Recently, I have been working pro-bono as a lobbyist at our State Capitol, promoting a bill that will help mitigate human sex trafficking. God has called me to do this work, and I said “yes, I’ll go.” But maybe God has been laying on your heart a desire to do something to help set the captives free in your state. Here, I shall share some Biblical principles that I have learned and applied during this season, in the hope that you can learn from my mistakes and victories, and apply them yourself as go forward in the Power of God to your state capitol, or whatever God may have for you to do to get involved and make a difference.
Biblical Principle #1: The Way Is Love
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
Love is the key to everything! If you want to make a difference in the world, and if you want to live in the center of God’s perfect will for your life, make choices out of love for Him, for others, and for yourself. Don’t just do something to check the box to say, “I did it.” Ask God to fill you with His Love, and He will do it!
I am lobbying this season because of my great love for the unborn, and for a heart full of compassion for the women and girls trapped in sex trafficking. There are women chained to beds today (physically or psychologically) that need a miracle to set them free. As the Body of Christ, we can play a part in that miracle.
Follow this link to an amazing organization that is working to rescue victims of sex trafficking:
I am so grateful that there are organizations like OUR (Operation Underground Railroad)! They are the super-heroes in this fight. They are there to address the problem, to rescue girls, and to bring the traffickers to justice.
But what if we could diminish the market (the desire) to buy people for sex? Is that possible? What if we could work on the front end to prevent the problem from occurring in the first place? How would that look? The OUR team rightly points out that the rise in sex-trafficking, particularly child sex trafficking, is directly correlated and caused by the proliferation of internet pornography. It turns out that watching internet pornography creates a market for abduction and sex trafficking.
How can we fix that? Can we eliminate all pornography? Probably not. But we can do the next best thing. We can greatly reduce the number of people who have unfettered access to porn. God has asked me to do my small part in this effort by helping to pass a law that would require, as a public safety device, porn filters on all devices that can access the internet. It is a pretty simple concept, similar to requiring all cars to be equipped with seat belts.
Viewing pornography has been defined as a public health crisis, and viewing porn actually changes the brain structure. (For more on this, visit https://fightthenewdrug.org). Right now, children can access pornography via cell phones and computers. We are hearing from parents whose children have been abused by other children who have viewed porn. This is not good, and causes emotional scars and other harm to these precious children. By requiring filters on all devices, we would limit porn viewing to the 18 and over crowd. The bill would require an individual to show proof of age and pay a fee in order to have the filter removed. The fees would be used to help fund organizations that rescue trafficked victims.
Last year, I met a woman who was lobbying to set the captives free in a state on the east coast. Jesus filled my heart with love for her, and I was drawn to her out of compassion. Through connecting with her, I am able to do the work I am doing this year in my State Capitol. The Way Is Love!
Biblical Principle #2: Go With a Christian Partner.
In the Gospel of Mark 6:7 we read about this strategy, employed by Jesus: “Calling the Twelve to him, he [Jesus] began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.” Jesus does this again when he sends out the seventy (two). In Luke 10:1-3 “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.’”
Why did Jesus send them out in pairs? He could have covered twice the ground if He sent them out individually, but He didn’t. Why not? Because the Bible tells us, in Matthew 18:20, “ For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Now that makes sense. You can go by yourself, or you can go with one or two others in the name of Jesus, and He promises to be with you. Now, I have gone without a partner before, but then I have asked for prayer, and God has dispatched His holy angels to accompany me, so I was not truly going by myself. This has proven to be effective as well. But, if Jesus sent them out two-by-two, we should seek to follow His example and do likewise.
Biblical Principle #3: God Will Equip You Along the Way.
Paul writes in Hebrews 13:20-21, “Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (emphasis mine). How cool is that? When we step out if faith to do the work that God has for us to do, He is faithful to provide all that we need to equip us for the task!
But does this really happen? Absolutely. I began lobbying this year in early January. Every week, every day, and throughout the day, God has provided something that He knows that I need for this task. For example, every week since I have started, a different woman has called me, out of the blue, each saying roughly the same thing, “I am sorry to bother you, but God has put you on my heart, and I am wondering, can I pray for you for anything?” These are Godly Christian women who God has called to come along side of me to provide prayer covering for this job (that the enemy would just as soon not have done). Isn’t God good? And what is more, I rejoice knowing that the one who stays and works behind the scenes is rewarded equally as the one who is on the front lines in the battle. 1 Samuel 30: 24-25 reveals this truth, “‘. . . The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.’ David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.”
Biblical Principle #4: You Must Have Prayer Support
As mentioned above, God has shown me that we need to have prayer support if we are to step out on the battlefield. I live about an hour and a half from our State Capitol. On the days that I am going to talk with members of our legislature, I will spend the first 30 minutes in the car listening to praise music, and praising God for who He is. God inhabits the praises of His people. (see Psalm 22:3). Then I will call the prayer partner that God has given to me, and have a conversation with her, and then we pray together. God always gives me very specific tasks for that day, so we pray through those. She will pray while I am there as well.
I will also ask the other people whom God has sent to me if they would pray for specific needs and for my day. (I usually do this in writing before I leave, in a message or text.) God always faithfully shows up while I am lobbying, and I just walk with Him into what He has prepared in advance for me to do as the moments unfold. We must remain with Him in order to bear good fruit for the Kingdom.
Biblical Principle #5: Repent, Be Pure, Stay Humble
This is a good one. I have noticed that when we step out in faith to do our part in God’s plan, the enemy will come to try to distract us; he will try to get us off our our game. The battle we are in is for the saving of souls, and the rescuing of people from oppression (setting the captives free) and the prevention of criminal behavior. This is a good vs. evil battle. God reminds us in His Word, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” – Ephesians 6:12
I have noticed that when I have some sin in my life, the attacks from the enemy have a place to land. Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John 14:30, “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” -KJV. In another version, it reads, “I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me.” -NIV. Why does the enemy have no hold over Jesus? Because Jesus Is Holy! There is no place for the opposition to land. There are no chinks in Jesus’ armor. Proverbs 26:2 tells us, “. . .a curse without cause shall not alight.”
If we want the enemy to have no hold over us, we must strive to, “Be holy, for [Jesus Is] holy.” (1 Peter 1:16). So spend time in prayer and reflection. Ask God to point out sin in your life, and to show you your blind spots (we all have them). Sometimes God will send a brother or sister in Christ to lovingly point out sin in our lives of which we may be unaware. This is a true blessing! Do not worry, we do not need to concern ourselves with those who may be trying to elevate themselves above us by pointing out our sin. God will graciously deal with them. But we should be grateful for the gentle reminders from trusted sources. Repent from these sins, ask for the Father’s forgiveness, and be washed in the Blood of the Lamb of God.
Stay humble. Humility precedes honor, but pride goes before the fall (see Proverbs 18:12). Moreover, God will not share His Glory; thus do all things for the Glory of God. After all, it is His plan anyway in which we get to be a small part. He is orchestrating the events, we just are given the opportunity to play a small role in it.
Biblical Principle #6: Expect Persecution
Whenever we step out and step up to do the good work that God has prepared in advance for us to do, there will be opposition. However, when we choose to do work that will lead to the salvation of many souls, or the saving of many lives, be prepared for increased opposition. The bigger the work, the greater the opposition. And this makes sense. The enemy will work against us more if he thinks or knows that what we are doing will cost him more.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 16:9, “. . .a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.” Note here when this opposition comes: when the door opens (and before Paul has stepped through it). The principle is this: before something holy is about to happen, many things will seem to fall apart in your life. This happened to me. I spent the first three quarters of 2018 in prayer, reflection, and equipping (listening to lectures, etc.) That’s nine months of seeking the Lord. Then God directed me to get up, and expect renewal in the fourth quarter. The ministry God has given me took nine months of gestation before bringing it to birth. Then as the door opened, many things in my life seemed to fall apart. We are to expect this, and not worry that something strange is happening. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken. If we see it for what it is — opposition from the enemy — and if we have the confidence that Christ will see us through it and fully restore us, even to a better place than we were before the opposition, then we can endure with a joyful expectation of good!
Peter supports this. He tells us that, as Christians engaged in God’s work, opposition is not out of the ordinary. In fact, Peter tells us that we should expect to suffer: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, ‘If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?’ So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” – 1 Peter 4:12-19 (emphasis mine).
So expect opposition to come. Be prepared for it. Trust in Jesus. Remain in Him. Inquire of the Lord, and He will navigate you through it. And don’t quit! Take Peter’s wise counsel and continue to do good!
Biblical Principle #7: The Blood of Jesus and The Armor of God
But how can we effectively be prepared for the opposition that comes as a result of faithfully walking out what God has asked us to do? When we go into battle we must remember to utilize what God has provided for our protection: (1) The Blood of Jesus; and (2) The Full Armor of God.
Exodus tells the story of God setting the Israelites captives free from slavery in Egypt. In Exodus 12, God explains the Passover. For the Passover meal, each family was to take a lamb without spot or blemish. Verse 7 instructs, “. . .they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses.” This blood served to protect Israel from the destroying angel that was to strike the land, “The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” -Exodus 12:13.
We know that Jesus Christ is the spotless Lamb of God. John the Baptist proclaimed about Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” – John 1:29 Jesus Is the Lamb who was slain for our sins, the perfect sacrifice who paid for our sins with His Precious Blood. If we are saved, when God looks at us, He doesn’t see our sins; He sees the Blood of His Son Jesus Christ, sprinkled on us, making us righteous in His sight.
Moreover, Jesus is the Lamb of Revelations Chapter 5:11-12 “Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!’” Alleluia!
When we ask apply the Blood of Jesus to ourselves, our loved ones, and their loved ones, we are under the Blood of the Lamb of God, and the enemy must pass over us.
Paul writes about the full armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-18, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish allthe flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (emphasis mine).
We need to put the full armor of God on ourselves and all of our allies and our loved ones and their loved ones’ every time we go into battle, so that we, too, are able to take our stand against the enemy’s schemes.
Biblical Principle #8: Study The Bible
We can try to do the work of the Lord without studying His Word, but then we would not have the approval of Almighty God. How can I say this? Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 2:15, which reads, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” -KJV. So if we want to show ourselves approved in God’s eyes, we need to do our homework and study His Word.
In addition, God’s Word hold the riches of the Kingdom of God. It is the eternal, living, Word of God, and will always be relevant. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” So, we can look to the world for our solutions, but Jesus tells us that the world will pass away. His Word holds the keys to victory in every situation we face.
Most importantly, studying the Bible is required if we want to be thoroughly equipped to do God’s will in our lives. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 proves this,“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (emphasis mine). Why would you want to be only partially equipped to do anything? God Himself tells us that every Word in the Bible is useful and will thoroughly equip us.
Many times people have good intentions, but go about trying to do good work in a way that does not comport with the principle found in God’s Word. This results in wasted time, and faulty results. President Abraham Lincoln said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.” We benefit greatly from every hour we spend in Bible Study. God’s Word prepares and equips us for victory!
Biblical Principle #9: Remember: More Are with Us Than Are Against Us!
Sometime, when we are working at state capitols, or elsewhere for the cause of Life or other issues near and dear to God’s heart, it might seem that there are so many people who are not on our side. However, we should keep in mind that when we stand for Biblical truth, we are, in fact, in the majority when we take all things into account.
A story from 2 Kings 6:15-17 New International Version (NIV)illustrates this principle. “When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city.‘Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?’ the servant asked. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.’Then the Lord openend the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (emphasis mine).
Biblical Principle #10: Inquire of the Lord
Answering the call to do our small part to work to end human sex trafficking puts us in a battle. Before we go into the battle (and every day and throughout the day while we are in it) we must as God for clear direction on what to do and what not to do.
David, God’s anointed king, teaches us this lesson. David slew tens of thousands of Philistines (an enemy of Israel). But even so, every time he went to battle, he was careful to inquire of the Lord beforehand.
For example, in 1 Samuel 30: we read, “And David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And He answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.” -KJV.
Why did David do this? Because he knew that God knew the end from the beginning. We don’t know what the future holds, but God does. Our job is to remain with God and try to figure out what His plan is. And then obey and do what He asks. We are not working our own plan, but we are walking out the perfect plan of God Almighty. So why wouldn’t we ask Him what the outcome will be?
Moreover, not inquiring of the Lord can have dire consequences. 1 Chronicle 10:13-14 illustrates this point, “[King] Saul . . .did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord . . . turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.” While King David certainly made his mistakes, and even committed the grevious sins of adultery and murder, he repented and turned to God. David was nonetheless a man after God’s own heart, and he was humble enough to recognize that he needed God’s direction in his life.
Acts 13:22 reads, “After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’” (emphasis mine.) Do you see that? That is the powerful testimony of God Himself regarding David! God is looking for people who will seek Him always and follow His plan, not their own. He is looking for humble, obedient servants who will do everythingHe asks us to do. May we have the Grace to be those kind of people.
Conclusion:
Maybe God has called you to be on the battlefield, on the front line. Maybe God has called you to go to your state capitol with a Godly Christian partner to stand strong and encourage your state law makers to stop human trafficking, or stand for Life. Maybe God has called you to send e-mails or make phone calls to your legislators. Perhaps God has given you the task to stay behind the scenes and offer the critical prayer support before, during, and after the folks on the front line are engaged at the capitol. (Rest assured that you will receive a blessing and reward from God as though you were on the front line). God has a role for each of us to play in His perfect plan. We all do have a part to play. We are the Body of Christ! The good news is that we are not required to do anyone else’s job; however, we are required to do the job that God has given us to do.
Paul condenses the lessons I have learned in this season as I have sought to do my part in God’s plan to mitigate human sex trafficking: in 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, he writes to the believers, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.”
To learn more about how you can help in your state, feel free to contact me on Facebook at Carol Vermeer Neel, and together we can see what God will do.
Article Written by: Carol Vermeer Neel
