Christian – Mind@Work

Fed Up with the Church for Supporting Trump!

I began writing this last year as I continued to see the American church on NBC News*, CBS News, and elsewhere supporting, and continuing to support, Trump despite his immorality. I have also struggled with completing this post because I’ve been trying to find the existential threat posed by the evil and vile man that is Trump. (Side note: As I typed that last sentence, the word “existential” jumped out at me. More on that below.)

In this post I’m basically asking one question… “Why should we care about Trump’s immorality?” After all, the Trump-supporting Church (the institution and its members), which is supposed to follow Jesus Christ and represent His highest standard of righteousness, is more concerned about political policies, their bank accounts, gun and religious rights, and nationalism, among other worldly things.

Well, I believe we should care deeply about Trump’s lack of character even more than his Presidential decisions because of the January 6th insurrection. THAT is the existential threat. Why? Because I believe that God values justice so highly that He’ll revoke the independence of the nation He blessed. This will happen when it fails to serve justice (impeachment AND removal) to the leader of the free world for blatant high crimes and misdemeanors (incitement of insurrection). What the Lord gives, He can take away (Job 1:21).

I know these opinions (and previous posts) are not popular with many in the Church today, but I wholeheartedly stand by them. I also wanted to write this because I can imagine there are many within the Church who love Christ dearly but are afraid to speak up against Trump, his lack of character, his detestable words, and his blatant immorality because they fear being ostracized and shunned. I do fear that myself, but I also feel if I stand up for what is right, true, and just, the consequences are worth it.

I can also imagine there are likely many people in the world who don’t want anything to do with the Church or God because of what they see His people supporting. There are even some evangelicals who are known for biblical ethics such as Wayne Grudem who acknowledge what is plain and clear of Trump’s lack of character and still said he was the “morally good choice” in 2016. In that article, Grudem calls candidate Trump a “flawed candidate,” but in my opinion, calling Trump a flawed candidate is the equivalent of Richard Nixon saying, “I made my mistakes” in his 1973 “I’m not a crook” speech. The words downplay and minimize their lack of character and crimes.

Also around 2016, many supporters of Trump wanted him in office because they thought he’d “drain the swamp” in Washington, D.C., what they failed to realize was Trump is the swamp with an unsatisfying lust for power, money, and relevance.

One of the duties of every believer is to reflect God’s moral characteristics in everyday life, and to call out and stand against the extremely vile and evil people of the world such as Trump. “If you love good, then you must hate evil. To not hate evil is to show no compassion for those whom it hurts.”-Unnamed Pastor, Psalm 97:10, Romans 12:9

I believe this duty applies to Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:14 when He says, “You are the light of the world…” and also when John the Baptist called out Herod the tetrarch in Luke 3:19 for taking his brother’s wife, “…and for all the evil things that Herod had done.” We also see in the Old Testament prophets calling on the leaders and the people to repent when they were rebelling against Him (Jeremiah 7:1-11, visual).

Anyone who believes in Christ and follows Him should be hating evil and wickedness because that is exactly what the Scriptures say about Jesus: “But about the Son He [Father God] says, ‘…You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.’”—Hebrews 1:8-9, Psalm 45:7

Fast forward to a week after the insurrection, we can find Franklin Graham, son of the famous evangelist Billy Graham and President of Samaritan’s Purse, posting on Facebook January 14th twice shaming Republicans who voted to impeach Trump saying, “After all that he has done for our country, you would turn your back and betray him so quickly?”

As if our representatives swear an oath to Donald Trump instead of the Constitution before taking office. Also in that post, Graham talks about a litany of things that are all about issues under the Sun, not what is more important… “seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”—Matthew 6:33 KJV

Those who believe in Jesus as their Savior are citizens of Heaven (Philippians 3:20), and thus we should be supporting those of godly and moral character. Because without God, nations decay and eventually collapse (Jeremiah 6:15), and I believe America is seeing the consequences of its immorality and godlessness across its land.

*Pastor Ken Peters, seen in the NBC News link, is different than Prophet Ken Peters, who I frequently reference.

Why I Can No Longer Sing or Listen To “God Bless America”

This may seem bold or un-American, but I’m aware of what I’m saying. I was born and raised in America and grew up playing, watching, and loving the nation’s pastime… baseball. I loved listening to beautiful renditions of “God Bless America” during major sporting events and holidays. But recently, I haven’t been able to sing or listen to it because I don’t believe it matches with our current reality.

Why do I believe this? Our Pledge of Allegiance contains the words “under God,” and if a nation wants God’s blessing, He expects them to take His laws seriously. If they don’t, they will be under a more severe penalty than of a nation that doesn’t claim allegiance—the more guilty nation did not fear Him or His laws as its people claimed.

But America has committed abominations—the legalized murder of innocents, legalized covenants of perversion and sexual immorality, and idolatry of presidents, to name a few. America has ignored the eternal laws of God engraved on the buildings of our highest courts. And if He doesn’t drop the hammer down, we’ll end up destroying ourselves.

We have abandoned our trust in God in favor of trust in presidents, politicians, money, and government. Many Americans, including the mainstream news, can’t believe how bad the leadership is under President Trump. We have turned away from the God of this nation. He is the only One who gives us a firm and uncompromising basis for morality and truth—both of which cannot be separated from Him and still work. Because we have compromised on truth, morality, and love, our only basis of reference for what was once good is history and traditions.

Like Moses calling his people back to their God after four hundred years of slavery, we need a mass spiritual revival—starting with God’s anointed and holy church.

I believe many things need to happen for the judgment of God to not come upon America, but these are just a few major issues America must see. This list is by no means comprehensive.

For Americans, especially those in high power and authority, to love the truth. (2 Thessalonians 2:10)
Repealing the 2015 legalization of same-sex marriage. (Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26–27)
Total abolition of Roe v. Wade, on national and state levels. (Matthew 2:16–18)
God’s church adhering to and proclaiming His Word in His house.
Great repentance by the nation and call of prayer to seek His Holy face.

I have loved this country and what it stood for, but I can’t ignore blatant wickedness, perversion, and corruption. I do hope America repents of her wickedness and major wicked laws listed above, but my allegiance is now to the Lamb of God and His eternal Kingdom. Glory be to His Name and His Kingdom, now and forevermore!

Overcoming Rituals of OCD

My struggle with OCD has been very difficult, and many rituals and habits have evolved and formed from it. At first, my process of overcoming OCD was a simple matter of trying to cope with it so that I was able to function in life. But this was not unlike trying to plug up the cracks in a dam, where water just keeps finding new places to break through.

That said, this doesn’t mean that I haven’t had some permanent success fighting it. One early example of my success was in my speech, where I was compelled to repeat specific words or sentences in reverse, just under my breath. Imagine having the compulsion to repeat everything you just said under your breath!

Sound exhausting? It was. That’s why, one day, I was so overwhelmed with it I quite simply just starting talking without repetition. As you can imagine it was a massive relief—not just on my mind but on my vocal cords as well! This begs the question as to why I can’t do the same with my other rituals and habits. What I realize is that while they are tiring, I am able to still function without being entirely overwhelmed. Since they are still tolerable, I find that I’m not as motivated by discomfort as I was with the speech repetitions and reversals.

Recently, I’ve made more progress on one of my oldest and most common problems through faith in God. As you might have read in my first post, one of the difficulties I have is picking up basic objects (pens, eating utensils, etc). What was really hard about that was my mind would go down one rabbit hole after another of unpleasant thoughts until I consciously broke the loop.

About a week or two ago, I was doing IT work in a bus on the bus lot. I was trying to pick up a pen and was about to get stuck in the rabbit hole again when I felt God’s still small voice say (not audibly) alongside the rabbit hole, “Do you trust that I am with you and in control?”

He then showed me (in my heart) how to respond in faith, by picking up the pen and my equipment without hesitation and continuing on. I did so, and I have continued to remember this and use it when I get stuck in similar situations!

All Glory to Him in the Highest!

Photo Credit: Ju On @juon via Unsplash

Sex, before or after marriage?

It is widely accepted in Western culture that it is okay to have sex before marriage, in wanting to explore what the experience of sex is like, to become skilled at it for your future wife or husband, and other reasons as well. One wonders, what could be wrong about that? It’s fun (from what I hear) and pleasurable, so what about it could be wrong?

Many people in our society think someone is crazy if they wait until marriage. A 2016 Huffington Post article presented the point of view of various couples who had waited to have sex until after marriage for personal (but nonreligious) reasons—and their opinions on the matter of waiting vary widely.

That article presented some of the nonreligious beliefs. But what indeed is the true form, fashion, and design of sex meant to be? To my mind, I say yes, it is designed to be wonderful, exciting, and fun, but most importantly, sacred!

Sex is one of the pinnacles of human experience on Earth, along with coming to know Jesus, experiencing true forgiveness, and building deep friendships. These are gifts from God that allow us to enjoy and connect with others and someone special. However, gifts from God come with instructions that are not to be violated because God is infinitely pure and perfect. We humans, being made in God’s image, are meant to reflect that purity… for each other, as well as for the rest for God’s Creation.

When we have sex before or outside of marriage, we have violated His gift. This is because sex was made to be enjoyed with a lifelong spouse of the opposite gender, and when we disobey the instructions we, whom God loves—and the law God cherishes—are tarnished. Our relationships with those we love are broken, as is our relationship with God… and He desires so greatly to have an intimate relationship with us.

To further justify why waiting until marriage to have sex is the best choice, I would like to echo something Mickey Robinson, pastor, international speaker, and author, said: “One day in the Lord’s favor is worth better than ten years of hard work.”

If being right with and blessed by God means He instructs us to wait until the right person comes along whereupon our souls are committed solely to each other and God, then I’ll happily wait!

Scripture, NDEs, and Christian Apologetics

Whether I’m working, in class, or doing other activities, my mind is constantly at work. In this blog, we’ll explore life lessons from Biblical stories, the coherence of Christianity and why it’s crucial to society and mankind’s salvation, and God’s Kingdom in NDEs.

This is my first post. Whether I’m working, in class, or doing other activities, my mind is constantly at work—hence my blog title. Before I started really getting into online Bible studies, Christian apologetics, and near-death experiences (NDEs), I was mainly interested in politics and a future in law enforcement.

A couple of years ago, I started inquiring more and more about the Christian faith, the Spirit of Scripture, and NDEs. I’ve realized the more I’ve prayed and read His Word, the more my heart has been inclining towards God’s Heart, and through this He has shown me what really matters through His eyes.

I say this because ever since middle school, becoming an FBI Special Agent was an absolute dream of mine. But recently, I’ve really started to question the reasons I wanted to join the Bureau. I wanted to wear a badge, carry a gun and most of all, uphold justice. I hate it when people abuse and corrupt the law, other people, or the earnings of people and businesses.

That’s a noble dream and goal, but God has gradually shown me His Heart and the three things that really endure to the end… faith, hope, and love—the latter being the greatest! With that being said, I now just want to raise a family with a Godly wife and serve the Lord wherever He leads me.

Now that you know a little about me, here’s what to expect from this blog: life lessons from Biblical stories, the coherence of Christianity and why it’s crucial to society and mankind’s salvation, and God’s Kingdom in NDEs. I may add other topics and sections as time goes on.

Thanks for reading!