A few weeks ago my oldest daughter and I attended a Faith, Family, and Freedom Forum put on by Texas Values. Texas Values is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “preserve and advance a culture of family values in the state of Texas.” They “stand for biblical, Judeo-Christian values by ensuring Texas is a state in which religious liberty flourishes, families prosper, and every human life is valued.” 

The good people at Texas Values gathered together pastors, state representatives, state senators, federal congressmen, along with the Lt. Governor and Governor of Texas. It was amazing to listen to each of these people talk about how they are fighting for Biblical values in our state. They truly love the people in Texas and above all desire to glorify God in all they do while working for the citizens of Texas. There were two main issues that were talked about during this two day forum: abortion and transgenderism.

Time To Stand

It is time we Christians get our heads out of the sand and start standing up for truth. For far too long we, as a general population, have slunk back and let the world “go to hell in a handbasket” while we just sit back and wait for Jesus to come rescue us from this dreadful place.

First of all, how selfish can we get? We want to keep our mouths shut because at some point in the future Jesus will come back to take his bride away. Do we really want to do nothing to bring as many people with us as possible? Why? Because we might get ridiculed by people for standing up for truth? 

Secondly, what happens if Jesus decides to wait another 1,000 years to come back? Do we really just want society to get worse and worse? What kind of legacy will we leave our kids, grandkids, etc.?

We are now experiencing the fruit of all the time Chirstians have sat back and stopped fighting for truth to be preserved. What would have happened if people like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson just sat back hoping Jesus would come again soon to rescue them? Well, we wouldn’t have the United States of America for one. I’m thankful our forefathers fought for truth and freedom. 

Society has gotten worse and worse. Now, things like gender confusion and abortion are held as normal in much of our nation. It’s now time to stand up, be bold, and fight for what God says is truth and freedom. If we don’t, I’m afraid the future of our nation is not looking good at the moment. 

Now is the time to wake up and speak up. We need to proclaim the truth of these matters. Let’s talk about each of these topics and discover why exactly we need to speak up. 

Side Note

Before I go any further I want to make something very clear. If you are one of the millions of women who have had an abortion, I am so sorry. In no way am I wanting to shame you or blame you for anything. Jesus has already forgiven you and desires to heal you completely from the trauma you have gone through. Don’t you think it’s time to stop other women from being forced to go through the pain and agony you have gone through? Let’s be advocates for each other and build each other up. I want you to know that I am praying for your complete healing. I love you. More importantly, Jesus loves you. 

Abortion

Texas recently passed the Heartbeat Bill. This bill states if a baby has a detectable heartbeat then doctors cannot abort it. Furthermore, it is up to the citizens to enforce this law. Anyone who has proof of a doctor performing an abortion on a baby with a heartbeat can sue that doctor. The doctors are terrified they will be sued and as a result approximately 3,000 babies have been saved in the three weeks this bill has become law. 

That’s 3,000 future doctors, lawyers, inventors, or maybe even a future president. It’s not just the 3,000 babies who will now get a chance at living the life God created them to live, but it is all the future generations also. It’s these babies’ future kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, and on and on and on. 

How Does Abortion Stand

I have discovered a simple way of discovering if something comes from God or from Satan. I ask myself “does this lead to life or death?” We are told in John 10:10 that Jesus came to give us an abundant life. In that same verse Jesus tells us that the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy. Here is the litmus test. Does this action lead to life, or death and destruction? When I am able to answer this question, I can clearly see who is behind the action or thought. 

Using this method let’s look at abortion. Does the act of aborting a baby lead to life or death? One may argue that the baby isn’t a human and having a baby could lead to the death of the mother’s dreams and goals. First, I must say both of these are lies from the pit of hell. That baby is a human. It was human at conception, and it will be a human in 9 months when it is born. It will be a human when it takes its first steps, goes to kindergarten, and it will still be a human when it is old and about to take its last breath. 

Now let’s tackle the second lie regarding the death of the mother’s dreams and goals. When anyone has a child, there will be things that will change in the parent’s life. Small things like leaving the house suddenly takes more time. So, yes things will be different for that mother. However, I have seen many moms go back to school and get degrees or achieve whatever goal they may have. It may just take more time and effort, but it’s possible to achieve a college degree or whatever goal a woman may set.

I had 2 Kids

I actually had two kids before I graduated from college. They were both babies, and I had finished almost all of my classes before they were born. Still I made time to finish school even after having two kids. Here’s the thing, priorities change once a woman holds her baby for the first time. Things she thought were important suddenly become less important, and things that didn’t seem all that important suddenly become a huge priority for her. 

Jesus came to earth, died, and rose again to give EVERYONE life. Just as it is wrong to walk down the street and murder someone, so it is murder to end the life of someone living inside the womb. They are just as human as you are. Remember you were once just like that defenseless baby. There can’t be a line of a baby becoming human when x, y, or z happens. No, either people are human 100% of the time or 0% of the time. We, as children of God, must stand for the protection of all people. We must stand for the truth of what abortion really is: the murder of an innocent person. 

Second Side Note

If you or someone you love is suffering with identity confusion, know that again, I in no way desire to shame you or them. I desire for ALL OF US to know exactly who we are in Christ and live a life reflecting your authentic self. The truth is, all of us to some degree have confusion of who exactly we are at some time in life. I used to believe the lie that I was unimportant and what I had to say was also unimportant. Honestly, I still struggle with that false identity from time to time. While the solution to identity confusion is simple, surrender those lies to Jesus and proclaim truth, it isn’t easy to fight against the demons telling us lies about ourselves. Again, I love you. More importantly Jesus loves you and wants to do a great work in revealing who each of us truly are when we live the life he sees in us. 

Transgenderism

The other big topic discussed at the Faith, Family, and Freedom Forum was transgenderism. There are two bills the state congressmen are currently trying to pass. One is protecting girl’s sports. This bill simply says that only biological girls can participate in girl-only sports. A biological boy can still play all boy sports or co-ed sports. They simply aren’t allowed to play against an all girl league. 

As a mom of girls and a boy, I can say I am all for this bill. My son is physically stronger and faster than both of my girls. He doesn’t have to try hard to accidentally hurt one of them when they play rough. It doesn’t matter if biological boys are given drugs to stop puberty, my prepubescent boy has been stronger and faster than both of my girls for a really long time. The fact is God designed boys to be stronger and faster, and there is nothing anyone can ever do about that. This is the whole reason girl-only leagues were developed in the first place. 

The Second Bill

The other bill will prevent doctors from giving children puberty blockers and from doing surgeries to remove healthy body parts. Again, I am all for this. Kids are naive and ignorant. We all know they are unable to see ahead to the consequences of their actions. We, as parents, spend tons of time teaching our kids that their actions have consequences. This is why we don’t give 10 year olds drivers licenses, or allow a 5 year old to cook dinner without adult supervision. If we won’t allow them to do these fairly simple tasks without either adult supervision or a drivers license, why on earth would we allow them to decide they no longer want to be a boy or girl for the rest of their lives? It’s asinine!  

Personal Story

Furthermore, kids change their minds about things at the drop of the hat. When my brother was little he thought he was Superman. He would wear his Superman pajamas, stand at the end of the arm or our couch and jump off, pretending to fly. If my parents took what he said seriously, I likely wouldn’t have a brother alive today. They would have told him that yes, he is Superman. They might have even changed his name to Clark Kent and given him glasses to wear. Then they would have told him that he couldn’t be hurt no matter what. They would have instilled the idea of bullets bouncing off his chest. They would have told him that he could in fact fly.

The Possible Result

This would have made my already daredevil brother want to try out his flying ability. He likely would have climbed up high in a tree or even found a way to climb on the roof of our house. Then, believing he was in fact Superman and could fly, would have jumped. Our lives would have forever changed at that moment. My brother would have at the very least broken a few bones, and more likely broken his spine and become paralyzed for the rest of his life. Worst case he would have died, all because he was told he was Superman and could fly. His life would have ended early, all because in one stage of life he told my parents he was Superman and they agreed and encouraged that falsehood. 

Likewise, I believe many kids would outgrow the idea of being the opposite sex if parents were simply honest with them from the beginning. Reaffirming that this child is in fact a boy or a girl would help the child see themselves correctly and kill the lie that is trying to creep in. I learned at this forum that counseling helps these children tremendously. Why not try counseling first, and then talk about other options after the child is 18 and able to make more informed decisions? 

It’s Complicated

I know that gender confusion and even attraction to the same sex are complicated for the person struggling with these issues. I am not naive enough to think that there are overnight solutions. This is what I do know: both same sex attraction and gender confusion have the same root of believing a lie. Just as I have said over and over and over, we must replace the lies we believe about ourselves with the truth of who God says we are. God is bigger than any lie we may believe, no matter how small or how big that lie may be. 

It’s time we insert God back into these important issues of life, death, and identity. It’s time God’s people stand for truth no matter the consequences. God created each person for a purpose, and it’s time we come alongside to protect and declare truth in each person we come across. In Psalm 139:13-16 (ESV) we see exactly what God has to say about you, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

Who Are We To Change What God Declares

God knitted each of us together and has written a book about each moment of our lives. If God takes that much effort to create us, who are we to say    1) It is ok to prevent that person from fulfilling what God himself has written for that human being to do? and 2) That God made a mistake when deciding if this person will be male or female? 

God took time to deliberately create each person just the way they are, from the color of their hair and eyes to their personality and even what sex they will be. So let’s go out there and show the love of Jesus to everyone, proclaiming the truth of who God created them to be. Let’s come alongside those scared mothers who may feel like they aren’t prepared to raise a baby and show them the strength and grit God has given them to do just that. Remember truth doesn’t need to be defended, but lies do. We don’t have to defend the truth. We just need to proclaim truth and let God do the work of changing hearts and minds. 

 “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:17‬ (‭NLT)‬‬