Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas recently offered an encouraging message about President-elect Donald Trump has been finalizing his cabinet picks. Jeffress, who has long been an associate of Trump’s, gave a message of hope and healing as Thanksgiving approaches.
“We did have a very contentious election,” Jeffress said, acknowledging the polarization prevalent throughout the country. However, he predicted that the nation will see the next four years as a time for unification. “We’ve had many contentious elections throughout history. But I think now that the election is over, now that President Trump has been re-elected, I really sense on both sides of the aisle there’s a desire to come together and get something positive done for the country,” he added.
The pastor further noted that there is a sense of optimism surrounding Trump. “And I sense a very upbeat spirit with President Trump,” said Jeffress. “I talked to him a few days ago, and he is focused, no doubt about it, on his agenda that he ran on.” He noted that “he’s extremely upbeat and positive about the future of the country.”
Jeffress further dispelled the narrative pushed by the mainstream media that Trump will step into office and rule like a dictator. “You know, I think people who worried or [even] heard that, if he’s elected, he’s going to create this dystopian theocracy that’s going to oppress people — I don’t think any of that is true,” he said.
“I’ve seen and I’ve known the president for 10 years,” he added, illustrating how well he knows the president. “And I think he is able to transcend political differences and able to work on what’s best for America. So I hope all Americans will pray for him and give him a chance to do what he promised to do.”
Jeffress also indicated that spiritual advisers will play a major role Trump in Trump’s second administration. “Back in 2016, when President Trump ran for the first time, his campaign created a spiritual advisers committee. Once he won that 2016 election, that ended and it morphed into a more informal group of people who talked with the president when he requested that.”
He added, “So I think that will continue. I’ve known President Trump, as I said, for 10 years, and we’ve been friends. And we stay in frequent contact either through text or phone calls. And I look forward to that friendship continuing for many years.”
Jeffress maintained that Christians should always trust in God as opposed to government. “God is in control of everything that happens, and we can trust in that. And I would also just remind Christians, especially, that the Bible teaches that government’s responsibility is to leave us alone as we practice our faith.” He further noted, “We’re never going to bring about spiritual change through government. It’s not government’s job or ability to change the hearts of people. Only the Gospel of Jesus Christ can do that. And that’s something we have to practice.”
Featured image credit: Dan Scavino, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:President_Donald_Trump_and_Robert_Jeffress.jpg