Mankind's Complete Creation

Mankind’s Complete Creation

2/27/17

It has been well noted that there will come a time in history where mankind shall not know what the truth is and only confusion will rule the hearts of those living at that time.  There can only be one explanation for this type of existence and one cannot claim to not conclude that such a day as this is today.  This type of confusion about truth has not always been as such and there is a way that we can restore this truth process about our lives and give us the valued answers that we need in order to live properly again.  Until we recognize that God is our Creator and that all things were created through Him we will have no chance of fixing the problems that are continually growing today.  Even if the much-desired answers are given to us we shall ignore them as long as our current eyes are in the world and not God. 

Each morning I walk into my workplace I cannot help but have faith that the instruments that I have in my care will function as needed in order to provide help for those who are in need.  As my day begins I must run a set of controls for each instrument so that I can ensure that the results I turn out will be the accurate ones needed to provide a quality treatment.  If my controls, which are a known set of values do not come within the established ranges I cannot honestly turn out a complete report and say to the patient, nurse, and doctor that those results are accurate.  Of course, I could fudge my control results and go about my business like nothing was wrong but at some point in time, my instrument will begin to report unusual answers which make no sense at all, for an internal issue has been ignored.

Controls seem like a petty detail to fret over but they are used in such a manner to give the ones in charge a vote of confidence to the patients.  It is the treatment that is of the most important and if a known range specimen cannot fall within those guidelines and boundaries how can my lab produce such an accurate result on a patient?  A control is a sample with a bunch of blood samples mixed together but a patient’s blood sample is from a single person who is in need of specific treatment and if my results are not complete we cannot provide the necessary treatment either.  A thought and principle that is well much being played out today whether we understand it and accept it or not. 

We all recognize that our physical lives are not perfect by any means.  It is difficult for me to roll out of bed sometimes due to the fact that my joints are aching and stiff because of the inactivity of my body while I sleep.  But isn’t sleep supposed to be good for a person?  Yes, for one cannot survive properly unless he / she gets the correct amount of sleep necessary for your body to recover from the previous days' adventures.  Yet, my body, along with countless other people, wake up in some type of pain and stiffness due to the sleeping position.  So, why is sleep bad?  It is not but because my physical body is riddled with humanness and therefore inherits a known condition that all of us live with called pain.  I have sympathy for my girls when they look at me weird and then smirk as my body creaks and cracks while I walk by them, for my advice to them is this, be careful what you laugh at for I too laughed at my parents when they cracked walking by me.

For a good portion of my life, I rarely had any pain in my body and I could even stay up until the wee hours of the night (morning) and bounce right back up in the morning like I had just come out of an eight-hour deep sleep.  Over time my body began to break down a bit and as time sped along my body also continued to deteriorate, with this process at work I eventually present today with my current conditions and there is not much I can do to change this state either.  Some mornings I lie in bed for a few moments and remember the times when all I had to do was jump out of bed and hit the floor running with full confidence that my body would comply without fail.  But in truth knowing that “the doughnuts need to be made” I stretch a bit and move my ankles, then sit on the side of the bed and listen to my joints pop and loosen up and get up and start my day.  Oh, to reminisce about the glory days of when my body was considered complete or to be inside the control range so that my product can be accurate again.

I cannot help but ponder on how my physical body would be today if I had been a little bit easier and a bit more congenial with my body when I was younger.  At the same time, I understand that my physical body shall not always be around and that there is nothing I could do to change this fact, but I must contend that my eternal body is still in need of being in shape and must be given the correct exercises in order for my body to be restored as it was when humans were perfectly created.  It is easy for us to get caught up in the fact that we are not perfect but while we grovel in our own dirt we must remember that we were created in a different manner from what we know today and that we can be restored eternally to the way we were meant to be, strictly based on the eternal definition of “we”.  If it is written that our bodies seek spiritual guidance on a continual basis why wouldn’t our physical bodies do the same thing, then dare to ask the question of why did we do it?

One of the most painful realizations that we humans have is to not know who our father is.  Many of you know by now that I was adopted when I was a baby and while I know who my biological father was there are endless amounts of people who still search for this identity every day.  We as a species also struggle with the fact that our eternal father lies in some far distant place, one who sits and keeps himself hidden from our eyes, and wishes to have no contact with his children.  This lie that we have believed has now returned to haunt our existence to a degree where all we are doing is searching in all the worldly places and finding out about more lies, a true sign of incompleteness and incompetence.  Ever wonder why the world wishes to destroy the family so much and to define the “family” as self only?

All our lives we have been taught that equality pays and that inequality divides and conquers.  This statement is a truth and one that needs to be thoroughly understood so that we may all live according to how we were originally established, yet we kick out the one who can allow us to obtain and live in this true equality and demote Him to our level (him) as mentioned in the previous paragraph.  It is far easier to trust a friend that we can see than to trust our eternal Father, the Father that we can have closer than a brother if we set our lives and heart on His Ways.  How can we postulate such an equality when our foundations of that belief are flawed?  The answer is right in front of our eyes but our enemy has blinded us so much and so deep, that we would rather go around this truth instead of embracing it and ending all earthly suffering.

Genesis 2:7 gives us the original Creation of our existence when it says: “And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.”  There it is folks, the answer to the great question of where mankind came from and who our eternal Father is all wrapped up into one simple verse.  Since God is a complete God and One who cannot create mistakes this means that our formation was a perfect setting and marking.  Our dominion was already established and God gave us the one rule to obey.  Everything was perfect and wonderful and was progressing without blemish.  Our physical lives were complete and whole and in a state of perfect order, an order which only God could rest afterward and bask in His perfect completeness.

Through this verse of creation and completeness in accordance with God’s inability to change, outlines the lies that our enemy presents to us through the truth of God’s Word. 

While created in perfect conditions and after sin entered into our lives by our own choice, God could have ended things there but it would not have served His eternal purpose which would prove that God is a fraud.  It is through the sentence of sin that our physical lives must come to an end and it is the job of our enemy to ensure that our eternal lives follow the same path.  In order for this lie to be completed, Satan must convince us that God is not in existence and cares nothing about our lives, his plan has not changed from the moment he began his relationship with Adam and Eve thus setting into motion a long bloodline of connectivity that thrives in our world today.

It is Satan’s job to dilute God’s Word enough for us to believe what he wants us to understand and not what God authorizes.  God authorized a complete and holy status for our existence and it was through the watered down truth that Satan used against Adam and Eve that has brought into place our situation today.  One cannot deny that every time one picks up a newspaper, reads a news headline, or hears a radio news break that the fight for the truth is being waged.  We must understand and then apply to our lives the fact that God our Creator cannot change in any way possible and through this truth, we must also understand and apply the fact that human beings cannot “morph” into another physical dimension.  There cannot be any “trans” when it comes to our physical identification.  All of the necessary “ingredients” God has placed into our bodies THROUGH His perfect creation and were never meant to be disturbed by sin.  The beautiful part of this truth is found in the rib in which God will be sharing with us shortly.

When we look at the genetic mess that our physical lives present and it is so difficult to figure out why God would allow such a destructive pattern to exist inside our bodies.  But it was not through God’s Creation that we have genetic crises that we know of today, it was the choice of our disobedience that God had no choice but to dole out consequences because of our actions.  When God said we have to return to the ground, He meant it and genetic “sin” plays a huge part in such physical reality.  A perfect genetic code would ensure our eternal livelihood but one that no longer is subject to perfection would yield vast amounts of problems, ones that we see even today.  The search for the “perfect genetic baby” is a hot topic and some manipulations can be done, but no one has ever escaped the physical death portion.

Through the understanding of God’s completeness and our choice of sin, one can come to the conclusion that our lives are a result of our own doing and not God’s fault.  President John Adams recognized this truth when he said the following: “Since the transgressions of Adam in the Garden of Eden he said, “Mankind in general has been given up to Strong Delusions, vile Affections, sordid Lusts, and brutal Appetites.””  Adam and Eve were created in perfect conditions and lived in the same perfect conditions yet chose to believe a lie instead of heeding to God’s one command.  If it was easy enough for them to stray in these conditions how much harder is it for us living in these conditions?  The answer is simple for there is no difference because while they had a choice in their lives so do we and the choice is exactly the same either way.  The temptations and ideologies of a fallen kingdom leader were present there and still ardently active today.  It is also evident that Adam and Eve had forgotten the importance of their separated status and today that worldly equality still resonates at every corner of our lives today.

Immediately, God chooses to help out His children by personally showing them that He has not left them and that He has provided another way of having eternal life through the process of restoration, another part of the way we were created that stands out and infuriates Satan.  God’s statement at this time reflects His statement to us today, that He has provided us a way to be restored eternally for it is the eternal aspect of lives that He deems most important.  God has never left His children nor has He led them astray.  Yes, God has allowed many things to come into our lives but those issues are presented by the choices that we make and not through God alone.  Throughout the Bible, God shows us what it means to be separated from the world and He also provides us with detailed information about each side of the block when it comes to our choices.

God created us in one perfect state which represents His perfect and ONLY pattern of existence.  After mankind’s fall, God provided one single way to restoration and demonstrated this process in the Garden of Eden BEFORE Adam and Eve were told to leave.  God continued this pattern when He ordained the separation of Israel from the world, established a holy and eternal covenant with mankind, then sent His only Son to the earth to serve as the one and the ONLY way for all humanity to choose restoration over an eternity of separation from God.  It is vital for our eternal survival that we retain the truth that God is our Father and not the world and its ruler.  The search for a better life and one that continually grows eternally is easy to find and easier to live by.  While we understand that our physical nature cannot lose this death sentence we do have the assurance that our eternal placement is taken care of if we obey the ways that God has provided us through His Word. 

In closing, a song comes to my heart that sums up every detail of this message that God wants us to understand about being common and equal to the world and how dangerous it is for us to believe that this type of living is good for our lives.  The song is by Steve Camp and the title of the song is “Living Dangerously in the Hands of God” and the lyrics are as follows:

                                    “How easily Jesus is forgotten amid the comfort of my life

                                    How the flames become a flicker, and faith a brilliant disguise

                                    Our Sundays become a holiday, they’re an empty exercise

                                    And the cost of real devotion seems so foreign to my life”

Even from the beginning of humanity’s existence God has provided us a pattern of life including a process of restoration.  From our creative order all the way up to us drawing our last physical breath, God has given us the opportunity to return to our perfect roots for eternity.  All God asks is that we give Him our entire heart and to separate ourselves from the entity that seeks to destroy our lives.  This aspect alone should be enough to sway any doubt about who really loves us yet with each and every day the ones who claim to be Christians live double lives and place fingers on the pulse of the world instead of living underneath the covenant covering of God’s saving grace.  So, how can we function fully when our hearts are turned towards the world and not our perfect Creator?

It is time that the Church repents of her sins and again return to God’s Ways and boundaries for if we do not recognize the holy boundaries and the real meaning behind them, it is guaranteed that at some point in time the tastes of the world that we incorporated into our lives shall return and when it does those new worldly boundaries shall bring in more “unlimitations” or non-boundaries with them.  Why would God state all throughout His Word that only He can set a person free?  Free from what?  The world is the answer to that question, for the world and its confines can only bring forth slavery.  A thought provoking truth that many of us have lost and once this truth is lost we automatically lose the truth about our holy, perfect, and complete creation.

DLB

Resetting Boundaries Part II

Resetting Boundaries Part II

2/18/17

One must recognize that when God placed His physical and more importantly spiritual boundaries around Israel it did not mean that they had to totally isolate themselves from others but it did require them to make complete assessment of who they had relations with on a daily basis.  It also defined how God wanted a relationship with them so that He could teach them everything they needed to know about such boundaries and why they were in place.  It is evident that these boundaries were not fully comprehended and eventually had no intentions of keeping for the lures of other nations and their ways became more lucrative than God.  God knows that there is no way that His people can be isolated from others for we depend on others for needs of humanity to get things accomplished but God did expect all of His people to adhere to the boundaries that He has set for us in order to protect us from the world and the destruction that it only can provide.  Through this small passage of Scripture, it is clear that Israel had lost this truth and did things on their own boundary lines and not God’s.

The people had made their own choice without having any input from Samuel or from God and while they understood their place under God they did not wish to have any part of God in their new declarations of leadership.  It can be reckoned that while the majority of people wanted this new way of lifestyle that some objected to such living standards but the overall heart of Israel had changed to obstruct God instead.  It is also obvious that those who had chosen to wish for a king had placed God behind them instead of in front of them all the while believing that they could still find favor from God, a grave mistake that would soon find them once again.  It takes a pretty bold contention to make such a demand for them to believe that their words would be just blindly accepted by the only person that could intercede to God on their behalf, it also states that their contention was to say that they did not care about the answer they would receive either.  A process that can only be accurately described as one that redefines the boundaries that are around them and a direct notice to God that His are out of date and no longer needed, a defining note that Israel had lost its truth about who created it and why they were created.  A resetting of the boundaries according to the world and not God is what they demanded and God allowed.

It is this place in our society that we have reached as well and it is this nation’s desire to reset its boundaries according to world standards and ones that have already been established for us by God.  This process has not been a new idea or concept but has progressed over a great deal of time and this progression has had time to grow enough to now be able to penetrate both the elite and the common and everyone else who wishes to view the world as their holder of their hearts.  For the last two decades or so, world information has been increasingly known through many of the immediate channels of communication which makes ideas, concepts, truths, and lies easier to access and distribute.  In the olden days, it would take quite a bit longer for this amount of information to be handed out but overall the process was the same as today.  It is this process in which we govern our lives and one that deals and spins an agenda to its readers without compromise or deterrence.  It is this type of communiqué that drives the voices who actively recruit for their agenda then promote it in a variety of mannerisms.

The turning of heads and hearts also did not begin over a few decades or so, but along on the same timeline as other ideological absurdities that our enemy has allowed us to entertain.  One of the more important lies that we have come to believe is that we s a nation are not under God nor do we need God for any guidance purposes, for it is our land and not His.  This issuance of beliefs has now spilled over into the political arenas and with the help and influence of popular media “graces” our eyes and ears at every turn.  It is this process of shutting out God that is most dangerous and places us into a dire situation that we can read about in 1 Samuel Chapter 8.  Israel had forgotten who their leader and Creator was and had come to the same conclusion as this nation has recently done, their lack of truth in leadership and relationship.  The public turn began a few decades ago when a president of this country was accused of having multiple affairs with women before and during his presidency.  Adamantly denying the accusations he delayed the truth for months and on some charges still to this day yet the public forgave him and sought to become his close friend, which also lasts until this day.

An interesting further turn occurred in 2006 when a popular senator from Illinois made the statement that this nation is no longer a Christian nation but one that is a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, and a nation of unbelievers, amongst other types of religious and non-religious identifications, a mentioning that upset a few people but for the most part had little effect on the lives of most people.  There really was no outcry about us not being a Christian nation which means that the Church had come to the realization that she had not been doing her job as a witness for Christ…..NO, what really occurred was that the Church dropped the “C” from her life and put on a “c” instead thus transforming herself into a worldly organization instead of a holy relationship establishment with God.  In other words, because of her weak abilities to witness and to serve as a light unto the world, the church chose to see the bad and accept it into the walls of her life and then fondle those things, mold them, and then form them into a group orgy of sin that was then unleashed throughout the church.  Reread 1 Samuel 8:1-3 and see if that passage is not being fulfilled today in western societies; be totally honest in your answer!

Later down the road at the Democratic National Convention in 2012, a further turn was noticed both on the national scene and on the personal scene.  An amendment motion was made at one of the procedural meetings that had to do with the removal of God from the overall platform of the DNC.  This meant that God would no longer be a part of what the Democratic Party stood for and that it did not hold any further allegiance to God, His Ways, or His Word, a strict humanitarian policy of self-rule and lifestyle offering.  After a verbal vote that clearly was for this measure to ban God from the platform, a second vote was administered after a message that the President wanted God to be kept in the overall platform.  The vote actually was louder and more against God than the first vote yet the person in charge of the vote determined that the number of verbal votes to keep God in the platform outnumbered the ones who did not.  A short period of boos then rang loud as the vote results were made known.  The 2016 DNC did not address the issue of God at all as a platform item but it was VERY clear that the people of the Democratic Party persuasion had kept that “louder” vote in their hearts for their attitudes was visibly different.  Can you imagine that a similar process as this occurred when Israel came time to change its vote against God?  Do you recognize the resetting of boundaries being drawn?

The danger of this escapade was not fully recognized until this presidential election cycle in which the “favorite and popular” candidate did not win the election.  To be honest, with what God had shown me and then left for me to watch events unfold I was a bit confused as well with things; however, as soon as election results were confirmed, God continued to show me things about what was really ongoing around us.  As protests broke out, the rich and famous leading charges against the results, assassination requests being thrown around God dropped this message in my heart and gave me the words to write as well.  It all has to do with resetting boundaries and the process in which these boundaries have been set and are now trying to be reset by both sides of the spiritual aisle.  This truth deals with two aspects, with the first being the resetting of boundaries and the second being the election of Jezebel, on a spiritual plane not just the physical.  We are dealing with the first issue here and the second issue will be addressed shortly, but we need to make sure we understand exactly what has transpired over the past few decades in our hearts before proceeding to the next point.

The other evening Bonnie and I were over at my parents’ house discussing some family matters and the discussion turned to what is going on in the nation concerning the president and all of the issues surrounding this nation.  My dad made the point that President Trump is just trying to reset some boundaries that have been crossed and it is this point that is so accurate.  When President George W Bush was in office it was made clear that when he meant a deadline had to be met it was met indeed.  Now, not every deadline or point that was wanted was met with a happy face but there was no doubt that a boundary had been set and it was to be respected at all costs, on BOTH sides of that line.  Now, remember that I am not becoming political and neither is God but we need to understand the spiritual boundaries that have been crossed due to the actions we have allowed to occur in our lives.  All of us have had wrong doings in our lives but instead of accepting those deeds as normal as the world proclaims we must continue to separate ourselves from the world and cling to God for repentance and restoration.

The last president of this nation has come into the spotlight over his tenure for exercising restraint over a bunch of issues that to some may seem uncharacteristic of this nation.  America has always been a role model for those who wish to live the fullest and to experience the dream of having the freedom to do as such; therefore, we have been known to be the one nation who stood up for this truth about life and have carried our big stick along with us as the symbol to which freedom can be achieved.  But lately, we have edged off of this truth about our nation and instead have become a nation that has squandered the Divine authority given to us by the Creator of everything.

There are times during the last presidency that our leader would make a statement of authority and draw a line in the sand, representing a boundary to another leader or nation not to cross.  But within a very short period of time, the world would notice that the nation in question would not only cross over that boundary but smile while doing it.  Another line would be drawn and the same type of crossing would occur without any direct consequences taken by our position.  Every side of this issue will have their opinions as to why nothing was adequately done after the deviances occurred, but it is not the political aspect that is most concerning here but the definition of a boundary being crossed without any consequences that are concerning, it is the fact that the boundaries were crossed and nothing happened that the people saw and then aggressively adopted those same practices into our society as well.  This act represents a nation’s heart that is now in the majority and cares not to be “confined” behind a boundary that it has supposedly already surpassed.

The issue at hand is that we have readily adopted a boundless society and we can no long ascertain the confines of a truly governed life.  We have gorged ourselves in so much selfishness that when one tries to govern our steps a bit, we react violently against what we need in order to survive through protection.  It is this type of society that Israel approached and then crossed for if they had not there would not have been any necessity for God to write the leaders’ remarks concerning Samuel and his sons.  Neither would God have had to make the comments He did in 1 Samuel 8:11-18 when He described exactly what would occur.  Listen and study this passage carefully and one shall see that all is present in our societies today and 1 Samuel 8:18 shall too, come to pass.

Ask a question….be honest!  How many lines did our last president give and then did nothing about them when they were crossed?  The important issue here is to understand that the freedoms that the world offers cannot lead to peace for the leader of this world has only one goal for you and that is complete and eternal separation from God.  The boundaries of the world look so inviting and are easily accepted based on this analysis, but the world’s analysis is skewed, mired and laced with lies as its foundation and therefore cannot provide anything but lies as a boundary.  What remains when we accept these worldly boundaries is division, and it does not matter if we choose a side that we believe shares the same views for no two people can agree on everything.  It is so amazing what turmoil arises and occurs when people place their trust and hopes in other people because all people fail.

I find it very intriguing that there are so many people in this nation that are unknowingly building their own boundaries as they volunteer their time protesting the resetting of boundaries.  Our enemy has fooled us for so long with lie after lie that we cannot recognize the truth of our own actions and further divide our lives against ourselves and God rather than the one who is actually providing the foundation for these divisions.  I wish that I could say that the church was fighting for God in this aspect but she has changed her own status and has fallen into the exact same trap as others.  Oh, how we shall fall and how devastating a fall this shall be.  Think about this topic and understand that we are in the midst of 1 Samuel 8: 11-18 and its reliving of history.  Israel failed to understand this truth about God and the reasons He places boundaries of protection FROM this world.  The Bible is filled with these types of examples and it is the desire of God that we figure this truth out before it is too late.

If we are no longer capable of determining between boundaries are good for us and those that are not, then we as an individual, a society, or a nation cannot form a true opinion about what is going on around us.  If self-calling has become more important a regulation instead of a godly step of safety then our existence has become a worldly moderator of evil, for that is only what the world can provide.  We have lost the desire to hold and to understand the boundaries that God has provided for His people and this includes the ones who claim to serve God and call themselves a Christian.  Physically inhabiting the world is something that every human must do but inhabiting a worldly spirit is a choice that we all have to make and it is very clear which boundary we are choosing to abide by.

It is difficult for me to understand why God has not already said “enough” for it is evident that our hearts no longer wish to follow Him and His Ways, but it is this exact point of God that I long to know for it is Him that I desire to model my life after. While my heart aches to know about the coming devastation I am so thankful that God has held back to give His children a bit more time to wake up and to change course back to Him.  I hope that we learn very soon that we cannot change things on our own and that God is the only way and has the only true restorative answer for our lives.  It is through His boundaries that our protection comes from and it is through His boundaries that will bring us real peace since it blocks us from the real enemy, our eternal one. 

We can no longer afford to place blame on others who differ for the issues that are at hand now.  It is imperative that we see that what is occurring is that God is trying His best to reset some boundaries so that we can step away from the destruction that is heading for our world.  This destruction will not be like any other known to mankind, for our own words have predicted this, for we like to stand out in a crowd and be first and to be the talk of the town.  Church, it is our responsibility to allow God back into our hearts and to give Him control of our lives once again.  Ever since the early days of the world, we have allowed the ruler of this world to control what we think and believe, but it is time that we change that pattern and give God what He created, us.

Holy truth is an insight that the world cannot give for if it could then there would have been no reason for God providing ANYTHING for us.  I end with this thought and it goes like this: every day we hear and see someone blaming someone else for the issues of this world.  There are countless ones that fly across our bows each minute of the day.  One, in particular, is the issue of immigration and while the survival of people is so very important to God, the ruler of the world wants nothing more to have further tools to destroy people’s lives.  There is no easy place to receive God’s reward when it comes to eternity.  There is a valid and true reason why God says choose Me and forsake the world.  It is a LIE if one is told and then one believes that a person can live for God and embrace the ruler of the world.  God and His Kingdom are one and the ruler of the world and his kingdom are one as well.  THERE IS NO INBETWEEN, AND THERE IS NO MIXING!

God shall never force anyone to choose Him, nor shall He ever lie to you in order for you to choose Him.  His Word is about vetting your life for Him and His Kingdom FROM the world.  It is impossible to be honest with oneself if you ½ give your efforts for a cause, especially if your eternal existence is at stake.  Church, it is our mission to tell people of this truth and nothing less than this truth.  God gave all and we must give all in return.  Whether we like it or not God is resetting our boundaries for a reason and He has placed a person as our leader who is following – whether he realizes it or not – what God wants from our hearts.  Our eternal setting is the reason that God is trying His best to wake us up before we make a grave mistake in our existence.  And when this nation becomes refugees we will argue over who is to blame yet not even understand WHY we became refugees in the first place.

DLB

Resetting Boundaries Part I

Resetting Boundaries Part I

2/18/17

This phrase is one that may strike fear into some for when such a limitless lifestyle has been approved reeling oneself back into line can seem to be a tad harsh.  But having boundaries and limits are a good check for anyone on any level of life for it keeps us safe from harm and while we may protest a bit for being reigned in, safety should still be our number one goal.  It is easy to forget this truth when we are running at top speed every day of our lives but even God has set boundaries in place and just like the physical rules and laws that we have in place, His are present and will need to be enforced if we do not recognize our errors.  God also wants us to recognize these errors of His Ways before He has to remind us of our wickedness before Him.

When I went into high school I believed that I was on the top of the world and that my freedoms would change since I was considered to be an “upper age” teenager.  While I understood that my curfew would be relaxed a bit I figured out real quick that my limitations were still in effect and that even though I was allowed to stay out a bit later, my boundaries were still in place.  It was these boundaries that kept me from getting into too much trouble for even though I could drive and go places I still represented the family in every circumstance of my freedom.  Having the permission to do extra things and go places that I could not before gave me a sense of emotional existence and a presence that I was getting control of my life the way I wanted it to be.  I soon became a bit frustrated with my parents because at times they would say no to my coming and goings and wished for me to stay at home or to go with them some place.  Certain expectations still thrived in the family home and for the most part, I dared not cross those lines unless I was ready to start a “fight”.  I must say that my parents did a fabulous job in letting spread my wings over those learned times in my life but I know as much as they do that not all of those times smelled like roses.

As I look back on the influential years of my life I am so thankful that mom and dad gave me boundaries for it meant that they wanted me to understand that there were things out in the world that I was not ready to deal with on a day to day basis and that I needed a bit more time to figure those issues out.  Those boundaries taught me to respect my surroundings and everyone that was in those surroundings as well.  I found out real quick that if one did not respect boundaries then they would not respect others either, a personal understanding that hit me hard a few times in my life.  This meant that I first had to understand why boundaries were put in place and to recognize their presence as well, which included where they were at and when I was approaching them.

As I moved into college so did my attitude for as almost everyone knows that when one gets out of the house and away from the parents our freedoms actually start.  Yeah, no!  In reality, when we go off to college or out on our won we should have learned enough to manage the new found life given freedoms that we encounter but most of us instead figure out that it is easier to do stupid stuff rather than adhere to the boundaries that we were taught.  The moment we step over the boundaries that are in front of us the worm turns and changes and it is like an animal that has tasted blood for we forget what we are and where we came from and according to our eyes we are no longer bound to anyone else’s rules or guidelines.  Then, a holiday arrives or summer approaches which required us to return back home and while the initial emotions of schooling were over at some point our minds figured out that the parent’s house would contain the same rules as it did when we lived there.  The same expectations for our presence would be in place and it was considered to be normal for everything to resume as it was in the past.

This type of environment kind of rattled me a bit when I returned home from the USAF.  I was newly divorced and reeling from those proceedings and the outcome that it produced.  While I was initially engaged with happiness the truth came flooding in when I woke up and realized that I was back at my parent's house licking my wounds and not being in the old position as once before.  It took me a while to understand that my actions which caused those wounds to appear were the culprit and that the freedoms that I chose to live by became the hindrance that resulted in my personal collapse and demoralization with life.  Not only did I need to fight the anger issues that I inherited by my choices of free-living but I also had to contend that I had boundaries once again that I had to abide by; in truth, it was those boundaries that I needed to restore my life both spiritually and physically so that I could restart once again.

The concept of freedom had overtaken my life enough that I believed that I did not have to obey the rules of my parents because I was an adult and had chosen my own path, even though that path had taken me back to a beginning point in my life.  At some point, I had totally figured that I could still do the things that I did before while living under the guardianship of my parents and it was not too long after I had this thought that I was set straight and appropriately so.  I had forgotten that I was under their roof once again and more importantly I had forgotten that I was their son and my life was defined through them and that I represented their lineage and should act accordingly, a lesson that this nation is about to witness unless we turn our hearts back to God. Boundaries are a gift from those who are in charge over us so that when times arise in our lives that present trouble we will know to stay clear of those opportunities.

I know that it must have been a bit tense for my parents because their love for me had not faded one bit and, to be honest, their love for me probably grew so much more during this time for they saw just what a person who lived without boundaries could do with their lives.  One would think that coming from a military setting that organization and control were going to be the outpost of that person, but know that many of those even in that position are way out of control and have to learn things the hard way.  I know that even after I had returned home I tested my parents’ rules a time or two and while I believed I was right in my doings, I could not have been more terribly wrong for the boundaries that they had put into place so long ago got me through many circumstances in my life and I should have recognized that it was those boundaries that played an instrumental part in my life.  I have to admit that some of these outbursts were flat insensitive and hurtful at times and while my attitude was trying to unhinge itself again it was a condition that I was fighting against for supremacy.

As time progressed and I got married again and had children I see just important setting boundaries are and how much they are needed in everyone’s lives.  I do not want my girls to face some of the issues that I had to do simply because I chose to jump over those lines.  Those boundaries when I was young and when I returned home signified a protection from the dangers that would eventually present themselves due to the fact that our enemy knows exactly where he can target so that our minds and hearts can waiver.  This wavering does not have to stick with the individual but can grow into a nation of boundless freedoms that will be deemed “life given” unless they are checked and kept within our hearts.  It is the same pattern that I experienced after I returned home and it is also the pattern that we are witnessing today throughout our nation and other societies around the world.  What is so damning about the lack of boundaries is that we now consider anything that we see that might inhibit us from living without boundaries as an opposition and deem it as hatred against freedom itself, all the while failing to recognize that our existence is way out of control.

It has been said for many a time period that it is not good when something is taken away from someone when it has already been given to that person.  It is this statement that we need to have registered in our hearts because the gift of freedom is one that comes from God but it is our enemy who relishes in the fact that we take for granted and then abuse those freedoms for our selfish wills instead of sharing them with others.  It is this boundary that we cross when we do not accept the truth that blessings are from God and should be used for His Kingdom.  The entire Bible is filled with reference after reference of people either staying behind God’s boundaries or not staying behind them, and yes, interpreting God’s boundaries for your own personal gain is NOT staying within God’s boundaries.  Our nation has now embarked on a mission of boundary crossing that is of an epic proportion and it is through the election of the past few leaders that has determined this action of ours and just as any other human society has done we are failing to recognize exactly what we are doing and on what path we are walking.

We turn back to 1 Samuel Chapter 8 as a reference that we have become very familiar with over the past few months.  God continues to show me instances and examples of His people in these verses and I cannot help but believe He is doing this as a warning to this nation and to the other nations of the world at the same time.  It is obvious that the children of Israel had placed their eyes and dreams to the world for it specifically states in 1 Samuel 8:4-5 “ Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel unto Ramah.  And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”  It is this passage that defines the attitude and heart of Israel for the leaders present many declarations in these two verses, and what is frightening about these verses is that this nation – the leader of the world though Divine anointing – is declaring the same beliefs as Israel did.

“Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together” portion of this passage speaks that the leaders had their own meeting and Samuel was not invited or was intentionally not told about the meeting.  However, Samuel knew what was occurring because his eyes and ears did witness the differences in opinions that could not be kept silent, for it mentions nothing about Samuel being surprised about the fact that they approached him with this issue.  “and came to Samuel unto Ramah” states that all of them were in unity when they went to Ramah to approach Samuel with their wants.  They were acting on the “authority” of the people and what they had witnessed coming from other leaders of Israel’s activities.  It was clear that their agenda was set and would not be changed and that they wanted new boundaries than the ones that God had given them from the beginning, an overall dangerous move but one that they had no idea about for as we see in the next verse their eyes had turned to the world for guidance all the while understanding that Samuel had different standards.

“And said unto him, Behold, thou are old,” is a huge assessment of Samuel and his leadership for it makes a statement that he has been in his authoritative position for quite some time and that his way of leading was out of date or considered a step backward to how the current beliefs held.  It could not be denied that Samuel had been in his position for a long time but to the others, it was necessary that he step down because of the length of his tenure as prophet.  It is here that we can grasp the true nature of what Israel was intending to do and that their intentions were going to officially declare themselves an independent nation from God’s separation and protection.  They had become secure enough in their status that they “realized” that they did not need God any longer and that they could “provide” for themselves amongst the other nations around them.  It was time for a change if one wishes to use this phrase to describe their mindset.

“and thy sons walk not in thy ways:” is another declaration of admission that defines how the Israelites believe for it is this admission that they recognize that there is a choice of how the nation should live and define itself.  The elders bring this statement into light for they and their representatives that noticed for some extended period of time that Samuel’s sons do not share the same beliefs in God that he does and through their judgments and lives have drawn this conclusion.  The elders are physically stating that they understand that Samuel has a set pattern of living and that it serves God and king and ruler over Israel, along with His ways of old, another direct claim that they are tired of living under “old or ancient” ways that had been in place for some time.  It also states that they did not consider the recent past actions of God as important enough to withstand the temptation of establishing worldly boundaries or the important of the boundaries that God had given them since their existence began.  This portion of passage also declares that they understand the fact that there are two patterns of existence that they can take and hint that they have no desire in staying with God for they make no mention that they want the sons of Samuel removed or to have him talk to them so that they should straighten up and walk right before God again.  The elders only state the obvious before using their statement as a justification to proceed with the next step in their plan to separate from God instead using the boundaries that God established for them against the world.

“now make us a king to judge us like all the nations” concludes the position of the children of Israel to Samuel.  First off, the elders refer nothing about God in this final portion of their statement it is solely directed at Samuel and the physicality of beliefs in God and in Samuel as well.  It is clear that the people that the elders represent do not wish to have any spiritual connection with God for their lives have become so successful and bountiful that they have grown to grasp that they do not need God.  Secondly, their statement totally rejects God and His authority over their lives and existence and further demand that an earthly king be made ruler over their lives, further concluding that the physical life (world) is far more important and greater than God could ever be over them.  This portion of the passage is a statement and a demand and does not represent any alternative choice on the matter, which means that they have the full support of the people who sent them to Samuel.  It also makes a HUGE point in that it is now obvious that the children of Israel do not regularly communicate with God or even believe that God lives in their lives – Ark or no Ark.

Israel had flirted with these boundaries for some time because one entire majority does not overnight change their entire complexion.  Their entertainment of other cultures and societies became more important that their own.  No doubt that when interactions with other national settings their questions about Israel’s beliefs provided an opportunity for doubts in the hearts of Israel, and how many times has one of your friends asked you a question about why you believe and afterward you think about those beliefs?  Are you so convinced about those beliefs that you quickly dismiss the questioning period and provide an answer that reflects your boundaries or do you stop and waiver on those boundaries and look towards other boundaries as an alternative answer?  It is obvious that Israel had drawn this example for themselves due to the way that the elders had made their statements to Samuel.

End of Part I

DLB

Light

Light

2/11/17

Light comes in many different forms including color, brightness, and intensity to name a few, but as most of us know light is essential for us to function properly and to accomplish the goals set out for our lives.  Without light, many of these jobs would be completed but not at an adequate speed to fulfill our daily steps.  There is a reason God’s Word states that God created light and just as any other created object, God had an order that was followed.  Light must come first before anything can be accomplished and God would not be in His holy state if He had created all other life at a disadvantage from the beginning.  Darkness is a death trap for all life and it is this truth that we need to understand just how important light is and what it means to our eternity.

Most of us in western societies take for granted the availability of electricity and what it means to our daily lives.  I cannot tell you how many times I have entered into a room or building and the first thing I do is locate the light switch and turn on the lights.  I do not believe that there are many of us who would rather operate in the dark instead of a lighted room for our vision is so limited when we do not have adequate light around us.  Having light is an essential part of our lives for if we did not have it our usefulness would be limited to just a certain amount of hours per day, a dreadful thought that would hinder our lives and hinder progress tremendously for bumping into furniture when our eyes have not adjusted correctly or enough to the darkness really sheds a new light on a dark pain.

With light, each society that has been present has advanced their ability to create because their efforts do not go unnoticed.  When fire was established a new source of energy was realized that when the eyes saw the potential the mind and heart began to wonder, with the candle one could work longer and while it continued to strain the eyes better productivity once again improved.  When the light bulb was invented longer productivity days were illuminated and the dark working times were further detached from our workspace.  In every setting, light has brought the human’s capability of making their lives better to a pinnacle, a feat that matches no other.  As I write these words that God has given me I am using a lamp and the main light of my office to complete what He has for His children, it may be daytime outside but it is a gloomy and damp day that would hinder this process.  God knew exactly what His intentions were when He created light on that first day and we shall see just how important light is and the reason why it is necessary for us to have.

One of the more popular verses in Scripture that many people can recite by heart deals with how God supplies our needs, and if anyone has doubts about that truth just take a closer look at the bird because God provides the needs of that bird every day. Matthew 6:26 states that God feeds the birds without fail and supplies their needs accordingly and here we have an order that goes back to the first day of creation because if God provided the bird with food but the bird could not find it because of the darkness around it, what kind of true provisions would God have given? 

In Genesis 1:2-4 states: “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.”  God through His perfect and holy state creates the one item that all life needs in order to have a complete setting and without this order, life would struggle to meet the ordinances of God that He placed over our dominion.  Light had to be the first thing to be created for if it was not then the verse in Matthew would be out of order and thus considered a lie from God and about God.  The order of light provides us with another specificity concerning God that adds to His holy, complete and permanent status which cannot be changed.

I must state from the beginning of this article that the topic will cause you to be stretched a bit and will challenge you to know God and His characteristics a tinge better as well, but rest assured it is a truth about God and our enemy that we must understand in order to combat the tricks that Satan throws our way.  It is of the utmost that one remembers that God is a complete God in everything He says and does and when He speaks something into motion it has to be completed and completed in His manner. Another important detail to remember is that there is a spiritual realm that is somewhere about our existence and while our finite minds struggle with this truth we must understand that the spiritual realm is just as much alive as the physical realm we walk in each day, and that we must know that while we may not see the activity going on in the spiritual realm it is there and it has been there way before our presence was established by God.  It is this aspect of Scripture that brings into light the truth about this passage and why it is so important to our lives.

It is difficult for us to believe that God created something that has no meaning, shape or does not represent any type of sound foundation but according to Genesis 1:2 it seems like He has done such an act.  The question as to why this state was established begins with the answer that was derived a long time before mankind was created and this condition of the earth was made and set into place as a proving ground.  While we do not know much about heaven and what the specific conditions of the entire surrounding God’s dwelling place it is well known that God’s presence is so illuminating that there are no shadows present there. This means that an atmosphere of light is always constant and never dulls or dims in any manner and every single angel and person who now resides there know this light as a truth.  For if there was no light in heaven how could we know that there are streets of Gold?

What occurs when a person, group, or nation has a philosophy that they want to be proven yet at the same time knows that their designs are flawed and subsequently less than what is already in place?  What occurs when that person or group is given the opportunity to show their product to others and it fails miserably?  These people or corporations do their best to market a product that is better than already established but many times fall short of the original setting that is already in place.  It is this force that fueled Lucifer and his drive to be better than God’s perfect state which he had to have been around and noticed continuously. Being better and having better living standards is a human goal that all parents want for their children but when it comes to trying to perfect something that is already perfect, it is an impossible task.  It is this task that led to Lucifer’s greed, selfishness, and hate for someone over him that created his incitement against God and then initiated his entitlement afterward, resulting of course in his eternal downfall.

However, we must remember a detail about God, one that we tend to forget about and that is His completeness.  If God does something one way He must do it that way on a continual basis without any variations to said pattern.  There is no question that God allows humans to live in a certain manner or complete certain things in their own way and God is consistent in this pattern when it comes to living for Him as well.  God shall never force anyone to accept His ways; however, God will allow us time to try and prove that our selfish ways are better than His holy ways and it is through this action that He allows in our physical that He also allows in the spiritual realm. 

When Lucifer decided to make his choice to be God, God did not just automatically cast him and his followers out of heaven. Being a consistent God, God allowed Lucifer to try to prove he could be God and thus gave Lucifer the opportunity to do as such.  God had a sense of humor in this – kind of – because God could have made Lucifer begin his quest by creating everything but God handed him a bone and gave Lucifer a foundation to work with, a world that was without form and was dark.  To the artist’s eye, this would be the perfect setting to begin a project.  Lucifer’s stage was set and God said in some sort of fashion: ok, there you go, have at it, prove your worth and desire.  And the next thing God did was to sit back and wait for this creative process to begin.  In truth, I do not know how long God waited but I know He gave Lucifer enough time to complete the issues that he had with God for you see being a complete God He had to allow Lucifer to try to win.

Patience and the process of waiting do not represent any of my strong suits and right off the top of my head, I can think of several friends of mine that share this imperfect trait of mine.  When we are waiting for a meeting or to present a paper in front of a crowd, the suspense is a killer and our nerves take over and when this occurs doubt becomes an invasion force far greater than all our preparation time installed.  But God waited patiently for Lucifer to complete his creative status but nothing came about of this feat.  Lucifer was beaten and his plan to overthrow God was over not by God just throwing him overboard but by a created being trying to out-master his Creator.  Does this setting sound familiar to anyone?  It should because humans are notoriously famous for trying to do the same thing with God.

It is here that God begins to up the ante if you will, for at some point in eternity He reaches the point that He has given Lucifer enough time to create something, and it is also at this point where Lucifer has to admit his defeat and to receive another name from the holy one that God gave him when he was created.  Ironically and supernaturally, if that is possible, we find Lucifer’s name being used here when God decides time is up and he has not proven his worth as a creator for Lucifer’s name means light, a shining bright light yet when God gave Lucifer the opportunity to create and be better than Him, Lucifer could not even create the meaning of his name.  A simple gesture of eternal power that Lucifer lived in he could not properly create so it was time for God to move and to prove once and for all that He has no rival and that Lucifer is a mere created being with a pride and ego that grew so great that it turned his most powerful status into a banned rebellious artifact that chose to lose his position because of self-lust.

So, naturally God chose to ensure His authority by accomplishing Genesis 1:2 on His timetable and thus stated to us that even though He sat and waited for Lucifer to create and “be like Him”, he could not and that the dark and void place that God gave as a foundation had not changed one bit.  When God created Lucifer He did so in such a manner in which Lucifer could have the resources to live eternally with all of his needs provided, but Lucifer wanted more but eventually could not deliver the same “package” as God could, not even close or in the same universe.  So when God created light on that dark place it must have infuriated Satan for God in one quick thoughtful command established an eternal source that would resemble the eternal life-giving light that God Himself provides in heaven.  When one dives into this passage a bit deeper we can find that a certain amount of time has passed, a certain amount of time has occurred while God created light for the earth and through God’s Word in the next verse shows us that a clock is now ticking for God calls the light “day” and the darkness “night”.  These two entities have a timeframe, a specific amount of time to expose themselves to a world that is about to come alive with God’s creative heart.

Now, if you had wanted to create a setting so perfect and real but did not live up to your wishes, then someone came along and almost immediately upscaled your dreams in a short moment wouldn’t you be a little mad at that person?  Well, in this case, this act by Satan was driven through pride and jealousy which fueled his disobedience to God’s eternal laws and therefore cost him his post in heaven.  Anger extraordinaire would be my thought here, one extreme reason to hate God enough to want to employ others to help take down God if possible. 

It bugs me that I fall for some of the tricks that this loser of an enemy plays in my life, for I should know better than to allow them to even approach my life.  But how many of us go into each daily battle not understanding what is at stake due to the hatred our enemy has for our existence.  God spoke something into existence and wham it occurred and was completed perfectly.  Even the first creative thing God did for the earth has a powerful origin and one that is in constant motion as a living testament of God’s love for life.  Light was only the beginning of what God was going to do as a testament to His life and as the Eternal Source of life.  God is light and it is His visible representation of His presence and is the foundation of all knowledge for one cannot anything to help if one cannot first see what needs to be molded into place. 

Just as God divided the night and day, we too have a certain amount of time in our lives to spread the light that God provides. The world continues to thrive in darkness and serve as a stumbling block to every child of God, but if we take God’s Word – which is Himself – to this darkened place He shall bring forth light and life to that dark place and whoever wishes to see, can see what needs to occur.  Church, you are this light and it is your responsibility to understand what God represents to our existence and then use this light as the source of eternal life.  When we understand this truth about God being a light it places the passage of Scripture that says the He is the light unto our path because it brings into truth exactly what authority we have over our enemy and it puts into motion the advancement of the Kingdom of God.

God’s light burns Satan like no other source can because God’s light is eternal and cannot help but expose Satan’s lies of darkness.  Darkness is what Lucifer was given to prove himself as a founder and creator of life and it was darkness that he could not overcome on any level.  It is through this same practical dark conditions that he can only operate which means that s long as he can keep God’s prized creations in the dark he has won the day for when God is not allowed to shine His eternal life giving light into our lives, darkness rules our existence.  It is no secret that once a light shines on a dark place the mice scatter as the old saying goes and once the nasty enemy is gone we shall know the truth about our surroundings and can allow God to change our lives in truth.

God’s light is a part of our existence for we are made in His image and if we allow His light to shine through our lives we cannot help but be a true witness of light everywhere we go.  It is the job of our enemy to turn out this light in our lives and hide it so the truth is withheld from those who need eternal direction.  The old song we used to sing about how I am going to let my light shine and not hide it under a bushel rings loud and true and gives us a biblical truth that has eternal meaning.  Our nation suffers from continual darkness and since this nation was established to be a beacon to the world, guess what we are portraying and providing.  Instead of a beacon of light, we are producing a factory and line product of hammers that enable us to spiritually smash the life-giving light that all are seeking.  Self-governance and self-rule are overtaking our societies at breakneck speed and eventually, God is going to say “enough”.

The first day of creation serves as a testimony of a living God who wants His creations to understand what is going on around them.  His workers have become lazy and would rather stay indoors and light their own cabinets instead of being outside and providing light to the dying world.  God is beckoning His Church to once again come back to Him and to provide the eternal light to the ones that do not know Him.  Repent, Church and allow God to work through your lives so that many others shall know that God is alive, that He loves us and that He wants us to be separate from the world and not joined with its death trap.  God is light and He is the Eternal Light and if we allow Him to infiltrate our lives again He will repair the light within us and we can fulfill His mission that He established in our lives from day six of creation.

DLB

Choosing A Government

Choosing A Government

2/7/17

Choosing the leaders of a nation has always been a tumultuous period in a country’s timeline.  The confidence in a human being to do what is correct can often become skewed through personal vendettas or group parties that all have one thing in common, throw out the challenger or incumbent, to find a better suitor for the position.  It is through this same process that we choose the leader of our hearts as well and one can easily state that the physical is a reflection of the spiritual in this manner.  Choosing the world over God is never a good option but according to the loudest voices humanity has accomplished this feat many times over much to our own disbelief without understanding.  God is in the restoration business and He is still wishing for His children to return to Him so that He can repair the damages that this world has inflicted.

God has shared with us a few times in the past about how politics can harm an individual, a group, and even a nation and His chosen people are even subject to such a fiasco.  There is no doubt that when humans elect a government that both the people and the ones running for that specific office have good intentions according to their own beliefs and party platform.  It is here where things become messy because those political platforms are human derived which means that the very foundation of that stance is flawed and can come crashing down at any moment.  Almost every western cultured nation has to have at one time claimed to have a Christian running for a high office, but if they are elected most do not follow their proclamations and instead follow the party line instead.  As any other elected official the time that anyone is in office runs out and someone else must fill the shoes, a sign of a temporary setting that will vary in the future due to other varying wills and notions.

It is also easy for humans to rely on the physical without even considering the spiritual aspect of our life for if things were reversed it would require that faith be first and self second.  It is this truth and confliction that brings such agony to every part of the world when it comes to finding the correct leader.  When these same people are involved in God their problems do not fade away for God has never promised that if people who choose Him will have easier times according to worldly standards, but what is more important is that when people who do trust God for their leadership understand to keep their eye on His Word and not become swayed by the world while walking the journey of life.  It is this aspect that our enemy uses in order to take our eyes off of God and place it onto what seems like a better deal, but in the end causes much harm and a deeper hurt because the leaders of the world have moved on without caring one bit but for themselves.

A good while back when we were approaching a general election a close friend of mine and myself was having a discussion about who we were going to vote in the election.  It was clear that both of us had differing opinions but we had no intentions of starting a rift between us because we valued our friendship much more than an event that had the potential of division.  My friend said to me that she had made her decision about her vote because the party she once affiliated herself with had left her meaning that their views changed enough so that hers did not line up exactly with the political party so she switched.  She stated that things had become so different that it was not easy for her to change her affiliation, a move that she praises to this day.  I often wonder how many people can say this about themselves and about their personal beliefs, and by the looks around me today, I do not see this type of solid stance portraying itself in the masses.  What I do see and what God is showing me is that our lives have approached the exact same positions as Israel was in during the passage time of 1 Samuel Chapters 3-8.

It is apparent that God is not done with His Word for our lives when it comes to this passage of Scripture and as long as He guides my ears, heart, and spirit to these verses I shall honor Him through His Word and tell His people what they need to hear and to understand.  But this time God is going to share with us what occurs when the government that we choose disappear and who is left standing when the waves are gone, for it is a huge gap that will be present and one that many shall never recover.  In 1 Samuel Chapter 3, we have the setting where Samuel is learning the voice of God and when the priest Eli tells him to recognize God instead of Eli things begin to change in Samuel’s life.  A prophecy against the priest and his house is given to Samuel and he obeys God by sharing this prophecy to Eli.  Eli hears it but does nothing according to Scriptures to change the setting and the prophecy is fulfilled in 1 Samuel Chapter 4.

1 Samuel Chapter 5 opens with the Ark of God in captivity yet God still proves Himself as Creator of everything and causes havoc on the Philistines until the return the Ark to Israel in 1 Samuel Chapter 7.  Through all of this hoopla, one would believe that Israel would have learned their lesson and returned their hearts to God without any further compromise, but as 1 Samuel Chapter 7 moves along we see that Israel does not learn their lesson and by the end of this chapter they are ready to ditch God for an earthly leader, a mistake on the highest level but God is willing to grant it to Israel because it is the will of the people.

It is apparent that not all of the leaders of Israel follow God’s laws and commands for when Samuel receives the prophecy against Eli it includes Eli’s entire house which meant that his sons were involved.  They were the judges and did not adhere to the ways of God and when 1 Samuel Chapter 8 arrives we find that Samuel’s sons were not living under God’s laws either, a pattern that could not have gone unnoticed on any level of Israeli life.  As time passed the people of Israel accepted this behavior from their judges and came to the conclusion that if these leaders were not following the ways that had been historically set in front of them, why should they be “bound” to the same laws that the leaders obviously did not believe in?  A logical surmise then truth when nothing occurs when public notice is realized.  The eyes of the heart focus on things, events, or people around them and notice that the fruit on their trees looks more appetizing than what is already provided.  A pinpoint accuracy of the prophecy that was given to Eli about his house is now coming to pass on the children of Israel and they had no idea what was being fulfilled.

The next logical step is to find a leader who may be willing to lax the laws of the present in order to boost the morale of those who are in agreement with other rules and regulations.  It is a normal human progression to have such thoughts when options are noticed and over time those options become beliefs and then rules of the heart until laws are established according to the boosted opportunities of change.  It is this picture that we see being painted in 1 Samuel Chapter 8 when the people come to Samuel and demand that they be like other nations and have an earthly king instead of God as their eternal Creator.  Israel knew about God and His Ways but rather chose to follow the people around them instead and when this choice was made campaigned desperately to follow the opportunities that others indirectly provided.  Israel had forgotten God enough that while He was still a part of their lives He was not first and the newness of their focal point had won their hearts from God.

The problem with this setting now comes to play and it is this setting that we see unfolding in our societies today and in both settings, the people involved fail to recognize what is actually transpiring around them even though both settings have been directly involved in warnings concerning their lack of obedience to God.  When Israel demands that they have an earthly king God grants their request without cause because He knows that they have made a choice by using a gift that He created inside all of us.  What is so frightening about this setting is that Israel could not have missed all of the issues that these other nations were having amongst themselves including all of the strife that those other nations had against other surrounding nations.  Even though there were not modern technological communication systems present, word of mouth through visual witnesses cannot get more specific, and yet Israel chose to live in these standards rather than standing firm against the stupidity of sinful leaders and follow God with new leaders who followed God’s Ways.

As we take a quick scan of what occurs after God allows this change to occur we find that God does not just let this drop without His warnings about what will occur after this choice is made.  I find it scary that God holds nothing back when He is making His final case against Israel becoming as other nations, ignoring their separation status from the world and desiring to be a secular nation.  The part that is so scary is that each one of the warnings that God gave to Israel back then is still evident to nations who do not live under God’s Ways today.  Every single item that God makes in 1 Samuel Chapter 8 has come to life and is still considered a slaveholder and master to God’s people.  This message and warnings from God to Israel should have been another sign to them that they should not follow the ways of friends and neighbors but stick to the one who gave them complete freedom from those conditions.  Just as Israel did we have done as well, chose the world and to be common with others rather than follow the only One who shall not waiver, leave, change or be defeated.

It did not take Israel too long to understand that the choice they made was one that would cause them uncountable grief and pain, further proof that Israel knew about God and His history with them but chose the world instead.  The populous overrode God and the vote had no other goal than to become equal with the world.  The pursuit of equality without God being first in the wisher’s existence is a gross failure due to the origins of the pursuant of the world.  God still wanted Israel to follow Him in the best capacity as possible for when God agreed to allow Israel to have a king He chose a man that would be best suited for their voices. 

But this truth is immediately revealed when the people of Israel chose Saul as their leader deepening their desire for an earthly government.  It must have been vastly important for them to be accepted as other nations around them, a status of trends that they believed would prepare their status higher than what God offered.  This human government dependency grew fast and was generally adhered to within a short period of time and once this level was achieved and applied there was no turning back to God as their leader, a move that would literally cost them their kingdom and almost their entire existence as time passed along.

It is this future truth and warning from God that continues to haunt Israel today not just the physical aspects of their existence but their spiritual establishment as well.  At one point in Israel’s existence their king’s wife threw the prophets into jeopardy and ended up killing many of them for their differences in beliefs; furthermore, Israel eventually was destroyed by an enemy and placed into captivity for centuries and it was in this captivity that the worldly governments’ influences came into practice by creating oral interpretations of God’s Laws as the standard of living for Israel.  Israel had devastatingly learned that by not following God and having Him as her leader, the consequences of the world were as violent as God had warned, plus now their spiritual guidance was based on verbal beliefs instead of the true and holy Word of God.

Israel learned that the government that they had chosen over God was no longer in power either.  It must have been unimaginable to look over their people’s land the one God gave them, and realize that everything that they had wanted had been destroyed by the same likened governments that they chose over God.  How could their “buddies” do such a thing, especially since Israel considered their leadership and standards to be equal in stature as the other nations?  A hard lesson that once again Israel should have been able to identify and easily correct but in truth a living space that created another ethnic group that Israel came to despise.  And today the nations of the world are on the verge of imploding in the name of earthly equality again.  No longer does the world need a leader, for the nations believe that together united they can solve the world’s issues and bring prosperity to everyone who wants it.

Just as the nation of Israel found out so long ago when their earthly government fell, ours shall fall in like manner if we do not stop and turn around and choose God as our Supreme leader again.  When one studies history, they will find that all human governments change hands over time and when a new leader is chosen – by whatever method – people have doubts and fears. But when a nation deliberately and voluntarily chooses the world over God nothing good shall come from this choice.  The world cannot offer anything but lies, pain, and hardship without any answers being given.  Only God can offer a peace that passes all understanding when things go wrong.  The reason that God can say this and the ONLY reason that mankind can know this is because God is always present for He has always been here and is the only entity and living being that has never been defeated. So why wouldn’t we readily receive His authority and guidance over our lives?  Especially since He provides complete and true freedom?  God is the only guarantee that shall stand the test of time yet instead we fail to allow Him access to our hearts and choose the death march instead.

Today we are witnessing basically the same markers that Israel gives us in 1 Samuel Chapter 8 but with a few additional steps present in our midst.  One can almost hear the people arguing and protesting while God is laying out His case as to what will occur if they go ahead and choose an earthly kingdom instead of Him.  Up until a very short time ago, I had never realized just how detailed God’s message was to Israel after they had made up their minds to choose an earthly king, it is shocking quite really for it mimics so much of the voices heard today. 

But in this society, it is being made public that when the voices that have not been accepted by the proven grounds of voting we riot instead and pitch a tantrum, cause further divide and anguish instead of trying to organize a peaceful solution with those that disagree.  Once again, human actions of selfishness rule when God is taken out of the equation as the Head.  From our beginning, God has always done His best to warn us of when we are going to make bad choices and He places every known fact in front of us before we make up our minds.  But when we choose to go our own way He allows us to follow our choices and up until this time, He has always been there to pick up the pieces after the crash occurs.

It is far more important that we understand that it is not just the physical realm involved here as much as it is the spiritual realm, because if one is following God their eternity is set and will not need to be worried but when the physical voluntarily lines up against God the eternal settings are in jeopardy of personally witnessing an eternal separation from the only steadfast authority that we have.  This truth was in place when Israel decided to move away from God, throughout history when people chose the world over God, the Church when she collaborated into becoming the church, and modern societies today, all are examples of what occurs when God is taken out of the hearts of people.  Repent while there is still time and it is guaranteed that if we choose God and put Him first our entire world will change for the eternal better.

DLB