I use the term "the flock" a lot now, and I wanted to write out exactly what I mean when I say it. I don't believe most people are meant for greatness, or even have the God-given capacity to be great. Your capacity to be great is a gift from God that He does not bestow upon everyone, just like the Parable of the Talents shows different servants starting with different measures of ability straight from the Master.
God creates great people by first gifting them extraordinary potential, then gifting them struggles, especially in youth. If you triumph over those struggles (that God gifts you), you develop and become a more noteworthy person. Most people will eventually allow a struggle to triumph over them. Those who choose to let their struggles define them instead of refine them end up as part of the flock. Men and women who are best served under wise guidance rather than left to wander, just as the Good Shepherd in John 10 gathers and protects His sheep instead of letting them scatter. An obvious example is a drug addict. A drug addict, until he conquers his addiction, cannot do anything truly great. (Note that high-willpower people can sometimes use vices responsibly, but that's a dangerous game compared to just trusting Christ.)
Now some people triumph over all their personal struggles and move on to monkhood or imposing their will on the world for God's glory. These are the most targeted for spiritual warfare by Lucifer and his agents. Lucifer has many deceptions to throw you off, and I'm sure right now I'm falling for several of them. The greatest tragedy is an otherwise high-agency man becoming an unknowing agent of Lucifer. (A fate I must remain vigilant against.) Lucifer has relentlessly exploited Western society's liberalism and softness to turn it into what it is today, much like the false shepherds condemned in Ezekiel 34 who scattered the flock for their own gain.
However, I believe a special few can become great men who make the world a truly better place. A huge misconception right now is that the flock actually deserves freedom or a say in everything. Many people think it's moral to give everyone a voice, but it's not. We are extremely close if not already there to AI abundance, where robots and machines handle the real work so no one lacks basic provision anymore, just like the manna God rained down for the entire nation in the wilderness or the Jubilee resets that ensured no one stayed in permanent need. In that world, most humans do not work out of necessity. They chase status and pride instead, which Scripture calls sin (James 4:6 says God opposes the proud, and Proverbs warns that pride goes before destruction). Low-willpower people are meant to receive that abundance in humble, fantasy-filled lives under faithful shepherds rather than dragging everyone down with destructive votes and envy-driven demands. And there is nothing wrong with this when done in Christian love. Eventually we are all judged by God, and it's wrong to allow low-willpower people to make destructive mistakes when they don't actually think for themselves.
It is extraordinarily difficult, perhaps even impossible, to retain your soul and have worldly power. The higher up you go, the more agents of Lucifer will tempt you and try to force you to compromise your principles. And if you consider yourself one of the elite shepherds, guard yourself fiercely against the sin of pride and ego, because that is the most tempting trap for you. With real agency and power you suddenly have the ability to indulge in every other sin in excess, and Lucifer knows it. A lot of pain in this world comes from the fact that the current elite are agents of Lucifer (knowingly or unknowingly), and Lucifer takes pleasure in forcing miserable hedonistic wage slavery onto the flock, as this is the only way for him to wound God's heart. I plan to eventually have enough cultural and political power to guide the flock back into Christian family-building as the norm, using the different gifts God gives us as described in 1 Corinthians 12.
But because of Lucifer's deceptions, we no longer have a benevolent elite. Most who have this potential falsely believe it's wrong to impose your will onto other people. If you truly trust Christ, this is the only right thing to do. It is just extremely difficult to accomplish at scale. I am looking for like-minded people on this account, but I'm not sure X is the place to do it. However, it is a sin to not try. (What else am I going to do on the toilet, Instagram reels?)
TLDR: God creates two classes of people: the flock and the faithful shepherds. Lucifer tries extremely hard to corrupt the shepherds because they lead the flock. We need more good shepherds who are comfortable enforcing their will for the flock's benefit, providing abundance in Christian love while guarding against the sin of pride.
Absurd late-Soviet Chernenko feel. Both Europe and USA are in deep trouble so it shouldn't be pissing match. But I have many American friends who once making their millions left to live in Europe, you might ask why. It's because their signature experience of USA is stuck in traffic looking at an obese single mom in capri pants by the side of the highway with a mulatto kid in front of strip malls at best; or having your week or year ruined by a false harassment accusation or some absurd lawsuit (often redistribution/lottery by other means). We can quibble on house size, food quality, life expectancy (prior to Trump USA had a falling life expectancy caused by overdoses, suicides, diabetes...about 6-10 yrs after your post-2007 "boom"), etc., but the stress, overwork and wretchedness of life in America especially for younger people, who now have no path to building wealth, is unequaled in the developed world--they have no pleasure or freedom to make up for it either.
@shylockh I did this and fond a wonderful Hot Chocolate cafe, and in classic American style are chocolate until I got sick, went to my hotel to recover, and came back the same day for more chocolate. I think about this chocolate place every day.
Here is a profile on Blacks having children. What I am going to describe happens a lot to young black males.
They become sexually involved with young black women who then get pregnant and have a child. Often multiple women, and several children. But the money from being on welfare is better for the woman and the children than the support the young man can provide.
The male then faces support claims by the government which is supporting the women/children and garnish the males wages. He then engages in some illegal conduct and ends up in jail.
While in jail the arrearages of child support build up.
By the time he gets out, if he takes a job he gets hit with multiple garnishments and does not make enough money to support himself. So he quits the lawful job returns to crime.
Some of my friends have spent much of their lives trying to help these guys. The success rate is dismal.
These young men and women are making choices. But it was not always this way in the black community. Government policies have at least in part created this mess.
>leads the charge exposing the largest pedophile ring on Earth
>Israel immediately spends most money in history to get him out of office
What did they mean by this
It's funny that American capitalists have started making the same excuses for their failed system that the Soviets used to use. "Soda is a bourgeoise comfort, comrade! We must subsist on beans and rice for the Glorious Free Market!"