Reclaim the Virtue that Fought for Freedom

by Dennis Petersen

 What can we do to reclaim the virtue that fought for freedom?

You’ve probably heard it said that “If you Want Change, Change Begins with YOU.”

Do you remember hearing this famous quote by one of America’s most eminent founding fathers?

“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.”

Benjamin Franklin’s wise insights used to be a regular part in the lives of American children, growing up in the freest nation ever to exist on Earth. Franklin’s autobiography and the biographies of other notable founders were a deliberate part of education in a culture that understood the value of ‘common sense.’

As we look at our national society today, you get the feeling that we’re living in enemy territory, don’t you? Just look at the evidences of corruption and vicious behavior; behavior that Ben Franklin observed to result in increasing “masters.”  But to make matters worse, it’s becoming increasingly obvious to all… that many of our generation’s “masters” are more corrupt and diabolically vicious than any of the everyday gang members on the streets of America’s cities. Do I really mean that? 

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Your freedom to choose is why Truth tellers must Resist tyrants by obeying God

We’re all facing a lot of censorship and rampant disinformation and propaganda these days. If you’ve been a sincere follower of the Way of our master, Jesus the Messiah-the Christ for very long, you’ve likely been reminded of the answer of Peter and John to the Sanhedrin in Acts 4:19-20. Do you remember it?  Dr Luke records it this way.

“But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

Honest people can’t help when confronted to give a straight-forward testimony of what they have personally witnessed. This applies not only to our testimony of what our Lord has done in our lives. It is a principle that applies to every area of what we know to be true, especially if that knowledge can make a life-saving difference in the choices that someone else will make, even after making a chain of bad choices.

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