“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” –Hebrews 13:7

“There are, of course, great men who change the course of history and seem to have the spirit of the Divine working through them. Most of our founding fathers are among them. Reagan is among them. We honor them. We view their service with reverence.” –Ann Coulter, Demonic, page 34.

President Barack Obama says the numbers show the economy is moving the USA in the right direction. Political pundit Dick Morris says the numbers are phony. It seems half the population will believe Obama; half will believe Morris.

Either way it illustrates the power of faith. More importantly, it is a lesson in what instructs or influences faith. Are we a people who trust in time-tested principles, even against popular opinion? Or are we a people who only believe in “what’s between our teeth?”

It is a vital debate. The people who only believe in the things they can hold in their hand, like a “bridge card” and take comfort in knowing they can, at least, have their basic needs met by a benevolent government, rather than a living hope in hard work, opportunity and a brighter tomorrow for themselves and their children, are much more difficult to persuade then those who trust in the Unseen.

Rather than cast off the characterization of victimhood, these folks embrace and wrap themselves in it then rail against those who would shake them from their stupor! A parent of a student caught in a destructive act will call down the wrath of God (or the ACLU) against anyone who dares hold them accountable. The mob mentality drives people to believe that Obama has a “stash of cash” with which to relieve all their sorrows. And those who suffer the insanity of irresponsibility must accept this sorry state of affairs or face the uncertainty of a confused court system or a bewildering bureaucracy to address a grievance!

“But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” The Apostle Paul.

I share Paul’s fear that the foundational truths that have made this a great nation are being abandoned, and a huge portion of our populace is being led astray by cunning and deceit. So what happens if the “bridge card” crowd continues to swell? What if the uneducated, indifferent, ignorant, immoral, ungrateful and illegitimate not only accept but demand the table scraps of human endeavor?

Do we accept defeat? Do we throw our hands up in surrender? Do we brace ourselves for the onslaught? Or do we arm ourselves with the principles that the dedicated few used to win the hearts and minds of their countrymen, turned the tide against the greatest fighting force of the day, and established the greatest governing document in history?

Throughout history a powerful principle has empowered a relatively few people to persuade vast numbers of a population. God revealed it to the Hebrews: “Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you…”; the Communists and Nazis used it to kidnap nations; and progressives have used it to enslave a generation. In the 60’s transcendental meditationist, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, came as close as anyone to defining it as the 1% phenomenon: “a group with size equal to the square root of 1% of a population would have a measurable influence on the quality of life of that population.”

In our own county in Mid-Michigan, we are seeing the effects of the 1% phenomenon: a small group of men began reading and discussing the 5,000 Year Leap by Cleon Skousen to better understand not just the constitution but the principles that inspired its construction. We were joined by others and began formulating a plan to influence the county Republican party who’ve abandoned many of those principles for political expediency. The party has adopted many of the core values our group proposed and progress is moving forward in holding our elected representatives accountable to those principles!

So even though there is growing alarm, and perhaps, fear at the ever increasing number of US citizens exchanging liberty for security, I also share George Washington’s hope that we have a document – and a great God – to whom we can repair ourselves. It is up to us to remember our leaders, more importantly, we must imitate their faith and let it persuade our actions, and in our actions persuade our neighbors.