My friends we are in a time of America where we stand on a precipice

 

Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand, and in his disaster cry for help?

Did not I weep for him whose day was hard? Was not my soul grieved for the poor? But when I looked for good, evil came; and when I waited for light darkness came. My heart is in turmoil, and is never still; days of affliction come to meet me. I go about blackened, but not by the sun; I stand up in the assembly, and cry for help. I am a brother of jackals, and a companion of ostriches. My skin turns black and falls from me, and my bones burn with heat. My lyre is turned to mourning, and my pipe to the voice of those who weep.

Job chapter 30: 24-31 R.S.V Second Edition

    Today we read here the words from Job in the Hebrew Scriptures and we hear and see through them that Job is in spiritual torment of the likes few of us ever see or know. He is a man who has lost much and he has been calling out to God over and over and saying he doesn’t understand why this has happened to him. To lose his children all in one day and to lose his wealth at the same time and within days afterward he loses his health and his wife yells at him to just curse God role over and die. Job has hit a limit very few of us could ever reach, that he stands in the assembly of his three friends and he gives a verbal account of how he saw himself as a righteous man and yet his friends point out that he must not have been so righteous because calamity has come upon him and no one can figure out why else God would allow this to happen.

My friends we are in a time of America where we stand on a precipice and we are looking down into the gorge and we too are asking how could God have brought us to this point? Our Republic and our whole way of life stand in the center of our whole day now. Morning, noon and night our minds are taken up with news reports, blogs from who we consider trusted sources and we discuss things with our trusted friends only, because we dare not strike up conversation with passing individuals because now we suspect them to be of the side of the enemy. The side of indifference and at the worst the side of chaos who would rather see America and our republic go down in flames and be abolished and label our 240 years of existence as a failed experiment. But how can we? Have we not become a nation of laws and of higher standards? Have we not led the charge for racial equality and against segregation? Yes changes did take place in Europe between races and religions but all of them are still subject to the crown! Our Constitution begins with the words, “We The People,” and we chose to govern ourselves, if we give up on our way of life are we not declaring that we the people are not able to govern ourselves? That it takes people who are smarter, more cultured, richer and wealthier than we are to govern over us? Are we declaring that we as a free thinking society are not intelligent enough or with enough integrity to seek and establish laws that are fair enough to equitably govern over our own society? Are we declaring that we just aren’t evolved enough to self govern and that we need to turn back to the masters of old Europe to lead us and to provide for us? Are we not in essence returning to the proverbial plantation of our ancestors and returning to the crop fields and acquiescing to work for the master in the big house because obviously they are the wise ones, look they were born into the wealth and position therefore they must be given to rule out of providence?

Read through the words of Job again and hear his pleading with God about his situation and know that we all seek understanding from God and my friends that is exactly what we are to do, seek God! Cry out to God and raise your fist if your desperation urges you to and say like Job, What is going On! Are we not born from a righteous God and are we not spoken to as brothers and sisters by Jesus Himself? Then we can declare that we are deserved of God’s assistance and intervention. Pray, call out to God and pound on the doors of heaven for your freedom and for freedom for the world because beloved the alternative is enslavement forever and we will have put the chains back on our own wrists.

 

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