Really, Leah

May His Kingdom Come,

Dear God-fearing Americans,

It is time for the saints to be the solution, not the problem. I include myself because I can debate and get as petty and pouty as the next person. But in my soul, I know we need to unite as ONE nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. 

Indeed, America is flawed, but we are a remarkable democracy, a fortified republic, with incomparable respect for God and religious liberty (read our founding documents or walk around DC or any capital city to see), and that should not be further unsettled by the church. 

Here is the challenge:

When we only care about our chosen political party and we insist that the other party(s) are the enemies and the liars, it is everyday Americans that suffer the most. It is our children’s safety at stake and our weak who are neglected. 

Despite that fact, I hear way too many pastors and church folk with more enthusiasm for their chosen political position and dislike for a political candidate than I hear their love, concern, and compassion for the lost, the vulnerable, and the lonely.

The church is not there to throw rocks but to be the ROCK—the sure foundation. So I am embarrassed for pastors when they speak so carelessly from the pulpit.

I genuinely believe that if Jesus Christ were beginning his ministry right now, He would visit today’s churches, level their pews, and trash their pamphlets to the ground, especially when children are unnecessarily homeless (722 in my community) and widows are crying out for assistance to maintain the roofs over their heads, put gas in their cars, and fresh food on their tables. In America.

And where is the church? 

Search the Bible for the terms “orphans and widows,” and you will find a plethora of church responsibilities to its parishioners who fall under those labels. But I have yet to see a mandate from the Scriptures to support a political candidate from the pulpit.

What I have seen and heard is preachers diminishing the hope in children based on their gender and race, which makes me sit back and wonder what year this is and whether they are reading the same Word that I am. (Galatians 3:28) Then I say a prayer and turn the channel. 

Again, it is unfortunate that on any given Sunday, I find fear and politics propagated from the pulpit more than I hear a plan, that does not include politics, to rescue a child from harm or to repair a home. (I suppose talk is cheaper.) 

Sadly, when the clergy seek to judge through silos, using limited knowledge, and for vainglory, society gets the results that only man can deliver. 

Limited. 

Biased. 

Far from sufficient. 

Mostly amounting to a lot of hot air. 

Perhaps that is why the country is as divided as it is today—politics creates division. It is what it is. But Jesus Christ died to bring us all into reconciliation with God.

My aim is to put away all divisive rhetoric so we all can win. How about you?  There is so much work to be done.

May God’s Will Be Done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

So what can we do besides not doing all the negative actions above?

First, we can make sure the church is led by the Spirit of God and not by any other forces. The church is to respect authority, but we do not condone sin because the government is not our source. Period. We submit to the Highest Power as new creations in Christ Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:17) We recognize that we were all full-time sinners and our sins led us to the Truth that changed our lives and set us free forever. 

We must remember that we are only in this world for God’s purpose. And that purpose is for something other than your party or mine to win elections. The purpose is to glorify God, especially in His house.

Even while serving in an elected position, our purpose remains the same. We are there for the glory of God. Our decisions on policies and laws should be vetted by the Holy Spirit. As a result, we should stand out because we have better long-term results. After all, God is in it.

When we compromise the Word to fit a political agenda, we lose. We make the Word within us of no effect. We become no better than those who turned the house of prayer into a den of thieves, building our kingdoms instead of God’s. 

Soon our best efforts will fall short. Because when we put anything above the Word and the name of Jesus in pursuit of our personal attempts at good works or social justice we fail. Our efforts are as filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6) 

May God Bless America

Saints, we have limited time here. We are distracted at every turn, which is by design from the real enemy—the devil. But we must take a turn, repent, and show this country and our respective communities that we have the answer—because we do. We have the power to make this a great land. And His name is Jesus. It’s the name above all names.

Right now, America needs a Jesus intervention, revolution, and revival. Thus, secondly, I am calling on saints to pray like never before for our country and leadership. If you know you’re born again and believe in God’s transformational power through prayer, I ask you to pray that God will forgive our sins and our country’s sins and heal our land. 

This is not a prayer that your party will win the general election or find a candidate to beat the other guy. We, you and I, need to surrender our preferences to God’s plan and renew our vigor to carry out His purpose of loving people, bearing the burdens of the saints, and sharing the Good News. Especially from the pulpit. (Just imagine what we could accomplish together if we stayed focused on His plan.)

As we approach the celebration of America’s independence from a tyrannical Britain, can we agree to pray, using at least two Scriptures, 1 Timothy 2:1-3 and 2 Chronicles 7:14-20, as our text each day? 

A holy God hears and answers when we pray with a clean heart. So let’s pray that we are ONE in this land, for this is God’s desire for His people. (Psalm 133).

Engaged in courage as we lead them to the ONE. Sincerely,

Leah