Does God Know What Is Going On Down Here?

What a crazy chaotic time we are living in! It is hard to believe all the things going on, but one thing is for sure! God knows exactly what is going on and he is at work.  He is exposing all of it, the curtain is being pulled back wide open.  I pray for this country. God always answers prayers! He doesn't control people. We need to respond to his answers and and it looks like people are. Righteousness is the passport to living above the fray and wielding the power of God.

In the Matthew 5:20, Jesus said to the people who followed him:            

For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The scribes and Pharisees were big law pushers and even wrote laws to keep people from breaking the law. I guess you might say they were religious and politically correct at the same time. Their law contained so many extra jots and tittles, people could hardly breathe. As recorded in Matthew 5, Jesus  taught that righteousness was so much bigger than jot and tittles. The grace and power to live for God goes way beyond the righteousness by the law. Righteous by grace is relational to God. Righteous is all about knowing God for real and acting accordingly.

The effectual fervent (energized, inwrought) prayer (for a personal need) of a righteous man availeth (power to prevail) much. James 5:16b

Recently I read some articles by parents who are upset with current educational policies that clearly violate the rights of parents.  This is nothing new under the sun, it has been going on for a long time. Parents have a right to have a say in what is taught to their children. This is a simple point that falls under the auspices of the1st amendment to the Constitution. It is a right in God's eyes for every parent to bring their children up according to God's principles. This is what freedom of religion assures us. 

When people say that the constitution 'separates church and state' they are wrong. They use this phrase to twist and cancel our rights. The constitution never says that. The phrase 'separation of church and state' came from a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote the Danbury church in 1802. It actually was reassuring them that the government could not interfere with the 'free exercise of religion'. The government has no right to interfere with our right to teach our own children the difference between right and wrong. the government is to protect the rights of the people. ( https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danpre.html )

God knows what we are dealing with. He has absolutely given us the power and answers we need to handle the gaslighting and twisted schemes that arise when people attempt to control the beliefs of others. Righteousness is a huge powerful gift from God to be used to stand up to any violation of our God-given rights.

The Sword of the Spirit

Jesus Christ's purpose was to reveal the presence of evil and expose opposition to God.   Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to the adversary.  Evil can be blatant or subtle. Evil penetrates this world through  suggestions, philosophies, ideologies, idolatries and a lust for power. We see it in the media, education, politics and even in religion ('Genesis 3- 'Did God really say?'). There is no little red demon with horns and a pitchfork; the devil is a spiritual force of evil that is a parasite on words and ideas. The success of this force depends upon being believed, that is why evil often uses religion to sell its wares.  The closer to truth the adversary gets without being truth, the greater the success at dragging an individual into its traps.

The world is in a bit of uneasiness to say the least; there is a lot of hypocrisy, lying and accusation, which eats away at our trust in things going on; BUT:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6

Trusting God who is faithful to his word is so refreshing and real. We are not wrestling against flesh and blood in this present world. God has supplied protection and weaponry to battle the dark areas we face:

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Ephesians 4:14-17

Truth is our safety belt. Our hearts are protected by righteousness (God's) and our feet are protected by peace. We have a shield that comes from believing God which can move around to fend off the evil aimed at us. Some of the evil that presents to us is in the form of subtle attacks as well as the more obvious hits. The sword of the spirit which is the word of God, is a singularly unique weapon. The spirit of God can so work in us to detect things behind the scene and make a direct sharp hit. It may involve thoughts within our own heads as well as from others. 

The greek word for 'word' in this verse is the word 'rhema'. The are two major words for 'word' in the Bible: 'rhema' and 'logos'.  'Logos' refers to the doctrine of God, 'rhema' refers to specific saying or word that applies to a time and situation. 'Rhema' is surgical, that is why the 'sword of spirit' is used in this verse. We just don't throw verses at the wall to see what sticks, we allow the spirit of God to inspire our thinking; the right thought for the right attack. It might not come immediately but it will come at just the right time which is crucial and incredibly exciting!