Does our responsibility as Christians to be the salt of the earth and to overcome evil with good – rather than being overcome by evil – mean that we should exercise Godly influence as our civic duty?

Stop to realize something absolutely unique in the history of the world!  In modern America we enjoy a liberty and level of trust in society that those in the Roman empire in Biblical times could not have imagined.

I vote.  I vote in every single election. I consider voting to be a sacred duty that was handed down to me by my forefathers who literally shed their blood to give me this right – this opportunity, this privilege, this influence.

The opportunity is to CHOOSE MY OWN RULERS…  Or at least to have a say in who will govern my life in the civil sphere.

Many in America’s “conservative circles” say, think, and believe that voting is useless.  They think it doesn’t matter because it’s all controlled by “the powers that be.” They think government is going to grow and become more collectivist, no matter what.

To believe that is a form of fatalism. It causes despair and ultimately becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Why? Because if good people don’t vote, we essentially guarantee that the WORST possible people will rule over us.  And that inevitably validates your belief that voting doesn’t matter.

And then there are others who only vote for someone they think is perfect.  Their idealism clouds their reasoning as if they were choosing a new religion or something.  They want someone perfect to have the same beliefs, with the same perfect behavior, and all the same morals.

This person doesn’t exist of course, and so this terribly strained idea has prevented Biblical righteousness from having the influence that it could have in the modern world.

One of the reasons I happily voted for Donald Trump was because he told us he would appoint conservative, constitutional Supreme Court Justices to the United States Supreme Court.  He even published a list of candidates during the election season.  It was a great list!

Once elected, he appointed Neil Gorsuch to the bench.  He has proven to be a great Justice.  Now, President Trump has appointed another brilliant and proven constitutionalist Supreme Court Justice to the court, Brett Kavanaugh, replacing the “swing vote” of Justice Anthony Kennedy.

This means that the Supreme Court now has a majority of Constitutionalist judges.  It means that we can begin seeing a return to Constitutional principles in America again.  It means that whacked out, leftist rulings will STOP… like legalizing gay marriage, and punishing churches, and hindering free speech, and eliminating privacy rights, and permitting abuse, and harassing conservative, Christians cake bakers.  And many faulty rulings of the past could be reversed.

In fact, it is not impossible to imagine the scourge of abortion becoming illegal—or at least to become an issue for the states to judge.  Wouldn’t that only make local elections more important and valuable than ever? It would return power to individual states and make Americans more accountable for local elections and more responsible for their own futures.

And all of this because Donald Trump got elected.  You know why?  Because elections are starting to matter to more drop-out Christians.  They always have and they always will.

Don’t allow yourself to be seduced by the fatalist, defeatist, and arrogant idea that you can be “above” politics and that you shouldn’t participate in the voting process because it doesn’t matter anyway.  It does matter.

And by God’s grace, President Trump will get another chance before his term is up.  If the elderly liberal lady on the court retires before reaching 90, the United States Supreme Court will be made up of 6 solid Constitutionalists, one basically conservative Justice who mostly votes appropriately (John Roberts), and two liberals.  This gives Constitutionalism a 6-3 or 5-4 majority for at least the next 10-15 years.

That is EVERYTHING to American Politics.

And some still say that elections don’t matter.  You know better.

For the sake of encouragement, hope and a higher perspective, consider God’s word from Psalm 2 as it relates to our current sharply divided society.

1 Why do the nations rage,

​​And the people plot a vain thing?

2 ​​The kings of the earth set themselves,

​​And the rulers take counsel together,

​​Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,

3 ​​“Let us break Their bonds in pieces

​​And cast away Their cords from us.”

​4 ​​He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;

​​The Lord shall hold them in derision.

5 ​​Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,

​​And distress them in His deep displeasure:

6 ​​“Yet I have set My King

​​On My holy hill of Zion.”

​7 ​​“I will declare the decree:

​​The LORD has said to Me,

​‘​You are My Son,

​​Today I have begotten You.

8 ​​Ask of Me, and I will give You

​​The nations for Your inheritance,

​​And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

9 ​​You shall break them with a rod of iron;

​​You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

​10 ​​Now therefore, be wise, O kings;

​​Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

11 ​​Serve the LORD with fear,

​​And rejoice with trembling.

12 ​​Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,

​​And you perish in the way,

​​When His wrath is kindled but a little.

​​Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

There is no doubt that the upcoming elections will determine the course of history in this nation. They are very important. Christians, in particular, will determine the outcome just as they did the previous presidential election. They must be discerning and motivated to vote.

As Christians, we are charged with Romans 12:21, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Many Christians argue that they are not to be involved in any sort of government or politics. This idea is grievously flawed, subjective and unbiblical thinking. We are to be salt and light to the world. When we have the freedom and the opportunity to shape our nation from a strategic position, we are blessed. So many Christians in other countries would cherish that prospect. Your vote counts.

There is a lot of debate about the candidates. How do we decide who to vote for when none of the candidates match well with our Christian values? Did it ever occur to you that in America, we are given the rare responsibility to participate in the “hiring” process for determining the leadership of our nation and the moral policy course of our society, in which we and our children will have to live?

I cannot tell you how to vote. I can share with you how I determine the candidates of my choice. Just look at what these people say they stand for and at their recent record of performance.  Choose the ones who most closely align with God’s precepts. If neither candidate aligns as perfectly as you would like, get some counsel.  Pray.  Read some reliable, objective and moral commentaries from those you trust. In the end, choose the one that the Holy Spirit confirms to you is the better of the choices.

We have all heard so many arguments over the years about this debate.  Some might say: “God would not choose either of these candidates, so choosing one is siding with the devil.” Well, don’t be so sure about that. God has used many a human throughout history that didn’t closely align with his principles and he worked through them to his good.

What does His Word say?

Daniel 4:25 says, “…the most high rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever he will.”

Psalm 75:7 says, “..but God is the judge. He puts down one and sets up another.”

Another argument is the principle driven choice.  When a candidate has no chance of winning but seems closely aligned with Christian values, should he have your vote? That may seem to be a very noble concept, but it doesn’t affect the outcome. It’s not just a wasted vote. It’s a vote for the opponent you absolutely dislike.  You see, getting behind such a good person should be done early in the campaign process, not just at the ballot box. When there is a really good candidate, he/she needs the backing of good people early on to create an opportunity to win. Don’t think you are making some sort of moral statement by voting for someone who has no chance to make a difference. It may make you feel better, but that tiny percent of the votes who do this with you may prevent someone from winning that can make a positive difference. So, by your vote, you actually aided the worst of choices.

Do you really think that you can only vote for someone with whom you have exact agreement on every issue?  Of course not. Think about this.  When you hire a plumber, are you looking for someone who you believe is well prepared for the specific job or for someone who makes the same dietary choices as you do?  Your vote in a civic election is not about choosing someone who exactly reflects your personhood.  Your vote is about honestly selecting who you think can best do the job he’s competing for – and win!

In America today, the policies that govern our society, including what you are allowed to see on TV, what public school students must be taught about biology and God, and what is supposedly safe to eat or medicate your sickness with, are made by the people who voted or didn’t vote just a few years ago.  When I learned that some ridiculously high percentage of self-proclaimed Christian adults in America – like 40% or more – don’t even register to vote, what does that tell you?  They are not taking advantage of one of the simplest opportunities in the history of the world to be a preservative and enlightening influence on a whole generation of young people.

Understand something.  You have the power to positively or negatively influence the next 50 years of the society your children will live in.  You are a significant part of the “We the people” that is effectively like the king in America.  That is the power of the vote.  Exercise it.

For me, the criteria I use is the overall moral barometer. I weigh whether the candidate has a socialist or communist lean-for both are against God. Are they pro-life? Are they pro-marriage? Do they believe in free speech, or do they wish to impose soft tyranny by labeling people who disagree with them? Who supports them? Are they willing to ruin a person’s life to advance their party’s agenda? Do they promote their views with direct language or do they skirt issues to deceive? Are these all part of your Christian discerning voter’s guidelines?

Regardless what the outcome of a coming election is, you’re going to have to live with the fact that you either participated in the process or you did not.  If you don’t get out and vote and do your best to assure that all of your friends and associates don’t vote for whacked out liberals, many of our nation’s gains for righteousness and conservative principles can be stopped or even reversed.

So don’t let the INSANITY of leftist progressives freak you out or push you back. Remember that Jesus said the tares must be allowed to grow with the wheat until the harvester comes at the end of the age.  Now is the time to push harder than ever.  Pray “thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven…”  And participate in your community by taking the time to be a responsible voter.

The few free nations in the world form rules based on those who are elected by their citizens to lead them.  That means, in essence, that free citizens have much more influence and responsibility than many of them tend to think about.

Remember the baby born with severe disabilities in the UK not long ago?  CNN reported: “Because of his disability, Alfie’s very life was deemed no longer beneficial to him. And therefore it was declared illegal to keep him alive.
This decision reflects a profound, indeed lethal intolerance of dependence and disability. But it is even worse than that. Just as in the Charlie Gard case, the courts here effectively terminated the rights of Alfie’s parents, forbidding them to seek transfer to other facilities that wished to care for Alfie. Both Pope Francis and the Italian government pled for Alfie’s life, going as far as to make him an honorary Italian citizen and offering air transport to a pediatric hospital in Rome. But the UK government refused.”

What began with a hospital’s deadly policy against a child with apparently permanent disabilities ended with a shocking totalitarian intervention by the state, annihilating his parents’ rights in order to ensure Alfie’s demise.
Contrary to the predictions of some of the medical experts on whom the court relied, Alfie continued to breathe and fight for his life in the absence of artificial ventilation for more than four days until he passed away.

This is the end in mind for governments.  They want to control you.  They think they own you.  And the only thing stopping them from exacting all the power they want and need to do so—is YOU.  Your vote.  Your diligence.  Your eternal vigilance.  Remember that when voting this year.

And remember, don’t vote for “nice guys” and “friendly people.”  Don’t vote for your friend, neighbor, or Sunday School teacher.  They’ve all proven to fail in houses of legislature.  Only vote for people who reject the improper use of government and who recognize the proper role of government, and who will always vote and work to preserve and expand freedom.  Even if they are not polished, nice, statesman-like, or religious.  Freedom is freedom, no matter who promotes it.

I’m reminded of President Regan’s Inaugural address, when he famously said,

“In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”  January 20, 1981: From Reagan’s Inaugural Address.

When this country was established, the Founders were well aware that they were going against the prevailing world view.  Englishmen, like all western Europeans were raised for centuries to believe that God appointed the ruler (the king) and that the people should blindly follow along even if that ruler was unjust.

We can see the Founders’ thinking by reading the Declaration of Independence in its entirety. Their mantra at Concord and Lexington was “No King but Jesus.” So, in our form of government, “we the people” have the say over who rules us. To passively submit to evil rulers, especially in this nation where God blessed us with the freedom to choose, is beyond the bounds of God-given common sense and self-preservation.

Many will say that Christians should not concern themselves with earthly kingdoms, but only be concerned about the kingdom of God.  Let’s not view this as “either/or,” but rather “both/and.” We are charged in Romans 12:21 to be not overcome of evil, but to overcome evil with good. In this country, we are blessed to have a say in our government with our vote. If we choose to be salt and light to the civic and political arena, we have that opportunity as well. There is no reason why you should not challenge any pastor who promotes accepting evils in government or politics by saying they are no concern to Christians. Discouraging action against the ills of society by voting, participating in government or politics, or by just speaking out on such issues, is consenting to the continuation of those ills. Perhaps the best way to begin overcoming evil in high places is by cleansing the pulpit of those who condone it.

Do you support those who want to invade and literally destroy your country?

Despite the Democratic Party wanting open borders and advocating for illegals to vote, the Bible is very clear about how to handle immigrants. Exodus 22:21 says, “You shall neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him.” This is repeated in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. In context, Exodus 12:49 says, “One law shall be to him that is home-born, and unto the foreigner who sojourns among you.” This is also repeated in Numbers and Leviticus. One law for all. In this context it is God’s law, but let’s not fool ourselves about those people out there who neither want to submit to the laws of the nation or to God’s laws. If they enter here illegally, they have broken the law as their first act. Hard as it is, policymakers must address this, otherwise our country is in danger of becoming a lawless society and both our national and personal security is compromised.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | RSS