FACING DESTRUCTION!

There is without a doubt our country has undergone a time of deep division and strife during the last two years.  We are at the crossroads of reconciliation and moving forward or continued anger, hate, and a destructive mindset of slander and denying our way of life is so similar to those of the Prophet Jeremiah's day.

As I prayed and mediated over what I "wanted" to write about, I believe I was lead back by The Holy Spirit consider the issue of the Mueller investigation and not only the socio-political implications, but the deep religious consequences facing our country.

Not only has our political heritage suffered by the political hermoraging, but religious institutions and movements have been shaken to the very core of  religious beliefs and principles by a sense of tribal anger and hate! Deep religious polarization has in many instances replaced our spiritual traditions with a fake news gospel.

In the Book of Lamentations, the Prophet Jeremiah, "the crying Prophet" wrote the lamentations on the fall of Jewish religious social way of life.

In the Introduction to The Lamentations, commentators of the Bible describe the falling away of Judah as one of the most impactful events that had long term influence on God's relationship to His people.

"The occasion of these Lamentations was the complete and total destruction of Judah and Jerusalem by the Chaldean army and the dissolution of the Jewish state both civil and ecclesiastical thereby".

Let that truth of Judah's sin of idolatry and disobedience slowly sink into the depths of our hearts. Do we stand at a similar crossroad today?

Matthew Henry Commentary lays out the grief and mourning of Jeremiah as a warning to our day. "We cannot but be concerned, in the reading of Jeremiah's prophecies, to find that they were so little regarded by the men of that generation but let us make use of that as a reason why we should regard them the more for they are written for our learning too, and for warning to us and to our land".

In the Book of Jeremiah, the Prophet wrote of the coming day of reckoning and judgment that Judah and Jerusalem would face for their falling away from God and failure to change from their disobedience and outright rejection of Jeremiah's message for repentance .

As is usually the case, the Prophet Jeremiah was persecuted and treated as an outcast for his prophetic message by the people of Judah. No one would accept his message against idolatry.

Jeremiah wrote the five poetic lamentations of grief and mourning after the fall of Judah and Jerusalem - as an eye-witness of the time of judgment that God's people suffered. The total destruction of the city of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah witnessed the actual destruction of The Temple, the grand and most glorious Temple built by King Solomon. As you may recall, God did not allow the Great King David to build this temple. The privilege of building the Temple would fall to King Solomon and it would be the most beautiful and world renown building!

This must have been a terrible consequence for Judah to witness and to suffer as the most scared place for the  indwelling of God's Holy Presence in the Holy of Holies.

I sense from reading God's Word and the same message of Jeremiah to Judah, we too are being warned about the American destruction by an army of resistance to the Word of God and the dissolution of the American state "both civil and ecclesiastical thereby".

While the destructive events our country has gone through are related to a political narrative, all related to implications of collusion, insinuation, and intimidation. I believe if we do not change course, we will all share the ramifications and aftershock of the pending destruction of our Republic based on desire to seize unlawful power and forfeit the election of the 45th President.

Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, said this past week that an indictment of President Trump by special counsel Robert Mueller  could have eventually “led to civil war.” 

“If [Trump] had been indicted for conspiring with Russia to interfere with and affect the outcome of our elections, it would have precipitated a terribly divisive crisis that could have even led to civil war,” Gabbard said in a statement posted on Twitter.

That is a powerful statement for any politician to make, much less from a Democrat, that many Americans may have comtemplated if the alleged deep state coup had played out.

You can discount my words, you can say I am favoring one political party over the other, but all I am asking for each of us to stop and consider the danger we are facing if we forfeit our freedom and the right to vote for our leaders.

The damage created by an effort to discount the election of a President by alleging that the President was not fit to serve, a narrative created by top officials of the FBI, CIA,  other political operatives and many "journalists" in the main stream news media has shaken the very foundation of our government.

Isaiah 5:20 & 23 apply to the situation we find ourselves. "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter"!

But please stop for a moment before saying I am some religious zealot. I also believe Christian believers have sat back and ignored the red flags that our religious heritage is also at stake. If we are looking for whom to blame for this dangerous predicament we face, we must first look in the mirror. I have at times, also been guilty of the anger and blowback from the political gamesmanship.

We must be committed to righteousness and justice. That also means we must not remain silent when we see injustice or hateful bigotry. Let the Word of God be our guide.

We are at the breaking point of decisive decision time regarding the radical change and repercussions from the fallout of the deep divide we suffer. Try to remove the political and news organizations narrative to report lies as truth, and ignore truth as lies. Can we pray and mediate as we contemplate the following Scriptures while seeking righteous change?

Lamentations 3:40-41 (KJV)  "Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens" .

You can believe in what political beliefs you hold, that is a choice you have or will make.

What I am asking is for each of us to evaluate where we stand in relationship to God and His teachings found in The Lamentations of the Crying Prophet, Jeremiah.

If you can stand without a doubt and state we are not living in idolatry and disobedience to the ideals which our country was founded, that is your right and free will.

I feel deeply within my heart and spirit, our country... is at a very significant decision point.

Can we accept the Mueller Report and stop these needless investigations and intrusions in the life of every politician? Can we all just get along?

There are many important and critically significant issues affecting the well being of the people in our country. The issues are many, immigration, homelessness, mental illness, healthcare, hunger, poverty, veteran issues, and so many other issues.

Why can't we put our efforts and desire for a better life in these issues as some are placing in endless investigations and innuendo.

May we take the mourning and grief in Lamentations as our warning to change our lives of idolatry and mourn for God that He would change our hearts for good of all. 

What a sad state of affairs if we like the Crying Prophet, Jeremiah, we would witness the destruction of our Constitutional Republic, and end up mourning the loss of God's Grace upon our country.  

Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old—Lamentations 5:21

LFI~LATINO FAITH INITIATIVE
Rev Fidel "Butch" Montoya
Remember : "God Listens"!

Trust God - All The Time

Often times it seems so easy to give spiritual advice to someone to stay tough and put their complete faith on the line for an urgent  need in their lives.

This particular verse in Isaiah is one that encourages us to stand firm and be prepared to put our faith to a test, and with great anticipation to receive God's blessings.

This verse in Isaiah encouraged God's people to stand with full assurance of the great blessings He was ready to share with them after enduring a 70 year period of captivity.

God promised a complete turn around, a time of great outpouring of God’s promises to change a bad circumstance after enduring a very long time of captivity and slavery.

God told His people that He would pour water on a thirsty land as well provide streams of living water on a bone dry land. Water representing His Spirit and fulfillment of His covenant promises.

Many have experienced a drought where the land cracks and breaks apart because of the lack of water. Nothing grows, and the hot sun and blowing dry wind prevents any possibility of rain or harvest.

When you try to encourage someone who has endured a time of testing or a time of difficulty and pain, the person you are trying to share God's promises with, can now turn things around with God pouring His blessings and gifts of renewal on a situation that seemed hopeless or a time of questioning. A time  wondering why you or a loved one are going through such a painful period of doubt and despair.

At the point where you think it can't get any worse, God reminds us that He has promised to restore our hope and faith. As a thirsty land soaking up water being restored on a destressed land that has struggled through a severe drought.

Often times it is easy for us to give advice or to ask someone to stay tough and put their faith on the line for an urgent and personal need in their lives.

This particular verse in Isaiah is also a promise that God has shared with each of us, encouraging us to stand firm and to be prepared to receive a dynamic outpouring of His power.

Because we have undergone a period of testing our faith and facing great difficulty has allowed us to pass through this period of self evaluation, challenging our values of perseverance and faith.

This verse in Isaiah encourages God's people to stand with full assurance of the great blessings He was ready to share with the Israelites after enduring the 70 year period of captivity.

God promised His people a complete turn around after enduring a time of heart breaking captivity and slavery after God punished His people for their disobedience and falling away from the ways God ordained.

God tells His people that He will now pour water (spiritually ordained blessings) on the drought savaged land and also provide streams of water on the land that suffered because of a hard pressed judgment against His chosen people, who had lost their way and turned away in disobedience and greed.

The drought upon the land and promises of outpouring of streams of water on dry land represents to each of us who have undergone through a difficult testing of our faith and belief in God’s covenant that He would provide blessings that would restore our dry bones, weakened hearts and souls cracked and broken because we may have rejected God’s presence and outpouring of His Spirit to help us overcome our sins and disobedience.

When you try to encourage someone who has endured a time of testing or a time of difficulty and pain, often the person you are trying to understand  that God's promises will now turn things around with His outpouring of His blessings and gifts of renewal because of a situation that seemed hopeless or a time of soul searching and questioning what you may have been experiencing.

There was a song that we sang in church that spoke of God "turning it around at the midnight hour"! We would turn around and around as a profession of our faith and belief God would take care of business, even at the darkness period of the midnight hour.

At the point where you think it can't get any worse, God reminds us that He has promised to restore our hope and faith as a drought dessert land soaks up water being poured on a land that has gone without moisture and rain.

I have recently gone through a time of testing and doubt over a personal health issue. Since last November, a week or so just before Thanksgiving, I lost my voice.

From going to sleep one night to waking up without the ability to express myself by speaking out loud. I figured it was just a passing case of bad laryngitis and it would soon go away.

After visiting the doctor, she said probably a virus… “go out and buy a vaporizer”. After weeks of little or no improvement, I went back to the doctor. Now the doctor said it was time for a visit to a throat/nose specialist.

With a very small camera, the Specialist ran it through my nose to see what might be causing the problem. The camera showed one vocal cord was not vibrating as it should.

The next step was a CAT Scan to see if there was something blocking the vocal cord nerve!

Immediately the specialist thought of “something” blocking the nerve. Something included a tumor or the possibility of the “C” word.

The CAT Scan would get scheduled for the following week. So meantime, all kinds of questions and fears flooded my mind and spirit.

To add to the anxiety, the scan was on a Thursday, but the specialist needed to schedule another visit over the weekend to go over the test results. A weekend of heightened fear and anxiety.

Meanwhile the depression of not being able to speak clearly created its own set of problems.

One important issue, the takeout person at the drive thru at McDonald’s could not understand my order. Had to try to explain my order  several times until finally the take out order person figured out what I wanted. But this just one small example demonstrating the quandary I was in.

I prayed a lot, questioned what was happening, was expending my faith at a considerable rate.

Like a cell phone, I was using a lot of data praying, laying awake at night, wondering why, or what was affecting my voice.

To make matters worse, the specialist said it could take 9 months to heal! If it didn’t get better by then, we would start all over again trying to find the cause for the lost voice.

The evil one and big liar certainly was playing with my mind and heart.

Now I was the one who needed someone to encourage me and rely on to pray with me.

My voice has improved, but still have a frog or two in my throat. If I speak too much during the early part of the day, my voice gets considerably weaker by the evening.

I am at the mercy of God’s blessing and healing. Maybe a time to revisit God's  goals and objectives for my life.

Yes, old guys have goals and objectives as well.

All this to get back to Isaiah 44:3.
"For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring".

God’s Word is clear and it speaks to me as well. Don’t give up. Rely on the promises of God to restore our land.

Expect a big outpouring of God’s promises to send the rain and streams of water to heal my dry broken land. My hope remains firmly planted on God's covenant to bless those who bless Israel.

I continue to join in prayer with others who have asked for God’s intervention in their lives. Please join me in a prayer  today for God's blessing on my life.

Special thanks to my colleagues who have joined with me in prayer and encouragement.

LFI ~ LATINO FAITH INITIATIVE

Rev Fidel “Butch” Montoya

Remember: “GOD LISTENS”

Beware of Thought Police

There is a dangerous and insidious movement gaining more influence in our society which must be exposed to be a false narrative of lies, generating fear, and creating a deep divide of racism and hate which is affecting every segment of our lives.

I call this movement the age of the “thought police” where there is an attempt to control and ensure conformity to the ultimate point that differing opinions are disallowed or shutdown completely.

The "USA Thought Police" are alive and well, but do not represent a movement of Light and Truth. Instead it seeks to destroy the voice of Christians who dare to speak out against this malicious  movement by liars, seeking to destroy and put a stop to a message of good will. 

We have seen where certain topics are not allowed to be discussed or debated in high schools or colleges. If you carry the label of a conservative, in many cases you are prohibited from making presentations. If you are a Christian and wish to participate in discussions or debates, many persons are eliminated because of their faith. 

This liberal narrative moves “under the radar” calling for complete conformity to this new age thinking that condemns differences which are prescribed by counterfeit prophets of integrity. Their message is inaccurate or distorted and when confronted, they are the first to call upon the "thought police" to enforce their fraudulent and distorted interpretation of their repulsive opinions.

In fact any message which
goes against this reprehensible wave of liberal thought which is attempting to controll our lives, calls upon those of us who oppose this repugnant philosophy to be prepared to defend our way of life. 

In Ephesians 5:6, the Bible encourages us to be careful what vain and erroneous philosophies gain control of our lives. 

"Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience." God's message is clear for those who abandon the Gospel for vain words, they will face God's judgment. 

In verse 7 of Ephesians 5, God's Word is clear as to what position we are to take. "Be not ye therefore partakers with them."

We must have a strong sense of urgency to be more aware of this reprehensible  narrative controlling fabricated lies and vain words about our beliefs as Christians. We cannot ignore the false narrative that seeks to destroy our way of life. 

These treacherous and deceitful teachers call for us to abandon our affirmation of Christ and His likeness by allowing the hate and fear to clash with our God ordained values by linking them to racism, bigotry, and deliberate distortions of our message. 

If you love our country, inspite of the unjust and immoral decisions of the past, if you believe in the Bible which is God's Word for our lives today, we are branded as racists and reckless or impulsive. 

God encourages each of us who claim to be followers of Christ to awaken from our stupor, to arise from our spirit of rejecting Life, and to walk in the Light Christ gives us to reject darkness.

The Scripture is clear and very plain for those who seek the Light of Jesus Christ.  "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."    Ephesians 5:14         

We are to be extremely careful that we do not allow sin to enter into our hearts. We are persons of light and it should be clear when darkness, that is sin, trys to replace the Light. We are in constant danger of allowing our guard down if we do not diligently follow the Life ordained by God. 

The Pulpit Bible Commentary explains our position against the evil counterfeit narrative which is attempting to devastate and crush our testimony of Light.  

Ephesians 5:11 states, "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."

"We are admonished to have no fellowship with sin nor sinners. Works of darkness are sinful works. These evil works that attempt to control our values and principles, try to control our conversations and way of life, come from the darkness of ignorance,  seeking to conceal the darkness of this evil and ever present narrative, and ultimately will lead to the darkness of hell if we continue to follow this fabricated evil way". 

Can you imagine if the Gospel had been shut down by the haughty leaders of influence like the Pharisees or Sadducees during introductory period of the New Gospel? What would have become of the this period of Christian history?

In Mark 1:1-2, we find the actual beginning of a new Gospel message of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist would announce to the multitudes that someone greater than he would come on the scene proclaiming a not a new false narrative of the New Gospel, but a way of life which would ignite the beginning of the early “thought police”, whose false enforcement of the new message would be tainted by fear and Intimidation?

In fact the opponents of Christ called His movement a political one because He called for alligence to the Kingdom of God. Rome did not allow anyone to speak against the Roman government. But Christ was speaking of a higher kingdom and did come to be Crowned the new Leader or High Priest. 

[1] “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
[2]As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee”.

John the Baptist, the person who was thought of as some strange eccentric madman who claimed a new
messenger was coming, someone whom John the Baptist felt unworthy to even unlace the new messenger's sandals. John was actually proclaiming “the beginning of the Gospel who was Jesus Christ".

This is so very significant in that this new Gospel was founded on Truth and Light, and would change the world. 

Keeping in mind, John the Baptist was a strange “character who was clothed in camels hair, with a girdle of skin about his loins, eating locusts and wild honey”. No doubt, it took a lot for people to accept the message of John the Baptist. 

[7] “And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose”.

Can you image having this outcast and heavy bearded looking person being your public relations guy, claiming that you were the new up and coming representative of this new message, and going further by claiming that this new preacher would also claim to be The Son of God?

The Bible tells that immediately the thought police went into action to discredit not only the new
Gospel, but to look for ways to destroy Jesus Christ as someone who also made the ultimate claim He was able to forgive sins, heal the sick and actually call himself the of Son of God?

The Pharisees and Sadducees wanted no part of a message that would not only question their way of life, but also call them sinners in need of accepting Jesus Christ as their Salvation. They too needed to be seperated from their life of hate, fear, idolatry and whose egotistical attitudes intimidated others by the way they chose to live. 

Claiming to give more donations than the poor, dressing in the finest robes of the day, and claiming to be much closer to God because of their self egotistical idolatry.

Today, Christianity is still condemned as a false narrative by many present day Pharisees, and where Christ-like individuals are ridiculed for their alliance to Jesus Christ, where God is questioned and condemned in our schools, public square, and by the new weapon of social media which is able to spread lies, fear, and ability to cast Christians as evil and hateful narrow minded purveyors of a false teaching in real time!  

The evil masters of the social media desire to control the values respecting life by supporting abortion and infanticide, they ridicule  those who voice a message of Life and Love. 

In fact many Christians nominated to judicial positions are often criticized by present day Sadducees as controlled by Christian dogma, thus making them unfit to serve as public servants. Unfit to serve because they support a life controlled by Light and not false messages of darkness. 

I believe without any doubt that the social media platforms are controlled and influenced by an evil agenda to disallow Christians who may have differing religious views, by intimidating and disallowing Christians from speaking out. 

When Christians do manage to share their values, in many cases, the message is censored or misrepresented by those who control the many platforms of the public narrative.

The real issue of the social media is its ability to influence or taint the public discourse with lies and fake news in real time. By controlling the message, evil forces are able to spread lies and disinformation.

Keep in mind, the evil one is considered “the big liar disguised as an angel of light”. When the absurdity of those who are out to censor, control, or shut down voices of reason and truth, we must be willing to stand for our values against the evil one himself! We must allow our light to outshine the darkness and evil of those who seek to destroy the real message of hope and trust.

The early Apostles were often run out of town for preaching the Gospel, they were condemned and criticized in the public square or at religious events, they had to hide or run for their lives, and many were stoned or beheaded by evil minded forces controlled by the evil one.

If you believe there are no evil influences affecting public policy or enacting laws that embrace infanticide, or that call for violent harassment or spreading hate and lies against Christians or other people of good will, and that demand their evil way is the correct way and threaten Christ-like individuals to conform to their way of life controlled and dominated by sin, you must be shaken from your sleep. 

If we do not share the Gospel, stand up for the Message of the Cross, defend our values and Christian-Judeo principalities on which our Republic was founded, and ensure we are not silenced by hurtful laws that are often enacted to only destroy or control our Spiritual message and determination for the Gospel, and to create and spread confusion and hate in our hearts and minds, and in those who seek a better way. 

It is so important to always keep as our anthem the truth that greater is He who abides in my heart and soul than he who is in the world.

No thought police, no communication technology, no group of evil and hate can ever knock us from our path, and we must determine to never allow a false narrative to take the place of the Gospel.

FLI – LATINO FAITH INITIATIVE

Rev Fidel “Butch “ Montoya

Always Remember : “GOD LISTENS”