Deceived By The Enemy!

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:1-8 NIV

Remember when trump claimed Hillary was "unfit" to have classified information and all the Republicans fell in line behind him? Nothing on her server has ever surfaced, but this morning, trump admits--he shared classified information with the Russians--his buddies and kept the US press out of the meeting.

Most of us have always known the Russians are not our friends--at least the leadership is not a friendly person and we know--he orders the execution of his opposition. The Russian people--may not be as brainwashed by false propaganda as Putin wants them to be. At any rate--we can say--the Russian leadership is an enemy no matter what disguise they attempt to use.

Personally, I don't believe they deceived trump--they manipulated him into doing their bidding in exchange for his 2016 election win--a win that is still under a cloud of legitimacy considering we all know--the Russians interfered with it.

The leak in the WH--is trump's best friend at this point.  Or at least I can say, they are ours. They should tell the press what's going on in the WH in total transparency so we know what we're up against, daily.

The Republicans who claim to be true Patriots and the moral majority--have proven they are the hidden enemy of The State--of America. They have hidden their bigotry and disguised their hatred for "all Americans who don't look like them, think like them or worship like them" by claiming something that just isn't true (God chose trump) in their support of the worst person in the world now sitting in the WH. They knew he wasn't fit to serve as president, but they promoted him anyway because of their personal agenda. They knew he wasn't competent and certainly not a Christian, but they promoted him anyway. They knew he was not a Patriot because he doesn't want to pay taxes that support our government, but they promoted him anyway.

Now--who is America's greatest threat? The enemy occupying the Oval Office is Public Enemy #1 with Pence, Ryan, and McConnell following right behind them. They all knew about the Russian hacking and are complicit in the cooperation to just "win." How do we know--by paying attention to what they're doing or not doing as Christians.  They support and condone a pathological liar who is a bigot and ignites the worst in those who hate people because of their differences. This is not Christ-like behavior; this is the enemy hidden under the umbrella of the Republican party deceiving the masses.

There are a number of people in America who would make a better president than the one we have; I am one of them! The proof will be in the pudding. Watch for it!

The Enemy!

The faithful have been swept from the land; not one upright person remains. Everyone lies in wait to shed blood; they hunt each other with nets. Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire— they all conspire together. The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day God visits you has come, the day your watchmen sound the alarm. Now is the time of your confusion.Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with the woman who lies in your embrace guard the words of your lips. For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. Micah 7:2-7 NIV

There are seemingly more enemies surrounding us than friends, but the most despicable enemy are those influenced by deceptive persuasion. Satan--will don the garment of the righteous in order to deceive and when their hearts are not right with God, he is successful and then will things fall apart, they stand in wonder as to how it happened.

Everyone saying, "Lord, Lord" is not a follower of The Most High God and in fact, we are cautioned in The Word that many will stand before Him and He'll say, "Depart from me, I never knew you." Let's look at what Jesus said:

Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ "Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:20-27 NIV

So are we building our house on a rock or on the sand?

It would appear that with all the upheaval and chaos emanating from the White House that the 2016 Election created a situation in which the presidency and the credibility of America was built on sand and when the storms continue to rage, it will soon be washed away.

Historically, not many have ever seen such turmoil in the White House or such disdain from other countries because of the leader in it as we see right now. The enemy--those who gain access or entry into situations by deceit and cunning through the auspices of wrong doing and outside interference should never expect peace for there will be none. Whenever a "dictator" sets out to beguile the people using false propaganda and outright lies, they may have persuaded the masses for a moment, but the moment passes as soon as the blinders fall off and people realize they've been duped.

Ironically, not once has there been an evil judge or king or dictator who did not fear for his own life, yet they had no qualms about destroying others.

Karma bites and it's about to take a big bite out of those responsible for the madness resulting from the rigged election.

But it's not only those who rigged the election who will feel the pain, but all those who pretend to be Christians--the pseudo-christians who because of their own agenda--lied in order to bring about a desired result.  They won--but what did they win? Based upon what I've seen posted by various people from across the land, the pseudo-christians have won the disdain of many who now see them as hypocrites and that includes the entire Republican party--that so-called party of family values who have endorsed and embraced the very epitome of ignorance and evil and condones the wrongdoing in the White House.

Anyone who does not do the will of God, "defend the rights of the poor and needy," and cannot love as God loves--unconditionally, is the enemy. Did not Jesus tell us that there are but two commands by which we must live and will be judged by? "Love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind and love one another as we love ourselves."

Where is the love of a the fake-president residing in the White House? There is a love of greed and power, but those are also covered in The Word--practices of evil. When a confirmed and publicized "white supremacist" is sitting at the table with others because he "tricked" the president into signing the order, but the president won't rescind it--what does that tell us? Can we see any good fruit in that action?

Do we see good fruit or rotten fruit in those given positions as cabinet members who have ties with Russia and refuse to disclose truth?

Do we see good resulting from evil in establishing people who disdain government in government positions? Is that why those who knew nothing, know nothing, and don't care, are guarded by others at taxpayer expense?

Every foolish decision has consequences and the cost--from a financial perspective is shouldered by the tax-payers who actually pay taxes and those who circumvent paying taxes keep are rewarded. Something to think about it.

Though Satan is the enemy of mankind, those influenced by him are the enemy of everything right and good. The media is not the enemy of Americans--the clown in the White House is the enemy with his autocratic notions and attempts to establish tyranny.

The Americans who did not drink the shake are not fooled (and there are more of us than those who drank the shake) and we are not standing by idly waiting for the storm to rise; we are establishing our faith on The Rock and He will prevail against all the enemy attempts to do to destroy a nation.

In order to defeat the enemy--we must know the enemy and how the enemy plans to divide and conquer. We do, for we see it on a regular basis and will not cave. We will resist the impulse to give in and we will be victorious over evil.
 

Our Hope In The Lord, Not Impotent GOP!

For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life. But I trust in you, LORD; I say, “You are my God.”My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. Let me not be put to shame, LORD, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in the realm of the dead. Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues.Praise be to the LORD, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege. In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.Love the LORD, all his faithful people! The LORD preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. Psalm 31:13-24 NIV

If we take off the rose-colored glasses and blinders and seek The Lord, we would understand why putting any hope in a delusional reality television celebrity was a waste of time, but could cost the United States dearly.

The uproar heard this weekend is enough to create in the heart of the sane, reasonable doubt about what 2016 Election really means. Across the nation, wherever the impotent GOP went, the outrage was heard and more felt by the constituents of those who refused to hear them. They lied by purporting falsehoods and propaganda--again--which is what caused reasonable people to believe the lies spewed.

There is no death panel anyone past the age of 74 will face. There is no need to use intimidation and fear as a tactic to keep senior citizens compliant--we proved it won't work. There is no need for anyone to think they speak for all women, when all women made their voices known, on either side of the issues--women do not need men to speak for them or make decisions for them.

But then--in order to make points--or at least to appear to make points--the truth gets lost in the midst of the lies. Planned Parenthood does more than provide abortions--they provide birth control--which precludes the need for an abortion. They also provide women important health screening which could save lives. I'm really tired of the false rhetoric pushed by liars in order to gaslight people, promoted by InfoWars, Breitbart, and Fox News.

Of course, considering who is in the White House--sexual predators and abusers of women, it's not difficult to understand the mentality that exists behind many of the budget cuts and policies--against women. When I heard an old, impotent GOP Senator refer to Elizabeth Warren as "little lady" in a belittling manner, I wanted to slap the grin off his face. So, now I get it--when they get too old for Viagra to hide their impotence, they take their frustration out on women--who are stronger than they are and will persist in their endeavor to expose injustice.

Many people who voted for the impotent GOP are now frustrated because they didn't bother to listen to everything they said. They had no intention of recognizing women and they did a phenomenal job of turning women against Hillary. I remember hearing one woman say to a reporter, "a woman couldn't be president because she has hormones." I've seen a lot of hormonal women in action and indeed have been one, but I haven't seen a woman act as stupidly as the toddler-in-chief. So, what's his problem--too much testosterone enhancements or missing brain cells?

Instead of ramping up policies for law-abiding citizens (especially when invoking ancient rules on the Senate floor), these old, white men, should retire and sit at home watching sports or reading their latest edition of, "Why It Won't Work Any More." If you think I'm angry, you'd be half-right and I won't bother to tell you about the other half. Before you think my comment is racist--against old white men--think again; if old black men or old Asian men or old Latino men (or any others) disrespected women, I'd say the same thing--but then again, it wasn't old black, Latino, or Asian men who disrespected Elizabeth Warren--it was Mitch McConnell in support of his equally repugnant crony, Jeff Sessions.

Looking at who the majority is--sitting in both houses--old white men--we have to understand--our hope cannot be in them; our hope must be in The Lord and in those who hear Him speak to their hearts. We know the old impotent ones are not hearing Him for if they were listening and obeying; they would realize they work for the Americans who voted for them in the first place--not the president--who bullies.

For all the women who understand, our outrage is real and will not subside until the impotent ones are no longer in a position to make decisions for us--I applaud each and every one and know this--I, too, shall persist in making known all the injustices occurring as a result of old frustrated impotent men, who are afraid of strong women.

The Lord will prevail since it is apparent that He cannot count on the "impotent ones" to do what is right for all human beings; especially those in the United States. Nevertheless, we will persist and we will prevail because The Lord is on our side and with Him at the forefront of every battle, we shall know victory on every side.

Our hope is You, Lord! We are listening and we will obey!

It's Not Our Fight!

All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the LORD.Then the Spirit of the LORD came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly. He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 2 Chronicles 20:13-15 NIV

When we get weary, physically and spiritually of being battle-worn in the fight against the enemy's tactics, we must remember--this is not our fight--but God's. And with Him going before us (daily as we live), He is more than enough.

Every time the enemy raises his ugly head, we should gather our families and friends and go before The Lord--petitioning Him, communicating with Him our concerns and then we simply let Him fight our battles. The only thing we need to do is stand firm on His Word and obey.

Remember Gideon--whose army was diminished in size, but won the battle.

Remember Joshua--who out of obedience saw the wall of Jericho come down.

Remember Moses--in the desert and crossing the Red Sea on dry land--not one person lost, except Pharaoh and his army who pursued God's own.

Are we not God's own? Can we not expect Him to do the same for us that He has done before for those of yesteryear? Can we not communicate with Him our needs and trust Him to win our battles?

Some of us have various battles that we fight on a daily basis--some physical, some spiritual, and some emotional. God knows and He cares and He's just waiting for us to give it all to Him so we can know victory in Jesus.

A straying spouse--victory in Jesus.

Rebellious children--victory in Jesus.

Sickness and disease--victory in Jesus.

Warring factions in social media over this election--victory in Jesus.

Everything, not just some things, but everything will be as God planned it.

Remember--the real enemy is not the people we see and talk to or chat with on a regular basis, but it is a spiritual enemy--one who has already been defeated, on the cross.

Rise up and know that whatever battle is facing you today, it's not yours to fight, but The Lord's. We win!

Hand of Power!

"Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me." (Psalm 138:7 NLT)

I am reminded in this verse of scripture--to simply trust God--and know that He will do exactly as He says He'll do. For if He stretches forth His hand--that Hand of Power--it will save me and others, no matter how dismal things seem.

His Hand--has the power to heal, the power to save, the power to redeem, the power to lift out darkness and the pits some have dug for themselves. His Hand--has the power to guide and comfort--no matter how far we may have strayed from His Love. His Hand--is the only hand from which power flows into the hearts of those who love Him and obey Him.

Though it seems like all is lost and the world has gone completely mad, I know I can count on His reaching out to me and by the Power in His Hand, I shall survive and thrive in the midst of chaos.
God's got it--the answer and solutions to all of our problems and He holds it in the Power of His Hand, just waiting for us to turn towards Him and receive!

Thank You, Lord for stretching Your Hand of Power towards all of Your children and keeping us safe from all harm. Hallelujah!

This is Why!

If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me." (John 15: 18, 21 NLT)

Sometimes, many believers feel the unusual thrust of hatred from those who don't believe in God or believe Him--it's one thing to not believe in His existence and another to not believe He meant what He says. But we should not marvel at the persecution we feel--Jesus warned us--the world will hate us, but the world (unbelievers) hated Him first.  And why do they hate? They reject the One who sent Him to redeem us.

Let's look at this way--if no one ever told us we were wrong in the things we do--would we continue to do them? Probably. But the minute someone points out our wrong-doing or shortcomings--we get angry and fight back--with false accusations and attempts to humiliate those who dared to tell us we were wrong. We scorn, make fun of and generally try to turn everyone we know against those who dared to tell us we were wrong. That's what the world--of unbelieving people--do.

Parents feel persecuted when teens rebel and the teens rebel because they don't like being told what they cannot do. They do not understand that correction is for their safety and long-life.

When people rebel against The Word and anyone preaching The Word--they do so because The Word convicts of sin and wrong-doing, but of course there would not be wrong-doing, unless there was wrong-thinking. Wrong-thinking--produces pedophiles, murderers, liars, thieves, molesters, hypocrisy, and opens the door to all sorts of evil acts--opposed to The Word of God.

If we want to see a change in what the world is doing--eliminating the violence and hatred--we must change the way we think and align our thoughts with The Word, developing the  mind of Christ. With the mind of Christ--we are able to love--not hate--all--regardless of ethnic origin, race, religion, gender or any other thing that the enemy attempts to use to lead us to hating--just because we know how to love.

We know how to change what is occurring in our society--we know because it is the enemy who plants seeds of doubt, unbelief and hatred in the minds of others. We can change the course we are taking, but we have to want to change it--all of us--not just some of us. When we learn how to love--we will see change, but remember--while we're loving people into a right-relationship with God, the enemy is still planting seeds of hatred and our love must be stronger.

For anyone who hates you--love them even more--and overcome the hatred with love--in spite of them and you. Love really is the key, but just because we love--expect "the haters" to hate, because they do not know Love or how to love.

Praying For All!

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty" (I Timothy 2:1,2).
Father,
In the name of Jesus,

I ask that You touch the hearts of all mankind, those in positions of leadership as well as those who submit to leadership. I ask God that You conduct heart surgery, cutting away all the evil, wickedness, and complacency. I ask that You replace all that is removed with compassion, integrity, and love.

Give us a heart O God, to see the needs of the people and respond to them. Take away the heart of stone that resides in so many that they no longer have compassion for people. Create in us, a clean heart with a righteous spirit, desiring to please You even more.

O God, stir up a right spirit within us so we can have peace in the land. Give us a desire to become peacemakers, not peace breakers.

Give us no peace with complacency and self-centeredness. Remove every selfish thought from our minds so we may think with the mind of Christ--always concerned more about those in need--whatever the need is--healing, love, encouragement, financial support, and wisdom from You.

I bind every spirit in the earth realm that would attempt to influence the minds of those who love You and want only to please You. I declare that every yoke of bondage--addiction, depression, evil-thinking, poverty, and every physical affliction is broken and yields no power over anyone.

Help us O God to walk with integrity and godliness going before us and embracing us so tightly that nothing negative can ever enter into our thoughts and actions.

I declare peace in the land--beginning in every home, and moving outward to every town, city, community, state, and country--across the waters of the earth--let peace abide within the hearts of every man, woman, and child.

We know that You are not the author of confusion and wherever there is confusion the enemy has a stronghold. We come against any stronghold the enemy has on any people and declare all of his plans null and void, having no effect upon anyone.

We thank You for hearing and answering this prayer and the prayers of all those who are striving to live right in Your sight, doing Your will, and loving all. All this we ask and receive in Jesus' name. It is done. Amen!

Love, Pray, and Move Forward

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:44,45 NIV)

One of the reasons many of us never reach the heights of success that God has planned for us is because we get stuck--stuck in disappointments, by those who create problems for us, by inner-feelings of inferiority and low self-esteem. We get stuck on getting revenge trying to avenge those situations over which we have no control and end up moving backward instead of forward. We get stuck trying to "make" people like us or pay attention to us, when they don't have to like us. We get stuck trying to control situations that are totally out of our control.

The solution to being "unstuck" in any situation--love those who love you, but love the ones who hate you as well. Pray for all--those you love and those you may not like, but you love. Keep loving and keep praying and all the while you're praying, keep moving forward. We have no control over people and what they do, but we do control what we do. We do not have to allow what others think of us-- to stop us. We do not have to allow what others do to us to hinder us. Pray--for wisdom and discernment--understand that your success is not contingent upon others liking you, but whether or not your plans are aligned with God's plans.

When people hate you--pray and smile at them. When they talk about you--pray and pray some more. When people attempt to misuse you--back away and pray for them and self. And all the while you're praying--keep moving forward, without holding onto the hurts and disappointments--keep going. Life happens and sometimes we just have to deal with it where we are. Cry, scream, get angry, but get over it quickly and move forward.

If you really want to make the enemy upset--keep smiling, keep loving, keep moving forward and never let set-backs cause you to stop moving in the direction that God has destined for you. Bless others when you need a blessing. Love others when you need to be loved. Encourage others when you need to be encouraged. Pray for others when you need someone to pray for you. And through it all--never lose sight of God's love or His plans for your life.

God knows and sees all--He will take care of us and those who have attempted to destroy us as well. He rains on the just and unjust, the righteous and the unrighteous--and all is accomplished by His design. Remember this--it takes a lot less effort and time to love than it does to hate. It is so easy to love others and so time-consuming to hate!