Recently in prayer, I heard in my spirit, ‘The winter of darkness and the spring of light.’  I sensed that the LORD was seeking to impress upon me the reality that we should be ready for some intense persecution because of our faith and our ideological beliefs politically.  I remembered the words of Psalm 30:5, “…weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”  As I prayed, I sensed that America is about to endure some incredibly dark days and almost simultaneously there would be the brilliant light of revival that obliterated the darkness.  I sensed that would come for many, after a season of serious lack and loss. 

I know people ranging from family, friends, to casual acquaintances who believe that Donald John Trump, the 45^th President of the United States, was a virtual god and others that he was the incarnation of Lucifer himself. There were views that covered everything in between those two views.  Many of them can only hear what they believe and reject any view contrary to their own.  The chasm between the positions is literally impossible to span and that is deeply disheartening for me.

I believe that God used an incredibly flawed vessel to give America a window of opportunity to move back toward His and our Founder’s original intent for America.  I am not making Trump a savior nor a saint, he is neither and neither is Biden or any other human.  Only God is our salvation, not man and not human government. 

I believe that God used Donald Trump to expose the depth of corruption that was more expansive than many thought possible.  I believe that God intended to use Trump to inspire people of faith to return to Him and stand in the gap enforcing the victory that Jesus won at Calvary.  There are those who hate Trump so vehemently they snarl at my words and accuse me of being a cultist blindly worshipping a man.  They don’t know me, nor my heart, and I will not allow their vitriol to cancel, my faith in God or the American dream.

I will not attempt to enumerate all the good things I see that have transpired during the four-years of the Trump presidency.  That would require an article so voluminous that no one would read it through to the end.  Even if I did, it would be rejected by those who consider him the vilest person on the planet.  Among the many good things that were accomplished were a rekindling of the American dream, an invigoration of the economy, a strengthening of our national defense, and stronger security on our border.  There was a clear defense of our inalienable rights such as freedom of speech, the right to keep and bear arms, and our religious liberties.

I readily acknowledge that spending has been problematic and misguided. Sadly, that has been the modus operandi of politicians of both parties for decades.  Those in Washington and even many statehouses seem to think that money grows on trees.  They seem to believe that if we just throw enough money at any problem, we will solve it.  They have lost sight of the reality that you cannot borrow your way out of debt.  They fail to understand that it is only as we inspire people to solve their own problems, labor to succeed, and enjoy rewards from their labors that we better ourselves.  Personal responsibility and accountability must become a renewed part of the equation or we will create a dependent entitlement mindset that will render everyone serfs of the state.  If that transpires it will be an economic, social, moral, political, and spiritual disaster.

Many of us who supported, and support Donald Trump were drawn to him or became supporters did so with some trepidation.  He was not my first choice in the primaries but once he was nominated and as I listened to his proposed agenda I was moved to hope.  I did not know if he was going to be another of a long line of political hopefuls that promised things they could and would not attempt to fulfill.  I was hopeful but cautious.  However, when I compared the party platforms it was a simple choice for me.

As the Trump presidency began to unfold, I realized, as did many others, that he was a different animal.  He did not make promises he did not intend to fulfill.  He was different and his street fighter New York personality was sometimes grating.  His propensity to push back harder than pushed was both troubling and amusing because it was so different than the political norm.  He, like virtually all those who serve in elected positions in Washington, is egotistical and enjoys the limelight and praise.

However, I saw in Donald Trump a man that was a businessman more than a politician.  I saw a citizen of the United States that genuinely believed the country was in trouble and needed to be restored.  He won my support by demonstrating that he was willing to fight to fulfill his promises and that his heart was the betterment of America.  He demonstrated that he was tired of America being blamed for all the ills of the world and that he wanted the American people to enjoy the fruit of their labor rather than become pawns of the government.  You may disagree with that assessment, but it is one of the things that won my vote.

As I compared the views expressed and the actions demonstrated by Trump and Biden, Pence and Harris it was an easy choice for me to reject the Democratic ticket and vote for Trump/Pence.  If I had no other issue than abortion, I would have rejected the Democrats, but I have a long laundry list of reasons.  If there was no other issue than freedom of speech, I would have rejected them.  If there was no other reason than the right to keep and bear arms, I would have rejected them.  I could cite the borders, immigration, the oil and gas industry, the tyrannical approach to the pandemic, taxes, and many more as reasons.  For me, the choice was easy.

I have had some argue that if I voted on principles, I would be required to reject Trump because he was immoral.  I must ask, “Do we consider Biden and Harris examples of moral superiority?”  My principles require me to vote for the candidate or party platform that more closely aligns with my biblical beliefs and the Bible.  At this juncture, the Democratic Platform is anathema to my faith and what I believe the Bible teaches. 

If you are one that believes that Biden will do just fine because he has to impress the voters to win again, I hope you are right.  I pray that your deep political expertise will be accurate and that he will do what is right for America.  The sad reality is that he has surrounded himself with anti-capitalist people, anti-biblical faith, pro-abortion, pro-taxes, pro-amnesty, and open borders, and support abortion on demand.  Those are just a few of the realities.  Biden’s own promise is that he will take action to reverse everything that Trump did, which many of us believe are good and beneficial for America.  He will, in my view, be a train wreck as was the man he served with.

I worship no man, never have, and never will.  I see the flaws in others and God continually reminds me of the flaws in me.  I am praying for America that we will weather the storm of the winter of darkness and reach the spring of light.  I pray that we will not become so fundamentally transformed that no future election is safe.  I pray that there will not be a full-scale war launched against our inalienable rights, our Christian faith, and our republican system of government.  I believe those things will become realities far too quickly for comfort. 

To the American church, I say, we have been spared the persecution much of the world has endured for decades if not centuries.  I have deep trepidation that the planned destruction will become ubiquitous and we will battle on so many fronts at the same time many will despair and give up.  I recall a saying that was reported to have come from Reverend William Burton “Burt” McCafferty.  He said, “God can pull us through anything if we can stand the pull.”  That may be powerfully apropos to our present situation.  Can we stand the pull?

I urge you to pray for America and never, never, never, give up on God.  God bless you and God bless America!