Dear Rev. Jesse Jackson...

Many of you are likely familiar with the comments the Rev. Jesse Jackson made on the name of God being removed from the Democratic National Convention.  If you would like to watch the clip, you may do so here.  I included the bulk of the text in my "letter" so please, feel free to read and let me know your thoughts on the matter.  Did I leave anything out??

Dear Rev. Jesse Jackson,

I would like to address you regarding your very public and very skewed stance on the name of God in the Democratic National Convention platform.  Your discussion with Sean Hannity was as follows:

Hannity: “Will this be the convention that we will now remember as the time that God was nayed and booed by the Democratic convention?”

Jackson: “I think not.  What I really think is that Jesus at one point says ‘Lord, Lord,’ is not the issue; it’s not the name [of] God, it’s the will of God that’s at stake here.  And that means that we must focus just not on what we name God—‘Ali’, ‘Allah’, ‘Yahweh’, “Elohim’—but we feed the hungry and defend the poor….Well I’m not sure why some people would want to focus on the word ‘God’ vs. ‘Ali’, ‘Allah’, ‘Yahweh’, or ‘Elohim’ because at the end of the day it is not the name ‘God’ that makes one religious, it’s the will of God that makes one religious and thing that must be what makes….”

Hannity: “But we are endowed by our Creator—our founding document—we are endowed by our Creator….How should America interpret that [keeping God’s name out of the DNC convention].”

Jackson: “Maybe it shouldn’t have been the word ‘Creator’ in the first place.  I’ve gone to schools where you have, uh, 50 different languages and several different religions and so the issue of a religion and a name can be divisive in a multi-cultural society.”

First, I would like to address your position as a Reverend and man of the cloth.  As an avowed minister of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, it is your duty to uphold that Gospel as it is written—not as you would like it to be written or interpreted.  That includes maintaining the heart and Spirit of God in your life which will undoubtedly permeate every area of your life—especially your political platform.  It does not appear that you have done and are doing that because you are more concerned with building a platform for yourself and blindly supporting our African-American Democratic president (I can say this because I am, myself, black), than supporting the mandate to spread the Gospel of the Kingdom that your very title of “Reverend” denotes.

Second, I would like to address your stance on the name of God Biblically.  To state “I’m not sure why some people would want to focus on the word ‘God’ vs. ‘Ali’, ‘Allah’, ‘Yahweh’, or ‘Elohim’ because at the end of the day it is not the name ‘God’ that makes one religious, it’s the will of God that makes one religious” is blasphemy.  First and foremost, because you equate the name of God to the name of Allah who is a demon impersonating an imagined god who, through is his demonic powers of persuasion and violence, have enslaved the Middle-East for centuries and whose devout followers would see you and me both dead for the infidels to Islam that we are.  Yet you give this demonic deity the same place and position as the name of God.  He is not pleased with this. 

I would also like to point out that the name—not ‘word’—“God” is the highest name above every other.  The very name of God denotes Who and what He is as well as Who and what He is to you and me.  “I Am Who I Am” has stood the test of time: before democracy was created, before the very foundations of the world were formed, and surpassing time’s appointed end which will place us all in eternal life or death, depending on the decisions we make in this temporal realm. 

Since Genesis 4:26, men have called on the name of the Lord and it has been so ever since. 

In Joshua 9:9, men came to the Children of Israel because of the name of the Lord and His fame (and because of what His children could do to their enemies in that name).

When David set himself to defeat Goliath, he did not do it in his own strength or name, but in the name of the Lord saying, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin.  But I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied,” (I Samuel 17:45). 

Later the Psalmist declared, “So let Your name be magnified forever…” (II Samuel 7:26 emphasis mine).

When kings and leaders cried out to God for help, they did not ask it to be done for themselves or even for their people, but for the name of the Lord (I Chronicles 16:35, Ezra 6:12, Psalm 97:9).

David knew and declared that the name of the Lord was many things to those that love and trust Him (Psalm 20:5, 54:1) and countless times throughout scripture His name is counted worthy to be praised.

The Prophet Isaiah, too, speaks of the wonder of God and His name.

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.  And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6).

With God being “Wonderful”, “Counselor”, “Mighty God”, Everlasting Father”, and “Prince of Peace” how can we the people even begin to expect to govern the country correctly when the One who carries the government on His shoulders has been ex-communicated from the Democratic National Convention platform to be politically correct?

What President Obama needs, respectfully, is not a group of “yes men” and godless individuals around him, but rather those who carry the Almighty God—and His omniscience—inside of them and dare to proclaim it aloud.  That is America’s hope.  Therefore, to consider yourself a national spokesman and political advocate—“in the name of God”—you would have to ask yourself, truthfully, if your actions and fruit prove you to be an advocate for true change and godly morals or the equivalent of a false, palace prophet declaring only the words you believe are popular and want to be heard.

In the name of the Lord, there is untold power.  People can be saved, healed, delivered, and set free.  Demons flee.  Armies tremble and turn on each other.  The very earth stopped its rotation and appeared to make the sun stand still for Joshua all for the glory of God’s name.  Would not this power in the name of God be the “change” we need to move us individually, politically, and nationally “forward”? 

Third, I would like to address your stance on the name of God politically.  Regardless of the fact that many of the Founding Fathers were slave owners, I believe that they were, although socially on the “slavery bandwagon”, good men moved upon by the Spirit of God to draft and sign the documents that would be the framework to make this great nation what it is. 

In the very first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence it states:

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impels them to the separation.”

God is referred to very eloquently and truthfully by our Founding Fathers as the God of Nature and thus, we can deduce, the God of us: whether we be Democrat, Republican, or Independent.

In the very next line the Declaration states:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights….”

Our Founding Fathers, “in order to form a more perfect union,” felt it absolutely necessary to mention our Lord and Creator.  Why?  Because that is exactly who He is and also because in His nature and Word and the worship thereof, we are meant to be free individuals who remember our Creator through our actions, decisions, and yes—our political stances.

In the nature of the Creator-God, we have freedom, justice, peace, prosperity, and happiness (joy).  These things can only be found in Him and when we choose to delete Him from our nation’s government and even from our words, we not only grieve Him, but distance ourselves from Him.  The Founding Fathers knew that.  And if they were alive to see the America we live in today and specifically under President Obama, they might have thought to add more specific references to God and God’s intentions as it refers to marriage, government, civil liberties, the right to bear arms, and defending our nation against the foreign and domestic acts and agenda of terrorism. 

It was not only the Founding Fathers, but the lyricists of our patriotic songs and poems that grasped the truth and necessity of God in their lyrics.

As a child, I was still permitted to say the Pledge of Allegiance daily in my classroom as was my youthful patriotic duty and right which declares:

“…One nation, under God…”

Please note, that it does not say “One nation under ‘Ali’ (whoever that is),” “One nation under Allah,” “One nation under the Unitarian god,” or “One nation under Sun Myung Moon” who just died, but “One nation under God”.

“My Country Tis of Thee” is an Ode to God and nation.  Verse 4 so eloquently declares:

“Our father’s God to Thee, Author of liberty, to Thee we sing.  Long may our land be bright, with freedom’s holy light, protect us by Thy might, Great God our King.”

Other graceful lyrics from “America the Beautiful” sing:

“America! America!  God shed His grace on thee…” (Chorus A).

“America! America!  God mend thine ev’ry flaw, confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law,” (Chorus B).

“America! America! May God thy gold refine till all success be nobleness and ev’ry gain divine,” (Chorus C).

The last verse of the “Star-Spangled Banner” praised God gloriously!

“O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand between their loved home and the war’s desolation.  Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n rescued land praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!  Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, and this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust.’  And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”

Even our money cannot be spent without the laud: “In God we trust!”  If the money we spend so readily can declare God on its face, how much more should our lips?

The first individuals to reach the American shores, arguably, were Celtic monks who fled the Vikings and brought with them the hope of a people dedicated to God in their new home affectionately referred to as “Great Ireland”.  Centuries later, various peoples of the Christian faith sought refuge, again, on our shores from the religious persecution in Britain and on the continent of Europe as a whole.  In the 1800s, Britain’s William Wilberforce—a man of God with a divinely-inspired political agenda—championed the Abolition Movement that ended the British slave trade which was soon followed by our own Emancipation.  The Great Awakening that also leapt from Britain to the United States of America helped transform our nation for the better in the name of God.  And even now, with the economy and healthcare crumbling under the dangerously socialist rule of our president, Israel being bullied by its demonically-inspired enemies and ignored by its unsure ally, the once godly and patriotic Civil Rights Movement being unnaturally hijacked by sexual deviants its supporters, and abortionists being praised and asked to speak at the DNC while they agree to murder in cold blood more people than Hitler did in World War II, there are still those of us who would dare to maintain, support, and speak the name of God over ourselves and our nation because we know that invoking His name can only bring us blessings.  

The name of God is our only salvation and to deviate from the topic, deflect to your host, irresponsibly represent the American people, entirely abandon the Body of Christ, and to put it plainly: “talk crazy” is badly done on your part sir, very badly done.    

When your time comes, God will demand an account of everything He has set before you to do and accomplish and represent.  What will you tell Him?  The will of God is important, yes, but you cannot even state that phrase without mentioning the very name of God.  When you allow and support the removal of His hallowed name from the DNC platform, you deny Him like Peter denied Christ—accept it appears that you are not in the least convicted by your sins of denial and misrepresentation and are seeking no occasion to apologize and recant for your wholly incorrect statements.  I challenge and charge you, as a Christian and Daughter of the Most High God that you profess to serve to fall on your face before God, repent truthfully, and be the voice of reason in your party as well as your ministry.  And to seal that charge I leave you with these final words:

"The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy." (Psalm 145:8)

Truthfully,

Desiree M. Mondesir

The Necessity of Sacrifice

When we hear the word “sacrifice” usually we think of the heathen pagans such as the Moabites that sacrificed their children to Molech, the barbarous Mayans who sacrificed their prisoners to the rain-god Chaac, or even Abraham readying himself to sacrifice his son Isaac to God on the altar on the Mount of Moriah.  It is a detestable, gruesome practice to most of us.  Yet if it is demanded of the gods, or I should say God, is it not then an honourable practice to be kept by all human beings?

Now, neither I, nor God approve of human sacrifice.  It is a horrible stench in the nostrils of God to kill something that He has created in His own image.  At one point, in the practice of Judaism, animal sacrifice—executed in a particular ceremonial fashion—was acceptable.  It is no longer necessary now since the true Messiah and Lamb of God has already come and sacrificed Himself for the world so that we might live eternally.  However, as most concepts translate from the Old Testament to New Testament living, the spirit behind the action of sacrifice is still required. 

Sacrifice is a single concept to be applied—like all the Word—in all aspects of our life.  And no matter what area of our life we choose to practice it in, it is never easy.  Merriam-Webster defines it as the “act of offering to a deity something precious; especially: the killing of a victim on an alter; destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else”.  In short, we are giving up something dear to our hearts for the sake of the greater good.   But how should this be done?

Sacrifice should be done swiftly.  Otherwise, if an individual is left to ponder their decision and mull over it asking themselves if they are sacrificing the right thing or too much of a thing, they are likely to put it off inevitably and thus, miss out on the effect the sacrifice would have had in their lives.  In my experience, it is the same when God speaks to an individual.  The person should act immediately once the instructions are provided.  Had Abraham talked over God’s command to sacrifice his son to his wife, Sarah, or put it off, he never would have done it and would have missed out on the promise of fathering a multitude of people and, in fact, becoming the father of our faith had he not acted swiftly.  Had Jesus in His mortal state given sway to the voices and demons that spoke to him in the Garden of Gethsemane and put off His death, we might still be waiting on our redemption, missing Paradise and stuck in the Bosom of Abraham once we die.  Sacrifice is meant to be carried out immediately to prevent our paths and wills from swaying.

In The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer speaks of Abraham’s sacrifice and says this “God could have begun out on the margin of Abraham’s life and worked inward to the center; He chose rather to cut quickly to the heart and have it over in one sharp act of separation.  In dealing thus He practiced an economy of means and time.  It hurt cruelly, but it was effective.”  This brings another element of sacrifice into the picture: the swiftness of sacrifice prevents the waste of other things and resources in our lives.

An example of this in my own life was the wedding of my best friend and sister to my close friend and brother.  Resources what they were and are, wisdom kept me from attending since everything that I’ve spent my time working for would have been swept away in one 4-day celebration.  Wisdom said don’t, while my heart said go.  My foolish heart!  A year ago, no one could have paid me to believe that I would choose to miss this long-awaited wedding.  I cried when I came to the realization of it.  But the greater good was and is my transition back to not just a different physical location, but a different, more mature place in my life.  If I could just convince my heart of what my mind new was best, I knew I would reap the benefits thereof.  And I have.  Furthermore, having the beautiful friends that I have, they—although sad—understood my situations, forgave me my absence, and know that I’ll be there for them in the future.  Had I continued on in a way that is financially irresponsible, causing me to rely on and drain other people of their emotions toward me as well as their own financial resources, I would eventually risk damaging those precious relationships and everything I’ve been working for.  In fact, this entire season of my life has been one of sacrifice.  Would I happily choose to live in a place I despise and know no one accept my own father? Absolutely not.  But I have wisely chosen it.  And now, with the season here ending, I have the satisfaction of knowing that soon, I can reap the lovely benefits of the sacrifices I have made.

Another example that I—along with several other Americans—have experienced is the wondrous destruction of overspending.  Whether its spending all the money in your bank accounts or maxing out your credit cards to purchase items you think you need, overspending has become the bane of our American existence.  Just take a look at the national deficit.  Living with debt has become an accepted way of life for us, much to our demise.  Would it not be better to own the clothes in your closets, the cars in your garage, and live within your means in peace and serenity than to constantly spend until you’re in the red and sink even further once we start to charge every little thing to our Visa cards, Discovery Cards, and American Express cards?  This, as we well know, causes us to dodge the daily phone calls from creditors tormenting us until we can come up with the funds with which to pay.  Ordering us to borrow money from our aging parents, unresponsible significant others, and overly-kind friends.  The irony of volunteering ones self to go further into debt in order to pay off debt is almost laughable.  If you’d like a hilarious illustration of this, just watch or read The Confessions of a Shopaholic.  This is no way to live!  And what happens if an expensive emergency or bout of unemployment hits us?  We have nothing and soon, we will have even less.  We will have proven Solomon’s words “the borrower is slave to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7).

Sacrifice can take on many forms.  I’ve had to sacrifice relationships, living situations/preferences, shopping trips, theologies and mentalities and more.  Every single sacrifice has been painful, but worth it.  I like to say that it “hurts so good”.  The man that labours in the weight room, placing his body under subjection to reach his weight goal and desired muscle mass knows it.  The woman who gives up alcohol, coffee, a size 2, and comfort to bring life into the world knows it.  Like the minister who gives up the career and life they wanted, in order to pursue the higher calling of God full-time knows it.  They’re all forms of sacrifice.  And when the person who’s sacrificed reaches the end of their life, they’ll be able to look back with a clear conscious and see the fruits of their labours in life and it will all be worth it. 

Sacrifice is a thing demanded of us all.  Give in to it when it is necessary.  Kill the thing or desire swiftly in order to assure the completion of the order, thenn you too will enjoy the fruits of your sacrificial labour.