A Dictator called Political Correctness!

What is Political Correctness?

It is a form of tyranny that attempts to silence all voices of opposition to one's ideas, opinions, and forms of expression. It is the enemy of free speech. It is a selfish generation's brainchild to protect themselves from values, absolute truth, and being confronted by truth. Once their conscience no longer has to deal with hearing the truth, the restraints are lessened and gives room for their rebellion to grow. It is an attempt to create a utopian culture that has no restraint and no offense. However, in this pseudo-freedom environment, Political Correctness becomes the dictator who oppresses the freedom of expression. Political Correctness defines what is acceptable and what is not, and if your opinion varies and comes in conflict, then you must become a hypocrite and say what people want to hear but not truly how and what you believe. If I do not have the freedom of expression, then there is no opportunity to have a dissenting voice, thus, Political Correctness is nothing short of being a tyrant. A wolf in sheep's clothing!

When children grow up in an offense-free  environment, they will be under developed. We develop by facing resistance. When people say or do things that are in disagreement with ourselves, we learn how to deal with opposition, inconveniences, and hardships. If I never learned to deal with these things as I am growing up, as an adult, I will be a weak immature individual who will demand everything to suit my liking and will not put up with anything that opposes. I will set out to demonize everyone who upsets my comfort zone.

Political Correctness is not the origin it is the outgrowth of selfishness. The more selfish a society becomes, the more it will ensure the protection of self by imposing unwritten regulations to produce its own growth.

Freedom of speech, which is the antithesis of Political Correctness, gives me the right to offend. It certainly doesn't mean that a same person goes around intentionally offending people, but it does mean that if the offense happens, then the offendee must deal with it. What needs to happen in America is that simply we need to Grow Up! Every rose has thorns, every valley has mountains, and everyone's life has inconveniences that have to be dealt with. Our skin needs to be tougher, our values must deepen, and our convictions branded on our hearts.

Thank goodness for clothing!!

Luke 24:49 (KJV)
⁴⁹  And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.


The word "endued" means to "clothe." Why do we wear clothes? To cover our nakedness which if left uncovered will produce shame. We put clothes on before we leave the house so we are not embarrassed. Spiritually, the same principle is applicable. If I am not clothed in God righteousness then my nakedness of sin will bring shame to my life. If I am not clothed with God's power then I will be embarrassed by not being able to produce what I profess to have. This is why Jesus emphatically told the disciples to not leave Jerusalem  before being dressed in power.  Because if they left with out their clothing of power, they would be embarrassed by their naked powerlessness.

What would have happened if...?

 Acts 3:1-7 (KJV)
¹  Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
²  And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
³  Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
⁴  And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
⁵  And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
⁶  Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
⁷  And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 


What would have happened if Peter and John did not wait until they were clothed with God's power? They would have said the same things but the results would have been different. Peter would have been embarrassed and brought to shame because of leading people to believe he possessed something he didn't actually have.  Probably, they would have then changed their theological approach by saying "well, it may not have been God's will to heal you."

Unfortunately, I am afraid this is what is happening today. We have changed God's Word, and are doing what Adam and Eve did in the natural - covering our own nakedness without using God's clothing. We are clothing our powerlessness with a warped belief system that states if God wants to deliver a person - well, he may or may not - we have no way of knowing. All we do is throw up a prayer and hope for the best so-to-speak. Yet, these biblical men who were clothed in the power of God did not throw up a prayer and hope for the best but they gave a command in the name or authority of Jesus Christ and something happened. Wow!

Let us not remain as a nudist colony of believers huddled in shame and being the laughing stock of the world. Once more, rise up and go to the altar and wait till the garment of power wraps around us again. 

The remaining three that build integrity.

Here are five things that build integrity:

·        Consistent obedience to known biblical truth

·        Making my private life consistent with my public life

·        Making a practice of being faithful in little

·        Daily looking in the mirror and taking personal responsibility for failures

·        Being humble and learning from mistakes

 

Here are the remaining three. 

 

Making a practice of being faithful in little

 

Luke 16:10 (KJV) He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. [11] If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? [12] And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

Integrity doesn’t magically appear the moment someone makes it big but rather it is painstakingly built in the halls of obscurity in one’s life. If I value my reputation enough to act honestly with another person’s dollar, then when I am entrusted with their $100.00 then my integrity will maintain the same responsibility. We have all heard “practice makes perfect.” The more we practice the more we develop. The stronger we develop ourselves in the small things the stronger we become in resisting the temptations that increase in the big things. In other words, my strength of character must increase to withstand the growing intensity of temptation that assails increased responsibility. 

 

Daily looking in the mirror and taking personal responsibility for failures

 

Many times people will create their own misery and then blame everyone else. It’s like creating your own storm and complaining because it rains. When a person matures it means they are accepting responsibility. Excuses are shields put up to deflect personal responsibility. As long as I blame everyone else for my failures, there will be no opportunity for me to change. Maturity requires change and correction is the means to facilitate it. The moment I take responsibility for my behavior is the moment my life begins to change.

 

Being humble and learning from mistakes

 

Acknowledging that I made a mistake is the first step but then I need to learn from it. Humility realizes its own imperfection and inability. In other words, humility is taking a sane view of oneself while pride is taking an insane view of oneself. Pride exaggerates the person’s ability and focuses on self-dependence but humility realizes its own inefficiency and focuses on God for continued dependence.  Whatever I focus on for strength becomes my source. When self is the focus then my strength becomes finite and very limited in dealing with the issues of life. However, when I focus on Christ as my source then my strength become infinite and unlimited. God can correct us through an inner witness, a person, His Word, and circumstances, to name a few. Being humble means I yield to the correction and permit his hand to form and stretch me into being more like Jesus.

Things that build integrity

Here are five things that build integrity:

• Consistent obedience to known biblical truth

• Making my private life consistent with my public life  

•  Making a practice of being faithful in little

• Daily looking in the mirror and taking personal responsibility for failures 

• Being humble and learning from mistakes

 

Consistent obedience to known biblical truth

Integrity is not born, it is made by consistent living in obedience. Each act of obedience builds and strengthens the integrity of my life. Every time I obey I build spiritual momentum for the next moment that requires a decision to obey or not. After a while obedience becomes such a practice and way of life that it becomes the norm without thinking about it. Consistently obeying God’s word will strengthen the integrity of the spirit of the person, and fortify them against compromise.

 

Making my private life consistent with my public life

In Greek, the word for “hypocrite” refers to an actor – someone who pretends to be something or someone they are not. Hypocrisy makes it impossible to have integrity. It creates an image in public that requires constant effort and it eventually tires the spirit man and weakens the integrity – the structure and fortification of the soul. This eventually collapses the person into a state of misery. Living a lie is the hardest thing on earth to do! The opposite of being a hypocrite is being sincere. Sincere is a compound word which means “without wax.” It means purity so a sincere act would be one motivated out of purity, (1Cor 13) without regard to self-benefit. An example would be a man sees someone in danger, and rescues the person without ever thinking of himself, that is sincerity. When my private life is concealed from my public life and they appear to be two different lives, then I am not sincere in my relationship with God. It indicates that my life is filled with the wax of self and is hindering the work of Christ from being seen. However, when I live what I profess, my public influence on others will substantially be increased in its impact. When I speak what I am living it will be spoken with a conviction that would not be present if I was living a hypocritical life. Jesus had finished speaking one day and the people said that unlike the Pharisees, he spoke with an authority. One reason for the difference was that this man was sincere – without wax – and when he spoke it came from a place of deep conviction and his words were presented in a way much different than the hypocrites.

I can’t tell you how peaceful it is to live a sincere life. It is a life that wears you out when you have to keep up with the latest lie you told. Insincerity will rob you of sleep, torment your mind, increase fear, and eventually produces a breakdown in body as well as mind.   

A hypocrite lacks conviction about what he truly believes and is totally dependent on the opinions of people. That’s a person you cannot trust. An individual who lives in private what he projects in public is a person living by a standard of convictions. They have a value system Prioritizing is placing things in order in reference to importance. When making decisions it means making decisions based upon what is important to you. What determines this list of importance? Your value (what’s important) system becomes the structure that determines your decisions. Your life, like a house, is built on something, and our life is built on a value system. 

Next Blog I will give the remaining three - stay tuned