Cities Without Walls

Cities Without Walls

“A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.”

Proverbs 25:28

Walled cities have been in place for thousands of years; they are nothing new. They originally were built to protect cities from warring groups who tried to harm them and take over the city.  Without walls they would certainly be invaded.  There are many countries who have walled cities today. My daughter and son-in-law recently returned from Israel and told how many guarded walls were erected around various cities.

Some cities have large stone walls but most are no more than barbed wire stretched across a border.  The border between North and South Korea is about 211 miles and is being guarded by soldiers.  There is a border between Mexico and Guatemala to “keep out freeloaders”. Why is it such a big problem with us?

Our borders are basically open on both the north and the south.  In 2011 approx. 484,072 illegal immigrants came across our borders.  They included illegals from 75 countries. Despite the recent apprehension of the 13 Syrians at the border, The Washington Times reports that "some 25,000 illegal immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala have been caught in the first seven weeks of the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1 — an increase of 58 percent. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., says that at least ten fighters for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria have been apprehended while attempting to enter the southern U.S. border.

We do not know who these people are, or their reason for coming here without paperwork. No one can go into European or Asian countries with Visas and Passports.  Why should people expect to enter the US without the same Identification?

Spiritually speaking, most of us build walls around our hearts.  We don’t always have open access to our Lord.  We think we can hide things from God.  We can’t seem to get it through our heads that God sees everything and knows everything.  We cannot hide anything from God. The strange thing about it is that when we build walls, only God can tear them down, but we have to let it go. 

When we do something that we know to be wrong in the sight of God, it’s called sin.  When we sin, our walls go up.  When we try to hide sin from God, it begins to fester and grow until we have a huge problem. Our relationship with God starts to diminish.

When we let people like Isis terrorists into our country, they begin to grow and draw others in until danger is within our walls.  That means that our country is in grave danger because we didn’t weed them out before they got in.

This is the same as our walk with the Lord.  When we hide sin, it builds up until we can no longer see the road ahead.  God himself has given up walls; walls to keep us safe from the sin in our lives.  That is why we need walls across our borders. 

I am reminded of a time in our country when the only thing we had to save us was believing in God’s Faithfulness. It was the War of 1812 with the British.  A certain lawyer, Francis Scott Keys tried to negotiate with the British, but the bombing and killing continued.  We would not back down and as long as we could see that flag, we held on. Out of that, Keys wrote the “Star Spangled Banner.”

Many think it’s alright to desecrate our flag, but it’s the flag that reminds us of the reason we hold that flag so dear because so many died for it. God gave us this land and has protected it for over 200 years but if people continue trying to divide this blessed country, we may be on the edge of defeat.

I love this country so much and if it takes walls and borders to keep it safe, I’m all for it.  The Liberals think they know best, but Satan has blinded them to the truth.  They don’t even realize that abortion is ‘Murder”, and several other agendas are against the Word of God.  All they want is the demonic road they’ve been traveling on.  They don’t even realize there will come a day of reckoning!

‘Countries without Walls’ will soon bring destruction if we allow it.  Remember what Gods people stand for and be a part of it.  Forget all the protesting, in the end it means nothing.  These words are meant for those who stand for Christ.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
  All other ground is sinking sand.

Under New Management

Under New Management

“Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him, doing just as the LORD had commanded Moses.”   Deuteronomy 34:9

  

The last few weeks we have seen how history repeats it’s self from Moses time and this present day.  Moses went through many troubled times with his people turning away from God and then some kind of disaster would happen and they would turn back to God. Moses was the greatest leader that ever lived, but even he didn’t do everything right.  He did some things that displeased God and because of it, he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. 

           

It became time to have a new leader and God appointed Joshua, Moses assistant.  Just as we do today, Joshua was sworn in by Moses laying on of hands and promising to do everything that God had given directions to do. No man is perfect and cannot please all the people all of the time.  So it was and so it is.  The problem is the people who live in a nation.  A divided nation never survives because one side demands something different from the other side.

I have lived through leaders from Franklin Delano Roosevelt and now Donald Trump.  I have never seen such division in this country before.  Some presidents were liked and some weren’t, but we still respected the position of presidency.  From that day to this we have lowered the standard of Morality, Christianity, Respect, Truthfulness, Decency and Honesty among other things. 

Today we live in a time where Hate is above Love; where Liars are above Honesty and where Self and Pleasure are above Giving and Caring.  I wondered how the human race could endure this way of life and then I read this in 2 Timothy 3 verse 3:2-4.  “But know this that in the last day’s perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”  We are living in Perilous Times right now.

I wonder no longer because I see it all around me and this is a far greater fear than terrorists or outside forces of evil.  The killing of law enforcement and the racial killings have only begun and religious killings are on the rise as those without conscience are only too ready to do it.  The more the hatred; the more deaths there will be.

I watched the drop of morality when President Kennedy was in the White House and he had one affair after another. The worse was when Clinton was president and his immorality opened the doors for young people who believed what he said about “oral sex was not fornication”.  It corrupted our young people in ways that are hard to believe. Again in Obamas reign, it seemed that lying was acceptable to most of the country and religion was a curse to mankind; only Islam had a place in the government.

Let’s face it, new management was and is the only thing our nation could do to survive.  I personally would not have chosen this man for a president, but to have picked another Clinton would have been the greatest catastrophe that ever happened to this country.   I must trust in God, that like Joshua, He has chosen the best one for a leader. 

God knows the beginning and the end and you can be certain that his plan is still working even if we can’t see it all the time.  Something had to change or we would have been eventually destroyed.  We have been the last Christian nation to survive and we are still standing.  What we need is a great revival in America and we must pray for that and for more people to stand up for Jesus and let their voices be heard.  So many in government end their speeches with “God Bless America”, He won’t bless our land unless we act like His children.  We know what to do if we read the Bible and pray.  Until that happens, don’t expect for God to help us.

Following Gods Plan

Following God’s Plan

 “They incited a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 other leaders of the community, all prominent members of the assembly. They united against Moses and Aaron and said, “You have gone too far!” Numbers 16:1-3 (NLT)

When God chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt into the Promised Land, He didn’t change his mind.  He had decided long before, when Moses was adopted by the Pharaoh’s daughter and lived in the palace like a prince.  While there, he received the finest schooling and wisdom from all the leaders in the palace.  He learned what it was to be a leader. First he had to learn and then he had to be humbled by being sent into the wilderness to live. A great leader has to be strong, quick to make decisions and move on them.  It may take some time to become humble and they don’t always show it, but it happens.

God had shown the Israelites many miracles while they wandered the desert, but they were used to being under the bondage of the Egyptians and many decided they wanted to go back.  They liked some of the stuff they had back there because they were used to it. (I never would have made it in Egypt because I don’t eat onions and hate the taste and smell of garlic). They were afraid to go forward and see if there was something better ahead.

They were against Moses and decided to start a rebellion.  The means they used was to march in a protest.  They even suggested killing Moses.  Does any of this sound familiar? This was a bad choice!  You don’t want to make God angry, but they did it.  Things began to happen to them; the ground opened up and swallowed many, deadly snakes invaded their camps and 14,700 people died of the plague. 

I’m not saying God would do these things today, but when you come against the will of God, I would think twice.  I will say this: these last ten or twelve years, disasters like hurricanes, floods, mud slides and storms of all kinds have increased.  They try to lay it on global warming, but if you go back in history you’ll find many periods of times we went through periods of ice melt, extreme heat and extreme cold.  Talk about scaring people. It is only one group of people in our divided country that claims global warming.

I don’t understand protesting anyway, because it is not going to change things.  In many groups of protesters, some are paid to march and stir up people.  That’s why some of those who get violent and break windows and damage cars and such don’t do it in protest but to try and show their power when all they show is their lack of intellect.  No matter the reasoning behind doing this, there is also consequences.

Can you imagine a parent telling a child, “Let’s go out in the street and protest and yell awful things about people who aren’t even there. Remember, you won’t be punished for whatever you do and never forget, I’m the one who told you to do this.”

It’s really not too hard to imagine because I’ve watched protesters who take their children along and even give them signs to carry.  Oh, yes, these kids will remember and as they grow up they will do what their parents do. The biggest percentage of people protesting is because they don’t want their rights taken away; their right to kill their own babies.

The Ten Commandments tell us, “Do not kill”, but they want to be able to kill their unborn babies.  Our laws tell us we cannot commit murder, but we can kill our unborn baby.  Some new babies have defects, bad hearts, all kinds of ailments and they all do whatever they can to save a child and they should.  But now, if you don’t want a baby you just kill it to get rid of it and think it’s the right thing to do.  This is called women’s rights.  That’s only one of the problems.

It is hard to believe that there is such a thing as Black Power and White Power.  Why– we all live in this country and we should be called nothing but Americans?  Many of us come from various roots of our ancestors and we can’t change that.  It’s in your DNA and most of it comes from several different races. So, what is it you’re protesting?

You may not like our new president, but he’s the first one I remember that does what he said he would do, like it or not.  He’s far from perfect, but who is.  This country is a mess and messes take time to clean up.  Do all the protesting you want; he is our president.  Just like God put Moses in command of the Israelites and I’ve showed you what happened to those against him.  Let’s see what happens because God will be sure to show you.  Remember this, God is still in control and nothing happens that He doesn’t know.

Protests Gone Wrong

In Times of Trouble

In Times of Trouble

“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.”

Psalm 34:17 (NKJV)

Some days it seems like we’ve got more troubles than we can possibly handle. So we pray for God’s help and then tell him what to do about it.  We forget how big God is and that he doesn’t need our help.  We think we are the only one with troubles.  Our troubles seem to be so big, but there are troubles way bigger than we know.

I’ve been thinking about all the troubles around us and in the world as a whole and it certainly is too much for a person to handle.  I was reminded of many years ago of a musical called, “Music Man”, one of my favorites.  There was a song in it that sticks with me still, “Trouble, oh we got trouble, Right here in River City! Trouble with a capital “T”.  We can reword the one line to read “Right here in the world!”  Oh yes, Trouble with a capital “T”.

We all have personal Troubles and what would we do without God to help us through them? Now let us look at the world around us.  Things are so unsettling right in our own country. In all my years I have never seen an election such as I saw this year.  Regardless of the battle, once a new president is elected, he is then our president.  The Democrats are the poorest losers I have ever seen.  They may not like the outcome, but what can they do about it now. There were many who did not like Obama when he was elected, but you did not see all the protests and marches which were to no avail.

Obviously, there will be changes that some don’t agree on, but they will happen anyway.  We have left God Almighty out of the equation for way too long.  You can ignore God, or not believe he exists, but he is still there.  He sees what is happening and if you read the Bible, you’ll know he knows each rebellious heart.  I guarantee he knows the whole world is in Trouble with a capital “T”.  You will also know and accept this truth in the Bible in the book of Daniel 2:20, where Daniel says, “He removes kings and raises up kings”. Although in America, we call them leaders or presidents, it means the same. 

Last week I compared our country to the Israelites in Exodus and again today. In Numbers 16, it tells how some of the Israelites complained about Moses, whom God raised up to be the leader. Finally, God said, enough is enough and Trouble came to those who complained.  The ground split open and swallowed many of them and then a plague came and 14,700 Israelites died from it.  If you believe the Word of God and know that God put President Trump in place as leader to the United States, then I would quit complaining right now.

Many didn’t like Obama, but God put him in place for a reason.  President Trump is in place for a very good reason whether you like it or not.  We need to trust God that he knows what he’s doing because our country is in Trouble with a capital T.

Some of these troubles are: Jobs, US made things, Security for our land, Stop killing our babies, Racial agreements, Stop our National Debt from rising, Moral Judges in the Supreme Court, For Christians to once again be respected.  I didn’t even touch so many things here, but I do have a question?  Why don’t the Christians march and protest for equality for both Black and White?  Christian lives matter, too.  If they did, you wouldn’t see those people breaking windows and wrecking cars, or shooting someone.

When you see Trouble with a capital T, it’s time to do something about it.  Stand your ground for what you believe and if you don’t understand this, think back to the time you asked Jesus into your heart and take off your blinders.  He is the same Jesus you once professed your love for.  You’re the same person who once professed you would never commit murder, but when you convinced yourself that the baby growing inside of you wasn’t really a person, you forgot that promise. God didn’t forget your promise!

I have to wonder how a Bible believing Christian could vote for any person who believes abortion is the right thing to do.  You should be thanking God that Hillary Clinton didn’t become president.  What this president does remains to be seen, but he doesn’t believe in murdering the unborn.  I believe he is who God wants at this time.

It reminds me of the story of Esther in the Old Testament.  A Jewish girl became the wife of the King of Persia, King Ahasuerus, although no one knew other than her uncle that she was Jewish.  A plot to kill all Jews in the kingdom was being planned.  When her uncle Mordecai heard about it, he went to Esther and told her that she alone could save the lives of all the Jews.  Her uncle said to her, “Who knows but you were brought to this kingdom for such a time as this.”  Esther listened and with Gods help saved all the Jews in Persia.

Who knows but what our new president was put in leadership for such a time as this.  Don’t be afraid of our future; it is in God’s hand.  We may have Troubles with a capital “T”, but God is on our side.

Day One in the Desert

Day One in the Desert

“So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur.

And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.”  Exodus 15:22

When Moses brought the Israelites out into the wilderness of a place called Shur, a part of the Arabian Desert. On day one they began to complain because they had no water to drink and God provided water.  A few days later when they wanted bread, they complained again,   “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full” Exodus 16:3

They weren’t happy because they had wanted change, but they didn’t want to wait for it.  They wanted to go back to the old ways which in the end would have destroyed them. Moses warned them. “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” Exodus 15:26

Right now, our country has departed from the ‘old ways’ and has entered the desert; a way unknown to us.  However, now is the time to stand firm in our new leader.  He is different; we don’t know what he is going to do, but we need to give him a chance.  It isn’t all going to happen overnight.  We might feel like we’re wandering around in the desert for a while because it is different than what we are used to.  I only know that God will still provide for us and I believe it will be better than we had in the past.

The Bible tells us that God puts leaders in place and he takes them out.  I believe God’s hand is on this leader and we may have to go through some things before it all gets better.  The Israelites spent years and years battling against their leader and because they did it caused them all kinds of trouble. Not every leader is perfect and not everyone will agree with them. Just remember that it’s not the leader that saves us – it is God who saves us and brings us through. 

We all know it is time for a change, even if some don’t approve of the new leader.  Accept the fact that it won’t all run smooth because it never does, but look to the future and expect the best.

A divided country is a weak country and during troubles times, weakness is not what we need.  To make our nation strong again we need to stand side by side; casting prejudice off and petty differences aside.  We need to once again take pride in this country which has given and aided all mankind.  Get rid of the stigma of ‘politically correct.’ We began with ‘one nation under God’ and let us be called a “Godly Nation” once again.

If you choose to live a gay, lesbian, or transgender lifestyle, do it, but don’t expect Christians to bow down to your demands, or to your way of life.  We have as much right to live a Christian life as you do your choice of lifestyle. Christians need to begin to stand up and not be afraid of what they say.  Maybe we should begin doing protests and marches for the Christian to be treated fairly. 

Now it’s Day One and we will have the same challenges the Israelites had when everything changed for them.  It takes guts to face challenges – do you have the guts to do it?  Just remember that “With God, all things are possible!”

Rest in the Lord

Rest in the Lord

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe.  Psalm 4:8 

So many people have trouble sleeping and many don’t understand the concept of ‘resting in the Lord’.  Resting doesn’t mean just ‘sleeping’ although it includes it.  There are 931 times the Bible uses the word ‘rest’ in the Bible.  That means it is quite significant and I would like to study it today to see if we can find the whole concept of the word ‘rest’.

First, let’s talk about rest meaning sleep.  Usually a person who can’t sleep is anxious about something.  They may not believe that’s the cause, but it really is.  Maybe they are making plans for something and so they lay awake half the night worrying about it.  Perhaps they are thinking of a loved one or even themselves and sleep escapes them.  Think it through; “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”   [Philippians 4:6] The Bible tells us that we should be anxious for nothing. If we have asked God to take care of a situation, we should not be anxious about it.

If we are still anxious then we do not trust God.  Therefore, we lay awake nights trying to figure out what we can do and leave God out of the whole situation. You may not be aware of what you are doing, but God is aware that you have no trust in Him at all.  You may have prayed and prayed about a situation and then shut God out completely. 

Now we come down to faith- what faith do we have if we don’t believe God will answer our prayers; why pray at all if we don’t expect an answer?   “Rest in the Lord”; have you ever really done that? Have you ever prayed about something and actually left it Gods hands? 

Our main scripture says we can trust God so completely that we can lay down and sleep and know that we are safe. The Bible goes even further when Jesus gives us this amazing invitation.  “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”   [Matthew 11:28]  This scripture is not talking about sleep that Jesus gives you; he wants to set your mind on receiving peace and to assure you that you don’t have to be anxious because he will carry your anxiety when you trust in him.

As I studied that this week, I realized how short I was of totally trusting God.  It showed my lack of faith in my God and I felt my failure all through me.  This doesn’t mean I should quit praying or believing God for my needs.  It means I need a closer walk with him; one that tells me he has a hold on me and will not let go; even when I don’t trust him.  It means I need to practice letting go and letting God!

So, where does sleep enter into the picture?  This means I need to build up my faith.  I know that sometimes when I can’t sleep at night and I run things over and over in my mind, that I’m not trusting Him.  Psalm 127:2 tells us that, “He gives his beloved sleep”.  We are his Beloved! What an amazing thing that is.  Remember this, Gods ‘Beloved’ are those who give their lives to him and trust him in everything, even our worries and troubles.

Have you ever thought you wanted to run from all of it, like Psalm 55:6, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.” That is not how faith works; it means that you need to give God all the faith you have and trust in him with all of your heart, soul, strength and mind.

The Message of the Wise Men

The Message of the Wise Men

"Where is he who has been born 'King of the Jews?For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."

Matthew 2:2

Almost everyone knows the story of the star shining over the stable in Bethlehem where Jesus was born.  While it’s a wonderful story regarding the birth of our Savior, there is more to it than that.  It brings up many questions; where did the star come from; why was it so big and is it even true?  The scriptural truth is that there was no star over Bethlehem on the night Jesus was born.  However, a great star appeared to some Wise Men in the Far East on the night Jesus was born. It signified that the King of the Jews was born. In the New Revised Version and in the New Living Testament Bibles, they read like this.  “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” When was that?  Three months to a year after the birth of Jesus. 

Tradition shows that the wise men came at time of Jesus birth, however this is not true. We know this from ancient studies and charting of the stars.  We also know that these Wise Men had to travel, many months or years by camel, to reach Bethlehem from the Far East.  It’s also interesting to note that Jesus was not in a stable at that time, but in a house with Mary and Joseph as we can read in Matthew 2, verse 11.

Some traditional views say there were three wise men, but no one really knows how many there were; only that three gifts were mentioned.  We also know they followed a Star. Bible scholars as well as scientists have studied this phenomenon for uncountable years and all have different opinions and possibilities.  However, if you believe the Bible to truly be the Word of God, there is no doubt in my mind that it happened the way the Bible says it did. 

One source, the Bible itself, may hold a clue.  In Numbers 24:17 (NLT) is a prophecy that God told Balaam speak:  “I see him, but not here and now. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel.”  This scripture tells us some interesting facts; far in the future from Balaam’s time, something was going to occur and a “Star” was going to appear and it would come from the line of Jacob.

In Matthew beginning in chapter one, it tells the genealogy of Jesus Christ and part of that is Jacob, grandson of Abraham.  Fourteen generations later, Jesus is born in Bethlehem. Then, in Numbers 24, it speaks of a scepter, which the dictionary describes as a symbolic staff or wand held in the hand by a ruling king as an item of power and a sense of divinity.  This scepter will come out of Israel.  Written centuries before Jesus was born, totally covered what happened that night in Bethlehem. 

At the time of Jesus birth, there was no mention of the shepherds seeing a star; only about the angel of the Lord and then a multitude of angels all praising God. Apparently, the star did not appear until we read about the Wise Men in Matthew 2, beginning with verse one. These men came from the East which was far away from Bethlehem.  They studied the stars and discovered one star that stood out from the others. This star, which they called “His Star”, proclaimed a King was born in Bethlehem of Judea.  They left their country and the star appeared to go before them.

They stopped at King Herod’s palace and asked him if he knew of a new king that was born.  Herod was evil and told them to continue their search and come back to him so he could go and worship him.  Herod really wanted to kill the new born King, but God warned the wise men in a dream to go back to their country another way. When the Wise Men didn’t return after a length of time, King Herod sent his soldiers to Bethlehem to kill all the babies under two years old.  This is another clue that by the time Herod heard about it, Jesus may have been 1 to 2 years old.

When the Wise Men left Herod, they continued their search and the star went before them until it came to Bethlehem and stopped over the place where Jesus was. The Bible says they came to the house where Jesus was and fell down and worshiped Him.   Their search was ended; it had been a long journey, but they had searched until they found the Child.

This is the Message of the Wise Men, “Search for Him until you find Him!”  Then worship Him!  Friends, we all need a Savior; this whole world needs a Savior.  If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, search for Him.  He is not hiding, but is waiting for you at this moment.  Call to Him and he will come to you.  It is your heart that needs to search for him and not your feet.  When you find him, He will be with you forever and ever.

We don’t know what this year will bring, but we know it will be different because of a different government.  What can we expect?  Only God knows and if we believe the Word of God you will know that God is just as much in charge as he always is and will be until the end of time.  I also know that God’s hand is still on our country or we would be living like the people of third world countries. 

Won’t you join me in prayer that this coming year be one of peace, love, contentment and the joy of knowing the Lord of Eternal hope will abide with us.  Amen!