that God established this nation for a reason and that reason was to be a light to a dying and dark world, a leader for all time and one who would stand proud for the name of God. We have accepted a commoners stance with a reckoning of servitude to an entitlement king and have adopted the condition of driving down the road in our luxurious automobiles in a fast paced urban center with earplugs in both ears and shade over our eyes blocking out the sounds of truth that are screaming at us as we feverously pass by the warning signs. A famous line from a popular movie once said “leadership reflect attitude captain” and we are ignoring these words.

While I was hopeful that the rhetoric, lies, and hatred for those who do not agree with “us” would fade away and for this nation to settle down and return to work; however, I knew in my heart it would not because of what God has shown me. To elect something means one accepts that platform’s ways and believes in it enough to cast their individual vote for its existence then engage in its course of action according to what has been accepted. A politician recently said that it was important to pass a large piece of legislation so that we could know what is in it and we have just done that with Jezebel as well.  It is a dangerous path one takes when groups or nations vote popularity or self rising settings instead of knowing the entire truth about what is on the table. I cannot withhold the truth when it comes to the Church either, for she has done – and continues to do so – in like manner when it comes to God’s Word. She does not understand it and uses it as a pounding rock in order to subject others into believing its words. In fact, the words that are listed in this book of truths is Truth in itself and represents nothing but life.

The sides of this country are so divided that neither of them can recognize exactly what this election is actually electing. The line leading up to the “T” was reached many years ago and we are now beginning to witness the unfolding of that physical choice. We cannot even recognize the fact that we are taking steps that were ordained for our paths millennia ago yet scoff at the One being that can help us with this mess. If for ANY reason one declares themselves to be on one side or the other, division is king in our hearts. Before we take one more step in proving that this Jezebel spirit is alive and well in our hearts, why don’t we stop and take a good look around us and see what we are actually doing. For if we do not our nation shall be charged in such a manner that she shall never recover and instead of being the leader of the world will become the doormat of the world. What really scares me is that this change in status shall not initially come from mankind but from God Himself thus eternally proving to every eye that HE is in control of every aspect and while we may kick, scream, and protest in our own selfish ways to a laughing god and ruler we probably shall miss exactly why these charges and changes must occur.

God wishes to make one final plea with His people and He wants to say it through His Word. Isaiah 55:8-9 states the following: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” God is not saying this passage as a way to promote Himself in any way but He is saying it to His people because He wants us to know that if we choose the ways of our finite minds wish we shall lose everything that He has given us, including eternal life. God understands that we struggle and carry our burdens around every day.

But His ways are higher and better for our existence, both physical and spiritual and unless we stop using God as a crutch in time of need and place Him first in our lives; that need, will arise once again but God shall be silent. Church, get your eyes and heart away from the world and separate yourself from its wicked ways. Fight for the truth of this Scripture and study its meaning and wisdom. It simply states that God is higher and perfect in all ways and we have direct access to Him in order to obtain information from Him so that our lives may shine bright again. It is an easy process but we must turn our selfish ways over to Him and allow His Word to govern our lives, not the world’s ways.

What I find so prophetic is that the people in this nation, no matter how one voted, what side they stand or how they feel about the voting process all agree that something is about to occur that will not be a good thing for this nation. They are absolutely correct, something is about to occur in this nation but they have missed the truth about the origins of this prophetic word. The election of Jezebel has officially occurred and it is NOT for the reason one has been led to believe. It is not solely based upon the fact that Hilary Clinton did not win the presidency, nor is it solely based upon the fact that Donald Trump won the presidency either. It is not representative of one side of the political aisle or the other and it is definitely not due to the outgoing presidency alone either. Terrifying as it is, the knowledge of this prophecy yet scoffing at the source provides a path of utter destruction without a complete understanding as to why it shall occur, which once again groups us in with the Israelites, democracies and republics from our past that failed to recognize that God is God and we are not.

It is clear that the current presidency did not want God being a part of its platform, in words yes in truth no. One also must contend that this nation believes that it no longer needs God as its source of provisions. We also must contend and accept that the new president of this country and his entire platform does not include God as the primary figurehead. In other words, we have not learned from our chances in the past and must now face the worldly consequences of the spirit that we just elected. The popular vote may have been won by a single state’s population but the entire heart of our future is gaining strength and speed in order to preserve her usurpation and proclaiming her spirit officially in charge. Watch and see is a term I am beginning to understand as to why God said it many times in His Word, it is because His children were blinded from the truth by their own personal choices of who is in charge.  So, if you have the opportunity to witness these purple colors on your local hillside or mountain range, take time to once again realize who is really in control and in charge of your existence because as regimes, governments, names, and leaders change God shall never relinquish His throne or authority to anyone.

DLB

Cemeteries in a Churchyard

Cemeteries in a Churchyard

12/10/16

This topic seems like it would be a creepy setting to have as a message from God but in truth, it is a defining concept that God wishes us to remove from our state of life.  The idea that mankind has such a site in a place of life is incomprehensible and can only represent a method of humanity that serves only as a reminder of the failure due to the path of sin we accepted.  God is a representative of life and nothing but life and His House should never be symbolized as a haunting or eerily kept crypt.  Real life is what God wants for our lives and unless we turn from our ways and return to Him, we shall fulfill and fill this cemetery setting with a bunch of spiritually dead people along with the physical.  God is calling us to repent and to allow Him to restore our lives so that we may live and not die.

On a social media website, I am a member of some strange pages, or at least many would label them as such.  Nothing demonic or horror filled but some of the pictures that the hosts place on those pages can give some people the creeps when viewed.  I have to admit that I have always found pictures of churches that had cemeteries in their yard quite fascinating, and at one point in my life wanted to be buried in a cemetery such as this.  When I was a young man living in Cleveland, Texas we would regularly travel to a larger town where my brother lived called Huntsville.  On the way to this town, about ½ the way there was a small church building that we would pass.  Nothing unusual about the building for it looked like one of your typical small community church buildings with no special outward appearances present with the exception of a small cemetery that was next to the side of the property.

The cemetery was small in size and had a fence around it with one gate that allowed entrance and exit for those who wished to visit a gravesite.  Each time I would pass by that church I was fascinated by its setting and I could not help but wonder who was buried in that cemetery.  Call me weird, but my fascination for that cemetery has never died away and while I have no idea if the church is still standing or not I continue to think about that cemetery every once-in-a-while.  I have never had the courage to take the time to stop and try to look at the graves there, and I would never hop the fence to find out but my curiosity still continues about the presence of people and how they lived and what allowed them to physically sleep in a place near a church.

Being a person who studies history I have no escape from looking at a gravesite or two while I am doing some research on a topic.  I have at times found myself chasing a large rabbit when I have to get information from a cemetery and end up spending way too much time looking at details about other areas that are not relevant to my current search.  I have also come into contact with this type of setting in some of the television shows that my wife and I watch on a normal basis as well.  Many of these shows are mysteries that are set in England and a good portion of them contain at least one scene near a church that has a cemetery on its property.  Through these references I have found myself moving close up to the TV trying to get a glimpse of the “names” that are on the tombstones, just to figure out how they fit into the setting of the story.

During a recent television program that we were watching God dropped a truth about the Church in my heart and how cemeteries are a focus and a reflection of how we view God and what the ministry of the Church represents in turn.  From the beginning of Genesis until the last verse in Revelation God is doing His best to reveal that our lives have a purpose and a specific meaning that we need to share with people who do not know God and all that He wants us to have.  We have become so caught up in the world affairs and trying our best to accept the world’s standards by putting on an accepting face that we have lost the true meaning of what God represents.

God created us in such a manner that we shall never die but through our choice of sin in our lives, we now have to face the fact that on physical terms we shall not experience this forever lifestyle.  But there is a spiritual aspect that God placed in our lives that represents a direct descendent of Him and it is this portion of our lives that shall live forever and it is this portion of our existence that we need to keep away from the cemeteries.  No, I am not talking about the physical cemeteries but the spiritual one that represents total and complete separation from God, you know, the one that our enemy lives through and cannot redeem himself in any way possible with God.  Here is a nugget for you to chew on for a while.  No matter what lies Satan tells you we must remember that he has no desire to go back to God and to serve God in ANY capacity.  Satan's one and only goal is to take as many people to their eternal separation from God as he did when he fell from heaven and took 1/3 of the angels with him.  Satan is a bad dude and represents only cemetery life, stay away from him!

As God dropped this truth in my heart concerning His Church He referenced that the Church has a cemetery mentality when it comes to God and what He represents to the world.  A few months ago I was listening to a documentary about churches in medieval times the host mentioned how it was possible for someone to be buried in a church cemetery and what it meant to the family, the church family and public when one was buried here.  I did not think upon it too much at the time but a few weeks later I was reading a book about the friaries in Ireland and it contained a large section of work that dealt with this subject of burials.  I found out that one had to be an influential member of a church organization, contribute heavily to the church in many ways, and then have a trust inside the church to even be considered being buried here.  This floored me, for it meant that one had to buy their way into a churchyard cemetery and how you lived for God matter little or nothing.

It was then that God tied all of this information together and placed it in my heart to write to His people the words that He wants us to understand.  It is obvious that we have maintained this secular mentality about the Church instead of placing God first in our lives and contending His message of eternal life.  Through our willingness to prostitute ourselves in the name of the Church and for the Church we have incorporated a cemetery lifestyle in our hearts.  The ways of the world can not provide anything except for death, so why would we even wish to be apart of something so damning?  The only explanation is that we have allowed the infiltration of our enemy’s goal for our eternal lives into the walls of our Temple (us) enough to warrant a status change on our hearts.  The honor in serving Christ is just that, it is Him who we serve and not the Church itself.  We have lost this truth and focused our responsibilities on the Church and when we do that we automatically focus our attentions on ourselves.  Think about this for a moment.

It is a delicate yet easy concept to understand when we put into place the words of God through His Word but the moment we take our focus off of Him our lives become self-centered through ourselves instead.  Peter found this out when Jesus called him out of the boat and to meet Him on the water.  As long as Peter’s eyes were on Christ he was fine but the second he focused on the surroundings and the others in the boat, he sank like a rock.  It is this truth that God wants us to realize that we need to get our eyes off ourselves and once again return them to Him.  While we cannot escape the physical cemeteries in our lives we most definitely have the opportunity to escape the eternal cemetery.  The state of the Church has become its own State and not the testimony of Christ.  Our hearts have bought our way into the closest gravesite to the church building that we can obtain.  We have failed to recognize that we are the representatives of Christ, His Bride and through this truth, we have fallen in love with ourselves instead.

Our goal should never be a cemetery or to present a gravesite as the final outcome of any life.  Our goal should be doing our very best each day to keep as many people as possible from cemeteries, especially the spiritual and eternal cemetery that the world so desperately seeks to bury us.  As I am writing this message, my parents are on their way to Texas to officiate a funeral. A funeral for a man that has special meaning to my family and to me especially for if this man and his wife would not be listening for God’s voice one night a long time ago I probably would not have been around to declare God’s words to those who are reading them today.  Henry Jasper heard God’s voice that night and obeyed the message that he received from God.  I am so thankful that he listened to God for at that moment I was not and in truth I had no clue as to why God wanted me around.  Mr. Jasper represented a Church that is alive and not one that is buying a grave close to a building.

Pictures of gravesites and cemeteries on the grounds of church buildings shall continue to intrigue me but ever since that time when God spoke to me concerning this topic, I cannot help but reveal a different tone to what my eyes view.  I cannot help but wonder what truth those people now have when they met God on that day and I cannot help but wonder what their lives represented as they stood in front of their Creator.  Building a church building or financially stabilizing a church organization does not make you a saint in God’s heart, the willingness to listen to His voice, living His Word, and spreading the uncompromised Word of God does.  Creation all the way through Revelation gives nothing but a hope of life eternal, not a picture that represents our lives as a cemetery, gravesite, or tombstone.  I understand that Mr. Jasper no longer breathes the air of the world but at the same time, I do know that he breathes the air around God now which represents the real life that God intends for all of His children to have.

God is calling us to get up out of our graves – pews if you wish – and to go outside the walls of the church buildings and start acting like the Church His Son began.  Our time in the grave should be over!  Do not allow the enemy to steal the truth away from billions of people all in the name of the belief that you have bought your way into heaven through your heartless and meaningless confession of faith and salvation.  For if you do not follow Christ’s command to teach the world the uncompromised gospel then the previous sentence is what you are living.  Repent and allow God to restore His Word of life into your heart and then we shall see the real change in the world and in our hearts that we truly desire.  Jesus said in Luke 9:60 “Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.”  This saying of Christ comes into light when one understands the exact reasoning of the status of the Church.  It is now easy to understand why Jesus said such words because you now know why He said them.  The individual components back then were looking to make their gravesites as close to God as possible but Jesus wanted them to teach about life instead.

DLB

God's Holiday

God’s Holiday

12/5/16

Well isn’t this a concept that will throw a wrench into some theologies.  But in truth, the title of this article is correct and it is a truth that probably most of us have missed all our lives.  It is a defining truth that not only explains God’s Wisdom and purpose but also what the enemy strikes against.  It is vital that the Church grasp this truth for it even defines her existence and without this truth cannot complete God’s command for her.  Let us open our hearts to what God is saying through His Word and allow His Spirit to convict us of the sin we harbor in our lives and repent before it is too late.  God did take a holiday and it was well deserved for it represents everything we know today and our standard of what we should strive for in our lives.

How do we view holidays?  We would like to believe that holiday celebrations are continuous and similar all around the world but in truth, they are not and in fact, the meaning of the word holiday can mean something completely different in other parts of the region or world.  In this nation, we have our holiday periods where a specific day has been set aside for remembering or celebrating a certain season.  Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s Day, come to mind quickly along with Memorial Day, 4^th of July and Labor Day rounding out the major federal holidays on our yearly calendar.  A question demands and that is do we honestly remember our obligations and completions that are associated with that specific holiday and if we do can we answer truthfully that we really deserve that holiday celebration?

But other days of celebration are noted as well some of them being recognized by states and our government but many of these holidays such as Easter, Good Friday, Advent, All Saints Day, etc are not all out accepted as true holidays.  In Europe, the word holiday actually means to take a vacation for a period of time and not be around work for an extended timeframe.  To leave Britain and go to France for two weeks or to Greece and Turkey is a prime example of the European usage of this word.  In other regions, the word holiday is not even listed in the vocabulary and thus not even recognized in any form or shape, while some have worldwide acclamations attached to that day.

I have been asked many times about how my family celebrates some of these holidays and one time I was asked which holiday was more important or celebrated more in our house.  My answer kind of surprised the group that asked that Christmas was not the biggest deal in the family house.  But as I was explaining to them that Christmas was the always the highest holiday and had the most meaning and each one was special in its own way, it was New Year’s Day that we had our family day because this day was usually celebrated with friends of our family, a tradition that still holds true today.  When I was a young boy we lived in a small town in western Tennessee and every year on New Year’s Day we would spend the day with some family friends and eat chili and watch football – at least the boys did – and the girls would go and sit around the table play cards, talk, etc and all of us would have a grand day to set in motion the new year.  It was a fabulous feast that was made for a history lesson to those who wanted a great example of starting off the New Year with God being first and being thankful for every blessing of the old year.  I am proud to say that after more than 40 years down the road we still keep in contact with this family and are still a great portion of my history.

The celebration of each year accumulates during the new year time frame and it is a time to begin again and start afresh with greater and brighter ideas for the future.  As our lives pass and years go by do we have the pattern of completeness on our sides enough to warrant such remembrance when we are gone?  Have we fulfilled out duties enough to celebrate as God did so long ago?  I know I cannot always state that I deserve all of the bonus holiday celebratory issues but I am the first to grasp their rewards without thinking about what really occurred.  Do you fit into this category or have you ever thought about it in this manner?  We are made in God’s image and we should do our best to be like Him you know.

For the majority of my life I have always held down a job and my dedication to that job has been exemplary for the most part.  I have always maintained the best possible presentation for my job and tried my best to provide the most accurate results in order that the physician could treat accordingly.  It is difficult for me to take a holiday from my work, not because of a control issue or that I have done anything wrong to hide my mistakes but this is a trait that I picked up and learned from my parents for they cared so much for the people in their congregations no matter the time of day or night.  This part of life was instilled to me when I was very young and it continues today and while my body needs to have rest many times I forget this truth and work right through my tiredness.

I must admit that I do not follow God’s Word too well in this category for right from the beginning of human existence God took a holiday after His job of creation was done and through this act of love from Him we should keep the exact same standard as He did while He was working.  Can you imagine what would occur if a general of an army decided to take an extended break from his work planning a battle and never finished the attack or defensive plans of that battle?  What if God would have stopped creating the earth and all of its splendor on the 4^th day and left out days 5-6 of creation?  How organized and complete could He claim if this was the case?  It is this aspect about Himself wants us to understand and model after, for God loves a hard worker who follows His lead in completing the assignments that we have commissioned to do.

Genesis Chapter 1 provides us with a wonderful setting of the order in which God followed when He created the earth.  Each verse in this chapter deals with a subject of creation and the pattern in which God followed.  Right from the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and His vision for a perfect world of life began.  Many around the world would like to discredit this truth and torture those who go against the popular way of thinking, but the truth about the world’s creation remains and shall never cease to shine.

There are a few observations that God performs that confirm this perfect and complete status of His creations.  The very first specific thing that the Bible says God created was light and in Genesis 1:4 it states that God saw the light and that it was good. It is at this point where many people will begin to differ about their perception of God for those who wish to interpret God on their own individual level will justify that God’s creation of light is not perfect and not complete.  One must take into consideration here the verse in His Word that says either you are for me or against me which means one cannot be on both sides or believe only what they wish.  God created light on the first day of our existence and there is a huge reason why God created light first, for it fits perfectly into His order of creation and thus demonstrates His ability to claim perfection and completeness.

As each day of creation continued God ended that day with a deep looking into what He had done before He continued with the next day’s establishment.  We once again refer to the biblical verse that states if one is either for Him or against Him and it is through the end of each creation day that this verse once again comes into play.  For if we contend that God is God and that He is perfect and complete in all of His ways then when God says that He looks at His work for the day and says that it is good it means that He approves of that work and therefore is made perfect and complete as well.  After each day of creation, God made the exact same statement about His work being good.  This has direct meaning to our lives because it states that God creates in His image which is holy, complete, perfect, and eternal in all ways and therefore something or someone else made things according to our scale today.

Now, take a close look at Genesis 1: 1 – Genesis 1:31 and you will notice a pattern that is very important.  God follows the same sequence after each day of creation with the words that state that everything God did on that day was good.  Forwarding a bit to Genesis 3:22 where it states that God knows the difference between good and evil, puts into place that God understood what was good and what was bad and through His holy, perfect, complete and pure status; and could only make such a claim of being good if it was in fact actually good.  It further instills that what God creates can only be in those states that He lives in as well. What do these verses in Genesis provide us?  When you look around you, one will notice every single item that God created including humanity.  While some of the species are no longer with us that does not mean that God did not have anything to do with their establishment for God created all life and therefore His completeness includes all living things.

The process of creating a baby is a phenomenal detail about our species and sometimes sadly brings controversy and heartache as well.  But when a baby is born I find it so refreshing to see the parents walking around showing off their newborn and to have many around them “oooh and aweee” when their eyes meet that fresh face.  If you ever want to see an adult act like a silly child again, stick around the nursery of a hospital and just observe, it is fantastic.  Not many sad faces are around during this time and for the most part, it is a joyous occasion to watch unfold as a new life is brought into the world according to God’s creative plan for human multiplication and completion of His Kingdom principle of life.  What?  A new baby is in the plan of God’s kingdom advancement?  YES!!! And it is the sole reason that God threw a holiday party on the 7^th Day of Creation.

Genesis 2:1-3 states the following: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.  And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”  This is a powerful statement made by God and one that will be addressed shortly in another article but the only times that God mentions the word “blessed” in this passage of creation is when He speaks to the created beings to be fruitful and multiply.  So why would God speak this word on a day in which He rested?

It is this passage and specifically this verse that deals with holidays and the reason we celebrate them.  When God used the word blessed in the verses of Genesis Chapters 1 & 2 He was giving a command not a suggestion for He knew that in order for life to continue it had to be created well enough to reproduce itself and life could not continue unless the Creator Himself gave the authority to do such.  When God saw that His ways were good He had a right cause to have a holiday for the celebration of His work and this is the reason why God took a holiday on the 7^th Day of Creation.  He blessed this day and saw that His entire creative process was good and in perfect order.  He also understood that He just completed His demonstration concerning creating things to His arch enemy as well, thus defying the selfish ambitions of Lucifer / Satan.

On God’s holiday, He was strictly celebrating Life itself for He had proven to all of the hosts that He and He alone had no rival and no equals and that He alone was the Creator of all living things.  God was not celebrating pride or prejudice but Life, eternal life as it was supposed to be experienced.  God was so thorough that He even gave dominion over mankind as a part of His holy order and to establish the regal state of His prized creation.  Can you imagine what creation would be like if He did not place us over the animals?  God knew how He created the animals and He knew their corresponding behavior plus it was not God’s intention for mankind to be wiped out for it would not have completed the setting and challenge that Lucifer presented with his whimsical markings.

God was happy and satisfied when He looked over the earth and all of its inhabitants that He created and He must have turned to Satan and said, See I am the only one who can create life eternal through holy and pure means.  Through this accomplishment alone gives any father the ability to smile and to celebrate life so God would not be any exception to this truth either.  What a joyous occasion this day must have been for God and for the heavenly hosts around Him for He established once and for all that He is the champion of life and that no other being could master the gift of life as He.  This is further exemplified by God’s words of blessing over the 7^th Day of Creation because it in effect covers the entire process of creation that He completed.  It also authorized our celebrations of life and completion through a declaration of holidays.

Want to know why the world has it out for our holidays?  Read the above paragraphs again and then you will understand why the enemy hates our lives to be filled with joy, happiness, and completion for it constantly remind him when we portray these emotions and memories.  Our holidays were founded so that we can remember all of the events of the year or specific time period passed.  In the beginning, God could guarantee that all life could be celebrated in this manner but as we chose to differ from God’s creation status our lives took a drastic change of course.  You want to know why holidays are being attacked by the world?  You now have that answer.  You want to know why not every holiday is celebrated with happiness and joy?  You now have that answer as well. 

Our enemy will do anything to stop the advancement of God’s Kingdom and life itself and our reflections of life are a direct threat to Satan for as long as we are on this earth we have the potential to recognize the lie that he has fed us and to change our choice back to the One true Creator of Life.  You want to know why life is being targeted as a hindrance?  You now have the answer to that as well.  God celebrated life in the beginning and when He rested that meant that He shall always celebrate life for that is all He knows as well; God rested on that blessed day and He did not stop in any way concerning life and His everlasting status either.  God continues to have fabulous memories of this moment in our existence when nothing wrong was present in His creation thus His provisions of a way that we can once again choose His Ways instead of the world.

Holidays are meant to be joyous remembrances of our lives and as each special and personal occasion arrive each year it is this time we should stand tall and be proud of the accomplishments that we have made over that time period.  As with every reader of this article our family has experienced pain and suffering during some of these holiday seasons but we should never forget as tragic as those hurts may be God still is on the throne and if those loved ones knew Him they are dancing on the streets of heaven pain and guilt free as we were created to be.  While a snag appeared in our existence God still provides a way for us to be restored and we need to come to the realization of this fact.  It does not matter if your holiday is a vacation from work or a dedicated and observed holiday, we should keep in tune with how God looks at His holiday as a guide for our lives.

God gave Adam and Eve their job in the Garden of Eden and He has given us our job to proclaim the true Gospel of His Word. God set the example of completeness through His creation of the world and our lives, Adam knew this, Eve knew this and we know this.  Adam took his holiday before it was time and we all face the consequences of this incompletion status.  Adam took pride in his work instead of facing the truth about completing his work and look where his pride (Pride) got us.  God kept the Sabbath Day holy for celebration reasons, why do you think Jesus healed people on that day what more holy act can one do than to heal on such a celebratory day.  No wonder the religious leaders went nuts when Jesus performed these acts on the Sabbath, they did not understand what the Sabbath really meant for their lives, to their lives, and in their lives.

Church, it is our job to tell the world and then show the world that God created us for a reason.  It is also our responsibility to tell them the truth about God and His Ways and not some prideful lie to appease the governments and denominations that side with the world.  We are called to be separated from this place and it is through God’s holiday that we should be adhering to this truth.  We cannot truly celebrate our lives without understanding this concept and fulfilling our commitment to life as well.  We were created to advance God’s Kingdom with each breath we take and if we do not accomplish this task we are advancing the wrong kingdom and until we change this course we shall suffer tremendously and foolishly for a holiday taken too soon.

DLB

Feeling Hate

Feeling Hate

12/2/16

This emotional status is thrown around almost on a second by second basis these days but throughout history, we have the confidence that this feeling is nothing new to societal living.  It is this point that we should step back and take a hard look at what the origins of this word mean and what it states against others and to God.  All of us become upset at times in our lives, but when we choose to take this anger to another level and physically present it to others it is at this point when we provoke the actions of our enemy and invite his destructive presence to be exemplified.  God did not intend for His Church to act in such a manner but to present a steadfast and humble difference from what the world offers.  It is time to stake a stand against such wickedness before our enemy further grabs the upper hand and our lives change so drastically that God has to intervene in His own special way.

A few days ago the world received the news that one of the longest tenured leaders of a nation had passed away.  Fidel Castro came to fame back in the early to mid-1950s and sprang a revolution in a small Caribbean island known as Cuba.  Up until his fighters took control of the country Cuba was a thriving and bustling nation that accepted all who wished to inhabit that exotic and tropical island.  If people wanted to go to church they had plenty of options, if they wanted to dance the night away in one of the many clubs they could do this activity as well.  The island was a paradise and a popular spot for vacationers and other regional tourists at all times of the year.  Did the island community and nation have problems?  Of course, it did but just as any other free society it dealt with its problems and handled their affairs accordingly.  But those ideas and ways of life changed once Castro and his communist overseers took control of the island and swept themselves into power in a bloody revolution.

The lives of thousands of people on that island drastically changed overnight when Castro took over and with this coup the western hemisphere began to watch as many of those who opposed this new regime lost their lives through captivity, torture, and execution which spread a level of terror and fear throughout everyone who remained on the island.  Over time these inhabitants learned what to say and what not to say when asked and for the most part lost all freedom to speak their hearts due to the confines of the new leader of their land.  Fidel Castro passed away this last week and the feelings of those directly involved in his affairs finally had the opportunity to be expressed.  The Miami streets became a public dance hall with thousands of Cuban Americans lignin up to vent decades of frustration to the world which up until then they had to pin up because of possible threats and consequences of their families still remaining in Cuba.

As I watched these people sing, shout and dance with released angered joy I could not help but think about another issue that many of them were not thinking about at that moment.  There is no question at all that Fidel Castro was a brutal dictator over innocent people and that he had countless lives on his hands throughout the years of his leadership.  In humanity terms, he brought a suppressed life to many of his people and almost brought the world into another nuclear-aged war that would have changed the entire world and its setting.  But this man had plenty of opportunities to change his heart and to accept Jesus as his Savior and to have a personal relationship with Him which would have changed his heart and changed the course of thousands of lives as well.  Did any of us pray for his heart so it might change and turn to God or did we allow our anger of humanity rule the day?

But what is important is that while Fidel Castro may have a Catholic funeral and have many priests, bishops, an archbishop or two and a cardinal preside over his service, it does not mean that he made things right with God before he took his last breath and it is this aspect of Castro’s life that I have concerns with because if he did not make things right with God then he is now spending eternity in hell never to be reached by God again.  I am not being sympathetic about his actions and deeds by any means, but even Jesus went up to the Jews’ arch enemies and witnessed to them and then held a revival when they agreed to His presence.  Jesus found a way to witness to enemies and don’t you believe that we should have the same heart as He did?  And do we understand that when we witness to those who do not believe in the truth about God will have a negative reaction to this process?  I am not saying everyone will react violently but a good portion of them will, and I would not be surprised if some ears around you that are not part of the conversation have a say in your words as well; yes, it is that important of a concept.

Instead, it is obvious that we have chosen the same path of celebrating our own divisions by implementing a terror word or phrase called hate.  I cannot help but believe that when I was watching and reading about these people dancing in the street about Castro’s death that they were celebrating his hate and their hate together.  And through this word or phrase we have created a society in which if someone comes up to us that has a different opinion than ours, we flare up and place this word and its meaning into motion instead of dialoguing with them and seeing if there is any common reasoning as to why such differences occur.  Jesus could have easily done this when He approached the woman at the well, and if actions of the disciples say anything they probably would have reacted in such a divisive manner if it was them who presented at the well first.  Can we say that we have acted like the disciples or Jesus in this example?

Do you know where the concept of hate began?  Do you know who began this concept and why?  The definition of hate is as follows: an intense or passionate dislike for someone or something.  The definition itself describes a process of infiltration and not an immediate substance of a displayed emotion.  Hatred is a vile word that displays a timed condition that has reached a point of no return and thus has to act accordingly in order to properly express its meaning.  This type of pinned up condition seems to have been directed at a particular source stemming from some type of action against this person, entity, or nation.  And there is your answer about where the origin of this feeling lies, it comes from our eternal enemy and it is specifically addressed in God’s Word almost right from the start.

In the book of Genesis, we have a setting in which God has created the world and the human representation of His perfect will. Within a few chapters we find that the humans are being tempted – successfully – and thus bringing a new status for everyone else that follows in their existence.  All life from that point onward knows a cycle that includes death and a return to the ground. Why did Satan not target animals or plants?  Why did he stop here?  These are questions that go back to his origins and what occurred long before humans ever existed.  Here is a vital statement that needs to be understood for it is a continuous cycle that we are living through today.  Lucifer’s desire to be like God and his subsequent loss of position and blessings are now acted upon through his actions of the results of his rebellion which comes in the form of hate against the One who created him in the first place.  Through this definition alone it makes sense as to why the people from that point in time follow the patterns of hate as they do, for it is a natural pattern through the origin of sin in our lives through the origin of sin in Lucifer’s life.  And guess where this level of hate came from, Lucifer’s ideology of entitlement.

There is nothing good about the word hate and the accompanying results that it brings into existence.  Hate only divides and tries to conquer the divided party, there is no togetherness what-so-ever for even the “victorious” party has been divided from its completeness.  Do you display your aggressions towards people who you know that do not agree with you?  This election cycle has demonstrated this process quite clearly and instead of trying to heal the wounds that are festering we are cutting them wider and deeper and spilling the blood of this country in total disregard of our livelihood.  It is this portion of our actions that we do not recognize of what exactly we are doing for we have been blooded before and it also is clear that we have not learned from this past letting and exposure.  We also do not realize that this action of hate comes from our eternal enemy and it is through his origins that we are contributing to our own demise.

How powerful is this concept of hate and how far does it penetrate our being?  We need to look no further than our spiritual enemy for his hatred towards God and the things that God had above him set the tone for eventually cost Lucifer his position in heaven and his eternal banishment from God’s Kingdom.  It infiltrated Lucifer so much that he was blinded by his own hate for he knew that he could not defeat God but tried to make his own rules equal towards God’s rules and thus automatically forgot what the consequences would be.  Do you think that God would allow such a rebellious spirit live among the righteous and serving angels and other spiritual principalities?  God could not for if He did then He would fall into the same trap that Lucifer did and thus render all perfect existence null and void on His level.

There was no glory in what God had to do when Lucifer decided to rebel, for God was losing a great deal of His angelic army but it was their choice to do so and through this action, God had to allow things to play out according to Lucifer’s selfish wants. One of the largest issues we have today is that we have forgotten who gave us the blessings of this nation and why we were given them, it is not because we deserve them but it is because in our nation’s founding we were placed here in order to provide a dying world the Word of Salvation and through this belief provide the blessings of God at the same time.  Are we demonstrating this command of ours to a dying world?  No way!  We have instead joined the world in its evil practices and have adopted anger and hate towards our command, even people who claim to be Christians have jumped on this destructive bandwagon and the results of this choice are proving to be devastating.

Our eternal enemy is a spirit and has an infinite yet limited authority on hate in which he will use on you to promote his kingdom.  It is through the doors that you open that allow him access to your life and it is these doors that we need to shut so that we can once again fight him on a level playing field.  As long as we have these doors open to hate there shall be no way possible that we can have any contention for peace and unity.  Only fake emotions can be generated from this type of living standard and many of us who are living in this way are totally blind to our gradual downward trend in the conditions of life itself.  In God, there cannot be any hate possible towards mankind this is the policy of God.  Our only problem is that we have tried to mingle God’s Kingdom in with Satan’s kingdom and tried to define this word on these terms; this cannot work because God cannot share space with Satan.

It saddens my heart to watch Christians debate those who do not know the truth about God with foul and ill-tempered spirits because they themselves do not know how to combat spiritual warfare.  These encounters only cause deepening wounds to those who question but receive nothing but anguish for answers due to the eternal rift that is already in place.  If we do not care for these individuals through Christ’s love there will be no way that we shall ever bridge the gap through the One Bridge that can complete this task.  The world’s definition of love and hate are strictly based on words coming from a bitter and defeated spirit who lost his argument with God and retaliating in the only way he knows.  Church, you have an identity problem and until you recognize this breach with God there will not be any way possible for you to win people to God.  Your congregations may increase but who cares!!  A preacher can have a congregation of 5,000 members but be spiritually lost due to the lack of understanding and knowledge about God’s Word.  And in today’s setting, the philosophy is that if you are bigger than means you are better, correct? 

It is a wondrous thing when we see people challenge those who stand up for God and use His Word accurately and authoritatively.  When I see people justifying their own ways through the Bible I ache and groan because I know that they are being fooled by the father of lies.  God’s Word is supposed to divide and it is supposed to separate those who believe in His Word, for it must be recognized that God cannot cohabitate with the world; however, we have come to the belief that we are far superior over others, and through this status of ours can talk down to or demean those who do not know God.  An important detail here to keep in our hearts, it is through this action of superiority that we are actually demonstrating Satan’s hate even though we are proclaiming a different tune. 

We are correct in the fact that it is our duty to reach the lost but there is no way to accomplish this if we approach them with a divisive attitude and spirit.  Jesus found ways to talk to His cultural enemies and to resolve century-long debacles of division in just minutes.  It is in this servitude that we must approach those who are living in sin and it is in this servitude that we present the Gospel of Christ to these people.  They need to see our lives in Christ living in His Word and not through our own.  We also need to remember that those who live in the world will always react to the spirit of forgiveness for it is this spirit that Satan cannot have or accept and therefore it shall be the “natural” reaction of one who has the potential to escape this eternal death trap.

One last frightening and dangerous point to make is that hate usually comes from those who have something and displays it towards those who do not.  This attitude is evident in our society today but it needs to be recognized for what it is and who brings it into our lives.  Satan was the second highest ranking angel in heaven and was created for such a position by God.  It is unimaginable to think about what he gave up in order to try his luck against God, yet when we do think about that day we must remember that he lost everything that was his in heaven.  And when he looks at all of the blessings that we have been given of course he is going to retaliate at his best in order for us to lose the same blessings that he once knew.  Our minds cannot fathom everything about heaven but from what we do know about it there are some pretty extraordinary living conditions there.  We also have a great picture that is painted for us here as well when it comes to the spirit of hate, how it infiltrates our lives, and what the consequences are of that hate.  Look at all of the issues people had to go through in the Bible, look at all of the historical societies in the world that have been in existence, look at all of the societies of today and especially look at your own society. 

Every single mentionable individual and nation has reasons to hate another for countless reasons.  If one takes a hard look at those instances it becomes clear that many of them failed to recognize the origins of hate, whether it was against them or from them.  But it was through this word that all of their issues arose and then played out.  Each historical setting had a choice to make and most of them decided to take the worldly way of resolving those issues and in every case when this choice was made, devastation occurred and the results only divided and produced further and deeper hatred for others.

I pray that none of us have to face the realities of hate and what the overall meaning of this word intends for us to live.  God has provided us a way out of this mess if we only accept Him and His Ways in our lives.  When I read about all of these people going around using this word’s definition to obtain their way it breaks my heart for they do not know what they are advancing. These people are lost and need Christ in their lives.  On the other side of the aisle, there are people in this nation and even in my little community that call themselves Christians but they too display the definition of hate.  God loves each and every one of us but we cannot share this Love with anyone until we first share it completely with God, on His terms and not ours.  The next time you want to use the word hate, remember its origins and the context of the word that you are about to pour over someone or something.  Hate is a powerful word that carries a lot of weight both of which is against the person using the word and to the receiver of the word.

It is a choice of ours to hate and through that choice comes the consequences of such a condition.  God does not want hate in our lives but He also knows who originated that word and everything that fulfills its definition.  God must allow choice into our lives because if He did not then He would not be an all-sovereign God and an all loving God, He would be a slave master. Church, God is calling you to repent and to live in the freedom of this world.  God is also re-commissioning His people to fulfill His Son’s command to go into the world and preach the Gospel and to teach His truth.  Let the world hate for that word is its definition, but shed light onto that definition and allow God to show His Love eternally.

DLB