Obedience Is Application

Obedience Is Application

4/25/20

One of the most important applications of the Bible is the truth about obedience and how vital it is to make sure it is followed without compromise.  Many times it is easy to try and justify this aspect of God with human feelings or affections, but when we live upon this belief we can never be under true obedience.  God has given us many examples of how we should treat obedience and what occurs when obedience is devalued by outside influences.  Without obedience, our lives become a religious sacrificial process that has no meaning, for obedience is application of what God says is True which in turn defines God eternal.  How are we living according to God’s plan of obedience, are we allowing worldly influences afflict our life thus nullifying our witness to those who need God?  Let us really allow God to examine our hearts and show us the areas we need to apply His Son’s blood over our lives because if we do not then all we are is just religious sacrificial representations of Someone we have no idea who is.

For many of my learning years, I heard some type of phrase that included that I needed to apply myself in order to understand what is really trying to be taught.  It frustrated me tremendously because my heart did not want to be applied for it wanted to be outside with my friends, at games, or with the person of the opposite sex who I was “very” interested in at that moment.  It was not my idea of sitting at my desk with my nose stuck in a book for hours at a time completing the assignment that was scheduled to be turned in the next morning.  Boy, you have witnessed the arguments and heated discussions when it came time for me to study for a test, it was not pretty.  Looking back at all of those instances, and there were plenty of examples, I cannot help but think about how many of my friends throughout the years spent a large amount of time trying their best trying to find ways to cheat for the upcoming test, but I never resorted to such devious activities I just argued instead and would study poorly and bring home the corresponding grade later that week, justifying me not being able to attend the outside influential activities that I wanted to be at in the first place.

As my adult years advanced, once again I cannot help but look back at all of the lost time I gathered not completing what I should have done in the first place.  I see the kids nowadays reacting to the homework that they have at times, not every night like many of us had when we were younger.  I also cannot help but remember how wrong I believed my parents were to keep hounding in me to use the correct study habits and to keep up the means necessary to perform up to standards.  Yes, I was frustrated with them but I never turned against them and deliberately disappoint them.  All they wanted to instill into my life was the process of learning and to keep that commitment in my heart not only for those “grueling” days of high school but also to understand those pressured assignments of adulthood later down the road.  The trouble is I see the same type of attitudes in many of the youngsters today but with a greater deal of angst toward their authoritative figures trying to guide them in a similar manner.  I want so desperately to tell them that a school is a place of learning and that if you do not apply yourself to the knowledge that is being taught your life may not turn out in the way you wish it to be.  Sadly, I see this type of commitment or lack of commitment in many people who consider them to be Christians as well.  I know this to be true because my study habits I harbored when I was younger reflected my study habits when it came to the Bible and my relationship with God as well.  As God gives me these topics and articles to write, I sit back sometimes and weep for if I had listened to the ones that really cared for me I might have been further down the road in what God had in store for my life. 

Exodus 12:21-22

“Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover.  And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason: and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.”

Matthew 7:21

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

Here we have two very distinct passages of Scripture that have many specific settings that need to be followed, and if they are not followed then dire circumstances would quickly result.  Now, the passage in Exodus clearly states part of the instructions that God spoke to Moses to give to the people of Israel.  God meant for every detail of His Word to be followed without exception for if they did not it would mean that death would visit their homes and they would fall into the hands of the disobedient.  This passage also details that a sacrifice is to be made and to serve as the Passover.  This is an important step in the instructions of what is to occur but it is not the most important part of the event.  Do NOT get God wrong here, the sacrifice is of the greatest importance but that is not all that is supposed to occur.  See, anyone can make a sacrifice; the Egyptians probably did so that evening as well and used it as their dinner or to serve as some other ritualistic process.  In other words, the sacrifice alone is a symbol and rendered cold and meaningless unless every detail is fulfilled and it is the second detail that is the most important and stands out to the one who is worthy of receiving the sacrifice.

Moses then instructed the people to take a hyssop bunch and dip into the blood and then start at the top of the door and swipe the blood that was in the basin, across the top of the door frame.  Then they were supposed to repeat the same procedures to both sides of the door so that the entire door was covered by the sacrificial blood.  Then the people were to close the door and not go outside until the morning.  The procedure took place in ancient times so the doors were not current market doors nor was the painting of the doors with blood; it was a simple procedure to be followed exactly as God said without compromise.  It was the application of the blood to the doors that was the sign to the death angel to Passover that residence.  It did not matter if a sacrifice was made alone for it was the application of the blood that covered those who obeyed completely and it is this concept that Jesus was referring to when He spoke those words in Matthew about some people crying out Lord, Lord.

Applying the blood to the doors in Egypt was the item that the angel saw as he was going through the midst of the land.  The blood is also the symbol that God sees when we accept His Son as our Savior too.  But accepting the sacrifice alone means nothing for it is the application of the blood that serves as the difference and until we do such an obedient act our lives still remain in sin.  Sitting back and absorbing the Word of God into our lives and then doing nothing with its content is an example of accepting the sacrifice and not applying the blood.  To apply the blood and to make Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection as God intended it to be we must apply the blood to those who are willing to hear and to accept Jesus as their Savior, then and only then does the sacrifice turn into the eternal Sacrifice.  Applying the blood to the door was a simple process that did not take too much time to complete, but it was this act of faith that saved the lives of all who listened, obeyed and were together under the protection of that blood. 

To those who sit back and while knowing God and what His Son did for us and commanded us to do yet do nothing about it let it be known that there is a category for you already established.  For if you do not take action and apply the blood of Jesus on your heart’s doorframe you shall be subject to the eternal death angel and will be fulfilling the words of Jesus according to Matthew 7:21.  There is NO Option but to apply this blood for it is the sign of the Covenant that God made with Israel and it is the sign of the New Covenant through Jesus Christ.  If we do not apply the blood to our hearts then we do not accept the Sacrifice as it was meant for our lives and thus live in disobedience to God which is sin.  This also means that our heart’s door is subject to sin and all of the legal aspects that Satan brings with it.  How can we honestly state and proclaim we love Jesus if we do not apply the blood of His Sacrifice? 

It becomes lip service and declares that we are not serious about what He did for our lives and we deserve nothing more than to cry Lord, Lord on that great Day of Judgment.  God submits to you today that if we are willing to drop the clothes of the world from our bodies that we have not applied the blood of His Sacrifice correctly and that we shall fall into this category on the day.  Obedience is so vitally important, not just partially but completely.  God also submits to you that unless you apply His Son’s blood to your heart’s door that you do not trust Him and if you do not trust Him then you cannot obey His Word.  It is obvious that God seeks us out first and yet we refuse to return His heart’s favor by seeking Him first for if we did we would want to make sure each second of our lives that His blood is over us.

Further down in Scripture it says that cries were heard all around the land of Egypt and that no household was left untouched because of the disobedience of many.  Some may think that this action by God was unfair and was not necessary, but we cannot ignore the fact that Egypt had nine previous opportunities to surrender to God and to allow God praise.  But just as humans do, they claim to be in more control of their hearts than God and must do things in their own selfish ways until proven otherwise.  Even in this devastating state, Egypt did not return to God and eventually was destroyed in God’s own timing and in God’s own specific way.  This action of the Egyptian rulers and leaders should speak greatly to our hearts for it shows us exactly what will occur when things begin to turn for the worse in our own land.  The land of Egypt just suffered a tremendous blow to every household and still, it did not soften their hearts one iota, it is easy to conclude that it hardened their hearts even greater and they responded in the only way that they knew how through worldly actions.

Let’s be truthful with ourselves Church.  How can we even consider ourselves true witnesses for Christ when we cannot apply the blood of Christ to our own hearts?  Look at us, we are filthy with the dust formations of the world.  It is obvious that we have forgotten the beauty of Christ and what He did for us through His shedding of His blood and we have definitely forgotten what the blood means for our lives and it is THE necessary portion of our salvation and eternal covering.  Yet, we parade around with the ideas of the world draped all over us with singing and dancing to the beat of the world then on some given days we attend church and sit there looking at our phones and the clock and wishing that time would speed along.  Turning to God on a sparingly momentous timeframe is not applying the blood correctly over our hearts; however, it is representing that we have the basin of blood in our possession but allowing it to sit on the table and spoil without using it obediently.  Oh yes, we shall reap what we sow Church and the reaping shall come as a surprise to us all for it shall not be one of beauty and of joy.  God wants His people to repent and to obey His Ways especially the command that His Son gave to us while here with us.  I do not know exactly what is in store for us in the near and distant future but I do know that if we are not prepared and have obediently placed the blood over our hearts doors we will have no chance of survival.  It is up to us to change this setting but we shall never accomplish this task until we obediently put into motion the application of the blood.

DLB

To And Fro

To And Fro

4/19/20

How many times have you wondered about the characteristics of our enemy?  They are all listed inside the contents of the Bible, but how much detail do we know about them?  These characteristics are numerous and reflect Satan’s features so that we may know when his actions surface around us.  However, if we do not study God’s Word on a continual basis we may fail to recognize such events and settings as attacks against us thus creating a difficult battle process not in our favor because some of these items of identification may surprise you.  God has laid out the best of battle plans against our enemy and unless we understand Satan’s characteristics, things may not turn out for our well-being.  It is strictly our choice when it comes to this wisdom and knowledge God has provided and it would behoove us to ensure we know as much as possible because our enemy knows how to study our movements and God guarantees that our enemy has taken notes about us in-depth.

I cannot count how many times I have come home from running around town and wanting to collapse and take an extended nap.  While some of the plans for the day get accomplished it feels like the toll on my body is not worth all the rushing around here and there trying to get everything done in one day.  Sitting here writing about such activities and thinking about them even make me tired and something I am no longer wishing to do.  But I realize that there are things that need to be done outside of the house that require my presence in other locations.  What makes matters worse is that many times these running around scenes are done after a full day’s work at the hospital which in combination provides for one worn out boy.  Yet, as I look around me it seems like everyone is in the same boat and this pattern of activity is not just isolated to my life or to an occasional few families, the entire nation and world fit into this gigantic rat race that does not even end late at night.  We must ask ourselves if we really can be at peace when we live in such a manner too, even though it may seem like this is the only “modern” society that has demanded such activities from its inhabitants, it is not for this advanced setting has plagued every society in history.

What type of life is it when these patterns of high-end exchanges believe they need to be completed on a daily basis?  Can there be any good for our lives by living in such a manner, following the list of demands as if our life depended upon them?  Yeah, we may sleep at night but what how much true rest do we achieve when we are continually wiped out as a result of our to and fro commitment?  How many things with the family do we miss because our bodies are so tired that we have no energy to complete the fun things or even fulfill our desires to God?  All of these issues that our world orders us to complete are a wretched pattern but not one that God had planned for our lives.  In fact, this continual back and forth with a go, go, go mentality is actually a worldly procedure that is designed to tire us out enough that we have no time for God and the true living conditions He designed for us.  We have proof of this in one of the more popular passages in the Bible and a detail about Satan that many of us do not recognize as a characteristic of his, a design of his that the world reflects and that we fall into without us even understanding what it means.  This knowledge of a little known characteristic of Satan comes from Job 1:6-7 and when we understand about this of Satan we can depose this setting from our lives and live in the manner to which God designed.  Because we shall also see from this passage how God authorizes things and how totally opposite He is from what Satan operates within and we all know that it is our desire or that it should be our desire to live like God.

I have to let you know just where I was when God showed me this article topic and content, for it is not a commonplace that of reference but He has used it a time or two during the writing years of my life.  I was in the bathroom and I will leave it at that for the details but as most of us know it is springtime here in America and that means all types of critters are coming out to look around.  Here in the West, we have ants, not the huge fire ants that the South has but they are numerous and can be a nuisance if left uncontrolled.  Well, I was looking back and forth on the floor around me for evidence of ants and it was at this time that God dropped this topic about Satan’s characteristic into my heart.  It took me by surprise but at the same time, it was clear as could be and a detail about our enemy that I had never specifically thought about before.  So, here goes:

Job 1:6-7

“Now there was a day when the Sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.  And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou?  Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”

Most of have read the story of Job and all of the chaotic events that transpired in his life, but what is interesting is that before everything began to occur in Job’s life God gives us a detail about Stan and his characteristics.  We know that even angels have characteristics that identify their presence and commissioned missions from God, Satan is an angel and has his own characteristics which one major one is described in this passage.  When we think about this setting we will be able to put two and two together and understand exactly how identification works and we will also understand how our characteristics appear outwardly toward others even when we do not believe they are.  Lastly, we will be able to see the eternal difference between God and Satan and how their characteristics clash so violently.  Remember good and evil cannot exist together for their presences differ on opposite poles and can never mix.  This means they struggle for control and even when Satan has control as he does the world he still cannot be settled and calm, he must be on a nervous plane with shaky results at best always looking for someone to devour.

How many of us have had sleepless nights due to some type of tormenting or agony that we cannot control, or seem to control?  After working on every shift in the medical field I can attest that many people fill our Emergency Departments simply because of their worldly habits and the troubles that they bring with them, it is sad to see such people suffer needlessly because they do not know God and have extended themselves to the end of their rope.  Worse, this type of scenario does not end with one night but is continually repeated over and over as each day passes destroying each individual at a snail’s pace of torture not fit for anyone living.  But this activity is a characteristic of a society that is running to and fro trying to satisfy itself with flawed foundations and deadly assertions as a visible result.  People in this state of existence continually look for answers that will suit their addictions and not their lives, a condition that is physically deafening with pain and agony when it comes to peace because it is not there.  The world actually promotes this type of living and thrives on incorporating as many people into its presence as possible with startling success.  This is the perfect example of how the world and its motion of success have wrapped it around our lives and have captured us and enslaved us into a life of restlessness and discontent.  This example is another reason why God wants us to have nothing to do with the world or with the kingdom of Satan because He understands that if we tie ourselves into this kingdom that there will be an immeasurable amount of spiritual doors that Stan will jump through spiritually and destroy us from the inside out.

It may be easy to say that the world has such characteristics but where does it come from?  It comes from the one who directly admits his actions in this passage.  Satan himself admits, when God asks him what he was doing, he responds honestly with the words that he was going to and fro up and down in the earth.  Now, we know that Lucifer fell before the earth was established which means that the characteristic of Satan was present before it was this way on the earth and therefore, we can say that the characteristic of the earth (world) is justified as a characteristic of Satan for it is Satan who controls the world and is the ruler of the world.  It is a normal pattern and societal lifestyle and we adapt to its methods in order to keep some kind of peace within our environment; thus, we put on the world as a characteristic of ours and conform to its presence and ruler without even understanding what we are doing.  The longer we live in such a characteristic we become more dependent upon this portion of our existence and thus begins a history of combat that while we believe we are fighting against actually are fighting for.  It is for this reason we walk-up and down to and fro trying to find answers from the same source that we are fighting, a lost cause in truth.  There are so many defining characteristics of Satan that the Bible records, and when you take them and line them up with how the world operates, they are exactly parallel to each other.

The current pandemic that we are enduring right at the moment provides us with a perfect example of how dependent we are on our fast-paced and hectic lifestyles.  We have been in the isolation mode for approximately a month now, and after this amount of time, we now believe we deserve to have our lives back and to return to the normalcy that the world gives but what we have missed is the fact that God is trying to get us to see the other characteristics in this passage and it is His characteristic.  All throughout the Bible God represents Himself as peace and tranquility while the world goes on its way to and fro not knowing how to walk in consistence or with a direction in peace.  God allowed this event to occur so that we may stop for a while and to look at our lives and see just how awful we have become, both spiritually and physically.  But instead, we have ignored the inner portions of our lives once again (God) and now demand to see our world once again as we did before, but many people are saying that the world shall never be the same again and they are correct but not as they imagined.  For once again, we have had the opportunity to see how our lives are and have chosen to ignore the fact that God is not in our hearts nor do we wish to have Him there either.  In essence, we would rather have the characteristics of the world in our lives instead of having God as the centerpiece.  Kind of reminds me of what Israel said to Samuel when they wanted an earthly king over them instead of God; look at what transpired to their existence.

We are rejecting the very reason why God Created us in the manner that He did.  We are created to rule and reign with Him our entire eternal lives.  The characteristic that God displays in this passage is one of complete control and with total calm.  He is asking the authoritative questions to the defeated being, the one who cannot stand still for a moment and the one who is confused and lost without direction.  Yes, Satan answers the question that God posed to him correctly, for if he didn’t then God would have immediately corrected him.  God is calm and collected and relaxed on His throne, this scene takes place in Heaven, God’s dwelling place and place of defined eternal peace and refuge.  It is this type of existence that God wants us to be in and it is this type of authority we have over Satan and his kingdom.  Yet, we choose to thrive and waste our lives in a world that hates our presence and seeks none other but to destroy even the knowledge of our name.  It is time we return to the throne of God and to ask for repentance according to the definition of God and His Word.  Also, the remaining story of Job will begin to play out in our own time and when it does, will we have the knowledge and courage to stand up to Satan and his characteristics or will we fold our lives into a death spiral clothed in those characteristics.

Sadly, even the Church has not understood this chaotic presence as a characteristic of Satan which is the underlying reason as to why she cannot function properly as the embassy representative of God and His peace, love, and joy.  Even sadder, is the fact that as we return from our isolation time and reenter into the world’s societal platform our lives shall see no peace or tranquility.  When a dirty room opens its doors to a dirty world it can only become dirtier with added ailments and suffering to come.  Being dirty is the result of wearing the characteristic of living with the concept of to and fro first in our lives.  Church, I cannot say what is about to come but I know it shall not be too far off and its presence shall be worse than this current presence, but we have done it to ourselves.  God has repeatedly asked us the exact question that He asked Satan that day in Job 1:7 and we are answering Him with the exact same wordage as Satan used.  We should be ashamed of ourselves because whether or not we agree with the fact that we are the light of the world through Jesus Christ, our example is of the world and we stand right along with the world in shame, darkness, with a to and fro attitude.  I say we take on the characteristic of God in this passage and drop the characteristic of Satan, and that is exactly what God wants us to do as well.

DLB

Satanic Virus

Satanic Virus

4/15/20

All of us know that sin has infected our lives from the day we were conceived, but while this is a truth there are those who do not know exactly what this means for our existence.  Some may not have ever believed in such an infection could be all-consuming yet if allowed to replicate uncontrolled it is a process that will run its course until every fiber of our being can no longer be viable.  God did not intend for His prized Creations to live in such a manner but because of the freedom of choice He gave us, this previously unknown presence now ravages our bodies, the only question we need to answer is if this infection has penetrated our spirit or not.  Even though we may not be spiritually healthy, God is still in the restoration business and it is His utmost desire to wipe away such sin from our lives thus covering it with His Son’s blood.

It is obvious that all of us are going through this viral episode of a new virus and it has caught many off guard.  Some folks say that this is a new phase in our country and that we should get used to the changes that are in place because they will probably not go away.  I never would have believed that a single organism would have the authority to change the way the most gifted and powerful nation ever created operated and functioned.  Yet, at the same time, this viral setting has exposed many weaknesses that we have known were there but ignored stating that we would address them at a later date.  September 11, 2001, was a day that many of us remember vividly while the younger generations have only heard about the changes that were made, are we comparing this previously un-encountered issue on the same man-made scale?  I find it sad that we come to this kind of living and I am embarrassed to watch such human behavior unfold.  However, it is our own fault due to the fact that we have become physically soft and spiritually dead.  In no way is God declaring this virus as a satanic virus, but it is one that should bring us to the attention of what lies with our hearts and that our focus on who we depend our survival on.

When all of the isolation procedures and shutdown conditions were beginning to roll out, I made a statement on one of the social media platforms and after that statement asked the question if we would be examining our hearts while this time passed.  I received a few likes over the next few days but no real commitments or interest to what God told me to share.  As this period of isolation has continued, I have consistently tuned into people and read how they are dealing with this fact and what they are doing to improve their spiritual lives.  It has not surprised me too much to notice that not many have actually tried to spend quality time with their families and more importantly with God; yes, there have been some great comic ideas floating around that that is perfectly fine and dandy but we have not much to say when it comes around about allowing God to search our hearts and to weed out some issues.  Why does this bother me?  Because what we are experiencing now is a situation that should be near and dear to our heart, it is a serious position we have found ourselves in, but it is for a reason, a warning if you wish to put it in that manner.  God has His own unique Ways of grabbing our attention; sadly, most of us miss such repentance and restorative opportunities, I included. 

Almost every day I see people posting online or commenting in other settings just how inconvenient this current situation is and how it is driving them “mad”.  To this date, I have not heard one person say that they have drawn closer to God or how He has shown them areas of their lives that needed fixing.  Storm systems and other natural occurrences are continuing and with all of the weather patterns upcoming it does not look like “Mother Nature” cares that we are in a locked-down environment.  Also, I have not heard any thoughts or statements that this virus is the beginning of something else to arrive or the beginning of a string of events that will prevent such further disastrous conditions.  Why?  Why isn’t the Church advocating prayer services within families to seek God for some answers as to why such things are occurring?  The answer is clear, our hearts are turned away from God and we no longer have any reason for Him or His protection, or so we believe.  There is a picture drawn here that our eyes see but our spirits do not and it is this message that God wants us to see before the next issue arrives, for the next one shall be larger and longer than this one.

God is going to refer us to two Scripture passages for this article, both are popular and well known with one of them being one that God has used these articles often.  God also wants us to think about what He is saying to us concerning the virus that is currently wreaking havoc over our lives for it brings into the light exactly what occurred a long time ago in the Garden of Eden.  Back in 1972, my father made a statement as an introduction to a sermon and it goes like this: “Satan is a spirit, and cannot operate in the affairs of the world except through the minds, passions, and activities of men.”  This is a huge statement yet one that scientifically was ahead of its time but one that had already occurred in humanity millennia before.  During the 1970s, virology was in its infancy, with a few accomplishments present but exactly how viruses worked and how they reproduced was still enormously limited.  This statement of my father described exactly how Satan enters into our lives in order to make waves in our lives and for the Kingdom of God.  What dad described is also how a virus enters and replicates inside cells.  So, in essence, you can say this is a satanic virus because it truly describes Satan himself and how he operates in our lives.

John 10:10

“The thief cometh not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Genesis 3:1-7

“Now the serpent was more subtle than any other beast of the field which the Lord God had made.  And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”

At first glance, these two passages do not fit the mold with how viruses enter into our system and thus be compared to Satan and his tactics of entering into our lives.  But let us take a quick scientific journey to understand how viruses replicate themselves and what they do to the cells that are at their mercy.  This will not be in-depth at all but when you see how things are almost identical to how Satan entered his sinful DNA into our lives, the statement from my father almost 50 years ago along with these two glorious Scripture passages one will have a new picture of what is going on in our lives.  I hesitate to use the term DNA when I referred to Satan a second ago, and even though he is a spirit it is a term that will highlight what sin does and how it replicates itself inside our lives.  I recall when the first time one of my biology professors talked about viruses and how they replicated themselves, he used the phrase like these are nasty creatures that are not alive yet kill everything they come into contact with and all of us should be very afraid of them.

First of all, viruses cannot multiply alone they must have a healthy host in order to complete this task.  When the virus finds its healthy target it goes through a process of locating a position to attach itself to on the surface of the cell.  It does so and at some point, in its near future, the virus injects its RNA or DNA into the healthy cell.  Now, we have to keep in mind that cells are very receptive to things outside their membranes because that is the job of the membranes, to allow molecules in and out of the cell in order to provide the body nutrients.  However, if cells were smart and recognized good things from bad things the virus would just sit on the cell membrane and nothing would occur and the virus would eventually die; kind of that is, for in technical terms a virus is not alive, hence the reason it needs a host for its replication.  It is at this point of injection that the viral molecular genetic codes search out and find the organism of replication inside the cell.  Also, at this point whether or not the cell realizes this, the cell is now destined for death and there is nothing that the cell can do to protect itself from this course.

Next, the viral DNA or RNA locates a certain few organelles within the cell cytoplasm and attach themselves to their corresponding genetic markers.  At this point they begin to replicate their RNA or DNA with the help of the recording mechanisms within the cell, thus creating more viral components.  The viral replication process continues this pattern until there is no more room for new viral particles which now crowd the cell cytoplasm and destroy the cell’s ability to replicate itself.  With all of the added contents within the cell, it is stretched beyond capacity and the cell explodes releasing each viral particle into the bloodstream of tissues which they immediately find other cells to repeat this process.  The cell is no longer with us, for its life has been stolen from it by its own process of division, from a foreign force of course.  The newly created viruses are now free to do what they know how to do invade other cells.  When this occurs and the new viruses are released into the blood their numbers continue to grow and eventually their presence and be measured scientifically, known as a viral load.  This process does not stop for it takes a while for our bodies’ immune system to react to the number of virus particles now present within the body but many times by the time the immune recognizes what is going on we have a full-blown viral infection floating in our entire body.

When physicians deal with bacterial infections, antibiotics have been developed to make sure our immune systems have a fighting chance against the reproducing agents.  But when we deal with viral infections the strategy for such combat is more difficult because if you remember from a few paragraphs above it is stated that viruses are really not alive, not like bacteria.  This poses a huge problem when coming to the aid of life because most bacterial infections produce blood cells as a reaction to things not supposed to be present while viral infections invade the healthy cells and destroy them.  It is for this reason as to why the title of this article is called Satanic Virus because of the process of a virus infecting a cell is the exact same process Satan used to inject his death “DNA” into our lives.  Adam and Eve were perfect cells that God had Created for a specific purpose and when a disobedient cell took the fruit and ate it, the process of injecting sinful DNA was completed.  Now, these death “viral” particles run through our bodies from the time we are conceived and should serve as the target for the blood of Christ to cover and destroy.

How does this viral process inside our physical bodies give us a representation of how Satan injects his sinful DNA into our spiritual lives?  I am glad you asked because it is the exact same dangerous process that most of the time do not realize is present until it has already had an effect on us.  As mentioned before the cell cannot determine what is good or bad when it is floating around in the bloodstream or is located in the muscles and tissues.  When it comes into contact with something it believes is not supposed to be there it reacts to stimulate the immune system to get help.  But by the time help arrives the virus has already injected itself into the cell, replicated enough times to explode the cell and thus produced multitudes of replicas of itself ready to repeat the process.  When the virus comes into contact with the cell and is allowed to enter, the cell is destined to die even though it carries on with its normal process of function, producing life.  However, due to what has occurred, the cell is no longer capable of function properly because it now has been taken over by an invader.

What our minds, eyes, ears, and hearts allow into our inner lives shall be reproduced inside our lives and when these settings occur and produces ripe growing ground, the cells of our inside spirit have been infected with the world, and just like the physical cell the spiritual viral elements replicate themselves within our spiritual cells and before you know it our eternal lives are at risk of death because our spiritual viral load is now measurable.  It is this process that Satan does not want you to understand and is also the prime reason why he is referred to as the most subtle beast God created.  Satan continues this subtly when he takes a hold of our lives then injects his wickedness into our spirits.  Adam and Eve’s only defense against the serpent was the Law of God and even though they had been taught to defend against it, they blew it when they could not even speak the Truth in righteousness.  How can we deny such activities in our own lives too?  For a great deal of my medical career, I have had the desire to make a cell smart and for years I struggled against this cellular detriment, but one Summer morning while at work God changed my direction when He asked a simple question about who I was and what my body consisted of.  It was then I understood that I was to make cells smart, but cells of a spiritual matter not just the physical. 

How does this all play together?  It is the job of the Church to make cells (you) spiritually smart enough to fend off the attacks (viral injections) of our enemy.  I do not care what you believe about denominational precedents or conditions, our eternal lives strictly depend on our survival long enough to be true witnesses to one another.  We cannot afford not to understand our enemy and the tactics he presents to us each day, our lives represent a battle and an eternal war and it is our responsibility to ensure we have the proper knowledge in our hearts so that we recognize these tactics before they are injected into our lives.  However, there are billions of people walking around this planet right now that has been completely infected with Satan’s virus of sin and it is our job to tell them that there is a Great Physician who has the antidote for this vile death sentence.  We do not have to live in such a rundown and infested condition, there is an answer to what is going on and also a manual of preventative maintenance to help protect us from further or additional injections.  The spiritual injective process is exactly what my father described Satan needs to be effective and to advance his kingdom in our lives and it is a process that we all now have the opportunity to study and begin the cure by sharing its knowledge with others.

Church, it is time we return to God’s Word, to live responsibly and to show others exactly how their eternity can be cured.  We do not have to succumb to this heinous death sentence, all we must do is to resist our enemy and he must flee from us.  Yes, it is that simple but in order to do this, we must ensure that we understand and recognize our enemy for who he is, our enemy.  Satan is no friend of God which means he is no friend of peace, joy, happiness, and love.  Study the Word of God folks and listen to that small still voice of wisdom and knowledge for it shall be the key to our understanding about how to combat all spiritual diseases that Satan wants to infect our hearts with.  God loves us and wants us to know how to defend ourselves against our enemy.  His Word shall always ring true and pure and it is our responsibility to live accordingly so we may all defeat this satanic virus.

DLB

In Defense

In Defense

4/12/20

Is there a difference in how we defend things depending upon how we value their presence in our lives?  I believe that all of us come to grips with such decisions from time to time and how we conduct ourselves in such defensive mode is reflected outwardly.  Most of us in the West have had no problems with provisions of the Word being poured over us, but how do we respond when those provisions fade or dry up?  Do we defend God’s Word or do we allow this Source to dry up as well?  How we respond is the definition of defending the Word of God and it is this message that God wants us to think about and place within our hearts because God never promised us easy times every day, but in defending our Source is vital for us to live faithfully and to proclaim the Truth to those who do not know God.

Most of us have siblings that we “dealt” with while growing up and these “dealings with” them sometimes were hilarious to the parents but frustrating to the kids at the same time.  I remember hearing ferocious arguments between my girls even when things seemed calm just a few minutes before and when confronted about the newly kindled raised voices and tensions, most of the time it was over a toy, an idea about playing, or any of other countless minored detailed annoyances that one would expect to find coming into play between sisters.  The only thing that worried Bonnie and I for quite some time is how they would act with each other when the dating scene began.  These little spats would continue on a continual pace over their growing up years and while the majority of the time they would correct themselves before any harshness came into motion, but occasionally we would have to separate them for a while. Not to mention, that their oldest sister would join in the fray sometimes to antagonize them and aggravate the situation just because she thought it was funny to hear.  This type of sibling rivalry continued all throughout their school years and kind of slowed a bit when high school rolled around, but not all rivalries ended during this time, only deeper ones came into sight which once again proved a difficult task to tackle.

However, a pattern soon emerged when all of the teenage pressures presented themselves to those two and, to be honest, it eased Bonnie and my fears about their relationship between them.  Of course, being American teenagers in a small American town they would soon encounter people that did not like something about them, or told lies about them or did something to one of them that tried to hurt them.  Without any hesitation, the other sister would come to the defense of the other one and fight for her fiercely without hesitation.  It did not matter if the allegations were true or not, or if the threats were real or not, it was quickly noted that the other sister who was not involved would aid the other who had been targeted.  No, they did not agree on all subjects in life they still do not but even today the one will defend the other even before understanding the entire situation.  ALL of my girls fit into this category as well and while they had their normal disagreements with each other all of their lives, they have stuck together and defended in what they believed.  It is this key initiative and fact that we have toward the Bible as well, no matter if we do not understand all of its content yet.  God’s Word is complete and it is true for all life, for it births and represents life itself.  God’s Word is not sneaky nor does it hide the Truth in its content, but is open and informative about all concerns of your life.

This example from my kids gives us a beautiful reminder of exactly how important people should be in our lives and how we should never forsake those who we come in contact with for one day we may need defending as well.  I wish that I could say that every human being follows this pattern of defense but as we all know or have experienced there are those in this nation and in the world that would rather see people suffer and die without anyone standing up for them or their cause.  So goes the Word of God for even though it is the most published and printed book ever, there are countless people who refuse to stand up for its content for eternity.  Furthermore, this defenseless covering often comes from those who consider themselves and at once a point and time in their lives proclaimed the defense of God’s Word that was present in their hearts.  The Bible tells us of these types of times and while it is easy to defend God and His Word in our lives when the seasons are good, the real test occurs when those seasons are not the best.  This begs the question of how do you defend the Word of God, or do you even defend it or know how to defend it correctly?

Ecclesiastes 3:4

“A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;”

Hebrew

“a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,”

It is difficult to bring up this condition but it is a perfect setting in which God wants His children and every Created being of His to understand exactly what is at stake and to present the ONLY way for us to present ourselves a true defense to combat the ugliness and darkness of the world and its ruler.  Yes, if you study the words of scholars, professors, ministers, lay-people and regular people that make up the Church body you will probably find many different answers to the questions posed in the previous paragraph.  Sadly, it is obvious that we no longer have the desire to defend the Word of God when times are neither good nor bad, how can this be stated?  Look at how we present the Bible to others today, we have no justification and knowledge of what the Bible means to our lives for many of us refuse to acknowledge that Jesus was presented early in the Old Testament as the only eternal Sacrifice and since we cannot acknowledge this we do not have the defensive foundation of the entire Word of God; every defensive measure used with this incomplete footing is weak at best and destined to fail.  This passage of Scripture proves this point that God wants us to know and while we like to focus on the good portions of this entire chapter, even hand out the “bad” portions to those in need but when the time arrives to defend such words to others we cannot.

In the first portion of this verse, we find the Hebrew word “libkowt” which means to weep bitterly, to weep, bewail, to weep upon, lamenting.  This is not the type of crying we find when we fall off of our bicycles and scratch up our knees and legs, nor is it even when we get into car accidents or any other serious accidents that maim our bodies but one that reveals a deep-voiced wail that comes from the inner portions of a human being’s heart.  There are a few settings in which my ears have heard such inner turmoil and each one of these instances came when a mother lost her child.  It did not matter how the child passed away but when a mother cries for her dead child, she releases an utterance that is difficult to describe and fathom.  It is this type of pain and agony that this word identifies with and a projection like no other level can.  The second word that we are going to focus on is the word “lishowq” which means to laugh, play, to make sport, in the essence of singing and dancing.  This is the opposite of the previous word we discussed but it still defines how a season is established and how it can last for a short period of time or a long one that seems like it is enduring forever.  In this sense, it would be easier to accept such a season but we all know that while we wish for sunshine and warm weather on a continual basis, winter winds are not too far away.

Is telling a person who has just lost a child or some other close family member “it will be okay” or “just lean on Jesus” good enough for their comfort and understanding?  While the majority of people have well-meant feelings when they offer such phrases, they are usually invalid when it comes to true and real comfort.  A painful season is something that is never pleasant to walk through but if we do not understand how God’s Love for our lives is, there is no way possible that we can defend God’s Word after the trials begin.  When we read the Psalms, we want to believe that those times when David was writing, singing, and dancing were times of happiness and cheer, but they were not.  In most cases, those words of happiness and encouragement were penned when Israel was going through troubled times or when David personally was being tormented by some act of an enemy.  Many of us can quickly count on Job to provide us with another example of prosperity but the majority of what we know about Job and his life is one of utter devastation, to the point where his own wife tells him to curse God and die.  These two people provide us with an inner understanding of defending the Word of God and God Himself and it is on this level that we must know God in order to defend God and His Word when times of trouble arise.

Some may think that these stories of David and Job are exaggerations, fabricated to embellish what really transpired in these men’s lives.  But what is written about these two men actually occurred and they really did go through what those words say.  How do we know this?  Look at human history, and what do you find?  Most of the time history is remembered by those who have won the battle or the war, then you have references to cities being destroyed by natural disasters and many other articles of buildings and advancements to procure a national standard all of which took immense pressures in order to complete.  Then, take a look at those references and telling of who kept God first and studied His Ways and notice the difference of how these two groups of instances were handled.  Sometimes the season that this passage refers to comes on an individual level, but we also must include that sometimes these types of seasons come over nations and even the world itself.  David and Job had the guts enough to stand up and proclaim their trust, hope, and faith in God, do we have enough guts to do the same today?  What will our hearts project to the world during this current event, is the question at hand.

So, Church, how are you handling in the defense of God and His Word?  Are we standing up for what God says in His Word or are we taking our own personal version to heart?  How are we responding to the issues that are occurring today?  Are we representing what Go says about this season that we are facing?  Of course, we need to comply with the ways of sense and of reason but at the same time as we are giving to Caesar, we cannot forget the second part of that verse where Jesus says to give to God what is God’s.  My father died last October, it was a very tough and emotional time for our family, but even with all of the family grief we danced and sang because we know that God has pop in His presence doing the exact same thing.  THAT is the true hope we need to be presenting to those who do not know God and Jesus as their eternal Savior.  The way we are conducting the Church during this current lockdown is horrific and it is a disgrace to our Creation.  We are not projecting God in any way nor are we telling folks that the way to end this “plague” is to repent and to turn our hearts back to God.  We are silent in this measure of Truth and if we do not change quickly, the next “plague” shall arrive and it shall be worse than this one.

When we read this passage and the other verses that precede and follow it, we can elaborate on almost every type of season known to mankind, but there is one season that is not represented here or in any other portion of Scripture and it deals with sin.  Nowhere in Scripture does God accept or approve of us having a season of sin.  We expect the world to have this season as its foundation but why has it been allowed to enter into Christians’ hearts?  These actions defend a defeated kingdom and produce nothing but death to our existence; we are not talking about physical death either but eternal death one that can never be changed once arrived.  Steve Taylor wrote a song called “Sin For A Season” back in the 80s, it drives home all of the problems and agony that people have when they accept a season of sin in their lives, why have we done this Church?  It is time we get rid of it and turn the heart of the Church back to God.  We can only be in defense of God and His Word if we live completely for Him and live under His Ways AND tell others of this necessity of Life.  He has Risen!!  Let us live like He is and that we 100% believe it.

DLB

Grace Lifted Away

Grace Lifted Away

4/5/20

For all of our lives, we have been taught that God’s grace is upon us and that His arms of protection are ever-present.  This is a true statement but one that will not always be with us unless we ensure that God’s Laws are willingly and lovingly obeyed at all times.  This nation is not exempt from trials and tribulations but up until now, we have had the knowledge to look to the correct Source for guidance and help.  But over time this trust of ours has turned from God to ourselves and through this choice, we have witnessed many dangerous hazards approach our land.  Some have been human-made while others have been provided by natural causes, whatever the case may be these instances have increased in numbers and in damages.  This is not God’s plan for our nation and His Children yet they occur.  Do we want these instances to stop or for them to continue?  It is still our choice and it is strictly up to us to make the correct choice, God loves His prized Creations and He wants to bless us but He cannot continue to do so if we do not Trust in Him first.

As an avid history enthusiast, I have spent a number of hours reading about the Egyptian dynasties and everything that they stood for.  It is remarkable about how these rulers came to power and how they conquered many foreign lands and stood as the mightiest power in the world for a very long time.  This leadership and powerful empire did not stop when one ruling family or group of leaders passed away but lasted for thousands of years and through this presence has provided us with fabulous amounts of information about human history.  Just like every other superpower nation or empire that lived, it started with a small territory and was blessed over a period of time with growth and prosperity enough to proclaim itself as the leader and best place to live in the world.  Today, we could take many lessons from the Egyptians in how not to mess a good thing up for there is no question that some point in time their empire collapsed and after this collapse they never regained the status that they once held, it is this part of history that we really need to understand yet time after time we do not figure things out before something tragic occurs to alter the course of living.

Exodus 1 – 14

I know we just covered a huge amount of time in one short paragraph, but there is a bunch more territory we need to cover before this article ends and it starts with what happened with Egypt and why she fell hard.  In the Book of Exodus, we have the story of Egypt and just how great she had become along with the reason she was blessed with such a status.  Her belief in God and the allowance of God to be present in her borders granted this status to them but almost as soon as Exodus opens we find that there was in place a new ruler who did not know Joseph thus did not know or care to know God either.  Yes, the children of Israel was still within their borders but their presence had become a hindrance and a sore spot in the heart of Egyptian leaders, thus plan after plan was implemented against God’s people and brutally carried out over a given amount of time.  God continued to bless His children even though times became hard for them.  This growth, prosperity, and happiness of the Israelites frustrated the Egyptians to the point where meetings had to be set up with both sides in order to resolve the issues at hand.

God wanted His people to be free from the slavery that had been thrust upon and over them so Moses took up the leadership role and began speaking for God to Pharaoh.  These were not simple and quiet dinner-like meetings, for the Egyptians did not want to give up control of their enslaved nation but at the same time feared their population numbers, a conundrum that would prove deadly in the future.  After a few rounds of cat and mouse between God and Pharaoh, God began a series of plagues that one-by-one took the resources and livelihood away from Egypt.  These plagues were not just small and pointless interactions between the earth and a few people, the entire nation of Egypt was involved with no house or building spared.  After each plague occurred, God would repeat His message to the leadership of Egypt which was sarcastically and narcissistically rejected.  Even as Egypt continued to endure the bleeding state of their lands occur, they fought with hardened hearts against what God wanted them to allow claiming human sovereignty and false idolatry over their ways instead of looking at what they were enduring and understanding that this process could stop if they just listened.  Egypt continued to suffer greatly from these acts of God with each plague striking another portion of their lives that took more and more away from their livelihood.

God did not intend for Egypt to be totally wiped out and made defenselessly but Egypt did it to themselves through their acts of rebellion and voluntary sinful choices.  It was not until God had to take the first born of every Egyptian household before they would release the children of Israel, but even after they allowed them to leave their hearts were still hard and the best army in the world perished under water in pursuit of what God had ordained.  On every occasion and after every plague, Pharaoh demonstrated exactly what was present in his heart and in the heart of his people.  Egypt was so buried in their wealth and status that they continued to believe that they could sustain the hand of God with what they had been divinely given in the first place.  It is this part of human thinking and reasoning that makes me scratch my heart and hurt my heart when I read it because with all of the warnings and signs before the plagues began, all while the plagues were ongoing, and even after they were over, selfish humanity demonstrated the incorrect choice.

Pharaoh could have stopped the game with God at any time before he took his last breath, but his pride and selfish spirit refused to allow him to quit.  We can sit back and ask ourselves the infamous “what if” questions concerning the path and course of Egypt especially if she would have allowed God to continue His Work in their stability.  But we see here a great example of what occurs to not only our individual lives when we do not listen to God and to obey His Ways but also on a national level as well.  Through this pride and selfishness, Egypt failed to recognize that as each plague and resulted condition came to be, the covering and grace of God were being lifted away from their land.  Additionally, their eyes were so blinded that they failed to understand exactly what was going on over their land since it was their land and people that were only being affected by these issues.  There was no question that God had blessed Egypt with riches that had never been witnessed before, and further down in God’s Word we see that Israel herself fell into this same trap and God once again had to grab the attention of their hearts as well, another great loss and captivity without an identifiable nation.  Why do we have to emerge in human history as failures?  Why can’t we figure out that when our hearts belong to God and we put Him first in our lives things shall go so much easier?  Satan loves history, he loves to hide the truth about our history from us so that we cannot figure out the correct path to take FIRST.

The frightening part about God and His wrath is that He allows the sowing of our sinful ways to come to fruition which means that when these events of disobedience arise in our hearts it fruit of death reign.  In every instance in the Bible where mankind chooses sin over obedience, death soon follows.  The true definition of disobedience is death, for sin is death displayed exponentially to the infinite degree and every single time we find that the people who choose sin over God always lose something or someone dear and meaningful to their existence.  It does not have to be this way, there is a better option.  This nation was established by God for a specific reason and while we have struggled with maintaining our consistency with God we have come to the conclusion that we do not need God any longer that we have everything we need and under our control.  This example of Egypt in the Bible paints a solemn picture of how our hearts live and function today where idols and self-rule solely in power.  Just as Egypt feared God at one time and lived under His blessings and protection due to the inhabitants of God, so did we live under His countenance according to the respect and reverence of God and His inhabitants that live here.

Ever since September 11, 2001, have we been witness to such unusual items that cross our newsroom screens.  But, this date only begins with the truly visible aspects of what our hearts have allowed into our lives for our borders were breached many years before with the opportunities for striking different levels of our presence.  On the surface, it would seem like a foolish move to attack the most powerful nation that has ever been created but on the other hand what better promotion than to wreak a harrowing blow to something that believes they are invincible.  By no means, I am suggesting that any strike on our land on any level is a good thing but because of our location and position this single event and others that have followed should have never occurred but we know they did.  God allowed such an opportunity for us to repent and to turn our ways back to Him and to live for Him again so that we can fulfill the destiny that God established this nation to complete.  But no, the atheists had it correct in that after a short while our cries of anguish and pain would go away and our true natured heart would return to our forefront.  It is a devastating truth when atheists recognize our inner conditions before we do.

Today, the world is facing another interesting and traumatic event but it is due to a virus, not a physical building or ground destructive error.  There are many clues concerning this event that should make people wonder about their own sanity and eternal placement, yet we ignore such vital institutions and carry on with our demands of personal selfish guidelines, all the way down to meaningless supplies of life.  Is this a modern day plague or is it something that mankind has created in order to put their plan into action; I do find it very interesting that this occurrence is with us at the three and one-half year mark of our current presidency.  Whatever the answer may be, we are currently witnessing our nation bleed out on every level of existence and when complimented with the other previous bleeding instances we are almost at the point of being at anemic status, physically.  More problematic and less recognized is that our physical bleeding is now on a drainage scale to where we are at on a spiritual level and if the levels of spirit and physical are rising together there is no greater course for humanity but the opposite is true when heading in the opposite direction.  God has always called to His children to listen for His voice during times of intrigue and in trouble, we should heed this Word of Wisdom and hear.

I have no idea how many more issues this nation and the world shall face, Egypt faced ten before their ruin came and all of us can agree that our nation is far greater and bigger than any other past empire or land has known.  Selfishly, we sit back and try to patch up the holes that have been created by our own hands, doesn’t that seem kind of ridiculous to hear?  We cannot get very far down the road when we are fixing holes in our own lives that we made ourselves; deliberate sabotage on a scale of eternal suicide when compared to the standards of the Bible.  I also have no idea how long these items shall continue and I do not know if our nation is over as it has existed either.  But what I do know is that our individual hearts are as black as the starless and moonless night and our national heart has followed suit.  So when you stop and look at things in this manner, one cannot help but fall on our knees and ask God for mercy because it is not too difficult to recognize that His Grace has been lifted away from this land.  If this first sign is any indication of what is to come, look out folks we are in for a terrible ride that we have never known before.  Are we becoming another Egypt and having our authority and position taken away?  I am afraid that the process may have begun I do not know for sure.  But look around you and see what is being taken away and it is hard not to notice that this single event is taking a dreadful toll on this land.

I wish I had more comforting words to give you, but these are the words that God has given me to write to you today.  Church, it is time we gather our people into our hearts and tell them the Truth about God and His Ways.  It is obvious that we do not even know we are doing things in a sinful manner for we have fallen away so far from the Bible.  But there is a small window of opportunity to hear God’s voice again and to change our hearts so that we may have redemption and to tell as many people as possible before times really become difficult.  The first is usually a taste of what is to come and since God is a complete God, He shall follow through as He has done so many times in the past.  The auricles of God continue to be made known and we can learn them each day of our lives but we need to take the initiative and study them and hide them in our hearts.  God loves you, stay strong and be spiritually healthy at all times.  Preach the Gospel to the dying world, and right at the moment there is a bunch of dying going on.

DLB