Poltical Religion Take 2

Hey guys, I realized I transposed a couple of names at the end which I could have made a note and corrected in the notes but it still would have been heard and in the transcript so, this is the corrected version. Thanks for your patience.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Good evening, friends, and thanks for tuning in to Unfiltered with Jesse B. I have to say that I have never had as much frustration with trying to record a podcast as I have this one. The first recording that I inadvertently sent out to all the platforms before listening to it broke my own rule of thumb, but I caught that I had transposed a couple of names, pretty important names, Jesus and Pilate. So I could have corrected this in the description, however, it still would have been on the recording and it would have been in the transcripts. So I just thought it was best to upload a new version. Hopefully, this will go a little bit smoother. So I'm going to talk about something that is a rather heavy issue that's been weighing on my mind for the past several weeks. I'm currently working on a full-length podcast for this very topic, so you can call this a preview of sorts if you want. But I've been dragging my feet because it's really not an episode that I look forward to doing. Nevertheless, politics is an issue that we face as Christians. And it's an unfiltered podcast, so why not talk about it? No matter how I approach the subject, I am prepared to get some backlash and may face losing some listeners simply because there is no way that I can make everybody happy. And that's okay. I can't even make myself happy a lot of the times, but this podcast wasn't designed to make people happy. It was designed to recognize and address the challenges we face as Christians in the hope of reminding everyone that we can be real and authentic with God. You know, remove the fig leaves, let him see all the imperfections. He knows it all, and nothing is hidden from him, not even our thoughts and emotions. But there is something about being willfully transparent which allows for healing, teaching, correction, and a deeper dependence upon God. And also we can take comfort in knowing that we don't have to carry any of these burdens alone. Now, as I said before, if you you have guessed it, the cat's already out of the bag that this is about the political climate, which does have an effect on everything. No matter where you stand, it's obvious that the division runs deep. I've always known this, and you know, I've got Republicans and Democrats and Independents in my family, but I didn't realize how bad the division was, and I'm not talking necessarily about division in my family, but just overall in general about how bad the division is. Um, and it was evident, uh, Resurrection Sunday, Easter Sunday. This division has spilled into the workplace, schools, families, and even church. So hear me when I say carefully. I am not putting this out there to promote any president, current, former, or perspective. I'm also not here to promote one political party over the other. My first and foremost obedience and allegiance is to my risen Savior, Lord, and soon coming King, Jesus Christ. And I will not budge on that. I have to answer to him and to him alone and no one else. The second thing is I do love the United States of America. I am still proud to be an American, and I know that American has its, or that America has its flaws. There are many things that are broken and need to be fixed. Nevertheless, I stand by my country and will continue to support my country until death. And these are two things that reasonable people can surely respect and find some common ground. Now we have all heard of TDS, otherwise known as Trump Derangement Syndrome, and that is toward people who do not support Trump. There's also TDS, which is Trump denial syndrome, geared toward people who do support Trump. So I want you all to do me a favor and take Trump out of it and replace it with the word political. And what does that give us? Political derangement syndrome or PDS. Now listen to these symptoms, and this is taken right off Google. You can research this yourself. It is often categorized by an acute onset of paranoia, obsession, or general hysteria in otherwise normal people triggered by a specific political leader. This term was originally coined by columnist Charles Crothammer in 2003, and I probably mispronounced that name, but he used it to describe intense illogical opposition to then President George W. Bush. Symptoms have been described as verbal hostility, obsessive criticism, and inability to distinguish between policy disagreements and perceived pathologies. Pathologies in this particular sense means mental, social, or linguistic abnormalities or misfunctions. There's also a biblical term for this, too, and it could fall under the description of reprobate, meaning that people have lost the ability to discern what is right from wrong, and God has given them over to their own sinful desires. I heard an evangelist say that there will come a time when God stops running after people. In other words, choosing to live in obedience and living in defiance of God's commands, where a person may have been able to seek forgiveness, and maybe they have sought forgiveness time after time for offenses, but no one knows when that last time may in fact be the last time. And it's not because God doesn't want a person back, it's not because God has uh lost his love for that person. It is because that person's heart has become so hardened that they no longer care simply because they no longer know how to care. Now, political derangement syndrome is not unheard of. When I was researching this subject, there are some articles suggesting that it started as far back as Nixon and the Watergate scandal. After that, there was Reagan with Reaganomics, which did bring down inflation but tripled the national debt. And later, it was George Bush Sr. with Read My Lips, No New Taxes was his pledge, but it later hurt him politically when a Democratic-controlled Congress opposing increasing existing taxes to reduced, reduce the national budget deficit. Bill Clinton, and of course, Monica Lewinsky, the scandal where he denied ever having anything to do with her, while evidence and witnesses suggested otherwise. George W. Bush Jr. endured criticism of his handling of 9-11 and how he also handled Hurricane Katrina. And then there was Obama and his Affordable Health Care Act, and Hillary Clinton, the email controversies, most notably Benghazi. Then there was Donald Trump. Most notably Jeffrey Epstein involvement, lots of things circulating around that. But the first time in office, it was Access Hollywood, a tape of him saying disparaging comments about women. And then there was the whole Stormy Daniels scandal, questions about business dealings, and it never stopped. And then Joe Biden and his cognitive abilities or disabilities, according to some. Misappropriation of funds, and his son Hunter with the infamous laptop, Ukraine and cancelled culture. And then here again we have Trump. But now the hot button topic, of course, is still Jeffrey Epstein, but also the Middle East. Now, I do not have a problem with someone voicing their views or opinions. You are certainly entitled to your views and opinions, as am I. I do welcome healthy discussions, even if someone's views and opinions are different than mine. I might not agree with you and you might not agree with me, but at least we could walk away with a better understanding and respect for one another. Healthy discussion means that we can hear each other out and still walk away as friends, break bread at the dinner table for family gatherings and special occasions, regardless of differences. What I am talking about are those who fall under the category of PDS, political derangement syndrome. The ones who, again, be it a former, current, or prospective president, all because they simply can't stand the guy, he can come out and announce that the sky is blue and the grass is green, and they would still find a reason to disagree and discredit for no other reason than hatred. These are the same ones who cannot and will not get past their hatred, or at the very least, the dislike for one person, and it affects their whole outlook and how they relate to others. The same ones I described earlier with words like hysteria, paranoia, obsession, the ones who won't speak to other family members because they disagree with their views and their stances, marriages that have ended in divorce, years of friendship that have been thrown to the wayside. People who refuse to go to church on Resurrection Sunday to celebrate the risen Savior because of their disgust and hatred toward one person was more important. And all for what? This goes both ways. When you start saying or hearing liberals, Democrats, you conservatives, or you MAGA people, you demoncrats, you need to simmer down and stop and think. Are your words true, or are you speaking a self-fulfilling prophecy? Has your political affiliation become your new religion and the party in power your new Savior? God was very clear in Exodus twenty, three and five. You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Verse 5. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. Romans thirteen one and first Timothy two, one through two are clear on praying for all people, including governing authorities instituted by God. Now, if you have a problem with that phrase governing authorities instituted by God, then you might want to refer back to the exchange between Pilate and Jesus when Jesus was arrested. John 19 11, this account is explained, and Jesus says that even earthly authorities are still subject to and will answer to God. Before we are tempted to point too many fingers, keep in mind that all have fallen short, and salvation is for everyone, not just for the ones we like and think deserve it. I know I sure didn't deserve to be saved, and you might find some people who share the same sentiments, but God thought I was worth saving, and he thought the same about you. And before we get too high and mighty, refer to Romans 3 23, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. This means that every human being is guilty of sin and fails to meet God's perfect moral standards. That's why we need a Savior, and that's why we have the Savior, Jesus Christ. So some quick questions. Could all of this division be the wake-up call that people are ignoring? Could it be that God is making us face a reality that only He can save a nation, not the government, and not some political agenda? Chronicles 7.14 says, If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. This is a promise from God that is still available to us today, but only if we meet the conditions as he outlined in that verse. Now prayer is important. In fact, prayer appears 109 to 132 times in the King James Bible, depending on the type of concordance. Related terms like pray, prayed, and prayers is mentioned over 600 times, with approximately 650 recorded prayers and over 450 recorded answers to prayer. So don't tell me that prayer doesn't work. If you want to see a change in your nation, a change in the administration, a change in government, don't start calling names, don't get into fights with people, and don't be disrespectful toward those you love. And by all means, do not shun the body of Christ. This is not the time to be pulling away from God. If anything, this is the time to be uh pressing in to God and listening and knowing what He wants, not only for our lives, but for our nation as well. So I hope this uh helped anybody. I hope it didn't anger anyone. These are just, you know, trying to filter all of this through a biblical perspective because ultimately uh at the end of our lives, it's the Lord that we're gonna come face to face with, and we will have to answer for everything that we say and everything that we do. So, anyway, thanks for listening. I love you guys. I do want to recognize some listeners in Bosnia, uh, Nepal, um, Paraguay, and then also Anaheim, California in the States. I appreciate you guys and look forward to seeing what tomorrow holds. Have a good night.