To say that the 2014 mid-term elections were historic is an understatement. The first black senator from the south since reconstruction was elected when Sen. Tim Scott won his race in South Carolina. The first black, female, conservative woman was sent to Congress when Mia Love won her race in Utah.

Blue states such as Illinois, Maryland, and Massachusetts, elected Republican governors.

West Virginia sent its first-ever woman to Congress – and she’s a Republican!

The GOP made gains in the House of Representatives, giving them their largest majority since World War 1.

And the GOP took control of the Senate, firing both Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi from their speaker positions.

President Obama made the statement that his policies were on the ballot during this election. He said America would be voting on his policies and leadership of our country at the polls on Tuesday.

America has spoken. America has soundly, loudly rejected the policies of President Obama and sent a clear message that we do not support his agenda. It’s a message that continues to ripple across the country.

But what does this historic win for conservatives mean for the Republican Party and for America?

After President Obama was re-elected in 2012 political analysts and pundits said the GOP was dead unless it moved to the middle and began supporting un-conservative values. The thinking was that older, white Americans were not enough to secure a win in future elections so the GOP should go after younger and minority voters by rebranding itself in a more inclusive way.

But that seems to be the precise thinking that led to the GOP defeat in 2012. Instead of advancing truly conservative candidates that would speak and stand boldly for conservative principles, the GOP offered mushy middle candidates that neither party liked. The result was a crushing defeat.

So it’s no surprise that in 2014 the GOP had a solid core of genuinely conservative candidates that support traditional conservative values. Of course some people think all it took to win in 2014 was opposing Obama. That might be true for some, but not all. When states begin flipping red and entrenched incumbents are ousted or severely threatened, a clear message is heard: “It’s your policies we don’t like!”

Look at the number of pro-life candidates that won:

In my home state of West Virginia we elected the first-ever female to Congress and Shelley Moore Capito is a solid pro-life voter (unlike pro-life in name only Joe Manchin).

Pro-life Rep. Steve Daines won in Montana.
Former governor and pro-life voter Mike Rounds beat his pro-abortion challenger in South Dakota.
Pro-life Cory Gardner shocked everyone by upsetting pro-abortion incumbent Mark Udall in Colorado.
Arkansas turned reed as pro-life Tom Cotton beat pro-abortion incumbent Mark Pryor.
Pro-life Joni Ernst beat her pro-abortion rival in Iowa.
Pro-life pat Roberts won in Kansas.
Pro-life David Purdue won in Georgia.
Shock waves rippled across the country as pro-life Thom Tillis ousted pro-abortion incumbent Kay Hagan.

Pro-life candidates Dan Sullivan (AK) and Bill Cassidy (LA) are expected to win their very tight races as well. That would bring the total of pro-life victories to 11!

But abortion was not the only issue on the ballot as voters went to the polls Tuesday. Issues such as marriage and religious liberty were also at stake during this election. The funny things is, the candidates that won, some of them unseating incumbents, others in purple or even blue states, campaigned on traditional values.

For example, on the issue of marriage and whether or not the definition of marriage should be changed to include same-sex relationships, nearly every candidate that won said believe in traditional marriage. When asked if marriage should be redefined these candidates made clear they support marriage as the union of one man and one woman. This includes: Capito (WV), Purdue (GA), Tillis (NC), Cotton (AR), Ernst (IA), Roberts (KS), Rounds (SD), Sullivan (AK), and Cassidy (LA).

Note: The race in Alaska has been called in favor of Sullivan though many ballots still need counted. And the race in LA will not be official until after the December 6 runoff between Cassidy and Landrieu.

What is also interesting is that the opponent of each of these pro-traditional marriage candidates ran on a pro-same-sex marriage platform. But, I though the majority of America wanted marriage redefinition? Apparently not.

Another issue is that of religious freedom. Candidates were asked whether they supported the religious freedom of Christians and would support protections for those individuals from government abuse (think Houston mayor, IRS, etc.). Every candidate that won vowed their support for religious protections for people of faith and said they believed in the First Amendment right of religious freedom. This includes: Capito (WV), Purdue (GA), Tillis (NC), Cotton (AR), Ernst (IA), Roberts (KS), Gardner (CO), Rounds (SD), Sullivan (AK), and Cassidy (LA).

The majority of their opponents did not believe in religious freedom and said they would not seek protections for Christians so they could live according to their faith.

So what is the take-away?

First, Republicans need to make good on this opportunity. Don’t waste time, take action and make a statement with the chance they’ve been given. America is tired of having our religious freedoms violated by an administration that doesn’t care. We are equally tired of seeing innocent babies killed while Planned Parenthood, a terribly corrupt organization gets our hard earned tax dollars to kill them. And while we are happy to respect the lifestyle choices of others, we simply do not want to see the definition of marriage changed.

So Republicans have a chance to scale back some of the damaging policies we’ve seen over the last few years and make a difference. The question is whether or not they will make good on their promises and steward the incredible opportunity they’ve been given.

But more importantly this signals, in part, that America is not the country we are led to believe via the media and other liberal, progressive pundits. We still value traditional marriage and see it as a God-ordained institution that man has no right to alter or redefine. It’s not that we hate anyone; we simply believe that God made man and woman for the purpose of marrying and having children and that every child deserves a mother and a father.

America continues to demand an end to abortion on demand. State laws are being enacted at a record pace and, except for Harry Reid creating gridlock in the Senate and refusing to allow any votes on life-saving bills, we would enact laws federally. Americans are more pro-life now than ever before. We see now that the unborn are indeed humans that deserve every protection and opportunity to live. We believe they were create by God and should not have their lives snuffed out before they are given the chance to live.

America was built upon religious freedom. We have seen that freedom under constant attack over the last few years and, I believe, Americans are finally tired of it. We are tired of seeing people sued and run out of business simply because they want to live according to their religious convictions. If someone doesn’t want to bake a cake or take your wedding pictures, show some respect and tolerance and go somewhere else. The government has no business telling anyone how to run their business, how to live according to their faith, or what to believe. We still value religious freedom.

My hope, my prayer, is that the newly elected officials will adhere to their beliefs and what they said during their campaigns. That they will seek to make a difference by standing for the traditional values that have served our country well and made us the envy of every nation on the planet. That they will not bend or break in the face of pressure from others, but will hold the line for faith, family, and freedom. If they do, I anticipate good things over the next couple of years.

If they don’t…2016 will be another reckoning. But not the kind I want to see.