Here in Arizona, as well as Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington state, we will go to the polls this coming Tuesday for primary elections. If you live in one of these five states, please do not blow off the primary, thinking it really doesn’t matter until the general election in November. It matters a lot, perhaps no more so than here in the great State of Arizona.

Let me speak a blunt word about elections and our great honor and responsibility as American citizens: for most of us, there is no excuse not to vote. As a believer in Jesus Christ, we are even more obligated, as God commanded us to rule and have dominion over the many blessings He bestows. Who could argue that, as Christians, we are super blessed to live in a country actually founded upon Christian principles. We must steward what we have been given, including our government.

In Arizona, as in many states, there is a push by the Republican party to empower a “new right” to get tough on the things we have let slide for decades, and to bring a degree righteousness back to our country’s leadership. Again, I’ll speak straight forward: there are stark differences in the platforms of Democrats versus Republicans. In brief, Democratic values (such as abortion rights, sexual deviance, lack of commitment to the Constitution, lack of regard for religious liberty, and many more) stray incredibly far from Biblical principles. Based on platform alone, a Christian would not be able to remain true to Biblical principles and vote Democratic.

However, I am no fan Republicans either, but for a different reason. Indeed, some stray from conservative principles inscribed in the Republican platform, and many others have no backbone to stand up for righteousness or to speak up for those in need. RINOs (Republicans in name only) should be voted out, in favor of those who do have the courage to stand up against the onslaught of evil penetrating every area of or society.

So, how should we vote? Here are some very important things to consider:

1. Know your candidates! Make the time necessary to find out exactly what candidates plan to do if elected, and how they plan to do it. Also, do they have the backbone to stand against fierce opposition, if need be, to fight for righteousness? It is late in the game, but learn what you can before you vote.
2. Vote for candidates who are out-spoken about protecting the lives of the unborn and the elderly. If they ae not willing to make a strong statement in public, they are not strong enough to hold the line when pressed by the liberal left who will stop at nothing to get their way.
3. Determine candidates’ stance on religious liberty. What good is liberty if you cannot express it. What candidates will uphold the Constitutional and God-given freedoms to keep churches open, allow voluntary prayer in schools, back businesses who refuse to do things contrary to their Christian beliefs, and stand firm on our right to worship freely? Vote for those people.
4. Eliminate candidates who even hint at accepting and/or condoning CRT, LGBT agenda, and other such destructive ideology. Candidates who do not stand strongly against this should not be in office. Also, parents (not school boards and teachers unions) should have full command of what their kids are taught.
5. Vote for those who have a strong sense of separation of powers. It was God Himself who ordained government, and He intentionally set it up for separation of powers. He instituted self-government (Proverbs 16:32), family government (Genesis 2:23-24), and church government (1 Timothy 3:1-15), along with civil government (Romans 13:1-6). Different emphases and different roles are assigned to each, and government should be prohibited from blurring the lines.
6. Which candidates surround themselves with quality people? The current administration named a transgendered person to a key position within the Department of Health and Human Services. Not acceptable…and neither is the man in the Department of Energy who shows up to work in stilettos, a dress and lipstick, and goes by “they.”

As this primary election inches closer, be encouraged that God is still on the throne, but He has called you and I (believers) to be His ambassadors amidst the evil running rampant in our world. Be bold, speak out for what is right, support ministries who do, and be sure to VOTE YOUR VALUES this Tuesday!