Two primary ways we will find stability and order in these times of increasing chaos and disorder will be our moorings to The Scriptures as Christians and to our Constitution as citizens. Those who build their house upon The Rock and survive the coming storms will be those who know the Word and do it. Likewise, to bring stability back to our government, we must know the words of our Constitution and adhere to them.

     Those who find themselves elected to an office, or appointed to leadership today, tend to know little about what the Constitution says, or even care about this. Most are now more devoted to their own political ambitions or agenda and tend to be willing to bend or ignore the Constitution as much as is necessary to accomplish their agenda. In Scripture, this condition is called “lawlessness.” It is one of the main evils that we are warned we will face at the end of the age.

     So, what can we do about it? As members of the body of Christ, we must determine that we will know The Word of God, and that we will not follow or tolerate leaders who do not know or adhere to it. As citizens we must resolve that we will not continue to elect anyone who is not committed to the Constitution as the Supreme Law of the Land and adhere to it. These are basics.

     Continuing the theme from a few weeks ago about how a child learns that it can manipulate and control others with their rage, this evil will grow with their age if not corrected. As they grow, the stakes will get higher and the dangers increase. History is full of examples of how this same kind of corruption of esteeming agendas above law grows in governments. The further it has been allowed to progress in our government, the more devastating the consequences will be for the nation. The ultimate result will be either the chaos of anarchy or totalitarianism. As lawlessness gets more intolerable, most nations have chosen totalitarianism.

     Psychologists once thought children that were not disciplined but rather reasoned with would grow up to be the most resistant to tyranny. However, they were shocked to find that the reverse was true. As the children matured, they so hungered for the order of discipline that they were drawn to those who were the most authoritarian. So, this is not how we prevent tyranny, but rather condition people to want it. This is why the breakdown of authority in schools has led to increasing lawlessness, and at the same time, a tendency for the lawless to seek authoritarian control.

     Of course, those subject to abusive parents or other domineering authorities have been drawn to weaker, less threatening authority. Their wounds from abusive authority can make almost any exercise of the wisest authority seem controlling, and so they can be repelled by even the most loving, balanced authority.

     We don’t have time to dig into how some seriously flawed psychology is at the root of much of society’s ills today, but my point is that even the greatest leadership can still be met with extreme reactions from people, and it is not the fault of the leaders. To heal a person who has learned to manipulate and control those around them with outrageous behavior is no small thing. Likewise, to heal a person who has been abused by authority is no small thing. To heal an entire population is obviously far more daunting.

     That is the challenge before us. It is beyond what any mere human leader to do. All that we are facing is not possible for us to fix. It is beyond human remedy, so we need God for the healing of our land. We must turn to Him, and we must keep in mind that nothing is impossible for Him. 

     Discipline helps us to develop internal guidelines and order. Not having discipline, and then being subject to whimsical and capricious leaders, is the recipe for deep internal discord and depression. This leads to such things as panic attacks and other extreme maladies. Children can come from very stable and well off families, but without proper, balanced discipline, they can be capable of outrageous acts of lawlessness and cruelty and seem to have little or no conscience about it. Likewise, populations can be well off in material things but be prone to deep darkness and depression without clear guidelines, both within and without. This leads to extreme social problems in a nation.

     Now that we are facing this—and it is increasing continually—we must keep in mind that the answer to lawlessness is not legalism, and the answer to legalism is not lawlessness. There is a ditch on either side of the path of life. The ditch on one side is legalism. The ditch on the other is lawlessness. We must stay between the ditches. One way we do this if we are in a place of authority is for our “yes” to mean “yes” and “no” to mean “no” the first time we say it, and every time we say it.

     The remarkable order in the universe is the result of it being upheld by the “word of His power.” He is the stability of the universe because His word is dependable and never, ever fails. He always means what He says and fulfills His promises. We are called to be like Him, and so we too must have words that are true, and we must be true to our words. Those who are will have built their houses on The Rock. When the floods come they will stand and will be able to pull many others out.