Paul reminds us that battles rage all around us whether we are aware or not. Just like most civilians are ignorant of the casualties and messiness of war in another country, so most people are easily unaware of the spiritual battles that take place on a daily basis. One such battle was waged last week on the political stage. While I am thankful that President Trump won, I do not believe that he is our Savior. I am also thankful that Vice President Harris will not be able to carry out her policies over the next four years, but I do not believe she is the enemy. Neither candidate has the ability to serve as our country’s moral compass. That privilege is reserved solely for the Church.
I see two dangers on the horizon that I believe we need to be aware of. One is complacency. Republicans fought a battle and won. The temptation will be for the Christians in the party to sit back and let the system do the work. Democrats fought equally hard. For Christians, the temptation will be to become bitter and disconnected.
Listen to me clearly, neither of these political parties will be in Heaven. Jesus doesn’t have a MAGA hat or a Harris shirt. I don’t think He was biting his nails last Tuesday night. Do politics matter? Absolutely. But only in the sense that everyone doing their job matters. Government is tasked with keeping the peace and setting the boundaries. And in our particular form of government, elected officials are the servants of the nation, not the other way around. They don’t exist for us to exalt, praise, worship or pray to. Complacency and bitterness happen when we exalt our leaders, believing they create a small version of Heaven on earth for us to enjoy. This simply isn’t the case.
The second danger I see on the horizon is what I’ll call a super confidence. This is primarily aimed at the victorious party. There will be a temptation for Christians to shout “Git ‘er Done, son!” and rub future party victories in the face of anyone who disagrees with them.
Again, listen clearly, pride and arrogance have no place in the believer’s makeup. Christians have no room whatsoever to shout, gloat, gleam or hold anything over anyone’s head. Our charge is to make disciples and that has nothing whatsoever to do with a political party. Yes, vote. Please vote, but don’t do it vindictively. Pray for our leaders. Please pray, but don’t do it manipulatively. Engage politically as the Lord leads you. But do not engage with an agenda of tearing someone else down. Engage with the intent of building all of us up.
The enemy we are fighting does not wear blue or red. We know full well what this enemy army looks like. We are very familiar with the destruction it brings. We’ve seen them scale the most impenetrable walls and enter houses with the tightest security. We’ve all watched as the enemy has soured our culture, poisoned our media, twisted the best minds in education, robbed us of our babies and made marriage the laughingstock of our nation. We’ve watched as the enemy has run roughshod over faithful households, trampling couples and their children in the dust. We’ve watched as what was once good is now called evil and what was once evil is now called good. We watch and lament. What can we DO? Our hope isn’t in politics. The culture is evil. It won’t be changed by a vote. Our hope isn’t in the judicial system. Our evil culture won’t be changed by a legal system, no matter how air tight it may be. This culture won’t be shaped by protests or boycotts, clever media or sharply worded billboards. The only hope we have of change, real heart and life change in this culture lies solely in the church.
How do you respond to this? Anger isn’t from the Lord and is possibly a signal you have some heart work to do. Bitterness is evidence you need to forgive and let go of past hurts. Arrogance is the fruit of pride and will utterly destroy you and all those connected with you. Envy and jealousy will lead you to miss all the good happening right in front of you while you wait for party lines to shift. I don’t in the least expect people who don’t know Jesus to see any truth in these words. But I do completely expect Christ followers to heed not just the truth found here but, much more so, the truth found in the Word. Jesus is our one and only King. Presidents come and go. They ultimately die. Jesus lives forever. Be careful who you worship.