PLUS

II Samuel 23:3 “The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.”

Noah Webster reminded us that:

“Among the last words of David were the following, ‘He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.’ It is the neglect of this divine precept, that is, the wickedness of rulers, and the depravity of men who elect wicked rulers, which in every age, have filled the world with violence, and which have brought, and still bring war, oppression and misery upon the human race. And such will forever be the case; if men will not regard the commands of God; if they will not consider piety, religion or moral worth as indispensable qualification in rulers, they must be harassed, defrauded and oppressed; this is the reward of their own disobedience and folly.”

God gave us the instruction manual for voting. Select those who are just and who will rule in the fear of God. We must consider piety, religion and moral worth as indispensable qualifications in our rulers.

Noah Webster’s words are a poignant reminder that we ignore this Biblical direction at our own peril. In fact, we already have neglected this Biblical direction at our own peril. We face violence, war, oppression, and misery as a result. We continue to be harassed, defrauded, and oppressed as the reward for our own disobedience and folly.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD VOTE ACCORDING TO GOD’S PLANS. Otherwise we will receive the reward that we deserve, not the one that we want. It will be due to our disobedience and folly.

I Samuel 17:29 “And David said, What have I now done?  Is there not a cause?”

Noah Webster wrote:

“The great benefit of a republican form of government is, that the people, being the source of all authority, elect their own rulers, who, after a limited time, for which they are elected, return to the condition of private citizens.  In this case the rulers, and the ruled have a common interest.  If the representatives of the people enact unjust or oppressive laws, the people have a remedy, in the power of electing different men for representatives at a subsequent election, who may repeal such laws.  The evils of this form of government are, that ambitious and unprincipled men, in their strife for office, may and often do deceive and mislead the people, or corrupt them by offers of money and offices.  In this case, the government often falls into the hands of wicked and profligate men.”

It is up to us to do something.  There is a cause.  As Webster reminded us of in 1834, the people have a remedy in our form of government.  Our votes and our engagement in the political process is our remedy.  May we stand up with strong voices and be heard.  May our votes reflect our values and reflect our alignment with God’s values.  WE THE PEOPLE are the source of all authority, and must never yield our authority nor our responsibility.

PLEASE PRAY FOR CHRISTIANS TO STAND STRONG AS A PART OF THE POLITICAL PROCESS.  There is a cause and we are to be the remedy.

Revelation 3:16-17 “So then because thou are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot.  I will spue thee out of my mouth.  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked”

Deuteronomy 28:47-48 “Because thou servest not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things:  and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.”

We have a lot to be alarmed by in this nation.  We have a lot to be alarmed by in this election.  We are a nation in physical, economic, diplomatic, and moral decline.  Whenever we are alarmed, there is one thing that we should always do … pray!  Our prayers should be regular, they should be fervent, and they should be deliberate.  What gets scheduled in our lives gets done, and I recommend you set your alarm to remind you to pray.

• If you’re alarmed that we think we are rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, set your alarm to pray for our nation.
• If you’re alarmed that we are wretched, set your alarm to pray for our nation.
• If you’re alarmed that we are we are miserable, set your alarm to pray for our nation.
• If you’re alarmed that we are poor, set your alarm to pray for our nation.
• If you’re alarmed that we are blind and naked, set your alarm to pray for our nation.
• If you’re alarmed that we can feel the yoke of iron tightening around our necks, set your alarm to pray for our nation.

PLEASE TRANSLATE YOUR ALARM FOR OUR NATION INTO PRAYERS FOR OUR NATION.  Be alarmed enough to set your alarm!

Ezekiel 34:7-8 “Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock”

As we creep up to election day, where we come face-to-face with the right and the responsibility to elect leaders at all levels, may we never forget that leadership matters.  May we never forget that leaders matter.  Voting provides the culmination of this right and this responsibility.  We should have been actively involved in the process all along, but now it is time to formally make our mark to define our future.

Without a shepherd, we are vulnerable in our neighborhoods, in our communities, in our schools, in our workplaces, in our states, and in our nation.  Without the right kind of shepherds, we are vulnerable in the same.  We become prey in an anarchic world system.  We become meat to every beast of the field.

We must choose our shepherds wisely.  They must be honest.  They must be honorable.  They must be value-laced.  They must be courageous.  They must be inspiring.

They must be selfless!  The wrong kind of shepherds feed themselves instead of the flock.  They consume the resources, and the attention, and the energy of the government to feed their own lusts.  In doing so, they create seams of vulnerability, insecurity, and immorality that will be exploited by our adversaries and our Adversary.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD CHOOSE OUR LEADERS WISELY.  Choose well America, and pray even harder!

SET YOUR ALARM:  If you’re alarmed (that American Christians are losing their moral authority), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!

Psalm 9:17 “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”

Psalm 9:10 “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee:  for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”

When we get complacent or disinterested in the election, we must remember these two verses as well.  Nations face the consequences of their actions and their decisions.  Those nations that seek Him will not be forsaken.  Those who forget God will face derision and destruction.  There could not be any starker contrast than that.

Our votes determine which type of nation we will be.  Do we vote in a way that uplifts Godly principle?  If so, then we will become a nation known for being principled.  Do we vote in a way that neglects the will of God?  If so, then we will become a nation that is neglected by God.  Thus, elections matter because they reveal our nation’s heart.  Your votes matter because they reveal your heart.

PLEASE REVEAL YOUR HEART THROUGH YOUR VOTES, AND HELP SHAPE OUR NATION’S HEART THROUGH THE SAME.  Let us seek God and never forget Him!