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Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt. 12 – Mental Illness Craze

In Advice, Anger, Anxiety, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, Encouragement, Evil, Exhortation, Fear, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Love, Mental Disorder, Mental Illness, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Psychiatric Drugs, Religious Freedom, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on April 9, 2016 at 12:42 pm

In this piece we will explore a very controversial chapter from David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works, chapter five. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon, should you desire to do so. Here are some of the highlights found within this chapter.

Mental illness seems to be everywhere. Most of the people you know have been or could be diagnosed with a mental disorder or mental illness based on their thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. However, just how legitimate is the labeling of an individual’s behavior as mental illness or a mental disorder? Additionally, those people who have been labeled and who are undergoing treatment, are they really being helped or damaged even further?

Let me cite for you behaviors considered to be mental illness or mental disorders.

· Anger and rage inside = intermittent explosive disorder.

· Hostile toward authority = oppositional defiant disorder. (I actually know a woman whose two year old child was diagnosed with this disorder. What happen to the terrible two’s as we called it when my twenty-eight year old was two?)

· Worry excessively = generalized anxiety disorder.

· Road rage = aggressive driving spectrum disorder.

· Child who fidgets, doesn’t want to sit for six hours at a time, not interested in paying attention = attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

· Got yourself on your mind all the mind, everything is about = narcissistic disorder.

· Compulsively get drunk when the stresses of life get to great = you have a disease, alcoholism.

· A lying, cheating jerk, with a load of tattoos = more than likely to suffer from anti-social personality disorder. (I am not kidding, that is according to the APA.)

· Too many mood swings, stubborn, unwilling to yield your long held beliefs = bi-polar disorder or borderline personality disorder.

· Act to often without thinking = impulse control disorder.

I could go on and on but by now surely you get the point. Three seems to be a mental disorder everywhere you look. Then these people get “treatment” that often involves psychiatric medications.

Well here are some examples of what people have done while taking these medications, which were meant to help them.

· Patrick Purdy – schoolyard shooting – murdered five children, wounded thirty – was on amitriptyline and Thorazine.

· Kip Kinkel, 15 years old – murdered parents then went to school and in a shooting rampage killed two classmates and wounded twenty-two others – was on Prozac and Ritalin.

· Laurie Dann, 31 years old – another school shooter, killed one child and wounded six in a second-grade classroom – was taking Anafranil and lithium.

· Michael Carneal, 14 years old – went to a morning prayer meeting at a school and shot four people, killing three and leaving one paralyzed – was on Ritalin.

· Jeff Weise, 16 years old – killed nine people and wounded five when he started shooting on the Indian Reservation where he lived – he had been taking Prozac.

· Joseph Wesbecker 47 years old – shot twenty worker at Standard Gravure Corporation killing eight and then himself – had been on Prozac for one month.

· Kurt Danysh, 18 years old – shot his father to death – had been on Prozac for two weeks.

· John Hinckley, 25 years old – shot President Ronald Reagan, press secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy, and Thomas Delahanty a police officer – two hours before he had taken four Valium.

· Andrea Yates – drowned all five of her children in the bathtub – she was taking the antidepressant Effexor.

· Eric Harris – went on a shooting rampage at Columbine High School where twelve students and a teacher were killed and twenty-four others were wounded before killing himself – he was taking Luvox.

This is only a few of the best-known cases, there a so many more. It is believed that these drugs affected these fragile people to such a degree they were pushed over the edge. The drug companies and doctors who prescribed these drugs would have us believe these people would have acted anyhow, based on their conditions, but there is much cause to believe that this is not the case. It is becoming commonly known that psychiatric drugs cause people to react violently toward others and themselves. This has become so common that there are now warnings on the medications that indicate this can happen.

After Yates drowned her five children Wyeth Pharmaceuticals the makers of Effexor added “homicidal ideation” to their list of “rare adverse events.” GlaxoSmithKline was order by the court to pay $6.4 million dollars to the family of Donald Schell, after he murdered his wife, daughter, and granddaughter in a fit of rage shortly after starting Paxil. Luvox manufacturer Solvay Pharmaceuticals admitted that 1 in 25 youths who took the drug developed mania, a dangerous and violence prone mental derangement. In the Standard Gravure Corporation killings the Prozac maker Eli Lilly later settled a lawsuit with the survivors.

Lawyers are regularly arguing “involuntary intoxication” as the cause of their client’s often erratic and violent behavior. The combination of drugs, various antidepressants, has been found in people’s systems who have behaved violently. Clearly some people are being pushed over the edge into violence by some of these drugs.

The FDA-approved label for Paxil which describes the “adverse drug reactions” includes depersonalization, lack of emotion, psychosis, delirium, hostility, hallucinations, abnormal thinking, agitation, confusion, depression, paranoid reaction, amnesia, anxiety, insomnia, and mania just to name a few. You have to wonder how bad off does a person has to be to subject themselves to such horrible possibilities by taking this drug. If you were not severely damaged when you began taking the drugs you may well be after a period of their “help.”

We now have the famous “black box” warning on antidepressants that the FDA pushed for in 2004. The warning states that the drugs may increase the risk of suicide in children, adolescents and adults age 18-24 years of age. How ironic that a drug meant to lift your depression could make you want to, or even actually, kill yourself.

From the 1908’s to date the events listed above occurred, during which time the cases of prescribing psychiatric medications had risen astronomically. In the late 1980’s I personally began to notice that everyone seemed to be taking antidepressant, even within the Body of Christ, and this alarmed me because I could sense that it was going to be an avenue through which Satan would work, however, I did not really understand or sense from God how. Now however, it has become painfully obvious. These drugs are dangerous, they are causing people to perform some of the most evil and horrendous acts.

In the next posting we will explore the spiritual side of this problem as we examine the second half of chapter five of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. A very controversial chapter on doctors, drugs, and demons – the mental illness craze in America.

 

 

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also will reject you from being priest for Me;

Because you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children.

The Marketing of Evil

http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption-Disguised-ebook/dp/B006N75LFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-2&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt. 11 – Pride and Hate

In Anger, Anxiety, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, Fear, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Jesus, Love, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on April 4, 2016 at 6:00 pm

In this piece we will explore two key points, pride and hate, from chapter four of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon, should you desire to do so. Here are some of the highlights found within this chapter.

Pride is nothing less than our own private war with God. When we act to build our pride we begin to grow in conflict with God. A core truth is that pride allows evil to work in our lives. If we do not grasp the understanding that feeding our pride, our ego, regardless of how wonderful it may makes us feel, will only increase our inner struggle with our Creator, then we do not understand ourselves or life and we will not find true happiness, the author points out.

The war rages around the Truth that God created us and gives us a choice between good and evil. This means to us, in the way we feel, act, and react, that we can choose to obey our conscience even if it hurts or we can rebel against it and give into our lower impulses. The Book of Romans tells us that God has revealed Himself to ALL people without exception. I believe that it is through the conscience, the inner man, that God makes Himself known. People have a God-awareness of their Creator in their inner self.

Only man is created with the ability to choose. We can learn to appreciate God inside us and learn to live in obedience to the “still, small voice” of God in our conscience or we can ignore the conscience and attempt to be our own god. This will lead to seeking people to worship us, to feed our pride, the ego within. We will be a slave to our craving demanding ego. This can result in hating and punishing those individuals who offend us. As the author notes, “It’s ugly when we play God.”

The inner war must give way to one side or the other. What makes the good grow and the bad wither? If you recognize and acknowledge your flaws then the growing and withering takes place naturally and you begin to produce good fruit. If you hide from your flaws you will see failure and failing produced instead of virtue. If we hide in denial too much we see our failings as virtues – oh, how sad this would be.

Hate can restrict the mind and heart from seeing one’s own faults. Hatred acts like a narcotic drug that numbs the conscience, the author states. We may even fall into the ecstasy of false righteousness if we harbor hatred in our heart. Hatred can put losers on a high. Hatred will suppress awareness of one’s problems. Much like false love can do exactly the same thing. Hate and love are the two most powerful forces in the universe.

When heavily influenced by pride, hate, or false love our emotional state becomes deluded, egotistical, and extremely blind to our own faults. This will lead to being blind to pretty much everything else good or godly. Once in this condition trouble is sure to follow.

In the next posting we will begin to explore chapter five of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. A very controversial chapter on doctors, drugs, and demons – the mental illness craze in America.

 

 

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also will reject you from being priest for Me;

Because you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children.

The Marketing of Evil

http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption-Disguised-ebook/dp/B006N75LFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-2&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt. 8 – Response is Chosen

In Advice, Anger, Anxiety, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Encouragement, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, Fear, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Loss, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on February 11, 2016 at 12:16 pm

In this piece we will complete exploring chapter three of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon. Here are some of the highlights found within the latter part of this chapter.

Throughout this last portion of chapter three the author reflects upon how the “Greatest Generation” might response to the evil we face today, based upon how they responded to the evil of their day. The author does likewise with how President Ronald Reagan might respond. Both of these journeys into refection are meant to help us understand how we might better respond to the threats of evil that surround us.

During World War II, during the horrific and monstrous movements that took place guided by the hands of evil men, America was a country with “tremendous national unity and a strong sense of identity” as the author points out. Judeo-Christian values were still dominant in people’s life. The culture was a culture of values and principles. The author goes on to note that this was not a time like today, where we, our country, is crippled by national guilt, self-doubt, and self-hatred.

The author goes on to make the point that during that time in history, the World War II era, the people would have never been deceived into thinking same-sex marriage is normal, or that abortion is moral and constitutional, or that posting the Ten Commandments on federal or city property, like a courthouse wall, violated the First Amendment.

The Church and American have lost their unity and loyalty both to one another as a people and to the One and Only True God who blessed them. In the words of the author we allowed ourselves as a collective group to become ‘corrupted with the anti-biblical philosophies and utterly confused to the point of suffocating our modern era and robbing it of genuine moral strength.’ Great strength comes through righteous living, also known as biblically based morality. Moral weakness, which appeasement often is, always encourages violence both on a national level and a personal level.

When writing about Ronald Reagan the author makes the point that though revered for his leadership now, Ronald Reagan was reviled in his day, just as Winston Churchill was. Most non-appeasing leaders are reviled initially or during their reign. It is only later people see the positive, productive, godly results of their moral and wise leadership. Unlike Reagan who had a mission to stand up for moral clarity – displayed as he faced the communist takeover of Hollywood when he was an actor, through his years as California’s governor, and later as President of the United States – we do not see that type of moral character in our leaders today. Steadfastness for Truth is not as prevalent as it once was.

Do you care what people say about you? Do you care about getting credit for your accomplishments? How much do you care? If you could have a choice between getting three things done and getting credit for none of them or getting two things done and getting credit for both, which would you choose? Be honest with yourself. If you care what people think, and you need the credit given to you by man for your accomplishments, this will affect your ability to stand up for Truth. Ronald Reagan did not care what people said about him, in that is found a secret strength and power. When he was president he kept a plaque on the desk in the oval office that read, “There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.”

Are you able to stand alone when it comes to morality, Truth, or godly biblical principles? Strength and courage are a must if you are going to. If you want to be a consequential person, if you want to make a difference in life, you must be able to stand alone. Just like Reagan, a person who makes a difference has to not only endure their critics they must endure their friends, family, and advisers as well. When advised incorrectly take a play from Reagan’s playbook, he gracefully overruled them and forged ahead with what he knew to be morally right and a sound plan of action. A person must be willing to do as God directs them, with or without any support whatsoever.

Worldwide totalitarian movements – the terrible “isms” the author calls them, communism, fascism, Nazism, and Islamism are about seducing millions of people into enslaved nations, subject to utterly ruthless leadership. They are on par with the “ites” of the Bible. As a people, as a person, we must stand strong. “The denial and deference we display toward forces intent on destroying us is actually great weakness – evidence of our loss of courage and moral clarity – disguised as virtue.”, Kupelian states, and I completely agree.

We must face evil with great courage and moral clarity displaying a calm, fearless determination to do what is right, to stand up for Truth, no matter what – grace under pressure. We must withstand cruelty and craziness without becoming emotionally twisted up inside. Strength and patience emanates from true faith. Hate the sin, but not the sinner. Learning to do that will shield you from both Stockholm syndrome and many other evils in this world.

In the next posting we will begin to explore chapter four of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works.

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also will reject you from being priest for Me;

Because you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children.

The Marketing of Evil

http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption-Disguised-ebook/dp/B006N75LFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-2&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt. 7 – Prolonged Siege

In Anger, Anxiety, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, Encouragement, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, Fear, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Jesus, Loss, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on January 30, 2016 at 12:55 pm

In this piece we will explore more of chapter three of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon. Here are some of the highlights found within this chapter. This chapter embodies principles and truths that can be applied globally as a collective society and personally as a private individual.

The author points out that the mind of an individual who has been subject to excessive stress and cruelty can become confused and disorientated. The author calls this having their “brains scrambled” due to the overwhelming emotions that come with intense stress and cruelty. That confusion can take many different forms; including confusion about things we were previously very sure of or confident in. The mental, emotional, and relational disorientation a person would begin to feel can cause a breakdown in long held beliefs about right and wrong or a breakdown in previously cherished relationships. A prolonged siege of stress and cruelty changes a person on the inside, and that change will inevitability begin to be seen on the outside.

Israel and its leaders understood the psychology of war. Ariel Sharon, a former prime minister of Israel, made it known in his autobiography, titled Warrior that the nation’s Arab attackers who wanted to annihilate his beloved nation, had to be dealt with swiftly and severely, defeated and defeated badly in order to build in them a psychology of defeat that would cause them to develop the conviction that they would never win against Israel. Sharon understood, as we must understand, that “anything short of overwhelming, paralyzing, courage-destroying strength” comes across to terrorist and tyrants as contemptible weakness and encourages them to commit more mayhem.

Self-blame or self-hate is a powerful tool destructive people create and install in other people. Like the author notes in his example of the abused child who blames themselves believing if they are good enough the abuse will stop. Another example could be the abused wife, who believes likewise. Her husband will stop his cruelty if she is this way toward him or that way in dealing with him, attempting to “correct” all the things he finds wrong with her. Yet another example would be a country who believes that extreme political correctness will help them fly under the radar of extremist who might attack their homeland.

Dr. Kenneth Levin, a clinical instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a Princeton-trained historian makes the following point in his book, The Oslo Syndrome: Delusions of a People under Siege. “Segments of populations under chronic siege commonly embrace the indictments of the besiegers, however bigoted and outrageous. They hope that by doing so and reforming accordingly they can assuage the hostility of their tormenters and win relief.”

Kupelian points out, Brits have embraced extreme “tolerance” when it comes to dealing with militant jihadist who came to be found in their mist, and to the jihadist this has registered as nothing more than weakness. As he expresses you cannot offer a timid smile to the bully to pacify him in hope that he want hurt you anymore – of course he will, if you tolerate it.

Fear of persecution is the driving force behind political correctness. In America and Europe that whole bend-over-backwards political correctness toward Islam is about appeasing someone we fear. The political correctness movement in general within our society, that silences the voices against all manner of evil and sin, is effective because of a fear of persecution. Yet, we are now finding that people are waking up to the extreme dangers of political correctness, and the reality of the price they have paid for keeping their mouths closed is beginning to set in.

The author claims that most of us are secretly intimidated by extreme Islam and living under that intimidation for years has warped our perspective about them, leading some people to believe they are misunderstood or not truly set on the evil they are set on. However, in the face of weakness as a nation or as a person evil will grow and flourish. Conflict intensifies when weakness is shown. Please understand weakness and biblical gentleness are two very different things. Weakness, according to the author, and I would agree, is actually fueling the growth of Islamofascism. Since 9/11 we, as a country, have gone from ‘We will get you.’ to extreme political correctness regarding Islam.

The author uses an example of a teenage boy with an explosive anger problem. The boy is out of control, a danger to himself and other people. The people around the boy try to be extra nice to him in order to keep him from getting angry, so they walk on eggshells around him. This only serve to enrage the boy more as his contempt for the people around him builds, because they are too weak to stand up to him. The people around the boy are well meaning, and they are trying to keep the peace, but they are not helping the boy learn to take responsibility and deal with his anger. In situations like this the aggressor will almost always just continue to be abusive. Being a doormat does not help the bully, and it certainly does not help you, it actually hurts you over time. Being a doormat also does not glorify God.

When someone makes us extremely upset and fearful of them, our behavior and attitude toward them will change, and change profoundly. This does not always just lead to resentment, with some people that upset and fear can psychologically flip to love and loyalty – strange but true – Stockholm syndrome. This psychological flip is sad and unfortunately disgustingly true. A distorted love and loyalty emerge out of a need for literal, mental, and emotional survival.

The corrosive impact of being under the siege of stress and cruelty can lead a person or a nation down a path called self-destruction.

Whether it is a group coming under siege from those who wish to spread terror throughout the globe or it is a single individual coming under siege from a lone person who wishes to terrorize them, terrorism must be dealt with swiftly and fully in order to ensure the overall wellbeing of our global society or the overall wellbeing of simple yourself. If we as a society allow ourselves or you as an individual allow yourself prolonged exposure to terroristic stress and cruelty we jeopardize our humanity as a whole or you jeopardize being able to function as the person God created you to be.

In the next posting we will complete chapter three of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works.

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also will reject you from being priest for Me;

Because you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children.

The Marketing of Evil

http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption-Disguised-ebook/dp/B006N75LFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-2&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt. 6 – Fear, Terrorism, and Stockholm Syndrome

In Advice, Anger, Anxiety, Apostasy, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, Fear, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Jesus, Loss, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on January 6, 2016 at 12:12 pm

In this piece we will explore the first half of chapter three of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon. Overall this chapter deals with how fear works in connection with terrorism and the result, Stockholm Syndrome.

The first point Kupelian makes is that although “violent Islamic jihadism” had been in remission for centuries it is currently growing and multiplying worldwide. The author reminds us that Islam has attempted global domination in the past, conquering Arabia, Persia, Syria, Egypt, and major portions of Africa, Asia, and Europe until it found itself conquered, ultimately losing what it gained and its will to fight for a season. The spread of Islam as a geopolitical force during the last fourteen centuries has had a horrible impact on billions of lives.

A point I would like to make is that this conflict with Islam dates back to the biblical days of Ishmael and Isaac (Genesis 16, 21, and 39), approximately BC1910. Ishmael’s descendants are now Mohammedans (Islam). Joseph was sold to them (Genesis 39).

One of the things I would agree with the author on is the misuse of the word “martyr” to describe the radical Islamic individual who chooses to die in order to advance terror and fear, while taking innocent people’s lives. These are killers committing atrocities not martyrs! Stephan who was stoned to death because he was a Christian, because he believed in Jesus the Christ, now that is a martyr (Acts 7)!

Terrorism works by producing the fear of what “might” happen in the future. If that fear is strong enough then those individuals perpetrating the terror can get people to give into their demands. The ideal for terrorist would be to convert us to their manner of thinking. As the author points out, militant Muslims will, and have for centuries, demanded conversion to their religion even if that conversion had to be obtained by means of the threat of death. Either way, they wish to control our minds. God warned, and warns in His Word of the dangers of allowing the mind to be controlled by anything other than His Truth, which is why we are to take every thought captive to the Truth of Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:4–5 (NKJV)

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

In the face of serious intimidation we must remain calm and seek Christ. Most people become upset in the face of fear or intimidation, and thus emotional upset, allowing anger, fear, and confusion set in. Within the grasp of extreme emotion the mind cannot work properly and even worse is thrown into a program mode, which makes Stockholm Syndrome or conversion at the point of a sword possible. Emotional upset, especially when it is intense, can alter our perceptions of what is good and what is evil. People, groups, and governments love to produce fear and anger so they might alter the people’s perceptions about what is right or wrong, in order to advance their own agenda.

We see this same type of thing happen to wounded people. Psychologically when people become wounded their perception about the world, people, or themselves changes because of the intense emotional upset they endure. Jesus’ inner psychological upset was so intense that He sweat drops of blood (Luke 22:44). In the Scripture His inner emotional pain was referred to as agony. (Side note: There is a medical condition where people sweat blood. The psychological agony they are in is so intense that the blood within their blood vessels rises to the surface producing and mixture of sweat and blood that actually exits their pores.)

That emotional upset left uncontrolled opens the mind up to reprogramming and thus evil becomes good, hate becomes love. Intense emotions causes a type of “mind meld” then fear and/or rage wipes our mental hard drive and begins the reprogramming process. This is what brainwashing is at the most basic level.

The author notes one of the most famous individuals in recent history who was reprogrammed in just such a way. Patty Hearst, the granddaughter of the famous newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. She was taken captive, locked away, and emotionally tortured to the point of such great emotional distress that her perception of right and wrong became so twisted, she did anything she had to do in order to make the emotional abuse stop. People think her not so innocent, but Kupelian warns us against thinking ignorantly that under the right circumstances we too could not find ourselves manipulated by others in just such a way.

There truly is a fine line between love and hate. Hate can turn into love under the right conditions. Not real love of course, but instead a distorted and perverted form of love. The author calls it “an emotional identification and bonding” that people mistakenly think is love.

Think for a moment about the following. Those we love bring out the worst in us. We love them, and because we love them so much when emotional distress enters into the picture that love can turn to hate quickly. If the love we have for them is severely damaged this may set the emotions we might otherwise temporally feel as hate into a permanent state of hatred.

All of this is used by, and makes it is possible for, people who administer terror to use fear, anger, and grief to imprison people within a prison without walls – the prison of political correctness, silence, and fear. Creating a world where people are afraid to call sin, sin or evil, evil. A world slowly and methodically taken over by that creeping slime of evil.

In the next posting we will explore the second half of chapter three of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works.

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also will reject you from being priest for Me;

Because you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children.

The Marketing of Evil

http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption-Disguised-ebook/dp/B006N75LFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-2&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt. 5 – Sexual Values

In Agape Love, Anxiety, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Encouragement, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Jesus, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Truth, Uncategorized on December 4, 2015 at 3:04 pm

The last posting ended with the following statements. “Sex is such a powerful weapon of evil because it was designed to be something so beautiful, the expression of a man and woman’s love and commitment to one another for life. Sex is so powerful as source of destruction because it was meant to be a source of creation, a means by which new life is formed.”

In this piece we will explore chapter two of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works, the second half of the chapter. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon. We will focus on how we as a society got to a place where our sexual values are so distorted in comparison to God’s ideal, as found in His Word?

The primary cause for the distortion is a byproduct of how Christian and biblical values are viewed by society. As the author points out there was once deep core values which underlined American society and those values were rooted in the Word of God. Having our values as a country rooted in the Word of God, God blessed us as a country due to our overall values. Likewise, as the values of this country have deteriorated the blessings and favor of God have begun to lift from this country.

At one time in our society there was a much greater grasp of the “intuitive understanding of right and wrong” as Kupelian puts it, than there is now. I myself have seen an incredible shift in morality based on God’s Word in just the last twenty plus years. The understanding that we are born in sin and therefore plagued by the sin nature, including in the area of sex, is no longer something people are willing to admit to, thus, they view their sexual sin as their right, as natural, as acceptable to both themselves and for some individuals also acceptable to their god (little “g” intended). Yet, I assure you that sexual sin IS NOT acceptable to God, the ONE and ONLY God, The Almighty of The Holy Bible.

People who partake in sexual sin have their desires for such behavior rooted in some form of trauma Kupelian points out. I would add that they often do not realize that the trauma they went through is connected to the sexual cravings they experience. These cravings are an emotional reaction to cruelty, confusion, and seduction they have experienced at some point in their life, the author notes. Most anyone who is knowledgeable in human behavior will tell you that sexual abuse as a youth almost always leads to sexual promiscuity manifest in some sexual form as an adult. Therefore, there is a call for compassion and understanding to be shown toward these individual by godly people without compromising the Word of God or labeling sin anything other than sin.

I heard someone recently refer to Christian (Devout Christian) beliefs as “archaic” in nature. I assure you they are not. Man continually changes his mind about what is right and what is wrong, what is good for you and what is not. If you live long enough you will see that approximately every twenty or thirty years the “they” of society change their minds about what is best or good for us. For example in the 19080’s homosexuality was considered a mental disorder according to the APA experts. Today, the APA experts would consider you to have a disorder of some type if you consider homosexuality sin or unnatural in nature. Often they label these changes in their position on matters as us evolving as a society, getting better, smarter, more enlightened all the time. If that were true then our society would be getting better not worse. True growth brings positive change not destructive change. However, God’s position on matters of morality, as found in His Word, have not changed, and although our society has changed the principles of His Word still lead to life, life abundant, when they are applied to an individual’s life.

John 10:10 (NKJV) – Jesus speaking

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

People seem to forget that our legal system was founded on the core values that are found in God’s Word. Why do we not murder freely? Because it is morally wrong to murder. How do we know it is morally wrong to murder? Because God’s Word tells us it wrong to murder. Adultery and sodomy (homosexuality) are still illegal in many states. Those who champion homosexuality would condemn murder, yet according to God’s Word both are sin, and to God sin is sin regardless of the form. As the author puts it, ‘We live in a society that mocks and denies the “old truths” that are still at the core of everything of value we possess today – a society similar in nature to C.S. Lewis’ latter-day Narnia.’

It seems even some people who call themselves Christian’s have sold-out God’s Word in order to be accepted by their society or viewed as “loving” people. Very few people who claim to be Christians actually have a Christian Worldview. Kupelian states, and I fully agree, that we as a society and as The Body of Christ seem to have forgotten that we are here to serve a greater purpose than fulfilling our own desires. I would add to that, people forget they would not have America and their constitutional rights if it were not for people with a Christian Worldview.

The author points out that the sexual-predator epidemic has another important factor to it that people must deal with, the mindset that “right” and “wrong” are just not real for most people anymore. For a Devout Christian “right” should equal righteousness according to God’s Word not his or her own views or opinions. Additionally for the Devout Christian “wrong” should equal sin and secularism, those things that are contrary to God’s Word, the Bible. Kupelian states that knowing something is wrong should be enough to keep us from doing it even if we desire to. I would say that the problem with that is that both words, right and wrong, repel either secular or Christian people.

I agree with the writer when he sates, that most people are guided by how they feel about something, their emotions, instead of an inner conscience. He then gives the example of a person who grows up with problems in their childhood that make the individual feel uncomfortable in their own gender therefore, as an adult they seek to change their gender instead of dealing with the problems that created their inner conflict to begin with.

The author goes on to state that “choosing” what is principled and self-sacrificial over our own selfish feelings – preferring something noble or righteous over something ignoble and sinful – implies that there is a God to whom we must answer. This poses a problem for today’s “secular, de facto atheistic worldview” that there is no good or evil. This same worldview believes there is no heaven or hell, and we are all just highly evolved animals. Even Christians to a large degree have abandoned the idea that it is a “choice” that must be made, a choice for godliness and righteousness. Some people seem to believe that if they don’t “feel it” then God is not in it and therefore, they do not need to do it – whatever “it” might be. We as Christians are called to honor God’s Written Word whether we feel like it or not! When and how we got away from this truth is beyond me, beyond my comprehension!

Kupelian states an opinion that I am not sure I agree with and one I would very much like to know my readers thoughts on. He states that, “at the root of so much loathing toward Christianity and the Bible is what they have to say about sex.” I am not so sure that “so much” of society’s “loathing” for us comes from just the sex issue. I believe many factors and principles we as Devout Christian stand for drives society’s loathing of us. Please send me your thoughts via the comment link at the end of this post.

The author makes clear a truth that many people do not want to face. ‘Love is commitment.

It is impossible for there to be love where there is no commitment.’ Sex inside of marriage is sex inside a life-long commitment. A life-long commitment brings about a deep respect that is hard to form outside of long-term commitments. Sex outside of marriage is about exploration of another person to fulfill one’s own needs, as Kupelian puts it so well.

People expect love to be merely some feeling that makes them feel good and gives them an emotional high. Love, real love, agape love is so much more than that. Real love is a choice not a feeling. Real love is a commitment to action that shows love over the course of time. Real love stays put would it would be much easier to leave.

Kupelian goes on to remind us ‘that the Bible exhorts us to choose either life or death – good or evil – listening to our higher or lower nature, our renewed man or the old man. Satan will always want you to choose your lower nature. God will always want you to choose your higher nature. A secular worldview will listen to the lower nature and attempt to justify it’s evil ways. A Christian and godly worldview will listen to the higher nature and never be at peace with sin or in the presence of evil. Each person must choose between godliness and sin.’

Deuteronomy 30:19 (NKJV)

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

The biblical standards for life and morality were first; they existed even before the Word was written down for us. They existed in God, they came from God, they represent the Holiness of God. The biblical standard was always first.

Just as was found in C.S. Lewis’ book depicting the mythical land of Narnia, we find ourselves in a society today that mocks and demonizes “those who rebuke our growing infatuation with our lower nature” the author notes. I would add to that truth the reality that we live in a time when Devout Christians who stand for biblical Truth have been classed haters – “The Haters” as they are often labeled. I say the opposite is true. People do not bother to tell people the Truth if they hate them. Parents who love their children discipline them. Parents who do not care do not discipline their children. In much the same way Devout Christian tell people the truth about sin because they care about their fellow mankind. Devout Christian must not remain silent, they must speak out. Those who have spoken out Truth for the world to hear, they must continue to speak out.

The author sums up this chapter by commenting on “lie-based revolutions” and how they always turn out bad. Communist revolutions promised freedom and equality but instead delivered misery, death, and tyranny. The sexual liberation movement that was meant to offered equality, self-fulfillment, and unlimited pleasure has just about destroyed America, as the author rightly puts it. I would add that Satan’s bait is always a tasty treat with arsenic at the center.

Are we going to live as humans or animals? If we give way to every compulsion that we have, if we wallow in our desires, all the while justifying them we are not much more than animals. Living in such a way is not truly living at all.

In the next posting we will begin to explore chapter three of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works.

 

 

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also will reject you from being priest for Me;

Because you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children.

The Marketing of Evil

http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption-Disguised-ebook/dp/B006N75LFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-2&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt. 4 – Sex, Sex, Sex

In Anger, Anxiety, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Jesus, Loss, Love, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Remnant, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on November 24, 2015 at 10:49 am

In this piece we will explore the first half of chapter two of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon.

Chapter two covers the sexual mayhem we find in our societies today. The author points out the sad reality that something that was once consider sacred by the majority is no longer consider so, by the majority of people that is. All forms of perversion have been in our society to some degree since the Old Testament days nevertheless, the degree has skyrocketed along with the push for legitimacy of sinful practices.

According to Kupelian’s view this began to change in the 1906s with the sexual liberation movement and has progress far beyond free sex, evolving into the heights and depths of sexual anarchy on a widespread level. As I mentioned earlier and the author notes, not only is it widespread there is the push for sinful behavior to be considered normal and in some forms natural behavior. Among these behaviors is teen sexting, middle school hookup of sexual behavior outside of marriage, homosexuality to include homosexual unions that some consider marriage, people mutilating their bodies and putting them on display under the banner of a transgender identity, and an increased tolerance of adult-child sex with the increase in teachers having sex with their students.

All the while the perpetrators of these sexual acts, the instigators, view themselves as individuals who are simply expressing their love for another person. Yet, those expressions of love damage a person and bring harm to the lives of many. Love based on God’s standard of love does not bring harm and does not violate His Word.

Kupelian notes some research done on sexual behavior. The U.S. Department of Education did an investigation and found out that almost ten percent of students had been targeted with unwanted sexual attention by school employees. These predator people are individuals that thousands of parents entrust their children to each day. Education Week reported that sexual abuse in schools is one hundred times higher than the abuse by priest. Sexual misconduct is everywhere in our society. What is scarier than the sexual predator that has been caught and put on a sexual offender list somewhere? The sexual predator that has yet to be caught.

Having counseled people in the ministry for years under the seal of pastoral/minister confidentiality I can tell you there are many people, trusted people in society, who you would never expect that beat their wives, have secret desires to molest children, practice homosexuality, adultery, do drugs, drink excessively, visit prostitutes, engage in incest, animal abuse, et cetera. You may think these are individuals considered of lower class in our society, however they are not. I myself have firsthand knowledge that some have been police officers, psychologist/counselors, elders in churches, journalist, writers, pastors, corporate managers, business owners, and prison officials.

Sin can be found everywhere, among any group of people. Evil is found heartbreakingly too often among those in trusted positions of authority. They are often the most difficult to catch as the author points out. Claims of their wrong doing are glossed over among the glare from all the awards handing on their walls – “Outstanding Teacher”, “Businessman of the Year”, “Officer of the Month”, “Charitable Contributor of the Year”, and so forth.

Horribly most often the most vulnerable children and people of our society are targeted by those who wish to live out their sinful desires. We must remember that healthy, godly attention in relationships, all relationships, protects people from being vulnerable to those who desire to use them.

Children crave love, for that matter people crave love and need love, when they do not get the love that is needed it leaves them vulnerable. Children craving love and attention begin to believe that the inappropriate touching is an expression of love. The man who gets no affirmation at home begins to feel undervalued making it easier for him to listen when another woman tells him how wonderful he is. The woman who lacks the attention she needs from her husband begins to convince herself that the “harmless” flirtations of another man are fulfilling her needs but are not wrong. The single person who cannot find the attention and love they need in godly friendships will begin to fall prey to unhealthy sexually driven relationships outside of marriage.

C.S. Lewis said, “You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” People often think what we are is found in what our bodies are. Not true. What we truly are is found in our spirit/soul.

Sex is such a powerful weapon of evil because it was designed to be something so beautiful, the expression of a man and woman’s love and commitment to one another for life. Sex is so powerful as source of destruction because it was meant to be a source of creation, a means by which new life is formed.

How did we as a society get to a place where our sexual values are as such? That we will explore in the next piece. In that posting we will explore the second half of chapter two of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works.

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also will reject you from being priest for Me;

Because you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children.

The Marketing of Evil

http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption-Disguised-ebook/dp/B006N75LFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-2&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt. 3 – The Power of Lies

In Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, End Times, Evil, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Humanism, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Truth, Uncategorized on October 31, 2015 at 4:46 pm

In this piece we will explore the second half of chapter one of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon.

One of the undoubtedly evil men in history was Hitler who himself explained the power of lying in his autobiography. As he stated, ‘the magic of lying that “is known to all expert liars in this world” is to simply make the accusation. Whether it is based in any grains of truth or not the accusation alone will do great damage.’ As Kupelian points out the charges can be totally false, and the accused can answer the charges in a creditable manner, yet big lies, ugly lies, always leave their stains on a person. There are those individuals who having once heard the allegation that is made whom will always believe the lie, believing the person is guilty of something they did not do.

Lying is a powerfully evil tool that is meant to bring about confusion and chaos. The author does an excellent job of explaining how people prey on us emotionally by lying. When we become upset over something, a lie that has been told, a small amount of guilt for being upset emerges within us, followed by a bit of anger, confusion, and in some cases a small amount of fear. Once all of these emotions take root it ‘can easily result in our compulsively believing the lie’ – the upset we feel makes us susceptible to believing lies.

Proverbs 29:12 (NKJV)

If a ruler pays attention to lies,

All his servants become wicked.

John 8:44 (NKJV) Jesus speaking

You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Lying is a tool used by various groups, individuals, organizations, and governments. The author notes that one of the “most creative uses of lying” is in “the creation of a crisis.” This is something organizations and governments do in order to bring about their own agenda and to use public fear to gain support for their cause. Saul Alinsky, a radical left-wing organizer, openly endorses the creations of crises in order to tear down a capitalist society. Socialist progress is advanced in what socialist might define as a peaceful manner by means of conflict and/or crisis, and the answer to resolving the conflict or crisis always seems to be greater socialism.

A fake or over dramatized crisis is a lie meant to serve those who desire evil control and power over people’s lives. In a similar fashion to how we react to big lies, when we encounter a crisis we become upset and destabilized to some degree and are more “willing” to accept “solutions” that under normal circumstances we would reject. Fake crises are all around us; our government presents the idea of one with regularity, while continually expanding their power over individual’s lives, behaviors, beliefs (or right to express them), and money.

Kupelian points out that people who desire to manipulate and remold us always create crises to use as leverage. It does not matter if the crisis or conflict is real, imagined, small, or large as long as they can use it to gain more of a foothold of control in our life. Once emotionally upset by the crisis our ability to think straight is impaired, as is our ability to make sensible decisions thus their ability to succeed at manipulating us is increased. This happens in personal relationships as well. There are evil manipulators who are self-serving in the arena of their personal relationships.

This creation of a crisis for the purpose of bringing about change or remolding a person is actually a perversion of one of God’s methods He uses with His children – trials. God does not necessarily create a crisis so much as He allows a crisis to enter the life of one of His children in order to refine them into His image. Once a crisis enters our life due to the crisis we seek Him, His Word, His Commands, His Guidance, His Wisdom, et cetera for a solution to the crisis and in so doing we grow in Him, are refined, and are brought to a greater degree of spiritual maturity, which results in our being closer to God Himself.

Some people have a sick need to create a crisis in order to inflate their own self-worth. Far too many people are troubled and insecure to the point that they “develop an unhealthy need to be needed by others” as the author points out and I fully agree. Then there are other individuals who are consumed by pride and thrive on watching other people fail. Watching people’s failures gives them something to compare themselves to that they deem “lesser than” themselves. Either way these individuals like to weaken and fool people or groups of people into depending on them for their sustenance and happiness – thus their egos are fed. This can happen in a personal relationship, a small group of people, a church congregation, a community, or a country. It can involve a two person dynamic or can involve millions of people. Prideful, selfish, denial-based people can do terrible things to other people such as deceive them, betray them, enslave them, destroy lives and even civilizations when allow to continue.

The author notes in this chapter that if we seek to elect liars or allow liars into our lives it is because we “need” lies, and we need lies because we are unwilling to face the truth. Two examples the author gives are: in a troubled marriage there is always someone willing to tell us it is not our fault it is our spouse’s fault therefore we need and should be with them instead of our spouse. If we are depressed or full of rage but not really interested in understanding ourselves and understanding why we have these feeling we have “experts” ready to prescribe whatever pill is necessary to make our symptoms disappear, or we might opt to skip the doctor and hit the liquor store or the criminal drug dealer to find what we need to mask our problems. When we are unwilling to face the truth our secret war against the still, small Voice of Truth within us must be waged in order to subdue the conscience, and we are willing to enlist the troops of lying tongues, pills, booze, excessive food (gluttony), busyness, and the like to do the job for us as we are unwilling to be governed by God. A person unwilling to be governed by God needs to be lied to and they also lie to themselves.

‘Freedom, true freedom, apart from God is just an illusion of pride’ Kupelian states, as many other individuals have stated. “If man is not governed by God, he will be ruled by tyrants.” – William Penn. “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of maters.” – Benjamin Franklin. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. – 2 Corinthians 3:17 (NKJV).

In the next posting we will explore chapter two of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works.

 

 

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also will reject you from being priest for Me;

Because you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children.

The Marketing of Evil

http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption-Disguised-ebook/dp/B006N75LFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-2&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt. 2 – Government

In Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, End Times, Evil, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Humanism, Jesus, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Remnant, Suffering, Truth on October 14, 2015 at 2:13 pm

In this piece we will explore chapter one of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works, which addresses evil in the governmental portion of our society. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon.

Do we truly trust our government? If you asked nine out of ten people on the street that question the answers would be consistent. Most individuals would answer either no or not entirely. Why have we evolved from a society who in the nineteen fifties primarily trusted their government to a society in two thousand fifteen that primarily does not trust their government? Broken trust, pure and simple. People hungry for power took the place of people who thought it an honor to serve the American people. In this chapter Kupelian explores why governments no matter where they might be on the earth tend toward being “tyrannical and predatory” – his words.

Iraq we are familiar with, and Saddam is not unknown to most of my readers. This was a government who in two thousand authorized the amputation of the tongues of people who dared to criticize the government or Saddam personally.

North Korea where the people surrendered their freedom and in return got the government’s assurance they would care for them ‘from the cradle to the grave.’ Sound familiar? Some of those individuals aspiring to government office and who have previously held government office in America have used the phrase, ‘Care from cradle to the grave.’ when referring to Americans and desired changes in our society. Does anyone have an opinion regarding whether North Korea’s situation has enhanced the lives of that country’s people.

Zimbabwe a country that routinely bulldozed Christian churches. Not something any Christian should endure.

According to Amnesty International China’s government imprisons anyone who dares to criticize their actions or policies. A government that enforces their one child per family policy through mandatory sterilization, forced abortion, and in some cases infanticide. Forced abortion is a horrible situation, I have counseled a woman who went through it multiple times as an adolescent.

Within the United Kingdom and Europe you find the grip of socialism the effect of which has been to suffocate the various countries once strong Christianity. The government there has slowly over time implemented ‘cradle to the grave’ policies at the expense of their people’s freedoms, independence, and personal wealth.

These are all examples Kupelian gives in chapter one of governments that have come to dominate their people in ungodly, evil, and life draining ways.

Communistic practices lead to nothing more than a progression from freedom to slavery. The societal encouragement of immorality in the form of sexual promiscuity, abortions, easy divorce, are tools of the socialist modus operandi, according to the author, because where you find degenerate dysfunctional people who are willing to cross the moral lines leading them from God will need to replace God with another “god” – a socialist government that will tell them how to live, what to think, how to be, etc.

Slowly, we here in America are seeing the same types of governmental evil rise to power. We have not yet lost our ability to do something about this, but Christian’s passivity has made room for evil to flourish in our mist. Thank God for the Christian country clerks and the Christian flourishes of the world who are willing to stand for His Principles.

The universities in our country have filled our young people’s minds with lies and distortions that serve the governmental society more than they serve the overall society, and an alarming number of young people have bought into these lies and distortions. Among the lies being sold by universities today is the idea that the “self-evident truths” our founders considered a given and which are part of our Constitution are just outdated and considered a dangerous myths, as Kupelian points out in this chapter. Our government in America has all but abandoned the original principles of this country and the Constitution has become a relic in practical practice that would be inline with the founders’ intent and vision.

The authors notes that if we observe the power-hungry officials they attempt to use the same methods over and over: demonize the rich by claiming they got their wealth through exploration of the poor, which is not always the case but instead is only occasional the case, stirring up racial tensions whenever possible, when being a peacemaker would serve society better, they create problems then reach for a scapegoat when society gets upset, and their end game – they promise universal peace if we will just give them unlimited power over us.

How do people like this get us to support them? They do so by appealing to the basest part of us, according to the author, and I agree, appealing to hate, dissatisfaction, greed and especially envy. They lure people away from their dependence on God attempting to shift that dependence onto themselves. The outcome is power for them by creating confusion, demoralization, and ultimately bondage for those who follow them, for society, for us as a collective group.

Some of Kupelian’s observations about society have also been my observations of both society and The Church. The same shift in dependence from God to man can take place on a more personal level among people in relationship with one another, such as a group, The Church, a marriage, or a work environment. The evil nature in people thrives on pulling that power, in the form of God-dependence, away from God and toward them, in the form of man-dependence. As Christian’s we are to submit to authority (Romans 13) but we are not to do so if submitting to authority will result in disobeying God. If we cannot submit as unto to the Lord, we do not submit (Eph 5:22 and Col 3:18).

The author points out some Truths that are key to understanding the shift from God to Evil. Almost everyone knows deep within themselves there is an all-knowing God. They know God created them for a purpose and that the purpose entails being obedient to Him. When we go against God’s laws both written in His Word and our hearts our lives go badly. Those “self-evident” truths are written in our hearts, which is why a small child knows inside themselves it is wrong to steal. If we choose to ignore these inner truths that we sense and know to be true we will need to elect leaders who will be liars because we are hiding from the truth and want to be lied to. When we rebel against God we need lies and deception to maintain the illusion we are living under thus because we refuse to submit to the True God we will seek out a false god, and governmental authorities are more times than not willing to step in and accept our worship.

The mother of all lies, the BIG LIE Jesus warned us about, the biggest propaganda weapon of all time – lies in the form of making evil look good and good appear to be evil.

Sadly, the author states that we are more likely to believe big lies than we are small ones. Whether a lie has any degree of truth in it or not, once it has been stated it has done its damaged to some degree because some people, no matter how well the accused defends themselves, will be left with lingering doubt about the individual. As Hitler said, ‘This is the magic of lying that “is known to all expert liars”’.

Why is lying so powerful? We will address that in the next piece that will cover the second half of chapter one.

 

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also will reject you from being priest for Me;

Because you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children.

The Marketing of Evil

http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption-Disguised-ebook/dp/B006N75LFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-2&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt. 1 – Evil an Ever-present Reality

In Agape Love, Anger, Anxiety, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, Encouragement, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Jesus, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on October 5, 2015 at 11:01 am

In this piece we will explore the introduction portion of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon.

Far too many people, including Christians, bury their heads in the sand and pretend evil does not exist. At best for the majority of Christians evil exist in their theological beliefs but when it comes to them recognizing it in their everyday existence you would find no evidence they believe it is actually at work within the world. Why is this true? How did we get here? There was a time when Christian people were very aware and protective against evil, now they tolerate evil as though they are doing some loving service for God.

Let me inform you clearly – GOD HATES EVIL and there is no glory for Him found in His people embracing or even tolerating evil. We do not choose to be martyrs, God makes that choice. We are to stand up for God, stand up for Truth, and stand up for Holiness whenever possible and wherever needed.

Kupelian makes the point that we as a society seem to be evolving in our knowledge and growth except in the area of understanding evil. He claims we do not understand evil and how it routinely and effortlessly ruins lives, including our own at times. It is vital that we understand what evil is and how evil works.

Kupelian goes on to point out that 30 million Americans take psychiatric drugs to deal with a host of so called mental health problems despite the fact that there is a clear link between those drugs and violent behavior. His figure of 30 million, at the time he researched and wrote his book, is no doubt low compared to the figure today.

I can recall when antidepressants began to enter The Church many years ago as an acceptable alternative for Christians to deal with their problems. I was extremely alarmed and within a few years horrified at what I saw, and what I sensed God telling me about psychiatric medications and people’s problems. I was additionally horrified that it took years before I was willing to speak out about what God had shown me. Satan would use antidepressants and similar medications to take control of American, including Christians to some degree. While everyone around me seemed to think in those initial years that a savior in the form of a pill had arrived for the troubled, I secretly dreaded what I could see was on the horizon and is now here, a society filled with medicated drones that can no longer sense the presence of God.

Evil typically causes psychological damage and psychological damage opens the door to evil. (Perhaps I will elaborate more later, in another piece, on what I mean by that statement.) As Kupelian points out the evidence is in the fruit. Our relationships are fragile at best, marriages fail routinely, and people do not even know what they truly believe any longer. He goes on to state that secular medical “experts” are able to treat the tri-fold mental-emotional-spiritual problems of rage and depression with drugs because they tell people what egos love to hear, “It’s not your fault”.

I recall a debate I had years ago (1990’s) with another church leader over the stronghold of drinking or what the other person referred to as alcoholism. The individual said to me, ‘What are you going to do when you find out it is a disease people can’t help?’ My response, ‘Nothing, because it is not a disease, it is a choice.’ A sin involving abuse of alcohol that has taken place to the degree that it has become a stronghold in someone’s life is just that a stronghold, not a disease. A stronghold is simply something ungodly that has deep roots in a person’s life. By labeling it a disease people have removed the need for dealing with the excess of alcohol as sin and have alleviated the need for personal responsibility.

Another evil, reprogramming people. Though we have those who hate America and wish it nothing but ill as the author points out, we seem to take an overall national view of being almost submissive or apologetic as a nation for considering certain religious groups dangerous. The author equates it to “a national version of Stockholm syndrome.” It is simply tolerance run-a-muck. As the author points out a key factor in terrorism is reprogramming people’s beliefs per Stockholm syndrome. I say reprogramming of people’s beliefs is widespread in America, and I do mean negative, evil, sinful reprogramming.

What causes the success of this reprogramming? Kupelian and I agree on the answer. American people’s disillusionment with Christianity has caused a spiritual vacuum and evil has entered that vacuum. The result being widespread evil painted as progress, enlightenment, and evolution of the mind, celebrities who self-destruct, minister’s or celebrity minister’s of mega churches that self-destruct, people in general who self-destruction – destruction is the result.

The only way out of evil is to understand, resist, and/or confront evil. Once evil is brought into the light it loses it power, the darkness begins to lift, and we can find our way out.

James 4:7 (AV)(KJV)

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

In the next posting we will explore chapter one of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works, which addresses evil in the governmental portion of our society.

 

 

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also will reject you from being priest for Me;

Because you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children.

The Marketing of Evil

http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption-Disguised-ebook/dp/B006N75LFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-2&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Introduction

In Agape Love, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Truth, Uncategorized on September 28, 2015 at 3:19 pm

Hello everyone I realize it has been a while since you have heard from me. My apologizes, but please know the time has not been wasted but instead temporally refocused. I recently completed two more books and prepared them for publication, hence my absence.

Much consideration and prayer has gone into how to proceed at this point. I have many questions and topics I could do a series on, but I am not going to do any of that at this moment. Right now God is leading me in another direction, a very familiar direction for those who have read me over the years.

I will be doing a series based upon the insights of an outstanding and award winning journalist David Kupelian. The series will be in the form of a written book discussion that will cover two of his best known works, How Evil Works and The Marketing of Evil, both of which I highly recommend. I have provided links below where you can locate both books via Amazon. During this series I will discuss his insights, along with my observations of our society and The Church over the last thirty years, tying both together and connecting them to both God and Satan’s work in the world, more specifically in America.

I do hope you will be able to obtain both books reading them in full, and share your insights with me along the way. However, if you are only able to follow the highlights of each book, chapter by chapter, via the blog postings that will be wonderful as well, and I welcome your comments.

We will begin with How Evil Works, which is actually the second book but will the first book we discuss. I have chosen this because I believe a fundamental understanding of how evil works in the world is imperative to understanding and recognizing when evil is being marketed to you or to your society.

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also will reject you from being priest for Me;

Because you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children.

The Marketing of Evil

http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption-Disguised-ebook/dp/B006N75LFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-2&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devote Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

In the next posting we will explore the introduction of David Kupelian’s, How Evil Works.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Who is at Fault?

In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Devotional, Encouragement, End Times, Exhortation, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Jesus, Love, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Truth on September 2, 2015 at 4:20 pm

Right now we are seeing America rally around Donald J. Trump as a potential president for our country. It was not enough that we elected Obama twice; we are now living in a society that actually thinks someone such as Donald J. Trump is a viable candidate for the presidency of what was once a great and powerful country. (Do not get me wrong, we are still great and powerful, but when you witness the deterioration of that greatness and powerfulness for almost fifty years you know what we were as a country versus what we are today.) What I wish to explore is why we are living in a society that would elect Obama then follow that up with seriously considering Donald J. Trump as a president.

The short answer for both is, in the case of Obama people in our society, especially younger people, base how they should be, how others should be, and how their leaders should be on celebrities, and in the case of Trump he strikes a cord with a society that is fed-up with double talk and political correctness.

Obama did what celebrities do, and he appealed to people based on charm and charisma with very little substance to offer, making grand promises and proposing a ‘reach for the moon’ attitude that was neither wise nor reasonably possible. John McCain attempted to make people understand that Obama’s ideas would not bring about a better American, but instead that making the hard choices would bring about a better America, however, people wanted their ears tickled, they wanted to hear what they wanted to hear.

Now we have Trump doing something similar but his appeal is his willingness to say what other people have become too intimidated to say because of the political correctness persecutors. Trump appeals to people, and Trump is no doubt an extremely crafty businessman who know how to make money, and yes, America needs to make money, but his lack of governmental wisdom and knowledge along with his short-temper and mouth does not make a good mix for dealing with foreign powers and heads of states.

If our country elects someone like Donald J. Trump on the heels of electing Obama twice we will become the laughing stock of the world. The rest of the world no longer looks at America as they once did, and we are a bit of a joke now, but with Trump at the helm we would spiral even further out of control, and the world’s view of us would continue to decline.

How did we get here? How did we become a society who elects the Obama’s of the world and considers Trump a feasible choice for the presidency of the United States of America? A country whose Supreme Court legalized the union between people of the same sex and call it “marriage”? How did our country get in such a mess where Christians are persecuted for expressing their religious freedom and beliefs through the choices they make about whom they chose to deal with, work with, do business with, and so forth, (choices we are required to make per the Bible, if we are truly living out our religious faith) while almost every other class or group of people on the planet are afforded governmental and legal protections from persecution or discrimination? Whose fault is it anyway that we are at this point as a society?

You might not want to read my answer but here it is. The fault lies with the Christian Church and with Christians both as individuals and a collective group.

It is our fault because as a religious institution the Church laid down their mantel of godliness, expressed and expected, and replaced it with a superficial love that has failed to change lives by moving individuals toward godliness and glorifying God with their lives and lifestyle. Our failure to do this as a collective group and individuals, if we are individually guilty of such, is sin and wicked in the eyes of God.

The negligence of the Church has resulted in a decaying society, the Church’s loss of influence in our society, a lack of respect for the Church and Christians, and outright disrespect and discrimination toward Christians.

2 Chronicles 7:13–14 (NKJV)

13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will 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.

I love the Church, I love Jesus, I love Christians, and I also love our dying society. It is because I love all of them that I write these things expressing what God has put in my heart and on lips to express. However, there is an answer to this problem and the answer is found in repentance.

As individuals and as a collective group we must humble ourselves before God, acknowledge our sin and that we sacrificed godliness and Truth on the altar of worldly love (instead of agape love) and worldly acceptance. We can begin to tell the world the Truth as found in God’s Word and exhort them to turn from their sin and wickedness just as we have committed in our hearts to do. If we are going to wait until we are sin free to share Truth with people, to share what God has defined as sin or not sin, what He states is righteousness and what is right in His eyes, we will never get around to sharing the Truth with people. It is not about whether or not we measure up, it is about what God has to say about a subject.

Additionally, we can fall on our faces before God and pray for His forgiveness, His restoration, and the healing of our land (America). We can come together in unity once again as the Church should be, supporting each other, and seeking God together while upholding His Righteous Commands.

We can! We should! We must!

I was supposed to go see the move “War Room” with someone the other day but the movie was sold out to such a capacity that we did not go – only the front two rows were left. It was God that I did not go. God instructed me a couple of days later to write this piece, what Scripture to use, and what to say. I got a rough draft of the piece formed and the next day went to see the movie “War Room” and the closing shot of that movie was the above Scripture popping on the screen. The prayer that the woman in the lead role prayed at the end of this movie was so powerful and filled with the heart of God for His people during this time in history. It is a must see movie. Here is a link to the trailer.

War Room –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx5kpJ5mkeE

Christians on a massive scale must once again become proactively involved in the affairs of their society. One way you as an individual can become involved is by standing up for Christian Liberty and Religious Freedom. If we do not stand together our ungodly society will crush us one by one – one small group at a time, one individual at a time. If we refuse to be the family God intended us to be He will allow this to happen.

Below you will find information and links for a project and group who is fighting for religious freedom and fighting for our right to live out our faith in an ungodly society. Please read the information provided, in summary below, from the website. Then please prayerfully consider visiting the website, reading the declaration in its entirety, and sign the declaration for yourself.

Manhattan Declaration

“Because the sanctity of human life, the dignity of marriage as a union of husband and wife, and the freedom of religion are foundational principles of justice and the common good, we affirm:

1. The profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human life

2. Marriage as a union of one man and one woman

3. Religious liberty and the inherent freedom of human beings

As Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical Christians, we take seriously the Biblical admonition to respect and obey those in authority. Because we honor justice and the common good, we will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God’s.”

http://manhattandeclaration.org/#0

http://www.manhattandeclaration.org/man_dec_resources/Manhattan_Declaration_full_text.pdf

Get on your knees, get your heart right, get off your knees, reach out to another, do something to advance God’s agenda and godliness in your society.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

The Curse of Political Correctness

In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Anxiety, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Encouragement, End Times, Exhortation, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Jesus, Love, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Truth, Uncategorized on July 16, 2015 at 6:36 pm

Many years ago in the late 1990’s I did a radio program titled ‘Political Correctness – The Killer of the Church’ and since that time political correctness has not only severely damaged the functioning of and influence of the church, it has become a cancer and curse upon our society in general.

Political Correctness sounds good, and on the surface it has the appearance of being kind and loving but in truth it robs people of their freedom, their free speech, their freedom of religion, and stifles the REAL TRUTHS as found in God’s Word, that would set people free from their bondages. Political correctness is an oxymoronic concept because it is meant to do good but overall ends us doing a great deal of harm. Political correctness is meant to keep a group of people from being hurt or offended but it often accomplishes this by hurting and offending the secondary group.

Here are some examples of what I mean and some Truths according to God’s Word that are avoided by both Christians and our society because of the monster of political correctness. Please know in advance I personally hold no ill will toward any persons or group of people my sole intent is to accurately represent the biblical position on these issues and express my personal religious views and beliefs, which is still my right in this country, The United States of America, according to The Constitution – Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion.

Transgender might be a worldly concept regarding gender identity but it is not a biblical concept about gender identity. For a person to be born male or female and then change that sex or believe that they were meant to be the opposite sex is to say that God did not know what He was doing when He form that person in his or her mother’s womb (Ps. 139:13-16). A person is born the sex that God intends them to be and in order for a person to reach a transgender mindset their concept of who God created them to be would have to become damaged or distorted. Yet, because of political correctness it is almost impossible for Christian counselors to help these young people from becoming more and more confused and sinking deeper into this transgender type of identity. Political correctness on this topic suppresses expression of Biblical Truth on this topic. One group is suppressed to support another, where is the justice in that!

Psalm 139:13–16 (NKJV)

13 For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

Same sex unions were legalized as marriage in The United States of America at the end of June 2015 by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote among The Justices. The Justices were just as split on the issue as the people in our country are split on the issue. Because they voted to legalize something does not make it legitimate in God’s eyes and it certainly does not make it marriage. Marriage according the Bible is clearly the joining and union before God and man of a man and a woman (Gen. 2:24, Mk. 10:6-9, and Ep. 5:31).

I personally know homosexual people and their sexuality does not make me love them any less whatsoever but their lifestyle is not something I can endorse or put my stamp of approval on. Moreover, their relationship with another person of the same sex will never be viewed as marriage in my eyes because the Bible does not support such a title for their lifestyle choice.

Christians and Christian Spiritual Leaders are being sued, their businesses boycotted, they are being branded or labeled as haters when they are not, just because they do not wish to partake in what they believe to be sin based on their religion. Because of political correctness it is almost impossible for Christian to express or state what they believe about marriage let alone refuse to be involved in such a ceremony lest they be sued or even prosecuted as having committed a crime. Political correctness on this topic suppresses expression of Biblical Truth on this topic. One group is suppressed to support another, where is the justice in that!

Genesis 2:24 (NKJV)

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Mark 10:6–9 (NKJV) – Jesus speaking

6 But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Ephesians 5:31 (NKJV)

31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

It is considered politically incorrect to view people within the Muslim community as a possible threat to America yet it was individuals within the Muslim community that planned the attack on America and flew those planes into the world trade center towers. They make up the majority of the cultural community we have been fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan for years and years. Does that make all Muslim people bad or terrorist? Of course not! Does that make me dislike all Muslim people as individuals or a collective group? Of course not! However, the reality is that there is a large segment of individual within the Muslim community who hate Americans and most especially Christian Americans. Technically the disagreement and battle between Muslim communities and Christian communities dates back as far as the Book of Genesis.

Yet, because of political correctness it is almost impossible for Christians to express concern over the Muslim community and their affect on the world and Christianity as a whole without Christians being viewed as stereotyping all Muslims though they often are not doing so and instead are openly acknowledging that there are some peaceful Muslims within the religion and community. Political correctness on this topic suppresses expression of Biblical History, political concern, and national concern on this topic. One group is suppressed to support another, where is the justice in that!

Because of one individual’s twisted ideas and personal choice to kill innocence people in the Emanuel AME Church and that same individual’s ownership and displaying of the confederate flag, ownership and proper display of the confederate flag has come under fire. Everyone has jump on the bandwagon to do what is considered politically correct in taking down their confederate flags from both government buildings and private establishments to appear on the side of right even though the confederate flag is a part of their and this country’s history and heritage. I would even venture to say it was a proud part of their heritage, especially in South Carolina, June 2015. The idea that Amazon and other retailers have decided they will not even sell the confederate flag any longer is ridiculous based on the actions of one individual.

Let me be clear. I do not own a confederate flag, have never owned a confederate flag, nor does or has anyone I personally know. However, that is not the point, the point is it is a person’s right to have it, own it, and fly it if they so choose. It is a part of the heritage and history of the Southern States and should remain so.

Here is some irony on the subject to consider. We live in a country where you can burn the America flag but cannot own, or it is now made hard to own, a confederate flag. More irony, people have legally burned the American flag in a public arena during various protest in this country yet, the confederate flag can no longer fly in public arenas. Because of political correctness it is almost impossible for Southerners who are proud of their heritage and history to fly a confederate flag in peace. Political correctness on this topic suppresses the rights of an entire group of people as well as individuals. One group is suppressed to support another, where is the justice in that!

There is a saying, ‘So goes the church, so goes the society.’ Tolerance to the extreme, born out of a distorted idea of love, has spiraled out of control turning loving tolerance into tolerance of sin and that form of tolerance has deteriorated the biblical moral backbone of the church. With the increased negative form of tolerance came the increased silence when it came to sin, which lead to the deterioration of the church, which then lead to the deterioration of our society. I said all those years ago during that radio broadcast that tolerance would be the killer of the church, not in that it would end the church – nothing can do that, but in that it would end the church’s effectiveness within the society where it exist and we are certainly seeing the fruit of that here in American.

When Christians are too politically correct it can be dangerous to The Body of Christ and deferential to our society as a whole. Political correctness is not love. Political correctness that avoids, covers, or distorts Biblical Truth is wrong and sinful.

One of, if not the least, tolerated group in America today is the Christians. Everyone is expected to be politically correct unless it comes to talking about Christian groups, then the need to be tolerant of their lifestyle, beliefs, rights, et cetera seems to go out the window in lieu of honoring a different group. This is not the way it should be for in America we are suppose to be able to live side by side while respecting each other despite our words, beliefs, religion, and so forth. Today people claim to have such progressive, enlightened, intellectual thinking, which has supposedly helped our society evolve to the point it is at today; but I ask you, where is that thinking when it comes to respecting and being tolerant of the group labeled Devout Christians. One group is suppressed to support other groups, where is the justice in that!

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Charleston Church Shooting Effect

In Agape Love, Anger, Anxiety, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, Encouragement, End Times, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Loss, Love, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on July 3, 2015 at 4:09 pm

I was in Charleston, South Carolina on June 25th and June 26th during the services for the Christians that were shot and killed on the evening of June 17th 2015 during their regular Bible Study at Emanuel AME Church. In attendance were President Obama who spoke on Friday, June 26th 2015 and Rev. Jesse Jackson who arrived the evening of Thursday, June 25th to a large crowd of Christians present paying their respects to their fallen family members, family members many of us had never met but family they were nevertheless.

Family and effect is what I want to address in this piece in the wake of the mass shooting that took place at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston where nine people were shot and killed, including the senior pastor, state senator Clementa C. Pinckney; also where a tenth person was shot yet survived.

I did not go to Charleston originally because of this event. Our trip was previously planned by my spouse as a birthday trip but in the end it turned out to be much more – it became a moment in history and an opportunity to see what drives Christians.

Our hotel was just a few blocks from the Emanuel Church and it was the first place we headed for upon arrival and check in at the hotel. It took only minutes to walk the few blocks and encounter the street barricaded and filled with police officers and media. Yet, there was also an overwhelming Christian presence, God’s people where there in heavy numbers.

We made our way down to the front of the Church about the time the Rev. Jesse Jackson arrived and as I looked at this now aged gentleman I could not help but recall that as a young man he had stood on the balcony with Dr. Martin Luther King at the moment when Dr. King was shot. Now Rev. Jackson was here in his advanced years to give aid and comfort for yet more men and women of God who had been shot and killed out of anger and hate. My heart went out to Rev. Jesse Jackson as I ponder all he has seen and endured through the years. Both a reverend and an activist, as many of us are.

Spiritual Christian activism on the part of Bible Believing Christians is very important. As our beliefs and our rights to believe as we desire are coming continually under fire we need more Christians who are willing to stand up for and fight for their rights both as Americans and Christians combined. A Christian is not merely an American and an American cannot give up his or her Christian rights and beliefs as our country changes and becomes more and more ungodly. I wonder if we have enough Christian people who are willing to be inconvenienced, let alone killed for their beliefs, like Rev. Jackson and Dr. King.

Which leads me to my next point. What did I see and sense there in Charleston, among those people gathered there? How did the family react? What effect did this shooting have on the Christian family?

Christians are a family and we function like a family when tragedy strikes. Families disagree, they argue, they even fight. They might not talk for months but they are family. They might live in different towns and attend different churches but family is still family. We, the family, can talk about each other all we want. We can argue and perhaps even hurt each other more often than we might like. However, let an outsider come in and hurt the family or a family member and watch how we react. No, no, no – no one messes with the family.

That is exactly what I sensed in Charleston, South Carolina. A place filled with people who had never met, who came from different denominations, of different cultures, different races, different social and economical backgrounds but all part of one whole, one family – one Body, The Body of Christ. There was a comfort and an ease among the people. The family had been attacked and the rest of the family was rallying to give their support through their presence and prayers. Every hotel in the area was booked solid from what our hotel concierge told us.

Banners hung on the neighboring churches with Scriptures on them, one of which had 2 Timothy 1:7 on display.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

I assure you there was no fear in that crowd. These people were not afraid they were there to show how faithful they were to the family.

There was no disunity found on that street as people from every denominational background, color, culture, economic class, and race stood side by side talking and praying. As I talked with a fellow Christian, an African American Woman, I am Caucasian, we spoke about how this young man had messed with the wrong group, Christians are not easily frightened and when attacked they pull together and offer their support to one another. When Christianity is persecuted it flourishes and grows it does not shirk back or diminish. Courage defines the Christian experience both past and present. We pull together during persecution and find courage and strength through the support and prayers of our brothers and sisters in Christ. As the young woman put it so well, ‘He will not make us afraid.’ No, persecuting Christians does not result in fear; it results in faith and a fierce infusion of courage. That is exactly what I sensed and felt coming from the crowds of Believers in Charleston, South Carolina.

The people of Charleston, South Carolina both Christian and non-Christian handled themselves with such dignity and poise during a difficult and terrible time and under such tragic circumstances. There were no riots or protest there, no uprising of any type. This in my view is a result of both the Christian faith at work and southern manners. Having been raised both in the south and in a Christian home, I know firsthand there are certain expectations regarding how one handles themselves during a crisis. Bravo to Charleston, they honored the south and southern manners superbly!

Effect according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is defined as follows:

5: power to bring about a result: INFLUENCE

The effect this young man and his actions had on Christians, Charleston, and the south was to give us an opportunity to display our unity, courage, love, compassion, manners, hospitality, grace, and FAITH. The enemy sought to bring harm but God’s end game was to bring good [Genesis 50:20] and in Charleston on June 25th and June 26th 2015 He certainly did that. If you want to see a Christian community rise up and become even stronger persecute the people.

Genesis 50:20 (NKJV)

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

As I prayed on June 25th at Emanuel AME Church I asked God, why He allowed this to happen. He did not cause it but He most certainly allowed it since our God is sovereign and able to control anything He wishes to control. He did not tell me why He allowed this to happen but He did tell me that He intended to bring something MAJOR out of this incident. That it would have an effect on the Body of Christ like nothing else has in a long time. I continue to pray and seek Him for more information about His Plans for this event as He, and if He sees fit to reveal them to me according to His Will.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Grief – Suffering All Will Endure – Pt. 10 Stages of Grief / Stage 9

In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Anxiety, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Depression, Encouragement, End Times, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Loss, Love, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on April 8, 2015 at 12:46 pm

In stage nine of grief the griever begins to see hope emerge from the ashes of loss.

Isaiah 61:3 (NKJV)

To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

In stage nine the person grieving begins to realize that the painful memories they are experiencing are part of the healing process and therefore must be integrated into their life. There is an acceptance of the fact that life has changed and the person begins to embrace completely all that has happened. They begin to reach out to life once again with less fear and more confidence.

The speed of this return to life will vary for different individuals but nevertheless they begin once again to find their emotional equilibrium. They begin to realize and accept that life must change if it is to continue and continue it must.

For Christians this is a time of returning to, waiting for, and/or drawing closer to their Lord, the Author of their salvation.

Lamentations 3:22–26 (NKJV)

22 Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,

“Therefore I hope in Him!”

25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,

To the soul who seeks Him.

26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly

For the salvation of the LORD.

The mercy of God is great, nothing can compare to His mercy, and He reaches out to His children each day with new mercies. The word “new” in verse twenty-three also means “fresh” in the Hebrew. Each day there is a fresh supply of God’s loving-kindness also known as mercy. For those grieving that freshness becomes fresher and fresher with each passing day.

For a Christian the Lord is our portion. The words “my portion” in verse twenty-four in the Hebrew means “smoothness” and “inheritance” which is exactly what God is for us and to us. He smoothes the rough places and gives us a “part” or our “allotment” of Himself, our daily allotment. Both the words “part” and “allotment” are found in the definition of “my portion” according to the Hebrew language. The language also indicated that He will “deal” and “distribute” that portion of Himself that is needed by us, as we have need of Him. What a wonderful Truth to know that our God is there for us during our time of need, and for that matter, at all times.

In order to sense our Lord’s presence during the difficult times in life, we must not allow ourselves to become so overwhelmed that we do not seek Him during our hour of need.

To “seeketh” [KJV] found in verse twenty-five in the Hebrew language means “to tread or frequent; usually to follow for pursuit” and by implication it is to “ask” and more specifically “to worship” doing both “diligently” as we “inquire” of the Lord for our help. As one heals from loss and grief be mindful to worship God and to take your questions to Him in prayer.

One must not let their pain keep them from talking to God about their questions regarding all that has happened to them. To “hope” in verse twenty-four means to “say” and “be pained” but then in verse twenty-six a layer of meaning is added, it evolves to also means to be “expectant” of something. Therefore, what happens between verse twenty-four and twenty-six? … Waiting and seeking the LORD.

When we do not understand something we wait with faith and trust in our Lord that as His children He only has our best interest at heart, for He always wants our ultimate good. In verse twenty-six “and quietly wait” [KJV] in part means “to be dumb” in the Hebrew language. There are times in life when we cannot know what we desire to know, we cannot obtain the needed knowledge to understand why something happens; at times we remain “dumb” to the whys of life. It is during this time of not knowing, our season of denseness, that our trust, faith, and reliance upon our Lord grows – all of which is needed to obtain salvation from our grief and pain.

There is the Eternal Salvation, which Jesus provided through His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead for those who would trust in Him, then there is the daily salvation He provides for us here on earth. In healing from grief or loss that daily salvation is applied to our lives as we seek Him and allow Him to apply that salvation.

In verse twenty-six “for the Salvation” [KJV] in the Hebrew means to “rescue literally or figuratively” and to rescue both in the natural and spiritual. It means to bring about our “deliverance, help, safety, salvation and victory” ultimately. It also means to make us “to be free” and that means “freedom from some trouble” we are facing.

To whom is this type of salvation given? To those who wait for the LORD. What does it mean to wait for the Lord? According to the Hebrew language “unto them that wait” [KJV] in verse twenty-five means “to bind together perhaps by twisting” and “figuratively to expect” something. Expect what? Expect the Lord to act on our behalf, expect the salvation of the LORD. The Hebrew meaning also indicates we are to “gather [ourselves] together” and “look patiently” while we “tarry” in expectation of the Lord’s actions.

Are you twisted up in your grief or are you intertwined, twisted, and bound to The Spirit of God that is healing you? Are you accepting and enduring your grief in expectation of God’s salvation from its pain? Are you making room for your salvation [the victory and deliverance from grief and sorrow] to come by patiently enduring what you do not understand, what you do not want, while staying bound to Christ in full trust of His love for you?

In the next part of this series, part eleven, we will examine the final stage of grief, the second healing stage.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.