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 God Governs in the Affairs of MenDonald Trump was not my first choice for president – I was my first choice. But as we know, Trump not only received far more votes than any Republican In the history of the primaries – more than Ronald Reagan, the Bushes, John McCain, and Mitt Rommney – on November 8, 2016, he went on to win one of the most unprecedented presidential elections our country has ever experienced. Every prediction about the 2016 race was wrong. Those of us who brought years of experience and effective governing to the race found voters were not interested. They blamed everyone from Washington for the mess and even blamed those of us who had never worked in DC. Knowing who to vote for doesn't always come easy for the Christian, and the past election was no different. Many struggled with the fact that Donald Trump's stance on pro-life issues, same-sex marriage, and Israel didn't necessarily come from a deep conviction either politically or biblically. You can think whatever you like about Donald Trump, but there's no denying that he broke the code, owned the media, and ispiried the masses. And when he became the nominee at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, I predicted then and there that he would defeat Hillary Clinton and become the forty-fifth president of the United States. Some wondered how I could get behind a candidate like Trump, but you see, I went into the 2016 race knowing Hillary Clinton better than the other sixteen Republican candidates. I served ten a half years as governor of Arkansas, where the Clintons lived and served. It was the Clintons who left behind the government I inherited. I left the 2016 race still knowing her better, but also knowing the other GOP candidates, including Donald Trump, I was – am still – convinced that Donald Trump is our best hope of turning the tide of the insider political nonsense that has left people seething and that would have continued if Hillary Clinton had won the election. Since his election I'm encouraged by the way President Trump has surrounded himself with a number of evangelical Christians, starting with Vice President Mike Pence, and genuinely desires their counsel. I believe his continued openness to input from Christian leaders shows that he wasn't only pandering for votes but that he truly understands and welcomes godly advice and he sees the value of prayer. Trump once, said, “Imagine what a country could accomplish if we started working together as one people, under God, saluting one flag.” (1) I believe that is still his dream, and he intends to see it through as he leads our country from the Oval Ofice. In this book, “God and Donald Trump”, Stephen Strang gives us an insightful look back at the events that unfolded during Donald Trump's election. Over the years I've gotten to know Steve and the passion he has in his heart to impact our culture through his faith and to see biblical values restored in our society. From Steve's unique vantage point at the forefront of Christian media for the past four decades, he is able to pull back the curtain and show us inside the minds and hearts of Christian leaders and share with us their journey to support the most unlikely GOP candidate in American history. I believe you'll enjoy reading every word of this book, and as you do, remember to pray for our president. As he undertakes the pressures and responsibilities of governing our nation, he needs the wisdom and strength that can only come from heaven through prayer of a praying people. Remember also to pray for our country. I believe Trump's historic battle for the White House is 2016 metaphorically reminds us tha America too is in historic battle not only for its politcal future but also for its soul. Mike Huckabee Governor of Arkansas From 1996 To 2007 Republican Presidential Candidate In 2008 And 2016 (1) “Full Text: Trump Values Voter Summit Remarks,” POLITICO, September 9, 2016, accessed August 14, 2017, www.politico.com. This forward is from a book just received at my home yesterday. The reason I purchased this book and the reason I am copying and pasting the forward to the book as I begin this thread is because there's is considerable confusion/ misunderstanding/ resentment/ consternation and such yet today as the result of Donald Trump's ascending to the White House. On the other hand there is also considerable relief/ glorious praise to God/ and continued thanksgiving and prayer to God as a result of Donald Trumps ascending to the White House. Stephen Strang wrote this book I believe show that, as Benjamin Franklin said, “God governs in the affairs of men”. We have proof of this in the fact that Donald Trump is now our president. |
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An Answer to Prayer During his distinguished career Aikman interviewed many world figures, from Alexander Solzhenitsyn to Mother Teresa of Calcutta to Billy Graham. As a journalist, Aikman understood the animosity of the members of the media toward Trump, who publicly denounced reporters at almost every opportunity. When his audience erupted in raucous approval, the media who covered those events were seething with disgust. But Trump didn't oppose the press just because most of them backed Clinton, Aikman says. He opposed them because they seemed clueless to “the economic and cultural resentment” of the voters of America. (1) The fact that so many journalists were oblivious about the extent of Trump's support showed that very few of them had spent any time in the so-called flyover zones where Trump had millions of followers. The beltway pundits were blinded by their own wishful thinking about the upcoming election, Aikman says. An op-ed that ran in the NEW YORK TIMES showed how out of touch they were. Robert Leonard, the news director for a couple of Iowa radio stations, wrote that he had a flash of insight – an epiphany, he said – about the media's disconnect when he spoke with Oklahoma's Baptist pastor J. C. Watts, who had served in the US House of Representatives from 1995 – 2003. Listening to Watts, Leonard said, suddenly the lights went on. “The difference between Republicans and Democrats,” Watts told Leonard, “is that Republicans believe people are fundamentally bad, while Democrats see people as fundamentally good.” Watts told Leonard that Democrats believe people are born good, that we create God in our image. God didn't create us; we created Him. But Watts pointed out that young children don't have to be taught how to behave badly: “They are born knowing how to do that,” Watts said. “We are born bad. We teach our children how be be good. We become good by being reborn – born again.” (2) Aikman wrote that “if reporters who covered Trump had realized what a large subterranean Christian prayer movement was undergirding the Trump campaign, even if the reporters themselves did not believe in God or the power of prayer, they might have been less dumbfounded by the actual election results. (3) This tells us, he said, that many Americans who heard Trump saying he wanted to “make America great again” hoped he was also saying that he wanted to make America “morally great again.” (4) For conservative Christians this moral greatness only comes from spiritual revival, something many believers had been praying for. They weren't praying to elect Donald Trump so much as they were praying for a change of direction and a new moral and spiritual awakening. For most voters in the heartland, their concerns had little to do with Obamacare, gun control, or defense spending although most would have an opinion on such matters. RATHER THE MORAL ISSUES AND THE DOWNWARD SPIRITUAL SPIRAL OF THE NATION HAD THEM FIRED UP. (emphasis mine). Supreme Court rulings taking prayer out of school in 1962 (5) and Bible reading out of school in 1963 (6) were just the beginning. Legalized abortions on demand under a Supreme Court's faulty 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade (7) signified a tragedy of even greater magnitude. Removing restrictions on Internet pornography and legalized same-sex marriage after the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling in 2015 (8) were among the reasons conservatives believed they were under attack. AND THAT'S WHY THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION WAS BECOMING A MAJOR ISSUE IN THE ELECTION. (emphasis mine). Mike Bickle, founder of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri, explained his perspective on the election to me, saying, “We prayed God would raise up a righteous voice. We didn't have anyone in mind.” (9) That's because his organization focuses on causing America to wake up. And if is the person who could wake them up turned out to be Donald Trump, Bickle said that would be fine with him. Chuck Pierce, who heads up an apostolic and prophetic ministry in Texas called Glory of Zion International, said much the same thing. Donald Trump, he told me in a recent conversation, is not just a candidate; he is the path to a spiritual remedy for America. “I think you have to look past his unrighteous modes in the past to see how God has righteously chosen him to affect the way that this nation goes forward.” Pierce told me he had PREDICTED IN 2008 THAT “AMERICA MUST LEARN TO PLAY THE TRUMP CARD” (emphasis mine) and explained that's because once you play the trump card, your opponent can't play over it. “It was as if the Lord was saying that He has a plan the opponent can't stop.” (10) (1)Daivd Aikman, “Does Trump Want to Remake America 'Morally'?,” Charisma News, June 29, 2017, accessed August 1, 2017, www.CharismaNews.com. (2) Ibid. (3) Ibid (4) Ibid. (5) Supreme Court of the United States, Engel v. Vitale, June 25, 1062, accessed August 1, 2017, supreme.justia.com. (6) Supreme Court of the United States, School Dist. of Abington Tp. v. Schempp, June 17, 1963, accessed August 1, 2017, supreme.justia.com. (7) Supreme Court of the United States, Roe v. Wade, Justia, January 22, 1973, accessed August 1, 2017, supreme.justia.com. (8) Supreme Court of the United States, Obergefell v. Hodges, Justia, June 26, 2015, accessed August 1, 2017, supreme.justia.com. (9) In communication with author (10) In communication with author From “God and Donald Trump” by Stephen Strang |
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A New Cultural Agenda Nevertheless David Aikman writes that America had a civic religion in those days, a basic Christian morality reinforced by the preaching of evangelists such as Billy Graham, who was greatly admired by all regardless of their political leanings. Trump himself was a product of that era, and although there's not a lot of evidence he had a religious side, it was only much later in life that he became morally libertarian. (11) “The American civil religion was largely eroded,” Aikman said, “after the campus upheavals and the antiwar movement of the 1960s. The entire culture began to experience a shift that introduced new gatekeepers and new world views, in Hollywood, academia, and the media.” (12) Some of those world views, such as Marxism, he said, reemerged after years of unpopularity. But constant pressure from the Left, and the explosion of hedonism and self-gratification in the 1970s and 1980s , escalated the pace of change. “Most of the new cultural paradigm rejected the view of a created world and of a deity who was still interested in human behavior,” Aikman writes. “As of 2017, America has undergone seven decades during which the existence of God and even the very notion that there might be design behind the formation of the universe has been repeatedly mocked or utterly dismissed on college campuses and in public schools. It has been repeatedly ridiculed by Hollywood.” (13) While Donald Trump has never said anything about wanting to change the American culture, HIS ATTACKS ON “POLITICAL CORRECTNESS” AND HIS INSISTENCE ON RESTORING THE FREEDOM TO SAY “MERRY CHRISTMAS” (emphasis mine) endeared him to audiences on his tours. After the election many Christians and other supporters of traditional American values began to think that President Trump might favorable to to any grassroots movements that sought to make America “morally” great once again. (14) Part of Trumps appeal for many voters was that he wasn't Hillary Clinton. “We would have voted for any conservative who could beat Hillary,” Mike Bickle told me after the election. “When it came down to Trump or Hillary, there was no question.” Unfortunately the candidate kept shooting himself in the foot with one outlandish tweet after another. But he was the comeback kid, Bickle said. The more outrageous he was, the more people loved him. And things that would have destroyed other candidates didn't seem to slow him down. (15) As Election Day drew near, Aikman said, it often looked as if Clinton might actually win. The polls certainly suggested she would win. BUT IF SHE DID NOT ONLY WOULD IT BE A CONTINUATION OF AMERICA'S UNFORTUNATE LURCH TO THE LEFT; IT WOULD BE THE DOORWAY TO A NEW ERA OF CORRUPTION LIKE NOTHING WE HAD EVER SEEN. (emphasis mine) It would unleash an all out EFFORT TO TRANSFORM THE CULTURE, TO DISMANTLE “CHRISTIAN AMERICA,” (emphasis mine) and to make the hope of renewal and restoration MANY CHRISTIANS WERE PRAYING FOR MUCH HARDER TO ACHIEVE. (16) (emphasis mine) Evangelist and media personality James Robison told me in a recent telephone interviews that “a lot of Christians were praying that we wouldn't love freedoms, that we would not lose opportunities this nation offers with the protection and safeguards, and government functioning as a protector, and not potentially replacing God and our love for one another.” (17) Robison, who serves on the president's Faith Advisory Board and remains a friend and confidant of President Trump's”, believes now that Donald Trump represented a supernatural answer to prayer, but HE DIDN'T COME IN THE PACKAGE PEOPLE WANTED. (emphasis mine) Of the seventeen Republican nominees, he ranked as the last choice of most Evangelicals. “He would have been my last choice,” Robison told me. “Many conservatives said that we didn't know where Donald Trump is going to take us, but we know where Hillary Clinton would take us, and that would have been A CONTINUATION OF EVERYTHING THAT'S WRONG, DESTRUCTIVE, AND THAT WOULD RUIN AMERICA BY TAKING AWAY OR FREEDOMS.” (emphasis mine) (18) During the week of Trumps inauguration, thousands of Evangelicals converged on Washington DC, to celebrate the big win and to thank God for answering their prayers. There were inaugural galas and plenty of prayer meetings all over the District of Columbia and neighboring towns. Over and over Christian leaders who did not initially back Trump thanked God for a reprieve. Even establishment conservatives in the respected Council for National Policy (CNP) were elated by Trump's win when they met right after the election. Ray Moore from South Carolina, whom I introduced later, is a member of CNP. After one session he walked alongside Tony Perkins, who besides being president of the Family Research Council is also president of CNP. “I put my arm around Tony's shoulder,” Roy remembers, “and thanked him for his part in getting Trump elected and saving America.” (19) When I attended the first post-election CNP meeting as a guest in February 2017, the general mood was “WE DODGED A BULLET.” (emphasis mine) The secular pundits, on the other hand, saw Trump's victory only as a battle between Democrat and Republican, or between the Left and the Right. But Robison saw it as a supernatural spiritual battle. “What happened,” he told me, “is God overpowered the foolishness of political correctness and the liberal (not just deceived but possessed) Left, which is far too often dead-set against a biblical world view ad against America's traditional Judeo-Christian ethics. But they were being totally pushed back. (20) The secular Left in this country, Robison said, are being manipulated by the powers Jesus was talking about when He said of those who crucified Him, “They don't know what they're doing.” They knew exactly what they were doing, but Jesus said no, they didn't. “They were under control of another force, another power in the invisible supernatural realm of the Spirit. They were deceived by the deceiver.” Millions of Christians were praying for that deception to be overthrown of, TO PREVENT THE GOVERNMENT FROM BEING RAISED UP AS ANOTHER FORM OF PHARAOH OR SOME KIND OF OVERSEEING CAESAR. (emphasis mine) The people were praying, “God, we've god to let You be God. We've got to stop this nonsense.” And Robison added, “Christians were praying for this to be stopped, but they never dreamed tha it would be some person totally disconnected to politics, totally unable to even express himself like a politician, and someone who was best known as a shrewed maneuverer.” (21) Trump spoke with conviction about what's wrong in this country. Robison told me, “He was totally open about everything that was wrong. Most of us would agree that he didn't address those problems in the most statesmanlike or diplomatic terms, but everything he was saying was right on track. He was saying that many things in this country are bad and they needed to be dealt with. And he was 100 percent correct.” (22) (11)Aikman, “Does Trump Want to Remake America 'Morally'?” (12)Ibid. (13)Ibid. (14)Ibid. (15)In communication with author (16)In communication with author (17)In communication with author (18)Ibid. (19)In communication with author (20)In communication with author (21)Ibid. (22)Ibid. From “God and Donald Trump” by Stephen Strang |
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service The title of your thread, for starters. Please note that I typed: "God does NOT govern and direct the affairs of Man." Should I have been more clear? Additionally: I respectfully added the word "direct" to your forum title. |
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janheckman . . . Your prejudices are blinding your thoughts. |
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Christian Never-Trumpers The president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention, Russell Moore, found himself in a costly spat when he called Donald Trump “an awful candidate' and said the Christians who support him are guilty of serious error. “The Religious Right”, he said, “turns out to be the people the religious Right warned us about.” (4) In an October 9, 2016, Twitter post, Moore said, “The damage done to the gospel this year, by so-called Evangelicals, will take longer to recover from than the '80s TV evangelist scandals.” (5) Many in his denomination, however, took exception to Moore's attacks. Rev. Bill Harrell, who helped organize the ERLC, said, Moore had gone too far and was out of step with other Baptists. “Since Dr. Moore has taken over,” he said, “there are a lot of things that are being said on various issues that the Southern Baptist people at large don't agree with.” He added, “It's developed into a very touchy situation, and it needs to be addressed in some way.” (6) Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas and Baptist minister, expressed a similar view: “I am utterly stunned that Russell Moore is being paid by Southern Baptists to insult them.” Likewise, Christian talk-show host Janet Mefferd said Moore's criticism of Trump supporters was unfair and ill-advised. “Most Evangelicals that I've talked to,” she said, “became Trump voters late in the process . . . I think Russell Moore has made the error of saying Evangelicals who supported Trump are selling out their principles.” Later, in response to his critics, Moore said he didn't mean to criticize everyone who voted for Trump. “If that's what you heard me say, that was not at all my intention, and I apologize.” (7) Dr. Al Mohler Jr, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, took his dissent to another level with ah op-ed critical of Trump and his supporters in the WASHINGTON POST. Mohler called the Rupublican candidate an “immediate and excruciating crisis” and added, “I am among those who see evangelical support for Trump as a horrifying embarrassment – a price for possible political gain that is simply unthinkable and too high to pay.” Mohler was quick to avoid Russell Moore's mistake of questioning the ethics of fellow Baptists, however, and noted that many friends were Trump supporters. “The leaders I have in mind are principled men and women of Christian character and conviction,” he said. Nevertheless, he insisted, “They are wrong, I believe, to serve as apologists for Donald Trump.” (8) In a similar vein, Andy Crouch, former executive editor of CHRISTIANITY TODAY, joined the opposition with a strong critique of Trump supporters, saying, “Enthusiasm for a candidate like Trump gives our neighbors ample reason to doubt that we believe Jesus is Lord. They see that some of us are so self-interested, and so self-protective, that we will ally ourselves with someone who violates all that is sacred to us – in hope, almost certainly a vain hope given his mendacity (deceitfulness) and record of betrayal, that his rule will save us.” (9) Popular author and columnist, Beth Moore surprised a lot of Christians when she went on the attack shortly after the ACCESS HOLLYWOOD tapes were revealed with a series of angry Twitter posts. “Wake up Sleepers, to what women have dealt with all along in environments of gross entitlement & power. Are we sickened? Yes. Surprised? NO.” (10) A short time later she tweeted: “I'm one among many women sexually abused, misused, stared down, heckled, talked naughty to. Like we liked it. We didn't. We're tired of it.” (11) As a victim of sexual abuse herself, she could not get passed Trump's vulgar language in a ten-year old cell phone video. Several writers and Trump supporters criticized Russell Moore's and his fellow Never-Trumpers for diverting voters into Hillary Clinton's waiting arms, noting that Trump has come out strongly in defense of Juanita Broaddrick, Paula Jones, Gennifer Flowers, Kathleen Willey, and other women who had been abused by Bill Clinton while he served in public office. Trump invited them to sit on the front row of his campaign appearance, while Hillary Clinton waged a bitter war against them and publicly defended her husband's inexcusable behavior. In a well-reasoned response to all the rancor and bombast, former WALL STREET JOURNAL columnist Stephen Moore pointed out the risks the Never-Trumpers were taking. In an article for the AMERICAN SPECTATOR he said, “One's vote is a matter of personal conscience. But to actively support Hillary si to put the other team's jersey on and then run a lap around the stadium.” (12) What made the Never-Trumpers position so dangerous, as any thinking person should know, was that a Hillary Clinton presidency would be four more years of everything we hated about the Obama presidency. If that happened, the columnist said, “there won't be a conservative movement left to rebuild. The Republicans will move to the Left. Worse, for Obama to win effectively a third term will be a voter validation of all the destructive policies of the last eight years.” (13) (4)Tom Gjelten, “Evangelical Leaders Under Attack for Criticizing Trump Supporters,” NPR, December 20, 2016, accessed June 25, 2017, www.npr.org. (5)Russell Moore, Twitter post, October 8, 2016, 1:39 a.m., twitter.com. (6)Gjelten, “Evangelical Leader Under Attack for Criticizing Trump Supporters.” (7)Ibid. (8)R. Albert Mohler Jr. “Donald Trump Has Created an Excruciating Moment for Evangelicals,” WASHINGTON POST, October 9, 2016, accessed June 25, 2017, www.washingtonpost.com. (9)Jack Jenkins, “A List of Faith Leaders Calling Out the Religious Right for Failing to Abandon Trump,” ThinkProgress, October 9, 2016, accessed June 25, 2017, thinkingprogress.org. (10)Beth Moore, Twitter post, October 9, 2016, 9:07 a.m., twitter.com. (11)Beth Moore, Twitter post, October 9, 2016, 9:34 a.m.,twitter.com. (12)Stephen Moore, “The Never Trumpers Do Need to Get a Hold of Themselves,” AMERICAN SPECTATOR, August 23, 2016, accessed June 7, 2017, spectator.org. (13)Ibid. “God and Donald Trump” by Stephen Strang |
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All That is Necessary for the Triumph of Evil . . . This quote has some controversy regarding who first said it. quoteinvestigator.com What should not be of any controversy is the fact of its truth. Today as I contemplated this fact I thought it is similar to a physical law known as the 2nd Law of Thermodynamic. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that the state of entropy of the entire universe, as an isolated system, will always increase over time. Entropy is The idea of entropy comes from a principle of thermodynamics dealing with energy. It usually refers to the idea that everything in the universe eventually moves from order to disorder, and entropy is the measurement of that change. In simple terms it means that matter and energy is prone to decay and breakdown. Unless we maintain/ repair and otherwise protect the things we value, they are going to turn to dust. We are included in this principle. Enough of the physics lessons. What does it mean in a spiritual or social environment/ setting? It means, I intend to show, that just as in the physical realm, in the spiritual and social realm men/societies will decay or breakdown from known ideals and mores if left to their own devices. Especially so if ideas and customs which are detrimental to good social decorum/ rule of accepted behavior are allowed to come in and take root. In my own life time (born in 1953) this break down and degradation of previously held mores and customs (which used to be Biblically based) have not only taken root, but they have come to be accepted and now define our land in so many spheres of influence. In our Government, our schools, our entertainment. These liberal ideas are now socially accepted to the point that now our laws reflect blasphemous acceptance of mores that once not long ago was unthinkable! However there remained a remnant. God always protects and sees to it that a remnant remain. That remnant continued to pray and hope that the godlessness which had descended over our beloved America would be stayed. Too many innocent lives were being lost, too many bad and evil precedents were being allowed by our courts. During the last presidential campaign here many like myself wondered if we could survive another of the sort that had been in charge of setting America's agenda. We know that it did not look good. For during the last two elections we who held onto the ideals which once made America great, we had been defeated. Surely, God would not let us down again, would He? Some said that God would judge America for all of the ills and sins which now so seem to define us. But these who said this were not hearing or seeing that this time it would be different! God had been listening and this time the prayers of the remnant would be heard. “A Much Needed Awakening Somewhat like Donald Trump, Ronald Reagan was not immediately recognized as a believer. He had grown up a nominal Christian, but after leaving the Democratic Party, which had been his home for many years in Hollywood, he began his move to the right and began listening to Christian friends and advisors who schooled him on essential evangelical beliefs. Perhaps his most successful remark to a Christian audience came during a national affairs rally in Dallas attended by several well-known pastors. He began his remarks by saying, “Now I know this is a nonpartisan gathering, and so I know that you can't endorse me, but I only brought that up because I want you to know that I endorse you and what you're doing.” (27) At that moment Reagan won the hearts of Evagelicals everywhere. Reagan had been a Hollywood actor, he was divorced, he didn't attend church often, and his wife, Nancy, was apparently into astrology in a big way. Yet Evangelicals did what they would eventually do with Donald Trump thirty-six years later and adopted Reagan as one of their own. And one reason they did that was because a substantial majority of believers understood the difference between electing a Sunday school teacher and electing a politician who understood the political and spiritual dimensions of high office.” God and Donald Trump by Stephen Strang Good men may engage in reversing the evil and immorality in many ways. Through prayer and civic duty, perhaps. Through volunteer work. Through helping in what ever manner God may lead you. God has led me to engage by providing evidence that He also moves, where allowed, in the political realm. The Lord has freed me to engage in this way because I am so passionate about continuing the legacy of that American ideal which says that God has given to us certain unalienable rights. Among these are of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I'm most happy to see a return of my land to those principles which I seen everywhere when I was much younger than I am today. (27) Ronald Reagan, “National Affairs Campaign Address on Religious Liberty (Abridged),” American Rhetoric, August 22, 1980, accessed August 4, 2017, www.americanrhetoric.com. |
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Openness to Change (from God and Donald Trump) It is so obvious to many who are awakening to from the softness and easy-as-you-go faith which so defined our Grandparents and those immediately following them. There had been siesmic changes wrought over America which were designed specifically to eliminate the influence and cultural checks which we Christians in America had for too long taken for granted. These “checks” have so disintegrated that some pastors have actually taken the stance that they were afraid of how their flocks would react to their endorsing such a man as Donald Trump. When have ever our shepherds thought to amend their messages from God according to the receptivity of their flocks? My of my. It has come to that, unfortunately. Thank God that the man Donald Trump has heard the call to stand up. Hopefully, you'll stand with me as I stand with this man who understands the work we have before us as we restore the ancient landmarks which have been taken down. "Lance Wallnau, a Bible teacher, consultant, and businessman, attended several of these meetings between evangelical leaders and Trump, and he described one such event for the readers of CHARISMA magazine. (16) The article was widely shared on the Internet, and Wallnau revealed how much his own view of Trump had changed. His first meeting with Trump, he wrote, was December 30, 2015, in the boardroom on the twenty-sixth floor of Trump Tower. He recognized several of those present, but most of the people in the room didn't know one another personally prior to the meeting. “It was a rather eclectic sampling of Evangelicals,” he said, “a group within the larger self-described 'Christian' community that makes up nearly 30 percent of the American population – some 30 million potential voters.” Wallnau said he was immediately struck by what most people see when they meet Donald Trump for the first time. He is a big man, broad chested, and an imposing figure at six feet three inches tall. “Add heels and hair,” says Lance, “and he grows another inch.” But equally surprising to Wallnau was Trump's manner. He was much more restrained than what we generally see on television. Wallnau writes, “He was gracious, nonconfrontational, and surprisingly open to give and take.” I got the impression that Trump takes in information quickly but filters it equally fast to distinguish one idea from another. It's an executive skill I've noticed in CEOs in whatever field I meet them.” As each person spoke, he said, Trump was reading them and weighing their relative authority and grasp of the issues. A Messianic rabbi name Kirt Schneider spoke up at one point, saying, “Your comments don't always represent you in the best light. People want to know you have a presidential temperament. They want to know that you are a person they can trust with a finger on a neuclear button.” At that point Trump paused for a moment, pursed his lips as we've seen him do a hundred times on television, and said, “I hear you.” As the conversation turned to some of the well-publicized verbal battles that had transpired during the campaign, Trump said, “You know, people aren't aware of what is coming at me . . . what I am responding to, like the storm that broke out when I took a stand on immigration. It can get pretty vicious. Most of those in the room understood his point: they had experienced their own share of controversy. Then looking toward his quesioner, he said, “You don't always know the backstory. I can say this, I never punch indiscriminately. I am a counter puncher . . . but I fully hear what you are saying. I know where you're coming from.” Several of the men and the women in the room smiled and exchanged glances. There was no need to drill down much deeper on that subject. It was apparent that Trump understood how his critics in the media perceive him. But, Wallnau said, “there was no flippant or disingenous commitment to change. He would do as occasion required – till he clinched the nomination.” Some of the pastors in the room that day were taking a risk by even coming to New York to meet with Trump, including a number of African American ministers who were present on the occasion. “Almost to a man,” Wallnau writes, “ they described to me the backlash they had encountered for even being willing to meet with a Republican. It was interesting to watch the interaction.” According to Wallnau, Cleveland, Ohio, pastor Darrell Scott spoke up and said, “I wouldn't change a thing. Be you and keep being consistant. That's what people like about you. You're not playing politics.” Trump seemed to be pleasntly surprised by Scott's words. He looked around the boardroom table and laughed. “So you're saying, 'Don't change'? He asked. “Well, that's interesting!” Scott answered, “Right! People would see you change, they would know it isn't you. You would start to look political, and that would make you look like everyone else. Just be you!” The majority of African American Evangelicals would be voting for the Democratic candidate in November. That was no secret. But Scott told the candidate he had come to New York with an open mind. “There are three branches of government,” he said, “legislative, executive, and judicial. You are clearly gifted for the executive branch. That's what you do.” The conversation continued for several more minutes before Wallnau realized that Trump apparently knew several of the preachers and teachers in the room. He had never met them, but he had watched their broadcasts on television. As he reflected on that fact, he thought, of course! “Media is one of his domains. He is very much dialed in on all sorts of TV programming, including Christian programming.” At one point Trump said he had been flipping around the dial the previous evening and came across the late-night program POLITICALLY INCORRECT, a popular left wing talk show hosted by Bill Haher on HBO. “It's amazing how antagonistic they are about people of faith,” Trump said. “It was painful to watch.” As several people nodded in agreement, Trump said it hadn't always been that way in America. Then, turning toward Jan Crouch, the co-founder of the TBN television network, he asked, “This seems to have been going on for a while, hasn't it?” Everyone agreed. Crouch, who died of a stroke before she would have seen the chance to vote for Trump, could have given a litany of attacks she and her husband, Paul, had endured over the years. As Trump scanned the room, he said, “I think we had such a long history of Christian consensus in our culture, and we kind of got . . . spoiled. Is that the right word?” The ministers either nodded or smiled, but then Trump said something that surprised everyone. “Every other idealogical group in the country has a voice,” he said, “If you don't mind saying so, you guys have gotten soft.” Wellnau said that's the line he won't forget. After a breif moment of reflection, Trump looked around the room and corrected himself. “I mean, we, myself included, we've had it easy as Christians for a long time in America. That's been changing.” Trump wanted those pastors and teachers to understand that, in a sense, he was one of them. He might not have their knowledge of Scripture or their level of experience as a believer, but he considers himself a person of faith, and he wants to be in tune with the beliefs and concerns of Evangelicals. Not long after that evening, Trump announced that he would propose ending the Johnson Amendment. The ban that then senator Lyndon Johnson had devised to silence his Christian opponents in 1954 had become an IRS sword hanging over the heads of churches in America. Wallnau prayed that would happen, but the truth of the matter, he said, was that even if the Johnson Amendment were lifted, most pastors would be living in fear of offending their flocks. “What Trump said next may have been lost on others,” Wallnau said, “but it hit me in a particularly striking way . . . 'People who identify themselves as “Christians” make up probably the single largest constituency in the country, but there is absolutely no unity, no punch . . .not in political consensus or any other area I can see.'” The point was well taken, but there was at least a hope now that all these things were beginning to change." (16)Lance Wallnau, “Donald Trump Key to Isaiah 45 Prophecy?,” Charisma News, August 17, 2016, accessed August 16, 2017, www.charismanews.com. God and Donald Trump by Stephen Strang |
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service The paths are your's to choose and take and there will always be thousands of wrong paths offered by you know who. We all take wrong paths, because we are all human, but some are far worse and damning than others --- possibly even eternally damning, but I sometimes wonder at that. To appreciate Man's "MIGHTY BRAIN" one might do well to read the book Beyond Comprehension by E. Andrew Boyd --- I once recommended the book to you, but you challenged the author because he didn't shout about his beliefs in his book. Mo |
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janheckman. . . That premise is opposite of what God says. God DOES want to establish a love relationship with you and each one of us. It isn't rocket science, like this intelligent man is implying. |
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Service I advise the rich to fulfill the rights of the poor in wealth, and remind the poor that rich people were entrusted by God in His wealth to fulfill the rights of the poor. I love goodness, call to excellence, reject evil, reject violence, love gentleness, cling to guidance, and protect the Truth. I fight falsehood, forbid corruption, and want rectification as much as I am able to. I detest wars, love peace, love life, and seek to make it a beautiful one. I fear death, but believe it is a bridge that must be crossed so that I arrive to the eternal abode from the temporal one. I hope for a beautiful end, and seek refuge in God from an ugly one. I love Heaven, and hate the Fire. I love security, hate instability, and abhor hate. I am not shameless, vulgar, or destructive. My lineage goes back to Adam and Eve. Adam is my father and Eve is my mother, and all people are my brothers and sisters. I do not have contempt for any of them, or betray any of them. Rather, I strive to guide them, light the path in front of them, take them by the hands to Heaven, and become an obstacle between them and falling into the Fire. I love the Universe and belong to it. I love all my neighbours within it: the trees, rocks, plants, animals, mountains, and seas. God - glory be to Him - created me from it, back to it will return me and from it will bring me out once again. So to it I belong, and to building it I call. Elevating Truth within it is my desire, spreading peace and security over it is my goal, and struggling with myself and others to achieve this is my means. To God I call to Whom is the ultimate return. Peace is my goal, security is my demand, terrorism is my enemy, conflict is my adversary, and inner peace is my pursuit. |
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janheckman. . . Your last post did not include many (any) Bible verses, did it? B asic I instructions B efore L eaving E arth |
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God and Donald Trump (con't) For all of the bombast and all of the vitriol what have they come up with? Nothing, absolutely nothing. If you want to watch something substantive watch and listen to a real leader's (President Trump) speech given at Davo, Switzerland at the World Economic Forum. www.realclearpolitics.com What real journalists should be reporting on is the FISA memo recently leaked which shows proof definitive that H. Clinton, Obama and the FBI have been illegally spying on president Trump! Anyway, this man who is now our president is chosen to allow Christians in America to again live according to the laws of our Constitution. "PLAYING THE TRUMP CARD In meetings like these Trump was gradually winning over more and more Christian leaders. In addition, charasmatic “apostles and prophets,” most of whom never actually met the man, were convinced the Holy Spirit had revealed that the political battle between the first female and first billionaire nominees for president would turn out to be the most important election in American history. This election has all the markings of a prophetic showdown. As far back as 2007 the late Kim Clement had prophesied, “Trump shall become a trumpet . . . I will raise up the Trump to become a trumpet, and Bill Gates to open up the gateof a financial realm for the church.” (17) The first has come true, but we'll have to wait and see about the second part. “This is the year the tide turns,” prophet Cindy Jacobs, cofounder of Generals International told CHARISMA before the election. “God gave us a world earlier this year that there would be a flood of violence,” she said, “and we've certainly seen that happen. He also gave us a word to look to Isaiah 59:19, which states, “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” (18) Cindy says the Lord gave her a word long before the campaigns began about a coming conservative revolt. God is “preparing a patriot.” to lead our nation, she said. But, she added, we must pray and agree with the Lord if hts prophecy is to be realized. Besides Clement and Jacobs, other prophets began saying Trump would be elected. Before the, CHARISMA published an article quoting Bill Hamon, founder of CHARISMA International, who prophesied in November 2015 that God had chosen Trump to be the next president, and his election would be part of a global awakening that would lead a restoration of biblical Israel, a return of the Jewish nation, and the rebuilding of the temple. (19) For those who don't understand or believe this, it's importaht to know Charasmatics believe that God speaks today and that one of the gifts of the Spirit described by the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 12:4 – 11) is the gift of prophecy. Over the years, I've received many prophecies that have come to pass. Most were encouraging words at the right time. However, another type of prophecy speaks to the nations and informs us of God's will. I suspect many people, including many Christians, don't believe in gifts such as prophecy because there have been so many flaky prophecies, such as the Y2K disaster, which never happened. In 2008 on respected pastor prophesied that Rudy Giuiliani would be the next president. Obviously that never happened. However, on May 31, 2008, Chuck Pierce, a prophet I respect, predicted Trump wold sin the White House eight years later. He told me he received this word during a four-hour “visitation” from the Lord in Liberty Park, New Jersey. He said the Lord showed him many things during the next few years, and he felt the Lord was saying that “America must learn to play the trump card.” Then, three months later, as he was driving to speak at the International Church of Las Vegas and driving past Trump hotel, I knew exactly what God was saying – that it would take someone like Donald Trump, who would not have the political background of either party, and he would be willing to address the structure that was presently taking America in the wrong direction.” Pierce also told my wife, Joy, and me over lunch early in 2008 when it seemed Hillary Clinton would get the Democratic nomination that Barack Obama would be elected twice, and he was right." (18)Bob Eschilman, “A Prophetic [Political] Showdown,” CHARISMA, October 2016,50. (19)Ibid. from "God and Donald Trump" by Stephen Strang |
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Seeking First the Kingdom Why the Eagles won the Super Bowl |
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God Governs in the Affairs of Men Paula White Caine, had known Trump since 2003 and had prayed with him many times. When Trump had been thinking about running in 2012, he asked Paula to invite some of her friends to come to New York and pray he would have wisdom on whether or not to run. He decided not to enter the race that year, and as I described in chapter 6, Paula helped to lay the groundwork in the charasmatic community that would be the bedrock for his strong evangelical support four years later. I also mentioned that when the president of Liberty University, Jerry Falwell Jr. endorsed Trump on January 26, 2016, it was such big news the candidate tweeted about it. (14) In a lengthy interview for the campus magazine, LIBERTY CHAMPION, Falwell said he understands why the entire political world was up in arms over the Trump presidency. He said, “The establishment is having a seizure. They're going ballistic because they are scared to death that they're going to lose power . . . They're scared to death of Trump because he's the kind of guy that will walk into Washington, kick over the tables, kick over the chairs, throw the bums out, start over, and do the things that a career politician would never do.” Leaders of both political parties expressed alarm that Trump had never held elective office, but this was probably what the voterswanted. Too often they had put their faith in experienced politicains who let them down. Falwell said it's the fact that Trump hadn't held political office that made him their candidate and president of choice. (15) “I think he is what our Founding Fathers envisioned – citizen legislators,”he said, “not career politicains to run the country.” The men who built the country, wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, had laid the foundation of our government were farmers, tradesmen, and business owners. Government was not a full time job, and when they had made a substantial contribution most of them went back to their homes to participate as citizens in the society they helped build. “I think Donald Trump fits that definition better than anybody else because he had been extremely successful in the private sector.” Falwell said (16) Trump's personal wealth ought to be a major factor in his favor, he said, because we know for sure he's not in it for the money. “He's paying for his own campaign. He's not beholden to anybody like the rest of them are. He's made a payroll with tens of thousands of employees, and nobody else on that debate stage has ever made a payroll and never will. They don't understand it. They don't know what its like to be a businessman who is trying to survive or a businesswoman who is trying to make it.” (17) “Now I think conservatives have reached a point where they want somebody who has succeeded in the private sector, not just someone who makes the right promises in speeches,” Falwell said. “That's why a large majority of them are supportiing him, and I think maybe after the country is saved and restored, perhaps evangelicals will start voting in traditional patterhs again.” Trump's position on the issues is no secret. He is very much “What you see is what you get.” Saving the country from terrorists attacks, runaway debt, and open borders, Falwell said, ought to be everyone's first priority. “All the other issues will be moot if we don't save the country.” He added, “it is sad to see Christians attacking other Christians because they don't support the same candidate or the candidate who they believe is the most righteous.” (18) The university president acknowledged that many of his peers who are ministry heads, pastors, and Christian leaders, including some of his own faculty, had spoken against Trump and worked to derail his campaign. While he respects their opinions, he said, he believes Evangelicals really ought to think about the stakes in todays political climate in a new way. The issues facing this courtry are deadly serious. But how many times do we have to be let down by so-called evangelical candidates who promise to defend our beliefs and then turn the other way when the going gets tough? This was also the perspective of the African American pastors who spoke for Trump during his campaign. Cleveland pastor Darell Scott offered his support in 2015 while Trump was just thinking about running and helped organize a meeting between Trump and a group of mostly African American pastors later in the fall. Among those in attendance were Texas pastor Mike Murdock andh South Carolina pastor Mark Burns, along with charasmatic preachers Kenneth and Gloria Copeland and TBN founder Ian Crouch, who were captured in a cell-phone photo with Trump around a table with a “Make America Great Again” hat in the middle. When that picture appeared in print, a number of black pastors were critical of the event and accused their fellow preachers of caving in to the Republicans. But Scott never wavered. He became not only one of Trump's strongest supporters but also one of his most articulate spokesmen. In gratitude for his support Trump invited Scott to speak at the Republican Natioal Convention, and it was no ordinary speech. He articulated a strong argument for why Donald J. Trump should be the next president of the United States, but his message was delivered in a way few could do – with all the passion of an African American sermon, ending with an emotional cresendo that brought a roar of approval from the crowd. Four days before the November general election, Rev Willian Ownes, the president of the Coalition of African American Pastors who had marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. in the civil rights movement of the 1960's, entered the arena to give Trump a pastoral endorsement. “Donald Trump has humbly asked the Afican American community to give him a chance. After witnessing fifty years of failure form the Democratic Pary, compounded by a growing hostility to religion in their platform, I feel that it is definitly time that we give Mr. Trump that chance to prove he can be a great president.” (19) There was a reason Trump garnered all of this support. Despite the negative depictions in the left-leaning media, Donald Trump is, as I learned in my interview with him, a sincere and generous person, as we will see in the next chapter. (14)Donald J. Trump's personal Twitter account, January 26, 2016, accessed August 3, 2017, twitter.com. (15)Sarah Rodriguez, “Falwell Speaks,” LIBERTY CHAMPION, March 8, 2016, accessed August 20, 2017, liberty.edu. (16)Ibid. (17)Ibid. (18)Ibid. (19)Susan Berry, “Black Leader Endorses Donald Trump: Democrats 'Ask Us for Everything, Give Nothing Back,'” Breitbart, November 4, 2016, acessed August 3, 2017, www.brietbart.com. From “God and Donald Trump by Stephen Strang |
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God Governs in the Affairs of Men The forces of evil (which I believe are back this negativity against the president) can only be met with prayers first of all for those who have been taken captive with the deception. Secondly, President Donald Trump, also needs our prayers. Lastly, I would ask for prayers for our land and for our freedoms. Thank you "FRIENDS AND SUPPORTORS When the 2016 presidential campaign began, few Republican voters were willing to resurrect dead horses like Romney and McCain. Both men were tarnished by their losses, and comments each had made since their campaigns surprised many people and reflected attitudes voters could no longer support. Even the idea of a former governor with a presidential pedigree wasn't enough to arouse the electorate. Instead, after eight years of the most confrontational and disruptive administration in history, conservative and evangelical voters were looking for new blood, fresh faces, and an energetic candidate who could energize the base and attract support from as many communities as possible. Among the early favorites were a group of outspoken Evangelicals who had already won important races, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, Sen. Mark Rubio of Florida, and Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas. The GOP brain trust poured millions into the campaign fo former Florida governor Jeb Bush, but the voters weren't impressed. The last thing they wanted was a Bush family retread. Eventually a total of seventeen candidates made their pitch to the people and debate platforms looked more like a Brooks Brothers showroom than a contest for the nation's highest office. Then Donald Trump suddenly appeared on the scene, bobody really thought he would have a chance. The outspoken late-night host David Letterman, who had invited Trump on his television show many times assured his audience, “There's not a chance . . . that this man will be elected president.” (1) New Yorkers knew Trump. He was one of their own, and so long as he seemed to be just another New York liberal and reality TV celebrity, the media adored him. He was harmless. But the minute he declared his intention to run for the presidency as a Republican, he suddenly became a pariah. The main thing in Trump's favor when he entered the race was the fact he was an outsider. He was brash. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind. He would be able to pour millions of his own dollars into the campaign. As I have tried to explain in this book, there was a supernatural element to the campaign, and a small group of Christian prayer warriors were convinced Donald Trump was the right man at the right rime, and they fully expected a miracle. AN IMPERFECT INSTRUMENT Unlike so many of the candidates who preceeded him, Donald Trump refused to run from controversy and seemed to enjoy a well-publicized spat. He used his Twitter account as a handheld weapon, provoking Twitter cofounder Evan Williams to apologize for giving Trump the tools to wage war on his critics. (5) But Trump showed that he could also be concilatory and sympathetic, as he did in October 2016, apologizing for crude comments he had made about women. He said, “I've never said I'm a perfect person nor pretended to be someone that I'm not. I've said and done things I regret, and the words released today on this more than a decade-old video are one of them. Anyone who knows me, knows these words don't reflect who I am. I said it, I am wrong, and I apologize.” (6) As teacher and author Lance Williams has pointed out, “Figures like Churchill, Lincoln, and George Patton don't step our of cathedrals onto the stage of history, yet we canonize them later as instruments God raised up to meet a singular crisis.” (7) None of these men were convential Christians, and they had many detractors in the clergy, yet each played a pivotal role in history. They stood strong, against the enemies of freedom and helped safeguard our way of life and our Christian heritage. WILLIAMS MAKES A GREAT POINT. IF YOU'VE EVER SEEN THE MOVIE “PATTON” YOU KNOW YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO BE AROUND AN ABRASIVE MILITARY COMMANDER LIKE GEN. GEORGE PATTON. HE WAS OFTEN ROUGH AND RUDE, BUT HE HAD A STRONG SENSE OF DESTINY AND FELT HE'D BEEN CALLED TO LEAD MEN IN COMBAT TO DEFEAT THE NAZI WAR MACHINE. WHEN RAIN AND COLD AND OVERCAST SKIES PREVENTED ALLIED PLANES AND ARTILLERY FROM FIRING ON THE ADVANCING ENEMY LINES DURING THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE, PATTON SENT FOR AN ARMY CHAPLAIN AND DEMANDED THAT HE WRITE A PRAYER IMPLORING GOD FOR CLEAR SKIES AND AND END TO THE RAIN. WHEN THE PRAYER WAS DELIVERED, PATTON READ IT ALOUD AND COMMANDED THE ENTIRE THIRD ARMY TO READ IT ALOUD AS WELL. THE FOLLOWING MORNING THE SKIES WERE MIRACULOUSLY CLEAR, THE AMERICAN ARMY SURGED INTO GERMANY,A ND THE ALLIED ROUT OF NAZI FORCES WENT INTO OVERDRIVE. (emphasis mine) Patton was no choirboy, but he was strong willed and powrful man who trusted in the authority and compassion of a powerful God. Donald Trump, with his swagger, cocky self-promotion, and ruthless determination, may well be the George Patton of our age and the one man who could stand up to the leftist insurgents who have done such damage to the republic over the last fifty years. His language and behavior may be disagreeable, but he possesses an undenigable passion to make America great again, and the poople have responded to his message. (1)Marlene Lenthang, “David Letterman on Donald Trump,” PEOPLE, October 8, 2016, accessed August 2, 2017, people.com. (5)Jennifer Calfas, “Twitter Founder Apologizes for Giving President Trump a Platform: 'It's a Very Bad Thing,'” FORTUNE, May 21, 2917, accessed Aug 2, 2017, fortune.com. (6)Donald Trum-s Facebook page, October 7, 2016, accessed August 2, 2017, www.facebook.com. (7)Lance Williams, “Why I Believe Trump Is the Prophesied President,” Charisma News, October 5, 2016, accessed August 2, 2017, www.charismanews.com/politics/opinion/60378-why-i-believe-trump-is-the-prophesied-president. From “God and Donald Trump”, by Stephen Strang" |
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God Governs in the Affairs of Men Reading this account of our American recent political history I am astonished at what our country has become. I am more astonished to think on what may have happened had not God intervened and answered prayers from concerned Americans who seen the destruction which may have taken place had not President Trump been elected! Thank God he was elected. "FAITH, HOPE, AND CHARITY On February 2, 2017, almost two weeks after being sworn in as president of the United States, Donals Trump spoke to a crowd of thirty-five hundred at the sixty-fifth annual National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton hotel. During his remarks he said, “I ws blessed to be raised in a churched home. My mother and father taught me that to whom much is given, much is expected. I was sworn in on the very Bible from which my mother woud teach us as young children, and that faith lives on in my heart every single day. “The people in this room,” he said, “come from many, many backgrounds. You represent so many religions and so many views. But we are all united by our faith in our Creator and our firm knowledge that we are all equal in His eyes. We are not just flesh and bone and blood. We are human beings with souls. Our republic was formed on the basis that freedom is not a gift from government, but that freedom is a gift from God. (1) Referring to the words of Jesus in Luke 12:48, the president was affirming that he understood that his gifts and his good fortune were not an entitlement but a responsibility to use his advantages to bless others. This is what his mother had taught him, he said, and it was a principle he had chosen to live by. As I've said throughout this book, he doesn't fit neatly in any category, especically when it comes to his closely held beliefs. But he has made a commendable effort to learn about Christian principles and beliefs, and he has brought together men and women from many denominations and religious expressions to give him conusel and guidance. I have had the previledge of talking to him about such things in my 2016 interview which I quoted in chapter 9. But how do you evaluate something like that? How do you know what's in a person's heart? What a person says about his or her faith is one thing, but we can learn a lot about how the person invests his or her time and treasure. One measure of value and beliefs of President Trump can be found in the executive orders he has given and the ones he has overturned or reversed from Obama's eight years in office. Under terms of the Congressional Review Act enacted in 1996, an incoming president has a short window, ususally no more than three or four months after the inaugeration, to review and undo executive orders and regulations imposed by his predecessor that would interfere with his legislative agenda. The new orders can become law with simple majority votes from memebers of Congress. In a flurry of executive action the NEW YORK TIMES referred to as “a historic reversal of government rules,” (2) President Trump used the provisions of the review act as “a regulatory wrecking ball,” signing thirteen bills in record time and effectively erasing excutive orders signed by Obama in his last few months in office concerning labor, finance law, Internet privacy, funding for Planned Parenthood, drug testing, education standards, coal mining, and gun rights. One news report siad, Trump's executive actions ws the most substantial legislative achievement of his first hundred days in office, and the long-term effect would be TO BOOST SMALL BUSINESS AND TAKE THE HANDCUFFS OFF OF AMERICA'S ENERGY PRODUCERS. (3) (emphasis mine) His critics were claiming Trump was merely erasing Obama's legacy, but TRUMP MADE IT CLEAR THROUGHOUT HIS CAMPAIGN THAT HE BELIEVES IN FREEMARKET CAPITALISM, AND HE WASTED NO TIME OVERTURNING POLICIES HE AND HIS TEAM BELIEVED WOULD IMPEDE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OR BE AN INAPROPIATE INVASION OF PRIVACY. In his book GREAT AGAIN, originally published as CRIPPLED AMERICA in 2015, Trump offered a fast-paced review of the policy proposals and initiatives he would be discussing in the presidential campaign, and he wrote, that a STRONG AND GROWING ECONOMY IS ESSENTIAL FOR A SAFE AND FREE AMERICA. (emphasis mine) In a chapter on economic issues he say, “I've spent my entire life not just making money but, more importantly, learning how to manage my resources and share them with the thousands who have worked for me. But to hear the left-wing critics tell it, WE NEED SOCIALISM TO MAKE THIS COUNTRY MOVE FORWARD, AND WE NEED A PRESIDENT WHO CAN MAKE UP THE RULES AS HE GOES ALONG. IF HE CANT' GET CONGRESS TO DO DO SOMETHING HE NEEDS TO RULE BY EXECUTIVE ORDER.” AND THEN HE WRITES, “I SAY THAT'S COMPLETE NONSENSE.” (4) (emphasis mine) Evidence of Obama's anticapitalist bias could be seen in a talk he gave in March 2016 to a group of young people in Argentina. In his candid remarks Obama told the students they SHOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CAPITALISM AND COMMUNISM – AS IF THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM. (emphasis mine) He said, “Just choose what works,” (5) ignoring the history of Communist oppression over the past century – including the murder of more than one hundred million men, women and children (6) – COMPARED WITH THE UNPARALLELED PROSPERITY THAT FREEMARKET CAPITALISM HAD GIVEN THE WORLD. (emphasis mine). Obama's words had more relation to Saul Allensky's RULES FO RADICALS than to anything one would expect to hear form an American president. (1)“Remarks by President Trump at the National Prayer Breakfast,” The White House, February 2, 2017, accessed August 8, 2017, http://:www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/02/02/remarks-president-trump-national-prayer-breakfast. (2)Micheal D. Shear, “Trump Discards Obama Legacy, One Rule at a Time,” NEW YORK TIMES, May 1, 2017, accessed August 8, 2017, http//:www.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/us/politics/trump-overturing-regulations.html. (3)Joel B. Pollak, “Trump's Use of Congressional Review Act Is a Legislative Milestone,” Breitbart, April 15, 2017, accessed August 20, 2017, http//:www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/04/15/trump-congressional-review-act-legislative-milestone/. (4)Donald J. Trump, GREAT AGAIN: HOW TO FIX OUR CRIPPLED AMERICA (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015), 80. (5)Jessica Chasmar, “Obama on Capitalism vs Communism: 'Just Choose What Works,'” WASHINGTON TIMES, March 25, 2016, accessed August 8, 2017, http//:www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/mar/25/obama-on-capitalism-verses-communism-theory-just-c/. (6)Youtube video created by Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, posted October 12, 2016, accessed August 22, 2017, http//:www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yaPUL-oGjI&feature=youtu.be. From GOD AND DONALD TRUMP by Stephen Strang" |
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God Governs in the Affairs of Men Most evangelicals believe our nation was founded on a love for God and reverance for His Word, and because of that we have experienced the underserved favor of God upon our country. Robert Jeffress, pastor of the prestigious first Baptist Church, made one point on the first Independence Day celebration of Donald Trump's presidency, when he gave a rousing introduction before the presidennt spoke. Addressing a packed house at the Kennedy Center in the antion's capital and an audience of millions around the world,via the Daystar television network, Jeffress said that while it's true the founders gave us a nation built on Christian principles, “it was aso an indesputable fact that in recent years there hace been those who have tried to separate our nation from its spiritual foundation. And that reality has caused many of us, many Christians, to despair and to wonder , 'Is God finsihed with America? Are our best days over? Has God removed His hans of blessings from us?' But in the midst of that despair,” Jeffress said, “came November the 8th, 2016. It was on that day, November the 8th, that God declared that the people, not the pollsters, were going to choose the next president of the United States. And they chose Donald Trump.” (1) IN THOSE FEW WORDS JEFFRESS SUMMED UP THE POINT OF THIS BOOK. MY AIM IN TAKING ON THIS PROJECT HAS NOT BEEN TO WRITE DONALS TRUMP'S SPIRITUAL BIOGRAPHY – THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A FAIRLY SHORT BOOK. RATHER, IT WAS AN ATTEMPT TO LOOK AT THE DRAMATIC EVENTS OF the 2016 ELECTION, AND PERHAPS THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY CANDIDATE IN OUR NATION'S HISTORY, AND NOT THROUGH THE LENS OF WHAT HAPPENED POLITICALLY, BUT THROUGH THE LENS OF WHAT HAPPENED SPIRITUALLY. (emphasis mine) I know there are those who will disagree with my premise, but there are many people who are more than a little curious about how the whole thing happened. And it is for them that Ive written this book. Few people outside the four walls of a church pay much attention to what God is doing in the world. To them acts of God are what you call tornadoes and hurricanes. But is it possible God has a plan for this nation? Is it possible He has a plan for His people? I've tried to make the case that President Trump won the evangelical vote by the largest margin in history because, as Jeffress said, Christians understood that he alone had the leadership skills and the unwavering persistence to reverse the death spiral of our nation. President Trump has not only met but he has exceeded our every expectation, in reviving the economy, rebuilding our military, respecting our veterans, and restoring our greatest freedom of all, the free exercise of our faith. Presdient Trump has done more to protect religious liberty than any president in United States history, and we are grateful to him for that” (2) WHERE THERE IS LIBERTY For a very differetn view of Donald Trump and his faith, you need to go no further than a feature on CNN's website published a couple of weeks before Trump's inaugeration called “God and the Don.” The article si somewhat less biased than most of the reporting we've come to expect from CNN, but it was typical elitist, dismissive interpretation of the faith of Donald Trump and bore the subtitle “Presidents often turn to faith in times fo crisis. That seems unlikely for Trump.” (4) In this book I've tried to report on the miraculous way Donald Trump became president and what that means for America. I haven't tried to analyze his spiritual condition – ONLY GOD KNOWS THE HEART. (emphasis mine) Yet, I've been told that the way of salvation has been explained to him, and if he believes in his heart tha Jesus Christ is risen and the only begotten Son of God, then he is a Christian – and an evangelical Christian at that since that's what evangelical Christians believe. Maybe Dr. James Dobson was right when he siad during the campaignn that Trump is “a baby Christian.” Johnson made the same point to the writer of the CNN article: “It just clicked into place in my head, where I was like, 'Oh, this is a new Christian.' He is a Christian who's what I would call a young Christian. He is early on this journey. He has not spent a lot of time exploring the truth.” (7) Very likely true, but a more insightful perspective comes from Professor David L. Holmes, professor emeritus of religious studies at the College Of William and Mary, in an interview for U.S. CATHOLIC magazine. “Journalist are often secular and consider religion relatively unimportant,” he said. “But virtually every persdient of our lifetime would tell you that religious faith does matter. Most presidents wold tell us that they actually prayed in the Oval Office. Presidents are required to make decisions daily that effect millions of lives. They are often uncertain about what is the right thing to do. In those cases, they draw on their religious background.” (8) (1)Egberto Willies, “Singing Make America Great Again, Evangelicals SayTrump Is 'God Giving us Another Chance,'” Daily Kos, July 3, 2017, accessed August 9, 2017, http//:www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/7/3/1677574/-Singing-Make-America-Great-Evangelicals-say-Trump-is-God-giving-us-another-chance. (2)“President Trump's Tribute to Veterans at Kennedy Center,” C-SPAN, July 1, 2017, accessed August 20, 2017, http/:www.c-span.org/video/?430774-2/president-trump-tribute-veterans-kennedy-center. (4)M.J. Lee, “God and the Don,” CNN, June 2017, accessed August 14, 2017, http//:www.cnn.com/interactive/2017/politics/state/donald-trump-religion/. (7)Ibid. (8)Meghan Murphy-Gill, “The Faith of Donald Trump,” U. S. CATHOLIC, January 19, 2017, accessed August 20, 2017, http//:www.uscatholic.org/articles/201701/faith-donald-trump-30910. From “God and Donald Trump” by Stephen Strang" |
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The Ten Best Things Trump has Done in His First Year in Office Font SizeAA As we approach the end of President Trump’s first year in office, the list of extraordinary things he has done — for both good and ill — is nothing short of remarkable. Trump inspires such deep emotions in his critics and supporters that many have struggled to objectively assess his presidency. Some are so blinded by their hatred of Trump that they refuse to acknowledge the good he has done, while others are so blinded by devotion that they overlook almost any transgression. In my columns, I’ve tried to give Trump the credit he deserves when he does the right thing, while calling him out when he does the wrong thing. So, here is my list of the 10 best things Trump has done in his first 11 months. (On Friday, I will give you my list of the 10 worst.) 10. He enforced President Barack Obama’s red line against Syria’s use of chemical weapons. When the regime of Bashar al-Assad used a toxic nerve agent on innocent men, women and children, Trump didn’t wring his hands. He acted quickly and decisively, restoring America’s credibility on the world stage that Obama had squandered. 9. He has taken a surprisingly tough line with Russia. Trump approved a $47 million arms package for Ukraine, sent troops to Poland’s border with Russia and imposed new sanctions on Moscow for violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. 8. He recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Four American presidents promised to do it, but only one actually did. This is why the American people elected Trump. He does what he promises to do, for better or for worse — in this case, definitely for the better. Even Jeb Bush tweeted his approval. 7. He withdrew from the Paris climate agreement. After George W. Bush pulled out of the disastrous Kyoto treaty, U.S. emissions went down faster than much of Europe. The same will be true for Trump’s departure from the Paris accord. Combined with his approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, and opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to exploration, Trump is helping usher in a new age of American energy development. 6. He got NATO allies to kick in $12 billion more toward our collective security. Decades of pleading by the Bush and Obama administrations failed to get NATO allies to meet their financial commitments to the alliance, but Trump’s tough talk and reticence to affirm America’s Article V commitment did the trick. NATO is stronger as a result. 5. He has virtually eliminated the Islamic State’s physical caliphate. Trump removed the constraints Obama placed on our military and let it drive the terrorists from their strongholds. 4. He admitted he was wrong on Afghanistan and reversed Obama’s disastrous withdrawal. In a rare admission, Trump declared: “My original instinct was to pull out . . . But all my life, I’ve heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office. . . . A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum for terrorists.” 3. He enacted historic tax and regulatory reform that has unleashed economic growth. Trump signed the first comprehensive tax reform in three decades and removed the wet blanket of Obama-era regulations smothering our economy. We are now heading into our third consecutive quarter of above 3 percent growth. 2. He is installing conservative judges who will preside for decades. With his appointment of Neil M. Gorsuch, Trump secured a conservative majority on the Supreme Court, and he is moving at record pace to fill the federal appeals courts with young conservative judges. 1. He, not Hillary Clinton, was inaugurated as president. Trump delivered the coup de grace that ended the corrupt, dishonest Clinton political machine. There are many other significant achievements that did not make the top 10. Trump has taken a clear, strong stand against the narco-dictatorship in Venezuela, and he renamed the “Asia-Pacific” the “Indo-Pacific” to include India in the larger task of preventing Chinese hegemony in Asia. Trump has made clear that he is willing to use force to stop North Korea from deploying nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of destroying U.S. cities — which has prompted China to finally put real pressure on Pyongyang. We’ll see if it works. www.aei.org/publication/the-10-best-things-trump-has-done-in-his-first-year-in-office/ |
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You Can be Part of Changing the History of our www.ifapray.org |
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Supreme Court Rules Prayer In Government Assemblies Is Liberty Under Fire Search … Supreme Court Rules Prayer in Government Assemblies Still Constitutional May 20, 2014 | Constitution, Liberty Articles By Harold Pease, Ph. D In a typical workweek prayer is said every morning in the U. S. Senate and House of Representatives. Each House invites and pays a Christian minister to pray each morning they are in session. Ministers apply for this privilege to pray for a week and they come from every part of the country. This has been so since the 1st Congress in 1789 some 225 years ago and will continue as long as we are a Christian nation and liberal justices do not become the majority of the U. S Supreme Court. In a 5-4 decision this month prayer was still ruled to be constitutional. Such affirms our nation’s faith in God as Sovereign Lord of this nation. This honored the historic separation of “an organization of religion” and State, as outlined in the 1st Amendment, but not the separation of God from the government wanted by opponents. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote defending the decision: “Prayer in this case has a permissible ceremonial purpose. It is not an unconstitutional establishment of religion.” It serves “to solemnize the occasion, so long as the practice over time is not exploited to proselytize or advance any one, or to disparage any other faith or belief.” Such had been expected as oral arguments given last November lasted but an hour and the position was strongly supported by House and Senate members with 23 state attorney generals submitting written briefs in its support. The tradition of prayer in government assemblages is long standing. The first recorded national prayer was given by Reverend Jacob Duche,’ Rector of Christ Church of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the First Continental Congress Sept. 7, 1774, even before the creation of the Articles of Confederation our first constitution and government. Notice the intensity of their appeal to God to help them obtain their freedom from British rule. “O Lord our Heavenly Father, high and mighty King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires and Governments; look down in mercy, we beseech Thee, on these our American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee. To Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support, which Thou alone canst give. Take them, therefore, Heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing care; give them wisdom in Council and valor in the field; defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries; convince them of the unrighteousness of their Cause and if they persist in their sanguinary purposes, of own unerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain them to drop the weapons of war from their unnerved hands in the day of battle! “Be Thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the councils of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation. That the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that order, harmony and peace may be effectually restored, and truth and justice, religion and piety, prevail and flourish amongst the people. Preserve the health of their bodies and vigor of their minds; shower down on them and the millions they here represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world and crown them with everlasting glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Savior. Amen.” Even during the Constitutional Convention, prayer was referenced as a solution to the tension in the room on June 28, 1787, when the patriarch of that assemblage, Benjamin Franklin, stood and said, addressing the Chair: “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?” He continued: “I therefore beg leave to move—that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the Clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that Service.” And so it has been, and is, in the new government to this day. What is difficult to understand is why our justices today were not 9-0 in support of what has always been constitutional? Four were clearly out of harmony with the Founding Fathers. If they do not wish to follow the Constitution on this issue of exceptional clarity, what other areas might they distort as well? In this case one additional Supreme Court Justice can change 240 years of practice. So far the people can pray in government meetings that God will assist in their deliberations. May we never forget to do so. Reaching above mere man “to illuminate our understanding,” as articulated by Benjamin Franklin in the Constitutional Convention, is the essence of our strength. libertyunderfire.orgtag/benjamin-franklin-on-god-governing-in-the-affairs-of-men/ |
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Hope at State with Pompeo at Helm When Rex Tillerson was first announced as the president's pick for Secretary of State, I communicated my concern privately and publicly. I said that the State Department needed a strong change agent like Trump, and there was no way based upon Tillerson's record that he would do enough to roll back the harmful cultural imperialism which had been pushed in the State Department during the Obama administration, and to restore our promotion of international religious freedom to where it should be. And under Tillerson's leadership, not much did change in these areas. Religious freedom and human rights for all continues to take a backseat to the LGBT agenda as LGBT-promoting acting ambassadors remain in place around the world and our tax dollars still go to non-government organizations (NGOs) aligned with groups like George Soros' Open Society and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Now that Tillerson is on his way out, and CIA Director Mike Pompeo has been tapped to take the helm, there is hope for the United States to once again lead the world toward the promotion of religious freedom and the protection of human rights. I believe Mike Pompeo is the agent of change the State Department needs, and he has the president's ear. He cares about religious freedom, and about restoring the United States to its historically-esteemed role of human rights defender -- not cultural imperialist. And with Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Brownback also in place, the United States is perhaps better poised than any other time in recent memory to significantly make inroads in promoting religious freedom worldwide. Www.frc.org |
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Normally, James Nesbit's Prayer for President Trump Father of ALL Justice, on this 56th day of President Trumps second year in office; and this 421st day of his first of two terms in office; the rats are running today, there is a gaping hole in the hull of the "Deep State" as the light of truth is rushing in. Nothing is hidden from Him with whom we have to do; be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap, and whatever is done in darkness will be brought out into the light. We are seeing justice administered to those who were in charge of administering unbiased justice, but became polarized in a bias, and failed in their sworn duty. When one steps into the arena of "The District" only the strong arm of the Lord, can keep you. It is said, that Andrew McCabe, for years had a stellar record; but within the last two years he must have gotten too close, to the sucking sound of the depths of darkness in the Deep State. Other depths of darkness moving in the Deep State are surfacing in the light of truth as well; as part of the texts given to Congress by the Department of Justice, show that FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok and his paramour FBI attorney Lisa Page discussed Strzok’s relationship with U.S. District Court and FISA Judge, Judge Rudolph Contreras, much more will surface here... We are seeing Job 5:12-13 manifest daily. We are witnessing Father, aborting the schemes of the conniving crooks, so that none of their plots against our President can come to term. Father has allowed the know-it-alls to be caught in their own conspiracies— and all that intricate intrigue swept out with the trash! Suddenly they’re disoriented, and plunged into the depths of darkness; that is the way satan always rewards those who served his purposes, when their usefulness to him has ended. Father, our prayer for Andrew MacCabe and all those who were colluding with him, would be to turn to You, in the depths of their despair; not blame of others, for the things they themselves set in motion. With a fistful of enemies in one hand and a fistful of haters in the other, Eternal Truth is radiating with such brilliance that everyone involved in the "REAL" collusion are cringing today, as before a furnace. Now the furnace is swallowing them whole, the fires their lying tongues have fanned, are now consuming them! Father is purging the earth of their progeny, and visiting the depths of the Deep State with cleansing streams. All their evil schemes, and the plots they've cooked up, have fizzled—every one. You sent them packing Father; they have misrepresented Your Justice, and are now experiencing shame of face. The sad thing is, the networks are so vested in promoting the lies, they will continue to present the unjust as the just; and continue to call evil good and good evil! We praise You for visiting every nest of vipers on the Media Mountain, and the fires the lying tongues on the Media Mountain have fanned, cause them to consume every network in Your cleansing fire! of Your eternal truth. We praise You Father, there is Fire on the Mountains, and Lightning in the air! In the Name of the All Consuming Fire, we release Your cleansing FIRE! It's a Deep State inferno! |
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An Open and Revealing Discussion about World Globalism We know it is our enemy's agenda to bring about a one world government. America has held a distinctly Christian society since 1776. America is been a beacon of liberty and opportunity for nearly all of the years we have been a nation. Satan, and the Globalists know that America is all that stands in their way. youtu.be/vj3dfVbI1ZU |
