I Used to be a Democrat

At eighteen politics was the last thing on my mind. I was at the time already dedicated to a life of preaching the Gospel. I was excited about high school graduation, and all that comes with it. Although sketchy I had a plan in mind, and was only concerned about how those in my life fit in the plan. I certainly couldn't have cared less about the government. At the time it had little effect on my life, or at least I thought. I did well in history class only to spite a teacher I absolutely despised. I had no real interest in it. Civics was just useless information to me. I mention it simply because later it becomes part of the evolution of my thoughts and opinions.

Somewhere around March 1983 a black preacher came by the house, He was running for city commission and registering people to vote. Delighted to meet up with another preacher in the community, I gave Him my full attention. He didn't awaken any sleeping giants. There was no real passion, but He did convince me that it was my obligation as a citizen to take part in the election of our leaders. I registered as a Democrat, and I think it actually broke my fathers heart. He was a Republican of the most die hard kind. He said many times that he would have voted for Nixon again even after Watergate. I had been sold that bill of goods that a lot of you had been told. Most of the local races were decided in the primaries, and unless I was a Democrat there were many elections I really wouldn't have a say in. The election for sheriff was decided in the primary, so there would only be one name come the November election. I suppose that in practicality that was true, and still is in many counties, but looking back was not a good reason. The fact is I didn't know what I believed. Due to Godly influences of my pastor and some others I did automatically lean conservative. The first presidential election I was old enough to vote in was Ronald Reagan's second term, and I voted for Him. A very liberal member of my family used to take great delight is saying, “Your the poorest damn republican I've ever met.” He didn't care how many babies were aborted or what evil was perpetrated. The democrats were the party of the people, and they were going to put more money in his pocket.

In 1984 I met a great History professor named Jerry Hopkins. Dr. Hopkins loved the Lord, but He also just loved learning. He instilled a thirst for knowledge in His students. He didn't lecture and spout off facts and dates simply to get you past a test. He pulled you into the narrative. He didn't just want you to know what happened and when in history, He wanted you to understand the impact and implications of the events. I was wide eyed and bewildered when I heard Him say, “When FDR signed the new deal He created an uncontrollable monster.” I must admit I had to chew on that one a while. On the surface it flew in the face of where I came from. My dad turned sixty years old just two months after I was born and retired when I was very young. Along with his pension I was literally raised on Social Security.

It was around this time that I began to understand some fundamental principles. The first of which was simple. Some of the most horrible things in life come to us in the form of really good ideas. In these eighty-six years we have come from Social Security to Socialism. The welfare program is now the welfare state. Obama care was a really good idea in theory. No matter what your political persuasion it sounds like a great thing to have full access for everyone to health care. A good idea but, sinister on the part of many leaders and naive for anyone else who believes that it will work. The first problem that nobody wanted to admit was that We can't afford it. The second principle is one which is somewhat crude but true none the less. My father said so many times, “If you want it screwed it up, let the government run it.” The fact is that the less government does the better our lives are. On so many levels I am ultra-conservative, but admittedly I have a lot of libertarian leanings. If it were actually possible to maintain the technological advancements we have achieved and still have the government we began this nation with, it would be great. I do realize that this would be unrealistic, and there in is the premise of my conservatism. If the government must be involved then we must do it as wisely and UN-intrusively as possible. The third and most important principle is that for believers, everything must be viewed from a Christian perspective. Abortionists come to us using the wonderful phrase, “freedom of choice.” Man, that sounds so good. Jesus when offering us salvation even gave us freedom of choice. Who could possibly be against choice. The Christian perspective though looks so much deeper. God himself is the creator of life, and He is the only master of life and death. Taking another human life for any reason other than defense, of self, family, property, and country is inherently wrong.

While the evolution of faith and belief continued I still continued to carry that democrat label. I'm not sure at this point why other than apathy and procrastination in decision making. I have never voted for any democrat of consequence. I would have happily done so if there had ever been any with any moral value. In the early part of the new millennium I had moved to a new county within the state. I was standing in the county clerks office changing all the necessities and she asked me if I needed to register to vote. There on the spur of the moment I decided to change parties. I had never made a good democrat and Bill Clinton had actually made me embarrassed to identify with them. So I just became what I already was.

At this point I still was somewhat apathetic. I wasn't actively involved. After all politics and religion don't mix. At least that was the deceptive bill of goods we were sold. I voted as I felt the Spirit of God would lead, and offer opinions in friendly conversations. I was issue driven, but oddly enough still not political. The marriage between Politics and religion for me began, when I watched for eight years as Barack Obama tried to completely destroy this nation. I was raised most of my life in predominately black neighborhoods so I understand racism better than many. I can say definitively that We had almost eradicated it as much as humans could ever do. When Barack Obama came along He destroyed all the work that had been accomplished and driven us farther apart than when I was a child. He tried His best to destroy Christianity, in favor of Islam. With the rise of Donald Trump we were allowed to truly see how absolutely evil, and corrupt the democratic party really is. I am no longer a Republican simply because it's not Democrat. Now I am a Republican from a perspective of pride in a nation that afforded me the freedom to say these very things. I am not a Republican, for lack of a better choice, but from a perspective of shear survival. Today's Democrats all have one thing in common. They would all, if given the chance, take away our first, second, and fourth amendment rights. The time to choose whom we will serve, has come. You can support, abortion, gay rights, infanticide, guilt by accusation, and government corruption, or you can follow God. You can continue to believe the lies or you can pray, think for yourself, and allow God to show you the truth. Make no mistake, we are no longer in a battle of Republican and Democrat. We are in a spiritual war of good versus evil. Grandma used to say, “your known by the company you keep.” So the question is, what do you want to be known as?

Are you sure you want to pray ?

I recently reached out for prayer on a Facebook prayer group of which I am a member. I normally would not have put things out there quite that public, but I am going through some pretty dark times right now. God is navigating me through a very low point in my life. Although I trust Him, i also am apprehensive about where He is leading. My experience brought back a memory from a few months ago. A young man called me and had been injured and was uncertain what the eventual outcome would be. He asked, " will you pray for me?" The answer is obvious, of course I will. There was one problem, and admittedly It may have hindered my praying. My first thought and the one that lingered with me even as I prayed was, " Is this guy serious?" He has, and outwardly displays a complete disdain for the truth of Scripture, and anything moral and Godly. He flaunts a deplorably sinful lifestyle and hates anyone who attempts right living. He is so blinded by Satan that He honestly believes He is ok in the sight of God. He thinks God will work in His life while He has no sense of repentance in His heart. I found myself wondering, " is this guy for real ?" Apparently He has no concept of what Prayer is all about or the power of it. As I prayed, and found a generic and gentle way to also pray about His spiritual condition, I found myself wondering, " Does He know what He is getting into." A thousand page book could not teach us everything we could learn about prayer. There are a few principles though that we need to understand when we pray and especially when we ask another to pray for us.

PRAYER REQUIRES BEING SERIOUS WITH GOD.
God has in no Scripture promised to answer any prayer of a lost person, except the prayer of confession and repentance, for salvation. In fact He has not promised He will hear and answer every prayer of a Christian. David said, " if I had cherished sin in my heart, The Lord would not have listened." Psalm 66:18 Jesus said that if we abide in Him and His word abides in us we shall ask what we will, and it would be done for us. John 15:7 Make no mistake about it we are all sinful people and none pf us really deserve God's blessing and answered prayers. Daniel said, " We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy." Dan. 9.18 Jesus's story of the Pharisee and the tax collector probably tells the story best. The Pharisee in His pompous arrogance, was not heard, but because of His humble submissive heart the tax collector was justified. Make no mistake about it We will not achieve perfection in this life, and we all sin daily. At the same time we understand that God is under no obligation to answer the prayers of a rebellious child. When we come to Christ in prayer we must come with a humble repentant spirit. We must be willing to get serious with God.

PRAYER CHANGES US NOT GOD
We are told to ask in His name. John said that we have confidence that if we ask according to His will He will hear us. I John 5:14-15 It has always been in God's will to bless us, but He has to maneuver our lives into a position where blessing is possible. God, like a good parent can never reward bad behavior, so the young man of which I spoke cannot expect much if his prayers stand alone. Prayer is an intimate communication with God wherein He changes our hearts to be in line with His will. He is not doing anything for us that He did want to do before we prayed. What He is able to do in our prayers is to change our hearts so that what we want falls into line with what He wants to do anyway.
When the Disciples said, "Lord teach us to pray." the model prayer that followed has a certain human psychology built into it. It deals with our human need both physically and spiritually. It deals with our relationship to God. It then deals with our relationship to others. Prayer covers every facet of our lives. We use the cliche' Prayer changes things, and it is true, however Prayer never changes things until it first changes us.

PRAYER UNLEASHES THE POWER OF GOD
We need to understand first, that the very act of prayer whether serious or not, whether personal or requested of others is an acknowledgement that there is a God that can be talked to. The young man of which I spoke may not be interested in God enough to be repentant of Sin, but had enough faith in God to realize that He exists and answers prayers. That is a very dangerously wonderful position to be in. He does not realize that by allowing enough light to shine into His life to reach out for prayer He has opened the door for God to begin to speak on matters of His life. As an old preacher I grew up under used to say, "He's on saving ground." There is a power that exists in prayer by numbers.  In Matthew 19:18 Jesus said that if two of us agree as touching, He said that anything we ask would be done for us. This is why we reach out to other believers for prayer support. This is primarily why no one, no matter how hard the heart, or vile the life, is out of the reach of God. The hardest most shielded armor, if a crack exists gives way for the light to shine in. If the smallest of lights can get in then the door is open for God's light to flood in. Light is always more powerful than darkness. Remember that Saul of Tarsus was so far from God that He persecuted and Killed Christians. He to thought that His life was great, until God blinded Him on the Damascus road. I have many times from the pulpit in jest, said "if you want to get even with your enemy, pray for them." It sounds funny and sometimes get a laugh, but it is true. Paul in Romans quoted and affirmed Solomon's statement that it heaps coals of fire on their heads. Some would say that this is praying punishment down on them, but nothing could be further from the truth. What is happening is that when God begins opening Himself up to and revealing Himself to the hard of heart, He turns up the heat in their lives until they pay attention. I served with a wonderful gentleman who had been paralyzed by a motorcycle wreck. He was not in any way bitter but He went to His grave believing that God had allowed the wreck and His paralysis in order to get His attention. I don't know about His case but i do know that the man I knew in the wheel chair was one heck of a great Christian man. Using Saul of Tarsus as an example one preacher i heard said, " How dramatic God gets in your life depends on how deep you've sunk. pretty good words of wisdom. For all the stories and talk the message is this. Prayer especially when joined to the agreed prayers of others unleashes the power of God, in amazing ways.
There is a cliche' that says, " be careful what you ask for you just might get it." The truth is that you may even get more than you asked for. You may be asking prayer for a physical, financial, relationship, or whatever need, but when you open yourself up to the working of God in your life, you may well be in for a radical life changing experience. The good news is that the sinful life you that you think you enjoy and have no intention of leaving, will not even be a second thought when God brings you out of it. What God does in our lives is always intended to bring us joy. He changes us, not the other way around.

Waiting For Christ's Return

While recent prophecies of doomsday have failed, the majority of the world continues to be fascinated by the idea of judgment day.  To these people, we simply use Jesus’ own words, when He said, “but of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, but My Father only.” (Matthew 24:36 NKJV)   What does all this mean? What is the true believer in Christ to make of all of it? I would not pretend to be a scholar on the apocalyptic literature of the Bible. In fact if anything I would tend to remain silent on most of it, having realized that most of the theories of Christ’s return have such inaccuracies that even our best and brightest have no clue what Jesus has prepared. I would much rather, look forward in anticipation, eagerly awaiting Him, however he chooses to make his appearance. The circumstances surrounding His return are in fact dealt with in Scripture, therefore we cannot ignore them.

    Jesus himself gives us the things to look forward to in the lead up to His ultimate return. Many scholars believe that Jesus will rapture, or call His saints out prior to what will be a great tribulation, while others have a different take on this. Having done extensive study on all these theories, there is one thing I am sure of. God has a lot of surprises in store for all of us. If I were to venture an opinion on the matter it would be something like this. While the world is in fact shaping up for the return of Christ, Things have not gotten bad enough just yet. If you go outside, around three or four in the morning and get away from all the lights, you will notice something amazing. The darkest part of the night comes just before the dawn. From a Spiritual perspective, things will get a lot darker. The one thing I am sure of is that if we keep our eyes on the Middle East we can see things preparing. Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “…when shall these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming…?” (Matthew24:3 NKJV) Jesus had sparked this question by His preaching not only on his second coming, but His warnings of the upcoming destruction of Israel. Jesus talked about many things: wars, famine, pestilence, earthquakes, and other things. At the end of the discourse He says that the end is not yet. In fact we as a people of the earth have suffered these things since the beginning of time. The one thing that we await is found in Matthew 24:15. He says specifically that we shall see the abomination of desolation, which further study reveals is the destruction of Jerusalem. We need only to listen to the news, and follow politics to realize that this is ever heading toward becoming reality. When one follows Jesus story in Matthew 24, it is after this event that Jesus return and the ultimate climax of the world begins.

     Regardless of the school of thought we subscribe to, it will be a horrific day. Those who have scoffed, laughed, and refused to believe, will face judgment. Those of us who believe will surely be ushered in to eternal glory, but without many that we love. Instead of stressing about dates and times, we should focus our efforts on those who are unprepared to meet Him when He comes.