The Times They are a Changing


There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

English: Vineyard in Napa Valley

English: Vineyard in Napa Valley (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I really enjoy the smell of burning leaves wafting through the air at the arrival of fall. Living in Western Pennsylvania I am blessed with a change of seasons 4 times a year. We have the bleakness of winter with a countryside blanketed in white, melting into the beauty of spring and a countryside bedazzled with brilliant colors. Summertime rolls in and backyards are alive with outdoor activity, barbecues ablaze, swimming pools overflowing with those who are attempting to escape hot and humid evenings. We return full-circle back to fall and the brilliant colors of the changing leaves

Nature teaches us that there is a season and a time for everything. Scripture amplifies this theme of nature by declaring that indeed there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.

It is natural for nature to revolve in cycles because the Earth’s orbit revolves in a cycle which leads to our seasons. With just casual observation we can see the cycles of life, a time to be born a time to die, a time to plant a time to reap what was planted, a time to gather and a time to scatter, a time to build-up and a time to tear down. All this reflects the cycle of life. A modern-day idiom goes something like this, there’s nothing as constant as change. In fact the only thing we can really count on is that things will change. Without change there’s no room for anything new. The very purpose of fall is for old leaves to make way for new leaves that will appear in the spring. It is the order of life for the old to make way for the new.

Although things change some things remain constant; gravity and the laws of nature and of nature’s God. In order to support the changes of life, some things must remain constant and without change. If there were not gravity than life as we know it would not exist. If the earth did not rotate on it’s axis there would be no night and day, and if the earth stopped revolving around the sun the seasons would come to an end.

It is with that thought in mind that I address a rather disturbing trend in our society. Things that should not change are being changed and those changes are occurring rapidly, while at the same time things that ought to change are being held as sacred. The latter being etched in stone, while that which was actually etched in stone is being done away with.

All earthly governments, principalities, and powers, from the beginning until now, are uniformly represented in the Scriptures as wild beasts, full of destructive savageness and offensive uncleanness. It is but folly and fanaticism for men to talk of Christian states and governments in this world. Christians and good men may be concerned in their administration, and Christian ideas may sometimes temper their enactments, but earthly states and governments themselves are not Christian, and in the nature of things cannot be. They are all the products of devastated nature’s wilds, and full of ungodliness. Fix it as we may, such is the result. The best-planned institutions and the wisest laws are ever disappointing their framers. The same can be said of the United States government.

It is not surprising then to find the Sovereign Law of the Land, our Constitution, being ravaged and rewritten with hellacious fervor, the fact is the very law which God Himself delivered on etched stone from Sinai’s thunder-shaken heights could not restrain mankind from its sinful destructive nature.

Many revolutions have been wrought, and men have labored, and sacrificed, and bled, and died to achieve freedom and just governance, believing that they would secure the precious boon for which the race has sighed and cried for ages; but it was only a rearrangement of the chairs on the deck of the Titanic, an exercise in futility.

In our day especially, people are looking and longing for a grand “United Nations’, shaped to populism, and compacted by common laws, special interests, in which ‘enlightened’ ideas shall rule, and all the world be one; but the result will be, the very embodiment of hell itself, full of blasphemy and lies. Good shall be called evil and that which is evil will be exalted as good.

Revolutions, fundamental transformation, progressivism and liberal ideologies, which seek to overturn old creeds, and revise the Decalogue by introducing vain philosophies of men with its attempts to rule out a personal God and exalt self in His place, and all man’s foolhardy ideas to reconstruct society, much as they may promise, and successfully tug at the heart, are in the end destined to fail.

Indeed all who delight in piety and are determined to live a devoted and godly life in Christ Jesus will meet with persecution [will be made to suffer because of their religious stand]. But wicked men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and leading astray others and being deceived and led astray themselves. 2 Timothy 3:12-13 (AMP)

What ought we to do then as Christians living in a fallen world being ruled by fallen men whose hearts and minds are being deceived and growing worse and worse? Should we simply throw our hands up in defeat? One could come to that conclusion when we review the events that took place in our country just last week. A couple of lone Senators stood-up to declare that the road we are traveling is ruinous and we need to go in an entirely new direction, only to find themselves shouted down and demeaned for having the audacity to stand-up for what they believed to be right. These men and women of courage took a stand to face down the evil ideologies of those who are trying, and succeeding in fundamentally transforming our society. The few stood tall calling for a change. They wanted to change course and try something different only to be told that what is, is ‘settled law’, written in stone, not to be undone by them or anyone else. There was nothing they could do. So we might as well surrender and sit down and shut-up.

Most thinking people could easily argue that when a product proves defective you repair, replace, or junk the product and try something else, only in government is it ever wrong to ask for a change, to argue for a better outcome, to dare to seek to right a wrong. Although our Constitution allows ‘we the people’ to ‘Petition the Government for a Redress of Grievances’ we are forbidden to do so in all actuality. When Senator Ted Cruz stood to protest Obamacare he was standing for many American people who felt they were being wronged by their government and as such was asking for redress, only to be ignored.

Things need to change in D.C. there is no doubt about it, but things also need to change in the heartland of America. We need to regain our ‘righteous’ footing and restore the sure foundations upon which we wish to build our society. We can not continue to allow the wholesale slaughter of innocent children, and the destruction or should I say the reconstruction of the family unit to go unchallenged. This must not be acceptable by those who call themselves Christian. I am afraid that there are too many “Christian” in name only who are siding with the destruction of our society and enabling those in power to continue their onslaught.

We do need to choose sides, stand with the Lord and his laws or stand with those who are actively doing all they can to erase any mention of God from our society. In the end there will only be two camps. Those who are standing with the Lord when he returns and those who will be fighting against the Lord. Which side do you suppose comes out victorious?

The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of offense [persons by whom others are drawn into error or sin] and all who do iniquity and act wickedly, And will cast them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and wailing and grinding of teeth. Then will the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God) shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let him who has ears [to hear] be listening, and let him consider and perceive and understand by hearing. Matthew 13:41-43 (AMP)

Yes indeed things will change, and a law will be established, that which was sent down from heaven will once again become the chief cornerstone, the rock that the builders of our current societal structure have rejected. God’s law is the only one that is ‘settled’. it is good policy then to stand for the unshakable, immovable, written in stone, unalterable, that which is sure to remain. With whom will you be standing?

“All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the LORD endures forever.” 1 Peter 1:24-25 (NKJV

And that is the way I see it.

eagle_feather_icon.gifThis has been A View from the Nest. The statements, comments, or opinions expressed are solely that of the author and do not represent the views or opinions of the host of this site or any affiliates thereof. Any questions or comments should be directed to myself and not to the host or hosts of this site.

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)

Along for the journey

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Standing Strong in the Face of Adversity: That is true leadership


Exodus 17:11-12 (GW)
As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel would win, but as soon as he put his hands down, the Amalekites would start to win. Eventually, Moses’ hands felt heavy. So Aaron and Hur took a rock, put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron held up one hand, and Hur held up the other. His hands remained steady until sunset.

English: Ted Cruz at the Republican Leadership...

Sen. Ted Cruz ended his nearly day-long

filibuster at noon Wednesday, having held the chamber floor for more than 21 hours straight, etching his place in the record books with the fourth-longest filibuster in Senate history. He stood on the floor to fight for the American people who wish that “Obamacare” would be eliminated from their lives.

The Texas Republican took control of the floor at 2:41 Tuesday afternoon and only relinquished it at noon Wednesday because of rules that required the Senate to officially reconvene and conduct a session-opening prayer, then wait an hour and hold a vote at 1 p.m. on whether to begin debating a stopgap spending bill.

 

via Ted Cruz enters record books with 21-hour filibuster – Washington Times.

It is refreshing to see someone actually taking a stand to fight against something they wholeheartedly oppose. I know many folks who would complain if they had to work a 14 hour day let alone speak for over 21 hours non-stop. Can you imagine a church service lasting 21 hours? It actually happened at least once in church history.

Acts 20:7-11 (BBE)
And on the first day of the week (Sunday), when we had come together for the holy meal, Paul gave them a talk, for it was his purpose to go away on the day after; and he went on talking till after the middle of the night. And there were a number of lights in the room where we had come together.
he went on talking to them for a long time, even till dawn, and then he went away.

In most of the churches I have attended there is a tendency to start checking one’s watch as the noon hour approaches. I can not imagine a group of people actually sitting through a long-winded preacher who went on and on and on until the next morning. But that is exactly what Paul did and like wise Senator Ted Cruz spoke all night long and into the next day because he had something on his heart and mind he wanted to discuss. He did not have a very large audience for his speech but that did not stop him from standing tall and strong. After all he was fighting for a worthy cause, the defunding of Obamacare.

There are defining moments in life

There are times when we need to take a stand and, against all odds, we must continue to engage the enemy, and argue our cause until  victory is won, or we die trying to attain it.

This was the resolve of our founding fathers who pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honors in support of the Declaration of Independence. And many lost their lives and fortunes defending it.

What do we see today, 237 years after the penning of our founding document, elected leaders unwilling to defend the Constitution of these United States. Instead they rail against “we the people” who believe, like the signers of the Declaration, that these States are and of right ought to be free and independent of parliamentary government control.

Ted Cruz took to the floor of the house, aided by Senators Marco Rubio and Mike Lee, who took turns asking questions to spell Cruz who remained in control of the floor.

Some battles are hard-fought and requires others to help us stand firm.

Moses and the Israelites were facing a menacing attack from the Amalekites and as long as Moses stood firm with his hands up Israel would win, but if he put his hands down the enemy would start to win.

We are fighting an entrenched enemy that is waging war against anyone who tries to stop them. Ted Cruz with the aid of Rubio and Lee stood  strong.

This is not the end of the fight but only the beginning of many battles that will need to be fought. We must hang together folks or most assuredly we will all hang separately.

1 Corinthians 15:58 (NKJV) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

To my Christian brothers and sisters I ask you when was the last time you were part of an all-night prayer vigil? When was the last time you attended a service were the preacher preached all night long? Is there anything important enough, any evil vile enough to arouse you to prayer? Is there any battle worthy of your time and energy? Is there anything more important then work and play that will cause you to take a stand, even if it requires you remain steadfast for days?

I am afraid that too many of us fail to see the importance of remaining steadfast and always abounding toward prayer. Too many I feel do not see the great spiritual battle that is being waged for the soul of America.

 

How did we get here you may ask?

Sir Edmund Burke is quoted as saying: “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent” he further stated that “bad laws are the worst sort of tyranny.”

We got here because men and women of good conscience did not speak up against bad law, which led to ever-increasing tyranny. Obamacare is not the fist bad law passed by an unaccountable congress, but it is the latest in a series of bad laws and one that most be defeated.

Christians we remained seated and silent far too long. Now we must take a stand. We may not win the fight but we ought to at the very least engage the enemy don’t you think?

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.

Edmund Burke

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/edmundburk136431.html#51gAHQixQs8fItqm.99

What can I do you may ask?

Well that is simple start by praying for your elected leaders and support those who are fighting in the trenches on your behalf. Stand firm against tyranny and make your voice heard on social media and in public places. Organize an all night prayer meeting to fight against the spiritual forces that are attacking our nation and targeting Christians in particular.

When Edward Everett Hale was chaplain of the U.S. Senate, someone asked him, “Do you pray for the senators, Dr. Hale?” He replied, “No, I look at the senators and pray for the country.” To which I say a resounding amen Dr Hale. All one needs do is look and listen to most of today’s Senators and we should all be moved to pray for America.

Pray like Thomas Aquinas:

Give me, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downwards; give me an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give me an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside.Thomas Aquinas

And then stand with the likes of a Ted Cruz or Mike Lee or anyone else who has taken a stand against tyranny. Hold up their hands so the battle may be one. This requires the devoutness of the Saints. Like our ancestors before us let us pledge to each other our lives, fortunes and sacred honor to stand up and fight for our God-given right to be free.

And that is the way I see it, what say you?

eagle_feather_icon.gifThis has been A View from the Nest. The statements, comments, or opinions expressed are solely that of the author and do not represent the views or opinions of the host of this site or any affiliates thereof. Any questions or comments should be directed to myself and not to the host or hosts of this site.

 
But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)

Along for the journey

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Finally Someone Showing True Leadership


Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. (Isaiah 55:4)

Senator Ted Cruz wants to defund ObamaCare or defund the government.

The House has already passed a continuing resolution that would avert a government shutdown set to take place on March 27th, the date that the Continuing Appropriations Resolution of 2013 expires.

Now, the CR is in the Senate where Senator Ted Cruz offered up an amendment that would remove any funding for the implementation of Obamacare.

Of course, since the Democrats are all good team players, and since they control the Senate, the amendment failed. But Senator Ted Cruz pointed out that if the Senate ends up making any changes to the continuing resolution, they’d have to send it back to the House, and when they do, the GOP should add an amendment like his that would defund Obamacare. That way, the President and the Democrat-controlled Senate are left with the option to either defund Obamacare or let the government shut down. Their choice.

Senator Cruz is playing the game, and he’s playing it well. But others aren’t being good team players. Boehner doesn’t want to defund Obamacare. He says he promises he’ll work on repealing it later, but not now:

CNS News pointed out that the GOP has voted to defund/repeal Obamacare on 30 different occasions, but not on legislation that had to pass. In other words, they were no more than symbolic moves on the GOP part to make their constituents happy, knowing that their actions would have no real effects. But at least they could secure their re-elections and increase their popularity by telling their voters that they voted to repeal Obamacare.But every time a piece of legislation has to pass to keep the government funded (like the CR), the GOP decides not to touch Obamacare.

This has been the game in the GOP controlled house since Boehner has been the Speaker of the House. You would think he was playing on the same team as Obama. The Democrats whether they are in control of the house or not will stop at nothing to push their agenda. They even go as far as shutting down the White House tours to politicize the Sequester.

The Democrats never relent on their agenda to redistribute your wealth to their constituents. And what do the Republicans do? Nothing of substance. Their refusal to take it to Obama is why they continue to lose. (McCain and Romney)

Along comes freshman Senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and even Rand Paul who are actually taking it to the Democrats and what do they get for this? Attacks by senior members of the ruling class. Their own party belittles them and dismisses them and yet they are the only ones who are standing up against the Obama agenda and the Democrat political machine, the rest are simply complicit.
I like Ted Cruz’s approach to defund Obamacare by attaching it to the Continuing Resolution. Since the Democrats can not produce a budget, and it seems they are unable to curb their desire to keep spending money they do not have hence the need for a CR, the only solution is to force the Democrats to make cuts aka the Sequester and now the CR bill.
Obviously the Democrats do not think they have enough money to keep the White House open for tours and since Obama feels there needs to be drastic cuts then why not cut out the BIGGEST UNFUNDED mandate to be enacted in recent years, Obamacare? Obama admits there is not enough money to run the government so how is it that there is enough money to add an entirely new mandate when Medicare and Social Security are both running in the red and the Post Office is showing continued revenue losses?
I stand with Ted Cruz it is time someone takes it right to the Democrats and starts playing by their rules. Way to go Ted!
And that is the way I see it. What say you?

eagle_feather_icon.gifThis is a view from the nest. What say you?

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)

Along for the journey

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This has been A View from the Nest. The statements, comments, or opinions expressed are solely that of the author and do not represent the views or opinions of the host of this site or any affiliates thereof. Any questions or comments should be directed to myself and not to the host or hosts of this site.
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