Is Solomon Speaking To Us Now?

Out in the open wisdom calls aloud; she raises her voice in the public square; on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech: How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings, But since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you--when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me, since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord. Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways, and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm. Proverbs 1:20-33 NIV

The question--is Solomon speaking to us now, can be answered quite literally if we're honest about what we see on a daily basis.

The first chapter in Proverbs is dedicated to understanding the role of wisdom and what happens when we don't exercise wisdom. This segment--referenced above--puts us--all Believers in a position to see why America is in the shape it is in--and possibly the world.

Let me break this down a little further--when we--those who call themselves Christians--lie on God, we end up with the only possible consequence of our lying--God ignoring us and allows the calamities of our own rebellion to overtake us. God is not mocked nor deceived by lying tongues, but He will allow our lies to make fools of us. Though I have categorically denied that God chose trump to be president of the United States, I have to include myself in the throng of Believers--who didn't do enough to persuade others that God does not intervene in our choices. He allows us to make the choices and allows us to handle the consequences of our actions.

What I see in the constantly unfolding events in the political arena and the rise of hatred in the land is the result of wickedness and lies promoted by those who claim to know God. Let me say this again (and I'll probably say it often)--GOD IS PRO-CHOICE! He honors and choices and allows us to deal with the results--in every area of our lives--not just as it pertains to abortion, elections, marriage--but in everything.

When Christian Believers (the Evangelicals who lied) acknowledge that God allows us choices, then perhaps, they can also begin to repent and rescind the notion that trump was God's choice--unless they are totally blinded by hate and bigotry and want to see the chaos continue.

I'm no more perfect than any other, but I do accept my limitations and acknowledge them. I depend upon my relationship with God to do the right thing at all times, but when I stray, He won't pull me back unless I submit to His pull. That's how He operates--with our submission to Him. He does not coerce, bully or bribe us to do anything; nor does He belittle or humiliate us--we do that on our own when we refuse to hear Him and obey.

At all times--we must speak truth whether we agree with truth or not--because truth will set us free from all the stupidity we now see. Truth can and will come through various people--both Republicans and Democrats (Conservatives and Liberals), but we must be open to hearing it and acting upon it or we'll cease to exist as a nation since truth has surfaced, the Russian interference into our election and the erosion of our democracy was planned years ago. They deliberately established relationships with those who--out of their greed and need for power--were easily influenced and duped into doing their will--not God's.

All of this is easily discovered with a little time taken to research it, so there is no need for anyone to just take my word for it. Once research is undertaken and truth is known, what should we do with it?
I've known the truth all along and have my blogs to verify what I've been saying and now I implore all who know truth to assert themselves into the throng of existing chaos and confusion and promote truth--if we don't change direction soon, we will no longer be the United States of America--a sovereign nation, but under the command of the Russians.

Now, can we honestly answer the question, "Is God talking to us?" Yes, because He is and will continue to speak to us through His Word and through Holy Spirit, if we're willing to listen. If we don't listen, we have only ourselves to blame for the calamities that will overwhelm us. As a society of civilized people, we can no longer allow ideologies and emotions to rule us; we must develop critical thinking skills and know how to determine when sources are credible or not--facts and evidence matters. Any news source that promotes hatred of anyone for any reason--is not a credible source of information; it will be biased based upon the hatred they promote. 

Therefore, I beseech every reader to reflect upon their relationship with God and know His truth and make all decisions pertaining to life and living upon that fact--proven through His Word.

In 2020, remember maintaining our democracy will depend upon all those who seek truth and promote it, rather than fuel ideological beliefs that have no foundation in truth according to God's Word. I'm counting on the wisdom of God to lead us all in turning away the whirlwind that will overtake us if we don't act. If we actively #resist the devil, and submit to God, we will know victory!

Understanding Choice and Choosing!

“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God.” Joshua 24:14-18 NIV
“Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me, since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD. Proverbs 1:28,29 NIV
The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. Proverbs 12:26 NIV
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. John 15:16 NIV
For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 1 Peter 4:3 NIV

From the beginning--in the Garden of Eden--God has given us choice--He provides us with instruction, but He does not make choices for us. With the right to choose-we also endure the consequences of our actions. There is always an equal reaction for every action so we can choose to do good and receive good or we can choose to do wrong and receive the consequences for it.

Once again, I reject the notion that God chose Donald J. Trump to be president of this great as some have erroneously claimed and the proof--the foundation for my rejection--is coming to the surface and will expose all those who lied to put him in a position of leadership--when his past and current actions--informed all who had discerning spirits--those who heard Holy Spirit--from the beginning.

Let me be clear on this point! With the vast majority of true Believers--those who love The Lord and live according to His Word--there had to have been at least one person--God would have chosen to lead a great nation. God's choice would have a been person whose heart belonged to Him, not a person who lies about everything, including the lies. But then that's what a pathological liar does--they think everything they say is true and don't recognize they are lying. The lying alone should have alerted--Holy Spirit believers to turn away from such a person, since we know God hates liars! But since there are those in the "Christian Community" who forged ahead, promoting the notion that God is somehow opposed to His Own Word--we now have to deal with the Blatant-Liar-in-Chief (for the moment).

Whether people believe what I've just stated is not really a matter of concern for me. I know what God says in His Word and I know--He will never encourage anyone who belongs to Him to live in opposition to His Word.

The truth of the matter is--and while many have observed and acknowledged it--others have ignored it--there are neurotransmitters in Trump's brain that are not connecting. He suffers from a cognitive disability that those close to him are trying to keep hidden. But once again, to the discerning person who actually pays attention to his speech patterns, lack of inability to focus, lack of impulse control and need for praise and attention--we know! And why a psychological evaluation is not part of the vetting process is a source of amazement to me.

I could go on about the Russian connection that I suspected months ago and even wrote about, but now that the media is finally covering it--I won't say much more at this point. I choose not to say more--for the moment.

But getting back to those who promoted Trump as God's choice and pushed congregations to vote for him, I have a few questions: Did people know they were voting for the entire family--the adult children to run the White House? Did people know that his cabinet picks would be some of the most vile people who ever walked the earth? Did people know that instead of draining the swamp, he'd fill it with scum from the bottom of the swamp who are only interested in demolishing the government?
Did they know? Were they told?

Jesus told us, "by our love for one another would others recognize us--belonging to Him." Does anyone see in love coming forth from any of the "religious sect-headed for the White House?" I see greed and cronyism abounding as all determine how they can destroy lives fo many, and help only themselves and their immediate families.

Wake up America! There is no reason for God to oppose Himself and He most certainly did not "choose" Trump--those who want to control others--chose Trump and they lied to everyone else to insure they voted for him--gullible people chose Trump, not God. The proof--is evident for everyone not wearing blinders!
 

And remember--not everyone saying, "Lord, Lord" will enter into Heaven. Some will hear, "Depart from me--I never knew you!"

How We Know God's Choices!

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?  Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong? If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? James 1:1-10, 14 NIV

The role of any educator is to create an environment in which they expect those they are instructing to think--developing critical thinking skills and the best way to conduct that exercise is by asking questions of the questions until a logical conclusion is reached.

I would suggest--for the sake of clarity--that the entire letter be read to really understand the totality of what James is saying and remember--he is writing to the church leaders.

As a foundation to frame what's being said about how God chooses, I reference the first king the Children of Israel chose for themselves.

Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed this to Samuel: “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me.” When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the LORD said to him, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.” I Samuel 9:15-17 NIV

Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The LORD has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”  So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah. Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. I Samuel 16:10-14 NIV

What do we see in how God chose Saul to be king?  He had a heart for God before He was chosen.

What do we see in how God chose David? He was a man after God's own heart--not flawless, but quick to repent.

When the Spirit of God is no longer on a person's life, how do we know?

If a person has never demonstrated having a heart for God and understanding of His Word, would God choose them to govern a nation?

Why do we see through God's Word that every person God uses, is willing to be used by God?

What happens on a broader level to people when God is pleased with what we do?

Does God hold us accountable for what people do or for what we as individuals do?

What is blasphemy and how do we commit blasphemy against God? When we say something is of God when it is actually the spirit of the devil influencing what we say or do, who are we really honoring?

In the beginning, God created all that was ever created and without Him, nothing was created and He did it without any input from us. Why is that? He is a sovereign God, totally self-existent without need of people to do anything, yet He uses who is willing to be used--those who have a desire to serve Him.

Now, since God is sovereign--existing by His own will and dependent upon no one--can any mere mortal oppose Him or interfere with His plans? If they can, they become more powerful than God and since I know that no mere mortal is a god, I would say anything thinking along these lines is foolish.

Is not God all-knowing--omnipotent and omnipresent and omniscient? Does He not see all there is to see and hear all there is to hear?

Since He came down from heaven, lived among men in the person of Jesus Christ, protested the religious leaders and taught the Truth, betrayed by Judas, crucified, died, and rose again and after returning to heaven, sent His Spirit back to dwell within those who received Him, why do we need "mere mortals" telling us anything God says?

Since God knows more than we do and since He is God and does not change, I can only conclude that His method of choosing people to govern nations, has not changed. He also doe not force us to obey Him, but allows our choices in order to get our attention.

People have chosen to elect a person who does not know God, has not demonstrated any knowledge of God in his actions or speaking, and yet the religious leaders are claiming Our Sovereign God--the God who existed before any of us--by His own will--could not find any person who knows Him and has a desire to serve so He chose--a bottom-feeder who has no respect for anyone other than himself, has demonstrated multiple personality disorders with his misogynistic, narcissistic, megalomaniac, racist and bigoted behavior and has done nothing but promote fear and hate. You mean--Our Sovereign God had no one else but this person He to choose? If that's true, what does that say about the rest of us?

In order to believe that lie--a person would have to be totally void of any type of relationship with God or understanding of His Word. Where is the love for others? Where is the sense of unity espoused in God's Word? Where is the wisdom of God operating in this situation?

I have drawn my own conclusions about the matter and they do not concur with the Evangelical leadership who have lied to their congregations in order to control people. I am praying the veil will soon be lifted and they will repent of misleading God's people into the chaos we are about to experience. May God have mercy upon their souls!

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7 NIV)

There are so many things that can throw us a curve and if we allow every little thing that happens to defeat us, we will never know the peace of God. Being anxious about things we do not control, keeps us from rejoicing in the Lord, changes our personalities, and results in the enemy rolling in the floor, laughing at us.

We are so consumed with being politically correct and not offending people that we have forgotten how to enjoy life, be silly, and laugh at ourselves. The Word tells us that laughter is like a medicine and if we learned to laugh more, releasing anxieties and the stress that accompanies it, we would discover a much more enjoyable life, no matter what our circumstances are.

How foolish is it for people to make a big deal over the design or color of a coffee cup? Really! Are we so needy for attention that we think we can tell a company how their cups should look? Or is it the media--so lost for real news that they waste their time and resources reporting on nonsense? What's more important--the cup or the contents? And if it makes someone that upset--get your coffee somewhere else or learn to brew it at home!

And then we want to censor creativity with acronyms. Let's face it--around this time of year, creative artists and marketing teams do all sorts of crazy things to garner attention and the expendable income they know could come their way. It's their job! They cannot entice people to buy things without first getting their attention. Once again, if an item offends--don't buy it! But just because it offends one person or one group of people, don't interfere with others enjoying a sense of humor.

I don't necessarily appreciate all the nonsense in commercials and advertising I see, but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it and I'm certainly not reporting it to the media. My solution--I simply don't buy the product or patronize the business. Ta-dah! It's just that simple. There is no need to create a lot of hoopla about something, directing more attention to it, and then buying it anyway. And that is what some will do.

I've known people to complain about the contents of a book--outraged by something they don't have to buy or read. If it's going to offend, don't participate. It is the height of foolishness to declare something or someone offensive and yet engage in the promotion of a product through negativity, or to continually berate someone--keeping them the focus of attention.

So, in looking back at what I just wrote--I guess those who protest against God and the Bible are not as offended as they claim. If they were, their focus would be on Him and His Word and not all the other foolishness that won't help anyone enter into to eternal life. Imagine that!

Now, as Believers--we know we have no need to sweat the small stuff for our faith is in Him and our confidence is in His ability to change the hearts of men and women and to transform lives so that our focus will be--rejoicing in Him, stress-free!

True Witnesses!

“You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me."(Isaiah 43:10 NIV)

How is it that people make things--either themselves or buy what others have made--and worship them? If the things are made by man's hand, how do we give them more power and honor than the one who made them? If then, we are worshipping things, can we be a true witness for what God does?

A true witness does not prevaricate, does not manipulate truth, does not quibble truth (nitpicking it selectively)--they will only speak about those events they actually see or participate in with others. If we Believe The Word, then we can be true witnesses for all God has said when we have hidden the Word in our hearts and have participated in the works of spreading the Gospel.

Do we understand that The God who has no form or origin, no beginning or end is truly The God of Heaven, all Creation and without Him, nothing was ever created; He is not "a god" as others say? Have we fine-tuned our relationship with Him so we know when we hear Him and will not listen to the lies of who speak against Him or oppose Him? Do we know that everything He did for His chosen, He will continue to do until He returns to take us to be with Him?

If we are going to be true witnesses of who He is, we must learn to model our behavior after Him. We should do what He does, according to what He has said. We love, we teach, we admonish and correct, and we forgive and move on. We know not everyone will hear us and that's their choice; our job is to share the Gospel, not make people believe since we have no authority or ability to make anyone do anything.

We are told by Jesus if others will not hear us to shake the dust off our feet and keep going. In other words--keep it moving--we don't have time to waste on those who are determined to allow Satan to rule their lives. We pray for them that they will see a need to turn to God, but we cannot make them. We allow them their choice and leave them to their consequences!

God has always allowed people to make choices--and what we actively and consciously do is a choice. He allowed Adam and Eve to make choices and left them to their consequences. He allowed Herod, and all the leaders of Egypt to make their choices and live with their consequences. He is the same God, using the same strategy to get us to Believe Him. He used the prophets and miracles and He's yet using prophets and miracles and most of us are--miracles--we survived situations that should have killed us, but we are yet here--to testify of His goodness--as true witnesses!

True witnesses understand and believe everything The Word has said because they hear God speaking through Holy Spirit, confirming His Word and directing us in all things. All who believe Him (not man or men), and can act on His behalf are His true witnesses that will bring others into knowledge of Him.

O Give Thanks!

"O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever" (Psalm 107:1).

Looking around at the negative, tragic events that occur almost daily, one might think there is no reason to give thanks to God. But there is! In spite of all the devastation of property, loss of lives, and emotional despair, God is still good and if it was not for His mercy, I would not be writing this morning and no one would be reading this! Glory to God--Give Him praise!

I haven't lost my mind, but I do realize there are some things we cannot control and rather than be resentful and bitter, I've decided to allow everything that happens to make me a better person and certainly a more studious, scholar of God's Word and intent for our lives.

We all have a choice. We can allow the events of life to control us or we can control our reactions and responses to the events of life. It is our choice! I choose Jesus--through Him and His love, I can do all things well--even with my responses to life's events.

While we pray for those who have been displaced because of the storms, heart-broken because of the loss of lives in a number of situations, let us pray they will allow God to comfort hearts and allow Him to give them insight to peace and forward movement. Let's pray for more people using the events to get closer to God and come into a right relationship with Him instead of being bitter towards God. O give Thanks to the Lord!

O God, help us to be better and not bitter about those things we cannot control. Help us to see good in everything that happens because there is something good that can be found--to Your glory. Give us a heart of compassion to help those in need and to encourage them to keep going. This we ask in Jesus' name, Amen!

Heaven Sent!

"He shall send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah
God shall send forth His mercy and His truth" (Psalm 57:3 NKJV).

Before He put in an appearance,
On earth in the flesh,
A Promise was made to those of old,
Received and believed and committed to life,
That He would send from Heaven
The Pathway to salvation,
From the influence of the evil one,
Wrapped in Truth in Mercy,
Motivated by His Love for all mankind,
Determined to reconcile our broken relationship,
Pursuing us, yet giving us-a choice!
For you and me, He was Heaven sent.
And now nothing can ever dissuade us
From turning to Him--receiving His Love,
Grateful for His Grace and Mercy
And The Truth Of His Word!

After The Facts!

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15 NIV)

We do many things without thinking about the consequences of our actions, until we are confronted with the consequences and have to deal with them.

What led us to this juncture--doubt, fear, greed, indecision--or lack of knowledge?

We have all probably made a decision impulsively or simply made based on the information we had at hand.  After we reap the consequences of our immediate action, we then have an opportunity to re-think and re-live the event--viewing what we did then and contemplating what we could have done--after the facts are obtained--because we now have more information.

Our lives are like being on trial or the jury--when we make decisions with limited information--sometimes we discover we made the wrong decision and realize--after the fact--that had we obtained all the information pertaining to the matter, we would have made a different decision.

There is one decision we must make now and we have access to all the information.  That decision is a determination to live for Jesus Christ.  If we don't make the decision now, we won't have an opportunity to rethink our lack of a decision, after we're dead.  Choose now, while you have the opportunity to choose and to receive His many benefits. After the fact--of death--opportunity no longer exists and the lack of decision for Christ, puts you in opposition to Christ.  Choose this day!

Blessed or Cursed?

"This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19 NIV). 

Many people do not like to be reminded of what is said in Old Testament scriptures and actually attempt to discredit much of which is said.  While I will not enter into a debate about it, I will point some things out that have come to pass, just as The Word said it would. 

I have always considered Deuteronomy 28 to be the book of blesses and curses, simply because the first 14 verses talk about how God will bless us.  And then from verse 15 through 68, we are told how we become cursed--through disobedience.  Notice there are far more scriptures relating to how we'll be cursed than how we are blessed. 

And then are those people who would attempt to discredit a person's ability to "choose" to believe God.  We see in this verse--that we have always had a choice--to be obedient or disobedient.  We choose life or death; blessings or curses by our obedience or disobedience to God's Word.  Now for those who don't believe God exists, that's a choice, too. But for those of us who profess an unwavering belief in God and His Word, we are accountable for what we do--we should all be walking in the blessings of the Lord. 

The bottom line for me is simply this:  If I am obedient to God in "all" He says (love Him and love others), I will be blessed and everything I put my hands to shall prosper.  If I choose to disobey (hold hatred against others and create chaos and confusion by my words or acts), then I can expect my efforts not to do much of anything, but be cursed. I get it!

I choose life and prosperity and being blessed over being cursed.  What about you?