“So I pray for you Gentiles that God who gives you hope will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in Him. I pray that God will help you overflow with hope in Him through the Holy Spirit’s power within you.” Romans 15:13
Up until Wednesday night my heart felt troubled and unsettled over the condition of our nation. To see the evil rebellion against the Judeo-Christian principles and values that this country was founded on and America fearlessly forsaking God brought great concern and turmoil to my spirit. I prayed and fasted, asking God to have mercy on us. It felt like I was in mourning for three days.
Then Wednesday night on my way to church I began to feel encouraged. I was excited and ready to get my worship on. There is something awesome about praising and worshipping the Lord in the sanctuary full of other believers. That’s exactly what my spirit needed and cried for. As we sang and lifted up His holy name I felt refreshed, excited, and expectant. The sadness lifted and I began to be filled with joy and peace knowing that our Lord, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ will be returning soon! I was overflowing with hope in Him!
While worshipping Jesus, His Spirit reminded me that He is always in control. I immediately knew that all that was happening in our nation was part of our Father’s master plan to usher in the return of our Lord and Savior. I remembered that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. I was filled with emotion and determination to fulfill my calling in these end days. Then right before the next song Pastor Clay, who leads praise and worship, said these words..
“Up until last night many of us had pinned our hopes on 2 different men. And for many this morning there was great celebration and for many others there was great concern. These 2 men have represented to all of us to some degree a new hope. But it has also brought about a lot of concern and in some cases some division; and as we continue to worship may I share with you what God’s Word says about where our hope lies in. 1 Timothy 4 we read, we have put our hope in the living God who is the Savior of all men. So as we worship we know where our hope is and we pray for those in leadership and in authority. But at the end of the day it is God who guides. It is God who leads, whether they know it or not and that is our hope. And let us praise and worship His name.”
I knew that the time for mourning was over. Now is the time to rise up and stand to fight the good fight of faith. It is time for us to realize who we truly are! We are children of the Most High God! Power and dominion have been given to us to conqueror and overcome all things through Christ Jesus. Our calling is to boldly walk in that authority and stand up for the Word of God at all times, no matter what! Let us put our hope in Jesus (The Word of God) and never compromise our faith, making sure to run from anything that would cause us to stumble and fall into sin.
I leave you with Paul’s final instructions to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:11-14 and I pray you heed His commands.
“Run from all these evil things and work instead at what is right and good, learning to trust Him and love others, and to be patient and gentle. Fight on for God. Hold tightly to the eternal life which God has given you, and which you have confessed with such a ringing confession before many witnesses.
I command you before God who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus who gave a fearless testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you fulfill all he has told you to do, so that no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.”
Be about our Father’s business!
Up until Wednesday night my heart felt troubled and unsettled over the condition of our nation. To see the evil rebellion against the Judeo-Christian principles and values that this country was founded on and America fearlessly forsaking God brought great concern and turmoil to my spirit. I prayed and fasted, asking God to have mercy on us. It felt like I was in mourning for three days.
Then Wednesday night on my way to church I began to feel encouraged. I was excited and ready to get my worship on. There is something awesome about praising and worshipping the Lord in the sanctuary full of other believers. That’s exactly what my spirit needed and cried for. As we sang and lifted up His holy name I felt refreshed, excited, and expectant. The sadness lifted and I began to be filled with joy and peace knowing that our Lord, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ will be returning soon! I was overflowing with hope in Him!
While worshipping Jesus, His Spirit reminded me that He is always in control. I immediately knew that all that was happening in our nation was part of our Father’s master plan to usher in the return of our Lord and Savior. I remembered that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. I was filled with emotion and determination to fulfill my calling in these end days. Then right before the next song Pastor Clay, who leads praise and worship, said these words..
“Up until last night many of us had pinned our hopes on 2 different men. And for many this morning there was great celebration and for many others there was great concern. These 2 men have represented to all of us to some degree a new hope. But it has also brought about a lot of concern and in some cases some division; and as we continue to worship may I share with you what God’s Word says about where our hope lies in. 1 Timothy 4 we read, we have put our hope in the living God who is the Savior of all men. So as we worship we know where our hope is and we pray for those in leadership and in authority. But at the end of the day it is God who guides. It is God who leads, whether they know it or not and that is our hope. And let us praise and worship His name.”
I knew that the time for mourning was over. Now is the time to rise up and stand to fight the good fight of faith. It is time for us to realize who we truly are! We are children of the Most High God! Power and dominion have been given to us to conqueror and overcome all things through Christ Jesus. Our calling is to boldly walk in that authority and stand up for the Word of God at all times, no matter what! Let us put our hope in Jesus (The Word of God) and never compromise our faith, making sure to run from anything that would cause us to stumble and fall into sin.
I leave you with Paul’s final instructions to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:11-14 and I pray you heed His commands.
“Run from all these evil things and work instead at what is right and good, learning to trust Him and love others, and to be patient and gentle. Fight on for God. Hold tightly to the eternal life which God has given you, and which you have confessed with such a ringing confession before many witnesses.
I command you before God who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus who gave a fearless testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you fulfill all he has told you to do, so that no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.”
Be about our Father’s business!
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7 comments:
Hi Lisa,
First off, let me preface this note by saying that I greatly enjoyed reading your pieces (as I always do), especially the ones about this recent Presidential election.
However, if I may offer an alternate viewpoint - I think that Obama's appointment as President-Elect does not constitute an 'evil rejection of our country's Judeo-Christian faith.' While it is true that the Judeo-Christian ethic was practiced by our founding fathers, our country is unique because seperation of church and state forms the backbone of our Constitution. Jefferson was very prescient in acknowledging that, while well-intentioned, many monarchies and religious leaders in the past have wrongly used the name of God to justify their misguided, and often immoral poliices (like the Spanish Inquisition).
This separation of church and state is something that many Ameriacns hold dear. In a pluralistic democracy such as ours, politicians cannot just point to one religious text to justify the passage, or veto of a law. They must make an argument that is cogent, yet accessible and applicable to people of other faiths.
Separation of church and state is not only a passing fancy from our forefathers. It is what protected the Mourmons from persecution, it is what gives the Amish the freedom to worship. Seperation of church and state gave the Jew hope that he could live free and without tyranny, especially during the horrors of the Holocaust.
And on a personal note - some of my Chinese forefathers were jailed and tortured under Mao's Communist rule. Why? Because they were intellectuals, and guilty of reading books. This is another good example of what happens when a country allows the ideology of a few, to govern the lives of many.
I think that we need not look further than President Bush to see how political leaders use the word of God to justify ill-concieved wars. While God's Word is infalliable, Man is not, and as such we cannot conflate the two, for history has consistently shown that bloodshed will certainly follow.
I hope you do not take this as a criticism, but rather a reminder of something very beautiful - the fact that Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc - came together in one moment because they believed our country would be made better. I believe this is what the election was all about. Not just about Obama being black, or that he happens to be Democrat - but the acknowledgement that we can see past our differences, that we are all human and flawed underneath. I hope that in some way, you can recognize this as well, and glean some comfort from it.
Keep writing, and keep up the good work!!! :)
Love,
Bev
ps. Stumbled on a very interesting interview about Obama's take on faith, though you might enjoy it: http://blog.beliefnet.com/stevenwaldman/2008/11/obamas-interview-with-cathleen.html
Thank you for your words of encouragement and I am glad that you enjoy reading Consecrated to Him.
While I respect your view point I have to disagree.
You said..
I think that Obama's appointment as President-Elect does not constitute an 'evil rejection of our country's Judeo-Christian faith.'
I say..
I believe that our nation electing Obama as president –elect is in fact rejecting our country’s Judeo-Christian faith because his beliefs and voting record do not line up with the Word of God and that is what our country was founded on.
Taken from http://dilemma2008.blogspot.com/2008/10/vote-bible.html
1. He has voted in support of infanticide--PROVERBS 6:16-17 (see http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18647)In 2002, as an Illinois legislator, Obama voted against the Induced Infant Liability Act, which would have protected babies that survived late-term abortions.
2. He is definitely pro-abortion JEREMIAH 1:5 (http://www.nrlc.org/Election2008/obamarecord0608.pdf)He has maintained a 100% pro-choice rating with planned parenthood and NARAL, cosponsoring the Freedom of Choice Act
3. He is not in favor of traditional marriage between one man and one woman. GENESIS 2:24 (see http://www.cnsnews.com/Public/Content/article.aspx?RsrcID=31916) In an open letter to the "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual" (LGBT) community that was posted on Obama's official campaign website on February 28, 2008, Obama wrote that he unequivocally favors completely repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
4. He supports same-sex marriage ROMANS 1:26-27; LEVITICUS 20:13 (see http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/1051404.html) The Illinois senator said he supports extending "fully equal rights and benefits to same-sex couples under both state and federal law."
5. He support the teaching of homosexuality in schools 1 CORINTHIANS 6:9-10; MATTHEW 18:6 (see http://www.cfr.org/publication/14313/) "And if we feed them hope, and we feed them reason and tolerance, then they will become tolerant and reasonable and hopeful. And that, I think, is one of the most important things that the next president can do"
6. He supports funding research using human life in the form of embryonic stem cells ISAIAH 49:1,5; PSALM 139-13-16 (http://obama.senate.gov/press/070411-obama_renews_su/) "I stand in full support of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act as I did when this bill was introduced and sent to the President’s desk in the 109th Congress. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill."
7. He has known ties to U.S. homegrown terrorists and convicted felon Tony Rezko 1 CORINTHIANS 15:33(see http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/us/politics/04ayers.html?bl&ex=1223352000&en=97a61d8ecb16e341&ei=5087%0A) Bill Ayers and his wife Bernardine Dohrn helped found the radical Weathermen, launching a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and United States Capitol. While Obama was only 8 years old at the time, he has since served on boards with Ayers and bonded their relationship as Obama jumped into politics with Ayers help and support.
8. He views anyone who doesn't believe his way to be bitter ROMANS 1:22 (see http://inkslwc.wordpress.com/2008/04/12/barack-obama-bitter-pennsylvanians-cling-to-guns-or-religion/ )"So it’s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
9. For twenty years he sat at the feet of a "preacher" who says blacks should not sing God Bless America, but rather God @#$* America and promotes more racial strife EXODUS 18:21 (see http://www.newsmax.com/kessler/obama_wright_pastor/2008/04/13/87617.html). If ever there was a place in which someone should get up and leave if you don't agree with the teachings, it would be in this horrible worship setting--yet Obama remained there for 20+ years.
10. He was educated for at least four years in a so-called Madrassa (or MUSLIM SEMINARY)! MATTHEW 7:15 (see http://www.insightmag.com/Media/MediaManager/Obama_2.htm) Are the American people ready for an elected president who was educated in a Madrassa as a young boy and has not been forthcoming about his Muslim heritage?
This man is not a wise choice or a Christian choice to lead our country. Mark 7:6
You said..
Our country is unique because separation of church and state forms the backbone of our Constitution.
I say…
This is untrue. The backbone of our constitution was not the separation of church and state. The separation of the church and the state was intended to deprive the state of its power to either aid or hinder religion. Constitution gives no power over religion to the federal government.
The first amendment which states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..” is to protect religious Americans from the government, it is not there to protect Americans from religion.
The constitution was written with the purpose of establishing 3 main principles:
Inherent rights: Rights that anyone living in America has;
Self Government: Government by the people; and
Separation of Powers: Branches of government with different powers.
The backbone of our constitution is the Christian principles that the constitution is founded on, which our nation is quickly moving away from. The founders of our nation and writers of the constitution by which America is governed most definitely mixed their Christian faith with their politics.
Liberals have confused the meaning of separation of church and state and want to silence the church and keep God out of politics. Woe to America if our people allow this to happen.
We can not separate God from our government..
Taken from http://www.afn.org/~govern/Christian_Nation.html:
Even George Washington who certainly knew the intent of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, since he presided over their formation, said in his "Farewell Address": "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars." Sure doesn't sound like Washington was trying to separate religion and politics.
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ." - Patrick Henry
"Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." - U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Jay
It is wonderful that the people came together for a common belief in change. But I am saddened to think that our nation could believe and put their hope in a man that goes against the morality and principles that our country was founded on. We should never forget that we are one nation under God and it is in Him that we trust.
After checking out the link (Obama's interview with Falsani)http://blog.beliefnet.com/stevenwaldman/2008/11/obamas-interview-with-cathleen.html
It is even more confirmation to me that he is not what he claims to be, a Christian.
1 John 2:3-6
3 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. 4 If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. 5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. 6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
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