Saturday, April 26, 2014

First the Bad News, Then the Good...



Let's get the bad news out of the way first, although there are multitudes who believe it is good news.


Not being American, but having been sent here by the Lord, He obviously expects me to be aware of what is going on not only globally, but particularly in the country to which He sent me.  

Words of Wisdom


Akita mani yo” is a Lakota proverb that I not only speak often, but have also used several times in articles over the past seven years – as a reminder to tread carefully. 

 Akita mani yo (pronounced ah kee tah ma nee yo) means: “Observe everything as you walk”.   
 
Jesus (my Y’shua) warned: Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”  

Behold – the original word is idou in Greek and hinneh in Hebrew

Cognate: 2400 idoú (a demonstrative particle, used chiefly in the LXX for hinnēh; "properly, the imperative, the aorist middle of eidon/horáō, to see," Abbott-Smith, BAGD) – behold, which especially calls attention to what follows from it; pay careful attention; take notice.

The serpent protects its head, perceives danger quickly (discernment, prudent) and escapes it with rapidity. Discernment detects with the eyes, as well as with the other senses, yet to discern is not only visual, but also perceives or detects motives and character. Snakes are not typically prone to attack or aggressive, unless threatened. They are shrewd or wary, staying very still in the face of danger and prefer to escape among rocks or surrounding vegetation. 

Doves are known for their gentleness and are considered harmless, inoffensive or innocent. They do not provoke nor do they inflict injury.  They are calm, sweet and peaceful. Unlike snakes, they do not bite in defense, but flee. They are not considered wise (ever watch them build a nest? Last year, a dove built a nest in a nearby tree on my property, but it was not secure. The first strong wind that blew knocked the nest to the ground and destroyed the eggs.)

So, we are to perceive or detect danger and avoid it, whilst at the same time, we are not to provoke, inflict injury or attack in defense. We are to be wise (prudent) and harmless (innocent). Behold means to pay attention, to see. Some synonyms for ‘see’ are: detect, identify, view, watch, witness, notice and observe.

Behold, I send you out as sheep amidst wolves.  Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  [Akita mani yo (observe everything as you walk)].

State of Georgia’s Newest Law


Last Wednesday, April 23rd, 2014 at noon in the ETC Pavilion on the Coosawattee River, Georgia, during a special ceremony, Governor Nathan Deal signed one of the most permissive legislation into law. It is the most tolerant and expanded state gun law in the nation. House Bill 60 was passed, with Georgia Carry, a gun rights group, being the first to post the news online before the event.  


A licensed gun owner can now carry a gun into bars, churches, schools and government buildings (if no certain security measures). Of course, the churches and schools are allowed certain liberties. Leaders in churches can decide if they permit a licensed person to bring a gun into the building, and school districts can choose to allow employees to carry a firearm. 
 
Some establishments that serve alcoholic beverages do not think it is good for patrons to carry weapons, as alcohol and guns ‘don’t mix well’; however, it is almost unanimous that owners or managers should be allowed to carry weapons, as well as decide if patrons can.

Buddy Lichty, the Chief Operating Officer and owner of Shooters Indoor Range and Gun Shop in Augusta made the following public statements about licensed gun owners to carry weapons into churches, schools, bars and government establishments (prior to the signing of Bill 60). 
 

 "I think it's a good idea; however, just like any business they have the right to opt out, so just because this may become law doesn't mean that all of those facilities are all of the sudden eligible to carry in those buildings. For the public buildings like that, it's a deterrent, where you have concealed carry crime rates are down, that's a proven statistic."

The Safe Carry Protection Act (HB 60) passed the Georgia house with votes coming in at 119 to 56, and the measure was passed by the State Senate in March.  
Sources:  Breitbart and Atlanta Report

According to a NBC News report, congresswoman Gabby Giffords of Arizona and Frank Rotondo, the executive director of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police made the following statements regarding the legislation.

“Americans for Responsible Solutions, the group co-founded by former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords, has called the legislation “the most extreme gun bill in America,” and mounted an aggressive campaign against it. So have other gun-control organizations, including Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the group started by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Frank Rotondo, the executive director of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, has blasted the law. "Police officers do not want more people carrying guns on the street,” said Rotondo, “particularly police officers in inner city areas." 

click on any picture to enlarge

But Georgia state Rep. Rick Jasperse (R.-Jasper), who introduced the bill, insisted that it was not “extreme,” adding that it was simply about restoring Second Amendment rights and allowing licensed gun owners to carry their weapons in more places.

"When we limit a Georgian's ability to carry a weapon -- to defend themselves -- we're empowering the bad guys," Jasperse said.
(end quotes from NBC News)

The law takes effect on the first of July, 2014.

Reverse Psychology? 


Even before the Sandy Hook school incident, the United States has been inundated with a push to take guns away from the American people.  Now, at least in the state of Georgia, the governor Nathan Deal has gone in the other direction.  How long will it take for other states to follow suit?

Since when does any government relent and say, “Well, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em?”  This new gun law, which takes effect in a little more than nine (9) weeks, opposes all that President Obama has been endeavoring to accomplish since his takeover in office. Is Gov. Deal opposing Obama or is he simply the first to agree to try a different strategy against the American people?  One has to wonder…

Shootings

Since 1980, there have been 137 fatal shootings that have taken place in the United States.  The most notorious incidents have been Columbine High in Littleton, Colorado 1999, with 13 killed, followed by Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia 2007, with 32 killed and Sandy Hook Elementary, Newton, Connecticut 2012, with 27 being reported murdered, which included the perpetrator.  

The last shooting (Sandy Hook) is the first and only shooting where great debate still carries on over whether anyone was actually killed or not. It is also the shooting that brought about the most insistence and media coverage on gun control from the President.

Amish Shooting


The shooting that took place in a one-room schoolhouse in the Amish Community on October 2, 2006 made history as people around the world were stunned by the immediate forgiveness that was extended by the Amish toward not only the deceased shooter (suicide), but also to his widow and children.

                             

Ten children were shot, with five succumbing to their injuries.  Two (ages 7 and 13) died on the scene; one (age 12) was announced dead on arrival and two (ages 7 and 8) died the next day.  The remaining five, ages 6-13 were all hospitalized.


The old school was torn down, with the new one being located a short distance away. Details here


Church Shootings

From 1999 until December 2013 (14 year period), there were 768 DFI’s (Deadly Force Incidents) record, with 472 killed, and 769 aggressors.  The denomination with the most deaths was Baptist, with 170 deaths, followed by Non-denominational accounting for 158 of the deaths. For a detailed breakdown, see Ministry Violence Statistics.  The statistics also include suspicious deaths at churches or ministries in the United States.

There is no breakdown of statistics for shootings in bars/nightclubs or other government building sites, but it is well-known that it has been a problem for decades, which brings me to my point.

Is this new bill (which includes Stand Your Ground for felons) to further bring a divide amongst the people? The internet is sizzling with angry rhetoric and commentary from both sides of the fence – those who oppose the new law versus those who condone and welcome it. 

Back in March, 2014, a New York Times editorial by ‘The Editorial Board’ on their Opinion Pages wrote a heavy-handed article regarding the Stand Your Ground law in Florida.

“In Georgia, for instance, a pernicious bill approved by the House authorizes an array of dangerous laissez-faire gun provisions. One would allow convicted felons who kill someone with an illegally possessed gun to seek justification under the state’s Stand Your Ground law. A second would allow concealed guns on college campuses, despite the opposition of 78 percent of polled Georgians.

In Florida, meanwhile, despite mounting incidents of vigilante justice, the Legislature not only defends the Stand Your Ground provision that was involved in the notorious shooting of the unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, but it is actively considering other risky measures.

One would allow schoolteachers to pack firearms in class. Another, an amendment to the Stand Your Ground law, would give legal protection to Floridians who fire warning shots in the name of self-defense — a reaction to a domestic-dispute case in which a wife faces heavy prison time for firing at, and missing, her husband. The latter is just the latest in Florida’s steady stream of aberrational gun cases that have surfaced since the law was enacted in 2005, leading 21 other states to do the same.”    NYTimes article

Those who live in or near College Park in Fulton County (Atlanta metropolitan area) are rejoicing about the new law, with many claiming to be victims (some more than once) who live in the crime-infested area. Others are claiming that the ‘Stand Your Ground’ will endanger police whilst others critically state that it will give the police further liberty in their ‘shoot first and ask questions later’ modus operandi.


Even without the politics, the anger and disgruntled state of the people has become increasingly evident. No matter which side one takes, there is a ‘great divide’ in the country.

The Lord is Faithful to Forewarn Always

On November 7, 2012, after the re-election of President Obama, the Lord warned of great trouble coming and how it would increase.  The Lord said: 

Now it begins…brace yourselves for great evil. Nothing happens that I do not allow. I set kings up, I build and I pluck down.”  

    Then said Pilate unto Him, Speak You not unto me? know You not that I have power to crucify You, and have power to release You?

Jesus answered, You could have no power at all against Me, except it were given you from above: therefore he that delivers Me unto you has the greater sin.  [Jn 19:10, 11]


The Sandy Hook incident was five weeks and two days later.  The Lord further stated: “There is a great divide amongst the people and anger and rebellion is stirred up as a troubled hornet’s nest. The divide shall also be upon the land - it will be a great divide. 

There are plots against the ‘king’ to 'take him down', for many see his disloyalty to Israel, and many feel he has betrayed their country (United States). Plans to take him down will seemingly be successful, but shall be overturned when least expected.”

In my spirit, which I recorded in the same post, I wrote: Yesterday morning, I awoke and heard, “The west shall be in great pain; they will be greatly hurt. The backbone of America is broken; it is severely fractured."

I asked a friend what the ‘backbone of America’ was, since I am not American. (I never said in the original post, but they did not know. It is unimaginable to them since USA is such a great country. BP)

In the post, I toss around what the ‘backbone of America’ could be, such as economy, but also I had wondered if the ‘great divide’ could pertain “to the Continental Divide, which involves the watersheds of Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, or whether the divide (backbone) is the New Madrid, which would split the country basically in half.” 

Then I wondered if it was the Union (uniting of all the states) and if it was the backbone (United States) and if it meant civil war. I still believe civil war (resistance or revolution) is brewing – the Bundy Ranch scenario has many watching and has involved militias and other devoted patriots.

My people have been pressing in and abiding. I have heard your prayers. Do not walk in fear, walk in confidence knowing that I AM God. I am the Creator of all the earth. Despite the doubts of many, My Sovereignty (power, authority) rules over all the earth.

Now come the days of great woes, great sorrow, yet also come the great blessings that many have patiently waited for. O America, America…O Jerusalem, Jerusalem… I would have gathered you under My wing, but you would not.  Original post  (sadly, the original post from 2012 is lost)

One thing I have tried to explain to people, or perhaps remind them of (and yes, sometimes I need the same reminding) that the Lord is amazing in how He forewarns. Yet, in today’s ‘instantaneous’ society, we tend to think prophetic words we read speak of ‘immediately’ (or within that month or year). 
I know at one time I did, until the Lord explained to me that His 'soon' is not 'my soon' (just as His thoughts and ways are not as our thoughts and ways [Is 55:8,9])

The Lord always gives fair warning. We, as believers, still await certain prophecies to manifest that are in the Holy Scriptures, do we not? The Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever. [Heb 13:8] We must keep these things in mind.

It is So

Just as the Lord said, there already is a great divide in the land, but it is deepening as we come closer and closer to the great tribulation, which will affect all nations, all peoples, all tongues upon this earth. However, this continent has been given over to idolatry and every abomination spoken of in the Word of God. 

All great kingdoms in the past have been shaken, fallen and some completely destroyed.  All is in the hands of our Sovereign God.  Hold fast to our King, the Author and Finisher of our faith.  And we continue to pray and do His will…

Now the Good News

Remember the scripture I quoted some days back?

I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.  [Ps 118:17]

It seems that a nasty flu has been/is circulating in this part of Georgia and in other states also, according to reports. The other day, my ride [taxi driver] stated that he and his wife were both very sick and had to get hydrocortisone and antibiotics. 

[Note*: Much to my embarrassment, it was NOT "hydrocortisone" that the driver was treated with, along with antibiotics. It was "hydroxychloroquine" - shake my head. Feeling a tad like a doofus: ("foolish person" is one of the 'kinder' definitions) lol. My apologies. [End note - BP2023Feb])

He described it perfectly (he is Arabic, from Iraq – a kind gentleman; simply stating a fact).  He said it is like a snake grabs the throat and squeezes. It does not hurt, but the passageway seems restricted, causing one to gasp for breath. Also the heaviness on the chest is as though someone had a heavy foot upon it. 

Strange type of flu, but it does also include fever, chills, body aches, nausea, dry cough and fatigue. My landlord stated that he had the same bug last week and also corrected it with antibiotics.

Last week, I sent out a prayer request to two brothers in Christ, as I just wanted the enemy to have to face the male warriors. Both prayed.  Several hours after one brother prayed, I awoke feeling fantastic.  Breathing seemed fine, chills and fever dissipated, aches were gone.  Only a runny nose and dry cough remained.

As stated in my last post, it did not last long and it returned in full force.  When I went to lay down the day before yesterday, I had to immediately sit back up, gasping for breath.  

I began to speak the Word, but even that was laborious, and a cry of ‘Jesus!...’  No sooner was the name above all names out of my mouth than the grip on my throat seemed released and I was able to lay down, quickly falling asleep. What confusion the enemy brings and what nasty things he has released into the atmosphere.

The devil is playing for keeps.


But our Sovereign God does not play games.  He is the victor!   


A sister in Christ (thank you Sue) had antibiotics mailed to me and they arrived yesterday.  The Lord had already begun to break up the phlegm, which results in constantly emptying the nasal passages and coughing and ridding the body of what comes up. Whether it is pneumonia or the flu, only God knows, but the chest/breathing restrictions were similar to past experience with pneumonia.

I am believing for the healing of my lungs from years of smoking, but also from scar tissue from years of chronic bronchitis/asthma, bouts of pneumonia and double pneumonia is something that is a reality with me. God is doing a healing and further testimony will follow later, but for now, I must go through this storm.

There are times healing is instantaneous and other times, it is progressive. This came right after the Lord brought me out from a month of hopelessness and shaky faith in who I am in Him. Do you see the beauty of how the Lord performs Romans 8:28?

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

You see, this illness brought me to a place where I would either go through with the faith He had given me (and stretched), or I could go back into that pit of hopelessness, giving into the devil’s ploys and strikes.  Never underestimate or try to figure out God's ways. He is far above us in His ways and wisdom and far beyond our scope of comprehension.


We pray for increased faith, but are we ready to receive it any way the Lord sees fit as the most beneficial and long-lasting? We ask for strength to endure. Are we willing to face any and all testing? God is awesome and worthy of all blessing, honor, praise and glory! He continues to amaze me. The more I get to know Him, the more I realize that I barely know Him at all. He is just so vast! I love Him, truly love Him because He first loved me.

I still cannot walk far before I am winded, and I still tire and need to rest, as my full strength is not returned, but what an improvement!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Glory to the Great Spirit Chief! Worthy, worthy, worthy!


Prayers of the righteous are liquid gold and I truly thank all of you who stood in the gap and who are still praying. Thank you from the deepest chambers of my heart! Oh, how the Father honored your sacrificial prayers – truly I am grateful! Faithful is our Creator. We need not fear, even in our suffering, He is with us and will see us through. We can trust Him – He is trustworthy.

I lift the name of Jesus Christ high, for by His stripes, I am healed. I believe; therefore, I speak. Behold the glorious King! Worthy – holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty!

We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; [2Cor4:13]

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.  [Ps 29:2]

Upcoming Program on Warriors of Endurance

BTRadio – Warriors of Endurance presents ‘Having Faith that Will Endure the Trials and Tribulations’

Wednesday, April 30, 2014 – 7:00 pm EDT (6:00 pm Central – 4:00 pm Pacific)

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ (Note* I no longer do the BlogTalk radio program BP2015)

Special guest, sister Sue, will be sharing a message that has been burning in her heart for years about faith.  She will also be giving testimony to the faithfulness of God in her own life.


We all believe we have the kind of faith that will move mountains, if we have to – then the testing comes. Can we truly be as the forerunners of faith such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samson, Daniel, David and other warriors of faith?
We have faith in Jesus, but oh, to have the faith of Jesus/Y'shua!

Lord willing, this program will proceed as scheduled. Sue would like to accept calls from listeners if you have any questions or would like prayer, during the last half hour of the program, which would be 8:30 pm EDT, 7:30 pm Central or 5:30 Pacific.

The call-in number for the Warriors of Endurance radio program is:
 (347) 945-6708

You will be asked if you want to speak to the host (some people just call in to listen live). To be put in the queue, and so that we know in the studio that you wish to speak on air, just hit the number 1 (one) when prompted to do so. You will be informed that you are now holding or waiting for the host.

Calls will only be taken during the last half of the second hour, but please, do call in if you have questions or would like prayer. We all need prayer and our Lord hears us. Looking forward to hearing from you.  Come expecting…

for His glory
Bonita            dovesofthevalleys4@gmail.com

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