HOW IS COVETING IDOLATRY? FAILURE TO FEAR, LOVE AND TRUST GOD

How is it that “coveting” is such a severe sin that it rates inclusion in the Ten Commandments? Coveting does not overtly harm our neighbour.  Desiring what my neighbour has does not hurt him, unless coveting gives way to actually acting on that desire, by, for example, violating the commandment against stealing.  But coveting is a sin that harms me, even if I never act upon it.  Coveting is not a matter of committing external actions, as in other commandments.  Rather, it is a condition of the heart.

Coveting is not just as an action but an internal state is the point Jesus makes in the Sermon on the Mount.  Not just murder but hatred and contempt violates the commandment against killing.  Not just actual fornication but lust violates the commandment against adultery (Matthew 5:21-28).

In fact, the sinful inner state is the prior cause of the other sins.  Before you steal, you first covet what belongs to your neighbor.  Before you commit adultery, you covet your neighbor’s wife.  The original sin of Adam and Eve involved coveting – wanting to be like God (Genesis 3:5).

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Colossians 3:5

How is coveting idolatry?  To sinfully desire what your neighbor has is to be discontented with what God has given you.  It is thus a failure to “fear, love, and trust in God above all things,” Both have to do with the lack of faith.

Faith made possible by Jesus sacrifice on The Cross

Graven images can distract us from trusting the true God, and so can our desire for possessions or relationships.  But we can trust God to meet all of our needs.  And, in fact, He has already given us gifts that are right for us, and He will continue to do so.  We do not need to covet what He has done for someone else.

The Law leads us inexorably to the sin within our own heart.  And the cure is faith, made possible by the Cross of Jesus Christ, who has atoned for both our external and our internal sins. He offers both forgiveness and an inner transformation wrought by the Holy Spirit that bears fruit in love for both God and our neighbor. Thus the Law leads to the Gospel.  As Luther said, if we can just fulfill the first commandment, to have no other gods before the God of the Bible – that is, to have faith in Him–all of the other commandments will take care of themselves.

ORGANISATIONAL AGENDA OF BLACK LIVES MATTER

Their website blacklivesmatter.com says, BLM’s mission is: “Imagining and creating a world free of anti-Blackness, where every Black person has the social, economic, and political power to thrive.” (Obviously, most everybody wants Black lives to thrive). They then say they want to “connect Black people from all over the world,” so this is a global organization, “who have a shared desire for justice to act together in their communities.”

They see the fundamental problem as this, and it’s why BLM’s founders say they exist, is because there is “rampant and deliberate violence inflicted on us [Black people] by the state.” This persecution by the State is what they call systemic racism. Systemic racism can be defined as “a system or structure with an unfair impact upon a particular group, even if no law mentions the race.” So, BLM believes that it is not just racism against Black people from individuals or small groups around the world, but that governments are organized to inflict systemic racism against Black people.

BLM is clearly a political party, so don’t get that wrong. They say right on their website that they are a “political home for many,” and have “ousted anti-Black politicians, won critical legislator to benefit Black lives,” and so on.

Black Lives Matter’s motive, it says right there on their website, desires to “continue the work of our ancestors in fighting for our collective freedom” and “healing ourselves and each other.”

When I read that motivation, it sounds like they are connecting the racism their ancestors experienced, speaking of the slavery that existed in the United States and around the world that ended over 150 years ago, to a wound that continues to be felt and a desire to right a wrong that happened many decades ago.

They also believe that racism is almost just as bad now as it had been back in the 1800s and that racism can only be purged systemically, in other words, by overthrowing all existing governmental systems.

If you go to Black Lives Matter website and you listen to the comments of some of their leading organizers and the people who originated this movement, they are unashamedly Marxist. The Marxist ideology is built upon the notion that there is class oppression, and that the masses are being oppressed by the bourgeoisie middle and upper classes. The Marxist ideology foments the idea that the poor are oppressed by the rich, and therefore, they need to overcome oppression by seeking a new form of justice. But, in the process of doing that, they create terror. Terror is exactly what has happened on many of the American streets as of late. A lot of people have gotten sucked up into that mob mentality because, as you say, who can be against justice?

 Patrisse Cullers, who is the founder and head of BLM, is a blatant outright Communist. Yusra Khogali, who is the head of the Toronto branch, has been texting that she wants to murder White people. She has been saying that White people are genetic defects. She prays to Allah that she won’t kill Whites. So, there’s an Islamic influence there as well.

Looking again at the Black Lives Matter website on their What We Believe statement, they say BLM “affirms Black women and is free from sexism, misogyny…” Misogyny is the latest PC word that now means being against anything doing with men being in charge, where the word once used to mean men who hate women. They continue, “…and environments in which men are centered…. We dismantle the patriarchal practice.” In other words, BLM seeks to end men having any kind of authority.

We dismantle cisgender privilege

“We make space for transgender brothers and sisters to participate and lead.” It also says, “We dismantle cisgender privilege.” Here is one of those new PC words. Cisgender means you identify with the sex you were born with, and often means heterosexual in orientation, not same-sex. BLM also says, “We foster a queer-affirming network… freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather the belief that all in the world are heterosexual.”  They want to stop people thinking of heterosexuality as the norm, but rather to make homosexuality equal in thinking in our society.

In summary, freedom to the BLM movement means freedom from God and His moral restraint. Justice instead means revenge. BLM takes these words and makes them mean the opposite.

GOD AND HIS VALUES NEUTRALISED

While compassion and empathy must remain paramount in our hearts as Believers, and love for everyone has to be the hallmark of who we are, it should never be at the expense of our character, morality, and nobility. Nobility is nobleness of mind, character and spirit.

We live in a day and age when morality has become relative, nobility is most often only found in fictional stories, and virtue-less people consider righteous standards as religious oppression. Also, it is incredible that, people who don’t even believe in God, much less the Bible, use verses like “judge not lest you be judged” and “Jesus didn’t condemn sinners” to neutralize noble living and moral teaching. They use the Word of God against us in order to shape the culture that our children will one day inherit. What’s even more concerning is how Christian leaders are allowing these unbelievers to dictate how to interpret the Bible. What does God say about homosexuality and therefore gay marriage? What does He say about gender? What does He say about abortion? What about infidelity and how to treat parents, children, friends and even our enemies? Modern Christianity has become more about sanctioning sin and calling it unity than it is about God, His values, His kingdom. Jesus warned us that this would happen in the last days before He returns to this earth.

“And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” Matthew 24:10-12

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24

PROPHESIED END TIMES JUDGEMENT ON NATIONS

A nightmarish drought, horrific flooding along the Mississippi River, and a giant “derecho” that just hit the farm belt have combined to make this one of the toughest years for American farmers ever.  And this comes at a particularly bad time because the stress that the COVID-19 pandemic has put on food distribution systems has already created periodic shortages of certain items around the nation.

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:13-14

On Monday last, an absolutely massive “derecho” roared through the Midwest.  According to USA Today, the storm had winds of up to 112 miles per hour… as powerful as an inland hurricane – as it tore from eastern Nebraska across Iowa and parts of Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois, including Chicago and its suburbs.

According to Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, approximately 10 million acres of crops were destroyed in Iowa alone… he said, most hurricanes don’t have winds that high once they finally reach shore, and I have personally never experienced wind speeds of such magnitude. Needless to say, this very unusual storm caused immense devastation. In addition, tens of millions of bushels of grain that were stored at co-ops and on farms were damaged or destroyed as bins blew away. If about 10 million acres were flattened just in Iowa, how many more acres did this storm destroy in Nebraska, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Illinois?

Sadly, this one storm is going to completely financially ruin some farmers.  For example, Iowa farmer Tim Bardole is facing losses that could potentially exceed one million dollars… Corn that used to stand upright on Bardole’s farm is now laying on its side. Some stalks snapped off, others ripped out of the ground at the roots.

Dangerous Derecho Storm Whips Through Midwest

Bardole estimated he’ll be out $200 an acre, which is $500,000 total. Worst-case scenario, that could go up to $500 per acre. That would equate to $1.25 million. Further south, many farmers along the southern Mississippi Delta have already had their growing seasons wiped out by historic flooding for the second year in a row…

The southern Mississippi Delta is home to some of the most fertile farmland in the United States. But not a single crop of soybeans, cotton, corn, or rice has been planted at many farms in the region — one of the poorest in the country.

Surely, Christians understand what is unfolding. Pestilences and famines are part of “end times” shaking which God subjects this planet, to bring people to repentance. Christians should be on our knees praying to ensure we are in the centre of God’s will for us. It won’t be too long before we stand before God in judgement. Your assignment in the Millennial reign of Jesus on this planet will be determined by what you do with your time here on earth now. Let me plead with you to start living with an eternal focus now.

LIVING ETERNAL NOW

Jesus commands us: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28),  We can’t do this in our own strength. It takes yielding to God’s Holy Spirit within to “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,” and “pray for those who abuse you.”

I am sure Abraham did not completely understand what God was doing by asking him to sacrifice his son, but he was prepared to do it anyway. Likewise, there are times when I cannot understand why we are commanded to pray for our enemies, do good to those that hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who abuse us but, I do it anyway. And never have I ever regretted it.

I might not precisely understand what God’s Word tells me to do in some cases, so I must trust the Spirit and yield to His influence. The Spirit might prompt me to do something that I would not ordinarily do, and even though my own flesh says, “No,” I sense it’s what God wants me to do, and more often than not, I discover that, in His sovereignty, God had placed me in such a place and time to do just what He willed for me to do. I know that if what I do helps others; if it glorifies God, and it’s revealed in the Word of God, then I must do it, even if I don’t fully understand it at the time.

available from Amazon as an eBook

LIVING ETERNAL NOW

Colossians is a great book for helping us to live eternally now. Paul instructs us to concentrate on the eternal realities of heaven. “Set your minds on things above” The Greek verb for set emphasizes an ongoing decision. Christians must continually discipline themselves to focus on eternal realities instead of the temporal realities of this earth.“

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” Colossians 3:1-11

Use of old self and new self. These two terms do not refer to the Christian’s fleshly and spiritual natures. Instead, Paul describes our former unredeemed life as the old self and our life as God’s child as the new self. The new self has the image of the new creation in Christ, just as the old self bears the image of our fallen nature. The old self is under an old master, Satan, while the new self has a new master, the Holy Spirit of God living within.

available on Amazon as eBook

WILL YOU ENDURE PERSECUTION DURING THE COMING TRIBULATION

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

Philippians 4:13 is likely one of the most misquoted, misapplied, and misunderstood passages within the New Testament. Suffice it to say, it is not about how one can literally do anything you put your mind to simply because you are in Christ. Paul has a specific context in mind here—and it is not about attaining your personal goals and aspirations, developing a healthy conception of self-worth, nor is it designed to be a coping mechanism to deal with the hardships of life. The passage isn’t even about finding the secret of contentment in all things, despite insistence from many that this is the focal point of this passage. This interpretation has more validity due to the previous verses:

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” Philippians 4:11-12

Paul undoubtedly affirms learning contentment in all circumstances. However, the overarching point of Paul to the Philippians in this passage is not contentment, but one of enduring through suffering, particularly, a suffering brought on through no fault of their own.

Brutal execution of 11 blindfolded Christians in Nigeria, the day after Christmas

The thing that is rather sad about focusing on both the ability to do “all things” and “contentment” is that we don’t focus properly on the message of Paul, which is Christ Himself. Not only does emphasizing the “all things” profoundly miss the point of the passage, but it just doesn’t stand the test of basic logic. It isn’t even an adequate application of this passage, because “all things” to Paul here has a specific context, and that context is enduring through suffering for the prize gained through the glorious gospel of our Lord. Even more clearly, they stand to be glorified with Christ, as they too share in His sufferings. Yet equally as sad, though perhaps in a less heinous way, is the focus on learning contentment that is often also presented as the point of this passage. Again, it must be restated: contentment is the fruit, not the root. The root is Jesus Christ

A rather large focus in Philippians surrounds the idea that the knowledge of Christ and His great work is the means by which the Christian is able to endure persecution. What that means is that a true knowledge of Christ leads to us seeing Him as greater than everything else—even our suffering. A true knowledge of Christ will produce in us the heart attitude that believes all else is to be considered as loss, and that to live is Christ. The one who sees Christ as the preeminent One will actually remain stable in the midst of either incredible prosperity or incredible duress, because their eyes are fixated on the risen Christ Himself (Hebrews 12:1-2). They are not lured away to treasure or trust in wealth, yet neither are they acting as if the sky is falling in the midst of even the most horrendous of circumstances. They are able to say with Paul that they may be, “…hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). Why? Because it is invariably through weakness that the Lord is pleased to show His strength (2 Corinthians 12:9). They are content, yet their contentment is born exclusively out of seeing that their “light and momentary” afflictions produces an eternal glory, which is the hope of the resurrection that the gospel of Christ brings (2 Corinthians 4:1-5:10).

Taken from article by Grayson Gilbert (Patheos) “Philippians 4:13 is not about your life goals”. Grayson completed his Masters of Divinity degree at Moody Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing church planting under the umbrella of his home church.

DAVID WOOD SHARES HOW HE LOVES MUSLIMS

David Wood’s best friend at college was Nabeel Qureshi, a Muslim. Initially, David did not know much about the Muslim faith but over four years and considerable research into the Quran and even some Hadiths as a result of discussions with Nabeel, David become sufficiently knowledgeable that he was able to convince Nabeel that Jesus was who He said He was, the Son of God and that Jesus mission on earth was to provide atonement for mankind’s sin with His own death on The Cross. Nabeel not only became a Christian but went on to write two best selling books: Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus and No God but One: Allah or Jesus?

TURNING AIR INTO WATER

The Israeli company, Watergen, is turning air into water with the help of innovative technology. As the lack of water is a source of starvation and conflict around the world, and unclean water becomes a tremendous health hazard, Watergen envisions that bringing clean drinking water from the air will have a major global impact on the future. The amount of water in the air is considerable and it is inexhaustible so what an amazing solution to the world’s biggest problem.

When Dr. Michael Mirilashvili, president of Watergen was asked what help does he need his response was “I need the help of God, we already have the technology. This entrepreneur, Michael Mirilashvili truly knows where his help comes from just as Bezalel and Oholiab knew when they were constructing the Tabernacle of the Lord.

“See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft. And He has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.” Exodus 35:30-35

WHAT IS THE FUTURE FOR AUSTRALIA?

Covid 19, unprecedented debt, and now even more significant is our relations with China have soured beyond recovery for the foreseeable future. Australia’s strong ties with the USA is a problem for the Chinese. Considering China is our biggest export partner (iron ore, coal, natural gas, barley, beef etc) and the biggest contributor to our tourism and education markets, this will have catastrophic consequences for our nation.

China’s relations with the USA were in steep decline prior to Covid. It- has now utterly squandered any remaining international goodwill with the emergence and its handling of coronavirus.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says he’s over China’s ‘bullying and coercion’, signalling a toughening of European security policy towards Beijing.

The UK, just like us, has reversed course on Huawei, easing the Chinese company out of its 5G network.

Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and most recently India have all been bullied by China and its blustering about building military bases in contested territory in the South China Sea.

Everywhere you look, countries are reconsidering their trade ties. Trade is what fuelled China’s rise. Less trade will cause its fall. Any hopes of a new US trade deal with China have been quashed.

‘I don’t think about that now,’ Trump recently told reporters aboard Air Force One. ‘They could have stopped the plague. They could have stopped it. They didn’t stop it.’

Lower trade with the US and its other top trading partners will deprive China of US dollars. China needs US dollars to buy its own imports.

This has extremely bearish implications for Australia. Think about it… China can’t buy our iron ore, coal and copper with yuan. It needs US dollars. Yet US dollars is what it’s going to earn less of in the years ahead.

Meanwhile, China’s state-directed banking system created a huge pile of yuan-denominated credit to keep the economy afloat. In the first six months of 2020, it created 12 trillion yuan in new bank debt! Even before the COVID crisis, between 2001 and 2019, China had printed more money than any other country in world history. Chinese authorities are far more concerned with reversing their economic implosion than they are about printing so much money it becomes next to useless. That’s why you’re seeing stories about an ‘economic recovery’ in China. All this money must go somewhere. But where? More ‘ghost cities’ and ‘bridges to nowhere’. The resources cool off that we saw in 2016-2017 (BHP $46 down to $17) will be nothing to what is coming. At present our resource stocks are at almost record highs, One reason is Brazil is the world’s second largest iron ore producer and the Covid virus infected 188 people at just one mine alone. The lock-downs there have benefited Australian miners greatly, but it is a temporary reprieve.

China has 50 million empty apartments

The drought has lifted off most States. Fortunately, the drought and floods mobilised Christians to repentance and prayer. I believe God answered those prayers just as He did to provide Scott Morrison as our Prime Minister against all the odds. It is interesting to see that the State that has moved furthermost away from God on issues such as abortion, euthanasia, abolishing RE in schools and introducing the diabolical “Safe Schools” programme is suffering the most from Covid19 cases and deaths.

The shaking has just started and Christians need to recognise we are in the “last days”. Persecution will only increase for those that stand up for God’s values. Regardless, God is in control and He will empower those of us that are submitted to doing His will. Make sure you are in step with Him, each day asking the Holy Spirit for His guidance, to enable God’s Kingdom to come where He has placed you at this late hour in earths history.