How a Christian should approach the upcoming Midterm elections

From a Biblical perspective

With the start of the NFL and college football seasons, we know that fall is right around the corner.

This Fall presents another opportunity for citizens to express their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their government.

At all levels, from the Congress, to Governors, to Mayors, on down to the local school boards, the ideal of America is demonstrated in the free and fair elections that are held every year.

Realizing that there are forces who desire to remove the free and the fair from our elections, we must exercise our right to vote as citizens.

Unfortunately, a large number of Christians do not take advantage of this right.  For a myriad of reasons, some Christians choose to leave their most powerful weapon as a citizen holstered.

But, that is a lie that has been circulated in the church.  This was done to keep the church at bay while anti-God and anti-biblical policies were devised.

As the church turned inward, the government became more and more corrupt.  Instead of being an instrument of God to punish evildoers, the government now punishes the good and rewards the bad.

So, what should a Christian do as we approach another election cycle?

Pray

The Holy Spirit through Paul admonishes us to pray for our leaders.  See 1 Timothy 2.

Prayer invites God to move in this Earth realm to execute His Kingdom.  We pray because we desire God’s will to be done on Earth.

We pray because it turns our attention from man to God.

We pray because we decrease and He increases.

God does not override the will of man.  Yet, through prayer God will draw men to Him through His Spirit. 

Changed ppl, changes communities. 

Changed communities, changes culture.

Changed culture, changes government.

Research

Don’t just rely upon one source when looking at the candidates.  Review multiple resources so that a well formed picture of the candidates is developed.

Some of the sources I use to help inform our congregation includes: ivoterguide, Faith and Freedom coalition, ballotpedia, among others.

It’s imperative to know which candidate closely aligns with biblical values.

Get involved

While voting is critical, getting involved in the election process is invaluable.

Whether it’s volunteering to be a poll watcher, registering people to vote, or running for office, as believers we must get involved.

Getting involved is the key to turn the education and motivation into results.  It does not help anyone to stay on the sidelines.

Remember who we represent

In this hyper partisan period, it’s easy to fall into the trap of identifying ourselves as either a Republican or Democrat.

Doing so tends to cause us to see one party as good and the other party as evil.

There is no good party and there is no evil party.

Both parties are political.  Meaning they will do whatever it takes to win elections.

While we may affiliate with a party, our ultimate affection lies with the party of Jesus.

We side with His party above all.

Viewing things this way will cause us to call out unbiblical stances no matter which party is the source.

We call out the ideologies that are diametrically opposed to our values. 

Having this approach will help to ensure we elect individuals who will accurately reflect us and our values.