Cultivate

 

The attack on Christianity intensifies.

The Supreme Court of Maine upheld a ruling from a lower court that prohibited a divorced mother of a 13-year-old girl from attending a Christian church, describing it as a cult. Emily Westbrook was denied the right to choose a school that instills a Christian education to her child. If that doesn’t send shivers down the back of the community of believers, nothing will. Calvary Chapel in Portland, Maine is your garden variety parochial school that provides the standard education fare while instilling Christian values to their students. This is not some far right, hell and brimstone sect that protests at the funerals of fallen soldiers.

From Global Christian Relief;

• 4,849 Christians were killed for their faith during the 2026 reporting period
• 388 million believers face high levels of persecution globally
• 224,129 Christians were internally displaced or became refugees
• 67,843 Christians were physically or mentally abused for faith-related reasons
• 15 countries now rank at "extreme" persecution levels, up from 13

It is time to wake up and understand that leftists are in league with Satan and are in the process of coming for the followers of Jesus Christ. It has been a slow and gradual shift, but the left has become very effective in villainizing their “enemies”. Christianity poses a grave threat to the left’s goal of fundamentally transforming this nation. Grace, forgiveness, truth, and love are antithetical to the invective spewed by the purveyors of democratic socialism, Marxism, and communism. Persecution is an expected result for those who practice what our Savior preached. But the extent of the assault on the religious freedom of Christians in the United States is stunning, and how it is advancing here is troubling.

In can only be described as “strange bedfellows,” democratic socialists align with the followers of Islam. Although Islam rejects a majority of the DSA platform, they are quite useful as they too denigrate Christianity and hate Jews. To the left, Christians equate to systemic racism, hate, white privilege, and exclusivity. That the two greatest commandments are to love God and your neighbor and forgiveness and mercy are paramount, are simply ignored by the left. To them, Christians are no more than knuckle dragging Bible thumpers that use Scripture as a bludgeon. While there certainly are Christians that fall into this category, Christ calls us to embrace a much different tact.

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also; if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well; and if someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?” Matthew 5:38-47.

According to Jesus, hate has no part in the life of His followers. Christianity, as Christ taught, is tolerant, loving, forgiving, and inclusive. God loves everyone of His children equally. In His eyes, no one is better than any other. Everyone is welcome to accept a place in heaven, just as everyone is free to reject salvation. Christianity is absolutely not a cult. All are free to accept the Father’s love, mercy, and grace along with His Son’s lifesaving sacrifice or reject it. Free will. The penalty for sin is death, but faith in the living Christ forfeits that penalty. Compared to other religions, Christianity is far from cult-like.

Marxism is a system that replaces God with the state and the ruling class that dictates how the people are to live. It eliminates freedom. It eliminates choice. It eliminates your chosen path to the pursuit of happiness. What we see happening in the streets of our nation is an exercise to pursue the cult of totalitarianism, falsely blanketed in the benign words, democratic socialism. We are experiencing the results of misguided voters electing leftists that are harming this nation. In turn, radicalized judges that disregard the rule of law are appointed to the bench and issue rulings that they have no authority to render. Conservatives rule according to the law; leftists rule according to ideology.

This November’s mid-term elections will determine the trajectory of this nation. We are at a tipping point in society. Socialism leads to Marxism that leads to communism. We cannot allow the left to triumph. We have the ability to shut this madness down, but that means we need to get to the polls and make our voices heard. We must reject the cult that is “democratic socialism.” Part of loving your enemy entails showing them the error of their way. Your vote is important. Don’t sit back and allow evil to win.

“But reject foolish and ignorant speculation, for you know that it breeds quarreling. And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing. He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.” 2 Timothy 2:23-26.

 

 

Deceived

 

The same bag of tricks.

History repeats if we fail to learn from past mistakes. There will always be the gullible that have the wool easily pulled over their eyes time and time again. Satan has always played from the same playbook with ever so slight variations designed to attack the same weaknesses, varying by humankind’s intellectual development and self-focused “enlightenment.” Our innate selfishness makes us an easy target for a number of strategic attacks by the evil one. Humankind most frequently violates the first commandment, placing ourselves and our needs first and relegating God to the back of the bus. The seven deadly sins are where evil lurks.

·         Pride – Interesting that the LGTBQ+ movement chose pride as their moniker and a rainbow for their logo. Showing utter distain for their maker, they thumb their collective noses at God. They are not alone in their contempt of God. Each of us on a daily basis turn inward to celebrate ourselves as we wallow in our pride. Far too often we believe our success is of our own doing, forgetting the fact that all we are, all we have, and the very world we inhabit are gifts from God. Our pride overwhelms us and drives our overly inflated opinion of ourselves.

“In pride the wicked pursue the needy; let them be caught in the schemes they devise.” “In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his schemes there is no God.” Psalm 10:2 and 4.

·         Envy – Coveting what others have earned is the driving force behind the Democratic Socialists of America’s platform. Class envy, racial animus, and sexual deviancy is the left’s calling card. Leftists are consumed with vilifying those they resent because they have achieved success. This powers their disdain of a society that rewards hard work and achievement. Capitalism is scorned by many of our young adults, while they have been convinced to believe that socialism is the proper way to achieve equality.

“Envy and jealousy stem from the fundamental inability to rejoice at someone else's happiness or success.” Matthieu Ricard.

·         Anger – Paid protesters and ill-informed “true believers” chant slogans that disparage their opponents but fail to provide a valid argument for their cause. Indoctrinated college students truly believe the drivel that Marxist professors have been foisting upon our youth for decades. Leftist women march for causes they fail to understand. Access to abortion, or what leftists call reproductive healthcare, drives women, who likely will never request an abortion, to the polls to elect “pro-choice” democrats to protect the right to murder the unborn, that also seek to fundamentally transform this nation.

“There needs to be understanding that anger never helps to solve a problem. It destroys our peace of mind and blinds our ability to think clearly. Anger and attachment are emotions that distort our view of reality.” Dalai Lama.

·         Overindulgence – 72.4% of Americans are considered overweight. In this land of plenty, we negatively impact our health by overeating. Now we have drugs that help us lose weight, drugs that also include some adverse effects. Reminds one of the vomitoriums in ancient Rome where people gorged on food, vomited so they could go back and gorge some more. Why adopt a healthy lifestyle when drugs can do the trick?

“Self-centered indulgence, pride and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle.” Billy Graham.

Lust – Today’s leftist democrat party is all about sexual deviancy in the name of compassion, tolerance, and acceptance. Drag queen story hour, curriculum that normalizes homosexuality for elementary students, and hyper sexualization of children through transgender ideology. This is one of the evil one’s most tried and true methods to widen the chasm between God and His children. Sex sells and capitalizing on humankind’s sexuality enables the left to further weaken the fabric of society and create division. Whether or not they realize it, the left is complicit in implementing Satan’s plan.

The foray into sexual deviancy has destroyed many nations without the necessity of an invading army to conquer it. Time and again, Satan uses our carnal appetites to tear apart society and create a new normal that is contrary to God’s will. Unfortunately, this strategy has ensnared many of God’s children.

“Carnal lust rules where there is no love of God.” Saint Augustine.

·         Laziness – A welfare work requirement for the able bodied, without children, is looked upon as a personal affront and a “white supremacy” issue. Able bodied persons should have a work requirement whether or not they are eligible for assistance. Our society no longer frowns upon those who choose to take a handout, even if it is not necessary. Our devices bring all the information that the internet provides, yet many get their information (usually mis or disinformation) from social media. Why read and research when you can mindlessly watch videos that tell you what to think?

“Laziness travels so slowly that poverty soon overtakes it.” Benjamin Franklin.

·         Greed – Socialists accuse those who have gained wealth through hard work and merit as being greedy. Socialists only want to take what is not theirs and what they have failed to earn. And what their ill-begotten gains will be spent on will be to the detriment of this nation. Christians are called to be radically generous, yet sharing what God has given us seems to elude so many. We can be generous with the gifts God has bestowed upon us.

“The vocabulary of the political left is fascinating. For example, it is considered to be 'materialistic' and 'greedy' to want to keep what you have earned. But it is 'idealistic' to want to take away what someone else has earned and spend it for your own political benefit or to feel good about yourself.” Thomas Sowell.

It should be more than apparent that the democrat party has hitched its wagon to the DSA, and in turn, has taken up the devil’s agenda. Democrats have become quite fond of declaring President Trump and the MAGA movement an existential threat to America. The real threat is a political party that is willing to make a deal with the devil in order to gain and maintain power. If democrats prevail in the 2026 mid-terms, it just may begin this nation’s fall from grace. The United States is a Christian majority nation. If you are willing to let this nation be overcome by evil, stay home in November. If you still believe in the shining city on a hill, cast your vote accordingly. With your help, freedom will live to see another day.