I have heard and read repeatedly that a huge portion of the “evangelical voting block” in USA does not vote. Why not? Partially because many of these voters don’t like either candidate, or because many believers don’t want to get involved since “politics is a dirty business” – (and let’s be honest) – partially because of lazy neglect. Concerning the “dirty business” excuse: mucking out stalls is also dirty business (it stinks!), but when I was a kid visiting one of my uncles’ farms, I helped clean out stalls. Why? Because it needed to be done – that’s why!
If you are a Christian and a non-voter – Wake up! Realize that our founding fathers, who built this country on Biblical principles, risked their lives, and pledged their lives, their property, and their sacred honor to give us the privilege to vote. Since then, thousands of dedicated Americans have sacrificed their lives to preserve this right and privilege for us. Don’t we care? Are we going to fiddle while our country burns?
Maybe you don’t like something about our current President’s manner. I understand! (And I confess that I have prayed that God would grant him the gift of arthritis in the tweet finger!) 😊 However, I remember that he is not the only president with rough edges – Theodore Roosevelt, for example, also had some rough edges. And what about Prime Minister Winston Churchill, in England back in the 1930’s and 1940’s? His rough edges were like spikes on chariot wheels (and many in Great Britain were offended with him), but all of Great Britain and Europe would have fallen to Hitler and the Nazi war machine were it not for Churchill’s strong, stubborn determination to Never! Never! Never give up!
John Adams, coauthor of the Declaration of Independence and second president of the U.S. (1797-1801) said: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.” What a commentary on why our country is degenerating so fast.
The Price of Freedom
On the 4th of July, 2013, I heard a stimulating and challenging message by Michael Youssef on the radio, which sparked this prayer in my heart:
“O Lord, our founding fathers who signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Some of them did pay with their lives, some of them saw their sons slaughtered on the battlefields of the Revolutionary War, and most of them did lose their fortunes and their property because they would not sacrifice their sacred honor. Many witnessed their houses and property burned by the enemy, because of the stand they took, but stand they did! They stood for truth and liberty. Since that fearful time and those fateful battles, multitudes of American bodies lie buried, often on foreign fields – bodies of those who also paid the ultimate price to protect the liberty we now enjoy. Remind us often, Lord, of the price they paid that we might be free. Remind us that freedom is not free. Remind us that the price of freedom is vigilance and responsibility as we face the enemies of our freedom – both those on the outside of our borders and those, who like termites, are eating away our freedoms from inside our government, educational, scientific, and media institutions. O Lord, give us courage to stand against the enemies of truth, righteousness, and liberty with the strength and courage of our forefathers. And please protect us from another bloody revolutionary war or civil war!
Most of all, O Lord, remind us of the ultimate price Jesus paid for our freedom from sin – its penalty, its power, and finally, its presence. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
In the Name above all names, Jesus our Lord, Amen.” – Rick
“Should Christians be ‘Dabbling’ in Politics?”
“Some readers may already be offended with me because they cling strongly to the opinion that Christians should not get involved in politics – and certainly a Christian leader should not mention political issues from the pulpit nor write about these issues in a publication. It is my purpose in this section to refute this lie that has kept millions of Christians silent while our nation is sinking in sin, succumbing to sexual lies, and pandering to political propaganda. The fact is that we are mandated by Almighty God to be involved in order to speak truth to our decadent, depraved culture about politics and all other realms. Those of us who speak out on political issues are not the ones being unfaithful to our calling as Christians, but those keeping silent are.” (From our book, More than Conquerors in Cultural Clashes.) If you would like more documentation for what you just read, please contact me.
Which way will you vote?
Fire Management
Christian and Jewish believers should definitely be concerned about wisely managing and protecting our environment for posterity because God gave that mandate to our original parents in the Garden of Eden. However, because of an evolutionary worldview (that people are simply evolved animals – and are not an endangered species), in USA, the “Environmental Protection Agency” is often more interested in protecting snails, beetles and owls than people – and the “Bureau of Land Management” often rejects wise management. Our lands and forests have become tinder boxes!
A caller to the Kevin Miller program told us that he had worked for a fire management program – and pointed out that the Black Forest in Germany has never had an out-of-control, dangerous fire. Why? Because Germany allows farmers to clear out the brush and citizens to clean out the dead timer for their home firewood use.
Dislike Donald Trump?
Are you still hung up on disliking Donald Trump? I didn’t like him either when he was campaigning in 2016 – I wanted Ted Cruz to be our presidential candidate. (But now I’m thankful Ted Cruz is still doing a great job where he is!) Now I’m also very thankful for the way God worked it out that Donald Trump is our President. (God is Sovereign, you know!) Consider this:
First – The Word of God says: “that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.” Daniel 4:25 (NKJV)
Second – Where is our focus? Are we focusing on the unrelenting accusations against our President by his enemies that are constantly being pumped out in print and on airwaves by the “drive-by-media”? I’m reminded of what I was seeing and hearing about Lon Mabon back in 1992 and ‘93 when we moved to Gresham, Oregon. I decided that anyone the secular news media hated that much couldn’t be all bad, so I went to hear him for myself. What did I see and hear? I saw and heard a humble, soft-spoken pastor who was trying to stop the homosexual agenda from pumping perversion into public schools. Later I volunteered to help him gather signatures to block the pumping of perversion into schools. Never before nor since, have I seen such hate-filled expressions as on the faces of those who opposed us.
Third – Let’s focus on Donald Trump’s actions rather than his enemies’ accusations! As slavery was the throbbing issue back in 1860, the life of our most vulnerable citizens is the throbbing issue of our time. Every human child is created in the image of God (contrary to the lies of evolutionism), and our God loves the little children – born or unborn! Donald Trump’s first presidential action was to cut off US funds to murder unborn children in foreign countries. (Let’s pray that he can cut off all our tax dollars to abortion providers.) Some pro-life groups are declaring Donald Trump to be the most pro-life President ever! Since it is Biblically and scientifically easily verifiable that human life begins at conception, and since God hates the shedding of innocent blood, can we doubt that abortion is the key issue of our time (or at least one of the three most vital)?
Also consider Donald Trump’s action in the choice of his Vice President, Mike Pence!
Consider his actions in his choices of hundreds of judges committed to constitutional law rather than “liberal” concepts of “evolving” law and Marxist/humanist ideology.
Consider: How does he treat innocent, unborn babies?
How does he treat our only true ally in the middle east?
How does he treat money? (He doesn’t take a salary for serving as President!)
How does he treat our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms?
How does he treat our military/veterans/police/our flag/Bible/victims of violence?
How does he treat freedom of religion?
How does he treat freedom of assembly?
How does he treat freedom of speech?
How does he treat freedom to keep and bear arms (2nd Amendment)?
Vote wisely! It may be our last chance if God-hating Marxists take over! If you doubt that Marxists are God-hating, please read about Marx and the history of every country where Marxists have taken the reins of power. Also, you may want to consider a new book entitled Marx and the Devil. In spite of its illusive promise of earthly utopia, Marxism is evil to the core!
Am I Getting Off Focus?
You may be wondering if I have been wandering off my focus, since my lead-in thought for our June Overseas Outreach prayer letter was entitled “Faithfully Fine-Tuning Our Focus.” In case that thought has crossed your mind, here is my response – No! I am not getting off focus! Here is why:
First – In our March prayer letter, on page 2, the top heading was “Loving the World Enough to Share the Gospel” (with John 3:16 in a box). The next heading was “What Is the Gospel” – with the Biblical definition from several passages, culminating in Paul’s description “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
Second – The significance of this potent description of the essence of the gospel can only be understood from a Biblical worldview about the nature of God, the nature of man (both before and after his rebellion in the Garden of Eden), and the origin of sin and death. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter was preaching to an audience of Israelites, whose minds had been prepared for the gospel through the Scriptures, so Peter boldly proclaimed by the power of the Holy Spirit: “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.” Acts 2:22-24 (NKJV)
However, when Paul was speaking to the pagan philosophers in Athens, he did not start with the death, burial and resurrection to share the Gospel – he started with the truths about the nature and reality of Almighty God as Creator. He needed to first lay the foundation for sharing the Gospel.
Third – Our country (and most of the modern world) has been so undermined and saturated with the paganistic/humanistic philosophies of evolutionism, Darwinism, Marxism, pantheism, etc., that we need to start with the basics of Who God is as Creator and that Jesus is Creator who left His glory to become our Redeemer!
Fourth – Under the guise of “science” falsely so-called; our public school system has been thoroughly infiltrated from kindergarten through all facets of higher education with paganistic evolutionism and multi-culturalism as well as atheistic Marxism. Horace Mann and John Dewey were some of the early infiltrators – but there were many more. Do you realize that John Dewey (falsely labeled as the father of American education) was one of the signers of the 1933 Humanist Manifesto? Are you aware that Marxism is evil to the core? If you doubt that, I urge you to listen to a replay of Eric Metaxas’ interview with the author of the new book, Marx and the Devil.
Fifth – The same Apostle Paul who wrote to Corinth: “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Cor. 2:2), also had confronted a false prophet named Bar-Jesus (Elymas) in the presence of a political leader named Sergius Paulus. Here is the record: “Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, ‘O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.’ And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.” Acts 13:9-12. God empowered Paul to reach this political leader!
Oh, Really?
If you happen to believe that a man of God should not be involved in politics, please explain why God raised Joseph from the pit to the pinnacle (from prison to prime minister). Please explain why God took David from the fields and hills as a shepherd to the turbulence and terrors of being anointed as king of Israel, and please explain why God raised up Daniel from slavery to prime minister of Babylon (later also Medo-Persia).
Oh yes, I realize that these are Old Testament examples. What about New Testament examples? Sergius Paulus was a proconsul (political ruler) on the island of Cyprus. When the proconsul believed, did the apostle Paul teach him to step down from his position of influence because a man of God should not be involved in politics? Think about it! The realm of politics has to do with the establishment of policies. Would you rather have a man of God setting the policies – or a child of the devil? The book of Proverbs has a lot to teach about this matter. For example: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people… He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord… When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves… When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.” Proverbs 14:34; 17:15; 28:12; 29:2 (ESV)
Conclusion
I do not believe that I have departed from faithfully fine-tuning my focus by exposing evils that are so rampant in our corrupted society. Do you? Do you love this country that He has given us – and that many of our founding fathers fought and died for so we could enjoy the freedom of religion, the freedom of conscience, the freedom of assembly and the freedom of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
Do you love our kids and grandkids enough to get out of your easy chair to go vote for those who want to restore this nation to the Biblical Christian worldview and godly principles that made this nation great in the first place? Our founders intended this nation to be a government of the people, by the people and for the people. You are the government of USA! Are you going to exercise your privilege and responsibility, or let this once great nation die the death of ignorance, apathy and neglect while pretending that you are above getting your hands dirty with politics? In August, my lead-in heading was “Speak Now – or Forever Hold Your Peace!” Amen! It’s time! So be it!
From Our Mailbox
“It is indeed sad that many Christians either do not understand Marxism or do not care to understand it. I for one did not know much about it when I was in Ukraine. I was heavily influenced by the mainstream media back then. Because, even in India, in schools, we were taught things that are not true, as though they are true. All kids were taught that evolution and big bang explains everything. Thank God, I was always able to see the absurdity of it and never bought that lie. But, the other lies weren’t so obvious. They are wisely crafted. We were made to believe that global warming and man-made climate change is a massive threat to the world right now. We were told, ‘see, we are having hotter summers and colder winters. This is directly related to climate change. We have to fight it.’ I saw that the temperatures seem to be going to extremes more than before, but I did not question further to see if that trend is cyclic or linear. I got on board and fervently supported ‘save earth’ groups. I was too naïve. I also hated Donald Trump before the 2016 elections, until an African guy (a dear friend of mine) at New Hope Church in Ukraine challenged me and asked me why I am against Donald Trump. I gave some answers, but they didn’t stand up to his arguments based on evidence, logic, and reasoning. Praise God for that moment. I started to investigate things and ask for evidence and realized that pretty much everything being taught at schools and universities and being published in the mainstream media is utter nonsense and has a wicked agenda behind it.
I believe many people who are otherwise reasonable and logical make a mistake when it comes to important issues like politics, because they have already been so indoctrinated that they fail to apply the logic and reasoning they use in their jobs or studies of engineering and science to issues like politics and cultural movements.
I am thankful to God for helping me see through the lies. I am now helping my friends see the truth. I am also glad that Donald Trump is the president of America and yes, I am praying that he will be reelected. I do not believe he is a Christian according to the standards of the Bible. But he is a person who respects and upholds the Christian values and stands up to the radical left. If Democrats win this time, I cannot imagine what America would look like in the next four years.
Yours and His, Paul.”
Prayer Requests
- Please earnestly, fervently pray for our nation to have a huge, massive, intensive, genuine spiritual awakening.
- Please pray for the election of godly leaders locally, statewide, and nationally.
- Please pray for Amy Barrett as the new Supreme Court Justice and for a quick confirmation without the circus of false accusations!
- Please pray for suffering people worldwide to bring their wounded hearts to our Lord Jesus for healing, forgiveness, peace, joy, purpose and power to live the Christian life by His Spirit.
- Please pray for God to break down the strongholds of evil such as pornography, addictions, gambling, sex slavery, fraud, hypocrisy, etc. and purify Christ’s Bride for that Great Day – the marriage supper of the Lamb!
- Please pray for our Almighty Lord to once again, make USA the preparer and sender of multitudes of missionaries.
- Please pray for massive spiritual awakening also in Ukraine – and all of Europe!
Stress Relief
With all that is going on in our world right now, many of us feel the need for some type of stress relief.
Solutions that are often suggested are exercise, pursuing hobbies, shopping, getting together with friends and family, counting our blessings, etc. While all of these are good suggestions, I would like to suggest another one on which to concentrate. God’s Word tells us, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” Proverbs 17:22 (NLT). Following are a few statements that I hope will bring a smile to be medicine for your heart.
- Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does not mean it should come out of my mouth.
- I’m so busy I don’t know whether I found a rope or lost my horse.
- A little gray hair is a small price to pay for all this wisdom!
- Ask Grandpa anything! I know a lot, and when I don’t, I can provide you with a really good made- up answer.
- I’m going to stop asking, “How dumb can you get?” People seem to be taking it as a challenge!
- Oops! Did I roll my eyes out loud?
- I just did a week’s worth of cardio after walking into a spider web.
- So, when is this “old enough to know better” supposed to kick in?
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