The Voice of the People

I don’t believe I have ever felt more burdened for America.  I have watched closely for many years, and have always felt great concern, but with the passing of time, my feelings become more intense.  We have been caught sleeping, Christian; and now we find ourselves in a predicament in which we will have to make up lost time. We haven’t paid much attention to the politics of our nation, and now, as the Presidential elections approach, we find ourselves with two, less than perfect choices as our candidates. It isn’t the first time this has happened, but it could be the last.

The truth of the matter is, we have never had a “perfect” choice in a candidate – after all, we are talking human beings here. And the Bible clearly tells us, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  But for this election, though neither man is perfect, there is a distinct difference in the candidates and their policies.  

There seems to be so many who are disillusioned with our candidates, however. I have heard many Christians state that they are having a hard time justifying voting for a Mormon, but there is no way they would re-elect Obama.  This election, as last election, I am hearing so many say: “I simply will not vote, rather than vote for either of those two.”  Or, “I’m going to “write-in” my candidate’s name, I won’t vote for either Democrat or Republican. It’s a matter of principal.”

Really?  The principal of it all and the bottom line is the numbers are so close this time, that if you don’t vote, or if you write in another’s name, you are throwing your vote away. And this election, more than any other in our nation’s history, THAT matters. I am burdened by those (and there are many) that would choose not to vote at all, rather than vote for someone they feel does not reach their standards.

Instead, I greatly admire anyone that understands the importance of voting this election. I appreciate one that understands, at least for this election, we must vote against a candidate and not so much for one. I respect anyone that can look beyond the candidate (as difficult as that may be) and realize it is the candidate’s policy we are voting for this time around and not so much the man.

As I said earlier, we have had very little opportunity to vote for a Born-Again Christian candidate in recent years. We vote anyway, because it is our right; but more than that, it is our responsibility.  In these days, we have - more often than not - had to vote against a candidate rather than for a candidate and such will be the case again this time. 

Mitt Romney was not my choice for the Republican ticket. I did every thing I could to ensure someone else would have that spot, but the Republican Party chose Romney; so I have had to come to terms with that fact. I have heard the debate, and I understand the concerns, but this is the candidate of my party. I have two choices for President; anything else I’m afraid, will prove to be a choice for the incumbent.

I don’t think the question is “Can I vote for a Mormon?”  I believe the question is: Can I stand by and do nothing, when I have the opportunity to stop a President who is clearly the most liberal politician ever to run for the highest office of the land? Will I do nothing to stop the most pro-abortion President of our life time, one who is, in fact, mandating companies provide an abortion pill against their religious beliefs – a blatant disregard for faith and the Constitution? Can I vote for a man who by his actions and policies seems to be anti-Israel and in fact, has catered far more to our enemies than to our long time ally? Can I vote for a man that has initiated legislation that is contrary to our Constitution and has forced his decision upon us? Can I vote for a President that, in fact, seems to be destroying the strength of our nation and flat-out ignoring our Constitution? Or just as wrongly, in my opinion, can I not vote at all aiding someone with policies like these to gain re-election?

And there are additional points that are every bit as important as to why I should vote AGAINST this man and his policies:

• Terrorist connections –Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn, for one example. (Please read Obama’s America by Dinesh D’Souza)
• Policies that would turn our sovereignty over to the UN.
• A man that supports same-sex marriage.
• 20 years in a church that taught anti-American Black Liberation Theology – Jeremiah Wright and his wretched statement “God d… America!”
• A man who is the author of government mandated health care and other Socialistic programs.
• Lavish vacations for him and his family; and rounds and rounds of golf which appears to be his number one priority. “Spread the wealth around,” I guess; as long as it isn’t his wealth.
• 4 years of campaigning for re-election.
• Strategist of one of the scariest foreign policies ever known to America!

I have the ability to stop this man’s anti-Judeo/Christian actions with my vote. Why would I not buffer my actions with prayer, and then make sure I follow through with my vote AGAINST the most liberal President our nation has ever known.

I have had to ask myself: “Why am I more troubled by voting for a Mormon than any other candidate I have voted for throughout my lifetime who might also NOT be a Christian?  I think a local pastor explained well.  It is because we don’t want to encourage others in a false faith. But I believe this pastor has responded well and set an example for us.  He has publicly clarified that this candidate’s faith is not the same as ours, but the pastor has also stated his intentions of voting anyway! Buoyed by prayer, that same action is the absolute best we can do.
 

For me, I would much rather vote for a man that at least lives his faith, though he may be blinded by inaccuracies, rather than vote for a man that pretends he has a faith that he  knows full-well he doesn’t hold. He only uses this faith for his advantage. “By their fruits we will know them.”

This time around, I am not voting for “the man”, I am voting against someone that I believe is either intentionally or unintentionally destroying this nation. Either way, his policies are working, to the detriment of us all! (I highly recommend reading Obama's America by Dinesh D'Souza or seeing the movie 2016.)

No, Mitt Romney is not the perfect candidate, but his agenda is far more moral in my opinion. With Mitt Romney, I am voting for a policy more closely aligned with my own.

 
Mitt Romney is pro-life; a member of National Rifle Association; and he is also a new member of HSLDA – the law group that is protecting our rights to educate our children in the manner in which we see fit. Mitt Romney understands the importance of our ally in the Middle East, Israel, and has a personal friendship with Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of that country. Governor Romney understands and will enact “Peace through strength” for our national defense policy. Mitt Romney gave 7 million dollars to charity last year! He is a good example of the American Dream and how it can benefit those suffering around the world. Mitt Romney understands the importance of a job! Mitt Romney, though not a born-again Christian, and unfortunately a member of a church that does not understand Jesus in the same manner as I, has none-the-less incorporated into his platform the Judeo/Christian values on which our country was founded. This time around, that’s enough for me.

For me, the choice is easy. Both candidates are living a faith. Both candidates are enacting policies that affect our nation according to their world view. The truth of the matter, though: one candidate’s faith is a whole lot scarier than the other. (Obama spent twenty years in Jeremiah Wright's church!) I must choose the candidate that most closely aligns with my beliefs and once again vote for someone who isn’t a Christian. But I will continue, as the local pastor has done, in telling others we MUST vote, while informing them my candidate’s faith is not the faith of my Bible.

I am reminded of 1 Samuel 8: 1-9 when the people of Israel cried out to God for a King. They demanded a king. It wasn’t the first time they had asked for a king. Samuel had appointed his son judges over Israel, but they were unholy – the Bible says they “turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.” (Sound familiar?) The people of Israel were very unhappy with Samuel’s sons and their corrupt ways, so they went to Samuel and demanded a king “to judge us like all the nations.”  Samuel didn’t like it, but he took it to God, anyway. The Lord told Samuel, “Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me.”

Give them what they want, the Lord said. Show them what the king will be like, He told Samuel. By the way, what they were told sounded a good deal like what we have seen with “King” Obama. But the people of Israel didn’t care, they had decided on a king, “to go out before us and fight our battles.” There are times that God allows men to have their own way, so that a lesson may be learned.

While there are a number of lessons we can draw from this passage of Scripture, I want to focus on the simple fact that God "hearkened to the voice of the people".

Our nation has also rejected God in some ways. But I will never let someone tell me we have rejected Him entirely - mainly because of a remnant of true believers. There are many fighting to keep God in our lives, to keep Him at the heart of our government. We strive to keep righteousness in our nation. And regardless of what liberal media tries to tell us, or make us believe, statistics prove we are still a right of center nation.

We are in a different place as Christians, than the people of Israel in the days of Samuel, but we also want a King; we are soon ready for our King: the King of Glory! Our hearts cry out for Him in these perilous days.  We grow weary of all we see and hear. We grow weary of our choices. But it isn’t time, yet. And so we continue.

Regardless, I believe we see a teaching in the story of Samuel that God does allow the people that which they ask. I believe it is in fact, the way God has allowed our American government to work, which was instilled into the hearts of our Founding Fathers, and put in place by those Christian men of God all those years ago.

But as we long for our true King, we must remember; King Jesus will return when the very last soul is in the Kingdom.  Until then we must keep doing all that He has instructed us to do.  We must continue in the Great Commission.  For some, that will be overseas missions; for some, that will be missions right here at home; for those able, it will mean financial support; and for all of us, it will mean prayer. There are those that God has instructed to be a “Watchman on the Wall” to warn others the time is at hand. Don’t underestimate or devalue their ministry. Undoubtedly, there are those behind the scenes that will work politically to ensure our freedoms are kept so that evangelists can do what they do; so that we as Christians can continue to do what we are instructed to do. We all have a part in the Great Commission.

In Israel’s case, the king they received was not for their good, they ended up with Saul. But that wasn’t the end of the story.  And the President we elect this time won’t be the end of the story, either. If the best candidate is elected, it will be a baby step, only, that allows us to get back on track with our foundational roots; a simple baby step that will allow us to fight the good fight for as long as we are able.  Doesn’t 1 Samuel 8 show us how God sometimes responds to our desires? Let’s let our desires be known first by our prayers and then by our votes!

All of us must be responsible in ensuring our freedoms are solid so that we might bring up another generation of believers. We must protect our rights, and in so doing we must educate where falsehoods abound – whether they be a distorted political world view, or a distorted matter of faith.  We must share the truth.  We must continue to have the freedom to educate our children; we must strive to keep our 1^st Amendment rights to share our thoughts and views, and we must fight for the freedom to speak about the God of Redeeming Grace.

We must never underestimate the importance of our right to vote – It is what is maintaining our freedom to tell the whole world (including right here in America) of the one and only true God. We must educate ourselves, we must stay informed.  Pick up an informative book such as Obama’s America the book upon which the movie 2016 is based.  Don’t let anyone tell you it is partisan; it is NOT. It is a book based on facts, and it includes no endorsement of political parties as some have tried to say. Read Erick Stakelbeck’s The Terrorist Next Door. Educate yourself as to what is really happening!

Most of all, we must understand it is going to take a whole lot of prayer, repentance, and baby steps to bring us back to the place we need to be. Please don’t underestimate the importance of those steps. It must all begin with repentance and prayer. And if those two things take place - sincere prayer always leads to action - I guarantee you, it will end with voting – the voice of the people.

“And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.” ~ 1 Samuel 8: 7

Statistics show that seventeen million Christians didn't vote in the last Presidential election of 2008! Many "wrote-in" another name of choice, and some voted for a third party candidate though it was well-known this candidate would never garner enough votes to win. All of this was certainly more than enough to turn the tide in the last election. It would seem to me, the Christian who holds the Truth is responsible more than any other, when things go awry.   

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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.” ~ 2 Chronicles 7:14
 

Faith and Freedom Coalition Message - Interesting points made here and an aid to help get out the vote.

The Hal Lindsey Report - August 17th, 2012

August 17th, 2012

This week on 'The Hal Lindsey Report'

When the Lord called me to the prophetic ministry many decades ago, I knew that while the "big news" was the Good News, it would be carried in on ever-increasing waves of bad news.

The "big news" is that Jesus Christ is coming back and He's coming back soon. I believe that the Bible indicates that many of those of the generation that saw Israel become a nation in 1948 will still be alive at the coming of the Lord.  That's the Good News.

But I've reached the conclusion that we're in the final days of the Church Age by watching the onrush of the "signs of the times" as detailed by Jesus Himself -- all of which are "bad news" events.  Of course, these include things like earthquakes, famines, plagues, global weather pattern changes, ethnic strife, hot wars, cold wars, and the global rejection of Biblical truth.

But unfolding Bible prophecy is not all "doom and gloom."  It's a little like having major surgery.  You know it's necessary and when it's over you'll be much better off, but, still, you know it's going to hurt.  We know that what awaits the child of God on the other side of this life will be worth all of the sacrifice and discomfort that is hurtling toward us.

Because time is short and there is so much to lose, God called "watchmen" to sit on the wall, as it were, watch for approaching danger, and, when they spot it, sound the alarm to warn the oblivious townsmen, the blissfully ignorant.

There is a special crown -- or reward -- promised to those who answer the calling and faithfully warn those around them that, according to the "signs of the times," Jesus Christ's return is fast approaching. 

I know that many of you are called of God to be "watchmen" in these last days.  Don't make light of that burden you carry.  It's important that the blissfully ignorant hear and are stirred from their apathy.  It may not be pleasant to sometimes be considered the bearer of bad tidings.  It may be frustrating, even frightening, but God knew you could handle it.  That's why He called you.

Be like Moses, whom God said chose to "endure ill-treatment" because he considered the "reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward."  (Hebrews 11:24-26)

And what is it that the Church -- or all true believers -- is watching and preparing for?  The "Blessed Hope" that the Apostle Paul describes in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.  Someday soon, Jesus Christ is going to leave heaven and call for those who are watching for His return to leave this earth and meet Him in the air.  This even includes those who have died during this Church Age.

According to Paul, when Christ calls us, those believers who have died will be resurrected and those of us still alive will be instantly transformed from mortal to immortal.  We'll all join Him in the air between heaven and earth and be swept into heaven with our Savior.

Those who are left behind will be the ones who experience the "Day of the Lord," which begins with the great Tribulation.  You don't want anyone you know or love to be in that number.  And God doesn't, either.  That's why He needs you to sound the alarm as a "watchman."

And how do you make certain you're ready to experience the "Blessed Hope" and miss the "Day of the Lord?"  Simple. 

Recognize that you're a sinner who has fallen short of the standard that God has set.  (Every human being has!)  Confess your sinfulness and ask God to forgive you.  Accept the free gift of pardon that Jesus Christ purchased for you with His atoning death on the Cross.  Believe God's promise ("...whosoever believes in Him shall not die but have everlasting life." - John 3:16) and receive His pardon in your heart.  Then ask God to make of you what He wants you to be.  Thank Him for giving you eternal life with Him.

You are now a part of God's forever family and have just changed your eternal destiny.  Now, you are one of those watching for the "Blessed Hope."

Don't miss this week's Report on TBN, Daystar, Inspiration Network, CPM Network, various local stations, www.hallindsey.com or www.hischannel.com. Please check your local listings.                                      

    God Bless,   
        Hal Lindsey