NC Renegades

What do you think? I’ve been asked this question a few times over the past week. My answer: I don’t know what to think.

Stick with me I’ll try not jump around too much.

Something isn’t right with this whole Corona Virus ordeal. Never trust the government, and I know we are definitely being lied to. China has come to a standstill over this virus outbreak. Why would a country hurt their economy over a virus that some are saying is no worse than the regular flu? The answer is you don’t. So there is information that the powers that be are not letting out in my opinion. Did China bio-engineer this virus and set it free on their people? It’s awful convenient that the Chinese needed to get protesters off their streets and BAM!, we have a killer virus. What a coincidence that we have an election coming up and the Democrats basically have nothing, so here’s an idea let’s panic the markets and tank our economy so the Democrats and the Deep State have hopes of gaining power and getting rid of Orange Man. Who knows? Our government is so corrupt I take everything they say with a grain of salt.

My wife is a nurse and there seems to be no panic or serious preparation under way at the hospital where she works. My neighbor works in a doctors office and there seems to be no panic there.

Am I prepared? Yes, and maybe that’s why I’m not very worried about this whole virus thing. I haven’t stopped living life either. My wife and I went out and had dinner with some friends Saturday night at a relatively popular sports bar. The place was packed and the food was great. I went out yesterday and played golf with a group of guys, only one of them knows that I write here at NCRenegade. But there was no talk of the virus or anything of a political nature. Everywhere I go it seems most people really have no concern over this event. Maybe it’s because no one trust the news or our government. I don’t know. But should the SHTF people are seriously under prepared.

I wish that I knew what was up with the sudden panic over this whole ordeal. I don’t have a degree in microbiology like David does here. But I read and watch everything he has been posting about this virus. Have I self-quarantined myself and taken some of the measures that he has. Not really. I’m still living my life and hoping for the best. I know, Hope isn’t a plan. I’ve padded my preps and I don’t have to worry about the panic buying that seems to be happening in some areas. Right now the store shelves are still stocked and things seem to be normal in that department here locally. Everything will be normal until it isn’t.

Perhaps what irritates me more than anything about this event is that the criminals are still walking free. This virus news cycle has taken the coup attempt out of the news. Nobody has been arrested. Anyone heard anything about the Durham report lately? Not that it will make a difference but there is no longer any talk about the investigation into the coup plotters. They all walk and will continue to walk free.

I have no idea how this all plays out. I’m prepared and I am continuing to prepare. I’m doing everything I can to stay healthy. Not much has changed for me during this pandemic, not a pandemic, panic. I’m watching it. I’m ready for what may come. But I’m still living.

If this gets bad it gets bad. I hope you’re ready for it. Personally I’d rather us be watering the Tree of Liberty.

Wes

Arm Yourself with Promises
By John Piper

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

When Paul says to put to death the deeds of the body “by the Spirit” (Romans 8:13), I take him to mean that we should use the one weapon in the Spirit’s armor that is used to kill; namely, the sword, “which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).

So, when the body is about to be led into a sinful action by some fear or craving, we are to take the sword of the Spirit and kill that fear and that craving. In my experience, that means mainly severing the root of sin’s promise by the power of a superior promise. 

For example, when I begin to crave some illicit sexual pleasure, the sword-swing that has often severed the root of this promised pleasure is, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). I recall the pleasures I have tasted of seeing God more clearly from an undefiled conscience; and I recall the brevity and superficiality and oppressive aftertaste of sin’s pleasures, and with that, God has killed the conquering power of sin.

Having promises at hand that suit the temptation of the hour is one key to successful warfare against sin. 

But there are times when we don’t have a perfectly suited word from God in our minds. And there is no time to look through the Bible for a tailor-made promise. So, we all need to have a small arsenal of general promises ready to use whenever fear or craving threaten to lead us astray.

Here are four of my most oft-used promises in fighting against sin:

Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” 

Philippians 4:19, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

And the promise implicit in Philippians 3:8, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

And, of course, Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Be constantly adding to your arsenal of promises. But never lose sight of the chosen few that God has blessed in your life. Do both. Be ever-ready with the old. And every morning look for a new one to take with you through the day.

Where Our Comfort Comes From
By John Piper

He [Pilate] entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.” (John 19:9–11) 

Pilate’s authority to crucify Jesus did not intimidate Jesus. Why not?

Not because Pilate was lying. Not because he didn’t have authority to crucify Jesus. He did. 

Rather, this authority did not intimidate Jesus because it was derivative. Jesus said, “It was given to you from above.” Which means it is really authoritative. Not less. But more.

So, how is this not intimidating? Pilate not only has authority to kill Jesus. But he has God-given authority to kill him.

This does not intimidate Jesus because Pilate’s authority over Jesus is subordinate to God’s authority over Pilate. Jesus gets his comfort at this moment not because Pilate’s will is powerless, but because Pilate’s will is guided. Not because Jesus isn’t in the hands of Pilate’s fear, but because Pilate is in the hands of Jesus’s Father.

Which means that our comfort comes not from the powerlessness of our enemies, but from our Father’s sovereign rule over their power. 

This is the point of Romans 8:35–37. Tribulation and distress and persecution and famine and nakedness and danger and sword cannot separate us from Christ because “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” 

Pilate (and all Jesus’s adversaries — and ours) meant it for evil. But God meant it for good (Genesis 50:20). All Jesus’s enemies gathered together with their God-given authority “to do whatever [God’s] hand and [God’s] plan had predestined to take place” (Acts 4:28). They sinned. But through their sinning God saved.

Therefore, do not be intimidated by your adversaries who can only kill the body (Matthew 10:28). Not only because this is all they can do (Luke 12:4), but also because it is done under the watchful hand of your Father.

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6–7)

Pilate has authority. Herod has authority. Soldiers have authority. Satan has authority. But none is independent. All their authority is derivative. All of it is subordinate to God’s will. Fear not. You are precious to your sovereign Father. Far more precious than the unforgotten birds.

More…

We are beginning to see in the Democratic debates what a Democratic president would have in store for the United States. This is not a D vs R issue. It doesn’t matter which political party offers up some socialist or communist program to find push back here on 12 Round, that is part of what we do, we fight for what we think is important. Capitalism is important, so it doesn’t matter who proposes socialistic or communistic programs and Republicans have done it as much as Democrats. We are apolitical here in that we see no political party upholding and fighting for the things that we know work. Capitalism works. Hard work, works. Freedom works. Those are ideals that should be furthered, discussed, promoted, but America has slumped into a sort of quasi-socialist existence. 

There is nothing to be said about Social Security, it might have worked had it been done correctly, structured properly, but it wasn’t. It was just a boon to the general fund, dumping money for decades into the general spending accounts to be paid back later. This led to a glut of spending, financed some of the foreign wars that were fought with no accounting for how that money was supposed to sustain the people through an economic meltdown, except to borrow more. So, Social Security was America’s foray into socialism and it has done a great deal of good for people who are unable to work, but that was never its purpose. Social Security was a bribe to elder citizens so they would quit work and give those jobs to the younger generation, why? Because the United States, at the time, during the depression, was afraid that too many unemployed twenty and thirty-year-olds might do what they are afraid of in Middle Eastern countries now, foment rebellion and revolution. 

So, now, here we are with massive debt made worse by unfunded liabilities like Social Security, medicare and medicaid. Now, people like Bernie Sanders, a straight-up communist, who will tell you so in private or two minutes after winning the presidential election, an apologist for the atrocities committed by Fidel Castro, want to bring all of America’s healthcare under the control of an already financially bankrupt medicare. He calls it “healthcare for all” but it is really something short of an aspirin for all, surgery for none. Like most things socialistic and communistic, the plan just doesn’t work. That isn’t a Democrat or Republican truth, it is the observable, verifiable truth. What few socialist countries that have made universal healthcare work have done so by failing to fund their national defense, relying on the sole capitalist nation for its greater national defense, or by coming up with organizations like the EU to group together to provide a common defense, but without the funds or commitment to do a thorough job of it and as the United States focuses more on social issues, its national defense suffers. 

Capitalism works, because it is not managed, directed or focused. It does not require a government directorate to decide for everyone what they will want or need. It is unwieldy, chaotic and funds flow to that which is needed, or captures the imagination. People want to be entertained, want to do things that interest them and the money flows to those things. But, what has happened to literature is that the big five publishers have decided to do exactly that, direct and decide for all of us what we want to read, thereby deciding what we will think, pushing their socialist ideas into our brains, or cause us to stop reading all together to escape it. 

I’m not sure how many people, human beings, must be sacrificed on the alter of communism to prove that it doesn’t work, so far more than 100 million have not been enough. The nation of Venezuela’s utter fall from the wealthiest Lain American nation to the poorest hasn’t even caused a speed bump on the way to the Democratic nomination. It is no coincidence that it started in a democratic nation, communism focuses on nations they can vote themselves into, then slam the door on elections by making voting for anyone besides the ruler a crime of treason. They start with wealthy nations and point out every flaw, every injustice, even though those flaws and injustices have led to the almost banishment of poverty by any global sense of the word. Poverty, even in a flawed America is massively more comfortable than poverty in Zimbabwe. It’s not that we shouldn’t work on eradicating those flaws and injustices, but communism is not the answer, so Bernie Sanders cannot be the answer. But, even in America, it is a long march back to capitalism from the detours we have taken.

More…

In China, if you do not wear a mask you will be arrested.

And yet…

‘STOP BUYING MASKS’: US Surgeon General and VP say masks won’t help fight coronavirus, as demand for emergency supplies increases

• Vice President Mike Pence, now the head of the US coronavirus task force, said on Saturday that the “average American” does not need to “go out and buy” a mask to protect themselves from coronavirus.
• Pence also said the US is working with 3M and other manufacturers to produce at least 35 million more masks per month.
• The US surgeon general told people in a tweet to stop buying masks, calling them “NOT effective.” 

More…

So if masks are not effective, why is China arresting people if they do not wear one in public? And why is the US government working with manufacturers to produce 35 million masks per month at a minimum?

Simple questions that show our government is ill prepared to copy with COVID-19. Their DON’T TEST, DON’T TELL policy is blowing up in their faces. This past week was a foreshadowing of coming events. This week will show the severe supply chain shortages that we will have to live with for the immediate future.

David DeGerolamo

1. If we do not need masks, why is the government making millions of them?
2. There are documented cases of people getting COVID-19 twice. Why did the “expert” deny this?
3. The stock market is not coming back for a long time.

David DeGerolamo

The above information shows what the population of the United States is projected to be in 2025. This was first published in 2017. I will let the readers make their own conclusions.

David DeGerolamo

Five Rewards for Generosity
By John Piper

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Romans 12:13)

What are the rewards if we trust God’s promises, give lavishly, and open our homes to each other and the needy?

1. The suffering of the saints will be relieved or at least diminished. That is what this verse means when it says, “Contribute to the needs of the saints.” We lift a burden. We relieve stress. We give hope. And that’s a reward!
2. The glory of God is displayed. “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Lavish giving and open homes display the glory and the goodness and the worth of God in your life. The reason God gives us money and homes is so that by the way we use them people can see they are not our God. But God is our God. And our treasure.
3. More thanksgiving to God is unleashed. “The ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God” (2 Corinthians 9:12). God has given us money and homes not just to make us thankful, but by our generosity and hospitality to make many people thankful to God. 
4. Our love for God and his love in us is confirmed. “If anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” (1 John 3:17). In other words, when we give generously and open our homes, the love of God is confirmed in our lives. We are real. We are not phony Christians.
5. Finally, we lay up treasure in heaven. “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail. . . . For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:33–34).

Lavish giving and open homes are close to the center of life in Christ. The reasons we don’t open our moneybags — our checkbooks — and homes as often as we should are rooted in the bondage of fear and greed. The remedy is the pleasure of Christ’s presence and the certainty of Christ’s promise: “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). 

Our reward is the display of God’s glory, the good of others, and the joy of treasuring Christ together forever. Therefore I exhort you, “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”