THE UNMENTIONED ENEMY!

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers: as I have mentioned in previous postings… like so many other evenings when I went to bed thinking I was going to write about one topic, when I awaken I had an entirely different message laid out in my mind.  Well…today is one of those days.  Needless to say, with our world and our culture spiraling into the morass of moral and spiritual decay at “breakneck” speed, it seems that each passing hour presents a new “low” that leaves followers of Jesus Christ shaking their head and exclaiming, “I can’t believe this is happening!”  But it is…

So let me begin by stating some obvious facts.  If one holds to the fundamental principles of: 1. The Constitution; 2. Judeo/Christian beliefs; 3. the traditional family structure; 4. the sanctity of “life” – and make no mistake, I am intentionally shinning the  “light”  on the darkness of the multi-billion dollar abortion industry – you can expect to be mocked and vilified by the prevailing “liberal-progressive agenda.”  And what is the liberal-progressive agenda? (LPA)  Well…I will give my interpretation of how I see that agenda playing out, knowing full-well that someone else might define it differently.

As I see the LPA, it is an agenda wrapped in wealth, power and control.  It seems to be under the umbrella of a huge, bureaucratic government that believes the more “it” can make the populace dependent on government, the more “it” can control the populace.  “It” believe in the distribution of wealth, ie. those who have earned wealth and status should be mandated to share it with those who have not; “it” believes in high taxation to keep the “gravy train” coming; “it” believes in chip, chip, chipping away at traditional values on which this country was founded, ie. the Constitution, traditional family values, religious freedom; “it” professes freedom of speech, yet vilifys anyone who expresses a different opinion, hence…political correctness; “it” professes a disdain for “wallstreet”, yet allows those who further the LPA to become billionaires at taxpayer expense, ie. the “green energy industry”, the “abortion industry”; “it” keeps people divided rather than unified, ie. today’s racial tension, fanned by such radical groups as “Black Lives Matter: and last, but not least on my list…”it” never lets a crisis go by without making political gain.  (This list is by no means complete, but it serves my purpose for this article.)

What drives the LPA is the same mindset that has contributed to the fall of every individual, civilization or nation throughout history.  And that mindset has been, and is, the exaltation of human wisdom above God’s wisdom.  The Bible is resplendent with examples to substantiate that statement, starting in Genesis.  The fall happened in the “Garden” when man was seduced by Satan’s lie.  “You won’t die, the serpent hissed. God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. (the forbidden fruit)  You will become just like God, knowing everything both good and evil.”  In other words, you won’t need God. You can be your own god!  That is the same lie Satan uses today to entice people to turn away from God.

Let me refer to two quotes from Jonathan Cahn’s, “The Harbinger”. “A nation that turns away from prayer will ultimately find itself in desperate need of it.”  And, “As God was expunged from American life, idols came in to fill the void; idols of sensuality, idols of greed, of money, of success, comfort, materialism, pleasure, sexual immorality, self-worship, self-obsession. The sacred increasingly disappeared, and the profane took its place.”  Do those two statements ring true of America today?

Within just two generations, what used to be valued, respected and worshiped is now mocked, ridiculed and vilified.  And what used to be shameful, despicable and sinful is now basking in the spotlight and being championed as the “new norm.”  Isaiah 5:20 tells us: “Destruction is certain for those who say that evil is good and good is evil; that dark is light and light is dark; that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.”  2 Timothy 3:1-5 gives us a more specific and ominous message:  “…that in the last days there will be very difficult times.  For people will love only themselves and their money.  They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful.  They will consider nothing sacred.  The will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control; they will be cruel and have no interest in what is good.  They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed-up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.  They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly.  You must stay away from people like that!

Last week there was, yet again, another tragedy involving the slaughter of innocent victims at the hands of “EVIL”.  Within hours of this tragedy, the LPA was positioning itself to make political gain from this tragedy, and our faith was being mocked by the liberal New York Daily News with a headline that proclaimed: GOD ISN’T FIXING THIS!  As the latest batch of innocent Americans are left lying in pools of blood, cowards who could truly end gun scourge, continue to hide behind meaningless platitudes.  The cowards and meaningless platitudes they were referencing were: Ted Cruz’s statement: “our prayers are with the victims, their families, and first responders”; Dr. Rand Paul’s statement: “my thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and brave first responders”; Paul Ryan’s statement: “please keep the victims of San Bernardino, California in your prayers”; and Lindsey Graham’s statement: “my thoughts and prayers are with Sam Bernardino”.  (As a sidebar, let me point out that while such mockery against our faith is permitted – and protected by law –  Obama’s justice department just reinforced what it had made clear earlier this year: that anyone who speaks despairingly against Muslims and Islam can be prosecuted.  Hummm??)

Is this still America?  What happened to freedom of religion?  What happened to freedom of speech?  Does tolerance even exist today?  What has happened to justice?

So what is it about Christianity that has drawn us into the cross-hair of the LPA?  When the Pharisees asked Jesus to tell them which was the greatest of the 10 Commandment, his response is recorded in Matthew 22:37-40: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is just like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

As Christi-followers, our faith – which the natural mind cannot comprehend (1Corinthians 2:14): – rests entirely on the sovereignty of God, and is therefore elevated above human wisdom. Consequently, in terms of human thinking, no doctrine is more despised than the truth that God is absolutely sovereign. Human pride loathes the suggestion that God orders everything, controls everything, rules over everything. The carnal mind, burning with enmity against God, abhors the biblical teaching that nothing comes to pass except according to His eternal decrees. Most of all, the flesh hates the notion that salvation rests entirely on God’s plan, as stated in Ephesians 1: 3-14.  Since the very essence of the LPA is in conflict with God’s first commandment, their resort is to minimize its impact and value, or stamp it out completely.

So what do we do to further our own cause in this face of adversity? I believe we take Apostle Paul’s words to heart as stated in 1Corinthians1:18:  “I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction.  But we who are being (or have been) saved recognize this message as the very power of God.”   Obviously we are faced with a formidable task as Christ-followers.  But we have been given the authority to pray in Jesus’ name.  James tells us in 5:16, “that the prayers of a righteous man avails much.”  Luke 1:37 tells us, “Nothing is impossible with God.”  

So I encourage everyone reading this to become active in prayer, praying for revelation of God’s truth in the hearts and minds of our leaders; praying for an anointed presidential candidate who will have the courage to take this country back to the founding Judeo/Christian principles on which it was founded and that made this country great; to pray for protection of Christians around the world; to pray for revelation of God’s truth in the hearts and minds of world leaders and in ISIS.  And I pray that everyone reading this will take the responsibility of becoming informed about political candidates before the next election.  And I pray that all Christ-followers reading this will unabashedly carry the Good News of Jesus Christ to a culture that desperately needs it.

When God spoke to Joshua, he told him three times in chapter 1: “to be strong and courageous” and he also reminded him that, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”  Remember…that message was/is for us today.

May God Bless you as you become involved.  I believe prayer is our most powerful weapon.

Feel free to respond to this message, and please “like” and share it with other social media friends.

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)