A Difference Refined

There is a difference between wisdom and knowledge. Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge. Stupidity is the inability to correctly process knowledge. Ignorance is the lack of information. There is no cure for stupid. Arrogance is self-imposed stupidity. A good example of arrogance is the politician who knows what the majority of the American people want (those that they work for) as well as the Constitution that they are sworn to uphold and yet do what they want to do anyway. These rantings of mine are an attempt to cure the ignorance and or arrogance of some people. As John Quincy Adams once said, “ The duty is ours, the results are God’s”. The reason things are done should be because they are the right things to do.

God grants our rights, according to the Declaration of Independence. If the enemy can get rid of God, they can get rid of our rights. Without God we have no rights. So, by definition of their own beliefs (not mine), atheists have no God given rights since they can’t possibly believe that God grants them. Instead, their rights are only those granted or taken away at the whim of the state. Why then do we let the unbelief of the atheists dictate what, where, and when we can express our faith. The idea that we must tolerate the views of unbelievers at the expense of those held by believers seems only to be relevant when it is the Christian view that is involved. For example, in this secular and politically correct atmosphere, if the issue deals with Muslim beliefs the prevailing attitude is that we must walk on eggshells to respect their beliefs while it is considered fair game to trash and ridicule Christian values and beliefs. America has always celebrated the birth of Jesus, not the birth of a holiday. It’s Merry Christmas, not happy holidays.

I recently heard Hal Lindsey say, “ A gun doesn’t smoke until after it has been fired”. Therefore, if you find a smoking gun, the damage has already been done. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has recently grasped control of the Global Climate Change controversy by determining that carbon dioxide is a dangerous environmental hazard. Please, in the future, don’t breathe out. You will be expelling carbon dioxide gas and endangering us all. This was accomplished by firing the gun behind us while our attention was on Cap and Trade. The enemy will have their way, by hook or by crook, regardless of the will of the people.

“We The People”, the will of the people, as well as what is right and decent, is of no relevance if it interferes with the present government’s agenda. “We The People” and the will of the people are paramount in our Constitution. This is why our president indicates that the Constitution may interfere with his plans, and those of congressional people like Nancy Pelosi who refuses to even answer questions about the constitutionality of what they are doing. Our political leaders have completely lost the view that they work for us, not the other way around. We vote them into office to be our “representatives.” They are then supposed to vote according to the wishes of the majority of their constituents. Instead they now say they are going to vote “their conscience” regardless of the desires of their constituents. They have turned our democratic republic (rule by the people) into an oligarchy (rule by a few). What has happened to “ by the people, for the people”?

Remember Abraham Lincoln’s words from the Gettysburg Address:
“that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Remember the words of the Preamble to our Constitution:
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America

Note, it does not say “we the politicians, the government, the President, the Supreme Court, or the United Nations. It says, “We the people of the United States”

The Declaration of Independence established the basis for our country and the Constitution states how it should be run.

Regardless of the right and wrong of it, do you want to pay for the abortion of someone you have never even met? How about breast augmentation, nose jobs and tummy tucks? I refer here to procedures done for purely “cosmetic” reasons, not true medical needs. Of course, if one has so much money that they don’t mind contributing to the “cosmetic” procedures, then let them do so willingly from their own pocket without forcing the rest of us to do it whether or not it is against our will. Around the world under socialized medicine, these things and others are covered by tax dollars. As a result we are now hearing about long waits for medical care and denied care due to lack of funding. In addition, health care givers who don’t believe in abortion, etc. are being forced to do them regardless of their personal beliefs. Wow, we really need this in our country! What about individual responsibility? We have the best medical care in the world. It may need to be tweaked. Pre-existing conditions being denied for coverage is wrong for those who were previously insured, but makes sense for those who choose not to buy health coverage until they are sick. Insurance is designed to spread the risk over a large number so that the impact on the individual is not catastrophic. Those who play the system nullify this.

Socialism and moral decline necessarily go hand in hand. Get rid of the influence of God’s word and you open the way for socialism through moral decline. There is no right or wrong when there is no religious influence. Under socialism man makes the rules and they are arbitrary according to who is in power at the time. The power of force is the only constraint that exists in that world. There are those that may try to present the idea that Jesus promoted socialism. What a perversion of the idea of giving unto others based on charity towards others, which is done from the heart and the free will of the individual to be the giver and/or the receiver.

Under socialism it is the state that takes the place of God and forces some to “give” unto others. This is NOT the same as charitable giving. Rather it is the state taking from some to give to others as an entitlement. Jefferson once said that the one of the greatest dangers to the existence of a democracy is when the people learn that they can vote entitlements for themselves regardless of whether they have earned that right or not. It is the same reason why the rule “no work, no food”, based on biblical teachings, had to be followed if the early colonies were to prosper and survive. This idea that it is the government’s job to provide is the greatest enslavement of the masses that there can be. It is based on the same ideas of plantation owners who told the slaves, “I alone know what is best for you. You are too ignorant to really know what is best for yourself. So you just do what you are told, and be satisfied with what I decide you need.” That is exactly what governmental entitlements do- we the government will grant you rights that we deem as necessary for you. Which means that we, the government, can also retract those rights at any given time, as we see fit to do so.” It was this same attitude of the governing elite of the Greeks who “gave” to the masses as they saw fit. By either giving or with holding, the elite held complete control over the masses, making them slaves to the will of the few. As one of the elite of today has put it, if we cannot control others by the power of persuasion, we will then control by the persuasion of power (SEIU president Andy Stern). If the state can undermine the individual’s nature to be responsible and self reliant, then the state can keep the individual from prospering to the highest level based upon his own willingness to strive and prosper by his own good work ethics. There are those who would say that the government is only looking out for the “little man”. I urge you to think again. Is the government really helping the people by these “entitlement programs”, or are they merely increasing their own hold of control upon those they say they are trying to help. Please, look at what this system has done to our country. We have more and more depending upon the handouts of the government rather than striving to truly get ahead in life. There is a difference. It is akin to being an enabler to an alcoholic or addict, rather than letting them face the real problem so that they can then choose to fight to regain control of their own destiny in life to once again be free of the enslavement of things that would control and defeat them.

Our founding fathers knew what we have apparently forgotten over the last 200 years. As I have said before and I will say again, read the founding documents. Knowledge is power, and without knowledge you will be left to the will of others. With the proper knowledge, you will be able to have the control over your life that the founding fathers intended. Keep in mind that you need the wisdom to use that knowledge, so pray as Solomon prayed, for wisdom.


Rick and Ginger Rahn

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Where Is The Shame?

          We call them entitlements, yet what makes us entitled to them?  Did we earn the right to have them like working people did with Social Security?  “We are stealing from our children and claim we are entitled to it”[1].  By what right are we entitled to the income of our children?  Apparently, those we have elected to office have decided that they are entitled to reelection by giving large entitlements to those who haven’t earned them. 

          ‘We the people’ need to start rebelling against “this system, which we have had imposed upon us”[2].  It is essential for those of us who call ourselves Christian to admit our share of blame for what has happened to our country.  We didn’t stand by the principals on which our country was founded.  We have allowed the enemy to remove God from His rightful Place of authority over this country.  We did not believe that those evil ones who have appeared on the scene could possibly be successful.  It is a fact that in Nazi Germany, the Jews were forbidden to celebrate Hanukkah.  This was a precursor to the holocaust.  In that same manner, today, there are those who would separate church and state (despite constitutional restrictions against limitation of the free exercise thereof) in our schools, government offices, parks and other areas prohibiting the celebration of our heritage like Christmas and Easter. “First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist; Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist; Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew; Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.”[3]

          “It’s time to take the ‘do not disturb’ sign off of the church”[4].  We, as Christian’s are constantly under siege from the enemy for our beliefs, our actions and for the principals upon which our country was founded.  Has there ever been another nation on the face of this earth, which could be truly called a Christian nation?  If you are not under attack by the enemy you need to consider whether it’s because you are too strong for him, or if you are just so wishy washy that you are not worth his time. Middle America, the silent majority or whatever you wish to call it needs to wake up.

Since our schools were originally set up to teach the Bible and reading so that the bible could be read, we never dreamed that the Bible could be banned from our schools.  Higher education was established to promote the development of the clergy.  Why do you think that schools like Yale, Harvard and Princeton were founded?  The history books used today have been rewritten to remove our nation’s relationship with God.  Think I’m kidding?  Get your children to bring home their books (if they are allowed to do so) and read them.  Then compare them to the textbooks from years gone by.   It’s about time, in this country, that we realize that God is not the enemy but rather those who seek to remove Him from the public forum.  I realize that we are probably living in the end times and that certain things have to happen before the Lord can return, but we don’t have to be an active participant in that which is wrong. 

          Correct me if I’m wrong in saying that the Bible has never been proven factually wrong.  Many have tried to do so and thus far none has been able.  How then has the enemy been able to discredit the Bible and its teachings?  Archeology has for many years been uncovering things which prove that the Bible is accurate despite those things in the Bible that seem preposterous to some.  Does the other side have anything comparable?  Yes, I know that it is by faith we believe.  Which are you going to choose to believe?  The Bible, which was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, or some book containing revionist history?  The Bible is His story, not our story.  If you don’t think so, let me see you create something from nothing, show me the missing link, or die for my sins. 

          Time and value are only relevant to us – not God.  A little boy asked God how long was a second.  God answered, “A million years”.  The boy asked how much was a penny and God said “One million dollars”.  The boy asked God would you give me a penny and God said, “Just a second” (I got this story from David Jeremiah).  Since with God, a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day, how many seconds do you think it took Him to fashion the earth?  Does this compare in and way to that fellow Darwin who they say doubted his theory toward the end of his life? 

          You are not Chicken Little if what you are saying is true.  You are not paranoid if someone really is after you.  Well, the present government and those associated with it really are after us.  They are doing everything they can to destroy our God and our country.  Note that I am not blaming the democratic or republican parties, as it is the entire government that seems to be at fault.

Our ability to fend for ourselves is being looked on as negative.  The socialists think that they can make better decisions for our lives than we can.  I take that back!  They don’t think they can, they are self-assured that they can.  Instead of letting the voters decide, they are shoving their agenda forward despite the will of the people. Cap and trade and socialized medicine, among others, are designed to take away the will of the people.  If they can get us dependent enough and desperate enough to ask for their help they will win. They don’t care that they are destroying the greatest nation on earth.  It’s about time that we began to fight to get God and individual responsibility back into our lives.  If we don’t and it all slips away – the shame is on us! 

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[1] D. James Kennedy

[2] David Horowitz

[3] Pastor Martin Niemöller

[4] David Jeremiah

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A New Wall

          Angry?  You bet I’m angry!  Our parents and grandparents worked hard all their lives because they wanted us to have a better life than they did.  Now our out of control government is in the process of thwarting their efforts. 

          Just as the myth of the wall of separation between church and state never

existed in the way it is being interpreted today, another wall is in the process

of  being erected.  The new wall is the separation of the people and the state. 

Mister Obama, Tear down that wall!  You work for the people; the people don’t work for you. 

          OK, lets get this out of the way right now – Do I think that President Obama is the antichrist?  No, I don’t think he is smart enough.  The petulant child that is our president could never lead the world.  I think that his handlers are expert at making it look like he is in charge much the same way that Chicago politics has worked for many years.  President Obama, in my opinion, is nothing more than a figure head (a puppet, a front, a shill) walking in lock step with his handlers.  The scurrilous group behind him is bent on the over through of the United States. They are not using force of arms (yet) but rather working clandestinely to keep their intentions under the radar.  I think that President Obama may be the precursor that leads the way for the antichrist much the same way as John The Baptist led the way for Jesus.  I do think, however, that he is surrounded by the spirit of antichrist.  He said to judge who he is by the people with whom he surrounds himself and therein I rest my case.  This spirit of antichrist is, in my opinion, trying to destroy our country because it was founded as a Christian nation.  There is no doubt about this fact of our founding.  There is a plethora of evidence that it was and no evidence that it wasn’t.  If what I am saying offends you, you need to study to show yourself approved.

          The world is now in the phase of biting the hand that feeds it.  What in the world is going on?  We are setting up a system where with Cap and Trade, even our farmers are going to be taxed out of existence.  So much for the breadbasket of the world.  Our farmers in California have had the water to their fields shut off to save a fish no one cares about.  This is in one of the most productive farm areas of our country.  I recently heard an energy executive say that he is in favor of the cap and trade bill because if it doesn’t pass, the EPA will probably take up the call and things could be even worse.

 

          The battleground is set.  It’s time to take up arms with the sword of the spirit and vote. Either the election of November 2010 is going to be the turning point, or the end of our great country.  I just pray that there will be people that I can vote for in good conscience.  People that will restore the country rather than ruin it for all time.  We need to stop this stuff like healthcare reform that is nothing more than a government power grab. Things like Cap and Trade, which is nothing more than a taxation power grab based on really bad science. 

          It’s time for each of us to stand up for America and stop waiting for someone else to do it for us.  This republic is in trouble from without and within and needs the help of every American.  I count about seventy five percent of our population as real Americans.  The other twenty-five   percent are either Socialists, Marxists, One worlders or just too lazy or ignorant to care what is happening. 

          If we want to live like a sheep the government will gladly tell us where we can live, how large your fenced in area is, what you can eat, when you can eat, and when the  lights get turned out.  Progressives think they know better how the rest of us should live our lives.  Anyone that doesn’t  believe what they do, are looked upon as misguided children.  That is called “The conceit of the self anointed.”1 They are more than willing to help you even if you don’t see the error of your ways.    Food, water, money, energy and health care control your life, like it or not.  Do you want to control your own life or have the government do it for you?   Giving the government control over these things will give it control over your life.

          Modern progressives are the founders of Eugenics, abortion on demand, several forms of segregation, removal of God from our institutions, destruction of the sanctity of marriage, loss of parental rights, destruction of our economy, limiters of the development of our natural resources and energy, and limitations on our God given liberties, among other things.  Now the administration has decided to attack free speech.  In an unprecedented move, the white house had declared war on Fox News, apparently in an attempt to control their content.  I have lived long enough, seen enough, and studied enough to know that Fox News is not a right wing organization.  Fox News is the closest thing we have available to a centrist news outlet.  The bulk of the news outlets have moved so far left that Fox News looks right wing by comparison.  I, except for the Internet, can’t find a right wing news outlet.  President Kennedy would be considered right wing by today’s standards.  Reporters, in times gone by, at least tried to hide their bias when working.  Today in many cases their bias is often the story they report.  In days gone by, reporters took pride in reporting the facts, not promoting an agenda.  If a network were to develop that was as far right as most are left leaning, they would be excoriated.  It really is comical to watch the left leaning media attack Fox News without presenting any examples to back their charges, and then to watch Fox obliterate their credibility with the facts.  Even the White House charges them with innuendo and falsehood, only to be confronted by the facts on Fox.  If you are watching any network news outlet other than Fox you are not getting a clear picture of what is happening to our country.  If I remember the figure correctly, seventy percent of the people in network news lean to the left.  What’s even worse is that about eighty percent of those involved with higher education are the s

          What is wrong with the average American?  Do we all have our eyes closed?  Are we all so self-absorbed in our every day lives that we would let our freedoms slip away without noticing?  Over the years many of our God given freedoms have been eroded bit

by bit.  Most people haven’t noticed the subtle changes over time.  What better time than now to go back and read our founding documents?  These documents state what our government cannot do as well as what it should do.  The President is right that redistribution of wealth is not addressed in these documents.  Redistribution of wealth would then have been, and today is, unconstitutional.  Most of all we need to know what the limitations of the government are when it concerns our rights.  If our Constitution is really a “living document” then I want to hear it breathe and see it move.  Our Constitution is in reality an absolute.  There are those that refuse to believe this fact because of their propensity toward their own agendas.  Don’t fall for their twisted thinking.  They are not working for your betterment.  If you can quote chapter and verse from our founding documents you can win every challenge to your rights.  If you are ignorant of what is in them you are subject to anyone’s whim and fancy.  When it comes down to it, “Why would you want to be politically correct when you can be right?”

          Why does the Bible tell us to respect our elders?  Perhaps it is because we elders have been around longer, done more and seen more than those who at present are age handicapped; or in today’s vernacular, been there - done that.  Why can our children learn from our mistakes?  I try to teach my children what the country was founded on and what really matters in their lives.  They were blessed to be born into a country with a Christian foundation and a family with the same foundations. I know all about the young and the restless.  I was a rebellious youngster myself.  As the Bible says though, over the years I came back to the foundations I was exposed to and have become more steadfast in those ideals.  The Christian principals that are the foundation of our nation don’t make us all Christians, however, I believe that we are obligated to recognize that these principals are the reason our country has prospered.

          Apparently, that which we feared most has come upon us.  The hippy movement of the sixties has either been taken over or merged with the progressive movement.  That tiny movement (percentage wise) of the sixties that infuriated most of us so much seems to have taken over while most of us were busy living our lives.  These people think with their emotions instead of their minds.  In their hearts they think they can save you from yourself.  Several things have emerged that verify this is true. 

1. Banning of trans fats and the proposed extra taxes on sugar based sodas and fruit drinks.  Did anyone believe that fast food outlets were health food stores?

2. A twenty-dollar increase on the cost of a carton of cigarettes.  How many years did our government subsidize the tobacco industry?

3. Government mandates on the size and mileage of cars.  Will one of the smart cars hold your family?  Who wins in a crash, smart car or pickup truck? 

4. Talk of carbon credits for families that will limit themselves to one child.  How many of you wouldn’t be here today?  Think about it, were you the first born?

5.  Bogus global warming scare to increase the cost of energy.  Only fools still believe that man causes global warming.  The overwhelming evidence proves that carbon dioxide has little or no effect on global temperatures and in fact it is essential to life.  Global climate change is the new mantra since for the past ten years the planet has been cooling.  If you would like to be personally responsible for bringing about the one world government as described in the Bible, be in favor of “Cap and Trade” as well as “Global Climate Change” legislation and treaties. 

6. Limitations on water usage for trumped up reasons.  The elixir of life is needed to grow crops, breed and raise live stock as well as taking care of our everyday needs. 

          I have attempted here to raise the call to action.  If you care at all about the quality of life for yourselves and your children at least heed the call to study and find out what is going on.  At a minimum find out what the country was founded on and why.  If you don’t know what your rights are, you won’t know when you loose them.

 

1 John Stossel

2 John Hagee

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God Commands Us To Love One Another

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might, and these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes” (Deut. 6: 5-8) “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart…”(Lev. 19:17) “ Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge…but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self: I am the Lord.” (Lev. 19: 18) Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive our trespassors.” (Mat. 6:12) “..He that is without sin, let him cast the first stone..”) (John 8:7)

In today’s anti- religious, anti-Christ atmosphere, it is not politically correct to follow the teachings of Jesus, much less to be diligent in teaching His way to our children. So why does it amaze us when we see our families falling apart at the seams? Yet these are all instructions from the Lord as to how we are to live out our lives in love towards our fellow man in order to have real peace and harmony. If we claim to truly be followers of Christ, we must realize that loving one another, which must include forgiveness, is not an option or choice. It is a command. Yet forgiveness is not something that comes naturally to us. True forgiveness is only possible when we let the grace of God radiate from our hearts towards others as His grace has been poured out towards us. Grace is not something that one can work for or earn, nor is it something that any of us deserves. Grace is something that is freely given whether it is deserved or not.

Jesus took our sins upon Himself on the cross. Among the last of His words were “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Did we ever do anything to earn or deserve His sacrifice or forgiveness of our sins? No, He gave His life freely that we might have forgiveness, and have eternal life through faith in Him. In the natural, when a person perceives that another person has hurt him, the natural response is to desire to return hurt back upon the offender. Yet that is not what God did for us, nor is it what He has taught us to do. In fact, His instructions to us are to love one another as He has loved us. Are any of us without sin? All of us have caused hurt to someone else at one time or another. Yet when it is done to us, somehow we think that the offender must grovel at our feet and pay for the hurt they caused. By harboring such unforgiveness in our hearts, we let a root of bitterness grow within us that will taint our relationship with the offender for as long as we hold onto the idea that somehow justice must be served, and they must pay for the harm they caused us.. That same root of bitterness, after it is planted in our hearts, will continue to grow and spread its tentacles until it spreads like a wildfire into other areas of our life. By choosing to walk in unforgiveness, we add fertilizer to that root of bitterness based upon our perception that we have a right to do so. Many friendships and family relationships have been destroyed because of that self-righteous spirit in our own lives. We may say with our mouths that we have forgiven a person for their intentional or unintentional acts that caused such deep wounds; however, by our on attitude and continual “casting of stones” at the offender, we show ourselves to be a liar, deceiving ourselves, but not others. (“..out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.” Mat. 12:34)

How different God’s ways are from ours. Jesus demands another way, a way that sets aside our desire or our need to get even; a way that breaks the cycle of unforgiveness, however unfair it may seem. Seeing Jesus offer forgiveness, time and time again, got the disciples’ attention; so Peter came up to Jesus one day and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone when they sin against me?

Up to seven times?” To our ears, that sounds pretty reasonable, even overly generous, doesn’t it?

Yet Jesus responds, “Not seven times, but I tell you, seventy-seven times. Or seven times seventy, 490 times,” some translations read. This is a hard teaching and even harder in the natural to follow. Yet walls of unforgiveness will crumble and fall when we realize the true meaning of the full grace of God that has so undeservedly been poured out towards us. Not only has He forgiven us for our sins (things that we have done time and time again that hurt, or offend, Him), but also in addition, He has washed them away from His remembrance as if they had never happened.
God is love. In the natural, it is impossible for mankind to remove the hurt from our remembrance. However, love covers a multitude of sins. As we yield ourselves to the Lord, He will let that same kind of godly love reign within our hearts towards our fellow man. It is this kind of love that will set our spirits free from bondage to an unforgiving spirit and bitterness. We are then able to walk in love, and peace and harmony will once again reign in our hearts, restoring right relationships with God and our fellow man.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts: and see if there
be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm, 139: 23, 24)

Ginger Rahn

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The Refiner’s Fire

Upon returning home from work one day, I was standing at the door of our home. As I reached out to open the door to enter, the voice of the Lord spoke this message to me: “If you were to loose this and all that is in within, God will still be God.” At the time, I did not know why He was telling me this. I remember briefly reflecting as to why He would say this at this particular moment. I thought about my day at school; I was a teacher at the time. I had experienced some trials with a few students that day, and my husband had recently lost his job due to the downsizing process of the company. Regardless of this, I was greatly encouraged in my spirit and felt an almost joyous sense of peace in spite of any of our personal trials. I remember simply thinking, “Okay Lord, I don’t know why you are telling me this, but I acknowledge that it is a word from you and I receive it.” I didn’t really give it any further thought at the time. However, this whole scene, and the message that He gave me has played like a permanently recorded video tape in my mind many times in the years that have flown by since then, each time giving me a deeper understanding of why it was given in the first place. For me, it has been one of those kernels of truth that fit into the category of “to be fore-warned is to be fore-armed.” It has acted as a pillar of truth to help me stand when the storms around are raging. When Satan and just the everyday tribulations of life in general have tried to defeat me or separate me from the love of God, this simple statement has been set on “rerun” to remind me not to let the deceitfulness of Satan’s lies rob me of the truth that God is always in control no matter what the circumstances might be. The reality of God and His power in our lives is not limited to or defined by any daily experience. The Lord never allows anything to be stripped from our lives without replacing it with something far greater and more important to our lives.

In these precarious times, people are losing their jobs or even their families. Families are crumbling and falling apart even when, from all outward appearances, it seems that they are prospering in every respect. Losing your family does not necessarily happen as a result of death or divorce. Married couples can still live together, but they are lost to one another either out of neglect, strife and contention, or because they have reached the point of complete indifference. Maybe you find yourself in such a state as this. You may have been asking yourself, “Why me Lord?” Or maybe you feel angry with the Lord, and perhaps you even find yourself feeling like, “Okay, forget you God!! I’ve tried you, and you just didn’t work in my life, so I choose to go my own way. After all, if you were really a loving God and you really existed, you wouldn’t allow these things to happen to me.” Some may even turn to other things to fill that void and hurt in their lives. Oh yes, lets make a short list of just a few of the things that one may turn to as an escape or lifeline to replace God. This list may include some of the following: alcohol, drugs, sex, pornography, work, just to name a few. But do any of these really bring peace and harmony into our lives? If they did, you would expect to see an awful lot of resurrected and fulfilled lives. Yet, instead of redemption, wholeness, and happiness, such choices as these have only served to continue the downward spiral of many lives into greater destruction, devastation, and despair. Like the Word says, “a way seems right to man, but the end thereof is death.”

I don’t know what trials or tribulations you may be experiencing in your life. But I do know that if you let it define who you are, you will also let it determine what you are and what you are destined to become. This is each individual’s choice. I can choose to go down the path of self-destruction, or I can choose to respond to the refining fire of the Lord as did Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednigo (Daniel: 3).

They were thrown into the fire because they refused to bow down to the statue of a false god as the King had ordered. When the three were thrown into the fire, not just three were seen but four. What can we learn from that? God allowed it to happen, but He was right there going through it with them. They did not ask Him to take them out of the situation. But they did put their trust in Him and His ability to bring them through it. They did not succumb to man or to their circumstances. They trusted in the Lord to show them the way as they yielded to Him. God could have prevented this from happening, but He chose to allow it and look at what the results were. All who were a witness to their deliverance from the refining fires were filled with awe and gave glory and honor to the one true God. So whom do we seek to be glorified in our lives, God or ourselves? Do we trust in Him and seek His guidance to carry us through the storms of our lives, or do we turn away from the Lord, blame Him for our problems and turn our backs on Him because He didn’t answer our prayers when and how we thought He should have? If we are honest with ourselves, some of our greatest gifts were received because He had said NO to our requests. After all, He knows the beginning, middle and the end while we may be stuck right in the middle and unable to understand the middle, discern the elements of the beginning, or see the end.

Compared to many of you, the trials in my life pale in comparison. Maybe you are divorced, in an abusive relationship, or suffer from an addiction. The issue is not how severe our problems are, but rather how great is our God? Do you believe that your problems are too much for God, or do you have faith in the one true Almighty Living God through whom and with whom you can do all things? Do we let our problems dictate our actions so as to keep us a victim, or do we choose to do all that we can to yield ourselves to the Lord, and depend upon Him to show us the way in which we are to go in order to be victorious over-comers, not perpetual victims of sin and troubles of this world. Remember, we fight not against flesh and blood, but against high powers and principalities of the darkness of this world. Are we going to arm ourselves with the full armor of God, or are we going to give into sin and troubles and let them sink our lives like a boat in a storm without a rudder. What is your problem or addiction? Do you do all that you can to “gird your loins,” or do you give in and even provide the elements for your own destruction?

The Lord is a gentleman. He is not going to force Himself or His ways upon you. Neither is He going to put your shoes on for you. He has given you intelligence and the ability to do things. I don’t mean the “Lord helps those who help themselves.” That is NOT scriptural. I do mean that the Lord has provided for you. Sometimes that provision of help may have been sent to you in the form of people like AA, NA, Christian councilors, pastors, other believers, etc. Why do we find it easier to wallow in self-pity and false pride instead of availing ourselves of the “armor” or help that He is providing for us. If one AA group or councilor, or whatever, does not seem to be beneficial, then try another. Don’t give up and give in. Maybe you have found a good source of help, but now the problem now is that you have to actually act and do your homework in order to gain success. Tough break!! Do you choose enslavement and further victimization, or freedom to go on to become the person you were meant to be? The choice is up to you. I can testify that I have a real problem with my weight. It is not reality for me to think that God will just take it off of me. However, I can and do trust in the Lord to help me fight against the battle. Yes, I do fail at times, but that does not mean that I have to give up, give in, and be defeated. I may be defeated in the battle for that day, but it does not mean that I have to surrender to the war. Anything worth having is worth fighting for. Freedom in the Lord does not come without commitment and obedience. Do you choose life or death? Satan is out to seek whom he can destroy. If we choose not to abide in the Lord through the power of His Holy Spirit within us, then we have chosen to leave ourselves open to the domination of Satan and, or the temptations of the flesh.

Why is it that we are surprised and confounded when trials and tribulations come in like a flood? Has He not told us in His Word that we are going to have trials and tribulations in this world? After all, didn’t Jesus, who knew no sin, face far more than we could ever face? They tried to kill Him when he was a baby by killing all Hebrew male babies two years old and under. Did His persecutors not scourge, beat, and finally crucify Him? Did He not willingly leave the glories of heaven to take the punishment for our sins upon Himself that we might be saved through faith in Him as Lord and Savior? So where in the world do we get the idea that we should be able to just float above all the troubles of this world? Our journey through this life is our opportunity to choose to receive Him as Lord and Savor that we might have eternal life through Him. When we have hard times, in our weakness He is strong within us. He has promised to be our comforter as we go through the trials of life. Remember Peter and his companions were thrown into the darkest pit in jail. From all appearances, they were truly forsaken.

Yet they did not let their circumstances dictate who they were, what they were, or how they were to feel or react. In stead, at midnight they could be heard singing praises unto the Lord. From appearances they were lost. What in the world did they have to be singing about? Yet, that is exactly what they were doing. Were they grumbling, complaining, cursing God, turning their backs on Him, blaming Him for their problems? Absolutely NOT! They were singing praises to the Lord. What happens when we praise the Lord? Well, the Lord inhabits the praises of His people; where two or more are gathered, there He is also. Therefore, Peter had the “peace that passes understanding”. The jailers saw and heard this. They marveled at the greatness of this God and the Lord was glorified.

I don’t know what trials or tribulations you may be experiencing in your life. But I do know that if you let it define who you are, you will also let it determine what you are and what you are destined to become. I agree that it is a hard thing when we have such awful trials and tribulations to deal with in life. However, we are commanded to endure to the end, or another way of putting it is, “having done all to stand, to (continue to) stand.” In stead of asking “Why me, Lord?” maybe we should be asking Him, “Lord, I don’t understand why I am placed in these circumstances, but what I really want to know is, What is it that you want me to learn or do? How can this be used to work for my good that you may be glorified in my life?”

Almost four years ago, I fell at work and was injured. As a result of a concussion, I had to quit teaching. Because of the consequences of post concussion syndrome, I have suffered Photophobia, which makes me ultra sensitive to light and often affects my ability to walk unassisted. I praise the Lord that I have been improving slowly over time. However, it has meant that I have become pretty much homebound. I don’t drive because you can’t drive and close your eyes at the same time if the light hits you. Therefore, I am also dependent on others for transportation. This has been a drastic change for someone who was used to going out to work and having an active, independent life. My husband recently commented that he had been very concerned about how I was going to handle these new circumstances. Well, it would have been very easy to fall into depression, self-pity, get angry with God, blame Him for my troubles, and the list could go on and on. But that has been far from what has really taken place in my life. I do not tell of this to lift myself up in any prideful manner. In stead, my purpose is to exemplify what the Lord can do for you in spite of your experience and circumstances. So I wish to give Him all the glory. He is the one that helps me daily. In His loving care of me, He has also provided help, encouragement, support through family and friends. My sisters, brothers, in-laws, children, and their children have been there to help me, encourage me, pray for me in so many ways I can not enumerate them. I thank them and the Lord for all that has been done for me. The outpouring of God’s love from each of them has flooded my soul. I asked the Lord to help me learn how to spend my time wisely and productively as He gave me the ability and energy to do so. Being encouraged by Him and others, I have learned to use my time to write, not only about stories of my life, but also about different topics from the Bible as I have felt led of the Lord to do so. In addition, I have found the joy of crocheting, making projects for others. Sometimes the final outcome of a project would begin as a “mistake” and then the Lord would surprise me and show me what could be made out of a “mistake.” Oh what fun that has been.

Then too, as a direct result of encouragement and time spent with members of my family, I have begun to spend more time with the Lord through studying His Word and in intercessory prayer. These moments are some of the greatest jewels of treasure. In addition, Rick and I are back in a church, and also learning and growing as a result of a selection of TV ministries that speak greatly to our spirits. In fact, several of my Biblically related writings were inspired as a direct result of these television pastors. Rick too has been led to write, especially about the consequences that we are paying as a country due to the increasing secularization of our culture.

So, for me, I am truly learning day by day what it means to trust in the Lord. I thank Him for the peace that comes from learning to have a closer walk with Him. His wisdom is far more precious than any other type of knowledge. Learning to spend more time in His Word and intercessory prayer has come as a direct result of a blow to my head, something that at first appearances would seem to be detrimental to me. I don’t mean that I am glad that I got hurt. What I do mean is that He is teaching me how to be content regardless of circumstances or appearances. He is demonstrating the meaning of greater rewards in this life as His Spirit uses even negative events to bring about positive change and transformation in our lives, to become more Christ-like, and serve Him. I guess the bottom line is – His grace is sufficient and no matter what happens, God is still God and He is in control.

I wait upon the Lord with excitement in my heart as He reveals Himself to me more and more.

OUR GOD REIGNS!! PRAISE THE LORD FOREVER AND EVER!! AMEN.

If you are tired of being a victim of your circumstances, perhaps you would like to join me in this prayer:
Heavenly and Holy Father, I remember that you have told me that you will never leave me nor forsake me. You promised that you would continue to perfect that which concerns me. You have also promised that the good work that you began in me you will continue until I see you face to face. Oh yes, I must remember to yield myself to your will in my life, that you may take those things that Satan has meant for my harm and turn them into things for my good. Not only that, but you said that IF I yield myself to you and seek the kingdom of God first that all the other things, like receiving the desires of my heart, would be done unto me also. Oh, yes Father, I do hear you. I understand that those “desires” from my heart must be based on your Word that instructs, corrects, and provides wisdom and discernment that I may be set free from enslavement to sin. Understanding and following your ways protects me and keeps me from being deceived by Satan, myself, or others. Please Lord, help me to keep focused on you that I may hear your voice and attend unto thy Word. Help me to not just acknowledge who you are, but to be obedient as a doer of your Word and not just a hearer. Satan and his demons know who you are, but they do not obey you. They do tremble at your name. I must resist the devil for “greater is He who is in me than He who is in the World.” Help me Lord to walk in obedience to you. Oh Lord, help me not to sink into self-pity or rebelliousness, but seek to love you with all my heart, soul, and spirit. Let me not be stiff necked, hard hearted, or lean unto my own understanding, but to be uplifted and led by every word from the mouth of God. I do not seek to glorify myself, but to glorify my Lord in thought, word, and deed. What I’m really seeking Lord is guidance from your Spirit and your Word that I may do and learn all that you want me to that I may be transformed into the person that you have purposed me to be. Help me Lord to resist the desires of my old nature that I may die to myself in order to become more Christ like and glorify Thee. You are the Potter; I am the clay. Melt me and mold me into thy image. Let me not shrink from being transformed into your image by the power of your Holy Spirit and the Refiner’s Fire. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer with sincerity, go forth and do all that you are led to do by the Holy Spirit to walk by faith in the Lord. Those who are set free by the Lord are free in deed. You are not saved “by good works,” but you are saved to “do good works” that you may glorify the Lord in all your thoughts, words, and deeds. By determining to seek His face daily, you have the victory through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior

Ginger Rahn

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What's Wrong America?

Eric Massa, Democrat representative, NY said “I will vote adamantly against the interests of my district…..I will vote against their opinion if I actually believe it will help them.” This is a statement similar to that made by our Vice President, Joseph Biden, during the Judge Bork confirmation hearings. He stated that he was not elected to do the will of the people, but rather to use his own good judgment. He said his mail and phone calls were running 87% in favor of Judge Bork, but he was going to vote against his confirmation.

Since what we are supposed to have is a representative government (Think maybe that’s why it’s called the house of representatives?), I use the above illustrations to show the contempt that some of our representatives have for their constituents. If they truly have had an epiphany, they should let us in on the wonderful revelation. Barring that, they should either resign or be run out of office. What better examples could you have of malfeasance in office, abuse of power, and self-righteousness, and down right arrogance?

The seeds of revolution are everywhere: disruption of town meetings, tea party gatherings, floods of phone calls and e-mail to elected officials. Average Americans have taken to the streets, not community organizers, but real American citizens. What is the response of those who are against the American people? Intimidation, physical and verbal assaults, and a general belittling of these Americans in the media, as well as face to face, with the elected officials and their thugs. Community organizer is an innocuous term for people who use intimidation and violence to further their cause. They use the tactics of the union organizers of old. They are at least partially responsible for the financial trouble the country is in now. They used their tactics to intimidate banks and other institutions to give below prime mortgages among other things.

What is wrong with us? Are there not a few good men and women who will run for office and not be corrupted? The sheer arrogance of those in office is truly overwhelming.

The present crop of those in power are so arrogant and elitist that they truly believe they know how you should live your life better than you do. Only they know how to make us little sheep happy. They, collectively, have robbed us repeatedly over the years by diverting funds that should have been set aside for the future, and now we have to worry that the programs we count on will even be solvent when we need them. We are partially responsible for their superiority complex because we have treated them like celebrities. They have a better retirement plan than the people they represent. They have a better health plan than the people they represent. They have an income much higher than the majority of the people they represent. They have a package of perks that are the envy of most high-ranking business executives. What does this all amount to? I say it is equivalent to robbery from the people of the United States of America. Americans have entrusted them to do, and counted on them to do, what was right and just for the people they represent. We didn’t vote them into power to consolidate their power and amass wealth at our expense. Did you know that thirty two of our senators voted to give social security benefits to illegal aliens? Did you know that one hundred years ago almost fifty different forms of taxes that we have today didn’t exist?

I know all this sounds very negative, and I am sorry if I have offended some of you good people. The good news is that we don’t have to pay back the money that our government is borrowing and printing. That dubious honor will fall to our children and grandchildren.

Rick Rahn

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A Man's Ways Are Right In His Own Eyes

In today’s current atmosphere, America is being divided. At first glance, it seems that we are divided by politics supposing that it is either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party that is the “party of redemption,” depending on what party one stakes their hopes and beliefs upon. When in reality, it is neither the left/right nor liberal/conservative that will ever bring about true healing and restoration to our country.
The most fundamental question should not be to what “Party” you are to look to for salvation of our selves as individuals or as a nation. The basic question is, not just for America, but for all of mankind is - Are we going to choose God’s ways or man’s ways? God says, (Deut.30: 19,20) I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
The present chaotic situation of America is not caused merely by the policies of either Bush or Obama. I don’t believe either man is evil or deliberately trying to destroy our country or us. Neither party is out to bring destruction intentionally. The basic problem is that as we become a more secularized individual, nation, or world in the broader picture, we are going to sow the seeds of our own destruction. (Prov. 14:12) “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Prov. 12: 15) “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes; but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” What “counsel” are we to look to for discernment and wisdom?” (Proverbs 3:1-8)

1 My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands;
2 For length of days and long life
And peace they will add to you.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart,
4 And so find favor and high esteem
In the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones.

And Jesus said, (Matt. 22: 37, 38, 39) "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
God has told us (Exodus 20) “ Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” God’s wisdom is life and health. (Prov. 4: 20-23) “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
Who is really at fault for our decent into a godless society? Yes, the Lord has forewarned us that these things will come to pass before the return of our Lord and Savior. But He has also told us “If my people will humble them selves and pray, then will I hear from Heaven and heal their land.” As Christians, we are to be a light unto the world that others might be drawn to Christ as they see Him manifested in us.

How sad that we, as individuals, and as a nation, have chosen to look to the opinions and wisdom of mankind rather than the wisdom of the Lord. The global community is becoming as those who sought to build the tower of babble in an effort to become our own gods and leaving the way of the one true God. In every direction of our society, we are seeing God and His ways being cast aside, ridiculed, and mocked. As a result, we are seeing the manifestation of the evil of the spirit of anti-Christ within our society. Yes, we were a Christian nation founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs. Now it is illegal to even display the Ten Commandments. We are becoming a culture of death rather than life. As the State becomes superior to God, perversion and death will prevail more and more. The life of an unborn child has already been devalued as a “choice” for; after all, it is not really a human being but merely a blob of flesh. There are even those that teach that a child is not a human being until it reaches the age of being able to “reason” that there is a tomorrow. Our elderly people are no longer valued as being wise and productive to society, so giving them the “choice” of ending their “useless” lives is all for the better good of society. And of course, those born with imperfections and disabilities, will never reach the level of productivity that is needed for the good of society; therefore, especially if a time of crisis should arise, they too should be “chosen” to give up their right to life for the good of humanity. Can we not see that these “choices” are turning away from the will of the Lord? Again I put forth to our remembrance: (Deut.30: 19, 20) “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days.”

The Lord is the giver of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The State is the one that IF it gives, it can and does take away any and all rights as it deems necessary and right to do so. Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. This same liberty is found in no other.
The Lord told us that these times would come and that there would be a turning away from The WAY. We are to exhort one another to be not deceived by ourselves, others, or Satan. We are to study the word that we can be workmen that need not be ashamed. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

Yes, God gives us the right to choose Him and His ways, or to choose our own way. However, we must remember, (Prov. 14:12) “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” The Lord is a gentleman. He will not force Himself upon anyone or into any place where He is unwanted. If we continue to choose to be a secular nation and world, then how can we then be surprised when the blessings that we once experienced are no longer ours to enjoy? God has not condemned us. We have chosen to condemn ourselves. We will reap the consequences of our own choices and actions.
(Prov. 1: 28-31) “Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me; for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord; they would none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.”

But this is hope for those who choose to turn to the Lord and trust in Him and follow after Him: (Prov. 1: 23, 33) “Turn you at my reproof; behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.” The reward of heeding wisdom shall be ours. (Prov. 2: 1-7) “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom; out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous; he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.”

Lord, I pray, let it begin in me. And may your grace and love be shed abroad in all of our hearts that we may hunger and thirst after thee, to know you, love you and serve you as our Lord and Savior all the days of out lives. Have mercy upon us and upon our land. Forgive us, oh Father, for our sins and teach us thy ways. May we each be a blessing unto thee and find favor and understanding in thy sight. Our everlasting hope and salvation is in thee alone, our Almighty God. In Jesus name, Amen

Virginia Rahn (Ginnybug)

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Our Christianity

I am a Born Again Christian, but I don’t consider myself religious. I espouse those things in religion that conform to the Word of God. This is essentially the same thing that Thomas Jefferson said: “I am a Christian in the only sense in which He wished anyone to be: sincerely attached to His doctrines in preference to all others.” I interpret this to mean that he believed what the Bible says. When it comes to religion, you eat the meat and spit out the bones. All things that pertain to religion should be compared to the Bible for verification.

Hebrews 9:12 says: Where in the olden days, the blood of animals was sacrificed before God, the blood of Jesus was offered once and for all; obtaining eternal redemption for us all. This established the New Testament. Hebrews 10:19-20 says; Jesus’ flesh is the veil that was split in two , from the top to the bottom, to give us direct access to God. In the past, the high priest was the only one who entered through the veil into the Holy of Holies to intercede for the people.

How long must we suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, before we realize that the Lord Jesus has established the better way of justification? Outrageous fortune is the way of the world, but God’s way is better and more satisfying. Accept the slings and arrows of this life by yourself, or accept the help that is available through God.

Some examples of God’s grace through faith are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David and Solomon. We know these people are in Heaven because the Bible talks about some of them being there. They got there through faith and a personal relationship with God. Jesus simply made it easier to obtain this relationship; by grace through faith. The laws of the Old Testament were given by God in order for people to know the difference between good and evil so that a right relationship could be established. The grace of the New Testament is given because it is impossible to live up to God’s perfection. It was credited to Abraham, and others, because they were right with God due to their great faith in Him. Through Jesus, we are credited with that same faith by our acceptance of what He did for us; accepting Him as our Lord and Savior and making Him Lord of our lives.

Hebrews 6:14 says: “But strong meat belongeth to them that are full of age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” The longer you walk with God, and study His word, the better able you are to make the transition from milk to meat. Salvation is the first step in your growth in the Christian life. “A testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength while the testator lives.” Only after the death of Jesus could the New Testament have been ordained. Where under the law a priest would go into the temple to intercede for us, now Jesus is interceding for us, with the Father in Heaven. No longer do we need a man to be our go between. Hebrews 10:16 says; “I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.” That is why the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us.

As we walk in the light as Jesus did , we will have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus: we will be continually being filled. We need to constantly pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit, because we leak. The cares of this world often overwhelm us. We need the power of God in our lives at all times. Ephesians 5:18 tells us to keep being filled with the Spirit.

In 1 Corinthians 14:10-13 we see that none of the gifts of the Holy Spirit can pass away until Jesus returns. The Holy Spirit had already been given when Paul wrote this passage. Only when that which is perfect is come, meant the second coming of Christ. If we deny any of what the Bible says are the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we diminish the power and will of God in our lives. Some say the Bible qualifies as that which is perfect but to which version (translation) do they refer? I have personally seen the manifestation of some of the gifts of the Spirit that supposedly petered out when Peter petered out. The Lord is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

It is my contention that the “heart” spoken of in the Bible is actually the soul; or synonymous with it. “Out of the heart, the mouth speaks” , “guard your heart, because it’s the wellspring of life” The word heart appears in the Bible 1223 times, hearts appears 20 times. In the Bible, fear, love, courage, anger, joy, sorrow, and hatred are always attributed to the heart. The heart was considered to be the seat of the emotions and passions as well as appetites and embraced likewise the intellectual and moral faculties, although these are necessarily ascribed to the "soul" as well. This distinction is not always observed . My wife and I used to minister under the ‘Spirits Nest Ministries’, which meant the heart was the home (nest) of the Holy Spirit.

When your heart is right with the Lord, there are those in the world that will recognize it is. As a salesman, I used to drive my managers crazy. When asked to set sales goals, I would always say that I would sell as much as possible and not a penny more. Then they would set goals for me, and I would ask if I should stop when I reached the goal; they usually got the point. There is only so much you can do in this life, and no more. One hundred percent is all there is. I know that we can “do all things through Christ”, but it is God who extends our capacity, not ourselves. All we can do is what we know is right, according to the Word, and stand upon the Word. I present the following examples:

1. While working with a research laboratory equipment company, I was always frugal with my expenses, and everyone in the company knew it. I was attending the national sales meeting in Portland, Oregon . The vice president and international sales manager announced that we were going to have to cut our travel expenses by twenty percent. I raised my hand and he called on me. I asked which day I should stay home, since the twenty percent cut was needed. An immediate and sustained hush fell over the auditorium. I had not known that the president of the company was sitting behind me. I couldn’t understand the silence or the length of it, because I was friends with the VP. I then heard laughter behind me and the president said, “Rick, you don’t count” (Well done, good and faithful servant ). Everyone started breathing again.

2. Another time, while working for a pharmaceutical company , I was at the home office in East Hanover, New Jersey for advanced training. A movie was shown of a mountain climber that was obviously presented to show us how persistence pays off. The climber struggled, bloodied his hands and legs, bruised himself and eventually got to the top of the mountain. A helicopter then took him back down. When it was over, the national sales manager entered canter stage in an auditorium filled with salesmen and management. He asked.” what have you learned from the movie”. I raised my hand and he called on me. We knew each other pretty well. I said that the movie showed that through diligence, determination, persistence and making the extra effort we would eventually reach our goal and find that the competition got there first in a helicopter. His stunned expression indicated that I might be in trouble. In a few seconds, however, he smiled and said “perhaps we should invest in a few helicopters”. He thanked me for what we now call “thinking out of the box”. ”I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and
as innocent as doves.”

Hebrews 11:13 says: Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses all died in faith having not seen the promise fulfilled. In the same way, since Jesus told of His return, we are waiting, and seeing afar off waiting in faith. “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.” While we are waiting, we should not be stagnant. We should be looking (with the help of God) to bring others into the kingdom of God. Are you living in a way that others will see the Lord in your life? We should always keep John 3:16 and Romans 10:9 at the ready. That is the great commission. “It doesn’t matter if you get on board; He’s going to do it.” Jesus said that if we fail to tell the world about Him, the stones would cry out. Will you be used of the Lord? The Spirit of the Lord will never force Himself on you. He will never make you do anything that you don’t want to do. He is a gentleman and a quiet, gentle Spirit.

Rick Rahn

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Once Upon A Time

Long, long ago and far, far away ------wait a moment; it wasn’t all that long ago nor for that matter, all that far away. Millions upon millions of American citizens like me were trained by our government to hurt people and break things in order to defend and protect the constitution of our country from its enemies both foreign and domestic. We took an oath to that effect when we went into the service of our country and I don’t remember our being absolved of that oath when we were mustered out of the service. The key word to concentrate on now would be domestic. Over and above any threats from the outside world, there are dangerous things going on within our boarders. Right now, today, as somewhat to a lesser extent in the past there are forces at work in this country diligently striving to dismantle all of the values we hold dear. Have you ever observed vultures tearing apart a dead carcass? That is a good analogy as to what those currently in power are attempting to do to our constitution. You may not agree with me but surely you will agree with what you see. We have to keep in mind though, that there are those that are so blinded in their hearts that they will not see.

What are the weapons that we have at our disposal today in order to keep the oath we took? We can vote, we can pray, we can assemble, we can demonstrate, and we can insist that our elected officials live up to the oaths that they took. We can fight with all legal means and diligence at our disposal, given to us by our constitution. Our founding documents state that God grants our rights and liberties, and that no men or governmental decree can take them away. Our constitution, as it was originally written, created our country unique in it’s sovereignty. It does not need tuning up or being overridden by international law. Our country was created to be unique and exceptional as it would be One Nation Under God.

“Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country”. It’s time for the silent majority to raise our ugly heads and make our voices heard. I started this off sounding like a fairy tale because that’s what we’re being fed by those presently in power…fairy tale after fairy tale. Ever heard of bate and switch? How about misdirection? How about “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore”. What we are up against is people who harbor disdain for anyone who disagrees with their efforts to redesign our country. They are so self absorbed that they can’t believe that anyone could see things differently than they do and still be considered sane.

Keeping in mind that while we normally think in terms of liberal and conservative, democrat or republican, globalists are a different category altogether. They are so far left that the real liberals don’t recognize them. They have a plan that would interfere with their own rights as much as ours. They have a problem seeing the forest for the trees. Their emotions get in the way of reason. Perhaps I shouldn’t lump all liberals into this same category because just as there are moderate conservatives {traditionalists} such as myself, there are moderate liberals. They are not all socialists and Marxists. Those far left globalists however seem to be very adept at pulling the wool over the eyes of a great many of those who are less left. I have even heard praise recently, by these people, for the National Socialist Party and their success in overcoming an economic crisis in a European country in the nineteen thirties. They either don’t know history, or choose to ignore it, the same way they ignore the truth. Facts don’t seem to mean very much to these people, which could be the reason they don’t mind bending the truth. Does Zig Heil mean anything to anyone?

I have been told that it’s all about the money; that it’s not ideology behind what is going on but rather greed. I know that the love of money is the root of all evil, but I have a hard time believing that there are those that would destroy the greatest nation in the history of the earth simply to enrich themselves. I would not judge some one as a traitor who was being lead by their belief system, no matter how different than mine. However, one who was inspired simply by filthy lucre would engender a somewhat stronger reaction. Our forefathers paid too high a price, and our heroes since have paid too dearly for us to let our freedoms be squandered. “The essential principles of our Government... form the bright constellation which has gone before us and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation. The wisdom of our sages and blood of our heroes have been devoted to their attainment. They should be the creed of our political faith, the text of civic instruction, the touchstone by which to try the services of those we trust; and should we wander from them in moments of error or of alarm, let us hasten to retrace our steps and to regain the road which alone leads to peace, liberty and safety." {Thomas Jefferson}

There is a vast difference between righteous indignation and unreasoned anger. It is my opinion that those presently in power are trying to make us ‘street rat crazy’ so that we may be easily dismissed. We must think like Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. when confronted by people like these. Acorn, the unions and other groups are out there with the express purpose of inciting us to riot. If we do – they win.

Things we should remember when inserting our selves into the public discourse.

{1} If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. {2}. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. {3} It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,…... {4} Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. {5} It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. {6} Love never fails., {7} When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. {Some quotes from 1 Corinthians 13 NIV.}

I once had life explained to me by a professor of psychology. He said all things could be explained by thinking in terms of little children arguing and fighting on the playground. Let us put away our childish ways and stand like adults against the tyranny we face. "If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under." {Ronald Reagan} "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." {Thomas Jefferson}

If I remember right, Readers Digest used to be written on a sixth grade level so that most people could cope with reading it. The congressional bills are written in such legalese and mumbo jumbo that they are almost impossible to understand. Think there might be a reason for this? If we can’t get those whom we pay to know what is in the bills to read them, where do we go from here? How dare they vote on something they haven’t read and therefore don’t know what it contains. Chimpanzees can do that and they are a lot cheaper to maintain. “In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence. Therefore: 1. In time, every post tends to be occupied by an employee who is incompetent to carry out its duties. 2. Work is accomplished by those employees who have not yet reached their level of incompetence.”

{The Peter Principle} Isn’t number one what we have in congress today?

“If you, Mr. President, Congressmen and Senators, knuckle under on this and refuse to do something meaningful it means that you care nothing for the kind of country your children and grand-children will inherit. But I guess that doesn't matter as long as you get re-elected.
Shame on you.

One of the big problems in America today is that if you have the nerve to say anything derogatory about any group of people {except Christians} you are going to be screamed at by the media and called a racist, a bigot and anything else they can think of to call you.

Well I've been pounded by the media before and I'm still rockin' and rollin' and when it comes to speaking the truth I fear not. And the truth is that the gutless, gonad less, milksop politicians are just about to sell out the United States of America because they don't have the intestinal fortitude to stand up to face reality.” {Charlie Daniels}

"To secure these [inalienable] rights [to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness], governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed... Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness." {Thomas Jefferson}

Remember that from the heart the mouth speaks. We must keep our hearts in the love mode and our fists open. The same God that created you created the ones that are responsible for what is happening today. A civil discourse on our part will let the Lord work on their hearts. At the same time, they should know we are coming. You that would overturn our nation, we are coming for you.

“In God We Trust" is our national motto. This is not some right wing, Christian, afterthought. We declare this because Christians founded this nation, on Judeo Christian principles and this is clearly documented. “The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time.” {Thomas Jefferson}

Rick Rahn

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