Nov 2, 2022
As Christians we are rightly concerned about the direction this nation is going and the leaders who are pulling this country away from God. However, this country is a democracy, and we the people are the ones who elected these leaders, and they were chosen out of the people of this country. Therefore, changing the leaders in an election will not change this nation if the hearts of the people are not changed. The true change to this nation will occur when we turn loose the power of God and turn the hearts of the people to the Lord.
Show Notes: We have the privilege in America to cast our ballot and make our choice for those who will be in elected office, and it is important that we continue to exercise this right. Obviously, the individuals we elect will have an impact on the future of this nation. However, we need to understand our role as Christians in the political process. There is a great deal of confusion about this right now. Should we as believers run for office? Should we try to elect believers to office? Should we work through the political process to make the United States a Christian nation? I believe the Scriptures give us insight into how to change a nation and its leaders. And it is not through elections.
The eighteenth chapter of 1 Kings contains a story of Elijah at a time when national leaders were pulling Israel away from following God, similar to what we see happening in our country today. Elijah’s solution was to gather all Israel together at Mount Carmel and stage a contest between himself and the prophets of Baal. By this he was not attempting to change the leadership of Israel. He was attempting to turn the hearts of the people of Israel back to the Lord. When that happened the corrupt leadership of Ahab and Jezebel was dealt with, and the nation was changed.
If we really want to change our elected officials, then we should follow Elijah’s example. The very fact that people say, “I would vote, but there are no good candidates” points to the root of the problem. It should not be impossible to find candidates within the majority of this nation who are serving God and walking with the Lord. The reality is that we the people need to change. Elijah changed the people of Israel by being the servant of God and turning loose the power of God. And when we as individuals are led by the Spirit of God and are serving the Lord with all our hearts, only then will we see the authority, the power, and the miracles we need to turn people’s hearts back to the Lord.
Key Verses:
- 1 King's 18:17-19. “Gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel.”
- 1 Kings 18:30-37. “O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God.”
Quotes:
- “It goes from the bottom up. And the bottom is from the bottom of our heart, serving the Lord, doing His will, following His commandments, living the life He has directed us to live in following the Scriptures. These are the things that really will bring change.”
- “Elijah recognized what was important. If he was going to see Israel turn and see something different transpire than what was going on in the nation at that time, he recognized he needed to have the hearts of the people changed.”
- “Just trying to bring a change of leadership is not going to bring the change to this nation that is really needed. We have to see a change of heart in this nation before we will truly see a change in the government of this nation.”
Takeaways:
- Through Elijah on Mount Carmel, the heart of all Israel was changed. Out of this change, Ahab and Jezebel were dealt with, and there came a change to the nation of Israel. But the change to the nation did not come from the head of the government down. It came from the heart of the people up.
- It is important that we vote, that we make our opinions known about laws and issues on the ballot. But if we only look to those things as the way of changing this country, we will not succeed. The change must begin in the hearts of believers, who then reach out and touch the people of this nation and see their hearts turned to God.
- These elections will have a tremendous impact on our immediate future and the future of this country. But the greatest impact upon this nation, and every other nation for that matter, is the personal choice that each individual must make. Simply stated, that choice is whether or not you will worship and serve the God of creation and His King Messiah who will reign as Sovereign over this world.