Homeschool Helpers

Homeschool News & Views
Issue 128, August 30, 2009
From Homeschool Helpers
In association with Pass It On Ministries

By Dan L. White

The United States is seeing the worst times in its history.

From the settling of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607 until now, we have never known such bad times. Yes, there was the Civil War, in one sense the worst time the nation has experienced. The two world wars were not far behind that in tragedy and suffering. But when we faced tragedy then, we were a different nation. Although it may not have been more than skin deep, America was outwardly Christian.

Now America’s president has declared that America is not a Christian nation. He declared June as national Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Month. He recently publicly observed the start of Ramadan, although most Americans can hardly spell it. So even if America is by preference still nominally Christian, it is the intention of America’s rulers to forcibly change that. That’s what makes this the worst of times.

In the face of that, what should a Christian homeschool family do?

First of all, face reality. They are after you. Socialists do not believe in freedom of individual choice. The whole basis of their approach is that government – them – knows how to run your life better than you do. Christian homeschoolers are now a large, nationwide force, mostly out of the government’s control. In fact, the government does not even know exactly who the homeschoolers are, since many are not on any government list. We can expect a push by the national socialists to first of all get your name on a government list, that all homeschoolers must register. They will say that they do not at all intend to use that list for any purposes other than for clerical. They will say sweet, smooth things, to soothe the anxiety of the homeschool families.

Kind of like this –

Gen 3:1-5
(1) Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, "Has God really said, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?'
(2) The woman said to the serpent, "Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat,
(3) but of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.' (4) The serpent said to the woman, "You won't surely die,
(5) for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."Has god said that you should not eat of that tree? You will not surely die."

“You will not surely die,” they will say. At some point they will push to get you to accept the premise that government has the right to control the education of all children in America. Once you accept that premise, you have accepted the premise that God is not your ruler and they are, because ultimately they will require that you do not teach your children about God.

We now see examples in the US of liberal school personnel and court judges moving to do just that. In a recent case, a girl who was being homeschooled was also participating in public school activities. While at the public schools, which are anti-God by judicial definition, the girl talked enthusiastically about Christ. Because of that she was taken to the school counselor and the case wound up in court, where the judge decreed that the girl cannot be homeschooled because teaching her about Christ is creating a parallel society. In other words, the judge is decreeing that she cannot be taught to believe in Christ. This and other similar cases in the US are complicated by the fact that the parents are divorced and are conflicted over their child’s education, getting the judges involved. But these cases show exactly what the liberal thinking is. Just as Obama said, they want to make America not a Christian nation. As soon as they have the power, they will forbid God in America, just as they have forbidden him in their classrooms. The public schools themselves are the main base for this increase in power.

That is the reality of the situation.

However, there is power greater than political power. Winston Churchill said, “…he must indeed have a blind soul who cannot see that some great purpose and design is being worked out here below.” That purpose is the training of God’s people.

1Pe 2:4-5
(4) Come to Jesus Christ. He is the living stone that people have rejected, but which God has chosen and highly honored.
(5) And now you are living stones that are being used to build a spiritual house. You are also a group of holy priests, and with the help of Jesus Christ you will offer sacrifices that please God.

Our book The Jubilee Principle shows how much God wants to spend time with us. The bottom rung of that time is daily devotions. Just as many things in our society are configured to keep parents apart from their children, such as government schools, after school jobs and activities, and electronic gadgets, so almost everything in our society is also configured to keep you from giving God His time. In fact, if you will spend time with God every day, as you should, you have to fight to do that. You have to deliberately structure your life and your schedule to have the freedom to follow the highest purpose in your life. It is not enough to just want to spend time with God. You must deliberately plan how you will do that and then forcefully execute that plan. While you are trying to do that, many things will interfere with your plan. The whole basis of each day and the whole basis of each life must be the time you spend with your Creator. Vince Lombardi was the greatest football coach in the National Football League and his philosophy was to stick to the fundamentals. With a follower of Christ, it is fundamental that we go to God, a long time each day, every day.

2Ch 15:1-2 World English Bible
(1) The Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded:
(2) and he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Yahweh is with you, while you are with him; and if you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

God allows His people to be tried to see which are His people. Those who go to God continually will have the faith to endure the trials. Those who do not will not. It is not enough to want to be close to God, any more than it is enough for parents to want to spend time with their children. As you can see with the homeschooling experience, those parents who actually spend gobs of time with their children actually see the results with their children. So it is with spending time with our Heavenly Father.

The reality is the national socialists will try to save you from God. The higher reality is that God can save you from them. Go to Him, every day, with that in mind.