DECEPTION (02/02/2009)

All of my life I have been taught to tell the truth. I taught my boys that they might get into trouble for what they did, but they would be in worse trouble for lying. Truth may not always be the easiest path and the whole truth may not always seem to be the best course of action, but if we are to survive in the human family, we must be able to tell the truth as well as recognize it. We must be able to deal with the light of truth and banish the darkness of lies.

I know that most of you have at one time or other been offended when I have corrected a false email that you sent me. I have been guilty of sending out email that I did not check out, myself. Others have corrected me for perpetuating the lie in an email through apathy or unconcern and sending it on to be re-sent and re-sent and re-sent to the ends of the web.

The Internet is an easy place to get lost in, especially since it seems to be so full of light. I mean, really, aren’t we raised to believe in the written word and everything we see on television and hear on the radio? If they say it or write it, it must be true, right? Seriously, how many of you have to train yourselves not to believe things you read or hear?

The Holy Bible is totally, unequivocally, undeniably TRUE…. yet, even it has been translated so many different ways, if you look long enough, you can find a translation that fits what you are trying to do. It may not be correct but it’s available. We believe that each translation is okay, just different. (Not so.)

We have allowed ourselves to be manipulated into believing whatever we see or hear. We are so busy that we do not want to take the time to hold it to the light, just assuming that the presenter has already done so.

A case in point is an email that I just forwarded to a lot of people. It had to do with demographics about the previous election and had “true facts” that I really wanted to believe about how the Republicans should have won because of sheer numbers. Normally, I would have looked it up, but it just seemed to be true. It also contained a quote that I had heard used in a church setting, so I didn’t question it…until after I had sent it.

Being thrilled that I had found the quote again, I “googled” part of it to get more information about it and what I found convicted me of becoming slack in the search for the truth. One result sent me to www.snopes.com where I should have started to begin with and said that the demographics part of the email originated around 2000 after the first Bush election, was inaccurate, and then resurfaced after the next one, only to come back again after this one. A second one sent me to http://www.lorencollins.net/tytler.html to find out that through extensive research, the quote was inaccurate, was attributed to the wrong person, and was actually a combination of at least two different quotes, one of which was not even related to the subject at hand. (And how accurate are these sources?)

I had sent out something that was a lie. I could almost feel my nose growing!

Lying is not part of my nature and does not happen without cost. There are always consequences. Even so, it is just easier, sometimes, to fall back on our indoctrination from childhood…if it’s written or they’re saying in public, then it has to be true or else they could be sued for slander or libel. Right!…. We just came through an election that was won by media manipulation. How could I have let my guard down? How can any of us?

The bible says that Satan constantly looks for those that he can devour (1 Peter 5:7-9): we are to be aware of his schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11): he is the father of lies (start in Genesis): he knows the bible better than we do (read the conversation between him and Jesus when he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil in Matthew 4): he can appear as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14.)

Any idea how he can control us without our even knowing it?

We allow him in a bit at a time…. a little lie here; a little lie there. White enough not to cause a problem, but not quite the truth, either. It’s too little to worry about. Before long it seems to be the truth, so we file it away in our brains as the truth.

I remember as a child being told by the government through posters and school participation that we should seek out a “bomb shelter” in the event of a nuclear bomb. We even had “bomb raid” practice…. like tornado drills. As a matter of fact, they were the same thing. We got in the middle of the hall and covered out heads with our arms facing the wall. Out of school, we were to go to a designated basement.

We felt so safe. The government was so kind and thoughtful as to want to save our lives. We bought into the lie and I guess it worked because I really felt like covering my head with my arms was going to save me from a bomb blast and a deadly tornado. (Little lie to a young child…truth) My parents were just as convinced that the shelters would save us from annihilation by “the bomb.” The government knew then, that it was a lie, but they wanted to get re-elected and keeping the public feeling safe is a good way to do that.

We wanted to feel safe, so we went along with it. I mean, after all, we elect our government leaders and they have to do what we want them to… so… we are in control of the situation. They would not lie, would they? Little lie? We want to believe it because not to believe it means we have no control over it. For the next several years, we were believing “the truth” that the government wanted to keep us safe by sending us to “bomb shelters” even after we knew the destruction and death toll in Japan caused by the same bombs we were being sheltered from. Gradually, the signs disappeared and we didn’t hear anything about it anymore.

Here’s the kicker…you’re sitting there wondering at my naivety..but how did you feel when the twin towers went down? Didn’t that blow your sense of being kept safe by the government right out of the water? Little lie…truth. We believed we were safe. We had been indoctrinated to feel that way.

Why did you feel safe? We are surrounded by illegal aliens that do not want to be deported; by homosexuals that want to silence us; murderers, thieves, drug dealers, rapists and child molesters that get turned back onto the street because their rights were violated; computer child stalkers everywhere because their free speech rights might get infringed upon. The police and military that are trying to protect us are some of the lowest paid, under equipped, verbally abused people in the country. After 9/11 you can add Jihadists that want to annihilate us to the list of threatening people.

This is not an article meant to bash the government. It is to show you how subtly a lie can sneak in and deceive you causing you to file it away as truth. Motives do not matter. A lie is a lie. Delivery of the lie doesn’t matter. It is still a lie. Perception can turn it into truth, but it is still a lie.

This example is just showing you how the small, inconsequential lie of the government being able to keep us safe can be perceived as truth even in the face of the destruction of Hiroshima, horrors of successive wars, Watergate, impeachment of a president, assassinations and attempted assassinations of presidents and senators, the clock tower sniper, Columbine, the disappearances of Jimmy Hoffa, Madeline O’Hare, and thousands of children. And the beat goes on….

You can see how just one or two lies can take hold in your mind as truth when you hear yourself telling your neighbor, “Yeah, I think Homeland Security is doing it’s job to keep us safe. We haven’t been attacked on U. S. soil since 9/11.”

Well, we didn’t have one between Pearl Harbor and 9/11 either, but then we did. The truth is…they don’t know. If they did, we could still leave our doors unlocked and our children could play outside.

So reckon how many little lies…truths are in our minds because of Satan’s deception? Just a few years ago we did not have to watch nudity on television, even Rob and Laura slept in separate beds (Mary Tyler Moore Show.) We did not hear foul language and did not have to watch blood and guts splattering all over the screen to be able to see a good movie. Now, we sit down to watch a movie and never think twice about people in bed together or a little foul language because we have been conditioned to recognize it as normal. Little lies…truth.

Little lies…. truths?

§ I can gossip with my best friend because no one else will find out…God will understand that we have to talk to somebody!

§ It’s okay to eat that second dessert because only I will know.

§ 72 mph isn’t breaking the speed limit enough to count.

§ It isn’t judgment: it’s my opinion.

§ It is not my responsibility to appraise email before I send it on to others.

§ I don't have any gifts and even if I did, God couldn't use me in that situation.

What lies have you perceived as truth? Did God really say ......?

May God bless you some more!

Is This Time Biblical & What Do We Do Now? Part 2

Knowing that many people are afraid right now, because of the liberal platform of the elected Democrats, I apologize if this article makes that worse. I don’t want to be a “doomsday prophet.” We need to come against the Spirit of Fear and know that Christ has won the victory!

If you look at Scripture, especially in Matthew 24, you will see that we are getting really close to the end times. We may not know the time or the day, but Jesus tells us of the events surrounding it. I think we are looking at the entire chapter of Matthew 24 unfolding.

We have to go through all these things: persecution, wars, famines, earthquakes, being hated and hating each other, false prophets, being killed, deception, false messiahs, the desecration of the Holy Place in Jerusalem, before Christ returns.

For several years, now, Christians in the United States have been going through persecution. Just look at prayer being taken out of schools, the Ten Commandments being removed from courthouses, and now, Christians are being targeted for hate crimes because we do not accept homosexuality as a lifestyle or abortion as anything but murder. If you compare the U. S. To other countries, our persecution is negligible, but worsening. Matthew 24:9-10 says, 9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.” Verse 10 could relate to the past election and the coming four years of the extreme liberal agenda.

Wars and rumors of wars have really increased over the last few years. Just look at all of the civil wars (Viet Nam, Korea, Bosnia, etc.) and the rumors of what the Muslims are doing and going to do. The Muslims have risen against the U. S. through the terrorists attacks; U. S. has risen against Iraq & Afghanistan seeking the terrorists. Most countries are rising up against Israel. Matthew 24:6-8, 6“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. (Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, crop failures, famines….like we have never seen are on the increase.)

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. This is where I think we are…in the era of sorrows.

This verse warns us about the influx of false prophets or lying preachers (depending on which translation you are reading)…. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. I think we are witnessing this now. I believe if a prophet operating in the Office of Prophet is indeed a prophet of God, then, what comes out of his mouth better be right 100% of the time. Do you think Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel or Hosea spoke lies from their mouths? I do not. False prophets are here in great numbers and we will recognize them by what comes out of their mouths. AND IF, the Scripture is referring to lying preachers, just take a look at the “fallen” ones over the past few years! Matthew 7 says, 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”

Back to Matthew 24… verse 12 “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” How many people do you personally know that have fallen away from God? How many have replaced the first love that they had in their early years, with an easier lifestyle; a lifestyle of greed, sexual sin, hate, etc.? I know I left for a while. It’s so easy to put Jesus on the back burner when we are satisfying our own lustful or prideful desires. Remember how almost everyone attended church when we were kids? It was a way of life. Now…..we can't even fill 1/3 of our building and our children are being “fought for” by each church in our community, it seems.

In verse 15, Jesus starts telling about the beginning of the Great Tribulation. If we witness or hear about the “abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel, standing in the Holy Place,” we had better know our Bible. It will be our guide through those days…..IF we haven't already gone to heaven beforehand. (That’s a different article! Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation, Post-Tribulation rapture….That is a great debate.)

13-14 "Staying with it—that's what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won't be sorry, and you'll be saved. All during this time, the good news—the Message of the kingdom—will be preached all over the world, a witness staked out in every country. And then the end will come.” (The Message)

So how do we endure? Stand on God’s Word…. Do Good…. Pray….. Obey…. Trust….. Have faith……. Spread the gospel….. Don’t worry…. Love God…. Love each other…. Love your enemies…..

Do not worry: Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Pray: Ezekiel 22:30, “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”

Obey: Deuteronomy 6: 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Stand on God’s Word: Matthew 25: 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

Stand on His Word: Romans 8: 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Trust & Obey: Proverbs 3: 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Pray: 2 Chronicles 7:14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

The list goes on and on and on….. Keep studying so you will know. Make your own lists Be prepared, for we know not the time.…maybe not tomorrow or even the next 20 years, but Satan is there, ready to attack you at the least little crack in the door. This election?….. just another way Satan can cause worry and grief.

God’s in control. He knows what He’s doing.

We just need to always be doing what we are supposed to do. Study His Word. Even if things get really bad, it’s in there. How to fix it?….it’s in there. How to react?….It’s in there. Is it okay to fight for biblical principles? Yes, Read Matthew 21:12-13 –it’s in there.

So if you still have trouble coming to terms with things, talk to someone. God’s Word says to seek wise counsel…it’s in there!

May God bless you some more!

Is This Time Biblical & What Do We Do Now? Part 1

As I read through my email from friends, news services and commentaries from Christian websites, listen to radio shows and TV news, I am so grieved by the tone set by them. People are so sad and scared and in a state of turmoil on the conservative side while Obama’s liberal supporters are raising him up to the level of being their Savior thinking that he’s going to perform some kind of miracle and be everything to everyone solving all of their problems!

As conservatives, because we live in the Bible Belt, in a small protected town, in the South, where God is such a part of our lives and we seldom ever cross paths with the other side, we hold to our views because they are biblical and we are comfortable with them. Anything from the liberal front, recently anyway, has been from the other side of the universe compared to our traditional thinking.

We stay hidden here in our own little worlds of making believe that all of that horrible stuff out there in D. C. Or California or Connecticut will not touch us here. Believing that the media is just blowing things up out of proportion to the truth because God just wouldn't allow it to really happen! Or we just ignore it and hope it will go away and the government will take care of it. Well, let’s look at Scripture….Read Romans 1:18 – 32.

In this passage, God shows his anger at sin by abandoning the people to their own foolish thinking and allows them to do things that should not be done.

This is what I see in the world today. People know God, but have turned away and worship the idols of “things” around them that make them feel good. So you get blatant homosexuality, abortion, greed, adultery, murder, deception, and all of the other named sins in verses 28-31. This says that God will leave them to their own devices, and I believe he may be doing just that, but…..judgment day is coming.

Keep in mind, however that Romans 2:1-16 goes on to say that we, who sit in judgment, are no better than they are. We deserve to die for our sins, just as they do. We will be judged for our sins. The day of Christ’s judgment is coming. We are, instead, to do good, seeking the glory, honor and immortality that God offers. In other words, we are to stand on God’s Word, seeking His approval, not that of the world, nor are we to condemn the people in it.

Is this time Biblical? Yes, I believe we entered into the end times several years ago, and now, with the election of the liberal left to lead this country and to lead the way for other countries to follow, it convinces me even more.

Do we need to be scared? No. Jesus has already won the war. We are going to have to go through some tribulation, but in the end we will be with Jesus. All we have to do is receive His salvation and stand on His Word. I mean, if you think about it, the absolute worst thing that can happen is that we are killed. The best thing that can happen to us is that we live in eternity with Jesus. Death was defeated at the Cross. It seems simple to me….if you have accepted Jesus into you heart, repented of your sins, spoken it out of your mouth then obey God’s Word, death has no power over you, so why be afraid?

Our job right now, as God’s children, is to be obedient which means to do good, spread the gospel and try to lead as many as possible to Him.

We do that by coming out of our self-made Never-Never Lands, doing good, ready to bulldoze our way through and change our country’s behavior back to His values. We spread the gospel, utilizing our God-given gifts for the growth of His kingdom. He tells us to do good. That’s an action. DO GOOD.

Sometimes that may mean that we need to stand together to prevent children in school from being taught that homosexuality is a lifestyle okay for them to choose; or to get up an hour earlier to read His word so we will have it in our hearts to use when He tells us; or to really pray when we commit to do it; or to stand up for our biblical values in the face of adversity; or to teach and enforce with our children, God’s ways; or to be examples by doing; or by living every day like we do on Sunday; or to show up and vote at every single election so that it makes it really hard for the liberals to reach their goals and maybe, just maybe, allowing us to reach ours.

Sometimes, it may mean that we just need to be still and know that He is God, soaking up all that it implies….resting in Him, increasing our faith, trusting Him, allowing Him to refresh us and standing on His Word.

Always remember what Paul said, too….that we are to pray unceasingly. The Holy Spirit leads us in how and what to pray. Jesus takes those prayers and intercedes for us. God hears our prayers and acts on them in His wisdom. God is in control!

May God bless you some more!