Victoria Boyson: "A Call to Rise Up and Stand - For Such A Time As This" - The Elijah List

Victoria Boyson: "A Call to Rise Up and Stand - For Such A Time As This"

The Elijah List

Oct 26, 2016

"A Call to Rise Up and Stand - For Such A Time As This"

Victoria Boyson, Montgomery, TX

A Surprising Encounter

Last spring, my family and I traveled to Iowa for a funeral. We needed a few things and stopped by the local Wal-mart to pick them up. On our way out of the parking lot, we drove past a man at the entrance who sat in a wheelchair holding a sign in his hands. This man was incredibly disfigured; with legs missing, hands mangled and his face had been terribly marred.

We took him for a homeless man asking for money. We could tell that this man had obviously served his country. Instantly, my husband pulled up alongside him and shoved a ten-dollar bill in my hand and said, "Roll down your window, Victoria!" I wasn't even sure the man could make it to my window, but before I could answer back, my son shoved a twenty in my hand for the man as well. They were adamant, and they were right.

Obediently, I handed the man the cash, but, even though he took the money, he did not seem grateful – as expected. No. This man seemed desperate. He was saying something to me. It was difficult to understand, but it was then I realized for the first time that his sign wasn't asking for money.

"Please Don't Believe the News!"

He pleaded with us – with his mangled hands and misshapen mouth, "Please don't believe the news!" Over and over, he said through speech impediments from his obvious injuries, "Please don't believe the news!"

Indeed, this man was on a mission. He was desperate to inform the public that the media was not telling the truth. He wanted us to know the truth as he had seen it first-hand fighting for his country. He was desperate for us to know what we were up against – the true war we're fighting. (Photo via Pixabay)

And he is right. There's a war going on right now for the soul of our nation; and a powerful and deadly agenda is being launched against us to sink its tentacles deep into our nation and many others.

A Call to Rise Up and Stand Up

Much like the nation of Israel in the book of Esther, the leaders were being controlled and manipulated by Haman's agenda and were attempting to destroy the Israelis. Indeed, it seemed completely possible that the Jews in Persia would be annihilated. But God saw their trouble before it even began and He'd created an answer to save them. God's answer was Esther. She was married to the king and she happened to be Jewish.

He'd put the beautiful, yet humble Esther into just the right position to redeem the people of Israel. Yet, Esther was afraid of what might happen to her if she obeyed the pleadings of her cousin, Mordecai, who'd asked her to intercede for her people with her husband, the king of Persia.

She said, "'All the king's officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.'

"When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: 'Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?'" Esther 4:11-14.

A Risky Request

Much like Haman's agenda of hatred launched against the Jewish people, satan has garnered his supporters to implement his agenda against the earth. Those flaunting their power, trying to strip away the soul of our nation, really do believe they will get away with implementing their plan against us. But what they do not realize is their plan is NOT against us, but it is against GOD Himself.

Just as Haman was being used by satan, so too in our time, the dark powers of the prince of this world manipulate world leaders to do his bidding. Thinking for certain nothing will stand in their way, they are numbed by their seemingly easy route to power and yet, they are unaware the hunters have truly become the hunted. (Photo by Donna Smallenberg "For Such a Time as This" via Elijah List Shopper)

The Lord has set a trap for them, but they're blinded by mind-numbing pride. Yet God has launched His own agenda for our world, but it is as much a test for the Church as it is was for Esther.

You see, Esther was afraid because what she saw with her eyes did not add up to victory. It did not look like she thought it should. She wondered how she could persuade the king when it looked like she had lost his favor. Surely, if God wanted her to dissuade the king, wouldn't it look like she had influence with him? She didn't understand, and her trust in God was tested.

Things don't always look like we think they should and these discrepancies can offend us and keep us from trusting fully in God. Like Esther, the conditions of our miracle are not obvious until we walk in obedience.

For Such a Time as This

What Mordecai suggested to her was not an easy thing and it was incredibly difficult for her to step out and use her position to deliver the Jews. Courage and understanding led her through; for she realized that she had been brought to her royal position for such a time as this. 

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14

I read a story years ago about a woman who lay in a hospital, in a coma, dying from a severe infection. While in a coma, she could hear everything going on around her, but could not respond. On her sick bed, she pleaded with God to answer her prayers and restore her life to her even though she was in a coma.

An Answer to Prayer

She was terribly bothered by a man she disliked very much who came every day to pray for her, and felt frustrated and angry that she could do nothing to stop him from coming to her room because of her condition. This man was relentless, and as she felt her life slipping away, she continued to trust God to heal her.

Then one day, she died and went to Heaven. In Heaven, she realized the man who came every day to pray for her–whom she hated so much–was the answer to her prayers. Through her hatred and offense she did not receive him, and she died.

Through the miraculous grace of God, she came back to life a short while later completely healed of her infection. Amazingly, her self-righteous offense against the man who'd prayed for her in her hospital room was also gone. (Photo via Public Domain Pictures)

You see, the answer to the woman's prayers came in a form she did not like and was not expecting. She did not approve of this man and believed no miracle could come through him.Obviously, she did not think he was holy enough. Her prejudice kept her from seeing the answer to her prayers; but even in her pride, God was merciful and answered the man's prayers for her.

A Tipping Point for Our Nation

Our nation is at a tipping point and we need a miracle; there's no doubt about that. Like the wounded warrior who spoke in disfigured desperation to warn us of the agenda of death launched against us, we cannot believe the lies of the enemy. We need God to save us and we cannot afford to allow our prejudices and offenses to hinder our miracle from manifesting. 

I've heard people say they will not vote in this coming election because they do not like either candidates. They're offended and they've believed the lies of the enemy. God wants to answer their prayers, but they've been offended by the way He wants to do it. It doesn't look as they expected it would. So, they assume their prejudices and offenses are God's as well, or determine in their minds that they know better. (Photo via Victoria Boyson)

However, when you ask for God's will to be done, you relinquish rights to your own understanding and have to accept God's will and trust it. It may not look like you would like it to, but it will save you. It will stop the enemy's agenda against you.

You don't have to vote in this election if you don't want to, but ask yourself if your religious stance of righteous perfection is real or a snare from the enemy. Is the enemy lying to you? (Photo via Victoria Boyson)

Remember Mordecai's warning to Esther, "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish"(Esther 4:13-14).

Pray to Discern God's Will

Truly, we are in a season of testing and God is watching to see if we will trust Him or go our own way; follow our own understanding or acknowledge Him and His sovereignty and power (see Proverbs 3:5).

Ask God what He thinks and humbly accept His will. Don't take the bait of the enemy and allow him to manipulate you through offense and prejudice. For surely, God could raise up someone else to save us, but He wants to use you. Can you trust Him?

Obeying the Lord, even though it goes against all you think you know and understand, takes great courage but reaps rich rewards. Don't look back on this hour with regret. Seize the day and trust God. No matter what you think you know, you really don't know what tomorrow holds. This could be your finest hour! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List go here.)

Victoria Boyson
Speaking Life Ministries
Email: victoria@boyson.org
Website: www.boyson.org

Victoria Boyson is a powerful and genuine prophetic voice. She is the founder of Victoria Boyson Ministries and Women of Impact Ministries, a ministry dedicated to raising up an army of women who will impact and revolutionize their world. She is a passionate speaker, operating in extraordinary authority to awaken the Church to their victorious reality. Through revelations of the Holy Spirit and the Word, Victoria is breaking down strongholds which have kept the Church from fully realizing the great commission.

Based out of the Houston, Texas area, she is called to awaken and prepare the Bride of Christ for the end-time harvest and compel His Church to embrace a passionate relationship with their heavenly Father. She is the author of The Birth of Your Destiny, His Passionate Pursuit, Awakening: The Deep Sleep, and God's Magnum Opus: The Value of a Woman.

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From the desk of Steve Shultz:

This is a potent word for the very hour we are in – in this nation – for such a time as this. Victoria Boyson likens our day to the days of Esther... it's really prevalent to the here and now.

Victoria shares a few powerful points here:

Yet God has launched His own agenda for our world, but it is as much a test for the Church as it is was for Esther.

You see, Esther was afraid because what she saw with her eyes did not add up to victory. It did not look like she thought it should.

Things don't always look like we think they should and these discrepancies can offend us and keep us from trusting fully in God. Like Esther, the conditions of our miracle are not obvious until we walk in obedience.

Truly, we are in a season of testing and God is watching to see if we will trust Him or go our own way; follow our own understanding or acknowledge Him and His sovereignty and power.

Read this word by Victoria, pray into it, and ask the Lord for His Will to be done in our nation.

Thank you...and God bless you and our nation! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List go here.)

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Steve Shultz, Founder and Publisher
The Elijah List & Breaking Christian News 
http://www.elijahlist.com

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COMMENTARY: Did the New Covenant Nullify the Sabbath? - ISRAEL TODAY

COMMENTARY: Did the New Covenant Nullify the Sabbath?

Monday, November 02, 2015 |  Brian Hennessy  ISRAEL TODAY

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Topics:

Bible

As more and more Christians recover their stolen Hebraic heritage and begin to draw near to their Jewish brethren again, the question arises - “how do we keep holy the Sabbath day?” Surely this commandment is central to being part of God’s Israel – “for it shall be a sign between Me and you throughout your generations” (Ex. 31:12).

For centuries we thought as Christians we were keeping the Sabbath by going to church on Sunday. Then we discovered the Sunday Sabbath was an unauthorized change to God’s Law instituted by the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century. But does that mean God’s official day of rest is still Saturday? Or is there some other way to understand the fourth commandment in light of God’s New Covenant (NC) with Israel? I believe there is.

To begin, Jesus was quite clear about the purpose of his coming regarding the Mosaic Law: “I did not come to abolish [it] but to fulfill [it]” (Matt. 5:17). So none of the commandments and ordinances given on Mount Sinai were ever abolished by Yeshua. The key is understanding what Yeshua meant by “fulfilled.” For surely things were not the same in Israel after he left. 

As the inspired New Testament writers revealed, the original Mosaic commands were only “a shadow of the good things to come” (Heb. 10:1). They all pointed to a future spiritual fulfillment in Yeshua. So once the New Covenant (NC) fulfilled the first covenant, Israel’s understanding of how God wanted His people to serve Him also had to change. 

The command for physical circumcision became the required circumcised heart. The Levitical priesthood was replaced by the priesthood of believers. The temple building by the body of Messiah. Passover was now the remembrance of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God in the bread and wine. And the Sabbath became a command to rest, not just one day a week, but 24-7 in the finished work of Yeshua.

• No one explains this NC truth concerning the Sabbath better than Watchman Nee. In his little book, Sit, Walk, Stand, a study of the Book of Ephesians, he reminds us the Sabbath law was based on God resting on the seventh day of creation.  We were to see that while God worked six days and rested on the seventh, man, who was created on the sixth day, began his work on God’s day of rest. This showed us man must first enter God’s rest in Yeshua before he could work. “For anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own works, just as God did from his” (Heb. 4:10).

To keep the Sabbath now we must sit down with Yeshua in heavenly places each day and cease from all our striving and unrest. We can rest from trying to stay saved, from trying to provide for ourselves and family, from trying to serve God – and just receive it all by faith, knowing God has already met all our needs and accomplished all our work for us in him. All we do now will be done in the Spirit. 

Ironically, that means the Sabbath is the only time we should work! All other times of labor for God, even if deemed a “good work,” will have no lasting value in God’s Kingdom. Do you realize how much religious busy-work would end if we were all truly keeping His Sabbath?

That doesn’t mean someone can’t designate one day to be a personal sabbath rest to honor God if he so chooses. It just means he won’t be stoned if he fails to keep it. 

The bottom line: “Let no one  act as your judge with regard to food or drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day, things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Messiah” (Col. 2:16,17).

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Brian Hennessy is the author of Valley of the Steeples, available at:ketchpublishing/BrianHennessyBooks.htm

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Prepare for Persecution: A Message From Billy Graham - CHARISMA NEWS

Billy Graham gives five ways to fortify yourself in the days ahead. (Courtesy/BGEA)

Prepare for Persecution: 

A Message From Billy Graham

10/27/2015 BILLY GRAHAM CHARISMA NEWS

In the event of a national catastrophe, much confusion, terror and consternation would reign. What would the Christian do? What should our attitude be? Which way would we turn if the country in which we live were suddenly wrecked and all the props gone?

As a whole, our nation does not know what privation is. We do not know what sacrifice is. We do not know what suffering is. Suppose persecution were to come to the church in America, as it has come in other countries.

The immunity to persecution that Christians in our country have experienced in the past two or three centuries is unusual. Christ strongly warned Christians that to follow Him would not be popular, and that in most circumstances it would mean cross-bearing and persecution.

The Bible says that all who "desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus said that as the time of His return draws nigh, "They will seize you and persecute you" (Luke 21:12). We have no scriptural foundation for believing that we can forever escape being persecuted for Christ's sake. The normal condition for Christians is that we should suffer persecution. Are you willing to face persecution and death for Christ's sake?

What Would You Do?

Since we have experienced little religious persecution in this country, it is likely that under pressure many would deny Christ. Those who shout the loudest about their faith may surrender soonest. Many who boast of being courageous would be cowardly. Many who say, "Though all others deny Christ, yet I will never deny Him," would be the first to warm their hands at the campfires of the enemy.

Jesus, in speaking of the last times, warned, "Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake" (Matthew 24:9). The Scripture says, "because iniquity will abound, the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12).

The apostle Paul, referring to the coming evil day, said, "Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (Ephesians 6:13).

Here are five ways to fortify yourself so that you will be able to stand in that day.

1. Make Sure

First, make sure of your relationship to God. Amos the prophet saw the Day of Judgment fast approaching for Israel. He warned the people to prepare to meet God. The word preparedness should be a key word for everyone.

It is strange that we prepare for everything except meeting God. We prepare for marriage. We prepare for a career. We prepare for education.

But we do not prepare to meet God. Even though most Americans see the storm clouds gathering on the horizon, by and large we are making few preparations to meet God. This is a time for repentance and faith. It is a time for soul-searching, to see if our anchor holds.

Have you been to the cross where Christ shed His blood for your sins? Have you had the past forgiven? Have you come by faith, confessing that you are a sinner and receiving Christ as your Savior? I tell you that this cross is the only place of refuge in the midst of the storm of judgment that is fast approaching. Make sure of your relationship with God.

2. Walk With God

Second, learn now to walk with God in your daily life. Abraham walked with God and was called a friend of God. Walk with God as Moses did on the back side of the desert; when the hour of judgment fell upon Egypt, Moses was the one who led his people to freedom. Walk with God as David did as a shepherd boy; when the time of crisis came, David was prepared to meet it. Daniel and his three young friends walked with God in Babylon, and when trouble came, God was beside them—whether it was in the lions' den or in the fiery furnace.

However, God does not always deliver His saints from adversity. God says in Hebrews 11 that others were just as faithful as Abraham, Moses, Daniel or David. They, too, walked with God—but they perished. God has not promised to deliver us from trouble. 

But He has promised to go with us through the trouble. Stephen was a young man "full of faith and of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 6:5). They stoned him to death, but his was a triumphal entry into heaven. If you are not strengthening the inner man or woman by daily walking with God now, when a crisis comes you will quake with fear and give in, having no strength to stand up for Christ.

---

3. Assimilate Scripture

Third, we should fortify ourselves with the Word of God. Begin reading, studying and memorizing Scripture as never before. The Bible says, "Stand therefore, having your waist girded with truth" (Ephesians 6:14). The truth is the Word of God. We are to be girded and undergirded with the Word. Read it, assimilate it, feed on it; let it be your staff and strength. It is quick and powerful. It is the bulwark of the soul. Too many Christians today are entangled with the affairs of this world, caught in a net of material interest and diversion. Scripture, to many, is little more than a reference book for biblical facts. It is seldom opened and rarely relished as the spiritual staff of life that it is.

Many souls are anemic and starved for the things of God. They are totally unprepared for a time of crisis. Store these Scriptures away so that if your Bible is ever taken from you, you will have the Word of God written on the tablet of your heart. Many stories have come out of prison camps, of Christians who had no Bibles but had committed to memory great portions of Scripture. What a comfort, blessing and strength these Scriptures were as they repeated them over and over again to themselves. One missionary who was in a concentration camp for three years in China told me that during that time his greatest regret was that he had not memorized more of the Bible.

4. Pray Always

Fourth, fortify yourself with prayer. The Bible, referring to "the evil day," says, "Pray in the Spirit always with all kinds of prayer and supplication" (Ephesians 6:18). If we are to stand uncompromisingly for Christ when a national crisis comes, we must rediscover the power of prayer.

The early church knew the value and necessity of prayer. Earnest, fervent prayer preceded every major triumph. Prayer preceded Pentecost. Peter and John were en route to the temple to pray when they witnessed for Christ, and thousands were converted. Paul and Silas prayed in prison, the Philippian jailer found Christ, and Paul and Silas were delivered.

If Christianity is to survive in a world filled with materialism, the church must have a revival of prayer. As individuals, we must repent of prayerlessness. The prayer meeting must become the vital institution it was when evangelical Christianity was the mightiest force in the world.

5. Meditate on Christ

Fifth, we must fortify ourselves by meditating upon the person of Christ. Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said, "There have never been 15 minutes in my life when I did not sense the presence of Christ." We must learn again to practice the presence of God. We must say with David, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14). Christ must be vitally real to us if we are to prove loyal to Him in the hours of crisis.

Will You Stand?

Today our nation ranks as the greatest power on the face of the earth. But if we put our trust in armed might instead of Almighty God, the coming conflict could conceivably go against us. History and the Bible indicate that mechanical and material might are insufficient in times of great crisis. We need the inner strength that comes from a personal, vital relationship with God's Son, Jesus Christ.

The wheels of God's judgment can be heard by discerning souls across the length and breadth of nations. Things are happening fast! The need for a return to God has never been more urgent.

The words of Isaiah are appropriate for us today: "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call you upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:6-7).

God needs men and women who will "stand in the evil day." Will you be one of them? Will you come to the cross and in humility confess your sins to God and receive Jesus Christ as Savior? Will you become one of God's warriors in this crisis hour? You can enlist today in the army of God by giving your life to His Son Jesus Christ and letting Him become the Captain of your soul. "Yet to all who received Him, He gave the power to become sons of God, to those who believed in His name" (John 1:12). ©1957 BGEA

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Run. Stand. Ride. Speak...

Run...

                                          Stand...

                                                         

 Ride...

 Speak...

 ...to the Lion of Judah, Yeshua.

WE stand with Israel.

It is time we take a stand, 

A never changing line in the sand;

To stop the enemy from having his way.

Beginning now. Today.

Steve Martin

MorningStar Prophetic Bulletin #79 - "Too Big To See" - July 8, 2013 Rick Joyner

Too Big To See

Rick Joyner

MorningStar Prophetic Bulletin #79 - July 8, 2013

     At this writing, the saga of Edward Snowden still dominates the news. There may have never been a more poignant example of how easily our media and our elected representatives can take their eyes off the ball and begin to major on minors. Snowden may be a traitor, or he may be a hero, but he is not the real story here. Chasing after the story of Snowden’s plight is like trying to swat a gnat when there is a lion in the room about to pounce.

     No doubt Snowden revealed secret information illegally. That makes him a criminal, but the real issue is what he exposed: the truth that there has never been a more expansive and intrusive spying on its own citizens by a government in history, as ours is now doing to us.

     What our government is guilty of is far worse than anything Snowden did, regardless of his motives. There has never been a more blatant and dangerous violation of our Constitution, Bill of Rights, or a more far-reaching abuse of power by the American Government in history. Pursuing Snowden for his crime may be appropriate, but we should have ten thousand agents going after the ones who did this to the American people for every one that is chasing Snowden. 

“The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions.”

     This is a popular saying because it has so often proven true. Our Government is claiming that it only had the best of intentions for gathering almost unlimited information on every American—that it was done to protect us from terrorist attacks and criminals. Some have reasoned that if we are not terrorists or criminals, then we should have nothing to worry about. Really? This is the same rationale that every police state in history used to set up totalitarian control over its people.

     Are these motives true? We have a growing mountain of evidence that this most basic violation of every American’s privacy is already being used for other sinister purposes, like suppressing political opposition and even destroying the businesses and wealth of those who support causes counter to the Administrations. This is tyranny at its most basic level and the foundation of every police state. If we buy into the good intentions excuse, we are the most naïve sheep ever led to the slaughter.

     We have a long trail of evidence now proving that for several years the tactics of a police state have been slowly implemented in America. What is worse (and it does get worse) is that what Snowden brought to light is how our Government has built an apparatus for the most terrifying police state there has ever been. They not only have the power to see me typing these words right now, but they also have the power to watch you reading them. That is not paranoia; it is a fact that has been acknowledged. This is Orwellian prophecy fulfilled.

Why Is America Going So Meekly?

     The whole world is outraged by what has come to light by our NSA domestic spying network. They became even more alarmed when they found out that it is not just American citizens whose communications and movements are being monitored, but their citizens too and even they themselves. It was disclosed that soon the NSA will have the capability of doing the same with almost everyone on the planet. The question most of the world is now asking is why are American citizens being so passive about this?

     Why did our media and elected officials suddenly become so preoccupied with Snowden and suddenly stop protesting the NSA’s domestic spying? Did the NSA have something on them that they were able to hold over their heads? The fact that information obtained by the NSA is already being used in this way has been implied, and the evidence sure looks like it. However, even if it is not being done, it will be suspected from now on. What else could have gotten the media and our elected representatives off of an issue this big to focus everything on Snowden?

     Even the left leaning Politico carried a story lamenting that Snowden’s greatest fear was coming to pass—that the greatest threat to our freedom, possibly ever, could be revealed and nothing would be done about it. Is this something that is too big to see, too big to believe?

     Snowden broke his oath as an intelligence officer, and he broke the law by exposing classified information. This does make him a criminal. Being a criminal may discredit him in the eyes of most people, but Snowden may be the most noble, courageous criminal in U.S. history. He committed a crime and then openly exposed himself. He may well have done this to keep an even more sacred oath—to defend the Constitution against enemies both foreign and domestic. Regardless of his motives, what he did was to give us a chance to save our Republic.

     The evidence points to Snowden having an awakening to what he and many others were being used by the Government to do, and he resolved to set it right. He claims he did what had to be done while there was still time to stop this most frightening tyranny. There are many factors that do not line up for Snowden to have done this as a traitor, or an agent of another government. Even so, the reason he did this is not the main issue here. The issue is what the NSA is doing.

     What our Government is doing spying on Americans through the NSA is appalling. Yet when you combine it with the other cascading revelations about the use of the IRS, the FBI, and the DOJ to undermine or destroy political opponents, we must see that not only is the apparatus of the most terrible police state now in place, but the tactics of a police state are already being used.

The ACLU Joins Conservatives

     This may be almost as shocking as what the NSA is doing to us, but it is true. The ACLU stood up boldly and quickly to declare that what the NSA is doing is the biggest violation of our Constitution ever, and they filed a suit against the Government. Right now the ACLU is demonstrating more courage, wisdom, and leadership in this crisis than even the Republican leadership in Congress.

     All that our country was founded and built upon is at stake, and our fate will be decided over the next few months. We are now facing something much bigger than any Democratic or Republican Party issue. If this is allowed to stand, our Republic is doomed. We will soon be under the yoke of the most oppressive totalitarian state in history, made possible by our modern technology.

Another Revolution?

     It has now fallen upon us to do what our Founders did when they risked their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to throw off the yoke of the oppressor. The American Revolution was not a tax revolt as those who twist history would have us believe. The stifling and increasing taxation was number seventeen on their list of grievances. Far worse for the colonists were things like having their children kidnapped and made servants on British ships, having their property abused and even confiscated, and being treated like an occupied people by the British army. The things our own Government is doing to us now are worse.

     The American Revolution is unique in history because it was begun and led by the wealthiest of the colonists, not the disenfranchised. This has not happened before or since. Those who signed the Declaration of Independence were the 1%. If you are prone to think they did this out of greed, not wanting to pay more taxes, there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary. They risked their fortunes, when they had something to risk, in the face of almost impossible odds. Many of them paid the price. Two of the signers of the Declaration of Independence knew that the moment they signed, they had lost everything because British forces were camped right next to their estates. They signed anyway.

     All who signed the Declaration of Independence knew that if they did not win the war they were starting, they would all be hung as traitors. They did this while knowing they were starting a war against the most powerful army in the world, and they did not even yet have an army. No one in the world gave them a chance. They signed anyway. Then they endured five years of almost constant defeats, each year looking more hopeless than the last. Yet they fought on. We are again in need of such noble, resolute souls.

     We cannot let what our Founders, and so many others who have sacrificed so much for us to have this freedom, be lost on our watch. It is now going to take the same kind of courage and fortitude to save the Republic as it took to found it. It is our time. Will we measure up?

     The zeal with which our Government is going after Snowden should cause even the most naïve to be suspicious. Forcing the planes of other Heads of State to be grounded out of fear Snowden may be on them is not only extreme—it’s unprecedented. Snowden has obviously done all the harm that he can do, so why this obsession? Obviously, it is to make him an example to any others who might be considering blowing the whistle.

     If it is proven that Snowden is a traitor or that he did this as an agent of a foreign government, then he must be tracked down and prosecuted. If he did it for the reasons he claims, and at this writing this seems to be the case, then he deserves the Medal of Freedom, not prosecution.

Are We The “Useful Idiots?”

     Marx detested liberals, calling them “useful idiots.” He knew they were so naïve and easily manipulated that they could be used until absolute power had been seized. Then the liberals and the intelligentsia would be the first to be snuffed out. That has been the case with every totalitarian power to date. Why would anyone continue to think it would be different this time?

     Remember Einstein’s definition of insanity—doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results? How is it that those who are supposed to be the smartest get so fooled every time? We should be encouraged that the ACLU woke up so fast to this unprecedented threat. Liberals are actually the most at risk from totalitarian control, but like the Jews in the Holocaust going to the showers thinking they were actually going to get a shower, the same tragedy is repeated over and over.

     Idealism is a drug that makes you feel good while it is killing you. There is no political party, group, or single American that is not at risk from what we now have hanging over us. Everything America was born for and stands for is now threatened. We have all been duped, but now we need to all wake up or we may never wake up.

     Even if our government officials did have good intentions in setting up this all-powerful, all-seeing domestic spying apparatus, who is to guarantee that those who succeed them will have the same good intentions? This cannot be allowed to stand.

     Even if this was done with the best of intentions, good intentions are no excuse for violating the Constitution. Every officer and elected official takes an oath to defend the Constitution from enemies both foreign and domestic. Those who authorized and constructed the NSA spy apparatus have violated this oath, knowingly or unknowingly. We should give a pass to those who do what Snowden did—reveal that which so threatens our liberty and is in such obvious violation of the Constitution. Those who continue to defend this most blatant of all violations of the 4^th Amendment against unlawful search and seizure are obvious enemies of all that America was built on and has stood for—and they are not just enemies of the people—this is a crime against humanity, not just America.

Our Loving Enemies

     Last year the Russian newspaper Pravda published an article on the evidence that proved that freedom of the press no longer exists in America. Sometimes your enemies will tell you things your friends won’t, but you need to hear. Pravda may have been gloating, but they were right. It has been obvious for a long time that the mainstream media in America is, at the very least, inhibited. Yet this makes it look totally controlled. Even so, we have reason for hope.

     A reason for hope is that now only about 35% of Americans get their news from the mainstream media, and that percentage is continuing to decrease. Blogs and alternative news sources are now where Americans are getting their information. The majority of Americans are smarter, more knowledgeable, and more resourceful than the present Administration or the mainstream media gives them credit for.

     Even so, alternative news sources are also under threat as the Government moves to tax internet use, which brings in the IRS. The KGB was right when it was disclosed that the KGB never thought of the CIA as their counterpart, but rather the IRS. They could see better than we could that the Government’s real power to control its citizens was the IRS. Lately, we have just begun to understand how right they were.

     The abuses that have just been revealed about how the IRS was used to target this Administration’s political opponents are already looking like the tip of the iceberg. With Obamacare set to be managed by the IRS, it will put all of our records, health and financial, in their hands and in their control, with the authority to draw from our accounts without our permission. Might that explain why the head of the IRS visited the White House over 160 times in this Administration, three times more than even the most frequently visiting Cabinet member? We would have to be the most blind and naïve people of all time not to see the pattern of where this is headed.

Egypt—The New Leaders of The Free World?

     Without visible leadership, Egyptians have thrown off their yoke a second time in two years. Granted they are just entering a long and hard struggle for their freedom. It is likely that the struggle in Egypt will get much worse before it gets better. However, they are demonstrating the one crucial ingredient that is essential to gain and maintain freedom—courage.

     It is a tell-tale revelation that the U.S. Administration is only grudgingly backing the new freedom movement (which is really the first one reawakened) and laments the overthrow of President Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. We claim to be concerned about how this duly elected President was removed, but Morsi abdicated his legitimacy as a Constitutional President when he started unilaterally changing the Constitution, suspending the Egyptian Supreme Court, and taking other such unconstitutional actions.

     Morsi put allegiance to the Muslim Brotherhood mission of implementing Sharia above the Egyptian Constitution. So the people again did what our American Founding Fathers said every citizen and every American has the right and responsibility to do if our Government starts violating the Constitution. That was the stated reason for the Second Amendment—the right of American citizens to bear arms must not be infringed, so that the American people would keep in their hands the power to throw off the tyranny if our Government went awry.

     I am not advocating forceful resistance yet, but our Government has gone awry and has built the most threatening instruments of tyranny ever devised. Can we trust anyone with that power, especially when they have already been proven to abuse it?

     Our Government, with its checks and balances, was devised to protect us from what it is now starting to do to us. This is happening because you can have the best form of government, yet still have bad government, if you have weak or bad people in it. Those who now have the authority to bring the checks and balances have proven too weak or timid to use it.

     At the end of the Book of Revelation, the cowardly are the first to be thrown into the lake of fire, even before murderers, deceivers, and those who have done all other manner of abominable acts. The Republican leadership in Congress has been so impotent and cowardly in standing against what is being done to us that it could very well be the cause of the end of the Republican Party, even if we are able to preserve the Republic.

     Because of our present lack of principled, courageous, and resolute leadership, it may take the same kind of public uprising in America to throw off the yoke we are now being shackled with. We do not have time to cry over the vacuum of leadership. If we are to recover our Government that is “of the people, for the people, and by the people,” it just may be the best thing for the people to have to do it.

SOLUTION:

     Americans, get ready to arise. Get ready for a second American Revolution to recover the principles and the freedoms won by the first one.

     We must also know that, in such times as these, some of the greatest patriots will be branded traitors, and some of the worst traitors can be branded patriots. We must resolve now that we will not be swayed by how we are portrayed by our Government, by our media, or even by the majority of Americans. We must resolve to just do the right thing with the conviction that liberty is worth paying any price to preserve.

     If we go down in history as traitors while trying to do the right thing, we can be comforted that it will all be straightened out at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Regardless of what men may think of us now, we must take a stand for what is right for the sake of what is right and for our children. We must not be the generation that lost what so many paid such a dear price to give us. We must do the right thing because it is the right thing, leaving the consequences to the One in whom we have put our trust.

     If our Founding Fathers had lost The Revolutionary War, they would have been counted among history’s worst villains, and they would have been hung as traitors. That was the risk they took, and throughout most of the war, it looked like that was how it would end up. They stood for what they did because they knew it was right, not because they thought they would win. For five years it looked like they had little chance of actually winning. That is the kind of courage that eternal values stand on.

     Right now our Government seems to be holding all the cards and all the power. However, we have divinely powerful weapons, such as truth, honor, integrity, and love—even love for those who may misunderstand what we are doing and for those we may have to fight against. Above all, we have such love for our King that we will never surrender or retreat.

     Almost all of our present representatives in Government are proving that they are what the Lord called “hirelings.” The system has gone so awry that it promotes people of the lowest character into some of the highest positions. There are some true and noble souls still in Government, both as elected officials and bureaucrats, but they are rare. If we are to preserve our Republic, there must be a revolution in the way we choose our leaders and representatives.

     For those who are in the Government who are of a different spirit, some will have to do what Snowden did—be a whistleblower. They will have to sound the alarm and be willing to take the heat. There will be heat because one cannot stand in the way of totalitarian control without repercussions.

     For our part, let us not be so quick to judge them, but look at what they are exposing. The only thing that makes sense out of the Administration’s over-the-top pursuit of Snowden, who has likely already done all the damage he can do, is now to make an example of him to keep others in line who may be considering doing something similar. The present Administration has become known for being the most severe and brutal in dealing with whistleblowers, so it will take uncommon courage to do it. We should know not to pile on just because our Government and the media do.

     This is not to prematurely justify Snowden, as we do not yet know what his real motives were. However, what we do know is that a government that starts looking at its own citizens as the greatest threat has itself become our greatest threat. That is precisely what our Department of Homeland Security did when it put out the memo that the greatest terrorist threats to America come from Evangelical Christians who believe in the end-time prophecies of The Bible, Veterans, and Second Amendment groups. What should be to everyone’s shock is how they left off of this threat list the one group that has been responsible for almost every terrorist attack in the last half century—Islamic extremists!

     We can’t look to those who are in Government at this time for leadership. However, that does not mean we do not have the kind of leadership available in America that we will need for the times to come. We must all take the leadership we can within our own circles and be ready to link up with others when the trumpet call is heard.

The Tipping Point

     President Obama said that we would need to have the discussion about trading freedom for security. As we see in Scripture, even Caiaphas, the High Priest who condemned Jesus to death, can be used to prophesy. I think Obama prophesied when he said this. America is right now choosing between the security of a prison and freedom.

      We can count on 30% of Americans to choose security. These will side with the Government and believe Government to be the answer to every problem. The majority of those in conventional media are in this 30%, so they can make it look like the majority. However, they are, in fact, the minority.

      We can likewise count on 30% doubting everything the Government says or does and will, without even thinking, choose freedom over Government intrusion. Right now, even though everything the Government or Obama is doing is not wrong, it is far better to be skeptical of Government. We must stay on point to challenge the really big and really dangerous threats.

     There are about 40% between these two camps that can go either way. This was the breakdown of Americans in 1776 and has remained about the same since. However, for now we must throw off the yoke of thinking in terms of getting the magical 51% majority needed to pass a bill or win an election. We don’t need a majority to save our country as much as we need courage.

     This whole matter could be settled by a tiny minority, even 2% or less, on either side of the issue. Marx has been proven true that a tiny minority of the passionate can rule the majority who are indifferent. The great tipping points in history that have brought profound cultural change have consistently come from less than the square root of 1% of the population affected. That means that less than 100 people can profoundly impact and determine the course of a city of one million.

      Maybe that is why the Lord made Gideon send away tens of thousands who wanted to fight with him, until he got down to just three hundred men. With God, three hundred were enough even in the face the massive army arrayed against them. The longer the odds, the better the Lord seems to like it.

     Tolkien portrayed his vision of these times in The Lord of the Rings.

     In his prophecy, the evil that was coming out of the bowels of the earth was worse than the world had ever faced before. Those who were standing against the hordes from hell were few in number, but they resolved to fight in the face of almost certain death because it was the right thing to do. They fought well, but it took just two persevering hobbits to undo all of the power of the evil one.

     You might be one of those hobbits. The smallest and seemingly most insignificant of our neighbors might be one. Therefore, let us treat everyone in the fight as heroes. As the last battle unfolded, the heroes were equally as shocked by those who turned out to be in the enemy’s camp as they were by some who turned out to be on their side. Be open.

     We must keep it simple and just do the right thing. Even if we fail, we will be able to stand before our King without shame. It will be much better to take our stand and fail, than not to have stood. However, we can read the end of the story in our Book. We win in the end. It is time for boldness and courage. It is time for the righteous to arise.

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