“I will turn the darkness before them into the Light!”
A moth was sleeping on my front door last week. For whatever reason, it landed horizontally to the key lock which in my coming and going, I would have to slightly touch it as I locked or unlocked my door.
It was the first thing that I encountered while leaving to workout last Monday. It stayed in this position for two days, never moving at all. I marveled at its beauty while I was deeply impressed at the moth’s willingness to place itself in danger of being killed by doing what it was innately created for. While most moths are nocturnal, this one perhaps is diurnal [of the day], or perhaps it is crepuscular [ flying during the dust or dawn].
This matter of the contrast between the night; day, darkness, and light led me to think about our innate spiritual blindness and direction if not purpose in our human travel on earth. The Scripture reference that came to mind spiritually depicted this wonderful encounter with this moth was:
And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into the light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them. Isaiah 42:16
The Father of Light
At issue with all of God’s promises that He makes on behalf of the Body of Christ is that this on-going intimate spiritual relationship is based upon a mutual covenant agreement. God does His part and the redeemed of God must fulfill our part of the partnership as His representatives on earth.
“Father of lights” in James 1:17 communicates the idea that God is the author of all that is not darkness. There is no sin or transgression in Him. Everything represented by light is exemplified by God. Integrity, loyalty, honor, glory, wisdom, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), compassion, and love are all qualities of God and examples of spiritual “light. [glean from https://www.gotquestions.org/Father-of-lights.html
The objective of this blog post is to disclose to you what other spiritual truths and very dark hidden realities that God communicated to me during this very interesting week.
America’s standing before the World
Throughout last week, during my meditation and Scripture readings of Psalms, which communicated about those among us who are suffering, those who are poor and helpless.
The more passages of Scripture that God revealed to me, the more I begin to question what are some of the reasons that America has so many people living in darkness suffering, and just how do we compare internationally as a country caring for our own?
How blessed are they who considers the afflictions of the helpless; that he may have mercy on him. When disaster; tragedy, catastrophe comes, the Lord our God will save; salvage, rescue, deliver them. Psalm 41
The mighty God of all Israel will preserve; keep, watch him, and keep him alive and he will be blessed while traveling straight; to go on, advancing on all the land and upon the earth. Psalm 41:2
Yahweh will strengthen; support, sustain, to stay him upon and above his sickbed of illness; whether loathsome or sorrowful, all the whole place of lying, or resting place, overturn you make them my Lord to recover. Psalm 41:3
I said; utter, declare, gave the order, Yahweh be merciful; be gracious, show favor, pity on me. Heal; make healthful and free my soul from distress for I have sinned. I have missed the way; I have traveled the wrong way while incurring guilt and I have forfeit purity against You! Psalm 41:4
By day Adonai will give charge His loving-kindness, and at night His song is with me as a prayer to the God of my life. Psalm 42:8
Whosoever offers thanksgiving as your vows and sacrifice to God, honors the Lord. Call on Me as you go the right way, even when you are in trouble I will deliver you and show you the salvation of God. Psalm 50:14, 23
Using the above definition of God’s spiritual light of integrity, loyalty, honor, glory, wisdom, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), compassion, and love, America is living in its darkest era placing itself in a dangerous moral crisis.
According to Premier Offshore, America only leads the world in three categories.
- The number of incarcerated citizens per capita. [Privately owned Prison Industrial Complex]
- The number of adults who believe angels are real. [Angelology]
- Defense spending. [Militarism and the Military-Industrial Complex]
To my surprise, America also leads the world in people giving up their citizenship as a means of avoiding paying US taxes while living abroad. This is called the Expatriation Phenomenon.
America is 13th in quality of life [healthiness, family life, community life, material well-being, political stability and security, climate and geography, job security, political freedom.
The US is 49th in the world in overall life expectancy; 25th in the world in education for our kids, 13th in the world in starting a business, 47th in the world in press freedom, 10th in the world in economic freedom, 11th in the world as the happiest county, 21st in the world in freedom from corruption, 169th out of 216 countries GDP growth rate, 102 out of 200 countries with unemployment, and lastly the US is 192nd in net trade of good and services, with America’s budget deficit is dead last. [source, Premier Offshore]
Nevertheless, those who live in America during this year, according to the National Alliance to end Homelessness:
-51 million Americans are unemployed; 567,715 (17 out of every 10,000 people in the US were experiencing homelessness since January 2019.
-41 million live in poverty in the US. with the average income of $25,000 per year for a family of four. 37 million people in the US struggled with hunger, including 11 million children. [source: Feeding America: Hunger in America]
-27 million American are uninsured, while at present, Covid-19 deaths are over 182 thousand, with 5.93 million cases [source: Covid-19 Alert]
Go and Tell this People
Human beings are innately created to be God’s image-bearers throughout the world. Through the Lord our God, we are the very “Light” in this world by living and proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.
When Jesus says (Mark 4:22), “For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light;” He’s saying the whole point of His teaching about the kingdom of God is for the disciples to disclose it to others and bring it to light in their lives and in the world. That’s their purpose and ours – we’re to share what we’ve been given.
In verse 24, the implication is the more carefully we give attention to the Word, the more we’ll hear, notice, perceive, and understand. “Use it or lose it” applies not just to our muscles and our mind, but to matters of the Spirit. The way we focus and pay attention to spiritual teaching makes a difference in our capacity to hear it the next time.
Historically the Gospel message has been proclaimed in America in the 16th and 17th centuries. Initially by the Spanish [Roman Catholics in St. Augustine, Florida], in 1565. Later the formation of the Thirteen Colonies came about via the Protestant settlers from the Church of England (est. 1534).
Four hundred and fifty-five years later, has the Gospel of the Kingdom of God been taken away from America? Have we lost God’s favor in the mishandling of the Great Commission?
Jesus as our King, Prophet, and Priest disclosed to the Twelve after traveling from town to town proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God that only one out of four hearts will be able to produce spiritual light/and or fruits for the His Kingdom. This truth was given to the disciples after they asked the Master to explain the Parable of the Sower.
The diagnosis of America’s spiritual condition very well may be disclosed in these words of the Master in verse 9-10 of Luke. His talmidim [faithful follower], to you it has been given to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God; but the rest are taught in parables, so that they may look but not see, and listen but not understand.
The latter quote by our Prophet/Priest, Christ Jesus is a powerful reference from Isaiah 6:9. While Isaiah was “caught up” in the spiritual presence of God, he was purified by one of the [s’rafim-seraphim], an angelic being when he heard the voice of God saying: “Whom should I send? Who will go for us?”
Isaiah answered, “I am here, send me! He said, “Go and tell these people: ‘Yes, [America] you hear, but you don’t understand. You certainly see, but you don’t get the point!”
“Make the heart of these people [sluggish with] fat, stop up their ears, and shut their eyes. Otherwise, seeing with their eyes, and hearing with their ears, then understanding with their hearts, they might repent and be healed! [See Psalms 50:1-23]
As the theologian William Neil noted, “Our conscience becomes blunted, our vision of God is dimmed, our sympathies atrophy, our love grows cold. This is not something that God inflicts upon us. We inflict it on ourselves. Jesus offers us a choice – the way of life or the way of death. It is not a choice that we have to make once and for all. It is a choice we have to make every day of our lives as we respond, or fail to respond, to the challenge of the gospel.” William Neil, The Difficult Sayings of Jesus, pages 44-45.
Closing remarks
These are the most important practical spiritual responsibilities that this blog offers to the Master’s called-out disciples:
- Remain a faithful witness and Godly image-bearer in the earth wherever the Word of God leads you.
- Maintain a sincere heartfelt spirit of repentance before the Living God and toward your neighbors.
- Keep your covenant relationship with God in perfect standing. Honoring your vows to Him while daily committing your life as a living sacrifice as your reasonable form of worship.
I deeply challenge each of you to do your analysis of America’s international standing. I also implore you to inquire about the major differences between professing the faith and being a life-long practitioner of the Faith.
If you feel that I have been very harsh or perhaps “non-American” in my presentation of factual data concerning American status and present condition, please consider what Isaiah 6:11-13 revealed!
Isaiah asked God how long should he go out into the vineyard proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God?
“Until cities become uninhabited ruins, houses without human presence, the land utterly wasted; until Adonai drives the people far away, and the land is one vast desolation. If even a tenth [of the people] remain, it will again be devoured.”
