I invite you to get a beverage, get situated, and hang on. There’s much going on in the world, and much that needs to get said as we go forward into these days prophesied in God’s Word. Ready? Here we go.
Mainstream Christians are not viewed well these days, for the most part. They/We are certainly distinct from those currently persecuted, tortured, and martyred elsewhere in the world for their unfailing faith in and obedience to Yeshua/Jesus. Two reasons for this not-good reputation are 1) Satan has an agenda and many willing followers who assist him, as God foretold us in His Word, and 2) Too many people practice “Christianity of the Land” as opposed to living out the “Christianity of Christ,” as Kevin “KB” Burgess wrote in DANGEROUS JESUS: Why the Only Thing More Risky than Getting Jesus Right Is Getting Jesus Wrong.
I traveled in that “Land” for too long, and still stumble my way into it at times. Until God led me to certain of His fully submitted humble servants, the “C of the L” examples were the only ones I was familiar with, imprinted with, without knowing it, including from years of TV programs and movies that caricatured Christians, some of whom need no help with that, I’m sad to say. I’ve made a lot of Christianese noise I’d heard many TV Christians and others make, with little substance in my personal living-it-out to support my born-again-new-man claim. I’ve annoyed a lot of people. Messed up some relationships. In the early days, gave tithes to wrong people. Followed rabbit trails. Frustrated myself because of my clumsiness, which I’m working on. There is much said in the Word about pride and placing spiritual stumbling blocks before others. Any not-good examples of how to follow Yeshua/Jesus are stumbling blocks, which is why many of us repeat blocks we’ve learned (or create new ones) and see the only results possible—in us and in 
others. Sort of a “Christianity of the Land” GIGO (garbage in, garbage out).
Burgess wrote, “Brothers and sisters, we will never be conservative enough, liberal enough, or woke enough to be truly at home in any of the world’s circles…. Our bias should be to [Kingdom] righteousness. That’s the only dog in the fight.” Holy Spirit and I have been talking about those last two sentences long before I started reading Burgess’ book. Especially in how it brings 2 Timothy 2:4 CJB to mind: “No soldier on duty gets involved with civilian affairs, since he has to please his commanding officer.” Yeshua/Jesus is the Commander of God’s Army and His followers are His soldiers. And I assure you I still ask Holy Spirit for more clarification about this verse, especially these days, when worldly involvement—local, national, and global—seems imperative; or is this one of Satan’s tricks to weary the saints? How, LORD, are we to reconcile this?
God places us in fields of endeavor or the home, and in locations, where we’re to serve Him for His purposes, not our own. Where He places us is His business. How we represent Him there is our duty to our King, for His glory, not ours. Prophecy tells us a moment in time is coming when our sole/soul focus will need to be on Yeshua/Jesus and hearing from Holy Spirit—because when the BIG STUFF hits the fan, which fight we’re in, which Kingdom we serve—if we truly follow Yeshua/Jesus—will be more than obvious, or should be, to those who know Him and His Word. [FYI: The Chinese Communist Party is rewriting the Bible, and not to God-approved standards. So are some “Christians” in the USA and elsewhere, making Him LGBTQ+, and other abominations to the Holy Almighty God. If you don’t know the Word as God inspired it, how will you know when you’re being deceived?]
Back to popular criticism of Christians. Let me clarify: Yeshua/Jesus told us there will be those in rebellion who will hate and criticize His followers because they hate Him. 2 Timothy 2:3 CJB tells us, “Accept your share in suffering disgrace as a good soldier of the Messiah Yeshua.” This is not who and what I refer to when I hear or see someone complain about Christians’ behaviors. When they criticize Christians rather than seek to become one or become curious about how and why Christians are so different from the rest of the world, aka sanctified unto Almighty God and His dear Son, my spirit feels pricked. For good reason: These people are, in part, right. And I have been too green in my discipleship to fully understand or know what to do about it, starting with myself.
The pricked feeling is Holy Spirit urging me to pay attention. That doing so is imperative to increase my understanding so as to increase my ability to represent God as one of His. Know this: It isn’t a mind matter or a matter of willpower, it’s a heart matter. And there is no “fake it till you make it” with God—He knows our heart better than we do. We ask Him to make our heart more like Yeshua/Jesus’, and for His peace to be ours as He works this process in us, which is usually not overnight. For any of us struggling with having faith, or any of us who believe we are stronger in faith than another, I invite you to hear what Jackie Hill Perry says in this 23:31-min video: (770) Finding Your Way Back: Jackie Hill Perry on Overcoming Spiritual Struggles – YouTube
Athol Dickson wrote (title and book cover appear later), “Jesus said the church is ‘one’ throughout the generations ‘so that the world may believe.’ And the world does indeed base its response to Jesus upon the behavior of his followers…. What’s the use of Jesus, if he makes so little difference in his followers?” Let each of us ask ourselves this: How’s that working for us so far? I’m still in my learning-curve stage and will be until Yeshua/Jesus perfects me and gives me a glorified body like His. Holy Spirit is the perfect teacher, just as God promised.
My score as a student? That’s up to God. Sometimes I’m a fast learner; sometimes, I’m certain I must cause a forehead-slap in Heaven. Face it: We’re human, fallible, and we’re going to mess up. But that’s what repentance, forgiveness (asked for and given), and making amends are for. Being candid with others about how we’re doing with this, rather than faking it, is helpful: We followers of Yeshua/Jesus are (hopefully) maturing in this together. A Christian who is no different years after being born again needs to spend some time in the prayer closet with God. If you’re a new Christian claimant but no one sees any difference in you, ask God to lead you to the proper person or people—in person, online, in a book (especially His own book!) to disciple you.
However, there is an epidemic among us, including those whom God calls His own: Doublemindedness. It’s warned about in the Bible. Unsure what it meant and what to do about it, especially once I realized a few years back that I have it, I prayed. According to God’s timing, He recently sent an anointed message via Dr. Mike and Mary Lake, “Declaring War on Doublemindedness.” The description/link: “The world system has programmed the Church to be doubleminded. Doublemindedness has affected the potency of our prayers, contaminated our theology, and diluted the power and presence of God in our midst. It is time to declare war on doublemindedness and to possess minds that are singularly focused on Christ, His Word, and His Kingdom.” KIB 401 – Declaring War on Doublemindedness – Kingdom Intelligence Briefing
“Nevertheless, brothers, I call on you in the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah to agree, all of you, in what you say, and not to let yourselves remain split into factions but be restored to having a common mind and a common purpose.” – 1 Corinthians 1:10 CJB
We’re supposed to be one Body of Yeshua/Jesus, yet we have so many factions. We’ve got everything from people dancing with rattlesnakes to bumper-sticker-platitude-dispensing “Christianity of the Land” practitioners, pole-dancers for Jesus (God help us), New Age infiltration (God, open our eyes), and numerous denominations doing their own thing. We’ve got people I consider true followers of Yeshua/Jesus spewing demeaning labels at others for their specific sins, feeling justified in doing so. Casting stones with shaming names and phrases on them. Our LORD has a sense of humor, but nowhere in Scripture does He ever say, “Go forth and be thou snooty, sarcastic, and snarky in My Name.”
How often I see memes and or comments from Christians on social sites, where they make fun of or use sarcasm against someone for their sin—as though no stone could touch them. I used to laugh at or feel justified to share those memes then stopped. They felt wrong in my spirit, as they should: Love builds up, not tears down. That’s what our love of God and His love in us is supposed to do. I add this: “Social” sites and media have become for many—even Christians—a daily “two minutes of rage” described in the all-too-accurate novel, 1984. However, it’s now 24/7, where we don’t speak for God against evil in spirit, but for and from our flesh—and Satan laughs at us, not with us. 
A popular question is, “What would Jesus do?” That’s the wrong question. Why? Because it leads us to interpret what we think He would do in light of our contemporary culture climate, rather than go to the Word to see what He did or said to do. Did Jesus ever speak harshly to or about anyone? Yes. But not to the not-as-yet-saved. Never to them, whom He came to set free. So who did He call not-nice names (and, FYI, the same goes for John the baptizer)? Those church leaders who were supposed to be shepherds to His sheep, who misled and burdened the people they were to guide according to God’s ways into goodness, grace, mercy, and holiness—not feed their (the leaders) self-importance and or greed for position, wealth, and power. All of us are meant to glorify God, not ourselves, as we share and be living examples of the Gospel. (It’s the same for those placed in all authority positions, by the way.) Yes, Yeshua/Jesus lost patience with His close followers at times, but He didn’t call them bad names and leave it at that: He corrected them in an appropriate way and strengthened them. He commands us to exhort with love those inside the community of followers, who call Yeshua/Jesus their LORD, Who is to be obeyed and imitated.
Holy Spirit led me to Jackie Hill Perry, starting with her 31-minute testimony, which I highly recommend be watched by anyone who is gay or trans, tempted to become gay or trans, knows and or loves someone who is gay or trans, and or doesn’t know what to think, say, or do about this, or if they should even have any thoughts about it: (748) Jackie Hill Perry’s Testimony: From LGBTQ to Born-Again Christian – YouTube If you imagine you know what she says, please keep reading, and then watch the video. Also recommended is this teaching she and her husband did regarding what a woman, man, wife, and husband are, according to God’s divine purpose for them: (769) Preston & Jackie Hill Perry: Are Headship and Submission Issues of Competence or Calling? – YouTube
In her testimonial, Perry said some things that went straight to my heart and spirit via convictions from Holy Spirit. As I did, see how many of these apply to you as well: Do we meet people who struggle with sin, with stones or with grace? Do we cause them to believe and then know that Yeshua/Jesus’ Church is a safe place? [I add this: A safe place for sinners to learn how to get free from sin’s death-grip through Yeshua/Jesus, not to get approval for and celebrated for their sin.] Do Christians avoid conversations with those struggling with certain sins out of “fear, self-righteousness—as though the sins of those people deserve Hell more than our self-righteousness does, or is it our indifference,” or perhaps all three? That “homosexuality is not the main problem, the problem is sin… a leaf on a tree of sins,” of which ALL of us are guilty, or once were, of many of those leaves, thus the need for Yeshua/Jesus to redeem ALL of us. Christians tend to focus on particular sins (especially of others) rather than the sin-nature within each of us, “When in reality, Jesus is not calling us to heterosexuality, He is calling us to holiness.”
I add this: Exchange “homosexuality” with, say, lying, pride, drunkenness, gluttony, adultery, fornication, perversion, porn, self-righteousness, greed, idol-worship, slothfulness, and on and on. God calls us to holiness, whatever our sins. We are to encourage each other to holiness. Do we care about what God thinks of our behavior? Perry advised this: Don’t let the world tell you about God; let God speak for Himself.
We’re all sinners. But we are to work with Almighty God, Who is eager to help us on that narrow path that leads to being holy as He is holy—for our eternal sake. Not only do most of us have no surface, much less deep, grasp of what this means, Satan employed a subtle, clever way to diminish reverence most might ascribe to what HOLY means. Stay with me here: We need to know how to recognize such subtle programmings of the Adversary—they permeate TV programs, ads, movies, Internet, etc. For those of a certain age, you’ll know what I mean when I refer to the TV program, Batman. I won’t claim it was in every episode, but in many (or most), Robin said, “Holy (xyz), Batman!” And generations carried that forward into holy cow, holy moly, holy crap, holy sh-t, holy hell, et cetera. My apologies: I was intentionally crude here so as to demonstrate how frequent and in ignorance is our usage of a word that applies to our unique Almighty God. This disrespectful usage of that word still escapes from me from time to time (even as I was working on a draft of this, in fact), and I repent – again.
What is it that followers of Yeshua/Jesus are supposed to do? Please watch and listen with your heart and spirit, to what is said in this 18:06-minute video. (746) Jordan Peterson’s INCREDIBLE Journey To GOD | Heartbreaking Moments on His FAITH – YouTube .
If God dwells within us, those are His eyes we see through: What do we watch or read or write? Those are His ears we listen through: What do we listen to (including gossip)? That is His heart through which we view ourselves, our loved ones, friends, neighbors, and all within our sphere of influence. Do we know Him well enough so we get ourselves out of the way so we represent Him, our King and LORD, well in this?
In It Is Finished, David Wilkerson stated as instructions the Father gave to His only begotten Son: “‘As You go to earth for Me—since You have agreed to seek out My lost ones—these works will be required of You: You must preach good tidings to the meek … bind up the brokenhearted … proclaim liberty to the captives … open prison doors to all who are bound … bear with weaknesses of the frail … break not a bruised reed … quench not a smoking flame … bear tenderly with the ignorant … feed the flock … supply their shortcomings with Your strength … gather all the lambs into Your arms and carry them in Your bosom … gently lead the young … lend Your strength to the weak … guide them with Your counsel … promise to send them the Holy Spirit to carry on the work of freedom … cherish them, perfect them and bring them home to glory with You.’” Aren’t most of those instructions ours as well? Clarification about one item on that list is needed because of the days we’re in: God did NOT mean we are to open literal prison doors and let criminals out.
Jackie Hill Perry had this commentary in her book, Holier Than Thou: How God’s Holiness Helps Us Trust Him, a
book I highly recommend. “Even social media thrives most on our neediness and the way it makes us discontent in being known and loved by God and God alone. Looking to it and not Him for love and other things, every post reveals from what place we find value and identity. Speaking of identity, we were given one from birth, but being an image-bearer is never enough when our faith is not in the One whose image we are made. The knowledge of who we are as an image-bearer testifies to who we were made for, beckoning us to worship Someone more supreme than ourselves. In the exchange of the truth about God for the lie that social media can become, every ‘like’ feels like praise, every comment feels like prayer, and every follow feels like heaven, one that we have constructed to the glory of our own name. It’s given us a way to feel as if we know everything, mimicking omniscience. And by giving us access into the hearts (by way of words), lives, families, jobs, finances, past and present of anyone with a page for themselves, we are able to experience a lesser form of omnipresence. Do you find it odd that the way we have chosen to cope with our humanity is by attempting to rise above it? To build the Tower of Babel with the fruit we were commanded not to eat, climb to the top, peek into the heavens and declare ourselves god? On the surface, the idol looks like social media, at the root, the idol is us.”
Perry also wrote, “Starting a gospel presentation with ‘Do you know that you’re a sinner?” is the wrong way to begin…. When sharing that good, good news, we should—dare I say must—begin with ‘Did you know that God is holy?’” Rather than throwing people’s sin(s) in their face and telling why they are less (than we are), we should be revealing the holiness of God—starting with our behavior—and calling / inviting them to seek His holiness, and let Him help them become holy, as He is helping us. But how can we call others to embrace God’s holiness and entice them to want to become holy as well if we do not demonstrate / live what that holiness looks like. Feels like. Is.
And this is the very complaint I hear or see in comments and memes from those who are yelling at Christian claimants because of our unholy behaviors (yes, despite their own unrecognized unholy behaviors). Here’s what I think: Many of those people yelling at our poor examples are hungry for right examples, hungry for us to prove what we say we believe about Yeshua/Jesus—and be living evidence of how He changes us and how He loves them enough to change them as well. I believe they are hungry for the light that is God in a world growing darker by the minute. They’re drowning and we yell at them for being trapped in the eddy, just because we now stand on the shore, even if we’re still in mud up to our ankles—or deeper. For the love of God, let’s stop yelling at each other.
Let’s get into our prayer closets and ask Holy Spirit to lead us according to God’s heart, which made clear we are to exhort in truth and love. We need to open our Bibles and pray for the Father’s heart and will to be done through us. I’m So Far Behind on All of This! But God is gracious, long-suffering, and delights in teaching and growing me. Thank You, Father! Remember this: Prayers ARE life-preservers, sometimes literally as well as spiritually, for our sake and the sake of others. Remember this as well, as Jackie Hill Perry said: God may be more concerned with our sanctification than our comfort. Too many have believed the deception that making Yeshua/Jesus our King gets us a residence on Easy Street or that if we’re not dealing with certain or major problems (or spiritual attacks), we’re one of God’s favored ones (which such a belief shows how little, if any, time has been spent in His Word or listening to wolves-in-sheep’s-clothing shepherds).
God’s teaching is not always easy. Reading Burgess’ book, for example, of which I’m about a third of the way into. When he writes what I agree with, my flesh is happy. But let him say something in a particular way, and my flesh-ego frowns big-time. So I pray and ask for God’s Truth and increased discernment. Because the current culture climate some of us feel hammered over the head with, triggers us—me—and my flesh balks, especially when Burgess uses a phrase such as “social justice.”
So I pray, and Holy Spirit whispers, “Keep reading, but listen with the heart of the Father and Son, recall the Word, and put the world’s noisy demands on your mind and heart and criticisms aside.” And I then read from Burgess, “Justice and mercy are often segregated in the Christianity of the Land, but in Scripture, they are attached at the hip…. We are talking about how Scripture defines social justice. The phrase has been hijacked, stuffed with all kinds of definitions, and then deployed as a buzzword for a new culture war…. I love the way John Wesley described social justice. He called it ‘social holiness,’ connecting just acts toward others to holy living. As the author of Hebrews says, ‘Without [holiness] no one will see the Lord.’ This helps us feel the weight of what we are talking about.”
Indeed—I agree. Reading Burgess’ book is becoming more of a search for God’s heart, especially as it brings certain scriptures to mind, while also realizing I have more tentacles of the kingdom of this world attached to me than I realized. I recall Yeshua/Jesus’ words about what it may cost to follow Him. Some of those pockets I have to dig into for coin are really deep. God said we’re to be sanctified—separate—unto Him, that is, unlike the world. When you read that, do you pause to think of what it might mean? Or why it might be important?
I don’t agree 100% with everything Burgess avers (none of us agree with anyone 100% of the time), but I do understand that he and I have not walked in the same shoes (or skin), so we each owe the other respectful leeway and open ears and hearts as to how we’ve integrated and personalized our unique experiences. I see him “speak Jesus,” only to turn around and speak that hammer I referred to in the above paragraph, and I check to see how many of my own narratives surface in reaction. I’m reminded of what a wise person said: “To judge how your life has gone is to judge God.” That’s one to think about, and then to repent about.
I turned the page and heard Holy Spirit whisper again: “Recognize worldly intrusion from both of you for what it is. Look for the kernels of Kingdom Truth.” So I read this next paragraph in his book, quoted here, and wondered if he, too, has to remind himself at times of the truth he wrote in the second sentence: “There will inevitably be places where you agree with BLM, critical race theorists, and even socialists. Do not fear that your faith is now in jeopardy because someone you perceive as an ideological opponent has a good (or better) point. All truth is God’s truth, and it will be in these truth intersections that we find windows to proclaim the excellency of Christ!”
Honestly, when you just read that, how often and strongly were you triggered about some of his words? I still am, though far lesser than at first, but is evidence of how successful Satan has been with all of us. They’re words we should consider as part of why God wants us to be a community of His followers, one that represents Him and His Kingdom. That’s a skin not necessarily easy to shed for any of us. But the born-again in Yeshua/Jesus are “new men” through Him. Holy Spirit helps us shed that old skin over time—faster for some than others.
But reading Burgess brings up a thought I’ve carried for a while: Is dialogue about what’s in the past needed for healing or is assessment needed about how we process the past and dialogue about it? Where does grace, mercy, forgiveness, and moving forward in Kingdom fit into such dialogue? Would it be about us or about Yeshua/Jesus as it should be? We all fall short of the glory of God. Let’s be compassionate with each other about this. Because, accept it or not, we’re moving in the Latter Days. The past is a giant boulder dragging us down and we have much to do regarding what’s coming.
I understand the point Burgess made. I also understand how “truth,” when not agreed upon, is open to interpretation, gets processed through our filter. Example: I shared a meme the other day with this quote, “What is LEGAL is not always MORAL.” It seems like a straightforward statement. In reality, it’s too available for personal interpretation. As a Yeshua/Jesus follower, I understand it in a particular way. But one person “Liked” it. And I shook my head because I know this person to be pro-choice, pro-same-sex marriage, pro-trans, who is more upset with those who are trying to protect children from the sexualizing teaching/training, body mutilation, and explicit, pornographic books as part of their school-age indoctrination than what’s being done to the children, and on and on—and is one who is consistent in criticism of Christians, of which she sees herself as a better one for her tolerance. Tricky stuff: We both agree with the statement but not with what it represents.
Tied in with all written here so far, genuine confusion about judging others exists and needs clearing up, because “Judge not” is used often as a hammer on Christians, even by Christians. In Matthew 7:1 CJB, Yeshua/Jesus said, “Don’t judge so that you won’t be judged.” From The Gospel according to Moses: What my Jewish friends taught me about Jesus by Athol Dickson (and biblical research scholars), we continue this topic with the following: “…but hopefully this point is beyond dispute: civilized people must be allowed to judge each other’s behavior or civilization will dissolve into anarchy. In the same way, holiness depends upon the judgment of what is holy. Put differently, holiness by definition depends upon the separation of what is holy from what is not, and that is only possible if we can judge one from another…. In saying, ‘Do not judge or you too will be judged,’ I believe Jesus has commanded me not to presume to know my neighbor’s spiritual status before God. A few of the Pharisees of Jesus’ day made it their business to point at those who did not observe their brand of Judaism and say, ‘God has excluded you.’ But in commanding ‘Do not judge,’ Jesus warns that the treatment of souls is God’s business and none of mine. Faith in Jesus does not entitle me to pronounce spiritual judgment on any specific person any more than the Pharisees gained that right through obedience to the Torah. According to Jesus, when I condemn any individual as unworthy of heaven, I put my own immortal soul at risk.”
“For the way you judge others is how you will be judged — the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you.” – Matthew 7:2 CJB
However, the Word is clear about how and who we are to judge. It’s clear as to what we’re to do regarding someone who claims to follow Almighty God but willfully continues in rebellion and sin against God, as found in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 CJB: “In my earlier letter I wrote you not to associate with people who engage in sexual immorality. I didn’t mean the sexually immoral people outside your community, or the greedy, or the thieves or the idol-worshippers — for then you would have to leave the world altogether! No, what I wrote you was not to associate with anyone who is supposedly a brother but who also engages in sexual immorality, is greedy, worships idols, is abusive, gets drunk or steals. With such a person you shouldn’t even eat! For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Isn’t it those who are part of the community that you should be judging? God will judge those who are outside. Just expel the evildoer from among yourselves.”
Am I saying not to call out evil for what it is, as God commands us to do? Not at all. I am saying to revisit or visit for the first time, God’s Word on all of this in multiple scriptures. Please know this: We are not the saviors of the world, Yeshua/Jesus is. And He told us that we’ll sometimes realize we need to “shake the dust” off our feet (move on) when He and His Gospel, and we, are rejected. Let Him guide us about this: He may tell us to move or to stay—trusting in Him, I add.
But understand it’s a bigger picture. Ask God to increase your understanding: He always answers that prayer! Ask Him to help you put Him first and foremost in your thoughts, words, and actions. And how to serve Him. God does not call everyone to be a missionary, or a pastor, or something we may fear He’ll call us to. Ask Him to help you be holier today than you were yesterday. He’ll let you know when and what He wants you to do for Him, whether that’s to be an intercessor or perform another service, whether that’s for a few minutes or as a permanent service position for Him.
However, there’s a temptation to either decide what you’re to do or let someone else tell you what to do for God. Here’s an example of why you should ask God to lead you then wait upon the LORD to make His will and purpose clear. If you don’t know who Henry Gruver is, look him up online and on YouTube. He was a prayer walker for God, Who’d send Henry all over the world to walk and pray over and for people and locations. While in Ohio once, Henry decided to prayer-walk Serpent Mound. The spiritual attacks were vicious. He dragged himself away from there and asked God what had happened. God informed him that He had not instructed Henry to go there. God’s Word has numerous examples of what happens when we decide what to do without God’s instructions or approval.
Something Burgess’ book is helping me to realize I must do is slow down enough at times, to take a moment to assess my thoughts so that my words and actions or inaction, as needed, get filtered through the lens of God’s Kingdom ways and not my flesh-ego or what is familiar or expected of me by anyone but Almighty God. I pray all of us who call Him our Almighty God, our Yahweh Elohim, ask Him for His grace in this matter.
Regarding Yeshua/Jesus being “the Way,” Athol Dickson wrote about his Jewish friend: “Miraculously, my relationship with Henry survived our discussion about ‘one way.’ Perhaps because he could see I had no intention of setting myself up as the judge of his immortal soul, Henry continues to speak to me today in friendly terms. But Henry tells me he is not at peace with God, so I do pray for him from time to time. I hope he does not mind a Christian’s prayers. If he heard the words I speak to God on his behalf, I think he would approve. My prayer is not that he will ‘make a public profession of faith in Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior,’ as the Christian tracts all say. I can tell Henry has been too deeply wounded by Christians over the years to express faith in those terms. The name of Jesus has been corrupted for Henry by some among those who claim to love it best. So my prayer instead is that he will come to know the God who loves him, the One who was there in the beginning, who was with God, and was God, and through whom all things were made, who is the way, the truth, and the life, and the light of men. Henry tells me he has no peace with God, but who knows? Maybe some day he will come to believe that God became flesh and dwelled among us, first in the Garden, then at Mamre and Peniel and Sinai and Bethlehem, and Henry might take his hand, and let the God who has felt the pain of living here on earth gently lift him up. That is my prayer for Henry and all the world.”
That is my prayer as well. We can trust only those whom we truly know and know as trustworthy, and in what regard. If we don’t trust Almighty God, it’s because we don’t know Him, and He alone is the only One to be trusted in all things. That trust in Him arises in two ways: Personal experience and, firstly as well as jointly, faith in His faithfulness. Each builds and strengthens the other. May Almighty God incite a desire in our hearts to know Him with greater intimacy so that placing our full trust in Him, even unto the death, if required, is more natural to us than not, inspires peace in us, not fear.
May God pour His grace and mercy upon us. May He strengthen us against the wearying wiles and deceptions and lies of the Adversary and his minions. May God refresh us with His Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ Holy Name, let us agree in spirit, heart, and mindfully as we say . . . Amen. [I invite you to read Coach Dave Daubenmire’s excellent article: Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! – News With Views and for facts you need to know but may not, (773) Breaking: “Era Of Global Boiling” / Power Outages / Mike From Around World / Paul Begley – YouTube – the amazing weekly guest joins the program around the 1hr, 16min mark.]
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