Thursday, November 22, 2012

2012 Presidential Election: The Christian Response

 The 44th President of the United States of America: President Barack Obama.

For most who know me, you know I’ve never been afraid to ruffle feathers ;) But really, my prayer this morning is that when you read this, you’ll open your hearts to hear what God is saying to you. A clear mind, free of personal opinions, ideals, frustrations, worries …but a heart and mind ready to receive what’s true.

My Pastor has taught me to never give my opinion as TRUTH ….but to always reference the Word as the Final Authority.
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To the BELIEVER, what is our RESPONSE?

As I followed the election, the great thing about this nation is our diversity and the manyyyy civil liberties that we are privileged to have …America, what a great nation!!...

I’ve learned one absolute over time: God, His Word, and the work that Jesus completed on the cross don’t CHANGE. They remain the same, regardless of our opinions, ideals, and feelings.

Jesus didn’t come to give EQUAL RIGHTS …He came to give LIFE to all who believe on Him! He didn’t come to give you an OPINION …He came to establish the TRUTH! He didn’t come to give you the freedom to CHOOSE or add another option …He came to give you the ONLY ANSWER. He didn’t come to NEGOTIATE … He came to ROCK THE NATIONS!!

My stance from Day 1 has always been the same: TRUST IN THE LORD …Psalms 118:8.  That stance takes the guesswork out of things ;) I sat and watched last night, listened to several commentaries, read just about every Facebook post …because I was curious to see the BELIEVER’S RESPONSE …how would the Body of Christ respond?

I noticed outraged Christians who were mad Romney lost and elated Christians who were giving God the glory. I’ve learned that our response as a believer should NEVER change. We are called Christians because we obey God’s Word. So, if God has instructed us to “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16), when do we cut that off? WALKING IN THE SPIRIT SHOULD BE OUR DAILY, HOURLY PURSUIT (understanding that sometimes we’ll miss it …I get that). But when do we stop looking through our “spiritual eyes” and seeing things for what they really are? When do we stop asking the Lord to reveal what’s true? When do we stop trusting in the Lord vs. putting confidence in men? When? Answer: When we lean on our own understanding (Proverbs  3:5).

Leaning on our own understanding is dangerous because it stems from relying on the foundation of our flesh (which dwells no good thing: Romans 7:18), our feelings, and our opinions …all things that have the potential to CHANGE. Yet it’s the Word of God we’ve been encouraged to rely on, at all times; the one thing that doesn’t change.

When we lean on our own understanding, we turn a blind eye to evil! Believers begin supporting a man who OPENLY challenges the authority of God on just about every fundamental Biblical principle. Or raise up a man who OPENLY supports a religion that mocks the God of Genesis 1:1 in an attempt to establish himself as God. Then the justification becomes, “Well all Presidents are evil and go against God’s Word” ...yet how many have OPENLY declared they will change the divine order of God? …until now.

Jesus didn’t die just for the minorities ;) He didn’t come just to set the black folk free. Nor did He come just to see about “us” and “our community”. He didn’t come to make a certain race superior nor did He come to make education supreme. He came to give ALL of us LIFE, so that we can live it in abundance, regardless of who takes office. So, again I ask: When walking in the Spirit, when do we cut it off?? When do we stop standing on God’s promises vs. allowing race relations and money to consume us?

Believers, what is your response? If you think that our new President is going to fix things, you’re sadly mistaken. If you think that President Obama gives your children (who look like him) HOPE, sadly, you’ve  missed it. JESUS is the ONLY WAY …who came to restore things and it is HIS responsibility to take care of you! JESUS came to give you and your children HOPE and it is Him who assures you’ll make it …not.a.man. The moment we lose sight of this, we prevent God from being the Lord of your lives.

Does God need people?? Certainly!...but only those who will AMPLIFY who Jesus is and follow His instructions …that’s who we support …that’s who we follow. The minute our leadership goes against God’s order, as in declaring a “new” order (I’m not talking about falling in sin and sincere repentance is evident), we are no longer obligated to follow/support them …we simply, pray for them …that goes for the boss, the Pastor, annnnd the President …any.President! …no exemptions. Otherwise, we take on their mindset as support and agreement …resulting in spiritual death for the believer. Truth is LIFE!

Walking in the Spirit enables us to be sharp in our discernment …it gives clarity to what’s unsure. Yet when we set our hearts on what WE perceive as truth versus seeking God, our “truth” becomes a distorted image of what really is …spiritual blindness…and God’s TRUTH is rejected. That’s when it becomes easy to give glory to God and praise the Lord for putting a man in office even when He is dead set on changing the divine order of  the same God ……………I know it’s tight yall and I’ll understand if you delete me on Facebook.

So believers, what will be your response: I hope it’s to pray for our President as he governs this nation (I Timothy 2:1-3) …where Paul encourages us to do so. Let me be clear, this is our Christian duty, regardless of who sits in office. Our response should also be to continue to trust in the Lord…believing that in ANY circumstance our kids will make it! … believing in ANY circumstance that it is God who will meet our needs ….believing in ANY circumstance that our peace comes when we keep our minds on the Lord.

If DEEP is being so focused on God’s Word that I begin to think like God in EVERY area of my life, TAKE ME DEEPER…lol… Again I ask ;), where do we cut “walking in the Spirit” off? There’s no “but” in the Bible unless God placed it there.  The “but” voids everything stated before …”Yes, we should walk in the Spirit, BUT we also have to be aware of the state of our nation”. In my estimation, if I walk in the Spirit, God will REVEAL the EXACT state of our nation and give instruction to how to work through it or ultimately restore things.

How do we restore the economy, build broken homes, turn our nation back to God, and refocus our children to honor Jesus Christ? God has given us the solution.

If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (II Chronicles 7:14). What is your response??

It’s not time to celebrate the candidacy nor is it a time to mourn or be angry!  ...It’s not time to be concerned nor is it a time to panic …It’s time for us as believers to rejoice in the Lord and to fall on our faces to seek the Lord for the direction of our families and this nation.

I WILL pray for MY President …not because I voted for him (I didn’t vote for Romney either :) but because I am a believer AND a citizen of The United States of America.

Jesus is STILL Lord, I STILL have the abundant life, and I am STILL FREE! ;)

Pursuing Truth,

 D.

“Everything that I am, is because of Jesus Christ. All that I ever do, I do it only to bring Him glory.”