So many things are happening in our country and our world today that it can be mind boggling.
Just look within our borders of the United States we’ve witnessed an assassination attempt on hopeful President Trump and we’ve witnessed the current President, Joe Biden, withdraw from the Presidential Campaign and there are even questions if he’s actually living; we’ve witnessed half the world stop functioning because of no internet connection, Bitcoin is hovering mourned $60,000 per “coin”, The stock market is crazy high and the housing market is still above what most people can afford. Just these topics are worthy subjects for this article on their own merit. However, when you look across the landscape of this once great nation it’s not hard to see what has brought her to her knees. We use to be and were formed as, “One Nation Under God.” Unfortunately, during the last 60+ years we as a whole forgot about God and thought we could do a better job without Him. Well the verdict is in, We Can’t! I know, there have been individuals that have fought the good fight, but in large we sat back and let the destruction take place. There are a number of reasons, and I could point my finger at organization after organization to include the church and even at myself but looking in the rear view mirror and playing the blame game isn’t going to fix our problems. We as a whole, or at least a majority of the whole, need to hit our knees and repent of our sins, and ask for forgiveness for allowing such atrocities to happen. For example, we allowed such things as: abortion, no prayer in school, the feminist movement, the lgbtq+ movement, the transgender movement, the transhumanism movement, the destruction of morals and family values to just name a few. As we repent, and seek forgiveness, we also need to put Jesus back in His proper place as King of kings and Lord of lords and the one true leader of this great nation.
Go Climb a Mountain
I’m going to share how this article came to fruition. I was asked to watch a Jack Hibbs YouTube video and then write an article with that in mind. As I watched the video once and then twice I took copious notes and I was confident that I could write a hard hitting article from what Jack Hibbs spoke about. As I started writing I might as well just have thrown the Bible at you and said read this, meditate on this, establish a prayer life, talk to Jesus like he’s your brother, foster a relationship with Him, learn His voice, etc, etc, etc, and I decided that probably wasn’t the best way to reach people if I really wanted them to listen, learn and evaluate their own life. Henceforth, I prayed and asked for direction and the answer I received was: “Go climb a mountain”.
No Longer a Cake Walk
Ok, a few years ago, that would have been a piece of cake for me. But today, 5 years after a hemorrhagic stroke it’s far from easy. As I thought about the direction I was being led, it dawned on me that my favorite movie as a child was, “The Ten Commandments” where Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and towards the promised land and in doing so Moses climbed Mount Sinai where God talked to him and gave him the Ten Commandments. So before you think I’m crazy, there is at least precedence.
Determination, Courage, and Faith
As I left the house I was determined to take FS Trail 392 from Bass Creek Overlook where it begins and climbs about 300 feet in elevation to the west in about 3/4 of a mile to its end point. Now I realize these are not impressive numbers until you realize that at one point I was paralyzed right of center and I couldn’t walk for over 6 months and I’m still in recovery. As I started the journey to climb this mountain, I briefed my wife where I was going and what I’d be doing because this was the first time since the stroke I went hiking by myself and I was going to an area that I’d never been in before. It was all on faith.
As I slid out of my jeep I could see the trail, and it didn’t look too intimidating even though I could only see about 50 feet of it.
I really had no idea what lay before me but I was determined to climb this mountain. As I continued to go up the trail, I realized that for me hiking this trail was synonymous with life. Think about it, I could have played the victim and not even considered climbing a mountain and nobody would have been the wiser, in fact they would probably have agreed that climbing a mountain in my physical condition and by myself was not a good idea. If I listened to man, I would have been scott free. No trial, no tribulation, no challenge, no realization. But man didn’t tell me to go climb a mountain, God did. So I was determined to climb the mountain. As I climbed I encountered obstacle after obstacle and I had every excuse to quit, but I didn’t quit until I reached my destination. I even had to climb over a downed tree but I knew I was not alone, I knew Jesus was right there every step of the way. Even when I left my Jeep, I decided I didn’t need my walking stick but Holy Spirit told me to take it because I would need it along the way. You know what, He was right and I’m glad I listened to Him and grabbed it. Isn’t that just like life? There is always an excuse to quit, because our adversary Satan, doesn’t want to see us prevail or prosper. He’ll attack in any number of ways to try to make us quit, to quit running the race, to quit fighting the good fight, to quit spreading the gospel, to quit standing firm and therefore compromise, and on and on. Why, because he knows we are dangerous and that if we really knew who we are in Jesus that we are truly unstoppable. The only way for a Christian to lose is to quit, to lose faith and trust in Jesus, or rely on their own power. But with Jesus all is possible, that’s what makes us dangerous and simply there is absolutely no valid reason to quit. We have been given power to step on snakes and scorpions and by no means will evil harm us. Why would we quit? Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us and there is absolutely no reason to fear. Why would we quit? However, just as Jesus told his disciples, “do not be deceived”. And because we know Satan is prowling around like a Lion looking to devour us so we must always be on the look out. As we walk this path, it’s prudent to self analyze along the way, and prune off the undesirable things before they take over. Much like I analyzed the hike along the way via GPS so I knew how far I had gone and how far I still had to go.
We must repent as a nation, our moral fabric is in shreds and it needs to be repaired.
We must, wholly and individually turn fully to Jesus and rely on His strength and power. we must have unwavering faith as we continue down this path of what appears to be destruction. After all, we were made to be courageous so onward we march to glorify God. We must let the light of Jesus shine through us and go before us in every situation so the lost may see the truth and have the opportunity to accept life over death. We are in the war of our lifetime and the stakes are eternal. The path to destruction is wide and appears easy but don’t be deceived, it leads to Hell. The path to life is narrow and few find it, that’s the path we need to shine the light of Jesus on so the lost can see it. If your warrior spirit is asleep, it’s time to wake it up! It’s time to stand firm in the truth and not waiver. Eternity in Hell versus Eternity in Heaven is at stake for way too many people for Christians to sit on the sidelines with no skin in the game or brandishing an apathetic attitude. Standup, be seen and be heard as we glorify God and expand the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s time, and I’m calling all Spiritual Warriors to stand firm in the truth and to not compromise with evil. Amen!
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