“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.” Romans 8:5.

 

After a year in office it’s obvious Obama is still in love with himself. Sadly, approximately 46 percent of those polled in recent surveys remain totally enthralled with this man. But worst of all are those who profess to follow Jesus Christ yet remain devoted to this man and his agenda, even though Obama stands for everything God abhors.

 

Knowing that our God is a jealous God, and that He is the one and only true God, how then can professing believers follow a man who looks at himself as the world’s messiah? Where’s the loyalty to Christ? Do we just ignore God’s word and follow His nemesis? Either God’s word is true or it’s false, we must submit to God and His will through His word or we walk away from God and join the camp of the enemy. Is it possible for born again believers in Christ to be so thoroughly influenced by one of His staunchest enemies?

 

The answer to that question is found in our Bibles. What’s more, it’s as plain as the nose on Obama’s face. Both believers and unbelievers who voted for Obama are after the flesh as stated in the verse above. They also mind the things of the flesh. In other words they are carnally minded. Their minds are focused, even centered on what will benefit them, but certainly they are unconcerned in regards to the will of God. God’s word gives us direction yet many who say they are Christians voted for, and still support, Obama. 

 

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;” Jeremiah 1:5. God told Jeremiah that He knew him before He formed him in the womb. We can certainly conclude from this verse that God knows all of us before we’re formed in our mother’s womb. Therefore He also knows each aborted baby before they are ever formed and ultimately destroyed. Yet many Christians keep right on with their admiration for a man who is 100 percent pro- abortion. If you voted for Obama you voted against God, plain and simple.

 

“Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” Leviticus 18:22. God says homosexuality is an abomination to Him, yet these same Christians elected a man who has given himself over fully to condoning this horrible lifestyle. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;” Romans 1:18. God destroyed whole nations and some cities of the past because of their flagrant sinful lifestyle of homosexuality because God calls this lifestyle and abomination to Him.

 

Many will tell you that one sin is the same as another in God’s eyes. Oh Really? Well as far as other sins go, how many cities of our past human history has God destroyed for the sin of lying, stealing, or covetousness? People have condemned themselves and placed themselves in Hades for sinning against their Creator but has God purposely destroyed any other city, or nation for that matter, because of lying, cheating, stealing, even murdering? The whole world is turning a blind eye to the sin of homosexuality. But does the whole world turn a blind eye to any other sin?

 

As believers, we must stand firm on God’s word and make godly decisions pertaining to who we vote into any office. When a candidate for any office, makes his platform as well known to the voting public as Obama did, a man who is diametrically opposed to God, it’s not hard to understand the mindset of the Christians that voted for Him. Those professing Christians who voted for Obama are carnally minded. “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Romans 8:6. Over the past few months, some of the believers who voted for Obama have written to me expressing their shame in having had that carnal mindset. Praise God they woke up. But as we can all see the damage has been done.

 

What does it mean for a believer to be carnally minded? It’s a mindset that is contrary to God and His will for their lives. For a person to profess a relationship with Christ and yet to be so fixated on the world that their mind no longer relates to the will of God is to be carnally minded. How can a person such as this actually be born again? Those who are truly born from God are focused on God; their lives have been turned over to Him. They are willing to stand on His precepts no matter what the consequences. And they would never knowingly vote for someone who stands in direct opposition to God’s precepts.

 

There is no “in between” area to hope for here. Jesus said, “He that is not with me is against me; Matthew 12:30a. We can’t be for Obama and with Jesus at the same time, that’s impossible. Jesus took a firm stand on right and wrong and thoroughly expects His followers to show the same regard for the things we know to be evil. Homosexuality is wrong, and it’s an abomination for a believer “in Christ” to vote for a candidate who openly condones such a abhorrent behavior. It’s wrong to kill the unborn. The baby in the womb is known by God. The baby is innocent of any wrong doing. Why would any believer hang on the side of such error, disregarding God’s inerrant word? Carnality, they are after the flesh, not the spirit.

 

Being carnally minded leads to death. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:” Romans 8:7a. If you don’t know what that word enmity means do yourself a favor and look it up in your concordance. In my Strong’s concordance it’s #G 2189. It actually means hatred. If you are at enmity with God it means you hate God. Wow. How many professing to being born again voted for Obama, the man who stands against the one true God? Many. Well then, how many Christians voted carnally in the last presidential election? Every professing Christian who marked Obama for President on their ballet sheet. Let me ask the question again but phrased slightly differently. How many Christians hate God? All who stand with any man who is at enmity with God.

 

We’ve now seen this man in action for a whole year and are faced with enduring three more years with a man who being duly elected president of the US is thoroughly content in his failure to follow God in any way. Obama is at enmity with God. In other words Obama hates God, if he didn’t he wouldn’t be so firmly entrenched in the issues that are obviously opposed to God (abortion, homosexuality, etc).

 

Obama actually had the audacity to make the claim that he is a follower of Jesus Christ, yet he stands against God in every decision he makes. Why then should he have received even one vote from those who profess to stand with God? That carnal mindset is the only answer. Here we are trying desperately to understand how God could allow this man into office to run a nation built on Christian principles, when all it takes is a little perusal through His word to find the answer. Carnality is at the core.

 

“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own:” John 15:19a. The lost (nonbelievers in Christ) are of the world and they are perishing, and the world certainly loves their own. Believers should not be in love with this world, moreover this world should know that all Christians are opposed to every immoral and evil deed set down. But as long as Christians live with a carnal mindset the world will continue to love them just as they do their own.

 

“So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:8. All the while believers remain in the flesh, and carnally minded, they won’t be pleasing God. I wonder how many Christian believers actually understand that verse. Being born again means we are focused on pleasing God, not ourselves. No matter what befalls a true born again believer in Christ we will remain true to God and His word.

 

When we pursue earthly wealth and materialism to the point that God’s will is diminished in our lives, wrong decisions, like voting for someone with Obama’s credentials or lack thereof, can only lead to becoming even more carnally minded. But if we are spiritually minded our mindset will be one of allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us into godly decisions. Obviously many who profess Christ as their Savior and Lord but are more concerned about the things of the world are not allowing the Holy Spirit a place in their decision making process.

 

Many lost people voted for Obama because they were afraid of losing their material wealth, they believed his lies. Nothing was as important as the financial situation in the minds of most who voted for him, and that goes for many Christians also. As long as believers stay in that mindset it won’t really matter who runs for the office of president. As long as the candidate relates to that materialistic mindset (the flesh), the other issues of the day will just fade away. The flesh will get in the way of every decision when the mind is in that carnal mode. This is enmity with God.

 

“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Romans 8:9. The apostle Paul is speaking here to the believers in Rome. He say that if we profess to be a follower of Jesus Christ but we haven’t His Spirit dwelling in us we are not His. If I may elaborate a little further on Paul’s comments, if we don’t have Christ then we are still Satan’s property. And obviously, being in the flesh will be a very natural and basically everyday occurrence.

 

“Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.” Romans 8:12. As believers we owe no debt to the flesh or Satan, but to God. We are born from God when we became believers in His Son. We owe God a huge debt of gratitude that we can never repay. Why allow the flesh to reign over us since we owe the flesh nothing? To whom do we give our allegiance?

 

“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:13, 14.  Believers have spiritually “died” to sin and the power of the flesh, and in general to all spiritual association with the world. We now belong to Christ and our identification is in Him. We who are believers in Christ are no longer unregenerate (lost) nor should we live according to the flesh (carnally). We have been designated “sons of God”. As such we have put the flesh to death.

 

This mindset of living carnally and hence in enmity with God has corrupted many a believer. When we who are God’s children take a stance for evil we are in rebellion to God and consequently we are at enmity to God. If you are one of those folks that has placed Obama on a pedestal and elevated him to a status above God in your life because of your foolish tendencies toward wealth and materialism and your fear of losing what earthly possessions you’ve acquired, then Obama has become your god. Who then will you be relying on for your salvation? If you are at enmity with God Almighty you might want to re-think your claim to eternal salvation.

 

“...carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life... Romans 8:6. Where do you stand in relationship to your Creator God? Are you carnally minded? If you are, then you are living according to the flesh, and your mindset is flawed. Do you hate God? Surely you don’t. But if your mindset is carnal it’s time to make a change. A relationship with God is based on our faith in Him in all earthly endeavors. God is the believer’s providence, and believers are saved to serve not to strive for and attain earthly rewards such as wealth and power. Carnally minded or Holy Spirit filled? You can’t have it both ways.

 

God bless you all,

 

Ron Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

All scripture is from the KJV