Leading the Charge
I read an interesting article in Relevant Magazine on the flight to LA on Sunday. While it was directed at Christians, I think it applies equally to all. Here are portions of the article:
Many Christians traditionally have voted Republican because of their justifiable conviction to protect the lives of the unborn. Now, many younger Christians are voting Democrat because of their justifiable desire to see our nation, the most prosperous in the world, address issues of poverty, global aid and the environment.
The problem is, many Christians vote these convictions, but that’s largely where their personal involvement in the issues stops… If God has given you a heart for the poor, or to see a reduction in the number of abortions, or to promote peace, or to help the sick…then your personal focus needs to be on that — whether or not the president shares your same values.
Later in the article, author Cameron Strang added:
If you have a passion for an issue, rather than judging someone who doesn’t share that passion or viewpoint, just go do something about it. Give your life to it. Be the change you want to see.
We need to pray for our leaders and our country, but always remember that our leaders and country do not define us. We are the generation that will shape the direction culture, government and social action will take in the next 50 years… I say it’s time we step up and lead the charge.
But that means with our lives, our finances and our actions every day. Not just on Nov. 4.
Again, this article was directed at Christians but I think it probably applies to most Americans. It certainly applies to me and got my attention! Without getting too political here, what do you think?
Article content reprinted with permission from Relevant Magazine, Issue # 35, Page 6, written by Cameron Strang.
Well, since you asked…. I’m going to step out and continue the CHARGE, then. This was sent out yesterday by Doris Wagner, C. Peter Wagner’s wife. And, I agree, am praying, am reading, will vote for Life. Now, what do you think? Betty.
The Stakes Couldn’t Be Higher
October 27, 2008
With the upcoming elections 8 days away, satan has worked hard to deflect attention off of the real issue. This has been relatively easy through the economic meltdown and an unpopular war. Many Americans, including Christians, will vote based on these two issues. While these things are obviously important, they pale in light of the real issue-the Supreme Court.
The cover story of USA Today, on Thursday of last week, spelled this out quite clearly. It stated that the real legacy of the next president won’t be the economy or the war, but the Supreme Court. The next president of the United States will appoint at least 2, and maybe 3, Justices in his first term. If he serves 2 terms, it could be 5 Justices-there are 5 of the 9 on the Court 70 years old or older! Since the trend is to appoint younger and younger Justices, the next president will most likely shape the court for the next 30-40 years! This means we are not voting only for a president, we are voting for the Court we want for the next generation! The vote we cast on November 4th will do more to shape the culture we give our children and grandchildren than any other vote of our lifetime! Perhaps some succinct bullet points will help us see this clearly:
Without question, no institution, organization, or agency has shaped the current culture of America in the last 50 years more than the Supreme Court. You don’t need millions of people, the majority in Congress, or the President to shape the culture of America. You only need 5 people-the majority of the Supreme Court. Five people can kill 50 million babies (the number aborted since Roe vs. Wade), legalize homosexual marriage, remove parental rights, put God out of schools and government, rob from us our godly heritage, etc.
It is now split-sometimes 5-4 toward life, family, morality, our godly heritage, the intent of our forefathers when they wrote the Constitution; sometimes 5-4 toward death, immorality, legislating their beliefs from the bench (though not their constitutional role or right, this is easy-they simply say the Constitution is a fluid, living document and therefore must be changed to accommodate the times), removing God from our nation, etc.
2-3 Justices will retire over the next 4 years, their replacements chosen by the next president; possibly a couple more will step down 5 to 8 years from now, making it 5 potential Justices that could be appointed by the next president if he serves 2 terms. This will determine how the Court rules for a generation.
The first two Justices to go will almost certainly be Stevens who is 88 years old and Ginsberg who is 75 and ill. They are the two most liberal and are no doubt waiting to retire, hoping for a president that will replace them with 2 more liberals. These two replacements alone, if they are good, conservative judges could shift the Court toward righteousness for many years.
Conclusion: our vote this November 4th will be not for a president, not for the economy, not for ending our involvement in Iraq. Our vote will be for what we want America to look like 40 years from now!
The ramifications of this are staggering! We are no doubt reaping great judgment now in America-diseases, family breakdowns, violence, a death culture, destructive weather, and much more-because of abortion alone - not to mention expelling God and His laws from our schools and government. I don’t know that we can survive another 40 years of this without completely losing our godly heritage and destiny. The economy will recover and the war will end no matter who is elected president-but this is not the case with the Court and the soul of this nation.
If you don’t know where the candidates stand on the Court and the kind of Justices they would appoint, read the USA Today article. It makes their positions very clear. Share this information with every friend and acquaintance you have. And finally, pray like never before for God’s will to be done in this election. We CAN win this war and we MUST NOT lose this war. Pick up your word, go to war and let’s make history together. Here are some practical suggestions to consider:
Fast (a meal a day; a day this week; a Daniel fast; 3 days; TV; etc.) and spend the time praying.
Agree in prayer with someone everyday for God’s will to be done.
Hold nightly prayer meetings
Take time in every gathering to pray. (Take 15 minutes in every service to pray for the elections. Turn an entire service to harp and bowl style intercession-worship and prayer combined.)
Join 2 or more friends on a conference call and pray for 15, 20, or 30 minutes.
Pray on the way to work (and on the way home).
Pray before you go to sleep.
Pray before church services.
Ask God to give you His strategy-He will!
For God and Our Great Nation,
Dutch Sheets
If you would like to hear Dr. Sheets’ 700 Club interview in its entirety on 10-23-08 where he challenges us to pray for the Supreme Court, go to the link below.
http://www.cbn.com/media/index.aspx?s=%2fvod%2f30DaysPrayer_DutchSheets_102308
I recently read an article about Christians being pro-life but being unwilling to go any further than that. Unwilling to help teen moms, adopt, give financially and practically to moms without support systems, etc.
I am trying not to fall into that category! I do very much believe that being pro-life shouldn’t stop with talking about the issue but doing what we can to help women who find themselves pregnant and needing help.
Wow, this post was perfect for me today. Last night my husband and I layed in bed filling out our absentee ballots. My husband is born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area and is a union worker. Without knowing anything about the election, he says, bubble Obama for me. I asked him why, and he said because “democrats are for unions!” I was torn. We are both Christians and I have always voted Republican but I feel in my heart I made a huge mistake when I voted for Bush. I just feel so torn. Obama is so articulate and put together in my eyes but McCain was the Republican so I went with him!! I just felt so torn! I wish I would have read this post before I voted!
Lana & I were just having this discussion on Monday. I’m sorry we never finished, I hope you didn’t get the wrong impression on where I stand.
God Bless.
Hi Monica,
Of course not!
Dave posted this and I thought, “Monica and I were just discussing this!”