Where do basic christian beliefs line up in the Presidential election today?

Let me start by saying that I am NOT telling you who to vote for,,,that is your right that too many have given their lives to protect.  I am, however, gonna try to clear up where basic christian beliefs fall in the major issues in the 2016 Presidential election.  Who knows I may discover through my research that I have been pulling for the wrong candidate.  I  am approaching this with an open mind & preparing to be wrong.  You should probably do the same.  I will list major issues for each party & then the basic christian belief & back it with scripture.  You decide for yourself who to vote for, that is YOUR job. My job is to help you go to the polls informed, plain & simple.

ABORTION:  The republican party is against abortion but does support it in special instances.  Democrats on the other hand are for abortion & they are currently attempting to pass bills legalizing late term abortion (abortion after 36 weeks gestation). Now basic christian beliefs can NOT  support abortion,  The bible tells us in Deuteronomy that we should not murder!!! It doesn't read that we should not murder unless you have been raped...unless your health is at risk...unless the child has a birth defect...it simply says DO NOT MURDER. Therefore, in words so simple that my 11 year old can understand it neither party completely lines up with the bible.  I realize that when a woman is raped that she doesn't want the constant reminder of something that horrible growing inside her, nor does she want to take care of it for 18-20 years.  I also get that at times momma's health is in great risk & she could even die while in labor. I also know that not all children are born with 10 fingers & 10 toes. God didn't give us the right to make the decision on whether or not a life was worth living.  You also can NOT take 2 living creatures & reproduce them to get something that is not alive. From the point of conception the fetus is a living being which in the truest sense makes abortion murder, Now I do want MY beliefs to guide MY voting choices, just as you do as well, however in this case there is not one candidate who lines up 100% with the bible, if I was ONLY voting on this single issue I would opt for the lesser of 2 evils, but only after praying long & hard about what decision the Lord would have me make.

GUN CONTROL: The democrats want to remove all guns from the hands of law-abiding citizens. Republicans on the other hand somewhat straddle the fence here...they want law-abiding citizens without mental illness to be able to have guns if they choose, however, they also support anything that will keep innocent people from being hurt or killed at the hands of someone who is careless, reckless or just plain evil.  In order to find the biblical answer for this one you have to be a little more diligent & work a little harder. . the bible was written long before the first fire arm was ever invented. Since there was no such thing as a gun when the bible is written you won't find the words gun control in the bible.   In Genesis chapter 4 we learn of the first murder...Wait just a minuter here, I though guns kill people?!?!?  Cain didn't need a gun to kill his brother, if someone has the mentality & lack of morals to kill someone then they will find a way to make it happen, On more than one occasion the bible speaks about war, weapons are a necessity of war.  The fact that guns are readily available in America is not the issue, the real issue is the morality of the gun owner.  There is no command in the bible that says that a person should not own a gun. However, God did NOT intend for his children just to walk in to a school & shoot anybody we could find. God does want us to be submissive to our government & if the USA passes any laws which have to do with the control of guns then as children of the one TRUE GOD we should abide by all the laws. Even Jesus didn't turn his cheek ALL the time. he actually cleaned out the temple because the people were not showing the house of God any respect at all, therefore, Jesus purged it completely. God allows us to have the freedom to choose our own way, just keep in mind that He truly intends for us to show Christ-like love, yet He doesn't expect us to simply stand there & do nothing while someone harms us, our family or even a stranger. He does want violence to be used as only a last resort. Guns can also help keep the peace, for instance, cops manage to carry a gun at all times & not one time has an officer's gun jumped off his hip & gone crazy shooting multiple individuals. However, if a thug enters a gas station with a gun in his pocket & spots a cop waiting in line to pay for a drink, he is much less likely to get stupid while the cop is standing there because if he does he most likely will not live to tell about it. I realize that most people already have their minds made up about gun control & nothing will change your mind. Do your own research so you can make an informed decision & don't let the news media be the ruler that you measure your vote by.

SAME SEX MARRIAGE: Democrats support same sex marriage & Republicans oppose the idea. I am not the judge, I am merely a messenger giving it to you straight. This issue defies basic logic & common sense.  I know I am about to sound like an elementary school kid but here goes...In Genesis it tells you that God created man in his own image, male & female he created them.  Therefore, basic common sense would say that if God had wanted same sex marriage that he would have only created one sex, right? If that didn't convince you, then why can't men have babies? God also told them to "go forth & multiply". Now maybe my thinking is a little backwards here BUT again if god had intended for same sex marriage to work wouldn't you think that woman would not need a man to have a baby? To me all of this is common sense, which is apparently now a super power these days. In 1 Corinthians 6:9 & 10 we are told that homosexuals will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God.  Let me say that again...homosexuals will NOT inherit the Kingdom of  God. Based on this information alone, it is safe to say that God will punish any church who marries same sex couples.  He is a God of love, He is also a just God who hates sin. Homosexuality is a learned behavior so it can't be in any child's best interest to be raised by same sex couples.  You see homosexuality is similar to drug addiction, it is based purely on pleasure of the individuals. If we remove children from homes where we know that drugs are present in an attempt to protect the children wouldn't that also make sense when it comes to homosexuality? I am well aware that most will defend this by saying that same sex couples "love" each other, it is not nor never will be a marriage blessed by God, it is all from Satan a master of deception. The american society has allowed this to creep into our lives through our television sets.They even usually start with our children. On the Disney Channel every pre-teen show that comes on has a homosexual on it in some shape or fashion.  Over the years Hollywood has made lots of things accepted by the majority but just because those around you accept it doesn't make it right. Marriage is an interwoven relationship that is made up of more than lust, sex, or emotion.  Same sex marriage will NOT last, less than 5% of homosexuals have ever had a relationship that has lasted longer than 3 years. This only reinforces the fact that it is an unnatural relationship.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION:  The Democrats support creating a path to citizenship for those who have been in the USA for 5 or more years & have no criminal background...now this is not from the bible BUT this literally makes no sense to me...if they are here illegally doesn't that make them a criminal? Just pointing out the obvious here, now lets carry on.  The bible tells us in Romans 13:1-7 that we are to obey the laws of the land.  If you have some difficulty understanding what this means allow me to help you...as a child of  God we are to keep the laws set down for us by our government UNLESS the law is trying to get us to disobey God.  Some try to defend the fact that people are breaking the law of this country by attempting to justify the illegal entry into America by saying that the laws on immigration are unjust, unfair

Now it is your right as an American to have your very own opinion about all of these and I do respect your right to believe what ever you want BUT it is also my right to have my opinion.  So if you approve of all these issues & you are claiming to be a christian then don't be offended when I tell you the truth like Peter wrote it on a rock & your so called beliefs don't add up!!! If you want to be politically correct then be politically correct...stand for it...defend it as best you can, however don't be rude or disrespectful of my redneck wholesome right stance on political issues.  God has told us to be in the world not of the world...political correctness is just that "of the world" mentality that Satan wants you buy into.

Just a few things that make my butt itch...

I am very human...my parents taught me manners which I do use pretty much all the time.  If one of the kids does something for me I say thank you.  If I ask my husband for a favor I say please.  However, apparently my parents weren't very good at pushing me past the point of throat punching people for what may seem to some as very minor things.  They are simply annoying habits that people usually have simply because no one has ever told them to STOP.  I know that I am not the only person in this world who gets their knickers in a knot at some of the stuff people do.

One thing that gets my goat is a woman who is too lazy to put on a bra!!!! Ladies, in case your mother or grand-mother never told you, bras are not an accessory.  They are an essential part of clothing, it is not ok to leave your house without your bra on. On any given trip to Wal-Mart you will see more than one woman with her nipples at her belt line...for God's sake no one wants to see this.  I don't care if you have to roll those puppies up & tuck them into a bra...put them away before you put somebody's eye out with those things, especially in the cold foods.  While we are on the subject of bras...if it has spaghetti straps or no straps at all head on down to Wally World & buy yourself a strapless bra.  A bra is an under garment which means that it goes underneath clothing...it should NOT hang out.  If if falls off your shoulder then go to the restroom & make the necessary adjustment to the straps & stop pulling at it. If you need assistance to know how to adjust your bra so that it fits correctly then go to Vicky's Secret & they will fit you for a bra & educate you on how to get it to fit you perfectly.  You can consider this a Public Service Announcement...free of charge just take the advice...

Several years ago the MLB folks received peer pressure to make baseball players stop using tobacco products when on TV.  Here is the rule I would love to see them pass...KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF YOUR JUNK!!! Fellas its not going anywhere...it seriously will not fall off.  there is absolutely no friggin' need to touch yourself every  time you run across the field. If you just have to adjust your little feller then go to the dug out & hide behind the wall or something. Let's be honest here if y'all had as much junk as you try to convince us that you do women would never feel the need to look at your hands or feet. Nor would you have to worry about having a woman with PMS because she would be so freaking happy that the undertaker couldn't wipe the smile off of her face!!!

Can anyone tell me what makes chips taste better to certain people if they munch them? That sound....I mean really I can take a lot of stuff but the munching of chips is not one of them.  I really do try hard but its like nails on a chalk board or the squeak of a fork across a plate...you know how that goes it will take you from southern belle to redneck in the blink of an eye. This is the one sound that will make me want to throat punch you...I mean seriously how hard is it to simply break the chip & put all of it in your mouth? Its just not complicated...I have a nephew that almost lost his life this summer for munching chips...it was all I could do to keep my finger in my ear on the side he was sitting while the adults were having a conversation. Prepare yourself...if you eat a meal with me just know that if you munch your chips I will try very hard to use my grown up manners but if you eat enough of them you just might out work my medication & find yourself punched in the throat...If you simply love the sound of chips being munched then do it in the privacy of your own home because trust me there is not one person with any upbringing that wants to hear you eat chips. "Hey, I think I'm gonna run over to Bob's house & listen to him munch chips>" said no one EVER!!!

Please explain to me why  smokers thinks an ashtray looks so much better with cigarette butts on the ground around it? Does it burn your fingers if you drop the butt into the ashtray? For Pete's sake you have the disgusting thing in your mouth & nobody wants to have to put their hand on it to pick it up...when I see people throw their butts on the ground it makes me wonder, do they throw them in the floor at their house? The ashtray is there for you to flick ashes into & to put your butt in there too.  There is no touching of spit covered paper if you would simply put those nasty butts in the right place...if you can't put your butt in the right place then maybe you shouldn't smoke!!

This brings me to one of my husband's pet peeves & believe it or not it is nothing I do!!! We have 4 boys 3 of  which have dipped.  They spit into a bottle & put the lid on it...it drives David bonkers. I'm guessing that as a child or teenager that perhaps he drank a sip of some that a buddy spit into a coke bottle or something...eeeeeeewwwwwww!!! He does have a valid point, nobody wants to see your spit held captive in a bottle.  All the boys know they better toss that bottle before they leave or they will probably get a phone call & be asked to drive back to the house & throw it away. So if you dip you can come over to watch the game just take your spit with you when you go...haha

I am currently unable to drive due to vision issues (I will tell y'all that story another time.) but when I did you didn't catch me coming out of any store with a buggy & leaving it sitting in front of my car, next to anybody else's car, or all willy nilly in  the parking lot.  That is what they have the buggy bins for...you don't have to have some special super power. Unless you consider common sense as a super power because that & a couple arms & legs are all you really need. Just walk your lazy tail over to the cart corral & insert said buggy between the rails. It's honestly that simple!! I have been known to stop folks in the parking lot & tell them that I hoped their fancy smancy car was hit by a buggy rolling out of control knocking half of the paint off it.  If you are so upity that you think your car is worth so much more than anyone else's then maybe I need to add you to the list of the people karma has forgotten about & loan her my boots to kick you with.  Its rude!! The next time you go to the grocery store or anywhere else at least ACT like your momma raised you right & put your buggy up in the proper receptical.

While we are out & about let's talk about you people who obviously think that a car will not run you over when you  cross the parking lot slower than a herd of turtles.  You need to check yourself...If someone is in a car & they have stopped to allow you to cross the aisle then get you tail on out of the way.  The only kinda special you are is short bus special, turn on the after burners & get out of the way...I don't care what you are wearing nor what kind of phone you are using if you don't want to be a greasy spot on the pavement then skeedaddle!!! I think from now on I will let the turtle train get to about the middle of the car & then just sit down on the horn...it should be good for some laughs for those of us having our patience tested to the max in the car.

Now that I'm in the car & pretending to be in the driver's seat once again...it is pure insanity that when folks buy a new car that they don't at least test the blinker to make sure it works.  Cars this day & time cost far too much to not come with a turn signal...Ford makes tons of recalls every year why don't they recall all the cars on the road that don;'t have blinkers?  This grinds my gears...don't act like you didn't read that in the driver's manual when you were a teenager...its there I promise you...its there. My uterine radar works good at the house to find the lost shoe no one else can find BUT I didn't have enough money for the mind reader app so I have no idea where you are going...your blinker will probably decrease your chances of getting hit in the rear if you would only use it!!! It really isn't complicated...just push it down if you wanna turn left & push it up if you are going right...if you turn far enough then it will turn itself off. BUT check it, you don't wanna be the old fart driving down the interstate for mile after mile with your blinker still flashing. If your car didn't come with one then you should really return it to the dealership because I am positive that the blinker doesn't cost extra...

This is just the tip of the iceberg of the things that I think are beyond STUPID...the kids think I could possibly be a little too sensitive but come on really, everything I have listed is purely common sense, it doesn't even take a high school diploma to complete most of the tasks.  Unfortunately for some people the filter that is supposed to stop some things from coming out of my mouth is on the fritz & since I am too poor to paint & too proud to whitewash I won't be getting the filter fixed. besides it might just help some poor dumb soul out. While you are living life just think about all the things that get your goat...I would love to hear them all, I know I can't be the only one that has stuff that makes my butt itch!!!!

  

Instruction manual needed desperately...

I can't believe all the things that come with instructions.  Do we need instructions for everything??? I mean do we really need too know that After Sun lotion is for external use only? This can't possibly mean that sometime in the past some moron said "Hey, I think this just might help my heart burn!!" 

I totally understand that an instruction manual is needed for a laptop these days.  I mean I want to know all the cool stuff it can do that the other ones don't.  Its not necessary to tell me not to get it wet though, I can pretty much figure that one out on my own.  

A mixer for the kitchen...do you need a booklet of instructions?? I would say if you do, you probably should have ridden the short bus to school.  Its pretty simple...insert whippers into holes until they click, plug in, insert into whatever you are mixing, turn on & mix ingredients until blended to satisfaction,  See you can put that in a fortune cookie, no booklet required. 

These days the functions that our cars perform are out of this world. I mean when I started driving there was no such thing as a cell phone (no youngsters, I didn't start driving a horse & buggy...lol). It is necessary to have instructions for functions like syncing all your devices & definitely setting the clock because sometimes it takes a master's level degree to be able to work all that electronic stuff. However, the manual doesn't have to be so freaking thick...changing the oil, rotating tires, & putting the car in drive are pretty self explanatory, I think.  

I know you are wondering where in Sam Hill I am going with all of this, just bear with me I am just about to get there.  We have instructions for things that really & truly have NO importance in the greater realm of our lives.   Yet they send us home from the hospital with these little bundles of joy without even a whisper of what lies ahead for us.  Nobody gets a manual for children...What to Expect when your Expecting doesn't even come close to covering how your life will NEVER be the same again. 

As a mother, you never sleep the same again.  The faintest whimper will wake you up to peep in the cradle just to make sure they are "back to sleep". Those funny little breathing gasps that they do will have you begging God for their next breath.  The sweet little faces they make will bring a smile to your face every single time.  No one ever tells you how some of the stuff that comes our of those precious little babies will make you want to throw up!!! Where do they keep that stuff...geeze the smell!!!

They mention the terrible twos but you have no idea how terrible they are gonna be. Even the second & third child are so dramatically different than the first so they even take you by surprise. One will smear jelly all over the kitchen table & the next will try to flush clothes down the toilet to help you do the laundry.  Some toddlers sleep through the night while others teach you how to maintain sanity  while going days without sleeping for more than 3 hours at a time. Not one person will warn you that you should never trust a quiet toddler...a quite toddler is drawing on the wall with a permanent marker or crayons, climbing on anything they can find to climb on, or putting some deadly household chemical into their younger siblings mouth.  Spelling words that you don't want them to hear will become your favorite game in some ill attempt to prevent the tantrum from being seen in public. You know the one that the baby books say ignore & it will go away, the part they leave out is they don't disappear until said child moves out on his or her own or goes away too college.

You take them to the doctor & they weigh them, measure how tall they are, then plot it all out on a growth chart as they try to predict how tall your son or daughter will be.  Amazing that they can predict how tall they will be, yet they can not even estimate how many questions they are gonna ask when they start to school.  Not one parent, doctor or loose lipped friend will warn you that some spiteful school age child is gonna blab that there is no Santa, Easter bunny or tooth fairy & the lengths you will go to just to prove to your child that they exist. Those fabulous teachers at school teach them to add, subtract, multiply, divide, to read & to spell taking away your last bit of privacy. Everybody has advice on how you should discipline your rugrat most of which do not include the main staples used in your child rearing aka the switch & the belt.  Time out seems to be the all time favorite yet the world wonders why kids are out of control...news flash...spare the rod spoil the child.  A switch or the belt when used in love is not abuse...it teaches kids that some choices come with painful consequences.

Some where around the age of 12, something happens to those sweet innocent children you have loved unconditionally, they should have a hotline for parents of demon possessed spawns of Satan the rest of the world refers to as teenagers.  I know you thought you were raising the perfect husband or wife & then BOOM out of no where comes this attitude & they could care less about the fact that you have managed not to let them die thus far in life.. you are suddenly the dumbest human being on the face of this earth.  Your taste in clothing is old fashioned, your music is horrible, No more kisses before school nor bed, you will be lucky if you get any conversation from them at this point it is mostly just a series of grunts & moans accompanied by the sarcastic huff. This is about the time you begin to hear your parents saying "I hope you have 12 just like you" & becoming increasingly thankful that you didn't own a plantation that required 12 or 14 kids to help you maintain.  If you haven't already you will apologize for all the flack you gave your parents & you understand why they done most of the things they done.  Ever so thankful that your parents managed not to kill you.

With all the instructions for things that really do not matter why has no one ever made an instruction manual for children.  The fact that we are constantly flying by the seat of our pants renews my belief that God truly does have a sense of humor.  How could he not when he sees the utter torment that teenagers put us through.  Whitney Houston said that she believed that children were our future & her only advice was to teach them well & help them lead the way.  HOLD UP...Where are they leading us to? I can think of not one single reason why on earth I would follow a child today across the street much less any where else.

Together my husband & I have 5 children 4 boys & a girl...we have 1 preteen & 1 still in high school. We are 60% effective, we have 3 kids grown & on their own. They appear to be doing just fine. Therefore, you would think that by this time we could write the perfect instruction manual for parents, however, neither of us are politically correct.  We believe in corporal punishment...respect...and the fact that they should eventually, only if they survive those teenage years, become contributing members to society.  So if you are in your local book store & you find an instruction manual please give me a yell...at this point I am in desperate need of an instruction manual before these last 2 drive me over the edge.

 

Love me when I least deserve it because tht is when I need it the most...

Being a church leader in Christ isn't always an easy road.  We are human before we are christan...sinners before we were saved...lost long before we were found! Just because someone teaches Sunday School classes, leads the choir, chairs the Brotherhood or even pastors the church does not make them perfect.

So what do you do when leaders in the church disappoint you?  Believe it or not there is a Godly way to handle it (Matthew 18:15-18).  As with most sin we loose focus & just like Peter when we take our eyes off Christ we sink like a boulder deep down in the ocean.  Sin is never an easy topic to discuss not even with your best friend much less someone who is a respected leader.

Like I said before christian life is not an easy road...it is muddy rutty, full of pot holes, narrow & hectic.  If we can only stay focused on Christ it will be well worth every dent & all the rust we encounter.  Say a prayer as you read this & ask that God reveal to you the areas where you may need some work...

When a leader of the church falls victim to Satan & his deceiving angels of darkness, the first thing we as fellow chrisians should do is PRAY!!! Pray even before they fall off the chariot, pray... pray that God will put a hedge of protection around them to prevent Satan from sinking his claws into them & to soften their heart to the will of God.  Prayer is a powerful thing & we should be praying for our leaders often (not just the church leaders but the leaders of our city, state & country as well).  1 Timothy 2:1 says that requests, prayers, intercession & thanksgiving be made for everyone. Praying for our leaders should be natural & shouldn't be saved for times of attack or need.  You never know, yours just might be the prayer that prevents or protects them from Satan's snares.

As fellow believers in Christ we are to encourage one another, however, we are also to hold each other accountable for our actions.  Before you confront someone for a less than Godly action check your motive.  Is this for revenge? What about spite? Jealousy? Karma is NOT a biblical concept.  Therefore, if you find yourself joyful at someone's mistake or misfortune you need to take a long hard look at your heart because it is beyond hardened, very similar to the heart of Pharaoh to God's message through Moses (Exodus 7:14).

Holding fellow believers & leaders accountable for actions not becoming a child of the King of Kings should always be done in LOVE (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).  After all in spite of our very own mistakes God still loves us, right? I know you have heard people make the comment, "hate the sin, love the sinner" that is the same concept here.  To God there is no such thing as little sins & BIG sins.  A sin is just that...a sin, it stands in the way of our relationship with God (Hebrews 12:14).  Telling a lie is just the same in God's eyes as murder, adultery, fornication, rape & yes even child molestation, now let that marinate for a day or two on your head & your heart!!!

When we see a fellow church member participating in questionable behaviors we are to go to them & talk to them about what is going on.  Not accusing them of making stupid or poor decisions...we are not the judge & jury we are simply the messenger. We are actually telling them what they already know to be the TRUTH. The bible also tells us as followers of Christ we will be known by the fruits we bear. We should make every effort to protect their reputation. If they cans see that what we are showing them is wrong in the eyes of God & repent then GREAT we are done.  However, often that is not the case...

We are to then take one or two more people with us to talk to them.  Again, this should be done in LOVE, not hate, spite or jealousy.  So choose your partners carefully & prayerfully.   At this point it would be wonderful if their heart was softened to the message that God has sent through you.  Sometimes just like the Pharaoh their heart is hardened to the message you are bringing. The devil can get such a grip on our hearts that its difficult to see the forest for the trees.  You see the devil isn't always easy to see, he can look like a friend, wise counsel, even a Bible thumping church leader.  If the person is still not receptive to the message you have brought them, your job is NOT complete.

At this point the church is involved...yet again in LOVE.  Sometimes the best place to become Bertha Betterthanyou is right on the front pew of the church. I mean we are the child of the King, right? Most often we brothers & sisters in Christ prefer to talk about the church member who sins different than we do rather than immerse them in the Godly love we have been shown.  When you love someone you don't do what is best for you BUT what is best for them. We all have a closet full of skeletons packed in so tight that the slightest nudge & they can fly out all over the place for all to see.  Jesus is the only perfect man to LIVE & DIE without one single sin...this alone qualifies him to throw stones at us daily.

In John 8:1-11 a woman caught in the act of adultery was brought to Jesus.  The Pharisee were attempting to trick Jesus & hoping to stone this woman to death.  They were told, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first one to throw a stone at her."  When those men had to look in Jesus' mirror at their own lives, they obviously realized they had sin in their lives because not one of them threw a single stone.  Instead they walked away, one at a time leaving only Jesus there.  When no man found cause to cast the first stone, Jesus said to the woman, "Go & sin no more."

When sin creeps into our lives (I am using the word creep here because I don't think that as a christian leader you wake up one morning, look into the mirror & say, "I think I will just jump off the sin wagon & in over my head sinking farther down than I have ever been).  Sin doesn't always come in like a hurricane, more often than not it starts nice & easy like a slow, soft, steady summer shower & then BOOM, it causes more havoc that Hurricane Katrina did in New Orleans.  As I heard a preacher say one time...Sin will take you farther than you want to go & keep you longer than you want to stay...it will make your heart hard & change your perception of reality. So this person is most likely not thinking clearly & will not be receptive to your most loving efforts to help.

If those steps don't work...then you may have to distance yourself from them so that you are NOT pulled deeply into the abyss of sin that can consume us all (Romans 16:17).  Just because you are a christian you are not forever protected from dumb mistakes, you must stay prayed up, read up & fed up in Christ Jesus.  This doesn't mean that you don't continue to pray for them, smile & greet them in public or that you don't invite them to church, it means that you don't hang out with them.  If you play with fire you will get burned.  If you spend time with God you will develop more Godly habits, a more Christ-like attitude & begin to look more like Jesus, the same goes for Satan & his dark angels.

This is written from the aspect of personal experience.  I am not ignorant enough to believe that while I walked down a very dark road if a Christ-centered friend had come to me & warned me about the broad & miserable path I was about to go down that my mind or my heart would have been changed, as a matter of fact I would have probably done it or died trying.  I can say, however that when I looked back on what happened...why it happened & the best way to find my way back that I would have felt far more loved than I do today.  God is a God of love but he is also a just God.  he loves me & you enough to cast our sin as far as the east is from the west but he is just enough to say to us, "Depart from me...I never never knew you! That in itself is enough for me!!!! So as you trudge along in your daily life & you come across those church leaders or fellow believers that you notice are headed in the wrong direction remember to LOVE them when they least deserve it because that is when they need it the most!!!!!

Actions speak LOUDER than words...

Now I am a pretty LOUD woman when I need to be (even when I don't need to be sometimes)...I heard my grand-parents say a million times "Actions speak LOUDER than words" when I was a young whipper snapper (all I can say is if my actions are louder than my mouth my husband deserves an award) . This Presidential election has brought debaters out of the wood work. Every Tom, Dick, Harry or Jane have their opinion & frequently blab it all over social media.  My all time favorite has to be the debate of "how can you as a christian vote for Hillary Clinton?" with the defense that as a christian you should not be judging someones relationship with Christ...YOU ARE KIDDING RIGHT???

Here is the scripture most like to spout off in an attempt to shut someone up who is challenging their stance. Matthew 7:1 (KJV) Judge not, that ye be not judged...is probably one of the most misquoted verses in the bible.  Now if you have read ANY of my blogs you are well aware that I don't sugar coat it nor wrap it all neatly with a pretty bow just so you can swallow the truth a little better. If you want cookies either bake them or buy them BUT you won't find them here.

If you are going to quote verses from the bible,  don't just pull out a verse that you THINK suits your point...keep reading because in verse 6 of chapter 7...Jesus says not to give dogs what is holy & not to give your pearls to pigs...makes sense right? Now you want to know what is holy right? Well, how do you know what is right & wrong, black & white, the truth or a lie?  (Sarcasm inserted for a reason). We judge...so spouting off about Matthew 7:1 is just your way of telling someone that you don't want them to tell you that you are wrong.  I don't want friends like this, I can't stand a snake & these days its pretty hard to tell when you are among friends & when you are actually in a brood of vipers.

Just because I have stepped on your toes a little bit, don't stop listening now...in verse 15 he also tells us to Beware of false prophets...verse 16 You will know them by their fruits.  That's right...not only will you KNOW  a false prophet by the fruit they bear BUT you will also KNOW a child of God by the fruit they bear.  Salvation doesn't make us perfect it only makes us FORGIVEN!!! What changes & makes the judgement wrong is the motivation behind it, according to Gotquestions.org .  If you are trying to judge someone with a plank in your eye, you can't see what they are truly doing without removing the plank from your eye first.  If your motivation is jealousy or self-righteous, then you are wrong.

 In John 7:24 we are instructed not to judge by appearance but to judge correctly. The ruler we are to use to judge ourselves by is Jesus, this is the correctly referred to here.  So...Matthew 7:1 does NOT mean anything goes, I will cover the Godly way of christian discipline in a different blog (see Love me when I deserve it the least because that's when I need it the most). 

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True christanity is NOT shouted from a hilltop BUT actually whispered in the actions of the follower, see even the Huffington Post gets it right sometimes. In 1 John 2:4 we are very plainly told that if we say we LOVE God but do not keep his commandments, then the truth is NOT in us. Thus making us a liar. You can LOVE someone & not like what they are doing.  For example, look at your kids...especially if you have those wretched spawns of Satan that some refer to as teenagers.  You LOVE them yet hate that attitude & the smart mouth. Just like you pray for your children, trust me we have ALL  prayed for God to place a hedge of protection around them before you choke one of them slap to death. You can & should pray for your enemy as well.  Those who pretend to be christians, those who think they can fake it all the way to heaven, or simply put anyone whose thoughts, actions & lifestyle doesn't line up with the bible, they need your prayer far more than the sick elderly deacon at church.

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So if a Christian is to be know by the fruit they bear...then what fruit are we looking for? They are called the fruits of the Spirit...love, joy, peace,  longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, & temperance. As chrisians we should try each & every day to fart the fruits of the spirit everywhere we go.  We will not be perfect, however, our actions should line up with the bible & yes my friends, this includes who we hang out with in our spare time as well as the people we vote into office.  When our country decided that we didn't have to do things the RIGHT way & voted folks into office who have legalized everything from marijuana to abortion we have been on the slippery slope into the wilderness. 

I am not telling you who to vote for...IT IS YOUR RIGHT to vote for whoever you want to!!!!!!! All I am saying is spend some time in diligent prayer seeking God's will for who you vote for.  I am also saying, as christans before we spout off scripture because we think it makes us look righteous, we should at the very least make sure that we can explain the verse & our stance clearly, otherwise you will never persuade anyone to make a change to keep an open mind?