God often gives rebellious people what they want to discipline them for their refusal to obey God.
The will of the people was to have prosperity, security, and freedom to sin all they wanted without consequences.
When was the last time you heard our leader proclaim that he was going to get rid of all drug dealers, all pornography, all prostitution, all adultery, all divorce and remarriage, all blasphemous and crude language on the internet?
The single most devastating sin in our country is that of divorce and remarriage, which has destroyed the family, removed stability from the children's lives, and created a "me always" mentality, the worst place a nation can be.
When "freedom" becomes the god above all else then it is impossible to reason rationally with anyone. When freedom is the god then any form of instruction or correction against sin is seen as "judging" The new mantra for all is; "Don't judge." This means we are never allowed to speak the truth to correct a matter and even help the person being corrected, the punishment for speaking the truth is harsh and executed upon the one who tells the truth.
2 Timothy 4:3
"3 For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires,"
They call the truth-teller the divisive one while the divisive ones who support sin are embraced and further empowered to judge, isolate, and demean the truth-teller.
Those who shout "don't judge" the loudest as an intimidation tactic for the truth-teller to remain silent, are the ones who judge the most harshly those who love the Lord. They will even make up lies about what we have said that are innocent and discredit us, removing any support for God's truth.
I was once told by an elderly woman who had been in church her entire life, that it was wrong to tell people they are wrong, while she was telling me I was wrong for telling people they are wrong.
It was astounding that she thought I was so shallow that I would focus on the rebuke, and would feel ashamed of myself because of her rejection of me, without evaluating the content of her words.
Irrational pretenders count more on our feelings convicting us than they are about the content of the discussion. Intimidation, mocking and dismissiveness is the hallmark of the one who does not endure truth but instead embraces feelings and control over others.
It is impossible to have a rational and reasonable discussion to resolve anything these days because of the angst and rebellion in the hearts of most people.
Not only will the hearer refuse to consider what is said or done to resolve something, but they must gain others against us too through gossip.
Satan knew he could never win in an argument with God so he turned to God's creation, Eve, to influence her to distrust and disobey God. He has not changed his tactics since the beginning of creation. He is still turning people against believing in Christ while influencing them to turn others against us too.
We need not be intimidated or devastated by the devil and those who are influenced by him to harm us. We have Christ, He is our defender and the truth is what sets us free from emotional and spiritual baggage brought by the father of lies.
Those who hate us are pawns of the devil and don't even know it. They have been brainwashed to think things that are not true because of his influence on their minds.
1 Peter 5:7-9
…7 Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering."
Knowing how the devil works and that he has in the palm of his hand those who have no defenses against him, we don't have to take anything personally that is done to us by those who love themselves more than anyone else. The devil has convinced them they are superior and we are inferior worthy of their contempt and mistreatment.
Proverbs 3:5–6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths."
The devil's ploy is to remove our support system and encourage everyone around us to poke at us hoping we will think something is wrong with us causing us to become timid and stop speaking the truth.
When we know the schemes of the devil we can dismiss them without worrying about how anyone else thinks about us. It is Christ Who matters and no one else.
2 Samuel 22:3 "My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence."
Psalm 54:4 "Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life."
Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
We are in a battle against the spirits of darkness but we do not battle in our own power, Christ battles for us.
Ephesians 6:12
"12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
Deuteronomy 20:4 — “For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
2 Chronicles 20:15 — “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.”
Keep looking up, the battle is intensifying, but the battle is not ours but the Lord's.
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