October 28,
2016
For
Christians, our times of sailing with the wind at our backs is over. Difficult times lie ahead. While we enjoyed decades of being culturally
venerated, then accepted, then tolerated, those days are over. War has been declared against us, and there
is no sense in hiding our heads in the sand or making happy talk about how
things aren’t as bad as they seem. Yes,
they are. And they’re only going to grow
worse. The enemy has spent decades
getting us to this point. The control of
the media, the judiciary, the educational system, did not happen overnight. Nor, did it happen accidentally. It came about because of the systematic
efforts of true believers whose belief system is pretty much the opposite of
Christians. The enemy has now achieved
the power and positioning to make life miserable for those who oppose their
agenda (us). Many of them make no bones
about how it is time for “payback” to Christians who, rightly or wrongly, they
see as having persecuted and held them back.
They are out for revenge. They
want their pound of flesh. And we better
prepare for what’s coming.
The government
is not going to protect us. Our federal,
and many state, governments have made it clear that their agenda is now owned
by the moral progressives in this country.
That means that governments will continue to do everything they can to
eliminate God and his influence. They
will persecute and prosecute His people at every opportunity. From federal mandates seeking to enforce “rights”
for the sexually deviant, to states prosecuting those who are seen as
discriminating on the basis of moral values, to cities seeking to silence
churches and preachers who would oppose their leadership’s immoral agenda, government
has become our enemy, not our friend.
All forms
of media are actively striving on a daily basis to make our belief system not
just unacceptable socially, but viewed as vile and obscene. It’s not just that we’re increasingly
becoming the butt of jokes on nightly television, consistently portrayed as narrow-minded
bigots who are determined to make life miserable for everyone else, but we’re
being portrayed as harmful, cruel, heartless fanatics who enjoy destroying the
lives of others whose values don’t match ours.
A “fair and balanced” view of Christianity is out the window. Honestly.
Check out Google, Yahoo, MSN and other websites and tell me they are
anything other than blatantly, openly, hostilely, anti-Christian. Watch a few of the “family” shows on cable
and then argue that the traditional family is not under full blown attack and
the object of absolute ridicule. Understand that as Christians we now wear the black
hats. We’re the villains, the bad guys,
the enemy.
The courts
are now among the most active persecuters of God’s people. After years of effort on the part of the left,
judges with an agenda are the rule, not the exception. And that agenda is anti-God and
anti-Christian. Increasingly the courts
are legislating from the bench against Bible believers. And if a case comes before the court in which
opposing moral values play a role, as in matters sexual, just look at the
consistency of the decisions that are being handed down. They are consistently on the side of the
immoral.
The
upcoming presidential election does have huge implications for the future. And I am going to hold my nose and vote for
Donald Trump for president. But
regardless of who is elected, please understand that does not change a system
that has become deeply and thoroughly corrupted. As Christians, we are facing an enemy who now
holds the reins of power and will not hesitate to ruthlessly apply that
power. One man, or woman, cannot change
a judiciary, an educational system, a media, that is now clearly in the hands
of those who would erase our God, our message, us…
However, now
please allow me to share what lets me sleep at night and gives me hope for
tomorrow. While I am arguing strenuously
we should not ignore the reality of the challenge we face, as formidable as
that is, that does not mean the battle is over.
In fact, I believe in many ways it has only begun. Let me share a couple of observations I believe
are apropos that come from the dark days of Israel.
In 1 Kings
19, after Elijah’s great victory on Mount Carmel, he is chased into the wilderness
by Jezebel. Exhausted, he is ready to
thrown in the towel, to give up. He believes
he is the only one left who is faithful.
What does God tell him? That there
are seven thousand in Israel who have not bowed the knee to Baal. The remnant is faithful. The unsung heroes like Obadiah, who is sheltering
and caring for a hundred prophets at great risk to himself (see 1 Kings 18:4),
are still there, still faithful. He is
not alone.
There are
still tens of millions of people in this country who believe in God and seek to
follow His inspired word. They have not
given up. They are not going to
quit. I believe we can look forward to a
time when people of faith will unite in ways they have never before to take a
stand for God and following His will.
There is still, in this country, a powerful force and voice for what is
good and what is right. I do not believe
that voice will remain silent.
Above all,
our God is an awesome God. He rules and
he reigns even as the Ahabs and Jezebels that pollute this earth arrogantly sit
on their thrones and disdain Him and persecute His people. God’s mighty hand guided an arrow to the
chink in Ahab’s armor and turned Jezebel into dog food. When judgment time came it was swift and
absolute. Those who blaspheme and oppose
our God have no idea of the calamitous mistake they have made. As with the arrogant Nebuchadnezzar (see
Daniel 4), they will be brought low.
As with
Elijah, we are called simply to be faithful.
Through thick and thin, victory and defeat, good times and bad, we must be
faithful. God’s victory over the prophets
of Baal and Ashtoreth came because Elijah was willing to put himself on that
altar. He risked it all because of His
trust in God. We are called to do
exactly the same (Romans 12:1,2). If we, like Elijah, are willing to present
ourselves as living sacrifices, we shall see amazing things in the days to
come.
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is
above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven
and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9,10).
MARANATHA!!!
As the direction of this country turns from God, I can only think how difficult it would have been to be a Christian during the Roman Empire.
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