This great country was founded upon the wonderful concept of freedom. The early colonies were being taxed without representation which basically made us slaves of England, and so a war of freedom took place, and a republic was born! A republic is by definition is “a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law.” This concept of a self-governing republic is a beautiful model by which to operate a nation, until the face of evil appears in the form of more and more government control.

With that thought, we are slowly being made slaves again by governmental entitlements on which people are becoming dependent. These entitlements kill our motivation to work and continue to raise our taxes to pay for them! Can we not see how we are falling back into slavery to our government by these entitlements which bring taxation?

One entitlement, and there are many, that have caught my eye recently, is an attempt to make slaves out of those who are dependent up on our government for their drug addiction. Vending machines have been placed around NYC and LA that are filled with crack pipes, lip balm for smoking crack and other drugs, and sniffing kits to make it safer to inhale these dangerous drugs. Oh, and to sell this idea of promoting drug use, the machines are also filled with Naloxone, which is for people who have overdosed with opioids. Also, more products that disguise the real purpose of these machines are also available in them, such as, hygiene kits, safe sex kits (condoms), tampons, nicotine gum, and first aid kits.

Sex and drugs are a huge part of this effort to enhance people’s sinful lives, and it is time for us to speak out. Sex and drugs have been an addiction since the beginning of time and are still rampant today, and our government is now using these addictions to make us slaves to them! Do we really want to go back a few hundred years and end up where we are – slaves to our government? “We” are the government of this republic, not those in Washington. Wake up America!!

So what has caused all this mess we’re in now, what is it that has taking us back to relying on those in Washington to take care of us? I’ll tell you what the cause is; it is that we have forgotten our God, through whom we have received the knowledge of a righteous life that we have been called to live, and became slaves to sin. We have stopped relying on God and started relying on our government, especially for ungodly things! When we fail in living this righteous life, we have forgiveness and the body of Christ (the church) to surround us with love and encouragement. We can rely on God who works through his servants to do His will, and that will is to take care of His children and help overcome these addictions!

In Romans 6:16-18, Paul tells the church in Rome, “16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I want to encourage the reader to not become slaves of sin or our government, but to experience the freedom in Christ Jesus our Lord! Come to him all ye that labor and he will give you rest!

We invite you to join us at College Hill Church of Christ, 1102 College Blvd., every Sunday morning at 10:30am for worship or follow us on Facebook at College Hill Church of Christ Alva Oklahoma as we stream our worship service every Sunday. We are a fellowship of believers that follow God’s Word and love all who worship with us!