Today on Like It Matters Radio, Mr. Black talks about communication. Communication is the foundation for a relationships both personal and professional. As human beings we have so much information coming at us all the time. An article in Fast Company magazine posed the following statement: ‘We’ve created a world with 300 exabytes of human-made information. Try processing all that’. We can’t so we naturally use three filters: distortions, generalizations and Deletions. These filters are also the key to, Miscommunication. Tune into Like It Matters Radio for an hour of Power as Mr. Black discusses: Miscommunicating well!
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https://omny.fm/shows/like-it-matters-radio/04-12-21-miscommunicating-well

And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, so the LORD gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. And the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” Then Manoah prayed to the LORD and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.”- Judges 13:1-5,8 ESV

Warrior;
The book of Judges is an interesting book. It is one of the books in the Bible that we do NOT know for sure who the writer is. It is believed by many to be written by Samuel the profit. It is understood that the writer of this book had to live shortly after the period of the Judges, and this further points to Samuel, since he fits this qualification. ‘Got Questions dot org’, has a unique description of the book of Judges: The Book of Judges is a tragic account of how God was taken for granted by His children year after year, century after century. Judges is a sad contrast to the book of Joshua which chronicles the blessings God bestowed on the Israelites for their obedience in conquering the land. After the death of Joshua and his contemporaries, the Israelites returned to serving Baal and Ashtaroth. God allowed the Israelites to suffer the consequences of worshiping false gods. It was then that the people of God would cry out to Yahweh for help. God sent His children judges to lead them in righteous living. But time after time they would turn their backs on God and return to their lives of wickedness. However, keeping His part of the covenant with Abraham, God would save His people from their oppressors throughout the 480-year span of the Book of Judges. This 7th book in the Old Testament covers the time between the conquest described in the Book of Joshua and the establishment of a kingdom in the Books of Samuel, during which biblical judges served as temporary leaders. The stories follow a consistent pattern: the people are unfaithful to Yahweh and he therefore delivers them into the hands of their enemies; the people repent and entreat Yahweh for mercy, which he sends in the form of a leader a “judge. The judge delivers the Israelites from oppression and they prosper, but soon they fall again into unfaithfulness and the cycle is repeated. The cycle is repeated because of our nature, because of our sin, and because we are naturally at war with God.

Leader, Samuel in his letters bearing his name, alludes to this pattern of warring AGAINST GOD! If you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the command of the Lord, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God. If you will not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the command of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers. (1 Samuel 12:14-15) Samuel said, “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry…. (1 Samuel 15:22-23) What we are seeing is the NATURE OF MAN. When things are going bad, they are tough, not the way we want- we cry out to God and beg Him for help, and blame Him for our problems. It is referred to as, “Jailhouse Religion”. This is the 7th book of the Bible, and 7 times in this book does it say, “And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD”. Seven is the number of completeness and perfection (both physical and spiritual). God is showing us a COMPLETE image of man, that we want what we want, and many walk with God solely for what He can give them when they are in need! 40 represents Judgement and notice how they were allowed to be ruled by their enemy for 40 years. Let us focus now on Samson. Samson had a “pre-conception” experience remarkably similar to those that played a big part in the Salvation of Mankind. His Mother and Father were met by an angel of the Lord before His conception and was given instructions on the child- before there was a fertilized seed. This is similar to Samuel, John the Baptist, and of course Jesus. God is OMNISCIENT, He has perfect knowledge, and He sits above time. So He knows all things, and He can be anywhere on the TIMELINE, at any time. This understanding should give us peace, and rest. Manoah means REST, PEACE- notice the underlying message of walking with God; Rest and Peace!

Conduit, what is interesting about Samson versus John the Baptist, Samuel and Jesus is that Samson was not the picture of an obedient and righteous man like the other three. Samson constantly fed his fleshly desires, did things that got him in trouble and would put himself in situations that would cause him to fall and live below his blessing and his calling- just like we do. Of the 4 whose parents were notified, preconception. about their son, none was closer to the reality of who we are in our FLESH, than Samson! Samson, like us, was the epitome of what the Apostle John talked about in his first epistle. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever”. (1 John 2:15-17) Yet Samson was used by God and represents God’s unrelenting love and the fact that He will NEVER leave us or forsake us. The promise “I will never leave you nor forsake you” was first given to Israel and Joshua before entering the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 31:6). Encouragingly, Moses reminded Joshua that, as the succeeding leader, “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” (Deuteronomy 31:8). See also Jacob (Genesis 28:15), Joshua (Deuteronomy 31:8; Joshua 1:5, 9), Solomon (1 Chronicles 28:20). The same commitment remains in the NEW TESTAMENT. The author of Hebrews restates the promise of God’s eternal presence with believers (Hebrews 13:5). The promise is preceded by a command: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.” Instead of trusting in riches or material goods, which will ultimately fail, believers should place their hope in God, who promises, “I will never leave you and I will never forsake you” God loves us because of WHO HE IS, not because of who we are. God loves us because of what JESUS did on the cross, not because of what you did, or DID NOT do! God used the lustful, prideful, rebellious, revengeful, narcissistic, sinful MAN OF GOD- Samson, to begin the defeat of one of Israel’s greatest enemies, the Philistines! David would finish the work of Samson. Like all of us, at the end of his life- Samson called out to God one last time. “Then Samson called to the LORD and said, “O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life.” (Judges 16:28-30) God still would NOT LEAVE Samson, nor forsake him, just like you and I! God is waiting for our return! He’s listening and watching!

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. – 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 ESV

Warrior;

of which (the church) I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (1 Colossians 25-29) We live in a world that is NOT interested in following after God.  We live in a country that wants to do things, THE WORLD’S WAY, and yet God has called us to do things HIS WAY.  We are called to GODLINESS as the world is pulling us to HUMANISM.  What is happening in the world, and in America should NOT be a surprise, it has been written about, and read about- for centuries, in the Bible.  However, the TRUTH is hidden from those who refuse to believe the TRUTH and HUMBLE themselves before the LORD! For as God Himself said, “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” (Matthew 7:6)

Leader, right after Jesus talked about not sharing the precious WORD of God (Pearls), to those who are NOT interested- because they are NOT GOD’s possession- He then goes into the role of those who are GOD’s, who are the ‘CALLED OUT ONES’- His church. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8) God is analogous to a lover, a spouse, someone who you DESIRE to KNOW! Matthew 7:7-8 is about a progression, a persistence, a DESIRE to KNOW, RECEIVE and BE CHANGED! There are 2 forces keeping the MYSTERY from people. First is our Lord, and secondly, and much more actively- the Prince of this World. First we need to understand that God knows who ARE HIS, and who ARE NOT HIS. That is why we are called NOT TO JUDGE- which is to attempt to deduce who is God’s and who is not. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus alludes to God’s role in keeping the mystery a MYSTERY to some. He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secreta of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: ‘When they see what I do, they will learn nothing. When they hear what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven. (Mark 4:11-12) God knows some will never turn to Him, His is omniscient, however if you have eyes to see and ears to hear, the mystery is right in front of all of us! Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)

Conduit, the prevailing force that is working to keep the WORD out of our WORLD and thus, our INNER WORLD- our hearts and minds- is the Prince of the Power of the Air. In Genesis 3 our father ADAM, made a decision that caused a molecular, structural change- sin became part of our DNA. Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. (Romans 5:12) When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. (Genesis 3:6) From that point on, from Genesis 3:6- Revelation 22:21, the MYSTERY has been about RECONCILING man, back to God. The last verse of the Bible succinctly tells us what we ALL NEED: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen” (Rev. 22:21) This is the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:26-27) Like a lover, or a spouse, God wants us to pursue Him. God DESIRES for us to DESIRE HIM! When we seek to know the MYSTERY that is God, and to search HIS WORD, to find the hidden gems of salvation and relationship- this is pleasing to our GOD! Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will 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 imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:51-53) Today, pursue God, through knowing HIS WORD and seek to understand the mystery that this world MOCKS! “If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels”. (Luke 9:26)

He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it. ”And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.- Genesis 18:31-33 ESV

Warrior;
Galatians 5:9 puts it simply: A little leaven leavens the whole lump. The NLT transliterates this way: This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! The Philosophy of the CLASSROOM in one generation will be the PHILOSPHY of GOVERNMENT in the next. Today we are under constant bombardment and constant pressure to be like the world and CONDONE what the Bible calls evil. Christians marching for the WORLDs causes?

Leader, Abraham bargained with God to find BUT 10 Righteous to Save Sodom and He couldn’t even find 1- He saved LOTT because of ABRAHAM- see Genesis 19:22, 29. Lott made the choice of moving into the plains, THEN he pitched his tent towards Sodom and NOW he was living in Sodom. “What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace”; John Wesley. It is almost IMPOSSIBLE to live in the midst of society that is so TWISTED without becoming corrupted ourselves.

Conduit, we eventually DO in person what we CONDONE in our HEART and MIND. The very first Psalm tells us this; blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; Notice the progression; Listening to those in the World, Standing around with those in the WORLD-maybe going to a woman’s March or BLM protest…then, you are sitting at the table talking about Social Justice. The CURE: BUT HIS DELIGHT is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night! (Ps 1:1-2) Meditate on HIS WORD, HIS LAW and HIS WAY- Jesus is the answer!

Man is a three-fold being.  I am a SPIRIT. I LIVE in a body, I Possess a consciousness.   The real me is SPIRIT.  The Body is the MEDIUM by which my Spirit expresses itself and I possess a consciousness.

Realize, plant life exists on a Physical plane.  Animal life exists on a Physical and Conscious plane – (Social\Mental). However, human beings, Man exists on a Physical, Conscious and Spiritual Plane. In the same degree by which the plant life is separated from the animal life by the inclusion of the consciousness\mental, Man is also separated from animal life by the inclusion of the Spirit aspect of his nature.

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HBS,
Mr. Black

I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. – Philemon 1:10-16 ESV

Warrior;
What a great message and a timely message. This epistle (letter) is USEFUL to us more today in America, than ever before. This book is useful to deal with the rampant RACISM and SOCIAL JUSTICE, and CRITICAL RACE THEORY and all the other vehicles that the devil is using in America today to divide us and destroy us- not only as a nation, but as a body. From Gotquestions.org: Latinized form of the Greek name Ὀνήσιμος (Onesimos), which meant “beneficial, profitable”. Saint Onesimus was an escaped slave of Philemon who met Saint Paul while in prison and was converted by him. Paul sent him back to Philemon carrying the epistle that appears in the New Testament. Paul uses a play on words when he refers to Onesimus in verse 11: “Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.” The name Onesimus means “helpful,” “useful,” or “profitable.” It was a common name for slaves in that day. Before salvation, Onesimus had been useless or unprofitable to Philemon, but now he had become immensely beneficial to both his master and to Paul. As a believer in Jesus Christ, Onesimus lived up to his name. Philemon, from the noun φιλημα (philema), kiss or hug, from the adjective φιλος (philos), friend or beloved. He Who Shows Kindness, Mister Kiss- we might call this LOVE. It actually has the same Greek root; PHILOS, as does Phileo, which is where the name Philadelphia comes from as well, it is brother love! This is how great our God is, he has layers of meaning in each word, in each verse, in each chapter and throughout the entire Bible! The biblical use of the word, “mystery” refers to some truth that had been hidden in the past, but was eventually revealed by God. In this sense it is a “sacred secret. It is truly a mystery and a blessing to have this light illuminated to the glory of God!

Leader, this book is misused in teaching, and in wanting to manipulate the WORD OF GOD, to meet our fleshly needs, our fleshly way of thinking. We are called to think differently than the world, yet we have been CONNED into participating in the politics and hate of the world. The devil learned early on that he could not defeat the church from outside of it. So in the 4th century the devil joined the church and has been working to RID IT OF ITS EFFECTIVENESS since Constantine assisted the devil in his scheme and made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (Romans 12:2, Ephesians 6:11, 2 Corinthians11:14) This letter is the only prison letter that Paul addressed to an individual. Philemon- the only place this name is ever used in the Bible, this small letter, seemingly specifically targeted to one man, about one man, about ONE GOD-MAN- is about FORGIVENESS, which is about LOVE! This letter is not about slavery, it is not about social justice, it is not about Critical Race Theory- it is about forgiveness and love. We are never more like GOD than when we forgive. We are never more like the SONS OF PERDITION, as when we are keeping a record of wrong, keeping a pound of flesh, telling the world about our wrongs and our injustices. Notice Paul sent him back to his MASTER and never once said anything about the institution of slavery, or indentured servitude. He sent him back, with a request to set HIM FREE! This is what Jesus does for us! We might still be a slave to sin, or addiction, or hatred, or self-pity- but Jesus offers us freedom under all circumstances!

Conduit, John MacArthur states the following regarding the book of Philemon and the subject of slavery: “At no point in scripture is there ever an attempt made to abolish slavery. Not at any time did any prophet, preachers, teachers, or apostles- of the New Testament ever attack slavery. But any call to righteous living, any call to HOLY LOVE will eliminate the abuses that are in ANY social system. In fact, quite the contrary, there are, throughout the new testament, many, many texts to where slavery becomes a model of Christian Principle. Slavery became a picture, as it were, as how we are related to God as His slaves, as His servants.” See Ephesians 6, Colossians 4, 1 Timothy 6:1-2, 1 Peter 2:18. 1 Corinthians 7, what I call the REMAIN chapter, states this, as well: Each one should remain in the situation he was in when he was called. Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let it concern you—but if you can gain your freedom, take the opportunity. For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman. Conversely, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brothers, each one should remain in the situation he was in when God called him. (1 Corinthians 7:20-24) The entire ROMAN EMPIRE was built on slavery, 2\3 of the people at that time were slaves. When the Christian Gospel, the GOOD NEWS came into this “environment”, Apostles and Preachers were not about to change the focus from a SPIRITUAL one, to a SOCIAL ONE! Oh if we could have such wisdom today! The church is being destroyed from within by so many people who IDENTIFY as Christian, but are hosting the SPIRIT OF OFFENSE with the CANCER of SOCIAL JUSTICE. We have an example in this book, and the GOOD BOOK: If Jesus and the apostles would have attacked slavery, it would have destroyed the Roman Empire. The hope that any slave had, and that we have today is in a CHANGED HEART. That is what Jesus, and the GOSPEL offers us, a changed heart, to where we treat our fellow man as ourselves. This is the greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37–40). We are never more LIKE GOD, than when we FORGIVE! We are never more like the Sons of Perdition as when we keep our record of wrong, our pound of flesh and tell the world of every grievance that has ever happened to us and anybody who looked like us! Jesus COMMANDED us, forgive or He will not forgive you! When the devil reminds you, our country-of our past- you remind him of his future! “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10)

The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries,and will pursue his enemies into darkness. – Nahum 1:2,7-8 ESV

Warrior.
Kristofer Holroyd writes an article supporting a Study, he had written, where he poses the question, Why Study the Books of Jonah, Micah, and Nahum? This article was about a series that Crossway.org did called, “Why study the book?” Holroyd states: ‘Like all of Scripture, each book of the Bible has been given by God to help us learn how to live and love like Jesus. Each book of the Bible has something unique to teach us about God, about ourselves, and about the meaning of life. In the books of Jonah, Micah, and Nahum, we learn more about our God. We see him as Creator and ruler of the created world. For example, in Jonah he “hurls” a great wind upon the sea (Jonah 1:4); he “appoints” a fish to swallow Jonah (Jonah 1:17) and later “speaks” to the same fish (Jonah 2:10); he also “appoints” a plant, and a worm, and a scorching east wind (Jonah 4:6, 7, 8). In Micah, we see creation itself cower before the Sovereign Ruler of the universe (Micah 1:2–4), and Nahum begins with an awe-inspiring depiction of God’s might and power in the midst of his creation (Nahum 1:2–5).

Leader, It is fascinating to understand how the Bible is all connected chronologically, systematically and divinely. The Glorified Chuck Missler use to say about the Bible, that it was; “66 books by 40 authors and we now find that it (the Bible) is an integrated message system from outside our time domain.” That is a healthy, proper view of the Bible, it is ONE MESSAGE and one of the mysteries is to understand how it is integrated and what that means for the world! This is why we have teachers and we are to search the scriptures and seek understanding from the Holy Spirit and those He uses to teach us! One of my favorite teachers is J. Vernon McGee who explains the integration between the 2 Old Testament books of Jonah and Nahum. About the book of Nahum, McGee says, “Nahum is a thrilling book to study because it reveals the other side of the attributes of God. God is love, but God is also holy and righteous and good. And God still moves in the lives of nations; therefore, this book speaks right into where we are today”. The book is about the city of Nineveh, that 100-150 years earlier had one of the greatest revivals ever, it had a 100% Repentance, and Reconciliation. “And the Ninevites believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least. When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let no man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink. Furthermore, let both man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and have everyone call out earnestly to God. Let each one turn from his evil ways and from the violence in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent; He may turn from His fierce anger, so that we will not perish.” When God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—He relented from the disaster He had threatened to bring upon them”. (Jonah 3:5-10)

Conduit– things change, and what we once were, we are no longer- because what we did, we stopped doing! McGee goes on to say, “Two prophets preached to Nineveh: Jonah and Nahum. When Jonah preached repentance (765 B.C.), the people repented, and God spared them. 150 years later, Nahum preaches the same message, but the people reject it and are judged. The Takeaway? God is slow to anger and gives grace-but He won’t tolerate sin”. I think this is a warning to America. We used to be a Nation founded on Judeo-Christian values, we built our Constitution based on the Bible, it was a primary teaching tome in our schools until ‘Engel v Vitale’, June 25, 1962 everything changed. Before the 1960s there was little resistance to teaching religious principles, Bible reading, or prayer in school was the norm. You could walk into virtually any public school and see examples of teacher-led prayer and Bible reading. We have fallen even further with the rise of the liberal\progressive beliefs that are now enshrined in the Democratic party. Scottish historian Alexander Tytler, who lived at the same time as the American Founding Fathers, described a repeating cycle in history. He had found that societies went through this same cycle again and again, and that the cycle lasted roughly 200 years each time. They start in bondage, then they get Spiritual-seeking God, that leads to Courage. We then take that Courage to become free with Liberty, which leads to abundance. Comfortable in Abundance we become Selfish which leads to Complacency, then it is called Apathy. From Apathy, we get into dependence on the government, which brings us FULL CIRCLE back to bondage! It is time TO WAKE UP AMERICA! We need to go back to the BASICS, back to our first love! Where are you at? Are you with Jonah, or Nahum? America is back into bondage to the God of Government, let us REPENT, like the Ninevites of Jonah’s day and again, SEEK THE LORD our GOD- before JUDGEMENT. This election matters, vote as if GOD IS YOUR FIRST LOVE! Act like you’re voting for your eternity- because you are! But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. (Revelation 2:4-5)

Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” – Acts 9:4-6 NKJV

Warrior;

Such an important time in the history of the church.  The greatest Christian, outside of Jesus Christ, was called to his CALLING on that road to Damascus.  There is so much meaning, so many gems in this little piece of scripture and this ‘section’ of the Word!  Here was SAUL, a righteous, religious man, a keeper of the law- and He was out fighting the good fight, defending God against the heretical people of ‘The Way’.  The Jews had tradition and the law, and all the rules to follow that made him a good Jew and thus a Holy Man of God. Though I myself could have such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless. (Philippians 3:4-6) Paul left Jerusalem ON FIRE, breathing righteous indignation about those who walked away from the RELIGION of Judaism, and began a personal relationship with the Savior of the World, Jesus, the Christ.  But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. (Acts 9:1-2) Paul’s encounter with Jesus totally transformed His life, it changed his activities, it changed his schedule, it changed his beliefs, it changed how He walked from that day forward.  He left Jerusalem, confident in his flesh, but he got to Damascus humble and in need of guidance.  Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. (Acts 9:8-9) Have you been changed?  Do you want to be changed?

Leader, a few points to brighten our walk and help us as we continue to change the course of our lives. First of all, a real encounter with Jesus, will humble you! God hates pride, and self-righteousness. A true connection with Jesus will be humbling, He will bring you down to the proper position of looking up to Jesus; He is God, we are not! His will be done, not our will be done! We are called to be like Paul and to let Jesus be the guide, the pilot of our lives. We are all called to “Change our lives” from going on our own missions and working for our salvation to being about the Fathers business. To make His Purpose our purpose, and to continue the work of Jesus Christ which he told us; “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 4:18, Proverbs 24:11, Luke 19:10) It is so powerful the thought that Jesus asked Paul why do you persecute ME? This shows you that when people are attacking the Bible, or attacking believers, they are really attacking Jesus. He takes it personal! Jesus’ asked Paul, “Why do you persecute me?” We must remember the law of transitive principle. If A = B, and B= C, then A=C. The Bible is clear that Jesus is the Word of God. 1In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. (John 1:1-4)

Conduit, Jesus is the Word of God, The Bible itself is also called, “The Word of God”. Paul wrote that the Scriptures, the Bible are God breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). And according to Jesus, from Genesis all the way to Revelation, they reveal, glorify, and present Christ. You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, (John 5:39) Jesus is God’s autobiography in human flesh. The Bible is God’s autobiography in written form. From the earliest days of our faith, Jesus-followers have called Scripture, The written Word of God while calling Jesus the living Word of God- both are called THE WORD OF GOD. Jesus Himself called the Scriptures “the Word of God” in Mark 7:13. Based on the Transitive Principle; Jesus=The Bible. When someone attacks the Bible, they are attacking Jesus Himself; Jesus is the Word, the Word is the Bible; Jesus is the Bible! Saul was inferred a simple question, “Why are you kicking against the Goads?” A goad was a stick with a pointed piece of iron on its tip used to prod an animal to get them from being “off course” to prod them with the goad, “onto the right path”. Used specifically with oxen, for the process of plowing. The farmer would poke the animal with the goad, to cause the animal to readjust, to steer it in the right direction. Sometimes the animal would rebel by kicking out at the goad, and this would result in the goad being driven even further into its flesh. In other words, the more an ox rebelled, the more it suffered. Saul then responded with the proper response: Who are you Lord, and what would you have me do? “Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path” (Proverbs 15:10). If we are a child of God, a child of LIGHT, then when we choose to disobey God, we become like the rebellious ox—driving the goad deeper and deeper. “The way of the unfaithful is hard” (Proverbs 13:15). How much better to heed God’s voice, to acknowledge Him and to seek HIS WAY. Today, I pray this is your desire! Father, whatever you are about today, please let me be a part of it. If you need to get my attention like you did Paul, I give you permission to shake my foundation, to goad me onto the narrow path that leads to an abundant life on this planet and for eternity. “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!” I give you permission to meet with me on my road to Damascus. Please rescue me from my religious ways, and lead me into an intimate personal relationship with your Son, my Savior and Lord, Jesus. Amen!