I’ve had to check the condition of my heart while Jan and I walk through our town and see signs of support for political candidates. I realized my disdain at some of these lawn signs was a chance for me to mature in my faith.

One of the most challenging things in this election cycle is maintaining our love towards those within the Church who see the world differently than we do. They can sound like and even repeat the very talking points of their favorite news outlet and put signs on their lawn in support of candidates that publicly oppose what is biblically true.

A rare number of these believers have allowed themselves to be drawn into a place of disbelief. Most are simply unaware of what they have allowed into their hearts while faithfully following the worldview of popular public entertainment figures and social icons that are leading them to a place of spiritual compromise. None of us are fully on board with God’s heart all the time. We all need God’s help and a large dose of His mercy to stay the course.

Some of this departure from what the Church has believed across history is what Timothy referred to, “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths” (II Timothy 4:3-4). Undisciplined ears itch for this kind of deception if they choose to step away from the established truth of God’s word and allow their ears to be scratched by deceptive uses and abuses of what is true.

While all of Timothy’s words are true, it does not give us permission to judge the eternal condition of another believer. Having itching ears is not a spiritual death sentence. It is a warning. How people live and believe will give us a strong indicator that something has fallen through the cracks of their faith, and they are leaking more and more truth until one day they make a fatal choice to walk away from the Lord.

What can we do? Our first act is to pray. Once we pray, we will have another choice to make. We should never try to argue a person into the truth. Politics are fueled by our opinions, of which we have many. Paul wrote, “Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong” (Romans 14:1). The choice to pray and not argue is a challenge when an opportunity comes to write a challenging response on social media and make a snarky comment or enter another fruitless argument.

As we look across the Church and see many who hold differing opinions, Paul asked a question, “Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval” (Romans 4:4). It is with the Lord’s help, not by our opinions or another emotional challenge to what we see as evil, that will help fellow believers with whom we disagree stand and receive God’s approval.