The Real North Korea

Her hands had hurt as she had pulled bark from the trees, stuffing it into her pockets and looking around for anything else that might be edible. There was some grass in clumps beneath a tree, so she grabbed that too, and brought that home. Her children were starving to death, as was her mother and husband, to think of it, she was so weak she could barely walk herself, but they sat and ate the grass she had pulled up. It had come down to this; they were eating grass and bark, anything to keep alive.

During the summer, they had been able to catch rats, frogs, and even snakes, but still barely enough to stay alive. There had once been corn to eat, how wonderful that had been, but now that was just a distant memory. Before it was over, they had ground the cobs and husks down and made tasteless cakes out of even that. She still remembered when she had found the handful of baby mice under a rock, she brought them back home, one of her daughters was near death and needed to eat. She had boiled them, but no matter how long, they stayed together and doughy. Even her husband Jo asked her if she would eat that, but her daughter had been brave and eaten it anyway, and it had saved her life.

Jo had a nephew across the river in China, and there was food there, they knew it was a huge risk, but they had to try, or the whole family would die. They set out and snuck across the border, fording the Tumen River to China. They made it and were stunned at the abundance of food, they had never before seen a rice steamer, and there was so much food they didn’t know what to do. One week later they returned home with many bags of bulging rice for their family, they would make two more trips for provisions.

A few days after returning from their third trip, Jo was arrested, she suspects a neighbor informant told the authorities on them. The following day Han was arrested also, she never saw her husband Jo again. They kicked and beat Han with wooden rods and crushed part of her skull, then placed her hands on the hard concrete floor and stomped on them. Then, without further explanation she was released, she was three months pregnant.

She would later be told Jo died on a train after having his wrists tied above his head without food or water for ten days. She returned home to find all of the rice they had hidden had been taken by the police. The kids were hungry, and her mom had been watching them.

Han gave birth to a boy, but he starved to death two months after he was born. In desperation, her oldest daughter left to find food and never returned, they believe she was caught up in human trafficking and taken to China, and then her mother died. In less than a year, her family of eight was reduced to four. In North Korea, if someone has been arrested then the neighbors no longer trust you and they suspect you of something. One night in July 1998, two policemen came to their door, and told them to leave, and if they didn’t they would burn the house down.

On July 18^th, Han, with her two daughters JinHye, then 11, EunHye, 7, and  son BoKum, 5 set out on a 100 mile walk for the Chinese border. Weak from malnutrition, Han could barely walk, and the first night they stopped at a friend’s house to lodge for the evening. She looked at Han with wide eyes, how can you do it, two high mountain crossings and the river still lay ahead? Everyone was too weak to carry BoKum and he was too small and malnourished to walk. But how could a mother leave her son behind? But if they stayed, they would all be caught. She took a night to think things over, she didn’t know what to do. The next morning, her friend said “leave him, I will take care of him”. Han agreed, and planned to return for him in five days after getting the girls safely into China, she promised to bring back food for her friend. “Why aren’t you taking me too” BoKum asked, and she explained that she was going to go get some food and bring it back, and then she would take him, then she gave him a ground corn cake, she wishes she had given him more. They walked for two nights, then crossed into china, hid in fields and stole squash to eat. Then heavy rains came and they could not cross back over, Han didn’t know how to swim, and the river was at flood stage.

Then Han heard Kim Jong Il was executing anyone who hadn’t voted for him in the election, Han hadn’t because she had been in China at the time. She got jobs in China, and earned money to get BoKum back, but it took her two months before she earned enough to hire a man to go get him. Sadly, he returned empty handed. The woman had abandoned the boy, and he was seen wandering aimlessly in a field singing “when is my mother coming”. A neighbor gave him a bowl of porridge out of pity, he died immediately afterward, common when people who are malnourished eat too fast. When she heard about BoKum, her heart was ripping out of her chest.

They spent 10 years in China, and were deported several times back to North Korea, but were always able to bribe their way back into China. The last time a Korean-American pastor paid $10,000.00 to North Korean guards to sneak them back. They went to the United Nations in Beijing and asked to live in the U.S.

After 16 months, they were given a home of freedom in the U.S., one that came at a very high cost. There are only 130 refugees from North Korea who have settled in the United States, but you never hear from them because they have families. If a defector speaks out, it will be taken out on the family they left behind, Han has no one left, they are all dead. That is why they are speaking.

Crosses adorn the walls of their home, they carry bibles with them everywhere, they are on a mission to educate the world about what goes on in North Korea. You see the polished military parades, but you don’t see the people disappearing, the Christians dying. Please take a moment to pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ, for all those suffering in that poor country. And tell Han’s story over and over to everyone you know. God Bless-Jim

This Story is True

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God Loves Anguish

God loves anguish! I have come to this conclusion and it has troubled me wondering why God would create us in the way that He did, and then want us to be in anguish rather than happiness. We are often compared in our relationship with God to the relationship we have with our children, He is our father, and we are His children. Having four girls of my own, I know that there is nothing much that hurts me more than to see the wife or girls I love heartbroken and anguished, it tears my heart out. So why the disconnect, a parallel in most every way to father/child relationship except in anguish. Perhaps I should explain why I know God likes it when we are in anguish.

It all began in the garden as I see it, God built us and wanted us to be happy, he breathed the first breath to fill Adam’s lungs by blowing through the soon to be man’s nostrils. He set up a wonderful home for man, and then he created woman. He wanted to have a personal relationship with them, he could have made them predisposed to worshipping and adoring God mindlessly, but God didn’t want that, He wanted to be loved, but out of choice. So God granted them the gift of free will, he left it up to them as to whether they would choose to follow Him. Without a temptation what good is free will, there had to be an alternative to God for them to have a choice to make, so he created the serpent, and the rest is history. They were in fact tempted, and they chose disobedience over obedience, and God became heartbroken.

Our world has been at struggle since the day Adam and Eve ate that apple looking to be like God himself, believing the lies of a snake over the promises of a creator. And that process has continued on and only spun farther and farther away from Him up until today, If only we would lean on Him, worship and love Him, and make an effort to know Him, but our world doesn’t promote that.

We read books on the how to take control of our career path, how to succeed, how to make more money than we need and pull eighteen hour days trying to be all things to all people, except Him. We push our bodies and our schedules much farther than we were ever designed to go, never missing a soccer game after a twelve hour work day, and when it gets to be too much, and the stress begins to wear us down, we go to the doctor and get a medication that will help us cope better. When people ask us what is important to us, we give all the right answers, God, marriage, children, friends, etc. But if we were judged solely on our actions, what would our actions show?

Anguish comes when people reach the end of their rope, when they stand over the coffin of a loved one wishing they had one more conversation with that person, but knowing that the relationship had taken a back seat to the white noise of a busy life. Anguish comes when we as spouses do not take care to nourish one another in the many ways we need to because our schedules somehow become more important than nurturing the heart and soul of those we have pledged to have and to hold for the rest of our lives, and we find ourselves alone. Anguish comes when we realize we have no-where else to go, no one else to turn to but God, and so we do. We find ourselves on the ground beating our chests in anguish crying out to God to save us. And He smiles…..

He loves us and wants us to just love him back, but many times we don’t do that until we have lost everything we know and love, everything we have come to depend on. Every entitlement we have come to expect, when it all comes crashing down and we have no-where else to turn to, then we turn to him, and He smiles. He doesn’t smile at our pain, at our sense of loss, he smiles because He is the father of a prodigal son who has returned home, broken and wasted and begging to be taken back. But here is the great thing, when he takes us back, He doesn’t do so in the same manner that we do when a friend has wronged us and asks for forgiveness, we hold silent grudges, He doesn’t. All is forgotten and he gently begins with washing our feet, and then He washes the rest of us too, and when He is done, we are as white as snow, our sins not only forgiven, but forgotten as well.

Yes, God loves anguish, because it is the beginning of a new friendship to Him, the beginning of a new life where we realize that without Him, we are nothing. He stands at the end of the road with a purple robe of royalty, a handful of golden rings and calls over his shoulder for His servants to kill the fatted calf, His child that was lost has now been found. God Bless-JFT

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A Lullaby for Dad

I haven’t been scared in a long time, but I was scared. He was coming out of anesthesia, after just having a triple bypass, and he is 80. He would briefly open his eyes but look straight up, unable to focus his pretty hazel eyes, those same eyes I have stared into many times. I looked down at him and briefly thought about all the disagreements we have had and all the times I have been angry with him, and I didn’t give a rip about any one of them, I only had sadness at watching him writhe in pain, begging for water. I wanted him back

He couldn’t talk really, he would just whisper for water while jerking violently as the anesthesia exited his system, then they restrained him to keep him from hurting himself. I have never felt so helpless as I looked down at this strong man who was now helpless and at the mercy of his pain. For some reason, something came to mind, a lullaby he used to sing to me when I was a child and I was going to sleep, it would always sooth me and make me feel loved and comfortable. So I got as close to his ear as I could and began to sing softly.

Toora Loora Loora, Toora Loora Lai

Toora Loora Loora, Hush now Daddy don’t you cry!

Toora Loora Loora, Toora Loora Lai

Just an Irish Lullaby.

 He calmed down some, so I sang it again, softer this time as he squeezed my hand, and I ended it with a kiss on his forehead. Later as I stood holding his hand and looking at the room across the way, doctors and nurses began to run in, stopping as an attendant would gown them at the door and put a hat on their head. They were wearing surgical gear in the room, which I thought odd as they rushed in. It seemed to be a scene from E.R. where someone would have called for the “crash cart”. Although they wore masks, their looks were serious and they were working feverishly, but then it all stopped as another doctor showed up and stuck his hands in the gown, but a doctor inside said something and shook his head no. The dr. pulled his arms out of the gown and just walked in as everyone in the room began to un-gown. I could see the man lying supine on the gurney as a nurse snapped a fresh sheet out and covered him up. They moved him to the side of the room, turned the light off, and left the room.

I held my father’s hand and did my best to look around and see if I could spot the soul of the person going on, but all I saw was the dark room. Our nurse composed herself, rescrubbed and came back in, her usual cheerful self recomposed, no sign that she had just watched someone die. I closed my eyes and prayed again that God would see my dad through this one time and that He would just let my dad be okay.

I looked around the small wing of rooms in a circle, called a “pod”, and I thought of it differently now than I had when I first had entered. This was the valley of the shadow of death, the reaper has a locker in the break-room here, people come here to be healed and to die, and my dad is walking the balance beam between the two worlds now. My trust is in the Lord though, and in His hands I place my dad, because no one and nothing can heal or repair him apart from the will of God the Father. So I just hold his hand and try to comfort and love him the best I know how for the time being, that’s all I can do….. God Bless-Jim

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Take It To The Cross

Sometimes God just puts something on your heart, like a blog that you need to write,  https://blesseddad.wordpress.com/2012/02/25/be-careful-what-you-pray-for/ , and it is meant to be a sign, something to make you sit up and take notice, pay attention, but sadly I don’t. I am a study in contrasts at best, my friends would tell you I am kind, giving, generous and run a tight ship. But in my heart of hearts, I am competitive against myself to the extreme, with a sense of determination that equals the competitiveness. I come from the old school that believes if you roll up your sleeves and bust your tail and outwork everyone else around you that you will be rewarded for it. It makes sense right, at least until God steps in.

I still battle that old guy thing; wanting to move up at work, grab that brass ring that is above the next rung on the ladder. Problem is, every time you climb a step up on the ladder and reach for that ring, you find out it was actually higher, it is one step higher than you are. I know that, and have known that for years, yet I still tried to climb for that ring again, and this time I gave it everything I had. I trained on my own time with people, who were in that position, and they were amazed at my aptitude and how fast I picked everything up. As time would go on, they would tell me that I was definitely the front-runner for the position. I trained with even still more people in the job to try to get a wider range of style and experience, and once again they flattered me with compliments for asking the right questions and having the right technical knowledge. I was feeling good, this was going to be it, I was pulling 70-80 hours a week between work, training and school, I knew I had to get it this time. I memorized all the things that I suspected they would ask me in the interview, and I was ready.

There was a five-person panel interviewing me, and their sole purpose was to try to rattle me. I was ready though, I am a power plant operator, I have ice water running through my veins, right? They began with a simple question, one that I had studied and memorized without fault, but nothing came out. I sat there, I had become a deer in the headlights who could no longer remember his name, much less that the answer was “transmission operator”. So I explained it long form, in less than three hundred words painfully and waited the next assault. The rest of the interview had better points, and worse points, ups and downs. At the end I left not feeling particularly good, but feeling as though I had indeed allowed myself to be rattled. I still counted on the field reports of those who had trained with me to carry me though, they were just so confident, even if I did blow the interview.

I saw her email, she wanted me to call her when I got in, this must be it, so I called right away hoping/expecting the best. She was kind as she told me that she was not pleased with my interview, and was surprised because the field reports were all so positive, but that I should focus my efforts elsewhere. I folded the phone shut and tried to process what I had just heard, didn’t that mean, “you need not apply here again”? How could that be?

I stumbled around through the motions that day, doing my best not to reveal to anyone what I was feeling, but inside I was falling deep down into an empty well of despair, I had just been told I wasn’t good enough, and I would never be good enough. Everything began to cave in on me then, every little perceived failure in my life, how I had never felt like I was a good enough son, or brother, or husband, or father, or even a friend, but certainly never a good enough follower of Christ. As the week went on, my despair only increased as I began to really not even want to get out of bed every day, I just really felt as though I was a loser. It wasn’t about the job, the job was just the straw that brought everything crashing down on me, all I know is that wherever I was, it was a bad place.

There is no mistaking that God has been at work in my life, and that of my wife’s in the past few years, He has put us where we are and we are grateful for that. I am attending school now taking ministry courses, I know He steered me to that, I know He sent me on a mission, I know He wants me to spread the word, I know God loves me. But still, when it came to this job that “I” wanted, I pulled out all the stops to get it myself, and gained confidence in my own abilities, not stopping to ask if that’s what God wanted me to be doing. God has placed me on a course of some sort, one that I still have no idea the outcome, and I need to stay the course and follow His leading.

Yesterday I was talking to a friend who is going through a hard time also, and he asked me what he should do? My only answer for him was that he needed to take it to the cross, I told him that I knew it even sounded lame, but that I knew it was the true answer. I haven’t been able to ride my mountain bike because of my shoulder surgery, so that is frustrating. Today, As I was out and about, I was drawn to the mountain behind our church where they have a hiking trail to the top. I hiked up there, and there is a cross about the size of the one I imagine Jesus hung on mounted in the ground right at the top. I sat at the foot of that cross and opened my heart up to God, I gave it all to Him and asked Him to help me trust in the path that He has in store for me. I asked him to lift this black veil that has been over me so that I may begin glorifying Him again in all I do, and I left every other problem I could think of at the foot of that cross. When I hiked back down, my burden was much lighter, I am sure I left them on that cross. I didn’t feel as though I were deep in the well of despair anymore, but as though someone had just dropped me a ladder, disguised as a cross. God Bless-JFT

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Chosen or Forsaken?

“God will never give you more than you can handle”. How many times have you heard that phrase before, or used it for that matter? I will be honest, I have never liked it because I think it is meant to give us false comfort in thinking the threshold of our endurance must be close, because after all, we are about at our snapping point, right?

Abraham was a favorite of Gods, there was no doubt that God loved Abraham, but Abraham must have been wondering what was going on. God told him he was going to be a daddy with his wife Sarah at a hundred after a lifetime of barrenness, only then to command Abraham to kill that much cherished son on the altar of sacrifice. I would imagine Abraham was grieved beyond what he could handle as he tied Isaac to the altar and raised the knife above him.

Jacob was chosen by God for a big task, he was going to be the father of the nation of Israel, he would become Israel. His life was not easy though, he was deceived by his father in law Laban much in the same way he had deceived his father Isaac to steal his birthright. He had heartbreak as his daughter was raped, then his sons slaughtered a whole community of men. Then his dear son Joseph went missing and it looked as though he had been killed by a vicious animal. He grieved bitterly, and life was never the same, then there was a plague in the land and all was nearly lost, his family could no longer even feed itself, he needed to send his sons to Egypt to buy food. He watched them ride off and he wondered where the blessing God had promised was, he didn’t feel very chosen right now.

Moses had seen God more times than he could remember, first in that strange bush that burned yet was not consumed, that is when he first knew he had been chosen. God had spoken to him many times since, in the form of a pillar of a cloud or a pillar of fire, or even in the evenings when he went out of the settlement to his own tent and the pillar of cloud settled at his door. God would converse with him, giving him guidance, telling him what to do, building him up when he was discouraged. Then, the days up on the mountain receiving the law and the commandments, he had seen God, until after he had gone down and found his people in debauchery. Moses had been so stunned by what he found that he dropped the commandments that God had carved in stone with his fingers, breaking them. God was really mad, he wanted to kill them all, and Moses told God to kill him instead because he was their leader. God relented, God showed mercy, but there was a price, Moses would no longer be able to see Gods face from now on. Moses looked out at these people, led from Egypt through the Red Sea on dry ground, their pursuer Pharaoh and his men slain. They complained about food, so they were fed manna from heaven and quail, everything they needed always provided, yet they whined and complained constantly. Moses did not feel chosen most of the time.

David thought back to the day that he was tending sheep and his dad had sent word for him to come home now. He got back wondering what was up only to find the old priest Samuel waiting with a horn, as David approached, the priest said, “he is the one” and began to anoint him with oil from the horn. He was told that he was chosen by God to lead Israel. He would face lions, bears, and then the giant Goliath, killing them all. He could feel the power of God protecting him, putting him where he needed to be in the kingdom. He was eventually even assigned to work with the King, and the king loved him dearly, that is until he began to try to kill him. David had gone on the run, and been chased by King Saul and his men, determined to kill him. David had run until he had become half crazy, and was at his wits end, now here he stood in the dark with a dagger in his hand and his master and nemesis before him. The king didn’t know David was close enough to cut his throat as he relieved himself, But David knew it wasn’t time, so he was satisfied with taking a trophy, a piece of the royal robe as proof. King David would be a great ruler never to be forgotten in the history of the world, a true man of God. But he probably didn’t feel very chosen as he stood at the back of the dark stuffy cave watching Saul and his men go to the bathroom, he probably felt cursed.

The stories continue in the same pattern, disciples, Apostles, Jesus, etc… People are chosen to do Gods work and that is when the going really gets tough. God uses the hard times to condition us for the task ahead; a battle tested warrior is always a better leader. So be careful with that phrase God will never give you more than you can handle. God Bless-JFT

Matthew 10:34  “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”.

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The One Who Loved Jesus

Authors note: Hello, I don’t do reposts often, but I originally wrote and posted this last July. For some reason, this post, which of course is fiction based on fact has taken on a life of its own. It has by far been the most popular post I have ever written, itself getting 700 hits a week on average even now. I don’t know what makes it as popular as it is, other than it is a possible insight into Jesus and His disciples, but I decided I would repost it since people seem to like it so much. As always, God bless you all!

The hoopla and fanfare was all over now, it was now just a waiting game, and he was alone with his thoughts. He couldn’t lie, he was terrified as he was arrested and brought before Nero, who had publicly announced that he was the enemy of God. But he knew that it was all going to be fine, he knew the ending.

He thought back to the time when the Man he loved had been arrested. Prior to the arrest, The Master had foretold of Peter’s denial, and Peter had been offended, no way, there is just no way that will ever happen. Yet when that stupid rooster crowed, Peter realized what he had done. The hurt on Jesus face as those he had given so much to forsook him; it was almost more than he could bear.

Peter then realized he had begun to drool, and it had gotten in his eyes. He opened his eyes wider and looked around, there was blood pooling on the ground from the nails in his wrists, and he could see the legs of a few soldiers around, everyone else had gone.

He remembered the kindness the master had shown everyone, loving to a fault. Healing the sick, casting out demons, even raising the dead. He came bearing a message of salvation and grace, freedom from the old law, preaching a gospel of love. He had never hurt anyone, he had only loved, healed, and instructed, yet they killed Him. Not only killed, but humiliated Him first. He remembered the Savior hanging there on the cross, the Son of God, the Messiah. Sin and evil had ruled that day as the only perfect Man ever to walk the earth was nailed to the cross.

Peter hung there in anguish, remembering the suffering the Rabbi was made to endure, and the pain on his face. What made matters worse, Peter was always a hothead, and when Jesus had tried to explain that the prophesies needed to be fulfilled through His death, Peter has stood up proudly and said “never Lord, this shall never happen to you”. Peter was implying that Jesus would be crucified over his dead body, he would be Jesus’ defender. Jesus had then called Peter Satan, and said get behind me, clearly annoyed at Peters macho blustering. As Peter thought of this, Tears welled in to his eyes, and then rolled down his forehead into his hair.

He thought of his last huge failure, when they came to arrest Jesus, and he drew his sword and lopped off that soldier’s ear. Again, Peter saw the disappointment in Jesus as he turned and told him to sheath his sword. Then, in a way only Jesus had about him, He actually picked up the guards ear and placed it back where it had come from, He healed the guard. Even during His arrest, He had still found a way to do another miracle, He had healed the very one who was persecuting Him.

He reflected on the cross, the agony that Jesus went through, bearing not only His own weight, but also the burden of sin for all those who would choose to become His followers for thousands of years. He bore the burden of murder, adultery, hate, lust, cheating, lying and the list goes on. His perfect soul, cluttered with all that filth he was bearing for us. Jesus had known and understood, but Peter hadn’t. He remembered Jesus battered body hanging there, after he had committed His Spirit into His Fathers hands. What a horrible final mental picture in his mind. But, it didn’t end there, He rose from that tomb.

He spent time with His disciples after he had risen from the dead, they talked about a great many things. But Peter still carried the anguish of letting Jesus down so many times. Jesus had known about Peter’s anguish, and the pain it caused Peter from the guilt. But Jesus knew, and now so did Peter, that the anguish and guilt were needed to complete Peter into being the “Rock” that Jesus knew Peter was destined to be. The mental picture Peter had of Jesus that meant the most was of that time Jesus had prepared breakfast for them on the beach, after he had returned from the dead. He cooked them a meal of fresh fish over a fire, and then talked quietly to Peter.  “do you love me” he had asked, when Peter said yes, Jesus responded “then feed my lambs”. . Jesus asked Peter two more times the same question, and Peter answered the same, to which Jesus responded “then feed and take care of my sheep”, a reference to Peters future ministry. He then foretold Peter that he would face the cross also, and that his death would glorify God.

He knew the end was nearing, the pain was terrible at first, but he was becoming numb now. He could hear the soldiers laughing and making jokes as he and the others hung on the crosses up on this hill, how could anyone be jovial while surrounded by such suffering and death. Anyway, it now all made sense, when He had asked Peter three times “do you love me”, it had at first hurt Peter’s feelings, but now he understood. Jesus was letting Peter know that He knew how much Peter loved Him. Peter affirmed his love for Jesus three times, Jesus was telling Peter it was okay to forgive himself for denying his Master three times, He was telling Peter to cut himself some slack, he was forgiven. The love on His face that day on the beach is how Peter would forever remember Jesus.  More than sixty years had passed since that day.

When Peter was led to the top of the hill, before the soldiers began their grim work, they asked if Peter had any last requests. Peter then said “I do”, I would like you to crucify me upside down. The soldier’s jaws dropped, and they asked why anyone would wish for that. “Because I am unworthy to die in the same manner of my Lord”. They looked at one another, then said “whatever” and began their work.

As his vision began to blur at the edges, he realized there was no more pain, looking to the right, the left, he realized the blood puddles were large now, he was bleeding out. No longer distracted by the pain, he began to wonder how it would happen, would he go to Heaven immediately, would he have to face judgment first, would he be met and guided for the final leg of the journey, he didn’t know. For a moment, his vision cleared, and he noticed a pair of feet in sandals standing before his face. He strained to look up, it was so hard at this point, but he did, and then he knew. It was Him, He had come, Jesus stood before him, tears streaming down his cheeks. In the blink of an eye, they were embracing one another as they both cried. It was then that Peter realized it was finished, the cross was gone, and Jesus smiled and said, “well done Peter, well done”.

God Bless-JFT

This Story is fiction, but is based on facts.

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Challenging Satan

So yesterday it worked, I drank a ton of Iced tea; I rode my mountain bike with my friend and riding buddy Mike, and ended the night up seeing a scary movie with my daughter. I caught a glimpse of that old Jim again, and it was nice. I hadn’t really talked with Mike much in the last three weeks or so, so we caught up on what’s been happening in his life, and all the drama that has been occurring in mine, and then he posed a question to me, one that kind of shocked me, but caused me to think and reason. He asked me if I thought the devil really even cares about us? Then Mike said the one thing that shocked me the most, “he said that he believed the devil doesn’t care about us”.

I wanted to scream at him “are you deaf man, haven’t you heard anything I have just told you about”, but I chose a more conservative, Hmmmm Okay. His reasoning is that the devil is just a low life slacker, a celestial version of a crack house junkie who can’t see beyond the end of his nose and couldn’t care less whether you come or go, live or die. Believe it or not, I see his reasoning in some ways, I don’t believe he has it right, straight across the board although I think there are elements of it he has right.

I concur that the devil is a world-class loser, there is no doubt about that. He gets his jollies out of bringing pain and suffering on innocent people, so that makes him fit the bill in my book. But, I do not agree that he does not care whether he has us or not. You see, with the slithering slime that is Satan, envy has always been his curse. He always felt he was worthy to be God’s equal, he has always felt he should have been god, instead of the actual God. So he has spent his worthless miserable existence coveting everything God has, and when God has faithful followers who cling on His every Word, followers who lean on the guidance of the Holy Spirit that God has seen fit to bless them with, it makes Satan’s blood boil. He doesn’t want us because he loves us, because he wants to spend eternity with us, he just doesn’t want God to have us, he hates God.

So, do I think the devil cares about us, absolutely, because to care about us is to take away from God, and to take away from God is to win the battle in his eyes. I am one of God’s warriors, as are all of you who wear the name of follower of Christ, and as far as I am concerned, it is time to take the battle to the steps of hell itself and declare war on Satan rather than hiding in the shadows hoping to stay in God’s shower of blessing for the rest of our lives.

Yesterday I challenged the devil, and I do it again today, he is a yellow bellied good for nothing piece of garbage, and the bible spells out how it will end, so why doesn’t he just tuck his little forked tail between his legs and go dig a hole somewhere. God will triumph, and I will be watching, either from up there, or from down here, and I will be grinning ear to ear. I will be begging Jesus for the chance to go dig the rascal out of his hole, and whup his tail all the way to hell. So me worry, no way, God has our back!

Here is a scripture that we need to remember, as long as we first seek to serve God, and we seek leading from the Holy Spirit.  Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

I firmly believe that the devil is going to take jabs at us, and he is going to use confusion and discouragement with us. I have been confused, and I have been discouraged, and now I am ticked off, because my faith is stronger than that. In hindsight, I should have seen him coming, I should have recognized his tricks and stayed two steps ahead of him, but I didn’t. I am human, but we live and we learn, and God blesses us with guidance when we seek it from Him. So for me, I am trying to no longer look at this short span of time here on earth as such a great prize, because it is really nothing more than a blink of the eye, a vapor in the wind. Our lives are about eternity, and the decisions we make here in this short blink of an eye life determine where we will spend the rest of our eternity. If we run and cower from the duke of doom, then we are not honoring the King of Creation, we must remember whose army we belong to, and whose banner we carry. It should be our personal goal as followers of Christ to do everything in our power to make Satan quiver with fear when we wake every morning, knowing we will smite him, knowing we will evangelize as many of his prisoners away from him as we possibly can each day, we should make him worry.

So yes, I call him out, I curse Satan and the ground he slithers on, and I warn him against coming too close, because my God has burned him before, and He will burn him again. Satan fights dirty by harming those who cannot protect themselves, because he knows that if he fights fair, he just might get hurt. I get great comfort in knowing that “if God is for us, then who can be against us”? Who is with me?

God Bless-Jim

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