“Power is a poison well known for thousands of years. If only no one were ever to acquire material power over others! But to the human being who has faith in some faith that holds dominion over all of us, and who is therefore conscious of his own limitations, power is not necessarily fatal. For those, however, who are unaware of any higher sphere, it is a deadly poison. For them there is no antidote.” —The Gulag Archipelago

That quote, by the Nobel Prize winning author Alexander Solzhenitsyn struck a chord with me. I have endured, to date, over eleven years of torture with involuntary directed energy weapons testing and related psychological attacks by covert Federal agencies and local community policing groups. Through personal observation, I concur with Solzhenitsyn. Of all the resources that have been placed in the charge of man, none has been so mishandled and abused as power. “Man has dominated man to his injury.” —Ecclesiastes 8:9

When one is made a victim of power abused, the desire to retaliate can become quite seductive. However, I often call to mind one of the primary reasons for avoiding a vindictive spirit. It comes from the faith the “holds dominion” over me. Only the merciful can receive mercy from God. “For the one that does not practice mercy will have his judgment without mercy.”—James. 2:13. If I were to imitate the cruel, merciless spirit of my antagonists, it would put me at odds with God himself. As God’s Word clearly states, those who treat others without mercy, do not receive mercy from God. Where would I be without God’s merciful help? His strength has sustained me through all my trials. I must continue to treat others kindly if I am to receive mercy from God.

Among my persecutors are those who willfully commit cruel acts, deriving pleasure from denigrating others. It may be well for them to think of how God views their unmerciful spirit. One day, they may find themselves in great distress. Perhaps it may be a life threatening illness, or the death of a loved one. For the first time, they experience a measure of the pain they have wreaked on the lives of their victims. As most of us do, they cry out to God for help. Will their record of unmerciful acts cause God to keep silent? How sad it would be to lose God’s mercy!