Isa. 65:11

11 But ye are they that forsake [`azab] the LORD [Yahovah], that forget [shakeach] my holy [qodesh] mountain [har], that prepare [`arak] a table [shulchan] for that troop [gad] [Gad], and that furnish [male'] the drink offering [mamcak] unto that number [Maniy]. KJV-Interlinear

11 But you who forsake the LORD, Who forget My holy mountain, Who set a table for Fortune, And who fill cups with mixed wine for Destiny, NASB

Isaiah could not make this any clearer. For the person who pursues his spiritual life, the person who pursues the spiritual life which God authorizes, the person who pursues and complies with the spiritual life the form of which God has set before us, then there is tremendous prosperity, and happiness, and security, and more.

Every human being begins life in slavery. This is slavery to sin and eternal condemnation. The Cross created a mechanism by which we may obtain freedom.

Freedom must come first before anything else in life can follow. Freedom first, then the Laws of Establishment, or the Laws of Spirituality, provide liberty. Liberty provides opportunity. Opportunity makes way for success. Success paves the way for security. And, security paves the way for happiness.

Happiness is the ultimate goal of every individual. It is the ultimate destination, or the completion of ones life.

God set out a path for every human being regardless of whether a person is a believer in Christ or not.

For unbelievers, there are the Divine Laws of Establishment. This includes volition, or the freedom to think and makes ones own decisions, marriage, family, free enterprise, law and order, nationalism, and so forth. Unbelievers can obtain a semblance of happiness within this environment.

Of course their happiness is temporary, but it can still exist for a time, until the end of their life.

For believers, there are these laws, but also there are the Laws of Spirituality. This is the higher law of Christ, and is obtained only by means of advancing in ones spiritual life to the point of spiritual maturity.

Within this environment God does all of the work in your behalf. And by this I mean, God makes provision for every situation you will face in life. Of course, you still have to get up and go to work, and be responsible, and accountable and so forth, but at least you have an advantage that negative believers and unbelievers do not have. You have Gods greater blessings.

For those who live their lives in fellowship, and advance in their spiritual life, there is great blessing.

For those who do none of these things, for those who try to imitate the spiritual life, for those who try to superimpose their own invented spirituality, for those who are out right defiant toward God, for those who are indifferent, for those who pursue other religions or no religion, then there is the sword and slaughter. Our verse for tomorrows study.

For those who advance to spiritual maturity, God will at the end of their life, when they stand before Him, stamp their life Completed. Successful.

For those who try their own way through life, then their epitaph will read, Incomplete. Unsuccessful. A big waste of time.

Gods Holy Mountain is the Word of God and all that goes with it. It is salvation, spiritual growth, Gods mandates and principles, which He teaches. It is the sum total of the entirety of ones spiritual life. It is the legitimate spiritual life, which is taught in the Bible.

But, too many people pursue false spiritual lives, or false lives in general. Their goal? Fortunes. What is a fortune? It is the pursuit or attainment of wealth, prosperity, success, happiness, and security. It represents all the things that each one of us desire for ourselves.

But, these fortunes are the substitute fortunes of the world, provided by the world and not by God. They are the pursuit of ones life, to the exclusion of Bible doctrine.

How do these people pursue their goals of life? They drink mixed wines. Their destiny is self-defined. Their drink consists of the many and varied philosophies and beliefs of the world. All of which are inconsistent with, and in opposition to, that which God has provided for us all.

In the world without doctrine, anything can be rationalized. Homosexuality is justified by some. Suicide murder is justified by others. Some folks escape life with drugs or alcohol. Some folks rationalize life with self-righteousness. Some folks look at life through the eyes of liberalism, others look at life through the eyes of conservatives.

In our current day, we are witnessing a growing population of people who have taken loyalty to their beliefs to beyond the extreme. Islam is one of the worst religions to come along. All religion is evil of course. Christianity is not a religion. But, for those who have convinced themselves that their religion is first regardless of their actions or consequences, then there exists the seed for tremendous violence and trouble for the world.

Being loyal to ones beliefs is noble, but when the fundamental principles of right and wrong are disregarded, then that loyalty becomes fanatical evil, and if it is not nipped in the bud, changed, corrected, or stopped, then lots of folks are going to get hurt.

Throughout history, tyrants were driven by their greed for power, authority, or just plain lust for money. They had an objective, even if it was just a criminal one. The masses of people over whom they ruled were just caught up in the events of history.

Today s fanatic represents a reversal of that historical trend. We still have fanatics who want to rule, and they still have the usual lusts for power and authority, but the masses over whom they rule, exist beyond their borders and are loyal to a belief, not to a country.

One can go to war with a country and know when victory has been obtained, but when you fight a belief with ambiguous enemies, then complete victory will always be elusive. It will be like fighting the war against crime. The best you can do is put into place the mechanism for fighting crime, but you will never eradicate it totally.

To ignore it would be the greatest mistake ever.

Now is the time to post a prayer.