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I tOld me so

10/8/2016

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This election season has been much different than many others. Like you most likely feel, I will be glad when it is OVER! The two major party candidates, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, are much worse and unpopular candidates than are normally offered to us every four years. I am not a big fan of most politicians, but even less so of these. Consider that Hillary Clinton was the one who aided and abetted her husband's many infidelities, has made millions from corrupt foreign governments, was called careless and reckless regarding her destroyed emails, and is condescendingly dismissive of those who disagree with her. I would say that she was the worst political candidate ever if there was not another contender who has arrived to take the prize. Donald Trump is vulgar and rude, has a long personal history of dishonest and crooked dealings, has blasphemed the Bible and the Christianity that he claims, and just yesterday was revealed to have bragged about some of the most disgusting behavior possible.

Somewhere around the third Republican debate, it occurred to me that I could not in good conscience support Donald Trump for the presidency. I typically vote for the Republican candidate because I strongly believe in the sanctity of the life of the unborn, in traditional Bible values regarding the family, and in limited government. Donald Trump, until recently, did not hold to any of these values. He currently states that he opposes abortion, but he still supports Planned Parenthood (the biggest abortion provider in the country). When I came to this realization, it became clear to me that it would be an immensely unpopular position. When Trump won the nomination, I made clear that I could not vote for him. Among my social media friends, this is by far the most controversial thing I have ever done. I have lost friends over it. I have been called self-righteous, ignorant, petty, cowardly, and hypocritical by various people. I have also had several men I greatly respect tell me that I was wrong and should reconsider. The three basic arguments are these - we must vote for the lesser of two evils, we have to stop Hillary at all costs, and we will lose our country if the liberals take over the Supreme Court. I care deeply about each of these issues. Our Supreme Court has been out of control for several generations, increasing their power at the expense of the separation of powers. Hillary Clinton is also an evil woman who believes the unborn have no rights at all and that Christians should not have the right to speak against it or gay marriage. I certainly do not believe that any politician will ever be perfect, and realize that we are not electing a pastor. Though I was adamant about my decision, circumstances of late have caused me to reconsider my position - until today.

Today, I realized that there is a much greater danger to our country than either of these two candidates. Consider a few passages from God's Word. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty (II Corinthians‬ ‭6:14-18‬)." And then, “Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret (Ephesians‬ ‭5:10-12).” The Bible tells us that one of the main reasons that we should not enter into an alliance with the wicked is that it will ruin our ability to be an effective witness for Christ. If I am endorsing and supporting a candidate that is evil, I am jeopardizing my effectiveness for Christ. Today, I guarantee you that principled, Christian leaders will be asked to comment on these horrible remarks of Donald Trump. I also guarantee you that some of them will say they are inexcusable and then proceed to excuse them. This is the same conduct that for years has mystified me about some of my liberal Christian friends. They say that they love God and then proceed to support a candidate that stands for abortion and mocks the Bible because they agree with their policy positions. This practice is called moral relativism, and it is the greatest danger in this election season. Here is a good definition of moral relativism -"Moral Relativism (or Ethical Relativism) is the position that moral or ethical propositions do not reflect objective and/or universal moral truths, but instead make claims relative to social, cultural, historical or personal circumstances." Thus the moral relativist can claim that they are a Christian, but then deny even the basic truths of God's Word. This is the great problem in our society, and it is getting worse. It has even creeped into our churches to the point where we try to justify our sin by making what God calls wrong a matter of personal preference.

When you go into the voting booth, as I have done for nearly every single election since I was eighteen, they will not ask you to vote for a party platform or to state who is the worst candidate. They will ask you to cast your vote FOR a candidate. No Christian should be for someone who believes in killing babies, who supports same sex marriage, who is a proven and unrepentant liar, or who mocks the Word of God. We should never be for what God is against. If an evil person will be President, let them attain that office without the votes or support of God-fearing Christians. Let the name of God not even come close to being associated with such a mess. Consider the example of Lot. Lot was a righteous man, but he practiced the idea of moral relativism. He chose the lesser of two evils when he offerd his two virgin daughters to the wicked men of the city instead of giving them the angels who were his guests. He again voted for what he thought was the lesser evil when he requested to go to Zoar instead of going to the mountains as God had said. What was the result? He lost at least two married daughters, their husbands, and any grandkids he may have had in Sodom. He lost his wife along the escape route. And his two younger daughters made their own morally relative choice when they decided that being childless was worse than being pregnant with their father's baby. Lot was a righteous man, but his wife and daughters were not. His grandchildren later grew up to be the enemies of God and His people. Lot did what was expedient, and lost his testimony. Don't sacrifice your testimony on the altar of politics. Make sure that your testimony is not tainted by the stench of these candidates, because you will need it. Regardless of who wins, we are in serious trouble as a nation and are seeing God's judgment begin to manifest. If we must escape to the mountains, let us do so with our testimonies intact. I will vote in November, but I will not vote for either of these evil major party candidates. I thought about voting for Trump because of expediency, and then the news of yesterday reminded me of why I cannot. I had to tell myself, "I told me so." And now, I have told you too. Maranatha.

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    I am saved by the grace of God - and loving it.  I trusted Christ in my heart as a fifteen year old boy, and have been preaching since childhood.  God has blessed me with a sweet wife and two beautiful little girls. 

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