Tag: writing

Protecting A Way of Life

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Protecting A Way of Life

I recently got into a discussion with someone about the indoctrination of a generation. While this may read like conspiracy theory, I assure you, is provable fact. Let us start at the beginning, it’s WWII, and the wave of communism has begun. Top scientists, Hollywood stars, powerful people all begin to go to meetings about the rise of communism. The United States fights back, while others begin to fall. Within 30 years after WWII the landscape of the world began to change. Let us go back a little ways first. 

The Idea: In 1848 Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish the very first Communist Manifesto. The argument was that history was driven by class struggles, and called for workers to overthrow capitalism and establish a classless society. 

1917 Lenin led the Bolsheviks to overthrow Russia. Russia becomes the first communist state, later to be known as USSR. 

During WWII the idea of communism spreads and people began to become either sympathizers or advocates. The idea of communism spreads after WWII into Poland Eastern Germany, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and Albania. 1945-1950. Later China would fall to another revolution led by Mao Zedong. 

1948 North Korea falls, 1954 Vietnam, Cuba 1959, Laos 1975, Cambodia 1975. Berlin Wall goes up August 13, 1961separating East and West Germany. 

When the wall fell 600,000 to 700,000 fled into West Germany. To date it is believed tens of thousands have fled communist countries. Comparatively, the number of those who have fled capitalist societies for communist are by order of magnitudes smaller. So, why is that? 

The idea of communism on paper sounds good, collective good, government helping everyone equally, but the problem is it doesn’t factor in two major phycological factors, greed, and laziness. Everyone gets paid the same, no matter how much or little someone works. The government lives like fat cats, while everyone below it is turned into subjects. Someone’s drive to better their lives is squashed by the government. Communism is appealing because it eliminates the need to work hard to get the same as someone who gives it their all. Why work hard for education, or healthcare when the government will just give it to you? 

Today, we are experiencing the closest thing to an existential crisis as a nation than we have in over a hundred years. Not since the civil war, have we seen such a change in ideology. Today, the idea of the Democratic Socialist of America is spreading, and winning elections across the country. Instead of revolution those who follow communism here are simply voting it in. What was the quote all those years ago? While no one can be specifically credited to the phrase ‘useful idiots’, it was used during the cold war by journalists and politicians to describe people within democratic countries who sympathized with Communism. What we have seen throughout history are those of the left leaning ideals have been targeted by ideologues throughout time. When a few loud voices begin yelling, a certain type of people listen. During the revolution in Iran, we see exactly what happens when a few ‘useful idiots’ are used to enact change. In 1979, in order for the Islamic takeover of Iran to happen, the left leaning college students helped to overthrow the existing government. Unfortunately for those people, they would later be murdered or imprisoned. Why are young college students the target of radical ideals? Young people often seek to improve society, fight injustice, find meaning in life, and be a part of something larger than themselves. The world tends to see young adults seeking community, purpose, friendship, and identity in college. To put it simply, college students are impressionable. They believe they will be the ones who will change the world. Sounds a little like the sin of pride, doesn’t it? In fact, it is this pride, it is this arrogance that is preyed upon. Why would two organization that would appear to have little to do with one another align themselves? The Communists, and Islamists? I believe it falls within the old saying, ‘the enemy of my enemy, is my friend.’ Only one will reign supreme at the top, and one will fall, after the west falls. Make no mistake, the west will fall. How do I know this? It’s prophesied to fall. When we look to the one world order of Revelation, it seems very socialist “Islamist” to me. Now, since no one knows the date in which this happens, one cannot say how long we fight back before the fall. How do I know only one will come out on top? Look at Iran in 1979. When the leftist helped the Ayatollah to take control, later these leftists were all rounded up and slaughtered or imprisoned. We saw the same thing in China in 1957. The Anti-Rightest campaign. The trap, during a brief hundred flowers campaign, Mao encouraged intellectuals to voice criticism of the government. Of course, liberals stepped forward with open arms to do this. But, when sufficient time had passed, Mao reversed course and over 550,000 to 1 million ‘intellectuals’, academics, and liberal democratic leaders were labeled as enemies of the state. They were accused, fired, humiliated, sent to labor camps, and led to suicide. What was it Solomon said? “Nothing new under the sun!” It would seem the movement ‘queers for Palestine’ shouldn’t work. If you were a queer person in Palestine you’d be thrown from a roof. So, why does it work? Here in America, we have freedoms, so you can say what you want, no matter how stupid it may be. You can be as stupid as you want, and nothing will happen to you, except maybe hand your way of life over to the slaughter of your own life. Why would Muslims partner with such people? The interview with “Muhammad Tewhidi and Dinesh D’Souza” explained that when Tewhidi was an extremist he and any other radical extremist would vote left. Why? They (the left) did not stand on principle.  “They (the right) come with principles, that’s not someone that can be brainwashed.” The extremists use the left, for all the same reasons it’s been using the left for over a hundred years now. Nothing new, and nothing has changed, but this time, America is the last line of defense. We have gone to the worlds rescue for over two hundred years, and now, now that Europe has fallen to the Islamic takeover from immigration, now, they are focused here. Much like Sauron and Saruman teaming up to fight Gondor. If Gondor falls, the rest of Middle Earth Falls. 

What does any of this have to do with the second amendment? Everything. The second amendment as I stated in a recent Blog Post “So, why do we have the second amendment? It’s there to safeguard against government overreach. It’s not there for hunting, it’s there to keep the government in check. It’s the fourth check n balance. Our government a 3-tiered government each checking one another, and we the militia are the check against the government to ensure our rights are not taken away by those who would do so, likely under the false flag of ‘protection’.” (Thearrowpreacher, 2A, 2026)https://thearrowpreacher.com/2026/05/03/the-2nd-amendment-and-why-its-important/ As I spoke in detail in that post about what the second is important, here we will revisit some aspects and expand others. The second amendment sets us apart in the world, as we see from other countries falling to Islamification. People are now getting arrested in other ‘free’ nations for speaking in the public square. Young boys being stabbed to death and police watch as he bleeds out right in front of them. Rapes have gone up 150% over the last ten years. We in the united states have actually witnessed a decline in violent crime, with the same style migration to what’s happening in Europe, why could this be? We see what happens when liberal judges preside over a violent offender’s case. Small sentences, or even releases occur, putting the offender back out into the street. The difference here is not our justice system, for it would appear liberal judges want to continue letting criminals onto the streets on purpose. The difference is the American’s ability to defend ourselves. 

After doing extensive research into the firearm culture, I found that there are nearly 393 million guns in America, more guns than we have people. We have roughly 266 million adults in this country. This doesn’t even measure children. We know that not every American owns firearms, which puts the number at roughly 76-80 million gun owners. So that’s roughly five guns per gun owner. That sounds like a lot right? You’d be correct, it is a lot of firearms. Now, let’s do some fun numbers crunching. How many homicides are there per year? In 2024, which showed a sharp decline in homicides, there were 15,795 homicides. For the sake of argument, let’s look at 2023, 22,830 total homicides. Firearm homicides 17,927. There was an estimated gang-related firearm homicides of 2300-2700. Domestic/intimate partner 1500-2000, Acquaintance arguments (deaths) 5000-6500, and other unknown circumstances 4000-6000 deaths. Comparatively, the CDC just reinstated its statistics on defensive gun use in America. 65,000 to 2.5 million defensive gun uses in America. If we look at every firearm homicide, regardless of the reason for the homicide, we end up with around 3.6 defensive gun uses for every firearm homicide. Now, let’s break this down a little further. While the 13/50 saying is an over simplification of numbers, many people have heard that 13% of the population commit 50% of the crime. IF we take a more liberal look into these defensive gun uses, lets instead of looking at the 65,000 number, lets look instead at the more liberal middle ground 500,000 defensive gun uses. This changes the numbers dramatically. Now, it’s 22 defensive gun uses for every homicide. 500,000/22,800. But if we look at simply gun for gun, it’s 500,000/ 17900 (firearm deaths) at 28 defensive gun uses for every firearm homicide. But, let’s break it down further. Let’s remove gang actively (Note: not all gun crime in cities is labeled as gang related even though it is). If we remove the roughly 2500 gang homicides this puts us at 500,000/15,400 = 32 defensive gun uses for every non gang firearm homicide. With so many firearms to people ratio, doesn’t it seem like if guns were the problem we’d have more, I don’t know… gun crimes or deaths? Not only does the 2A keep you from being a victim, it keeps the government at bay from becoming tyrannical. Since such a small population has all the guns in the country, if that section of the population were the majority of the problem, crime rates would be much higher. Those with guns aren’t trying to take control of the country either, not by force anyway. If those with guns were trying to take over, they would. Those with firearms largely just want to be left alone by others, by the government, to live a peaceful, free life. Why would the government want to ban firearms, when in reality, firearms are not the threat they claim them to be. The number prove that compared to automobile accidents, drugs, and other causes. Drug overdoses in 2024 was 79,384. Way more than all homicides, and yet the Democrats left the southern border open, and let drugs pour into this country. If they truly cared about lives, they would focus on the highest causes of death, before the smaller number of deaths. From what we’ve seen they focus on firearms because a disarmed population is an easily controlled population. We see states with loose gun control laws have a lower homicide rate, compared to the higher controlled states. Gun control is simply control, and if you get rid of that you can limit speech, you can limit religion, the simple facts are if the 2nd falls, the 1st falls with it.

Why the left has become so dangerous?  Over the years the left has tried to control slavery, segregation, healthcare, education, gun control, abortion, now adding in the pride community, the indoctrination of your children. The left has had control over much of the major cities for decades. Those cities are the most dangerous, and most expensive cities in the U.S. to live in. Growing up, I grew up not far from Detroit. During that time period I was at a liberal school system. I didn’t know it till later in my life that I myself was being indoctrinated. “I grew up in a school that taught me lies as truth, led me down the halls of liberalism, stuff like climate change that acid rain was going to kill us all by destroying crops, and burning us all. Rising waters would sink Florida by 2010. The Bible was wrong and the Big Bang was proven, evolution was fact, proven and accepted by all, except it wasn’t. I believed them when teachers told me that the right wanted children to starve, the right wanted to destroy the environment, and prevent families from getting welfare they desperately needed. The truth was not as simple as I was led to believe. The fact was, during those years the same kind of teaching was definitely a one-sided teaching method, intended to indoctrinate young impressionable kids, who trusted their teachers to tell them the truth. With no one at home willing or able to talk to me about political matters, science, or anything else, I fell for the lies.” (Thearrowpreacher, Different, 2026) https://thearrowpreacher.com/2026/06/16/why-im-different/ One truth that I have found is hunters pay more into conservation efforts than most liberals do. Conservation efforts keeps land pristine for the environment, and hunting. 

I watched for years, as Detroit fell to darkness under the control of the Democrats. Why were their policies not working in a single city? IF they didn’t work in a city, how could they possibly work on the national scale? I began asking that at a young age, and was fed lie after lie to pacify me. I have come to see the truth; I was lied to as a child by a school system designed to indoctrinate me. Today we see this indoctrination now encompassing the entire pride agenda, mutilating children, confusing kids, and pushing more lies. Why do this? Distraction and change. When we fundamentally change the mindset of a generation it makes that generation ripe for the taking. “We are using rhetoric that dehumanizes an entire group of people in this country, and attacks against conservatives are on the rise as people view them as Nazi’s, fascist, and evil. One main function of the communist party is to, by their own admission make all religions superfluous, and communism supersedes them. Ideological Subversion: It takes 15-20 years to demoralize a people. In an interview with Yuri Bezmenov a former KGB operative, he discusses the process already happening in America. In the communist goals of 1963 we see two goals 26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy as promiscuity as ‘normal, natural, healthy.” “27 Infitrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a “religious crutch.” “28 Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.” (Thearrowpreacher, 2A, 2026). The whole of the west has been under attack since the early 1900’s, and in a very real way we’ve been in a cold war ever since. We didn’t realize just how dangerous the Communists, and Islamists would be. We are coming up on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and when I heard the term “Never Forget” I assumed we wouldn’t. Now just a mere 25 years later, and we have. Not only have we forgotten, we handed our largest city, the city of ground zero, over to a radical sympathizer, Zoron Mamdani. We did forget. The liberals don’t care about safety, they care about control. If they cared for safety, they would put armed guards at schools. They would lower speed limits to limit child death in cars. They would be more focused on healthy foods to eliminate childhood obesity. They would address the growing mental health crisis in young people by not affirming and making mental illness worse, but actually address the root of the problem. If they actually cared about people they wouldn’t say black lives matter, unless you’re a conservative black man. Black lives matter unless it’s black on black crime. Black lives matter, till is a black baby in the womb. No uterus, no voice, unless you claim to be a woman, then you can be whatever you want because we can’t define a woman. Women empowerment, except for men in women’s sports taking spots for young girls. My body my choice, unless you force someone get an experimental drug which has now been deemed dangerous, if not you’re fired. AR-15 is too dangerous for you to have, unless you are a politician and you have private security. Truly the contradictions are endless. You’re a fascist if you want secure borders, while they create safe spaces to keep out anyone they don’t agree with. They preach about climate change except flying around in their private jets. They warn you about election interference of foreign countries, but shut down voter ID laws that would prevent it. They support body positivity unless you’re on the other side, then they’ll body shame you. They say that you’re intolerant, but ban any speaker that doesn’t agree with them. They call you racist except claim minorities are too dumb to get ID’s to vote. They took religion out of schools claiming indoctrination, but drag queen story hour is alright. They call you a science denier except, men can be women. They go to “No Kings” protest forgetting their party didn’t throw a primary for their presidential nominee, and they claim free speech except conservative voices shut down by the Biden administration and big tech social media platforms. They call Trump a dictator, but made people walk around with vaccine cards. They claim Trump is a dictator while having the right to protest in the streets and police don’t shoot them. They claim freedoms are being taken away but can’t specify which ones. They claim to want ICE gone, but don’t want the homeless encampments in their block, and won’t open their home to an asylum seeker. They claim to be the party of tolerance, except when they celebrate the death and murder of someone they disagree with. They cry about free speech, when they are faced with the consequences of their words, while simultaneously calling for anyone to be canceled whom they disagree with. They want socialism and healthcare for all but don’t want to raise their taxes to pay for it. They’ve elected mayors in Seattle, NYC, Irving California, Burlington Vermont. And more have been elected to higher congressional offices. And 42 state and local offices are now held by Muslims. We see what’s going on in Michigan, in Dearborn and surrounding areas. We see what’s happening in Minnesota. And yet this madness isn’t being contained, it’s spreading.

We’ve seen what liberalism does to countries throughout history, and we know how it can and will be exploited by those who push nefarious ideologies. They call Christian’s extremists while voting for people who support the death of thousands and supports the genocide of Christians. If America falls, no one is coming to our rescue. We must hold the line as long as we can. We must be ready to stand our ground. While I don’t suspect I could hold out long, not in my current health condition, I will never give in on my principles. What did Tewhidi say? He feared the conservative because they were principled. I will hold on to my faith. I will hold fast to truth, and not this new subjective truth, but objective truth. Men can appropriate a women’s life, but will never be a woman. I argued with someone about science recently, and I do believe in science, but only so far as what is actual science. I won’t take my science lesson from a party that believes men can get pregnant, that changes the name of mother and father, to birthing person, or chest feeding parent. The same party that denies life starts at conception, but to make their murder more palatable change the wording and definitions of things. They have dehumanized babies while at the same time saying if a man doesn’t pay child support he should be held accountable, but he doesn’t have a say if that baby should live. Now, we have Lindsey Clancy killing her children, and women are standing up in support of this murderer. The life of the unborn doesn’t matter, so where is the line? We have seen the real line, there isn’t one, life doesn’t matter. The party of the tolerant left is fairly supportive of murder, if you simply don’t like someone, or they are an inconvenience to you. A mother can kill her own children if it’s the mother doing it. This is sick, this is wrong, and this must be stopped. This evil must not be allowed to spread. We must stand firm on our faith. Stand firm in the midst of attacks, and the battles being waged right in front of us. We must protect our way of life. We must not give up our rights. We must not give up our elections. We must be louder, and more willing to push back on this evil rising without our walls. Let your voices be heard. 

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood” Truly we fight against ideals, a true hatred, a true evil. If we let go of the 2nd Amendment, the 1st and the rest will fall, it’s only a matter of time. 

Citation: 

Thearrowpreacher. (2026, July 12). The 2nd Amendment and why it’s important . The Arrow Preacher. https://thearrowpreacher.com/2026/05/03/the-2nd-amendment-and-why-its-important/ 

Thearrowpreacher. (2026a, June 16). Why I’m Different. The Arrow Preacher. https://thearrowpreacher.com/2026/06/16/why-im-different/

The Truth Behind Minneapolis and The Far-Left Ideology: A Christian Perspective 

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The Truth Behind Minneapolis and The Far-Left Ideology: A Christian Perspective 

Let me start off by saying this, I saw a video recently speaking on those who are going to social media giving their non-professional opinion, because simply put, they’ve never been in that kind of situation. They’ve never had to call 911 because they were threatened in some way, or worse attacked. Let me give you, my reader, my credentials. I am an Army Veteran. I fought in the Iraq war, and when I say fought, I have been shot at, I have been blown up, I have been in a firefight, and I have fired my weapon at other human beings. I know first-hand how quickly you have to make a decision whether to fire or not. After my time in the war I served as a security professional in many different kind of places. I’ve served in places like John Deere where I was alone in the entire facility. I have served in places like the busiest mall in my area, as third in command of the security team, and often in charge of my team during the days I worked. I have been security for my church team, and while that doesn’t sound like it would be busy or stressful, believe it or not, were always on high alert for one reason or another. I have worked with law enforcement and my combined experiences 23 years of experience. And if you want to be specific, I have had to shoot at incoming vehicles that failed to heed commands. The main difference was I was 65-100 meters away, while the officer in Minneapolis was inches (till he was hit by her car). 

Apparently California has lost 1Trillion dollars in revenue from its billionaire base in a matter of weeks as they have fled the state. All the California democrats voted not to lower the gas tax in the state. Even Robert De’Nero (who supported Mamdani) in New York isn’t happy with the proposed wealthy tax. So much has happened in recent years it breaks my heart to see what our country has become. I once believed even in differences we could have dialogue. Then, Charlie Kirk was killed and as his family grieved the left went to social media celebrating, mocking, and even slinging insults at his wife. He was killed simply for having a traditional ideal of what this country used to be and what he wished it would be again. 

We all make choices, and what happened to Charlie and what happened to Ms. Good are not the same. You have a right to protest but that protest protection stops at interference. Once someone interferes it turns into obstruction. Every statue ICE uses today are the same as under Clinton, and Obama (the deport-er and chief), the exact same statutes they used to deport millions. We used to believe in the same things in some categories. Today no matter what Trump does, to the ideologues it’s wrong. Just a couple years ago the left was saying how bad Maduro was and how illegitimate he was, till Trump removed him. Interesting how once he does something we used to agree on, it becomes wrong. Removing illegals just 10 years ago under Obama, or ruthless dictators was the right thing to do. Today, it’s wrong. Trump brings jobs back to the U.S. and a trillion in tariffs bringing money back to the U.S., lowering inflation, and yet he’s wrong. 

At the end of the day, no amount of evidence will prove to, or change an ideologue’s opinion. It’s funny how some people no matter what video evidence there is, ignore it, and no evidence in the world changes an ideologues mindset. Video evidence despite what some think is not propaganda when it’s clear as day. Propaganda takes video’s to prove a the truth doesn’t exist. The Nazi’s took fake video footage of camps to show a different reality then the one that was actually happening. Good, disobeyed lawful orders after interfering with ICE, and put herself and her spouse at risk while slamming on the accelerator of her car, before her spouse could get into the car. Good’s actions put herself and her spouse at risk by moving a vehicle while there were so many people surrounded the vehicle, along with ICE agents next to and in front of the vehicle. She left her son alone and drove hours from home to interfere, not to protest ICE. Peaceful protesting and voting affect changes of policy. You cannot interfere with law enforcement arresting a criminal or interfering with an investigation, nor can you interfere with ICE arresting illegal aliens, or investigating fraud at the hands of illegal aliens. No matter her intent, scared, or fleeing from law enforcement (ICE) she hit an ICE agent with her car. The law is crystal clear no matter if it was a civilian, a police officer, an FBI agent, it matters not. A car becomes a weapon once in motion, after law enforcement orders you out of the vehicle and especially surrounded by officers. It becomes a weapon when you chose to drive with one officer’s hands inside the vehicle, and one standing in front of it. She hit the accelerator so hard the tires spun before lunging forward hitting the ICE agent. These are facts. The agent is trained to act fast, and protect the lives of civilians and officers. The officer followed his training, and I am 100% certain, he is tore up inside having to end a life. The difference between us here is no one is celebrating her death. While choices have consequences, Charlie was sitting at a table debating, she hit an officer while he was fulfilling his legal duty. We have sympathy for her son. But even if you look at the bare minimum, she could have been arrested for obstruction of a federal operation and if convicted, a year in jail. Not ideal parenting. This entire situation is sad but preventable. Like it or not, Donald Trump won in a landslide and the popular vote. Many who have suffered at the hands of what illegal immigration have wrought upon this nation, the approval of the removal of these people many who truly are more than just illegals have shown their criminality. 

There once was an interview with Imam Mohammad Tawhidi, that said this, “I would only vote left.” (Interviewer ‘Why is that’) I saw them as very stupid. I would fear the conservatives. Because they come with principle. That’s not someone they can brainwash. But the left, I know they have no values, no principles to begin with.” IF you cannot see the truth about all these fundamental Islamists who vote left, but their deep religion condemns abortion, condemns gays and homosexuals, yet say they stand for these things, when where they come from gays and homosexuals are killed, thrown off of roofs, you may be being deceived. Radical Islam allows someone to lie (Taqiyya) to conceal ones beliefs to spread Islam and advance the cause of eventual jihad. 

Myself, like the ICE agent, married a Filipina. We both had to endure the process. Not only did I have to wait 3 years to have the fiancé visa approved, I had to pay thousands in fee’s. TO be exact, I paid 5K. I had to prove I could get insurance for my bride. I had to have five affidavits to prove my relationship to have the visa approved. Plus enough paperwork to make the military blush. Once married I had to have yet again another five affidavits signed. Now, just two years later I need to do more paperwork. I need to prove yet again we are still married and living the married life. I need to pay yet again. I was never offered any assistance, no college fund, no welfare options, no housing assistance. In fact, when I needed help, I was denied assistance. We had to wait in line, we had to pay, and now, we need to work on her path to citizenship. At no point did the government offer anything to us, yet illegals get welfare, cash, college in some cases, Medicare in some cases, and the right to vote in some cases, yet my bride doesn’t get any of those things. We are not against immigration, I myself am the descendent of immigration in the late 1800’s. My family came here long after slavery ended, built a life and a home with nothing but what was in their pockets. Yet, if the left had their way, simply because I am white, I should have to pay reparations to people who were never slaves, by a family line that never owned slaves. In fact as part of my heritage is Scottish, they and the Irish weren’t treated very well. They were considered by some to be second class citizens. Yet, just because they are white we are told by the left we should be ashamed of our supposed white privilege. I’ve gotten no help, and not advantages, and I’ve had to work hard for everything I have. I had to work hard to give myself a life after growing up poor with very little. I had to work hard when I was left at home by myself after my mothers suicide attempt when I was just 11 years old. I was given nothing to help me cope with what I witnessed. I was given no counseling, or guidance, just endless bullying at school. The left leaning ideology I firmly believed in growing up told me and taught me I was a victim. I held on to that ideal for many years. In truth, I was a survivor. I digress… When done the right way, immigration is safer for everyone when laws are obeyed and adhered too, and we are to respect a nations law. We have laws for a reason in this nation, as every nation has laws on immigration. My wife’s homeland has immigration laws that I must obey when I go there. I can only stay for three months without a special visa; I must get every time if I wanted to stay longer. I must respect the laws of the country that has welcomed me. We are a society of laws and thus we must obey and respect the customs and laws. 

Scripture tells us of a time when people will call wrong right and right wrong. It tells of a time when good righteous people will be hunted and silenced, while the darkness rises to control over the world. The few will enter into the gates of heaven. The few will walk the righteous path of our Lord Jesus. The few will respect the law, and follow the rules of the highest morality, God almighty. While we are to love our enemies, we are to pray for them. We are to, in love, tell them about our Lord Jesus. We are all sinners, but only those who put their trust and faith and surrender in our Lord Christ will see forgiveness. We must continue to share the love of Jesus by sharing the truth with our fellow man. While we know some will be saved, and some will sadly remain in Hell for all eternity, the best we can do is live a life of service to our Lord. The cross is offensive to the unbeliever. When the Pharisees saw the miracles Jesus had performed, they called him demon possessed. They couldn’t refute the miracles, just where and how he could do them. Despite all the evidence at hand, they denied the truth. The way I see it, anyone who denies that life begins at conception, the people who are constantly taking the side of criminals over brave men and women performing their duty. The people who constantly change their position as the wind blows, who are on video one minute saying something, and within a year or two changing just to pretend they have the moral high ground, are no different than the Pharisees of old. Those who support socialism and all it stands for, ignoring the millions who’ve died at the hands of dictators, of both socialism and communism alike are as Benjamin Netanyahu once said, “useful idiots”. Rebranding socialism as some kind of democratic socialism is amazingly stupid. The evidence of what’s happening is already evident, that individual freedoms are being eroded in New York City, and soon places all over the country. When the government suddenly has the right to tell you, you cannot sell your property, is government overreach. When places like Venezuela and Iran see the people of those countries calling out the name of Trump in the streets, one might think the left and its ideology is on the wrong side of history. I wish no one to perish. I wish for the American dream to return. I wish for individual freedoms to return. I wish for our nation to return to the once great Christian nation we once were. I find the hatred to be overwhelming. I find the evil rising to be a putrid smell I cannot escape from. I cannot express my full sorrow at the world I see today. While peace rings out in other nations, brokered by our President, the hatred for him runs so deep, no matter what is done, it’s never enough and everything is bad. People celebrating the death of a good man Charlie Kirk, simply because they disagreed. People attacking law enforcement, hitting them with their cars, just because they disagree. Letting criminals stay on the street time and time again, till they finally kill a young woman like Iryna Zaretska. A woman Zoe Welsh who died at the hands of yet another career criminal with six arrests in just four years, but because he was deemed ‘mentally unfit’ he roamed free, till he killed a woman in her own home. We celebrate criminals, we celebrate tragedies, we ignore truths, and we fall right into what Satan wants, chaos.  We will all judged someday, and we must live with the consequences of our actions and choices. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. One day I look forward to being before the King of the Universe and facing the consequences of my actions, both good and bad, but being covered by the blood of Jesus, and wishing to service our King, hear “well done, my good and faithful servant.”. What will you hear? Well done, or depart from me, I never knew you?

The Best Captain 

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The Best Captain 

In the middle of a storm now, the ship tossed by the waves. Daylight isn’t on the radar right now, but this ship’s strong. It’s got the best captain guiding it. The ship creaks as the waves pound against her hull. I look up and see the mast groans as the waves crash over the deck. The sky’s been dark for many nights now. No stars to guide, but somehow the captain knows. We’ve all wondered how He knows, where are we going and how do we get there, when we can’t see? He tells us all He knows the way, and it’ll be okay. The ship’s old, but she’s not done yet. Her bones are tough, as the waves break upon her hull. Aye, the Captain tells us all to be of good cheer in the midst of the storm. “It build’s good character”, He yells from the helm. 

I’ve been on ship for 30 years now, and He’s not driven to land yet. He’s avoided disaster more times than I could count. The deep calls us all, and desires us to break apart in the storms. The deep has a mind of its own, but the Captain’s to resolved and maintains the course to prosperous seas. Sometimes I can hear the darkness beckon to me, it tells me all is lost. The Captain seems to always know, as it happens, Captain shouts encouragement to me. Many years ago, the dark nearly took me. I fell overboard when a rogue wave hit the ship so hard it jeered and I flew overboard. I thought for sure the waters would take me, but somehow, the Captain dove in and pulled me up. He said, ‘Your sailing days aren’t done yet.’ No more words were ever spoken about it, but I knew the Captain saw something in me that day. Didn’t have to risk Himself for me, but ever since, it’s felt like He’s kept a special eye on me. 

The sharks can be seen circling the ship. Do they smell blood in the water? Do they look forward to me being tossed overboard again? Minions of the dark they are. They seem scared of the Captain though. I swear sometimes I can hear the Captain say, ‘not today!’, and they flee from sight. I don’t know or understand the power the Captain has over the seas, but it’s like it bows to His commands. Even though the sea doesn’t always calm, we navigate through the storms and often in the darkest of nights, Captain’s always watchful. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the Captain never sleeps. Sometimes I take the helm, but as soon as I do it seems another storm billows in, and He’s right back on the wheel. He just says, “have faith”. So I let go of the wheel, and give her back over to the Captain.

The storm is raging on, the lighting cracks in the sky, and I can barely hear Captain’s orders. The darkness surrounds the ship, as she creaks and groans in the treacherous waves. Fear of the ship running aground, or breaking up, or worse, I get tossed over, leaves me trembling with worry. The waves crash over the rail, and I take the full force of the wall of water. I’m wet, and cold, fear grips me, and I fall to my knees and begin to cry. Just as I do a hand touches my shoulder. “‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your CAPTAIN. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’” Cap knows just what to say when I need it. 

In the eye of the storm, you are in the control. Captain my Captain, I follow you. The sails rip and tear, but you don’t worry. I can’t see beyond the bow of the ship, but you say, “In me have faith. I will steer you home.” I worry about much, but my Captain knows. The tears pour down my face, but I find peace in the word Cap gives me. When the sails are torn, it seems Cap’s love surrounds me even more. I look to the East and I can see a glint of light. I tremble to my feet, and I say, “I trust you, Captain.” Cap looks to me and says, “The son rises, so you should have hope.” 

I sought after my Captain, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. With the Captain on my side; I will not fear. What can this storm do to me?  The Captain looks down and yelled to me, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” I stumbled up the stairs to the wheel, and said, “Cap, I’ve been following for a while, and I don’t even know your name.” 

He replied, “I am who I am. I am the way, the truth the life. I am the alpha and the omega. I am the Good Shepherd whom you’ve heard my voice. I am the Lion, and the Lamb. I am Emmanuel, I am Jesus, your Captain. And I’ve got you. Trust in me, and I will see you through to the end of the age, when I welcome you home, when we reach the shores of my Kingdom. You will then have rest. Till then, we’ve got work to do.” 

I fell to my knees and kissed the feet of my salvation. I arose, and grabbed hold of the rope as the ship teetered in the continued waves.

“Fear Not” Jesus said, and peace fell over me, yet while still in the storm. And I was not afraid. 

Jesus may not stop the storms from happening, but He’s right there with us in the midst of them. We cannot face the dark, and face the demons in the dark with fear. Jesus goes before us, and He is with us. The demons tremble and fear him, and if we lose our lives then life is gained. We must trust He knows which way to go, and we must not try to continue to take the wheel from Him. Let us let go, and Let God. The sun rises in the East, and some day, He’ll return from the East. Faith, we must put our faith in Him. 

Written By: 

Rev. Jacob Keiffer

At Years End 2022

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The world isn’t a place for everyone. For some, the world is only paradise they will ever know. The price of darkness may never feel the need to attack you. See, this world can be like a prison. For some, they will stay inside their walls freely, never seeking to escape, never reaching for the open door. For others, the prison like those in the matrix, they can feel something is wrong with the world. “It is all around you, even in this very room. You can see it when you look out the window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes.” (The Matrix) so many people are content eating their steak, and going about their day to day lives without care for the truth. People die young, cancer attacks a child, the wife has an affair and destroys everything. There is betrayal, and lies, and hardships beyond imagining. When was the last time you saw public outcry against Muslims, against their belief that homosexuality is a sin? Or that in Muslim countries there are strict laws against it. When was the last time you heard the outcry against Buddhism? Why is the world not attack other faith? I believe the answer is clear, why would Satan put time attacking something that isn’t true? Satan doesn’t see the others as a threat so there is no need to put his forces against falsehoods.

Sin does not need to be taught. Sin comes naturally in this world. We often cry out to God upset at the Father because of calamity that befalls us. How much of our struggle is of our own making? How much is caused by our own actions, our own lust of the selfishness and narcissistic behavior that lives in sin? When we are not walking with God we get mad at God for allowing disaster. Judgment comes in many ways to those who mock Gods commandments. When we are silent in our hearts about the sin that infiltrates and destroys our communities, judgment is imminent. We have spit in the face of God. We have turned our backs on His teachings. We have neglected his commands and commissions. Now as the world turns to darkness we cry out asking for salvation.

The path to destruction is wide and the way to salvation is narrow. The struggle in which we find ourselves can be seen as tests, or as a forge. In the military we train as we fight. We prepare for battle by simulating battle. We seek knowledge, and stamina by continually training. In a world clouded in darkness, those who wish to fight back, to stand firm against the enemy, must be forged into something new. You must be born again, for only those born again will enter the Kingdom of God. (John 3) If we are born again don’t we need to be trained for our new selves? Don’t we need to be taught and prepare for the obstacles we face in our new lives?

2022 was a rough year. From injuries, to illness, to setbacks in personal areas in my life, to kidney stones, to infections. After all the injuries and sickness, disappointment set in. On top of everything else, the longest run of depression i’ve ever had, had turned an already difficult year, into a battle of battles. What else would make for a truly awful year? Chronic pain. Chronic pain often brings forth and exasperates depression, fatigue, and of course pain. The hardships faced this year, for some would turn them a way from God. For me, it draws me near to Him. Does this mean, life isn’t full of frustration, or hardships of emotions. Of course this journey is hard, and full of emotions, but Jesus knows our difficulties. It’s precisely why the hope He offers is so much more important. What is it we fear? “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)” In Jesus we not only find our hope, but our peace. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (John 14:27)”

Have I not seen Jesus in my life? Have I not felt his presence rest upon me as the enemy bared down to murder me? Have I not heard the voice of the Father, breathe new life into my lungs as life drifted away from my body? Faith, is an essential and interesting thing. What was it Jesus said to Thomas? “Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed. (John 20:29)” I have seen, and I have believed. This does not make the journey less difficult, or even emotionally easier, but it does mean I have hope. It means there is rest at the end of this long race I run. Jesus overcame Sin, broke the chains that held us. We will have hardships, and trials, and even at times, we will be broken hearted. Faith in Jesus, and the path set before us is one many will endeavor to walk, but will fall away, run away, or stay away from. Jesus through the word, the Logos, has given us everything we need to traverse the difficult road ahead. We have his Word, the Helper (Holy Spirit) to be our guide. We do not travel alone but the brotherhood (sisterhood) of those who also follow the way. We have the testimony of those who walked before us and left us the eyewitness statements. We have the martyrs who gave up everything for the truth. We have our fellow believers who walk with us today. We have all the tools to manage through this struggle, and the Lord our God, prepares the called, he does not call the equipped. Blessed are the meek, the poor, the gentle, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure of heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted, and those insulted and persecuted because thy follow Christ. We must have faith in our path and lean not of our own understanding. We must trust the Father in the hardships we face. We must learn from our mistakes and be honest of our sinful actions and deeds. We must hold ourselves accountable and responsible to Gods law, not the law of Man which spits in the face of the Father. As darkness spreads and becomes all the more intense, allow Christ to shine through you ever more brightly. Snuff out the darkness, not of our own doing but that of the Lords work through us. We never know whom watches us, or the purpose of a thing, but we know, through Lord all things are possible. All hope resides in Him. For it is in Him miracles still happen. It is in Him, the lost see the light. It is in Him our actions may bring glory and honor to His name.

Let us lift up the Lord Jesus name and praise him in the storm. Let us worship Him in the rain, the sunshine, the coldest of nights, and the hottest of days. Be of good cheer and rejoice and sing Hallelujah, for even now Emanuel, Emanuel on the highest. Worry not about today, nor tomorrow. Trust in the Lord your God and fight the good fight, till He calls you home.

A collection

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Busy:

Busy busy our lives are

So fast goes the clock, so fast the sun moves till it’s dark.

Where did the time go, all the work, the day slips by.

We run and run, appointments, and clean, eat, and work.

Ding goes the phone, a message to glance at. But busy busy, no time.

Sleep comes, and flies by.

Jingle jingle goes the alarm. Check the phone, and off we go.

No time to reply, we must go go go.

Days go by, and busy still, so so busy.

Scrolling through facebook, post this, post post that.

Bills, and work, cook, and sleep.

Buzz buzz, the phone says a message. A glance, but to busy to reply.

Tick Tock:

The time tick by, work, and t-ball, lunch, and laundry, post post to Facebook, online for a bit, then off to sleep. Days days, and weeks to months. How quickly it goes, but all the days, and nights, who’s over there? Who’s on the other end? Tick-tock we can’t go back, the time goes by, who’s there? Ring ring, goes the phone, no answer, no answer. Too busy, or unimportant….. ring ring, but silent, empty, no answer, no nothing.

PSA: Please remember that not everyone is vocal about their struggles. Some struggle in silence. As a nation we don’t like to talk about mental health very much. We don’t like to talk about depression, bi-polar, anxiety, etc. Some people truly suffer in silence. They may go to work, go to their kids games, even have a social media presence, but please know, millions truly do suffer in silence. Be kind, tell your friends you love them. Tell your family how much you appreciate them. Keep showing up and speaking love into the lives of those you interact with. Life’s far too short for us to simply stay in our lane with blinders on.

Faith:

Faith doesn’t always come easily. When times are good, it’s simple to be thankful and happy. When times are bad however, how quickly do we loose our faith in God. We faultier when relationships end, when sickness comes, or when a loved one is taken from us. It is in these times I myself have fallen short of the cross. I have lost sight of who the Father is. Anger, frustration, confusion, and so many other emotions can cause us to forget that Gods will is perfect. God is sovereign. Will we understand? No probably not. But we live in a fallen world. We live in a place that was corrupted and remains corrupted by the blackness of sin. Jesus lost his earthly father at a young age, so we know he understands our pains. Jesus was forced to leave home at the age of two. He lived abroad away from his people in a land not of his own. He understands our sufferings. Faith built on Jesus is built on the rock. It’s foundation should be strong. Do not let this world, do not let Satan, fracture your foundation or tear you away from God the father. Hold strong through the storms. You are not alone in your struggles.

Sometimes:

Sometimes people move on, they don’t call anymore, or write, or text. Sometimes this comes gradually, or all at once. Does this hurt? Sure it does. Sometimes people change, they change their views, their priorities, their opinions, their faith, does it hurt? Sure. Sometimes people you once knew, turn their backs and walk away. Sometimes people talk behind your back. But, sometimes there are friends who stick by you through thick and thin. Sometimes a friend calls out of the blue to just see how you’re doing. Sometimes a friend sends a card, or a text just to say hello. No matter where you are, on any of these things, remember that while we were but sinners, enemies to God, Jesus gave his life to pay the ransom for our sins, our transgressions. WE cannot hope to be perfect, and nor can we expect sinful people to be so. People hurt people because we are hurting. Our sin drives us to make horrible choices, sinful, selfish, dark choices. It is in our sins we find the failings in others, but also in ourselves. While we will be hurt by others, it is vital to our own spiritual health, to forgive those who trespass against us. We must forgive as our savior asked for our forgiveness to what we had done. In our short comings we must fall on our knees, repent, turn from our sinful ways, and beg God for forgiveness. We must never forget what was done on the cross for us, and as such, the next time someone turns from you, walks away, or just isn’t the friend they should be, forgive, and be gracious. Love all, and pray for your enemies. Never loose sight of the one relationship that matters most, Jesus loves you, and was a willing sacrifice so we might live.

Starving:

I eat and yet I am hungry. I drink, and yet I thirst. The addict gets their fix but a hunger, a craving that comes back, time and time again. We are driven by our sin, the lusts of the flesh. We want the worldly things, from women, to power, money, toys, fame, and whatever else you can think of. But it’s more than that isn’t it? It’s wanting to be liked. It’s wanting to be accepted. It’s not wanting to be alone. There is so much of this world we hold onto, but it leaves us what? Wanting more. It reminds of the pirates from “Pirates of the Caribbean” and in it Barbossa says this “But the more we gave them away, the more we came to realize. The drink would not satisfy, food turned to ash in our mouths, nor the company in the world would harm or slake our lust. We are cursed men, Miss Turner. Compelled by greed, we were. But now, we are consumed by it.” Aren’t we consumed by our very sin? In fact, Jesus says this John 4:13-14 “13 Jesus answered, Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Let us never grow weary of taking in the Holy Spirit. Let us never forget what and who is with us every day. Let us never forget what the world has to offer is but temporary, but that from God is eternal.

Find Your Ministry

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Find Your Ministry:

Have you felt like something’s missing in your life? Something you can’t quite describe but you feel it in the morning when you get out of bed and when you’re out with your friends. You feel it deep down into your heart and soul, and you crave answers, but you don’t even know the question. I felt this for many years of my life, and only when I struck the bottom of life’s horrors did I finally realize my heart has been calling to one thing, and that was Jesus Christ. The day I heard the voice of God I realized how long I had been living in the darkness. People think once you find your salvation or you have that one big event that changes everything in your life that you are all of a sudden going to be a perfect human being. This couldn’t be further from the truth. You can continue down a sinful path, but when you feel the love of Christ cover you like a warm blanket your body has revulsion to sinful behaviors. Things of your past will no longer be appealing, they will no longer give you the fake joy you once reveled in. You can continue to ignore those convictions, but you are only denying the truth. When you find Christ you are reborn, by fire your old self is burned away, and you are a new person. When that day comes, what’s your next step? Well, let me show you what your path will look like.

When you find that salvation in Christ you need to seek Godly counsel. You should go to your pastor, or a close friend in Christ. You need to meet with your pastor and talk about yourself, and start looking at ministries to get connected to. At first you should volunteer with as many as you can till you find the one you are most comfortable with. You will be searching for your spiritual gifts that you’ve been blessed with. I hear people tell me all the time there’s nothing they are good at. There’s nothing that makes them special. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Each and every person on this planet has been given gifts from the Holy Spirit and can use them in a ministry field. I think there are a lot of misconceptions as to what ministry is. Most people believe ministry is teaching, or preaching. This is not true, and when you look to the Hebrew of the word ministry it is, Shareth, “Ministry, religious ministry, service in the tabernacle.”  Ministry is service to the Body of Christ. Every job, every works in the service to the Lord as according to your gifts is ministry. This is everyone from those who cook, clean, sing, organize, administration, teach, or preach. Ministries cover every works in the church. Any way for you to service God is a ministry. It’s our job to evangelize but evangelizing is a job for everyone. While people may evangelize and specifically good at missions work, that would be one of their spiritual gifts. You will find a natural interest or desire to particular activities. In this you are being directed by the Holy Spirit to explore different things and you will find it. Not all gifts are found right away, and some require practice. We do not see basketball, football, or hockey players using only their God given talents without also practicing their gifts. We do not improve without putting forth the effort.

God knows us beyond our imagining. We see the true nature of the Blessed Lord especially in Psalm 139:1-13 New Living Translation (NLT)

1 O Lord, you have examined my heart

    and know everything about me.

2 You know when I sit down or stand up.

    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

3 You see me when I travel

    and when I rest at home.

    You know everything I do.

4 You know what I am going to say

    even before I say it, Lord.

5 You go before me and follow me.

    You place your hand of blessing on my head.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

    too great for me to understand!

7 I can never escape from your Spirit!

    I can never get away from your presence!

8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;

    if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there.

9 If I ride the wings of the morning,

    if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

10 even there your hand will guide me,

    and your strength will support me.

11 I could ask the darkness to hide me

    and the light around me to become night—

12     but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.

To you the night shines as bright as day.

    Darkness and light are the same to you.

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

 

If God knew us from before our birth and knows us in our death, knows our path, and what we will do, he designs each and every one of us with care and consideration to how we can serve in accordance with His desires for our service within the Body of Christ. In order to work on our selves, we must work with God by servicing God. Matthew 7:7-11“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” We must pray for our path to be made clear. Pray to Abba and ask how we may serve. We must allow God to mold us, to guide us, and in doing so, we submit to the spirit and let go of our own wants and desires. In doing so we will develop new joys, new dreams, and we will be blessed by God accordingly. Matthew 7:7-117 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”  

Be sure to plug in when you find yourself a church. You will find yourself in need of prayer and thus you will pray, but you will also need to study. Joshua 1:8“8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”We must learn to take scripture into our hearts. The Devil will attack you day and night and he is testing your defenses to find a weakness to break through to poison your heart. Do not part from Christ, instead pray day and night, and study, and take scripture into your heart.

1 Corinthians 12

12 Now, dear brothers and sisters,[a] regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. 2 You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. 3 So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. 7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice[b]; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.[c] 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,[d] while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

One Body with Many Parts

12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,[e] some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.[f] 14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? 18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. 27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:

 first are apostles,

second are prophets,

third are teachers,

then those who do miracles,

those who have the gift of healing,

those who can help others,

those who have the gift of leadership,

those who speak in unknown languages.

29 Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? 30 Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! 31 So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.

Everyone has his or her gifts as seen in scripture. God ensures that every single person has his or her gifts. Never stop praying to God how we can serve. 1 Thessalonians 5:17“17 Never stop praying.”

Affirmations: “emotional support or encouragement.” When you start getting plugged in people will naturally tell you, or thank you for doing a good job. Between passion, desire, interest and talents, you will find your place in the church body. Finding your ministry is like “going to a buffet, some stuff ‘s okay, some stuff is pretty good, some stuff you absolutely hate, stuff you’ll absolutely love and you’ll want more.” (Rev. Glen Newsome, Jr M.A.C.S)  Never stop growing, and learning about God. Your journey will never end, but as you grow your love and appreciation for the shear size and power of the Lord will begin to be revealed to you. It took me 34 years, nearly a dozen traumas, two divorces, loosing my job, and having major back surgery to find my gift in ministry. Never underestimate the lessons that will be used in each and every one of your hardships for the Glory Of God!

 

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Medic

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Medic:

 The medic is a soul of compassion and much like a physician also has an oath.

THE MEDIC CREED

My task is to  provide to the utmost limits of my capability the best possible care to those in need of my aid and assistance. To this end I will aid all those who are needful, paying no heed to my own desires and wants; treating friend, foe and stranger alike, placing their needs above my own. To no man will I cause or permit harm to befall, nor will I refuse aid to any who seek it. I will willingly share my knowledge and skills with all those who seek it. I seek neither reward nor honor for my efforts for the satisfaction of accomplishment is sufficient. These obligations I willingly and freely take upon myself in the tradition of those that have come before me.…These things we do so that others may live.

When tragedy strikes 911 is called. EMS comes with their gurneys, their first aid bag and begins to provide aid. As a Christian we are to lift up and to never tear down. We are told in 1 Corinthians 13:4-13 “4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” I’m not saying loving like this is always easy, but easy or hard, it’s a command by Jesus Christ to love everyone. No, you do not see the command in this scripture, however, you do see it in Mark 12:30-31 “30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” I put this in red because in most bibles this passage is in red. It’s red because it’s from Christ himself. If we are to love God, and to love our neighbor’s, then we must do what love is, and if love is what’s found in Corinthians, then we need to be doing that for everyone we meet. That’s not a suggestion it’s a command. Part of loving is being there when the need arises. Everyone will stumble and fall in their daily walk, but when they do, it’s important to be there to help them back up. Carrying one another’s burdens is important as a Christian. While Jesus was walking to the Skull, he fell three times. He had help carrying his cross and thus showing us we all need help to bare the cross we carry. No one person can go through life and never accept help. As a body of Christ when someone suffers alone the body suffers. We are God’s hand and feet, and we must treat a suffering Christians as if they were apart of us.

In Spiritual Warfare the Devil is trying to destroy us. Are we willing to allow someone to succumb to the Devil? If we are to busy to talk to, or lift someone up, we need to remove something from our lives because we are NOT living in God’s will. God says bare the burdens, be the hands and feet of Christ. Galatians 5:14“14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In loving your neighbor as yourself, and knowing we all carry a cross to follow Christ, we see a second part to scripture. Galatians 6:2“2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” We are all medics for the Lord. We all have the tools, and the ability to make a difference in someone’s spiritual life. We don’t have to have money to help, or food, or connections, sometimes all the help needed is to be a warm hug, a loving word, and prayers. Scripture teaches us how, we only have to read it to learn.

Be looking for ways to lift up others. Be looking for ways to help. Be willing to take the time to talk, to listen, to laugh, and to cry. Being with whosoever needs and fulfilling the law of Scripture. We know trials and trouble will come, but we also have been taught how to navigate the storms.Matthew 4:4 4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” If you take care of yourself by studying scripture, keeping a healthy prayer life, and allow the words to fill your heart and mind, you are less likely to require a medic. You may only need a friend.

DO NOT SELF MEDICATE

If you do not have Jesus in your heart, or if you start to walk away, you may find yourself on a path of destructive pain. Often times when people turn to substances to make themselves feel better they are attempting to fill a void in their heart or life and that hole can usually be found as a Jesus shaped hole. The second possibility is if you are running from painful feelings that you don’t want to deal with. Either path to addiction is one that will only end in pain. People hide their pains in addictions of substances, alcohol, drugs, work, sex, gaming, and even now roll playing to escape reality. If you find yourself suffering from addictions I urge you to you seek help in dealing with this problem. Addictions don’t just affect you, addictions affect everyone around you. Self medication is never okay, but turning to Christ, and those who follow Christ, that will save your life.

There will always be help within the Church. To each person a divine gift is bestowed and together we can handle anything the Devil may send our way, because we have Christ with us always. Keep love in your heart as Christ so loved us, he Died for us. Love others, and be there for others in their time of need. Do not be afraid or embarrassed to ask for help for we all fall, we all sin, and we all have struggles. Do not be dismayed for there is hope as the Son rose, we shall always live with the light. Remember, we are God’s hands and feet, but we do nothing of ourselves. The one with the power the true one and only Medic is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the one who will save you, He is the one who can heal your heart, He is the one who will fill the void of emptiness you feel. You must ask Jesus into your heart, and call upon him to save you. He is the Medic, the cure for sin, the savior of all.

The 11Th Commandment

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The 11Th Commandment: 

Now, I know what you’re saying, but Preacher there’s only 10 commandments, and you would be absolutely correct. There are only 10, but as one of my mentors would say, “Always remember the 11thcommandment. Thou shalt not misquote the pastor.” (Rev. Glen Newsome, Jr M.A.C.S) It’s unbelievable how often a pastor will get up in the pulpit and give an amazing sermon, but there’s always one that hears a different message then the one preached. “One of the most disappointing things for a pastor is realizing people heard a message he did not even preach, which often happens when people hear what they want to hear and wrap the preacher’s words around those things they desire to justify rather than what the spirit has spoken through His messenger” (Dr. M David Chambers, senior Pastor Antioch Baptist Church) I have found in my studies of sermon’s, in my studies teaching, one thing you have to do is repeat your intent in the lesson multiple times. You have to make your message concise and clear, and leave no room for interpretation of your message. The Gospel has sadly been misused and misquoted for centuries. The idea that people have used the Word of the Lord to further their own agenda and play on the fears, and the hope of others for their eternal salvation is sickening. Not too long ago I was listening to a sermon and during the sermon I was writing notes as I usually do. What I heard in the verse we were studying is not at all what that verse meant. As I wrote and wrote I had a full page before I realized how I was wrong, and re-reading the scripture I then sank as I found all that work was for nothing. I didn’t hear what the preacher had said and thankfully I figured out that I was wrong before I went forward and used parts of that message in a blog of my own. Don’t twist other people’s words to bend to your own will. Don’t use scripture to further your own agenda because I promise you, God does not like when people pervert the Word. If you want an example from scripture to what perverting the word looks like, take a look at the ENTIRE New Testament and see how corrupt the Sanhedrin had become. These were top priests, men of God of the Jewish faith who had made the laws of Judaism work for them by adding a new law every so often. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees time and again throughout his ministry. And before I move on, I wanted to point out one small thing without going to into detail, all those prosperity sermons that say, if you give x amount of dollars God will bless you, but if you don’t you aren’t going to get as much of a blessing. This is complete and total garbage from the pit of Hell. There is no Jesus plus one. You need Jesus to be saved, that’s it. There is no extra. You follow Jesus, you walk as close to Jesus as you can in this life, and you study the word day and night and allow it to be engrained in your heart, so when the day comes the Devil tempts you, you can withstand the fiery darts from Hell. The world will tempt you, and lie to you, and say things to you to sway your attention. We as Christians must live in the world, and yet apart at the same time. It’s our job to be evangelists and spread the Gospel to all whom we can, and in doing so, we must learn to spread the TRUTH! Not a sugar coated truth, or a watered down truth, but the HOLY TRUTH, truth that would live up to being scrutinized by scripture. That being said your only truth is that which comes straight from scripture, and only from scripture.

What’s one way you can evangelize, spread the gospel, and know that what you’re saying is true? First things first, study the bible. Pick a book at the beginning, and read. When you’re done, reread that book a second time, and a third time. Find words you don’t know what they mean. Read study bibles so you can get an idea of what the author of the book was trying to reveal. Study the original meaning of the words in Hebrew or Greek. The English language does the Bible poor justice as we often find our words aren’t as eloquent as the original text. We must learn to see what the words mean and thus understand the true nature of the text. I will give one example, simply because this text has been taken out of context, misunderstood, and used against me as a former soldier in the US Army and as it would be, a combat veteran. I was told I was going to Hell because as a soldier I’ve killed people. First, just because I was a combat soldier in Iraq doesn’t mean I killed anyone. (Not saying I did, or didn’t) Second, to assume someone killed another is bad enough, but to actually tell someone that they are going to Hell because of it. So that being said lets take a look at scripture.

Exodus 20 King James Version (KJV)

20 And God spake all these words, saying,

2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

13 Thou shalt not kill.

14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

15 Thou shalt not steal.

16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

22 And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

23 Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.

24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.

25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

Highlighted are the 10 commandments. Notice there is the 10, but there’s also more in the instructions. Also, and while we will only look at one of the 10, I encourage you to use this to start your exploration into legitimate bible study of your own. The word in Hebrew for kill #13 is râtsachwhich means “slayer, murderer, kill, murder, slain, manslayer, killing, slayer, slayeth, death”(Blue Letter Bible) When you dig a little deeper the usage was common to be used with premeditation, cold-blooded murder, assassinations. So when put into context, we know that God has divine rule over all, and we see that in some cases war was necessary because of the sinful ways of man, but the word Kill in English is one word. Hebrew has 12 words for Kill in the OT, and in the Greek of the NT, 7 words that mean kill. With so many different variations, the English language simply doesn’t do the scripture true justice. It’s important that in your study you use websites like Blueletterbible.com and study bibles to broaden your understanding of scripture. It’s up to you to listen without a predetermined heart to what the message is saying. Don’t just hear the words spoken, but listen to the message. Hear the word of God and trust in it, but always verify. Don’t just take a pastors word for it, don’t just take a Sunday school teacher’s word for it, trust by verify.

John 4:7-9“7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) 9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.” What exactly does this verse say? We look at the script earlier and it says either noon, or 6 in the evening. Which during that time period in 6 was noon. But you wouldn’t know how time was recorded unless you look at the history. Second is a woman from Samaria. Women at the time were not allowed to be out of their homes alone. Third is Jewish descendants’ were not supposed to have any dealings with the impure blood of any Samaritan. Talking with a Samaritan was simply not acceptable. As we look at the scripture surrounding this passage, we must both put this passage into context with surrounding verses, but also it’s important to understand the history behind it. You cannot expect to understand scripture if you pull verses just because they sound good. You must understand the author, the environment, the scene as it were, to fully understand what scripture is saying.

Do not misquote the pastors, and do not take away a different message then the one preached. Do not use scripture for your own personal gain by picking passages, pulling them out of context just to fit your own narrative. Be a responsible Christian and study like we are commanded to do so. We are responsible for our own actions and if you find yourself in a situation and your response was ‘The pastor said it was okay.’ Is not going to get you very far. Be mature in your faith. Going to church every day does not make you mature in your faith. Listening to sermons on your phone once in a while doesn’t make you mature in your faith. We must study and commend the word into our hearts. Do not be the one to violate the 11thcommandment. I daresay when you misquote the pastor, you are essentially baring false witness, or testimony of what the pastor had said. The Hebrew for witness in this verse used is ed, and means “עֵד ʻêd, ayd; contracted from H5749; concretely, a witness; abstractly, testimony; specifically, a recorder, i.e. prince:—witness.” (Blue Letter Bible) You are responsible for what you say, and thus if you cannot listen and take away the message being preached, then you are not listening with an open mind and heart. Don’t make your pastor’s job harder then it already is. Don’t force them to put out a fire you started just because you weren’t listening. Have some respect for not only them, but yourself also. Speak on things in which you have authority, and leave the rest alone.

 

Mano, A Mano

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Mano, A Mano

A one on one duel, usually fought in hand-to-hand combat, but has evolved over the years to mean you verse me. When we look back throughout history we see this kind of battle. One of my favorite books is the Iliad. In the book also known as the Trojan War, you see often to save lives on both sides champions were chosen one from either side and the terms of the battle were usually laid out before hand. This tradition carried on and we see it in the Old Testament. 1 Samuel 17:8-11“8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” 10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.” No soldier within the ranks of Saul dared to step forward to face the giant. A young shepherd boy came to see the battle, and since none stepped forward to fight the giant David took the challenge. Going forth with no armor, and just a sword sheathed, a sling, and a few smooth stones from the river, he approached the giant. 1 Samuel 17:48-51 48 “When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.”

The power of God is with the faithful. David against all odds defeated the giant in what would be known today as a flawless victory. I’m reminded of one of my favorite movies the 1989 Batman by Tim Burton, where the Joker calls Batman out to fight one on one. “You heard it, folks. 20 million. And there will be entertainment. The big du karoo. With me in one corner and in the other corner, the man who has brought real terror to Gotham City, Batman. Can you hear me? Just the two of us; you and me. Mano e mano. I’ve taken off my makeup. Now… let’s see if you can take off yours.” (Batman, 1989)

In my life I have often found myself on the receiving end of God’s plans for me. I have pushed, pleaded, run away from, and done anything I could to stay away from God’s plans. I have always believed in Christ, but I always felt God was wrong and I didn’t want to walk that path. As I have walked this path I have often felt that God and I were fighting and in my arrogance I felt that if I ran long enough, far enough, or just changed the topic I might be able to get by without bending to God’s will. I didn’t realize it at the time but my life was a mix between Job’s and Jeremiah’s. Job endured hardships beyond most people’s comprehension. He endured for many years having his situation get worse and worse. Eventually his suffering would end and he would be restored for his faith and would be blessed with more then he ever lost. Jeremiah, a prophet of the Lord for Jerusalem would argue with God. In the book of Jeremiah you see him giving advice to the leaders and his advice would be discounted. God would punish them, and eventually as this happened throughout the entire book, Jeremiah would eventually tell God, ‘I’m done with this! I don’t want to do this anymore.’ God would respond with encouragement, and Jeremiah would grudgingly continue his work for the Lord. Jeremiah as much as he wanted to could not walk away from God’s calling of him. You can fight, but you will always loose to God.

Genesis 32:24-32 “24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,[f] for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel,[g] saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh.” In this passage Jacob is trying to go where he is expressly told not to. Jacob is in quiet reflection and is met by a stranger with whom a fight ensues. We see a divine interaction as Jacob’s hip is displaced with a single touch. It’s believed that Jacob fought with The Angel Of The Lord, or Christ in human form. Jacob wrestles with The Angel Of The Lord, and for being a great warrior he is renamed Israel. While he proved to be a strong warrior, he still would not have won against Christ. No one can.

In Exodus we see Moses fight Pharaoh. Moses with Aaron go before Pharaoh and demand the release of the Hebrews from Egypt. Tempted by Pharaoh the staff is tossed down and became a serpent. The serpent then destroyed the serpents from Pharaoh’s sorcerers. Hardened hearts remained and thus the 10 plagues were released on Egypt one by one. Moses with the grace and protection of God led the Hebrews out of Egypt.

Why is all of this important you ask? God shall never loose. We can run from God but in doing so we will be faced with misery. I’m not saying that if you follow God it’ll be all rainbows and puppies, but you won’t feel miserable in your trials. I have spoken to many in pastoral ministry and the story is always the same, ‘I ran away for a long time, and it was horrible the whole time.’ We all have our path God has intended for us. Some are meant to be in graphic design, while some are meant to be teachers, and others mechanics, but whatever your true path is, you must be willing to obey God’s plan for you. God gives us a choice and I’m reminded of the movie The Rundown with The Rock (Spoilers Ahead). In the movie The Rock’s character is Beck, a retrieval expert and chef. In the beginning of the movie Beck is sent to retrieve a championship ring from the quarterback. “You’ve got two choices, option A: you give me the ring, option B: I make you give me the ring!” I see God saying this to us, ‘Option A: You follow the path I want you on. Option B: I make you follow my path.’ If you’ve never seen the rundown, watch the first club scene. Think of Beck as God and we’re the football players after we don’t follow God’s plan. It goes HORRIBLY wrong for us when we don’t go with option A. In the end Pat Miller askes “What’s with all this hostility.” Beck replies, “Should have taken option A” That’s how God is with us. We can try to run from God, but it will never, ever end well.

All these years running from God’s calling, all I can do now is changing my course. If you’ve been running from the calling God has for you, it’s time to get back on track. If you’ve been denying God it’s time to let go of your hold on this worldly flesh and submit to the governing authority of the Universe. Men do not die for a lie. Men do not endure torture and pain, and loss for a lie. Men do not win wars with God. Free will allows you to walk the path of your choosing. God doesn’t want slaves, but when you are not walking in the light, you walk in the darkness. Wolves, and coyotes, and all manor of predators hunt in the darkness and the Devil is no different. When you choose to walk in the dark you choose to take your chances amongst the most dangerous predators known to mankind. Anyone who’s ever walked the path of darkness and one-day came to the light will tell you the same thing. Misery comes to all who walk in darkness, but light brings hope. Walking in the light gives new purpose, and new meaning to ones life. Trials will still come, but you will always be better suited to handle the storms, and you can weather any storm so long as you keep the Lord God in your heart. God loves you and doesn’t want you to suffer, but when you choose to walk in the absence of light, you choose your own path of suffering. Don’t run from God anymore, stand up, stand tall, and submit to Jesus Christ, and know that his blood was shed for you, so don’t let it be in vein. Embrace God, and you shall be embraced by the Father and all the angels on high.

 

 

 

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It’s a wonderful thing to be able to share the blessings and teachings of Christ with all of you. For those who read my works in Christ, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Recently I came across an amazing home business based in Travel and Entertainment that’s the real deal. The savings found through this business are amazing. If you shop online, like to go to movies, or travel, this gift card for you can save you up to 50%. Please enjoy your gift as a symbol of my appreciation and gratitude. God Bless.

Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast

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Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast:

When we get up in the morning we are on the go from dawn till dusk. The rush of life seems to have gotten much more busy, hectic and we now find little time to focus on the words and will of God. Don’t try to rush through life because you’ll miss God’s small blessings.

I remember when I was in the military preparing for my deployment to Iraq, we were training to breach into houses and buildings, it’s called mount training. A saying we had was “slow is smooth, smooth is fast.” The idea is that when one rushes into a situation mistakes are made. If we just slow down a little, the mistakes can be lessened. As we have read in scripture, life is a marathon. We must learn to slow down to see our blessings and hear what God is telling us, we are but faithful servants of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We must come to learn how to move through life with purpose. Moving with a purpose for which God has called. We have a glorious purpose each and every one of us. We have been blessed with intent to do our work with our gifts, glorify the Father who has shown us grace and mercy. Proverbs 16:4“The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.” Do not be afraid of tomorrow. Do not fear the road for even in darkness there will always be light. Do not look towards tomorrow and miss today. Every moment we live in this world we have an opportunity to better it. We have chances to spread the Gospel and preach the truth of Jesus Christ. We cannot expect to We live, we live for the Lord. We Die, we die for the Lord. Whether we live or die, we do so for the Lord. Ephesians 2:10“10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” We are made perfect in the Lord, sent here to live this life in a mission that only we can do. Each and every one of us plays a part in God’s plan, and we must be willing to hear it, to live it, to act on it every day of our lives.

Matthew 28:18-20“18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” We must remain vigilant in the fight for Christ. We must walk in love and in faith, and never return hate with hate, violence with violence. We must love because love concurs all things, because Christ loved and concurred all to include death. We must go forth and spread the word not because we should, but Christ commanded it to be done. We will suffer along the road, and we will face all manner of persecution, but there is nothing this world can do, to ever strip us of our salvation. There will be days when the attacks are many, and the hurt runs deep, but I say to you do not fall into the trap the Devil has laid before you, stand tall, stand firm, and resist. Be slow to speak so we do not douse the flame with fuel. A quick turn burns bridges, but a slow tongue extends resolve. James 1:19 “19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;”

Though we will suffer long as promised by the Lord, we shall do so as Christ also suffered and died for us. We are blessed by grace and love, and with the abundance our cup should always be overfilled. Galatians 5:22-23“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Spread this love every chance you get. The spirit loves and washes over us, and we must slow down and focus on the relationship with God, so that we may share with others our blessings and truth. Hebrews 12:1 ”12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” Slow down and see the temptations and the sins of the world. Be focused on the righteous path. Always be precise in your conversations and your communications. When we’re quick to speak we often make matters worse. Do not rush through your bible study. Go through the word with meaningful purpose. Read, read and reread the Bible and study the language. Learn the truth and share it.

Climb the mountain one careful step at a time. When climbing Mount Kilimanjaro  there’s a saying by the guides, “Pole, Pole” which means slowly, slowly. Rock climbing is an activity where slow deliberate movements are done to ensure reliability and safety. Each move can be the difference between life and death. Understand that in life there is a need for smooth paths and steps. Always be in control of your tongue, your actions and your directions. While the only thing needed for salvation is Jesus Christ, I cannot imagine someone who would follow Christ and not have a desire to share the good news with others. Philippians 1:6“6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Walk in peace my friends, my brothers and sisters, and remember, slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. God Bless.

 

 

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Thank you all for taking time out of your day and reading this post. As a small token of my appreciation here is a gift card for travel, entertainment, or shopping. No gimmick just a real website where you can get huge savings on everyday items or travel. Don’t waist money on things at retail price when you can get them at wholesale price. Check it out.