(Excerpt from 2025 future release of the book:
Courageous Love: How a Spiritually Renewed Citizenship will Restore America©)

I always think people understand their responsibilities as Christians, citizens, and ambassadors for Christ more than they actually do, and with that assumption that they probably also can tap into the power of the Holy Spirit. This would be one of those charitable assumptions that I previously and mistakenly overused. This goes hand-in-hand with a related weakness that I used to have as it relates to evil. I used to not think that people were evil, and that nobody would purposefully harm someone for the sake of sport (winning), or for money, relationships, power, or control because these are not things that I value to any extent. It’s the spiritual things that actually matter. After all, we are in a spiritual war, so succumbing to one’s own personality flaws to purposefully harm people, destroy a person’s career, or gain public notoriety to feed an insatiable ego is the epitome of being spiritually manipulated.

Using any of the currencies of Satan and the dominion of darkness feeds the machine of evil influence and brings energy to the spiritual forces of darkness in the heavenly realms. As we approach a Presidential election this coming November (today is 2024 Presidential Debate #1 minus 5 days), I anticipate that people will begin to figure out both who they will cast their vote for and also will become more spun-up about why people would ever think about casting their vote for someone else. That’s the nature of The Great American Backslide and Our Silent Partnership with Darkness^©[1]. It causes us to forget our responsibilities as citizens, one of which is to work within the amazing systems that were designed for our own good and the governance of our nation. Our citizenship responsibilities have almost been entirely squashed by our partisanship. Furthermore, our governmental leadership has taught us nothing about stewardship except what not to do. But that’s not all.

When a President disregards God’s Word and condemns individual servants working within the confines of our governing structures for the good of our country, acts in an unprofessional and degrading manner, and actively promotes a dark agenda that will further separate our nation from God, we have much more than an individual problem of spiritual warfare. Should this person be leading our country? Yet, that’s not the problem. This observation should not give us license to do as they do. What do they do? They possess a misdirected and personal focus, and so it goes sometimes for Christians as well. A self-centered focus is not taking up the cross of Christ, it is taking up the cross of me. Let me give you a couple of examples. There are two courageous love ideas that I can give you that will provide you great comfort as a Christian while we enter the crazy election season we are now already in.

• 1. Think bigger spiritually. It’s not about you and the personal spiritual battle you are dealing with. Yes, the spiritual battleground of the mind is a difficult burden and Satan is on the offensive with a plan to destroy you because you are a citizen of heaven. Make no mistake, he does have a plan of opposition against you. But also know this, he has much greater plans to destroy America. Although that outcome is virtually guaranteed, what spiritual battleground is of greater importance if you already know where you are eventually going for all of eternity, yours or our country’s? Satan will render you personally ineffective toward the greater assignment that would actually fulfill part of God’s plan of service for you. A service focused on community, and one conducted in salt, light, and love while navigating in a morally corrupted nation. God’s perfect plan for you will allow you to become a citizen of excellence in a nation you probably have a lot of difficulty relating to right now brothers and sisters. That is just Satan trying to keep your eyes off the prize. Pay it no attention.
• 2. Now think even bigger picture than that. (Maybe that’s thinking ‘bigly’ to repeat a phrase. I don’t know.) What I do know is when we think of much greater things than this carnal world and how we personally interact with it, we begin to see the greater spiritual war happening all around us. A fiery war of the dominion of darkness and millions of Satan’s fallen angels against the grace that God has provided this great nation, and for which we sometimes contribute extra fuel. So, what shall we do? Understand the Lord’s yoke is limitless, so don’t have a puny God who you believe does not have everything under His complete and total control. He is sovereign, you’re not in control. You’re not God.

As a Christian, understanding the sovereignty of God is the most comforting thing to carry in your heart with you at all times in what the Bible calls a crooked generation. Thinking even bigger is about tapping into the power of the Holy Spirit which shifts your focus to others’ needs and also realizes God has it all.

Point one above gives you the attitude of Christ. In his ministry on this earth, it was never about Him and your focus should almost never be about you. He will take care of you. Point two above is this: God “elects” the President of the United States not you! If you know God’s Word you understand first and foremost, He is in control and will take it where it needs to go. He is the God of love, justice, mercy, and grace. But understand that excellence in citizenship is contributing to the direction of this nation by voting and voting for the values you believe reflect those godly values and characteristics that go beyond the personal and will result in the greatest good for our country. So, after the vote, when all is said and done, and if your preference has not been chosen by God to lead our country, read these verses very carefully:

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. (Romans 13:1-2, NKJV)

Then pray and ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Then tap into the power of the Holy Spirit. Then read it again. Then wake up when the election results are final and consider this simplified translation/interpretation of the Romans 13 verses above: God appoints the President and provides him/her certain authority to ensure God’s will is done for America. This may either restrict or expand what we carnally think his/her powers should be. We will not understand the bad decisions, comments, motives/intents, and situations we see and interpret at face value. What appear to be poor leadership decisions are actually God’s good decisions and reflect His will and plans. God provides all spiritual authorities to every being, and he controls where the world goes. Because God is inscrutable, we may not necessarily be able to see where He is taking it because He has greater intentions that we cannot comprehend. God’s will for America and this world is far too complex for our puny minds to comprehend. He is too merciful, too just, too faithful, and too graceful for human understanding. We will see it when we are glorified.

After you contemplate that, then consider praying this: Dear Lord, you are an awesome God. I pray for our nation and that we will return to you. Thank you for our country and the freedoms you have given us to worship you. I thank you for the fruit of the Spirit in the peace and joy that I have as a result of trusting in you to appoint the people and the authorities that serve your good purposes. I do not worry, I accept your will, I provide you my unrestricted and limitless vote of confidence, for I know you got this Almighty Father. In this I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

[1] https://awaken2024.com/home/the-great-american-backslide/