The election for the President of the United States will be settled shortly.
Many have said that the two candidates are the most disliked candidates in history. They both have very high negative ratings, as well as devoted followings.
As I watch the news, I laugh when I see the hypocrisy of the media.
The other day, I watched a show that made the first segment about the controversy surrounding accusations of improper behavior by Donald Trump.
The second segment questioned Hilary Clinton’s integrity and hypocrisy through all the WikiLeaks.
The final segment focused on the dirty campaign, and accusations asserted against each other, rather than dealing with the real issues.
I thought to myself, “Do they not know they are the driving force behind what is debated?” or “Do they think we are so simple that we won’t know what they are doing?”
The media wants ratings—and controversy is the best way to get it. The majority of Americans no longer trust the media to give them factual or unbiased news.
It will be interesting to see what the turnout is for this election.
With all that said, this election provides very different views of the future of our country.
I believe all Christians should prayerfully consider who they will vote for, and be very careful to not be influenced by the noise around us, but answer the inner call to follow God and His word.
Where Will You Find Guidance?
Many Christians are very concerned about the direction of our nation. We are definitely being pulled into a secular, non-Christian society.
Our country has never had an official religion, since we learned from history the bad outcome of a country influenced by one particular church. This is not good for the country or the church.
However, even though we all have different Christian traditions, Christianity has always been the fiber of American culture and society.
In fact, Christianity formed an overriding guidance that has kept us from simply living for self-centered purposes. We are moving into a time when there will be no moral compass bigger than ourselves as our guide. Without guidance from above, we will become a people guided by personal desires and passions, with each individual defining life from their personal desire.
In our Bill of Rights, we are given the freedom for “the pursuit of happiness.” This pursuit has been good for our country, as it was under the confines of a morality above us setting the perimeters.
Will the pursuit of happiness be good if it comes at the expense of others, or society as a whole? The answer for most people is, “Of course not,” but what is the basis for that limitation?
This election is a good example of what will happen. Rather than being guided by principles, we will be caught up in an anything goes society, where issues are settled through power groups trying to exert their influence, rather than through persuasive arguments based on principles that we all aspire to achieve.
God Help Us Find Your Way
As we continue to move in this direction, I am convinced that we should not only live by principles that are above us; we need to see God above us too. My prayer to Him is, “Oh God have mercy on us that we will find your way.” My word to the Christian church is: we should know that ultimately, our God reigns in the affairs of men. In the end, our confidence must be in His reign. We also need to remind ourselves that His ways are not our ways! One thing the scripture tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2 is that sometimes God takes restraint off of mankind to reveal motives and evil intentions. When evil is exposed, He will then destroy it with the “brightness of His coming.”
As we move into this time, we, as Christians, must not lose our cool and think the forces of evil will win. We must prepare ourselves for God’s end game. We must not become so overly concerned with the behavior of others that we forget the only behavior we can really control is our own!
I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:18-20
The Rev. Loren Covarrubias is pastor of Mt. Zion.