People tell you that in polite company you shouldn’t talk religion or politics. When you believe that, the pictures below are an INEVITABLE result. The more startling ones would be the piles of dead in the Nazi concentration camps.
Religion and politics are the two sides of the same coin. YOUR RELIGION is ALWAYS played out in YOUR POLITICS. Politics is simply religious beliefs being manifest and displayed in the out workings of your beliefs about reality.
The enemy of good doesn’t want you to THINK or TALK about how to live a clean life, personally or collectively. The real enemy behind the lies is Satan himself, who is the father of lies whose aim is to steal, kill, and destroy.
Godless ideology always promises a man conceived earthly utopia with a man or group of elites, holding all the power and that ALWAYS goes VERY BAD. Russia, China, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and now the USA is following the same path.
I have A LOT to say about how this happened to our country, that started out being the hope of the world where MASSES of immigrants poured into the USA hoping for freedom and a better life. Just as a zebra at a water hole, if it doesn’t stay alert, it becomes lunch for the lion. Satan is described as a roaring lion seeking to devour you. Vigilance is forever necessary to stay alive and free.
Our Churches and religious leaders fell asleep and then our schools were taken over for generations. Now we don’t even know what is between our legs. (gender insanity) There has NEVER been a culture so utterly depraved as we have become, yet not everyone.
Christians are supposed to be the salt and light and show the way. But an ignorant Christian who doesn’t know, or obey the Bible will not be able to lead well.
I hope to stay alive long enough to be of some assistance and comfort to you as you began to navigate this dangerous life outside the Garden of Eden. Life here is not a playground. It is a BATTLEGROUND. God has given us plenty of blessings now. But everything is in a fallen state and will never completely satisfy until we see him face to face in his full glory.
I don’t have all the answers, but I have learned a lot in my old age. Please use me while you have the chance. Who else do you have that is willing and able to do this? Talk to me on occasion or I will not be able to know how to best meet your needs or answer the questions that every person on earth truly has on the issues of life. Get knowledge and wisdom or perish like a dumb beast, which is the default position that most people drift to.
I have hope for you my dear ones. This world is getting darker by the hour. Seek to shine like a bright beacon of hope for those who are living in desperation.
Passage I Read Today as a result of sharing time with a younger couple who are learning to struggle well, primarily with difficult health issues: Philippians 4:11-12 NIV: I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Her initial thought: If we are Christian, we can expect to automatically be and do as Paul did in the New Testament.
After struggling from some time with life’s circumstances, she came to realize: Contentment is a learned process.
My thought: I have not yet learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, it’s a journey; Lord help me.
By being silent you are complicatedly standing with tyranny.
If a Christian refuses to vote then they will stand before God in judgement.
Pastors who open their doors to politicians who stand up for abortion have blood on their hands.
The true moral evil of socialism is stealing.
We’ve lost the fear of God therefore the church isn’t teaching it.
Why are we so silent?
Marxism’s goal – sew dissatisfaction
Excellent presentation, October 19th, 2020 – https://www.nonessential.live Non-Essential, youtube – https://youtu.be/0gUzu99yTrA About 2 hours worth, you can skip to 18 minutes, then when the national anthem is done, you can skip to 39 minutes
I would highly recommend taking 2 hours to view the previous link, but for those who would rather read a summary of some points plus a few added thoughts, then continue reading.
Dr Dan Erickson We can’t legislate risk, have an overall 99.6% survival rate from Covid-19; need to protect the vunerable, be able to have free scientific discussions, let people get back to life as normal, and need to restore the republic to its former form of glory.
Pastor Rob McCoy from California They have not had one case of Covid in their church and they have been open since May. Romans 13, the government is “WE THE PEOPLE”. You cannot say you are not political (i.e. pastors); you have chosen a political stand by being silent and complicatedly standing with tyranny.
Cissie Graham Lynch You could replace the word politics with governance, who is going to rule over you. In 2016 over 40 million evangelicals did not vote. People say, “I don’t love either candidate”. When did love become a standard to vote for someone? We need not love the politician but the public policy that they will stand by. The time is past to leave faith inside the home. Abortion up to the time of birth is barbaric. If a Christian refuses to vote then they will stand before God in judgement. We need to fight for religious liberty. Children’s education is key. Do you want your kindergarten kids taught about LGBT for a month? Is it OK for an 8 year old to decide what sex they want to be? (15 second clip showing that Biden supports it, https://twitter.com/i/status/1316931434507063302) The beauty of freedom was given to us by Christ, but it is a choice to be part of the solution. What are you going to do with it?
David Harris Jr A movement has crept into the church that is satanic in nature; that movement is the Black Lives Matter movement. They choose to identify with the color of their skin instead of Christ. BLM is a Marxist, anti-God and anti-family movement. David’s wife was almost aborted, but her mom got up off the abortion table and chose life. Where are the pastors who aren’t standing up against abortion? Why are pastors opening their doors to politicians who stand up for abortion? There is blood on their hands. It is essential that believers vote for the party that supports life.
Charlie Kirk – tpusa.com Activist Christians founded this country. Freedom and equality are key principles of this country’s founding. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus said: ‘I will build my ekklesia.’ Ekklesia is tied to freedom and equality.
Steve Simms points out that an ekklesia was the governing body of an ancient Greek city-state and the world’s first expression of democracy… Everyone was considered equal in the ekklesia and any citizen present could participate and share his ideas, opinions, and concerns.
Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza points out in the Gospels a true, ground-up “ekklesia of equals” becomes a possibility in the new society initiated by Jesus.
Locking down America should go down as one of the worst decisions ever. They haven’t figured out how to control “We the People”. Everyone should get 10 others to the poles. Charlie is only going to sleep 3 hrs per night for the next 17 days as he speaks throughout the country.
Kirk Cameron What do we do? Ask the very people who founded this country (Monumental documentary). The secret recipe, if we have ever lost our way is the National Monument to the Forefathers. The right arm and hand of faith is pointing upward toward God, and the left hand holds an open Bible; below faith are morality, law, education, and liberty. – Liberty – a warrior who has overcome the tyrant King of England who persecuted the Pilgrims for their deep religious beliefs. – Morality – a woman holding a tablet of the 10 Commandments in her left hand and the scroll of Revelation in her right. – Law – a man holding a Bible with his chair supported by justice and mercy. – Education – a woman pointing to the Bible in her lap with her chair supported by wisdom and youth.
Dinesh D’Souza
The church is the sleeping giant of American politics. From the beginning of the US until a generation ago it was a Christian nation. But today we are living in a secular society. Our politics have taken a dark turn. Part of the agenda of the secular left is to move to socialism. People say they are going to make socialism work this time. Modern socialism is dividing America in many different ways, not just by economics. The goal of the secular left is to terrorize everyone, making us conform, live by their rules. What do we do about this? We have to create our own educational system, movies, etc. We have one giant unused megaphone, the church. The other side knows we are the nice guys who want to play by the rules; they know we are suckers. We need to realize that they take advantage of the fact that we play by the rules. The lion tamer and the lion story – if the lion is more powerful why is he following the lion tamer? The lion doesn’t realize its power. It’s time for we the church to roar.
The true moral evil of socialism is stealing. For example, go to your neighbor’s house, kick in the door and start eating their food. They say that your neighbor’s stuff is actually yours due to something that happened to your grandfather. They are suppressing our consciences and labeling it social justice.
The church needs to be addressing moral choice issues. We’ve lost the fear of God therefore the church isn’t teaching it. When talking to someone, first find out why they believe anti-moral things.
What needs to be said to the American pulpit? The Judeo Christian worldview is essential – need application of God’s word to all areas of our lives.
You have to do to them what they are doing to us or they will never stop.
The Soviets removed truth. It is evil to tell a young person there is no absolute truth. Christ did not just say truth, He was truth. The biggest sensors in America are You, we aren’t talking. Why are we so silent? Every single person who believes in truth has a moral obligation to never allow a lie to cross their path. We have to introduce truth.
Some of my thoughts beyond the previous summary of non-essentials.
Do we in the USA no longer fear God? Does it matter if we no longer fear God?
The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. Exodus 1:16-18
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7
Many of us may have never read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, or need a refresher, so the following is a brief overview to inform or refresh.
Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.” Genesis 19:4-5
We are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.” Genesis 19:13
William Federer (The American Minute) Socialism promises a common good – they teach that the state is God walking on earth. They identify groups who are disgruntled, then sew dissatisfaction among them – Marxism. The “1619 project” is brain washing by destroying the history.
Some key things the Democratic platform states: – Supports “repealing the Hyde Amendment” to allow the government to fund abortion. – Supports insurance coverage of “gender transition,” including “surgery and hormone therapy.” – “We will ensure that all transgender and non-binary people can procure official government identification documents that accurately reflect their gender identity.” – Supports banning practices aimed at assisting patients with unwanted same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria. – “We will fight to enact the Equality Act” – a bill that would allow biological men to play in women’s sports if they identify as transgender women. – “We will restore the United States’ position of leadership on LGBTQ+ issues” and appoint “senior leaders directly responsible for driving…LGBTQ+ issues within the federal government.” – They cater to LGBTQ, whose life style is why God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, is mentioned 32 times in the Democratic platform – none in Republican platform. – Calls for VA medical benefits to include abortion and gender “transition” services.
From: BreakPoint – John Stonestreet As you consider your presidential, state, and local vote, many issues are important. But a few, like the protection of innocent life, are essential.
Tomorrow is Election Day. And here’s some advice from Chuck Colson from a few years ago that applies even during this crazy 2016 campaign. “Vote as your conscience informs you. And allow your faith to inform your conscience.”
We must be morally informed and conscientious citizens who see voting as a civic duty. And to do so, we need to distinguish between those issues essential for Christians, and those that are matters of prudential judgment. As I wrote in an article for Decision magazine recently, the sacred value of every life, the essential institution that is marriage and family and the preservation of religious freedom are fundamental, essential issues. Others—such as minimum wage increases, gun control, education policy, health care—they matter, but they’re prudential. In fact, it will be impossible to get those issues right, if we don’t first establish that human value is intrinsic and universal, that no society survives without strong families, and that people are first of all allegiant to God, not the state.
When it comes to these essential issues, there can be no debate for Christians. Here at BreakPoint and the Colson Center, we’ll never tell you for whom to vote. But let me be blunt. The dignity of human life from conception through natural death is non-negotiable. And voting for a candidate or initiative that supports the killing of children in the womb or the early termination of the life of the elderly and the infirmed cannot be reconciled with the Christian faith.
As we say here often, politics isn’t everything, but it isn’t nothing, either. The fact is, one presidential candidate, during a nationally televised debate, defended not only abortion, but partial-birth abortion. And one party not only has forgotten its promise to make abortion “rare,” its current, 2016 platform supports the repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which would force taxpayers—you and me—to pay for the abortions of Medicaid recipients.
In a powerful homily in October, the Very Reverend John Lankeit of the Phoenix Diocese told his Roman Catholic parishioners that they sin if they vote for candidates and platforms that support “intrinsic evils” such as abortion—harming their own souls and causing a scandal in the church. “Make no mistake,” he said. “There is no single issue that threatens innocent human life more directly, consistently, imminently, and urgently than the deliberate killing of baby boys and baby girls in their mother’s womb.” We have a “serious obligation to protect human life,” he added. “Whoever fails to do so, when able to do so, commits a serious sin of omission.”
Listen, voting is a moral act. But one nominee for vice president, like too many other politicians who claim Christian faith, says that though he is “personally opposed to abortion,” the government shouldn’t be involved in women’s “personal decisions.” One vice-presidential candidate received, despite his “personal convictions,” a “100 percent pro-choice voting record” designation from NARAL Pro-Choice America. There is no such thing as being personally opposed to abortion while publicly promoting it.
This candidate claims that his faith is central to everything he does, but as Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, said, “…apparently, and unfortunately, his faith isn’t central to his public, political life.”
The dignity of life is an essential issue for Christians. Period. It’s why I’ve spent considerable ink, airtime, energy, and strategy recently urging my fellow Coloradans to vote against Prop 106, which would legalize doctor assisted suicide.
Look, if we claim to be pro-life on Sundays, we must be pro-life on Election Tuesday as well. And, of course, the day after that and the day after that. In fact, we’ll be calling all BreakPoint listeners and readers to participate in March for Life and Sanctity of Life activities in January. And, our “21 Days for Life” Prayer guide, updated and expanded is back, and will soon be available as a downloadable app.
Until then, please vote. For Life.
A few excerpts from another of Chuck’s Articles
And let me say this. The next time you hear someone tell you that Christians ought to take a vacation from politics, tell them to go fly a kite. Listen, it’s our duty as citizens of the kingdom of God to be the best citizens of the society we live in.
If your pastor no longer has the energy or courage to motivate his flock to speak out on public issues, maybe you can lovingly “buck him up.” Remind him—or her—that God’s people are to love their neighbors, to desire the best for them, to pursue the common good. And we can’t do that on the political sidelines.
Go out and vote for the candidate of your choice. Vote as your conscience informs you. And yes, allow your faith to inform your conscience. But today of all days, thank God we still live in a free nation. So speak out. Exercise your right. Fulfill your duty. Go and vote.
Our Founders recognized that true rights come not from government, but from God Himself. Government must not take those rights away.
The doctor delivered the news to the wife just after I introduced myself as the hospital chaplain, “Your husband has no heartbeat. He is not breathing on his own. We are working as hard as we can. But, it doesn’t look good.”
The wife’s shocked and terrified eyes met mine. Before I could offer to pray, she was on her knees there in the ER Family Room. No one ever gets good news in the Family Room. But, I’d never seen anyone go to their knees there either. Deep from her soul came the prayer, two words repeated over and over and over, “Please God, please God, please God, please, please, please.” I didn’t have much to add to the prayer, so I simply stayed beside her and added my own silent prayers for mercy, comfort, peace… anything at all.
Agonizing time went by until the doctor returned shaking his head. Her husband, age 49, was dead. The “Please God” prayers she’d prayed echoed around that tiny room mocking her faith and now mixing in with her cries of grief and anguish.
Studies have shown that people who pray and who have a spiritual component in their lives tend to experience less stress and depression; recover more quickly from illnesses and even live longer. Some studies have shown that specific prayers can actually cause a change in a person or a physical outcome. One study even showed that people who were being prayed for recovered more quickly than those who were not prayed for…even when all the subjects of the study didn’t know anyone was praying. Prayer is powerful.
But what do we say about unanswered prayers; those prayers that seem to fall into a black hole? What do we say when entire communities are praying for the child with leukemia and still he dies? What do we say when planes crash, buildings collapse, wars rage, illness strikes or one particular family suffers cruel loss after cruel loss? What if 10,000 Disciples pray and our denomination still declines?
You’ve seen it and so have I. Maybe you’ve even been in the midst of it. “Please God, please God, please.” You know that gut wrenching, from-the-heart prayer.
Once, in the midst of an uncertain time, I became bold enough to demand that God speak to me and answer my distress. I asked for an answer, for direction, anything…and then I listened. Never in my life, have I heard such deafening, sickening silence. All I could hear was nothing.
What do we say to that? How powerful is prayer when it comes from deep within us but seemingly God is busy with other things? How powerful is prayer when it encompasses all we are, all we feel and all we desire and God silently turns away?
In the area of spirituality and theology, experts abound. I’ve heard and read many “experts” postulating why some prayers go unanswered. Some say prayers go unanswered because the one praying has forgiveness issues to resolve. Others say it is because we don’t know how to pray as we ought to. Some say unanswered prayers are simply the ones which don’t align with God’s will or that we are not in proper fellowship with God. Others theorize that it must be that the person praying is lacking faith. One scholar even denied the reality of unanswered prayers saying simply, “there is no such thing as an unanswered prayer.” Country singer Garth Brooks even managed to get in on the theories singing “…some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”
I’m not sure any of the theories hold up if you are the one on your knees in the ER family room pleading, “Please God, please God, please.” Or, if you are Jesus crying out to God, “…if you are willing, let this cup pass from me….” (Luke 22:42). Or Paul who writes of asking God over and over to remove his thorn in the flesh, but it did not happen. (2 Corinthians 12: 8-9). Unanswered prayers are when the husband dies anyway; when the cup does not pass from even Jesus’ lips; when Paul’s thorn is not removed, not the first time or the second time or even the third time he asks. It simply does not happen.
Truly, if prayers are answered or not based on our ability to be close to God, fully forgiving, properly faithful and only asking for the “right” things, then I imagine we are all in trouble. If somehow the answer to prayer depends upon our prayer technique and our ability to properly attach ourselves to God, then, let’s face it, we’re doomed.
The older I get, the more years I spend in ministry and in parenting and in life, I find the less expertise I have…the less I really have to say about anything. I really don’t know why life is so painful for some. I really don’t know what to say about some of the tragedy, injustice or evil I’ve seen. If someone asks me a “why” question these days, I certainly don’t try to answer it, what do I know, after all?
But, one thing I do know is that when we pray…when we fall to our knees crying, “Please God” or when we demand an answer or join with a whole community in praying or when we simply sit beside someone silently praying for some unnamed something… we have moved from the place where we control our destiny to a different place. When we realize we just might not be able to figure this one out on our own… when we realize that our physical lives are finite and that the people we care about will not be around forever…when we arrive at that place…the place of crying out… of falling down…of screaming kinds of prayers…no matter what the answer or lack of answer… we’ve arrived. “Please God, please God, please” is just another way of saying “Suddenly, I realize I am not going to be able to handle this alone. I am not going to be able to control it, fix it, outsmart it or micromanage it. My life, O God, is in your hands I am in your hands.”
When we get there, to that soul-laid-out before-God-place, we’ve arrived. When we stand or kneel or lay ourselves out before God, vividly aware that this life is not all about us…or our requests…then we have arrived at the incredible place of trusting in the mystery and the love which gave us life in the first place. It is the place where we know without a doubt that we are not our own, we are God’s. At that place, it is not the answers that matter so much as to Whom we belong.
I’ve seen people who have lived through horrendous losses and tragedies, and yet somehow have peace. Clearly, their most fervent prayers went unanswered. Peace and comfort and inner joy probably don’t come from specific prayers answered or not answered…those gifts must come from finding oneself face to face with God and enfolded in something bigger than even the stumbling words of our very best prayers. To finally understand that we are utterly and completely God’s, and to, in that same moment, be wrapped in the transforming light of God’s presence, is to have arrived.
“Please God; please God, please, please, please.” Maybe it’s not so much the answer that brings the power to our prayers, it’s simply the place.
