Let me reiterate what I have been saying lately, God must be first and our primary focus or we lose sight of the eternal and most important.  If we focus on the political, we will find ourselves being tainted by the slime of political corruption and lower our standards to the standards of the world.  If we focus on God, His Kingdom, and being the people, He desires us to be we will become salt and light in a darkened world and influence our surroundings and environments.  We should be elements of change for good not influenced by the bad of this world.

In my time of sorrow, I find my focus shifting away from the things of this earth to things eternal.  I miss my angel more than words can express but am trying to do what God has called me to do and be what God purposed me to be.  I want to fulfill my calling and be the man Bonnie wanted me to be and believed me to be.  I want to demonstrate the love of God in all things and at all times.  I want to become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus manifested to the world.  I want to be a man after His own heart and abide in Him and His word in me. 

However, in our focus on God and the things of God we dare not be oblivious or indifferent toward the issues in our world societally, politically, or spiritually.  If we know what is happening, we are better equipped to pray targeted prayers and pull-down strongholds.  Therefore, today I want to offer a reminder and call your attention to some things we can and need to commit to fervent prayer.

It has been suggested and I believe rightly so that, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are President Cloward and Vice President Piven with regard to where America is heading governmentally.  If that theory is correct, we are in for a fight beyond all fights we have endured in the history of our Republic including the Revolutionary War.  I believe that we are fighting for survival not just to get through a difficult time politically. 

Let me briefly rehearse the ‘Cloward-Piven’ political strategy so we will all be on the same page in this consideration.  It is a strategy of calculated chaos to achieve a political end.  The theory of Columbia University Professors Richard Cloward and Frances Fox Piven was published in the extremely far-left news magazine, The Nation in 1966.  Their goal and I believe the goal of this administration and the democrats is to create a chaotic condition politically. That chaotic condition would provide the pathway resulting in legislation being signed into law that would guarantee an annual income believing it would end poverty.  Guaranteed annual income for EVERYONE!  Who would own everything, and everyone were that to become reality?  THE GOVERNMENT!

As I look back over the past year and see the incredibly dangerous seizing of power by the government over the imported Chinese coronavirus, I cringe!  The events directly connected to that pandemic have been questionable elections that, in my view, clearly involved fraud, cheating, and more.  Governmental control in America has shifted to the Left dramatically and the dictatorial actions of local, state, and national officials have been alarming.  It all happened with little protest from the sheep and the only protestors were those rioting because of some real or fictional social injustices.

The Cloward-Piven objective was to create massive chaos and turmoil.  In their own words, “A massive drive to recruit the poor onto the welfare rolls.”  That is not the end of their objective for they, desired that action to be followed by, “A federal program of income redistribution to elevate the poor en masse from poverty.”  Again, if the government takes all we have and redistributes it to whomever and wherever they deem fit, who owns it and us?

We have witnessed the draconian lockdowns, the closures of businesses, schools, churches, etc.  This has prompted the ruling class to engage in spending trillions of dollars we do not have to alleviate the problem created by the government.  They are attempting to throw monopoly money at the problem and repair the damage they did.  Imagine that!

Much of the ‘so-called’ COVID stimulus package was nothing more than a massive income redistribution effort.  They are seeking to take from the producers and supply sustenance to the non-producers.  The non-producers’ situation is either the result of their own decisions or through the diktats of the powers running various governmental entities.  It is designed to reduce the ‘middle-class’ to a ‘dependency class’ and thereby gain more control of our lives.

In the Cloward-Piven plan, a crisis is defined as, “a publicly visible disruption in some institutional sphere.”  The way they plan to create a crisis is to utilize a spontaneous outbreak of violence or through a planned assault using demonstrations, riots, and protests to generate the desired institutional disruption or bring unrecognized disruption to the public square.  It is insurrection and subversion at its core.  They utilize any event to launch their creation of a crisis.

I suggest that the pre-planned event at the Capitol on January 6^th created a false panic, quickly seized upon by the political ruling class to step up their seizure of control.  Congress rubber-stamped an election that should have demanded an investigation due to the known anomalies and disparities in the election and the myriad of sworn affidavits.  All those things demanded a thorough investigation, but to question the election was deemed un-American, insurrectionist, and bordered on treason.  The Democrats desire to decertify the Iowa congressional election won by a Republican was troubling! Hypocrisy?  No, it is beyond that and is diabolical.

Cloward-Piven did not begin with Donald Trump but the idea was given birth during FDR’s New Deal and then given full impetus in the 1960s when it was given a name.  The plan includes Medicare, Medicaid, the Great Society welfare programs.  We have watched as government agencies have strangled the republic destroying innovation and attempting to stymie the Free Enterprise System.  We have engaged in seemingly endless wars, expansion of programs such as food stamps, Medicaid, and other social welfare programs.  We are allowing the destruction of our Republic from within.  Who needs enemies from abroad when we have those successfully cracking the pillars of liberty at home?

Their goal is to have, and we are there, a majority of Americans receiving benefits from the government.  A crisis real or manufactured led to the creation of those programs.  Seniors and the poor were deemed unable to afford their medical care therefore we created Medicare and Medicaid.  They seek to create paranoia and fear at the ballot box and strip people of reason but relegate them to emotional responses and votes.  They have to bring down the current system of economics for their plan to succeed in the total takeover and we are dangerously near that precipice today.

In some ways, it seems that Donald Trump never had a chance and provided an opportunity for the Deep State and Swamp to test their strategies to weaponize the government against all political opposition.  The H.R.1 bill is designed to place the final nail in the coffin of any semblance of free and fair elections in America.  Trump was a speed bump on the Cloward-Piven expressway and now that he is out of their way it is full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes.

We are being ruled, not by elected representation, but by a senile old man who is signing executive orders like they were autographs at a rock concert.  He is signing whatever is placed in front of him and I do not believe he has the mental acuity to know what he is doing if he even cares.  The COVID pandemic has provided a speedway for them to implement their agenda and most Americans have passively complied without voting to stop them or protesting to their elected officials.  That will result in our destruction.

Those who have been the producers will eventually tire of rowing the ship of economics. They will tire of watching the fruit of their labors stolen and given to the non-producers against their wills.  They will tire of watching the ruling class live lavishly while they struggle to make ends meet.  When that happens, the proverbial overweight lady will be singing, and freedom will exit stage left. God help us to awaken from our slumber before it is too late. 

God bless you and God bless America!

In life, politics, and faith it is always a trust issue!  In today’s political climate and the current state of much of the organized church trust in God is almost nonexistent.  I know that will be grating to some, but it is what I see and believe that we have moved from dependence upon God’s Almightiness and Providence to the Arm of Flesh and what we can do or believe we can do.  I am convinced that Donald Trump was evidence of a small window of opportunity or a delay in the impending judgment upon America.  That window closed on January 6, 2021, with the actions of Congress and the elections in Georgia.  You may disagree, but it is how I see it.

I believe that we have moved from the spirit and mentality of King Jehu to the spirit and mentality of Elijah.  If you study King Jehu in the Old Testament you will find many things about his reign and personality that are, in a measure, mirrored in Donald Trump.  When Jehu rose the temple of Baal fell.  Jehu faced the former king’s wife in a head-to-head confrontation and Trump faced a former president’s wife in a head-to-head battle.  Now we have seen our window of reprieve close and it is time for believers to allow the spirit and mentality of Elijah to prevail and rather than focusing solely on politics we need to focus on the Kingdom of God and the message of the Cross.  In that, we can impact our world in a far greater measure than solely investing ourselves in the political where we are covered with the corruption 24/7/365.

I do not suggest that we ignore the political but rather that we become people who believe God and seek to do the Will of God in all things and at all times.  Rather than the world and the political influencing and impacting us or determining our lives we should allow the Spirit and Word of God to become the influencer and although it may seem hopeless to remain in Hope because of the Power and Promises of God.  Nothing is Impossible with God or to those who believe.  I believe; therefore, my focus is God and my calling is to be a Watchman on the Walls sounding alarms where alarms are needed.

When it comes to politicians in 2021 it is a trust issue and I don’t!  I was asked if you rated your level of trust and compared politicians with dishonest used car salesmen which would you trust more.  I laughed and then said, “Well, I supposed it would have to be the dishonest used car salesmen because they are less dangerous.” 

However, the more I contemplated the question and comparison, I am 100% certain that I trust politicians less.  They are far more sinister, double-dealing, and diabolical.  Politics of the Swamp Brand has become the slimmest and most underhanded of all the minions of hell.  They are diabolically devious and dangerous.  They care about nothing but their own position, agenda, and purse.  We are not even secondary to them; we are simply useful tools to achieve their purposes. 

The American Constitution has become nothing more than a nuisance and an afterthought to the political ruling class of today.  I would love to say that it is only those on the Left that we should categorize in this manner, but it is not.  In some ways, the Republicans, especially those of the Establishment mentality and denizens of the swamp are as bad, if not worse than the Democrats.  I say that because, the Democrats have a documented record of being pernicious, congenital, pathological liars.  The Republicans have, at least, pretended to be fighting for us.  Some have, but too many have not.

The history of the Democratic Party dating back to the Jim Crow era reveals they are anything but advocates for the American people.  They are not and have never been the friends of minorities and are not fans of the U.S. Constitution or our Capitalistic Economics, nor our Republican form of government.  They are at best oligarchs and at worst diabolical autocrats seeking total dominion and control.  In today’s political climate, they are no longer pretending, but the Republicans still pretend.

The assault on the family, the willing slaughter of the unborn, the preoccupation with and promotion of deviant sexual behavior and perversion, and the deconstruction of America’s most valued institutions beginning with the family and the church is shattering.  I have contended that you cannot look at individual candidates, but at the Party Platform to make your decision.  I am shifting a bit in my view because even though the platform of the GOP supposedly advocates for many things that I believe in and are good for America, members of the party capitulate and shaft us time and again.

I have concluded that most of the political class, many who have never held a real job, are in politics to feed their egos, line their pockets and become rich, and gain power and control.  We expect and rightly so, the Republicans to respect and uphold the Constitution, fight for the family, stand with the Church, protect our national sovereignty, and protect our borders.  They have fared better in that effort than the Democrats but when they could have stood with President Trump, they took the path of least resistance and either openly objected to his policies or they allowed the Democrats to impede the progress. 

When I look back on the four years of Donald Trump as president, I think of the Shakespearean Macbeth and their betrayal would have made Macbeth proud.  I truly believe that we would not be in this mess had they done what they needed to do and stood with the president and fought for the American people and America.  I believe that America would have risen en masse and despite any fraudulent overt and covert impropriety by the Left, we would have outnumbered them so completely they would have failed.  I could be wrong, but that is what I believe.

When I think of January 6, 2021 and reflect on the many campaign rallies held by Donald Trump where tens of thousands attended without incident, I cannot buy the theory that he incited the actions of the few in Washington.  The self-serving of politicians of both parties cause me to consider them a den of elapids and poisonous and dangerous.  They continually dangle their crumbs before us hoping to elicit our support and gratitude for their benevolence.  They spend our money and money that we do not have like the proverbial drunken sailor.  My apologies to drunken sailors for the comparison. 

Politicians of both parties want to keep us, all of us, on the plantation picking their cotton, and doing their heavy lifting as they take our money and our freedoms.  A passage from Jeremiah13:22-27 comes to mind, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?  Then may ye also do good that is accustomed to do evil…This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from Me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten Me, and trusted in falsehood.”

I have heard some claim they are Reagan-Republicans and Reagan-Democrats but quickly concluded they neither knew what Reagan stood for nor were they telling the truth.  Ronald Reagan fought for America as did Donald J. Trump.  You may detest everything about Trump and believe that we are better off without him, but even with his personal flaws, he demonstrated a love for America.  He demonstrated a willingness to fight for what he proposed and promised.  He did good for all people, not just the rich as the Left loves to charge all who disagree with their agenda.

Someone said of a certain devious sort, “He would climb a tree to tell a lie when he could have stood on the ground and told the truth.”  Liars lie and politicians have demonstrated a propensity to say whatever they believe will result in votes.  They no longer care whether or not we know they are fibbing.  We have elected and reelected them too frequently, despite their fabrications and being loose with the facts and truth for them to care.  They like the deviously used car salesman, do, or say whatever is necessary to close the deal.

Barack Obama said, “Elections have consequences.”  They most assuredly do, but so do the actions of those who are deemed the winners.  The Constitution is still the Law of the Land and unless we the people put enough pressure on politicians and the courts to enforce and uphold it, we will lose this Republic. 

In George Orwell’s 1984, he said, “The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears.  It was their final, most essential command.”  We are there and the media, the courts, and the politicians insist that we ignore the evidence before us.  They want us to ignore what has and is happening and believe the propaganda and regurgitate the rhetoric they offer.  They want us to believe that the graft of the politicians is not graft but simply their good fortune for fighting for us.  They are simply being rewarded for being good stewards of our trust.  They want us to ignore the massive speaking fees, the insane book deals, the charitable shakedowns, and the congressional stock trading. 

They have insisted that we trust their voices during the pandemic and allow them to instill such fear that we willingly relinquish all our freedoms, rights, and liberties.  Sadly, both sides of the aisle are complicit in this power grab and the numerous infringements.  They demand that we accept the biased presentations against Donald J. Trump and comply with their edicts.  They are making a mockery of the Constitution.  Thankfully, enough Republicans are resisting that we may salvage a smidgen of our Republic and have a small window of opportunity to begin the reclamation of America in 2022.  The operative word is “may” not “will”.

If trust is the issue, then we are screwed but no one in their right mind would trust the political class of today.  Give me the dishonest used car salesman any day.

God bless you and God bless America!

Some are aware that I recently lost my earthly angel, my wife.  Her battle with metastatic breast cancer ended 37 days a month ago and it has been devastating for me.  I have not posted anything on Facebook or in my blogs during this time of loss and post this because I feel that it is what God and my wife would have me do.  I don’t know when my next post will be, but here is today’s offering.

To say our world is in a mess would be an understatement of understatements.  The political, economic, social, racial, and alarmist issues are reaching catastrophic levels.  The present state of affairs in America and the world indicates some dramatic upheavals on the horizon with outbreaks of intensified violence and disruption. 

In America, our government seems to be an example of the patients running the mental institution.  We do not seem to be headed in a positive direction societally and appear to be drifting farther and farther from the solution toward total chaos and destruction.  I believe we are living in what the Bible deems to be the “Last Days” where conditions worsen exponentially almost daily. 

There are those on both sides of the political aisle or ideological position who are vitriolic in their verbalizations creating an impossible chasm to bridge.  Both sides of the American political climate believe the other side is singularly the problem and evil to the core.  There are evil people involved in the political manipulations of today but there are many who are desirous of what they believe to be the best.  They may be misguided in their views and drinking from the watering trough of the manipulators rather than being evil in their hearts. 

If a person believes the rhetoric and diatribe being issued by the politicians, the media, and other outlets they can easily become part of the impasse rather than having an open mind willing to seek a solution.  If I believe you are the problem, your views diabolical, and label you subhuman and demonic, it will be impossible to find any common ground from which to build a workable compromise or agreement. 

The problem is not Government, although unbridled government is a problem.  The problem is not liberals or conservatives, although fringe elements of both sides can be problematic.  The problem is not racism, although bias, prejudice, injustice, and hate are a problem.  The problem is not legislation or the lack thereof, although much legislation presents problems not easy to overcome in the pursuit of the ideals of the Constitution and our Declaration of Independence.  Namely, that everyone is created equal in the eyes of God and has the inalienable right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. 

The problem, in my view, and that of the Bible is the Human Heart.  We are all, regardless of our ethnicity, religion, or political position, are created in the image of God.  God created us!  If you disbelieve that, we will have little room to discuss this matter with objectivity.  If you believe that it is all random chance and evolutionary, we are grounded in polar opposite views.  However, even then, if you are objective you surely can see that the human will and human heart is a major factor in all interpersonal activities in life.

No amount of legislation can fix the issues of race, gender, politics, or religion.  Everything stems from the condition of the human heart.  It is from the heart that we form our views of everything.  It is from within our innermost beings that we develop thoughts and from those thoughts, we formulate our beliefs and views.  It is from our beliefs and views we interact with each other. 

The words of John Adams ring true today, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.  It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”  The Bible is filled with references regarding interpersonal relationships and the overriding directive is that we treat others as we wish to be treated.  We are reminded repeatedly that any measure of judgment we engage in is the measure used to judge us.  The biblical message is love and respect.

The Bible is filled with references as to how we are to live and interact with others.  In Micah 6:8 we read, “He has told you O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”  That is a simple but powerful declaration. 

What does God want and what is required for humans to live together in any semblance of harmony?  We are to do justice.  We should be careful in defining what that means and not allow it to be tainted by our worldview or interracial view.  Justice for some is getting what they want and punishing anyone not agreeing with them.  That is not God’s view of justice.  God’s view is to do what is right all the time and every time.  It is to treat others as fellow humans created in the image of God and afforded the God-given right to Life, Liberty, and the ability to pursue Happiness freely and unimpeded by manmade imposed restrictions that block that objective.

What does God want and what is required for humans to live together in any semblance of harmony?  We are to love kindness.  That is amazing because kindness is to demonstrate restraint, not be harmful, not be controlling, not be domineering, and seek the best good for all.  Kindness is the heart of God and His Lovingkindness is eternal, therefore if God is kind toward us, we should be kind toward others. 

What does God want and what is required for humans to live together in any semblance of harmony?  We are to walk humbly before God.  That strips pride from the equation and eliminates arrogance.  It removes biases, prejudices, and selfishness.  It strips us of the ability to view ourselves as victims even when we have been victimized.  It demands that we view life through the lens of God first and others second.  It demands that we view life through the heart of service rather than what’s in it for me. 

So, let me possibly alienate some and step onto the thin ice of biblical reality and say if you are hurling insult for insult regardless of which side of the political equation you are standing – That is a problem, not a Solution!  It reveals a problem in the heart.  If I view you as God’s creation and understand that you have the same inalienable and constitutional rights as I to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness there is hope.  If I give you tit for tat in insult and vitriolic response, I build a wall, not a bridge and the hope of harmony disappears.  If we call each other Demon-rats or Re-pukelicans [words I have heard] we will find no ground on which to stand to bring about a livable and peaceful society.  I cannot accept the views presented by the Left as legitimate, biblical, moral, or good for America but I must attempt demonstrate the Love of God in all things and at all times. I will resist attempts to subvert the biblical precepts and destroy America. Do not misunderstand my plea but take it as a desire to find honest common ground through which to wrest from the hands of the diabolical control and place it back in the hands of the people and become One Nation Under God again.

We can either have total chaos, plunge into civil disturbance, or war and demonize everyone disagreeing with us or we can seek to become solutions rather than problems.  I do not condone views that are contrary to the Bible such as abortion, same-sex marriage, and immorality.  I do not condone nor have a willingness to allow the federal government to become totalitarian and strip me of my rights and liberties which God has given.  However, I am seeking to view others as human beings endowed with certain inalienable rights and understand that if we can all be civil, be just, kind, and humble ourselves before God there is hope. 

I hope that what I have said is meaningful and although I have painted with a broad brush, I hope you consider the matter of the Heart.  If we get our hearts right, we will be less concerned with political labels and more concerned about what is good, godly, and right.  Just because you or I believe our cause is the right cause does not mean that all who disagree are evil. Some are evil and are pursuing the elimination of God and moral rightness as they seek total control.  Those must be opposed and resisted.  I only ask that we all seek God, accept the possibility we could be wrong in attitude and ideology in some instances, and seek to treat others as we desire to be treated.

I love God, I love America and now return to my grieving as I miss my wife more than words can convey.  I am praying for America, the world, and praying for God’s Harvest to be Completed.  Heaven is sounding sweeter all the time!

God bless you!

Okay, the tease is in by using that question for the title of my blog post.  I can hear some asking, “Roy, what are you talking about?”  Others may be saying, “Not another of his rants.”  Regardless of which side of the political, racial, social, or spiritual you find yourself, I hope you realize an axiom that is universal and timeless.  I hope you will hear what I am going to say and awaken even more than you are now as to the source of our struggles and how to combat the nefarious forces working to strip us of our liberties.

What is the profound declaration or the universal and timeless axiom that to which I am referring?  “Liars Lie, it is what they do!”  I can just hear sighs and some saying, PROFOUND?  There is nothing profound about that, everybody knows that.  But I have to ask, “Do They?”  Based on what I have been witnessing in America, on the political scene, and even in some religious circles, I am not convinced EVERYBODY knows that!

Have you ever heard the saying, “God helps those who help themselves”?  That is an axiom that a very large segment of believers accept as being true and biblical.  But is it?  There are multitudes of people including non-believers who believe that statement is true and ascribe to the theory, “You have to look out for number one because nobody else will.”  I had a person tell me that the idea of God helping those who help themselves was part of Jesus’ sermon on the mount.  I asked for specifics and was railed against and called names no Christian should be calling anyone.

I believe that God expects each person to carry their own load (Galatians 6:5).  Clarke’s Commentary makes this assertion: “Every man shall bear his own burden – All must answer for themselves, not for their neighbors. And every man must expect to be dealt with by the Divine Judge, as his character and conduct have been. The greater offenses of another will not excuse thy smaller crimes. Every man must give account of himself to God.”

We sometimes take more on ourselves and give ourselves more credit than the Bible allows.  In Proverbs 21:2 we are informed, “Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart.”  There is an old Yiddish adage that says, “Mann Tracht, Un Gott Lacht.”  That is translated, “Man Plans, and God Laughs.”   In James 4 we are instructed that rather than declaring the finality of our plans we should say, “If the LORD wills, we shall live and also do this or that.”

America and much of the church are in a time of deep struggle and transition.  America is divided more than I have ever witnessed in my 74 years on the planet.  The church is segregated into sectarian divisions dangerously.  I believe the demons in hell are laughing at our divisions and distractions.  We are focused on self and God wants us focused on His Kingdom.  We are promised that if we Seek Him First and His Righteousness, we will have the provisions we need.  It may not be what we want or satisfy our carnal desires, but we will have our needs met.

It seems that few politicians are capable of honesty and engage in distortions and playing loose with the truth.  It seems that those lies are so successful in their impact and influence that even Christians are justifying their decisions based on personalities rather than principles and factual realities.  I find the idea of ultimate self-sufficiency and self-righteousness repulsive and anathema to the Christianity taught in the Bible and the Gospel Jesus brought and the disciples preached.

The words of Jesus in John 8:44 are important for all believers to hear and important for all lovers of freedom.  The devil is a liar!  He was a murder from the beginning.  There is no truth in him.  Whenever he speaks it is rooted in a lie because that is his nature, his DNA.  He is a liar and the father of lies.  Therefore, if you practice, spread, or believe a lie you are joining forces with the devil.  No Christian should be willing to do that and if it becomes apparent, they have, they should immediately repent.

The devil’s objective is to bring about spiritual and moral blindness in people.  He wants us to believe that we should rely on our own judgment, education, and intelligence. He wants us to believe that we can trust our own reasoning and rationalize life including politics.  When we believe that lie, we tend to adopt and develop our own systems of righteousness and behavior.  That system is usually deficient if not devoid of the righteousness of God.  There is no justification for many of the things we allow in our world today and call them ‘choice’ or ‘rights’. 

We pray, but too often we do not submit to the will of God.  We sometimes, and too many times, seek our own desires.  We were warned about that in James 4 concerning prayers that are not answered because we ask out of selfish and carnal motives rather than the pursuit of God and His righteousness.  The passage in Proverbs 3 that was the catalyst that propelled me into the presence of God and opened the door for me to be saved needs to be rehearsed.  We are to trust God with our whole hearts.  We are not to trust our own understanding.  We are to acknowledge Him in all that we do.  When we do, He will, as He promised, direct our paths.

Today, many, including believers are looking to the government for answers.  That is a wrong path that will lead to a wrong destination.  God has given us the ability to make choices.  We are free to accept His offer of salvation or reject it.  We can embrace the Love of God and thereby allow that love to ooze from our being and demonstrate love for others when hate would be so easy.  We can trust our own understanding or trust Him completely.  Today, many are confused and unsure who or what to believe.  Trusting what we see or the propaganda from any side will weaken our faith and our resolve. 

I believe the Bible when it says, “If a man is unwilling to work, he should not be given a free ride.” [My paraphrase].  I believe that we are to sow in times of planting and reap in times of harvest.  I believe that we are to pray, but not pray our desires but His heart.  I believe that if America is to survive as the Free Constitutional Republic, those who are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ must get back to the Bible and Basics. 

If the Bible calls something evil, sin, an abomination we dare not seek to justify it based on our own personal desires or out of fear of branding by the PC Police.  If the Bible tells us to love everyone, we cannot allow hate to invade.  If the Bible tells us to warn when we see danger coming, we dare not sit on the fence or sit in silence.  If the Bible tells us that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places, we dare not resort to fear and the arm of flesh.  We are fighting a won war!  That does not mean that every battle we encounter is won but the War was won at Calvary. 

Politicians are not to be trusted.  Man is not to be our source.  The Governments of men are not the answer, God is!  Therefore, we must become those who discern not only the times but the spirits and make the commitment to ‘come out from among them and be separate or different.’  We are salt and light and as salt and light, we are to influence our society and the environment in which we live not the converse. 

Jesus said, that when the Holy Spirit came, He would lead us into all truth.  He said that we would know, believe, receives, and act upon truth and that truth would make us free.  America, Believers, and all lovers of Freedom we are Free, and we can see restoration but not if we justify evil and out of personal animus or preference make choices that give power to evil.  I conclude with Jeremiah 17:5-10, “Thus says the LORD, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6 “For he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes, but will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant. 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. 8 “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit. 9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?  10 “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.” 

God bless you and God bless America!

My title question will probably light the fires of those who believe it is the responsibility of the government to provide for the poor and needy.  I want to approach this from a couple of directions and hopefully present my position in such a manner as to cause people to think.  I believe if people are inspired to ‘think’ they will also be inspired to ‘act’ and when that transpires things change and get done.  Ideas alone offer no solution.  It is only when ideas are translated into action and implementation that progress is made.  God gave us the ability to think and expect us to use that gift for the good of the Kingdom and the world.

I have frequently questioned how much the American people know about the provisions of the Constitution and how much they embrace that document. I wish I could say that the majority both understand, appreciate, and embrace the Constitution and its provisions, protections, prohibitions, and guarantees.  I wish I could, but after four decades of brainwashing in our public educational system, I do not believe that is a reality.

The issue of caring for the poor, widows, orphans, and needy always arises in any political discussion.  Both political parties, in today’s America, contend that they are the party that cares about the needs of the needy.  Sadly, both sides of the political aisle frequently miss the mark biblically and constitutionally.  The usage of benevolent funding and entitlements for political purposes is not only distasteful for a Constitutionalist but is also dangerous to the continuation of the republic as the Free Constitutional Republic established by the signing of the Constitution by 39 American statesmen.

When I refer to the Bible, the history of the nation of Israel, as well as the birth of the Church in the New Testament I discover there are some important realizations to be acknowledged.  In the Book of Numbers Chapter Thirteen, we find the joyous declaration by the twelve spies who surveyed the Land of Canaan that it was truly what God had said, “a land flowing with milk and honey” or abundance.  They brought back clusters of grapes that required two men to carry.  That is a picture of incredible abundance and fruitfulness.

With that kind of fruitfulness, one would wonder, how could there be anyone poor in that land?  Moses was always forward-looking as he led the nation and discovered the heart, mind, and ways of God, not just His acts.  He said in Numbers 15:11, “For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you saying, ‘You shall freely open  your hand to your brother, to the needy and poor in your land.”  I love that spirit and heart for it reveals the heart of God. 

If we fast forward fifteen hundred years, we find the apostle Paul in the Book of Galatians admonishing the Church to “remember the poor.” (2:10).  I do not believe there has ever been a time nor will there ever be a time when God is not concerned about the poor.  There are numerous passages in the Bible about giving to the poor is viewed by God as lending to Him.

Biblically and Constitutionally, I believe that caring for the poor is primarily an individual responsibility, not a governmental one.  The Israelites were instructed to look around, take note of the poor and needy, and help care for them.  (Leviticus 25:25,35, 39).  They were not told to perpetually take care of those in need but to help them get back on their feet and become productive.  They were instructed to never turn a blind eye to need and allow a lack of charity to grip their hearts.  Their generosity would receive God’s attention and He would bless them so they could continue to bless others.  (Deuteronomy 15:7-8,10-11).  Jesus echoed that view in Matthew 25:34-40 and it is a message woven into the fabric of Christianity.

There can be, and often are, times when individuals are not capable of meeting the need alone and it transitions into a congregational or community responsibility.  I won’t attempt to list all the directives in the New Testament regarding the Church’s responsibility and privilege of caring for the poor.  I suggest you consider passages such as Acts 4:34-35, Galatians 2:10, Romans 15:26-27, and a myriad of others.

Is it the responsibility of the government to provide benevolence to the poor?  Are entitlements biblical or constitutional?  I believe that it is mandatory that the civil authorities follow the guidelines of scripture and the constitution.  Every person, rich or poor must be afforded equal justice under the law. 

The American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) in an effort to help donors maximize the effect of their charitable giving rated various charities calculating the percentage of donated funds that actually reached the targeted person or persons.  They determined that the minimum acceptability ratio was 60 percent.  That brings up an interesting analysis of the government’s collection of funds designated for the poor and needy.  What percentage of the U.S. Government’s collections actually reach the poor?  Are you ready?  It is a paltry 30 percent!  That would make the federal government either the most inefficient charity or benevolent institution or incredibly corrupt.

Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and a host of other founders believed that it was the responsibility of the individual, churches, and local communities to care for the poor and needy not the federal government.  Jefferson said, “I deem it the duty of every man to devote a certain portion of his income for charitable purposes, and that it is his further duty to see it so applied as to do the most good of which it is capable.  This I believe to be best ensured by keeping within the circle of his own inquiry and information the subjects of distress whose relief his contributions shall be applied.”  That is powerful. We are to give but not just give and forget but to evaluate the success of the distribution of the funds.  Hello, Bill & Hillary, and your Haiti funds that you reportedly kept the lion’s share of.

I would be remiss if I failed to consider the views of the man accredited with being the Father of the American Constitution, James Madison.  In 1794 Congress appropriated $15,000 for relief for French refugees who fled from insurrection in San Domingo (now Haiti) to Baltimore and Philadelphia.  He said, “I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.”  Will somebody remind today’s politicians of that truth?  Today Congress spends at least two-thirds of the $2.5 Trillion federal budget on “objects of benevolence.”

Later there was a move to provide a relief measure for fire victims in the United States.  Madison again contended that it was neither the purpose or the right of Congress to “attend to what generosity and humanity require, but to what the Constitution and their duty require.”  We have allowed the federal government to assume the role that both the Bible and the Constitution place on individuals, churches, and communities.  In so doing, we have become subservient to the government and abdicated our duties and voided the blessings of God on us.  God desires to bless people and one of the avenues of that blessing is through caring for the poor, needy, widows, and orphans. 

The ‘general welfare’ clause does not justify the actions of Congress in their unstainable benevolent spending.  James Madison rightly said, “If Congress can do whatever in their discretion can be done by money, and will promote the General Welfare, the Government is no longer a limited one, possessing enumerated powers, but an indefinite one, subject to particular exceptions.”  Jefferson echoed that sentiment in a letter to Pennsylvania Representative Albert Gallatin saying, “Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated.”

Therefore, due to Constitutional ignorance, misinterpretation, or greed, we have allowed politicians to demonstrate incredible contempt for the Constitution and our personal and community responsibilities.  The Government is not our provider, God is! We are responsible for our own betterment.  It is through the charitableness of individuals, families, communities, and churches that we can all progress and prosper.  Allowing the Government to dictate and determine how much and to whom our money goes is to abandon both the directives of Scripture and the Constitution.

God bless you and God bless America!