Heartbreak Is A Blessing

 

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

And saves those who are crushed in spirit."

- Psalm 34:18

This last summer was a wild ride for me..

I chose to live entirely out of my truck while maintaining a full-time job, writing blogs and doing livestreams, being active in multiple Bible studies and churches, continuing on in my ministry of discipling young men, all while going on 9 National Park camping + hiking trips across 6 different U.S. states..  

I stripped myself down to the bare minimum. Practiced being uncomfortable. Refocused my priorities on what actually mattered; evangelizing, discipling, serving in my church and in my community, taking care of my physical and mental health, and paying off my debts. And through it all I finally came to a place of peace regarding my singleness and my purpose in this time and place. 

 Then I met a girl.. 

Someone who seemed like answered prayer. Who was different than myself, but in complimentary ways.. Someone that actually kept me in check, inspired me and challenged me to become a better man. Someone who made me laugh and brought me peace, and who most importantly was actually just herself..

A young woman in these modern times that truly is who she is, not someone merely acting out a fictional role or pretending to be something that she isn't for the approval of others.. 

So of course I fell in love with her.. And as the title of this blog should let you know already, she didn't love me back. 

We foolishly rushed into a relationship, and after a few disagreements, some unwise words + a couple of stressful weeks, it all came to an abrupt end.. And for the first time in my life I experienced very real and serious heartbreak.

Now, I have gone through many breakups before, have had many major setbacks in life, plenty of highly disappointing moments, and grieved the loss of many loved ones before, but nothing has ever come as close to the deep down brokenness I have experienced in the months since the end of this short-lived summer relationship.  

It doesn't really make sense on paper, even as I type this out now it isn't really easy to justify or explain with words, but there has been a severe heartbreak resulting from this short summer romance, and it plagued every part of my life with a very dark stain. 

But despite all the pain and turmoil, the regrets and the tears, many great things have come about for me in the aftermath, regardless of how unwanted it all may have been.

My priorities have been refocused, my schedule has been cleared up, my mission has been redirected, and my energy has been used on doing what actually matters most; bringing God glory.

My relationship with Him has never been closer, my prayer life has become more consistent and intentional, my daily reading has actually been daily.. And the lessons I have learned from this failed relationship have been quickly turning me into a better man.. A righteously masculine one that my future wife needs me to become, whoever and wherever she is now. 

 There was an unforgettable moment during this breakup period when I was physically crying out over the loss of this girl, and it turned into a prayer of gratitude for the opportunity to even be here existing and to be able to experience things at all.. The good and the bad stuff, the beautiful and the ugly things, the sunshine and the rain.. I stopped crying for this girl, and instead cried out to my Creator to make me care about Him more than anything else.. To make my heart really care for what He needs from me, and not what I selfishly want.

That tearful prayer was answered.

He picked up the pieces of my broken heart and put them back together. He got me back on track with my mission of serving and leading those around me, and back onto the business of saving lost souls.

He truly tought me how to treat His daughters with more respect and tenderness, actual patience and forgivenness. He showed me that His sons are struggling and desperate, and that so many even directly around me are in need of my time, support and encouragement. He corrected me and rebuked me, led me away from my own selfish pursuits, and towards instead serving those in need. He forgave me for my many transgressions and failures, and his grace and mercy set me free. And He healed my broken heart, because I took it to Him..

Despite all that happened this year, I placed my faith in Him and all was made well in time. 

I'm not just some lucky guy, this isn't some sort of miracle.. We see this pattern of God restoring faithful broken hearts over and over again throughout history :

Ruth and Naomi both experienced heartbreak after the death of their husbands. Yet they continued on, finding a great husband and new family following their obedient faith.. 

Job was suffering from heartbreak after he lost everything. Yet he carried on, eventually reclaiming everything that was lost and then some following his trusting faith.. 

Hannah lived a life of heartbreak being unable to produce a child of her own. Yet she kept praying, and was rewarded greatly with a child who would go on to do great things following her resilient and steadfast faith.. 

Those who stand strong in their faith, regardless of their circumstances, will surely be blessed. Those who navigate the storms and conquer the struggles placed before them with joyful and trusting hearts, will inherit rewards beyond measure. These blessings and rewards might take some time to acquire, and it might occur only beyond our experience here and now in this temporary place, but the Lord our God is still loving and generous. He fulfils every promise and cares for His people. 

Those who walk obediently into righteousness, who humble themselves and repent of their wrongdoings, who believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God and accept the free gift of salvation offered to us all by His grace and mercy, will surely be blessed.. In the next moment, in this upcoming year, in another decade, or in the eternity awaiting us all beyond this life.. We will surely have our broken hearts healed and our suffering souls restored into a glorious spiritual re-union with the One who truly deserves our time, our energy, our strength, our trust, and our hearts.. 

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the lord, and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream, and does not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought, nor cease to yield fruit."

- Jeremiah 17:7-8

"For I know the plans that I have for you,' declared the Lord, 'plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."

- Jeremiah 29:11-13

In all your weakness, your brokenness, your emptiness, your despair, your failures and missteps, your struggles and heartbreaks.. Seek and find the healing + deliverance you long for in the only One who can ever truly and fully deliver + heal you.. The God who is powerful enough, loving enough, faithful enough to make you whole again.. The One who will restore you, redeem you, save you, and bless you, no matter what you have done or what has been done to you.. 

And when the "perfect girl" comes along and breaks your heart, know that the pieces can and will be put back together by its Creator.. It will not only be made new again, but will also be delivered over to someone who will take better care of it.

Place your heart into the hands of the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, fully gracious Lord who has amazing plans in store for it. 

The blessings of the here and now, and the eternal peace of the forever after will be yours through a trusting and obedient faith in the One who deserves it. Return home to your Father in Heaven, where hearts don't break and the blessings never end. 

"My flesh and my heart may fail, 

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

- Psalm 73:26

"He heals the brokenhearted

And binds up their wounds."

- Psalm 147:3

Rich Men In The Kingdom

 

[ This is a Christian's response to a deceptively unrighteous song ]

If you are on the internet at all these days, you have surely by now heard of this totally not fake at all new artist named Oliver Anthony and his definitely not at all astroturfed mega hit single Rich Men North of Richmond.. 

This viral live recording of a seemingly normal American man moaning and groaning about the state of things over a bluesy sounding resonator guitar in the woods has helped our true enemy spread unrighteousness these past few weeks. 

So far there have been billions of views, listens, clicks, reactions and reviews to this modern day slave song, spreading unnecessary despair and hopelessness to many millions of souls.. Who now more than ever need to be encouraged, uplifted, reassured, and saved. However, these folks are instead having emotionally manipulative songs like this pushed in front of their eyes and into their ears from just about every screen of theirs, telling of how everything sucks and there's nothing we can do about it.. 

There's really nothing shocking to me about the general popularity and love for this song of victimhood by the secular political world, it makes total sense.. Those people live for now, and a lot of them aren't doing well in this life of theirs currently, so when a seemingly authentic outcasted young man with some musical talent comes around singing about some of the problems they also see occurring or have experienced personally, they resonate strongly with it.

But the positive reactions and support I have seen from fellow brothers and sisters in Christ has been shocking to me, even concerning. Nothing about this song is Christian, and I state that with confidence. Not a single verse aligns with the Gospel message, and in fact it mostly contradicts the teachings of Christ and the general mission and purpose we as believers are to have living in this world for now. 

The opening lines should be enough to know that this isn't exactly gospel music :

"I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day

Overtime hours for bullsh– pay"

Not only are we as believers to never 'sell our souls' but we are often called by the Lord our God to work hard at our own labors, sacrificially, and to do so joyfully..

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you truly serve."

- Colossians 3:23-24

"Each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting, but to himself alone, and not to another. For each one will bear his own load."

-Galatians 6:4-5

"One who works his land will have plenty of bread, but one who pursues worthless things lacks sense. The wicked person desires the plunder of evil people, but the root of righteousness yields fruit."

-Proverbs 12:11-12

"Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and tend it."

Genesis 2:15

Our Creator calls us to work hard at whatever tasks have been given to us, not for our own personal gain and selfish benefit, but to bring Him glory and to serve others.. We should be thankful each day for the opportunity to work, to build, to grow, to trade, to serve others in need in our communities, and to cultivate our gardens.. and to do so with thanksgiving and optimism.

We are called to focus our eyes upon eternity, laboring with our hands here and now sacrificially in exchange for the glorious treasures that await us beyond our time in this fallen world.. 

God doesn't at any point in His Word call upon us to complain about a lack of paper currency compensation for our labors, and He certainly doesn't want us to foolishly curse or speak ungratefully about it all publicly for others to hear, especially impressionable children. 

Oliver continues on complaining :

"So I can sit out here and waste my life away

Drag back home and drown my troubles away"

He openly admits here to self-medicating himself with harmful chemicals in response to his own perceived injustices.. His response to things in his life being a little bit unfair and challenging is to lose hope, surrender, and resort to a life of sloth and substance abuse..

Again, this contradicts the commands of the Lord our God, and does not resemble the virtues of a Christian's faith walk.. 

"For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now we command and exhort such persons in the Lord Jesus Christ to work peacefully and eat their own bread. But as for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary of doing good."

- 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12

"For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, by having served and by still serving the saints. And we desire that each one of you demonstrate the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and endurance inherit the promises."

- Hebrews 6:10-12

"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor, not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality."

- Romans 12:10-13

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body."

- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

"No temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."

- 1 Corinthians 10:13

"Let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation."

- Thessalonians 5:6-8

We are called to have earnest perseverance until the end, through all the trials and tribulations, the hard times and struggles, the battles and the spiritual warfare we may endure.. We are to set ourselves apart from those living in and for this world now, by holding truth, love, joy and hope in our hearts regardless of the situations we face.

The last thing we should be doing right now, as citizens living in the most decadent empire in recorded human history, is giving up on our mission and drinking ourselves into oblivion.. Allowing our complaints about the state of things to lead us into stagnation is bad enough, but to additionally cause damage to the beautiful gift that is our bodies, is reckless to say the least.

And as we seek to become more Christ-like, we need to be about the business that Jesus was about : seeking + saving the lost. 

We must take our mission seriously here and now, and reach out to those living in darkness with the eternal offer of light and love that only our Lord and Savior can provide.. Not choosing to waste our time and energy getting drunk and being sad about the difficulties we face. 

Oliver continues crying :

"It’s a damn shame what the world’s gotten to

For people like me and people like you

Wish I could just wake up and it not be true

But it is, oh, it is"

The world has always been sin-sick, and it will always be so.. Which is why we as believers are to live on mission, seeking to save as many as we can from this wickedness and help them return home into the loving arms of our Creator in His eternal Kingdom waiting for us beyond this all.. 

It makes sense for unrighteous people to focus on the here and now, to not like what they see, and to wish it all was different in a way that better suits them personally.. But believers must instead choose to run the race of righteousness, focus our eyes upon the eternity that awaits us all, and prepare for that glorious day of reunion with our Father in Heaven.

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned."

- Romans 5:12

"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God continues to live forever."

- 1 John 2:15-17

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

- Romans 12:2

We live our God's will when we change our thoughts, rather than living like the world expects us to. The world will always pressure us to live sinfully and selfishly, but to live the good life God wants from us requires changing how we behave.. by changing our hearts and minds. 

"These rich men north of Richmond

Lord knows they all just wanna have total control"

I only ask of you Oliver, please keep our Lord's Holy name out of your ungrateful mouth.. That is until the time comes when you are ready to truly accept Him into your heart. 

Sinners like me, and sinners like you, will never find deliverance in political arenas or economic policies.. Our thirst will never be satisfied with bottles of alcohol, or fudge rounds, or any of the other pleasures and comforts that this world can possibly offer.. We will not receive pardons for our many sins and our rebellions against our Creator until we choose to return to him humbly and honestly, with repentant and forgiving hearts. 

The salvation we all long for is not found in a process, but in a person, whose name is Jesus Christ. He was sent by the Father to take upon Himself the punishment that we all truly deserve, and He asks only for our devoted hearts in return.. The least we can do is give them over to Him.

I truly pray that people like you, and people like me, and all the rest of the other people out there also decide sooner rather than later to accept this free gift of grace, and choose to return home into a spiritual reunion with our Creator, our Lord, our Savior, our God, now and for the eternity to come..

.. and instead of complaining about what rich men north of Richmond are up to here and now, let's just become the rich men in the Kingdom of God forever more. 

Forgiving Debts

The boomers and "conservatives" have been loud + heated this last week regarding student debt forgiveness. The democrats are celebrating, republicans are angry, and most of the christians commenting online about this current event are unfortunately just repeating incorrect secular nonsense.. 

This post is not going to make me many friends, but it needs to be explained and explored.

Last Wednesday the people who manage the Presidency of Joe Biden announced a student debt forgiveness plan. It seems to be relatively simple, where student borrowers would be entitled to $10,000 of debt relief, $20,000 for those who went to college on Pell grants, but only those who possess household incomes of less than $125,000 for single people and $250,000 for married couples. In addition, the plan would cap all additional monthly loan payments at an amount equal to five percent of the borrower's monthly discretionary income and forgive remaining loan balances after 10 years of payments, provided the remaining balance is $12,000 or less.

Biden's handlers also extended the pause on student loan payments, which were first granted during the Covid overreaction, on through the end of the year. Those student borrowers would then resume regularly scheduled payments in 2023.

An important thing to note about this plan is that it is not a legislative proposal. The president is not asking congress to enact this reform, he is initiating it through the executive branch only. It is a weird loophole, as it is being initiated alongside the HEROES Act, which was passed after the 9/11 attacks, and is somehow granting him authority to forgive student debt "in connection with a war or other military operation or national emergency."

It does seem like we are facing a national emergency, since millions of millennials and zoomers are stuck in crippling debt, that can't be defaulted on or forgiven in bankruptcy.. At a time when this nation is suffering from a severe lack of jobs and career oportunities, rising inflation, unprecedented housing costs, an absurd national debt that is likely unpayable, uncontrolled immigration, and 20 straight years of foreign wars. The young people of today have been emotionally manipulated, physically traumatized, and spiritually broken down by their parents and grandparents, and things only seem to be spiralling downwards physically.

This recent move by Biden's managers was a truly great thing for generations of young Americans currently struggling to be fruitful and multiply. Providing many millions who were duped into taking out basically unpayable loans for really nothing of value in return, with a little bit of forgiveness.

This move was also just a brilliant stategy politically, occurring just a couple months before a midterm election that was looking to be a red tsunami.. 

Regardless of your political leanings, this move was great for Americans and strategically wise for those currently in perceived power.. 

However, the neocons, boomers, and "christians" didn't agree.. Because of course.. They didn't hesitate to type out their jealous or angry opinions onto their screens in an attempt to make other people feel bad and scared. They of course thought about their own financial situations and their personal experiences first and only, and complained publicly about others in need who are about to receive some very needed financial assistance.. 

This particular Israeli citizen had a "controversial idea" to share online, but he would certainly not like it if someone else shared a controversial idea about ending foreign aid to Israel or stopping our bombing of their neighboring countries.. 

This neocon just publicly shared his thoughts about potentially losing future cannon fodder for unneccesary foreign wars now that our debt slaves have been helped out a little bit..

He seriously hit send on this.

They are sharing the secret parts out loud now.. That by keeping young Americans poor and desperate, the ruling elites can lead them into military enlistment with a promise of future financial opportunities if they can survive the ongoing banker wars, and if they can also avoid the high likelihood of acquiring PTSD in the process.. 

This RINO cyclops doesn't understand what debt is and how it will be 'paid off' but he also doesn't understand what it means to be a Christian &/or conservative.. He is more than happy to sign off on red flag laws that are taking away guns from American citizens, he loves supporting foreign wars and occupations, and he suggested that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was merely a fictional character like Superman.. 

.. and finally, the GOP in general became a complete laughingstock by claiming that all who take out a loan must pay it back themselves.. Despite the fact that almost every single republican and "conservative" took out a PPP loan in 2020. Loans that were totally, and completely paid for by the taxpayers.. Not a debt that has been forgiven, like this recent Biden debt relief plan, but actual taxpayer money that was transfered into the payrolls of the very same people who are currently crying about other people having their loans forgiven..

These other people aren't just scammers and grifters either, they are very young adults with no real life experience, who were tricked into attending college by older generations and promised job opportunities that would easily pay off their ridiculously expensive loans in no time.. but quickly found out that these jobs had actually been outsourced to other countries because boomers needed cheaper material possessions and a more comfortable life for themselves.. 

 

These lying hypocrits are complaining publicly about struggling young Americans having $10,000 or $20,000 of their debts forgiven.. While they themselves took tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars, some even millions, in free taxpayer money just 2 years ago.. They closed their offices during the Covid overreaction, they sent home their employees and locked down their businesses, they went along with the lies and the agendas, shutting down our economy, closing many thousands of small businesses forever, and crippling millions of lives.. All because they were bribed and rewarded financially.. 

They received free money from the taxpayers to go along with the plandemic nonsense, they completely uprooted and destabilized this nation and beyond, and now these same scumbags are crying about young, poor, desperate Americans receiving some debt relief in the wake of the 2020 economic fallout.. 

In summary, student debt relief is giving those who are basically enslaved a bit of help, and all those giant PPP loans were bribes given to politicians and millionaires to shut up and obey during the 2020 psy-op.. 

These boomercons and RINOs [ Republicans-In-Name-Only ] don't seem to complain when the federal government gives foreign aid to other countires, or subsidises corporations, funds foreign wars, or gives payroll loans out to themselves.. But they sure are fired up lately about a little bit a debt relief for students and young Americans who did what was expected of them and are struggling to deal with the disastrous results.. 

It must be noted in all of this, that these same people and many others who have been complaining about "Bidenflation" or the supposed inflationary state of our economy lately, do not seem to understand that this new student debt forgiveness plan is actually helping to deflate the money supply..

To explain it clearly, the masterful Vox Day posted this on his blog [ voxday.net ] last week :

"Most money is debt and it comes from nowhere. It is not printed by the government, it is literally created from nothing when a loan is taken out. This is inflationary. When a loan is cancelled, forgiven, or written off, the debt literally vanishes. This is deflationary, since it reduces the amount of money in the economy.

If the loan is paid off, either by the debtor or by a third party, then no money leaves or enters the system. It is a neutral action. If interest is paid on the loan, this is mildly inflationary but trivial at current interest rates.

That’s literally how debt money works, and if you don’t understand why L.1 is bigger and more important than the M1 money supply, then please stop sharing your opinion on the subject of student loans because you have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about."

 

In another blog post, Vox wrote this :

"Don’t make the mistake of defending the wrong thing because bad or stupid people happen, for whatever reason, to be doing the right thing for a change. Student debt is a scam, it should never have been legal in the first place, and the law preventing student debt from being discharged.

Make no mistake: if you’re on the side of the bankers and the Boomers and the universities here, you are absolutely and without question choosing the side of evil. And there is no amount of solipsistic argumentum ad personalem is going to make your argument any more convincing or moral, or any less economically ignorant and churlish.

Don’t forget the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant either.

Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed."

I've seen far too many "christians" this last week siding with these fools on the "right" and making emotional arguments against forgiveness of debts.. 

Not to mention that usury [ charging interest on a loan ] itself has been considered a sinful act until only recently.. It is a disgraceful practice that was clearly condemned by the Old Testament and the early Church.. But has recently become commonplace, promoted, and even expected by far too many christians who are choosing to be of this world. This immoral and heinous practice is designed to exploit the poor and leads to increased worship of money.

Ezekiel Chapter 18 discusses sin that God deals justly with, and starting in verse 7 the practice of usury is clearly explained to be something God does not desire for us to be engaged in.

Leviticus Chapter 25, verses 35-38 makes it very clear that God wants us to treat each other fairly, with love and respect, and to not profit from each other unjustly.. Which includes not taking interest from one another, in our money or in our food. 

The warnings continue on.. 

We are to deal with each other fairly, we are live morally and truthfully with each other, trusting each other and loving each other. This all seems to be lost on many Christians in America today, who seem to be more worried about their own precious money than they are with the well being of their neighbors or walking the narrow path of righteousness. 

Not to mention the general idea that Jesus came to redeem us. He came to forgive our debts [ sins ] and to take on Himself the punishment that we deserve. Jesus forgave us all, even His enemies, He restored the poor and sick, and paid the ultimate price for what we did wrong.. 

The gospel, the good news for all of us, is simply that through Jesus Christ there is now salvation for sinners.. The unpayable debt has now been cancelled. 

We are to repent of what we did wrong, forgive others for what they have done wrong, believe in the Lord our God and obey Him.

We are to love our creator and all of His other children. We are to be frutiful and multiply, spread the gospel to all the ends of the earth, and seek first righteousness.. 

We are not called to be angry at young people for government policies they had no control over, calling them mean names while complaining publicly about some of their debts being forgiven because it might increase our own taxes a little bit..  We are not commanded to be jealous of others, or be angry with them because they received something that we did not.. We are not loving God or each other when we excuse or promote the practice of usury, and personally profit from the mistakes of the youth or the desperation of the poor. 

Every single debt anyone could ever owe another is tiny in comparison to the debt that we each owe to God, for everything He has given us and will give to us.

We love God and His children when we forgive them, when we help them get out of debt, when we lead them away from a life stuck in material hell, helping to fixate their eyes on eternity and moving towards a spiritual reunion with the redeeming light, love, and life that is Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. 

Why God?

"Why God?"

It is a short yet profound question asked by each and every one of us at some point in time.. While existing in this fallen world it is normal and expected to question the sufferings and the struggles, the injustices and the unfairness, the pains and the torments, the wrongs and the evils that seem to plague us. 

We often find ourselves lacking a complete understanding of our creator and His plan, searching through His Word for help or asking other people we trust for advice or insights when times are tough and bad things happen. We naturally enter into periods of questioning and concern when things don't go as planned and when stuff doesn't go our way.. When the events that occur in this world and the circumstances of our lives become painful and tormenting. 

We often find ourselves in states of panic and doubt when the storms strike while we are out at sea, and even the most faithful of servants will at times forget that our savior is always with us and that He has something amazing planned for us in time.. That our maker is always working in every single circumstance of our lives; the good, the bad, the blessed, the cursed, and everything in-between..

But how do we truly reconcile the fact that an all-loving, all-powerful God seems to just allow bad things to happen to us? How can our Lord just sit there and permit evils to be perpetrated, injustices to occur, sufferings to exist, and chaos to ensue even to those of us who remain fully obedient and faithful to Him?

If God exists, and He loves us, then why must we endure harships and struggles?

If God knew us before we were born and predestined us unto salvation, why then must we go through all of this mess?

We read in the Gospel of Mark 4:35-41 :

"On that day, when evening came, He said to them, 'let's go over to the other side.' After dismissing the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And a fierce gale of wind developed, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling with water.

And yet Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, 'Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?' And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'hush, be still.' And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, 'Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?' 

They became very much afraid and said to one another, 'Who, then, is this, that even the wind and sea obey Him?'"

Our lives in this temporary place will always be chaotic, painful, and tormenting.. This has been the case since the very beginning, when the first man allowed sin to enter into himself and then the rest of creation, and it will continue on until the end of days. The enemy of all that is good, true, and beautiful has led us all into a state of spiritual seperation from our Creator, and carries on promoting our rebellion against His right ways. 

Sin is responsible for all that is bad, false, and ugly in this place we exist in currently, and our enemy is the one who causes and sustains its unfortunate existence.. This sinful nature has led to our pains and torments, and our true enemy satan has been responsible for it all from the very beginning, continuing all the way down to us now, and even further on until the very end.. 

The good news is that we will be rescued from the clutches of evil, we will be redeemed from the sins of our past. The Lord our God has saved us from our physical deaths through the work done by Christ, and we now have the chance to be set free from all the pain and torment experienced in these lives here and now. 

We read on in the Gospel of Mark 5:1-20 :

"They came to the other side of the sea, into the region of the Gerasenes. When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him. He lived among the tombs; and no one was able to bind him anymore, not even with a chain, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces; and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and cutting himself with stones.

Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; and shouting with a loud voice he said, 'what business do you have with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!' For He had already been saying to him, 'come out of the man, you unclean spirit!' And He was asking Him, 'what is your name?' And he said to Him, 'my name is Legion, for we are many.' And he begged Him earnestly not to send them out of the region.

Now there was a large herd of pigs feeding nearby on the mountain. And the demons begged Him, saying, 'send us into the pigs so that we may enter them.' Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the pigs; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea.

Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the countryside. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. And then they came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had previously had the "legion"; and they became frightened. Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the pigs. And they began to beg Him to leave their region. And as He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was begging Him that he might accompany Him. And He did not let him, but He said to him, 'go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.'

And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed."

When we understand that our enemy is satan, the deceiver who seeks to seperate us from God, who tries to destroy and steal us, we will fully know the "why" part of pain and torment existing.. 

Through Christ, we are healed and redeemed. In Him, we overcome and triumph over sin, and eventually find our place in the eternal kingdom of heaven.. Once we know who our enemy is, we can then focus on what our savior is doing.. Once we realize that this world is sin-sick, we can then get on with spreading the cure. 

Our enemy seeks to destroy mankind and lead souls away from their creator, but when we fixate our eyes upon the glorious eternity awaiting us then we shall be delivered. And once delivered, we enter into a mission of fixating the eyes of others in that same direction. 

We keep reading in the Gospel of Mark 5:21-34 :

"When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and He stayed by the seashore. And one of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came, and upon seeing Him, fell at His feet and pleaded with Him earnestly, saying, 'my little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.' And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.

A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but instead had become worse - after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she had been saying to herself, 'if I just touch His garments, I will get well.' And immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.

And immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that power from Him had gone out, turned around in the crowd and said, 'who touched My garments?' And His disciples said to Him, "You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, 'who touched Me?' And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman, fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, 'daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be cured of your disease.'" 

Jesus works in the circumstances of our lives. He hears us, and He responds accordingly. 

If we look at the common thread of these passages from the Gospel of Mark, we find the truth that Jesus cares for those in distress; He is omnipotent and has authority over what is impossible to you and me.. He heals those who are sick, He releases those who are possessed, and He rescues those who are in danger.. He saves us from all that is bad and delivers us into an eternal life that is good. 

These three moments show that those in distress who come to Jesus for help end up finding healing, finding peace, finding freedom, and finding deliverance from the sins that plague us.. 

When we trust in the Lord our God He will calm the storms, He will cast out the demonic forces that haunt us, and He will heal us of all our pains. It might not occur as immediately for us as some others experience, but with true faith we will find everlasting life in His eternal and glorious Kingdom. 

When we fully accept that we do not need to understand the "why" and just decide to remain faithful to the "God" who made us and has great plans for us, we are delivered from the perpetrator of all evils and reunited with the source of all that is good, true, and beautiful. 

Legalizing Child Sacrifice

 Child sacrifice is becoming legal in America.. Seriously..

"Greg Burt, Director of Capitol Engagement for the California Family Council writes at PressCalifornia.com:

SACRAMENTO, CA — Gov. Gavin Newson’s abortion council dropped a legislative bombshell. The group of policy makers intend not only to codify the killing of unborn children throughout all nine months of pregnancy but to decriminalize killing newborns days or weeks after birth.

New language added to AB 2223 last week revealed the disturbing intent. The proposed legislation would shield a mother from civil and criminal charges for any “actions or omissions” related to her pregnancy, “including miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion, or perinatal death.”

Although definitions of “perinatal death” vary, all of them include the demise of newborns seven days or more after birth.

The bill from Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks (D-Berkeley) also protects anyone who “aids or assists a pregnant person in exercising” these rights.

It also allows a woman to sue any police department or legal authority which arrests or charges her for hurting or killing her child under provisions of the bill.

“For years, pro-life advocates have argued there is no moral difference between ending a child’s life days before birth or days after birth. California’s pro-abortion legislators now seemingly agree,” said Jonathan Keller, President of California Family Council.

“A political culture that justifies killing millions of children in the womb is now declaring open season on unwanted newborns. Every Californian must oppose this heinous bill."

AB 2223 is not only a pro-abortion bill – it removes all civil and criminal penalties for killing babies born alive under any circumstances. The bill expressly authorizes any person to facilitate late-term abortions and infanticide without legal repercussions. Life Legal condemns the use of euphemisms like “personal reproductive decisions” and ‘reproductive justice’ to justify and encourage the killing of babies in and outside the womb.

– Attorney and Chief Executive Officer Alexandra Snyder of the Life Legal Defense Foundation

California lawmakers have crossed a red line by seeking to legitimize the killing of hours-old and even week-old infants. This is not about expanding abortion rights; this is a degree of evil that The overwhelming majority of Americans, regardless of how they identify politically, cannot stomach. We will be working to defeat this insane and diabolical bill.

– Attorney Matthew McReynolds with the Pacific Justice Institute

The demons are crossing the Rubicon and are now seeking to push legislation through in multiple states that would allow mothers to not only murder their unborn babies in the womb, but now also the babies who have actually been born. 

They aren't throwing these babies into a fire before the feet of a Moloch statue, at least not yet, but they and their "care providers" are soon going to allow babies struggling to survive following their birth to simply die, while not facing any sort of legal consequence for not acting.. This practice will likely become normalized soon enough, and these horrors will only continue to get worse. 

These people are evil, the ones who wrote and proposed this legislation to begin with, as well as all of those who are or will be promoting it and supporting its implementation.

We as a society are beyond the point of feigning ignorance, as these wicked forces are openly bragging about and celebrating the murdering of babies while calling it something good and just for all. It is happening publicly before our eyes, on all of our screens, they are congratulating themselves and praising each other for opening up a door that would allow women even more ways to sacrifice their own children. 

If these women and their supporters actually cared about their rights they wouldn't be supporting covid lockdowns, uneccesary long-term mask wearing or enforced experimental gene therapy injections for all.. If these women and their supporters actually cared about their health they would oppose widespread nicotene and alcohol consumption, the normalization of opiods and marijuana use, and the regular consumption of corn syrup and seed oils.. 

No, these women and their supporters don't actually care about doing what is right or being right.. They want to live for themselves, they seek pleasure for themselves, they want as much ease and comfort as they can possibly get away with, they want social status, they want attention, and they want to be praised and worshipped. And if their selfish lifestyle happens to result in a pregnancy that would threaten their selfish desires, they have found many ways already to legalize the murder of that baby, and continue to find even more..  

They will not stop, evil does not stop. 

The enemy and his wicked minions continue to push for more "women's rights" that will allow for the killing of not just unborn babies, but soon also the killing of babies who have been born and then even children.. A scenario that seemed to be ridiculous just decades or even a few years ago.

If these "activists" are not stopped, they will just continue to push further and further towards the logical conclusion of eliminating any/all lives that threaten their own glory, their own personal desire to become a worshipped goddess here on earth..  

It is a problem that plagued the first woman, and all that have come after. And if this craving is not stopped or corrected by righteously masculine men, then the tyranical feminism beginning to plague our society now will lead to the literal sacrifice of babies, children and other people who stand in the way of girls just wanting to have fun..

This might sound extreme or farfetched to some of you out there still, somehow, but we continue to spiral downward towards this dark scenario, and not many seem to truly be standing up against it or putting an end to the madness.. So it will continue. 

Child sacrifice and human sacrifice has happened many times in recorded human history, and it seems to be on its way back if the brothers and sisters in Christ, the righteous children of God continue to just sit back and do nothing as wicked forces continue to promote what is ugly, false, and evil onto society. 

Make Enemies

 Make Enemies

Christians should never be surprised that unbelievers in the world hate them..

It began near the very beginning of humanity when Cain murdered Abel, it happened thousands of years later when Christ walked among us in the flesh, and it will continue on until the promised last days.. 

We must remember, as we face hardships and hatred during this life in this place, that blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for they will inherit the kingdom of heaven. 

Jesus warns us plainly in Luke 6:26, "Woe to you when all the people speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets the same way."

Does everybody like you? 

That is probably a problem..

We should not actively be seeking to make enemies, in fact we should be seeking to turn those enemies towards an eternal salvation, away from their suffering and death. We must at all times, regardless of the reactions and consequences, be speaking out and standing up for the truth. This will bring us resistence from the liars and the deceived, but our reward in heaven for doing so will be great. 

If no one resists you, it is likely because you are not being a voice or example of positive change in our culture. We must be a light in the darkness, we must promote the good, true + beautiful in this evil, false + ugly world.. With eyes fixated on eternity, hearts devoted to righteousness, minds seeking wisdom, and bodies prepared to face pains + persecutions.. 

Just as eleven of the twelve apostles did, then all the martyrs that followed, and just as Jesus did in order to save souls and bring glory to God. 

"If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own: but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 

Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they followed My word, they will follow yours also." 

John 15:19-20 

Merry Christmas Y'all

 

" .. And there, in the stable, amongst the chickens and the donkeys and the cows, in the quiet of the night, God gave the world His wonderful gift. The baby that would change the world was born. His baby Son. 

Mary and Joseph wrapped Him up to keep him warm. They made a soft bed of straw and used the animals' feeding trough as His cradle. And they gazed in wonder at God's Great Gift, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. 

Mary and Joseph named Him Jesus, "Emmanuel" - which means 'God has come to live with us.'

Because, of course, He had."

- From The Jesus Storybook Bible written by Sally Lloyd-Jones