“I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done, of everything done-to-me. I am everyone everything whose being-in-the-world affected was affected by mine. I am anything that happens after I’m gone which would not have happened if I had not come.” Salman Rushdie

My dad passed into eternity on my son’s birthday. And I got a glimpse again into what awaits us all- the end of all flesh.

He arose that morning – a strong healthy man- and before the dew on the grass had vanished by the sun’s rays, his body was lifeless, his breath had gone and the vibrant, healthy man was a corpse.

What is this life? We work towards something- we know not what. We strive, we work, we want to provide for this life and in the end, life forsakes us without warning, leaving behind the ashes of what once was – a mirage. Plans come to naught. Hopes and dreams are dashed against the rocks of misfortune. Life is but vanity, fleeting and short. We all have an appointment date- a date to be born and a date to die. And both are accompanied by pain- pain to enter the world and pain to exit.

But as I travel forward, I am reminded that I am the sum of all my dad imparted to me, I am the sum of all those who imparted into me. I am richer for the conversations we had. While I am reminded of my loss of future memories, I am also reminded of the grace and beauty of those I do have.

And best of all I am reminded that I will see my dad again- for he is the arms of our Maker. The One who is the Resurrection and the Life. See you soon, dad.

2 Cor 3:17-18 (NET Bible) But if the ministry that produced death – carved in letters on stone tablets – came with glory, so that the Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face (a glory which was made ineffective), how much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be? For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in glory! For indeed, what had been glorious now has no glory because of the tremendously greater glory of what replaced it. For if what was made ineffective came with glory, how much more has what remains come in glory! Therefore, since we have such a hope, we behave with great boldness, and not like Moses who used to put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from staring at the result of the glory that was made ineffective. But their minds were closed. For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away. But until this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds, but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

The veil over our eyes, present since the fall of man, has always kept humanity  in a realm of darkness. We cannot see God. No matter how hard we try to get to him, we are blind. In our blindness we are chained. In a few days we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord. But from His birth, His own people could not see Him. He was born- contrary to what many believe the entrance of a Prince of should be,  not in a palace, not in a clean place, but in a filthy barn filled with animals and wrapped in rags. Swaddling clothes- a nice way to sanitize rags. Indeed, God walked among those who studied the scriptures and whose life was dedicated to religion and they could not see Him. He was crucified by the same people who days before shouted “Hosanna” to the the King. Why! Because of the veil of darkness that consumes us and directs our very lives.

For us today, especially in the western world, where our lives are overtaken by temporary pursuits, the veil over our eyes have been compounded by those who preach another gospel. One that is beamed via satellite across all nations. Where, the veil is so thick – one can only see blessings, wealth, prosperity and physical healing as the epitome of the Christian walk. In fact, this is so far from the truth- it borders on lies. It is as if the tempter has entered in and whispered in our ears, “Has God really said…”. We are a church weakened by our inability to see through the veil. We have an abundance of the “word” but our faith is still covered by a veil. We boast in our riches and tout that we work to enrich ourselves so that we can help others. Yet, we live in mediocrity, indeed lukewarm – so much that we are a bad taste in the Lord’s mouth. 

It is time for us to uncover our eyes and understand that Christ has called us to present ourselves a living sacrifice unto Him. While we do work to eat, let us not be consumed with daily living and needs, Let us keep our eyes on a returning Lord- He will only appear to those who are looking. The great falling away predicted in the last days will not come suddenly but it is like a drip, drip that slowly cracks our armor. It is here and now and we must take a stand- ‘ To live for Christ is to die daily to self”. Let us ask God to take away the veil of lies that has covered us for too long and to see and to hear the Spirit. It is time to put aside our childish behavior and stop dwelling in the carnal. It is time to allow the Holy Spirit to unveil our eyes that we might see Him and understand His purpose for our lives in this last hour. It is time to reject the foolishness of pride in earthly pursuits, especially that of wealth, honor and fame, and seek His face earnestly. Time to rise up, take the veil from our eyes and stand in full battle gear. It is time to fight the true fight of FAITH. Let us be unveiled in the Spirit as the true Bride of Christ. Amen

Luke 15: 11-32 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English) And Yeshua said to them again, One man had two sons. And his younger son said to him, My father, give me the portion that befalls me from your estate. Then he divided to them his wealth. And after a few days his younger son gathered everything that was coming to him and he went to a distant country, and there he squandered his wealth while living wastefully. And when he had spent everything that he had, there was a great famine in that country and he began to be wanting. And he joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him to a field to herd pigs. And he longed to fill his belly from the carob pods that the pigs were eating, and no man was giving anything to him. And when he came to himself, he said, Now, how many hired servants are in my father’s house who have plenteous bread for themselves, and here I am dying with hunger! I shall arise and go to my father and say to him, My father, I have sinned toward Heaven, and before you. Now I am not worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants. And rising, he came to his father, and while he was still distant, his father saw him and he was moved with compassion for him and he ran and fell on his neck and he kissed him. And his son said to him, My father, I have sinned toward Heaven and before you, and I am not worthy that I should be called your son. But his father said to his servants, Bring the best robe and clothe him and put a ring on his hand and put shoes on him. Bring and kill the fattened ox; let us eat and celebrate.Because this, my son, was dead, and he is alive; he was lost, and now he is found. And they began to celebrate. But his older son was in the field and as he came, he approached the house and he heard the sound of many people singing. He called one of the boys and he asked him, What is this? And he said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened ox, because he has received him well. And he was angry and he did not want to enter and his father went out pleading with him. But he said to his father, Behold, I have served you for many years of servitude, and I have never transgressed your command, and you never gave a goat to me that I may celebrate with my friends. But when this your son, who had wasted your money with whores, has come back, you killed for him the fattened ox. His father said to him, My son, you are always with me and everything that I have is yours. But it is right for us to celebrate and to rejoice. For this your brother was dead, and he is alive. He was lost, and he is found.

There are 3 main people in this parable: 1. The Father 2. the son who took his inheritance and left and 3. the son who stayed behind.

Many times when we meditate on this scripture, we look at the son who was given his inheritance and foolishly took it and squandered it and was left with nothing. We make references to men and women who have openly sinned and their sins are worn like scarlet robes. But I would like us to pause and reflect for a little while on what Jesus is actually saying. We have all sinned and come short of God’s glory. So the prodigal son is all of us. We have taken God’s talents and gifting and many times wasted it on foolish things of this world. One of the most precious things God has given us is TIME. Often we squander time on things that do not matter in the end. We have taken our talents and have used it many times to glorify ourselves and others and not to glorify God Himself. We waste it. So we have all sinned.

But we look at the other brother who stayed with the father, yet his heart was not with his father. Here, we have a sinner who does not see his sin. Covered in robes of self-righteousness, this is the kind of sinner who does not see himself as a sinner and most times seeks to condemn the grace and mercy of the father himself. The self-righteous cannot understand the need for forgiveness. So if we look closely, we see instead of a prodigal son and a righteous son, we see two lost people. One who comes to his senses because he was lost in the world and the other lost in comfort of his own home and life and has not come to his senses.

But more importantly, this parable is about the Father’s love. Oh how wonderful is His love! This is a parable of the compassion and grace, the mercy and the love that flows from a Father’s heart. It is a pattern of a pastor over the people, a shepherd over his flock. How we have lost the father’s heart in churches today! We have lost the message of the Father’s love. We preach love but we do not live it. If we live it, we will embrace the lost, the dying, we will embrace those who lives are downtrodden, who make mistakes, who fall and who sometimes lose their way altogether. Indeed, the church of our age have lost the father’s heart and have instead embraced a form of self-righteousness. Instead of shepherding and loving people, there is condemnation and pride- a seeking after self and self promotion rather than on servanthood and true ministry.

Let us reflect on this parable, not as a teaching only for those in the world who are lost, but for those in the church who have lost their way. We have all lost our way. Anything that we do that is not pleasing to God is itself a sin. We are all sinners. But what separates us from sin is the Love of God and His mercy. Let us extend His grace to those around us, His mercy, His compassion. Let us truly lift up the name of Christ by allowing ourselves the freedom to love the unloved and the unlovable. Let us come out of the comfort of our own lives to seek after true ministry – one that only seeks to glorify God and lift Him up.

Amen

Ephesians 6:10-13 (NKJV) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

When we look around us we must remember that even though we see things naturally with our eyes or perceive things with our natural ability to reason and think, there are workings that go far beyond that which we see and comprehend. The apostle Paul is giving us a glimpse into the warfare that we as believers need to engage in our daily life.

We are in the middle of an election and there are some who wonder why is it so nasty. Well… no battle is easy or nice. And when a changing of the guards takes place, the battle gets worse. We wonder why the conservatives have lost the elections in the last 8 years. Led by people whose belly is their gods, there is not much to fight for. They talk a good game but their hearts are far from doing good for the people. It is all about ideas- pushing an agenda that defies and have replaced common sense.

America boasts of liberty. Yet she has given up her liberty, that she once fought for, to be enslaved under those whose desire is not liberty but oppression. The ruling class and those who control the money have usurped power. Is there any reason to believe that freedom exists? I would dare say, American freedom today is controlled by this same ruling class so much so that “freedom”  is not  freedom at all. It is only “freedom” if it is sanctioned by the ruling class.We the masses complain “we have no bread” and the ruling class callously say “eat cake”. How sad that we continue to condone such hypocrisy and blatant tyranny.

Their tactics have no changed. When we desire to rise up and ask for change, they apply the smokescreens. And usually the smoke works to keep the worker bees in line. Distract from the issues at hand and focus on foolish things that have nothing to do with your future. But as a people we have to look past the voices of the many and look deep within. Is this what we want for our future? Can we survive under the oppression much longer? If the meat of the oppression seems too good to give up for the manna of the greater good of our future, then we will stay under oppression.

We have been lied to, deceived, and manipulated for decades. Too many men, women and children have died under the oppression of America and her ruling class. Is it any wonder that judgment is about to come to this country? We have blood on our hands. We elect people whose lust for power have murdered millions. We elect those who willingly sacrifice our children on the altars of convenience. We elect those whose words sound great but whose heart and desire is really to oppress. And they have mastered the tactics of smokescreens.

I would admonish those who know Christ to wake up. America is bound for judgment and there will be wailing. Rise up warriors of God and seek His face for mercy. We have defiled every principle of God and there is one voice  speaking of judgment. The other just keeps attacking the truth.God is using Mr. Trump to sound a clarion, a call to repentance. If we, as believers,  whose duty is to watch,  fail to hear the call today, we will certainly face judgment and it will be swift.

I would love if God extended mercy to us and I pray for it. But as I listen, I hear one thing and that is the dismissal of the trumpet that calls for repentance. When the prophets spoke on behalf of God to Israel, they were usually ostracized, beaten and left for dead. The tactics of the enemy has not changed. This is not an election, folks. This is the last call for repentance from God who desires mercy but whose duty must be judgment for non-repentance.

Stand fast and be prepared. We have only a few more days. If we do not hear His Voice- we only expose ourselves to be judged.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (NKJV) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,  casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

This scripture is  a powerful weapon of warfare for every one who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I use it daily in my walk with Christ, remembering that my victory starts with me willing to bring every thought that enters my mind to the obedience of Christ.

But I wanted to focus on the word “strongholds”. Derived from the Greek word “ochuróma” it means “a fortress, strong defense, stronghold”. Wow! A strong defence, a fortress… and we need to pull those down.

The first thing that comes to mind when I meditate on this scripture is that this fortress is not a physical wall. It is a mindset. A thing that we have allowed to be built up within us that needs to come down. But to bring down these fortresses or walls, we need to war in the Spirit, to bring our thoughts into obedience to Christ.

When I think of thoughts, they appear to be like birds, flying things that first need to be captured. To capture anything, there needs to be a trap laid and watchful vigilance. To capture thoughts, we need to have presence of mind and not be drunk. If we drop our guard, our spiritual defense, we allow the enemy to enter our minds with thoughts that fly in with seeds to impregnate our minds with deception and lead to the building up of fortresses and defenses to the carnal nature.As a believer, coming in from the kingdom of darkness, the enemy has already laid groundwork in our minds that need to be purged. There must first be a cleansing within. We need to first pull down the fleshly walls, the strongholds, the mindsets of the old nature that refuse the entry of the Spirit nature. This must happen in order for the Holy Spirit to have dominion in our lives.

To many times, we see Christians struggling under the burdens of the carnal nature. Even if we long to have a Spiritual Life, we find ourselves easily buffeted on every side by an enemy who is relentless. Strongholds are established in our lives by the things we experience, see, hear and live through daily in our lives. We need to look deep in our lives and ask the Lord to reveal to us the reason for our reactions and actions to certain events and encounters in our lives. What is the reason that I am who I am? The question and answers may surprise even the best of us.

“Stranglehold” is a term that means “an illegal hold in wrestling by which your opponent is choked, a force or influence that stops something from growing or developing” Merriam- Webster Dictionary. The enemy infiltrates our minds, takes territory, establishes strongholds and then makes sure that he chokes out all things that might oppose him as he applies the stranglehold on our lives. As we allow him to do this, mostly because he deludes us so that we feel helpless and captured, as if we have no way out but to submit to him, we become infertile ground for the Spirit of God to manifest the fruit of the Spirit.

We have allowed ourselves to be victimized too long. We live our lives as if we have no way out. We have to realize one thing, Jesus Christ came to set the captives free. We who were captives to the carnal nature, now have the power to take captive the thoughts and mindsets that once overpowered us.

Luke 4: 16-19 (NKJV) So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed;  to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

I pray that we will indeed welcome the Christ the Deliverer into our lives even as we accept Him as Savior. For Him to be our Lord, the strongholds and strangleholds MUST be broken and laid bare so that it can never be rebuilt. Amen

GOD IS NOT SILENT. Contrary to popular belief- the infinite God does not only speak when He is spoken to. He is constantly communicating to us. So the question then arises, “if God is constantly communicating to us as believers, why is it that we cannot seem to hear Him”?

Is it that we are blocked from hearing HIS voice? Jesus constantly said this during His time on earth- “ “Whoever has an ear to hear, let him hear”. Natural hearing captures a sound frequency and then translates the sound in our brains. But spiritual ears capture spiritual understanding.

Isn’t it amazing that cell phones have capitalized on the unseen radio frequencies that can be isolated into a phone number so that when you dial a person’s number, you usually get that person and not the whole block. So much can be done with radio frequencies. But the most extensive use has been for communication.

When Daniel prayed, the Bible tells us the prayer was held up. Daniel 10:12 (NET Bible) Then he said to me, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel, for from the very first day you applied your mind to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard. I have come in response to your words. This passage tells that God’s words can be blocked by forces of evil. How, then can we hear the words of our God? Picture it this way. We are stationed on this earth as ambassadors of Christ. We are on a mission but we are also warriors. Therefore, the only way to get on God’s frequency in order to hear His voice is for us to take to our prayer closets. And here in our prayer closets do we begin the assault on the kingdom of darkness by unleashing spiritual warfare in prayer. How best to use the sword of the Spirit than by praying in the Spirit.

Understand this that you are not alone. God is speaking and He wants you to hear His voice. He is our Father and our Keeper. His words have been recorded in the greatest book published- the HOLY BIBLE. And His voice keeps reminding us that He will never say anything contrary to what has been written.  So let’s get on GOD’s frequency to hear His voice within us and to tune in with our spiritual ears to understand His voice.

As warriors in the greatest army, let us listen in for instructions to pursue warfare against the forces of darkness so that the sons and daughters of the Almighty may be set free. The stakes are too high for us to continue walking in deafness to His voice and His frequency. As agents of God, our lives and the lives of others depend on hearing from Him.

Does giving to the local church relieve the believer from their duty to spread the gospel?

We are faced with a dilemma in the modern church. Leaders continue to preach lies concerning tithes and offerings and continue to blackmail believers spiritually for money. Who are we serving? God or mammon? Sometimes you wonder what exactly is being beamed via satellite to every corner of the globe. The gospel of Christ or some other gospel?

Giving is the very foundation of our belief- “For God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. So God gave Himself that we may be redeemed from slavery to sin. But His Giving was not without consequences. The gift of God, while purchasing our freedom- was NOT free. He suffered humiliation, rejection, He was beaten and forsaken and He suffered the death of a criminal- yet without sin.

The point I am making is this- God gave Himself for us but the gospel today has been reduced to giving of money. While there are a few of us “called” into ministry- to be in the spotlight and to run the church, the rest of us are confined to the bench where we are “ministered” unto. We are given the ‘Word” and according to one preacher should not walk out of the church and belch without giving an offering…. Really? Our gatherings have been reduced to how many offerings we can give. In fact, people try to outdo others in giving as if it is a competition.

We have believed a lie. A lie so corrupt while it harbors a few half-truths, it is a deceptive lie meant to strangle the church into a culture of drunkenness and spiritual fog. We have now come to the belief that if we can give to some project, some church or some preacher, that the act of giving somehow relieves us from the duty of winning the lost and from spreading the actual gospel that Jesus can save a sinner from his sins.

So we go to church, become involved in all kinds of activities and give our tithes and offerings to the local church and then sit back and expect God to go out into the community and win the lost. Have we lost our minds? Have we lost our understanding and perception of the word?

We have been lied to. We have been lulled into a slumber that somehow the lost will get saved. We pray for their salvation but continue our lives without a blink. We do not give a tract, we hesitate when a sidewalk preacher actually speaks- (some of the sidewalk preachers though take this same false teaching out on the streets and even have an offering hat to collect funds….unbelievable), we hide our faith, we hide the light of the true gospel!!!

The gospel has been polluted and watered down to be palatable- meanwhile feeding words of encouragement without emphasizing the importance of making a commitment to God and winning the lost. The meaning of sacrifice has been reduced to sacrificial giving of money.

I pray that clarity comes to us and the web of lies fed through the false gospel of prosperity, fame, and fortune will be broken. We need a revival but revival will not come until there is repentance and deliverance from the traditions of men that we hold on to.

We need to shake ourselves free – like Samson- and ask God , even though we have been spiritually blinded in many ways and through many things, to restore our faith and to see clearly. We need fresh understanding, revelation, based on the word of God. And like Samson, we need to kill the things that have separated us from God. Most importantly- dying to selfish ambitions and pursuits and grapple unto the horns of the altar of God and allow the blood of the Son of God cleanse us from our evil ways.

As always “Create in me a clean heart, O Lord and renew a right spirit within me”. Amen

Ezekiel 22:30- And I sought for a man among them, that should build up the wall, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

August 2016. You would think by the way the media is having a frenzy that Hillary Clinton has already won the presidency of the U.S.

The Donald appears to be taking a thrashing – not only from the Clinton campaign itself, but the media as well as those within his own party. Wow. First off, this type of bashing would throw out any other candidate. All of those who were campaigning against the Donald would have been minced in the Clinton meat grinder. But the Donald gives as good as he gets and more.

I am in no position to question anyone’s faith or belief but this election is a test of who we are as a people and as a nation. We are faced with stark choices. Should we choose a brash self-made billionaire who promises to fix our economy and to give us a country we can be proud of or should we trust a politician whose career is tainted by promises not kept, by lies and scandal – and even worse?

It is my duty as a follower of Christ to pray for my nation and for the leader. However, it is my conviction, that many profess Christ but do not know Him. They support ideas and policies that are far removed from what He represents and what He speaks of in the Bible.

It reminds me of the story of the wild man who lived in the deserts and ate honey and locusts. He was very politically incorrect. He was brash and unshaven. He mocked those in authority and told them the truth to their faces. He called on the religious elite to “repent” meaning they were NOT doing the right thing.Those with power shunned him because his words, his tone and his message made them realize that they had fallen short. This man was John the Baptist- the forerunner of Christ- The voice of one crying in the wilderness- “Make way, Make way for the Lord”.

It could be a coincidence- but the Republican ticket is Trump Pence….sounds like Trumpets. And indeed, listen closely to Mr. Trump- he is sounding the warning to every American. It is as if God is speaking through him- sounding out warning after warning.

There are those whose very power is threatened by his words…. He is shaking up this race. This race is more than a choice for President. It is a choice between hearing the voice of God and not. It is between “repenting” turning away from destruction and heading on the right path. This election is about choosing right over wrong.

My hope and prayer is that the veil over the eyes of this people, the spiritual fog many continue to walk in, would be lifted. To see and to understand- the signs of the times.AND PRAY.

What if the Donald is God’s last warning to us? What if the Donald is being used by God to bring about our enlightenment of issues- to be a forerunner of the last things. God has used strange things in the past to speak to us. What if this is God’s last warning to us as a nation before destruction comes?

Throughout history, God has warned his people about destruction to come. And He is warning us today. A once mighty nation is about to fall if its people cannot rise up and discern the times. A nation that once was a beacon of light has itself become dim and the light itself has darkened. Where are the voices who will cry out for healing, restoration?

THIS IS NOT ABOUT AN ELECTION. THIS IS WAY MORE THAN THAT. THIS IS ABOUT CHANGE AND ABOUT A WARNING BEFORE WE DESCEND INTO CHAOS AND ACTUAL DESTRUCTION.

A message to Israel but so relevant to America- who has followed a pattern of Israel throughout its history.

Ezekiel 22:23- 31 (KJ 2000 version)

Son of man, say unto her, You are the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst, like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in her midst.

Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned my holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and the common, neither have they shown difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus says the Lord GOD, when the LORD has not spoken. The people of the land have used oppression, and committed robbery, and have oppressed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

And I sought for a man among them, that should build up the wall, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out my indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, says the Lord GOD.

Get Ready America! If we will not hear God and turn from our ways-Repent then we will face a judgment just as Israel did in the days of Ezekiel.

MY PRAYER IS THAT WE WILL HEAR YOUR VOICE O LORD AND TURN FROM OUR WAYS. I PRAY FOR OUR NATION AND OUR PEOPLE. LORD, I PRAY FOR TRUE REPENTANCE AND FOR DELIVERANCE FROM THE ENEMY.

What is that smell? it seems like the BS in this country has risen to a level that the stench is either nauseating or welcoming.

Nauseating? If you are fed up with the crap being fed to us by those in government, those in the media and those who has allowed the love of money to ruin their humanity, then the current conditions will make you nauseated. So much so that you will want to puke at the sight of more BS. This is the reason why many have decided that they want change. Change or bust! We are so far down a road that this last fork is the only hope to either turn away from the cliff of financials and economic ruin or just head straight towards the cliff with a grin on our faces. It is reality!

Welcoming? Well, if you like the way things are going, like the fact that we are headed down a path of self destruction but would rather listen to fairy tales of birds chirping and butterflies flying, if you would rather see the blue sky rather than the gathering dark ones, if you refuse to make preparations for the tornado of disasters about to hit this nation and would rather enjoy the moment.. then by all means the BS is a welcome smell.

The media has tagged Donald Trump as “dangerous”. Really? who is more dangerous- a person who lies continually to the American people or someone who tells the RAW truth? Someone who spins a story to win an election or someone who really tells the RAW truth even if it means losing popularity.

I don’t know about you, but I would think that the deceiver who spins reality into a web of lies is the more dangerous one and really cannot be trusted. What happened to truth, honesty, integrity and justice? Donald Trump represents all of this and for this he is branded “dangerous”. Wow! I think we have all just lost our minds. If we elect a liar- then we, as a nation must do some soul searching. We cannot teach our children to tell the truth, we cannot expect truth in our relationships, our homes and in our schools. Truth is the fine fabric that knits a nation together. With Truth comes trust and the ability to respect one another. Without Truth – we have no future. It is all chaos.

I for one am ready for that change. Not the change lies of politicians who really lie about change intending to keep the status quo, but true change designed to benefit the people of this great nation.

Wake up America! History is about to be made!

What is life?

The reality of life on earth is that it is finite. We are born and we die. We live, we love and we lose the people we hold dear to us. And the pain of life itself is this, that we love hard, deep and long because we know that any day we could lose all we hold dear to our hearts.

We take precautions, we visit the doctor, we try to eat properly, we exercise … all in an attempt to extend our lives, even if it is by one day. We struggle daily to earn a living, to provide for our loved ones and to manage a lifestyle that offers some creature comforts. But at the end of the day, we must face the thing we cannot change. Life ends.

And when the end comes, no matter what we have achieved in life, the phrase “naked came I into the world and naked will I leave it” becomes absolute….We cannot take it with us. No tangible, earthly thing goes beyond the grave. The portal for man’s spirit after death will not allow any physical thing, including the body. It all stays behind. What goes with us is the intangible things we did in our lives… the impact we had on others.

So if we have spent all our lives gathering things that are physical, the truth is that these things do not matter. Luke 12:13-21 notes the parable of the rich landowner.“Then someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But Jesus said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator between you two?” Then he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from all types of greed, because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” He then told them a parable: “The land of a certain rich man produced an abundant crop, so he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to myself, “You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ So it is with the one who stores up riches for himself, but is not rich toward God.”

Matt 6:19-20 says (NET Bible)“Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.“

So the alternative to accumulating physical wealth is to accumulate treasures in heaven. What are these heavenly treasures? The word treasures comes from thēsaurós  which is  “to put, set” and denotes – properly, stored-up treasure (riches); (figuratively) a storehouse of treasure, including (treasured) thoughts stored up in the heart and mind. (www.biblehub.com).

Obviously, these treasures are not physical things which moth and rust corrupt. So then if these heavenly treasures are not physical…then what are they? Spiritual treasures? How do we accumulate this and how do we measure this? To understand scripture, we look to scripture.

1. Give to the poor or those less fortunate. Key word is “Give”.

Matt 19:20-21 “The young man said to him, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws. What do I still lack? Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Luke 12:32-34 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is well pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out – a treasure in heaven that never decreases, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

2. Faith in Christ.

Hebrews 12 commends the faith of the patriarchs including Moses who forsook the riches of Egypt for the reward in Christ. Heb 12:23-26 (NET Bible) “By faith, when Moses was born, his parents hid him for three months, because they saw the child was beautiful and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith, when he grew up, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be ill-treated with the people of God than to enjoy sin’s fleeting pleasure. He regarded abuse suffered for Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for his eyes were fixed on the reward.”

3. Faith evidenced by works

James 2:14-26 “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,” but you do not give them what the body needs, what good is it? So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by my works. You believe that God is one; well and good. Even the demons believe that – and tremble with fear. But would you like evidence, you empty fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? You see that his faith was working together with his works and his faith was perfected by works. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Now Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

4. Suffering, Salvation, Hope in the Resurrection and Grace of God.

1 Peter 1:3- 25 (NET Bible)- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you, who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. This brings you great joy, although you may have to suffer for a short time in various trials. Such trials show the proven character of your faith, which is much more valuable than gold – gold that is tested by fire, even though it is passing away – and will bring praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, because you are attaining the goal of your faith – the salvation of your souls.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who predicted the grace that would come to you searched and investigated carefully. They probed into what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified beforehand about the sufferings appointed for Christ and his subsequent glory. They were shown that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things now announced to you through those who proclaimed the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven – things angels long to catch a glimpse of.

Therefore, get your minds ready for action by being fully sober, and set your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Like obedient children, do not comply with the evil urges you used to follow in your ignorance, but, like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your conduct, for it is written, “You shall be holy, because I am holy.” And if you address as Father the one who impartially judges according to each one’s work, live out the time of your temporary residence here in reverence. You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you were ransomed – not by perishable things like silver or gold, but by precious blood like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, namely Christ. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was manifested in these last times for your sake. Through him you now trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

You have purified your souls by obeying the truth in order to show sincere mutual love. So love one another earnestly from a pure heart. You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. For all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of the grass; the grass withers and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that was proclaimed to you.

5. Do the Will of God

1 John 2:15-17 (NET Bible) “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away with all its desires, but the person who does the will of God remains forever.”

The conclusion therefore is that we seek first the Kingdom of God- understand what is the Kingdom of God and pursue the things that

1. reflect the nature of Christ
2.  extend and build the faith of others and
3. reject the influences of the world traditions that place emphasis on earthly wealth, appetites and fame.