If there was ever a day in the history of the world and of Christianity, today is the day that we need ears to hear what Holy Spirit is saying to the church.
Jesus told the disciples that we are to be salt and light. (Mt. 5:13-16). We know that light dispels darkness and salt is both a flavor additive and an anti-corruption agent. When light is missing, darkness is the natural consequence. When salt is missing, lack of flavor exists and corruption spreads
As we look at our nation over past decades, whether by observation for those who are old enough to witness the change, or by study of historical facts, we must certainly admit that we see an increase in darkness and corruption in our nation.
Many of those who confess faith in Jesus Christ seem to be oblivious to what is actually going on around us. Others may see, but believe it will just all shake out at the end of the day. But, when we study Scripture, we truly see that what is happening is the same as has happened through the ages and that is the conflict between two kingdoms.
If we only see a “race” war or a “political battle”, we are seeing only superficially what is really happening. These issues of race and politics are pawns that are being used by the evil genius of darkness to create division and strife in the body of Christ. The actual root of all that is happening lies much deeper. That root is Satan at war with his archenemy, Jesus Christ. He has always wanted to usurp the place of the Son of God, both in the heavens and on the earth. He desires that worship come to him as shown in his “5 I will’s” of Isaiah 14. Satan’s goal is to influence and draw people away from God and to entice and bind them into worshipping him.
Back to salt and light: Jesus said that no one puts a light under a basket, but rather on a light stand for all to see. Jesus said that when salt has lost its strength, it is good for nothing but to be thrown out. If the church is the light and salt in the earth as Jesus said, what is that saying about today. When we see the obvious increase in darkness and corruption, it’s only because the church had hidden its light and lost its strength to influence.
How could this happen? As we look back through the ages, we see the global church has hidden its light and weakened its power to confront the obvious darkness and corruption infiltrating our nation. The truth of God’s word was exchanged for numbers and budgets. Fear of offending people caused the church to only preach a compromised gospel that offered promises of a blessed and comfortable life without addressing the sinful nature, or worse, even excusing these behaviors.
Entertainment was more important than transformation and the church continued to get dimmer and dimmer and weaker and weaker. Those who preached the full gospel were disregarded as being too strict or “religious” by the crowds filling stadiums and conference centers. The chant was freedom and grace at no cost. God became the genie in the bottle, giving out favors to whomever rubbed the lamp.
I remember several years ago I was walking through my house and the Holy Spirit dropped a simple phrase into my heart. That phrase was “while the church was sleeping…’. While the church was sleeping, the enemy came in and sowed his tares. While the church was sleeping, God was removed from schools. While the church was sleeping, abortion was made legal. While the church was sleeping, perversion and homosexuality became applauded and accepted. And the light got dimmer and dimmer and the strength of the church got weaker and weaker. And the church began to look more and more like the world. Churches today embrace doctrines of demons that support what God has called an abomination.
Have we learned anything? I am grieved when I hear Christians today speak so passively about what is going on in our nation. They still want to preach the same lame, non-offending sermons to make everyone feel safe. We need to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church. The church must arise and awaken to become the warrior bride we were created to be.
There is a remnant church that is awakening and arising and is hearing and heeding what the Spirit is saying to the church. We must hear daily what the Lord is saying. The truth of His Word is eternal but we must be wise to hear. We can no longer rely on the sermons of the past to get us where we need to go. Yesterday’s word is stale and unfitting for today. We must pray differently than we have prayed in the past season. We must worship with understanding of what worship is really about. God is calling His church to rise up and become that warrior Bride and dispel the enemy from our nation.
In Mt. 16:18, Jesus very clearly declared war on the spirits of darkness. It was no accident or happenstance that He took them to the rock in Caesarea Philipi that was considered the entry way into the underworld of evil and darkness. There, He declared war on Satan and the forces of evil and declared the gates of hell would not and could not contend or overpower His Church. War was on and it has continued through the ages, but the church has been sleeping.
Many wars have been lost though the ages because the enemy has caught the opposition unaware. Why do we think this nation will survive without the light and salt necessary to keep it thriving? The true church will always prevail, but judgment will come to any nation that refuses to accept Jehovah God as Lord. (Psalm 9:17)
What can we do? There are many Scriptures that tell us that God will heal a land that repents. I told my church this week that we often want to quote 2 Chron 7:14, but we forget a very important word, IF. “IF” God’s people repent and seek His face, He promises to heal the land.
In Joel 2, we love to talk about the Lord returning and restoring the years that the locusts have eaten. We love to talk about the pouring out of God’s Spirit on all flesh. But we forget the big, IF. When God’s people repent, fast and pray God moves. When God’s people seek His face, God moves.
I am calling our church to 40 days of prayer and fasting. I believe many pastors who are truly hearing what the Spirit is saying are or will do the same. We will begin our fast on Sept 25 and go through Nov. 3rd, the Election Day in our nation. There is more than a change of office at stake this year. The destiny and future of our nation is at stake. We cannot allow more darkness to spread by putting leadership over our nation that promotes and proclaims that even more heinous acts of the torture and murder of innocent lives that are still in the womb will occur. We have candidates who are saying they will even expand the laws on abortion. This is demonic and shows the sickness in the hearts of people.
We cannot allow more darkness to spread that wants to have anti-Jehovah God people making laws and teaching our children. How can we be one nation under God and have anti-god people leading and making laws? We cannot allow more darkness and corruption to spread that wants to legislate sexual perversion, such as pedophilia or homosexuality as a physiological normal reaction. The church must awakened, repent and arise.
It does not take a unanimous effort on behalf of those who are labeled as Christians. It is an obvious fact, based on the Word of God, that all who proclaim Christianity are not in reality true believers of Jesus Christ. It takes the true remnant church that is not afraid to take a stand and declare the Word of God as our foundation and truth. In 1863, the Senate and President Abraham Lincoln in a declaration, declared that Almighty God and His Word were the foundation of this great nation and they called the nation to a day of public assembly with prayer and fasting. They recognized that the horrific civil war underway was the result of the sins of the nation and man’s self sufficiency. We are no different today.
As the church goes, so goes the nation. This nation is needed in the earth as a beacon of hope for many people. It has experienced incredible blessing from God and many true believers have lived and continue to live in this land. Resources flow out of this nation into every nation on the earth. The enemy does not want this to continue. The church is the only force powerful enough to overtake the evil darkness in this world. Awaken church!
Revelation 2:7 (NRSV): Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
