ELECTION LESSONS

Lessons Learned During Conflict

I want to say from the get go that this is a thread of sorts. I will be adding to it as God teaches me the lessons I need to learn through out this election. It will lengthen as the process continues. I’ve said numerous times that God never wastes a trial and because God has placed this teaching mantle upon me, I want to share what I am learning.

This will be a “live process” of sorts.  What I mean by that is that I will be adding to it as I learn. It may be rough and course at times. Trust me it’s not meant to be. It’s a digital diary journey of this season in my life.  I’ve learned if I don’t write it down I lose it. So with that being said… let’s hit it. 

Whether on the democratic side or the republican side, let’s just be honest and say it’s been a fiasco. Numerous stories of how God works and His direction for daily life have been swirling in my head during this time of uncertainty. This statement will not be something you’re not aware of we are divided.

 We knew Democrats and Republicans were divided but now I am seeing how believers are divided as well.  Many will not vote for one candidate because of their stance on abortion while some won’t vote for another candidate for character issues. I am seeing these divides not only “in the world” but “in the church”.  

Can I say with all the boldness that a keyboard will give me?

BEWARE !!!  

Church, “here comes my southern momma voice”…be careful. Be very careful !!!

You’ll see this thought thread through this entire “live diary”.  Back your “holy truck up” and your “political tail” up!  

Guarding our testimony is at stake.

Guarding the unity of the faith is at stake.  

While we guard the unity of the “republic”…which I am all for…..we are losing our testimony left and right.   Don’t get mad at me….I’m asking you to do some soul searching as the Holy Spirit has been asking me.  I pray you are able to glean some Jesus wisdom from it even while standing for what you sense is a worthy cause.  

The call to be salt and light is upon us.  While light exposes darkness, salt agitates it.  Salt exposes it if you will. To a world that isn’t interested in hearing about your God or your political stance, dumping salt into a gapping wound is hard.

 Is it needed? Sure!  

All I am saying is that we need to be wise. In a time where everyone is dying “literally”to be heard, please be wise. You can speak with clarity without demoralizing. If your point of view brings out hatred and discourse from your lips, keep them shut.  Jesus was the best at this.  He brought sin to the forefront without demoralizing those He ministered to. Can we say that?  Did Jesus make waves?  He sure did and the religious people hung Him for it. Know what you signed up for but Jesus didn’t respond they way we are responding.  Jesus did it without sin.  

The flesh loves to be right. The flesh loves to be seen so remember that when you are fighting for your position to be heard.

It’s not always the Christian thing to do.. is all I’m saying. Often times, Jesus kept quiet. 

2 Chronicles 7:14 has been a scripture that God has red-flagged in my spirit during this season. We love to spout that scripture tells us to pray, humble ourselves and seek Him. The accountability is in the next phrase of that verse.  The next phrase says, “turn from your wicked ways”. For if we pray, humble ourselves and truly seek Him then turning from our wicked ways will be the by-product of the first three instructions. The proof is in the pudding as they used to say. These spiritual steps help us focus on the sin within not the sin without.  Whether you profess the name of Christ or not everyone wants this land healed.  There is a process and it’s outlined in the world of God. It can’t be much plainer my friend. 

The division is palatable.

Division is the stench of the United States air supply.  

It’s not a democrat issue.

It’s not a republican issue.

It’s a sin issue.

It’s a pride issue.

It’s a selfishness issue.

It’s a power hunger issue.

Our land is broken because of sin, plain and simple yet we neglect the first things: praying, humbling ourselves, seeking Him (not a political party affiliation), and turning from…. OUR wicked way.  Again, I’m not preaching at you, this is how God is having my process where I am in this season of life and honestly this is good wisdom for everyday of our lives. 

Matthew 26 is the American way of life.

When we don’t like this or that, we go to war.

We blow up. Even Christians, like Peter, we respond in the flesh…and can I say it’s vomitus.  

It’s hard keeping your mouth shut.

It’s hard not retaliating.

It’s difficult to bite your tongue.

It’s pretty much impossible not to want to grab your sword when someone goes against your God.  

We have lots of Political Peters right now.  

When we feel like our God is challenged, we immediately pull out the sword yet Jesus quickly shuts that type of action down.

In our eagerness to stand for truth and justice (as we should) we grab a sword in our attempt to curve what we believe is the sovereign will of God in situations.

Can I say, it’s just not always our call?  

How we respond when the chips start falling better be as Christ would have us respond.  I’m not sure it always is….  

The long game is there is a lost world to be won!!  Eternal lives hang in the balance as they watch us war. 

Does anyone find it difficult to crucify their flesh? Yet the Bible says tons about it. Let’s just delve there a smidge.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will NOT gratify the desires of the flesh. -Galatians 5:16  

Now the works of the flesh are evident, sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. -Galatians 5: 19-21    

We know that our old self was crucified with Him I order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. -Romans 6:6

ONE MORE….  

For those who live according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, set their minds on the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:5

Are we responding out of our flesh or the Spirit?

 Don’t let your accountability slide under the flag of standing for what is right.  

If scripture bears it wrong then you and I my friend, are in sin. 

God is reminding me over and over and over that everyone I meet has a story.

They have hurts, wounds and triggers that come flowing out when troubled times come. Often times folks erupt during tough times because they feel they are not being heard so the conversation ramps up. People are lonely. People are hurting.  We are more connected now yet so disconnected from the heart of others. 

It’s easy to swallow this as we process it exteriorly but what about interiorly?  We can see it in others but can we see it in ourselves?   You and I both have hurts that come from years of treatment that affect how we process and see conflict.

The long and short of it is how we see it isn’t always the way it is.

How others see it isn’t always the way it is.  We see through who we are!  Sometimes God has to get us to weed through the internal workings of who we are before we can help others.  

I am processing that often times, my brokenness skews how I address conflict …and that’s a sucker punch to the gut.  My issues so affect how I respond that my issues speak louder than the God of my heart does.  

Man!  It stinks doesn’t it?  

Sometimes God gives me something to share and more pours out as I begin to type.

THIS JUST DID…..  

Oh, how I want God to spill out not the issues of my broken heart… of my calloused heart…of my “cocooned” heart.  

Anybody see what I’m stepping in?  Our brokenness ramps up the conflict! We believe we are responding to the conflict on the outside but we are responding to the conflict on the inside.    

God is working on me can you tell?  

I would love to hear how God has used this to mature you and take you back to reflect on how we battle in the day in which we live.  We are going to take a beating in this culture there is no doubt but oh God I want to battle in the Spirit not In the flesh.  

May we honor Him in the fight by fighting as one who bears His name. -Marni