"After Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the craftsmen and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord. One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very poor figs, so bad they could not be eaten. Then the Lord asked me, 'What do you see, Jeremiah?' 'Figs,' I answered. 'The good ones are very good, but the poor ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.' Then the word of the Lord came to me: 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. My eyes will watch over them for their own good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. But like the poor figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,' says the Lord, 'so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt. I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, an object of ridicule and cursing, wherever I banish them. I will send the sword, famine, and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their fathers." Jeremiah 24:1-10 (NIV)
The United States of America made 'history' through the decision of its governed people in the nomination and election of the first African-American President, the 44th one elected, Illinois Senator Barack Hussein Obama; son of a Kenyan father and Caucasian mother. The streets of Chicago, Detroit, and other major cities were overcome with joy and celebration. Black fists raised in the air, comments of 'Finally!' and so on as the African-Americans find vindication in the election of a 'black' leader.
Some leaders within the Christian community decry those who say that people voted because of race instead of change. They ignore the comments of several voters throughout the political landscape, who spelled such motivation bravely and proudly, after the endorsement partially because of the same reason by ex-Secretary of State Coleman Powell. The claim that the winning of the Latino vote proves race was not a factor is onerous, because the Latino community typically identifies with the African-Americans in this country. Of course, such is not the only reason; this country has become a shadow of itself and the liberal, socialistic ideologies of the American people are the dominate majority in the country.
Regardless of the reason, the American people elected by the majority our 44th President in the history of the United States of America, Barack Hussein Obama, ex-Senator from Illinois.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in his first state of the nation speech that Russia will station short-range missiles near its border with Poland if Obama proceeds with Bush’s plan to station missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic.
The global economic crisis could limit Obama’s flexibility in defense and foreign affairs, and while foreign leaders may chose not to fulfill Vice-President elect Joseph Biden's prophecy of an Obama trial by fire, Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations, says,
"One thing I'm sure of is, events will test him. There will be coups....genocide.....terrorism."
This President, untested in foreign affairs, faces such an unsettled and anti-American global scene unseen since the 1930s and 1940s. Beyond the economy and the wars, there's the need to address what most believe are climate changes of a disastrous nature, improve America's energy independence from foreign oil, taxes, reformation of health care, immigration and solve a budget deficit made bigger by the government's socialistic move to prop up businesses
We can complain about the election; offering claims of 'buying the White House', that Obama used 'race' to win, or a host of other possibly legitimate reasoning behind it all. Or we can look at our culture, our society, and our faith to discover a possibility beyond such petty human reasons. We have been living in the days before Noah for some time now.
"Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. Genesis 6:1-13 (GWT)
It is glorious that an African-American has been elected President of the United States. Slavery was a sin of the Republic and racism remains the bitter experience of too many Americans; of all races and, while such an historic election doesn't end racism, it does bring the country in a positive, symbolic step in that direction. But, unfortunately, racism is not the only culturally destructive tendencies that we, as a people, have engaged in for the 'modern-day pre-Noah' depravity.
"For the last two millennia, the Christian community, educated with ideas drawn from Scripture and applied to every area of life and reality, has been the most powerful culture-forming agent. In other words, the church is the instrument by which God brings forth His kingdom and as the kingdom spreads, the culture is Christianized." S. Michael Craven, of the Center for Christ & Culture, says "In a world of false ideas competing to explain the world, it was Christians, armed with the energy of an all-embracing life-system (i.e., Christian worldview) that shaped Western culture. This energy–now severed from its historic understanding–has been depleted in recent generations through spiritual sloth, theological ignorance, anti-intellectualism, and cultural apathy."
For a country established upon the Gospel message, and led by the foundational inclusion of such biblical strengths as the Ten Commandments, it is such supposition and assumption that because of our exposure to and the material blessings resulting from the Gospel; far beyond possibly any other nation in the history of this world, that has caused us to be in a far more perilous place before God than we ever may have realized with the continued decline of our society.
Barack Obama, the liberal Senator of Illinois, may have caused deception and lies to sway enough Americans to vote him into office; may have taken foreign donations, gaining world opinion, and profited from a poor performance from the Republican choice of President. But, if society was not a reflection of what Obama represents, we would be giving the oath to another nominee who gain the majority of the vote.
God wants to have mercy upon us, if only for the sake of the faithful that reside within this nation's borders. God wants to bless and bring honor to a nation that brings Him glory. But He can also withhold that blessing, mercy, and grace from a nation that turns its back to Him. We cannot claim ignorance, acting as if God hasn't given us His direction and His desires for us individually and nationally. We do not have the excuse of modern-day Ninevahs; who 'could not tell their right hand from their left.' (Jonah 4:11)
Our fate doesn't lie in the hands of President-elect Obama, nor the government he forms. It lies within our conduct, our expression of faith, and the testimony of that hope established upon a cross of wood and iron.
Jesus established our conduct and relationships as necessary components to our witness on behalf of God to the world, dark and fallen in a deadly state of sin. It is because we have continued to fail to bring our conduct within the biblical context; allowing 'the devil we know' to be nominated, failing to uphold a moral ethics, and refusing to elect those who don't represent our values, that will spell our doom; as a people and a nation, leading us into the ruin of history as so many societies and nations that have fallen before us.
"We are going to see, I think, unprecedented attacks against our faith through measures like the hate crimes [legislation] to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act," Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, says. "We're going to see attacks on innocent human life through the Freedom of Choice Act, trying to erase all the gains that have been made in the pro-life movement. And I think even our freedoms are going to come under attack."
God holds all nations in His plans as evidenced by the Scriptures: He gives nations to those whom he wills, Isaiah 41:2, reigning over all of them, Psalm 99:2, and at the end of all time, all nations of this world will worship Him and their people declare His praise, Revelation 15:4. The United States of America holds no distinction from the rest of the world and the nations that inhabit it; beyond being once more knowledgeable of God's will and direction.
As our mothers used to say, "You know better."
Once a small core group of British subjects living upon a colonial shore rose up against their mother country and said, "No more." They had to bear arms against an army with more soldiers, battle-hardened and trained, to stand upon their declaration. Many gave their blood upon that famous 'tree of liberty' and came together 'under God' to form a grand experiment all the world was certain would fail; a Republic of the people and for the people. The leadership of this country has fallen from the path of that once-grandeur path, and it is time for the true patriots to rise again from the villages and towns of this country. A call to arms, not unlike the one given so long ago, resounds throughout the countryside; galloping steeds bearing loud, boisterous riders shouting the cry.
"The enemy is coming! The enemy is coming! To your knees!"
It is not for these new patriots, possibly soon to be labeled criminals (as were our founding fathers), to grasp weapons of humanity; those tools of warfare. To gain a coup on the human effort of military overthrow or personal threat against our leadership. That is not the way of the Lord God and it cannot be our way as His followers.
No, the modern-day patriot, following the principles established by those patriots found in the Old and New Testaments, seize upon the weapons of God; prayer, established law, and their principles of faith to drop to their knees.
Not to call for the destruction of the presidency of Barack Obama, nor an unfortunate demise to fall upon the government that he forms.
No, as in Jeremiah 29:7, where God told the Israelites to pray for Babylon, their captors (Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper) and as Paul commanded us, in his letter to Timothy, to pray for "kings and all who are in authority." The principle of God's people praying for the welfare of the governments over them, regardless of their sinful nature or biblical following, is a foundational weapon in the arsenal of the faithful and is called to be used.
God can touch an unbeliever, a deceived and wayward follower, and even the humanistic confusion of a false doctrine. He can use the prayers of the faithful to destroy, redeem, and lead to repentance even the most foul of nations. He allows us to nominate our leaders and expects us to bring those leaders under prayerful supplication regardless of our vote for or against.
President-elect Barack Obama doesn't know me from the multitudes that gathered around him that night of his historic victory in Chicago Illinois and has no idea of my political views, morals, and hopes; though he opposes them, at least according to the words of his mouth, the push of his finger upon the voting buttons in the Senate, and the written doctrine of his campaign. He will never call my cell and ask for me to offer him counsel and prayer for the enormous task of leading this nation.
But God calls me to do so; to pray for Barack Hussein Obama to feel and listen to the voice of God, to be guided by His hand and to bring this nation into repentance. God tells me to pray for Obama's health, far beyond the human physical health, in the spirit, that he will know of the need for salvation and grasp upon Christ's offer freely given. God allows for me to use legal means of expressing myself and my views to my Commander-in-Chief through my elected officials, whether I voted for them or not, and the Constitution that allows me to address my government concerning things I oppose. God tells me one thing that I must do, regardless of what our 44th President will do.
Pray for him, that his leadership would bring glory and honor to God, that this nation be led to repentance and redemption through his leadership, and that God would bring His hand to bear in the answering of such prayers; withholding judgment from those who are repenting, to judge those who aren't and who are falsely leading many astray, and to show His will for a nation fallen from His path.
Whatever the next four years bring, I will pray for God to reveal Himself and His will to President Obama and that He have mercy for those he governs as well as those who govern us. Through this action, I know, that God will use whatever happens to bring His faithful closer to Him and will not abandon them to the wages of sin that befall those who oppose God. I will pray for the political process and a restoration of its lofty goals; the election of leaders to lead this country in a Godly manner.
I will pray for those who guide us at all levels of government; that they will faithful execute the duties of their offices in a manner bringing God glory and honor through their servant leadership. And that God will hold them accountable as He holds me accountable.
Whatever trials I may face are nothing as those who face the wrath of the Almighty God, who have turned away willingly and with malice, from His path.
May God have mercy upon their souls.
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