But nobody likes strangers coming out of the dark uninvited. Usually folks travel at night have a reason for it, and generally it ain’t a good one.”
–Lou Bradshaw (Big Man’s Keeper)
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”
–Colossians 1:13(NKJV)
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How to Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World
Key Verse: “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” –1 John 5:19 (NKJV)
“The results are in: America’s stage four cancer has metastasized to the family and the church as well as to the government and the schools. We are more depraved than ever before. Animals are guarded but innocent children are slaughtered. Porn is protected and sex-trafficking is on the rise. Cardi B’s lyrics get a pass but Scriptures are banned on social media.
Words cannot express this outright lunacy. Like the bungee jumper who plunged to her death because she thought she heard “now jump,” when, in reality, her instructor said, “No jump!” America thinks that she is hearing from God, but she is not. We are drowning in a cesspool of moral filth: “The wicked freely parade and prance about while evil is praised throughout the land” (Psalm 12:8). Recently, a father was arrested for referring to his biological 14-year-old daughter as “she” after she transitioned to a male gender. “But that’s in Canada,” you say. Trust me, we are not far behind. Most on the liberal left would have no problem imprisoning anyone who disagreed with them, and that’s exactly where the Equality Act is going — unless you accept, rejoice in, and validate sin they are coming after you. Revival is our only hope.” (taken from article in Prophecy News Watch, author unknown)
Such a place we find ourselves in, how do we survive? First, we are to recognize the truth of God’s Word. We are no longer living in darkness such as we see in the article above.
“But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” –1 John 1:7 (NASB)
Are you walking in darkness or walking in the Light? We discussed earlier that God is Light (1 John 1:5). Therefore, we are to walk in that Light. People walk in darkness because they are part of the world. Now, here is something to understand–it is vital to understand kingdoms, not sin. By repenting and accepting Jesus Christ, we now are part of the kingdom of Light. The proof of repentance is the life we live. There is the turning from the life of sin to a life of holiness.
“Men and women who walk in the light are people who are seeking God. They desire to know God better; they are concerned about the glory and honor of God; they are anxious to please God. They realize that for very many years they have been living in a realm which is antagonistic to God, and their whole idea is to be as different as they can. That is walking in the light, living to the glory and honor of God. God is their Master; they seek righteousness and are concerned about being holy.”
–D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Darkness stands for the very opposite of God. William Barclay writes about darkness:
1) Darkness stands for the Christless life. (1 John 2:8; Colossians 1:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5; John 8:12; 1 Peter 2:9)
2) The dark is hostile to the light. Darkness may try to overcome light but it cannot. The dark and the light are natural enemies.
3) The darkness stands for the ignorance of life apart from Christ. If you walk in darkness you do not know where you are going. The dark stands for the essential lostness of life without Christ.
4) The darkness stands for the chaos of life without God. Without God the world is in chaos, there is neither real life, order, or sense.
5) The darkness stands for the immorality of the Christless life. This is one reason why there is such an attack against Jesus and His Word–the light shines upon the evil of man.
6) The darkness is characteristically unfruitful. The Spirit will not grow in the heart of darkness.
7) The darkness is connected with lovelessness and hate. Hatred lives and is from the dark.
8) The dark is the abode of the enemies of Christ and the final goal of those who will not accept him. There is a constant struggle against those in the darkness and in the end those not in the light will find themselves in eternal darkness (2 Peter 2:9; Jude 13).
The job of the Holy Spirit is to bring sins to light, convict, and lead to forsake them. Man must face his sin–he must not dislike the light. I’ll close with one of the most often quoted Scriptures, and perhaps one of the least understood Scriptures. The Holy Spirit had John write this and REALIZE that this is for Christians, those who walk in the light.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
–1 John 1:9 (NASB)
Author: Ira Paine
The Saga of Miles Forrest
It took two days before Offut could post bail for Queens. He hadn’t officially been charged with anything, Charlie wrote up the charges and I added an addendum. After that Offut was able to get Queens out of jail. But, he was still town marshal.
I stood on the boardwalk in front of the diner watching Charlie walk up to the jail to release the prisoner. I was glad it wasn’t me. Stanley Offut was tagging along behind him, I guess he didn’t figure Charlie would do his duty. I could see Offut standing in the doorway, and when Queens was released he came busting out of that doorway knocking poor old Stanley flat. Queens looked around quick then headed up toward Kingston’s saloon.
Charlie reached down to help Offut up, and I walked inside the diner to get some coffee. I knew that Charlie would head down this way. Only I didn’t expect Offut to be with him.
“Sit yourself down, Stanley,” I said motioning to a chair. “Want some coffee?”
He scratched his head, then wiped his hand down in front of his face muttering something I couldn’t hear. “Sit down!” I said almost ordering him.
Now sitting in the chair opposite me, he lifted his eyes to meet mine. Charlie placed a full cup in front of him, but before he took a sip he apologized. “Miles,” he said then dropped his head seemingly in embarrassment, “I realize now that Queens is a hot-head, but he still is the marshal and it didn’t seem fitting that the marshal should be locked up in his own jail.”
“Easy, Stanley. I’m not angry at you. Just glad you’re starting to come to your senses,” I paused to take a sip of the hot coffee. “Do you think Parker and Newsome will remove his badge?”
Offut looked at his coffee, I nodded to Charlie, “Get him some sugar.” That brought a slight smile from Offut.
“I don’t know?” he answered. “Paul might join me, but John, well, you know John.” He picked up a spoon to add sugar to the coffee then stirred it rattling the spoon on the porcelain cup. “Tell you the truth, Miles, I’m a bit scared.”
“When’s his trial date?” I inquired of Charlie.
“Not sure yet, the docket hasn’t been set, but I’m sure it will be the first of next week. Since the Judge was out of town there are cases in front of him,” Charlie paused pulling at his chin. “Seeing that Queens is the town marshal, he might move it to the front of the list.”
I looked over at Offut. It was plain to see that he was afraid. “Will you help me, Miles? I know I don’t have the right to ask, but…”
“Stanley, the affair is out of my jurisdiction. I have nothing to do with it except as a witness,” I replied then finished off the now warm coffee. Offut’s face became more downcast. “However, Stanley, as a friend I’ll stand by you. I’ll do what I can.”
That seemed to help him some and he reached out his hand across the table. After we shook hands he stood up to leave. Taking a couple of steps he stopped, reached in his vest pocket and handed a telegram to Charlie. “Almost forgot, Sheriff.” Then he proceeded to leave to go back to his office.
Charlie opened the telegram and quickly read it. “It’s from Mateo,” he informed me. “All is ok…STOP…Marshal Dewey and I don’t often agree. Mateo”
“Hmpf, that don’t surprise me a bit,” I said, then got up to pour a fresh cup.
“Think I should go up there?” he asked.
Shaking my head, I responded, “Let Mateo handle it unless he requests you. I wouldn’t go right now anyway with Queens on the loose. No tellin’ what he might do. And speakin’ of that, walk wary.”
“Walk wary of what?” came the voice. The Parson had come in and neither Charlie nor I had noticed him.
“Of being surprised, just like you did to us now. Sit down, Preacher, want some coffee?” He nodded so Charlie got up to get him a cup. “Sure appreciate you allowin’ us to use that shack next to the church for a jail. Those boys givin’ you any trouble?”
He smiled, “No, they’re tuckered out by the time they come in. Betty is spoiling them some for she always has some cookies or the like for them.”
“How’s their attitude?” I asked watching him swallow the hot coffee.
“Well…”
Echoes From the Campfire
There are those who would use darkness to hide evil.”
–Lou Bradshaw (Hickory Jack)
“And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
–John 1:5 (NKJV)
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How to Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World
Key Verse: “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” –1 John 5:19 (NKJV)
Before continuing, we need to take a brief look at this doctrine of sin. To walk in fellowship with Christ there must be some knowledge of what it meant to walk in darkness. From the time of Adam’s fall in the Garden unto the present man has chosen to walk in darkness, under the power and dominion of sin. There was no way to walk in real fellowship with God until Jesus provided the way to reconciliation on the cross.
As Christians, we no longer walk in darkness! It is important that we understand that. We cannot walk in darkness and have fellowship with Christ. There are two kingdoms and the believer cannot/does not walk in the realm of sin. We live in one or the other. We are no longer blinded by the God of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4). Paul wrote in Ephesians,
“in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” (2:2)
Once we walked in darkness, following the whims and commands of the devil, but that has now been put aside. To walk in darkness is to oppose God–there is no fellowship. People who dwell in the darkness are oblivious to the light of God (John 1:1-9).
An old heresy is raising its ugly head again. It is popping up in churches and in the minds of, I will say pseudo-believers. It is the heresy of antinomianism: as long as you are a Christian and claim you know God in Christ, it is immaterial what you do, because you do not sin, it is the flesh or body that sins. Oh, such a dangerous thought. Man begins to rationalize sin and categorize it. If sin is pointed out there comes the cry of “do not judge” or “legalism.”
Do not try and rationalize it away. We are sinful and need forgiveness. Lloyd-Jones states, “If we say I have no sin, I am denying the incarnation, the death and the resurrection–I am making God a liar.” By doing this, not only are we calling God a liar, we are proving that the Word is not in us and that the world is. “Not to be right about sin means we are still walking in darkness, that our whole attitude is a lie.” (Lloyd-Jones)
We are sinners, pure and simple, and even after salvation we still, hopefully not often, sin. I have been using 1 John for much of this discussion; remember, that the epistles were written to the Church, to believers. Do not live the lie, do not succumb to the idea that “I am saved, therefore…” No, that is laughing in the face of eternal love. “A lie cannot live in the presence of God; it is an utter contradiction of everything God is, and it just means that I am not a Christian at all.” (Lloyd-Jones)
Paul tells us in the Book of Romans we do not sin that we can have more grace. No, grace is given because we do sin. I can understand Paul’s frustration. What do we do when we sin? What steps should be taken when the sin nature rises up and we fall prey to it again? Remember, we are no longer children of darkness.
Coffee Percs
He moved into the backside of the ravine, built a small fire, place beans on to boil, and put a pot of coffee on the coals.”
–Cliff Hudgins (Viejo and the Locoweeds)
Greetin’s there Pard. Coffee’s hot and strong, I even put a horseshoe in it this mornin’ to check it. Stood right up. Now if’n that don’t fix what ails yuh…
Yuh know, sometimes I’ve wanted to get back in some ravine, or some nice canyon with a stream cascadin’ over the rocks. Done it a time or two, drank my coffee and contemplated the goodness of God. Yuh know, that’s what I think that ol’ boy Elijah did. He might have been runnin’ from Jezeeybel, and he found himself in some ravine where he could hold up in a cave, but the Lord was with him, and cared for him. Ol’ Elijah was refreshed and ready for another round with that pagan culture.
Told yuh, that coffee was good this mornin.’ Pard, what are yuh goin’ to do with that little herd of cows yuh got? That mogul and moneybags Bill Gates is wantin’ to do away with the cows. Yep, what I heard is that there must be the “use of regulation to move to 100% synthetic beef.” Yum yum, but that don’t matter; those cows pass toxins. See what I mean, sometimes I want to go to some ravine, drink coffee, and this case makes me want to throw a steak on the fire. In fact, in honor of Bill Gates and his ideas and followers I will post one of my favorite poems–“Here’s to Steak” by Vance Wampler.
Here’s to that steak
Thick and juicy and sizzlin’
Cooked in the camp tent
When the weather was drizzlin’
With scaldin’ black coffee
Ate that steak with my knife
Now. . .what’s better in life?
Well, the “weather” is sure drizzlin’ stupidity. So, take a break–have a steak and a pot of coffee and celebrate the blessin’s that the Lord has given yuh in spite of the woke folk.
That’s doesn’t mean to be forgettin’–always check yur cinch.
Vaya con Dios.