Tuesday, November 04, 2008

My Final Thoughts.. Out Loud


I’ve been meaning to do this for quite a while. I actually waited until today because I did not want to be accused of trying to “sway” people to vote any which way. I won’t do that. Although I have made it clear the candidate I voted for. However, it goes SO much deeper than which candidate is better.

For instance, there is a limit as to just how much “clout” the president actually has. We all know that. His plans are subject to the scrutiny and dissection of many other politicians. If he does well, he may get a second term, but all in all, he’ll have 8 years at the most. However, the Supreme Court Judges that he nominates have LIFETIME terms…. And throughout history, we all know that the President appoints those judges based on those who align with his belief system and the way he has voted. THAT alone is a serious matter to consider!

I was in church on Sunday when the Pastor of FaithWorld Chicago delivered a powerful sermon, although it had to be difficult. Every word he said was biblical; every quote was on point, every statistic correct. It was a sermon that EVERY God fearing, Word believing Christian needed to hear. Pastor Daniel challenged the church not to vote Democratic... or Republican… or Independent… no, not with a party at all. But as KINGDOM CITIZENS.

How would a Kingdom Citizen vote? I’m glad you asked. A Kingdom Citizen bases their decisions on the Word of God.

A Kingdom Citizen votes not for change, because CHANGE can be good… or bad. We vote based on the Word of God.

A Kingdom Citizen does not vote because the economy is not where it should be right now. You see, the economy will ALWAYS go up and down, it is constantly changing. And while we are on this subject, ask yourself, who REALLY controls the economy? The answer can be found in the falling gas prices. WE… the consumers play a HUGE part in seeing the price of gas fall. Ever hear of supply and demand? When we as consumers learn to conserve more than we consume prices generally begin to fall. When we as consumers decide to live within our means instead of buying homes and cars we cannot really afford, we won’t have to file bankruptcy!

You see, no matter who gets in office, if the American consumer does not learn to save and conserve, the downward spiral will continue. When we vote for a person because we think he/she will help the economy, we as Kingdom Citizens are putting our trust in MAN… not in Jehovah Jirah.

It is the same thing with education. YES... education IS a HUGE issue. BUT… if you really want to improve the standard of education in your city, you must start at the local level. That is where a majority of education improvement occurs. If you don’t feel your vote is doing enough, then run for the school board. That is where those improvements will pan out.

A Kingdom Citizen embraces LIFE. It blows my mind how ANY person who professes to be a born again Christian can justify abortion or even supporting a person or agenda that not only states abortion is justifiable but has a consistent history of arguing for it! As a mother, all it takes is one look at one of my children and I could never even consider overlooking this issue. The book of Jeremiah quotes the Lord speaking to Jeremiah that He “formed (him) in the womb”… that He has a plan for His life, purpose, destiny!

My daughter Haley was born at 29 weeks gestation. She was very small and had her challenges, but God gave us a miracle! She is a healthy, bright 11 year old today. Did you know that babies further along than Haley’s 29 week birth are aborted every day? Statistics show that more than 7,000,000 babies have been aborted since the start of the war in Iraq. Who is lobbying for THOSE lives?

Of topic…. No, war is not a pleasant thing, and yes, mistakes have been made along the way. However, show me one war, or one person who is mistake free… can’t be done! One thing I will say as I have transitioned over to the war is this, President Bush had a VERY difficult two terms. On 9/11, there were very few IF any Americans who were not chomping at the bit to go to war. I won’t debate war here… unfortunately it is a topic that will never be debated fairly because it affects everyone differently. Ask the families of those who were victims of 9/11, then ask the families of those who have lost their lives in war, then ask the die hard Veteran who has vowed to protect and serve our country… it affects us all, just in different ways.


A Kingdom Citizen defines marriage as a holy union, God ordained between a man and a woman (Genesis 1 and 2). Yet, there are Christians supporting political platforms in this election that are eager to redefine the very definition of marriage.

Hollywood has propagated the myth that when it comes to marriage "all you need is love." This is simply not true. Marriage is not based on emotion any more than any other partnership in life is. Marriage, like many human activities, involves emotion but it is not constituted by the presence of any particular set of emotions. I do not deny that many homosexuals feel deeply for their partners; however I do assert that no matter how deep the feelings, what they have is not a marriage in God's sight. It is a beautiful deception.

Just because an emotion is deep or powerful does not justify acting upon it. Like drugs, like adultery, like the abuse of alcohol or the love of money, or the power rush of human ego trips, there are emotions which are powerful and addictive and ultimately terribly destructive. Same sex marriages must satisfy criteria other than emotion. A marriage is more than a sexual pleasure center. A marriage is a social unit that is interwoven with dozens of other lives.
Same sex marriages do not last. Less than 5% of gays have ever had a relationship that lasted 3 years or more. Sex is not enough. Passion cannot sustain an inherently unstable social unit.

Marriage is a fundamental social institution that does not exist just for the emotional satisfaction of two individuals but for the greater good of the community which stands under the blessing or curse of God. Societies that put emotional fulfillment before right actions and principles will soon give way to a multitude of addictions and deep corruptions and collapse. God will judge any society that institutes same sex marriages.

If God had intended the human race to be fulfilled through both heterosexual and homosexual marriage, He would have designed our bodies to allow reproduction through both means and made both means of sexual intercourse healthy and natural.

Kingdom Citizens know that the only way to eternal life in Christ is through Jesus Christ. With that said, backing a platform that believes there are “many” roads to heaven, Christianity being one, is a slap in the face of God.

I could go on and on… there are MANY topics. We have been given the guidelines in the Bible. THAT should be where we measure how to vote as a Kingdom Citizen. My heart has been broken at the vast number of churches that are divided over this election. Furthermore, imagine my disappointment when church attendees have lashed out at their pastors and leadership for advising that the Word of God and prayer direct them in their decisions. Folks… your pastors are there to present the issues based on the Word of God to you, they are your covering, they watch for your souls! Why on earth would you listen to others who are open to an “all roads lead to God” mentality but not your pastors?

Don’t get me wrong, I DO NOT advocate candidate endorsement in the pulpit by ANY MEANS! However, when we attack our shepherds for highlighting the truth of God’s Word, what does that say about us? I have heard some spiritual leaders say that it reveals the true heart. Pastor Daniel confronted the thoughts of those who would threaten to leave FaithWorld because of his direct approach in highlighting the Word of God. What he said was this, “If you want to leave because you do not like the fact that I am preaching the Word of God and how it applies to this election… go ahead, but leave your Bible on the way out, you won’t need it where you’re going.”
Yes, I know that is bold, but with an election that has been very “in your face”, ruled by a bias press and many people who chose not to educate themselves but voted based on age, race, ethnicity, and whatever “Hollywood” is backing, that statement WAS necessary.

I am tired to death of hearing Christians say, “Well, whoever God wants to be President will be President.” That is NOT true. God gave each of us a will, He won’t cross it and Satan can’t. He also gave us His Word to use a guide, and shepherds who watch for us. The rest is up to you and I. WE choose to vote as Kingdom Citizens or to vote with the status quo.

In closing, I want to say as a Kingdom Citizen that I will pray for, respect and honor whoever is voted into office. And I will be able to do so knowing that I honored God throughout the process.



2 comments:

Dr. Deanna DossShrodes said...

Thank you for this post. It's an excellent piece. You amaze me with your articulation on certain matters. I was pleasantly surprised to read this the day after the election and both of your posts became a prayer list for me.

I'm a Kingdom Citizen. I would be homeless or penniless if that is what it took to live my biblical convictions. This world is not my home -- I am only passing through. Heaven is my home and my treasures are there. I do not live my life based upon what is in, or not in the checkbook. There is no material possession I have in this world that is so important that I would not gladly give it up for Him in order to stay true to Him and His Word. I think many in the body of Christ have gotten so used to our "comforts" that we forget they are not the most important thing in this world. Feeling the pinch at the gas tank or the supermarket aisle is nothing when it comes to standing for Biblical values. We should be willing to lay our lives down if necessary, let alone our checkbooks.

As for what pastors say or don't say from the pulpit - while we are not to name candidates or political parties by law, it's perfectly legal and very necessary to address moral issues. Pastors must speak forth the Word boldly about things such as the sanctity of life,and the sanctity of marriage. God forbid that the pastors of America would be silenced from sharing the truth with their congregations about these important moral and spiritual subjects. Many have predicted there is coming a day when laws will be passed that pastors have to perform same sex marriages or accept those living a homosexual lifestyle into official church membership, or it would be classified as a "hate crime". We're not very far away from that at all since obviously the same sex marriage amendment keeps coming up constantly to vote on. If this ever passed, and we were told that we had to marry those of the same sex or be fined or go to prison, I guess my husband and I would be broke and in jail. No questions about it. We will lose everything we have to stand up for God and His Word if we have to. I know many other pastors join us in having that conviction.

God's Word says He has called us to be a pure and holy church, "without spot or wrinkle" We cannot allow ourselve to become desensitized to what the Bible says about the killing of children, and the holiness of the marriage union. This is the very bedrock of our society. I know I"m preaching to the choir here...but one more...


As an old song says that I love...

Signs of the times are everywhere...

and There’s a brand new feeling in the air...

Keep your eyes upon the eastern sky...

Lift up your head
Redemption draweth nigh

Watching for Jesus,
Deanna

Tara Sloan said...

Deanna... wow... great wisdom and Word... awesome!!!!