Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
114 Million Super Bowl Viewers Blatantly Ignore God's Word
A scene from the Super Bowl half-time show. (Reuters)
Last night I was at church watching the Super Bowl with a bunch of young adults in the student ministry. We had a concert planned for the halftime show, and I was in the sound booth watching hundreds of young people enjoy contemporary music that glorified Jesus. My phone started to buzz over and over with friends of mine asking if I saw the Super Bowl half-time show. I knew instantly that it had to do with gay awareness and homosexuality.
The moment I looked at the live TV screen, I saw an entire football stadium designed in rainbow colors that read, "Believe In Love." Over 114 million people tuned in around the world to be made more aware and celebrate homosexuality from the largest single platform on the planet.
The world is celebrating a definition of love that has no biblical foundation. The Bible tells us that "love does not delight in evil but rejoiced in the truth" (1 Cor. 13:6). If the Bible refers to homosexual practice on all account as evil (ungodly) behavior, then it can't be love as God defines it or intended it. It's a carnal love, a deceptive love, a love of the world masquerading as the love of God. They can wrap their slogan of gay awareness in the rainbow, but that doesn't make their love godly.
In my new book, Gay Awareness, I write about the revelation God gave me on the rainbow and why the gay community uses it as their banner.
Over the years, it has grieved me that the gay community has adopted the rainbow as their emblem. This was the sign to the people of God that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood. Genesis 9:13 says, "I have set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth." The interesting part is the relationship between the rainbow on the banner of the gay community and a sign of the promise of God related to God's judgment on the world. The people who don't want to be judged chose the sign of God's promise against the backdrop of God's judgment of the world.
I began to pray and ask God to speak to me concerning why the gay community chose the rainbow as their own. One day, in the middle of my daily Bible reading, I came across the reason. Revelation 4:3 says, "And He who sat there appeared like a jasper and a sardius stone. There was a rainbow around the throne, appearing like an emerald." Follow me on this. In Revelation 4, God was showing the disciple John a vision of heaven and the throne room of God. John puts into words what he saw in the presence of God, and describes it and all of its colors like a rainbow.
I believe the gay community unconsciously chose the rainbow as their banner because, on some level, they desire the presence of God without passing through the judgment of God. The flood of judgment came first. The rainbow of the presence of God followed.
Gay awareness continues to sweep across the world, with America leading the way. Tens of thousands participated while hundreds of millions watched as our nation waved the banners of judgment celebrating our belief in love while denying the God of love.
Landon Schottand his wife, Heather, founded The Rev Ministries in 2008 and launched REVtv.com a 24/7 online youth and young adult network dedicated to turning the heart of a generation to Jesus through Christ-centered media. Landon received his Bachelor Of Arts from Trinity Theological Seminary and authored Jezebel: The Witch Is Back, a spiritual warfare book. His new book, Gay Awareness, is set to be released March of 2016. Connect with Landon on Instagram or Twitter @LandonSchott
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When the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) declared same-sex marriage to be a constitutional right, it was a slap in the face to the laws of God and man. It was a direct frontal assault on both religious freedom and the Constitution of the United States, undercutting the very foundations on which they stand.
This is a brief on the consequences of this momentous decision using "The Three Questions" from the U.S. Army Manual for addressing a crisis. Those questions are:
1. What is happening?
2. What is not happening?
3. What can we do about it?
As we address these, we will begin with the natural first and then the spiritual.
1. What is happening? As the four dissenting justices pointed out, the Supreme Court does not have the constitutional authority to make this decision. First, even though SCOTUS has taken this authority upon itself, it is a usurped authority and nowhere does the Constitution give it this authority. The authority to determine the constitutionality of laws was given to Congress, not the courts. We are now suffering under the very tyranny that the founders warned about if the courts ever presumed this authority. Regardless of our position on same-sex marriage, every American should be deeply troubled by the actions of SCOTUS that this case is just the most recent and dramatic.
Creeping Tyranny
The first reason this crucial authority was given to Congress instead of the Executive branch, or the courts, is because the Congress is elected every two years, and therefore would be the most accountable to the people who, in the U.S., are the sovereign. The courts were for deciding whether or not individual cases had been tried fairly and justly. But nowhere is any court, including the Supreme Court, given authority to determine if a law or action is constitutional.
Congress does have the authority to designate specific cases to the court for this purpose if it chooses to, but if Congress does not give this authority in a specific case, SCOTUS has no legal authority for such a decision, and it is therefore not valid.
The second reason why this was an unlawful decision is that the Constitution states that any authority not specifically given to the Federal Government is reserved to the states and the people. Nowhere is the Federal Government given authority to give definitions or policy on social issues such as marriage and the family. The hubris of the Supreme Court to change the definition of marriage that has been universally accepted in civilized nations for six thousand years of recorded history is not only shocking, but an unprecedented level of arrogance by the Supreme Court.
Because Congress' accountability to the people would be the most direct, it was designed to be the most powerful of the three branches of government. It was given "the power of the purse" to maintain their ultimate authority. Because of weak leadership in Congress, both the Executive and Judicial branches have usurped Congress' authority in recent times to the point where it is now almost powerless, and the predicted tyranny is now a reality.
Without the constitutional authority to do what it did, the SCOTUS has violated its oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States from enemies both foreign and domestic. It is against every principle of a republic to have five un-elected officials determine the law of the land. This is why Justice Scalia declared this decision "a threat to democracy." This was not an overstatement. If this is allowed to stand, we no longer have a Constitutional Republic in America.
What the Federal Government has become is proof that you can have the best form of government and still have bad government if you put bad people in it. The whole system by which we nominate our leaders has become distorted in order to favor incumbents and the establishment so that it is nearly impossible for the will of the people to prevail now.
The government of the United States was not established to be the all-powerful authority over everyone, but rather to be the servant of the people. We, the people, are the sovereign and everyone who works in government is supposed to be working for us. It has now become a runaway monster that is consuming everything in its path. If the people do not rise up to take their authority back, then it will very soon require another revolution to recover democracy in America.
The Foundation of Our Union
The Constitution is the foundation upon which our Federal Government is based, and without the Constitution, our Federal Government no longer has legitimate authority to govern. There has been a long and continuous erosion of the links between the laws and actions of the Federal Government and the Constitution. This decision on same-sex marriage may seem innocuous and even frivolous to most Americans, but it represents such a radical decoupling the Federal Government from the Constitution that it will destroy the legitimacy of the Federal Government if allowed to stand.
The overreach of our Federal Government has put itself in great jeopardy, and in recent years it has divided Americans into factions instead of uniting them. A growing chorus of states is talking seriously about secession, and this is a very real possibility.
Paul the Apostle wrote to Titus that even false prophets can sometimes tell the truth (see Titus 1:12-13). Pravda, the Moscow daily newspaper, has been predicting for years that the United States would break up into several pieces just like the Soviet Union. Their reasoning was not based merely on sour grapes, but on the historically proven consequences of the kind of direction in which our government has been going. To date, we have most alarmingly followed the pattern predicted. We really are close to breaking apart.
Worldview
Islamists consider America "the great Satan" because of our moral and spiritual debauchery that has made us "a homosexual nation"—so perverted that the only remedy is to wipe us off the face of the earth. Their belief about the U.S. has now been affirmed by this Supreme Court decision. This decision will likely make their recruiting to this cause much easier. This is not the only issue fueling these groups, but it is a major one.
This is not to imply we should ever base our laws or domestic policy on what other nations think, but we should understand how we are perceived by the nations and how it will affect our relations with them. This has also been a major wedge driven between the U.S., Russia, and China, as well as Africa and South America. To much of the world, the U.S. and Western Europe now look like Sodom and Gomorrah.
What is Happening (Spiritually)?
All devout Christians, Muslims, and Jews base their faith on the written word that they hold to be the revelation of God's will for those who serve Him by seeking to obey Him. These three major religions have a clear definition of marriage in their written word, and all three agree that homosexuality is a sin. To compel devout Christians, Muslims, and Jews to accept homosexual marriage as marriage forces them all to decide if they will obey God or men.
The very first lie of Satan that was used to cause the fall of man was "Did God really say that?" This remains Satan's most deadly strategy against mankind—to get us to doubt the clear Word of God. If we are true Christians, we must establish in our hearts and minds what God says about these issues and resolve to stand on His Word. He said that if we do not obey Him, then we are not really following Him. This is an obvious demarcation point that will force many to choose if they will follow God or man.
Just as the devil attacked Adam and Eve by trying to confuse them about what God had really said, he begins this same attack on every believer. He knows that if he can get us to doubt God's Word, then he can keep us deceived our whole lives. The devil continues to use this strategy because it has been so successful, and it has been successful in our own time with many Christians. This is why studies of even conservative evangelical Christians who are supposed to be the most devoted to The Bible revealed that less than 10 percent of them had a biblical worldview.
The Lord gave us His written Word so we could see the world, mankind, and ourselves as He does. To see as He does is to see the truth. As the Lord said through Isaiah the prophet, those who do not speak according to His Word do not have the light in them (see Isaiah 8:20). Of the Christians I have discussed the Supreme Court decision with, only one used Scripture for their perspective. Most of the Christians that I talked to were parroting the world's perspective, which is based on a humanistic philosophy that stands in direct conflict with God's will as revealed in His Word. According to His Word, these have already fallen away and do not have the light.
A primary reason for this has been the dumbing down of The Great Commission to merely making converts instead of disciples, which is defined as teaching them everything the Lord commanded. Lacking this solid foundation of biblical truth has made it very easy for the devil to deceive and confuse Christians about what God really said in His Word. Now we must ask from what were these saved?
God made His opinion on homosexuality very clear. In the Book of Revelation, we see that one of the final and ultimate conflicts is between the Lord's messengers and "the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt" (see Revelation 11:8). This issue will be a demarcation point that will determine who will walk in His truth.
Because of the shallowness of believers to even know what is in His Word, it is likely that not many will be standing at all very soon. Of one thing we can be sure, if any are standing, it will be enough. If just one is standing on the truth, the truth will ultimately prevail. Even so, for a time we can expect that those who will be standing on the truth and wholly following the Lord will be paired down to a very small number.
The increasing persecution against Christians in America is already having the positive effect of having many Christians' worldview challenged. Some are waking up to the profound differences between what the Scriptures actually say and what they have been told they say, often even by their own compromising pastors. This will be fuel on the fire of another Great Awakening. Regardless of how small a number the faithful become, their faithfulness will ultimately turn the tide. There will be a Third Great Awakening in America.
All devout Christians, devout Muslims, and devout Jews have been thrown into the same boat on this issue. Already many non-religious Americans who care about freedom and the Constitution are beginning to also speak up. It will be most interesting to see how this plays out.
As the divisions in our country become more clear and pronounced than ever, look for the greatest unity and fellowship to grow in the small and persecuted company of the faithful. It is always worth it to stand on our convictions without compromise. We will also find out that those we did not think we had any common ground with are standing together with us.
Rick Joyneris the founder and executive director of MorningStar Ministries in Fort Mill, South Carolina. For the original article, visit morningstarministries.org.
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A Christian prison worker felt compelled to resign after Bible verses he quoted during a chapel service provoked an aggressive response from prison authorities. (File)
Christian Prison Worker Forced to Quit After Quoting What Bible Says About Homosexuality
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A Christian prison worker felt compelled to resign after Bible verses he quoted during a chapel service provoked an aggressive response from prison authorities. An employment tribunal will hear this week.
Rev. Barry Trayhorn, an ordained Pentecostal minister, started work as a gardener at HMP Littlehey in May 2011. He also helped on a voluntary basis with chapel services at the sex offenders' prison, at the invitation of the chaplain.
Whilst leading worship at a chapel service in May 2014, Trayhorn spoke about the wonder of God's forgiveness for those who repent, quoting 1 Cor. 6:9-11 from memory. The verses mention a number of sins, including adultery, homosexual practice, greed and drunkenness.
Four days after the service, a complaint was made. Trayhorn was immediately barred from helping with chapel services. He was later told that his comments during the service were "homophobic" and breached national prison policy. He was notified that there would be a disciplinary hearing.
In August, Trayhorn was signed off work with stress-related illness.
Then, on Nov. 4, 2014, Trayhorn resigned from his job as a gardener, saying that he had been harassed because of his Christian faith and that it was impossible for him to return to work, given the way he had been treated.
Two days later, a disciplinary hearing was held in his absence. Trayhorn was given a final written warning.
Trayhorn is convinced that his involvement in chapel services provoked a hostile response from prison officials, leading to a series of issues being raised with him.
A hearing in Trayhorn's case begins today at Bedford Employment Tribunal and is expected to last until November 10.
Trayhorn is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre and will be represented by Standing Counsel Paul Diamond.
'Daring to say what the Bible says'
Trayhorn explains: "I simply said what the Bible says. Prisoners need to hear God's word just as much as anyone else. If people come to a Christian chapel service, we cannot hold back the gospel truth that God forgives those who repent.
"As I led the worship, I spoke about the wonder of God's love and the forgiveness that comes through Jesus Christ to those who recognize their sin and repent. I said that I am the worst sinner I know.
"But that wasn't politically correct. The mere mention of homosexual behavior in the Bible verses that I quoted provoked complaint. I was barred from taking part in chapel services and trouble came my way. I was put under enormous pressure for daring to say what the Bible says."
'Gospel witness in prisons'
Commenting on Trayhorn's case, Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said, "It is astonishing that Barry was forced out of a sex offenders' prison for repeating what the Bible says about sexual behavior—during a chapel service—as he spoke about repentance and forgiveness. This is an important case. Freedom to maintain a clear gospel witness in prisons needs to be protected.
"No one should be denied an opportunity to hear what God has to say about the way to restoration, least of all those in prison for sexual offenses. We're delighted that Barry came to us and grateful to all those who enable us to support him and other Christians like him."
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Daniel Murphy has been lambasted for his stance on gays. (AP/Icon Sportswire/Robin Alam)
Christian Baseball Hero Daniel Murphy Lambasted for Stance on Gays
Daniel Murphy has accomplished something no one else in baseball history has done. Not Babe Ruth, or Hank Aaron, or Mickey Mantle. He has hit home runs in six consecutive postseason games. His latest helped the Mets defeat the Cubs and earn their first trip to the World Series in fifteen years.
But Murphy is making headlines beyond his baseball heroics. Reporters are replaying an incident that occurred last spring, when he made this statement regarding homosexuality: "I do disagree with the lifestyle, 100 percent." Critics are deriding him today for such "intolerance."
But here's how Murphy explained his statement: "Maybe, as a Christian, we haven't been as articulate enough in describing what our actual stance is on homosexuality. We love the people. We disagree with the lifestyle. That's the way I would describe it for me. It's the same way that there are aspects of my life that I'm trying to surrender to Christ."
Humble courage is essential to Christian witness today. In our culture, believers face criticism and slander for their biblical convictions. In other cultures, they face far worse. A Catholic charity has released a report on the "deepening plight of Christians" around the world. It states that "Christians are fast disappearing from entire regions" and warns of "the very real possibility that Christianity could soon all but disappear from much of its ancient homeland."
Radical Islamists are behind much of this rise in persecution. And their ideology is spreading far beyond the Middle East. For instance, eight men in Cologne, Germany, were charged with looting churches and schools to give money to ISIS. The former commander of Britain's chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons regiment is warning that ISIS will "inevitably" gain and use weapons of mass destruction.
Jesus warned us: "If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20). Those who hate God hate the people of God. Satan knows that he cannot attack our Father, so he attacks God's children. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote and proved, discipleship comes at a cost—always.
The next time you face opposition for your faith, remember these biblical statements:
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).
When facing enemies, "fear not, nor be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, it is He who goes with you. He will not fail you, nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6).
In an immoral culture, "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be bold like men, and be strong" (1 Corinthians 16:13).
Courage is a strong witness when we are "not frightened by your adversaries. This is a sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and this from God" (Philippians 1:28).
When you are called to defend your faith, "the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say" (Luke 12:12).
Martin Luther King, Jr. was right: "We must constantly build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear." Theologian A. A. Hodge observed, "It is easier to find a score of men wise enough to discover the truth than to find one intrepid enough, in the face of opposition, to stand up for it."
Jim Denison, Ph.D.,is founder of the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, a non-sectarian "think tank" designed to engage contemporary issues with biblical truth. Join over 100,000 who read Dr. Denison's daily Cultural Commentary:denisonforum.org/subscribe. For more information on the Denison Forum, visitdenisonforum.org. To connect with Dr. Denison in social media, visittwitter.com/jimdenison or facebook.com/denisonforum.
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Perry Stone issued a prophetic warning to the church over the gay lifestyle. (File)
Perry Stone Issues Urgent Prophetic Warning to the Church
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Perry Stone is sounding the alarm of government persecution against churches, particularly about homosexuality.
"MAJOR ALERT: I have just been informed of a major plan by the extreme left, that has the support over 100 House members and numerous Senators, that if passed would make it a crime for churches and ministers to publically (sic) say the gay lifestyle is a sin, or not allow them to use your church for their own meetings," Perry Stone Ministries posted on Facebook.
Indeed, a handful of states do have such laws on the books.
Police arrested Kentucky Chaplain David Wells for telling inmates homosexuality was a sin, according to Fox News.
A city ordinance in Idaho demanded pastors perform same-sex ceremonies or go to jail.
Former Atlanta fire chief Kelvin Cochran lost his job for calling homosexuality an "impure" lifestyle.
While a spokesperson for Perry Stone Ministries could not be reached regarding the specific bill to which the post referred, it is well-documented many consider the battle for gay rights to be the new civil rights frontier.
According to the Washington Post, the proposal would grant gay people the same protections African-Americans and other minorities have from discrimination in employment, credit, the housing market, jury selection and other public accommodations.
Perry Stone Ministries' post faults the spirit of Jezebel for the onslaught of sexual perversion.
"There is serious government persecution coming to all who stand for truth, and when the 'left' becomes violent, as did the men of Sodom against Lot, threatening to rape him for his rebuke of their iniquity, God will change the game and the United States hedge will be removed and catastrophic natural disasters will be unleased (sic)," the post reads.
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WASHINGTON -- Navy Chaplain Lt. Cmdr. Wes Modder never expected counseling service members on what the Bible says would put him in the fight of his life.
But that's what happened after a group of those he counseled complained a few months ago about what he had to say on subjects like homosexuality and other sexual matters.
Worsening matters, Modder's direct commander sided with his accusers and decided to take legal action against the chaplain.
"It was shocking. You feel a lot of emotion," Modder told CBN News in a recent interview. "You feel natural feelings like betrayal."
His opponents at Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina didn't just want the Assemblies of God pastor corrected. They were after his job, which would have meant the loss of his military pension as well.
"They wanted to kick me out, remove me from a promotion list," Modder recalled. "Having a family with four children, not knowing what I'm going into, sacrificing 19 years of honorable military service -- all of it was on the line, everything."
Then recently his attorney, Michael Berry with the Liberty Institute, got surprising news from the Navy: Modder was cleared of all the charges.
"When we found out that the Navy, that this two-star admiral had completely exonerated Chaplain Modder, I was blown away," Berry told CBN News. "It was not what I was expecting. I was preparing myself for a dogfight."
Berry said he was elated and could hardly wait to tell Modder the good news. The chaplain and his family were overjoyed. But he admits he's still hurting.
"There's a huge sense of victory and relief, but the emotional capital is overwhelming," Modder said.
Still, he suggested as more and more Christians face similar battles over their beliefs, they have to fight because the cause is crucial.
"I think it's paramount," he said. "I think the best thing for the Church is persecution. And I know that sounds counterintuitive, but we need to stand for religious liberty."
"It's not really about bakers. It's not really about florists. It's about validating something that is national," he explained.
Berry said he's distressed by the un-American nature of this Christian persecution.
"It could be people of any other faiths, too, but unfortunately right now the majority of attacks are coming against Christians in this country," Berry said. "That's not what our country is about."
As a combat veteran, Berry's particularly frustrated military commanders are thrust into the middle of these battles.
"When a commanding officer has to worry about whether or not somebody in his unit is going to be offended because a chaplain is praying or because a chaplain dares to speak from their religious worldview to another service member, that commanding officer now, his attention and his focus is taken away from the external threat and he has to worry about things he should never have to worry about," he said.
Modder and his family will soon be out of the uncomfortable environment he found himself in at Joint Base Charleston. They're transferring to one of their favorite duty stations, San Diego.
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"Larry, I'm shocked that you say you are actually praying for judgment on our nation! That's not loving. That's not scriptural!"
I respectfully disagree. I'm not on a crusade, trying to convince others of my position, yet I do invite your prayerful consideration at this critical time in our history. My actions spring from God's recent dealings with me and the conviction that we have crossed a line in our ever-escalating sinfulness before a holy God who has blessed this nation like none other in history.
Some will dismiss biblical passages I cite as applying only to Israel, God's covenant people, whom He designated as a "city on the hill," yet they turned from God. Let's remember America was also established as a covenant people, designated as a "city on a hill" by our Pilgrim and Puritan forefathers. We have likewise turned away from God.
Survey the cultural landscape over just the past number of weeks:
Unfettered baby-killing (now over 57 million) and selling of body parts goes unchecked, as Planned Parenthood, a private organization specializing in abortion (they do no mammograms), continues receiving our tax support.
Homosexual "marriages" are now the law of the land, overturning 4,000 years of Western civilization history. President Barack Obama aggressively celebrates this. Former President Jimmy Carter, who says he is born again, declared, "I think Jesus would encourage any love affair if it was honest. ... I believe Jesus would approve gay marriage."
Religious freedoms erode at warp speed. Dr. Paul Church, Boston urologist, expelled for "discrimination" in voicing his perspective on homosexuality and its high risk disease factor.
A Portland bar owner was fined $400,000 for respectfully requesting LGBTs refrain from patronizing his establishment to avoid the impression of being a "gay" bar.
Hostility and persecution of Christians increases, including a recent college massacre of nine Christian students. Saturday NightLive mocks of Kim Davis as a crazed moron, along with Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee portrayed as delusional, dementia patients.
177 congressional representatives vote down the law requiring doctors to save babies who survive an abortion—infanticide. Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide is legalized in numerous states, letting doctors drug patients to death. Get ready aging baby boomers!
Cable and now network TV feature nudity, profanity and homosexuality as standard fare.
Drug and sex-saturated concerts/festivals include "Burning Man" week of debauchery and Madonna's profane "Rebel Heart" tour with the theme "Desecration of the Bride and Arrival of Fallen Angels."
Let's stop here and do a reality check. The trajectory is clear about where this nation is heading. We need a sense of urgency. Our children's and grandchildren's lives are at stake, in addition to the unborn babies facing the guillotine.
We need to shake ourselves and challenge our pastors that this is not a time for maintaining the status quo in religion by lifting up a few mini-prayers and enjoying some uplifting, happy "3 Ways to Beat the Blues" sermons! Are you listening?
America is on a precipice and our only hope is in the gospel proclaimed to transform hearts and fervent prayer that I believe now includes a component of appealing for God's justice and His judgment. I know this message won't go over well with both unbelievers and many Christians, but the time has come. When respected leaders cited God's judgment after 9/11, remember the outcry and outrage that followed? Get ready.
America's last Great Awakening (1790-1850) was launched when a narcissistic, proud attorney was body slammed with the reality of God's judgment.
Charles Finney experienced divine intervention when God audibly questioned him about that for which he was living. When Charles faced the issue of death and responded tremblingly, "The judgment is next!", he ran like the "Roadrunner" a half-mile to the woods to get right with God. A dose of the fear of God and the prospect of God's judgment shook him to the core.
Charles entered the ministry and millions were saved when brought face to face with God's judgment and His mercy. For more than 50 years during the ebb and flow of America's Second Great Awakening, Mr. Finney and his "Revival Lectures" helped turn America back to God.
Clarifying the Call for God's Judgment
For the record, I am not calling for God to send fire and destroy human beings. I'm not petitioning the Almighty to send asteroids, tsunamis or city-destroying earthquakes. My fists are not clenched or my veins bulging. I just don't see any other way for our nation to turn back to God without some drastic and dramatic divine intervention.
We need a jolt to awaken us from our stupor. We need a loving "slap in the face" to jolt us back to reality and out of our present insanity and sexual anarchy—kind of like a parent reaching the saturation point with a rebellious smart-mouthed teenager constantly talking back disrespectfully and mocking parental authority.
I'm aware of the episode in the Gospels were Jesus admonished His disciples about calling down fire to destroy resistant people. "You do not know what kind of spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them" (Luke 9:55-56). This is not what I'm describing.
I believe what the Bible says, "Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13). Yet these two are not mutually exclusive as God extends His mercy and when it is consistently rejected, Scripture reveals He eventually sends judgment so that people will repent, cry out for mercy and return to Him!
Psalm 107 is such a beautiful depiction of this dynamic. Some rebellious people experienced "bitter labor" (v. 12); others "suffered afflictions because of their iniquities" (v. 17); still others "were at their wits' end" (v. 27). Yet each grouping came out of God's judgment on their lives and experienced His unfathomable mercy when they "cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress" (v. 13, 19, 28). In this way, mercy triumphs over judgment.
As I pray for God's judgment on the nation that I so love, I am not dictating or demanding how or when it comes. God is Sovereign and the specifics are left with Him. But if we sense an increasing God-given burden that it will take judgment to turn this sinking ship around, I encourage people everywhere to enter agreement with God on this plank before it's too late.
It's Biblical to Pray for God's Judgment
Genesis 6 reveals the grieving heart of God as He "saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was continually only evil. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him in His heart. So the Lord said, 'I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—both man and beast, and the creeping things, and the birds of the sky, for I am sorry that I have made them'" (Gen. 6:5-7). Judgment came to return people to Himself.
Following in the footsteps of David, Jeremiah and Paul, there come times when God stirs people to agree with Him that the time for judgment to be released has come. We should then pray accordingly and with a right spirit.
David was "a man after God's own heart" (1 Sam. 13:14). Read in Psalms 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 109 and 139 how this giant of the faith prayed for and proclaimed God's judgment in his day. He did not pray for carnal revenge but to highlight God's abhorrence of evil and ongoing sin.
Jeremiah struggled with deep inner turmoil concerning the judgment he proclaimed. This came from anguish of spirit and deep identification with what God was feeling as His heart broke over people's persistent sin. He said, "I am pained in my very heart" (Jer. 4:19) as he called for justice and judgment. Like Jesus who wept over the sinful state of the Jews, Jeremiah was not gleeful or gloating when he prayed for and pronounced judgment. He was overwhelmed and in tears (Jer. 4:19-22). God even directed him to stop praying for the people because of the depth of their wickedness (Jer. 7:16; 11:14; 14:11)! Child killing. Homosexuality. Apostasy. Idolatry. Blasphemy. Lawlessness. Sound familiar?
Paul, in his masterpiece to the Romans, quoted David's judgments in Psalm 69:22-23. In proclaiming judgment upon the Jews, his words are sobering, disturbing and straight from the heart of God.
Let's stop kidding ourselves; apart from divine intervention in holy judgment, America will simply slide deeper down the spiral of sin and destruction. We are deceived if we buy into the misguided approach of many who believe there will eventually come some kind of backlash to all our wickedness, corruption and brazen immorality.
Some believe that people, like a rubber-band, will return to God if we just remain patient and pray long enough. I don't think so, and I am a four-decade board member of a ministry promoting prayer and fasting for America for over 40 years!
It's time to examine our lives in light of God's holiness and turn from our wicked ways as 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us. I am persuaded that it is also time to add another dimension to our petitions. Rejecting any self-righteousness, praying with a humble heart and passionate to see a massive harvest of people who get right with God, having experienced His judgment in their lives, are you ready to pray like David did in Psalm 28:4-5? The passages reads: "Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors; give them according to the work of their hands; return to them what they deserve. Because they do not regard the works of the Lord, nor the work of His hands, He will destroy them and not build them up."
It's time for us to appeal to heaven for God to take a stand and show himself strong. The "bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev. 5:8) will overflow in the judgments described in chapter 8. These are terrifying and intended to cleanse the earth of sin and bring those remaining back to the living God! It is the "great and dreadful day of the Lord" described in Joel 2:31 and Mal. 4:5. These times will be both gory and glory!
God's judgments are intended to bring people to repentance so they can be blessed and live in union with Him as a bride with her bridegroom. God's zeal is designed to purge the earth of all rebellion. Will we rise to the occasion and embrace a call to pray some gutsy, muscular prayers for both justice and the necessary judgments to bring this to pass? We don't have a lot of time left.
Prayer for Justice
"Lord, You decreed, 'He has shown you O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you? To do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God' (Mic.6:8). We pray that You hear our plea for justice. May our hearts align with Yours and break with those things that break Your heart. As Your ambassadors may we look out for those that are in legitimate need—the weak, neglected and less fortunate. As Christians, help us to live authentically and make a difference as change agents for Your glory and the establishment of Your Kingdom. In Jesus Name, Amen."
Prayer for Judgment
"Lord, you decreed, 'Righteousness exults a nation but sin is a reproach to any people' (Prov. 14:34). Like Moses, Nehemiah, Daniel and Paul, we identify with sins committed brazenly and increasingly throughout this land. May our hearts grieve with Yours at our serious, sinful state. We have departed from Your liberating Word and removed You from Your rightful place as the One, true and living God in whom we are to trust. Repeatedly ignoring Your warnings sent through Your servants and shamefully yielding to the fear of man instead of speaking up for righteousness, we humbly ask that You release Your necessary judgments that they may awaken us from our ongoing rebellion and deception. 'Lord, we have heard of Your fame. We stand in awe of Your deeds. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in Your wrath remember mercy' (Hab. 3:2). If this is Your will and Your time as we believe, help us to emerge as a holy people of whom it is said, 'Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord' (Ps. 33:12)."
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There are at least four primary sexual sins of which the Word of God speaks of. (Mart1n/freeimages.com)
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Excessive sexual sin and nakedness is one of the marks of our Western culture and much of the world today. Everything is sensual. Everything must be sexy. We live in a sex-crazed world, and nakedness jumps out at us from everywhere. It is becoming more and more difficult for men and women to keep themselves in a state of moral purity.
Sexual sin and neglecting the laws of purity in the body of Christ is one of the elements that can potentially bring weakness, sickness, and even premature death to many in the Church. It is one forgotten aspect of not discerning the Lord's body (1 Cor. 11:29-31).
Those last statements sound so primitive in today's contemporary church. There is a lack of ministry from pastors in this area because of the fear of forthcoming accusations of being unloving, judgmental, legalistic, and ministering guilt and condemnation. Frankly, we've lost our way in this regard. Correction, rebuke and reproof are clearly missing from our counsel in these new crooked days of false comfort and unscriptural mercy.
In days of old it was rather common for correction to be made not only using the Scriptures but through the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. For instance, it was observed by one old timer that in praying for the sick, individuals who had been unfaithful in their marriage and had not repented, but who nevertheless sought healing, had been rebuked sternly by the Spirit of God. Back then they understood that only deep repentance and cleansing through the precious Blood of Christ could the gravity of such a crime be pardoned.
Today, as I said, we are considered condemning and judgmental if we minister in such a manner. Yet it is common for many to get in a healing line and seek deliverance, or submit prayer requests while living in gross immorality without any earnest desire for genuine repentance. Those who practice sexual sin, or any other sin for that matter, and profess Christ, are partaking of the body of the Lord unworthily; and in doing so they are receiving a curse rather than a blessing.
"For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep" (1 Cor. 11:29-31).
I realize that sexual temptations are great, no one is exempt from them, and none should boast of their self-righteousness. I'm also aware that in seeking to turn someone from the error of their ways we must do so in gentleness and humility (Gal. 6:1; 2 Tim. 2:25). But if there is to be victory in this area, it must begin with a reverent understanding and a scriptural estimation of the defiling and degrading nature of sexual sin and its terrible dangers. Before people obey God, they must be thoroughly awakened. Only then will they overcome counteracting forces.
Carefully read these words of one of America's greatest evangelists, Charles G. Finney:
"Worldly desires, appetites, and feelings prevent true Christianity—the human will is, in a sense, enslaved by fleshly and worldly desires. It is therefore necessary for God to awaken people to a sense of guilt and danger and thus produce an opposite excitement or feeling and desire. This counter-feeling breaks the power of worldly desire and leaves the will free to obey God."
That ideology, my friends, is clearly absent from the mainstream of contemporary Christianity, yet it is so sorely needed.
As in modern-day America, sexual sin and nakedness were celebrated in the city of Corinth too and was infiltrating into the church there. Thus Paul had to remind the Corinthian saints that their bodies were now the temples of God and not their own. Their bodies, as ours, are now members of Christ, so a sin against our bodies is a sin against Christ.
"Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Cor. 6:15, 19-20).
As far back as the Mosaic books we find some interesting references to sexual immorality and nakedness.
The first recorded human curse was over nakedness (Gen 9:20-23).
Nearly two entire chapters along with many other references were a code of ethics on nakedness and sexual immorality (See Lev. 18 and 20).
Exposed genitalia or nakedness were common in Canaanite demonic worship. Instructions and prohibitions to Moses were so Israel's altars would not be like the Canaanites' (Ex. 28:41-43; 20:26).
When Moses returned from the mountain, Aaron had lost control of the people as they worshiped a golden calf, "unrestrained" (Ex. 32:25), as the New King James says it. The Old King James says "naked," and the Living Bible says "committing adultery." And all this happened shortly after a move of God.
One of the keys to overcoming sexual sin lies in the meditation of the Word of God concerning it. This will nurture the fear of the Lord in you. For example, in Gal. 5:19-21 the works of the flesh are divided into four basic categories 1) sexual sins, 2) sins connected with pagan religion and the occult, 3) sins of the temper, and 4) sins of drunkenness. It is interesting that sexual sin is listed first, not only here, but also in several other scriptural references in the New Testament.
Romans 1:24, 6:19 – Uncleanness is singled out.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – Sexual sins listed first.
Galatians 5:19-21 – Sexual sins listed first.
Ephesians 4:19 – Lewdness and uncleanness singled out.
Ephesians 5:3 – Fornication and uncleanness singled out; let it not once be named among you.
Colossians 3:5 – Fornication and uncleanness listed first.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 – Sexual immorality singled out in our walk of sanctification.
1 Peter 4:3 – Lewdness listed first from our past life.
There are at least four primary sexual sins the Word of God speaks of: adultery, fornication, uncleanness and lewdness.
Here are the definitions of these four sexual sins:
Adultery: Unlawful sexual intercourse involving at least one married person. Adultery is incompatible with the harmonious laws of family life in God's kingdom, and is under God's judgment since it violates God's original purpose.
Fornication: Pornography, illicit sexual intercourse including prostitution, whoredom, incest, licentiousness (lack of moral restraint), and habitual immorality (would include sexual fantasies that lead to masturbation).
Uncleanness: Often refers to homosexuality and lesbianism
Lewdness: unashamed indecency, unbridled lust, unrestrained depravity (a disposition or settled tendency to evil, the innate corruption of unregenerate man), the person with this characteristic has an insolent defiance of public opinion, sinning in broad daylight with arrogance and contempt. Again, this often refers to sexual sin.
Here's where many people err in their understanding of their sexuality. Notice the following verses.
"Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power" (1 Cor. 6:13-14).
Paul is correcting the dangerous misconception among the Corinthians who believed, "as the stomach is designed for food, the genitals are created for sexual experience." This mind-set is not only common among unregenerate human beings but also among Christians who justify sexual immorality. Paul shows how this analogy is false because your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost and belongs to Christ.
Eating food is a secondary and temporal arrangement, but sexuality reaches into the eternal and metaphysical depths of one's being. An essential identity exists between the present physical body and the future glorified body (v 14). Sexual intercourse is more than a biological experience; it involves a communion of life. Since Jesus is one with the born-again believer's spirit, it is unthinkable to involve Him with immorality; thus the strong admonition not to let the sin of fornication and all uncleanness "even be named among you" (Eph. 5:3; emphasis added).
Sexuality is a uniquely profound aspect of the personality involving one's entire being. Sexual immorality has far-reaching effects, with great spiritual significance and social implications (v18). Such immorality is not only a sin against the body but against the Holy Spirit, who dwells in the body. It is one of the ways we are to discern the Lord's body, which when consistently neglected, as I stated earlier, often brings weakness, sickness, and even premature death.
Regardless of how satisfying and fulfilling sex is in its rightful place within the marriage, it is still a temporal arrangement and not a part of our eternal existence. And yet by it we procreate and give birth to eternal spirits. Sexual immorality messes with the power of procreation with someone to whom you are not married. The sexual drive is not sinful, but it is hurtful if not kept in its proper place. Scripture forbids sexual immorality in order to protect you.
Politicians, businesses, schools and our public institutions are not qualified to handle the subject of sexual immorality and deviate sex problems we have in our culture. They are a part of the problem, not the solution. Sadly though, the church has fallen so short of addressing this problem from a strong scriptural perspective. Some churches no longer even believe what the Bible says about sexual immorality is pertinent. One high-ranking church official said that the church is going to have to come to an understanding of homosexuality according to the changing culture. That is one of the biggest problems in the church today. Many of us are conforming to the standards of the culture around us.
Another well-known charismatic television preacher told his audience that homosexuality is not sin but brokenness. "What do you think David and Jonathan were doing? What do you think Ruth and Naomi were doing?" implying that they were involved in homosexual and lesbian relationships. I had to shake my head at that one. And yet this preacher is considered one of the greatest preachers in America with a very large following. It turns out that one of his own children is a homosexual. Although this is a very crushing trial for any godly parent to have to face, one cannot be loyal to his family at the expense of betraying God's holy Word.
When influential preachers say erroneous things like that, it opens the door for deception and compromise among masses of people who respect these preachers. This will lead to a flood of evil, immorality, and all kinds of perversion among the hearers of such.
It is sad to see the dilution of sound doctrine in much of the church today. It is grievous to the Holy Spirit to see such cowardice and compromise among preachers who have either departed from the true faith or who are afraid to teach sound doctrine in the area of sexual morality. As a result, our children and young people are getting educated by the reprobate minds of the world.
Let the preachers of righteousness speak up with strength and conviction, for the time is here when many are not enduring sound doctrine, but with itching ears are heaping up teachers unto themselves.
Bert M. Farias,founder of Holy Fire Ministries, is the author of The Real Gospel and co-host of the New England Holy Ghost Forum. He is a missionary evangelist carrying a spirit of revival to the church and the nations. Follow him at Bert Farias on Facebook or @Bertfarias1 on Twitter.
Unless otherwise specified, the opinions expressed are solely the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of Charisma Media.
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