This post appeared originally on my Facebook page, in response to the debate over the verdict of the George Zimmerman trial, which declared him not guilty of manslaughter in the death of Trayvon Martin. At the time, I was determined to keep most of my thoughts private. However, it seemed to me, despite thousands of words and opinions on the political and cultural ramifications of this trial, that a certain spiritual perspective was lacking – especially as related to appeals to justice and the law. I addressed the following post to my friends in the faith, in the hope that it will assist us in perceiving what may not be immediately obvious in this emotionally charged debate.
“I literally turned off Facebook yesterday because was depressed over the comments I was seeing from my fellow Christians from every stripe. My spirit bore a heaviness that I had to shake off through worship and refocusing my thoughts. The reason is this.
Every event in history is both God allowed and spiritually designed for the ultimate culmination of His purposes. While the enemy cannot subvert His plan, he can subvert the child of God’s perception of it. One of his favorite devices is the use of what seems to be a righteous cause (wisdom, justice, etc) and using it to undermine the very thing that the child of God is seeking. Thus, those blessed with strength begin to rely on their strength, those blessed with favor, rely on favor, and those blessed with moral strength and zealousness, rely on their force of will. These attributes describe Samson, David, and Peter, respectively. Each was blessed, yet their strength was used as their greatest weakness against them.
When Paul writes that “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life,” he is not just referring to the Old Testament. He is aware that the application of the standard of law, justice and fairness as stated in ‘letter’, or in the physical manifestation of such on earth, be it natural law, governmental law, or moral sensibility, will always be subverted and perceived by the very people it was originally supposed to help, and shift their hearts away from the Spirit that gives life, and focus their attention on the things that their hearts and heads can never achieve. The ‘letter’ in this case is now in the process of killing, not physically as some may think, but is performing a spiritual destruction of hope and faith by subtly shifting the focus. The most obvious attack is always the ruse – the Trojan horse, if you will. And it is this type of disguised spiritual attack that I see the American Church falling headlong into. The end of days will be filled with these types of disguised movements that will ultimately give rise to the ‘waxing cold’ of many of these believers, in my opinion. If ‘hope deferred makes the heart sick’, and ‘out of the heart flow the issues of life,’ it stands to reason that the enemy will not attack the head of the church, but the heart. If he can eliminate the reliance on the Spirit that rejoices in tribulations, and bring believers back to a place where we clamor for the letter to save where no letter has ever saved or brought life, he has effectively created another class of Pharisees that have the living Christ right in front of them, and can’t see Him due to the veil of the letter cast over their eyes.
World wide chaos is beginning, the wars and rumors of wars are starting, and Jesus told us that everything that could be shaken would be. Why would the moral compass and the unity of the nation be any different? Who stands to gain from the current situation? What is being missed while our attentions are divided?
My dear friends, don’t miss how certain things captivate a nation. There is always a reason and a spiritual dimension, and there is a danger in not praying through the fog. Note how little Jesus paid attention to the controversies of his day. He did not worry about a kingdom of Rome, that while committing vast atrocities, would be gone within 400 years. He did not focus on the kingdom that would fall, he focused on the Kingdom that never would. Guard your hearts.”
Posted July 16, 2013 at www.facebook.com/allencpaul
Yolanda says
Amen
simplybelinda says
Assuming that your FB sharing is not set on “public,” I am glad that you gave this post a larger audience. I am STILL praying through the fog.
On a separate note, 3 posts in one month, cousin! Should I be preparing for the Rapture??!! (LOL!!)