Romans 13:1-7

As I came to my blog this morning, I saw that Romans 13:1 was the verse of the day. It states: "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorites, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." This is no concidence that Romans 13:1 is todays verse. God was speaking to me and hopefully to you as well. My head and heart are not lined up right now, but I know they will be. I have to stay focused on the fact that God is in control, he is still sitting on the throne, and he has ordained all that has happened for one reason or another.

After reading Romans 13:1, I got my Bible to read the remaining part. I am not a fan of taking verses out of context, so I like to make sure they actually mean what it sounds like they mean.
Romans 13:1-7 "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorites, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes, if revenue, the revenue; if respect then respect; if honor, then honor."

Ultimately, we are all under God's authority; however, with a new president elect, we are governed by him as well and submit to his authority. That being said, the new president is to submit to the authority of God, because he is "God's servant to do you good" to govern over the people, and do what is right in God's eyes.

I ask each of you to pray for the submission of our government to the authority of God.

I Voted...

I voted this morning. I had to wait in line for 1 hour and 15 minutes to do so, but I did it.


I beg of each of you; if you are reading this and have not voted yet, there is still time. You have until 7 PM, your time zone. Go vote. It is a privilege and your vote does count. Let your voice be heard.

SUPER TUESDAY

PRAY!!!



PRAY!!!



PRAY!!!

Issues - Can be Verified

All of these things can be looked up and confirmed for yourself. Do your research and pray before entering the polls. Vote the way you believe God is leading you to vote, not the way the news media, celebrities, or even I believe is right.

Double click on the image to get a larger view, if you want to be able to read it easier.

The Differences

I feel the need to get this out there no matter who you are voting for. Read through these things, do you agree or disagree. Vote the way you are led to vote based on your beliefs. I am sure that if you have read my blog for any length of time, you know my belief in God and many of my views. I condemn no one for how they choose to vote. My God is in control, he knows the results, I just beg of everyone to pray before they enter the poll booth. Truly vote the way you believe God is leading you to vote. There is a lot out there, making it difficult for many to make a decision, so I ask you to read through this list of issues. How many do you agree and disagree with? Who gets the most agrees and who gets to most disagrees?
Here are the differences:

2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE COMPARISON:

Favors new drilling offshore US
McCain Yes
Obama No

Will appoint judges who interpret the law not make it
McCain Yes
Obama No

Served in the US Armed Forces
McCain Yes
Obama No

Amount of time served in the US Senate
McCain 22 YEARS
Obama 173 DAYS

Will institute a socialized national health care plan
McCain No
Obama Yes

Supports abortion throughout the pregnancy
McCain No
Obama Yes
(Big deal - Abortion is murder, God's word says "Do not murder". Life is God's to give and take away. What are your Christian beliefs? We are forgiven for our sins, when we accept Christ as our Savior, so if you have had an abortion please do not think that I am convicting you, you are forgiven if you have accepted Christ.)

Would pull troops out of Iraq immediately
McCain No
Obama Yes

Supports gun ownership rights
McCain Yes
Obama No

Supports homosexual marriage
McCain No
Obama Yes
(This is a big deal to me, as a Christian, that believes God's word is the truth. Homosexuality is a sin, I still love anyone who makes that choice, as Christ would love them, but fundmentally I believe it is wrong. As Christians', we all should.)

Proposed programs will mean a huge tax increase
McCain No
Obama Yes

Voted against making English the official language
McCain No
Obama Yes

Voted to give Social Security benefits to illegals
McCain No
Obama Yes

CAPITAL GAINS TAX
McCAIN
0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples).
McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax.

OBAMA
28% on profit from ALL home sales.
How does this affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain on taxes. If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or move into a retirement community, 28% of the money you make from your home sale will go to taxes. This proposal will adversely affect the elderly who are counting on income from their homes as part of their retirement income.
(Yet again, this is another big one for me to swallow. The Hubby and I stand to make $50,000 on our current house if it is sells. If capital gains is added back in then, we would have to give approximately $14,000 to the government. Our investment, our money. Do you want to sell your house, this is something to consider.)

DIVIDEND TAX McCAIN
15% (no change)

OBAMA
39.6%
How will this affect you? If you have money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds, life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays or reinvests dividends, you will be paying nearly 40% of the money earned on taxes if Obama becomes president. The experts predict that 'Higher tax rates on dividends and capital gains would crash the stock market, yet do absolutely nothing to cut the deficit.
(Something else to consider if you are currently saving for retirement.)

INCOME TAX
McCAIN (No changes)
Income/Tax

Single, 30K / $ 4,500
Single, 50K / $ 12,500
Single, 75K / $ 18,750
Married, 60K / $ 9,000
Married, 75K / $ 18,750
Married,& nbsp;125K / $ 31,250

OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts)
Single, 30K / $ 8,400
Single, 50K / $ 14,000
Single, 75K / $ 23,250
Married, 60K / $ 16,800
Married, 75K / $ 21,000
Married, 125K / $ 38,750
Under Obama, your taxes could almost double!

INHERITANCE TAX

McCAIN
0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax)

OBAMA
Restore the inheritance tax
Many families lost businesses, farms, ranches, and homes that have been in their families for generations because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those willing their assets to loved ones will lose them to these taxes.

NEW TAXES PROPOSED BY OBAMA

New government taxes proposed on homes more than 2,400 square feet.
New gasoline taxes (as if gas weren't high enough already)
New taxes on natural resources consumption (heating gas, water, electricity)
New taxes on retirement accounts, and last but not least....
New taxes to pay for socialized medicine so we can receive the same level of medical care as other third-world countries!!!

You can verify the above at following web sites:

http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/election/2008/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.taxes.html

http://elections.foxnews.com/?s= propos ed+taxes
http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/politics/articles/mccain_ob ama_offer_different_visions_on_taxes.html