Quote of the Week: Woke, Inc.

      "Once corporations discovered wokeness, the inevitable happened: they used it to make money.

    Consider Fearless Girl, a statue of a young girl that suddenly appeared one day in New York City to stare down the iconic statue of the Wall Street bull.  It was apparently a challenge for Wall Street to promote gender diversity: the placard at Fearless Girl's feet said, 'Know the power of women in leadership.  SHE makes a difference.'  Feminists cheered.  The trick?  'SHE' referred not only to Fearless Girl but to the Nasdaq-listed exchange -traded fund (ETF) that her commissioners, State Street Global Advisors, wanted people to buy.  State Street was battling a lawsuit from female employees saying it paid them less than their male peers in the firm.  Instead of paying women equally, State Street made a statue for them.  Fearless Girl was a line item in an advertising budget."

(Woke, Inc., Ramaswamy, p. 5)

Buy this book today to understand how you are being attacked everyday by the Woke lie!! 
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America: The Land of Fools

 Proverbs 20:3

It is to a man's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.

In our society, there are two platforms where this Proverb is played out every day: Politics and social media.  Both of these are built on slander and strife.  Politicians need it to remain in the public eye and feed their narcissistic shallowness.  Social media whores need it to give themselves a false feeling of significance and importance.  Look at what Solomon calls both groups of people.  They are FOOLS!

This does not mean every politician and everyone on social media are fools, but look at the qualifier- people who are quick to quarrel are fools.  They should be avoided.  Do you get sucked into arguments on social media as if you are actually convincing someone the rightness of your opinion?  I don't know if you've noticed yet, but social media is not solving problems...it is creating problems and making existing problems worse, that's what it's designed for.

By this definition, how many American politicians are honorable and how many are fools?  If it's honorable to avoid strife and quarrels then we would have to say most- the vast majority- of American politicians are fools.  In today's political environment one has to play the fool just to get elected.  The politicians are just a reflection of the people who vote for them.  That's a big reason why American politics has nothing to do with governing and solving problems.  The American people insist on their politics being nothing more than an absurd "reality" T.V. series.  Only a dumbed-down, uneducated, ignorant society would continue to elect buffoons to public office election after election.  The sad state of American politics is actually a sad commentary on the state of American society.  There is no honor among our politicians because there is no honor among our citizens.  Cry about it all you want on social media, but nothing changes until the citizens change.  An immoral citizenry will always elect immoral governors so they will legalize more immorality.  And then these same selfish and ignorant citizens will cry and whine when the immoral governors they elect turn around and take everything from them (the ignorant citizens) because they (the governors) are immoral.  There is no honor among thieves.  Immoral, selfish people will always abuse their power and authority to get everything they can for themselves.  This is why the Woke folks and Socialists are so stupid- they never get this, no matter how many times they are kicked in the crotch by it.

None of this is new.  And it certainly isn't news.  It is only new to ignorant fools who don't read and who don't study and understand history.  This is the nature of fallen, sinful man.  People who reject the God of the Bible and Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will always act this way.  It's not surprising.  It is to be expected, so there is no reason to get all angry when godless people act this way.  The big key is for you to stop acting the same way.  If you profess to be a Christian, then start acting like it.  You are called to be the salt and light of the world.  Stop acting like the world!  Stop playing the fool on social media by participating in the foolish quarreling.  Stop going through the motions of your life, and start living the life you have been called to live through the gift of faith in Jesus.  Every Christian has been given a Great Commission calling.  Yours is bigger than just living for yourself.  If you really want to make a difference in society, in the world, that is how you do it.  You aren't accomplish anything, and you aren't pleasing God, by being just another fool on social media.

This all starts by answering one simple question: Who are you living for?

If you are neglecting your Great Commission calling, then you are living for yourself.  

If you are living for others, then you are moving in the right direction, but you're not quite there yet.

If you are truly living for Jesus, then you've got it.  Jesus is more important than you.  He is more important than all the others.  Only Jesus is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life".  His plan for your life is the only one that matters.

It is time to stop playing the fool and start living your life with honor.  If you have no clue what that word means, start reading the book of Proverbs every day.  Solomon and the Holy Spirit will help you figure it out.

James 3:17-4:2

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

What causes fights and quarrels among you?  Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?  You want something but don't get it.  You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want.  You quarrel and fight.  You do not have, because you do not ask God.

God bless 

Jason Fredrick

Live the Faith that You Profess with Your Mouth

 Acts 4:18-22

Then they called them (Peter & John) in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.  But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God.  For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

After further threats they let them go.  They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened.  For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.

There's a lot in these few verses, but I want to focus on the bold sections.  They are significant.  They very closely match what is going on in our society, which only promises to increase persecutions for God's people and all who do right.  Not all persecution comes in the form of arrests and torture.  Sometimes it it shows up in more subtle ways like censorship and slander.  At a time when media giants like Google announce that they will increase censorship (especially against anyone who speaks the truth regarding the sham of global warming/climate change) and Facebook actively attacks the mental well-being of your children, many of the persecutions you are about to face over the coming months will not be from law enforcement dragging you off to jail on trumped up charges.

What is your response going to be in these dark times?  Will you just go with the flow so life doesn't get harder than you want it to be?  Or will you stand up and speak the truth louder and with more passion than ever?

Life is all about choices.  The choices you make over the coming months may be some of the most important of your life.  Are you prepared to make good choices no matter what the consequences may be to you personally?

This is the decision Peter and John were faced with in the days following Jesus' ascension into heaven and Pentecost.  Were they going to speak the truth in a society where political leaders didn't want to hear it?  Would they continue to speak the truth in the face of open persecution?

The answer is "Yes".  They spoke the truth about Jesus' death and resurrection at every opportunity, public and private.  In fact, they actually sought out opportunities to preach the truth about Jesus of Nazareth.  They knew they would be arrested and persecuted at times for their faith, but they did it anyways.  Out of love and obedience to Jesus they honored him above all earthly authority and all wicked persecutions devised by the devil to silence the message of Christ's gospel.

We should not be surprised when evil people, the children of Satan, act wickedly and with evil intent.  They truly are children of their father, Satan.  Who is Satan?  He is the "Father of Lies".

In John 8:42-47 Jesus explains the situation as it existed in his day, and still exists for us today.

"If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here.  I have not come on my own; but he sent me.  Why is my language not clear to you?  Because you are unable to hear what I say.  You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire.  He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.  Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!  Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?  I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me?  He who belongs to God hears what God says.  The reason that you do not hear is because you do not belong to God."

Jesus knows your frustration.  Think of how much more frustrated he was.  He is the Truth yet people didn't believe his words.  He came to save every single person, yet they turned their backs on him and rejected him.  That is what the people of our day are still doing.  They have the plain truth of God's Word, yet they reject it and carry out the plans of their father, Satan.

Evil men will exist in this world until Jesus comes back again for the Final Judgment.  Don't let their wickedness frustrate you or intimidate you.  Like the Apostles, your job is to share the gospel of Jesus at every opportunity, with everyone God puts in front of you.  The more they make your blood boil, the more they need to hear about Jesus.  He died for them too.  It is time for God's people to lead with mercy and compassion.  We are the ones who rightly understand the terminal condition of those who are currently serving Satan and his schemes.  Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.  Love conquers all, not hate.  You will never win souls for Christ by returning hate for hate.

Have compassion on the lost of this world because "they do not know what they are doing."

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Quote of the Week: The Magic of Thinking Big

 And who hasn't heard the statement that "Success isn't worth the price," as if you have to sell your soul, your family life, your conscience, your set of values to reach the top.  But, in truth, success doesn't demand a price.  Every step forward pays a dividend.

(The Magic of Thinking Big, D. Schwartz, p. 3)

The True God is Faithful and Loving

 Exodus 17:2

So they quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink."

Moses replied, "Why do you quarrel with me?  Why do you put the LORD to the test?"

How long do you think the Israelites had been wandering in the wilderness at this point?  One year?  Five years? 20 years?  

No.  It had not been nearly that long.  Exodus 17 occurs about two-and-a-half months after they leave Egypt.  Just two-and-a-half months.  Amazingly, this isn't even the first time the people grumble against Moses, and ultimately God.  They had actually started this sinful, selfish habit immediately upon their exodus from Egypt.  They began this behavior at the Red Sea, shortly after leaving Egypt, because Pharaoh and his army started to pursue them.  This isn't even the first time they complained like little children about not having water.  The first time is just two chapters earlier, right after they crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, at the Waters of Marah.  

Yes, despite the Israelites having witnessed with their own eyes the power and love of God (the Passover, the plundering of the Egyptians, the Exodus, the parting of the Red Sea, the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire to lead them, etc.) they still grumbled and complained to Moses about just about anything and everything.  Truly these people showed themselves to be the children of Israel.

Unfortunately, as the spiritual children of Israel, we often display this same bad behavior.  We want what we want when we want it- Right Now!!  Yes, like the Israelites in Moses' day God has revealed his power and love to us; not in exactly the same ways, but he has none the less.  Actually, he has revealed it to us in a much more powerful way: Jesus.

While the earthly redemption of the Israelites in Exodus is full of symbolism that points to the coming Messiah, Jesus is the fulfillment of all of those promises.  In Jesus all people are offered eternal redemption from sin and death.  

The Israelites were saved on the night of Passover by the blood of the lamb on their doorposts.  We are saved by the blood of the Lamb of God shed on the cross.

The Israelites left a land of slavery for a land "flowing with milk and honey".  Christians will one day leave this land of slavery to sin and death for the Promised Land of heaven.

The Israelites were led by God's chosen prophet, priest, and king (Moses) to the Promised Land (Canaan).  We follow God's Prophet, Priest, and King (Jesus) to the ultimate Promised Land (heaven).

God is faithful.  He fulfills every one of his promises.  It may not always be the way we expect, or want, but he always does what he says.  He loves each of us more than we can imagine.  His ways are higher than our ways.  His understanding is higher that our understanding.  We can trust our loving God to do for us everything he has promised, because he has already fulfilled the most important promise: The promise of a Savior.  

For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.- John 3:16

God bless

Jason Fredrick