We The People....

For those of us who vote and pay attention, we are serious about our politics.  Somehow we have it in our minds that how we vote and what party we put in office will make a VAST difference in how we live, how we prosper and how we can pursue happiness. 

So here we are , another election year and we are on edge.  We want a candidate that looks presidential, gets the job done, will represent us well, will be honest and forthcoming, will respect our allies but confront our enemies.  We want someone who will fight for our rights and protect us from those who want to do us harm.  We don’t want to be penalized for our success, but want a chance to reach the top with our own business dreams. That is a tall order.

I remember many years ago going through these discussions with my kids.  My daughter was nearing 18 and interested in knowing what to look for when she voted.  Being the slight rebel that I am, I couldn’t find it in my heart to follow one particular party or lead them to do the same.  So early on I chose to vote for the person, not the party.  I would never vote for someone due to their race or gender only.  I am not interested in “Making History” if it is not going to make the future better and further God's agenda.   I always had to hear more.  So, along with my kids, I sat and watched the debates. Sometimes I am horrified at the choices, sometimes my voting decision is made after hearing them all.  Other times, like now…. It is so discouraging. 

 

FREEDOM REIGNS!

Then I got free.  Somehow we have it in our minds that ONE person- (Not an AVENGER with superhero strength) is going to change everything that is wrong in our country.  They will come in and within 4-8 years, they will turn the economy around, pay off all our debts, get rid of ISIS without harming innocent people and they will ensure that all their promises come to pass (even with a congress that might be stacked against them)

Us expecting someone to fix our problems is much like this excerpt from 1 Samuel 8- (later read the full chapter, it will explain a lot!) 

 (v 4-7) So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.  They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”  But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD.   And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.” 

Samuel who represented the Spiritual Leadership in that time had sons that were no longer following in God's ways.  (much like many of us who say this is a Christian Nation, but God's ways are old and outdated)  And the people were not crazy; they knew it and wanted something they could depend on.  So they asked for a KING.   Samuel told them what they would get with a king, someone who would use the role selfishly, would take advantage of their daughters, would have men running around them all day before their chariot/cars (sounds like secret service) He would tax them to pay for all those who serve him.  Samuel let them know the down falls of insisting they needed a king,  but  the people wanted a  king. So God gave them what they wanted, but not without a warning...

 

 

 "When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.”  But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us.  (v18-19)

So here we are now, just like in bible days, we have this system that leaves God out, leadership we can't agree on and we are not liking it.    The answer to issues we are having and the security we seek has never been and will never be in our president. 

CAN WE TRUST THE CANDIDATES?

If you know me, I am as patriotic as the next person.  But my trust is not in what a man or woman can do for me.  Our next president will NOT FIX AMERICA.  God won’t let him or her.  Why?  Because He has always said, if we turn to Him, He would bless the land.  The more we lean on flesh, the further we get from the blessings.     

 

Thus says the Lord: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord."  

 Jeremiah 17:5

So if we are told that flesh cannot be trusted, we still need to do our due diligence.  Yes, listen to the debates, pray, vote for the person you feel will do their job the best they can.  They will NOT be perfect, and they will NOT keep all their promises.  They can’t.  Their opponents will NOT let them, and some of the candidates priorities may get put on the back burner due to other distractions.  Not to mention sometimes the candidates tell us what we want to hear, just to get our votes. 

 

MY THOUGHTS ON KEY POINTS

• The president should have a hand in ending systemic racial bias- but how we treat our neighbor, is on us.  No law can make us think and act differently towards each other.  But there should be consequences for breaking the laws we do set in place.
• The president should work on securing our borders- but how did all of us get here? We have to be honest that the border problem is bigger than walls.
• Gun control makes sense, but criminals will NOT turn theirs in!  Kind of hard to disarm law abiding citizens who want to use them legally.  (I will note though, many of the recent incidents were done by citizens who were licensed, law abiding citizens- before they were law breakers, it is deeper than what we intend- that can change)
• No president or government official can fix what we refuse to participate in or agree upon.   No matter what they do, one side will be happy, the other not.

HOW I AM VOTING

I know it is unpopular to talk politics, but this year and from now on…. I am voting for ...
 

ME...trusting God!  I am casting my vote to trust God to protect me when things get bad, to provide for me when things get tight.  He did for others in the bible and He has no problems with any of us- if we have faith.   I trust Him to help me rise above the racism that may be systemic  and provide a table for me in the presence of my enemies.  I know promotion does not come from the east or west, not the south… but I will lift up my eyes to HIM.  That is where my help comes from, not government programs that can keep me in poverty.  I know He has promises for me that He will always keep, but I have to participate with Him.  I will vote, I will appreciate those who serve and pray for them, like He told me to...but my trust will NEVER be in them.  I will hold my peace when I disagree, and pray…knowing that God has the ability to change the hearts of kings.   And if it looks bad, I still have a promise that when I trust God and am called according to His purpose:  All these things (good and bad) will still work together for my GOOD.  I will make my own change, build my own walls, crack my own ceilings, build my own wealth, handle my finances and decrease my own debt.  I will make God great again in my world and make my future safe by putting my life in the hands of the ONE who holds tomorrow.  

Yes, I will continue to listen to the debates and follow what is going on so I can vote responsibly, but I have already made the main choice, I am with HIM- THE LORD OF LORD AND KING OF KINGS.

 

 I am Jacqui Hill Goudeau, and I approve this message.