Does Your Voice Really Matter?

This month, we have been talking about communicating across barriers; how to talk about the really important things that we are told we’re supposed to keep quiet about. But, what happens when it seems like, no matter what you say or do, it’s not going to help. Are we too far gone for things to get better, to temper the heated animosity that has taken over our airwaves and bring things back to a place of reason and civil discourse? Today’s question really comes down to this; does your voice really matter?

So, does your voice matter? Well, really that depends on what you’re saying. The truth is, we do have a very real enemy in this fight. There are those that want us divided, want us blinded by anger, want us stuck in our own myopic view of one particular issue that we are ineffective against the attacks when they really do come. And this enemy does not have a D, an R, or independent next to their name.

As followers of Christ, it is imperative that we keep the main thing the main thing. So, on Nov. 5th, what is the main thing? Is it who sits in the oval office for the next for years? Is it one initiative or another? Now, don’t get me wrong, those things are important, they do matter, but they cannot be the main thing. When we take an office or an agenda and we make that the most important thing, the hill that our faith lives and dies on, that is called idolatry. The enemy, the devil, consistently tempts us to take the important things and use them to replace the most important thing. When we do this, our loyalties become divided and without even realizing it, we begin trying to serve two masters. Immediately, the seed of division begins to take root.

In Mark chapter 3, Jesus is challenged by the religious leaders who say that He had cast out demons by the authority of Beelzebul. Listen to Christ’s response:

22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 23 And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.

A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Last season, we spoke about how there are only two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of darkness. But, how do you know which kingdom you are serving? I mean, all believers would probably say, “Of course, I’m serving Jesus.” But, are we? ...Always? Our true enemy works so subtly to deceive us, getting us to put something or someone else on the throne besides Jesus. We do this when we say things like, “I wouldn’t choose that for myself, but I don’t think we should make a law for everyone else about it.” We do this when we not only accept but repeat false claims to bolster our side and make the other people look bad. It is evident that we have fallen into this deception when our emotions are allowed to take the reigns and we can’t even hear what the other person has to say. I said it a few weeks ago, they could be 100% wrong in their position, but if you are being ruled by something other than Christ in that moment, you’re wrong even if you get the right answer.

We shouldn’t be surprised at the evil in the world and we should respond in panic. Jesus said in Matthew 10:16, that He knew He was sending His disciples out as sheep amongst wolves. He didn’t minimize the risk or exaggerate it, either. But, He did tell them that because this was the world that He was sending them into, they needed to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. We need to be both. Some Christians think that by silencing their voice or just rejecting everything in front of them that they are remaining innocent and keeping their hands clean, but is that wise? Others want to make pragmatic concessions, allowing for this much of this evil or this kind of that evil, and inch by inch or mile by mile, giving up ground in the battle. Will they be judged as innocent?

In Nebraska, we are facing an uncertain future with two particular initiatives that we will get to make our voices heard on regarding one of the most important issues today, child sacrifice. I use that phrase because the legal term would get this video shadowbanned on youtube and, honestly and more importantly, that is what it actually is. It is evil. It is detestable. It is an abomination. One initiative will remove pretty much all barriers and allow these medical office sacrifices to take place all the way up to birth, just days or weeks shy of when the ancient pagans used to offer their newborns up on the fiery altars of Molech. We’ve come so far, haven’t we? It also would make it extremely difficult for any future progress or repeals to be made against it down the line. Now, some of you may be offended that I use this terminology. You might even think I’m speaking out of turn, I mean, how could they be sacrifices? Who are they sacrificing to?

Well, according to this article from Harvard Law earlier this year, (https://blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2024/02/09/the-satanic-temple-asserts-medication-abortion-is-a-religious-right/) the Satanic church is claiming medical child sacrifice is protected as a religious right, so ... it’s the devil. These babies are being sacrificed to the devil. There is a second, counter initiative, which does not outright ban all of these child sacrifices, but creates a constitutional protection for babies in the 2nd and 3rd trimester, which is mostly consistent with the current 12 week ban our state has in place. Because of the way it is worded, many Nebraskan Christians have been confused and even angry, thinking that this would make a constitutional protection for child sacrifice up through the first trimester, which is when the majority of these sacrifices are now taking place. While it is true that this initiative would not add new restrictions in that window of time, it also would not undo the 12 week band even though the second trimester technically starts in the 13th week and it also would not inhibit future laws or amendments being made to further restrict or ban child sacrifice down the line. The way that it achieves this is by makng the positive assertion in the wording of the initiative that babies will be constitutionally protected from child sacrifice in the 2nd and 3rd trimester; notice that it doesn’t make any assertions regarding child sacrifice. It is the equivalent of me saying, I will protect my family. Does that mean I will not protect my neighbors because right now I only said family? No. It makes the first assertion definitive and allows for the potential and opportunity to expand those protections in the future. Again, this does not get us where we want to be, but it does allow us to have a footing in the future. Now, some believers still believe saying no to both will be enough, but both initiatives are projected to meet the criteria for selection and whichever one has the most in favor will pass. The pro-child sacrificers will not be divided on this issue, but right now, those of us working to end it are. I understand and agree with the desire to stay innocent as we are called to do, but we are also called to be shrewd and wise. It is almost guaranteed that one of these initiatives will pass, and if we divide here, I can tell you that it will not be our side with a clear path forward on november 6th. Does your voice matter? On the 5th of November in the state of Nebraska, it absolutely will.