In Acts 16:22, Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown in jail for talking about Jesus. I guess freedom of speech has ALWAYS been under threat. But their reactions surprise and amaze me. I would have been cursing the people who did that to me, asking “What right do you have? Blah Blah Blah.” But Paul and Silas didn’t complain about the evil people who did this to them. They didn’t curse the jailer who tied their feet to a stake and put them in the inner most room. They didn’t cry out to God “Where are you? Why have you betrayed me? I was just defending you. This isn’t fair!”
No. They sang. They prayed and sang to God. They didn’t focus on the evil rulers who were plotting to make the world unsafe for Christians. The world was already unsafe for Christians. No. They sang. They prayed and they sang to God.
I thought about my recent worries about one-world government, the mark of the beast, which some say is the vaccine that Bill Gates is pushing on us. And I realized something: Even if someone stuck nano-chips in me, mapped my face, cataloged my DNA and tracked me from one end of my life to the next, they could NEVER take away my true identity! My true identity is a child of God. Yours is too! No matter who you are. Your spiritual DNA is greater than your physical DNA.
So I’m not going to worry about Bill Gates. I’m going to act daily, but worry less about the erosion of my rights as a Christian. I’m going to sing and pray to God. Just like Paul and Silas in that tiny jail with their feet tied to a stake.
You know what happened when they did that? An earthquake shook the jail, and all the chains were loosed. Not just their own chains. ALL the chains were loosed and ALL the prisoners were set free. The jailer drew his sword and was about to commit suicide but Paul stayed his hand and saved his life. There was a lot of rejoicing that night in the jailer’s house because he and his family came to faith in God.
So, starting today, I’m going to pray and sing to God, and let the micro chips fall where they may. I will do so knowing full well that God has the power to handle the rulers of this world. He even knows the number of hairs on my head! Yours, too. (I’m sure you have more, btw). God knows a lot more about me and you than can ever be stored in any database that Bill Gates or anyone else could make.
Pray and sing, and wait for the earthquake that will shake the rulers of this world.
RL Martin 