Trust in Christ through the Holy Spirit not in the Country or the Pastor

Are you trusting in your country or are you trusting in Christ? It's a good question because both cannot co-exist, we must choose one over the other.

Since there is no command in the Bible to vote for our leaders we can choose if we want to or not.

It is amazing to me that so many Christians have judged others as "neglectful or bad" citizens of the country they live in because they have chosen to believe what God said in His Word.

Romans 13:1 "Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God."

We are to be good citizens in the country in which we live as a witness to the people around us. However, we are not commanded by God to do what the authorities have allowed but have made no law about.

We are living in a day when some remnant believers have chosen to avoid the political system while believing the Lord will put in whomever He wants for whatever are His purposes.

Americans have been indoctrinated from a very young age in government schools that we would be bad citizens if we didn't vote for our leaders. This is very difficult to overcome when from age we were told we must vote. No where in Scripture does God tell us we are bad citizens if we don't vote for a leader. God has this, He is in control and no one will be in power without His permission.

This mentality of "everyone must vote" does not allow for a person to vote their own conscience when two evil people are running for office. In the minds of Americans, we must choose one of the evil people to rule us or we are bad citizens.

I reject the idea that someone is a "bad citizen" if they choose not to vote. We are often told to vote our conscience from the pulpit but we are never told we are allowed to express our conscience by not voting.

Once again the church oversteps the Scriptures and places rules and mandates on people that God never placed but are cultural and not Biblical.

I have voted since I was 18, and yes often with frustration that I had to cast a vote for a foolish and wicked person. I have voted for many years for the "lesser of the two evils" in an attempt to get a few things I believed were good for the country. I promised my husband that I would never cancel out his vote by voting differently from him. I knew he agreed with me on the moral issues so I could easily keep that promise.

My admonition to believers is to stop pressuring people to ignore the Holy Spirit when He is telling someone not to cast a vote. We do not know what God has for our country, it may be punishment through wicked leaders, and believe me when I say we deserve what God will give us.

If you cannot give me one command in the word of God without snatching passages out of their context, that everyone should vote then you have no right to pressure others to do what you think they should do in the matter of voting.

I am not telling people not to vote, I am telling people to be led by the Holy Spirit and allow others to be led by Him too without worldly and cultural pressure.

I wonder how many people will be able to worship at home if the churches are shut down. My guess, based on the COVID years is that most do not know how to worship at home without that paid pastor up front.

I was not worried about the church gatherings in those monstrous buildings being shut down because it was a test of the dedication of Christians, whether they knew how to pray and worship on their own without a "pastor" doing it for them.

So many church attendees think their "pastor" is the mediator between them and God, this could not be more egregious. When we have been depending on a "pastor" we are not depending on the Holy Spirit.

John 16:13-15

"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you."

God never said the leaders or pastors would lead us into all truth. He said it would be the Holy Spirit. Those who depend on the pastors are not depending on the Holy Spirit.

Next time a person approaches you and says: " I have a word from the Lord for you", tell them boldly and without reservation; "no you do not, God tells me what He wants me to know and there is only one Mediator between me and God and that is Christ Jesus."

No One is Better Than Anyone Else

I was once told by a "Christian" who attended Bible college that his sins were not as bad as the sins of others. I was astounded, no one can be born again who is not broken over the smallest sin of pride.

If any sin we committed is viewed as "not so bad" then we cannot be born again. All sins, no matter how small are worthy of hell because it reveals a sinful nature.

We do not go to hell for a particular sin, someone who goes to hell goes there because their nature is sinful and without the ability to be anything other than sinful.

The person who lives a good life, obeying the laws and being a good neighbor will go to hell for not trusting in Christ for what He did to pay the price for their sinful nature.

Those who think they are good but are trusting in themselves, thinking they deserve heaven will not be saved.

It is only Christ Who can pay the penalty of our sinfulness with His blood. No one is good, not one person can say they are good.

Romans 3:10-12

"As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”

People who think they are good and deserve heaven always have the propensity to compare themselves with others, even making up issues that are non-existent to appear superior. These people will wallow in their own self-exalted pride and find themselves in hell hearing those terrible words from God; "I NEVER KNEW YOU."

It takes a broken spirit and humility to become born again. No one who possesses pride will make heaven.

Proverbs 16:18-19 " 18 Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. 19 It is better to be lowly in spirit among the humble than to divide the spoil with the proud.…"

Since our culture has been raised on "self-esteem" it is difficult to find very many people who have been humbled and have repented. Humility and repentance is anathema to someone who prides themselves on how good they think they are and how better than others they perceive themselves.

It is very difficult to reach those with the gospel who are in the church and have themselves on a throne as special. They already believe they are Christians but have never been born again. Once a person has been convinced they are good it is nearly impossible to convince them they are not good. It takes the Holy Spirit working hardships and trials in their life to bring them to the place of despair to be able to see their own wicked state and repent from it.

We can pray for these people, that God would work in their lives but we know they will not listen to those they believe are beneath them. These people hate the traits of God in born-again believers. They hate empathy, kindness and humility, they are considered weak to the one who loves to be in control of everyone else through their accusations of imperfection and their inability to love anyone whom they believe is not "perfect enough."

Sadly the church organizations are full of these "self-righteous" ones who pervert the gospel and lack all the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23

"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Those who love Christ love people more than they love themselves. They have no need to feel superior or special because Christ is the only ONE WHO is special.