January 6, 2008

What started out yesterday as a home school civics project for my daughters proved to be a valuable lesson in spiritual civics as well, providing helpful perspective for prophetic people seeking solid direction in praying about presidential candidates this election year.

We live a mere 1.5 hours from this weekend’s political extravaganza called the New Hampshire Primary, where U.S. presidential candidates barnstorm the state trolling for the first votes they need to become their party’s final presidential nominee at the summer party conventions. The New Hampshire Primary provides amazing up-close access by the common man to the candidates and their surrogates (including former presidents) campaigning to be heard.

Our day started with a stop to hear Gov. Mitt Romney make his impassioned case for change, flanked by U.S Sen. Judd Gregg and our own R.I. governor Don Carcieri. We proceeded from there to the next town to hear former pastor and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, fresh off from his Iowa caucus win, out to raise funds for some local charities. (I’ll come back to Mike in a moment.) Next we headed out 20 miles to hear Sen. Obama, but were too late to reach the event, so turned instead with plenty of time to hear former president Bill Clinton appeal on behalf of his wife Hillary. What a menu for a single day, and we were never seated more than 50 feet from any of these players.

The evening was marked by a nationally-televised debate at St. Anselm College in Manchester. Outside the college in late afternoon were lined all the chanting, sign-waving supporters of the candidates. After surveying this “circus” for its educational value, we chose to spend the evening watching the debate with Mike Huckabee’s supporters staked out at a local restaurant. Here at the end I had the opportunity to actually meet the man who has become the latest Christian political “phenom” in this country.

Appreciating the Inherent Sinfulness of the Political Process

Before I discuss my reflections on Mike Huckabee, there are some things you should understand about this political process if you’ve never seen it up close. From first to last, the political process—from a true prophet’s view—is a “spiritually dirty” one, and in some cases, morally dirty as well. Personality posturing abounds. But so does “candidate baiting.” To explain—a supporter of an opposing candidate or else a protester will slip into a campaign event feigning to be a supporter of the featured candidate. Once given the opportunity to “speak to the mike,” the feigning “supporter” first says something to compliment the featured candidate, but then turns his words into a question, or even a harangue, designed to buttonhole and humiliate the featured candidate regarding a pet issue. Rather unpleasant to witness.

I watched this first happen to Governor Romney, who handled himself well. The fake supporter was finally shouted-down by the rest of the crowd. (I saw this same faker later at the Bill Clinton rally!) But then it happened again at the Huckabee post-debate event. A fake supporter came in to propose a toast to Governor Mike for his strong support of Christian values. But half way through, his words started to turn. Immediately, the Spirit showed me the man was gay and was about to humiliate the governor over his “hypocritical unloving” attitude toward gay people. Immediately I yelled out over the room, “This is a set up!! This is a set up!!” Everyone turned toward me, and sure enough, the man started into some pro-gay diatribe and was repulsed. At that split moment, some other fake supporters were forced into prematurely releasing some rant about something, could not make their point, and the governor handled them deftly. (Wow! What a night it was.)

My point here is that, born of the inherent dirtiness of the human soul, there is something about grass roots “democratic” politics that acts as a magnet for mentally imbalanced and deranged people. Besides what I already described, we saw weird flyers, weird antics, and simply weird people who are clearly demonically affected in mind and body plying for attention in some way. Everywhere one goes, this is the way it is in the land where “the voice of the people” rules.

Unless one gets close enough to the political process to appreciate this, we as prophetic believers can and do come away misled in a false sense of idealism that wrongly colors our estimation of the national political process, one that in turn falsely colors our prophesying regarding it. This false idealism actually quenches our true sense of kingdom mission. And I am here to quash it.

Am I saying that as Christians we are to have absolutely no involvement with the political process? No, that is not what I am saying. But before we can have any legitimate involvement as prophetic people, we have to get our foundational purpose and sense of mission straight. That is what I want to write about.

Truly, why anyone—once exposed to this raw political reality—would want to even run the deranged gauntlet of “democracy” as a politician, never mind as a disciple, is beyond me. Nevertheless, it is a spiritual fact that the Lord does anoint certain believers (not everyone) for this purpose. It may be that Pastor-Governor Mike Huckabee has indeed been anointed for such a purpose. But if so, how should we pray for him, and what should our prayer attitude in general be for him as a Christian politician? This is what I want to write about.

True Kingdom-Based Presidential Intercession

I want to head off something that happens every time a Christian runs for President in America. Once a strong believing Christian becomes established as a major national political figure, the believing community rushes to build a “national salvation” movement around him. He becomes an “American idol” to the Christian community. The intercessors and prophets “ratchet up” the rhetoric of prayers and visions and dreams.

Then, should the Lord so happen to prosper the man’s purpose to become President, the believers then almost entirely abandon the mission of their true gospel from another world to become wrapped up in the cares of the new Christian President’s policies, and then go into that predictable funk of spiritual ineptitude leading to a new cycle of national spiritual malaise that only leads the Christian leader into becoming one more antichrist mouthpiece for “democracy” and another promoter of the final security-tyranny. 

Mike Huckabee is potentially in line as the fourth major U.S. Christian political figure (after Reagan, Roberson and G.W. Bush) to become President in the last 30 years (Robertson of course failed). Whether or not that finally happens for Huckabee (I don’t think it will), already the Christian ground-swell has begun for him. What do we really need to know then and how should we really pray to break out of this cycle? I propose the following:

First, we need to pray for the Lord’s perfect will for Mike Huckabee’s truest destiny in Christ to be fulfilled. That destiny may or may not include the Lord’s will that he become President. Just because the Lord may have called Mike Huckabee to run for President does not mean it is the Lord’s will that he win the presidency. We do not know what the perfect will of God for Mike is, and the perfect will is all that counts. If Mike becomes President outside the Lord’s perfect will, it will be destructive to Mike, never mind to the country. I trust that no sincere believer wants to see Mike get hurt this way. As a pastor, Mike needs to keep before the Lord concerning this. He must keep himself from allowing all human ambition pertaining to the Presidency to usurp his fundamental commitment to the Father’s perfect will at every turn. (The Lord might call him to lay it down at the last moment like Isaac, and he would need to be willing to do that.)

Second, whether or not Mike Huckabee wins, but especially if he does win, we need to pray for him to have and keep a true separated Kingdom perspective in his approach to the Presidency. What is that perspective? It is found in Daniel chapter 2 which tells us that all the kingdoms of this world (including the United States) are to be smitten to dust by the Rock of Christ, to be utterly replaced by the coming of Christ’s fully manifest kingdom. Coupled with the earnest prayer “Thy kingdom come,” we need to pray that Mike will clearly embrace the purpose as a human president of a human nation to help hasten the replacement of the human kingdom he governs with the eternal kingdom of Christ come in the flesh! Let me repeat that again,

We need to pray that Mike will clearly keep before him that his purpose as a human president of a human nation is to help hasten the replacement of the human kingdom he governs with the eternal kingdom of Christ come in the flesh! 

This means we need to pray that he not become mired in the political “issues” as well as deceived into becoming a mouthpiece for “America worship” as every Christian president has before him. If America is to have another Christian President, it needs to have one who has a better eternal vision than Ronald Reagan had or than George Bush has now. And believe me, if Mike cannot develop that vision, it is better that he not become president! That is how we must pray if he is to fulfill a true kingdom-oriented destiny as a President of the United States.

Of course, in order to pray that way for another, one must already be possessed of that vision himself. If the intercessors and prophets of America remain fixated on the “national issues” and do not grow into a true kingdom vision that looks for the eventual replacement of the United States and its frail political system, then it will be hopeless for Mike to lead from a platform of a true eternal kingdom vision. And if not, then again, may God deliver him from becoming President for his own sake.

The One Question That Proves Christian Political Legitimacy

This matter of eternal kingdom vision is a benchmark by which any one of us can gauge whether or not the Father has truly called and anointed us to engage the political arena. There is one question and one question only we need to ask that can prove to us the legitimacy of our involvement in a kingdom system of this world. It is this:

Will my participation in this sinful human political process work to promote the replacement of this sinful system with Christ’s manifest kingdom, or will it only help reinforce this human government in its own self-worship?

This question speaks to an eternal principle applicable to all people at all times. If the answer is, “yes, God can and will use my participation to help work toward its replacement,” then well said. We can count on the fact that our involvement is true, our intercessions will be honored, and God will bless our endeavor. But if the answer is “no,” or “I’m not sure,” then we should abandon considering any involvement until we can get that certainty (or, if we are already in politics, we should prayerfully seek God’s exit strategy before we compromise our soul any further.)

This is the vision imperative every believer must gain if his involvement in the kingdoms of this world is to retain any spiritual legitimacy. Remember, as the Lord said, we cannot love two masters. You cannot love America and the Kingdom of God. So if you are going to serve America as a Christian office holder, you must lead America to a sense of its own need for replacement before a coming kingdom from another world. And if you can’t hold onto that motive, don’t get into politics, or get out of it if you’re already there.

Dealing With Washington’s Principalities

There is another underlying but little recognized reality regarding U.S. politics in general and the presidency in particular. It is that evil principalities rule over America just as in any other human nation. These principalities have been fed on generations of “America worship” from the founders forward which have empowered them to transform those who come into office after them as continuing mouthpieces for humanist and even satanic agendas.

This empowerment has been aided by evil practices laid in the foundations of Washington itself from George Washington’s freemasonry to Mrs. Lincoln’s and Mrs. Reagan’s conducting of séances in the White House. No president or congressman is immune to these powers just because they are Christian. Rather, without discernment of all this, the Christian faith of politicians bound for Washington automatically becomes corrupted in some way because of it. This is why all politicians who go to Washington on a platform of “change” end up “being changed” to preserve the status quo.

Despite their faith, neither Reagan nor Bush overcame these powers but were eventually reduced by them. Huckabee will be also should he win and nothing is done. Therefore, not only must Huckabee be sure of his destiny and secure in his kingdom mindset, but the intercessory community must neutralize the principalities that rule Washington through repentance intercession over these gross evils—keeping in mind that the objective is still replacement of this human kingdom, not indefinite preservation. As a human “fig leaf” government belonging to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue, American government is still destined to pass away as chaff. True intercessors are making plans for this now. No Christian president will or is destined to “save America” from this fate, even if temporarily called and anointed to serve in a position of national leadership.  

On Mike Huckabee: A Final Thought

From my listening ear, Mike Huckabee sounds to be a sincere believer with a sincere motive to please our Lord in what he is doing. I cannot say I share all his values. Obviously, I did not believer in the Iraq War and said so from the beginning. And there are some things I have a few questions about which could perhaps use some further scrutiny—though most of my questions over the charges against him have been resolved favorably. (At some point he will have to take a stand on a matter no politician is willing to voice, which is that Al Qaida really hates America because of America’s support for Israel, not because America “loves freedom” as George Bush asserts.)

So? Am I supporting Mike Huckabee for president? No. I am not supporting any one for president. I am not called to support anyone. I am not even called to vote again this year. Right now, I am only called to listen, to reinforce my allegiance to our True King, and to pray for all men according to the kingdom agenda of Daniel 2 as led and directed, including Mike Huckabee. The fact is, I will have far more savoring influence on the nation this way than if I were to do anything else.

Last night, at the end of his post-debate appearance, I had the opportunity to greet brother Mike. (My daughters after all did want his signature for their civics diary!). But I did tell Mike I would be praying for him, and he appreciated that. I am sure he does not envision what I meant by praying for him. But now you do. And should the Lord cause his and my paths to cross again, I may be able to better explain it to him.

So this is where I am today as far as concerns the election. Twenty-eight years ago, I was fervently praying for the election of Ronald Reagan. Twenty years ago, I did not pray for Pat Robertson, as I did not believe he was called to be the president. Eight years ago, I interceded fervently for George Bush to the end of the 2000 cliff-hanger. In all these years I have learned a little bit more wisdom each time. Today, I am passing my findings on to you. And I encourage you to take a true separated kingdom stand like never before in any intercession to which you are led regarding Mike Huckabee or any other candidate.

As the election year proceeds, and the Lord gives me anything further to share along this front, I will give it to you.

Many blessings,

Chris Anderson
New Meadow Neck, Rhode Island

1/08