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This election season is already proving to be one of the most combative in our lifetime. We have had just a small taste of the uncivil war of words to come. In an effort to avoid becoming part of the problem and to honor God with our speech, we may need a few guidelines. What better place to look for guidelines than in God’s Word?
Guideline #1 Trust in the Lord.
“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Psalm 37:3-6
Guideline 2: Be patient.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.” Psalm 37:7-9
Guideline 3: Seek the truth.
“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
Philippians 4:8b (NLT)
“O Lord, listen to my cry; give me the discerning mind you promised.” Psalm 119:169
To understand what another person is saying, you must assume that it is true and try to imagine what it could be true of. — George Miller
Watch out for words like all, every, none, or nothing. “Remember, all generalizations are false, including this one.” — Mark Twain
Guideline 4: Choose your words carefully.
We know families that have been ripped apart by arguments about the election. If you are drawn into political discussions with family members, let the following Scriptures be your guide:
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. James 1:19
“When you talk, do not say harmful things. But say what people need—words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will help those who listen to you.” Ephesians 4:29 (ICB)
“Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”
Proverbs 16:24b (NIV)
“Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.” Proverbs 17:28
Guideline 5: Remember: God is in charge.
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21
Guideline 6: Pray those we elect to be our leaders will observe Guidelines 1-5!
You may be thinking, “That will take a miracle!”
Aletha Scott Mallory, a pastor in Georgia, reminds us, “The word impossible doesn’t exist in God’s vocabulary.”
“’Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.’”
Matthew 19:26b
Blessings,
Don & Bonnie Sennott
Authors of Your Heart is an Open Book: Finding Answers in God’s Word,
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Because He Loves Us Press 