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They’re bugging our phones! They’re
bugging your phone! So rings the cry of
the politically fanatic. Today we hear stories of government corruption
to the point of absolute dictatorship. There are such dictatorships
today, such as in Red China, and there have been in the recent past
such as under Hitler. These lend strength to fear raising obsessions of
the politically fanatic.
To start, please don’t misunderstand me to be saying there
isn’t danger in the US today. There are devils in high places. What I
need to address is the state of mind I’ve seen become prevalent over
political corruption. This state is one of despair, obsession, grief,
fear, and most of all faithlessness.
I worked for someone who had a unique view on life. When
she was wronged she didn’t stew in hatred. She knew that accomplished
nothing. One only became bitter. She chose to forget about it and go on
in life with a peace.
There’s corruption everywhere today. We hear about plans to
destroy us and our families, and quail in fear and discontent. If we
knew all the Devil desired to do to us, we would quake in fear. Know
this: Someone has control of the situation! God allows evil to happen
in this world, but He puts a restraining hand as to how much:
13 There hath no
temptation taken you but such as is common
to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted
above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to
escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
I Corinthians 10:13
DESPAIR:
I met a man, many years ago, in a store parking lot. He was
on a bicycle. He approached me, telling me he supported a particular
political/ religious radio broadcast. He was riding a bike, and had
been for some time, because the broadcast said the government was going
to create a false strangling of oil supplies like during the gas
shortages of the 1970s. It was going to be hard to get gas, so he was
going to be ready for it by not being dependent on gas. He rode a bike,
and as far as I know he still does. Just think of it, all these years
he could have been driving around in the comfort of a car. So he would
be ready when bad stuff came, he gritted his teeth to endure, before
the need of enduring came, which never did.
OBSESSION:
I have heard the cry:
“They’re bugging our phones! They’re bugging your phone! Do
you know they’re doing this?! Do you know they’re doing that?! Oh no,
the Trilateral! the Bilderberg! the Illuminatii! Maybe your mother’s
one! Don’t trust anyone!”
Those that rave on like this, when told of the man with the bicycle,
say they’re not fanatical like that. Listen to their conversation. 95%
of it revolves around this stuff. They often repeat something they deem
scandalous and shocking. If you want to test them, just act nonchalant
to some scandalous piece of information they give. See if they won’t
repeat it to get you riled up.
When Nehemiah was told of a scandal against him, he didn’t
get riled up. He turned to the Lord in prayer, kept on working just as
he had before, and pursued the Lord in His daily walk. Did he become a
political reactionary? No. Did he dwell on the scams? No. What’s more,
he faithfully kept pursuing God’s way, and dealt with anyone around him
that violated God’s law.
GRIEF:
I’ve seen people who go on and on about unfair political
corruptions around us. There is plenty of corruption, everywhere on
earth, during all human history, and it won’t end until Christ returns.
No amount of reformation ever takes care of it. In fact, the
tribulation period, under the One World Government, is to show that man
unifying on their own, apart from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
won’t work. The following period, in the Millennium, will show man,
under the ideal situation of seeing God, knowing His will, having His
protections from plagues when serving Him, still won’t work. Why?
Because of sin. Sin has to be judged and dealt with. Since we see God’s
time plan, should we live in grief until then? God doesn’t intend us to
walk of grief. Jesus said, ‘Perfect peace I give unto you’. Is a state
of continual grief after the mind of Christ? We’re to renew our minds
daily in Christ. Grief over evil is natural, but to continue in grief,
if you follow God, isn’t right.
FEAR:
People inside and outside of the churches are so afraid of
Government takeover they’re stockpiling food and sometimes guns.
The President of the United States has the ability to pass
laws known as ‘Executive Orders’. These are laws the President can make
without any other government body being able to cancel them. They’re
not Constitutional, but they make them nonetheless. Every President
starts making his own as soon as he gets in office. I saw a list of
some of those made by President Kennedy when he was in office. They
could be summed up as laws that provided for the total enslavement of
the American people, if the President called a state of martial law.
Seeing these laws, I could have been living my life in terror for
decades or I could have been living in peace despite the laws. No
matter what I viewed them as, life goes on, and I’ve been able to live
and raise my family in the fear of the Lord, not the fear of man. The
fear of the Lord brings joy and peace, but the fear of man brings
despair and distress.
I’m a homeschooling parent. Years ago I was told they were
going to close down the right to homeschool. I’m not going to give up
because someone says what someone else wants to happen. Glad I didn’t
just give up, it’s still legal.
Nehemiah worked to rebuild Jerusalem. His enemies sent
messengers to put him in fear with evil rumors. He was noble, trusted
in God and continued. Not in terror, but in faith. In Nehemiah we find
an example of how we’re to live in this present world that wants to
destroy us. We continue in the direction we know we’re to go. We don’t
fear and tremble at every rumor that’s cast our way. We pursue the
right way with prayer and trust in God, not a prayer of terror.
Even if the devastation of our country should come during
our life, what have we to fear? Jeremiah saw it and God took care of
him. If we should lose our possessions, is that what ultimately
matters? Trust in God. Our possessions and comforts in this life aren’t
what matters, but our state of heart and walk with God. The keeping of
our soul is of more value than accumulating riches. We love to hear
tales of the coming Rapture, but what of the great apostasy that will
precede it? The tale tellers skip that. In Revelation 6:9-11, when the
souls of the saints under the alter cry to God, they want to know how
long till the judgment. God says not until the rest of the saints to be
killed are killed. Sometimes the way that glorifies God is by our
death. Physical health, wealth and comfort may not be the way God will
receive glory through us. We must be committed to Him, not to either
comfort or suffering.
Being free from fear, I’m not saying we should bury our
head in the sand and be uninformed. I’ve read a certain amount of this
political conspiracy literature. The great danger is in things like a
conspiracy obsession, living in fear, etc. We can easily become
unbalanced in life with this type of material. What’s the answer? Jesus
said it:
33 But seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 6:33
What if a persecution does arise? Fear?, terror?, no
REJOICE! Now you know I’m mad, don’t you? Jesus said it again:
11 Blessed are ye, when
men shall revile you, and persecute
you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:
for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Matthew 5:11, 12
We are to extend labor in praying for peace, we’re
not just
to let fate take us where it may:
1 I exhort therefore,
that, first of all, supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2
For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet
and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
1
Timothy 2:1, 2
The point is, if persecution comes, disguised or directly,
we’re not to live whatever remains of our lives in fear. A rejoicing
attitude isn’t masochistic and it’s not natural. It’s a strength that
comes in the Holy Spirit.
FAITHLESSNESS:
Do we have faith in Him and remain faithful to Him? Our
walk must be one of faith in God. The possible terrors laying ahead
aren’t to overwhelm us. The Devil loves terrorizing us, and makes as
much use of fear as possible. He can rob us of peace in God through
fear alone, without actual harm ever coming our way. He can also cause
us to cease doing what God would have us do, as we’re paralyzed in
fear. We must continue in faith, and to be faithful.
It’s a false stand to think God will protect us, if we’re
not faithful to Him. If we look at God’s direction for our life as a
smorgasbord, taking things we like and leaving those that don’t appeal
to us, then He’s not Lord over our life. He, being the Master, decides
what’s good for us, not us. God doesn’t lay out the list of how to live
godly and we say, “This looks good, but I’ll leave that in the serving
dish, thank you anyway.” Are you receiving all the dishes the Lord lays
before you? If you are, then and then only will you be ready to meet
whatever lays ahead. Whatever it will be, whether good or bad, will
truly be to the glory of God.
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Free to Copy under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND3.0 License by Darrell Farkas
All quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible
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