The Swamp of Man (5.2.14)

“The swamp of man is variable and extensive,

                                  is filthy and perverse,

                                  is spoiling and contaminating.

The swamp of man drowns the roots of man,

                                stunts the growth of man,

                                makes man unattractive.

The swamp of man has man wading in the mire,

                                has man struggling to reach firm ground,

                                has man tested to become as clean as he was before.

The swamp of man is extremely difficult for man to extricate himself,

                                                                  for man to discover the penalty for uncleanliness,

                                                                  for man to decide to reverse the process,

                                                                  for man to seek the highest road,

                                                                  for man to blossom in the ways of righteousness,

                                                                   or man to thereby experience the benefits of grace.

The swamp of man does not contain the benefits of grace combined:

                                                                               of grace upon the body,

                                                                               of grace upon the soul,

                                                                               of grace upon the spirit;

                                does not experience the benefits of grace accumulated together;

                                does not encounter the benefits of grace presenting for the benefit of man –

                                                                                                while engaged and active in such surroundings;

                                does not then qualify for the benefits of grace on a heart neither filled with desperation

                                                                                                                           nor in the flood time of repentance.

The swamp of man brings stress and worry,

                                brings discontent and envy,

                                brings separation and ill judgement.

The swamp of man harbours the diseases of man,

                                encourages ill health,

                                sustains the lethargy of the body and the soul.

The swamp of man concentrates the greed of man,

                                                     the dishonesty of man,

                                                     the unfettered freedom of the will of man.

The swamp of man is the breeding place of crime:

                                                                  of violence,

                                                                  of the deeds reserved for darkness,

                                                                  of the deeds which diminish the stature of man’s character,

                                                                  of the subjugation by the machinations of the drug lords:

                                                         as the gloves of man pay the price demanded as addicts of their souls.

The swamp of man often hears the drunken laughter,

                                often witnesses the drunken brawls,

                                often hears the blasphemies issuing from the lips of man.

The swamp of man is as a cesspool swirling in its ignorance,

                                                          swirling in its repetition,

                                                          swirling the anxious past the ropes thrown out to set the regretful free.

The swamp of man has a vortex in its middle,

                                has a vortex which holds in bondage,

                                has a vortex acting as quicksand for the soul.

The swamp of man rarely permits the vortex to release its grip,

                                rarely allows the attaining of the safety of firm ground,

                                rarely relinquishes the hold of the shifting sands.

The swamp of man is of man’s own making:

                                                        can be easily avoided by those with wisdom;

                                                        can entrap the foolish who cannot read the signs –

                                                                                                                    the turning points of life;

                                                        can enmesh the adventurous who misread the signs;

                                                        can snare a passer-by who settles for a trial;

                                                        can broach the safeguards of the gullible when such believe the lies,

                                                        can capture the body soul and spirit when the senses are overpowered.

The swamp of man knows the lure of gold,

                                knows the lure of pornography,

                                knows the lure of an impending ‘high’,

                                knows the lure of camaraderie with an arm around a shoulder,

                                knows the lure of enticement for an evening’s ‘fun’,

                                knows the lure when freedom is unrestrained as dissipation rules.

The swamp of man expands upon the whim of man,

                                encircles and entraps,

                                samples and consumes,

                                invites and has returns.

The swamp of man is the basis of each evil conspiracy:

                                shares corruption with the upright,

                                drags all into the slime from which escape is fraught with difficulty,

                                heaps upon each head the initial shock of shame,

                                offers platitudes to pacify the timid and the fearing,

                                subdues the bold with blackmail and extortion to make them fall in line –

                                                                                                  by threatening the positioning of the families.

The swamp of man puts My bride in preparation in mortal danger built on extensive contact,

                                puts My bride-in-waiting in danger of the losing of her eternal destiny,

                                puts My bride I love into the nests of Satan which are without redeeming features,

                                puts My bride in ignorance where she will be pressured to conform,

                                puts My bride at risk of her salvation in the surrounds of intensive sin.”