Civilized War: Faith, Discovery, Israel, Worldview & Resources

Before we get too far with this one I need to provide a disclaimer of sorts. The representations in this story are mine. Without a doubt I know I do not have all of the answers on the subjects and reserve the right to be wrong. That said, the Lord knows there is no deceit or intent to harm the faith of any person in my heart or mind. I am simply bringing my worldview of current and related historical events from observations and study over the course of my life. I do not desire to be proven right, I desire for these words to spark something that may be of importance in the hearts and minds of readers.

I recently posted the following on a daily. The content originated from a daily devotion from Dr. David Jeremiah’s daily devotional book, Ever Faithful. It is an eye opener for the unaware. The core of the message goes like this…

In George Washington’s inaugural address he said, “The smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” This was not the only time POTUS Washington pointed toward God in his addresses.

In Deuteronomy Chapter 4:40, the people of Israel prepared to enter the promised land. As he neared death knowing the Lord was not allowing him to enter; Moses reminded them to, “Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time.“

Both are historical statements observed in person by a multitude of witnesses and recorded thousands of years apart.

These words are an important passage that trace back to the actions taken in the Abrahamic Covenant by the people of Israel. This covenant is unconditional. Abram and the people were told what would happen without conditions. God even described a ritual that would be performed in the future, but then put Abram asleep and did not involve him initially in Genesis 15:12. God alone made the promises in the covenant and God alone can terminate it along with the three other unconditional covenants. This is true for those covenants, but not for the Mosaic (Old) Covenant that was conditional and eventually replaced.

Some common misconceptions about Jesus replacing the unconditional covenants needs to be addressed because I hear and see them frequently. There are indisputable facts about all four of the unconditional covenants, which are the Noahic, Abrahamic, Davidic and New. The latter came from prophecies by Jeremiah and Ezekiel that are moved forward in Matthew and Luke. However, all four are about God’s faithfulness, not that of Israel. That makes them unconditional. They were made with Israel and not the church as stated in Jeremiah and Hebrews. They are to be interpreted literally. They were never repealed or replaced in scripture. Jesus (God’s son and member of the Trinity) did not come to replace those covenants. He never stated that they were null and void. He said he came to fulfill the law and the prophets. The law he references is the Mosaic Law. See below

Matthew 5:17-20 (NASB) states…

“Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Think about what he just said. The law was comprised of commandments from God; not suggestions or guidelines subject to interpretation or change. If somebody tries to nullify even one or teaches they should shall be demoted to the bottom in heaven. He clearly states that the better we do and teach them the better it will be for us in heaven. Our failure to do so does not kick us out of being in or going to heaven, it somehow reduces our standing there.

The Mosaic (Law) Covenant is the one covenant that was conditional. When giving it God said “if” in Exodus 19:5 (Exodus 19-24). It goes, “Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;” (NASB). This covenant was tied to Israel following the law. However, Israel broke the law and did not hold up its end of that conditional deal.

The laws were given to Moses by God to record and inform the people, who were then expected to live in accordance. These laws, which are in the Torah, are a conditional covenant that are tied to performance. The failure of performance by Israel eventually led to the covenant being replaced with the unconditional New. As a side note there are 15 Hebrew Bible references to Mosaic Law as well as 7 in the New Testament. As stated above, Jesus affirmed the value and importance of the law in Matthew 5 even with Israel’s disobedience.

The law is not to be used to draw us back into bondage to serve it. However, we have also been freed to not return to the works of the flesh, to be sinful, that the law was given to address. Jesus is telling us He fulfilled the law and He came to give us a new heart and the power from His Spirit to live as He desires for us. Which reveals the law was good, just no longer binding, as one of its biggest purposes was to direct people away from sin. Trust in Him and doing His will eliminated the need to serve the law.

Galatians 5 among other passages assures us as Christians we are no longer held under account of this law. With the New Covenant; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control becomes the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, against which there is no law according to Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB).

The truth is that once a person commits fully to Jesus Christ, living within the law is just not as big of deal as it once was because we live in His Spirit and generally lose the desire to intentionally sin or make excuses for it.

Shifting gears, many historians have no idea what to make of George Washington’s religious life. Basically, he did not talk enough about it to satisfy their presuppositions and narratives. They seek a litmus test to prove he was or was not a devoted Christian. Some claim he was a deist like a few other founders. Whatever the consensus is from these self proclaimed experts this story is not about him or them. It is about what he said in perhaps the most important inaugural address in American history, the first, because it revealed the likely consensus of the founders. Seems our first POTUS acknowledged that all must be done in accordance with God’s decrees and commands as Moses had stated, for things to go well for the young nation of states. It is further confirmation that America is founded on Godly principles. The parallels between the words of Moses and Washington are what they are.

Still doubt it all? We can start here, with the Abrahamic Covenant.

Genesis 12:1-3 (NKJV)

Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Notice anything of significance about this promise of God?

It is not about Abram (Abraham), it is about God. We know this because he says, “I will…” repeatedly. All Abram and his family need to do is go to the land God will show them. Once they do God will bless them and make them a great nation. He will bless all peoples on earth who bless and curse those who curse Abram’s people. God handles it all. Unconditionally.

It appears to me that everything in this world since time began has been about having a loving and grateful heart of obedience toward God. Thousands of years have gone by and it is still the same. As a result it will continue to be the same forever until Jesus Christ returns to establish His kingdom on earth. You would think people would eventually figure out that created beings who physically die are not more intelligent or powerful than their Creator, but a third of the angels and Lucifer who were created by Him failed that bit of critical thinking as well.

It is one thing to not believe in the God of Abram, that there may be alternatives to consider in the creation and order of all things. At least that is an honest intellectual position. Barring that, one cannot be taken seriously who attempts to deny God as omnipotent and sovereign if one acknowledges His existence.

Every time Israel rejected God and did things their way the people suffered unto death at the hands of non-believing evil doers. This is referred to as God removing His hedge of protection as found in Job 1:10, which is a scripture that reflects a familiar theme of having God’s protection found in hundreds of passages. The remnant who survived remained faithful to God’s decrees and commands. They were selected for each rebuild after the God directed cleansing of evil and disobedience from their ranks. Every single time. Time has proven that had Israel remained faithful to the decrees and commands as Moses stated, the blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant would remain fully on display throughout that region of the world. Israel would reflect what it was called to be. But it does not.

From the covenant the blessing of other nations is contingent upon the blessing they give to the people/nation of Israel. This covenant blessing with Abram was a promise of God designated land and that the family of Abram would become a great nation. The “you” in the scripture is plural as identified by the reference to Abram and family, which expands over time into a nation as indicated in the scripture passage.

Everybody else is blessed or cursed subject to their treatment of Israel.

Within this covenant is a promise of land. It is a central tenet of the Hebrew faith. A land that many non-Hebrews want that only Abram, his family and nation can legally lay claim to possessing per God’s decrees and commands. The Christian and Jew holds God as the highest authority. We know the Creator provides the rules of order and right that President Washington stated. Non-believers use their own compass to determine the authority of their lives. Some believe it is themselves. Others give it to government, to a family member or whoever. There are many answers to that question that leads to many opinions that cloud the consensus that never seems to develop.

You have now been given some of the basis for the “eternal rules of order and right” that our first President stated. Those who study history know the Holy Bible was read thoroughly by George Washington as it was by the vast majority of our nation’s founders. He was raised in the faith regardless of contrary beliefs or statements from pundits. The founders referenced God throughout their personal documents in addition to what is stated in our founding documents.

Individual acceptance of Biblical history and principles by inhabitants of America in the past, present or future is not relevant to the fact that America’s future is totally dependent upon obeying God’s decrees and commands while being a blessing to the people of Israel – if you believe in the God of Israel. The founding of our nation of states was tied directly to God’s providence and bound in writing by the parties involved.

Because I believe in the God of Israel and His complete authority over His creation, the actions of our nation’s founders leads me to take the position that people can attempt to rewrite history and kick against the goads if they desire at their own peril (Acts 26:14). For current evidence of what results from that, simply consider the current situation in which this nation finds itself in a world being thrashed by evil forces and be honest about what you have observed or personally experienced. It is my considered opinion that if the eternal rules of order and right ordained by Heaven of the God of Israel were followed, we would undoubtedly see a far different world because there would be no dispute who was in authority.

As for me and my house we will choose the Lord (and obedience to Him) as Joshua stated in Joshua 25:14. He was the faithful servant of Moses who later entered the promised land described above as the God designated leader of the people of Israel when Moses died. Joshua had been proven capable and loyal to God, Moses and the people. As a result God gave him the authority and privilege of leading the nation into the promised land, something each Hebrew desperately wanted after the long wilderness journey of homelessness and previous 400 years in Egypt.

Which leads to the subject Bakocarl’s daily devotional of Sunday, November 12. Link provided below.

For me, the core lessons to understand much of this were first learned over four decades ago through participation in the Bethel Bible Series studies. The work we students put in led to a growing knowledge and understanding. That expanded our ability to see things as they were/are in the world, not how many perceive them to be. There are a number of other quality Bible studies available for folks to use in building their base of knowledge and understanding in the faith. I strongly advise picking one and doing it. The work is worth it as many of us know on here.

To get started you just need to choose this day whom you will serve because you gotta serve somebody.

Conflicts

When one chooses the Lord one realizes that what God has given is not subject to man’s laws and commands to change or take away. Attempts to do so may provide gains that will only prove temporary over time. Whatever land God gave to the people of Israel back in their day per scripture is theirs to keep and inhabit forever. There was no right of rescission, repossession or default clause in that covenant. That also meant they are not to give any away to other peoples and nations as well as to take any outside of it from same unless God commanded or decreed it. The blessing and cursing stated in the scripture applies to this among other things. Genesis 12:1-3 is a covenant, a binding and unconditional arrangement between God and Israel that extends to other nations of the earth who derive blessing or cursing. It is eternal. Choosing to ignore what is said there will not change its eternal consequences.

The people of Islam have roots in Ishmael, the son of Abram and servant, Hager. When Sarah had them booted from the family, God made a promise and provision for them in Genesis 21:12-21. From that point on they lived and wrote their own history except for the shared beliefs and representations in the Torah, also known as the Pentateuch to Christians, which is comprised of the books from Genesis through Deuteronomy. Many Islamists consider themselves family of Abram and as a result believe they are in the covenant. Ishmael was not the product of the marriage of Abram and his wife, Sarah. Sarah’s impatience for a child, before she and Abram were told by visitors (thought to be God or Jesus with two angels) to their camp that she would have one, resulted in servant, Hager, coupling with Abram at Sarah’s insistence to produce one outside the bonds of marriage. That Ishmael was illegitimate within Mosaic Law seems distorted and lost to Islamists. Children conceived outside the bonds of marriage were not accorded the same rights as those within unless the patriarch had no heirs. The whole situation and family dynamic changed with the birth of Isaac from Sarah. Sarah and Abram then realized their lack of faith in the promise had led to a very unwise act.

As stated, Ishmael and Hager were later banished from Abraham’s family, probably when Ishmael was a teenager per some theologians. He and Isaac would have grown up together for a time. We also know Ishmael and Isaac came together to jointly bury Abram at his death per scripture. We know that Esau, one son of Isaac along with Jacob, married a daughter of Ishmael. That was not to occur and was just another act of defiance in a long list by Esau that brought trouble to the family and nation. Which provided one more reason the younger son, Jacob, was the favored son of God after outwitting Esau out of his first born male child rights. He eventually took over the household and became the leader of the Hebrew people at Isaac’s death. Esau was off doing his thing with many enemies of the God of Israel and the Hebrew people in this thousands of years history of turmoil and trouble between the descendants. Malachi 1:1-5 leaves no doubt God’s position on the matter.

The pronouncement of the word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi:

“I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was Esau not Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob; but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and given his inheritance to the jackals of the wilderness.” Though Edom says, “We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins”; this is what the Lord of armies says: “They may build, but I will tear down; and people will call them the territory of wickedness, and the people with whom the Lord is indignant forever.” And your eyes will see this, and you will say, “The Lord be exalted beyond the border of Israel!”

For what it is worth the Edomites were exterminated from the earth as a genetic people. No trace of same has been found other than some of their genes surviving due to intermarriage (loosely stated, more like coupling) of peoples who left the nation of Edom before its total destruction. But the direct descendants originating from the Edom of Genesis do not exist.

So it is usually a big red flag when somebody claims to be a descendant of Edom or Esau. Maybe, like a Palestinian or such might do.

These scattered remnants of Israel hating tribes, peoples and nations originating from the grandson of Noah in the Middle East region as well as the intermingling of the gene pool descendants of Esau and Ishmael led to their collective descendants building nations who hate and oppose Israel and their God, YHWH. That is who surrounds Israel today and wants all of them dead. Blinded by hate of the fathers of fathers from thousands of years ago extending in a seemingly never ending cycle.

But it could have been a far different story, just as it could be today.

The simple answer for those opposed to Israel, starting with the Abrahamic Covenant, would have been and still is to be a blessing to Abram and the nation of Israel to receive God’s blessing as stated in Genesis 12:1-3. After all, we gentile nations and individuals only receive the promised blessing in the covenant when we do so. Sadly, that was not the case. It became even more adversarial when Muhammed took over and the Quran introduced. The Islamic peoples were completely corrupted away from the promise and provision God provided in the covenant. They claim allegiance to a false understanding of God and His Commandments, which led to their rules of order and right that are in direct conflict with those God provided. They cannot even get along amongst themselves.

None of that gives Christians and Jews the right to act in evil ways toward them in retribution. We still must live in accordance with God’s commands and decrees to receive blessing.

The evidence of this corrupted understanding is their hearts and the actions that flow from them. Not all physically act against Israel, however, virtually none come to the support of Israel when they are attacked by other Islamists. Based on scripture and the covenant they are screwed as well. Which makes what PDT and Crown Prince bin Salman of SA did interesting in the “modernization” of that nation, along with the Abraham Accords. It bears watching over time. It has eternal consequences if actually practiced.

POTUS Washington obviously understood this eternal code of our existence or he would not have included it in the first inaugural address. We would be wise to return to his view. Like the people of Israel, how many times do we Americans need to get knocked down before we realize we are not who makes the rules?

World Views Matter

I find it easier to explain this subject to folks by using approximate percentages of three large groups of people by religion or not worldwide. Breakdowns within those three large groups can then be made to get down in the weeds on details and nuances if desired. We will stay big picture with this part of the story.

The groups are Christian, Islamic and Others. Assume approximations on numbers and percentages using Pew research from 2020 for this and other references in this story. You can go to their site to confirm if desired. Assume 8 billion people on the planet (prior to current depopulation efforts), 2.4 B are Christians and another 1.9 B are Islamists. That leaves 3.7 B Others. Of the Others, 1.2 B are non-religious (broadly defined, includes Agnostic/Atheist), 1.2 B are Hindus, .5 B are Buddhists, and it drops down from there. So that indicates 30% of the world population is Christian, 24% is Islamic, and 46% collectively want the first two to quit fighting against each other so they can have their own ways about things. 😀 That is except for a small group of less than 15 million Jews, the Hebrew remnant that received the eternal blessing of the covenant of God with Abram, his family, their nation and those nations who bless them.

That small group of people has been the source of celebration and consternation since the times in Genesis. It does not really matter if one believes as a Christian, Islamist, or in the Others category that includes the non-religious. The facts are that a large segment of population in the world does believe and takes one side or the other in the God infused Biblical story. That forces the non-believing Others segment to make choices about their positions on current day Israel. Staying out of it and neutral is one of their options, which means they will go along with whatever happens. That obviously does not qualify them for a blessing if indeed, the Biblical story is true.

This Others segment is the real battleground because it is a group of people who are targets of false teaching, political posturing, evil opportunists and so forth who abound in huge numbers. The deal making and subterfuge that can severely muck things up in the world are exploited by using the Others to play for and against the Christians and Islamists. Sub groupings of people in the category are used like pawns on the chess board to sacrifice as necessary for the more worldly powerful.

Which is my primary caution for Others who read this. Don’t be taken in by those who will use you and cast you away when done. Accept that two categories comprising over half of the world’s population see the world a certain way with general valuation of Israel as loved or hated as a linchpin. If the linchpin (valuation) is pulled or destroyed, the world’s wheel falls off and unimaginable chaos will occur. We know because we see the destructive efforts of those who would wipe Israel off the face of the planet. We now know with certainty which side values life and which sides values death highly. That is a glaring, in your face clue. We see and hear them here in the halls of Congress, in the media, and throughout every leftist populated region of the country. Which is a fascinating observation since many of the Jewish people tend to hive in leftist dominated regions with the same people who want them dead. I guess they are self loathing, non-believing masochists.

I will continue to make my case that Christianity is the way to peace with God and humanity, with one of many reasons being that it believes life is sacred as provided in Genesis 1:27. However, at this point we must recognize the world is on fire and the arsonists are those who profit most from it being that way. God knows who they all are, so as a Christian I know final justice will be His to determine and administer since we all have eternal souls. Which is the problem, not everybody believes that statement and many have no inclination to control their wickedness. Others believe there is no such thing as a soul or judgment for their deeds. To Christians and Jews these people are lost or even doomed.

In the view of the Christian, the Islamist has been deceived, misled and manipulated into a corrupted belief system even though we have a common thread of history at the outset with God’s covenant with Abram. Islamists even give Jesus honor as they treat him as a prophet. However, the covenant extends first to the Hebrews, the nation of Israel, which is a people the Islamists typically detest because of the long history of both acting with animosity and outright hatred toward one another going back to the days of Ishmael. The people who profit most from this are the ones who want it to continue. As an example, is it any wonder that the leaders of the Hamas terrorist organization are reportedly multi-billionaires? Being merchants of perversion, torture, death and destruction against innocents pays well in this world. The same applies to the leaders of the drug cartels and human traffickers who lead the destructive invasion of our nation. These people profit off other people’s misery. However, it also applies to the multi billionaire globalist captains of industry and their government official lackeys who profit from the actions of the referenced. All of these toast to the misery and blood of innocents being used to bring untold riches and power while establishing charities and foundations to polish their images. Which leads to Israel being attacked when not actively participating with them.

Israel

For all of this to make even better sense, we need to identify who Israel currently is. The government of modern Israel is considered to be a parliamentary democracy. Ancient Israel was a theocracy. Modern Israel is a vassal of the currently secularly operated United States and Ancient Israel for many years was a conquered nation state of Rome among other dominant civilizations for thousands of years. Upon its re-founding as an independent nation after WW II one would think the Jewish people would return with vigor to their God. It seems over the years the opposite has happened. Again, according to PEW Research only 37% of the Jewish people believe strongly in God and 27% are fairly certain about Him. That leaves 36% in the maybe to nope category. So in ballpark estimate terms; a third hot, a third lukewam and a third cold. In that latter cold group, the interesting thing is it is comprised of two segments of Jews, one under 30 and one over 65 that are growing rapidly who do not believe in God. Hardly surprising, their history is littered with stuff like this. Jesus lamented over it as well.

They tend to stop being obedient to God and become a part of the heathen world around them. Then God removes His hedge of protection. They proceed to crash and burn. The remnant of true believers is preserved. They begin the rebuild. Rinse and repeat.

As a result, I ask you to ponder the following questions.

What happens if it turns out America was Israel’s God provided hedge of protection in the past century? What if it happened without the foreknowledge of Americans? Would that be one explanation of the unlikely success of previously unorganized groups of patriots without a standing army and navy as they were able to pull off a revolution against the world’s superpower of the time? What if America was a nation raised under God’s providence well in advance with a major purpose of providing a hedge of protection for Israel to help them survive and develop as a nation of God? What happens if America’s own hedge of protection is removed due to its own disobedience and evil doing? What if American leadership took or now takes a negative approach and curses Israel in some way(s)?

Most do not want to even go there, yet, we are there. What is happening everywhere in this country now? Debate over Israel and Hamas is raging along with protests, mobs and violence. Hezbollah is ready to engage Israel as well. Both are proxies of Islamist enemies of Israel and supported by larger world powers. What happens if China picks this time to war against Taiwan? What will America do? How will our corrupted leaders respond?

We need to understand the ramifications better for Israel. The covenant between God and Abram applies to all his descendants for eternity who do what exactly? Well, that’s the point, they have to do nothing but live in the land He gave them. God does the rest. The gentile nations have a job to do to receive God’s blessing; they have to be a blessing to Israel. In my opinion when or if America stops being a blessing to Israel it will be in a world of shiz worse than it is now. We receive the stated curse. Many end times theologians find no evidence of America’s existence in God’s Word.

Perhaps we have our answer to what we should do.

However, we are not to be Israel’s master. That role is reserved for God. So sometimes their bitter family feud with Islamists needs to remain between the two of them to resolve. God will handle and provide any discipline. He will let us know when we are to intervene as a blessing. We are to just do things in a God given way. That latter responsibility is what has been lost on many of our current crop of American leaders who have been corrupted by sin. It is my opinion that in the current world environment only MAGA can provide a path for the proper understanding and treatment of others around the world.

Christ’s death on the Cross as the final sacrifice for all is one truth every Jew should understand as a fulfillment of scripture that provides them the ultimate Passover experience. Obviously, the vast majority never have. God will handle that rejection, our role is to simply provide the information and opportunity. When Israel makes deals with the unGodly, they will rightly suffer without any contributions from us.

We started as a nation with that acknowledgement in the forefront as Washington stated. Can they see that acknowledgement of God’s will be done in us now? Many Jews still misguidedly wait for a Messiah who has long since been here and left, only to return one day to rule over them and us. They become as unfaithful as the wife (Gomer) in the book of Hosea, a book that is thought by many theologians to be a story of Israel and ends with restoration. A restoration that leads to God’s intent for all humanity.

Clean up on Aisle 7 occurs at some point.

And now you have my world view. What is yours?

Application

I have brought readers through my personal journey through the years in my stories. Until I reached my 40th birthday my journey from accepting Jesus as my personal savior at age 8 was more like a roller coaster ride. Many readers may relate. After a series of good and bad life experiences spent with one foot in heaven and the other in the world, I had all I could take. I made the conscious decision to sell out completely to Jesus and promised to never turn back. It was a bit of a shock to my family and friends, and in a good way with those who truly cared. It led to me fully understanding for the first time what being born again really means. This scene from The Chosen is the best illustration of it I have ever seen. It also ties to Moses and the people of Israel. It may be the greatest scene in a series of great scenes. Like they state for all of their shows, this is not a historical account. It is a fictional dramatization about what could have taken place based on scriptural interpretations.

Unlike Nicodemus I had no religious baggage or societal expectations to hold me back. The glory of worldly and even faith pursuits had become like dirty rags to me at that point. I was tired, worried and needing direction. After my heartfelt decision, I knew that I knew what being born again meant. My troubles began to melt away as my focus was redirected back toward Jesus. This experience led me to reading many more theological and Christian living books while of course, digging deeper into The Word. Over the course of a handful of years during that period my home library grew by over a hundred books with differing viewpoints so that I could expand my understanding and see potential pitfalls and false teaching. Many of the doctrinally sound books I gave to others to pay it forward through the years.

Needless to say I have always been a fast reader while reading every word. I will then go back and digest the parts that I felt the Lord wanted me to know more deeply, and make physical and/or mental notes. I may even pick a book with deep content and reread a year or two later. Sometimes the Holy Spirit has made it brutally clear what he wanted me to focus on as it may have reflected a past personal failure. Other times he would lead me into Aha! moments with grace and peace. Both were needed for me to be an effective teacher and mentor in church, community and family roles.

Generally He wants me to share all I learned, just at the right time, which He provides. All I have to do is pay attention and be faithful. So I wait until He reveals. Some of you have no idea you were used by Him to let me know what needed to be done in our personal lives or covered in my stories. Sometimes your words have told me it was time to tell my story. A few of you do know, you have been paying attention. Which leads to one of the greatest scriptures a believer could ever hope to read. Romans 8:28 (NKJV):

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

As a preview of the next story with a personal example; once the Lord delivered me to a place of authority in my business career after I had eaten enough humble pie, He made me aware of a book through a Christian co-worker that expressed core, Biblical values that changed things for me and others under my authority at work. The co-worker’s pastor had recommended it to his congregation a few months after its release. So I headed to the bookstore and bought it.

It is Bruce Wilkinson’s The Prayer of Jabez, a little book that was published in 2000. At that time I was unknowingly preparing for a future role as a founder and leader of a national small business lending operation. The book had begun to spread like wildfire throughout Christianity during those days. Some attempted to use it as the “name it and claim it” false teachers do. Others read and were unwilling to commit to what was required. They did not really believe what it said. Some seed, however, fell on good soil.

Conclusion

At this point I want readers to digest what has already been stated in this story before we progress to The Prayer of Jabez. There will be several more books we discuss as this series of Civilized War stories continue. I will discuss how I applied the core beliefs and principles learned in various situations as well as the results of those applications. Expect more parallel happenings and ties to our world today in the process.

Intellectually, the Bible continues to mystify critics. They can become emotionally unhinged in its discussion. However, it is logical and morally consistent with the world we witness. Archaeological digs, science and other evidence continue to prove its historical accuracy and truths. It takes us from birth to death to beyond. As a result it is rejected and dismissed as fables or worse by those who refuse to accept it and sometimes rail against it. Why? II Corinthians 4:3-4 provides the answer.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they will not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Dear, friends, do not be blinded by the god of this world. Paul is telling you there is a literal, not figurative, god of this world who deceives. We will discuss that and more down the road.

Until then, our focus shall be to choose this day…