The Covid Divide

 

Perhaps one of the most devastating and saddest part of the Covid is that it has split people into two camps (vaxxed and unvaxxed); families, friends, groups, communities, work places, and so on, are all affected by it. As a journalist and writer, I like to hear many sides to a single issue. Of course, there’s no other way to draw any conclusions and make up your opinion about something. So, I have researched both sides of the vaccine debate - both good and bad. I love to sniff out more than what appears at the surface and dig deeper. Of course, I try to remain objective, discerning, and also proficient in deciding if the story is worth its salt. So, I always have to check the source of what I am reading. I do this for come and go religious movements, Christian doctrines, books, and so on. I am very leery of much of what I read, especially on the internet and You Tube, so I have methods to check accuracy and so on. Mostly I pray and ask for God’s wisdom—this always works. I’ve done it for many years and will continue to do so in order to continue to produce credible blogs and books that people can trust.

 As for the debate about the vaccine, it is clear to me that there is a great deal of misunderstanding between the two opposing parties. The vaxxed believe the vaccine is a great thing and worthy of getting because doctors, the science, and the government have said so. They trust the authorities. They can’t understand why anyone would hesitate to get the jab. They think that all the posts, forwards, and literature out there that opposes the vaccine are conspiracy theories or just plain hogwash. They gladly got the jab and would do it again and again to stay safe and keep others safe, and because its the right thing to do. And they get all sorts of rights and privileges even though it comes at the cost of giving up their medical right to privacy when they sign up for the passport! Fair enough! I can certainly understand the reasoning. It’s wonderfully simplistic. Get the jab and you’ll get your life back, and you can keep your job, avoid ridicule, and go places again.  But there are definite flaws such as, it’s no longer effective against the latest strain, Omicron, and that boosters are inevitable because the efficiency of the vaccine are short-lived.  Also, unfortunately, many believe that the unvaxxed are responsible for the spread, but really, it could very well be the other way around since, at least in Canada, vaxxed are allowed everywhere with few restrictions.  The unvaxxed have been practically banished from society except to buy groceries and shop. And most still wear masks and social distance.

 The unvaxxed generally don’t trust the doctors, the science, and/or the government. They have likely read a great deal about the injuries and side effects of this temporary emergency vaccine, and know people who have suffered (and some died) after getting the jab. Plus, they see it as a never-ending mandate to get a booster, and so, why would they believe that the vaccines are efficient if you have to get a booster, and you still can carry the virus, spread it, and get it yourself? Many are health conscious and they take vitamin therapies and they believe their own healthy immune system can fight for them if they get sick. They follow mask wearing and social distancing, hand-washing and sanitizing, which have worked from the very beginning. I read of one unvaxxed city worker (mainstream media) who had Covid and she said her symptoms were very mild because she takes vitamins.  The huge downside to not getting vaxxed is the social isolation, ridicule, separatism and discrimination.  Many have lost their jobs.  It’s is being blamed for using up hospital beds even though they have every right to medical care that they paid for in their taxes.  They have just as much right as the alcoholic and drug addict, the obese and the heart attack victims. We’re all human and we all make choices, whether we agree with them or not.

 So, who is right and who is wrong? I can’t help but think how truly unbiblical, ungodly, not to mention inhumane to reduce a person’s worth to whether they are vaccinated or not. Such tactics are used by the tyrannical and power hungry, and look into history to see the terrible damage done to humanity by segregation, discrimination and dehumanizing people into something less than a God-breathed, God-loved human being!!  The holocaust comes to mind for one.  And to treat each other with such contempt over a vaccine! We are to rise much higher than that, especially if we are Bible-believing Christians. Judging one another isn’t our job! That is God’s department. One day, just as the truckers have to pull over and weigh in, we will have to weigh in to see what kind of “load” we are carrying. Will it be pleasing to God, or will it be a load bearing judgement, contempt, bitterness and anger?

 Eph 4:29  Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Eph 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Eph 4:31  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Eph 4:32  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

 And on that note, I hope I am forgiven if I have inadvertently offended anyone reading my posts. That was not my intent. God bless you regardless of your stand.

Canadian Truckers: Freedom Convoy

What is happening in Canada right now is nothing short of a miracle of God.  A very large group of truck drivers have descended on Ottawa, Canada’s capitol city where parliament sits.  They are making a statement that Canadians want their freedom back from the tyranny of a medical mandate that has enslaved us for far too long.  It is time for the tight tyrannical reigns of the Liberal government to let go.  We want to see this happen right across Canada where equality and freedom of choice and movement will once again be the norm.

As a Bible-believing Christian I have been praying for two years now for God’s will to be done in Canada.  How discouraging when you see tighter and tighter restrictions rather than the loosening of them to give us all a breath of fresh air. The fallout of these mandates and restrictions have been catastrophic.  Now there is hope.  People are standing up and making a difference.  As others have said, how fitting that it is the delivery drivers that are now at the helm of our beloved country.  Their absence from work will affect ALL OF US, vaccinated and unvaccinated alike.  Perhaps if Trudeau takes too long to relent along with the Premiers of all 10 provinces, we will be sharing communal meals as our food supplies dwindle.  Hey, won’t that break Covid protocols??

Suffice it to say, enough is enough.  We want our country back, GLORIOUS & FREE!  The world is watching. Praise God for the brave truck drivers stepping out in faith that this is going to be the way to break the tyrannical rule we have been subject to for far too long!
I have written a poem to reflect what I have personally experienced throughout the pandemic, and more specifically in the last few months as restrictions have become tighter and tighter.  God bless you as you read.

Freedom Convoy

 Psalm 68:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm or Song of David. Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.

Black clouds of foes
Canopy of fear
Stifling forbidding
Unrighteous acts
Making things unclear
Bring to ruin
A glorious future
Spoiled and plundered
Oh, where is the end
Where is the light
In this tunnel of
Darkness that seems
To enclose us in fear?
 
Faithful saints
One by one
Gather together
Attack the foe
To bring victory
Through insistent prayer
Get God on the scene
To banish the darkness
Heal broken hearts
Turn hopeless into faith
 
Today I see beyond the trucks
Above the crowds
The noise the dust
The Lion of Judah atop the trucks
Roaring and formidable
Claiming back the country He loves
 
I see the angels glorious and gold
Swoop from heaven
To the black clouds below
With one quick swipe they tumble to hell
Bound in chains
Awaiting their fate
 
We see the love
All along the route
To Ottawa-God’s country
In plain view
His love in hearts pounding
Raring to give
To bid God speed to all that is good
 
Our hearts unchained
From fears treacherous trap
We are born again
And free from evil’s grasp
 
This country we dedicate
To God and Him alone
For HE is the only ONE
Worthy to sit on the throne
 
And to all who disregard
That God is in this convoy
Will be silenced and unnoticed
Their voices of pride
Heard no more
Wisdom cries out
For all in despair
Prepare ye the way
Of the Lord
And His army
That’s you and me
With hearts ready
To defend and set free.
 
God bless the truck drivers
For they will not bend
Until all is well
In our land once again.

by Linda McBurney-Gunhouse

January 29, 2022

True Repentance

 

What is true repentance?  I remember asking Jesus into my heart several times as a youngster.  I thought every time you were bad you had to repent since you would likely lose your salvation otherwise.  It was the most frustrating endeavor.  Every time I sinned, I would surely not be forgiven if I happened to die before repenting.  It all had to do with me and my quick response to asking forgiveness.  Maybe this is an extreme, but still, this is what I believed back then. 

 When I was 15 years old, I was involved in a serious car accident.  I was quite backslidden at the time and into the hippy and drug scene.  My head hit the windshield, and I was very scared when I couldn’t wake up, and I felt my life slipping away.  My life flashed before me.  I didn’t know if I was going to heaven, and I was afraid I was slipping into hell.  But even so, after I awoke, screaming, and in the midst of the wreck, I still did not change.  I repented, but my heart did not change. It wouldn’t be until I went to Bible School three years later that I would understand true repentance from the heart, which was marked by a godly sorrow from my sin and deliverance from my sinful life.  This was followed by a rapturous joy of being set free from it.

 My question today is this:  Should Christians keep repenting even after they’re saved? What a silly question to ask, right? Most people will say, “Yes, of course.  We are sinners, aren’t we?”  Well, what does the Bible say?

My theological background tells me that once I’ve turned away from sin (literally the meaning of repentance – to turn away from sin), I am become a new creation in Christ.  Then I’m supposed to walk in newness of life and not according to my former sinful nature and even religious, yes, religious, and self-directed ways.  My religious ways would also include my idea of what makes me a good person, not what God says makes me a good and righteous person.

1Cor 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 

1Cor 6:10  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 

1Cor 6:11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 

So, the first thing that needs to be established is that God no longer considers us habitual sinners unaware of our sinful state.  We are now His blood-bought beloved children! He has started us off brand new and fresh, washed and clean, sanctified and justified, as it says in verse 11.

 2 Cor 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 

This is the life-changing “born again” experience for every believer.  And in the next verse, we definitely see that God wants us to move on from our initial repentance:

 Heb 6:1  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

 We shouldn’t look for problems or try to figure out our sins, because we don’t know.  Only God knows our hearts. David prayed:

 Psa 139:23  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

Psa 139:24  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

 We are not to be reminded of our sins either, and go over them again and again. After all, God doesn’t!

 Isa 43:25  I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Psa 103:12  As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. 

 I believe true repentance is when we are convicted by the Holy Spirit, and we respond with a contrite and repentant heart.  This is what happened to me at Bible School.  I became undone by the beautiful and sweet and loving presence of God. Repentance wasn’t something I had to think about.  It just happened in response to the Lord.  It was life changing and powerful.  

 I love these verses, which I think explain well what true repentance means:

 Psa 34:18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Psa 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Isa 57:15  For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

A person with a contrite heart is one with a repentant one; there’s a godly sorrow for sinning against a holy and loving Father. We need to be quick to see and admit our errors and keep short accounts with others and God.  But trying to figure out our wrongs seems ill advised, and a fruitless endeavor.  God doesn’t want us going around guilt ridden with our heads hanging low.  He wants us to live that fruitful, abundant and joy-filled life that He promised us.  And He will be faithful to grow us and discipline us when needed in His own perfect time and way.

Priorities will End the Pandemic

 

As the pandemic roars on with seemingly no end in sight, people are becoming discouraged. They are unable to make plans and unable to socialize without restrictions. Many are vaccinated and many believed this was the answer to the freedom they had been missing. Now there wouldn’t be any cause for worry. Yet, the next virus, Omicron has quickly shuttered the world once more with its rapid spread, and put demands on the already taxed healthcare systems.  As I’ve written previously, many believe that if everyone were vaccinated, that would end the pandemic.  Yet, would that truly end it? I think it’s highly unlikely given the fact that most are vaccinated, and yet there are many thousands who have caught the variant who are vaccinated.

 When the pandemic began, I had this insight from the Lord that the pandemic had to do with people’s priorities. Idols kept coming to mind, idols of the heart. What really matters to us? Travel? Grandkids? Hobbies? Careers? Social life? As Christians, we know that the Lord must come first in order for our Christian life to work properly. In fact, Jesus said it is the first commandment:

 Mat 22:36  Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment.

Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

 In my own life, I have been presented with the challenge of making the decision to forego my deepest heart’s desires in order to love the Lord more than the thing I desired. The first time I can remember it happened when I was quite ill with PTS and unable to work. I was on sick leave, but all my sick days were spent and I had no money coming in to pay my rent, car, or even to buy groceries. I was about to lose everything as it neared end of month. I remember I was walking on a city street (I did a lot of walking then), and God spoke to me. He asked this question: “If you lose everything, will you still love me and serve me?”

I thought about it for only a moment, and my connection to the Savior of my soul who had once pulled me out of a deep dark pit, the One who loved me and died for me, gave me an immediate answer. I said yes to Jesus. Within days, I started receiving compensation cheques from my employer. This went on for at least a year. What a miracle! God came through but He wanted to know I would love Him even if I lost everything. And I believe this is what He is asking of us today.

 NOTE: (I have written a book that covers this topic more thoroughly, The Power of Submission. Check it out here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Submission-Linda-McBurney-Gunhouse-ebook/dp/B005JQYTCA/ref=sr_1_12?qid=1642008131&refinements=p_27%3ALinda+McBurney-Gunhouse&s=books&sr=1-12).

 He asked it of Peter. In fact, He asked him three times:

 Joh 21:15  So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

 He asks it of every single one of us because God won’t compete with any other god or idol. He wants to be first in our lives and in all that we do. And He wants us to forsake all other loves for His sake.

 Mat 10:37  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Mat 10:38  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Mat 10:39  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

 When will the pandemic end? Really, it is largely up to us. Are we setting our affection on things above? Are we unmoved by the news of the mixed-up world? Are we seeking God’s face every morning, and in every situation we are faced with? Are we trusting in the many promises of our loving, unchanging, and faithful God? God isn’t moved by the pandemic at all, and if we trust in Him, neither should we be.  Loss is normal in the Christian life. Look at what Paul said:

 Php 3:7  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

 Perhaps, like me, you find that life before the pandemic was full of distractions, and you didn’t even realize you had moved away from the things of God. It is easy to be distracted especially when we are attempting to pray, read the Word, and serve God in some way. Today as things have gotten quiet, it is such a great opportunity to spend the time with the Lord, focusing on the things of God, and not on things of the world.  I am sure, when the time is right, the pandemic will end. We will be stronger than ever before, and more focussed on the things that truly matter. The things of the world will have faded away, and in its place will be a clear focus on the things of God and the Kingdom of God.