THE GOD FACTOR

          America has just come through a very difficult period of electing our next president.  The Progressive groups in our country were overly confident that their candidate had it all wrapped up and settled.  All along, they laughed at, ridiculed, and tried to intimidate and manipulate not only the Republican Candidate, but also all who might have the audacity to disagree with their point of view, and choose to vote for the Republican nominee, Donald Trump.  Due to the volatile political atmosphere, many would not voice their decision, but chose to remain silent.  Others gave the impression that they were in agreement with the Democrat nominee, not wanting to be the brunt of a barrage of insults, accusations, and even violence in some cases.  Some of the Progressives tried to assert that they were the “mature” thinkers, and those who disagreed were immature, low information voters, whose consciousness had not yet been raised to their higher level of intellectualism and ability to reason.  After all, being elitists, they thought themselves to have the greater wisdom; therefore, they alone should be in charge to direct the masses as to what and how to think, and what to do.

          To be honest, I believe that there was enough blame from both sides for the unusually ugly political atmosphere, and the poison seemed to spill over to affect many personal relationships, even among family members.  In full disclosure, I must admit that I write from the perspective of being a Christian first, and a conservative republican, secondly.  So my views are not unbiased.  I openly confess also that I strive to comply with a biblical world view; therefore, if the reader is one who is of the secular world view, there may be very little common ground for us to communicate with one another.  In most cases, that is the bases for the great divide that seems to be getting greater and greater within our society, not just in America, but in the world at large.  I don’t mean to infer that all Christians are of one mind.  Sad to say, even within the church there is a divide, for in many cases even the church is being more affected by the world,  becoming that lukewarm church of the latter days which has an appearance of godliness, but lacking in the power of God.   

          In general, those of the secular humanistic, or man centered world view, believed that evangelicals were an ineffective force which no longer needed to be reckoned with.  The democrat political machine did all of their polling just as they had done in the past, thinking that the decision of this election was going to be just as it had in the past, having the same old idea of “politics as usual”.  Once again, being so “wise in their own eyes”, they either forgot, or never even considered the existence of the power of the God factor to lead the direction of our country. 

          I don’t intend to give the idea that the Democrat Party is evil, or that the Republican Party is righteous.  Far from it!  Our governing body is made up of faulty humans and, until Jesus returns to set up His Kingdom, we are stuck with the present system with all of its imperfections.  In reality, it would be more valid to do away with the practice of looking at our problems as being based upon right or left issues.  Instead, we need to realize the basic problem is far more vertical, with God at the top being constantly opposed by the spirit of anti Christ at the bottom, with all of us spread out in the middle either striving to draw closer to God or trying to ignore and forget God, choosing to do our own thing, beginning in the Garden of Eden when Satan put forth the idea to man that he could be his own god. 

          Living in a post Christian era in America, as we now do, the fact is that we are involved in spiritual warfare, and not political party warfare.  The truth of God’s word reminds us that we fight not against flesh and blood, but against the powers and principalities of the darkness of this world.  Oh how evident it is that we are at war within ourselves, as we try to learn to discern between good and evil.  Our struggle is made all the more difficult as we become more intent on forgetting God as individuals and as a nation. 

          Like bratty children, we want all the benefits of being a part of a family, but we don’t want the responsibility of being obedient and accountable to those in authority, our parents.  God is always asking us: How long are you going to remain double minded?  God is so loving and patient with us.  Yet, we seem to think we can continually disobey Him, ignore His warnings, refuse to repent and turn from our wicked ways, but still receive all of His blessings.  Time and again we seem to think we can ignore Him without having to suffer the consequences of our own choices.  God knows the point when we have become so rebellious, stiff necked and hard hearted that we will never turn our hearts back to Him.  He is a loving God, but He is also a just God, and because of that there will be a point in time when the grace of God will give way to the judgment of God, and we have no one to blame but ourselves.  David Wilkerson, in his book “The Vision”, expressed it rather well as he used a combination of scripture and the blunt statement that follows: “‘If the Lord be God, follow Him; but if Baal be god, follow him’____ and go to Hell!”

          Early in the first primary debates, we saw a number of prominent evangelical preachers, of all denominations, come out openly in support of Donald Trump, one of the seventeen who was running to become the Republican nominee.  As the primary campaign continued, I could only wonder, what did these evangelical leaders see in this man, Donald Trump that I did not?  If one was only listening to the news, one would not be able to discern the force that was developing behind the scenes.  This candidate, as depicted by most news persons, was characterized as a clown, immoral, unequipped and unfit to be president.  The progressive biased media overwhelmingly tried to focus entirely upon the personal flaws of Trump, as if the front runner for the Democrat Party, Hillary Clinton, was far more moral, equipped, and fit to be president.

          In truth, both candidates were greatly flawed.  This only proves the fact that God can use whoever He chooses to fulfill His purposes.  Remember, He once chose to use a donkey.  From the outset, Trump was not known for his political correctness or for a honed talent of smooth public speaking.  In fact, I would often characterize him as being unpolished and, at times, more like a bull in a china shop.   He often speaks his mind without considering the wisdom of his words, and often exercises little or no discipline over his own tongue.  Neither could one say that he had lived a morally and exemplary life.  So what in the world did the many evangelicals perceive to be possibilities of potential within him?  Through listening and research, I believe it all may have come down to this basic principle: “Who would be less likely to be influenced by the established world system of political correctness, the system of “politics as usual”, and have a greater potential to at least listen to, and be influenced by godly principles and counsel?   Many pastors that took the risk to back him, and believe me it was and is a risk to support this many flawed human being.  Yet, they have steadfastly continued in their open effort to support and stand by him as advisors.    

          Before taking their stand, did they ever try to reach out to gain an audience with the opposing candidate, Hillary Clinton, to test the waters and see if she too might also “have an ear to hear and be swayed towards godly principles?”  Many of them had attempted to do so several times, not just this year, but also in previous years before, but with little or no success.  They were, for the most part, not even been granted a chance to come before her.  By her own choice, she had closed that door to them.  On top of that, Hillary Clinton sealed her own fate by her own spoken words when she said that religious people will have to change their religious beliefs, and that abortion on demand (in the third trimester and even partial birth abortion) should be protected as a woman’s right over her reproductive health (a choice that could be based on simple inconvenience and not restricted to the a proven threat to the life of the mother.) (Google both of these to hear it for yourself in her own words.) 

          Based upon those grounds alone, one can understand why Evangelicals would take the risk to stand by Trump, in hopes that they may be used as instruments of God, to advise and be a source of godly counsel unto him.  It was their insight and courage that rallied many Christians to come alongside them to pray that God may work in and through this man, as flawed as he is, to work out God’s purposes to stand against the wiles of the antichrist system that is ever present in this increasingly secularized world system.  “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph. 6: 12)

          Several months ago, I received a message that was spreading across the country which encouraged all Christians to set the clock for a specific time to pray in unity for the safety and security of our nation, and that God’s will be done in the upcoming elections.  Does that mean that I thought of Trump as a strong man, able to leap over mountains, and change the world?  Far be it!  I am reminded of this scripture: “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” (I Cor. 1: 27)  The scriptures also tell us that all leaders are raised and granted power by God.  “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.  For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” (Roman 13: 1)  After all was said and done, after the polls were all proven to be wrong, after the boasting that the one with the world system and big political machine behind her could not be defeated, this “clown and outsider,” as he was often called, had won and became the President Elect.

          The Progressives could not believe the outcome.  They thought they had surely won, for they had put their trust in the works of their own hands and their “undefeatable political machine.”  They had discounted all together the will of the people.  Even more importantly, they had discounted the power of prayer and the will of God, for it is God who is in control, no matter what conditions or circumstances exist in the world.

          It’s now two weeks after the elections, and the leadership of the Democrats still doesn’t get it.  They are still insisting that Trump won because he ran the most xenophobic campaign ever. They still refuse to understand that the main reason for the win was actually at least three fold.  For many Christians, and others, their vote was a vote FOR the party platform which believed reflected the more biblical/traditional American policies: sanctity of life, traditional marriage views, freedom of religion, and a belief in our constitution as it is written, not modifying and changing it at the drop of a hat.  Secondly, it was a vote FOR the hope of a more economically rewarding agenda for the middle class, a simplification of the tax laws, and the possibility of turning the tide against a progressively socialistic nation through the nomination of more conservative Supreme Court judges, and lower level judges throughout the country.  Thirdly, it was often a back lash AGAINST the divisive and mind control (witchcraft) tactics of the politically correct stance, which was greatly influenced, at least in part, by the Lucifer loving prognostications of Saul Alenski.  His main "fighting tactic" is: "when you can't win on the issues," resort to marginalizing your opponent through assaulting them verbally with insults; control the agenda by redefining words to create a "transforming rhetoric"; and use this “transforming rhetoric” to set up politically correct standards which all must comply with and adhere to in order to be acceptable in the eyes of the secularized society which has created it to suit their own desires. 

          Being an “outsider,” not under the control of the politically correct elitists who are found within both political parties, Trump turned the tables and used their own weapons against them.  He used their tactics of ridicule and insults to marginalize them personally and push back against their politically correct indoctrination.  Somehow, Trump had picked up on the fact that the majority of the non coastal population (the fly over states, or zones, as they are sometimes called), and many conservative and independent voters within the coastal areas, had grown sick and tired of the religion of identity politics that were being shoved down their throats. However, more often than not, being taught to have “good manners” and not be rude, when confronted with such intentionally godless rhetoric they would just “be nice”, rather than get embroiled with their bullying tactics.  Only a comparatively few, such as Ann Coulter and Doreen Barelli, were willing to stand up, take the heat, and speak up to confront the faces and loud dominant voices of the PC activists and their many followers found within in the general population who consistently  claimed to speak for ALL of America..  They, the progressives, never even realized that they had not yet deceived all of the people through their godless “transforming rhetoric.”

          For many decades now, bullish politically correct rhetoric and identity politics have been used to silence the voices of all who would dissent from the PC desires, values, and agendas, which are meant to be instrumental in turning America into an increasingly godless society.  Finally, unafraid of them, Trump pushed back and the people found one solitary man who was willing to take the heat for them.  He became their messenger, providing a voice that was no longer afraid of taking a stand against the politically correct agenda of identity politics.  Since he came on the scene, the progressive globalists have tried their usual Alinski tactics against him.  They are continually frustrated by the fact that he will not back down in fear of them, but has continued to beat them at their own game by throwing it right back in their own face. 

          As you have probably surmised by now, I have been working on this story line for over a year.   Amazingly, many Democrats still can’t believe that they lost the election fair and square.  Neither do they understand the fact that Trump is not afraid of them, their agenda, or their PC agenda of identity politics.  Nor will he let them shove him back into the box of “be nice and silent like the other good politically incorrect little boys and girls.”  When they say he’s behaving unfit and not presidential, they are really showing their frustration because he refuses to conform and bow down in submission at the altar of political correctness and their group-think agenda.  I don’t know for sure if God is sitting back and laughing at their globalist “Tower of Babel” antics, but admittedly, I find it gloriously delicious.  Okay Lord, I’m sorry for reacting “in the flesh”, for I know gloating is not acceptable in your sight.  Thank you Lord for not giving up on us!  We are now and always will be in need of striving to know what it really means to “have the mind of Christ”, that we would trust in you Lord and not “lean unto our own understanding.” 

           Perhaps you are still wondering what in the world does The God Factor have to do with all of this.  Truthfully, Trump being Trump, does not make him greater than any other flawed and imperfect mortal. But perhaps this imperfect man was chosen to be used of God for such a time as this.  From all outward appearances in the eyes of the world, it did seem that Hillary Clinton was destined to become our next president, wasn’t she?  After all, consider all that she had going for her: didn’t she fit the mold as a politically correct elitist; didn’t she have the full force and financial backing of the Clinton/DNC political machine against which it was assumed nothing could prevail; didn’t she represent the “enlightened views and values” of the secular humanist One Worlders who look forward to a utopia that is free of all restrictions of that pesky old God of the Bible, where any ole god or no god at all is far more preferable; and of course, didn’t she also believe that the constitution did not really mean what it said, but was a living and ever evolving document which was subject to change, in order to fit the changing times whenever the governing body (not the people) saw fit to do so.  Oh yes, she had the winning ticket, and shouldn’t she finally attain the status of President which she most certainly deserved? Or so they thought, right?   

          Unfortunately for her, all her plans, and the plans of those who sought to exalt her and their PC world, there was something and someone that was being ignored and overlooked.  As usual, in their self created PC bubble of the world, they did not consider either the God Factor, or that His people would awake from their long slumber to actually act in compliance with His word to truly apply the power of intercessory prayer to seek the Lord for His forgiveness and help for our nation.  Pastors, other leaders, and believers were called to unite to do what we were supposed to be doing all along.  “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land,” (II Chron. 7: 14 NIV) 

          Only God, not Trump or any other mortal, can save us or our country.  However, God can use anything and anyone He chooses to accomplish His plans and fulfill His will.  When reading the Bible, it is often stated that either the King of Israel did that which was good in the sight of God, or chose not to do that which was good in the sight of good.  That choice was reflected in that, if the King did that which was good in the sight of God, the country itself was granted a time of relative peace.   

          There are many believers today, who are continuing to be diligent to pray and seek the Lord’s face daily for the safety and security of our nation, and for a revival of turning back to God.  As the body of Christ on earth, it is up to us to become transformed more into the image of God, that we might be the salt to preserve and reflect the light of the Lord to be the ones to draw others to believe and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, one day at a time, one heart at a time.  It is believed that if we had continued to follow the same direction of forgetting God, and being disobedient as signified by our willful noncompliance with His word, we were on the very brink of no return, and sure to call down His judgment upon us and our nation.  Revival depends upon us, those who claim to be born again Christians, to be doers of His word, and not just hearers. If we are silent, or fail to live out His word in our lives, we will have failed in our mission to spread the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the world around us.  All too often, we are acting more like the world. 

          There is a pretty good question that requires self examination and a truthful answer from each of us: “If you went before a judge and jury, would there be enough evidence to convict you of being a Christian, that is, a believer in the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?”  Unfortunately, the church, which is supposed to be transformed into the image of God by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, has more often become conformed to the ways of the world, not living out the word in our lives, but living more like nonbelievers, doing what pleases our selves, guided not by God, but by our own selfish desires.  Be not deceived, the devil still roams too and fro, seeking whom he may destroy.  Satan is still the god of this fallen world.  He and his followers are intent on rampantly changing America, and the world, into a godless and lawless humanistic secularized culture.  Therefore Christians, this is not the time to stop praying because we won the election, but rather to be even more diligent prayer warriors that America would have a revival, turn our hearts back to The Lord, and become the light and salt of the earth!  Repentance for our wickedness and turning back to God is the only hope that America will be great again.  Put on the full armor of God, be a spiritual warrior in the army of the Lord, and fight against the wiles of the powers and principalities of the darkness of this world. Continue to stand, without compromise, in the name of The Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, “Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.”

          We live in a fallen world where Satan still roams to and fro seeking whom he may devour.  But we, as Christians, must remember that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.  It’s imperative that we, who profess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, love, obey, and serve the Lord with all our heart, soul, and strength.  We are to put on the full armor of God, humble ourselves before the Lord, and turn from our wicked ways.  He’s talking to us, His people, not the people of the world who don’t claim to know or care about Him or His ways.  When we start thinking that we have the right to disagree with or ignore what He has told us, we have begun a descent down that dangerous path of turning away from Him.  There is no neutrality with God; either we are for Him or we are against Him.  We can’t pickers and choosers, deciding for ourselves what part(s) of His word we will or will not obey.  Unfortunately, it is the church itself that has been rushing away from Him, seeking to satisfy our own desires, and thinking ourselves as wiser than He.  We are repeating the same sinfulness as the people of Israel, who knew God but turned their hearts to every false god that exists, that all gods are equal.  We are forgetting our promise to acknowledge Him in all our ways, and to worship no other.  Even as they moved away from Him and no longer feared the Lord, they still expected Him to protect them.  Even in the natural, that is an unreasonable expectation.  Would it be reasonable even in an earthly relationship of marriage to expect one partner in the marriage to be unfaithful and yet still expect his covenant partner to stay faithful in all ways?  If not, then why do we think we can be unfaithful to God, but still expect Him to be faithful to us and keep His protective hand upon us?

          Do I claim that this man, Donald Trump, is equipped thoroughly and readily as our president?  No, he is a flawed man, elected to preside over a flawed people in a fallen world. I do believe that God has often chosen the seemingly weakest and most unqualified persons, and then equips and qualifies them to enable them to serve Him.  He is the one who gives us His strength that we may understand not to depend upon ourselves, but rather upon Him as He works in and through us by the power of His Holy Spirit.  Remember, He once used a jackass to speak for Him.  If He wanted to, He could cause the rocks to cry out for Him.

          Let us never put our trust in any man, but trust only in the Lord.  Let us pray that the Lord will grant godly counsel and wisdom to Pres. Trump that he may yield to the voice of the Lord and obey Him.  I regret that this story line may seem give the inference it is about struggle between two political parties when that is far from the truth.  The truth is that, though I may have not completely successful, it was my desire to open our eyes that we are involved in a spiritual warfare that is increasingly blinding  and robbing us of the truth of the Lord, and is increasingly closing the door of the blessings of the Lord upon our country.  I believe it is all a part of the Great Deception which is leading so many away from the truth of the Lord.  If we have our eyes opened to the truth of the Lord, we will look around and perceive how evil is increasingly being redefined as good, and good is being redefined as evil.  The awful pity is that the church itself is receiving the lies of the devil and there is a great falling away from the truth as the Bible has prophesied.  As a body, we are being robbed of the truth, preferring the “feel good message” instead of sound doctrine for we have become a people who have the name of the Lord on our lips, “but our heart is far from Him.”        

          I do believe that Pres. Trump may offer an opened window and a possible reprieve for a period of time that we might have the opportunity to repent and push back against the onslaught of unbelief, the greatest wickedness of all.  As for identity politics, political correctness, globalism, and a one world order, I believe it is all a part of Satan’s tools, even a part of that religion of the latter days that will deceive many by its “appearance of godliness, but lacking in the power thereof.” [The power of God]   I truly feel sorry for those who will choose even with their dying breath to reject the one true God of the Bible. Those who do so will have believed the greatest lie of all which is that you are your own god, greater and wiser than God Himself is the great I AM. 

  

  

REMEMBER:                                                        

          The Holy Spirit promises us that “righteousness leads to freedom, but sin will always lead to bondage.”  We must forever check our ideas, opinions, and beliefs to make sure that they are in line with God’s truth, and resist trying to make the word of God agree with our opinions and ideas. We can’t blame the worldly people for the downfall of America or the church..  As Christians, we are supposed to be God’s people, and yet we often act more like the world than some unbelievers do.  We are supposed to live out our lives in obedience to the one true living God of the Bible.  Yet we find excuses for ignoring God’s standards of right and wrong simply because we don’t want to appear “different” in the eyes of man, or we don’t want to give up our sinful ways, thinking that we can ignore the guilt and the consequences of knowingly and willfully practicing sin.  We are often more comfortable in being a bigot in the eyes of God, than we are in being a bigot in the eyes of man.  We don’t strive to be rooted and grounded in the word of God; therefore, why are we surprised when we fall for every lie of Satan and man that comes straight from the pit of Hell? 

          Taking up the cross of Jesus is costly; it can mean that you may even have to sacrifice the love of family members for His name’s sake.  However, can giving up anything on this earth be worth losing the gift of salvation offered by Jesus, who paid the ultimate sacrifice when He gave His very life for us?   

          Let us not fall into the pit of replacing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the gospel of Social Justice (believing in our own works as the way to earn our own salvation).  Good works are a result of faith in Jesus, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit which are meant to glorify God, not ourselves.  Someone wisely said; Christianity is not do’s and don’ts, but DONE , just as Jesus proclaimed from the Cross IT IS FINISHED, meaning He had paid our sin debt and marked the receipt PAID IN FULL, for those who trust and believe in Him as Lord and Savior.   Focus and remain secure in the belief of salvation through the work done by Jesus on the cross as He willingly gave up His life to save us, and the promise of our resurrection one day, as He was resurrected and now sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.  We must remind ourselves, there is nothing in this world more valuable than the Lord God.  He gave His life for us that we may have eternal life through faith in Him.  There is no greater love than that.  Out of love for Him we should not count it too great a cost to fear (respect) the Lord and serve and obey Him in thought, word and deed that things may go well for us as His word has promised.  Yes, let us never forget THE GOD FACTOR, for He reigns forever and is the GREAT I AM!