adminMany Americans are frustrated with politics. They feel demoralized after investing countless hours working for candidates who either don’t win or end up becoming part of the political system they promised to fight.
They are often discouraged by conservative legislation being either blocked or substantially weakened before becoming law. But discouragement is exactly what we must guard against.
Understanding the true nature of what we are up against will help us maintain the proper perspective and remind us why we must not grow weary.
We must remember what Scripture teaches. In 1 John 5:19, we are told: “… and the whole world lies under the control of the evil one.”
The Bible makes it clear that our ultimate battle is spiritual. Elected officials should also remember this as they face constant pressures to conform to the status quo. Satan seeks to corrupt, deceive, divide, and discourage. If we forget this reality, we will become consumed by frustration and lose sight of the larger fight.
In a future article, I will discuss how some candidates enter politics as fighters for the people, only to encounter a system designed to reward compliance and punish resistance. As a result, over time, many are neutralized and transformed from challengers of the establishment into protectors of the establishment.
As the English novelist and journalist Rudyard Kipling wrote, “The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe…”
One of the enemy’s most effective weapons is discouragement. When voters allow discouragement to take root, it often transforms into negativity. Negativity eventually becomes cynicism. Cynicism often leads to sarcasm and endless criticism.
We see it every day on social media. Some individuals spend countless hours criticizing candidates, elected officials, organizations, and voters. They point out every problem and every failure. Yet they offer no strategy or path forward.
They allow their frustration to become their identity.
To be clear, criticism has a place. Accountability is necessary. Citizens should definitely demand better from their elected officials. However, criticism by itself does not produce victory. Complaining alone does not build organizations, recruit candidates, or win elections.
Strategy, on the other hand, wins.
The question should be: What are we going to strategically do to fix a political problem?
Victories have never belonged to those who merely pointed out obstacles. Victories belong to those who developed a strategy to address obstacles.
That is why we must stay involved.
We must continue searching for, identifying, and supporting principled candidates. We must continue educating voters. We must continue asking hard questions of candidates before they take office rather than waiting until after they disappoint us. We must continue developing future leaders who possess both conviction and courage.
Most importantly, we must understand the nature of the enemy. If we believe our struggle is merely political, every setback will seem overwhelming. But if we understand that the battle is spiritual, we recognize that setbacks are not reasons to quit. They are reasons to persevere.
The enemy wants good people to become discouraged and disengaged. He wants them to retreat into bitterness. Do not give him that victory.
The future will be secured by those who remain steadfast, keep their faith, develop a strategy, and continue the fight no matter how difficult the road becomes.
You are needed in this battle. Stay strong. Stay engaged. Stay principled. And most importantly…stay strategic.
Author: Joseph Vargas