Puff the Magic Dragon and Dropping the “F” Word - Purity 940
Purity 940 01/13/2023 Purity 940 Podcast
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Good morning,
Today’s photo a “dragon cloud” in the blue skies
over an unnamed frozen pond and a somewhat bleak January landscape comes to us
from yours truly as I paused for a moment to capture it while working on Skyline
Drive in Melrose NY. When I took this
photo I thought that the frozen pond would stand out and it was worth taking
for that but after getting over the disappointment that my iphone’s camera didn’t
see what I saw, I realized that the “puff the magic dragon” was floating just
over head and so instead of ditching this photo I am sharing it to remind us
all to take a second look at what is happening around us and to remind us of
the presence the spiritual forces of darkness in this world that are hidden but
that are actively looking to steal, kill, and destroy.
Yeah, as cute and cuddly as the cartoon of “Puff Magic
Dragon” may have been and as much as some of us may think that “dragons are
cool”, I have to put forth the truth of what dragon’s represent.
Revelation 12:9 (NKJV)
9 So the great dragon was
cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the
whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
So sorry Games of Thrones fans and
dragon enthusiasts, dragons represent Satan and his demons and when we display
them on our lawns (at Christmas time! )or keep images of them in our homes, we
are unwittingly giving a place to the devil in our lives.
Although “Puff the Magic Dragon” was
never intended to be anything other than a children’s song many people associate
the song with marijuana use.
“Puff magic dragon? “Little Jackie Paper
loved that rascal Puff? “Autumn Mist? …. Come on man! That’s about smoking a
joint!”
The songs lyrics was written by
Leonard Lipton who was interested in writing poetry, and later they were put to
music by Peter Yarrow, the “Peter” from Peter, Paul, and Mary.
“Lipton said the track is about the
“loss of innocence, and having to face an adult world.” And that it ”surely not
about drugs.” The writer is annoyed at
the “drug interpretation of his words and said “It would be insidious to
propagandize about drugs in a song for little kids.” Yarrow also said someone
would have to be “meanspirited” to insert drug references into a song for
children. (https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/peter-paul-mary-is-puff-the-magic-dragon-really-about-drugs.html/)”
While Lipton and Yarrow’s comments
may have been criticizing Newsweek columnist, Dorothy Kilgallen, who originally
made the claim that Puff was about cannabis, I can think of an “insidious” and “mean
spirited” person that would love to corrupt the innocent and encourage drug
use: that old dragon himself: Satan.
He tried to tempt Jesus, that’s
pretty bold, so we really can’t put anything past him and have to realize that
He is actively trying to steal, kill, and destroy anything good in this
world.
Anyway the thoughts of the “evil that
men do” and the spiritual forces of darkness are at the forefront of my mind
this morning because I had an encounter last night which could reveal the fact
that Satan is still quite active in trying to stir things up.
On the way to last night’s final
evening of prayer of the “Pray Together” event that four churches in the
Clifton Park area decided to do this week, I stopped to get gas only to
discover that all four pumps were occupied.
I waited and when a pump that was
facing the opposite side of my gas tank became available I maneuvered my car to
back up to the pump. But as I was backing up another vehicle pulled into the
parking lot and appeared to be attempting to pull in nose first to that spot. But I was already committed to backing up and
even though this vehicle tried to “nose up” into the spot, I continued backing
up and got in position to pump gas. The
other car pulled around me and parked elsewhere.
As I was pumping gas the cars driver
got out and angrily started shouting profanities in my direction as he began
walking to go into the convenience store located there. In retrospect I am still not sure if they
were trying to get into the spot to pump gas or not but it appeared that I either
“got in their way” or “blocked their goal” of getting gas. So this man
apparently felt justified to chastise me with some pretty heavy profanity.
Now usually I avoid any confrontation
and just remain silent when I run into negative people or criticism. I know what spirit runs the world, Satan
right, so I’m not surprised by the anger and hate that is out there. But when this man kept jawing as if he had a
right to the space I was backing into righteous indignation apparently rose up
in me and I “fought fire with fire” and respond:
“Brother, I was here first! I was backing
into the space! And I was here first!”
He went onto say something about me
being an “unsafe driver” and when that apparently seemed to not be satisfying
enough, he just started cursing at me. I
just kept pumping gas and he just kept swearing and then I said it:
“I FORGIVE YOU!”
I kid you not. I almost can’t believe
it myself!
Anyway, unswayed by my offer of
forgiveness, he just continued to swear before going into the store.
I was quite shaken by our little
encounter but just kept pumping the fuel into my car.
I wasn’t done pumping when this man reemerged
from the store and he still wasn’t finished.
He swore at me a few more times and stated that I was “lucky” because he
didn’t want to go back to “prison” because otherwise he would beat me up.
I paid him no mind and that just
seemed to make him even more angry as he shouted out some more curses.
Oh yeah, I should also tell you that
he apparently he had a buddy with him in the car riding shotgun and while I
never really saw his friend, I sure heard him because just like a rapper’s hype
man, he was also throwing out his curses and threats. Like “Yeah! What he said!” “Yeah boy!”
So being wise enough not to respond,
I just finished my gas and got in the car to drive away.
Like I said I don’t know if they
intended to get gas because as I pulled out of the parking lot, they rushed at
me with their car as if they were going to hit me.
I was mildly annoyed at that but I somehow
knew that this gesture of coming at me with their car was just another empty
threat. Although I was a little concerned
when they continued out of the parking lot following me.
“Great I’ll drive them to the prayer
meeting!” I thought just before they turned off and disappeared, may be to turn
around and go back to get the gas they never pumped?
Anyway, adrenaline was pretty high on
the drive to the church but then I decided to pray for those men to know the Lord
and to pray to the Lord for forgiveness in case my “righteous indignation” wasn’t
so righteous or my backing into the space was unsafe or selfish.
And that’s what I want to point to
really, the ability to go to the Father in prayer for our enemies and to get
peace.
I used the phrase “blocked their goal”
because that’s what Dr. Neil Anderson says is behind our angry emotions. When we get angry it is because someone or
something “blocked our goal”. I apparently blocked these men’s goal and so they
were angry. So I understand. But I think there was some unseen spiritual
warfare going on here.
The way the guy came at me indicated
to me, and apparently my spirit , that he wasn’t used to being talked back to
and probably was used to intimidating people and getting what he wanted.
Like it was quite out of character
for me to respond, but apparently this men’s hatred and tactics of intimidation
and condemnation made me speak out.
I was there first. Although he may
not have understood what I was attempting to do when he pulled into the lot, I
had done nothing wrong. And so when that
barrage of condemnation didn’t let up, my “spirit” cried out stating what was
true and in essence said that I wasn’t going to accept his condemnation.
Romans 8:1 (NKJV) says
1 There is therefore
now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according
to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
That’s my life verse and while I will admit it and seek forgiveness when I make a mistake, I didn’t feel I had made one, and if anything, I prevented him from taking the space that was “rightfully mine”.
If I Monday morning quarterback this situation, I suppose I could have waited behind one of the other vehicles in order to not have to back up but what I did wasn’t necessarily wrong or unsafe. But you know what, I asked God for forgiveness anyway. I know I am not perfect and would rather be right with God than stand on my “rights.”
So after I prayed for myself and these men to forgive me, and to find Jesus, I went into the Church at Newton Road to pray. The topic of prayer for last night was for our leaders, those in authority of our local, state, and national governments and in business.
My prayers were a little more passionate than you may have thought they would have been but because of my recent encounter at the gas station I was extremely thankful for the law and order that our society does have. After all according to my new foul mouth acquaintance it was only the threat of “prison” that prevented him and his shotgun riding hype man from putting a beating on me!
So I prayed for our leaders with a particular emphasis on law enforcement! Just think of 2020’s and other lawless riots of the past and you should be thankful and pray for the authorities that keep people in check.
Despite its auspicious beginning, for me, the evening of prayer was a success as many Christians joined together in unity as the body of Christ to pray.
After I went home I decided to unwind by using the One Minute Pause App to do the evening session of the “30 days to Resilience” program I am doing. And as thoughts of the encounter at the gas station tried to invade the session, I was encouraged when God “spoke” through the app.
As I was wondering about whether or not I had done “wrong” in this situation, the recorded voice of John Eldridge stated this:
“Crisis is what tests our convictions; crisis reveals what we truly believe. Does your reaction to crisis affirm those beliefs?”
I laughed out loud I had certainly had a crisis! And perhaps I should have just remained silent but my loud response of “I FORGIVE YOU!” certainly indicated to me that the crisis revealed what I truly believe. Instead of returning evil with evil, I sought to forgive in the heat of the moment.
It is ONLY because of Christ in me, that this would happen!
So, its Friday – Thank God! And whether or not someone blocks your goal today or not, let me encourage you to keep walking and talking with God because He is working in you to make you more like Christ and the longer you go in His direction the more He transforms you.
God bless you all.
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Well this testimony took too much time. So the verse of the day from The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”. will be back tomorrow.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink’s “The
Sovereignty of God”
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available on
many websites for less than $20.00.
THE
SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
By ARTHUR W. PINK
CHAPTER THREE
SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IN ADMINISTRATION concludes
4. God governs angels: both good and evil angels
The angels are God’s servants, His
messengers, His chariots. They ever hearken to the word of His mouth and do His
commands. “And God sent an angel unto
Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the Lord beheld, and He
repented Him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed it, It is
enough, stay now thine hand.… And the Lord commanded the angel; and he put his sword again into the
sheath thereof” (1 Chron. 21:15, 27). Many other scriptures might be cited to
show that the angels are in subjection to the will of their Creator and perform
His bidding—“And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a
surety, that the Lord hath sent His angel,
and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod” (Acts 12:11). “And the Lord God
of the holy prophets sent His angel
to shew unto His servants the things which must shortly be done” (Rev. 22:6).
So it will be when our Lord returns: “The Son of Man shall send forth His angels and they shall gather out of His kingdom all
things that offend, and them which do iniquity” (Matt. 13:4). Again, we read,
“He shall send His angels with a
great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the
four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matt. 24:31).
The same is true of evil spirits: they, too, fulfil God’s
sovereign decrees. An evil spirit is sent by God to stir up rebellion in the
camp of Abimelech: “Then God sent an evil
spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, which aided him in the
killing of his brethren” (Judges 9:23). Another evil spirit He sent to be a
lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab’s prophets—“Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the
mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee”
(1 Kings 22:23). And yet another was sent by the Lord to trouble Saul—“But the
Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an
evil spirit from the Lord troubled him” (1 Sam. 16:14). So, too, in the New
Testament: a whole legion of the demons go not out of their victim until the
Lord gave them permission to enter
the herd of swine.
It is clear from
Scripture, then, that the angels, good and evil, are under God’s control, and
willingly or unwillingly carry out God’s purpose. Yea, SATAN himself is absolutely subject to God’s control. When
arraigned in Eden, he listened to the awful sentence but answered not a word.
He was unable to touch Job until God
granted him leave. So, too, he had to gain our Lord’s consent before he could
“sift” Peter. When Christ commanded him to depart—“Get the hence, Satan”—we
read, “Then he Devil leaveth Him”
(Matt. 4:11). And, in the end, he will be cast into the Lake of Fire which has
been prepared for him and his angels.
The Lord God
omnipotent reigneth. His government is exercised over inanimate matter, over
the brute beasts, over the children of men, over angels good and evil, and over
Satan himself. No revolving world, no shining of star, no storm, no creature
moves, no actions of men, no errands of angels, no deeds of Devil—nothing in all the vast universe can come to
pass otherwise than God has eternally purposed. Here is a foundation of
faith. Here is a resting place for the intellect. Here is an anchor for the
soul, both sure and steadfast. It is not blind fate, unbridled evil, man or
Devil, but the Lord Almighty who is ruling the world, ruling it according to
His own good pleasure and for His own eternal glory.
“Ten thousand ages ere the skies
Were into motion brought;
All the long years and worlds to come,
Stood present to His thought:
There’s not a sparrow nor a worm,
But’s found in His decrees,
He raises monarchs to their thrones
And sings as He may please.”[1]
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tomorrow------------------------
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