No We Can't

I’ve always been a very self sufficient, independent woman--The “pull myself up from the bootstraps” kind of girl.  My parents were from fairly humble beginnings and couldn’t offer me much in the way of financial assistance.  I bought my own first car at seventeen, waitressed my way through college and graduated pretty much debt free.  Somehow, despite working full time along with a packed college schedule, I managed to graduate with honors.  As an adult, I built up a successful career and owned my own business.  Well…you get the picture. 

 

While these experiences were very helpful in life, especially as I made my way through the “real world”, they were actually somewhat of a handicap in the spiritual world.  God’s spiritual world is upside down.  Everything that is valued in the world becomes a potential stumbling stone in God’s Kingdom and vice versa.  How so?...you may ask.   

Self-sufficiency is an opposing quality to the need for grace.  When you are overly self-sufficient, you don’t need grace from or give grace to anyone.  In fact, you sneer down on people that can’t seem to pull it together.  Extreme self-sufficiency can also result in haughty pride, a toxic combination for maintaining the correct spiritual condition before God.  This was the very first sin:  Lucifer claiming that he had what it took to be God.

I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High."

~Isaiah 14:14

 This paints a scary shadow-picture depicting the worst sort of deluded self-sufficiency and pride.  The Bible indicates that when we are operating in this false reality, we are dangerously close to a Satanic mindset.       

In the world, we desire to be a “somebody”.  In God’s upside down world—we had better be aspiring to be a “nobody”.  Look at what God tells us in his Word through the Apostle Paul: 

 

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

~2 Corinthians 12:9
 

In God’s world, we are woefully inadequate.  The sooner we realize this, the better.  Our righteousness is as “filthy rags” says the scripture.  Let me give you a better mental image here so this stays EMBEDDED in your brain for the rest of your life:

The Hebrew word used in the Bible for “filthy rags” is beged and connotes something foul and repugnant like bloody menstrual rags.  The Bible uses amazingly descriptive terms to explain its message.  In other words, the scripture tells us: make no mistake…our attempts at self-righteousness are truly disgusting.  They are suitable for nothing except the garbage.  

 

and all our justices as the rag of a menstruous woman

~Isaiah 64:6 (Douay-Rheims version)

Statistics show that like no other time in history, American college students think they are “all that plus a stick of gum”.  This, while the actual quantifiable statistics, indicate that they are declining in almost every measurable category.  So clearly “self esteem” is soaring in America while true character traits and accomplishments are on the wane.  Very strange.  

The Obama administration’s 2008 mantra was “Yes, We Can”.  On the surface, it sounds so encouraging doesn’t it?  Unfortunately, “Yes, We Can” in America really is similar to petulant children stamping their feet when a parent says they can’t do something.   

I picture a couple of five year olds kicking and screaming on the floor:

 

YES WE CAN redefine marriage

 

YES WE CAN continue slaughtering babies with abortion

 

YES WE CAN spend more money than we have

 

YES WE CAN take stuff from others that have more than us

 

YES WE CAN throw God out of the public square

 

YES WE CAN do all of these things and expect us to sail along in prosperity and peace. 

Sadly, America has been blessed for so long, that her “self esteem” is doing just fine.  Unfortunately, her recent accomplishments are waning dramatically.  We are a nation in steep decline morally, financially and globally. 

 

For the LORD disciplines those He loves

~Proverbs 3:12

America has failed to discipline herself.  We have 17 trillion in debt and counting.  North Korea is threatening to drop a nuclear bomb on us with the slowly dawning realization that they actually may have the capability of doing so.  With a complete madman at the helm, this is not so very far out of the realm of possibility as it was once thought.

 

Along with the Boston bombings and the Ricin mailings, we are just beginning to get the first swats on the bottom to jolt us out of our tantrums.  God’s Word says it is going to ramp up exponentially as we continue undeterred along our spoiled path.  We desperately need to turn around.  We desperately need national repentance.

 

In metaphorical America, Junior and Honey are having a tantrum on the floor.  It’s time to scoop them up, and remove them from the candy store.  Punishment will be swift and sure.

 

Let’s pray they don’t get grounded for life.

 

 

I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 

~Matthew 18:3

 

If there must be trouble let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.  

~Thomas Paine

 

 

 

Please join our rapidly growing National Repentance movement:

 

www.dayofrepentance.org

 

Our next prayer/fasting day is April 30^th, 2013.  This is Providentially the 224^th anniversary of George Washington’s inaugural address and 150 years since Abraham Lincoln called for a prayer/fasting day during the Civil War.  We have joined “spiritual forces” with the National Day of Prayer Movement on May 2^nd, 2013.  Many of us will be observing a 72 hour time of penitence, prayer and fasting.  Please join us as the Lord leads you.  

 

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Hurry Up and Die

“What you are about to do, do quickly.” ~John 13:27

 (Jesus to Judas Iscariot on the night of his betrayal)

Since the beginning of time, all of creation and mankind have been in an inexorable march towards a state of decline.  God created a perfect world…harmony and order out of chaos.  It seems mankind is intent on rushing headlong back into the chaotic void. 

There was probably no more idyllic timeframe in America than the 1940’s and 1950’s immediately following the end of World War II.  It was as if the entire world had just regurgitated a pent up secretion of mayhem and now our country was ready to rest and recuperate.  It was a short period of respite that soon would be disturbed once again by our penchant to eagerly embrace sin and our unwillingness to confront evil immediately. 

The following decades all had their imprimatur stamp of American sinfulness:

1960’s Sexual/Drug Experimentation Revolution

1970’s Roe v. Wade/Feminist Revolution

1980’s Decade of “Greed is Good”

1990’s Just Do It (whatever “it” was)

The New Millenium motto seems to be the “Anything Goes” period along with the requisite perverse elevation of the individual through narcissism.  Everyone is now starring in his/her own Reality Show drama for all to see on the various social media platforms.  Unfortunately, this mentality has spread to the American Christian Church as we see our religious leaders vying for position as the biggest “Mega-Church” or at the top of the New York Times Bestsellers list.   

Like the new breed of mega-roller coasters…we’ve peaked to new heights.  However, we are now careening recklessly downhill experiencing zero gravity and a G-Force that is sure to rip the skin from our bones. 

Since President Obama’s 1^st Presidential term beginning in 2009, he seems to be hell-bent on “fundamentally transforming” America.  I think a lot can be determined about an individual by what they simply “can’t wait” to do once they get in a position of authority.    

One of the 1^st  official acts as President in January 2009:

Shed more innocent blood by expanding U.S. taxpayer funding of abortions worldwide

One of the 1^st official acts as President in January 2013:

Send F-16 fighter jets and tanks to Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood

Just days after his inauguration on January 21^st, he rushed to announce his immigration reform plan on January 29^th. He quickly began showing the administrations support of the gay marriage issue before the Supreme Court and is now pushing Civilian Disarmament rapidly on the heels of a national tragedy that still oozes like an open sore in the minds of the public.  He signed a sweeping gun control Executive order just 32 days after the Newtown shootings hardly enough time to have a national discussion on this issue.  One must question:  What’s the big rush?

I studied out these two words in the Bible:  “Hurry” and “Rush”.  At first glance, you might expect to find meanings that are relatively similar.  However, “hurry” in the Bible is more often associated with Godly pursuits while “rush” connotes evil.  For example, the Bible tells us to “hurry” in the following examples:

Hurry out of Sodom and Gomorrah (sinfulness)

Hurry out of Egypt (bondage/servitude/government entitlements)

Hurry to make atonement (repent)

Hurry to sacrifice pleasing offerings to God (prayer, service, worship)

Hurry to confront evil (Goliath/Philistines vs. David/Israel)

Hurry to give God's message to STOP OPPOSING Him (Scripture prophecy)

Hurry to a place of shelter under God's wing (Faith)

Hurry away from a bad law/decree (so appropriate today in America)

Hurry--as in have a burning desire for God's will, plans, judgment to occur and come into view:  Bible Verse:  ("Let God hurry")

and God saved the best reference for last:

Hurry Day of Pentecost (fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit)

  

“Rush” on the other hand is found in verses like this:

There are six things the Lord hates,
    seven that are detestable to him:
¹⁷         haughty eyes,
        a lying tongue,
        hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸         a heart that devises wicked schemes,
        feet that are quick to rush into evil,
¹⁹         a false witness who pours out lies
        and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

~Proverbs 6: 16-19

 Or

 Demonic Pigs rushing headlong to destruction:

He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd,about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

~Mark 5:13

I believe Jesus told Judas to do his “dirty work” quickly because He knew it HAD to happen.  This release of evil HAD to precede a God-ordained Masterful work of Redemption.  God does not tempt anyone:

When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone

~James 1:13

Judas had already decided of his own volition to make this evil choice.  God was simply saying, in effect…”now get it over with so we can see the Glory of God”. 

Unfortunately sometime soon, I believe we will see the final “shoe drop” in America.  In the Bible, THREE TIMES has great importance and significance as Peter denied Christ Three times

America is about to, in essence, deny Christ three times.  Two of them are already “fait accompli” and have even reached a unique milestone anniversary:

1)    January 22^nd, 2013:  40 year anniversary of Roe v. Wade

2)    June 25^th, 2012:  50 year anniversary of Prayer removal from public schools

(PS: June 17th, 2013: 50 year anniversary of Bible reading removed from schools also)

The third one is considered to be a “shoe in” by even the most right-leaning conservative pundits.  Here’s the third:  

3)    Looming Supreme Court decision disregarding God’s ordained plan for man/woman marriage

In Ancient Israel, they sacrificed their newborn children to the evil god Molech, elevated sexual perversions to a form of religious practice by having “temple prostitutes” and replaced God with false idols.  Needless to say, they were destroyed and taken into bondage and captivity.  In fact, there has been no culture in history that has wantonly slaughtered innocents, sanctioned sexual perversions and removed Almighty God from its center that has survived.  America will be no different.

Gulty, Guilty, Guilty…we will simply await societal sentencing by the true “Supreme Court”.  The Bible says the wicked will be overtaken by “sudden catastrophe”.  By any Biblical definition of the word, America has become wicked. 

The American Christian Church has precious little time to waste.  Drop the building programs, forget the potluck fundraiser dinners and arm your battle stations.  Pick up the battle weapon that is closest to you.  If you preach, then use the pulpit.  If you are a gifted writer, then sound the alarm by social media.  If you are financially able, donate to those on the front lines.    

So to the American Christian Church…Hurry up and die already. 

~Hurry up and Die to Selfishness

~Hurry up and Die to Apostasy

~Hurry up and Die to Cheap Grace

~Hurry up and Die to Watered down Religion

There is going to be much work to do. 

 For the rest of those Americans attempting to re-define our Judeo-Christian Heritage I say…

What you are about to do, do quickly.

Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you.

~Isaiah 47:11

“If we and our posterity reject religious instruction and authority, violate the rules of eternal justice, trifle with the injunctions of morality, and recklessly destroy the political constitution which holds us together, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us, that shall bury all our glory in profound obscurity.”

~ Daniel Webster

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What Does a Man Prophet?

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “prophet”?  Our modern view of “prophets” probably evokes an image of some barefoot, ragged looking individual, carrying a sandwich board sign that says: 

 

Repent

Now

The End is Near

 

It’s become a caricature, a joke, a cartoon.  This individual is usually depicted as a crazy homeless person completely out of touch with reality.  We envision someone with long, dirty scraggly hair to be scorned and given wide berth while crossing the sidewalk.   

Is this an accurate Biblical portrayal of a prophet?  What exactly is a “prophet” according to the Bible?  Actually, they were really quite simple and uniform in their message:

 

1)    Remind people of God’s Laws:  “Here’s the boundaries, people!”

2)    Encourage the culture to look around and notice their dire circumstances or surroundings: “Hey—You guys are really off track and out of bounds!”

3)    Call for people to turn around or Repent:  “Quick…Get back over here!”

4)    Remind people of the consequences for NOT doing so:  “It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt!”

That’s it…really nothing spooky contrary to contemporary opinion.  In fact, the Bible says everyone who has truly accepted Jesus Christ as The Messiah should be a “prophet”. 

 

For the testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy.
~Revelation 19:10

 

So…in a sense, this blog is sort of like a prophecy for America.  We are WAYYYYY out of bounds, on the wrong track, in need of a quick turnaround and soon we are going to get hurt.

 

You may be thinking: “What makes you think you are qualified to give this opinion?”  I guess I’m just as qualified as the long list of losers God has had to work with in the past.  Here’s a few examples:

 

"O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."

~Exodus 4:10 (Moses)
 

"But Lord, how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."

~Judges 6:15 (Gideon)
 

"Who am I, and what is my family or my father's clan in Israel, that I should become the king's son-in-law?"

~1 Samuel 18:18 (David)
 

For some say “Paul’s letters are demanding and forceful, but in person he is weak, and his speeches are worthless”.

~2 Corinthians 10:10 (Apostle Paul)
 

I think I finally realized what God’s “qualifications” were.  He is merely looking for people who:

1)    Love Him.

2)    Love His commandments. 

3)  Are quick to REPENT when he points out our many failings.

That’s all folks.  I guess I qualify. My “ordinariness” is painfully obvious to everyone around me. 

Let me assure you that not only do I realize my imperfections, but I acknowledge that I am a complete human mess…just like everyone else in Bible history.  Just like YOU. 
 

Anyone who personally knows me has seen my many flaws.  If I bang my toe, I still have to fight an urge to yell a 4-letter expletive.  I still want to smack the slow store clerk when I pick a line that drags on and on.  Road rage pops up when I least expect it.  I can be sarcastic, nasty, insensitive, profane and every other sin that rages within me.

 

So what’s the difference between a person or nation that occasionally sins and people who are “lost in sin”?  In order to explain this, let’s explain the difference between “regular” (for lack of a better word) and “presumptuous” sins: 

 
Keep back your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then will I be upright and innocent of great transgression.
~Psalm 19:13
 

When I got a major revelation on this scripture, my understanding grew exponentially on this issue.  Here’s a definition of “presumptuous” sins:

Presumptuous (dictionary definition):  “overstepping due bounds”.

Literally, you are PRESUMING on God’s patience while overstepping his bounds. Presumption means you wake up each morning and knowingly PLAN to commit sin.  You make room in your life for these sins.  You work your schedule around these sins.  In essence, you BOW DOWN to sin.  This is where the modern Christian Church, since the days of Martin Luther, has failed us miserably.  We were taught:  Grace, Grace and more Grace.  Do you know I was shocked to find out that this statement is not actually in the Bible?  I’ve heard it so many times in church, I just assumed that it was holy scripture.  Yes, the Bible says grace is abundant.  But to quote Paul:

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

GOD FORBID!
~Romans 6:1-2

So there are many people out there who are calling themselves “Christians” when really, they simply believe that God exists.

You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.

~James 2:19

True repentance is EVIDENCED by a distinct TURNING AWAY from sin. 

There is a HUGE difference between correctly acknowledging that as long as you live on this planet you WILL be a sinner struggling with sin.  However, there is a VAST difference between “slipping up” and an arrogant, presumptuous attitude that says:

“TODAY I PLAN on sinning.  I PLAN on being disobedient.  I PLAN on not doing what God wants me to do.  I PLAN on meeting my adulterous affair for lunch—it is scheduled at noon.  I’ve noted it in my calendar.  In fact, I have made room for this sin in the rest of my life.”

When I wake up in the morning, with everything that is in my heart and soul, I know I want to please God.  I MAY fail miserably.  God, in His sovereign knowledge, even KNOWS that I will fail miserably that day.  These will be UNPLANNED sins.  I may argue with my child’s teacher in school, I may be disrespectful to my spouse, I may want to flip someone off in traffic.  Whatever it may be—I certainly didn’t PLAN on it.  It was a momentary relapse into my body of sin.

See The Apostle Paul’s lament:

Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me...What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?  Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
~Romans 7: 21-24

However, when this happens…we must be QUICK TO REPENT!  If you CHOOSE to not do this, each and every time, your heart hardens just a little bit more.   The next “tap on the shoulder” from God gets louder, rougher and more painful—just like the ramping up of tribulations and woes in Revelation.  It’s not because He ENJOYS sending judgment—it’s because YOU are getting blinder and deafer by the minute with “eyes that cannot see” and “ears that cannot hear”.  He doesn’t want to see you encounter the pain and suffering that goes along with sin.  Before you know it, a symbolic “baseball bat” to your noggin is not enough to get your attention anymore. 

 

I’ve always struggled with the Biblical concept of “unpardonable sin”.  It seems at odds with everything else in the Bible of God’s incredible love, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, grace, etc.  But after a very long, and sometimes painful, spiritual journey—I now understand what the “unpardonable sin” is.  It’s a slow building of “hardness of heart” that can no longer be penetrated by Truth or Light.  It’s a “tipping point” to a “reprobate mind”.  Once YOU yourself have chosen that path (not God closing the door on you—YOU closing the door on God), there truly is no turning back.  

 

So now on to the American analogy:  Are we just sinners or “presumptuous sinners”?  With our hard-heartedness towards abortion, redefinition of marriage, greedy spending and envious consumption…what is your conclusion?  Since Day 1 of this nation, we’ve always been fallible sinners…May I humbly suggest that now we are purposeful sinners? 

If the horrific recent mass murders have taught us anything it is this:  We don’t know if we have 100 years left or if we have one minute left on this planet. 

 

I personally believe it may be too late to turn around The United States of America on a governmental level.  That choice was etched in stone in November.  However, as individuals, we still have the option to repent personally and spiritually. 

2013 is shaping up to be a difficult year on many fronts.  Similar to Moses’ trek up the mountain, there’s going to be a “whole lot of shaking” going on. 

So…Stop looking for a prophet character to come off Mount Sinai with wild hair, blazing eyes and carrying the Ten Commandments or perhaps some “out-of-body” Angelic Vision before you accept this information.  Maybe the message can come from the most unlikely of places.

Today, take it from a run-of-the-mill, ordinary, very fallible middle-aged human being.  Americans need to:

 

Repent

Now

The End is Near

 

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?

~Matthew 16:26