"It's Not a Gun Problem"

There have been two horrific mass shootings in our nation within the last 10 days, resulting in deaths of innocents and injury to many others.  Life forever changed for those directly involved.  For the citizens of this country, the resulting ripple effect touches lives as fear of an unknown future sits in the wings, its shadow casting a pall upon a Christmas holiday season.

The immediate response and reaction—and I do mean immediate—was that guns must be kept out of the hands of either the crazed or people who would do harm to others.  As I heard that position expressed, everything within me was shouting, “It’s not a gun problem, people!” 


There is always much commentary surrounding events such as these.  Each one of us has our own opinion and point of view.  Many have placed blame on the current climate in our country, one where there is great division and lack of tolerance for differences. Some cite mental health issues as the cause for such behavior.  Others, a social media where anything and everything can be expressed behind a curtain of anonymity.  I'm here to state “It’s not a social problem, people!”

All that we see with our physical eyes has a root problem, a base and a source from which everything springs.  Even the medical field views disease and sickness from that place, knowing that a symptomatic approach to healing is not the answer.  When the core problem, the cause, is addressed, symptoms naturally go away and healing takes place.

There has been a concerted effort to remove God and any reference to Him from our society, our culture, our lives, our country.  Many want to eliminate words, symbols, and anything that might suggest Him.  The removal of “things” will never remove Him, but it does point to a larger picture—that people do not want God or any reminder of Him in their lives.

And so it is.  If our society does not want Him, we are then left with the alternative.  There are two powers at war in our world, and when man rejects one, he is left with the other, and there are consequences and results based on that choice and that decision.   

Life is an either/or.  There is a line drawn in the sand, and each one of us determines to whom our loyalty is given.  It is not a decision made for us.  We have the right to choose God, life, and light or to reject Him. With that rejection comes life with His enemy, death, and darkness.  Whereas God is love, His enemy is hate. No man should be surprised at what is taking place.  It is the result of living life with the “or," and that always comes with a price, and a hefty one it is, the degeneration of a society only the "tip of the iceberg." 

The chaos, violence, and disorder in the world is the antithesis of God. It is not Him, but know this--He will not go where He is not invited or welcomed.  

We do not have a gun problem; we do not have a social problem.  We DO have a spiritual problem, people. 

"He who is not with me (definitely on my side,) is against me."