Suffer the Children

 

Protecting the innocent.

Societal norms demand that we protect the innocent. Those who cannot defend themselves need our protection. That is why a parent will defend their children with their lives. Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.” Mark 10:14-16. Children are our most important resource. Without children, humanity ends. Why is that the left conspires to eradicate the most vulnerable among us? Why is the wanton murder of children waiting to be born, or what is otherwise known as abortion, so important to them? Why are they embracing a death cult?

Abortion has nothing to do with women’s reproductive health care. In 1973, Roe v. Wade determined that abortion was legal. Since then, over 50 million children waiting to be born have been brutally murdered. Abortion is a brutal procedure that mirrors some of the torture techniques that were used in the Middle Ages. 50 million children murdered by abortion is greater than 14% of the current population of the United States. How many doctors, scientists, teachers, caregivers, plumbers, electricians, or other positive contributors to our society have had their lives snuffed out before they could even begin? Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness apparently is not equally applied when an unborn child is added to the equation. Selfishness triumphs with the “procedure” known as abortion. It truly is one of the most evil “elective medical procedures” that humanity has concocted.

Why does a women’s right to choose trump the inalienable human rights of the child within her womb? What have we become when there is not a second thought to that life? Less than 1% of abortions are performed due to pregnancies caused by incest, rape, or to save the life of the mother. Most of the pro-choice argument holds little to no water to bolster claims that abortion is necessary to protect women’s reproductive rights. It is simply an easy way to neglect responsibility for a lifestyle that is in direct conflict with God’s intent. Sexual relations have been reserved for one man and one woman within the confines of the sacrament of marriage. Both parties conceive and raise their children and are responsible to instill within them morals, values, and a love of God. It is obvious that there is a concerted effort to eliminate God and any values instilled by our Creator. The evil one is flourishing in this world.

Every single pro-choice advocate was once a child in her mother’s womb waiting for his/her birth. Each of them had a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Each of them could have had their lives ended if their mother did not want to be inconvenienced by the responsibilities of raising a child. Selfishness is our greatest sin and easiest to commit. In this society it is all about pleasing oneself first. “Look at me. I am wonderful. I can be anything I want to be.” In this wicked generation, God is but an afterthought. Sex is a game for anyone to play at any time. Hookups, Tinder, and the like are pre-emptively destroying future relationships. Satan must be so proud.

In its innate selfishness, “woke society” believes that biology can be overturned and gender reversed. “God must have made a mistake, and that mistake must be corrected to my satisfaction.” What is a woman? Apparently, whatever one wants it to be. Transgenderism is a mental disease. Less than a decade ago gender dysphoria was considered a psychiatric disorder. Now, children, often with encouragement of woke teachers, are allowed to decide if and when they are to undergo permanent life-altering treatments, such as puberty blockers and surgeries to “change” to their desired gender. Never mind that those altered will never be able to have normal sexual relations, give birth, or sire children. The world is on fire and society pours gasoline on it!

The world needs God. The world needs a Savior. The world needs to come back to Him if we intend to overcome evil. Without God, we fight alone. With Him, all things can be accomplished. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:10-12

And yet there are those who say that the Bible is irrelevant in these enlightened times.

 

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.

Darkness Exposed

 

 Bring Light to the Shadows

Evil flourishes in the dark. But, today, evil thrives in plain sight. The evil one is quite adept at convincing humankind that what is evil is good and what is wrong as right. To overcome evil, one must first recognize it as evil. Acquiescing to or ignoring the evil that is overcoming the world will only allow it to grow and fester, ultimately destroying civil society. Tolerating and accepting what we know is truly wrong just oils the slippery slope that the evil one uses to encourage the weak and unbelieving. Yielding to what is obviously wrong and deeming it as right allows evil to grow unimpeded. Use what God has written upon our hearts to test the new things that are of this world and see through the veil of lies. The evil in this world cannot withstand the light if we are bold enough to shine God’s light upon it. Evil will be defeated if good people cast that light and stand up for the Gospel. Far too many of God’s churches proclaim a “generic” evil that must be resisted, calling out the usual suspects, such as the seven deadly sins, etc., but fail to cite specific examples that so permeate western society. By far the most dangerous and insidious lie being perpetrated is the lefts’ headlong rush to redefine human sexuality.

Humans are sexual beings. Human sexuality is a gift that God intended to be shared within the confines of marriage. Man’s law may redefine marriage, but Scripture is quite clear that one man and one woman form a team to procreate and raise their children. Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Hebrews 3:4. Jesus said, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” Matthew 19:4-6. Although man has decreed otherwise, God, the creator of all that was, is and will come to be, makes it clear that marriage is a sacred bond between one man and one woman, a sacramental covenant before the King of Kings. In marriage, each parent brings disparate and unique skills to bear in their children’s development. Parents are to instill in their children faith, morals, and values.

In the Old Testament, Sodom and Gomorrah were two cities overcome with unrestrained sexual depravity and were ultimately destroyed by God. They abandoned their God and replaced Him with the worship of their bodies and the pleasure afforded by their unbridled sexuality. Is it so different today? Tinder and other “hook-up” sites for anonymous unrestricted sex acts may be tame compared to those cities God judged as unredeemable. Fatherless families dominate the African-American community as 69% of all births are out of wedlock. How is that working out as fatherless children commit more and more crime? More and more couples are rejecting marriage, choosing to remain single, cohabitate, have and raise children, opting to disengage with God in their relationship. Half of all first marriages in the US end in divorce after an average of 8 years. Second or more marriages divorce at an even higher rate.

It has become commonplace to define oneself based upon a chosen sexual identity. What was once gay or lesbian morphs into LGTBQ+? No longer is there simply male or female, there are now a plethora of genders to choose from, including “non-binary, which is no gender at all. The transgenderism movement accuses God of error, “misgendering” the person choosing to disregard their assigned sex at birth. Current medical science can only change a person’s gender outwardly and cannot recreate a functioning member of the opposite sex. Once procedures are undertaken to alter the gender, that person will no longer be fully functional as either sex, unable to birth or father a child. Additionally, many persons who undergo hormone drugs or sex reassignment surgery will likely not be able to fully experience sexual intercourse and will often be unable to achieve a climax. Children who take puberty-blocking drugs or undergo sex reassignment surgery are also forty times more likely to attempt suicide. Transgender activists are targeting children with propaganda endeavoring to legitimize this depraved sexual conduct. Indoctrinating young children to accept this behavior as normal while distorting reality, by claiming that there are more than two genders, is evil incarnate.

Transvestites, crossdressers or what are now known as “Drag queens” (You see, that verbiage is much more palatable to the masses), are being mainstreamed as normal and acceptable. Drag queen story hour and other “performances” elicit sexual arousal for those mentally ill individuals. Is it not readily apparent that the performances are directed at children and not adults? How convenient it is for pedophiles to be welcomed into our schools and public libraries. School administrations that allow these degenerates to interact with children should never again be allowed into positions of authority in our educational system. If teaching staff would be found to be engaging in this type of behavior, they would be arrested, terminated from their jobs and after conviction, become registered sex offenders. Our society is losing its’ collective mind. If one wants to engage in the fantasy of transgenderism that is their problem. Don’t expect others to approve of their fantasies and especially expect resistance when they try to teach children to believe their behavior is normal. Any sane person cannot believe that the current societal trajectory of “anything goes” sexuality is reasonable.

Recognizing evil in our midst is just the first step in exposing it. As Christians, we are called to embrace what is good and to resist evil. Resist evil, not fight evil. That is not what God has called us to do. Fighting evil is a conflict reserved for God. It is up to God to separate the weeds from the wheat. Our house must be in order. We must speak the truth but do so gently and with love. We must preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. God wants all of his children to be saved. Those overcome by the evil one are loved by their Father in heaven. We are to shine the light of truth on their error and let God do the judging. We are to plant those seeds and God will water them and cause them to grow. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. anything less makes our actions just as evil, maybe more so, than those unduly influenced by the evil one. Pay heed to Scripture and light the path for those lost. That is our calling. Jesus said “Be careful, then, that the light within you is not darkness. So if your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, you will be radiant, as though a lamp were shining on you.” Luke 11:35,36

Pray unceasingly for our leaders and for those who have been led away by the father of lies. God wants all of His children to come to know Him and to be saved. Let’s not be a stumbling block. 

Vehicle

It’s the thing that gets us to the thing. The new series on AMC, Halt and Catch Fire, uses this phrase to explain that completing the reverse engineering of a computer is simply one step that will begin to open the doors that create an opportunity to gain wealth and fame. It is not simply a task, but a plan entailing prescribed elements that must be completed in order to take the next step that eventually leads to that end goal. Each task may seem to be unrelated to the end goal, but accomplishing those necessary steps are essential to achieve the grand plan. Progressivism is overtaking much of our society. Academia, government and now the church is being overwhelmed by progressive ideals that look to destroy rather than lift up. Radical change is the goal of progressivism and conservatism is the great evil that is in the way. You see, those traditional minded, conservative based individuals champion concepts that progressives find repulsive: Traditional marriage between one man and one woman; the right to life of an unborn child; personal responsibility. the right to bear arms; enforcing the border of a sovereign nation; and especially objectionable is the concept of an all-powerful God that would not only have the temerity to have His only Son killed to satisfy His anger, but also imposes rules upon a humanity that has apparently reached the pinnacle of enlightenment.

But, progressives find many roads that lead to the achievement of their goals. The carefully calculated humanitarian crisis that has hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant children crossing the border is one example. “We must take care of the children!” “Any civilized society would protect those that cannot protect themselves.” Unless you happen to be an unborn child, or as Cass Sunstein would say, if the child is under two years of age. Think about that for a moment. Abortion, or what should be correctly called infanticide, is not enough for one of our President’s czars. He believes that a child, under the age of two, can be aborted. How can a person justify killing a living, breathing child? When one does not value life, anything goes. Back to the vehicle used to get what one wants. The progressive in government looks to that government to provide for, nurture and control the populace. In order to control the populace, having that populace beholding to a government that provides the means for their income, health care, housing and other necessary items gives that government a means to control that portion of the populace. Creating an ill- informed, permanent underclass by giving them free stuff creates a populace that tends to vote to continue their handouts. Make that number greater than half of the total population and you create a permanent majority that allows the progressives to maintain power. How better to build and maintain that voting bloc than by opening the border gates and allowing the poor and destitute to enter. Then create entitlements for those undocumented immigrants and add to those who vote to maintain those entitlements, or simply put, to continue getting all their free stuff. It’s the thing that gets us to the thing.

Make note of the professionally printed signs that most “grass roots” activists display today? Wasn’t Nancy Pelosi the one who coined the word “Astroturf” to describe the grass roots uprising by the Tea Party? Occupy, immigration, women’s reproductive health, and other progressive activist groups are very well organized. There are no spontaneous demonstrations when it comes to a progressive’s plans. Every protest, every march is dedicated to achieving the results that move them closer to their ultimate goal. The “Overton Window” shows that by simply using tactics currently employed by progressives, one can swiftly move society to accept what was once looked upon as aberrant behavior. First move the public perception from unacceptable to radical, next move from radical to acceptable. Then move from acceptable to sensible. Take the next logical step from sensible to popular. Then complete the transition from popular to policy. It doesn’t take as long as one would imagine. Abortion leapt from unthinkable to a woman’s right to choose in a manner of years. Out of wedlock childbirth went from a family disgrace to a badge of honor, once even glorified in a popular network TV show, within a few decades. And homosexuality flew out of the closet to first become hip and now applauded as “heroic” in a just a few short years.

A must read for any conservative should be Alisnky’s “Rules for Radicals“. After all, it is important to understand one’s enemy, especially one that is hell-bent at utterly destroying the competition. Is the radical Islamist the greatest threat to democracy? No, and if you truly understand the progressive, you will recognize that they pose the greatest threat to country, individuality and particularly, Christianity.

From “Rules for Radicals”

“The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.” Imagination and ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist. (Perception is reality. Large organizations always prepare a worst-case scenario, something that may be furthest from the activists’ minds. The upshot is that the organization will expend enormous time and energy, creating in its own collective mind the direst of conclusions. The possibilities can easily poison the mind and result in demoralization.)

“Keep the pressure on. Never let up.” Keep trying new things to keep the opposition off balance. As the opposition masters one approach, hit them from the flank with something new. (Attack, attack, attack from all sides, never giving the reeling organization a chance to rest, regroup, recover and re-strategize.)

Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.” Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.)

Sound familiar. The Evangelical Church in America has become quite proficient with these types of tactics. Take the time to read some of the current ELCA member comments on their own “Living Lutheran” website. Those that remain true to the authority of Scripture and believe as Luther taught are ridiculed and castigated by our ever loving, ever tolerant brothers and sisters from our former synod. As the ELCA proclaims, God’s work, our hands, their leaders push their members further away from the path God has set before them. God’s chosen, Israel is reviled by the leadership of the ELCA as they peddle outright lies to their membership to breed hatred while lifting up the plight of the very organization that wants to not only wipe Israel from the face of the earth, but also would destroy Christianity. Want to kill your unborn child? If you are employed by the ELCA, although the workforce continues to wane at Higgins Road, their insurance will pay for the procedure. Want to placate the selfish cravings of a sinful humanity and deny your Savior? All you need to do is invoke your bound conscience and you can not only have your same sex relationship recognized as a marriage by this wayward church, you can preach, unrepentantly from the pulpit as an ordained minister. These are the things that get them to the thing. And apparently that thing is elevating man above God and replacing Him with images of themselves.

Satan rejoices in the progressive movement. They are doing the things that get him to the thing he most longs for, a church that denies their God, a society that accepts murder, a society that replaces God’s will their flawed human sensibility, in fact, calling God a liar, and a church that is working to destroy God’s chosen people. With God out of the way, any perversion is possible. Jeremiah 23:25-27, “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their ancestors forgot my name through Baal worship.” The Baal that the leaders of the ELCA worship is tolerance, acceptance and diversity. Their leaders bow in worship at the altar that lifts up the desires of a sinful humanity and leads their membership into the abyss ruled by the evil one. Remain in fellowship with the ELCA and one day you may find yourself falling into the trap of the evil one with no escape. Luke 13:22-25, Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ Pray unceasingly for the hearts and minds of those trapped within the ELCA to be opened to the truth