Finding Christ in the Quiet

Probably never in history have we needed to focus on and grasp again, the concept and practice of learning to live in quiet before and in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I want to invoke a couple of historical individuals to show how importantly they viewed their inability to hear and see as key components of their success.

One was a deist, Thomas Edison, the inventor and businessman, and the other a beloved Christian sister: Fanny Crosby, who was known to have written thousands of hymns during her lifetime.

Both of them had the tenacity to perform their respective roles over and over again to attain their desired results. Both of them attributed that tenacity to their inability to hear, in the case of Thomas Edison, and see, in the case of Fanny Crosby.

When technology started to catch up with the challenges of being deaf, Edison was asked if he wanted to be treated in order to hear better. His answer was a resounding "no." Edison said that if he started to be able to hear he wouldn't be able to concentrate as he had in the past; one of the major reasons behind his success in his view.

Fanny Crosby said something similar:

It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were of­fered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.

So Edison didn't want to be interrupted be being able to hear, and Fanny Crosby didn't want to be interrupted by what she would be able to see.

The point in all of this is when we learn to practice the presence of Jesus Christ in a quiet manner, we gain access to something similar that Edison and Crosby did: the ability to focus sharply and long on the goals they had before them without interruption. That was a huge part of their success.

As it applied to walking effectively in Christ, that is the goal of learning to quiet ourselves before the Lord in order to enjoy His presence without distraction, and also to hear and see clearly what it is He may want to do with us at any one time.

We must get back to this practice on a daily basis, eventually attaining the goal of walking in His presence without interruption. The fact that most don't even consider this a thing to be attained, or that could be attained, testifies to the age we live in, where Christians believe more will be attained for Christ by hard work and endless strategies.

It is impossible to know, see and hear Christ when our souls are active. It's as simple as that. The lesson from Edison and Crosby is we must learn to quiet out God-given senses in order to fellowship with and hear the Lord clearly from the quiet of our spirits deep within our beings. There is no other way.

We must learn to allow the Lord Jesus Christ to shut down our soulish activity in order to be able to tune into the activity of the Lord deep within our beings.

In this article we're not going to touch much on the practicals of that (and learning this is very practical), but rather on setting out the fact that this is something that must be done, as it's a major part of the eternal purpose of God in Jesus Christ.

There is a seeking and a hunger we must ask Christ to give us for Him, as he's always wooing us to be quiet before Him in order to be able to shut out the world and its distractions in order to be close to one another.

It's out of that closeness that the rest will come. But if there is no quiet, there simply is no practical and real closeness with the Lord, and consequently, it's out of that innermost being where rivers of living water will flow out into this world while we're alive.

If we aren't quiet before the Lord, the Spirit of God will still be within us, but He will be locked in without a way to get out because of the way we are distracted by all that is around us.

Speaking from experience, I can testify to the fact that once you learn to live in the presence of the Lord without ever leaving that presence, the rest of the responsibilities of life are eased significantly by the Lord, who has called us to walk in this manner.

The way this can be achieved is by the willful shutting down of our senses while we wait on the Lord in a restful place. Continuing to practice that allows for that time of quiet to slowly extend, not only to times when we're alone with Him, but to all areas of life we are involved in.

This isn't an intellectual endeavor, but a spiritual one hidden deep in our inner man or spirit. That allows us to walk and talk and participate in life without ever leaving the presence of God. And it has absolutely nothing, in general, to do with feelings. It's completely an experience and walk of faith.

Using Crosby and Edison of examples are for the purpose of showing how they were able to live productive lives in light of the loss of hearing and sight. Picture what it would be like if we were to willingly allow the Lord to shut down those aspects of our lives without having to actually lose those faculties. It would be extraordinary the lives we could live on a daily basis when not taking in all the external stimuli around us.

I don't mean by that that we can't enjoy the beautiful creation of God, but what I mean is that is simply a part of a picture of who Jesus Christ is. He is far beyond this pointers to who He is; being the only reality there ever will be. That's why He Himself stated that He is the reality.

The place to begin with all of this is to recognize that we're not able to do this on our own. We must ask Jesus Christ to enable us to walk in this way of life. Only the Spirit of God within us can empower us to walk in this way.

And once you start to learn to successfully walk in this manner, from there it can be expanded to other brothers and sisters, who together can learn and share the inner and hidden things of Jesus Christ residing in our spirits and confirmed by the Holy Scriptures.

The creation is groaning for the manifestation of the sons of God, and imagine what it will be like when an untold number of Christian brothers and sisters learn to walk this way together in this world.

Ask Christ to show you a glimpse of what that could and will be like. It will be a great impetus to not only start your quiet journey to know the Lord as deeply as He wants you to know Him, but also to continue on that journey for the rest of your life on this earth, and on into the ages of ages.


One Caveat
One caveat on this story. I mentioned that Thomas Edison was a deist for no other reason than it was how he believed. I don't in any way agree with that, but the purpose of including him in the article was to show how he benefited from the loss of memory in being able to focus in a way he would not have otherwise been able to.

It's the asking of Christ to help us to quiet ourselves before Him so we can fellowship with Him without distractions that is the point, not anything else related to Edison's beliefs or person.

Austerity, Children, and the Socialist Lie

A pathetic and manipulative article was written by a socialist for CNBC, with the liberal using precious children and babies in an attempt to make it appear the evil of socialism isn't the reason people are abandoning their children in larger numbers in Europe.

This nutty writer attempts to make the case that its austerity, or the cutting back on the size of government and spending that is the cause of the abandonment.

Of course that is easily brushed aside by the reality of asking the question as to why were these people relying on the government handouts to raise their children in the first place.

Listen to the opening salvo in this propaganda piece:

As the euro zone debt crisis deepens and austerity measures take their toll across Europe, the number of young children and babies abandoned across the region has increased, according to local charities.

From this opening paragraph you can see this person is so clueless as to make you wonder how an article like that could be allowed to have the name of a major network attached to it. Oh I forgot, it's CNBC.

What I mean is the contradiction between the debt crisis in the eurozone and the austerity measures that must be taken in order to help solve it.

In other words, the debt crisis was created because of the promises made by governments in Europe which could never be fulfilled. Now that the weakness of Keynesianism and socialism has been revealed again, this is another attempt to attempt to resuscitate this zombie economic system, using young children as the cannon fodder in the fight.

Governments spending beyond their means is what created the crisis, not the new practice of the governments having to live within their means, which is what true austerity really is.

The other lie and outrageous manipulative line is the assertion that the austerity measures are taking their "toll across Europe."

Why is that a lie? The measures aren't taking their toll, they're correcting the unsustainable practices of governments. That means the people shouldn't have had that money in their pockets in the first place, as it was all built upon smoke and mirrors. It was created from nothing but then had to be paid back by someone, at some time.

Many in these countries now expect productive people from other countries to pay for the socialist, fascist practices of their governments; people want to have individuals from other nations pay for that which had no right to be in their hands in the first place, because it wasn't real.

Now let's look at the next incredibly ignorant statement made concerning the alleged issue:

With the cost of raising children estimated to be 20-30 percent of an average household budget (per child) in Europe, more families are now struggling to cope with the costs.

If you were to believe this writer, anyone in Europe with 3 children take up to 90 percent of the annual household budget. Really? Of course that huge gap of 20 to 30 percent is gigantic. What is it? Twenty or thirty percent. Maybe it's 10 to 15 percent. Who knows. And also note that it's an "estimated" percentage.

Now only a socialist or progressive would equate government cuts in spending to struggling families. Families have always struggled, and when left to their own (including extended family and the church), always have found ways to make it.

The costs aren't even proven, and even if all the data are true, it's irrelevant. What does government have to do with families making it financially? The answer is absolutely nothing.

This is an artificially created crisis which would have never existed if the outrageous taxation in these countries didn't take so much from the people, who would otherwise have much more money in their pockets to raise their families. That's part of the dirty little lie not addressed by the writer and those of her ilk.

Now let's look at the sob story from a Greek that is more of a fairy tale than based on reality, as far as the cause of the problems.

George Protopapas, National Director of the charity's (SOS Villages) Greek division said that parents already struggling with keeping a roof over their heads are now barely managing to keep their children clothed and fed, if at all.

Again, what does any of this have to do with government. Charities have been in operations for centuries, and people and families have always struggled economically. What is different this time around? Or why is it being portrayed as different?

The reason is the governments and central banks which enable them, are totally and completely behind this suffering, as they not only created the socialist redistribution model, but then the central banks continued to feed their addiction by printing money out of thin air to support the socialist lie.

Redistribution doesn't work. Socialism and progressivism doesn't work. And government as the source of capital and goods doesn't work. This is why everything is being done to make it look like austerity is bad, when in fact we need even more of it around the world.

This is about socialists and Keynesians again trying to hide behind their failed theories and practices, using the excuse of struggling families and children as a smokescreen to hide the failures of their policies.

Let's look at more of the drivel coming from the mouth of Protopapas.

"For the moment most cases come from [the] low and poor class. Greek middle-class families are affected by the crisis but I believe they will be the victims in the coming two years. They will probably need serious support to survive."

Notice the words used by Protopapas: "Victims." Victims of what? Victims of whom?

There is no answer of course except the central banks and failed socialist and Keynesian policies and practices.

But that's not what Protopapas wants us to focus on. He wants all of us to believe it's austerity (living within one's means) that is the perpetrator of this alleged crime, which being a victim implies.

Look at his last words: "They will probably need serious support to survive."

What is he getting at? He wants even more support from those who have had have been productive and relatively living within their means to continue to pay for Greek lifestyles which are socialistic and entitlement oriented to the max.

Someone owes these irresponsible people the lifestyles they have become accustomed to, in their minds, and using children in this ungodly manner as a reason to continue these wicked practices reveals the failure of socialist economics, and it's far past time to put that evil to rest.

A colleague of Protopapas Stergios Sifnios, Director of Social Work in SOS Villages, says this:

We are really afraid that in the future we will have a big number of families that cannot manage to keep their own children because of these problems. We are trying to be ready for this," he said, but the government must keep on funding social welfare services

[The government must] stop downgrading services in the name of the austerity measures.

Look how none of these people say people need to work harder, start businesses, look to create more jobs, or other responsible actions. It's always about the government paying for their wants and needs.

What they refuse to acknowledge and admit is the austerity measures are in place because the Greek government is bankrupt because they can't pay for the things they promised. Why is that so hard to understand for them? It's because they're in denial. Keynesianism, central banking and socialism do not work. Period.

Why shouldn't the government downgrade services. They have no money to pay for them. The idea of the European Union and eurozone are at risk because of the fact that many of the nations invited into it have revealed their true colors: they are in it to extract as much money from the other members of the zone as possible.

The corrupt Greek government also wants the rest of the nation states to pay for their unsustainable promises to its people, even though Greece, and others like Italy, Portugal and Spain, can't afford to hand out the goodies any longer. They'll bring all of Europe down with them if things aren't handled correctly and austerity imposed upon them.

That brings us to another issue, the reason why there's a EU and eurozone in the first place: the attempt to create a one-world order. This is where all the wealthier and productive nations will eventually be forced or coerced to into redistributing their wealth on a global basis, encouraging even more of these types of situations, albeit on an even larger scale.

Families and children are the victims of this evil idea and intent. That's because the governments, central banks and socialists tried to make it look like a great idea by propping up these failed economies and irresponsible spending of the governments.

In America, the failing state of California is the prime example of similar practices and outlooks, as cities declare bankruptcy and fiscal budgets grow increasingly strained.

Now let's look at the folly and ignorance of another sycophant of these practices, this time asserting the declining economy of Europe, and by extension, the implementation of austerity measures, is producing human rights violations. Talk about the ultimate in evil to assert such a thing.

According to Professor Kevin Browne of the Institute of Work, Health & Organizations at Nottingham University and one of the authors of the Daphne report, as economic conditions in Europe deteriorate, the human rights of Europe's children are at risk.

"Infants and young children are those most at risk of being abandoned and the rates of child abandonment within the EU are concerning, especially in the current economic climate."

"Article 7 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, states that every child has 'the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents,' he said.

Now you see the entire picture of what this bizarre article wanted to portray. The final piece is the United Nations, which this person somehow in her warped mind appears to appeal to as her final authority in the world. This is new-world order type of thinking.

Reading the last paragraph above, did you notice how strange the way this female writer attempted to connect the United Nations, human rights and children? It's mind boggling to say the least.

She quotes Browne as saying the United Nations asserts that all children in the world has "the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents."

What she evidently doesn't have the brain power to figure out is if the government has become the parent, than the government has in fact stripped the human rights away from the child by imposing its money created out of thin air to put itself in the place of the parents raising the child. That is what is causing this outrage and tragedy in the first place, weakening the position of parents by the government intruding into areas Jesus Christ never gave it permission to.

People dumping off their children because they can allegedly no longer pay for them (it's far from the only reason) is a lie. What has happened is governments promised entitlements to parents and most people in their countries which they, over the long haul, could no way pay for. This is what is destroying families now, not the so-called removal of these redistribution programs, which is another way of saying being fiscally responsible.

The governments and central banks, along with their adherents - socialists and Keynesians, are scrambling to make this appear to be a problem because they are not being socialist or Keynesian enough. That's just another way of saying they want money to continue to be thrown their way even though when that's done enough throughout the world, as it is now, it could bring it back into a deep depression, one that would make the one in the early part of the 20th century pale in comparison.

This cynical and manipulative attempt to make it look like responsibly responding to the excesses of big government, endless printing of money, and the socialist lie that nations and the world can be centrally managed, will harm the children, is just that a lie. All of these have produced the problem, and doing more of the same won't solve it.

We need to turn back to Jesus Christ as our provider, learn to work with our own hands again, providing the needs of our own families, with enough left over to help others who may be going through difficult economic times through no fault of their own. Government, central banks, socialism, and a new-world order to centrally run things aren't part of that equation.

Why Christians Must Oppose Big Government

We've talked a lot on Acts29Review about the fact that government isn't God, and how we need to reject the attempts by the U.S. government, and governments around the world who attempt to take the place of God as provider, husband and fathers in the family, and as an overall "healer" or mankind.

The fact that this always ends up in abysmal failure and bloodshed doesn't seen to faze those who attempt to manage society from the top down.

One of the many ways that happens is from the promises governments make that can't be funded over long periods of time. The ponzi schemes ultimately must come to an end, as the bankrupt Social Security scheme in the United States has already done.

Just because the checks keep rolling in doesn't mean the Social Security system isn't bankrupt, it has been since 2010. They simply pull funds from the general fund to pay for it.

In other words, the amount collected from paychecks of individuals around the United States no longer is able support the amount of Social Security payments paid out.

Even those who have paid into the system all their lives won't receive their money back. That's because it has always been a ponzi scheme waiting to blow up in the faces of its funders, who are the working people of America.

But that's just one instance, in one nation in the world. This is why there are protests and violence in European countries who can no longer pay for the promises they made government workers.

These are so outrageous and numerous that it would take a large book just to touch on some of the major ones. But the riots speak to the fact that the government has enslaved their populations to the point they count on the government as their god instead of the real and only God, revealed to us in Jesus Christ.

In the book of Daniel it was prophesied that when Jesus came into the world He would tear down those attempting to become world empires, and replace them with His own eternal kingdom. That began at the moment He was born into the world, and continues on to this day.

That's what you see happening again and again, as countries attempt to replace God, the church of Jesus Christ, fathers, and all other supporters of mankind, with itself.

This is also why socialism and fascism, at their roots, hate business and entrepreneurship. It speaks to the fact that those engaging in commerce declare by their very existence that they have no need of government taking care of them. Governments hate this, and it is the reason why those who participate in fascism attempt to blend government and business together in an unholy alliance.

In this cases governments grant favors to those who play ball with them and acknowledge government as the head over all mankind. Jesus deals with these false claims because He is the King of kings and Lord of lords, and allows no other to lay claim to His rights and title.

Christians must trust and believe in only Jesus Christ as the head of all things in this world, and the invisible world as well. All authority resides in Him, and He only shares it across a number of different areas of life that He as set up.

For example, the individual, church, family and government. All of them have a specific role to play, with the government being the most dangerous because Jesus does allow them to use the sword against evildoers.

But when it goes beyond its reason for existence, it intrudes upon the other areas of authority appointed by Christ, wreaking the havoc we see in the world today, as it has throughout human history.

Government must be peeled back to its very limited role as revealed by the mind of God in the Holy Scriptures, and we as Christians must pray for that until we see that happen. Jesus is the sovereign Lord and King. None other compare or allowed to compete with Him in that which was given to Him by God the Father because of His obedience leading to His victory on the cross. No one else, or nothing else, gets that glory, including governments.

With that in mind, here's a video speaking to one part of the problem that results from the government extending itself beyond its God-given role and authority.

Obama's Economy in Shambles, Jobless Rate Rises

While the mainstream media continues in its outrageous behavior towards Obama, attempting to spin the rise in unemployment for Americans as positive news, choosing instead to focus on the 163,000 Nonfarm payrolls jobs added last month.

The jobless rate climbed to 8.3 percent for July, negating the slight bump up in jobs from the last several months, which stood at approximately 75,000 on average during that period of time.

Unemployment jumped because people stopped looking for work.

As for the labor force participation rate, it dropped from 63.8 percent in June to 63.7 percent in July. The rate measures the number of Americans who are looking for or have a job.

In other bad news for the inept Obama, the U.S. economy slowed to an annual growth rate of only 1.5 percent in the second quarter, far below the 3.5 percent growth rated needed to stabilize the unemployment rate.

I'm not sure how a rise in unemployment can be interpreted as good news, but the increasingly corrupt mainstream media is construing it so, as they feverishly work to put Obama back in the White House again, even in light of his inexperience and radical agenda, which has devastated the economy and is tearing apart the country.

It also appears the weak numbers could result in the Federal Reserve again attempting to stimulate the economy in September, as the election looms a couple of months later.

Again, somehow the lackluster jobs numbers and boost in unemployment is somehow being attempted to be made to look like positive events which could stay the quantitative easing hand of Ben Bernanke, the Chairman of the Fed.

While Acts29Review opposes stimulus from the Federal Reserve in any form, it's still bizarre for the media to attempt to make the economy look better than it is in an attempt to prop up the empty suit occupying the White House.

San Bernardino and Need for Limited Government

As California continues to implode, with San Bernardino being the latest city in the state to declare bankruptcy, it underscores the need for the paring back of the size of government and the outrageous benefits provided for its union "workers" that the productive private sector must shoulder.

But since the productive people can no longer prop up the parasitical government workers, and the municipalities refuse to cut back on the size of government, or to make the workers pay for part of their benefits like Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker made them do, they have no option but to declare bankruptcy, as they don't have the integrity or courage to make the needed cuts they must make for the cities to survive economically. We'll see a lot more bankruptcies in California before it's over.

Here's what San Bernardino's mayor Patrick J. Morris said was the source of the debt problem: it is from the "unfunded liabilities related to pension and benefits" for the city's workers, and "obligations to employee groups in labor contracts."

In other words, similar to Europe, they are overpaid workers that the city cannot afford to pay. It's as simple as that, and it comes from the outrageous pay and benefits which are far above the market rates which the free market, private sector pays.

This has already wreaked havoc in Stockton, another California city which has declared bankruptcy, where bond insurer Assured Guaranty has offered complaints concerning the fact that the city is reneging on the debt obligations owed bond holders while it continues to make payments to CalPERS, the state pension system.

In the latter part of July San Bernardino said it owed $56 million from its general fund, of which $50 million was a pension bond.

Another $195 million in in unfunded pension obligations pension obligations is owed by the city, along with "$61 million in unfunded retiree healthcare, $40 million in workers compensation, compensated absences and general liabilities."

Most state and local governments refuse to take the required austerity steps of reducing the size of government, which is the major part of this problem, as is paying wages and offering benefits that are unsustainable to public workers and the private and productive sector that is forced to pay for them.

Thankfully this is all slowly coming to an end. Unfortunately, instead of dealing with the problem, which would be an admission that big government cannot and will not work over time, it's being swept under the rug and not faced by bureaucrats who can't admit giant government has failed.

Ron Paul on Competing Currencies

Ron Paul, among other things, has been a supporter of alternative currencies - which would compete against one another - being allowed to circulate among the American people, giving them other options than the failing U.S. dollar.

Before the United States House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy, Hearing on Sound Money: Parallel Currencies and the Roadmap to Monetary Freedom, August 2, 2012, Paul said this:

One of the most pressing issues of our time is the push for monetary freedom. The only sound monetary system is one which protects sound money and allows consumers, businesses, and investors the freedom to transact in the currency of their choice. The importance of sound money is summed up nicely by Ludwig von Mises: "It is impossible to grasp the meaning of the idea of sound money if one does not realize that it was devised as an instrument for the protection of civil liberties against despotic inroads on the part of governments." It is no wonder that governments fight tooth and nail against sound money, as sound money protects the well-being of the middle class and the poor while preventing the expansion of government.

As we've talked here a number of times, Paul also noted that since the creation of the Federal Reserve, it has debased the U.S. dollar by 96 percent.

Over the past 100 years, the Federal Reserve has continually pumped new money into the economy, resulting in a 96 percent devaluation of the dollar. This devaluation does not affect everyone equally, as the banks who receive this new money first benefit from using it before prices rise, while average Americans suffer the price rises first and receive only a trickle of money well afterward. In this way the Fed enriches Wall Street while impoverishing Main Street, leading to a growing disparity of wealth.

Shaming the American government and the Federal Reserve by countries that already allow competing currency options in their countries, he cited Mexico, Singapore, and other countries in Asia as those already participating in the practice.

Mexican workers can set up accounts that are denominated in ounces of silver, and can take delivery of that silver whenever they want, tax-free. In Singapore and some other Asian countries, individuals can set up bank accounts denominated in gold and silver. Debit cards can be linked to gold and silver accounts so that customers can use their gold and silver to make point of sale transactions, a service which is only available to non-Americans. In short, Americans have far fewer options to protect their wealth than citizens of many foreign countries do.

The solution to this problem is to legalize monetary freedom and allow the circulation of parallel and competing currencies. There is no reason why Americans should not be able to transact, save, and invest in the currency of their choosing. Unfortunately, decades of government restrictions and regulations have hampered and prevented the circulation of parallel currencies and destroyed the familiarity of Americans with any sort of money aside from Federal Reserve Notes or bank deposits denominated in U.S. dollars. The thought of introducing parallel currencies undoubtedly scares many people who understandably wish to minimize their financial risk.

All financial activity is fraught with risk. Most people understand the risks inherent in stock or bond investment, but the risk of holding savings accounts or cash is still drastically under-appreciated. Everyone is familiar with the maxim "Don't put all your eggs in one basket" and investors and savers are constantly urged to diversify their portfolios, yet the U.S. government continues to set roadblocks that force Americans to transact and save in dollars that continue to depreciate.

Paul is absolutely correct in his assertions. Most Americans are subject to the strength or weakness of the U.S. dollar and interest rates in association with it.

Now people have their money in savings accounts that generate almost nothing in interest, while inflation continues to run at about a 2 percent annual rate. That means the average American, or anyone in a country with no competing currencies, are subject to the practices of the central bank, which in America is of course the Federal Reserve.

The more Americans and people around the world understand the inherent risk in relying upon a single currency, the more they'll work towards eliminating central banking and also for the adoption of alternative currencies in their respective countries.

Chick-Fil-A Christian Support Overwhelming

The mainstream news outlets couldn't hide the obvious, that the majority of Americans oppose gay marriage and the gay lifestyle, as evidenced the tens of thousands of Americans supporting Chick-Fil-A by going to the stores and buying a meal in response to the media blasting the president of the company, Dan Cathy, for supporting the only legitimate marriage there is: that between one man and one woman.

There was no effective boycott of the restaurant in any manner, as Christians came out in droves to say they're with the company 100 percent in their stand against the homosexual lifestyle and the illegitimate "marriages" they're attempting to engage in.

Jesus Christ only allows marriage to be between one man and one woman, and anything else is not only illegitimate in His eyes, but sin as well.

So-called homosexual marriage isn't marriage, and even before that the lifestyle itself is condemned by Jesus Christ as perverse and not allowable.

Chick-Fil-A said the support shown by customers on the Appreciation Day, organized by Mike Huckabee, resulted in record sales.

Congress Trying to Tax Internet

In another wicked ploy to extract more revenue from businesses, Congress it trying to enact the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would force Internet businesses to collect sales taxes from every state in the country that collects a sales tax, even if the business has no physical presence in the state.

This is evil because state and local governments are behind the pressure, while they refuse to cut spending and the outrageous wages of so-called public servants which are far above those in the private sector, who actually have to perform well in order to be successful, contrary to those in government who can't get fired and can do as little as they want to just get by.

There are of course many other factors involved in shrinking the size of government, whether on the federal, state, or local level, but legally stealing even more money from businesses, contrary to existing law, isn't one of them.

Why do I call this an evil? Because it was revealed in the book of Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, and then to Daniel, that when Jesus Christ came to the earth he would crush world kingdoms under His feet, while establishing an everlasting kingdom of His own.

Any government that attempts to grow by overreaching and not staying within the parameters given by God almighty is evil, and moving outside the blessings and purpose of the only God in Jesus Christ.

Imagine the outrageous persecution of small business owners by states who set their accounting dogs on them to extract every penny from them in a way the Supreme Court of the United States has already ruled against (in Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, 1992).

The only answer is these governments must admit they are limited by Jesus Christ, and are only allowed to operate as He has commanded and instructed.

That leaves out everything other than the protective part of government and the court system. Everything else is illegitimate and must be abandoned by government.

Jesus Christ will make sure this happens. It's a matter of whether in cooperation with his mandates or not. These governments will either fall and submit unto the rock voluntarily, or the rock will fall on them. Either way, the building of empires is not permitted by Jesus Christ, whether its a world empire, a national empire, a regional empire, state empire or local empire. Period!

Audit the Fed and Bernanke's Word Games

The legislation introduced by Ron Paul overwhelmingly passed the House on July 25 by a vote of 327 to 98. But as long as the Democrats control the Senate, there is little chance of seeing the Federal Reserve audited any time soon.

What Paul and millions of Americans want to know is how and what the Federal Reserve has been specifically doing when bailing out giant banks, and what it is it is doing in distributing funds to foreign nations that American citizens are on the hook for.

Here's the disingenuous and consistent argument of Bernanke:

"We fully accept the need for transparency and accountability, but it is a well-established fact that an independent central bank will provide better outcomes."

What's wrong with that statement? For one thing, there is no established fact whatsoever that the central bank operates better than one that is under the scrutiny of the American people.

More importantly, there is absolutely no connection between being transparent and what Bernanke calls an "independent" central bank. What does being independent have to do with transparency? Absolutely nothing. The words aren't even close in meaning. It's a play on words and ploy by Bernanke, which his media supporters grab onto in order to take away the actual meaning of the word transparency and completely change it into a completely different concept altogether.

Ron Paul concurs he says:

"When the Fed talks about independence, what they’re really talking about is secrecy. What the GAO cannot audit is monetary policy. It would not be able to look at agreements and operations with foreign central banks, and governments, and other banks, transactions made under the direction of the FOMC, and discussions or communications between the board and the Federal Reserve system relating to all those items. And why this is important is because of what happened 4 years ago. It’s estimated that the amount of money that went in and out of the Fed overseas is $15 trillion. How did we get into this situation where Congress has nothing to say about bailing out all these banks?"

The very secrecy itself confirms that Bernanke's statement is nothing more than a lie. His assertion that an "independent" Federal Reserve produces better outcomes is unprovable as long at the central bank is allowed to continue operating in secrecy. Bernanke is blowing hot air when he says the bank operates better when left alone.

From a point of view of Jesus Christ, everything is open before his eyes, and the transparency revealed throughout the Holy Scriptures concludes that transparency is part of His person hood, and by extension, to be part of the world we live in.

This is especially true when talking about an institution that has almost unlimited economic power (everything is limited under God), to do whatever it chooses to do.

We need to never stop insisting the Federal Reserve is audited. Eventually, we as Christians need to oppose central banking around the world, putting an end to these monstrosities that are attempting to control the fate of mankind in a move to subvert the Jesus Christ and His people.

There is a date the Lord has with central banks, and they will be facing a day when Jesus will put an end to this atrocious and brutal power which destroys the lives of people by debasing currencies, buying power and offering support to things we have no idea about.

The first step is to audit the Federal Reserve. There is no doubt the battle is over what is being done in secret and under the noses of the American people, and by central banks in other countries as well.

Once that is revealed, it is certain there will be an uprising against the Federal Reserve, which will ultimately lead to its banishment forever.

After all, it's the central banks of the world, and the Federal Reserve specifically, which give governments the capital to continue to expand and enlarge at the loss of liberty of people everywhere.

Christians need to know their unique position in the world of being a counterculture and testimony against these abuses, puts them squarely in the sights of power, as it has since the time Jesus Christ physically walked the earth.

Consequently, we all need to reject the central bank and large government as legitimate entities, and work and pray for the day when the Federal Reserve and other central banks around the world are abolished, and governments brought back to their very limited roles instituted by Jesus Christ for this world.