Category Archives: Politics

I’m Enraged! Are You? (Part 3)

Four years ago, I had an online discussion with a well-known leader in the social justice Christian movement. The exchange resulted from an article I had written, suggesting someone, like a Priscilla or Aquila, needed to mentor this leader in the ways of the Lord. He commented on my article and thus our discussion began.

He was a great guy, loved the Lord, lived in an inner city black community, and used his earnings from book sales and speaking tours to fund inner city works. So, unlike most of us Christians, he not only talked the talk, but he walked the walk.

Our big disagreement was not over whether or not we should help inner city blacks, but instead, on how it should be carried out.

His major points centered on:

1. Large corporations, from 1619 until today, have caused irreparable damages to generations of blacks. Thus, these corporations should be held accountable for their actions and pay financial reparations to blacks.

2. The American government has a racist history and also needs to offer financial reparations to inner city blacks.

“Okay,” I wrote back to him, “if your two major points are carried out, will the problems of the inner cities be settled once and for all?”

He believed most problems would be handled and that abortion – the number one killer of African-Americans – would also drop significantly because poverty would be lessened.

I disagreed.

Sadly, large corporations, governments, and whites have crippled inner city blacks throughout American history. But even so, I do not believe that enacting his two major points will change inner city lives much at all. Oh, the blacks may be more comfortable for a period of time, but the core problems will still remain.

You see, the inner cities’ main problem is not poverty, but instead, it is iniquity.

Unlike sins or transgressions, iniquity is a second-nature sin which has become a part of the people’s personalities and attitudes. It is often passed down to the children through ancestral lines or it may be received by surrendering oneself to the evil principality over that region.

The only way to remove iniquity is to have a deliverance move of the Holy Spirit whereby people accept the truth and God’s mercy, and also embrace the fear of the Lord.

And to have a deliverance move of the Holy Spirit in the inner cities of America, it is going to take believers who are willing to engage in spiritual warfare the spirit of slavery, which controls America’s inner cities.

Okay, let’s say I know what I am talking about. How can it be successfully done?

Here is the fly in the ointment. You see, it will mostly be white males who are qualified to help deliver the inner city. That’s right! The same race and gender who enslaved blacks in the first place.

Why? How? What?

(Continued in Part 4)

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I’m Enraged! Are You? (Part 2)

With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and collapse of Russia in 1991, some interesting facts were eventually learned about KGB disinformation attacks on America. Two notable ones stand out.

First, during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s, KGB agents in America sent racist letters to newspapers and African-American leaders to stoke racial fires. All it cost the KGB was a little time reading the newspapers, typing paper, envelopes, and stamps.

Second, the KGB helped fund and back the anti-Vietnam War movement. They spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on this effort.

So, two of America’s biggest wounds – still open and bleeding today – were aided and effectively undermined by Russia, our Cold War enemy at the time.

Sadly, if this happened back in the low tech days of the 1960’s and 1970’s, how much easier would it be to do something like that today?

We are in the midst of what many proclaim is the most important election cycle in the history of the United States. Both parties are spending at least $6 billion to elect their candidates to various offices. Supposedly, each candidate has his voting constituents in mind, right?

Well, which presidential candidate has talked about possible upcoming race wars? Which party has given it voice? What about the media? What about white preachers? Or black preachers? Or anybody?

The answers to all of these questions are – with rare exceptions – none.

Why?

Because if anyone takes a stand on possible race wars, he will be labeled as a racist and his name will be smeared throughout the media. What politician or religious leader is willing to suffer such pain to his reputation and billfold?

Yet, hundreds of incidents by flash mobs filled with black youths have happened over the last few months in major cities throughout America. They have robbed stores. They have beaten up whites. And they have succeeded without ever being held accountable by the media, by political leaders, or anyone.

The black flash mobs are the result of rebellion, which is a sin, much like witchcraft.  Sin, like fire, is never satisfied because it always hungers for more and more.

And who knows? Maybe these young blacks are being stirred up by Al Quaeda, Hamas, or some other terrorist groups through the internet, Facebook, or Twitter to start up race wars.

All of this really enraged me the other day as I remembered the following:

In 1998, I had a vivid vision of an upcoming race war between African-Americans and white Americans. The war did not take place, at first, in the inner cities, but rather, it occurred in the suburbs, the bedrock of white America.

It began with bands of rage-filled black youths attacking suburban areas with AK-47s, grenades, bazookas, and other weapons, killing white people indiscriminately. I saw bodies of white children, mothers, fathers, and seniors lying on the ground, their blue eyes staring upward and blood oozing from wounds. The young blacks stood over the bodies waving their AK-47s in the air and giving each other “high fives” for their successful outpouring of wrath.

In the next part of the vision, I watched white armies and bounty hunters tracking down and slaughtering black youths. The African-American rage and hatred toward white America was finally appeased when that generation of black youths was buried and gone. (How to Defuse the Upcoming Race War, March 28, 2012)

What can we – especially us men – do to help stop race wars from happening in America?

(Continued in Part 3)

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I’m Enraged! Are You? (Part 1)

 

For the record, I don’t like the Democratic Party or the Republican Party.

The one party’s members wear blinders when they quote the Bible which makes little difference to its adherents anyway. You see, most members stand up and say, “Amen, ” without ever considering the consequences.

Ah, don’t worry a bit about those dead babies or that gays are taking over our public schools because after all, God understands and just loves everyone anyway, right?

Sadly, the other party is mostly filled with gutless scallywags who have the backbones of worms. Period. And who in the world really wants to vote for candidates who need polls to tell them what their inner convictions are at any given moment? Like hello, Karl Rove! Why do we need these guys?

Most Christian leaders – from Dr. Dobson to the local pastors – will say, “Larry, be realistic. Christians need to vote for the lesser of two evils when they cast their ballots. If it’s a Democrat, vote for him or if it’s a Republican, vote for him. But, hallelujah brother, it’s your Christian duty to vote, don’t you know that?”

Well, let’s take off our Christian rose-colored glasses for a moment. Pretty dreary world out there, right?

So, how has voting for the lesser of two evils advanced morality in America since 1979, the year Moral Majority and rightwing Christian conservatives were first coined?

Has abortion been stopped? No. Has the gay movement been stifled? No. Are America’s borders safer? No. Is America safer from terrorist’s threats? No. Is America more prosperous? No. Are our public schools better and safer for our children? No. 

Probably everyone has a favorite boogie man he’ll point to for America’s problems. President Obama. Democratic Party. Candidate Romney. Republican Party. Senator Reid. Senator McConnell. Secretary of State Clinton. Chairman of the Fed Bernanke. SEC Chairman Shapiro. Or whoever.

But the truth is that these boogie men are not the problems, but instead, we are the problems. And by using the personal pronoun we, I’m mainly speaking to us men.

Joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in His paths. (Psalm 119:2-3)

Apathy, lethargy, and compromise are the three bloodsucking leeches which have neutered us Christian men in America.

So, what can we do to shift our rage into godly action to advance the Kingdom of God in America now?

(Continued in Part 2)

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Lord, Why Not Call Bill Instead of Me? (Part 8)

Click on following for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 and Part 7.

The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. (Romans 13:12 NKJ)

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside [cast off] every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus…(Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJ)

Have you ever undergone a deliverance from demons? I have. Many times. Most were not sensational, but then again, one was.

“Wait a second!” you say. “How can a believer be possessed by demons?”

I don’t believe a Christian can ever be fully possessed by demons. In order for that to happen, the works of the cross would have to be set aside so darkness and light can dwell together in a person’s inner man (or spirit). That’s not happening! Ever!

But what I do believe is that demons can have influences, or what I call hooks, into our soul and flesh.

Bear with me a little, okay? Visualize a man walking around with a beautiful treasure deep within him. It is glorious and pure. But at the same time, you notice ugly fishhooks attached to different points on the man’s flesh and to his mind. These fishhooks have long strings attached to them with heavy weights attached at the opposite end. These weights represent demonic influences which can manipulate our actions and thoughts so that we make mistakes.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind [or soul], so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

Now, most of our deliverances will come about as we mature in our walks with Jesus. This happens through studying the word, praying and just allowing the Holy Spirit to live in us. Therefore our mind is renewed so that it agrees with the Lord, and not with Satan or our selfish flesh.

But sometimes, we need the demonic weights cast off by other believers who have some power and authority.

After I had been saved for four years, and had given hundreds of prophetic words, a woman noticed something in my prophetic words. There were a few glitches here and there, causing confusion for people.

The woman happened to be a prophetess who prayed six hours a day. So, she sought the Lord and saw the problem. She then relayed her discovery to a few friends of mine.

The friends called me over on a Sunday afternoon. When I arrived, they presented what the prophetess had seen – a demon. “Get rid of it,” I replied.

As they began praying in tongues, I was thrown to the floor. And then tossed back and forth across the floor from one side of the room to the other. It was a wild ride. I was flying all over the place.

Wow! I hope someone knows what they are doing, I thought to myself as I bounced around.

Finally, it was over and I was set free from the demon’s influence. I was tired and went home.

What type of demon was it? I believe it was a religious spirit, one which had been a part of my life for years, long before my salvation. It had become so ingrained and entwined in my personality that I thought it was the real me.Thank God, it wasn’t.

My personal belief is that we believers absolutely need to get free of every weight and sin. Who really cares if we are humbled and embarrassed? Let’s just get free so that we can love Jesus more and more and more.

So, how was I finally released from the prison with a steeple on the roof?

(Continued in Part 9.)

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Swimming Upstream: “Has Christianity’s Involvement In Elections Been A Waste Of Time?”

so_many_right_wing_christians_so_few_lions_tshirt-p235165823330500205q3v3_400The Moral Majority was founded in 1979 by Jerry Falwell. It’s purpose was to mobilize Americans on campaign issues which were against traditional Christian values, such as abortion, homosexual rights, Equal Rights amendments, anti-family proposals and so forth.

Another group, Christian Coalition, founded in 1988 by Pat Robertson has taken up much of the slack from the disbanding of the Moral Majority. It is active on the same issues.

Add in Concerned Women for America (Beverly LaHaye), Focus on the Family (Dr. James Dobson), Eagle Forum (Phyllis Schlafly) and countless other groups,  and you have millions of dollars spent and millions of Christians involved.

So, has this heavy involvement by Christians in the election process been a waste of time and money?

Swimming Upstream appears at this blog site on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It’s  a little of this and a little of that, all written  to encourage and exhort believers in their Christian journeys

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Where’s Honest Abe Now When We Need him?

Every once and while, it’s good to look at a politician who framed his decisions based on his character and personal values rather than on public opinion polls or self-enhancing agendas. Thus, the following article about President Abraham Lincoln.

In passing upon a case of a lad condemned to death for falling asleep upon his post, Lincoln said: “I could not think of going into eternity with the blood af that poor young boy on my skirts. It is not to be wondered at that a boy raised on a farm, probably in the habit of going to bed at dark, should when required to watch, fall asleep; and I cannot consent to shoot him for such an act.”

The impressive sequel of this act of mercy was brought to light when the dead body of this soldier boy was found on the field of Fredericksburg, and next to his heart a photograph of the President, across which he had written, “God bless Abraham Lincoln.”

This article was taken from “The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln”, edited by Anthony Gross, published by Barnes & Noble, inc., 1994.

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Swimming Upstream: “How Barack Obama Set Me Free”

No doubt about it, I was not a Barack Obama fan. His position on abortion alone was enough to set my feet in concrete on the other side of the fence, opposing him.

But now, I have to admit that his election has set me free from something; and I like the freedom.

What is that something? A belief that somehow our government could help usher in a revival and a return to godliness in America.

I know there are those who will point out the William Wilberforce’s, Abraham Lincoln’s, and Ronald Reagan’s as examples of who God can raise up to change nations… and thank God for these men. But for every Hezekiah and Josiah, there have been far more Saul’s, Ahab’s, Manasseh’s and Herod’s who have been enemies of the cross of Christ.

You see, with my freedom I realize first and foremost that I am a citizen of heaven. My hope is in a King, not in some elected officials who will usually let us down with their compromises and broken promises.

Yet, even now, men are positioning themselves for the next election, saying this will be the most important election ever. If only, Christians – like me – will support them, they will return America to a “shining city on a hill” status. These men will use evangelical speak and bow their knees at all of the right altars. And who knows? Maybe they can carry it off.

But as for me, I have been there. Done that. Bought the bumper sticker. I’m not putting my energy, time, prayers or faith in our political system ever again.

I plan on devoting my life to where my true citizenship lies…and to the soon-coming King.

Swimming Upstream appears at this blog site on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It’s  a little of this and a little of that, all written  to encourage and exhort believers in their Christian jouneys.

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Swimming Upstream: “David Wilkerson’s Prophecy”

David Wilkerson, pastor of Times Square Church, author of The Cross and The Switchblade and founder of Teen Challenge, declared in an urgent message on March 7, 2009:

AN EARTH-SHATTERING CALAMITY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. IT IS GOING TO BE SO FRIGHTENING, WE ARE ALL GOING TO TREMBLE – EVEN THE GODLIEST AMONG US.For 10 years I have been warning about a thousand fires coming to New York City. It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires – such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago.

There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide. There will be looting – including Times Square, New York City. What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath. (For full story, see here.)

So, what do you plan to do about this prophecy? It seems to me that we have three options:

(1) We can be like most Christians and take a wait-and-see posture. You know, if it doesn’t happen, then we can start up blogs decrying Wilkerson as a false prophet. But of course, should the fires begin and the bombs go off, we are in a pickle, right?

(2) We can ask our pastors and other leaders what they think about Wilkerson’s prophecy. After all, these leaders are trained and paid to hear God’s voice for the rest of us, right?

(3) We can seek God for ourselves and ask Him what we should do.

Options (1) and (2) are road maps to disaster. The history of the church is filled with tales of woe about believers who followed these paths.

Option (3) is the only godly and responsible action to take. Don’t wait. Begin today.

Swimming Upstream appears at this blog site on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It’s  a little of this and a little of that, all written  to encourage and exhort believers in their Christian jouneys.

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The Bear

bear_bryant

When the best football coaches are mentioned, Paul William “Bear” Bryant (1913 – 1983) is usually at the top of the list. His coaching status, even today, is considered legendary. 323 college football victories. 6 national championships. 13 Southeastern Conference titles.

But for me, I like his quotes best of all:

The old lessons (work, self-discipline, sacrifice, teamwork, fighting to achieve) aren’t being taught by many people other than football coaches these days. The football coach has a captive audience and can teach these lessons because the communication lines between himself and his players are more wide open than between kids and parents. We better teach these lessons or else the country’s future population will be made up of a majority of crooks, drug addicts, or people on relief.”

It’s not the will to win that matters – everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.”

“It’s not the dog in the fight that counts, it’s the fight in the dog.” (For more, see here.)

And if you’re interested in whether or not he was a Christian, read here.

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Swimming Upstream: “Dreaming Big? Plan On Dying First!”

Burt Prelutsky said, “I don’t pay for other people’s ideas. I steal them.” So, with that in mind, the idea for this article was gently swiped from Stuff Christians Like #506. Kudos to Burt and Prodigal John!

About fifteen years ago, I began everyday by praying something like this: “Father, send me. Place me on a street corner preaching the gospel in LA or Rwanda or somewhere, but send me.”

After a while, a prophetess showed up at my place and proclaimed, “The Lord doesn’t want you asking to be sent out preaching for the next thirty days. Instead, He has something else for you to do first. Then, you can ask again.”

I obeyed the prophecy and sought the Lord on what He wanted me to do. It seemed He wanted me to be a painting contractor.

And within thirty days, I was in the biggest trial of my life. One that destroyed my reputation, my finances, and me. I lost all of my friends and my ministry. Like Job, I spent the days weeping and bemoaning my birth. The only thing that kept me going was the understanding that the Father loved me and His grace. The following verse became my hope:

I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13)

Now, after all these years, I know what the Lord actually meant when the prophetess said, “He has something else for you to do first.” He wanted me to die first; and He had the perfect plan to achieve His desire for me.

I’d like to say that I died easily. No mess. No fuss. No bother. But it was a slow, agonizing death. When death happened in part of me, another part would be revived and attempted to climb out of the grave. Then, that part would be dealt with by the Lord. All of this took time. Lots of it.

And yet, this morning, I finally obeyed the second part of the prophecy. “Lord, send me.”

Swimming Upstream appears at this blog site on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It’s  a little of this and a little of that, all written  to encourage and exhort believers in their Christian jouneys.

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