FAITH AND FASTING

You ask, and receive not, because you ask for all the wrong reasons, to consume for your pleasure. James 4:3

Tuesday, June 2
Dream: An old boss I knew, a politically left-wing man named Tom, was visiting. He and his friends sat in a car on the driveway smoking pot. He was single and younger than I knew him, had parked his car backwards on the drive. I told him he should marry a right-wing girl and they could ‘change each other’. I could tell he and his friends were getting high and offered to drive them home. He agreed it would be best. So, they went back into the car to keep smoking. Then some of my cousins, also politically left-wing, showed up to visit. Inside, the small gathering of people my friend and cousins had come to join were sitting around eating. As I joined them, I looked for something healthy to eat as a meal, but the only food in the house was dessert, cookies and pastries. So, I gave in and ate pastry.

I’ll be honest, my heart was not in posting this one, but God would not leave me alone about it. In fact, He’s given me no further dreams since, waiting on me to be faithful to share His thoughts.

I usually resist politics because I see the majority of the time it only divides people. As a Christian blogger, I want to draw all people to Christ, not to a political side, which automatically cuts out half the population.

But, apparently, this message is important in God’s eyes. There is something about modern “liberalism” which needs to be considered by His people.

Let’s take the dream apart. I was with liberal friends and family, trying to get along and be at peace with everyone. In fact, I encouraged one to marry someone with opposite views so they could learn from each other. But, I accidentally enabled more drug use by offering to be the responsible one (to drive them home).

Another compromise, instead of leaving to get a healthy meal, knowing I shouldn’t, I gave in and ate sugary dessert with the crowd. Sugar is particularly bad for me, has been the cause of invasive health problems, so this was a worse choice for me perhaps than for another.

More, my boss/friend Tom was parked ‘backwards’ on the driveway. Truthfully, it was both diagonally and backwards. He started in life wanting to be different, to stand out. But he and his friends were now just doing drugs, dulling their senses for pleasure or escape.

Inside, the crowd was also consuming treats for pleasure. Comfort food, all sweets, no meat. No vegetables. No balanced nutrition. Nothing to sustain health long-term!

It would appear God’s view of the ideologies, or ‘diet’ of modern liberalism has no meat or balance. It is designed for comfort or pleasure. Policies built to sooth people’s emotions, but which ultimately cannot sustain the health of a community or nation long-term.

We all understand how great a cookie or pastry tastes going down. But if that is all you eat, how do you feel? Over time, weeks and years, do you think your body would remain healthy? Of course not. You know how we all feel after weeks of holiday eating. In January, the bill always comes due.

Ironically, the brother of George Floyd, Terrence Floyd, spoke last week to a crowd and acknowledged how good it feels to rage and be violent when you’re angry. He compared it to getting drunk. But he reminded people that when you sober up, you’ll wonder what you did. He was calling for people to only protest peacefully. Wise words.

Let’s expand that. The Mayor of L.A. is now suggesting they should take funding away from police in order to fund rebuilding of the black communities. I’m guessing he is saying this because it will make a lot of angry people feel good right now. But, is this logical or practical? Will it really help citizens in the long run when there aren’t enough police to help law-abiding people in moments of crisis?

...the secret power of lawlessness is already at work… 2 Thess 2:7

Another example, so many on the far left want to throw open our borders and take in every hurting person the world over. Bernie and AOC want to give everyone a guaranteed income and lots of free stuff. They’re not the only ones. These sound like giant acts of compassion. But are they really?

It makes people feel good to be benevolent and to make others feel good for awhile. But isn’t that just comfort food that will not serve the long-term health of the nation?

No single nation, even America, can take in every hurting person in the entire world. We would quickly become the Titanic, sinking never to rise again. Other nations must step up and do their part, and we will do our part. Overall, our immigration policies have to be orderly and reasonable, taking care not to flood our nation and fail our own people.

We cannot give people everything they want just to keep them smiling. People have to help themselves and learn to become independent, not more dependent. That is Biblical wisdom. Too many modern left-wing leaders have become the weak parent unable to say no to their children.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11

Friends, we have to balance our policies and approach to managing people. We cannot live by pastry alone. In fact, pastry is supposed to be a once in awhile thing, not even a daily thing. It simply will not sustain health and longevity. Good nutrition teaches us to eat more vegetables, a smaller portion of meat, some grains, some dairy, and occasionally, dessert.

It is the same with running a city, state or nation. We have to teach personal responsibility. We cannot allow lawlessness. We must support those who enforce laws. YES, we weed out the bad apples every time we discover them! But we don’t throw out the entire basket of apples for a few bad ones.

And yes, occasionally, there are benefits we enjoy, but only after we’ve done our part, been responsible citizens, paid our taxes, and obeyed the laws that are for our good.

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Romans 13:1

So, come on modern liberals, let’s stop handing out the feel-good policies as a steady diet. It is killing us. We can be both responsible and compassionate.

In parenting, making your children eat vegetables and protein IS compassionate, for it helps build health and strength for life. Giving them a steady diet of sugar eventually amounts to child abuse. It may have avoided a lot of frowns and complaining over the years, but in the long run they will not thank you.

In life, just as in our diets, we have to learn to love what IS good for us, and not just do what feels good for the moment.

Come let us reason together… (Isaiah 1:18)

I’ll stand by one thing in the dream, the scene where I encouraged my friend to marry someone different and learn from each other. I encourage every one of us, me included, to engage our friends with views different than our own.

Talk, share and reason with each other. We learn when we dialogue, and we grow more mature when we learn to do it without malice and accusations. If we are going to spread God’s values, Biblical wisdom, then we cannot stay quiet. Let’s just make sure we speak the truth in love.

God bless!

–oneseekingtruth