By John Stallings
Seldom does an individual take one giant step from a life of virtue & goodness into a life of sin & corruption.
An individual begins their journey into sin by taking little steps into the shaded areas, areas tinted & colored just a bit, almost unnoticed by those around them.
Then one day, hardly aware that they have made the journey, they find themselves firmly entangled in a life of sin. We see that same kind of journey pictured again & again in scripture.
SAMSON
In the book of Judges we read about Samson. Almost everybody knows his story. Samson was a man of God. From birth to manhood, his life was dedicated to God. He started the morning with God. He spent the day with God. He ended his day with God.But then gradually, Samson started flirting with evil. And little by little, evil came into his life. And then, in Judges 16:20 we read one of the most startling verses in all the Bible. It says that --the Lord had departed from Samson, & Samson didn’t realize it.
Sad, isn’t it? Samson had become so deeply enmeshed in sin that God couldn’t stand to stay around any more. So God left him. And Samson, once a great man of God, was so insensitive to the presence of God, that when God left, Samson didn’t even know it.
SAUL
That was true of King Saul, too. The sun comes up on his life & we see a cloudless sky, a beautiful beginning for Saul. He is a man whom God loves, & who loves God.But gradually, he turns his back on God, & the storm clouds begin to collect. Finally, he can’t see the sun anymore because God has left him. And the Bible says that Saul ended up slinking off to the witch of Endor, seeking help from the powers of evil because those were the forces that were now controlling his life. He had to visit “hell” to try to learn what heaven would no longer tell him.
It isn’t the giant step from virtue into corruption that we need to fear. It’s the little steps that ultimately lead us away from God.
EPHESUS
It must have happened that way in the church in Ephesus. In Rev. 2:1-5, as Jesus looked at that church, He saw many positive things. Listen;
"These are the words of Him who holds the 7 stars in his right hand & walks among the 7 golden lampstands: `I know your deeds, your hard work & your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, & have found them false. You have persevered & have endured hardships for my name, & have not grown weary.’"
Isn’t that a great description of a church? We’d be proud to have Jesus say something like that about us wouldn’t we? But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He goes on in vs. 4, "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love." Forsaking their first love didn’t happen in one giant step. It wasn’t that just one day they decided not to love God any more. It was a gradual thing. For a while their love for God was so great & so infectious that people were drawn into their fellowship. Great sermons were preached, & wonderful things were happening.
These folk were known far & wide for their steadfast faithfulness, even in the face of persecution. But then, people who used to pray a lot gradually stopped praying. People who may have been giving a lot gradually stopped giving. People who used to witness to the lost gradually stopped witnessing. Finally Jesus looks at this church, and says, "This I have against you. You have forsaken your first love." In other words, you’ve lost it. Let’s look at 3 aspects;
I. WHAT IS FIRST LOVE?
First love is Crazy Love.We generally say, and rightly so that we may not have the same kind of love we had when we first fell in love with our spouses, but we have something deeper, more wonderful. I agree wholeheartedly but I hope you’ll indulge me for a moment while I reminisce about those days of “first love.”
Do you recall tree-lined streets, & long summer evenings when you and your betrothed would walk along holding hands & dreaming of the future together?Did you go into a café and split a sandwich because you just weren’t all that hungry? Did you envision living in a little cottage built for two in your “blue heaven” somewhere? When practical questions arose concerning money, you answered it in what seemed a most logical way; "We’ll live on love."
This is crazy love. That’s the way first love is, isn’t it? It loves the object of its affection without reservation. It is being totally head over heels in love. No one whose experienced first love will deny that the birds sang sweeter and the whole world took on a “rosy hue.”
Now what is "first love" in God’s eyes? It is the love that first brought you to God. It is the love that you experienced when you saw the cross as it really was. It was when you realized that the blood of Jesus Christ was shed for your sin & you were overwhelmed with His amazing love. So you became a child of God, & you experienced His forgiveness. That’s first love.First love looks at mountains of troubles & sees them as hills. First love looks at rivers of grief & worry that may arise in life & says, "That’s nothing. God & I together can swim through that."First love looks at stumbling blocks & sees them as stepping stones that prove the power of God. First love cries out, "Just give us a mountain to climb. Give us a river to swim. Give us something to do to prove the greatness of God’s love & how powerful He really is."
That’s first love. But first love is vulnerable. It needs to be protected. It needs to be reinforced. First love stretches out its arms & rolls up its sleeves to help others who’re hurting. First love isn’t selfish but rather it gives itself totally & completely.
PAUL
Paul is an amazing example of that first love. I hope the expression “crazy love” doesn’t offend you. If it does, I challenge you to listen to Paul’s words. Paul recognized that he owed everything to God. Again & again he said, "I am the chiefest of sinners. I don’t even deserve to be called an apostle." He was always very much aware of who he was & what he had done. And he is overwhelmed that God could love someone like him.And when he thinks about that he calls himself a "debtor" to God & a debtor to the Jews & to the Greeks & to the barbarians. In other words, because he had been so greatly loved by God, he owed it to God to share that indescribable love with others.
That wonderful first love caused Paul to write these amazing words in Romans 9:1-3. "I speak the truth in Christ - I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit - I have great sorrow & unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed & cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race."
Do you hear the heartbeat? Do you hear what he is saying? Is this not Crazy love?" Paul is so much in love with Christ, & consequently in love with his brothers & sisters, that he was willing to be cursed & go to hell himself, if it would mean that they would be saved.
MOSES
Moses prayed the same kind of prayer in the wilderness, after the people had rebelled against God. We read these words in Exodus 32:31-32. "So Moses went back to the Lord & said, `Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin - but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.’"In other words, Moses was saying his love for God was so great & his love for the people was so deep that he was willing to offer himself in their place. "Blot me out, but forgive them."
That’s the quintessence of first love… crazy love.
II. HOW DO YOU LOSE SOMETHING AS WONDERFUL AS FIRST LOVE?
I would think that we would take very good care of it, & never take a chance on losing it. But we can lose it. Sometimes it just disappears, vanishes, and goes away. But how does that happen? Let me offer some suggestions.
In the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew Jesus is talking about the end of time, & here is what He says in vs. 12, "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of many will grow cold."Did you hear that? That is the way sin works. Not by taking giant steps from virtue to corruption, just little steps. And as wickedness increases, this once wonderful, warm, unselfish, vibrant love in your life begins to grow cold like an ember that is all alone, no longer a part of the fire. And soon it will die.
Scripture often uses the marriage relationship as an illustration. Two people meet & fall in love. They spend precious time with each other, talking to one another, sharing their hopes & dreams. And when they’re apart, they’re thinking about each other, wishing they were together again.Their love just seems to grow & mushroom. Then one day they become husband & wife. They build a cocoon of love around themselves & they say, "We will always be together. And life will be so wonderful."
But there are jobs to go to, appointments to be kept, stresses to be dealt with, arguments & problems & family feuds & fusses. All of these things pull on us, until soon the demands become so overwhelming that the love relationship begins to suffer. Then one day you look across the table at each other & you think, "That’s not the person I married. You’re a stranger. I don’t know you anymore." What’s happened is that your love has been starved. It didn’t receive the daily nourishment it needed to grow healthy & strong. Then words like, “I deserve better than this” are spoken.
Since I don’t buy secular CDs, every now & then I will listen to a love song or two on radio or the Internet. If you’re “old school” like me some of these songs can just tear your heart out. One song I like is “What’s forever for?” One line in the song asks, "Doesn’t anybody ever stay together anymore?" Looking at the divorce rate, it’s a valid question, isn’t it?
That’s kind of the way it was in Ephesus. So many good things on their resume’ & yet they had lost their first love. The honeymoon is definitely over.
Years ago I developed a persistent headache that wouldn’t go away. I ended up in a doctor’s office and after taking my blood pressure he informed me I was on the verge of a stroke. He reminded me that physically speaking, high blood pressure was the “silent killer” and my body was not being silent, it was screaming at me.
Lost Love is the "silent killer" of relationships.
III. HOW DO YOU FIND A LOVE THAT IS LOST?
In Rev. 2:5 Jesus gives us a prescription that is very simple & very direct. "Here is what you need to do," Jesus says, "Remember the height from which you have fallen!"
Whatever you and I lose is always wherever we left it. You lose your car keys or your glasses. Guess where they are? They are where you left them. Wherever you had them last, if you can remember where that was, you’ll find them there. And it is that way with your love for God, too. If you have lost it, guess where it is. It is wherever you left it.
Forgive me for pointing out the obvious but have you ever noticed that you usually find a lost article in the absolute last place you look? Jesus is saying that if you have lost it then remember where you had it last, go back & find it again.
Where was the last time that you were touched by the power and presence of the living God? We know God hasn’t moved, & He is waiting for His child to come back, to become reacquainted with Him.
REPENT
Secondly, Jesus tells us how to do it. He said, "Repent and do the things you did at first." That word, "repent," is a greatly neglected Biblical word. When John the Baptist started to preach, the first word out of his mouth was the word "repent." When Jesus sent the 70 out 2 by 2, the first word out of their mouths was "repent."Go back & read the prophets. Every time they stood before the rebellious nation of Israel, they spoke with the authority of God & they commanded the people to repent. Many of them got their neck stretched for saying it.
It’s a strong word, & has lots of implications. When you repent you look at your sin & you see how ugly & horrible it is. And you don’t try to deny it. You don’t blame it on someone or something else. It is your burden. You made it, & you face the reality of it. Finally, you come with no pretense before God & say, "God, I can’t carry it. It’s too heavy for me." And God says, "Welcome home, my child." And He reaches down & lifts the burden & begins to carry it for you. That’s when healing takes place & that’s when love is restored.
Over the years in our travels out west we’ve seen some ghost towns. There is something about a ghost town that’s eerie. As you walk the streets you can almost hear the echoes of the past. The buildings stand empty as mute reminders of life that is gone.With every passing season more buildings collapse, more weeds grow up, more animals take over the ruins where a thriving town once stood. A ghost town is the testimony that nature abhors a vacuum. Once something has been emptied, destruction & death follow, unless the void is filled.
In the parable of the empty house, Jesus tells us that it is not enough for a man to be freed from the power of Satan. His life must be filled with the Spirit of God or Satan will take hold of him again. Like the ghost town, if a person is not filled with new life in Christ, he will be filled with something else, & the end result is death & decay.That is why the words of Jesus are so thrilling,
"I am come that you might have life, & that you might have it more abundantly."
DEADLY DANGER OF DRIFTING
Hebrews 2:1-3 speaks of drifting away from the truth. This is excellent allegory as regards losing
our first love.
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. Heb.2:1
The Message and other good Bible translations –translate the word slip to-“drift or drift-away.” Now we’re talking about “super-excellent” allegory are we not?
This tendency for us to just “slip-slide” around is almost as common as breathing for humanity.
I've shared this before but I think it fits well right here. I was raised in Florida. I went through Junior High School in Daytona Beach. Once in a while we’d go to the beach, but because my mother was afraid one of us would show a small amount of skin, or maybe see skin, we’d get down the beach away from other people. I remember one year mom tripped and tore a hole in the elbow of her bathing suit.
Anyway, here were the rules for the Stallings kids at the beach; we could get in the water & play but every few minutes we had to get out of the water and reposition ourselves back near the car. Because the ocean is the ocean, everything is constantly in the state of flux, so when you get in ocean water, whether it’s in a boat or just swimming , - you drift. There’s a relentless pull or undertow, even though most of the time it’s ever so subtle. My father parked the car a certain place on the beach & it was our reference point. Without realizing it, because of the drift, in a very short time we could be so far down the beach we could barely see the car.
We have to set some serious reference points for ourselves as regards our devotional time and our time with God and His people or we’ll just drift away. We’ll lose our first love.
PETER, DO YOU LOVE ME?
Jesus asked Peter: “Do you love me?”… “Do you truly love me more than…? Love is a lifestyle that flows from a filled heart. In many cases, our hearts have been “weighed” and have been found “wanting.” God has examined the corners of our lives and “called our bluffs” by saying, “I know your deeds…you are neither hot nor cold…and it is making me ill.”
The One who has loved us fully, with a completeness that’s beyond comprehension, has asked for our love back in return. His love has removed our sin from us as far as the east is from the west so that we can live without fear of the consequences as we stay yielded to Him. This CRAZY LOVE has come at a great cost…the price of His only Son. And yet He has still given it wholeheartedly.
The question is: How will we respond to it? Will we joyfully live a life of reciprocating His love, or will we redefine, simplify and reduce love to something smaller- something that costs far less- and return that to Him, in the name of love?
When we do this, we’re following the patterns of the Pharisees, who “loved to be seen by men” and “honored God with their lips” but whose “hearts were far from Him.”
God wants all of us, not just parts that are easy to give. Yet too often we withhold from Him the very things He must have in order to continue to set us free to be who He created us to be. When we come to Him, we ask for His best but when it comes time for giving love back, too often He gets our leftovers. I don’t know if there is anything more painful to a lover than to receive a gift that is missing the heart.
It would be easy to miss the entire point of all this and assume that God just wants us to try harder... to do more, to prove our love for Him with good works. However, the sum of a multitude of deeds can never equal love, yet the smallest piece of genuine love can produce infinite deeds. This is what He desires from us.
As you and I face the future, let’s pray for a larger heart. One that desires Him above all else- that genuinely loves Him - and that will overflow into a life of tangible love to those God loves.
When this happens, we’ll be experiencing the joy of our salvation.
There’s nothing more fulfilling in the Universe.
Blessings,
John
Monday, April 28, 2014
Monday, April 7, 2014
Satan's Plan For America
By John Stallings
I LOVE AMERICA!
You love America too, or you probably wouldn’t be reading this.
But I don’t love seeing what this great nation is becoming.
Today in America we have oil spills, endangered seals, crooked deals, big-wheels, unpaid bills, fast-food meals, cheap thrills, sleeping pills, and you can’t tell the Jacks from the Jills.
THE FOLLOWING ARE A FEW OF MY “LEAST FAVORITE THINGS” ABOUT WHAT THE U.S.A IS BECOMING;
Out: Prayer and the Bible in schools.
In: Sex education, evolution, situation ethics & “self-esteem.”
Out: Heterosexuality.
In: Homosexuality.
Out: Chastity.
In: Lust, illegitimate babies, abortion on demand.
Out: Unborn babies safe in their mother's womb.
In: Whales, trees, and snail darters safe.Kill babies and “Free Willy.”
Out: Families
In: Easy divorce and single parents.
Out: Men and women.
In: “Gays,” “lesbians,” and “trans-genders.”
Out: Marriage between a man and a woman.
In: Marriage between a man and a man, a woman and a woman, a man and several women, a woman and several men, several men, several women, or 6 guys & a duck.
Out: Decency.
In: NAMBLA- [North American Man/Boy Love Association.]
Out: National sovereignty.
In: Leaning toward One world government.
Out: Biblical truth.
In: One world religion.
Out: Robust, booming private sector/free market economy.
In: Government control of business.
Bondage has always been Satan’s plan for mankind. As we can see, Satan has gotten quite a ways down his list of accomplishments necessary for the destruction of America. All of this happened in two generations!! What’s going on??
Now let’s look at what’s happened in the last approximately two years.
SOFT TYRANNY
Washington has totally trashed the principles our founders espoused & given us a government that makes us “subjects,” not “citizens.”
Never has a national agenda taken America so far left so fast. Never has there been such a power grab as we’re now witnessing. We must stop this runaway train right now, - this November, quarantine this administration, and then vote them out in 2016.
Although it’s hip to castigate George W. Bush, Bush certainly did a much better job of listening to the people. As an example, when he proposed the Social Security reform, and the public resisted it, the White House backed off.
No more. This administration isn’t listening to the people- period. The citizenry is rebelling and trying to speak but this government has turned a deaf ear to their cries. There are just two possibilities; we’re either going to be free & self-governing- or ruled.
The following is just food for thought; could it be that the reason these Liberals don’t care about the people & what they think-is- that they don’t plan to ever leave office? God forbid that would ever happen for if it did it would play right into Satan’s hands. Marshall Law would be declared & the president would simply transition to a military government, a government of the gun. This would be done for the “safety of the people.”
Satan loves nothing better than anarchy and it would be very likely that the nation would be reduced to rubble. Then the “powers that be” would stand on that rubble and say, “well now, we can get about the task of rebuilding this nation after our own vision.” It would be a vision hatched in hell and it would be one that has failed time & time again wherever and whenever it has been tried throughout history. Make no mistake it would be serfdom for the masses.
Alex de Tocqueville coined the term Soft Tyranny in his 1840 book “Democracy in America.” Here’s a quote from that book;
“After having thus successively taken each member of the community in its powerful grasp and fashioned him at will, the government then extends its arms over the whole community. It covers the surface of society with a network of small, complicated rules, minute and uniform, through which the most original minds and the most energetic characters cannot penetrate, to rise above the crowd. The will of man is not shattered but softened, bent, and guided; men are seldom forced by it to act, but they are constantly restrained from acting. Such a power does not destroy, but it prevents existence: it does not tyrannize but compresses, enervates, and stupefies a people till they are reduced to nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is shepherd.” Book Four, Chapter VI.
IMHO, there are four main areas that we the people must contend for as I believe these are the areas the present administration is trying to stamp out.
LIMITED-BUT CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT
INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
FREE ENTERPRISE
NATIONAL SECURITY
Washington is weak in these areas so we need to start to get involved in government, local & national in every way possible. Impressive men and women are coming forward who heretofore were unknown and never dreamed of running for any kind of office, but they see their country being so upended they can no longer sit by and do nothing. In the coming election, I won’t vote for an individual unless they have near the top of their agenda repealing ObamaCare because a thousand liberty-stealing evils live inside this Trojan horse. It won’t be easy and it won’t be done overnight but that’s one of the pressing “changes” we’ll desperately need.
When Liberals in Washington see something that makes them nervous and insecure, they instinctively laugh and make light of it. They go after people they’re afraid of and have done this with Sarah Palin & also the Tea Partiers. This behavior is a dead-giveaway. Anything you see them ridiculing, take a closer look at it.
Washington chafes under the Tea Party folk because they see them as a group who’ve figured out their power grab quicker than most. While the Tea Partiers aren’t perfect, [who is?] they are truly a grass roots movement and to me are extremely inspirational.
We can very easily sum up Satan’s plan for America in a few words. The first one is;
DECEPTION
We are much more vulnerable to Satan’s deception than to any of his other schemes. Why? Because when he tempts us or accuses us, we know it. But when he deceives us, we don’t know it. Makes sense doesn’t it? If Satan can get people to believe a lie then he can control them. Sad to say, that’s exactly what he’s doing across our land, deceiving multitudes.
For example, how on God’s green earth can we allow a Muslim Mosque to be built within a stone’s throw of the graveyard of over 3,000 Americans in lower Manhattan where the Twin Towers once stood? Have we become so deceived that we can’t face the fact that the men who flew the planes that fateful day on 9/11 were Muslim extremists? Can we still say—“Muslim extremists?”
Would we allow a Shinto Shrine representing the Japanese religion to be built within the shadow of Pearl Harbor? I don’t think so.
Let’s look at one of many deceptions buried in the monstrous new OBAMACARE .. The Internet address where this can be verified is;
http://dailypaul.com.node/105079
“Buried deep within the massive US Health Care Bill (PDF) in a “non-discussed” section titled: Subtitle C-11 Sec. 2521— National Medical Device Registry, and which states its purpose as:
“The Secretary shall establish a national medical device registry (in this subsection referred to as the ‘registry’) to facilitate analysis of postmarket safety and outcomes data on each device that—‘‘(A) is or has been used in or on a patient; and ‘‘(B) is a class III device; or ‘‘(ii) a class II device that is implantable.”
In “real world speak”, according to this report, this new law, when fully implemented, provides the framework for making the United States the first Nation in the World to require each and every one of its citizens to have implanted in them a radio-frequency identification (RFID) microchip for the purpose of controlling who is, or isn’t, allowed medical care in their country.
Shades of Revelation 13:16;
He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead.-NIV.
Obviously the best way to pass anything in the way of new legislation is to point out the “good side” of it and hide the “kickers.” Healthcare for everyone sounds attractive so long as the truth is hidden that with it comes more power and control over the people for the administration.
Bald-faced deception/lying have become prevalent of late among people seeking high office. It seems all that has to be done to cause a potential public servant to be disqualified is to look back over the things they’ve said in the past. We have people running for office who tell themselves they were in countries they never set foot in and tell it so often it seems like the truth to them.
If a man running for high office says he was in Viet Nam & meant to say South Korea, he could be said to have misspoken. If however he says again and again that he was in Viet Nam but never was, he lied. If he adds Viet Nam to his resume and knowingly continues to deceive, he’s a liar.
Another tool Satan is using to destroy America is;
DISCOURAGEMENT
Satan uses discouragement on individuals as well as whole nations.
Listen to a quote from, Rules for radicals, a book written by the late Saul Alinsky and whose principles have been endorsed & emulated by both Barak Obama, and Hillary Clinton;
"Any revolutionary change must be preceded by a passive affirmative non-challenging attitude change among the masses. They must be made to feel so frustrated, so defeated, so lost, so futureless in the present system they are willing to let go of the past and change the future. This acceptance is essential to any revolution."
Notice the words-frustrated-defeated-lost-futureless-and revolution. Does this sound like what Americans are feeling presently?
In Rules for Radicals (his final work, published one year before Alinsky’s death), he addressed the 1960s generation of leftist radicals, outlining his views on organizing for mass power. The documentary, "The Democratic Promise: Saul Alinsky and His Legacy," claims that "Alinsky championed new ways to organize the poor and powerless that created a backyard revolution in cities across America."
Alinsky was the subject of Hillary Rodham's senior honors thesis at Wellesley College, "There Is Only the Fight...” An Analysis of the Alinsky Model. Rodham commented on Lewinsky’s "charm," but rejected grassroots community organizing as outdated. Once Hillary Rodham Clinton became First Lady of the United States, the thesis was suppressed by the White House for fear of being associated too closely with Lewinsky’s ideas.
Alinsky also had a significant influence on Barack Obama, who used Alinsky's techniques while participating in Chicago community organizations in the 1980s. So we see that our President and Secretary of State are both believers in the tenants of the Saul Alinsky method, which is a sort of “soft tyranny” leading to revolution.
As I've opined in this bog several times, Obama is not a fool. As you know there is a big difference in being smart and being wise. There isn't a thimble full of wisdom in the White House at this point but they know exactly what they're doing; overwhelming the U.S economy to create systemic failure which will bring about economic crisis and subsequently social chaos. Obama Care and Cap and Trade/Tax have nothing to do with health care or global warming but all to do with redistribution of income and ultimate payoff to Obama's biggest contributors. Add up all the clues and they're alarmingly diabolical.
The next plank in Satan’s platform for America’s demise is;
DEFEAT
The book of Daniel tells us;
And he shall speak words against the Most High and shall wear out the saints of the Most High….Daniel 7:25
Daniel was writing about the end times-saying that the saints of God will be “worn out.” There’s no way around it, Daniel was speaking to you and me. I’m not suggesting that The Anti-Christ is on the scene at present but John spoke of “many anti-Christ’s” [1 John 2:18] and we know the anti-Christ spirit has long been at work in the world.
Over the last months & years haven’t you felt it? You get up in the morning & flip on the news [if you have the nerve,] and feel like you should yell “incoming” like the fighting men do on the battlefield? If you personally don’t feel “worn-out,” don’t you honestly feel it in the people you talk to, work or go to school with?
SATAN ALWAYS PLAYS CHESS!
Many Christians don’t understand the idea of warfare, and if they do, they see it like a kid occasionally confronting a bully on the playground in elementary school. We need a revelation of what’s happening to us right now, as individuals and as a nation. We need to understand we’re fighting a battle in and for our nation and Satan has a strategic battle plan. Too many people see warfare as a game like pinochle, or even worse, dodge ball. While we’re playing Checkers, Satan’s playing chess.
Satan is and has been at work with his plan for America since we first came into being. He strategically weaves things into society and even the church over the decades and even generations.
Lastly, Satan’s plan for America is;
DESTRUCTION
Someone has said, “Either America will have a revival or a funeral.” Francis Schaffer warned us- “If we don’t fight to save our nation, we’ll wake up one day soon and discover the America we once knew is gone.”
GOD’S PLAN FOR AMERICA
Make no mistake; Satan is behind the erosion of our freedoms we are seeing. Satan is “The master of Deceit.”
I wish I could tell you that I had all the answers to solve the dilemma we face in America, but I don’t. I do however have some insights. The one thing Satan can’t stand is any kind of repentance. Repentance throws Satan off his game. The reason for that is, he’s incapable of repentance and can’t comprehend it.
The thing that America needs for her survival is—Revival! The plan God has for us is laid out very succinctly in 2 Chronicles 7:14.
1. IF MY PEOPLE
I’ve said it so many times but it’s not original with me—God isn’t looking at the wino face down in the ditch, expecting him to get up and lead us in a national awakening. He’s looking at His people, who are called by His name. This change we can believe in doesn’t begin in the White House with some elected officials; it begins in the Church House with the born-again people of God.
Peter said, -For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God……1 Peter 4:17
We have a “saint problem” in America, not a “sinner problem.” Sinners aren’t alive spiritually, how could they be revived? Revival won’t come through the Chamber of Commerce or the Kiwanis, or the Masons, or the Mooses or the Gooses. It’s going to come through the redeemed that are called by His name, those who know Jesus Christ.
The Baby butchers, Whiskey distillers and Dope dealers can’t hold back revival but Hollywood, Wall Street and Washington can’t bring revival. The people of revival are God’s people. “If my people…
2. HUMBLE THEMSELVES
We must realize that we have nothing to strut about yet we are far too self-satisfied, self-serving and self-promoting. The word humble means “to bend, to bring low.”
Jesus said; - And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased: and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. Matthew 23:12. The reason we’re not on our way up is because we haven’t been on our way down. Then God’s people must-
3. PRAY
Prayer doesn’t make a difference, prayer is the difference.
Below is a statement that was made over a hundred years ago. If you don’t recognize the words, humor me-especially you speed readers- and don’t jump ahead, -- but rather absorb the words and ask yourself if they sound like a preacher or politician.
“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us: and w e have vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our hearts that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us, then to humble ourselves before the offended power to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”
On April 30th, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a National Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer.
Isn’t it an absolutely awesome thing that a President would lead our nation to prayer? Until the Supreme Court said students could not be led in prayer in our public schools it was a daily activity. Prayer may never be reinstated in school but it can be reinstated in our personal lives. No one can keep us from praying if we desire to pray.
I don’t believe there has ever been a spiritual awakening that didn’t begin with fervent prayer. Revival isn’t planned out or worked up, but it is prayed down.
4. SEEK MY FACE…..
We are told here that we’re not to seek revival but the Reviver! God isn’t a “spare tire” that we use when we’re in trouble but He’s the fuel that makes our lives go. There is also a sense here that we’re not to seek God’s hands, or His provision, but rather to seek His face, His pleasure. His smile.
5. TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS
There are many wicked ways Christian have but time and space fail me here. Let’s try jealousy, envy, backbiting, robbing God in tithes and offerings, and putting God Mammon on the throne of our lives. The Psalmists said,
If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me. Psalm 66:18
6. THE PROMISE-THEN WILL I HEAR FROM HEAVEN AND WILL FORGIVE THEIR SIN AND HEAL THEIR LAND.
Is it too late for America? The pain our nation feels right now doesn’t have to be the agonizing pain of death. It can be, - it must be the rejoicing pain of birth-the rebirth of our great nation.
Though we may have taken a thousand steps away from God, it only takes one step to return.
In 1999, a headline appeared in a Texas newspaper. The headline read, “Comatose man wakes after 7 ½ years.”
Police officer Gary Dockery had taken a bullet in the forehead and was in a coma for 7 ½ years. What was so remarkable was when he woke up; he immediately spoke clearly to his sister as if no time had passed. A family friend said, “There’s not but one way to describe it. It’s a miracle of God.” When officer Dockery awoke he asked for his sons whom he’d not seen since they were 5 and 12 years old, then 12 and 19.
If a man who had been asleep for 7 ½ years can wake up, there’s still hope for America.
We in America have two great national songs; “The National Anthem,” and “God bless America.” England has only one, “God save the Queen.” I love my UK friends but a song for one woman to be blessed seems a little selfish to me.
Listen to these inspired words by Erving Berlin;
From the mountains,
To the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam,
God bless America,
My home, sweet home-
God bless America, indeed!
Blessings,
John
I LOVE AMERICA!
You love America too, or you probably wouldn’t be reading this.
But I don’t love seeing what this great nation is becoming.
Today in America we have oil spills, endangered seals, crooked deals, big-wheels, unpaid bills, fast-food meals, cheap thrills, sleeping pills, and you can’t tell the Jacks from the Jills.
THE FOLLOWING ARE A FEW OF MY “LEAST FAVORITE THINGS” ABOUT WHAT THE U.S.A IS BECOMING;
Out: Prayer and the Bible in schools.
In: Sex education, evolution, situation ethics & “self-esteem.”
Out: Heterosexuality.
In: Homosexuality.
Out: Chastity.
In: Lust, illegitimate babies, abortion on demand.
Out: Unborn babies safe in their mother's womb.
In: Whales, trees, and snail darters safe.Kill babies and “Free Willy.”
Out: Families
In: Easy divorce and single parents.
Out: Men and women.
In: “Gays,” “lesbians,” and “trans-genders.”
Out: Marriage between a man and a woman.
In: Marriage between a man and a man, a woman and a woman, a man and several women, a woman and several men, several men, several women, or 6 guys & a duck.
Out: Decency.
In: NAMBLA- [North American Man/Boy Love Association.]
Out: National sovereignty.
In: Leaning toward One world government.
Out: Biblical truth.
In: One world religion.
Out: Robust, booming private sector/free market economy.
In: Government control of business.
Bondage has always been Satan’s plan for mankind. As we can see, Satan has gotten quite a ways down his list of accomplishments necessary for the destruction of America. All of this happened in two generations!! What’s going on??
Now let’s look at what’s happened in the last approximately two years.
SOFT TYRANNY
Washington has totally trashed the principles our founders espoused & given us a government that makes us “subjects,” not “citizens.”
Never has a national agenda taken America so far left so fast. Never has there been such a power grab as we’re now witnessing. We must stop this runaway train right now, - this November, quarantine this administration, and then vote them out in 2016.
Although it’s hip to castigate George W. Bush, Bush certainly did a much better job of listening to the people. As an example, when he proposed the Social Security reform, and the public resisted it, the White House backed off.
No more. This administration isn’t listening to the people- period. The citizenry is rebelling and trying to speak but this government has turned a deaf ear to their cries. There are just two possibilities; we’re either going to be free & self-governing- or ruled.
The following is just food for thought; could it be that the reason these Liberals don’t care about the people & what they think-is- that they don’t plan to ever leave office? God forbid that would ever happen for if it did it would play right into Satan’s hands. Marshall Law would be declared & the president would simply transition to a military government, a government of the gun. This would be done for the “safety of the people.”
Satan loves nothing better than anarchy and it would be very likely that the nation would be reduced to rubble. Then the “powers that be” would stand on that rubble and say, “well now, we can get about the task of rebuilding this nation after our own vision.” It would be a vision hatched in hell and it would be one that has failed time & time again wherever and whenever it has been tried throughout history. Make no mistake it would be serfdom for the masses.
Alex de Tocqueville coined the term Soft Tyranny in his 1840 book “Democracy in America.” Here’s a quote from that book;
“After having thus successively taken each member of the community in its powerful grasp and fashioned him at will, the government then extends its arms over the whole community. It covers the surface of society with a network of small, complicated rules, minute and uniform, through which the most original minds and the most energetic characters cannot penetrate, to rise above the crowd. The will of man is not shattered but softened, bent, and guided; men are seldom forced by it to act, but they are constantly restrained from acting. Such a power does not destroy, but it prevents existence: it does not tyrannize but compresses, enervates, and stupefies a people till they are reduced to nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is shepherd.” Book Four, Chapter VI.
IMHO, there are four main areas that we the people must contend for as I believe these are the areas the present administration is trying to stamp out.
LIMITED-BUT CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT
INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
FREE ENTERPRISE
NATIONAL SECURITY
Washington is weak in these areas so we need to start to get involved in government, local & national in every way possible. Impressive men and women are coming forward who heretofore were unknown and never dreamed of running for any kind of office, but they see their country being so upended they can no longer sit by and do nothing. In the coming election, I won’t vote for an individual unless they have near the top of their agenda repealing ObamaCare because a thousand liberty-stealing evils live inside this Trojan horse. It won’t be easy and it won’t be done overnight but that’s one of the pressing “changes” we’ll desperately need.
When Liberals in Washington see something that makes them nervous and insecure, they instinctively laugh and make light of it. They go after people they’re afraid of and have done this with Sarah Palin & also the Tea Partiers. This behavior is a dead-giveaway. Anything you see them ridiculing, take a closer look at it.
Washington chafes under the Tea Party folk because they see them as a group who’ve figured out their power grab quicker than most. While the Tea Partiers aren’t perfect, [who is?] they are truly a grass roots movement and to me are extremely inspirational.
We can very easily sum up Satan’s plan for America in a few words. The first one is;
DECEPTION
We are much more vulnerable to Satan’s deception than to any of his other schemes. Why? Because when he tempts us or accuses us, we know it. But when he deceives us, we don’t know it. Makes sense doesn’t it? If Satan can get people to believe a lie then he can control them. Sad to say, that’s exactly what he’s doing across our land, deceiving multitudes.
For example, how on God’s green earth can we allow a Muslim Mosque to be built within a stone’s throw of the graveyard of over 3,000 Americans in lower Manhattan where the Twin Towers once stood? Have we become so deceived that we can’t face the fact that the men who flew the planes that fateful day on 9/11 were Muslim extremists? Can we still say—“Muslim extremists?”
Would we allow a Shinto Shrine representing the Japanese religion to be built within the shadow of Pearl Harbor? I don’t think so.
Let’s look at one of many deceptions buried in the monstrous new OBAMACARE .. The Internet address where this can be verified is;
http://dailypaul.com.node/105079
“Buried deep within the massive US Health Care Bill (PDF) in a “non-discussed” section titled: Subtitle C-11 Sec. 2521— National Medical Device Registry, and which states its purpose as:
“The Secretary shall establish a national medical device registry (in this subsection referred to as the ‘registry’) to facilitate analysis of postmarket safety and outcomes data on each device that—‘‘(A) is or has been used in or on a patient; and ‘‘(B) is a class III device; or ‘‘(ii) a class II device that is implantable.”
In “real world speak”, according to this report, this new law, when fully implemented, provides the framework for making the United States the first Nation in the World to require each and every one of its citizens to have implanted in them a radio-frequency identification (RFID) microchip for the purpose of controlling who is, or isn’t, allowed medical care in their country.
Shades of Revelation 13:16;
He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead.-NIV.
Obviously the best way to pass anything in the way of new legislation is to point out the “good side” of it and hide the “kickers.” Healthcare for everyone sounds attractive so long as the truth is hidden that with it comes more power and control over the people for the administration.
Bald-faced deception/lying have become prevalent of late among people seeking high office. It seems all that has to be done to cause a potential public servant to be disqualified is to look back over the things they’ve said in the past. We have people running for office who tell themselves they were in countries they never set foot in and tell it so often it seems like the truth to them.
If a man running for high office says he was in Viet Nam & meant to say South Korea, he could be said to have misspoken. If however he says again and again that he was in Viet Nam but never was, he lied. If he adds Viet Nam to his resume and knowingly continues to deceive, he’s a liar.
Another tool Satan is using to destroy America is;
DISCOURAGEMENT
Satan uses discouragement on individuals as well as whole nations.
Listen to a quote from, Rules for radicals, a book written by the late Saul Alinsky and whose principles have been endorsed & emulated by both Barak Obama, and Hillary Clinton;
"Any revolutionary change must be preceded by a passive affirmative non-challenging attitude change among the masses. They must be made to feel so frustrated, so defeated, so lost, so futureless in the present system they are willing to let go of the past and change the future. This acceptance is essential to any revolution."
Notice the words-frustrated-defeated-lost-futureless-and revolution. Does this sound like what Americans are feeling presently?
In Rules for Radicals (his final work, published one year before Alinsky’s death), he addressed the 1960s generation of leftist radicals, outlining his views on organizing for mass power. The documentary, "The Democratic Promise: Saul Alinsky and His Legacy," claims that "Alinsky championed new ways to organize the poor and powerless that created a backyard revolution in cities across America."
Alinsky was the subject of Hillary Rodham's senior honors thesis at Wellesley College, "There Is Only the Fight...” An Analysis of the Alinsky Model. Rodham commented on Lewinsky’s "charm," but rejected grassroots community organizing as outdated. Once Hillary Rodham Clinton became First Lady of the United States, the thesis was suppressed by the White House for fear of being associated too closely with Lewinsky’s ideas.
Alinsky also had a significant influence on Barack Obama, who used Alinsky's techniques while participating in Chicago community organizations in the 1980s. So we see that our President and Secretary of State are both believers in the tenants of the Saul Alinsky method, which is a sort of “soft tyranny” leading to revolution.
As I've opined in this bog several times, Obama is not a fool. As you know there is a big difference in being smart and being wise. There isn't a thimble full of wisdom in the White House at this point but they know exactly what they're doing; overwhelming the U.S economy to create systemic failure which will bring about economic crisis and subsequently social chaos. Obama Care and Cap and Trade/Tax have nothing to do with health care or global warming but all to do with redistribution of income and ultimate payoff to Obama's biggest contributors. Add up all the clues and they're alarmingly diabolical.
The next plank in Satan’s platform for America’s demise is;
DEFEAT
The book of Daniel tells us;
And he shall speak words against the Most High and shall wear out the saints of the Most High….Daniel 7:25
Daniel was writing about the end times-saying that the saints of God will be “worn out.” There’s no way around it, Daniel was speaking to you and me. I’m not suggesting that The Anti-Christ is on the scene at present but John spoke of “many anti-Christ’s” [1 John 2:18] and we know the anti-Christ spirit has long been at work in the world.
Over the last months & years haven’t you felt it? You get up in the morning & flip on the news [if you have the nerve,] and feel like you should yell “incoming” like the fighting men do on the battlefield? If you personally don’t feel “worn-out,” don’t you honestly feel it in the people you talk to, work or go to school with?
SATAN ALWAYS PLAYS CHESS!
Many Christians don’t understand the idea of warfare, and if they do, they see it like a kid occasionally confronting a bully on the playground in elementary school. We need a revelation of what’s happening to us right now, as individuals and as a nation. We need to understand we’re fighting a battle in and for our nation and Satan has a strategic battle plan. Too many people see warfare as a game like pinochle, or even worse, dodge ball. While we’re playing Checkers, Satan’s playing chess.
Satan is and has been at work with his plan for America since we first came into being. He strategically weaves things into society and even the church over the decades and even generations.
Lastly, Satan’s plan for America is;
DESTRUCTION
Someone has said, “Either America will have a revival or a funeral.” Francis Schaffer warned us- “If we don’t fight to save our nation, we’ll wake up one day soon and discover the America we once knew is gone.”
GOD’S PLAN FOR AMERICA
Make no mistake; Satan is behind the erosion of our freedoms we are seeing. Satan is “The master of Deceit.”
I wish I could tell you that I had all the answers to solve the dilemma we face in America, but I don’t. I do however have some insights. The one thing Satan can’t stand is any kind of repentance. Repentance throws Satan off his game. The reason for that is, he’s incapable of repentance and can’t comprehend it.
The thing that America needs for her survival is—Revival! The plan God has for us is laid out very succinctly in 2 Chronicles 7:14.
1. IF MY PEOPLE
I’ve said it so many times but it’s not original with me—God isn’t looking at the wino face down in the ditch, expecting him to get up and lead us in a national awakening. He’s looking at His people, who are called by His name. This change we can believe in doesn’t begin in the White House with some elected officials; it begins in the Church House with the born-again people of God.
Peter said, -For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God……1 Peter 4:17
We have a “saint problem” in America, not a “sinner problem.” Sinners aren’t alive spiritually, how could they be revived? Revival won’t come through the Chamber of Commerce or the Kiwanis, or the Masons, or the Mooses or the Gooses. It’s going to come through the redeemed that are called by His name, those who know Jesus Christ.
The Baby butchers, Whiskey distillers and Dope dealers can’t hold back revival but Hollywood, Wall Street and Washington can’t bring revival. The people of revival are God’s people. “If my people…
2. HUMBLE THEMSELVES
We must realize that we have nothing to strut about yet we are far too self-satisfied, self-serving and self-promoting. The word humble means “to bend, to bring low.”
Jesus said; - And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased: and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. Matthew 23:12. The reason we’re not on our way up is because we haven’t been on our way down. Then God’s people must-
3. PRAY
Prayer doesn’t make a difference, prayer is the difference.
Below is a statement that was made over a hundred years ago. If you don’t recognize the words, humor me-especially you speed readers- and don’t jump ahead, -- but rather absorb the words and ask yourself if they sound like a preacher or politician.
“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us: and w e have vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our hearts that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us, then to humble ourselves before the offended power to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”
On April 30th, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a National Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer.
Isn’t it an absolutely awesome thing that a President would lead our nation to prayer? Until the Supreme Court said students could not be led in prayer in our public schools it was a daily activity. Prayer may never be reinstated in school but it can be reinstated in our personal lives. No one can keep us from praying if we desire to pray.
I don’t believe there has ever been a spiritual awakening that didn’t begin with fervent prayer. Revival isn’t planned out or worked up, but it is prayed down.
4. SEEK MY FACE…..
We are told here that we’re not to seek revival but the Reviver! God isn’t a “spare tire” that we use when we’re in trouble but He’s the fuel that makes our lives go. There is also a sense here that we’re not to seek God’s hands, or His provision, but rather to seek His face, His pleasure. His smile.
5. TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS
There are many wicked ways Christian have but time and space fail me here. Let’s try jealousy, envy, backbiting, robbing God in tithes and offerings, and putting God Mammon on the throne of our lives. The Psalmists said,
If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me. Psalm 66:18
6. THE PROMISE-THEN WILL I HEAR FROM HEAVEN AND WILL FORGIVE THEIR SIN AND HEAL THEIR LAND.
Is it too late for America? The pain our nation feels right now doesn’t have to be the agonizing pain of death. It can be, - it must be the rejoicing pain of birth-the rebirth of our great nation.
Though we may have taken a thousand steps away from God, it only takes one step to return.
In 1999, a headline appeared in a Texas newspaper. The headline read, “Comatose man wakes after 7 ½ years.”
Police officer Gary Dockery had taken a bullet in the forehead and was in a coma for 7 ½ years. What was so remarkable was when he woke up; he immediately spoke clearly to his sister as if no time had passed. A family friend said, “There’s not but one way to describe it. It’s a miracle of God.” When officer Dockery awoke he asked for his sons whom he’d not seen since they were 5 and 12 years old, then 12 and 19.
If a man who had been asleep for 7 ½ years can wake up, there’s still hope for America.
We in America have two great national songs; “The National Anthem,” and “God bless America.” England has only one, “God save the Queen.” I love my UK friends but a song for one woman to be blessed seems a little selfish to me.
Listen to these inspired words by Erving Berlin;
From the mountains,
To the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam,
God bless America,
My home, sweet home-
God bless America, indeed!
Blessings,
John
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