November 13, 2016

"See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut........" Revelation 3:8

This is God's Word to the Church at Philadelphia one of the seven churches addressed at the beginning of the Book of Revelations. And this was the verse that came to mind when I heard the announcement that the State of Pennsylvania (ironically, despite that Philadelphia) had gone to Donald Trump and moved him past the required 270 electoral votes.

With the Trump-Pence Administration taking charge of the nation it is possible that God is giving us an open door of opportunity to continue worshiping and serving without fear of government restriction or interference. Let's hope so. Let's not assume anything. Who knows whether he will deliver on his promises.

So how should we walk through this open door?

Seek God passionately!

Make sure you spend quality time with Him in prayer and in His Word. Do as much listening to Him as you do speaking to Him. Listen until you know you've heard His voice and speak until you're confident He has heard yours. Remember His teaching - pray sincerely, pray secretly and pray securely.

When you worship, fully enter in. Give Him honor and glory.

Serve God purposefully!

Live as though you are on a mission each day because you are! Look for divine appointments each day and capitalize on them. Leverage friendships to love others to life. Practice I AM 3rd living every day.

Share God's priorities!

Live for what God loves the most! Give Him your time, your talents and the tithe!

Investing time with Him, investing time in your marriage, investing time in your children and invest in being the best employee you can be at work. Be fully involved in every moment every day for Jesus.

Use the talents He has given you at your job, in your church and around your community.

Give your tithe generously and joyfully and watch how He blesses you!

It appears God has graciously given us an open door! That is huge for this season of our lives and in the life of FredWes. 

We don't know if the Church at Philadelphia seized their opportunity or not. But God help us to march through the open door!

November 12, 2016

"Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness?" II Corinthians 6:14

A few days after the surprising election result I find it even more amazing rather than less exciting!

God heard the prayers of His people.

That should encourage you to continue calling upon God for righteousness and justice to return to our land.

Liberalism was utterly and completely repudiated by the results of this election. In fact, they have been in the past several elections both Presidential and Congressional. But many Americans, seeing this as perhaps their final opportunity, delivered their message loudly and clearly.

Now, typically, Liberals who totally missed the fact that they were repudiated are trying to strike a conciliatory tone. "Let's unite!" "Let's just get along."


I wish that was possible. I am willing to do whatever I can to help bring a more civil and congenial tone to our culture. In fact, I do.

Liberals do this every time they are voted out of power. Rather than receive the rebuke from the people and learn, they vent their resentment toward the people and then seek to sabotage the success of their opposition by demeaning the one elected and discrediting those who elected him. Then, they audaciously insist that the party just elected to power is obligated to unite with them. If you don't agree to adopt their viewpoint then you are accused of being a tyrant or a bully.

You saw this begin on the day after the election, as soon as they were able to absorb the reality of their defeat. But that is not how the world works, is it? There is an ancient saying, "To the victor goes the spoils." Like it or not, that is how the world operates. Who defeats an enemy and then turns around and waves the white flag of defeat? But that is what the Democrats are insisting we do.

The Republican and conservative voters didn't go to the polls to encourage their candidates to "just get along" with the Democrats that they defeated. Donald Trump and Mike Pence and others elected down the ballot were elected primarily because they wanted the lawless policies of Obama and Hillary to be repudiated and defeated.

Unfortunately, our two major parties have drifted so far apart there is little common ground. How can you unite when there is no common ground, which is exactly the point the Apostle Paul is making in this verse. Light does not unite with darkness it defeats it. Where there is darkness there is no light and when the light shines it dispels all darkness.

I am inviting you to pray that President-Elect Trump and his transition team will have the wisdom, discernment and courage to be true to the mandate given them by the American people and undo as much of the liberal damage that has been inflicted on us as they can in the next four years.

I am inviting you to pray this new administration will be led by the light of God's truth to overcome the powers of darkness.

We do not need compromise with darkness we need to conquer it with the light of truth.

Veteran's Day

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

I'm old enough to remember when we got the day off for Veteran's Day. Of course, that was back when people were proud to be Americans and those who served in defense of their nation in one of the branches of the military were honored.

As for me and my house, we say, "Thank you veterans who put your life on hold and on the line to defend the freedom of the greatest nation to ever grace Planet Earth!"

I want to honor those from FredWes who served their nation with military service. At the risk of forgetting someone I want to personally thank Bob Heath, Chuck Baxter, Dale Taylor, Don Price, Mark Taylor, Matt Smith, Phil Otis and Sean McEntee for serving America!

God bless you!

In addition to the appreciation from your Pastor and the FredWes family I believe voters in American on Tuesday took a stand for you as well. Their ballot was, among other things, a statement of support for a strong military, respect for those serving and better care for the veterans who have served.

I'm thankful for a new administration who understands that you build a strong well-armed military in hopes that you never have to use it. You deploy your military across the globe strategically so that if you ever have to go to battle you fight over there and not here.

The past eight years serve as evidence of what happens when the U.S. vacillates in its commitment to a strong, well-trained and well-equipped military that  stands ready to defend the national interest of the United States. Because we had an administration who believed a small and weaker force who assure a more peaceful world we now need a larger and much stronger military force.

War is an unfortunate reality in a fallen world. It is a terrible, brutal, and devastating event that kills people and destroys stuff. Those who have actually fought in combat and know the horrors of battle are the ones who realize the need to do everything possible to build a military so powerful it will serve as a deterrent to aggressors and avoid conflicts.

Pray that with the rise of a more patriot and pro-military administration we will make our depleted Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corp great again.

God bless our veterans and God bless America!

November 10, 2016

"If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking. But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm." James 1:5-6

The People of God came out by the thousands to pray and call on Him leading up to the Presidential election yesterday. I was among a crowd of over 10,000 who gathered on the steps of the State Capitol in Richmond to join Franklin Graham to pray for America and the Presidential Election. It was a memorable few hours that were deeply inspiring!

I also prayed online with Dr. Graham on Election Night Eve. During that online prayer meeting 150,000 joined together to seek God's will when the voting began the next morning. 

All across the Commonwealth and around the nation I know there were millions of people interceding for the election. So, it seems logical to assume the election of Donald Trump was God's answer to those prayers. If that is true as I suspect it is, the God's will was done.

Now that God's will has been revealed what are we to do? 

I suggest that since we know God's will we should pray for God's wisdom. 

We need to pray for God's wisdom for President Trump.

We need to pray for God's wisdom as he chooses his cabinet and advisers.

We need to pray for God's wisdom for Trump as he formulates his plans and policies.

We need to pray for God's wisdom as he begins meeting with Foreign Leaders from around the world.

You need wisdom. I need wisdom. Donald Trump needs wisdom to make good decisions during these days of transition for our new President. God promises to give the wisdom needed when we need it and give it liberally.

Pray for God's will and once you know His will begin to pray that He will give you His wisdom!

A Sobering Reminder

"And so, each of us must give an account to God for what we do." Romans 14:12

Well, praise God!

The people of America have spoken, especially the people of God. Evangelicals streamed to the polls in record numbers to hold Mrs. Clinton accountable for her illegal activities, her lies and her record of incompetence as a government official.

Whether she ever faces the full legal consequences of her massive corruption remains to be seen but at least she was not awarded the position of power she so greatly coveted.

The outcome of the election was much less certain when I originally wrote this post. I awoke to a much different reality that the one I feared as I posted these paragraphs. 

Because what I originally wrote is true and because it will remind us of what God has graciously spared us from, I will still publish what I wrote just prior to midnight.

As I record these thoughts the election results are still to be determined but the odds still favor Hillary Clinton even though Donald Trump currently leads with electoral votes.

If she is elected she will take office as the most corrupt and lawless person to ever assume the Presidency. Make no mistake, there have been some shady characters who occupied the White House (present occupant included) but none has been elected while being investigated by the FBI.

Should America elect Mrs. Clinton it will send a devastating and disgusting message to our Nation. 

First, she will be emboldened by the reality that rather than the American people holding her accountable for her crimes against America they have condoned it with their votes!

What do you think a lawless person will do when given the highest and most powerful position in the world? If she hasn't been held accountable before, who will call her to account then?

Second, will electing her send a chilling message that American people don't care about lawlessness? Or, does it imply they refuse to hold her accountable because they don't want to be held accountable? Either message would be very disheartening.

Third, her election will assure deeper and wider spread of corruption throughout the hallowed halls of our government, our courts, our justice department and our defense and intelligence agencies. In other words those institutions that have traditionally been responsible checks on lawlessness will themselves become unaccountable.

Finally, once elected I can imagine her launching aggressive actions against those few remaining institutions that still value accountability. Chief among those is the Church. The current administration has already bedeviled the Catholic Church and based on some of Hillary's previous remarks we can assume she will intensify those assaults on the Catholic Church and Christianity en mass.

But make no mistake. She IS accountable and will be called to account by a Holy God on the Day of Judgment. She may have her day and realize her life-long ambition at the pinnacle of power, but in so doing she will continue to run up her account before God.

Pray for our new President, Donald J. Trump! Now that he has been entrusted with the highest office in the land, God will hold him to account for how he governs and wields the power that the majority of Americans has placed in his hands.

Also be assured, you are accountable to God as well! 

November 8, 2016

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10

Those who have not yet cast their vote will do so today. It is Election Day in America!

 Like you, after voting I will be tuned into the radio, internet and TV all day receiving updates on the voting trends and tallies. Perhaps by late in the night or in the morning hours of Wednesday we will know who the 45th President of the United States will be.

As usual, American voters will decide between two candidates who each claim their vision for America's future will make life better for the American people. Each voter will decide if he prefers more government, higher taxes, and less freedom or smaller government, lower tax rates and more individual freedom. And, in addition, he must decide which candidate is more believable and most capable of delivering on his promises.

Well, I have formed my opinion and have made my decision how I will cast my ballot. I feel good about my choice.

I hope my candidate wins. But regardless of the outcome of the election, I am confident about my life and my future! My confidence is not grounded in what a Hillary Clinton Presidency would do or what a President Trump might do, my confidence rests on what Jesus already HAS done!

Jesus, the Son of God, born of a virgin and the Word become flesh came promising a better life to those who would believe in Him. And not just a better life but an ABUNDANT life - a life that is fulfilling and forever - the life of faith!

As an American and someone who takes citizenship seriously, I will rest my hopes on a candidate I believe will be most likely to improve life in America. But I will rest my faith in Jesus for this current life and in the life to come!

November 7, 2016

"May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10

As believers with dual-citizenship in heaven and on earth, we have a sacred duty to represent heaven's values in our earthly culture.

One of the ways you can do that is by participating in the National Presidential election tomorrow!

Vote!

Vote vote!

Vote vote vote!

Vote vote vote vote!

Vote vote vote vote vote!

Vote vote vote vote vote vote!

Vote vote vote vote vote vote vote!

Vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote!

Vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote!

Vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote!

Vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote vote!

And, call several other friends and family and invite them to vote as well!