God knew the end before the beginning.
“The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” (Psalm 21:1 ESV)
Brothers and Sisters, I am always hesitant to share these articles with you. In Messiah is here to lift up Christians not to bring them down. We are here for fellowship and to strengthen our faith. You cannot imagine the way our writing in this ministry anchors our faith. With that said, I reluctantly would like to share a news article that can wear one down. There has been another push to persecute the faithful by our government. In a Fox News article, Chris Faddis writes of a new amendment to the Affordable Care Act which is shocking. Religious believers could be forced out of the American healthcare system for good.
Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has again attacked conscientious Americans by amending the rules about Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act to require people of faith to fund elective abortions and transgender surgeries through their health insurance.
As a result, believers are left with no other option than to withdraw from their insurance providers entirely or unwillingly participate in procedures antithetical to their sincerely held beliefs. I believe, as Faddis laid out, patients and insurance holders should never be forced to pay for healthcare products and services that violate their faith.
Faddis wrote, “The newly finalized Section 1557 reinterprets the definition of "on the basis of sex" to include "gender identity" and "termination of pregnancy." The rule’s new definition and its requirements do not bode well for insurance holders in the United States, where more than 70% of people identify as Christian.” As a result of these changes, Faith-based hospitals and clinics must now adhere to an ethically problematic definition of sex under the new mandate. And doctors are required to perform "gender-affirming" procedures, including on children, despite their consistent medical objections.
Faddis also wrote that the agency’s decision reeked of hypocrisy. HHS rules blatantly discriminated against religious orders and people of faith by compelling them to fund abortions while simultaneously prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, and disability. Biden has yet again weaponized a vital system for Americans that, contrary to His promises, stifles religious freedoms while falsely claiming to defend the First Amendment. The actions by HHS against religious Americans pave the way for other government agencies to follow suit. Faddis noted HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra continues to target and ignore religious freedom protections, even going so far as to abandon the case of a nurse who was illegally forced to participate in an abortion.
There are Christian health-sharing ministries like the one started by Faddis called Solidarity Health Share, which provide an ethical alternative to traditional health insurance. Free from all federal monetary assistance, it is ministry-driven and helps to provide members with high-quality care at a reasonable price without compromising their sincerely held beliefs. Faddis states that in the wake of HHS atrocious new rule, health-sharing ministries stand ready to welcome millions of marginalized conscientious Americans into our fold.
We are warned in the Bible, and like Christ, we too will be persecuted. God, however, always provides for His children. We must hold faith and continue to trust in the Lord.
Grace and Peace!
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