So a few months back, I remember seeing a guy by the name of Nicholas Cruz on TV. He was being accused of shooting and killing several people in the Parkland high school shooting. Oh everyone cried for help and said that they wanted answers. Everyone wants to know how this assault rifle got into the hands of a teen ager. So there were protests and displays of anger and anguish all over the country. During the aftermath of this shooting, we ask for stricter gun control laws. We make Instagram, facebook and youtube videos where we destroyed our assault rifles. The country said that if we could keep guns out of the hands of irresponsible people that that would be the answer.

Going back a moment………..

When I was 16, I went to China to visit on a study abroad program. I stayed with my Chinese teacher and classmates in the American dorms at Nanjing University. We had to take classes that involved us going out into the community and interacting with the local people. So, of course, we would read the news reports to see if there are any outstanding crimes in the area. There was no report that stuck out to me. There was one local and stabbed several people. I thought to myself that that was rather unique, being from the United States, we have more brutal crimes involving guns. So, as I read on, I noticed that non of the crimes involved any guns.  I thought how interesting that they managed to still kill without the use of guns. In fact, they used every unique thing that they could think of to hurt one another.

Thinking back on all of this, and reflecting on recent events, the only thing that the holy spirit brings to my attention is that “If man has it in his heart to kill, then he will kill, Period.” And man does not need an assault rifle to do that.

So, I say all this to say that America is suffering from a Heart Problem

Not a gun control problem.

Not a weapons problem.

But a Heart Problem

You can tell of the condition of ones heart by their actions. Do you lie, cheat, gossip and have other unhealthy thoughts or actions? This is normally a sign that some wicked seed has taken root. And the harvest is, the results of that planted seed, is flowering and growing and will eventually manifest its self through some sort of wild and wicked behavior.

So what do we need to do:

1. Realize that it is not normal to think crazy or negative thoughts. This is a result of an open door that a person has allowed the enemy to walk through into their life.
2. Close that open door. Realize that the music, the toxic friendships, the crazy boyfriend/girlfriend, toxic television shows, the demonic music all play apart in wicked seeds that have been planted and are now taking root.
3. Allow the word of God to penetrate your spirit and take root. Mathew 13:3 says “Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fells by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forth with they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root they withered away.” Meditate on the scripture and allow it to take root in your spirit. Eventually, you will start to apply the word in your life. Just like the wicked seeds took root and created a harvest, the Godly seeds through Gods word will take root and transform your life. And the harvest will be a beautiful one. So that means getting some Godly friends, watching godly and nontoxic television shows to watch. And last but not least, listen to some godly music. Turn the crazy rap music and love songs off.

Jesus separated himself a lot for prayer with the father. One of the things that he gained from spending time with the father was revelation about the things were to come and strength to endure. One of the revelations that He received was about who would betray him. If you spend time in the spirit He will show you prophesy and things that are to come. God showed Jesus that Judas, one of his own disciples would betray him. Now that’s an interesting one. One of his own close disciplines, one he ministered to people with, betrayed him. So, this tells you two things, which are

1. The Judas or (person that betrays you) may be closer than you think and
2. They maybe in the church.

However, what is more important to note here is how Jesus reacted to Judas betraying Him. Notice that He did not get an attitude and try to put in motion a plan to stop Judas’s plan. He did not act out of his own free will and he waited for Gods plan to unfold. He trusted Gods plan. And Judas betraying Him was in God’s plan for Jesus life and the worlds redemption.

Now gets this, even though Judas betraying Jesus was apart of Gods plan, Judas was still punished in the end. In the bible in “The parable of the weeds” (Mathew 13:24-30), it discusses how the weeds will grow with the wheat. But the funny thing is that after the wheat has matured, the weeds are discarded.

So, I say all this to say how many times has bad things happened in your life and you ended up wondering; How is this apart of Gods plan? Well all things work together for the good to those who love God. That means that the good and the bad work together for the good to those who love God. That means that the person that betrayed you, cheated on you, lied to you or on you, and gossiped about you was all apart of Gods plan for your life. The weeds or your enemies in your life are used in some way to sharpen you. And when it is all over, they are discarded if they do not repent. Most times, you are there to help them grow and to know Christ. Understand that they will be dealt with accordingly.

Lastly, the we know that hard times existed in Jesus life before the crown came. The devil knew why Jesus came. The devil knew Jesus’s purpose before the people even knew. The devil knew what Jesus symbolized and the devil knew that his time would come to a close. So, he sent temptation and he had people turn against Jesus just to try and get him to quit. Sound familiar yet? Anyways, Jesus knew his purpose and He knew the enemies purpose. But he kept Gods purpose above that of the enemy. He stayed focused. In the end through all the trails He endured gained the crown of glory.