Without going into a whole lot of detail, this world we live in is controlled by Satan himself. ( Isiah 14:12 ) the Bible says this: How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

We also see in ( Ephesians 2:2 ) Wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

This world is Satan’s domain. We were born into this world of sin. Actually, the reasoning for that is that God the Father desires that you have to make a choice to walk in his light. We could also make the point that ( the angels ) such as Lucifer was; are creatures basically programmed to do exactly what God would have them do. God doesn’t want us to be that way. His will is for us to love him completely out of much appreciation for who he is and, all he does for us, to simply walk with him and obey him by choice.

And again, without getting to deep into this; this world is headed for, everything as one. One world money system, one world government, one world religion and, it won’t be worshipping Jesus Christ.

Well, in all of that, where do we as born again believers fit in? And, what is God’s plan? Let’s first look into how our nations have been weakened. Please understand, this is what I, as one indivividual can see and hopes to seek to correct, at least in my life.

If we start to lay this out with just individual families and, how God intended for those families to function, that might be a good start. First of all. each family has a head, the father, it has one that administers what that heads desire are ( the wife or mother ) and, then children obedient to that head as they are taught by the anministrator.

This family basically is totally dependant on themselves, they work as one. Let’s not forget that the husband here also has a head. That head is Jesus Christ, he leads that father and husband by the voice of the Holy Spirit within him. Hopefully, the wife and, all the children will have that same spirit within them, at least as all the children grow and develope, one by one. When I say ( totally dependant ) I mean that, as a family, they have their own kingdom, raise their own food, set their own guidelins as led by the spirit of God, to the best of the head’s ability.

So, now let’s place a single Church ( one that’s led by God’s spirit ) in the middle of, let’s say twenty families like this, every family meets at this Church one day a week. This Church has one pastor, led by the same spirit that seeks to give spiritual insight to every person that attends that Church each Sunday. Although it might be twenty Churches in a given area, one Church has nothing to do with what the other does and, each family is completely seperate from one another as far as personal leadership is concerned but, they all are learning from one spirit, the very Spirit of God.

We can take this same picture or example to counties, town and cities. All see as independant of one another in every way. As we look at this we also need to see that if any family, Church, county town or city fall on hard times then those that have been blessed will very willingly step up to help the weak out, not ever expecting anything in return or to be repaid.

I’m going to break here and show a verse that ( I believe ) will bring the whole thing into focus of where we are as a people. ( Acts 6:1 ) And in those days, when the number of the diciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

Just as a person that seeks to understand history and to bring about a spiritual point ( I believe ) that the United States of America was basically set up with this in mind, that is the pictue I wrote about our families and Churches. In our nation, we have a federal government, we have states, counties or parishes, all the way to individual fathers, wives children, in one word ( families ).

When we lose focus; as individuals of the needs of others, that’s called greed. When the weak are not helped by the strong simply because the strong can’t see the need of someone else then the concept that God purposed in his will begin to weaken.

Looking at the verse in ( Acts ). Can you see how that the people would have been better of if they would have had the ( spiritual insight ) to see the need of the Grecian widows and, helped them without being told to do so?

God’s whole will is wrapped up in freely giving. That being guided by the very Spirit of God and, using the spiritual insight we all should have. When we lose that then we become ( commune )(nistic ) by force and, that apart from the will of God.

In a Godly ( commune ) there is no one boss other than the spirit of God. One father never tells another father what to do, one pastor doesn’t tell another what to do, one wife or mother doesn’t tell another what to do. If in any case, any person is asked for advise then we can seek to instruct but it’s still that indivual’s choice and decision to make.

In saying all these things, we must remember who in in control of the world we live in. That person is not God the Father unless ( each individual ) allows him to be their leader.

Within God’s will, his desire is that those that believe him and follow him to completely overtake the control of this world. So, what happened?

GOD’S PEOPLE: THE CHOICES WE MAKE!

I’d like to begin this with a story I heard once. Someone said that their was a farmer that had a potato patch buy a road. When he began to harvest those potatoes he had raised and, was picking them up; every person that came buy he told them to take a peck of them. Another man happen to see him doing that and replied; if you keep giving potatoes away, you won’t have any for yourself. To that; the farmer replied, God can put more potatoes under these vines that I can ever use!

Do you believe that? Do you believe ( GOD ) shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ? ( Philippians 4:19 )

What happened? We gave up our individualism, some by choice and most by demand. I’ll just use this as an example: Many Churches today in certain parts of our country will make something as a Church and offer it to the community for sale. The money is used for certain attivities. Well, why couldn’t each family do the same thing and simply give to those that need it as God’s Spirit leads.

You see, in our laziness and complacency, we gave up our individualism. We think, it’s the pastor’s responsibility to be a witness for Jesus Christ. We think, it’s someone elses place to read and study God’s word and teach us. We think it’s the Churches responsibility to feed the poor, distribute the needs. We’ll just write a check.

Instead of our Churches being one, we have incorporated, our government desires to be one with the world. We expext our schools to teach our children, our pastors, our teachers to teach us to be spiritual and, our doctors to keep us healthy, all without ever even considering what God might desire to say to us, as individuals. We’ve given our voice to the powers of this world and, most don’t even recognize it.

Look at this verse: ( Luke 21:4 ) For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penery hath cast in all her living that she had.

What shall you give? What do you give? You can read this whole account but, this widow cast in two pence, all that she had. The point that is make here is ( all her living ). What she is saying is that if I starve it will be for the glory of God. I’m not depending on the things of this world for my security but, my Lord and savior. There are people that are much more in need than I am, to God be the glory.

The whole concept of righteous living has been sucked deep into a corrupt system of greed and prosperity. Education has overtaken the need of the guidance of the spirit of God. As I say these things, I’m not speaking to the people that are of this world but, to those that are born again or, say they know Jesus Christ as their savior.

When we, as a peculiar people decide to turn ourselves back to the will of God, to listen as he speaks and, directs each of us as directed by the spiritual ( chain of command ) then we, as a people have all the power we need to transform the world to the righteousness of God the Father. Satan has no power over us unless we allow him to. Our nation is where it is because we have allowed that to happen.

In closing: The place we sit in the Church we attend is probably worn from the many times we have sit there but, our Bibles still appear to be new. When we change that midset, wear the carpet from praying for our people and our Bibles from study and seeking the voice of God’s Spirit and the place we sit in Church is like new then; shall we hear from God the Father.

( Isaiah 1:18 ) Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Marshall Clayton

2 Timothy 1:7