If you wish to skip all the meat and go straight to the frosting covered cake, skip down to where you see Revelation in bold print and pick up reading there.
I believe that anyone who has admitted to God that they are a sinner, has accepted Christ's sacrifice on the cross for their sins and thus accepted the Holy Spirit into their lives to help them move from that day forward into a closer relationship with Christ is led by the Holy Spirit in knowing what is right and wrong.
Whether the issue is internally with a habit, thought, belief within your own life, or it is some injustice you see in the world around you that you know is wrong.
Be it shop lifting; you know it's wrong and needs to be stopped in your life and by others.
Be it rape, you know it's wrong.
Be it bribery, blackmail, robbery, theft, abuse, slavery, cheating, etc, etc, etc.
When the Holy Spirit lives within you, these things make the hair on the back of your neck prickle up, it makes your stomach sick, it makes you anxious, quickens your heart and constricts your throat. You can -feel- the evil and it is in such contrasting opposition to the purity of God that they are repelled by each other.
A 5th grader can't draw upon a great many years of knowledge and experience but he can listen and soak up conversations, words and phrases being used by all the people he respects and learns from. The people that look after him and see to his safety and care and to his needs. Be that a teacher, a parent, a pastor, a Sunday School teacher, etc.
At 5th grade I knew that taxes were going up, government was expanding and that as it did so my parents had less and less money to spend on food, on house payments, on phone bills, electricity, gas to take a Sunday drive or to go on vacation or for the cost of clothes for school and church.
Even as a 5th grader you can see the quality of life sucking downward into the drain under a socialist leader in government.
Having said that, when I joined in with the recess signing with the other boys, "My Baloney has a first name, it's J*I*M*M*Y.. My Baloney has a second name it's C*A*R*T*E*R.. And if you ask my why I say; it's because... Jimmy Carter has a way of messing up the USA",.. well, that's when something very confusing was introduced into my life.
To stand up against corruption and tyranny had somehow been equated to not trusting that God was in control.
The scripture that was pointed to was/is:
Romans 13:1-4; (King James Version) 1. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4. For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
(New International Version) 1. Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
So, I was neatly put back into my little box and told to hush up because it wasn't right to stand up to oppression, slavery, theft, etc, if it was being done by my government.
As one year rolls into the next and the next and one decades is added onto another decade and then another decade; enough life experiences, time studying the Bible and drawing closer to God myself as well as a larger understanding of my government in this Country develops.
But, when I get frustrated and move to say something, my church throws the verse back in my face and tells me to go to the back of the bus and sit down and shut up again.
Revelation:
When introduced to a bit of history it is amazing how powerful it is to the awakening of your mind and soul. When you discover that for decades not only you, but your entire country has been manipulated to become dull of mind and to become complacent sheep to a government in an ever growing force in your lives. When you discover that through removing parts of history and lying about other parts of history a public school system and co-existing newspaper, radio and television media can wipe away truth and gradually put the chains of slavery around your ankles, it tends to make you sit up straight and question the other things in your life as well.
“Question with boldness even the existence of God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear” Thomas Jefferson
Wowa now! What about what my church keeps throwing up in my face?
Then comes the questions of how the government has wiggled it's way into our churches to encourage and mold the minds of their followers into becoming willing servants of our government and I look a little deeper.
Where did Franklin, Jefferson and Adams get the idea for such a Motto?
From a sermon in the 1750's (before the progressive (social justice poison) entered into our churches) by the Reverend Dr. Jonathan Mayhew where he said plainly and loudly for all to hear - If you are standing up for what is right, then you WILL resist tyrants because God does not empower tyrants.
Finally, that twisted knot in my stomach releases that has been snarling in my soul for thirty years; something rings truth in my ear and doesn't feel twisted and perverted.
This has been my journey from Jimmy Carter to Obama but now it leads me into another question.
If a tyrannical government and President is not empowered by God, then who are they empowered by? Is the falling wealth, power, influence of our country because we have lost the blessing of God and fallen into the camp and leadership of God's enemy?
Which is easier to believe and which sounds more true and honest? Looking at Washington D.C., do you see men and women led by the wisdom, compassion, honesty and respect of the Almighty God, or do you see twisted perversion, lies, corruption, murder, theft and homage to the Father of Lies and Deceit?
Are we still "One Nation Under God"?
