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Was Jesus a liberal or a conservative? Looking around the political landscape today, you would sort of think that he must have been one or the other because there are people out there who are Christians who would take very strong positions on the political left or right. Since they’re Christians and they’re supposed to be following Jesus, then one of those groups must be wrong about something. Jesus can’t be both places, can he? Now, I feel fairly sure that the words liberal
and conservative
did not mean the same thing when Jesus was carrying out his earthly ministry as it does today. In fact, today both terms are basically pejorative. I mean, you say somebody’s a liberal
, you’re insulting them. If you say he’s a conservative
, well that’s putting him down. Well, what do they mean, even today in the political climate? If you go to the dictionary and look them up, you get one definition. If you listen in on the talk shows and pundits, you might get something else.
A conservative
defined is supposed to be someone who is disposed to preserve existing conditions and institutions, or to restore traditional ones, or to limit change. Now, when you look at the political landscape, I’m surprised anyone wants to accept the label of conservative
—especially Christians. Oh sure, we want to preserve or restore traditional values and institutions. We think traditional morality is a good thing. We think the family is a wonderful thing and we want to preserve and restore those things. But surely we don’t want to preserve the status quo. Nor do we wish to limit change. Surely, not Christians. Conservative
is a useless label, frankly, unless we understand what it is we are trying to conserve. You don’t understand what I’m saying? Well, how long has abortion been the law of the land? It’s been that way for a long time now. Now, since that is the status quo, aren’t the people that are fighting to preserve abortion conservative? They are trying to conserve what is, they are trying to conserve this institution of abortion which is now the status quo, the law of the land, what’s expected.
You know, there are a lot of good people in this country that are Democrats and a lot who are Republicans, and Christians, in my opinion, are making a big mistake by sticking out a Christian political position—a position on the political right or the political left. Dedicated Christians are—by nature or in the nature of things—ideologues and, consequently, we just don’t have the pragmatism to work effectively in the political arena. There’s a lot of lying that goes on in there. The people who go in to the political arena and try to tell the truth are very likely to turn themselves into victims. Christians can turn up at the meetings of both political parties. And if they did turn up in both places they might be able to heal some of the terrible political divisions in the country. But the problem is: if you take a look at us Christians in the world, we have to be about the worst peacemakers around. We can’t make peace among one another, why in the world should anyone think that we could ever make peace among political parties? But nevertheless, Jesus said, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.
And if you’re really serious about abortion, the place to deal with it is at the intellectual level in both parties. You will never get anything done about abortion one way or another by making it a party issue. I would think that would be clear by now, but I don’t see any signs of it starting to dawn on anyone.
Now in the interest of full disclosure, I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican. I am independent politically, as a disciple of Jesus—an evangelist, as it were—as a preacher of Christian values. I don’t feel it’s my job to be in one political party or the other. Now, liberals and conservatives in this world are defined by political values. If you are Republican you are conservative and if you’re a Democrat you’re a liberal, supposedly. But that brings me back to my original question. And this is why I’m not a Republican or a Democrat. What about Jesus? Was Jesus a liberal or a conservative? In the Sermon on the Mount, which has to be the most fundamental of Jesus’ teachings, He had this to say…
Years ago, I used to enjoy going up on internet forums and discussing religion there. They had any number of them divided up by category. I tended to hang out on the Christian forums. What was fascinating to me, and something I did not really understand, was the degree of hostility expressed on Christian forums. It seemed a good thing that these people were separated by the anonymity of the forum. If they had been in the same room, they might have come to blows. And I wondered, What generates so much hostility in some people of faith? Why is it that, when faced with a different belief, people don’t adopt one of two rational responses: indifference, or curiosity.
Indifference—when I encounter someone with an off-the-wall religious idea, I can tell quickly enough whether there is likely to be any merit there or not. If the answer is not, I toss it in the wastebasket or click my mouse and go somewhere else. If I am face-to-face with an adverse person, I have a stock reply. You may be right. I’ll give that some thought.
And then I change the subject. Perhaps to the weather. Does that seem disingenuous? Not if you maintain an awareness that even you don’t have all the answers. And why get angry or hostile about it. That goes nowhere.
Curiosity—if I think there is merit, I want to know more, and so I pursue the matter. I may even pursue the matter when I disagree. If the person advancing the idea seems reasonable, well informed, intelligent, well then reason demands that I give him a hearing and try to understand him, even when I disagree with him. I discovered C.S. Lewis a little late in life, and I found that I sometimes disagreed with the man. This would not dismay Lewis in the least. But I never had any difficulty understanding why I disagreed because I tried to understand his point. When you think about it, what’s the point in only reading people you agree with?
Now, realizing that indifference and curiosity are reasonable responses, I wondered why some people found a third response—anger.
In this episode of Washington Watch, Tony Perkins dives into the recent aviation disaster in Washington, D.C., raising questions about air safety and military-civilian coordination. With insights from former President Donald Trump and newly confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the episode examines if the recent collision highlights broader flaws in airspace management. Additionally, the episode navigates the turbulent waters of political weaponization within the federal government, drawing on expert opinions from Congresswoman Harriet Hageman and others. We transition into global politics with a focus on South Korea, where President Moon Seok-yool's impeachment adds to concerns about democratic stability in the region. Senator Ted Cruz and Congresswoman Harriet Hageman provide commentary on the ongoing struggles against political weaponization. This episode is packed with expert insights and critical analysis on pressing national and international issues. Behind the scenes, the looming Super Bowl prompts discussion on the need for family-friendly entertainment standards following controversial performances in previous years. With a letter from Louisiana legislators prompting a commitment from the NFL, could this signal a shift in cultural values at major events?
SPEAKER 01 :
From the heart of our nation's capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and sound bites into conversations with our nation's leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview, Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
SPEAKER 15 :
We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas, and I think we'll probably state those opinions now. Because over the years, I've watched as things like this happen and they say, well, we're always investigating. And then the investigation three years later, they announce it. We think we have some pretty good ideas. But we'll find out how this disaster occurred and we'll ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.
SPEAKER 07 :
That was President Donald Trump earlier today responding to last night's tragic collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter at Washington Reagan's National Airport. Welcome to Washington Watch, and thank you for joining us. Well, this morning, the rescue effort at the crash site shifted to a recovery mission after it was confirmed there were no survivors. Now the big question is, how did this happen?
SPEAKER 18 :
We are going to wait for all the information to come in from this vantage point, but to back up what the President said, what I've seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.
SPEAKER 07 :
That was newly confirmed. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaking earlier today. We'll get an update from Congressman Troy Nels of Texas. He's the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation. And for anyone who flies frequently in and out of Washington, it's obvious there are a lot of military helicopters in the air. But have they made the skies above D.C. too crowded? We'll discuss that with retired Air Force Brigadier General John Teichert later here on Washington Watch. Meanwhile, President Trump's nominee for FBI Director Kash Patel had his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. The topic of government weaponization took center stage.
SPEAKER 08 :
And in many ways, the worst legacy, in my opinion, of the Biden administration. was the complete politicization and weaponization of both the Department of Justice and the FBI, turning them into tools to attack the perceived enemies of the Biden White House.
SPEAKER 07 :
That was Texas Senator Ted Cruz. We'll get reaction from Congresswoman Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, a member of the House Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. And amid ongoing news from the Middle East and the continuing war in Ukraine, there's been less focus on South Korea, where impeached President Moon Seok-yool faces charges of insurrection. Is South Korea's democracy at risk? We'll talk with Bruce Klingner, Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation and former CIA Deputy Division Chief for Korea. And finally, as I mentioned yesterday, there's some encouraging news regarding the content of the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show. Louisiana State Senator Valerie Hodges will join us later to share the details. All of that and more coming up on this Thursday edition of Washington Watch. Be sure and check out the website, TonyPerkins.com. Better yet, if you've not yet downloaded the Stand Firm app, I encourage you to go to the App Store and get the Stand Firm app so you can take Washington Watch with you wherever you go. Well, there was quite a bit of fireworks today during the confirmation hearing for three of President Trump's most, I'd say, controversial picks for key roles in his administration. Among the issues that came up during the hearing for Trump's nominee for FBI Director Kash Patel was the weaponization of the federal government, which Democrats claim is what President Trump is threatening to do. But as Republicans have rightly pointed out, weaponization is what we saw from the previous administration under Joe Biden. And President Trump has made clear that he will not be continuing a weaponized DOJ. Well, that message doesn't appear to be getting through to Democrats. Here now to discuss the issues, Congresswoman Harriet Hageman. She serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the Natural Resources Committee. She represents the at-large congressional district of the great state of Wyoming. Congresswoman, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always good to see you.
SPEAKER 02 :
Wonderful to see you, Tony.
SPEAKER 07 :
Before we get into the confirmation hearing and the president's executive order on the weaponization of government, I want to get your reaction to the tragic crash that took place in D.C. last night.
SPEAKER 02 :
It is absolutely heartbreaking. I flew out of DCA just a couple of hours before that to head home to Wyoming. One of the observations I had was looking out the window at the Potomac and thinking how absolutely frigid cold it looked with all the ice flows in it. And to hear about that last evening as I was driving from the Denver airport, again, it's just heartbreaking. My heart goes out to those families, to the teammates, to everyone who was affected by this terrible, terrible tragedy.
SPEAKER 07 :
I am pretty confident, as we've heard from the president, Sean Duffy, former colleague of yours, this is going to be thoroughly looked at. And I think it will be, given the fact that so many members of Congress fly in and out. And we've seen it. I mean, I'm flying it out every week. And you see the aircraft. It's a very crowded airspace. So I imagine that something is going to be done there. to deal with this. Let's talk about the weaponization. Let's first start. One of the first executive orders of President Trump was dealing with the issue of the weaponization of the federal government. Talk a little bit about that and how, given the position that you had on that weaponization committee, looking at all those issues, are we going to get a handle on this quickly?
SPEAKER 02 :
I've had a front row seat to see what happens when the federal government is weaponized against political opponents. We saw it play out in a couple of different ways under the Biden-Harris administration. One of them was the manner in which they charged and prosecuted the J6 folks, going after people who might have just simply walked through the Capitol, not even knowing that there were barricades up. and overcharging them dramatically. We know that because the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of many of the people who were charged, where the Biden-Harris administration was actually using a statute that was adopted to address the Enron situation of disposing of and destroying documents and records. And they used that as a way to try to enhance the sentences of the people on January—who were involved in anything associated with January 6. Then you contrast that with what happened in Portland, what happened in Minnesota during the summer of 2020, what happened in New York City. And the reason that I say you have to contrast it is, for one group of people that were disfavored by the Biden-Harris administration, they did everything they could to destroy them. For the people such as Antifa, the people who were involved in CHOP in Seattle and those kinds of things, they not only dropped charges or didn't bring charges in the first place, many of those people they settled with and paid them tens of thousands of dollars if they were at all inconvenienced at any time while they were burning down cities and causing billions of dollars of damage. If you look at what they did to President Trump, it's so clear in the cases in New York, Florida, and D.C. that the folks aligned with Biden and Harris and the Democrats, again, were using our justice system to go after a political opponent. As an attorney, as a long-term advocate for civil rights and civil liberties and adhering to our Constitution, I was pretty shocked to see how the government was weaponized as quickly as it was. When you look at the Russia, Russia, Russia collusion hoax and what the FBI did and their involvement and what the White House knew, in fact, they knew in August of 2016, before the 2016 election, that the Steele dossier was a hoax, that it was paid for by Hillary Clinton, that there was no validity to it. Yet they use the whole-of-government approach to get FISA warrants against the Trump team, to spy on them, to continue with an investigation against President Trump for a year-and-a-half under the auspices of claiming that he was conspiring with or colluding with the country of Russia to undermine America. I mean, all of these things together give you an idea of how weaponized the federal government became under the last administration.
SPEAKER 07 :
Congresswoman, I think it's been a process, because I think back into the 80s and 90s, where, even early turn of the century, where RICO statutes, which was, they were created back in the 1970s to go after the mob and racketeering, were used against pro-lifers. So I think, you know, those things were allowed to go forward, and I think it's kind of like the camel's nose under the tent. If you don't address it, it only gets worse.
SPEAKER 02 :
That's why I refer to what President Trump is doing as accountability. People want to say, well, he's going to weaponize this against his enemies, and Dick Durbin is saying that now. No, the people who engaged in this contact need to be held accountable for the decisions that they made. And so far, no one has been held accountable. One of the things that we did a lot of work on with the Select Committee on weaponization of the federal government related to the First Amendment and the mechanism that was used by Biden and Harris and their cohorts within that administration to stop us, the conservatives and Republicans, from being able to exercise their First Amendment rights. We know that from the Twitter files and the testimony of Matt Taibbi and Michael Schellenberger, what Professor Jonathan Turley has found. All of these things, all of these mechanisms by which the government was used to suppress the First Amendment rights, not only the freedom of speech, but as you point out, freedom of religion, using the FACE Act and literally turning it on its head and taking, you know, 72-year-old grandmothers who are praying outside of an abortion clinic and trying to throw them in prison for five years, not because that woman was any kind of a threat or violating anyone's civil rights, but for the purpose of making her as an example so that no one else would dare risk objecting to and fighting back against abortion. So that's what they did.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yes. And that's probably the most chilling aspect of this is that it was designed, it was to shock others into silence so that they would not speak or challenge these policies. And that's what happened with the J6 folks and what they endured. But the EO, the executive order, is great. I mean, you look at it, it addresses this issue, but it's an executive order. It can be repealed by the next administration. Congress has to deal with this. Are your colleagues ready to statutorily deal with this so that the government cannot be weaponized in the future against the American citizen?
SPEAKER 02 :
So a couple of things. In some ways, we already have. So being on the Judiciary Committee, part of our jurisdiction was revising Section 702 of the FISA warrants. And so after we learned what the FBI was doing in collusion with the Hillary campaign, in going after the Trump campaign during the 2016 cycle, we made fundamental changes to Section 702 of FISA that makes it much more difficult for the FBI to be using that process, at least to be weaponized against us. So we've already started that process. And I agree with you that this is an executive order. To the extent that any of these executive orders should be turned into statutes, we are already working through that process. so that we can be introducing them. But the other thing that I think is going to happen over the next four years, Tony, is that we're going to see so much exposed. And I think it happened over the last year and a half. I think that the reason that Donald Trump won with the resounding victory that he did was that people were horrified at what had happened with our legacy institutions, with those institutions that all of us grew up revering and thinking, hey, maybe I want to go and work for the FBI. What has been exposed over the last couple of years and what will continue to be exposed, number one, will help us to draft better legislation and make sure it doesn't happen again. But the other thing we need to do is just simply enforce the Constitution as written. I have an absolute First Amendment right in speech, in press, to peaceably assemble to petition my government for redress and to exercise my religion as I see fit. And one of the things that I have done is I have introduced a bill called the First Amendment Restoration Act. It is patterned after a similar federal law that applies to states. But basically what it says is that any federal employee who under color of federal law violates someone's First Amendment rights, they can be held liable in damages. We can get injunctive relief and we can also seek attorney's fees. So that's one of the bills that I actually worked with Jonathan Turley and some of my cohorts on the bill. Judiciary Committee, that we're going directly at these things, that it will be very clear that if you violate the First Amendment and you are a federal employee, I can sue you personally. So that's the kind of legislation we're pushing forward with.
SPEAKER 07 :
Harriet, I want to help you with that. We need that. We need accountability. That is a means of accountability. We're out of time, but always great to see you. Thank you so much for joining us today. And we look forward to working with you to protect that first freedom and to get rid of the weaponization of our federal government. All right, folks, we're going to look at South Korea next. The crisis there. Don't go away.
SPEAKER 17 :
During these challenging times for our nation, Family Research Council continues to serve as a watchman on the wall for faith, family and freedom. And together, thanks to your support, we're making an eternal impact. 2024 was a year of shining the light for biblical truth in Washington, D.C., Last fall, over 1,000 spiritually active, governance-engaged conservatives gathered for the Pray, Vote, Stand Summit to pray for our nation and ensure that the issues impacting sage cons were understood and advanced. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins marked a major milestone this year, its 900th episode, and added the Washington Watch News Desk, a new production that presents the top news each day from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand published 2,000 articles of news, commentary, and podcasts in 2024, garnering over 5 million views. FRC's outlet for news and commentary continues to pursue the truth on the issues that matter most to you and your family. And with the launch of the Stand Firm app, you can listen to, watch, and read our content in one simple place. Pray for current issues, stay rooted in the scriptures, and engage the political sphere with the community of believers on our new platform. In 2024, FRC shaped public policy and culture, organizing the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance where members of Congress and Christian leaders came together to seek God's intervention in America. In May, FRC called upon believers to pray for and stand with Israel by dedicating a portion of their worship services to pray for Israel's peace, prosperity, and protection. With Pray, Vote, Stand Decision 2024, FRC and Real Life Network led a powerful evening of election night coverage to analyze the election results and pray that our nation would turn back to God. We also filmed a transformative educational course, God and Government. Launching early this year in January 2025, this series will explore the biblical and historical foundations of our government, empowering you to stand confidently in your role as a citizen of heaven and earth. Family Research Council thanks you for partnering with us, and we look forward to 2025 and standing for faith, family, and freedom.
SPEAKER 03 :
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SPEAKER 07 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you on this Thursday afternoon. The website, TonyPerkins.com, but better yet, get the Stand Firm app. And by the way, on the app, we have our first 100 Days Toolkit. That will enable you to engage in the process of helping correct some of the things that have happened in the last four years. There'll be action items. You'll have contact information for your member of Congress and your senators. You can find it, and it'll keep you up to date on what's happening. So you can get it on the app or just text the word TOOLKIT to 67742. That's TOOLKIT to 67742. All right. We're waiting for our guest. I've been tracking what's been happening in South Korea. South Korean President Eun Suk-yool shocked the world when he declared martial law in his country, a move widely condemned as an abuse of power. Now, that set off a political firestorm that has only grown more intense. Well, on Saturday, the impeached president was then indicted on charges of leading an insurrection. Now, A lot of stuff sounds very familiar, does it not? And this guy, he's kind of a conservative. And it's been the moderates, the liberals that have been opposing him in South Korea. Well, this ongoing political turmoil in South Korea has raised serious concerns about the stability of one of America's key allies. I mean, their democratic form of government is relatively new going back to the 1980s. And so it has some asking, can South Korea's democratic government And it's an important question because they're a stabilizing force there in that region of the world. All right, while we're waiting for a guest, I'm going to go to Meg Kilgannon, Senior Fellow for Education Studies here at the Family Research Council. She's been tracking a number of the confirmation hearings as we're watching these go through the process. And so I'm going to bring her in. Meg, welcome back to Washington Watch. Always great to see you.
SPEAKER 11 :
Great to be here, Tony.
SPEAKER 07 :
Let me continue my conversation I was having with Congresswoman Harriet Hageman regarding the – weaponization of government. Today, Kash Patel had his confirmation hearing in the Senate. This issue factored in very heavily, and Harriet made reference to this. This is what was brought up in the committee, that President Trump simply wants to weaponize government to be used against the left. How do we prevent this tit for tat, back and forth?
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. Well, I think that the problem with that analysis is that you're assuming that what happened the previous four years to former President Trump and people who had worked for him was not the weaponization of government. and that it was in fact perfectly legal behavior and something to be proud of, whereas we know that it was illegal behavior that has consequences. And so when you're enforcing consequences on people who've behaved badly, that doesn't mean you're weaponizing the government against them. It means that they are paying the price for the mistakes that were made. very grievous mistakes that have repercussions across the entirety of society. I mean, everything that was done to those folks that were serving in political power could be done to you or me.
SPEAKER 07 :
Right. But does it also kind of reveal with the Democrats the – They're kind of projecting. I mean, this is what they did when they had power. So they're just assuming that Donald Trump's going to do the same thing. Republicans will do the same thing. This is what they did.
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. I think you're seeing the trouble they're having sort of getting their foothold in this new paradigm since the big Republican win in November and this shock and awe campaign we're seeing from the White House and the executive branch. The Democrats are not responding, I think, very well. responding in their usual fashion, but it's not meeting the moment, right? People see through this now.
SPEAKER 07 :
So we're going to see a course correction. I mean, we've already seen the president in his executive order on January the 20th regarding the weaponization of federal government, the personnel that he is appointing. But how can the people that were targeted by the DOJ under the Biden administration and the victims of the weaponization of the federal government, how can they be made whole?
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. This age old question, where do I go to get my good name back? Right. It's it's there. These are these are crimes against people that are hard to to to really make right. And so I think maybe that is part of the reason why the other side is so focused on it. They understand on a primal level the grievous wrongs that were done, and they're probably operating out of a sense of fear that they will be held accountable for what they did.
SPEAKER 07 :
Meg, we've got our guest now to talk about South Korea. So unless you want to talk about South Korea, I'll let you.
SPEAKER 11 :
I can't wait to hear the guest.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah. All right. Meg Kilgannon, thanks so much for joining us. All right. Do we have him now? Okay. All right. So we don't have it. Okay. All right. This is the joys of live programming. So we're going to see if we can get connected with him. There's some issues there with our connections. But again, let me jump back here to South Korea. When we look at the parallels, we talked about this a while back when this was first unfolding, but it's continued. And we need to be aware, especially when you look at South Korea's spiritual history and the vibrancy of the church and what's been happening over there, and then all of a sudden it just began to implode. And The conservative, progressive, liberal, whatever you want to call it, leftist, have been fighting and taking their fragile democratic government really to the edge. And so anyway, it's something I think we need to keep an eye on while we're looking at domestic issues, looking at issues in the Middle East and elsewhere. All right. We're almost out of time in this segment. And when we come back, we're going to talk about some good news. All right. You want some good news? Good news is that the NFL is responding to a group of pro-family leaders and legislators from the state of Louisiana regarding the halftime show in the upcoming Super Bowl. So we're going to be joined by state senator, Louisiana State Senator Valerie Hodges next, to share their response to this letter and a commitment. We'll see if they hold to that commitment. But nonetheless, they're listening. We could be in a moment of sea change where we see a lot of things shifting. All right, don't go away. We're back with more Washington Watch after this.
SPEAKER 06 :
Have you ever been to the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.? Well, now you have a special reason to be there on Wednesday, February 5th. First, you can take part in the third annual National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance. God's ways are higher than our ways. The Lord clearly reveals in Scripture any nation that genuinely worships Him is a nation with leaders willing to repent and ask forgiveness for sins. The NGPR is a unique public gathering where scores of congressional leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson, join with international leaders representing more than 50 nations for one sole purpose.
SPEAKER 12 :
Forgive our nations against you and you alone have we sinned.
SPEAKER 06 :
You can be there in the room to pray along with members of Congress, dignitaries from other nations, and Christian leaders from across the U.S. The NGPR is hosted by Family Research Council President Tony Perkins and Dr. Jim Garlow, founder of Well-Versed World, along with Rabbi Jonathan Cahn and former Congresswoman Michelle Buchman. Right after the prayer and repentance gathering, participants will move to the World Stage Theater for a private update on important events happening in Israel. and watch a preview of the historic new documentary on the Megiddo Mosaic, the most remarkable archeological find in Israel since the Dead Sea Scrolls. This is truly one of a kind opportunity to learn what's going on behind the scenes in Israel and how it could affect the whole world. Both of these Bible honoring events require tickets. Go to PrayDC.org, register today to attend in person on February 5th. As a bonus, your ticket grants you a free admission to experience the rest of the Museum of the Bible. Seating is limited for both events. Go to PrayDC.org to get tickets today.
SPEAKER 07 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Good to have you with us on this Thursday. Well, in just 10 days, the Super Bowl will be in New Orleans. And this year, there's some good news for families across the country. After concerns were raised over past halftime performances featuring explicit content, event organizers have confirmed that the Super Bowl, Super Bowl 59, their halftime show will be a family-friendly event. So will this be the year that families won't have to switch the channel when it's halftime? Could this be a pivotal point going forward for the Super Bowl? Joining me now to discuss this, Louisiana State Senator Valerie Hodges, who led Louisiana lawmakers and pro-family groups in addressing this issue to get this commitment. Senator Hodges, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 13 :
Thank you for having me, Tony. I appreciate it.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right. So it's always good to have some good news. Tell us about the response that you received to the letter.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, we got a I didn't know whether to really expect a response or not. We sent the letter on the 16th and all the press releases went out on Monday and they were very quick to respond. After that, we got a letter from Jay Cicero saying, who is the CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. And he issued a statement in response to the letter that I was very, very excited about and impressed by. And I don't know if you want to read the response, but I have it in front of me. No, go ahead and read it, Valerie. Okay, it says, he wrote, we respect and value the comments of our legislators who play a critical role in our ability to secure large events, providing an economic boost to our city and our state, Cicero said. We have shared the letter with the NFL, and we are all in agreement that this year's halftime show will be a family-friendly event befitting New Orleans' storied history hosting Super Bowls. And I was very, very pleased with that. He recognizes that the legislature does contribute greatly to this event and that we're all excited about the event being here in Louisiana and that it should be a family-friendly event. And he agreed that the NFL would do something about it. So we'll see.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, I know it's a trust but verify as we look at this. But it's encouraging that they responded to it. There's recognition there's a problem. They're now on the record saying that we want to see this as well. And, of course, we also know I've been in touch with the the head of the Louisiana State Police, as well as the attorney general in Louisiana. And they are going to be watching a lot of the, whether or not laws are violated. They're also going to be addressing the issue that you and I talked about earlier in the week, and that was the issue of human trafficking, which is at its peak around such events as the Super Bowl.
SPEAKER 13 :
Correct. And I thought... the quote that was released was through the Louisiana Illuminator. And I posted the response from Mr. Cicero and the link to the article from the Louisiana Illuminator on my Facebook. It's Valerie Hodges State Senate page. And I want to ask your listeners to go to that and look at it, read the letter, read the response. And the article was really a good article. And they even referenced at the end the fact that the NFL and Roger Goodell still, They signed a contract last year with, I think, I don't remember, J.C., J.Z., that was accused of rape. And I don't know where that court case is. But these are not issues that we can any longer ignore. We've seen the issues that are going on across the nation with the... with P. Diddy, I'll just say it. And so this is not appropriate behavior, and it's certainly not appropriate behavior at one of the largest sports venues in the nation of the year. And so that's what we're hoping, that they will take the letter into account and make some changes. And that's all we're asking is family-appropriate halftime shows.
SPEAKER 07 :
Right. I mean, everybody's watching a sports event, and next thing you know, you've got a script show. The good thing about this, you pointed out, when you look at everything that's happening across the country, is that you have... Corporate America is taking note of the last election. They've been taking note of the grassroots efforts pushing back against their woke DEI policies. And so I think sports is not immune from that. They've been bitten by that as well. And I think when you look at this in context... It was a great time to weigh in and ask for them to clean up their act because I think that's the moment we are in. So hopefully this will not just be for this Super Bowl, but maybe we change and raise the standard going forward.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, I believe that, Tony, and it's time for our voices to be heard. And they've been, a few have spoken up, I think, even though, so many people told me, I'll never watch the halftime shows. I'm not even going to watch the Super Bowl anymore. Well, that affects their advertisers. The advertisements, the... the ads are great, that they spend a lot of money. But then when people turn off the television or they switch the channel, that's hurting their viewers, their viewership and the advertiser. So I'm hoping they take this into account. This is not a small handful of people. Everywhere I go in the last this last week, people have come up to me, gone out of their way to thank me for the letter and say because they said, thank goodness somebody is saying what we all feel. And there's And that's the thing, that when you have got 18 legislators, you have got national groups like your group, other groups, statewide groups, local groups, this is a large majority of people who are expressing the same thing. And, hopefully, they are listening, according to what Mr. Cicero said, and that they have agreed to make it family-friendly. And this is what America wants. This is who we are. We are people of dignity. And I believe we have moral values. And there are places to go if you want to see a strip show or pole dancing. But the Super Bowl is not the place to do that.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, let's play football. All right, Valerie Hodges, thanks for joining us. Great to see you. Good work.
SPEAKER 13 :
Good to see you, too.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right, folks, coming up next, we'll discuss the latest developments following the Reagan Airport disaster last night. So stay tuned. Don't go anywhere.
SPEAKER 04 :
As President-elect Donald Trump's second inauguration approached, a powerful prayer gathering took place in Washington, D.C., drawing Christians together to intercede for our nation.
SPEAKER 07 :
The church does not recapture its prophetic zeal. It will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority. God help us to recapture that prophetic zeal.
SPEAKER 10 :
This is not an interreligious service. We will not be praying to Allah or Buddha. We'll be praying to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We're talking to God, a holy, righteous, just God from a nation that desperately needs the touch of this God.
SPEAKER 09 :
We've not been a secular nation. We don't want to be a secular nation. We've been a nation built around God, and our history shows that.
SPEAKER 04 :
The well-versed and family research council led the inauguration praise and prayer convocation, urging attendees to pray for the incoming presidential administration and for the church to embody holiness and righteousness, champion biblical justice, and proclaim truth prophetically.
SPEAKER 07 :
Lord, may this not be the end, but may this be the beginning, this convocation, this gathering. And may we commit to pray and to seek you and to walk in your word and in your ways. In Jesus' name, amen. Hello, I'm Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council here in Washington, D.C. Behind me is one of the most recognizable buildings in all the world, the U.S. Capitol. What does it stand for? Well, most people say government. But you know, the Bible talks about four institutions of government. You know what they are? And do we have a republic or a democracy? Well, what do you say? Also, what about this saying separation of church and state? Does that mean Christians shouldn't be involved in government? Guess what? We address those issues and more in our new God and Government course. I invite you to join us to see what the historical record and the Bible has to say about government. Join us for God and Government.
SPEAKER 05 :
Download the new Stand Firm app for Apple and Android phones today and join a wonderful community of fellow believers. We've created a special place for you to access news from a biblical perspective, read and listen to daily devotionals, pray for current events and more. Share the Stand Firm app with your friends, family and church members and stand firm everywhere you go.
SPEAKER 07 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us. Be sure and get your first 100-day toolkit. You can get it by texting TOOLKIT to 67742. Our word for today comes from Jeremiah chapter four, where Jeremiah reflects upon the prophetic message he has received. Oh my soul, my soul, I am pained in my very heart. My heart makes a noise in me. I cannot hold my peace because you have heard, oh my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Destruction upon destruction is cried for the whole land is plundered. Suddenly my tents are plundered and my curtain in a moment. As followers of Christ, if we are following him and we are in his word, we will see the words of warning from the Lord unfolding right before our eyes. It is a burden to see and it should grieve us to see the steady drumbeat of our nation marching toward destruction because of our rejection of God and his word. Understand the reality of hell as the coming judgment for all who do not repent. We should be motivated to issue the same warnings as Jeremiah with passion. Repent and return to the Lord. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text Bible to 67742. That's Bible to 67742. Recovery operations are underway now following last night's mid-air collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight from Kansas, which killed all 67 people aboard both aircrafts. At least 28 bodies, including all three soldiers who were on the helicopter, had been recovered from the icy waters of the Potomac River near D.C. when the collision took place last night at 8.48 p.m. Eastern. Now, many right now are searching for answers in what do we know so far and what steps can be taken to prevent something like this from occurring again. Joining me now to discuss this, Congressman Troy Nels, who serves on the Judiciary Committee as well as the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where he is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation. He represents the 22nd District of Texas. Congressman Nels, welcome to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thank you, Tony. Good to be with you.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right. So what's the latest? What do we know regarding this incident that occurred last night?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, we know that there are still recovery operations continuing. You know, you had 67 lives lost, and we need to make sure that we can account for each and every one of those individuals. We know that the NTSB, they've been on the ground within a few hours of this taking place last night. I believe they're up to almost 44 people or so from the NTSB is assisting first responders and others, but they will also be the lead investigative group in this crash. So we know that there are dive teams there. The FBI has sent their response team. There are dive teams there trying to recover the black boxes You know, there's two black boxes on that aircraft. There's the data recorder and then there's the cockpit voice recorder trying to get those two black boxes recovered. And I know that the NTSB has received what they'll call like a full package, a full ATC package, which is the air traffic controller. So all the communications prior to the crash and moments after the crash are all in the hands of the NTSB, and they'll be doing their investigation. I had a briefing with them, and Chairman Graves, he's the chairman of the full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. We had a briefing with NTSB a few hours ago, and they informed us on the most current information, and it's just, you know, very, very sad. when you see what took place. And now the real question is, you know, the NTSB report, how long will it take for them to, you know, to conduct an investigation and what kind of findings will there be. But I just, I encourage the NTSB and FAA to make sure that, you know, they have accurate information. It's all factual. And then we will look at that information and see if it leads to any type of recommendation. But that's what we have up to this point.
SPEAKER 07 :
It's been nearly two decades since we've had an air disaster such as this right here in our nation's capital. I would assume, being that so many in Congress are flying that same route, each week. And the skies in D.C. have become more crowded. We're seeing a lot of military aircraft, a lot of commercial aircraft. I would think all of those things are going to be looked at by members of Congress because they want to make sure that this is, in fact, made safe again.
SPEAKER 14 :
Sure. I do it every week. I fly out of Houston, Intercontinental, and I got a direct flight right into D.C.A., so I'm very familiar. with that route. They're very familiar with that airport. And so we'll have to wait. A lot of people coming up with their own opinions as to whose fault, pointing fingers, this and that. I think that's, I want to just say, maybe a little irresponsible at this time. We have to give the NTSB an opportunity to look at everything, come up with a report. And And speaking to them earlier today, they stated they could have a preliminary report, possibly within 30 days. So I think that's a step in the right direction. I don't want to see something like this be drug out where we don't know anything for 18 months, because I don't think President Trump is going to want that. He's going to want a very thorough, deliberate investigation into this. I believe that President Trump would want to have some answers and then to try to rectify any type of issues going forward to make sure something like this never happens again.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, I would imagine that he's going to be pushing for that report very, very soon. Congressman Troy Nels, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate you joining us by phone. Great to talk with you.
SPEAKER 14 :
Thank you. God bless you.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right. Congressman Troy Nels of Texas, 22nd District. And I want to continue this discussion on last night's tragedy that took place. As Troy was saying, he flies it. I fly it every week almost as well. Same route as I fly from my home state of Louisiana into D.C. And, you know, you can't help but see the military aircraft that's around. There's a lot of it. It's also just the slightest weather issue backs up the traffic because it is so heavy coming into Reagan National. So what do we need to be looking at here? And if you look at some of the video, it looked very odd from the helicopter that collided with the jet. Joining me now to discuss this, retired Air Force Brigadier General John Teichert. He was a former command pilot with more than 2,000 hours and 38 different aircrafts. As a distinguished military career, General Teichert retired as the Assistant Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for International Affairs. General, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 07 :
So what can, I know you've been discussing this with others, your contacts. What can you tell us that you have learned so far from last night's crash?
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, very clearly there was a breakdown in deconfliction between the airliner and the helicopter. And normally when that happens, it's due to some sort of confusion or breakdown in communication. And as these mishap investigation boards stand up, one from the NTSB, one from the Army, They're going to be gathering the information. Part of that will be collecting the full tapes of the air traffic control transmissions over the course of that flight. And then those black boxes, or flight data recorders, are going to have information about what was being discussed within both of those cockpits. And I think the breakdown and deconfliction is going to tend back to a root cause of confusion or lack of communication that those pieces of evidence will help sort to reveal.
SPEAKER 07 :
JOHN YANG What do we know about the Black Hawk helicopter? What was its mission? What was it doing?
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, any helicopter pilot that flies within the D.C. area has special training and qualifications because it is such a congested and highly prescripted area based on national security concerns. But any helicopter that flies is either performing or training to perform one of three primary missions, distinguished visitor transport. protecting Washington, D.C., from the air or responding to a national emergency. In this particular case, the Black Hawk crew was training for one of those mission sets. And in order to train, you need to fly in the airspace in a realistic way. And that's what they were doing last night.
SPEAKER 07 :
Have you seen the video that was caught that you just see the lights? It was a clear night, as the president pointed out, that you can see. And it just appears that the helicopter just flew right into the airplane. It is.
SPEAKER 16 :
That aircraft was on a very predictable, slow and vulnerable part of its approach from the south to the north at DCA. And clearly that helicopter, for whatever reason, did not see that aircraft, was not provided deconfliction help by air traffic control. And you're right. You see a very fast vector from the left to the right that slams the helicopter into the aircraft that initiated this tragedy.
SPEAKER 07 :
Have the skies over our nation's capital become too congested?
SPEAKER 16 :
It is worth the discussion, Tony. And several legislatures have had this discussion already as the number of flights out of DCA grows. And you think about those number of flights and then all of the helicopter traffic that is only there for first response law enforcement or military purposes. But it is such a tight area of airspace because of the population and the limits based on national security that it is worth having a full discussion about whether there is too much traffic in and out of DCA and to reassess the processes, procedures and techniques of military and law enforcement aircraft to make sure that there's no unnecessary missions going on in that airspace.
SPEAKER 07 :
So, General, as you point out, the three reasons for them to be flying missions there are, We've seen an increase in the commercial air traffic because every time the FAA is reauthorized, we see more slots created for D.C. because it makes it convenient for those of us who fly into D.C., for members of Congress. But also, we live in a different time. Increasingly, the security threats to our nation's capital have increased. So is that also a part of... creating a greater need for those assets to be in the air in our nation's capital.
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, part of the answer is yes. But we have two very capable airports in the D.C. area, one up in Maryland, BWI, one out at Dulles, that could handle some of this traffic. And we need to be careful that we're not trading in convenience and creating risk like seemingly happened last night. And, you know, the investigators First, we will preserve perishable evidence. Second, they will figure out what happened. But, most importantly, they will get to the root cause of why it happened, so that we can update procedures, policies, techniques and airspace, so that nothing like this happens again. That's their primary charge. And I think part of that assessment is going to be air traffic control and the amount of volume of traffic both at DCA and those other missions around the D.C. area.
SPEAKER 07 :
Now, I know no one wants to jump to conclusions on this because there is an investigation, and I'm sure it will be thorough. Again, I think this will be investigated very, very closely because it is in our nation's capital, and so many members of Congress are directly touched by this. But some have said, and there's certainly reason and justification to say it, that when you look at both the commercial, the FAA, and you look at the military, there's been such a misplaced focus on non-essential services. skill sets, DEI, that it could distract from the necessary training that is needed to make people proficient in their jobs. Is that justified?
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, I have seen some of that distraction in the DOD during the last four years. And we see now a president and a secretary of defense who are insisting that we get back to a constitutionally grounded, mission-focused, merit-based system within the national security sphere. And we heard some of that from the president about air traffic controllers as well. And we think about how diversity has been elevated during the last four years to the sacrifice of unity and shared purpose. And I have seen many in the military who have lamented the fact that we have drifted away from the focus that the military is there to be lethal and ready because of all these other distractive elements. And now it is very welcome amongst the vast majority of the military members to get back to a focus on the mission and a focus back on merit-based elevation.
SPEAKER 07 :
General Teichert, it's sad that it requires a tragedy to bring us back to focus on what is essential. I mean, I can cite several recent examples going back to July of this last year, President Trump nearly then died. former President Trump, nearly assassinated because there was issues in the Secret Service. We're looking at California that's been on fire because their fire department looked at DEI as opposed to fighting fires. And now we see, and I hope it's not the case, but there's enough to point to it that that's probably a contributing factor to what happened last night.
SPEAKER 16 :
Tony, I think you're right. And I think the breakdown in law enforcement in New Orleans over New Year's is one of those same types of situations where when you focus on things other than the mission, then you're naturally going to have the opportunity cost where you are less professional, less capable and less able to handle the situations that are demanded by the mission. And we see it in a variety of areas in our country. And I really do hope, whether you take that away from this accident or not, that we recognize that institutions are there to accomplish a mission. And when you don't focus on that mission, then there are harms that will result from the distraction that is a part of those lack of focus and lack of unity.
SPEAKER 07 :
It unfortunately is the reality. It just is. General Teichert, I want to thank you for joining us and appreciate your insights on this.
SPEAKER 16 :
Thanks as always, Tony.
SPEAKER 07 :
And folks, that's another matter of prayer. We just need to be praying that our nation would move back to operating in truth, common sense, constitution, truth, so that the mission of our government becomes its focus, its real mission is its mission. Right, out of time for today. Thanks for joining us. Until next time, I leave you once again with the encouraging words of the Apostle Paul found in Ephesians 6, where he says, when you've done everything you can do, when you've prayed, when you've prepared, and when you've taken your stand, by all means, keep standing.
SPEAKER 01 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council and is entirely listener supported. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information on anything you heard today or to find out how you can partner with us in our ongoing efforts to promote faith, family and freedom, visit TonyPerkins.com.
In this episode, we delve into practical financial advice rooted in biblical teachings. Ronald Dart unpacks Solomon's guidance on avoiding debt, embracing diligence, and the vital lesson of self-reliance. Learn how to navigate life's temptations and make prudent decisions that lead to long-term success and stability.
SPEAKER 02 :
The CEM Network is pleased to present Ronald L. Dart and Born to Win.
SPEAKER 03 :
There are a lot of ways to mess up your life. It's frightening how easy it is, how one small mistake can carry consequences that last a lifetime. I used to know a fellow. He was about 30 at the time. Good-looking, drop-dead handsome. I mean, the girls really would have been chasing him. But for one thing, he was crippled. He dragged one leg behind him most of the time, and one of his arms didn't work right. I thought maybe he had had polio, but it turned out that what had happened is when he was a kid, one day he was showing off, and he dived into the pool in the shallow end and banged his head on the bottom of the pool. And the result was the crippling effect that I saw. He was lucky, I guess, that he didn't spend the remainder of his life in a wheelchair. You know, there's no way to avoid every mistake, and accidents will happen from time to time. But what happened in his case was a moment of reckless behavior. that wisdom would have kept him from, would have prevented, would have headed off some way along the line. Now, you know, kids don't have much wisdom. And so somebody else has got to have it for them. And some level of discipline has got to be applied to children so that they will learn not to run on the edges of pools, just to impress upon their minds that there are things they can do that can hurt them. because they can't see out there far enough like you and I can, and they don't know how much danger there really is. But if you can teach wisdom to a child early in life and begin to implant some of these lessons, it can make an enormous difference. But the problem is, most people assume that knowledge is wisdom, and it's not. Mere knowledge will not do the job. And the reason is very simple. Some things are so tempting that just knowing better won't keep you out of it. What you've got to have is wisdom. And wisdom is more than knowledge. Wisdom includes a sense of right and wrong, a set of values to go with knowledge that puts it together and helps you make the right kind of decisions in your life. King Solomon put it this way. In chapter 5, verse 1, he said, Pay attention. Bend your ear to my understanding, that you may regard discretion, and that your lips may keep knowledge. For the lips of a strange woman drop like a honeycomb. Her mouth is smoother than oil, but her end is as bitter as wormwood. It's as sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death. Her steps take hold on hell. Do you understand what he's saying? He's saying, you better pay attention to me. Gain wisdom. For here is something that's going to be sweet like a honeycomb and smoother than oil. And the end of it, it's going to kill you. Wisdom has the ability to see beyond the moment, to know that some things are right and some things are wrong intrinsically. You know, when we're little kids and Dad tells us to do something, our favorite question is, well, why, Daddy? And Dad's favorite response, well, because I said so. I heard that more times when I was a kid than I'd like to think about, because I said so. I guess I heard it so many times because I asked why so many times. And you know, because I said so has to be good enough for us at certain times in our lives, but it won't carry you all the way. At some time, you have to come to the realization that Dad said no for a reason other than his own convenience. It wasn't just because your dad didn't like to see you running on the edge of the pool that he told you to stop it. So when you ask him why, he just doesn't want to take the time to say, because I'm tired of watching you risk your neck, you little twerp. Stop it. Solomon emphasized the power of the temptation. To help us understand the importance of wisdom and discretion and foresight, we need to understand the end from the beginning. And the problem with kids is that you just can't see very far. And as kids, we depend on people who can. Solomon chooses the strange woman only because she serves as a good example of all the things out there waiting, lurking to destroy your life. And there are more of them than we like to think about. Not only is this woman powerful, and not only is the end of fooling around with her destructive, she's deceptive. Solomon said in verse 6, Lest you should ponder the path of life, her ways are movable so that you cannot know them. She's tricky. And life is tricky. Temptation of all kinds are tricky. And they're sweet. And they're smooth. And you just have a hard time really getting and understanding which of the paths that lay before you lead to life because some of them look so good. Hear me now, therefore, you children, said Solomon, and don't depart from the words of my mouth. Remove your way far from this woman, the strange woman, and don't come near the door of her house. Don't even go down that street. lest you give your honor to others and your years to the cruel, lest strangers be filled with your wealth and your labors in the house of a stranger, and you mourn at the last when your flesh and your body are consumed and say, How have I hated instruction? How has my heart despised reproof? Why haven't I obeyed the voice of my teachers? Why didn't I listen to them that instructed me? Boy, this is a painful song, and it's one we have all sung at one time or another. How could I have been so stupid? It is all so easy to see after the fact. You know, when you're sitting in a doctor's waiting room and he calls you into the office and sits you down and says, Bob, I'm sorry, but your test came back, you're HIV positive. Oh, yeah, you slap your forehead then, and then at that time you're going to say to yourself, Bob, How was it I couldn't listen? How could I have imagined that I could get away with this? And you mourn at the last when your flesh and your body are consumed. Or when you're slapped with a lawsuit for sexual harassment and strangers are filled with your wealth and all your labors go into the house of a stranger. Oh, yeah. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have been so foolish? Where was the wisdom when I needed it? Why didn't I follow God's instructions? Why didn't I go in the right way? It is easy to see it then, isn't it? And don't we all know it? You know, there is always an alternative to evil. Solomon draws a really nice metaphor for faithfulness to your wife or faithfulness to your husband. In verse 15, he said, drink waters out of your own cistern and running waters out of your own well. Don't let your fountains be dispersed abroad in rivers of waters in the street. Don't take your resources and pour them out in the street. Let them be only your own and not a stranger's with you. Let your fountain be blessed and rejoice with the wife of your youth. Let her be as the loving hind in the pleasant row. Let her breast satisfy you at all times and be you always ravished with her love. You know, the love of one man for one woman and one woman for one man is really a beautiful thing. the closeness, the love, the warmth, the being able to depend upon each other in times that are good and times that are hard, of knowing that when you're in the hospital and lying up there racked with pain, that there will be somebody somewhere who cares enough to come in and wipe your brow and sit beside you and hold your hand. One of the most tragic results of following the strange woman, condom or no condom, is that it takes this away from you. You can't have that kind of relationship with one woman when you're sharing it with another. And the same thing goes for women with men. And why will you, Solomon asked my son, be ravished with a strange woman and embrace the bosom of a stranger? For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his goings. His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself. He'll be held with the cords of his sins. He shall die without instruction, and the greatness of his folly he will go astray. What Solomon is saying is it's so much better to learn this lesson beforehand and so much cheaper. Solomon will change the subject a little, and we'll talk about that right after these words.
SPEAKER 02 :
Write to Born to Win, Post Office Box 560, White House, Texas 75791. Or call toll free 1-888-BIBLE-44.
SPEAKER 03 :
Wisdom is not that hard to come by. In fact, through experience, the kind of wisdom that comes from experience will catch up with you whether you like it or not. But sometimes that's a pretty expensive way to get wisdom. It's a whole lot better to learn from someone else's experience. Well, in the sixth chapter of Proverbs, Solomon gives us right off the bat two really important principles that could have an enormous amount to do with your net worth not that many years from now. In chapter 6, verse 1, he says, My son, if you be surety for your friend, if you have stricken your hand with a stranger. What's that? Well, to be surety for your friend would be something like to co-sign on a note with your friend. And to strike your hand is like, well, it's like signing, taking your hand and signing a loan document. And, of course, you're borrowing money from this bank. And you may think, well, he's your friendly banker and you know him. He's Bob or John or Phil. But you could go back there a month from now, and Phil has gone on to another job, and you're dealing with a whole different person in that job. If you go in and sign a note with a bank, you have stricken your hand with a stranger. You're snared, he says, with the words of your mouth. You're taken by the words. You've made a promise. You have to do it. Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself. When you are coming to the hand of your friend like this, you're actually in his power. in a way. You go and humble yourself and make sure that your friend makes that payment. Don't give sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids. Get yourself out of that like a deer gets away from the hand of a hunter, or a quail gets away from the guy with the double-barreled shotgun. Well, no, Solomon didn't use the expression double-barreled shotgun, but you know what I mean. Whatever you do, says Solomon, don't make yourself responsible for someone else's debt. If he can't afford it himself, let him do without. Now, a lot of people have gone contrary to that advice to their own sorrow and to their own hurt. You know, if I were giving advice to a group of young people today... I wouldn't tell them to never borrow money. That would be asking a little too much in our world. But I would tell them to only borrow for two things. Two things and two things only. They are basic housing and essential transportation. Now, the reason I think this is good advice is easy enough. You have to have a place to live, and you and your young bride, you're out there getting your life started together. If you rent a house, you're paying interest on the house, and you might just as well, if you can manage the down payment, be paying that interest against your own principal so that eventually you do own the house. That's easy to understand, isn't it? You are going to have to pay interest anyway, so you might as well pay it directly instead of through a middleman and let him make a profit on the whole deal. Second, you have to have a way to get to work. If you don't, if you have public transportation, don't even think about a car. But nowadays, most places in this country, you can forget about working if you don't have a car to get to work. But you don't need a new Firebird that goes 150 miles an hour to get to work. A jalopy will get you to work. My advice to kids is always go out and buy a cheap, ugly car with good tires and good brakes. And if that embarrasses you a little bit, get yourself a bumper sticker that says, don't laugh, it's paid for. And all your friends that are driving around their shiny new cars and making payments on them, you can laugh at them and say, ha, you're making those payments my car's paid for. The payments I'm making, I make to myself. There is a time, by the way, when you can buy a new car. That's when you can afford to pay cash for it. Now, I know that runs counter to what a lot of people think, but the truth is you'll come out way ahead of the game if you'll just follow that simple advice. Because when you have the cash, you've actually managed to save up, and you've put together $14,000, $15,000 in real hard cash in the bank. You're going to think a long time before you go down and you plunk that down all at once on a brand-new Belch Fire 8 special, right? Something about cash in the hand that conveys its own kind of wisdom. And another piece of advice, never finance consumer goods like clothes, CD players, and television sets. Save up and buy cash. Now, I'll give you a little exercise. I'm not going to do it for you. I'll let you do it for yourself. You know that you've got credit cards, and you know that those credit cards have spending limits, and you know that all you have to do every month is pay off a certain part of that debt that you have on the card, and if you pay off part of it, then you can spend that the next month and run your spending limit right back up. Right? Right. Now, let's suppose here you are. You're 18, 19, 20 years old, and you, the first month, you and your bride get a new place and You take your credit card down and charge it all up, and you get your maximum limit, say $2,000 that you can borrow on your credit card, and you buy some things you need to have for your little house. You get yourself a television set so you won't be bored in the evening. Think about that one for just a minute. You get yourself a CD player. You buy yourself some fancy expensive clothes and so forth. Wham, before you know it, $2,000 are gone. Next month, you drag out the checkbook when your bill comes in for the credit card, and you pay off the minimum that you have to pay. And that gives you that much money to charge against your credit card the next month, right? And so you go out and buy something else, keeping it up there. Now, just imagine that you kept your credit card right at the upper limit for the next 40 years, okay? Sit down with your pencil and piece of paper or your handy calculator, because I don't think very many of us remember the multiplication tables anymore, and sit down and work out for yourself, okay? on that original $2,000 loan that you made, how much interest do you pay at your credit card rate of interest over 40 years? And realize something. From that first year forward... Everything you have done has been done on a cash basis. For 39 years, you paid cash for everything. And you kept paying interest on that first $2,000 that you borrowed. Because effectively, that's what's happened here. And for the privilege of having all that stuff... A few months earlier than you could have if you just made the payments to yourself and then went out and bought them and paid cash for them. For the privilege of having that stuff a few months early, look at how much money you have paid out on $2,000 over a 40-year period of time. Can you think of anything that you could do with that much money? Solomon's not through giving advice in this area. In verse 6, he says this, Go to the ant, you sluggard, consider her ways and be wise, who having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her meat in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest. Now, right here is one of the great rules of life, and it is not very well understood. What would you say is the lesson that Solomon is trying to teach us with the parable of the ant? Go to the ant, you lazy lout. Consider her ways and be wise. She doesn't have any guide, overseer, or ruler, and yet she does her work. What is it? Zeal? Diligence? Well, not exactly. The lesson of the parable is that the ant is able to work without a supervisor, to be a self-starter. Now, with the ant, this is not a matter of character. It's a matter of genes. It's written into the ant's very being. But now imagine the value of writing this idea into your children's character. Let's see if we can understand why this is so. Imagine for a moment that you've got a job working in a factory manufacturing. I'd like to come up with a better name for it, but let's call them widgets. That's what everybody who uses illustrations like this calls them. And you make these widgets, and the widgets sell for $10 apiece. You can make so many widgets in a day, and as a consequence, you can earn so much money. Now, if you were reliable enough to come to work, set up your machinery, do all this stuff yourself, and carry it out and put it all out and get it ready for mailing and everything, and didn't need a supervisor, Why, you could have, let's say, a dollar each out of all the widgets you could make in a day, and that would make you a very good living. A hundred bucks a day, shall we say. Really good. But on the other hand, supposing you can't work like that. Supposing you've got to have a supervisor. Somebody's got to organize the work schedule. Somebody's got to solve your problems for you. Somebody to see to it that you're at work on time. Somebody to get you back from breaks on time instead of letting you linger at the coffee pot and so forth. Well, you see, if you have to have a supervisor, the $100 a day that you might have been going to make, some of that money is going to have to be given to the supervisor because the output isn't any higher, right? We're only doing so many widgets a day, right? And so consequently, if you have to have help to do that, well, then you've got to give up some of what you make. One of the reasons why we don't have any more than we do is because we have to share so much of what we produce with the people who help us produce it. So if you can teach your children early in life to do the right thing without being told, To be diligent in their work without having to have somebody make them go do it. To get up in the morning without having to have somebody kick them out of bed. You have put them a long way down the road to being wealthy. Because in the long run, if you can work without a guide or an overseer or a ruler, you'd only be working in a factory. You need to be working for yourself.
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in your own business. For a free copy of this radio program that you can share with friends and others, write or call this week only and request the program titled Making Life Work, number 16. Write to Born to Win, Post Office Box 560, White House, Texas 75791 or call toll free 1-888-BIBLE44 and tell us the call letters of this radio station. How long will you sleep, you lazy lout?
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When will you get out of bed, asks Solomon. Well, let me sleep a little longer, you say, a little slumber. Let me fold my hands and snooze a bit longer. And Solomon says, so your poverty will come like a traveling man and your want like an armed man. Cause and effect, folks. Laziness, sleeping a little too long, loving slumber leads to poverty. Now, this isn't to say we don't need sleep. It's a follow-on to the parable of the ant that says we've got to be self-starters. We don't need to have somebody else wake us up and get us to work, not if we're going to be successful and fairly well-to-do. Well, I'm sorry, but that's the way of life. You've got to be able to get yourself moving. And unless you somehow teach your children that, well, you're neglecting your duty as a parent. A naughty person, Solomon continues, a wicked man. He walks with a twisted mouth. He doesn't just tell you the truth. He puts a spin on it. He's got to be clever in the way he puts things. He winks with his eye. He speaks with his feet. He teaches with his fingers. He's got all kinds of secret signs and symbols and movements. He's a fidgety kind of guy, these deceivers. Perverseness is in his heart. He devises mischief continually, sows discord. Therefore, his calamity will come suddenly. Suddenly, he will be broken without remedy. I think this is here to tell us to get away from people like that. Don't get sucked in by them, because they really are smooth oftentimes, and they can offer you this fine little dinner. You know, they say something about swindlers and con men. The saying is, you can't con an honest man. And the fact is that this type of man that's going out there looking for somebody to swindle is looking for someone who himself is trying to pull a fast one, trying to get away with something. And so he comes in and uses our own little criminal instincts against us, and we learn the hard way. Now, you may be under the impression that God loves everybody and everything. Well, it's not quite true. There are some things that God hates. In fact, there are some of them that he says are an absolute abomination to him. Now, I don't know about you, but it seems to me it would be a good idea that if there is something that God hates, that we knew what that was. Well, Solomon is kind to us. He gives us a list. These six things, he says, does the Lord hate. Yea, seven are an abomination to him. Absolutely despicable. Number one, a proud look. Second, a lying tongue. Three, hands that shed innocent blood. Four, a heart that devises wicked imaginations. Five, feet that be swift in running to mischief. Six, a false witness that speaks lies. And seven, he that sows discord among brethren. Well, you've got some attitudes here and some things that people do. And what's disturbing? You know, you always hear these people say, well, you love the sinner, but you hate the sin. Well, unfortunately, we get down to the fact that God also hates some sinners, I guess, because that's the way it's listed. First of all, he talks about the things sinners do, proud look, lying tongue, and so forth. But then he says, first of all, he said he hates a lying tongue. Then he comes back around to it and says he also hates the false witness that speaks lies. That's disturbing. And finally, he hates the man that sows discord among brethren. Now, I know that we could defend ourselves by saying, well, I was just telling the truth. But, you know, there is a time when telling the truth to somebody is going to separate chief friends and will actually do no good. I don't think we can justify ourselves in splitting up people or causing discord between people with the excuse, well, what I was doing, it was just the truth, and I guess people need to know the truth. I think the lesson in these six things, the seven that God hates, is pretty important. It is possible to get on the wrong side of God, and you do it with having a proud and haughty look about you. You do it by having a lying tongue. You do it by giving testimony that might lead to the shedding of innocent blood. You do it by devising wicked imaginations in your heart, so you ought to really give attention to your fantasies. You do it with feet that are in a hurry to run into some kind of mischief. And then the speaking of lies and the sowing of discord among brethren. These things are really important to God, and we ought to regulate our lives taking them into account. Solomon continues, My son, keep your father's commandment, and don't forsake the law of your mother. Tie them upon your heart. Tie them around your neck. When you go, it shall lead you. When you sleep, it shall keep you. And when you wake up, it will talk with you. You got these things in your mind, and they're so deeply ingrained in you that when you wake up in the morning, they come to mind. Folks, that's a recipe for staying out of trouble. For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is a light, and the reproof of instruction is the way of life. Only a loser looks at the commandments of God as shackles and the law as chains. The winners, well, the winners see them as a light in a dark place. Until next time, this is Ronald Dart.
SPEAKER 02 :
And you were born to win. The Born to Win radio program with Ronald L. Dart is sponsored by Christian Educational Ministries and made possible by donations from listeners like you. If you can help, please send your donation to Born to Win, Post Office Box 560, White House, Texas 75791. You may call us at 1-877-7000.
SPEAKER 01 :
1-888-BIBLE44 and visit us online at borntowin.net Christian Educational Ministries is happy to announce a new full-color Born to Win monthly newsletter with articles and free offers from Ronald L. Dart. Call us today at 1-888-BIBLE44 to sign up or visit us at borntowin.net
This episode takes listeners on a journey through Solomon’s teachings on wisdom and financial prudence. The conversation begins with a gripping personal story that sets the stage to explore the distinctions between knowledge and wisdom. Listeners learn about the devastating consequences of lacking discretion and the vital need to navigate life with an understanding that goes beyond the superficial. Practical advice for financial stewardship, especially for the young, is discussed as Solomon offers timeless wisdom on borrowing and managing resources. With an engaging narrative on the parable of the ant, the discussion underscores the value of diligence and self-motivation. The episode also addresses the spiritual dimension of wisdom, cautioning against traits detested by God, such as a lying tongue and sowing discord. Through these lessons, the episode inspires listeners to seek a life governed by wisdom, illuminating their path with prudence and clarity.
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The CEM Network is pleased to present Ronald L. Dart and Born to Win.
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There are a lot of ways to mess up your life. It's frightening how easy it is, how one small mistake can carry consequences that last a lifetime. I used to know a fellow. He was about 30 at the time. Good-looking, drop-dead handsome. I mean, the girls really would have been chasing him. But for one thing, he was crippled. He dragged one leg behind him most of the time, and one of his arms didn't work right. I thought maybe he had had polio, but it turned out that what had happened is when he was a kid, one day he was showing off, and he dived into the pool in the shallow end and banged his head on the bottom of the pool. And the result was the crippling effect that I saw. He was lucky, I guess, that he didn't spend the remainder of his life in a wheelchair. You know, there's no way to avoid every mistake, and accidents will happen from time to time. But what happened in his case was a moment of reckless behavior. that wisdom would have kept him from, would have prevented, would have headed off some way along the line. Now, you know, kids don't have much wisdom. And so somebody else has got to have it for them. And some level of discipline has got to be applied to children so that they will learn not to run on the edges of pools, just to impress upon their minds that there are things they can do that can hurt them. because they can't see out there far enough like you and I can, and they don't know how much danger there really is. But if you can teach wisdom to a child early in life and begin to implant some of these lessons, it can make an enormous difference. But the problem is, most people assume that knowledge is wisdom, and it's not. Mere knowledge will not do the job. And the reason is very simple. Some things are so tempting that just knowing better won't keep you out of it. What you've got to have is wisdom. And wisdom is more than knowledge. Wisdom includes a sense of right and wrong, a set of values to go with knowledge that puts it together and helps you make the right kind of decisions in your life. King Solomon put it this way. In chapter 5, verse 1, he said, Pay attention. Bend your ear to my understanding that you may regard discretion and that your lips may keep knowledge. For the lips of a strange woman drop like a honeycomb. Her mouth is smoother than oil, but her end is as bitter as wormwood. It's as sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death. Her steps take hold on hell. Do you understand what he's saying? He's saying, you better pay attention to me. Gain wisdom. For here is something that's going to be sweet like a honeycomb and smoother than oil. And the end of it, it's going to kill you. Wisdom has the ability to see beyond the moment, to know that some things are right and some things are wrong intrinsically. You know, when we're little kids and Dad tells us to do something, our favorite question is, well, why, Daddy? And Dad's favorite response, well, because I said so. I heard that more times when I was a kid than I'd like to think about, because I said so. I guess I heard it so many times because I asked why so many times. And you know, because I said so has to be good enough for us at certain times in our lives, but it won't carry you all the way. At some time, you have to come to the realization that Dad said no for a reason other than his own convenience. It wasn't just because your dad didn't like to see you running on the edge of the pool that he told you to stop it. So when you ask him why, he just doesn't want to take the time to say, because I'm tired of watching you risk your neck, you little twerp. Stop it. Solomon emphasized the power of the temptation. To help us understand the importance of wisdom and discretion and foresight, we need to understand the end from the beginning. And the problem with kids is that you just can't see very far. And as kids, we depend on people who can. Solomon chooses the strange woman only because she serves as a good example of all the things out there waiting, lurking to destroy your life. And there are more of them than we like to think about. Not only is this woman powerful, and not only is the end of fooling around with her destructive, she's deceptive. Solomon said in verse 6, "'Lest you should ponder the path of life. Her ways are movable, so that you cannot know them.'" She's tricky. And life is tricky. Temptation of all kinds are tricky. And they're sweet, and they're smooth. And you just have a hard time really getting and understanding which of the paths that lay before you lead to life because some of them look so good. Hear me now, therefore, you children, said Solomon, and don't depart from the words of my mouth. Remove your way far from this woman, the strange woman, and don't come near the door of her house. Don't even go down that street. lest you give your honor to others and your years to the cruel, lest strangers be filled with your wealth and your labors in the house of a stranger, and you mourn at the last when your flesh and your body are consumed and say, How have I hated instruction? How has my heart despised reproof? Why haven't I obeyed the voice of my teachers? Why didn't I listen to them that instructed me? Boy, this is a painful song, and it's one we have all sung at one time or another. How could I have been so stupid? It is all so easy to see after the fact. You know, when you're sitting in a doctor's waiting room and he calls you into the office and sits you down and says, Bob, I'm sorry, but your test came back, you're HIV positive. Oh, yeah, you slap your forehead then, and then at that time you're going to say to yourself, Bob, How was it I couldn't listen? How could I have imagined that I could get away with this? And you mourn at the last when your flesh and your body are consumed. Or when you're slapped with a lawsuit for sexual harassment and strangers are filled with your wealth and all your labors go into the house of a stranger. Oh, yeah. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have been so foolish? Where was the wisdom when I needed it? Why didn't I follow God's instructions? Why didn't I go in the right way? It is easy to see it then, isn't it? And don't we all know it? You know, there is always an alternative to evil. Solomon draws a really nice metaphor for faithfulness to your wife or faithfulness to your husband. In verse 15, he said, drink waters out of your own cistern and running waters out of your own well. Don't let your fountains be dispersed abroad in rivers of waters in the street. Don't take your resources and pour them out in the street. Let them be only your own and not a stranger's with you. Let your fountain be blessed and rejoice with the wife of your youth. Let her be as the loving hind in the pleasant row. Let her breast satisfy you at all times and be you always ravished with her love. You know, the love of one man for one woman and one woman for one man is really a beautiful thing. the closeness, the love, the warmth, the being able to depend upon each other in times that are good and times that are hard, of knowing that when you're in the hospital and lying up there racked with pain, that there will be somebody somewhere who cares enough to come in and wipe your brow and sit beside you and hold your hand. One of the most tragic results of following the strange woman, condom or no condom, is that it takes this away from you. You can't have that kind of relationship with one woman when you're sharing it with another. And the same thing goes for women with men. And why will you, Solomon asked my son, be ravished with a strange woman and embrace the bosom of a stranger? For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his goings. His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself. He'll be held with the cords of his sins. He shall die without instruction, and the greatness of his folly, he will go astray. What Solomon is saying is it's so much better to learn this lesson beforehand, and so much cheaper. Solomon will change the subject a little, and we'll talk about that right after these words.
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Write to Born to Win, Post Office Box 560, White House, Texas 75791. Or call toll free 1-888-BIBLE-44.
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Wisdom is not that hard to come by. In fact, through experience, the kind of wisdom that comes from experience will catch up with you whether you like it or not. But sometimes that's a pretty expensive way to get wisdom. It's a whole lot better to learn from someone else's experience. Well, in the sixth chapter of Proverbs, Solomon gives us right off the bat two really important principles that could have an enormous amount to do with your net worth not that many years from now. In chapter 6, verse 1, he says, My son, if you be surety for your friend, if you have stricken your hand with a stranger. What's that? Well, to be surety for your friend would be something like to co-sign on a note with your friend. And to strike your hand is like, well, it's like signing, taking your hand and signing a loan document. And, of course, you're borrowing money from this bank. And you may think, well, he's your friendly banker, and you know him. He's Bob or John or Phil. But you could go back there a month from now, and Phil has gone on to another job, and you're dealing with a whole different person in that job. If you go in and sign a note with a bank, you have stricken your hand with a stranger. You're snared, he says, with the words of your mouth. You're taken by the words. You've made a promise. You have to do it. Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself. When you are coming to the hand of your friend like this, you're actually in his power. in a way. You go and humble yourself and make sure that your friend makes that payment. Don't give sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids. Get yourself out of that like a deer gets away from the hand of a hunter, or a quail gets away from the guy with the double-barreled shotgun. Well, no, Solomon didn't use the expression double-barreled shotgun, but you know what I mean. Whatever you do, says Solomon, don't make yourself responsible for someone else's debt. If he can't afford it himself, let him do without. Now, a lot of people have gone contrary to that advice to their own sorrow and to their own hurt. You know, if I were giving advice to a group of young people today... I wouldn't tell them to never borrow money. That would be asking a little too much in our world. But I would tell them to only borrow for two things. Two things and two things only. They are basic housing and essential transportation. Now, the reason I think this is good advice is easy enough. You have to have a place to live, and you and your young bride, you're out there getting your life started together. If you rent a house, you're paying interest on the house, and you might just as well, if you can manage the down payment, be paying that interest against your own principal so that eventually you do own the house. That's easy to understand, isn't it? You are going to have to pay interest anyway, so you might as well pay it directly instead of through a middleman and let him make a profit on the whole deal. Second, you have to have a way to get to work. If you don't, if you have public transportation, don't even think about a car. But nowadays, most places in this country, you can forget about working if you don't have a car to get to work. But you don't need a new Firebird that goes 150 miles an hour to get to work. A jalopy will get you to work. My advice to kids is always go out and buy a cheap, ugly car with good tires and good brakes. And if that embarrasses you a little bit, get yourself a bumper sticker that says, don't laugh, it's paid for. And all your friends that are driving around their shiny new cars and making payments on them, you can laugh at them and say, ha, you're making those payments my car's paid for. The payments I'm making, I make to myself. There is a time, by the way, when you can buy a new car. That's when you can afford to pay cash for it. Now, I know that runs counter to what a lot of people think, but the truth is you'll come out way ahead of the game if you'll just follow that simple advice. Because when you have the cash, you've actually managed to save up, and you've put together $14,000, $15,000 in real hard cash in the bank. You're going to think a long time before you go down and you plunk that down all at once on a brand-new Belch Fire 8 special, right? Something about cash in the hand that conveys its own kind of wisdom. And another piece of advice, never finance consumer goods like clothes, CD players, and television sets. Save up and buy cash. Now, I'll give you a little exercise. I'm not going to do it for you. I'll let you do it for yourself. You know that you've got credit cards, and you know that those credit cards have spending limits, and you know that all you have to do every month is pay off a certain part of that debt that you have on the card, and if you pay off part of it, then you can spend that the next month and run your spending limit right back up. Right? Right. Now, let's suppose here you are. You're 18, 19, 20 years old, and you, the first month, you and your bride get a new place and You take your credit card down and charge it all up, and you get your maximum limit, say $2,000 that you can borrow on your credit card, and you buy some things you need to have for your little house. You get yourself a television set so you won't be bored in the evening. Think about that one for just a minute. You get yourself a CD player. You buy yourself some fancy expensive clothes and so forth. Wham, before you know it, $2,000 are gone. Next month, you drag out the checkbook when your bill comes in for the credit card, and you pay off the minimum that you have to pay. And that gives you that much money to charge against your credit card the next month, right? And so you go out and buy something else, keeping it up there. Now, just imagine that you kept your credit card right at the upper limit for the next 40 years, okay? Sit down with your pencil and piece of paper or your handy calculator, because I don't think very many of us remember the multiplication tables anymore, and sit down and work out for yourself, okay? on that original $2,000 loan that you made, how much interest do you pay at your credit card rate of interest over 40 years? And realize something. From that first year forward, Everything you have done has been done on a cash basis. For 39 years, you paid cash for everything. And you kept paying interest on that first $2,000 that you borrowed. Because effectively, that's what's happened here. And for the privilege of having all that stuff... A few months earlier than you could have if you just made the payments to yourself and then went out and bought them and paid cash for them. For the privilege of having that stuff a few months early, look at how much money you have paid out on $2,000 over a 40-year period of time. Can you think of anything that you could do with that much money? Solomon's not through giving advice in this area. In verse 6, he says this, Go to the ant, you sluggard, consider her ways and be wise, who having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her meat in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest. Now, right here is one of the great rules of life, and it is not very well understood. What would you say is the lesson that Solomon is trying to teach us with the parable of the ant? Go to the ant, you lazy lout. Consider her ways and be wise. She doesn't have any guide, overseer, or ruler, and yet she does her work. What is it? Zeal? Diligence? Well, not exactly. The lesson of the parable is that the ant is able to work without a supervisor, to be a self-starter. Now, with the ant, this is not a matter of character. It's a matter of genes. It's written into the ant's very being. But now imagine the value of writing this idea into your children's character. Let's see if we can understand why this is so. Imagine for a moment that you've got a job working in a factory manufacturing. I'd like to come up with a better name for it, but let's call them widgets. That's what everybody who uses illustrations like this calls them. And you make these widgets, and the widgets sell for $10 apiece. You can make so many widgets in a day, and as a consequence, you can earn so much money. Now, if you were reliable enough to come to work, set up your machinery, do all this stuff yourself, and carry it out and put it all out and get it ready for mailing and everything, and didn't need a supervisor, Why, you could have, let's say, a dollar each out of all the widgets you could make in a day, and that would make you a very good living. A hundred bucks a day, shall we say. Really good. But on the other hand, supposing you can't work like that. Supposing you've got to have a supervisor. Somebody's got to organize the work schedule. Somebody's got to solve your problems for you. Somebody to see to it that you're at work on time. Somebody to get you back from breaks on time instead of letting you linger at the coffee pot and so forth. Well, you see, if you have to have a supervisor, the $100 a day that you might have been going to make, some of that money is going to have to be given to the supervisor because the output isn't any higher, right? We're only doing so many widgets a day, right? And so consequently, if you have to have help to do that, well, then you've got to give up some of what you make. One of the reasons why we don't have any more than we do is because we have to share so much of what we produce with the people who help us produce it. So if you can teach your children early in life to do the right thing without being told, To be diligent in their work without having to have somebody make them go do it. To get up in the morning without having to have somebody kick them out of bed. You have put them a long way down the road to being wealthy. Because in the long run, if you can work without a guide or an overseer or a ruler, you'd only be working in a factory. You need to be working for yourself.
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in your own business. And tell us the call letters of this radio station. How long will you sleep, you lazy lout?
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When will you get out of bed, asks Solomon. Well, let me sleep a little longer, you say, a little slumber. Let me fold my hands and snooze a bit longer. And Solomon says, so your poverty will come like a traveling man and your want like an armed man. Cause and effect, folks. Laziness, sleeping a little too long, loving slumber leads to poverty. Now, this isn't to say we don't need sleep. It's a follow-on to the parable of the ant that says we've got to be self-starters. We don't need to have somebody else wake us up and get us to work, not if we're going to be successful and fairly well-to-do. Well, I'm sorry, but that's the way of life. You've got to be able to get yourself moving. And unless you somehow teach your children that, well, you're neglecting your duty as a parent. A naughty person, Solomon continues, a wicked man. He walks with a twisted mouth. He doesn't just tell you the truth. He puts a spin on it. He's got to be clever in the way he puts things. He winks with his eye. He speaks with his feet. He teaches with his fingers. He's got all kinds of secret signs and symbols and movements. He's a fidgety kind of guy, these deceivers. Perverseness is in his heart. He devises mischief continually, sows discord. Therefore, his calamity will come suddenly. Suddenly, he will be broken without remedy. I think this is here to tell us to get away from people like that. Don't get sucked in by them because they really are smooth oftentimes, and they can offer you this fine little dinner. You know, they say something about swindlers and con men. The saying is you can't con an honest man. And the fact is that this type of man that's going out there looking for somebody to swindle is looking for someone who himself is trying to pull a fast one, trying to get away with something. And so he comes in and uses our own little criminal instincts against us, and we learn the hard way. Now, you may be under the impression that God loves everybody and everything. Well, it's not quite true. There are some things that God hates. In fact, there are some of them that he says are an absolute abomination to him. Now, I don't know about you, but it seems to me it would be a good idea that if there is something that God hates, that we knew what that was. Well, Solomon is kind to us. He gives us a list. These six things, he says, does the Lord hate. Yea, seven are an abomination to him. Absolutely despicable. Number one, a proud look. Second, a lying tongue. Three, hands that shed innocent blood. Four, a heart that devises wicked imaginations. Five, feet that be swift in running to mischief. Six, a false witness that speaks lies. And seven, he that sows discord among brethren. Well, you've got some attitudes here and some things that people do. And what's disturbing? You know, you always hear these people say, well, you love the sinner, but you hate the sin. Well, unfortunately, we get down to the fact that God also hates some sinners, I guess, because that's the way it's listed. First of all, he talks about the things sinners do, proud look, lying tongue, and so forth. But then he says, first of all, he said he hates a lying tongue. Then he comes back around to it and says he also hates the false witness that speaks lies. That's disturbing. And finally, he hates the man that sows discord among brethren. Now, I know that we could defend ourselves by saying, well, I was just telling the truth. But, you know, there is a time when telling the truth to somebody is going to separate chief friends and will actually do no good. I don't think we can justify ourselves in splitting up people or causing discord between people with the excuse, well, what I was doing, it was just the truth, and I guess people need to know the truth. I think the lesson in these six things, the seven that God hates, is pretty important. It is possible to get on the wrong side of God, and you do it with having a proud and haughty look about you. You do it by having a lying tongue. You do it by giving testimony that might lead to the shedding of innocent blood. You do it by devising wicked imaginations in your heart, so you ought to really give attention to your fantasies. You do it with feet that are in a hurry to run into some kind of mischief. And then the speaking of lies and the sowing of discord among brethren. These things are really important to God, and we ought to regulate our lives taking them into account. Solomon continues, My son, keep your father's commandment, and don't forsake the law of your mother. Tie them upon your heart. Tie them around your neck. When you go, it shall lead you. When you sleep, it shall keep you. And when you wake up, it will talk with you. You got these things in your mind, and they're so deeply ingrained in you that when you wake up in the morning, they come to mind. Folks, that's a recipe for staying out of trouble. For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is a light, and the reproof of instruction is the way of life. Only a loser looks at the commandments of God as shackles and the law as chains. The winners, well, the winners see them as a light in a dark place. Until next time, this is Ronald Dart.
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And you were born to win. The Born to Win radio program with Ronald L. Dart is sponsored by Christian Educational Ministries and made possible by donations from listeners like you. If you can help, please send your donation to Born to Win, Post Office Box 560, White House, Texas 75791. You may call us at 1-877-7000.
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