I will let the numbers speak for  themselves

 1)  20% of all women worldwide will be a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime

 2) In Malawi, 50% of schoolgirls surveyed reported sexual harassment at
school.

 3) 45% of women in the European Union reported some form of sexual harassment in the workplace.

 4)  In Peru 56.9% of urban women and 71% of rural women have been victims of physical and/or sexual abuse. 
 
5)  In the Czech Republic 35% of women have been victims of sexual abuse. 
 
6)  In the Solomon Islands the first sexual encounter for 38% of women was forced. 
 
7)  In Nicaragua 36% of women reported abuse during pregnancy.

 8) In China 13 million abortions are performed annually, 10% of those are driven by gender selection. 
 
9) 1 million women are trafficked across international borders each year in slave trade. 
 
10) 140 million women and girls living today have undergone some form of Female Genital Mutilation.


This is only touching the surface on the atrocities committed against women globally. There is a war on women globally; it just has nothing to do with free condoms. 

God save us

Contraception

In 2012 law school student Sandra Flake testified before congressional democrats on how many law students were going broke paying for contraceptives. In her testimony she stated that contraceptive can cost a student up to $3,000 dollars during law school. When Rush Limbaugh jokingly called her a slut he faced relentless attacks from the left for his “War on Women”

At $.50 apiece that is 6,000 condoms during a three year law school or 2,000 per year or engaging in sex 5.5 times per day on average. Based on these numbers you can decide if there is any truth to Limbaugh’s comment.

There is also the issue of why should the government pay for anyone’s method of contraception. I have a friend who is addicted to caffeine and has to have that cup of coffee in the morning and several times a day. Should the government pay for their coffee needs? Of course by government I mean taxpayers as that is how the government generates revenue.

Women’s Health

Whenever this issue of cutting funding to Planned Parenthood is brought up for discussion it is assailed as a War on Women and on women’s health. Cutting the funding would endanger the health of women putting them at grave risk. To understand this one needs to examine the business of Planned Parenthood.

In 2012 Planned Parenthood was the receiver of $542 million in taxpayer funding. This is 45% of their revenue. This is from an organization that reported $87.4 million in excess revenue and holding net assets of $1.2 billion. Also of note Planned Parenthood contributed $1.4 million to the Obama reelection campaign.

Now the services provided. From 2009-2011 they performed 995,687 abortions. In 2011 they provided pregnancy services to 364,938 clients. Breaking this down by service provided, 333,964 received abortions, 28,674 were provided with prenatal care and 2,300 adoption referral services. That is 145 abortions for every adoption referral. In the meantime Contraceptive services dropped by 12% and cancer screening and prevention services down 29% over the last two years.

Abortions are much more prevalent among minorities. The racial breakdown for abortion is 37% black, 34% white, 22% Hispanic and 8% other. Way out of line with the makeup of the population as a whole. Would be very easy to argue that abortion is a form of race war.

Why do women have abortions?  In a 2004 study two most common reasons were “having a baby would dramatically change my life” (74%) and “I can’t afford a baby now” (73%).

So believing that contraception is and individual responsibility and that the government should not fund abortions is what constitutes a war on women in the United States. Many still consider life to be a sacred gift from God and that life begins at conception. If this is considered a war on women then one needs to examine what struggles and attacks women in other parts of the world face daily. This will be addressed in my next post.

Imagine a day without love
Nothing to cling to
Nothing for warmth
Just a deep empty hole

Imagine a day without faith
No reason for being
No goal to achieve
Just alone in the dark

Imagine a day without God
No one to guide you
No one supports
Never to feel presence of hope

Never imagine a day without hope
God's always here
Love fills your heart
God is the one, why we exist

Just what I need
Every need filled
Stills the storm
Understands me
Saved my soul

Lord spare no one
Let your love pour
Like torrential rain
A raging storm
Let souls be cleansed
Let hearts be new
Lord flood the earth
With your love pure

With your love pure
Your will is done
Our purpose true
Cleansed by your love
Your will now ours
With one purpose
Committed hearts 
Belong to you

Now from our hearts
His love now pours
Flooding the earth
Attracting lost souls
Your beacon shines
Now from our hearts
Lord spare no one
Let your love pour

Trust can be something that is difficult to give and when it is lost almost impossible to regain. When trust is placed in fellow man it often leads to disappointment and heartache. People are driven by their own desires, are motivated by their own selfish needs. 

Though man is guided by Jesus to love as God loves man is imperfect and has been corrupted by sin. When you are wronged or hurt by others pray for that person but do not seek revenge as only God is fit to judge. 

To love like this is a daily struggle, a battle against the basic nature that is man. What this does mean as that only through a relationship with God can we have any hope of having that pure love flow from our hearts and be a blessing to those who are around us. Only trust in the Lord for he is the only one who will never disappoint. 

Micah 7:5-6 Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms; for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.

Jeremiah 17:5-12 Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Isaiah 2:22 Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?

Romans 12:19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written,“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Proverbs 3:5-12 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your
produce;

Psalm 118:8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man

Romans 13:1-2 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

John 20:31 But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Amen

We should measure welfare's success by how many
people leave welfare, not by how many are added.
 Ronald Reagan



I agree with President Reagan 100% on this. Welfare should be a temporary bridge to assist those in need during difficult transitional periods in life. Welfare should be one step along the path but not the path. 

In 40 states welfare pays more than an $8 an hour job, in 7 states more than a $12 an hour job and in 9 states more than the average salary of a teacher in the United States. The 10 states that pay the highest per average per hour benefit to welfare recipients are; Hawaii equivalent to a $17.50 an hour job, Alaska $15.48, Massachusetts $14.66, Connecticut $14.23, Washington D.C. $13.99, New York $13.13, New Jersey $12.55, Rhode Island $12.55, California $11.59 and Virginia $11.11

The 10 states with the highest number of welfare recipients per capita are Washington D.C., Rhode Island, Tennessee, California, Maine, Alaska, West Virginia, Indiana, Washington and New Mexico. 
 
The entitlement program that received the most attention during the 2012 presidential election was the food stamp program. There are currently 46,670,373 Americans currently using the food stamp program in the United States. This is 14% of the population. The annual cost of this program is $71,800,000,000. The only entitlement costs that exceed this are Medicaid at $258,000,000,000 for 2012.   

This is an increase of 1,961,373 recipients from 2011 and an increase of 29,476,373 recipients from 2000. In 42 of the 50 states 10% or more of the population participates in this program. The 10 states with the highest percentage of participation are Mississippi (20.8%), Tennessee (19.9%), Oregon (19.9%), New Mexico (19.8%), Michigan (19.5%), Louisiana (19.3%), Alabama (19.1%), Kentucky (18.8%), West Virginia (18.5%) and Maine (18.5%).  
 
If you agree with the statement made by Ronald Reagan then these programs are a complete failure. They are a drain on the national economy which then makes even more individuals dependent upon these programs. These are programs that must be drastically altered to become transitional steps through rough phases in life with the goal being getting
individuals back into the work force. To do this we need fiscal responsibility
on the national level and elimination of laws and regulations that impeded
private sector growth. The government needs to get out of the way so Americans can prosper. 

Now to examine biblical view of the welfare system:

Proverbs 29:7 The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.

 1 John 3:17-18 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 

1 Timothy 5:8 Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever

Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

James 2:15-16 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?

Matthew 6:2-4 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

2 Corinthians 9:7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful
giver. 

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat.

Christians should help others in need. First provide to those within in their own family, then provide other believers and then to those not in the church. These gifts should be given freely with love and not from obligation. When giving only God and the person receiving should be aware of the gift. For those who are able but unwilling to work then do not expect to eat. Government programs are a contradiction to biblical teachings as the giving is forced not from the heart with love and some who receive are able but not willing.


Sources for data: US Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Commerce, CATO Institute, US Department of Agriculture

Amen
 

America has spoken, not with a resounding roar but with a deeply divided voice, Barack Hussein Obama will be the nation’s leader for the next four years. Many (including myself) were hoping for a new direction for the country. One based on sound fiscal responsibility, limited government intrusion and a return to the principles that one’s limitations are  set by the amount of hard work an individual was willing to put forth. But the country has spoken and decided on a different direction. 

In reflecting upon this I came to realize that
this really is irrelevant, God has and always will be the one who really is in
charge of this country, the entire world, the universe, all that is. It is the
will of God that always prevails. What I need to do is ask for the wisdom and courage that I need to accept his will and to ensure that he is the center of my life, my every thought and breath should be for the glory of our Lord. 

While this does not mean I will hide from political activity nor continue to support those who are guided by the spirit, what it does mean is I will accept the results of the elections with a heart filled with love, peace and faith. It is God who is in control. He is my hope and salvation. His love knows no bounds as displayed by the sacrifice of the perfect lamb to give me redemption. 
  
Proverbs 19:21: Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Proverbs 16:4 : The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

Psalm  22:28 : For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the
nations.

Joshua 1:9 : Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go

Jeremiah  10:6-10: There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might. Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For this is your due; for among all the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like you. They are both stupid and foolish; the instruction of idols is but wood! Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz. They are the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith; their clothing is violet and purple; they are all the work of skilled men. But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation.

Amen