CHAPTER 14
“I Won't.”
A person who refuses to obey the law, likes to challenge authority and flout regulations, and frequently crosses the line of acceptable behavior may enjoy watching the frustration grow within others. Such a person will often get very quiet, and decline to explain their position or reason for refusing to do what is lawful or expected. It generates within themselves a feeling of silent power over others.
Disrespect for the law and refusal to obey has become common in America, and started at the top. The Obama administration announced it will no longer enforce immigration laws. Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, has suspended deportation proceedings and is granting amnesty to those who appear to fit the criteria of the Dream Act – a bill that was defeated with the overwhelming support of Congress. By this, our leaders have declared to the country that our laws will not be executed faithfully.
What sort of message does this convey to our citizens, especially our youth, regarding the inviolability of the rule of law? With our leadership flouting the law, how can we expect the man on the street to have respect for those who enforce the law?
Disrespect for and refusal to obey law enforcement officers has become so common that there is a new term used to label it … "contempt of cop." The phrase is a play on the words “contempt of court”, and refers to people who challenge authority and refuse to obey police officers. The “Black Lives Matter” movement developed as a protest against the actions police have taken when a black person was killed who appeared to be threatening the life of another. Cops are being killed as a result, and in response there is now a movement called “Blue Lives Matter.”
The spirit of anarchy is permeating all nations, not just America. We are living in an epidemic of crime, with so many refusing to obey their country’s laws. Too many are like a rebellious Rubik’s Cube – no matter which way you try to turn them, you can never get them going in the right direction, doing the right thing.
Thousands are living in transgression of God’s laws as well as their government’s laws. And this isn’t just a legal issue - it’s also a spiritual issue. The absolute holiness of God demands a standard of holiness and obedience from those who worship Him. He has expressly commanded this of His people: "Ye shall be holy for I, the Lord your God, am holy" (Leviticus 19:2; 20:26).
Continue to Chapter 15
