¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. (Biblegateway.com NKJV)

Know any ravenous wolves attacking the federal government agencies these days? It felt like that recently when the Secretary of Social Security Administration Dudek made allusions to shutting down Social Security after starting the process of closing up to 47 local offices. He backed down on the threat and yesterday and sent an email to those of us who have a family member on Social Security (this is a screenshot from the email).

What kind of fruit is that? Can you imagine what it is like being elderly and depending on that monthly check and not knowing if the TRO will expire and Dudek will cut off that check?

To add insult to injury, Secretary of Commerce Lutnik, said that if elderly people expressed anger about not receiving their Social Security check, that was a sign that they were “fraudsters”. Is that simply mocking older citizens or is that a threat to them? Here’s the quote (from The Hill):

At one point in the wide-ranging, nearly two-hour conversation, Lutnick also said that if Social Security “didn’t send out their checks this month,” his “mother-in-law, who’s 94, she wouldn’t call and complain.”

“She’d think something got messed up, and she’ll get it next month. A fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling and complaining,” the billionaire businessman said.

“Anybody who’s been in the payment system and the processes, who knows the easiest way to find the fraudster is to stop payments and listen, because whoever screams is the one stealing,” he said. “Because my mother-in-law’s not calling, come on, your mother, 80-year-olds, 90-year-olds, they trust the government.”

What kind of fruit is that? It certainly does not appear to be godly fruit.

This is the fruit that God wants to see growing (Galatians 5: 22,23):

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control.

Praying for my nation. God help us.

“This is our time!” I had the opportunity to listen to a television preacher and a talk show host, both of whom were excited about the current administration. They firmly believed that the current president was a gift of God to Christians.

They honestly believe that at any moment, the president will soon turn the power of the nation over to the Christians so that they can form a new, Christian nation. For evidence they point to the new White House Faith Office (headed by the television preacher, Paula White).

Can I just point out a little Scriptural corrective?

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was the most powerful human being who ever walked the face of the earth. If he had been following the Christian nationalist program, he could have cozied up to the Romans and then used his power to kick them all back to Rome, or rain fire down on their heads.

Wouldn’t it have been more efficient to take over Rome? And the Jewish temple?

Instead, what did the most powerful human who ever lived do when he was on earth?

-He fed thousands (Matthew 14)

-He healed the sick (such as Mark 1, Matthew 8, Luke 5)

-He taught people to love, serve, be humble (Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5-7)

While he had followers who were connected to religious and political entities, he himself refused to use his status as Son of God to insert himself into temple or governmental politics.

In fact, when the Pharisees tried to trick him into taking a political stand on paying taxes, he asked for a coin and pointed out Caesar’s inscription on it. Then he gave these instructions,

“Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22)

He wasn’t asserting the ability to use his power to take over things- even though his power could have given him a quick takeover. He used his power differently.

He would use that power to preach the Gospel, show love and compassion, heal, and feed the multitudes.

My fellow Christians, could I encourage you that this is the time to exercise power, the power of Jesus’s way of doing things. You don’t need the power of a government, and you don’t need to lord power over anyone. In fact, those in power right now may NOT turn the power over to create a Christian nation. They may just use you and then abuse you. However, you have the power to change the nation through the way Jesus does things:

-He fed thousands, so now, you feed those in need

-He healed the sick, so now, you work to help people heal

-He taught people to love, serve, be humble, so now, you walk in love, serve, grow in humility so that someday you might hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”