You’re a bunch of half-witted fools believing what you want to believe with no evidence to back it.”
              –William MacLeod Raine  (Rustler’s Gap)

    “You who hate good and love evil; Who strip the skin from My people, And the flesh from their bones…  Then they will cry to the Lord, But He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, Because they have been evil in their deeds.”
              –Micah 3:2,4 (NKJV)
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Solomon declares that there is nothing new under the sun.  When I read this Psalm (52) I tend to agree with him, for we see it unfolding in front of our eyes.  It is a time when David was running from Saul and the priests had fed him and some of his men.  A herdsman, Doeg by name, reported it to Saul and Saul ordered him to kill the priests and all the other priests living in the city of Nob.  It seems that Doeg went about his job gladly.

    1 – Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?  The goodness of God endures continually.
    2 – Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
    3 – You love evil more than good, Lying rather than speaking righteousness.  Selah
    4 – You love all devouring words, You deceitful tongue.
    5 – God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, And uproot you from the land of the living.  Selah
    6 – The righteous also shall see and fear, And shall laugh at him, saying,
    7 – “Here is the man who did not make God his strength, But trusted in the abundance of his riches, And strengthened himself in his wickedness.”
    8 – But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
    9 – I will praise You forever, Because You have done it; And in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good. (NKJV)

    The first part of this Psalm indicates that this person (people) boast in their evil.  There is no shame, but haughtiness and mockery accompanied by a sneer.  Two things are clear:  this person was deceitful, full of lies.  There was no remorse but glee in what they were doing.  Their actions were calculated and intentional; they had their victims in mind and took joy in their actions against them.  Second, these people had upside-down values.  Anyone in the path of their rise and agenda is quickly and mercilessly destroyed.  “They gain advantage through misrepresentation–direct and indirect lying.” (George O. Wood)
    Here we see another warning, no rather a declaration from God.  Isaiah warned, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil…” (5:21, NKJV) now David is saying to these people who love evil more than good that He “shall likewise destroy you forever…” (vs 5)  They will be uprooted, but the believer is rooted; he is like a “tree planted by streams of water” (Psalm 1:3).  
    Those who seek unlawful gain and cheat to get ahead in life do so without eternal views.  They mock God, thinking that they will not stand before Him in eternal judgment.  There’s a great, yet sad day coming.  That day is drawing near.  Friend, do not forsake the truth of God’s Word.  And you can be sure that God is not mocked.  
    In the midst of all that is happening it would do us good to hearken to verse 9, Praise Him.  Praise Him in the good for He is good.  Praise Him in the bad, for He is good.  Praise Him during the virus that hovers over the land, for He is good.  Praise Him, for you are in His presence.

              “Why should the mighty make their boast
               And heavenly grace despise?
               In their own arm they put their trust
               And fill their mouth with lies.”
                       –C.D. Barlow

I never expect trouble.  But if it comes looking for me I aim to be ready.”
              –Donald L. Robertson (Logan’s Word)

    “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.  And this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith.”
              –1 John 5:4 (NKJV)
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Hmmm, the political scene hasn’t become any better since Biden was elected.  The liberals still have their hate, and this is not only against Republicans and conservatives, but it is directed also at God.  This last election, I’m afraid, was a turning point in American history for it was a time when the country, or at least a vast part of it, turned its back on God and His moral laws.  I give four examples:

         1)  abortion — men throughout the ages have attempted to thwart God by the killing of the innocent.  One of the practices that finally brought judgment and slavery to Israel was when they refused to stop shedding the blood of their children on the altars of Moloch and Baal.
         2)  the gay agenda — this is a direct attack on the way the God made man.  It is an attack on the family unit, and thus a sneer in the face of Christ and His Bride–the Church.
         3)  transgenderism — God made man, male and female.
         4)  when people call evil good; I refer you to the following verse:  “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:21, NKJV)  Follow this by reading Romans 1-2.  Notice the term, “woe”.  When God uses this, it speaks out a dire warning.

    This country doesn’t need to go back to the “old ways,” however it does need to go back to God.  There needs to be repentance and recognition of God’s holy moral laws.  Along with repentance, the nation needs healing as do many individuals.  Healing not only of the body, but healing of the mind and more important, healing of the soul.  Dr. Charles L. Allen says, “Healing means bringing the person into a right relationship with the physical, mental, and spiritual laws of God.”  David put it this way, “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3, NKJV)
    Postmodernism has taken over; the culture now clamors that it is “wok” (what a term) meaning, more enlightened in the past.  No, their souls are sick, their hearts are blackened; Proverbs 23:7, states, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”  When the individual’s morals are topsy-turvy, their souls will be also.  Truth, to the liberal, is relative; it can be ever changing.  There is a blatant disregard for the absolute truth of God’s Word, despite how “religious” they may seem.  The truth is not in them.
    I would encourage you to tend to your heart.  Check it out, do a spiritual inventory to see if your soul is right.  Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness?  Are you seeking the heart of God?  Is your heart full of vile and bitterness?  Bitterness, the blaming of others, the hating of others, caused by anger, distress, or disappointment.  Go to God’s Word; He has the antidote for bitterness and for hatred.  Seek the truth, seek restoration from the Lord, or as Moffat translates it, “He revives life in me.”

We could not look to anyone for help, we must help ourselves; we could not look to anyone for food, we must find our food and prepare it ourselves.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (Killoe)

    “Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food…  The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up”
          Proverbs 23:3,8 (NKJV)
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I remember that one of the great novelties was to eat at a smorgasbord.  There was one in Westminister, Colorado, and once in a while Mom would take me there.  I think they now have upgraded the name to “Cafeteria” (i.e., Lubys, Picadillys), however, at a smorgasbord you choose from all the foods, not just order from a variety.
    Yesterday, I wrote of a famine in the land, but today I want to draw your attention to the fact of too much food, too many different types.  I’m a plain, old-fashioned type of guy.  Breakfast:  eggs, some meat, if possible a biscuit, and if I’m lucky hash browns, and if I’m extremely blessed–biscuits ‘n’ gravy.  Lunch: nothing special.  Supper:  meat, potatoes, vegetable, and once in while a piece of pie.  I’m not for all these fancy dishes or variations.  I go to a restaurant and order what I like, while others like to take a chance on something new.  
    Let me tell you that not all food is good.  There are some that taste good, and there are others that leave a bitterness in your mouth.  There are some things that look good, and the hungrier you are the better they look.  There are some things best left alone.  For example, I don’t know about mushrooms .  I like them in things, but you won’t find me going out to the woods to gather mushrooms.  They look alike to me.  Some are good, and some are deadly poisonous.  That takes me to my Scriptures for the day.  There was a famine in the land.  Elisha was at a “convention of the prophets” (their sons–whomever they were).  Now from what I know of preachers getting together there has to be food, but there was none to be found.
    The old cook must have had faith for he put a pot on to boil.  Maybe he thought that Elisha would perform a miracle, but the water was boiling, but there was nothing in it.  I recall how mountain men in our country when they were starving would make moccasin stew”.  Throw their moccasins in the pot, boil it up, then drink it.  Hmmm, tasty?  This cook, then sends a servant to gather whatever food he could find (the basis of gumbo, whatever the hunter brought back and whatever was around the house went into the pot).  The servant was obedient and tried to be helpful, after all he was hungry too.  He gathered herbs and wild gourds, slicing them, then throwing them into the pot of gumbo.  After the preachers were seated and began to eat suddenly one cried out–“There is death in the pot!”–the stew was poisoned.

         “So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they did not know what they were.  Then they served it to the men to eat.  Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, ‘Man of God, there is death in the pot!’  And they could not eat it.”
                      –2 Kings 4:39-40 (NKJV)

    Listen!  That is true of what is being taught in the world and in some churches, “for fatal doctrine acts upon the soul as poison does upon the body.” (Arthur Pink)  Hold on to true doctrine!  False doctrine can lead you astray no matter how much your ears itch.  Do not feed upon it, but turn to the Word of God to find truth.  Satan is an imitator, and he will have “food” that looks like the gospel, but it is poison to the soul.  He makes sure that there is no shortage of the “food” that he has to offer.  It is up to us to recognize truth from error.  We cannot, we must not call right wrong, and wrong right no matter how good and delicious it might look for it is “death in the pot.”  
    There is a danger of compromise with the culture of the world.  There is a danger of acceptance and toleration.  However,  that could mean that there is death in the pot.  Yes, Elisha had a cure (2 Kings 4:41) but it is up to us not to eat of the things of the world.  Take heed to what David wrote,

         “Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked words with men who work iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies.”
                      –Psalm 141:4 (NKJV)

    Don’t eat what the world is offering you.  It is time that we must discriminate between what is helpful to the soul and what is harmful.  Don’t eat the poison of the world.  Feed upon the Word of God.  “Only by making the Word of God our constant guide shall we be delivered from the evils surrounding us.” (Arthur Pink)

Every dream has a price, and the price for the wandering life is hunger, loneliness and danger, the blistering thirsts of deserts and the icy crash of waves, the tearing winds and driving sleet far from the hearthside and the warm arms of loved ones.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (Sitka)

    “They shall neither hunger nor thirst, Neither heat nor sun shall strike them; For He who has mercy on them will lead them, Even by the springs of water He will guide them.”
              –Isaiah 49:10 (NKJV)
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Several years ago, a parent came to me asking where I got my notes for my class.  I don’t know if it was a challenge or a honest question.  I replied, “I don’t know.”  I’m a teacher, so I was in constant reading and research.  My notes came from a variety of sources.  It was my custom, if I felt I was weak in a subject area, that over the summer I would read 3-4 books about that area.  My notes covered two-thirds of a page, and the third part was reserved for notes I might come across, or read, then the next year I would add them to my regular notes.  It was a process of continual revision of my notes.
    Now, I said all of that to let you know that most of my “Echoes” are original.  However, I do borrow from many sources as I try constantly to read.  You may have noticed recently that I have used Lloyd-Jones several times and Arthur Pink.  If I remember right, it was Confucius who said that a teacher is actually a collector–a researcher.  So my writings reflect that, I am still (at this age) continually adding to my “notes” and thoughts.  Today, I have borrowed several things from David Wilkerson.  I want to look this morning at Psalm 107 (oh, and by the way, soon, I’ll start back with the Psalms.  I miss reading and writing about them.)

         “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!  For His mercy endures forever.  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south.”
                   –Psalm 107:1-3 (NKJV)

Ponder those words for a minute.  Let them sink into your soul.  I want to make sure you read and reread them before I continue.  As I read, the words from an old song come to mind, “Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it, (Crosby) and “I’m redeemed, by love divine, glory, glory, Christ is mine…” (Rowe).
    Are you hungry?  Are you eating the right food?  I’ve read where much of the world is starving and two-thirds of it is malnourished.  Kids in America may look healthy because they are getting plenty of calories, but what kind?  Look at the next two verses:

         “They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in.  Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them.”
                   –Psalm 107:4-5 (NKJV)

    There is a tremendous hunger in this country today, one that is similar to the kids full of the wrong kind of calories, but a famine of hearing the truth of God’s Word.

         “’Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord God, ‘That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord.'”
                   –Amos 8:11 (NKJV)

Oh, there are plenty of churches, plenty of preachers, there are programs on television and social media, but many of these are the wrong “type of calories.”  It is hard to find a good church!  By good church I mean one that preaches the complete, true Word of God and also practices what the Word instructs.

         “Some pastors and congregations simply have no interest in righteousness.  The people care only having having their ‘needs met,’ so the church’s schedule is full of activities like father-daughter dances and family nights at pro-sports events.  Do these activities cause hell to tremble?  No, many churches of this kind are an absolute mockery of God.”
                   –David Wilkerson

    Friend, we need to be feeding on the Word of God like never before.  Having needs met is important, but much more important is having the soul feed with proper “food.”  Paul stated, that he had everything he needed. (Philippians 4:19)  Now, we find ourselves in the midst of turmoil because of the virus.  Many cannot, or will not make the effort for true fellowship.  First, we should have the Word preached–the undiluted Word of God.  Second, we need fellowship.

         “Without regular fellowship among a true body of believers, any Christian can end up cold, leaving their first love, wandering around, continually thirsty.  Some end up sampling unhealthy doctrines, while others end up isolated and bitter.”
                   –David Wilkerson.

    However, when a person realizes that he is not on the right track.  That he is not “eating” properly, that in fact, he is indeed starving he should immediately cry out to the Lord.  Verse 6 and 7 of Psalm 107, tells what will happen when we seek the Lord.  He delivers us from distresses, and leads in the right way!
    “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6, NKJV).  This is what will fill the stomachs of our soul.  This is what we should be seeking, not fun and games, and entertainment.  Folks, perhaps it is time that we “get hungry.”