Month: April 2025

1 Samuel chapters 5 and 6 are filled with revelation knowledge that can help us understand even that which goes on today if we pay attention. The land of Israel was being judged by a priest, Eli, who had forsaken the ways of the Lord. His sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were corrupt. They stole from the people and from the Lord. They desecrated the offerings to the Lord for their own profit. They stole from the offerings the people had given to the Lord and used their positions to have sex with woman who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting (1 Samuel 2:22). Not much different than what we hear of in our time with abuse of clergy. Using their power to coerce and steal. Even with being so out of the will of God, Israel decided to go to battle against the Philistines. They brought the ark of the covenant into the camp to go before them in battle. There was a hysteria in their jubilation at God’s presence via the ark as if that alone would give them victory. Their shout could be heard as far as the camp of the Philistines. But that wasn’t enough. The Israelites were soundly defeated by the Philistines and the ark of the covenant was captured. No different from today. You can stand in front of a church holding a bible in your hand and still be so far out of the will of the Lord. You can wear the most costly gold cross and cite bible scriptures until you’re blue in the face and only prove how little you know of the Lord and what He requires of us.

The Philistines took the captured ark of God and decided to place it in the house of Dagon, the god they worshipped, in the town of Ashdod. When the people of Ashdod rose the next morning, their god, Dagon, had fallen on its face before the ark of the Lord. The people of Dagon just set the idol of their god, Dagon, in its place again. When they arose early the next morning, their god Dagon had fallen over again on its face before the ark of the Lord. But this time Dagon’s head and hands were broken off and only the torso was left intact. Then fear came into the camp of the Philistines in Ashdod. So, they decided to send the ark of the Lord to another Philistine city. They sent it to Gath. And the people in Gath were stricken with tumors. Then to another Philistine city, Ekron, with the same resulting sickness. Then the Philistines called for their priests and diviners as to how they should handle this situation. They then made 5 golden tumors and 5 golden rats as a trespass offering to the God of Israel and set them with the ark of the Lord on a cart drawn by two cows. The two cows headed straight for Beth Shemesh with no driver. They were led by the Lord and had more sense than either the Israelites or the Philistines. They knew the way.

Now allow me some latitude. Our country has walked in ways so contrary to what the Lord has shown us. All of us have. But look to 2016 and see us fall to a new low in electing a leader that did not have anywhere near the common sense of Eli. He was brought in by fanfare and adulation by those claiming to love the Lord. No matter his lies, sexual deviancy, stealing from charities, and his proclaiming to know our Lord, yet having nothing to repent of. And like Dagon, he fell. But in only four years was righted again by those who claim to be evangelicals. Those who want a new government where the church, hand in hand with Trump, would reign and rule. So very much the antithesis of the teachings of Christ, yet once again embraced. Like Dagon, the hands which represent service, deeds (good or evil), labor and friendship as in shaking hands in a pledge of honesty and trust, are now missing. The head which represents godly authority and leading by honesty and trust, now so damaged and corrupt as to be completely incapable of reason and thought that benefits all not one, is now gone and in fact sold out to darkness. We see further alignment with corrupt powers. People put in place that serve to destroy and deconstruct every part of our government. And watching as the church aligns with this as if of the Lord. We see the prophet warn in Zephaniah 3:3-4, “Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; Her judges are evening wolves that leave not a bone til morning. Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people; Her priests have polluted the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law.” We see people arrested by this government, like Rev William Barber, for praying at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda for an awareness of what budget cuts are doing to the poor and the marginalized, but a Trump worshipper like Sean Feucht was allowed to play there as he endorsed the corrupt offerings of Trump. The Message Bible so encapsulates what Paul said in 1 Timothy 6 regarding those we now see in government and the church telling us the path to follow. It states, “If you have leaders that teach otherwise from the solid words of our Master Jesus and this godly instruction, tag them for what they are; ignorant windbags who infect the air with germs of envy, controversy, bad-mouthing, suspicious rumors. Eventually there’s an epidemic of backstabbing, and truth is a distant memory. They think religion is a way to make a fast buck.” We should know to turn from them and follow a right path.

Things will get worse. But the Lord tells us to stay grounded in Him. Hebrews 13:6 says, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Right now, it seems man can do a lot from what we see and hear reported. But He alone is our help. Not a twice fallen god of the Philistines. An idol made of stone that was still sentient enough to recognize God and fall on its face compared to the man now in our Oval Office who has set himself up as a god. One who claims that he not only runs the country, but claims to run the world. Have no part in this. Stand fast. Pray. Blessings.

Matthew 16:24 (Amplified Bible) says, “If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself (disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests) and take up his cross and follow Me (cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and if need be, in dying, also). I decided to wait until Easter was past to share a few thoughts on the Cross. On April 1, 2021, I wrote about this and what our Lord went through on a post titled “This I Do For You.” And on April 26, 2022, I wrote of what He took for us, even mentally, in “Thorns.” The cross means so many things to so many people. Wearing a cross became more accepted during the reign of Constantine in the 4^th century. Prior to that, it was viewed by many as a symbol of public execution. But it was a symbol of who you identified with. And Jesus told His disciples that even if you gain the whole world, what would it profit you, if in the process, you lose your very soul. Or what would man give as an exchange for his life in the kingdom of God?

Denying oneself is often a concept that’s hard to grasp. The disciples found it hard to understand. The mother of James and John asked Jesus if her sons could sit at the right and left of Jesus in His kingdom. He answered by saying they didn’t know what they asked. He asked if they thought they would be able to drink the cup Jesus was about to drink and be baptized with the baptism that He would be baptized with. He tells them to not be like those rulers who lord over other people and treat them harshly. Jesus tells them not to act this way. He tells them that whoever desires to be first among you must be your servant. He told them that He did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20). This seems to be a concept that has lost favor. So many in ministry have built up kingdoms for themselves. Fancy homes. Planes. Expensive cars. It seems everything in their ministry is focused toward gaining power, influence, and money. A seat with the powers that be in political circles. Reigning and ruling from a man-made platform that has no place in God. All the while wearing a cross.

That cross that has become so visible hanging from one’s neck is often worn to say, “I’m a Christian.” But those same ones follow a doctrine, a way of living, a belief system, that is the antithesis of all Jesus taught. Years ago, I had a cross made. It was simple but quite beautiful. I wore it everywhere. Always. But then around 2016 with the rise of Trump and the constant onslaught of lies and fabrications and even gaslighting on certain pro-Trump networks, mainly Fox, I was constantly seeing people who had no problem with distorting truth, wearing a cross. Always visible. Yet what came from their mouths was venomous. Propping up a man who had no problem lying, stealing, name-calling, treating those with disabilities as less than, dishonoring our military and a war hero in John McCain, and a felonious sexual deviant. How did this align with the cross they so blatantly wore? Did they have any idea what that cross meant? What our Lord Jesus Christ endured on that cross that we might be reconciled with His father? That it was on that cross that He took all for us? I doubt they actually have that degree of understanding and I’m not sure they care to truly know. But I stopped wearing my cross. I put it away. I do not want to be identified as someone who just wears that cross as a piece of jewelry. And I don’t want to be identified with those who wear it as an evangelical fashion statement. I do not want to be so inured to His suffering that I show no regard to His words to us. To what He did that I might have abundant life. I don’t want to hear what Paul told the Galatians that he marveled how they had turned to a different gospel. One who perverts the gospel of Christ.

When you see people who represent Donald Trump, like Pam Bondi, Laura Ingraham, Jeanine Pirro, Lara Trump, Karoline Leavitt and Paula White, who speak that which is contrary to all Jesus spoke in His Sermon on the Mount, turn from them. Have no part in this which adulterates His words to take up our cross and follow Him. I pray we truly can say as in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” That cross worn as a symbol of that which espouses a doctrine of man and of demons must be put away. Embrace Him. He has risen! Blessings.

Judges 6 shows the story of Gideon being chosen by God to confront the idolatry in Israel. The Lord tells Gideon that he has been chosen to deliver Israel from the Midianites that now ruled over them. Gideon, being less than confident, asked for two signs to prove what God said to him would actually happen. The Lord did what Gideon asked, and both signs Gideon asked for proved true. Gideon was also told by the Lord to tear down the altar of Baal. Gideon took ten men with him and tore down the altar, but because he feared the people, he did it at night. The men of the city in their idolatrous defense of Baal went to Joash, the father of Gideon, and demanded that he turn Gideon over to them so they could kill him. But Gideon’s father said to the men, “Would you plead for Baal. Would you save him? If he is a god, then let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!” Joash stood up for Gideon and the Lord.

Gideon leads Israel in defeating the Midianites. But God again lets him know that the glory of the victory will go to Him, not man. He starts to whittle the number down and 22,000 men return home. Then there is 10,000 left and finally God, through His testing, brings the number Gideon will use in conquering the Midianites down to 300 men. Gideon is victorious and the glory is God’s. Sort of where we are today. But we are not seeing a remnant ready to tear down the altars of Baal. We see altars and images of a man. Donald Trump. Some fashioned to look like they are made of gold. But everything about this man is lacking and fake. Yet, speak against him now, tear down an image, and watch those who serve him call for blood. Watch as they send their obsequious acolytes to threaten you when you stand up and speak against his evil. Watch as they threaten you with countless and endless lawsuits hoping you’ll bend the knee. Watch as they put your name in print. Watch as those who at one time knew the evil in this man, now have no shame in wearing the badge of a sycophant. And watch and listen as those who claim the title of apostle or prophet now follow a different gospel without shame. They follow one who is said to be sent by God yet somehow forgetting that the devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he would devour. And the devil uses this man for extremely dark purposes. Lying, cheating, sexual deviancy, racism, anti-semitism, and using God’s name as if endorsed by Him are all done without fear of recrimination. But as it says in Galatians 6, God will not be mocked. Whatever a man sows, that he also will reap. He that continually sows to the flesh will reap corruption. Step away from people like this.

C.S. Lewis spoke of a man like this that we see in Trump in his book “The Problem of Pain.” He said, “Picture to yourself a man who has risen to wealth or power by a continued course of treachery and cruelty, by exploiting for purely selfish ends the noble motions of his victims, laughing the while at their simplicity; who, having thus attained success, uses it for gratification of lust and hatred and finally parts with the last rag of honour among thieves by betraying his own accomplices and jeering at their last moments of bewildered disillusionment. Suppose further, that he does all this, not (as we like to imagine) tormented by remorse or even misgiving, but eating like a schoolboy and sleeping like a healthy infant, a jolly, ruddy cheeked man, without a care in the world, unshakably confident to the very end that he alone has found the answer to the riddle of life, that God and man are fools whom he has got the better of, that his way of life is utterly successful, satisfactory, unassailable.” And this very man is still being supported by so many Christians or those trying to still claim that title. From such men we are told to step away! Have no part in what should be easily seen as a work of darkness. “This is the way of those who are foolish.” (Psalm 49:13) Do not cast your lot with those who follow a god of their own making. An image of Baal they have made with their own hands and brought to power with their minds and deeds. Step away from them and be separate. We are coming to a place where warnings will cease and as even now, man will make up his own words and directions as if they were from the Lord. It there were even 300 valiant men, anointed by God, steadfast in purpose, they like Gideon would prevail over what seems like insurmountable odds. But if God is for you, who can be against you? He is the same today as He was yesterday. I pray you stand and pray without ceasing. Blessings.