A New Civil War
“And in those times there was no peace…but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands.” 2 Chronicles 15:5, 7
America is clearly experiencing a new Civil War! But this time it’s not a battle with weapons, but with words. It's not a battle with power of bullets, but the presence of the Bible.
I can clearly see that Americans are divided politically, tired emotionally, frustrated economically, angry relationally, and fearful financially. We now find ourselves experiencing the words written to Israel long ago, “And in those times there was no peace...but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands” (2 Chronicles 15:5, 7).
We are still debating the COVID vaccine, Critical Race Theory, Black Lives Matters, socialism verses capitalism, and the power politicians want over our daily lives – all these, and more, are driving our nation deeper into social conflict and spiritual confusion.
Sadly, our storage units are full but our prayer closets are empty, our shopping carts are full while our churches are empty. We are quick to be sarcastic but struggle to be humble and broken. As I said on Sunday, "One of the most powerful words in the English language is the word help. It’s the ultimate position of humility in the human heart. Only the humble, not the proud, only the broken, not the arrogant – dare to use the word help."
Has America become too proud to ask God for help?
We love to quote the verse that offers hope, but we often don’t obey it, “If My people humble themselves, pray, cry out, and repent of their sins I will hear and answer” (2 Chronicles 7:14). We must wake up while the alarm clock is still ringing!
According to Barna Research, nearly 72% of churches don’t look to the Bible as their final source of authority and direction. No wonder America is crumbling from within and our foundation is severely cracking more and more. Let’s remember that our hope is not in churches filled with Democrats and Republicans, but Biblicists who have a biblical worldview that dominates their thinking and deepens their lives in truth – God’s truth!
The reality is that there's only one solution and it has not changed for thousands of years. We must humble ourselves and cry out, “Lord, it is nothing for You to help us. O Lord our God, we rest on You and in Your name we go against the multitude” (2 Chronicles 14:11).
The Church in America needs a fresh downpour of the Holy Spirit that disrupts everything in our lives! We need a fresh downpour of God’s spiritual Clorox that washes us clean of all the filth the world is throwing at us. We need a fresh downpour of courage to stand up for our great and awesome God.
And all these fresh downpours must start in America’s pulpits! I recently read these words from Pastor Jason Meyer who said this about today’s pastors, “Some of you are preaching for the absence of criticism rather than the presence of the Holy Spirit.”
Yes, pastors are cheerleaders, but more than that we are game-changers. Bold pastors are nearly extinct in our nation because it’s much easier to “play church” with worldly expectation rather than “be the church” with serious biblical conviction. The above statement is so true, "Courageous leaders make the difference."
So, in closing, let’s ask ourselves, is there deep humility in our hearts? Are we truthful and compassionate? Are we passionately praying and spending enough time in the Bible?
I leave you with this quote from Al Whittinghill, “Without the heartbeat of prayer, the body of Christ will resemble a corpse. The church is dying on her feet because she is not living on her knees.”
God bless you,
Pastor Dave
America is clearly experiencing a new Civil War! But this time it’s not a battle with weapons, but with words. It's not a battle with power of bullets, but the presence of the Bible.
I can clearly see that Americans are divided politically, tired emotionally, frustrated economically, angry relationally, and fearful financially. We now find ourselves experiencing the words written to Israel long ago, “And in those times there was no peace...but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands” (2 Chronicles 15:5, 7).
We are still debating the COVID vaccine, Critical Race Theory, Black Lives Matters, socialism verses capitalism, and the power politicians want over our daily lives – all these, and more, are driving our nation deeper into social conflict and spiritual confusion.
Sadly, our storage units are full but our prayer closets are empty, our shopping carts are full while our churches are empty. We are quick to be sarcastic but struggle to be humble and broken. As I said on Sunday, "One of the most powerful words in the English language is the word help. It’s the ultimate position of humility in the human heart. Only the humble, not the proud, only the broken, not the arrogant – dare to use the word help."
Has America become too proud to ask God for help?
We love to quote the verse that offers hope, but we often don’t obey it, “If My people humble themselves, pray, cry out, and repent of their sins I will hear and answer” (2 Chronicles 7:14). We must wake up while the alarm clock is still ringing!
According to Barna Research, nearly 72% of churches don’t look to the Bible as their final source of authority and direction. No wonder America is crumbling from within and our foundation is severely cracking more and more. Let’s remember that our hope is not in churches filled with Democrats and Republicans, but Biblicists who have a biblical worldview that dominates their thinking and deepens their lives in truth – God’s truth!
The reality is that there's only one solution and it has not changed for thousands of years. We must humble ourselves and cry out, “Lord, it is nothing for You to help us. O Lord our God, we rest on You and in Your name we go against the multitude” (2 Chronicles 14:11).
The Church in America needs a fresh downpour of the Holy Spirit that disrupts everything in our lives! We need a fresh downpour of God’s spiritual Clorox that washes us clean of all the filth the world is throwing at us. We need a fresh downpour of courage to stand up for our great and awesome God.
And all these fresh downpours must start in America’s pulpits! I recently read these words from Pastor Jason Meyer who said this about today’s pastors, “Some of you are preaching for the absence of criticism rather than the presence of the Holy Spirit.”
Yes, pastors are cheerleaders, but more than that we are game-changers. Bold pastors are nearly extinct in our nation because it’s much easier to “play church” with worldly expectation rather than “be the church” with serious biblical conviction. The above statement is so true, "Courageous leaders make the difference."
So, in closing, let’s ask ourselves, is there deep humility in our hearts? Are we truthful and compassionate? Are we passionately praying and spending enough time in the Bible?
I leave you with this quote from Al Whittinghill, “Without the heartbeat of prayer, the body of Christ will resemble a corpse. The church is dying on her feet because she is not living on her knees.”
God bless you,
Pastor Dave
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