Season 5 Podcast 14, “Environment of Hope.”Speaking of the last days Jesus warned:“Men’s hearts failing them for fear.” (Luke 21:26)   “5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.” (Isaiah 1:5)“Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt; And they shall be afraid.” (Isaiah 13:7-8)  The scriptures above point out that in the last days many will live in an environment of fear. The question is, ‘Can we control our own environment?’ Can we create an environment of hope?The answer must be yes for the scriptures serve as a warning to those who believe them. Those who believe can either change the outcome or protect themselves against it. Not all environments are negative.  Everything has its opposite.  Just as we should avoid environments that pose danger, we should seek environments that increase success; still we must remain independent in all environments and obey our own conscience.  One can ride a good horse to one’s own death.  Even television, electronic games, and cell phones, though they serve a great purpose, in electronic excess are robbing many of their freedom.  History has shown, that no matter what promises are made by those in power to lure one into captivity, the environments of socialism, communism, and totalitarianism always end in misery, captivity, poverty, oppression, and loss of freedom.Freewill comes when one chooses to enter the environment of freedom.  Freewill continues if one has the option to remain in, to change, or to leave the environment, as long as one has the power to say no.  We have freewill if we can choose the conditions that promote freewill.  We no longer have freewill when we are compelled to choose the same conditions over and over and over.  One is not free if every time one is confronted with temptation one gives in to temptation while protesting that if he wished he could quit at any time.Any environment, no matter how laudatory, that robs one of freewill has the potential for evil. To be free one must be free not only to enter the environment at will, but also to leave the environment at will without fear of reprisal. As addiction to a healing drug overpowers the will, enslavement to any cause can lead to a greater evil than the cause purports to cure. Many have served the devil, thinking they were serving God. In the end if we wish to change ourselves, we must also change our environment. If we wish to break a habit, we must first break the pattern that fed the habit.   If we wish to save our children, we must create an environment where evil is not the major attraction. If we wish to preserve our liberty, we must create an environment governed by the law of liberty which are the Ten Commandments of God. If we abrogate our responsibility, the ones who govern our children will be the ones who govern the environment our children live in.But in the end, we know the game; we make the choice; we choose the conditions.  The consequences choose us.  We live in dangerous times.  The new world movement wishes to create an environment where rights are increased but where  freedom and agency and all other Christian values are decreased.  Let me refine the meaning of terms: ·      Freedom is directly related to the number of choices available.  ·      Agency is the ability to discern between absolute good and absolute evil.  ·      Liberty is the ability to make those choices.Here are three things to consider.1.     The laws of nature give us freedom.2.     The laws of God give us agency.3.     The laws of the land give us liberty.

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