a Different Kind of Resistance

“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets…if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.“ (Matthew 24:24)

I think I’ve been duped.

What started out as an investigative journey concerning a Tenth Amendment-related article ended up on a YouTube video and a Prison Planet forum, places I rarely visit. (Although I must say, I think Prison Planet rocks!) Reading, among other things, about webbotts 32 (huh?) and MOM (models of modelspace – again, huh?), I’ve learned things I wish I hadn’t, and have felt compelled to further those investigations.

I started this post days ago, but when I accessed my Post Editor page to resume writing, though I know I saved it, the post was nowhere to be found. That may’ve been a good thing. After having been exposed to the kinds of ‘information’ that I’d come across, I was struggling to keep my head above water, and ladies & gents, I was goin’ down…Today, after a few days’ buffer zone of work and daily life, and ‘a little help from my friends’, I’m a bit more settled. Plus, we’re snowed in again, so I’m back at the drawing board, focused and on track. I’m trusting the Lord that anything I shouldn’t be sharing will be forgotten, and I’m trusting Microsoft Word that this edition makes it to the presses!

Having ‘traveled back in time’ to those Revolutionary years of glorious vision and unstoppable intent, I find that this is all I want to see. I want to resurrect that vision, its passion & its truth…although maybe ‘resurrect’ is not the right word. Resurrecting presupposes death, and though many say the vision of the Founders is dead, I don’t believe it. Spend even a little bit of time on certain websites & blogs, read just segments of their comment threads or forums, and you’ll find patriots galore. And though I’ve not attended any Tea Parties, it seems they speak for themselves…“It is the people’s movement. It’s about the people…”(Sarah Palin, FOX News Sunday ) The American vision is alive and kickin’, and within it, the spirit of revolution that brought us here yet abides.

Just as the Garden of Eden hosted both the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge, incompatible realities, so too in most scenarios we will also find a similar adversarial conflict. There exists the possibility of partaking in life, but always present somewhere, even in miniscule form, will be the evil seed that would thwart that possibility. Sometimes (and by ’sometimes’ I mean usually!) the thwarting operates as nothing more than a few words, cleverly spoken. Watch out for that. It is not true that ’sticks & stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”, as this old childhood rhyme would have us believe. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” (Proverbs 18:21) I wonder if Jesus was referring to this Scripture when he said, “Take heed what ye hear…” (Mark 4:24)

Checking into the Greek word for the English ‘heed’ translation, the concepts of perceiving and being wary (beware) are found. (Strong’s Concordance, Greek #991) In other words, don’t buy into the hype. Don’t believe everything you hear…or read. Investigate, if you have time. If not, at least ‘put it on hold’ ‘til you do.

Recently, as an experiment, I have deliberately allowed myself to look at world & national events from a purely natural perspective, as someone who does not have an abiding belief in a God who is in control. Well, that experiment lasted about one second! I could not endure the horror. Listen, even as a person who does have that faith, it’s often tough goin’ for me. But without it…? Are ya kiddin’??? There are reasons that Scripture counsels us to look unto Jesus, to set our sights on things above, not to put all our eggs into the basket of what is seen, felt, and heard. We have an option. He has given us another Way. Jesus Christ is full of grace and truth, not just truth. We do not have to allow ourselves to be killed by law, which is a vehicle of and provides a portal for, the workings of death. And, interestingly enough, the letter of the law (or Word) is what kills. Letters, words…we’re back at square one.

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any best of the field…” (Genesis 3:1, KJV) Here, folks, we find the original master of spin…‘subtil’ means “cunning (usually in a bad sense)” (Strong’s Concordance, Hebrew #6175) All you Bible readers out there know the rest of this story, but let me refresh – what followed next was a conversation. What? What was that? A conversation? Yes, and that means words were employed. In an extreme nutshell, the world is in the state of discord & unrest that it is in today, because of cleverly spoken, misdirecting words spoken back in the Garden. Spoken, and then believed and acted upon.

Today’s media provides abundant opportunity to enlighten & inform, in beneficial ways, but also much opportunity for misdirection exists. When you read accusing, dramatic headlines (and this will be, mainly, online, I think…), and find yourself assaulted from every direction by similar, apparently confirming grenades of information being lobbed at you, stop. Just stop. While desperately struggling through my recent battle with spin & propaganda, the Old Testament heroes Joshua and Caleb (who, btw, actually entered the Promised Land…) offered me a pillar of comfort & guidance, in that they believed not the evil report. Believed not. Oh, for sure, physical evidence existed, adverse conditions were definitely there in Canaan…but their buck did not stop with the dramatic headlines & negative inferences presented to them by those sent out to spy the land. They just didn’t buy it. Their heavenly Commander had told them to possess the land, not back down.

Be careful how you are influenced by what you read & what you hear.

It seems to me, increasingly, that America is in a battle for her soul. Not that long ago, reading such sentiment, my reaction had been different, I thought the author of the statement was over-doing it. No longer do I think that. Probably much of that battle is being fought, though, in written & spoken words, words you read on your computer screen, your Blackberry or whatever. Don’t jump to conclusions, try not to panic, and by all means, if and once you’re drawn into anything, investigate ’til you get to the source.

“For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested: neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.” (Mark 4:22)