Who Is Where?

Who Is Where?

5/20/19

Many of us would like to say that it is easy for us to believe in the supernatural or in the spiritual realm of life, but when it comes right down to it most do not have a clue about what goes on around us.  On the same item list, it is easy for us to talk about angels and the roles they play in heaven but rarely do we discuss their presence among ourselves or even understand why they want to be on this earth.  God has specific jobs for every Creation of His since the beginning of angelic and human life and in order for us to know what transpires around us, it is necessary that we study God’s Word for He has provided such information to us.  Our lives are not just stuck on this planet to wander around aimlessly and to sit in fields of green and do nothing with our lives, nor is it this way in Heaven either.  Heavenly jobs are a part of our lives just as much as they are to angels and unless we understand why God gives us the initiatives to complete such jobs here on earth, we shall never understand where our future will be either.

Any of you remember the television series “Touched By An Angel” that was popular back in the mid-1990s and ran until the early 2000s?  It was a program that many good characteristics that told how people were visited by angels and how their presence helped them through certain periods of their lives, usually with some sort of tragedy being the focus.  I had not watched that program for a long time until I was in the hospital recovering from my triple bypass in September 2018.  While I did not agree with everything that program produced, I did learn how many people struggled with God and how deep their struggles were when it came to understand why God allowed such events to occur to people.  The show also demonstrated how people did not know just how important their lives are to God and how much He wants us to seek Him in all our ways no matter what the circumstances present.  While I never saw any angelic beings in my room or in the operating room, I did feel their presence and I knew that they were there for a reason.  God had made some statements to me during the helicopter ride and it was afterward during this stay in the hospital that they oversaw things so that His message would be understood first and then secondly delivered correctly after my stay was completed.  Angelic beings are real, they continually obey the words of God and commands that He gives them so even though television programs project the spiritual concepts of this presence and are deemed to be fictional, we cannot ignore such writings.

Exactly why did these eternal beings arrive and why did they stay until things had settled down and went back to “normal”?  It is a question that many do not understand but no matter what we believe about their presence they have a job that they were created for and they obey their Creator and see that their mission is completed.  God wants us to complete the jobs that He has placed within our lives, for it is an eternal calling that He gives each one of us no matter if we are humans or angels and our completion of such work defines His creativity and eternal liveliness within life itself and if we do not recognize the spiritual aspects of what God has designed for us to complete we cannot understand what our lives were really created to be and to do.  Daniel Chapter 10 will serve as our setting for this article and while this particular story concerning Daniel is well known it begs the question if we believe in its content and mission or not.  For it gives us a picture of exactly what our prayers do, how God listens to them and responds to them, then it tells us about what goes on when that information from God is speaking to our lives not forgetting what goes on behind our answer from God.  Christians cannot afford to dismiss the truth about the spirit realm for it is a vital part of our lives and the sole aspect of our communication with God.

There are many details about the passage at hand that could be described and elaborated upon, and as I have stated many times previously I believe that future timeframe will arrive shortly.  But along the lines of the topic of concern here, God wants us to know that He sees us where we are and that He knows the troubles that we currently, face and also the consequences that we shall face as well unless we turn from our wicked ways, repent and walk with Him with His Ways gladly in our hearts.  The angel who had appeared to Daniel did not have an easy journey from God’s presence to earth it was a struggle and a spiritual fight that was so great that Michael had to help with the setting in order for this angel to accomplish his mission.  God knew exactly where Daniel was located and knew that he had prayed for answers concerning the people of Israel.  Daniel was hoping for some good news may be stating that they would believe their situation was inadequate and turn around but what the angel told Daniel was so grave that he lost all energy and stamina and fell to the earth in utter devastation.

One would think that with this information that Satan would be rejoicing knowing that the beloved prophet and the people of Israel would be destroyed because of the path that they loved and lived on.  But Satan does not operate in this common fashion for he knows that if the truth is taught then there is a possibility that some or all will actually see the Truth and turn back to God.  While there is no comparison that our finite minds can fathom when it comes to the Love of God for His people, we cannot forget that Satan’s hatred while still falls short of God hates us tremendously to see each one of us die in our sins and forever be without God.  It is for this reason that the angel that appeared to Daniel had such a struggle for the information concerning Daniel’s questions from the heart was of an eternal nature and deserved to be answered. 

The angel stated that as soon as Daniel had asked the questions he was tasked with bringing him the answer.  However, it took twenty-one days for him to reach Daniel with this answer and the battle was not over because after he had delivered the message he had to return to God as the finalization of his mission.  Remember God is a complete God on all levels, even in His instructions and answers.  That means that when God tasks one or all of His Creations with a mission He expects the mission to be completed and then return to Him with the message that of deliverance and completion of said task.  This is not an option for us, for it is the act of obedience that our eternal completion of our mission is done properly.  The angel knew that he would have to fight to return to Heaven and that Michael needed his help for all to be completed.  How many times have we set out on the mission that God wants us to complete but fell short on our return for not sharing what God had commissioned us to do?  For that answer, all we have to do is take a glance at the Church today and we can see that it is all about us and our comfortability and not about the spiritual war that is being waged above us and around us.

In verse 4 of this chapter in Daniel, it gives us a physical description of where Daniel was located.  This verse gives a specific location of where he was at which means that God saw where Daniel was and knew where to find him when His messenger finally reached Daniel with the answer to Daniel’s prayer.  This verse also pays tribute to the amount of time Daniel had to wait for an answer from God and since it did not arrive on an immediate basis it said of the importance of the answer and the battle that was still waging over that answer.  Not only does God know where His messengers are at and what they are going through to deliver such answers to His people, but God also knows exactly where His children are as well.  God finds us in our best of times and in our weakest of times and since He is always with us it is easy for Him to accomplish this process of finding us.  Our only issue is that we sit around the river and fail to recognize that the waiting and praying process that we should be completing is being marred by our selfish and impatient ways, a course of pain and trial that should be unnecessary.

See, in the previous verse, it gives a description of what Daniel was doing in preparation for the answer he was about to receive.  Daniel did not give up hope and break his actions of prayer and fasting because God was not answering him or taking His own sweet time.  Daniel understood that God heard his prayer and questions and he also knew that there was a reason why it was taking a certain amount of time for God to provide the answer.  God has always contended throughout His Word that He grants those who completely trust in Him the answers of their heart, but we should not assume that when our prayers and questions are not answered on an immediate tenure that God does not care or that He refuses to answer.  Every action of God no matter, if it is a small detailed issue or

a world calamity, is always challenged by our enemy.  This passage of Scripture reinforces this Truth about what goes on around us and what it means to be in a spiritual battle.  The angels have a specific job and so do we, and God sees to it that His Kingdom of eternity has every opportunity to be fulfilled in our lives.

Sadly, the Church has forgotten her place in this setting.  She has come to the conclusion that her job of salvation rests completely within herself and does not have to complete any further task since she has found the true meaning of eternal life.  Basically, what she is doing would be what many of us would have done if we had been placed into this passage of Scripture instead of Daniel.  We would have lost the contention that God was providing the answer and refused to understand exactly what the “holdup” was.  It breaks my heart, and I know it does God’s as well to watch His Church regulate His authority and give control to Satan’s kingdom.  Satan has done a superb job in our hearts docile and blackened with the world’s philosophies without even knowing what occurs in the spirit realm.  We have broken our fast and have prayer superficially enough to warrant our downfall on all levels.  What is more appalling to me is that we continue to claim to know what God is saying to us and justify worldly confines while believing such lies.

This passage of Scripture mentions two rulers over specific areas, and these rulers are not of the physical or natural kind but of the spiritual aspect of God’s Creation.  The angel states that he has had a difficult time in passing through the spiritual realm down to Daniel with his answer because of the struggle that had taken place as soon as God had given him the mission.  Now, this passage in Daniel is very specific here when it says that the angel states he was fighting against the prince of the kingdom of Persia and the Hebrew word that is used for prince is “wesar” which means prince, chief, or ruler.  It is a status with a recognized title and one that wishes to control what information and all other activities come from and go into that kingdom.  Verse 13 of this passage proclaims that there is a spiritual ruler over land and is watchful over it as well.  This passage also demonstrates a pattern in which we should be noticeable too but in most cases, we are not and thus more lenient with what crosses our eyes and hearts then allowed into our lives.

This begs the question of why we are not as “fierce” as the kingdom of Satan.  This passage clearly states that this one message about the future of Israel was regarded highly enough that the overall spiritual leader of the kingdom of Persia and then it added the prince of Grecia as well to its fight.  How come we do not deem this area of our lives significant enough to fight against?  Why do we take this origin of many of our issues lightly?  How can we ignore such a passage of Scripture that explains why spiritual battles take place?  Limiting ourselves to just the physical realm of existence is only 50% of our existence and no matter what book that score is an F.  It is sad that many people that claim to be Christians carry around only 50% or less of the armor of God too for you CANNOT be fully clothed in the armor of God when you refuse to understand and live under the complete Word of God.  The Word of God and the armor of God is not a pick and choose the way of life and when those around you accuse you of living in such a picky manner they are correct which is why it is so eternally vital that we understand, then put on, then use the entire Word of God.

You notice that Daniel did not question or seem to be confused with the message of God to him but it was the presence of his God and His messenger that presented a presence strong enough to bring Daniel to the ground.  With all of the people being identified, it is clear that God is not holding any information back when it comes to this passage.  It is a common theme from humans to ask where is God and what part do I play in His realm, if He really exists.  God gave us the ability to think and to process information well enough to come up to reasonable conclusions about things we do not understand.  When we study the Word of God with a pure heart, we see that there are countless things about God we do not understand nor can we ever figure out with our finite minds.  The few verses in Daniel chapter 10 that serve as our reference for this article provide details that show us God really knows where you are and that He cares for your life enough to send an angel down to give you the answers that you ask of Him.  Over the past few years now God has provided me with numerous answers about Him and His Word that He has deemed me to share with you but with the amount of knowledge that He has given me to share my life cannot absorb such information all at once, thus it will take time for me to share with you as well.  But it is the fact that God loves us enough to share details about Him to us that should warrant our hearts seeking Him more each day that we draw breath.

I know how difficult it must be to try and figure out exactly what God sees in our lives well enough to grant us specific messages of truth when we ask of it.  But it is this detail of God and His existence that gives us the hope and prosperity of life that He knows exactly where we are at all times and that He cares enough about our lives that He has answers for our deepest questions concerning about any subject.  God also cares enough about our existence that He shares what occurs when we ask such questions and how important it is that He communicates with us on a routine basis.  Why have we become so consumed with petty differences that now allow our enemy to walk between our lives without being detected, do we not realize that through these actions of ours we allow the prince of Persia and the prince of Grecia to win and detract the answers we need to survive this battle we call life?  The spiritual world is alive and VERY active and it is this realm that communion with God, on all levels, is directed and it important we do our part to let people know what is going on.

Where do we stand on such issues Church?  Why haven’t we been more diligent in understanding both the spiritual and physical realms and what both entities mean to our lives?  If we studied the Bible more thoroughly and without prejudice, we would know that every word that is written in this Sacred Book is telling us about God, His realm, our enemy’s realm, and our physical realm and how each one is alive and functioning as it was established.  Yet, we sit in our pews and wait for Jesus to come back, not applying God’s eternal Truth what is around us and as long as we continue to live under this false pretense the Church shall be as ineffective as 1 million grasshoppers would be against the results of a detonated nuclear warhead.  It is vital that we do not ignore every “player” in this setting we call life and we need to ensure that we understand that God knows exactly where each “player” is and while this is a given statement God has His eyes on each “player” for a reason.  Our enemy knows exactly where everyone is located as well this passage in Daniel confirms such knowledge.

It is impossible for us to teach the Gospel to the dying world unless we understand and accept the fact that there is the physical realm of life and a spiritual realm of life and both are alive and well as each passing day.  Church, we cannot be just a physical presence on this earth for when we believe such a concept we place ourselves in a predicament as we are living and representing today; please, know this about our condition.  We cannot survive unless we know that God sees us for where we are and who we are and He wants us to change from our worldly ways through this spiritual realm of battle.  It is our duty to understand what the world is doing to those who do not know God and have not accepted His Son as our Savior.  God wants us to know that He sees us every moment of our lives and He knows where we are in the same detail as well.  With the world and all of its turmoil secluding many of us on a daily basis then leaving us high and dry, what a wonderful message that God knows exactly who is where at all times.  Church, how can we not share with others this important Truth about Christ and His blood?

DLB

Alone With God

Alone With God

5/13/19

How do we approach this subject?  Honestly, what do we expect from God when we truly walk in His presence to say that we have been alone with Him?  It is easy to believe that this time with God is an accomplishment and always represents the kindness and loving characteristics of God, while this is a truth claim, the settings of this session with God may not always be in the greatest of terms or settings in our lives.  God’s Word is filled with such circumstances and while many of us ignore the ones that include suffering, we cannot confine lessons from God solely on good ideas and gardens of roses.  It is necessary to have the communication with God, that shall give us the needed guidance each day, but sometimes this guidance and teaching comes at a personal price of sacrifice that runs deep within our hearts.  Church, we have lost this Truth about the Word of God and it is time we understand that the desert we are in is a warning to return to God and not just an escape plan that God has prepared for us.

For those of you that have been raised in church will understand the experiences of church camps.  Each one of us had our own motivations for attending such weeks in the summer and many of us did not receive admissions to God and His salvation but some did.  I remember a few of these camp sessions and a few of them changed my life and gave me a direction towards God.  It was the time I spent at the altars that promoted this beginning with God and it was this point that I figured out that being a pastor’s kid did not automatically make you saved and committed to a relationship with God either.  But as time squeaked along, I unknowingly left that aloneness with God for better limelight, one that had no time with God; yes, I said unknowingly for the world has a tendency of introducing itself and then grabbing hold to the prize of the heart without you even knowing what has occurred and then being alone with God must take on another meaning.

How many of us have spent quality time alone with God and have come away with a blessing or Word from Him?  I bet that almost every person reading this article could say yes to that question.  There is nothing wrong with being alone with God during those intimate and quiet times in the comfortability of our own surroundings.  But we must ask ourselves this question: are we only willing to believe and accept perfect and peaceful returns when our alone time with God comes with a happy result and a quick one to boot?  Do we have what it takes to withstand a challenge or a deep-rooted result coming from our lives as such a setting?  AS I have stated many times before, God shares with me the topics and titles of these articles in unique and funny moments, but I also have to admit that I do not spend enough time alone with God so that He can root out the decaying areas of my heart on a continual basis as I should.  These articles that God has me writing are not only for you but for me as well and it is all of our responsibilities to share what God has for us to hear.  We cannot just sit in the pews (computers) and hear what God is saying to His people and do nothing (modern-day Christianity) then expect God to move in our lives as though we talk to Him on a regular (prayer) basis.  Furthermore, we shall never know how to approach the world and those dying that live for the world unless we have an active alone time process with God, in good or bad conditions.  The question remains is this: are we going to get it or is God going to have to take Egypt out of us?

It is this type of setting that God wants us to know a little bit more about because it seems as each day passes His children seem to trounce on the commitment to God for a party line with the world.  Many of us have heard the great praise stories in God’s Word when David was dancing before God along with the countless psalms and proverbs he wrote through these occasions.  All of these passages seem like they were written in good times during David’s life but when we study the surroundings of David during those writings we find that havoc and turmoil presented itself heavy instead.  Of course, we all know that Jesus spent a few hours in the Garden of Gethsemane praying alone to His Father requesting Divine direction and permission.  His words and agony produced blood sweats that touched the ground before His remaining blood poured out just a few short hours later by human means.  How can we forget such tragic alone time with God due to our false belief that only glad tidings should be warranted or accepted during this period of time?  Where are our hearts located with this mentality to proclaim that God only hands down easy-go-lucky tidings?  Let it be known that this societal generation is not the first to believe that God only allows perfect conditions serve as the placemat for His alone time with us, the only real question to be serviced is if we understand what God is trying to weed out of our lives before our lives end.

The Scripture passage for this article comes from the Book of Exodus and covers most of this book as well.  For it is a book that tells us of a great feat being accomplished through some tough trials on both sides of the argument.  From the outset of this passage, we find that Israel had become slaves to the Egyptians from a place of exaltation and through a cascade of events became a burden to the Egyptians at the same time as Israel’s blessings.  It was this captivity that concerned God for His people for while they lived in such confines they could not represent what God had created their nation to be, separate from all other nations and empires.  It was also for this setting that God began the process of giving the ruler of Egypt an opportunity to let His people free before He had to deal with the ruler and his people as only God could.  Over time, God showed His eternal and supernatural powers which both the Egyptians and the people of Israel saw occur.  These acts from God alone should have convinced that the placement of the Israelites was a battle and that their engrained lifestyles in Egypt needed to be changed, the only problem was that Israel liked their status of slavery there and as the trek passed year after year in the wilderness it was evident that they were not conceding the slavery issue and holding on to its presence within their hearts.

How many of us realize that when God takes us out of a short term situation or long term condition that He is alone with us?  When we moved to a new town, I had no clue who I was going to be friends with nor did I know anyone at the church that I could run to safety, it was just my parents, brother, and me.  Even though there were thousands of people that were freed from Egypt’s slave lifestyle, the group of beautiful people that God led out of that setting was alone with their bondage breaker.  It is sort of difficult to picture or to comprehend that many people can be alone with God while together, and in this example almost impossible to believe, but it is the truth and it was God’s way of not only physically freeing His people from any physical type of danger but to free them spiritually from how deep Egypt became embedded in their lives as well.  It is this aspect of pure freedom that needs to have one-on-one sessions in order to properly and eternally be set free from the world and its ruler.  We cannot forget that when we are separated from the world that we are walking with God and are in a setting of being alone with Him, and if we are not with God and walking with the world then that condition is who we are alone with.

As each chapter of Exodus passes, we find the children of Israel battling another issue of captivity with whining and complaining being the sole response of such antics.  Self-gratification and indulgences continued to flourish within the lives of God’s people not to mention the personal demands that they remembered they had back in Egypt.  Sadly, as time continued along their journey increased daily for they could not see past their own ambitions to figure out that the length of their journey was solely dependent upon them knowing what God was doing in their lives, or trying to do in their lives.  As I have studied this book of the Bible I have not ran across any passage that gives account that they finally reached the truth about what God was trying to do in their lives as they wandered around in that hot sand, and I also did not read where they figured out that they were alone with God either.  Yes, they saw wonders and miracles while they were out there but they never fully understood the eternal motives that God had planned for them.  When the Book of 1 Samuel comes along we see that Israel want an earthly king and God refers to their wants and whines back to their wandering days in the wilderness which provides us with the answer to that question. 

As stated above, it is easy to be alone with God when things are all roses and the fragrance of those roses fill our nostrils, but when tough times set in it is a common thing to place our senses first and not see what God is trying to teach us or show us.  I am confident that the children of Israel would have not had to wander around for forty years if they would have accepted the fact that what God was trying to show them was that He needed to deep clean their hearts before they could enter into the Promised Land.  When God promises something He does it for a reason, He loves us and wants us to have the best of everything for that is how we were to live after our Creation.  However, God also knows that in order for us to receive such perfect conditions our hearts need to be in that same order and for this to occur He needs to clean out our hearts according to His standard.  This requires one-on-one evaluation, a personal countenance with God so that He may work as needed, for if He allows us to just walk into His promises unclean then He has failed as a Creator and as a Father, a condition that He can never allow.  God knows that if our hearts are not willing to be changed and cleaned according to His standards then we shall not fully understand what His Promised Land is and why it was established for us.  God is not a fantasy nor is His Kingdom for which it stands; therefore, our hearts must be in spiritual condition before we see His Kingdom come to pass even though it is right in front of us.

As people, can we accept the fact that we need help and that the only One that can help us is God the Father through the blood of His Son Jesus?  The children of Israel mistook God’s Grace through the act of Covenant for an easy ride to freedom missing the point of what it meant to be free and how to fully obtain its surrounding abilities.  To the average person walking those countless miles in the desert it must have seemed frustrating on why it was taking so long to reach what God had promised, but the question remains did they ever once think beyond their physicality aspect and allow God to search their hearts for all traces of their captors?  Allowing God into their hearts to scrape out the vile necessities of Egypt required more than just calling out or believing God exists, it needed to be alive in their hearts and their understanding that a relationship was required.  This is the difference that the children of Israel missed and it is still the detail that we miss today, for if there is no relationship status with God there is no way possible that God can take Egypt out of us either.

We have also missed this detail of this relationship when it comes to our studies of the children of Israel and while it is easy to see the activities of rebellion within the camp of Israel in the wilderness, many tend to forget that the desires of the heart are what God wants to change when it comes to the confines of our spiritual lives.  When we leave our emotions as the dawning of our lives we cannot get past the superficial aspects and this lack of deep need blinds us into believing that our freedom can be obtained in like manner.  Over and over the Israelites complained to God about the conditions and length of their wilderness inhabitance, but not once did they unconditionally cry out to God for freedom in Him from Egypt.  They continued to dance and to worship idols at the same time as they cried for help when trials and turmoil presented themselves.  Who do you believe allowed such circumstances to change during the Israelites’ time in the wilderness unfolded?  After they realized that their wilderness journey was going to take a while, they stopped their pursuant of God and focused on their promise instead.  Just like the Israelites, there is not one person out there that has stopped their intimacy and relationship with God (alone time) and placed our focus on what is to come down the road.

It is a wondrous thought that when we look back at our lives we can say that God was with us no matter what our circumstances might have been.  So, why is it so difficult for humans to realize that in all cases God is with us doing His best to communicate with us and to warn us that our lives need to change?  All want to live in peace and happiness every day but as each day rises some type of disappointment smacks us in the face before the daylight ends.  We must ask ourselves how much our lives would be different if we would take the time to begin our day in solitude and quiet prayer seeking God to give our direction for that day’s journey.  How hard would it be for us to ask God about our lives and how we could seek a stronger relationship with Him, instead of flying off a quick superficial prayer that has no heart and definitely no direct communication skills worth mention?  For some, it is a miracle to read the story of the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness and see how lucky they were that God did not give up on them when they complained each day, all the while not hearing God voice whispering in their hearts to listen for His guidance.  Yes, as their physical eyes focused on the hot wind and blinding sands they still could not see that they were not alone but alone with God on both planes of existence.

To some, it may seem like a cruel path that God led these beautiful people on, but when you know just how deep God needs to get into our hearts that belief of cruelty disappears and wonderment replaces it.  God will take every step necessary in order for us to listen to His voice of caring, cleaning, and warning.  Only God sees our hearts like no other and since He was the One that Created us in the beginning only He is worthy to take such a stand and seek restoration through His calling.  Whether we accept it or not, being alone with God in the wilderness is probably the best setting He can present to begin and finish the cleaning He needs to do.  How many times did the Israelites sincerely pray to God during those forty years?  While the Bible does not specifically address such time periods you know by the content of the Book of Exodus, it could not have been much.  So poses the question of the hour concerning our prayer time and wilderness time being alone with God.  How do we rate in comparison to Israel in this instance?  Are we better, about the same or are we worse?  Why do we even have to ask this question at all?  The reason is this, it is because the Children of Israel had God with them visibly and we have His Word in front of us and in neither case humans did not realize this important detail about God.

What examples provide such an answer to this question?  Which one do you want first, the Church aspect or the world aspect?  The world shall never have anything to do with any type of communication with God and definitely will not have any alone time with God.  The world will do everything in its kingdom power to take your authority of communication away from God and then make your life so busy that you will not think about God on any level.  Church, here is your example and it is one that should hang our hearts down as low as they can go but it is one that at the same time should make us fall on our knees and ask for forgiveness, to repent, and to allow God to restore our hearts.  On one of the social media outlets, there is a continuous live broadcast of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City.  I watch this channel on a regular basis, and I have noticed a few things about such a process.  First of all, the people who are singing, praying, and reading the Word have no issues with what they present and what they are doing absolutely glorifies God on many levels.  I have often wondered how many people sit in their church pews during the week or are at their church altars during the week seeking direction and holiness from God. 

Secondly, as I watch this channel I have noticed that there are not many people that are ever seated in that auditorium.  No, it is not a large sitting by any means but even with that said I hardly ever see more than a handful of people that are present.  A building dedicated to the continual prayer sessions to God is empty, or less attended?  Why?  God notices the hearts of His children and what is deeply important to them and it is evident that the survival of this nation and the eternal survival of our way of life as we know it we do not dare seek the Truth on off times.  So, how are our lives different from what the world preaches?  Do we honestly ask God to have His Way in our lives?  Do we completely desire to surrender our lives totally to Him?  The answer to these questions is a loud and resounding NO!  How could we, since we do not even recognize that God is right in front of our heart’s door?  Yet, our ears are in tune with the physical which drowns out what we really need in our lives.

The concept of being alone with God should frighten our boots off, yet at the same time, it is an awesome experience for when we leave this time our lives are further enriched with His eternal Grace and eternal Truth.  The desire God has most is for His children to come to Him willingly and to seek His advice on all areas of our lives, this way He can guide us according to His Divine and perfect Way, a way that the world cannot touch.  Sometimes these sessions with God do not fit into the “pretty” mode that many believe they should always be but we must concede that these painful times are necessary in order for God to dig out the world from our hearts.  For forty years God tried His best to dig Egypt out of the hearts of the children of Israel and those roots continued to stay within their lives for decades to come eventually leading to the idea of Israel not wanting God over their lives as eternal Ruler. 

We are on this exact same path as a nation and more grievous the Church as well.  It is easy for us to understand that the world influences nations and otherworldly leadership positions but when the Church takes her eyes off of God and the mission that His Son gave to us, there can only be one direction that she can follow.  As each day passes, we see this worldly domination of the Church eat away at her livelihood forcing her on her knees and to submit to the ruler of this world.  Her strength is deteriorating in a consistent manner and the sword of death is now at her neck with a laughing loser holding the handle and the hilt.  What is so amazing about this scenario is that she is smiling at her own demise even with being on the verge of total destruction.  She does not know that she is fulfilling a prophetic verse that proclaims that the enemy only comes to kill, steal, and destroy; she never dreamt that it would be her who the enemy came after, fooled by not believing in the entire Word of God when it comes to attacks from the enemy on everyone, not just a select few.

Sadly, the Church pushes God away when He sends His warriors to her presence believing in the authority of Satan instead of her Creator and mission Host.  In addition, she is not willing to see God for who He is and to reach out to Him for help.  Holding the hand of the one who has the sword to your neck is not the best policy to have, but it is one that the Church continues to choose.  Our desire to incorporate the world and then keep it close within our hearts shall purposefully blind our beliefs and dependence on God.  The status of this nation shall never change direction nor renew our spirits and hearts until we drop the hand holding with the world and reach out to God.  As long as we are on our knees to the world our hopes are dashed even down to the simplest whims and concerns.  The Church has failed to recognize that she now spends her time alone with the world and not God which has led to our current position.  When our eyes are fixated on worldly goals we cannot see what is about to hit us and will ignore what God the Father is trying to warn us about.

One has to wonder just how long the children of Israel would have wandered in the wilderness if they had quickly figured out what God wanted from their hearts.  The same question should be present in our minds and hearts as well for if we do not realize this True need in our lives, our wandering shall continue with added consequences of such losses appearing over the horizon.  Being alone with God is an awesome thing, He shows us what needs to be taken out from our lives so that we may receive the full potential of what He has made for our lives.  This nation has a promise just as Israel had a promise but the question still remains about the path we must take in order for us to reach and to receive this promise.  The digging out process that God performs does hurt but it is far shorter and less grotesque than the one that we shall have to face if we do not spend quality time alone with God voluntarily.  Repent, Church and allow our hearts to be cleansed by God before it becomes necessary for us to pick up the pieces of our hearts in what’s left of our nation, states, and neighborhoods and once again teach that God is, has been, and shall always be with us demonstrating His willingness to keep His end of the Covenant leaving the rest up to us to fulfill the equality of being alone with God.

DLB