Psalms 7:7-9

⁷ Let the assembled peoples gather around you,

    while you sit enthroned over them on high.

The Lord sits on high above all on His throne in heaven.

Though the Lord is on high, yet He regards the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar. – Psalm 138:6

The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them. – Psalm 11:4

Hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. – 1 Kings 22:19

David is calling for God to sit on His throne of judgment in front of the heavenly hosts.

⁸     Let the Lord judge the peoples.
Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,
    according to my integrity, O Most High.
⁹ Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
    and make the righteous secure—
you, the righteous God
    who probes minds and hearts.

How could David say that he is righteous?  David himself tells us that no person is good.

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

    They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;

    there is none who does good.

The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,

    to see if there are any who understand,

    who seek after God.

They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;

    there is none who does good,

    not even one.  – Psalm 14:1-3

The only thing that would make David’s righteous is the Spirit of God within him.  David knew the Spirit of God was with him and within him.  He testifies of it in Psalm 51:11 when he prays to God, “Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”

David is praying here for God to vindicate him based on the actions he has taken and on the integrity of his heart which has followed the Lord’s command through His Spirit.  Otherwise he can’t make that prayer because he himself knows there is no good in man. 

O LORD, judge the people, condemn the wicked and free the righteous!  Only He can do this as only He knows the mind and heart of every man.

Psalms 7:6

⁶ Arise, Lord, in Your anger;

    rise up against the rage of my enemies.
    Awake, my God; decree justice.

This is such a powerful statement from David.  Especially if you’ve been subject to the deeds of evil people or an evil person.  Yes!!  Oh Lord Yes!!  Rise up in Your anger against them!! 

This is also a very Old Testament mindset, but we should be reminded that the Lord is the same God and He does not change.  David prayed for God to rise up in His anger, not David’s, against the rage of his enemies that were dealing with him unjustly.  David wisely knows that when God rises up to oppose his enemies, his enemies are doomed.  God’s justice is perfect.  God’s opposition to them will be perfect and there is no escape.

To say this, David is confident that he has not wronged his enemies.  If he has, he has just prayed for God to allow him to be trampled and overtaken by them.  David knows he sits on the side of God’s righteousness and his enemies oppose God’s righteousness or God Himself.

Jesus taught for us to Love our enemies and Pray for those who persecute you (Mt 5:44).  The spirit of the text being to pray for their salvation.  To pray that they will turn on one of the chances they get to choose to believe in God since God doesn’t will that as single person would perish in to the eternal flames of a very real Hell.

Is David praying differently than Jesus teaches?  David who had the Spirit of God within him is praying for God’s anger to rise up against the rage of his enemies. 

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. – Romans 12:17-19

Notice that David isn’t praying that he be allowed to destroy his enemies.  He is asking God to take His anger against them.  He is praying for God’s wrath upon them.  Paul teaches in Romans that the ungodly live at enmity against God (Rm 8:7-8).  That is, they are enemies of God.  David knows this and is praying for God to repay them.  David knows that God will deal with them perfectly.

²² Let their supper be bait in a trap that snaps shut;
May their best friends be trappers who’ll skin them alive.

²³ Make them become blind as bats,
Give them the shakes from morning to night.

²⁴ Let them know what you think of them,
Blast them with your red-hot anger. – Psalms 69:22-24

Do we want any less?  If people have hardened their heart against God and are intent on opposing Him everywhere they can to include intruding and demanding me to change my lifestyle – to take away my freedom to worship and live as well as I can according to the Word of God, then yes I want God’s anger to rise up against their rage, so they will meet Him face-to-face.  Perhaps then, they can decide if they want to oppose the living Lord forever or realize that that powerful God is reaching out to them even while He stands against them.

Either way, I want those who don’t know God to be presented with God.  I pray they will act justly and stop battling me, but if they won’t, I pray that the one true living God will rise up and stand against them, so they will know there is a God that is everywhere and who is all life and who loves His children.

It is important however to remind myself that God’s timeline isn’t mine.  I must rest in peace knowing God will save His children and confront their enemies.  He will deal justly with them perfectly.

Psalms 7:3-5

³ O Lord my God, if I have done this:

If there is iniquity in my hands,
⁴ If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,
Or have plundered my enemy without cause,
⁵ Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;
Yes, let him trample my life to the earth,
And lay my honor in the dust.  (NIV)

How many people do I know that are willing to sacrifice their worth, their pride, thein “honor”, their life, so willingly so that righteousness will be done?  How many people do I know that believe righteousness is so important that it must go forward as a priority over even their own cause?  Am I willing to believe in righteousness so vigorously?

An interesting thing to note here about David is he was very close to God in these extreme trials.  In battles with enemies or his king, he turned to God with complete abandonment of himself, as we all should.  In 1 Samuel 13:14 we read Samuel telling the king Saul, “the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler of his people”.  And in Acts 13:22, “God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’”  David was a man whose internal desire was pursuit of the purpose and character of God.  This he did, especially when in confrontations, battles, and trials. 

I have often thought that David’s fall came when he relaxed as a deserving king that didn’t need to be in those battles, leading and inspiring the men, but resting in the palace comforts while they fought.  I recently heard someone say that “happiness is the enemy”.  The point was that once they rested in comfort of accomplishments in life, they would stop achieving – they would lose their drive and their ability to take risk.  They would be unwilling to lose everything to achieve great things.  I wonder if David had lost some drive as king during his dark days of sin and had relaxed his pursuit of God’s righteousness.  (The response to this quote was, “if you can never let yourself achieve happiness, then you have already lost.”  I don’t know what the answer is to these opposing thoughts.) 

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

David has the most noble of thoughts here from his heart.  He considers that he is capable and may have done wrong to these people unknowingly.  Maybe they are justified.  If he’s actually done wrong to these people, then the just answer is for him to be dealt with properly.  That is honest repentance and putting God then others first.  We should strive to be so noble.

Light of Life

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12 

Today, I certainly don’t feel like I have the light of life.  I wonder if God has left me.  I assume this means that I am not following Him, if I interpret the verse above correctly.  How can you follow when you can’t hear or there are no words for you?  Where is the life from the Spirit?

Perhaps God has judged me and He has left me to myself as a judgment.  I certainly deserve this.  What then? 

I know that life is precious and everyday should be lived and not taken for granted.  Yet, life seems hollow.  Every aspect of life seems to hurt and I make everyone around me miserable.  I try to hide it, but those closest to me know something is wrong.  Perhaps I am just really tired from the fight.  Everything is a fight.  I am criticized on all sides.  The light of hope fades and I fight to keep it alive.

As I write I notice that there are way too many “I”s in the above paragraphs.  “I” should not be so important to my own landscape. 

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.  - Psalms 51:10-12

God did not speak to Israel for 400 years.  No prophets came during that time.  That is 12 to 15 generations of families.  That is longer than the United States has been a nation.  Even so, some in the culture kept the Word of God and the society was a theocracy based on the writings from God through men of previous generations. 

Then, Jesus came as a child and died as a sinless man.  He was resurrected and through Him life was created and can be recreated.  The dead society following words could choose God and receive His Spirit and walk in life.  Long before, David knew how important that Spirit was within him and pleaded with God to not take it from him.  Now, the Spirit is available to any who choose to believe that Jesus is the Son of the one true living God.

Today I plead as David did, for a new pure heart, to not be cast from the presence of God, that the Spirit would remain in me and my own spirit be renewed, that my joy of His salvation would be restored, and my own spirit would be willing to persevere.  May it be so.

Psalms 7:1-2

O Lord my God, in You I put my trust;

Save me from all those who persecute me; (v1, NIV)

God! God! I am running to you for dear life;
    the chase is wild. If they catch me, I’m finished:
    ripped to shreds by foes fierce as lions,
    dragged into the forest and left
    unlooked for, unremembered. (v1-2, Message)

While it is often said we should not reserve our prayers to God to only be 911 prayers, it does say something, at least to me, that we do turn to God in such times.  It is a sign of faith.  It says, like the Message Bible interprets, that we trust God and Him alone to save us.  The old saying, “There is no such thing as an Atheist in a foxhole” rings true.  If there is nothing else beyond this life and no god, then what must the despair be for those who have no help and are hopeless?  I can only imagine it is internally sheer panic or it is a willingness to do anything that makes the person happy or helps them. 

If there is no god, then each person is their own god.  They have to be.  If they live in a limited time arena, then it is complete foolishness to not get what you can and live how you want to live for as long as you can.  It must appear as complete hypocrisy to see people living within moral boundaries or purposely giving, often sacrificing, of themselves for the benefit of others.  It must also be completely offensive to them when another person creates limits on their ability to live however they want to live since the only thing they’ll ever have is what is inside this limited time.

Every sad moment is offensive to them and has to be the result of someone else causing it because they are living to be happy in every moment.  If they don’t have something they want it now so they can be happy now before the limited time ends.  Every tested rule of life that were learned by previous generations of Americans are being thrown out (that is, until they return like a boomerang and hit them in the head).  Brett & Kate McKay list the following lessons learned after reading Tom Brokaw’s book The Greatest Generation: 1) Take personal responsibility for your life; 2) Be frugal; 3) Be humble; 4) Love loyally; 5) Work hard; 6) Embrace challenge; 7) Don’t make life so damn complicated (just get up and go).  None of these reflect the ideology of I have to be happy and it’s the world’s job to make me happy.

The problem in the world today is the absence of God in the life of people.  Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”  They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! (Ps 14:1)  Life is much more than this limited time.  In fact, the Bible tells us that once a person accepts that Jesus is the Son of the one true living God and His sacrifice was made for their sins, the Spirit of God descends into their heart, their internal person.  The Spirit of God is eternal.  How can the eternal reside with something not eternal?  Every person is eternal, only their destination is in question and they get to choose their destination.  In today’s society it would seem the question is whether to worship oneself or worship the holy God who is, was, and will be forevermore.  The separation among people today is not whether they are Democrat or Republican.  It is whether they don’t believe in God or they do.

Worship on Saturday or Sunday?

I have a lot of relatives who are Seventh-day Adventists.  I think a lot of what they do and say about living in faith is very correct.  However, I’ve never been able to absorb why it is so important to go to church on Saturday.  How could a whole body of believers set their religion seemingly around that one thing.  

According to Wikipedia and a religion article on BBC, Seventh-day Adventists (SDA) are “distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in Christian and Jewish calendars, as the Sabbath” and they “keep the Sabbath from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday, because God set apart the seventh day of creation week to be a day of rest and a memorial of creation.” 

I believe that is a respectable observance.  In fact, one of the ten commandments (the fourth one) is “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath to the Lord your God. … For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.” (Exodus 20:8-10a,11)  Considering this, it is easy to believe they are not wrong.  In fact, I am willing to commend anyone, in this age of demonstrating little obedience to God’s Word, that obeys out of conviction.  So, it is not my intention here to do so, but to try to understand my own thoughts on the matter.

If the Bible says, keep the Sabbath day holy and do no work on it and the traditional week starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday, then why oh why do I go to church on Sunday?  Am I just going with tradition and being disobedient now that the truth has been revealed to me?  This is the question that must be answered.

Traditionally, we commemorate the death of Jesus as being on Friday.  This has for as long as I’ve been alive been recognized as Good Friday.  It is called “good” as a translation of an Old English expression meaning holy.  It could have just as easily be named Holy Friday and not be a misinterpretation.  I’m sure it was an easier sell as a holiday to the public named as Good Friday.  Many churches have a Maundy Thursday service as well.  Maundy is a shortened version of the Latin word mandatum which means command (mandate).  This service recognizes the Last Supper and the command that Jesus gave at that time to love one another and serve one another.

Truth is, the whole dying on Friday and resurrecting on Sunday has never made sense to me because the numbers didn’t add up.  You want me to believe that Jesus, who didn’t lie because He didn’t sin, said He would be in the earth for three days and three nights as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish (Mt 12:40), but was resurrected after only two nights and two days (Mary went before daybreak to find Him already gone (Jn 20:1))?  It is only after understanding that the following week was the Sabbath week and every day can be referred to as a Sabbath that you can see that Mary likely didn’t go to the grave until a full three days and three nights had passed.  We just celebrate Easter on a Sunday for convenience and honestly, I’m okay with that once I understand the number confusion.

Getting back on topic, when Jesus was resurrected, it was a new day.  The world changed for man.  People were no longer doomed to their sins, but can be rescued eternally.  Jesus is the only hope for this world.  God’s plan is salvation for the world, but people must choose.  Even so, there is this event called the Eighth Day.  ( A good study research project that can be done regarding the Eight Day and the Eighth person.  Noah was rescued for his righteousness as the eighth person.  Moses said to give the firstborn of your sons on the eighth day.)  But here in our topic, the fulfillment of the Eighth Day is when God’s Kingdom will be eternal.  It will begin and never end. 

In essence, the Eighth Day is a day that symbolizes complete submission to God, fulfillment of righteousness and the day that God accepts the offerings for our sin.  Since our sins can only be accepted through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we must realize that we are living in the time of the Eighth Day.  For me, worshipping on Sunday, instead of Saturday, means that we are acknowledging God’s acceptance of us through Jesus.  It is worship to Jesus for His sacrifice and praise that we live in Him and Him alone.

I doubt the modern church intended this, but arranged itself to the week society presented.  However, I am willing to accept it as I believe it is acceptable.  As far as the SDA church goes, while I commend their strict observance in obedience and am always encouraged by believers following Jesus, studying His Word, and worshipping together, I have to hope they are willing to accept an alternate view.  Like everyone, I’m sure some will just be happy I know Jesus personally as I am towards them and others will think I am misled. 

Be Strengthened in the Lord Your God

Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. – 1 Samuel 30:6

David and his men came back to their city and it was burned, all their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken.  David and his men were very burdened by this.  In verse 4, there is very strong language that probably isn’t stated strong enough.  The NRSV says that “David and the people with him raised their voices and wept, until they had no more strength to weep.”  The Message says that the men were “exhausted with weeping”.  Obviously, they all considered their families to have been hurt, abused, or dead.

Once they stopped grieving, they got angry.  Their anger turned on David.

We read that David was “greatly distressed” for two reasons.  One, he had lost the confidence of the people.  Two, the soul of all the people were terribly grieved for their families.  David cares deeply for the people.  I also believe that as their leader he was hurt that he had led them to such pain.  He knew he was God’s appointed and as such, it would have been greatly discerning that the people might turn away from God.

Yet, in the midst of this pain, exhaustion, grief, and personal attack, David does what we must learn to do, strengthen ourselves in the Lord our God.  He drew closer to God.  Notice that we are told clearly here that the Lord is David’s personal God, “the Lord his God”.  Is the Lord your God?  Do you have a close personal relationship with Him?  Can you turn to Him at any time and know the presence of the Lord is with you?

David is recorded in Psalms 18:

I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.

The pangs of death surrounded me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears. (vs 1-6)

He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. (vs 16-19)

David’s testimony and witness is that the Lord rescued him.  The Lord was there when David was drowning.  The Lord in His high place (“even to His ears”) heard a humble David’s plee.  The perfect Father “delivered me because He delighted in me”.  The Lord delights in His children and has His Hand in all things in our life so we may grow if we are willing in our knowledge and faith of Him.

Draw close to God today in whatever trials beset you.  Trust in the Lord and the Lord alone and know He does not leave you to yourself.

Will America Persecute Christians?

In the book The Insanity of Obedience by Nik Ripken, he list three types of persecution against Christians that he witnessed in his many travels to visit oppressed and persecuted Christians around the world.  These types of persecution are not just in the history books, but are alive and well today.  There is too much evidence in America that persecution of Christians, apart from other religions, is growing very fast.

Here is a good article dated July 5, 2017, named Christian Persecution is Coming to America, provided by truthandfire.com.  The article can be found at: http://www.truthandfire.com/news-bedford/2017/7/1/christian-persecution-is-coming-to-america

CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION IS COMING TO AMERICA

Yesterday, we celebrated the 241st "birthday" of our nation's Declaration of Independence.  But for the past few weeks, I've actually been contemplating matters relating to our Constitution. I'm aware that the U.S. Constitution wouldn't become the law of the land for another decade, two months and 13 days after we declared our independence from British rule.  And I can respect the amount of painstaking time, energy and thought our Forefathers put into creating our "more perfect Union" and the "supreme law" that would rule it. Yet, with all that is going on in our nation and the world, I've been considering lately how desperately fragile this document, and the rights granted therein, actually are. 

Truth is, I'm of the mind that Christian persecution will become a widespread norm in the United States - probably in my lifetime.  I don’t mean persecution of the "Starbucks-removed-the-Christmas-tree-from-their- red- cups” variety (which, by the way, isn’t persecution at all given that Christmas is a man-made holiday rooted in pagan practices AND one that Jesus never told us to celebrate in the first place. But that’s another post). I’m talking about the type of persecution the early Church endured. 

I’m speaking of actual laws being passed that limit or prohibit the speech and religious expression of those who share God’s Word and support the teachings of Jesus Christ. I’m speaking of Christians being fined, arrested, jailed, losing jobs, and even our very lives for the sake of the Gospel.

Yes. Right here. In America. 

I know it sounds far-fetched given that the Constitution (currently) protects our freedom of speech and religion. But I’m telling you guys – it’s coming. Not only does the Lord make it clear that widespread Christian persecution will take place in the last days before His return (Mark 13:9-13), but current events are shaping up to prove that such is on the rise at a dizzying rate.

FOUNDING (THE LOSS OF) FREEDOMS

When most of us think of Christian persecution, we often think of isolated cases in the Middle East and countries in Africa and Asia.  Yet, Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world.  And Canada has been proof that persecution is not only possible in North America, but it is most certainly growing ever more hostile here. Ontario recently passed Bill 89, which, under its Human Rights Code, “protects” a child’s professed homosexual orientation or transgender expression and, thus, allows the government to remove children from the homes of parents who oppose gender ideology (aka: the LGBT agenda). Bill C-16 makes it illegal to use the “wrong” pronouns when referring to a transgender individual. In other words, if a man wishes to live as a woman and be called “she” but you say “he”, you can be fined or jailed.  Moreover, an Ontario Christian school has been banned from teaching parts of the Bible that may be offensive to certain individuals, namely those whose sexual and/or gender expression contradict the Bible. Note that this is just a sampling of Canada's developments in the past TWO WEEKS [article originally written on July 5, 2017]! They've certainly has much more going on in the past two years.  The devil has been ridiculously busy!

“Oh! But that’s Canada,” you say, eh?

Well, consider that in the U.S., there is a growing movement to suggest that Christians are unfit for public office. LGBT groups recently made that declaration and Bernie Sanders went so far as to suggest that a Christian’s belief in the Gospel makes us hateful and incapable of fairly serving all people -  including those who don’t share our faith - specifically, Muslims. According to Sanders, the Gospel is “indefensible, it is hateful, it is Islamophobic, and it is an insult to over a billion Muslims throughout the world.” And just the other day, Tim Gill was quoted by the Rolling Stone as saying it is his plan to use state and local governments to "punish the wicked", referring to Christians who are opposed to the LGBT agenda. Gill, a major donor to LGBT causes, was instrumental in helping advance the argument for marriage equality in Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court case that made same-sex marriage legal in the U.S.

Not only are Christians and the Gospel being increasingly criticized and threatened, the full counsel of God (aka the Bible) was recently said to have "no place in modern American society". According to Keith Burton, Director of the Center for Adventist-Muslim Relations at Oakwood University, the Word of God is an “obstacle to American freedom”.  Burton's sentiments were the craziest and most foolish thing I’d ever read so, of course, I had to respond.

RELIGIOUS CIVIL WAR

It seems other Christians are also responding to these sly attacks, and most are doing so through our civil government. The state of Kentucky, for instance, was pretty bold in passing the “Bible Literacy Bill” (H.B. 128), which went into effect last week. The Bill supports an elective Bible literacy course which will teach American history through a Biblical context. Kentucky Governor, Matt Bevin, argues that Biblical principles and themes shaped much of America’s laws and culture, thus he doesn’t understand why more states wouldn’t have such a course in place. Of course, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is all over this legislation. And, if I am honest, there was a time I might have squinted at what the state is doing. But knowing what I now know and after seeing what I’ve seen, I can’t say that I blame Kentucky. In fact, I fully support them!

I can recall when our nation first became extremely adamant about religious neutrality. In my ignorance, I supported the concept, thinking that by keeping everything neutral we’d maintain peace and avoid offense. BUT what I was too naive to understand was that the push for "neutrality" was truthfully a strategy to NEUTER Christians. While they were removing our Bibles and scripture verses from our desks, e-mail signatures and cubicles, EVERYONE ELSE was pushing their false religion, lies and deceptions into the mainstream under the guise of "equality" "inclusion" and "freedoms of speech and religion". Rather than keep or include Christianity in the mix in the name of "diversity" and “inclusion”, we were systematically muzzled. When I began to see how atheists, Muslims and the LGBT community were celebrated and encouraged to bring their ideologies to the forefront for diversity's sake, BUT the Biblical Christian voice was chastised, I finally put the pieces together: America wants us to shut up by any means necessary!

I perceive that, in truth, this generation doesn't REALLY care about free speech or freedom of religion for all. It doesn't really even care about "diversity". At its core, it cares about shutting down the truth of Jesus Christ and all who believe it and share it. Anything a Christian does in the name of our faith in the public (AND private) square is offensive and must be snuffed out.

There were complaints about police cars with decals which read "Blessed are the peacemakers" (Matthew 9:5), but there were celebrations for rainbow decals on "pride patrol" police cars. 

After complaints from an atheist group, a U.S. town recently removed an historic park bench because “God” appearing in a quote inscribed on the bench was deemed “offensive”. But atheist groups make it an annual tradition to erect across the country billboards that mock Christians.

A Christian baker (whose bakery was privately owned, by the way) was told that he is REQUIRED to render services that contradict his sincerely-held, faith-based convictions. Churches are being pushed to provide transgender restroom accommodations. Pastors’ sermons are being demanded by the government to ensure they're not offensive to the LGBT community.

A Christian student is told wearing a cross on her necklace is “disrespectful”, while a Muslim student’s hijab must be respected as a source of pride. A high school football coach, who is Christian, is fired for praying with his team of willing students before and after games.  Yet, the ACLU was mum when a public high school created a prayer room for Muslim students. And no one was fired after a Massachusetts school took Christian students on a field trip to a mosque, where students were taught about Muhammad and some participated in midday prayer (though the school was kind enough to send an apology letter home to their parents).

Again, a Canadian Christian School was banned from teaching certain parts of the Bible to avoid offense, meanwhile in Australia, students are demanding tax-payer funded "safe spaces" for Muslims to freely vent radical and offensive rhetoric from their faith.

U.S. schools are pushing for mandated curriculum in LGBT history and the tenets of Islam without parental consent. Satanists are implementing after school programs in the name of freedom of religion while at the SAME TIME pressuring schools to drop their (Christian-based) Good News clubs in the name of "freedom from religion".

Yet, the ACLU is crying foul now that Kentucky schools will be hosting an ELECTIVE Biblical literacy course? It doesn't make any sense. 

I SAID ALL OF THIS TO SAY...

It’s getting crazy out here. But it may be easy to miss or dismiss these incremental attacks, changes and charges if we aren’t paying attention and using discernment. And while I agree with exercising our existing Constitutional rights to challenge attacks on our First Amendment rights, I would caution all to keep in mind that the weapons of our warfare are NOT carnal but mighty through God (2 Corinthians 10:4-6). We must remember that we do not war against flesh and blood, but that we are in a spiritual battle and must thusly equip ourselves in the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20).

Christian persecution IS coming to the United States. Again, I understand that we have the Constitution. But, at some point, we WILL lose our Constitutional rights. (Yes. I just said that). If you have carefully read this piece or have been otherwise alerted, you would easily see the trajectory we are on. We are in a nation that often boasts it was founded on Christian principles, yet the Constitution once condoned slavery, and in less than a generation’s time, the Supreme Court has found a way to use the Constitution to legalize abortion AND same-sex marriage. Our citizenry is growing increasingly tolerant by the day of even the most vile of sins, and hostile toward the things of God - though 80%+ profess to be 'Christians'. We are brazenly breaking and re-interpreting God’s laws and definitions as if the Bible isn’t God’s holy word. The Holy Bible has existed for thousands of years; the Constitution hasn't even existed a quarter of a century. If America is bold enough to reinterpret God's laws, what's a man-made Constitution?  We cannot continue to assume the Constitution truly protects us. They will find a creative way around the First Amendment. They will find a way to reinterpret our freedoms of religion and speech.

Therefore, we must turn to our God and one another in these last days. Paul and Silas weren’t freed from unjust imprisonment because they took their jailers to court. They were freed because they had Jesus Christ and His Body on their side (Acts 16:16-40). The early Church prayed. They fasted. They visited one another. They fed one another. They provided refuge for one another. They clothed one another. They loved one another as Christ commanded, and they trusted in the Lord with their whole hearts. Please keep that in mind.  

Please (continue to) watch and pray. Please know that we are to obey God rather than man when man’s laws might cause us to break God’s commands. Please know that God is with us in all these things and will be in the things to come. Please keep your eyes on things above and meditate on all that is good and noble in Christ Jesus. And, finally, PLEASE pray for boldness! We are all going to need it.

What Fills Your Heart?

¹ Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? ² You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. ⁴ Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. – James 4:1-4

Everyone seems to want to know why they have conflict in their life, but very few really want to really know why.  What they want to know is that they are right and the people that they disagree with, or are in conflict with, are wrong. 

The error is in the heart of all people.  We lust for something for our self, but we can’t get it, so we murder.  Some people actually murder.  Some people just murder others in their heart.  In Matthew 5:27-28 Jesus is recorded as saying, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  If we at any time lust or covet for something we don’t have or worse, wish someone wasn’t with us anymore seeing them as an obstacle, then we are in great error and create wars and fights with others and inside our own hearts.

Desiring to make our own way because it’s what we want, because it’s what we believe will make us happy, purposely taking actions that oppose the clear written Word of God is sin with a whole lot of “I” in it.  Selfish sin always comes at the expense of others.  It will create wars and fights with others. 

James quotes Jesus here saying, “You do not have because you do not ask.”  He then quickly says that when you do ask you ask for your own benefit, not the glory of God.  You are asking because you are an idol to yourself, your self-image most important to you, you have statues of yourself in a hundred selfies on Instagram or Snapchat or Twitter or Facebook. 

Child of God!  Do you not know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?  Think about that seriously!  Your desire to do what you want to do in order to make yourself better, according to your logic and understanding alone, along with the people of the world and as a part of the world make you an enemy of God. 

You cannot be a follower of Christ and demand to do it your way.  You cannot be a follower of Christ and put your idea and conception of what makes you happy, even at the expense of others, as the goals for your life.

Either you are the god of your life or Jesus is.  If you want peace, tear down your own self-idol, become broken and sit at the foot of the cross, so you can find the purpose of God in you again.  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 5:3)  Let God make your heart pure so your request become pure and centered on His purposes and His Word.

Apoluo

“… Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” – Luke 6:37b

The Greek word interpreted in this text as forgive here is apoluo.  According to Strong’s definitions, apoluo means 1) to set free; 2) to let go, dismiss; 3) to let go free, release, to loose the bonds of someone held captive and bid him to depart, to acquit one accused of a crime and set them at liberty, t release a debtor and to remit the debt; 4) used of divorce, to dismiss from the house, to repudiate; 5) to send one’s self away, to depart.

In this text from Jesus, we are told to set free and we will be set free.  Regarding those who have intentional hurt us, purposefully sinned against us, and sought to do us harm either through intentional purposeful effort or at our expense to lift themselves higher, we are to set them free so we, who have done such spiritually towards God as is our nature, can be set free from our sins. 

In this text from Jesus, we are told to let go and we will be let go.  We are to let go of the actions and words that others have done against us, so we can be let go of the grip of sin in our life.  Set those free, let them go. 

In this text from Jesus, we are told to release and we will be released.  Release those who have hurt you, so you can be released from the jail of hate, bitterness, and sadness.  A handy prayer here is to pray for your memory.  Pray that God will help you to truly let go of the memory of the sins against you or from the sins you’ve done and been forgiven for, so you can be released from them.  Set them free, let them go, release them from you.

In this text from Jesus, we are told to loosen the bonds of those we hold captive and our bonds will be loosened.  Open the jail in your heart where you hold the hurtful actions hostage and you will become free as well.  Acquit them of their crime just as you are acquitted through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  Release them of their debt that they owe regarding the pain in your life mindful that you were released from your sin debt.

While we must be conscious always of the forgiveness of our sin in Jesus, we should also be mindful of the consequences of our actions towards others.  If we want to be forgiven by those whom we have hurt either intentionally or unintentionally, we must forgive, so we can be forgiven.  It isn’t just for us to expect to be forgiven, whether we want to be or not, and not be willing to forgive others.  Only a fool believes he has never hurt another.

In this text from Jesus, we are told to dismiss those from our house and we will be dismissed.  Setting free in our hearts those who have hurt us so deeply and caused us to experience pain that we didn’t know existed sets us free.  Forgiving them allows us to no longer be caged by that unforgiveness.  However, it doesn’t mean we are to become best friends or even casual acquaintances with them.  While I may work diligently daily to completely and totally forgive because I want to be free, I can also dismiss them from my house.  May they go and be free from my condemnation but live somewhere else.  Sometimes there are people that you just can’t have in your life.

In this text from Jesus, we are told to send ourselves away.  Let that grudge go; loosen the binds you have on those against who have hurt you; open the jail cell in your heart and release them.  Take a deep breath, take a hard swallow and settle it as best as you can in your heart right now.  Then, leave it there.  Go along your way.  Depart from that pit and live.

The Spoken Word

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  ² He was in the beginning with God.  ³ All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  ⁵ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. … ¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:1-5,14

John uses the Greek word logos to describe Jesus “in the beginning” or before time began.  This is defined as the spoken word.  John is describing Jesus as being with God before time and that Jesus is God’s spoken Word.

In the creation story in Genesis 1, God’s first spoken words are “Let there be light” (v3).  The first act of God as His Spirit hovered over the dark, formless and void earth (v2) was to bring light.  Without light, darkness could not be identified as all was dark.  John tells us that this spoken Word has life and that life is “the light of men.” 

From the beginning, the cause of God was to bring life and light to a dark, formless and void world.  In the beginning, God spoke light into the world and there was light.  The heart of anyone who isn’t close to God is dark, formless and void.  God tells Jeremiah this about a man’s heart, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jer 17:9).  David wrote “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’  They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.” (Ps 14:1).  Jesus said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” (Mk 7:20-23).  In the root of every person’s heart is darkness and God reaches out to bring light in the darkness.  God’s Spirit hovers over everyone calling them to Himself so they can see the light of life.  

God brought the Light to man.  His spoken Word took form in the man Jesus.  He provided a way for people to come to God.  Jesus was the action of God’s spoken Word for there to be light in the darkness.  From the beginning, before time, Jesus was the cause of God.  He came to reveal God to all people. 

But, “the darkness did not comprehend it”.  People rejected God’s spoken Word and ultimately crucified Him.  While it appears that God allowed His cause, His action of spoken Word, to be crucified, the fact is God’s spoken Word to bring light in the darkness was for the Light, Jesus, to be crucified.  Without that death, there would be no light for mankind, there would be no knowledge of the life of God without the Light, and man would only know darkness and be doomed eternally to separation from God.

If there is pain in your life anywhere, you can be certain that there isn’t light.  Invite a loving God to bring the Light to that area of your life so you can see the darkness.  Sacrifice the source of the darkness that lies in your desperately wicked heart and ask Jesus, God’s action of spoken Word, to change it so you can move into God’s Light.

Sinful Man Pursuing Ministry

If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. - 2 Chronicles 7:14

Humility

Can you remember to the time when your children were very little, especially when they were sleeping (all children are angels when they are sleeping)?  I remember thinking that I really didn’t know the depths of love before then. 

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Patient, kind, not envying, not boastful, not proud, not dishonoring others, not self-seeking, not easily angered, and not an unforgiver – all descriptions of humility.  Can you imagine promoting yourself seemingly backwards?  Society pushes for the opposite of all of these to be goal worthy.  We live in the age of self-promotion which has to include boasting, pride, self-seeking, dishonoring others (by showing how great I am or what I’ve done is), and envying (it is everyone’s internal hope that others seeing how great their life is or the things they’ve done are will admire them). 

When I looked upon my young children, realizing how much I loved them, I was also humbled knowing I could not give them everything they would have to have to be complete.  In order to love others, those who follow God must be humble, doing what God would do and seeking God’s Way.

Sinful Self

In Revelation, the mark of the beast is on the hand and on the forehead.    

¹⁶ It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

¹⁸ This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666. – Revelation 13:16-18

While we want for this to be an obvious sign on a hand or forehead, this is most likely a reference to a person’s actions and thoughts, desires, yearnings, beliefs.  Since most people are right handed, the right hand is a symbol of strength.  Here it is the representative of the root or foundation of someone’s actions.  In other words, their actions will represent who they follow.  Similarly, the way they conduct their life, their words, their desires, their decisions, and their purpose will show upon their foreheads.  It is evident by their countenance and direction.  Those who follow Jesus will be different than those who follow man and it will be obvious by what they do and how they are as people.

Jesus said the greatest commandment is to “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Mt 22:37-38)  The number of man is the opposite.  It is to not love God with any part of the heart, soul, or mind.  The number of man is: man-man-man. 

When man honors and worships himself, there is no love, only lust.  Therefore, there is no true humility or serving others.  Every action is an action that serves himself in some deceitful manner.  How can he get what he wants from this person and have other persons see how good he is while doing it?  How can he have that person, giving him what he wants, to do it to honor him?  Everything is manipulation, calculation, and self-seeking.  Yet, it is sold as the opposite.  You will give me what I want because it will help you.  Others will see how you’re helped and how you’ve helped yourself and they’ll want to help themselves. 

There is no God in a sinful man helping another sinful man be a better sinful man.  It’s pigs wrestling in a mudhole over who’s the cleanest.

Pursuing Ministry

¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. – John 14:12-14

As those who believe in Him do the works that He has been doing (the works of their hand) ask for anything in Jesus name, He will do it, so the Father can be glorified in His only Son.

⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. – John 15:4-8

No one and no church can be a useful ministry if they do not remain rooted to the trunk of Christ.  His teachings and His Words must be the foundation of all ministry (the marks on our foreheads).  Changing His Words or following our words will only cause the destruction of our purpose.

¹⁸ Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

²⁰ When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

²¹ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” – Matthew21:18-22

Christians have no right out of humility.  That should always be our place knowing that without Jesus, our Savior, there is little we can do to love others.  We will be marked with the marks of man actions and man thoughts.  Without Christ, we are one of the pigs in the mudhole.  But, Jesus clearly says, do ministry rooted in His Words and ask while doing and it will be done.  The work of our hand and the way of our going (forehead) should be clearly aligned with His Way and not with the ways of man worshipping.  If we are focused on His way, we should be able to ask clearly and expect an immediate answer.

Ask for humility today, so you can love.  Focus on your heart, soul, and mind seeking Christ.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)  

• Ask God through Jesus for God’s glory what must happen for His ministry in you to prosper.  
• Pray for those roadblocks to be shattered, destroyed, decimated.  
• Live victoriously humble glorifying Christ while earnestly praying for those He loves to come to Him.