Tag: Jesus

Categories
Uncategorized

Super Bowl Discernment

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in LVIII a game marred by miscues not only on the field but in the presentation. However this is not a recap of the game, but a discussion of Super Bowl discernment.

Courtesy: UPI

Super Bowl LVIII gave fans its second overtime in its history and produced the the longest field goal , followed by the breaking of it later in the game. The Chiefs also won their second World Championship in a row, getting many fans to whisper the “dynasty”word. These happenings will make this Super Bowl memorable in the annals of NFL history.

What many of us wish we could forget is the constant politicization of the Super Bowl and professional sports in general. These radical activists have succeeding in usurping major sporting events, something which millions of people are watching, and using the forum to force their messages down people’s throats.

Why sing the black national anthem before the National Anthem? Answer: because of the George Floyd inspired riots in 2020. Considering this context one can only conclude the song is played as a constant reminder that racism is prevalent in America.

Courtesy: The Hollywood Reporter

Does racism still exist in America? Of course racism exists , but it certainly is not as prevalent as when “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was written in 1900. The very fact that a black national anthem is even televised to an audience of millions testifies to this reality.

So is the purpose of this song is division? It would seem so.

In its virtue signaling, the NFL seems to agree the National Anthem does not represent black Americans, therefore they must have their own. Doesn’t this hurt, rather than help race relations?

I find it interesting that despite the cries of racial unity, such accommodation only works to drive people further apart. I say this as an American who happens to be black.

As for the Super Bowl commercials , they were less politically offensive than in years past. Laugh out-loud funny was the Christopher Walken commercial, but I have to say I could not tell you the product advertised after first watching it. 

The commercials that annoyed me the most were those for Bud Lite and, ironically the He Gets Us ads. I will explain.

Bud Lite basically gave the finger to its loyal consumers when they embraced the whole Dylan Mulvaney transgender campaign. Sales plunged and customers loyalties went to rival brands. The customer backlash was a powerful example of people protesting with their wallets. I just wish certain sports personalities would support the offended, rather than accepting a paycheck from Bud.

Before I get into the He Gets Us ad, let me preface by saying I am a God-fearing man. You probably deduced that from the articles I have written.  

With that said, I find these this entire campaign sanctimonious and shallow. While watching, I could not put my finger on why I disliked this ad, but after further thought, it hit me. 

The ad shows how we should demonstrate Jesus’ example of love. All well and good, but what’s the significance of Jesus’ love that’s missing from these ads?

 Our sin is what’s missing from these ads. In no “He Gets Us” ad does it mention that God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins. (John 3:16).

No, instead it takes Jesus washing the disciples feet and turns it into into a Kumbaya moment of showing kindness to our adversaries. Yes we are called to be servants as Jesus was, and yes, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves, but the significance of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet symbolizes that only He can wash away our sins.

Jesus did this act of humility during the last supper, before going to the cross. Before His death and resurrection the, Son of God took on the sins of the entire world to save us.

Finally, we come to the halftime show: a colorful and bloated display of excessive banality. Usher is fine singer but I lost interest within five minutes due to the scattershot nature of the performance. 

I don’t blame Usher. He’s merely following the blueprint of the producers and directors.

Every halftime show is this over-hyped , over-choreographed spectacle of lip-synched medleys. Frankly, it’s stale and boring. 

I got an idea, how about going back to basics? Why not bring out some unique marching bands instead? Skillful musicians and precise arrangements are more compelling than some music artist phoning it in.

Anyway, that’s my 2024 Super Bowl discernment. What did you think? Looking forward to your comments.

Categories
Christian living Christianity Fear of God Jesus truth Uncategorized

Fear God, not man

There’s plenty to fear in our current world: wars, rumors of war, pandemics, rising crime rates and invasion at our souther border.  Yet the Bible tells us  to fear not. Simply put, when we fear God, not man, our Heavenly Father blesses us with peace and wisdom.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.–Proverbs 9:10 (English Standard Version)

If the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, what does the fear of man yield?

The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe. –Proverbs 29:25 (ESV)

The American Heritage dictionary defines a snare as: 1.A trapping device, often consisting of a noose, used for capturing birds and small mammals. 2. Something that lures or entangles the unwary.

When a snare catches an animal , the noose tightens as it struggles to get away. This provides a perfect metaphor for fearing man.

How does the fear of man snare people? Worrying what people think or say about us can cause us to stay silent when we should witness or defend our faith in Jesus. You may even decline to stand against evil due to worries of loss of livelihood, reputation, or even your life.

The reality is we are compliant to what we fear. Yes, we obeyed our parents as children our of respect, but mostly because we feared the consequences of the belt or grounding. 

Remember also as a child going along with your group of friends because of peer pressure? We did so out of fear of ostracism.

I’d like to now revisit a situation in recent history in which all the fears mentioned above were encapsulated into a single, surreal event: the Covid pandemic . As you will see, this was a snare on many levels.

Many of us lost loved ones due to Covid, which was terrible and tragic. The elderly and those with chronic chronic conditions were most at risk. Yet ,instead of focusing on those who were at risk, government aided by the media chose to frighten every citizen out of their minds.

Numbers were inflated by hospitals . People who died in car accidents or had heart attacks, etc were said to have died of Covid if they even had a trace of the virus at the time of their death. This practice only aided in the panic.

Infected elderly people were returned to nursing homes under orders by health officials, leading to more deaths and inflating the death toll. This was largely ignored by the press, who instead focused on stories of food and toilet paper shortages, overwhelmed emergency rooms or how Covid would affect the incumbent president’s reelection. If this wasn’t bad enough, one news outlet had a Covid death ticker running during each broadcast.

People did anything they could to get out of that snare, as indicated by their blind allegiance to every arbitrary government edict. Many comforted themselves they were doing good and protecting elderly loved ones as they surrendered to tyranny.

People wore masks everywhere, even when walking with their spouse in the park, or driving alone. They stayed six feet apart even though the rule was unscientific.

Families hunkered down, isolating themselves from friends and loved ones. Many parents didn’t pushback against schools shutting down; forcing their kids to learn via Zoom. Many Christians stopped going to church due to fears of catching the virus.

On the other hand, many God-fearing Christians chose freedom over authoritarianism.  They resolved not to live in fear, because they believe God determines their calling into heaven. If Covid was to be that opening of the door to eternity, then so be it. 

These men and women continued social gatherings during the lockdowns. Despite following mask mandates early on , they later declined when reports came out questioning the effectiveness of the mandates (which recent reports have validated). These were men and women who walked into supermarkets unmasked and allowed their kids to have sleepovers with friends. Their fear of God trumped their fear of man.

So we can confidently say,“The Lord is my helper;I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”–Hebrews 13:6

Why did I spend a good part of this column revisiting Covid? We are in an election year in which certain forces do not want the return of a certain president. We’ll refer to him as DJT. 

Covid coincidentally came just before 2020 presidential campaign, along with rioting in major cities. If this happened as a prelude to campaign season, what do you think these forces have planned in 2024? After all, this DJT is winning primaries and surging in polls? It’s not difficult to imagine.

Let me encourage you to fear not as wars, rumors of war, threats of future pandemics and terrorist attacks loom. Pray often, study your Bible,and trust in the peace and protection of the LORD through your faith in Jesus.

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.–2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)

If conviction reveals your fear of man as greater than your fear of God, take heart. You do not have to remain enslaved.

Jesus sets you free when you ask Him to be Lord and Savior of your life. Surrendering your life to God, though Jesus and the by the power of the Holy Spirit, reveals truth and takes away fear. 

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.–Romans 12:2 (ESV)

Now is the time to do this. I hope I am wrong, but I believe 2024 will be unlike any year in our lifetime. Those who keep their eyes on Jesus will be steadied by the power of the Holy Spirit no matter what happens. Therefore, we can encourage others to fear God, not man

Categories
Uncategorized

Could God ignore your prayers?

Could God ignore your prayers for others or the country?  Could He even make it His mission to oppose your plans?

All it takes is pride to become God’s adversary. Why? God hates pride. 

The type of pride we’re talking is not that of job well done or of others. No , the pride that separates us from our Heavenly Father is thinking too highly of ourselves above all others.

The danger for Christians is puffed-up thinking because of one’s position in Christ, or spiritual gifts they’ve been blessed with. This is represented in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14 (New International Version):

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Note the last verse: “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”  This means God will humble any believer who exalts himself and lift up the humble person who has a truthful view of himself.

Few churches teach that God could ignore your prayers and literally war with you because of pride.   Just read James 4:6 (NIV):

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble.”

C.S. Lewis said of pride :

C.S. Lewis

“According to  Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.”1

Why does pride lead “to ever other vice?”  Pride says my needs come first and therefore elevates me above everyone, including people and God.

We are emulating the devil with haughty eyes and a proud heart  (Proverbs 21:4-24).  Instead of reflecting God’s light, the devil darkens us. This is the reason “pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16-18).

The opposite of pride is humility, and we must humble ourselves, as Jesus did, to be children of God. This means becoming a servant to others instead of expecting others to serve you. In other words, placing the needs of others above your own.  Isn’t that what Jesus did when He walked the earth?

Humility is confessing your sins and repenting to the LORD, asking God every day to make you more like Jesus , and asking God to answer prayer according to His will.  When we humble ourselves in this manner, we can have confidence God hears our prayers for family, friends, country, enemies and ourselves.

Seek humility as if your life depends on it, because it does.  Do not conform yourself  any longer to this world with exalts pride as virtue. God promises to lift us up in due time when we come to Him with brokenness. He offers only resistance to those arrogant in their own eyes. 

1 C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001) 121-122

Categories
Uncategorized

A glimpse of America without God

Courtesy: CNN

Ever wonder what America would look like without God?  I believe we’re getting a glimpse of America without God. I say glimpse, because I do not believe He has abandoned America…yet.  

However, I do believe He is allowing His people, and even those who have ignored Him, to see just how on the brink of darkness America is, spiritually and morally.

The level of evil brought into the light in America and Western Civilization during this time is depressing.   Every hour, every day, no matter where you turn, wave after wave of outrage, disgust, horror and blasphemy assaults our minds and psyches. Never has there been anything like this in the history of the United States. 

Practically every institution that provided guardrails for our society has been corrupted such as marriage, religion, the family, traditional masculinity and femininity, law, history, the military and education. Issues that in the past we never dreamed to question, such as the biological sexes, are now burning controversies. 

We’re talking unrelenting spiritual and psychological warfare, folks. It’s turned up to eleven and this is just a glimpse of America without God. 

Who is waging this war and most importantly, why?  

But before we address who, let’s discuss why.

Courtesy: Fox News

The why is obvious.  Taking America, –the symbol and freedom and liberty for the world—and destroying it from within to absorb into the one-world government plans of our adversaries, is priority number one.

Think about the world-shattering repercussions of America falling: no more national sovereignty, no more Constitution or Declaration of Independence, no more private property or freedom of travel. Imagine our governance replaced by a centralized world government unaccountable to the people. 

Who are those wannabe overlords?  They’re the Marxist/communists who not only make up the globalists, but have infiltrated federal, state and local governments, and bureaucracies. Our enemies are also the traitorous politicians and bureaucrats who have sold out America for their proverbial thirty pieces of silver. 

I choose to categorize these subversives and traitors under one description: the Godless.

The ‘g’ is capitalized in Godless because these nefarious schemers reject the Holy God revealed to us in the Bible. However, this does not mean they are godless (note the lowercase ‘g’). 

Since they do not worship GOD, by default, they are worshipping the god of this fallen world: the one who only comes to steal, kill and destroy.  This god is better known as the fallen angel, Satan. 

We know this by their rotten fruits of lawlessness, division, lies, fear-mongering, hatred, violence, rage, slander, and death.  We see these fruits  manifested in a wide-open southern border, cashless bail, a two-tiered justice system, the transgender movement, homosexual marriage, drag queen story hours, ‘swatting’ political enemies, the propaganda news media, election fraud, the demonization of fossil fuels, hatred of Christianity, and contempt for the family.

 The left cannot create anything beautiful or life-affirming that stands the test of time.  Instead, like their god, they counterfeit anything what was long ago established by the Creator.  All the Godless can sow is ugliness and destruction.

Every Godless policy they create is based in sin and darkness.  What results from this is a weakening of the law and truth.

I know of no other way to put this, other than the Godless hate absolute truth. All they love are lies. What’s worse, they believe if such deceits are spoken enough, people will accept them as truth. Big lie, anyone?

Unfortunately, their canards wither under scrutiny, therefore they must lash out with ferocity against anyone who disagrees with them. The Godless demonize these ‘transgressors’ as bigots, sexists, racists, homophobes, kooks, and conspiracy theorists. 

Such tags  used to work, because being labeled as such meant you were part of the tinfoil hat crowd or a hate-monger, worthy of shunning.  The problem for the Godless is they’ve used those epithets ad nauseum, ironically changing people’s perceptions.  Now those slurs to us, ‘the great unwashed’, mean the targeted individual is a truth-teller. 

As for the law, the Godless believe their causes such as saving the planet, playing God through abortion, or giving cachet to the multiple gender madness, bestows upon them, virtue. You see, they have a higher calling, therefore, ‘antiquated’ laws are beneath them.

What they have done, instead, is turn the law into a weapon against God-fearing/law-abiding citizens. For example, cashless bail and constantly raising the bar of what constitutes arrestable offenses does nothing to safeguard the people; such actions only aid criminals. Instead of protecting the community from the wolves, the people are gradually thrown to the wolves. 

If only politics were the problem, rectifying it would only take voting the bums out. Sadly, what’s happening to America is spiritual. This is spiritual warfare, and it’s evident to anyone paying attention. 

Picture what’s happening to American culture as a siege: not a physical encirclement, but a spiritual one. A siege is an operation where an area or fortress is surrounded. Supplies and power are cut off to force the inhabitants to eventually surrender.  In this case our spirit, minds, and even our birthright as Americans are the citadels besieged by the Godless. 

So what do we do ?

First, you need to be in daily prayer to God. Whether you pray in the morning, evening or all through the day, it is vitally important to spend time with our Heavenly Father. Thank Him for His provision and protection. Praise Him for all He has done for you. 

Pray for our enemies they would know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit opening their eyes to their transgressions. Pray for revival as a new Great Awakening. Remember to always ask everything according to God’s will, not your own.

Next, read your Bible. Stop using it as a paperweight. Study the Word and get to know the ways of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  

Don’t just know of Jesus, know Jesus.  Only He can set you free from the bondage of sin and  fear  during  these times of intense spiritual warfare.

If you’re unfamiliar with spiritual warfare, the Bible teaches you what it is and how to fight.  We are to submit to God and stand against enemy. When we submit to God, we resist the devil and he flees from us (James 4:7).  

God communicates to us through His Word.  Consistent fellowship with the Lord, melts away fear because “no weapon fashioned against [us ] shall succeed (Isaiah 54:17)”. In fact, in Christ we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).

Finally, share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Ask God for for opportunities to share your testimony. Remember, our Great Commission to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth transcends anything going on in America or the West. 

 If more people knew Jesus, they would know truth. And what does the Bible say about truth? The truth will set you free (John 8:32).  

Conversely, without God, you are in bondage to Satan and his dark forces. This not only applies to individuals, but to countries, like America, as well.

Categories
Uncategorized

Season of Light

While driving recently, I found myself captivated by the beautiful hues and clever designs of Christmas lights adorning various homes . I thought, this beautiful season of light comes once a year, but for the Christian, we are to reflect God’s light daily.

While Christmas lights are powered by electricity, the God-fearing man or woman does not produce their own light. Our illumination is only reflective of God’s brilliance.

I will say it again: the Christian’s illumination is only reflective of God’s brilliance. It doesn’t matter how good we think we are or the amount of virtue signaling we do.

Our light shines to the degree that we are in God, through faith in Jesus. Prayer, study and obedience power our radiance.

In other words, diligent study of the Bible, fervent prayer, unbreakable faith in Jesus, and obedience to God’s commandments means the brighter your light.

On the flip side, let’s look at how to reflect the world’s darkness.

Just use your Bible as a paperweight, place your faith in dubious scientific predictions of doom and modern philosophies that produce narcissism and division. You can also disparage biblical laws and proscriptions as patriarchal or outdated.

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.–Matthew 5:14-16 (NKJV)

Is anything coming between your reflection of God’s light to others? I can raise my hand to that. For instance, Jesus tells us to love our enemies and to pray for those who curse us.

Really?

We are to do good for those who hate us and those who spitefully use and persecute us.(Matt. 6:43-48) I have a tough time with those verses because, frankly, they are hard. I would love to see verses like “I will smite thine enemies”, or something along that line.

Just picture the face of the worst political or cultural figure you can think of. Now, ponder how much they hate and revile you because of your faith in God and /or political ideology.

Finally, think of the blatant injustice in the aftermath of a certain January protest , a two-tiered justice system, subversion of parental rights, gender chaos, the on-going normalization of pedophilia and other perversion.

Honestly, I have had a hatred toward the practitioners of all these cultural and spiritual assaults. Yet, God wants me to love my enemies?!

Yes.

We are to love them, because He first loved us. Oh man!

If God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to sacrifice Himself for our sin (John 3:16), that means He loved us while we were His enemies. What made us His enemies? Sin.

Oh, you say your sins were not as bad as these guys in power right now? Sorry, but that’s no excuse. All sin is a heinous capital offense in God’s eyes, worthy of the death penalty.

We’re only saved because of our faith in Jesus: God’s infinite grace allowed this. God calls us to love and forgive others for their trespasses( sins and offenses) against us as He mercifully does for us. This, so we may be sons and daughters of our Father in heaven. (Matt.5:44-45).

The season of light reminds us Jesus is the light of the world. It is only in Him, we can overcome the darkness in our hearts to love and pray for our enemies. Jesus set the standard when He asked the Lord to forgive those crucifying Him “for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34)“. 

“Love is love” the world declares as if love just happens. Love isn’t love as the world tells us. It must have an origin, a source. God is the origin of love and Jesus is the source for us. His love was sincere and without hypocrisy, yet, He boldly called out evil.

Paul encapsulated this in Romans 12:9:

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. (NKJV)

Just because we are called to love our enemies does not mean we are to act as doormats. We do not excuse , rationalize or condone the evil committed by our persecutors. Abhor is another word for hate. Therefore, we are to hate evil and wickedness just as God does. “Cling to what is good,” means we cling to everything that honors and glorifies God. For instance, praying for our enemies.

So with Christmas and New Years approaching, another season of light will come to an end for the world. But as Christians , may we take this season to ponder how much we reflect God to that darkness-filled lost world.

Merry Christmas!!

Categories
Uncategorized

Are you a God-fearing man?

“Are you a God-fearing man?” That’s a question a close Christian brother of mine sometimes asks before witnessing to other men.

When he shared this with me I was immediately struck by the term. It’s old-fashioned , masculine and at the the same time, humble. I thought to myself, I have to write a column about the question, “Are you a God-fearing man?”

So here you go.

First of all, what is a God-fearing man? The obvious answer is in the term, a man who fears God. Makes sense, right?

But digging deeper, we find that “fearing” God is more complex than just living life afraid of God. First, let’s look at what Proverbs says about fear:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.–Proverbs 9:10

The fear referred to in Proverbs is reverence of the Lord. Before one can gain true wisdom, he must revere the Lord as Creator, Heavenly Father and Provider. To not hold God in awe is foolishness.

However, Jesus speaks of fear in a different context when detailing why we should not fear man, but only the Lord.

“Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”–Matthew 10:27-28

Jesus is, of course, speaking of God as the one who “is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Yet, in the next verse, Jesus speaks of God’s love for us:

“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

So God can banish you to hell , yet love you so much that all the hairs of your head are numbered? The best picture I can think of to describe this is a Godly earthly father: He loves you , yet sometimes has to discipline you.

If that fails to take hold, fathers sometimes have to make the tough decision to let you experience the consequences of disobedience. Sometimes the cost of this is devastating and life-changing.

While not perfect, I hope the previous analogy paints a picture of God allowing people the consequence of hell for a life of unrepentant sin.

Like a loving father constantly warning his children of the dangers of disobedience, so God sends warnings to the world. First the prophets, then Jesus, then the apostles and now Christians. This, so no one has an excuse of not hearing the gospel.

Af the forefront of this evangelism are God-fearing men, answering the Father’s call of using our talents to share the good news of Jesus Christ. God sent His Son to die for our sins so we could be saved from eternal punishment. All we have to do is repent from sin and place our eyes on Jesus as Lord and Savior.

“Uh …hold on,” says the secularist.

“God-fearing men? Oh great, they’ll push their religion onto everyone. What are we talking now, a theocracy for America?”

Here’s a news flash. WE are living smack dab in a religious theocracy!

The problem is it’s a secular-leftist, pseudo- religious theocracy. I’ll prove it.

The sacrament for this secular-leftist theocracy is abortion. Nothing else explains the feverous zeal to protect a women’s right to kill her baby. I’m convinced that abortion is ritualized sacrifice designed to appease the secular-left’s god. Here’s a hint, their god is not the God of the Bible and certainly not the Creator of the heavens and earth.

Everything about this pseudo-religion is a counterfeit of God’s creation. Marriage between a man and a woman? We’ll allow same -sex marriage . The family? Government will tell you how to raise your children. Men as head and protector of the family? Government will take that role for single-parent families. Truth? Truth is whatever the secular-leftist narrative needs it to be.

Want to have a trouble free life? Shut your mouth, pretend not to know things and go along with everything like it’s normal. Want to be diminished, ridiculed , and cancelled? Stand for outdated concepts such as Christianity, the Bible , the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Those are your choices under the Secular-leftist religion: Living under the fear of the state, or choosing to live according to the fear of the Lord. The God-fearing man chooses the latter and rejects the former .

The God-fearing man takes seriously the biblical warning of friendship with the world making one an enemy of God (James 4:4). He believes Jesus’ promise of hatred from the world since the world hated Him first( John 15:18). But the God-fearing man also has faith and believes that in persecution comes blessing and reward in heaven (Matt. 5:10-12).

So if God exacts death for our sin, isn’t that it? If we’re dead, what difference does it make?

The problem is you don’t actually “die.” Everyone of us when our physical bodies die, will receive an eternal body. That is, a body built for eternity.

Got it?

Now here’s the deliniation.

Those who accepted Christ as Lord and Savior will have bodies equipped for eternity living under God’s presence in heaven. Now here’s the bad news:Those who rejected the gift of grace through His death and resurrection, will have bodies equipped for wrath. The “death” is total separation from God.

Jesus spoke of hell more than anyone else in the Bible, describing it as outer darkness, fire, torment and full of weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Sin, any sin, is a capital offense per God’s law. He is holy therefore, He cannot, and will not tolerate sin.

Most pastors leave hell out of their sermons, so as not to offend or scare parishioners. This is preaching the “modern” gospel which ignores the truth that the consequence of a choice of unrepentant sin is eternal punishment in hell.

Focus on that description , eternal. That means not one hundred , a thousand or ever a million years living under God’s wrath, but forever.

Fearing God means living a life with the knowledge that everyone is accountable to God. This fear is also accepting that everyone, every man, woman and child has fallen short of the glory of God, due to sin.

God-fearing men (and women) only become as such, because they understand the eternal consequences of rejecting Jesus. The Christ is our only salvation from hell.

The God- fearing man knows we are literally enemies of Jehovah without Jesus as Lord. This is frightening and ,at the same time, humbling when you understand only God’s grace saves us.

God sent His only Son as the perfect sacrifice for our sin. Jesus willingly faced God’s wrath and eventual death to save us. His resurrection provided the gift freely offered to us.

We live in a world where leaders are God-mockers instead of God-fearing. They are weak, vindictive, deceitful, hateful , spineless, fearful ,dishonorable and arrogant with no moral foundation. Their schemes are anti-God, anti-life and idolatrous.

Can you see why we need God-fearing men in leadership? Only men who understand their accountability to God should be trusted with power.

What say you Christian? Are you a God-fearing man?

Categories
Uncategorized

Warfare prayers needed for President Trump

President Donald Trump is out in front, taking slings and arrows on the people’s behalf. What Trump has faced would cause most politicians to slink away in defeat.

Trump is showing that he is the people’s President and this frightens the uniparty and the deep state.

They have thrown everything at this man and everything has failed. Now all they got is revisiting the hush money probe that failed before. Legal experts say Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case doesn’t hold up to legal scrutiny.

Please pray for him as he prepares to enter the Manhattan courthouse Tuesday .This, the culmination of the George Soros funded DA’s witch-hunt.

That isn’t stopping the deep state and the press from salivating about the prospect of getting video of authorities booking Trump.

Trump will likely be fingerprinted, have a mug shot taken , among other formalities before he’s formally arraigned and appears in court to plead not guilty.

We are living through dark times in America right now. We are surrounded by and being governed by pawns doing the work of evil forces hidden from public scrutiny.

Like you , I have had feelings of revulsion pondering the level of satanic evil looming over this country. We are witnessing the physical manifestations of spiritual warfare.

Evil is ugly and disturbing when you witness godless people carry it out without fear of consequences. Our enemies are emboldened because every institution in our country is corrupted.

For example, the indictment of President Trump is a glaring example of how the deep state has weaponized the legal system against their political enemies.

That all this happening during Holy Week is uncanny. I’m sure it’s part of God’s timing that this sham of an indictment is reminiscent of the sham trials Jesus experienced before His crucifixion.

Jesus knew He was going to the cross to save man. He knew he would die , be resurrected and sit at the right hand of God , ready to return during our Heavenly Father’s timing.

Let us pray that no harm comes to President Trump while in custody and that he and the MAGA movement emerges stronger:

Heavenly Father,

May your angels surround President Trump and his group with your protection . Lord May the plans of our enemies meet with failure. Please bless President Trump with godly wisdom and discernment. Please fill his heart and the hearts of his family with your perfect peace that defies human understanding.

May President Trump keep our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ first and foremost in his heart and mind from this day forward.

Lord we pray that no plan will succeed against this man and his family and his administration.

Lord we pray that you would be glorified in this situation and that from this period of darkness would come the light of revival throughout this nation.

We ask in Jesus’ name…Amen



Categories
Uncategorized

Keep your eyes on Jesus

I am at the point where my well of outrage is empty.

After a certain point how angry can you get about the latest government example of either not enforcing laws , creating a new morality or turning the law against law abiding citizens who happen to be Christian and or conservative? I don’t know about you but my peak anger was reached after the 2022 midterms.

It’s pretty obvious our system of elections are corrupted. The scoundrels in charge don’t even hide their chicanery anymore.

The situation is not helped by certain judges who refuse to hear the serious merits of the lawsuits brought about by conservative candidates or by “journalists” who refuse to look into allegations of election misconduct.

We also have blatantly unconstitutional laws in effect such as the recent law in California prohibiting doctors from spreading “misinformation” about Covid -19 and vaccines under penalty of losing their medical license.

And speaking of the vaccines , where are the enterprising investigative reporters looking into the rash young athletes suddenly dropping dead or suffering sudden deleterious signs and symptoms out of nowhere? This phenomena has only been happening in the last two years. Hmm… could this be connected to the Covid vaccines? Maybe, maybe not, but why is no one investigating the situation to at least definitively show that the shots are truly “safe and effective” as advertised?

I look at what’s going on and the effort by people to pretend not to know things and I have to admit it is quite exasperating. Perhaps you have also gotten to the point where you feel tuning out is your best recourse to maintain your sanity.

Americans are losing faith in their government and in institutions that were once revered such as law enforcement , the judiciary and medicine. This is a serious situation because these institutions are matching the lack of trust citizens have in the federal government.

So where do we turn and whom do we turn to ? We can’t run because America is the last bastion of freedom for the world . We must also be guarded in our trust of politicians since many are bought and paid for by entities who either view the American people as an annoyance or want to subjugate us.

Looking around at the rampant lawlessness and disregard for traditional morals can easily make one hopeless. However, as Christians our hope is not in some politician, political party or even a judicial ruling.

No. Our hope is in one person and one person alone: Jesus.

For good reason Jesus said ” I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). ” He said so because it is the truth.

And speaking of truth, it is what is sorely lacking in our current society. We are lied to about everything. We’re told there are multiple agendas, we’re told science trumps the Bible; we’re told marriage between a man and woman is not important; we’re told that climate change is an existential threat and we’re told minor laws such as jaywalking or shoplifting aren’t worth enforcing.

Christian , God has revealed to you the effects of a society that chooses to reject God and the Son. You are witnessing the literal madness and lawlessness that is associated with this decision.

America is mired in darkness as a result. Why did Jesus call himself the light of the world (John 8:12) ? Easy, the world is in darkness (Isaiah 60:2). Why is the world in darkness? The world is in darkness because Satan rules those who are not in Christ (1 John 5:19, John 8:44). Satan’s kingdom is darkness full of lies, murder, lust, sensuality, envy, anger, hatred, jealousy, covetousness, fornication, adultery, thievery, slander and idolatry, just to name a few examples.

Instead of emphasizing the Gospel and the morals attached to it, American culture embraces woke politics. Instead of teaching love thy neighbor, what is taught is love thyself. Instead of promoting humility, pop culture preaches pride.

These are the bitter fruits that come from turning from Christ to the false gospel of the flesh. We are in times where good is called evil and evil is called good and that should cause us to shudder.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. –Isaiah 5:20 (New International Version)

Woe is more than just an expression of a feeling , in this use in the Bible it is an expression of judgement. We are witnessing the consequences of knowing God, but not acknowledging the Son, Jesus, though the arrogant and futile thoughts and policies of those who claim to know what is best. It can be strongly argued that America and most of Western Civilization is living out Romans 1:

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.— Romans 1:24-32 (NIV)

When God gives you over to something, it is because you worship that object ( be it a political philosophy, alcohol, drugs, pornography, occult ic practices, fornication, adultery or homosexuality) more than the Heavenly Father. His love for us may sometimes allow for bitter discipline that comes from the consequences of pursing sin. These consequences will either bring us back to the Father, through Jesus, giving us life, or we will harden our hearts and embrace the world, and the devil, resulting in death.

Picture yourself in extreme darkness. I am talking no streetlights, no moonlight, no ambient light. We’re talking darkness that is so black that you do not even see your hands in front of your face. How do you even walk in such heavy darkness, much less see your path? Now picture a light in the distance giving you a faint glimmer of your path and surroundings. Most people would go to the light unless they are hiding from something they fear.

This is America right now… mired in darkness. As Christians it is vitally important to keep our eyes on Jesus.

We need to make sure we reflect His light and not the darkness of the culture.

Our lights grow brighter when we pray, study and (if God places it on your heart) fast. We become more spiritually luminescent as we draw closer to the Father , Son and the Holy Sprit and stand uncompromising in our faith.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.–Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)

Do not look to the left or the right. In other words, do not despair over the latest outrageous headline about corrupt politicians enabling lawlessness through irresponsible legislation. Don’t worry over the state of our economy. Don’t worry about Covid. What does worry change? Nothing. Neither does anger and outrage have any effect except for disrupting your health and peace.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Take heart, we are not powerless. We possess the most powerful weapon in the world, prayer and we have a Heavenly Father who promises to answer our prayers according to His perfect will. All we have to do is keep our eyes on Jesus and the Almighty God will do the rest.

Categories
Uncategorized

The Name is Christian , not doormat

by Dex Bahr

Too many Christians are content to be a doormat for the world. Christianity is not an excuse for anyone to remain passive and non-judgmental regarding right and wrong and good and evil.

Unbelievers love to throw Matthew 7:1-2 in Christians’ faces to shame them.:

“Judge not, that you be not judged. “ (New King James Bible)

Bu was Jesus telling us not to ever judge? Many people , including Christians, take this verse out of context, assuming that it is not up to us to judge the actions of others.

Jesus says nothing of the sort. When you read further into the chapter you find this in verses 3-5:

“And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother,’Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Clearly , Jesus is not restricting us from making judgments. However, He is telling us to first take care of our own sin before judging another’s sin.And if you needed further proof that Jesus is in fact telling us to judge, examine Matthew 7:6:

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”

Discerning just who are dogs and swine obviously requires judgment for that determination. Our Lord and Savior is teaching us that we don’t just share the Gospel willy nilly to just anyone. For instance sharing the Gospel in the middle of Satanic ritual or to a group of anarchists in the midst of a riot is bad judgment. Even Jesus was silent before His accusers during the night of a His arrest and later crucifixion.

When Jesus told us not to judge this was a warning not to be excessively critical and eager to point out the faults of others. Jesus is not telling us not to judge good and evil. If this were so , why would the God tell us to hate evil?

You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the souls of His saints;
He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.–Psalm 97:10 (NKJV)

If we were not to judge, as the world is so quick to tell Christians, how can we discern truth versus deception? We can do so because we judge by the discernment given to us by God through the Holy Spirit. However, while we are to judge, our role is not condemnation. God tells to love our enemies for a reason: we were once enemies of God because of our sin. We can never forget that and we must remember that only God can make a final judgment on a person. That role is not for us as believers.

We can only stand in the truth of God because to stand in the truth of man is foolishness. The world hates the truth of God preferring , instead, to create its own reality: a reality comprised of lies and deception.

This only makes sense because to deny the truth of God is to lie to yourself. If you deny this basic truth in the face of all of creation speaking of God, then lies will corrupt every fiber of your being. We are seeing the fruits of this in the corruption of every institution that has provided the guardrails of our society. Look around. From marriage, to law, to education , to science and even to the Christian church, secularism in the form of politics has corrupted everything.

The truth of contemporary America and of Western Civilization is that lies have become the foundation of politics, philosophy and even morality. People have believed the lies that they are good people because they care for the environment, condemn racism and stand for social justice. They have been led to believe by the arbiters of pop culture that these are three of the biggest problems facing the world. Talk about deception of the highest order.

Yet, many churches have also bought into this deception. They have chosen to acquiesce to a culture that rejects truth instead of standing on the truth of the Bible and making a right judgment. This happens because too many Christians are preoccupied with disproving a negative that the world accuses them of (i.e. bigotry of homosexuals or being against a woman’s right to a abortion). This stems primarily from Christians having a fear of man rather than a fear of God.

Fear of man deludes Christians to prostrate themselves for cultural approval rather than standing for Godly Truth no matter who is offended . The truth is Jesus offends the culture. The Bible offends the culture and truth be told, even God offends the culture. And guess what? If you follow Jesus you should be offending the culture. If you are not, then a stark personal assessment is needed.

Yes we are to love our enemies, but we are to hate evil. Yes we are to render unto Caesar, but we are also to worship the Lord our God even when government commands us not to do so. We obey government but not at the cost of fellowship and worship.

The Christian Church is tasked with the mission of sharing the Gospel of the life, death , resurrection and return of Christ and that alone (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15-16; Acts1:8; Romans10:12-15). We are not called to validate sin or pervert the Word of God in the pursuit of riches.

Love is shown by speaking the truth, while appeasement is staying silent. Our current culture is a consequence of the too many churches choosing to remain silent about the rot infecting it because of a wrong belief about rightful judgment Time to reject the passive role of doormat to the culture and instead dedicate our selves to leading people the doorway of Jesus as as Lord and Savior.