Dear friends, on Thursday the 14th of this month I will be bringing one of the most important messages of my ministry to date. For those of you in the Colorado Springs area, the invitation is below and I would encourage you to sign up and bring a friend. Without giving away the entire essence of this important talk I want to give you a couple of highlights here and I pray you will endeavor to study these ideas more fully in the days and weeks ahead.
My friends this may be the greatest test of the Church in America in our history. The spiritual condition of our nation, and perhaps the world, is on the line. What will history record?
With the unprecedented uncertainty and confusion in our world right now I am less concerned about the trajectory of our culture than I am the response from the Body of Christ. I feel that we lack any real depth of awareness regarding our condition, the proper attitude we need to display, and are awkward at best regarding the right Godly response. Perhaps this is the unfortunate by-product of our focus on evangelism at the expense of discipleship.
It is time for us to grow up in the Lord! He wants to prepare all of us who call upon Him to be powerful instruments in His hands for such a time as this. How can we do this? It starts with having the wisdom and discernment to understand where we are and what the likely outcomes will look like if we stay on this dangerous course.
Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. Prov 2:10-15
It begins with BECOMING AWARE. In my talk on the 14th I will be sharing a true story I have yet to unpack publicly. It happened when I was a 16 year old boy and it was an experience I have never forgotten. When it was over I was left with a poignant example of the inner workings of communism. Virtually everything I experienced back then I am now seeing played out in our nation. As mentioned in the above verse, we are being fed perverse lies and being led by many with evil intentions.
Realizing this is important, but DEVELOPING THE PROPER ATTITUDE is critical. Our attitude needs to be positive and joy-filled. We would all agree that we need the strength of the Lord right now. The Bible makes it clear that the joy of the Lord IS our strength. If you are a believer that joy is in you—you need to appropriate it. Remember, He is still in charge.
Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have taken my instruction to heart: Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals or be terrified by their insults.For the moth will eat them up like a garment; the worm will devour them like wool. But my righteousness will last forever, my salvation through all generations. Awake, awake, arm of the LORD, clothe yourself with strength! Isa 51:7-9a
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. Jn 1:4
When Jesus came to a world that was in bondage to darkness and dead in its sin, He came as light and life. His light dispelled sin's darkness wherever He went, for the forces of evil could not withstand Him. THAT LIGHT IS IN YOU!
Next, we need to consider our ACTIONS. The real problem in our world is the obvious lack of truth. Consider this:
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how he works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 NIV
Dear ones the only way we can insulate ourselves from this deception is to be in God’s word every day. We need to measure everything we are exposed to with the truth of His word. Can you imagine how amazing it would be if every believer becomes aware of what is happening, has a joy-filled positive attitude and is actively comforted with the truth of the Word of God?
People are watching us. Our families need us to be a source of peace and comfort and not of anxiety and frustration. This is the way God’s kingdom will advance in the midst of darkness. If you are wondering about how you can do all of this let me explain what I have discovered. The secret is—WORSHIP!
After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever." As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 2Chr. 20:21-22
This is not complicated—He created us to worship Him and it is the surest way to appropriate the power needed to live this kind of victorious Christian life. As we worship Him we invite His very presence into our battles.
At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me and I in you. John 14:20
As you set aside time every day to be in His word, pray and worship Him, remember He is IN you.Let the joy of that realization be your peace.
Here are some practical takeaways to consider:
AWARENESS
- Ask for His discernment every day
- Remember we are called to be watchmen…to understand the times
- Spread out your sources of information/truth
- Consider the implications of what you are being told
ATTITUDE
- Remember that the joy of the Lord is your strength
- Meditate on Him and receive His peace
- See those who do not agree with you through the eyes of Jesus—as precious
ACTIONS
- Read the word, pray and worship God every single day (this is the core of everything)
- Ask God to show you your specific assignment
- Speak peace and boldly proclaim truth in love
- Get involved in local areas where godly leadership is needed
As I close please allow this tender story to minister and challenge you in your journey as a believer—a simple yet profound illustration suggesting a desperate need in the body of Christ today:
A mom put her little boy to bed, tucked him and prayed over him. She then went downstairs and began to read her Bible. Suddenly she heard a loud thump from his room and her young son crying. She rushed upstairs to find her little boy lying on the floor. She asked him, son what happened? His tear-filled response… Mommy I fell out of bed because I think I stayed to close to where I got in.