Where does paranoia end and tyranny begin?:
"About three years ago, a faithful reader of my blog contacted me to say she would no longer be leaving comments or otherwise communicating by email because she was entirely withdrawing from the Internet. She was also dropping her cell phone and closing her credit card. She was embarking on an all-cash lifestyle and even had plans to go off-grid. Why? Because she had concerns that she, along with everyone else in America, was being tracked … and she didn't like it. Her response to these concerns was to withdraw as much as possible from modern life."
There is a story about a man who was just diagnosed by his psychiatrist as being paranoid. The patient thanks the psychiatrist for telling him what his problem is, and as he is leaving, the psychiatrist stops him and says, "Now just because you're paranoid, and you know that now, doesn't mean they're still not out to get you!"
The last person who should be paranoid is the Christian. Here are some Bible verses to support that statement:
"Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee. Yea, I will help thee. I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." - Isaiah 41:10
"The Lord is my Rock and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" - Psalm 46:1
"Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have. For I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, 'The Lord is my helper and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.'" - Hebrews 13:5
"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and he that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." - John 6:37
The Bible is full of similar assurances. And so those who put their trust in our Lord Jesus should never be paranoid. But that doesn't mean we should stick our heads in the sand and let the politicians do whatever they want to do. Far from it.
In America, those who govern do so "with the consent of the governed." In other words, "We the People," means that in a very real sense the role of government is shared by all the citizens of this country. And that is a trust for which Christians will have to give an account to God one day.
A paranoid person will be terrified that the economy is going to collapse and they will lose all their money. A Christian will be much more concerned with how he or she is going to explain to God on the day of judgment how they allowed our government to amass a $17 trillion dollar debt that they have no intention of ever paying back in their life time (see my post: Nancy Pelosi: "I'm All For Balancing the Budget...In A Few Decades!").
Recommended listening:
When Government Tries to Be God, by Dr. David P. Murray
