WONDERS

Where do I begin this section?  Where do I start with a discussion about the wonders of God?  

Today, the entire world population is living under a cloud of fear.  Fear of a virus that is out of control and the measurements taken against it in the past 18 months have proven ineffective.  A fear of total economic and financial collapse in the entire world as people are not allowed to work at their jobs for not getting an ineffective vaccine.  Fear of their neighbors and friends as the government officials implement total lockdowns of all freedoms due to a raging virus.  A fear over a country, Afghanistan, which has been taken by known, extreme terrorists after an unplanned, hasty US military exit  that has left thousand and thousands of Americans, allies, and Afghan people aligned with democracy, stranded and left to the terrorists regime.  These terrorists have been left with billions of dollars of military equipment to now use in their horrific acts against humanity. These are just the most difficult and huge fears of today.  This does not mention all of the personal fears of people across the globe, experiencing a multitude of different trials.

My Bible studies in the past couple of weeks have been on the Twelve Tribes of Israel as they departed Egypt and headed towards the Promised Land that they had begged God for.  As Moses dealt with the hard heart of Pharaoh, these same people watched and saw the wonders of God's power and might.  The Hebrews saw with their own eyes,  the plagues put upon the Egyptian people by their stubborn and blinded ruler. Over and over it went on until death changed Pharaoh and he told them to GO!  As the Israelite's ran for their lives toward freedom, with the wonders of God covering them, they groaned and moaned.  I'm too tired.  I want to rest and eat.  How much farther? Why are we going this way?  I know you can hearing the whining if you have ever had children.  

These people experienced wonders.  They experienced unexplained miracles. They were saved by the hand of God from 400 years of horrific slavery.  They questioned God.  They rebelled.  They worshiped other gods right before their Creator.  They pushed back and sinned, over and over and over and over.  Sometimes God was merciful, at the pleading of Moses. Sometimes He was not.  Many died in the desert as God made them walk the walk for over 40 years because of their selfish, rebellious ways.  Out of the millions that could have walked into the Promised Land, had they done as God commanded, only two were allowed to go in.  Joshua and Caleb made it in.  No one else was allowed to step foot in the land the Israelite's so wanted to experience and live in.  Those who lived in slavery in Egypt, did not experience freedom in the Promised Land.  They died and were buried in the desert.

God hears our cries for mercy and freedom today.  The cries for freedom are coming from all across the globe.  Will God hear our cry and come to our rescue?  Should He? Why should He?  We are still a sinful and rebellious people, even those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus.  We whine and moan about everything the least bit uncomfortable.  We wait for help but do nothing to help another.  We pout that God is not doing something miraculous.  We want those signs and wonders we read about in the Bible.  We want the Holy Spirit to breath new life into us and then we turn around and bellyache about all of our suffering.  We. We. We. Me. Me. Me.

In the thousand and thousands of years mankind has been walking this earth not much has changed.  Self righteousness is still filling the hearts of the people.  

The Great Creator, Father, "I AM" is and always will be on the throne.  I am still filled with sin, though I have been granted forgiveness by Jesus my Savior, I know I deserve to become dust in the wind but I continue to be selfish, opinionated, mean, nasty, unloving, unkind, and unworthy to receive or see any kind of wonder or miracle in my life.  For three years Jesus walked with the people.  He healed them and He touched them. He rose them from the dead.  He showed mercy, over and over.  They pushed for more, more, more, more.  We push for more, more, more, more.

Matthew 16:8 - 9 (NIV) Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?"

We ask for wonders and then we wonder when they will appear.  We ask for miracles and then miss the miracles of the day.  We ask for signs and the signs are all around us.  God is here with us.  I wonder if there is anyone on earth who still knows and believes this in their heart and soul, without question? It's a wonder that His mercies are still new every morning. 

Today I will fear only God and hope for His best decision in everything I cry out for.  Praise the Lord God for all things, both good and bad.  Both yes and no.  Praise God for today and I hope to praise God for tomorrow.  As in every day, He is the only Wonder I truly need.

Joshua 1:5 (NIV) No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV) The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)  Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

John 14:1 (NIV) “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me."

They Lied

                                                        They Lied

 

They told God to get out of the schools.

They told God to get out of the government.

They told the people that sex outside of marriage was fine.

They told the people that homosexual sex was normal.

They told the people that men could marry men and women could marry women.

They told the people aborting an unborn child was nothing.

They told the people the government would take care of all their needs.

They told the people to stay home, not go to work, not go to school,

Avoid all human contact or you will die.

They lied.

They have been lying for decades.

Only God can save you now.

You had better find him before it is too late.

If you do know him, you’d better be talking to others and praying for the lost souls.

There are billions of them.

 

Proverbs 8:35

For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord.

 

 

Debrakay

8-17-2020

Where Do We Go Now?

Sunday, August 2, 2020

3:00 PM

 

It is hard to understand what has happened this year.  Two years ago when my brain tumor was found, I was asking the same questions, but at that time it was for me personally.  This time it is about the entire planet and all of it's inhabitants, not just me.

 

The economies of all nations are suffering.  Most have lost more than 10% of it's economy and there seems to be no reprieve in sight. There are people who have lost everything.  They have lost their businesses.  They have lost their jobs.  They have lost their incomes.  As this moves forward, many will lose their homes.  They will have to start completely over.  Of course, that will not happen until businesses open at full capacity.  I honestly do not see that happening the remainder of this year and into the next year.  It will be a very slow recovery and the recovery has not even begun.  Most of the government restrictions are still in place across the world.  Schools are not reopening this month or next month.  Large gatherings for any kind of entertainment are still closed.  For the most case, in Oregon, we have a limit of 10 persons per gathering, regardless if it is a private gathering or a public gathering.  These kinds of restrictions are ongoing across the globe.

 

So what does God think of all of this?  Does he even care anymore about the suffering of the people?  Does he hear the cries of the hopeless people asking 'why'?  Can he or will he, move to end the suffering? 

 

God has watched the suffering of people since the beginning of time.   He also knows that much of the suffering is of our own free will.  As humans, we have chosen to turn our backs on God.  We have chosen not to follow him and his way.  We have obliterated him from the minds of the children and then we wonder why the children are up in arms, are disrespectful, are lost in their own selfish desires and wants.  All across the nations, God has been booted out of the lives of the people yet when there is suffering they turn their screams and cries to him and ask him to end the suffering.  As he hears the people call out to him, his heart of compassion comes along side of them.  He has not walked away from them, ever, but they have walked away from him.  It does not mean he has stopped loving them, ever.  It means he will only come to the aid of the people when they cry out to him and ask for his help. 

 

Over and over throughout time and throughout scripture we have heard the stories of the lost people coming back to the Father.  Mostly it happens during a time of suffering.  When the people of Israel were held in slavery by the Egyptians they had no choice but to do as their slave masters told them.  If they did not, they were killed.  They suffered for 400 years as slaves to the rulers of Egypt.  But the time came when God responded to the cries and led them out of slavery.  It was a tough road with many more years of hardship but they were no longer slaves.

 

Exodus 6:6 (NIV)

Therefore, say to the Israelites:  I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.

 

Will it take 400 years for God to hear the cries of his people again?  I have no idea, but it is a possibility.  The United States was built on the premises of faith and freedom.  That was 400 years ago this year.  But America stayed faithful to God up until 50 years ago.  As America walked away from God we watched the people of the nation fall into pits of evil and hellish ways.  The people became selfish and killed their unborn children in the womb.  Both sexes became selfish and lusted after their own kind.  All became obsessed with money and power.  The spiral to hell has continued and is now spinning so fast that one cannot keep up with the evilness and vileness of the human being. 

 

As I see it today, the people of America and the people of the world will continue in their suffering and mostly because of their own doing.  You can't blame God when you don't believe in God.  You can't expect God to help you when you never thanked him for the good things in life.  I would like to be writing a more positive word than words of a bleak future.  I'd like to be a shining light for God filled with words of hope, encouragement, and a pleasant future.  Instead, I am here writing about a suffering people and a God who may chose not to alleviate any of the current suffering.  For 400 years, in just one story, he did not help.  There is another story of the destruction of Jerusalem and the people taken into slavery by the Babylonian nation.  They lived in slavery for 70 years during that period of suffering. 

 

Jeremiah 15:2 (NIV)

And if they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “ ‘Those destined for death, to death; those for the sword, to the sword; those for starvation, to starvation; those for captivity, to captivity.’

 

I guess my best hope today is that American's only suffer for 70 years and not 400 years. I don't want to be known as a follower of Christ with only bad news on my lips.  What I would like for God to do in this day and age of suffering is to melt the hearts of those with hard hearts.  To make himself known to the god-hater.  To find a way to speak to those who feel alone in their hopelessness.  To raise up and army of believers to take back what evilness has destroyed.  To bring the people back to their knees before him.  I would like to hear of and see revival in the hearts of the lost and those who have walked away from God.

 

The God that I know can do this.  He can make a way to do this, but only if it is his will to do so.  6 months, 70 years, or 400 years God can make changes in and to the lives of the people he loves.  Our part is to be patient, pray, and watch and see what God can do.

 

The following scripture in the book of Revelation repeats the words from Jeremiah, but then God added the last sentence to give us hope.  Hope in him and his plan.

 

Revelation 13:10 (NIV)

“If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.” This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.

LIFE IS REALLY HARD SOMETIMES, BUT YOU ALL KNOW THAT!!

I wrote a letter to a friend of mine tonight and thought I would share it with the world.  I know that everyone struggles with many different things all their life.  Some people struggle every day, every year, all the time.  My heart breaks for those who have this kind of life.  No wonder there is hopelessness in the world.  No wonder so many just plain quit.  They give up.  They cannot see a light at the end of the tunnel.  It's a dark, dark world and they do not want to live in it.  Or if they do stay and live in it they want to be an numb as possible.  I get this.  I have felt this way in my life...before I knew the Lord.  Before I found hope, truth, love, forgiveness, peace, and the ability to comprehend what it means to be "Filled With The Spirit of God!"  Since then, I have never been the same.  I have never given up even when my mind said, "Give it up!"  My spirit and the Holy Spirit told me to hang on!  I would encourage you to start by searching out the meaning of the word HOPE!  Never give up hope that things can change, people can change, circumstances can change.  It only take faith the size of a mustard seed (which is one of the smallest seeds on earth) to move a mountain. 

Here is my letter to my friend:

I just wanted to tell you how much I love and respect you.  After ready this blog entry I felt I had to write and tell you that we all have those times we feel "less than", or "not loved", or "why me?", or "this is just BS".  I have struggled through the following trial for months and months now and cannot find a way to forgive...yet.  

Jerry and I just got done with one of the biggest battles we have had in our 32 years of marriage.  We have had legal issues with our next door neighbor who is a crazy person, but sane enough to falsely accuse Jerry of some terrible things and make the court believe her lies.  Yesterday he had to plead guilty to disorderly conduct in order to get the "crime" reduced to a violation.  He stopped her 19 year old daughter's vehicle in front of our house when she tried to run over him as he was mowing the lawn by the private road we share.  Oh, it's a long story and all of the details are not that important.  This happened last August and we just now finished up with the DA's charge.  The initial charge of "stalking" was dismissed with prejudice, so she cannot do this to Jerry again.  We have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on legal fees, surveillance equipment, and have had to live right next door to this woman and her adult children who have caused us more grief than almost anyone in our entire lives ever has.  All the time asking God, "What are we supposed to be learning from this? Why would you allow Jerry to be falsely accused of terrible things?" 

For 8 months I have been telling myself, "What doesn't kill me, will only strengthen me."  I don't feel strong.  I feel beat up and I did not do anything.  The stress has taken a toll on our marriage.  I don't want to live in my home any longer.  I don't want to live next door to a real life witch (you can but a big B in front of that word too).  I don't want to forgive her for being a psychotic narcissist.  I am mad that God allowed her lies to be heard and believed by the sheriff, the DA, and the court.  I am not mad at God, just mad that he did not protect Jerry and me from the evil neighbor!

I guess I mainly wanted you to hear my little story to let you know, you and Darin have always been in our thoughts, our hearts, and our prayers.  You have walked a path which seemed to lead to no where.  You felt betrayed and abandoned.  But I know that both you and Darin know, just like Jerry and I know...He never leaves us.  He never forsakes us.  He is always at our side.  He is always working it out for the best.  The evil one tries, but he cannot kill us.  Our lives are in the hands of the One True God who is faithful and just.   We are survivors and so-journers, just passing through this land.  We know we can curl up in the arms of our Father and He will console us and provide for us.  He will take care of us and He does. Time and time again.

But in the meantime, we live as human beings, next to a bunch of other human beings, some of whom are much, much more screwed up than we are.  Jerry and I physically live in the presence of our enemies, right over the fence.  Now I just have to find the will power and ability to forgive and move on.

It is very hard this time.  But this too will pass.  It just seems like it is taking a long, long time.

My love and prayers always and hugs to Darin and the girls!

P.S. If you do not want this comment (uh...lengthy rambling) on here feel free to delete it.  I wanted you to know that right now I am right where you were when you wrote this blog.  I got no ego left!  I am just plain tired of it all.