Do you ever feel like fighting? No doubt–but sometimes that’s the wrong thing to do. Maybe I better back up and explain. Every Bible-believing, God-fearing, country-loving America longs for change. They covet change because they know we need it. Our nation is corrupt, and getting worse day by day, and we would like to see a return to Christian values. But, as much as we want it, we realize that there are some things we cannot control or change. The only thing we can change is our attitude and the only thing we can control is our response. And that, dear friend, is sometimes very hard to do. Here’s why—

We hear it all the time–“Christians are bigots, hate-mongers, intolerant”, etc. We, of course, know that this isn’t true, but it’s still difficult to deal with. To make matters worse is the fact that these charges usually come from the most intolerant people on earth. The very ones who criticize us are guilty of the very things they charge us with. That makes this a bitter pill to swallow! We’re not the ones trying to kick God out of the schools, remove Him from the government, redefine sin, change the constitution, and murder the innocent unborn babies, yet when we object we’re called intolerant. Gimme a break!

It is this very thing that makes me want to lash out and fight back. I get so tired of the false accusations, slander, etc. leveled against us, all because we dare to believe the Bible, that I often want to respond in kind. It gets so frustrating that I feel like starting an organization or movement called, “PUSH BACK”! It’s tempting to confront these people and engage them in debate, etc., but when my reason returns I realize that it would be useless–even counter-productive.

You can’t win an argument against someone who is spiritually dead, blinded by Satan, and morally depraved. Whether you state your case by quoting Scripture or by appealing to reason, you can’t make any head-way. They are driven by lust, not logic. Our warfare is of a spiritual nature (Eph. 6:12) and our weapons are not carnal (2 Cor. 10:4). We must not stoop to their level and resort to worldly tactics. We ought to be better than that. Don’t let them provoke you to sin.

The only hope for these people is the new birth. Until they are born again they will have no understanding of God’s Word, nor concern for God’s ways. Sanctification comes after salvation, not before. Until a person becomes a new creature in Christ they will do what comes natural–sin! To do otherwise they must be born again, and that can happen only if they hear the gospel. It’s our job to make it known. I know that it sometimes seems impossible to reach these people, but we must remember that it is our job to deliver the message, not to make things happen.

Believe it or not, “Gay” people are not as gay as they pretend to be. I say that because perfect peace and genuine gladness comes only from knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Things are not always as they seem. The same people you see dancing in the streets, seemingly without a care in the world, are hurting deep within. They are confused, lonely, frightened, bitter, and dissatisfied with life. There is an empty place that only God can fill. And they will remain that way until, through repentance and faith, they come to Christ, receiving Him as their Lord and Savior.

The injustices against Bible-believers are obvious and very frustrating, but we need to make sure that our response is regulated by the Word of God. You might feel like fighting back, but that will just make matters worse. What we’re dealing with today cannot be conquered by worldly tactics. Jesus gave us more than a hint when He said, “this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting”(Matt. 17:21). You and I cannot not change anyone, but with God all things are possible.

If you are reading this, and are one of those out-spoken critics of Christianity, I want to assure you that we don’t hate you, nor seek to harm you. Neither do we think we are better than you. Not a single one of us deserves to be saved. It is only by the grace of God that we have been forgiven and assured of a home in heaven. The only good in any of us is Jesus. We make no apology for believing the Bible is God’s infallible Word. Without that we have no sure standard of right and wrong, which leaves us in a world where every person is free to do as they please. The results of that ought to be obvious. If you have never received Christ as your Lord and Savoir we urge you to do so today. If we can be of any assistance please feel free to contact us. Please, think about it!

As I prepared to read an article of interest concerning a matter addressed by a representative “who chairs one of the House oversight subcommitties”, I noticed his picture. My first thought was,”Goodnight! This guy is just a kid!” I’ve probably got some clothes older than him. I certainly have several grand kids who are older. I was amazed that such a young man could hold such an important position in our government. Then it dawned on me— the future of our whole nation will one day be in the hands of our toddlers!

Since that is the case, we better make certain that we train them up in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6). If you are a God-fearing, law-abiding, good- neighbor citizen of America, you didn’t get that way on your own. Some older person played a major role in making you the person you are. Right? So, what contribution are you making to this important matter? “None!”–Really? Why? Is there not a child somewhere in your life that you could mentor? It might be a child, grand-child, neighbor, or a child in Sunday School, Scouts, Little league, etc., but surely there is someone you could help. And there is always some way that you can make a significant contribution to a young person’s life. Lord help us if we don’t help them!

We can’t just sit back on the stool of do nothing, hoping things will turn out for the best, and expect all to end well. As the old country boy said, “It ain’t gonna happen!”. Unless we train them up in the way they should go, they will go astray, and take the whole nation right along with them. We’re in the mess we’re in because of a wayward generation, and it’s not going to get better until we correct that problem. If you aren’t doing your part you have no right to complain about the rotten condition our nation is in, nor any reason to believe that things will improve. Think about it!

Our nation is in serious trouble and we face problems of many different sorts—natural disasters, terrorism, war, crime, political corruption, and a host of other things, all of which put tremendous pressure on us. How we respond hurts or helps. And I’ve noticed that some people end up in disaster by trying to escape disaster. It happens because they are driven by dread, prompted by paranoia to do foolish things.

What we need to remember is that achieving preparedness is important, but so is avoiding paranoia. Sadly some people aren’t very good at either. Some don’t prepare for anything and some go to the extreme in the other direction. It’s obvious the some people are running scared. They have armed themselves to the teeth, stashed cash, stored food, hoarded supplies, etc., etc., but they still are not at peace. They are paranoid and it shows.

Surely we ought to be prepared, but there has to be a limit. We need to maintain a balance– even when it comes to something so important as being prepared. Recognizing the possibility of a disaster should not push us over the edge into a disaster of a different sort. The old saying, “Do something even if it is wrong” is just plain stupid. Panic just make a bad situation worse.

It seems to me that we need to chill-out, calm-down, and cheer-up. We need to take a deep breath, collect our thoughts, get our feet on the ground and be realistic. It is indeed a difficult and dangerous world, but driving a car is probably the most dangerous thing we face, and we usually make it home safe just fine. Too many time we get all worked up over nothing. Could we have a wreck? Sure we could–we could even get killed. But should we stop driving to eliminate the risk? Absolutely not! Christians are to live by faith, not in fear. They are expected to be at peace, rather than panic. They should know that God’s grace is sufficient to sustain them regardless of  their circumstances.

A day after Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, the Ministry of Information came up with the idea to print three posters to boost the nation’s morale. The first, with white letters on a blue background, said,”YOUR COURAGE YOUR CHEERFULNESS YOUR RESOLUTION WILL BRING US VICTORY”. The second, with white letters on green, said, “FREEDOM IS IN PERIL DEFEND IT WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT”. The third, to be distributed only if the Germans invaded, had white letters on a red background. It said, “KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON”. That sounds like the kind of advice we need today. We can’t “carry on” effectively unless we “calm down”.

Dear friend, times are tough, and we need to prepare for what might happen, but we must avoid paranoia that leads to panic. Our response should be helpful rather than harmful. We would do well to “KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON”. As someone has said, “If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it”. Whatever “it” is, nothing is too big for God! Trust Him and obey Him. He will not fail you. Think about it!