July 26, 2012
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For Christians Only
I love America, but I hate politics. I hate the conniving and the lying and the putting other people down that seems to be the "style" for most campaigning. Sometimes it seems more about trying to smear someone's reputation than it is about truth and integrity. I am not very smart about these things, but I still think if people would stick with the issues and do what is good for America, it would be great. Lately, I have been so disturbed by all the negativity of fellow Christians toward President Obama. I get it. You don't like him. I didn't vote for him either, but he is our president now, and the following scripture applies, don't you think?
(1Ti 2:1-4 NLT) I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.
It is my humble opinion, that if Christians spent less time criticizing our leaders and more time praying for them, we would see a change in our nation. We cannot fight a spiritual battle with our flesh. Anger and accusation do not exalt a nation, righteousness does.We need to ask God to influence our leaders to lift up a righteous standard. We need to bring our president to God in prayer and ask that God will help him.
(2Ch 7:14 NLT) "Then if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land."
I realize it's a lot easier to quote scripture, than it is to live it!
I do not support abortion. I feel life is a sacred gift and we need to handle our ability to procreate with reverence, respect and responsibility. I have heard all the arguments pro and con, so please don't "go there" with me!. Abortion is a hot topic for many Christians when it comes to this election. But, I honestly believe that if legislation were to make it illegal, it would not stop it, because it is a spiritual issue -- a heart issue, and legislation cannot change a heart. Only God can do that. I also feel that if a given candidate says he is against abortion, but has no integrity in other areas, how can we be sure he means what he says? We need to hear from God.
Should Christians get involved with politics? Of course! Voting is our responsibility. Should a Christian run for office? I think that it is between you and God, don't you? If you feel His call, you should say yes! If you can maintain your integrity and run an honest campaign, that would be wonderful! I would love to see SOMEONE with righteousness and real integrity I could vote for!
(Psalm 75:7 NIV) It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.
I will not allow this post will not turn into a forum for people to rant. I will just take it down if that happens. All I really wanted to say is let us, as Christians, pray for our leaders. Let us love our enemies. Let us NOT bash politicians we disagree with. Instead, let us behave in a way that is scriptural and God honoring. Trust me, I am praying HARD about who I should cast my vote for.
Comments (37)
Amen!!! I, for one detest when we call ourselves Christians and do nothing but dishonor and disrespect others no matter their position in life. There seems that we in this country lean towards nothing but disrespect for people and positions. No matter who I vote for nor who wins, I will respect the position and person and pray for him and our country. Thanks for a wonderful post.
Amen! You are wise, thank you for writing this!
It is easier to find fault than to pray. I'm praying that God's will may be done in this election, no matter what or who that is. I am praying for spiritual revival in this country. God is the only one who can help us with the many problems.we face. When I think about the financial problems, I try to remember the verses in Habakkuk.
"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines, even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren, even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet..........I will reoice in the Lord!I will be joyful in the Gopd of my salvation!"I hope that this will be true of me and my family when/if that time comes.
Obama made a certain group of people very special, so we are going to have to change faces. I think he is a nice man, but he is inefficient. I need a t shirt and a confession booth. I usually do not care who is in charge, but it has affected me, so i have to care.
Amen!!! X 10^24th
Excellently stated. Agree about our politics here and how awful the tearing down of Obama-- Yes, pray for our leaders. Amen!
I am totally on the same page, Mae.
&I am anti abortion also but believe as you, as it was with me, it was a heart issue-- you cant legislate it.
I was appreciative of President Obama's word while he was in Colorado. He reminded all of us that there is a new heaven and new earth coming in which there will be no more tears or death.
I'm with you on this one. Sometimes at our Sunday School, certain people like to take swipes at President Obama. I always correct that. He is our President even if we don't agree with him. Staying with issues is the way to go.
@buana - amen
right on!
@ata_grandma - i love that verse!
One of my favorites.
Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines, even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren, even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet..........I will reoice in the Lord!I will be joyful in the Gopd of my salvation"
well, I was brought up Roman Catholic and it's hard to change my beliefs but I do have my own mind and if I don't like something in the church or the goverment I just keep my thoughts to myself.
I guess that is the way I've always been. I have family and friends who are gay and they still go to church and recieve communion. Mom says if they were gay that they won't and i said,"well, if you commit a mortal sin so what it tells me and that they don't consider being gay a mortal sin.
Being a nurse I know who have gone into the city to have abortions and I can't judge that person since I'm not God.
I just keep to myself and try to be the best person I can be.
I do enjoy your posts. They definitely reflect your commitment to God and are challenging to your readers. I'm looking forward to more.
Yep ~ prayer is much better than throwing tomatoes, I say ~
Love this! I am totally in agreement.
I will vote---but it ain't easy---i'll be so glad when this election is over maybe then my phone will stop ringing.
"It is my humble opinion, that if Christians spent less time criticizing our leaders and more time praying for them, we would see a change in our nation. We cannot fight a spiritual battle with our flesh. Anger and accusation do not exalt a nation, righteousness does.We need to ask God to influence our leaders to lift up a righteous standard. We need to bring our president to God in prayer and ask that God will help him."
Agreed----
Linda
God bless you Mae & hugs!
I am pretty anti-Christian but, you are very respectable! Thanks!
2Ch 7:14 Is about the nation of Israel. We can't apply it to our country.
President Obama has taken measures, using powers beyond those sanctioned by the Constitution, to destroy Christianity in the United States of America.
Screaming bloody murder is the Christian thing to do.
Great post! Every Sunday my church prays for our nation and president, and I wouldn't want to change that just because the president is not a Christian or simply a democrat O.o
I agree, Mae We need to spend more time praying for our elected leaders.
frank
I thank you for this wonderful post.
Very well said. Bravo!
In all my time here in Xanga I have never rec'd a post. i just did.
I pray for Obama. I still don't like him though. I get the feeling he doesn't like me either.
I agree.
Do not let weaker christians become weaker. Build more faith and build more love is what Christian's primary goal should be.
We are subjected to higher powers because God had a hand in putting people in that position. Pray for the glory of G-d to be fulfilled.
It is hard enough to judge the things we have to do. Watch out for your soul and your family.
I do pray for our leaders, and I would encourage others to do so as well. On the same token, I do not believe we should keep our mouths shut and not say anything when laws are being passed that take away our liberties and that of the future generations. I don't condone name calling or being disrespectful though.
Great post.
Superb post! It's unfortunate that we allow others to use hate and fear mongering to achieve their divide and conquer goals. As long as we are antagonistic and vitriolic towards our leaders and each other, we can't arrive at solutions we need to grow and thrive as a country.
The problem is many of our leaders engage in these kinds of hate inspired attacks and encourage their followers to do the same. The attacks don't go after the idea or opinion, but dive into disparaging a persons integrity and character.
I would love to see the day when the majority of people and groups can have civil disagreements without questioning the other side as being unpatriotic, un-American, communist, socialist, etc...
@NightCometh - I believe we can apply it. The Bible says ALL scripture is profitable.... 2Ti_3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
This verse says IF MY PEOPLE..... I am one of His people, so this applies to me just as much as to nation of Israel!
So, are you saying praying for our nation is not necessary? Don't you feel that if all Christians were in unity and spent more time on their knees, we might be successful in winning some big spiritual battles?
@PrisonerxOfxLove - Christianity is in the hearts of God's people, and there is nothing President Obama or anyone else can do to destroy it. Many have tried, but God is sovereign. Many have been martyred for the cause of Christ, but the spirit of God cannot be killed. I do agree that we should speak up about things that are not right, but I think scripture is clear about how this should be done. My point here is that more can be accomplished through prayer than through any other means.
@SoullFire - AMEN!
@firetyger - I agree that Christians should not be passive doormats. It just bothers me that we often attack people instead of issues! Often we are uninformed, bias and defensive and come off looking stupid. The media just LOVES that!
@DanishDoll - I do agree that Christians, like most people, tend to get hung up on the "person" and not the "issue" like they should. That is something I'd like to see us all improve on as well. Because it's not truly people we dislike. It's certain policies that we don't want implemented and that is what our focus should be on. Not slinging mud like everyone else.
@DanishDoll - I didn't say it wasn't profitable. I just think we need to draw a distinction between descriptive and prescriptive narrative in the Bible. God was talking to Israel, about that specific time, in His specific plans. Sure, we are God's people (Christians). But we can't look at something He said to Israel about what he was about to do to them, punish them, send them to exile, lead them into the promised land, etc...and assume it's about us. That's called narcigeticaleisegesis, and is a huge problem in America especially. It's infecting the world.
I don't think that God will change how he punishes sin, natural consequences, etc just because we pray. We pray because we are commanded to pray and rely on God, but I don't think praying more will make better things happen to our nation. God will glorify Himself in the end. We need to get behind that.
Awesome! You make some wonderful, well thought out points here. I have always believed it to be extremely important to pray for our leaders. I have learned over the years that anyone in a position of power is constantly under attack by Satan (after all, he can do the most damage with such an influential person). We can push back against that with the strength of Jesus. Always pray for your leaders and pastors!
I think too many people are too afraid to speak the truth too. I think we need to be respectful and pray for our country and leaders, but I firmly believe that if we don't stand for truth and freedom, it will die.
@DanishDoll - Lands once Christian for centuries are now Muslim lands. America used to be a very moral and upright nation. Not anymore.
Christianity, being that it is good is easily extinguished.
Christians make a huge mistake thinking they can outsource their God-given duties to government and then retire in "prayer" (actually it's to a life of leisure shopping and watching television) and hope that everything will be alright.
Thank you so much for this- the only thing meant for me to say is I will remember the young mans post above who said thanks and what he said before that..
Again-thank you- This is beneficial
with love
C <3
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