The devil is a prowling lion

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." — 1 Peter 5:8 ESV

Lions are cunning and prowl around looking for victims. They also roar because they are hungry predators. Their drive is relentless and comes from the need to stay alive. They are parasites looking for a host and also predators, driven by emptiness and the need to fill it. Their primary drive is to fill their belly.

The above passage is simply saying, keep your eyes open and be aware that Satan is always looking to overtake and consume someone. His pursuit is relentless. And if you are not aware and prepared for his attacks, he will sneak up on you, catch you off guard and consume you.

What is a major way the devil works in today's culture and society? 

Through those in positions of power… "Influencers," if you will.

For example, if an outside influence can control U.S. lawmakers, it can control the U.S. laws made. Laws shape behavior and ultimately culture.

How can lawmakers be controlled?

Bribes, threats, personal enrichment and ambition.

All of these are used to influence or control any official within government who holds a position of power and influence, such as judges, governors, AGs, attorneys, administrators, etc.

Or those outside government, such as company presidents, CEOs, administrators, board directors or board members, heads of departments, educators, entertainers, reporters, athletes, i.e., those with highly specialized skills in their area of expertise, such as coders, programmers, ⁵AI developers etc. As well as ministers, priests, pastors, deacons, etc.

The greater someone's (or ⁵something's) influence, the greater the likelihood they (⁵it) will be approached and pursued and/or utilized for harm and advancement of their agenda.

Approached by whom? See footnote ³.

All that is necessary to control the direction of any person or institution—be it a company, a church, a news outlet, a high-profile athlete,¹ entertainer, technology, person or organization of influence—is to probe around and find the² individuals who take the bait when offered power or money or cave in when threatened, i.e., those who are most easily controlled and compromised. These are the ones without strong principles or character but instead are driven to secure for themselves (or protect) their own personal gain and not the benefit or gain of others, i.e., they are takers, not givers, and the weak link in the chain of any institution, business, or organization. Many, even most, in an organization can be good people, but if you lasso the head, you direct the body.

To say it another way, if you are a strategic person in an institution of influence, you are a fat target and most likely will be approached and potentially attacked and compromised, so be prepared. Satan has many ways to compromise feckless, weak, or naive humans. He studies, knows, and ⁵exploits human frailties—which is true of all of us if we are not anchored in God through Christ.

If someone is not principled or loyal to a higher good or higher value system beyond their own private gain—such as loving and honoring God and their fellow man or woman—you can almost assume they are compromised in some form or fashion, whether knowingly or unknowingly.

The reason these controllers—who seek to recruit others to their cause—hate committed followers of Jesus (or the principles of some philosophy or religion) is that these followers are least likely to be controlled by someone else and are deliberately and uncompromisingly loyal to another, e.g., God—in the case of followers of Christ.

What we are talking about in this article is not about skill set or abilities, etc. We're talking about the character of individuals. Individuals who can be equally as gifted (if not more gifted) as those who are principled and have character, i.e., you can't tell the difference between those with character or without character by abilities alone. We're talking about people who will use their abilities and position to lie, cheat, and steal to get what they seek instead of serving their fellow man and honoring their true Creator.

Globalists are relentless in their pursuit of power and control. They are master manipulators and power-hungry control freaks. Therefore, "... Be sober-minded; be watchful..."

Globalists relentlessly seek to influence and control anything or anyone to further their ends, whether someone willingly cooperates or not. This is why those who wish to remain free and loyal to their Creator must always be vigilant and prepared to resist and fight against globalist (satanic) control.

These controllers and deceivers are children of Satan—whether knowingly or unknowingly. Satan is the father of lies, the accuser, the destroyer of all things good - which come from God - and the great deceiver, all wrapped up in one being. If someone is of the same character and conducts themselves in this same way, they are following in his footsteps and thereby become a tool in his hand—whether knowingly or unknowingly.

For a discussion of the difference between dictators and leaders, click here. 

For a discussion of the difference between malicious intent and unintentional incompetence, click here

For a much closer look at whether AI is unbiased, click here

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Footnotes:

¹ Have you ever wondered why so many actors are politically left-leaning?

² This is why Trump is least likely to willingly be controlled by others—contrary to many of the conspiracy theories that say he's knowingly part of some bigger nefarious plot.

The globalist controllers will attempt to utilize Trump's actions (or anyone else's) to their ends, and may even have some success, but that is not necessarily because of someone's willing cooperation.

There is a difference between being a willful co-conspirator vs. a useful idiot. Intention matters and determine how to utilize and compromise each. And if the globalists can't turn someone willfully through bribe or threat, they will try to utilize them some other way and any way possible to further their agenda.

Trump's weakness is the need for constant praise and the need to be better than anyone else, but this is different than doing things deliberately for their own benefit. I believe Trump's desire to help others is genuine and sincere. It is also the primary means by which he seeks to garner praise.

This is his Achilles heel, and I think how he got sucked into the COVID narrative… though not one hundred percent. He utilized hydroxychloroquine and pushed back on shutting down schools and businesses.

For a further discussion on the contrasts between Trump and Fauci's positions on COVID, click here. 

Trump is a pragmatic businessman and strategist, not an ideologue, i.e., it's all about the bottom-line results for Americans and their economy.

³ Approached by whom? Anyone who seeks to advance an agenda contrary to God's kingdom and promotes man's control and rule over other men vs. God's rule of love.

⁴ for an engaging look at how satan works, read "Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis

⁵ Since the use of AI is increasing rapidly, and in time will become a greater influence on how we seek answers to handle problems, here are some vital questions we need to ask ourselves.

Which AI do we use for general inquiries?

Does it matter which AI we use when dealing with philosophical views?

Do certain AI's have a philosophical bias or do they all only base conclusions on hard facts and proven evidence?

For a much closer look at these questions, click here

Can there be peace on earth?

Due to humanity's spiritual bankruptcy (i.e., brokenness) and our resulting inclination to first take care of "number one" (ourselves), there will never be a complete utopia in this life - the goal of ¹all economic or political systems.

To have a true utopia, the individual parts must be sound. A system, no matter how perfect, cannot work properly if the individual parts are not whole and working properly. 

If you build a perfectly designed wooden structure with boards eaten out by termites, the overall structure is unsound and must be reinforced or artificially propped up (externally with a rigid structure i.e., laws), or it will collapse under any sustained weight or pressure.

This does not mean we should abandon living a ²productive life and seek to love God and our neighbor as He has called and designed us to. However, we can organically (internally) prosper only when we are fully plugged in, united, and engaged with God, the Source of life, love, and all things. If we are not in union with the Source of life, we are empty vessels at best, focused on filling the void - or trying to. This results in us being takers - in need of being made whole - not givers who help others. The emptiness must be filled as it was designed to be if we are to be givers. 

The solution isn't implementing (or imposing on us or others) a particular economic or political system ¹externally, but our being fully connected and plugged into God himself, which is an internal solution that restores wholeness, resulting in things working outwardly (externally) as designed. 

Hanging plastic fruit on a tree does not make it a fruit tree. Only giving it what it needs internally - i.e., watering, fertilizing, and sunshine (or rather Sonshine, if you will) - will cause it to bear fruit.

If all the individual parts of a system - i.e., you and I - are not sound, the system will not work, no matter how perfect the outward design of that system may be. Any system composed of flawed individuals (parts) can only produce flawed, inferior outcomes. 

For this reason, a perfect system will never work; only perfect values and people willing and able (empowered by God, the Source of life) to pursue them. 

Ultimately, this can only occur through people who recognize the greatness, worth, beauty, and glory of their Creator, and their dependence on Him and accountability to Him.

The solution ultimately is spiritual (internal), not political or economic (external). It is in first knowing God and then making him known (the first and second greatest commandments - also the motto of Columbia International University - the college I attended), not just in word but in deed. To make Him known, we must first know Him in all His infinite love to and for us. 

The real question isn't if there can be peace on earth, but how and when will it occur. For more on this, click here.  

For a discussion on giving as you have received, click here.  

For a discussion on obedience as the fruit of abiding, click here.

For a discussion on being fruitful, i.e., sewing and reaping, click here.

For a discussion on the basis of morality, click here.

For a discussion on what it means to "obey the authorities" in Romans 13 Click here

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Footnotes:

¹I am referring to economic systems - such as socialism or communism - externally imposed on us by the state and not internally and organically advanced. We are social-relational creatures, and as God's image-bearers, we are designed to receive and give love, not forced or required to.  

However, we are also spiritually bankrupt and broken - i.e., unplugged bearers of God's image made to be in union with (plugged into) their Creator. We can no more fully be who we are designed to be than a Christmas tree, beautifully decorated, sitting in a dark room, unplugged. 

For more on our brokenness, click here.  

²We are clearly instructed in many places within the bible to be "fruitful." Most of these verses address spiritual fruit. However, spiritual fruit is usually manifested by actions that often produce physical fruit. In fact, any action that produces physical fruit should be driven spiritually, i.e. by the Spirit/Love. If it is, it is valid fruit. It is spiritual in motivation (i.e. for God's glory) with a material outcome.  

For several posts addressing operating in the Spirit, click here. 

³There is nothing wrong with personal consumption; not in itself. If we do not consume vital resources -- water, food, shelter etc. -- we die. Consumption is not just necessary, but vital. Consumption isn't our problem.

A pursuit that is solely driven by personal and excessive consumption as a substitute for God (i.e. an idol) is our challenge, not consumption itself. 

*Private ownership of property and the opportunity to acquire property through diligence is assumed throughout the bible. The founding fathers who penned America's Constitution and the Declaration of Independence acknowledged this when they declared we had a "right" to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. What most don't know is that the pursuit of happiness is the right to the fruits of our labor, i.e., property.  

Christ instructs us to pray for his rule and reign to come on earth as it is in heaven. 

"Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..." - Matt 6:10 

Is this a prayer to usher in the Kingdom now or in the future? Both. 

For a discussion on what the kingdom of God is, click here. 

Freedom and the Spirit

"...Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." - 2 Cor 3:17

Why is their freedom in the Spirit's presence? Because God ¹is not only Spirit but He is also love.  Therefore, where the Spirit is present, love is also. 

How are these connected? 

As bearers of God's image we are created for love - because God is love. In order to experience His love, God knew we must be like Him to fully experience Him as love and to freely function as God designed us to. 

When we are in God's presence His love fills us up and frees us from always trying to gain or win love from God and others through our actions i.e. our good behavior.

Not only does God not demand from us certain actions in order to win His love, but He also knew we could never do enough to win it. So He made a way to remove the barrier between us - created by our ³rebellious distrust of Him - so He could freely pour out His love on us again as He did before our original rebellion. This was made possible through the efforts of Christ - efforts driven by Christ's perfect ³trust in the Father of love. 

Whenever we are in the presence of God, we are also in the presence of infinite ²love. This love energizes us to do (obey) and be who we are designed to be. His love results in our wanting to live for Him vs our feeling pressured to in order to avoid rejection. There is no risk of rejection when love is completely secured for us by the perfect actions of another - i.e. Christ's.

Obedience that springs forth from love is not action we have to take, as a legal requirement, but action we want to take. Obedience occurs supernaturally, freely and organically. Our "wanter" (will) is awakened toward our Creator in response to His love for us. A love fully secured for us by Christ's efforts alone, not ours. 

His love stirs us up to our true potential—to become again what we were originally created to be - bearers of God's image - through God's Spirit of infinite love. 

This happens when we are in the presence of God in all His love. To be all we were created to be is not only what we desire, but His love also gives us the power to do it - i.e., where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Nothing good or lasting happens in us or through us apart from the Spirit (love) of God. 

And we have God's Spirit only because we are in Christ. But also because we are in Christ we have His Spirit i.e. this is true for every one of His children with no exceptions. It is for us to believe and receive this love. 

For a further discussion on glory, and how it ties into this article, I offer the following:

Created for glory II

Crowned with glory and honor

Giving and receiving glory

Why God calls us to glorify him

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¹In fact, some argue (and I agree) that the Spirit issues forth from the perfect love between the Father and Son. For more on this click here and here. 

²We are energized in the presence of any love but most fully in the presence of the infinite love of God, who is the very Source of love.

³the opposite of our rebellious distrust that alienates us from the Father.

Work out your own salvation

Because our lack of humility and our inclination to be our own god has continued since our initial rebellion in Eden, everything we do tends to be ¹performance-based i.e. We are naturally inclined to take everything that God says - His directions or commandments - and turn them into a performance based approach to God i.e. a way of earning God's approval, acceptance, and love. 

Why? 

We feel compelled to prove our worth to counter our sense of inadequacy that resulted from our abandoning God. He alone is the source and only true basis of our identity. Without Him, we desperately try to make up for the loss.

Why? Because we were created for glory but are no longer connected to the Source of glory, life, and meaning i.e. we are missing what we were designed to participate in; the beautiful (glorious), all-wise, and loving God. 

Since we (humanity in general) are designed to experience our greatest sense of worth and true identity in God, but turned away from Him, we now seek to regain this by any means possible outside of and apart from Him. 

We no longer do things to honor God out of gratitude for His goodness and love, but try to "save ourselves" and prove our worth to God or others by doing "good" deeds. 

Even as His children, we are ²naturally inclined this way if we are not operating in and by His Spirit i.e., by Love.

True humility recognizes I can't (and never will) follow and pursue God perfectly in my natural strength, i.e., by simply willing it. God must be the energy and driving force behind my actions. I must recognize my weakness in living as God directs before I can be strong (in His strength) in faithfully pursuing Him.

This is the paradox of the "upside down" Christian life; when I am weak, I am strong. 2 Cor 12:7-10

"Therefore, my beloved... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." - Phil 2:12-13

This passage does not say work for your salvation but work out your salvation that is already yours i.e. live out who you are - who God has made you to be in and through Christ - i.e. act as someone who is perfectly righteous in God's eyes (and loved) because of Christ's efforts on your behalf, not as someone trying desperately to make yourself righteous to win the acceptance and approval (and love) of others... starting with God.

Who we are in Christ (our "own salvation") is what gives us the will (desire) and power to live for God's pleasure. But we must fully believe and embrace what God declares about us in Christ if we are to experience His strength in and through us.

This is what Paul was also saying in Romans 6:11 

"So you also *must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."

*must count - λογίζεσθε (logizesthe) 

Strong's 3049: To reckon, count, charge with; reason, decide, conclude; think, suppose.

Because sin no longer has a legal claim 

on us, live accordingly i.e. we are free from sin's legal claims; i.e., dead to sin's condemnation because Christ already fully bore its consequences, so we no longer have to.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." - Romans 8:1

For a further discussion on the difference between being righteous and living righteously, click here.

For a discussion on the difference between being spirit-driven vs works-driven, click here.

For a discussion on being loved vs experiencing his love, click here.

For a discussion on becoming who we already are in Christ, click here.

For a discussion on how we are created for glory, click here, here, and here.

For a discussion on how do we admit our unfaithfulness click here

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Footnotes:

¹a performance-based approach simply means attempting to win God's love and acceptance by our good deeds. However, this is not only unnecessary because of Christ's work on our behalf, but an insult to Him and His work that fully accomplished this for us. To approach life this way is a disposition of rebellion toward God? When we take time to contemplate this, we are saying Christ's efforts were a waste of time because my actions can be good enough to satisfy and match the perfect and infinite holiness and goodness of God.

²This is why the Galatians reverted back to a performance-based salvation after Paul initially had clearly presented the gospel to them, resulting in him writing his letter to get them back on track. 

When we are weak we are strong

God's power is perfected in our weakness. If we do not understand this we may interpret His guidance into challenging circumstances as ¹abandonment.

Do we have any examples to support this in scripture? Not only do we have several examples, but the ultimate example by the most significant person who ever walked the earth.

What did the Spirit do after the public announcement of Christ's ministry? He led him into the wilderness to be tested.

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." - Mat 4:1

It wasn't until after this that Christ went forth in power to share the good news of His coming kingdom.

If this was necessary for Christ how much more so for us?

Paul tells us that God's power is perfected in our struggles and weakness (2 Cor 12:8-9). God even sent a messenger of Satan to harass him, not unlike God allowing Satan to inflict suffering on Job. God was in charge in both cases. If we do not understand this we will interpret God's directing us into periods of testing as ¹abandonment and the greatest proof of God's care is providing comfortable circumstances.

We usually don't feel like God is with us when we are in the wilderness, do we? It is  usually lonely and often confusing. We are tempted to ask God, "where are you?! Why have you ¹left me?!

Yet Christ himself learned obedience through the things He suffered. If this was necessary for Christ, the perfect Son of God and man, why would or should it be different for us who are far from perfect? 

Our need to learn to trust the Father is greater than Christ's - though His trust in the Father was tested far more than ours will likely ever be. 

"Therefore...let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb 12:1-2

If we do not understand that God is in the test - working by and through it for our spiritual advancement - we will not be able to "count it all joy" as James exhorts, when we go through hard times. We will be unstable and tossed about in and by challenging circumstances and our distrust that God is still very much in control.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith (trust) produces steadfastness. 

And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man (who trusts God one moment and doubts Hin the next), unstable in all his ways." - James 1:2-8

For a discussion on why faith is a fight click here. 
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¹Matthew 27:46 ESV‬‬
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 

legitimate vs illegitimate business

What distinguishes a legitimate enterprise or business from an illegitimate one? 

Being ¹service driven vs. solely profit-driven.

There is nothing necessary wrong with profit in itself, but when profit becomes the ²sole motive, serving others becomes irrelevant or secondary at best and usually leads to ⁴harming others. This is a disservice and the opposite of serving others.

When an enterprise is focused on ²serving others we are loving our neighbors and helping them flourish. The result is that the "consumer"  ²benefits. 

We are dependent on certain things to not only survive but to flourish and function to our maximum capacity. To provide those things for God's honor and the bettering of our fellow man or woman is to serve both God and humankind.

If we are diligent in serving others, it often results in our economic benefit as well, i.e. profit. We "win" by helping others "win." But serving others is and should always be our focus, regardless. 

As believers, this is carrying out the commandment to love our neighbor as we love ourselves i.e. treating others the way we would like to be treated. If we gain (profit) in this exercise, this is a good thing, not bad i.e. it is not exploiting our fellow man or the planet, as ⁵some assert, but the possible (though not automatic) fruit of serving them.  

The most successful enterprises are those that find a ¹legitimate ³need of others and meet it better than anyone else. The greater the need, the greater the service provided. The greater the service, the greater the opportunity for profit if we are diligent. 

For a discussion on sowing and reaping click here. 

For a discussion on socialism vs capitalism click here. 

For a discussion on doing things with excellence click here. 

For a discussion on whether the pursuit of money is ever legit click here.

For a discussion on what exactly money is click here. 

For a discussion on cryptocurrency, click here. 

For a discussion on giving as we have received, click here

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Footnotes:

¹The nature of the need is also vital in determining the legitimacy of the enterprise or service e.g. providing healthy food vs junk food is a legitimate endeavor. Providing a want such as junk food (or pornography, or abortions etc) simply because there is a demand for it is not. There may be large profits in these kinds of offers, but if an offer is contrary to God's design it is ultimately destructive and a disservice to others and humanity at large regardless of how great the demand or profit.

²Even when profit becomes the primary motive, serving others becomes secondary, which also ultimately leads to people's ⁴harm and the opposite of serving others.

Serving others is good for both the provider and the consumer. This is a "win-win" scenario. 

³We must distinguish between needs and wants. Needs are vital to our existence and flourishing. Wants, no matter how great, are merely what we desire but will not result in our perishing if we can't acquire them i.e. they are not essential to our existence but may only be for greater convenience and comfort versus greater fruitfulness i.e. productivity. 

We are called to be productive (fruitful). Anything that enables us to do so is legitimate. Helping others be more efficient so they have more time to be more productive is a legitimate endeavor. 

This is our initial mandate in the Old Testament:

‭‭Genesis 1:28-30 

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 

This is repeated in the New Testament: 

‭‭John 15:5...

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing... 

 

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples...

 

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, - regarding advancing God's rule (kingdom) of love - he may give it to you. 

⁴Such as using corn syrup in foods as a sweetener because it is cheaper and adds more to the bottom line even though it's harmful to us.

⁵Ayn Rand asserted capitalism and altruism are opposites and do not mix i.e. in a true free market system we can not benefit (win) by helping others benefit (win). 

Click here for a 2-minute video of her explaining worldview. 

However, as an atheist, she didn't understand the dynamic of being empowered to love others when we know we are fully loved. 

She interpreted altruism as a giving away of our dignity - or others taking it from us - and not an expression of the dignity we derive from God, the eternal overflowing fountain of love. She saw altruism only as others taking from us by force vs our freely, gladly, and willingly giving to others out of our fullness of receiving all things from our Creator. A subtle but vital distinction. 

This distinguishes God's Kingdom from communism. This also reveals how the progressive side of the church is unwittingly sympathetic to communism, which is vastly different from advancing God's kingdom by loving our neighbor. 

Givers vs takers

For a discussion on how we are designed to be givers and not takers click here.

When service is our primary focus - but profit is also desired

(though not primary) - this puts innovation front and center. It causes us to continually look for creative ways to meet the unmet needs of our fellow humans and how to also generate the necessary funding to continue to do so. 

Often, but not always, the copycats of legitimate and successful innovation are driven purely by profit, not necessarily how to better serve humanity. 

Exchanging energy via currency?

Currency is a recognized media of value (i.e. everyone agrees on its value) that we exchange our labor/energy for (just think electrical current i.e. Current-cy). Because of this agreement everyone is willing to accept it in exchange for their labor.

We expend energy through labor to create things (or provide direct services to others) that people want or need.

We are given currency (portable, transferable, stored labor/energy) in exchange for that labor, which we can then use to acquire goods and services others labor to produce; goods and services we provide or produce that others need or want but do not have the time, skills, or interest to directly produce or labor for. 

As a society, we can more easily benefit mutually from the skills, talent, and labor (and production) of an almost unlimited number of others without having to barter by using a universally accepted ¹medium of exchange - portable and transferable energy (i.e., currency). 

For example, if I am a dentist and you do landscaping, I can provide dental work for you in exchange for landscaping. This works fine, but only if I need landscaping and you need dental work; i.e., barter is limited to the specific things we EACH offer or need at the time that we need it.

A currency, however, is a universally accepted medium of transferring your and my labor/energy. This means everybody will accept it as payment for their labor/energy and also offer it to others for the goods or services their labor/energy produces. So the use of currency is not limited to any one particular service - such as dental work - or product needed, but is unlimited in how it can be transferred and used. 

When we give currency to another, we give transportable/transferable energy/labor through a medium of exchange, or currency the other party agrees to accept from us. This is a mutually beneficial transaction and relationship, i.e., what some call a "win-win" scenario. 

Our energy is expended and exchanged for transportable/ transferable currency, which they in turn can exchange for goods and services created by the labor/energy of others, which they can also convert to currency.

Currency is simply a universally accepted, portable, and easily transferable medium of exchanging our energy/labor (and the fruits of it) with each other whenever and wherever we need to.

Who is in control?

Here's the part most don't understand. If a central authority, such as a government, issues and therefore controls the currency (money) - such as our current fiat currency or the proposed ³CBDC - this, in effect, is a means of controlling the people who labor for it. 

If no Central authority is necessary to verify the value of a currency, but its verification is distributed evenly through a decentralized network that no one controls (or you could say the laborers "control" together via a network), then a central authority is no longer needed. 

But most importantly, central control is no longer possible. The verification of the value of the currency is now in the hands of "we the people" and not with any single central institution or person.

What about profit? Is it good or bad?

Legitimate profit is merely surplus energy created through innovation, efficiency, and hard work. 

Innovation occurs when the laborer finds an area of demand/need/want through their ingenuity/creativity and supplies that want or need more efficiently than others (or exclusively before anyone else does).  

The basic engine that drives commerce is supply and demand. The laborer/innovator supplies what others need, want, or demand. 

Commerce is nothing more than the exchange of goods and services - through currency - that are needed and desired by others.

To provide goods and services that are needed or wanted is not taking advantage of people but actually serving them. It is treating them with value/care. In short, productivity does not necessarily involve greed. It can be driven by a desire to serve others - to treat them as we wish to be treated; to love our neighbors as ourselves. In so doing, we are carrying out the 2nd greatest commandment in the Bible. 

When profit is generated through deception or abuse of resources, this is not a natural or inherent part of profit-making but the abuse of it. There is nothing inherently wrong with profit or making it (i.e., by efficiently, diligently, and creatively meeting the wants/needs of consumers better than other competitors/ providers), but only the abuse of it. 

Often, legitimate profit-making and abuse of it are mixed together as if they are one and the same. They are not. To shut down profit-making because it is abused is not the solution to the actual abuse. It would be equivalent to docking a sailboat, which is more efficient than using a rowboat, because the sailboat captain is always drunk and constantly wrecking the ship, causing harm or damage to others. The sailboat is not the problem; the drunk captain steering the boat is.

Any economic system or endeavor can be (and often is) corrupted and abused simply because humanity is broken; i.e., the problem is not necessarily the means of doing commerce. We must separate and distinguish the mechanism from the abuse of it. 

All systems are subject to abuse, not necessarily because this is inherent within the system, but because of human nature's inclination to take advantage of others solely for their own benefit, i.e., selfishness vs. service.

Some systems are more conducive to abuse than others. Systems that have centralized power (such as ²socialism and communism) tend to be abused most because of the selfish inclination of humanity. As the saying goes, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. 

If you put the control of commerce in the hands of a centralized authority, abuse inevitably occurs because of our inherent inclination to selfishness. The more power and control someone has - and the fewer there are who have it - the more likely this abuse occurs. 

This is why our system of government was set up with a separation of powers and various checks and balances. You could say power and control within our system is decentralized. The founders understood the corruption of centralized power firsthand through tyrannical British rule.  This resulted in the action and concern in the American colonies of "taxation without representation."

Large profits are not necessarily the result of this corruption but may simply be the fruit of greater energy, efficiency, and innovation (creativity) than others i.e., not necessarily or automatically the fruit of exploiting the consumer. 

To say it simply, the bigger and the better the job you do, the more you are rewarded. Great profit can simply be that you have made a larger number of people happier by providing what they want or need better - more efficiently and less expensive - than anyone else.

The danger of centralized control.

When you can devalue the currency by creating additional currency out of thin air, you are, in effect, unknowingly (to the users of the currency) taking (stealing) people's energy to pad your own pocket by diluting the value of the currency others labored for e.g., to double the money supply is the equivalent of doubling the number of hours of labor required to generate the same earnings. Without an honest currency/money system, you have legalized theft. 

And as long as there are those allowed to steal from you without your knowledge and someone can go unchecked, they will continue to do so by whatever means possible (through deception or keeping others in the dark, thereby controlling the narrative via information outlets on how money works) in order to maintain power and control over others, i.e., over our labor/energy/time etc. 

This is why the Federal Reserve system must be eliminated. It is taking the fruits of our labor/energy through deception and using it to advance the agenda of those who control the system - which is rarely, if ever, the consumers' agenda. This is not only taking advantage of the producer/worker but increasing their control over others, i.e. You and I. 

The medium of exchange that best provides honest money is cryptocurrency. For a discussion on why, click here.
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¹One of the oldest and most common mediums of exchange has been gold and silver. Originally in America, we used gold and silver coins (A "dollar" was an ounce of silver. A quarter was a quarter ounce, and a dime was 1/10 an ounce). The paper dollar was backed by gold or silver and could be turned in for the amount of gold or silver the "bill" designated, i.e.  5 "dollar bill" or 10 dollars or a 100 etc. Eventually, we went to paper certificates of deposit that were backed by silver. Now it is merely currency by fiat (law) and backed by nothing (in fact, our present currency is debt-based, not asset-based). We use it because it is required by law i.e., it is legal tender, also known as fiat (money by degree or law).  

This doesn't mean we can not use other forms of exchange if we mutually agree. That is up to the buyer and seller of goods or services. We are free to pay each other with whatever we agree to. This means you only have to use "legal tender" to pay the government, i.e., taxes. And they will only pay you with it and not some other currency such as Euros, Yen, British pounds, or a ³true decentralized cryptocurrency, etc. 

A currency can be any universally recognized medium. Because of the devaluation of the paper dollar through excess spending and printing more to cover the nation's increasing debt, more are turning to privately created digital currency known as cryptocurrency. ³True cryptocurrency has a limited number of coins created, resulting in them increasing in value against fiat currency through supply and demand, as their use becomes more widely accepted. A set number of coins does not allow them to be devalued (diluted) by constantly creating additional new coins (like we do now with paper money and every other country using fiat currency).

²those who promote such systems pretend benevolence (and maybe even naively believe it's more fair) when in fact they seek power and control (whether consciously or not… they argue someone has to run the show to prevent fraud.  Ironic when you consider the whole current fiat money system is legalized theft).

The appeal to the consumer is that I'm promised I'll be cared for regardless of whether I work for it or not, by those who promote (and control) distribution. This promise is the primary way they keep us in the system and under their control. 

³CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) is not decentralized, nor does it have a limited number of "coins" issued. It is therefore not true cryptocurrency. I would avoid it at all costs. There is a clear indication it will actually increase the central authorities' control over every part of our lives.

For a further discussion on the difference between controlled CBDC and true cryptocurrency, click here.

For a further discussion on the difference between socialism and capitalism, click here.

For a further discussion on the difference between a legitimate and illegitimate endeavor or business, click here.

If interested in acquiring precious metals at 12 to 17% below standard dealers' cost, click here.

To take advantage of the rapidly growing cryptocurrency market, email us at bigdeal70@pm.me 

We are part of a rapidly expanding cryptocurrency exchange that is making it easier to interface our current fiat system with truly decentralized cryptocurrency. 

The law/obedience... required or not

Is obedience to God and His law a requirement?

In one sense, it is not and in another sense it is.

1. Obedience is not required:

For justification, i.e. We are not, cannot, nor ever will be justified (in right standing with God) by our obedience to God's ³law. 

To approach God's law in this way is saying we can make ourselves "right" with God through our efforts, i.e. we can be good enough to make (or cause) God to accept and love us. 

If so, Christ wouldn't have needed to die to obtain our right standing with God i.e. Christ's death was ⁴unnecessary and a waste. We could simply be our own savior and the cause of our salvation. 

But we have a major problem. In order to be right with God requires a love, faithfulness, worship of and loyalty to God, that is equal to His beauty, majesty, and glory. God, being all glorious, rightfully demands and deserves a matching response. Not because God needs us to respond this way for His sake but because it aligns with who God is and who we are i.e. it is operating according to the reality of what is.

We are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, because of who He is and the way He loves. Anything less would be inappropriate and inadequate for an infinitely majestic, all-glorious being.

However, this ³does not occur for several reasons.

• To not love and honor God with all we have and are minimizes the beauty, majesty, holiness, glory, and infinite worth of God. The greatness of God justly compels and requires our perfect love and absolute faithfulness, loyalty, and worship of him for who He is - the infinitely beautiful, majestic, and all-glorious God. Because of who God is, nothing less than perfect faithfulness, absolute and total loyalty, is suitable or sufficient for the Creator, Giver, and Sustainer of all things. He deserves all our devotion and rightfully desires no less.

But who among us loves God this way... with all we are and have? Yet everything we are and have is from Him, is it not? At a minimum, this alone demands our perfect loyalty, devotion, and respect, if not our affection. This is also at the heart of greatest commandment. 

• Only God is perfectly loyal in faithfulness; we are not. This is a problem since faithfulness and unfaithfulness in a relationship can not mix. This would be like a married couple with one partner being infinitely good and perfectly loving, loyal, and faithful, while the other partner is off pursuing other "lovers." No normal and healthy relationship works this way.

• Our attempts to earn a right standing with God nullifies the work Christ did to fully restore our broken relationship with God. Attempting this is an insult to Christ and His efforts. By seeking to be acceptable and worthy of God's love by our efforts we are saying Christ's faithfulness to God - which was even unto death - was unnecessary; that I can do better and be good enough and love God well enough to make myself right and acceptable to God without Christ having to do this for me. In effect, this is saying to God and others that Christ died in vain. His death was unnecessary and useless. 

• We simply do not and cannot love/value God perfectly as He deserves, i.e. with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves, without God empowering us. 

How does He empower us? By love. We are designed to respond to love and be the recipients and conduits of love. We are not the initiators of it. God alone is the source and cause of love. We love Him because He first loved us. 

• And He will not empower us until the fallout (i.e. the harm and consequences) from our rejection of His beauty, majesty, and glory is addressed and accounted for. The veil of blindness that obstructs us from seeing him as He truly is, must be removed. This occurs only when we are restored to a right relationship with God through Christ's efforts, not ours, i.e., we are justified by faith in Him and His efforts on our behalf, not by our efforts on His behalf. 

2. Obedience is a "¹requirement" to experience all God offers us:

If we are to partake of the fullness of God, His life, and bring Him maximum honor and experience our greatest flourishing. 

This has nothing to do with our justification before God as our judge and everything to do with our communing with God and being in a harmonious and fulfilling relationship with Him as our loving Father. Having a "right standing" with God is only possible through Christ's efforts, not ours. Christ alone was perfectly faithful to God - even unto death - not us.

However, being close to God and in a warm relationship with Him is up to us.

• Experiencing God in all his greatness and the full potential He created us for requires our maximum participation in who He is as our all-wise and loving Father and faithfully pursuing all he calls us to do and be. The essence of this is loving him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength as he rightfully deserves and loving our neighbors as ourselves (who, like us, are also in God's image). 

• Our obedience does not cause God to love us but aligns us with Him and "plugs us in" to who He is - His heart-will - as the most lovely of all. Obedience is evidence of our love for him. It is a reflection of our love for God and should match his love for us. 

Obedience to God could be summed up in one simple verse..."John 14:15 ESV

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments."

It also ushers us into his presence more fully. When we draw near to him, ²he draws near to us. 

• God is loving, good, kind, and wise. In Christ, we are his children. When we are aligned with Him, His love flows to us and empowers us so we also become loving, good, kind, and wise. This also reveals and reflects Him to others through us, i.e. It honors him. It brings him glory and also brings us the greatest joy.

In summary, obedience is a requirement as far as our maximum flourishing, experiencing God, and honoring Him, but not as far as our justification. 

The Westminster Catechism asks...

What is the chief end of man?

The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. God's glory and our joy go hand in hand i.e. our greatest joy is in glorifying God.

"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen."  Rom 11:36  

For a discussion on how we seek to earn God's love, click here.

For a discussion on the difference between "Cultural Christians" and grace-driven followers of Christ, click here.

For a discussion on how God empowers us, click here and here.

For a discussion on the essence of God's Kingdom, click here.

For a discussion on how God's love is both conditional and unconditional, click here.

For a discussion on whether our focus should be on morality or Jesus, click here.

 

For a discussion on what righteousness is click here

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Footnotes:

¹I put "requirement" in quotes to distinguish it from justification. It is a requirement in the sense that drinking water or eating nutritious food is a requirement if we wish to stay alive and experience optimal health. 

God is Life. All we are and have is from Him. Partaking of, experiencing, and fully engaging Him is up to us.

Loving God with all we have and are and our neighbor as ourselves is to operate according to our design (and His will). Things work best when they function as designed. This is especially true of us as creatures who alone are in God's image.

Even as God's child - through Christ - if we stop eating and drinking, we will still die. Nevertheless, we are no less loved by God because we violated God's design to physically sustain us through eating and drinking.

²Not in his disposition and posture of love toward us (Christ already fully took care of this and secured it for us) but in our disposition towards Him. 

God's willingness, desire, and commitment to manifest Himself to us and our being able to experience Him in all his love are perfectly secured for us by Christ. 

But our full participation in all Christ has secured depends on us i.e. on our trust in God and faithful pursuit of Him as spelled out in the greatest command to love Him with all we are and have and our neighbors as ourselves. 

³Not because we shouldn't obey the law or because the law is not good, but because we cannot without His love empowering us.

The entire Bible illustrates this. Every time God sought to advance His purpose through us, we failed. Beginning with Adam, then Abraham, Moses, Jacob, and David.  Each was called to be God's special representative to multiply and advance His loving and righteous rule on earth, and each failed (though God did not, and used them anyway and succeeded).  

Why did God show this throughout the Bible? To demonstrate that he alone, through Christ, could live righteously and satisfy the requirements to faithfully and perfectly honor Him as he deserves i.e. according to God's true honor, glory, and righteousness. 

⁴What a massive insult to Christ and all he went through for us.