“When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, “Are You for us or for our enemies? ” “Neither,” He replied. “I have now come as commander of the Lord’s army.” Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in worship and asked Him, “What does my Lord want to say to His servant? ”” Joshua 5:13-14 HCSB
Every election the question is which candidate or party should we vote? As Christians, we try to figure out which candidate is like us and holds our values. Most of the time people ask the same thing – “who is the lesser of two evils.” Of course, in order to win Christians most candidates will say they are Christian or they go to church. We look for any evidence that the candidates are Christian either by their testimony or their lifestyle.
The policies of Democrats and Republicans have drastically changed over the years and both sides have become polarized. Democrats have taken a more liberal stance and much of their platform does not match with our Christian values and the word of God. So for many Christians it is obvious the Democratic Party and the Democratic candidates are associated with evil and promoting a satanic agenda. The Republicans are more conservative and much of their platform would align with the values of Christians, so they are usually seen as more favorable to Christians. However, over the years both parties have shown they are not the ideal party when it comes to the church. No party has a monopoly on justice and righteousness. Yet there is still this desire to showcase God’s chosen party or candidate.
For example, many Christians have used the gift of prophesy to declare God’s chosen candidate. Many of these prophesies have conflicts with each other and even created confusion as to what God desires. We have allowed the gift of prophesy to be used in the same way as sooth sayers predict the future. We are using the gift of prophesy to justify our views and support. When the prophesy is wrong there is mostly silence.
An example of this was in 2016. There were prophetic words that were put out that Obama would not give up the presidency and find a way to stay president. There were also prophetic words that said Trump would win which he did. Yet in 2020 when the prophesies of Trump winning did not come to pass, some prophets double down and tried to convince people that he was still going to be sworn in as president in 2021. The point is we are trying to convince people that God has chosen a candidate instead of using the gifts in their proper context.
Now we have a choice before us as always – which candidate do we vote for in this election? Which candidate do we believe God has chosen? This is not the right question. If we look to the Bible we can see what is a priority to God.
When Joshua was going to go to Jericho to fight, he encountered The Commander of the Lord’s Army. We know that this person was actually Jesus because Joshua worshiped Him and He received Joshua’s worship. Angels would not allow men to worship them. Joshua ask the question if Jesus was for them or for their enemy? Jesus had His sword drawn. He answered Joshua by saying “neither”. Actually, Joshua asked the wrong question. Jesus was there to lead and represent the will and purpose of God the Father. Just as He always did. He was to command the Lord’s army. The question is was Joshua on the Lord’s side? After worshipping Jesus, Joshua was given instruction on how to attack Jericho. Joshua followed the instructions and the children of Israel were victorious.
We have to remember that our battle is not with flesh and blood. We have been given authority over all demonic powers. So our fight is not with men but against strongholds and principalities. There are dark forces at work seeking to divide and destroy our nation. This is where our battle lies. So when we see issues that are contrary to the will and purpose of God, voting is not enough. No matter who wins we still have those strongholds and principalities to deal with. Hopefully, this election will bring the church together and we will get on our knees and pray.
Reflections 