Not on Our Watch!

Yesterday, our pastor (Eric Jaffe) preached an awesome message entitled, “A Call to Fall” and it challenged me big time! I’ve always struggled with the balance between proclaiming Christ and being politically involved. I never want any other message I share to be louder than His. It’s not a conviction of what’s right or wrong for anyone else, but it’s been a personal struggle for me.

But, yesterday, Eric made a statement that perhaps “our passivity is one of our greatest sins.” Could that be true? Has our passivity become one of our worst sins? Are we watching our Christian heritage be cleverly replaced with secular humanism while we stand by and merely complain about how terrible it is? Are we hiding behind our Christianity while we make excuses for our lack of involvement?

For years I’ve heard that Christians really shouldn’t get involved in politics. Really? Is that true? Is that Biblical?

Because, when I look at Scripture, I see men and women of God strongly involved in various roles in the local and national governments. In fact, God called His chosen people a “nation” birthed by Abraham’s faith and sustained by God’s sovereign hand over the leaders and governmental officials he placed in charge.

Here are a few biblical examples of godly governmental leaders:

Joseph – Slave who became 2nd in command of the nation & wisely led the country through years of famine
Deborah – She judged Israel and led Barak to believe God for the victory He had already promised in a war Barak was afraid to wage.
David– King, military leader, soldier. Yet, no one told him, “No way, you can’t be a king – you’re a believer!”
Solomon – David’s son. King. Wisest human being to ever live
Hezekiah – King who served God and did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord
Mordecai – Blue collar worker who became legislator

The list could go on and on, but you get the idea. Romans 13:1 says, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” It goes on to say in verse 4, “For he is God’s minister to you for good.”

God places people over us. Some of them good, some of them, not-so-much. We are blessed with godly leaders when God’s people chose God’s ways and seek to live out God’s principles in a way that declares that nation is fully God’s. (“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” Pslam 33:12)

What if George Washington said, “There is no way I’m going to run for office. That would send a confusing message to those who know I’m a Christian.”

Did you know that George Washington said:
“The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man, will endeavor so to live, and act, as becomes a Christian soldier defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country.”

Did you know that John Adams made the following statements:
“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion…Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”

“The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”

“We recognize no sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!”

What about Thomas Jefferson? Did you know he said:
“The reason that Christianity is the best friend of government is because Christianity is the only religion that changes the heart.”

“Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.”

And look at this surprisingly relevant quote by Abraham Lincoln:
“We have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.”

Today, we live in a culture that is bent on rewriting history. They are feverishly working to warp the minds of our children and erase the reality of our Christian heritage. Are we really going to sit by and do nothing? Is it possible for us to use our Christianity as an excuse for our passivity and let the next generation find themselves in the grip of a completely controlling and anti-Christian government? Will the next generation know that the words “the separation of church and state” are not even in the Constitution?

Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty tired of sitting back and complaining about that which I’ve done little to change. I can’t let our children fall prey to a humanistic, socialistic mind-set that is pervading our society. As Pastor Eric so clearly said, “Not on my watch!” Not if we have anything to do with it. My voice may be small…but if I don’t use it, it’s silent. My vote may be one…but if I don’t exercise my right to vote, I have nothing to say about the direction our country is taking.

If you’re still not stirred to get busy and be involved, read what the pilgrims wrote when they landed at Plymouth Rock. Their vision for the establishment of a new land is undeniably Christian. Here are the words of the Mayflower Compact.

“In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc. Having undertaken, for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the First Colony in the Northern Parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, Covenant and Combine ourselves together into a Civil Body Politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod, the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France and Ireland the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini 1620”

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

We are a Christian nation, founded on Christian principles, established by men who called themselves Christians and expected us to conduct our rules of order as such. We can not sit idly by while the voice of the minority dictate the establishment of laws that will greatly impact our freedoms and rewrite our heritage. Not on our watch…not on our watch!

O.K., so I’ve done it. I’ve let my political cat out of the bag. For those of you who are used to seeing devotions on my page, I just had to speak up and encourage you to not allow your children to be lost to those who are trying to erase our Christian heritage. Much like Joshua did when he crossed the Jordan, our forefathers left stones of remembrance with every bill they wrote, every declaration they made and every battle they fought. We should honor them with the courage to stand up for what they fought so hard to establish.

If you’d like more information about our Godly Heritage, you can find a plethora of truths about our historical heritage at WallBuilders.

Today, I’m asking you…what are you going to do this year to stand up for our Christian heritage of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

Do you struggle with the balance between politics and religion?

Maybe you’re already involved and have some advice for those who want to be. Please share your story with us.

I’d love to share part of my day with you. You can click here to subscribe and join me for a journey that may look much lie your own.

6 Comments

  1. Woo-hoo, Stephanie! You go girl! What an awesome post! Excellent! Thank you so much for this. Blessings to you!

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  3. Amen,Sister! I have had much the same thoughts, and have been pondering about what it means to “contend for the faith”. Thanks so much for your well written post! I pray that we will not be the generation that is content to keep our heads in the sand while our Christian heritage is at stake!

  4. Hi Lynn,
    I have to say, I really was aggravated at myself as I wrote this. I vote, yeah. But that's about all I do. I remember a time when I wanted to really get involved and make a difference in our government. So much so that I contemplated running for office. But now a vote and a smile is all I can credit myself for.

    Our pastor is running for one of the local school boards and I'm going to begin by helping him in that election.

    I just know it's time for this little girl to get involved.

    And…thanks for popping in. You have no idea how much you have blessed my life!

  5. Hi Dona,
    Thanks for popping in. You're so right…our Christian heritage is at stake…and so is the next generation. I pray we will all get involved and start making a difference.

    I hope you'll come back and visit!

  6. Oh Bless you Stephanie!

    I can totally relate to what you're saying. As fulltime international missionary evangelists, my husband Jon and I have always been cautious about putting any focus on political issues . . . although we both have always had strong opinions and convictions (and if anyone asked for our opinions, we were always open to share them privately). We have always voted, and we've always shared our convictions with our children (several who are now grown voting adults including one who is a 1st lieutenant USMC officer and sniper platoon commander). We've also been involved in many community patriotic events, and have used this open-air platform to share the Gospel and God's true FREEDOM in Christ (along with a love for our nation — and for other nations and people — with a deep respect for the cost of freedom).

    It's sometimes a fine line. My calling is missions and sharing JESUS; yet I am so appreciative when someone feels a calling and direction of the Lord, as a Christian, to be involved in governmental leadership. We need more godly men and women of conviction and wisdom to lead and with humility and honor, to serve our nation.

    GOD BLESS AMERICA

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