Also Seen on The Patriot Post

FRC president Tony Perkins: "[L]ost in all of this back-and-forth is the reality that this isn't about standing up for homosexual rights -- it's about standing up for everyone's rights. In a civil society, the two don't have to be mutually exclusive. But that's exactly the problem. America, under this administration, is less and less civil -- particularly to men and women of faith. There's no room for polite debate or even coexistence. Instead, the LGBT movement that once said they didn't want the government to tell them how to live, now wants the same government to tell us what to believe and punish those who fail to comply. Where's the tolerance in that?"

A Quote From Today's Patriot Post

Mark Alexander of The Patriot Post, has a much deeper understanding of what is happening in today's world than most and it isn't pretty.  Read the entire article here.

Instead of rushing to retreat, Pence, Hutchinson and Republicans across the country should have gone on an immediate and aggressive offense, publicizing the multiple cases of small business owners who have been penalized, fined and even forced out of business for refusing to participate in same-sex ceremonies in direct violation of their faith and conscience. Republicans should have shown how advocates for the homosexual agenda are working relentlessly to take away 70-year-old grandmother Barronelle Stutzman’s business and are also threatening her home and life savings. Or how the supposed "tolerant" pro-homosexual crowd targeted Sweet Cakes by Melissa, a family-owned bakery that may now have to pay up to $150,000 in fines. Or how the Left cheered when a Catholic couple, Robert and Cynthia Gifford, were fined and ordered to put their staff through sensitivity training (a.k.a., re-education camp) for declining to host a same-sex marriage ceremony at their farm. But instead of pointing out not only the utter hypocrisy but also the blatant fascism of the "tolerant" Left, Republicans asked, “How high?” when Democrats hollered, “Jump!” With a losing strategy like this, who needs enemies? Meanwhile, Republicans’ inability to communicate effectively is racking up losses. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, Americans are divided on this issue, with 49% saying businesses should be required to serve same-sex weddings and 47% saying businesses should be allowed to decline service for religious reasons. A public that understands Liberty would never be so evenly split. Unfortunately, the Left has translated religious liberty -- and most other rights, for that matter -- into something Americans enjoy at the pleasure of the government rather than something government infringes at its own peril. And this translation is a danger to all Americans.

Let's All Play By The Same Rules

Here is another good article on the freedoms that are being taken from us in the name of political correctness.  These videos show the hypocrisy of the gay agenda.  They sue if we don't follow their wishes and shut down businesses that don't cater to them, but when we ask for the same privilege it is denied and no one reports it.

Christian-man-asks-thirteen-gay-bakeries-bake-pro-traditional-marriage-cake-denied-service-watch-shocking-video/

Do we believe the Bible?  Then how can we as Christians do anything else than to stand for what it says?  Homosexuals are welcome to do whatever they want in the privacy of their own homes, but when they flaunt it and try to force us to agree, we had better let them know that we follow God's word which is to hate the sin and love the sinner.  Practicing homosexuality is a sin.  It is no worse sin than any other.  Gluttony, adultery, murder, lying, slander, gossip, idolatry, etc. are sins just as grievous to God because they separate us from Him.  It is not loving a person if you know something to be sin and don't tell the person who is asking you to condone it what you know to be true.

Several years ago when my Dad, who was not a Christian was in the hospital with a broken neck I was convicted when reading Ezekial 3:18-19.  18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. I felt there was no way I could ever live with myself if I didn't talk to Dad about this verse and the responsibility I felt to tell him how much Jesus desired for him to know Him.  (We are all wicked--only Jesus can save us from the wickedness).  Consequently, my Dad decided to give his heart to the Lord and I can rest assured that He is in heaven and his blood is not on my hands.

God seems to see it as a serious omission and blatant disobedience when we don't warn those who are in sin (or more subtelly, take a stand that something is contrary to God's Word and therefore sinful).  No matter what anyone says it is not loving to allow those who are unrepentant in practicing sin--and thereby on their way to hell--to think what they are doing is all right.  Sometimes love must be tough!  But often that's the best kind!

US Government Rolls Out Mandatory Adult Vaccination and Tracking Program

Have you had a flu shot? Hepatitis A and B?  Pneumonia? HPV?  If not you may now be on the government's new list which will alert any unsuspecting individual within 500 feet of your unvacinated presence with a text message! Read about this ridiculous loss of our freedom here.

I do not do flu shots.  If you research the subject you will discover they only contain a few strains of last year's most prevalent flu virus, and almost invariably the next year's strain is not included in the shot and won't be affected by it.   I have never had a flu shot and I have never had the flu, unlike several of my friends who find it amazing they have had the shot and still have gotten the flu.  We are being brainwashed by drug companies who stand to gain millions by requiring every person to be vaccinated with any vaccine they decide to develop.  Read this article on the Flu vaccine to gain a perspective that is not mentioned in the mainstream media:  http://wellnessachiever.net/flu-shot-more-dangerous-than-flu/   Have you heard that more people die of complications from the flu shot than of the flu?  I didn't think so, even though it should be headline news.

Obviously, there are vaccine's that have eradicated or nearly eradicated some diseases (which are unlike the flu virus which can mutate every year)--measles, mumps, polio, small pox, but there is a fine line between mandating vaccinations and eliminating freedoms to choose for yourself.

Why are we not closing the borders?  All research I have seen says the outbreak of new disease in this country (measles, TB, mersa) is being traced to illegal aliens.  So the solution is mandatory vaccinations of every individual for every possible disease known to man instead of making sure those coming into this country are legal and disease free.  What a screwed up world we live in!!!!  Is there no common sense left?

I believe it is one more bold attempt in the guise of 'helping us' to eliminate our freedoms and make us even more dependent on the government.  When will we wake up?  Or maybe the question should be What are we to do?  We had better decide quickly.  Those who are blindly trusting this administration to take care of us are in for a very rude awakening in the near future!  It is time to stop each erosion of our freedom instead of ignoring it because it is only one small thing.  These are quickly adding up?

I have always wondered how the German people allowed Hitler to totally transform their society in 6 years.  Well, Folks, we are seeing a great demonstration of it right before our eyes while we do nothing.

Frank Laubach - devotional - March 29, 1937

Frank Laubach was a wonderful giant in the Kingdom.  Wikipedia has this to say about him, "In 1915 (see Laubach, Thirty Years With the Silent Billion), while working among Muslims at a remote location in the Philippines, he developed the "Each One Teach One" literacy program. It has been used to teach about 60 million people to read in their own language.^[1] He was deeply concerned about poverty, injustice and illiteracy, and considered them barriers to peace in the world."

He was a mystic who wrote many books and devotionals, the most famous being "The Game With Minutes" where he details his experiment in attempting to keep conscious of God at least one second of every minute of every day.  In the Monday, March 29, 1937, entry in "Learning the Vocabulary of God - A Spiritual Diary" he elaborates further on the benefits and his desire to always be working on  this practice.

I Corinthians 15    -       Bombay
"GOD, experience proves that a minute with Thee always brings fruit, often woderful fruit; experience proves that a minute apart from Thee is wasted or full of thoughts of malice or vice.  Abide in Me as the branch abides in the vine.  It abides all the time, every moment.  Before me is an electric plug.  The moment I disconnect the cord, the light goes out.  What I got the last minute does not help.  I may still be a little warm, but I am no longer a light.  "Apart from me ye can do nothing"--say nothing, be nothing, help nothing.  So I must keep plugged in every second.  Hard but essential.  Think Thy thoughts, God, here all day--Thine, not mine. 

Love Just One

       I believe in this article, Francis Frangipane gives us the key to loving as Jesus did.  Love just the one in front of you right now--and after you have loved that one there will be another.  We are prone to discourgagemnet because we look at too large a picture.  When we think of the future we see all our days looming before us when, in fact, God has only called us to live this day to the fullest.  Doesn't that apply to loving people, too?  We look at all the unloveable (to us) people in the world and feel hopeless to think we could ever love them, but how about loving just the one who has been polaced in our path today?
      Heidi Baker says that is the key to their ministry.  They didn't begin with the idea of starting churches all over Africa, they began with the idea of 'stopping for the one.'  In the process, God has used them to found over 10,000 churches.

Love Just One (En Español) We've stated that true spiritual discernment comes from knowing the mind of Christ. Let me make this quest as practical as possible: if we would know the thoughts of Christ, we should seek to know His motives, for thoughts exist to fulfill motives. Jesus Christ came into the world, "not . . . to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:17 NAB). Thus, if we truly understand the love that motivated Jesus, we will increasingly hear and understand His thoughts. Or consider Paul's words, "And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment" (Phil. 1:9). The route to true knowledge and all discernment is to possess abounding love. Let us learn to rest our heads upon Christ's breast and listen to His heart. For in hearing His heart, we can discern His love for those around us. Yet I acknowledge that, for some, to love others as Christ has loved us remains an ideal too far to reach. Therefore let's start small and bring this task closer to home. Rather than attempting to love everyone everywhere, let us reduce the challenge and make our aim to love just one person. Now I do not mean we should stop loving others whom we already love. I mean add just one person to your heart, and release your love to that individual in a more Christlike way. This person may be a lost neighbor or a backslidden friend; he or she might be a sick acquaintance or an elderly person from church. The individual may be a child in physical or emotional pain. (I am not suggesting you focus on an individual of the opposite sex.) The Lord will lead you. He will put one person on your heart and give you grace to grow in love. Come to this experiment without seeking to correct him or her, unless they themselves ask for advice. Pray daily for the person. And as you listen to the voice of God's love, something inside you will flower and open naturally toward other realms of discernment. Inspired by God, impulses and ideas born of love will increase and expand to your other relationships as well. In truth, the knowledge and insights you gain from loving just one will become a natural catalyst in loving many. Discernment will grow and mature even as you love just one.

Heritage Days on the Old National Road - June 12-14

      We are excited about the plans for Heritage Days!  It looks as if it is going to be one of the most exciting events to be held in Martinsville in a long time.  I thought it would be good to post the Press Release we sent to local & area newspapers a few days ago on my blog since many of you do not receive our local newspapers.

EQUINE PARADE AND DRAFT HORSE, MULE & HAFLINGER SHOW TO HI-LITE

MARTINSVILLE’S HERITAGE DAYS FESTIVAL

Heritage Days on the Old National Road will be celebrated in Martinsville on June 12-14 with a weekend packed full of fun for the entire family.   The Festival has grown each year and 2015 promises to be the largest yet with new features and outstanding musicians throughout the weekend.  

The 2015 Festival is sure to bring in horse enthusiasts from miles around, not only to see the 3rd Annual All-equine Parade but because there will be a spectacular new addition; the Draft Horse, Mule & Haflinger Show featuring stately, majestic horses & mules and their beautiful carriages in competition.

Bill and Judy Crouch, of rural Casey, have many years of experience in the show horse business and are committing their time and energy to make sure this first annual event is a success.  The Crouches have already received commitments from several owners/trainers of top hitches from across the country, including the Blue Ribbon Days team, which won the 2014 Classic Six and previous Percheron Congress competitions.   Many of the teams showing in Martinsville have been featured on the RFD-TV Gentle Giant Show.  Since the Draft Horse and Haflinger 6-hitch competitions have been sanctioned as qualifying competitions for points in the 2015 standings, it is expected they will draw a number of teams from all across the country.  There will also be an Antique Farm Machinery Class.

The spectacular Horse Show will hi-light Saturday and Sunday afternoons of the festival.   We expect several of the competing hitches will also participate in the Third Annual All-equine Parade, which will be held in front of the grandstand at the Fairgrounds on Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m.  All horsemen are encouraged to enter what promises to be a spectacular event, including individual saddle, saddle clubs, carriage, and hitches of ponies, horses or mules.  For information regarding the parade, please contact Brenda at 217-232-3232 or email at mville62442@gmail.com. 

The Festival weekend will feature many activities in addition to the Draft Horse Show and Equine Parade.  Heritage Days will officially begin on Friday night, June 12, with “A Night of Bluegrass: Four Bands in Four Hours” performing at the new Linn Park Amphitheater, beginning at 6:00 p.m.  The Festival will feature some of the best bluegrass musicians in the area, including Firebox, Coon Holler Kids, Salt Creek, and Cornfields & Crossroads.  Food vendors will be available in the park.  Plan to bring your blanket or lawn chairs to enjoy the food and music. 

All Heritage Days daytime events on Saturday, June 13, and Sunday, June 14, will take place at the Fairgrounds.  In addition to the Draft Horse, Mule & Haflinger Show, there will be: Artisan Vendors  (all merchandise will be hand-crafted)

Demonstrations by Artisans

Native American Artifacts & Re-enactments  

Early settlement life skill demonstrations (spinning, weaving, milking, etc.)

Free Barrel train rides for the children

Equine Parade in front of the Grandstands on Saturday at 11 a.m.

Food vendors to provide all of your favorite festival foods

If you are interested in reserving an Artisan booth to sell your handmade items, please contact Norma Calvert at 713-865-0022 or 618-569-3035.

Saturday evening the community can enjoy more music at the Linn Amphitheater in downtown Martinsville beginning at 6:30 with Jake Hoult and his band and Battle Creek.  These bands play a variety of music leaning towards Country so everyone will find a favorite song filling the air.

A Community Church Service is being planned for Sunday.  The Reverend John Hobbs, from Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, will be the speaker.  Reverend Hobbs has been involved in youth camps and evangelism throughout his lifetime.   

Following the service, everyone will want to enjoy lunch at the Fairgrounds and the wrap-up of the Heritage Days Draft Horse, Mule & Haflinger Show.   The spectacular 6-horse hitches are first on the show bill for Sunday afternoon.  You can walk through the barns to look at these magnificent animals, check out artist demonstrations, visit with the Native American Re-enactors, see a large exhibit of Indian Artifacts,  and browse through the artisan vendors one more time for the opportunity to buy unique handmade items.   

Sunday evening everyone will enjoy a laughter-filled evening with Aaron Wilburn, a comedian, singer and songwriter who has written over 1500 songs.  Aaron has appeared numerous times on the Gaither Homecoming Hour and has over 16,000,000 hits on his YouTube videos.  

Susann Kearsley

      If you need to 'escape' with a good novel I have one to recommend.   Since my 'little adventure' these past few weeks (see previous post) I have had quite a bit of time to read and have discovered a new author--Susanna Kearsley.  I just finished her book, The Firebird, and highly recommend it.  I have discovered I can get most of her books used on abebooks.com so I will be ordering more.
      I can't wait to start The Winter Sea which I already have!

The Good Lie

Are you looking for a good movie to watch?  We rented the movie "The Good Lie" a couple of nights ago and thought it was excellent!  I highly recommend that everyone see this movie.  Not only is it well made with an excellent cast, but it also opened our eyes to the suffering those in the Sudan have been undergoing for so many years.  It is based on a true story about 'the lost boys of the Sudan.'

It is infuriating that we have to wait for a movie to be made to become aware of the tradgedies that are occuring around the world in our brothers and sisters lives.  Our news media should be ashamed of the trivia they broadcast as news instead of being true journalists who help to uncover and publish the suffering in other countries.  We, in the West, have become so self indulgent and unconcerned about our responsibility to help those in need.

Shame on us!  And shame on our country's government for not being more concerned about the lives and welfare of these displaced people instead of subsidizing those who are not willing to work but want the government to take care of them.  It is absolutely wrong that our president and memberts of congress are supporting illegal aliens when there are those who will sacrifice everything for the opportunity to be productive and make a contribution to the world.

See the movie and let me know what you think.

Ted Cruz Presidential Announcement Full Speech (C-SPAN)

Ted Cruz boldly declared he is a Christian and will fight for a return to the moral foundations our country was founded upon when he announced his run for the Presidency.  I am impressed!

Philippians 4:4-8, Passion Translation

     I love Brian Simmons' Passion Translation.  Are you familiar with it?  It helps me to see the scriptures in a different light.   I have linked the previous statements to websites which explain the goal of this translation.   If you are interested, you can download a free Lenten/Easter devotional on the second site to get a taste of the translation. Mr. Simmons expects to have the entire New Testament finished by 2017, and then will begin on the Old Testament.  In the meantime, he has released each book as a separate entity as soon as it is finished.  So far I have purchased Proverbs, Psalms, John and Letters From Heaven.  Each one has been helpful by shedding new light on passages I have read many times before.

Today this passage from the PT seemed especially clear and meaningful to me.

Phil. 4:4-8  "4 Be cheerful with joyous celebration in every season of life.  Let joy overflow, for you are united with the Anointed One!  5 Let gentleness be seen in every relationship, for our Lord is ever near.

6 Don't be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing.  Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude.  Tell Him every detail of your life, 7 then God's wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ.  8 So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind.  And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising Him always." 

I am adding the NIV version of Phil. 4:4-8 so you can easily compare the two.

"4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

No Longer Slaves - Steffany Gretzinger

       I first heard this song by Jonathan & Melissa Helser a couple of weeks before my surgery as I was waiting for the lab results.   It became my testimony and declaration daily.

      I am no longer a slave to fear--I am a child of God!!  It was the song I was singing in my spirit when they wheeled me into surgery.  I love the words: "You split the sea so I could walk right through it; All my fears were drowned in perfect love.  You rescued me so I could stand and say, "I am a child of God!"

It's Your Coming Out Season and Your Turnaround Year by Nellie Elaine

    My heart resonates with this word from Nellie Elaine.  In many ways I have been in a wilderness for several years.  So I pray "Yes, Lord! Let it be in my life!" I pray that not only for myself but for those of you who have been discouraged, wondering what has been happening to you and why you are in the wilderness.  I am looking forward to a major turnaround for us all!  I have also added an excerpt from Doug Addison's prophetic word for March 20 at the end.  Here is a link to the entire word.

"It's Your Coming Out Season and Your Turnaround Year"

Nellie Elaine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Just recently I have been hearing the word "Turnaround." I looked up the definition and it says: an abrupt or unexpected change, especially one that results in a more favorable situation: "it was a remarkable turnaround in his fortunes."

Then I saw a huge wave. In this wave many things were being taken from God's people, and many of God's people were actually in this wave being drawn away from the shore into the deep, deep waters. They did not understand what was happening to them. Situations and circumstances were bringing them further and further into deep waters. It was in these deep waters that God was hiding these people and taking those things from them "to shape and position them" – ONLY TO bring them back to shore to display them.

It has been a time of an intense wilderness experience. Not everyone has been in this wave. Many have already experienced this in times past, and those have been the ones to forerun and carry the glory and deliver the Word. But there is a new wave of people who are being delivered via this wave coming out of the deep places and out of the wilderness leaning on their beloved.For these people there is a turnaround. (Photo via pixabay)

On Display... A Coming Out...

You actually know who you are and where you have been, and have been wondering, "How did I ever get here?" You know in your heart that the steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord. The door is opening for you, the deep waters are changing currents below, and there is a shifting.

I see a "coming out" and not just an ordinary coming out. It is a celebration of "Coming Out." There is a global coming out for those of you who were hidden in this last season. Age has no bearing on this coming out because you have been groomed to begin to work the supernatural workings of God.

"You have thought that in that place you would have died, however, I say to you," says the Lord, "that from this place, your life has been expanded and your years increased to be the exact number of years I have determined for you and not earlier as would have been the case."

Your garments have changed to those of deep revelation and you are clothed with Wisdom and Knowledge. You have learned that in that place of preparation of new realms and new levels and promotions that it had to be just you and God. That it was imperative that you KNOW your God, and I mean really KNOW your God. The Word tells us inDaniel 11:32, "THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW THEIR GOD SHALL BE STRONG, AND CARRY OUT GREAT EXPLOITS." (Photo via flickr)

There was a forging in the deep waters, a trust being developed in the corridor of that journey, where a boy becomes a man and girl becomes a woman; where there is a rite of passage that tests and develops fruit and perseverance and fortitude! There is a knowing that your God is with you no matter what you see, feel or hear.

This is your season. Get ready, for you are about to be displayed! It is your turnaround! Expect the unexpected that results in a more favorable situation because your eyes are about to see that which was prophesied over you, and your ears are about to hear the sound of an abundance of God's grace.

It's time. It's time to smile, it's time to dance, it's time to rise up with wings as eagles, as you are about to take the flight of your life!

Nellie Elaine
Nellie Elaine Ministries / Itinerant, XP Ministries

Email: nellie@nellieelaineministries.com

Website: nellieelaineministries.com / XPMinistries.com

From Doug Addison's prophetic word: 

Everything happens to you
The most beneficial thing for you right now is to realize that everything that happens to you is allowed by God to help you mature and grow. Once you realize this, you can gain a higher perspective on your life and the trials you are facing.

Life is never without trying times and pain. The key to it all is how you view it. If you think everything that is happening to is punishment from God, then the enemy has succeeded in short-circuiting your spiritual growth.

If you think bad things happen to you because you must have done something wrong, then you will most likely not get out of the loop of discouragement.

The fastest way to grow and mature is to realize that God loves you and is not your enemy. Begin to see your pain or disappointments as a time of learning.

You can change anything in your life right now by changing the way you view it and how it affects you. Here’s some good news for you: people who have a higher calling and great destiny receive lots of discouragement and setbacks. This is because what you will learn through it all goes into a firm foundation that God can build your tall calling on.

Absolutely Beautiful!!

     This gorgeous arrangement was sent anonymously to the grain elevator for me today with a card noting 3 John 1:2 and saying 'Praying for you."  How thoughtful!  I wish I knew who sent it so I could thank them.  If it was from one you who read this blog please know how touched I was and how much I appreciate your thoughtfulness & your prayers.

    The flowers are so beautiful from every angle!  Each side almost looks like a different bouquet!  They certainly make me excited for spring!

Roseann Salanitri's March 18th Column from The Daily Rant

     Roseann Salanitri hits the nail on the head again with this column from The Daily Rant.  Will we stand with God and returtn to godly values or will we fall?

America’s Slippery Slope

by Roseann Salanitri on March 18, 2015 in Faith & Family, Foreign Policy,Pro Life & Family, RoseAnn Salanitri

Apostasy is the renunciation of a religious or political belief or allegiance. In America, where our government was founded upon the principle that our rights come from God, the implications of a religious apostasy creates a slippery slope that affects our government as well. This two prong apostasy shakes the very foundation of who we are as a people and what we expect and permit from our government. After all, it is logical to conclude that if God doesn’t exist then our rights can’t possibly come from Him. And as we have seen, our government has been more than willing to take God’s place as the author and giver of our rights – rendering the very foundation of our Constitution inconsequential.

In ancient Israel, the affects of the nation’s falling away from their faith in God resulted in God’s judgment in the form of successful invasions from their enemies. In the New Testament, we are warned that before Christ returns and the Anti-Christ is revealed, there will be a falling away from the faith. Theologians refer to this as “The Great Apostasy” (2 Thessalonians 2:3).

Can the manifestation of this prophecy be the basis for what we are seeing today?   And if so, can we possibly stand against it if it has been prophesied?

While the Bible may speak about “The Great Apostasy”, it also makes it clear that we are to stand against such things. In the Book of Revelation we are repeatedly admonished to repent, remain faithful, to persevere, and to overcome (Rev. 2:5, 10, 16, 17, 22, 26; 3:3, 5, 12, 19, 21). For Americans this also means that we are to stand against a government that has usurped God’s proper role in our lives in ways too numerous to mention. For those who still believe in one God, it is incumbent upon us to worship only Him as the giver of our rights and liberties and to stand against all imposters who would replace Him – including those in government. And we must understand what the Apostle Peter and other apostles understood when they were told to stop preaching “in that name” – that if there is a choice to be made between God and the laws of man – we ought to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).

The choice may have been clear for Peter and the apostles, but what about a culture that believes that faith in God is archaic and scientifically implausible?

Since Darwin wrote “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured (sic) Races in the Struggle for Life” (which is the book’s full titled as published in November of 1859), atheists have waged a very effective war against the tenets of faith in a supernatural being. Darwin, with his racist theory, managed to provide a plausible explanation of the world we observe – separate and apart from the Genesis account that requires the intervention of the triune God. Darwin’s hypothesis has gained respect as the scientific standard mainly because it has been taught in classrooms around the world unchallenged – not because challenges don’t exist, but because challenges are censored from textbooks and conversations in classrooms. Consider a courtroom that only allows either the defendant’s or the plaintiff’s side of the story to be told. Would you expect a fair and educated verdict to prevail? Of course not, but we expect a fair and educated verdict to be rendered by our children that attend these classrooms and are taught only one viewpoint of origins.

To make matters worse, the churches have not taught creation as detailed in Genesis for many reasons, including that they are intimidated by the very mention of the word “science” and/or fear the ridicule that would ensue from the evolutionists. Consequently, children in America and around the world grow up believing that faith is God is for the foolish and uneducated. Consequently, we have become a nation of weak believers who have been reluctant to love the Lord their God with all our minds – fearing that an examination of the sciences would challenge our faith. Thus we have deprived our children of the true blessings of loving God fully and completely. This deprivation has not only weakened the faith of many, it has also weakened their commitment to stay faithful, to persevere, to overcome, and to repent. Consequently, they have become spiritual cowards who are unable to provide a reason for their faith and are unable to stand against the wiles of the devil. Perhaps they should be reminded that cowards are the first thrown into the lake of burning fire (Rev. 21:8).

This apostasy has given birth to an apathetic and lawless culture. What happens when a people start worshipping the creation instead of worshipping the Creator was prophesized in Romans 1:18ff. They do what’s right in their own eyes, which includes all manner of unrighteousness that they can now justify. Worse, all things become a personal choice, protected by the politically correct police. The progression of this apostasy then leads to the progression of lawlessness according the principles and precepts of God.

It has been said that legislators cannot write laws fast enough to govern a people that will not govern themselves. The progression then leads to the loss of our liberties as the government must now create regulations and laws to govern the lawless. This results in the manifestation of another biblical truth that tells us that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty – or in our case the reverse, where the Spirit of the Lord is asked to leave, liberties go with Him. It then follows that where people are willing to turn a blind eye to their own lawlessness, they are also willing to turn a blind eye to the lawlessness of their representatives. When this happens, the culture of unrighteousness establishes a stronghold in the private and public aspects of life – and it all started with apostasy.

To be sure, it takes intestinal fortitude to pull down strongholds and stand against arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (1 Corinthians 10:5). Unfortunately, cowards lack intestinal fortitude, so the battle is upon the shoulders of those who remain brave and vigilant – upon those who will persevere, upon those who will remain faithful and ultimately overcome.

The battle lines are drawn and obvious to some but apparently remain invisible to those who are willfully blind. To be clear, this battle is not between two conflicting political ideologies. This battle is between God and the lawless one. And every human being that walks the face of the earth in these days has to make a choice: will they obey godless laws and the one who created them or will they obey God? Your decision will determine which side of the line you stand on – with God and those who worship Him, or with the cowards, with the apathetic, with the enemies of the Creator? Those who have studied and believed in the Word of God know how the story of civilization ends. Therefore, to those who stand with God, I say: be strong and of good courage for it is written that eventually we will overcome.