ELECTION VICTORY BRINGS NEW BATTLE

God answers prayer! Before congratulating ourselves, conservatives should first thank and praise God. He is still bringer of all blessings, who fights our fights, our help and strength. This is his victory, his gift to us. The right response is to crowd the churches! Ring the bells! Sing songs of thanksgiving. Give gifts. Have parties. Celebrate. Rejoice.

How different it might have been! We could have awakened to face Kerry’s election. Even the loss of the Senate. Moral and national disaster staring us in the face.

We could be anticipating, right now, slipping out of Iraq without victory or a viable Iraqi democracy. The terrorists would have become bolder. Our incredible military would have been humiliated, broken in spirit, remembering comrades who died for nothing. Once again, our military would face being downgraded and regarded as mere killers, not our defenders, again despised more than honored.

Our schools would have sped toward worse and worse education, spreading toxic ideologies and lack of morals to each new generation.

Our economy would have been hit by huge increases in entitlements and even-greater government spending, growth-stifling tax increases, increased regulation of businesses and restraints on free trade.

The UN would have been brought back to life, and given a veto in the affairs of the West.

Old Europe, with its economic failure, moral bankruptcy, inability to defend itself militarily, loathing and disdain of Christians and Jews, and oil-for-food corruption, would become, not our partner, but a millstone around our necks.

The Supreme Court would have been packed with pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, pro-stem cell research based on live embryos, pro-cloning, pro-euthanasia, and pro-everything-immoral judges. It would have twisted our country for the rest of the century.

But our prayers were heard. God had mercy, opening up new opportunity. Now we can try to reform America, undo past mistakes and build a future of decency for our children. We can keep defending ourselves against murdering Islamists, bring them democracy and eventually, more peace to a world which will have peace only when evil people are overthrown by courage and force.

How different today is! God’s mercy is new every morning, especially today. His is the praise. Ours is the obligation to use this victory fully.

So today the church bells will not be rung. God commands us not to rejoice when misfortune overtakes those who hate us. No gloating or flaunting our victory in their faces, then, but graciousness in victory. After all, we love them in Christ.

But we will also remember well the hard lessons they have taught us. We know now what we face whenever they succeed in any of their goals, when they control any sector of our country.

What is needed is constant vigilance, constant opposition to their aims and distorted values. Stopping their decades-long minority rule over us. Tearing down their strongholds where they shape American opinion, in the mainstream media and entertainment. Stopping their indoctrination of our children through their dominance of lower and higher education. Taking back our churches from liberals’ gate-keeper control of our seminaries, church hierarchies and doctrines. Taking back science, the arts and business by pursuing Christian excellence in them all. Recruiting more and more Americans, the easy ones first, to build majority, mass and momentum. Spending the treasure and effort it takes.

Today’s victory will be fleeting unless we engage these issues hard, right now, taking all the ground we can as soon as we can. What ingrates we are if we do any less with the reprieve God has just given us!