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The Lust Of Power
Dictators often secure the reins of government by promising the people
better living conditions than what they currently have. Once they secure
power, frequently by military might, they oppress the population by
curtailing freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion.
The prospect of controlling people's lives politically, economically, and
socially is not a problem for someone who believes that he belongs to an
elite class which deserves the right to impose its will on others. Power
hungry despots have risen to prominence over nations and kingdoms and have
exercised cruelty over their fellow man all in the cause of the "
improvement of society."
For the oppressor even freedom of thought is a threat to his rule, since if
people are allowed to think for themselves, they may conceive ideas that
oppose his plans for domination. The worse case scenario for the dictator is
to have a group of people with a different ideology that may take root
within the population and thus spawn a movement that will challenge his
authority. Dissent is not something with which an autocratic ruler will be
comfortable. Power mad men will slaughter thousands, even tens of thousands
of his country men in order to stifle dissent. This he will do
systematically over time as in the case of the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia in
which the communist government killed over two million Cambodians, or at
Tiananmen square in China where an estimated 2,500 people were killed
in a massacre on June 3-4, 1989. When those who lust for power are
challenged by the oppressed they usually resort to violence in order to
retain power.
Is it any wonder that nearly three thousand years ago the Bible records these
words spoken by the prophet-king David:
The God of Israel said, the
Rock of Israel
spake to me, He that
ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. ˜
2 Samuel 23:3
David came to understand what every government leader must make it their
business to know, that power is something that God entrusts to men, it is HIS
domain. It is the government leader's responsibility to use it justly. Men ought
to thirst for God, not lust for power which corrupts and enslaves the soul. Our
Constitution is more than an historical document it is the flame ignited in the
heart of every free man who desires to live out his days enjoying liberty.
Men who believe in David's God will be public servants; those that embrace
self-serving ideologies become persecutors.
G. Antonio Smart
SEX EDUCATION IS THE PARENT’S RESPONSIBILITY.
By Tony Smart
March 12, 2008
Opponents of abstinence only education insist that such programs are ineffective
in preventing teens from engaging in sex. The argument presented is that teens
will engage in sex and should be given more “comprehensive education about sex,
including information about contraceptives.” The problem I have with this
argument is that it fails to take into account the rights of the parents to
relate the values they hold dear regarding sexual abstinence to their teens.
Abstinence education has its roots in the Holy Bible which clearly condemns sex
outside of marriage in many passages. In Paul’s first epistle to the
Thessalonians’ church he wrote:
For this is the will of God, even
your sanctification, that ye should
abstain from fornication:
The word fornication used in the King
James Version means any sexual activity between people who are not married to
each other. The modern versions refer to this as “sexual immorality.” In a broad
sense fornication would include adultery, incest, homosexuality, pedophilia, and
even bestiality. Instruction pertaining an activity with so many far reaching
consequences as sex should not be entrusted to paid strangers in a government
institution, or even a private institution. Sex education is certainly not
required at the elementary level, and only the anatomy and physiology of the
human reproductive system need to be taught at the secondary level. Information
about contraceptives should not be disseminated to teens without parental
consent. Parents are responsible for raising children, not the state. The
government school’s duty is to ensure that the student is able to attend classes
in a safe environment and receive an unbiased education. It is not the school’s
responsibility to provide students with any graphic information about sex or
supply contraceptives.
There are many benefits to sexual abstinence in youth. Foremost is the fact that
the teen years are best spent receiving an education, not worrying about
procreation. Your teen aged daughter will not become pregnant if she never has
sex. Secondly, there is the danger of sexually transmitted diseases. Monogamous
married couples never have to worry about those. Then there is the problem of
emotional attachment associated with teen sex which many young people confuse
with love. Last, but not least is the shame and guilt that accompanies
pre-marital sex (for those who are aware of God’s Law). Sexual abstinence allows
youth to be free from all these and it should remain the only option.
With an alarming
number of sexual predators using the Internet to ensnare children it is
imperative that parents take the time to find out exactly what their
children are doing online. It is better to be termed a snoop than to lament
a tragedy. An Internet child predator is a pervert whose sole purpose for
establishing an online relationship with a child is his devious desire to
sexually exploit the child. There are tens of thousands of men like this all
across the country.
Do parents have the right to monitor the
telephone conversations or online activities of their under aged children? I
believe that parents are charged with the responsibility of properly
training their sons and daughters. With this responsibility comes
corresponding authority. Part of good child training is teaching children
how to detect when someone is approaching them with the possible intent of
exploiting their innocence. It is important that children not discuss
anything pertaining to sex with strangers they meet in Internet
"chat rooms" or anywhere else. It is no one's business to know what kind of
under garments your teen daughter is wearing and the teen must be taught to
decisively reject all sexual advances, rebuke the offender and report the
person to the authorities. Reject,
Rebuke, and Report is
the effective way to defend yourself against sexual predators online, at a
park, a house or any place such creeps hang out.
The parents' right
to monitor lies in the fact that they know what's best for their children,
having raised them from infancy. The parents’ knowledge of what is in the
best interest of their child supersedes
the child's knowledge of what's best for himself. Good parents need to know
that the quality of companions their children keep could potentially have an
impact on their future success. Dads and moms have the right to censor their
children's online activities by closely monitoring the websites they visit,
blocking access to porn sites and other sites that pose a security risk, and
even denying them access to the Internet altogether. As a parent you should
not hesitate to go to great lengths to protect your children from visiting
with an evil person.
By Dr. Tony Smart 12/20/2007
The Family is Fundamental
Part II
By Tony Smart 6-15-07
In 2004 the US Senate failed to garner enough votes to pass a bill that would
define marriage as a union exclusively between a man and a woman. Again, in 2006
the Senate decided not to ban “same-sex marriage.” Today forty-five states have
enacted legislation to define marriage in traditional terms, as a union between
one man and one woman. Evidently,
the vast majority of Americans understand the importance of retaining the
Judeo-Christian definition of marriage even if many politicians in
Washington do not.
The father in the home represents God the Father to his children. He is the wise
counselor, instructor, disciplinarian, provider and protector. He is accountable
to God, his wife, and his children for his leadership in the home. His presence
there provides an increased stability, enabling the children to do better
academically in school, forbidding his sons from joining gangs and his daughters
from becoming promiscuous, among many other illicit or damaging activities.
With studies showing close to 40% of all babies are born out of wedlock
I see the need for a massive education campaign on the benefits and purpose for
marriage and the role of fathers in raising children. I can assure you that
males that are raised by a man who knows he is a man will grow up with masculine
traits and be comfortable with them not needing to seek any alternative sexual
orientation.
The woman in the home represents the beauty of the glory of the Lord to her
family. Her leadership is just as important as her husband’s, but she brings
warmth, tenderness and affection that only a woman can give. She teaches her
sons to appreciate and respect girls and teaches her daughters to do likewise to
boys. Since her husband loves her, she does not live in fear of him. He is not
abusive in any way. Thus, her children grow up with a living example of caring,
sharing, and learn how to honor their father.
This is not a fairy tale. This kind of family has always existed in civilized
countries and may only continue if the church is courageous enough to raise her
voice like a trumpet and call people back to the God of Scripture.
The Family is Fundamental
Part I
By Tony Smart 5-15-07
The body cannot function efficiently without healthy cells and those cells will
die without water, oxygen, and other basic nutrients.
Atoms are essential in order for matter to exist and these must combine
proportionately with other atoms of different weights in order to bring forth
the substances that we take for granted such as water, rubber, or steel. In any
discipline known to man, whether it be aeronautics or computer manufacturing,
there are certain basic principles that must be grasped before one may achieve
success in that field. Even sports require the mastery of certain fundamentals
in order to be competitive. Good coaches emphasize the fundamentals of the sport
when training young athletes so that they might build their personal style upon
a sound foundation. With the need to teach and learn the fundamentals being so
critical in many of life’s endeavors, how is it that our culture is moving away
from the fundamentals when it comes to the family structure?
The family is the fundamental building block of a nation, and marriage is the
foundation relationship of the family. God established the family of man before
He established the government of man. Marriage is designed to be
heterosexual. A real marriage
is between one man and one woman who love each other unselfishly.
This relationship is anatomically, biologically, morally, and spiritually
correct. Note, I did not say it was politically correct, because there is no
historical precedent for any politician or government defining a marriage.
Government has no business defining or re-defining marriage. Marriage is a God
ordained institution. The role of government is to honor and protect what Divine
edict has already established. This is not a ‘separation of church and state’
issue, this is a moral issue. God’s Law is moral and pure whereas often times
men’s judgments fall short of moral impeccability. Secondly, it is a common
sense issue. The male and the female together may procreate
naturally. This is what God intended: Healthy stable families raising
children to believe in God who is good, and teaching them to love and trust Him.
When the nation’s parents take their God given roles seriously and good
government limits itself to its basic function the result will be sanity
restored to the culture.
Matthew 19:4-5
. . . Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male
and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and
shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Anti-Christian Books & Films Prove the Bible is True.
PART II
By Tony Smart
4-2-07
The common thread in the “DaVinci
Code” and “The Lost Tomb of
Jesus” films is the reference each makes to the Gnostic Gospels. These
were spurious writings that the Christian church rejected in the second
century as non-authentic. They were not inspired Scripture as are the
sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. The Gnostics believed that
only an intellectually elite group of people could find favor with God. Some
of them believed that the human body was evil, thus they rejected the
doctrine of the Deity of Christ. Specifically the New Testament reference to
God being manifest in the flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ. (1 Timothy
3:16, John 10:30, 36) Other Gnostic
teaching included G0d creating the universe through a progression of angels,
self-humiliation through ascetic living, and not tasting, touching, nor
handling certain foods as a way of attaining holiness. These are teachings
that the apostles of Christ, especially Paul and John, refuted in their New
Testament epistles. Men that believed and were teaching these heresies in
the 1st and 2nd centuries AD cannot be given any credence in the 21st
century to accurately portray any aspect of the life of Jesus Christ.
There are many compelling reasons for believing in the Biblical narrative of
the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
1-
The sepulcher in which the body of Jesus was laid was hewn out of a rock. It
belonged to a wealthy Jew named Joseph of Arimathea who was a secret disciple of
Jesus. The site of this tomb was very close to the place of His crucifixion and
is referred to as the garden tomb. (see John 19:41) The tomb had an opening that
was closed by the rolling of a “great stone” over it.
2-
The Romans sealed the sepulcher and a guard of soldiers was assigned to it as a
precaution against thievery.
3-
The disciples were too afraid of the Romans and the Jewish leaders to attempt a
robbery of the body of Jesus.
4-
When the church began to boldly give evidence of the resurrection of Jesus
Christ (Acts 4) none of their enemies could produce a corpse to shut them up.
5-
The apostles preached the message of the resurrection at the risk of their own
lives. They were beaten, imprisoned and threatened; yet they could not be
stopped.
6-
Jesus appeared in a physical body to Mary Magdalene, and the other women who
were on their way to the sepulchre to anoint a dead body.
7-
Jesus allowed Himself to be handled, after His resurrection.
8-
Jesus appeared to over five hundred brethren at one time. See 1
Corinthians 15:6.
9-
The Gospel message could not have survived nearly two thousand years without a
literal bodily resurrection. The early Christians that were severely persecuted
would not have a legitimate reason for remaining faithful to Jesus Christ in the
face of constant hardships.
10-
The conversion and testimony of Paul as an apostle of Christ and church planter
and theologian who was himself a foe of Christianity would not have occurred
without the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul would have succeeded in wiping
out Christianity had Jesus not stopped him.
11-
The New Testament writers all agree that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
12-
God’s word states that sin brings forth death. Jesus Christ was not a sinner;
thus it was not possible for death to hold Him.
Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more
dominion over him.
(Romans 6:9 KJV)
To deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is to deny the power of God over
sin’s grip. It is the robbery of the eternal hope of the faithful, and granting
of false hopes to the faithless. It is the rejection of the soul-saving Gospel
of grace, the promotion of Hell’s programs. It scoffs at nearly two thousand
years of carefully chronicled church history; it mocks the blood of the martyrs,
insults the Holy Spirit, scorns the intellect, and contradicts the Word of God.
If men wish to earn profit from heresy and if
Hollywood wants to promote blatant Anti-Christian films,
let them do it without the support of the people of God. The church should not
support heresy any more than it should support same sex marriage.
It is during times like these that the true church can proclaim unashamedly:
Sin has been pardoned,
The forces of evil are judged,
My Redeemer lives,
And to me
Heaven’s gates are wide open.
Anti-Christian Books & Films Prove the Bible is True.
-
PART I By
Tony Smart
2-28-07
James Cameron, the producer of the movie “Titanic” alleges to have found a “tomb
with the remains of Jesus” under an apartment building in Jerusalem. If he could
prove that his findings are true he would destroy one of the most robust and
essential pillars of the Christian faith, the bodily resurrection of Jesus
Christ. He will fail, and God will prove that his allegations are fraudulent in
time. I suspect that the motivation behind books and films such as the “DaVinci
Code” and now the “Jesus Family Tomb” is two fold. First, the producers of these
works hope to cash in on the public’s thirst for scandals and the media’s
tendency to promote the sensational. A second motivation is more sinister, the
attack on the Christian faith. Those who do not know the Christian God or the
Christian Bible label Conservative Christians as intolerant, hate-mongers,
homophobic, anti-progressive, Jesus freaks and other unflattering names.
The Word of God described the religious climate of the days we are now living
from back in the 1st century. Consider the following Biblical
passages:
But there were false prophets also among the people, even
as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in
damnable heresies, even denying
the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
(2 Peter 2:1 KJV)
A heresy is a teaching that contradicts apostolic doctrine. It is divisive and
false.
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist,
that
denieth the Father and the
Son. (1 John 2:22 KJV)
John the apostle made it clear that anyone who rejected Jesus’ claim to be the
Messiah was a liar and an opponent of Christ.
Knowing this first, that
there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
(2 Peter 3:3 KJV)
A
scoffer is someone who mocks the faith, the apostle Peter predicted they would
come and they are here.
Why do they attack Christianity?
Christianity represents the old belief system with absolute moral values,
respect for life, legitimate authority, and liberty within the parameters of the
law.
Ultimately, they really want to rid the world of the Biblical Christ, the
Son of the Living God. He stands in the way of their counterfeit religion
that promotes the worship of creatures instead of the Creator. The
Bible-believing Christian is convinced that man is a direct special creation
from God, thus all of his rights and freedoms come from God. Under
secularism or communism man’s freedoms, if any, are granted by the
government. In genuine Christianity God is the Savior of men; in New Age
theology men can become gods and save themselves.
Therefore, for the new world system to be implemented Christianity must be
changed or destroyed. What better way to attempt to destroy Christianity
than by attacking the pillars of the faith that believers have cherished for
nearly two-thousand years; namely, the Deity of Jesus Christ and HIS
glorious resurrection.
Parents should be informed
By Tony Smart 1-25-07
The current debate in the county school board over allowing children to join
clubs at school without parental consent raises some concern. Do parents
relinquish the right to control the source and nature of information or
propaganda that their children receive once they enter the public school system?
What is so difficult about sending home a permission slip requesting the
parent’s signature stating approval or disapproval of his child’s intention to
join any club?
School staff supervises children in
loco parentis. The administrators and teachers are given the privilege of
training the children several hours a day with the parents’ permission. This
does not cancel the parent’s authority over his child nor does it reduce the
child’s level of accountability toward his father and mother. It is merely an
arrangement of choice and convenience. The parents allow their child to attend
the school with the expectation that the child will receive instruction in
certain academic disciplines that will increase his ability to live skillfully
and productively in society. Whenever the child decides he wishes to try out for
the basketball team, the drama club, or football team he is required to obtain
parental consent to participate in these activities. There are risks and
possibly expenses associated with these extracurricular dynamics so the parents
are informed beforehand. If the parent believes that the liability is too great
for his child to participate he has a right to deny the privilege.
If a child is offered the opportunity to join a club that promotes homosexuality
as an alternative lifestyle which conflicts with the parents’ faith and core
values the parent should be informed so that they might give guidance in
accordance with the Biblical Christian faith. Millions of young people of all
ethnic groups were raised and taught that God made humans male and female with a
normal attraction to members of the opposite sex, and they have become
well-adjusted adults. Some of those people are now raising adolescents of their
own and their views must be respected. The children belong to their parents;
minors are accountable to dad and mom. It is right for parents to be informed
about their children’s social activities at school.
To deny parents the right to direct their children according to their own
conscience is usurpation of rightful authority and perilous.
Confronting the Evil of
Pornography.
By Tony Smart
1-2-07
The term pornography originates from two words that mean to write about
prostitutes. Acceptable synonyms include smut, scum, filth, indecency, and
obscenity. While this evil has been with humanity for ages it wasn’t until
the development of photography and motion pictures that pornography became
available for distribution to people other than the vilest elements of our
society. With the advent of the Worldwide Web pornography has become an
international problem with frightening consequences and potentially damaging
ramifications for adults and children. Currently there are over 4.5 million
pornographic websites. Any person
with a computer and Internet access may visit any one of them. A Harris
Interactive poll conducted in July 2006 shows that 73% of adults believe
that viewing pornographic websites is morally wrong. Nevertheless, many
people struggle with the evil of smut. Men are more likely to approve of
pornography than women.
The pornographic industry is a multi-million dollar a year industry. That’s
right. The love of money is the root of all evil just like the Bible warns. Men
who produce pornographic videos, magazines, music, or software are interested in
getting wealth from peddling wickedness. The same is true for those that own and
operate businesses that promote obscene behavior under the guise of
entertainment. They are not concerned about the possibility of a child being the
victim of this evil. Without a doubt, there is a site reserved in Hell for those
who commit such acts, except they repent.
Pornography is wrong because it:
1-
Defies God who is Holy and designed human sexuality for Holy Matrimony.
2-
Defiles the human soul with a perverted knowledge of sexuality.
3-
Degrades women who are exploited and cheapened.
4-
Damages children who are exploited by pedophiles.
5-
Destroys the moral integrity of the family.
6-
Directs youth away from godly precepts and counsel.
7-
Debases community standards, hauling them into the sewer.
God’s word, the Bible, condemns all forms of pornography. While the term does
not appear in Scripture there are many passages that warns against yielding
one’s mind to unrestrained lust and lewdness, viewing acts of fornication and
nudity. God designed the human body to be a temple, not a piece of meat to be
bought and sold by world class perverts.
(See also Proverbs 6:25, Matthew 5:28, Romans 1:29-32)
Grace at Christmas Time
By Tony Smart
12-22-06
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the
city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto
you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God,
and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward
men.
(Luke 2:10-14 KJV)
Have you ever bought a gift for someone you know thinking that it would be
greatly appreciated but it was not. It was returned to the merchant for an
exchange or a refund. Perhaps you have done the same with items that were given
to you. Imagine looking for a single gift that would please everybody in your
family and then sharing that same gift equally with your neighbors, friends, and
co-workers and finding out that is exactly what they all needed!
When Jesus was born God arranged a superlative gift for all mankind. God did not
bring HIS Son into the world through the Roman government officials; neither did
HE choose the religious (Ecclesiastical) leaders of the nation to be the channel
through which Christ would be born. He also bypassed the affluent business
leaders that certainly could have provided luxurious accommodations for the
newborn Son of the Living God.
Instead, God gave HIS Son to be a blessing to “all people.” Jew and Gentile,
wealthy and impoverished, widows and orphans, the learned and the illiterate.
All have something in common. They are hurting sinners in need of forgiveness.
We all need to experience Christ’ s redeeming grace. With HIM truly one great
gift meets everyone’s need. The need to know God as Saviour and experience HIS
unselfish love.
Jesus, O Jesus!
Do you know Him today?
Do not turn Him away,
O Jesus. O Jesus!
Without Him, how lost
I would be.
SHOULD PUBLIC SCHOOLS EDUCATE OR INDOCTRINATE?
The concept of allowing every
child to have access to a quality education is a noble one, since ignorance is
deemed a curse. If we define
education as learning designed to prepare a person for a life of achievement and
productivity then some serious questions should be raised about the current
predicament in our public schools. Why is there so much violent behavior among
the students in the public schools? Why are public school students been
indoctrinated with pro-homosexual and transsexual propaganda?
Walk through the hallways of a typical high school in
Hillsborough County
during normal school hours and you may see same sex students kissing and
fondling in plain view of other students and school faculty.
It is not uncommon to see boys and girls groping each other inappropriately at
school. Is there a specific type of learning that is not occurring in the public
schools? Is there a specific kind of instruction that is been systematically
excluded?
If you are a Christian parent
with children in the public school system or a concerned citizen searching for
answers to these questions I would like to share some information with you that
may shed some light on what has happened to the American public education
system. I must make it clear that I know that there are many fine educators
working in the various levels of the state’s public education system and are
doing a commendable job. This is not to be taken as an attempt to discredit
their work.
English physician and philosopher
John Locke saw the individual as blank slates on which knowledge can be written.
The American public education system has been greatly influenced by secularists
and materialistic thinkers who do not see the need to include the Biblical
Judeo-Christian belief of God as the Creator and the Lawgiver in the public
school curriculum. John Dewey, who
was considered the leader of the “progressive education” movement in
America advocated a purely secular approach to
public education. Secular educators in the 20th century viewed the
classroom as a laboratory in which social change could be engineered. Their
approach to education reflected their adopted philosophy.
If you are a Christian and you are uncomfortable with the policies and programs
of your child’s public school there is a good reason for this. There are
fundamental principles at work in the public school system that undermine sound
Christian training. These include:
1-
Secular humanism that does not acknowledge God, and maintains the Bible is a
myth. This anti Judeo- Christian philosophy promotes the idea that humans have
evolved to the point where their knowledge and technology have made faith in God
obsolete. Secular humanism was declared a religion by the US Supreme Court and
should be treated that way. It is the religion of the deification of man and it
is much more concerned about what gratifies the individual than whether or not
an action is right or wrong.
2-
Moral relativism teaches that there are no absolute moral standards. Each
individual is left to himself to decide right from wrong based upon the outcome
of his actions. Sexual promiscuity is not labeled a sinful choice. If the choice
to engage in sex leads to some negative consequence such as an unwanted
pregnancy, then another sinful action such as an abortion is suggested to
correct the first sinful choice.
3-
Pluralism. In a pluralistic society, no single interest group or class
predominates. All faiths are regarded as equal. Thus, the unique tenets of the
Christian faith are not respected.
Remember that teacher led prayer and Bible classes are already prohibited.
4-
Undermining of parental authority. This is a logical result of teaching the
children that they have the authority to decide right or wrong, good or evil for
themselves.
5-
Social promotion based on age rather than actual mastery of academic concepts.
What can concerned parents do to
correct this situation?
The solution still rests on the
shoulders of parents. God gave you the privilege of raising your children to
believe in HIM and obey HIM. This task has never been transferred to the state.
If you do not have the time to home school your children or cannot find a good
Christian school, then here are some practical suggestions for you to influence
the policies of your public schools. As in other areas of the culture war the
battle in education is over ideologies. Arm yourself with facts and get to work.
I-
Attend the meetings of your school board prepared to challenge policies and
programs that run counter to the physical health and spiritual welfare of
children. Encourage other concerned
parents to take the time to attend as well.
II-
Run and get elected to the school board. Solid Christian leadership in your
community can only be a benefit. Encourage other qualified and concerned
individuals to run.
III-
Organize a watchdog organization to monitor the policies, practices, programs,
and textbook content of the schools. Challenge that which is false or
inappropriate. Identify practices that are unjust to children that wish to
express their faith.
IV-
Write letters to the school board and other elected officials at the local and
state level regarding policies and programs you know to be harmful to children.
V-
Educate other parents or leaders regarding programs and policies that you know
to be inappropriate for instituting in schools.
VI-
Use the media to communicate your views to the public.
VII-
Organize a prayer group. Certainly not the least thing you could do. There
are evil spiritual forces at work behind every evil and corrupt
organization. You will need Divine Power. We are to pray to our Father who
sees all, in secret, and HE will reward us openly. Those that pray do not
quit. (See Matthew 6:6 and Luke 18:1)
Treating People Right.
It is heartbreaking to see pets
getting better treatment than some people. With an increasing number of
dog and cat salons in our area and restaurants catering to pets it would appear
that animals have arrived at a status deserving of premium treatment. It is
possible that you have heard of the “golden rule.” It is the injunction to do
unto others as you would have them do unto you. It is based on the words of
Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospels.
If everyone abided by this Divine Counsel there would be fewer lawsuits and
healthier relationships all around.
Horses are handled but humans are
to be treated. They are to be treated with kindness and respect. They were made
in the image and likeness of God and HE cares for each one. Do you enjoy
courteous treatment? Then give courteous treatment. Do you want people to
respect your property? Then respect their property. It sounds like a rather
simple thing to do. Then why do so many people fall short of this blessed rule
for life? The answer to this question like so many others lies in the recesses
of the human heart. Treating people the way we wish to be treated becomes easier
when our heart is in tune with God’s purpose for us. It is called being in God’s
will. It is the state of having a living relationship with God through HIS Son
Jesus Christ and letting that life that is Christ’s work its way into your
heart. As the Son of God extended
forgiveness and mercy to us let us go and do likewise.
Tony Smart
STRONG FAMILIES IN THE BLOODY LAND. October 9,
2006
We are living in a bloody land. Tampa ranks third
behind Jacksonville,
and
Miami in the number of violent crimes reported to the FBI
in 2005. Hillsborough
County is also home to hundreds of thousands of
decent, law abiding citizens just
like you that work hard and desire to raise their children in a safe, family
friendly
environment. As the father of two
daughters, now fully grown and trained, and
having lived in Tampa
for over twenty years and serving as pastor of a local
church, I will share some insights that you may be able to use to bolster the
quality of life for your family and help protect future generations. These are
areas
where good, honest, hard working citizens must be active and vigilant to protect
the morals of our community.
1-
Do not allow anyone to re-define marriage.
God established marriage as the first institution consisting of an emotional and
physical union between one man and one woman. All other heterosexual sexual
liaisons, live in arrangements, or same sex relationships are not the spiritual,
moral, or legal equivalence of marriage. They should be condemned, not condoned.
2-
Train your children with moral convictions. The Bible is still the best book to
use to instill morality in youth. It’s the healthy fear of God that keeps young
people from making regretful decisions. This is not acquired merely by attending
church services. It is instilled by careful instruction, real life illustrations
of what happened to those who violated the godly tenets of Scripture, and
modeling by the parents. No child starts out in Kindergarten with the goal of
becoming a great gang leader, or a sex offender. Those choices are made later in
life as the opportunities to do wrong increase and there is no strong message
resident in the child’s heart to counter the temptation into which he is being
led.
3-
Celebrate your family. A husband
and wife that want their marriage
to thrive must
nurture their love frequently. Love is a decision that is made to do what is in
the other person’s best interest at all times. It is to be a growing
relationship enveloped by peace and spiritual harmony.
Always reward good behavior in children. Talk to your kids and get involved
in their activities. Don’ t just send them to church. Take them to church and
discuss the sermon with them. Discuss current events with the older children.
Challenge them to think logically and learn to make sound decisions.
The great need in the land is for strong families to be the building blocks in
all facets of the community.
Spiritually, academically, socially,
in business, and in government. We will only get Christian values implanted and
growing in the bloody land if they are first received into the home. When it
takes root, those trained children and their offspring will help clean up the
community. We, by grace, must cooperate with God to let it happen. |
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