Eve's Information

Eve’s Information

4/13/17

Many times we do not give enough credit for Eve and how the human process of choice played a large role in her answer to Satan in the Garden of Eden.  But there is a human relationship status that we should understand here and that no matter how or who we blame for our demise we need to consider this truth.  Have you ever wondered why it is so much of a hassle in relationships that do not agree and why those hassles materialize?  It does not matter what the level of relationship might be, all involved have been subjected to such setbacks and deterrents, including ours with God.  The only way that one can fully understand how to deal with others is we must first reconcile our relationship with God and then with His help fix the issues necessary for our lives.

Every person involved in a relationship has at one time or another had a shortcoming or falling out with the other persons involved in said relationship.  Any hardship when it is involving others is difficult to muddle through because for the majority of us we do not wish to make enemies of those who we will be dealing with, or living with for that matter.  We all understand that none of us will agree on every point in life that we encounter, and we must possess a certain amount of tolerance for those who have differing opinions and ideas.  But what makes our relationship status complete is that we recognize all parties involved and in this recognition, status acknowledge who is in charge as well.  Then, we can adequately work through any disturbances that arise and further endorse the rules and regulations of such a relationship.

I have been at my position at work for approaching twenty-five years now and I still love my position just as much and even more as the day I graduated all my schooling and training times.  I have always understood that someone would be over me and my father schooled me when I was younger that this setting would always be present.  It is hard for a human to accept that someone else will have a final say over things you do, but while this human nature of ours becomes ruffled we (I) must deal with it and accept the results.  What my dad was telling me was that no matter which position I was going to be in, I had to realize that it was a relationship and that it had to be put into motion by all parties in order for it to work. 

About ten years ago my boss came up to me and asked if he could have a chat with me concerning a specific matter.  During this chat, he asked me if I would be interested in taking over the phlebotomists in the laboratory, a position that was needed and in honor, I accepted this position.  When the procedural day arrived for me to change positions, he showed me a copy of my job description, which was everything that he and I had previously discussed, except for one minor detail at the bottom of the paperwork.  On the last page of the document, after all of the typed comments and responsibilities had been lined out, he had handwritten in another task to my position.  “And anything else that I can think of” was that written statement, one that I laughed at but would play a huge role in ensuring that order was kept in the laboratory when certain situations arose, and one that I would struggle with at times as well for some of the future items addressed were uncomfortable, to say the least.  However, I accepted the challenge and did my best for the next five years of so and served the community well.

I have been put into positions over the years that provided nothing but strain in the relationships that were present around me, but nothing on the work level could compare to an intimate and personal relationship that goes south.  This is a topic that each one of us has had to deal with either directly or indirectly and no matter what the condition and situation might be, the end results of such a hardship is painful.  What do my personal relationships and your personal relationships have to do with Eve and her conversation with Satan in the Garden of Eden? 

I am glad you asked because first off we need to remember that Eve, along with Adam, were humans just like us.  Even though they were perfect in all ways they still were given the choice of free will and it is here in the passages that will be used that give truth to this message from God.  Many people have given Eve the bad rap for our downfall and to the superficial eye this could be justified, but we need to understand something here about the relationship she had with Adam and with God, through her own words and the actions of Satan she must have talked about this setting before; therefore, it cannot be just her that is chided for our downfall, it is Adam’s as well.

God wants us to understand that He is not nitpicking in any way but wants us to know that even though we may have differences concerning our beliefs we can still all agree on God’s authority and what He says is the absolute truth.  This example that He is going to show us might seem to be trivial or small but it reflects just exactly the humanness that Adam and Eve possessed and how it falls in line about how we view God’s Word today as well.  So, we must begin a few verses before Eve and the serpent’s conversation to understand where her mind was operating and why she told the “infamous” lie that set our downfall rolling.  To be honest, I had never thought about this detail until the other night and I had to gently tap myself on the head for not realizing this earlier, but after my actions I had to apologize to God for it was His timing that He revealed this and not mine, another relationship flaw between Him and me that is still in progress.

Genesis 2:9 states the following and sets the foundation for what god wants us to understand about obeying His commands: “And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”  While this verse may seem like just a simple description of the plants that God created in the Garden of Eden there is a specific detail here that we need to keep in mind and that is that the tree of life and the tree of good and evil were both in the Garden of Eden.  This detail is the one that Eve will use incorrectly at some point in time in the future when she has the conversation with the serpent in Chapter 3, but first, a few more details to be explained.  Remember, God is a complete and consistent God at all times and He cannot change His laws no matter what the occasion.

In Genesis 2:15-17 the law of God to Adam is made and it states the following: “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.  And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”  Now, most of us will recognize that this is the part of God’s Word that clearly lays the groundwork for obedience and that God meant business when He told Adam what he could do and what he could not do.  The Bible is very clear about the words God used and in all accounts, those words of command were simple, accurate and on target; in other words, they were easily understood by Adam.

At this point, God has told Adam about his dominion and what to do with that dominion on a continual basis.  God has also defined what trees are present and what is good for him to eat.  Thirdly, God has told Adam which tree not to eat from and what would become of him if he decided to disobey that single command.  We have to remember that in Genesis 2:9 the Bible describes the creation of the trees in the Garden of Eden and trees included the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  Keep in mind that God is a complete and consistent God because nowhere does it say that Adam could not touch the tree of knowledge of good and evil and there is a reason why it does not say this too.  If God would have said not to touch it then God could not have been all inclusive when He commanded Adam to dress and keep the Garden of Eden.  The Bible does not say that God said that every part of the Garden of Eden should be kept except for the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  It is this detail that brings into light the relationship status between Adam and Eve and why she believed what she said when her conversational lie with the serpent transpired.

Now, a few verses later in chapter 2 of Genesis we have the detailed description of Eve’s creation and what a beautiful creation she was and still is today.  However, when Genesis 3 opens she is in meeting with a being that is questioning her about her duties and life in the Garden and what exactly God has told them to do and not to do.  As humans and ones that have personal relationship with, those involved in such settings will converse between one another, this is not unusual or is it hard to imagine that Adam and Eve had such conversations, so it is relevant and very realistic that they must have discussions amongst themselves concerning such an arrangement with the Garden and what the responsibilities were, just a matter of fact.  We also know this because Satan specifically addresses it in his questioning of Eve which means his presence had heard these conversations between Adam and Eve in order for him to know their feelings.  Satan does not know the future but if we give him doors to go through he is an opportunistic enemy and will not hesitate one moment to take advantage of such opening.

Genesis 3:1-3 states the mindset and lie of Eve: “Now the serpent was more subtle than any other beast of the field which the Lord God had made.  And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”  This is a statement made by Eve and not one in the form of a question.  It is a bold response to a being that has asked her a specific question and one that should not be taken lightly either.  If Adam had not told Eve of the command that God gave to him before she was created, it would seem that Eve had a reason for not understanding but it still would not justify her response to the serpent.  If Adam and Eve would have never had any further conversation concerning the issue with God after their creation, that too might have been a reason for misunderstanding, but in truth God cannot expect us to hold fast to a command from Him unless the law or command is not present in their lives; therefore, Eve has taken it upon herself to vocalize her belief concerning the way God law was present.  A fatal mistake that is still in place today and one that humanity shall not overcome unless we obey God and His Word at all times.

Nowhere does the Bible say that Adam and Eve could not touch the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for this specific tree was inside the Garden of Eden, in the middle to be even more specific which meant that since God is a complete God that His law for dressing and upkeep of the Garden INCLUDED this tree.  In order for Adam and Eve to complete this task, they would have had to come into physical contact with it, even in its defense if needed.  There is no way possible that Adam and Eve could have interpreted that God did not want this tree tended to and cared for, for if they did then they did not believe that God was a complete God and that they did not willingly use the brains that God gave them to use adequately.

How can this be true?  How many people do you get into conversations with about the Bible?  How many questions are you asked from others, those who might not believe in God or in His Word?  What are your responses to these questions and people?  Do you give them the truth about what God’s Word says or do not know what His Word says concerning such matters?  I must admit that God is still revealing things about His Word each day and it is my responsibility to relay those truths to those who do not understand what God’s Word says, both those who believe and to those who do not believe.  It is through these conversations with others that either sink or swims the truth about God and also about our lives, if we do not understand exactly what God is saying to us and the reason why He says these things to us then we will have not any option but to believe what we want instead of what God has proclaimed as the truth.  When the relationship with God breaks down our sinful nature shall take over and the enemy shall once again use our beliefs against us so that we separate our existence from God.

Once again I can hear you asking, how is this true?  It is true because of Genesis 3:4-7 proclaims exactly what our enemy will do in return when we fail to correctly understand what God’s Word says and the reason why God says it in the first place.  Once Eve’s proclamation is spoken, Satan strikes with a terrifying lie that she is inclined to believe and trust due to her own misguidings and disobedient heart to the truth.  How can we know this is true?  Because God has included verse 7 in this specific passage and it is the immediate response of Adam and Eve after they had agreed to disobey God.  Eve’s focus was on the fruit and not eating it, which was a physical aspect of God’s command, but it was the inner decision to disobey that was the foundation of the law of God and it was that truth that matters, and nothing else.

The Early Church, the Medieval Church, and the Modern Church have all fallen into the same category as Adam and Eve did at the time of temptation, simply because we have mistaken the physical for the spiritual.  Our eyes have been focused on the beauty of God’s establishment and through this disobedience have established our own laws concerning what Jesus’ Church is supposed to look like and not what she is supposed to be.  Adam did not argue when Eve handed him the fruit to eat, he ate willingly fulfilling the dissolution of unity between God and mankind, thus sealing the fate of humans forever on the physical.  Church, why have you forgotten the truth about eating and focused on the physical lie that is around us?  If we choose to obey first, our will shall be to keep the physical in order as well thus fulfilling the first command of God.  See, when God told Adam to keep and dress his dominion, He meant both Adam’s physical dominion and his inner dominion, remember God is a complete God.

However, it is obvious that the Church is operating in the verse of Genesis 3:7 instead of living under the commands of Genesis 2:9 and Genesis 2:15-17.  We still have time to turn our problems around and to restore the relationship that we once had with God.  Ti is obvious that the relationship with God that Adam and Eve had, had collapsed and Satan saw the opening and took it.  Satan has also noticed the opening of today’s church and has seized the opportunity once again to invade our hearts and placed doubt concerning God’s Word and what it says to each person walking this earth.  Church, we can no longer afford to keep diluting the Bible for our own comfort measures, our eternal lives and the eternal lives of others are at stake.  World settings, situations, and further crises shall continue and increase until we figure out that God and the relationship we have with Him is the only way to fix and solve these problems.  Once we realize this on an individual level it can flow steadily into our national relationships as well but it shall only occur if we return to God, repent of our sins, and allow His Word to live and grow in our hearts.  Will we get rid of Eve’s information or keep God’s Information in our hearts?

DLB

Pulling Weeds in the Dark

Pulling Weeds in the Dark

4/12/17

This seems like an absurd statement to be a topic of a message from God, but it is a practice that is thriving today and producing the corresponding results.  I am aghast to remind us that while this topic has been practiced for centuries we have missed its results which continue to leave us in the identical baffled responses.  For the most part, people do not understand that they are following this type of heart set and it is killing the very foundation that has the purpose of our redemption.  This unholy alignment with the world is a vow that is ushering in the new wave of sin that unless we wake up and turn on the Light again, shall cover us in a heavy blanket of darkness that will dominate our world quickly.  God is the only source of true Light that places us back on course to pull the correct weeds out of our paths and leave the plants that we need to have in order to grow in Him.  Our growth is not just a personal issue but one that we all must have in order to live and we can no longer afford to pluck off those around us because we live under lies.

One of the greatest benefits that my family and I have is a garden, and for many years and we love receiving the rewards of our labor at harvest time.  Here in Colorado, the weather sometimes does not cooperate well enough to have a bountiful harvest but when the time does come to reap our sowing it is always a blessing to eat from the garden and more importantly share with others what God has blessed us.  But even while our garden is at the mercy of the weather, we still must continue to perform maintenance procedures to the garden in order for it to perform at its best.   Sometimes this task of up-keeping can be tedious at best but we know that if we do not stay on top of these activities the weeds will soon overtake the garden and choke out the life of the plants, thus rendering the production of good fruit minimal at best.  Plus, it would not be good stewards if we did not complete this task either.

Everyone who has a garden, farms, or has crops of some kind understands that both day and night come as necessary partners in the complete growth cycle of plants.  One also understands that in order to get the best out of your seeds they must ensure that the weeds in the same soil are maintained accurately, for as the above paragraph explains weeds can and will overtake as much space as possible quicker than the seeds can grow and mature.  While darkness provides a period of rest and regeneration for the plant, it is the light that gives off the vital energy in order for the plant to produce the necessary ingredients to grow and then produces its specific fruit and the same concept applies to our lives when it comes to the Church and our mission that Jesus gave us to do.  Operating in less than adequate light or even in the dark can prove to be disastrous and when one is talking about eternity that is a very long time to be providing bad pulling techniques.

The right amount of light must be present for the plants to grow and their growth corresponds with the seasons as well for if the light is not adequate or not correct in temperature then the plant will succumb to the incorrect environmental conditions just as those who need God will if we do not operate in the correct Light.  When the Church operates in perfect Light then she can properly complete the work that is requested of us but at any point in time, we begin to operate in the shadows our witness falls into the category of the topic of this message.  A few weeks ago we had a beautiful message from God concerning the first day of creation when He created Light and through this message He explained to us the specifics of why light was the first order of business.   God now wants us to recognize another truth about His Light and how important it is that we understand its shining abilities.  However, because we have allowed certain selfish patterns into our lives we have taken on the concept of pulling weeds in sub-light conditions and are now doing more damage than good.

It is obvious that throughout the centuries the Church has had her problems, this should come as no surprise because the Church is made up of humans which are subject to sin.  But when we recognize this sin and allow it to live in our lives and do nothing about it is this process which develops that produces the weeds that need to be pulled but if we do not have the correct Light shining, it is more like placing ground clear instead or to be more specific pulling weeds in the dark.  It is these weeds that we need to pull from our around lives so that our fruit that we bear can be the fullest, best and most viable to those who need it.  The world that we live in demands that we make choices of who we shall serve, and if our fruit is not strong and steady then the world shall overpower our mission and destroy us by our own products.  A truth that God has planned for through His Light yet we are determined to be “right” in our conditions according to flawed standards.

It makes no sense to claim that we are completing God’s mission for the world when we cannot even live in the light that we are supposed to have in order to complete this task.  The other night I had gone outside for a few moments and I sat down in the small area in front of our house and just looked up at the sky for a while.  We have a light pole that is almost right in front of the house and while the light bulb in the pole is dim it still gives off enough light so that anyone around can see what is going on.  It was at this time that I looked down in front of me and I saw a couple of weeds, which I quickly pulled up and then pitched into the gutter.  I stopped and thought to myself that I did not believe that I had ever picked weeds in the dark before and it was at that moment when God gave me this article concerning pulling weeds in the dark.  A concept that His Church is continually doing and they have no idea what harm they are causing in completing such activities.

When we operate in the dark we can assume that we are not using the proper lighting to adequately complete whatever job we want to complete.  Weeds are a killer to anything that we depend on, whether it be on a physical level or spiritual one and it is essential that we have the appropriate lighting in order to pull what is not needed and to leave what is needed.  If we do not have the proper lighting we shall pull anything that is in front of us up simply because we cannot see whether we are pulling a weed or a plant.  In our quest to keep the path clear of foulness we inadvertently pull up the necessary plants that supply the fruit we need and that the world needs, thus creating a starving diet that all fail to receive.  While this concept is absurd to those who have gardens or any other crop-producing land this practice would drive people out of business right quick like and could totally destroy another person who wants to know the truth about God and eternity.

If proper light is not present then there is no way that we can use the light to maintain the garden and the plants and while we can recognize that weeds shall always be present we cannot see which is which so we begin the pulling process blindly.  It is easily determined what is deemed to be a weed and what is a plant when light is present that is why we tend to our gardens and fields during the day.  As stated above, if we try and complete this mission in total darkness, our efforts shall surely fail and all our work comes to nothing.  Now, let us place this truth towards our spiritual lives and the complete mission of the world.  We must never forget that the Light that God provides is one that pierces the darkness and is not controlled by the darkness, which means that when the light is present it rules the timeframe.  This also means that if the darkness is present the light is off and cannot be used towards God’s goals for our lives.

Sadly, many of us today believe that God’s eternal Light can be dimmed and in this “dimmed” state still see properly to complete our mission, we need to come to grips that this belief is a direct lie from Satan himself and has no place in our beliefs.  God’s Light is either there in our presence or it is not.  God cannot be dimmed in any way, shape, or form for He Himself cannot take second place or be subject to any part of the darkness.  We have allowed this lie to be used in our church walls and subsequently in our own lives as well.  God’s Light cannot be used as a dimmer, you know, like the ones some houses have to dim the lights to change the mood or setting inside the house?  God’s Light is everlasting and has no voltage settings that allow us to stand in the darkness unless we turn off His Light ourselves.  It does not matter which part of life one talks about it is always our words that are spoken that maintains our gardens and presents our fruits accordingly.  Many times I have heard God’s Light being described as a flame and this is true for when the flame is lit it gives off its full potential but when it is extinguished it is just that, out.

Our words and actions pull the weeds necessary for our lives to flourish in God’s Light, but if we have not this Light in our lives we pull everything around us because we deem everything to be weeds.  God’s Light to us is His presence in our lives THROUGH His entire Word and not just parts of it.  It we do not come to His Word every day how can we know what is going on around us, how do we know what is a weed and what is a plant?  We cannot, for the vision that we claim to have is controlled by darkness.  Now, I am not saying that God demands that we read and study His Word every moment of our day but if we have the Light of Him inside our lives we shall want to study His Word so that His Light may continue to shine to the dying world.  Weeds represent the dying world and what it produces and if God does not shine from us to this dark place, everyone is lost. 

Our job in God’s Kingdom is to shed light on the darkness so that we may pull weeds (the world) away from the plants (others).  If we operate this mission in the darkness another horrifying truth is revealed.  For when this setting is in place we go about pulling everything around us which means that while we do pull some weeds (the world) we also pull plants (others) from the ground as well totally defeating the mission of Christ given to His Church.  It is imperative that we keep the entire Word of God in our lives at ALL times for when we do not we turn off the light needed for everyone’s survival.  It is also through this “no light” belief that we become lukewarm to God and therefore profess a lie to the world.  God’s Light sheds a path to our feet for a reason so that we can weed out the necessary pathogens from our way.  When we operate in this truth the world’s leader and his kingdom is pushed back and the eternal Light of God shines brightly.

When darkness rules our lives only chaos, disorder, hatred, and death can rule.  Our eyes may adjust to the darkness physically we can still pull up the vital plants that we need in order to complete our mission, and in this presentation, we cannot afford to darken anyone’s life trough worldly assets.  God provides the only true Light that we need in order to grow and produce the best fruit possible so why would we want to dim His Light and inhibit the truth from being spread?  One of the largest issues in the Church today is that we have allowed ourselves to become comfortable with living in a falsely presumed “dim” light from God and through this darkened lifestyle we have forgotten our calling of truth to those in need.  We are sick Church and need to have the world pulled from us and the only way for this to occur and for us to operate again as we were created to be is to allow God to turn on His Light and show us exactly what is going on in our own lives first, then once He has restored us we can go into the world and pull those weeds effectively.  When there are more pastors, evangelists, missionaries, and other ministerial positions being retired than filled, the picture cannot be drawn more.

We have become so efficient at pulling weeds in the dark that we have incorporated our movements as the symbol in which we operate, in other words, it is more important that we are right than what the Word of God states as the truth.  The world shall contend the same arguments and this assessment should be the underlying truth that equality with the world is a grave decision, not a companion that we should keep.  It cannot be stressed enough that God’s Light shall never be “just good enough to get the job done”.  God’s Light is perfect in all ways possible and then more, God cannot provide something that is even at 99%, it shall always be at 100% which means that His Light will shine bright enough to recognize exactly what needs to be pulled and what needs to stay on the ground.

There is no way imaginable that we can accomplish this mission of ours when God’s Light is turned off, yet for some reason, we are the ones turning off His Light.  Are we nuts!?  There is no reason at all why we should be pulling plants out of the ground, for it is the plants that are needed in order for God to advance His Kingdom.  Directional pulling is a perfect method of weeding the garden, but using this method in the dark can only produce one ugly result.  See, Satan does not care what you do to others as long as you clear your area in the darkness.  It may look clean to the physical eye but if you look at the lives that you have misled and then destroyed in cleaning your path, what good have you accomplished?  Satan can only produce a defeated lifestyle one that is based strictly on selfish gains and there cannot be any life obtained in such a path.

A few years back there was a song that came out that spoke volumes concerning this issue when it said that Jesus’ sword was never ours to swing.  The essence of pulling weeds in the dark follows this concept because if we operate in the dark we will not be able to see what we are supposed to clean and upkeep, thus swinging a sword for everything around us by using our words and actions as ground clear.  God wants our lives and our paths to be holy and righteous at all turns, but we cannot afford to wipe out the important creations (others) along the way.  We must pull the weeds, yes, but if we are walking in God’s Light we will be able to see what needs to be pulled and what needs to flourish. 

On the other hand, we cannot allow the weeds to meticulously grow unabated either.  If we do not clear our path then our road becomes cluttered and painful for many times weeds carry thorns or thistles which when stepped on do hurt.  It is the job of our enemy to convince us that it is ok to bypass weeds and for you to move onward and upward, but what if another person has been convinced to do the same ignoring pattern?  This means that the weed is larger and stronger and will present more indications for you.  The pattern will continue and by the time a few people pass, that one weed could become an implanted truth that we deem as part of the road.  While the path that God has for us is straight and narrow, we should not make the path so complicated for others at the same time.  Good upkeep and posture lead people in a right pattern and by pulling those weeds and keeping our head up we can effectively follow the path that God has for us without added complications.  A process guaranteed to provide an example of pulling weeds in the Light and not in the dark.

Church it is time that we stop flinging the personal ground clear and begin to pull the weeds that are in front of us instead.  The only way that this can be accomplished is if we turn on God’s Light and operate through His eternal sight.  It is not our place to cut down the vital plants that are necessary for God to advance His Kingdom but to pull the weeds and keep steady the path for others to follow.  Satan will distort the Word of God so that it fits into our human category of acceptance (a weed) or he will use God’s Word to manipulate a person in denying God’s existence (another weed).  It is these lies that will be exposed if we continually have God’s Light on for it represents the undying and eternal Word of God.  We no longer can afford to play around with the Bible and present it as some two-bit book that has some pretty interesting tales.  The Bible is the ONLY Light that shall guide us into complete freedom from this world and to an eternal resting place forever.

People are not weeds, it is the lies and sin that our eternal enemy place in our lives that represents a weed.  God did His best to prove this point to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when He gave them the command to keep up and dress the Garden.  And ever since they forgot about how important it was to always follow this command, we have followed suit with this truth as well. Weeds stink and they are a pain to deal with but they must be removed immediately for if they do not they will shorten the life of the plant and therefore reduce the product necessary for life.  This produce is the truth and life and God and if the product is tainted lies will be believed and then an eternity of separation shall ensue.  God loves us and He wants us to obey His Light by turning it on and allowing it to shine with each step we take.  Turn back to God and place His Light as #1 in our hearts again and He guarantees that we shall see a drastic change come our way and end this deadly practice of pulling weeds in the dark.

DLB

Resignation

Resignation

4/8/17

Many of us in the professional world have had to deal with either a person resigning or had to resign ourselves from a position.  While the reasons for any resignation vary greatly the process is never difficult and even though the company, organization or nation continues on, the process is a final one and one that is tendered as final.  We have many examples of this type of setting to take place in the Bible and while God shall never resign from showing us His love and mercy, our choices against His Will continually serve in such a resigned capacity.  Even though mankind’s version of a resignation continually hovers over our heads, it is the last thing on God’s heart and unless we turn from our ways we shall once again hand in our resignation to God as a sign of total allegiance to the world.

Over my years in the medical field, I have had the opportunity to further my career and to promote myself for better pay and settings.  Not ever deed of resignation that I have completed has been on good terms however and it is through these times that I wished were different they are permanent and cannot be changed.  As stated in the opening paragraph there are always reasons that resignations are handed into the head of the job, with some being for promotion and others under specific scrutiny and in either case, shifting takes place within the represented organization and lineups further defined.  I have been involved in some retirement resignations, moving to another location resignation status and some that have just not worked out resignations.  While we may see some people go on down the road, what is left behind still can hurt and many times large readjustments occur as a result.  A resignation is a serious matter and one that should be taken into all consideration before tendering, for once it is produced the words and actions – on both sides – cannot be returned and thus played out for the extent of the relationship.

In a few instances that I have faced had the person resigning from their position and during the time frame before they left continued to work as normal.  This is the way things should operate so that everyone could adjust to the upcoming changes and begin the process of replacement.  This setting has occurred countless times in human history on every job level imaginable but when the person decides to resign and then take back their resignation it can cause some uncomfortable conditions that not all who are involved in the overall picture are willing to accept.  I vividly remember when these two instances occurred that after the intention of rescinding of their resignation that one was accepted and one was ignored.  It did not matter which case I refer to the new conditional positions were in awkward terms and proved to leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouths after all was said and done.

The act of resignation is a final resolve for that person, group, or nation and while it might seem difficult to accept the entity giving the resignation should see to it that it is finalized as quickly as possible.  But what occurs when the entity that is giving their resignation has more to do with the company’s existence than currently recognized?  Do both parties involved understand the implications of this division and permanent resolution?  It is a tough call to answer yet one that should be taken into consideration before administering.  The example God wishes to share with us today is one that had finality to the nation of Israel and how complete God was when the decision had been made to choose an earthly king over a sovereign and holy God.  I am amazed of how much this setting and the first few chapters of 1 Samuel relate to our world today and how scary it is to see how things are unfolding as they did during the time this part of 1 Samuel was written.

In 1 Samuel Chapter 12, we have a dark picture being painted as the salivating mouths of Israel begin their quest to join the world and weed out God from their hearts.  1 Samuel 12:1-15 is the exact passage we will cover here but only a few specific verses will be typed.  In the previous chapters, we find that Israel has specifically asked Samuel to hand over the fate of Israel to their keeping so that they could lower themselves in the eyes of God and elevate themselves in the eyes of the world.  There is no greater or more dangerous positional belief than this lie.  It is this fact that we are missing today because we believe the lie that in order to be equal we must align ourselves with the world and leave God out of things.  There cannot be any further or greater lie that we can believe from Satan.

Samuel again stands before them and states the facts concerning this resignation of Israel from God by first proclaiming who he is to their lives and how long he has been serving in that capacity.  If we stop and look at this passage for a bit we see that Samuel has been associated with Israel’s standing with God ever since he was a young boy and even from his beginnings a prophet and administrator of Israel he has done nothing but tell the truth coming from God.  I know that not every specific detail is mentioned over Samuel’s lifetime but through the question, he asks them in verse 3 and the answer the people give in verse 4 a huge direct relationship is presented here.

In verse 3, Samuel asks the people if he had done anything wrong or had deliberately taken anything from their land or personage without their knowledge, or if he had done their land and children any harm while he was their leader.  The people seemingly did not hesitate in their answers by proclaiming that he had done nothing wrong while he was in office and served as their leader.  The people did not balk at this event nor did they fully understand what exactly Samuel was serving as during this session.  Not only was Samuel serving as a person leader to the nation of Israel but he was also serving as the only liaison between God and them for their leadership, guidance, and wisdom.  The people had grown so lustfully of the world that they had become blind to what was transforming before them and what they were doing.  They accepted this portion of Samuel’s question and answer session as a part of his resignation to their wants alone, totally missing that they were severing the relationship with God at the same time, through His witness. 

Israel saw this process as the coming together and the fruition of their wants to become as other nations, while they were physically correct they were desperately wrong spiritually, they celebrated their freedom from God and their equality with the world.  What they were not recognizing was that it was not just Samuel resigning before them but also God presenting His case to them concerning the position He provided them during His reign over their nation.  It is apparent that the blindness of Israel was great enough that the people representing Israel in this passage did not even have a clue what was occurring and what this resignation meant, a sad day in the history of Israel for as they would soon find out that conditions of their lives would be totally different.  In verse 4, the people returned their verdict concerning the questions presented from Samuel in which they fulfilled the message of separation by acknowledging that Samuel had done no wrong against the people, further proving correct God’s statement to him in 1 Samuel Chapter 8 when God said that the people had rejected Him and not Samuel.

Through the words of the people, there cannot be any recognition of their ignorance to what they were declaring against God for through their own words share publicly their hearts concerning their position of worldly acceptance instead of their Divine separation.  In verse 5, Samuel seals the “deal” and closes the matter that both parties involved understand exactly what has just transpired, but little did the people know exactly what their actions had done, a setting that one can imagine when Jesus stated on the cross for God to forgive the people for they did not understand what they were doing.  In verse 6, Samuel begins another portion of words that redefines the position of God with His people by invoking the glories of God that He demonstrated through Moses, Aaron, Jacob, and what occurred to the people when their forefathers had forgotten God.  By the time Verse 10 of this passage arrives, the people literally have no excuse for their divisive decisions against God.

In this short passage alone we can determine that Samuel understood that God was a complete and consistent God and that what God had shown the people over time was a book of consistency that would continue even through this specific process.  While the people understood this truth, they cried with superficial hearts once again for their separation from God and declared their position for an earthly king.  In verse 13-15 Samuel once again gives instructions to Israel about listening to the voice of God and obeying His commands for their lives.  Even though the earthly king had been chosen, Samuel made it crystal clear that God still was in control and that He desired their obedience to Him first.  A sobering warning was also given out to Israel as Samuel concludes this portion of Scripture by telling the people that if they choose not to obey the commands of God that His hand will be against them and not for them, a position that they knew about and still ignored with their full hearts.

Samuel did a great job in reminding the people of Israel about their past and how their lives would be severely changed after the final words of resignation were spoken.  God wanted to make sure that every base was covered with this process so that the people would not be able to process a loophole in God’s leaving, and that it was NOT God leaving them but them leaving God and what would occur when they did.  One cannot help but be drawn back to the Garden of Eden when God is presenting His obedience class to Adam and what would occur if he would disobey what God had set into motion.  God’s ways are truth manifest and nothing less and it was Adam who disobeyed and lost his life, it was Moses who disobeyed and lost his life and God was making sure that Israel understood this truth would be fulfilled in their lands and hearts if repeated again.  It is through this passage that God reinforces the truth that it is by our choices that we deviate from His Ways and not that He deviates from them, thus demonstrating the origins and eternal foundation of Covenant.

This passage of Scripture is a perfect picture of how mankind is the one that decides to go their own way and not God.  It also paints a beautiful picture that while God loves His children with all of His heart, He shall never rule over them in anger or vengeance but through true love and compassion in allowing mankind to choose Him or the world.  By the time this setting had been played out God had allowed Israel to make their own choice about who ruled over them and since God was a consistent God in those days just as He is today He will allow us to make that same choice of ruler as well.  But as we make this choice of kings, we must keep one huge detail in mind that the other side of the coin is still in play as well and fulfills the truth that God is a consistent God.  For when we choose the world we are saying to God the exact same words that Israel said to Him back in 1 Samuel chapter 8, that we know better than He and that our finite decisions are better than His eternal wisdom; therefore, we can expect the exact same devastation that Israel faced if we choose to disobey God.  Oh, and by the way, when we choose the world over God, we have already committed our first act of disobedience.

It would be easy for us to really scold the Israelites after studying this passage from the Word of God but if we are truthful we cannot because we fall into the same category of personal separation from God each day that we take a breath.  It is also easy for us to blame God for all of the atrocities that we face each day and through our own disbelief of His presence and allowance in our lives, curse Him and resurrect the fruits of our hearts’ desires.  In the next few books of the Bible we find that Israel does exactly this type of behavior and since they were humans and so are we, we can expect nothing less from our actions than theirs.  We also can understand that God did not ever leave Israel and that He continued to show them their wicked ways and what occurs when disobedience to His Ways are in favor first.  God never stopped calling the children of Israel to come back to Him and He surely is not and has not stopped calling His children to return to His Ways today either.

A few nights ago, my mother gave me a great example of choices and how we view them and at the time we make them we do in such a manner that we are confident about making them but at the same time hope that those choices made will not come back and bite us at some point in time.  What a futile description of life that brings and yet we thrive through this condition, chew our fingernails afterward and scream with anger when things go south.  But every single person who walks this earth follows this same path at some time in their life all the while ignoring the One truth that can lead them away from such misery and defeat.  I wish I could say that I have never experienced such agony but just s you, I have two legs and walk the earth.

It is clear that the children of Israel did not understand nor did they wish to live through the commands of God.  That same lack of knowledge rules our hearts today, and we really have no excuse for our choices because while the children of Israel did not have the Bible to refer to they did have the laws of God taught to them directly, so both sides of the block are covered with beliefs in lies instead of the eternal truth of life.  If we could only pin down the aspect of our life that wishes to live by our own ways and throw it out all of us would be so much better off but God would never allow this to occur because it would undermine His complete and perfect creation of our existence and place a manipulative state of being that we would resent even further.

Do we as a society that is supposed to be the leader and example to the world fathom the reality of what we are supposed to be doing in such a position?  Israel was considered to be in this position during their time in the Bible yet they refused to recognize it and live it by choosing the world instead.  Do we have to follow in the exact footsteps that they did and be mortally crushed by the worldly choices as they?  God has made it very clear that our standards are given to us by Him and through His Word but like Israel, we have turned our hearts to the flesh.  While Israel’s demise had a resounding effect on their lives and the shift of power in the Middle East our demise shall have worldwide consequences which will usher in the end times of the world and not just for a region.  Our existence, when looked on as a whole, cannot be denied that some divine authority (GOD) has chosen us to be the source and example for the entire world.  It is imperative that we keep God first due to this truth because if we do not, not only shall we fall to our knees but the spirit of the world shall be unleashed in a way that shall frighten the entire globe; in other words, the end times that the Bible predicts would begin to emerge and once again prove the Bible and God correct.

As of this moment in our lives, we have the opportunity to delay this world setting and our destruction.  I have no idea of when God shall say “enough” but I do know our actions have already birthed that word into His heart, sadly I might add.  Church, you are the Light that God needs to shine so that we know what our wrongdoings are, we cannot afford to blindly choose the world as Israel did in this article.  Do you realize that it took over 2000 years for Israel to gain its name back?  And it was all due to the choice of them to accept the world as their friend instead of having God protect them through His Ways, why do we have to follow suit?  It is our responsibility to show others the true way of life and to offer those who are hurting that there is a God who wishes to separate us from that hurt.  But we cannot do this mission if we are embedded in the world, we must choose God and His Ways and throw out the world and close those doors that give Satan an opportunity to conquer.

God is calling us to stop the resignation process from Him and to once again work under Him and His Ways.  All of our issues that concern worldly ways will be answered and we shall know true happiness and peace like never witnessed before.  This is the kind of leadership that God desires for us and not one that is so confused that their inner thoughts and desires are so tangled that all motion cannot be driven properly.  The only way this shall occur is if we put God first in our life and redirect our resignation statements to the world.  God gives His 100% commitment to us and all He asks in return is that we choose to live under His blood 100% as well.  It is an easy choice to make and one that is so vital to our eternity.

DLB

Easy Pickings

Easy Pickings

4/5/17

All of us have used this term at some point in our lives and it is used in such a manner to point out how vulnerable and weak the prey really was at that moment.  We usually refer to these situations when we are watching a documentary about animals or relating some effort by an opponent to take down the other team, but it also can refer to our own lives both physically and spiritually.  We have an eternal and immortal enemy that loves to sit and wait until the time is right for his pouncing, an event that usually comes as a surprise to us.  This surprise status should not be an issue since we have the proper identification guide to warn us from our enemy in this manner yet we ignore this guidepost and go about our own business.  Until we refer back to the Word of God we shall continue to fall prey to our enemy for we do not know his presence, his intentions and his tactics in such violent manners.

Knowing our enemy is a huge topic that we all need to place into the front portions of our minds so that we are totally prepared for the tactics that he uses against us.  We also must consider the amount of hatred he has for God which in turn reflects directly on our lives as well, for we are God’s ultimate creations and pose the greatest and the only threat to the kingdom of Satan.  If we do not understand our enemy and know how his kingdom works we have no real defenses when it comes to his attacks and therefore are vulnerable to whatever method chooses to use against our lives.  One quick note here and that is this: Satan does not care one bit about our lives either the spiritual or the physical but he is interested in our spiritual separation from God because that is the eternal side of our lives and one that cannot be reversed when our physical is over.

I have never been a cat person and up until a few decades ago I had never had a cat, nor did I wish to have a cat.  But when one is placed directly at your feet and then one is placed in your mailbox the heartstrings are strummed by the kids and the parent gives in “just this once.”  This is what occurred at our house when the girls were young and while one of the cats did not survive long the other lived a very long life and turned out to be a very warm and friendly pet.  The first one, however, was its own person and really did not have much to do with humans but was a good mouser and outdoorsy animal.  She had her own personality when it came to hunting as well, and I must admit it was kind of fun to watch her hunt other animals that she considered prey, which leads to the example that I am going to use concerning our eternal enemy as well.

In the house that we used to rent, there was a loft that had windows on two of its sides that would allow a person to look out in almost every direction outside.  It would also allow for me to watch our cat hunt for his prey when it came time for Spring and Summer to roll around.  I could count on this event to occur at least once a week and I usually watched intently as the scene unfolded.  It was not a quick adventure for Silhouette would take her time taking every detail into account before pouncing on the poor bird, sometimes it would even take up to thirty minutes for the entire setting to complete. 

There were no high weeds present or any type of material that would conceal her presence just a black cat crouching along the brown dirt, inching her way closer and closer to her target.  The bird knew she was there for it would hop around and turn its head in the direction that she was in and then stand there for a few moments before hopping back around and going about its business.  I still do not understand the calculated time frame that both animals used but it was fascinating to me to watch both sides of the issue dance with each other before the time arrived for Silhouette to pounce.  What fascinated me the most was that the bird continued its activities as if nothing were wrong even though it would turn on occasion and stare right at Silhouette?  Now, if something you knew was larger than you or looked unfamiliar to you was actually getting closer to you by the minute wouldn’t you leave the area and go somewhere else?  Seems like the right thing to do.

As this scene continued to unfold, Silhouette would continue her approach until the closeness and the path to the bird was just right, and then with one quick movement towards the bird grabs it before it had a chance to fly away.  It was a quick process and within a few seconds the bird had no life left in it and the cat had successfully completed her mission.  While this setting is not one that is unusual, it’s not every day that people get to witness such a calculated process from two animals.  As mentioned above we can sit and watch a similar setting play out on a documentary but be watching one as it really happens is quite interesting.  While I did not have that opportunity to watch this occur every day when I was able to watch I always wondered how it felt to portray both animals and to understand just what each was doing to accomplish their goals at that time.

Watching the bird caught my attention to the tree that it was under and I had to ask myself since the bird saw the cat approaching why didn’t it just fly into the tree to give itself a bit more time to escape?  Even though cats can easily climb trees a bird’s wings could give it so much more of an advantage in the tree and then out of the tree than the cat would ever have.  Yet, the bird stood on the ground just hopping around and acting like nothing was wrong even while staring down its approaching enemy.  The bird acted like that it knew the enemy was there but there was no way possible that it would be quick enough to reach it that day, a complacent attitude that cost the bird its existence.

The cat, on the other hand, had a mission to complete and while it was in plain sight gave off the appearance that it had no intentions of attacking the bird at least that is what it portrayed to the bird.  Silhouette did her job well that day and after a few moments, her prey was in her mouth and its life over; job well done and goal accomplished.  Another detail that I noticed after the bird was dead was that Silhouette became very proud of herself as she held the dead bird in her mouth.  Her sneakiness and cunning appearance turned into a gloating session as she walked away, the bird in her mouth and head held high.  A predator’s trophy look was at its best for the mission had been done and a successful hunt was now finished. 

There were other days that I watched this type of event unfold but had different outcomes.  Sometimes for whatever reason, the bird would just simply fly away or as wondered a bit ago just flew into the tree.  Silhouette would then just rise from her crouching position, turn and walk away.  Other instances proved that the bird would outwit Silhouette and once again Silhouette would leave empty handed, but this setting did not occur very often.  Additional opportunities to watch were produced proved that Silhouette just sat there and did nothing as the bird continued its ways.  While I watched these scenes develop and complete fairly regular I had never put this type of scene into my life and more specifically how our spiritual enemy uses such a setting in order to complete his own mission of death and destruction on our lives.  For some reason, the opportunity was either ripe or it was not and the predator knew which setting was on course for that day.

For the most part, every human understands that there is an evil presence in the world that continually combats the good in people.  There have been countless books, movies, pamphlets, tracts, and other materials published that explain all types of good versus evil settings, both as informational guides and for our entertainment.  But in truth there is one who does not like us at all for it is our presence that threatens his world and while it is through his own selfish and entitlement ways that caused such an atmosphere, he still takes it out on our lives as a source of hateful lust against his Creator.  In knowing that this being does exist we continue to act as the dumb prey to his calling instead of taking heed of the surroundings and knowing how to fight properly before he attacks.

For many reasons, we have become numb to our enemy and have placed him in a category of unimportance just as the bird did with Silhouette.  I could have used any type of animal to present my example for this article but it is the concept of knowing our enemy well enough to understand that we should be aware of his presence and then fight accordingly before we are devoured.  It is bad enough for us to stand around and watch our enemy approach and believe that he does not have bad intentions.  It is even worse to continue to sit around and ignore the warning signs and then become a dead prey because we did not act accordingly after we knew concerning his presence.  Yet, we act like the bird hopping around the ground and acting like nothing is wrong and that we will have plenty of time to get our business in order and leave before he strikes.

A far greater cry for destruction comes in the fact that while we have become aware of our enemy’s presence that we do not consider him a threat because he has not done anything to provoke such a label.  In this case, the prey has written the enemy off as a potential predator, one that has changed its spots in order to fit in with the area or community and should be considered a friend.  This foolish and false belief should quickly be thrown out and our guard up for it is very unusual for any predator to change its natural spots for any reason and when it comes to our eternal enemy it is a guarantee that he has only one deed in mind and that is to see you spiritually die before the eyes of God.  It is hard for me to believe that humans can be so gullible in believing that an enemy has not planned for their assault on our lives especially when the enemy knows that there is only a specific window of time to complete the mission.

We have a perfect example in the Bible of such an event and it occurs in the book of Genesis when Adam and Eve were still living in perfect conditions.  Satan watched and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike Adam and Eve yet it was not a quick process he had the exact same strategy as Silhouette took when attacking the bird.  Satan knew the condition of Adam and Eve and he understood the surroundings well enough that he knew the advantage would be his.  Satan has predatory skills that he uses in order to entice his prey to stand around and to go about your business but do not recognize him as an enemy.  It is a sneaky challenge for it follows the exact same patterns as animals have and it has the same results as the animal kingdom produces as well.

There is no doubt that Adam and Eve had been instructed about Satan and the ways that he would present himself but when he did not attack immediately they must have thought differently about him, maybe he had changed and was not going to harm them in such a manner that God had warned against.  By the actions of Eve, it is evident that when confronted by the serpent she was enticed enough to lie about the command of God and willingly took advantage of disobedience instead of following God’s one law correctly.  It was at this moment that Satan knew the opportunity was right and all of his waiting and watching had paid off. The trap was set and the bait was taken and the prey had just been caught in the teeth of the enemy and their lives and consequently ours were now changed forever.

It is never a good idea to assume that a predator or enemy has the intent of becoming friends.  We cannot afford to become complacent with the thought that Satan is our friend and that he will tell us the truth for his only desire is to watch our lives be eternally separated from God with no hope of returning to a united condition.  In every way mentioned in the example above plus countless others Satan will use these tactics in order for us to let our guard down enough to provide him the necessary opportunity to strike.  Satan watches us and understands what is going on in our lives and he knows enough about us to know when to strike or when to just make his presence known.  Even if he just makes his presence known and walks away we must be at the ready to defend ourselves, because if we do not his strike will be sharp, on target, and lethal.

Just as the bird had its mechanisms of defense for whatever reason it became comfortable with Silhouette the cat being around it. This decision of the bird cost it its life and it was not allowed to live another day.  Each day I read about where someone has had enough with life and wants to end it all, give up and play the game no more, need I say that Satan’s opportunity is ripe in that life and I can guarantee that he will strike while he dances around them.  Satan and his kingdom (the world) does not care anything about you and will do everything possible in order to bring you into its death trap.  We are not defenseless against such tactics for we have been given the greatest manual for our protection against such wicked and horrid attacks.  We have only one life and one existence and it is the job of our enemy to make sure we end it just as his did so long ago by making the choice to ignore him and to succumb to his presence and grip.

I did not think of this next portion of the message until a few minutes ago when God dropped it in my heart but it is a point of relevance like no other.  All of those times I sat and watched birds either become the prey of the cat or was just being watched for future activities from the cat, that my watching was the extent of my participation.  And while I can never be considered to play the role of God or even consider to be comparable to God, I feel like I was “playing” God while I was watching the scene unfold because I saw every detailed moment unfold.  While I was at a distance, my eyes could watch both entities take part and as I watched the scene be completed it either ended in death or life for the prey.  I could have knocked on the window or intervened in some other way, but I did not. 

I have to admit that I was a tad disappointed when the bird was caught and its life was at that moment over.  As I sat and watched Silhouette take the conquering prance, I could not help but feel a bit angry as well for it was at that moment when I asked why the bird did not use its defensive mechanisms to thwart the attack of the cat.  I cannot help but think that God has similar thoughts running through His mind when one of His children falls to the darts of Satan.  The bird understood how to defend itself, for its mother had taught it before it left the nest, why?  Why do we fall into the same traps as the bird?  We have been equipped with every detailed provision for our defense yet we believe that our way of doing things is best, why??  In no way am I stating that God is a heartless Creator but He has given us the ability to know how to defend ourselves against the enemy.  This does not mean that He has abandoned us in our time of need, but it reflects the necessity of us to understand our defenses and how to use them at ALL times.

God has given this article for us today so that we will closely review our hearts and wipe away every ounce of the world that resides in our hearts, for He understands that if we allow the world to be present in our hearts that it will not be too much longer until the ruler of that world shall come to his rightful house.  We will be like the bird gasping for its last breath wondering why God did not protect us while we went along our way minding our own business.  If we do not act according to the means by which God has provided us then we are in truth tempting God and therefore, thumbing our noses in His face.  We have such far greater value than a bird, a cat, or any other animal that roams on the ground, swims or flies so why would we voluntarily spite God?  It is our choice to either do such an act or to live through His Word and live life according to how He originally designed for us to exist.

God loves us and has given us the one true source of protection and it is our duty to study its content of life so that we may live in His Word and advance His Kingdom while we take each breath.  God is a provider, not a taker but we shall never understand this truth about Him if we do not take His Word and apply it to our lives.  It is not only our provision for us to live under His Word but our duty to share this protection with others so they can defend themselves as well.  Satan does not care who you are, what sex you may be, or what ethnicity you originate physically from all he cares about is your stolen eternal life from God.  And while Satan knows his time is short his methods of destruction have been easily applied in our lives due to the lack of wisdom that we demonstrate and it is through this observation tactic that we portray to the predator that we are sitting birds for his grip. 

Church it is our responsibility to warn others about the dangers of our enemy but first, we must rid ourselves of his presence in our lives so that we can complete the mission that Jesus gave us.  Our defenses are easily put on and lightly carried but we must place them on correctly in order for our entire lives to be protected.  We must study the Word of God thoroughly in order for us to have this protection it is there and provided within full for our daily usage.  God asks us to reconsider our choices and to repent of our sins and turn back to Him so that we may live life abundantly and not live under constant defeat and ultimately death.

DLB

Living The Dream

Living the Dream

4/3/17

When a person has a dream it usually entails a grand plan of living or adventure that includes all sorts of atmospheres and situations.  Most dreams are pleasant and delightful while others tend to be dark and gruesome, all of which are signals that keep our mind in order and our lives in check.  A dream can also be a condition where everything is perfect and everyone around is happy, especially when times are good and no major concerns are lingering about.  But what occurs when the dream is shattered will our heart be so far in the clouds that we will not understand why the dream ended?  God directly deals with this fact in His Word and it is a setting to which this nation and the world shall reap unless we turn back to God and place His Ways first in our lives again. 

“Livin’ the dream” is a phrase that my ears hear almost every day.  When I first began to hear this saying I really did not think too much about what the people using it meant and why they were saying it.  As time has progressed I have heard many different people use this saying and in the setting in which they have uttered these words have all reflected back to one original content.  I guess it took me a while to figure out what these words mean and how they are reflective in our culture and societal conditions, along with what they represent to the ones who speak this phrase.  Dreams are items that our minds think about while we are sleeping and after careful medical studies, we have learned that dreams actually keep us sane.  While this specific portion of the definition of a dream will not be discussed in this message from God it is a condition that He wants us to understand that comes from Him but it is ultimately our choice to stay within these good times or not.

I was under the impression that when a person spoke these words that they meant everything was ok and that they had no cares about what was going on around them, and that assumption of mine turned out to be correct.  As I continued to watch the people in “question” I found out that the majority of them were comfortable with their surroundings and they had accepted things as a normal place setting and that they were determined that nothing was too big for them to worry about.  This phrase seems like a great concept and one that all of us should adapt our lives to achieve, but I also figured out a fine detail about this saying that has infiltrated these people and they do not have a clue that they harbor such a disastrous thought process.

It is commonplace to assume that this nation is the best that ever has graced this planet for an endless string of people gave their “everything” to live in this land of ours.  Some have even paid the ultimate price in trying to reserve their spot for the freedom that this nation gives; however, we must also place onto the table that not everyone wishes for this dream to be fulfilled and will do just as much work necessary to see that this lifestyle is thwarted.  Whatever the case and choice may be it is always the person’s choice in making their dream come true.  For the majority of people, everything that this nation offers would be considered to be the ultimate dream, one that they could spend the rest of their lives basking in and enjoying life as it was meant to be.  This nation offers the best in almost every category and as long as we are willing to get off our duffs and work for these gifts then we shall have a good chance of obtaining these opportunities.  But when the society itself has allowed its inhabitants to become lazy and strive for nothing yet still receive priority benefits that hard working inhabitants cannot afford, this act proclaims it is ok to not work priorities are wrong; but still considered living a dream.  

But as we think back to all those fond scenes of serenity and beauty that we envision we must remember that for some various reasoning, others have different plans for this wondrous dream of ours.  All we have to do is touch for a moment to September 11, 2001, and we are forced to understand that this other type of dream can break any stable union.  But do we fully comprehend that it is other people who make those choices to ruin things for others, or do we ignore these dubious choices and go on about our business?  Whether we like to admit it or not, our choices affect other people and other people’s choices will affect us as well. We cannot stem our advantages through total utopia alone, for not all of us will agree on every subject no matter how much we try and align ourselves together, remember those friends in high school that you agreed to call and write every week for the remaining of your lives?  I must admit that sometimes when I hear this phrase being used I laugh quietly to myself and shake my head in disbelief because I know that our enemy is laughing at our loudly each time we utter this phrase.  Satan understands that at some point in time that our society shall have to change because of our attitudes towards God and His receiving of the blessings that define this “living the dream”.

We have a very accurate account of this type of perfect and dreamlike setting that we can refer to whenever we want for it is located in the Bible and we do not even have to turn very far into its contents either.  In fact, the story begins in chapter 1 of Genesis and continues until the end of chapter 3 with all of the potential of such a perfect life being played out and ending sadly; the entire gambit being offered for us to understand.  God is a perfect being in all aspects that we can imagine so when He creates something He does in the same manner in which He has always created, He cannot do any other justice than this.

Genesis chapters 1-3 give us a detailed picture of what it is like to be living the true dream because it defines the plan of perfection perfectly.  Every bit of information in these chapters sets the stage for a perfect life with no interruption of ugliness present and the two inhabitants that God placed into the Garden of Eden witnessed this dream come true status every day without fail.  No one could have asked for a better living place than the Garden of Eden, for everything that was there was created for their usage and a part of their dominion, all they had to do was to keep it up and dress it so that its presence would still be perfect.  A simple task that should have been a productive dream as well, all that was required was a bit of true and pure effort.

But as we see in chapter 3, Adam and Eve have already lost their enthusiasm for their dream and they begin to slack a bit on their duties.  We can almost hear their voices say to each other as they pass by one another “how are you doing today dear? Oh, just living the dream, honey”.  The same truth can be recognized in this passage of the Bible as we witness about our nation today. Am I comparing this nation to the Garden of Eden setting?  Kind of, for I understand that this nation is not perfect by all means necessary but it is a place where God established a safe haven for those who wanted to come and to live and learn of His blessings for His people, that I am comparing.  But as there was a process of boundaries in the Garden of Eden so is there in our nation as well or at least there should be boundaries present.

The important concept that God wants us to understand here is that Adam and Eve knew that their living space and everything around them had been created in perfect order and condition and there was nothing wrong with that.  But while the Bible does not specifically write out the words that were mentioned in the above paragraph one can believe that through the unfolding of chapter 3 in Genesis their attitudes towards this type of living were presently disappointing and thus having the attitude of not caring to keep up the standards that was expected from them by God.  It is this knowing yet not continuing their responsibility is where we are at today and unless we change our attitudes towards this attitude we shall face the same consequences as Adam and Eve did.  God gave us a mind and heart to wonder about specific details without actual written words, for we are all humans both in the biblical times and now.

What consequences did they face?  I am glad you asked!  As we find out in chapter 3 of Genesis Adam and Eve’s world comes crashing down around them all due to the fact that they had allowed the perfect setting that they lived in to become their “worldly” thoughts and beliefs instead.  The world believes that we should be allowed to live our own lives in the manner to which we see fit then let others do the worrying about how things should be fixed.  Stop for a moment and think about this because it is the exact manner in which Adam and Eve had when they sinned and what they did immediately afterward that proves this statement true.  Now, God poses the same question and setting to you concerning our attitudes about this nation today.

It is clear that God places all responsibility concerning the upkeep and dressing of the Garden of Eden on Adam and Eve.  This takes all ideology of laziness and blame away from God and gives the human the responsibility of NOT allowing that process to infiltrate and then thrive inside them.  There can be no blame put on anyone else besides the human when the manner of creation is made in such fashion and perfection.  At some point between the end of Chapter 2 of Genesis and the beginning of Chapter 3 of Genesis, a great deal of laziness and worldly (Satanic influence) occurs in both Adam and Eve.  Through Eve’s words, she recognizes God’s command but adds to it which means that she understood the responsibility yet she chose to make addendums on her own, a sign of disobedience through selfishness that had crept into her life and was now on public display.  She knew there were issues that she had chosen to ignore yet advertently spoke them through her disobedient attitude while claiming a perfect life existed; follow that?

Now, how can one honestly state that this attitude from Eve is not represented in our nation today?  There is no way that we can ignore the fact that this nation is the greatest nation on earth and through this statement we can stand up and say that we do not have issues that need to be addressed quickly.  Also, we cannot place blame the situation of this nation as the reasoning for our actions against the truth; therefore, Eve’s reasoning for her statement to Satan is alive in our hearts today for it is the exact same phrase used when we say “living the dream”.  It is this transition period that causes so much of a stir in Eve’s world for immediately after she completed the act of disobedience the consequences occurred, and it is this position that we are standing in today.

Here, once again God is giving us another look at the state that we are living and the conditions that we have created.  By our own words and phrases, we acknowledge that our nation is the best that life has to offer, for while we have problems people from all around the globe find any means possible to reach our shores.  We recognize this truth and hold it close to our hearts yet we have a majority compulsion to sit around and not keep up the necessary standards for us to complete the light needed for the world.  At the same time, we are tragically failing in understanding that the issues we are harboring in order to make us more like the world are eating at our hearts and thus committing disobedience to the one who made this nation possible in the first place.

God is reminding us that His Word is alive for all time periods including this one!  Through the actions of His prized creations, we have the opportunity to see our actions and what they will bring, both on the obedience side of the truth and the disobedience once as well.  The difference between Adam and Eve’s setting and ours is that theirs has already played out and we know what their consequences were, for we continue to live in them today.  Our settings are still in question and can be reversed if we change our attitudes and beliefs BEFORE we cross that line of no return and God has to step in and really has to change things up.  It is NOT God’s desire to end our dream living for it is His desire that all mankind live in these blessings from Him.  Adam and Eve portrayed their ideas of the perfect setting and living the dream, but it was not God’s dream for them and we must figure it out real quick like that our dreams are far inferior to the dream God has for our lives.

Adam and Eve lost the truth in their hearts about how important they were to God and how perfect His gifts were to them, we do not need to follow in their footsteps here.  I know that after Adam and Eve involuntarily left the Garden of Eden they had endless amounts of “what ifs” that they discussed, but it was not to be.  Their choices cost them their living the dream status and it placed them into a world of hurt, literally.  Have you ever wondered if Adam and Eve looked back at the Garden of Eden as they were walking away?  The Bible does not say if they did or not but it would seem like they would have for they knew that they were leaving a place of perfection to now reside in a world of pain.  Kind of inflates the story of Lot’s wife in a further grotesque manner, eh.

We can still skip this devastation to our nation and to countless people around the world and all we need to do is to return back to God, repent, ask for forgiveness and He will gladly oblige this request from our hearts.  But this repentance should come from our heart and not our superficial escape plan as Adam and Eve put into place with the fig leaves.  God desires a total and committed relationship with Him, one that is eternal and everlasting on all levels and we can have this if we live under the blood of obedience.  Study God’s Word, understand not only God’s Ways but the ways of our enemy also for if we only understand one side of the story (only one Kingdom) then we will surely fall due to lack of knowledge.  Knowing both sides of the battle is a huge part of obedience and will help out when the battle arises.  Church repent, turn your hearts towards God and He will restore us back to the conditions of living a dream, His Dream for our lives.

If we do not see this colliding disaster coming and we choose not to change, the question then becomes how will we respond after the institution is gone?  Our attitudes are clearly strained now, and the turmoil while growing is still considered to be stable.  Take the entire institution away (government and the nation as it is) and how will the actors and actresses play the part then?  If we do not turn and choose God as #1 in our hearts and allow this disaster to occur, two things we can count on to occur.  The first shall be total chaos and world opportunity to strike back shall be set into motion.  The second thing to occur will be the outplaying of every unfulfilled prophecy concerning this nation and the world will begin to unfold, ultimately proving the Bible to be more accurate than ever perceived.  

We still have an opportunity to delay this truth from unfolding before our eyes, we no longer can afford to stand in our shells and not be a witness for God.  God loves us and desires nothing less to bless each child of His, but He cannot do this when sin rules our heart.  Church, let us get out an effective message to fulfill the mission that we are commanded to do, for if we do not then we are witnessing to ourselves and thus destroys the purpose of the Kingdom of God and if we do not then the living the dream statement shall become the worst nightmare that the world has ever witnessed.

DLB