ELECTION YEAR - JANUARY 2012

This year would seem to be a year of distraction because of the political culture here in America. What we (ihlcc) mean by that is the media is going to fuel the fighting between the various political parties here in America. The media on internet, TV and radio are looking for any tidbit of information that would contradict the character and/or words of another. This practice of pointing out the problems, failures and inconsistencies of others is very ungodly and should never be named among a Christian. During an “Election Year” this practice continues non-stop for the whole year. We already know the media is generally ungodly but during an “Election Year” they influence many others to be ungodly with them. Remember in Proverbs 6:16-19 KJV the writer clearly speaks against sins of the tongue.

16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

So out of the six things the Lord hates and the seven that the Lord Himself considers deplorable around half of them deal with our words. We as Christians are children of our Heavenly Father which basically means we should think and act like our Heavenly Father because we are His offspring and He is our substance of life and well being. This thought of being just like our Father in Heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ is not a notion but rather a fact according to 1 John 4:17 KJV

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

And Genesis 1:26-27 KJV

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Since we are made in His image and likeness it is obvious that we would represent God’s Will here upon the earth. Therefore, since the Lord hates lying, being a false witness and speaking discord between people we too should have a distaste for this type of behavior. Notice that in Proverbs 8:13 KJV the fear of the Lord describes the froward mouth as a negative trait of the wicked that is hated by the Lord.

The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

As Believers in Christ we generally understand that the Fear of the Lord is the respect and reverence for our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ with their Kingdom. This teaching of keep our tongue from speaking negatively about others is for our very own benefit. It is very important for every Christian to speak the right words in this earth because the presence of Jesus is initiated through our words. We know that the Words of Life come from the children of life walking in the life of God here on the earth. Since we are the Light of the World upon the earth we must behave differently from those who are in darkness. This means when the media is speaking bad things about the President of the United States of America we should speak good things about Him. Why, because the Word of God tells us to pray for the leaders of this nation that we may led a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness.

1 Timothy 2:1-5 KJV
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

There seems to be a lot of Christians who think they can speak evil of the President without any repercussions. They don’t realize that we can not speak one thing bad about another and pray for many things to turn out good for that same individual. The Word of God tells us Mark 11:22-24 that Godly faith will speak the good things of God first, before attempting to pray to God about good things coming to pass. Simply put your words and your prayers must be in agreement. It is impossible for a person to have the right attitude about loving others and say or pray something evil concerning the person they love. The Lord never said your prayers are more powerful than your words. No, your prayers are made up of your words, so if you speak right about people there is a high probability that you will pray right for them also. Our communion with God is holy and sacred, this opportunity that we have to fellowship with God Almighty is our Christian privilege so we should never be so foolish to think that I can say whatever I want to say about whosoever I choose and it will never affect my fellowship with God. Dear friend, in many cultures if you speak evil about another man’s wife you have insulted the family honor which is cause for serious repercussions. The same is true, if you speak evil of another man’s mother. Why is it people can understand that it is not proper to degrade another man’s family member but these same people don’t understand that there are multitudes upon millions that are in God’s Family. The Lord basically has three categories of people upon the earth today, the Jew, the Gentile and the Christian. Although there are three groups there is only one family, which is known as the Christian. The Jews historically are known for being the devote servants of God going all the way back through the Old Testament whereas the gentiles are those without God. However, in God’s eyes all men are His creation, so He thinks it is ill-advised to speak harmful words about any person. Look at the words of Jesus when it comes to the role of the New Testament believer in Matthew 5:43-48 KJV.

43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Christians are supposed to love others, even as Christ loved us. The Love of God was not based upon our good deeds or our perfect representation of our Heavenly Father. No, God loved us even when we were dead in our sins and transgressions against Him. The Lord delighted in us simply because He chose to and we must be the same way. We must purpose to speak well concerning all those in authority over this land because we love them. Yes, when they say or do things contrary to the Word of God we still believe for God to help them see the errors of their ways because we walk by faith and not by sight. We do not wrestle with flesh and blood as the unbelievers think. No, we wrestle with principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places (the Heavens) according to Ephesians 6:12. Since that is indeed the case we must choose our words wisely. Speaking evil of another could harm the person we are speaking of in damaging their reputation and it could also hurt us when it comes to pleasing our Heavenly Father God. This is no small matter when millions are speaking evil of the President of this blessed nation of the United States of America and also speaking evil of many others in positions of authority here in this nation. We boast that we are united in America but it is obvious to all people that we are not united (but rather divided) in love, words and deeds. Since we cannot expect all men to speak the right words of God we can only be accountable for our words before God and men. It is never OK to offer a negative opinion of our leaders to any person you are talking with. If you are speaking outside of God’s Word you are not representing God, but rather the wicked one. Since this could potentially be a challenge for the believer the smart thing to do would be to keep silent on the subject of the views of various politicians before men and speak softly and humbly before God when praying to Him about His promises for those individuals in authority. We (ihlcc) recently heard of a government leader asking God to kill a well-known leader of this land but the individual making this request does not realize what spirit they are of. Remember, when James and John tried a prayer to bring destruction upon people the Lord Jesus Christ rebuked them.

Luke 9:54-56 KJV
54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

This is what is happening today, some religious people think that they can ask God to destroy other people. I remember the words of Jesus when He said, “Some will think that trying to kill a Christian is doing God’s Will” when the wicked are trying to execute judgment. Thank God that no matter what they may purpose to do against the Believer God’s grace and mercy is greater.

John 16:1-3 KJV
1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

We notice that there is no new thing under the sun. Yes, people wanting to kill others simply because they disagree with their convictions is devilish. As the scripture said in verse 3 this type of ungodly behavior will be shown by those that don’t know God. Satan’s remedy for handling problems is to kill and destroy the other person, whereas God’s remedy is to love them and show them His goodness until they can see His path of Light. Remember Romans 2:4 KJV

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Some people are so caught-up on what political party they belong to they lose sight of being a Christian. Christians are supposed to want people to come to God and love others, much like what happened to all of us in being saved from our wicked ways. However, there are many who think they are self-righteous like the Pharisee and have no clue that they themselves are ungodly. They justify themselves before other people in all political parties and forget that God knows the very thoughts of their heart. The truth is, even if you took a firm stand on something good but use strife and hurt others to make your point you are wrong and guilty of sin.

Luke 16:14-15 KJV
14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

The thing that was abominable to God was not the keeping of the law but it is exactly what the Lord stated previously in Proverbs 6:16-19 which is the proudness of man, a lying tongue, a heart that devises wicked imaginations, feet running to cause mischief (which could be considered posting or spreading gossip), being a false witness (which is those speaking outside of truth) and all those who sow discord among men. Yes, even if those in the media don’t know any better we must be better as Christians in the earth. The Holy Bible didn’t mention to honor our leaders if we agree with those in authority over us, it simply commands us to submit to them for our well-being and peace. If you truly understand submission you will know that it is not agreement. It is very easy to agree with a person who thinks exactly like you think but that is not submission. Yes, godly submission is when you disagree with the individual you are listening to but decide to submit to their will over yours as unto the Lord Jesus and our Heavenly Father. This is done for the sake of peace, harmony and unity that we may life a peaceful life while we are upon this earth. If you always want everything to go your way you are selfish and a very immature Christian in Christ. Those who seek their own will are but babies in Christ and in need of growth through properly loving others and submitting to God’s Word which tells us to seek to please others over ourselves.

Romans 15:1-3 KJV
1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

Seeking to please the will of others is a test in maturity and that is precisely why so many Christians fail this test. Notice in verse 1 only the strong can handle the problems of the weak which basically means if you cannot submit unto the leaders of this land, you my faith friend, are weak. The best medicine for a weaker Christian to take is submission to another by not having your own way. The baby grows with time and discipline by learning not to cry each time they don’t get their own way. The scriptures tells us to submit to those in authority over this land because they are God’s messengers for our good, not just our own good only but the whole welfare of the nation. You may have to believe this by faith in God’s Promise to bless your nation but believing anything less is being carnal minded which causes contention.

Romans 13:1-4 KJV
1 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.
2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

The Lord is very much involved with the affairs of men upon the earth, so never think that God is for hire. You definitely cannot pray for God to do your will in executing judgment upon someone you are unhappy with, no the Lord does His Will and that is the only will we should be praying (and saying) upon the earth. The Lord has a will for all men upon the earth and He also has a specific will for man as a whole in the earth. The Lord God will take care of His people, yes that means you and me. Yes, we (ihlcc) thank God for a godly president and we pray that the Lord will enlighten the eyes (minds) of all those in authority over this nation to bring light into a world of darkness. Yes, sometimes we do see things coming out of our government that are not good for the common man living in the earth but instead of being frustrated we simply praise God for turning what the devil meant for bad into something good. The Lord is so incredible that He can keep working His good pleasure in the middle of a chaotic situation. We as people with limited vision (unable to see deep into the future) are in no position to render a judgment upon any person because the person you curse today could very well be your brother or sister tomorrow. It is our recommendation that you continue to speak well of those in authority, even when they do things unbecoming of Christ, because walking by faith pleases our Heavenly Father and when we place our faith in the Awesome Name of Jesus we will see the glory of God in the land of the living. So be patient with people this year and never enter into the negative talk about a politician here in America because the Lord still loves people all over this world, including the United States of America. If He can love everyone unconditionally we should be able to also love unconditionally all those in authority over this land. We believe that politics should never influence the Church of Christ and its leaders to do what is popular for today but rather the Church of Christ should influence all politicians to do what is right in the sight of God and man upon the earth. “Election Years” will come and go but the Word of the Lord endures forever. We (ihlcc) love You Father God and all Your People here on the earth and may you help us to love one another just like You love us in Jesus Name. Amen.

In His Love, Eric & Angela Foster

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