I believe that we, as a nation and as a state, have just chosen to enter into an era where we think it better to walk alone than to walk with God.  We have made choices tonight that will affect our nation and our state for an eternity.  You may say, "oh Eldon, aren't you over reacting?"  And my very short answer is NO!  This is not an overreaction.  We have truly decided to walk a path that is godless.  The nation has chosen a president that does not support human life, does not support the Christian faith and in some aspects does not support our nation as a whole.  Our state has decided tonight that being a part of killing over 1 million babies a year in our nation is not enough, that we should now be the second state to make killing our terminally ill a legal practice also.  Scripture is too clear about these practices for us to even think of playing with them.

As I watched many hours of internet coverage tonight, my heart became more and more heavy.  As I watched a man, that I believe will be a complete detriment to our churches and our Christian faith, stand before a group of weeping and screaming people, and promise change and say "this is our moment, this is our time" I couldn't help but weep either.  Not for joy, but in absolute sorrow.  I wept for my children who were gathered around me, listening and watching history unfold before them.  To say that this is our moment and our time, removes any hope for the reliance upon God that we as a nation must have.  We have just stepped deeper into a humanistic, "We can do it" mindset. As I read the results in regards to the choice of killing the terminally ill, I wept again. Again sensing a much bigger impact than I think we are hoping for. If this is ok now in 2008, what will be ok in 2020? Do we want to make choices that may seem like a good fix now, but refuse to look at the long term implications that are coming? Like the fact that God CANNOT look on sin. He turns His face from it. He is a pure God and cannot be a part of sin, even in the 'smallest' of ways. We have made a choice tonight to walk out from under the grace that He has bestowed upon us for a long time. A choice that quite honestly will be our death.

Does this mean we give up? Does this mean we run for the hills? Does this mean that we are done for? NO! This means we must stand. If you have not chosen to stand as an individual or as a family for the Godly standards of the Bible, than you better do it now! If now doesn't seem like a good time, I guess you could wait until it got harder to live a public Christian life, and then make the choice. Of course, if it is hard for you to stand now, it won't be easier then. Galatians 6:16-18 talks about seeing a noticeable difference in your life once you start to follow Jesus. Paul says that he carries the scars on his body to prove what he stands for…Jesus. Paul didn't just make that decision when he was tied to the whipping post. He didn't make this decision to stand when he was thrown in jail. No, he made this decision long before that. In a time that wasn't as filled with persecution. We must make our choice to stand now. Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the full armor of God. And then when that is done…stand! Folks, make the choice today to stand. Stand for Godly living. Stand for Godly decisions. Stand. We do this by being in prayer daily, asking Jesus to fill us with the power of His Spirit. We do this by then using that power, not the 'we can do it' garbage that is preached, but the "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" truth. Live your life in Christ, relying on His Holy Spirit for strength, power and guidance. Bury yourself in the Word of God. It gives life. It gives light. It exposes the lies and shows the Truth. Let the Word of God, spoken and written, be in you. Use it to judge what is right and what is wrong. Don't be afraid to make a stand. If God is for you, who can be against you? If you need someone to stand with you in truth and righteousness, I would love to stand with you.

Also. Even though this evening has brought many sorrows and many horrors to pass, we must do one other thing. Pray. Not just for the nation and state, but for our elected leaders. We must pray for President-elect Obama. Not that harm would come to him, not that at all. We must do as Scripture says: Pray for and support our leaders. Hebrews 13:1 says this. Remember that this was written during a reign of leadership that was far worse that anything we have experienced. Yet, we are told to pray for and support those leaders that God has placed over us. Scripture also says to pray for your enemies. That even means those who become an enemy of the Church. We must pray for them. Will this be hard to do? Of course. But in following God's word, we must make it our priority to pray for our new president and for our governor, who ever that may be. Even when the leader stands in complete opposition to what we believe, we still must pray. Jesus asked His Father to forgive those who just nailed Him to a cross to die. We need to cover our leaders in prayer. Pray for their salvation through Jesus Christ. Pray for their protection from harm. Pray for their families and the toil it takes on them. Pray for Godly wisdom to invade their minds. Pray!

So, I leave you with this. Stand and pray. Stand for what is righteousness. Stand for the Truth and the Life. Stand. And pray. Pray without ceasing. Pray for God's mercy. Pray for true repentance to fall on our nation. Pray.