September 2005

One day there will be a new world in which there shall no longer be any sin, sickness or crime. It will be a world where redemption has triumphed over judgment, and all forms of demonic wickedness, and the evil that dwells in the hearts of men, will be eradicated. For the Messiah of Israel, who is also the Savior of the Gentile nations, will reign supreme from His throne in the city of Jerusalem. And the earth will be restored to the paradise it once was.

But until this day comes, I have to live in a world which knows more about darkness than light, who follows the ways of the devil, whom Jesus calls the "Prince of this world," rather than the Lord Himself, whom the Bible says is the "Prince of Peace."*

Yet by God's mercy, which I never deserved and never will, He has allowed me to know Him as my "heavenly Father," and to trust in Him, the Creator of the universe, with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. How blessed I am!

Nevertheless, I want to know God even more, and with a deeper level of intimacy than I am experiencing now. My goal is to seek the face of the Lord continually. And as His child, I can, most assuredly, come boldly to His "Throne of Grace." I can share my heart with Him as well as voice my desires and my complaints. Best of all I can tell my King how much I love Him. "Your Face, Lord, will I seek."

*Scripture Notes:
In John 14:30 and John 16:11, the Lord Jesus calls Satan the "prince of this world." I believe this indicates that during our present period of human history, the Devil has been allowed to exercise a limited but very real level of influence and authority upon the lives of men, and within the world's governments and nations. And John 16:11, in addition to many other Scripture passages, reveals that the day will come when Satan will be judged and then punished for the evil he has done, and for all the lives that both he and his demons have destroyed.

Meanwhile, however, the Old Testament book of Isaiah the prophet reveals that one of the titles for Israel's Messiah in the "Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6-7)." This passage also states that the Messiah, when His kingdom is established on the earth, will rule the nations with justice and compassion, forever.

D.B.

Last night, as I was sitting in the darkness of my cell, and as I was deep in prayer, I believe the Lord reminded me that the world system, as we know it, is drawing to a close. Therefore, I have been sensing the need, be it in my journal, or in letters to friends, to keep everyone in remembrance of this.

With each passing day I have a gnawing feeling within the depths of my soul that, we who live in the United States of American, are in trouble.

As foolish as it may sound coming from the pen of a prisoner, I am only echoing what the Scriptures say concerning the last days. I have been writing this same message since I officially started my journal on September 11, 1998.

Nevertheless, I now write with humility, and with a heart of contrition, asking God's Spirit to search my inside and to cleanse me of any impurities within my soul.

So again I say that unless America has a deep and genuine spiritual awakening, we are doomed.

We're on our way to becoming a Third World nation unless we repent of our sins, both as individuals, and as an entire nation.

God will indeed hear our prayers. There is still a narrow window of time.

This is all for today.

D.B.

With another September 11th anniversary approaching my mood has been somber. This is a season for spiritual introspection.

The horrific destruction as a result of the terrorist attacks which took place on the soil of the United States of America on September 11, 2001, and the rushing walls of water from the December 2004 Tsunami disaster, and most recently the devastating storm called Hurricane Katrina, is surely good evidence that our lives and everything we own could be here today, but gone tomorrow.

The condition of one's soul is nothing to take lightly. Each of us could be swept into eternity at any second. And death is no respecter of persons.

In the end, when we each stand before the God of the universe, all that will matter is whether or not our name is in the Book of Life.

D.B.

Today is the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States of America which occurred on September 11, 2001. I vividly remember this day, and I recall hearing the initial events as they unfolded. At the time I had been listening to the CBS 880 AM "all news" radio when the very first reports began to come in about a plane crashing into one of the World Trade Center buildings, also know as the "Twin Towers." Things quickly escalated from here, and shortly afterwards I would get to follow the day's events via news programs on television.

Now, four years later, I am sure there are still many people with open wounds who, fortunately, survived this attack. As a Christian, however, I believe my task is to pray for those who've been traumatized and injured, as well as for the families who have suffered the loss of a loved one.

We Christians have been called by God to be like "salt and light" on this earth. We have to hold out the Word of Hope to a hurting humanity. Likewise, we must be there to minister comfort and , as much as possible, give help to those who have been devastated by life's cruel blows.

Ultimately we have been called to be instruments of God's love.

D.B.

With all the natural disasters and calamities that are happening in the world, in addition to the famines, diseases, earthquakes, and the endless rumblings and rumors of wars, aren't these things exactly what Jesus told His disciples about when He was here on earth?

"And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that
ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass,
but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines,
and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers (various) places.
Al these are the beginning of sorrows."

Matthew 24:6-8

To me, much of what we see or hear about in the news, or read in our newspapers, are merely confirmations and reminders that the world has a date with destiny, and with the Almighty God. Also, these things let us know that the Bible is accurate, and it is true.

God has already sent us many wake-up calls. But are we listening?

D.B.

This morning, after I got up from my bunk and brushed my teeth, washed my face, got dressed and put water in my small electric heater pot so that I could have a cup of tea, I went to my little window and stood gazing at the sky and the fields beyond the prison's stone walls.

A slight breeze was blowing through the screen and I felt it caressing my face. And as the sky began to brighten from the appearance of the morning sun, I felt an all-encompassing sense of well-being and comfort.

This morning the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was with me; He's always with me. I know Him, and I love Him. And this is the same God whom Moses, King David, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ruth, Esther and all the saints from the past worshipped, adored, and loved.

In the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, the Israelites were commanded to love God with all their heart. But once you know the Lord for yourself, how can you not fall in love with Him?

Now, however, it is late in the evening. But this sense of comfort and peace is still with me. The Lord, I believe, has caused my heart to rejoice all day long. I feel like a little child resting in his father's arms. And while I know that feelings are oftentimes fleeting, my love for the One who has shown mercy, kindness and forgiveness to me, is a love which shall endure forever.

D.B.

The apostle Paul admonished and encouraged his beloved son, Timothy to be strong in the grace of Jesus Christ. He charged this young pastor in training to be prepared to endure much hardship in his service to heaven.

The things of God are not without pain and sacrifice. How true. We must face a hostile world that is opposed to the gospel message that salvation is by Christ alone. While, at the same time, the devil and his minions are out to harass and discourage us. Even our own flesh is at war with the new man that God's Spirit is trying to form within us.

For me, this journey has become harder as the path gets narrower. I didn't realize at the beginning there would be so much pain in following the Lord. Yet there is an abundance of joy, too.

Who can explain such incongruities? In the life of a Christian, pain and peace co-exist together. Yet God is merciful. He never gives His children more than we could bear.

It was our Lord, the One who had to endure such great suffering, who said, "be of good cheer," because I have "overcome the world (John 16:33)."

D.B.

There are days when it seems as if Satan is working overtime, like when I find myself going through all kinds of adversities. I am not complaining, but in order to help my faith mature, the Lord does allow for me to experience a limited amount of trouble and difficulty

At one time, though, I used to question God and ask Him why I had to go through a trial, and why I had to suffer. Now, however, I have since learned that these things are being permitted in order to make my soul stronger, as well as develop a deep work of Christ-like humility within my heart. Besides, none of these things has the power to hurt the Christian's inner life. Only sin can do so. Suffering, rather, is meant to draw me closer to the Lord, and not away from Him.

And speaking of which, recently I have developed an agonizing pain in my lower back and down my right leg along the sciatic nerve. But I am trusting in the Lord for my healing. Yet for now I am limping along until it comes.

D.B.

It's a pleasure to experience the cool, crisp autumn air that has arrived to replace the stifling heat and humidity of the summer. And this past summer seemed to be unusually oppressive with many days of burning heat and stagnant air. Now, however, when I open my little window, especially during the morning hours right after sunrise, I'm oftentimes able to feel a fresh and invigorating breeze which helps to revive me.

And as the summer ends and a new season starts, I want to make changes in my life. For whatever reasons this time of the year stimulates me. Perhaps it's because I'm a cool weather type person who doesn't do well in the heat? Or maybe it's the arrival of the Jewish High Holy Days, as these particular holidays represent repentance and a new beginning? Or it may be a combination of both. But I desire to grow more in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. I likewise want to have more of the "fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control),"* the ingredients which make for a mature and balanced Christian.

Anyhow, along with the cooler weather and the brisk breezes, my quiet neighbors, the wasps, have abandoned their nest. I don't know where they go for the winter, but their nest now sits empty as it remains firmly planted along the small ledge that's under my window. And I don't know if they're planning on returning to it in the spring.

I had written about the wasps in my journal entries for July 26th ("Wasp Watching")and August 13th ("Sweatbox") of this year. Unfortunately, they picked a bad location to build a home, because, whenever I would open my window, the bottom of it, which is made of a hard metal, would pass directly over it missing the nest by a hairsbreadth.

These insects never bothered me, however. Not once were any of them aggressive, and we co-existed just fine. Meanwhile, today is the last day of the month. And very soon another cold winter will be on its way.

D.B.

*Galatians 5:22-24