Taking a Stand for our Convictions by Linda Wattu
I am personally persuaded that tomorrow will be one of the most important and significant elections in the history of our country and pray with all of my heart that Christians throughout this great land of ours understand what is at stake. Yet I’m sure some of our regular visitors who subscribe to Coffee Break by Lorraine Ezell might have been a bit surprised by the following message from her this morning.
“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29
Tomorrow we have elections here in the United States. It has been said that this is the most important election in our nations history. If the liberal party is voted in and has the majority rule in this nation there is no doubt that we will lose so many of the freedoms that we have enjoyed since it’s conception- especially our Christian freedoms. Therefore, the main issue is not who will win the election, but what will you do depending on the outcome.
As followers of Jesus we have to remember that we are “kingdom” people before we are “government” people. We have to remember that we are first and foremost answerable to God. That we are commanded to live according to His rule and authority over our lives. How does that play out in the reality of living in this natural world? It plays out in choice. You must choose from your heart who you are– a Christian first.
Before you read any further, don’t misunderstand, I am not talking about rebellion against authority or government, I am saying that when the laws of the land conflict with the laws of God you must make the choice that it is better to obey God, and when the laws of the land don’t conflict with the laws of God you must still make the choice that it is better to obey God and not get complacent and “at ease in Zion”.
Having said that, let me say, while I would love to live in a nation where I could continue to worship the Lord freely, pray to Him in public, testify of Jesus openly, continue to assemble with fellow Christians on the Lord’s day, have laws to protect the unborn, know that marriage according to God’s definition is upheld and be able to keep my hard earned money– I have to decide that even if that is not the case, even if I lose those liberties, I will continue to praise the Lord, pray to Him, lift up His name, fellowship with other believers, continue to give tithes and offerings to the work of the Lord, etc.
The question that we have to ask ourselves is, “What will we do?” Are you still going to serve the Lord regardless of your surroundings, regardless of the direction against God that society is going, even if it is not popular, even if it brings persecution, even if the decree is given as it was in the day of Daniel (no prayer to God) and the three Hebrew children (worship the idol)? The answer should be… “I will continue to do the same thing I have been doing”. My heart belonged to God before and it still belongs to God regardless of who is in office, regardless of majority rule, whether godly or evil men rule in the nation, whether I legally have the freedom to worship or not and I will continue to give Him my heart, devotion and service.
Have a great day. As followers of Jesus we must decide and determine that He has our hearts no matter what is going on around us.”
So I want to add my voice to that of Lorraine’s and further explain to those who do not fully understand what is literally at stake tomorrow and what Lorraine is referring to. The current leaders in Congress (both The House of Representatives and The Senate) have attempted to reinstate “The Fairness Doctrine” and there’s ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT that if they’re given complete control of the government and our country, The Fairness Doctrine and many other laws opposing and restricting the promotion and exercise of our rights and what should be the convictions held by all Christians will be enacted and forced upon us whether we want them or not. And since I’m sure some might be offended by the statement that ALL Christians should hold certain convictions, please don’t take my word for that; here’s what Jesus had to say about those who are REALLY HIS disciples in John 8:31-32…To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” So, at the risk of offending many, I have to hold true to the calling God has placed in my heart and on my life according to the instruction and warning found in 2 Timothy 4:2-4, which declares Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. And since Hosea 4:6 warns…my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children., it’s imperative that as Christians, we make informed choices that reflect the law of God.
That means that we MUST understand and not be blind to the very liberal and radical agenda of those who seek to control all levels of the government of the United States of America and the REAL and LASTING effect and impact that will have on all of us as individuals and particularly as Christians holding to values and principles that don’t coincide with their own. As I said in a previous Seeds Of Faith post, Praise God for Men of Courage and Integrity like Charles Stanley!…“We can not leave our identity and responsibility as Christians to uphold and honor the Word of God at the door when we go into the voting booth. Whether we like it or not, and whether we realize it or not, we are not voting for personalities or political parties; we are voting in support of the positions they hold by endowing them with the legal authority to make their positions the law of this land. It is therefore imperative that we elect men and women who will defend and stand up for our rights as Christians to live according to the beliefs and values we hold dear instead of those whose ideology and votes would serve to endanger, restrict or deny them.”
And for those who think that is an extreme, radical or uninformed opinion, please read what the leaders now seeking total control of all of the governing branches of our country want to achieve by enacting The Fairness Doctrine and why it’s unconstitutional and would mean that even this website would be forced to publish opinions and ideals totally contrary to those currently promoted here and in direct opposition to the written Word of God; in which case we would most likely elect to shut the sites down, which is exactly what those who oppose ANYTHING to do with God and ALL freedom of speech contrary to their personal values hope and expect to accomplish.
And for those who are inclined to vote a particular way with the hope and expectation that the economy will improve and that those in the lower income bracket will be better off financially, please listen to what Senator Obama personally promised to do once he is able to enact his energy plan to combat global warming and climate change, and how it will bankrupt the coal industry, which currently produces FIFTY PERCENT of the power used in the entire United States! And then listen to what he PERSONALLY stated the consequences of his energy plan will be; he said ”under my plan…electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.”. And the last thing people like me who live on a fixed income can afford are skyrocketing electric bills! And even though he says that he has to “persuade the American people” to accept the “upfront cost” for the “long term… benefit” before it could be done; without any kind of checks and balances against the current congressional leaders’ control of both houses of the legislative and executive branches of government and ultimately the courts; there will be no way to keep them from enacting this plan and many others that are not in the best interest of this country.
I called Lorraine this morning after reading the above Coffee Break message to make sure she wouldn’t mind me using it in this post, and I found it interesting to hear that she had not listened to Dr. Charles Stanley’s TV broadcast, The Convictions We Live By, because he too noted the similarities between the choices we face as Christians today and the powerful testimony of Daniel in a time when he too had to choose whom he would serve and honor; no matter the consequences! So listen to Dr. Stanley’s powerful message and read along in his Sermon Outline and remember that God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and if we will as a nation do what Daniel did, God will honor us just as He did Daniel and those three Hebrew boys if we will take a stand for our convictions and not deny the truth and power of His Word!
No matter the outcome of the election tomorrow, God is in control and He and He alone holds the outcome in His Almighty hand, but as HIS people, let’s follow and rely on the counsel given in 2 Chronicles 7:13-15, where God promised…“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will 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. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.
So with the hope that God’s eyes will be open and His ears attentive to our prayers, I’m encouraging everyone concerned about the outcome of tomorrow’s election to join me in a corporate fast beginning at 9:00pm tonight through 10:00pm tomorrow night, and to pray that God will be glorified in the results and that He will have mercy on our country and bless us beyond anything we have a right to ask considering how we as a nation have turned our back on Him.
Dear Heavenly Father, we come before Your throne with praise and thanksgiving for the many blessings You have bestowed on us as a nation and as a people. And we come asking for Your great love and mercy to be poured out on us despite the way we have turned our backs on You and all that we know You hold dear and expect us to hold dear as well. We plead for your forgiveness for the millions of babies who have died at the very hands of those who should be protecting them; not killing them. We ask for Your forgiveness that as those called by YOUR NAME, we have NOT taken a stand for the things we know are right in Your eyes and against those things we know are wrong in Your eyes; that we haven’t lived as Christian men and women willing to stand, much less die for the convictions Your Word teaches us to have as we honor and glorify You. Lord, we ask for a GREAT AND MIGHTY SUPERNATURAL move of Your Holy Spirit in the hearts, minds and spirits of the American people. Let our eyes be open and our ears attentive so that WE hear YOUR voice above all others and that our hearts and minds would be inclined toward You. Lord, we accept and acknowledge that NO wisdom, NO insight, and NO plan can ever succeed against You and that NO weapon fashioned against Your people can prosper and that the gates of hell will not prevail against us as Your church. As we enter into a time of fasting and prayer, humbling ourselves under Your Almighty hand, we thank You that the outcome of the election tomorrow and all that follows, rests solely in Your loving and mighty hands and that we can rest and take comfort in that knowledge because we love You and are called according to YOUR purpose, and that You will cause ALL THINGS to work together for good, and that even that which is meant for harm and evil, You mean for good and for the saving of many lives. So we thank You for Your love and goodness, and Your everlasting faithfulness and that You will vindicate and uphold Your people and that when we refuse to lean to our own understanding and trust You with ALL of our hearts, and ACKNOWLEDGE You in ALL of our ways, YOU AND YOU ALONE, will direct our paths. And we pray that they will indeed be paths of everlasting righteousness, which we ask in the most powerful and mighty name and authority in all of heaven and earth, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and for HIS glory! Amen!