The godly are no more

Psalm 12 - Lord, it seems that the "wheat and the chaff" are being more and more separated these days, here in late 2013. It is true that the world system (i.e. The World) has stridently conditioned at least everyone here in the US to think of belief in You as backwards, superstitious, narrow-minded, infantile, un-intellectual, anti-science(!), bigoted, intolerant, even cruel ...

Yet, those who know You -- praise You, Lord, for opening our eyes -- see what is happening. Those who never really knew You (even those who claimed to know You), are absorbed by The World. They create their own "gods", justifications, and rationales. Their "hardened hearts" grow harder still.

But your children hang on to you, and they prepare to face the mobs, The World, knowing all is appointed by you. If we are spared, it is to your glory; if we must suffer, it is also to your glory.

I pray that we remain strong in You, Lord, and be allowed in closer to You. The World Stage is being prepared for the entrance of the evil one incarnate. The separation will then be even more pronounced and the persecutions intensified. I hold to the sentiment of Psalm 27: "Wait for the Lord. Be strong, take heart, and wait for the Lord."

How the saints of old would have longed to be living in this hour! I consider myself blessed to be placed here by You at this time, to be a living witness to your glory as all this unfolds in the minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years ahead.

As in the days of Noah ...

"AS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH"

The question I've had in Genesis 6 is "Why didn't Satan also corrupt Noah?" Satan apparently was successful in corrupting the rest of humanity, to the extent that God had to "pull it" and begin again through Noah.

And why, by the way, did God allow this corruption to occur in the first place, knowing full well that it would ultimately destroy all but a handful of his Creation? He is sovereign after all. He could have easily just spoken it all away.

I now think the answer is something loosely like the following:

God is engaged in a kind of spiritual "chess match" with Satan, His creation. This has been the plan from the get go. Satan was always going to have a major role in this Creation story. Satan was likely even created especially for this purpose (of "humanity destroyer") — complete with his incredible beauty and intense drive for recognition — for God knew Satan's (or, Lucifer's) future when He created him.

But God is clearly in control of this match, even if Satan doesn't fully believe that. And Satan — as brilliant as he is, and he is light-years more brilliant than even the most brilliant humans — is no match for God. Satan sees the game in finite dimensions, while God sees it in infinite dimensions, "as the heavens are higher than the earth."

So, it goes like this: God lets Satan make his moves first, then God sort of says, "OK, is that your final answer, your final move?" Once Satan commits, God then makes HIS move.

In the case of "the days of Noah", one of Satan's moves is to introduce the Nephillim, the product of fallen angels mating with human women. These Nephillim then reproduced like a virus, until the entire Creation was apparently tainted. This was Satan's attempt to to corrupt the line of Adam to prevent the fulfillment of the Messianic redemption.

Satan makes his move, and it looks to him like he just checkmated God. "Is that your final answer, your final move?" asks God. Satan clearly answers in the affirmative, maybe even holding back a bit of a smug smile.

Then God makes His move. Satan is likely puzzled when he sees what God does, because he doesn't see its ramifications at first or what it really means. But God has effectively preserved the line of Noah, just one man in all creation. It's so subtle that Satan just cannot see it. But he must realize that somehow "checkmate" has eluded him.

Satan probably won't truly begin to understand the significance of this move until the ark is being built. It will certainly hit him full force when the flood finally comes and he sees his entire plan washed away — except, of course, for one uncorrupted man, Noah — whose bloodline will carry on God's Messianic plan.

Why does God do it this way?  I don't know. As God himself says in Is 55:8-9:

 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

   neither are your ways my ways,”

            declares the LORD.

9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,

   so are my ways higher than your ways

   and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Are You Ready?

As we roll through 2011, 63 years after the founding of the nation of Israel (think of those 70 "weeks" of Daniel), with the world being prepared to accept a global economy (and thus a world government) ... the three key nations of the final battle of Armaggedon forming a union in front of our very eyes (Russia, China, Iran) ... all the nations of the world pressuring for Jerusalem to be divided ... a proposed UN vote coming up on Palestinian statehood in late September ... three comets coming through our solar system and near to earth now (Honda) and over the next few months (Elenin and Levy) ... a series of unusual lunar and solar eclipses occurring, significantly enough, over the coming seven years ... It makes me wonder:

Am I  ready to go when Jesus makes the call? Am I really ready to be "raptured"?

I think just about anyone who calls Jesus "Lord" will say confidently, "Sure, I'm ready now!"

But are we really ready?

I ask because Jesus warns us several times throughout the gospels that we need to "be ready" for when He calls us. He even says that some will not be ready. For example:

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day that your Lord will come . . . So you must be ready, because the Son of man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matt. 24:42, 44 NIV emphasis mine).

And in Matthew 25, we see the foolish virgins who were not ready (with oil for their lamps) when the Lord arrived, and they were left out of the feast.

And in Mark 13:25 He says: "Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back--whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn."

So, we need to be ready, mentally, spiritually, and most importantly, in our relationship with The Lord Jesus Christ.

I don't believe it will be like in the "Left Behind" series, that suddenly people go "poof" and they just unexpectedly disappear "in the twinkling of an eye".  If that's the case, where does readiness fit in, and how will we know we are ready?

Selling the Sin

Sin is constantly knocking at my door. It never seems to stop.

The problem is that I befriended Sin for most of my life, and it was my constant companion. Well, in reality, I was Sin's slave. That is until the Holy Spirit arrived and equipped me to deal with Sin, through HIS power and not my own.

But Sin does not give up. It wants me back. It still shows up on my doorstep, and knocks.

Sin is like a master sales person who knows all your secret likes, wishes, fears, and dreams. Sin has a very pleasant voice, even kind of soothing. And Sin can be sexy! It's attractive, has a friendly, familiar smile, and knows how to be oh so enchanting.

Sin is not deterred in the least by hearing a "no" or "go away" from me, because Sin -- like any good sales person -- knows that it may have to get through many, many "no's" before it finally gets a "yes".  Getting to "yes" is all that matters.  Sin constantly beckons: "Hey Paul, check this out. Think about this. Click that link. Just give me a minute and you'll see what I mean. It will just be a second, in fact. Remember this?"

But once you let Sin enter, it's VERY difficult to get it to leave. It charms you, entices you, as only it knows how! "Oh, come on," it might say, "we both know that a little of this will not be a problem for you. It's fun. It's just fantasy. You deserve it. You can always shut it down when you want to. After all, you're stronger
now than you've ever been."

Oh yeah: Sin is a convincing liar, too.

The only action you should take is to ask the Holy Spirit to remove the Sin that is assaulting you. Jesus died for us (the only perfect sacrifice possible) so that we would not be controlled by Sin.  But we can't battle it ourselves. Sin is too powerful for us (all though it lies all that the time about that, too, and makes you believe you actually control it). The Holy Spirit -- God Himself -- is the only One who can send Sin on its way.

Finally, remember that Sin is also a master of disguise. You often don't realize you are entertaining Sin. Sometimes it's just a thought. A fantasy. A longing. A regret. A fear ... it's never obviously Sin.

But the Holy Spirit shines a spotlight on Sin, and the more we are filled with the Word and the Holy Spirit, the more we see Sin for what it really is:  A killer and a destroyer.

Train yourself in the Spirit -- through prayer and studying God's Word -- so that you will NEVER be tempted beyond your means to open the door to Sin, or even entertain the idea of opening it.   And even if you do open the door, whether by mistake or in a moment of weakness or curiosity, close it right away, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Do not let sin get a second and third step into your life, no matter how innocuous and harmless it seems.

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. - Mt 26:41

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. - 1 Cor 10:13

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. - Eph 6:10-11

The Word Exploding in Your Mind

The Word of God reminds me of a pop corn kernel. When it is put to the heat supplied by the Holy Spirit, it expands -- even "explodes" -- in your mind and spirit, bringing on deeper understanding and wisdom.  It is indeed the Living Word from the Living God.

Staying in Tune, Fully Charged, and Saturated by The Holy Spirit

Here are three things I've come to understand about the Holy Spirit in my life:

1) STAY IN TUNE: Like a guitar badly out of tune, which grieves our ears and is unpleasant, our spirits "out of tune" with the Lord can actually grieve the Holy Spirit, and hinder our communication with Him. Yes, we can grieve the Spirit, through bitterness, rage, anger, slander, quarrelling, and "every form of malice", as noted in Ephesians 4:30.

The more I allow the things of the world and the flesh to control me, the more out of tune my spirit becomes, and the more difficult it becomes to turn control of my life over to the Holy Spirit. How do I stay in tune with the Holy Spirit? By prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving at all times and in all circumstances, along with daily feedings on God's Word.

2) BE FULLY CHARGED: Our spirits are like positive (+) and negative (-) charges. When we are "fully charged" in the Lord, HIS wisdom, love, and guidance -- which He pours out on us at all times -- sticks to us, like metal to a magnet. Or we might think of it as when we are "positively" charged, WE are attracted to God and his Word.

When my charge diminishes, I am less attracted to the Word, and that allows more "negative" things (sin, worldly concerns) to grow around me and in me. These things clutter my spirit. Feeding on the Word, praying

Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth

As people like Rob Bell (author of "Love Wins") and other liberal theologians do their best to eliminate the reality of Hell  -- believing that a loving God would never allow one of his creations to experience eternal torment  -- the assumption seems to be that people would be sentenced to Hell against their will. That they will be cruelly tormented and tortured for eternity for something -- being fallen human beings -- they had no real control over. That in Hell they would clearly see the light and be incredibly regretful and remorseful and sorry for all they've done. These pour souls. How could a God of Love allow them to be tortured for eternity? What kind of monster would such a God be?

According to Rob Bell, that's not the God he knows. Nor is it the God I believe is described in the Bible. Jesus Christ, The Lord God of all Creation, is a God of forgiveness (Eph 1.7). Anyone who genuinely seeks forgiveness from God, and who repents of their sin (i.e. to simply admit our wrong, accept His forgiveness, and ask for His help to stop doing what is wrong and to start living in a way that pleases Him) "will not perish, but have eternal life." (Jn 3:16) That's not my opinion. That's God's promise to us.

And Jesus paints a very different picture of those who spend eternity in Hell. He describes unrepentant sinners. He says that they will be "weeping and gnashing their teeth." He says that seven times, in fact.

Some people mistakenly think of "weeping and gnashing of teeth" as describing remorse, as regret about bad choices made and missed possibilities: "Oh, if I only knew, if I only did this or that, Oh, whoa is me."

We think of these poor souls -- maybe our family or our friends -- as living in this regret that simply boils down to, as Robert Frost might say, "the road not taken."  They made mistakes, unfortunate bad choices in their short time on earth, and now must pay an outrageous price ... for eternity? That seems unfair, say those who agree with Rob Bell. Kind of like getting a life sentence for jay walking.

But the same words Jesus uses for "gnashing of teeth" are also used in scripture accounts that have nothing to do with hell, and in these examples, you can't associate "gnashing of teeth" with anything resembling remorse or regret.

For example, in Acts 7:54, the religious mob who stoned Stephen to death are described as being "furious and gnashed their teeth at him."


Here are other examples from scripture:

CREATION ACCOUNT AND EVOLUTION THEORY

I'm always impressed at the zeal with which "modernists" slam creation science as "non-science", and that it should never, ever, ever, be mentioned in the science curriculum, even as just a footnote that says something like "not everyone buys the evolution myth".  

Yet evolution theory STILL has little or no indisputable scientific evidence to show for itself, since all its major claims (including those declaring that entirely new species magically sprung from other species already in existence!) conveniently took place behind the mysterious cloud of time, with its millions and billions of years, and still haven't materialized in the form of non-debatable evidence (thus the term "Theory"). And this is a profound void, considering that evolution is supposedly based on natural, materialistic "scientific evidence."

Meanwhile, most of the contemporary scientific evidence that IS documented, in the form of existing fossil records, archeology, molecular biology, genetics research, and even probability studies, points emphatically to the creation account as the more scientifically credible of the two.

But we can't call it "science", because those of us who simply present it also happen to have faith in the God who made it all. And that disqualifies us. And it. God is in there somewhere. And the naturalistic science establishment cannot accept such evidence, even if it's sitting right there in plain daylight (created in Day 4, by the way). It's not about truth. Or even evidence. It's about their world view, and their need to preserve it.

As for the paltry body of actual "naturalistic" evidence for evolutionary origins, I suppose it's clear by now that Mr Darwin and his more open minded disciples would be, and in fact those still living are, extremely disappointed in the modern scientific evidence results for their theory, so far ... 

Scientific knowledge

Interesting facts I came across recently ...

Sir Fred Hoyle, an English astronomer and mathematician (and atheist, by the way),  has calculated the odds of life forming by itself, randomly and unintelligently, by simply having the "right" ingredients bump into each other in the so-called "primordial soup", as 1 in 10^40,000 ... and that's assuming that all the basic ingredients are already in the soup.  That's 10 with 40,000 zeros after it. Forty thousand.

Pretty long odds. I can't even get my head around that number.

By way of comparison, there are a few calculations out there that estimate the number of atoms making up the observable universe (that is, counting stars and planets we believe are out there, in addition to earth), and they estimate it as 10⁸⁰, give or take a power here or there.  That's 10 with 80 zeros ... even that's a hard-to-handle number ...

Here's another comparison that puts it in better "human" terms, for me, anyway:

Are condoms more acceptable than Bibles in public schools?

I read a news article today about the recent uproar in Alabama, where school personnel actually made Bibles available to students in a public school. Imagine that! The forbidden book itself, right out there where poor innocent students might pick it up and actually consider reading some of it.  Good God, what is this world coming to?

Check this out:  I took the news article, and did a "find-and-replace", replacing Bibles and Bible, with condoms and condoms.  Amazing how it reads after that.

The funny thing is, I believe that if my "find-replace" version of the article ran on MSNBC.com, the lefty readers there would be howling about what prudes those "right-wing fundamentalist" parents are for complaining.

Anyway, here's the "edited" article, with the key words replaced:

Who Am I?

I suppose before I get too far along in this blog, I should identify myself a bit, and my relationship with God.

PERSONAL

First, who I am: I'm a 50ish (closer to the sixtyish side) married guy with a precious, wonderful wife of 30 years (married years, although she still looks 30 to me!), and two lovely daughters in their late twenties. I'm a writer by craft, although most of my career has been on the marketing and promotions side of the publishing industry (nothing glorious or glamorous, mostly academic and sci-tech publishing).

MUSIC

I'm a semi-pro musician who plays guitar, sings, and performs two or three times a month in local restaurants and taverns, where I am quite gifted as a classic rock, blues, and pop song acoustic cover artist. I mostly play with another guitar-playing partner, along with some separate band work thrown in with some former work colleagues. This will give you an idea of what I do.

I've done some Praise performing, and have written several worship and praise songs, but the Lord hasn't quite opened doors for me to do a lot of this. Here's a recent clip of a solo worship coffeehouse I did in the spring of 2010. I have prayed often for new opportunities to perform praise and worship music, but up to now it is the other music that He is opening doors to. I trust Him. When and if He wants me to minister through praise and worship music, I know He will deliver the opportunities.

MY WALK WITH THE LORD

I've been saved by Jesus Christ since back in the mid 70s, although I can truthfully say that I was more like the prodigal son during the first twenty years or so. But I did have faith in Jesus Christ. I realize now that I just didn't know Him very well.

It wasn't until I hit a bit of a parenting crisis with my adolescent daughter in the early-90s that I truly began to give my life to the Lord, and trust in Him -- and I read the Bible from cover to cover for the first time. At that time, He blessed me with this personal "anchor" verse, which gave me incredible comfort and strength during those troubled times. It's from Psalm 27: 13-14 ...

I am still confident of this:

that I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living;

Wait for the Lord:

Be strong, take heart,

and wait for the Lord.

I have held that verse in my heart, along with Psalm 23 (The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want ...), which I have memorized.

My faith grew stronger between 2001 - 2002, when I was unemployed for the first time in my life, and I spent just about every day in the Word with the Lord. He truly sustained me and patiently walked with me during that time.

Then, once I was re-employed between 2002 - 2008, I amazingly, amazingly, became a bit of a prodigal son again, somehow walking away from the very God who had sustained me all along. Funny how when you suddenly find no time for studying and meditating on the Word, it's easy to slowly walk off the "righteous path" and simply not realize how deeply lost you are. You get so caught up in "the world" and all its glitter and promise. That happened to me. Compromise after compromise. I'm sure that I grieved the Holy Spirit during that time, just as the Prodigal surely grieved his father.

Then in late 2008, I was again laid off. Looking back on that event, it was the jolt I really needed.  I quickly came back to the Lord, repented everything and asked Him to shine a bright spotlight on my soul so that I could hold back nothing from Him! He graciously and lovingly held me and welcomed me back -- reminding me that He never left me.

Since then my walk with the Lord has never been closer nor more intense. The Lord has delivered to me an incredible opportunity to work from home, in the publishing industry, and He has blessed this endeavor tremendously, way beyond what I expected. The big by-product of this is that I have lots of flexible time, and I get to spend quality time in the Word everyday. I have come to truly understand just how big my God is! And gracious. And kind. And loving. And good. Oh so very good!

In mid 2010, He gave me a new anchor verse to live by, Proverbs 3: 5-6:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make your paths straight.

Amen. Trusting in Him -- and especially not leaning on my own understanding of things -- is crucial at this time in our culture and in my life. So much is happening in the spiritual realm, and manifesting itself here on earth, that it's easy to misunderstand and misread what we are seeing. Only the Lord can see through this growingly complex maze of life we now live. We need to trust in Him with all our heart!

WHAT I BELIEVE

I believe in the three-person-ed God -- the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- and put my faith in Jesus Christ as my personal savior, who died on the cross and took away my sin, allowing me to claim HIS righteousness as my own. He is the ONLY way to the Father. "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Jn 14:6). Jesus is God, and through Him all things were made.  

I also believe that the Bible is the living word of God, and that we are to understand it and trust it as it is written. It is 100% truth. There are no "myths" in the Bible. I believe anyone who claims that some or all the accounts in the Bible are myths or legends is in effect revealing that they do not really believe in or have faith in the true God who is described in detail throughout the Bible.

I believe that if you truly know the Lord God, Creator of Heaven and Earth (and you can't truly know him without reading and studying His Word ... ALL of it), it's impossible to consider for even a nanosecond that He COULDN'T easily and without even breathing hard do everything that is described in the 66 books of the Bible -- from Genesis to Revelation, whether that includes making "them both, male and female," bringing the Flood, putting Jonah in the belly of the fish, raising Christ from the cross, and so much more ...

I look forward to sharing thoughts and inspiration from the Lord in this blog. May it bring Him glory.

-- Paul

In the Game ...

For several years now, I have kept a prayer journal. I make all my entries by pencil (with a pencil sharpener nearby at all times) in a regular spiral-bound notebook, and I usually make them after reading the Word and asking the Holy Spirit to fill my heart. I think I'm on my third notebook.

It's amazing to go back in time, through my journal entries, and see where I was on a given day ... what was on my heart ... what kind of insights I had ... and how God chose to answer me, or not answer me.

I sometimes receive wonderful insights about scripture that I am very sure is due to the Holy Spirit opening my eyes and heart to the truth I am reading. Recently, I began to wonder if I should be connecting with other believers and sharing these insights and thoughts, and generally entering in conversations with like-minded brothers and sisters.

So, that's what this blog is about. In the immediate future, I will go through my journal entries and look for relevant insights and observations to share, always first consulting the Holy Spirit and asking for God's guidance. I can think of at least a good handful of entries I'll want to share.

From there, I will then go "live" and make entries as they occur to me, and relay experiences that open my eyes to God's hand in my life.

I look forward to connecting with other bloggers, so if you come across this and want to connect, please be sure to leave a comment.

-- Paul