One of the ultimate problems facing Western civilization at this time is the entitlements that are pushing governments to the brink of insolvency. If they cut the entitlements, the people will riot. If they don’t cut them, virtually every Western government will eventually have to default on its debt, which will likely bring about a worldwide economic collapse. With almost every new crisis, we come closer to the point where there is not any remedy that can even buy us more time to find a solution. In every way, we are getting beyond human solutions, and the cliff we are heading for is coming at us faster and faster.
Consider this: Virtually every economist admits that inflation is inevitable with the present deficits, and to meet the obligations for entitlements that we already have will require increasingly large deficits. If interest rates go up just 2 percent on our debt, it would require an 82 percent income tax just to pay the interest on the debt. It if went up just one-half percent more, a 100 percent tax would not cover it. Nearly every economist predicts the rise of inflation and interest rates, and some see them going far beyond 2 or 3 percent.
The government’s projections for such things as the recent Healthcare Reform were based mostly on best-case scenarios, which are almost never what actually happens. Many citizens still think that the brilliant people we have elected will solve how to deal with this and rescue us from whatever happens. I too am praying for such grace, but reality is that the ones we are trusting to get us out of this with their brilliance are the ones who got us into this. To date, we don’t have any realistic evidence that they have changed or even learned anything from what is happening.
Greece has been in the news because it recently dangled over the edge of default and required a bailout. However, other European nations are actually in worse shape than Greece and had their debt come due a little sooner than the others. Italy, Spain, and Portugal will hit soon. This is not all—an increasing number of states in America are in worse shape than these countries. About thirty states are close to default on their debt and have already begun to shut down some government services. This was before the recent Healthcare Reform Bill cast billions in increased costs back on the states for picking up Medicare and other obligations. Some states that have completed studies on their increased responsibilities from the Healthcare Reform Bill have indicated that it doubled their deficits, which were already too big for them to deal with.
What has been the Administration’s answer to this? “We will grow our way out of this.” Our first question about this should be: What is going to cause this kind of growth, which would require a level of growth many times faster than any expansion in history? Our government either is not telling us the truth or it does not know the truth. Both of these are bad.
“If you do not change your course, you will end up where you are headed,” and we are headed toward an economic meltdown that will likely be worse than any in history. It could be avoided; however, we are not changing course, but rather picking up speed, running up more in deficits in our present budget than all other previous Administrations combined. Can we survive this? Yes, but without a doubt, regardless of what the stock market is doing, or what other monthly economic indicators are saying, the most basic and pressing crises are not being addressed. It is like the Titanic has hit the iceberg, but for now the party continues.
So what do we do? First, are we personally in the same shape as our governments? Have we spent beyond our means? If so, we must start by repenting, which means to: 1) be genuinely sorry for our irresponsibility, and seek to understand and change what greed or other sin caused us to do it, 2) ask for God’s forgiveness and grace to get out of the mess we’re in, 3) change our ways so that if He does get us out we won’t just fall right back into the quicksand, and 4) seek to help others.
We also need to start praying for our leaders like never before. The insanity in our government has reached unprecedented levels with no change in sight. We have come to the place we’re in because of both Republicans and Democrats, but there is one group that is even more responsible—Christians. We have failed to be the salt and light we are called to be, which would be such a striking contrast to the spirit of the world that we are like a city set on a hill that all could look to for guidance.
If we have built our lives on the ways of this world, we will go down with the world. If we have built our houses on the Rock, then we do not have to fear any storm that is coming. We build our lives on the Rock by hearing the words of the Lord and obeying them. If we have lived by sound biblical principles of stewardship, we should have nothing to fear. If we have not, we can still get there by repentance, but we do not have any time to waste.
I will get a bit more practical about how to do this in coming weeks, but we can keep in mind and heart the absolute fact that the kingdom is coming, and God’s will is going to be done on the earth as it is in heaven. As our job in preparing the way for the Lord is described as “building a highway,” which is God’s “higher way,” we begin this by building our own lives on His kingdom, not the kingdoms of this world.
Since we are called to be salt and light, we must also get engaged in helping the nations we have been placed in. I will also get more practical about how to do this in coming weeks.