Follow me on Twitter As much as political things are heating up (and rightly so), I want to remind everyone that victory in the voting booths and in legislature falls short of America’s real need, for what good does it do if the house gets refurnished but still suffers from a sinking foundation. Make no mistake, the essential rust and rot of our nation has been in the souls of common men; yet if we have lacked a sense of duty and honor and have withered from character and self-control and have lost something of our greatness and prosperity, it is because we are cut off from the Spirit that supplies such things.
In an hour when many brave hearts are fighting for the overthrow of a perverted liberal agenda, do not neglect to work for a newness of religious devotion and a revival of deep-seated faith, for we will not endure the continual concoctions of wicked minds, let alone silence their attacks, unless we are firmly placed upon the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Cornerstone of this or any good government.
The public must not only discover the tentacles of a wicked movement, ready to choke their civil freedoms, but they must see much more their own selfish, sinful hearts that have blinded their sense and sentiments to the paths of peace and security. Pray, my friends, that the light of Christ’s Gospel would shine on the dark motives of every one of us, that we would realize that it is us, and not merely a machine of politics, who are to blame for the mess in which we find ourselves. Pray that we as a people would feel the weight for genuine repentance, succumb to that good pressure, and be saved!
Monday, I wrote about a new breed of nationally known ministers that I believe is being raised up by God for this hour. Here are some additional characteristics that they will posses, as have all the great Christian leaders throughout history.
- Their sole motive for ministry will be the advancement of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ; therefore, they will not care where or how they are used. Whether to many or to few, in the limelight or in the shadows, they will work their hardest and best in Jesus’ name.
- They will declare to us the truth even when we get angry or insulted by them, because they will have a vision of God’s Word as being above popular opinion and current sentiments.
- They will work as extensions of the Body, not as exceptions therein. Their will not generate a spirit of competition, but rather a spirit of perpetual motion to encourage, strengthen, and promote the whole Church.
- They will love the flock more than the materialistic success of their personal ministry; and that simply means they will give more than what they receive.
- Finally, they will be known as men and women of prayer, much prayer. They will not need to announce how long or how strong they pray; the proof of their intercessions will be in the lives of those affected by their labors, for praying ministers always produce praying people.
I’ve been saying it for several years, and it’s about time I put it in print: I believe the Lord is about to make a massive shift in the Christian leadership of this nation. Get ready for the old guard to be removed; God is going to push them aside and make room for those with intense sincerity and nobler vision!
What we see in the limelight now is a perversion of ministry, a celebrity class that has no heart for the greater Body of Christ. They parade themselves around as pulpit superpowers superior to all the “little” ministries. The only time they express a willingness to cooperate with the rest of us happens to be when they are looking for a handout. They think they can get away with scandal, immoderation, naughty doctrines, and their inappropriate spirit of competition, simply because they are famous; and they couldn’t care less that we at the “bottom” have to clean up their messes and bear the brunt of their shame before an already cynical world.
Recently, there have been waves of purging sent by God to the offices of ministry, but another one is on the way and this one, the Lord says, will tip the scales. Get ready for many “superpowers” to fall from their pedestals. Oh yes, many of these began with right motives and promising potential, but they strayed from integrity and true spiritual focus. It is time that they were taken out of the way.
I say this by the Word of the Lord: today is a new day in this nation, and God is burning off the dead growth of shyster shepherds and growing a fresh, green abundance of useful Kingdom workers. There is a new breed of ministers arising; ministers who are not simply different voices but whose enthusiasm and gifts are balanced by rock-solid character and a rich, biblical foundation. With this group, ministry will not be about who is behind the camera, but about who is behind the cause, the cause of Christ; and I hear the Spirit saying: get ready for real heroes of the faith to stir a backward generation and a godless nation to repentance and deep, sincere consecration. Get ready for a pulpit revival!
Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”
Have you watched that new TV show on A&E called ”Hoarders?” It’s about people who let things like dirty clothes, dishes, collectibles, memorabilia, paperwork, junk mail, or even garbage pile up in every room of their house, so much so that it becomes difficult and dangerous to navigate through their home. Obviously, these places are overwhelmingly unsanitary. In every episode you realize how the individual hoarder has become a prisoner of his or her own home, unable to live normally and yet too addicted to their dysfunction to see how to stop or correct the problem.
How many of us have allowed the cares of this life to pile up in our hearts to where we can no longer discern the will of the Lord for our daily life as well as our overall calling? Money, routine, selfish pursuits, none-of-your-business causes, over-the-top efforts to stay in that certain social circle–these and a million other little nothings have a strange way of accumulating without being noticed, and it’s usually not until we (or someone we love) have a traumatic experience that we step back and realize how out of control our priorities are.
I know people who are called to the mission field and the ministry, yet they are letting excuses keep them back from stepping out. For that matter, I know people who should be working to keep their family together, but because they have uninspired fantasies of being in the ministry their marriages and children are pathetically going to pot. I know others who should be taking advantage of their God-given skills, but because they are bored with what comes natural for them they are disobediently chasing treasureless rainbows.
Stay focused, and beware of foolish distractions that are so tempting yet so draining. Keep the heavenly vision always in front of your eyes. Remember, sometimes, stepping back from opportunities is a step forward in the Kingdom, so do whatever it takes to fulfill your divine assignments. You won’t be sorry you did.
In quoting from Scripture, Jesus set a standard for New Testament practice, “My house shall be called a house of prayer.”
Today (and it’s been this way for too long of a time) we think that we are fulfilling Jesus’ words when we build beautiful, elegant, sophisticated edifices: we even call them “houses of worship.” Now I’m not against have a church building and, more importantly, neither is God; however, Jesus was talking about a lifestyle more than constructed walls and a roof, for the Bible says that we are the temple of the Holy Ghost.
Jesus also said, “Men ought always to pray.” Prayer was never intended to be reserved for a building or a special place, it is an ongoing conversation, an open altar on which you place all of your life’s worries and decisions along with your praise.
Are you building Jesus a house of prayer, or maybe I should put it this way: are you a house of prayer to which the Master daily comes? You see, while it’s necessary that youcome to prayer, it’s more important that is Jesus showing up. Somebody asks, “Shouldn’t we just believe that every time we pray we are heard?” If theological assumption is all you seek in prayer, you are missing the superiority of the New Testament, because the New Covenant is all about personal fellowship and real interaction.
“My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Ezekiel 37:27)
True, many are praying, but most are praying to please themselves, to merely satisfy their nagging sense of duty. Jesus does not show up to such rickety structures, He wants to come to a “house” whose building materials are petitions, intercessions, thanksgiving, and, yes, a readiness to learn from Him. This is what He likes, this is what He wants, all day and everyday.
“O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”
I hesitated posting this (in fact, I skipped Monday altogether) not because what I have to say is offensive or anything like that, but because so many others are saying it. Nevertheless, I decided to put it out anyway for the simple reason that it is genuinely what I believe God is saying.
Since the Congressional passing of the unpopular Health Bill, a spiritual shift has taken place in this country, and not all for the bad. No, in fact, there are some very good things that are beginning to emerge. One of those things is that people have become desperate. The shadow of godless socialism is threatening to overshadow the land and those who have never been interested in the state of the nation are waking up to the fact that the comfortable life they have always known is now very close to collapsing. People are beginning to scramble, realizing that the Christian virtues they once took for granted–integrity, personal responsibility, dignity, freedom–are exactly what they need in current leadership.
I believe God has been using our cultural crisis to prepare people for repentance, but that now He is about to use it to prepare people for something additional: a display of His glory.
“Get ready,” says the Lord, “for this is the time of action. What I am about to do is going to turn out for the good, but not before everything looks pitch black. Yes, things will get worse before they get better; but understand that thing will get better–only as My people cry out to Me and seek My face and not their own ideas. This can be a great moment for you, but you are going to have to let Me take over,” says the Lord.
“Be filled with the Spirit.” – Ephesians 518
There are many people who say to themselves, “Well, I was baptized in the Holy Ghost many years ago and I speak in tongues practically every day, so I am already filled with the Spirit.” What these same people do not realize is, this commandment to be filled with the Spirit has very little to do with exercising your God-given gift; and we know that because the next few verses are all about Holy Ghost fruit. Too many fail to recognize that “tongues” is only a part of being filled with the Spirit.
The main emphasis of Holy Ghost baptism is to put a new spirit in you. Under sin, you operate in a motive of selfishness; but when you convert to Jesus Christ, you are ordained to function under the influence of God’s own Spirit. Jesus wants to burn out of you all manner of pride, wrong thinking, and bad behavior; and He does this by baptizing you in the same Spirit that anointed Him.
Yes, you should speak with tongues as the Spirit gives you utterance, just like you should heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out devils: you should participate in all of the rest of Christ’s signs that “shall follow them that believe.” God is in business of inspiring His saints to operate in the supernatural, but such dynamic workings of Jesus are, in the end, intended to lead you and others into the fruit of righteousness.
Never pat yourself on the back and say, “Well, I’ve arrived. I’m all set as a Christian. I don’t have to worry about being filled with the Spirit.” No! The Bible says to you, the seasoned believer, to be filled or (as reflected in the Greek) be refilled all the time with the Spirit. Call yourself Pentecostal, charismatic, or simply Spirit-filled—whichever way—you need to constantly cooperate with the active dealings of God. Never trust your flesh, never let down your guard, and never get spiritually lazy!
Start by praying something like this: “Lord, today, visit me and renew a ‘right spirit’ in me. Please examine me and see if there is anything wicked or incorrect in my life. I need the life that is in you and of you. You are my source, and I need your revitalizing influence in my day-to-day routine. Help me to conform to the image of Jesus and direct my every footstep. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Last week I ended the blog series “America’s Seven Sins,” and today I would like to start the week out by telling you what God has been placing on my heart.
I believe we are going to see another great awakening in this country, for I hear the Spirit saying to my soul, “There are many who have never known Me but who soon will.” I believe we will not merely witness revival, for in the true sense revival involves those who already believe and suggests a rekindling of enthusiasm and dedication; we are going to see a great swelling of unbelievers coming to evangelistic meetings and converting to Jesus Christ and thus enlarge the percentage of church attendance by significant numbers.
I believe there is coming at the same time a shaking and a shifting of the forefront ministries in this nation. By that I mean that I see those who are now in the “spotlight” being removed by God and replaced with those who have a sincere and dedicated heart for building the Body and who will be burning, exemplary ambassadors of an uncompromising message. It is only a matter of time now that rottenness behind the pulpit will bring a final collapse upon those preachers who are driven by a celebrity spirit, for the souls of men are ripe for spiritual substance.
Yes, I believe that this next awakening will be (among other things) marked by a fresh passion for biblical authenticity. The gold of Scriptural truth will replace the plastic credit of positive sermons, for ministers will more and more be appreciated for their straight talk and “telling it like it is.”
I believe that accompanying a return to the Word will be an unprecedented display of divine, supernatural signs. The Spirit of the Lord says, “Miracles, and not just those of healing, are going to become a regular phenomena in the Church, and many will be won; many whose hearts are hard and now closed will be won over to me.”
Finally, I hear the Lord saying, “Don’t think this will come without a price. There will be bitter struggles and plenty of persecution, and yet there will come a great shaking in the land and abroad, because many in my Church are crying out to me for revival, for awakening, and therefore, I am going to answer their prayers.”
So what’s America’s big, seventh sin? It’s not what you think. It’s not abortion, homosexuality, political corruption, or anything else so obvious; yet it’s as basic and straightforward as it gets: America has forgotten God.
I know that sounds ludicrous seeing that the U.S. has over 450,000 churches, that (according to various polls) an average of 40% of the population goes to church, that over 80% of adults are Christians, that Christian bookstores and media programs are everywhere, and that, according to a June 24, 2008 article in the Washington Post, “92 percent believe in God … [and] more than half of Americans polled pray at least once a day.” All that may be true, yet what is happening is that the minute most people walk out the sanctuary door on Sunday or walk away from a religious event, they leave all things high and holy behind; and until their next visit, they forget about God.
God does not belong in everyday life; at least, that is how a great majority in this nation seem to feel personally. Business, family, social issues, habits, opinions, personal tastes and lifestyle—practically everything but a church related occasion is carried on with little to no real implementation of godly principles. “This isn’t the place for religion,” everyone says. “Things operate on a different level when it comes to such and such.” Oh, really?
Tell me what institution in this country does not need honesty or integrity. Show me what social situation could not benefit from fairness, generosity, or graciousness. And since when is justice, truth, or any of the other virtue God inspires and initiates ever out of place?
People in this nation really want double standards: one that makes them feel devoted and sincere and another that selfishly lets them make up the rules to life. Guess which one is their real favorite, their real love? Not the one they assert in stained-glassed edifices or private devotions; it’s the one they excuse, make sacrifices for, and actually practice. It’s the one they call “the real world”–rough and raw as it may be.
While all the other sins in this series are decisive and foundational, none is more so than America’s error of forgetting God in daily, cultural routine. We are deceived when we think that humanitarian motives produce ethics strong enough to support the weight of a responsible, forward-moving civilization. Just look at our secular societies crumbling right in front of all our heady but godless ideals! It is and always has been impossible to practice the righteousness of God without the God of righteousness; and at this moment in our history we, in our negligent state, stand to unavoidably loose the very values we claim to hold near and dear. Attending rallies, voting for the right candidate, organizing programs, and all the other activities we are currently involved in to save our nation from ruin are good and necessary; but, America, hear me by the Word of the Lord: no remedy is more effective or needful than to bring our faith and the name of Jesus to the forefront of everything we do.
As I said in an earlier post, I do not believe it’s too late for America. Based on what I know of the Bible and the power of Jesus Christ, I believe that God can and will heal our nation. But we’ve got to repent! All of us. Individually and absolutely.
May God bless—and be merciful to—America.
America’s sin is not having money, as some people say. No, if Americans have become corrupt, it is because they are guilty of loving money.
1 Timothy 6:10 says that “the love of money is the root of all evil;” and while God is not against money (His Word has many positive things to say about it), He ceases to bless us when we put money before or even equal with His principles.
Loving money has nothing to with your financial status. Poor people can be caught up with the love of money just as much as the stereotypical, greedy millionaire. I know plenty of lower income people who are stingy, calloused, manipulative, and underhanded when it comes to their money.
Loving money trains you to a certain mindset, and you begin seeing all situations through financial or materialistic lenses. This is where America has transgressed and where America needs to repent before the Lord. How many times do we approach others not with warm, hospitable motives but with a business-type mentality? We think in our hearts, “What can I get out of this person,” or “How can this relationship lead me to better opportunities.” We learn to use people. Far too many across this nation are infamous for breaking a contract or promise and hurting someone in the process, just because a better offer comes along or because they don’t want to pay their share. And again, whether we’re talking about one hundred bucks or one hundred million, this evil treatment against our neighbors is diabolically wrong!
We have sinned because we have made money, not principles or wholesome priorities, the tipping point of our decision making. Way too many people these days would rather sacrifice their children, their marriage, their call of God, and even their soul just to live out their “golden” opportunity. Way too many would rather participate in outright illegal activities or keep their mouths shut about dishonest things going on behind the scenes than loose their precious paycheck.
It’s time to get some guts and do what is right, what is really important in life, even if it means less wealth, less promotion, and less material goodies! Americans are givers, that fact is certainly true and certainly commendable; but what we do right with our money does not excuse what we do wrongwith it. Today is the day to stand up against bribes and enticements of all kinds—even if they come with a smile or good intentions. Stand up for your family, your friends, your ordained virtues, and for the truth of God that is in Christ Jesus; put these things before money.
Yes, I believe God wants every one of us to be rich—rich in faith, good reputation, godly deeds, and rich in love for one another. Whether you have lots or little cash is of no consequence. There are many things in this world that are far more lucrative than the green-backed bill.
