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

Even the Fox News People Are Missing the Real Issue!

“fair and balanced” – “we report, you decide” --- a couple of slogans thrown out by Fox News personnel from time to time in promoting the network

They have somewhat of a reputation of being “conservative” within the collection of personalities that make up what is known as Fox News. Some of those personalities have been dominant or nearly so in ratings of TV programming in certain categories. Bill O’Reilly recently noted with a lot of hoopla that he had been at the top for 100 months. Glenn Beck has been stirring the pot quite a bit and is getting a lot of attention and publicity. Sean Hannity has likewise drawn a lot of attention since he and “liberal” Allan Combs have parted company on the network.

Perhaps they smile a bit and are tempted to pat themselves on the back due to President Obama making reference to the Fox outfit as not being too positive in its reporting and references to him and his administration.

This is, however, a network which at times causes a person to pause and wonder whether it is more of a competitive beauty pageant liberally saturated with ads and a few bits and pieces of news headlines tossed in so that the title, “Fox News,” has a degree of credibility!

While discussion and at times, some debate, appears to focus on a more conservative position on the many political issues of the day, even these people are not facing up to the real issue of what is needed to bring our republic out of the quagmire in which it presently finds itself.

There is a constant parade of “experts” consulted on a regular basis – a kind of revolving door experience week after week. The opinions are boldly expressed as to what Obama, his people, and the Congress of the U. S. are doing wrong, and what needs to be done in order to bring the republic back on track. There is the rhetoric that we are on the road to socialism and the abandoning of the principles which made our nation great.

But there is the avoiding of the real issue and what is absolutely necessary to restore this nation as to what it ought to be and what the founders by certain statements made by them intended the nation to be – which basically was that the republic would and should honor God, and seek to be obedient to Him in the personal lives of the citizens as well as collectively within institutional groupings such as government, business, church, etc.

You might hear such things as “principles” and “values” mentioned in a general sense, but never the central issue of repentance, turning from our many sins as a nation and as individuals, and asking for God to have mercy and forgive us.

Here are the issues and Fox News people have been informed about them, but have never responded – which is not surprising – because who is going to listen to an old farm boy who lives out in the middle of nowhere anyway?

Those issues are:

• Note: the following are links which will take you to an area where these are all discussed in greater detail – use return feature on your web browser to come back to this place.
  
  
• A Confounded Love
  
  
• A Conceding Church
  
  
• A Contradictory Government
  
  
• A Contagion of Idolatry
  
  
• Consigned Children
  
  
• A Conflagration of Immorality
  
  
• Contaminated Sabbaths
  
  
• Contrived Origins
  
  

All the foregoing are posted under the general subject of Driving the Final Nails!

In spite of claiming to be “conservative” and attempting to stake out a “conservative” position in discussions and debate, Fox News has never gotten to the real heart of what is needed to heal and restore our republic, and it is highly unlikely those people ever will! They will continue to bask in their high ratings and big incomes -- for the time being, that is.

And there are those who from a religious perspective consider themselves to be “evangelical” in the faith, but seem all too often to skirt the above stated issues and the fact that Almighty God is calling this nation to repentance. Evidence is mounting that time has about run out and the only thing left so far as this nation’s future experience is concerned is the pouring out of God’s wrath in judgment!

Before dismissing all of the above as those “conservatives” at Fox News would do, be sure to read about some other nails which were driven centuries ago – go to Hope for Time and Eternity!

Too bad, with their dominance in many of the ratings and extensive influence, that Fox News folks are missing completely what it is that is actually needed to get the nation back on track and headed in the right direction. Unless they recognize the real issue, they too will be among that number in the future that will ask the heart rending question, “Why is God doing all these terrible things to us?”

And if you say in your heart, "Why have these things come upon me?" For the greatness of your iniquity your skirts have been uncovered, your heels made bare. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil. Therefore I will scatter them like stubble that passes away by the wind of the wilderness. This is your lot, the portion of your measures from Me," says the LORD, "Because you have forgotten Me and trusted in falsehood. Therefore I will uncover your skirts over your face, that your shame may appear. I have seen your adulteries and your lustful neighings, the lewdness of your harlotry, your abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! Will you still not be made clean?" --- Jeremiah 13:22-27

Joseph Goebbels Would Nod in Hearty Approval with a Big Smile on His Face!

The recent passed stimulus bill by the U. S. Congress is regarded to be the “cure all” needed in the long run for our country’s recovery and reviving of the economy according to David Axelrod, Senior Advisor to President Obama, on February 15, 2009.

Chris Wallace of Fox News interviewed David Axelrod on Sunday, February 15, 2009. Axelrod holds a significant position in the Obama Administration. He possesses the title of Senior Advisor to President Obama. His background is interesting, revealing deep involvement in politics the last number of years. He is a senior partner at the consulting firm, AKP&D Message and Media based in – guess where? – yes, in good old Chicago, home of infamous political shenanigans of the most imaginable kind!

His bond with Obama? Not hard to figure that one – it is reported that Axelrod helped Obama, an Illinois state senator at the time, defeat a primary field of six other Democrats and then go on to a landslide victory in winning a seat in the United States Senate.

Actually from what this man says about anything related to the Obama presidency it might be better to change his title from Senior Advisor to that of Propaganda Minister or something akin to that.

Maybe you remember -- there was this little guy who lived a few decades ago and held a special position in the government of which he was a very important part – he was head of “National Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda” in the Third Reich under Adolph Hitler. He inspired the German people with all kinds of stuff and led them to believe their leader was the best in the world and had their very best interests at heart – all they had to do was listen to their leader and do what he wanted and before they knew it, Germany would enter its promised “golden age!” In fact the thinking was that a Reich would be established that would stand for a thousand years!

In listening to Axelrod you hear nothing but great things being done and planned by B. Hussein Obama. The passage of the recent stimulus bill (which not one member of Congress was able to read in its entirety before voting) is declared to be a great victory and will get this country over this economic “bump in the road!” It’s just the greatest thing since “sliced bread,” to use an ancient cliché.

On bipartisanship as pertaining to the passage of the bill, Obama cannot claim that to be a significant factor as he had hoped -- no Republicans in the House voted for it and 3 turn-coat Republicans (Collins, Snowe and Specter) in the Senate voted for it. Actually these three are Democrats wearing a cloak that says, "Republican!" But masterful Axelrod glosses over all that and discounts it as though it were nothing -- the big thing is that his boss won a major "victory."

Regarding appointments to the cabinet – D. A. insists that the administration has high ethical standards and only selects the highest caliber people to serve. And as could be expected, he gives Timothy (Ooops! I didn’t pay all my taxes!) Geithner very high marks and the fact that this man is brilliant and will help to lead us out of this economic chaos in which we presently find ourselves.

The propaganda choo-choo continues to roar down the tracks with Axelrod indicating the president intends to open things up for government funding of embryonic stem cell research – this means huge numbers of humans in the early stage of formation will be destroyed. This was not the policy set in place by the Bush Administration. But Axelrod paints this scenario as nothing short of being saintly and “saving” the nation by such a change of policy.

And we can assume that this senior White House advisor was completely supportive of Obama’s rather secret signing of an order overturning the former Bush policy which banned the use of funds for use by groups in foreign nations that in the name of “family planning” perform abortions and/or counsel abortion to be the answer to a problem pregnancy!

Further, it is more than an outside possibility that he fully supports President Obama’s intention to sign the Freedom of Choice Act which literally will declare open season on unborn children at any stage of pregnancy, even when they are but minutes away from being born! It would be interesting to hear how this senior advisor would phrase this and attempt to justify it. Certainly it would be in the very spirit and logic of that little guy named Joe who lived decades ago and mislead a nation into believing they were on the road to paradise when in reality they were on the road to collapse, total ruin and destruction.

But if we could resurrect Joseph Goebbels and have him listen to David Axelrod, the propaganda minister of the Third Reich would nod his head in approval and a great big smile would form on his face! If he were to comment, perhaps he would say something like this – “I couldn’t have done it better myself!”

One observation was worded this way: “Dr. Joseph Goebbels convinced a whole nation to abandon their ideals and embark on a frivolous conquest through Europe. He led millions to their destruction. He made a people believe in their Leader up to the bitter end. In short, Dr. Goebbels was a dark genius.”

What might we expect down the road when one who has been elected to lead a republic shows that he takes a very low view of human life and does not give a second thought to the destruction of human beings in the early stages of their development while actually signing orders that expand greatly the “shedding of innocent blood.” All the while, a senior advisor attempts to lead us into believing we are on the threshold of a golden age period never before experienced in the history of our republic!

About once a week a letter is sent to President Obama about the real critical issues which need to be addressed in this nation. At the bottom of that letter is the picture of an unborn child which has been dismembered in the process of terminating its life before it was able to be born because of an insane decision on the part of its “mother” and intentional act on the part of a “doctor.”

A statement above that picture goes something like this – “The Nazis didn’t get away with their version of “Holocaust” and neither shall we with our version of the same!"

By the way – victims in the Nazi version were in the neighborhood of 14 to 15 million, 6 million of which were Jews. We, a professed civilized society, have just passed the 50 million mark a few days after B. Hussein Obama became president! And that is likely a very conservative figure because of sloppy reporting when it comes to the destruction of unborn children plus the human embryos that have been and will be destroyed.

Just something to think about and to remember as the calamities intensify in the days to come -- and as part of that remembering process, think about how leaders in a nation can by their blind and very foolish actions, bring about a response from Almighty God that will be most unpleasant to say the least!

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.............. Nevertheless the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, with which His anger was aroused against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. --- 2 Kings 21:6; 23:26

A Tightrope Christmas!

Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. --- 2 John 1:9-11

Here we go again – do we dare mention the word, Christmas, or back off and simply refer to the days of December as a holiday season and wish people a cheery “Happy Holidays?” It seems to be an adventure similar to walking a tightrope!

Reaction to the Christmas controversy is varied again this year – from allowing atheists to post a sign near a nativity display in one part of the country to the aggressive distribution of badges and bumper stickers boldly stating “Merry Christmas.”

Mike Huckabee on his Fox News program perhaps best expressed thoughts about Christmas to which those professing to be “evangelical” would say a hearty “Amen!” I just happened to accidentally catch those remarks while surfing a bit during the ad blitz on a channel showing a Christmas movie which I was attempting to watch. I very rarely view Fox News – you know, the channel that highly qualifies as a competitive beauty pageant for females, jam packed with oodles of ads, has flashy and splashy graphics and throws in a few tidbits of news with a ticker tape moving across the bottom when the ads aren’t running!

Anyway, Mike got into explaining about Christmas and the Biblical account behind it. He mentioned that God came and took on human form. He then became almost apologetic and stated that he did not want to offend those of other faiths such as Muslims, Hindus etc. but that his intent was to explain what Christmas means to those who follow the Christian faith. His explanation will probably be accepted by many with no offense.

However, the real hostility against Christmas lies not so much in a few people believing that God became human at some point in the flow of human history – it is due to a fewer number who believe and proclaim without apology that Jesus Christ is absolutely the only way of forgiveness, experiencing peace with Almighty God, and eventual entrance into God’s eternal Kingdom after death ends our existence on earth! You see, by doing this, one is stating that all other religious expressions outside of Christianity are false and without a reliable foundation! This does not sit well with most who are devotees of something other than genuine Christianity. The consequence is resentment, hostile responses and in some places, violent acts of persecution. Unfortunately there are within the ranks of professing Christianity those, including church leaders, who have backed off from being in agreement with Jesus on this issue, and have indicated one way or another that other religions in the world have legitimate claims to speak on issues related to deity, life's purpose and eternal destiny. In taking such a compromising position it has also been necessary to shift in one's view of the Scriptures with the conclusion that they are simply human produced writings with errors here and there! You can go for many miles once you start down that trail, but it will cause the vehement objections from religionists outside of Christianity to settle down a bit!

It is not a theory or some far fetched idea that bring these few to such a conclusion of what some describe as being very intolerant and narrow minded. It is based on the personal and very radical exclusive statements made by Jesus Himself – each of those statements begins with “I am…”

Further, these statements rest on the solid facts of His sacrificial death on behalf of every human being, His subsequent resurrection from the dead 3 days after crucifixion and His ascension back to Heaven after a 40 day period spent with a number of His followers. He has also specifically promised to return to this planet again and we are informed that He will rule it with a "rod of iron!"

He gave a parting command to go into all the world, issue a call to repent from sin, accept Him as Savior and Lord, and exhort all to obey His teachings – there were to be no exceptions to this – never once did He say, “Do this except for those who are of the ________ faith.” (insert any one of the vast number of religious expressions of your preference in today’s world in the blank space.).

But He also stressed one other thing which we often overlook. And that was in regard to Christians who are faithful to carry out that parting command to confront the world about His call and claims upon all members of the human race – the radical nature of that message and witness will cause them to be hated among all nations! The reason? Simple – Jesus’ followers represent light and truth which is often rejected as stated by Jesus in John 3:19-21:

"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

In my years of hunting there were times as I walked through the woods that I would come across a piece of a dead log – I would kick the log over to see what would happen. Underneath were all kinds of creepy crawly things – as soon as they were exposed to the light they scurried quickly to find a hole into which they might crawl – they didn’t want to remain where there was light -- it made them too uncomfortable! A majority of human beings are much the same – the light and truth that comes through Jesus Christ Whose birth we celebrate at this time of year is more than they can stand – the reaction is hatred and hostility as they scramble to get back into the darkness and away from the light which exposes them for what they really are!

Actually, it ought not to be considered walking a tightrope at Christmas or at any other time in regard to our faith in Jesus Christ – just continue to bear witness to the fact that He is still the only way of salvation and hope in spite of the majority responding in a negative fashion – always bear in mind the inspired words of the apostle Paul – they give a powerful encouragement and challenge to keep on going because somewhere in the future when that statement is totally fulfilled we will wholeheartedly agree that it has been worth it all to have fulfilled the calling of Jesus Christ upon our lives each day of our journey on earth!

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. --- Philippians 2:9-10

Oprah Who?

"Oprah Winfrey has more credibility than anyone else in the country!" --- Statement by one of the staff of "talking heads" belonging to the Fox News network on Sunday evening, March 2, 2008

The setting: a discussion hosted by a couple of Fox News staff people and an audience of persons who were responding to and/or commenting on the Election 2008 fiasco. They also had access to electronic dials that could indicate the degree of positive and negative responses to campaign clips and other nonsense as mentioned by the hosts.

During the course of this activity a clip of Oprah Winfrey was shown in which she went on public record endorsing Barack Obama for president of our republic. As she expounded on this matter, cheers and yells erupted that would have drowned out the yelling and screaming of New York Giants fans when their team beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl a few weeks back.

That Oprah holds the status of "deity" in the minds of a huge number of people cannot be denied.

Her accomplishments are many such as:

• long time and highly successful TV talk show hostess!
  
  
• a gigantic following of all ages that regards every word coming out of her mouth as absolute gospel truth!
  
  
• accumulation of wealth that places her in the billionaire class!
  
  
• numerous works of charity and do good projects that have helped others in some area of need!
  
  
• the planned launching of OWN in 2009 -- her own cable network known as Oprah Winfrey Network -- does this come as any real surprise?
  
  
• a political power house and great asset to whomever she supports in a run for public office -- in 2008 the privileged character is Barack Obama -- as a result, a large number of people won't do much serious thinking about the election -- they will vote for B.O. simply because Oprah has placed her "imprimatur" on this person who aspires to be our next president and has said they should -- you don't have to think, Oprah will do all that for you!
  

But in the area that is most critical -- the top priority matter each person absolutely has to address when it comes to what life is all about and how we influence others -- like Casey at the bat, mighty Oprah has struck out!

In what way has her far reaching fame and influence moved people to repent of personal and corporate sin -- and following that experience, to deliberately seek the will of Almighty God?

Devotees will spastically object and say that she is not an evangelist! Oh, but in reality she is -- recent proof would be the high profile promotion of a book titled, "A New Earth," authored by one, Eckhart Tolle. An excerpt from the stated purpose of the book says,

"In his insightful look into humanity's ego-based thinking, Eckhart Tolle provides practical teachings for waking up to a new, enlightened mind-set. If you're seeking a more loving self and a more loving planet, A New Earth has the tools to begin your transformation..."

This is a strange blend of all kinds of "religous" stuff, but definitely not Christian. Jesus is mentioned but in no significant way and certainly not viewed as being God incarnate and ultimately giving His life for all the sins of the human race so that forgiveness and reconciliation with God is possible. Incidentally, Mr. Tolle speaks of a "more loving self" -- now then, take a look at what Jesus says about the "self" in Luke 9:23! You'll find more than a slight disagreement between Mr. Tolle's view (and that of his disciple, Oprah) of self and what Jesus says about it!

An honest and serious examination of the New Testament of the Bible clearly indicates the will of God to involve these elements, no matter what our position in life may happen to be:

• that ALL repent of sin and self-will (Acts 17:29-31; Luke 9:23).
  
  
• that ALL believe in Jesus Christ (1 John 3:23).
  
  
• that All confess Jesus Christ publicly (Matthew 10:32,33).
  
  
• that All seek to impact the world for Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:13-16; 28:18-20).
  

There are clearly no exceptions to this -- the will of God applies to every person living on this planet, including high profile, wealthy and powerful people such as one by the name of Oprah Winfrey!

And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God." --- Luke 16:15

The TV News Channels -- Can Those People Really Be Trusted?

"You know what’s really frightening? You actually have an influence on this presidential election. That is scary, but it’s true. You’ve got stoned slackers watching your dopey show every night and they can vote." --- Bill O'Reilly (talking head par excellence of Fox News) as quoted in a remark to "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart, Sept. 22, 2004

We are a people practically smothered in surveys and polls with no sign of any relief in the near future -- especially in a presidential election year!

Competition is extremely fierce among those 24/7 news channels with at least two making the claim that they are number 1 and the most trusted!

Those are Fox News and CNN with others nipping at their heals.

Fox News with its razzle-dazzle display of graphics gives one the impression that here is a beauty pageant of females with nearly inch-thick layers of make-up masquerading as news -- there are a few males sprinkled here and there! The claim of this whole bunch is that they are "fair" and "balanced" and "surveys" taken are used as proof that they are trusted and the most "conservative," whatever that word is supposed to mean anymore!

CNN also does a great job of flashing all kinds of stuff before your eyes when it comes to graphic images and all that kind of stuff, being so similar to Fox News. One of the king pins on this network is "Wolf the Blitz" -- he, along with other CNN males and females, is an expert on just about any topic you want to name.

The networks are really scrambling to outdo each other in this election year -- you know how it works don't you? Higher ratings always mean more revenue for the network and fatter wallets and purses for the guys and gals who do the reporting! So it's a bare knuckle brawl out there as we move toward November 2008!

If these people were really honest with us, they would paint their faces white, put a red rubber ball on their noses, and dress up in a baggy purple suit with yellow polka dots!

Trust them? Why should we? They have an "agenda" which they will try to keep concealed as much as possible -- they are masters at the use of words and phrases -- the "tilting" of information and not really "reporting" objectively but telling us how we ought to think about the issues of the day.

One accessory is an absolute must in each household if you choose to view and listen to these people -- have an air sick bag at your side at all times -- and maybe two, especially when they conduct one of those presidential candidate "debates" -- you'll fill more than one bag after an episode such as that!

Be careful as you try to sort out truth in the massive flow of information with which we are bombarded daily from many different sources -- TV, talk (yak) radio, printed media, and what purports to be "news" magazines!

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. --- Colossians 2:8

The good news is that anyone can know the truth if he or she really wants to and to be able to discern the right from the wrong -- but there are conditions to be met in order to experience those things.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. --- 1 John 4:1-6

The Most Vicious Battleground Ever!

Volumes have been written about wars taking place down through the centuries of human history. Battles have been singled out time after time with graphic details given and with the invention of photography, the descriptive articles contained pictures which underscored the horror of war all the more. An infamous example of this would be the U. S. Civil War with an almost endless parade of photos revealing huge numbers of bodies of Confederate and Union soldiers killed in combat.

The battleground which receives the least attention and certainly never makes the news on major TV networks or cable news channels such as CNN or Fox News is the human mind! You think not? Maybe you have already become a casualty without even realizing it!

Here is what is going on ----

With the vast majority of this world’s 6 billion inhabitants in an unregenerate state of mind, God is seeking to reach each one with His eternal truth and the message of salvation offered through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Standing in opposition are the deceptive and misleading “teachings” of humans which reject God’s special revelation to us through the holy Scriptures (Bible).

"And like their bow they have bent their tongues for lies. They are not valiant for the truth on the earth. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know Me," says the LORD. --- Jeremiah 9:3

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. --- 2 Thess 2:9-12

This rejection takes place in many settings:

• The secular education system starting at the kindergarten level and continuing through graduate school at the university level. The great damnable “doctrine” which is repeatedly planted in learning minds is that we have evolved from a lower life form – you know, some stuff that started to wriggle in a mud puddle millions and millions of years ago! There is a strong anti-God sentiment mixed in this and the absolute forbidding of any suggestion that we are a special creation of God – created by Him and He has a special plan for each conceived human life!
  
  
• There are numerous religious groups ranging in size from a few score to millions of devotees. Among the larger groups are Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Shinto, Taoism, etc. The common agreement all have is this – they reject the truth that God took on human form in the Person of Jesus Christ, sacrificed His life for the sins of every human being, rose from the dead three days after crucifixion, ascended back to Heaven, and will one day in the future return to this chaotic world and rule it from Jerusalem! This very clearly indicates that all human governments presently existing will be dismantled – a great change for the better which we cannot begin to comprehend.
  
  
• Within the ranks of professing Christianity has been the importation of deadly heresies denying the basic tenets of Biblical Christian faith. These include denials of the divine inspiration and authority of the holy Scriptures, the Person and works of Jesus Christ, that He is exclusively the way of salvation from sin, and that He will personally return to this world, take full control, and rule it!
  

The human mind is bombarded daily with information from many sources. Decisions have to be made as to whether to accept or reject those many items of information. Most critical are decisions that are made regarding one’s eternal destiny and standing relationship with God. Upon what information will such decisions be made – what one personally thinks by way of opinion or what others think – what some Ph.D. in a classroom says about something – or some high profile entertainment figure or talk show personality – or some politician or some person of great wealth and influence?

Or will it be based on what God says through His holy Word? The battle continues to rage on and on – your mind and mine are the areas where the battle is most vicious – the victory is assured IF our confidence is centered in the right Person – that Person is none other than Jesus Christ, the Savior and only hope we have in this world and the one yet to be!

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. --- 1 Corinthians 15:51-58

November 28th Debate Orchestrated by CNN?

As has been the practice, the "news" network that is directly involved in a debate which involves aspiring presidential candidates always pulls out all the stops when it comes to promoting the event days in advance.

One has to wonder about CNN's involvement regarding the 07/11/28 event. There was a heavy emphasis on questions coming from individuals in a video format -- supposedly these persons came up with the questions and fired them at the competing candidates.

It is most interesting the types of questions that were asked -- unlike anything so far in the way they were asked and with graphic dramatization in some cases!

For instance:

• A guy held a Bible in his hand and asked if the candidates believed every word in the book he was holding -- then a close up view of the book with the title, "Holy Bible," in prominent view. That sparked interesting responses. Who manipulated that guy to ask that question?
  
  
• A guy asked about gun laws, 2nd Amendment rights, etc. For dramatic effect someone who is out of view of the camera tosses a shotgun to him which he catches with one hand and immediately proceeds to "load" by activating the slide action. Again, is this a case of "clever" manipulation or what?
  
  
• Now for the clincher -- the issue of abortion and a question posed that if Congress overturned Roe v. Wade and sent the legislation to the person who was at that time president, would he sign the bill? Again, a real scramble and fancy footwork when it came to responding!
  

Now for the real question on these shenanigans -- will CNN orchestrate an identical format for the Democrats for their next debate -- same questions worded in the very same way plus the drama?

Or maybe Fox News can do it -- you know, that "glamor channel" with dancing graphics, packed full of ads, and a few "news" comments thrown in now and then with a stress on the fact that Fox News is "fair and balanced" -- and, oh yes, a ticker going once in a while until the ads knock it off until they run their course!

As we grind through 2008 we can be assured that these networks that claim to be "news" dispensers will attempt to manipulate their audiences in every way possible to get us to vote for their preferred "candidate!"

The safe way is to view these people with a high level of suspicion whenever you are exposed to them -- it helps immensely to employ that great button on the remote at times -- it says, "MUTE!"

This, by the way, has been written by one who is officially a "Non-affiliated" registered voter.