by Jim Hodges
According to some recent research by George Barna, fewer evangelicals will vote in this presidential election than in 2012. Many citizens, including Christians, are disgruntled with the two candidates seeking the highest office in the land. Christians especially feel let down since there were several candidates running this election cycle who shared their values (for example: Huckabee, Walker, Carson, Cruz, Fiorina). The projection is many Christians will sit this one out and stay home on November 8.
With respect to those who claim that voting this time would be a violation of their conscience, I offer a perspective for their consideration. First of all, in most elections, our choice is to select the “lesser of two evils.” There are no perfect candidates. It seems there are few if any candidates in both political parties who put America first and their careers second.
Let me share a scenario which may help us in deciding to vote or not. If you could remove the two candidates who are seeking the presidency and not replace them with any new candidates, you would then have only thing to vote for, i.e., the platform of both the Republicans and the Democrats. Which one would you prefer? To me, the answer is clear! If you do not want to vote for the person, vote the platform.
If you have not read it yet, I strongly recommend going to www.dutchsheets.org and reading his article, “What Should Christians Consider When Deciding Whom To Vote For?”
In Philippians 3:20, the apostle writes: “For our citizenship is in heaven… .” Paul was a citizen of heaven and a citizen of Rome. Both gave him rights and responsibilities. Our citizenship in heaven in no way dismisses us from our responsibilities as citizens of our beloved nation. The word, citizenship, can be translated as “commonwealth” or “colony.” The root word in the original language is polis. The full word is polituma. The rudimentary application of this verse is: Heaven has policies and earth’s policies should align with them! Followers of Christ are called to “colonize” the earth with the policies of the Kingdom of God.
Advancing together,
Jim Hodges, Founder and President
Federation of Ministers and Churches International
www.fmci.org
September 7, 2016 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Apostle, Barbara Yoder, Beth Moore, Bethel, Bible, Bill Johnson, Body of Christ, celebrate, CFNI, charismatic, Chuck Pierce, church, Cindy Jacobs, circumstances, comfort, Damon Thompson, destiny, dreams, Dutch Sheets, elderly, election, encouragement, faith, father, Five-Fold, FMCI, future, gifts of the Spirit, god speaks, grace, Haggin, happy, healing, Holy Spirit, hope, Identity, intercession, Isaiah 9:7, Israel, Jentezen Franklin, Jeremiah 29:11, Jesus, Jim Goll, Jim Hodges, John 3:16, John Eckhart, John Kelly, Joseph Prince, Joyce Meyer, Kathy Gabler, Kim Clement, Kingdom of God, Lakewood, Lance Wallnau, life, Lindsey, manifestation, Marty Gabler, Matthew 6:10, Matthew 6:33, Myles Munroe, obstacles, ORU, Osteen, power of god, prayer, president, problems, prophecy, prophesy, prophet, prophetic, prosperity, purpose, rejoice, Rick Joyner, Rick Pino, righteousness, salvation, Savior, SEEC Ministries, sons of God, spiritual warfare, success, TD Jakes, Texas, Tony Evans, victorious, victory, visions, vote, Will of God, wisdom, word of god | Leave a comment
(Melissa G.) I’m going to break it down into some real life situations so you can see just how this DDF (Due Diligence Fear) sneaks in. Here are some examples:
– “This is EXPECTED in this situation, this has to happen… it’s just life!”
– AGE RELATED ISSUES/DISEASE: by “this age ___” you can expect “this” to go wrong.
– FAMILY GENETICS: This disease is in our bloodline.
Breaking it down even more. Due Diligence Fear says:
– “It’s too good to be true” it’s better to err on the side of expecting nothing good to happen so that I won’t be disappointed when it never does.
DON’T LOOK AT IT – YOU’LL SPOOK IT!!! (please tell me I’m not the only one who has thought
this?!)
– “WHAT IF” this particular fear seems to keep you from getting hurt or dying. I may as well act as IF this thing could happen so I can prevent it from happening. This one’s a real stinker!
DDF happens when something touches a fear buried in our subconscious, a fear never dealt with that lies dormant in the dark. Once that fear is stimulated it prompts the DDF mode to try and keep that fear from manifesting. It feels like something I MUST DO to survive!
One of the biggest issues with this kind of fear is thinking it is wisdom. We must see the difference between wisdom and fear, and how do we do that? By first, and foremost, understanding GOD DOES NOT GIVE US THINGS TO FEAR! We must learn to realize that the issue is fear, and stop concentrating on what the fear is about.
(This is the third excerpt from Melissa Gabler’s article “Due Diligence Fear“. More excerpts will be posted Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.)
September 7, 2016 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Apostle, Barbara Yoder, Beth Moore, Bethel, Bible, Bill Johnson, Body of Christ, celebrate, CFNI, charismatic, Chuck Pierce, church, Cindy Jacobs, circumstances, comfort, Damon Thompson, destiny, disease, dreams, due diligence, Dutch Sheets, elderly, encouragement, faith, father, fear, Five-Fold, FMCI, future, gifts of the Spirit, god speaks, grace, Haggin, happy, healing, Holy Spirit, hope, Identity, intercession, Isaiah 9:7, Israel, Jentezen Franklin, Jeremiah 29:11, Jesus, Jim Goll, Jim Hodges, John 3:16, John Eckhart, John Kelly, Joseph Prince, Joyce Meyer, Kathy Gabler, Kim Clement, Kingdom of God, Lakewood, Lance Wallnau, life, Lindsey, manifestation, Marty Gabler, Matthew 6:10, Matthew 6:33, Myles Munroe, obstacles, ORU, Osteen, power of god, prayer, problems, prophecy, prophesy, prophet, prophetic, prosperity, purpose, rejoice, Rick Joyner, Rick Pino, righteousness, salvation, Savior, SEEC Ministries, sons of God, spiritual warfare, success, TD Jakes, Texas, Tony Evans, victorious, victory, visions, Will of God, wisdom, word of god | Leave a comment
1Cor.2:9—“But as it is written, ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’” (NKJV) This is not God hitting us over the head saying, “You haven’t seen or heard things, so here is a whack to show my displeasure.” Rather, this is God saying, “There are things that I want you to see and things I want you to hear.” This is a scripture that is meant to instill in us a desire for the things we haven’t seen and haven’t heard concerning the enabling graces of our beneficent Father. May you discover daily God’s truths that you have not discovered in the past. (Marty’s Daily Discovery as heard on TEXAS PRAISE RADIO at the bottom of the hour 24 hours/day.)
September 6, 2016 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 1 Corinthians 2:9, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Apostle, Barbara Yoder, Beth Moore, Bethel, Bible, Bill Johnson, Body of Christ, celebrate, CFNI, charismatic, Chuck Pierce, church, Cindy Jacobs, circumstances, comfort, Damon Thompson, destiny, dreams, Dutch Sheets, elderly, enabling, encouragement, faith, father, Five-Fold, FMCI, future, gifts of the Spirit, god speaks, grace, Haggin, happy, healing, Holy Spirit, hope, Identity, intercession, Isaiah 9:7, Israel, Jentezen Franklin, Jeremiah 29:11, Jesus, Jim Goll, Jim Hodges, John 3:16, John Eckhart, John Kelly, Joseph Prince, Joyce Meyer, Kathy Gabler, Kim Clement, Kingdom of God, Lakewood, Lance Wallnau, life, Lindsey, manifestation, Marty Gabler, Matthew 6:10, Matthew 6:33, Myles Munroe, obstacles, ORU, Osteen, power of god, prayer, problems, promises, prophecy, prophesy, prophet, prophetic, prosperity, purpose, rejoice, Rick Joyner, Rick Pino, righteousness, salvation, Savior, SEEC Ministries, sons of God, spiritual warfare, success, TD Jakes, Texas, Tony Evans, victorious, victory, visions, Will of God, wisdom, word of god | Leave a comment
(Melissa G.) Now that we have Plan A figured out, let’s talk about Plan B. Plan B is anything that does not fit in God’s original intent for you, 2016, and beyond. There are multiple components of plan B, but I am only going to address one of them right now. This particular component is no where near God’s original intent for us: Due Diligence Fear (DDF). Due Diligence in a broad sense refers to the level of judgment, care, prudence, determination, and activity that a person would reasonably be expected to do under particular circumstances. (uslegal.com) Due Diligence Fear [DDF] (my definition): is the level of judgment, care, prudence, determination, and activity that a person puts into particular circumstances in their life based off of fear and not wisdom or God’s provision. It actually feels safer to live with this fear than to rely on what God said about the situation. It feels like something I MUST do to survive. It feels like the wise choice.
(This is the second excerpt from Melissa Gabler’s article “Due Diligence Fear“. More excerpts will be posted Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.)
September 5, 2016 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Apostle, Barbara Yoder, Beth Moore, Bethel, Bible, Bill Johnson, Body of Christ, celebrate, CFNI, charismatic, Chuck Pierce, church, Cindy Jacobs, circumstances, comfort, Damon Thompson, destiny, dreams, Dutch Sheets, elderly, encouragement, faith, father, fear, Five-Fold, FMCI, future, gifts of the Spirit, god speaks, grace, Haggin, happy, healing, Holy Spirit, hope, Identity, intercession, Isaiah 9:7, Israel, Jentezen Franklin, Jeremiah 29:11, Jesus, Jim Goll, Jim Hodges, John 3:16, John Eckhart, John Kelly, Joseph Prince, Joyce Meyer, Kathy Gabler, Kim Clement, Kingdom of God, Lakewood, Lance Wallnau, life, Lindsey, manifestation, Marty Gabler, Matthew 6:10, Matthew 6:33, Myles Munroe, obstacles, ORU, Osteen, power of god, prayer, problems, prophecy, prophesy, prophet, prophetic, prosperity, provision, purpose, rejoice, Rick Joyner, Rick Pino, righteousness, salvation, Savior, SEEC Ministries, sons of God, spiritual warfare, success, TD Jakes, Texas, Tony Evans, victorious, victory, visions, Will of God, wisdom, wise choice, word of god | Leave a comment
As the people of God assemble today, may they worship and dwell upon the Word of God Most High so that they find their strength in Him and so that they may walk forward into the coming week with confidence that what God has started, He will bring to completion.
“The Lord God is my strength [my source of courage, my invincible army]; He has made my feet [steady and sure] like hinds’ feet And makes me walk [forward with spiritual confidence] on my high places [of challenge and responsibility].” (Hab.3:19, Amp)
September 4, 2016 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Apostle, Barbara Yoder, Beth Moore, Bethel, Bible, Bill Johnson, Body of Christ, celebrate, CFNI, charismatic, Chuck Pierce, church, Cindy Jacobs, circumstances, comfort, confidence, Damon Thompson, destiny, dreams, Dutch Sheets, elderly, encouragement, faith, father, Five-Fold, FMCI, forward, future, gifts of the Spirit, god speaks, grace, Habakuk 3:19, Haggin, happy, healing, Holy Spirit, hope, Identity, intercession, Isaiah 9:7, Israel, Jentezen Franklin, Jeremiah 29:11, Jesus, Jim Goll, Jim Hodges, John 3:16, John Eckhart, John Kelly, Joseph Prince, Joyce Meyer, Kathy Gabler, Kim Clement, Kingdom of God, Lakewood, Lance Wallnau, life, Lindsey, manifestation, Marty Gabler, Matthew 6:10, Matthew 6:33, Myles Munroe, obstacles, ORU, Osteen, power of god, prayer, problems, prophecy, prophesy, prophet, prophetic, prosperity, purpose, rejoice, Rick Joyner, Rick Pino, righteousness, salvation, Savior, SEEC Ministries, sons of God, spiritual warfare, strength, success, Sunday, Sunday School, TD Jakes, Texas, Tony Evans, victorious, victory, visions, Will of God, wisdom, word of god | Leave a comment
“The Church must take right ground in regard to politics… The time has come that Christians must vote for honest men, and take consistent ground in politics,… or the country will be ruined. God cannot sustain this free and blessed country, which we love and pray for, unless the Church will take right ground. Politics are a part of a religion in such a country as this, and Christians must do their duty to the country as a part of their duty to God… He will bless or curse this nation, according to the course they [Christians] take [in politics].” (“Lectures on Revival”, Charles Finney, 1835)
September 3, 2016 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Apostle, Barbara Yoder, Beth Moore, Bethel, Bible, Bill Johnson, Body of Christ, celebrate, CFNI, charismatic, Charles Finney, Chuck Pierce, church, Cindy Jacobs, circumstances, comfort, Damon Thompson, destiny, dreams, Dutch Sheets, duty, elderly, encouragement, faith, father, Five-Fold, FMCI, future, gifts of the Spirit, god speaks, grace, Haggin, happy, healing, Holy Spirit, hope, Identity, intercession, Isaiah 9:7, Israel, Jentezen Franklin, Jeremiah 29:11, Jesus, Jim Goll, Jim Hodges, John 3:16, John Eckhart, John Kelly, Joseph Prince, Joyce Meyer, Kathy Gabler, Kim Clement, Kingdom of God, Lakewood, Lance Wallnau, Lectures on Revival, life, Lindsey, manifestation, Marty Gabler, Matthew 6:10, Matthew 6:33, Myles Munroe, obstacles, ORU, Osteen, power of god, prayer, problems, prophecy, prophesy, prophet, prophetic, prosperity, purpose, rejoice, Rick Joyner, Rick Pino, righteousness, salvation, Savior, SEEC Ministries, sons of God, spiritual warfare, success, TD Jakes, Texas, Tony Evans, victorious, victory, visions, voting, Will of God, wisdom, word of god | Leave a comment
(Melissa G.) It’s about time for some good news, and here it is: we are heirs of Plan A! What is Plan A? Plan A is God’s original intent for you personally that is absolutely connected to His original intent for 2016 and beyond. And what is God’s ORIGINAL INTENT? “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]”. (John 10:10, Amp) Abundant life is about His original intent of bringing Heaven to earth through our living what Jesus made accessible. Here’s the even better news, Plan A was NEVER aborted. It is still active and accessible!
(This is the first excerpt from Melissa Gabler’s article “Due Diligence Fear“. More excerpts will be posted Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.)
September 2, 2016 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 1 Thessalonians 4:17, abundant life, Apostle, Barbara Yoder, Beth Moore, Bethel, Bible, Bill Johnson, Body of Christ, celebrate, CFNI, charismatic, Chuck Pierce, church, Cindy Jacobs, circumstances, comfort, Damon Thompson, destiny, dreams, Dutch Sheets, elderly, encouragement, faith, father, Five-Fold, FMCI, future, gifts of the Spirit, god speaks, grace, Haggin, happy, healing, Holy Spirit, hope, Identity, intercession, Isaiah 9:7, Israel, Jentezen Franklin, Jeremiah 29:11, Jesus, Jim Goll, Jim Hodges, John 10:10, John 3:16, John Eckhart, John Kelly, Joseph Prince, Joyce Meyer, Kathy Gabler, Kim Clement, Kingdom of God, Lakewood, Lance Wallnau, life, Lindsey, manifestation, Marty Gabler, Matthew 6:10, Matthew 6:33, Melissa Gabler, Myles Munroe, obstacles, original intent, ORU, Osteen, power of god, prayer, problems, prophecy, prophesy, prophet, prophetic, prosperity, purpose, rejoice, Rick Joyner, Rick Pino, righteousness, salvation, Savior, SEEC Ministries, sons of God, spiritual warfare, success, TD Jakes, Texas, Tony Evans, victorious, victory, visions, Will of God, wisdom, word of god | Leave a comment
With respect to those who claim that voting this time would be a violation of their conscience, I offer a perspective for their consideration. First of all, in most elections, our choice is to select the “lesser of two evils.” There are no perfect candidates. It seems there are few if any candidates in both political parties who put America first and their careers second.
– AGE RELATED ISSUES/DISEASE: by “this age ___” you can expect “this” to go wrong. 
1Cor.2:9—“But as it is written, ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’” (NKJV) This is not God hitting us over the head saying, “You haven’t seen or heard things, so here is a whack to show my displeasure.” Rather, this is God saying, “There are things that I want you to see and things I want you to hear.” This is a scripture that is meant to instill in us a desire for the things we haven’t seen and haven’t heard concerning the enabling graces of our beneficent Father. May you discover daily God’s truths that you have not discovered in the past. (Marty’s Daily Discovery as heard on TEXAS PRAISE RADIO at the bottom of the hour 24 hours/day.)
(Melissa G.) Now that we have Plan A figured out, let’s talk about Plan B. Plan B is anything that does not fit in God’s original intent for you, 2016, and beyond. There are multiple components of plan B, but I am only going to address one of them right now. This particular component is no where near God’s original intent for us: Due Diligence Fear (DDF). Due Diligence in a broad sense refers to the level of judgment, care, prudence, determination, and activity that a person would reasonably be expected to do under particular circumstances. (uslegal.com) Due Diligence Fear [DDF] (my definition): is the level of judgment, care, prudence, determination, and activity that a person puts into particular circumstances in their life based off of fear and not wisdom or God’s provision. It actually feels safer to live with this fear than to rely on what God said about the situation. It feels like something I MUST do to survive. It feels like the wise choice.
As the people of God assemble today, may they worship and dwell upon the Word of God Most High so that they find their strength in Him and so that they may walk forward into the coming week with confidence that what God has started, He will bring to completion.
“The Church must take right ground in regard to politics… The time has come that Christians must vote for honest men, and take consistent ground in politics,… or the country will be ruined. God cannot sustain this free and blessed country, which we love and pray for, unless the Church will take right ground. Politics are a part of a religion in such a country as this, and Christians must do their duty to the country as a part of their duty to God… He will bless or curse this nation, according to the course they [Christians] take [in politics].” (“Lectures on Revival”, Charles Finney, 1835)
(Melissa G.) It’s about time for some good news, and here it is: we are heirs of Plan A! What is Plan A? Plan A is God’s original intent for you personally that is absolutely connected to His original intent for 2016 and beyond. And what is God’s ORIGINAL INTENT? “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]”. (John 10:10, Amp) Abundant life is about His original intent of bringing Heaven to earth through our living what Jesus made accessible. Here’s the even better news, Plan A was NEVER aborted. It is still active and accessible!
martygabler 