Life Matters - September 27, 2023

Our 45th president has determined to shut down the Department of Education in Washington D.C. “We’re going to send it all back to the states,” Donald Trump told us last week, and then continued, “We’ll introduce prayer back into schools and love of country into school curriculum.” A noble, lofty goal. And one to be appreciated. But schools, however good, can never replace good, sound training at home. As the home, so the church; as the church, so the school; as the school, so the nation. If any of those become dysfunctional, the weak link so created will very possibly let loose under pressure. Pressure to conform to the values, or lack thereof, continually being pressed upon us. Biblical, spiritually strong homes beget strong churches resulting in strong schools and a strong nation. The devil, through his minions has been attacking this nation on all fronts and it is sad but true that we need to resist him on all fronts, which means that in this culture war we may not all be at the same place at the same time, but rather, be spread out all along this warring battlefront.

Let us, however, remember to stay strong in our own personal life through connecting with God in personal Bible reading and prayer, allowing the Spirit of God to press in, communicating personal needs, giving personal comfort, pouring courage from the throne of His grace into us, keeping us spiritually nourished, strengthened for battles ahead while remaining an intercessor in prayer. The Christian hope is not for rest and ease in this life, but for rest, ease, and eternal bliss in the next. Let us not, in the meantime, thin the ranks through infighting nor by falling away. The battlefront is too long and varied for any such thinning of the ranks. “Stand, therefore having your loins girt about with Truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” (Ephesians 6:14-18) And as we fight this spiritual culture war, let us remember that the battle is the Lord’s. The devil and his minions continually flip-flop in their attempt to keep everyone happy or cancelled on the road to eternal and even temporal destruction while ignoring what lies at the end of the road. After all, they say, there is no Truth. All that matters, it seems, is votes. As we evolve, everything, including our perception of reality, is in flux, ever-changing. In such a battle, truth no longer matters to the enemy, only opinion, where the fittest survive and might makes right.  

Fighting such slimy ideas can be frustrating, but there again we find that the enemy may burn, loot, and even kill out of frustration, and we dare not even show signs of feeling frustrated lest we become called out for it, based upon our own values, not theirs. Amid all this confusion, there emerges a mysterious cult of people mis-nomered as “fact checkers” who, as far as we know, are from the same ilk as those who are clueless, (at least, so they let on) about “What is a woman?” or, “What is a man?” Truly frustrating. But the more frustrated we get the less effective our fight. (And yes, I do know what that’s like.) I also know what it’s like to give all my feelings to God and to have Him sort them out, taking those that are bad (as if I were giving Him a gift) and encouraging those that are good. When the battle is won within, God instills courage from the throne of His grace, not just for our personal rest, ease, and comfort, but so we have what it takes to stand firm and unflinching in the ranks where needed. The devil retreats when the repenters trust in Jesus and we forsake not the assembling of ourselves together … and we sincerely take part in the Great Commission. That’s a fact. I’ve checked in the Bible. Life Matters!