With everything going on in our country, Spirit-filled believers must view things through the lens of faith. And who better to help us learn that than evangelist Kenneth Copeland? Throughout the years, Copeland has been well-known for his powerful teachings on faith.
I was honored to have Copeland on my “Strang Report” podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network to shed some light on what’s truly going on in our country from a spiritual perspective. I found his words to be so encouraging and timely that I wrote about our interview in my “Perspective” column in Charisma‘s December issue. (Click here to purchase your own copy of that issue if you haven’t already.)
Copeland said we must remember that “this country belongs to Jesus and was formed by people who loved Him with the very purpose of worshipping Him and worshipping our heavenly Father.”
Our nation is on the brink of forgetting this vital truth, he says. God has His hand on the United States for a reason. Copeland calls our nation the “cradle of the gospel,” and because of that, Satan is doing everything he can to destroy it.
“I believe with all my heart that this nation is being reborn,” Copeland says. “All this trouble, this hatred and stuff going on—these are just symptoms. What else would you expect out of the devil?”
But rebirth is not an easy experience. As our country is being reborn, we are experiencing birth pangs in the form of unrest, division and animosity against biblical values.
Another analogy Copeland uses for the state our nation is in is war. God is in charge, and we will win the war—we can stand firm on that promise. But Christians who take that promise as an excuse to sit idly by and watch the culture wars unfold are not walking in obedience to their faith.
“Even though we know we win the war, we have to fight to fight,” he says. “Faith is never just sitting down. Faith without corresponding action is dead. … If there’s a good fight of faith, that means there are enemies to faith. Now, we don’t look at people. We look at the spirit realm. We wrestle not with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness of this world and the wicked spirits in the heavens.”
Therefore, Copeland says, we must pray and intercede. We must cry out to God on behalf of our leaders, especially Donald Trump and Mike Pence.
I interviewed Copeland for my new book, God, Trump and the 2020 Election, which releases in January. He recalls praying for Trump a month after he announced he was running for president. He was among the group of pastors who gathered to pray over Trump. He placed his hand on Trump’s back and, without realizing how prophetic that moment was, began praying for God to fill the future president with wisdom. How could he have known just how crucial that prayer would be?
Copeland was also among those who attended a state dinner at the White House. He told me during a prior podcast interview that the event was like a “really anointed church service.”
But Christians can’t expect our prayers to make much of a difference if we refuse to vote. In fact, Christians who don’t vote should just stay silent the next four years, Copeland says. “Pray. Put your money where your mouth is. Support the candidates. Get on the telephone and get people registered to vote.
“Start something in your church where you get people ready. Everybody in your church ought to be registered to vote—every one of them. Pastors, do something about it! Get over this business of not being able to talk politics in church. Thank God that because of Donald Trump, you can get up there and say whatever you want to!
“If you don’t vote, you automatically voted against the will of God. You have to think about that. That ballot is your seed. Even if you vote for the wrong [person], if you believe you’re following God, then that ballot is your seed, and you did it before Him—whichever side you voted for.”
If Christians take this approach, Copeland believes God will move in the hearts of His people across the U.S. to vote in ways we haven’t seen before.
Don’t stop with just voting yourself. Make sure others vote. Share biblical voting advice on your social media pages. Talk about political issues from a biblical perspective wherever you go. Be a good representation of Jesus and how He would approach politics in our day.
Hear more about this topic by listening to today’s episode on my podcast. {eoa}
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