Matters of the Heart

“What’s happening in this country today is beyond anything we’ve ever seen in American politics. Political debate, at the very heart of the founding of this country, has developed into outright political abuse.” ~ Judge Jeanine Pirro

One’s mind reels to hear of Congressional leaders calling for riots and relentless attacks and harassment against people who work for our president. Actors and actresses call for the president’s son, Baron Trump, to be kidnapped and locked in a cage with pedophiles. Outright lies and distortion of the facts are served up by the main stream news media as the truth just to further a political agenda. One sees, plain as day, the outrageous scheme by a group of FBI and DOJ top players who conspired to create a scenario to keep Donald Trump from winning the White House, and then lied to cover it up. One sees, plain as day, the conspiracy to ensure the election of Hillary Clinton as president in 2016, and all the finagling that went on, and the subsequent specially-designed witch hunt by “special counsel” Robert Mueller against the president, to focus deflection on what these dishonest players have done.

Common sense, decency, and morality seem eclipsed by scathing vitriol against Conservative leadership of any kind in our country. Where is the respect and good will that can result in good decisions for our country when both sides of the political aisle come together? The leadership on the Liberal side of the aisle will have none of it, but rather, delights in obstructionism just to be mean and ornery. A play from the devil’s handbook. Hell’s agenda against our country.

A great challenge confronts me as a Christian with reasoned conservative political beliefs with an innate, deep-seated sense of justice, to obey the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:44-45 (NKJ): “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, that you may be the sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.”

My heart wrestles with the challenge: how can I bless those who do such evil? How should I bless them? God’s Kingdom works in an upside-down fashion from the kingdoms of this world, to bring things right-side-up. I realize I need to guard my own heart, so I am not sucked down into the sewer of destructive thinking that wars against the Holy Spirit’s thoughts and will for me.

One can see from the scripture mentioned above that God is a Blesser. He desires for all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. When we were still sinners, Christ died for us, because He loved us and saw value in us. In a recent book I’ve read about blessing others, I read numerous testimonies of how God turned people’s hearts around when the offended ones chose to bless those opposing them. I took courage from that, and the Holy Spirit showed me that as I imitate God by blessing the ungodly, He has a direct inroad into their hearts because I humble myself to bless instead of holding resentment and bitterness against them. As I bless instead of holding up a placard of resentment that obscures God, He will move in and change obstinate hearts.

I do not bless the actions of a person; rather, I pray something like this: “Father, in Jesus’ name, I bless _______________ with an abundance of Your love; I bless their eyes to be opened, so they can come to the Truth. I bless them with health, strength, righteousness, long life and good days. I bless their hearts to be impacted by Your grace. Amen.”

What would happen if the entire body of Christ made blessing a priority in our lives? If we truly obeyed 2 Chronicles 7:14? “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

I want to do what I can to cultivate a culture of blessing within the body of Christ. With it, we can change the world, one heart at a time! Think of the peace that would come to our nation and the nations of the world. Blessing our enemies is powerful. Anyone can bless those who agree with them, but it takes a humbling of the heart to do it for our enemies. We must let go of offense and view others as God sees them: souls for whom Jesus died, and think of the eternal consequences if they don’t repent and turn to God. We plead for their salvation. We must have the heart of God for our world, and not be sucked in by the world. And when I choose the pathway of blessing, peace comes into my own heart in great measure, because I know God will now work on changing them.

No wonder God gives us this instruction: “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. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (I Timothy 2:1-4 NKJ) I need peace and quiet, don’t you?  

Will you be part of a culture of blessing? Maybe you want to start with those difficult people in your own family. God, give us grace to be a people of blessing. He will heal our land, but we have a part to play.

I press on, daily.

Copyright © 2018 Elaine Beachy