Category: Politics

Praying For The Politicians Who Infuriate Us

DebbieLynne Kespert1 Comment

Almost everything she posted on Facebook swelled with her hatred of President Trump, though she never really explained why she felt such animosity toward him. Her relentless vitriol seemed unbecoming to a Christian. Her disagreement with his policies, though confusing to me, didn’t bother me too much, but the intensity of her anger certainly did. After weeks of scrolling though her rants about him, I finally asked if she prayed for him.

“Yes,” she answered. “I pray daily that he’ll be removed from office!”

Now we have a president that I dislike. Most of my friends share my feelings about his socialist agenda, his support of abortion and his mishandling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, I noticed an increasing number of Christians admitting to praying imprecatory prayers since his inauguration.

Imprecatory prayers are prayers for God to exercise curses or judgment on our enemies, as in Psalm 35:4-6, Psalm 55:15, and (most germane to our discussion) Psalm 109:6-20 with the particular emphasis on verse 8.

Let his days be few;
Let another take his office. (NASB95)

I’ve seen several Christians lately argue that the current administration calls for imprecatory prayers, just as my Facebook friend believed the last administration called for them. I must admit that praying that way has sounded more tempting in these last 8 months. But I have to step back from my emotions and seriously question whether or not Christians really ought to use this method of prayer.

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Are You Waiting For My Comments On Withdrawal From Afghanistan?

DebbieLynne Kespert2 Comments

The Outspoken TULIP has a mission, in part, to prepare women for persecution. Primarily, that preparation comes through Biblical doctrine, which leads to discernment. Without question, emphasizing the teachings and practical applications of Scripture takes precedence over political commentary, especially since I don’t consider myself very astute at understood politics. When our political leaders make decisions that will potentially increase the persecution of Christians, I have to decide whether or not to push through my ineptitude in order to alert readers to new threats.

During this last two weeks, I’ve felt a bit guilty for writing about other matters, as if I didn’t care about the withdrawal. I told myself other bloggers weren’t addressing the situation either, so I didn’t have to.

In reality, I simply didn’t want to address it.

I still don’t. But I believe I must. My thoughts may be scattered, and definitely lacking in any sort of depth. However, perhaps the Holy Spirit will use something I say here to encourage you to pray for the Afghan Christians and to prepare for the persecution that most assuredly is coming to America.

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How Did We Get From John Adams To Joe Biden?

DebbieLynne Kespert3 Comments

Despite the opinions of some politically conservative Christians, not all the founding fathers were Christians. My favorite founding father, John Adams, became a Unitarian at some point in his adult life (perhaps influenced by his wife Abigail). In fact, most of the founding fathers were influenced more by the Enlightenment than by the Bible.

Christians who profess to care about truth dare not twist history to suit their own purposes. John Adams himself said “Facts are stubborn things.” We might be tempted to lament the loss of a Christian nation, but facts challenge us to consider that the United States may never have actually been a Christian nation. Let us be careful to tell the truth even when it damages the narrative that we wish to promote.

Having said that America cannot be properly considered a Christian nation, we must also note that John Adams said that our Constitution was written for a religious and moral people. Furthermore, all the founding fathers — including Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson — lived under the assumption that religion meant some form of cultural Christianity. In that respect, we can say that America was indeed founded on Biblical principles.

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Discernment In A Time Of Persecution

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John is graciously typing this blog post as I dictate to him from bed. Because I cannot type this entry myself, I will not include Scripture quotes or links to verses — doing so would be difficult to teach John. Please don’t interpret this absence of Scripture as an abandonment of God’s Word.

Regardless of your eschatology, you must admit that evil is escalating. The political situation in the United States indicates that Bible believing Christians will face varying degrees of persecution in the next few months. Regular readers of this blog know that I have been warning about this probability for the last five and a half years, yet I’m not sure any of us (including me) have really let the truth sink in.

It’s not a truth we want to face.

As Elizabeth Prata shows us in her recent post about James Coates, Canadian Christians have begun to experience real persecution. In our prayers for this pastor and his family, American Christians must keep in mind that our pastors may soon experience the same suffering that James Coates and his family are going through.

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The Day Of March Has Come

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More and more Christians can see where Western civilization is going. We see how our politicians exploit COVID-19 to influence America’s upcoming election, to control human behavior and to clamp down on churches. We shouldn’t really be surprised.

I’m only surprised that the LBGTQ agenda got replaced by COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter as catalysts for social revolution. So much for claiming any prophetic powers, right? Nevertheless, the battle against the Lord and His church has intensified markedly in the past five months. I don’t think any serious Christian can deny that fact.

Voting for people who hold conservative values will reflect our integrity, most assuredly. By all means, let’s use our right to vote as long as we still have it!

But we win the ultimate war by obediently following Christ. And He leads us through His Word, not through political means. When (not if) our politics fail, our eternal King will lead us through each battle His way, all the while teaching us to glorify and honor Him.

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Flashback Friday: He Said, “Look Mommy — I’m Wearing A Dress!”

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Originally published March 29, 2017:

glory-cloud

A few days ago, someone told  me that her three-year-old godson met his mother when she came to pick him up from preschool, greeting her with the words, “Look Mommy — I’m wearing a dress!” Horrified, his mother asked him why he was in a dress. He pointed to his teachers and claimed, “Them gave it to me!”

“Oh no,” the teachers argued, “we gave him a choice. We want our children to use costumes to express themselves.”

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Offend People With Clear Scriptural Principles, Not With Peripheral Issues

DebbieLynne Kespert3 Comments
Bandwagon covered with multiple American flags -- tinted turquoise

Many evangelicals, even within the Reformed camp, have been influenced by worldly ideas and philosophies lately. That’s not good. At the very least, the causes they embrace distract them from the Gospel. And such distraction severely weakens their effectiveness for their kingdom.

The apostle Paul spoke to this point in his first epistle to the Corinthians:

For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. ~~1 Corinthians 2:3 (NASB)

Generally, these evangelicals espouse liberal ideologies: feminism, social justice, environmentalism and so forth. We do well to admonish these people (some of whom really do know Christ) that their causes usually contradict the clear teachings of Scripture. Lovingly, we should restore their focus to the Gospel, and to a proper handling of God’s Word.

In correcting liberal ideologies of other evangelicals, however, perhaps those of us with more conservative leanings should evaluate whether or not we also let our causes distract us. I know I’ve sometimes struggled with the temptation to let discernment ministry take my attention away from proclaiming the Gospel.

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It Feels Good To Breathe Again

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I suspected I wouldn’t be able to write the article on the second Spiritual Law today because of interviews for the Personal Care Attendant positions we needed to fill. I was correct. Even getting a chance to read my Bible today was an enormous challenge.

The interruption paid off. As it stands now, we’ve hired people for both positions, trusting that the Lord will work things out. I’m relieved, though emotionally exhausted and not entirely looking forward to training two people all at once. But yes, I’m praising the Lord for His provision. He has, once again, shown Himself faithful.

After this morning’s interview, I finally got to open my Bible. My schedule had me in Psalm 22.

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Is It Okay For Me To Say “I Told You So”?

DebbieLynne Kespert1 Comment

This past weekend, a pastor friend of mine posted the following on his Facebook page:

They said it would not affect me, my family or friends.They said it was none of my business. They said it would not negatively impact our society. But…Now it’s legalized. Now it’s flaunted in commercials, on the television, and in the movies. Now those screaming tolerance are intolerant of any who oppose. Now it’s affecting our health care costs, schools and everything in between. Now it’s demoralizing and seeking to redefine the family. Now it’s attacking men and demonizing men for being men. But…Now, as always, is the time to stand for Truth. Now is the time to live out righteousness, holiness and justice. Now is the time to promote all that is wholesome, good and moral. Now is the time!

Of course he wrote these words in reference to same sex marriage, which has opened a Pandora’s Box of anarchy throughout Western civilization. As you can see, however, the rebellion goes far beyond LBGTQ issues. The ideological left is successfully dismantling every aspect of Judeo-Christian values in America and in other countries.

Most evangelicals thought Trump’s presidency would slow the deterioration. Admittedly, part of me thought so too. But the last few months have pretty much destroyed that fantasy. In fact, the unbridled hatred of President Trump has probably poured gas on the fire. Defying conservative values has become a mandate for academia and Mainstream Media.

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It’s An Election Year, And Candidates From Both Parties Promise To Save The World

DebbieLynne Kespert4 Comments

Silent FireworksUntil I was 42, I was a registered Democrat. Interestingly, I usually crossed party lines when voting for presidents, but for the most part I believed that Democrats cared about the underprivileged. I saw no inconsistency between my Christian convictions and my political convictions other than an increasing support of abortion within my party.

In my defense, back then the Democrats made room for pro-life voters. Currently, I might note, the Republican party still has room for pro-choice voters and politicians such as Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker. So please understand that, back then, I sincerity believed my faith informed my politics.

In 1995, the abortion issue caused me to switch my party affiliation. When John and I began chatting online three years later, he helped me understand why the Republican view of the economy better addresses poverty. Now I believe I’m affiliated with a party that better reflects Biblical values.

Having said all that, I’m troubled Read More »