Is God Pro Choice?

Is God Pro Choice?

3/10/14

This topic is a highly debated one and defines many people that walk among our soil today.  It is a topic that most churches and Christians shy away from and refuse to deal with the efforts of those who use this topic on a daily basis.  This phrase sparks anger, hatred and even violence in many hearts yet in the majority of the cases these outcries are for the wrong and incomplete reasons.  The word choice itself is controversial but a word that needs to be completely understood before lavishing in its results.  This word is a strong word that has everlasting effects upon those who use its contents.  The ultimate question that everyone involved with this word is if God is pro choice and if He is then what can I expect my choices to render in my life? 

God gave me this topic to write about some time ago and I have been doing a wonderful job at dragging my feet and avoiding writing about this potentially explosive article.  While the concept makes sense and if people take what the Bible says and think about what those words mean then they will understand what God is trying to show us.  The topic of choice is always a hot issue and for the most part presents a hard line that divides humanity and from all angles places us into the irreconcilable differences category of this separation status. This article has many personal obligations in my life in addition to what many might say when they read what God is saying to us. 

I urge the reader to understand the entire direction of this article before drawing any conclusions.  This topic and article might need to be read over a couple of times before any conclusions are made.  Please understand that this is a tough subject and one that God does want us to understand because it is imperative for Him to get His entire message and the importance of this message to a dying world.  As I stated above, God showed me this topic a while back but I have been lax in my responsibilities in completing it but now it is time for the world to understand God’s point of view on choice and how He feels about the word and its meaning.  One also remember that God is a complete God and that everything that He has ordained has a complete meaning no matter how or why the human decides proportionately define a term or word.

We first need to understand that the word choice is a final word and a decisive word that has consequences.  This is why it can be determined that whatever the choice may be, what happens next is usually a final result.  To what extent do we take this word and to what value do we place upon it?  If this word is used in order to terminate a pregnancy then the result is a final one, yet life and its future circumstances will still inhabit this individual at some point in time.  If a choice is made to go to war, eventually some sort of final result occurs and as in the example before the results of this choice are final as well and will last just as long.  The choice to buy a car and move to London, England positive one but one does not know what will become of that choice until days, weeks or years down the road.  It is plain to see that choices have consequences no matter what level of choice is made and we must understand that these results may seem adequate at the moment, but what long term effects will they have and have we thoroughly considered all of these options?

It is easy for humans to say that their choice is their choice and no one should have any say otherwise.  While this fact is true, one should remember that taking counsel with others before making a choice has always been a wise option and has provided many mistakes from being created.  This brings up which counsel to seek and can we even ask God about what He would do and if He would help us through this period in time.  Human counsel is just that, a flawed and limited knowledge that usually seeks a quick remedy with the least amount of pain possible.  But is this the correct choice and even though many humans would agree with this path is it the correct choice?  A true choice cannot be one of manipulation or setting an uncomfortable situation straight; this is a type of whimsical choice that solves an immediate problem with no change in the heart and this type of choice does not enlighten the person and heighten their awareness against this choice if this case ever arises again.

Many people do not even consider God as an option when hard decisions or major ones that they believe could condemn them in certain circles arise.  I am not going to make any specific cases in this article except for God’s.  I am going to use an example that I have used as a long term answer when some people have asked me about certain decisions in their life, I am also going to use a very personal choice that had huge affects upon my life and then I am going to focus upon how God views choice.  God is a final and complete God and His entire vocabulary ring loud and clear throughout eternity and one really needs to understand that God is the only true option when a person seeks help and refuge for a major choice in their lives.  How serious is God when it comes to choice, eternally serious.

There was a lady who graduated college with a business degree and as soon as her diploma was handed to her and the ceremonies completed a person approached her with a job offer that she could not refuse.  It was her dream job and it had the perfect benefit package that went along with it.  The only drawback to the job in her opinion was that the job required her to move to Seattle, Washington, and this lady really did not like the wet and cold weather but would overlook it in order to make amends.  The lady loved her job and excelled in her position and within a few years had climbed the corporate ladder enough to be over the department that she once worked within. Time marched along and after thirty five years of hard work she had the opportunity to retire at a young age and enjoyed her remaining days and passed away peacefully at a ripe old age.

This same lady in the same setting after graduation decided not to take the job in Seattle but took another job closer to her hometown.  It was a great job and the benefits were just as appealing and her life was a happy one.  She met a man who had been transferred to her company and they began dating.  The dating scene became serious and wedding bells were eventually heard throughout the town.  True happiness came a few years later when their first child was born and a son graced the world as a future heir to that specific name.  A phone call came one afternoon notifying her that there had been an accident and that her husband was involved in a fatal crash.  Her life was ruined and it seemed like the world was crumbling around her, but things were not all bad she still had her family and her son that would bring light to her as each future day passed into history.

This example occurs in our lives every day and leaves no one out of the patterns of life.  We have no idea what our choices will hold but we take charge of our lives and hope for the best.  The lady in this example had no idea what her life was going to hold and even though there may have been some regrets about her choices, she still had to live with the consequences of those choices.  This example explains that life has its consequences no matter what we choose to do and even these innate choices have serious results that we will have to deal with in time.  This lady had no idea of what her choices would produce but at the same time she hoped that everything would turn out for the best.

In November of 1967 a tiny boy came into the world that had a head full of black hair and was small enough to fit into a dresser drawer until a crib was bought.  While there were millions of little boys born on the 23^rd of November 1967 it was one boy in particular that I am going to use in this example; that boy is me.  Most of you know that I was adopted shortly after my birth and I have enjoyed a wonderful life with the only parents that I have ever known.  My parents were open and honest with me about my adoption and as I grew and became older they shared more information with me concerning this fact about my life.

My parents made an important choice when they adopted me because the result of this choice would change everything about their lives from that moment forward.  They have never regretted their decision and would do it all over again if the opportunity would appear.  But their choice was not the only one that was in play during that time for I had a birth mother who had to make certain choices in her life as well. While abortions were not legal in the 1960s the procedure was still available and could have been completed when she found out that she was pregnant.  The same lady had to make another choice when she said that she was permanently giving me up to another family.  Many choices had to be made in the heart of this lady and I thank God every day that she allowed me to live and to grow up and to know what life is all about.  I love my parents and would not trade them for anything either, but most of all I am so glad to have to opportunity to draw a breath and to witness the beauty of life itself.

I am going to add another example of choice into the mix and it is just as important as the ones that I have already shared.  When I was a kid I liked to watch a couple of television shows on Saturday evening.  One of these shows was called “Fantasy Island”.  Some of the plots within each show were probably not the best but each plot represented a desire or wishes of a specific person and they arrived on this island to fulfill this dream.  We all knew that some of these fantasies could never be accomplished in real life but on the off chance that something similar to them did cross the minds of those who watched the show.  The catch to the show was that the one who wanted to fulfill this exotic or whimsical choice of theirs had to live with the consequences of the outcome.  There was no guarantee that the results would be favorable but the chance to see what occurred was always present.  It was the choice and the result that the show focused on and how each would affect that individual’s life from that point onward.

All of the examples I have used so far have been choices that humans have made.  It is obvious that we make choices each second of our lives that can have some type of permanent result that lasts until we depart this world.  But what about God and the choices that He made. Yes, God made choices and proves the point that God is pro choice.  Now, before the uproar begins let me say that the reader should continue their reading of this article and with the best of their ability not to close their minds and their hearts to the truth about this topic.  I understand that some may not like that answer and totally ignore the rest of this article and that choice is very wrong.  I also understand that some will take what I just said and run with it to prove that God is on their side of certain issues and that choice is just as wrong as the opposite view.  There is an important truth here that everyone needs to keep in mind and this truth represents the definition of this word and what it means to our lives, both physical and spiritual.

The Bible tells us that we have an enemy, and it is the job of our enemy to do his best to destroy us in every capacity.  The Bible also tells us that this eternal and immortal enemy was not always our enemy.  A very long time ago there was an angel named Lucifer.  This angel was the highest ranking angel that God had ever created.  He was very beautiful and was in charge of the music that flowed in and out of heaven.  Lucifer was a created being from a complete Creator who loved life.  We have to understand that spirit beings are eternal and really do not understand the concept of time, so it is humanly impossible to actually comprehend when Lucifer was created or how much time passed before the day of his fateful choice.

I have stated many times in my past articles that God is a complete God and that He leaves no stone unturned when He completes a process.  When God created the angels his plan for humanity was already in place so in order for Him to be complete and true in every aspect He had to keep in line with what He had established within His heart.  God gave the angels a choice to serve Him or to make another choice.  The Bible tells us that Lucifer wanted to be like God and wanted to have the opportunity to complete the things that God did, so God granted Lucifer this choice.  But while Lucifer was making this choice he knew that the consequences of this choice would be grave and after God sent him from his post, Lucifer vowed to take revenge against God in a specific manner sometime down the road.

When Lucifer made the choice to challenge God and since he was a created being his choice was permanent and could not be erased or changed.  It was permanent choice that had severe and eternal results.  This means that once Lucifer had set into motion his decision the process of that decision could not be changed or stopped.  The drive that Lucifer must have had to try and accomplish the exact same creations that God had perfectly created but have been unaccountable, yet God allowed this eternal being to have a choice in his eternity. The Bible also states that when Lucifer made his choice to challenge God and leave the host of angelic beings, that he took a third of the angels with him.  Now, if Lucifer had a choice or free will then that means that the other angels that went with Lucifer also had a free will. In other words, every angel or spirit being that God has created has free will and has the ability to make a choice, no matter what that choice might be.

So because our enemy had the opportunity to make the choice to challenge God that proves that long before mankind was created God was pro choice.  God created the ability for angels to make choices which in essence was a choice of God and if God practiced the concept of choice, we can honestly say that God is pro choice.  It is not questionable that God understands the results of the choices that His created beings make for as any father would act it must have broken His heart to witness millions or billions of His created beings rebel against His authority.  I have no idea how many angels fell with Lucifer but it is apparent that there were enough that the Bible gives an account of how many did choose to leave with Lucifer. 

It is hard for our finite minds to comprehend why any of them would choose to leave, but we do know that the event did happen and that they did leave sealing their eternal fate without any chance of change.  However, the process of making a choice is very familiar to our lives and what is amazing to me is that the initiation, execution and the results of Lucifer’s plan can be witnessed in our choices as well.  The process of wanting more or something different entered into the thought process of Lucifer.  That idea then developed into a process and a plan of action.  The plan was then executed in some manner and a result ensued after God allowed the plan to be experienced.  This is the result of a choice that a being made and it fits into our lives in the same order.

Eventually Satan came to the Garden of Eden and saw that it was inhabited by fleshy people.  They were different in the fact that they had both a physical body and a spirit within themselves.  A unique design but one that angered Satan ferociously and their entire meaning was a direct slap in the face to him.  It was his goal to prey upon God’s new creation and to prove that the humans could fall as well.  Satan knew that if God had instilled the power of choice within his life then God had no choice but to follow suit when creating mankind.  Satan was correct in this matter and it was not long afterwards that mankind made the choice to go it alone and to see what God had given to man.

God gave one law to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and we choose to disobey this law.  We can try to blame Satan or Eve but in reality it was the act of choice and the ability to choose that was given to us which led to our downfall, in short it was our choice.  See, when God does something He is very specific and very complete on all issues.  So, if He creates one thing a certain way He is therefore obligated to further create in the same manner.  When God gave the angels the ability to choose then He was obligated to give the same to humans.  However, with humans God decided to play a little trick on His enemy and changed up the order of creation a bit just to ensure that Satan’s status had no spiritual legal grounds for arguments and would allow us to have a personal choice to be eternally redeemed.

The actions of mankind in the Garden of Eden prove that God gave humans the ability to choose and this process we call freedom of choice is a process in which we thrive upon and use on a continual basis.  But with the example that God has set into motion concerning our creation, the process of choice still comes into play and the results that these choices play in our lives holds just as much eternal salvation and damnation as it did for our immortal enemy.  It is this fact that people tend to forget and then allow our enemy to pounce upon the results after we have made a certain or specific choice.

Given the truth about the results of Lucifer’s choice and what the Bible says about that entire scene, then it would be safe to say that our choices will have the same results on our lives as well.  The only difference is that because of the way God created us we have an opportunity to be forgiven of the choices that we have made and to begin again within the guidelines and laws of God.  It is the job of our enemy to make sure that we do not understand God’s ways and to thoroughly discredit God that our choices actually have any root in our future.  Our enemy takes joy in the fact that we have the opportunity to make a choice but what he leaves out are the consequences that might come about after we make that choice.  Our enemy does not care anything about what happens to us after the choice is made, all he is concerned with is for us to separate ourselves from God far enough that we lose all trust and truth in our Creator.

The concept and truth about choice is a huge asset that we have and if used properly and in a godly manner it is one of the best gifts that man can harbor.  But choice is so seldom used in this capacity but is thrown around as a scapegoat and a cover to hide our own actions. It has become a popular stance to say that one is pro choice and everyone has this ability within them but when a choice is used for political gains or in such a way that it serves as a platform for a personal action, it becomes a death sentence to us from the One who gave us that ability from our beginnings.  A choice will present itself in many circumstances and many times we may not have the time to think about the decision that has to be made.  But if we have thoroughly studied the One who has given us this option and understand His ways then we can base our immediate and long term choices upon His ways.  God shall always choose life no matter what the question or conditions may offer.  It is mankind who chooses other than life and even though it is embedded within us to choose, we must not take the decisions lightly or use them carelessly in order to obtain a quick fix to an uncertain present situation.

In keeping with the choices of man and the response that we force God to undertake, reread the stories within the Bible or any other story in history and apply the outcomes of each story with the complete stance of choice.  Napoleon chose to attack Russia in the winter, and he failed miserably taking thousands of lives to their deaths even before the fighting began.  The Catholic Church fought enough amongst themselves that they actually broke apart into two sections, totally based upon the way man chose to think about God’s representation on earth.  A couple just had a beautiful baby girl that was born over the weekend and this new life has brought so much joy to that entire family.

God has granted us the ability to choose and we must remain in the pro choice category for if we did not then we would give up a basic element of our existence.  God shall always choose life and everything choice that He has ever made proves His choice.  God is happy with your life and He may be disappointed in some of the choices that we make but He never gives up and hopes that we fully understand His ways and that one day we honestly give Him a chance to operate with His laws in place within our lives.

All of the examples and the details that I have given in this article point out a logical and truth that we need to understand.  God is pro choice but He is chooses life for everyone and every creation that is His.  Not everyone will agree with this fact and I know that some will continue to harbor their own selfish means.  God accepts this for it is your choice and He accepts the choices that you make each day but He also wants you to understand that He loves you and He placed this ability within us so that we may choose Him and leave the world alone.  The king of the world cares nothing about you and wants to see your life destroyed, but this too is your choice.  Everything in this world is temporary and the things in it will come and go.  But God is everlasting, complete and faithful in all of His ways and He shall never change from choosing life.

What does this mean to our lives?  It means that God will accept the fact that He has installed into us free will which means we are free to make the choices that we deem necessary.  God is not the type of person who wants to rule our lives with a heavy hand, unlike what the world has to offer.  This also means that God will allow us to make our choices and then have to live with whatever consequences those choices may bring into our lives.  God also will allow these choices to establish a pattern within our society and to accept them for what they represent in truth, not through superficial and emotional benefit.  Everything that we choose to make in our lives that go against God’s Laws God will allow continuing.  It is not because He does not care but because He wants us to make the choice to choose Him.

To be complete God will allow these acts to continue and as long as our choices include God within our choices, God has promised to protect His people.  However, we all understand that as we continue to pursue humanity rather than God our choices become more selfish and quick tempered which is baseless according to God’s laws.  As stated before God is a complete God and will allow this action to continue but only up to a point.  For God sees the heart and He recognizes the desires of the heart of the society as well and it is at this point when warnings are given.  Our choices do matter but in truth they are ours to make.  It is also God’s to make as well so we need to keep this concept in mind when the world begins to fall apart, so that we will understand exactly who is to blame.  God loves each one of us and He does not wish to see any harm come to any of His children but our choices must be in line with God and His ways or we are placing ourselves into a situational demise that all of us will witness.  Remember God shall never make a choice in anger nor will He ever choose death over life.  But His ways are holy in every way and those ways must be kept or we that deviate from that path shall see turmoil like we have never known before.

So according to God’s Word God is pro choice but also recognize that God’s choices shall never harm the human nor will they bring pain upon His created beings and His choices shall always promote and side with life.  When someone comes up to you and asks if you are pro choice or pro life you can honestly say, yes to both.  And of course this will confuse them or even upset them a little but it sure does open up the opportunity to share the gospel with that person or group and that is what we are supposed to do in the first place.  Think about this topic and take it to heart.  God loves you and wants us to live in eternal life and happiness.

DLB

Losing Your Crunch Part 2

Losing Your Crunch Part 2

3/9/14

The second example I am going to use also demonstrates the laws of the environment and a few other naturally occurring ones that have always fascinated me.  Ever since I began my studies in Chemistry, Biology and more specifically Medical Technology my knowledge of physical properties has increased and over these decades of my studies  I have been amazed to learn of exactly how some of the physical properties of objects function.  One of these physical properties can be observed when two objects are placed side by side which is the subject of this second example.

Most of us enjoy the combination of cheese and crackers.  It is a combination that I was introduced to when I was very young and it is still a huge favorite of mine today.  When I was a young boy the only option that I had concerning this combination was a saltine and a slice of cheese.  Mom or dad would slice some strips of cheese for me and then I would quickly begin to build my cheese and cracker sandwich. For some reason they did not trust me with a knife, just as my wife does not trust me with a knife today; I still do not understand why. Anyway, the cheese and cracker sandwich was a snack that I loved to receive and would never complain when it was served to me.  The snack was quickly consumed and for the most part had no chance of long term survival as its manufactured state after it was presented to me.

After I grew up and became an adult someone in the western world had the brilliant idea of manufacturing a pre packaged cheese and cracker set.  Most of us have seen these items in the grocery stores where the cheese and crackers are kept in a separate bin and everything is sealed for preservation and freshness.  They can be expensive at times so I usually do not buy this product but every time I see one I think to myself of why I did not think about this product and produce something like this before that other person did.  The concept is a great one and with the contents provided there is a specific reason as to why they are kept separate.  It was not until I took Chemistry that I understood why this was necessary and as time progressed God showed me a very important concept about His Kingdom and our enemy’s kingdom and what happens when we try to mix the two.

Since I have converted to being a diabetic it is important for me to have a snack at times.  I do not need the sugar snacks but some type of protein is needed within my body to make sure that my sugar levels stay within their normal range.  There is nothing wrong with cheese as being a snack because it is a great source of protein and if cheese is in order then I must have some type of cracker along with it.  I still make my little cheese and cracker sandwiches and they serve their purpose quite nicely when and if I eat them.

For some reason we were in a hurry one morning and my wife was hurrying to make my snack so she put the cheese and crackers into the same pouch.  She did not think about what she had done and when I looked at the pouch to see what my snack was I did not think about the fact of the order either.  I usually go into work at 0645 in the morning and do not get off work until about 1500 or so which means that my morning snack would reach my stomach sometime around 1000.  So the contents of my snack have to be close to each other for about 3-4 hours until I have the opportunity to eat.  Most of the time what my wife fixes me this time frame should not matter and have no effect on the contents but with cheese and crackers there could be a problem if they are placed together for this long of a time.

The time came that I had enough time to sit for a spell and eat a portion of my snack.  I grabbed my bag and opened it to locate the pouch that contained my snack.  I had the mental taste of cheese and crackers in my mind all morning and as soon as my eyes hit the bad those memories sprang into action.  I found the pouch and picked it up and set it on my little desk.  I then opened the pouch and picked up one piece of cheese and two crackers.  This task was not hard to complete since the way the items were placed into my bag they had basically already formed a sandwich so all I did was continue the pattern out of the pouch.

The sandwich looked ok and the smell of the cheese and flavored crackers were still filling the immediate area.  I had no idea that there could be anything wrong with my little sandwich but that false reality was quickly erased as soon as I took my first bite of tat sandwich. There was hardly any crunchiness to the crackers and the flavor of the cheese had partially vanished.  The crackers had become soggy even though their physical appearance had not changed, or at least that is what I noticed on my first glance.

I took a closer look at my sandwich and noticed that the color of the cracker had slightly changed which meant that something had occurred to complete this change.  My scientific mind immediately kicked in and I was reminded that when one object that has a higher moisture content than the other object that it is attached to, some of the moisture of the higher content will cross over to the drier environment.  This physical law when put into motion will effectively change the consistency of both objects, and if tasted can be recognized in that area as well.  The sandwich had been compromised in such a way that it really did not appeal to my taste buds any longer.  While there was technically nothing wrong with the sandwich it had lost all of its appetizing thoughts to my stomach.  Needless to say I did not eat any more of the sandwich and really struggled with the fact that I had to throw away the soggy mess that was once going to be a beautiful masterpiece.

What a concept that can be illustrated here where our lives and spiritual lives are concerned and how if reflects upon the Church and her functional mission that Jesus ordained.  The cracker is a dry environment and is designed to be as such.  There are not too many popular soggy crackers out on the market and while this type of cracker is edible it would present a very harmful setting if any bacteria came into contact with it.  The cheese on the other hand can have a moister content because of how it is made.  We all know that some types of cheese are considered to be dry but even in this state the moisture content are still considerable higher by the structure and formation of the cheese.

It is a natural process when two objects are placed together that their contents will act accordingly.  The only way to avoid this mixing of contents is to keep the object totally separated until time of consumption.  As long as there is this separation then the physical laws of absorption and imbibition cannot take place but as soon as they are placed together these laws are subject to activation; nothing extraordinary or special just a fact of nature.  It is this concept of imbibition and absorption that comes into play on the spiritual aspects of our lives when we allow ourselves to be in close contact with the world.

The close contact that I am referring to here is one that allows the acceptance of world standards into our lives.  It is common knowledge that when something is first introduced into our lives it is an awkward feeling and presentation but if that source is allowed to continue to have an influence around us then that source will eventually become accepted as a natural part of our lives.  In human terms it is called a habit or a way of life that we “need” to accept as the truth.  We see this pattern occurring in today’s world with every turn of our head and it is not hard to understand why these events are transpiring.  What is more difficult to ascertain is that this same process is present within the Church and the influence of the world into the Church is on a breakneck pace.

The Church has failed to realize that it has voluntarily accepted the ways of the world into her gates and that while she is supposed to accomplish this feat she is also responsible to keep her separation status intact.  This explains why we cannot avoid living in this world but we sure do have the choice of not accepting the death wishes that the world has to offer.  The Church has completed this assimilation process with the world and it is now coming to light of exactly what has occurred. 

I was recently talking with one of my cousins online and she was asking me why the status of the Church has no bearing upon the world today and I mentioned briefly about this concept and how this integration concept with the world is not something new to the Church.  It was established shortly after Jesus’ death and has blossomed ever since.  The fruits of this worldly connection have been noticeable for centuries but due to modern methods of communication these fruits are easily portrayed.  We as Christians have failed to recognize this fact about ourselves and have voluntarily ignored the issues that have torn down our offensive capabilities.

It is this process of absorption and imbibition that has led to the weakening of the Church and the gain of momentum of the world.  It is a direct objective of our enemy to lessen our presence in the world and to render the presence and authority of the Church dead.  What we do not get is the fact that as long as our enemy can incorporate his kingdom into our lives we will not be able to do what God has commissioned us to do as human beings.  This act has affected the Church throughout our history, it is affecting the Church today and it will continue to affect the Church in the future.  It is a systematic failing due to the lack of understanding of what God designed us to complete and that design being redistributed as self as its replacement.  Self is the only law that the world has to offer and it can only be distributed into our lives, the Church, when it is in close contact with our hearts.

This is a kingdom concept that is being portrayed here through a terrible and deadly lie from our enemy.  The Church has become close enough to the world that she has heard the message of our enemy’s kingdom louder than what we have heard the message of our Creator’s Kingdom.  We have been so enthused about having our own ways fulfilled within the Church that we have accepted the ways of the world as a means to obtain our ambitions, even if we cry them out in the name of God.  What more of a “holy” blasphemic example can be portrayed to a dying world?  Think about what we are actually doing when we allow the world to become assimilated within the laws and confines of the Church.  It is a death sentence to the Church, which means it is a spiritual death sentence to YOU!!

There cannot be any compromise with the world when it comes to its acceptance of its ways into the Church.  A person can still invite and bring the complete sinner into the church building but if the Church allows that person’s sin into the Church and then allows it to stay without teaching them of their sin, then we are inviting the world to incorporate its laws into the Church.  Then when this condition occurs the question has to be asked of ourselves, who is the drier of the two objects?  And isn’t this the exact opposite of what Jesus said that we were to be?

Have you ever wondered why God would say that if a person or group of people, such as the Church, would be spit out of His mouth if they were lukewarm?  Can one compare this situation with stale chips and still not be blasphemous in their origins?  I believe it is possible and in fact I believe that it is an excellent comparison since the concepts of the reaction to the condition of the item is in question.  God is a complete God and He will use examples that our finite minds can use in order for us to understand.  A stale chip is terrible and the majority of us would do the exact same thing as I did when we encountered that chip.  Any company or manufacturing company knows that if their product is old, dry and feeble that their product will not sell and that it does not truly represent what that company promotes, so why would the Creator of all life produce and expect anything different from this standard? 

The bag of chips would be indicative of the Church and the chips are representative of the people within the Church.  The atmosphere inside the bag is uniquely created so that the vitality and freshness would be separate from what the outside conditions portray.  But it is the nature of the Church for its inhabitants to be shared with the world so their internal environment needs to be opened for the world to consume.  However, if the world is allowed into the Church and the true and sole purpose of the Church through the people of the Church are not used properly then the laws of the world, or in this example the laws of physical nature, will eventually take over.

We should also take notice that the concept of the cheese and cracker corresponds with the first example concerning the chips.  Both principles are active and are destroying the congruency of the Church and as long as the Church operates in this blinding fashion we will do nothing more but churn the waters of hate and deceit amongst our own building walls and give the world further reason to pick us up and throw us into the world’s garbage bin.  It is a guaranteed fact that if the Church does not return to her roots and once again teach the truth about God and accept His ways as the true law of the world, we are in for the shock of our lives and a shaking to our core that will be hard to imagine.

The command that Jesus said to His Church was to “go into the world and preach the gospel.”  The verb that He used here is an action verb which means that one must be on an active or alive status in order for it to be effective.  Sitting around within the confines of a building will not fuel this action verb and hence with given time become stale in its message and will be subject to worldly laws.  It is obvious that when Jesus came into the world He opened the bag of chips (the Church environment) because He understood that the world needed the nourishment and life that the Church could provide.  He also understood that the Church needed the authority to provide this nourishment so He commanded us “to go”. 

But look at us know and one will see a pretty church that has every need fulfilled yet we remain within the confines of our buildings knitting our own little booties and waiting upon the return of the Christ.  The Church is establishing fewer and fewer churches throughout the world and our population is dwindling by each day.  It is obvious that the world is still in the mood for the presence of the Church but its motives have drastically changed in that when the world reaches in for a “chip” it is to crush that chip and to make it lay waste inside the garbage can.  We cannot blame the world for this action for they are doing exactly what their leader has shown them to do. 

It is OUR fault that we are being thrown into the trash bin because we have deliberately ignored what Jesus has told us to complete.  We have told ourselves that our product is the best and that no matter how long we sit around and present ourselves to the world our taste and flavor will always remain.  Right now the world is throwing the entire concept of God and His ways into the trash bucket because the Church that He ordained to preach the gospel has sat on her duffs and not done what He commanded.  The Kingdom of God is being pushed back daily because of our lack of understanding and deliberate disobedience to what has been told to us.

It is this stale environment that our enemy is using against us and even today the majority of the Church does not see what it has done to herself.  It is true that God has opened our doors to the world and that is exactly what we are supposed to do but when we sit there and allow the world’s environment into the walls of the Church and then do nothing it is at this time that we lose our crunch by allowing the dry kingdom and its conditions to suck the flavor and life out of our mission. It does not matter if this occurs on the individual level, group level, or national level for once the process begins our mission is effectively cancelled and until we realize what has transpired, our troubles will continue.

Once the initial doors are opened then the true nature of the Church can be witnessed.  A dull and stale church does not have the vitality to sustain life and thus creates a setting of complacency and death.  This will be embraced by the world but will be rejected by those who actually have a desire to know God and want a change for their life.  It is this stale condition that can be compared to the verse in the Bible about God spewing or spitting the lukewarm person or group out of His mouth.  No one wants dull and boring yet they do not wish to have a spiritual show either.  Hurting people wish to be involved in a church setting that is alive from within and projects to the world a real difference from what is being presented to them outside of the Church walls.

People were created for uniqueness and the Church should be no different from this concept.  Each church setting should be unified and focused upon one goal, the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ to a dying world.  God cannot accept a stale and dull setting for He represents total and true life for all mankind and this stale environment comes not from Him.  God did not create you in this manner nor did He create His Church to act in this dull manner either.  God cannot change His standards and ways so that means that the Church has varied away from its original plans, not God.

God expects His Church to be full of life and flavor when the world takes a bite out of what we have to offer in the confines of the church. This means that our lives must be constantly infiltrated with a supernatural source of energy and flavorings in order to make a difference in the mundane offerings that the world presents to everyone.  The Church must be at the forefront of all worldly issues and united against them in order to provide a different kind of lifestyle, one that speaks of hope, love and true happiness.  There is no way that the Church can portray this kind of action if we are in acceptance of the world’s standards and beliefs.  For if we do accept the world’s conditions as our own, then the Church becomes stagnate and stale and acceptable to the world, which is the definition of a dying Church.

What comes next when the person eating the chips realizes that the entire bag is stale, the bag gets thrown away.  And when this occurs in a church setting this means that the church is dead and has no life within its walls any longer.  God has no choice but to throw the entire Church away and start over once again, which means that He must wake us up again in His own manner and timing.  Isn’t it about time that we regain our solid and backboned stance towards the world before God has to step in and do our job for us?  For we all know that a flimsy and stale church is no match for the conditions of the world, even the conditions that we have accepted into the church will overwhelm us.  See, the Church was created to be different and separate from the world and not to accept the world within its walls, for the two cannot live together for they are eternally separate in spirit.

Restore your effectiveness to the world and return to God and allow Him to salt you once again to make a difference to the world.  The church building will sit on its own and rot away just as we do if we do not change our ways.  It is ok to be different from the world and God expects us to thrive in this difference.  So when you bite into a stale chip again think about how God looks upon your heart; then allow God to examine your heart in order to bring out all of the impurities that would cause you to become stale.  When this process has begun I guarantee that others around you will see the change and they too will have the realization of the new vitality that you have within.

The crunch that God restores into your life is not a preservative or a substance that will break down anytime soon, but it is an added ingredient, His own special ingredient that changes your form and shape so that you can stand out in the world again.  It is this personal recipe that makes you unique to others and is the reason that each one of us has the potential to push forward God’s Kingdom, which really irritates the enemy.  Be a light to the world and be a life to your church so that the Church may once again be restored to her original state of holiness, sanctity and purity towards the world.

DLB

Losing Your Crunch Part 1

Losing Your Crunch

3/9/14

Interesting concept huh, losing your crunch, but let us take a bit and examine this example and see just what it means to our lives.  God chose Jesus to come to the earth for a reason and to fulfill a goal for humanity.  Jesus also charged His Church with a special mission and calling which created a unique opportunity for all of us to complete.  Still the majority of the Church has not done its part in fulfilling this mission nor have we any desire to either.  Is a lazy hearted Church the type of stance Jesus would have taken towards the lost?  We have blended into the world instead of being the salt of the world and this one condition has effectively wiped out the Church’s effectiveness to complete the mission that is before us. 

The examples God has given to share with you concerning this topic have been enormously wonderful.  It is my desire to share everything with you and in order for me to accomplish this I am breaking the topic up into two parts.  The first part is just as important as the second part so I ask you to read both parts so that we all can understand what God is sharing with us.  Part one is considerable shorter that the second but both contain vital information.

I do not know how many people have placed the Church and our lives into this category but this topic serves a very important area of our lives that we need to keep in our forebrains.  Because if we lax in any area of this magnitude we automatically subject ourselves to infiltration from our enemy and then have the potential to become blinded to the truth.  And when we are blinded in any form we are then sitting ducks for further lies and temptations that can lead to devastating attacks down the road.  I will use two relatively common examples in this article and each one of these examples actually uses the laws of the environment to prove that these examples do occur and how these concepts can be introduced into our lives.  A few days ago I finished an article about the two kingdoms that we knowingly or unknowingly deal with each day and how that while they are both present in our lives they cannot mix in any way, shape or form.  If you have not read that article I ask that you do so that this topic will be easier to understand and to follow.

All of us like to have a tasteful dinner.  Great food and side dishes make up the best portions of our dietary intake and when humans partake in these settings we like to make sure that all bases are covered.  A big portion of my growing up years included a place known as Texas.  Texas is famous for many things and southwestern style cooking is one of them.  I remember enjoying this type of cuisine many times while I lived there and even up to this day there are times that I crave the flavor of this type of food.  All of us can relate to these types of cravings and even though yours might be of another ethnic origin there is nothing wrong with indulging yourself when these attacks occur providing your stomach has the necessary defense mechanisms in place to properly digest the source.

In our house when this type of food is served we make sure that the main course is always accompanied by certain condiments and side dishes.  A “staple” condiment that is present on our table is our homemade salsa which is copiously applied to most of the sides and the main dish when this setting is presented.  A popular side or addition with the main course is chips, with almost any kind of regular unflavored corn chip or flavored chip brands being subject to annihilation and cannot be left out while the consumption process is in progress. 

A short time ago this type of setting graced our family table.  Everything was neatly prepared by my wife and her timing was right on schedule with everyone being present and accounted for.  The family sat down and we promptly said a prayer of thankfulness for the food and then as soon as the word “amen” came from one of my daughter’s lips, the free-for-all began.  Every item was quickly passed around the table and each one of us had the opportunity to accept or to deny what was being served.  After the main course and sides were passed around then began the parade of condiments and chips.  I was the lucky one who got to start the chips portion of this parade so I grabbed the bag that was closest to me.

The bag of chips that was at the table had already been opened which for the most did not serve as a problem because it is normal to have an open bag of chips in our house.  Hips are not just for the dinner table because some of us have a huge weakness when it comes to having chips and salsa as an evening snack.  Anyway, I opened the bag of chips and reached in and took a small handful of chips and them carried to the table and them set them down until I was ready to use them one at a time.  The bag was half full which told me that the bag had not been opened for too long and that the quality of the chips should not be in question.  I then motioned to my daughter who was sitting next to me by slightly moving the bag in a back and forth direction.  She was busy placing another condiment item on her sides and refused the bag.  After gesturing to the others at the table it was clear that no one else wanted chips so I rolled the bag back up and placed it back on the flood and out of the way.

I then proceeded to take my first chip into my right hand and then took my fork and placed in into the food on my plate with my other hand.  The first bite of food reached my mouth and of course it was hot with fire so I immediately raced the chip into my mouth for some type of relief.  I crunched down onto the food and the chip and at that moment I heard no crunch protruding from my mouth.  I could hardly believe my ears and taste buds.  As soon as I swallowed the food that was in my mouth I quickly grabbed another chip and put it in my mouth to see if I had just randomly chose a dud or if the chips that I had obtained from the bag were in the same category as the first chip.

As I grabbed the second chip and put into my mouth utter disappointment came over my face because it was then that I realized that the entire bag of chips were in the same condition as the first chip.  They had lost their crispness and even their flavor and taste.  There was nothing good or appealing about them any longer so I picked up the bag and was going to try one more before throwing them away.  By now the inhabitants around the table understood what I was doing and everyone had their eyes glued to what I was about to do next. 

The taste and texture of the third chip sealed the deal for the entire bag in which I immediately reached for the remaining chips that I had placed on the table and in one methodical motion placed each one of them back into the bag.  The third chip never made it past my mouth and it came out almost as quickly as I had placed it into my mouth and thus it was obvious that the three chips that I had chosen proved that it was no fluke that the first chip was bad and that the entire bag had followed suit.  I knew that no one else would have anything to do with this bag of chips and that my wife would not use them for any reason so it was time for them to go into the trash.  What a waste I thought to myself as I was heading over to the trash can but it seemed like there was nothing else to do with them.  The environmental changes to their original condition had taken its toll on their consistency and their fate was sealed.

There was no reason to become upset at the chips for their lack of taste, consistence and flavor because it was a human that had opened the bag and had taken out a sample.  I can guarantee that the chips were in great condition immediately after opening and probably had a wonderful taste.  It is at this point to where this example comes into play about the condition of the Church and how she has lost her crunch.  When the chips were originally placed into that individual bag it was totally sealed and would not allow any other outside forces to invade it unless that seal was broken at some future time.  At the time that the seal was broken the chips became subject to the atmosphere and all of the surrounding conditions that it encountered.  Now I understand and recognize that chips cannot feel anything nor can they have any say in how their environment changes, but they are present in a sealed state and when that state changes their status has no choice but to respond accordingly to their new “living” conditions.

DLB

The Order of the Crosses

The Order of the Crosses

3/4/14

The story of the thieves on the cross is a popular reference when ministers and other people are speaking about salvation.  There are great examples of how humanity perceives God and everything that relates to His existence during the events of this story.  It is also amazing to me that even the way that the soldiers lined up the crosses predicts the completeness of God and that even in death, His plan was fulfilled. It is difficult for us not to think about this time in history as being anything but dark, but in truth, it serves as a slap in the face to our enemy and a restoration process that all can obtain if only they believe.

In some of my past articles, I have stated that God has a specific plan for everything that occurs in our lives.  This plan represents the completeness of God and it will always include a beginning, a time in between and an end with all events coordinating while we are alive on this earth.  The story of the cross and who was there at the time of Jesus usually dominates the messages, songs, films and books with a little less attention being placed upon the ones who were beside Jesus when He left this physical earth.

Over my years in life, I have heard sermons and read words that portray the thieves and Jesus while they were serving out their sentences and those of us who have read the story have no doubt read about what each thief said while they were completing this historical event. But has anyone given the consideration of the order that these three men were placed while they were serving out their sentences?  I do not recall ever thinking about this process before but it makes perfect sense when one understands the order in which man placed these three men.  I can guarantee that the soldiers who were carrying out the sentences had no idea that how they were placing these men shouted out repentance and restoration to both the spiritual and physical worlds.

The Bible states that there were three men that were crucified at this time which included two thieves and Jesus.  The Bible does not mention anything about the trials of the two thieves and how they came to meet their fates on that day.  All we know is that they were thieves and that their actions evidently had a motive and pattern so severe that they were sentenced to death.  Other than this generalization we know very little about them until they were having their sentences carried out.

The Bible is very specific when it states about the positioning of the two thieves and Jesus.  The passage states clearly that the order of prisoners was a thief on the right, Jesus in the center and then another thief was on the left.  Three men in total were being executed that day and that the soldiers chose to place these men in this pattern.  The Bible also states that while the sentences were being carried out that the ones in charge of the process were in joyous moods and carried out gambling games while the convicted were dying in front of them. This scene brings up numerous more topics of articles but my focus for this article is going to be the order of the crosses.

Public executions were just that, very public and anyone who wished could attend this procedure and to watch the situation unfold.  Yes, it was not a very good scene to witness but since humans were involved in the process one can gather that it was used as a learning tool for those who might be having thoughts of turning to crime as a way of making a living.  On the other hand, I am sure that there were those present that just wanted to see the blood fly and to hear the iron strike the nails.  Many other possibilities can be made because where there is a human there is a curious mind that wants to see something different and unusual.  In any case, taking a short walk to the hill and witness the death of hardened criminal could be the highlight any civilian’s day.

We have a thief on one side of Jesus and it is evident that he is a vile man who does not regret anything that he has done to warrant his punishment.  He is fully aware of his actions and does not want to have anything to do with Jesus or what He represented.  In fact, this thief mocks Jesus and carelessly demands that Jesus save Himself and the two that are on each side of Him.  It is very clear that this man is speaking from his heart and everything that has been harbored within him is now protruding as a last will and testament of his life.  It would not surprise me at all to know that some of the victims that he stole from were present at his execution egging him on while he suffered his punishment.  And one would have to admit that some of the people in the crowd may not have enjoyed what was transpiring because they were family members, all of which would rouse the crowd more as time went along.

The non-repentant thief made it very clear that his heart was not sorry for what he had done and by his words to Jesus proved that he was still operating within his selfish capacity and had no cause to make things right.  I find it fascinating that the attitude that this thief portrays is the exact same attitude the world shows towards God, His Church, His People, the concept of Christianity in general or anything that claims that someone else could be in charge of your life other than that person.  This attitude was portrayed back in the days of Noah and in the days of the Roman Empire era and from what is circulating today not much has changed since those ancient days.  What I find difficult to swallow is that the modern Church has followed in this thief’s attitude and has allowed the world to influence her decisions.  There is a reason that this thief was crucified with Jesus because he represented the exact attitude and separation status that the world has with God and due to its own actions is receiving the punishment of the wrongs that it has done.  At this time of need, the answer is right in front of this thief and he rejects his peace up to his death. 

In the middle of the thieves was an innocent man who was tried and convicted of trumped up charges against Him and then received the ultimate penalty for these charges.  His own people charged Him and pressed hard for Him to be taken from this world not knowing that their actions provoked the divine plan of God and set this plan into motion that benefits every human that was ever created.  With the completeness of God intact all persons before, during and after Jesus’ death are subject to the final sacrifice that brought the possibility of humanity’s relationship with God once again.  Jesus had to die in such a manner that humans saw fit just to complete the human goals of sacrifice and for God to smell the smoke of a repentant creation even if he / she did not understand what was transpiring.  Mankind has made it a habit to blame others for their beliefs and it is evident that the Church began this tradition in order to prove themselves to be correct about how to control their own shortcomings.  In truth God designed through a divine plan that a specific pattern and destination for His Son be fulfilled and if all is known mankind, God’s prized creations fell right into this plan, just as God so accurately predicted.

In order for God to accept a sacrifice, it had to come from the heart and to be offered up by humans as a true sacrifice.  That is why only the Jews could have completed this task and it also served notice that the one being sacrificed was of true status and recognized by God as such.  As scriptures tell us, the sacrifices that the priests made took away the sins of the people for that specific period of time.  The sacrifice was of pure stock and had no blemishes present.  No deformities or abnormalities were noted and when the animal was given the approval the procedure took place in an orderly fashion.  If one looks at this process and then the process in which Jesus was imprisoned, tried, convicted, and sentenced one will see that both processes are very similar.  This proves that Jesus had a mission to complete while He was on this earth and that no specific gender or race was solely responsible for His death.  It was ordained, set into motion and had to be completed and it did not matter who played the specific roles.

While Jesus was hanging on the cross He was still doing His best to show the world who He really was.  His pain and agony did not deter Him from pouring out His love to a dying world.  It is obvious that He was reaching out to the unrepentant thief but he was in no mood to accept the reality of what Jesus was providing.  If we look at Jesus’ position He is placed in between the two thieves and is actually symbolically forming a bridge between these two men.  On one side of Him, there is one that represents the past, current and future condition of the world.  Jesus is in the middle and a forgiven thief on the other side of Him; which I will get to in just a minute.  With Jesus being in the middle of these two men it gives us another picture of God’s completeness and truth simply because the rulers of that day took it upon themselves to complete the divine plan of God by following what God had already ordained.  Did those soldiers have a clue of what they were doing?  All they were doing was following orders from their commanders, they had no idea.

On the other side of Jesus was another thief whose actions had condemned him to die.  His crimes were not specifically recorded but whatever they were their results cost this man his life as well.  What is interesting about this thief is that it does not mention the fact that he knew the thief on the other side of Jesus but one can imply that the two either knew each other or were involved in the same crimes or very similar ones.  I say this because of what this thief said to the first thief; that both of them knew that they were guilty of their crimes and were receiving due punishment.  The passage also reflects that this thief knew what Jesus was accused of and what His crime was as well for he addresses this fact when talking with the other thief.  He understood that Jesus had been innocent and did not deserve to die and at some point had the sense to ask Jesus for forgiveness.

It is obvious that this thief and Jesus had some sort of prolonged contact with each other; it also could have meant that this thief had heard about Jesus as well as in the previous thief’s contact both are not known.  It is however, noticed that whatever type of contact these two men had with Jesus, it was this thief who wanted forgiveness and immediately it was granted to him, without questioning for Jesus could still sense the honesty of this man’s heart.

Once again the soldiers had no idea of what had occurred and what type of symbolism that they had accomplished in the way that they placed Jesus and the two thieves.  On one side of Jesus was a man who represented the world and who refused to acknowledge who Jesus was and what He could provide.  That thief died along with the entire spirit that he harbored within himself.  The world shall never accept Jesus as its ruler for Satan is God’s immortal and eternal enemy and it is his job to make sure that all of us die just as the first thief did.

Then you have the second thief who also comes from a worldly background but has at some point understood what Jesus’ life represented and even at the point of death God grants this repentant thief forgiveness for everything that he has done.  This thief understood the world and knew what the world had influenced him into completing yet his heart still wanted to make things right even though there were probably a few people out in the crowd that were happy that he drew his last breath that day.

Three men dying on crosses and this is a sign of completeness?  Yes, it is and the pattern of this completeness goes all the way back to the actions of mankind within the Garden of Eden.  After the fall of man, the earth and world knew nothing but devastation and death.  This fact proves that the world cannot have anything to do with life and everything that the world stands for represents nothing but separation and death from true life.  All throughout scriptures it says that mankind tried their best to establish some sort of spiritual connection with the truth and as long as we read scriptures and read about human history it is clear that we have failed miserably in this goal.

God understood that there would be a need for restoration and that He needed a plan that would allow man to return to our direct communication with Him, so God decided to create a process of sacrifice in which humans could come to God and present their sins to Him and then repent of them and go about their way and not sin again.  Well, we know that turned out so eventually God had to put into place another idea and that would be to provide the ultimate sacrifice one that because of the origins of this lamb would represent and give grace for all mankind.  This perfectly created lamb was His own son.

When Jesus was hanging on the cross between two thieves not only was He providing the perfect sacrifice but He was completing the link, the only link that could restore the direct communication between God and mankind.  Jesus provided the bridge from a dying world to one that has hope and eternal life.  His physical presence between the two thieves proves this since a thief on one side of him did not accept His message, then Jesus was in between and the thief on the other side did accept His message.  This picture serves as the complete plan that God had for mankind and it proves that all of us will die but there is One who can stand in between us and when death comes our way will provide a bridge to our heavenly Father.

It is God who has set into motion the things that humans walk through.  It does not matter what we believe and how we believe, God has already completed your path.  When Jesus was placed upon the cross between those thieves it was the perfect pattern and a direct slap in the face of our enemy.  God has a perfect plan for each one of us and if we take a closer look at our lives it will be possible for us to understand this truth.  As man placed Jesus in the center of the three men, God has placed you into the exact same position in your daily walk.  The order of the crosses makes a huge statement to our enemy and your life does the exact same thing.  So, why not slap him in the face with your testimony and shine brightly in your perfect order.

DLB

Kingdom Lines

Kingdom Lines

3/3/14

A defined line has been a sticking point in human’s lives when they try and define a certain boundary.  We like to have a visual marker that says we are now entering Colorado or you are now leaving Texas.  While these types of lines can be drawn on a map and exercised to a degree in real life, it is almost impossible to draw a physical line of each boundary that exists.  The same concept comes into play in the spirit realm when dealing with kingdom boundaries, but one needs to know just exactly what defines these boundaries in order to understand the directions that they fluctuate.  Understanding where our physical boundaries lie and where the spiritual boundaries are located are equally important and it is imperative that we recognize the movements of each within our lives. 

When I was a teenager I played many sports and for those of you who know what I look like and how my physical body is built you will understand that God has a sense of humor when it comes to placing a huge heart in such a short physical stature.  The movie “Rudy” comes to mind as an example of my abilities.  In order for me to play with the big boys I had to do things harder, faster and stronger than what my body normally could muster.  While I was young and active this type of lifestyle was no big deal for I felt good and could perform at the level that I needed to be competitive.  Now while my physique defined my body my heart defined the desires that I had and since both of these systems were contained within one body, this too was a struggle inside.  Given these limitations that my physical body placed on me along with my heart’s desires I soon found a temporary way around this limitation, but as I was keeping my body in this state I knew that I could not continue this level of expectations forever and that one day all of my conditioning was going to catch up with me.

Every time I had to go get a physical the doctor examining me would always shake their head in amazement because they could see the evidence of what I was doing to my body in order to keep up with the other players.  Almost every time the doctor would tell me that when I quit playing sports and that I aged a little bit more my body would tighten up and I would have some constant pains in my life because of what I was doing to my body at this time in my life.  One physician even put up two x rays of my joints from different examinations and politely showed me the comparisons and the differences from the first one till the second picture, and continuing to note that I was going to have severe problems if I did not change my regime.  Having an interest in the medical field even at this young age I knew that what the doctors were saying was true but as soon as those words hit my ear they went right through my hard and empty head and out the other ear.

Even though I understood the meaning of what those physicians were telling me I continued to allow myself to push my body in such a manner that today I have fallen into that daily painful category that they warned me about.  Given the information that I knew about my body I took that chance in life to obtain a goal that I knew would not really lead me to anything on a grand scale, just my personal pride. At that time in my life I believed that I could achieve any status without any future complications or bodily retributions, and it was not until decades later when my physically I began to slow down and I learned about my blood heritage that the things that I was willingly doing to my body were actually increasing my chances of something severe occurring to me.  This new biological familial information informed of my true physical history and for the first time in my life I knew the “rest of the story” as Paul Harvey used to so famously say.

It was this so called defined physical boundary that I believed I could continually push, knew exactly where this boundary’s limits were located and what all of the factors meant for my life.  However, when I found out further details about my life the understanding of my physical boundary became more defined and with this new knowledge along with how my body feels today I can honestly say that there will be more issues that will appear as time rolls along in my life.  Now, whether these issues will present themselves in my later life, in my daughters’ lives or all of the above remains to be seen and I pray that the genetic patterns are more lenient within their bodies than what I am facing in the coming years.  When I continually approached this physical boundary of mine along with the limited amount of information about my life, I was actually really creating more problems for myself instead of keeping up with the others.   And for many of us we take this type of philosophy into the spiritual chambers as well and treat this realm with the same attitude.  But we need to understand that the spirit has a boundary as well and is just as defined as our physical ones.   

All of us have the opportunity to go across the country to visit relatives or to take a family trip to a new place.  One familiar sign that I saw a lot when I was growing up was the one that said I was entering Texas.  With my parents being ministers it meant that we traveled across the country which also provided chances for our family to back track across the country to visit these relatives during vacations, and with these traveling vacations, sometimes it took a couple of days to arrive at our destination.  While I recognized the sign saying that I was entering Texas I never officially saw a physical line that indicated which side was Arkansas and the other side of that line was Texas.  But I knew as soon as I passed the sign that I was now in the great state of Texas.  Did this mean that no line existed and that Arkansas continued?  No, it was just the fact that there was a boundary there and at a certain point we were in Texas.  The same features are present when one goes to the Four Corners Park and tries to place each one of our limbs in a different state, those boundaries are there but we cannot actually draw a visible boundary after a few feet from those intersecting points.

International boundaries have similar characteristics as state or county boundaries but sometimes these can prove to have more entertaining physical defining points where people can enter.  I have been in places where you have to stop at the border and get out of the vehicle and allow the officials to search your possessions, and then you cross over into the other country after passing through a tall fence and gate along with the appropriate compliment border guards.  As one passes through this border point a person can look in both directions and see the defining landmarks that separate the two countries.  If one continues to follow these physical landmarks then they can see that these extensions will follow a certain path for as far as the eye can see, which means that a true and defined border has been established. However, when humans are involved this does not mean that each person legally stays behind this defining line for as in my personal example above we all tend to cross these lines without thinking twice; all the while that these lines of landmarks do not change.

A good visual picture of a boundary and just how separate both sides are represents comes from a couple of rivers.  In South America most of us are familiar with the Amazon River and how mighty and lengthy this river is.  We can look at it on a map and follow its pathway all the way to the ocean.  But along the way there are many other smaller rivers that flow into this massive river and when these junctions occur it is possible to see where both joining rivers are located.  In the picture at the beginning of this article, one can notice exactly where the Negro River comes into contact with the Amazon River due to the color variations of the water.  Where as the water in the Negro River is almost black in color the water color of the Amazon is blue and one can see a defined line where the two river contents do not mix. This is a great example of how God’s Kingdom and the kingdom of His enemy works and while they are close together and actually touch neither one can truly mix with each other.

When wars come to the world it is known that these events will have something called a front.  A front is defined as a line where the main fighting of this conflict is occurring and if necessary can be generally drawn on a map for visual purposes.  Sometimes there is a physical line of soldiers and equipment that form a line that marks this territorial position but for the most part only groups of soldiers within a general geographical setting define this line.  Most of the time during a war the front line is not a straight line for there will be parts of the terrain that may not be conquered yet so that portion of the frontline is back further than other parts.  But no matter where those soldiers are located it is their objective to advance forward and to move that line when called upon.  Since war and the fronts that it presents, it is the most easily defined type of setting that describes the two sides that are opposed to each other and it is this atmosphere that we also need to be aware of when we are talking about God and His enemy.  And through this war, our lives are defined by what is taking place all around us. 

There are times throughout the year that these defining contact lines between the two rivers change in location.  There are times when the brown / black water of the Negro River is located further down the waterway due to the fact that the amount of water and its force is greater at a specific time than that of the Amazon River.  The reverse is true concerning the Amazon River and the visible changes of this advance and decline can be apparent along with these fluctuations.  It is possible for us to understand through these examples that the same forces are present on the spiritual sides of our lives and these spiritual lines can fluctuate just as our physical boundaries do based upon what we allow to occur within our lives.

Even though many humans do not like the concept of war or having to deal with war and everything that comes along with this status, humans need to know that there is a huge war being fought for our lives and that our lives represent the centerpieces of this action.  While we might not immediately be able to physically see this fight we need to consider what is occurring in the spiritual realm around us does have an effect on affect on our lives, and it is our responsibility to identify these sights, sounds, and fluctuations that are ongoing all around us.  Just as a group of soldiers can hear the track sounds and engines of a heavy armor column approaching we need to spiritually hear this type of enemy movement as well.  Our spiritual ears and eyes should be in tune enough with what is transpiring that we have an opportunity to defend our lines even before they are attacked.  We also need to understand that these lines are spiritual in nature and even though they cannot be witnessed immediately their effects will be noticed in a very short time if they are not dealt with in an appropriate manner. 

It is the touching of these spiritual boundaries of the two warring kingdoms that define the struggle for our lives.  The constant engagements between these two kingdoms vie for eternal supremacy through our lives and how we live them.  Every action, thought, word or situation that we face or use dictates how these kingdoms advance, succeed, retreat or lose territory.   Both spiritual lines are strong enough to support a continuous eternal fight yet both kingdoms understand that a deadline is intact.  The only difference within the two kingdoms is that one kingdom, our enemy’s, is already a defeated kingdom yet mankind gives its commander an opportunity to pick us off a little at a time.  When we allow the earthly kingdom to take a life without giving that life an opportunity to hear the eternal truth, the leader of the earthly kingdom has just advanced.  It does not matter which area our lives participate in, whether good or bad if the truth about their life and their purpose for being on this planet and most importantly the One who gave them this life in the first place is not told to them, our enemy actually wins and can draw a line one step further ahead while God’s Kingdom must respond with a step backwards.

Recognizing this kingdom line fluctuation can be just as easy on an individual level as it is on a larger scale.  If a person changes a philosophy on a spiritual issue that means some type of influential condition has caused that person to view things differently.  This does not mean that the fluctuation of a view is a bad thing, good changes can occur just as readily.  An example of a larger kingdom line fluctuation is when a group of people have similar views and convince their church or denomination to accept a worldly practice as part of their doctrinal teachings, this is when the kingdom line of the world advances and pushes back God’s Kingdom line. 

Back in the Garden of Eden God readily walked and talked with Adam and Eve.  His presence was a constant in their lives and His appearance to them was something that the physical earth welcomed.  God had made the Garden holy and everything within its established area was holy.  This meant that God could have free access to His creations since at that time both God and man were holy in creation. When man fell and allowed sin to enter into their lives, God could not be in the same physical state with mankind because of the change that had occurred within mankind’s life.  So after God quickly took care of the details, He no longer had physical contact with man, which means that His Kingdom cannot have any mixing with any other kingdom.

This means that both levels, the individual and larger, make a difference on how each kingdom advances and retreats.  As in the physical war when one line is pushed back the other line is automatically advanced, it is the same for the spiritual kingdoms as well.  These lines, just as boundaries of countries cannot mix they have a definitive line present.  If God’s laws and ways are kept within the heart of His people then the things that they do will be God Kingdom centered and thus advance His kingdom and push our enemy’s kingdom backwards.  If those who do not wish to live for God then they will automatically advance Satan’s kingdom.  It does not matter how things occur or what happens in your world your actions determine the movement of these lines.

The same principle is taken into account on a wider scale since it takes more than one human to form a wider scale.  If more people follow an idea and then make it a standard amongst others, then that act must advance one of the two kingdoms that are in play, automatically. This type of advancement is how human history has progressed and transpired in our lives for as long as man has recorded the things that matter to our lives.  We cannot afford to end our observations with just the physical patterns but also must take into consideration the spiritual aspects to which our physical choices have upon our spiritual conditions.  We must heed to the root of the issue and not just the physical surface of the tree.  And until we figure this truth out our problems will only divide and multiply instead of dying.

Where are these kingdom lines drawn?  They are drawn within your heart.  It is not hard for one to draw a conclusion about another heart just by listening to what comes forth from another person.  The concept that a person cannot serve two masters provides another example of why a person must voluntarily choose between the two and it clarifies the root of the reason why these two kingdoms cannot mix.  In other words it is impossible to mix the two kingdoms, in any way, shape or fashion.  I do not care what you believe about God and Satan, these two entities and their kingdoms cannot mix.  That is why the Church cannot be alive and thrive in a world that she is mixing with, the two kingdoms cannot mix!!  Everything may seem to be going according to mankind’s plan with the mixing of the Church into the world but I am here to tell you that the two kingdoms cannot mix and with this belief and actions that our enemy’s kingdom is being advanced!!

The kingdom line is not up for discussion, especially when a bunch of whiney, faulty, and finite beings who would like to believe that they have God in a box are the ones trying to negotiate the kingdom lines.  The old phrase of either you are for me or against me serves its tenure here and it becomes the foundation of what God is saying to you in this article.  It is time that we stop playing games and believing that this line is negotiable for it is not.  The Church is supposed to be a presence within the world but she is supposed to be separated from the world so that people have a holy and true refuge to go to in order to restore their hearts back to God.  The Church is not there to pacify one’s desires and to allow them to have a false sense of security by not addressing the people’s ungodly beliefs.  The two kingdoms cannot mix!!

If God’s Kingdom is present within your life then your heart will be grieved when those kingdom battles are drawn and God is pushed backwards.  Those battles should be tugging at your heart in such a manner that you want to ensure that there is no sin harboring within your life, and that you protect your heart from any potential destructive forces that wish to invade.  A church denomination that accepts anyone’s worldly beliefs as her own becomes a camouflaged church and thus advances our enemy’s kingdom.  God’s Kingdom and Satan’s kingdom cannot mix!!  Even the correct way to write the two kingdoms are different.

Sadly I have to admit that this concept has not been taught in too many seminaries nor has it been preached about in pulpits.  Our lack of understanding about Kingdom has severely limited us in being able to effectively combating our enemy.  We have allowed our enemy to take the knowledge of Kingdom and wrap it around our spiritual necks and to strangle us with God’s own unknown truth.   It is a simple concept but it is one that requires some thinking about along with a little bit of faith, but when one does open the eyes of their hearts to this concept God will show you exactly what is at play and how important that everyone knows this truth.  God loves His people and He wants us to open our hearts and to understand exactly what is at stake.  God hides nothing from our hearts it is us who refuse to give up our selfish eyes that deliberately blind our hearts.  God shall never force His ways on our lives, it will always be our choice to accept or to deny Him. 

Once the concept of kingdom is in place then one can gain the knowledge of exactly what is occurring around us.  It is an exciting feeling to have yet at the same time it has a devastating effect because we know just who is winning the war against our lives.  Everything that we are revolves around these two kingdoms and everything we do advances or retracts those two kingdoms.  You are the epitome of God’s creation and you have a specific purpose to fulfill and it is the job or our enemy to do everything within his authority to stop us from accomplishing our mission.  Search your heart and see where the Kingdom line falls within your heart.  Yes, it is that important and yes, it is just as important that everyone else in the world knows it as well.

DLB

Warning

Warning

3/1/14

For the past couple of years God has been sending messages of repentance to the Church.  Up until now and including this day the Church has completely ignored this warning and has continued to pursue her own desires.  While this action of the Church goes totally against God’s wishes He is allowing her to continue this path.  God has given the Church plenty of time to repent and to allow herself to return back into the folds of God’s laws.  Again, up until now and including this day, she has refused.

God wishes nothing more than for His Church to restore communication with Him and the only way to do this is for the Church to understand that she has fallen away and has focused her eyes upon the ways of the world instead of her Creator.  God has allow this to continue for He is a complete and just God that allows His creation to have every opportunity to choose Him.

As we have begun to see, human history is fulfilling what God has ordained and yet mankind is refusing to acknowledge what has already been divinely established.  It is time that we understand that there is little time remaining for us to deter any possible world gathering of human destruction.  God has placed it into human hands of when this scenario will play out but we need to understand that the ONLY way that this process can be delayed is if we return to God and live in His ways.  If we lose our pride and accept the ways of God, God will forgive and welcome us with open arms with no questions asked.  But it is totally up to us for God shall never force us to choose our direction.

It is obvious that a few steps are being taken in a direction that is both exciting and unnerving at the same time.  But we have to remember that God has always stated and portrayed that life is not easy but at the same time He has provided an escape plan and it is His utmost desire for us to see this plan.  God has established a plan for each of us and there is nothing more on His heart for us to realize this fact.  But it shall always be our choice.

If you want to understand what is happening in the world, just read the major and Minor Prophets that are in the Bible.  Add Revelation into the mix all the while taking good notes and writing these words on your heart.  God has not left these details out for He wants His children to know exactly what is going on.  See the Bible is all about the lives of people and what happens when they live for God and when they do not.  The results are very clear on both sides of the choices; see God does not leave anything out no matter what our choices are.

For a long time we Christians have been playing around with the events of the world and have ignored the significance of what was transpiring.  I have no doubt that the majority of us will continue to scoff at these events and will continue our ignorant position about what is actually transpiring around us.  This is ok with God, for he allows us to make this choice.  But I urge both the believer and the non believer to open the Bible and to take a hard and honest look at what is occurring and connect the dots so to speak and realize what is going on and which direction that we are heading into.

Look at both sides of the aisle and understand that the entire world population and marketing has played a part and is playing a part in this setting.  Everything makes sense when you take a little time and know that an order has already been ordained, but we still have the opportunity to delay this activity, not by any human means but by the divine will of God.  Mankind has continually tried to take control of their lives and have defiantly tried to throw God out of the picture, but God is once again proving that it is He is the one that is in control of things and not mankind.

God is still in the restoration business and I honestly believe that these current events are exactly why He has been sharing with me some things to give to His people.  Not just the Church but to everyone who will listen to Him and what He has to say.  Great details will still continue to come from Him until the very last second.  I urge you to read everything that is possible that God has shared with people.  The most important thing for us to understand is that God loves each one of us and it is not His desire for anyone to miss out on His eternal love.  God also wants us to repent for everything that we have done and to return back to Him.  If we will do this with an open and honest heart He has promised to restore our land, but we also need to understand that time is short.  Our commune hearts are still progressing towards destruction and we need to change this direction.

If anyone believes that what the world is entering into is utter chaos, that belief is a false one.  While mankind might be blinded to what is transpiring, every step that is being taken has been divinely ordained a long time ago and if we allow it to continue we will have no option but to follow this plan millimeter by millimeter.

God love you and He wishes for us to return to Him.  If we do not His ordained and established plan for the world shall progress further and we will begin to see events unfold that will blow our minds.  Place your trust in God and not in man.  Heed the warnings of God; they are there for everyone to read and to understand.  Use what God has given to us and benefit from this blessing.  Do not believe God?  Then sit back and quietly observe His hand, it is still your choice.

DLB