The Battle
We are a nation in mourning. I don’t know if we have fully recognized that yet. But our nation has suffered a great loss. A nation suffers because of their leaders. Proverbs 29:2 informs us, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”
I
believe the outcome of the General Election in November has already
brought mourning and grief upon our nation. We have been spiraling
downward for a while now. Personally I believe (and I know there are
those that will disagree) that we received a bit of a reprieve under
Donald J Trump. So much good was done under his administration. I
won’t address that here. I want this post to be about something
that I believe is adding to our duress, if not the cause of it.
I think those in my “tribe” – conservative Christian – are
entirely familiar with bias in the media. It has been blatant for
years. And we have tried hard to expose it and encourage others not
to succumb to what mainstream media sells. No doubt it has been a
battle and an extremely difficult one at that. The biased media is a direct
cause of much of what is occurring in our nation.
But there is also another battle among conservatives that has been
brewing and strongly heating up, especially in this past year. It is
a smaller picture of the massive version this subject entails, but it
has been something that is concerning to me for some time. This is a
battle that should be easily preventable, but it surely does not seem
to be. And that is the battle of fraudulent videos and conspiracy
theories running a muck.
I have tried to warn
about this deceit for years on this blog. Honestly, it has been
difficult for me to understand how easily the deception has been received among
conservative Christians. As I have said before in my posts, I think
that is due to the fact we are a trusting bunch. We don’t want to
distrust or be negative toward someone’s story. We want to give a
chance for dialogue and to make our points, as well. Those are good
traits!! That comes out of a nature that is walking close with our
God. We want to trust and we above all things want to be a good
example of our Lord. We are kind and we accept. But the truth is,
those fine traits have been abused and taken advantage of….this has
probably occurred forever, but especially of late. The truth is,
using our good traits against us is a form of persecution.
I can remember 20
years or more ago, when the multi-level marketing trend was so
popular, that many of the founders claimed to be Christian. They may
well have been Christians, we are an innovative bunch. But it became
so common one had to finally ask, “What’s going on here?” The
truth is, Christians are also loyal and out of the goodness of our
hearts, we want to support those brothers and sisters in Christ. I
fear the Christian name was used. The harder things get for us in
this world, the more we want to support those who are like-minded.
Because the discrimination is also becoming very real. So while
loyalty is another good trait, it can also kind of make us “suckers”.
It is no surprise to
me, that of course groups like these target Christians. We have long
been sought out from people selling products and books and even
knowledge. But now there is even a more sinister element. They are
not just after us for our money, they are after our minds. And they
are targeting an important tool we use to do it, - our politics.
I decided I wanted
to address this situation in a blog post. Not that I know so much, or
have a more clear mind regarding this than another, but I just wanted
to share some things I learned as a child from a dad who was
incredibly discerning; probably more gifted in that area than any one
I know. I was raised to be discerning. I was raised to walk
circumspectly. And out of his nature, I learned to be a bit leery
about any number of things.
The Bible tells us
that we should walk circumspectly. We are not to easily trust, but to
understand what the will of God is. If He tells us to do that, He
obviously will give us the ability to do it.
Ephesians
5: 15-17 - See
then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming
the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but
understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Powerful
verse in my opinion. He also tells us in James that we can ask for
wisdom and God will give wisdom to us. James 1: 5 says:
If any of you
lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally,
and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Wisdom
is God-centered discernment. It is really that simple. And it is
available to anyone who asks.
Hebrews 5:14 says:
“But
strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by
reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and
evil.”
Think
about that verse for a moment. We Christians know that the term
“strong meat” is used in conjunction to the Christian who needs
milk…a baby Christian. A mature Christian is ready for meat. But
the rest of this verse makes a very interesting point, too. “Who
by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both good
and evil.” In
other words, the more you use your senses, the more adept you will
become at discerning good and evil. It is a matter of practice, in
the exact same way a singer must use her vocal chords and stay in
practice even though they are gifted with a beautiful voice. Or the
way a public speaker gets better by training and practicing; then
finally the more often they speak to people the easier it becomes for
them. It all takes practice. So does discernment. We discern in many
ways, with our eyes and ears being open, with understanding
of Scripture as we delve into the Word of God, then
writing it on our hearts. And
with a heart that is ready and steadfast we
gain understanding.
Discernment isn’t mysterious, it isn’t
solely supernatural, other than it is of course God that gives all
wisdom and discernment. But it is also something that needs to be
perfected by reason of use. The more you use it the better you get. I
do think some are gifted with greater discernment, as my dad was,
than others. But it is also something that is available to us all.
God didn’t leave us alone to struggle and guess. Yes, he guides us
with His Word, with the Holy Spirit AND by reason of use i.e.
practice. As is true with any of our gifts, the more we utilize them,
the better we get at them. If discernment is a gift, and it is… it
needs to be utilized, not squashed.
Identifying Deception
So with that in mind, I think I just want to
write about a few things that might help us all be a bit better about
discerning what we should and what we should not believe.
The first thing that I believe to be required
is prayer. Of course we should pray every time we read the Bible that
the message will be clear to us. Certainly we are instructed in Acts
to be Bereans. We know as Christians, we are to test what we are
being taught and verify it against Scripture. Acts 17:11 tells us:
These
were more noble [Bereans] than those in Thessalonica, in that they
received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the
scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
This is so important to use in our Bible study, but personally, I think we should also pray when we are being given a message from the world as well. I find it interesting a lot of the fake videos making the rounds today, often use our faith to make their point more believable and to garner the support of Christians who have failed to remember to discern.
We should be using discernment when we are
watching the news, or television and movies. We absolutely should be
careful with anything that could subject us to something that might
change our viewpoint. We should practice using discernment when in
school and other classes where we learn. I used to tell my son, when
I was homeschooling him, to listen to a little warning buzzer in his
head. If something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t. Or it
at least requires investigation. Pray first, asking for God to reveal
truth. God isn’t going to leave us alone and without the ability to
distinguish right from wrong. Listen for that warning buzzer.
Right from the
get-go we should have our mind set, so that we will not automatically
believe everything we see, read or watch. We need to check and search
facts and be willing to not simply be a sponge soaking up garbage,
but rather be a vessel that separates, cleans and strains.
A false narrative
always, always includes an element of truth. ALWAYS! As in any lie,
there has to be some truth to it to get anyone to buy into it. People
have to recognize something they already know and believe before they
can be swayed. An element of truth is used as a hook. It is a “We
all KNOW this, let me expound”, kind of thing. Truthfully, for
Christians, it seems if someone adds a little Christianeze to their
message and some Scripture, we often will buy it hook, line and
sinker.
But along with an
element of truth, with this new deception there always seems to be
something so outlandish, one wonders why in the world ANYONE would
believe it. I don’t know why those who seek to deceive, do this.
You would think it would tip their hand to the fraudulent nature of
what they are espousing, but yet they include something radical
anyway. I think this is done a little bit out of their arrogance.
They are having fun at our expense and probably laughing about it.
They want to make us look like fools. “Look at these guys”, they
probably mock, “We can get them to believe anything!” This is
also a form of persecution. Look for the outlandish, and don’t be
afraid to question it.
Especially since
this whole pandemic has started, I have seen a number of videos that
Christians have been sucked into. The conspiracy videos seem to go in
spurts. I haven’t figured out the rhyme or reason yet. These videos
are definitely a distraction. They take our mind off prayer, off
looking to Jesus, and they disrupt our normal thoughts, expectations
and long held beliefs. I think part of the reason we succumb to the
narrative is they make us feel like we are unified with others; and
that we have something important in common with someone like-minded.
They often make us feel like we want to be the first to alert others
of the news, giving us a sense of being needed and maybe even like we
are important. (Maybe we have failed to remember, we are already
important in God’s eyes!) But buying into the outlandish seems to
make us feel accepted. We almost seem to like being stirred up to
frenzy.
Along with all of
what I have mentioned thus far, these conspiracies that deceive our
hearts and minds can also possibly even make some act dangerously.
The conspiracies fulfill what may be the conspirators agenda – “to
stir the masses” as noted Communists have said. And then those
deceiving get something else important out of it too. A bonus. They
make Christians and conservatives look like we are not credible at
all and no one will believe anything else we say either. That is
extremely sad when it includes our faith – the thing for which we
should be standing strongest. It hurts our chance to successfully
share the Gospel. Who is going to believe us, if we are the ones that
so easily believe and spread the outlandish.
I want to identify a
few more things I have noticed in many of the videos that are
circulating now.
One major clue is in whoever shares the video. If it comes with a message that says, "Hurry up and watch this video before they take it down", you had better be wary. It will generally offer lots of credentials of the speaker, but often times without a connection to what they are teaching. There will be an urgency presented. Something that just can't wait. They have an enemy who will not allow it to be seen for long.
It seems these
videos often use a narrator with an accent. I believe they have
determined that using a soft, pleasant voice is important to utilize,
as this is easier to listen to and therefore convince. Perhaps
someone with an accent looks more intelligent than the average Joe.
This gives them an aura of exceptionalism and intelligence.
The videos I have
seen going around of late will falsify logos, making it look like it
comes from a legitimate news source. In today’s technology, this is
something extremely easy to do. Almost anyone can do it. I think I
probably could too. Mostly it just takes the right software, and a
little knowledge.
There is often times
no author, or identification of the speaker – no one taking credit.
Most often, there is not even a logo of the creator of the video.
Those that are becoming more popular may start to include something
that identifies them. I think this comes out of a bit of arrogance
and pride too. Mikki Willis, (Think “Plandemic”) certainly wasn’t
hesitant to include his name and business. Later, after he had gained
sufficient notoriety he would pop into a video or two, just to show
his face with a minimal comment. This, in order to lend credibility
to the latest video, so the viewer who previously trusted him, will
trust this one, as well. Personally, he is one I don’t think any
of us should trust.
In regard to on-line
articles or printed news sources, one thing I have always warned
about is that they always seem to use words that are non-committal;
words that are not definitive but that lead the reader to believe it
is fact. They will give information almost as if it is fact, but it
is carefully laced with words such as “possibly” or a phrase like
“It is thought to be…” It really does take a careful reading to
not be sucked into the fact that they are NOT giving you facts.
I believe this is intentional to avoid lawsuits or if someone
questions them, or exposes them, they are then prepared to say, “No
where did I claim this as fact.” But they certainly have misled the
reader in order to sell their product – whatever that might be.
Another common trait
we see in these articles and videos is they almost always have an
antigovernment element. Portraying the government as the enemy
instead of a source of uniting and protecting our citizens is not a
healthy way to address our nation’s problems. The antigovernment
rhetoric we see is reminiscent of the destruction caused by the
counter-culture of the 1960’s. It has been my experience out of all
the traits I have mentioned so far, this is the one that is most
consistently used and it should be a huge red flag. There is no
reason to run down the government of the United States of America.
That is not to say that flaws cannot be addressed. But to assume the
government is evil, is flat out dangerous. Our government is a tool
and nothing more. And it is the best in the world, because it was
founded on Biblical principals. Be careful to too readily go down
that path.
The General
Election of November 3, 2020
What I also want to
address in this post, (although I do understand it may be getting a bit convoluted - I will bring it together) is the onslaught of information being disseminated about
this election cycle and in regard to President Trump’s loss. The
information and misinformation is massive out there right now and the
false narratives cannot be allowed to stand.
When it comes to the
more recent political narratives circulating at this time, one of the
cues we should also watch for is if they are attacking the party they
are supposed to be supporting. If they are talking more about the
mistakes that your party made, rather then the opposing party, they
should be highly suspect. Lin Wood, actually did this and this was
one of my first cues that he was NOT on our side. His words and
position was actually in line with the antigovernment rhetoric that
I previously mentioned. I honestly think that any discussion of
party clean up, should not be at election time. It should be internal
and among ourselves not blasted across the airwaves. It is a bit like
airing dirty laundry when company is coming and it causes a lack of
unity. The only time party discussion should be allowed like that is
during the primaries. That is the time to weed out. Not during a
general election. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Lin Wood was
exposed as a long time Democrat and an Obama donor. Now granted,
people change; he could have changed parties and wanted to support
Trump. However, his actions didn’t match his words. He tipped his
hand early on, but people didn’t want to believe it. I think good
people wanted to believe him because of some of the success he had in
his defense of Nicholas Sandman - the college student recently mocked
in media for smiling at a Native American man. As well, there were a
couple other beneficial things Wood had accomplished recently. But
maybe it was only about the money that he did these things. Maybe he
felt bad for the kid. Whatever it was, he used his notoriety to gain
ground for an agenda that was not the President’s.
On another note,
there are many pastors, and prophets who have prophesied and believed
that President Trump would receive another 4 year term. Now I do not
mean to lump them into the conspiracy theories or the false
narratives. But, I feel the need to address it, because so much of it
has ended up being connected, whether intentionally or not.
There have been some pastors and speakers that seem to feel the need to offer false
hope in regard to what has happened in this election cycle. I know
they are well meaning. I believe they are anyway. I guess they
could only have a motive to draw attention to themselves. But my concern is as you listen, they offer no facts. They offer no
solution. They only stir us to believe something is in the works.
That we just need to be patient. That there are good things
happening, but they cannot tell us what it is. This is NOT helpful.
If one is going to make a video to offer hope, they had better offer
something more than positive verbiage. People need something factual. Otherwise, it is merely a false
hope. That is NOT constructive. It merely feeds the conspiracy
theories. It makes them real. It keeps them alive. And it keeps
people from making other plans, or putting their focus where it
should be. Now I don’t believe this false hope is a part of a
conspiracy. I truly believe it is simply and truly the desire of many
people. But they are not being clear minded about this. They are not
considering that to not accept things as they obviously are, might
very well be taking us down the conspiracy trail. And on the other
hand, neither do I believe those who are behind the
conspiracy narratives
are the ones that
orchestrated the false hope,
but they are certainly using it to their advantage.
Ephesians
5:6 tells us:
“Let
no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the
wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
There
are several Christian speakers who have prophesied a different
outcome for this election than what actually happened. I
think we have to ask ourselves, where is our hope? In the prophets?
In man? Where
are our eyes and heart and from
what are we being distracted? I do not mean to be judgmental or to
crush positive
anticipation, OR
attack prophets if they are genuine.
But I see futility here, and wasted energy. There is a time to look
at reality and change direction. Get a new focus. Find out where God
is directing you next. There IS a new job to do.
Thus
says the Lord of hosts,
“Do
not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to
you.
They
are leading you into futility;
They
speak a vision of their own imagination,
Not
from the mouth of the Lord. ~ Jeremiah
23:16
I
know some of the “prophets” have come to this realization. I
have seen their apologies. Some
have not, or
perhaps are
simply
unwilling to admit it.
Most
refuse to admit they just very well may have been in error. It is my
opinion, it is time to move on, to be listening to the Lord and find
out what direction He is taking us next.
How Did We Get Here and What’s Next?
I
have fought as hard as I know how, to help
preserve
our nation and Constitution. I am a FIRM believer our nation, BECAUSE
of our Constitution, is
the best
way
to preserve religious freedom. I felt it was my ministry
and I wanted to be obedient to the Lord to
speak out where I could.
We
all know not
everyone has the same ministry.
What God has told me to do, does not mean that it
is for anyone else to do. Everyone has their own gifts and purposes.
Each of us are equipped for entirely individual
ministries.
I am sorry if I ever made anyone feel they were to do what I am to
do. I
hate when someone does that to me. I
only believe we need to support one another in each of our gifts. I
believe we are not to minimize or judge what another is doing,
because we may not see it as “spiritual”. We are to lift one
another up and to encourage one another. We
need that support now more than ever. In
this time of duress and confusion in our nation, I think it is a time
to stick together. Maybe
we need
to influence
one
another and lift one another up just
a bit more often.
We need to be willing to point each other in the right direction when
we get off track. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus and not be
distracted.
It
is also a time that we need to be highly suspect of what we see and
hear, because the days are indeed
evil.
Remembering, as I said earlier, Ephesians 5:15-16 “See
then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming
the time, because the days are evil.”
I
think we can all agree that
we are certainly in evil days.
We are almost like a ship who has lost its bearing. We
need to redeem the time i.e.
to
remain active, and to right the ship.
I
question and often wonder what it is that has caused us this lack of
discernment in
our nation?
I have certainly seen it for a while now. Is this something that has
always been prevalent among Christians? Have we always been so
gullible? I think in order to answer that question, we need to answer
the question of what has caused this apparent death of discernment,
in
the first place.
Certainly the opportunity to deceive is far
greater than it has ever been before. With the onslaught of multiple
media and social media outlets, we have a 24/7 barrage of information
that is accessible to us.
Without a doubt the media is to blame for the
lies and distortions they have become so comfortable at selling.
Further, we have raised a citizenry that believe news media can be
trusted. "If it is in the news, it must be true." We have
failed to teach a generation to question, to think critically and
that a lack of trust isn't necessarily always a bad thing.
As
well, and even more importantly, we have kicked God out of the
schools and public square. We have banned a preference to the faith
our nation was founded upon, in the name of kindness and respect for
other faiths. But
in
truth, we
do not need to lose our identity and OUR
faith,
in
order to
show respect for other faiths. That was never our Founders' intent.
It is BECAUSE of our Christian faith that we did not become a nation
that expects
everyone to share the same beliefs. We
certainly
do not have to defer our faith
to another.
We have lost our true north and we have become
rebellious. We want it our own way. We have watered down our faith in
the name of love; and things that once were never acceptable are now
the norm. We distort and change the Word of God that directs us in
truth and softened it to indulge sin.
Ezekiel
12:2 tells us: “Son
of man, you live in the midst of the rebellious house, who have eyes
to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear; for they are a
rebellious house.
Finally, we have been given a clue as to why this might
be happening
from Saul Alinsky in his book, Rules for Radicals. Alinsky was a
radical community organizer, and a political activist during the
1960's and 1970's. He stated as one of his "rules" that,
"We
must believe that it is the darkest before the dawn of a beautiful
new world. We will see it when we believe it.”
Fast
forward to this election season and we have heard Joe Biden warn us
“We are in for a dark, dark winter.” The left wants us to believe
that. This thought is simply setting us up for change that
is coming by
following Alinsky’s rules. Our society must believe it is a very
dark period before we will desire the
change. It
is then
that they are
able to
insert their agenda into the void. We must believe our nation needs
change, before the void can be filled. Someone
has been successful in getting at least half of our citizenry in
believing that.
Acts
28:27 is a message Paul quoted from Isaiah about Israel:
For
the heart of this people has become dull,
And
with their ears they scarcely hear,
And
they have closed their eyes;
Otherwise
they might see with their eyes,
And
hear with their ears,
And
understand with their heart and return,
And
I would heal them.”
Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles and they will listen!
Well, I hate to be negative, but I am not sure we are listening real well any longer.
What’s next? I
don’t know. I think we have closed the window of opportunity to
preserve our freedoms. That “reprieve” we were so graciously
given to buy us some time? Well we have closed that door.
Of course DJT wasn’t
our savior! No one said he was! I get disgusted by that constant
accusation that his supporters thought he was. He was merely a flawed
man appointed to help preserve our faith. He gave us a reprieve. I
kinda think we squandered it.
There has been a
death in our nation. We have lost our focus in part through a lack of
discernment. Our nation is at the edge of a precipice, and we are
instead talking about the outlandish - some even mocking a call to
repentance. I would recommend another careful reading of Luke 21.
“Be always on the
watch.” (verse 36) Keep looking up. Our Redemption draweth nigh.
“And
when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up
your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
Luke 21:28
Onward.