Why would I ask that question?  To whom am I directing the question?  I ask it because some time back I heard some people accuse Franklin Graham of being an APOSTATE because he said that “God put Donald Trump in the White House.”  Honest confession is good for the soul so let me confess, SO DO I.  I believe that it was the direct response to prayer that Donald Trump won the Election and became the 45^th President of the United States of America.  Therefore, the charge of those individuals accusing Franklin Graham of being an apostate means they are also charging me and all who believe like Graham and me of being Apostates.  Is that a valid charge?

What is an APOSTATE?  By definition, it is a person who renounces a religious or political belief or principle. It is defined as someone whose beliefs have changed and who no longer belong to a religious or political group.  So, let me ask, “What did Franklin Graham and those who agree with him abandon?”  Was their declaration, rooted in their belief that God “sets up kings” and by contrast “takes down kings” as seen in Daniel 2:21 the position of an Apostate?  Is the belief that the effective fervent prayer of the righteous something that produces results as referenced in James 5:16 a condition of Apostasy?  Is the confidence that if the nation prays, turns from wickedness in repentance and seeks God will see NATIONAL HEALING as seen in 2 Chronicles 7:14 the position of an Apostate?  That would be impossible for me to accept so I believe the charge that Franklin Graham or any of us who believe that God worked to place Donald Trump in the White House makes us Apostates.  In fact, I contend it makes us the exact opposite.

The charge also included the assertion that if we believe God placed Donald Trump in the White House we must also believe that He also placed Barack Obama there. Did He?  My simple answer is yes.  Not that I believe it was God’s desire or will for Barack Obama to be President of the United States but that, as He did in times past, allowed us to reap what we have sown.  God allowed America to experience the leanness of soul because of apathy and the drift from our moral moorings we had allowed to become current reality.  Israel operated as a Theocracy where God was their head and His prophets and judges guided the nation based on God’s word and direction.  Over time, Israel decided they wanted to be like the other nations and wanted a human king to rule over them. They moved from an attitude of righteousness to a more secular mindset.  God had prophesied that through Moses and when it became a reality it came with the warning of the leanness that would result in the loss of freedom and liberty and the decline of the nation.  He granted their request and allowed them to have what they wanted and when Barack Obama ran for office, America or a large portion of it were pining for the change he offered.  They thought he would lead us into a racial, global, financial, and social utopia and God allowed America to have what she wanted even though He knew and many of us knew it was the wrong choice.  God allowed us to experience eight years of destruction so that we would once again cry out to Him for deliverance and help.  He allowed us to experience the pain that the Obama administration brought so that millions would, once again, seek His face.

I personally believe that the election of Donald J. Trump was the result of God answering the prayers of millions.  Many were like me did not get on the Trump train at the beginning, we came to the party late.  We preferred another candidate and labored for that candidate through the primaries or until our candidate dropped out of the race.  Once the choice was made by the GOP voters that Donald Trump would be the Republican nominee, I viewed him as the only possibility to defeat Hillary Clinton and stop the Progress Liberal Socialist agenda we had endured for eight years.  Therefore, although he was not my candidate originally, he became my candidate in the interest of America and the Republic.  Some found and find that position Apostasy and completely unacceptable.  I believe it to be patriotic and adhering to my faith and confidence that God raises up kings and takes them down.  It is rooted in my faith that the effective fervent prayers of the righteous avail much.  It is grounded in my belief that God has given America another chance to turn the tide and return to Him and be restored.  It is rooted in the belief that Hillary Clinton would have been Barack Obama on steroids and virtually, if not literally destroyed America.

Please hear me.  There are times I agree with President Trump and times I adamantly disagree and that will continue.  There are times I wish he was more calculated in his response to people, criticism, and objections but that is who he is and it will not likely change.  Yet, if Franklin Graham and those of us who believe that God answered prayer in the election of Donald Trump are right, America will move forward for the better IF we do our part.  We can have the man God chose for President and still not have the desired result IF we allow ourselves to be drawn into the NEVER TRUMP, OBJECTIONISM, and RESISTANCE that is being displayed today.  I do not ask anyone to like or agree with President Trump on all things but to stop being so blinded by your hate or so driven by your pride that you cannot accept him on any level.  Some were so vocal and insistent that he was evil and vile and completely unacceptable that to accept him now would mean swallowing their pride in giving him a chance.  He is in a position that he is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t.  If he acts decisively those who hate him will insist he should not have.  If he hesitates those same people will insist he should have acted.  Therefore, I am praying for the President that he will hear the counsel of wise and godly people and continue to be largely apolitical and do what he believes best without regard for how the political winds and polls are rating his actions.  DO WHAT IS BEST FOR AMERICA PLEASE!

You may agree or disagree and that is your choice.  This is my view and like people who support and some who do not support this president, I love America.  I ask that, from that position, we seek to find common ground and move forward for the good of the republic.  The division that now exists is leading us to a full-blown blood-letting Civil War and I cannot believe that any lover of Liberty would truly desire that.  It is my prayer that we learn to work through difficulties and seek what is best and good as we seek to protect and defend the Constitution and preserve the Republic.  A sovereign and free America should be the desire of each of us and I ask that we pray for our leaders and allow God to work His desire through them and us and make America a beacon of Hope once again!

God, bless you and God bless America!