How Do I Know I am Really Saved?

God commands us to repent and to believe. He does not ask, does not invite, or any of these other warm fuzzy ideas that are so popular today.
Even though so many say it, He is not standing at a door knocking.
What He wants is for us to repent and come to Him.
I know that what I am saying is causing people’s hackles to raise, but it is the truth.
He commands...

Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

What is Repentance?
It is a change of mind. We were going one way and now we have turned a full 180 degrees in the opposite direction.
Repentance is not knowing you are a sinner. Repentance is where God opens your eyes to the fact that the littlest of sin breaks you, and breaks your heart. Repentance is the realization that one single sin separates us from a Holy and Just God. Repentance through the Holy Spirit’s conviction makes your sin real, you are disgusted.
It is repentance that causes you to make a choice.
It is through conviction and repentance that God presses upon our hearts that we are sinners. He causes us to wake up and realize that we are lost and we are going to hell.
We are all sinners and there is nothing that we can do to change that.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

The question that we need to be asking ourselves is "are we truly saved?"
In today's sugar coated churches what is being preached today is not the gospel.
Salvation is not sitting in church on Sunday mornings.
Salvation is not checking some boxes on a 3x5 card.
Salvation is not raising your hand when the pastor asks.
Salvation is not saying some mantra prayer.
Now can all these lead to salvation?
Yes they can. But what these things really lead to is repentance which then leads to salvation.
Here is the scary thing, if you have only checked a card, raised a hand, repeated some mantra, odds are you are not saved.
Sure you go to church, live a good life, and say all the right things.
But until you have come the point where you realize that you are a sinner who is completely lost, you will continue to be lost.
It is only when you come to the realization that you are a sinner in need of a savior. That point where you realize you are truly lost. It is only at that time that you can then ask God to forgive you of your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
There is nothing that you can do, no good works, nothing. There is not one good work that will get you into heaven.
There is only one thing.
The only thing that you are able to do is seek God's forgiveness and believing upon Jesus Christ to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
See, before you can be saved you need to realize that you are lost and until you come that realization, you will continue to be lost.
Here is God's promise to us.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

What many people today miss is that to come to that realization, one needs to understand that they are sinners. But not only sinners, they need to understand that it is their sin that is holding them back from a loving father.
It is the Holy Spirit that illuminates our sins to us. It is at that moment that we have the free will to either accept that we are sinners and have remorse over that and repent...
Or we ignore the Holy Spirits convicting voice and harden our hearts till the next time.
That is if there is a next time.
If one continues in their sin, we harden our hearts. It gets harder and harder to hear the Holy Spirits convicting voice.
But here is a fact. Sooner or later the Holy Spirit will stop convicting us and then He will turn us over to a reprobate mind.

Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Easy-Beliefism is Rampant
In scripture it states...

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

In today's world the word "believe" has changed greatly.
To believe as spoken of in John 3:16 is to fully trust in God. A belief and trust that your very life depends upon it.
Scripture tells us that even the devils believe. In fact do you know that the devils are more pious than us? Yes it is true. They KNOW God and BELIEVE. So much so that they even tremble with respect.

James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

See, even the devils believe, but are they saved?
How many of us tremble with respect?
The seventh chapter of Matthew is the most terrifying chapter in scripture, at least in my opinion.
What many people do not realize is that in chapter seven of Matthew, Christ is talking to us, the believer, the Christian. It is a chapter that warns us to not buy into the easy-beliefism that is taught today.

Matthew 7:22-23 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Many will say to Him “Lord Lord.”
We Christians are the only ones who call Christ Lord.
“We have done this in your name and have done that in your name.”
In the following verse the Galatians are talking to Paul about what they have done.

Galatians 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

THEM - “ Hey Paul, well I am circumcised”
PAUL – Yea, so what.”
THEM – “ Well Paul, I am UNcircumcised’
PAUL – “Yea so what, that does not get you into heaven”
Get what Paul is saying?
US – “hey we go to church -- we have been baptized – we have raised our hand – we have checked a 3x5 card.”
CHRIST – “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
It is only by grace thru faith. The very act of believing in Him, your life for Him, your all, your faith, your trust, your very being.
You want to understand what it means to really believe?
Here is the definition…

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

That is the definition of belief that John 3:16 talks about.
It is the faith and understanding that you alone can do nothing to get to heaven, it is only through Jesus Christ who paid the price that you will one day be able to be with our heavenly father.
Belief is not the sugar coated “believing” that is preached today.
It is waking up at 3:00 AM in the morning, in a cold sweat realizing that we are all filthy sinners and that all of us fall short of the Glory of God.
It is a belief where you cry out to God and ask, no almost beg because you are so convicted to forgive you of the sins you have committed in light of all that Christ did for you by dying on that cross.
You beg for forgiveness and that He become your savior.
It is at that time that we truly believe, it is at that time we submit our all and say “my life for you God.”
It is at that time that you really understand.
See, we all walk around saying that we are Christians and know Christ.
But in reality that is not the important thing.
What is important is that Christ knows us.
For example, we may all say we know the president. But if we showed up on the front lawn heading into the white house the secret service would tackle us to the ground and take us away.
All this time we are screaming “I know the president! – I know the president!”
It does not matter.
Now, if the president came out of the white house and pointed to you and called you by name, then the secret service would let you be, because he, the president, knows you.
It is the same way being a Christian.
This is why it does not matter what we do, it will not get us into heaven.
What matters is who we know, or better yet, who knows us.
It is at the moment of our salvation that God does a literal miracle in our lives. He recreates us into a new being.
So if we are not truly saved, we are not that new creature.
Just Another Carnal Christian – You Will Know Them By Their Fruits
If you are a new creation, then God will be working in your life changing you from the inside out. Sometime this change is fast, sometimes slow, but we are always changing. What is taking place is that our old fleshly selves are being changed more into the likeness of Christ.
When we are saved / born again we are instantly created a new. This is how Christ knows us.
See if we are not saved, Christ will not know us.
So how do we know we are saved?
Scripture tells us the following…

Matthew 7:16-20 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

If we are saved, we produce good fruit. If we are not saved, then we do not produce good fruit. This is why I say that good things do not come out of bad people. Scripture backs that up. It is by our fruit that we know we are His or not.
Now do we who are saved still sin?
Yea sure we still sin, in fact we sin the moment we wake up till we sleep and even when we sleep we may be having not so good dreams.
So the big question is this, “How do we know we are saved?”
PZ Insider Pastor Mark Thomas told me the following…

What distinguishes a true Christian from a C.I.N.O.? (Christian In Name Only) 

In most cases the answer is one word - guilt. 

Those who are truly Christians are convicted when they sin and feel guilt whenever they do sin (and we all sin). 

Those who aren't true Christians don't feel guilt, either because they have quenched the Holy Spirit or because they were never saved in the first place. 

In fact, one of the sure ways to find out if you are really saved is how you react to sin. 

If you just shrug it off and say "everyone sins". Then you have problems. 

If you hate every sin you have committed and feel guilt every time, you are saved.

So How Do You React When You Sin?
Me, I hate it. Just sitting here writing this causes conviction over things I have done. I hate that all I seem to do is sin. If it isn’t one thing, it is another. An angry or impure thought, a slip of the tongue, an unchristian gesture, a sinful gaze.
I understand when Paul calls himself the chief of all sinners. I am in line right behind him.
I try and try and try, but no matter what I fall from grace. It is a battle that we fight and will continue to fight till the day we are with Him.
But it is His grace that is sufficient for me. It is His loving forgiveness knowing that I will mess up. It is His understanding that I am trying and it is my hope that when the day comes I hear Him say “Enter my kingdom my good and faithful servant.”
I hate that I sin and here I am in the ministry, shouldn’t I be more “holy” or something?
Living a right life in the last days is a minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, week by week, month by month journey.
Those of us who are called His children, we need to continue to fight the good fight. Keep pushing forward. Never stop walking up hill, never stop rowing against the current. To stop is to understand that we start slipping backwards towards the world and further from Him.
Do you want to see an example of good fruit? Here is something that a friend send me from a pastor in Zimbabwe…

"I am a disciple of the Messiah.

I will not let up, look back or slow down.

My past is redeemed, my future is secure. I am done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, mundane talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position or popularity.

I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised or rewarded.

My face is set; my goal is sure. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few.

My God is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, delayed or deluded.

I will not flinch in the face of adversity, not negotiate at the table of the enemy or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I am a disciple of the Messiah.

I must go until He comes, speak of all I know of Him and work until He stops me. And when He comes for His own, by the grace of God, He will have no problem recognizing me, because my colors are clear."

- Unknown Zimbabwean Pastor

How many of us are that sold out for Christ?
How many of us display this sort of fruit?
How many of us burn with this sort of zeal?
Are we one of His?
Will He know us?
Are You One of His?
If Christ came back today, would He know you?
Have you truly believed in Him?
Have you come to a point in your life where the realization of your sin disgusts you and you know that there is nothing that you can do to get to heaven?
Have you come to a point of conviction and turned to Christ asking for real forgiveness?
Would you truly lay down your life, paying the ultimate price, before you renounced Christ?
If you answered NO to any of these, you need to do a check-up from the neck up.
There is a chance that you are not born again and a new creature in Christ.
I know that I would you rather live in a cardboard box and give up everything instead of going back to that old sinful life I once lived.
I look back at what I was and there are times a pit grows in my stomach and I can’t believe the things that I did before I truly committed my life to Him.
If you are not sure that you are one of His, you need to ask the Holy Spirit to do a work in your life. You need to ask forgiveness and repent, believing and trusting in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Before you can be saved, you need to realize that you are first lost.
That lost means that you are going to hell and forever be apart from our loving Father. Hell is the absolute separation from God. But on top of that we will burn for all eternity, never having peace, never having joy. It will be utter misery, pain, suffering and the ultimate in being alone.
That is what will be your destination if you are not saved.
Are you saved?
Christ COMMANDS us to repent so that we can be saved.

Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

But Christ also gives us this promise.

1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I know that you want more.
You thought you prayed a prayer, maybe you raised your hand in church, checked a 3x5 card.
You thought that you were born again.
You bought into easy beliefs which is NOT scriptural no matter what you think or what you may have been told.
If you call yourself Christian and want more, stop right now and give your all to Him. Ask Him to forgive you and cleanse you of all your sins. Submit to Him and ask Him to be your Lord and Savior.
If you honestly believed in Him, you are now a new creation, God will start changing you daily. Walk away from the things of the world and start living your life for Him.
If I can help answer any questions you may have, please feel free to contact me, my wife and I are here to serve.





By Ray Gano




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The Pitfalls of Compartmentalizing

As many of you know, I come from a security / investigative background. When I research I conduct it like one would conduct an investigation.
I am one who constantly digs for the truth.
Recently in my investigations of doctrinal ideas, the Christian walk, etc, I have discovered that somewhere along the line we stopped looking at things as a whole, and started to compartmentalize.
Some of you may be asking, what is so wrong with this?
In today’s hectic fast paced world, compartmentalizing one’s life helps one deal with so much that is thrown at them. Many of us have learned to live this way for the sake of self-preservation in this crazy world.
The problem is that living a compartmental life is a pitfall.
What is Compartmentalization?
We all know what a compartment is.
It is commonly defined as a space in which that space is then subdivided.
Looking at it another way is to think of your home as a floor plan.
Look at your bedroom. It is a compartment, where you sleep, the kitchen, another compartment, is where you cook and eat, the bathroom is another compartment where you bath and go to the bathroom.
Due to our fast paced world, we humans have a tendency to compartmentalize things in our life so that we can control them better, deal with the stress and other issues that come with what the world doles out.
In doing this we provide a way that seems “reasonable” to us so that we can then interact with the world.
When we are at our job, we act one way. When we are with friends, we act another way. With family we act another way, etc, etc.
In many cases we have learned to adapt to our environment and then assert certain values, attitudes, beliefs, and language depending upon which compartment we may be in at that time.
And that is the pitfall.
Be Ye Holy
Scripture says…
1 Peter 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
See maintaining one compartment of our life as “holy” does not render our whole life as holy.
If one compartment of our life is “unholy” then the whole of our life is unholy before God.
Wow Ray, that is hard.
Yes it is. It is something that I believe that all of us deal with, myself included.
The more we compartmentalize the more we lie to ourselves thinking we are doing a great job.
That is the pitfall of compartmentalizing one’s life.
Compartmentalizing creates hypocrisy because in one compartment we live a holy life, yet in another compartment we may live like hell.
When we compartmentalize we are able to rationalize and justify our actions. That is because we are not living at that moment in the “holy” compartment.
Instead we are living in the “who cares, live like hell” compartment.
Here is a great example of a compartmental life that I think you can relate with.
It is Sunday morning before church. If you have kids you know exactly where I am going. The morning is hectic, the kids are raising cain, you can’t find your tie, your wife is trying to get dressed, made up, hair done. Kids are fighting over the prize in the cereal box and all this time you need to head out the door.
You get out the door and kids are fighting in the car. You scream at them to shut up, daughter starts crying because you yelled. Wife yells at you because you lost it and by this time you are approaching the church parking lot.

As soon as you pull in, you shift into your “going to church” compartment. You calm down, life is good, push back the frustration, etc etc.
If does not matter that WWIII was taking place in your home 30 minutes earlier. You are now in another compartment and life is good.
This is just an example of the hypocrisy of trying to live a compartmentalized life. One moment you are a complete jerk, another you are that “man of God” that everyone loves.
Add to this the “get drunk on Friday night” compartment, “join the guys from work and go to Hooters” compartment, “swearing like a sailor” compartment, and the list goes on.
Do you see how easy it is to fall into hypocrisy?
Here is the kicker.
I think it is safe to say that when we are completely honest with ourselves, all of us can admit that we live a compartmentalized life in one form or another.
NOW….If we are living like this, compartmentalizing sin and our Christian walk, what does it make us?
Hypocrites.
But that is not all and this is why compartmentalizing our lives is a pitfall.
Because we have compartmentalized so much, we have made God’s compartment smaller and smaller.
In fact we get His compartment so small that after a while we start asking God “why He isn’t in our lives anymore?”
We start questioning Him, and doubting him, etc.
What we forget is that God never left us. We have made His compartment so small that we no longer have any fellowship with Him.
Out of this lack of fellowship with God rises no longer needing God in our lives. We start standing on our own, and “doing it my way.”
Pride moves in, the heart become more and more hardened and we continue to compartmentalize God right out of the picture.
By this time we get to this point we are fully backslidden and wallowing in the muck and mire of the world.
Getting Back to God
You have been living a compartmental life now for a while. Life is not good. There is that special place in your heart that has a void.
Then it happens.
It is about 3:00 AM in the morning when the world is quiet and we wake to a still small voice.
It is the Holy Spirit talking to us.
We can do one of two things. Ignore it, which is another form of compartmentalizing.
Or we can pay attention to His still, small, convicting voice and start digging through all those compartments trying to come into fellowship with Him once again.
You are wide awake and it becomes a moment in your life where you start asking yourself…
“Why did you do this, why did you leave God?”
You then talk to God…
“God, why did I compartmentalize you out of my life? Please forgive me and please let’s have fellowship once again.”
If We Confess Our Sins
It is at that moment that we realize that we have compartmentalized Him out of our lives. It is also at that time when we realize that we need to confess our sins to Him and re-establish that fellowship.
I love 1 John 1, in verses 6- 9 it deals with the pitfalls of compartmentalizing as well as gives us the solution.
Please note my comments in the brackets.
1John 1:6-9 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: -- (This is us compartmentalizing, justifying, rationalizing, etc )
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. -- (This is how we are to live )
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. -- (This is the result of us compartmentalizing, justifying, rationalizing, etc )
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. -- (This is the solution to compartmentalizing)
Once we have been forgiven of our sin and cleansed from all unrighteousness, the compartmentalization that we have been putting ourselves through seem to disappear.
That is till we start compartmentalizing again.
How To Not Go Down The Compartmentalizing Path
1 John 1:6-9 gives us a good idea, but there is more that we need to do. Otherwise what happens is that we start living a roller coaster life of sinning like hell, then repenting, then sinning, and then repenting.
Living a miserable life like that is not what the Lord had in store for us.
To stop living this sort of depressing un-victorious life we need to do one thing.
That is to fully submit to God.
We need to submit to Him, His ways and His Word. But we do not like this, we like to rebel.
When we compartmentalize, we start thinking on our own, start standing on our own, start doing things on our own. There is no submission.
We compartmentalize so that we can deal with sin that we want to live in, and the guilt and stress of living in it.
Yes there are things that we do not want to do. We do things like yelling at the spouse and kids, looking at things you should not be looking at, doing things you should not be doing is all the outcome of compartmentalizing.
The answer is to fully submit to Him and live our lives like an open book before Him and others. It is God, not us, that starts to guide us and direct us. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
What is wonderful is that He takes care of those things that we had to compartmentalize.
Just so you know, we compartmentalized so that we are able to deal with the world as well as the stress and guilt that comes along with that.
Now I am not talking about living a life where you are tempting God. For example not showing up to work and thinking God will magically have all the bills paid and food on the table. We need to live in accordance to His Word.
Depending on Him fully is not living a life looking through rose colored glasses or having your head in the sand.
When we submit to Him fully, we open those doors of fellowship and we come just as we are. The stress and guilt are gone.
How Do We Fellowship?
We need to spend time talking to God. I know that during my day I talk to God often. It is kind of like when I am talking to Tracye. I just talk to Him and let Him know what is going on or I ask for His favor.
For example these past few weeks have been time consuming and I have not been able to write an article. This morning I asked God to help with this and give me an article that would help people. You are reading that answer to prayer right now.
Prayer works.
We need more time in His Word. If you really want to hear the voice of God, read His Word. When you read the bible, you are literally letting the voice of God into your mind.
I am reminded of Romans 21:2
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
How we are transformed into a person who submits to Him is by the renewing of our mind. We do that by reading His Word so that His Word is in our mind.
The Holy Spirit authored the Scriptures to be read and understood. He delights in making himself known to us through his Word.
Scripture says…
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Right there is a great promise. That the Holy Spirit will teach us but more than that, He will help us to remember those things that we have read in His Word when the time comes where it is needed.
Have you ever been talking to someone about the Lord and you are able to quote a verse out of the blue and not know where it came from?
That is because at some point you read that in His Word and it became a part of you. The Holy Spirit brought it back to you at that time and place.
Now, if you have not been reading much of your bible, you don’t have much to lean on for the Holy Spirit to help you remember.
This is why reading your bible is vitally important.
We need more time with other bible believing Christians.
Scripture says…
Hebrews 10:25a Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…
We need fellowship with others because if we do not have this, we stagnate. Like a pond that is sitting with no fresh water coming in, it will soon stagnate and become poisonous.
Our Christian walk will do the same if we do not fellowship with others. When we stagnate, we compartmentalize. Then we start that process of justifying, rationalizing, etc etc all over again and God is compartmentalized right out of our lives again.
We need to stop compartmentalizing things in our lives. We need to learn to submit to Him fully. He has our best interest in mind.
We see what happens when we take control, we fail miserably.
Compartmentalizing is a pitfall that sometimes take a long time to come back from.
Submit to Him today and discover His still small voice again.
1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

By RayGano


About the Author:

Ray & Tracye Gano are the Executive Directors of the web ministries Prophezine and Survival 4 Christians.They serve people world wide with a weekly newsletters, daily news updates, community based website, Internet radio shows and You Tube broadcasts. Ray recently released his book "Survive The Coming Storm - The Value of a Preparedness Lifestyle" which has been moving up on the book charts.

Please visit Prophezine by going to http://www.prophezine.com

Or visit Ray's Blog Survival4 Christians = http://survival4christians.blogspot.com
 

It Just Keeps Getting Worse

This past week people need to mark on their calendar as a week to remember. Why?
Our loss of privacy was basically flushed down the toilet all in the name of safety and security.
What is alarming is the rate that it has taken place.
This morning I woke up and read the following on Drudge Report…

U.S. Is Secretly Collecting Records of Verizon Calls

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is secretly carrying out a domestic surveillance program under which it is collecting business communications records involving Americans under a hotly debated section of the Patriot Act, according to a highly classified court order disclosed on Wednesday night.

The order, signed by Judge Roger Vinson of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in April, directs a Verizon Communications subsidiary, Verizon Business Network Services, to turn over “on an ongoing daily basis” to the National Security Agency all call logs “between the United States and abroad” or “wholly within the United States, including local telephone calls.”

Source - http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/us/us-secretly-collecting-logs-of-business-calls.html

That is not all, come to find out that this collecting of phone calls and such is targeting Americans and not Foreigners.

NSA's Verizon Spying Order Specifically Targeted Americans, Not Foreigners

The National Security Agency has long justified its spying powers by arguing that its charter allows surveillance on those outside of the United States, while avoiding intrusions into the private communications of American citizens. But the latest revelation of the extent of the NSA’s surveillance shows that it has focused specifically on Americans, to the degree that its data collection has in at least one major spying incident explicitly excluded those outside the United States.

In a top secret order obtained by the Guardian newspaper and published Wednesday evening, the FBI on the NSA’s behalf demanded that Verizon turn over all metadata for phone records originating in the United States for the three months beginning in late April and ending on the 19th of July. That metadata includes all so-called “non-content” data for millions of American customers’ phone calls, such as the subscriber data, recipients, locations, times and durations of every call made during that period.

Aside from the sheer scope of that surveillance order, reminiscent of the warrantless wiretapping scandal under the Bush administration, the other shocking aspect of the order its target: The order specifically states that only data regarding calls originating in America are to be handed over, not those between foreigners.

Source - http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/06/05/nsas-verizon-spying-order-specifically-targeted-americans-not-foreigners/

This is not all that has taken place this past week. There was a critical case that the Supreme Court heard and ruled on that effected the 4^th amendment, the unwelcome search and seizure.

Supreme Court OKs Taking DNA From Arrestees

Deciding its biggest genetic privacy case of the term, a fractured Supreme Court said today that the states may take DNA samples from anybody arrested for serious crimes.

Privacy groups and law enforcement officials were closely watching the case because at least 27 states and the federal government have regulations requiring suspects to give a DNA sample upon some type of arrest, regardless of conviction. In all the states with such laws, the DNA records are cataloged in state and federal crime-fighting databases.

In a 5-4 decision, (.pdf) the justices reversed a 2012 ruling from Maryland’s top court, which had said that it was a breach of the Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure to take, without warrants, DNA samples from suspects who have been arrested for crimes ranging from attempted burglary to murder. In the end, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that swabbing the inside of a suspect’s cheek to acquire a DNA sample was “an advanced technique superior” to fingerprinting, mugshots and even tattoo matching.

   “A DNA profile is useful to the police because it gives them a form of identification to search the records already in their valid possession. In this respect the use of DNA for identification is no different than matching an arrestee’s face to a wanted poster of a previously unidenti­fied suspect; or matching tattoos to known gang symbols to reveal a criminal affiliation; or matching the arrestee’s fingerprints to those recovered from a crime scene. DNA is another metric of identifica­tion used to connect the arrestee with his or her public persona, as reflected in records of his or her actions that are available to the police.”

Folks, this means that all an officer has to do is take your ID, which is the first stage of being under arrest / detained, once in that mode, the officer can ask for a DNA sample.
I know that there are some law enforcement officers out there that will disagree. Thing is that the slippery slope has been stepped upon and now there is no going back.
Imagine being stopped on the street by Homeland Security, asked for your ID (papers) and then they whip out a little device and ask to “prove” your identity with a DNA sample. If you do not have one on record, the device will record it and add it to the database.
These two events have changed our privacy rights in a major way.
The powers that be will now know everything you say electronically. Yes, this was for phone records, but it is just another jump to include all electronic devises and forms of communication. What we forget is that the powers that be have been listening in for years now, they just came out of the closet about it.
Finally, it was reviewed the IRS was being used against the American people in a nefarious way and a serious abuse of power. What we are finding out is that the IRS was specifically targeting conservative patriotic Christian Americans as well as conservative Jewish groups.
If you did not vote for the current administration or your group was speaking out against the current administration, your group was targeted for audit, fines, even revoking non-profit status.
What people may not understand is that when a group’s non-profit status is revoked, ALL TAXES since the conception of the non-profit group are then due, and with interest as well.
So you want to wipe out a non-profit group? Yank their non-profit status and let them be responsible for all the back taxes. Can’t pay? Those in charge go to jail.
So we can clearly see that Conservative Christians and Jews need to be concerned.
What? Me, Worry?
Now I know that some of you reading this think that I have my tin foil hat on a little too tight..
Some of you may be saying” Oh it isn’t that bad. They will not target us.”
Yea? Think again.
I got the following from my friend Bill Wilson…

Because You Need To Know

It is Wednesday afternoon as I write this. I wanted to keep it fresh in my mind. My wife, son, his girlfriend and I were pulling up to our house after having a nice lunch together. I noticed a dark BMW pulling up behind us, waiting for us to walk across the street and I motioned him on. A Middle Eastern looking man dressed in a casual shirt and jeans came into my driveway and asked if I was William Wilson. He identified himself as Amir with the FBI and wanted to know if he could ask me a few questions. He said that someone under the "See something, say something" program reported me as a suspicious person perhaps involved with terrorism. He asked if I was driving a red Camry in April taking pictures of an oil refinery in Delaware.

He opened my "file" while explaining that this is not his case, but someone else's. Then he corrected himself saying that it was not really a "case." He said that he was undercover and because he lived in Montgomery County, he offered to do the interview with me instead of having the other agent drive out from Baltimore. I could see the file. It had my picture, and other information that I couldn't quite make out. He explained that someone had reported me taking pictures of a Delaware oil refinery from a red Camry in April. He asked me several ways if I had a Camry, was in Delaware in April, and other questions about it. I do not have a Camry, nor was I ever in Delaware taking pictures of an oil refinery.

He questioned me: Is there anyone who you have "pissed off" lately? Is there anyone who would have a reason to turn me in to the FBI. What might I have done to cause this? Do I hate anybody or [implied] any group of people? Am I against the government? I told him I am a patriot. I told him that I have written a column for over 11 years and I am critical of Islamic terrorism, and some things like the FBI shooting the boy in Orlando. He asked if I ever get threatened. I told him from time to time I do, but if it gets serious I tell them I am uncomfortable and will turn them into authorities if it continues. He assured me that he believed there was nothing to this complaint and his report would reflect such.

He suggested that I take precautions such as making sure my address was not on my website. He also knew what cars I owned and drove. I will say that it was a very non-threatening type of interview although it is creepy and I wonder what is next. You need to know because I believe there is safety in numbers and the more who know, the safer we are. Notwithstanding, I am calling on the Lord and praying Ephesians 6:17-19, "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel." Please pray for our protection.

Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!

Bill Wilson

www.dailyjot.com

Around March of 2012 Tracye and I were sitting in the back yard watching the sun go down. We were talking about the things that are taking place and the concerns we had,
I asked Tracye “What is it that you’re most concerned about?”
She said “Them showing up at our front gate and taking us away.”
Folks, a lump formed in the pit of my stomach that I will never forget. Husbands, how would you feel if your loving wife said that to you in all seriousness and earnest?
It would break your heart.
July 3^rd 2013 Tracye and I were returning from running errands. It was about 4:00 in the afternoon and we were coming up on a crest of a hill, once over the hill we can see our house off in the distance.
When I drove over the crest I just happen to look to my left at which time I slammed on the brakes.
Tracye startled said, ”What’s wrong?”
I said “Do I see what I think I am seeing?”
Tracye looked and said “What is that?”
I said “Tracye, I think that is a drone.”
She kind of gasped and looked again. She then agreed with me.
We sat there for about 10 seconds watching it fly by.

 

If you would do a reverse flight path, it flew right over our property.
When we lived in Texas, we lived within the vicinity of three drone airports. The closest was located in San Marcos Texas, about 10 miles away.
Folks, I have “heard” of people being pulled and questioned like what happened to Bill.
But Bill is the first person that I actually know that this sort of thing has happened too.
I have been warning about these sort of things taking place for a while now.
I have also tried to show historical correlation between what took place during the onset of Nazi Germany and what is taking place in our own nation today.
Daily I am blown away at what is taking place in the country I served, and yet I do not recognize her at all or what she has become.
 
 By Ray Gano

Who Are The Elect?

Recently I have been doing some word studies trying to ascertain the proper definition of words so that I can have a full understanding with what I am writing, preaching and teaching about.
Scripture says...

James 3:1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

What James is saying that we should not look to be teachers and preachers, because those of us who are, we will come under greater scrutiny from the Lord when we stand before Him.
With every article I write, I always try to keep this in mind. I will give an account for my words one day when I stand before the Lord.
It is my greatest desire that when I do stand before Him, He will say "Enter my kingdon my good and faithful servant."
Ideas of Men VS. God’s Word
In doing this study, I have come to realize that there are a lot of things that we have been taught that do not stand up to the Word of God.
How do I know?
When we use God's Word to define The Bible itself, I am finding out that we have been taught "man's opinion" and not what God's Word clearly teaches.
So why question things that have been nicely laid out for us by all these great teachers and wonderful books they have written?
Because 2 + 2 is not adding up to 4 when we really allow God's Word to define itself in light of men's books.
Here is the portion of scripture that alerted me.

Matthew 24:31 (KJV) And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

See when I read it then read the commentary, the commentary was stating that the "elect" was Israel.
Hmmmm, something just did not ring true.
Call it a gut instinct or something, but what I was "being told" the verse meant Israel, but I knew that this did not line up with what God's Word was saying.
We can clearly see from this verse that it is talking about the rapture, right?
In fact, let's use scripture to define scripture....

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

We see the same things taking place in Matthew 24 and 1 Thessalonians 4.
Matthew used the word "elect" in Chapter 24.
We also see in 1 Thessalonians 1 Paul identifying the elect...

1 Thessalonians 1:4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

So we can see that both Matthew and Paul refer to the elect as the ones being gathered up in the rapture.
This is using scripture to define scripture. In other words, this is proper hermeneutics, proper study.
Now, let's look at these two portions of scripture Matthew 24 and 1 Thessalonians 4. What do we see here that is common?

1 - We have angels present

2 - We have the trumpet sound

3 - We have the gathering together

Both of these verses are clearly talking about the same event, correct?
We can see that it is talking about the rapture.
It also answers “Who” is the rapture for?
The rapture is for the believer, His elect.
So, here is the quandary I have.
Why do a lot of teachers and authors state that in Matthew 24 the elect spoken here is NOT believers, but Israel?
I honestly believe that it is because an idea was put out there a long time ago and that idea molded into a doctrine and that doctrine has become cemented in theology today.
See a man named Scofield who lived about 200 years ago decided to put it in his study notes. Then a gentleman named Moody came along and produced what is called "The Scofield Study Bible."
If you have a Scofield bible, Scofield states that in Matthew 24 that Israel is the elect.
What?
Now I am going to let a lot of you know that I have not been a fan of Scofield for some time now. This is why my "Sword" of choice is the Thompson Chain Reference Study Bible - KJV.
I have also read papers and a biography about Scofield, and let's just say that he was not a cool guy.
I guess you could call him the Rick Warren / Joel Osteen of his day, with a lot of personal baggage.
A very eye opening book to read is titled "The Incredible Scofield and His Book" By Joseph M. Canfield
Book Here >>> http://tinyurl.com/The-Incredible-Scofield
Canfield's book goes into a lot of historical documentation about Scofield and how he lived his life.
There are a lot of things that bothered me about Scofield, for example...
Scofield abandoned his wife and children and refused to support them.
Scripture says...

I Timothy 5:8 says “ But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

When his first wife Leontine originally filed for divorce in July 1881, she listed the following reasons:

“ (he had)…absented himself from his said wife and children, and had not been with them but abandoned them with the intention of not returning to them again…has been guilty of gross neglect of duty and has failed to support this plaintiff or her said children, or to contribute thereto, and has made no provision for them for food, clothing or a home, or in any manner performed his duty in the support of said family although he was able to do so.” (1)

Cyrus Scofield had several other incidents of a downright dishonest nature after he supposedly became saved. The fact that in 1892 he began calling himself Doctor Scofield without producing any Doctorate degree from any Seminary or University is the least of his devious activities. Even the details he gave in his story of conversion are proven to be fabricated, including the time, place and other particularities, thereby placing doubt on the whole story.(2)

He was a self-promoter in every sense of the word, even lying about being able to comfort and calm the entire city of Belfast, Ireland with a sermon he delivered there the Sunday after the Titanic sunk. (3)

CYRUS I. SCHOFIELD IN THE ROLE OF A CONGREGATIONAL MINISTER

“ Cyrus I. Schofield, formerly of Kansas, late lawyer, politician and shyster generally, has come to the surface again, and promises once more to gather around himself that halo of notoriety that has made him so prominent in the past. The last personal knowledge that Kansans have had of this peer among scalawags, was when about four years ago, after a series of forgeries and confidence games he left the state and a destitute family and took refuge in Canada. For a time he kept undercover, nothing being heard of him until within the past two years when he turned up in St. Louis, where he had a wealthy widowed sister living who has generally come to the front and squared up Cyrus’ little follies and foibles by paying good round sums of money. Within the past year, however, Cyrus committed a series of St. Louis forgeries that could not be settled so easily, and the erratic young gentleman was compelled to linger in the St. Louis jail for a period of six months.

Among the many malicious acts that characterized his career, was one peculiarly atrocious, that has come under our personal notice. Shortly after he left Kansas, leaving his wife and two children dependent upon the bounty of his wife’s mother, he wrote his wife that he could invest some $1,300 of her mother’s money, all she had, in a manner that would return big interest. After some correspondence he forwarded them a mortgage, signed and executed by one Chas. Best, purporting to convey valuable property in St. Louis. Upon this, the money was sent to him. Afterwards the mortgages were found to be base forgeries, no such person as Charles Best being in existence, and the property conveyed in the mortgage fictitious…” (4)

This article is not about tearing down Cyrus Scofield. Many people have come to the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ though the Scofield bible.
There is an old saying, if God can use an ass to speak to men, he can use ______________.
… Insert Cyrus Scofield.
What I am trying to paint for you is that Scofield was the "popular" preacher of the world during that time. Again, like Rick Warren and are Joel Olsteen are today, Cyrus Scofield was back then.
It has been Scofield's notes that millions have leaned upon and because they are included in the Scofield study bible, no one questions it.
Here is something else that I found troubling when I was doing my research.
There are no records that can be found where Scofield even claimed that he was a repented man, washed in the blood of Jesus Christ for all his sins and that Jesus Christ was his personal Lord and savior.
You would think that there were some records of a personal testimony somewhere. Some record of Scofield telling his testimony to someone. When I heard of this, I searched pretty deep and I have not found any record.
So why have we as the church allowed this person who appears to be a lukewarm Christian and most likely a "Christian In Name Only" (C.I.N.O) at best to influence generations of pastors and lay people?
When the Scofield bible was published, Moody the publisher, sent copies to just about every pastor there was in the US and England.
What this did was cement Scofield's ideas into the minds of men.
Yes, the Scofield bible was widely accepted, but there were the critics out there too.
But over the years those criticisms we forgotten and Scofield became a 'solid name" thus his commentaries were completely accepted without question.
The logic went like this.... If Moody published The Scofield Bible, and because Moody put his stamp of approval on it, it has to be correct and be doctrinally sound.
Look at how many of us go to these commentaries in our bibles and give it a "PASS" and not think about it at all.
We tell ourselves, "Well "so & so" wrote this great book. Obviously it has to be right because he has sold so many copies over the years and he is such a popular person."
Isn’t that how it usually goes? 
What has taken place over the past two hundred years is that we as Christians have gotten lazy and instead of seeking out the truth via God's Word, we have had all these great authors and teachers pre-chew our scripture for us and then regurgitate it up for us so that we can better digest it.
Let me paint it for you this way...
Don't you realize that all this pre-chewed scripture has lost a lot of God's vitamins and nutrients? (God's meaning and definition) What has gotten mixed in is the saliva of man and because of that, we have latched on to man's ideas vs. what God's Word really says.
In today's fast paced world we have become dependent upon this pre-chewed food, and we have forgotten that we have the ability to dig into God's Word ourselves.
We have forgotten to be good Bereans like Paul tells us to be in Acts 17:11.

Act 17:11 These were more noble 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.

Letting God's Word Define The Elect
So how can the elect be Israel where God's Word itself clearly says the elect is something different?
Romans 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
Right there scripture states that Israel is not the elect.
Out of 16 times that the word elect is used in the bible, and as many of you know, I only use the KJV, we find the following...

- 10 references refer to all believers in general

- 2 refer to believers who are specifically Gentile

- 1 refers to believers who are Jews

- 2 refer to Jesus Christ himself

- 1 refers to Jacob the person as being God's elect

Here are the scriptures so that you can see this for yourself - be a good Berean...

Matthew 24:22 - 24 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Matthew 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Mark 13:20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

Mar 13:21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:

Mark 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

Mark 13:27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

Luke 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

Romans 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

Romans 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

Romans 11:5-7 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

Colossians 3:11-12 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

1Thessalonians 1:4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

2 Timothy 2:10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Titus 1:1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

1 Peter 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

2 Peter 1:10-11 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

2 John 1:1-2 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;

2 For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.

Isaiah 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

Isaiah 45:4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

Isaiah 65:9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.

Here is what Webster's 1828 English Dictionary states...

Elect

ELECT', v.t. [L. electus, from eligo; e or ex and lego; Gr. to choose.]

1. Properly, to pick out; to select from among two or more, that which is preferred. Hence,

2. To select or take for an office or employment; to choose from among a number; to select or manifest preference by vote or designation; as, to elect a representative by ballot or viva voce; to elect a president or governor.

3. In theology, to designate, choose or select as an object of mercy or favor.

4. To choose; to prefer; to determine in favor of.

The Golden Rule of Interpretation
Dr. David L. Cooper, was the founder of the Biblical Research Society and he stated the following... "When the plain sense of scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise."
In other words...

A. Seek the plain, literal meaning of the Scriptures

B. Seek the figurative meaning only when the facts demand such an interpretation

C. Study every statement of the Scriptures in context ("A TEXT APART FROM ITS CONTEXT IS A PRETEXT")

If you have been a reader of mine for a year or so, you know that this is something that I tend to harp on. We need to stick to God's Word and let His Word define itself.
If you are interested, you can learn more about the Rules of Interpretation at -- http://www.biblicalresearch.info/page7.html
See without having a true common sense rule to understanding God's Word, our flesh can be allowed to run down bunny trails proving that the Grass was created to be purple and that the sky was created to be green.
This is why having a good grounding in hermeneutics and realizing that God's Word defines itself, not man defining it, is so important.

Conclusion
We need to start being good Bereans and start seeking the scriptures out to see if what man is saying is true according to the Scriptures, NOT according to the popular books and commentaries.
We need to remember that the best interpretation of scripture is God's Word itself. Who better to define His Word than God the Creator and Author of The Word?
In this study, we clearly see that when Scripture is talking about the "Elect," God's Word defines it as Believers in God / Jesus Christ.
It is the Elect that one day will be gathered up from all the corners of the earth when we see the angels in the clouds with the Lord, and
We hear that trumpet, The Trump of God sound.
So if you have put your faith in all these popular books, and these shiny teethed teachers with "aerodynamic" hair, then you might want to start doing a checkup from the neck up and start digging into God's Word.
We need to start building our houses upon the Rock of Jesus Christ and His Word and stop latching onto all these fancy men who sure sound good and weave a nice tale.
The only way to do this is putting their books down, and start picking up our only true source, God's Word.. The Bible.
A word to the wise, drop all these modern versions also and stick with the one bible that has been through the fires of testing, the King James Bible. It has been with us for over 400 years and God himself promises to preserve His Word. I believe that preserved Word for the English speaking people is the KJV.
I hope that this article / study has given you something to think about and to strive to be a better Berean when it comes to reading, studying and digesting God's Word.



By Ray Gano




ENDNOTES
1 - Quoted from the papers in case No. 2161, supplied by the Atchison County Court – reproduced by Joseph Canfield, The Incredible Scofield And His Book, p. 89
2 - Canfield, op. cit., pp. 65-68
3 - Canfield, op. cit., p.239-240
4 - Canfield, op. cit., pp. 79-80 – as taken from the files of the Kansas State Historical Society

Under The Shadow of The Almighty

A lot has taken place over the past week or so. We have had terrorist events in Boston, almost half of the city of West Texas has been destroyed due to an explosion. We have had other explosions in other areas of the US.
David Kupelian wrote an article recently titled “Americans 'snapping' by the millions.”
He opens his article with these words…

Terrorism. Chaos. Fear of the future. In the age of Obama, America is undergoing a “fundamental transformation” – that much everyone knows.

But what few seem to realize about this transformation is that the sheer stress of living in today’s America is driving tens of millions to the point of illness, depression and self-destruction. Consider the following trends:

• Suicide has surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of injury death for Americans. Even more disturbing, in the world’s greatest military, more U.S. soldiers died last year by suicide than in combat;
  
  
• Fully one-third of the nation’s employees suffer chronic debilitating stress, and more than half of all “millennials” (18 to 33 year olds) experience a level of stress that keeps them awake at night, including large numbers diagnosed with depression or anxiety disorder.
  
  
• Shocking new research from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that one in five of all high-school-aged children in the United States has been diagnosed with ADHD, and likewise a large new study of New York City residents shows, sadly, that one in five preteens – children aged six to 12 – have been medically diagnosed with either ADHD, anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder;
  
  
• New research concludes that stress renders people susceptible to serious illness, and a growing number of studies now confirm that chronic stress plays a major role in the progression of cancer, the nation’s second-biggest killer. The biggest killer of all, heart disease, which causes one in four deaths in the U.S., is also known to have a huge stress component;
  
  
• Incredibly, 11 percent of all Americans aged 12 and older are currently taking SSRI antidepressants – those highly controversial, mood-altering psychiatric drugs with the FDA’s “suicidality” warning label and alarming correlation with school shooters. Women are especially prone to depression, with a stunning 23 percent of all American women in their 40s and 50s – almost one in four – now taking antidepressants, according to a major study by the CDC;
  
  
• Add to that the tens of millions of users of all other types of psychiatric drugs, including (just to pick one) the 6.4 million American children between 4 and 17 diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed Ritalin or similar psycho-stimulants. Throw in the 28 percent of American adults with a drinking problem, that’s more than 60 million, plus the 22 million using illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens and inhalants, and pretty soon a picture emerges of a nation of drug-takers, with hundreds of millions dependent on one toxic substance or another – legal or illegal – to “help” them deal with the stresses and problems of life.

We are a nation that has lost its spirit, its drive, its happiness. We have replaced that with being angry, which in turn breeds anxiety, fear, confusion, hopelessness and depression.
Tracye and I have felt what we call a “foreboding” just hanging over us. In fact we were just talking today about how little sleep Tracye was getting. I didn’t get a great restful night’s sleep either. Sure I could sleep, but we would wake up still tired and not very often did either of us feel fully refreshed.
The stress is so heavy that it seems like you can cut the air with a butter knife.
It seems like our nation is being destroyed and there is nothing that we can do about it. Look at all the stress elements.

• Economy going to hell
• Crime is rampant, murder is up, rape is up, theft is up, etc, etc.
• People are being fired at a drop of a hat and companies are laying off. And when hired again you can’t work over 29 hours and your wage is half of what it was.
• 4 Million on food stamps and food prices are going through the roof.
• Drug, alcohol, sex along with every vice known is drastically up in use.
• Children are in utter rebellion and parents no longer care what happens to them.

And the list goes on and on.
See, I am one who believes that this is on purpose.
The past four administrations has been pushing the US towards global socialism. Many of the goals they have set a very long time ago, have come to pass.
Yes, there have are in fact goals to bring down our nation. Don’t believe me, read it for yourself. It was even entered into the Congressional Record…

Communist Goals (1963) Congressional Record--Appendix, pp. A34-A35 January 10, 1963  

Current Communist Goals EXTENSION OF REMARKS OF HON. A. S. HERLONG, JR. OF FLORIDA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Thursday, January 10, 1963 .

Mr. HERLONG. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Nordman of De Land, Fla., is an ardent and articulate opponent of communism, and until recently published the De Land Courier, which she dedicated to the purpose of alerting the public to the dangers of communism in America.

At Mrs. Nordman's request, I include in the RECORD, under unanimous consent, the following "Current Communist Goals," which she identifies as an excerpt from "The Naked Communist," by Cleon Skousen:

[From "The Naked Communist," by Cleon Skousen]

PZ NOTE – All the bolded lines have taken place / been enacted.

1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.  

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policy-making positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use ["]united force["] to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and individuals alike.  

Source Microfilm: California State University at San Jose Clark Library, Government Floor Phone (408)924-2770 Microfilm Call Number: J 11.R5

Congressional Record, Vol. 109 88th Congress, 1st Session Appendix Pages A1-A2842 Jan. 9-May 7, 1963 Reel 12

Kupelian stated in his article the following…

“Such a radical change cannot be accomplished while Americans are calm, happy, content and grateful for their blessings. Citizens must be unhappy and stressed out. Indeed, widespread popular discontent has always been the required fuel for leftist transformation.”

What is taking place is not by chance, it has been planned for a long time and we see this communist / socialist plans now replacing our American way of life…right before our eyes.
Where Is The Hope?
Our hope is not in the things we do, what laws we make or people we elect.
There is only one true hope, which is Jesus Christ our Lord.
But the sad thing is that people will not turn to Him. One of the reasons is that they have no idea who God, Jesus or what His Word has to offer.
We as Christians have the means at or fingertips to help us through these hard times, but how many of us really take solace is God’s Word?
One of the greatest and most powerful chapters in God’s Word is Psalms 91.
In this one chapter alone there are great promises from God that give us peace and I know when I read it I feel a peace within me.
This chapter has gotten me though some dark times in my life and I know that Tracye has also leaned upon this chapter in some of her dark times as well.
Psalms 91

Psalms 91:1-16 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

It is believed that David wrote this for Solomon, knowing that he would be King one day. He wanted Solomon to KNOW God and that God would be with him through thick and thin.
It is also rumored that Kings and Noblemen would read this and have it read to their troops prior to battle.
Lean On Him
No matter what takes place in this wicked world we live in, God is there for us. He will see us through.
Find that “secret place,” which I believe is being in His Will. Once you are there, do all you can to stay there and don’t venture away.
I know that it is hard but what we need to do is cleave to the Lord and His Word like never before.
What we are experiencing is the beginnings of the storm that so many have been talking about.
The only way to battle this is grounding yourself in Him and His Word.
We read in Romans 12 the following…

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

It is only through the renewing of your mind, which equates to the study, reading and meditation of scripture that will help you stay within God’s Will.
The more you read His Word, the more you start thinking and understanding the ways of the Lord.
Folks, there may come a time where we may not have access to the Bible. I highly recommend that you start memorizing verses.
Psalms 91 is a great chapter to memorize, it will get you through so many trials and hardships.
We are living during a time of great upheaval. The enemy truly has the high ground and we who truly love Him are the minority.
In all of this, there is opportunity, the opportunity to be a light in the darkness for others who have lost their way. A chance to be salt to the world who do not know of Christ and God’s gift of eternal life.
It is through hardship that the church is purified and out of that, many souls do come to the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are living at a time where we need to really choose who we will serve. I am not saying who we are giving lip service to, but heart service.
The time for sitting on the sidelines is over. God is wanting people of action and those who really love Him.

Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

God is calling people to step out of the boat and get out on the water with Him.
You call yourself a Christian? We are coming to a point where we need to prove it.
As I have said, the enemy has the high ground. His soldiers are winning the battles.
Faith Without Works is Dead

In James we read the following…

James 2:14-26 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Conclusion
It is God’s Word that gives us power. Until we have God’s Word in our heart, we lack that power.
Renew our minds with His Word. Get back to really reading the scriptures and meditate on them daily.
With God’s Word working through us, we will have the courage that is needed to exercise the faith that is expected.
And then having done all, we then stand for Him.

Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

By Ray Gano