Integrity is a word that few treasures these days. True to the prophecy that these are great and dreadful times, many leaders who want to extol the virtues of power over wisdom and integrity have mired themselves to the past. As Moses wrote, those who fail to obey the Lord’s command will “be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out” (Num 32:23). Rigging the elections is like creating an artificial monopoly in the market. Once this monopoly is broken, those who have been freed will come back and haunt your past activities. Every businessman knows that monopoly will not be good in the long term and neither is total control good in the long run. Any controlling spirit is fueled by hell because the Lord brings freedom and democracy (see 2 Corinthians 3:17).

Those who focus on getting power will be corrupted which should be a lasting lesson to all from the time of Marcos up to now, those who think they can easily get by will find out that their sins will find them. God is the God of justice and righteousness, His government will always bring correction to our stupidity in the past. Yes we can be forgiven but justice means we have to suffer the consequences of our mistakes too. Do you think Marcos easily got by of the evil he had done?  His house is in fact in shambles, in spite of the color, pomp and ceremony that many people still attribute to him; Marcos is not welcomed but a contradiction in many places around the world and in our country because of his turning inward, from one who pursued what is right to one who took opportunity and grabbed power.

Not learning from this, many leaders from the local level to the national have actually tried to do the same thing, even if comparatively smaller in measure. But justice is not blind and there is always an accounting for the seeds of lies that we have sown. Maybe we can bribe a few people at one time but we cannot always keep on bribing people all the time.  The fools think that they can hold power all the time and that they can command people all of the time because of their position. As Solomon wrote, “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11 NASB).

There are many would be leaders today who want to take advantage of their people because most people today are seeking someone to lead them that they could be enlightened. Most of these gullible ones are the impoverished, those who live in slums and those who are in the rural countryside who do not want to do anything about the government except to get their rights and the benefits of their citizenships. Because of their ignorance, they are the ones who could be easily swayed, bought and intimidated.

But what is true leadership? Is it sitting in a palace and speaking before a television and signing paperworks? Or is it love for service so that you can bring the whole country out of oblivion to its destiny? The first one speaks of those who think that leadership is self first before others, those who think that power can be theirs by fooling the gullible and the ignorant while the second one is simply living what is right and taking care that everyone will have to do what right too! Unless the Lord builds a house, those who labour shall labour in vain. Unless we invoke God’s help, we will all be trapped in the debris of evil that have influenced and corrupted the previous leaders in our government.

The only way out of this is to honor our fathers and mothers so that we will not be cut-off from our destiny. The Bible is clear that we have to honor the men and women who laid down their lives for our freedom and for our republic. Those who would do so will be the generation that would reap God’s promises of longevity and peace.

"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12)

The first thing that corruption does is to actually cancel and remove the favour of God in our country. Sin ruins any nation just as it happened to Sodom and Gomorrah. When Marcos turned away from doing what is right to do his own thing by putting up an oppressive government, most Filipinos engaged in rebellion because the father of the house (president) abandoned his family to marry his own office (dictatorship). This abdication of responsibility brought forth torment to the children (people) and a rebellious heart which actually cause total disarray in our country. This almost destroyed the fabric of the Filipino nation which is why almost up to now the generation that came up from the 60s and 70s are also largely influenced by the slavery of that period, easily intimidated and have unbelief in their hearts.

But the children brought in the 80s and later have a different mindset, it is more free and more innovative in tackling solutions to the problems that beset the society. This is not to belittle the works of the 60s and 70s generation who fought against the ills of martial law and a government that oppressed its people. They are and they continue to be essential in having fought the oppressive regime. However few of these are going to lead the new and younger generation with a true heart of service, once the focus of their anger and resolve is gone, they should learn to refocus this to a better and more worthy cause, and that is rebuilding. Having seen so much destruction and death, these should be the ones spearheading the next generation to actually come up with an innovative solution for our country to get back on the right track.

The least thing we need to have is disturbance left and right while keeping an eye on a steady course towards prosperity island. Looking back to the past, we can say that the generation that arose in the 60s and 70s were like the Israelites who came up out of Egypt but their unbelief disqualified them to actually enter into God’s Promised land. Why? Because largely after Marcos was ousted and the Cory and Ramos government was put up, most leaders who came up to a position did not have the faith and resolve to actually continue in reforming the government. They melted away when they found out that the task to have a clean government is easier said and planned than done.

Currently what we see today in the present Aquino regime is the restoration of justice and righteousness which could position us to be blessed and enable the Joshua generation to move forward and fill the vacuum of places and positions which many of the corrupt leaders have occupied previously. Every generation must write their own history and every leader will be distinguished by accomplishing a great task that lies before him.

The greatest crisis facing the Philippines is not the lack of energy or instability but the resolve to do what is right. God is smiling back to our country when we have put up in position another Aquino who is from a righteous house. He has the credibility and integrity to do what is right in spite of the deficiency of the previous administrations. Our prayer should always be to lift up our president, his administration, justice, security and economic team. As John Wesley have aptly said, “God does nothing unless in answer to prayer,” so let us pray continually for our government and for our country to be positioned and moved to its destiny of being a light to the nations and a freedom bearer.

They say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.” Take heed, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise? Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches man lack knowledge? The Lord knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile. Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law (Psalm 94:7-12).

Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed (1 Samuel 2:3).

This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,”  declares the Lord (Jeremiah 9:23-24).