What Grants Me the Courage to Stump for Trump

When I first burst onto the scene with the Trump Administration, I protested at LAX airport in support of his travel ban. 14 other people joined us, including Robin Hvidston of We the People Rising and Harim Uzziel with LA County for Trump. I did not want to go alone because I wanted to celebrate with others and I refused to allow the hateful leftists set the narrative that this travel ban was unconstitutional.

When swarms of these crazy leftists were surrounding us, one verse from the Bible came into my minds and I continued meditating on it: “No weapon formed against me prospers, and every tongue that rises in judgment I condemn. This is my heritage as a servant of the lord, and my righteousness is from Him.” (Isaiah 54:17)

The most vile of protesters in front of my backed off, and the police then separated them away from us.

What I wanted to share today is what gives me the courage to do what I do. It’s not something special that I have. It’s a gift which everyone can receive, and keep receiving.

It’s called the gift of righteousness.

Someone paid the heaviest price for me, for all of us, to have life and that more abundantly, to be set free from the bondage and penalty of sin.

Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross ensures for man redemption from his fallen state in this fallen world. His resurrection from the Dead and his reign at God’s right hand affirms that promise for me.

And many Christians don’t know that, but Jesus rose from the dead, we who believe on Him rose with him. When he was seated at His Father’s right hand, we are seated with him.

We receive His righteousness and His grace, His favor, and through Him we reign in life.

There is so much that Jesus accomplished at the Cross.

For me, I am not ashamed of the Gospel, and I am not ashamed to share the great things that He has done for me—and continues to do through me.

Our nation was founded on Christian principles. We are a Judeo-Christian culture, and I do not apologize for that. We need to restore a clear and convincing awareness of this truth.

Now, what does all of this have to do with being fearless and taking on all the challenges, the hate, and the threats to our way of life.

Man’s greatest needs is not food and drink, shelter or clothing.

Any psychologist will tell you that man’s greatest needs is acceptance.

The more accurate word is righteousness.

What does that mean? It means that you are cleared from all guilt, from all wrongdoing. That in God’s eyes you are viewed as in full accordance with His standards. Anything you owe has been paid; any wrongdoing you have committed has been paid for.

Jesus accomplished that at the Cross. He died for my sins—all of them—and accorded me everlasting righteousness. I am justified from all things that I could not be justified by through the law of Moses.

Now, what does this have to do with courage? What does this have to do with standing up to authorities, with taking on the most menacing and fearful enemies in our midst?

I had said man’s greatest need is righteousness. Man’s greatest fear is shame, humiliation. Think about it. There’s a well-known joke that goes that at a funeral, most people would rather be in the casket than give the final eulogy. Why? People are more afraid of public speaking than they are of death.

Why? Because shame is more painful. No one wants to look bad. No one wants to see something shameful or incriminating shared about themselves. And in today’s age, anything bad about us can be taken or written down and shred to the four corners of the world in in an instant?

Why do you think Saul Alinksy put so much emphasis on making people feel shame? It shuts them down for more effectively than being angry at them or shouting at them, or even threatening them physically. Because of this fear of shame or wrongdoing, most people don’t speak out. They don’t want to look bad, or they fear being rejected by others.

But when you have the gift of righteousness, these fears disappear:

“Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.” (Isaiah 54:4)

We spend so much telling people not to be afraid. What we really need to show people is that they will never have to worry about being shamed, or making themselves look bad, or worry about the shame of their past or the reproach of their current status as married, single, divorced.

The more you understand that you have been made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), then all the fears fall away, and you can take on anyone and anything.

You can stand up to city councils. You can stand up to Antifa. You can stand up to anyone.

There are three things that a church has to talk about to be a church:

1. Jesus as our High Priest Forever

2. His blood, which cleanses us forevermore from unrighteousness

3. And the New Covenant, in which God promises everything to us, if we just believe that He did a perfect work through His Son at the Cross.

This New Covenant is crucial for us to understand, so that we know that no matter what fearful or dangerous challenges we may face, that they have no power.

Here’s what God promises to us because of His Son:

10For this is the covenant that I will make with them, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 8:10-12)

That last part is fulfilled because Jesus has made us righteousness. We are as righteous before God as  His own Son!

One of my favorite verses:

“Herein is lover perfected among us, that we have boldness in the day of judgement, because as He is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17)

We take a new life, a new identity, a new standing. We are  no longer dead in Adam, but alive in Christ.

That is love perfected!

And what does perfect love do? It casts out all fear!

And we have the boldness to stand up to people’s hatred, lies, shame, and evil.

Remember, God’s righteousness is a gift. We do not earn. And we do not lose it even we sin, even when we fail. When you understand how deep and massive is the grace of God, then you reign in life, and you can stand up to anyone and to anything.

Thank you for letting me share today.