Intro

This week I have run across numerous articles, blogs, and news stories where Christians are agonizing over which candidate to vote for in the upcoming election.  One individual in particular was in great distress, convinced that God was going to punish him if he chose incorrectly, yet confused because he could not find a righteous choice among his options.   While I was unable to locate scripture to support the idea of God waiting to call down wrath on us at the polls, I did find some passages that might help us address the elephant (and donkey) in the room.

Scripture

First, the Bible makes it clear that God already knows who is ordained to be our next leader.  In Daniel chapters 2 and 7 God gave Daniel visions of the world empires and leaders to come, and in particular Daniel tells us in verse 21 of chapter 2:

21 He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others.  He gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to the discerning.

Paul reinforces this point, and its ramifications for Christians, in Romans 13:1-7

1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. 6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

And it is clear God will have no trouble getting our next president to bend to His will and work to his plan based on both Psalm 33:10

10 The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

And Proverbs 21:1

1 Just as water is turned into irrigation ditches, so the Lord directs the king’s thoughts. He turns them wherever he wants to.

Revelation chapter 13 verses 3-7 make it clear that near the end there will be a single government, bent on evil, but even that is an ordained event:

3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. 4 People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation

And finally, the ultimate end is summed up nicely by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:23-24

23 But each in turn: Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.

Commentary

In school I studied both political science and macroeconomics, so I am as prone to having opinions on the merits of the candidates as anyone; however, I am trying to stay humble before God.  I will be praying, and then voting with a clear conscience and the peace that comes from knowing He has it all under control.

I recently read Dr. David Jeremiah’s excellent book Agents of Babylon, a study of the book of Daniel.  Dr. Jeremiah points out that without the Greek conquest of Alexander the Great, there would not have been sufficient literacy nor a common language for the spread of the Gospel.  In turn, the Roman Empire built the roadways necessary for the missionary journeys of the Apostles.  So on election night as results roll in I plan to celebrate, assured that His will for our nation is being realized regardless of the outcome!

I look forward to hearing your thoughts, please share.

Be blessed.

K

 

Intro

In business school I was taught that one way to make advertising more effective is to arouse powerful negative emotions- such as anger or fear- prior to showing an ad to a viewer.  This works by triggering responses which cause us to be particularly receptive to anything that might appear desirable, while greatly reducing the function of the part of our brain that processes judgement and discernment.  I am calling this first blog post “The Anger Trap” because our near constant exposure to media in the connected world, and their use of this psychological tactic, are something that we as Christians will have to navigate.

Scripture

In His Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5:21-24 Christ said the following:

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister[b][c] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’[d] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

The Apostle Paul weighed in on anger in Ephesians 4:26-27, & 29-31

26 “In your anger do not sin”[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

And also in Colossians 3:8

8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

And James states in James 1:19-20

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

Commentary

I had forgotten all about the correlation between anger and advertising until I experienced a life changing event.  I relocated, and in the process decided to go without cable television.  While living in Los Angeles I had been an avid watcher of cable news, but when I gave up cable and began to instead read my news I noticed something startling.  Not only was I getting a lot more factual information, but I was also thinking more clearly and feeling much less reactive to what I was learning.  I subsequently spent 4 months working out of state, began watching cable news again, and was stunned by how frequently the presentation of information was done in such a way as to arouse really strong negative reactions.  The deluge of advertising after these negative messages was noticeable; furthermore, I also noticed that the effects on my emotions and frame of mind lingered long after I switched off the TV.  This had a tendency to creep into my conversations, my social media posts, and my interactions in general.

Psychologists tell us that when we are angry, others are avoidant and less receptive to our messages- hardly a good foundation for sharing Christ with the world!  I am not attempting to suggest that watching the news is a sin; however, if you have not tried this experiment may I suggest a two-week “anger fast” whereby you carefully monitor your exposure to negativity via television and social media, and instead- following Paul’s advice in Philippians 4:8;

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts, please share.

Be blessed.

K