INTOXICATED BY TYRANNY

Why would anyone want to be intoxicated?

Because it gives a new, altered experience.

Once you’ve tasted it you’ve got to have it.

Early Americans came here to escape intolerable conditions.

They tasted spiritual courage, and they had to have it.

They tasted freedom, and they had to have it.

They tasted the concept of a unique government, and they had to have it.

Then,

They tasted God’s blessing, and they had to have it.

They tasted expansion, and they had to have it.

They tasted soul-searching revival, and they had to have it.

They tasted recovery, and they had to have it.

They tasted courage and leadership and sacrifice, and they had to have it.

They tasted prosperity, and they had to have it.

They tasted leisure, and they had to have it.

They tasted handouts, and they had to vote for more.

You see, they tasted intoxication at each point, and it drove them on for more—some good, some bad.

And now, America has tasted welfare for 50%+ of Americans, and we can’t go back.  We are intoxicated with government doing for us.

So, what is next—what is new—to intoxicate?

In the world of drugs and alcohol, intoxication usually calls for a more powerful chemical, or more of it.

In the world of politics and power, intoxication also calls for something more powerful, and more of it.

Enter, the dictator.

Only those intoxicated with welfare handouts, can find appeal in the smooth words and free stuff promised by the dictator.

Like all good drug dealing, the stuff is free at first.

Now, America finds itself fascinated with the novelty of a new experience—change.

Very soon, all will see our intoxication with tyranny.  And it’s not pretty.

The lure of lust for power drives the tyrant.

The lure of lust for promised stuff drives the people to their death.

SORRY I’M LATE

Sorry I’m late.  This is what happened.

How many times have you been in that situation and said that.  Usually it is less than effective and less than satisfying to explain why we are late.  This is especially true when we are dealing with someone who is always on time and impatient with those who are not.

“What do you mean, you weren’t prepared for the cause of that delay?”

On the other hand, we know stories of people who missed a plane or an appointment or ran late, and later found that disaster was averted amid the frustration.

We praise punctuality and dependability, and we shun tardiness and interruptions.  And so we avoid and miss the greatest lessons learned from waiting, and even from failure.

Consider this true story for perspective on reasons for being late:

Daniel was praying for three weeks—praying seriously—so seriously that he was not eating—praying without answer for three weeks.  Then an angel from God showed up and explained the three week delay, in the unseen, very real, supernatural world of warfare in the spiritual realm.  The devil’s evil angel in charge of Persia tried to block God’s messenger sent to answer Daniel’s prayer.  The evil angel succeeded in delaying the messenger from God three weeks, but lost the battle when another chief angel from God, named Michael, showed up to help.

If you have never heard this story, it is true, in the Bible, in Daniel chapter 10.  Now that you have heard this, it will always be in your mind as one explanation when you ask “Why?”

—When evil seems to be winning, remember God is in the fight.

—When evil seems to be winning, remember God wins the battle because He already won the war.

—When evil seems to be winning, remember we can’t see everything from here.

—When evil seems to be winning, remember we can count on winning.

—When evil seems to be winning, remember we can gain courage and encouragement from the Bible.

—When evil seems to be winning, remember God’s angels are bigger than the devil’s angels.

—When evil seems to be winning, remember—keep praying.

 

Note:  Writing here on the internet, you most likely read the articles in reverse of chronological order.  So you may not notice this is the first addition in over a week.  So when I heard David Jeremiah speaking on the above story this morning, I related to the delay.

Sometimes delays, and obstacles, and even silence, are unexplainable.  Then we must count on reasons beyond our view.  For example, I wrote this short, personal note to a friend last week:  “Time—sometimes it heals, and sometimes it doesn’t.”

More, much more, coming soon, like the following:

WHAT IF YOUR SUCCESS . . . ?    WHAT IF YOUR FAILURE . . . ?

“SURELY I COME QUICKLY . . .”

“It would be great if He would just thump this old watermelon for ripe and come on back.”     —–Texas listener to AFR talk

Three times in the very last chapter, Jesus says, “I come quickly.”

We watch and wait—He won’t be late.

COMMUNICATION FOR RELATIONSHIP—EYE TO EYE, NOT SCREEN TO SCREEN

NOTE:  Please stop and first read article on “THE CASE FOR DAYDREAMING, AND BOREDOM, AND . . .”  It prepares you for this one.

Communication in a relationship is not a transfer of information.

A relationship missing eye contact by choice or habit is incomplete and unsustainable.

And, human relationships starve without touch.

I promised my son a powerful punch line for this one:

What can you absolutely not do when you have eye contact and touch in a real person relationship?

YOU CAN’T USE TECHNOLOGY !

AND, YOU DON’T NEED IT !

WOW !

That’s wonderful.

Now you’ve arrived.

Can’t beat that.

Can’t touch that.

Can’t improve on that.

Can’t rush that—that rush surpasses a tech rush any day.

THE CASE FOR DAYDREAMING, AND BOREDOM, AND . . .

. . . AND SILENCE, AND UNPLUGGED, AND . . .

I’m quite sure that last one made my point.  But there is more.

There is a case for a break—a break from most of what runs our lives today.  But let me just continue the list right now.  I’m aware it’s quite a list, but I’ve never written it down.

The case for . . .

+ DAYDREAMING

+ BOREDOM

+ SILENCE

+ QUIET

+ UNPLUGGED

+ REST

+ STOP

+ ALONE

+ THOUGHT

+ REFLECTION

+ UNHURRIED

+ UNDISTURBED

+ CREATIVITY

+ SENSITIVITY

+ CONSCIOUS INACTIVITY

+ SACRED SUNDAY AFTERNOON NAPS

+ SPECIAL UNTOUCHABLE FRIDAY NIGHTS

+ “CAN’T HEAR YOU NOW”

+ DEFRAG THE HARD DRIVE OF LIFE (I asked my son for that one)

+ UNDIVIDED ATTENTION—ALL BY YOURSELF

+ DON’T ANSWER THAT

+ DON’T EVEN LOOK

+ KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD

+ EYE TO EYE—NOT SCREEN TO SCREEN

+ TECH FAST—FROM FAST TECH

+ FIVE MINUTE TUMMY BREAK AFTER MEALS

+ LAST THOUGHT OF THE DAY—LET IT GO

+ FIRST THOUGHT OF THE DAY—LET IT WAIT

+ LOOKED AT THE STARS LATELY?

+ LOOKED AT THE CLOUDS LATELY?

+ LOOKED AT ONE BIBLE VERSE LATELY?

+ BE STILL (step one)

+ KNOW (step two)

+ I AM GOD

 

(If you can, now go through this list and add “by choice” [except the last line] and reflect on each one.  You may be pleasantly surprised—and we need that.)

ZERO TOLERANCE FOR DIVIDED ATTENTION

Join the campaign—see article on 6-3-13 “I WAS RIGHT—TO REBEL.”

I WAS RIGHT – – – TO REBEL (our limits with technology)

Top Gun Flight School rejects multi-taskers.

Top Gun wants Sequential-Tasking, not Multi-Tasking.

 

Just Google It—just don’t bother me.

Just The Facts—but not relationships.

 

With the internet, you can do it yourself—you don’t need me.

With the internet, you don’t have to waste my time—I’m busy, on my own tech gadgets.

 

If you want to offend (be a rebel and be right), try this:  If you are talking with someone, or watching a movie together, and that person looks at their phone, then you need to stop the conversation or the movie immediately.  Silence on your part, and the other person will, without fail, tell you to continue.  Stick to your guns, and you will do a favor for both of you.

Join the campaign—

ZERO TOLERANCE FOR DIVIDED ATTENTION ! ! !

 

Absolute must listen—James Dobson’s Family Talk with Arch Hart, today.

WHY IS TRUTH SO ELUSIVE? – – – OR IS IT?

There is a lot of talk about finding truth—or not finding it—or it can’t be found—or . . .

Truth is hard to find when we make ourselves hard to find.

A good illustration of the riddles on the present-day merry-go-round for truth is the game of hide-and-seek.  Like little children, we pretend that truth is hiding, but instead of going to look for it in all the obvious places, we say truth can’t be found, and go hide ourselves where we think truth can’t find us.  Then we even say (or shout), “I’ve found it—this is my very own truth.  Now, if everyone else will just keep their own new-found truth from interfering with my truth, we will live happily ever after.”

So, then, what happens when Truth gets done waiting for them to come looking for Truth, and Truth appears beyond all denial, and Truth is not happy?

 

When truth is presented, and we don’t like it, we’d rather say it doesn’t exist than be accountable to it—especially it that “it” is Someone—especially if “it” is God.

“You shall seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.”

God is not hidden from us, unless we try to hide from Him.  How foolish then to blame Him for being hard to find.  How foolish then to say that truth cannot be found.

One day God will say to all of us, “I told you everything you need to know to find truth, to find me.  I shouted it with such volume to overwhelm your senses and your telescopes and your microscopes and your brain.  I made the details of the world, the universe, to repeatedly blow you away with new discoveries of phenomena that were there all the time.  I made you with incredible ability to create almost miraculous stuff, all the while using the materials and equipment and laws of the universe that I put into every single atom from day one (yes, day one through day six, just like I said, in writing).

“And, [God still talking] I put it into your heart to need to know me.  And you can, if you will.

“And, I gave you my Son.  And He really gave it all, for you.  He is The Truth, and He said so.

“And, I will hold you accountable—now, and on your last day.”

 

If you want to find truth, it’s not hard to find—if you don’t try so ever-blooming hard to not let it find you.

Don’t try so hard to not let Jesus the Truth find you.