Stirring Conflict!

A troublemaker and a villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth, who winks maliciously with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers, who plots evil with deceit in his heart— he always stirs up conflict.Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy. Proverbs 6:12-15 NIV

Listening to all the "arguments" from political candidates--both nationally and locally--reminds me of a number of things, but mostly it reminds me of Judas Iscariot and Haman's plot to rid himself of Mordecai.

While walking with Jesus, Judas stole money from what they collected from people on their travels, and because his heart was hardened against anything good thing that Jesus attempted to move forward, he looked for opportunities to give himself an advantage. The one advantage--betraying Jesus for the 30 pieces of silver--led to the arrest of Jesus, the insufferable beating, and crucifixion. But more importantly, the greed that drove Judas to the betrayal also led to his death.

Before Judas Iscariot was, Haman plotted to rid himself of the Jews--and greed, position, status drove his thinking and eventual demise. And his plot to get rid of the Jews--backfired when the king allowed the Jews to defend themselves against any attack.

This is what happens to people--then and now--when we plot to do evil, incite hatred and bigotry. Whenever we think we can outwit God--who is never surprised by anything that happens and indeed--knows exactly what we'll do, long before we ever do it. It is He who has planned our lives and any time--evil comes against those He loves and those who love Him--He is the standard bearer who will avenge all the wrongdoing.

So, why do we stir up conflict--deliberately lying--to make something out of nothing? The same driving force that led to the death of Judas and Haman--is still residing in the hearts of many people today. The desire to have more than they deserve--greed, pushes their need to wrangling for position and status. In that unchecked desire to achieve what they do not rightly deserve, people lie and then they lie about the lies that have already been told. And in order to make the lie believable--at least to themselves--they repeat lies that have already been exposed in hopes of making the repetition lead people to believe the repeated lies.

A perfect example of repeated lies is the attempt to negate the legitimacy of President Barack Obama by repeating the lie that he wasn't born in this country. Another repeated lie--that has been exposed--is having a plan to replace the Affordable Healthcare Act or that cutting taxes will reduce the national debt. Economists--those with experience in tackling the issue--have repeatedly said, cutting taxes will not reduce the national debt.

Of course the ultimate stirring of conflict has been in demeaning women or any other minority or those with disabilities. When a person does not exercise discipline over their own mouth, how can anyone expect them to exercise right governance of a nation?

The natural remedy to avoid the conflicts is simply this--tell the truth at all times, even if it hurts or one has to admit being wrong; stay focused on the task at hand, and build bridges, not walls--to cement relationships and garner support to achieve all goals. Reaching out, not blocking out, opens the door for better outcomes, alleviates the need to stir up conflict and controversies, and sets the stage for the ultimate success of all one desires to accomplish.

Forever With Us!

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1
And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.  Exodus 24:16
Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps. I Chronicles 15:28
And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. Matthew 21:14
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:20
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. Revelation 21:6
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:12,20

From the beginning when He created all things and without Him, nothing was ever created, He has been with us.

From the mouths of those who were willing to be used, He has spoken to us.

From the clouds to the pillars into the ark of the covenant, His Spirit has never left us.

From heaven into the earth in form and likeness of man, He lived among us.

From the time of His death, burial and resurrection to His return to Heaven, Holy Spirit has remained with us.

From the time we accepted Him as Lord and received His Spirit as our comforter and guide, He has lived within us.

And when He returns for those who are His--He'll take us to live with Him, forevermore.
He has been and will always be with us!

No matter what is happening or has happened in the earth, our hope is in Him, our faith is in Him, and we can say with confidence and no fear, "Come quickly, Lord!"

Redemption

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.  They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Psalm 107:1-9 NIV

Who will do all things for us when we cannot do for ourselves?
The Lord--mighty and loving in all His ways,
Never ceases to counsel, guide and forgive us,
Never willing to let us be defeated by thought or deed,
Always whispering truth and filling our hearts with love,
We have been redeemed through His Son from above.

Giving thanks to The Lord for all He has done and is doing in the lives of all who love Him. For I know that without Him in our lives, we would not be able to accomplish anything worthwhile. And though the immediate future seems uncertain and dark, my complete faith and trust is in Him, not man or woman--for I know whoever is willing to hear Him speak will obey and do all things to His glory.

The glory of The Lord covers us like a veil when we are walking the path He establishes for us and when we stray--even for a moment--we can count on His loving arms to pull us back--so nothing the enemy plans for us will ever prosper.

No, there is not one perfect human being among us, but even though we are flawed, when we are willing to obey His Word and live it on a daily basis as a demonstration of who He is and not who we are, we remain in the shelter of His love.

There is none like Him--none who carries our burdens when we give them to Him; none who loves us even when we are unlovable and none who forgives us for our waywardness, giving us chance after chance to get things right with Him.

If we have never received His love, now would be a good time--to turn to Him and away from all those things that keep us from receiving His many benefits. When we are filled with His love, we don't have room for hate in our hearts. When we are filled with His love, compassion for others drives us to do whatever we can to help our neighbors and others in need. When we are filled with His love, we do not seek fame and glory or recognition for the things we do for we know whatever we do--He sees and rewards.

There is no need for us to wallow in self-pity or fear or unbelief. We simply need to be reminded that we have a Savior and Redeemer and His name is Jesus. Let the Redeemed of the Lord, say so! I am redeemed!

The Only Truth, Is His Truth!

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. Colossians 2:6-10 NIV
Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. John 7:18 NIV
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 NIV

I've spent quite a bit a time--meditating on God's Word and listening to all the political rhetoric, gauging all the hate levied towards the opposing candidates and those who dare to speak in support of either one. And while I listened and read the various accounts of differing perspectives, I kept hearing in my spirit--"only what we do for Christ will last."

What can we do for Christ? Promote the Gospel as He intended, not as we have parsed and cherry-picked to promote our own agenda. For me this is really simple. We testify of His goodness by how we treat people and the love we share, igniting desire in them--by our actions--to want to know Him, not us.

Who we choose through our own method of deliberations to govern this country--won't get us into heaven or keep us out of hell (at least for eternity). I've watched how many people get so angry with others because they cannot sway them to vote their way, they become belligerent and immovable--choosing instead to hate rather than love. Is this the love of God that is supposed to constrain us? I've watched how people attempt to belittle and demean those who are supporting a candidate they despise. I've watched people publish misleading information--designed by those who are influenced by dark spirits--in hopes of convincing others to hate the other candidate. And with all the false information and pronouncements made--many fail to look at the forces behind them. There is a spirit that wants us to hate and belittle and that spirit is not of God.

I've listened to radio-hate-talk hosts--ignite and fuel hatred against Hillary Clinton and claim she is the devil, while trying to convince the masses of their audience they are Christians. There is no love in their rhetoric and without love, we cannot belong to God for God is love and all who belong to Him--know how to walk in love. 

I've read the hate-fueled websites and news outlets. I've learned how to distinguish the difference from those written by true journalists versus those who are simply promoting a hateful agenda.

People have paid for the production of false and misleading videos and those who don't want to know truth--believe it and promote it as truth--even when truth is put right in front of them. With so much hate in the atmosphere, it is a wonder that any of us are hearing from God. But since I took the time to deliberately--without bias--to hear from all sides of the issue and to seek Him for truth--I'm thankful for the opportunity to know the truth--about the situation and in recognizing those who truly belong to God.

Until we realize that there is no Republican or Democrat heaven or hell, there is no Black or White, Hispanic or Asian, rich or poor, male or female compartmentalization in heaven,  we're all doomed to succumb to the dictates of our flesh and miss the entry into the presence of God.

The Word tells us--"we shall know one another by our love for one another." Where there is no love--and we can disagree and still love--there is not a brother or sister in Christ. That's God's truth, not mine. And if we are willing to walk in His Truth, then we shall be free--to love--all, unconditionally, whether we agree with everything they say or do or not. This is the essence of knowing and walking in His Truth--we don't have to agree with one another in order to love each other!

I'm grateful for the time spent in seeking truth and direction and will continue to write as He gives me guidance--revealing all that is not like Him, so we will all know truth and be set free to serve Him and not people. "Where the Spirit of The Lord is, there is liberty," not hate or enslavement or degradation.

Three Days Later!

About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: “This is what the LORD says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.” When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, “Remember, O LORD, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.” Then he broke down and wept bitterly. But before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard,[fn] this message came to him from the LORD: “Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my own honor and for the sake of my servant David.’” 2 Kings 20:1-6 NLT

For those of us who know how The Lord does things, we know that nothing that ever happens is a surprise to Him and we also know, that if we seek Him, he will alert us to those things to come. That's Holy Spirit's job--to remind us of all we have been taught to show us things to come.

God has alerted all those who are truly watchmen--those who stand ready to sound the alarm for the benefit of the people and the alarm has been sounded, but not many are willing to hear and respond because--they're not the ones sounding it.

Today, is a good day to meditate on God's Word--seeking a better understanding of His character, and determining to make a change in our own. If we are willing to seek God and Him alone--not the news outlets or radio talk shows--God can and will reveal to us those things to come and how we should conduct ourselves--as ambassadors of Jesus Christ.

And in three days--God will do as He has done before--establish a sure path for us all to see His miracles--changed hearts, changed behaviors, and changed mindsets--determined to serve Him.

I'll return to my regular blogging in three days and I pray, while I'm praying for a miracle, that whoever reads this, will also pray for me--to act upon the courage I know God will instill in me to do as He says to do.

Write It Down!

I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am corrected.
Then the LORD answered me and said:

“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.
“Behold the proud,
His soul is not upright in him;
But the just shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:1-5 NKJV

The Lord is yet revealing Himself to others--just like He did with the prophets of old. If we learn to receive, hear and listen, we might be surprised at what we are told.

People are still creating bucket lists--those desires they wish to achieve before they die or at least by a specific time in their lives. A goal is always a good thing, especially when the goal is for the good of others more than just self. And while having a goal is good, few goals are ever achieved without a plan to get there.

The plan--the step-by-step approach or strategy to get to the finish line, must be doable and must lead in the direction in which a person wants to go. Not having a plan, often leads to people doing random acts--that lead nowhere and then they wonder why they have not moved closer to their goal.

Perhaps the easiest way to reach goals is to have several short-term goals that lead to the larger goal--to complete the big picture.

For instance--if a student desires to improve grades and obtain a specific grade-point-average, they might want to start with a targeted study plan. For some that goal may include specific hours dedicated to study and preparing for daily class work and testing. This goal would include working on smaller portions of information for a longer time period (one segment 15 minutes a night), rather than trying to cram a great deal of information into an overnight, stress-filled approach.

If a person has a desire to be used in ministry, by God--the first step would be to develop a right relationship with Him and then to get into His Word and study--researching all that is unknown or not clearly understood. Reaching this particular goal takes time and there are no short cuts although some have attempted to circumvent the obvious. We must study to show ourselves approved unto God--willing to work to understand His Word so we might rightly--present it to others. Some have claimed a calling upon their lives by God and presented themselves to a local church leader and that leader has set them up to fail by simply allowing them to present a "trial sermon"and then giving them leeway (without sufficient evidence of study or relationship) to run and misrepresent the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

If there is anything we want to achieve and God has given us the vision, we need to write it down, along with the plan to get there--step-by-step. When the vision is truly from God, it will be attained and nothing any man or woman attempts to do to hinder it, will matter. God's plans will always prevail over anything we may plan to do--that is not of or from Him.

So if God has given you a vision--write it down and seek His wisdom to map out the plans to achieve and no matter--stick with the plan--inching your way, if necessary, to cross that finish line--according to His timetable. Remember--"the race is given to the strong or the swift, but the one who endures to the end."

Overwhelming Prevarications!

these six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. Proverbs 6:16-19 KJV

POLITIC ALERT!

If you're like me, you are so tired of all the blatant lies and contemptuousness spewed continuously by one particular candidate!

Now, I know people say Hillary has lied about certain events and I would strongly suggest that whoever is saying it--would look into the truth of the matter about Benghazi, the Clinton Foundation, and her emails (and not just get their information from Fox News or Breitbart.com, or manipulated videos)  She has accepted responsibility for using the personal server--and yet there is no proof that she was hacked. With all of the investigations conducted by a Republican committee--no wrong doing has surfaced about the loss of life at the embassy, "Benghazi" and if people want to be outraged--they should be outraged with the Republicans for not providing adequate resources for those at the embassy. And as far as the Clinton Foundation is concerned, I'd strongly suggest that people take the time to research what the Foundation does and pay more attention to that than the source of the donations. For the bible says, "the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just." (A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.Proverbs 13:22)

On the other hand, Trump's dismissive and contemptuous attitude towards those women alleging his misconduct is deplorable. His wife's acceptance of his actions is even more deplorable. He is not "a boy" and if that's her excuse for 59 year-old behavior, then she should keep her "boy" in check and discipline him. As far as why the women are just coming forth with their stories--it's very simple. The tape was just recently aired--on a Friday and then on Sunday, Trump say he had never done what he bragged about on the tape. The women have said,"his lie angered them" and that is why they are just coming forth.  This is not a coordinated conspiracy with the media and the Clinton campaign. Trump opened the door for this when he brought those women to the debate and now he can't handle the fall-out. He apparently didn't read the book of Esther to know about the Hamanesque effect.

We do not need a boy in the White House trying to make decisions for Americans.  We need an adult in the White House who understands the difference between acting like an adult and being a boy. And for her to further insult--anyone who has heard the tape--by saying, "he was egged on to say what he say," is absolutely ludicrous. He initiated the exchange heard and if Billy Bush can lose his job for the part he played in the fiasco, Trump  should certainly not be allowed to sit in the White House in the highest office of the land.

I am so tired of the lies and negativity that my prayer has been, "nevertheless, Lord--come quickly." I'm ready for this election to be over so maybe, just maybe, the adults in the situation can begin the process of healing and restoring sanity.

I have a great deal of faith in the American people to see truth in the midst of all the smokescreens and do the right thing in this election, but I have more faith in God--and know that whatever happens--it will be according to His Will and His plans.