On the contrary, I am going to lay blame....
Mark 9:18
"And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not."
"AND THEY COULD NOT."
...it appears we're not doing much better today. A sad commentary for sure.
Our neighborhoods have deteriorated; our children are in a life and death struggle with the forces of evil; homes are broken; out-of-wedlock child birth is outta sight, etc., etc., etc. all the while "Party" is the name of the game.
No, I'm not trying to place any blame here. I'm desiring that we all take a good look at ourselves.
As W. W. Wiersby commented once, “God doesn't bless us just to make us happy; He blesses us to make us a blessing.”
FIRST of all, thanks HAMel for bringing up a topic that is probably long overdue. I can only hope that those on the board don't get into a verbal boxing match over what I am going to say, but instead roll up their spiritual sleeves, reach out and take the hand of their fellow brothers and sisters, and turn to God to develop a plan of attack t rebut and retake that which we've let the devil take from us.
It is high time that we take back our schools; municipalities; politicians; courts; corporations; businesses; neighborhood; colleges and universities; parks; streets; and in some cases, the church.
We can't go on confessing that this is a fallen world, and we are reaping what a fallen world offers. That is well and good to an extent, but I happen to believe that God still wants us to have the best life can give us while we are here, and that means the safety and welfare of our children and others near and dear to us. We need to prayerfully and proactively take actions that will help to bring back the kind of life I believe we are meant to have until tribulation comes, and when that day comes, hopefully we'll not be part of the sadness that time will bring.
So, on the contrary, I am going to lame the blame for the condition of our world in at the doorstep of where the blame is due.
Let me start out by saying that we just moved from our dream house (lived there for nearly 19 years), and over that period of time, we watched our original neighbors grow older and move on, and in selling their homes or renting them out, people with values and morals that were not in line with ours moved in, and after ten years of transition, we ended up with a drug dealer straight across from us. Another drug dealer four houses down on the same side of the street as the guy across from us. We saw people move in who had no problem throwing parties with alcohol and drugs and loud music [mostly Mexican] that grew louder and more raucous as the night went on. In fact, there was never one time that I can remember that my two neighbors and myself had to call the cops more than once to get the party to quiet down or break up.
I was always going over the heads of the local police force and code enforcement folks in order to get them to do more than sit at the local donut shop and drink coffee and eat donuts. Sometimes, as citizens, we have to assert ourselves to bring the kind of enforcement and patrols, we need in our neighborhoods. It worked for me, and it will work for you. Just don't take "No" for an answer, Don't be afraid to shake City Hall. Even if it means the entire church showing up at a city council or county supervisor's meeting, we need to take action to bring about positive changes.
We also watch in horror as teens, roaming the neighborhood late into the nights, vandalized [egged our cars twice, eating away the clear coat] and ruin the things we spent money on to make our homes nice and pleasing to the neighborhoods. One night some kids broke off decorative animals on the stone posts on both sides of our drive. That is when I said, "Enough is enough!"
Things were so bad, that eight years before we moved, in order to protect our cars and property, I did a cash out refi to get the twelven thousand dollars needed to purchase and have professionally installed security lights and 10 cameras in order to protect my property and belongings.
My wife and I could see what many in the church were either oblivious to, or simply didn't want to admit was there, and that was that Satan is called the
"prince of the power of the air" in Ephesians 2:2. He is the
"ruler of this world" in John 12:31.
These titles and many more signify Satan’s capabilities. To say, for example, that Satan is the "prince of the power of the air" is to signify that in some way he rules over the world and the people in it.
IMHO, It is becoming more evident that Satan is exercising his spiritual power over people [resulting in evil acts against society] and flexing his spiritual muscles in and around many communities and regions throughout this nation.
We, as His people, are suposed to be the salt of this earth; the beacon on the hill top. And this call to proactive ministry means we need to take back what we have just sat by and passively let the devil take power and superiority over during the last few decades.
I borrowed the following teaching from
"Got Questions Ministries" at
http://www.gotquestions.org/Satan-god-world.html and in an attempt to make sure you actually read the article, I took the liberty to print it below.
"The phrase “god of this world” (or “god of this age”) indicates that Satan is the major influence on the ideals, opinions, goals, hopes and views of the majority of people. His influence also encompasses the world’s philosophies, education, and commerce. The thoughts, ideas, speculations and false religions of the world are under his control and have sprung from his lies and deceptions.
Satan is also called the "prince of the power of the air" in Ephesians 2:2. He is the "ruler of this world" in John 12:31. These titles and many more signify Satan’s capabilities. To say, for example, that Satan is the "prince of the power of the air" is to signify that in some way he rules over the world and the people in it.
This is not to say that he rules the world completely; God is still sovereign. But it does mean that God, in His infinite wisdom, has allowed Satan to operate in this world within the boundaries God has set for him. When the Bible says Satan has power over the world, we must remember that God has given him domain over unbelievers only. Believers are no longer under the rule of Satan (Colossians 1:13). Unbelievers, on the other hand, are caught "in the snare of the devil" (2 Timothy 2:26), lie in the "power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19), and are in bondage to Satan (Ephesians 2:2).
So, when the Bible says that Satan is the "god of this world," it is not saying that he has ultimate authority. It is conveying the idea that Satan rules over the unbelieving world in a specific way. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, the unbeliever follows Satan's agenda: "The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ." Satan's scheme includes promoting false philosophies in the world—philosophies that blind the unbeliever to the truth of the Gospel. Satan’s philosophies are the fortresses in which people are imprisoned, and they must be set free by Christ.
An example of one such false philosophy is the belief that man can earn God's favor by a certain act or acts. In almost every false religion, meriting God’s favor or earning eternal life is a predominate theme. Earning salvation by works, however, is contrary to biblical revelation. Man cannot work to earn God's favor; eternal life is a free gift (see Ephesians 2:8-9). And that free gift is available through Jesus Christ and Him alone (John 3:16; 14:6). You may ask why mankind does not simply receive the free gift of salvation (John 1:12). The answer is that Satan—the god of this world—has tempted mankind to follow his pride instead. Satan sets the agenda, the unbelieving world follows, and mankind continues to be deceived. It is no wonder that Scripture calls Satan a liar (John 8:44)."
I'm not asking for you to necessarily agree [Scripturally with my interpretatons of the Word above] with all I've said, but - I know you know there is a problem and action ion your behalf is needed - ao, I prayyou see who is at the center of all that is going on in and around us, and be angry enough to say to Satan, "Enough is enough!" We are not going to take any more! If His Children don't do something to bring His peace back into our families and neighborhoods and communities and nation, tell me who will???
