Stand My Watch

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.

Many years ago, during the Nixon administration, there were cutbacks in government that affected some very loyal Americans. My dad was one of them. He and I were not on the best of terms because of my rebellion against what he considered acceptable (long hair) and what I considered something that did not speak to one’s value or what was in their heart or their belief system. (again long hair) I was kicked out of the house for refusing to cut my hair and there was definitely tension over what we disagreed on regarding our nation’s response to protest and the Vietnam war. So peaceful evening dinner chats were out of the question.

The Nixon Republican administration during the 70s had some similarities to what we see in today’s administration. We watch as so many actual loyal Americans are summarily let go from jobs they performed well and were necessary for the welfare of our nation. Cut by a person not elected to an office and much of that being cut is for reasons of maga retribution by an addled man unequipped for any position. But during that time in the 70s they were cutting back. My dad had recently had a mild heart attack. And he was being singled out for a form of cutback. They would keep him at his current pay but degrade his government GS grade. Eventually that would lead to him being pushed out. My mom shared this with me and I was incensed. My dad was a 20-year Navy vet. A pilot who was in the top of his class landing on Aircraft Carriers. Also, a helicopter pilot. He excelled at all he did. He flew a noted Admiral into many classified missions. Always gone. Country first. Yet this was how they would reward him. At the time, my father worked for a government division that was initially called the Bureau of Weapons. We lived in Connecticut. I called both US Senators Dodd and Ribicoff and shared this travesty with them. A patriot that gave his all to this country. Disregarding his own health and too many times, even family, and this was how they were treating him. At that time, I actually got through to people that had the ear of their Senators. I told them my dad and I differed on so much, but we both loved our country. They said they would look into it. One day, not too long after I spoke to the US Senators, my dad was called into the Captain’s office. He showed my dad a paper with some info on it from the Senators’ office and asked my dad if he initiated this. He had no knowledge of it, and he being an honest man, was believed. The Senators had stopped this travesty. My dad retired a few years later at his choosing. My mom had shared what I had done for my dad, but he and I never once discussed this. Yet there was some new respect between us. It’s sad how often there is so much left unsaid between fathers and sons. I wish I had told him how proud I was of him.

Now I look at what I see in the news regarding those chosen to represent us in cabinet offices by Trump. People unqualified. Chosen by a traitor and too often traitors themselves. And I can imagine my father’s reaction to seeing the news of the Secretary of Defense, Hegseth, along with our Secretary of State, Director of National Intelligence, Director of the CIA, our Vice-president and others incompetently and traitorously sharing a secret defense mission with Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of the Atlantic, of an upcoming military mission discussing plans for a bombing raid in Yemen. My dad would have been apoplectic. He would have demanded their immediate resignations and looked into jail time. He would see what this would do to our country in the eyes of the world and to what could have happened to pilots, like himself, flying this mission. The bible speaks often of the talebearer and one who cannot keep a secret or bridle his tongue. Proverbs 11:13 says, “A talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter. And Proverbs 26:20 says “Where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.” Rahab kept secret the plans of Joshua and her whole family was spared when Israel conquered Jericho and she was rewarded for her honesty. She, a prostitute, was included in the lineage of the Messiah. The prostitutes who lead our nation today will have no such place. They look only to themselves. To a path of utter darkness. I pray you fully delve into what the Apostle Paul spoke to the church of Colosse in Colossians 2:8, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” These are evil times. Pray without ceasing. Blessings.

“Depart, depart, go out from there (the lands of exile)! Touch no unclean thing! Go out from the midst of her (Babylon); cleanse yourselves and be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord.” (Isaiah 52:11 Amplified Bible) And we all bear the vessels of the Lord for does not the Holy Spirit dwell within us? Yet knowing that there is still the inability to distinguish between clean and unclean. 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 in the Amplified Bible says, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers (do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith). For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial (the devil)? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? What agreement (can there be between) a temple of God and idols. For we are the temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. So, come out from among (unbelievers) and separate (sever) yourselves from them, says the Lord, and touch not any unclean thing; then I will receive you kindly and treat you with favor.”

It seems today that so many follow blindly after those who say they believe but walk a path that leads to destruction. Jesus said in Matthew 24 to take heed that we are not deceived for these people will say they come in My name but will only deceive you. In 2 Chronicles 20, we see King Jehoshaphat of Judah align himself with King Ahaziah of Israel, a wicked king who walked contrary to the Lord. He had already seen how the Lord watched over him, even through his mistaken alliance with the previous wicked king of Israel, King Ahab. Yet he again made an error in judgement by joining with unrighteousness. So, King Jehoshaphat sent out ships to Tarshish for gold. But they didn’t make it. The Lord sent a prophet to speak with King Jehoshaphat saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your works.” Then the ships were wrecked and all was lost. This is so much of what we see today. People align themselves with those who walk contrary to the Lord and follow after even the promise of riches and status only to take their eyes off the prize and suffer loss. They follow after a promise of power and a seat at the table. To allow their hate and prejudice to be openly spoken without fear of retribution. But there will be a reckoning. What some search for will end in bitter disappointment.

We read in Ecclesiastes 11 that we should cast out bread upon the waters. For you will find it after many days. What shall we find? If we sow hate and discord, what then should we expect? If we sow righteousness, then expect a return. Jesus said in Luke that if we give it shall be given to you. And I chose to write this rather than listen to a speech from the White House by one who will go down in history as making King Ahaziah look like the Apostle John. I could not listen to it. Nor would I go to a pig trough for a buffet. Nor can I make the mistake of aligning with wrong men and teachings for empty promises. Do we actually think that what we see happening from political leaders in power today will bring anything righteous? Proverbs 12:26 tells us we should choose our friends carefully because if we don’t the way of the wicked may lead us astray. Who we align ourselves with, who we listen to, can lead to life or death. And listen we must because there is so much being bandied about as spiritual wisdom when in fact it is from the lowest darkness, promising and alluring, but leading one to a downward demise. Proverbs 12:26 says, “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

I’ve been warning for years for all of us to come out from among those who lead one to destruction. It’s getting more serious. I’m yelling it! Be separate. Have no part in this evil path led by those who care nothing about your salvation. As it states in 1 Corinthians 15, do not be deceived. Evil company will corrupt you. Stay in His word. Seek him for all you are worth. Seek his wisdom for as it says in Proverbs 13:14, “The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.” Blessings.

“And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.” (Genesis 1:4) John 3 tells us that God sent His Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that through Him the world might be saved. And that he who believes in Him will not be condemned. But the world chose to crucify Him. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest their deeds be exposed. John also tells us in 1 John 1:5-8 “This is the message which we have heard Him from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanses us from all sin.” John further states a profound warning in 1 John 2:21-22, “I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know the truth, and that no lie is of the truth, Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.” We can say we believe in Jesus or that we’re “Born Again” but in our works or our walk we can be disobedient and willful. We deny His commands to love our brother and though we may still try to walk the walk we are disqualified.

Charles Spurgeon said “No sooner is there a good thing in the world, than a division is necessary. Light and darkness have no communion; God has divided them, let us not confound them. Sons of light must not have fellowship with deeds, doctrines, or deceits of darkness. The children of the day must be sober, honest, and bold in their Lord’s work, leaving the works of darkness to those who shall dwell in it forever. Our churches should by discipline divide the light from the darkness, and we should by our distinct separation from the world do the same. In judgement, in action, in hearing, in teaching, in association, we must discern between the precious and the vile, and maintain the great distinction which the Lord made upon the world’s first day.” Yet somehow, we have come to a place where following that which is contrary to what Christ taught is commonplace. And it is excused as necessary to bring about a kingdom which has no place in Him and will be utterly wiped away. Proverbs 4:19 states, “The way of the wicked is as darkness, and they do not know what makes them stumble.” Isaiah 59:9-10 says, “Therefore justice is far from us. Nor does righteousness overtake us. We look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness but we walk in blackness. We grope for the wall like the blind, And we grope as if we had no eyes; We stumble at noonday as at twilight. We are as dead men in desolate places.” Isaiah speaks of our transgressions being multiplied. Justice is turned back. Falsehood is increased. And truth falls in the street. Are we much different from that today? Half our nation and over half the “Church” follow the epitome of that which has been birthed by darkness. One who has never walked in the fruit of the spirit and openly displays the works of the flesh as if that was to be admired. And that same one openly states they have nothing to repent of. Walk from this one and the evil he has surrounded himself with. They are of the same ilk.

Peter states the same warning in 2 Peter 2 that is given in Proverbs 26:11. We have seen the Light and know it is the only way. Anything else only promises corruption and bondage. But like a dog returning to its vomit, a fool returns to his folly. And like a sow, having been clean, returns to wallowing in the mire. What I speak of is much more than a warning to the loss of our democracy. This is your very life in Him. Have no part in the unfruitful works of darkness. Expose them even to your own detriment. I pray He is a shield about you in this battle. Speak and walk in the words of Micah 6:8 each day. “He has shown you what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord your God?” I pray you stand and cast off this darkness. Blessings.

For too long, we have set aside what is necessary in following Him. We have become enamored with so much that promises something but delivers nothing. Empty promises. From politicians to teachers, to pastors, to prophets, to each other. So many claim to have seen and heard His word and plans for us, but they are like that one Paul spoke of in 2 Corinthians 3. That veil is still needed to see His glory, and whereas we through Christ have been afforded the blessing of spiritual sight, too many have found it acceptable to shield our eyes or see through the lens of those who distort His image and dirty the lens we see through. And yet they say what they see, and we believe them. People like Donald Trump, Elon Musk, evangelicals who have lost their way, false prophets and teachers, oligarchs given access to running and overtaking our government, and people appointed to oversee cabinet positions and government agencies that do not have the interest of the people at heart because they are mirror images of Donald Trump. Time is running short for lifesaving vision.

There are times we seem accepting of the lie that the Lord only speaks direction through select individuals. If the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you, how is it that your sight is contingent on another’s interpretation even when it is contrary to His word. His prophetic servants still speak, but their words are drowned out by those who offer promises pleasing to the flesh. To a man-made gospel. C.S. Lewis says, “He shows much more of Himself to some people more than others—not because He has His favorites, but because it is impossible for Him to show Himself to a man whose whole mind and character are in the wrong condition. Just as sunlight, though it has no favorites, cannot be reflected in a dusty mirror as clearly as a clean one.”

The Lord had the prophet Samuel anoint Saul as King. His character was flawed and He served self over God. His mantel was removed and given to David. When how we see Him is blurred by our own desires over His, all that we see will be out of focus. And then how can one tell the listener what they truly see? Would you take directions from one you know needs glasses or a hearing aid? We’re doing that right now. We see half of our country follow a man elected president who has surrounded himself with like-minded evil from being traitorous, to sexual deviants, liars, thieves, lovers of self rather than those seeking Him, and those who seek to enrich themselves with no regard to the well-being of those they purport to serve. And we are no different today than when the prophet Jeremiah said that “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power: And My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?” (Jeremiah 5:31) The prophets who missed it in 2020 are back. They say they actually got it right when trump didn’t win saying that the second term just came now. They again herald his lies and selfish, egotistical and narcissistic ways as being God’s way to bring the second coming of our Lord. And the fear of Trump’s demonic threats has caused so many in Congress to bow the knee. To Trump not the Lord. Somewhere worship and belief have become so distorted it’s basically impossible to see a way out. As C.S. Lewis wrote, “That is why horrible nations have horrible religions: they have been looking at God through a dirty lens.”

We must do as it is written in James and “lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” (James 1:21) As James said, we must truly be hearers and doers of the word. If not, we deceive ourselves. We look through a lens that is dirty and blurred and then we forget what kind of person we are to be. We become spiritually deaf and blind. Like spoken of by Isaiah. We keep hearing but do not understand. We keep on seeing but do not perceive. We cannot expect to truly hear and walk with Him, avoiding pitfalls, when we follow after that presented by fallen man. Take that spiritual cloth and clean the lens by how you see the Lord and His written directions and promises. Jesus said “Follow Me” over 20 times. That is the only way out of this blurred walk so many of us are in. Blessings.

Jude, identified as a brother of Jesus, warned of false teachers who would cause divisions in the church. They would infiltrate and eventually take over Christian meetings and later congregations, and cause divisions within the body of Christ. Jude said certain ungodly men have crept in and have turned the grace of our Lord into lewdness. Denying our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude warned that the Lord saved the people out of the land of Egypt but afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

Exodus 35 tells of Moses coming down from Mount Sinai after receiving the two tablets of the Book of the Law and the people could not look at him because his face shown from being in the presence of the Lord. So, he had to wear a veil as the people of Israel were afraid to come near him. We are called to be in His presence. In John 14 Jesus tells us that if we love Him we will keep His word. And that they will love us and make their home with us. But somehow, we’ve have become like the Israelites that could not look on Moses’ face. It’s easier to follow the face and teachings of one who only “says” they have been in His presence and then go about telling us what they want us to hear. And so many follow right into a pit filled with lies and greed. False direction. A place that speaks of God but in actuality has only a form of godliness without his goodness or perfect leading. A place that eventually leads us so far from His presence we can no longer see Him.

C.S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity that we question a world with absolute goodness as the governing power from Him who is everything. We do so because to not question a world that He supremely rules means we agree with His words and then that would make us a liar as we choose to follow wrong doctrine. Lewis wrote, “The trouble is that one part of you is on His side and really agrees with His disapproval of human greed and trickery and exploitation. You want Him to make an exception in your case, to let you off this one time. But you know at bottom that unless the power behind the world really and unalterably detests that sort of behaviour, that He cannot be good. On the other hand, we know that if there does exist an absolute goodness, then all our efforts are in the long run hopeless. But if it is, then we are making ourselves enemies to that goodness every day. God is the only comfort. He is also the supreme terror: the thing we need the most and the thing we most want to hide from. He is our only possible ally as if meeting the gaze of absolute goodness would be fun. They need to think again. They are only playing with religion. Goodness is either the great safety or the great danger – according to the way we react to it. And we have reacted the wrong way.”

No different today as when C.S. Lewis wrote this. Who among us can unquestionably say they could look upon His face without a veil? So many have an image of Him they have concocted and it truly does not resemble what He taught. If so, why are we where we are today? How can we follow doctrines of demons? How can we lift up those who are lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, unloving, unforgiving, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God?  They claim to have a form of godliness but in effect, denying its power. Turn from such people as the Apostle Paul wrote in warning that so applies to today. How can we venerate one who sells bibles with his name on top and is a sexual deviant? Rape is excused and so are those who this sexual pervert has surrounded himself with. I fear we are at a place from which there is no return and I watch so many I know and love go forward fully believing this path of hatred and perversion will bring them face to face with a god that will say well done. But you had better have your veil handy. Carefully follow His doctrine and His words that bring life. Turn from this path that will only lead to destruction. Seek Him and His ways. Face to face. Blessings.

I’ve been reflecting on what I’ve watched transpire politically over the last month and a half. I questioned the “whys” of what has happened and heard the Lord gently nudge me to reread what I’ve been writing/warning for quite a while. I spoke of the warning sound the Lord showed me from a shofar called a Teruah. It was to bring us clarity and focus to the approaching evil. In September, I warned that we are on a fraught filled road that will bring even more ill will in the next two months. And I said to not become troubled along the way. I ignored my own warnings and looked for a different outcome. I need to listen closer and realize that warning was for me also.

A few weeks ago, I was watching TV and the movie Mississippi Burning came on. Love this movie and it is still so relevant today. I see the same evil hatred toward people of color, sexes, nationality, religion and many other biases that seem to be passed down as if they were the deleterious effects of in-breeding. We see an end result being undesirable genes causing heart disease, genetic disorders, and schizophrenia. Yet we see this displayed in how people treat one another. At the end of the movie, an FBI agent is talking to the lead investigator, Alan Ward, played by Willem DaFoe. He asks why the mayor hanged himself since he wasn’t the main fault of why the evil had happened and said he wasn’t even in the KKK. Agent DaFoe answered and said: “Oh, he’s guilty. Anyone is guilty who watches this happen and pretends it’s not. All of them. Every Governor or Senator who allows hate to fester to gather a few votes. Every college kid who laughed at a racist joke. Everyone who chewed their tongue when they should have spoken up. Mr. Mayor was guilty alright. Just as guilty as the fanatics who pulled the trigger. Maybe we all are.”

The French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir said, “The oppressor would not be so strong if he did not have accomplices among the oppressed.” And this is where we are today. Again. Every day. Too many sit idly by knowing something is very wrong and knowing we should respond but are content to remain as sheep watching the wolf devour those on the outskirts of the flock hoping they will not penetrate too deeply and endanger us. 2 Thessalonians 5 tells us we should not render evil toward anyone but always pursue what is good for all. Ephesians 5 tells us we are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness but rather expose them. Yet I see so many embracing this encroaching evil. Proverbs 31:8-9 tells us we are to open our mouth for those who have no voice. We are to plead the cause of those in need. In fact, Isaiah 58 tells us we are to lift up our voices like a trumpet and expose these transgressions. We are at a place where many are being called to withstand this tidal wave of trouble and wickedness, yet are not only stepping back, but considering the positives of that which is the antithesis of all Jesus taught. We border on a majority of citizens who are comfortable with one who is a felon, liar, traitor, rapist, sexual deviant, cheater – a godless man who has knit a disease filled cloak of Christianity that he wears and is received by so many in the church as one approved of/sent by the Lord. Proverbs 24 asks us if we can say of evil being perpetrated, “Surely we did not know this.” If He who knows our soul is aware of this, will He not render to each man according to his deeds? Something to think about.

James 4:17 says, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” And Romans 12:21 tells us, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” As it says in Ephesians 6, we are encountering rulers of darkness and spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. And they operate and roam freely in people lusting after power and those that are comfortable being led by that which is unholy. Put on the full armor of God that you may withstand this which we face and will see increase. Pray without ceasing. Blessings.

In Exodus 32, Moses was on Mt Sinai for forty days and nights. On his way down the mountain, the Lord spoke to Moses and told him the people had corrupted themselves and made a golden calf and had worshipped it and sacrificed to it. Were it not for the pleading intercession of Moses, God would have destroyed the Israelites right then. I’ve always found Exodus 32:17-18 quite interesting. On his way down the mountain, Moses met Joshua who had waited for him those forty days and nights. Hearing the clamor from below, Joshua told Moses he heard the noise of war in the camp. The kind of noise signifying the celebration of victory. Moses said it is not the shout of victory, but the noise of the cry of defeat. The sound of singing as in celebration of worship. But to idols rather than to God. It was a sound of rebellion. Israel could wait no longer and therefore made a god to themselves. A golden calf. Fashioned for them by Aaron with gold the Israelites wore. Yet Aaron’s excuse when confronted by Moses was that the people were set on evil and when he put the gold in the fire the golden calf just magically appeared.

A heavy price was still to be paid. Moses took the calf which they worshipped and ground it to powder and made the children of Israel drink it. Did they all have to drink it? Some say certain ones that didn’t take part in worshipping the golden calf didn’t have to. Some say the Levites didn’t have to, as they were used by God to kill 3000 Israelites considered to be ringleaders of the rebellion. Yet, Aaron was a Levite and definitely took part, but wasn’t put to death. And Moses’ parting words to the Israelites before he went back up Mt Sinai again were for them to consecrate themselves that God may bestow a blessing on them for every man has opposed his son and his brother.

This is a picture of where I see us today. We have all opposed our brother. Rancor and hate are rampant and has become like a flesh-eating bacteria. “Love your brother” are words with no valued meaning. We have lost sight of the responsibility of following what Christ himself demonstrated. The Apostle John says in 1 John 2 that he who says he is in the light but hates his brother, is in darkness. If you love your brother, there is no cause for stumbling. Verse 11 states, “He who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” We have entered into a political arena filled with evil and darkness. We are not ashamed at actions of support for those without principles and moralities if it empowers us. Lying has become an art form. The support of one who is a racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, anti-Semitic, vindictive, lying, self-indulgent, narcissistic, violence inducing, fear mongering, hateful, traitorous man is now acceptable. A man who has mocked the disabled, denigrates our military and embraces dictators. One who is a rapist and convicted felon. One who many notable ministers embrace as a means to an end of gaining power. Aligning with that which is the antithesis of what they are ordained to preach. And we are being told by many that this is a lesser of two evils situation. And yes, there are issues that should bother us from both platforms. But this is not Republican vs Democrat. This basically is trying to keep democracy. Ministers that spoke during the lead up to our country’s revolution like John Mayhew, Samuel West, and John Knox stated that though we look to governing authorities, we must stand against and resist that which is or looks to be tyrannical. Lincoln said we cannot escape history. We can honor or dishonor the foundations of our nation. He stated we nobly save or meanly lose the last best hope of earth. And yes, I know that only in God must we rest our hope, but he was a man that invoked his creator.

Proverbs 22:24-25 says, “Make no friendship with an angry man and with a furious man do not go. Lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul.” This man, Donald Trump, is before us constantly and is embraced rather than rejected outright by so many believers. I am reminded of a line in the song “Behind Blue Eyes” by the Who that says, “If I swallow anything evil, put your fingers down my throat.” I am doing that figuratively right now. I urge you, as Paul warned the church, to avoid those who cause divisions and offenses. The words God spoke to me about Donald Trump on October 31, 2016 rings as ominously true now as they did then. A grave warning. One not heeded. I ask your forbearance and even forgiveness if my delving into this election, more than is my norm, has caused any ire. But I feel the “gods of this world” have blinded the minds of believers and unbelievers alike, and I feel it is necessary to warn of the sounds of war, rebellion and dissension that have embraced us with a choking and blinding fury no different than it did to the Israelites in Exodus 32. Even though our path may be veiled by shifting shadows and a cacophony of lies, pray without ceasing. Blessings.