Subtle Perspectives

I was listening to a so-called "Christian song" the other day, parsing the lyrics in my mind as I was doing some task. I think it was morning dishes if I remember correctly...

I got jolted by a subtle perspective that I found to be in discord (pun intended). The premise was that if God agrees with you, then you are invincible... ??? What?

Now before you have a cow reading the rest of this, please be gracious to me, and be patient. I will explain further where I am going with this, as it's a big deal these days, and not too many talk about it, or worse, talk in a way that supports the opposite.

Now to start off, I am well aware of, and believe the scripture that states "If God is for us, who can be against us?". I totally accept it, and I totally believe it. I would also accept and believe that "with God, all things are possible."

My problem is not in the truth spoken but in the delivery that some use.

I've said many times and fully believe that we do not work here in life, but rather allow God to do HIS work through us. If we did the work, it would be spoiled, tainted, and valueless, since all Glory belongs to God alone.

Contemplating this further as I was being fed the many thoughts and things to write down here, I thought about the Wheat and the Tare parable, how, in the beginning both look similar and are almost indistinguishable. Yet the proof is in the end result.

In how the Wheat bends and bows to the will of the wind (Holy Spirit if you will), how it becomes white in the field (Children of Light if you will) at harvest time.

Contrasted to Tares, which are stiff and toxic (Prideful if you will), and grow darker (Children of Darkness if you will) toward the end of their cycle. They are gathered and burnt like chaff on the wind.

This subtle difference appears in other scripture as well; and is characterized by the tense and perspective of the individual.

Yes, the dreaded statement of Christ to those He says, "Depart from Me, for I never knew you". The ones who, in their lives used Jesus's name like a talisman or a Jeannie lamp, justifying and elevating themselves in status by dropping His name as a certification of their work. Like some kind of transactional relationship, quid pro quo. Probably uttering insipid words like "See...Jesus agrees with me" as they manipulate others to their own personal will and glory, all the while never having a real relationship with Him. They never knew Him, nor did He know them as His own.

The perspective is the same as the Tare. Standing on it's own, self-sustaining, among other kinds of plants like the Wheat, which is humble in nature, and relies on the Sower to develop and bring it to maturity.

There was a point in Joshua's life when standing in the presence of Christ unknowingly (pre-Carnate / Christophany), he (Joshua) asks if He (Christ), is with him or with the enemy. Christ simply said "No" and proclaimed His title as Commander of the Hosts. Joshua's rude awakening to the realization of Christ before him, ended in Joshua dropping to his knees and worshipping Christ who was and is the Commander of the Hosts of Heaven.

Here was an error on Joshua's part that can be easily forgiven because of ignorance (not stupidity). It wasn't a blatant pride on Joshua's part to treat Christ as just some other person he might have to battle. Joshua responded correctly once he knew the glaring truth (and this is why it's not stupidity).

But there's a lesson here for all of us too, and that is, to not get so comfortable with your faith, that you treat Christ as an equal... 😄 There should always be an awe and reverence in our hearts for our God who has adopted us as children of His family.

So then, the perspective is this:

Are you with God? and not, Is God with you? Though He is surely with us all when we chose Him. 😊

It may seem like a small thing, but like anything else, error grows from the smallest seed.

Either perspective are marked by one or another characteristic, either Humility and Compassion, or otherwise by the scent of Pride and Hardness.

You often find that the ones who use Jesus's name for their own ends to be cold, calculated, and harsh in their dealings with others. Always works oriented and unreasonable expectations run high, respect demanded and often not returned in kind. An air of "Prove yourself to me and my expectations", always acting like they are better than you regardless...

I ask what happened to Jesus, and why are you here now? 😊

Do not be bullied by these types. Walk away if you must. Give no quarter to their brand of evil, nor tolerate it in your presence. Christ has given you every right to do so.

Romans 8:1

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

So now, if you are in Christ, and there is now no condemnation for you, why would you accept any from anyone else?

Grace and Peace to all in Christ our Lord, God in the flesh!

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]

Dispatching Serpents

It is required of all of us to defend ourselves from the evil of the world. This in turn requires us to stay the course in our faith, and keep focus on the One, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, since without Him, we can do nothing.

We are defenseless and naked against the evil on our own, as we are born into it's bondage. His example; His word we have written down, and His command; simple and not burdensome, to love as He has loved us.

His Word, the basis of our defense against temptation, and the promise of forgiveness when we fail that test. His Word, that power of the Two Edged Sword of the Spirit and a most formidable weapon, is a part of us now.

His command, we are able to achieve through His Power and Divine Love given to us through the gift of the Holy Spirit as comforter, teacher, and seal of Promise of Redemption for all eternity, a gift of life forever more with Him.

The Word and the Command are intertwined like a rope of two cords, like two witnesses bearing truth, temperance, compassion, and patience.

He is a God of Love and Patience, bestowing this nature onto His creation through the rebirth and union of the Holy Spirit, by an act of Grace and Mercy that is priceless beyond measure, and unwarranted by any merit. Something we did not deserve, but received at Salvation, and were spared what we did deserve for eternity. These are the fundamental aspects of His Grace and His Mercy shown us.

Our mission, to show this truth by witness and testimony, so that any who are willing within our reach may know this truth and be saved.

The antithesis of this of course is the Idolatry of the World, and specifically that of Idolatry of Self. There's a common name for this Idolatry of Self, and that is Narcissism.

Anything that opposes Jesus as God in the Flesh is of an antichrist spirit, and you can identify this antichrist spirit as also a Narcissist spirit. It is defined by self will, self worship, self regard, self judgment, the list goes on. Paul described 19 points of the end times Narcissism that has gone viral in the world.

2 Timothy 3:1-5

But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come.

For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.

Turn away from such as these!

And Paul finishes this context with an admonition to Turn Away from such people. It has distressingly become nearly the whole population of earth.

It is here where the honest and empathetic, self-evaluating Christian often gets hung up on a guilt that they don't own, in their witness and testimony to everyone in their circle of influence.

Our call is to preach the Gospel, but the choice is theirs to make, regardless of how sad the outcome. They own the consequences as well.

We often feel like we have failed and can't save anyone. I will tell you that we never could save anyone to begin with, including ourselves. Our task was to bring them to the knowledge of and to the feet of Jesus. We however, did not fail our task when we witnessed and gave our testimony. We finished our calling. The choice was theirs all along, as are the consequences.

The problem now in these Perilous Times, which is woefully obvious that they are here now, is reaching anyone left who hasn't heard or made a choice about Jesus Christ the one and only messiah, the only name in or under heaven that can save a man (or woman).

I am aware of, and consider in sadness of a recent tragedy, in which a woman passed without salvation. Defiant and rebellious to the end. She was every bit the definition of Narcissism. Her passing wasn't the tragedy, but her passing without Christ as her savior was a considerable loss.

I know this state of loss to be true, as she was very verbal in her blasphemous rants and rebellion against Jesus and the Father. She worshiped her own opinion, and demanded respect from everyone, but would give none to others. Always enraged and bitter, blaming everyone else, she would spit out her tirades and insults often. She had no compassion, and her love was nothing more than manipulation and transactional relationship. A means to an end.

This tragedy repeats itself daily, and in horrible numbers globally. The world is inundated with this Narcissism. A true cancer, and a cancer of the spirit.

It will only get worse. Especially when the restraint is lifted, and ultimately, the ultimate Narcissist will arrive on the world scene and put every other Narcissist to shame and under submission.

I turned 61 a few days ago. I have seen a lot, and done a lot in my short life. So many I have known as friend, or co-worker, or family, are gone now, and yet I remain. I sit in quiet contemplation a lot anymore. I watch as people I don't know, argue endlessly about things that don't matter. Trapped in their own passions and worldly traps, burning the candles of their lives away at high speed.

I'm mentally tired, my body broken and breaking a little more each day. I want to go home. I want that Spiritual life eternal. Should I pass before the Rapture, I am okay with that now. I am settled.

Some would dismiss this as Depression, but no, that doesn't fly. I'm banking on a promise, that does fly!

Yet... I'm still here, which means I have something I still have yet to do.

And to this end I patiently endure as we were all commanded to do. Holding fast to His Word and His Name, and denying neither, even at the ultimate cost of that or those, who can kill the body, but not our spirit.

As Paul said, "To live is Christ, and to die is gain!"

Grace and Peace to all Christ's beloved!

Maranatha!

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]

God has made Peace with us...

I was in a bit of a quandary for a bit on what to title this blog entry.

Should I focus on the negative aspect of "Failures, All of Us...", or the positive aspect of "God has made Peace with Men..."?

I'll choose the high road, and go with making Him the topic, and thereby giving Him the glory as it should be.

I've been contemplating this subject for a while now, thinking back on my childhood, recent passings in both my wife's family tree and in mine. And also that too, of neighbors and friends and their kin. It seems mortality creeps up on us all, and how easy it is for all of us to lose track of the years that have passed in our lives.

I have considered also the years wasted in grudge and hate and anger over things and events unchangeable, and praise God for the distance He has brought me in change of heart and spirit. I have further to go of course until my very last breath in mortality, when I go to my creator and wait along with those who went before me, for His finishing work in the redemption and judgment of men.

Now, it's pretty much a fundamental truth in life that people will fail you. In truth also, we fail others ourselves, daily.

No one is able to solve all their problems in full, any more than we can solve all of our own.

The wisest among us, know and accept that the good wisdom and common sense comes from the Lord, and the pursuit of the Lord in our faith.

Fear God, not man.

We are not to hope in, trust, nor worship any man (or woman). We are not to let any earthly relationship damage or ruin our relationship with God.

When people fail us, we should be ready for the possibility, ready to forgive, plan for a contingency, not take it personally to heart, realize that we all fail, understand that there may have been a larger reason they failed you from God's design, and celebrate when they come through by acknowledging them, and with thanksgiving to God for His Grace and His Mercy in all of our lives.

These days, I expect nothing from anyone, and know that all things are from God in the day-to-day playout of life. The thing I treasure most, and where my heart is, is Jesus my Lord, His sacrifice for me, His promise of eternal life (which has already begun even here in this mortal stage), and His promise of His soon return for us all who are His own, our adoption, our heritage, our inheritance, our victory, our shield, our sword, our help, our wisdom, our comfort, His provision for us in the here-and-now, and our future beyond the flesh.

With this as a foundation, I reflect and examine myself daily, before responses, before decisions, etc, since His command to us is to love others as He loved us. And Paul warns us about these days, not only to not participate in deeds of darkness, but also to Clothe ourselves in Christ, to be Children of Light, to be sober and conscious of our walk in these times.

- -

Ephesians 5:15-20

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion.

Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.

Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord,

always giving thanks to God the Father for everything

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

- -

Romans 13:11-14

And do this, understanding the occasion.

The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber,

for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near.

So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness

and put on the armor of light.

Let us behave decently, as in the daytime,

not in carousing and drunkenness,

not in sexual immorality and debauchery,

not in dissension and jealousy.

Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ,

and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

- -

May our days be fruitful for His will, in rest or in trials... He is our strength, when we have little or none.

Rejoice at all times.

Pray without ceasing.

Give thanks in every circumstance.

Hold fast to what is good.

Abstain from every form of evil.

Grace and Peace to you all in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord, God in the Flesh!

---

Proverbs 1:7 The fear (respect and reverence) of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Proverbs 9:10 The fear (respect and reverence) of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 29:25 The fear (respect and reverence) of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.

Romans 3:21-24 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets. And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 1:17-20 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.

1 Enoch 1:8 But with the Righteous He will make peace. And will protect the Elect, And mercy shall be upon them. And they shall all belong to God, And they shall be prospered, And they shall all be blessed. And He will help them all, And light shall appear unto them, And He will make peace with them.

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]

Adding to or subtracting from the Word

Last two weeks or so has been crazy. Had a computer crash I'm still dealing with even now, but I am up and running on another machine which allows me to get back into it.

So now. Get ready for some discernment...

A few weeks back I had posted on some social media sites and forums my disdain for the "new bible" being offered and endorsed by Trump.

My complaint, other than hocking the Word for an income for a Presidential run, was the inclusion of that which should not be added alongside the word.

This is NOT about Trump, or about Politics, or about a youtube channel, etc, but is squarely about the act of adding to the word in any form or shape for any reason.

It's one thing to add chapter and verse, notes, and study guides along side the word to help you understand the word a little better, but ultimately our teacher is the Holy Spirit. And these things are obvious and self evident that they are not the word or any part of the word.

It's another, and quite frankly detestable thing to add human, government documents as though they rise to the same value as the Inspired Word of God.

I was also given the following link to a video of clip of a pastor's sermon that I was happy to see and hear.

Sermon video

It's nice to see that I'm not alone, and that there are others speaking out in their circles of influence.

Now onto the original video and my post several weeks ago about the Ad, in various places.

Before you view this, if you view this...

... understand that I am speaking solely to and about the Trump commercial within this video that starts at 2:05 timestamp, not "The Next News Network", not Trump, not the KJV bible, etc...

Also this is not about a VP choice as the splash screen tends to imply.

Trump Bible Ad at 2:05 minutes 

Before I continue, I will say:

- I am not against KJV bibles, I have and use one.

- I am not against America, nor her founding fathers, nor her documents

- I am not even against Trump really, as compared to Biden

But...

I am not a fan of the use of the bible for political maneuvering or fundraising.

The whole thing to me is atrocious. Like a Snake Oil salesman. His is the very first money changer table that Jesus would turn over.

The documents of the founding fathers for this nation do not equate to the level of the writings in the Bible. They simply are not the inspired word of God, so they are not only considered adding to God's word, but an insult by tying them (and America) falsely to the word of God. This is the same mistake of the Jews with the Talmud, elevating the writings of men to the level of scripture "to be included" along with it.

This is a ploy to promote a false blessing and anointment on America that does not exist, into the mind of the gullible and weak of faith. It is an insult to true Christendom. It is also subliminally, a move of NAR and Replacement Theology.

The timing is very suspicious as well, concerning the national vote to come, so as to grease the track and fan the patriotic flame.

And I do have to wonder a bit at the KJV aspect along with the whole package. Is this a ploy also to expand the KJV only demographics?

It would have been better to put all the documents in a separate book along with a KJV bible. And that is the most positive comment I can muster.

Get your own bible on your own terms. Run from this!

May God richly bless you, and protect you, in these very troubling times. 🦊❤️

1 Thessalonians 5:14-22

And we urge you, brothers,

to admonish the unruly,

encourage the fainthearted,

help the weak,

and be patient with everyone.

Make sure that no one repays evil for evil.

Always pursue what is good for one another and for all people.

Rejoice at all times.

Pray without ceasing.

Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Do not extinguish the Spirit.

Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test all things.

Hold fast to what is good.

Abstain from every form of evil.

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]

A reminder through all the days...

His Grace is sufficient for us!

As of late, with all that is going on, instead of focusing on the clamor of war, social collapse, days of evil waxing worse and worse, all the pain and suffering, sickness and illness, lies and deception...

I step back, seek solitude, seek His presence, quieting my soul and spirit to listen to His counsel, breath His word through my mind and tongue.

The battle is raging, and these moments of rest are crucial in these days.

I present the word, which speaks for itself. And today's message, is an old one, yet so pertinent to our times. Paul faced all these same things in his time, and his words from the Holy Spirit ring true today... The promise is real, and it is very near.

2 Corinthians 4:7-18

Now we have this treasure (His Spirit) in jars of clay (our bodies) to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.

We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed.

We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

For we who are alive are always consigned to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal body.

So then, death is at work in us (for all men), but life is at work in you (the believer).

And in keeping with what is written: “I believed, therefore I have spoken,”;

We who have the same spirit of faith also believe and therefore speak, knowing that the One who raised the Lord Jesus (the Father) will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in His presence.

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is extending to more and more people may overflow in thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

Therefore we do not lose heart.

Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day. 

For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for Israel.

Grace and Peace to you all in Jesus Christ our Lord, God in the Flesh!

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]

Just a small entry...

So it's over, for my area anyway. :)

Managed to get lucky again with a cloud break at a good time.

The First image here is August 21, 2017 with the First Great American Eclipse. Remember it well. Bright Sunny and clear skies, and an awesome view.

Didn't really think I'd still be here for the Second one, but hey, nothing wrong with book ends.

Second image here is today April 8, 2024, for the Second Great American Eclipse.

Been rainy and cloud cover all morning, and more to come, but someone slid the curtains open for a bit... :)

With all the hoopla over with, it's time to get back into serious mode and occupy until we fly.

No reason to stop looking up, but the less distractions the better...

The world has gone crazy, and it's hard not to join the bandwagon under the strain of life and the irrational worldly demands.

May the rest of 2024 find us sober, sensible, and dedicated to His will...

---

2 Timothy 2:22 Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

---

John 15:5 I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

---

Grace and peace to you in our Lord Jesus Christ!

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]

The Aleph Tav Eclipse of 2024

Being about 2 weeks away now from the coming eclipse of April 8th of 2024, I figured I'd just write a blog note here, before the end of March closes out.

This year I will not have the pleasure of being in the 100% totality zone, but on the other hand not too far away either at 92% for the central Tennessee area I live in. For my location East of it my time zone will be around (2 pm)  central time.

It will still be an awesome view once again, like in 2017, from my own yard, weather permitting.

For more info on this coming eclipse go here . I'll also include a map here that comes form the same web site.

Be sure to consider the safety of your eyes, and do not look at it without protective solar/eclipse glasses or some such device. The same goes for cameras and viewing through those cameras with proper solar filtering.

Now there is a LOT of coincidental and ironic things going on with this eclipse and previous eclipses of 2023 and earlier in 2017. A lot of people have put great amounts of time into these topics, and I will not rehash it here as I am no expert, but I do see these things and hold value in what they seem to point to.

Last year at the end of July of 2023 I made a couple blog entries about some things I saw concerning it, but they are mere drops in a bucket compared to the amount of stuff that is in play with this eclipse.

It remains to be seen what happens on April 8th in the afternoon, but after 60 years on this rock, I have learned to expect the unexpected.

The only thing that is really of any importance in life, is a saving relationship with Christ Jesus, God in the flesh, and the beginning of your eternal life from the moment you accept Him and His precious gift of eternal salvation by Grace alone.

The choice is solely yours to make, and so are the consequences of that choice. Don't default in death without coming to Him.

Tomorrow is promised to no one.

Grace and Peace to you all in Christ Jesus our Lord. ❤️

---

Don't be a grape. 🚫 🍇

🦊 Jack [ The Foxman on the Wall ]