Living Without Fear
As I have spoken with friends and family about the current election cycle and as people see that a man like this may win the White House, it is easy to live in fear.
But I am reminded of two things:
1. We are not created to live in fear. We are created to live in assurance and victory knowing that we are sojourners on this earth and have a home incorruptible awaiting us.
2. The Gospel may just benefit from the political, economic, and social disaster that will result from our sprint to Socialism. The areas of the world where the Gospel is spreading the fastest are areas with no freedom, persecution, and hardship.
So, I'll fight to keep our freedom and I'll speak as articulately as I can about the benefits of a literal interpretation of our Constitution and Declaration of Independence. I may even be willing to fight for those freedoms eventually much like our Founding Fathers did. But more important than America's great freedoms and independence is the opportunity to see the Gospel become real to a people who may no longer feel self-sufficient. As evil becomes apparent amidst the Socialist leaders who are gaining footholds in our nation, people may not only look back to political freedom, but to the Good in the Gospel too.
Let us live without fear knowing that God is our Hope, not manmade government or evil leaders. A nation ripe for the Gospel is "change I can believe in."
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6 comments:
Amen! He is sovereign. I was just thinking that we may not get the President we want, but may get the one we deserve.
I agree particularly with your #2 - perhaps this may be the best thing for the Gospel.
Hearts and lives won't be changed by Washington, but only through Jesus.
People like you make me shudder. All one has to do is examine history to determine the role religion plays in human progress. Besides the conflict it inevitably causes, it is also responsible for a general lack of desire for real truth and knowledge. Whatever makes one feel better, becomes the basis for a decision on any subject, and the ability to suspend reason that this requires, is well developed during the acquisition phase of any religion. This disregard for knowledge or truth always leads just one place. You can see it in the dark ages of European history, when western culture basically stopped in it's tracks or you can look to the modern day Middle East, where the lack of anything resembling progress for humanity is rather obvious. The damage religion has done to the US is much more subtle, but to be sure it is there. The fact that so many people in the US still believe in such things as Noahs Arc, and intelligent design, while nearly all of the rest of the modern world has recognized things like this for what they are, the simplistic ramblings of those still under the delusion of religion, shows just how bad the situation is. Maybe you should consider actually reading a book other than the bible. You might start to understand that all that you believe is just simplistic nonsense, which separates you from the rest of humanity, and continues to cause ignorance and conflict around the world.
Kozz,
The greater threat to the pursuit of peace, knowledge, and the advancement of humanity is disrespectful and arrogant comments from people like you who, instead of building bridges, throw fiery darts.
I do agree with you, however, that religion has done immeasurable harm. You associate the actions of deceived religious people with the God they think they are serving.
I see the God I'm serving and try to avoid allowing my flawed humanity or deception by evil to turn my relationship with God and His people into religion -which would then be used by smart people like you to conveniently deny God the honor He deserves.
Good luck with that. I will pray your eyes are opened to the depravity that is human nature. For religion is generally the same human nature that indwells you amplified by misguided zeal. It has nothing to do with God Himself.
I am respectful of your ability to choose Hedonism. Try to be respectful of people who truly desire to love God and their neighbor. Your mislabeling me profits neither of us.
I see recovering. All those other people are deceived but you know the true nature of God right. Go look in the mirror right now and say that to yourself with a straight face. There are at least 38,000 different denominations of the Christian faith at the current time, among hundreds of thousands that have come and gone, and among millions of total religions throughout history. And here you are saying yes but I know the true God.
Perhaps the more logical answer is that all of these were attempts to simplify the world for an ignorant humanity who knew no better, and needed easy ways to comfort themselves. This was recognized back in the enlightenment when people finally started shedding their religion in favor or reason and the result has been the greatest leap forward for mankind that has ever been seen.
But still there are those who haven't gotten the word. The Dark Ages are over. Come out of your cave, lay down your scrolls written by people who thought the sky was a painted globe, and enjoy the natural light of reason that everyone is born with, but which is stolen from some with lies, by those a young child trusts most in the world. This is the real tragedy of the world.
You are again confusing the actions and structures of demonimations with the God they try to serve. There are many in each denomination that have had a direct experience with God. I'd venture to say most have not.
I hope you have the same experience with your Creator as we have had. Your fear and anger cripple both your intellect and your heart.
"You are again confusing the actions and structures of demonimations with the God they try to serve. There are many in each denomination that have had a direct experience with God."
you do realize that this statement states unequivocally that all these people are deluded to God's real intentions, but that you know what they are, apparently because of some "personal experience" with God. As you said many in these denominations have had similar "personal experiences" with God. These experiences, in fact, were the inspiration to start many a new denomination. Yet you still all disagree with exactly what he had to tell you. To each of you the others are deluded. Is God really that incompetent that he can't get his message out clearly, even when he appears directly to you people? God is omnipotent. God wants to get his message across to people. God apparently makes attempts to do so. Yet he continues to fail. Amazing isn't it.
"I hope you have the same experience with your Creator as we have had."
Yeah, if only I was delusional. But alas I'm not.
"Your fear and anger cripple both your intellect and your heart."
typical of Christians. This is called projection in psychology. You project the things that you know and dislike about yourself unconsciously, onto other people. You know your own fear has caused you to create this God of yours, which has indeed crippled your intellect. Anger is a natural part of being human, and it is natural to feel it when people are destroying the humanity, which I am a part of. I fully admit to mine. Yours on the other hand has been crushed under the comforting weight of delusion, which has the nasty side effect of also crushing your compassion, or your heart.
Again I would ask you to go look in the mirror and try to see deep into yourself. Past all of protecting layers of lies, myth and erroneous suppositions. You're natural rational self is in there somewhere dying to get out. Or have you destroyed him entirely. If so you have my condolences.
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