Saturday, October 22, 2016

Why Christians Who Don't Vote Annoy Me

In 2008, ten million evangelical Christians were eligible to vote but were unregistered.*
Nine million were registered but did not vote.*
And look what has happened to our nation since 2008. 
Basically, the nation has gone to hell in a hand-basket.

OK, OK, I know this sounds dramatic but it really annoys me when I hear my fellow Christians say,
“I’m not voting.”
“I don’t like any of the presidential candidates so I’m just not going to vote.”  Hello! What about all the other stuff on the ballet? 
“God’s in control anyways so it doesn’t matter if I vote.”
“There’s too much fraud in this election so what’s the point.”

I could go on and on with the multiple excuses I’ve heard, but it just annoys me to type them all.

These Christians remind me of the 10 spies that totally blew it for the Israelites. Remember in Numbers 13-14, God tells Moses, “Send 12 spies into the land of Canaan, which I’m giving to the children of Israel.” Basically, God was saying, “Go check out this great land I’m giving to you.” Moses even told the 12, “Be of good courage” because he trusted the power of God to go with them.

Well, the spies came back and said, “Man, the land is awesome. Flowing with milk and honey. But it’s scary over there. The enemies are stronger than us. We’ll never be able to defeat them.” So they gave a bad report to all the Israelites and scared them from going into the land.

Joshua and Caleb were like, “Hey, don’t you remember all the miracles God did for us in the past. The parting of the Red Sea thing where God destroyed the Egyptian army was pretty amazing. We can totally defeat these enemies because we have God on our side.”

But the 10 spies turned the people against them. So God said, “OK, you don’t want the land that I promised you, with all its blessings? Fine. Wander in the desert for 40 years.”

OK, OK, so I paraphrased the story a bit, but basically that’s how I feel right now. There are some amazing Christian leaders that are the Joshua and Calebs of today, imploring Christians to pray and vote. They are shouting out, “Hey, don’t you remember how God blessed America in the past. Don’t you remember that He is able to perform miracles and defeat enemies? America could be great again. God could restore our blessings, if we only return to Him.”

But these brave, few voices are being drowned out by the rest of the 10 spies who want to moan and groan, complain and whine, and wash their hands of the whole process.

Some may read this and think one vote is not that big a deal.
BUT IT IS!!!
In 2012, 25 million Christians did not vote. And, the election was determined by less than 5 million votes.
So, yes, there will be major corruption this election.
Yes, the odds are against us. 
Yes, there is an evil spiritual battle raging.

But in the darkness of the battle is where God's glory shines brightest. We must be praying like never before! On our knees, interceding for our nation.
2 Samuel 24:25 says, “The LORD was moved by prayer for the land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, who are called by my name will humble themselves, turn from their wicked ways, and pray…I will heal their land.”

God was not happy with the 10 spies. He said, “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?”

God honored Caleb and Joshua for their faith, for their courage, for their boldness to speak the truth in the midst of the lies. They knew their God would be with them in the battle for the promise land. He had performed miracles on their behalf in the past and they knew they could count on Him to do miracles in the future.

We must take our stand with the Joshuas and Calebs of today. We must NOT be counted among the 10 spies. If we do, we will miss out on the promise land. We will condemn our children to wander the desert.

God is in control of this election. God is in control of the outcome. God is Ruler of this nation. God is Ruler over the world. So nothing is going to happen that God has not ordained to happen. But, God has called His people to stand for truth, to hold tight to what is good, and to protect the lives of the innocent and unborn. Let me point out, out of the two main presidential candidates in this election, only one is pro-life. And only one has stated he will appoint Supreme Court judges that will uphold the constitution as it was intended by our Founding Fathers.  

"On Nov. 8, the stakes get higher: The next president could appoint up to four justices, with an aging court and one vacant seat left by the late Antonin Scalia...In casting a vote Nov. 8, remember the impact federal courts can have on the fundamental religious freedoms of Christians, and how your vote could affect the future of Gospel proclamation in America." Quote from article, A Supreme Decision, by BGEA 
   
I’d like to end with a very profound statement my hubby said this morning. I mentioned going to see the Kirk Cameron film, Revive Us, on Monday 24th. He asked me what it was about and I told him it is a call by many Christian leaders to pray for revival in our nation. My hubby said, “Wow. Maybe this is the revival.”

Huh?

You see, I’ve been praying over this election because I want a President that will preserve religious freedom so that we can continue to worship without threat of persecution.

But, what if that very real threat of coming persecution is what is rising up the Joshuas and Calebs? What if the sleeping church is finally waking up because the hour is growing late and the night is quickly approaching? What if God is using this time to bring us to our knees in intercessory prayer for the nation because we see the writing on the wall? What if this is the very spiritual revival I’ve been praying for? What if this is God’s way of asking His church, “Will you be my Caleb and Joshua? Or are you one of the 10 spies who does not believe I still can perform miracles?”

I can imagine that Joshua and Caleb were pretty annoyed by the 10 spies because even though God allowed them to enter the promise land, they had to wander in the desert for 40 years along with everyone else.  So, I implore you my brothers and sisters in Christ who are contemplating not voting this election, take a step of faith towards the promise land. Remember we serve a God of miracles. Vote for life. Vote to protect the unborn. Be a voice for the voiceless. God will honor our step of faith. We do our part and leave the battle to the LORD.

Love,
Yolanda

Hebrews 11:6 (AMP)
But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.


 *http://www.defendchristians.org/news/the-numbers-dont-lie/