Youth the Key to Defeating Terrorism

                                     Youth the Key to Defeating Terrorism

    Lately I have been overwhelmed by circles and the phrase, “The Good Die Young” has been stuck in my head.  Circles I have discovered in the Bible and also circles in my own life.  Things seem to always end up back where they started.  The Bible says it plainly in the verse, “Ashes to ashes and dust to dust” As it was at the beginning so will it be at the end.

    The last couple of weeks I have been doing a lot of traveling and have had the idea of circles reinforced in my mind, but my view of them has changed.  They are part of life.  Jesus predicted that it would be that way. Jesus said in the end it would be as in the days of Noah and it truly is.  The first part of Genesis 6 lays out why God destroyed the world as it was in that day.  Sad part of that is that it could pretty well describe the world we live in today.

    One thing I discovered is what seems evil and wrong at the time does not mean the good things in life end.  Recently I had the opportunity to visit with a young man who is the son of one of my closest friends.  My friend, the young man’s Dad, was killed in a plane crash in March 1973.  The last time I saw Kenneth he was three years old.  Last week I got to meet him again after 40+years.  He has grown into a fine and caring individual, which is a perfect description of his Dad. The goodness was in him before his Father passed away. Sure there were other influences in his life, but I have a couple other experiences in life that make me believe what I just said.

     My niece’s Mom passed away from Leukemia when she was barely four years old.  I knew her Mom and she was a good and caring person.  Andrea is very much the same kind of person, maybe to a fault.  The goodness was there from her youth, again there were others in her life, but the goodness was already there.

    Finally in August of 2010 my youngest daughter passed away after a seven year battle with a brain tumor.  Glenda was a nurse, a mother of three and an awesome person.  At her memorial service it was made clear to me how awesome she was. While only being 32 years old dozens of people testified to me she had affected their lives in some way.  I know her children already had good hearts and will grow up to be good people.

     Some may say I am beating my own drum but I think I have just had a revelation of sorts. On the news I have seen footage of ISIS soldiers and they were smiling and joking and reminded me of the soldiers I knew and served with in Vietnam.  They believe they are serving God and that will make them hard to beat.  Recently though I saw a young man who had left ISIS. He had the faith of Islam explained to him by people who told him the errors of the “Terrorist” point of view.  He changed his mind and his way, as could happen to many other young men.  It is youth seeking the truth that will tilt the scale against terrorism.

     ISIS is a fundamentalist group that relies on the ignorance of their soldiers to keep them in line.  America needs to encourage an enlightening of the soldiers.

We need to pray that others also will walk away of their own accord.  We can’t win a war that costs us millions of dollars per killed combatant.  We need to change the hearts and minds of the combatants and it is not America that is going to do it.

     America is ignorant when it comes to the mindset of other countries.  Afghanistan could have been over in weeks had America told the Afghan people that we were the ones who provided them with the means to beat the Russians and that Al Qaida had used them.  They would have tracked Al Qaida down and wiped them out.

      The problem was that we got caught up in trying to change the Taliban.  We did not care what they were doing before 9/11.  So why did we care afterwards? That double minded point of view is what has destroyed America’s credibility.  If we had just used the truth as a weapon the war would have been over years ago.

     As for Iraq it should never have happened to start with and if it did, it should have been at the end of the first Gulf War. Then we had the justification and failed to follow up on it.  It is exactly what most of our problems have come from in that area. We try to impose our will and our values on a people with a completely different mindset.  Our only common bond is our belief in God.  How we believe may be different, but Abraham is still Abraham and we need to convince them to believe all the prophets, not just the ones that meet our agenda.

      The problem with this point of view is that America is not willing to stand up for the God it says it believes in. Soldiers are not allowed to share their faith with the people in the countries they serve in.  That is one thing that has to change.  Our state of perpetual war that we seem to be in does not reflect the Christian values this nation was and is founded on.

      Revelation of our need to follow God’s Word will save this country. That will only come from the youth.  Our Christian values have eroded so far that we may no

longer be able to contain or stop the erosion.  Standing for Christian values is becoming a fanatical point of view.  At least that is what a very vocal minority would have America believe.  We can’t legislate morality.  We can, however, still testify why we believe what we believe.  The cost to us as a nation and a people if we fall short is a very high price to pay.  Unfortunately preachers and teachers who truly know the Word of God and are willing to speak it and teach it are few and far between in this day and age.

     The Bible says in the last days God will become frustrated with the hypocritical and lying people and will give them over to a reprobate (back sliding) spirit and let them sin all they want before he pours out his wrath on them. That is a pretty good description of the world today.

    Our only hope is in the goodness of the youth today.  They however are tired of listening to and seeing bigoted and hypocritical adults and leaders that do not practice what they preach. A strong leader can reach them, but there is a shortage of that kind of person in this day and age. At this point there is still hope though. I like to think there is anyhow.

First Peter says,

        5Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.  8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

    The only way the youth can stand up for right is to be taught what is right and that is not happening in very many churches in this day and age.  The Bible says in the end there will be a great falling away.  It is my belief we are living in that time. When I was growing up in my hometown there were three large Catholic churches. Today there is one. If you do any traveling at all you will see old and abandoned churches all across America.  The verses above tell why and how that is happening.  Satan is as real as you and I.  He is if you believe the Bible and that it is true.  Satan will use any venue to destroy mankind that he can.  Today it is ISIS.  They can still be defeated.  Evil like anything else needs to be supported to flourish.  If the funds are cut off and all those that supply weapons and ammunitions are forced to stop supplying them, Satan will become a toothless dragon.  Yet he will still be able to destroy the world morally unless the Christians stand firm in their faith and do as they were called upon to do by Christ himself. Share His Word.  To do so we must know His Word.  Here is one thing in parting we must know and understand.

Revelation 12:9

9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

      They are real and spiritual warfare truly exists in this world.  Until Christ comes and claims his own the battle is on.  Unfortunately America is losing that battle because Satan caters to our greed, lusts and desire to do our own thing.  To win we have to not only submit to God, but lift him up and share him with the world that they might know they are being deceived.  Of course that requires many of us to change our ways and we are not ready or willing to make that sacrifice. Especially, old people who are set in their ways.  It requires the zeal that comes from being young, strong and willing to stand for what you believe in. That is why youth is the key.  They are also open to learning the Truth and changing for the better.  They are the world and America’s only hope.