Hi friends! I was taking a nice long prayer walk on Saturday when prayers for God’s protection of law enforcement and military personnel were suddenly turned into a revelation I had not given thought to before.  Suddenly, I became keenly aware of current wiles of the enemy, and how he seldom changes tactics when they are working. Then, it all hit home!

A comparison was drawn in my mind between what we see in Minnesota today and what we have seen in Gaza for years.  Here are some examples:

• Foundational propaganda
  • Palestinians in Gaza: Accusing Israel of being “occupiers,” while fraudulently freeloading off the land that was ceded to them, and off the generosity of both Israel and other Arab nations in the region. Once given the land, it took Gazans only a short while to trash it while Hamas took control and used billions in aid to build terror tunnels rather than schools, mosques and hospitals.
  • Fraudsters in Minnesota: Taking advantage of open US borders, illegal immigrants flooded to America with dreams of taking advantage of US welfare laws. They failed to assimilate, but many were drawn into what is believed to be at least a $9 billion daycare scandal in which they fleeced America while providing very little (if any) daycare services.  Just like radical Palestinians, illegal immigrants in Minneapolis seem more than satisfied to live off someone else’s dime.
• Intentionally created chaos
  • Gaza: Since inheriting the Gaza Strip in 2005, Palestinians terrorized Israelis with rockets, car bombs, and suicide drivers. Creating chaos put them in the world media spotlight, as any retaliation from the Israelis was labeled genocide.
  • Minnesota: Illegal immigrants have become “the cause” for radical liberals who have shown up in droves to “protest” immigration officials whose job it is to enforce US law. Deporting dangerous and unlawful illegal immigrants is part of the responsibility of the US government, so radicals have chosen to disrupt deportation missions. Chaos in the streets of Minneapolis is not much different than the chaos inside Gaza where  media seeks faces of the “oppressed” to spread lies around the world.
• Pushing the limits in hopes of retaliation and blame-shifting
  • Gaza: Even before October 7, Palestinians pushed the limits with Israel by firing rockets indiscriminately and without cause, hoping to get a rise out of Israel so they could shift blame by convincing the world Israel was the aggressor. Following October 7, Palestinians spread the “genocide narrative,” pushing the limits by telling the world that citizens in Gaza were starving. Meanwhile, hundreds of humanitarian aid trucks were ambushed by Hamas fighters at the border and horded by Hamas leadership.  Tons and tons of food was left to rot because neither the UN nor anyone else inside Gaza was competent enough to get it to hungry people.  All was done with the hope of turning the world against the Israelis who were blamed for the false starvation in Gaza.
  • Minnesota: As ICE agents go about doing their job of deporting illegal immigrants (many involved in the daycare fraud), radicalized “protesters” take to the streets to block progress and harass immigration agents.  Despite specific orders, many protesters push the issue, causing agents to make very tough decisions. A woman bocking a street with her vehicle recently was confronted, surged forward, and hit an agent with her vehicle.  Whether or not it was her intent, she was certainly disobedient, highly reckless, and egged on by her partner. It cost her life.  Mainstream media and radical Democrats now blame the agent who was hit. Blame-shifting is alive and well.
• Acting aggressively until a crisis arises
  • Gaza: The Palestinian MO is to act as aggressively as possible until they have nowhere to turn, at which point, they enter agreements they never intend to keep. Israel quickly got the upper hand in the war that followed October 7. Each time Hamas cried, “Uncle,” Israel retreated, waiting on them to fulfill their agreements (sometimes including release of hostages) and, of course, rearm. Routinely, they reneged, made excuses, and turned world media against Israel once again.
  • Minnesota: This has yet to be fulfilled, but I can only imagine the excuses and media outburst if, God forbid, this melee goes on long enough or violent enough for President Trump to call in the National Guard. I expect the radicals to push until that happens, then will turn to the narrative that America is using military forces against her own people.  As in Gaza, it will be par for the course in Minnesota as well.
• Use of DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender) to avoid accountability
  • Gaza: DARVO tactics have gone on for decades with Palestinians. They deny wrongdoing and routinely take no responsibility. After all, Israel was an “occupier” and deserved to be attacked. Then Gaza attacked back, both kinetically with rockets and through media influence. For example, Israel was blamed for bombing a hospital, though Hamas’ own rocket malfunctioned. But the news was spread and soon the world blamed Israel. Palestinians, the clear offender on October 7, later also became victims of Israel’s “starvation tactics.”
  • Minnesota: Everyone from top MN governmental leaders down to individual daycare operators deny they defrauded the state (and US taxpayers). Instead, they accuse the current US administration of being racist, and immigration officers of focusing on only one ethnic group.  Suddenly, the offenders who defrauded the public are now the victims.  It seems the crooks in Minnesota are playing from the same play book as the evil regime in Gaza.

To be clear, this is not about race or ethnicity.  I personally know many very fine, upstanding Palestinians.  They are not all evil.  The LEADERSHIP of Gaza (and the broader axis associated with the Iranian mullahs) are evil. Likewise, I am sure there are Somalians who came legally to America for a better life and assimilated into our country.  I love the fact that America allows those from other places to come to America LEGALLY and become part of the fabric of our country.  I personally know Europeans, Iranians, Pakistanis, Indians, Australians, and many other nationalities who have come legally, worked their tails off, and made something of themselves in America.

The point is that not everyone has earned a place and carved out a life for themselves. There are freeloaders around the world playing from the same playbook. The characteristics are very telling, and in the end, they take no responsibility yet want all the benefits of a good society to be handed to them, to the detriment of those who earned it.

Now, let’s make it personal! There are those who call themselves Christians who also play by the playbook. Oh, it might not look like the no-gooders we characterized here. But who among us has not, at times, worn our feelings on our sleeve, played the victim, or denied our own shortcomings and attacked the one who exposed us?  We might even offend, then reverse the narrative so we appear to be the victim.

We’re all sinners, and I’m certain we have all DARVO’d in our lives!  But here’s the hope: When we belong to Jesus, He makes us victorious! No need to DARVO! In 1 Corinthians 15:50-55, Paul tells us that believers in Jesus will one day put on incorruptible and immortal bodies when we inherit the kingdom of God. (At death or rapture.)  Death has no sting and here’s why:

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
~1 Corinthians 15:56-57

You can imagine how my prayer walk ended!  Having gotten wrapped up in the frustration of what I see in Gaza, Minnesota and the world today, the Lord brought it right back home to me!  I’m so glad I have Jesus!  No need to DARVO, no need to cast judgment on others…simply on evil things I (and others) do!

I hope you are encouraged by this exhortation as well.  Live free in Jesus!