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"4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. (1 John 4: 1-5, KJV)
This politically-charged year is really tough on our Scripture-dependent thinking. As Christians, we all are expected to and want to vote, as is our responsibility. But how do we know which candidate is truthful, and which is simply stretching the truth?
As children of God, the scriptures command us to "test the spirits to see whether they are from God." (1 Thess 5:20-21) And we are warned against deceitful people who disguise themselves as Christians (2 Cor 11:13-15). In other words, we are to put the candidates to the test. Sadly, there are many people who claim to speak for God who are presenting a false, powerless gospel.
How may we put them to the test? Do their actions, their words, and their deeds align with God's word? (Acts 17:10-11) In order to do the testing, one must know how to examine the scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
In this test, we must determine if the candidates are rightly dividing the truth (2 Timothy 2:15). You see, all candidates will divide the truth. By dividing the truth, some will leave out certain portions for those sections which complement their agenda, while others will simply stretch portions of the truth to fit their schema of politics.
One good example, how well do they let their spiritual lights shine as pertaining to the laws of the land? (Psalm 119:105) Do they approve the good laws, while abhorring the ungodly laws? Regardless of their stand, the Bible alone should be the only standard of their faith and practice.
Let me stop here to inject a thought. We are not electing preachers. No one candidate will give us all that we want, as far as the gospel is concerned. You see, we are all human, some saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9) and others not yet regenerated. (Romans 3:23) By praying for our choice, we allow God to work in their lives (Psalm 25:1,3-5).
By what standard do we hold the candidates, regarding what is right and wrong? Actors use the success of their movies at the box office. Businesses make decisions based on certain profits. And politicians use popularity polling. So what is our measuring stick, with respect to the various political candidates? Here are some suggestions.
How do the candidates stand with respect to our God-given rights? Where do the candidates stand with respect to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States? How do the candidates stand with respect to our freedoms? How do the candidates stand with respect to the protection of our country and its citizenry? Where do the candidates stand with respect to the issue of a day's wages, for a day of honest work? How do the candidates stand with respect to issues of the family? And how do the candidates stand with respect to the just versus the unjust laws of the land and the support of the interpreting judges and the courts? In other words, is the candidate for our conservative rights, and does the candidate hold to the societal aspects of our way of life and justice?
So should we as Christians vote? Yes, we should study the candidates and then vote for the best example of a godly person, one of good integrity and good morals (Romans 13:1-14). We know that God is ultimately in control (Daniel 2:19-23), but that does not mean we should do nothing to further His will (Psalm 89-9-17).
Conversely, there are Biblical examples of God being displeased with our choices (Hosea 8:4) and God being unhappy with certain ungodly leaders (Proverbs 28:12). However, as born-again believers, we should make every attempt to vote for the candidate that will yield to God's commands (1 Samuel 12:13-25). But above all, we should first pray (1Timothy 2:1-4). And now is the time to do so.
What hurts me is that many Christians in other countries are oppressed and not allowed the privilege of voting. Their governments hate their Christian faith and therefore do all they can to silence their witness and vote. In spite of this fact, these believers continue their witness for Jesus Christ at the risk of their lives (Psalm 20:1,4-5).
What saddens me as well is the fact that many Christians in the USA are not even registered to vote. This means that about 1 in 5 eligible professing Christians are not registered to vote. And by comparison, only about 2 of every 5 professed Christians take the time to vote (Ephesians 1:16-21).
I realize however that in today's America, there are those who do everything they can to eliminate the name of Christ, especially at the ballot box. And we don't know how long our freedom as Christians will last. That is why it's so important to elect godly leaders when we can, or at least do our part in keeping those professed ungodly candidates from being elected. So as Christians we should take our stand in following God's command (Matthew 22:21).
So please mark your calendars for November 8, 2016, Election Day in America. Then commit the election to daily prayer, and encourage your family and friends to vote.
Author's Postscript:
This upcoming United States general election is probably the most important in history, for the preservation of our religious and civil freedoms. At stake are positions that if elected or appointed will take years to reverse. Some of these are the ungodly executive orders that need to be reversed, the appointments of two or more Supreme Court Justices, the appointments of numerous federal judges, the appointments of numerous cabinet positions and policy-making positions and numerous pending legislations. And the list could go on and on.
And not voting because of a lack of confidence in any candidate will be a ‘yes’ vote for the opposing candidate.
http://ccrobey.wixsite.com/themessage
Please note: It is the intent of this blog to encourage the Christian community to pray, and then vote for the candidate of choice in America's upcoming presidential election. As this is our God given responsibility. (Romans 13:1-7)
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