Sharing My Heart about Racism

I would like to take a moment to speak on a comment I received regarding my outspoken post about the "Salvation of America." I know that this blog has made its way to people who have never met me, and I appreciate greatly the comments of all who read! Please continue to comment and let me know your feedback and scripture regarding what is being posted here. That is what accountability to the Word and submission to one another is all about. I know that many who have read "Salvation of America" and then continued on to more recent posts can see that I have realized fully that the election of Obama as leader of our country is God's will. Does that mean he is a good and righteous, and pure leader who will do what is right in God's eyes? No. The person so graciously provided scripture and examples speaking of how God has allowed other evil kings to be over countries and kingdoms (Nebuchanezzar and Saul, to name the examples used by the reader) to bring about His divine will. I still believe in my heart that I voted the way God would want me to vote in this election. I feel no doubt or regret that there was genuine goodness in McCain and Palin. But God chose another option, and He is my Lord and I bow down and worship Him regardless of my understanding of His divine will. He is my All and All!

Which leads me to explain something very important to you all about this blog and myself. I am NOT and never will be Christ the Savior who came to pay for your sins, and died on a cross, shedding His own PERFECT blood to do so. My pastor said in our most recent Bible study that we need to be reminding people that we, alone, are not the answer. All we can do is point them to the cross and Jesus, and leave them there. With any Christian writer, or book, or blog anywhere in the world....you should be testing the spirits and taking whatever you find back to the Word and God Himself. One day, I believe I will stand before God, having been made perfect in Christ's image....but that is a long way from today. I will make mistakes, I will give into my flesh, and I will say things and do things that are just plain wicked at times....even if I strongly desire not to do so! As Paul said "I have not yet arrived."

There was mention in the comment that I had problems/issues with Barack Obama being black, and that this was a matter of race, hate and cursing. I believe the reader should speak to God concerning my heart about races of other people. I LOVE people of all races, and I have never been so joyful as right now in my life to be in a ministry that allows me to interact and be in close intimate fellowship with people of other races, including black people. I know that I need not defend myself, but I want to share my heart regarding people of another race than myself. I grew up in a community that was 98% white caucasians. I only saw people of other races when we travelled to sporting events, and the few children in my school who were not white. I left that tiny town in Colorado to find out about a wide, greater world. I had tried to date a young black man in high school, and had faced rejection from the community. He was my friend and I felt very attached to him. When I went to college, I dated men from all other backgrounds and races - Arab, Jewish, Hispanic, and probably many other mixes that I did not even know! It was no concern to me, as my family and friends will testify. I was so thankful to be encountering diversity in my life that I just embraced it! I know now that God was probably taking me out of my shell because He wanted me to feel comfortable with people of all races, but my love for other races/cultures has not ended there. My husband is currently Active Duty Air Force and the military is a very diverse place. On our base, there are three separate church services and they pretty much break down (in many ways) into white/black/mixed. All the services are mixed, but if one were to do demographics, it would be shown this way. I LOVE that God has called my family to ministry that calls itself the Military and Mulitcultural Ministry. I have many friends, brothers and sisters in the ministry who are black, hispanic, pacific islander, japanese, filipino, and probably many others! I love my sisters and brothers in Christ. Also, recently, our pastor PCS'ed (left for another base assignment), so we were installed a new pastor from within our congregation. I jumped for joy (literally) when my brother Shawnacy Johnson was named pastor of our church. He is on fire for God and full of the Holy Spirit, and he is also black, along with his entire family -- whom I love dearly!

Just as you may feel that I have made wrong judgments regarding my support of McCain and Palin, and my distaste for Barack Obama, I can assure you that you also have made a wrong judgment regarding my heart for fellow people as a whole. I am hopeful in my heart that one day, the Lord might allow me to visit other countries as a missionary and share the gospel of Christ with people from all different races, countries and backgrounds. All should receive the good news about Jesus Christ, regardless of race, because I don't believe God sees race as an issue -- so neither will I!!!

Mark 16:14-16 (NASB):

"Afterward, He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation (emphasis added).' He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned."

Acts 10:34 (NKJV):

"Then Peter opened his mouth and said: 'In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him."

We come to a place in our walk, which I am starting to understand on a deeper level, where God asks us to fully trust His voice to lead us. As I go deeper into my walk with Christ, God is asking me to take greater steps of faith, putting much more on the line for Him. For me, God uses my mouth and words to edify His body, so I am sure He is testing my faith in that area. Have I always been right and in line with God's will recently? I hope so. God is refining me, and teaching me to use the gifts that He has placed within me. I have already seen shockwaves come in from some of the things He has laid upon my heart to say. I am stepping out in faith and doing my best to be faithful to my Lord. I am abiding in the Word, and in prayer and doing my best to listen to God's voice. I am growing in discernment between spirits speaking to me, but it is a process that is not perfected overnight! The difference between me and other Christians right now is that God has asked me to go through this under the watchful and concerned (and doubting) eyes of others. He wants me to go through this process PUBLICLY, where many Christians just grow more silently and without as much direct confrontation. This blog is God's divine will and He is blessing this work (His) with favor. He is increasing the number of readers who come to visit, and I pray that all are blessed in at least some way! You don't have to agree with everything I say, this is simply something to push you further into the Word and prayer with God! You should take anything you learn, or hear, back to Him for clarification and study. I cannot stress this enough, whether it be with this blog or any other writing besides the Bible! Test the spirits against the Word of God!!!!

One final word regarding Obama that was just laid upon my heart. I love Obama as much as any other person, and I will certainly not refrain from praying for Him to have wisdom in leadership of this country. God is bigger than any one person, and I look forward to what God will do in this country through Obama, even if it is God's judgment. I want what my Lord wants. God created Obama and has known him since before his own conception. God has a plan for Obama's life. I pray that if Obama does know the Lord, which he claims to, that God would lead his heart to promote righteous legislature to defend the right to life, and religious freedoms in this country. I pray that this country does not move in a communistic direction, and that we remain the free country that we have always known. It is hard for a person to accept that Obama separates his walk with Christ from his political career, in which God has granted him the power to change that which is wrong with this country morally. For him to stand up and declare himself a Christian and then support abortion in the same arena does not line up with God's will. I do not know one scripture that says it is OK for us to decide whether life should continue or not. A Christian should know the scriptures regarding God forming us in the womb, and knowing us from conception. I simply have problems with the double-minded nature of his campaign, which involves hypocrisy and falsehood. I would feel the same way about any candidate, regardless of race or background. God has set a standard of holiness for living for ALL people who claim to be under the name and blood of Jesus! Obama is not exempt from this simply because He is running for President. If anything, God expects Him to show the rest of the world what it means to live in holiness!

God speaks about being lukewarm as a Christian:

Revelation 3:15-16 (NASB):

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth."

Matthew 15:8 (NASB):

"This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from me."

I pray for Obama that he would not be lukewarm for God, but that the Lord will set his heart on fire for Him. I pray for truth, wisdom and the righteousness of God to shine through him while he sits in the White House. I believe all things are possible with God (Mark 10:27). I encourage you to pray for him as well as the coming leader of this country.


I pray for all of you, that God would bless you richly with the hearing of His Word! I am thankful that I can walk alongside those who are interested in the future of the world and this country! I am thankful to be born in this country. I simply pray for repentance as a country, and reconciliation with God. I pray that God would open your hearts and minds, and that He would draw you into deeper fellowship with Himself! I pray that God will bring salvation to all who do not yet know His goodness.

I look forward to future comments from any of you! Please give feedback! It gives me a chance ot know what is on your minds, and to pray accordingly. I will be praying for racial unity in this country, and the dissipation of racism. May God bless you all richly today with peace and joy in the name of Jesus!

His Child,

Sarah