Sunday Walk 45 – Satan

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Ephesians 6:11, King James Bible 1769

In the past when I wanted to see the hidden world of devils or Satan I would read M. Scott Peck’s 1998 book People of the Lie. Peck attempted to develop a psychology of evil which led him into exorcisms with the help of Malachi Martin. See Martin’s 1976 book Hostage to the Devil. There were also C.S. Lewis’s accounts of Screwtape and Wormwood in The Screwtape Letters and the possessed shadows of hell in The Great Divorce who thought everyone else was the problem. However, much of this seemed remote from my normal reality.

Today, given the social context of fake news, fake science, fake elections, psyops and bioweapons, someone seems to have let Satan out of his cage if he ever was caged at all. Here are a few recent items I’ve come across.

  • Mario Murillo notes that just dabbling in the occult, even as a game, can leave one open to demonic influence unlike the conscious surrender required to receive the Holy Spirit. While I’ve heard this before, the urgency today seems new.
  • Geri Ungurean takes a look at Greek mythology as real and possibly satanic in a recent post.
  • John Gideon Hartnett provides a link to Altiyan Childs’ experiences with freemasonry. Childs’ video is over five hours long, but you’ll find there many examples of the covered eye, the hidden hand, the 666 finger sign and other symbolic communications I didn’t know existed before.
  • I found on Dianne Marshall’s blog Trey Smith’s video (linked below) which provides an overview of ancient history as it relates to Satan.

Although I’ve always thought Satan and his devils were real and needed to be avoided, at least as an intellectual exercise, today I wish I knew better how to put on the armor of God in Ephesians 6. Today I see why Jesus told us (Matthew 6:5-13) to pray to be delivered from the evil one.


Weekly Bible Reading: Genesis (Audio: King James Version read by Alexander Scourby) and Exodus (Audio: King James Version read by Alexander Scourby)
Commentary: David Pawson, Genesis Part 7 of 7 and Exodus Part 1 of 2, Unlocking the Bible


Wake

He checks off tasks as they are done.
Tomorrow there’s another wake.
Today he wonders should he take
those profits his investments won?

While counting on the routine sun
productively he wastes his day.
Tonight in Sodom there’s a play.
He’ll miss that wake. The dead don’t mind.
He wonders if he’ll ever find
the reason why. No time to pray.


Ronovan Hester offers the rhyme word “wake” to be used in a B line of a décima having rhyme pattern ABBAACCDDC for this week’s Décima Poetry Challenge.

Atlantic Ocean, Clouds and Boat
Atlantic Ocean, Clouds and Boat
Ronovan's Decima Poetry Challenge Image
Ronovan’s Decima Poetry Challenge Image

Quarter – Six Sentence Story

With less than a quarter of his pieces remaining and seemingly desperate John moved his queen to a square adjacent to Tom’s king tempting Tom to capture her.

“Although I could win this game right now,” Tom announced as he took the bait removing John’s queen from the board and giving the plastic piece a messy kiss, “I’ll take your queen, you senile fool, just like I took that Miriam of yours long ago.”

After Tom’s capture of John’s queen, John moved a pawn to Tom’s edge of the board with a diagonally unobstructed view aimed right at Tom’s newly exposed king and with the right to exchange that pawn for any piece he wanted. John replaced the pawn with a diagonally powerful bishop as nursing home aides entered to wheel them back to their respective rooms.

“Why didn’t you get another queen, idiot?”

“I had one, Tom, until you took her away, but I only needed a bishop to checkmate you.”


Denise offers the prompt word “quarter” for this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Tiles
Tiles
GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley's six-sentence-stories icon
GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley’s six-sentence-stories icon

Two Challenges

Dale offers the theme “in bloom” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge.


Linda Kruschke’s Paint Chip Challenge this past week requires us to use ten of the following:

sunflowerwatermelonpoolin your eyesclear skiesbefore the rainmargaritahot saucezest for lifeheavenlysunshinetotal eclipseout of the bluethe whole enchilada, and yellow brick road

Loss

In your eyes I saw clear skies
before the rain that day.
All left at once out of the blue,
the sunshine and the sunflower, too,
the hot sauce zest for life I knew.
Our margarita laughing pool
shut down. You went away.


Many Bright Flowers
Roses
Cosmic Photo Challenge

Sunday Walk 44 – Bible Reading

Jim Lee asked his readers when during the day we read the Bible? I could say I was following a yearly Bible reading plan with a small group and read the verses of the day when the notice arrived.

However, I thought why not start my own plan in addition to this focusing on each book in succession with a commentary as a guide?

I started this two weeks ago using David Pawson’s one hundred lecture series Unlocking the Bible. This commentary covers the whole Bible at an introductory level. I divided those one hundred lectures into two videos per week to make the plan last about a year.

This week I am continuing with Genesis. On each of these Sunday Walks I will link to an audio of the book I’m reading along with links to two of Pawson’s lectures.


Weekly Bible Reading: Genesis (Audio: King James Version read by Alexander Scourby)
Commentary: David Pawson, Genesis Part 5 of 7 and Part 6 of 7, Unlocking the Bible


Columbine

Presence – Six Sentence Story

After worrying whether he should or not, Tom called his father telling him that he saw the ghostlike presence of Aunt Janet after his classes that afternoon.

“She said she was sorry, but she didn’t say what for,” Tom added.

“What did you say?”

“I told her it was OK and then she vanished.”

Tom didn’t believe in ghosts, nor did his father, but he felt obligated to pass on this message not understanding what actually alienated his father from Aunt Janet over a decade ago. He was relieved when he heard his father say, “I’m glad you told her that.”


Denise offers the prompt word “presence” for this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Rose
GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley's six-sentence-stories icon
GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley’s six-sentence-stories icon

Noisy Deception

Then came a tap upon the cheek.
“Awake! Recall what you were taught.
The lying folk will all be caught.
The earth is for the just and meek.”


Did I forget what I should seek?
The fingers aiming everywhere
spit words like buckshot in the air.
The noise is great. I cannot hear
if that’s a friend who’s coming near
or folly dancing to a dare.


Ronovan Hester offers the rhyme word “cheek” once more to be used in an A line of a décima having rhyme pattern ABBAACCDDC for this week’s Décima Poetry Challenge. I was thinking of Matthew 24, especially verse 4: “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.”

Shy Rose
Ronovan's Decima Poetry Challenge Image
Ronovan’s Decima Poetry Challenge Image

SIDNEY POWELL-FREEDOM ISN’T FREE – REMEMBER THOSE WHO FOUGHT TO PRESERVE IT…

The Marshall Report's avatarTHE MARSHALL REPORT

May 31, 2021

Memorial Day Message

Dear Patriots:Our freedom, in this marvelous country, is not free. It is not easy. It is not without risks. Sometimes we are called to pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.On this Memorial Day, we remember the massive sacrifices, over our nearly 245 years, of men and women who have given their very lives to protect our freedom. We remember too, the great loss and sorrow of those they left behind.Yes, we remember it all. We appreciate all of the selfless acts of courage in the most difficult times for our country.That is why we fight so hard now. We are fighting to preserve this county as founded.It is not a war in a traditional sense but it is nonetheless a pitched battle for survival.

To lose this war now, would be to tarnish and diminish the sacrifices of our forefathers.

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Here Comes Summer

Dale offers the prompt “here comes summer” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge.


I submitted the following nonsense poem to Chel Owen’s A Mused Poetry Contest. The contest theme is “a silly poem about an unusual eccentricity”. It is still open for those who want to enter.

Moon Dancing

The night sky is clear and the full moon is bright.
It’s nutty I know but I’ll dance in its light.
The moon doesn’t care. “Yes, I do.” Well, so what?
“You’re nutty enough.” No, I ain’t. “You’re a nut.”


Blue Ridge Parkway Near Laurel Springs, North Carolina
Cosmic Photo Challenge