No Time To Lay Down

No Time To Lay Down

10.23.21

When things go unexpectedly wrong it is common for humans to go through a stage of pouting and seclusion, and while this normal emotional reaction occurs often it does not mean that it is appropriate.  Yes, sometimes a quick period of reflection of what went wrong is warranted but to completely stop the progress that has been granted is not.  How many times have we felt such a stoppage when it was not needed, or that we took advantage of this time and extended our pouting exercises too long?   This action too is common and God really does not want time wasted in this manner.  The real truth is what happened and what caused such a loss that never should have been.  God does not hesitate on any issue and neither should we, we have a mission to complete and there is no way possible for us to do what God has commanded laying down and pouting.

It was basketball tournament time when I was in my early years of high school.  Granted, we were not the ones favored to win the entire tournament but we did have a good team and could win a few games before a strong opponent would be faced; this is tournament life as some sportspeople say.  During the first few minutes of the game, we could not hit a shot, not even a layup without making a mess of things while on the opposite end of the court our opponent could not miss.  I was a bit concerned about the conditions and after another basket from the opposing team, we inbounded the ball and after a few dribbling steps I called a time out.  I believed it was an appropriate time but as soon as we started walking over to the bench we all noticed our coach had a confused look on his face, then asked who called the timeout.  I spoke up said it was me, and he immediately asked me why?  Then he said never mind and sat us down and let us rest for a moment.  No instructions were given or anything else said before the breakup of the huddle.  As we were leaving the huddle he reminded us all not to waste timeouts for we may need them at the end of the game.

Even though my coach did not say much at that time his silence and his presence around us said enough and it refocused our heads and we completed the game without any further instances and even had a comfortable win over that evening's opponent.  I questioned myself for the rest of the game and for the next two games for I had realized that I did not trust my leader enough to obey everything he had said to us previously, and it caused me to stall and not be at my best for the day and days to come.  We won our next game but lost the next two and our season came to an end, but the point is in that first game, we (I) should not have panicked and should have just listened to the coach and what he had told us right throughout the season plus the important words he gave immediately before the game.  I jumped to conclusions and took a potential asset away without fully knowing why our coach said the things he did that morning.  

I know that this example does not fully comply with the title of this article but it does speak about the confusion of one who did not understand what was going on at that moment, stopped the progress of the mission to take a rest and gather up why things were going wrong.  It was unnecessary, and I just had to wait for the instruction of my coach to get the bearings back in alignment and continue forward.  There are greater and more accurate examples in the Bible than the one I just gave and the passage for this article gives us one to think about for a while.  Our passage comes from Joshua 7: 10-11 and is as follows:

Joshua 7:10-11

"And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?  Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff."

In the previous passages in Joshua 7, we find that Joshua and the army of Israel had prepared exactly how God had told them to prepare for all the battles that were before them.  However, unbeknownst to Joshua, Achan had taken things that God had forbidden and even hidden them underneath his family's tent.  This small amount cursed Israel in the battle of Ai, so much so that the entire army of Israel turned their backs and ran from the warriors of Ai before they reached the gates of the small town.  This was embarrassing and even more confusing to Joshua since for all he knew everything was done correctly and according to what God had said to do.  So, the embarrassed and confused leader threw himself on the ground after rending his garments, face down, and stayed there, did not get up.

For a certain amount of time, God allowed Joshua to lay there but after that time God needed him up and doing what was necessary which was correcting the reason why Israel ran away from their enemy at Ai.  God understands that there is a time for everything, He has said this over and over throughout His Word, but most importantly is the mission He has commissioned His people to do.  So, an idle or broken piece of equipment cannot be allowed to stall the entire mission, it must be fixed as soon as possible in order for the orders to be completed.  God could not have the leader of Israel lying flat on his face pouting and wondering why things went wrong for an extended period of time; oh and by the way, naked as well.

God wanted Joshua on his feet doing the work that needed to be done so that the order that God had ordained for Israel would be completed.  God does not like idleness and He cannot operate His Glory through such a stagnate condition, His Kingdom is always advancing and increasing.  God understands that humans become weary and troubled during tough times but at the same time God has built within us a mechanism that should take over in these times to fix the broken and continue with the advancement.  Joshua would have eventually got up and figured things out, but how much time would have passed before this would have occurred?  Would the enemies of Israel come together and overran the camp of Israel before Joshua had cleaned the house?  It is possible, but God could not allow that to occur.

God told Joshua to get up and Joshua did not argue with God and did what God said to do.  At the same time, with this initiative from Joshua God told him exactly what the issue was and that it was his responsibility to find the culprit and correct the necessary before any other actions could be taken against their enemies.  All it took for God to provide an answer to the problem is for Joshua to get up and to present himself to God for instruction.  This procedure, God is calling us to do once again, Church.  The question remains, do we even understand what our position is that God is looking at in order for this passage to apply to us?  How many times do we have to hear God ask us why are we laying down on the job and not up finding out what is going on?  We have lost battles folks, and it is our responsibility to remember what God has said to us and to figure out where the sin lies within our houses.  Our job is not to sit around in defeat, God does not know defeat, He cannot be defeated, so see, our sitting around is sin in itself.  God is not going to make things all rosy to those who disobey Him, He cannot and if we do not have the initiative to get up then we are doomed.

Do we see ourselves as Joshua was, lying face down and naked on the ground?  As in sitting in our pews and doing nothing for the kingdom of God, watching the enemy walk all over God's people, and allowing him to defeat us in our own houses of worship?  We are defeated even before we get outside the gates of the enemy.  We run away with our tails between our legs back into our tents and we really do not know anymore why this has occurred.  The leaders of the Church have been lying face down on the ground for so long that they have gone asleep and are no longer capable of leading people in the manner they should.  They ignore the Word of God and replace it with snoring so that they can remain laying down and not engage in the battle correctly.  They have no problem with the sin that is in their camps.  This is exactly why God could not allow Joshua to remain in the place that he was, he had to get up and take care of the issue before him.

If God had allowed Joshua to remain there for an extended amount of time, the sin that Israel had committed against God's Covenant would have eventually progressed into the tent of Joshua.  This is the normal pattern of sin and God could not allow sin to encompass His people more than what it already had, so God had to move.  Unfortunately, today we have ignored God's nudging and have remained in our tents with the hidden sin underneath our soil.  We have known about it but have done nothing to correct the measure; therefore, we have sat and waited and waited, and continue to wait until this very moment.  We have waited for so long that we have lost our vision to complete the mission God gave us; in other words, we no longer desire to fight for God or His Kingdom.

This action of ours is one of the main reasons God is going to shake the Church in a way that most people shall not understand.  A shaking so severe that many people will walk away from the Church and never step foot spiritually or physically in her again.  Yet, at the same time, there will be many people who catch fire for God and begin to preach the truth about His Kingdom and once again teach the mercies of our God.  It will be tough but as we see in the coming articles concerning this time period of Joshua, if we do things according to what God has told us to do and how to do it, our lives shall be better off than one can even imagine.  We cannot afford to remember that there is no time to lay down and stop the fighting, we need to get up and find out what is wrong and then carry on with God.

DLB

It Was Not Joshua

It Was Not Joshua

10/21/21

It is no secret that for the most part, ever since the establishment of the Church she has committed or allowed atrocities to occur within her confines.  All of which are inexcusable and indefensible and cannot be taken back as a means of correction.  It is also agreed, that a good portion of these horrific actions was donned by leaders of the Church community or was known about by them and allowed to be continued.  In no terms ever, did God mean for these actions to be allowed in His Church and because of these humanly completed deeds, God's name has been dampened almost to the point of being totally dismissed even from those who still believe in God and in His presence.  God wants us to know that there are plenty of ministers and leaders in the Church that continue to serve Him faithfully and care about those in need of God.  It may not always look like roses around the area but God is still faithful to tell the secrets of those who need correction.

Most of us share a common thread about our lives in that the plans that we have made do not always go according to the script that was written and designed.  These plans of ours become subject to alterations due to various amount of wavering circumstances that many times cannot be controlled, but this is not always the case for there are times that things do not work out and no reason really presents itself immediately.  While most of our journey can be predictable even though a few stumbling blocks may arise, it is common to have normalcy for the most part when plan making takes place.  Humans like to have a plan of action for many reasons if not just to keep us on track to reach a certain goal, there is nothing wrong with this for it brings us stability and confidence so that we can function safely as much as we can.  Wandering aimlessly about this sod does not pose too much of a stable direction and this wandering way will cause severe heartburn if not corrected quickly.

These unexpected issues and conditions that seem to appear out of nowhere, can really be frustrating to our systems for when a plan has been drawn up it means that a timeframe is at hand and some type of goal reached within a certain amount of time.  It is also these instances where no real explanation is present either, one has to be searched for, because you realize that everything you accomplished up to this derailing process has been done correctly and without failure.  Answers to questions such as this sometimes take a specific amount of time to be answered, while unfortunately a few are never solved.  We chalk it up to an unexplained experience and occasionally bring it up to see if we can take another line of action to get release.

But what occurs in our hearts when the plans that have been made and executed that come from God do not pan out like He said they would?  The questions really start to pile up for you know that you were positive that God shared His plan with you and that your spiritual ears and heart heard what He said.  You look back and see that everything that you did was right on course with what God told you to do yet you failed in this duty?  Also, those that were involved in this plan know what occurred and they cannot help but think that you were the cause of this failure; and of course, your mind is racing thinking the exact same thing the others are thinking as well.  All of these examples bring us to the next portion of Joshua that God wants us to know about and the Scripture passage is as follows:

Joshua 7: 11-13

"Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.  Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.  Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Osrael: though canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you."

There are circumstances that take place where not every detail can be administered to especially when it involves specific actions from a few individuals.  This is one of the issues conquering armies or overtaking companies must address and deal with, but not every leader sees eye-to-eye with such a potential loot and it is the point of a good leader to assume the corrective position of such behavior then take the appropriate measures to correct the situation.  We see here that Joshua has been asking God about why and what occurred on the battlefield and how come things went so wrong after careful and holy preparation was adhered to.  This must have been a scary time in Joshua's life for he was so sure that he had followed everything that God said to do, and yet the battle was over before it even really began.  There are many tidbits of information in this passage that we could address but we are going to stay with Joshua and the knowledge that he was not the culprit of this demise of Israel.

Joshua had been through some pretty tough times in his past, starting out in Egypt, going across the wilderness for all those years, taking over Israel after Moses and Aaron had died. Joshua was not a rookie at his position nor were all of the people in his command, all had experiences with the world and with God.  The people knew how to act and they knew what would occur if disobedience found its way into their hearts.  Joshua was never ugly in the sense that he came across as arrogant or bold because he was innocent of such behavior; however, he did want to find the problem and take care of the issue before trodding along to the next battlefield.  Israel was in a mess, with disbelief and chaotic hearts present in the individual tribes, they had to be.  But only one family knew what had occurred and yet kept their mouths shut hoping God would pass over this detail and allow things to just go on as planned.  How many of us have some such a thing by hoping God would not see our actions and just let them slide?

Let us look at the word "transgressed" in this passage, for it defines exactly what the mood was in Israel and how Israel was thinking at the time.  It does not take an entire population of a nation to make it evil in the eyes of God; however, when the entire nation was warned by God not to do something then did it anyway, yes that nation and all of its inhabitants are included.  The Hebrew word used here for transgressed is "aberu" and it means to pass over or by or through, alienate, carry, carry, do away, take, take away, to emigrate, leave, to vanish, to perish, etc.  This word is a deliberate action word and one that was done without obeying what was established as a boundary.  When God says someone or something has transgressed His Covenant, it is serious business for a violation has occurred and since it cannot be broken, it has to be in order at all times.  This is why it is important that every detail with God is known and lived without exception.

We know that Joshua was "off the hook" with God because God was having a direct conversation with him concerning what the issue was.  God did not miss this detail nor did He allow it to go unnoticed when the battle time arrived.  God also began to tell Joshua that there was sin in the camp and that it was his responsibility to find it and to rid Israel of the accursed items.  Joshua also understood that when the people responsible were found that it would be a high price that they would pay for this disobedient act.  While Joshua could breathe a sigh of relief that he was not at fault, he knew that someone was and they had to be disposed of quickly.  Joshua understood what it meant for God to say that He was no longer with them until the accursed was gone, it meant that they were totally vulnerable to the enemies that were around them and that if God allowed a few men to get killed for an unknown issue just think what He would do while the sin was still known about and active.

Because Joshua knew that God's faithfulness would include devastation if the present sin was not weeded out properly, it fueled Joshua to stand up and be the leader God chose him to be.  All of us know that it is easy being a leader when things are going good, Israel was just over the supernatural victory of Jericho; what a rush that must have been to witness and to participate in, but it was also the source of the accursed thing that God was speaking about.  It must have been hard for Joshua to make the statements he did after God told him of the issue, but at the same time, Joshua knew he had to complete God's Word or Israel would be doomed and then he would be at fault with God.

God gives leaders the opportunity to do the correct thing when wrongs are discovered.  God expects a true and appropriate action, one that He would do, you know, what His Word says.  Battles and wars do not have to be on the table for this type of calling to take place, as a leader this type of action is taught to be dealt with and to be settled as soon as possible for if it is not, it is a guarantee that animosity and distrust within the ranks and file shall arrive.  Just as God gave Joshua the duty to seek out the fault, God also reassured Joshua that he was not responsible for what had occurred to Israel but that he did need to correct things immediately.  Whether we know it or not, God followed a pattern that we read about in the New Testament where correction must first be done in the House of God.  Joshua was tested and proven worthy of such a corrective task, God rewarded Joshua and Israel after the correction was made and all went well for the time being.

As our study of Joshua 7 continues, we will see many aspects of leadership being shown, but also how to deal with sin and what it means to rid ourselves of its clutches.  It is not too hard to see where God wants us to be when it comes to being leaders to those around us and to other nations.  While many people deny our special status in the eyes and heart of God, this nation was established to conquer the world and its leader but just as with Ancient Israel, we have allowed an accursed thing into our hearts and have waivered ourselves from God and His Ways.  One cannot help but wonder how long God would have allowed Israel to be defeated until He told us what was going on, we have taken our leadership role and thrown it to the ground all in the name of equality and equity with the world a grave position to take since the same authority that was given to Israel was given to this nation so long ago.

What does this mean for the Church?  It means that right at this moment we are in the camp of Achan and not in the position as Joshua.  Go back and reread what God stated concerning the status of Israel in this passage.  God says that He will not be with Israel until the accursed thing is gone which means everyone fits into that category and until Joshua (the Church) stands up and cleans what is dirty God has severe issues with us and we are vulnerable to any and all attacks from our enemies.  There is no excuse for our behavior, Church.  We have not been a Joshua and we can no longer claim or say that we were not Joshua.  Joshua was not punished for the mistakes of Israel because he did what God required of him to do, but we are in contempt of what God has ordained us to do as leaders and this needs to be corrected immediately or God is going to shake the Church in ways we have only heard about in history.  It might not have been Joshua but it surely is us!  Do you want a return to normalcy?  Then be like Joshua!

DLB

Loss

Loss

10/17/21

Not many of us like to lose anything or lose at anything for losing damages our pride, and it is our egos that usually take the brunt of such emotional setbacks.  Also, we know that loss can appear in our lives not just on the physical aspects, spiritual loss is one that can be lost as well and one that has far more ugly consequences.  Do you know that God never intended for us to lose anything, not even our lives?  But for some reason, the Church has forgotten this truth and has stopped teaching it to the dying world and now allows death to invade every section of our hearts without any sort of argument or fight.  This lack of life within us is a deep statement that we no longer have God within our hearts for we all know God can only teach and promote life.  We do not have to live in such a manner, we can correctly teach the world to live and to flourish again, but it shall never occur until we put God back in our hearts.

It is a commonly known truth that humans do not like to lose anything or at anything for it signals a sign of failure, for we like to keep up our appearance that everything is fine and that our prideful status is intact on all levels.  But for most of us, this plan to keep our status lifted after a loss does not work and reality sets in when we are seeing exactly what has occurred in our lives.  We also know that loss comes in a variety of forms and that it does not just have to be on the physical level.  A loss of a job, of a parent or sibling, loss of status, or overall possessions are just a few to mention for now.  Today, we see the individuals that claim to not have things of value in their lives but when our eyes watch buildings and businesses burning because of such false thoughts it is a selfish act of entitlement that has been accepted into our lives by Satan.

However, let us talk about a more generalized loss, one that is on a massive scale where almost everyone around you is placed into this loss category.  How would societies respond if such a series of catastrophes would strike the world and basically take away everything that humans believe that they deserve to live during this post-modern world?  What would our attitudes be then?  To be honest, we would not know how to act for we have become so dependent on things of this world that we have meltdowns when the internet is off for some uncontrollable reason for a few hours.  We have lost focus enough about what is truly important and have placed all our cares upon these fly-by-the-night toys that we cannot even take our eyes off these machines long enough to see the approaching waves.  This is a disastrous policy to withhold in our hearts and will only prove tumultuous when that ugly day arrives.

It has been prophesied many times throughout the Bible that there will be a day that everything shall change in some land, nation, or even the world.  Many of these prophesies have already transpired and have brought massive destruction to those involved, unfortunately, many more of these truths have yet been fulfilled which should give us a warning large enough to not complete things that would bring such desolation to our lives.  Talk about having to walk through a grave testing period, I can only imagine - for now - just what the attitudes and character of the people would be when this occurs.  We would like to think we would act civilly toward each other but given what we have witnessed over the past few years in certain cities, I do not believe our reaction to catastrophic loss will be anything good or civil at all.

However, in a world that has nothing to do with God or His Ways we cannot honestly believe that any of our actions will be on a helpful plane.  If we have no trust in God we cannot act according to His Statutes and this includes civility, peace, and calmness.  Our two verses today give testimony to such attributes of God and of humans who trust in Him in all things.  The two verses are as follows:

Psalm 56:3

"What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee."

Isaiah 41:10

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

These two verses show us that anytime we are in trouble or dismayed for any reason that God is with us and He has not abandoned us.  However, if we do not know this status and presence of God before things become bad it will be difficult for us to live in such harmony after grotesque events arrive.  There have been many warnings that God has given us to heed, and like ancient Israel, we have ignored them all for we see is the blessings from God as our protection.  This is the big mistake that all humanity has against God, our faith resides in the things around us instead of the Life that should reside within us, so naturally, with worldly goods at our disposal, they will be turned to for answers first.  How quickly we will find out that this loss that we will experience will be overall and not just a targeted few areas, God does not operate in incomplete terms when He is trying to get our attention.

Sin has no order that can withstand any time of challenge, that is why when the Glory of God hits, it shall do so in such a manner that all things shall be disrupted.  Therefore, when these calamitous events strike all we will have to fall upon is our own belief system which is what inhabits us; if one thinks that this shall be an easy process to overcome, think again for controlled chaos already reigns in our hearts wait until it is unchallenged.  Furthermore, we will have no idea about how to overcome such events because we have been blinded from the Truth about how to survive such ordeals.  See, it shall not just be on a physical or monetary system that these failings and disasters occur, we are talking about psychological, social, spiritual, and physical ones all rolled up together at one time.  All shall crash before our eyes; this is what God has shared with us in His Word and it is what we are about to witness with our own eyes.

How can we trust in God when we have no idea anything about Him or His Ways.  Not everyone shall be in turmoil during this time there will be those that are happy as a clam even while the world is completely crumbling before their eyes.  Here lies the difference, for those of us who will not panic, we shall be once again shoved into the spotlight and placed at the wall to be stoned.  You have heard of the saying, misery loves company, well that shall be an unspoken motto of these days of turmoil and no one will be able to escape.  Sadly, a good portion of this misery shall come from those who have sat in church pews for a long time, maybe even all their lives for even while their ears heard the truth taught to them, their hearts never heard one word or syllable spoken.  Remember, no matter how many times we might say to those who recently died "rest in peace" they shall never rest in peace if they did not live a peaceful life, our physical lives are not a dress rehearsal for the afterlife.

So what happens when the leader of the free world falls?  It takes everyone who followed in our footsteps with her.  The loss that shall occur will be one that many sarcastically or facetiously refer to as "of biblical-like proportions" but in this case, it shall all be 100% true.  The only way possible to make it through these coming events is if we know how to properly and truthfully cling to the hands of God and we will only be able to do such a task if we know how to trust in Him alone.  It will be like a modern-day Noah's ark scene, there will be those who listened and a majority of those who did not and they will not have a chance to survive.  Yes, this does sound grim but it is strictly our own fault, for we have deliberately chosen to exclude God from every aspect of our lives and because of this action and choice of ours, we deserve nothing less.

Many will see the results as their eyes are opened during this process, just as many or even more shall react angrily for they shall not understand why such concerns have overtaken them.  All of this is a part of the procedure and process of loss, by the direction of God.  I am at a loss for words when it comes to the actions of the Church up until now, we have heard the Truth taught to us for centuries and have still continued to water down God to make our own selfish ideologies relevant instead of God.  This grieves me because if we have not understood this process and mission that Jesus commissioned us to complete in these days of quiet, how do we even think we will be able to complete such a journey when everything we have known has been destroyed?  It has always intrigued me to read about just how thorough God was in His methods of dealing with Israel in Scriptures and at the same time I have been just as intrigued about how He will deal with His nation that He established to represent His Light unto the world but has fallen into darkness.

It has never been the desire of God to allow His children to witness any loss, God cannot lose nor does He intentionally give out loss, He cannot for He Himself cannot lose remember He has never been defeated.  So why does God allow such happenings to occur?  He allows them to occur so that we will once again choose His Ways over the world's for He knows that as long as we choose the world as our leader our eternity shall be even darker than the current state of our hearts.  In every instance in the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, God has allowed ugliness to abide with His people because they are not following and obeying His Word.  In EVERY instance!  Once again, God reminds us that He is a consistent God and one that cannot change in any shape or form.  We must tell these lost souls that they do not have to add their eternity to the coming losses, there is good news here and it is in the form of Jesus.

Right at the moment, we have a volcano that erupted almost a month ago, it is still spewing lava from that day until now.  It is acting like no other volcano has ever done, not only is it continuing its eruption but it is gaining in intensity each day, it is not slowing down or subsiding at all.  It is this volcano that has prophecies attached to it and from what I have been noticing, things around the world could change at any moment.  How can we, the Church, stand by in amazement at this phenomenon knowing what we do about its future, and be totally silent?  Yes, it is beautiful to watch, but we cannot place worldly beauty ahead of God.  Church it is time we shout to the world that they need Jesus, forget about your public standing or worldly priorities.  The time is now that we proclaim God and prepare our hearts for the coming challenges very soon.  Speak to the world with the boldness of God at all times and rejoice in the fruits of God and His righteousness.

DLB

Glimpse of Hell

Glimpse of Hell

10/13/21

The title of this article may take some of you by surprise, but it is one that is dead on and presenting itself today.  Not much is spoken in the Christian realm about Hell, nor are its characteristics given on a regular basis so that people can see the Kingdom warfare that currently whips around us.  God is absolutely correct to state that Hell was created for the devil and his angels; however, because of our willingness to disobey we now fall into this grievous process.  We have allowed ourselves to become so numb concerning Hell that we are almost to the point where we no longer believe in its presence.  There are many signs and symptoms of Hell that our eyes behold every day, and God wants us to take a few looks sees into this truth. 

Once a culture finds out that something that has been taught as evil or something one does not want to accept as normal is "not so bad" the inhabitants tend to back off from the lethality of said chambers.  When I was a kid, my parents would occasionally yet consistently tell me things about what Hell stood for and what it was, and who would inhabit such a tumultuous place, and how Jesus conquered Hell when He was in the grave.  They also told me that individual people can express hellish traits and that if one understands Kingdom principles that recognizing these ugly measures would be able to correctly fight off those tricks of the devil.  It is possible that people can recognize these attributes of the worldly kingdom and not have to face its consequences or control over a person's life, they can be defeated right from the introduction and they will go no further.

Sadly, many people who identify as Christians do not wish to understand such spiritual truths; therefore, cannot fully win the battles that continually advance on their lives for they wish to fight physically and not spiritually.  Also, this lack of understanding concerning the spirit realm weakens them for the enemy fights both spiritually and physically and if you only are able to fight in the physical you have already lost half the battle, the important half.  A while back, God shared with us about being whole and it is vital that we witness to people and through that process, we become fully whole but if we cannot tell people about the entire Gospel, then we will not win very many people to Christ.  

Look at how we deal with those who approach us in an argumentative manner, look at how we respond to them as they throw a tantrum for the beliefs that we stand for that do not agree with theirs.  It is sickening that we have no true offensive motion toward the ones who use vile profanity and hurl vicious insults our way.  Many of us return the favor and begin a yelling match with them, trying to take this approach will only raise up further and deeper anger towards you and most importantly, God.  Another time in the past, I was commenting on a specific social media post and one of the responses that I received was a tirade filled with profanities along with a few physical suggestions that are impossible to achieve.  Anyway, I asked this person if it was necessary to use such colorful metaphors and he replied with a long list of them and said that it was important enough to him so I had better get used to it.

As time has gone along, I have noticed that those types of words and phrases have become more easily stated and are being used as part of normal grammatical sentence structures.  I find it repulsive and embarrassing at the same time that the younger generations cannot dissect a sentence but they can add such filth without batting an eye.  It is this type of word usage that God wants us to think about today and our Scripture text for this article is as follows:

Matthew 25: 29-30

"For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.  And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

It is frightening to hear some of the spoken words and phrases that come from our hearts that are directed toward another human being or group of people.  Yet, today it is acceptable to use such degradations against each other and what is more devastating is that this word usage can be spoken in two forms, both of which are harmful to the recipient.  If you sit down on a public bench downtown or just walk up and down a school hallway, you will hear these phrases coming from every type of kid or adult on a regular basis; no repentance at all, they just shout it out loud some even use them as to get one's attention a few steps away.  What we do not realize is that our language is taught to us and we learn it according to how our hearts receive and accept it.  Slang is almost always an issue for many people and times, it can be a derogatory statement that we pick up and then use as the common language of that day.

Look at how people act today, and if one really studies this behavior of the population they will see that those words and phrases are constantly being used in all sorts of references.  Moreover, it is the aspect of anger that is transmitted to many who differ from other opinions, why is that?  It is a Kingdom issue and principle that should be understood and dealt with appropriately but obviously, it is not.  The problematic aspect of this is that it does not matter what context one says or directs those phrases to they have a derogatory catch tune with them and when they have been relayed to others, the content of said words or phrases enters into the spirit of the listener.  This allows those meanings to next and then grow in that environment and it is not too much longer than those words and phrases can be used against someone else.  This is an evil method of spreading the kingdom of Satan, thus creating a newfound hatred for those who disagree with the new "life" and opinion within.

Soon all opposition to your individual program will be accompanied by anger and when you look into the eyes of these people, there is nothing but anger present.  This is where the gnashing of teeth comes into play and it does not paint a very good picture or outcome.  In this passage, we find the word "gnashing" and it comes from the Greek word "brygmos" which means grinding or a grating.  In the English dictionary, the word gnashing means grinding one's teeth together, having one's teeth set on edge, or biting down in pain, anguish, or anger.  In whichever definition one wishes to attend, there is nothing sweet, kind, or innocent about the definition or action of this word.  This verse also says that darkness will be present in these people's lives which is why the gnashing of teeth is granted permission to live and thrive.  This scene plays out when the treasure (worldly) that many have stored up and savored enough to bury is attacked; therefore, when attacked it is counted as a loss and will be defended appropriately (worldly) according to their defenses.  But, Christians do not see this fight, nor do they comprehend exactly what is being fought over.  Many of us have watched such encounters between people with opposing opinions and at some point, it seems like things are going to subside and the parties involved part in separate ways, but for some reason arguments and anger flare again and the entire scene is compromised again.

What we are witnessing in these examples is people of God confronted with those who do not believe in God or the Ways of His Word.  I believe that this is pretty obvious to some with many not figuring out what is actually transpiring.  The people who are angry and refuse to listen to the Truth are fighting against just that, the Truth.  If people are fighting against Truth then that means they have no Truth within their spiritual confines and that means they can only act like those involved with Hell.  In other words, what you are witnessing and seeing is a glimpse of Hell.  This is how people in Hell shall act but in Hell, it shall be far worse because while this is only a glimpse God is still present here and in control of all situations.  In Hell, God shall not be present, their wish granted to them for eternity.  Jesus gives us a pretty good idea of what one characteristic of what Hell will be like and from this example alone it is not going to be anything fun at all.

This is where God struggles with the direction of the heart of the Church, it is not fully understanding her mission and the importance of her mission.  How many of us have actually thought about this passage in such a manner?  I know I had never looked at it in this way, but it was a tad unnerving to me when God showed me this fact, the fact that this is a glimpse of what people shall do in Hell, live in tormenting conditions but the difference is that they have the option and choice to change now but not in Hell.  They will have a life but without any hope of productivity or profitability, which is a key ingredient and example that God is nowhere to be found.  

Another interesting portion of this article is that its verses come directly following the Parable of the Talents, which accurately depicts what occurs when we are given something to take care of and multiply but sit on it and build an unstable existence.  How much more defined of anger and selfish inner content can one display from the heart toward any other person?  Growing to the point where the wickedness of the heart becomes so blackened that it goes to the extreme of gnashing its spiritual teeth, not to mention the physical teeth as well.  Once again turn back to the thoughts of how people act around you that do not agree with your opinion, can you see a similarity?  It is right in front of us folks, Jesus gave us this picture thousands of years ago and its presence still lives amongst us.  This should tell us that we have not gained much ground in the knowledge of the spirit realm.

It also means that we better start putting our hearts back into the Bible and study its every letter for if it cost people their lives back when these verses were written you can be sure that this legacy has not changed at all.  Do you doubt this concept?  If so, go read the story of Cain and Abel, and then think about his action toward his brother and then revisit this passage again; it is very clear folks.  We have reached the point that we would rather film such a gnashing of teeth episode on our phones than try to mediate the situation's end.  God cannot operate on any level when peace and truth are not present, it is spiritually and physically impossible.  So, yes, if God is not present on any level then what you encounter as a result is a glimpse of Hell.  God says this type of setting is a glimpse of Hell, only a glimpse or small or quick portion.

Church, we have given away so much spiritual ground (your lives) that it is difficult to see exactly what damage has been done.  But this state of life does not have to be this way, God can repair and restore our lives back to where He intended us to be but we must first repent and set our hearts back to spiritually beating again.  If we do not stand up and fight for our eternity and to share the Truth about eternity to others, this glimpse of Hell that we are witnessing today shall continue to grow and a progression of sin like we have never watched develop before, an enveloping to be honest.  It takes guts to stand up to the world, but if we do not do it now, how can we stand when times become really tough?  God loves each and every one of us and it is our responsibility to tell those who are lost of the salvation plan for eternal life, for if we do not and continue in silence this glimpse of Hell shall increase unabated and all Hell will be released upon us.

DLB

Losing The War

Losing The War

10/11/21

Losing something to a friend or family member is bad enough, but losing something precious to an enemy is totally unacceptable.  How many of us have lost a battle that we should have easily won, or how many of us have made choices bad enough to lose said battle or war?  We were not created to lose anything for we are Created in the likeness of God.  Yet, we chose to give all that up for supposedly personal gain, an act that all of us still contend with on a minute-by-minute basis.  If we do not follow our Creator's instructions there shall come a time when a "given" victory will end in our defeat; however, we do not have to live in such defeat there is a way we can avoid it.  But we need to turn back to our Creator in order to live in such victory, for if not those stinging small defeats will one day catch up with us and will give all our enemies victory over our lives.

For many years, I have heard on several informational platforms that this nation shall lose a war that we have been engaged in.  It is hard to fathom such a thought but no matter how one feels it must be put into place a contingency plan if such a thing would develop.  The United States was created on a different level and designed to lead all other nations in freedom and democracy through God's example.  But our selfishness and self-centeredness have cost us dearly and because of this behavior, we have lost not just one war but many of them over the past few decades.  No, not all of them have been physical losses but it is the spiritual ones that count the most for they influence the physical aspect of things enough to include their losses as well.

What is most disturbing about this topic is the fact that most people do not care about losing these battles and wars.  They fail to admit that our stomach for toughness and defending the innocent no longer lives within our borders thus signifying to all others that our God-given fighting strength no longer exists.  But why is this?  What have we done to lose such power and stability?  These questions and more are easily explained, but the answers to these questions and many more to are not wished for, for it would require the truth of status, and currently we have no real leader to bring about this spiritual audit.  I guess we have not lost enough yet or lost something important enough to warrant such a new detail.

There are many examples in the Bible of how important it is to understand that our spiritual lives dictate how our physical will see and that one can have the strongest army yet lose to a very minuscule battalion.  God shows us this possibility in the passage of Scripture today.  It is one that comes off of a great victory and a battle that really should not have been fought at all due to the sizes of the armies involved; however, it was fought and it was no contest in favor of the enemy, not Israel.  The passage is as follows:

Joshua 7:1-8

"But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed this: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the Children of Israel.  And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country.  And the men went up and viewed Ai.  And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labor thither; for they are but few.  So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.  And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.  And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.  And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us?  would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jorda!  O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!"

Many people who do not study war or its properties have a tendency to not know that the fighting itself is not all that occurs during these times.  It is this passage that brings us to this attention and until we understand that we do not fight the physical alone but should rely on spiritual guidance in such tense times.  We have a scenario where Joshua was completing what God had commanded him and Israel to do concerning their enemies in the area.  Joshua sent spies out to the land of Ai this was a smart tactical process, the spies came back and told of a small army and that Joshua should only send a portion of Israel's army to fight, for the resistance would be minor.  Joshua and Israel did just that but were turned back by the warriors of Ai before they reached the gates of the town.  Israel literally turned their backs in fear and running away, total defiance to what God had previously ordained from the nation.

How could God go back on His Word of victory and allow the enemy to force Israel to turn their backs in defeat?  Our passage states the answer for losing that war and it had prior inoculations of sin hidden within the camp.  God cannot in any way turn His back upon His people and leave them defenseless during times of trouble; however, if God sees that sin rules the hearts of those He has entrusted to keep His Word pure then God has no choice but to halt His Word until the matter is corrected.  Many nations would chalk up this loss as being underprepared for the enemy but Joshua knew that something was amiss for God would not allow a defeat upon giving His Word.  Disobedience had occurred and was brought into camp, even if the objects of disobedience would not have penetrated the camp the guilty party's heart did which intensified the condition of Israel.

We cannot ever forget that our individual actions while we may feel are insignificant are not hidden from God.  Achan believed that he had done a pretty good job of hiding things from Israel and from God.  He was only half correct and in anyone's book 50% still chalks up a grade of "F".  It does not matter if just one person selfishly defies God during a scenario or in some type of action, disobedience has occurred and God cannot be called God if He allowed such secrecy and disobedience to thrive.  At that moment Joshua and all of Israel had no idea of what occurred previously but they knew something was not right and that Joshua would hear from God and know the truth.  The root of this defeat had to be found and it had to be done in a precise manner leaving no family or person out of the looking.  We see a few verses later the reason that Israel lost the battle that day, and it was not a pretty ending for that family but it was necessary that dealings had to be finished.

So, how does this passage of Scripture relevant to our lives and situations today?  Some of you may have already figured things out but probably most have not.  In NO way is God saying that you are dumb and should not be written off but He is saying that we have a heart problem and that unless we begin to seek Him for true answers our Achan is going to get found out and we shall not have a pretty outcome.  It has become obvious that we have no intentions of digging past the superficial layers of our hearts in order to expose what really lies underneath and within the depths of our hearts.  By not doing such a task God shall quickly take control of the situation His Way and expose all whether or not we want Him to or not.  Achan had plenty of time in-between battles and fights to turn himself in and confess his dealings, but his pride did not allow him to do this.  It was his selfish and prideful gains that proved more lucrative instead of obedience to God.

General George Patton once said: "Fixed fortifications are monuments to man's stupidity."  A controversial statement to say the least but it is one that rings loud and clear when you place this truth around a heart.  We are so quick and comfortable about placing mortar around our hearts to hide what is inside them and do not think about the consequences of our activity of defense.  This nation has built so many fortifications of hiding that they have become the number one hindrance to our advancement.  Almost every day when we wake up we hear about another problem, scandal, heartache, etc. flash across our screen yet as each one unfolds our resources and answers dwindle to ashes many times even before we finish our explanation.  There is a reason for this, we have become our own personal and nation Achan against God.

Church, you were created by Jesus to be the light of the world and to guide the world back to God.  But along the way, you have kept personal treasures from the world and hid them within your heart.  You may have not shown those treasures verbally or "publicly" to others but in all truth, you did for whether you know it or not your heart shines to the world along with its contents.  Through this action of ours, the world sees no problem with carrying its own treasures within their hearts either, see they recognize those worldly treasures we carry and since they know from where we got them it says to them that we carry the world inside our hearts so why would they possibly give up what they already have?  Because of those fixed fortifications around our hearts, the world becomes an equal instead of an enemy, and our presence here along with the mission Jesus commanded us to complete, null and void.

And, like Achan, we hide our sins underneath the blackened walls of those fortifications instead of tearing them down and correcting our hearts before God without His hand being our provocating stick.  The world is in enough trouble that we have no business adding to their woes.  It is obvious that our word to the world has been dulled and almost on the brink of being shut out completely; in some areas of the world, this has already happened.  Sadly, we flaunt our gifts and benefits to a mute and blind world through mute and blind words they are no longer alive but dead.  So how do we believe that we are doing any true and eternal good to the dead when we too are dead?  We may be completely shaken in the coming days but it does not mean we have to wait until our hearts are broken to start repenting and setting things right with God.  Repent, Church! And begin winning the lost for God.  God guarantees total victory when we go into battle with a pure and sinless heart and we shall never lose another war with His Standard.

DLB

Being Whole

Being Whole

10/5/21

Humans love to be complete and have enough security about themselves to function in confidence each and every day.  But as each day arrives, we find ourselves fighting the status of the world that claims piece after piece of our peace and security.  Soon we find ourselves hunkered down and not moving, waiting for the next attack, whether it be physically or spiritually, not to mention on the mental aspects of our lives.  God never intended for us to live in such a manner of defeat or in sickness but because of our choices He sent His Son into the world to show us the true way of survival.  However, the world does not like to give up its home-field advantage easily so it fights back just as hard.  This is why it is so hard for us to understand that God shows us how to heal and how to live abundantly in all ways, most importantly eternally.  Church, it is our responsibility to be different and to provide the light of wholeness to those who are seeking to live in such a manner.

Each one of us has had some time in our lives of sickness and most of us have huge attitude changes when these illnesses are upon us.  It is not fun being sick and our reputations go down the tubes quickly when we do not feel good.  Some want to be pampered and babied all the time, others moan and whine constantly and then there are those of us who just want to be left alone so we can "die" in peace.  Whatever the case may be, we usually become basketcases that are wretchedly pathetic and this state does not change until we are completely healed of what ailed us.  This begs the question: how many of us seek a doctor during this time?  The percentages will vary of course but a good majority ride out these conditions on our own, tempting fate at times.  No matter what, doctors should be contacted so that true remedies can be given or at least to tell us that we are doing what we are supposed to be for this process.

I have always stated that why should people go to the doctor if everything is functioning right and flowing correctly?  Some might agree with this but many will not, for even though your eyes may not see changes in your overall appearance the physician will and hopefully will avert any type of future condition that could sideline you for weeks or even months.  With a good report in hand, doctors will always give you further guidance in order for you to maintain your health standing which gives you the confidence that what you are doing or the way you are living is good for your life and systematically provides a healthy outlook for your existence.  This is why I go to the doctor, kind of like bringing a report card home from school to your parents, others like to hear of your good status, it eases their minds as well.

Jesus did the exact same type of examination of those around Him, but He did so in such a manner of the eternal and spiritual manner combining the physical to the spiritual through various ways and sayings so that everyone could understand what His purpose was to them.  He looked into each one of their spirits and He knew what to say about their condition and how to allow them to figure out that they needed healing.  So ask yourself this question: how do I appear to others?  It does not matter who the "others" may be either because you should look different from those who live according to worldly (sickly) ways and means, for this is how Jesus looked at those who He walked with and how He continues to look at us today, which brings us to the passage of Scripture for this article and it is very fitting for today and how our society looks:

Matthew 9: 12-13

"But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.  But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Here we have the Pharisees being Pharisees again, in that they were complaining about the company Jesus kept even down to whom He ate with on a regular basis.  We all know that the Pharisees would never have been caught eating or even socializing with those who they deemed as unclean or dirty in life, for their presence with them would be a disgrace to their own personal appearance instead of a lifting up of those who differ.  Jesus knew this about the Pharisees and spoke directly to them in this passage in the manner in which they should have been mentioning and acting.  In other words, Jesus was informing the Pharisees that through their immediate behavior at that moment, that they were just as sick and dirty with sin as the ones that He sat and ate with that day.

We cannot help but get a glimpse of how the words and actions of the Pharisees had on the people of their day; yes, they were different and separate from the common people but at the same time the Pharisees had no respect for those that needed God which gave the common people every reason not to have anything to do with God.  This is the way people of all levels of societies looked and acted toward each other it did not matter if they represented God or not.  This is not the way to win the world for God nor is it a way to live in harmony and peace with your neighbor either.  Jesus always had an appearance of forgiveness and healing wherever He went and this is the way we should look to others at all times.  We should always have a look of health with true energy to spare for those who need it  THe Pharisees may have been the religious sect of the Jewish community but they were far from being healthy and whole.

However, Jesus takes a turn for the deeper here with what He says to the Pharisees as well.  Not only did Jesus recognize that these people needed God but He also made it very clear that He intended to ensure His message was perceived correctly to them as well.  You can be the "holiest" person on the earth but have no clue how to articulate God to those who are in your contact which makes you ineffective and actually sick.  Not only do people that are sick look at your appearance, but they seek your advice and words as well; you can be the greatest physician in the world but if your bedside manner lacks on all levels, your reputation will diminish quickly and so will the trust your patients have in you.  It is this terrible "bedside" manner of the Pharisees that conflicted with Jesus on a regular basis, one would expect this type of clash to occur but this behavior clashed with those in need too which cause irreparable wounds in the hearts of many.

This manner of appearances from the leaders of the Jewish community did not develop overnight, it took a long time for this to grow enough to become the standard and not just a spot occurrence.  This treatment of the sick was totally missed by these leaders and was the main reason Jesus' presence and His miracles of healing offended the Pharisees greatly.  Our responsibility has not changed from the time Jesus walked the earth either, it is our job to heal these folks who need help but just as our appearance is similar to the Pharisees, we cannot complete this measure in our current standard.  We too are sick and need the help of the Great Physician again to make us whole.  Of course, we are going to fall at times but all humans do but we need to minimize these trippings as much as possible; that is why we go for a check-up to God on a regular (daily) basis.  Not for sanctimonious reasons but so that He may show us issues in our lives that need to be gone and for us to hear His instructions on how to steer clear of these issues.

Church, we have done the eternally sick a vast disservice of the truth and it is time we turn our heart around and seek God once again.  Jesus walked on this earth during a tumultuous period in human history and for over two thousand years we have done our best to continue its demise; not only the demise of the nations and Church but humans as well.  Clumping the Church into this demise is exactly how the Pharisees saw those around them who did not live and believe as they did and we have continued their work in this area.  We have not been the Church that Jesus came to establish, for Jesus fought for every individual that needed help both night and day. Jesus was in constant communication with His Father, we might have a true prayer once a week but most likely only once a month.

The Pharisees were not complete or whole in the eyes and heart of God and neither are we Church.  These verses are examples or supposed to be examples of being whole in Christ to the world, by witnessing to the ones who need God and need help on all levels.  Food banks and homeless shelters and their funding and support are great ideas but go eat with them and share Jesus with them.  It is through this type of witnessing that we should exhibit every day of our lives, it should not be a burden to show but a gift to others.  One cannot be whole until Jesus is shared with others and one cannot be whole unless Jesus is present in your life every day, not just at certain times.  I believe it is correct to assume what our standard of Christ is today.  

The only way that any one of us can share this attribute of Christ with others is to dive into the Word of God and to put on the entire Word of God around us.  Jesus makes it clear that one can have an entire lifetime of studying God but unless you have a relationship with Him you are as sick as one who has never stepped foot in a church building or has ever heard the mention of Jesus.  When a person moves or has their physician retire or just changes doctors for any reason there is a period of time that getting acquainted with the new influence is required.  God is calling for us to get re-acquainted with Him today so that we can be whole in Him and then go honestly and fully into the world and to show them the Healer of eternal sickness.

DLB