Decay Pt. 2: Welcome To Rome

Something remarkable happened since my last blog post (part 1 of this series). At the University of California-Berkeley another riot erupted. This time it was a “protest” in regards to a gay conservative speaker from England. Not just did the students destroy property and try to burn everything down (as they always seem to do these days. It is quite the “in” thing), but there were reports of a conservative woman being assaulted, and another Trump supporter was thrown to the ground. The latter escaped, but the “protesters” grabbed his pro-Trump hat and set it on fire. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if he didn’t escape. Would he have been a human torch? The amazing part about this “protest” was in regards to what it was over. Typically most secular colleges these days lean towards the left. They are for homosexuality and immigration. This is common knowledge. If you don’t believe me and need facts then just put on a “Make America Great Again” shirt, grab a Bible, and go down to your local University and try to discuss with the local students why we need borders and need to eliminate abortion and see what happens. However the speaker was both gay and foreign. So why the uproar? Because whereas they are liberal, he is a conservative. They torched, destroyed, and beat down their fellow man in a rage because they almost had someone speak at their campus who simply thought different than they do. This is a scene that has become almost daily news since the election almost three months ago. Why the hate? Why the divide? Why the complete disregard for humanity and sanity? Why has mankind (particularly in America as of late) become unrestrained savages? It seems as though all of this is over politics. However, you may recall, I ended my last blog post by saying “this isn’t about politics”. So what is it about?

            In June of 2015 the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage across the board. Nobody could deny the rights of marriage to same sex couples any longer. Many Americans celebrated this victory. I remember reading that one of the most searched topics from that day online was Romans 1. I don’t remember the exact details. Could it have been non-believers searching in order to see whether God’s Word does in fact condemn this sin? Could it have been Christians seeking ammunition for their argument now that they were going to be vilified? No matter who it was we know that a great deal of people recognized that Romans 1 has something to say about it.

            Paul’s epistle to Rome was written to a church that he had never set foot in, which explains why it is such a theological masterpiece. In Chapter 1 he goes into great detail about the sinful state of man and God’s wrath. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18). But what wrath are we speaking of here? It is the wrath of stepping away… of turning away from man who has rejected and turned away from God. When Paul writes “Therefore God also gave them up… (v.24), For this reason God gave them up… (v.26), God gave them over… (v.28)” he is basically saying that because mankind wants nothing to do with God, then God gives them what they want. He walks away. In context it looks like this:

Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. (vv. 19-23).

            What the apostle is saying is that mankind knows of God through natural revelation, as well as an inward knowledge of a “higher power”. This is why man has followed religion since the beginning of time. This is why as far back as the Old Testament times there was paganism. Man knew of a god, they just didn’t know Who was God. This is illustrated in Acts 17 when Paul addresses the philosophers at Athens: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD…” (Acts 17:22-23). The men of Athens certainly knew of a god.

            However, in America and the world over, mankind has rejected God. Mankind has fallen in lust with darkness and thus has suppressed the inner and outer knowledge of any higher power or god. To them religion is for the weak and foolish. As our above passage in Romans states, they believe that they know better than God. They believe that they know right from wrong better than God and His Word. In doing so they believe that truth is not absolute, but whatever you perceive it to be. This is known as moral relativism. This thought pattern crates a new god. But instead of it being birds, animals, and creeping things it becomes something else… MAN.

            Man is now the new god. He knows what is best. He knows what is true, right, and wrong. And the standard is not set by any law, but by each individual. But is this why we are in the state that we are in? Paul goes on to state “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,  who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (Romans 1: 24-25). In turning away from man and giving them what they want, God’s moral compass within man decays rapidly. This is why our society is going into a tailspin at breakneck speeds. Man follows the lusts of his heart and when left unrestrained to his own vices, man can do some seriously vile things. Things that are morally grotesque and unnatural, yet so beautiful and natural in his own eyes. Things that are even harmful to those around him. Yet who are we to condemn man for him pleasing his own flesh as his selfish desires consume him like cancer? After all, he knows best. Billions of different little “gods”, with their own different views, with their own different ways, and with a desire for everyone else to see it his/her way.

We shouldn’t be shocked when there is an explosion on the six o’ clock news…

Decay Pt.1: The Beginning of the End

No time in the history of American civilization has the depravity of man been on display as the most recent election year in 2016. When I was growing up I remember men with integrity and character being the nominee of their respective party and I am certain that it had been that way since the beginning. I remember a big tantrum being thrown during the 1992 presidential race because both George Bush and Bill Clinton were accused of having affairs. As a matter of fact, we all know what became of Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. An adulterous affair and the following cover-up were certainly the black cloud that threatened Clinton and his presidency. America wanted honest men. Men who stood for something and were faithful to their country, their families, and their God.

However, 2016 was different. The decay became evident, yet many Christians and conservatives couldn’t see it, and many anti-Christians and liberals failed to believe it. The sphere of decay was evident before the nominees were even named for the Republican and Democratic parties. Marriage had slipped into nothingness as men began marrying men, women began marrying women, pedophiles began to cry out for the same privileges, and men and women continued to treat the sacredness of their marriage as if it was just some passing new flavor at Starbucks. You don’t like it? Throw it out and get something else! The innocence of the children continued to dissolve as they grew up too fast on Twitter. And a million innocent babies never got to see the sunshine, stars, and moon.

These things shouldn’t have surprised anyone because we knew that eventually we would get there. The most baffling, however, is that the police became the enemy. Black lives were the only ones that mattered as officer after officer took a bullet and left behind children and wives. As a matter of fact, if you even said that “all lives mattered”, you ran the risk of being assaulted because to state such obvious truth was “racist”.

If you disagreed with the left, you were a foolish bigot (especially if you were a Christian who disagreed with homosexuality). If you disagreed with the right, you were called a “libtard”, among other things. Hate became redefined as simply disagreeing with or questioning someone else. More and more mankind split itself right down the middle in America. We became a nation divided with wounds split wide open for the whole world to see and the blood flows like the Nile.

Then came the election. There were many to be chosen. Men of honesty, integrity, character, and faith. However, on one side, we chose an angry, foul-mouthed narcissist with multiple marriages who, despite his “Christian faith”, has nothing to repent of. On the other side we chose a woman who has a track record of dishonesty and lying and had ample evidence stacked against her before she even became the nominee. And she won!?! Even though socialism has failed every nation that has tried it, there were a lot of people who really wanted the socialist to take her place as the nominee. This is what we wanted as leaders. Despite our choices this is what we chose to lead us. This has become the American people’s idea of good leadership.

During the debates both candidates fought and spewed insults that were even below that of two fifth graders fighting by the monkey bars during recess. And their supporters followed suit against the other side. It became a contest as to see who could insult the other the worst. But the worst of the worst came after the election. Trump supporters were beaten in the streets by Clinton supporters. The insults increased and people were smeared just as much as the blood that was in the streets. Rioters looted and destroyed property because the election didn’t turn out the way that they wanted. Hatred reigned supreme. Over two months later, the day after Trump’s inauguration, the fires still burned as many women marched in the streets, dressed as their own perverted genitalia, holding signs spewing hate, rioting still, and cursing those who they had seen as a threat to their cause. But how can we call the mass murdering of unborn children a “cause”?

I was once a “metal head” and one of my favorite bands then was Tool. On one album they have a song called “Right in Two” and there is a lyric that has returned to my mind in these recent days:

Monkey killing monkey killing monkey.
Over pieces of the ground.
Silly monkeys give them thumbs.
They make a club.
And beat their brother, down.
How they survive so misguided is a mystery.

            How did we get here? Men exchanging sexual relations and vows with the like, women as well? Brother killing brother over political differences? Christians being persecuted over their beliefs that have been intact since the beginning of creation? Bullies bullying bullies over their differences of opinion? Crimson rivers flooding their banks? Eyes fixated upon darkness in lust? God in the grave and mankind upon the pedestal?

And society calls it good!

How did we, as the evolutionists would like to say, become like the Neanderthals?

Black vs. white vs. citizen vs. non-citizen vs. gay vs. straight vs. woman vs. man vs. family vs. urban vs. rural vs. upper class vs. middle class vs. lower class vs. veteran vs. pacifist vs. well off vs. welfare vs. you vs. me vs. America vs. everyone else vs. thugs vs. police vs. media vs. truth vs. common man vs. Hollywood vs. Christian vs. atheist vs. my rights vs. your rights….

Republican vs. Democrat…

Conservative vs. Liberal…

Trump vs. Clinton…

But…

THIS ISN’T ABOUT POLITICS.

Can God be glorified in a car accident? A lesson in faith and honesty.

"All things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28).

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).

"Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me" (Psalm 50:15).


The answer is yes. He allows things to happen in our lives for His reason that we will grow and He will receive the glory. Case in point- my car accident on June 10th. Let me actually first back this story up to last February so that I can bridge the gap between two events that I feel The Lord used to strengthen my faith in Him.

In February of this year I got a letter in the mail to be called for jury duty. I did not think too much of this and I was kind of excited to go sit on a trial for a day. Well the county in which I live jury duty is a month long jury term. My term was the entire month of March. There were five trials that I was to attend. This all taking place when things were so slow at work that they were begging for us to go home (without pay in my case). Luckily I was excused from all trials that month, but I did miss a considerable amount of time from work waiting at the courthouse to be excused. I could not figure out why God would send this to me considering what we were going through financially. Then one day driving home from the courthouse I felt overwhelming peace come over me. "Have faith" He said to me. His voice alone gave me faith that this was for a reason and everything would work out.

Because of the lack of work and jury duty, we fell behind on our van payment. Then again....and again. By May we were almost three months behind on our payment and constantly getting calls throughout the day of repossession threats. I prayed and prayed for deliverance...but it seemed like all I heard was the wind and crickets. His "Have faith" was sounding more like "Yeah, right!".

Then it hit me. An idea? No. A green 1993 Ford Ranger? Yes. It hit me so hard that my back felt it...and the van's back REALLY felt it. Obviously the other guy's insurance handled the repairs and medical expenses. I was actually hoping it was totaled so that we could just walk away from it and the three months behind that we were. I was sure this was the reason why God allowed this to happen. WRONG. The van was not totaled. So now we were three months behind on a van that was in a body shop. Can they repo a vehicle when it is locked up in a body shop? Not to mention I missed time from work because of my injury. Now we REALLY couldn’t pay on our van.
But for some strange reason, in a situation that stresses and depresses most people, I was at peace the entire time. I even announced on Facebook before I knew the outcome of all this that "God would be glorified". I had faith and I knew this was for a reason, that we would not fall for it, and that the glory would be His. Then God said "I told you to have faith. Now watch me work."

We received a phone call from the medical division of the other guy's insurance. They wanted to pay my medical bills up to July 2nd (I had already been “OK’D” by the doctors at this point), pay for my two days that I missed, and pay me a settlement fee. The settlement fee was the exact amount we needed to pay up on our van. At this point I realized that through an odd way, God answered our prayers. I was in tears and speechless. I couldn't even thank God because I was so shaken up by His power. The glory was His. Praise The Lord!!!
That was my lesson in faith. Faith was something I have always had trouble with. Doubt was always Satan's tool for me. Not anymore. Thank You Jesus!

I think that the ultimate reason that we were blessed with this victory and God was glorified was because we did exactly what we all should do when we are faced with storms and trials. We announced the presence of God before the battle began. Did not David announce the presence of God and that he would be delivered against Goliath? “The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” (1 Samuel 17:37, NLT)

Now for a little lesson in honesty. Right after the accident I heard it all. From "Sue him!", to "DO NOT settle with his insurance company. Get as much as you can out of them...even thousands of dollar$$$$." Chris....milk them for everything. Fake your injuries. Roll over and die. Get rich quick. Blah! Blah! Blah! Thanks for the friendly advice, but I am so glad I listen to The Lord Almighty and not worldly people. Why would I take this answer to my prayers and tell God "Thanks for answering my prayers, but it's not good enough. I want more money?" The other driver made a simple mistake that many drivers make. I was hurt with minor injuries, checked out, OK‘d, and that was that. His insurance done everything they were supposed to do without trying to weasel out and were honest. So why should I repay honesty with dishonesty? For greed? Isn't that what’s wrong with the world today? Greed? Why should I beat the situation to death and beat this other driver to death over a mistake that I know he wishes we both could take back? I know that if I were in his shoes I would not want the other guy to take advantage of me and my insurance company. Shouldn't we "Do unto others as we would have them do unto us?" I think If the people who wished me dishonesty would read the "words in red" in the New Testament, they would understand where I am coming from. God had already proven to me and shown to me His will in this matter. He had shown me that His will said "It is finished".