Politically Correct

The fringes of our society, whether it is religious beliefs regardless of the religion, Christians, atheists, and the media too have been doing this for a very long time and that is pushing political correctness. By correctness I mean that you cannot offend ANYONE and this has been taken and is being taken to a point of shackling people in the way that they interact with each other in any and every way! Why is this happening?

Everyone has a personal opinion on every subject, regardless of its religious meaning or not, and yet in our society today if you hurt the feelings of just one half of one percent of the people in America, then you are wrong! You are mean and bigoted and cruel! Why are we being this way? At first it was being politically correct about race and sometimes religion, now it seems that every belief or nationality or lifestyle falls under this “PC” umbrella.

Nobody can say anything negative about anything, unless you are a comedian then you can do whatever you wish or say whatever you wish and nobody will get really upset about it. But, if you happen to be a Christian and you say something which refers to your faith or your beliefs, then EVERYONE is ready to hang you on a cross for whatever you said! As long as your faith is something other than Christianity, then you can say whatever you please and it will not offend anyone.

Why is it that any time someone claims to be a Christian, every word and gesture and every belief that comes from them is scrutinized to the nth degree? It doesn’t matter if they own a business or not, but if they do then that business is very likely to be boycotted or sued because of the beliefs of the owners, especially if they take a true stand for their beliefs. If they are Jewish and don’t open their business on Saturday, the traditional Sabbath for their faith, nobody notices.

If they happen to be traditional Muslims, and they own a restaurant, no one says a word about the absence of bacon or pork dishes.

Political correctness has gone and is going too far in our country, but the only group of people who seems to be targeted is the Christian faith and their beliefs. As long as you are not a fanatical (believing) Christian, one who actually believes what your faith teaches, then very few people will say anything to you. If you only go to church once or twice a month or even just on holidays and you don’t tell anyone that you are a Christian, then nobody will say a word to you about your faith.

Offensive Christians

I don’t know when this happened exactly, but I have noticed it over the years. Here is part of an article that I read and I had to share it with you.

“So this is where we are:
Military Chaplains are being reprimanded for speaking explicitly about Jesus and the Bible.
Christians are sued when they attempt to live out their Biblical based values.
The President scolds Christians for not “celebrating” perverse lifestyle choices which contradict scripture.
A Fire Chief was suspended merely because a book he wrote espoused biblical values.
And a motivational speaker is fired for mentioning Jesus in a combating stress speech to High School students in Texas.
How is it that America, founded on Judeo-Christian values, is suddenly, for all intents and purposes, adverse to those biblical values? How have we come to this place in history where America, many of whose founders claimed a personal relationship in Jesus Christ, is actively silencing citizens who would do the same?
And, in the words of my friend, Duane Patterson, when was “the right to not be offended” in the Bill of Rights?
President John Adams said:
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
Senator Daniel Webster noted:
Whatever makes men good Christians, makes them good citizens.”
Read more at http://savingourfuture.com/2015/04/motivational-speaker-at-texas-hs-fired-for-mentioning-jesus/

We have allowed this because we have “turned the other cheek” too much. Over the past fifty or so years, we have allowed the government and our elected officials to chip away at our rights as Americans a little bit at a time. Now, we are beginning to notice, but it may be too late. We can’t change it without radical change happening and I am not sure that America and its people are ready for that.

Truly, America isn’t ready for that kind of change. Our country has moved in this direction for so long, it would take an intervention from God Himself to get us back on the right track again.

I am feeling down again…

I know that this is supposed to be a site for uplifting posts and helpful articles but I also began this journey while I was depressed last year. Well, it is beginning again. I have been praying about this and reading my Bible, especially the Psalms, every day and that helps but sometimes Satan just hits a little bit harder. I know, some of you may not even believe that he exists in our world, but I assure you that he is here and his helpers, powers, demons, whatever you want to call them are here too.

All of them hate us because we are loved by God and we have been created in His Image. Because of those two things, we have legions of demons and principalities which are bound and determined to stop us from being or becoming Christians, especially bold, praying Christians! Those of us who read and study our Bibles and pray are the ones that get hit with diseases and disabilities many times and if it isn’t us, then it is our family members who get them. Anything to distract us from doing God’s work, like I am doing right here.

I don’t know how much longer my hands will work to do this, so I am trying to keep going as long as possible. Please pray for me and my health and my family’s health as well. Prayer does more than most people realize and it really is felt by those who are being prayed for. Thank you in advance.

Our world and our culture is under attack by Satan’s forces. They can’t be seen or felt, except when they cause a problem in your health or your body or even in the area where you live. But, they are behind the violence and gangs and drugs and all other sorts of evil in our world, so be aware that mankind is evil but with the assistance of Satan it multiplies ten fold or more.

We need as many people as possible praying for peace and for wisdom in the days and weeks ahead. Not just for us individually, but for our governments and those who are in offices of importance, like our President. Yes, I have heard that there are some who hope that he will be killed overseas, but God placed him where he is so ask God to open his eyes and prick his heart to turn to Him for guidance and wisdom during this dark time.

God will get me through this time, no matter what happens. But, we need to be praying for our neighbors, our friends, and our co-workers and each other. Study God’s Word and pray that you will gain His wisdom from it so that your life and your decisions will be guided by Him in the coming days. Life itself is going to be tough and we need to keep our spirits filled with His Word and wisdom so that we will see Him when He comes in the clouds.

Inspiration

What would you do in your life to inspire someone? Could they look at your life and see an inspiring life or story? Why don’t we try to be the inspiration for the next generation that is coming along instead of being people that nobody wants to be like? It seems that many of our young people today don’t have much to inspire them.

The cops are being arrested for pushing drugs and stealing. Guys in all kinds of sports are being arrested and tried for murder, violence toward their fiancé or their spouses, and then there is drug abuse charges for many who have been an inspiration in the past. How can kids grow up with an idea of who they should be if we as parents, teachers, police or sports figures don’t give them an example to follow?

What is it in the world that separates us? Money, power, greed, hunger, religion, the list could go on and on. Many people say that it is race but that isn’t it. We all belong to the human race, Homo sapiens, we just have different skin tones that’s all. Our biggest separating factors are culture, religion, and wealth or lack of wealth!

In today’s world, those factors create huge walls between us, nationally as well as individually. At times, it seems that it happens every day, these walls are impenetrable and unlike the walls of Jericho they don’t easily come crashing down. Of course even those walls wouldn’t have come down without the help and assistance of God. Which is where we should be looking for help in our existence to tear down these walls which cause so much hate and distrust between us.

The other problem is that Satan wants these walls to stay there. Because if they are still in place, he and his cohorts can use them to cause more hate and distrust and add to the thickness and height of the walls. If we don’t draw closer to God and seek His wisdom and strength in our lives, these walls will never come down! Pray that the Christians in this country and around the world will be working to bring these walls down by His power and might!

I have been away for a while

My absence from here may not be missed much, but I have been busy with the holidays and with my other blogs as well. Since God pulled me from the pit of depression through the reading of the Psalms this year, I am reminded that we truly serve an AWESOME God!!!

He cares for each of us far more deeply than we could realize and we should praise Him every day for it. My reason for this post is a disturbing trend that is happening in our schools and colleges and in the home as well, although people won’t admit it. It seems that our young people from the age of fifteen to thirty just haven’t been taught about the faith that we should have in God and the foundation of our faith in Jesus.

How did we get into such a predicament as this? Mainly because our collective faith in God has waned to such an extent until young people don’t see a reason for it or for Him any more. In some churches, they don’t see His influence in the congregation or in the church itself, there are words said at the morning service but there seems to be no spiritual power behind them.

It seems as if the church, at least here in America, has lost its Spirit. Why would this happen? For the same reason that it happened to Israel…unbelief. Our society has been pushing God out of everyday life and out of the lives of children for over fifty years, so why would they or their parents have faith in a God that they see no evidence of, even though the world around us cries out with His glory every day!.

Creation itself speaks magnitudes of praise for God at night when we see the stars in the cosmos, when the sun rises in the morning, when a baby is born regardless of the species of baby it might be…all of these point to a Creator not to a theory! Yet, the theory is what children and young adults are bombarded with in schools and universities every day.

One day, sooner than many think or believe, Jesus will come again in the clouds and the world will see and they will understand that the beliefs that they have heard about Him are true. At that point in time though, it will be too late. ““Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
” (John 14:1), Jesus said to His disciples.

We should live out our faith in our daily lives and in front of our children and grandchildren, so that they can see the faith that we have and why we live life that way. Think about this during the next year and bring your children up to know the Lord.

I choose…

Can we choose to be different? Can we, as a nation, choose to be the people in America who will move forward and not bring the past with us? Yes, we can! It will not be easy, but by choosing to be the America that God intended for us to be, like we were sixty or one hundred years ago, we can. I am not saying that the American government of those days was perfect, but the nation still revered God, collectively.

In polls today, many people still say that they are Christians, but they are basing this on believing in God’s existence not in His Son, Jesus. Satan knows that God is real, he believes in His existence, but he doesn’t serve Him and hasn’t for thousands of years. In truth, that is what is wrong with our country collectively. The fact that there is just a small minority of people who truly are Christians in their hearts, their character and in their lives. Not just one or two days a week, but every day. The rest of the country maybe goes to church on Easter or at Christmas, which are pagan holidays which the “church” adopted in order to draw in more people, but many people leave that service unchanged, why?

Because they choose not to believe what they have heard, that is why they leave a church service without Jesus in their hearts. It is our choices which define our lives…our existence, here and in eternity. It is your choice to believe or not to believe and the fact that the choice is an easy one is what seems to make it hard for people to make that choice. In choosing to be a follower of Jesus and allowing Him to change you into the person that you are supposed to be, you are telling God that I do believe that you are the Creator and that your Word is Truth, that you believe, deeply believe, that what He says in the Bible, regardless of how hard it is to take really did happen and that every word is Truth.

We all have choices to make in life, in listening to people, hearing their opinions, whether we believe those opinions or not, and then choose whether we will listen to what they say about Jesus and our life with Him rather than block them out because their opinions are different from mine or yours. This is the reason for many people who leave a congregation to find someone else to listen to many times. Sometimes it will even split the church itself.

Choose to listen to a message, not because of the political leanings of the preacher but because He is preaching from God’s Word. Opinions are like eyes and ears and belly buttons, everyone has one. Choosing to go to church because your preacher is preaching from the Word of God and not because of his opinions about politics or the weather is the right choice because we all need to hear God’s Word preached. Choose to be the person who will hear God’s Word, not just the messenger that is delivering it.

Sickness

How do you deal with it? Can we overcome it? There is a sickness in America today and it’s not on the CDC’s watch list nor is there some miracle drug out there for it with a list of side effects that would scare away the healthiest of us. This sickness is brought on each of us, in one form or another when we are children and it gets worse, gradually, as we get older. Unless it is stopped or cured or overcome in some way, this sickness can ruin not only your life, but the lives of your family and ultimately the nation itself.

What disease or sickness is it that is doing this to us with our own consent? So much so that our economy depends on it, thrives on it and cannot do without it…this sickness and disease is consumerism. It swells at all times of the year, depending upon the date and the holiday approaching or maybe a birthday or anniversary, then at times it reverses itself in the form of giving to a worthy cause or charity. Our society seems to thrive on its ebb and flow, but why? Why are we programmed this way almost from birth to be consumers?

Because, I think, we see nature around us and it seems that it is a natural part of the world. The birds and all other animals from the smallest to the greatest in size consume food, every day. God mandated that we have to eat and they do to, it is not a voluntary thing to do this. You either eat or eventually you will die, a very simple outcome. But, humanity consumes things, not just food but stuff that we can live without. For instance, how many shoes do you own? I have about seven to ten pairs of shoes, which isn’t much compared to some people, but you can only wear one pair at a time. How about dress shirts or pants, casual pants and shirts, the list could go on for miles. Then today’s consumer also has to have the latest in electronic gadgets such as smart phones, tablets, laptops and computers, gaming systems of all kinds, flat screen televisions (the larger the better), and yet what are these things for?

The phones, tablets and laptops and computers almost all serve the same function, so there is a massive redundancy there. You can use your phone as a way to keep in touch with your family, but my goodness there are so many ways to do so today! You can call, text, Skype, Face time, message through numerous ways, Facebook, and email family and friends all from your phone, your tablet, or your computer. Now, you even have smart TV’s which have wireless capability and you can do the same things with your TV as well.

What would happen to the world at large if we stopped buying stuff that we really don’t need? Just get the basic things like food, pay your water and light bill, maybe your phone bill and give up on consuming so much. For many people, this would be like living in hell! Would the economy collapse? Yes, it would dip quite a bit, but I think that we could live through it. I am not talking about going back to lamps that you light with a match, no electricity or running water, just trim down to the basic necessary things to live, not so much redundant gadgets or amounts of “things” in our lives. Is this possible today?

I am not sure. It wouldn’t be very popular, because so many people have grown so accustomed to “things” and “stuff”, until a sudden shift to living without all of our stuff would be a hard pill to swallow. The question is this: Could it be done?

Yes, it could, and I believe it will happen soon. But, it won’t be voluntary. When, not if, the world’s economy crashes down, and it will, everything will be cut off for a time…everything. Many people are going to be mad, angry, frustrated and upset over the situation. Many are going to die. The only way to be safe and secure in this will be to turn to God in faith. Ask Jesus to come into your life and give you the strength and the ability to live through this, to make it until He comes again. Only by His second coming will the world see that it has been wrong, that their way of life and living doesn’t help many people, it only hurts them in the long run.

Think about it. Seek God in His Word and pray because the time is near at the door that we will see the kind of strife described in Revelation.

Freedom, self-determination, choices = ?

In our history books, especially the ones taught from today, United States history is entirely different from what really happened. So, how did we get to the point of being a nation which is hated and despised in the world and at home? Why are we hated and despised at home and abroad? Are the people who hate us at home the same as the people who hate us in other countries? Maybe not ethnically or ideologically but philosophically, yes they are.

Our country, America, was founded on principles which come from God’s Word and that is one of the main reasons that many people around the world hate us. Not because we have a capitalist form of living and livelihood, but because of our faith in Jesus mostly. If this country had been founded by people who wanted to create the largest Muslim nation in the world, there would be no problem. It is our faith in God and His Son, Jesus which sets us and our nation at odds with every nation in the world except for Israel.

God ordained their existence and the land that they live in to be theirs and for them to be the people and the culture that they are and have been for about four thousand years! Our country was founded by people who were escaping religious persecution from their country to start a new life in a new country. Yes, there have been people in this country and others who have exploited people, both white and non-white, for different reasons. Some have even used the Bible to justify their actions and make themselves feel better while doing it.

But…America has also been an ideal, an idea that many people aspire toward, a standard to strive for, just as living up to the standard of Jesus’ life is something which most Christians try to live up to. Granted, we can’t live lives that are perfectly sinless but we can strive toward that goal so that  others can see us trying to do it.

Yes, America has stumbled and made some mistakes as a country, Christians stumble and fall too but we all have to get up and keep going…keep trying to do better, be better than our parents were. Is it possible? Yes, as long as we don’t push God completely out of our lives or out of our country!

The ideals that made this country great are not dead and the idea of America being a great country is not dead yet. Just as being a Christian is not an easy task nor a simple one, being an American is a choice as well. Working to make this country and our own lives better is something that we all should and need to do. Seeking the strength that we get from our relationship with Jesus is the way to be a Christian, one that is at least striving to be more like Jesus instead of tearing down the ideal, the idea of Jesus and Who He is.

Get into God’s Word and study it, read it, learn from it, because if we don’t do at least what the early Americans did by using His Wisdom in our lives and in our country’s government, then we might just need to open our borders, disband the military and all of the government offices and just shut down the government entirely. What will we have then? I don’t know, but I wouldn’t want to live here any more.