Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.
 From heaven, the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.
The Content of Our Character

As in previous election years, people are frustrated with the rhetoric, the bickering, the name calling, the lies, and the hypocrisy which have driven the 2016 Presidential race.

Both candidates continue to tear down the character and reputations of the other, questioning their motives, intelligence, trustworthiness, morality, and leadership abilities.

Most people feel forced into choosing between a lesser of two evils.

But it has been said, that every four years, God holds a mirror up to the United States.

That which is reflected back to Him, the character, attitude, and behavior of the people, that is the leader He gives us.

Think about that.

Our next president will be God’s judgment of us; His verdict on the content of our character.

So when we judge these candidates for lying, discriminating, slander, adultery, lack of compassion, hatred, bigotry and corruption, we stand in judgment on ourselves, because we do the same things.

They are us, and we are them.

As the Lord looks down and sees all mankind, holding His holy mirror up to our nation, it is evident to Him that we do not have the love of God in our hearts.

Our hearts and minds are set on the things of this world.

God is not our Lord.

We are mastered by the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

We want what we want, and we want it now.

One person clings in desperation to what they have, and the other demands that which they don’t.

Self-ism is the national religion, and we worship our gods in the mirror every morning, noon, and night.

“Jesus said, “I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in their own name, you will accept them.” – John 5:43

“They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world and the world listens to them.”- 1 John 4:5

Because there is very little knowledge of God’s character among the people, we do not understand His language, therefore we do not accept Him.

But our worldly leaders; those who come in their own name, speak our language, so we listen to them.

“They speak empty, boastful words, appealing to the lustful desires of so human nature, they entice people… They promise them freedom while they themselves are slaves of depravity.” -2 Peter 2:18-19

They tell us what we want to hear, for their words reflect our hearts; our character; our self-focused desire; our true selves.

We vote for and support that which we identify with; that which walks, talks, and acts as we do.

So why are we frustrated?

Why do we demand a candidate of strong character and compassion, trustworthy, loving, and kind, when we do not reflect those qualities ourselves?

You may read this and say that I am wrong.

You may say that most people are generally “good”, but our actions and our speech prove otherwise.

Simply look to any number of profanity-laden, hate-filled rants, arguments, and memes on Facebook and Twitter to confirm this with absolute certainty.

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength, it cannot save.
The Source of Our Strength

One candidate has stated: “I alone can fix it.”

The other has said,“We have to decide if we are going to all work together so that we will all rise together.”

The idea is that through unity and human solidarity, we as Americans, will rise and win, based on our own human effort; our own strength.

It was also stated: “We must place our faith in each other.”

But if we place our faith in each other, we will fail.

Solidarity, apart from God, will not save us.

“Yes We Can”, only holds true when we are with God.

Although we have deceived ourselves into believing otherwise, we are not the source of our own strength.

Our hope does not rest on the shoulders of any one man or woman acting apart from God’s power.

We are only “stronger together” when we stand with God; when we are with Him, standing united on the foundation of Jesus Christ.

If God is for us who can be against us, but if we are against God, what hope do we have?

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
The Hope For Our Nation

In the Book of Jonah, we are told of a city reflective of our nation.

One that “did not know it’s right hand from its left.”

The city of Nineveh was a depraved society, driven by self-focus and consumption; a people who collectively had no love for God.

Yet, in His mercy and compassion, God sent Jonah to warn them of the coming wrath and to tell them to turn away from their evil; to turn from depending upon themselves, and turn to dependence on God.

Then something supernatural happened: They listened.

“ The Ninevites believed God.  A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.”

“From the greatest to the least.”

Everyone unified, their hearts and minds set on the Lord, and not the things of this world.

That is when unity prevails; that is when we are truly “stronger together.”

For when the people believed God, and acted on that belief, they became a reflection of Jesus.

Then, when word of Jonah’s warning and the response of the people made it to the king, the king became a reflection of the people.

For when he heard of the people’s repentance, “he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 

This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:

“By the decree of the king and his nobles:

Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

God is searching for the man and the woman who fears him; who rests in the promises of God and not human wisdom.

He searches for the person who will have the courage to stand before the people and glorify God, not congratulate themselves.

One who will testify to God’s accomplishments and not their own.

A person who will believe God, and act according to that faith.

When God finds a people like that, His mercy abounds, for we are told:

“When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.”

We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him, our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.

This is the hope.

This is the promise.

“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”- 2 Chronicles 7:14

This is God’s solution.

Do we believe this?

Will we accept Jesus when He comes in His Father’s name, or will we listen to flawed human beings who come in their own names?

We must decide.

Are we truly concerned for the future of our children and our communities?

If we want a leader who is Christ-centered, compassionate, and trustworthy, then we must first become that.

We have to be willing to look in the mirror and conduct an honest self-examination.

Ask the lord to allow you to see yourself with His eyes, because if our leaders are a reflection of us, we must be willing to change our own reflection.

As my wife always tells me, ”Change your face.”

If we desire compassion, we must become compassionate.

If we desire mercy, we must be merciful.

If we desire respect, we must give respect.

If we desire honesty, we must be trustworthy.

If we desire forgiveness, we must be forgiving.

If we desire to hear kind words and not hateful slanderous speech, then we must control our tongues and speak words of love and encouragement and not hate.

When God holds the mirror up to our nation, we must reflect back to Him a society humbled and fully surrendered to the Lord.

He must see us as a people who are not fighting for our own rights; the freedom to do what we want, but spending the freedom which God has given us, to do what we ought.

My hope does not rest in the empty promises from the mouths of men and women.

My hope is in Jesus Christ.

He is the source of my strength.

I’m not with a political party.

I’m not with Donald Trump.

I’m not with Hillary; I’m not with “her.”

I’m with HIM.

I’m with Jesus Christ; our only hope in 2016 and through eternity.

If God is for us, who can be against us, but If we are against God, what hope do we have?

 Repent Believe Persevere