Stand My Watch

We often look at certain scriptures, especially Old Testament, and say that was a long time ago. Yet in Numbers 25, we see the Israelites once again casting off the Lord and joining with the pagan worship of Baal of Peor. It had been just forty years since Israel had sinned by forming a golden calf and worshipping it. This sin and the punishment for it should have been fresh in their minds. Because of this sin, a plague broke out among the Israelites. One man was still so brazen that he presented the Midianite woman he was joining with before all his brethren. But enter Phineas, the son of Eleazar, the grandson of Aaron. He was not born during Israel’s sin with the golden calf, but knew the story well and the penalty for that egregious sin. The zeal of Phineas was so aroused that he followed the Israelite man and the Midianite woman into their tent and impaled their bodies with a javelin. Some stories say they were joined sexually when he killed them. An example of what was meant for good joining with evil. Still, 24,000 died before the plague stopped. Similar to what we see today. The Israelites knew the story of the golden calf, the idol worship, the resulting deaths, yet still followed Baal of Peor. Much like America. We saw the evil of Donald Trump’s first term. His blatant sin. His grift and lying. His trying to overthrow our government on January 6, 2021, yet we learned nothing from that, and here he is again as President. Even more evil.

Psalm 106 speaks of the zeal of Phineas being accounted to him for righteousness. I’m not saying we need to advocate running anyone through with a javelin, but there has been a coupling, no different than sexual, that has taken place between what is called “the church” and that which is offered by the world. It has led to a false sense of spirituality. People believe if they follow after denominations or especially church leaders of influence, they are rightly aligned. They are not. We are at a point today where sin and idolatry have become acceptable. We no longer as the “body of Christ” feel revulsion when we see church leaders laying hands on one like Donald Trump and declaring him as one sent by God. We feel the ends are justified by the means. Ethics and morality be damned. Killing people in boats we do not know are truly guilty of crimes and then brazenly daring anyone to alert others to stand up to these unlawful acts. Watching as men who once served in our military are rounded up by ICE because they have the wrong ethnicity or skin color. Following pod casts where people with great appeal laud the characteristics of Hitler and question the Holocaust. Having no problem with either federal or state governments erasing black history. Having the temerity to do all in your power to keep hidden the sexual assaults of young girls by those in power and yet still support these evil people. And actually having no problem with lying on a level never before seen on a national stage by those who took an oath to defend us.

We have people that are standing up today but not enough. And certainly not those who can politically move the needle immediately. They’re politically afraid, yet their fear of God is negligible. We need a spiritual Phineas. We need thousands of them. They need to be heard and seen. You cannot serve God and wrong doctrine. We cannot be unequally yoked with those who pursue wickedness. What fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? What communion has light with darkness? What agreement can there be between God and a temple of idols? Come out from among them and be separate. (2 Corinthians 6) Guard your hearts.

We are to come out of darkness and walk as children of God. Why are we deceived by empty words or words of hate? It is not His spirit that draws you with these wrong measures. So, who are you following? It is not Jesus. We are at a place where more extreme acts of evil will be seen. The time is short and those that are still in power are speaking great swelling words of emptiness that allure through the lusts of the flesh and draw many into sin and corruption. Stand against this increasing evil. It is only heating up and greater evil is yet to be seen. But know that we who truly believe in Jesus and take up our cross daily are overcomers. The son has come that we would have understanding. Grasp it. Keep yourselves from idols. Blessings.

It seems there is a sickening and continual display of the worst evil being played out right before our eyes on a daily basis. Who is in the Epstein Files and why is it being covered up? What I find almost funny, if it weren’t for the seriousness of the oversight, is some people are just now starting to question whether or not Trump is really implicated in the accusations. This is what it takes for some to question him? He has displayed ungodly behavior his whole life. He has given a new definition to the word “liar.” Bankrupting multiple companies, cheating people of their wages, making fun of the disabled, racism, sexism displayed at unparalleled levels, talking of what he can do to women without their consent, speaking of young girls as if no one would care he has an evil appetite for them, using his power to go after any who he feels has harmed him, outwardly expressing his admiration of tyrants and showing his penchant for governing likewise, and too many more examples to list. Yet all of these evil attributes were not enough to cause you to realize this man is evil incarnate. And you had no problem with those of the same ilk he surrounded himself with. And somehow people overlook their tacit approval of Trump. It is written in 1 Corinthians 15:33-34, “Do not be deceived; Evil company corrupts good habits. Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.” Overlooking this evil is shameful.

There is a scene in the Larry McMurtry series Lonesome Dove that speaks to this. Jake Spoon is an ex-Texas Ranger that used to ride with Captain Woodrow Call and Captain Augustus McCrae. He eventually goes out on his own and runs into some very unsavory characters. They’re killers and thieves. Rather than stand against their evil, he tolerates it and is even a bit cowed by their evil leader. He doesn’t speak up and basically is complicit. Unbeknownst to him, Captains Call and McCrae are following the killers. When they catch them, Jake Spoon seems to feel he has no part in the judgement to be meted out. He tells Captain McCrae that he isn’t a criminal. Those other guys were the killers. Captain McCrae tells him “You ride with an outlaw, you die with an outlaw. Sorry, you crossed the line.” Jake Spoon replies, “I didn’t kill anybody. I didn’t see no line. I just fell in with these boys to get through the territory. I was gonna leave the first chance I got.” To this Captain McCrae replied, “I wish you’d taken that chance a little earlier, Jake. Any man that goes along with five killings is taking his leaving a little slow.” And then we see Jake Spoon hung. It’s a heartbreaking scene.

So, what of all those who for some reason hold onto this evil perpetrated by Trump and his acolytes? How many times must you be told to come out from among those that do this evil we see every day? For some reason, you feel you can walk this thin line where you still follow the policies of Trump and yet claim to follow Jesus. It clearly states in 1 Corinthians 10:21 that “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.” Yet many believe they can keep their feet in both camps as if it’s OK. How long will you turn a blind eye to one who kills without due process? Who mistreats immigrants and the marginalized as if there will be no price to be paid for evil actions? For accepting a multitude of lies knowing full well there is no truth in them. There was a day that the behavior we witness daily by Trump would have definitely be seen as crossing the line of decency and truth. But too many have allowed this deception to be accepted. You cannot say, as Jake Spoon did, that you did not see a line. It is there in all its ugliness. Too many have chosen to turn a blind eye to it. Romans 13:12 warns us, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly.” The line He has drawn is clear.  Blessings.

Proverbs 6 speaks to the evil man. The rude, impudent, vulgar, and savage lout unconcerned with the harm they cause. Verse 12-15 says, “A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth; he winks with his eyes, he shuffles his feet, he points with his fingers; Perversity is in his heart, he devises evil continually, he sows discord. Therefore, his calamity shall come suddenly; Suddenly he shall be broken without remedy.” With all we see being done that has no place in decency, it is hard to keep one’s heart from becoming caught up in anger that does not become entwined with sin. As I watch continuous iniquity and evil plotting it’s sometimes hard to keep my prayers aligned with Him. It is difficult at times to be angry but not sin (Ephesians 4:26).

In 1989, the mini-series Lonesome Dove was adapted flawlessly from the Larry McMurtry novel. It spoke to hopes and dreams not realized. Harsh times. Standing up for right in the midst of troubling times. This is my favorite adaption ever on small or large screen. The characters spring to life. In the midst of evil there is still a code that one of character follows. There is a scene that speaks to much of what I see today in our country. Two ex-Texas Rangers, Capt. Woodrow Call, played by Tommy Lee Jones, and Capt. Gus McCrae, played by Robert Duvall, are getting supplies in a town. Unbeknownst to them, some Cavalry and an evil scout are looking to requisition (steal) horses from their men. Sort of resembles what we see with ICE today. The scout starts to whip the men that won’t give up their horses. As he then starts to whip Newt (played by Ricky Schroeder), Capt. Call walks out of the general store. Newt is special to him. He throws his supplies to the ground, rides his horse at full speed down the main street and runs into the scout, knocking him from his horse. He then proceeds to beat him and would have killed him were it not for Gus lassoing him and pulling him away. In this scene, Gus is like the Holy Spirit reigning Woodrow in. Gus has the gun butt ready to knock sense into Woodrow if he doesn’t recognize Gus in his lust to avenge the evil being perpetrated. When the towns people look at Capt. Call with fear, his only answer is, “I hate rude behavior in a man. I won’t tolerate it.” This may seem harsh and rigid, but what was going through Jesus’ mind when He sat patiently, and meticulously wove together cords into a whip which He then used on those who turned His Father’s house into a den of thieves (John 2)? Unlike us, His mind was not filled with hate. Yet He struck them and turned over a few tables. So hard to not cross that fine line between righteous and unrighteous anger. To actually stand against evil without it infecting us.

Proverbs 6 also speaks to things the Lord hates. “A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.” Yet that seems to have become a prerequisite for meritorious service to so many in our government today. So, as hard as it may be, we must put on the new man. Give no opportunity to the devil. Seek resolution. But have no part in the ways of darkness. Do not compromise with evil. Rude behavior seems to be the order of the day, but not for us. Do not grow weary. Jesus has come and given us understanding to what is true. Hold fast to it. Blessings.

I was in between sleep and waking while I heard Neil Young singing the words to his song “Helpless.” Except the words were changed to “Help Me. Help Me.” I lay listening for a bit and then got up and wrote down what I was getting from God. I was not alarmed by what I heard for myself. My spirit immediately brought me to Psalm 42:5 “Why are you downcast O my soul? Why so disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him. For the help of His countenance.” And to Psalm 43:3: “Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me.”

The lyrics to Neil Young’s song say, “Babe can you hear me now? The chains are locked and tied across the door.” Terrifying words. It speaks to what the Lord said in Matthew 25 and Luke 13 to those who approach Him too late or believe they have done so many things in His name only to hear, “Depart from Me I never knew you.” So many follow a god of their own making. We’re told in Proverbs 3 to trust in Him and not rely on our own understanding. And the Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 1 that we are to abound in knowledge of Him and depth of insight so that we can discern what is best and be found blameless on the day of the Lord. Yet millions follow a gospel made up by man. A nationalistic Christianity. A gospel that pays no heed to taking up one’s cross daily. This path leads to death.

In Luke 6 Jesus asks why do you call Him Lord but not do the things He says? How can so many support this demonic maga-christianity and claim to have a walk with the Lord? How do you not speak up when the marginalized are being brutalized? When racism and anti-semitism are constantly before our face? When autocracy and kingship are seen as OK in one Donald Trump, yet the King we are to learn of and be like is relegated to second class status. Yet, does not Peter tell us in 1 Peter that His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him? So, what are we missing? Who are we following? Who has bewitched you?

Neil Young’s lyrics also say. “In my mind I still need a place to go.” That is so true today. Yet we are to have the mind of Christ. We are not to feel “Helpless.” In Him we live and move and have our being. If we so choose to. Follow what the apostle James said. Submit to God. Not this man-made gospel of distortion and death. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands. Purify your hearts you double-minded. (James 4) Seek Him for all you’re worth. There are so many in my mind that I pray seek Him anew as I write this. You are only helpless when not standing with Him. Blessings.  

Yesterday I was sitting and reflecting on the horror and idiocy of the words spoken by Donald Trump. He was ordering the Department of War to start testing our nuclear weapons. No talks with Congress or even the Joint Chiefs. I then heard a chilling phrase. “I am become death.” Those were the words spoken, after the July 16, 1945 successful nuclear test, by J. Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the Manhattan Project. The full quote is: “Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.” This first nuclear bomb was called Trinity. The words Oppenheimer spoke were from the Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scriptural text. In it, the major Hindu deity, Krishna, tells the warrior Arjuna that he, Krishna, has become death. The destroyer of worlds. Oppenheimer was one who studied Sanskrit texts. He was studying the message of discipline. One concept was that said by Krishna that we were to fight to destroy unrighteousness with no attachment to the outcome. He felt that through discipline we could achieve serenity. Forgotten were the warnings that said, “When men deem themselves to be gods on earth…when they are this deluded by ignorance, they develop a satanic perversity that proclaims both in knowledge and power.”

For some insane reason, too many forget the horror of the atomic bomb. I am not arguing whether it should have or have not been released over Japan. I am saying that knowing the destructive force and the evil released should be forefront in our minds when anyone posits the idea of even testing another nuclear bomb. We should be fully aware of the catastrophic effects from unleashing such a force. It doesn’t matter if it’s done below ground. Every living thing, every molecule, is adversely affected. From long term geological instability to water, to even the insects that will be ingested by living things above ground. And then passed to us. The percussive force of a nuclear blast rips the very fabric of all life.

But this speaks to Donald Trump. His mouth has always opened before any reason was engaged. He looks to create/instill fear. The fact that his words could set us on the brink of destruction are of no matter to him. The saying attributed to Sun Tzu that “An evil man will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes,” fits Trump perfectly. He is funneling and channeling every evil force to gain more power. Inciting fear and doubt are paramount to his plan to dominate. Keep people in fear of deportation or separation from family members. Respond to questions about his policy for “suspected” wrong people in boats in the Caribbean with “We’ll just kill them.”  No trial. Masked marauders (ICE) causing fear in American cities under the orders of Trump and his acolytes. Ordering up a “quick reaction force” of 500 National Guard forces ready to be deployed to each state to quell any disturbance Trump feels is contrary to his whims. All to garner power to even stop voting if he feels it necessary. All to gain total power. To instill fear. To set himself up as the supreme arbiter of all that transpires in America. This so speaks to what Isaiah said of the King of Babylon and its mirror image of the walk of Lucifer who sought to ascend above the heights of the clouds and be like the Most High. Isaiah wrote of Lucifer who said he would ascend above the heights of the clouds and be like the Most High saying, “You shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.” (Isaiah 14:15) In Isaiah 14:9 in speaking of the King of Babylon, it states, “Hell from beneath is excited about you. To meet you at your coming.” I am not speaking anyone to hell and pray all come to know Him as savior. But nor will I excuse the evil of one that wishes to have power not granted to him by God.

Oppenheimer was said to have deep regrets over his part in the nuclear bomb. He later told President Truman that he felt as if he had blood on his hands. He confronted The Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, demanding that nuclear bombs be banned. There is no evidence of any regret for any ungodly action from Trump. His seeking power by any means is only growing. His pride and ambition have become a symbol of who he is. Woe to those who align with him for his fall will be your fall also. Oppenheimer knew what was unleashed. And today we are watching a new evil gain too much power. Turn from this wickedness. Have no part in these works of darkness. Expose these evil works. Be imitators of God. What we see from Trump and maga-christianity has no part in Jesus. So, let no one deceive you. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. Put on the full armor of God and stand steadfastly against this increasing wickedness. The devil seeks to follow through and say “I am become death” to all that is good and to all that is righteous. Follow Jesus. Love your brother. Blessings.

I’ve been listening intently to what the Lord is speaking in this hour. It seems that no matter the prayers lifted up and the cries unto Him by so many faithful, it just seems to get darker. Evil seems to be gaining strength and what was once seen as contrary to His commands in how we live is now acceptable. I’ve been struggling to fight due to my own health issues and maybe that has caused me to stumble in how I stand. On Friday, October 24, at 2PM, I was trying to rest from the thought of another looming heart procedure and just trying to put away prayers in battling what is happening to our country. Then He spoke clearly saying, “Separate the precious from the vile.” So much for the thought of a nap. He was telling me what I must speak and what I also must hear myself.

Jesus spoke of the coming separation of wheat and tares. His love and forgiveness were evident in His telling the servants not, at this time, to gather up the tares, as the wheat would be damaged. But the time is coming, and is not far off, when He shall tell the reapers to gather the wheat into His barn but take the tares, bind them in bundles and burn them. This is one of the more well-known parables, yet the “Church” is still pleading ignorance as they hold fast to the tares. Proverbs 1 warns us that we are to seek His counsel. To not align with the world. To not lurk secretly to hurt the innocent without cause, all the while trying to enrich yourselves. The Lord says you will eat the fruit of your own way and when destruction comes you will seek the Lord, but you will not find Him. We are nearly at that place where we could hear the Lord say what He spoke to His servant in Jeremiah 15:1, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people. Cast them out of My sight.” In 1994, I was complaining of those not hearing and making their own path not according to His path, and the Lord sent His servant to speak Jeremiah 12:5 to me. “If you have run with the footman and they have wearied you, how will you contend with the horsemen?” I am still weary.

We are being called to speak to that which is still precious. To extract it from that which looks to kill it. Expose the vile. We must be careful to 1) Distinguish what is truly valuable from that which is worthless 2) Speak precious truths to that which is a false doctrine. If it is contrary to His Sermon on the Mount, it is false. 3) See the spiritual value and extract it from the sinful nature. Preach Christ and Him crucified. 4) Identify the precious truths of Jesus and hold them up. Thereby exposing the contemptible doctrine of lies permeating His Church. 5) Reject all that is evil and corrupting by standing against this rising tide of Christian Nationalism and remain steadfast even when people reject, ignore or look to speak evil of you. If God is with you, who can be against you.

That which is precious to Him should be clearly evident to us. He sent His only Son to die that we might have life. That which is vile is becoming more obvious every day. It is foolishness that causes one to turn from truth. It is spiritual idiocy to align with the morally corrupt, wicked, despicable, dishonorable and depraved. It is madness to reject the words of Jesus in how we treat the marginalized. The poor. How we do not recoil and stand against what we see happening to immigrants or to people of color. Having no problem killing without due process.

We are all called to stand and be accountable. Every word and deed is in His records. I have said in my private time that I’ve found the Lord to be like an unreliable stream. Waters that fail or are uncertain. He corrected me and this is part of what I am now sharing. I and all who are weary can just read Jeremiah 15:19. I must remove the gold from the dross. The precious from the vile. Through speaking His word and by repentance. We are being surrounded by those who believe they have a plan to rule and are ignorantly doing all they can to enact it. Yet now more than ever, we must speak truth to evil. We must be sure to come out from among those who hold onto that which is vile and have no part with them. Come out from among them and be visibly separate. And hold onto His promise from 1 John 1:9 that brings great hope in the midst of vacillation and uncertainty: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Blessings.