Identifying with Insanity
Fight Like a Christian
If the last presidential race proved anything it’s that Christians don’t know the rules or dress code of spiritual warfare.
The recent presidential election was the most contentious in my lifetime. Tempers flared, people called each other disparaging names, friendships were ended, family relationships were strained to the breaking point. And that was just in the Church, the Body of Christ; Christians went to war with other Christians.
And it became obvious that the Church needed to learn how to: “Fight Like a Christian”
And since every warrior needs the proper equipment to fight effectively it would be a good idea to learn what that equipment is and then learn how to use it to fight like a Christian.
Fortunately, the Bible tells us explicitly in the book of Ephesians what armor and weaponry Christians are to use in our war against evil.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil 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 firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:10-20 ESV).
Now, before we go to battle as Christians the second thing we need to learn after learning what armor and weaponry we are to use is to learn that fighting like a Christian requires us to recongize who are real enemy is, and it’s not the person or government that’s persecuting Christians, it’ the demonic spirits behind the person or government. Thus, before we begin to put on the armor of God Paul tells us this truth in very explicit terms as we read above. But it’s worth repeating…
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12 ESV).
Briefly, to fight like a Christian includes the following points…
The world fights to hurt or destroy, if necessary, the person who opposes it. The Christian fights to save the person who opposes him.
The world fights by calling those who oppose it with vile and degrading names, yelling and screaming at the person who opposes it. The Christian fights by blessing the person who opposes him.
The world fights by using ridicule, sarcasm, and mocking to belittle the person who opposes it. The Christian fight by using words born from gentleness and humility rather than harshness and arrogance.
The world fights from a position of human strength and ingenuity. The Christian fights from a position of grace relying upon the Name of the Lord.
The world fights not knowing it’s a prisoner of war, a POW, held captive by demonic spiritual powers and is being used by those demonic powers as human shields to hide the truth that they, the demonic spirits, are the real enemy, not the human beings we see with our eyes. The Christian fights knowing his Lord has triumphed over these spiritual powers and that he has been set free, no longer a spiritual POW, which allows him to see the real enemy.
To understand this more fully listen to the sermon “To Fight Like a Christian” and you will be better equipped to recognize and destroy the evil that threatens you and those around you.
Sandy Hook Remembered
Four years ago our nation experienced an unspeakable act of evil. Adam Lanza, then 20 years old, murdered 20 innocent children between 6 and 7 years of age and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
This massacre touched the consciences of many producing deep grief and even deeper anger as the scope of this evil act was unfolded before our eyes and ears on radio, TV, and the Internet.
I wrote an article at that time in an attempt to explain why this act of terrorism took place and what we needed to do as individuals and as a nation to overcome this evil. But many of us shut our eyes and ears to the only solution capable of doing so. As a result we have endured several more similar acts of demonic terrorism against the innocent.
Therefore, I felt it worth sharing again the article I wrote 4 years ago in the hope the eyes and ears of those who chose not to open them to the truth then will do so now.
Evil has been a part of our world ever since the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. We are surrounded by it constantly, but no longer recognize it. Why? Because we willfully ingest evil with our eyes and have thus become blind to holiness; we willfully ingest evil with our ears and have thus become deaf to the truth. We know longer hunger for holiness, but lies. And Satan is just as eager to feed us the lies our fallen, sinful natures crave. Yet it is in believing lies that evil takes deep root within the spirit of individuals and nations, flourishing and growing to a point where it yields a depth of evil that even our comatose consciences – both individually and collectively – respond to it with shock and bewilderment.
Such is what has happened in Newtown, Connecticut. The evil that was unleashed at Sandy Hook School was the harvest of a society and government that has actively labored for the removal of God from its culture. But there is another source even more guilty of allowing evil to grow to such monstrous proportions – religious leaders and teachers who have rejected the truth of the Bible and committed apostasy and are now teaching lies to congregations that “will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4 ESV).
For a few days people will flock to places of worship seeking comfort and answers to the questions that come to the surface when evil of such a degree as that manifested at Sandy Hook stuns us out of our spiritual slumber. We experienced this after 9/11, but we also experienced a quick return to that slumber as the evil that horrified us dissipated to a level our spirits have grown used to living with.
So please understand this, unless the Church takes a stand and begins to speak the truth from the pulpit – continually and consistently – regardless of whether it’s received with thanksgiving or rejected as the ranting’s of mad men, our nation will once again return to its spiritual slumber until another act of evil more horrific than Sandy Hook jars us awake.
There is an answer to this madness. It is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14. “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (ESV). The answer is simple, but it will take courage to speak it and even more courage to live it.
What’s a Christian to Do
What’s a Christian to do?
For decades I have voted for imperfect people. For decades I have voted for people who don’t agree with everything I believe. And for decades there has been one thing that has been a deal-breaker for me when it came to deciding who to vote for or who not to vote for – abortion.
For me if a candidate was able to fix all of societies many ills and yet was pro-abortion, I would not vote for him. Every other issue pales in comparison to the importance of this one. For one to believe that the killing of unborn human beings is anyone’s right reveals, at the very least, a lack of understanding of the humanity of the unborn, and at the worst, a complete understanding of the humanity of the unborn and choses to murder them anyway. Such people live on the level of serial killers, murdering the innocent for any reason or no reason at all.
This year we have two very imperfect people running for President of the United States. One, Hillary Clinton, is unashamedly pro-abortion. She is Planned Parenthood’s most powerful and beloved champion.
You remember Planned Parenthood don’t’ you? It’s the company that kills babies and butchers their bodies to harvest their organs to sell to equally diabolical companies. Planned Parenthood and Clinton are best buds.
Clinton is so depraved that she believes it’s a woman’s right to have an unborn baby that has reached nine months of age in the womb to be pulled from the womb feet first until the neck and the back of the head is exposed allowing the executioner to stab the baby in the base of his head with a pair of scissors to create a hole big enough to insert a vacuum into the baby’s head to suck his brains out and then crush the baby’s skull. That’s partial birth abortion. It is the most horrific sin America is guilty of and Clinton enthusiastically supports and empowers those who practice this sin. For all her crimes, and they are many, nothing reveals the extreme evil that has taken possession of her heart than this.
The other imperfect presidential candidate is Donald Trump, a man who is brash, egotistical, brutish, a cad, and immoral in more ways than one – something he has in common with most politicians in varying degrees as well as with at least a few of our fellow Americans. But in spite of his many deficiencies he is also pro-life. At least he says he is pro-life. I realize that in the past he has expressed pro-abortion views and it has been suggested that he is now just presenting himself has pro-life to get Christians to vote for him. Is that possible?
Yes. It’s also possible he has actually embraced a pro-life belief. He has stated unequivocally that he is pro-life and he tore into Clinton in one of the debates for being pro-abortion, specifically pointing out her belief that partial birth abortion (see above for details concerning this type of infanticide) is acceptable and an option women should be allowed to choose. He also reiterated his promise to appoint pro-life judges to the Supreme Court. Could he be lying? Yes. But I have no doubt Clinton is speaking the truth when she says she is proud to stand with Planned Parenthood – a company that murders on average 900 to a 1000 babies every day. And I have no doubt she is speaking the truth when she says she will appoint pro-abortion judges to the Supreme Court. That would ensure the holocaust perpetrated against the unborn would continue unabated for decades to come. That is unacceptable.
So, it comes down to this. Trump or Clinton will be the next President of the United States.
I absolutely will not under any circumstances vote for Clinton. To do so would be to make me an accessory to murder causing my soul and spirit to be stained with the innocent blood of butchered babies. How could I stand before my Lord with such a stain? Answer: I could not. Nor can anyone else. So, make no mistake, to vote for Clinton, knowing she is radically pro-abortion, is a sin. You may not like to hear that, but it’s the truth.
I will vote for Trump, not because he’s a saint, for he is not. (Of course neither is anyone else that I have ever voted for). And any attempt to justify his sins because they aren’t as grievous as Clinton’s is wrong. We are not to declare the guilty innocent. But is voting for someone who is guilty of being a sinner (and we all sin and fall short of the glory of God from time to time, even those who have been forgiven through having accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior) a declaration of innocence? No. If it were every time we casted a vote for anyone we would be declaring the guilty innocent because every one of us is guilty to one degree or another.
I will vote for Trump, not because he’s innocent, but because I believe he will protect the innocent – unborn babies.
Does voting for Trump imply I don’t trust God? Not at all. I trust God to protect me when I drive to and from work, but I still buckle my seatbelt. I trust God to protect me when I cross an intersection, but I still look both ways – even if it’s a one-way street! Trust in God isn’t revealed by refusing to use reason and discernment when making decisions, believing I have no responsibility for what happens to me – or others. Trust in God is the result of walking hand-in-hand with Him and wisdom gained from having built a relationship with Him through prayer and obedience.
Do I trust God? Yes. And I will vote for Donald Trump, not because of who he is, but in spite of who he is; and if doing so saves even one baby from the deadly clutches of Hillary Clinton and Planned Parenthood I know I will one day be able to stand before my Lord and hear Him say…
“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21 ESV).
How Great the Darkness
Think America has sunk as morally low as she can go with the legalization of sodomite marriage? Think again. It is one thing for secular society to embrace spiritual darkness and spread it through the laws of the land. It is something entirely different for churches to embrace spiritual darkness and spread it through the pulpits. How great is that darkness for it is a darkness that claims spiritual authority not just manmade authority. It is the darkness of Hell where unseen demonic beings whisper into the ears of fallen man the lies he craves to believe because these lies tell him he is god. Once that lie is believed man is ready to be consumed by Satan and his demonic horde. The Bible doesn’t say for no purpose…
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
Think of it this way. Lies are like a demonic meat tenderizer for your soul. The more lies you believe the more palatable to Satan and his minions you become. And his most accomplished “chefs” are false teachers, preachers, and prophets for they live in deep darkness. And I’m going to introduce you to one of these demonic “chefs” and some of those whom he is feeding his lies. It helps explain why we are witnessing the most divisive election in America’s history.
9/11 – The Day America was Shaken
We are about to observe the 15th anniversary of September 11, 2001 – 9/11 – the day Islamic savages murdered almost 3000 innocent human beings in America. This evil was committed in the name of their idol – Allah.
When 9/11 happened people asked me why God would allow such a thing to take place in America. I responded that America was witnessing a physical manifestation of God’s judgment upon us because America had turned from God and had chosen to embrace and celebrate sin. I further said unless America repents and turns back to God something worse will happen. Since then we have witnessed Islamic savages behead, drown, and burn alive innocent human beings in other parts of the world in the name of their idol, in effect declaring war against all who refuse to bow the knee to Allah – particularly Christians.
But it will get worse. Because America refused to repent after 9/11, God’s judgment will manifest itself in ever increasing forms of evil bringing death and destruction on an unprecedented scale. The Islamic savages use of nuclear weapons will be used as soon as they are available to them.
The only way to stop this is for America to turn back to God.
Listen to the sermon “9/11 The Day America was Shaken”, then pray for America to repent
Be Strong and Courageous
About 3 years ago I gave a sermon entitled “Be Strong and Courageous”. Given the current political and moral turmoil our nation is now facing I want to share this sermon again.
After God had miraculously brought Israel out of Egypt where they had been slaves for 400 years He brought them to the edge of Canaan, the land He had promised to give them as their home. But because of fear and unbelief kept them out of their new home. They could not overcome their enemies.
Forty years later after that generation of Israelites had died, God brought them back to the border of Canaan to face their enemies again. Joshua was now their commander. As God prepared him and the Israelites for battle He said…
“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go” (Joshua 1:1-7 ESV).
Canaan was occupied by idolaters. It was full of vile and wicked and evil people, people who practiced sexual immorality of all kinds and human sacrifice to the demons they worshipped. Also, the land was full of giants and walled, fortified cities. On a natural level there was every reason to be fearful, but the war that was to shortly begin would be won, not by military strength alone, but by the hand of God. Fear had no place in this war.
Today, America has become “Canaan”. It is a land full of idolaters. It is full of vile and wicked and evil people who practice sexual immorality and human sacrifice to the demons they worship. Also, it is full of giants and walled, fortified cities – government officials who possess (or have unlawfully taken) power and authority unto themselves pass immoral laws and judges who will fine and/or imprison anyone, Christians particularly, that dares take a stand for righteousness.
The result in America: Fear.
Almost every day someone I meet expresses dismay, and not just dismay, but dread and fear, at America’ political and moral landscape.
Rampant and deadly corruption are part and parcel of Obama and his administration. Judges rule and legislate from the bench, effectively turning America in a judicial oligarchy, bypassing or overruling gutless Senators and Congressmen who are more concerned about getting re-elected and living off the government – our tax dollars, than standing in the gap between the citizens of this country and a government seeking to enslave us.
People now live in fear that Hillary Clinton will be elected President; people now live in fear Donald Trump will be elected President. People now live in fear the government will confiscate their guns. People now live in fear of a national debt that will bankrupt this country and precipitate a financial crisis on a scale greater than the Great Depression in the 1930’s. People now live in fear that radical Islamic savages that kill in the name of a blood-thirsty idol they call Allah will continue to strike America as an impotent government stands helplessly by, unable or unwilling to destroy this enemy. And all of these possibilities are real. But we have no one to blame to ourselves.
Why is all this happening? Why are our leaders and judges masters of deception rather than paragons of virtue? Why is America facing financial ruin? Why is America facing possible military defeat at the hands of zealots that are the epitome of evil, evil on a scale greater that Hitler and the Nazis? Why do millions of babies continue to be slaughtered in abortion mills and their body parts traded and bartered for as so much merchandize? Why is sexual perversion of the vilest sorts becoming the new normal?
Because as a nation America no longer fear’s God.
As a result our nation has enacted vile, immoral laws that appeal to the lust of the flesh and laws that celebrate sexual perversion. America funds organizations that are depraved, organizations such as Planned Parenthood and StemExpress that reduce human beings, tiny babies, to a commodity valuable only in so far as their body parts can be harvested for use in experiments, the remainder of the baby to be discarded as medical waste.
Even worse so-called Christians are willfully biblically illiterate and happily are fed lies from the pulpits of denominations that have entered deep apostasy, denominations such as the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of North America (to name just two of the worst apostate churches).
The fear that we are experiencing as a nation and as individuals is because we have turned from God. As a individuals we have formed a more imperfect union by voting into political office vile, immoral persons giving them the legal authority (or illegal authority as Obama and Hilary are perfect examples of) to strip us of us our unalienable, God-given rights. Make no mistake, we will be held accountable by God for who we vote for, for freely electing leaders that advance and promote sin.
And what is to be the response from Christians? Are we to fear these godless leaders and judges and pastors? No! We are to be strong and courageous.
As Christians we are to face these evils with the knowledge that God is in control. God is not in Heaven pacing back and forth, wringing His hands in fear that Hillary (or Donald) will be the next President of the United States. God is not in Heaven worried about who will be put on the Supreme Court. Nor are we to live in fear of such things. Rather, we are called to fight. But the fight isn’t to begin in the political arena. That’s where Satan wants us to focus our attention, not God.
I don’t mean to imply we shouldn’t vote or stand up against ungodly leaders and laws. Indeed, we have an obligation to vote for those individuals whose values reflect biblical values and clearly speak out against those who don’t. What I do mean to imply is that our fight is to begin in the churches, in the Body of Christ, in the household of God. Peter clearly warns us…
“It is time for judgment to begin at the household of God” (1 Peter 4:17 ESV).
Folks, unless we as Christians return to the Bible, return to the Truth as revealed to us in it, call out false religious teachers and preacher, denounce denominations such as the Episcopal Church or the Evangelical Lutheran Church of North America that have become congregations of Satan we will not win this war. Paul clearly tells us, speaking to Christians…
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:10-13 ESV).
Brothers and sisters in Christ, cleanse your hearts, put on the armor of God. When we do this it will be Satan and his minions that will live with fear. And rightly so for when God’s people take a stand for righteousness in the strength and power of Jesus Christ no politician, no government will be able to overcome us.
Remember the words of Paul…
“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.” (Philippians 1:27-28 ESV).
Gender Wars
Satan is the commander of the Gender Wars and these wars have been focused upon the destruction of traditional marriage since Adam and Eve were wed by God in the Garden of Eden. Satan hates traditional marriage and is doing everything in his power to destroy it. And he’s fighting these wars on two fronts.
The main front of the Gender Wars in the last 50 years has been to normalize the homosexual lifestyle. In the last 10 – 20 a new front has been opened up by Satan – the normalization of transgenderism.
Does that sound crazy? Allow me to quote a couple of excerpts from the sermon. Then if yoou want a CD of the sermon all you need to do is ask for one. They are free and I will not ask you for money.
“First, Satan, by approaching Eve rather than Adam, (in the Garden of Eden) was subtly disrespecting and attempting to disrupt the headship/submission structure of the family as created by God…
“Second, I believe Satan purposefully chose to approach Eve when Adam was near to see if he would step and be the man, the husband, God created him to be by protecting her from the lies he was going to tell Eve to get her to eat of the forbidden fruit. He was going to see if Adam would step in and speak the truth to Eve by reminding her what God had actually said about feeding the fruit. Satan was testing Adam as much as he was Eve.” Terry L. Brown – Gender Wars
The Gender Wars began in the Garden of Eden with Satan’s attempt to distort and even destroy the headship/submission roles within the marriage covenant as created by God in the very beginning. And he has been highly successful in doing this in the last 50 years through a group of warriors waving the flag of Radical Feminism.
Thanks to these warriors male and female roles within marriage and the Church have become so blurred that so-called marriage between two males or two females is now legal. Satan’s victories on the homosexual front have been highly effective in weakening traditional marriage. But traditional marriage is still not dead. So, Satan is now moving to not just normalize homosexuality, but to blur maleness and femaleness to the point of androgyny – neither male nor female.
Androgyny may not seem as dangerous a weapon as homosexuality, but it is, and Satan knows it.
“Satan has opened up a second front in the Gender Wars. If two men or two women having the legal right to marry each other wasn’t powerful enough to destroy traditional marriage, Satan is counting on the immoral radiation from so-called same-sex marriage to do so. What is that immoral radiation?
“Androgyny, the blurring and blending of the sexes until the terms male and female are no longer relevant, which is feminism’s (and Satan’s) ultimate goal.” Terry L Brown – Gender Wars
Satan hates maleness and femaleness and has an army who shares this hatred: radical feminists.
“Radical feminism is the spirit behind the Gender Wars and it must be defeated.” Terry L Brown – Gender Wars
Don’t’ believe it? Listen to the sermon “Gender Wars” and you just might change your mind.
Insanity is the New Normal
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27 ESV).
For thousands of years two genders have existed – male and female. That has not changed. Today two genders exist – male and female. What has changed is man’s suicidal eagerness to turn away from the light of this Truth and embrace and celebrate the darkness of the Lie that one can choose one’s gender.
Why is this happening?
Image yourself walking by what looks to be a large estate. You approach the front door and ring the bell. A man opens the door and invites you in. Once inside he introduces himself as Napoleon Bonaparte. You see other people in the vestibule. Your host introduces them to you: Julius Caesar, George Washington, Moses, and Plato.
Where are you? You are in an insane asylum, a place where reality – Truth – is denied and lies are believed. You are in a place where insanity is the normal. You are in a place of darkness, not physical darkness, but mental and spiritual darkness.
And this is where we are now in America. America is essentially a large estate, an estate blessed with beautiful natural wonders from sea to sea and beautiful manmade structures and buildings, an estate built using the Light of Truth – God’s Word – as her foundation. But that Light of Truth is being replaced with the ever-increasing Darkness of Lies as the Prince of Darkness continues to gain footholds in our government.
It is interesting to me that one of the plagues inflicted upon mankind in the Book of Revelation is darkness.
“The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness” (Revelation 16:10 ESV).
It is important to understand that among other things the “Beast” is Satan’s human agent and/or agency – a man or government – that wars against the Kingdom of God. And the Beast wars against those of God’s Kingdom by calling good evil and evil good, by calling light darkness and darkness light (Isaiah 5:20), by calling male female and female male.
Something else to understand when reading Revelation is that these plagues, the Seals, the Trumpets, and the Bowls, are not necessarily literal. Thus, this plague of darkness does not have to be literal, nor does it have to be limited to the End Times. These plagues have been a part of this world ever since Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden and that certainly included darkness, spiritual darkness, when man’s spirit died (Genesis 2:17).
Man’s rebellion against God was a rebellion against the Truth, a rebellion against Light resulting in the beginning of the plague of darkness being poured out, at least in part, upon the spirit of man; man’s rebellion was an act of insanity. And with the fall of man earth became an insane asylum, a place where insanity – a disconnect with reality – was the new normal. Evil was the new good, wrong was he new right, and darkness was the new Light.
Now, consider this, it is one thing for people of little influence or earthly power to walk in darkness, to reject the Truth and believe lies, to be insane, but it is an entirely different thing for those who rule over a nation by passing laws, enforcing laws, and judging laws to be insane. But this is exactly what America is experiencing today.
Notice where the bowl containing the plague of darkness quoted above from Revelation is poured.
“The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness” (Revelation 16:10 ESV).
A throne represents the place of power and authority. This fifth judgment bowl in Revelation specifically speaks of it being poured out on the throne of the beast. In other words this plague, fully poured out as the time of the end draws near, plunges not just those who have little influence upon the “kingdom” (nation) they live in, but upon those who rule over the kingdom itself. This plague is God’s judgment upon the kingdoms of man who have chosen to accept spiritual insanity as normal by giving them rulers who are more insane than themselves.
When Obama first ran for President in 2008 someone asked me who I thought was going win. I said it depended on God’s mercy. I said if God chose to intensify His judgment upon America for her national sins of abortion and embracing and promoting sexual perversion as normal Obama would win. He won, and he won again in 2012. God had chosen to have the bowl of darkness poured out on the throne of America. Insanity was the new normal at the highest levels of American government.
Obama and those of his administration are literally insane in that they believe evil is good, wrong is right, and lies are Truth.
This is why sexual sin that has been known to be sin, even by unbelievers, since the foundation of the world is now celebrated at the highest levels of the American government as normal. This is why Obama and his administration are not only strong-arming schools into requiring them to allow biological males that self-identify as biological females and biological females that self-identity as biological males to use the bathrooms and locker rooms of their choice as normal, but to demonize all those who recognize this condition as irrational – insane – a departure from reality. How deep must the darkness be that believes such obvious lies.
And it will get worse. America has not experienced total darkness, total insanity yet, but unless we repent as a nation and as individuals and return to the Light of God’s Word – the Truth – even the Light, the Truth we still possess will be snuffed out as insanity becomes the new normal for evil that would shock even the most jaded today.
There is a prophetic verse in the Bible that, though not speaking specifically of America or Obama of course, nevertheless describes exactly what is happening to America today as Obama continues to make insanity the new normal. It speaks of a form of God’s judgment against a nation that has rebelled against Him. What is that judgment?
“For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs” (Zechariah 11:16 ESV).
This is the judgment America is now experiencing. Obama is a shepherd/ruler who is concerned only for himself and recreating America in his image. In October of 2008 just before the election he said…
“We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” – Barack Obama, October 30, 2008
“We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” – Barack Obama, October 30, 2008
And he has. No one has been more successful in making insanity the new normal.
Time is running out for America as is witnessed by the character of the rulers/shepherds we have freely placed in power over us and the would-be rulers/shepherds who desire to take their place. Obama is just one of those who walk in the shadow of the Beast.
If we are to return America to greatest we must not be fooled into believing any man (or woman) residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave will be able to do it. Rather, we must return to God; we must heed His Word…
“Hear and give ear; be not proud, for the Lord has spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness” (Jeremiah 13:15-16 ESV).
Lastly Brothers and Sisters in Christ, do not fear Obama or any other would-be tyrant that seeks to make insanity the new normal. The Lord has a word of warning for them…
“What shepherd can stand before me” (Jeremiah 49:19 ESV).
Indeed.
Expectations
Target’s decision to come out of the closet with an official statement proudly proclaiming their commitment of allowing persons to use the bathrooms and fitting rooms corresponding with the gender they identify with at that moment rather than the biological sex they were born with (and is listed on their birth certificates) has amped up the rhetoric on this front of the culture wars America is now fighting.
Part of Target’s statement says…
“In our stores, we demonstrate our commitment to an inclusive experience in many ways. Most relevant for the conversations currently underway, we welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.” (Read the entire statement here).
That’s plain and straightforward. No ambiguity. In a world of politicians and businesses that strain themselves to parse words in an attempt to say all things to all people so they can take credit for being politically correct and deny being politically correct at the same time, depending on who their audience is, Target’s forthrightness to proclaim itself a company that proudly embraces immorality is refreshing. As a Christian it made choosing to boycott Target an easy decision.
But not everyone, including Christians, believe boycotting Target is the best decision. One such Christian is Bethany Berreth, the girl’s minister at the Bay Area First Baptist Church in Texas. I don’t know her, but I have no reason to doubt she is a Christian or to doubt she loves Jesus Christ. And in fairness to her she doesn’t tell Christians to not boycott target. She says…
“If you feel so led, sign petitions, call Target, do what you must do to exercise the rights you hold as an American citizen to make your opinion heard.”
She then quotes Colossians 4:5-6…
“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
Of course. But gracious speech is not necessarily pleasing speech. It is not necessarily speech that tickles the ear. It is speech that speaks truth and Truth is often described as hate speech by those who have chosen to believe lies. Those who live in darkness hate the light (Truth) and prefer to remain unsalted (preserved by the Truth) because as salt poured on to an open wound stings so Truth “poured” on to a heart wounded with sin “stings”. In fact walking in wisdom, speaking gracious words, being light and salt toward outsiders, got Jesus killed.
Certainly, as Christians we do not want to unnecessarily offend anyone, but neither do we want to remain silent in the face of evil. Truth will always offend someone.
After Berrreth made clear she was not telling Christians to not boycott Target she explained why she would not. She wrote…
“Target has never stated or even pretended to have Christian values and morals at the foundation of their decisions as a company. They have always been a ‘secular’ if you will, company. Why, then, are Christians surprised and angry when such a store holds to standards that are set in direct opposition to God’s ways (not to mention public safety)? Scripture makes it very clear that when we are children of darkness we walk in darkness (Ephesians 4:18-20) and when we are children of light we should choose to walk in the light (Ephesians 5:8). Those who are not of God, and the companies they run, are of the darkness. We shouldn’t expect them to look like those who are of the light. We wouldn’t expect an apple tree to produce oranges, and then rail at it when it failed our expectations. It just wouldn’t make sense. Sure, it’s much more comfortable when a company’s choices don’t step on our morality toes. But at their core, they are no different today than they were in the days, weeks and years before this decision.
“I’ll speak plainly here. It is utterly ridiculous to expect those who are in darkness to display the same characteristics of those who have been saved by the grace and mercy of God and are empowered to walk in light by the Holy Spirit. Not only is it ridiculous, but even if, EVEN IF we could convince them to abide by the principles of light, it is pointless in the face of eternity: they are still without hope and without God in the world. Like I said before, we may feel more comfortable purchasing products from Target when they seem to resemble our values, but that is a false comfort.” — Bethany Berreth (Full blog here).
Unquestionably, unbelievers and “secular” companies have always “walked” in darkness as Berreth points out because they are not saved. They live outside the light of the Holy Spirit. But the darkness they walk in has never been total darkness. Even unsaved man and ‘secular’ companies have walked in partial light since the Fall of man. The Apostle Paul makes that abundantly clear when he says…
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles” (Romans 1:18-23 ESV).
Therefore, unsaved man and secular companies have always walked it at least partial light. So, when Berreth says that it is utterly ridiculous to expect them to exhibit the same characteristics, values, as Believers she is only partially right.
She is right that we should not expect unsaved man or secular companies to live or operate in the light that Yahweh is the only true God as Believers do in accordance to the 1st commandment…
“You shall have no other gods before me (Yahweh)” (Exodus 20:3 ESV);
or to not expect them to live their lives pursuing money or power or fame or pleasure or any other created thing (idols) while Believers place God first in their lives (forsake all idols) in accordance to the 2nd commandment…
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:3-6 ESV);
or to not expect them to honor and keep holy Yahweh’s name as Believers do in accordance the 3rd commandment…
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” (Exodus 20:3 ESV).
Obeying these commandments in spirit and truth does indeed require the illumination of the Holy Spirit, an illumination unbelievers and secular companies do not have.
But even unbelievers and secular companies have walked in the shadow of the light created by the commandments that pertain directly to their fellow man. I know of no sane individual or civilization or company that has believed that murder is a virtue. That indicates that they possess at the least a glimmer of the light given in the 6th commandment…
“You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13 ESV).
Likewise, they walk in a flicker of the light given in the 8th and 9th commandments…
“You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15 ESV) and “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16 ESV) respectively.
Thievery and lying are despised by non-Christians and secular companies because they know these activities are wrong.
Even the 7th commandment…
“You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14 ESV)…
has universally been regarded as a virtue worthy of esteem even by unbelievers and secular companies. I know of no unbelievers that think unfaithfulness is a virtue nor have I ever known of a company openly praising adulterous relationships.
So, for Berreth to say…
“Target has never stated or even pretended to have Christian values and morals at the foundation of their decisions as a company” isn’t entirely true. The virtues of not murdering or even harming someone (whether willfully or through negligence), of not stealing from someone, or of not lying to someone are Christian virtues that, while not always obeyed perfectly, are nonetheless virtues that Christians and non-Christians and secular companies are rightly expected to obey or at least strive to conform to.
Therefore, I do not think it is ridiculous to expect those who are in partial darkness as Target is to display the same characteristics as those who have been saved and are enlightened by the Holy Spirit do as far as one’s interaction with one’s fellowman is concerned.
My expectations are for unbelieves and secular companies to live by the light, dim though it may be, that has been available to everyone, saved or unsaved, from the beginning of creation.
My expectations of unbelievers and secular companies are to follow the same moral laws Christians do, at least physically speaking. I expect unbelievers and secular companies to not kill (you shall not murder); I expect unbelievers and secular companies to not lie (you shall not bear false witness); I expect unbelievers and companies to not condone or facilitate sexual immorality (you shall not commit adultery – which includes a variety of sexual sins) (Target’s failing); I expect unbelievers and secular companies to not steal (you shall not steal).
I don’t a have problem being salt and light to Target, but they may not like the application of said salt and light. Early in Jesus’ ministry He sent some of His disciples out as missionaries for a short time. Among His instructions to these men He said…
“As you enter the house (to stay in while in a town), greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town” (Matthew 10:12-15 ESV).
I have entered the house of Target many times and greeted it with my money. I have lived in peace with them because they were worthy of it in the sense they did not actively embrace and facilitate evil that has been known to be evil by Christians and non-Christians alike for thousands of years.
Therefore, I will let my peace return to me and shake off any connection I have with Target.
In other words I will boycott Target and pray they return to the light they have turned from while they still can.
#BoycottTarget