“Change You Can Believe In”?

Post 218

On Friday I had a brilliant idea. I know how I can keep this boat floating for another month. Since I don’t have any renters, I called the fuel company and sold them back the heating oil in that tank. After the heavy charge for pump-out and even with the reduced buyback rate I still ended up with enough money to make another mortgage payment! Brilliant. Now I can keep doing what I want. The fuel company seemed so eager to buy it back at that arrangement they sent an empty fuel truck on Sunday to do the job. Since Monday was a holiday I intended to drive to town this morning (Tuesday) to collect the check and make the payment just in time. But it rained hard all weekend in a typical fall storm and this morning I woke up to Fall rockslide at 19 mile that crossed the road between me and town. Oh those troublesome waves in this storm!

And I hear you cry; “WHAT KIND OF AN IDIOT WILL NOT LIFT A FINGER TO CREATE INCOME, BUT INSTEAD THINKS IT’S A GREAT IDEA TO TAKE A LOSS IN SELLING WHAT HE HAS ALREADY BOUGHT? THIS IS NO SOLUTION! DOESN’T HE SEE THAT THIS ELIMINATES THE POTENTIAL OF RENTING THAT PLACE AND GAINING MUCH NEEDED INCOME THAT ACTUALLY MAINTAINS WHAT HE HAS?”

But my great idea has suddenly expanded my inventory of ideas and I am now seeing previously unconsidered things I can sell or trade to keep this up for even more months, so why do you say this is a bad idea? It may not be the solution you have been raised to think of, but look, it works; I’m safe for another month! This is change you can believe in! It’s a new brilliant way of thinking that has immediate positive results and allows me to continue my present desires.
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If you do not ridicule me for this I have to question your own sanity. How short sighted can a person actually be? How many things can I sell off before there is nothing left to sell? Then what?

Oh, I could fill pages of the strange ways that “circumstances” are systematically bringing about my disaster, but as I have declared; It is the Lord directing me, so isn’t my pending disaster the actual work of God himself even though it is at least in part my own choices and actions that result in my worsening situation? How can I blame God for my own stupidity? But in fact I can and do, as a representation;

“Wherefore God…” Romans 1:24, “For this cause God…” Romans 1:26, “[so] God gave them over…” Romans 1:28.

Do not ignore the fact that God wants to make sure we understand that all the disasters we bring upon ourselves is also the will of God for our disobedience (*1).
Just as the victory is a “teamwork” between God and his people, so is the destruction;

“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” II Thessalonians 2:11-12

What was the cause referred to?
This is what America is doing. This is what Christian America (not the faithful) is doing as well. While our national leaders, that the people themselves have placed in that role, make utterly foolish and shortsighted choices of obvious destruction in response to “circumstances” of destruction, their actions do keep the accustomed life going prettymuch unaltered for a bit longer. Many Americans applaud in happy approval.
And the Christian Americans cry “foul! These are not our choices, we don’t think this is smart”, but they are likewise driven by their circumstances being guided by unseen forces clearly driving the destruction around them. “Its not fair! Why do we have to pay for the wickedness of people we didn’t vote for?” They cry out to God. But don’t they believe the scriptures; that it is God himself that brings the destruction and that, not without cause?

“And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” Genesis 6:13

Who destroyed the earth? Whose fault was it? Do you suppose Noah had the only church on the planet who figured they were “good with God”?

“And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain…” Genesis 19:28-29

Again we see clearly that God took the credit for the destruction, but he used temporal means to get the job done. (While the reason and means and blame and implementer are the focus of this post, keep reading this passage for the prophetic salvation of God’s covenant people, but that is not the topic of this post.)

“He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed… And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless (says the LORD)” Exodus 22:20,24.

The offense to God is the clear cause but look, it is the sword of man that does the destroying even though God says it is himself that handled the sword for that very reason, not as a reprimand but a destruction.

“Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you.” Deuteronomy 4:3.

Here we see God separating out the wicked from the righteous, which shows that if there are righteous, God is Just to refrain from destroying them with the wicked. So as in the event of Noah, how many righteous were there on the planet in all those churches? (again read the next verse for the promise to the genuine faithful, but don’t miss the destruction here.)

“(For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth” Deuteronomy 6:15.

Do you suppose this passage of scripture was written to the Pagans? Or was it perhaps written to God’s people themselves who must have thought they were “safe” because they were God’s people? (keep reading the passage for the way to keep this from happening)
This next one is very significant so slap yourself and read it with an alert mind. If your mind somehow won’t focus on it, slap yourself again and re-read it!

“As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God” Deuteronomy 8:20.

How were their enemies destroyed before them? It was by the hand of God’s people that their enemies were destroyed at the command of God who took the credit for the deed he commanded. Therefore this verse says the tables now turn; and now God’s people will be destroyed by the hand of their enemies at the command of their enemy’s god, but God doesn’t just allow it, he pre-arranges it and sends the warning to avoid it before it comes!
So how was their success originally accomplished against their enemies? One battle at a time; it was a rapid progressive consuming of the land until it was theirs. It was a sweeping change of powers:

“Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shall thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee” Deuteronomy 9:3.

Note the combination of God going before (softening them up as it were), but them doing the work. This is the prophetic battle strategy which the Lord will bring back upon his own wayward people to destroy them for their disobedience.

“Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee” Deuteronomy 9:4.

THIS IS A CRITICAL CONCEPT:
The misconception is a very strong root cause of failure to understand WHY things work the way they do. With wrong thinking comes wrong responses. Today America is feeling very guilty for our founders “taking the land” from the Indians. Our Federal government for years has given lands and moneys to the displaced Indian’s descendants in a fruitless effort to make up for the “crime”.
We see in this passage the principle that God declares America was not given to his faithful pilgrims because of their righteousness: but because of the wickedness of those who possessed the land. I’m sorry if this offends your sensibilities but it is an important truth that is foundational to a right response! I live fifteen miles from the Indian village of Klukwan. I am friends with several who live there and have nothing but equal human respect for them as I do for any other American neighbor, to me they are just people. To see someone of Indian decent as deserving some special treatment is to become racist in thinking. What does my neighbor deserve that I don’t deserve because of something in the long ago past that has virtually nothing to do with him? How do I know that his ancestor didn’t scalp my ancestor and so it is HE that owes ME some special favor? No. The people that God sends to overtake America today do not succeed because of their own righteousness but because of our wickedness! And this is not a matter of who is more wicked, God uses whom he will for his purposes regarding HIS people. Wickedness and unrighteousness are not the same thing and not treated the same way by God to people in different categories; it is a matter of ownership, but that is another topic for another time (Amos 9:12 "...all the heathen, which are called by my name..."?).

The scriptures are full of many more examples making it clear that while God declares the destruction is of his own design and purpose, it nonetheless comes by our own hand as it were; We bring it upon ourselves by our own choices not so much for general wickedness but for disobedience to our God.

“And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them. And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away…” I Chronicles 5:26.

It is truly frightening to study the detail of God’s commands to his people in the original taking of the land from the wicked, when we consider its same way return upon his people for our later disobedience; Deuteronomy 8:20 (is posted three verses above. See also: Deuteronomy 12:2-3, Joshua 10:40 among others) (*2)

But this is not the only tool God uses in his anger against his own people. I Chronicles 21:15-16 is worth reading about God’s destroying angel. Or II Chronicles 15:3-6 regarding God sending a lack of peace and great vexation and trouble because of going a long time without the true God, and without (true) teaching ministers, and without (righteous) law itself.

“And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity” v.6

II Chronicles 35:21 is a very strong warning against sticking our military nose in where it does not belong while we are in confusion;

“But he (pharaoh Necho of Egypt) sent ambassadors to him (Josiah king of Judah), saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war (Assyria): for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not” II Chronicles 35:21

What a study and intriguing story this is when considering the complexity of the confusion God’s people now face! The choices we make at the time seem logical to us, but end in our own destruction. Josiah was an actually godly king of Judah after a long line of real wicked kings. The nation was in trouble, but due to actually pretty good reasoning according to God, from his perspective, Josiah Stands between Egypt and Assyria. What a strange twist of events to have the Pagan Egyptian ruler declare to God’s pretty good king, that it was God who sent him! Apparently God didn’t let his own man in on the knowledge but Josiah didn’t take the warning from the Pagan ruler, and why would he? and so he stood against the Pharaoh of Egypt and was killed for it!

Being “God’s man” is not the place to stand in supposed confidence! This was the flaw in the religious leaders of Israel as they stood against Jesus and his followers.

“And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I way unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham” Matthew 3:9.

Standing confidently on the grounds of morality by heritage is some very soft sand. Standing there against the might of Islam because it is clearly evil is utterly meaningless in assuming our success because “we are less evil”.
On what Ground does American now stand against Islam? Are you kidding? America no longer even standing against Islam, Obama speech and in fact is heavily leaning in that direction by the lawless rule of our national leaders and its current repeated support of Islamic nations over our Israeli ally by sponsoring indefensible borders , Surrendering much of their tiny nation to Palestine, Dividing Jerusalem and other anti Israeli recommendations. Our quazi-president can’t stop falling all over himself to praise Islam Obama Islamic praise-fest reel While he publically disdains our nation to foreign countries and mocks our God.
But we covered all this when he was elected, I’m just reminding you that we don’t have much room to claim righteousness by heritage anymore as we have not removed this man from office for his offense to America and to God.

This is the “Change you can believe in” that we were promised, and it is the change your going to live with now whether you like it or not because we did not stop it.
When the Jews were taken captive into Babylon, Jeremiah the prophet told them not to resist; it was a punishment that would have an end. What end has America been promised? I suggest our nation has no promise other than destruction for our disobedience. If we had a clue what is actually coming we would resit it with our very lives, but because what comes is a judgment from God such a response would still be infective. National repentance is the only national salvation, but personal repentance is still in your hand. Use the time wisely.
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(*1) Personal Notes:
I have been significantly conflicted as to know if I am still in the boat or out of the boat. In the spirit I have long left the boat behind but in the flesh I am still sitting here (there aren’t any electrical outlets for my computer on the sea). The confusion of my struggle is my apparent attempt to keep the boat floating in the flesh but in the spirit I have already dropped it from consideration as no longer my concern.
How then to marry flesh and spirit in agreement? It fully comes at the physical sinking of the boat, which is not my job to do but the wind and waves. I have been busy walking even though it has not yet sunk (no fault of my own… but actually it has been my fault it hasn’t sunk yet I guess as I am finding ways to keep it floating even knowing it will eventually sink. In otherwords I am periodically dipping a bucket in the act of bailing the Titanic for a lack of something else to do. If its going down anyway, why not dip an expensive vase full before tossing it overboard?). But is that or is that not clinging to the boat? I cannot tell.

(*2) Recorded history has hidden much of the original conduct that returns as Just retribution in both directions! Psalm 137:9 appears obviously to be a godless heart of venom by David himself. “Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.” How could David verbalize such a thought?!
This verse is the end of a message: Read verses 7-8 and you find that Edom, Israel’s blood relative (the people of Esau: Jeremiah 49:7-18), just stood by as "observing neighbors" when Babylon came to destroy Jerusalem and they cried; “Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof” (v.7), This clue allows us to further study the scriptures for Edom’s conduct and we see that David’s cry was only returning the acts of Edom earlier (Isaiah 25:12, Joel 3:19 etc.). Just retribution, as verse 8 declares the principle; Eye for an Eye of the law.

(*3) A few days after writing this post, but before I could get it posted, out of the blue I get a phone call from an out of town company I worked for several years ago, asking if I wanted a project. Unlike other hopeful opportunities through this, there appears to be no hindrances to this direction and so I accept this as a completion of my strange adventure very much like Peter and the Lord returning to the boat (Matthew 14:32). I'm certainly not going to now refuse to get into the boat.
As I dwell on this sudden arrival back at the boat and what I have learned, it occurs to me that I left this boat several years ago when my job ended and began seeking the face of Jesus full time leaving everything behind to fend for itself.
There was the great struggle as I developed my faith and purified my soul and refined my walk as I made my way to him not for the first time, but in a deeper and significantly more powerful way. There the Lord met me as I struggled and I had three years of incredible blessing and provision and intimacy with God on a level I previously thought impossible while on earth, but then the waves seemed to again become a nuisance as I struggled with my footing of application in the unfamiliar situation, Jesus was teaching me how to walk beside him on the tumultuous sea.
And now suddenly, in a very quick turn of events, I am apparently back at the boat to continue a normal life with normal rules and the storm is suddenly calm. (Funny how yesterday I stressed over the need for firewood to survive the winter but today it means nothing, the job is out of town for the winter.) This adventure will make quite and entry in my personal book of remembrance but I confess I’m actually finding it hard to let go of this incredible period of intimacy with God to return to a regular life… but to be frank, I am really glad I did not have to experience a sinking though I was willing to go the distance if necessary, expecting some mission work in a distant land or who-knows-what-God-has-planned kind of thing. I should have known by the scriptural example that the boat was not going to sink and we would eventually end up back there.

What I glean from the three versions of Peter’s experience now with a lot more meaning to me personally, is that everybody else in the boat is not going to want to hear all about my great adventure once I get back in and rejoin them in rowing to shore. What happened to me out there is for my own edification and the few friends interested in hearing my story. I understand by the scripture that Jesus also met all the rest of the disciples that stayed in the boat, so most believers will not need to experience such an adventure and in the end it really doesn’t seem to add any advantage as they all arrived to shore together! This is a private thing.
Something that surprised me thought it shouldn't have, is that the wind does not stop blowing until you get back to the boat, even while you’re walking with Jesus through it. Jesus did not calm the seas for Peter, he just made it possible for him to walk it.
For the disobedient, this "change you can believe in" is a great leap in further separation from God as a government of wickedness takes power. For the believer this change is not unexpected and in fact right on schedule, and should be seen as a powerful tool of God to purify the dross from us in preparation of the kingdom of God.
“We now return to our regular broadcasting.”
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