Circumstances beyond our control...

Recently, I have been playing catch up with our church in our four-year Bible reading plan.  I like to try to read it once a year, but this year I wanted to slow my pace and read it with other brothers who are going on this journey as well.  It has given me some great insight and personal reflection.  This month we are reading through Genesis and I have been captivated by Genesis 45 which tells us about Joseph and his journey through life and circumstances that were beyond his control.Genesis 45 English Standard Version (ESV)

Joseph Provides for His Brothers and Family

45 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. 4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God.

I am pretty sure that you are familiar with this story.  There is a great musical on this story and if you ever get the chance to see it or rent the musical on DVD, then do.  Often, we think that we can control our daily lives and our circumstances, but some of us who are reading this and are writing this will definitely disagree with this on a broad basis.  Sometimes life throws us circumstances that are beyond our control.  For some that could be loss of a love one, cancer, tragedy, job loss and so on.  Sometimes life throws us trials and tribulations that we cannot understand or that we may dismiss as spiritual attack.  Sometimes it may be spiritual attack and sometimes it just may be from the consequences of our actions.

But we have to ask this question:  Is God over everything?  Is He in control of everything?  Why does He permits such things from happening?

Look at Joseph:

• His brothers despised him
• They were going to kill him
• He was sold into slavery
• He was falsely imprisoned
• He was left in jail after he interpreted dreams for the cupbearer and baker
• He was left alone without his dad and homeland for a large part of his life

After all of this, many of us would have thrown in the proverbial towel and said, “Enough, I cannot take anymore!  I quit”  Or maybe we would just be angry and blame everyone else for our circumstances.  Joseph had every reason to blame his life circumstance on his brothers and could have wallowed in that misery, anger and depression for the rest of his life.  Instead he chose to trust God and lean on God’s understanding instead of his own understanding.

After all of this, he realizes through life’s trials and tribulations that God had a much bigger plan for his life than Joseph did.  It didn’t matter what Joseph wanted or how he wanted to spend his life, because God sent him on a different trajectory.  This was a path to save many lives and to keep a people from extinction.  So it was not Joseph and his brothers, instead it was God who put him in these circumstances – was it fair?  In the world’s terminology, probably not.  In God’s plan – absolutely.  It is amazing to read how God ordained this for Joseph and Israel and his eleven brothers and their people.

Instead of getting mad at our circumstances or upset or depressed or left alone, maybe we should turn our attention to God.  Read His word.  Study His word and reflect on it.  Maybe we should pray and ask God for His insight and His guidance.  Maybe we should get over ourselves and our circumstance and realize it was not you who sent me here, but God.

Blessings,

Dante

Lessons learned from Timothy

FOCUS ON:1 TIMOTHY

1:15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (IT IS ALL ABOUT JESUS)

6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and[c] we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. (BE CONTENT)

ACTION STEPS:

1 TIMOTHY2: 2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people (PRAY ALWAYS)

2:8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control,

4:7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;

4:15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them,[c] so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. (PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH)

5:1 Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.  3 Honor widows who are truly widows. (RESPECT OTHERS REGARDLESS OF POSITION OR TITLE)

5:22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. (DISCERN)

6:11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

6:17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

FOCUS ON:

2 Timothy

2:11 The saying is trustworthy, for:  If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself. (IT'S ALL ABOUT JESUS)

3:3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

ACTION STEPS:2 Timothy

2:1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men[a] who will be able to teach others also.

22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And the Lord's servant[e] must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

4:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Blessings,

Dante

What is your life sowing?

Matthew 13 English Standard Version (ESV)The Parable of the Sower

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. ² And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³ And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ⁶ but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. ⁷ Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸ Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.⁹ He who has ears,^[a] let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

¹⁰ Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” ¹¹ And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. ¹⁴ Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,and you will indeed see but never perceive.”¹⁵ For this people's heart has grown dull,and with their ears they can barely hear,and their eyes they have closed,lest they should see with their eyesand hear with their earsand understand with their heartand turn, and I would heal them.’

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. ¹⁷ For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Parable of the Sower Explained

¹⁸ “Hear then the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. ²⁰ As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.^[b] 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. ²³ As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

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If you and I were to glance back on our life and look for that peace that can only come from Christ, would our lives bear the fruit of the Spirit:  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness (and self-control)?  That is not to say that we would not have trial and tribulation because for those of us who profess Jesus Christ as Savior then we know that those who love and truly follow him will face trials and tribulations of many kinds.  I am not talking about this, rather, I am talking about that peace that should be evident in our life.

I want to focus on where I lives are currently at (where they have landed at this particular time in our life).   I want to focus on the path that Jesus is talking about and ask ourselves these questions when we take a deep look at examining ourselves.  Are we bearing the fruit of the Spirit?  Are we in community?  Are we serving Jesus Christ (we are true followers and not just fans)?  Are we teachable?  Are we humble?  Do we exude spiritual maturity?  If not, why not?

Have our lives:

• Fell along the path:  We hear the words (the Bible, the teaching and preaching of the Bible) and we do not understand it?
• Fell along rocky ground:  We hear the words, but have no root in the Word, in community and fellowship, a prayer life?  And when trials and tribulations and persecution came along we immediately fall away from God?
• Fell among thorns:  We hear the words, but our focus is not on Jesus Christ and His Church, rather, it is on the ways of this world (living for our own desire and pleasures instead of God's will for our life).  This, too, proves an unfaithful servant.
• Fell on good soil:  These are the true disciples of Jesus Christ.  They hear the word and understand the word and apply that to their entire life and way of thinking.  When they hear the word and fall on good soil (God's word and His wisdom and understanding they are truly following His will in all their life).  These are individuals that you see that do face trials and do face tribulations and they are genuine.  There is something different about them.  Look around in the church, in your communities and in your work place - they are there! Are you one of them?

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When the Judgement of the Lord comes, and it will come, I do not want to be looking back at my life and saying I could/should have done it different.  I don't want to be saying why did I make all those other things in my life a priority instead of what God prioritizes for me in His Word.  I do not want to be second guessing myself at his Judgement Seat.  Instead I want to hear the words, "well done good and faithful servant".

I do not want to live the life of a fake or follower.  I want my life to bear his fruit daily.  I want my life to be that life of  a disciple.  Does this mean that I will always have it right?  By no means.  However, with daily prayer, reading of the word, accountability and honesty along with repentance, I can move toward becoming the new creation that Jesus Christ gave me versus always falling back to that old self (our old sin nature).

Do you not know that those of us that confess that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and follow his ways have been bought with a price?  A price that we could never pay nor endure?

As for me and my house, we choose to serve the Lord.

Blessings,

Dante

Sons and Daughters

Psalm 144:12English Standard Version (ESV)¹² May our sons in their youthbe like plants full-grown,our daughters like corner pillarscut for the structure of a palace;

As we move through Scripture through the days of our lives we realize that there truly is no clear way to spell out God's manual for raising our kids.  I mean, to say, that you can't just go to one book or one chapter of the Bible and get a step by step way to raise your children the way that God wants you to raise them.  However, as you read through the Bible (over and over should be our posture) as this is a life-giving manual, then you can see may different applications that are true precepts and statutes for us to learn and submit and obey (and then we are instructed to teach our children).

This is a very serious call for a parent.  If we miss this, we miss our mission field that God has given us authority over.  There are a lot of studies that give us varying degrees of how to raise a child, but there are so many different parenting styles and God has made each of us uniquely.  Add to that, when you have a husband and a wife in union with God' covenant marriage, we are called (as dads) to be prophets, priests and kings of our homes.

Here are some non-negotiable applications, as parents, that we all have to do:

• Pray for our children
• Pray for their spouses and spouses families
• Live by the Bible
• Practice what we preach
• Make our faith real to them
• Allow our children to fail (to lose) and to understand loss
• Trust the Lord (he has them)
• Be there for them as much as we possibly can (this thing of quality over quantity is horse rubbish - it should be quantity with quality wrapped inside of the quantity)
• Read scripture with them
• Teach them to memorize scripture (thereby which, we have to memorize scripture)
• Tell them stories of the Bible and life applications when devotions come (how does this text become relevant in our lives)

When my wife was sick and in the hospital for 6 days the first year and the 3 days for the second year I found myself in one of the worst trials and tribulations of my life.  I found myself praying more and more and relying more and more on God's will for my life.  I was angry, sad, mad, depressed, stressed and every possible emotion you can imagine.   I read the Book of Job a lot during this time.

If you remember that God allowed Satan to test Job by taking away his wealth and health and children.  His wife and friends thought he did something in his life and accused him instead of being there for him:  Comforting him, encouraging him and urging him to live a life worthy of God.  His wife, at one point, said to him to curse God and die!?!  Those were tough times for Job and when you think that things cannot get any worse - they do!

Job, however, knew something that not every person does:  There is a Redeemer.  There is a mediator between God and man and His name is Jesus.  Job had not met this Redeemer, BUT he knew that He lives!  That is pretty cool and that sustained me during my trials and tribulations with my wife.  In the end, we learn that God is in control and that nothing happens without God ordaining them.

As we are all different people from different walks and different talks in life, we realize that when we getting married in a biblical marriage (a covenant marriage) we realize that there are not just one sinner but two sinners coming together to make one flesh and who have little sinners that we are called to raise and train up in the Lord.  Understand the math: 1 sinner + 1 sinner = more sinners.  We are all broken and in need of a Savior.  God understands our weaknesses and daily struggles and Jesus left us the Holy Spirit.  Our bodies are a temple of the living God - we are called to be holy.

This past weekend, my wife and I had the pleasure to go to a wedding (Friday - dinner rehearsal, Saturday the wedding) and spend time with this family that we love.  The bride was our baby sitter with our kids for over 10 years.  She (and her two brothers) are different from most families.   They are real with their faith.  They love God and the church.  They are teachable and humble.    My wife and I felt that at any given time we could have literally left our kids with this you adult for a week, a month and or a year (not that we would) and that she could manage very well.  Our children adore her and the older two had to go and see the wedding ceremony.

One of these days, my wife and I are going to do dinner with her parents and pick their brains for a few hours and then we are going to have all three children (young woman and two young men) over for dinner and interview them about their parents and ask them what their parent did that has their faith so real (but this will be for another post).

We may not all have the same parenting training manual but there are things that we should do consistently for sons and things we should do consistently for daughters as legacy dads.

For Sons:

• Do not lie to them
• Teach them the values of Honor, Courtesy, Integrity, Self-control, Perseverance, Courage and Community
• Be real in our faith with them (struggles, fears, wrongdoings and repentance)
• Model love for them (with our children and with our wives)
• Teach them Scripture (read and memorize with them)
• Teach them how to treat women (not just by words but by action)
• Teach them the importance of purity (from this world, media and others around)
• Teach them how to pray (pray with them)
• Play with them (toys, games, board games, go see movies, fish, sports - just don't make things an idol before God)
• Give them hugs, kisses and your time

For Daughters:

• Do not lie to them
• Teach them the values of Honor, Courtesy, Integrity, Self-control, Perseverance, Courage and Community
• Be real in our faith with them (struggles, fears, wrongdoings and repentance)
• Model love for them (with our children and with our wives)
• Teach them Scripture (read and memorize with them)
• Teach them how to treat men (not just by words but by action - honor their moms and encourage them to follow her lead)
• Teach them the importance of purity (from this world, media and others around)
• Teach them how to pray (pray with them)
• Play with them (toys, games, board games, go see movies, fish, sports - just don't make things an idol before God)
• Give them hugs, kisses and your time

In everything that we do either as individuals or parents, first seek the Kingdom of God.  Second ask for His will and third lean on His understanding and not our own.  When in doubt - pray!  In all things, strive to make your faith real (this requires a real prayer life and the daily reading of the Word).

Blessings,

Dante

How can I live in such a way...

Have you ever wondered why life has trials and tribulations and we wonder why and how they keep coming our way?  Have you ever looked back for an instant in your life and seen where you came from and what God has saved you from?  Have you ever shared your life story (in a series of flashes) to someone who wants to know what's different in your life and why you are the way you are?  And then see them to come to know the Lord?Have you ever wondered what God requires from you?  Have you been frustrated in your daily walk because there are temptations (sin) that you cannot escape or that you continue to do over and over?  Have you ever asked aloud what does God require of my life?  What does the Lord want from me?  How can I conquer these temptations?  The apostle Paul gives us a snapshot of the new life in Christ in the New Testament.  At one point, he tells us (the reader) that what he knows he should do, he doesn't.  He also states that what he should not do, he does.  He let's us in on a life of a believer (a disciple of Christ) and tells us that when we come to know the Lord immediately there is a war within us:  The old self (sin nature) versus our new self (we are a new creation in and through Jesus Christ).  The beautiful thing about this is that God knows that we are human and knows that we sin daily (and some of us hourly or even by the minute), BUT God in his infinite wisdom gives us a Helper (The Holy Spirit).  Our bodies (those that confess, repent and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord) become a temple of the living God (the Holy Spirit resides in us).

How can we live in such a way that we are in God's will daily:

• Proverbs 16:7 (ESV) 7 When a man's ways please the Lord,  he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
• 1 Timothy 2:3-5 (ESV) 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man[a] Christ Jesus,
• Ezekiel 18:23(ESV) 23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?
• Micah 6:8 (ESV) 8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness,[a] and to walk humbly with your God?
• Romans 13:10 (ESV) 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
• Hebrews 12:14 (ESV) 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
• Galatians 5:22-25 (ESV) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
• Romans 12:1-2 (ESV) A Living Sacrifice  12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.[b] 2 Do not be conformed to this world,[c] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.[d]
• Colossians 3:15-17 (ESV) 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

God doesn't want us to be religious, He requires us to seek His Kingdom daily.  He tells us to put to death the earthly things in our lives daily.  PUT TO DEATH!  The Scripture doesn't ever say continue to wallow in unrepentant sin, to try to justify to a Holy God that sin is okay to continue to do and then call yourself a disciple of Jesus Christ.  The Bible tells us to renew our minds, put to death sin in our lives daily, to pursue holiness, to share His gospel and to love and serve those who are in need:  Widows, orphans, our neighbors and those that persecute us.  The Bible calls us to choose God daily and to submit and obey to His will.

If you are living in sexual immorality and trying to call yourself a disciple of Christ something is seriously wrong.  From www.Gotquestions.org, we read the following definition:  "Question: "What is sexual immorality?" Answer: In the New Testament, the word most often translated “sexual immorality” isporneia. This word is also translated as “whoredom,” “fornication,” and “idolatry.” It means “a surrendering of sexual purity”, and it is primarily used of premarital sexual relations. From this Greek word we get the English wordpornography, stemming from the concept of “selling off.” Sexual immorality is the “selling off” of sexual purity and involves any type of sexual expression outside the boundaries of a biblically defined marriage relationship (Matthew 19:4–5).  The connection between sexual immorality and idolatry is best understood in the context of1 Corinthians 6:18, which says, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.” The bodies of believers are the “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). Pagan idol worship often involved perverse and immoral sexual acts performed in the temple of a false god. When we use our physical bodies for immoral purposes, we are imitating pagan worship by profaning God’s holy temple with acts He calls detestable (1 Corinthians 6:9–11)."

We are called to one body to love our neighbor as ourselves and to purse holiness.  We are called to be disciples (not just followers) of Jesus Christ and to look after widows and orphans and to turn away from the ways of this world (flee sin) choose God's ways.

What are some things in your life right now that the Holy Spirit is revealing to you that you need to confess, repent and to turn away from?  What are some changes (degrees) that you can turn up or down to get back into God's will for your life?  For some, it may be reading the Bible more daily.  For others it may be getting some professional help (Good Christian/Bible based counselors) to help you forgive and cope with daily life struggles.  For others it could be more - you need medical help to overcome certain disorders that can be destructive to your life and others.  Whatever the change that needs to take place - don't wait.  The Bible is clear to us that we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Pray, ask, seek God's will in your life and surrender to His Will.  If you think you are in His will (or you know that you are not) then examine your lives with Scripture and confess to things that you need to confess, repent of such things that you are called to do and share the good news with other Christians in your lives.  And we you are freed from such sins (addictions and disorder and chaos in your life) Go and make disciples and share the Good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Blessings,

Dante

My religious rights and the Constitution...

Why would people risk life and limb to come to a new land?  Why would you, as believers who were being persecuted for your faith, try and find a new place to worship?  Why would you come to a new land if not for opportunity for work, for land and for worship freely (not be persecuted for their beliefs).Some quotes by some of our founding fathers are as follows:

• John Adams and John Hancock: We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus! [April 18, 1775]John Adams:“ The general principles upon which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principals of Christianity… I will avow that I believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.”• “[July 4th]ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.”–John Adams in a letter written to Abigail on the day the Declaration was approved by Congress"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." --October 11, 1798

Patrick Henry:[shareable text="This is all the inheritance I can give my dear family. The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed.”]The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed.” [/shareable]“It cannot be emphasized too clearly and too often that this nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason, peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.”

The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting ...

If we take this into context that the signors of the Constitution of the United States of America had an inherent belief that we were to become a Sovereign nation under God.  They believed in a creator and that all men are subject to Him and His will.  The idea of freedom of and from religion is critical to understand - the intent of the law was not to have one world (one government) religion that would prevent others from their worship or their beliefs.

Unfortunately as society continues its moral decay these original intentions have been misconstrued for an ulterior purpose - a nation without God, that is to say, and nation not under God.

A lot of people of the past several decades have blamed various reasons for this decay and breakdown in society, when in all actuality we could go back as far as the early 1940's when this began to happen.  I am not talking about new sins nor am I talking about something new that should be a surprise to all of us.

Ephesians 6:12-14 (ESV)

¹² 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.¹³ 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.

There are a lot of major conspiracies going around about government's and satanists and political and banking individuals that have this scripture in mind that they are spinning our world to this New World Order.  Don't infer that I am saying all political and banking individuals have this in mind because that is not the case at all - because their are godly men who stand in these positions and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I am talking to you to tell you that there is:

• evil in the world
• evil people in the world
• Satan - who wants to devour Christians and lie to the rest of the world

I am also confident and sure that:

• God is on the throne
• Every knee will bow and tongue confess
• Jesus sits at His right hand
• We are not to worry

With all this being said, when you hear someone telling you that our founding fathers did not have the leading of God in mind when they created this great nation - tell them to stop smoking the crack pipe and to start going to the library to read unbiased truths about many of the founding fathers (not all, but many).  FYI - all blogs and internet writings are not always telling you the truth and the whole truth because they are their own gods (small g).

The Gospel is all over our Constitution!  Let us hold true to our freedoms and belief that God reigns!!!

Blessings,

D