Are We Awake?

Are we awake? Do we see the hour? Ours is a nation once founded on Godly principles, ... a country who's currency even went as far as to state "In God We Trust" ... and now? Today the persecution of the truth is alive and well ... and it's quietly growing steadily stronger ...

For example: a group of people in our country driven by their own unnatural and disgusting lusts has determined in their own intellect to change the definition of marriage and it's efforts are gaining momentum in the society of our nation. Sympathy is growing in American society for these people to end the "discrimination" against them. But even if in fact the definition of right and wrong and the definition of marriage are changed by men, are they truly changed before God? Do the declarations of reprobate minds have the power to change what God has already declared? Who is the judge that holds the power over life and death - man or God? Has there ever really been any question? What intellect and insolence would seek to over rule our God? What spirit would lead them to even think to challenge these things?

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Romans 1:24-32, 24 "So God let them go ahead and do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies. 25 Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever. Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relationships with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men and, as a result, suffered within themselves the penalty they so richly deserved. 28 When they refused to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their evil minds and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving. 32 They are fully aware of God's death penalty for those who do these things, yet they go right ahead and do them anyway. And, worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. "

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In case there's question as to what God says about homosexuality ...

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Leviticus 18:22 " Do not practice homosexuality, it is a detestable sin."

Leviticus 20:13 " The penalty for homosexual acts is death to both parties. They have committed a detestable act and are guilty of a capital offense."

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I'm not making a case to say that any sin is greater than any other. God will be our judge. But, sin is still sin as declared by our unchanging, righteous and holy God despite what any would reason.

There's a growing trend in our country that is causing many Christians who truly believe what God has said grave concern. It's a campaign that declares that those who accept God's word as truth are hateful and intolerant and it has God's truth as its declared enemy. It's a campaign that declares that men led by their own intellect are their own judge and would declare that men, not God have the right to determine for themselves the truth of right and wrong. But in reality by their own declarations, driven by limited intellect and insolent thinking they're declaring that they hate the truth, it's Author and His people. Both God and His truth existed before them and in spite of anything they say or do, in the end neither are mocked. The greatest, most intellectually powerful and inspired reasoning of man on any given subject will find itself slamming into the immoveable truth on the day of judgement with catastrophic results. We need to take care that we are not misled to be among its victims ...

There's a growing darkness that threatens the nation founded as "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all". Its creator is beyond cunning and has had centuries to study the hearts of men and assess their weakness. He not only knows the Word of God likely better than we, but he was present to hear it as God spoke it and he's watched the history of man unfold since the beginning. His attack is well thought out and well planned and it's dark and murderous goal is the eradication of everything holy including God's children. It marks the beginning of a renewed persecution of the true children of God and also puts a checkmark next to the beginning of certain prophecy of end times. If you slumber in comfortable complacency and do not see it - it will overtake you while you slumber. If you stand ignorant of its intention - then it will lead you away like lemmings over the edge.

If I sound like an alarmist, then consider that in our country: unborn babies are commonly murdered every day, the vile filth of homosexuality is not only becoming commonplace but acceptable and its opponents reviled, unholy spirituality and the supernatural are a big dark attraction, money and possessions are among the biggest obsessions of our society, pushing the limits of wisdom and righteousness are an attraction to our young, adherence to the word of God and belief in God Himself are scoffed at without rebuke, etc... Do I really need to go on? This is not a fading trend, but a growing one and ignorance of it isn't something that the true warriors of God can afford to ignore. satan's grip on our media tightens day by day and week by week. If you don't see it, then you're not paying attention - consider it's spirit. Does its obsessions reflect the positive and holy spirit of our God? Or rather the perverse, the wicked, the dark and the sensationally negative?

As preparations for the great and final battle foretold in prophecy begin to take shape, will we see the shadow of the enemy darken the horizon? Will we hear the noise of their assembly grow nearer? Won't those who reside in the shadow between light and darkness, closest to the gathering enemy be the first to fall? I'm watching the spirit of our nation and assessing its growing qualities - greed, deception, murder, rebellion, vanity, pride, callousness, selfishness, lust, etc. The bait to these things is everywhere and it's touted repeatedly in our faces through our media. It's designed to appeal to the weaknesses of our flesh and many are drawn to it. We're watching it happen before our eyes, yet many don't recognize it and worse yet, many are being drawn away from the safety of our Lord's camp by their curiosity to explore the luring activity.

Don't allow yourself to be lured into thinking that standing in the hazy shadow between the light and the dark is still in the light - you will without question be forced to make a choice - either made consciously or unconsciously. But never forget that to stand in the presence of the light requires a choice made consciously and continually and that it may have a cost. But in the end, we know the cost that's truly at stake - We know that this life represents nothing in the face of the life we were created for, but that it's in this fleeting moment that we determine for all the time of eternity where we will continue to live - either in His presence, or in the true and inescapable reality of damnation. Black ... and white, there is no gray.

Now is a time for us to be prayerfully aware and battle ready. It's a time to move beyond just fighting the busying and distracting symptoms that are thrown at us to also confront the source of the disease in Christ's power and spirit. It's a time for us to be careful not to walk in a self righteous and condemning spirit (for we ourselves were once condemned and our own failed righteousness helped lead us there), but to walk instead in the true spirit of our Savior making available to them the same truth of His love, righteousness and His omnipotent saving power that saved us also. - Remembering that conviction comes by the Holy Spirit upon hearing the truth ... the responsibility of sharing that truth ... is on us.

In the spiritual realm, the battle lines between the light and the dark are as clear as they've ever been by our God's Word. Our God is alive and well - His spirit moving among His children. He does not sleep and has not changed. But the same cannot necessarily be said about the whole of Christ's church. The deceiver walks among us to lead away any who will follow. There is no darkness in the light. but our God's enemy will do his best to bring about compromise and confusion and draw us away by things that appeal to our flesh.

Do you remember what time it is??? ...

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Matthew 24:4-28, 4 Jesus told them, "Don't let anyone mislead you. 5For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah.' They will lead many astray. 6And wars will break out near and far, but don't panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won't follow immediately. 7The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come.9"Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because of your allegiance to me. 10And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11And many false prophets will appear and will lead many people astray. 12Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13But those who endure to the end will be saved. 14And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will come.15"The time will come when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about: the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place" -- reader, pay attention! 16"Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 17A person outside the house must not go inside to pack. 18A person in the field must not return even to get a coat. 19How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for mothers nursing their babies in those days. 20And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21For that will be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again. 22In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, the entire human race will be destroyed. But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones.23"Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah,' or 'There he is,' don't pay any attention. 24For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones. 25See, I have warned you.26"So if someone tells you, 'Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,' don't bother to go and look. Or, 'Look, he is hiding here,' don't believe it! 27For as the lightning lights up the entire sky, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. 28Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.

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We've been warned by our Lord to be on our guard and that there's a plot against us ... are we awake? Do we know what time it is?