I Don't Vote, and I'm Not Ashamed to Say It
Well I guess now is as good of a time as any to write this post. With Cruz dropping out of the race, things are getting heated and I may as well capitalize on all the passion while I can. Because, you know, I love it when people call me a nutjob, or a traitor, or any other variety of names I often hear when I express a minority opinion. It's so much fun to watch people who I thought were friends walk away because they can't handle listening to me anymore. Because people like it when you're nice and accommodating. But the second you have a hard and firm point of view that threatens their reality, you're shunned from even your closest friends.
I'm not complaining though. I tend to like to weed 'em out early on to save all the drama later. But sometimes you even manage to weed out those who you thought would never be weeded out. That's how it is though when you have a passion for the truth and an even bigger passion for speaking it, come what may. So here I am, I'm about to speak another very unpopular truth. How do I know it's truth and not opinion? Because every minority opinion I have, usually, I start out with the polar opposite belief. I started out my journey with Christ believing anything a more mature Christian told me, and I would defend those beliefs with all the same arguments that I'd been taught. But then something happened.
I started studying my Bible.
And when I started doing that, I found that a whole lot of what I'd been taught did not line up with the Bible. And so now, come what may, no matter who it offends or drives off, I do my very best to align my opinions with what I read in the Word of God. I chew on these thoughts obsessively in prayer and I study until I believe I've come to the most Biblical outcome of a matter and then I aggressively speak the things I've learned until a time in which God chooses to correct me, by whatever means He chooses to do so.
And so that brings me to my current opinion. My opinion on politics and voting. As I mentioned above, there was a day when I vehemently defended the polar opposite view than the one I currently hold. I was so involved in politics that I was Rick Santorum's grassroots coordinator for the state of Colorado in 2011/2012, and I put great effort and expense into building a grassroots organization called Conservative Call to Action (which ended up failing miserably). I was once obsessed with the founding fathers, especially Thomas Jefferson. I loved good ole "TJ" so much that, while living in Woodbridge, VA, I would travel two hours every other Monday just to volunteer at his home, the Monticello. And I did that for the sole purpose of being near his home. I only stopped volunteering there when I realized the people entrusted to Jefferson's legacy actively told lies about him in his own home. (Which, now that my point of view has changed, who knows what the truth of the matter really is.) I believed, much like everyone else, that it is our civic duty to vote, even if your guy isn't on the ballet. (However, I never believed in voting for the "lesser of the two evils". That's what they make write-in slots for.)
So, you see, I was all in for active participation in local, state, and national politics; though I can't say I was the best at keeping up with the first two categories. I wanted so badly to make a name for myself in politics, and I put my family into great debt in the pursuit of that dream. I find it not in the least bit coincidental that it was during this time that Christ moved in my life and finally called me back to Him. And what a whirlwind it's been since then! But this post isn't about the whirlwind, it's about my 180 degree turn from my views on politics. Because now, I couldn't be any further from my original mindset. Now, I am convinced that Christians have no business in voting and that a nation that is set up to allow the general population to choose its leaders is a nation already in disobedience to God.
Yep, I said it. I said the terrible awful. I said I don't believe in democracy, or republics, and I don't believe in voting. Now, when you recover from the shock of that, read on so I can tell you why.
It all started with a thought. I seed of a thought that just kept on growing. And that thought was, if republics or democracies (or whatever, I'll save the lesson for what kind of a society we are for another time) are so great, why don't we see an example of them in God's Word? God's plan for a governmental system was a theocracy; the judges. And when men rejected God's governmental plan, even though He fully warned them of the detrimental consequences of doing so, they chose a monarchy; and God never corrected them or led them into anything else. Oh sure, there were examples of what we have come to know as republics in Greece and neighboring societies, but their governmental systems were not highlighted much in the Bible and surely none can think that those societies were God-honoring. We know how they all turned out.
Then that first thought led me to consider how it is that someone becomes president in our nation. Think of all the self-promotion that person will have to do. All the deals they will have to make, all the debt they will have to incur if they are not well-funded and all the money that is wasted on running around the nation...promoting themselves...if they are well-funded. Is self-promotion a Biblical principle?
And I thought about how voting makes people feel as if they're in control of the fate of the nation. And how if someone chooses not to vote, they are chided as unpatriotic or apathetic to that fate. Are people really in control of the nation? Are we really supposed to be relying on ourselves for our futures or are we supposed to be relying on God? When someone like myself talks about voting on my knees rather than at the ballot box, I am met with attitudes that only confirm to me that people don't really believe that prayer is all that powerful. In fact, the vote is presented as more powerful than prayer. Either that or I hear an argument that says if I think I should pray instead of vote, then why don't I pray instead of work, or instead of taking my children to the doctor, or any number of other things that I need to do in addition to prayer. The Bible implores us to work. In fact, it says that a man who will not work should not eat. The Bible gives us advice on things to do for some physical ailments. But lo and behold, I don't find one single thing in the Bible that advises us on how to vote for our leaders, but we are supposed to pray for them. (1 Timothy 2)
Now, some will use Acts 6 to try to squeeze the voting ideology into the Bible. And while what we see in Acts 6 does vaguely remind us of our voting system, there are some stark differences that must be noted. First, this example is a church example, not a government example. And if we're going to turn a church example into a governmental example, then I must demand that the same guidelines are followed. The scriptures read:
Acts 6:3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
In the verses above, scripture indicates that "the multitude of disciples" must choose "men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom". So the people doing the choosing must be disciples of Christ and they must choose none other than other disciples of Christ. Men who are filled with the Holy Ghost (saved) and of honest report. Are any men who spend two entire years spending fist loads of cash to promote themselves really able to be called honest men of good report? By design, the fact that they are even trying to promote themselves so others will choose them for leadership makes the "good report" requirement very unlikely. Next, in the Acts 6 example, are we given any information that men among the congregation were vying for the position? There is no mention of a "campaign" to become deacons. The men were chosen solely on their already-established reputations, and nothing else. Once the men were chosen, they were set before the leaders who prayed over them and laid their hands on them and then they became deacons.
Because the people followed the instructions to choose born-again saints who already had a good reputation, and who did not seek out the position or engage in prideful and vain ways to promote their reputations in the eyes of men, God blessed the congregation and increased it. Finally, the scriptures conclude the story with reminding us of the obedience exhibited by the whole congregation, to include new converts (the priests).
Does our current political system even remotely resemble this example? No, it does not. Not even close. Our current system only promotes pride, vanity, and disobedience. Look how it divides us. Did the event in Acts 6 divide that congregation? Did they argue and insult one another in the choosing of their deacons? If they did, it was not recorded. But our system turns friend against friend and enemies become more dedicated enemies. Satan has done a brilliant job of using our desire for freedom against us. But the sad part is, the Christian is already free! But apparently that freedom found in Christ is not good enough, we must be free of the bonds of men as well. And to ensure this, we demand control over the system; we want to feel like we're making a difference and helping the generations. As though God has not already said that He is the one who chooses our leaders! (Daniel 2:21) And never mind that God tells us plainly what it is we need to do to heal our nation. Is it voting for the most conservative guy? In fact, no. It is not. To see our nation healed we must humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Humble ourselves: We must accept that our votes aren't what changes things in our nation, but only our faithful prayers to a God who sets up and tears down kings.
Pray: Every. Single. Day. Without fail. And multiple times throughout the day. God hears everything we think, why not just give all our thoughts to Him?
Seek His face: We must stop longing for entertainment through our evil television sets or movie theaters and we must stop looking for more ways to make money or go on that next trip. We must seek Him first and foremost. We must be willing to be poor for God. Not that He will necessarily demand our poverty, but we must be willing to live there if He so chooses. And we can't demonstrate our willingness to do that if we're not seeking His will in all things and obeying His Word even when it hurts.
Turn from our wicked ways: The biggest problem with Christians is they have stopped being able to recognize what wickedness even is. Nearly no one is able to recognize the spiritual battle for our souls being waged at literally every single facet of our lives. We have become blind to all but the most blatant wickedness and therefore we cannot expect to ever be able to fulfill this command as a nation.
So, while we're so ferociously defending our right to vote, we're completely ignoring the very things that God, Himself, said were what we needed to do as a nation in order to be healed. And yet we somehow expect to have a revival in this nation? Where on earth is it going to come from?
As a final note, I no longer have any respect at all for our founding fathers. Look what they've done to our nation by giving us this voting system. But it's not even that about them that drains me of my respect, as I could easily chalk that up to mere human fallibility. No. I lost my respect for my founders when I started to research freemasonry. Nearly all of our more notable founders, whether they were "preachers and clergy" or not, were also freemasons. If you don't understand freemasonry, I think it's high time you start researching it. It'll curdle your blood and chill you right to the bone. I'll just say this, it is no more possible for a person to be a Christian and a freemason than it is for a person to be a Satanist and a Christian. You can argue against that truth all you want to, but there is no denying that Christ does not support secret societies. Christ is a God of light and truth, not secrets and darkness. Therefore, anything done in secret is done to deceive. Satan is the master of deception, not the Most High God. I cannot revere freemasons.
As a disclaimer, I know that there are many freemasons, in the lower ranks, that are either unaware or in denial of the ideologies of the freemasons; their own brethren. They are told lies until they get high enough in the society to be trusted with the truth. In this age of information, I cannot fathom how anyone could be so blind to the truth, yet many are. But our founders were no mere initiates. They were all deep into freemasonry. They knew the evil of their craft and yet they stayed in it. There is no respect to be found in me for men like that.
So what is the alternative? If we aren't to vote, how will our leaders be chosen? Until we're prepared to follow 2 Chronicles 7:14 to its fullest, I think any brainstorm sessions on how to fix our system is premature. Let's turn to Him first, let's seek His face first. And if we, as a nation, can choose obedience over self-reliance, maybe then God will show us the way.
Do you know, if you were to die today, whether or not you'll go to be with Christ after you die? Are you 100% and completely assured of your salvation? If not, please take the time to read this salvation message today. There is nothing more important than giving your life to Christ and securing your place in eternity. I pray the Holy Spirit leads you to a personal relationship with Christ today, and I pray that you follow where the Holy Spirit leads you.
#Voting #TedCruz #DonaldTrump #HillaryClinton #BernieSanders #Freemasonry #FoundingFathers
