The Cosmic Patriot

Stability: THE Winning Strategy

cosmicpatriot — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:12:09 +0000

As injustice continues to reign in government, many look toward 2010 as the first opportunity to undo the colossal mistake made last year in the name of making history. More and more people are seeing that things are not being handled with the openness and transparency that they were promised. In fact, laws are being blatantly ignored by the very people who have been tasked with upholding them. One law in particular was ignored by the very man who sponsored its passage in the Senate.
Barack Obama was one of the sponsors of a bill that required a 30-day notice before an Inspector General could be fired, and a report to Congress of the reasons for the firing. As President, however, he overlooked that particular law in the case of Gerald Walpin. He fired Mr. Walpin with only an hour’s notice with no reason given. Only later did they make some attempt at an explanation, and even then the reasons seemed contrived.
This and other breaches of law and tradition have produced a climate of uncertainty in this country. It is not just within the political realm that uncertainty exists; with the takeover of banks, car companies, and more in the works, it is nearly impossible for anyone to be sure of any kind of stability in any sector.
That is why the candidates who begin to not only point out the instability and uncertainty, but more importantly to promise a return to stability will win the day in the next election. It is not just a matter of offering alternatives that we think are better, or arguing against policies that we think are wrong (even though these must be done). The winning candidates will have to stress heavily that they know how to stabilize things.
We know what works. We have historical examples or what works and what doesn’t. President Obama’s policies don’t work and never have anywhere in history. But history has shown what does work and we know what it is. We can do it. It’s been done before, and we can do it again. No matter how bad things have gotten, there are basic, fundamental principles which always work that can reverse any problems. Those tried and true methods of doing things have not been tried yet, but we will do them and things will get better.
Stability. Consistency. The rule of law. Equal treatment under the law. Acting only within the confines of the Constitution. Predictability. Now that’s something that will bring investors back to the market, businesses back to profitability, workers back to the jobs, and America back on track.
Stability will win.

Call for Justice, Plead for Truth

cosmicpatriot — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:41:52 +0000

It is sadly becoming increasingly commonplace to see news reports of our governmental systems acting unjustly.
Government officials at various levels have announced that they will not enforce immigration laws and certain drug laws. They are conducting investigations into the activities of law enforcement agents who have attempted to enforce those laws, while people and organizations that have violated abortion laws are not investigated or are prosecuted so weakly that they cannot be convicted.
People of faith have been sued, arrested, or sent to jail for exercising their rights of free speech and religion as they share the gospel or offer alternatives to abortion.
Prominent members of Congress recently advocated the breaking of contracts between employers and employees and then acted to single out those certain individual employees for vengeful taxation while encouraging riots against them for actions which were not illegal.
Isaiah 59 sounds like a lament for our nation:

Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter. (Isaiah 59:14)

Fortunately, Isaiah 59 not only describes a nation devoid of justice, but also indicates the solution:

No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity. (Isaiah 59:4)

Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him. (Isaiah 59:16)

Israel had no one to intercede, to call for justice and to plead for truth, so God had to act. But because of His action in the sacrifice of His Son, we now have intercessors who can do what He did:

For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak. (Isaiah 59:17)

The full armor of God was meant to be used to restore justice and that armor is now available to Christians to use to stand against the wiles of the devil in the evil day. Now is the time to fervently intercede for our nation, calling for justice to be restored and pleading for truth to be broadcast and known. Justice is like daylight; it grows in intensity until it reaches its peak.

Listen to Me, My people; And give ear to Me, O My nation: For law will proceed from Me, And I will make My justice rest As a light of the peoples. (Isaiah 51:4)

Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. (Psalm 37:5-6)

No matter what injustice comes, the outcome of Isaiah 59 is that God will take a stand against it. It is time for us to stand with Him and hold His standard high against the flood of injustice and declare an end to it.

So shall they fear The name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him. (Isaiah 59:19)

Notice what follows this Isaiah 59 stand in chapter 60:

Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. (Isaiah 60:1-3)

The world will come toward the light. Let’s make the call!

A Question of Honour

cosmicpatriot — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:54:40 +0000

The educated reader will note the deferential spelling of the theme word in the title to this piece. It is the British spelling, which has been employed in order to show some of what is needed in these times: Honour. We ought to honour our allies, who have supported us in difficult and unpopular (though necessary) actions around the world. Instead, our nation’s representatives have acted dishonourably. When the British Prime Minister visited our country recently, he was treated rather shabbily. In the words of the community that he once organized, President Obama “dissed” him.
The British Prime minister brought unique and expensive gifts that reflected a thoughtful intent to show respect to our new President. In return, he was given some DVDs (which only work in North American players) and toys. In addition, long-standing protocols that were designed to ensure that visiting dignitaries are shown respect were conspicuously ignored. It was not a matter of stroking someone’s ego or being “diplomatic.” It was about displaying the high regard which our nation has for another. In the eyes of one of our greatest allies, our nation has been disgraced.
The British are not the only people to be treated with such stateliness. The nation of Israel has been “dissed” as President Obama’s Administration offered millions of dollars in aid to Gaza to rebuild after the recent Israeli attempts to stop rocket attacks that originated there. Israel stopped those defensive maneuvers just prior to Mr. Obama’s inauguration as a sign of respect. They received no such deference in return.
Likewise, President Obama has been unable to bring himself to show any respect for President Bush’s accomplishments. During Obama’s inaugural address, he “dissed” President Bush in line after line of disparaging remarks. And even when announcing that he would pull troops out of Iraq, he could not give President Bush the honour he deserved for the “push” which brought the war to a condition which made it possible for troops to come home. Contrast that with President Bush himself as he respectfully honored his predecessor when he spoke at the dedication of the Clinton Presidential Library, or when he recently refused to comment on his successor’s policies preferring to honor the office and American tradition instead.
The inability to show honour and deference to others is a serious character flaw which diminishes a leader in the eyes of his peers and his people. It is possible that a man might not know how to appropriately display that respect to others, but surrounded as he is by diplomats and advisers it seems unlikely that he did not have access to someone who could have suggested more gracious courses of action. President Obama did not lack savoir faire, he eschewed it. For a leader who created a campaign image of greatness, this kind of dismissive arrogance is a serious and self-defeating weakness.

Obama’s Contradictions

cosmicpatriot — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 08:58:22 +0000

The recent National Prayer Breakfast offered an opportunity for President Obama to reiterate his “support” for the role that faith plays in our individual lives. Some Christians may be tempted to give him the benefit of the doubt as they did during the campaign last year, many of them even voting for him in spite of his clear advocacy of unChristian policies. At times, his words are inspiring. Unfortunately, his words don’t always match his actions. For example: at the prayer breakfast he said,

“There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being.”

How can anyone who believes this support any form of abortion, knowing that it takes the life of the most innocent of human beings? Yet President Obama has already signed an executive order to allow public funding of abortions in other countries.
Economically, President Obama has been just as inconsistent. On the one hand, when he met with business leaders last week he said,

“In the end, the answer to our economic troubles rests less in my hands, or in the hands of our legislators, than it does with America’s workers and the businesses that employ them. They are the ones whose efforts and ideas will determine our economic destiny, just as they always have. For in the end, it’s businesses – large and small – that generate the jobs, provide the salaries, and serve as the foundation on which the American people’s lives and dreams depend. All we can do, those of us in Washington, is help create a favorable climate in which workers can prosper, businesses can thrive, and our economy can grow.”

Just three weeks before, he was certain of the exact opposite:

“It is true that we cannot depend on government alone to create jobs or long-term growth, but at this particular moment, only government can provide the short-term boost necessary to lift us from a recession this deep and severe. Only government can break the vicious cycles that are crippling our economy – where a lack of spending leads to lost jobs which leads to even less spending; where an inability to lend and borrow stops growth and leads to even less credit.”

His conciliatory rhetoric is full of calls to bring ideas to the table so that all sides can work together in a bipartisan way to speed the economic recovery. However, when Republicans brought him proposals that have worked in the past and voiced opposition for policies that have failed in the past, he obstinately refused their input.
He may be simply lying, deviously using appealing words to fool people into continuing to support him as he pushes through an agenda which is contrary to Christian values. On the other hand, it is possible that he believes that he can reconcile these opposing statements. This would mean he is only confused, rather than deceitful. Either way, we should pray for God’s light to shine in and remove his veil of blindness.

But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. (2 Corinthians 4:3-5)

Love Casts Out Fear

cosmicpatriot — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:07:04 +0000

The Christian response to the election of Barak Obama has generally been one of fear. The policy statements that he made during his campaign indicate that his administration will seek to overturn and erase the gains that have been made by Christians and conservatives over the last 28 to 36 years. Because of the constant denigration of Christian values in the media (and recently the outright persecution of Prop 8 supporters) it is easy to imagine “doomsday” scenarios in which trouble and suffering increase after the passage of ungodly laws. Sadly, ignorant and arrogant legislators who believe they can solve man’s problems through policies which oppose God’s laws will cause untold damage to the citizens of this country. Anyone who speaks out in opposition will suffer increasingly destructive persecution. The projections range from concern over serious issues to wild eschatological lunacy.
We must, however, reject all fear-based responses to our current circumstances, both economically and politically. It is fear that has gotten us into the mess we are in. What we need most in times like these is wisdom from God. Fear will deafen us to His guidance. The key to maintaining peace in a storm is to realize that God has worked wonders in much worse circumstances than we can imagine. His love for us is unwavering, unstoppable, and unfailing:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17)

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

Love never fails… (1 Corinthians 13:8 )

His perfect love will cast out all fear and we have that love deep within us:

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18 )

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:5)

Individually, fear is bad for health and harmony. Love can and will flush out fear, leaving us with access to the wisdom of God to guide us in dealing with the challenges that lie ahead. Each one of us can find peace in the midst of trying circumstances. But the power of God’s Love is not limited to soothing the individual soul.
Love will also combat fear on a national level. If God can help us by directing His Love toward us as individuals, we can help the nation by passing that Love along to our neighbors. God helps us so that we can help others. We can give hope to those around us who are seeking salvation in the ill-fated solutions of a godless culture.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear… (1 Peter 3:15)

More than this, our love ought to be an act of our will toward those who seem to be the biggest threat to us:

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you… (Matthew 5:44)

By directing our love at Barak Obama, his administration, and the men and women in Congress as an act of our will, we not only bring ourselves in line with God’s heart but also pave the way for people who know and uphold the Word of God to gain access and influence to our nations leaders.
This Love that will restore our nation is not the sycophantic adoration that we have seen coming from the media and other supporters. It is not a blind acceptance of ungodly policies and an unwillingness to speak out against what is wrong. Rather, it must be the Love which recognizes that our fellow flawed humans all have the capacity to respond to grace and desires their reconciliation and restoration to God’s purpose for their lives as revealed in His Word.

Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Conservative

cosmicpatriot — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:20:17 +0000

In the aftermath of the recent election, there is an important matter which needs to be addressed by praying Christians who know their position in Christ and the authority that goes with it. The irrational hatred against George W. Bush that had been fomented by people on the left and fostered by sympathetic members of the media still exists. It has not gone away in spite of the election results.
The hatred in recent days has been aimed at Sarah Palin rather than at Bush himself, but it is a carry-over from the last few months of campaigning. During that time, she endured the most irrational personal attacks which descended to the most reprehensible levels imaginable. It is this which qualifies the attacks as “hate.” It is one thing to oppose Bush or Palin’s policies or positions on public issues. That is a legitimate part of a debate to determine the best course of action to take regarding our nation’s problems. But when the attacks get personal, demeaning, and carry the threats of bodily harm, they clearly come from a darkened consciousness that harms our nation as a whole.
Sarah Palin did not deserve that kind of scorn. She has not done any harm to anyone. In fact, by all accounts she has done quite a lot to help the people of Alaska who elected her. There appears to be no reason for the vitriol other than the fact that she is a conservative Christian who dared to run for public office. George W. Bush, at least, had some governance issues that could be blamed for the animosity. But even taking those into consideration, there is no call for the kind of hate that has been raging against him. No, it is the same kind of hate that has been more and more frequently expressed towards conservative Christians of all types in recent times.
This hatred is something that Christians must deal with as good stewards of the nation in which God has placed us. Jesus told us what to do:

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you… (Matt. 5:44)

Most Christians take that to mean that they must just forgive them and then silently endure the persecution. This was President Bush’s strategy, and it has been clearly shown to be incomplete as a solution to the problem. In fact, the answer to the question that many Christians have been asking since the election lies here. “I prayed harder over this election than I ever have in my whole life… why didn’t we win?” We didn’t win because we didn’t deal with the hate. The prayer for this election should have started back when the hate started. Once the free will of the voters has been corrupted by a spirit of hate, God will not contravene their decision. We must do now what we failed to do then: deal with the hate.
Turning the other cheek is not the only thing that Jesus told us to do. That is the passive part. Jesus also told us to do something active — do good and pray. Paul elaborated:

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Rom 12:19-21)

We ought to forgive the people who hate God and take it out on us, doing what we can to be charitable toward them and leaving them in God’s hands through prayer. The Psalms are full of prayers asking God for deliverance from those who hate us without a cause.

Those who hate me without a cause
Are more than the hairs of my head;
They are mighty who would destroy me,
Being my enemies wrongfully… (Psalm 69:4)
Show me a sign for good,
That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
Because You, LORD, have helped me and comforted me. (Psalm 86:17)

(See also Ps 25:19-21; Ps 35:19, 26; Ps 38:19-22; Ps 55:1-3, 22)
But beyond prayers for deliverance, we also have the ability to stand in battle against the principalities behind the attacks. We must not forget that God loves the people involved, even though they have been inspired by a spirit of hate. Since we are in Christ, who is seated in heavenly places — far above all principality and power and might and dominion (Eph. 1:20-21), and since we have authority to cast out devils in the Name of Jesus (Mark 16:17), let us unflinchingly stand our ground against this spirit in the victory Christ has already won for us:
“Spirit of Hatred, in the Name of Jesus I bind you and command you to cease your maneuvers against the people of America. Release your hold on their hearts and minds. In the Name of Jesus, I command the darkness to flee away and the veil to be lifted off. I declare them to be free of all hatred and oppression in Jesus’ Name.
Heavenly Father, shine your light of truth into the hearts and minds of the American people and restore to them an atmosphere of peace, joy, and love.”
For more information about our authority in Christ, try The Authority of the Believer by John A. MacMillan and The Believer’s Authority by Kenneth E. Hagin.

Prayer and Opposition

cosmicpatriot — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:45:40 +0000

Many Christians will, appropriately, cite the following Scripture as we prepare to greet our recently elected President on inauguration day:

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. I Tim. 2:1-2

Some will no doubt interpret this as requiring us to take a neutral stand towards his governance. However, the Bible is clear that when governments and their officials propose or enact ungodly legislation, we are to oppose the policies to whatever degree necessary (albeit respectfully). We can oppose, for example, the Freedom of Choice Act (which would erase 28 years of pro-life progress), while still praying for the elected officials who seek to implement it.
One example of resistance to ungodly governance can be found in the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (Daniel 3). They were surrounded by a Babylonian culture which willingly obeyed the demand of their king, Nebuchadnezzar, to worship his image of gold. But these three Israeli captives refused, risking their lives in the process. The punishment for refusing was execution. Yet they stood firm and respectfully but insistently opposed the law he had implemented. God honored their faith and obedience and saved them miraculously.
Sadly, too few of our number are willing to risk being put through the “fiery furnace” of public ridicule. Instead, they stand by (or worse, they assist) while legislation is passed which morally degrades our nation.
The lesson here, though, is that by praying for the leaders of our nation while opposing legislation that is wrong, the potential exists for change to occur in their hearts. No one would have guessed it possible that Nebuchadnezzar would have a change of heart regarding his religious beliefs… but he did (Daniel 4). And if a man with no inclination toward God could be turned around, certainly men and women in our own government who espouse some form of religious belief (however contrary to Biblical principles it might be) can be brought into obedience to God’s will by the fervent prayers and respectful opposition of those willing to risk it all to see God move in big ways.

What Is a Cosmic Patriot?

cosmicpatriot — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 20:18:17 +0000

The term “Cosmic Patriot” comes from Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton. In chapter 5, he described the way to see things as they are and the actions that love will take in each case. The book is an excellent one overall and I recommend it highly, with only a slight reservation regarding the final chapter.