Strong Man Of God Blog

          With thanksgiving and praise to God in my heart for the privilege as I begin to write this 400^th blog post, at the same time I am concerned for all among the unsaved and any professed Christians that have made “the holidays” their bridge of deliverance over the troubled waters of this world.  Some started working the sales, decorating and playing the music of the holidays well in advance seeking relief from what has truly been some very difficult months living through God’s Coronavirus judgment.  Many have been spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically spent during the course of this amazing and extended global display of divine displeasure not yet over!

          If all you have left as your chief coping mechanism and source of future hope is the largely secular sentimental, warm and fuzzy experience of the holiday season with memories of times past, food, family, friends, parties, trees, obligatory church attendance, helping others, cheery store music (missing from online shopping), gift buying and receiving etc., these (as many no doubt, have already discovered) are not sufficient!  Neither are the largely manufactured and forced love, joy and peace of the season produced with teeth gritting effort.  As a gracious word of encouragement from the Lord, the surpassingly greater means to cope with hope during the times is found in relationship with Him! 

          For those who do truly intimately know the Lord, Christmas in particular of the holidays is only the focused high point of daily celebration of the real history making event that has changed our lives forever!  That is, the foretold first coming of “the Son of God,” “Immanuel” and “Jesus,” into this world as that virgin born “Child” to save us from our sins (Isaiah 7:10-14, 49:1-6; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38, 2:1-20, NKJV).  This He did after He had grown up when as foretold, He died on the cross for our sins as our Substitute, was buried and on the third day rose again (Isaiah 53; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11).  Then, He ascended back to Heaven to await His return (Luke 24:44-53).

          In the meantime, as He promised, all who repent of their sins and believe God’s message of grace in the Gospel of His Son, are forgiven, “born again” and receive eternal life (John 3:1-8, NKJV).  This eternal life is nothing short of the very life of God!  Core to His life is love which is fully displayed in sending His Son into this world to save us from our sins (John 3:16-17; Romans 5:6-8; 1 John 3:4-11).  The Lord Jesus also loves us redeemed out of this world by His sacrifice and wills that we experience it with His joy (John 15:9-11, 16:16-24, 17:13).  Peace is another core attribute of the divine nature and eternal life of Christ He wills for us to possess too (John 14:27, 16:33).

          God’s born again children do not have to wait until any quickly passing holiday to experience His love, joy and peace nor do we have to work them up in ourselves.  We bask in His love, joy and peace displayed at and after His Son’s birth we celebrate at Christmas as well as in and through us daily by the Holy Spirit!  These are of the “fruit” of His presence in us (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:8-10, NKJV).  What goes on in the world does not undermine the Lord’s love, joy and peace in us unless we permit this through unbelief or other sin.  Bible prophecy makes it clear things are not going to get better before the glorious Second Coming of Jesus Christ, but worse (Daniel 9:26c; Luke 21:25-28).  Now, is the time to enter relationship with Him (2 Corinthians 5:17-6:2)!

(Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year as you walk by faith in Immanuel!  He willing, my next post will appear Sunday evening, January 9, 2022.)

          The binding tie of addiction Satan uses to bind men up is especially effective and devastating in helping him plunder their lives, families and communities.  While this tie has varying degrees of strength and impact, at whatever degree it is ruinous and without being delivered, many work their own destruction leading to death in some manner every day.  As a former captive of addiction bound by drug and alcohol abuse, I write with great empathy for those that are now, bound to commend my Lord Jesus Christ to you as the way to complete deliverance and permanent freedom.  Indeed, I have been free from cigarettes my last drug of choice 36 years; other drugs and alcohol over 42 years!¹

          According to Bible prophecy, drug abuse with the accompanying tie of addiction is going to be an issue in the world until the Lord returns.  Of the deeds men will refuse to repent of in the face of severe divine warning judgments and preliminary displays of wrath is their sorceries (Revelation 9:13-21, 16:10-11).  Sorcery is not only associated with witchcraft, but the admixture of chemicals of various kinds to achieve an altered state of mind (which illicit and many legal drugs can also do) during or in performing it with the aid of demons.  Indeed, many Bible students have duly noted how sorcery in the Greek language is “pharmakeia” from which we get our English word, “pharmacy.”²

          One reason drugs and alcohol will continue to be widely used and abused in these latter days is because of their false value as a means to cope with the unprecedented stresses of reality (such as what many have felt dealing with God’s Coronavirus judgment), political instability, intensifying lawlessness, murders, economic upheaval, hardships created by the quickly moving times along with afflictions and widespread death (Isaiah 24:7-13; Revelation 6:1-8).³  However, producing more powerful prescription drugs, legalizing those that are or were once illicit such as marijuana as a gateway drug that leads to those more addictive or making alcohol plentiful are not the right solutions.

          Repentance and faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ as I am a witness is the healthy right answer for everyone!  For He not only releases those captive to addiction through drugs and alcohol (or whatever), but walking by faith in Him, those set free are able to enjoy the fullness of His love, peace and eternal life in themselves and effectively cope in this turbulent world under approaching divine wrath (John 7:37-39, 10:10, 14:15-27, 16:33; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17)!  Satan’s aim with every tie he uses to bind men is to destroy us, our families and communities as I point out in our second Strong Man Of God Online Rally.⁴  Christ though, came to set us free from all satanic ties beginning with sin and make us eternally strong in Him.⁵

1 Read Part Four of the Releasing The Strong Man Commentary where by way of testimony I discuss the origins of my drug and alcohol abuse also cited in the footnotes of
   the February 17, 2019 post, Surrendering All To Jesus, under the category, Glory To God! 

2 Use  your  favorite  search  engine  to  verify  what  I have written and delve deeper into the word.  Knowing what I know spiritually and from my former drug abuse experi-
   ences,  I have limited my acceptance of legal and safe prescription drugs offered by doctors and those from over the counter to only what is absolutely necessary.  For ex-
   ample, rather than pills to treat high blood pressure, the Lord has helped me be free of it through a healthier low salt diet, exercise and walking.

3 What started out as teenage exploration and recreational “fun” became young adult addiction as I found myself needing these items to help me cope better--I thought--with
   life and its troubles.  It was and is a lie!

4 View the rally and subscribe to the channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o13NjNpNexg.

5 Learn  about  becoming  a strong man of God in Christ’s image in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics along with companion works The Strong Man Of God
   Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study at your favorite internet book seller and in the Strong Man Store.