URGENT MESSAGE: God's Guidelines For Choosing Our Nations Leaders

Dear Partners and Friends,

Four years ago, the Lord spoke prophetically and said; “If My people will unite, this nation can have the most righteous leaders and government she has ever had since its inception, and even greater.” You may say, is that possible? Is anything impossible for God? No! But for this to happen, we must meet the criteria and unite, and the only way we can unite politically, is to unite around truth found in God’s Word.

As Christians we have come to understand that we must:

1. Vote as a Christian first, then as an American, then other issues.

2. Vote pro-life.

3. Vote for the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman.

4. Vote in support of Israel.

5. Not make economy the main issue, because our blessing is from honoring and obeying God.

But if more than one candidate embraces all these principles, is there a more concise way for believers to choosing our leaders? Is God’s Word any clearer? Yes!!!! God’s Word gives even more specific guidelines for us to follow when choosing leaders in government. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” Hosea 4:6. We know to look in God’s Word for guidance in every other situation of life so to start, let’s look at guidelines God gave Israel when choosing a king to rule over them:

[Deuteronomy 17:14-20 NIV] –

[14] When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” [15] be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. [16] The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” [17] He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. [18] When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. [19] It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees [20] and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel."

Notice the first item underlined in verse 15 “be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses!” We have to ask the Lord who He has chosen! This is not for believers to decide themselves. Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV says: “[5] Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. [6] In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” We have to ask God His choice and let Him guide us!!!

We see an example of this when God sent Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint a king to replace Saul after he had sinned against the Lord. The Lord told Samuel in 1 Sam 16:1 KJV “…I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.” Notice God already made His choice, and was going to let Samuel know after he went to the house of Jessie in Bethlehem. 1 Sam 16:3 KJV “…call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me [him] whom I name unto thee.”

So Samuel went to Bethlehem and in 1Sam 16:5-7KJV “[5] … he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.” Notice too that after arriving in Bethlehem Samuel would have made a big mistake if he had leaned on his understanding, because the Bible says he looked on Eliab and thought because of his stature and appearance, that he was the one. But God said in VS 7 “…the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” This is key!!! God told Samuel, don’t be deceived by appearance. Look beyond what they say, what they look like, their speaking, debate, or management skills. We have to see as the Lord sees, from the heart, and this can only be done through consultation with the Holy Spirit. Ask God to open your eyes to see the one the Lord favors!!!

Jesse brought all his sons to the banquet except his youngest son David who was left to tend the sheep. In the mind of Jesse, David didn’t qualify. Let us not make this same mistake and allow anyone to be disqualified because others say they don’t qualify!!! Too often we look at outward appearances, but God looks deeper. He looks at the heart. He looks for the one who will listens to His voice and who looks to God for guidance in every area of life. This one characteristic alone is the most important to look for in a leader and will preserve us. In God We Trust! We must return to the place where our leaders are men and women that seek after God’s heart.

Ask God, which contender holds these characteristics. Then look again at Deut 17, and we can find additional characteristics of a leader after God’s heart.

1. The first we know, Vs. 15…“be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses”

2. Next Vs. 15 says “He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite.” HE HAS TO BE A BELIEVER!!! A brother in Christ and believer in the God of the Bible, and not just in word only!!! Jesus said, in Mt 7:6 “Ye shall know them by their fruits”.

3. Vs. 16 says:” ..must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself.” He cannot be one that see’s the office as a place to gain personal wealth, power, or influence. You may again say, there seem to be more than one that fit that description. Then keep reading.

4. Vs. 17. says: “He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray” Is he faithful in relationships?

5. And Vs. 17. says: “…He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. Again, they cannot be looking to enrich themselves but rather to serve the people as unto the Lord.

6. And Vs. 18. “When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. [19] It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees. Does this individual look to the Word of God for guidance and strength, and do they spend time in real prayer looking to God and His Word for direction?

7. Finally, Deuteronomy 17:20, says this individual is “not to consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left.” The race and position cannot be about him! Do they have humble heart that considers others better than himself, of true service for the people and nation? Do they look to the Word of God for guidance and direction and have a heart of service for the people?

If the Body of Christ will unite on criteria spelled out in the Word of God, not lean on their own understanding, and vote for righteousness by choosing the one the Lord chooses, then “… this nation can have the most righteous leaders and government she has ever had since its inception, and even greater.” UNITE!!!

Michael Sosso, President and Founder of Sons of God International