It’s hard not to juxtapose the two incidents in the Wisconsin towns of Kenosha and Waukesha. I appreciate the Epoch Times attempt at honest journalism. Here is one of their reports on the man responsible for the Christmas parade massacre……
It is also hard, to then not juxtapose, the title to my recent blog post, “The Cost of Nobility” describing those who are seeking to spiral upwards, with a title “The Price of Ignobility” describing the suffering of those who get in the way of the ones who are spiraling downwards.
Noble means “High”. Ignoble means “Low”. It is our higher brain function that distinguishes us as human beings. The lower brain also called the reptilian brain is concern with basic appetites and instincts. It would seem that ‘the serpent’ in the garden was wanting to reduce us to his state, whereas Christ came to teach us what it was to be truly ‘human’ and to make a way so that we might become fully like him as, “son of God, and son of man”
…and the names keep speaking.
As I pondered the name of the Waukesha driver, “Brooks” I thought of the story of Gideon’s army in Judges 7, and how they were tested by the way in which they drank water from a ‘river’ called ‘trembling’ (‘Harod’)
Gideon began with 30,000 troops, but the Lord instructed him to reduce that number lest they boast that their own strength had saved them. Subsequently, 22,000 fearful soldiers, afraid of death, were dismissed.
The remainder were further whittled down to the necessary 300 by another test, as they took a drink of water.
The majority simply stuck their heads into the water, and took in, without discerning, everything that was in the water. Those who cupped their hands looked first to ensure they were not imbibing something harmful….
(Continuing the toilet bowl theme from last week)
….like raw sewage!
Considering these ‘cuppers’ numbered 1 in 27 of the remaining soldiers, once again fear may have been an element in the test. This time the ‘fear of man’ rather than the ‘fear of death‘ became a filter, as the ‘odd man out’ did not bow to peer pressure but determined to cup his hands in order to drink wisely.
Englishman, Philip Johnston writing in the “Telegraph” a few days ago a piece entitled, “Masks aren’t a minor inconvenience. They’re dehumanizing and controlling” confessed,
“I have succumbed. On the train to work yesterday I wore a mask for the first time since the prematurely designated “Freedom Day” back in July. Since then, we had been advised to continue covering our faces on public transport; but since it was no longer mandated by law I declined to do so, along with many others.
“By last week, roughly half the passengers with whom I commuted were maskless.
Yesterday, I would judge that about 98 per cent of them wore coverings. A few refuseniks, selfishly reckless or courageous, depending on your point of view, remained bare faced.”
In Gideon’s army it was 99% who ended up disqualifying themselves because of a lack of courage or a lack of discernment.
The 1% went on to win a battle….. on behalf of all the people.
I believe in the future many of that minority group who have been lambasted as ‘cranks’, ‘weirdos’ and ‘conspiracy theorists’ will in the end be hailed as heros of humanity.
I have on a few occasions deliberately written Main Sewer Media. The Mainstream is a sewer containing all sorts of defiling material that the undiscerning, naively take in.
The TPT renders Proverbs 25:26, “When a lover of God gives in and compromises with wickedness, it can be compared to CONTAMINATNG A STREAM WITH SEWAGE or polluting a fountain.”
The result of that stream contaminated with sewage, vividly pictured in verse 28, is eerily reminiscent of the scene of the devastated Christmas parade in Waukesha, “If you live without restraint and are unable to control your temper, you’re as helpless as a city with broken down defenses, open to attack.”
I wonder how much Main Sewer ‘brainwashing‘, had a part to play in brutalizing the ‘city’ called Darrell Brooks who in turn devastated the lives of dozens of families?
Proverbs 16:4 says, “The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil” and in Is. 45:5, God says, ‘I create evil’
But why would God create such a thing?
Could one reason be that we might learn to juxtapose, EVIL and GOOD, that we might become ‘mature’ as those “who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish GOOD from EVIL.” (Heb. 5:14)?
The reporting of these two incidents by the Main Sewer – when compared against the facts of both cases (which I will leave you to discover outside of the Main Sewer) illustrates vividly that we live in a day
“When wrong is called right and right is called wrong.”***
…….When a victim is called the villain and the villain is called a victim.
This is to be expected from the “prince of the power of the air” (WAVES) who is ‘the father of lies’
I have found, often through people I know and trust, more reliable sources of truth. Occasionally I do dip back into the Main Sewer to see if anything has changed, so the other night I clicked on BBC. As I read the ‘swan song’ of their departing US correspondent, there was no surprise as I sniffed out a few pieces of B.S. about our country of adoption, before pulling my head out of the BBC river!
The bad taste this left in my mouth stood in contrast to the pleasure from 55 years ago, of listening each Sunday morning to the familiar voice of Alastair Cooke reading his informative and amusing ‘Letter from America’,
I wondered. “Is it me or the Beeb that has changed?”
Likely both.
The other night we had occasion to get out and read aloud some prophetic words we had received from the prophet, Bob Jones over thirty years ago.
He had said to Hilary,
“You’ve got a gift like I’ve got! You can smell the working of the devil. You can smell him. You got a nose that can smell him right out. Man you got a high level of discernment in you. It flows beautifully through you…….”
A young man who had joined us for dinner started to laugh heartily. He had lived with for a time a number of years ago.
“Bob was so right!” The young man chuckled. “When I lived here I couldn’t get away with anything. Hilary, you are one powerful B.S. detector!”
Today more than ever, this is the gift of the Spirit we should all ‘covet’
There is however another river that we can juxtapose with this polluted ‘Stream’ and choose to drink from. The TPT translates it in Psalm 1 as, “the brooks of bliss”
I was given a song about it a number of years ago called, “There is a River”.
It is more relevant now than ever. I would invite you to sing/say it with me as an encouraging affirmation of God’s purposes and a prayer toward that end, that we now with the eye of faith see being wonderfully outworked in these days!
The song is on the CD The Trek. It is also available on Spotify and other digital streaming platforms…..
1.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of our God.
A river of history flowing now from His throne above
All the kings and rulers who would not condescend
Now see they were just servants of this kingdom without end.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of our God
A river of destiny flowing now from His throne above.
Saints throughout the ages who loved him unto death
Are one with us who walk below, we breath this single breath.
Flow river flow into a mighty sea
Flow river flow setting the captives free
Flow river flow, soon all the world will see
This river of God, this river of man’s history
This river of God, this river is our destiny
2.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of our God
A river of love that’s flowing now from his throne above
Even the foulest sinner is covered by his blood
So join me as I run and dive into redemption’s flood.
Flow river flow, into a mighty sea
Flow river flow, setting the captives free
Flow river flow, soon all the world will see
This river of God, this river of love to you and me
This river of God, this river of grace and mercy
3.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of our God
A river of glory flowing now from His throne above
All creation’s straining on tiptoe just to see
The sons of God come into their own, what a sight that’s gonna be!
Flow river flow, into a mighty sea
Flow river flow, setting the captives free
Flow river flow, soon all the world will see
This river of God, this river – shekinah glory
This river of God, this river flows out through you and me
Interestingly when I did a Duck Duck Go search to find the above picture to illustrate this blog it turned up a photo from the city of Two Rivers which we drove through a few years ago…..guess where?
……Yes. Wisconsin!!
*** From All Will Be Well