Washington’s Old Pandora’s Box: Analyzing the Debt Limit Debate

In late October 1981, The New York Times ran an article entitled “U.S. Debt Past $1 Trillion.” As long as a Letter to the Editor, the ominous piece quoted a Treasury Department official as saying, “It’s not an issue for celebration.” The Times also stated the U.S. debt had first reached $1 billion 65 years earlier, during World War I.

In the summer of 2011, the government risked defaulting on its debt—which then had a statutory limit of $14.3 trillion. For months the Treasury had listed August 2 as the date when Washington would fail to pay all its bills, which had never happened before. Thus, speculation varied widely. The federal government contended that to avoid this scenario, the debt “ceiling” had to be raised.

Of course, the same problem happened last October, but a partial and brief government shutdown did occur. Fortunately, even the recession-weakened economy withstood the predictions of doom and gloom, as if to say America could survive without such a big government. But I digress.

For much of 2011, Congress and the White House tried to reconcile the long-term risks of a huge debt with the short-term risks of a debt default. Washington’s 500+ elected leaders remained in a deadlock for weeks, but they finally agreed to raise the debt ceiling for the zillionth time—with all sorts of conditions that obviously meant little two years later when a shutdown ensued. Have I digressed again?

Last month the debt almost kissed $18 trillion. The debt accumulated $7.5 trillion during the first 25 years after 1981. Then every two years between October 2006 and October 2014, it grew $2.0 trillion, then $3.2 trillion, then $2.5 trillion, and finally $1.7 trillion. The debt swelled by a record $550 billion in October 2008. In 18 months since then, the debt has grown by $150-$450 billion. Before 2008 no month ever saw an increase of more than $110 billion. The federal debt has risen in 76 of the last 83 years.

Democrats and Republicans regularly trade accusations over whose plans better serve the nation, who is talking too much, and even whose accusations are too condescending! Many key national leaders agree on four things. They oppose defaulting on the debt. They favor spending cuts. They want to be careful with Medicare and Social Security. And some try to work out their differences in person, like President Barack Obama meeting with congressional leaders from both parties.

In a July 2011 Fox News article, Vice President Joe Biden said Republicans “believe that 1% of the wage earners controlling 24% of the wealth in this country is a vehicle by which you can spur economic growth.” The next day USA Today cited House Speaker John Boehner declaring that a Democratic plan would “increase taxes on small businesses and destroy more American jobs.”

As usual, pundits were as focused on the issue as politicians. Left-leaning CNN listed a number of negative outcomes if the government would not raise its debt ceiling on time: “Interest rates may skyrocket. The dollar might crash. Your 401(k) could tank as markets tremble, the full faith and credit of the U.S. government teeters, and investors flee for safer havens.”

On the other hand, conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer said Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner “is disingenuous when he suggests that we must raise the ceiling by August 2 or the sky falls. There is no drop-dead date. There is no overnight default¼What scares Geithner is not that we won’t be able to pay our creditors but that his Treasury won’t be able to continue spending the obscene amounts of money.”

Michael Tanner, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, summarized the situation well: “This is not really a debate about budgeting or the size of the national debt. It is a debate about whether we will have a limited constitutional government or a European-style social democracy¼If Republicans get an extra $500 billion in cuts on paper, but leave the structures of big government in place, they will find out down the road that nothing has really changed.”

If Mr. Tanner is right, then whether the country defaults or not—very unlikely since so many politicians specialize in last-minute dramas—the real crisis does not concern any quantity of dollars. Rather, some radical changes must be made to the nation’s economic system and the mentality that governs those dollars.

Please intercede for:

• Spiritual, moral, and fiscal integrity in all levels of government.
• Wisdom and courage for politicians to put country before party.
• God’s saving grace and sovereign mercy to spread across America.

~~~~~~~~
(Originally published by The Presidential Prayer Team.)

A Day at the Biltmore

On a gorgeous October morning in western North Carolina, a light fog shrouds the 8,000-acre Biltmore Estate. The largest private residence in America, more than 30 species of trees battle for attention from the sun and from tourists as the mist gives way to blue sky. The property is home to hills, fields, streams, gardens, an inn, and a winery, while the Smokey Mountains are just miles away.

The parking lots fill with cars from all over the country—very few low-end cars can be found. With $59 tickets per person, the estate is not the cheapest date in town. Yet it is a popular one, attracting more than a million visitors each year. Most of these appear to be 60-80 years old. A possible school trip and a few young couples are the exception.

My wife and I decide not to pay for the audio tour, and we begin walking through the mansion. A smiling white-haired man with a baseball cap approaches us and asks if we had ever been to the Biltmore. We tell him no and he pulls out a $20 bill and says it is worth hearing. We thank him but tell him that we have limited time. He holds out Andrew Jackson closer to us, insisting until we accept. By the end of our visit, we are very happy for the gentleman’s gift.

The large, indoor, underground, heated, hundred-and-some year old swimming pool impressed well enough. So did the castle-like appearance of the entire mansion, which George Vanderbilt built for his family, honored guests, and posterity in the late 1800s. The family lived there for a few decades before opening it to the public.

That evening we meet a 40-something employee in a gift shop. He grew up in the area, and he had no arm from his left elbow on down. He commented graciously about our infant son who I was carrying, and told us a little about his old 9-year-old boy.

As bedtime draws near, I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Prayer Vigil for the Elections

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As Americans, we have a right and responsibility to change the direction of our great nation and state by voting every two years—at least. But as Christians, we have a right and responsibility to call down Almighty God’s great blessing and mercy upon our homeland—regularly.

Americans who disagree with us are still Americans. And American leaders who have yet to find Jesus need at least as much prayer as those who have found Him. God is not a Republican—or a Democrat. The Second Amendment is not in the Bible—neither is the Affordable Care Act. When we pray for our leaders and our country, we must pray for God’s will to be done—not ours. (See the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 or Luke 11.)

The election is tomorrow. Please take some time tonight to pray as the Spirit leads for our future and current leaders. Pray again tomorrow—then continue praying until the next election! Below are several Scriptures to help guide your prayers. (They are from the English Standard Version.) The verses discuss God’s mercy to the unrighteous; His total power, authority, and victory; good leadership; praying for one’s leaders and country; obedience to God and man; deep repentance; and giving praise, trust, and glory to our good, compassionate, and mighty God.

• |Genesis 18| ²³ Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? ²⁵ Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” ²⁶ And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake… ³² Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”

• |Exodus 18| ²¹ “Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. ²² And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. ²³ If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”

• |Exodus 33| ¹⁵ And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. ¹⁶ For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” ¹⁷ And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”

• |Leviticus 19| ⁹ “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. ¹⁰ And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God… ¹³ You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. ¹⁴ You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord… ¹⁷ You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. ¹⁸ You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”

• |Deuteronomy 4| ⁷ “For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? ⁸ And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? ⁹ Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children.”

• |Deuteronomy 7| ⁶ “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. ⁷ It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, ⁸ but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. ⁹ Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.”

• |Deuteronomy 9| ²⁴ You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you. ²⁵ So I lay prostrate before the Lord for these forty days and forty nights, because the Lord had said he would destroy you. ²⁶ And I prayed to the Lord, ‘O Lord God, do not destroy your people and your heritage, whom you have redeemed through your greatness, whom you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. ²⁷ Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do not regard the stubbornness of this people, or their wickedness or their sin, ²⁸ lest the land from which you brought us say, “Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land that he promised them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.” ²⁹ For they are your people and your heritage, whom you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm.’”

• |Joshua 5| ¹³ When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” ¹⁴ And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” ¹⁵ And the commander of the Lord ‘s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

• |1 Samuel 12| ²⁰ And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. ²¹ And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. ²² For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. ²³ Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. ²⁴ Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.”

• |2 Samuel 23| ³ “The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, ⁴ he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.”

• |1 Kings 8| ⁴¹ “Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for your name’s sake ⁴² (for they shall hear of your great name and your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house, ⁴³ hear in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name. ⁴⁴ If your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to the Lord toward the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, ⁴⁵ then hear in heaven their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause.”

• |2 Kings 14| ²³ In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. ²⁴ And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin… ²⁷ But the Lord had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

• |2 Kings 19| ¹⁴ Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. ¹⁵ And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. ¹⁶ Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God… ¹⁹ So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.”

• |1 Chronicles 29| ¹⁰ Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. ¹¹ Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. ¹² Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. ¹³ And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. ¹⁴ But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.”

• |2 Chronicles 14| ⁹ Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah… ¹¹ And Asa cried to the Lord his God, “O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” ¹² So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.

• |2 Chronicles 33| ¹⁰ The Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention. ¹¹ Therefore the Lord brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains of bronze and brought him to Babylon. ¹² And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. ¹³ He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.

• |Ezra 9| ⁶ “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens. ⁷ From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today… ¹³ And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, ¹⁴ shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? ¹⁵ O Lord, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this.”

• |Nehemiah 1| ⁶ “Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. ⁷ We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. ⁸ Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, ⁹ but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ ¹⁰ They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand.”

• |Nehemiah 9| ³⁰ “Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. ³¹ Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. ³² Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. ³³ Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly.”

• |Psalm 33| ¹⁰ The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. ¹¹ The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. ¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! ¹³ The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; ¹⁴ from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, ¹⁵ he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. ¹⁶ The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. ¹⁷ The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. ¹⁸ Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, ¹⁹ that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. ²⁰ Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. ²¹ For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. ²² Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

• |Isaiah 9| ⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

• |Isaiah 40| ²¹ Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? ²² It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; ²³ who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. ²⁴ Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble… ³¹ But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

• |Isaiah 58| ⁶ “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? ⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? ⁸ Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. ⁹ Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, ¹⁰ if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.”

• |Matthew 5| ¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. ¹³ You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. ¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

• |Luke 21| ¹³ “This will be your opportunity to bear witness. ¹⁴ Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, ¹⁵ for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict… ²⁵ And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, ²⁶ people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

• |Romans 13| ¹ Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. ² Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, ⁴ for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. ⁶ For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.⁷ Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

• |Philippians 3| ¹⁸ For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹ Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. ²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

• |1 Timothy 2| ¹ First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, ² for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. ³ This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

• |1 Peter 2| ⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. ¹¹ Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. ¹² Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. ¹³ Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. ¹⁵ For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. ¹⁶ Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. ¹⁷ Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

• |Revelation 19| ¹¹ Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. ¹² His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. ¹³ He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. ¹⁵ From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

• |Revelation 21| ¹ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” ⁵ And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ⁶ And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. ⁷ The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Freedom Isn’t Free: Libya Flirts with Democracy

Revolt. Rebellion. Revolution. These are powerful, emotive words. Defining them can be tricky. One man’s “uprising” might be another man’s “constitutional convention.”

Still, over the past 100 years the world may have seen over 150 major rebellions and revolutions, including around 20 in the Middle East and North Africa. Many of these succeeded—particularly against foreign or colonial rule. But internal, citizen-led constitutional efforts ousted just three or four authoritarians. The picture changed throughout the Arab world in 2011, especially in Libya.

Three years ago today, one of the world’s longest‑ruling autocrats was killed at the peak of a civil war that raged for most of that year. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was assassinated in north‑central Libya, just miles from where he was born in 1942. He believed himself to be the “brother leader” of Libya and the “guide of the [1969] revolution,” which brought him to power, but nationals and foreigners widely saw him as a military dictator.

After his death many Libyans had two feelings about their immediate future: joy and uncertainty. To be sure, the opposition that arose against Gaddafi was thrilled for its victory, as were many of his other political foes at home and abroad. Since then, this coalition has been dangerously weak and prone to disunity for at least three reasons.

First, with 42 years of marginalization and minimal training in good federal governance, the new National Transitional Council (NTC) was inexperienced at best. Some members came from their local “people’s committee,” but these had little real power and had been monitored from Tripoli, the capital. The NTC needed more than a brief period of national celebrations in order to prepare Libya for its planned elections the following summer.

Second, Libya’s fiercely tribal society struggled to achieve democratic reform. Lots of gun‑toting youths had already clashed lethally among themselves in 2011, which boded poorly for domestic unity, let alone effective international investment and diplomacy. Some of these warriors thought they fought against Gaddafi in order to establish a liberal, secular country; others wanted to adopt Islamic (Sharia) law; while still others spoke of dividing the nation into multiple states.

Third, while the so‑called Arab Spring spread across the Middle East, Islamist parties made gains in border countries like Tunisia and Egypt. U.S. Admiral James Stavridis, NATO supreme allied commander in Europe, saw potential “flickers” of an Al‑Qaeda or Hezbollah presence among the Libyan rebels in March 2011, but he also felt the leaders were “responsible men and women.”

Meanwhile, early positive developments took place in Libya as well. The NTC said that it would pursue all murderers and lawless people around the country, including those who sought revenge against Gaddafi‑loyalists. Moreover, a friendly spirit existed toward the United States, the United Kingdom, and France (which all aided the rebels in their war), and oil money had the potential to attract lucrative business contracts—if international companies could feel secure.

For many valid reasons, few Americans ever had rosy thoughts about Libya or its late “mad dog” leader, as President Ronald Reagan once called Gaddafi. And of course the assassination of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens in Benghazi in 2012 helped nothing. Yet a revolution that is of, by, and for the people—at least ostensibly—should be able to find a patient, if cautious, friend in the United States. If it can, then perhaps America’s most treasured values—freedom of assembly, press, speech, and religion—can genuinely impact the new Libya.

After the American colonies declared independence from Britain in 1776, seven years of war and 13 years of political debate ensued. But the nation’s founders finally did agree on its constitution, which is arguably the oldest used in the world today. Why not hope—even boldly pray—for such a tale of home‑grown freedom and democracy in the Middle East?

Please pray for:

• Courage and integrity for Libya’s new leaders.
• Compassion and patience for the Libyan people.
• Salvation and freedom to spread across Libya.
• Wisdom for U.S. politicians and churches reaching out to Libya.

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(Originally published by The Presidential Prayer Team.)

Fighting Pornography Everywhere: From the Internet to Washington to Fox News

In March 2011, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which oversees much of the World Wide Web, voted 9-3 to allow a new top-level .xxx domain. Widely seen as a victory for the global pornography industry, websites that contain pornographic content will soon be able to use .com or .xxx as part of their basic site address and homepage name.

Stuart Lawley, whose Internet Content Management (ICM) Registry has led the drive for the domain, hopes to open a “progressive new home for adult entertainment online…out of the reach of minors and as free as possible from fraud or malicious computer viruses.” By July 2011, ICM had received 900,000 expressions of interest from a myriad of sources, some for as little as $60.

Each site will have built-in components that block viruses and allow for child-protection with “100-percent efficiency,” Mr. Lawley claimed. Meanwhile, the Associated Press found that ICM “stands to take millions” of dollars with the new approval.

Leading opponents of the pornography industry object to the .xxx domain. Craig Gross—pastor and co-founder of XXXChurch.com, which aids people and families hurt by pornography—states that the domain “just adds more porn to the web and makes the web once again known for porn.” He says this domain could be a “great thing” if regulators required pornography websites to move from .com to .xxx. Unfortunately, no such mandate exists.

Patrick Trueman—CEO of Morality in Media, which uses education and jurisprudence to fight obscenity and indecency—agrees. He believes the .xxx domain will cause “even more harm to children, families, and communities, and make ICANN complicit in that harm.” He adds that the new domain is “overwhelmingly opposed by the public and governments throughout the world.”

A former top official in the Justice Department Child Exploitation and Obscenity section, Trueman says the Supreme Court has never protected “obscenity.” Yet, he notes, “The U.S. Department of Justice has given pornographers a green light by not enforcing federal laws which prohibit obscene hardcore pornography on the Internet.” This has been the case under Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.

Popular arguments for and against pornography are well known. Proponents claim rights to free speech and free enterprise, noting billions of dollars and millions of viewers, websites, and other medians. Opponents cite free speech limitations, addictions, abuse, broken homes, and biblical morality. (Peter J. Leithart makes a convincing case for promoting “biblical morality” rather than merely “traditional values.” He warns against settling for what he believes to be a non-existent “universal code of sexual morality” rather than “Christian sexual morality.”) Pornography foes also cite correlations between pornography and societal, church, family, and personal crises.

Other important topics include the harms of practicing pornography, the failure of the executive branch to enforce “anti-obscenity” legislation, and the destructively relative definitions—or lack thereof—of pornography by leading conservative and liberal sources alike. It also is noteworthy that help is available for people with addictions to pornographic material.

In 2010 the Christian Post reported on a new television show, “Footnote.” The premier shared a true story about a “young girl who was curled up in a ball between takes in the production of a porn film, sucking her thumb because her mind was so blown by what she did.” The reporter also cited a porn actress who said her work “actually hurts but we have to make it look good because we have to sell the product.” Former pornography producer Donny Pauling recalled seeing “the lights go out” in the eyes of women who worked in the industry too long.

A few years ago, some 110 groups across America formed a coalition called “The War on Illegal Pornography.” The largely Christian group included congressmen from both political parties, including Sen. Orin Hatch, Rep. Mike McIntyre, and Rep. Randy Forbes. They want the Justice Department to enforce federal laws designed “to curb the production and distribution of obscene pornography, including on the internet,” since “a consistent and strong commitment to enforcing these laws can have a significant impact.”

Two major information outlets—Fox News, in an article on the history of pornography, and the Encyclopedia Britannica pornography entry—claim the definition of pornography is “famously subjective” and “subjective,” respectively. But is pornography itself subjective, or its appeal? If pornography has no objective meaning, then it cannot be regulated or even critiqued (as being “obscene” for instance). But if it is defined as morally reprehensible and legally inappropriate, despite having a subjective appeal to many—like a criminal who may be a willing burglar but not a robber—then offensive and dangerous pornographic content must be restricted.

Finally, resources abound for those who want to stay away or get away from pornography. First, the Bible is a key aid in any struggle. Second, parents or spouses can offer strong accountability. Third, helpful websites exist, such as: xxxchurch.com, pornharms.com, moralityinmedia.org, porntopurity.com, and waronillegalpornography.com.

One pastor’s wife says that her husband’s former pornography addiction was their mutual marriage problem, not just his problem. Her husband decries it as a “silent sin,” and she says she feels so relieved to be “living in truth.” She concludes, “Without Christ, our situation would have been helpless. But because we know the Great Physician…who can make all things new, we had all the hope of Heaven.”

Please pray for:

• God to rescue those involved in the pornographic industry.
• Grace for spouses, children, or parents who struggle with pornography.
• Government leaders to deal with the issue of pornography responsibly.
• God’s moral standards to prevail upon American society.

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(Originally published by The Presidential Prayer Team.)

Fifteen Trillion Dollars and Counting: No Easy Constitutional Solution

You can guess that freshmen congressmen have experiences similar to those of first-year college students. They get teased, have a lot to learn, and need to determine their role. Freshman Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) began his new position by targeting deficit spending. His weapon of choice: amending the U.S. Constitution.

In late 2011, the national debt passed the $15 trillion mark for the first time, rising $1 trillion that year. The debt doubled from $7.5 trillion in 2004, swelling $4.5 trillion since 2008.

With noted interest from other senators and congressmen, including Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), Sen. Lee sought to propose a constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA), with the goal of preventing Congress from settling on an annual budget that spends more than it receives. Of course, a BBA might sound good to many people (up to 83% of Americans in one Gallup poll), but actually amending the Constitution would be among any politician’s greatest challenges—or accomplishments.

Constitutional amendments are rare. In has been 220 years since the Bill of Rights was ratified under President George Washington. Since then, the “Law of the Land” has been amended just 17 times, or approximately once every 13 years. Moreover, 12,000 amendments have been proposed, meaning that less than one in 700 is actually ratified.

Another problem for Sen. Lee is that his BBA idea is not original, and every prior BBA proposal has failed. Over the past 30 years, at least 10 attempts have been made in Congress to propose a BBA for three-fourths of the states to ratify, as required by the Constitution. Several attempts came close to passing—twice falling only one vote short in the Senate, and sometimes getting through one house, but not the other.

Key factors preventing passage of past BBAs have included weak provisions for enforceability and the possibility of sky-rocketing taxes “in order to balance the budget.” Some argue that the judicial branch may have to step in to break up political fiscal stalemates unless a fail-safe BBA were adopted.

Balancing the budget and eliminating the debt are dissimilar, as Sen. Lee himself acknowledges. Congress has a hard time cutting spending, let alone balancing the books for long enough to shrink the debt to manageable levels. A workable BBA could just be the first step toward a solution.

Despite these challenges, many aspects of the BBA issue are in Sen. Lee’s favor. First, a BBA may pass precisely because of the exploding national debt in recent years. Political demand for change, even imperfect change, is increasing. Popular rhetoric surrounds the BBA, too. Proponents argue that since families and states have to cut back in hard times and balance their budgets, Washington should as well.

Also, Sen. Lee can likely count on bipartisan support. While Republicans traditionally champion BBA efforts, a number of Democrats have voted “aye” in each case, too. In addition, a bipartisan “BBA Caucus” swelled to more than 60 congressional members in the first year after its inception.

Ultimately, principles are on the side of the BBA supporters. Limited spending, debt, and taxes are virtues that ring loud and clear in the hearts of millions of Americans. Hardships in life are seldom resolved quickly or easily. But every resolution begins sometime. Maybe $15 trillion is enough to convince this country’s leaders that the time has come. If so, then obstacles and odds aside, Utah’s freshman senator might get the last laugh after all.

Please intercede for all of your elected officials, both at the federal and state levels. Legislative bodies across the nation will be part of any possible constitutional process. Pray that they support policy that is morally and fiscally sound, and that they do not succumb to the temptations that surround them each day.

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(Originally published by The Presidential Prayer Team.)

Light in the Darkness

It was late at night as we rushed through the dark tunnel, not knowing what lurked around the next bend. Yet an equal uncertainty of what lay behind us drove us forward. We sought a way out of the maze of black corridors, but had been wandering around for some time. At last, we perceived noise up ahead, and even spotted a little light.

We moved more slowly, quietly. Then abruptly we were in a dim room. Before us stood a platoon of enemy soldiers. Along the right side of the cave were thirty male soldiers with AK-47s leveled at us. Disconcerting, yet normal. But to our left, a dozen armed uniformed women also sighted us in. Not so normal. This was Russia in 1984.

We entered the small chamber all at once, and were immediately face to face, gun to gun, with our enemies. The Russians outnumbered us, but they knew we numbered enough to make any mishap bloody for everyone. We could feel their feelings, and they could feel ours. No soul present wanted a violent engagement right there, right then. But it felt unavoidable.

The world seemed to stop—there was no sound, no movement, no distraction. The strangest sight was the women soldiers who faced us, their expressions full of hatred and fear. They stared at us as hard as we stared at them. Their eyes seemed colder than the eyes of their male comrades.

All this passed in what seemed like an hour, but was only a few seconds. We would have no chance if a battle began. But we could not just succumb to being prisoners, either. Darkness overwhelmed every soul. Suddenly, I felt a strange tug at my deepest will and emotion. I have no idea what I was thinking, nor why I acted on the impulse. Yet by God’s grace, I did act.

I slowly lowered my rifle. “You ladies are beautiful!” Their eyes were like ice. I repeated, louder, “You are all very beautiful…God must have spent extra time creating you!” I glanced around as a few seemed to twitch. Did they understand? “For the love of God, enough blood has been spilled in this war! Do any of you speak English?” After a long silence, a woman gazed straight into my eyes and quietly said, “I am British; I speak English.” Her eyes softened briefly, and I almost sensed in her a yearning for this horror to cease.

My heart was pounding. Why on earth was a Briton fighting for the Russians? But I felt eternally grateful to this woman, and to God. I quickly responded to her, “Will you please tell these other women what I have said?” She stalled as her pride fought her conscience. My pleading eyes never left hers. Finally, she broke our stare and looked about. She spoke in a low tone to her companions. I could tell she was repeating my message to them…twice. Upon hearing, there was a moment of temperance in the hands holding the guns and in the eyes waiting to kill. A short pause ensued.

To this point, I had focused fully on our enemies. I glanced at my own peers and commander. They were afraid, and could not believe what I was doing. Yet they clung to hope amidst hopelessness.

Suddenly, they all laughed! “There is no God! There is no God!” they cried aloud, mockingly. This English phrase had been drilled into them, and their taunts were overwhelming. They raised their guns once more.

In a final attempt to prevent slaughter, I begged the woman from Britain to address her allies once more: “Fine. You’ve been told there is no God! But if God does exist, just if, then He neither wants us to hurt you and destroy your outward beauty, nor does He want you to hurt us and destroy your inward beauty! Please, take this chance to establish peace and preserve life for just one more day!”

My translator blinked. Our fates hung on her decision of whether, and what, to speak. Everybody watched her. Then she gave me a slight nod of her head. She turned to her friends and translated verbatim. At first, no one moved. Then two women on the end stepped back, dropped their eyes, and lowered their firearms. Others followed suit, and a tidal wave of relief began overwhelming us all. It seemed the room was spawning its own redeeming light.

Only two did not budge: the British woman and the Russian commander. He kept watching her, then me, his gun ready. In time, he quietly addressed her. She looked placid as she listened, then she turned and relayed his message to me.

“My major admires your courage. He believes in what just happened: that life and peace are more important than war and captives. He adds that you are a better man than he. But he says Moscow will never tolerate him releasing enemy troops. For the first time, he is placing his convictions over his government. Consequently, he must flee. His last words are that maybe one day, when all this is over, he will think more on the God of whom you spoke tonight.”

I could only say “Thank you, Sir,” before he conferred hastily with three of his subordinates, then disappeared down a side tunnel. Meanwhile, I thanked the British woman for her help in our crisis. She thanked me for reminding her that God and souls supersede victory and power. I asked about her future, and she said she hoped to return to her homeland soon.

We all put down our guns, and shared our remaining rations—enemies extending peace. We lit a fire after midnight, and went above ground for the sunrise—enemies sharing memories. Then we returned to our own camps. The war was still going on…

But for us it would be different. Our enemies had hearts, minds, and souls. Pointless killing would cease, occasions for mercy would be sought. Our duties remained, as we had to stop evil foes. Yet we no longer mechanically viewed all our opponents as such. We knew there were exceptions.

Years later, I somehow got a letter from the Russian major. He was in prison for his conduct that night, and soon would be executed. But he bade me to take heart, for he had found God, and knew that fighting against evil through faith in Him is the most important war in the world.

For myself, this truth has become more pronounced since that bloodless night. God’s grace saves us from our own destruction—whoever calls upon His Son Jesus Christ. All the world’s darkness will be engulfed someday, as it was in that tunnel, by the eternal, glorious light of Almighty God!

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(Originally published by Yahoo! Voices.)