Faith makes us both more dependent on and independent of God

Mocking unbelievers will often say something like, “Brainwashed Christians just have blind faith in their invisible sky god. Why doesn’t God just come down and show Himself if He exists? Then there would be actual proof of Him, and there would be no need to blindly believe.” It’s the same sort of thinking that crucified the Lord:

“He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him,” Matthew 27:42

Unbelievers who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their savior and who often deny God’s existence have refused God, and so haven’t had an encounter with Him.

Anyone who has, though, can understand why faith in Him is necessary.

It’s a paradox, but having faith makes a person both dependent on and independent of God at the same time. The more a person is dependent on Him by faith, the more independent of Him, in at least one way, he or she can be. Because born-again believers have the Son of God living within them, and so are guided by the Holy Spirit and are growing in grace and obedience to Him, they increasingly do the Lord’s will before their own, and don’t need God always standing over them or coercing them to do what He wills. It’s almost like a boss who leaves for a time, and while he’s away, some workers will work, believing in what they’re doing, and others won’t, thinking they’re safe because the boss is away. 

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

“But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth,” (Matthew 24:42-51)

Those who believe in their Heavenly Father are reconciled to Him and intent on becoming more pleasing and obedient to Him, recognizing that He is the rightful and perfect overseer of our souls.

Empowering the Beast: Democratic Exceptionalism and Political Ritalin

I remember learning in school how stereotyping was bad, but now the left is functioning on stereotypes.

Democratic politicians and their media allies never do anything really wrong these days  -- according to themselves -- and their motives are always portrayed as good and beyond question. Even questioning either is "conspiracy theory." Christians and conservatives in general, on the other hand, are always presumed to be capable of great evil and to have evil motives.  

Democrats also have claimed to hate any sort of exceptionalism, including "American exceptionalism," but it certainly seems like they believe in exceptionalism for themselves, and that anything is justified if it's for the agendas they believe in. They believe themselves superior to all other groups and so are entitled to have the most power in the world and to be the chief justice over humanity, while conservative and especially Christian beliefs are regarded as morally depraved.

And their contempt and fear of those with different beliefs leads them to create fairy tales. This is from an American Psychological Association article on political psychology and partisanship today:

"Most political researchers agree that the modern media environment has a lot to do with that hostility. “Once there were three networks that saw it as their responsibility to cover the news events in an objective way. Then people realized they could cover the news in such a way that they could turn a profit,” says political psychologist John Jost, PhD, co-director of the Center for Social and Political Behavior at New York University. Today, we have partisan cable news networks and clickbait “news” websites that feed off of political disagreement. “They’re making money by energizing polarized audiences,” Jost says."

"Partisanship" has never been higher because the Satanic, anti-Christ spirit has never openly had so much political power in America, and many in the church too have followed it as it attacks any and all expressions of the Christian faith, seeking to make the world "free" from Christ.

Even though there were only three TV networks years ago, there were many more media companies, as well as magazines and advocacy organizations who would send out newsletters and organize events and actions to make people's beliefs heard. And only liberals would think that the three networks from years ago were trying to be politically neutral and "objective," although their bias might not have been quite as great as now.

Now social media also give people an instant platform to say whatever they want, and the left doesn't want to hear what it doesn't want to hear, or anyone else to hear what they don't want to hear, either.

Similar to the mass administration of Ritalin to kids, the left now wants to take any major conflict out of politics, framing it as pathological and undesirable although that was one of the chief intended features of republican democracy to begin with. Their concerns about partisanship is really just a ruse to silence their opponents and try to make themselves dictators, though in doing so they would really be empowering, not themselves, but the Satanic beast of Revelation. 

The "good person" test -- for others

Evangelist Ray Comfort is well-known for presenting unbelievers with "the good person" test, asking them if they've ever broken any of the Ten Commandments in order to demonstrate that everyone is a sinner and "there is no one who does good, no, not one," (Romans 3:10-12, Psalm 14:1-3).

So many people, though, still don't believe that they're sinners even after being confronted with their sin. Satan has blinded them with self-love.

But if unbelievers today in places like America are less likely to acknowledge their own evil nature, they might be more likely to admit the evil nature in the people around them. While they think of themselves as pretty good, if not excellent, moral creatures, or at the least "good enough," they just might recognize that the people in their lives -- even those close to them -- are wickedly selfish at heart.

It's common to hear people today say that they've been betrayed by close family members and friends, that they have no one they can count on, or that they find other people so sickening, they think they might prefer the company of animals to humans.

Of course, again, they're fine in their own book. Other people are the problem, the cause of their unhappiness.

Those, then, who believe in something beyond the natural, including life after death in Heaven, but have so far rejected Christ as their Lord and Savior, or have made Him into a Christ of their own liking versus what the Bible teaches, can be asked how they would like to live in eternity with the people around them, just as they are, and if they think it would be Heaven, as well as how would there be unity and peace with people continuing to be in disagreement? People can sometimes "agree to disagree" with a little success so that they don't openly argue over whatever they fail to share, but disagreement necessarily means division and distance. Or do such people think that, for it to be Heaven, they'd have to be there alone, since they're the only truly "good person" that they know and like?

In Christ, believers yield our wills, which are governed by our faulty, limited individual sin natures, to One who is perfect in every way, and so is qualified to rule over us absolutely, for the good of us all, including to bring us true happiness and satisfaction. Among Jesus' last instructions to His disciples were to love each other (John 13:34) and to have unity in spirit (John 17:22-23), and in Him, we can enter into God's Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven, and remain in and enjoy true love and spiritual unity with God and other human beings.

The golden calf idolatry of denying our Creator (Exodus 32:21-24)

It's pretty amazing how what the Israelites did under Aaron's leadership (while Moses was up on the mountain with God receiving His commandments) closely resembles the idolatrous idea that God didn't create the universe, but instead all this physical and non-physical (spiritual) order and meaning simply produced itself by chance, without any intelligent direction and for no purpose. It sounds a lot like Aaron's defense to Moses that he merely put the gold the people had brought him into the fire, and out came the golden calf.

"And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

"And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf." Exodus 32:21-24

I don't know if it's been determined whether the calf really came out of the fire without human shaping, in which case God allowed Satan to produce it himself, or if Aaron was simply lying, but either way, the people's sin of unbelief created it, and it certainly wasn't created by the random actions of nature.

And it's revealing, too, that the people clamored for the calf "god" as they began to fear and lose their faith because their leader and chosen intermediary between themselves and God had, to them, gone missing. Whenever it seems like the Lord might not be there in our problems, Satan tries to tempt us into believing that He doesn't exist. But His Word teaches and assures us that faith means believing that He is, and that He's a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

In the golden calf, we see, too, that even when people end up denying their creator, they end up recreating a false one, and that one, with Satan behind it, in some ways can deceptively imitate the true, living God.

David and Ahab: both kings of Israel, and both murderers...

David and Ahab, both kings of Israel, were also both murderers.

And that speaks to us about some of the moral confusion of  today.

Some people think that their human king is David, when it's really Ahab. As a party, those who are mistaken are Democrats. In terms of belief, those who are mistaken are those who reject Christ and very often embrace secular humanism.

Yet even Christians must test ourselves to see if we're in the faith, and then, to see how often we fall short of having David be our king and settle for Ahab.

But as for liberals, their confusion can be seen in that, to them, they only see David as a murderer, so, driven by their sin nature and going by their human wisdom, they mistake David and his supporters for unrighteous people. David's worship of God means nothing to them since they reject God. They slander David and his supporters.

Meanwhile, the king who is God's enemy, Ahab, they embrace, and he is their "David." They infuse him and themselves with the qualities and attributes of David, and ignore the abominations committed by their king and themselves. His rejection of the true, living God is even proof to them of his goodness, yet, when need be, they can claim that Ahab and they themselves are the actual true, faithful worshipers of God. 

Believing that He is...

Though it's not the main point of this verse, there's something here that we can especially take comfort in:

"And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." John 5:16-17

In Young's Literal Translation: "and because of this were the Jews persecuting Jesus, and seeking to kill him, because these things he was doing on a sabbath. And Jesus answered them, ‘My Father till now doth work, and I work.’"

It's so easy to think about what we have to do to exercise faith, and to think about what other people are doing, what we maybe should be doing towards them, and what's going on in the world around us, and we can easily forget that the Lord is at work, and in every situation, He's working for our good (Romans 8:28). We can simply remind ourselves that we're to keep remembering that He is, and that He's a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him ( Hebrews 11:6), and to cast our cares on Him for He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).

In short, He's WORKING, and not just when we think that He's answered our prayers. In our natural man, we tend to think of Him as far removed from us, on His throne, and only possibly doing something in our lives once we go to Him in prayer. Meanwhile, we do all the work, we think. But He's working all the time, and we shouldn't forget that. And we are incomparably blessed in that He revealed Himself to us, and we can know that He is, that He rewards those who diligently seek Him, and He is working in our lives so that all circumstances work for our good.

"With food and clothing be content"?

In 1 Timothy 6:6-10, Paul writes this:

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

Obviously in our time and place, Twenty-first Century America, we have much more than that. But even in the time that the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write these instructions to Christians, people would usually have more than food and clothing, too. So I wonder how this command -- "be content with food and clothing" -- was understood when it was written, but also what this says to us today, in the American church.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus of course taught this (Matthew 6):

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

It's God's will for His children to be separate

God's will for us:

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you..." 2 Corinthians 6:17

"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities." Revelation 18:4-5

"And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall. My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD." Jeremiah 51:44-45

Versus Satan's schemes:

"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth." Revelation 12:9

"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Revelation 13:16-17

In virtually every way today, Satan is scheming to make himself and his desires for the souls of mankind as inescapable as possible. He entices and deceives, and when those fail, he simply coerces.