I'm not going to lie. The whole 'bathroom' thing has occupied far too much brain space since Obama sent the 'decree' to public schools last Friday, the 13th. Disgust and outrage are only the tip of the iceberg. A question burns persistently: WHY??? What could possibly be the motivation for such idiocy?
The answer eluded me until this afternoon when I was in the shower. A frantic weekend called for the counterpoint of a 'lazy' Monday...some time to 'be still' before the Lord. I found myself in the book of Numbers, reading the account of Balaam. What an unexpected source of inspiration in this age, in which cursing God and His people is publicly applauded!
King Balak was thoroughly intimidated by the presence and power of God's people. He summoned Balaam and offered him a hefty bribe to 'curse' God's people. Balaam refused. Numbers 24 records that Balaam was a man whose eyes were open, who heard the Word of God, who saw the vision of the Almighty and who knew 'the knowledge of the Most High.' He was oblivious at times, as we all are. In fact, it took a talking donkey to get his full attention...even so, he is an inspiration for us. He was committed to speaking ONLY the Word of the Lord!
The answer eluded me until this afternoon when I was in the shower. A frantic weekend called for the counterpoint of a 'lazy' Monday...some time to 'be still' before the Lord. I found myself in the book of Numbers, reading the account of Balaam. What an unexpected source of inspiration in this age, in which cursing God and His people is publicly applauded!
King Balak was thoroughly intimidated by the presence and power of God's people. He summoned Balaam and offered him a hefty bribe to 'curse' God's people. Balaam refused. Numbers 24 records that Balaam was a man whose eyes were open, who heard the Word of God, who saw the vision of the Almighty and who knew 'the knowledge of the Most High.' He was oblivious at times, as we all are. In fact, it took a talking donkey to get his full attention...even so, he is an inspiration for us. He was committed to speaking ONLY the Word of the Lord!
This was the backdrop for the following conversation with the Lord in the shower:
"Lord, I don't know what You want from me today. I am at a loss...I want to hear Your voice. Open my eyes! I want to know Your heart..."
"De-creation..."
"Excuse me? De-creation?"
"It's the answer to the question you have been asking, the 'why?' "
"Of course!" I responded.
I knew EXACTLY what He meant. In an instant everything made sense...total, diabolical sense. I recalled the account of Creation in Genesis:
"Lord, I don't know what You want from me today. I am at a loss...I want to hear Your voice. Open my eyes! I want to know Your heart..."
"De-creation..."
"Excuse me? De-creation?"
"It's the answer to the question you have been asking, the 'why?' "
"Of course!" I responded.
I knew EXACTLY what He meant. In an instant everything made sense...total, diabolical sense. I recalled the account of Creation in Genesis:
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness covered the face of the deep..." (Genesis 1:1)
Now this was no ordinary darkness...not merely physical darkness...the Hebrew word for 'darkness' here is choshek. It is described in the Hebrew dictionary as:
'darkness, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness, obscurity.'
This comes as a bit of a shock. I had always imagined the pre-created earth as a blank slate, ready for the handiwork of the Almighty. Not so! You see, earth was already inhabited when the Spirit of God hovered over her and spoke: "LET THERE BE LIGHT!"
"Discontented with his high position as 'Guardian Cherub,' and wanting to be like God, Lucifer and his rebel-angels had found themselves hurled out of heaven, relegated to the dark recesses of our pre-creation planet:
'darkness, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness, obscurity.'
This comes as a bit of a shock. I had always imagined the pre-created earth as a blank slate, ready for the handiwork of the Almighty. Not so! You see, earth was already inhabited when the Spirit of God hovered over her and spoke: "LET THERE BE LIGHT!"
"Discontented with his high position as 'Guardian Cherub,' and wanting to be like God, Lucifer and his rebel-angels had found themselves hurled out of heaven, relegated to the dark recesses of our pre-creation planet:
"How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn!" (Isaiah 14:12)
"Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor: I cast you to the ground..." (Ezekiel 28:17)
"And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." (Revelation 12:9)
"Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor: I cast you to the ground..." (Ezekiel 28:17)
"And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." (Revelation 12:9)
When God spoke Light into the darkness, it was the first step in His plan to reclaim planet Earth for His glory. The devil was put on notice. Every single Word spoken by God in the moments of Creation brought 'beauty from ashes and the oil of gladness instead of mourning.' Hideous misery was displaced by the wonder of that first Sunrise, bringing both warmth and Light. Unsullied seas teamed with life, and sweet birdsong filled fragrant gardens. God SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD! Then, at last, the crowning glory of Creation, miraculously fashioned from the dust of the earth:
"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. AND LET THEM HAVE DOMINION over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth...So God created man in His own image...MALE AND FEMALE He created them."
"And God blessed them. And God said to them, BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY and fill the earth and SUBDUE IT..." (Genesis 1:26-28)
"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. AND LET THEM HAVE DOMINION over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth...So God created man in His own image...MALE AND FEMALE He created them."
"And God blessed them. And God said to them, BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY and fill the earth and SUBDUE IT..." (Genesis 1:26-28)
So The Battle began. The enemy would not relinquish control without a fight! Before long a pure, faultless Creation would suffer corruption through the subtle lies of a serpent called Satan. The enemy injected strains of his perversion into the blood of the human race, bringing his own misery to bear on all of God's Creation.
Not to be outdone, Jehovah Elohim (Strong Creator), Elyon (Lord Most High), Elgibbor (Mighty God) responded immediately, sealing Satan's fate. He made a proclamation which set in motion His perfect, eternal plan for RE-CREATION, through the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus:
"Because you have done this, cursed are you...I will put enmity between you and
the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:14-15)
Satan knows he faces a future of eternal torment. His only recourse in the meantime is to use his misguided children, victims of deception, to STEAL, KILL and DESTROY as much of God's creation as he can...DE-CREATION! His goal is to disrupt and destroy the order and beauty of what God has made. He has set his ruinous targets on anything and everything which points to God's glory:
MUSIC
ART
SCIENCE
HISTORY
WISDOM AND REASON
THE ENVIRONMENT
DNA
TRUTH
GENDER IDENTITY
LIFE ITSELF.
"Woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath,
because he knows his time is short!" (Revelation 12:1
MUSIC
ART
SCIENCE
HISTORY
WISDOM AND REASON
THE ENVIRONMENT
DNA
TRUTH
GENDER IDENTITY
LIFE ITSELF.
"Woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath,
because he knows his time is short!" (Revelation 12:1
He and his children are responsible for metastatic confusion and for the dissolution of all that is just and right and good. One unnamed writer speaks of the 'growth in militant godlessness in the world today, until the world is swarming with human beings no longer human, but just beings.' What is our recourse? In one word, PRAYER...prayer uttered in the matchless power of Jesus' Name:
"It has been said that prayer is the greatest force in the universe.
This is no exaggeration. it will bear constant repetition.
In this atomic age, when forces are being released
that stagger the thought and imagination of man,
it is well to remember that prayer transcends all other forces!"
(F.J. Huegel)
This is no exaggeration. it will bear constant repetition.
In this atomic age, when forces are being released
that stagger the thought and imagination of man,
it is well to remember that prayer transcends all other forces!"
(F.J. Huegel)
May God grant us the grace to pray without ceasing.
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