I’m the pastor in our family, but often my wife has more spiritual insight than me. Many times we have talked and agreed that without intervention by God Almighty, there is no hope for America. Many times I have agreed with friends to the same proposition, but in the despair of seeing America on the brink of destruction, I often forget we need to practice the clear biblical instruction, “pray for your enemies.”
Mt 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
“We need to pray that Donald Trump will become a real evangelical, pulpit pounding fire breathing, devil fighting Christian!, then we need to pray for his personal safety.”
And, as distasteful as it surely is…
“We need to pray that Hillary and Obama and Comey and Rosenstein etc., etc., ad infintum become real Christians!”
My problem is my old sin nature keeps rearing its ugly head, as I want to march on Washington D.C. and beat the whole bunch with a bundle of Arizona cactus or rose branches like we have out front.
That’s the human part. I remember a story about an old Indian gentleman that got saved and then explained his newest predicament to his pastor like this:
“I got a black dog and a white dog fightin’ inside me. I know I sposed to feed the white one but I keep on wantin’ to feed the black one but when I do IT keeps on winnin’!”
I don’t know about the reader but I have to fight that battle almost every day. I keep on feeding the wrong dog and then wonder why I keep getting chewed up.
We need to change our tactics. There’s an old proverb that teaches us what we need to do, though almost impossible it would surely seem:
Pr 25:21 ¶ If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
22 For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.
Matthew 5:44 tells us the same thing, “…pray for them which despitefully use you...” Problem is, even if we understand the solution as a general rule, even though we know better, in times of stress we often put our patriotism and love of our country above our commitment to Jesus and His teachings. We want to remember our country as what it used to be rather than what it has become. We call our Congressman and chew on him and we write letters to the editor and we make speeches, but all to no avail because we are fighting a spiritual battle with carnal weapons.
As Ephesians 6 tells us, we’re in a spiritual battle with wickedness in high places and we don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hades of winning unless we turn it completely over to God Almighty in the person of His Only Son, Jesus Christ.
Doesn’t He want us to fight? Sure He does, but only in His power. At certain times we do need to fight but not without His leading. Indeed, Luke records the words of Jesus in Chapter 22 when He told His followers to sell their garment and go buy a sword if they lacked one. But there is a time to fight and a time to pray. The enemy that is trying to enslave us has unlimited funds and their pick of the “best depraved brains” on the planet. They have been planning their ultimate move for total control over centuries and they are not about to be defeated without supernatural power. Should we prepare and fight? Certainly, but not based on our own ideas, skill or courage. If this battle for earthly survival is to be won, it will be on our knees and in a prayer closet, not with 22s, ‘06s, AKA 47s and 12 guages.
In the meantime until we hear from heaven we should certainly prepare for the hard times that are looming just ahead. Here are the essential few principles to follow:
1. If at all possible get out of debt. (the borrower is servant of the lender)
2. A continuous supply of drinking water (rain) supply is first, food is second. (Joseph stored a 7 year supply of grain for several million people.)
3. Can’t afford extra money for survival food? You can buy 100 servings of oatmeal for $8. It can be cooked and eaten with cream and sugar. It can be eaten without sugar. It can be eaten without cream. It can be eaten with hot or cold water and if necessary it can be eaten dry. Don’t tell me you can’t afford to lay in a supply of nutritious food! As I tell my grandkids, “Sure it’s good for you. Look how big it makes horses! Get a mindset that you are going to share with whatever you’ve got with whoever comes. Even that liberal democrat who lives down the street! Also have some Gospel tracts on hand if you don’t know how to witness and preach.
4. Weapons of defense to be used when necessary, but remember this: Ex 14:14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
The last principle will be the hardest to obey, but it is the only way we can possibly win against an army of unlimited funding and total depravity. If Jesus in His sovereignty fails to fight for or to lead us, we can rest assured in this: the alternative result will be immeasurably better.
The views expressed by story contributors to All News Pipeline are their own and do not always align completely with those of ANP.
