Spiritual Warfare II

Before we get too far, let me assure you that I am not one of those people who think that Christians should stay out of politics.  More to the point, I think that Christians, like other citizens, ought to exercise their right and obligation to vote.   


Now, I know, some of you are already thinking "what does this have to do with spiritual warfare?" Well, stay with me for a minute.


While politics have been an extremely polarizing subject in this country for years, we seem to be at a new high (or depending on how you look at it, a new low) since the 2008 election.  Love him or hate him, President Obama seems to be a figure who provokes a strong emotional response.  And, to be fair, it is probably also true that we live in a pivotal time -- our values, beliefs and priorities as a nation are changing. 


The national debate about our values, beliefs and priorities has at times gotten ugly, and all too often "Christians" have been in the midst of that ugliness.  It seems to me that it is hard to truly show the love of Jesus when your are slinging mud.  But, again to be fair, I think Christians have been both vocal and emotional because of the understandable frustration with a country that is surely drifting away from the Christian principles on which it was founded.


I do think that as Christians we need to put politics into perspective.  I think it is a mistake to put too much faith in the political process or in the potential for any one man or woman to effect meaningful change in our lives.  


If you are now scratching your head, ask yourself this:  What would have a bigger impact on this country?  (1) If every candidate on your dream ballot won; or (2) if true revival swept through America -- if the country suddenly decided to turn its face back to God?


We might also ask ourselves what all of our hand wringing and debate about the next election has accomplished?  If you voted in the 2008 election, you got one vote of the approximately 132,600,000 votes that were cast that day.  In the next election you will still only get one vote. 


Again, I firmly believe that we all ought to vote and that the next election is an important one.  I also think that as a general matter we should assess candidates through the lens of a Christian worldview.  That is, we should be asking ourselves which candidates, if any, support policies and views that are most consistent with "Christian values."  But I also believe that the real battle is not being fought in the voting booth, it is being fought in the prayer closet.


Maybe the time we spend debating about the next election would be better spent praying for our current leaders, praying for our country, praying for the nations and praying for God's will in our lives.  Maybe we should be praying for God to give us wisdom and discernment before we cast our votes in the next elections, and that He would raise up leaders in this country who are men and women after God's heart.  Maybe we should spend our time praying that our nation would turn its eyes back to Christ.


I just don't think that the ballot box, or the political system, or the candidates are the answer to the problem.  The reason is simple: at the end of the day the struggle is a spiritual one.






^"10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."   


Ephesians 6:10 - 18.