Fake News

Fake News

5/31/17

This is a phrase that has become an ear tickler over the past year or so that has riveting effects on most of the ones who are exposed to its content.  Of course, there are two sides to this issue with each side claiming the opposition planting such information.  While it is a frustrating setting that we must now endure we must take into light that this type of information has also infiltrated the Church with a vengeance.  Just as the world has formulated a false atmosphere of what occurs around us the spiritual realm is not immune to such antics, for remember the father of lies is the one who initiates such actions and shall not cease until everyone is fooled.  In order for us to discern the spiritual truth from a lie we have only one source of information and for us to know what is the truth we must bury our hearts, eyes, and ears into the God’s Word every day, for if we do not we shall fall for such spiritual antics and place us in the same category of failure as the physical.

I remember growing up as a kid that I would not be very eager to sit down in front of the television and turn on the evening news.  I found it boring and unrelated to the events in my own world.  Yet, I could not figure out why my parents would be very interested in what was going on around us and would even spend a great deal of time reading the newspaper in addition to watching the news on television.  While this setting confused me a bit, my secure and sheltered American upbringing was not really affected by any the terrible news that was given but at the same time, it seemed like each day some new tragedy was occurring.  This view of mine changed one day when I was a senior in high school when over the radio it was announced that the space shuttle had blown up as it was exiting the earth’s orbit, an event that hit home because it was ours, American, and lives had been lost.

At that time, I also found out that there were many people who believed in conspiracies against the NASA program and all that it entailed including how the government planted devices on the shuttle to blow it up along with numerous other antics that sounded minds to think and tongues to wag but none that actually had any merit but they did their damage and for some proved to be a discredit to this nation.  I also did not realize at that time that popular newscasts and journalism was changing and with the faster technology and spread of information this type of activity was gaining power as well.  Money began to drive this industry and the investigative journalist became an evening suppertime conversation.  Little did most of us know that this era was the beginning of fake news and one-sided journalism that had political overtones so that more money and higher ratings could be made.  As I look back at this period of time I cannot help but also see that at the same time this popularity of news and journalism was growing so was the popularity of the church and being a Christian, two organizations that have now become intertwined with each other and quickly escalating to interdependence with each other as well.

The divisional and the adversarial occurrences between the two major political parties in this nation began to increase and become vocal leading to mistrust and distrust between long time friends and on the personal level, families.  The popularity of the church held many friendships together during this time, trying to heal from the political disasters of the 1960s and 1970s but many knew that this cohesion would soon be broken because politics would visibly rear its head in the church, just it had ever since the Early Church had been established.  A heartbreaking condition that God watched develop and at the same time give our eternal enemy an opportunity to salivate as he mowed down hurting people.  It was through this indoctrination of pain and torment that gave rise to the fake news within the church, a personal interpretation of God’s Word so those comforting beliefs could be administered and prescribed instead of fighting the true disease.

If we as individuals do not understand what exactly is going on around us there is no way possible that we can adequately make a judgment call about any situation that matters.  I have mentioned this next example a while back but given the fact that we just finished celebrating Memorial Day in this country it is more relevant today than ever.  I was talking with one of my young coworkers a couple of years ago and the subject of history came up, more specifically World War II.  As I stood there and quietly listened to the ongoing conversation, I felt compelled to ask a single question and while I was hoping that it could be answered I quickly found out that it could not which disappointed me thoroughly on the level that simple history could not be answered and in this case rationally thought about in order to skip a repeat of such event.

Do not get me wrong, I am not out to embarrass anyone or to give schools a bad name but it disturbs me that young graduates cannot answer the simple question of this: “can you name me any one of the major nations that were involved in World War II?” When this person could not name one country involved in the greatest event during the 20^th century, I was amazed and concerned at the same time.  This person could not name our own country, Germany, Russia, England or any of the other many nations that suffered tremendously during this time.  The crucial point here is not to embarrass anyone as I said above but to make known that we have a serious issue that we have not recognized about our existence and therefore cannot fix when times of need arise again. For if we do not understand exactly what occurred on ALL SIDES of past issues, we are doomed to repeat such activities in our future because those who recognize the fact that the majority of the people around them do not know history they can distort it according to how they wish and then promote it long enough to bring their interpretation to the public as the truth.  This is what leads to fake news on our screens and it is also exactly how our enemy works to acquire our hearts to believe lies about God and His Word.

In 2 Timothy Chapter 2, we have a perfect example of how important it is to know exactly what God and His Word says because if we do not we shall be subject to the lies that our enemy wants us to believe.  If is a great shame that the majority of the news that we see scrolling across our screens cannot be trusted even on the basic foundational levels and the truth must be told that we as the Church have fallen for the identical lies from those who believe such lies and have actually provided some of these lies as well.  The Word of God is NOT a book about feeling good or having it your own way, but it is a Word that defines God and how His love for us requires obedience to His Ways at all times so that we do not get sucked into the web of deceit that Satan is spinning around us.  It is this lack of knowledge about God and His Word that connects the concept of physical fake news and the Bible for God’s Word is the absolute truth and cannot be changed but if one does not understand its meaning completely, biblical fake news can and shall destroy a person even quicker than the physical kind, and for a lot longer time I am afraid.

We must not forget that fake news is not a new concept at all for it has been around since the Garden of Eden.  Adam and Eve fell for its lie way back then and people are still falling for its devastating news today.  When self-overtakes and becomes the number one issue about anything, fake news has arrived in your life.  This type of news can stay individually or it can grow to the global scale and I believe we have reached that global scale once again.  Adam and Eve had every opportunity to understand exactly what God was saying to them without hesitation or question for they walked and talked with God every day.  God Himself was Adam and Eve’s Bible, for God was living then and He lives today not only through His Word but He is still alive and always shall be as well.

But as with any physical news story, if one does not understand the exact truth about what is going on, people will fall for a lie without knowing or even considering that the story is fake.  If the source of the news is trying to grab attention to their point of view then it is safe to say that the story is fake on some level, and if some part is fake all of it is fake.  It is easy to get caught up in a story and believe it as the truth for we as humans want to believe everything we hear, but we cannot afford to do this for it will skew many of our judgments and could lead us down a dire path of destruction.  The spiritual aspects of fake news have a far greater consequence than the physical news, for eternity itself cannot be defined in time which is a lot longer than twenty-four hours in a day or over eighty years in a physical lifetime.

2 Timothy 2:15-16 provides us with the perfect example of fake news and how to be prepared for such events when they cross our lives.  These verses are as follows: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  But shun profane and vain babblings: for they increase unto more ungodliness.”  Can there be any other verse that gives us such an exact picture of our world today?  First off, it addresses God the Father as the source of all things true, then it provides us the truth about our ongoings through God and then gives us what occurs if we do not heed to this righteous standard of God’s.  These two verse paint the exact setting that our societies have come from, are presently in, and currently speeding towards as well, a grave initiative that most are failing to see the scenes whip by our eyes.  The reason for this inevitable upcoming disaster is because we have personalized God’s Word for our own pleasure and beliefs and have voluntarily believed in this lie which has turned it into a hyped up fake news of contingency instead of an active and living plan for our spiritual protection and eternal positioning. 

At any time we turn the Bible into a hen-pecked text we have made the Word of God into a fake news source.  We must remember that if we use just one letter of God’s Word for our own justification to sin or to disobey God then we have successfully made our own spiritual and eternal fake news, not only for ourselves but to anyone else who you might get to agree with you on such matters.  This is why 2 Timothy is so important to our lives and that we fully grasp the contents of God’s Word and what it means to our lives, both physically and most importantly spiritually.  Through these two verses alone God gives us the proof that He is the only way to eternal life and through His Word draws us a clear map of how to live in the desolate world that continually provides us with lies.

However, if we do not continually study God’s Word and apply it, completely, to our lives we will be subject to fake news on the spiritual side of our existence.  Sadly, we are witnessing such fake news occurring today and it is coming from many of the pulpits, books, cathedrals, and meetings that claim to be coming from God.  This procession of fake news is a great timing for it tells a huge story about the condition of our heart when it comes to the knowledge of God.  If a nation’s heart is steadfast on God and knows His Ways like the back of our hands, fake news could not be flourishing as it is today for it would be called out and dealt with quickly.  But if we do not know God, even though we may claim to know Him, fake news according to “God” shall abound abundantly, and folks, hard truth is this, that is exactly what we have going on today.

Another truth about believing and then living through biblical fake news is that it means we have lost and given up our dominions to our enemy.  It occurred in the Garden of Eden and it is moment by moment occurring today.  Our society is allowed to promote some of the most gruesome tactics eve known to mankind and the Church has no authority to stop this procession of devastation. In fact, the Church has been so drawn into this deception that she has combined forces with the world and promotes some of these death portrayals.  We have fallen so far from God that we cannot see our own sin and what destruction it is having on our lives, and I am referring to just the Church right at this moment but this statement is true for our entire world as well; what other direction should the world take if the ones who are supposed to be the light walks in the same direction as the world?  Talk about our own Bataan Death March.  Oh wait, many people do not even know that part of human history either.

It breaks the heart of God for Him to have to watch His children fall for such lies that would cause us so much pain and agony. God has given us the perfect resources to hear His voice, and to read His Word and through the wonderful gift of our minds to have the opportunity to understand Him and His Ways.  Spiritual fake news is the exact reason why God’s Word says for us not to lean on our own understanding for when we do that means we have bought into the lie of spiritual fake news.  I find it so intriguing that current events and concerns have already been addressed in the Bible and through God’s Word we have the perfect defense against such lies but because we do not understand the Bible and the REAL reason God provided it to us.  Fake news tickles our ears and makes others angry, with our using of the Bible for personal gain represent anything different?

Church, and that means YOU and not some building!  We need to place our eyes and hearts back into the Word of God and then open our spiritual ears so that we may understand what God is saying to our lives.  The world is in bad shape and so are we and it is time for us to turn our lives around and to return to God.  It is our responsibility to shed light on fake news, not promote it.  We have forgotten that fake news can be spiritual as well for we have forgotten that our enemy knows God’s Word as well and shall distort His Word to promote a lie for our stumbling.  Repent, Church and allow God to once again fill our hearts with His truth and guidance for God is the ONLY way to eternal peace and purity and if we do not understand God in this capacity then we shall have no hope for any future.  God asks that we return to Him before He has to drastically grab our attention.  He loves us and we need to obey His Word again so that we may live under His protection and not out exposed to the fake news that surrounds us. The Bible is the Good News, not fake news, let us return to this truth.

DLB

Racism, Really?

Racism, Really?

5/28/17

Well, this topic should be one of interest to many for it is one that “graces” our lives each day without warning and many times accompanied with disbelief.  One cannot dismiss such antics that are presented before our eyes on a continual basis and what frightening is that in many cases the Church has bought into this lie from Satan.  I am not saying that racism does not exist, for it was originated from Satan himself and thus grown into a viable weapon in order to silence and whelp many people into submission before a conversations begin.  We must remember that when a relative subject is brought into the forefront that causes division you can be sure that there is some biblical principle that God has already addressed in His Word and we must be careful not to distort the truth in order to be popular.

When I was a kid growing up I lived in many places around this country which meant I had plenty of opportunities to make friends.  In these travels, I also had the privilege to meet and to associate with many different cultures, backgrounds, ethnic groups, and any other “category” one wishes to proclaim.  My parents always taught me to be fair and to accept the people as human beings and no matter what their skin color, creed, or nationality may be, do your best to be kind and to show them, Jesus. While this stance gained me plenty of friends and persons that I hung around with it also was a setback on some occasions because I did hang around “those” people.  No matter, I was a happy kid who always had others to play with and still hold fond memories from those days of my life.

I know that if I would have said and acted as some of the young people do today I probably would not be in the physical condition I am today.  While I have a few health problems in my body I can sit down without hurting for my parents taught me well to respect others even when they are not your friends culturally.  This truth that they instilled into my life I have tried my best to keep but I have to admit that there was a time in my life where I struggled with this truth and almost threw it out, horribly while I was on a trip overseas.  I still reflect back to that trip often and marvel at my idiotic thinking and then silently suffer from my breaching of when my mother helped Memphis break the segregation barrier many decades ago.  I do have a saving grace in that I have learned from the best physical couple in this area and have the perfect example from my Savior Jesus to keep in my heart and to share with others when the setting comes into motion.

How is it possible to sustain and then maintain a society where blood is sought as a first responder to any situation that arises?  In every society, issues have come to a head and then vanquished over time but on the other hand, each society has endured social issues that have actually threatened the land or have taken it down.  To accuse someone of being a racist initially sets a person back for the term or phrase is used as a catch phrase and one that strikes at the core of a setting in order to grab the upper hand in a discussion.  The usage of such a phrase also places the conversation into a decline for everyone changes their positioning when the idea is thrown out, a sad yet fluid piece that defines the direction of the division.

There is no question that there is a large amount of civil unrest in this country and it seems like every day the boiling point of emotions rise another degree or two.  It is not uncommon to hear of angry people venting their frustrations out on the opposing political side and blaming that other side for the issues that are at hand.  While this method is a viable proposition it serves nothing but to divide as mentioned in the above paragraphs.  I also find fault in people carrying protest signs mentioning God and Jesus trying to politicize their positions in name of a human ill. 

I have heard these types of groups say God would never allow such hate to exist, saw WWJD signs, and other signs that had written Scripture on them pass by the cameras for all to see.  God has also shown us over the past that He, and later Jesus, do not have political agendas and we should understand that by using this platform to get our point of view across is a grievous sin and that we should be held accountable for such divisive tactics against God and His Kingdom.  It breaks God’s heart when He witnesses such portrayals of His name benefiting Satan and his world; God created our lives to be an example of separation from the world and not a means to divide the people believing in the world further.

A few months ago God shared with us a beautiful series from the New Testament where Jesus was talking with the woman at the well.  Many different truths were shared with us in that series and it made many of us think about how we view others and who we need to witness to on a daily basis.  The story is a magnificent portrayal of Jesus’ ministry and one that is often referred to when trying to make a personal point concerning a current or past issue.  I must admit that it pains me to see people use God’s Word for political maneuvering or gain for it falsifies God’s true intention for our lives and it sells out Jesus’ ministry for a personal vendetta against those who believe that others are wrong.  I cannot say that this shall be the last article that God will share with us dealing with this specific passage of Scripture, for as I study His Word deeper He reveals so much more of what He wants us to know about Him and our lives.

In John Chapter 4 we once again return to Jesus, the disciples and a Samaritan woman.  Many of us know the story by heart and it is a great example of how Jesus looked past certain issues of the physical and went directly to the true reason of why He walked this earth.  Many times we get caught up in the physicality of Jesus and ignore the true meaning of His presence, the eternal.  This setting is not the only time Jesus demonstrated that His purpose on this earth was not political but eternal and that was when He said His famous words in Matthew 22:21 that we should give to Caesar what is his and give God what is His.  First off we must mention that when Jesus met the woman at the well the disciples were not with him at that very moment, they were in town fulfilling a request from Jesus and it is this act that sets into motion of how we need to be when we encounter people who believe differently than we do AND what difference is really important between us.

Typical race relations are presented here for when Jesus walks up to the well and asks the woman for a drink she cannot believe that He is even talking to her.  This means that race relations between ethnic groups were strained even back during Jesus’ times and if studied were present long before Jesus walked the earth a problem that we still have not conquered today.  The woman recognizes that Jesus is a Jewish man and since she understands her ethnic origins has encountered some type of divisional racial tension in her past between her and other Jews.  The Samaritans were considered mixed breeds; they were Jewish but mixed with Babylonian blood as a result of the captivity of the children of Israel centuries earlier.  Yet, Jesus did not address her ethnic status but went straight for her spiritual condition, a situation that we harbor in our own culture today.

Jesus does not condemn her or shun her because of her ethnicity or her spiritual condition but He talks to her and tells her about her life through her own words of admission.  Now, we must admit that Jesus had a bit more discernment for the situation than what we normally do, but in our case, we can still have such authority in the spirit if we have placed God’s Kingdom first in our lives and operate through such livelihood.  After a few minutes of discussion, not yelling, Jesus tells the woman to go and sin no more thus defeating any suggestion that His motives were racially biased or placed on the physical aspect of her life, only the eternal was discussed thus revealing to her and to us that Jesus had only one goal and that was the spiritual and eternal. Remember, Jesus was the true Son of God which meant that He had to be consistent in ALL things or He would have given Satan legal grounds for reclaiming his position in heaven.

The conversation between the woman and Jesus did not start out on the same level and this is evident from what the woman led with and what Jesus led with.  We cannot deny that Jesus had Jewish blood running through His physical veins and that everything He represented was as a Jew, this is a truth that we cannot ignore or dismiss.  Often we tend to forget about this detail about Jesus but we cannot if we are willing to understand His presence on earth and why He could not live and function just in the physical aspects of life.  The other physical aspect of this setting comes into play with the disciples and it is their actions and words that display the racial incident and could have caused a rift in what Jesus had begun on that day.

When the disciples returned and saw Jesus talking with the woman, they immediately recognized her ethnic background and were not happy about what Jesus was doing.  It was a huge no-no for anyone to publicly converse with a Samaritan and to top things off it was a Samaritan woman that He was conversing.  The disciples were quick to point out that she was a Samaritan and how wrong it was for Him to be seen with such a low-life and one that could not be like them.  The difference here is that Jesus understood the Samaritan culture yet did not hold it against the woman while the disciples held her culture against her even though they were not directly involved in the conversation.  The disciples held on to their beliefs in the physical and totally ignored what Jesus was doing in the spiritual.  In other words, the disciples were more concerned with their physical appearances and who they were associated with at the time while Jesus was concerned with the woman’s eternal positioning with God.

The woman approached her duties with no malice a forefront.  The disciples had their agenda already agreed upon just by where they were at geographically, which fueled their physical desires of Jewish beliefs and then were ruffled when their side of the block was supposedly challenged.  While the woman did not verbally assault Jesus she did use words that would have threatened the situation but she did indicate that she understood the racial divide existed, a mild form of racism if you place it in the purest form.  The disciples, on the other hand, dealt with the situation with a bit more harshness about the setting and demonstrated a common reaction that many of us would have if we saw such a setting which represents a higher form of racism and one that is noticeable today.  In either case, Jesus stayed out of the physical, directed the conversation to the eternal, and stayed the weekend for a revival in the hated lands.  Which places the questions into play that God wants to ask us: who is acting like a racist in this story and who are we actually portraying?

There is no possible way that anyone can not acknowledge that many of the protests that we see crossing our screens and eyes do not have almost identical characteristics as John Chapter 4.  The timeframe is definitely off and the issues are somewhat different but the divisive nature of the words used and the attitudes displayed conjure up identical reactions on all sides involved.  If Jesus would have demonstrated these same characteristic attitudes towards the woman at the well, or agitate the setting by displaying His Jewish side of His life, He kept it on a spiritual level only which is exactly what we should be doing when an obvious “racial” moment arises.

Now God asks us this question, are we responding to others on a physical nature well enough to commit spiritual racism against God and our eternal existence?  Wait a minute here, what is this spiritual racism thingy?  Well, if Jesus dealt with the spiritual in the two settings above why don’t we deal with the same level now?  It is the level that we are dealing with, right?  While God understands and recognizes our ethnic differences those differences are not the overall ones He is concerned about.  For each ethnic representative present on this earth has a spirit within them that comes directly from God and it is that aspect of our lives that shall live forever and thus most concerning to God our Father.  See, it is our hearts that God sees and hears and if we have purposefully divided others from God then we have done nothing more than to separate them from God which in turn represents anger towards a brother or spiritual racism.  So, God asks the question again, are you practicing spiritual racism against Him and His child?  How will we answer this question?  It is a very important one since it will determine both your eternal placement and those who you come in contact with as well.

And then God wishes to address His second question that refers to who are we portraying when we are walking around in our “Jesus clothes” and holding the godly signs with Scriptures written all over them?  Are we concerned about being a witness for God and caring about one's eternal placement or are we trying to use God’s Word to promote our own human definition of eternal misunderstanding?  Physical racism is a bad enough tool that our enemy invented and now continually uses in order to divide our lives even further so why are we executing the same level of division by completing his work on the eternal as well?  Our job is to go into the world and to preach and teach the Gospel according to Jesus Christ, period!  If we place our activities to convert the world to Christ solely on our personal beliefs we have failed at His command, especially the beliefs that do not correspond with His Father's Word.  If one holds up a sign that says John 3:16 you best be demonstrating exactly what that verse states or you are a liar and one that is advancing Satan’s kingdom instead of God’s Kingdom.

The time for playing around is over and it is time to choose which side you want to live on.  There is no fence sitting and no having one foot in Colorado and one foot in Utah, it is either or and not both.  We have done our best to divide God’s Kingdom long enough and by the looks of it, we have done an excellent job in allowing millions to die and go to hell in their sins each day. We must stop the spiritual racism that we are performing and when we stop this action of ours, guess what, the physical racism and all of its ugliness shall disappear as well.  But this shall never occur until we turn our lives back to God and place Him first in our lives.  He is the eternal and everlasting God and the One who created us to advance His Kingdom and to represent Him at all times.  He loves us so very much and it is through obedience to His Ways that we show that we know His Love and accept it into our lives.  Repent Church, and allow God to restore our lives so that we can effectively reach the lost with the true eternal life that is offered.  Spiritual racism, really?  Oh, yes.  Tough subject but one that is showing it colors unabated and one that needs to be dealt with immediately.

DLB

The More They Multiplied

The More They Multiplied

5/26/17

This truth is a biblical concept that originated from God and therefore continues today for what God establishes cannot be broken or stopped.  While we generally contend that this principle refers to sex it also means growth in numbers through sheer popular belief as well, but in truth, all represent God’s advancement.  However, if we do not live according to God’s Laws the opposite is true and the world shall grow instead.  When God’s people are doing what they are supposed to be doing then a miraculous growth occurs that is almost unexplainable.  It is this growth that defines God and thus defines our lives as well and it is God’s desire that all grow in Him and not in the world.  Church, we need to catch this holy growth once again starting with our hearts and when we do we shall see the true change that this world needs.

I wish that I could write words of redemption, salvation, happiness, peace, and tranquility when it comes to this subject but when one studies history and sees what horrific conditions one can place upon another, the truth is revealed in a fantastic manner.  Since the records of mankind have been read, spoken and written we have done our best to divide our species and place another contingency above another.  There is a reason that we try to equilibrate our existence with others but up until this very moment, we have failed every time simply because we cut out the One that we need to survive and accept the different lies that our world hands out.  I must admire the efforts of humanity trying its best to find a way to end all of the animosity that surrounds each society both past and present, but also have to shake my head at the misfortunes we acquire when we search in the wrong directions for such a desired commodity.

From biblical history we learn that mankind easily tries to look at gods and personal idols and place them ahead of the One who wrote the Bible, Ancient history provides us with identical lessons from which similar disasters can easily be studied.  The time period in which BCE and CE collide we see no change in human behavior towards their historical identities and are forced to live and relive the consequences of their forefathers and foremothers.  With this amount of time already in the books it would seem that humans would figure things out and really change the course, yet with every age and generation that passes God and His Word continues to shine as the only source of true freedom, peace, and happiness. 

The search for peace, tranquility, and equality continued throughout the Dark Ages, Early Church days, Medieval Times, and now this same quest is still being sought after today.  I cannot help but watch identical procession after procession tries to declare that they have the answer for the world’s issues and within a short period of time watch as each one of their claims, declarations, and kingdoms come crashing down.  As with every other try, the societies of the world are doing their best to accomplish this feat by pushing God out of their way and proclaim that they know what is best.  What we forget about history is that no matter what time period one wishes to study, their efforts fail and when their worlds come crashing down they are so stunned and shocked and cannot figure out why.  This continued presence also reveals a certain yet important detail about God that each time He is left out or kicked out His presence always increases, and with each attempt to push God out or to suppress His presence, comes each fall and then only God remains standing tall; an increase.

In Exodus Chapter 1 we have a perfect example of this truth about when God is suppressed and mankind tries its best to keep control of their lives.  Exodus 1:7-14 give us a great example of what God has shared with us so far in this article, that no matter how hard humanity tries to do things on their own and for their own glory, their stance and kingdom shall fall, even when their initial growth comes from God alone.  When the book of Exodus opens it gives a quick genealogy of Joseph’s family which brings into remembrance the tribes of Israel which serve as the foundations of Israel.  In earlier verses of Chapter 1, we find that a new regime in Egypt has taken over and that after a while the deeds of Joseph have been forgotten.  This forgetfulness is a process we find so common when dealing with humans for we tend to keep things close to the present so that if maneuvering needs to be done it can be done so without interruption, no matter how that movement may be focused.  The same is true in this portion of Scripture, for when verse 7 of this chapter is written we find that the Egyptian authorities have become concerned about the size of the Israelites and how much of a potential threat they can become; not as of yet, but what they might become in the future.

Exodus 1:9-10 states the following: “And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.”  An interesting passage that proclaims a lot about what is in the heart of the leaders of Egypt and how they look on the nation of Israel.

Pharaoh recognizes that the number of Israelites is large in size and that their presence within Egyptian territory is well known. The number of Israelites is large enough that Pharaoh has to make up an active plan in order to keep the numbers from growing further and becoming a potential enemy.  It is this statement that I find interesting because of the way that it is stated, for only one side of the potential issue is stated from Pharaoh.  A people that have been in your land for quite some time should not firstly be considered a potential enemy unless the people in charge do not wish to have them part of the overall plan of the country.  In this age, we have witnessed such uprisings against fellow countrymen even though their ethnic backgrounds and spiritual beliefs differ from the “ruling” party.

There may have been some sort of token handouts of peace coming from Pharaoh to the children of Israel but I highly doubt it since the previous verses declare that this leader and his entourage had no idea who Joseph was which means that they had forgotten or did not care about their history.  The plan to limit the number of Israelites was a one-sided plan that offered nothing but hardships for the children of Israel and this plan had only one goal and that was to kill off – through labor means – as many as possible so that the leaders of Egypt would stay firmly in control if some outside force arose against them.  The plan was drawn up with precision and then set into motion that deemed it necessary for Pharaoh to personally oversee the progress of the work that was entailed in this plan.  The plan had two purposes one of selfish means which was represented by the fact that the Israelites would be forced to build elaborate cities for Pharaoh and the second part of the plan involved the potential annihilation of Israel through the process of such progression and growth, a gruesome task with defined results, one that was not thought about from all sides and one that clearly did not believe in the Word of God.

As time passed, the Egyptian rulers found out that as their evil plan to disrupt the livelihood of the Israelites they became stronger in unity and while the natural course of the life cycle took hold, their numbers did not decrease so additional measures had to be redefined and itself made stronger.  Verse 12 of this chapter states that: “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.  And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.”  A profound verse that should have ended these hideous operations against God’s people and should have forewarned Pharaoh and his taskmasters to stop fighting them and to accept their lives as a part of their own and change policies towards such environment.

But as we see in verse 13, the Egyptian geniuses did not figure this process out and instead pushed harder to complete their plan against God and His children, an early mistake that invokes more anger from the humans.  The Egyptians turn towards a harder labor process and the taskmasters were now allowed to turn their frustrations out on the children of Israel beating them and referring to them as slaves and treating them as such.  The days of a “9-5 work day” were now over and the masters could work them as long as they wished in the name of the Egyptian laws.

Exodus 1:14 gives us a harsh reality picture of just how hard Pharaoh had made it for the children of Israel, for every aspect of building was now under their job description along with all of the other services that the Israelites needed in order to survive as well were included.  Provisions from the Egyptians were cut off and Israel had to now provide their own supplies, continue to build the demanded amount for the day and then go to their quarters and provide for their families.  Now, given these living conditions and working environments one would easily have a case of misrepresentation and could demand a review of how the “bosses” were handling issues but it was not like that during these times and when a Pharaoh spoke his words were treated as law and not questioned.  There were no laws in place to override what the Pharaoh commanded, thus no one to speak for the workers and the conditions that they were expected to complete each day.

The Egyptians act so much like disbelieving “humans” in this setting for they actually believe that their ideas of punishment, isolation, workings, bondage, and slave-like conditions would be effective against those who God watches over.  But one cannot help but think about how normal this position would be given the fact that the Egyptians did not wish to have the Israelites as their allies but considered them a big enough threat that they would turn against them if another enemy had asked them to fight. This type of manipulation was also witnessed in every era of human history when it came to those choosing to go against the people of God.  It does not matter who or which group we wish to refer, the goal is always the same to divide and to conquer those who wish to separate themselves from the world and live differently than the “normal and common” people. 

Throughout time, humans have chosen to believe the god of this world and to accept his ways of living.  Humanity could have settled the issues that plague us today millennia ago if we would have looked at ancient history, changed our hearts and followed God instead of listening to lies.  But, since we have refused to take a simple way out we must continue to prove the Bible correct and suffer incredible deviances by our own accord.  Today we are reliving another segregation concerning truth where we are actively and harshly pursuing to throw God out of our lives in turn for trying the same sugar coated lifestyle of the world. The godless ones have taken a hold of our hearts and are now allowed to produce their agendas onto and into our ways of society.  Without question, we are living in the same type of setting as the children of Israel did when they went from heroes to slaves in a matter of some period of time.  God cannot decrease by any means possible, yet He allows our minds to choose to live under this truth or to live in slavery according to the ruler of the world. 

However, we must take into consideration a huge detail about God, a detail that the Egyptians forgot about and a detail that so many governments have discredited for centuries and that is God is a consistent God and He shall always override ANY government or individual that takes His children into captivity.  The hilarious result of such grave worldly in an increase in God both on the physical aspect of humanity and in the personal inner lives of His children as well.  It does not matter how hard humanity tries to displace God and His Ways, God always increases which means life increases and since life is the eternal definition of God that means He advances in all aspects of our existence too.  I hope and pray that we wake up and realize this truth about God before He has to once again remind us of who He exactly is.  Not even the deaths of first born children completely broke Pharaoh’s heart and it took him and his army drowning in the Red Sea in order for Egypt to fully surrender the notion of captivity for the children of Israel.  God asks us, does He have to demonstrate this watery grave again or any other disaster to grab our attention completely?

I cannot stress enough the importance of the truth about increasing no matter how hard the enemy tries to suppress, all throughout God’s Word, He has made it clear that His love can only be understood if obeyed and followed on His pure and holy level, not on one that is flawed and sinfully selfish.  The sole direction of God is to go forward and to increase, it is His Divine nature and definition He can do nothing but increase.  Even when we try to increase our own status before Him He automatically increases, for God and His definition does not know what the meaning of decrease is.  It is this truth alone that eternally states that if anyone goes against God’s Ways they are in serious trouble for when we elevate our thinking – or believe we have done such a thing – we are in direct conflict and in complete violation of the Covenant God has with His children.  It is this basic principle of Kingdom that we need to understand if we are to grasp the importance of our existence and the reason why God loves us in the manner that He does.

It is this principle that one can witness to the dying world as well, for God is an active and alive God and one who defines Himself through increase then that is what His existence shall produce which means that His Kingdom shall advance through our lives and existence as a reciprocal to the kingdom we represent.  A hard statement but when one says that God is love, love, love yet does not witness and convert people for God’s Kingdom, they are telling a lie!  See, if Satan believes that you have the potential to share the true meaning of the Gospel of Christ to someone, he will not be too concerned if you do just that through false beliefs that he has indoctrinated into your life.  But if you really mean that God is Love and are willing to share this truth with others, it is a guarantee that you will have an ugly fight on your hands and heart.  Just a quick question, all of these rallies, protests, and other organized meetings how many converts to Christ has there been?  Is Christ even represented even though “God is Love” “Love Trumps Hate” signs dominate such activities?  I honestly and truly would like to know if anyone came to Christ during these events, or were they just another imitation rally and “service” as many of our churches offer today. There is no increase here!

Church, we have fallen into this same trap that the world has so willingly provided and it is imperative that we understand how our acceptance of such sin shall lead us down a pathway of destruction, a permanent loss that we shall never recover from again.  It is not God’s desire to wake us up according to Biblical measures but He is a consistent God and shall do what He must in order to save His prized creations from an eternal damnation.  The world seeks to end the truth about God and His Ways, but as we have heard what God has said to us in this article, His providences shall never go away and will continue to grow even if mankind deems Him irrelevant.  No matter what the world and its ruler may convince us to do against God, He shall always have the final say with the advancement of His Kingdom.  In each timeline, God has proven Himself to be eternal and His Ways are the only ones that have been proven over the tests of these timelines.  There is only one way that we can be sure of or eternal existence and that is to understand fully God’s Ways and to guide our lives by these ways at all times.  Even in times of persecution and devastation God’s Word shall always prevail, serve as the beacon to which all mankind is saved, and increase in majesty no matter what lies are told.

DLB

I Would Rather Serve My Slave Master

I Would Rather Serve My Slave Master

5/19/17

The title of this article seems absurd to many but in truth that is exactly what we want to do as humans.  It has been said that we do not understand who controls us but in many cases, we do know who or what controls us but we choose to stay in captivity rather than living in freedom.  We cry to God for help but quit seeking Him when times seem better thus proving that we want our captivity instead of the freedom He only can bring.  All of us fall into this category but for those of us who rely on God completely and trust His Ways, are the ones who overcome the eternal slave master and live in pure freedom from the world.

Most of us are familiar with the Normandy invasion and how it turned the tide in the war known as World War II.  The goal of the allied advance was to get off the shores of Normand as quickly as possible for they understood that if they did not advance inland at a steady pace they would be repelled back into the sea.  The German occupation leadership also understood this concept and their defenses were projected as such of a definition.  While the defenses proved to be a tough obstacle they were not complete and therefore gave an opening to the advancing the German High Command was depending on the fact that the sea would provide the ultimate restriction and death trap for the advancement into Europe.  A formidable defense plan, but one that did not materialize and ended up providing the foundation for the overthrow of the empire that served only itself.

How many times have we lived in a world of hopeful defensive mechanisms that we have planted in order to rely upon invading systems?  Once those humanly defensive measures have proven ineffective who do we turn to afterward?  These questions have popped into my mind and heart many times over the years and for a long time served as the basis of my advancement in life.  At the same time through this earthly ignorance of mine, I have found out that there is only one source of true protection and that it comes only from God.  And while I cried for His help many times and He has given me direction, I did not respond accordingly because my heart continued its disbelief in Him and relied on my defenses all along.  I was a slave to those defenses and thus a slave to the world and the conditions that I had allowed to be developed, a condition that we see over and over in many people today; and have excellent examples of this in the Bible as well.

One would think that after one is freed from prison that they would be like a bird out of a cage and on many levels this is true and it shows.  But in often cases we have a different example of how humans operate and respond to such freedom for we often read that people who have been freed commit certain crimes that serve proof that our hearts would rather return to our captors.  I have to admit that I have read stories of this content many times in my life, that up until a few years ago I failed to see the truth in such activity.  It grieves my heart to think that people actually want to live in slavery and in pain than to have complete freedom flowing out of them.  This type of lifestyle does not just include the prison time in jail but also serves as any other form of personal prison that we wish to confine us in and when one brings these options into play they can mount quickly as a mountain would look like before us. 

I am not excluding myself from these mountains either, none of us are exempt but on the other hand, all of us have the option to choose freedom and stay within that freedom that God gives.  There have been countless times that I made the choice to ignore God’s freedom and choose the ways of the world.  At the time it was the popular thing to do and to accept but after all, things were said and done I realized that each choice of the world I chose hurt me deeply and placed a mark on my heart that God had to repair.  Needless to say, He is still repairing those scars and holes for even my life has been brutally marked up due to my sinful ways.  It is not an easy process because the world grabs a hold of our lives through these holes and scars and sinks its claws into us by this manner, but there is a better plan and option, I took this better plan and I can feel the effects of this choice every day.  In no way does this make perfect in any way, but when God looks on my open heart to His Ways He loves repairing those hurts so that I can be a complete and total witness of His Love and Truth.  There are two stories in Scriptures that are very familiar to those who have read or studied them.  The stories come from Genesis and Exodus and deal with seemingly two different settings but when looked at closer share a common thread, holding on to slavery.

The story in Genesis 19:1-26 mainly deals with homosexuality and the outcome of both the ones who participate in such activity and those who believe in God’s Ways and leave that setting.  Lot’s wife is the prime example of who chose to keep her faith in the world and her city instead of listening to the commands of God and completely leave the situation and not look back.  The example of Lot’s wife is a perfect example of what not to do when God gives a command because this lady’s actions demonstrates to God that while we say we are repentant we actually have no intentions of doing such an act.  Lot’s wife knew God and all of the blessings and protections that He gave them, in other words, she was raised knowing God and His Ways and provisions.  Yet, her grounding was not in God’s Ways but had been planted in the ways of the world and more specifically in those cities.  As God shared with us a few paragraphs above, she had laid plans of her defense on her sea instead of God and it cost her, her life.  We either choose to obey God’s commands or we ignore them, there cannot be any middle of the road or “common ground” on each side.

Lot’s wife had her reasons of justification for what her heart refused to let go and what it did not.  Those choices are still in focus today and if we take a serious look at how today’s societies are living we can see that we are playing the same game as Lot’s wife did as she walked away from her cities.  Her decision was not an immediate one, startled by the devastating noise of God’s wrath but one of the calculated choices that her heart was making for her heart was still present with the people who continued their wickedness before God.  The moment that she turned her head back to the city she made the choice to return to her slavery and to forget God’s command.  Her memories of a safe and nice life were reinforced in this decision she was comfortable and would have rather lived in those chains rather than understanding and living in God’s freedom, another trait that we are relishing in today.  It is this trait that if continued will not understand why devastation has occurred and want to correct what is in our hearts before our entire downfall.

The second example we see concerning a desire to return to our slave master occurs in Exodus 14:10-12 and this story is so famous and familiar that Hollywood even made a blockbuster film about back in the 1950s called “The Ten Commandments”.  I have watched this movie many times and have been fascinated with every part of the film and even though some of the acting and portrayals are not accurate they deliver a concise presentation of what occurred.  We cannot deny that this episode of Israel’s history is not one of grandeur, hope, and provision but we also must remember that we are dealing with humans and when humanity is involved some problems shall always arise.  It is also common knowledge that not everyone that left Egypt on that trip was happy about it and this is where we pick up the next example, the Israelites have been told to make camp at the edge of the Red Sea.  God has told Moses where to encamp and he has moved the people to the very location.

Exodus 14:10-12 states the following: “And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.  And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?  Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.”

Well, there it is the connection that God wants us to understand between Lot’s wife and the children of Israel in the desert.  God had promised in both examples to free the people from what they had been captive in and God delivered on both of His promises.  All throughout the first portions of Exodus, this current passage and through the remaining portions of Exodus we see nothing but God delivering on His Word and as a result the people that He loves and gave so much to do nothing but complain about what conditions they were in.  We now see that the children of Israel are camped at the Red Sea and taking a rest before the next portion of their journey begins, not realizing that God has them camped there for a specific reason.  They had a few moments to stop and reflect on where they had been delivered from and how God was trying to make them understand that they needed to get their hearts away from Egypt completely; in other words, allow God to heal those holes and scars.

At some point in their stay at the banks of the Red Sea, the scouts saw the Egyptian army coming towards them.  Quick realization of their position became very short-sighted and fear entered into their hearts again, fueling their smoldering ambitious disregards of God’s commands of departure.  Their memories of the days in Egypt soon reappeared and were vocalized which draws a clear picture that they really never left Egypt and really did not let their captivity go, a perfect example as to why God had them in the wilderness for forty years.  Their lots were cast on earthly conditions and even though had witnessed miracle after miracle so far, their attention was fixated on the physical and not the eternal.  This is the place where the two examples meet together because in both settings the people involved made it known their intentions that their lives in captivity were better served in those conditions instead of leaving their ways behind and following God and completely relying on His Ways and provisions.

The Red Sea served as their forwarding advancement which to the human and unbelieving heart seemed like a dead end and one that meant certain death.  While certain death would soon follow, it was not their death that they would know but of their captors and the pursuits that they wished to conquer.  The demonstrations of Pharaoh’s army gives us a clear and detailed commitment of how the ruler of the world can sink his claws into our hearts for the realization of slavery that is not taken away will one day return with friends to reclaim its property; Matthew 12:43-45 declares this truth.  God had allowed the children of Israel’s hearts to be cleaned but they refused to allow God to restore what they had been enslaved with, see the world cannot give you freedom but only desires of slavery for it shall take them away when it deems time and take them back with the same authority given.  Moses knew exactly what God had told him to do and he did such but the people did not want to allow their slavery to end and declared this fact through their words in verses 11-12 when they were proud of the fact that they did not suffer as they were then while in Egypt.  I find it intriguing that in the beginning of Exodus, God’s Word states that He could not help but hear the continuous cries of His people while they were in Egypt which served as the foundation for God to act on their behalf and that in Exodus 14:10 the people cried to God as well.

Israel failed to recognize that the land that they had been given in Egypt had become a place of slavery and their “better” living and working conditions were all provided by a slave master instead of the freedom that they originated from.  Their efforts in religious practices continued but at the same time lost all life and relationship status with God.  Their lack of faith became the battle cry for their fight for slavery and not one that was against it. In the eyes of the Israelites, this lifestyle of slavery was far better for them instead of believing that they were going to die in the wilderness.  Ironically, it would eventually their beliefs in slavery and disobedience that would lead them to their deaths before they reached the promised land for many of them pushed God too far until He had to make the choices to show them that He was God and not them.

We must look at what would have occurred if God allowed pharaoh to intercept the children of Israel and return them to captivity and it is also this point that ties the final knot into both examples used in this message from God.  It was not God’s choice for Lot’s wife to turn her head back towards the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, but He did allow her to make that choice and it was through this choice of her heart that turned her into a pillar of salt.  God told Lot and his family to leave the city and when they had left not to look back, the process of destruction was not for them to witness but to flee from the consequences of sin.  When the children of Israel literally had their backs up against a wall, and if God had allowed them to return to Egypt again the same devastation and result as Lot’s wife would have be felled on them.  But just as God had provided an escape for Lot and his family, God did so once again for the children of Israel and when we continue to study the settings of both examples after these momentous days we see almost identical patterns emerging today and still a lack of knowledge and faith appear.

Even though Lot’s wife did not have a physical person or army pursuing her, her personal enemy had infiltrated her life enough to make sure she suffered the consequences of her disobedience.  The Egyptian pursuers encountered their fate as well when they obeyed their leader, who had understood the powers of God personally and had already felt the effects of His power.  Yet in both accounts, we see that people took matters into their own hands while trying to overrule God and even though none of the Israelites were destroyed in the Red Sea it was their lack of trust and faith in God that cost them their physical promises that God gave them.  It would have been so much easier for mankind to prosper if we had just stuck with God and obeyed His Ways.

Today, our societies are following the exact same patterns that Lot’s wife and the pursuing Egyptians did.  Plus, the people also have incorporated the same feelings and desires as the children of Israel had about returning to Egypt.  God never allowed them to return to Egypt but kept them wandering aimlessly in a desert for forty years while they got rid of their selfish and slave-like sheltering beliefs.  How much turmoil did both of these situations have to endure afterward and one cannot dismiss the fact of how many blessings did each participant miss out on because of their stubbornness.  God does not wish for anyone to go through such hardships as Lot’s family did or what the children of Israel endured for forty years.  But God is a complete God and one that wants purity at all times from His beloved.  Why don’t we take off the rose colored glasses and see for ourselves exactly what we have, or in truth what we don’t have and that is God.  When we beg to return into slavery from a freedom state there is something desperately wrong with our hearts.

Church, we are a living example of both Lot’s wife and the children of Israel wrapped up into one participant.  We are ignoring the exact life that God wants every child of His to have and while “proclaiming the worldly truth” completely destroy the Absolute Truth that God provides.  We do not even realize that both examples that God has given us in this article describe our daily activities to a “T”.  We are about to face a dire set of circumstances and if we do not figure out our lives in God now, we shall have the exact proclamations that Lot’s wife had and the revelations of hearts that the children of Israel had when looking at the tide of enemies approaching.  

These biblical events may be specific moments in time but we cannot forget that today, right now is also a moment in time and as of this moment we still can continue to flee the cities of destruction and NOT turn back, and we can have faith that when we approach the sea barriers that God shall open a way to be delivered instead of cowering and wanting to give up and return to our previous slave master.  The Israelites demonstrated that they knew about God but even after all of the miracles and teachings He had given them in the wilderness up until that moment, they still did not hold Him in their hearts and their words exemplified this truth, we cannot afford to repeat this gross mistake.  Let us fight for our true and eternal freedom in Christ and not for our worldly slavery, for if we do not then we shall soon find ourselves in the underground.

DLB

Both Testaments

Both Testaments

5/18/17

There is some controversy concerning the usage of the Old Testament and how much it really means to us since the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.  The lack of our understanding of the Old Testament plays right into the hands of our enemy and thus into our lives as well.  We cannot afford to sit back and study the New Testament alone for if we do our definition as The Church cannot be understood and lived.  God wants ALL of His Word to be understood so that we may live in complete protection under His Son’s blood.  Sadly, we are not living in His Word and therefore subject to many deceptions from our enemy.  The only way to repair this damage is to allow God to restore our lives through his entire Word and not just parts of it.

I was raised in church and have listened to countless numbers of sermons from God’s Word.  Various degrees of depth my ears have heard with some squarely on target and some kind of hard to follow.  In my younger years I have to admit that not every sermon and teaching that I was present at took hold, and for some of these settings, my ears and eyes were focused on other things (girls) and practically did not hear a word that was spoken.  Now, I wish I had listened more to those sermons and messages that were given for maybe I could have avoided some of the misfortunes I had to trek through in order to arrive at this current stage in my life.  Then again, God knows exactly what He is doing and allowed me to encounter such rebellious tendencies in order for me to understand what to say to His Church today.

The sermons that I sat through during my time in church have many memories that still I reflect upon from time to time.  I love to mentally hear my father’s voice in some of those sermons, along with my uncle Jerry, Pastor Lee, and many other friends and family members that stood behind pulpits and on platforms.  I could not tell you exactly or even roughly how many sermons and teachings that I have heard that came from the Old Testament or the New Testament, but what I can tell you is that both testaments were used in the sermons that I did hear.  Up until a few years ago, I did not understand that both testaments were needed in order for me to understand my life, my spiritual life, my growth, and most importantly my definition and origin.  Once I grasped the truth that both testaments of the Bible were written specifically for me and you it brought into spectrum just how much my life (and yours) means to God.  As my wise and wonderful mother says sometimes “oh, to go back and relive the past so that we can make things right the first time”, she is absolutely correct when she says that “hindsight is 20/20”.

God did not give us the Old Testament alone and nor did He give the New Testament afterward, only to be read by itself.  We must understand that we need both testaments in order to understand our definition, for our growth and our maturing that only comes from our eternal Father.  If we leave out any part of God’s Word we are saying that we know it all or have no desire to know where we came from or what our lives mean.  Sadly, many Christians play this partiality when it comes to the inclusion of the Old Testament into their lives and thus have the lack of knowledge to defend their “Church” status when challenged. This is why it is imperative that we study both testaments of the Bible, for ultimately our eternal life depends on it.

God has shared with us over the past few months about His completeness and how through this completeness He transforms our lives into the creations that He first placed into existence.  God could make this pure, holy, no rival, and complete status if He would have only given us a partial truth about our existence.  Yet, in providing this valuable information He has left out details that could have swayed our unique creative status, thus verifying that our choice to believe in Him and choosing His Ways in our lives is just that, a choice.  If He had detailed all of the information about everything, then we would have the argument that He forced us to live under His “rules” instead of claiming free will and choice in all things.  This truth about God proves a brilliant message that only a true and all-encompassing God and Creator would think about before He created one item.

This brings us to a point where some people may not agree with what is about to be shared, but these words are from God and He wants us to understand exactly what He is saying to His people, ALL of what He is saying and to ALL of His children.  We cannot survive our lives if we live without the Bible or if we try to live with only one Testament of God’s Word.  The presenters of print may have placed God’s Word into two sections but God wrote His Word for one purpose only, for us to be complete.  Therefore, if God wrote it in this manner of completeness His Word cannot be “divided” but must be taken as a whole to be understood completely.  If we do not study and live under each word of the Bible then we are guilty of not obeying what God’s Word actually states.  God did not stop with the Nation of Israel but extended His purity to everyone who wanted to live under God’s protection.

If God had stopped with Old Testament and the history of Israel then we would have been subject to a “lawful” God and one who would not be nor could be considered complete, for choice would have been eliminated.  When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, God’s protection covered both of them which means all were covered who wished to obey.  All throughout the Old Testament we see this pattern continue and while Israel defined themselves with laws and forgot God entirely, all who wished to live for God could do so, but not in good standing with others the Bible states.  If God had only given us the Old Testament, then the definition of “The Church” would have never been established, nor could she have either.  This would also mean that God would have thought of another way of salvation because the creation, life, death and resurrection of Christ would have not followed God’s words in the Garden of Eden concerning the punishment of Satan and nullify the plan of restoration for everyone who chooses God.  With this statement of truth, Satan would have the legitimate recourse of claiming that Jesus’ presence and Divinity on earth was a lie and deemed as heretic in existence.  I do not wish to take away from any person who may be reading this message from God, but does this paragraph remind you of a certain group of people when referencing Jesus and Christianity?

Turning to the New Testament, we see that this beautiful message from God contains the exact same situations that the Old Testament contains.  We have specifics about settings and then letters that were written to God’s people telling them to follow God and not the world.  If one wishes we can consider the physical authors of the New Testament as the prophets and wise men that wrote so vividly in the Old Testament.  The called of each Testament in the Bible may differ somewhat but the content that God shares with His people is the exact same, which means that God has to reinforce His Word in both Testaments.  The Old Testament is the definition of Israel and thus serves as the foundation of our existence as both in presence of life and as the children of God.  If the Old Testament is not taken into the New Testament as the truth about God and our lives, then we cannot have a true understanding of our lives.  We as the Church cannot survive in believing that the Old Testament ended when Jesus came and performed His Life on the earth.  If we believe this to be true, then we are no better than the beliefs of those who end their truth at Malachi 4:6 and thus believe in a half truth about ourselves and most vitally about God.

The idea of only living under one testament fails our lives from our foundation and therefore no truth of the Church exists.  We as the Church cannot have any definition without first accepting the Old Testament as our foundation and organization and thus a completion of god’s Laws as a protection and not as a limitation.  I have heard many times over my lifetime that the New Testament is the definition of the Church and it is but it does not stop there, for the New Testament is a history of Jesus for it was He who established the Church.  Jesus came first, not the Church and it is through this exact order which gives the authorization of our lives in the Old Testament because God has no origin and was present before His Word was given to us in the first place (Old Testament).  The pattern is the same and consistent with a consistent God, the one who is the author of all established life, our personal lives, and the Church.  It is through this truth that forges the truth that we cannot live in fullness without living inside Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21. 

If we do not believe that the Old Testament is relevant to our lives today then we cannot honestly say that the New Testament is relevant either.  In other words, if we do not believe one is as equal as the other then God’s Word is a lie and therefore our existence is a lie as well.  Israel does not need our existence to prove theirs correct, but we need Israel’s truth as a defining point as the Church for when we desecrate God’s existence and origin we automatically do the same with our lives and I believe we are seeing this belief coming true in our societies today.  I spoke to a friend the other day about how sad it is to see such a gifted world go down the toilet all the while refusing to accept the one Being who can turn our lives around and at the same time refuse to acknowledge our origins through Him as well; but it makes sense for if you do not believe completely in His Word, then it is easy to fall for such deception from our enemy.

Study God’s Word, all of it and you will find out that the timeframe is different but the people and their choices are the same.  Taking only one portion of God’s Testaments as truth is the same as taking a bit of a passage and using to gain an advantage in an argument for that type of usage is exactly how Satan deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden; furthermore, if one uses Scripture in such a manner then they are reenacting the scene with them playing the part of the serpent.  Using only a portion of God’s Word is wrong and heretical and could easily cause some person to be hurt by the light of the world instead of understanding His presence in our lives.  We need to study God’s Word as a protection and as an eternal guide that focuses on restoration into God’s Covenant instead of personal (worldly) ideologies that try and justify self.

Church it is time that we wake up and see what we have allowed to occur on our watch.  If you turn on any newscast and not be convicted of the fruits of the world then we have been lulled asleep by our enemy.  What I mean by the scenes on the newscasts is that the spiritual condition of the world and more specifically of this nation is sickening to God and at some point in the very near future God shall have no choice (pure choice) to say “enough”.  I dread that day and we should be doing everything possible to delay this day from coming in our lifetimes.  Life itself has been shaken and destroyed to the core well enough that our enemy no longer has to do it for us, all he has to do is focus on his laughter as he stands and watches us continue the course.  We can stop this and be repaired back to our original health, but we can only achieve this truth if we turn back to God and accept Him and His Ways in our lives as number one again.

We cannot live as the New Testament Church if we do not live under the Covenant that God established in the Old Testament, for the New Covenant comes from the Old Covenant.  If we do not believe and understand this “Old Covenant” then we cannot understand the “New Covenant” either.  The entire Bible is the Word of God and its contents have stood the test of time for all time and this champion of life shall continue its undefeated rank for your entire lifetime if you only choose to allow its Author full reign over your heart.  It is this reason why God wants us to study and to understand His Word in its entirety, for when we study His Word with a pure and clean heart God’s truth shall flow from within our life and there can be no mistake that both testaments are alive inside your heart.  God's entire Word is infallible and we should be living in His Word fully at all times, for it is our desire to understand according to our creative hearts, so why not go to the entire source instead of a fallible rejection.

DLB