First Letter to the Thessalonians Chapter 5: 1-6

Concerning times and seasons, brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night. When people are saying, “Peace and security,” then sudden disaster comes upon them like labor pains upon a pregnant woman and they will not escape. But you brothers, are not in darkness for that day to overtake you like a thief. For all of you are children of light , children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober.

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What is Paul saying here? He is speaking, it seams, with a believing community, a people who are decided to take seriously the words and parables Paul has related to them and he addresses them stating they are Not without faith and that they are “awake”. He uses the word alert and the word light and I believe he is not just referring to the condition that takes place every 12 hours in nature but more rather he is referring to the spiritual condition of this community which possibly only he himself has raised up and guided, they are devout students and he speaks to them on a more equal level.

For me I see a strong correlation with this community and what is going on today both spiritually and emotionally and the media and political leaders are directly responsible. Peace and safety are the words we are warned about about, the words to which we are to tune our ears for, they are words heard just before utter destruction. For me Paul is speaking with a community who are spiritually awake and know what he is referring to. Take for example, ”for you yourselves are fully aware,” “but you brothers are not in darkness.” Spiritual darkness, being lost in the world, spiritually and emotionally.

Do not let the darkness overtake you could today be said, keep your heads on a swivel or in other words remain spiritually alert always looking not only to what’s in front of you but also what is behind and to either side. I am reminded of the prayer of Saint Patrick of Ireland, it is very long but through it Patrick asks God to be in front, behind, to the left and to the right, up above and down below. Patrick was asking God to go before him in all directions and to allow all whom he made contact with to see Christ first and then see him, Patrick.

May we too ask God to surround us so that we are not caught off guard and to be alert and aware of coming or impending trouble. Check your six would be another phrase or watch your six as in if you were viewing a clock face on the ground and you were at the center and 12 were in front of you and 3 to the right and 9 to the left and 6 to the rear, check your rear, watch your rear, protect your partner’s 6, now your getting it ;-)

Paul was not so much speaking to them about light and dark but being aware and in this time of history we who are watchers and followers of the Christ must remain vigilant and aware, so says Jesus.

Peace to you

We are almost at the point of celebration

 Check out this image of the spiritual war raging for superiority while we on earth work out our fight here. What goes on in the physical here already began in the spirit realm and it will be finished soon and the line of evil will be pushed back for now for it is not yet time for His return. 

The next battle will be another large one, each one getting larger and more aggressive leading up to the largest battle, that of Armageddon.  We will have our respite we will have our time of rejoicing and glad tidings but we will not and must not take our eyes off of the gates of hell because we must be on watch. We must continue to strengthen our lines and sift out the fakers, the faux believers as shown in the bible. We will head into the next conflict needing to be physically and spiritually leaner, meaner and more aggressive. This is why you see Jesus would not announce the day of His return, why only God the Father knows and its because we would never be ready. We must go through a refining process like it is said about gold in the bible. The gold is heated multiple times over and over each time the dross is skimmed from the top and only the purist of the precious metal is left. 

We must recognize He will return and possibly within a generation or so and the church must be streamlined and firm in their convictions and beliefs. His word must be implanted in our hearts so that no level of demonic deception can draw us away from our designated post. Enjoy for now with one eye on the horizon. One ear to the wilderness and our mind on Christ and Him alone.

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" ...be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace;  above all taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints..."

– Ephesians 6:10-20

 A letter to fellow Christians and patriots of America and our Constitution and Bill of Rights

I have not written for quite some time and I will admit that I abandoned my blog because I didn't see the importance back then but times have changed have they not? Today it is Veteran's Day, 2020 and we take this day to acknowledge those who actively serve our country and who have served in our nation's past. My father was a veteran of World War II and he served only 2 years and was stationed somewhere in the islands, which ones I am not sure but I do know from the photos it must have been difficult coming from upper New York and finding himself in a place with no roads, no electricity and no phones, cut off from his family and facing eminent danger of enemy attack. I don't think it had a good affect on him and I believe just the opposite. Many of our friends and family have been in the war theater and many have come back with emotional and phycological scarring and many will not talk about what it was like. 

Today here in America our nation is under siege and we are being attacked on our own shores by people who have only their own special interests in mind and they do not support or represent our armed forces with any semblance of honor. Americans we must consider how our friends, parents, family members served our country and how they were willing to sacrifice all that they had and knew so that America would remain free from tyranny and injustice. Many gave the ultimate sacrifice of their life to keep what we have and to ensure it would always remain free. Today we do not have bullets zipping over our heads and we are not struggling to remain hidden from the enemy though our enemy wants us to remain hidden, they want us silent and they want us invisible but that can't be so, we cannot and must not be silent. They have toppled our statues and graffitied our monuments and it hurts to see our country and its history ruined  and mocked like that but they are truly only symbols and can and will be replaced. Time is ticking my friends and we must keep a vigil in our prayer time and in our hearts and home. Saint Paul tells us to pray without ceasing and can you remember when maybe we didn't have much to pray about and thought to ourselves, " how am I going to do that?" , "how can a person have so much to pray about they pray all day?"  Well now we know don't we and I for one do not like the uneasy feeling of evil at our doorstep but here we are never the less.

So today let us take up arms in the form of clasped hands and may we also get on our knees from time to time to pray to God for strength and support for President Trump and his family and all the security staff and cabinet members and administration who serve our president and our country. Also pray for yourself, Jesus reminds us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves and so we should always bring our own needs and petitions before our loving heavenly Father and our God and He will see us through this time and He will deliver us from these evil parasites in our midst. 

Jesus save us from the fires of hell and lead all souls to heaven especially those in most need of thy mercy, amen.