Although my initial reaction to the Presidential election was to move to Fiji, I now feel a strange excitement to stay and ride the waves right here in the USA. I was not surprised that many of us had the same initial reaction….RUN AWAY! Anywhere, but here!
But that isn’t the answer. God is the answer and if you know Him, and He lives in you, then YOU are the answer. It’s time! Not to panic, but to “Arise and shine for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you, for behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1-2 It’s easy to quote that scripture, when we are living in times of ease and comfort, but when darkness comes, we get our panic buttons pushed and we react. But, we have to remember, the Light shines brightest in the deep darkness! It’s time to swim out of the luke warm waters and dive right into the fiery heart of God’s love. What does that love look like?
Well, for one it looks like responding in the opposite spirit. I wonder what would happen in the next 4 years if we chose to actually bless the very man that has been chosen to lead this country? It’s hard to be thankful and bless someone that you’re not willing to honor, but it’s the only way to open the heavens over him and release the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation. 1 Timothy 2:1-5 says, “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity-the man Christ Jesus.” Did you know that the goodness of God leads to repentance? In Hosea 3 the Word says that in the last days people will fear the Lord because of His GOODNESS! God wants to pour out His goodness, but I believe He uses our mouths, our actions, our lives to release that goodness. I’ll be honest here….I haven’t been a wellspring of blessing in my words about President Obama for the past 4 years. I’ve been in complete denial. I have not read about him in the news or watched any coverage of him until the last month. It was too painful. The justice inside of me struggled to process the reality of it all. But, I choose to repent of that attitude now. I choose to be who I say I am….a Believer. I choose to believe that God can finish what He started in this great nation. No matter what it looks like in the natural, God will cover this earth with His glory. It’s not time to bail out….it’s time to press in, and bring heaven down to earth. We are here to partner WITH God. That means what we speak is critical. He created everything with His WORDS. We will create an atmosphere of blessing, or cursing with our words as well. Let’s release words of life….not fear, slander, doom and gloom and the like. Let’s rise above this and not be suckered into that trap. He has given us all authority as believers to release the kingdom of God into the earth.
James 3:8-10 says, “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.”Exodus 22:28 says, “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.” Ecclesiastes 10:20 says, “Do not curse the king, even in your thought”.
Jesus was not moved by a political spirit. He was moved with compassion. His motivation towards action came through His intimacy with the Father. His food and drink were to do the will of the Father. He is the Bread of Life. Our very inheritance is the healing bread of God. When we eat of His Bread and drink of His Spirit, we release His Life into a world starved of truth and compassion.
What if we are withholding the very blessing of God, by the contradiction of our words and actions in contrast to His Word in action? Are we being doers of the Word in thought, word and deed? Let’s use these next 4 years as an opportunity to live out the faith we so desperately hold fast to. What is heaven declaring over America? Ask the Lord, and then release those words into the atmosphere. His dream for this nation is surely greater than our own.
I’m challenged to look at my own perspectives. Are we more concerned with establishing the Kingdom of God, or the kingdom of America? Just a thought….
Leave a comment