Heart Condition

The mind has been described as a battlefield, and the enemy would want to infect and affect our minds so that we embrace his deception rather than the truth of the Scriptures.  We read in 2nd
Corinthians 10:
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ...

When thoughts are not grounded in Scripture, we become vulnerable to buying into and believing the lies of the enemy.  We have to strengthen our minds and take to heart the Scripture that says we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  If we are not spiritually sensitive to errant thoughts and thought patterns that develop in our minds, we can be led astray from the truth of Christ and make some drastic, life-altering decisions.  We have to stay alert and be strong.

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In Acts 10, we find Peter preaching about the nature of Christ.  We can see the operation of evil in this world today, and it's important that we pay attention to God's Word, so that we might carefully and accurately respond to those who have succumbed to evil impulses.  Acts 10 states:
36 The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ--He is Lord of all--
37 that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

I want to segue from yesterday's commentary and say a word about heroics.  In the midst of tragedies, often we can find stories of self-sacrifice.  In the recent Denver school shooting, there was Kendrick Castillo, about whom CBN News wrote:

Wednesday night a vigil was held to honor 18-year-old Kendrick Castillo and the eight students who were hurt in the shooting at the STEM School Highlands Ranch.

Castillo died protecting his classmates, leaping from his desk and charging the two school shooters to give other students a chance to escape.

His father is quoted as saying, "He did what he had to do, and I knew that was my son's nature. That was who he was..."  Similar comments are being made about Riley Howell; the Charlotte Observer stated that he, "died in the UNC Charlotte shooting....after pinning the gunman down and thwarting attempts to kill more of his classmates. (One other student was killed and four more were injured, but police have repeatedly asserted that Howell ensured there wasn’t further violence.)"  The report said:

Riley Howell was always there with a kind word or a kind gesture for others. That if you needed him to, he’d go to bat for you, no questions asked.

And that his heart was pure.

A friend related that Riley "...didn’t look for the bad in people — he only saw the good.”

These are gratifying moments to consider when you think about these two gentlemen who stood in the face of evil and sought to do good.  We can strive to uphold good and to allow the power of God to flow through us when we face opposition, and realize that we stand in the face of evil every single day.

A picture is coming together of the shooters in the Denver tragedy.  Another CBN News story reported that one of the suspects, in 2014, had "expressed hatred for Christians on Facebook."  The story states:

"You know what I hate?" he said. "All these Christians who hate gays, yet in the Bible, it says in Deuteronomy 17:12-13, if someone doesn't do what their priest tells them to do, they are supposed to die," he said in his post. "It has plenty of crazy stuff like that. But all they get out of it is 'ewwwwww gays'."

Also, the article relates that John Fenton of CBS Denver had tweeted that a car that had been towed away from the same suspect's home had a profanity painted on the side, as well as "666" and "what appears to be a pentagram on its hood."

And, according to CBN: "KMGH Denver reported that sources said the second suspect is transgender male in the midst of transitioning from female to male."  The CBN story adds:

The Denver Channel reports that the motive "went beyond bullying and involved revenge and anger towards others at the school," and that one suspect "was involved in legal and illegal drug use and had been in therapy."

This story does seem to have disappeared from the headlines, unfortunately.  It simply doesn't fit the popular narrative.  Fox News reported that some of the school's students walked out of a recent vigil.  The article states:

“STEM School students walked out of a vigil tonight after @RepJasonCrow & @SenatorBennet spoke,” tweeted Kyle Clark, an anchor with 9NEWS in Denver. “Students said their grief was being politicized. They later returned, took the mic, and some said they didn't want to be used to promote gun control.”

One of the purposes of the vigil, reportedly, was to remember the life and heroism of Kendrick Castillo. Fox reports that "According to the Denver Post, some of the students who walked out of the vigil on Wednesday night were chanting 'mental health.'"

There is a place to debate regulations of the buying and selling of weapons, but ultimately, the use of a weapon to take life is rooted in a human being's heart.  And, this story already has several themes: drugs, perhaps devotion to Satanic ideas, a suspect who is having issues of sexuality, and, as students called out, issues surrounding mental health.  It's doesn't fit into the standard gun control narrative.  And, students didn't appreciate attempts to shoehorn them into that perspective.

And, the shooting doesn't fit into the attractive ideological pattern. Scott Whitlock of Newsbusters points out that, "One of the two shooters at a high school in Colorado hated Christians, Republicans and praised Barack Obama. Yet none of the networks have, so far, covered his angry social media posts. This is in contrast to other occasions when they have tried to pin violence on conservative ideology."  It's reminiscent of the reduced media coverage that the Easter massacre that consisted of attacks on Christian targets, with reaction marked by high-profile politicians referring to Christians as "Easter worshippers."  Keep in mind, you are being played.

Now, let's go back to the mental illness angle.  This seems to be confirmed by a New York Post article that centers on not only Erickson, but Maya McKinney, who is transitioning and refers to herself now as Alec:

The Daily Mail reported a friend of Erickson and McKinney commented on a social media post that said the duo were troubled and didn’t get the help they needed.

“Devon did not do what he did because he’s a liberal, or to make a statement,” the friend wrote.

“He did it due to internal struggles. They’re both struggling with mental health issues and this is a time for awareness.”

The friend then addressed McKinney.

“Had people supported him in the way that he needed and deserved, he would not have struggled so much that he got pushed over the edge… Please recognize that mental health awareness is important. Supporting LGBT youth is important. They didn’t get the help they needed, and they NEEDED it,” the friend went on.

Notice the allegation: both had mental health issues.  McKinney did not receive the support that she needed.  But, the right kind of support is key.  This is an opportunity for the Church to identify and minister to troubled teens.  Some say that youth who identify as LGBT need support, but in the form of affirmation for their lifestyle choice; I would contend the support comes in the form of truth delivered lovingly.  In the debate over violence in culture, it's important to identify and Biblically address the root causes, which may stem from a troubled mind and a life apart from Christ.