ISLAM: THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE

While poking around on YouTube I came across a channel called "Practical Islam." I watched a few of their videos to find out a little more about what is being taught to Muslims, but moreover, to see what the enemy has up his sleeve. 

WOW. Turns out there's quite the magic trick of deception going on. In listening to these video sermons, or as Islam calls them, "ummahs," it is clear that Mohammad based the concept of the Koran--at least in part--directly from the teachings of both the Bible and the Torah, as, at that time, travelers, pilgrims, barterers, tradesmen, even missionaries, were traveling through Arabia at that time (Islam calls us "the people of the book"). After marrying the wealthy Khadijah, it seems Mohammad had all sorts of leisure time, where he engaged both Christians and Jews in discussion and debate about religion, up until he had his mysterious "visions." However, like Mickey Mouse in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" in "Fantasia," (based on the poem by Goethe) Mohammad heard and knew just enough to get himself into trouble. Combine that with his sad upbringing (father died before he was born, mother died when he was very young, he was passed around to various relatives, ending up with an uncle) and you have the makings of a warped, power-hungry, religious zealot. 

There are some who believe that the Vatican created Islam to advance their own cause; however, Walid Shoebat (a former Muslim) disputes this on his website. Knowing the shady and power-hungry history of the Vatican, this sounds like something that they very well might try to do: broker a deal with Mohammad to help him spread Islam, while at the same time--under the table of course--endeavor to extend the reach of Catholicism as far as possible. But this theory is still somewhat ambiguous, and becomes a moot point when we understand that Islam insists that anyone who is a non-Muslim (infidel) deserves death if they do not convert.  

Islam (which means "submission" not "peace") tries to present itself as just another Abrahamic faith that shares common values and spiritual traditions with, and sounds very much like, what is found in the Bible and Torah. There's Abraham, Ishmael, Mary (or Miriam), and even Jesus. If you listen to the ummah's noted in the noted videos, you will hear a lot of similarities. And I have to hand it to Muslims, they are rabidly devoted devourers of their book. From a very young age, they are taught to memorize the entire Koran, front to back, in order to live a "devout" Muslim life. How many Christians can say that about the Bible? God implores us to hide His word in our hearts so that we do not sin, yet very few of us (myself included) can rattle off more than a couple of the standard Bible verses we heard back in Sunday school years ago. As for memorization, Muslims have us beat, hands down, a rather frightening truth.

Listen to these videos…the phrasing sounds exactly like what you would hear in a Christian church:



The last day "resurrection" story sounds familiar, but you're leaving out is the best (or the worst) part - what happens to you after this day, what happens after you die?

Islam believes their savior, the Mahdi, will come when the Sea of Galilee dries up. In the Bible, we are told the Euphrates river will be dried up. Both are happening today:


At marker 1:13 in this one "Allah" says, "I know what you do not know." This is a quite obviously a direct misquote of Scripture: "My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9) So it seems Mohammad had the basic idea, but was obviously thwarted by other influences. The result is a Koran that is basically a distorted version of the Torah and the Bible, filtered through Mohammad's  psychologically questionable mind. Its combination of lies (and lies of omission) along with some truth, formed a dangerous amalgam of spirituality, legalism, tradition, psychological constraint, and violence, to the point where you can't tell what's true or false...the perfect Satan-inspired religion!  

One of Islam's hadiths (religious knowledge, teachings, and supposed quotes by Mohammad himself) says, "I am the prophet that laughs when killing my enemies." With quotes and teachings like this, is there any doubt that groups like ISIS exist, who say only they are adhering to the true teachings of Islam, and therefore seem to take such sadistic pleasure at perpetrating untold violence upon innocent victims? I believe that because he was in a weakened and confused spiritual state, demonic forces were able to deceive him with "delusions of grandeur." And in the end, of course, Satan never upholds his end of the bargain, so after Mohammad's thrilling life of conquest for Allah, he was indeed repaid...with an eternity without 72 virgins...or anything else for that matter. Surprise! 

Islam falls apart when the light of the Gospel is applied. No doubt Muslims are very sincere about their faith, but one can be sincere and still be sincerely wrong. Islam cannot understand a triune God; in fact, this is a major sticking point with Muslims: they believe in only ONE God, and are simply unable to wrap their minds around a loving triune Creator being. Christians understand that God is represented in three persons, and this is mentioned several times throughout Scripture. In fact God's unique nature is mentioned at the very beginning of creation, in Genesis: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…" As well, while Islam believes in a type of Jesus, it does not believe that Jesus Christ was both God's son and God incarnate. Nor do they believe in a resurrected Jesus, a Jesus whose death and resurrection paved the way for the salvation of every human being through His shed blood—MUSLIMS INCLUDED! There are many more differences, this site lists several of them. As well this site explains why Christianity, and salvation through Jesus Christ, is the only way to an eternity in heaven/paradise. Like the Highlander, when it comes to salvation, there can be only one (way)! 

WE ARE ALL DAISY

Animals are awesome. 🐶🐧🐵🐷🐮🐯🐼🐱🐺🐴🐰🦉🦆🦅🦋🐞🦌🐘 

Our world would be a vastly different planet, and we as a people would also be vastly different without animals alongside us. So a very dear friend of mine told me about a "rescue adventure" she was involved with, to help locate a dog who had been ejected from a car during this horrific accident. The car was nearly crushed (as would anything if a semi-truck ran over it), but the couple miraculously survived with only minor injuries, wow! 😲  However their dog (named Daisy), who was riding in the backseat was completely ejected out of the car! Because dogs are amazing, she somehow managed to get herself to a wooded area below the ramp where the accident occurred, where she hunkered down to stay safe. Mind you, it's July, so temperatures have been in the upper 90s. Apparently there was a creek where she sheltered, but she had no food, nor any care for her condition (a shattered femur). 

So the word went out, and a team of volunteers hunted high and low in the area of the accident until they found her (this was a few days later). She was beat up, dehydrated, and hungry, but alive, so they immediately transported her to a local emergency vet hospital. Unfortunately Daisy ended up losing one of her legs, but after surgery, some food and water, and a few days' rest, she was reunited with her owners, who were absolutely overjoyed to get her back! All of the rescuers were there as well to celebrate the reunion; seems there was not a dry eye in the house! 😭 Overall, it was a very heartwarming story.

After hearing this story, I had a "seed" planted in me, which I believe the Lord put on my heart, so I'll try to explain what that en-tails (get it?). This story is a metaphor for our own lives. We, like Daisy, go through our lives seemingly carefree, sniffing after whatever suits us, indulging in things we shouldn't, following wherever our whims happen to take us. We think life is great, that we are indestructible...maybe even immortal. Perhaps we think that because we've been told we're a "good boy" or a "good girl," that God is on our side. But metaphorically, I believe things may go a little like this:

You are Daisy. Or, choose your pooch. You have a soft bed, tasty food, yummy doggie treats, balls to catch, squirrels to chase, butts to sniff, car windows to stick out of, and water bowls to slobber through. Life is great!

But then one day, you develop an ache. Or a limp. Or a lump. And like traffic, life slows down, maybe even grinds to a halt. Things get complicated. You can't run any more. The doggie treats stop. The balls stay in the basket. Your tasty food has been replaced with some type of unpalatable stuff that's "better" for you. You get nasty pills shoved down your throat. You're frustrated, sad, and confused, but stoically, you ride it out. And surprisingly, things may eventually clear up, and again you go on your merry way. Life is great! But then you discover that that reprieve was only temporary, and the cycle starts all over again. And again. And again…

Then one day you're riding along in the back seat of life, completely untethered, feeling the wind in your face, looking forward to your next adventure, when suddenly, you look in your rearview mirror and see the semi-truck of mortality bearing down on you full speed. 😵 You panic. You can't move. You can't run. You can't escape. It comes out of nowhere. And it crushes you. *BOOM.*

Because you're untethered, you are flung out the window into the world and onto the hard concrete. You're hurt, you're confused, you don't know what's going on. You can't think clearly, you only know you have to try to do something to get yourself out of this crazy situation! So you crawl and drag yourself into the woods, thinking that you'll be safe, only to realize you're now completely alone. There's no water. No food. There are flies and mud. Bugs keep biting you. You're getting poked by thorns and scratched by branches. Brambles and burrs are getting stuck in your fur. The ground is cold and wet. And your leg really hurts. But there you sit, unable to move, unable to get yourself out of this mess. You're scared and don't know what to do. So you howl. And in desperation, you pray. You ask God to come into your life, to save you, to give you hope. You realize you can't throw the ball yourself, you're only making a mess of things; your leg is broken, your tail won't wag, your fur's a mess, and you know that if you stay on this path, you're doomed, and you don't think anyone will ever find you.

But God hears you and sounds the alert! He sends out Jesus and his angelic "rescue team." His angels rally around you. Jesus soars to your location. He beats back the unruly brambles and burrs of your life, searching desperately for you, calling your name, beseeching you to come to Him. All you call muster is a weak "woof." But he hears your cry and follows the sound, cocking his head from side to side, homing in on its location. And suddenly…

He sees you, and hurries to you, curled up, broken, scared, fearful, hopeless.

He runs to you, strokes your head, wipes away your tears, and gently wraps His loving arms around you. He holds you close and tells you everything is going to be okay. He tenderly picks you up in his arms and transports you to His heavenly "hospital." There, you are given rest, an infusion of hope, a beautiful golden "collar," a new heart that beats for Him, and the assurance that you'll never be alone--He will never leave you nor forsake you! Even His angelic rescuers throw a party to celebrate the fact that you have been found! You may have lost a leg along the way while trying to maneuver through your life before Jesus, but you know that with Him by your side, there's nothing you can't get through! Now you're filled with joy, and your tail is wagging so hard, you feel like you could almost take flight…and you will, soon! And when you get to Heaven, He lets you know how very special you are to him by telling you, "Well done, my good and faithful servant!" In fact, He's prepared for you the best treats and snacks you've ever had ever, and even better than a new bed, He's made you a beautiful comfortable new home designed especially for you! You know then that you are truly home!

You see, ALL of us are Daisy. Our lives may seem untroubled, but without God, we're simply going through life tied to a stake in the back yard, covered with burrs and brambles, wearing a heavy choke chain, barely given food or water, never to be told "good boy" or "good girl," something we all long to hear. It's been said that "dog" is God spelled backward, and that God created dogs as "man's best friend" to show us how special we are to God. After all, everyone knows that you are loved by a dog, no matter how long--or short--of a time you are away from them, they are always overjoyed to see you again! This is how God feels about us when we make the decision to come to Him through faith! 😇

Jesus said, "I am THE way, THE truth and THE life, no one comes to the Father but through Me." It's up to us to listen to the Master's voice and call on His name in order to save ourselves!

Eminent Domain - Weather Warfare

Things in the world have really ramped up over the past few years. None more so than when it comes to our weather .  Apparently The Powers T...