Soul for Sale

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Matthew 16:26

Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

1 Corinthians 1:20

Real slavery is attempting to live your life from the approval of others.

"But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;"

-Hebrews 10:32

Too many of us including this writer, has tried to live life dancing to the music that Satan and other unbelievers played. We did not have the confidence to trust God and instead, tried to "live by sight instead of faith;" 2 Corinthians 5:7. It was after this writer became a blind man, that he had the confidence to walk by faith, depending on the creator of the universe.

What do you do when God's promises fail? We live in a world of "quick fixes." We live in a world of fast food, fast prescription pill for any sickness. Nationwide, the average time in your doctors office is 7 minutes. Your oncologist considers you cured of cancer if you have survived cancer for five years. God does not wear a watch, he takes his own good time in resolving our problems, keeping his promises. We must have the confidence to trust him, all he requires is trust. 

Faith is a verb, action, based on belief, sustained by confidence. We must have the confidence to believe him. It was after I became blind, sightless, that I could trust, that I had the confidence to wait for answered prayer. 

I can well understand why the new Christian loses confidence so quickly when his prayers are not answered. Financially, the past year was one of the worst years of my life. I had more empty rental property, less sales in my business, than ever before. I have always had trouble in business with dishonest employees... people who work for me. I sometimes believe that more of my things have walked out of my business than what I have sold in my business. Yet, everyday without fail, I tell God that I am depending on him to help me with my life. He knows how hard it is for me to do anything. He knows how hard it is for me to depend on people I pay to work for me, even associates, long time friends, even family members. Most people simply do not care. Most of the professionals, businesses, certainly the government, with whom you come in contact with do not care. This is a world of me-ism. Everyone simply going through the motions. I can certainly understand why the new Christian and even seasoned Christians have trouble understanding why God is always late on the scene. After many years, we always find through stress and tears that he is standing at the crossroads of our lives before we get there. Don't throw away your confidence because of the failures of other Christians, don't throw away your confidence because of disappointment, despair.

This writer was born and raised on a dirt road, no power, phone or water lines. Nothing but hard work and hard times. To this day, I cannot understand how my parents, grandparents and the many other people surviving in the poverty of eastern North Carolina had the confidence to keep going. But they did. My heart is still filled with hatred, so much resentment when I consider how my parents were treated in town by people of wealth. I still remember the junk that was sold to them, they wanted us to have a typewriter and a supposedly responsible man, sold them a  piece of junk. But, they had the money to go to town and buy things, they could use the restrooms in the stores - think of our black neighbors, hard working-god fearing-tax paying citizens who were never able to buy store bought things (clothing, food, furniture) simply because their skin was black. Yet, these black citizens too, had the confidence to keep living, trusting, believing in a better place.

I did not realize the "soullessness" of people; both students and professors until I entered the University. Graduating from a poor, small country school (thirteen in my graduating class), I was not prepared to enter any college. In addition to lack of preparation, it was necessary for me to work my way through. At the same time, competing with the elitist sons of wealth and power that had been prepared for university education at preparatory schools. The sons of legislators, judges, wealthy alumni, were treated well. I will never forget the day I came in to full conflict with my creator. It was sitting on a stone fence at the rear of Wilson Library. I quoted a scripture to my Lord, from the book of Jobs; "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him..." Jobs 13:15.

After eight years of frugal living, hard work, jumping through every hoop educators and governments demanded, I had letters before and after my name. Then, as during the Korean War when all doctors must serve, I became an army medical officer. All this has been written about previously, now, totally blind, 100% disabled, service connected 85 year old Veteran. 

Perhaps, next to the stress and unfairness of education was my military service. Right away, still in medical officer training internship at Brook Army Medical Center, a much better looking, more articulate officer (one who to this day I believe was gay) put a move on someone, and got my orders replaced by his. His orders sent him to New York City, mine to wherever.

Incomprehensible, one Army Hospital where I was on staff, the hospital nearest Huntsville, Alabama where Redstone Arsenal was located, and Hitlers boys were perfecting the missiles, the hospital was staffed by German Nazi Doctors brought over after WWII. From the hospital commander Colonel Marx on down, doctors and nurses... all former Nazi troops. I will never forget the day I arrived there, the doctor I was replacing said to me, "I don't know what goes on in this place,  but it is straight from Hell and I am glad to escape." Of course, with me as with anyone else seeking military advancement, you have that constant rivalry between the forces of Satan and those of God... A matter of warfare in the soul. 

In my lifetime, what has happened to my country? There was a time when inquiring, investigating, reporters would have taken apart the decadents of this nation. I can well imagine my friend Walter Spearman, school of Journalism UNCCH, saying to students "Stay honest, report the truth." The American people will swallow anything, hook, line and sinker. Seeing the sight of the plane explosion in Switzerland, would anyone believe that it was anything other than an explosion? Studying what happened on 9-11 in Manhattan, would anyone swallow the Government's explanation? Only 1% of the American population still does. In my world travels, I've spoken with men in such communist cesspools such as Yugoslavia, Burma, China and Russia. They all said the same thing: "We learned the truth when it was too late." Perhaps an EMP attack, throwing America back to the stone age will tell us that we should have been more alert to the degradation and broken culture of our society.

In my long life, I have never known a man in politics who did not give up his soul. The soullessness of Government is beyond compare. When I was a child in democrat controlled North Carolina (my family on both sides Republican), you could not get a job at any state agency (highways, hospitals, even teaching school) unless you were a proven and approved democrat. Confidence in our nation, its schools,  its churches, must be restored if America is to survive. 

#1720

Quarantine

"Quarantine"

Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.  Psalm 60:12

            The greatest trust-quarantine known to man is just turning something over to God and then just leaving it alone.  Most of us want to interfere with God's work, thinking He needs our help.  IF mortal man could only understand, the power, the grace, the mercy of God.  For God to be God, He does not need anything, just for US to trust enough to turn everything over to Him... our health, our wealth, our future, now and then. 

            Before the telescope, the microscope, any knowledge of scientology, cardiology, or any of the isms that should be was-isms (fascism-communism-atheism), God was in charge.  The ancients, even the old testament prophets of four thousand years ago, even the purveyors of false religions knew there were universal-ecliptic-unsighted powers greater than themselves.  It took a long time for surgeons to learn to wash their hands, uninitiated civilizations to learn to put netting over bodies to keep out insects, to bury their dead away from drinking water sources.  Scripture reminds us that it is the small foxes that spoils the vines (Song of Solomon 2:15), but now, even in the 21st century, in spite of electronic microscopes, so much university knowledge, we still use radiation to cure cancers caused by radiation, we use chemicals (chemotherapy) to cure cancer caused by chemicals.  Forgive me, I did not mean cure.  You do not use the word cure with any disease anymore, just treatable.  If you have not learned, you will learn, that it is up to you to quarantine yourself and your family from the dangers of the world, including care for your body.  Old doctors would not have believed that in a time of modern western medicine the infant who escaped abortion, depending upon the immune system of the mother, as a quarantine against disease, would be immediately punctured with needles to kill off natural immunity. 

            In the mockery of our system in superiors simply because of advanced technology-education (even children talking on phones in their hands), two thousand years after the cross of Christ, we still have more people in the world who are hungry than fed, still depend on torture in warfare.  It should be an insult to thinking people and an embarrassment to God, that even those who believe and trust in Him, give more credence to those in the cistern of disbelief (evolution, supremacy of man) than the proven waters of trust-integrity eternal satisfaction from God's deep well.  When will we learn to separate-quarantine ourselves from disbelief?  When will we learn the uselessness of wrestling (Ephesians 6:12) the world, the flesh, the devil, THAT, the whole armor of God is all we need (Ephesians 6:11), THAT greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.  (I John 4:4) 

            We think we are so smart, degrees, post graduate education, oh the limited mind of man!  In two hospitals, one army, one civilian, just as the dead are children of the dead, just as all dead look like crushed wax paper, this writer-army medical officer, roused the sleeping dead by telling them about their lack of quarantine against disease (carpeting in corridors on which very ill surgical patients were moved, drapery-overstuffed chairs in patients' rooms where microbes of any type could take harbor,  smell of perspiring visitors as the bacteria-toxins on and in their bodies escaped, etc.) .  Any patient, ill enough to be hospitalized, should not have visitors.  Take seriously the matter of immunology which, in the long run, depleted or otherwise, is your only "firewall" against a certain death, in many cases.   Like religion, like politics, like character, so much of our destination is just talk. 

            Many often mean well in their quarantine.  In the "foggy bottom"  of legislative committees of confusion-federal state local, much talk, many tax dollars spent, little accomplished.

            Most of us know there are only three grids of electricity in USA... Eastern, Pacific, Texas.  If terrorist eliminate one grid, the nation will panic.  Yet, never a word from power brokers or talking heads, preparing for this eventuality.  Like eating sensibly, every family should prepare-quarantine itself against the "walking warp" of the unintelligent.  Ambition usually makes men crazy about reality... making money, sports careers of other men, the endless attempt to impress someone (either further up the ladder or below you on the ladder).  Man has the need to excel.  Every politician sees in his mirror himself in higher office.  It is only with the welfare state, an addiction to entitlements-retirements, that men have stopped longing for a good bottom-line.  As dust covers the bible, God's own words to the world, as the great separation of man's wealth and accomplishments widens (a very small percent controls all of the world's wealth), as religious zealots (1.5 billion Muslims) are really willing to die in order to live in paradise (suicide bombers), the time for eternal life, life after death, evaluation not speculation, requires quarantine.  You are either lost or saved, a living epistle (2 Corinthians 3:2), or dead in your sins.  Why the hypocrisy?  We may fool others, but not self.  Immunize self against sin and rejection through the redemption provided with God.  God, creator of the universe, who has the very number of hairs on your head numbered, gave His best, His only son.  What makes us think we can escape the wrath of God, the denial of His son, by not separating, immunizing, quarantining ourselves against everything which God hates? 

Matthew 6:24

King James Version (KJV)

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

SURRENDER

Keep On Keepin' On

If the day looks kinder gloomy

And your chances kinder slim,

If the situation's puzzlin'

And the prospect's awful grim,

If perplexities keep pressin'

Till hope is nearly gone,

Just bristle up and grit your teeth

And keep on keepin' on.

-- Anonymous

 
   On the staff of one Army Hospital, I assisted the psychiatrist in counseling some of his less afflicted patients.  One woman told me, "I've got scars from dealing with my scars."  A mystery of life and living which I have had great trouble in understanding, the survival-non-surrender of the human spirit, how it is that people just "keep on keepin' on".

   Perhaps I first became aware of this as a very young child.  Dessie, my father's oldest sister, had lost her new house to fire.  She and her husband had just built the house by frugal living and hard work.  She had labored landscaping the yard, sewing curtains, "painting and fixing", and it all went up in smoke.  She had lost in death her first child, a daughter, Martha.  I remember as yesterday, she said to my father, I have not been so hurt since Martha's death.  But, they rebuilt their house, more furniture, curtains, clothing.  Things can be replaced, but not a life. 

   I remember, the same time, Dessie's husband, my uncle, saying to my father, "Why do people who work hard and live right, suffer?"  He said, "My daddy was killed in WWI, leaving my mother with five children.  He was buried in Europe, but, the people and the church here held a large memorial service.  My mother, having led five small children into the church house, came home, took the Bible laying close to the front door, and threw it across the room, saying, "That's that."  She did not go back into the church for a very long time, until she learned that her bitterness toward God was not the answer.

   In a world where we have become slaves of the micro-chip, where fear kills faster than any cancer, it is time for us to face the reality of just what has happened to our world.  It is amazing, even surprising, that so few recognize what is going on.  You will not hear it from the state-controlled, secular media, because they are part of the problem.  Is it not perfectly obvious to anyone of my lifespan, that the destruction of the human spirit has been a calculated agenda of Satan?  Firstly, we have seen the destruction of our education system.  A system now of indoctrination and entertainment.  We have seen the destruction of our judicial system.  Justice based on money and politics.  We have seen the destruction of not only the schoolhouse, the courthouse, but the church house.  Most pastors/preachers are much more intent on entertaining the goats than feeding the sheep.  Worship has become an outer-court fellowship of people... this laughing-clapping-shaking hands with everyone in a worship service. (I listen on Sunday to a local Baptist Church.  In the interval between the station and the Church the sound inside the Church building is more like that of an athletic arena than the sanctity of a worship service.  Then, to add insult to injury, right away the preacher asks everyone to walk around and greet one another, something that the "oldtime" churchgoers did on the church grounds.)

  Can we not understand that the secular news media, secular universities, secular entertainment models, have overturned every absolute of right and wrong, jumped completely into the gay agenda, of same-sex marriage, polluting the front lines of the battlefield with gays mixed in with real men.  It is no wonder that America has not been able to win a war since WWII.  Military discipline, esprit de corps, has become a victim of political correctness.  We have become a nation of spiritual ineptness, 57 million of our most innocent citizens killed in the abortion holocaust while we set up hospitals to save turtles and other wildlife.

   More important than what has happened at the school house, the courthouse, the white house, the church house... is your house.  The sewer of pornography, the decadence of high-living now, is in your living room via the computer.  Just a few strokes and your children's eyes see everything that Satanic forces wish them to see.  Family life has become a problem not a priority.

   When Jesus walked around the shores of the Sea of Galilee one of his concerns was the blind, deaf, cripple.  In the American experience, next to the horrors of slavery, the greatest shame of this nation is its treatment of the disabled veteran and the handicapped citizen.  This totally blind, 100% disabled, service-connected, medical officer veteran, has yet to encounter one fellow veteran who has been treated well by his nation.  Following the example of other communist nations (U.S.S.R., China, Cuba, etc.) money and policies have been directed to those who have contributed little or nothing, and, buying the votes of the welfare class, politicians and policies, "the end justifies the means" have been established.  We are ripe for every contrivance of the terrorists.  More concern with security than for freedom.  The time is approaching that those who once fought for freedom will bow the knee and beg the terrorists to take over.  This is what happens when the human spirit of men has overtaken the Holy Spirit of creator God.