When Persecution Backfires: Trump Impeachment Scam

God uses adversity to strengthen us for His good purposes. Clay, molded by a craftsman, is strengthened in a fiery furnace to turn it into strong pottery that can withstand the fire day after day without cracking. Fire-danubing is the process of hardening wood over a fire or bed of coals to make a spear point. In metallurgy, fire is also used to refine or remove all impurities. Turn up the heat, and we only get better.

“Temper us in fire, and we grow stronger. When we suffer, we survive.” - Cassandra Clare

The left, in partnership with the mainstream media, international billionaire globalists, enemy nations, the FBI, etc. has been launching a massive, exorbitantly expensive (paid by taxpayers), coup against Trump since he campaigned for POTUS. The attacks have been brutal and relentless. They have falsely accused him of countless crimes they have already committed, repeatedly without legal consequences. Three years of investigation at the highest levels, illegal spying, and set-ups have delivered no evidence of crimes whatsoever, which is a most surprising for the best of men, for all have fallen (Romans 3:23), much less for someone with Trump's moral history. Yet just like the odds of tiny Israel surviving all these years while surrounded by much larger, powerful enemies unrestrained by common codes of ethics or war rules are nearly impossible were these people not chosen and protected by God, Teflon Don appears to be under similar protection, with each attack backfiring and strengthening his position.

The left fired their most powerful weapon this week through the House impeachment sham, yet Trump is now more popular and stronger than ever with his supporters and his party more unified. While many still question if Trump has any saving faith in God (myself included), God's hand in his work as POTUS is hard to deny. Trump has been a tremendous ally to people of faith and especially to persecuted Christians in America and around the world. He has fought for the right to life for the unborn, defunded the evil power player Planned Parenthood, greatly improved the care given to veterans, helped reduce human trafficking, provided resources to fight and prevent drug addiction, raised income levels for all, especially the poor and the middle class, provided more jobs than any POTUS before him with women and minorities benefiting the most, improved national security for the US and her allies, enabled the USA to become energy independent, won trade wars previously believed to be impossible, initiated peace discussion between North and South Korean for the first time ever, called out the corruption and abuses by the UN and foreign nations while holding corrupt US government entities accountable (I'm still waiting on the DOJ to deliver indictments though), and lifted up the nation of Israel more than any POTUS before him - all while under relentless attack. I pray that as he considers all these things, he comes to true saving faith in the one and only God who is his true strength and shield and who is guiding/equipping/helping him to do great things for America.

The left's greatest weapon made him stronger than ever while greatly weakening and dividing their party and exposing their own corruption. If that didn't take him down, then what hope do they have of undoing the will of the people who elected him? So let us not fear adversity but welcome it and allow it to make us stronger in faith, conviction, courage, and resolve. And let us be faithful to pray for our President and for all our leaders.

Devotion: Yahweh Shalom

Israel was languishing under Midianite oppression, and Gideon surely felt discouraged, abandoned, and afraid when the angel of the Lord appeared to him offering comfort, courage, and a divine commission, rooted in God’s presence and promises which bring perfect peace.  The angel of the Lord greeted Gideon with words that should have encouraged him.

“The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”  (Judges 6: 12)

Secretly threshing wheat in a winepress where he hoped the Midianites would not find and steal it, Gideon could not have felt very valiant, and his response in verse 13 indicates that he did not sense God’s presence. He was too consumed with his own problems and the suffering of His people to look up to the omnipresent, sovereign God who mercifully meets us where we are in our low places, transforms us into who He created us to be, and equips us for His good and perfect purposes (Jeremiah 29:11).  In trying times, do we, like Gideon, become anxious and afraid or do we rest securely in God’s presence (Proverbs 18:10), praying always with thanksgiving and supplication? (Philippians 4:6)

When the angel of the Lord commissioned Gideon to save the Israelites from the hand of Midian (verse 14), Gideon hesitated and made excuses, but God promised to go with him and to deliver Israel.  Such reluctance to accept God’s calling flows out of a heart of unbelief. Gideon had heard of God’s mighty deeds as He delivered Israel out of Egyptian bondage (verse 13), yet he initially resisted the Lord’s calling, just as Moses had.

The Bible is filled with historical accounts of God’s faithfulness and provides all we need to grow in faith, wisdom, and understanding of His great love for us (Ephesians 3:14-21). We need only study, believe, and apply it. Yet, how often do we worry and fret, living as if God is not present or does not even care?   How many times have we resisted a calling as simple as sharing our faith or meeting a physical need without any lurking dangers or significant risks at all?  We do not obey when we give in to fear or selfish desires. Faith waivers when we focus on our weaknesses instead of on God’s almighty power and His certain promises. True strength and courage come as we step out in faith, trusting that His power is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9) May we continually fill our hearts with God’s word and worship Him for who He is so that our faith, love, and obedience will increase.

Unconvinced, Gideon asked for a sign, and our loving Lord provided what Gideon needed to finally believe. Then the Lord gave him another promise: “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die” (verse 23). Comforted by the Lord’s presence and promises, Gideon built an altar to the Lord and called it “Yahweh Shalom”, which means, “The Lord is peace.” 

How desperately we need the Lord’s peace in our frenzied, chaotic, immoral, angry, and divided culture where billion dollar industries peddle harmful products and services that falsely promise to offer some measure of peace. Those manmade substitutes never satisfy and only leave us desperate for more.  Our world needs to know that all we really need is Yahweh Shalom.

Only God’s peace is perfect, surpassing all human understanding. (Philippians 4:6) His peace calms the wind, the waves, and the storms that rage within our restless hearts. (Mark 4:39)  God’s peace gives courage, comfort, and strength through tribulation (John 16:33). The Lord of peace protects His people and turns enemies into allies. (2 Chronicles 14:7)  Our Savior’s deep, soul satisfying peace envelops us as we meditate on His love which frees us from bondage to sin and death, washes us in forgiveness, and reconciles us with God and one another.

Even after tasting God’s perfect peace, Gideon became fearful again when the Lord instructed Him to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and the Asherah beside it. Gideon obeyed without making excuses this time, but he took ten servants with him (presumably for protection) and carried out God’s instructions at night when he was less likely to be seen. Gideon was growing into the valiant leader God called Him to be, but he still lacked sufficient confidence in the Lord. Gideon would not be free from fear and fully experience God’s lasting peace until he removed the idols and trusted in God alone. Similarly, we must throw off all the idols that consume our time, treasure, and trust in place of God. In addition, we must let go of the lesser idols we lean on for backup, should God not deliver as we would prefer.  Are we willing to face our greatest obstacles in God’s power alone, knowing that He will never fails us? (Joshua 21:45)

God protected Gideon from the wrath of the Baal worshipers, and the Spirit of the Lord “clothed” him as a great army of men followed him. Yet, Gideon sought additional reassurance. So, he set out a fleece two different times for more confirmation from the Lord.  Longsuffering is our Lord, for He answered Gideon’s tests, further strengthening Gideon’s faith and preparing him for the battle ahead.

As we undergo the sanctification process, our faith may falter as Gideon’s did.  We may not feel God’s presence or His love. Like Gideon, we may be tempted to believe that God has forsaken us.  When fear sneaks in and shakes our faith in God’s presence, power, and love, we must look to the ultimate fleece that Christ provided us on the cross.  The cross of Christ confirms His unfailing love for us. His resurrection is proof of God’s power over all, even sin and death.  His indwelling Holy Spirit assures us that we are never alone or forsaken and provides evidence of His power in and through us.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

His inerrant word provides an abundance of confirmation and strengthens our faith as we feed on it regularly.  As we lift up our eyes to God (Isaiah 40:26), keep our minds steadfast on Him, and trust Him, God’s perfect peace abides in us. (Isaiah 26:3)

Thoughts for Christian Leaders: Do the Ends Justify the Means?

We often hear Christian authorities (the term "leaders" only applies when authorities demonstrate attributes of true leadership such as humility, authenticity, selflessness, edifies others, etc.) justifying their questionable actions by insisting that the ends justify the means. However, God is just as interested in the means as the ends.

1.  If we hold ourselves or those under our authority accountable according to a list of man-made metrics focused on the final goal or ends but do not set standards or hold them or ourselves accountable to the how, the means will likely be compromised, and we are setting each other up to stumble.

a.  Jesus’ means [immaculate conception, ministry, sacrificial love, fulfillment of every dot and tittle of the law, sacrificial love, teaching about sin, hypocrisy and judgment (Matt 23 & 25), grace (John 8), death on a cross, etc.] were just as important as His ends.

     If even one action Jesus had taken was different (for example, not being beaten by the Sanhedrin) he would not have fulfilled all of the law. (Passover law required laying hands on the Passover lamb by the priests as a sign of the lamb taking upon himself the sins of the people, so by beating Jesus, they fulfilled the Passover law without even realizing it.)  If any means had been different, Jesus would not have fulfilled all 300+ Messianic prophecies.  Every single detail of Christ's means worked together for our salvation. Had there been any other method, way, or path taken, there would be no gospel of Christ.

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b.  When David wanted to build a house for God, God told him no because David had too much blood on his hands. His holiness mattered. When God appointed Solomon to build the temple, he did not say, “Build it however you like”. He gave incredibly detailed instructions for how it should be built and raised up craftsmen whom he uniquely gifted to do the work.

c.   When a priest entered the Most Holy of Holies, he wore a string with a bell on his ankles so the other priests could pull him out should one of his means of serving the Lord be outside of God’s instructions to safeguard his holiness.  Instant death would come because of the tiniest alteration to God’s desired means.

d.   When God called the Israelites to take the Ark of the Covenant from the home of Abinadab in Balaah toward Jerusalem, the oxen stumbled at the threshing place of Nacon. Wanting to keep the Ark from falling (not a bad motive, but he was focused on the ends instead of the means), Uzzah reached out and took hold of the Covenant box. As a result, God struck him dead right there for treating it irreverently. (2 Samuel 6) 

Moses and Joshua bowing before the Ark, painting by James Tissot, c. 1900

e.  God commanded Saul not just to gain victory over the Amalekites, but to kill their men, women, children, and even their babies. They were to slaughter their cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys. But Saul defeated them his way. Every Amalekite was killed except King Agag. Saul and his army let Agag live, and they also spared the best sheep and cattle. They didn’t want to destroy anything of value, so they only killed the animals that were worthless or weak. As a result, God rejected Saul as king for disobeying Him. (1 Samuel 15)

f.   When Moses told Joshua to fight the Amalekites, Joshua gained victory only as long as Moses held up his hands to God.  We can’t achieve our goals or win our battles if we aren’t relying on God. The "how" matters. (Exodus 17:8-16)

2.  Our plans, visions, and enterprises will all pass away, but the souls of those involved or influenced by us as we build these temporal things will last forever. If we are more focused on the goal and the metrics than how we treat people, we are out of alignment with God’s plans and purposes. There is a right and loving way to do hard but necessary things. His priorities are our sanctification and His glory. All the enterprises we build, facilities we establish, systems we manage, good works we do, even if they seem like they are serving other’s best interests, are like filthy rags if done apart from Him. (Isaiah 64:6)

  

3.  We know our plans and purposes are surrendered to His will by the way we respond to challenges to those plans or to our authority.

a.  When challenged, do we still have peace?  Do we humbly bow in prayer and seek God's word for wisdom while submitting to God's will no matter what, knowing His ways are better than ours (Isaiah 55:9), or do we retaliate, belittle, lie, slander, make threats, coerce, or use human force to get our way?

b.  If we deliberately hurt people (God's image bearers) to protect our own plans or goals, then those plans are an idol for us.

c.   Have we treated those who have offended us or who seem like obstacles to our plans in a Christ honoring way?

4.  Those who have fallen, failed, or suffered the most and come out of all of that stronger than ever by the grace of God alone have the greatest tendency to rely upon God instead of on their own knowledge, business acumen, or earthly training.  Those who have achieved worldly success and great wealth will be less prone to trust in God alone, for total dependence upon God is forged through trials. Those who have been forgiven much love much. (Luke 7:47)  Those who are privileged in the things of the world without as much hardship or suffering and who tend towards self-reliance should partner with those who have great God-reliance to find balance and to remain surrendered to the Lord (1 Corinthians 4) and to remain steadfast in prayer. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Together, they can use the skills, insights, and gifts given to each of them to accomplish God's plans according to God's desired means by relying upon His wisdom, guidance, and strength.

Bottom Line:  
God's perfect plans (or ends) will NEVER require taking actions that violate God's commandments or other Biblical precepts. Any authority who uses unbiblical means to achieve a goal that may seem good and right is NOT trusting in God, seeking Him, or walking in His ways.  We can’t achieve the right goals or win spiritual battles if we aren’t relying upon God alone. The "how" matters, and if the means are not surrendered to Christ's Lordship, neither will be the ends.

What "Smart" Internet Marketing Teaches us about the Folly of Man

Less than two weeks ago, I asked a friend at a cross country meet far from home which company he hired to do their family's custom closets. The next day, ads for the company he hired were all over my browser and Facebook pages. Soon after, my husband and I were both being bombarded by internet ads, phone calls, and emails from custom closet companies.

With all these ads and proposals in our faces, we felt an urgency to make a decision and place an order (how much of that urgency was out of a desire for an earthly product vs. a desire to stop seeing those annoying ads is unclear). After the order was placed, the ads did not go away. They only become more irritating. We may be so sick of the ads (despite having sophisticated ad blocking software installed on our PCs) that we may end up loathing the closet organization solution we just purchased last night by the time the items arrive and certainly before they are all assembled and installed.

That's how it goes with the things of this world. Big Brother's targeted advertising only amplifies and speeds up the process. We see something someone else has. We compare it to what we have and decide we must have it. The more ads we see the more urgent the perceived need becomes. So we waste time evaluating options, checking the budget, planning, shopping, assembling, installing, and maintaining what we just had to have only to realize any perceived happiness it brought us was fleeting. Soon we despise it for the way it owns us.

Conversely, the internet can flood my feeds, inbox, and internet searches with scriptures, Biblical precepts, sermons, praises, testimonies of God's work in individual lives, or affirmations of God's unchanging truth, and it never ever grows old. I dare you to try to give me so much Jesus that I am weary of Him. It will not happen. Only He fully satisfies today, tomorrow, and forever. Instead of resenting the way earthly stuff owns me, it is pure joy to serve my God, and perfect peace abounds as I gladly surrender to His full ownership of me.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." - (Matthew 6:19-20)

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)

For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. (Psalm 107:9)

In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)

Effective Leaders Surrender Control to the Sovereign One

Recognizing the corrupting effect of power or control on oneself, even for mature Christian leaders, can be like trying to read a large fold-out map while holding it less than an inch from your face. The closer your eyes are to your destination on the map the harder it is to see the big picture. The more obsessed leaders are with their stated vision and strategic plan, the less they notice the image bearers of God whom they are leading. With their eyes on their metrics and their man-made goals, they don't even see the bridges they are burning or the innocent travelers they are recklessly running over to get there. Instead of considering the mutual interests, valid concerns, and unique abilities of all the talented people they are leading and then working together in synergy, they dismiss or ignore them, fearful that someone will try to hinder their progress or keep them from their targets.

Effective accountability systems are essential for anyone who wants to avoid becoming a toxic leader. Leaders need a trusted community who will encourage them to step away from the map and refocus. Within the family of faith, we are responsible for exhorting one another. May we speak truth in love, reminding leaders that the business, organization, political body, ministry, school, agency, or whatever they are directing is only a temporary, man-made concept or institution. It's value is limited by how much God chooses to bless it. It is not sacred or eternal. Even our most righteous acts or brilliant strategic plans are as filthy rags in God's sight. (Isaiah 64:6) The people who work for, minister through, serve, partner with, or are being served by this institution, however, are infinitely valuable. Their souls are both sacred and eternal. They are made in God's own image. God is much more interested in how we treat His image bearers than in what our little fleeting enterprise accomplishes.

Whether we are leading or following, let us take a step back and refocus on the big picture. May we remind ourselves and our leaders to consider the people and God's purposes, not just our plans. May we encourage one another to prioritize the eternal over the temporal. May we rely on God for each new step instead of clinging to any perceived power associated with our appointed positions, desperate to carry out our own plans and purposes at any cost because our flesh wants to believe that our coveted ends will justify any means. Peace, purpose, love, joy and eternal prosperity abound only when we revere and fear the living, omnipotent, creator God above all. As much as we love being in control, we ultimately are not. God is sovereign. Let us willingly and prayerfully submit to His leading over our lives and our institutions.

The Era of Reprobate Minds

There are so many passages of Scripture describing the last days which seem to be exact descriptions of our culture today that it's hard not to wonder if we are the last generation before Christ's return. The passage quoted below from Romans 1:28-32 is especially apt. 

28 "And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them." (Romans 1:28-32)

What stands out to me lately is the "debased" (ESV) or "reprobate" (KJV) mind in verse 28. The original Greek word translated as "reprobate" here is ἀδόκιμος, which is also translated as "not approved, rejected, unfit, not as it ought to be." 

Only a debased, unfit mind celebrates the violent murder and dismemberment of innocent unborn children in the name of "women's rights". Only an unfit mind will spend millions to save a tree and ~4 million a year through Medicaid in the USA alone to kill healthy children in the womb.

Only a mind completely set apart from the God of righteousness celebrates all forms of sexual immorality, including pedophilia, despite the consequences of such lifestyles recorded throughout history. 

Only a defunct brain will deny fundamental scientific truth found in every cell of the human body to bully people into believing that gender is a construct of the mind. Only a greedy and depraved mind will systematically abuse children through medical organizations (AMA, APA, AAP) by insisting children should be chemically and surgically mutilated to match whatever gender their underdeveloped minds like best on any given day, even when appropriate counseling and the natural maturation process almost always correct any mismatches between the mind and the body (except when such minds are continually manipulated by others to deliberately make them continue perceiving themselves wrongly). 

Only a reprobate mind exalts tolerance of evil over the most common sense universal moral laws which have sustained and preserved cultures throughout history. 

Only a corrupted mind is so consumed with self while denying the sanctity of human life enough to commit a mass shooting. 

Only an unfit mind gets offended by what is true, holy, and just and insists others must not speak of, much less hold, Judeo-Christian values all in the name of "tolerance".

Our culture's epic level of insanity should come as no surprise. God foretold all of this 2000 years ago.

Worldly vs. Biblical Leaders

Which type of leader do you prefer?

I would rather follow someone who has fallen low, sincerely repented, and received God's forgiveness over anyone who looks squeaky clean on the outside but does not recognize the pride rooted inside his/her own heart.

"Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” (Luke 7:47)

"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18) 

Credit: Eric Santillan

I prefer a leader who is humble and completely dependent upon God over the most successful government official or enterprise executive or who trusts primarily in his own political prowess or business acumen. (James 4:10)

Give me a leader who knows he is weak and seeks the Lord for wisdom over a man who thinks he is smart or strong.  (1 Corinthians 1:20-31)

"For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Corinthians 1:25)

I would rather follow someone who is despised by the world but honors God over anyone who is esteemed by the world for his worldly achievements but only gives lip service to God. (Matthew 7:23)

"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10)

Give me a man who is poor in spirit over a man who is rich in this world. (Matthew 5:3, Matthew 19:24)

How do we distinguish between these two types of leaders? How do we know if they are self-reliant or fully trusting God?

Watch how they respond when things do not go their way?

Do they accept things as they are, trusting in God's sovereign plan, or do they become angry, stressed, resentful, or bitter?

Note how they react when anyone or anything threatens their plans, intents, or goals.

Do they bow in prayer and seek God's word for wisdom while submitting to God's will no matter what, knowing His ways are better than theirs (Isaiah 55:9), or do they retaliate, belittle, lie, slander, make threats, coerce, or use human force to get their way? If they deliberately hurt people (God's image bearers) to protect their own plans or goals, then those plans are an idol for them. Even if those plans seem to serve others' best interests from our limited perspective, they are filthy rags apart from God. (Isaiah 64:6)

Watch how well they embrace Christian accountability offered in love and truth.

Do they welcome it humbly or push it away? Do they respond to others who help them check their motives and actions against God's standard with sincere love and appreciation, or do they avoid, label, and resent them or feel threatened by them?

Watch how they handle power and money.

Do they acknowledge that both ultimately belong to God alone? Do they share their wealth and control with others, mindful of the corrupting influence each has on the human heart, or do they hold onto both too tightly?

Credit: NeetiR

Watch how they number their days.

So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

Do they live in the past (regrets, resentments, coveting what they previously had), future (anxiety, eager anticipation), or in the present? Are they so focused on achieving their goals that they fail to notice how they are treating the people around them? Are they anxious about tomorrow or so confident that their plans will succeed that they store up their resources on earth, expecting to live fat and happy for many years like the rich fool in Luke 12:13-21? Are they so busy building empires and enterprises on earth that they fail to store up riches in heaven? Are they lazy, too busy, or balanced?

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." (Matthew 6:19-20)

Look for symptoms of Toxic Leadership Refer to the list of symptoms described by Thom Rainer his article, "Fourteen Symptoms of Toxic Church Leaders".

Identity Crisis

Reading the news these days can make the mind reel and the heart sick. Mass shootings, abortion on demand at any stage of pregnancy, states legalizing infanticide, Antifa violence, terrorism, opioid addiction, sexism, racism, gender confusion, political hysteria,Trump Derangement Syndrome, hatred, divisions, pedophilia & other sexual abuses by the rich, powerful, and famous are common themes in modern headlines. Google, Trump, Obama, the Clintons, Twitter, guns, leftists, conservatives, Facebook, government, and a host of other scapegoats have been blamed for these issues, but the root problem is not found in any one person, event, or platform. All these symptoms seem to suggest that our root problem is a culture having an identity crisis.

Every living human on earth is sacred with infinite value and purpose because we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Whether saved or lost, young or old, black, white, red, yellow, or some other beautiful color combination, sick or healthy, planned or unplanned, left or right, gay or straight, male or female, we are all image bearers of the one true, perfectly holy and good creator God. We are so precious to Him that he paid the ultimate price through Christ to restore a relationship with us.

But our society denies our true identity. Some say we are random accidents with no purpose at all except to pass along our more desirable genes. Others say our identity is found in whatever gender suits our preference on any given day or in our sexual preference. Others think our identity is defined by how much money we make or in how much we help the environment and animals. Some think their identity is based on the opinions of others and that their purpose is to make others happy. Some believe they are defined by how many people like them or click the like button under their pics on Instagram. Others are defined by a political platform or seek out purpose by joining a radical group like ISIS. None of these false notions of identity bring contentment or respect for others. They only sow division, sorrow, and hatred, not love.

The fact that Lauren Daigle’s Christian worship song “You Say”, which expresses our search for identity which can only be found in God, took the No. 1 spot not just on Christian charts but also on the secular Billboard’s Adult Contemporary radio airplay chart illustrates how hungry our culture is to find true identity, belonging, and purpose.

What would happen if we each acknowledged that we are image bearers of God and that the best way to fully know who we are and who we were created to be is to get to know the One who created us as revealed through Christ and His word? How would we treat others if we saw them as God's handiwork, fearfully and wonderfully made in His image?

"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." (Psalm 139:14) 

Those who have seen the face of God in a baby born with special needs cannot fathom nations claiming to eradicate Down's Syndrome through abortion. Those who see God's image in a precious newborn or on a sonogram image find it much more difficult to justify abortion on demand at any stage of development.

Those who find their identity, value, and worth in Christ do not resort to mass shootings because they value human life as sacred and are not made less valuable by the insults or exclusion of others.  Those who trust in Christ and know Him as Lord do not lose hope or become hysterical after a major election because instead of placing their hope in political systems or in imperfect earthly leaders who will fail them, they wisely wait on God's justice and rest in His truth instead of the lies of the world.

Those who truly see women and children as image bearers of God instead of mere objects at their disposal will not abuse them to temporarily gratify their own sinful lusts.  When each man understands and appreciates Christ's love for His bride the church, he is more likely to love and respect his wife and to protect the dignity and honor of women in general.  When fathers see what kind of sacrificial love and perfect faithfulness and goodness God has bestowed upon his children, they are less likely to abandon the families entrusted to them and more likely to be present in their lives offering goodness, wisdom, and love.

Those who know God, who is the definition of love (1 John 4:8), are better able to love others unconditionally, driving out hatred. When we realize that we were created to reflect His image to the world and to give Him glory, the world becomes a very different place.

Shaped by Desire

When Rosaria Butterfield has described her conversion from a radical progressive atheistic worldview and a lesbian lifestyle to becoming a fully devoted follower of Christ with God's word as her authority and who later entered into a Biblical covenant marriage, she says that God's word became bigger in her than her own desire for autonomy. The Holy Spirit transformed her heart and her desires so that she desired more of Christ and his kingdom than what her old life offered her. It wasn't easy at the time, but it was definitely what she wanted. Sanctification is all about falling in love with Jesus and truly understanding the significance of his sacrifice on our behalf. So, it's instructive to remember that our job as disciples and fishers of men/women is to point people to Jesus and His word instead of focusing merely on the outward symptoms of a divided heart.

While we know it's God's power that makes us new creations in Christ and helps us make positive changes in our lives, this principle of connecting our actions to what our heart desires is applicable to so many other areas of our lives. For example, those who love the benefits of being healthy and strong more than the temporal pleasures of lounging around and eating junk will generally be more successful with their diet and exercise goals (although certain medications, injuries, and other health restrictions may still impede progress for some). I have been telling myself for many years that I need to cut out refined sugars and reduce carbs in general, but it wasn't until a health crisis showed me how much I took health for granted that I began valuing health more than sweets. I haven't eaten sugar, sugar substitutes, grains, starches, or lactose in 10 months because now eating those foods could put me in the hospital and cause excruciating pain and permanent intestinal damage. I choose health. I did not start lifting weights seriously for significant strength gains until debilitating back pain demanded it. Now I desire to be strong more than I desire to skip my workouts.

If devoted moms could have seen the great sacrifices they would make for their kids before they ever had children, they may have chosen to not even have children. But when our love for our children exceeds our love for ourselves, we joyfully choose to make those sacrifices because we know they are worth it. Similarly, our desire for a healthy marriage compels us to do whatever it takes to nurture and defend our marriage because a Christ centered marriage has immeasurable value. Christ willingly sacrificed everything for us because He loves us and because we are worth it. His love for us and His desire for a relationship with us propelled Him to the cross.

When our desires are aligned with Christ's good and perfect will, He will refine us and help us succeed. The more we love Him, the more our desires will align with His. So in those areas in which we struggle with self-discipline or with aligning our lives to God's holy standard, let us ask ourselves what we desire most. Are our desires holy or selfish? What are we taking for granted?

I now see the autoimmune disease which has entered my life as grace because it realigned my desires with God's and forced me to take better care of my body, His temple, which will help prevent other more serious diseases, although I wish I had followed the inner promptings to change my diet sooner so as to avoid it. What do you desire most? Will trials be necessary to realign your desires with His? Do you love Jesus more than your earthly idols?

May we each fall deeper in love with our Savior with each passing day so that our unhealthy desires will fade away.

What the World Needs Now is Love (and Freedom)

Our secular progressive culture insists that if we don't agree with someone on absolutely every issue or if we disapprove or refuse to celebrate anything someone chooses to do, then we must hate that person. This logic therefore insists that every parent hates his child, every couple hates each other, and every single person hates everyone else.

God made each of us wonderfully unique with different gifts, talents, personalities, strengths, and weaknesses, and opinions. He gave us free will so that our relationship with Him would be authentic (willful, by choice) instead of programming us as robots to serve Him. Without free will there can be no relationship and neither love nor hate, only programmed instinct. So when we force others to agree with us or to celebrate our preferred behaviors, we have severed any opportunity for authentic relationship with them. By removing their freedom of thought and silencing their free speech, we have denied them the choice to love.

God showed us what real love is and how to have meaningful and authentic relationships with Him and each other through His miraculous works, His sacred words, and the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. The original Hebrew word used to describe God's love for us is ἀγαπάω (agapaō) which describes a far more beautiful and holy form of love than secularists can comprehend. This love is sacrificial, unconditional, and completely selfless. It always puts the interests of others before oneself.

We can begin to love others in the agape sense when we receive God's love and abide in Him. (1 John 4: 7-21)

"We love because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19)

Credit

We've been singing "What the World Needs Now is Love" since 1965, but the only way to build up communities that love each other with the healing, sacred, sacrificial agape version of love that this world needs most is to introduce people to the perfect love of God. Yet, much of our country has chosen to ban His name and His word from public discourse and public property, and some wish to ban His name from our private lives as well. (Thankfully, He is omnipotent and omnipresent, subject to no one, though He may choose to remove his hand of protection over those who continually reject Him.)

We cannot have more love, less hate, or meaningful relationships in a society that rejects God's love and strictly prohibits freedom of thought and expression.

"7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. " (1 John 4:7-11)

Homosexuality and the Sin of Sodom

In her book entitled, The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, Rosaria Champagne Butterfield notes that homosexuality is only a symptom of the condition of one's heart, reflecting where someone has been. It is not the root problem itself, and in fact, the sin of Sodom (which is often assumed to be homosexuality based on the narrative of Sodom's judgment by God in Genesis 19) is not as offensive to God as those of His chosen people, the Israelites.

The root sins of both Sodom and Jerusalem are actually very similar, but Jerusalem's is more offensive and more dangerous because unlike the Sodomites, the Jewish people had seen the power of God on display and had been the recipients His mercy and other spiritual blessings.They knew God's power and mercy, so they knew better, yet they forsook Him anyway, whereas Sodom had not received the spiritual blessings bestowed upon the nation of Israel.

"And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day." (Matthew 11:23, NIV)

Ezekiel 16 clarifies the sin of Sodom as being something to which we call all relate, for while we may not all struggle with homosexuality, we are all tempted by the same root sins that were merely manifested as homosexuality and violence in the Sodom account. God references the sin and judgment of Sodom to reveal the greater sin of the Jewish people.

48 "As surely as I live," declares the Sovereign Lord, "your sister Sodomn and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.49 Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant,overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did destable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.."  (Ezekiel 16:48-50, NIV)

Rosaria Butterfield summarizes the fundamental "sins of Sodom" described in Ezekiel 16:48-50 as follows:

1. Pride, which puffs up and provides a false sense of independence (when we should be completely dependent upon God) and entitlement, is the root of all other sins.
2. Materialism/Excess:  Focusing on acquiring increased wealth, being entertainment driven, refusing to live below your means, and having an overabundance of idleness will lead us away from God's standard.  Rosaria explains that we develop an acquired taste for God’s standard as we discipline our minds, hands, time, and money. Rosaria writes, "Undisciplined tastes will always lead to egregious sin, slowly and almost imperceptibly.
3. Lack of Mercy: The first 52 verses of Ezekiel 16 describe the sins and subsequent judgment of Sodom, Jerusalem, and Samaria, but five of the last 11 verses explicity speak of God's mercy, restoration, and atonement as these nations acknowledge their sin while experiencing the consequences of those sins. God offers hope and compassion despite the long list of ways they have repeatedly betrayed their holy God. God calls us to be merciful to others just as we have received His mercy. The call to offer mercy, compassion, and charity is both for our own good and for the good of the community.
4.  Lack of Discretion or Modesty

After considering and summarizing Rosaria's insights referenced above, I considered how those core sins are obviously at the root of many of the social/political issues evangelical conservatives speak out against today, such as abortion, gay marriage, pay-for-play, media deception to serve political interests, IRS targeting of conservatives, illegal spying, refusing to apply the rule of law to the Clinton scandals, entitlement mentality, socialism, transgender ideology and the child abuse inherent in medical group advocacy of chemical and surgical gender transition. But then I had to consider that Christians also manifest these same core sins with behaviors that do not seem as appalling to the church community, yet they are just as repulsive to God (and even more so) than those of unbelievers, even radical pro-abortion, atheistic, progressive lesbians like Rosaria was before Christ completely transformed her heart, mind, and life.

Consider the following sampling of behaviors, actions, or choices in light of the four core sins of Sodom:

• Taking advantage of meal deals, coupon programs, or loop holes in a way never intended by the business provider
• Overstating tax deductions when filing income taxes
• Refusing to engage in your community because you require copious amounts of "downtime"
• Excluding neighbors, classmates, or other acquaintances from a social function you are hosting because you do not want to associate with or be seen with people who are different from you or who are not as classy or affluent as you would prefer
• Skimping on your tithe to the church by redirecting that money to a charitable organization where your name or business will be promoted as a result
• Reading Fifty Shades of Grey or viewing pornography for pleasure or simply out of curiosity or peer pressure
• Virtue signaling on social media with demands for large government funding of programs and entitlements for illegal immigrants or refugees while refusing to welcome strangers into your own home
• Gossiping about or even slandering those who are different from you, who have inadvertently offended you, or who you envy 
• Claiming to be a victim entitled to special treatment instead of taking personal responsibility and asking God to give you resilience or help you overcome 
• Bearing false witness to accomplish an earthly goal while justifying your deception with the false notion that the ends justifies the means.
• Committing gluttony at every church potluck in the name of "spiritual fellowship" or in the privacy of your own home for "comfort" 
• Softening and distorting the gospel to win more "converts" without sharing the truth that Christianity involves suffering, sacrifice, and full surrender of one's entire life to Christ, giving these so called "converts" false hope that a simple prayer offered with questionable sincerity is all that is required for salvation and sanctification
• Posting pictures of yourself in a skimpy outfit on social media to show off your new toned body following a rigorous diet/exercise program
• Spending far more time and money on your outward appearance, vacations, entertainment, or on acquiring expensive material possessions than you invest in God's kingdom
• Church and ministry leaders focusing more on being relevant and entertaining than on delivering truth and compassion
• Church and ministry leaders spending more time and money on externals (facilities, audio/visual equipment, coffee and doughnuts) than on meeting physical and spiritual needs
• Rejecting accountability
• Refusing to make Bible study and prayer daily priorities because you are "too busy" with lesser things
• Relying on Ted Talks, business tools and metrics, secular advisers, financial resources, and other worldly means for knowledge on building healthy marriages, families, ministries, and businesses instead of relying fully on God and His word for wisdom and guidance
• Brushing off or concealing legitimate sexism or abuse with the dangerously deceptive mantra, "Boys will be boys"
• Laughing at crude or defamatory comments
• Refusing to stand up and pray for those who are being persecuted for Christ's sake

When we Christians speak out against gay marriage, abortion, greed/entitlement centered socialism, or any of the other secular progressive issues listed above, do we first acknowledge our own behaviors which are rooted in the same sins of pride, materialism, lack of mercy, and/or immodesty?

Are we humble enough to realize that we are only able to overcome our sin struggles as God's word in us becomes bigger than ourselves?

Are we seeking to win converts to our opinions or political preferences, or are we seeking to introduce the lost to the only hope of the world, Christ our Savior?

Are we seeking to condemn the world (John 3:17) or to show the lost the unconditional love of Christ? Without receiving God's love, no one can truly love God or others according to God's perfect standard, and without love, there is only death. (1 John 4:8, 1 John 3:14)

After her radical conversion from atheism, lesbianism, and radical leftism to becoming a fully devoted Bible believing, faithful follower of Christ, Rosaria wrote, “My sexuality wasn’t sinful because it was lesbian per say but because it wasn’t Christ controlled." 

What areas in our lives are not Christ controlled?  Until every area of our lives are surrendered to Christ's lordship, we cannot judge the homosexual's sin as being any worse than our own, but we can offer them hospitality, compassion, and God's uncompromising truth with humility, impartiality, and love.

Mere Biology or Created in God's Image

In the book, Where the Crawdads Sing, Kya, abandoned and orphaned at a very early age and left alone away from humanity to survive in a shack along the swampy marsh, learns about life from observing nature. She has no parents, guardians, or mentors to introduce her to Christ and the Gospel or to teach her infinite value as a sacred human created in God's image with a perfect and eternal purpose. She watches a firefly trick her prey by sending the mating signal of her prey's species to attract him. When her prey comes to mate with her, she eats him, piece by piece. Kya then notes that there is no room for judgment in biology for "evil was not in play here, just life pulsating on and on." Delia Owens writes, "Biology sees right and wrong as the same color in different light."  

Without God as the foundation of a person's worldview, humans are viewed as no more than mere biology who operate out of innate instinct without a soul. Moral relativism is the moral code of a godless universe. It removes a context for judgment by pretending that humankind is nothing more than a biological phenomenon. It removes love, compassion, emotions, reason, artistic expression, intellectual thought, innovation, relationships, meaning and purpose from our lives and leaves us empty and worthless. Even if we could remove God and His justice from His creation, is it really worth giving up all that to allay some guilt and to try to do life our own way without Him? There would be no civilized world or society at all without some moral code to guide, instruct, and unite. Yet, a society without judgment (though this godless worldview still tends to harshly judge and punish those who reflect the Creator) is uplifted in our culture as the supreme virtue.

So, when you hear people praising that which is evil and labeling that which is good as evil, remember the firefly. When "professionals" insist that mankind cannot control their sexual desires ask yourself if rape, incest, human trafficking, pedophilia, child prostitution, polyamory, and all other forms of sexual depravity are just the natural order of things as life pulsates on and on. 

When pro-abortion advocates say life in the womb has no value and should be destroyed when convenient, gaze into the face of an innocent newborn and marvel at God's handiwork or talk to families waiting to adopt a child to love. If there is any love or tenderness for that child at all, that love comes from our heavenly Father. (1 John 4:7) If a woman's body naturally sacrifices itself to put her unborn child's needs before her own throughout the pregnancy, is it really natural or morally neutral to rip that child apart, limb by limb, as the child grimaces in pain so as to seemingly make the woman's life more convenient?

As social justice warriors protest and lament what they call a violation of human rights, consider that biology promises no rights at all. Inalienable rights are given by God, so if we remove God from the equation, we lose those rights and become nothing more than a firefly, each person fighting for his or her own survival without regarding the impact our actions have upon others.

Do we really want a world without God, without love, without moral virtue? Do we want a life with no self control, no boundaries, no goodness, justice, or compassion? What is humanity without a soul? What is life without relationship? Who are we without God?

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,who put darkness for light and light for darkness,who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!" - Isaiah 5:20

An Open Letter to Adoptees

Dearly beloved adopted one,

I was born almost 46 years ago, shortly after the passage of Roe v. Wade to a teen mom who had no job, no family support, no ability to provide for me, and no power to protect me from her harmful environment.  Thirteen months later, I was adopted into a loving family who had been waiting and praying for me for over five years. As I look back on my life story as only God could have written it, I am overwhelmed by God's sovereignty, goodness, and love. I would like to encourage you with a few lessons I have learned as an adoptee who was born during an era when crisis pregnancies and adoptions were far less common than they are now.

Your life is sacred. You are an infinitely valuable, good gift from the Lord!  

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. (Psalm 127:3)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.(James 1:17) 

You are a miracle, not a mistake!  

Your parents may not have planned your conception, but your perfect heavenly Father planned every detail of your life and your being long before you were ever conceived.  (Psalm 139: 13-16)

God has a perfect plan and purpose for your life. 

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

God chose the date, time, and place for your birth in accordance with His perfect plan (Psalm 18:30), and His plans are always good (Luke 18:19).  He rejoices over you endlessly with love so vast, none can fully comprehend it.  (Learn more about God's love for you here.)  God fashioned you with all the gifts and abilities you will need to fulfill His wonderful purposes for your life.

You were never abandoned. You are and always have been lavishly loved.

Your birth mother did not give you up because she did not want you. She placed you up for adoption because she loved you more than herself. She chose to give you life even when it was incredibly inconvenient and uncomfortable for her. She endured great physical and emotional pain as she labored to deliver you. Giving you up for adoption was undoubtedly the biggest sacrifice of her life, but she made that sacrifice out of love.

Consider the parable of the talents as described in Matthew 25.  While you are worth infinitely more than any of the talents (one talent was worth approximately 20 years of  daily wages) the rich man in this parable entrusted to his three servants, you were indeed a gift of immeasurable value entrusted to your birth parents by God Almighty.  Your birth mother had to make a choice.  She could have buried you as the fearful servant did (except she would have "buried" you via abortion), which may have seemed on the surface to be the safest, easiest option, but the result would have been great loss, weeping, and "gnashing of teeth".  Alternatively, she could have chosen to parent you herself. That option would have involved some risk on her part and years of sacrifice, but both of you would have reaped rewards (Proverbs 17:3).  That choice would have returned some blessings while sparing your birth mother the agonizing heartache and unknowns of entrusting her precious gift into the arms of strangers, but it would not have provided you with all the opportunities, stability, and nurture you could have received by being raised by both a mother and a father in a stable, loving home.  Instead of burying you or taking some risks to give you what little she felt she could provide you, she took the biggest risk of all and made the greatest sacrifice of love possible. Instead of forsaking you or investing her treasure into lower risk, lower yield "bonds", she gave up all the love and joy you could have brought her to give you more than she ever thought she could.  She was a faithful steward of God's precious gift.

A mother's love for her child is limitless, powerful, and sacrificial. She gave up her greatest treasure so that you may have the most abundant life possible.  Such great love comes not from the flesh, but from God who sent His only Son away from Heaven and down to earth, so that He could dwell with us as both God and man and suffer and die on the cross for all our sins.  Her sacrifice was also rooted in faith, for we know that God will never leave or forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:8)

You are chosen!

When I was in elementary school and kids would tease me or ask me questions about being adopted, I would tell them, "I wasn't abandoned; I was chosen. My parents could have chosen anyone to be their daughter, but they chose me. Your parents didn't have that choice. They were stuck with you."  My childish reply may have seemed snarky, and I in no way want to diminish the love any mother has for her child regardless of choice or circumstance, but adopted children are indeed chosen. I had absolutely nothing to offer my adoptive parents except sleepless nights, dirty diapers, and years of hard labor and ongoing expenses.  Yet, they chose me as their own. They gave me their name, their identity, their inheritance, their endless devotion, and most importantly, their unconditional love.

The day my parents chose me

Adoption is a beautiful picture of our spiritual adoption in Christ.  God chose each of us to become a part of His family even when we were sinners with nothing to offer Him in return. He gave up His own Son to redeem us.  He loves us unconditionally and generously provides all we need. He gives us a new identity in Him. When we come to Him in faith, he gives us a new name and an eternal inheritance.  Just as I grew to speak, act, and even look more like my adopted parents, God transforms us into His likeness as we abide with Him as His children. (Ephesians 1:3-14)

You were never fatherless.

God created you with a yearning that only He can fill, for He desires to have a close, personal relationship with you as your Daddy. He is your perfect, holy, and good Father.  His heart's desire is that you will come to Him for peace, comfort, rest, and joy.  His arms are open wide waiting for all His children to come to Him as a child confidently approaches his or her earthly father.  No matter why your earthly father chose to no longer be a part of your life, you must know that you were never fatherless. God intended for your adoptive father be your earthly daddy all along, but no earthly father can ever compare to God.  He will meet your every need, wipe away every tear, and protect you with His omnipotent hands. (Psalm 68:5)



Disclaimer:
I realize that each adoption story is unique, and some may be filled with trials and heartaches.  Not all adoptions are idyllic. However, we must not believe Satan's lies. The enemy of our souls seeks to impede our walk with Christ and keep us from God's purpose by convincing us that we are unloved, abandoned, or alone, contrary to God's absolute truth.  The media prefers to highlight sensational worst case scenarios since those are most profitable for them, but we must not assume such rare, isolated scenarios apply to us. Our individual adoption stories are still unfolding, and God always keeps His promises.