30 Day Jesus Challenge - Day 16 The Truth

Somewhere along the way the inane expression, "Your Truth" made it's way into the lexicon.  Probably used by someone who was intellectually backed into a corner.  When reason and logic invalidated their positions, "Your Truth" was the rebuttal; this oxymoronic phrase feeds delusions and instability in those that employ it.  By definition, there is only one truth.

Have you ever considered that Truth is a being?  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6.  In an age where Truth seems ephemeral and subjective, the comfort and surety of knowing The Truth is refuge.

One of the greatest reliefs of my life was not having to figure everything out.  When I accepted Christ, I rested in the fact that I could believe Him.  Today, He invites you to know The Truth.

Pray - Jesus, the Truth is very hard to discern in this time.  I believe you are truth.

Were You Born Insane?

Abigail and Dolley readers - I'm pleased to share with you a blog from my husband, the Krusher.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Truth 101: At our natural birth we are born into sin. I found 19 scriptures to back up this premise. Perhaps, Romans 5:12 describes this inescapable state of sin best. In my view, as a result of this state of sin, we are also born into a FORM of INSANITY. Yes, I know, this premise may sound out there, but please continue reading.

Crazy Baby

God's word clearly states that when we are truly born again, we are renewed...Renewed from what? Romans 12:2 says: "Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God TRANSFORM you into a NEW person by changing the way you THINK. Then you will LEARN to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Transform - New - Think - Learn. This scripture and others (Ex: 1 Peter 1:23 and Titus 3:5) describe this renewal, and make it clear that we must be changed, transformed, renewed from what we WERE (originally). In the simplest of terms, there are two kinds of people on planet earth, those who have been transformed by God and continue to seek Him who changed them (the few), and those who are still broken (the many).

If we are born sinners, then we are NOT whole, perfected or complete. We are missing many things, and as per God's word, we need renewing change by His spirit. How could we possibly understand absolute truth or see the world as it REALLY is, if we are born without God's spirit, which is born DAMAGED goods. Thus, our fallen world and most people of it (not saved) are perplexed, delusional, and at best focused primarily on optics (how things appear). These are forms of insanity.

This insane delusion is even more disturbing in that through ubiquitous technology (the internet) we have the ability to search for truth, history, checked facts, stats etc. via thousands of sources of verified information. Truth is more available than ever! Yet, we ignore it, or we are too lazy to search for it. Perhaps a reality TV show which is not even real (more madness and perplexity), sports (a false god in itself) or some other temporal (worldly) activity awaits our time, attention and hard earned money.

Crazy Loon

Before we are transformed by God's renewing (supernatural) power, we do NOT know that we are insane. We conform to our flesh, our warped mind, the world, and the culture (the majority) as described in Romans 12. Yet, for the most part, we think that we are normal, sane and whole, and this is reinforced (incorrectly) by the majority and most of the culture.

This world is insane: ill, delusional, perplexed and focuses on merely optics. People in and of this world do not recognize their own (true) state of being. This form of "insanity" is evident in the fallen and broken world around us, and seeps into every part of our culture including: education, entertainment, government, politics, science, commerce and yes much of the CHURCH.

Currently, the world is so crazy that some astute and inquisitive people who are NOT saved are beginning understands that something is very wrong, and that things are as they have never been in the history of planet earth.

Counterterrorism in the Spiritual Realm

Have you ever considered that evil has a full armor?  Since we are told in Ephesians 6 that we struggle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high places, then logically, the armor we are told to don is exactly opposite of what the enemy wears.  To wear the armor as purely a defensive barrier is perhaps an underestimation of the battle.  If you watch martial artists fight, you recognize that the sword is not the only weapon.  You also realize that the expression that there is no armor for your back is a misnomer, because the belt and the helmet cover your back.

(Note this blog was originally published in August 2013)

Pastor Mark Bilitz of El Shaddai Ministries puts forth a compelling argument that the armor of God is not patterned after a Roman Soldier but after the robes of a Jewish Priest.  That hypothesis resonates with me on a very deep level in my soul and has caused me to rethink this important part of Scripture. It is with fresh eyes and an open heart I would like to take a look at the weapons of warfare and those of our adversary, I think the church needs to employ some counter-terrorism strategies.

Garments of a High Priest

If we gird our loins with the belt of truth, the enemy must seek to wrap us with their chains of lies.  We discern lies in our guts.  Jesus says that Satan is the Father of Lies and that every word from his mouth is a lie and that when he lies he speaks his native language; he was a liar from the beginning.  Thus, the first area of attack begins with a lie.  We are faced with lies in the public arena everyday.  The adage of Lenin that if you repeat a lie long enough people will believe it is being played out in spectacular fashion today.  When trying to discern the truth of anything, the first thing you must do is discover the lies that have perverted what you are studying.  (ie if you are looking to astronomy, you have to deal with the lies of astrology.)  Imagine if our belt of truth was similar to Wonder Woman's lasso of truth... what if in warfare we periodically tie the belt of truth around the mouth of the prevaricating enemy?

We put on the breastplate of righteousness, which is the righteousness of Christ - the enemy tries to hang the millstone of sin around your neck.  Knowing we have no righteousness in ourselves we valiantly try to lift our heads but our past keeps our heads bent to the ground.  We can only see the shadow of sin before us, our hearts break and it becomes impossible to breathe the breath of life.

Instead of walking in the shoes of peace, we roll out of bed and put on the slippers of fear.  Our steps are dogged by every type of fear the enemy can throw at us.  Our hung heads watch our fearful feet trudge along the dark paths of our past sins.  Think of the powerful weapon that the shoes of peace are on the body of a skilled martial artist; when you are walking in fear throw a few roundhouse kicks at your enemy, you will feel the fear lift, and your path will once again be one of peace.  In John 14:27 Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

The enemy would have us armed with a shield of doubt and disbelief that is but a holey piece of Swiss cheese.  It is not an impenetrable force field of faith, it is not a dome of covering, it is a flimsy excuse of a weapon that does nothing to protect the wielder.  The "Name It and Claim It" false Gospel has been brilliant in disarming Christians for decades of their shield of faith.  By urging baby Christians to "believe God for things" they destroy the fragile and innocent faith new converts bring to bear.  Many folks continue to believe God for the big things of salvation and eternity but fail to have faith that He cares for them.  The twisted gospel takes admonitions of prayer and asking and perverts them into ways to control God.  The wreckage they leave behind is an abomination to God.

The poor warrior who is now chained with lies, with a millstone of past sins hanging from their neck, walking on the path of fear flanked by doubt and disbelief is now crowned with the vise grip of suffering and defeat.  The helmet of salvation and deliverance that would protect the brain and the ears is stripped away and messages of failure, hopelessness, and pain are heaped upon the believers head.  It is indeed a dark and scary walk at this point.

Lastly, instead of the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, we are given the Wisdom of the World.  Everything is backwards in the Bible, look at how you are suffering when those that follow the enlightened path of the World prosper in all they do.  Worldly wisdom, common sense, and "the way things are done" bury the warrior; most submit.

In the depths of the battle, you may find yourself valiantly trying to follow Ephesians 6 and in the end having done all you can, to stand.  Use the weapons that God has given you to fight the enemy.  Recognize the tactics and respond with the correct piece of armor.  In the end, ask God for what you need, even if it is to fall in battle and ask Him to rescue you and fight on your behalf.  God who is faithful and just will hear your prayers and deliver you from the hands of the enemy.  In our weakness, His Grace is made perfect.

No Weapon Formed Against Me Shall Prosper

Truth

Abigail and Dolley readers I have been reading Ephesians 6 lately.  This chapter is a favorite of mine for many reasons: it addresses how we as children are to obey and honor our parents.  It implores father's not to aggravate their children.  It gives us guidance on how we are to work and how we are to manage.  Finally, it  tells us that we are not just living a physical world that we can see and touch.  There is a supernatural aspect to our lives that we need to understand and be aware.  We are told to put on the whole armor of God as we resist the Devil and his lies and tricks.

The first item of the armor is the belt of truth.  Why a belt?  I mean a belt is the LAST thing you put on when you get dressed, right?  Who puts on a belt first?  What is God thinking here?  I am not sure, but I think I have an idea.  Follow along with me if you will.

First let's look at truth, in the original language it is aletheia.   Aletheia signifying "the reality lying at the basis of an appearance; the manifested, veritable essence of a matter" and "not merely verbal, but sincerity and integrity of character".   

Thus, we are told to start with the Truth.  This is often one of the hardest things to do in human existence because the truth if often painful.  Telling the truth at the beginning gives us no latitude to trick or manipulate. 

We don't like the truth anymore, about ourselves, about others, about sin.  We don't like it at all, we'd rather skirt around the truth, we gloss over the truth, we find the truth harsh and unwavering.

So we are told in Ephesians to begin with the Truth.  That in itself is a tall order my friends.  Something that going forward, I will endeavor to do.  If I find that I can't, I will just be quiet.  Nothing of good substance and honor can begin with less.  Relationships, stories, business deals - they all have to begin with the truth.  If we don't we have built our house upon the sand instead of the bedrock of truth.

It is of note that in the Old Testament the majority of times the English word truth appears it refers to our mouths.  It is often paired with righteousness and refers to justice.  In the New Testament most references are to THE truth.  In the book of John, he refers to the Spirit of Truth which is the Holy Spirit.

For me, it's a lot less difficult to start out with the truth if I recognize that it is God's Truth where we begin.  Knowing how fallable we are, HE gives us something to hold fast to and that is the Spirit of Truth. 

May you be greatly blessed today and thank you for reading!

Small Town America and Why We Still Matter

Abigail and Dolley readers, I went to a reunion yesterday.  Not a family reunion, but an Small Town American reunion.  A gathering of folks who grew up and around a small mill town on the outskirts of Charlotte.  These days there is little difference between Pineville and Charlotte, but for those of us who grew up there, we know the difference.  We remember the landmarks that are no longer there, we "Awwed" audibly when pictures of loved ones flashed on the screen during the memorial CD, we smiled at the pictures of the wild Southern boys and their jacked up muscle cars, but most of all we were happy to see each other and took pride in our heritage.

Now, the ruling classes and the liberal elite would have looked upon this group with contempt.  You see we were in cut off shorts and T-shirts, we sang all the words to Sweet Home Alabama, and we raised our cups to lost friends and good times.  We laughed at old stories, complained that we were still smoking and knew we should quit, and talked about our kids, grandkids, and small businesses.  What the ruling class forgets is that these are the people that fix your cars, build your houses, and work in your factories.  They are the back bone of this Country and will show up with a casserole when someone passes away, a tow to pull your car out of a ditch, and money to bail you out of whatever trouble you've gotten yourself into.

Their pride in their country is held in contempt by the liberal elitists who scorn their patriotism and hate this country.  Their accents render them unintelligent in the eyes of the country club Republicans.  Their faith is scorned by the academics that are too smart for God.  They are Southern, so they must be racist, say the mainstream media.  I say, they are wrong again.  These are the people that built this country, their blood ran on the battlefields of history, their sweat plowed the fields, and their hands built the products that changed the world.

These are now the people who are muzzled and stifled by an over bearing government that makes it too difficult for the common man to start a business.  These are the folks whose factories have shut down because regulators required too many expensive "safety" upgrades (for their own good, of course.) and taxed "the rich" at such a rate they could no longer afford to do business in this country.  These are the folks that used to build your house, clean your gutters, and mow your lawn but now can't find work because there are illegal aliens that will do that job "under the table".  These are the people who teeter on the edge now because the work is gone and the horizon is bleak.  These are the people who recognize that when you talk about "the rich" you are really talking about their employers and they know their jobs won't be coming back until the government stops taking their bosses money at an alarming rate.

These are the people that loved Ronald Reagan and "hoped" Obama would live up to his promises of a "change".  In the immortal words of George W Bush, "You fool me once.... wait hang on.  Well, if you fool me once then, you aren't gonna fool me again."

Long live small town America!  Enjoy the video.

Testing Principals - If it Does Not Work in the Micro it Will Not Work in the Macro

For a principal to be true in the Macro is must also be true in the Micro.  Failed policies, beliefs, and philosophies ignore this truth and seek to impose their will on others.  History often bares this out but as a society we are so self important we believe that because we are involved, this time it will be different.  It will not be different, for there is nothing new under the sun.

Let me give you some examples:

Individually, we know if we work very hard for something we value it more than if someone just gives it to us.  Examples in the Macro - public housing vs. private neighborhoods.  Have you ever seen pictures of new public housing and then a retrospect of what the same housing looks like 10 years later?  It is shameful, but demonstrates the point.  If you are "given" a home you do not have to work for or earn, what insentive do you have to take care of it?  None!  If given a choice, which would you choose, where would you live?


Evolution vs. Creation - in Creation the beginning is God.  In Evolution they can not tell you the beginning.  If you can not start with the first atom and explain where that came from, everything there after is based on a false premise and is then applied to the world and the universe at large.

Sincere and honest belief makes something true, truth is individual, and should be tolerated as equally valid.  This premise is applied to the macro of "personal faith" all the time, but it is ludicrous when applied to the micro.  If I sincerely believe that the plate of potato salad in front of me is a steak sandwich no matter how sincerely I believe it, it does not make it true.  If I sincerely believe that Ronald McDonald is the son of God does my sincere belief deserve the same respect as those who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?

Truth is relative - If I sincerely believe I am an alien from Ork does that make it so?  No, it only sends me to a mental hospital!  If a rapist believes he is making love to a woman and that there is nothing wrong with that, does that make rape okay?

Communism vs. Free Enterprise - Communism ALWAYS fails in the micro and the macro.  It is only in the minds of the Utopians where it doesn't.  Unfortunately, there are enough mislead and deceived souls out there that will ignore history, ignore real world examples, and continue to live in LaLa Land.

Thus, I have briefly demonstrated the point that if something is not true at all levels then it can not be true at any level.  We must reject the lies and insist on the truth.  We must stop "tolerating" irrational suppositions and shine the light of sense, reason, and logic on the things that are only true in someone's mind.  We must stop supporting policy and regulations that seek to ignore human nature and impose a misguided vision on those they seek to help.  It is time my friend to stop humoring those who believe the lies and it is time to start speaking the truth.