Our Troubles Are Just Beginning!

"I will hand them over to trouble, to all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.” --- Jeremiah 15:4

There are certain acts on the part of the Creator of this universe that are to be avoided at all costs and some people at least, as they think through the issues, will agree. But the major problem is that we are at that stage in the history of our republic that God is not considered to be worthy of serious consideration by the majority.

And there is a rather popular heresy that has been adopted within the religious element of our country that refuses to acknowledge that God may be capable of doing some things that are rather negative in scope. For too many, God is a God Who would never do anything that is unpleasant and nasty in our way of thinking – after all, God is a God of love and we are all His children, right? To which a number of persons would give a hearty “Amen!” if not too worried as to what people might think if such an utterance came out of their mouth!

A nation that has its roots in the acknowledgment of God. serious attention to His Word and in its earlier years possessed a national spirit that sought to honor God on part of leaders and citizens will experience blessings as obedience is considered a priority and increased troubles as it lapses into a state of disobedience.

The history of a nation of long ago demonstrates clearly WHAT NOT TO DO in relationship to God. Eventually these people were informed that God was going to hand them over to trouble! Most will pay no attention to this lesson, so it is certain that we will repeat it as did they and learn the hard way that ignoring God is very costly and ultimately very deadly.

The troubles are a mix of many things – an unstable weather system, financial chaos, increased conflicts, military setbacks and defeat, diseases, and eventually overrun or coming under the control of foreign powers! It is a wise thing to review the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy from time to time -- that way when things begin to break loose some of us are not surprised.

Take a good honest look and see this drama being played out before your very eyes. There may be a day come when our leaders (political and religious) will issue an appeal that we should seek God and pray for His help – that is, when the troubles handed to us become so intense that we have come to the end of our rope and find out that we can’t solve all these problems by ourselves! And just what do you think God’s answer will be?

Here’s one possibility – “…. For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they will say, 'Arise and save us.' But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, if they can save you in the time of your trouble; for according to the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah. Why will you plead with Me? You all have transgressed against Me," says the LORD. --- Jeremiah 2:27b-29

Face it -- our elected officials in Washington DC and at the state level haven't done a single thing to help move this nation toward a favorable relationship with Almighty God -- if anything, their attitudes, political shenanigans and lifestyles constitute giving God an obscene gesture! Our troubles are really just beginning!

But they paid no attention, and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel. And the LORD spoke by His servants the prophets, saying, "Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations( he has acted more wickedly than all the Amorites who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols), therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle.”…….. Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin with which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD. --- 2 Kings 21:9-12, 16

Obama Will Lose His “War!”

The Obama Administration and Fox News have started to become rivals, with the White House commenting that Fox was, “opinion journalism masquerading as news.” --- Internet news release, October 21, 2009

A long, long time ago God made as plain as it could be stated – leaders in governing authority and the citizens of the nation over which they govern who do not listen to Him are bound to fail. One shocking way that God has of revealing this is found in the book of Jeremiah:

“You have forsaken Me," says the LORD, "you have gone backward. Therefore I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you; I am weary of relenting!” --- Jeremiah 15:6

"Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.’” --- Jeremiah 18:11

Much publicity has been generated over the “war” that has erupted between the Obama administration and Fox News network. Personally, I don’t watch Fox News that much – a little of Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and the others goes a long way! And their parade of females makes one wonder if we are being exposed to a competitive beauty pageant masquerading as “intellectual expertise” in some area or other!

The hard fact of the matter is that Fox News, as has Obama and members of his administration, has not really dealt honestly with what the actual root problem of this republic is, which is spiritual and moral in nature. The Fox people and others claiming to be conservative continue to attack what are perceived to be the political “problems” and what they believe has to be done to cure them. This has aroused the wrath of Obama and his supporters. The tragedy is that among these warring parties is the omission of the first step that has to be taken in order to start a process of healing and restoration within our nation. It’s called repenting from sin (personal and collective) and calling on God for mercy and forgiveness.

Whatever degree of improvement might be made through political maneuvering at this stage would be like treating a patient who is suffering from a deadly melanoma with a couple of aspirin tablets! There might be a temporary form of relief from discomfit but the deadly cancer is still there doing its terminal work.

Obama is a loser and through his influence will cause this republic to lose in the most tragic fashion. He is the first president to take the lowest view of human life possible and to aggressively support the massive destruction of unborn children not only within the borders of the United States but has actively taken action so that tax money from our nation goes into foreign nations to support those organizations which provide services resulting in the brutal mutilation and murders of unborn children.

Anyone who believes God is going to bless this nation under such leadership as that is worse than an ostrich with its head stuck in the sand and unwilling to face reality as to where we as a nation are headed.

Obama doesn’t realize that he has had his 3 strikes, is out, and has lost. Three more years will only see things worsen as God continues to issue His warnings and employs those measures that should wake people up and make them aware of the need to repent. There is nothing to indicate at this stage that any significant changes are going to take place and so the foolish and very unprofitable “war” continues!

You see, when Almighty God is against you, you are always the loser!

Then they will cry to the LORD, but He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, because they have been evil in their deeds. --- Micah 3:4

Glenn Beck Asks, “Why?”

“What has happened to us?” --- question posed by Glenn Beck on recent Fox News program

Glenn Beck gave considerable time and attention to the brutal beating and death of an honor student in Chicago recently. The student was not a member of a gang and went to the assistance of a friend caught in a melee involving a couple of gangs.

The episode was caught on video tape and Fox News played it repeatedly, including high exposure on Beck’s program.

Glenn asked why such a thing happened and then lamented how things have changed in our nation – at one point with intense emotion he asked, “What has happened to us?”

Sadly, he didn’t really get to the root of what has happened to us over past decades. Here is what we have going for us at the present time:

we have tallied nearly 51 million intentional mutilations and murders in the human womb and continue doing so at the rate of about 25,000 every week! Never forget that these are nothing less than deliberate acts of violence against defenseless and innocent human beings.

we have a deadly trio which spews out violence in many forms to which our young folk are exposed on a daily basis. The exposure begins in the early formative years of their lives. This trio consists of the movie, TV and gaming industries. They’ve been at it for a long time and the seeds they have sown are maturing and bringing forth fruit which makes people ask, “Why?” The result is that our young are literally being “programmed” to react violently when things don’t go their way – differences with others are to be settled in a violent manner.

sexual immorality in its many forms of expression is beyond the pandemic stage. Again, the movie and TV industries have made a significant contribution and the young are encouraged to see for themselves just how much fun it is to be engaged in sexual activity. And the internet is an excellent source of any and every kind of sexual activity which the young can easily access. One rather recent shocking statistic released by the CDC reveals that one out of every four teenaged females has at least one STD (sexually transmitted disease) and some have more than one! Our sex ed classes just haven’t gotten the little tykes to get that condom on the banana correctly, have they?

Our massive idolatry and rejection of God’s standards for a sane, sensible, serene, solid, and “steady as she goes” republic has brought us to the precipice of judgment at the hands of a holy God.

There are a number of other things that could be mentioned, but the preceding issues are more than enough to establish the fact as to why this republic is in hot water in relationship to the God it professes to be “under” and why its days are numbered.

Our basic problem is a spiritual one, not economic, social, political, or our domestic or foreign policies. The necessary cure is mass repentance from sin on the individual level as well as at the collective level. God has been calling and has been doing some things that should make people stop and think, but the response is mainly the same as it was in Noah’s time – in spite of calls and warnings, nobody was listening! And you know what happened don’t you?

So as Glenn asks “Why?” and struggles to find an answer, what do you say? Can you point out where the answer is found, even though the vast majority will reject it, and maybe even Glenn Beck will also reject it!

"And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” --- Jesus speaking in Luke 17:26-30

Chicago Loses Out on Olympic Bid -- Was It An Answer to Prayer?

Chicago had seemed to pick up momentum in the last few days, with many International Olympic Committee members seemingly charmed by Mrs. Obama. But when IOC president Jacques Rogge announced the results of the first vote, Chicago was the city that fell out.

It was one of the biggest upsets in IOC voting history, and will likely have ramifications throughout the U.S. Olympic Committee. USOC chairman Larry Probst was stone-faced as he and acting CEO Stephanie Streeter walked down a hallway.

Chicago was eliminated in the first ballot of voting for the 2016 Olympics on Friday, a stunning defeat for the city that was expected to be one of the two finalists. Not even the presence of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama — nor a long list of celebrities — was enough to help the United States' third-largest city. --- news releases Friday, October 2, 2009

Taking two planes (Air Force One for him, and a smaller Boeing machine for her) plus some high profile people including the high and mighty Oprah Winfrey, the Obama camp descended on Copenhagen like vultures going after a dead animal decomposing in 95 degree temperatures!

Their mission? To convince the IOC that Chicago was the only decent place to hold the 2016 Olympic games. The other three cities being considered are not worthy of the honor of hosting the games – that is, if you talk to anyone connected with Chicago politics.

Then a shock wave struck – comparable, if not greater in intensity, than the shakeups taking place in certain areas of the Pacific Ocean in recent days, only in the lobbying sense where the “lobbyist” is arrogant with the attitude, “Because I am who I am, I will get what I’m after!” Chicago was the first one of the four to be kicked out of the competition! Having been in both Rio and Chicago years ago, there is no comparison between the two. Once you’ve been in Rio, Chicago has no attraction whatsoever! Sort of like standing a guy with a fresh haircut and shave dressed up in a brand new tuxedo along side a hobo in rags who hasn't taken a bath in six months!

Was it an answer to prayer? Maybe someone did pray to the effect that until the rampant corruption is purged from that city, may such a blessing as the privilege to host the Olympic Games be withheld!

Preposterous? Yes, many would say so. But stop and think seriously for a moment. Chicago politics is the measuring stick when it comes to how low politics can sink in our republic – so low in fact, that at that level you have to use a high powered telescope to look up in order to see the navel of a blacksnake!

We in Pennsylvania have to put up with the rottenness of Philadelphia politics such as a governor (Ed Rendell) whose roots are in that quagmire and a turncoat senator named Arlen Specter. But these are rank amateurs compared to the pros in Chicago from which there comes forth “The One” named Barack Obama.

This one thing we can be assured of – the bid for the 2016 Olympics disaster is but one of many he will experience. The reason is clear – here is a man who cares not a bit about the will of God for himself and the country he is supposed to lead. Proof of that is clear to anyone who has a sensitivity to God’s view of human life at all stages of existence and the fact that if governing leaders are to fulfill their responsibilities effectively, then the work has to be done in consultation with God on a daily basis!

The prophet Isaiah hit the nail on the head and explains why things are the way they are politically speaking when he said, “For the leaders of this people cause them to err, and those who are led by them are destroyed.” (Isaiah 9:16).

It will be interesting to see what God does in the times ahead so far as the elected officials of our republic are concerned. More answers to prayer as God deals with the self-centered corruption that has brought our system of government to the precipice of unprecedented disaster?

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” --- Jeremiah 33:3

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. --- 1 John 5:14, 15