How We Got Here!

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice. So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.” But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us.Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. The LORD answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.” Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”  I Samuel 8 NIV

If we take a few moments to contemplate this passage of Scripture and align it with where we are right now--we can see how we got here--to this time in 2017.

I'm a visionary and have an extremely creative imagination and while reading this I saw a parallel time period from then to now.

Hillary tried to warn us what would happen if 45 was elected--in all three debates--she let us know what would happen.

45 let us know who he was, but people blinded by dissatisfaction and willing to believe lies, didn't listen.

Evangelical leaders who claim to be pro-life (within the womb), but hate others outside the womb, wanted to see a Supreme Court Justice appointed who would overturn Roe v. Wade. Coupled with their hatred of Obama--the first Black President--they convinced people that God chose Trump to be president--using a well known tool--gas lighting--repeating lies until they are believed, leading people to distrust their own judgment.

What we learn from Samuel is that having a king to rule over the Children of Israel was never God's idea, but the people who badgered Samuel, who chose to have a king--after being warned about how a king would treat them. God never leaves us with choices without presenting the consequences of our actions (Deuteronomy 28).

Just about everything we were warned about with Trump has come to pass. He will lie about lies and back peddle on promises and those who CHOSE him--by electing him as president--are now crying, "foul!"

The Children of Israel didn't listen to Samuel and many people--those who are the most needy--refused to listen to Hillary and chose instead to believe the lies perpetuated by Trump.

Understanding what happened and how a kingship was established--the people's choice, should help many to understand that when Paul talked about "honoring authority" in Romans 13:1--(again I say), he was not talking about a president--but the authority that God established which is Christ Jesus.

The people didn't want to accept God as their King so He gave them what they wanted. Disgruntled, deluded, and duped gullible Americans didn't want Hillary as their president so He allowed them their choice.

Will God hear our prayers when we ignored Him? The prayers of the righteous avails much and we shall soon see whether He hears and will answer us--relieving us from this nightmare and the policies that hurt the poor and the needy.

Ignoring God and the obvious--the back-peddling pathological liar is how we got here; now it's going to take the same God we ignored, to get us out of the mess made out of an honorable position which no longer is held in high esteem by much of the on-looking world.

We can say anything we want to say about how God does things, but we only have to seek His Word to find out the truth--God has always honored man's choices and warned us of the consequences of our choices, but many refuse to listen.

Sincere Prayer!

"Then Hannah prayed and said:

My heart rejoices in the Lord;
In the Lord my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance.
There is no one holy like the Lord;
There is no one besides you;
There is no Rock like our God.
Do not keep talking so loudly
Or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
For the Lord is a God who knows,
And by Him deeds are weighed.
                                                        (1 Samuel 2:1-3 NIV)

When we continue reading this prayer, we see the heart of a woman who had humiliated by her husband's other wife--Peninnah--who had children, but Hannah had none. God in His faithfulness to Hannah, heard her prayers and saw her heart when she pleaded for a child and now the child, Samuel is given to The Lord, through Eli to devote his life to serving The Lord.

We see a prayer--in sincerity--acknowledging God for all He is and all He does and confessions of faith for all He will do. All of this by a woman who had been ashamed of being barren, but now rejoices in the birth of her son--a son she dedicated to the Lord--rather than keep him close for herself--keeping her vow to The Lord.

We are told in other scripture references that it is better not to make a vow to the Lord than to make one and not keep it. Hannah understood the importance of keeping a vow to God and her relationship--her wisdom in knowing that He had heard and answered her prayer so she would no longer be humiliated, motivated her, knowing she could now hold her head high--after the birth of her son.

Are we sincere with God when we pray? Do we acknowledge our own shortcomings and ask Him to help us overcome them? Do we acknowledge who He is and all He has already done in our lives? Or are we just praying out of tradition with no understanding or relationship with God--not really expecting anything to change in our lives? Or do we treat God like He's supposed to be our "sugar-daddy" and we only talk to Him when we want something from Him? Do we understand that prayer is communication with God and we should communicate with Him daily (as often as we want) and then we should listen to Him speak to us--through His Word or to our hearts as still ourselves to hear?

I thank God daily for allowing me another opportunity to get living right for Him--not because I'm so horrible, but I acknowledge my imperfections; my impatience with people who I think should know better about certain things and my moodiness over situations I cannot control. I acknowledge who He is and all He has done--in my life and confess His Word--over my life: By His stripes, I am healed and whole; There is nothing too hard for God and because I am His, I can do all things through Him who loves me and do them well; I am more than a conqueror and victory in Jesus is mine to enjoy daily; no weapon formed against me shall prosper--no amount of dissension, no matter how many people speak against me--nothing they say shall interfere with God's plans for me--their words have no power to change my destiny as God has planned it. I don't know about you, but this is how I pray.

God responds to our sincerity and our faith, not our emotions for our emotions are fickle--they change as easily as the wind blows. But He knows if our faith in Him is real because He knows our hearts. And since He knows our hearts, we might as well be real with Him. Pray--with a sincere heart and faith to receive His answer.

Saved From Enemies!

“I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies." (2 Samuel 22:4 NIV)

When people have been saved from disasters and they know The Lord, they understand God's saving grace in situations beyond their control. David knew The Lord and knew that it was The Lord who had saved him from Saul's relentless pursuit to kill him.

Let's step back for a second review the relationship between David and Saul. It was David who struck Goliath with a stone from his slingshot. It was David who was able to soothe Saul with his music ability. It was David who was loyal to Saul beyond measure and refused to kill him, even though he had a chance when Saul sought to kill David out of jealousy. The real issue here with Saul was his jealousy, which reigned over logic in his head and led to his destruction. Jealousy--the monstrous emotion resulting from insecurities that blinds people from seeing reality and is a tool of the enemy--Satan.

When Samuel anointed David as the next king over Israel--predictively--David was put on the road to notoriety and acclaim. He was a hero to the people, but a pain to Saul because the people exalted David--because of his military success over Saul, who was king.

How can someone who claims to love a person become their enemy? When a person is influenced by demonic influence, love won't stand a chance if the person who is influenced would rather express their desire to hold onto negativity.

Instead of taking the opportunities to kill Saul and become King as prophesied, David ran, formed his own armies, still fighting on the side of Saul's reign, but keeping far away from him. Throughout Saul's pursuit of David, David's faith in God did not fail and he knew he would be saved. When Saul was killed, David sang praises unto The Lord. In fact, during the pursuit, David wrote and sang many songs and we have access to some of them in the Psalms.

Now, the bigger question for us today is, when we are pursued by an enemy, do we sing praises unto our God or do we cringe in fear and hopelessness? Do we sing when we know we have been delivered and saved by that enemy that influences our fear and makes us feel abandoned?

I've learned to sing God's praises, no matter what is happening in my life. I may take a moment to be sad, but I straighten my back, hold up my head, and bellow the songs that are deeply embedded in my spirit--knowing that God has the last word over the things that happen in my life and I know--through Him, I will be victorious in the end. Hallelujah! Thank You, Jesus for victory in every situation in my life--no matter how dark the night may be, morning is coming and with it--Sonshine (The Son will shine brightly and dissolve any despair in all types of weather) and new mercies! Glory to God! I am saved from my enemies!

No Muscle-Bound Power!

"Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 4:6).

How many times must we be reminded that "the war against sin" will not be won by man's strength--in numbers or physical prowess. This war--against self, others, and God--will only be won when The Spirit of The Lord reigns in the heart of every person.

For every person who has allowed Holy Spirit control over their life, others must be informed and invited to allow Him into their hearts. As we grow in numbers--promoting the Gospel and others submit to the power of Holy Spirit, we are all empowered to get the job done and the more we stand firm, rooted and grounded in our faith in God, the more we are able to stand against the enemy who hates everything God loves. The battle is not ours--it is The Lord's--we are His instruments of praise and worship, and tellers of the Truth and models of how we should live so everyone will know--God's truth about faith and sin.

The Spiritual Army of The Lord, must rise and shine--beckoning others into the light of love so we may all live in peace and harmony. This is how this war will be won-not by any physical strength--but by the power of Almighty God dwelling in and amongst us--empowering us to move forward without fear or trepidation of what the enemy does--we keep moving forward--promoting the love of Jesus and salvation for all!

We must believe Samuel, especially today, "He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail" (I Samuel 2:9).

Come Holy Spirit--Reign in our hearts and empower us to Rise and Move out into the world of darkness, bringing into it the Light and Truth, not by our words, but by our living The Word!