WHAT TO DO WITH WHAT I KNOW

And the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward the southland; preach against the south, and prophesy against the forest land in the Negeb. Say to the forest of the Negeb, Hear the word of the Lord: Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree in you and every dry tree. The blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from south to north shall be scorched by it. All flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.”  Ezekiel 20:45-48 (ESV)

Prophets have a tough job, yet it’s really not difficult. The tough part is having to declare the absoluteness of God to people who believe in relative “truth” and values. The tough part is having to call people out on their sin, when all others around them have become comfortable in their sins.

The easy part is knowing what God has said and repeating it. Anybody can do that.

Some things never change. Knowing God and what He says is still simple. Speaking to our people about what He has said can be rough. What will I do with what I know?

When God's Word Is Clear....

And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.  And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house. Ezekiel 2:6-7 (ESV) It is easy to fear the wrong things in life. Peers can make things pleasant or seemingly impossible. Focusing on the wrong “thing” will discourage us and eventually wear us down. God’s Word has been clear in teaching His children that loving God will be costly, and expressing God’s love to others will often be “offensive.” Yet, the assignment given to us is well within reach as we are told to speak His Words. It is not my job to control the responses. It is my job to be faithful to my God. When I am faithful to Him, I can rest in a job well done, for there is nothing more powerful or effective than obeying Him and representing Him accurately to a world that does not know Him.

What is a citizen to do?

The media age seems to fuel as many problems as it creates opportunities. We seem more interested in "catching" someone doing or saying something noteworthy and seem to evaluate all based on their latest sound byte.

Watching the news make me wonder if anyone can run for a political office who is human. All people make mistakes in speech, conduct, and struggle with inclusion, exclusion, and biases.

We surround our leaders with sound vultures, making them so careful with their word choice that they usually say nothing.

We understand that whoever sits in our oval office will be criticized more than comforted, misunderstood more than realized, used more than loved, and often have his/her patience tried.

Whoever the leader, whenever the time, our ideas will always be better than theirs, and we will listen to newscasters who agree with us and support our agendas while implying that our viewpoint is what is best for the nation.

When a non-political person becomes President, they are relentlessly attacked for challenging the system even though the system seems hopelessly broken.

It seems to me that this broken system benefits members of the system, who also create the rules for the system, causing it to limp along while trying to convince us that limping is normal.

To run for  political office in our country, you need to have a lot of money, a thick skin, and be willing to destroy your enemy (for a noble cause, of course.)

If you are a person who loves God and his/her family and focuses on obeying God and helping others succeed, you seem unqualified.  If you speak against the system, the system will relentlessly attack you.

I think those that are most qualified to hold public office never run for office and for that reason I think we need a change.

I would start by suggesting that we starve the current political candidates for money, so we do not continually hear them attack each other. Let's take any money we would donate to political causes and find a non-profit, non-political organization that is doing what the government should be doing and support them. (Contact me for suggestions.)

Secondly, I would suggest that we all refuse to participate in polls. (At least polls that ask us who were most likely to vote for.) We need those who are running for office to tell us what they are going to do and not spin it to sound like something we want them to do. This would minimize the "bandwagon votes" and force people to vote by their convictions.

Thirdly, let's maximize the time we spend with the people we love. Let's spend time talking, playing games, etc. while minimizing access through various media formats.  We will never build healthy families by having a strong nation. However, we will have a strong nation if we have healthy families.

The newsmedia is hopelessly out of touch with people like myself. We do not care about most of what they report and have grown weary of their agendas and continual "gotcha" stories. The sheer volume of news stories has rendered them meaningless.

I do not want to hear any more debates, so I will not watch any.  I do not want to hear about what the other candidates are thinking or doing. I refuse to give creditability to such nonsense and will use my vote to elect those who give us the best opportunity to once again honor God, the family, and system of law and order.

I am not very important, and my opinions probably matter to very few people. I am OK with that and still enjoy the fact that I live in a nation that allows me to express my viewpoint.

Bewildered

It is difficult to watch the candidates for President of the United States exploit the situation at the border to try and win votes. The situation at the border is sad. 

It is sad that people have lost hope in their homeland and want to flee to another country. The overwhelming numbers has created a logistical nightmare that we must address.

I am confused by the many politicians who seem to be embracing the problem for personal gain and trying to appeal to our emotion rather than reason. 

It seems as if this crowd demands choice apart from responsibility when it comes to the most innocent lives in the womb. They redefined children in the womb to be fetuses, tissue, and inconveniences. They speak of the rights of women to destroy the life that grows inside of them as if it is a human right rather than a travesty. 

Men and women have choice. They can choose to be sexually active or abstain from sexual activity.  Should they decide to be sexually active, the natural consequence could be the creation of another human being.  Regardless of how you label this precious life, it is a result of two peoples choices. (I know we always want to jump to the exception of rape and incest…but for the sake of clear thought, let's stay with the choice thought here.)

 Our choices always have consequences and will affect those who depend upon us positively or negatively. The weaker will always be at the mercy of the stronger and the strong must choose to use their strength in a way that will empower them, or they have misused their strength/power. 

I understand the pictures of children in cages at the border were taken during the Obama administrations time in office. I am neither a promoter or detractor of President Trump. However, it is a political stunt to paint one administration as the problem, and this alone shows us we should discard the credibility of those doing so. 

More disturbing to me is the lack of logical thought by the Democratic candidates. They care about helpless children at the border but not about helpless children in the womb? Why do they get to choose which children are worthy of caring for or defending? Don't the children in the womb want to live a better life too? Don't they want to be united with their parents and live in a free society?

If I, as a parent, choose to disobey the laws of the land, I am punished. My punishment will separate me from my family, adversely affect their income potential and harm innocent people. The same would be true if I violate the immigration laws of a sovereign nation. 

If our nation's leaders are going to be consistent in thought, they need to reconsider all action taken against any parent that has adversely affected the innocent. You can take a picture of the children at the border, or of a child in a parentless home in a gang infested area and see the same devastation. You can also take a picture of a child in a womb and see the devastation that takes place during an abortion. 

When any nation turns from God, their people no longer have the ability to discern and all situations become platforms for personal gain. Our political leaders need to embrace the importance of all children, not just those who benefit them politically. 

There is a God with a plan, we should listen to Him.

The Light

Romans 1:22-25 (ESV Strong's)  Claiming to be wise, they became fools,  and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,  because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

The godless are not wise; they are foolish. Just as sunlight shortens from June 21 to Dec. 21 hope fades little by little to those who desire darkness rather than light.

As the light of the sun has less time to penetrate the soil, the plants begin to cease growing and producing and hunker down to survive the winter. The ground becomes hard, the air cold, the nights long and at times, survival becomes more critical than the enjoyment of life.

As the days lengthen and the suns rays once again begin to penetrate the earth’s soil, we begin to have hope, we see life beginning, and the very process of fruit production begins. The beauty of the light begins to warm the hearts, and the soil and life switches from survival mode to satisfaction mode as hope, temperatures, and daylight soar.

Our nation’s leadership is no different from our nation’s soil. The less the light of God penetrates the souls of leadership, the harder the soil becomes. As the soul soil becomes hard, the goal switches from satisfaction in this life to survival. Hope, fruit, and life become scarce, and the masses switch to survival mode.

The only way for this darkness to prevail is to limit the light, so the goal of the godless is to limit the Word of God, the Authority of God and the voice of the prophets who speak God’s Word to the people.

Hitler limited the light, and the world plunged into darkness. Hitler counted on the popular vote rather than what was right and mistaking believed that the majority of opinion makes something right. He was mistaken and lived one of the darkest lives ever recorded.

The light softens the frozen soil of the soul, and the more exposure to the Light of God’s Word, the softer the soul. Light provides fuel for food production, thereby empowering a purposeful life. Light clearly shows us the conditions around us so that we can rejoice in the good and clean up our messes.

The United States seems to be heading into the winter of our existence as those in authority keep limiting the light. The darkness that engulfs their soul blinds them and obliterates hope, productive change, significance, and security.

Without the light of God, the weakest of this world have no voice, and the darkness that prevails in Washington DC authorizes atrocities that were, at one time, unthinkable.

Without light, our leadership appeals to survival skills rather than life skills, and the future of all people and businesses is mortgaged on the altar of the moment.

In the darkness, people cried out to crucify Christ, and as He hung on the cross, God brought real darkness over the earth so the world could get a glimpse of what they had done.

We can no longer allow our leadership to ignore the Light of God’s Word. Those who love God need to live as if they love God and enable the light of His Word and presence to penetrate our world. For now, the choice is ours.

Helpless But Not Hopeless

There are times we feel helpless, and rightfully so, in that the circumstances in life are beyond our control. As I write these words, it is -25 degrees outside. I can do nothing about the cold, and must respond to it appropriately, or face dire consequences. 

As I write these words, the family of a dear friend of mine is preparing for his memorial service. He was a loving family man who was serving our Lord in a foreign country. He was a man who valued relationships, exercised regularly, and focused on bringing the Word of God to a people who never had the Word of God. One day, after a run, he, unexpectedly, had a heart attack and died. 

The extreme cold and the unexpected heart attack indeed demonstrate our helplessness. This helplessness is not without hope. For those who live in a northern climate, the reality of cold temperatures is something for which we prepare. I spent much time during mild weather cutting wood, maintaining natural gas lines and equipment, making sure our chimneys were clean, and keeping up our cars charging systems. I made sure our portable generators were gassed up and ready, and stockpiled gasoline for the generator, snowblowers, and vehicles. 

My preparation did not make me feel less helpless. It made me feel prepared and hopeful. As I sit here today, sipping a hot cup of coffee and looking at a blazing fire in the fireplace, my home is warm and cozy.

Likewise, my friends’ family, in many ways, may, for a good reason, feel helpless today. There is nothing they can do to change a difficult situation. They did not control the day my friend was born, or the day he died. As helpless as they are, they are not hopeless, for they have clearly understood and prepared for such a day as this.  They know that their loved one is in the presence of God as he had accepted His offer of salvation. 

Every human is helpless, but no human being needs to be hopeless. 

It is a real disaster when one is both helpless and hopeless, and those who have no relationship with God continually live in such a state. Those who are without God live unprepared lives. They are unprepared for the eventual certainties of life.

To compensate, they do their best to control what they think they can control. Mostly they control their image, their public persona. In reality, though, they are frightened, alone, and afraid of being found out. They surround themselves with people who will reinforce what they think about themselves, while at the same time discrediting them, in their minds, because they know they have believed a lie. 

Their power gives them satisfaction, and they use their money, status, and position to satisfy their need to feel they're in control, not realizing that in the end, their money, status, and position will disappear, and they will be hopeless as well as helpless. 

Those who are in God’s family have hope in their Father, for He is the one who controls all the situations in life that render us helpless. The fact that we admit our helplessness and turn to Him, our Helper, allows us to be empowered, and delivers the hope of which the Godless world can only dream. 

We know that winter comes and we know that it is appointed for every person to die, and after death to face judgment. Those who prepare for such things may never “enjoy” the extreme cold or the separation of loved ones, but they will enjoy a peace that passes understanding in that they had made the necessary preparations and entrusted the only One worthy of trust. 

For now, the choice is ours.  

Conviction Contradiction

 I watched an ad for saving helpless animals, I hear a human voice talk of being the voice for those who have no voice.We are a nation that humanizes animals and  dehumanizes babies/children. Since they cannot speak up for themselves, they are being killed. 

New York passed legislation that legalizes murdering children. The voice I heard was that of the legislative body cheering because they legalized the murdering of voiceless children.

All humanity suffers from sin.  Those who claim that all are good must redefine the word good. Those who have redefined good have redefined what it is to be human, so they can eliminate, without ill conscience, the inconveniences of life and call what was once deplorable, good.

It is one thing for individuals to have no conscience, while it is quite another for institutions, that are entrusted to be our conscience, to care more about what is popular than what is right. 

Politicians speak of holding personal convictions that would not affect their political decisions, and somehow, we have found this insane idea acceptable. 

For the most part, the church was silent in Hitler’s Germany. Hitler redefined what it was to be human, and those designated less than human were expendable. 

Definitions may change how I feel about evil, but how I feel does not change the reality of sin. 

Populism is the opiate of the people.  Authority is the enemy of populism. We have normalized populism, made those who challenge popular opinions evil, and will now pay the price for our errant thought process. 

Churches, schools, elders, and politicians who remain silent to please a self-serving population fuel the fires of individualism that will eventually divide our nation in a way that is irreconcilable. 

The United State of America is a republic, and a republic demands leaders who know and love God and the people they have been entrusted to lead.  If populism becomes their driving force, the nation will splinter, as decency, morals, and life itself take on new definitions. 

Populist leaders, like Hitler, begin to care more about how they obtain and keep power than about what is right and wrong. In a strange turn, they think that whatever they need to do to gain the popular vote, or to garner popular opinion, is right for them to do.

Populist leaders use people and situations for their personal agendas. The same politicians who decry the treatment of innocent children at the border are willing to kill innocent children who are unwanted by their parents. It does not make sense, because it cannot make sense. 

In the process, we lose our soul, our stability, and our hope. 

There is a God. I am not Him.  One day I will die and remain “dead” far longer than I ever lived, and I will give an account of my life to God. 

Right and wrong, as defined by God, will be the criterion by which I am judged. 

The majority opinion is just that--the majority. It has nothing to do with right and wrong. Instead, the majority has to do with what most people think. 

Until we have evidence that a majority opinion is a criterion for absolute truth, we need to be cautious.

The cheering of the New York legislative body after the vote to legalize the killing of children is barbaric. Those who believe this is right are wrong, and no amount of cheering will ever change that fact. 

I am saddened and disappointed and am publicly stating that the decision made by the legislative body in New York is barbaric and unacceptable. No matter what the law reads, the murdering of children is unacceptable.