One Life at a Time

We generally speak on the phone once a week. We have been talking once a week for over twenty years. We usually meet in a coffee shop on a Wednesday in Boise, Idaho. Same one, for twenty years. Then I moved, and he got divorced, and I was divorced and moved to Colorado, where I have settled in for the time being.

I was notified that Thursday afternoon was a good time for him to talk. I don't have a schedule to work off of, so It worked for me.

I was informed he had a dialogue to engage me with, so I prepared for just about anything, which is usually the case with either of us. 

Another thing we have developed through the years is that we know how to engage in creative dialogue with each other. Some may suggest we are involved in fellowship, and that's ok with me. I honestly think we are talking about the same thing.

Keep in mind that we had been exploring the Marxist infiltration of our society. Many resources later, there would be conclusions and revelations to be shared. Parallel with this dialogue, we have been exploring the demonic Marxist infiltration in our personal lives, especially people we have watched over the years succumb to the emotional pain of the family dynamic they were raised in. And we clearly describe this dynamic as the spiritual battles waged against humanity as exposed in Eph. 6:12 as it reads:

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against a spiritual wickedness in high places."

This is not a mythological story. We have been warned many times in the bible, yet I feel it isn't treated correctly in the Christian church these days.

Because of the many warnings that there would be trouble, especially for followers of Christ, the word was very clear about how this would look to us. We realized that many of the problems in our personal life were pointing to the spiritual battle being waged against us and the world in general.

2Cor. 10:4-5 says, 

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, we have the divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

And Luke 21:16 tells us: 

"You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death."

Finally, we hear from Jeremiah 9:4, where he warns: 

"Take ye heed every one of his neighbors, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slander. 

Why is this important to me personally? What was the revelation about? How does this speak to us?

For years many of us have had trouble with family and spouses about many things. Especially if you are truth seekers like he and I are. This designation will put one in peril with many persons in your life that you care about very much. He and I have struggled with the failed relationships in immediate family and spouses for years. Where is the clarity in this battle? What could I have done to make things work? How long does one carry the guilt and shame for the failures? The answer started to become apparent as the teachings of Thomas Merton came into the dialogue. And that is, man's ontology is sin. Sin isn't a moral decision for us. It is our ontology. We have been told we fell from grace, but the reality is that we fell a long way to an existence lost in our ontology. 

We recently spent a few phone calls heading down this rabbit hole, and at the bottom was this realization that we have to contend with: we all are fallen and lost and in need of a messiah. We are in dire need of the saving grace of Jesus. We need what he has to offer. We are at war with powers and rulers that do not have our best interests at heart. They want to destroy us, and it is accomplished through each other. Experts suggest that 40% of the population is exhibiting narcissistic behavior.

Further on, McGilchrist, in his book "The Master and his Emissary," states that schizophrenia and autism are on the rise. We are losing the war to the powers and rulers. The Marxist hordes have infiltrated us. Families are not doing well. Christians are not being preached in the bible. We treat things from the bible as mythology. 

Conclusion

My reflection on this matter is this. I have had trouble. They have had trouble. Being a follower of Christ will bring problems and clarity, eventually. The shame and guilt we carry are to be resolved, and we are to be forgiven—time to move forward and let the Holy Spirit transform you by renewing your mind. The revelation comes at all times to provide clarity to one's life. I can't save everyone. But one at a time, we engage in fellowship and pursue creative dialogue. We come together, inviting Him into our midst and engaging, confessing, and exploring the truth. And it will set you free. That is His promise!