Beloved,

I want to share a response I received yesterday from one of my dear brothers-in Christ who regularly posts my devotional at his website. I’ll share my thoughts at the end:

    Brother, for the first time I’m going to have to refuse to publish your devotional.

    And I hate to do that, because I know your heart is right, and the overall message is good, as always.

    But, I can’t offer support for your view of Congressman Allen West.

    From his own website:

    “I believe all future discussion on this issue should move us toward the elimination of abortion except in the most extraordinary of circumstances.”
    http://www.allenwestforcongress.com/life

    “In the case of rape, incest, and “actual” endangerment of a mother’s health the decision truly belongs with a woman.”
    http://www.allenwestforcongress.com/blog/west-weekly-wrap-up-w3-report-for-end-of-jan-of-2010

    And, contrary to the red meat he was willing to throw out during his campaign concerning the questions that remain about Obama’s natural born status and constitutional fitness to serve as president, he has already adopted the silly talking points of the Washington GOP establishment:

    Rep. Allen West to birthers: focus on Obama policies instead http://www.aipnews.com/talk/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=19825&posts=5&highlight=allen%20west&highlightmode=1#M51026

    Said West: “You will waste more time worrying yourself to death about that instead of making sure that you expand the majority in the House of Representatives, you win back the U.S. Senate so that you can stand against the policies that are emanating out of the White House…

    “What is your objective? Your objective is getting back to a constitutional republic principles and values. If you spend your time worrying about someone’s citizenship, you will never get to that objective.”

    West didn’t offer his own opinion on Obama’s citizenship during the public forum. So PostOnPolitics asked him after the meeting.

    “He is a citizen. He’s the president. I mean, that’s all I know. I am concerned about his policies,” West said.

    That’s not moral courage. That’s cowardice. The kind of cowardice that, more than anything else I know of, is allowing our country and our constitution to be destroyed.

First, I was unaware of Congressman West’s positions on abortion and the “birther” issue. This is disappointing, but such is the case with man, especially when we (as I did) put too much hope in mankind.

Congressman West needs to be introduced to Gregg Jackson’s excellent work “Conservative Comebacks to Liberal Lies” (www.greggjackson.com) where in the first chapter, the letter “A”, Gregg addresses the stinking thinking of exceptions for abortion. I encourage you to buy Gregg’s book or contact him about his excellent comebacks to the toxic lie of exception for abortion.

I would also like to see Congressman West introduced, as I was, to an amazing lady named Rebecca Kiessling, who was “conceived in rape; targeted for abortion” it says at her website. If you’ve not met Mrs. Kiessling please meet her today at her website www.rebeccakiessling.com.

As for Congressman’s view on Obama’s birth certificate, he makes the case of the Mark Twain quote I used yesterday:

    “It is curious – curious that physical courage should be so common in the world, and moral courage so rare.”

Very few men have displayed physical courage, and in most cases, moral courage, as Lieutenant Colonel Allen West. LTC West spent a career defending the US Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

I am not sure if Congressman West realizes that the most important issue we face is that we have a usurper in the White House, certified by a cowardly Congress, and avoided by a cowardly Supreme Court. What Obama has done in the White House is because he is there illegally.

So whether Congressman West is acting out of moral cowardice or ignorance, either way this is not acceptable. We can both seek the defense of our Constitution in the case of natural born citizenship and right the ship. And actually when you enforce the Constitution by ensuring a president’s natural born citizenship, you at the utmost get “back to a constitutional republic principles and values.” By concentrating and spending “your time worrying about someone’s citizenship”, you not only “get to that objective”, but you also achieve many more.

So once again I find myself disappointed in an elected official.

What is the lesson here?

For me personally to overcome the initial desire to bash Congressman West. That comes naturally for me. If I want to be a true ambassador for Christ I believe I can do so with firmness and love without compromising my principles. I set myself up for disappointment when I expect perfection from people. That being said, I don’t stop working hard to keep our elected officials accountable.

I look forward to meeting King David, of whom my mother named me. He struggled greatly with his propensity to sin and disappointment in man. He wrote:

    “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” (Psalm 20:7)

Beloved, the times are only going to get crazier and if we are trusting in chariots and horses then we will be in a perpetual state of disappointment. Again, David—writing of his disappointment of Doeg the Edomite’s betrayal—wrote:

    “Here is the man who did not make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness. But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. I will praise You forever, because You have done it; and in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good.” (Psalm 52:7-9)

My great challenge is to wait on His good name. It is the height of arrogance to believe that I would not compromise on my principles if I were elected to office. I can say I would do my best not to, but without the strength of Lord I cannot know for sure. We in America are putting so much trust in the G-O-P instead of G-O-D that unless when turn back to the Lord Jesus Christ, we—as Solomon wrote—labor in vain:

    “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)

The Lord long ago removed His mighty, protective hand from covering America, at the behest, no, demands of its people. WE the People—in general—and we His Church—specifically—have long since forgotten the warnings of our Founding Fathers, who while fallible men, indeed displayed a “moral courage so rare.”

The question is, will we turn back and return to where we got off course, pick up God’s standard, and march forward into the unknown?

Dr. Adrian Rogers once said, “When you are certain about your future, you can concentrate on the present.”

We do face an uncertain future as a nation. But as blood-bought, born-again Christians we know our future is sure. Assured of this, we can face today knowing that if we will stand on God’s truth, and be willing to let things shake themselves out, then we can know that whatever falls it will be as God desires.

It is going to happen anyway; Saul of Tarsus learned that when Jesus smote him on the road to Damascus:

    “Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’” (Acts 9:4-6)

Like a stubborn ox, America can maintain an obstinate disposition, resisting God and demanding our own way, and we will do so to our own detriment.

Or we can surrender to King Jesus and trust Him no matter where He takes us.

To do so will take moral courage, the kind that is so rare…

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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    Copyright © 2011 David Jeffers

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