It has been a while since the urge to blog has come upon me...............well, that is not quite true. The urge to do it came the other day, but the time did not. Busy week!!!! But, just this afternoon when I read the article I will add to this, the urge came upon me once again.
The time of the LORD'S return must be soon! I was reading the signs of the end times in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 You should also know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control; they will be cruel and have no interest in what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that. NLT
I know that in my six decades of living, it was not always this way. I can well remember the days of my childhood when we left our cars and houses unlocked all of the time. There was not the love of pleasure more than the love of God, even on a national scale. People made covenants with each other with a handshake............and kept them. Marriage was sacred. Courtesy was common. Loyalty was the norm. As children, we would walk everywhere in the neighborhoods by ourselves, no adults, and played for hours together. I would walk to the grocery store and charge the food Mom sent me to get on a ticket that she would come by and pay later, the next time she was in for more groceries. That was less than 50 years ago.
Those of you who are in your 30's, do you not remember that you could play outside, in the front yard..............or even walk a few blocks or even several blocks to your friend's house to play? Would you let your child do that now?
With the shooting today of the young people at the Youth With a Mission training center, I have been saddened by such fear that comes to parents who are training their children to love Jesus and be willing to serve Him wherever and whatever the cost, even in their own schools, malls, or spiritual life training centers. It was not unusual to expect tragedy if they were called to Papua New Guinea or the jungles of Columbia, but Arvada, CO????
I remembered the contrasts between the deeds of the flesh and of the Spirit that God inspired Paul to write in the letter to the Galatians. 5:19-23 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, 20 idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 22 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. NLT
Participation in demonic activities is what came to my mind when thinking about the recent shootings, and the article I read (click on article for the link). I looked up the Greek word for that again, sometimes translated "witchcraft", and found that it was Pharmakeía, which means the occult, sorcery, witchcraft, illicit pharmaceuticals,(from The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament © 1992 by AMG International, Inc. Revised Edition, 1993) Does that word look familiar to one of our English words?? "Pharmacy" Drugs. I won't bore you with all that I studied about this word, but I found it to be enlightening in the other passages where it is used, like in Revelation 9:21 & 18:23.
I know that "witchcraft" is not a new idea, nor a unique "sign of the times", but the frequency of drug usage is certainly on the rise and, as you can read in the article, the effects are lethal. I am just wondering how will it all end? I seen no way other than the soon return of our LORD. Even so, come quickly, LORD Jesus!!! Amen
2 comments:
I read the article you referred to. I have a few friends and family members that are dependent of prescription pain, anxiety and/or anti-depressant medicines. I often struggle with this. I know it is necessary in a FEW cases. I just feel like it is the new "legal" epidemic and is widely accepted in Christian circles. I feel as though it would almost be heresy for me to suggest another way to those that are taking these medicines...so often I am particular about who I voice my opinions to about these matters. I have been praying the last several years for God to show and teach me more on this topic...so I am off to do a word study on "witchcraft" :) Thank you for your insights...
Interesting that my thoughts have been on the Lord's return too this week! Even speaking to Ashlyn about it ;) Thanks for sharing these great insights!!!
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