I wanted to pass on an email I received from Focus On The Family. We are living in troubled times and as much as I hate to admit this, I believe that we as the Church have invited this upon ourselves by placing evil or ungodly men in positions of governmental power and influence who have used their positions of influence to enact laws that now threaten families and especially the safety of our own children. Without getting political, let me say that your voice matters and the fact that we have not supported Born Again governmental leaders or demanded that the ungodly follow Biblical principles in leading our nation has brought us to the kind of problems echoed in this troubling report. Check it out.

——- From Focus On The Family

Gov. Bill Ritter of Colorado signed into law an outrageous bill that, in the name of providing “equality” for homosexuals and transgenders, that actually allows men to use women’s restrooms—right alongside women and little girls. The new law starts with civil penalties of up to $5,000 for any business whose beliefs and practices run contrary to the promotion of homosexuals, bisexuals, transgenders . . . or anyone who is perceived as such. But then it goes a step further by threatening criminal penalties of up to a year in prison. This frightening aspect makes one ask: If the privacy of innocent children isn’t enough to derail the homosexual activists’ agenda, what is?

This isn’t just a Colorado problem. Already, similar proposals are popping up in various states. And with Tim Gill and his cadre of mega-donors pumping millions into state legislative races, the same menacing threat may soon be coming to a bathroom near you.

Second, as you are no doubt aware, last month the state of California began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Yes, we’ve seen this before (Massachusetts), but what makes this threat so grave is that California—unlike Massachusetts—allows non-residents to get married, even if they are from one of the 48 states that still prohibit so-called same-sex “marriage.”
That means that very soon, the God-ordained structure of marriage will be on trial in state and federal courts around the nation, as homosexual couples return to their states and demand to have their “marriage” recognized. The scenario we began warning about in the mid-1990s is almost upon us.

The 4-3 ruling by the California Supreme Court not only manufactured a novel interpretation of the state constitution, but it also overturned the will of 4.6 million Californians who had voted to protect marriage in 2000.

The ramifications of this ruling are two-fold. First, California is so large and so influential that, if the ruling survives a vote of the people in November, it will likely have a social and political impact that will allow same-sex “marriage” to spread to other states.

Second, as I mentioned earlier, California law allows non-residents to marry—even from states where same-sex “marriage” is illegal—which opens wide the door to legal challenges all over the country. State laws and constitutional amendments will be challenged. The federal Defense of Marriage Act will be challenged. Already, the governor of New York has declared that the Empire State will recognize all same-sex “marriages” performed in other states or foreign countries.

As the gay agenda has advanced around the world, it has trampled on religious freedom in country after country:

• In Sweden, Pastor Ake Green was sentenced to prison (though later acquitted) after preaching a sermon challenging homosexuality.
• In England, an employment tribunal fined a church bishop more than $100,000 for refusing to hire a youth worker because of his homosexual identity.
• In Ontario, Canada, the provincial Human Rights Commission fined a Christian ministry $23,000 for insisting that its employees be practicing Christians who uphold a biblical view of homosexuality. In addition to the fine, staffers must undergo a state re-education program regarding their views on sexuality.

Some respond that this may happen in other countries, but not in America where we have First Amendment protections. Not so fast. Consider what’s happening right here in the U.S.:

• In New Mexico, a husband and wife who are photographers were fined more than $6,000 by the New Mexico Human Rights Commission. Their “crime”? Refusing to photograph a lesbian “commitment ceremony” because it violated their religious beliefs.
• In New Jersey, a church-run Christian camp lost part of its tax-exempt status for refusing to host a lesbian “commitment ceremony.”
• In Ohio, Crystal Dixon, an associate vice president at the state-run University of Toledo, was fired for writing a column in which she, as a black woman, objected to the homosexual movement being compared to the civil rights movement.

Each of these examples have happened recently, and more are sure to come as a result of the strategic work of the gay rights movement:

• Tim Gill and his well-heeled cohorts continue to exert their influence in the political arena through huge cash gifts in strategically selected state races.
• Non-discrimination bills and local ordinances—similar to the new Colorado law—are popping up all over the country. Gainesville, Florida, is the latest target.
• And the biggest legal advocate of the homosexual agenda, the ACLU, has announced that it has raised nearly 80 percent of a $335 million expansion into conservative and battleground states. “Gay rights” is one of four causes that they’ll pursue in these states.

Additionally, Canada is in the process of passing a law that will ban pastors from quoting certain verses in the Bible because it is deemed hate literature by pro-homosexual law makers. The San Diego Tourism Department is putting together wedding packages for same-sex marriages in order to attract this new stream of business to the city.

How could this happen? Simple. When Christians vote for liberal legislators who represent a morality that is not Biblical in it’s orientation… then we are opening the door for the powers of this age to exercise influence over God’s people. The Bible tells us that through the finished work of the cross and the victory of the resurrection, the devil has no power over us… unless we give it to him. We can’t give the devil power through elected officials and then cry out to God for mercy to deliver us from our decisions. This is the definition of insanity.

It doesn’t matter if your are Republican or Democrat on this issue. What matters is whether you are going to make your first qualification – does this person embody the Biblical principles that I live my life by? Qualifications are not enough, it must be qualification and Identification with the risen Christ. Not the “love everybody” mentality of liberal politics. This is the catch phrase that is used against the Church. Aren’t you supposed to love everybody? The answer is YES. But love is tough and that doesn’t mean that we don’t do the most loving thing and set boundaries to protect civility through the law. We can’t expect legislators to make Biblical decisions if they are not Born Again. As I said previously… that is the definition of insanity.

I’m calling on believers to return to their Biblical roots and to turn from a secularized worldview that separates Bible and Government. Biblical morality or lack of it has never been absent in the political arena. We carry our morality and ethics into our legislative decision making. To think there is a separation of Bible and Government and to vote for elected officials on qualifications alone and to ignore their spiritual life is to embrace a naive and foolish worldview. The Bible warns us against such men saying there will be those who say they know God, but in fact they do not now God. Sounds like the rhetoric of a skilled politician doesn’t it? Therefore, if we want to make a change in the laws we must make a change in the law makers and support truly Born Again believers into office and initiate evangelistic efforts to win unbelieving law makers to Christ.

It truly is a judgment against America when the two candidates that are presented to the American people are either unsure about their faith or unwilling to discuss their faith. I reflect upon a previous Presidential candidate who did not “carefully weigh his words” and was direct in expressing his faith. There is a huge difference between our candidates in this national election and previous Presidential men of faith. We are in a sad state of affairs indeed.

Is prayer enough – emphatically NO. Look at the most quoted text on national repentance…

2 Corinthians 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

There are several things – prayer being only one of them…

1. We must humble ourselves – another way to look at it… submit ourselves to God and His ways.
2. We must pray – be in conversation with God.
3. We must seek God’s face – not make judgments based on our social agendas or affirmative action programs but make judgments based on God’s Word.
4. We must turn from our wicked ways – live in a manner that is consistent with someone who has been Born Again.

Then God will….

1. Hear From Heaven – God will answer and act and He will….
2. Forgive our sins – not only personal sins, but sins that law makers have enacted as law contrary to God’s Word. I believe Born Again law makers will overturn laws that embrace self destructive lifestyles built around sin and enact laws that embrace righteousness.
3. Heal our land – God will bless us with national social health and welfare.

Let’s live the whole verse… not just focus on one part of this verse and let’s support elected officials who are not just sympathetic to Biblical principles but who embody and represent them because they are in fact Born Again.