WHAT IS A BIGOT?

I recently saw an article in the Washington Post Online talking about that little pizza place in Indiana whose owners said (in a nutshell): “We will happily serve people of all different sexual orientations. The only event we cannot cater for is a gay wedding because it will go against our conscience to do so. Let us be clear that we will serve people of all sexual orientations anytime in our restaurant - we have got nothing against homosexuals at all. The only thing we can't do is cater for a wedding because of our religious convictions on the subject of marriage.”

The backlash against this Mom and Pop Restaurant for that statement was so huge that they had to close down.

So a Christian organisation set up a fund to support them following their forced closure. And within 48 hours of the fund being set up, over US$800000.00 had been raised.

The Washington Post reported on this fact, and out of interest, I looked at all the comments on the article:

“Seems Bigotry pays”

“Bigots paying Bigots”

“Congrats for being a Bigot. Here is a million US dollars”

“Lots of proudly Bigoted people out there”

The word “bigot” appeared so many times in the comment section, that I decided to look up the definition.

According to Google, the definition of bigot is “A PERSON WHO IS INTOLERANT TOWARDS THOSE HOLDING DIFFERENT OPINIONS.”

I found that interesting. So with that definition in mind, let’s look at two scenarios and decide which of these two is a bigot.

1. A restaurant owner that says “You are free to hold any beliefs you want and I respect your right to hold your own beliefs, but my belief is that marriage should be between a man and a woman. As such, I can’t in good conscience be a part of a wedding that is not between a man and a woman. But I will serve you any other time and for any other occasion because you are entitled to your beliefs as much as I am entitled to mine.”  Bigot?

2. Someone who says “Anyone who is of the opinion that marriage should be between a man and a woman is not entitled to that opinion and should definitely not be allowed the freedom of expression to express that opinion.” Bigot?

I will leave that for you to decide.

Given the definition of "bigot" what would a "non-bigot" be? A non-bigot is a person who knows how to hold and express their own belief very strongly while still fully supporting someone else's right to hold and express a very different belief. Non-bigots don't let go of what they believe - they simply recognise that other people have the right to believe the exact opposite of what they believe and that right should not be taken away.

In a Constitutional Democracy there is freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, freedom of the press and freedom of speech. These precious freedoms allow us the right to disagree, to hold our own views, to EXPRESS our own views, and to believe whatever we want to believe, no matter how ridiculous.

Do I agree with everyone’s opinion on the internet? No! Do I know that people are sometimes going to be mean-spirited, irrational and full of hate when expressing their opinion? Yes, I know that well. BUT do I value the fact that people are free to believe whatever they want, and also to express what they believe (obviously provided it does not amount to an incitement to violence)? Yes! I will make space for what I believe are the most illogical of opinions because I value freedom of conscience and freedom of expression.... I accept that I am going to see people who are "intolerant of people with different opinions to themselves" calling other people “Bigots” without seeing the irony in their statements. I accept that those people that don’t want Group X to "stereotype or criticise the actions other groups" of people are the same people who "stereotype and criticise the actions of Group X". And I accept that those that preach “TOLERANCE” are usually the ones that are the least tolerant of a view that is not their own! The irony is blatant, but I accept it and embrace everybody's right to right to say what they believe whatever they want because it means that freedom of speech is alive and well, and people are still allowed to express their opinions and act in accordance with their conscience, no matter how irrational and “not-based-on-fact” those beliefs are.That is freedom, friends! It can be messy, but it's much better than the alternative of living under state-control.

The bottom line is that if you value the freedoms enshrined in our Constitution (like conscience, expression, speech and religion) you’re going to have to tolerate someone shouting absolute nonsense at the top of their voice and embrace their right to hold that view. You’ll have to tolerate people believing and saying things that you think are ludicrous. We ALL have to go through that - But it is worth the pain our ears suffer because the freedoms are preserved! So one day, when we need them, they will be there.

We mustn't be quick to wield an axe on any constitutional freedom. A Constitutional freedom should be able to take fire, and stand - it must ALWAYS be spared from the altar of public opinion because public opinion is a forever-shifting thing, and constitutional freedoms should not be.

So from now on, when you’re reading the hate comments on social media and the personal insults are flying (usually without any attachment to any real arguments), ask yourself - Is this person “intolerant towards those holding a different opinion?” And if the answer is yes, remember there is a word for that...... (although to be honest, it is not a word I like to use because it plays the person and not the ball. When I debate, I like to stick to the topic instead of name-calling.)

INDIANA'S RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ACT - WHY ALL THE MAYHEM?

The state of Indiana recently enacted a Freedom of Religion Act that has come under severe liberal fire. The media has not exactly been forthcoming on the facts of Indiana’s new “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” (RFRA) and this has triggered a knee-jerk reaction from portions of the public. So I've decided to just pen a few facts about the Act. I know this is an emotional subject for many, but facts are always king and I want to try and unpack it in a way that makes for easy reading.

HOW DID THE ACT COME ABOUT?

1) In 1993, the United States Congress enacted a Federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (“FEDERAL RFRA”), which gives Americans the right to practice their religion, free of government interference, except where necessary to serve a “compelling government interest”. That law was passed unanimously in the House with a 97-3 vote in the Senate. Bill Clinton was among those who praised it and signed it.

2) Four years later in 1997, the Supreme Court of the United States said that the FEDERAL RFRA could not constitutionally be applied to the states and if states want to protect religious practice subject to the “compelling government interest test”, they would have to do it themselves by enacting state legislation.

3) Following this, many states began enacting their own RFRAs with the same “compelling government interest test” being applied, including the state of Illinois which got its RFRA in place with the help of a young state senator called Barrack Obama.

4) Indiana is the 20th state to enact an RFRA.

5) The text of the FEDERAL RFRA says “The Government may substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion only if it demonstrates that application of the burden to the person— (1) is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest; and (2) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.”

6) The text of Indiana's RFRA is substantially the same as the FEDERAL RFRA and says “A governmental entity may substantially burden a person's exercise of religion only if the governmental entity demonstrates that application of the burden to the person: (1) is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest; and (2) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.”

7) There are now twenty states in the US that have got RFRAs, and eleven more that have interpreted their state constitution to provide the same level of protection. These 31 states include most of the big states of the US. So Indiana is definitely not alone and its RFRA is drafted in away that it is predominantly in line with the Federal one. 

8) Federal Law supersedes State Law in any event on this subject. A state RFRA cannot protect anyone against federal law. If the Supreme Court requires states to recognize same-sex marriage, no state RFRA will create exemptions from that.

Therefore, when we pull ourselves out of the media storm, we see that Indiana’s RFRA is simply an Act that provides for freedom of religion in substantially the same way that the Federal Act does and the Constitution does. It makes no mention of anything else. So the real question when discussing Indiana’s RFRA is: “Do you believe in freedom of religion?” There is no other issue the Act deals with.

SO WHY THE VIOLENT REACTION?

The media is partly to blame for creating the storm around Indiana’s RFRA by using short, misleading one-liners in their reporting. From what I have seen (in the liberal media at least), I don’t think they have even read the text of the Act, nor do they refer to the text at all. They also don’t make reference to the fact that the Act has substantially the same wording as the FEDERAL RFRA or that Indiana is the 20th state to enact legislation like this. The reporting has actually been very irresponsible and has created an emotional and misled response.

Thankfully there are many journalists and media skeptics though who have done their research themselves and are coming out in favour of the Act. One of those is John McCormack of the Weekly Standard and I have found him to be a good person to follow on this subject to get some real context and balance on the RFRA because he is:

1) pro same-sex marriage AND

2) pro freedom of religion.

He was in fact one of the people who filed a brief in the Supreme Court urging the Court to require same-sex marriage as a matter of constitutional law. And he asked the court to protect the religious liberty of dissenters. He says “I believe in “liberty and justice for all," with an emphasis on "ALL."

It is also important to note that the RFRA acts as a shield and not as a sword. No-one can use an RFRA Act to attack anyone. They can only use it to defend themselves against an attack, and even then their defence is not guaranteed as all rights will be weighed against each other.

SO WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE US?

I know there are many who have seen these skewed, short headlines and as a result, facebook is now full of “Nevermind religious freedom! Stuff freedom of religion” but it's important to look at actual cases that show how this debate unfolds in real life situations (not in a hypothetical or theoretical sense). If you haven’t followed the Baronelle Stutzman case, take seven minutes to watch her story at https://alliancedefendingfreedom.org/arlene-flowers?referral=I0215ARLF1 to get a peak at the other side (there are always two sides). The answer is not as simple as the Left would have us believe.

The Constitution is full of competing rights. The reason for competing rights is because all cases are different and must be decided on the facts. There is no way that law-makers can think of every potential scenario when legislating so they put the rights in place and let the courts decide each case on the facts. The fact that there are competing rights in place ensures that it is not an “automatic win” for anyone! In each case, you pull out your “right card” and the other person pulls out their “right card” and the judge weighs it up and makes his/her decision based on the particular facts of that situation.

When looking at any particular case where rights are pitted against each other, we can stand on either side of the fence in the matter and say “I think the right to equality should trump the right to freedom of religion in this particular case” or “I think the right to freedom of religion should trump the right to equality in this particular case” or “I think the right to freedom of expression should trump that person’s right to privacy in this particular case.” We all have different opinions when a case arises and we’re discussing the facts, BUT the building blocks of our debate, the foundation on which a free society stands - THE RIGHTS THEMSELVES - should never be in question. For any meaningful debate to take place, we have to start on the premise that both rights are important and then go from there. If we’re going to start saying “This right must trump that right in every conceivable situation” we’re going to hit dangerous ground because we cannot think of every conceivable situation, can we?

The goal of this blog is simply to get people thinking. We all know that the media is well capable of pushing an agenda and creating panic where there shouldn’t be. Be aware of that and investigate all the facts for yourself before deciding where you stand. A knee-jerk reaction is often not one that is founded on all the facts. 

If all the doors are closed, look for the window

"You can blame circumstances, but backsliding always begins in the heart (AW Tozer)"

We were driving back from Kommetjie yesterday and I had 2 hours of quiet time in the car to think. There was no talking and I knew that Nick was thinking too. We’d had a fun weekend but as soon as there are quiet moments, our thoughts usually revert to the question of “What now? How do we move forward? How long before the break through?”

I am usually an optimist of note, but my faith took a knock at the end of last year (which I will tell you about sometime) and I am ashamed to say I didn't fight for it like I should have. So increasingly I have noticed out-of-character pessimistic sentences dropping out of my mouth over the last few months. Nick even said to me the other day “Oh no, no, no, no, NO! There is only room for one pessimist in this family. It has never been you, it doesn’t suit you, and it will never be you. That place is taken!”

I think I can sum it up by saying that my usual prayer to God over the years of “I know it is coming!” recently turned into “Is it coming?” and then subconsciously into a quiet “It’s not coming, is it?”

Unbelief! In a God who has only ever been good to me. In a God who sent His only son to save me. Tears fill in my eyes as I confess that because I can't believe I opened the door to it and allowed it in. Unbelief is a very dangerous sin to toy with. I listened to two David Wilkerson preaches today and in the one, he spoke about unbelief. 

What is unbelief for a Christian? It’s not the denial of Christ. It’s not going so far as to say “God doesn’t answer prayers.” No, we would never say that.... It is the quiet nagging thought in the back of your mind that says “God does answer prayers. Just not mine.” That is the sin of unbelief in a Christian, and it is not to be toyed with or fed or justified… not even for a second. It is rooted in self and ultimately leads to the death of your faith, your joy and your peace. When you allow unbelief in, first of all it grieves the heart of God. And second of all, you turn to your own answers, your own plans and fear becomes the rudder for your life.

If we were to write down every miracle we have seen in our lives, most of us who have walked a road with Christ could write a book of testimonies. There have been miraculous moments of provision, moments of breakthrough, moments of freedom, answers to prayers, healings, and lives turned around… And yet, when the crisis comes, we sometimes forget about all the Lord has said and done and we panic… “The hardest part of faith is the last half hour.”

As we neared home yesterday, I turned to Nick and spoke my thoughts out loud:

“I choose to hope. For the sake of my body, for the sake of my soul, for the sake of my spirit. I choose to hope. Even if there is no earthly reason to do so. Even if all the natural evidence points to the situation being hopeless - I CHOOSE TO WAKE UP EVERY MORNING WITH HOPE. If my hope is sick, I am not going to kill it. I’m going to give it medicine and make it well again! I need it. I’m going to treat it like the precious gift it is and feed it and nurture it.”

Hope stems from the belief that everything that happens to me has been sifted through the hand of a God who is loving, good and sovereign. Hope says no matter what it looks like - God is in control, He loves you and He knows what He is doing. He is busy fulfilling His plan for your life. He is the author and the finisher of your faith. Do not let go of the promises He has given you. 

There is a thread that runs through the Bible when it comes to the promises of God…. Every time God makes a promise to someone, the first thing He does is sentence that promise to death... We hear the promise, we know it’s God, it settles in the sand of our heart like an anchor – and then God rolls in death upon achievement of that promise. The promise doesn’t die – but all human means of achieving the promise dies... And as death rolls over every human possibility of fulfilling the promise, we have what David Wilkerson calls a “window or faith” …. a precious moment in the Lord when we come to the end of all of our human efforts and nothing has worked. At that moment, we can choose to doubt God, or we can choose to say “I don’t understand anymore, Lord. I don’t know why I am going through this. As people look at my life, they may doubt you Lord. But I WILL NOT! And if I live like this until I get to glory one day, so be it!”

People speak about “windows of opportunity”to get things done, but God works with “windows of faith”. A window of faith appears when there is no possible human plan. If you can figure it out, there is no place for a window of faith… But when you can’t figure it out, THAT is where your window of faith appears. As every bit of human hope dies in the promise, there appears a glorious window of faith for you to believe God when circumstances seem to show there is no hope.

We think that we need all of our ducks in a row for the promises of God to be fulfilled, but God does not operate out of human wisdom. When there aren’t even any ducks in sight and we have cried and prayed and fasted and come to the point where we say “Not my will, but yours” – THAT is when He moves.

If you’re in an impossible situation, don’t waste your window of faith. When you find yourself in a situation you don’t understand at all, think to yourself “God, you’ve given me an opportunity to have faith in an impossible situation. Just like Abraham. Just like Joseph. Just like Noah. Just like David. I am not going to waste this opportunity that I have to stand in the ruins of my situation and declare GOD IS GOOD! As for me, I trust in you. And I will trust in you until my last breath. Even when the people around me doubt your goodness, Lord, let it be known that I will not.”

The Bible says we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses… here are some things that some of these witnesses said when all the doors of human possibility closed and their window of faith appeared:

“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” – (JOB)

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty's hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we WILL NOT serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (SHADRACH, MESHACH AND ABEDNEGO)

"Look, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." (STEPHEN - RIGHT BEFORE HE WAS STONED TO DEATH FOR HIS FAITH)

“Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbours and an object of dread to my closest friends— those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.  For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life. But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” – (DAVID)

“"My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (JESUS – RIGHT BEFORE HE WENT TO THE CROSS)

To become a legend of the faith, we need to embrace impossible situations and use them as an opportunity to trust in God against all the human odds. Like Will Marais says “When I am surrounded by the unknown, I go back to what is known! God is good. God is love. God is sovereign. And God is merciful. And that is all I need to know.”

#SONA - Sometimes a slap in the face is good

Last night was a nice cold wake up call for South Africa as we all sat watching our State of Nation Address degenerate into what looked like a big bar fight with half the room leaving before the President could continue his speech. Some of them were forcibly removed and others walked out of their own free will. It was a shocking moment in our history that left most of us stunned and silent.

Then when the president started speaking again, he didn’t even address the chaos or even attempt to lead us through it as a nation… he simply laughed and carried on with a mind-numbingly boring speech that brought us no hope or inspiration whatsoever. There was your moment, Commander-in-Chief. You missed it. You could’ve been human. You could’ve shown your heart for this country... But you didn’t. I could literally hear the sighs across the nation as we covered our eyes in front of the TV and shook our heads with sadness and embarassment.

But the country needed that wake up call… Let’s be thankful for it because the issues are there whether we are aware of them or not. My policy is to always find out sooner rather than later if I am in the pooh. My husband is a builder and I have had a few conversations over the years with subbies who have overspent and underperformed. Instead of sticking our heads in the sand and hoping it will sort itself out, we go to them and say “Ok, give it to us straight. How much pooh are we in here? I would rather know now than later.” I think every South African should be asking that question right now.  It’s a good question to ask because “Lala Land” always ends with an ice cold dose of reality sooner or later. Rather know what you're facing so you can try and be part of the solution. 

I don’t want to go on too much about Zuma because a lot has been said about him already…. To be honest with you, I have my hopes pegged on the other people in parliament – The ACDP, who even though they are a small party have done great things for this country and continue to do so… the DA, who even though I disagree with their policies on a few issues are at least providing great services in the Western Cape and are not shy to stand up to Zuma... and Cyril Ramaposa .…

Ah Cyril… you are positioned for greatness. You could well be taking over a nation in shambles, a nation that is desperate for hope, guidance, unity and the feeling that we are all equally respected and protected by our government. You are being handed a baton that is in shreds, BUT if you manage to pull it together and leave a united, inspired and hope-filled South Africa by the end of your term, what a legacy that will be! People of all colours are looking to you to reverse the damage done by our current government and put us back onto the road that Madiba started us on. There are many heartbroken #ProudlySouthAfrican people looking at their passports right now and doubting whether there will ever be true honesty and integrity in our government again. 

I am one of those that believe it is possible. We have overcome so much as a people. We are a nation of overcomers! We just need a good, strong, honest leader who cares. You are being lifted up in prayer, my friend. Please rise to the challenge. If you consider everyone in this rainbow nation whenever you make your decisions, and not just one group of people, it will not be long before the entire nation will give you their trust, their hearts and their gratitude - and your name will go down in history next to Madiba’s as another president who led this amazing country through stormy waters safely to the other side. We've seen it happen before. Let's see it again.

#PrayForOurNextPresident

The Blood Moons and the nation of Israel

Since the beginning of this year, I have been wanting to write a quick and simple blog about the series of blood moons that are happening in 2014 and 2015 and their link to the nation of Israel but I have kept putting it off. Until now.

Hope I can make it as readable as possible because it is very interesting.

On what dates are the four blood moons set to occur in 2014 and 2015?

There is a tetrad of blood moons taking place in 2014 and 2015. “Tetrad” means “a group of four.” So that is two blood moons per year for two years.

Every single one of these four blood moons is occurring on the date of an important Jewish Holy day:

1. The first one is on the 4^th of April 2014 which is the first feast day of the Jewish Passover.

2. The second is on the 8^th of October 2014which is the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles.

3. The third is on the 4^th of April 2015 which is again the Jewish Passover.

4. And the fourth is on the 28^th of September 2015 –which is the Feast of tabernacles

When a set of four blood moons occurs over two years with each one occurring on a Jewish Holy day, this is called a “Biblical Tetrad.”

How many Biblical Tetrads have there been before this one in 2014/2015?

Since 1AD, a Biblical Tetrad has occurred on these holy days a total of seven times.  In 2014-2015, it will be the 8th time. After this, it will not occur again for another 500 years. 

What has happened during the previous Biblical Tetrads?

In the past, the rare appearance of four blood moons on these Jewish holy days have always coincided with major events for Israel and the Jewish people. Let’s look at the last three Biblical Tetrads:

The Biblical Tetrad of 1493 – 1494 

In the year before this Biblical Tetrad, the Spanish Inquisition issued decrees enforcing that all Jewish people either convert or leave Spain. As a result, thousands upon thousands of Jews were heavily persecuted and forced to leave Spain. In the very same year that Spain issued the decree banishing Jewish people, Christopher Columbus founded America – which later became a safe-haven for many Jewish people.

The Biblical Tetrad of 1949 -1950 

In the year before this Biblical Tetrad, the State of Israel was established following the holocaust and Israel became its own nation. A very big day on the biblical calendar because it fulfils many scriptures where God promised that He will draw his people back together from all the corners of the earth and make them a nation once again. This is the only time in history that a nation has been scattered and countryless and then gathered back together and given back its land and independence. There are many, many scriptures where God prophesied that this would happen:

Jeremiah 30:1-31:40 “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. For behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.”

Isaiah 43:5-6 “Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth”

Amos 9:14-15 “I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the Lord your God.”

Deuteronomy 30:3 “Then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.”

Isaiah 11:12 ESV  “He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”

These are just a few scriptures, but they show to us that when God gathered together the Israelites and gave them back their nation in one day, it was in direct fulfillment of his promise to them.

Then right after Israel became a nation, a military coalition of Arab states and forces declared war on Israel. Unbelievably, this brand new, tiny nation won the war against this big, strong coalition of surrounding states and as a result, retained the area that the UN General Assembly Resolution 181 had recommended for the proposed Jewish State and also took control of almost 60% of the area allocated for the proposed Arab state. And a Biblical Tetrad marked the occasion.

The Biblical Tetrad of 1967 and 1968

In 1967, the Six Day War against Israel occurred. In spite of heavy attacks from its neighbouring countries, Israel won decisively within a period of six days - a significant event in Jewish history and once again marked by the Biblical Tetrad.

So what does that mean about these blood moons set to occur in 2014 and 2015?

I don’t know. But what I do know is that if history is anything to go by, a Biblical Tetrad of blood moons occurring on the Jewish holy days in 2014 and 2015 is something to sit up and take note of.

History has shown that every single time there is a tetrad of blood moons that fall on important dates in the Jewish Calendar and specifically the Passover, something very bad happens against Israel and God delivers them from whatever happens. 

God says specifically in Genesis 1 v 14 "Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years."


Acts 2v20, Joel 2v31 and Rev 6v12 all speak very specifically about blood moons and say that they will occur “before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.”

Prophesies about future events

With regard to the events still to take place in Israel, there are many prophecies in scripture about what has happened and what is still going to happen.

In Zeccharia 12 v 2 God said "I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves." 

Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 reveal a detailed prophecy about a future war campaign against Israel. This war is referred to as the Gog Magog war. The Bible lists the countries that are going to join in alliance against Israel. In recent years, those countries have already started forming the alliance referred to in scripture.

The book of Daniel refers to the coming peace treaty with Israel and the involvement of the antichrist. And the book of Revelation tells more of what will happen during the time.

Romans 11 tells us that Israel will be saved! (Romans 11 is a really interesting chapter to read).

There is just too much to say on the subject of Israel. As you start to go through the scriptures. Israel is everywhere – in the old and new testament - which tells us that it is a subject that is very close to God’s heart. As Christians, we must watch carefully as Biblical prophecies come to pass in Israel. We see clearly in scripture that nothing that happens in and to Israel is random to God.

I've changed my vote in this upcoming election

There are two things you need to note about this blog before going in so you are not sorry to have wasted your time reading it :)

1) It is aimed at people who value their freedom of religion and freedom of expression, and

2) I’m a Christian so the views expressed herein are in line with my beliefs.

As most of us are now aware, the Human Rights Commission of South Africa has recently been pushing at the boundaries of freedom of religion and freedom of expression in South Africa. There is a recent case where they have taken on a church in the Western Cape for preaching out of the bible that parents can use moderate spanking as a form of discipline for their children. 

In spite of the fact that:

 1) moderate parental spanking is not illegal in South Africa so the church was in no way breaking the law, and

 2) the church was preaching in accordance with scripture and thereby exercising religious freedom,

the HRC nevertheless opened an investigation against the church and there is a real current threat of a law on the cards in South Africa which states that churches, synagogues, mosques and any other religious institutions may not preach (amongst other things) any portions of their scripture which advocate discipline by spanking. For those of us that don’t believe in spanking, this may seem like a small thing – but the issue at stake here is not spanking. The issue at stake is religious freedom and the state being able to veto what can and can’t be preached in any pulpit, which in effect gives the state the power to outlaw portions of scripture. Spanking may be the first issue, but when the state starts to legislate what can and cannot be preached out of the Bible, Torrah, Quran or any other religious book, this is not something to be taken lightly.

Another two subjects where the state has threatened to curb freedom of expression and religious conviction are those of abortion and homsexuality. The state does not want any religious institution to be able to preach in its own pulpit that abortion or homosexuality is a sin. At this point some people’s backs get up, but again the issue is not whether you are for these things or against them. The issue is - are you allowed the freedom of conscience to be for or against them. Are you permitted to exercise your religious belief or conscience without the state interfering and saying that you may not preach out of certain portions of your scripture. It is easy to get side-tracked by the issues but the real issue is the freedoms that are currently at stake. 

State interference into religion, belief and conscience is a slippery slope. It may start with an issue that causes you to say “Thank God the State is interfering there and curbing that freedom!” But sooner or later an issue of conscience that is close to your heart will come up, and if the state has already set a precedent of being able to curb the freedom of belief and conscience of its people, it is very difficult to reverse that precedent. 

Recently, in Cape Town a man was arrested for imparting his beliefs that abortion is wrong. He did so in a non-violent way, merely exercising his freedom of belief and expression and was taken to court  for doing so. The question is – Should a government agency have the power to curb the right to freedom of conscience and freedom of expression? Freedom of expression does not mean we like or agree with what other people are saying. You may hate what I’m saying, but you should value my right to say it – because as long as my freedom of expression is alive, so is yours. Voltaire summed it up nicely when he said "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." 

At the moment, there are too many examples of state intervention into religious freedom to even mention and the number is growing everyday. So much so that last year, the religious institutions of South Africa felt the need to join hands across religions and say “No more.” The forming of the body known as “Religious Freedom SA” and the fact that it has in a very short space of time grown in number to represent about twelve million South Africans of different faiths should tell us two things:

1) the threat is real, and

2) South Africans are thankfully not going to take it lying down.

When I vote, these are my important factors (we all have different factors which we take into account but these are mine... because this is my blog - lol):

1) Which party is doing the most to try and protect the freedom of all religions in South Africa? 

2) Which party is anti-abortion? This is a personal one for me and I don’t expect everyone to feel the same but my personal belief and logic is as follows: I believe that the taking of a life is murder. I’ve held that belief since I was two bricks high and I first found out about the concept of a baby being killed inside its mother’s womb. I actually won our school’s public speaking competition at the tender age of eleven taking on this very heavy subject, so it is something that is close to my heart and has been for a long time. I don’t believe that you can say that it is acceptable to kill a baby at 24 weeks (like our law does) but not at 25 weeks. Was there a “magic fairy dust” moment between 24 and 25 weeks that suddenly makes the baby worthy of the right to life? The lack of logic astounds me. If a baby is a baby at 25 weeks then it was a baby at 24 weeks, and 23 weeks, and 22 weeks… I’ve seen a scan at twelve weeks and I saw a full little body with every little part already formed. I saw the baby moving and I heard its little heartbeat so no-one can tell me that a 12 week old baby is not alive. In my second pregnancy, they put a little shocking device on my stomach to test my baby’s reaction in the womb and see if she was okay. I will never forget as the little shocker went off, I watched her heart rate climb as the fear came over her. She felt the shock and she felt the fear and her little heart rate skyrocketed. Pro-abortionists like to call these little people “tissue” in order to mask the reality of what is really happening, but if little fully-formed human beings are merely tissue, then I have three little balls of tissue running around my home, each of which I would’ve had the right under South African law to kill in the womb if had I wanted to do that. The point I am making is I personally believe abortion to be murder of the most innocent and vulnerable members of our society. The law states that if you are willingly involved with a crime or if you know about it and do nothing, you are an accomplice to that crime. So if I vote for a party that supports what I believe to be murder, then I’m an accomplice to every little life that is taken and there are approximately 80000 taken every year in South Africa. So I personally cannot vote for any party that supports abortion.

3) Which party, although not advocating any particular religion holds firm to Judeo-Christian values and will govern upon those values for the good of ALL people regardless of their religion?

4) Which party is free of corruption and will tackle corruption head on?

5) Which party is a friend to Israel - Again, this is a personal factor for me as a Christian and is quite important to me in deciding how I vote. 

Those are my five "must-haves". We all have different ones but, as a Christian, those are mine. As far as I know, there is only one party that ticks all these blocks so that will be the party I vote for. 

I have in the past always voted DA because logic told me “We need one strong opposition party in South Africa.” It never actually occurred to me that in South Africa, the parties rule by proportional representation. The South African system is not a “first past the post” system meaning that the winner takes all and the losers wait for the next election. In South Africa, the number of votes any party gets is directly proportionate to that party’s seats in parliament and ultimately its voice in parliament. It’s actually a wonderful system because all the minorities are heard, from the EFF to the FF. All of them will get their proportionate number of seats in parliament and will get to have their say on the bills that get passed in this country. The EFF will no doubt provide the left voice, the FF will provide the right voice, the IFP will bring the Zulu voice, the DA will bring the liberal voice and the ACDP will bring the Judeo-Christian voice. Every seat each of these parties get, makes their voice louder in parliament. The logic of “Vote for the strongest opposition” would apply in a “first past the post” country but it does not apply in a “proportional representation” country. In a proportional representation country, every person can and should vote their conscience. I think the only question one should ask before voting is: “Which party holds the same values I do so I can be sure they will bring my voice to the halls of parliament?” 

I remember Diana Ross saying once “Every decision is made either out of fear, or out of faith.” As a Christian, a fear-based decision will be “I need to vote for the strongest opposition.” A faith based decision will be “If God can work through a donkey, then He can work mightily through a few upright men in parliament.” Like I heard someone saying last night “One person plus God is a majority”. So this is the first time that my vote will be about conscience more than strategy. When I stand in that voting booth, I know I am not going to be alone in there and I will stand account for where I put my X.

The reason I’ve written this blog is not to enforce my views on anyone but to encourage you to vote your conscience in this election (whatever that may be) and to make sure you know the policies of all the parties before putting your X down. That is all.

Where does our strength come from?

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice!” (Phillipians 4v4)

Why does God repeatedly remind us to rejoice, regardless of what is going on in our lives. It’s a very foreign concept to human nature. “Rejoice in all circumstances,” He says. In all circumstances? What happens if I’m going through hell? What happens if nothing is working out the way it is supposed to?"

“I will say it again. Rejoice!” says the Lord.

The bible says “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8v10) So the first thing the enemy wants to steal from you, is your joy. Just like a robber who goes straight for the safe because he knows the most valuable things are in there, so the enemy goes straight for your joy. If he can get that, he knows he has robbed you of your strength in the Lord. Like Samson lost his physical strength when his hair was cut, so we lose our spiritual strength when we lose our joy. So when God says “I will say it again, rejoice,” He is repeating himself like a loving father trying to tell his child something of great importance. As our eyes move anxiously to those things that are of temporal value,  God reminds us to focus on that which has eternal value.

I remember long ago a pastor saying “Satan cannot sow seeds in a grateful heart.” This has stuck with me because I have found it to be so true. None of the enemy’s seeds can grow in the soil of a grateful heart. But an ungrateful heart is the perfect soil for his seeds to flourish. Gratefulness is a state of mind. It’s the difference between getting to the end of the day and say “Lord, thankyou that I had my daily bread today. True to your word, you have provided everything I needed for today,” as opposed to “What about tomorrow? I had enough today, but will there be enough tomorrow?” …Same circumstances, different heart… The first heart is safe from losing its joy, but the second heart is on dangerous ground.

I believe thankfulness and joy are intricately linked. The bible says “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess 5v18) Again those two strange little words: “all circumstances.” Give thanks in all circumstances. Can God possibly mean that? Yes…

Joy is not happiness. Happiness is a feeling you have when things are going well. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit and it is not dependant on circumstances. The most confusing thing about people who know the Lord is their supernatural ability to praise through the worst of situations. The world looks at that and says “Is that person honestly using their last breath to praise the Lord? Their God is not saving them and yet they praise.” The world stares at that in wonder, shock and sometimes disgust. They don’t get it. And it’s not something you can “get” if you don’t have the Holy Spirit living inside of you. We all know the story of Job, a righteous man who lost everything – his possessions, his children, his health. The world responds to those circumstances like Job’s wife did: “Just curse God and die.” The world says “Wake up buddy, your life sucks and your God is not coming.” But the Spirit living inside of a true believer responds like Job did: “Though you slay me, YET will I praise you!” Like Shadrach, Mishack and Abednigo who were put into the fiery furnace for their faith and said “My God is able to save me, BUT EVEN IF HE DOESN’T, I will not bow down to your God.”

I have so many examples of people I know personally who have passed through the fiery furnace and kept their joy. The bible says that the kingdom of God is made up of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. That’s the kingdom of God so it cannot be shaken. Where the kingdom of God is, you will see righteousness, peace and joy, even if it is out of place in its surroundings. No-one can not conjure it up in the flesh. It is supernatural and it can not be shaken. I look at Jeremy Camp who married his young bride who had cancer, full of faith that God was going to heal her. I will never forget the video I saw of her thin and sick and unable to get off the couch and using all the strength she had to raise her arms to praise the Lord. She died shortly after that, but that image of her is stuck in many minds around the world.

The bible says believers are salt and light, and there is never a time when that light shines brighter than when they are suffering. Everybody understands a person who is happy when things are going well. Nobody understands a person who shines joy and sings praises when everything is being stripped from them. Our greatest opportunities to shine for Christ come when we don’t understand… Because when earthy understanding ends, supernatural peace and faith begin…

“And the peace of God which TRANSCENDS all understanding will guard yours hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4v7)