Who Has The Answers?
As the November election nears, we’re going to hear from two political parties. Both will point out our nation’s problems and claim they have the solutions. What should we believe? Who should we support?
Listen carefully and prayerfully: Stand for God’s kingdom principles! Don’t be overly impressed by a party’s rhetoric, a slick speech, a pleasant smile, or an attractive personality. For every problem, challenge, mountain, or valley we face, Someone has told us that He can help us walk through it and overcome it. The greatest teacher, Jesus, said, “You can level the mountain and cast it into the sea.” He promised to be with us in every valley – even in death’s dark shadow. Our God made it very clear, “There is not a ditch or a pit that I can’t lift you out of.”
Whether you are registered as a Democrat or a Republican, you will not ride a donkey or an elephant to ultimate victory. God alone can lift our nation out of the valley of despair and empower you to overcome challenges and obstacles. Let’s settle it once and for all: NO PHAROAH, KING, OR EARTHLY RULER IS ADEQUATE FOR THE TASK. We must hear God and follow His direction.
Whatever political banner you may wave, you need the banner of the Lord and the principles of Almighty God or you are going nowhere but down. The way up is God. The way out is Divine Direction. True north is always found pointing to the Father. Set your course according to the one undeniable reliable compass and sail our ship of state in that direction. Insist on a crew that will do it and join with other passengers demanding the necessary course correction.
If you want poverty and unemployment properly addressed and meaningful programs sustained, stop the insanity! We can’t spend money we don’t have. You can’t rob from the yet- to-be-born and steal from our children, their children, and future generations. This is a blatant disregard of the eighth commandment. It is essential for all of us to help shoulder the load and be willing to sacrifice, but we must not expect any one group to provide more money to be misused when we haven’t first diligently cut excess and corrected failed programs. The American people are not responsible for buying every family member considered to be below the “poverty level” (where most people today have at least two bedrooms, air conditioning, and one or two cars) smart phones for their children, X-boxes and Lebron James athletic shoes, or provide food stamps so they can buy junk food, more 2-liter sodas, and potato chips and then talk about how they need more food when so many are obese.
I don’t know anyone more anxious to assist the suffering, the poor, the hurting, and the helpless anymore than Betty and I and our friends who watch LIFE Today and support the outreaches of LIFE. I personally believe nearly every American is anxious to find ways to effectively help the poor, the hopeless, the homeless, and certainly our veterans. Every true American also wants to effectively address the health crisis in a meaningful way, but we’re going to contribute to a psychological, mental, and emotional collapse if we don’t get our head out of the sand and move in the right direction.
Archbishop Charles Chaput explains:
Living within the truth means living every day and every moment from the unshakeable conviction that God lives, and that his love is the motive force of human history and the engine of every authentic human life… Living within the truth also means telling the truth and calling things by their right names. And that means exposing the lies by which some men try to force others to live… We are ambassadors of the living God to a world that is on the verge of forgetting him. The form of the Church, and the form of every Christian life, is the form of the Cross… Let us support each other – whatever the cost – so that when we make our accounting to the Lord, we will be numbered among the faithful and courageous, and not the cowardly or the evasive, or those who compromised until there was nothing left of their convictions; or those who were silent when they should have spoken the right word at the right time.[i]
The preceding are wise words from a representative of the Catholic faith community. I am a representative of faith frequently referred to as protestant evangelical Christian. We both love God, others, those in need here and around the world. We also care deeply about the future of our nation and are both convinced we need the guiding light that only God can provide. The people who profess faith and are part of these two groups could easily provide the inspiration, insight and meaningful influence so desperately needed to reset our nation’s course to true north and a safe, secure future.
The history of our country is but a short chapter in God’s grand, unfolding cosmic drama. Yet it is the chapter in which we live and choose and act. We have been told how the story ends, but not how our chapter ends, perhaps because, mysteriously, it is given to us to help write it. Our hands are feeble, our eyes are dim, and our resolve is weak. Yet we must face the trouble now if our children are to live in peace. So let us pray more fervently than we have ever prayed for a historic outpouring of the Holy Spirit on us, His Church. Not an outpouring that merely moves us to tears, but a cascading waterfall of God’s suffering and abiding love, which will lead us to act with bravery, to walk with integrity, and to stand in unity for the renewal of our culture and the restoration of our nation – one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
[i] Excerpted from a longer quote reprinted as the Meditation of the Day for August 9, in Magnificat (August 2011).
This article was written by James Robison
4 comments:
The U.S. Supreme court ruling to remove prayer from the school system was nothing more than the official stamp on the removal of God from a very crucial part of our society. It was simply one large step among many small ones, which has contributed to the moral and spiritual disintegration of the U.S. It was a flying leap across the narrow chasm separating a God fearing moral country and the chaotic everything goes situation we find ourselves in today.
The elimination of the fear of God, symbolized by the Supreme courts actions in the matter of school prayer, led to a dramatic increase in crime, venereal disease, premarital sex, illiteracy, suicide, drug use, public corruption, and other social ills. It is ludicrous that prayer has been taken out of schools when there are so many instances where religion and the existence of God are at least given a token tip of the hat by the government. For example: Each day’s session of the Supreme Court starts with the invocation: God save the United States and this Honorable Court. The National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner – contains the words Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. The National Motto is – In God we Trust. The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag contains the words – one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The Declaration of Independence includes the phrase – with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence ….What a double standard!
I am amazed at the number of Americans who still fall for the Separation Of Church And State argument. It is even worse to come across so many that actually believe this phrase is part of the constitution. It Isn’t! The phrase was taken from an exchange of letters between President Thomas Jefferson and the Baptist Association of Danbury, Connecticut, shortly after Jefferson became President. The concern of the Danbury Baptists was that the government might someday attempt to regulate religious expression. But as it turned out, Thomas Jefferson had no intention of allowing the government to limit, restrict, regulate, or interfere with public religious practices. He believed, along with the other Founders, that the First Amendment had been enacted only to prevent the federal establishment of a national denomination a fact he made clear in a letter to fellow signer of the Declaration of Independence Benjamin Rush. In fact what is truly amazing is that Jefferson’s explanation of his phrase is diametrically opposed to the manner in which courts apply it today.
Separation of church and state currently means almost exactly the opposite of what it originally meant.
Now is the time for all Christians who recognize truth, to stand together as a mighty army in the face of all evil.
Pray and Vote for sound, proven principles that are in harmony with the Word of God!
In our search for answers to life’s critical and most challenging questions, we have the option of researching the alleged wisdom of ancient philosophers and sages, we can look to science, or possibly attempt to find solutions in political demagoguery or even spend our energies analyzing religious ideologies for answers to our current national crisis. However, in our search for answers it is imperative that we exercise much caution and reserve in our selection of resources especially in light of compelling historical evidence that civilizations rise and fall, “all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endures for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”
The Word of the Lord and the Gospel was first preached in the beginning, the Genesis of man. We are compelled to go back to Genesis to understand the critical challenges we face and the answers to our nations dilemma. As our brother James Robison states “Whether you are registered as a Democrat or a Republican, you will not ride a donkey or an elephant to ultimate victory. God alone can lift our nation out of the valley of despair and empower you to overcome challenges and obstacles. Let’s settle it once and for all: NO PHAROAH, KING, OR EARTHLY RULER IS ADEQUATE FOR THE TASK. We must hear God and follow His direction.”
In the beginning, God’s voice and his direction was established in Genesis 1:27-31: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said (here is the first Gospel message) unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, (the Gospel continues) Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
God continued the Gospel in Genesis 2:15-17: “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, (here is the Gospel, the Good News) saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
God’s message and his Word has not changed. Adam and Eve was placed in a position, as we are today, to make a choice; stay with God’s unchanging original word, the original Gospel, or be deceived and influenced by a message from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Good and evil is the result of disobedience and at best produces a hybrid product resulting in death. Down through history mankind has exhausted every attempt to solve his dilemmas by continuing to eat and sustain himself with the knowledge of good and evil. The earth and all of humanity has been influenced by the spirit of that old Serpent to eat the hybrid food of good and evil and it brings death, sorrow, and pain every time. God’s message of how to “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it” has not changed and his warning of the choice of destruction and death has not been altered.
The Gospel and Word of Jesus Christ in the 4 Gospels is the same message. “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” His message and spiritual food is not a message mixed with the confusing and uncertain words of good and evil, truth and lies, hypocrisy and righteousness, and man made philosophies and scripture. The scripture compels us to “Taste and see that the Lord is good; his truth will be our shield and buckler; and in him is life, and the life is the light of man.”
We cannot attempt to succeed or think as a nation that our victory can be found in mortal philosophies, political preferences and religious persuasions mixed with scriptural references as a footnote. Jesus Christ and his Word is not a footnote or a cliff note to be used as a convenience. Death will result each time. The answer to our national and individual crisis is complete repentance of our sins and disobedience and be totally immersed into the Spirit, Mind and Nature of our precious Lord Jesus Christ.
You are correct once again James. True, we want righteous, God-fearing men in office, but we can’t really put our trust in men or political parties. As far as voting goes, we must judge a tree not by its appearance, but by its fruit. We need to stop looking at whether a person has an R or a D next to their name, and we need to quit making decisions based on what they SAY, but rather on what they DO. Do a candidates actions match their rhetoric? Are they consistent in word and deed or do they say one thing and do another? We need to check their voting records and see if they’ve upheld liberty and the Constitution. If not, then don’t vote for them, it’s that simple. Even so, even if we were to get honest people in office who upheld the Constitution, it probably wouldn’t do us much good if we continue to allow all the moral decay around us. Israel of the Old Testament had some great kings who were righteous God-fearing men, and the people had freedom and prosperity, but it was only for short periods of time, they always turned away from God time and time again, and the end result was always their own bondage. Moses, David, Josiah, as well as a few others, were great leaders, and the people had some degree of freedom and prosperity under their reign. But as great as these men were, they were sinful mortals just like the rest of us, and the one thing that none of them could do was to save the people from their sins. There’s only one KING who can save us from our sins, and we know who that is! It’s the one thing we must remember most of all if we are ever going to take our country back.
One of the above statements made by James Robison is as follows:
“Whether you are registered as a Democrat or a Republican, you will not ride a donkey or an elephant to ultimate victory. God alone can lift our nation out of the valley of despair and empower you to overcome challenges and obstacles. Let’s settle it once and for all: NO PHAROAH, KING, OR EARTHLY RULER IS ADEQUATE FOR THE TASK. We must hear God and follow His direction.”
This statement is very powerful and very true and sets the tone and spirit for what we are facing in November. I am reminded of a scene in John chapter 3 where a debate was taking place between some of John’s disciples and certain Jews over the matter of ceremonial washing. They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—(referring to Jesus) the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.”
I wonder how John would answer today if he was questioned about a debate in reference to kingdom principles vs. political demagoguery? I perceive he would answer the same way as he did at that time. His opening statement was simple and straightforward; “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven…I am not the Christ.” Since John was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb, he understood that man’s knowledge was not sufficient to see and discern the “will of God on earth as it is in heaven.” John submitted that even though he was used of God, he was not the Anointed Messiah and only the voice of the Bridegroom, Jesus the Anointed Christ, could reveal the will, plan, and purpose of the Father on earth.
John the Baptist then gave the answer of all answers to the debate; “He (Jesus Christ) must become greater; I must become less.” If we are going to pray the prayer Jesus taught us to pray , which is : “Our Father who are in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…” then we must understand that the will of the Father must increase and become greater and we must decrease and become less in order for his will to be fulfilled in us. Jesus Christ placed the capstone on John’s revelation when he said “Without me, you can do nothing.”
As James stated a “party’s rhetoric, a slick speech, a pleasant smile, or an attractive personality” cannot pull us out of the ditch. Do not be deceived by a politician or a preacher as the Anointed Messiah who will bring to us the solutions to our dilemmas. There is only one Anointed Messiah who has the answers to our crisis as individual citizens and as a nation, it is still Jesus Christ the Anointed Word of God. This is a serious hour. I trust and pray each person reading these commentaries. watching Life Today, and listening attentively to the Holy Spirit will realize the grave concern we must have. The choices which are made from now to November and beyond will define our context and content in light of scriptural prophecy. Each of us must hear from Jesus Christ for “without him we can do nothing.”
The Holy Spirit screams out the same message today, every politician must become less, every preacher and pastor and teacher must become less, and every American must become less and decrease that Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, will become greater in our lives and in this nation. We cannot fool him. The breath of God declares “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which was given him by his Father, is the only direction that makes provision for our victory. Remember the admonition of the Apostle Peter “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” The answer of answers rests in this, “He must become greater, and we must become less.”