Category: The Word
Generations to reclaim freedom – do you believe yet?
Never in our lifetimes has it been so important for Christians to understand what is directly in front of us. In fact, it has been many generations since we have faced the challenges that now lie directly ahead of us.
You see, during the Great Depression, we were asked to suffer through economic hardship brought about after reckless malinvestment based on easy credit and the Fed’s first experiment with the limits of their newly born, yet not mature, fiat money system. The Civil War brought the horrors of war to within our borders. The war was engaged because of deep differences in political ideology on a number of issues, including but not exclusively slavery.
Today, we are moving in the direction of experiencing both of these very difficult circumstances – civil war and economic hardship – simultaneously. We have but a few weeks, maybe as much as a few months, before economic reality begins to set in to the markets. That being the “recovery” that wasn’t, isn’t. I believe that at the current pace of escalation, we have at most three years before some type of Fort Sumtner event happens that could lead to a major outbreak of violence.
I know that some, if not many, readers who have followed this blog for years are not comfortable with my recent observations on the state of the union and its direction. I’m sorry, but I simply cannot water down what is out there in plain sight. In my opinion,
iacta alea est
The die has been cast.
Outside of a supernatural movement of God, the options that are available for resolution of our present situation are becoming very limited. Our present situation being the clash between those who are sprinting to the finish line, trying to secure a “progressive/socialist” United States that will be folded into the New World Order, and those that simply refuse to let that happen without a fight.
My prayer has been, and continues to be, that this battle will remain in the political arena and be fought at the ballot box. However as the tactics used by the progressives become more dictatorial, those who are willing to fight for their freedom are faced with a choice – continue to be backed into an ever darker corner, or begin to signal that their retreat has about reached its limits.
Today, we are seeing that those ready to fight for their freedom are beginning to send their signals. Bricks through windows. Phone threats. Even an alleged shot fired at a Republican Congressman’s office. What the main stream media does not understand is that these are the cries from an abused population. They are warnings given to the oppressors that they are reaching a point of no return. It is one of their last cries for help.
Yet the mainstream media paints these events as the stuff of extremists and domestic terrorists. In fact, there are tens of millions of Americans who can relate to those who committed these acts of desperation while not condoning their actions. They see it as similar to a physically abused child who punches another child during recess or an emotionally abused wife that wrecks the car her husband cherishes more than her. The authorities won’t help, so what are they to do to get people’s attention? What is more, as the months go on, the situation is likely to get even more confusing.
The progressives (including our President), who are disciples of Saul Alinsky, are now fully engaged in Alinsky’s “8th rule of ethics of means and ends.” This is from his book Rules for Radicals, and it reads “the morality of a means depends upon whether the means is being employed at a time of imminent defeat or imminent victory.”
The progressives see imminent victory in front of them. Literally decades of waiting to “fundamentally transform the United States” (Barak Obama on the campaign trail days before the election) is over. Or so they believe. Thus, the kind of dictatorial, no-holes-barred tactics you saw last week to pass health care are justified. It matters not the political, economic or social cost. The ends in this case justify the means because they see victory as imminent. It’s straight out of their playbook.
With this rule fully in effect, I expect nothing short of a continuation of these tactics. Look for amnesty for illegal immigrants to be forced upon the American people over the next few months. Doing so would help the progressives to secure what they feel will be a permanent majority of progressive voters in this nation. Look for increases in “violent attacks” on progressive leadership’s buildings and property. And while some of them will be coming from those who are in that dark corner, many will come from the progressives themselves. That’s right. Crimes progressives denounce as “barbaric and violent” will be perpetrated by themselves in order to demonize their opponents as they can claim the high moral ground. If you think that is rank speculation, you don’t remember what happened in Denver prior to the election. When Democratic offices there had windows broken, it was discovered that the person who did it was, you guessed it, a progressive. Hush hush.
So while this interesting time in history plays out, the Christian community is going to be tested at its very core. They are going to be asked to see through the radical’s tactics and find the truth about what is really happening and who is behind it. They will need to decide – what are appropriate responses to tyranny? What is the appropriate response to oppression? What is the appropriate response to the tactics of a relativistic application of the idea that “the ends justifies the means?”
Tough questions. We need a dialogue. I’ll talk about this on my Blogtalkradio program next Monday at 9 PM CST. We’d better start wrestling with these issues now. The time is soon coming when you will have to choose. Sides will have to be taken. For those of you who say you will remain neutral, inaction and “neutrality” are, and throughout history have always been, tacit approval of the aggressor’s actions. In questions of ethics, freedom, liberty and tyranny, there is no neutrality. Get ready to make your choice. Future generations’ lives will be determined by what you decide.
View PostContinue to rework the grid.
As the health care debate comes down to the wire, it should be nothing short of obvious to Christians that what we are facing is a form of evil that this nation hasn’t had to face in its history. Our forefathers have fought many a war against enemies that were power hungry, corrupt and evil, yet none pose a challenge quite like what we are seeing today.
In case it isn’t obvious, however, let me help clear some fog.
With a very clear majority of the people of this nation saying loudly that the current health care takeover is not what they want, the power mad folks in congress continue to march ahead with the “nuclear” and “slaughter” options. Do you think God just might have a message in this? The names given to the methods our “leaders” are using to pass this hideous legislation are more accurate to what can happen if passed than 97% of the people in this nation realize.
People are not thinking through the logical conclusion of this legislation, nor its unintended consequences. Let’s look at two possible scenarios…
Imagine a day when a loved one is stricken with cancer. You go to the doctor and are given a list of options for your treatment. Because of age, social status, previous health history, etc. – the most effective options are not presented to you. Fine, you say. I’ll opt for some unconventional treatments which have a great track record of success. Wrong – they have long since been made illegal. I’ll go south of the boarder for treatment. Wrong – new treaties are in place which would prohibit you from doing so. Your options are to a) die slowly over the next few months or b) die quickly as you prepare to be euthanized.
Or, say, your child falls and breaks their arm and you go to the doctor for treatment. The government launches an investigation and discovers that your child broke their arm while jumping on a trampoline you have had for the past 7 or 8 years. Because it is larger than the government allows, and because it does not have a net, you are required to pay a fine of $5,000. Your family is put on a government watch list as being negligent parents and you find yourself “on probation.” If another child gets hurt using a non-government approved device, they will come and take your children away from you “for their safety.” Child number two gets hurt. Up the driveway comes Child Protective Services – oh yes, by the way, now with the authority of the UN Rights of The Child Treaty behind them.
Any person who does not believe that the above scenarios are not only possible, but in some form or another probable under a government run health care system of the future, is simply not willing to face reality. The freedom such a plan would rob from them to make decisions over the most intimate aspects of their life – their health – and the ability of the government to control the makeup of the land they live on, the products they buy, the tools they use, etc. – is immeasurable. My message to them – wake up. Many are. And that is why this is such a critical issue.
The people of this nation who dearly love their freedom have awakened. They are a percentage of the population greater than the elite bargained for. The elite believed they had a majority of Americans dumbed down, their understanding of history and love for freedom had died (or so they thought). They believed they had the vast majority of Americans dumbed down into thinking our nation is a democracy, where 51% gets to tell the other 49% what to do, think, say, eat, feel, buy and believe. They thought that those two “victories” would allow them to strike the final blow to our Constitution and our way of life, paving the way for the New World Order.
They were wrong.
While it is true, most Americans were asleep and off chasing the materialism enabled by our dishonest monetary system, sleep is a very different thing than being dead. Ask anyone who has stumbled upon a bear in hibernation or come upon any other wild animal when the animal did not expect it. They can become ferocious very quickly.
And that people, is why this health care legislation is so dangerous. The asleep have awakened. They see that health care is but one of a growing number of threats to their way of life. And that way of life, which was focused on material things, is slowing refocusing on an object in the distance that they had lost sight of. Freedom.
Health care is now the prod that the elite are unwittingly using to jab at the awakened animal – Americans who actually value freedom over the perceived security of the welfare state. They do not understand that this animal, at least a significant number of those that make it up, will fight their way back to that distant object and will in fact die in an effort to reclaim it for them and their posterity. The elite thought those people simply no longer existed.
Here is the reality. Whether or not you agree with that small percentage of the American population that make up this animal, 2%, 3%, 5%, 10%? who will literally fight to the death to reclaim freedom – whether or not you join them, stand against them, or remain passively by in an attempt to remain “neutral” – you will not be exempt from the consequences if it gets that far.
Do the math. One million private citizens standing for freedom at whatever the cost will mean a long, difficult and bloody struggle. It would not leave a life untouched in this country.
So, once again – deal with reality or it will deal with you. If you are not doing everything in your power to stop the evil coming from Washington. If you are not on your knees, crying out to God for mercy. If you are not calling your family, friends and church into repentance for the many sins of our nation…
Be careful. The consequences of doing nothing has never been greater.
View PostSilencing of Christians gains momentum
Question. Why did the “hate crimes law” pass last year? Was it to protect a certain class of people, such as homosexuals or minorities? That is the answer that most conservative pundits want you to believe. That however is not the answer.
The purpose was to take another giant step toward silencing Christians.
In both 2007 and 2008, between 1.3 and 1.4 million violent crimes were committed. Out of those crimes, less than 300 each year were found to be motivated by sexual orientation.
Tell me – is there a need for this law? Not for the reasons given.
Now, let’s look at the provisions in the law. Under previous law, people who committed violent crimes were held accountable for their actions and, if found guilty of the crime, sent to jail. That is the way it should be. I do not condone violence against anyone, regardless of their lifestyle.
However, with the “hate crimes” law, the door has been opened to go here in the United States where they have gone in other countries, including Canada. That is, the law will work its way through the courts and “case law” will establish that those “guilty” of committing any violent crime against a favored group will be expanded to include anyone who’s speech may have contributed to the actions of the person committing the crime. Ah ha. There it is.
If you simply look at who the law is designed to protect, you can see who it is the law is targeting. In this case, the target has squarely been placed on the chest of fundamental Christians. The passing of the law alone will have a chilling effect on what is said regarding homosexuality, transgenders, and any other morally corrupt lifestyle.
Count on it. If we do not stop this madness and return to a constitutionally sound exposition of the rule of law and the individual liberties it is designed to protect, we will in short order be told “do not preach in His name.” What then will happen? Will today’s church leaders have the courage to do as Peter and John did?
For the vast majority, I seriously doubt it. As evidence, how about this story out of Iowa.
150 Clergy Support Gay Marriage
This is bait. Will someone speak out against it? Will someone go too far in their speech as to “incite” a response? Will that lead to the scope of the law broadening as described above? If they have it their way, it will.
Do you see? Are you ready to join the battle yet? You can’t just engage from your prayer chair. You’ve got to get in the game and help repair this broken, twisted, dysfunctional church/state relationship before the state comes knocking on your pastor’s door.
Tiger and Christianity
I have purposely not mentioned the name of Tiger Woods and his woes on the blog because I find it all a very, very tiresome distraction to the reality of what most Americans are faced with. However this interview by Brit Hume on Fox’s O’Reilly Factor deserves a view. It is probably the most concise presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ I have seen on the main stream networks in decades.
Good job Brit.
Remember tonight on BTR at 9PM CST. I’ll be there.
[display_podcast]
Change everywhere
There has been a great deal going on behind the scenes within this ministry and my lack of posting is not be indicative of what is happening here. I am posting an audio update about 40 minutes in length. This will likely become a more regular event as the continuing refinement of the vision of this ministry is put into practice.
Beck – and a vision.
You may think I’m a bit Glen Beck obsessed because of the number of posts including him. However, I see him as one who is continuing to “get it.” His admission that there are “some of the most powerful forces on the planet” pushing this Obama agenda doesn’t come from a person who is a “plant” for the neo-cons. He is naming left and right, Republican and Democrats in being involved in this “rush” to legislate what he knows in his heart but has yet to say.
Listen carefully to what he has to say. This is a man who has a growing following for a reason. He is not playing to fear or to the “ultra right wing.” He is speaking to middle America who senses something isn’t right but does not know what it is.
The purpose of bringing you all of the information on this blog is to help you be informed of what is happening in our nation and to help motivate you to action from a Christian perspective. I get the question consistently – what action? Well, how about going to a town hall meeting? How about writing your Congressional leaders? How about thinking long and hard about re-evaluating your political allegiance?
Yes – I mean pitching overboard your entire grid for how you see a Christian is to conduct themselves in political matters. For far too long there has been a pacifism in Christian activity in the political process. Today, we must think outside of man’s box. That means being open to something as radical as a third party. Do you think Sara Palin is considering this? I’d be surprised if she is not. How about Ron Paul? You bet. Mike Huckabee? Maybe. But momentum is gaining on what could be a very thorough purge of Washington beginning in 2010. It won’t be finished then, nor in 2012 or 2016. But beyond 2020, if this nation has the courage to begin to root out the corruption and evil in Washington, we just might stand a chance to actually give a better nation to our children than we have now.
But how to accomplish this? It takes courage – and patience. The core of this strategy is contained in the thesis of the book I am writing. We all know there is a problem. But what is the solution? At its heart is repentance and humility – as are nearly all answers to our problems, personal and corporate.
It begins with the truth found in 2 Chronicles 7:14.
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
It requires Christians to see the error of our political ways and to engage in a process to restore to this nation the most important political freedom we have. If that can be accomplished, the remaining issues dealing with morality and cultural decline will take care of themselves. There are many examples of this fundamental freedom in the bible. It is incredible just how widespread the examples are in Scripture. It is only by God’s grace that our Founding Fathers saw it to be so important that they codified in in the Constitution – as the First Amendment.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
As Christians we don’t realize just how important the First Amendment is. The reason we miss it is because we miss its significance historically and the fact that it is seen throughout the Bible. My book examines this truth along with a look at the church’s biblical reasons for supporting a break from England and declaring independence. Now don’t get me wrong. I am not advocating a break from the United States. I simply use that historical example because the political battles we are fighting today are similar to those that led the nation to be formed to begin with. If we have a healthy biblical and historical perspective, then we will have clear guidance from Scripture in how to proceed today. And we need that guidance.
There is hope for a great future. It will not be without sacrifice. It will not be without a period of intense struggle. It can however, restore the foundation of this nation to what it once was – the most effective platform for the sharing of the gospel of Christ that, arguably, the world has ever known. And isn’t that what it is all about?
Confession is good for the soul.
Confession is good for the soul, and today I need to come before all who have read my blog and especially those who have followed it for any time. Over the past few weeks, the Lord began reshaping the vision that this ministry is called to push forward. The scope of the ministry continues to broaden as it encompasses the underlying issues that are such a threat to our freedom, and thus the very freedom to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. As the Lord does, before He releases one to a broader level of service, He first purifies the messenger. Thus He has revealed to me sin that is present in my life that I must share with you.
Why do I feel the need to confess this publicly on this blog? Because it is a sin that pertains to what has to this point been the core message of this ministry – the evil we are experiencing due to the love of money. Let me explain.
It is one of Satan’s ploys to tempt those in ministry with the very sin they are most actively seeking to help others with. We have all seen ministries that have been destroyed by the hypocrisy of their leader. The legacy it leaves is one of destruction and emptiness. I thank God that in this case, it has been exposed and halted before it got to that point.
Having spent the past several years studying our economic situation, God provided me with insight into economic and geopolitical trends that are neither understood nor accepted by the main stream. This understanding tempted me to try to use the foreknowledge of the coming economic problems to make a significant sum of money through “timely” investments. Simply put, I was drawn into the sin of the love of money.
What I have learned over the last few months (and in particular the last few weeks) is that it matters not what your motivation is for desiring to become rich. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 is very clear:
“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Notice that it does not pre or post-qualify that statement with “except for those who intend to use their riches for God’s kingdom.”
You see, I am able to stand before you with a very clear conscience and say that in my heart of hearts, my desire was to use any riches gained in order to buy land, food and possibly build homes or retreat centers that would help friends, family and others in need to make it through the coming hard times. My family and I have a modest home on 20 acres here in southern Missouri and our three vehicles (family Suburban, farm truck and car) average 15 years old and 150,000 miles, so I feel comfortable in saying that the intent was not for selfish gain.
That doesn’t matter. God still looks at all of your heart.
My “special knowledge” of our economic situation caused me to make investments that in some cases were unwise in that they carried more risk than is prudent. The temptation was a quicker reward and the potential to build a larger storehouse for all of those I would then be able to help. Sounds wise in man’s eyes. It was not however wise according to God. There is a reason those investments carry risk. They often turn against you, and many of mine did. God used those losses to reveal that my motivation for taking on added risk was not to be a good steward of what He had given me, but instead was coming from a desire to become rich. He exposed my heart in a way that I could not deny.
God has been graceful to reveal my sin before I squandered all of His provision for my family. For those of you who read my book – “Fool’s Gold”, you know the story of how I took control of my investments in the late 90’s, seeing them soar and then crash back to earth by 2002. That experience drove me to write my book. Despite having a “more righteous” motivation to become rich this time, God once again has had to take me around that mountain and returned me to a place where we have the provision He entrusted us before I became ensnared by the enemy. I don’t think it is a coincidence that I am preparing to write another book.
The reason I share this so that you are able to learn from my mistakes and not fall into the same trap I fell into, that being a temptation to desire to become rich by using any perceived special knowledge of our economic trends – even if your heart is to help others. While I believe there are those whom the Joseph mantle will be laid upon, beware of claiming that mantel as I did. It could be a trap of the enemy.
So here I am, beginning anew with my family. A new vision for this ministry is taking shape. One that God willing, I will be entrusted to reveal to you over the next few weeks. As I held this new vision in prayer and asked for His guidance, it became evident that there would be no blessing or clarity without first recognizing and repenting of this sin. This should explain why my postings have been fewer over the past few weeks and less market oriented and more “big picture” focused. I’ve been in a wrestling match with God over this (some of can have a tendency to deny sin at first), and praise Him, He prevailed.
It is time for me to heed the call of 1 Timothy 6:11:
“But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.”
Finally, I ask for your forgiveness. The sin of loving money has a cascading effect, in that it has also let me to stumble into the very sin I abhor most – the leaven of the Pharisees – hypocrisy. Furthermore, if this ministry has led anyone into the trap of loving of money, I apologize and ask for your forgiveness. It is a dangerous, destructive trap that is a distraction to His kingdom work. If in any way it has gripped your heart, please flee with me today.
May God bless each of you and your families. I look forward to continuing to serve you as He directs in the months and years to come.
“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold. The rich and the poor have this in common, The LORD is the maker of them all.” Proverbs 22:1,2
A mini sermon.
This is a slightly modified version of a post from the private blog. It applies here as well.
As we prepare to, for all intents and purposes, build storehouses for the future – those being for food, protection, wealth protection and knowledge, I once again want to lay the foundation upon which those storehouses can be honored by God. There will be few people who have their storehouses build upon such a foundation and it is my responsibility before God to be sure that those reading this blog have had the opportunity to search God’s word on this topic and then check their own hearts.
I was talking with a friend of mine yesterday and his wife and he were talking over the weekend. She asked the question (paraphrasing a bit) – “Why would anyone want to be rich? Look at what the Bible says about it and then look around at what our nation has become. I would be easier just to live a simple life.”
The question she poses is spot on. I have been blessed with a measure of what could be considered by some “wealth” twice in my life. Both times, it was taken from me because my heart was not in the right place. The first time out of ignorance, the second time because I thought I had a great plan for it that God would surely join me in implementing. I also struggled (and still do to a degree) with finding my security in my savings account. Most of all, I was distracted by “managing” it and lost sight of what God wanted from me and my family. A bit of presumptuous pride there. Dealing with considerable wealth is difficult. The Bible is clear on that point.
The book of Psalms opens with a description of the blessed man:
Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish. Psalm 1:1-6 (emphasis mine)
David was referring to this passage in Jeremiah:
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:7,8
Let’s continue reading and discover the full context of what David is getting at.
The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings. “As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, So is he who gets riches, but not by right; It will leave him in the midst of his days, And at his end he will be a fool.” Jeremiah 17:9-11
There we go. The man after God’s own heart was referring to a passage talking about – the heart and its ability to deceive us. Many of us have verse 9 memorized, yet do we understand the context of which Jeremiah was speaking of when he wrote it? In verses 10 and 11, we see God searching the heart of the person “according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.” Then he gives an example of a “doing” that is deceitful. A man who obtains riches with an impure heart. God removes him from overseeing them because he is a fool.
Desiring to build a storehouse is not an ungodly pursuit, and yet if it is not surrendered 100% to God, it will be taken away. That means He may ask you do do something with it you don’t expect. He may ask you to draw upon it before you think its time. There are a 1000 things He may ask you to do that I cannot begin to comprehend. Yet I know by experience it will not be there to give if your heart isn’t pure. During this time in history, God wants those with truly pure hearts to steward a provision for Him in a way that will bring Him glory. He has had His fill of man’s ways, man’s strengths, and man’s wisdom on display.
I leave this with you now and it is in the Lord’s hands. We’ll go there now – to the details on preps. But first I had to make sure that I did what God asked me to do to help prep your heart first.
Ponder this for a day or two.
Man without God will seek to dominate his fellow man. Historically, the only things that have kept powerful men from successfully dominating the world are geography and technology.
This thought recently came to me and when it did, it was another “eureka” moment – one that crystallized the connection between what we are seeing today and where it will lead tomorrow. While I highly doubt what I stated is an original idea, it is none-the-less accurate. Ponder it within the context of biblical and secular history. Then some of what I am about to discuss on the private blog won’t be quite so surprising. I will follow up with another posting that expands on that statement in a day or two.
Agenda – Grinding America Down (5 star!)
Recent Comments