Got Rust on That Weapon of Prayer? Clean It Off and Start Using It!

Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness. And let him reprove me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.--- Psalm 141:5

If asked whether they consider prayer a "weapon", most folks would probably say that they don't regard the practice of prayer in that manner. To these prayer is mainly the issue of making confession, submitting petitions to God for help and seeking blessings with perhaps a little thanksgiving thrown in here and there. But viewing prayer as a weapon with visions of warfare is more than a bit of a stretch!

But here is how it is:

We live in a world that is dominated by a spirit that is hostile to God and this hostility is greatly intensified when it comes to His Son, Jesus Christ, Whom He sent into the world to redeem every human being from his/her sins. Every human being ever born into world comes under the scope of God's love and mercy, but at the present time the vast majority has chosen to reject that love.

God has revealed much about the practice of prayer, recorded numerous experiences people have had in prayer, and urged those who claim to have faith in Him to engage in the disciplined exercise of praying.

And since the Christian life is described at times as being engaged in warfare, it stands to reason that one of the weapons available in fighting this war is that of prayer!

Psalm 2:1-5 provides a graphic backdrop and reminds us that we are in a vicious conflict with the souls of human beings at stake. Notice it is the governing authorities that are at war with God because of attitude and at the present time those who head up the United States federal government more than fit the description given in the opening statements of the Psalm:

Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, "Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us." He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the LORD shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure..."

Consider some examples:

Arise, O LORD! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble. Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, "You will not require an account." But You have seen it, for You observe trouble and grief, to repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; seek out his wickedness until You find none. The LORD is King forever and ever; the nations have perished out of His land. LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may oppress no more. --- Psalm 10:12-18

Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things, who have said, "With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?" --- Psalm 12:1-4 [Note: we see the aforementioned attitude as being on display constantly in Washington DC by elected officials in high places, hence the need to pray that God will deal with it in His way and time!]


Stir up Yourself, and awake to my vindication, to my cause, my God and my Lord. Vindicate me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me. Let them not say in their hearts, "Ah, so we would have it!" Let them not say, "We have swallowed him up." Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who rejoice at my hurt; let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me. --- Psalm 35:23-26

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they have dug a pit before me; into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah --- Psalm 57:5, 6

There are numerous other statements in the Psalms which have to do with praying against the wicked, even those who sit in high places of power and influence. While there is much talk of the impact of ObamaCare on the republic and the change that may come about during the elections this coming November, don't wait for some political "process" to take place, but be praying now "against the deeds of the wicked" and all who leading our nation on a path toward sure and certain destruction!

Clean off the rust and start using that weapon! "Return upon their heads the fruits of their deeds, O Lord!"

LORD, I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells. Do not gather my soul together with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands is a sinister scheme, and whose right hand is full of bribes. But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; redeem me and be merciful to me. My foot stands in an even place; in the congregations I will bless the LORD.
--- Psalm 26:8-12

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

Another Date for FDR's "Infamy" Slot!

As of March 19, 2008 an anniversary will be noted. The media will give attention to it and likely President George W. Bush will also mention it. The anniversary is year # 5 since we launched a pre-emptive strike and invaded a nation in the Middle East known as Iraq.

It is also likely that some statistics will be mentioned along the way in this observance. Such things as:

• number of U. S. military personnel who have lost their lives.
  
  
• how many have been wounded, and maybe, how many have been maimed for life as a result of the many roadside bombs used by the "enemy."
  
  
• how much this operation has cost us in terms of billions of dollars, or have we reached the trillion mark -- if we haven't, hang on because we are bound to get there -- wars don't come cheap anymore!
  

However, it is highly unlikely that the following will be mentioned to any significant degree:

• how many military families have been dissolved through divorce as a direct result of this Iraq thing.
  
  
• how many suicides among military personnel have taken place since we got involved in this debacle -- the rate has been increasing as compared to conflicts in the past.
  
  
• how much "profit" certain U. S. companies have made under the pretense of "rebuilding" Iraq -- one company with which Vice President Dick Cheney used to be connected is doing especially well, as are others!
  

But there is one statistic the president, vice president, members of Congress and the mass media will not mention at all -- not even a whisper! And you can hunt high and low within the ranks of church groups -- big name denominations and independents -- again, not even a squeek out of the vocal cords!

But you can see it here and this may be about the only place you will see it -- it is a very important number. You will have to travel a bit to see it -- and once you do, will you mention it to a few other people?

Travel on over to A Much Avoided Statistic on the 5th Anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq! There is a link at the bottom of that area which will bring you back to this place.

This will also help you to remember another reason for placing March 19, 2003 in FDR's slot for dates which will live in infamy!

Surely at the commandment of the LORD this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the LORD would not pardon. --- 2 Kings 24:3, 4

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

Like It or Not, He's Alive and Will Return Again to Planet Earth!

He Is Risen!

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 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 2:5-11

It has been one of the most bitterly contested and opposed events in human history -- the literal bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, the One Who was brutally crucified and Whose body was placed in the tomb of a wealthy man from Jerusalem. Three days later He came back from the dead and appeared numerous times to quite a few people over a period of 40 days. As a chosen few assembled with Him on that last day He gave a few instructions and then visibly ascended up in the air as He returned to His heavenly Father.

A bit of a shock set in as a couple of angels appeared and reassured those followers of Jesus that the moment would come when He would return to earth, "in like manner" as they had seen Him go from them.

For a few of us, this Sunday will be yet another time to celebrate the greatest victory ever won over the greatest enemies of the human race -- the enemies of sin, death, and Satan and his vicious forces of evil!

We celebrate because we know:

• On basis of repentance of our sins, He in mercy has forgiven us.
  
• We now experience His peace -- condemnation and guilt have been removed!
  
• We experience His presence with us on a 24/7 basis!
  
• We experience His power to overcome the world with its many pressures and tempations -- that is, the promise of His Holy Spirit to dwell in our lives.
  
• We experience His purpose on a day by day basis -- life is not a "fate" whatever will be will be kind of thing -- Jesus Christ has a customized plan for us!
  
• We experience His promises, which are many, including His intention to return to this earth and establish His Kingdom -- this is referred to as the "blessed hope and the glorious appearing" -- see Titus 2:11-15 -- the Gospel in a nutshell and the responsibility of every Christian as he or she lives in expectation of Jesus' return to earth.
  
  
  
  • He will put down all opposing forces -- an international military machine which will be obliterated faster than a mosquito hitting the windshield of an 18-wheeler rolling at 80 MPH on Interstate 80 in Clarion Co. PA (I mention that due to traveling that section of I-80 from Brookville to Clarion occasionally and have nearly been blown off the road as those guys flew by me!).
    
  • He will judge all nations -- that is why it is good news that one of these days all politicians will be out of a job -- Jesus Christ will be in charge of the affairs of this world!
    
  • Jerusalem will be the "world capitol" -- another reason for reading the prophets of the Old Testament to see promises about the future glory of Jerusalem -- e.g. Jerusalem will be called a city of truth, a city safely inhabited, where nations will assemble to be instructed in the ways of God, etc!
    
  • Peace will be universal -- the dismantling of all military weapons -- no need for a military anywhere nor all the implements of war -- totally eliminated!
    
  • Even the animals will be at peace with one another -- the lion will eat straw like the ox, the wolf lying down with the lamb in peaceful co-existence! This isn't fairy tale stuff, folks -- it's promised in the Book -- see for yourself!
    
  • Just lots and lots of good things to look forward to -- because Jesus loves us, died for our sins to make forgiveness possible, rose again from the dead, and He's coming back again to earth -- AND no one will delay His return by even 1/10 of a second!
    

Yes, we will be assailed and the hostility coming from the world and sometimes from within the ranks of those who profess to be "Christian" will increase as time moves ahead. Jesus guaranteed that His followers will be hated and persecuted -- you can review that in John 15 and into John 16!

BUT there is one thing those who hate and despise us can never do -- they can't put Him back into the grave as much as they would like to -- and they can deny He is alive (and strange as it may seem, some preachers and church leaders even entertain this streak of raw unbelief) but when "He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own..." let the fools ramble on -- they won't be dead more than 2 seconds until they realize He is none other than King of kings and Lord of lords and the One Who will ultimately judge every human being born into this world from the time of Adam and Eve!

So, if you know Him personally as Savior and Lord of your life, celebrate that mighty victory anew this Sunday -- and rejoice with fellow believers -- we are a distinct minority, but numbers aren't the real issue -- the real issue is to be right with God, seeking to fulfill His purpose for our remaining days on earth while He tarries in His glorious return!

If you don't know Him -- ask His forgiveness and repent of your sins, in whatever form that rebellion presently exists -- ask Him to come into your life as your personal Savior and Lord. In the right column in this BLOG near the top is an area devoted to becoming a Christian and statements from God's Word as to how that can happen in your life, if you have not yet made that very critical decision.

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. --- John 1:10-13

Peeking into the Future!

Ah, what fascination -- what adventure -- unparalleled excitement as one seeks to probe the future and what lies in store for us!

Many are the gimmicks and methods employed to see what the future holds for us. There are efforts to contact the dead -- maybe we can touch base with aunt Susie or uncle Sylvester and they can give us a clue as to what's going to happen next month on the 23rd! Then there are the crystal ball people and the others who lay out cards with weird pictures on them. Still others say it's all in the stars and planet alignment -- the zodiac and your astrological sign -- all this stuff as it interacts somehow shows us what is yet to be. And it is a given -- there are those who read the daily Horoscope (should it really be spelled "Horrorscope?") religiously and act accordingly -- it is their "bible" for shaky times such as these!

OK -- do you want information that is 100 per cent accurate and comes from the most reliable source you will ever consult in a lifetime? Really -- are you sure about that?

Then be sure you hold to that desire, because it is possible to know some things for sure when it comes to future happenings. Now this is not the kind of information where you will be tipped off as to what you will eat for breakfast next Friday morning or what you will be wearing when you leave the house. On the other hand, this is information that gives you basic facts as to what is going to happen so that you are challenged to make the proper preparation for the events taking place.

Our Authority is none other than Jesus Christ Himself! Only He is qualified to reveal the basic facts as to what the future of this world holds in regard to its human inhabitants. Statements He made on future events are found mainly in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17 and Luke 21 in the New Testament Scriptures.

In consulting them do not let anyone, pastor or teacher or layperson, try to foul you up about "interpretation" -- just imagine Jesus speaking these words to you and take them at face value -- you'll come out alright!

The world and nations within it will become increasingly corrupted spiritually, morally and ethically. Jesus summarized this trend by saying it will be like it was in the generation in which Noah lived before the judgment of the flood and as it was in Lot's time when he lived in the city of Sodom before it was destroyed by a judgment of fire!

There will be all manner of earthly calamities and cosmic phenomena happening. Note some the specific things to which Jesus made reference:

• massive deception and delusion will take place -- Jesus repeats Himself on this warning to be alert and not allow yourself to be deceived by false teachers
  
• wars and rumors of wars with nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom -- there will be no peace in spite of efforts to achieve it
  
• there will be famines in many places -- people starve to death every day in some nations of this world
  
• pestilences (devastating diseases) will be found throughout the world -- e.g. Africa is being ravaged by Aids in spite of massive amounts of money being poured into that continent in an effort to bring it under control -- sexually transmitted diseases are on the increase!
  
• earthquakes are increasing in frequency -- sensitive instruments record the crust of the earth is quivering constantly like a bowl of jello being shaken -- and then a tragic by-product of an earthquake sometimes happens -- it's called a tsunami -- ever hear of it?
  
• lawlessness abounding with the tragic result that some will simply give up, considering that the price to be paid for resisting evil is simply too high!
  
• increased hatred and persecution of Christians as the home stretch of human history runs its course!
  
• a time labeled as "great tribulation" -- trouble so intense that nothing like it has ever happened before nor ever shall again!
  

The New Testament writers added to this information in different ways such as 2 Timothy 3 and 4; 2 Peter 2 and 3; and Jude. The biggie in all this is the book of The Revelation with lots of detail -- enough to make the thinking person say, "I want to be sure I'm right with God and I'm on the way to heaven when my life on earth if over."

The responsibility of the Christian is first and foremost that of being a witness in word and deed to the salvation which is exclusively offered through Jesus Christ, Who is Savior and Lord over all. Here are some things to bear in mind:

• daily disciplines of Bible reading/study and prayer -- every day, no exceptions!
  
• involvement in the fellowship of believers, giving public expression to one's faith
  
• personally pursue holiness by the grace of God as the minimal standard for one's lifestyle -- this means saying "No!" to a wide ranging acceptance of indulgences and practices by a majority of persons in today's world, including what is sometimes advocated even in professing Christian circles -- and sometimes by church leaders themselves who profess to be "Christian!" The Holy Spirit is faithful to guide us in these matters and in the making of our choices -- that is, if we permit Him to guide us.
  
• sound the warning trumpet of impending judgement by Almighty God and the reasons why God has every right to bring judgment without delay!
  
• keep reminded each day that Jesus' return could be at any time -- but also, be reminded that here in the "comfortable" United States things could become very difficult for Christians before Jesus does return -- some object to this possibility and suggest that before it gets too tough He will come and take the Christians out of here. But why should we be favored in such a manner when right now in other places in this world our Christian brothers and sisters are being put to death for their faith, or beaten, tortured and put in prison for no other reason than the fact that they are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ! We are a spoiled and pampered lot, are we not?
  
• apply the prayer as mentioned in Psalm 141:5 diligently -- pray specifically against the deeds of the wicked -- there are a lot of them around, you know, doing a lot of things which God condemns. They sit behind desks in high places as well as lurking about in dark alleys!
  

Be concerned about the future -- ask God to help you understand those things He has revealed about the future, and to prepare you to speak about it. Be bold in stressing the fact that there is absolutely no hope in the future outside of Jesus Christ. We are urged to comfort one another from time to time with the reality that Jesus is going to come back to earth again as King of kings and Lord of lords. Amen!

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. --- Titus 2:11-14

How Long Do You Have to Fight a War, Anyway?

It is with a measure of fear that I venture into this highly controversial arena and with the understanding that more likely than not my purpose will be misunderstood. In spite of that, here we go, taking the plunge into the pool of "politics & war" ------>

The 4th anniversary of our "war" in Iraq will take place on March 19, 2007. We also have a pot still simmering in a place called Afghanistan. Loss of military personnel in the Iraq mess is now approaching 3,200. And in that other place we still lose military people from time to time as well.

Now consider this: we really got involved in WW II with the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. We were involved in wars on two fronts. The Normandy invasion took place in June of 1944, although we were carrying out bombing raids before that, and there had been fighting in Africa, Italy, and Sicily. But it was all wrapped up with defeat of Germany in May of 1945 and Japan in August of 1945. Terms were unconditional surrender -- no sitting at a table and negotiating for weeks! It was the last time the United States had such a decisive military victory in war.

Then came Korea -- the Chinese got involved, so MacArthur as much as said, "If you're getting into this, then we'll go after your hide too!" Truman fired him and we "negotiated" a settlement. And so North Korea is more than a kind of "thorn in the flesh" today.

Then there was something called Viet Nam --- I guess you know we didn't come out too well in that one either, did we?

And then a thing called Desert Storm under the first Bush (no pun intended) and a tent was set up in the desert and we talked and signed papers and that kind of stuff and a guy named Hussein remained in power.

In between all these events were skirmishes of one kind or another with the prevailing idea now that military commanders are mere puppets on strings pulled by politicians and their appointees. Be careful where you aim your weapon and fire in spite of the fact that you are getting shot at from all directions! Now we're supposed to fight "clean" or "sanitized" wars -- is there really such an animal?

George Patton, highly controversial general of WW II era, expressed the desire that he wanted just Field Marshall Rommel (brilliant German armored commander) and he to take a tank and do battle with each other -- whoever won, that would settle it -- no more fighting after that. Forget about getting thousands of troops involved!

Perhaps the war business would slow down considerably if somehow the rule would be that only the leaders of nations who feel they must engage in conflict would be the only ones permitted to do battle and include their families -- just immediate families, not far out relatives -- just dad, mom, and the kids, and let them fight it out instead of sending other dads' and moms' kids into deadly conflicts! Maybe we can petition that one to be on the ballot for the next election, huh????

Back in 2003 we were repeatedly told (like some guy beating on a drum 24 hours a day) that Saddam Hussein and Co. were a massive threat to world peace -- he was a brutal dictator and had ruthlessly killed a lot of people during his vicious reign in Iraq -- he just had to be eliminated. So we got him taken out of power, but we're still bogged down and we are still in what some agree to be "war!" The number of victims as best can be estimated under Hussein's "reign of terror" is somewhere in the range of 1 million.

But brutality and murder weren't limited to Hussein and his sons -- since we invaded Iraq 4 years ago the victims of brutality, mutilation and murder in this country now number well over 5.1 million! They are persons who never had the chance to be born -- they were mutilated and murdered while still in their mothers' wombs in the "land of the free and the home of the brave!"

Is it any wonder that the blessing of God Almighty has been withdrawn from this nation and now we are strictly on our own -- and real victory eludes us as does the proverbial "pot of gold" at the end of a rainbow? And this means that never again will we be in a position to demand "unconditional surrender!"

Furthermore, it is nothing short of hypocrisy of the first magnitude to expect God to bless this nation as we intentionally destroy on average about 100,000 of our own each month of the year!

Just something to think about and then sleep on as you lay your head on the pillow tonight.

BTW, just in case you are trying to figure out my "politics" by what I have just said -- forget it! I'm neither Democrat or Republican -- neither party has anything of significant value to offer the citizens of this republic at this point in time! Elected officials are too occupied with themselves and what grandstanding they can do to always be center-stage, while at the same time devising new ways to fatten the wallets in their pockets or the purses which hang from their shoulders! I am a non-affiliated registered voter in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, and yes, I do vote -- frustrating as that experience is each time I enter the ballot booth. :-(

"But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:....... the LORD will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me........ The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth."
--- Deuteronomy 28:15,20,25