Influencers For Christ

Thanks be to God for directing leaders to lead people rightly. GOD IS speaking to them via circumstances. HE IS speaking to them via His Spirit. In the Bible, God spoke to leaders via dreams and via His servants the prophets and apostles, and even via His Son Jesus Christ. GOD IS speaking to leaders today.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He leads people to green pastures and still waters. He restores our soul. He leads us in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake. He gets us through the valleys where darkness and death dwells. He brings us to a banqueting table where there is an abundance of thirst quenching drink. His mercy and goodness preserve us. He is a leader who brings us into His house where we enjoy fellowship with Him. [1]

Sadly, individuals and nations do not emulate Jesus. In fact, they reject Jesus. They are proud. Self-confident! Ready to destroy dissenters! They enforce policies that enrich themselves and impoverish others. God, in His mercy, raises up prophets to confront them.

I marvel at how God’s prophets in the Bible confronted evil kings. Confrontation is not comfortable for me. I never know how it is going to end. Some prophets who spoke God’s Word to kings were persecuted and others were executed. The kings who heeded their voices were rare, but some did indeed listen to God and change course.

I prefer to work with teachable people. I prefer to sow God’s Word on good soil. With people who listen and appreciate my efforts! But who will redirect leaders who lead entire nations astray from Christ to lead rightly?

King David made petitions to the Lord, saying, “O, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just...” [2]

Praying for those in authority is a good place to start. The Lord tells us to do so. I wonder how many Christians pray individually and collectively for the leaders of nations each day.

“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. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.” [3]

God is aware of the wicked deeds people do to others. God opposes wickedness.

“God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” [4]

God is aware of nations that are bent on doing evil.

“The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; in the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.” “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten; the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.” [5]

God cares for the needy and poor. Neglecting to help them is a form of forgetting God because helping the poor and needy is what God does. Remembering them is godly.

“Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your sight. Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah” [6]

The good we people intend to do often is left undone. The bad we intend not to do gets done. [7] We need God to help us to do what is right or it won’t get done. Often we need a police car sitting on the side of the highway to get us to drive the speed limit. We, and our leaders also need God to give us strong reminders via His Word and circumstances to get us to do what is right. Thus, let us pray bold prayers that God will do whatever is necessary in our lives both individually and nationally to get us to do the right thing. Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to convict and empower us and our leaders to do God’s will.

“How can a man be righteous before God?” “Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?” “...Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’” “God will not withdraw His anger. The allies of the proud lie prostrate beneath Him.” [8]

If God withdraws His restraining hand from the devil, the devil can make a person and a nation so miserable that they WILL seek God for wisdom, understanding and for humility.

The devil robbed Job. Job was beaten and bruised. During that trial, Job recognized his need for a mediator between himself and God. Someone to stand with him before God. “Then I would speak and not fear Him....” [9]

Jesus Christ is the Mediator between God and man. He is the One who gave His life on the cross to atone for our sin. With our sin debt to God paid in full, the devil has no more legal claim against us. We plead the blood of Jesus sacrificed for our sins and know that JESUS has made us right with God. The blessings of God flow to individuals and nations who are right with God. [10]

Faith in Christ yields victories. Therefore, let us ask God to speak to us and help us and our leaders to act on His Word. Let us be willing like Isaiah to say to God, “Here am I, send me.” God wants to get leaders on the right path. “Who will go for us?” [11]

The Lord says that “faith without works is dead.” “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God.” [12]

I am asking, and I am believing God to use my life, and I pray that He will use yours as well, to redirect the life course of individuals and of nations to follow the example of our Good Shepherd Jesus. God says, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” Let us trust that His goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives, and when this earthly work day is over, we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. [13]

[1] Psalm 23
[2] Psalm 7:9
[3] 1 Timothy 2:1-3
[4] Psalm 7:11
[5] Psalm 9:15, 17-18
[6] Psalm 9:19-20
[7] Romans 7:21-25
[8] Job 9:2, 4, 12-13
[9] Job 9:33-35
[10] 1 Timothy 2:5; Job 19:25-27; 1 John 3:8
[11] Isaiah 6:8
[12] James 2:20, 23
[13] Proverbs 21:1; Psalm 23:6