MY RUDE AWAKENING!
U.S. Senator James M. Inhofe (Oklahoma)
“Who do you think you are?! How can you ask me that; after all these good things I’ve done!”I “blew up” right there in the exclusive House of Representatives’ Dining Room.
Tom Barrett, the leader of the Christian Embassy, had just said to me, “Inhofe, we don’t think you have ever really accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior.” That’s when I publicly exploded.
Tom persevered, “When did you specifically ask Jesus to come into your life?” I snapped back, “All of the time!”
Then he asked a perplexing question, “How long have you and your wife been married?”
“It’s been about 29 years. (at the time)”
Tom continued, “Do you propose to your wife every day?”
I said, “No, of course not.”
He spoke, “Why not?”
I replied, “Because we are already married!”
Then the lights began to come on in my mind. I realized I had been living out of wedlock with Christ for decades. Right there in the dining room, at 2:30 in the afternoon on September 22, 1998, in the Nation’s Capitol, we prayed in front of everybody; and Jesus came into my life.
I thought I had done all the “right and correct” things, or works. At the time I had been an elected official for 18 years and in the House of Representatives for almost two years. During that time, I prided myself very arrogantly in all the wonderful acts I had done. I have never missed the prayer breakfast or the weekly Bible study on the House side. I thought I was doing all the right things.
But to be questioned directly was a rude awakening to me!
When I made that life-long decision, I was in the middle of my great turmoil. Many people would not have been able to live through those circumstances. There were family lawsuits and other tragedies in my family.
I said “All right God, I cannot do it. Lord, it is YOUR problem now!” I immediately adopted the scripture, “Cast all your cares upon the Lord, lean not unto thine own understanding.”
All of those problems were instantly resolved one way or another.
This does not mean that when somebody accepts Jesus Christ, the problems are going to end. We all know this is not true. But, quickly all those issues were resolved. I have the comforting feeling that no matter what happens, there is no problem that my Lord cannot handle.
As a Senator, that is a very comforting thing. Many members in the House and Senate are so concerned about their careers, that they worry all the time. I do not have to worry, because God is in control.
There is nothing that is really new that is going on today. Everything has been addressed in the Scriptures. There is no better example of this than what is happening today in Israel. These things have been addressed in the Bible and there is a way to resolve these problems. When things are controversial, I ask what is Biblically correct or what would Jesus do under such circumstances. That way I do not have to worry about where I stand or with whom I stand.
I do not have anxiety anymore, because I know that if I do what I really believe in my heart Jesus would do, I do not have to look back and wonder if I made the right choice.
September the 11th was tragic; we all know that. But there is something great that has come from this. America is being totally transformed and the thinking of senators and representatives is changing – because the electorate has changed. What I call “The age of perversion” set into America in 1963; and we began coming out of it in September, 2001. America has a new “revolution” that is taking place.
Make no mistake about it. This present war is first and foremost a spiritual war. It is not a political war. It has never been a political war. It is not about politics. It has its roots in spiritual conflict. It is a war to be fought to destroy the very fabric of our society and the very things for which we stand. Through it all, Jesus is my strength!
The Apostle Paul gives us our marching orders in Ephesians 6:10-12. He said, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in high places…”
I just want you to know that some good things are happening in this world and in Washington, D.C. The prayer breakfast and the weekly Bible study is growing. No matter how far apart we are philosophically, senators come together in the spirit of Jesus.
In our country, we have the freedom and the right to choose the kind of worship we want. I am a born-again Christian. I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I believe it is through Him that we will reach the Father. I believe every American has a right to choose whether or not to believe that.
In all my dealings I try to follow the verse that governs our Senate prayer meetings, Acts 2:42. It says, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” What that really means is that we need to get together on a regular basis and do four things: (1) Eat together, (2) Pray together, (3) Fellowship together, and (4) Talk about the precepts of Jesus together. This is just like what the Full Gospel Businessmen do.