In 2019, during the 2020 election campaign, I received some strong corrections from the Lord during a men’s prayer meeting. I want to share it because the principles He taught me will apply to other areas of our lives.
During the meeting, some leaders spoke derogatory and even made harsh accusations against the current president. I overheard others speaking evil against the opposing candidate at my table. As I was listening to all the political posturing, the LORD spoke to me clearly and said:
“When your unrighteous judgments against leadership are voiced to others, you have sacrificed any authority you have to change things through prayer. When you speak evil of the leadership, you speak evil of Me, and your prayers are not heard because they come from a self-centered well-spring. I put people in leadership for many different reasons and they are all for your benefit, even the ones I put there for judgment”.
I was immediately reminded of the scriptures.
Acts 23:5
Then Paul said, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’
Romans 13:1
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
Ecclesiastes 10:20
Do not curse the king, even in your thought; Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; For a bird of the air may carry your voice,
And a bird in flight may tell the matter.
Consequently, during and after the election the church became more divided than I have ever seen her.
If we want to be effective in praying for our leaders we must pray from a place of humility, love, and genuine compassion for those in office. Instead, the church, for the most part, has been praying only for the candidate they support and if their candidate doesn’t get in office, they only pray for the removal of that person. No humility, no love for the person, and no compassion for them as a person. Those types of prayers are NEVER answered.
As leaders and pastors, we need to teach this to our people so we can truly make a difference in prayer. God is NOT a Republican or a Democrat. He is THE LORD! He does not support men’s party lines, yet He has people He loves and supports in both parties.
Our words have power. When we use that power to tear down others and speak against our leadership, we are falling into the enemy’s deception and we sacrifice our authority to affect change through our prayers.
God bless you all,
sincerely, JC
Truth Pressure Ministries 