AMERICA, PARALYZED NO MORE!

A call and response exhortation for the nation

AMERICA,

Get up and walk!
Come out of your paralysis.
You’ve been paralyzed, unable to do what you need to do.
Rise and be healed!
Believe in the Lord!
Rise in faith, for your sins are forgiven (Luke 5:17-26).

The Spirit of evangelism is on you right now.
This is where God is moving.
This will free you from your paralysis.
GOD IS MOVING. Move with Him, in Him.
In Him ONLY do you live, move and exist (Acts 17:28).
If you try and move apart from Him, you’ll be paralyzed—not able to move.

Zacharias couldn’t speak because of UNBELIEF (Luke 1:20).
As the religious spirit is paralyzed, you must be free from it to move with God and do His works!
The religious spirit is full of UNBELIEF and HYPOCRISY.

America,
PARALYSIS requires healing and SLEEP PARALYSIS requires an awakening!
Come out of both!
Come out of your sleep paralysis!
Wake up! Blow the trumpet! Sound the alarm!

Evangelism is not only for the salvation of unbelievers,
but for believers to fully accept Jesus as true Lord of their lives.
A continual, increasing Lordship of Jesus over your life.
Fully embrace Jesus as Lord.

Lord,
Open our eyes!
Wake us up so we see You, and what You are doing (John 5:19).
So we get up and do the same (John 14:10, 12).
Give us true faith—the revelation of You in our heart that frees us from paralysis.
See our faith, our determination, to get to You at all costs (Mark 2:5; Mark 5:28).

You intercessors who are carrying a paralyzed America—

Tear off the roof!
You’ve said, “No matter what, we must get America to You. Lord, see our faith!”
God sees, and He says to the paralyzed nation, Rise, get up and walk!
Move with Me!

God is moving. Catch up and keep up.
Follow the pillar. Follow His move. Follow Him. (Exodus 13:21).
Come out of unbelief and hypocrisy. (Luke 1:20, Matthew 15:8).
Throw off the religious spirit.
Religion paralyzes.
If you keep doing what you’ve been doing, when He has moved on to something else,
then you won’t be able to move.

Hypocrisy is when God has moved on, but His people didn’t move with Him.
Hypocrisy is when the lips honor Him, but the heart is far from Him (Matthew 15:8/Isaiah 29:13).

God,
Save these ones who have experienced a false salvation. Who didn’t really believe, who didn’t have true faith in their heart, yet we led them in a prayer. We only gave them religion. We created hypocrites and discipled them in it! God forgive us and save them!

America,
Fully yield to the Lordship of Jesus.
His Spirit of evangelism is rising on you. Rise with Him.
Let true faith rise in your heart, in your land.
Receive the revelation from the Spirit of God of who Jesus is,
the drawing of the Father Himself. (John 6:44, 45, 65; Isaiah 54:13, Jeremiah 31:34).
Let faith germinate in your heart!

God,
We are humble, yet determined (Matthew 8:8, Mark 7:25-30).
We respond to You and Your Word.
We will get up and walk.
We will join with You to do Your will.
Breathe Your Word into us so we preach and teach Your true gospel
With Your presence, power, and boldness (Acts 4:29-31).

America,
His Word has been breathed into you.
Breathe in His Word and believe!
Let faith rise.
Receive His Spirit, His presence, His power, His bold parrésia anointing to speak His Word (Acts 4:29-31).

Get up and walk!
Hope rides on the dawn.

Professors, Petitioners, and Protesters

When an American feels he has been unjustly treated by the government, there are certain avenues in place to address it. It is a blessing that America has these things in place, not all countries do such as communist countries. However, it’s the responsibility of every American to become, what I call, a “professor” of the American Way. This being a person who has studied American government and civics, educating themselves on how America works.

Without knowing the ways of America, a person will not accurately understand whether or not the government is mistreating him. Or, if they do know they’re being mistreated, without understanding how America works, they won’t know the avenues in place to properly address it. (On a side note, in America, if a person feels they’ve been wronged by another person, there are civil courts to handle disputes between citizens. That is a separate topic not covered here).

There are three types of people, or you could say three behaviors, I want to point out in this article.

Professors of Principles

As I stated above, every American should be a “professor” of the American way—knowledgeable in the ways of our government and citizenship. Professors are first students themselves. They study the constitution, our founding documents, and the Bible. The Bible is one of our founding documents and it is where our founding fathers got the idea of all men being created equal with certain “inalienable rights.” America’s form of government is based on the biblical concept that certain rights have been given to all people by their Creator and no other man or government can take these rights away.

All citizens need to become professors, not just when they feel they’ve been mistreated. If we don’t, we won’t know when or if our rights are violated. Laws may be passed that take away our rights and we are not aware. Or we may accuse our government of not doing enough for us, when in reality, a limited government is necessary to keep the people free. These misunderstandings can lead to the deterioration of our freedoms and our country itself. It’s vital for all Americans to be students of the founding documents—especially the constitution and the Bible.

A professor of principles will study America’s founding documents to be sure he has a clear and proper understanding of them, including the Bible. This is where the core basis of truth is established. These documents are the legal authority which grant American citizens their way of living. Any legal or military action needs to be based on the authority of these documents. These documents state that Americans have the freedom of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The government exists to protect those freedoms. The government doesn’t grant freedoms. Since professors have gained understanding of America themselves, not only can they act accordingly in their own lives, but they are able to explain, or teach the American way to others.

A professor who feels he has been unjustly treated by the government—for example unjustly charged with a crime, or becoming aware of a law that appears to be unconstitutional—after knowing what his rights are, follows the next step—petition.

Petitioners in Prayer
A true petitioner of the American way will first have become a professor and studied the founding documents. If he believes there should be an adjustment or change he petitions for it. For example, if he was given a ticket or charged with a crime that he believes is not just or in line with the law of the land, he petitions it by going to court. This is in response to a governmental action against him. It could also involve contacting his legislatures when he’s discovered a law or practice that violates his rights. Or voting for or against candidates based on how closely the adhere (or don’t adhere) to the constitution.

It’s the responsibility of every American citizen to inform themselves of candidates running for office, to vote, to pay attention to what their representatives are doing, and hold them accountable when necessary.

A petitioner in prayer will approach the throne of God to ask for his/her request to be granted by the Lord. Go to the Lord to present your case, be open for instruction and a more accurate understanding of what is true and right concerning your request. Be humble and admit you’re wrong if that’s the case.

If petitioning hasn’t resolved the situation, and you are confident your request is right, then the next step is protest.

Protesters with Prophetic Proclamations

A true protester of the American way will first have been a professor who has a proper understanding of the founding documents, he will have some sort of action against him he is responding to, or discovery of something wrong, and has taken the route of petitioner and not gotten a favorable response. He protests to bring awareness of what has happened.

Once again, you need to make sure your protest is based on the core foundation of founding documents.

When protesters express themselves verbally, those who hear need to be professors themselves, so they can properly judge whether or not the protester is accurate in his accusations. This is vital, otherwise people can respond sympathetically or emotionally and give support to a cause that is unconstitutional and/or unbiblical. By knowing the founding documents yourself, you can make an informed decision as to whether the protester has a valid point.

The enemies of America have used protests against us. They know many people don’t know the constitution and will side with protesters out of sympathy. They want to change America, not enforce her greatness. They’re not protecting people’s rights, they’re actually trying to destroy America and the freedom of the people. They’re preaching another ‘gospel.’

Violent protests which violate the constitution are nothing more than an invasion of America and the American way. Once again, its important for all legitimate protesters to first be professors so they are working to keep America in line with her founding documents through their protest, not steering her into socialism, communism or some other ‘ism that oppresses the people.

If the government really is tyrannical the people have the right to bear arms and fight the tyranny. But there are those who are using protests or other types of chaos to try and make it appear that the government needs to step in to keep peace, make life safe or healthy, or whatever the case may be. Their goal is to give the government more power, reducing America’s freedoms in the process. As they protest for more laws to make things more “fair” or “safe” they are actually taking away freedom and safety by creating a monstrous government.

A protester with prophetic proclamations is one who will also, after having received the knowledge of the Word of God through study, and the heart of God through prayer and petitioning, will take what the Lord has revealed and prophetically proclaim it. This addresses the spiritual opposition, as well as bringing a prophetic word of God into a situation.

As a Christian American, it really is your duty to:

• Educate yourself both in the Word of God and in America’s law of the land.
• Address the areas that are out of line through legal means, voting, discussion, petitioning, as well as going to the Lord in prayer. 
• Protest only to keep America in line with her founding documents, particularly the constitution and the Bible. Be careful not to support the protests of others who are out of line with these things. Proclaim and declare what the Lord has solidly spoken.

An excellent resource is The Founder’s Bible by David Barton--check it out here.

Government by the People

When you have a society which has a minimal number of laws for the most serious offenses (murder, rape, theft...) and strictly enforce them, the people are much freer and happier than when you have many laws which attempt to prevent offenses and shape behavior. The latter causes people to seek permission from government for their behavior, rather than knowing right and wrong for themselves. That is not freedom. That is control.

This is what has happened to a certain extent in America. However, this is not the government's doing, it is the people's choice. While siding with those who say they want to make everything fair and easy, they have surrendered their freedom, and their conscience, willingly. The problem is, that in the process of doing this, laws are created which affect all Americans, not just the ones who wish to be controlled. This is the basic point of contention between those who want a big government, and those who want a small, limited government.

So how do you govern a society while still allowing the free will of the people? You don't. You set things up so people will govern themselves. How? By protecting, and promoting, their freedom to love and worship God. The desire to please God trumps any motivation a government could ever give.

I know that governments have sometimes used religion as a form of control, but just because it works to accomplish that goal doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. In reality, it is not just any religion that brings order to a society. All you have to do is look at history to prove that point. No religion has been perfect, because no people have been perfect. However, look at the holy books of each religion and you will find that a Judaeo-Christian people, when following God as He intends, will self-govern and create a society that flourishes.

This is contrary to religions who force conversion, killing or enslaving those who don't comply. This type of religion confuses the role of government with the role of their god. With a biblical standard, God governs men's hearts, who then rule their lives and families. Families govern communities and nations. Governing authority starts from individuals on up, not the government down, but it only works peacefully if the individuals themselves have submitted themselves to the true, loving God.

Every society needs a standard of truth. In America, the Bible has always been that. But now, those who have drifted away from (or never had) a belief in the God of the Bible, would like to establish their own truth. They say they want diversity and fairness for all, but what they're really trying to do is force a set of beliefs, their beliefs, on everyone. They feel if they can set up a powerful government who rules through these many laws, then things will be "better" for all. This is not true. This is not reality.

The beauty of America, led by biblical truths, has always been that men can respond to the convictions of their own heart. Yes there have been laws to protect which bring limitations, and no we haven't been perfect. But the answer is not found in doing away with the biblical standards that have made this country great. The answer is to promote, yet not force, these biblical standards more. Everyone gets to choose, but the laws, and consequences for breaking them, will be judged by the one standard we have always had--the Bible.

Fight it all you want, but it works because its truth.

Recharging America's Battery

Early this morning, on election day, I had a dream. It was a very brief dream, but very clear. I saw a man who was trying to hook up jumper cables to a battery. He was very unsure of himself and therefore hesitant to connect them. Then I heard these words, "You can't recharge, if you don't know how to properly hook up to the power." And then, "If you want to restart the country, you have to know how to recharge the battery." Then I woke up.

Knowing that God is the power source, my question was, What is the battery and how do we charge it?

A battery holds and maintains a charge--a charge which came from a source of power. There is a play on words here. Charge is not only an electrical current, but also an instruction or command from a higher authority to do something specific (I charge you to do this). It authorizes the person to perform that task. It can also give a person a management type of authority over something. (You are in charge of this office). So the battery of America holds God's "charge" to the country. It contains the power and authority to fulfill His charge. Who is this? The church. God's people. The Ekklesia. We should be holding and maintaining the charge of God to this country.

How do you hold a charge in a car battery? Two ways. By staying connected to the power source, and by driving the car. It loses its charge when it just sits there, unless its connected to an active power source. We need both times of being active and times of being quietly connected to the power source in order to remain fully charged.

So the church was commissioned to receive and hold the charge of God for America, so she could fulfill her purpose (which is His purpose). Once that charge was lost, the country stalled out and couldn't complete her purpose. The battery must be re-connected to the power source and be re-charged. He wants to recharge and recommission His people so we can restart America!

In recent years America has "lost her charge" which has caused her to weaken and decline. It’s the responsibility--the charge-- of the church to maintain the commission of God to America. The country as a whole has stalled in her purpose. To restart America, we must reconnect to the One who holds the power and recharge our charge. The church has not remained active in America so the power has drained out of her. It's not just about connecting to Him so our family can be blessed. It's about charging America with the power of God. Releasing His power flow into the country. The church--God's people--are the only ones who can do this!

The battery contains a "current" so the battery has a "current charge." To maintain our current charge, we must keep the charge current. As those who hold the charge die, there must be new ones take their place that also hold the charge. This means we must charge the newcomers to America--our children, but also the immigrants. We must pass the charge on to them. They must learn how to connect to the Lord themselves in order to hold and maintain His charge to America, and keep America functioning according to her purpose.

Father, please forgive us and our nation for allowing our charge from You to die out in America. Show us how to recharge properly and confidently with You and Your power, commissioning, and authority. Show us how to keep the charge going by fulfilling that purpose. Show us how to keep it from dying out by connecting the newcomers to this country--our children and the immigrants--with You. So they can also be charged by You. Help us to recognize that our power, our commissioning, and our charge, comes from You and You alone. We want no other source of power. You are the only true source of power. You alone can empower us to be a living, functioning country, that fulfills our purpose--which is Your purpose. Your charge is our charge.

American church---it's time to reconnect! We put on the jumper cables. We connect America, and the church of America, currently, without hesitation, properly, and confidently to our Heavenly Father--the Most High--so His power and commissioning can flow into His people and this country. We allow His charge to charge us and empower us to fulfill America's purpose, and we pass this charge on to the newcomers of this country so it will not die out again!

America in The Valley of Decision

On October 18, 2018 as I woke up, I saw in the spirit a great number of people coming over a mountain and into a valley. The people were the people of America and they were coming into a valley of decision. 

There were four mountain peaks surrounding the valley. Straight ahead was the mountain of God. The ones on either side were "opposing" mountains that opposed the ways of God. As the people entered the valley they were questioning which way they should go. This was the valley of decision, so each person had to make a decision which mountain they would climb. It seemed chaotic with people moving around all over trying to decide which way to go. Some went up a mountain to the left and others began to follow them. In fact, many people just followed the crowd that was around them. The people at the top of the left mountain looked down over the people in the valley and thought they all belonged to them. They were yelling, "Ours for the taking! Ours for the taking!"

There were a few people on the mountain of God already and they saw the crowd begin to follow the others up the opposing mountain. They realized they had to come down into the valley in order to reach the people so they wouldn't follow others up the opposing mountain. The people of God came down and mingled in with the people in the valley. Some people were cold and stiff and when the people of God touched them they warmed up and could move freely. Some had something wrong in their mind and when the people of God blew on them their minds became clear. Some needed their hands touched and life would flow through them when their hands were touched by the people of God.

There was a danger though. Since the people of God came down into the valley of decision, they could leave the valley and go up the wrong mountain themselves. Everyone in the valley, people of God or not, needed to look up over the heads of the people at the mountain of God in order to go in the right direction. If they just followed other people, they might not end up on the mountain of God. So there was a danger of those who were once God's people to get disoriented, make wrong decisions, and end up lost on the wrong mountain---opposing God instead of being with Him.

Some of the people of God knowingly went up after those on the opposing mountain in hopes of bringing them back down. But once they went up onto that mountain they began opposing God themselves. They didn't realize it. They didn't think that they were opposing God because they were only there to go after the people! But being on the opposing mountain brought them into opposition to God, no matter what their original reason was for being there. This was pride and a deception that they thought they could remain free from opposition to God themselves while in this place.  The only ones to be reached were the ones still in the valley of decision, and the people of God had to stay in the valley and keep their eyes on the mountain of God in order to remain safe themselves.

In the end, I saw many people go up to the mountain of God. As the valley cleared out, it became evident that not everyone in the valley belonged to the opposing mountain. It had appeared that way for a time, that those in the valley belonged to the opposing mountain, but as the people made their decision and moved up the mountain of God, it was not so. However, the thought remained that some of God's people could be (or may have been) lost because of disorientation (not keeping their eyes on the God's mountain) or arrogance (going after others thinking they could bring them down into the valley).

American, You Are A Politician!

Every citizen of the United States of America is a politician. America is a republic. This means that it is governed by the people. The highest authority in the land is not the President or Congress, it's the people.
Unfortunately, the American people have grossly neglected their office. We need to take office and steer our country back in place.

Many people have thought that Christians should not be involved in politics, that they are under God's authority and don't need to tangle with worldly things. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the opposite is true.

Peter wrote that the people of God are to "submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him..." (1 Peter 2:14). The government of the United States is a human institution. Our republic is a human institution that we, as believers are told by the Lord we need to submit to. In our republic, you are a ruling authority. It's time to submit to this institution, rise up and take the responsibility of your office!

Michael Farris in Constitutional Literacy says, "The Constitution is not a document whereby an all-powerful government grants certain rights and privileges to its citizens. No, it's the other way around. The Constitution is a document whereby the citizens of the United States grant certain authorities and power to their government."

Paul wrote that "every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God." The authority of the American republic is from God Himself. The authority you have in governing this country is from God Himself. "Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves." (Romans 13:1-2). Christians have resisted the authority God has given us as a ruling voice, and it has brought condemnation upon us. Our freedom to speak and to live as Christians is under serious attack!

What is your political job description as an American citizen? To vote representatives into office that will uphold the constitution and to hold them accountable while in office. You may also consider running for office yourself. But you can still take your rightful place in the office of a citizen. 

Constitutional Literacy, Copyright 2014 by Michael Farris, Apologia Educational Ministries Inc. Anderson, Indiana www.apologia.com

America and the American Church

The United States is a Christian nation with separation of church and state, which means that the government doesn't dictate how the church is run. Churches have the right to operate free from governmental interference, and what that really means, is that the people have the freedom to live their lives in worship and obedience to God without the government passing laws that would oppose. In fact, the government is to protect the right of the people to live, work and speak as they believe.

The church is the ecclesia, or governing body of the Lord in the earth. The constitution was written to protect the church and the freedom of the people to worship freely. People are allowed to worship freely in their homes, their churches, and in the "public square" and business. These freedoms were given to the church at its founding. It was presumed that we would always remain a Christian nation.

So what do we do when an ideology which opposes both the church and the constitution, calls itself a religion and tries to claim the same freedom that the constitution provides to the church? Our government should recognize that these attempts are direct attacks on our freedom and oppose them. It should not open its arms to "religions" who oppose the constitution, such as Islam's Sharia law. Their goal is to remove and replace the church in America, not simply get in on the freedom of worship, and they will do that by force if it comes to the point where they feel they could.

As the ecclesia in America, the responsibility of the American church (or American Christians) is to prohibit anything that opposes this freedom from infiltrating or gaining a foothold in our land. Some of this is done spiritually in prayer and proclamation, yet as Americans who have both the right and responsibility to vote and hold our legislatures accountable, we are to take action through "non-spiritual" means as well.

In the Old Testament, we see that God's people got into trouble whenever they wouldn't tear down "the high places" or when they would allow those who worshiped false gods to remain in the land after He told them to go in and possess it. In the same way, if we allow those who oppose the Lord to promote their ways, and increase in both number and influence, then we are removing the protection and blessing that He has placed over us. Our own actions (or inaction) will be the very thing that becomes a snare and takes us down.

Compromise is not the answer. Political correctness is not the answer. This isn't even about immigration or refugees. It's about protecting the Judaeo Christian values that we were founded on, and not being so naive as to think that we are somehow immune from having enemies who hate us, just because we're "nice." Do we love our enemies as Jesus said? Absolutely, but we love God more, and work to build His kingdom, defend the faith, and the land He's entrusted to us.

The Priestly & Prophetic Assignment of the Church in America

There are things that happen in the natural that reveal what is going on in the spiritual realm. Currently, President Trump is building up the U.S. military, which had been downsized over the last several years. There's a valid reason for strengthening the military. When the military of a "good" country is strong, evil is kept in check. If a bully is going to pick a fight, he won't normally choose the biggest kid on the playground to fight with. Strength is a deterrent. In the same way, when the power of God is known, it puts evil in its place.

Public display and acceptance of evil has been increasing rapidly in the United States, especially in the last 20+ years. This is the result of a decrease in the church's knowledge, release, and display of the power of God. In the 1940's and 1950's there was a great healing revival which displayed the power of God, resulting not only in healing, but salvation as well. (See link here). The Jesus Movement of the 1960's and 1970's, along with the Charismatic Movement, brought both "hippies" and many from denominational churches into a born-again, spirit-filled life. The power of God in the church accomplished much for the kingdom, and evil was kept down.

The Decline of Power
During the healing revival, and beyond, we had the Word of Faith Movement which, in spite of the good it did for the body of Christ, eventually led to many who were immature in the faith to distort the message, causing a pursuit of worldly goods, rather than building the kingdom of God. Eventually came the Hyper-Grace Movement, which, once again, takes a vitally important aspect of God and distorts it into a slap in the face of the Lord by not taking a stance against sin. While faith and grace are both important to salvation, healing, and all of the blessings of God, the enemy brought an influence into the church which distorted both. Many in the faith movement who had been "burned" by the message, turned against faith altogether and took the opinion that "whatever will be, will be." They felt their prayers were ineffective, and they turned away from speaking powerful words of faith or prophetic declarations.

The Rise of Idolatry
While this turmoil was going on, Islam and socialism were rising in the United States, and our kids began being indoctrinated in the public schools. As the power of God declined in the church, these weeds were planted, and we're seeing the result of their growth today. Of all the immigrants and refugees who have come to America, none have desired to change the core foundation of beliefs of the U.S. like Islam. Of course, many of these people are pawns of those who will use whatever means they can to take America down, yet, this too is a symptom of what is going on in the church. The church has committed adultery, worshiping idols in place of the one true God, causing a compromise of the Christian faith, and of course the power of God.

What do we do? We stay close to the heart of God, seek Him daily, and take our place as both priests and prophets in His kingdom.

In the days of Joshua, Israel entered the Promised Land after wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. Yet they didn't walk right in without a fight. There were many battles involved in possessing the land. The Lord told them at times to kill all the inhabitants.1 This sounds so cruel, yet it was necessary to keep the nation holy. (I'm not saying to kill anyone, I'm relating this to the spiritual battles of today!) When pulling out weeds that have infiltrated, we need to do a thorough job. This is what has been happening, and needs to continue, in the church. We are beginning to see its effect in the natural realm in our government. Keep praying!

The Priestly Assignment
There are two things we need to do to possess the land God has called us to. First involves a priestly assignment. As a priest, we can intercede and repent on behalf of the church. We can repent of having a form of godliness, but denying the power. We repent of not allowing the power of God to be fully displayed in and through us. Whether its because of fear, unbelief, or complacency, we repent and turn from it. We also repent because of our compromise and failure to surrender our heart completely to the Lord. Putting other things as a higher priority than Him. Being afraid of hurting people's feeling we turned to political correctness, trying to be "nice."

When we function as a priest, repenting on behalf of all, we are interceding. Jesus is the greatest example of an intercessor. He came to take our sin on Him so we could be forgiven and our relationship restored with the Father. He stood in the gap, taking our sin on Him. In the same way, we repent of all of the sins of the church, examining our own heart, but praying on behalf of all. Our prayers will benefit the entire church, and the country.

As we intercede, and repent, on behalf of the church for our foolishness and all of that, we truly turn around ourselves, and ask God for forgiveness. I believe this is why the election went the way it did--God's mercy in response to this kind of intercession. As we intercede, we are cutting the weeds off at the roots. We are pulling them out of the ground and removing them from our midst--as they did when they took possession of the Promised Land.

The Prophetic Assignment
After repentance comes the prophetic. As we prophesy the will and Word of God, by His Spirit, we are planting new seeds into those areas that were infiltrated by weeds. Our intercession removed them, but new, godly growth needs to occur. The barren land needs to be inhabited by the righteous so the enemy does not return even stronger. Those who hear, and believe, our prophetic words can run with this, cultivating the seed, and building the kingdom of God in their region.

After all of this, we must be diligent to maintain the land. Weeding the weeds (intercession), and planting the seeds (prophesying) are to be an ongoing part of maintaining the land. To do this, we must stay in the presence of God, in His Word, surrendering our hearts to Him always. Don't think your part is too small. When you cut off a weed root, it affects the entire plant. You're cutting off the "supply line" to an area, and many will be made free by your diligence to pray. However, don't forget to seek the Lord for the prophetic word, and plant the seeds in this area!

1 For example, Joshua 6:17-27, Joshua 11:10-12

Political Agreement or Unity of the Spirit?

One thing I've realized this year, much due to the presidential election, is the power of "popular opinion." By that I mean the level of discomfort many people feel when they begin to think they are holding a minority opinion. Whether a person is actually in the minority or not, if they think they are in the minority they may begin to feel anxious about their opinion. Depending on the strength of their beliefs, they may waver, doubt and even end up changing their mind. This has been the strategy of the enemies of our country--to make righteous people feel they are in the minority and holding to a ridiculous opinion. By doing this they attack the core of your beliefs and therefore your confidence to hold fast and stand strong. But one thing Christians need to realize is that this is not just the plan of the enemies of America, but the strategy of the enemy of your soul.

If you value the opinions of others more than the Lord's, then this will bother you to think you are in the minority. In reality, it doesn't matter if you are in the minority, as long as you are in agreement with the Lord. Remember Micaiah the prophet? He was outnumbered 400 to 1 in his prophecy that Ahab would be defeated, yet he stood strong.* Micaiah knew the voice of the Lord. He was able to keep free from doubt because he did. It didn't bother him that everyone else disagreed with him. In the end, it didn't matter at all. Of course there are also times we think we are all alone and we're not. Elijah thought he was the only one left who worshiped the Lord when the Lord told him He still had 7000 who did not worship Baal.* We can become discouraged if we think we're all alone, and this is why we need to gather together and encourage each other to stand strong in the faith until the end. At the same time, we need to be willing to stand alone if we need to.

The danger of relying on majority opinion, is that it is not a guarantee that your agreement is in line with the will of God. (Think Tower of Babel*). People often think that just because a lot of people believe something then it must be true. This is not the case. Jesus said the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life and few people will find it.* Following the crowd will not get you there, following the Lord will.

The body of Christ is not a political group, it is a spiritual body. Yet the devil would love for you to view your relationships with your brothers and sisters in Christ as political--whatever the majority is doing must be right, right? When we value the opinion of people above the opinion of the Lord then we will look at His body as a political group which is ruled by the majority of those who call themselves Christian rather than the will of God. Jesus is the Head of the body, and we must all listen to Him above all else.

Jesus said the two greatest commandments were to:

1. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.*

God comes first. We must seek His opinion above anyone else's. Only He can give us the unshakable faith that doesn't waver, because He is the rock. He is the truth. His Word is the only thing that will stand.* It is the only thing that we can have a genuine confidence in, and without this confidence we will be swayed by the opinions of others. We will end up seeking approval and acceptance from people first instead of the Lord.  (Of course I'm not saying you should not be teachable, or open to correction, from those God has placed in your life for this purpose).

The only way to prevent falling into the "majority" mindset is to spend time with the Lord--in prayer and in His Word. This is how Micaiah did it. He went into an "inner room" to hide himself. He spent time seeking the Lord--alone. We can't ride on the coattails of other Christians who are seeking the Lord any longer, we must seek Him ourselves. The Lord is making us aware that this is happening so we can fix this. He is calling you into His presence, to spend time with Him, seeking Him, hearing His voice. Get ready, He wants to show you things!

We are bombarded with "news" and advertisements and opinions of people everywhere we go. If we do not spend time with the Lord so we intimately know Him, and know His heart as well as His voice, then we will become swayed by what we see and hear. There is no substitute for time with the Lord. There is no other way. It's not just hearing people talk about the Lord and what He's saying to them, it's talking with Him ourselves. It's not just speculating about what we think the Lord thinks, it's hearing from Him ourselves. Do you know the Lord's voice? How does He speak to you? We've got to get this!

Once we are confident in knowing the Lord's voice, and then we hear others say similar things that He has been showing them, it becomes a confirmation that unity is developing. We begin to come into unity with the Lord, who is our Head, not just a political agreement of the body. There is a unity of the Spirit that is far above a political agreement. However, I might throw in here that we will have "political" agreement on issues to the degree we have unity of the Spirit. As we all come into greater agreement with the heart of God, we will agree on the issues of our day. Will we all be the same? No, but our uniqueness will enable the body to work together for the Lord, not hinder it.

Remember, we don't just hold fast to the Word of God when it's popular. The Word of God is truth no matter what people think. When we care more about the opinions of people this means we fear them more than we fear God. If we are concerned about being laughed at or excluded because of our faith in the Lord then we fear people more than God. If we deny Him before others, even in the face of death, then we fear people more than we fear God. If we don't possess a fear of the Lord, we will not properly honor His Word. Proverbs tells us that the fear of man brings a snare.* It will trip you up and bring you down. But when you hold fast your faith in the Lord until the end you will be saved, and receive the reward which the Lord has reserved for you.*

No matter what happens in this earth, hold fast to your faith in the Lord, above everything else--even if you appear to be standing alone. Yet, let's get together now and encourage each other while we have the opportunity.* Remember that your faith, once tested and found to be genuine, will grant you the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him!



Click on the Scripture links below to read the Scripture:

* Micaiah outnumbered 400 to 1: 1 Kings 22
* 7000 who did not worship Baal: 1 Kings 19:9-18
* Tower of Babel: Genesis 11:1-9 
* Narrow is the way: Matthew 7:13-14
* Two Greatest Commandments: Matthew 22:37-40
* Word stands forever: Hebrews 1:3, Matthew 24:35 
*The Fear of Man brings a snare: Proverbs 29:25, See also Matthew 10:24-39
*The End Reward: Matthew 24:13, 1 Peter 1:3-9, James 1:12, Philippians 3:12-14
* Assembling together: Hebrews 10:24-25 

Fractured Families Weaken a Nation

If you've read any of my stuff before you've probably heard me discuss God's plan for mankind in the beginning. Adam and Eve were told to be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth and subdue it. They were to rule in the earth. God's structure for a community, a society, even a nation, is built upon the family structure. Children that are taught the ways of the Lord early on, and pursue a genuine worship-based relationship with the Lord, will be productive members of the society. They will play a meaningful part in a community, blessing it with their unique gifts and call. We see this as the plan after Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land. They had no king and the people were free to do as they pleased.

However, the generation after Joshua's did not know the Lord and they departed from Him and served other gods. This got them into trouble. They were plundered and eventually brought into slavery. When they cried to the Lord, He raised up a deliverer, Othniel, who was the first judge. (Judges 2 & 3). After that, they had judges who judged them. These judges were also warriors who defended Israel, but they were not kings who dictated to the people what to do. I find it interesting that the judges were also warriors. They were those who understood the outside threats against Israel, as well as understanding the Law of Moses to judge within the nation.

It's important to note that the judges didn't make the law--they judged righteously according to the Law of Moses. I wonder if the founding fathers of the United States noticed this. The United States was founded upon "The Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" as Thomas Jefferson wrote. The phrase was most likely taken from Lord Bolingbroke who wrote, "...One follows nature, and nature's God; that is, he follows God in his works, and in his word." The judges of Israel judged according to the Law, but everyone still had a certain degree of personal freedom. In a free society, our freedom to follow God is the very thing that makes that society work.

"In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes." Judges 17:6

Does this sound like the "right" way to run a country today? Everyone doing what they feel is right? You would think it would be utter chaos wouldn't you? In a nation that does not fear God, it would be chaos. However, this is the principle upon which The United States was founded. Everyone having the freedom to live as they choose, according to their belief in God. To accomplish this, the United States was not founded as a nation where the Government dictates what the people can or cannot do. It was structured so the people told the Government what it could and could not do. This is why John Adams said, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

It wasn't until Israel wanted to be like other nations who had kings that they got rid of the judges and went to being ruled by a king. Of course God still raised up prophets to speak to the people, and to the kings, but the structure of the government had changed. The king ruled.

My point is this, God's best plan is for a nation to be structured around a family based society who has faith in God. As children are raised up by parents who will teach them the ways of the Lord, and lead them into a personal relationship with the Lord, these kids will grow up and bless society. As adults, their desire will be to please the Lord, following His law of love which means they won't wreak havoc in a society, they will contribute something meaningful in their generation.

This is why Satan does all that he can to fracture the family unit. Divorce, domestic abuse, drug addiction, alcoholism, homosexuality, pornography, adultery etc. are all tools of his to tear apart families. As families experience strife on a daily basis, or each individual selfishly cares for just themselves, the family bond diminishes and will finally dissolve. When this happens, the foundation of our society weakens and begins to crumble. We need strong families in order to have a strong nation. Children need to be raised up and taught the ways of the Lord, as well as His way for the structure of a nation.

"...Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed..for I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice..." Genesis 18:18-19.

If we've learned anything at all from the history of Israel, it's that each generation must experience a fresh encounter with the Lord themselves. We cannot assume that just because we follow the Lord, they will follow Him too, without teaching them or leading them in His way. We usually teach our kids to follow us, not the Lord, and this will not work--they need to become a new creation in Christ themselves.

So what do you do if your family has been fractured? If you are a single parent, divorced, or live alone, start where you are. Take whatever family pieces you have left and work with that.

• Pray for unity in your marriage if you are married. Only He can cause your individual goals to become a unified goal.
• Seek the Lord for your path in life--job, school, ministry, relationships etc.
• Adjust your path to fit what the Lord shows you.
• Teach your children the ways of the Lord and pray for them!!
• Support others in your family in their desires and effort to reach their goals and purpose.
• Recognize that our Government is not to dictate how, when, where, or if, we can worship God.

When our faith is in the God of the Bible, and we live according to His ways, our families will be blessed and strengthened. We will bless our communities, and cause our nation to prosper and live in peace.

Quote references:
Lord Bolingbroke and Thomas Jefferson, retrieved March 13, 2016
http://www.thefederalistpapers.org/current-events/what-is-the-law-of-natures-god
John Adams, retrieved March 13, 2016
http://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=63

The Church and the Presidential Primaries

Right now American political parties have an “in-house” decision to make—who they want to run against their opposing party for president. This is similar to what is facing the church right now. We have “in-house” issues to work out.

Within our party we are divided over who we want for President. Many Christians feel we’ve “heard from God” and our guy is the guy. This is fine, but our reaction to those who disagree with us tells us a lot. It reveals the condition of the church as a whole. Not so much that we disagree, but WHY we disagree and HOW we react to others who disagree with us.

Who do we vote for?

God is not double minded. He knows who He wants, but He wants us to come to the same conclusion because we have grown close enough to Him to think like Him. He has given us guidelines in His Word regarding characteristics of a leader, and He has given us His Spirit to guide us in these times. God knows the hearts of men, so we need His guidance. God promotes and demotes, but He leaves some things up to us. He may keep us from going in the gutter at times when we goof up, or He may let us reap the results of our foolish choices. Either way, He wants us to learn to see things from His perspective. If we ask the Lord for wisdom, He has promised that He will give abundant wisdom to those who ask in faith. (James 1:5). Just to clarify though, we DO need to vote. We can't just throw up our hands and say "Whatever happens happens, His will will be done anyway." No, there can be devastating consequences when we shirk our responsibilities! Look to His Word and seek Him in prayer regarding who to vote for.

So once we've made our choice, how do we respond to those who disagree with us?

We don’t want to yield to anger or fear when discussing issues with our brothers and sisters in Christ, or anyone for that matter. If we are angry, it is most likely because we are fearful of what will happen if things don't turn out the way we think they should. This anger and fear reveal our lack of faith and undermine our confidence that we have heard from God on who to vote for. This causes an unsettling in our spirit. This makes us anxious and we want everyone to agree with us because it will help us feel more confident in our decision. The solution in these cases is not to lash out at people, but to press in closer to the God of peace. Let's make sure that we are not only making the "right" choice, but that it is for the right reason. Let's humble ourselves before the Lord and seek truth. This is what will give us peace in the midst of this political storm. We can share our decision with others, and why/how we came to that decision, in an attitude of peace. And when others share their opinions with us we need to compare what they say with the peace in our heart to see if it bears witness. If we get worked up, we won't be able to do this.

The enemy will sow paralyzing seeds of strife and confusion wherever he can. Fear is good soil for those seeds. We must not have more faith in the candidate we choose than in God. We must trust the Lord above all else—the God of peace who WILL crush Satan! (Romans 16:20).

Our adversary wants us in discord. God wants us in unity, even when we disagree. Only the Lord can bring true unity. As we each press in to get closer to Him, seeking more truth and clarity in our own heart, He will direct all of our paths towards the same direction--towards Him. This brings us all closer to each other as well. Once we resolve this we will be a stronger church.

As the church begins to awaken together with a corporate vision our light is dim at first, which brings the cloudy chaos we’ve seen among us. We need to continue to awaken more fully so our corporate light shines brighter. None of us can elect a president on our own, or by our own opinion, no matter how strongly we feel. It's not the strength of our personal opinion that elects anyone, it's our unity. Of course I'm not talking about a false unity where we think we must be right simply because many other people agree with us. This is not true unity of the Spirit but a political spirit like at the tower of babel (Genesis 11). Instead we must humbly seek for a unity of truth in the Spirit as we all walk closer to the Lord. 

Arise and shine saints!

Re-Seed the Nation

Those of you who are around my age may remember the saying, "What came first, the chicken or the egg?" I still remember the first time I read the account of creation and realized it was the chicken! I thought to myself, the Bible really does have the answers for all of our questions! So, God made the animals first. He "made the beasts of the earth after their kind..." (Genesis 1:25). He made the species and they reproduced. Then He made man--male and female. He blessed them and told them to "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it..." (Genesis 1:28). You know the story, right?

Well, the other night in a dream, I heard the words, "Re-seed the nation!" It struck me that this word "re-seed" is in contrast to the word "recede" which means to draw back or retreat. Re-seed means to spread seed throughout the nation--godly seed. This seed is children who are born and raised up in the ways of the Lord. As we re-seed this nation, we are taking land--territory--for the Lord. Of course the enemy knows this. He knows the value of children, which is why he infiltrates our schools, attacks our marriages and distracts parents so they will value careers, money or prestige above their children, if they even have children at all.

The Lord told the first male and female to multiply. This meant they would have more than two children. They would not just replace the two of them with two more, but multiply--fill the earth! I remember several years ago I was going to a fairly large church, and I noticed many young married Christian couples deciding not to have children. The reasons varied anywhere from being so involved in ministry or career that they didn't "have time" to feeling it wasn't "God's will" for them. But He already said it, before everything else--multiply and fill the earth! I realize the earth is pretty full now, but look at what has happened to us in America as we've not placed a high priority on 1. Having children or 2. Loving them enough to make them one of our highest priorities--above big houses, cars, ministries, jobs, vacations etc. I am speaking to myself too!

Our nation needs to be re-seeded! In Ephesians 6:2-3 Paul writes "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth." I believe we need to not only honor our own father and mother, but the positions of fatherhood and motherhood. We need to honor all of the fathers and mothers so that we, as a Christian people, will "live long" on the earth. We need to do better honoring the fathers and mothers among us--encouraging them and helping them recognize the high call they have. Christian parents need great encouragement these days!

It may take time to re-seed, but it's better than receding. We may have tares sown among the wheat, but that doesn't mean we stop sowing wheat. We may have to, along with the tares, "grow together until the harvest" but we keep growing, planting and tending to our seed. (Matthew 13:24-43). We can quicken the process when adults are "born again." As these adult spiritual babies are born, experiencing new birth by confessing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, then re-seeding occurs then too. Of course in both cases, the seed needs to be tended to and nurtured so he or she will grow up strong in the ways of the Lord. Let's do it. Let's re-seed the nation, not recede, and take our land back!

"My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you--" Galatians 4:19

The Staff of Reed: U.S. Lessons from Egypt

Around 595 BC The Lord spoke a word through the Prophet Ezekiel that Egypt would be destroyed. He said he was against Pharaoh because of his pride but he also says the following:

"Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the Lord, Because they have been only a staff made of reed to the house of Israel. When they took hold of you with the hand, you broke and tore all their hands; and when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their loins quake. Ezekiel 29:6-7.

There are a couple things we can learn from these verses. Egypt was being destroyed and it was, at least partially, because of it's relationship with Israel. Egypt was not a staff that Israel could rely on. They were a staff of reed, one easily broken, injuring Israel in the process. The Lord wanted (and still wants) Israel to trust Him and Him alone, not any other nation or any other person, and Egypt was suffering because of Israel's trust in them.

Does that mean Egypt should have just left Israel alone? Well, it says when they "took hold of you with the hand, you broke and tore all their hands; and when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their loins quake." God didn't want Israel to trust in Egypt in place of Him, for that would be trusting in something that really can't hold up when put to the test. Egypt was not to give Israel a false sense of security--whether intentionally deceiving them or ignorantly thinking they were their protector. Yet they should have supported Israel as much as possible, if Israel made any agreement with them and then needed help.

The United States should take heed. If Israel reaches out to us, we don't want to just appear that we support them, but then not really do so when the pressure is on (like a flimsy staff of reed). At the same time, we need to realize that we are not to take the place of their trust in the Lord, and we should encourage them to trust in Him over us, rather than arrogantly thinking we are the fixer of all things. Yes we should support Israel, but that in no way means that they can't survive without us. We both need to look to the Lord as our God--our defense, our help in trouble, our provider, healer etc.

Egypt was to "never again be the confidence of the house of Israel," (vs 16) and the United States should never think that Israel needs us to survive. We need them, and we both need the Lord.

America's Grief Cycle

Whether we realize it or not, America is suffering loss. We have been losing the American lifestyle slowly and subtly for several years. Our freedom is under attack. When an individual suffers loss there is a grieving process he or she goes through. The same thing is happening in America. We may not be aware of it, but a grieving process has begun.

First there's been denial. Many have been unable or unwilling to admit that anything has been lost. They might see the country today as making many advances--more freedom--when in reality this is not the case. Our economy and our defense has taken a very large hit. We have gotten so distracted in trying to bring fairness to every single situation, that we have not noticed the looming threat building up against everyone. 

It's been very subtle, just as an aging parent or loved one slowly declines into ill health. When you see them every day you don't notice the decline as much as when you compare their quality of life to 30, 40 or 50 years ago. As Americans begin to wake up to the losses she's been suffering--through restrictive laws, violence or threats and fears of violence--some may choose to stay in denial because if they admit the reality of what is going on, it's just too uncertain and fearful for them. Denial feels better, but of course is a dangerous place to be.

Then there's anger. Many are awakening, coming out of denial and getting angry. They see how far our defense has fallen as we begin to experience, not only threats, but actual attacks of violence and greater frequency of less noticeable attacks like fraud and identity theft. This is where many people are right now--some in denial, some in anger. What comes next?

Once a person wakes up out of denial, the anger needs to be dealt with. Some anger is felt towards lawmakers and some towards the violent, the lawless and the intimidating. Some may be directed inwardly, for example if we have not voted or voted without being informed, resulting in lawmakers who do not have the country's best interests at heart. However, when we allow the anger to change into energy for prayer and, if necessary, repentance, then we will gain the humility and wisdom that is necessary to put us on the right path to recovery. Proverbs 11:2 says that with the humble is wisdom. Humility will open our hearts for the wisdom of God to be revealed to us. 

We need wisdom so we don't act impulsively and let our anger take us in the wrong direction. Yes, it may be that the government has gotten the country into a mess, but who is the government?--We the people. We don't want our anger to lead us to do impulsive and foolish things, yet, we are not to cower in fear either. A fearful heart is in panic, is impatient, impulsive and irrational. None of these are from the Spirit of God which He promises to those who believe in the Lord Jesus. We must make our decisions while influenced by the Spirit of God--from a heart of faith, peace, patience and love. This is a trustworthy, stable path. When we truly understand the love that God has for His people, we will be able to trust Him and follow wherever He leads us. We will understand that He is the only one who can truly lead to green pastures and still waters.

Take a look at what is going on in America and in the world today, but don't get overwhelmed and stick your head back in the sand as you begin to see it. Humble yourself before the Lord and pray, seek His wisdom and get going on the path He has for you. Do it confidently knowing that the safest and most productive path to be on is the path of His will for you.

Ecclesiastes 9:14-18: There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it and constructed large siegeworks against it. But there was found in it a poor wise man and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man. So I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." But the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his words are not heeded. The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.

The Cobblestone Roads

"If you want to do something for your country then rebuild the cobblestone roads."

I had a dream the other night that someone said those words to me. If you want to do something for your country then rebuild the cobblestone roads. I know. I thought the same thing--what does that mean? So, of course, I did a little research on cobblestone roads. This is what I found.

Cobblestones are smooth round stones that have been rounded by the flow of water. They are typically set in sand to make roads and sometimes bound together with mortar. Cobblestone roads are durable enough that they allow a road to be used for heavy traffic all year round. The design helps prevent the ruts so typically found in dirt roads, yet doesn't get muddy in wet weather or dusty in dry weather. They move with the ground and therefore don't crack when the ground moves due to weather changes.

The first thing that stood out to me are the smooth, round stones. The Bible talks about five smooth stones in the story of David and Goliath. David had gathered five smooth stones from the brook to use against the enemy of God's people. He refused to wear the armor that was offered to him, but chose instead that which he was familiar with--faith in God. God had delivered him before from both the lion and the bear and David knew God would deliver him this time as well. He said, "For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?" David wasn't trusting in himself, his skill, or his stones, but in God.

Another thing about cobblestone roads is that they move and therefore do not crack when the ground shifts. When we try and build a road that is too rigid, too strict, or too defined it will crack under the pressure. As we allow room for the stones to move and breathe it will hold up under much stress. We must remain flexible enough to sense the shifting of the seasons and move with the Lord as He does.

What does this have to do with our country? When a country is built with faith in God as a foundation and is flexible enough to allow people to worship the Lord and follow Him as they sense His leading, it will hold up under much stress and pressure for many years to come.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobblestone, retrieved 8/9/2014; 1 Samuel 17:26