Just passing through tonight .... kinda wish I hadn't.

Just passing through tonight …. kinda wished I hadn’t. I only came here to place a post in the prayer forum, but got sidetracked reading. (Shouldn't done that.) Please read my post in the prayer forum.

I’ve written a little essay. Don’t know what I’m going to do with it. I may put it on Facebook or not. I may put it on a couple of sites that I now only semi-frequent. I may do nothing with it except to leave it here.

Our nation is in a bind directly due to the morally and spiritually corrupt leadership that we have.

Yet, I have no problem with giving my leadership what is due to them as the authority of the land.

I pay my taxes gladly. I would never consider NOT paying my taxes. I pay my state, federal, and property taxed every year without fail. I support increases in property taxes every time they come to a vote because I know that money in my rural area is tight. So I am not in violation of the scriptures here. [Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue]

I respect the offices of authority and the people that serve – whether they serve poorly or not. I have said, “Yes, sir” and “Thank you for doing your job” to EVERY police officer who has written me a speeding ticket (only 3). I have prayed for President Obama more times than I can count. I pray for his deliverance from evil, his salvation, his protection, and his family’s salvation and protection. I have prayed for Congress, police officers, EMT workers, and my mayor and governor MORE times than I can count. When my students at school ask questions about the president, the war, the economy, the Congress, and more – I am careful not to allow my own adult opinion to sway their ever-so-impressionable minds. I use my Sunday School time to pray for our nation and leaders all the time. I do NOT allow that hour to be a redress of grievances. . So I am not in violation of scripture here. I obey my authorities and I recognize their authority. [Give to everyone what you owe them: if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Romans 13:1-7]

These scriptures about giving authorities monies, respect, and honor do NOT preclude me or anyone else calling them out when they are wrong, immoral, wicked, deceitful, and behaving in opposition to Christ. It doesn't preclude my calling them out when they are knuckleheaded and ignorant and crass and callous.

My calling them out doesn’t mean that I am going to raise a posse and depose them. Or send them hate-mail or spread vulgar lies about them or deliver harm to them in anyway. It merely means that I – as an American giving the right to freely speak my voice – am freely speaking about the wicked and ineptness of our leadership.

Because if the truth be known and acknowledged – Congress works for me, the President works for me. They aren’t kings and rulers. They are elected officials. Yes, we have given them the power to officiate and they have forgotten that the power comes from us.

I don’t know where this milquetoast mentality comes from that we as Christians have to “be nice” and "be silent" and never dare speak a word against the evil that authority can do.

You see – I don’t think we speak out enough.

Why? I think as throughout history – people are either [a] complicit with evil or intimidated by it.

King Ahab and Queen Jezebel would have NEVER gotten as far as they did with killing the poor guy for his garden had not the people been complicit. A whole herd of them just went along with it. Whether by choice or by intimidation – they just accepted the evil.

And even leaders who are good and Godly can fall into wickedness and that wickedness can spread like cancer because good people do and say nothing. They carry out the evilness of the leader on backbones of jelly.

David may have never slept with Bathsheba if his messengers had refused to go and get her. Uriah may have never died if Joab had received David’s letter and said “This is insane – I won’t do it.” Not only did Uriah die in vain, but so did other men along with Uriah. Sin spreads. David only intended for one man to die, but many did and what was his response to the messenger? “Oh well, the sword kills one as well as the other. Tell Joab to be more careful and not to get discouraged.”

Would it have cost something to stand up to evil? You better believe it would have. And it’s going to cost something today – something far more than money or power.

I give my authority what they are due: monies, respect (obedience), and honor (recognition OF their authority).

And when I call the President Obama an immoral president, an incompetent president, a mean-spirited president, and a godless, selfish man – I am speaking the truth. He supports abortion, gay rights, and he lies to the people. He’s a staunch and out-of-control Federalist. He's unfit for the office.

God has allowed him to be president. For what reason? I don’t know. I have some ideas, but they are moot at this point into his second term. My calling Obama a horrid president does not mean that I am angry with God for placing President Obama where he is. And it doesn’t make me in violation of scripture.

President Obama’s disdain for all things Constitutional and Congress’ complicit behaviors are vile to me.

And my saying so doesn’t make me a sinner.

This country has severe spiritual problems which are showing up in the economy, pop culture, the government both federal and local, health care, job unavailability, and in calling evil good and calling good evil.

And even though it started before President Obama came into office, it has come to a very ugly and grotesque head IN him and THROUGH him. He is the epitome of what has happened to us as a nation. He is the poster child for rebellion against God.

For some to say that Christians should never voice any opposition TO him BECAUSE of misapplied scripture is weak and foolish. Evil doesn't come only in the form of abortion and support of homosexuality. Evil comes in the form of lying to those you lead, misusing taxes, supporting the avarice of the cronies who put you into office, and forcing those you lead to financially support ruinous laws.

We don’t speak out enough. We don’t pray for him enough. We don’t stand up and get counted enough.

Silence is not necessarily respectful nor a sign of honor. Silence can sometimes be the catalyst by which evil flourishes.

And raising one’s voice in opposition to bad authority isn’t necessarily wrong. And it doesn't interfere with the obedience to that authority nor the recognition of it.

I won't sugar coat my voice. The truth, rolled in sugar and silence and sickening obeisance, isn't the truth anymore.