God never gave us a problem without the answer being right next to it.”
–Clair Huffaker  (The Cowboy and the Cossack)

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.”
–Romans 5:3  (NLT)
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I was raised in a Christian home by my Grandma and Aunt.  I don’t remember much that was not church.  Grandma would hum and I can picture her on her little bed reading her Bible.  Bern would break out into song from time-to-time.  I only went to Sunday School until the church moved out to the country, and then I had to stay for church.  But one time, during a Vacation Bible School, when I was nine years old I accepted Jesus.  It was that day I left “Egypt,” with no desire to go back.  From that point on through raging “Red Seas” or pastures green I’ve tried to be led by Him.

          “I long ago left Egypt, for the promised land,
           I trusted in my Savior and to His guiding hand,
           He led me out to vict’ry thro’ the great red sea,
           I sang a song of triumph, and shouted, ‘I am free.'”
                    –M.J. Harris

There have been obstacles along the way.  A few scraps, bumps, and bruises I’ve borne.  Difficulties, failures, troubles, toils, and trials have been there.  The only thing that really has made sense throughout all the years is to keep trusting in Jesus.  When bad times come–trust Him.  When storms assail–trust Him.  If failure is there, remember 1 John 1:9, and trust Him and His Word.

          “I followed close beside Him and the land soon found,
           I did not halt or tremble, for Canaan I was bound,
           My Guide I fully trusted and He led me in,
           I shouted, ‘hallelujah, my heart is free from sin.'”

We spend time praying and begging the Lord to help us in the times of trouble and strife.  Very few think of Him in the times of blessing, festivities, and celebrations.  We are too busy with all the commotion to stop and pray then.  We become entranced with the gaiety of the event and forget that the Lord is with us not only in the storms, but also in the green pastures.  There was a time when the people of Israel scorned Moses and wanted to return to the “blessings” of Egypt, that old place of torment and bondage.  They did not or could not enjoy the blessings of the Lord and those that were waiting in the future.  

          “I started for the highlands where the fruits abound,
           I pitched my tent near Hebron, there grapes of eschol found,
           With milk and honey flowing, and new wine so free,
           I have no love for Egypt, it has no charms for me.”

I do not understand why some “Christians” (and I put that term in quotation marks) want to be part of the world.  In biblical terms they want to be part of Egypt and still enjoy the promised land.  That cannot happen, and if they think it does, it is an illusion.  The world should have no charms for us.  The believer cannot be part of darkness for they walk in the light.  Hmmm, makes me wonder why some churches turn down the lights during part of the service.  Are we not children of the light?  Then why seek the darkness?

          “My heart is so enraptured as I press along,
           Each day I find new blessings which fill my heart with song,
           I’m ever marching onward to that land on high,
           Some day I’ll reach my mansion that’s builded in the sky.

                    You need not look for me, down in Egypt’s sand,
                    For I have pitched my tent far up in Beulah land;
                    You need not look for me, down in Egypt’s sand,
                    For I have pitched my tent far up in Beulah land.”

Don’t be looking backward.  Don’t be wishing for the things of the world.  Go forward, pitch your tent so that on the morrow you will rise with your face looking heavenward.  Remember, God is the God of now.

I have sometimes noticed that the people who preach peace so fervently are doing it from a comfortable place–often after a good meal.  It’s quite another thing when you face armed men in the night in a lonely place, men who have no standards beyond their own selfish interests.”
–Louis L’Amour  (Callaghen)

“Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your own household!”
–Matthew 10:24-26  (NLT)
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I knew of a person, several years back now, who was quite the checker player.  He played it all the time and even had several collections of checkers and checker boards.  He said he wanted to collect checkers in all colors.  Checkers and simple dominoes are games that I can handle, but chess… now that’s another story.  I’ve played it a few times, but it’s not that much fun, at least to me.  I read of a person who had the game of chess figured out, at least the philosophy of the game.

          “The king and the queen, each in its own way, have and wield the ultimate power.  In
     approximately equal proportion, they use religion and their military, the bishops and the
     knights, to defend whatever positions they may choose to take and to attack the enemies of
     those positions.  The castles at each corner of the board represent their crucial power of
     wealth in terms of land and possessions…. But always, and forever, it’s the pawns, the 
     simple people themselves, who are the first to be sacrificed ruthlessly, for whatever reasons
     seem at the moment to be an advantage to any of the others.”
               –Clair Huffaker  (The Cowboy and the Cossack)

Quite an interesting analogy of chess and politics.  The kings/queens use whatever means they can to gain power, keep power, and extend their domain.  All positions except theirs are expendable, and as stated, the first to go are the pawns–the people.  It doesn’t make a difference if the government is a monarchy, a dictatorship, or even a democracy, the people are the first to go and all others are used by the leadership.  Call it Machiavellianism, but the idea is the same–gain and stay in power by any means necessary, and using any means at your disposal.
One thing I don’t see on the chessboard, or in the game, is the element called “chaos.”  One cannot create chaos in chess, however, in the politics of reality there can be chaos.  Look around at the state of this country now; there is much chaos.  What is the purpose of chaos?  There may be several, but one of the main purposes is to cause confusion.  Confusion, and who is the author and primary user of confusion?  Satan.
Now, think of our country again.  Quit blaming everyone and recognize what is happening–confusion.  Hmmm, you might want to consider the foundation of your beliefs again.
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Proverbs 19:27, “Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.”

The Bible is for instruction in righteousness, or right living.  Put it aside and you will begin to stray from the righteousness that is being taught.  The Word of God is true, complete, and sufficient to live each day victoriously.
I have often wondered why people wander and are led astray by false ideas and doctrines.  One reason is that we do not want to listen to God.  Go back to the Garden, and that was the issue; do not listen to what God says; there is a better way.  Yeah, right, and what happened?
In the midst of chaos Nietzsche calls for a “superman” to arise.  In the midst of chaos I say that we better know the Word so as to protect from error.  When was the last time you really “chewed” on the Word?  It is vital in the time of chaos to distinguish good from evil.

The trouble with monsters is they’re hard to control once they get loose.”
–Lou Bradshaw  (Texas War Lord)

“When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them, and he will conquer them and kill them.”
–Revelation 11:7  (NLT)
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“Evil is on the march in jungles, mountains, deserts, and cities spread throughout the world.”
–John Vermillion

“Where are the men of the cloth sounding off against the wholesale slaughter of Christians the world over?  It appears to me they are in their cocoons, snug and warm, unwilling to confront the Evil of Our Day.”
–John Vermillion

People, for sure you better wake up and see what is happening.  Things are getting ripe for the release of the “man of lawlessness.”  Right now, in the good old United States of America we have an awakening of sorts, and very little is being done to stop it.  The awakening of perversion and evil is among us.  Government leaders are some of those who are condoning it.
Where are the pulpits?  Where are the preachers who should be rising forth to “sound the trumpet” in regard to the evil?  Don’t get me wrong, for there are some who stand and preach “thus saith the Lord,” but nationwide they are rare.  If they do the media blasts them, they lose congregants, and laws are passed to squelch them.  
That’s another problem–the complacency in the pews.  People are complacent.  Let them live their life, just don’t bother me with it.  Each to their own.  Instead of rising in righteous indignation and voting out the leaders of immorality, voting in laws of morality.  I understand that you cannot make people “Christian” but you can pass laws to protect the innocent.  Tell me why 4-5% of the population has such a powerful voice; why do transgenders who make up less than 1% have power in the government and the media?
I begin to see more and more the meaning of the “tough” verses of the Bible.  “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8, NASB) Will there be people of faith, those who stand firm, those who will not waver on the earth when Jesus returns?  There might not be all that many with so many in the church not following the commands of the Lord.  There might not be all that many with so many in the church saying that an “alternative lifestyle” is alright.
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Are you satisfied?  I mean satisfied with the Lord.  It seems like we try to bring things end to the church and not satisfied with the Holy Spirit.  A.W. Tozer wrote,

          “People in the church today leave the things that are first principles of doctrine.”

“Get hyped” or “get pumped” seems to be the norm.  Anyone who has to continually be hyped or pumped is in bad shape spiritually.  And there are those out there that “peddle” the gospel.  Anyone with a new gadget or gimmick tends to draw the crowds.
Bells, whistles, smoke, colored lights, etc., anything to bring in the crowd.  Hop around a bit at the altar, why I’ve even seen beach balls passed overhead while people are supposed to be “worshiping” at the altar.  Perhaps we have forgotten the reason we go to church.  “In our day, we seem to overlook the divine principle of what ought to happen in the life of a truly born-again man.”  

A man’s life was full of trouble and full of question–and so it was like relief to stand up to certainty, to know that he was in front of reality.”
–Ernest Haycox (Man in the Saddle)

“It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than to confront a fool caught in foolishness.”
–Proverbs 17:12 (NLT)
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I have been convinced for many years that most Christians rarely examine the implications of their beliefs. They could not tell you the great doctrines of the faith. When I was principal of a Christian high school, one of the things I would ask during an interview of possible teachers or students was how do they know they are a Christian, “born-again.” Even with most of the teachers there was much stumbling, and “ah, um.” What was it that Mark Noll said when asked about the evangelical mind? “What evangelical mind?”
Hebrews 6:1, is a verse that all Christians of any length of time should adhere to and practice.

“Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity.”

The last two churches I attended where I taught the adult Sunday School I started my course with a simple, yet needful, study of God. How can we go any further in the faith if we do not know about the One in Whom we are to have faith?
What we know about God is vital to our Christian life. Our knowledge of God greatly determines how we act. If we are to have Christ-like character then we must know about God’s character. Man will find himself confused and in a dilemma without the knowledge of God. He cannot answer the essential questions of life.
Perhaps the doctrine of God most disregarded is His sovereignty. Man does not like to think of the sovereignty of God because that puts God in charge. Man wants to be autonomous, make his own decisions and way in life, not to be “ordered around” by the Creator of mankind. Yet, this great doctrinal truth is vital to the Christian walk. It gives the believer faith and hope and assurance and without it we have a God of whims and notions.
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If you have read the Daily Paine much over the years you noticed that I go to the thought of “destiny” from time-to-time. Are you destined for this or that? I have heard many people quote from Jeremiah and say they have a great destiny from God. If you would follow their life from birth to death I wonder what we would see. Would there be greatness, or just the regular life that most of us live?
One of our problems is that we do not understand the meaning of “destiny.” The believer, when he comes to know Christ, is now destined for eternity in heaven. That is destiny! There is that wonderful Scripture, the steps of the righteous are ordered by God (Psalm 37:23), that is destiny.
However, I do believe that there are men who are set apart for a special work. If not Moses, then whom? If not Paul, then whom? Was George Washington destined to be the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army and first President of the United States? If not, whom? Now, this does not take away from free will. Moses could have stayed in Egypt. Paul could have cursed God on the Damascus road. Washington could have refused his position. They were not forced into it, but ah, there is that thing called “destiny.”
Do some pondering!