Thursday, July 31, 2014, 4:21 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put this song in mind:
Tell Me the
Story of Jesus /
Fanny J. Crosby / John R. Sweney
Tell me the
story of Jesus,
Write on my
heart every word;
Tell me the
story most precious,
Sweetest that
ever was heard…
Tell of the
cross where they nailed Him,
Writhing in
anguish and pain;
Tell of the
grave where they laid Him,
Tell how He
liveth again.
Love in that
story so tender,
Clearer than
ever I see;
Stay, let me
weep while you whisper,
“Love paid the
ransom for me.”
Speak,
Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Jeremiah 49:7-22 (NIV).
Has Counsel Perished?
This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?
Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom decayed? ~ v. 7
The Lord Jesus gave me an interesting picture of what this
passage is saying here, in all practicality and application to our world today.
He gave me a picture of our modern-day internet and cloud computing. The
internet is a vast source of knowledge. You can Google just about anything, and
there is an article about it somewhere, or someone has blogged about it, or
there has been a discussion on that topic on social media sites or on public
discussion sites. The various news sites are also loaded with all kinds of
information, as well as we have Wikipedia and various other encyclopedia and
dictionary resources. If someone has ever asked your question, there should be
a record of it out there somewhere, and you can learn how that question was
answered. So, we are certainly not lacking in knowledge or in information
resources in our day and time. They are at our fingertips, literally.
Yet, the question is asked here if wisdom and counsel have
perished and/or decayed, and if they no longer exist. You see, there is a big
difference between information and wisdom, just as there is a vast difference
between Google and godly counsel. We may take into our minds a vast array of
information via the internet, and we may even retain it as knowledge, but involved
with wisdom is experience, common sense, good judgment, discernment, and prudence
(forethought, caution and discretion). That is what is lacking, and the lack of
it is seriously astounding in our day and age. So many people, including so
many Christians today just believe everything they see, hear and read, particularly
everything that fits with their political bent, personal prejudices, religious
upbringing, culture, heritage, etc. It is a sad reality how many Christians do
not use prudence, good judgment or common sense, but they buy into whatever
sounds good without even bothering to check it out to see if it even makes
sense, or if it is the truth, or even if it directly defies the teachings of
scripture.
Take the news media, for example. How many people just
believe what they read, hear or see in the news, or on talk radio, or talk TV
shows, et al, without ever questioning if it is real (not fake), if it is true,
if it makes sense, or particularly if it even agrees with scripture? I am sad
to say that my experience has been that the vast majority don’t ask questions, they
don’t bother to check it out, but they just accept that it is real and that it
is true because they heard it, read it, or particularly if they saw it (on TV
or on the Internet) with their eyes. Hollywood can make things look very real
that are totally fake. The Bible warns us of a time of great deception. It says
that false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and
wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. So, why do we seem to think
that we are beyond being deceived? Why are so many so gullible as to believe
everything they see and hear, when the Bible warns us about deception, and it
cautions us to be discerning, and to exercise wisdom, and to test everything?
I see so many today who have been confronted with the
reality of why they should not just believe everything they hear, read, or see,
and they have been challenged with the knowledge that there is so much
deception going on in the world around them. They are being cautioned to use good
judgment and discernment, and they are even being presented with evidence to
the contrary to what they now hold to be truth and fact. And yet I see so many of
them just close their minds, hearts and ears to that reality, and they literally
refuse to even consider that they might be buying into a lie, even to the point
to where they may attack you if you even try to suggest that what they are
believing may, in fact, be a very clever lie and deception, and that what they
perceive to be real may be totally fake. And, that is what concerns me the
most, that they won’t even listen to wise counsel, and they won’t even look at
the evidence and consider that just maybe they might be wrong. It is so unwise
of us to be so easily persuaded about some things without checking them out,
and then to turn around and refuse to listen to the voice of reason and to the
word of truth.
Uncovering What is
Hidden
Turn
and flee, hide in deep caves,
you who live in Dedan,
for
I will bring disaster on Esau
at the time when I punish him…
I
will strip Esau bare;
I will uncover his hiding places,
so that he cannot conceal himself…
This
is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink
it, why should you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must drink it…
~ vv. 8-12
The Lord has a time when he will visit this world of ours in
judgment. Then he will expose all these lies and deceptions for what they are,
and all will be revealed; all will be laid bare. There will be no more hiding
and concealment of truth. I believe God will judge his adulterous church, too.
I believe scripture teaches this, particularly in Isaiah and in Revelation, as
well as in other books of the Bible. This is saying here that many innocents
suffer because of the sins of others, so why should God’s people who are living
in adultery against him, and who are following after the gods of this world,
and their lies and deceptions, think they should somehow escape God’s hand of
divine discipline when they won’t listen to God? So many in the church in
America are holding on to the teaching of the pre-trib rapture, thinking that
just because they are Christians that they can live however they want but that
nothing bad will ever happen to them. That is pure arrogance.
They Have Deceived
You
The
terror you inspire
and the pride of your heart have deceived
you,
you
who live in the clefts of the rocks,
who occupy the heights of the hill.
Though
you build your nest as high as the eagle’s,
from there I will bring you down,”
declares
the Lord.
“Edom
will become an object of horror;
all who pass by will be appalled and will
scoff
because of all its wounds.
As
Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown,
along with their neighboring towns,”
says
the Lord,
“so
no one will live there;
no people will dwell in it…
Look!
An eagle will soar and swoop down,
spreading its wings over Bozrah.
In
that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors
will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
The Lord Jesus gave me a picture here of those who occupy
the heights of the hill and who build their nest as high as the eagle’s as
those who run and operate “The Internet.” The United States of America has had
the control of the Internet since its inception, I believe. Purportedly the
internet was scheduled to be turned over to ICANN, yet other sources say that
the U.S. isn’t giving up its control. It would appear that the internet is now being
controlled by “The Cloud,” alias the New World Order, depending on what source
you read. I see a lot of dangers with the Cloud. So many people trust all their
private and even financial and business information to Cloud Computing, again
another area where I believe we need to exercise much discernment, common sense
and reason and good judgment, and I don’t believe that is being done much. Do
we really think we can give all our information to this global giant in the sky
and that it won’t be stolen, traded, sold to the highest bidder or otherwise
used against us in some way? When we do this, we are giving up our own privacy
and personal control over our own information, and that is unwise and
dangerous.
Bottom Line
So, what is the bottom line here? I believe it is that too
many Christians, myself included, have for too long been too trusting, too naïve,
and too gullible concerning what they give out and what they take in, and it is
going to come back and bite us. From this point on we need to exercise the
godly wisdom and counsel of the Word of God, and of the Spirit within us, and
even from those who are walking closely with the Lord Jesus, who walk in his
ways and in his truth, and who are not caught up in the world’s system
themselves. We need to stop believing everything we read, hear and see on TV,
or in the news, or on Talk radio or TV or on the internet, and we need to stop
trusting others with our private information thinking that nothing bad will
happen to us, because it may. And, we need to begin to be in the practice of
inquiring of our Lord Jesus about everything to make sure we are not falling
prey to those who would “molest” (abuse; assault or otherwise take advantage
of) us. And, we need to start to say “NO” to being taken advantage of by
exercising prudence.
Jesus Christ paid the ransom for our sins so that we could
be free from the control of sin over our lives, and so that we would no longer
be held in slavery to the control of Satan. Let’s make sure we don’t give up
that freedom willingly through our own stupidity, because we failed to exercise
the godly wisdom and counsel our Lord has provided for us.
He Reached Down /
An Original Work / February 3, 2014
Based off Psalm 18
How I love You, Lord,
My Rock and my
strength.
My God is my fortress;
I hide in Him.
He is my shield and
the horn of
My salvation, whom I
praise.
I have found my refuge
in Him.
He reached down from
heaven
And rescued me;
Drew me out of waters
So deep, I’d sink.
He delivered me from
Satan
And my slavery to sin;
Gave me hope of heaven
with Him.
My God turned my
darkness
Into His light;
Opened up my blinded
eyes;
Gave me sight.
As for God, his way is
perfect.
He gives strength to
stand secure.
I have found my
vict’ry in Him.
My Lord lives!
Praise be to my Savior
God,
Jesus Christ, who died
On a cruel cross.
He is my Rock and the
source
Of my salvation, whom
I trust.
I will give praise
always to Him.
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