I received this email from Bound4Life, and decided to just copy and paste it. Just to let everyone know, I voted for McCain. I don't agree w/ him 100% of the time, but chose the lesser of two evils. I still pray for all candidates and regardless of who gets in, Jesus is still King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His Word endures forever and nothing will change that.
To those who believe that righteousness exalts a nation,
With only a week left until the 2008 election we find ourselves in the eleventh hour of decision. Has everything been revealed that will be revealed? Are there any more last-minute surprises left? Who knows? I submit to you one more time that no further information is needed.
In a recent interview, one of the Vice Presidential Candidates stated that they believed Roe v. Wade was the best we can do in a society as heterogeneous as ours. I don't believe this is true, and neither should you. To suggest this is to say that we knew in 1973 everything we ever needed to know about the baby in the womb and the effects of abortion on women. Plenty of Americans were once content and satisfied with the legal, unchallenged existence of slavery in our nation as well and had squared with the ridiculous notion that a human being could be considered 2/3 of a whole person. History stands in judgment of them because, like it or not, they were wrong. As the nation hurtled toward civil war God raised up righteous voices from His Church to impact a culture that did not treat all men equal. It turned out that God had plenty to say about slavery and the public policy of this fledgling nation. Where would we be today had it not been for the burning men of God like Charles G. Finney who unapologetically coupled the message of the revival tent meeting with the message of abolition?
The moment has come once again for the Church in America to be the razor-sharp edge of divine truth and not the dull blade used to spread the status quo.
For those of you that have worn a Life Band in the last four years I call you to remember it now. For those that don't have a Life Band but believe that the blood of the innocent cries out from our ground I call you to seize this moment. So much is at stake right now in this one election cycle, but nothing is more important than shifting the United States Supreme Court.
You cannot pray for the ending of abortion and promote those who support it.
The Biblical message of "shedding innocent blood" has been taught and preached to more people this year than ever before thanks to GodTV, TheCall events, the 40 Days for Life campaigns as well as many others. This gives us cause for great hope and great sobriety at the same time. I believe God is giving us ample opportunity to align ourselves with Him and His Word, but we will be held accountable for the word we have heard. History will sit in judgment of what we do next.
Yet no poll or pundit can guess the outcome when God breaks in suddenly with answers to the prayers and fasting of His people.
There is no time to delay. Join now with Bound4LIFE and hundreds of thousands that have made the solemn commitment to PRAY, VOTE & OBEY.
PRAY daily for the ending of abortion. America's highest court has made a decree of death, but we make our appeal to an even higher court. The Judge of the earth will see that speedy justice is released to those that cry out to Him day and night.
VOTE for pro-life candidates. Pretty self-explanatory here, but voting is an honor, privilege and duty. Participation on November 4th is NOT optional. The Church must show up to make our voice heard.
OBEY God in however He leads you into works of compassion and justice. It's time for the Church to move en masse to become the answers to our own prayers. Let the spirit of adoption come. We cannot rely on big government programs to solve our problems.
Bound and determined,
Matt Lockett
Executive Director
Bound4LIFE Intl.
contact@bound4life.com
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Just the other day I received an email with the opportunity to download a free song. The song is called "Battle Hymn of the Republic." I must tell you that I've been playing this song a lot here recently, probably on over kill to a degree. But with everything that is going on right now, it just seems fitting.
I for one am ready for the elections to be over. I'm tired of the mudslinging and both campaigns just coming down on each other. I'm interested in politics and like to keep up with the news. I just voted for this election just the other day.
This election was a tough call for me. I felt like I didn't really have anyone to vote for. I'm registered Republican and I do hold to what probably many would consider conservative Biblical values. There are just a couple of clinchers for me. One of my top concerns is abortion. If we can't defend life, the economy and everything will suffer. I can't vote for someone who doesn't value life or Jesus and traditional marriage.
I understand that there are a lot of other issues out there, why do we always concentrate on abortion and homosexual rights? Why not take on theft or divorce or other issues like that? Tell you what, when we start to hold rallies to support thieves or adulterers, I'll be worried about that then as well. But I gotta tell ya, I have yet to see a rally where they support adultery and theft or divorce. I don't see a whole lot of laws being written to support theft or protecting thieves.
Hear me out on this, I'm a registered Republican, but I have long since put my faith and trust in a political party. Yes, the Republican party has ideals that I feel are closer to Biblical standards. But I put my faith and trust in the Holy Word of God. I put my faith in trust in God and I look to deepen my relationship with Jesus. My voting is just a means to an end.
In any case, I'm ready for the elections to be over and done with. Honestly, maybe having someone in the Oval who wants to jack taxes way up and support gay rights, maybe that will be good for us. Maybe it will wake up a sleeping church. Maybe it will bring us to our knees. I would hate to think that it would take another major attack such as 9/11 (which, by the way, I think we've forgotten it already or it just became too much of a buzz word) to wake us up.
Please understand my heart in why I say what I say (write). It's not to drag anyone or anything through the mud. But I've been around the world and I've seen devastation. I've seen people living in conditions that I wouldn't want my pet (if I ever get one) to be living in. And then to come back and hear the 'problems' that people here 'suffer' with. It just kinda gets to you after a bit. Sometimes, I just wanna tell people to snap out of it. But then I'm reminded that the battle is in the Spirit. And its just manifested in the natural by people who live under oppression. And it's through that that I want to see people be free.
I for one am ready for the elections to be over. I'm tired of the mudslinging and both campaigns just coming down on each other. I'm interested in politics and like to keep up with the news. I just voted for this election just the other day.
This election was a tough call for me. I felt like I didn't really have anyone to vote for. I'm registered Republican and I do hold to what probably many would consider conservative Biblical values. There are just a couple of clinchers for me. One of my top concerns is abortion. If we can't defend life, the economy and everything will suffer. I can't vote for someone who doesn't value life or Jesus and traditional marriage.
I understand that there are a lot of other issues out there, why do we always concentrate on abortion and homosexual rights? Why not take on theft or divorce or other issues like that? Tell you what, when we start to hold rallies to support thieves or adulterers, I'll be worried about that then as well. But I gotta tell ya, I have yet to see a rally where they support adultery and theft or divorce. I don't see a whole lot of laws being written to support theft or protecting thieves.
Hear me out on this, I'm a registered Republican, but I have long since put my faith and trust in a political party. Yes, the Republican party has ideals that I feel are closer to Biblical standards. But I put my faith and trust in the Holy Word of God. I put my faith in trust in God and I look to deepen my relationship with Jesus. My voting is just a means to an end.
In any case, I'm ready for the elections to be over and done with. Honestly, maybe having someone in the Oval who wants to jack taxes way up and support gay rights, maybe that will be good for us. Maybe it will wake up a sleeping church. Maybe it will bring us to our knees. I would hate to think that it would take another major attack such as 9/11 (which, by the way, I think we've forgotten it already or it just became too much of a buzz word) to wake us up.
Please understand my heart in why I say what I say (write). It's not to drag anyone or anything through the mud. But I've been around the world and I've seen devastation. I've seen people living in conditions that I wouldn't want my pet (if I ever get one) to be living in. And then to come back and hear the 'problems' that people here 'suffer' with. It just kinda gets to you after a bit. Sometimes, I just wanna tell people to snap out of it. But then I'm reminded that the battle is in the Spirit. And its just manifested in the natural by people who live under oppression. And it's through that that I want to see people be free.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Some May Trust in Wall Street...
Lately I've been humming/thinking over the tune that I my church used to sing a lot in PA. Some may trust in horses, some may trust in chariots, but we will trust in the Name of the Lord. Some may trust in government, some may trust in wall street, but we will trust in the name of the Lord. I'm sure you know where this is going.
Amazingly, I haven't been watching much of the elections this year. I know who i'm voting for, and that's about it. I know that the Democratic candidate doesn't value life that much and that the Republican candidate does. Friend, if we can't value life, everything else is kind of meaningless. Just to show my colors, I'm registered Republican. Doesn't mean i agree with everything a 'republican' candidate does, but there values seem closer to the Bible. If a Democratic candidate would be holding better values than the Republican one does, then I guess I'd be voting respectively. But I don't know about all 3 of you who read this, but I have learned not to put my trust in government and money, but I put my hope and trust in Jesus and His Word. This is coming from someone who is starting to get involved in 401K and all that good jazz. I'm not against investing wisely, but i just don't want to put my faith and trust in something that will eventually burn and not pass the test of time. If your into investing, now is the time to buy probably and I'd say invest wisely. And if I had more money to invest, I'd be doing just that. I want to save up for the future. But my first goal is pleasing the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Everything else is secondary.
With voting right around the corner, know the issues and what each candidate really stands for. And then get on your knees and ask God what is on His heart. It's nothing really that drastic, just a couple million lives are at stake. I once heard that some folks were voting for a certain candidate b/c they were a good speaker and were very eloquent. That scares me. The Bible warns of flattering speech. I personally get very scared when people just have all these nice things to say about topics. Sometimes it seems we're too afraid to look at the big picture and realize the mess we're really in.
I know, this was one of those really encouraging blogs huh? Sometimes, we just gotta call it like we see it...
Amazingly, I haven't been watching much of the elections this year. I know who i'm voting for, and that's about it. I know that the Democratic candidate doesn't value life that much and that the Republican candidate does. Friend, if we can't value life, everything else is kind of meaningless. Just to show my colors, I'm registered Republican. Doesn't mean i agree with everything a 'republican' candidate does, but there values seem closer to the Bible. If a Democratic candidate would be holding better values than the Republican one does, then I guess I'd be voting respectively. But I don't know about all 3 of you who read this, but I have learned not to put my trust in government and money, but I put my hope and trust in Jesus and His Word. This is coming from someone who is starting to get involved in 401K and all that good jazz. I'm not against investing wisely, but i just don't want to put my faith and trust in something that will eventually burn and not pass the test of time. If your into investing, now is the time to buy probably and I'd say invest wisely. And if I had more money to invest, I'd be doing just that. I want to save up for the future. But my first goal is pleasing the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Everything else is secondary.
With voting right around the corner, know the issues and what each candidate really stands for. And then get on your knees and ask God what is on His heart. It's nothing really that drastic, just a couple million lives are at stake. I once heard that some folks were voting for a certain candidate b/c they were a good speaker and were very eloquent. That scares me. The Bible warns of flattering speech. I personally get very scared when people just have all these nice things to say about topics. Sometimes it seems we're too afraid to look at the big picture and realize the mess we're really in.
I know, this was one of those really encouraging blogs huh? Sometimes, we just gotta call it like we see it...
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Being ready at all times
Just last nite, i got a call from a friend of mine about a possible ministry trip. He gave me about a 12 hr notice of going to a church nearby to minister. But that's part of being me. and I love that sort of stuff! So after a bit of traveling (about 40 minutes away) and getting there about 10:10 and spending time in prayer, its time to roll. So my buddy preached for a bit and I was able to give a brief exhortation about son ship and some other prophetic words came out.
It's stuff like this that I'm made for. Being a young single guy, I can go a lot easier than others. And we got to pray for people and just love on them. Life is good.
It's stuff like this that I'm made for. Being a young single guy, I can go a lot easier than others. And we got to pray for people and just love on them. Life is good.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit Pt. 2
In my last blog, I mentioned about making a theological truth and experiential reality. As I've mentioned before, Christianity is about a relationship you have with Jesus Christ, who is God's Son. It's not just some sort of routine you do necessarily, but it's about a living, breathing relationship.
I've been reading a book called "Surprised By The Power of the Spirit" by Jack Deere. He was a cessassionist who later changed his perspective to believing in the gifts of the Spirit. I want to say this: I believe the Bible is the infalliable Word of God. It is my Rock and from it I get a sure foundation. Whenever listening to anything, sermons particularly, I bounce it off the Word and make sure it stands. I also believe in the Gifts of the Spirit as mentioned about in 1 Cor. 12. And i believe that these gifts, when used appropriately according to the Bible and done in a fitting and orderly way, can be very productive.
I was just reading in it about how he considered his emotions as useless and to just suppress the emotions. He said that it bothered him that when reading the Psalms how it seemed that the writer just bore his feelings to God. I used to kinda do the same thing, being that I would just suppress my feelings. And that's not healthy. I've since learned that its ok to laugh and cry. It's ok to have emotions. It's how those emotions are used.
A friend of mine was telling me that he went to visit a particular church once. And during the worship time, he raised his hands in worship. Later after wards, the pastor came up to him and gently informed him that they don't do that in this church. They do everything by the Spirit, and not by the flesh. My friend was just like "ok... my bad."
Now obviously, I don't agree with that. Now, the other extreme is where you just let everything go. You're just totally run by your feelings. And that's not safe either. I've been in services though where you don't know what's going on necessarily, but there is still order. The Holy Spirit is moving powerfully and there are outward demonstrations of it. And there is a time and place for that.
What am I trying to say? I'm trying to say that there is a place to let your emotions and hunger and passion for God just have at it. When you come into a church meeting, I don't think that that is the time to shut your emotions off and its also not a place to check your brains. There is a healthy combination of them both. There is a healthy way to take a theological truth and turn it into an experiential reality. I can't find anywhere in the Bible where it says that the gifts of the Spirit stopped. Just because we haven't seen them for years is no excuse. And I know that there are folks who have been deeply hurt by the improper use of the gifts. They're not meant to control you and manipulate you, but rather empower you to live a life of Godliness in Jesus.
I've been reading a book called "Surprised By The Power of the Spirit" by Jack Deere. He was a cessassionist who later changed his perspective to believing in the gifts of the Spirit. I want to say this: I believe the Bible is the infalliable Word of God. It is my Rock and from it I get a sure foundation. Whenever listening to anything, sermons particularly, I bounce it off the Word and make sure it stands. I also believe in the Gifts of the Spirit as mentioned about in 1 Cor. 12. And i believe that these gifts, when used appropriately according to the Bible and done in a fitting and orderly way, can be very productive.
I was just reading in it about how he considered his emotions as useless and to just suppress the emotions. He said that it bothered him that when reading the Psalms how it seemed that the writer just bore his feelings to God. I used to kinda do the same thing, being that I would just suppress my feelings. And that's not healthy. I've since learned that its ok to laugh and cry. It's ok to have emotions. It's how those emotions are used.
A friend of mine was telling me that he went to visit a particular church once. And during the worship time, he raised his hands in worship. Later after wards, the pastor came up to him and gently informed him that they don't do that in this church. They do everything by the Spirit, and not by the flesh. My friend was just like "ok... my bad."
Now obviously, I don't agree with that. Now, the other extreme is where you just let everything go. You're just totally run by your feelings. And that's not safe either. I've been in services though where you don't know what's going on necessarily, but there is still order. The Holy Spirit is moving powerfully and there are outward demonstrations of it. And there is a time and place for that.
What am I trying to say? I'm trying to say that there is a place to let your emotions and hunger and passion for God just have at it. When you come into a church meeting, I don't think that that is the time to shut your emotions off and its also not a place to check your brains. There is a healthy combination of them both. There is a healthy way to take a theological truth and turn it into an experiential reality. I can't find anywhere in the Bible where it says that the gifts of the Spirit stopped. Just because we haven't seen them for years is no excuse. And I know that there are folks who have been deeply hurt by the improper use of the gifts. They're not meant to control you and manipulate you, but rather empower you to live a life of Godliness in Jesus.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Life In General
There has been a lot going on as of late. There are election campaigns in full swing right now, the financial arenas are crumbling as we speak, life in general just seems to be going on a downward spiral towards nothingness. It's amazing how much of our lives revolves around computers and money. Which is unfortunate really. I mean, my current job literally revolves around computers. And when they're not functioning properly, we definitely notice it.
As far as the elections go, I largely stay away from a lot of the media as far as opinion goes. I get a little of the news from certain media outlets, but I look at the lives of the candidates and what they stand for. If they don't respect and care for life, then many other aspects of their lives will follow suit. One of the defining issues will be their moral/spiritual stance. Granted, I usually vote more on the Republican ticket because they're known to be more conservative in their views regarding abortion and religion on the society as a whole.
I want to say that about government and religion mixing, I'm not looking for a Theocracy. As I've said before, that's been tried and it failed. I do however want officials to be going to God and asking the Lord for wisdom and direction in how to govern. I don't want them to be forcing it down others throats necessarily, but an occasional quoting of scripture never hurts.
It does give me great comfort to know that my leaders in Washington D.C. have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Our nation was founded on the Bible and most of the leaders then were men who knew God and had a relationship with Jesus.
As far as Wall Street, why is it that soo much of our lives revolve around those pieces of paper? It's honestly frightening to think that. I'm not against talking about money and dealing with it. It's a great tool to be used. And I want to see people with great financial minds be used in Christendom. But lets not put our faith and trust in our wallets. The economy goes up and down worse than the coolest roller coaster out there (and I love roller coasters). Let us put our faith in God and in our relationship with Jesus. And let's ask God for wisdom to know how to spend the money He's entrusted us with.
As far as the elections go, I largely stay away from a lot of the media as far as opinion goes. I get a little of the news from certain media outlets, but I look at the lives of the candidates and what they stand for. If they don't respect and care for life, then many other aspects of their lives will follow suit. One of the defining issues will be their moral/spiritual stance. Granted, I usually vote more on the Republican ticket because they're known to be more conservative in their views regarding abortion and religion on the society as a whole.
I want to say that about government and religion mixing, I'm not looking for a Theocracy. As I've said before, that's been tried and it failed. I do however want officials to be going to God and asking the Lord for wisdom and direction in how to govern. I don't want them to be forcing it down others throats necessarily, but an occasional quoting of scripture never hurts.
It does give me great comfort to know that my leaders in Washington D.C. have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Our nation was founded on the Bible and most of the leaders then were men who knew God and had a relationship with Jesus.
As far as Wall Street, why is it that soo much of our lives revolve around those pieces of paper? It's honestly frightening to think that. I'm not against talking about money and dealing with it. It's a great tool to be used. And I want to see people with great financial minds be used in Christendom. But lets not put our faith and trust in our wallets. The economy goes up and down worse than the coolest roller coaster out there (and I love roller coasters). Let us put our faith in God and in our relationship with Jesus. And let's ask God for wisdom to know how to spend the money He's entrusted us with.
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