Issues vs. Problem!

You know, when we stop and think about all that's happening in and around the United States of America, none of this makes sense. I wonder if I might share some of my personal reflections with you. There's been growing conversations across communities, workplaces, and the media about whether America is experiencing a period of moral decline. While opinions vary widely, it's clear we are facing a combination of economic, social, civil and global challenges that merit our deepest attentions. Yes, we have quote unquote immigration and border control...issues! Yes, we have an upswing in gun violence in the street...issues! Yes, we have the constant threat of wars and rumors of wars while the governing body of these United States which, by the way, is supposed to uphold the laws of the constitution, the rights, the civil liberties, execute justice for all persons, and maintain the welfare for the citizens of this once great country, are content to play "bully in the pen" with each other while losing a real sense of awareness...issues! Government shutdowns, social programs and budget cuts to our senior citizens who worked all their lives to make this country what it is, now has to believe and hope in a dying Social Security system wondering how long before their fixed income becomes a vanishing reality and leaves them with the ever pressing question, "Lord, what am I going to do?"...issues! How is it that the new administration all of a sudden has become the crowned king checker piece on the board of political powers, jumps from human suffrage in the Russian / Ukraine conflict, jumps to threatening Mexico to intervene in their cartel problems, jumps to deposing a president in Venezuela, while ICE Police are gunning down civilian American citizens in the streets and justifying their actions...issues! I don't know, but somebody wasn't paying attention to Sir Isaac Newton who put it this way, "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction"...issues! I don't care who you supported or voted for in the elections; we have a line of criminals in offices from the White House to the Out House...issues! Together these trends have led to a sense of uncertainty about this nation's direction even inducing radical groups to take up arms and defend the streets across this nation.

To those of you who are reading this blog please understand that our country is morally off compass...! Reason with me, many of our states have passed open carry and concealed carry without certifications. Now, you tell me how long before police, sheriffs, and state troopers mentally feel each time they leave their families and homes trying to uphold the proud banner of "to protect and serve," how do you do this knowing that every person sane or otherwise is potentially packing a weapon legally! Can you visualize the action and the reaction here being played out daily all over America. Yeah...I think you can! There is a cataclysmic chain of events that is just primed to erupt at the drop of a pin. When that event occurs, I fear this country will literally tear itself apart on so many levels until the damage will be irreparable. Now remember, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Spoiler alert, our internal civil unrest will allow all the foreign political checker players to regroup, strategize, plan, and act on our weakness. How do I know this, because that's what I would do. While this country and its leadership is caught up in chaos and absorbed in its own self-aggrandizement in total disarray, it is the perfect opportunity to strike our infrastructures, our financial base, our nuclear energy facilities and power grids and get this, all without dropping a bomb or destroying a city. I'll save that discussion for another day. 

To be fair to you who may be reading this, there are a number of underlying issues but there is only one problem. What we are seeing is not new. The bible in Ecclesiastes 1:9 teaches us that "there is no new thing under the sun." What has been done will be done again. This utterly caused me to tremble because the living God is not silent on corruption. He is, however, long suffering and desires that His people come to repentance. The one problem, and I make no excuse for saying this is sin! Sin has toppled kings, crumbled cities, destroyed empires, devastated nations and imprisoned individuals. If you stopped reading right there, you may be a victim as well. Sin blocks out that small still voice that holds us accountable for our actions and defines right from wrong. Sin is an instigator of all that noise in your head that scrambles clarity and drowns the yearning for truth and soundness of mind. Sin in a nutshell is everything that's wrong with our society today. Violence, drugs, alcohol, corruption, perversion, lust, greed, hatred, blasphemy, and denial of God are just a few of the attributes of sin that plague our nation. Every generation of man is turning further and further away from God. The further away from God we stray, the more crooked the path back to Him becomes. I hope what I'm about to say makes sense to you; for generations the political structure has deviated from the love and presence of God. Remember, Madalyn Murray O'Hare, she had prayer for a period of time taken out of the public schools. The roads to political aspirations no matter how a candidate might have the greatest of intentions is a crooked path. By their appointed time in said office, they've been influenced, swayed, bribed, coerced and blackmailed to the point that conformity has settled in. What started out as straight, polished and grounded, because of the generational crooked path they've had to travel, they have conformed to what they once opposed. Romans 12:1 states, "Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..." Some habits even with the greatest intention, is hard to break. 

My parents use to tell me, if the head is bad, the rest of the body feels the effects. Well, we in America, have one hell of a migraine headache and the rest of the body is feeling the effects. The real concern is where does this all end and what is the solution. Let me not sugar-coat this, it ends in a country imploding when insurrection becomes the tool of correction. This country may have called its trump card, but in every deck of cards I've seen, there is a Joker and it overrules your ace trump. Here is the rule to using the Joker for America today, 2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV, " If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

The golden rule as it has been called says, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It did not say, do unto to others before they do it to you! This is a corporate call for all of mankind to stop the end-fighting and enlist the power of prayer for one purpose...healing our land. And just as a precursor to the narrow minded, shallow thinkers out there who may happen to run across this blog, this is not racial, political, financial, or psychological, this is spiritual warfare. I need you to realize, sin keeps us wrestling with the symptoms so that we never address the problem. According to Ephesians 6:12, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." The absence of light brings darkness. Darkness is ignorance, lies and controlled thinking. Light is wisdom, knowledge, truth and a sound mind. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life." John 8:12. 

My final question, "is there another answer, if so, where is it?" We're running out of time!