WHAT CHRISTIANS MUST DO THIS ELECTION SEASON:

Wednesday night 19 Oct. 2016, many watched the third – and final – USA presidential debate. Americans are more divided than ever before. And at the center of this controversy are the candidates themselves - the Republican nominee Donald Trump and the Democratic contender Hillary Clinton. Allegations of sexual misconduct; 33,000 deleted emails; claims of "election rigging,” and the material just keeps coming. Inundated with electoral politics, many Bible-believers are expressing confusion, frustration, and uncertainty about what to do on 8 Nov. Sadly, the nominees of both major parties present significant challenges for anyone committed to voting according to biblical values. We must pray that God will act in and through this election cycle. Only He can redirect the badness of our situation toward good ends. Only He could make something beautiful from the ugliness of this moment in our national history.

Adding to that difficulty is the fact that the stakes in this election are incredibly high. There’s legitimate concern over the composition of the Supreme Court as well as the rapidly increasing social and cultural rot of our nation. As we battle back and forth over the political situation, it’s easy to forget the importance of prayer. When we turn to God in prayer, we are asking Him to give us wisdom - a rare commodity in the current election cycle. As the people of God grapple with whom to vote for next month we stand in desperate need of such a gift. James 1:5 tells us: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." You never know: God might act in a surprising way in response to our prayers. He may bestow unexpected blessings or bring forth unanticipated outcomes during this contentious season. If we have any real concern for our nation, the one thing we must do is pray. The dire nature of the situation - two deeply flawed presidential candidates, social unrest, rampant injustice, disintegrating political parties, and divided Christian communities - should be more than enough to bring us to our knees, exactly where we’ll be if we possess any true concern for the future of America. (Fox) "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” 1 Tim: 1-2