It's Time to Vote!

As I’m recording this, it’s early summer 2026   which is a political season in the United States. On a national level, midterm elections are fast approaching. In my state of Oklahoma, primary elections at the state, county and local levels are scheduled in a few weeks.

On my sample ballot in Oklahoma, there are elections for 14 different political races. Just for the governor’s race alone, there are 15 different candidates on the ballot. Along with all those political races and all the candidates running for each position, there are a multitude of political ads constantly being broadcast on every media source. Some of the ads are clearly AI generated, that is they have been created by artificial intelligence. Some of those ads are deceptive; some are totally false. It is quite challenging to sort through all the muck and mire to find truth about each candidate and their political platform. 

For many, it is easy to become discouraged, disgusted, overwhelmed and hopeless about anything and everything to do with politics. Some have just given up and decided not to vote. They have taken a laissez faire attitude of avoiding involvement in political affairs and have adopted an attitude of live and let live.  

The question burning in my spirit today is this: How does a Christian, a Believer in Christ, a person with a Biblical world view, deal with political corruption, deception and fraud. With regard to politics, what is the appropriate way to live in the world but not of the world?

Transcript

It’s time to VOTE!

As I’m recording this, it’s early summer 2026   which is a political season in the United States. On a national level, midterm elections are fast approaching. In my state of Oklahoma, primary elections at the state, county and local levels are scheduled in a few weeks.

On my sample ballot in Oklahoma, there are elections for 14 different political races. Just for the governor’s race alone, there are 15 different candidates on the ballot. Along with all those political races and all the candidates running for each position, there are a multitude of political ads constantly being broadcast on every media source. Some of the ads are clearly AI generated, that is they have been created by artificial intelligence. Some of those ads are deceptive; some are totally false. It is quite challenging to sort through all the muck and mire to find truth about each candidate and their political platform. 

For many, it is easy to become discouraged, disgusted, overwhelmed and hopeless about anything and everything to do with politics. Some have just given up and decided not to vote. They have taken a laissez faire attitude of avoiding involvement in political affairs and have adopted an attitude of live and let live.  

The question burning in my spirit today is this: How does a Christian, a Believer in Christ, a person with a Biblical world view, deal with political corruption, deception and fraud. With regard to politics, what is the appropriate way to live in the world but not of the world?

As always, we look to the Bible for guidance, direction and answers. Specifically, let’s focus on Daniel.  The book of Daniel is multilayered with miraculous personal stories and much historical and prophetic significance. For the purpose of this teaching, we are only going to concentrate on a passage found in the Book of Daniel, Chapter 9.

In earlier chapters of this book, Daniel, along with all his nation, was taken into captivity by Babylon, a foreign enemy. Daniel, who was just a teenager at the time of his capture, was forced to grow up in a hostile nation that had an unfamiliar culture and language as well as a tyrannical, ungodly government. The scripture makes it clear that the captivity and exile of Daniel’s nation was a result of the sin and disobedience of the Hebrew people. 

The first few verses of chapter 9 reveal that Daniel had found a prophetic word from Jeremiah that stated that it was time for the captivity of his people to come to an end. Empowered by this prophetic word, Daniel began to pray and intercede. I’ll read his prayer as written in Daniel 9:3-11 in the New International Version. 

 |  3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. 7 “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. (Daniel 9: 3-11, NIV)

We’ll skip the next few verses that provide a more detailed description of Israel’s sin and move on to verses 15 – 19 of the 9th chapter of Daniel. Here Daniel’s prayer for his nation continues.

 | 15 “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us. 17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” (Daniel 9:11-19, NIV)

In these verses, Daniel 9 verses 3-19, as written in the New King James translation, Daniel used the word “we” 12 times, the word “us” 9 times, and the word “our” 16 times. In these verses, he has clearly recognized the sin of his people and has identified himself with that sin.  This is interesting because Daniel himself was taken into captivity when he was quite young. Clearly, he is not repenting for his own personal sin, but the corporate sins of his entire nation.

This type of prayer is called identificational repentance. It is a biblical pattern of prayer that involves one person or group identifying with and confessing the sins of others, inviting God’s forgiveness, healing, and spiritual renewal.

2nd Chronicles 7:14 is a key scripture that emphasizes this process. I’ll read the familiar verse as it’s written in the New King James Translation.

 |  “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  (2 Chronicles7:14, NKJV)

Dutch Sheets provides additional teaching on the topic of identificational repentance. In his Elijah List post that was released on March 16, 2023, and was titled “Our Prayers Can Turn a Nation", he wrote:

“We must not grow weary in "our prayers" for revival and give up. The divine power they release is what God uses to turn a nation. Our identificational repentance cleanses; our appeals bring grace and mercy; our Spirit-led decrees bind satanic activities and schemes. He is using us to save our nation and usher in worldwide harvest/revival. We are fighting a good fight. We will not waver; we will not fail.”

The purpose of this podcast is to motivate you to intercede whenever and wherever you discern there is sin, ungodliness, and wrongdoing in society. If you are concerned about corruption in the political process, I encourage you to take it to the Lord in prayer. 

Along with prayer, it’s necessary to take action and actually vote. As written in James 2:20, “faith without works is dead.” As citizens of the United States, we have not only the opportunity to provide input into our government but also the civic responsibility. That civic responsibility is what is referenced in the words of Jesus when he said:

 | “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”  (Mark 12:17, NKJV)

These words are found in Matthew 22:21, Mark 12:17, and Luke 20:25. This phrase is repeated 3 times. We know that there is always an emphasis on anything that is repeated in scripture.

In other translations of these verses, the word “give” is used instead of the word “render.” In other words, it is our civic responsibility to give, supply and provide the government with our vote just as it is our civic responsibility to pay taxes.

In order to vote responsibly, you may need to do some planning and research. You need to find out about the platform of each candidate. You need to know the time and place for voting in your location. It’s helpful to review the sample ballot so you are aware of the candidates for each position as well as any legal questions that may be included on the ballot. These words found in 2nd Timothy 2:15 in the King James seem to apply.

 | “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV)

Along with prayer and voting, Holy Spirit may encourage you to get involved in some other way. You might feel called to help a specific political candidate, to attend city council, school board or other meetings, or even to run for a political office yourself.

In closing, I’d like to summarize the actions I believe Christians should take that can make a difference in the upcoming elections, in the future of our nation and ultimately the future of the world.

1.    Regardless of your age, physical condition or location you can intercede. Prayer changes things. It can make a difference.

2.    With regard to identificational repentance, ask God to reveal to you the sins of our nation, its leaders, and its people. Ask God to remove the iniquity, change rebellious hearts, and heal our land.

3.    Become an educated voter. Study the candidates and issues. Ask for Holy Spirit’s wisdom in how to cast your vote. And no matter what vote!

4.    Finally, prayerfully seek God’s guidance about how you can become more involved. Encourage others to vote. Complete and fulfill assignments as directed by the Holy Spirit.

Thank you for listening. We pray that you and your loved ones will walk with Jesus all the days of your lives, and you will continually experience the joy of the abundant life Jesus came to give us. Our prayer for you is found in Numbers 6:24-26:

 | “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”  (Numbers 6:24-26)

Amen and amen!

Kathie Burnett

June 1, 2026