Author: David

Posted on

A Watchman for America

Following the history of Israel, I see that America is following Israel’s path.  The Old Testament is written to try to bring Israel back to God.  Ezekiel was called by God in Ezekiel 3:16 to become a watchman for the house of Israel.  But God told Ezekiel that, “He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.” Ezekiel 3:27. Doesn’t this sound like America?

Recently, I’ve been reading the works of Jonathan Cahn who has become the watchman for America.  Johnathan is leading his readers through Israel’s history to see that America has become the Israel of the Old Testament.  We have strayed away from God and are too rebellious to hear God’s Word.

The watchman’s duty is to warn the people.  That is his responsibility.  God holds the watchman responsible for sending out the warning.  If the watchman doesn’t yell out the warning, the whole city could burn.  The people of that city can either heed the warning or ignore it.  In the end, some will be saved from the fire, but others will burn.  It isn’t the watchman’s job to carry out the burning people, just to warn them.

God has called us all to be watchmen.  We are to send out warnings.  God does not hold us responsible for whether we are heard or not.  He does hold us responsible for whether we speak out when He calls us, or that we remain silent.

In these end days, God is calling for more watchmen.

Posted on

As if they are my own.

I recently had an Amazon delivery, and I watched the camera feed of the driver dropping my package in front of my door.  It was a careless act.  Then it dawned on me that one of the most important aspects of working in an animal shelter is treating all the animals as if they were your own.

When an animal enters your shelter, you take on the important task of caring for that animal.  One of the best rules for caring for a lost pet is to treat it as if it were your own.  It makes providing care much easier.  One of the hardest tasks in caring for shelter animals is deciding when to provide medical care.  Too often, we provide or withhold care depending on what others think we should do.  The bottom line is providing the care that you would provide for your own pet.

This extends to animals in your foster care program too.  I’ve had to remove people from fostering animals because every small incident with the pet led to a veterinary visit.  It is amazing how much money is lost because a foster care person is over-cautious.  The trick to pet care is common sense.  You’d be amazed at the number of people who don’t have it.  They make poor staff picks and poor foster care people.

Of course, you will be dealing with a lot of animals that come into your shelter due to the poor care given by their owners.  But the rule in your shelter is not to care for them as their owner did, but as you would do if they were your pet.

Fortunately, nothing was broken in the delivery that started this page, but I am over-cautious not to drop any animals in my care.  If someone ever criticizes you for the care you provide your animals, you can reply, “I treat them as if they are my own.”  This philosophy is a good one to follow in other lines of work as well.

Posted on

What is the Bible?

Quite simply, the Bible is the history of the world, beginning to end.  It is more than just a history book because God has offered us wisdom and knowledge through it.  For that reason, it is a holy book.   It is divided into two parts.

The Old Testament is the history of God’s chosen people, the Jews.  It provides the prophecies to prepare them for their coming Messiah.

The New Testament is the history of the Church.  The Messiah arrived, as promised, but the Jews did not accept Him. The Gentiles (non-Jews) did accept Him.  The New Testament tells of that history and brought an end to prophecies about Jesus.  John the Baptist was the last prophet because Jesus had arrived.  Any later prophecies about another messiah would be false.  However, Christ will return a second time to set the world straight, in the End Times.

Both the Old and New Testaments warned of the End of Times.  Both were preparing the Church for what was to come and warned the Jews as to what they would have to go through until the time that they finally accept Jesus.

The Bible opens our eyes to the spirit world.  We discover that the world is full of spirits pretending to be God; these gods and demons are at work to interfere with the plan that God has for us.  Thus, the Bible is an instruction book to help keep our spiritual engines running smoothly.  It instructs us as to how to behave as He intended.  But, most importantly, it is a book that demonstrates His love for us.

We all know the verse: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16. If your spirit is attuned to God, that verse will spark within you. If not, you need to investigate what forces are interfering with your connection to Him.  He does not force Himself upon you; He is just offering you a way back to Him.  You are free to worship other gods, but that doesn’t come to a pleasant end.  It is all outlined in the last book of the Bible.  It is called “Judgement Day.”

Judgement Day is the day that we reconcile our lives with God.  It is a binary day, good vs. evil.  Since by nature, we are normally evil, our escape is found in John 3:16.  Whatever choice we make will be eternal.  It is the most important choice that we will ever make: you can stand with the God of heaven or go down with the gods of this world.

Posted on

Feet of Iron and Clay

In Daniel chapter 2, Daniel is called upon by King Nebuchadnezzar to interpret a dream that he had.  God delivered the interpretation to Daniel of the world powers that would follow after King Nebuchadnezzar.  In the dream was a statue with a head of gold representing Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom of Babylonia (from 607 BC).  Arms and chest of silver representing Medo-Persila (from 539 BC).  The middle and thighs of bronze representing Greece (331 BC).  Legs of Iron represent Rome (30 BC ).  Finally, feet of Iron and Clay.

Iron and clay do not mix and easily fracture, which leads me to believe that it is a time of a politically divided world in the end times.  Most Bible scholars believe we are in that time.  It makes sense.  Today, Europe has the remnants of Rome, but Islam is migrating throughout the world.  Wherever Islam goes, conflict arises.  Islam is the clay.

We are witnessing the takeover of the world by Muslims.   We are seeing the slow takeover of American cities.  Since we came from Europe, we are of Roman lineage.  Dearborn, Michigan, is a good example of how Muslims are, not so gently pushing out Christians from their community.  Although Christians are accepting of other religions, Muslims are not.  It is communities like Dearborn that Congress is outlawing Sharia Law in the United States.  Not only do they not want to assimilate into our world, but they also want us to follow their worldview.

Muslims are quickly destroying Europe.  I think the Muslims will not find America such an easy target.  Compromise doesn’t seem possible.  Maybe it is because their religion tells them to kill any non-Muslims.  I can see that is a problematic sticking point.

Not on board?  Look at the history of Islam’s attempt to destroy Israel.  Look at what is happening in Europe?  Take a look at what is happening in Dearborn.  If it were not for God’s protection over Israel, the Muslims would have destroyed the Jewish people long ago.

As much as the Muslims claim that we are all worshiping the same God, we are not.  “Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above with wisdom, power, and love…”  Our God would never attempt to wipe out His chosen people.

Posted on

The first question that you should ask a potential hire.

I just finished watching a movie, What is a Woman?  I saw Matt Walsh traveling our country in an attempt to get “experts” to define: what a woman is.  It wasn’t until he traveled to a remote African tribe that he found his answer.  The tribe considered him pretty stupid to even ask the question.  They all agreed that they were better off in their remote tribe than living in America.

Half of our country cannot define a woman.  It is this half of society that we don’t want to hire in our profession.  We spend a lot of time attempting to describe an animal so that it can properly be found by its owner.  It is difficult enough that we confuse breeds; but if we can’t identify the sex (or gender) of the animal, we might as well just turn all of the dogs (and cats) loose to find their own way home.

It is also members of this group that will accept that a person can be a dog or cat.   That’s right, people are now identifying as animals.  You’ll have to deal with that when someone comes into your shelter claiming to identify as a dog.   You’ll have to decide as to whether you require a license or neutering.

The current dysphoria that we have with gender will eventually find its way to animal shelters.  Suggesting that we use a binary system to identify our animals will cause employee stress, given today’s society.  So, the best way to handle this is to form committees to decide the sex of an animal.

I am reminded that in Roanoke the volunteers insisted that a dog was a Great Dane, because they hated when I referred to a dog as being a Pitbull.  I can’t blame them, 70% of our dogs were Pitbulls.  I agreed to send the dog’s DNA for testing.  Guess what?  The dog was genetically a Pitbull.  100%!

Fortunately, determining the sex of an animal is pretty simple when you look under the hood and are honest with what you see.  Hint:  penis = male.

So, in case you are wondering: a woman is an adult female (with the equipment necessary for birthing a baby).  Sometimes asks for help opening a jar of pickles.  Hint: no penis = female.

Posted on

Cat Colonies

One of the newer strategies in reaching a no-kill quota is to remove surrendered cats from an animal shelter and release them into community cat colonies.  The notion is that it is better to allow them a chance to live wild than to kill them.  This strategy is good for the shelter’s statistics by allowing the shelter to show them in the live release column.

At odds with this strategy is the placement of the cats into circumstances in which the cats might die from harsh winter weather or be eaten by coyotes.  Either way, the cats’ deaths do not negatively impact the shelter’s statistics.  The more cats you remove from the shelter, the better the live release rate becomes.  The bad news is that not everyone will believe that this is a humane solution.  The good news is that no matter how much the cats suffer in death, the shelter statistics will look good.

Even if the shelter is maintaining the colony as it should by feeding the cats off of the ground and creating escape routes to keep the cats safe, the colony is going to naturally attract wildlife into the area.  The colony will become an attractant for racoons, skunks and coyotes.

Areas that did not have to deal with nuisance wildlife will begin to experience problems.  It is easy to convince a community to ignore minor wildlife intrusions, but as the cat colonies grow, the nuisances caused by wildlife will also grow.

A shelter’s no-kill strategy can lead to neighborhood pets being killed due to the attracting colony.  The problem with dealing with Mother Nature is that every time humans become involved, we tend to make things worse.  We never seem to be able to see the bigger picture.

Posted on

The Four Winds

The phrase “Four Winds” appears throughout the Scriptures and carries both literal and figurative meaning.  These winds can symbolize God’s sovereign power or creation, His judgment, and the universal reach of His plan for humanity.

In ancient Near Eastern cultures, winds were frequently recognized as influential forces that brought rain, storms, drought, or locusts.  Biblical writers use these references to the four winds to communicate God’s sovereign ability to gather or scatter nations, send forth His power, or bring judgment or blessings upon people.

Matt 24:31And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Mark 13:27And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

Rev 7:1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree.

Jer 49:36And I will bring upon Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven. And I will scatter them to all those winds, and there shall be no nation to which those driven out of Elam shall not come.

Ezek 37:9Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”

Dan 7:2Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

Dan 8:8Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.

Dan 11:4And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.

Zech 2:6Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the Lord. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the Lord.

Zech 6:5And the angel answered and said to me, “These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.

Jer 25:32“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, disaster is going forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth!

Isa 11:12He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Ezek 7:2“And you, O son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.

Acts 27:14But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land.

Rev 20:8and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.

Ps 78:26He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;

Jer 18:17Like the east wind I will scatter them before the enemy. I will show them my back, not my face, in the day of their calamity.”

Ezek 5:10Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers. And I will execute judgments on you, and any of you who survive I will scatter to all the winds.

Ezek 12:14And I will scatter toward every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops, and I will unsheathe the sword after them.

Ezek 17:21And all the pick of his troops shall fall by the sword, and the survivors shall be scattered to every wind, and you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken.”

Matt 8:26–27And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Mark 4:37–39And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Luke 8:23–25and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

Job 1:19and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

Ps 148:8fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!

Prov 25:23The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

Eccles 1:6The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.

Eccles 11:4He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

Isa 27:8Measure by measure, by exile you contended with them; he removed them with his fierce breath in the day of the east wind.

Hos 4:19A wind has wrapped them in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

Hos 13:15Though he may flourish among his brothers, the east wind, the wind of the Lord, shall come, rising from the wilderness, and his fountain shall dry up; his spring shall be parched; it shall strip his treasury of every precious thing.

Amos 4:13For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!

Jonah 1:4But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.

I might have gotten a little carried away making my point.  The four winds are seen as agents of change.  In biblical terms, the East Wind is often the bearer of God’s Judgement, bringing harshness and difficulty.  The North Wind symbolizes God’s sovereignty.  The West Wind represents God’s power to renew or reverse the course of human events.  It represents God’s power to save.  The South Wind is a bearer of God’s judgment and revelation. It is a symbol of God’s power.

The Four Winds in Scriptures represent much more than mere meteorological phenomena.  They speak of the fullness and scope of the Creator’s power, the completeness of His plan for both judgment and salvation, and the unifying reach of His redemptive work.  From the Old Testament prophets to the New Testament vision of the end times, the Four Winds underscore the reality that everything – north, south, east, and west – is under the ultimate authority of the One who created heaven and earth.

Throughout the Bible, the winds act singly or in concert with one another to bring about God’s purpose for us. Whether in moments of judgment or consolation, the Four Winds proclaim the sovereignty of the Lord over all creation.  They invite reflection on His capacity to breathe life into spiritually desolate situations, His power to scatter the proud, and His promise to gather the faithful from everywhere under the heavens.

If you wish to learn more, I encourage you to read Mastering and Mobilizing the FOUR WINDS … for Supernatural Intervention and Kingdom Advancement by Dr. Francis Myles.

Lord, please direct my path,  keep my sails full with your gentle winds.

 

Posted on

The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit

“And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  Acts 2:38-39.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit were intended by God to bring forth the brotherhood of Christians, and yet, when you put Godly things in the hands of mankind, division arose.

One of the most difficult aspects of these gifts is understanding that God has already given them to believers.  I have witnessed services in which people were told to beg God for the gifts.  It is unnecessary to beg for something that you already possess.  The biggest hurdle for believers is to just accept the gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:8-10 gives us the 9 gifts:

  1. A word of wisdom: Supernatural insight for decision-making and understanding God’s will.
  2. A word of knowledge: Supernatural information or understanding of truth given by the Spirit.
  3. Faith: A supernatural ability to believe in and expect what is needed beyond ordinary faith.
  4. Gifts of healings: The ability to be an instrument of God’s healing power.
  5. Working of miracles: The supernatural power to perform acts that are beyond ordinary human ability.
  6. Prophecy: The gift of speaking forth God’s message to people.
  7. Discerning of spirits: The ability to distinguish the spiritual realm and identify true or false spiritual influences.
  8. Kinds of tongues: A supernatural ability to speak in a language one has not learned.
  9. Interpretation of tongues: The ability to understand and communicate a message spoken in tongues.

Today, a Christian must arm up against the powers of darkness.  In the day of fake news, having the gift of discernment is handy.  It is hard to decide which of the gifts are most important.  It is easier to decide which ones are least important.  I was a deacon in a charismatic church that believed that if you didn’t speak in tongues, you probably weren’t saved.  As my faith grew, I came to learn that it was the least important gift, unless you have someone with the interpretation of tongues.  And even then, it is no good unless you have the gift of discernment.  It can be amazing as to see something Godly coming out of the hole in our face that spews such wickedness.  Okay, sorry for that tangent.

The Holy Spirit pours Himself out to us in full measure; but our limitations restrict the manifestations of how the Spirit works within us.  It is this Spirit that holds the Church of Christ together, no matter how frayed.  It is easy to spot the differences between denominations, but we are all held together: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.

I know, it sounds too simple.  Yet, that just shows how much He loves us.  If you believe in Him, you belong with the rest of us.  Heaven is the place where we stop arguing over doctine.

 

Posted on

Reverence

I confess, I was put off by the lack of reverence at a recent church service.  My irritation was ignited by my studies of the Seven Spirits of God in Isaiah 11: 2 – 4.  Our minister was calling people forward to accept Christ, and a group of people were rushing to be the first ones out the door.  Apparently, the parking lot is hard to navigate after a church service.

I liked the gentle manner in which the pastor reminded folks that leading people to Christ is likely the most important part of the service.  He didn’t mention how disruptive these folks are or their lack of reverence.

Don’t think that I don’t know my own faults.  I will have my own list on Judgement Day.  I pray that the lack of reverence isn’t one of them.

Posted on

The Seven Spirits of God

2     “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

3     And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

4     but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth…”  (Isaiah 11: 2-4)

God the Father poured out His Spirit in full measure upon His Son.  In turn, Christ passed along these manifestations of God’s Spirit to His followers.  If you were counting, there are seven independent manifestations of God’s Spirit:

  • The Spirit of the Lord
  • The Spirit of Wisdom
  • The Spirit of Understanding
  • The Spirit of Counsel
  • The Spirit of Might
  • The Spirit of Knowledge
  • The Spirit of the Fear of the Lord

 

Jesus received the Spirit in full.  When God fills us with His Spirit, we accept all of His Spirit, and yet few of us can manifest more than a couple of them.  God wants us to have all of them, and they belong to all of us, but sometimes we stand in the way of the Spirit within us.

The reason that Charlie Kirk was such a great man is that he manifested so many of those Spirits in his life.  It is no wonder that we looked up to him—his love for God, his love for his family, and his love for Country.  Charlie manifested the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

So? What are these Spirits?

  • The Spirit of the Lord gives us boldness because it is when we are inspired by the Spirit of the Lord. Some think that the Spirit of the Lord is “a still, small voice.” Because that is how they know Him.  But, He’s the Spirit of boldness. This Spirit brings authority and power.
  • The Spirit of Wisdom gives us knowledge that is beyond ourselves. Wisdom is a force providing divine insight into the plans and purposes of God.  It is understanding spiritual realities. It gives us the ability to see what is missing and helps us make good judgments.
  • The Spirit of Understanding goes hand in hand with Wisdom because Understanding gives us the ability to comprehend what the Spirit of Wisdom has revealed to us. It allows us to see from God’s perspective.  Revelation, or understanding, means to bring light to hidden things.  This understanding brings forth prophets (small “p”).
  • The Spirit of Counsel is simply God’s advice for a plan of action, showing us what to do by providing us with continual guidance, keeping us on the right path.
  • The Spirit of Might gives us boldness to turn the Spirit of Counsel outward. It gives you the courage to do what God calls you to do with overpowering and extraordinary power.
  • The Spirit of Knowledge shares with us information that is beyond our ability to comprehend. It is as if God has given us a library card to His library.  It gives us access to information that makes fools out of the intellectuals of our generation.  It provides the kind of knowledge that you want to act upon.  It is the knowledge that brings awareness.  More importantly, it brings us the will of God.
  • The Spirit of the Fear of the Lord brings us reverence. It keeps us from becoming casual before God.  We are constantly reminded in the Bible that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. When the Spirit of reverence enters a place, things change.  Yield yourself to this Spirit so that you can walk in reverence and humility.

 

Understanding the Seven Spirits of God gives you a better understanding of walking in the fullness of God.

Charlie, thank you for being an example for the rest of us.