Loving your Neighbor

 Is meaningless without first loving God.

Jesus declared, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40.

While these two commandments are the foundations of our faith, our love of our Lord supersedes the call to love our neighbor and ourselves. This current generation has lifted the love of self to transcendent heights. Mainline churches feed this narrative by affirming those who choose to elevate their desires above all else. We absolutely can love our neighbor as ourselves without affirming that which separates them from God’s love. Once our human desires supersede our identities as followers of Christ, we no longer worship Him, we worship ourselves.

In deference to the Beatles song, love is not all you need. The dichotomy of loving, while correcting, is a difficult road to travel. Our unrelenting judgementalism often closes the door while eliciting anger and resentment from the very people we are to be reaching out with love. While we endeavor to help the lost find Christ, our spiritual ineptness often shuts down any opportunity to do so. Question is, how do we “gently instruct” the misguided back to Christ before they are lost to the evil one?

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 

Even though we were enemies of God, Jesus went to that cross and died for us, and through our faith in Him, grants us forgiveness of all our sin and guarantees a place with him throughout eternity. Is this too great an ask? By faith alone. He only wants our heart, nothing else. Heavy stuff. God wants all His children to be with Him in eternity. It pains Him greatly if even one of His children are lost to the evil one. God loves all His children unconditionally. By His grace and mercy, He forgives all sin, no matter what! But, in order to partake in His eternity, faith in the Risen Christ is necessary. If our well-intended actions push away those in need of God’s grace, we are not building God’s Kingdom. We have become an impediment to it.

Human sexuality is the vehicle used by the evil one to divide and conquer. Humankind’s innate selfishness is the tool that sharpens the sword that separates us from God. Perverting humankind’s diversities creates an easy avenue to divide and create dissention based upon insignificant differences, such as skin color, socio-economic status, political and religious beliefs. We are all God’s children. That makes us all brothers and sisters. Even that pink haired, nose ringed young lady who shouts out her distain for Christianity. Even that young man who identifies as a woman. Even those who spew hatred towards others that have different opinions than themselves. God loves and wants each and every one of His children to come to Him.

With Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection, God opens reconciliation to all who believe. Without legitimate discourse, human to human reconciliation can never be reached. The goal is to engage in real discussion, which also includes listening without judging. It is not our job to judge. This is a tall task as it remains all too easy to remain bound by the law. While the Gospel frees us from the consequences of the law, the law teaches what God expects of us. Sexual immorality is mentioned over 6000 times in the Bible. Any sexual relations outside of the sacrament of marriage is called immoral. The sacrament of marriage is reserved for one man and one woman. What of our neighbors in a same-sex relationship? Those that identify as transgender? Those who have multiple sex partners in and out of relationships? We are wondrously formed by God, each designed for His purposes. No matter how we look, what our strengths or weaknesses, talents or lack of talents, or our status in life, God has a place for you in His plan for us. Just believe!

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  He died for everyone. His mercy and grace is available to all, no matter what. He loves the worst of us, even me and you.

We are called to testify to our neighbors about Christ’s love for them. We are to share the joy we receive from being loved by Him. We are called to plant seeds that the Holy Spirit can nurture and grow. We are not called to cast judgement or try to save the lost of our own volition. We must find a way to reach out in Christian love with the hope that the door may open, if just a crack, for the Holy Spirit to take root. The late Pastor Tim Keller had a way to disarm the most fervent denier. Listening, while posing questions about the person and their beliefs. Often, the person discovered that their own arguments lacked validity, opening the door to rational discussion. Be immersed in His Word. Pray for guidance. Wear your spiritual armor and listen to the Holy Spirit when an opportunity to testify arises.

“The whole being of any Christian is faith and love. Faith brings the person to God; love brings the person to people.” Martin Luther

 

 

 

 

Delineation

 Delineation

There is a clear and present danger.

Good and evil. Right and wrong. Sensible and absurd. Black and white. Clear concepts that define a cogent reality. When society attempts to redefine the tenets that hold the fabric of that society together, society will ultimately crumble. When government fails to enforce the laws enacted to protect society from those who would cause harm, anarchy ensues. When proven principles are intentionally blurred, morphing into shades of gray, the difference between what is right and what is wrong is obscured. American culture is heading down such a deep rabbit hole that it may prevent a return to sanity.

The Founders deliberately and thoughtfully imbedded Judeo-Christian values into a Constitution that formed a unique system of self-governance, of, for and by the people. The hallmark of our Constitutional Republic is that the government does not rule, but serves at the will of the people. If any elected public servant fails his or her constituents, the citizens decide if he/she will be entrusted to continue as a representative of the people. Elections have consequences when the people pay attention.

Unfortunately, our system of free and fair elections is being corrupted by those willing to do whatever is necessary to remain in power. Rules are bent and laws disregarded by unelected bureaucrats and leftist activists. For those of you adhering to the “Big Lie” dichotomy, the following are some of the voting irregularities from 2020 and some new ones for 2024.

·         Unsecured voting drop boxes without the requisite chain of custody.

·         Voting deputies prohibited from nursing homes, allowing persons deemed incompetent to cast ballots.

·         Poll watchers prohibited from observing vote tallies.

·         Mail in ballot curing in violation of election laws.

·         In Wisconsin alone, over 160,000 new indefinitely confined voters were registered that circumvented the ID requirement.

·         Mark Zuckerberg’s Center for technology and civic life and Center for election innovation and research funneled over $400 million, which over 85% went to democrat strongholds in swing states in an attempt to sway the election to democrats.

·         Election officials in democrat run cities colluded with and relinquished their statutory responsibility to manage the election, turning it over to democrat operatives connected with Zuckerberg’s centers.

·         The democrat party partnered with numerous non-profits to engage in a large-scale ballot harvesting scheme in the seven swing states.

·         Democrat Secretaries of State colluded to thwart the re-election of Donald Trump by allowing every ballot, including those mailed after election day, to be counted.

·         There is growing evidence that the events on January 6^th, 2021 were orchestrated and used to conceal further evidence of the numerous discrepancies from the 2020 Presidential election by blunting and disparaging any efforts to expose them.

·         And now in 2024, evidence has been uncovered that illegal aliens are being transported to democrat cities in swing states. Exploiting a loophole in election law that was meant to allow homeless persons the opportunity to vote, non-government organizations (NGOs) are registering the illegal aliens to vote as homeless, without proof of citizenship and without requirement of ID. Those ballots are then filled out and mailed in their names.

Once decried as conspiracy theorists, those pointing out the clear and present danger to our nation are being vindicated as example after example of voting fraud is exposed and the media is silent. The January 6^th committee destroyed evidence after the committee was disbanded. Exculpatory evidence was suppressed. Nothing to see here from the mainstream media. Legal warfare against Donald Trump and others is painfully obvious, yet the mainstream media actually has the temerity to accuse Trump of receiving preferential treatment from the courts.

The democrat party continually cast Republicans, conservatives, Christians and in particular, Donald Trump as a threat to democracy. The United States is a Constitutional Republic, not a democracy. Leftist ideology demands that one must continually accuse your enemies of the crimes that you are committing. The democrat party IS the existential threat to our nation. They are destroying free, fair and trusted elections. They are destroying the nuclear family, using public funds to eliminate fathers, targeting those in the inner cities. They are destroying education by substituting woke ideology at the expense of teaching the basics. They are destroying the very fabric of society by mandating, diversity, inclusion, and equity and destroying the meritocracy that promotes the best and brightest. They are destroying the global status of this nation by projecting weakness and embracing appeasement.

The time has come for those who wish to gain power at the expense of destroying this great nation. The time has come for democrats to pay for their treachery. It is time to vote against those who fail to represent the interests of “We the People.” It is time for the democrat party to become an irrelevant minority until they decide to change course. Every vote for a democrat is a vote against your own self-interest. Democrats view their voting base only as necessary tools to keep them in power, but they truly despise everything about them and this nation. Your vote is important. Don’t waste it!

The Little People

 

You do not matter to the elite!

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Sir Isaac Newton. Most that are in tune with and report that global events are following a pre-determined path, are decried as “conspiracy theorists” or worse. Yet, train derailments have become much too commonplace in the US. Food processing plants go up in flames. Essential infrastructure that is responsible for filling the shelves at supermarkets are spinning their wheels, unable to provide the essentials to the nation. Ocean going shipping grinds to a halt as ships remain at sea, unable to be unloaded in ports. Coincidental? I think not.

“We don’t need the vast majority of the population. Human beings should be replaced by machines whenever possible. People are just no longer useful to the global elite and their agenda.” Yuval Noah Harari. Self-appointed ruling elites fly their private jets to Davos, Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum, then virtue-signal with their “carbon off-set” purchases that assuage their guilt for burning tons of fossil fuels. Yet, those elites consider most of the population as expendable, uneducated rubes that waste the world’s resources. They “believe” that they are righteously fighting “man-made” climate change. Sustainability is being used to de-populate the planet. Reduce food sources, reduce the yields of our farms, reduce the population. Outgoing climate czar John Kerry called on climate activists to be more militant, and they have obeyed. They are using young people to debase our nation to ensure that the little people will not partake in their new world order. This is their religion and you and I are in their way of their vision of Utopia.

“Science can flourish only in an atmosphere of free speech.” Albert Einstein.  Free speech has been reconceived as what is acceptable to the ruling party. Particularly in the scientific field, there is to be no more dissent on the chosen narrative. Any deviation from “settled” science is not just discouraged, but subject to penalties. Look no further than the COVID narrative. Fail to comply with the military mandate to be injected with an experimental drug, face dishonorable discharge. Airline pilots, medical personnel, first responders, and so many others that were denied a religious exemption that lost their livelihoods. Vaccine skeptics were attacked, ridiculed, and accused of murdering grandma. Government misinformation and disinformation determined predominantly by unelected bureaucrats, big tech, and enforced by the FBI that manipulated social media companies to violate the 1^st Amendment rights of those who failed to tow the government’s narrative.

“A nation that is afraid to let its’ people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its’ people.” John F. Kennedy. The Biden administration admonishes its’ political opponents, effectively villainizing half of the nation that they have pledged to serve. As the left has continually and falsely proclaimed of the danger to democracy that conservatives present, policies that open our sovereign borders, abdicate our role as leaders in the world, spend us into oblivion, and relinquish our nation’s ability to be energy independent, is the real threat to our Constitutional Republic. A government that supports the murder of unborn children, mandates diversity, equity, and inclusion that accelerates a headlong rush to indoctrinate our children with a perverted interpretation of human sexuality, and advocates against law enforcement, while weaponizing the Department of Justice against its’ political opponents, is no government at all.

“True revolutionaries do not flaunt their radicalism, they cut their hair, put on suits, and infiltrate the system from within.” Saul Alinsky. Bill Ayers and Bernadette Dohrn, members of the Weather Underground in the 1960’s are now spewing their hatred of our nation in academia. Barack Obama, a former community organizer in Chicago, kicked off his foray into politics in Ayers and Dohrn’s living room. Former San Francisco District Attorney, Chesa Boudin, was raised by Ayers and Dohrn after his radical parents were convicted of armed robbery and murder during a Weather Underground attempted heist of an armored car. George Soros, a currency manipulator who has destabilized countries worldwide, uses his wealth to support and elect leftist soft-on-crime DA’s in liberal cities in an effort to create chaos in those communities. He has been very successful in his endeavor. And, the democrat party embraces this turmoil. Who is the real danger to democracy?

If democrats retain the White House and the Senate, our headlong rush toward socialism will continue unabated. We will find ourselves under the globalist’s thumb and our freedoms will continue to erode. Without pushback, the Deep State will inevitably control every aspect of our lives. We the people will lose our representative government and be lorded over by those who could care less about you. It may seem to be hyperbole, but 2024 could very well be the end of our nation as it was founded.

God was very intentional when He created you. Your talents, your abilities, and your intellect are the tools that enable us to ascertain the difference between right and wrong. The Bible contains the truths necessary to ascertain His will. We are His hands and feet here on earth. We can make a difference in the world, by planting those seeds that the Holy Spirit can nurture and grow. Or, we can stand by idly an let the evil one win. It is your decision. Simply said, the democrat party is advocating for the fall of this nation with policies that are inherently evil. The democrat party, as comprised today, must be voted out of power, and be marginalized. Allowing them to maintain power will lead to the end of this once great nation. Will you stand idly by while evil overtakes our society or will you decide to do something about it by standing strong for your faith?

“When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

 

Wait for it….

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It’s God’s timing, not yours

A shout out to my Pastor, Jason Esposito for the inspiration for this post.

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 This is the charge to parents as they raise their children and help them formulate their faith, values, and morals. As leftist ideology replaces traditional learning in public education, our nation is running the risk of creating a generation of indoctrinated youth. Diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) curricula place more emphasis on social engineering than mathematics, science and reading. The precipitous decline of United States standardized testing is clear evidence that it has adversely affected the competency of our students. If instilled early enough, the tenets of Critical Race Theory, (CRT) transgenderism, social and climate justice will be ingrained into our youth’s belief systems. Children are particularly vulnerable to suggestion and are innate learners, trusting implicitly those charged to teach and train them. Just as computers utilize only information that is inputted, children are an open book waiting for the proper instruction to formulate how they will approach their futures.

And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts.  And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Deuteronomy 6:5-8 This is critical guidance for parents. Parents have a duty to make certain that their children follow the narrow path and are not led astray. If parents allow the State to usurp their authority and instill values contrary to their own, they have failed in their responsibility to, not only their children but to God.

The intrusion of government into the affairs of the populace has been deliberately amplified for decades. When Barack Obama ascended to the Presidency, it was intensified ten-fold. His strategy of promoting race and class division in our society is textbook leftist ideology. While we had a brief respite from the headlong rush to redefine our nation when Donald Trump was elected, it has gone into hyperdrive after the election of Joe Biden. One of Biden’s first executive orders was to integrate DEI into all government agencies and have it trickle down to businesses and education. It has been extraordinarily effective. As we go about our busy lives, blissfully unaware of this destructive mandate, we allow our children to be manipulated by this malicious scheme. DEI promotes gender, race, and inclusion, discounting merit and ability, and advancing individuals less qualified for those positions. This will eventually lead to less qualified doctors, military, airline pilots, plumbers, electricians, and on and on, diminishing society.  

How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted. Habakkuk 1:2-4 Have you ever just cried out to God? Know this, He hears all our laments. He hears our pleas for justice. He hears our cries of pain and despair. Prayer takes many forms and God listens and answers them all. Our time and expectations are not God’s though. Even in the Old Testament times, God answered His people in His own time. Prayer, when sincere and God-centered, will be answered. Some prayers are answered before we even realize that we have the need or before we ask.

Our time, our talents, and our resources are given to us to use to give God the glory. We are often given the tools to right those wrongs or heal those infirmities before we even recognize the deficiency in our lives. For healing, God provides the medical community. For the fight against evil, God provides our church community and His Word. The spiritual armor that God provides gives us the wherewithal to stand up to the evil that seems to have overtaken this world. Often, we can become the answer to prayer if we relinquish control and allow Him to rule our lives.

In our faith community, we have the spiritual resources to help guide our lives. As parents, we can surrender to God and gain the strength to stand up to the forces that seek to destroy faith and family. With God’s help, we can take back our nation and be instrumental in returning this nation back to Him. With faith in God, anything can be accomplished. Throughout time, God has used His people as instruments to accomplish His will. Divine intervention can be God tapping you on the shoulder to act on His behalf. It is not too late if we choose to act now. Stand strong in the Lord and refuse to acquiesce to the evil that has become so pervasive in our world. Evil may seem to have won today’s battle, but we know who ultimately wins this war. 

Fair Game

 To the victors…

The recent decision by the four liberal members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court to rule that the redistricting maps drawn by the State Legislature fails on its face. The municipal “islands” that were found to be acceptable by three of the liberal justices in 2020, somehow became unacceptable to those same Justices as they effectively overruled themselves. The Wisconsin State Constitution gives authority to the Legislature to redraw the legislative maps after the United States census is completed each decade. This authority falls to the majority elected by the citizens of Wisconsin. Each member of the State Assembly and Senate is elected by the citizens of their District.

In 2001, Democrats held an 18-15 majority in the State Senate and Republicans held a 54-45 majority in the Assembly. Legislative maps were crafted by the divided legislature and signed by Republican Governor Tommy Thompson. After the 2010 census, the Republicans were elected to majorities in both houses and Governor. For the first time, Republicans were given the authority to redraw legislative districts and have them approved by a Republican Governor. Of course, Democrats claimed that the Republicans gerrymandered to their advantage. The crafters of our State’s Constitution were intentional in their decision to rest the power of redrawing legislative district lines by the Legislature. The people’s mandate in electing the majority party was to be rewarded and their will accomplished when their chosen legislators are given “the keys to the car.” There is no such thing as “fair maps” that are equally divided by political affiliation, nor was it ever intended to be. Whichever party controls the redrawing, the other party cries foul! “They are creating maps that benefit themselves.” No kidding. If you want more authority, convince more people to vote for you. To the victors go the spoils.

Wisconsin State law has two criteria for redrawing legislative maps; They must be of substantially equal population and not discriminate based on race. Traditional redistricting principles, however, have been used by numerous states. Wisconsin uses three; District boundaries be as compact as practical, contiguous and preserve political subdivisions. Compactness and contiguity are self-explanatory. Political subdivisions are not defined as communities that tend to vote for one political party, as the Court implies. From the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau report on redistricting in Wisconsin 2020;

 “Respecting the unity of political subdivisions means drawing district boundaries in such a way as to avoid crossing existing political boundaries. This principle both simplifies the administration of elections and helps to clearly identify for voters the specific district in which they live. In many ways this principle goes hand in hand with the effort to preserve communities of interest. However, strictly adhering to the boundaries of political subdivisions in a redistricting plan often makes it more difficult to satisfy equal population requirements. Consequently, this principle, while by no means obsolete, was followed much more meticulously in Wisconsin, and elsewhere, before the advent of one person, one vote.

In Wisconsin, assembly districts must “be bounded by county, precinct, town or ward lines.” Additionally, county supervisory districts must generally consist of whole wards or municipalities, city aldermanic districts must consist of whole wards, and wards may not cross municipal or county lines.

Notice that political party preference is not a traditional redistricting principle. Some States use the “competitive” principle to not advantage one political party by creating “safe” districts for either party. Another principle is to not create boundaries that move incumbents into the same district, as did the map presented by Governor Evers. Neither of these traditional redistricting principles are used in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Legislature is the sole authority to redraw legislative maps and the Governor has the authority to veto any map deemed unsatisfactory. If vetoed, the Legislature needs to either override the veto or redraw maps that the Governor will approve. The Wisconsin State Supreme Court is usurping the Constitutional authority of the legislature to redraw the maps, especially if those maps were the same maps previously upheld by the Wisconsin Supreme Court just over a year ago. We, the people, are being denied by a body that is usurping the authority of our elected representatives. The decision by the four liberal Justices to discard the previously approved maps is a threat to democracy and irrevocably harms the citizens of this great State. The Legislature enacts laws, and the Supreme Court rules on those laws’ constitutionality. They do not have the authority to remake laws to their liking.

Moral Compass

 

New morality fails the smell test.

Humankind, as it continues to advance into a new enlightened age, has determined that gender is no longer a biological reality. In a few short years, gender dysphoria morphed from a diagnosed mental disorder to being celebrated as heroic and normal, replete with school curriculum adapted to this new reality. It has become all-important to those on the left that children be indoctrinated into accepting this abhorrent ideology. In fact, anyone can choose to change their gender at a moment’s notice and that decision must be respected. That person’s chosen pronouns must be accepted and any deviation from their preferred terminology, or what is now referred to as misgendering, by any person addressing that person will be promptly corrected, and in some states, remedied with a court summons for the “misgenderer.” Transgender activists make certain to call out any who fail to accept their “truth”.

Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.” Matthew 7:15-20. Our society boasts many false prophets today, and many have not only fallen for their deceptions but further promulgate their lies. Far too many mainstream churches misdirect the call to love your neighbor as a command to affirm them in their sin. Love of neighbor is important, cited by Jesus as the second most important commandment. Loving your neighbor and affirming them within their sinful proclivities are two entirely different things. Reach out in love to open a door to repentance.

“Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.  Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8: 5-8. Those who are consumed by their sexuality, engage in the LGTBQI+ lifestyle, or choose to disregard their birth gender are indeed ruled by the flesh. Pleasing God is not on their radar, their chosen sexual preference or identity rules their lives. This places themselves, their personal ideology, and their identity above God. Many of the choices we make are not always pleasing to our Lord and Savior. Deliberate and continued disobedience is another story. Fail as we may to live a life pleasing to God, we recognize and acknowledge our sinful behavior, repent, and endeavor to follow the path that is pleasing to our God.

God declares that the sacrament of marriage is created for one man and one woman. “Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh.” Matthew 19:4-6. Together they comprise a team that procreates and shares the responsibility to instill faith, morals, and to nurture their children. With the rise of transgenderism, government endeavors to usurp the parental role and advance and instill morals contrary to parental desires. In an age where schools cannot give a student an aspirin or go on a field trip without parental consent, concealing something as life-altering as a child choosing to deny their biological gender from their parents, is insane.  

In our natural state, we are enemies of God. Our minds focus inward toward ourselves and not outward to God. There is an emptiness in our souls that can only be filled by Jesus Christ and His everlasting love. Our minds are not right until we finally give in and let Jesus be the Lord of our lives. Transgenderism is all about a mind that believes their physical being, crafted intricately by God in their mother’s womb, is not the person that they truly are. Their physical being is as it was intended but, their mind is at war, not only with God, but with themselves. Once one’s mind becomes right with God, any confusion about your physical being is cleared away. The transgender community and those who promote this insanity are living a lie. They are unduly influenced and led astray by the evil one. Once you please God, you will be pleased yourself. And what are we, as Christians, called to do with our brothers and sisters led astray? Love them as you love yourself. All of us are sinners and fall short of the glory of God. The church and faith community must welcome all sinners, no matter what.

We must open a door for all to come to Christ, not build a wall with misdirected judgementalism. It is not our task to judge our neighbors. “A servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing (patient). He must gently reprove (engage in discourse with) 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 2:24-26. We should never be accusatory when engaging with our confused brothers and sisters. We need to channel the love of Christ and be forgiving. But, turning a blind eye is not an option. We cannot stand by idly and allow them to be lost to the evil one. Love them, pray with and for them, but do not affirm their disobedience. Affirm that God loves them and has a place for them in His heavenly kingdom. Our mission is to plant the seed and let the Holy Spirit work to restore their soul.