"Where are You?"

Where are you? If I wanted, I could go to my Google Maps app on my IPad and it would tell me that I am currently located at 18 Sur 2109 Bella Visat, Puebla, Mexico. If I wanted to be more specific I could say that I am sitting at the table in my bedroom. This seems like such an easy question to answer, but I have begun to look a little deeper into the question. This past week I came across this story:

     In 1798, the Chassidic leader, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, was imprisoned for spreading religious faith (and thus subversion) amongst the Jewish population. While he sat in prison awaiting trial, his warden, conscious of being in the presence of a holy man, asked him a question that had long been troubling him. He said: "We read in the book of Genesis that when Adam and Eve sinned, they hid themselves among the trees of the Garden of Eden, and God called out, 'Where are you?' What I want to know is this. If God knows and sees everything, surely He knew where they were. Why did He need to ask, 'Where are you?'"

     The Rabbi replied: The words of the Bible were not meant for their time alone but for all time. So it is with the question God asked Adam and Eve. It was not addressed to them alone but to each of us in every generation. We squander our days and nights on artificial, temporary objectives; we become consumed with self-preservation and gratification, and we believe that we can hide from the consequences. But always, after we have lost our course, we hear the voice of God in our heart asking: Where are you? What have you done with your life? I have given you a certain amount of years; how are you using them?

     Now when I ask myself the question, it takes on a whole different connotation. I am challenged to first ask, where am I with God? I shudder when I think of the first night that Adam and Eve were outside of the Garden. The noises of the land that once were so familiar and friendly, were now foreign and terrifying. Everything that they had become acquainted with was now hauntingly bleak and in dismay. Never again could they have their communal sanctuary with the Creator. I am sure that night they asked each other a different type of question, "Where is He?"

     Our assurance of knowing whom we are in God is a lot more sure than where we are with God. You can know who you are in God because of His unwavering promises. It does not depend on anything that you do. It is not possible to change who you are to God. The ball is in your court to know where you are with God. This is our journey and challenge that we face each and every day of our lives, but it is a vital question to ask ourselves if we want to have a relationship with God.

     We need not ask the question, "Where is He?" The promise that we have is that when we call upon the name of Jesus, we are saved; however, this promise is about salvation, not whether or not God knows where we are. He is beside those who have accepted his son and is relentlessly perusing those whom are far away or deny His existence. He is near to and at work in the hearts of all mankind. The ultimate affirmation creation can have is that He knows where we are. In return, we are left with the larger question, "Where am I?"   

Not All Demons are UgLy

     One early morning this past week, I lay in bed with my head tucked under the covers.  Keeping the covers snug over my head gives me a sense of security. On the other hand, Deb, my wife,never likes to keep her head under the covers, because she feels trapped. This particular morning I was resting comfortably beneath the sheets and comforter, when I felt a presence on the other side.  I lifted the covers back without fear and there she stood; a tall gangly figure with a pale white face, black lifeless eyes, dark black greasy strangely hair and in an instant she pounced on me.  I immediately pushed her off and with a great gasp… I awoke hurling my covers into the air.  Praise God, it was only a dream, or was it? With my heart still racing and every hair on my body at attention, I immediately cried out to my Savior. After I caught my breath, I felt compelled to walk throughout our house and pray over each room. Afterwards, my final prayer, as I lay back to rest was, “My God, give me the courage to rest behind the cross this night.”

     Two nights later, I was in a restaurant. I went to the counter to order our drinks. As I was waiting on the waitress, a young pretty girl with long blonde hair stood beside me and began to carry on a conversation with me. I was enjoying our time together. At one point she put her arm around me and said she liked talking with me. I must admit, I was flattered, but I told her that I was married. To be honest, part of me wanted her to leave her arm around me, but the other part was saying to walk away. I looked over my shoulder and in the corner booth was my wife. In the midst of trying to make this decision, I woke up.  I truly believe this was another spiritual attack.

     Not all demons are ugly. My experience earlier in the week is typically what folks think of when they think of evil; that it is ugly and recognizable. However, not all evil has a hideous appearance. If it was all foul, most people would never be enticed to dabble. We are told in the last days that many will be led astray, even those that once believed.  Temptations are temptations because they are desirable to our flesh. The inducement of following evil occurs in some of the most nonchalant manners. It can occur with looking just a little too long at an attractive woman, listening to music that is provocative or degrades the value of women, reading books that promote sexual fantasy, or indifference to poverty and social injustice.  Whatever it may be, it doesn't always have to appear dreadful.

     The greatest deception will be the entrance of the anti-christ. He will be someone that we want to listen to and his words and his appearance will be pleasing to the ears and eyes. Each thing that he says will seem to make sense. The moral decline of our society today is an indication that the arrival of the anti-christ will be soon.  Our loudest cry to God should be “Defend our hearts from deception.” 

     Knowing the truth carries the utmost protection from being deceived.  Our greatest defense is immersing ourselves into the truth on a daily bases.  It comes from an everyday walk with a risen Savior. When we have enough of the truth we will recognize the fallacies among us. Additionally, we will have the ability to discern the presence of evil, no matter if it appears gruesome or beautiful. 

     This night, I will lay to rest (with the covers over my head) knowing that I am protected by the blood of Calvary and that no weapon formed against me shall prosper.