The Democrats stole the last election. Then they stole a year of this man’s life for protesting it.
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Thank God he’s out of prison now. I remember January 6th–the day the Democrats love to hate. I think they hate it because it reminds them of how fragile their designs of tyrannical government are. When the rubber meets the road, people will not abide government meddling. We rejected Yahweh all those millenia ago. Why be surprised when we reject the pitiful institutions humans cobble together? Pat Stedman was just a guy who loved his country and wanted to express his concern about a fishy election. What could be more American than that? Still they locked him up for it.
When/if they steal it again, the political backlash will be worse on both sides. You know this. It’s time to pray for peace and wisdom. How does a Christian respond to government oppression and persecution? That’s a question as old as the church. A very real one to people all over the world.
God has blessed this country with a deep tradition of respect for Christian values. The last few weeks I’ve studied Revelation a little bit every morning. I see that our churches are falling into traps John warns us about in the first few chapters. Complacent, shy, fearful. Is this the church that the gates of hell cannot withstand? Maybe when the world is too comfortable the church gets too comfortable with it.
The tides are turning.
Trump is the most impressive political leader of our time. He may be able to buy some time for Traditional Values™ with a landslide victory. That's what it will take to stop the steal. But what’s next? We’re headed into uncharted territory, at least for my generation. For reasons unknown and most likely supernatural in origin, the powers of our time have driven wedges into society. Hammering gender, racial, and ideological faultlines, fake experts preach the gospel of hate. Hate for people who look different, think different, or just have a more stuff than you. Unheard of outside the fringe just a decade or two ago. This is a manifestation of over a century of spiritual warfare and psychological manipulation. I could go on and on about this. Maybe someday… It goes deep.
The bottom line is: Hold the line.
The point is, hold onto your family. Hold onto your church. Hold onto Christ who holds the seven stars in his right hand. When he wields the sharp double edged sword of justice in the Day of the Lord, whose side will you be on? Do you think Trump or Kamala will be there advising the Almighty on who were most faithful to the good side of politics? Maybe Biden will mumble something about garbage in his ear. Oh yeah, and he'll be consulting Santa Claus's naughty list while he's at it. No, the only book consulted on that day will be the Book of Life. Our job here is to gather as many names in that book as we can muster.
Do I know the outcome of the next election? Not even a little bit! But I do know that I serve the one who rides on the clouds, the Alpha and Omega, the one who visited Death and came back with the keys, the victorious Messiah. I know the outcome of the final war with Death.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
Let's make this crystal clear: it's good to have an opinion on politics! Please continue thinking deeply, looking at the world and the information available to you, and discerning truth and wisdom using your best judgment. Pray.
”Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.“
Also speak out about it with boldness! When you do speak about it, accept feedback with humility. Nobody knows everything. Don't get offended when you get pushback. Every interaction is a chance to model Christ. None of us will model Christ perfectly, but it's an aspiration. Let's live up to it with joy!
Whatever "side" you are on in the US political scene this year, if you follow Christ, our unity transcends all earthly boundaries. This era is an opportunity for the Church to model our unity. Instead of saying "there's no way a Christian could vote for that guy", try "I wonder why they support that guy. Do they know XYZ?" It's about dialogue in brotherly love. You may disagree with me on this last one, but I think it's healthy to let go of our uptightness around things the world considers a big deal. We follow the ruler of the entire universe. Shouldn't that manifest in a higher perspective?
Some of the issues are serious. It's still legal to murder babies in this country. None of the major candidates plan to do away with that any time soon. What's worse, it seems like the country doesn't even want to make baby murder illegal. Just today I got a campaign mailer (from a Democrat) aghast that his opponent "voted no on exceptions for RAPE & INCEST in our EXTREME abortion ban". Look at the framing there. Instead of calling it what it is, murdering a baby: abortion. Instead of focusing on the life of the child, they direct your attention to the unfortunate circumstances leading to the child's life. Is the child to die on the altar of Moloch for his father's sins?
See how tricky the powers of this world can be? This candidate seems like a decent guy. He's just stuck to his party's platform at the expense of personal judgement and responsibility.
Other issues are less serious, but people act like we'd be dropping a nuke on DC. Trimming the fat in the federal government, for instance. I'm sure we could get by with 10% of the people in bureaucracy. Maybe less! It's important, just not important enough to make the top of my list.
As far as civic duty is concerned my aim is to find a way to get involved at a local level. I have no idea how I'm going to find the time or choose which thing to get involved with, but the meager attention I do pay to politics at all I want to go into my community.
So, what will I do when my values become a problem for the folks with the keys to the federal prison? Take a cue from Daniel:
Thus the administrators and satraps sought a charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no charge or corruption, because he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him.
Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
Find that window in the upper room and flaunt your loyalty to Yahweh before Satan's scheming hosts. That's what I aspire to. I can't promise what God's response will be. So many Christians have lost everything including their lives. Christ told us it won't be easy. But what I can promise you is the fruit of the Spirit if you have repented and submitted to Christ. Amen.
