Dependency

“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you.” -Isaiah 41:13

The word “dependency” is often tied with negative emotions. Who really wants to be dependent upon anyone? Sure, there are moments when we are grateful for help, but at the end of the day, we would often rather have not needed it at all.

Even children wish to grow from their dependency and become independent adults. But what children don’t realize is that though they will out-grow their dependency on their parents they will never out-grow their dependency on God, nor should they.

Mankind was created to depend on God. But God did give man a measure of power and responsibility; to tend and rule over the garden and its many creatures and to subdue the earth. But most importantly, God gave man a free-will.

The kind of dependency God wanted was the kind we see in a marriage relationship, in which both co-labor together in love. He wasn’t looking for slaves but friendship. And the only genuine friendship exists purely on choice, just as a married couple chooses love, even when the feelings of love aren’t always present. Love and dependency on God is a choice.

The devil knew that he could persuade Eve into believing the lie that God was unfair. That she didn’t need to depend on Him but could depend on herself and become “like God.” He taunted her with the promise of a freedom that was really a chained cell that would bind mankind for generations. Until Jesus came, died, and unlocked the prison door.

Now, we can restart and make the right choices. We can depend on God and He can depend on us (since He has limited Himself to working through us), and we can resume our assignment to subdue the earth (light up the darkness/take back the kingdom).

I don’t know if this word spoke to you today, I do know that we all struggle at some point with this desire to do it all by ourselves. Though our sin is forgiven we cannot erase the thoughts or ideas that the devil placed in our minds, just as we can no longer be ignorant to this world and it’s horrors like when we were children.

The devil is still whispering spiritual independency into the ears of sons and daughters of Adam and Eve today. He asks, “is God really all-knowing?” “Is He really good?” And those thoughts spiral into, “does He really exist?”

It is no wonder that the world keeps seeking all knowledge, keeps redefining what is good and keeps pushing toward relativism, the idea that we are gods.

When we do life on our own it’s very messy. We start to feel weighed down, exhausted, burned out, depressed and powerless…sounds like bondage doesn’t it? If you are carrying this weight today lay it at the feet of Jesus and say:

“Lord I’m tired of going it alone, I renounce the lies of the devil and reclaim my freedom in you, in the shadow of your wings I find rest, strength, and power. And unconditional love. Thank you God for never leaving my side, for helping me and blessing me more times than I can count. I no longer chose self, I choose you.”

You will accomplish so much more with God than you could ever accomplish alone. I promise you.

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Destroying America

“Those who seek to destroy America seek to destroy God.”

When we first stepped foot on the rich and wild soil of America we did so in the hope of establishing a foundation of freedom and equality. We weren’t looking for a tyrannical leader or government to lord over us anymore. We wanted a democracy, a ruling body whose powers were limited and in the sole hands of the people. The government existed merely to serve and protect.

Gone are the days when we could embark with them in memory. History books used to be the source of trusted knowledge but our country has destroyed knowledge, labeling it as evil. Now, not even a simple google search for truth is easy, and the voices of young troubled minds seem to scream louder than that of our true historians or scientists.

They say America wasn’t founded in God, that our forefathers were evil men who rebelled and fled from a just society. That the tyranny and religious persecution which led often in burnings and countless slaughter were in fact the more acceptable society over this free and equal one.

When our forefathers sought religious freedom they sought freedom from the Roman Catholic Church, at the time. The crusaders killed hundreds and citizens were forced to bow and obey, to pay taxes and follow rigid laws. That is what they wanted to escape from, as Christians they wanted to worship freely. To branch into other sects of Christianity and yet all live together in harmony as sisters and brothers in Christ. It wasn’t freedom from God or even the Catholic faith they sought, but from man, and what mankind had twisted for personal gain and power.

Beyond historical text we see the proof of their faith in how America progressed and how society was formed. People today forget that equality wasn’t man’s idea but first and foremost God’s. Our foundation as a country has always sought to mirror the Word of God. It’s morality and laws come from His Word. And no matter what people try to say, they can never erase this truth. Our country was built upon God.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of they United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Does that mean we mirrored His Will perfectly? Absolutely not. We owned slaves for many years, we forced the Indians to live in harsh conditions and treated them as less than human. The past era represented a different mindset, shared throughout the world. What we would be appalled to see today was quite common and acceptable back then. The world was young, sinful, and barbaric.

Remembering how we were and who we’ve become is vital. Otherwise, our sinful natures will drive us backward in development. America was a newborn but I am proud and thankful that we founded her and can enjoy all the sacrifice and freedom today because of it.

Israel is a prime example of what the world longs to do to our Faith. They are often attacked from every side merely because they exist and hold fast to their beliefs. America is strong but that doesn’t mean she is safe. The same hatred that longs to crush Israel is after us as well. 9/11 which is already being erased and forgotten by our youth is a prime example of this hate.

It may seem like a hatred for America on the surface but dig deeper and it’s a hatred for God, the Christian God we stand for. Why? Because if you truly saw the world for what it is you would know that this is a battleground, a kingdom that belongs to the devil. And wars are being waged over hearts and minds even in times of peace. The Lord God rises us up and the devil manipulates and brainwashes others in order to tear us down.

Today, America is being transformed from the inside. The devil is undermining everything we worked so hard for. But he’s smart, he knows that outside attack makes the country unite, like Israel. If America falls it will be because we let it fall from the inside.

That happens in many ways:

1. Destroying the Bible, its historical ties to America, and its inner meanings and morality in which we built our society upon.

2. Destroying/erasing our historical past and figures which were quite radical in their beliefs for their time. With their destruction we destroy their legacy and wisdom which propelled us to change.

3. Glorifying pagan beliefs and societal views. As creatures of worship if we remove the Christian God from the throne room of our hearts another god will surely seat himself. In other words, the devil.

4. Dehumanization and persecution of all who differ in belief. They might wave the flag of equality, but really they demand conformity. Instead of celebrating differences they erase them…by any means necessary.

5. Hyper emotionalism- feeling offense at everything, zero tolerance, a mentality of anything that causes discomfort is bad. Entitlement breeds from this.

The list goes on and you can see the destruction we have wrought already. The great divide in our country over party, race, religion, wealth, and age. If left unaltered, we will have the exact tyrannical society we escaped from years ago.

The future they seek is very bleak. But God isn’t done with America yet.

Just as He isn’t done with you or me, He isn’t done with us as a country. We just need an awakening, a revival…and perhaps you and I were placed here for such a time as this.

Don’t give up on America yet, this is your assignment whether you like it or not. We are Americans and if we carry that title we carry that responsibility, the same baton that our forefathers carried has been passed on to us. It’s our job to make sure their sacrifices and struggles weren’t in vain.