Where's The Reset Button?

(Check out Part One & Part Two)

Have you ever had to reset your computer or your smartphone back to factory settings? If you have, you know that it involves completely wiping your device of all information. It forgets all of the little quirky settings you spent hours programming to get it just the way you like it, the fact that you like the bell ring for incoming calls (except when it's your sister, and then it's that song that reminds you of her), the fact that you want it to alert you when you have a text message, but not for emails or Facebook alerts. It forgets every app that you've installed, every song that you've downloaded and every picture you've taken.

It forgets everything.

Months, maybe years, of adjusting, perfecting and tweaking are completely gone.

As if they never happened.

The slate is wiped clean... and you begin anew.

It is certainly inconvenient, to say the least. But it is necessary in order to restore function to something that is... well, broken.

And that is exactly what needs to happen with us.

This country, each family, each individual, you and I-- WE NEED TO BE RESET TO FACTORY SETTINGS!

We have been overloaded with massive amounts of misinformation. We have been misused, ill-trained, and pushed to the brink. And the result? We are short-circuiting! We, human beings, were not made to function in the way that this world has decided we ought to function, and we simply cannot take it anymore. We are breaking down.

We were not made to be "tolerant" of unholy behavior, and yet this is what we are taught in school. We certainly must not treat others, no matter their behavior, with hatred or spite, but it is okay, in fact it is right to say that marriage is between a man and a woman, and only between a man and a woman. And yet, our programming has been violated by a society and a school system that teaches that it is not only acceptable, but worthy of celebration, to have two mommies or two daddies. (1 Corinthians 6:9)

We were not made to take life, and yet not only is abortion legally condoned and protected in this country, it is celebrated by many as a well-deserved milestone in the fight for women's "rights". (Romans 1:29, Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:13-16)

We were not made to serve ourselves, and yet we live in a culture in which the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" has taken such precedence that career grooming begins practically in kindergarten now. What if instead of placing children on a predetermined path for college and self-aggrandizing careerism, we sat them down and taught them that they in fact CANNOT be whatever they want when they grow up but absolutely CAN and SHOULD be everything God has called them to be, which might mean college for some and not for others? What if instead of career days at school, they had spiritual gifting days to determine how exactly God has gifted them and how they can best use those gifts to glorify Jesus and bless others? And what if glorifying Jesus and blessing others WAS the desired end, rather than a paycheck and a house with a white picket fence? (Isaiah 43:7, 1 Corinthians 10:31)

There are so many things that we simply were not programmed to do. And yet, there is hardly a single thing left within our programming that is still operating within suitable "factory parameters", if you will. No, we are not machines. And yes, we do have individualities and uniquenesses about us that are to be celebrated and harnessed. But above all, we were made to glorify God! End of story. And if we are not doing that in everything that we do, then we are no longer functioning properly, and we must be reset.

How do we do that? For ourselves- we need to come back to God's word, plain and simple. It is our instruction manual. It is all that we need in order to restore our hearts to their proper working condition.

And for our children? I hardly have to say it at this point, but honestly, they cannot and WILL NOT receive the biblical teaching, training and discipline in a public school that they so desperately need. Can you undo the damage each day and instill these values in the few hours a day you see them between school and bedtime (less if they are gone three nights a week for dance, soccer, tennis, etc.)? Yes, possibly. But is it worth the extra effort that it will take to not only teach them the things you do want them to know, but to also have to counteract the innumerable lies they will face on a daily basis while they are out of your care? Is homeschooling the "right" way or the only way? No, I can't make that kind of claim. But is it the best way? You'll have to answer that for yourself.

I believe that Scripture has given parents a mandate to personally teach and train their children, to raise them up in the admonition of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6, Deuteronomy 6:7, 2 Timothy 3:14,15). How we each do that is between us and the Lord. But however we choose to follow that command, we must take it ever so seriously.

Many of us are already broken and in need of serious repair. Our children, if they are not already showing signs of wear and tear, will soon be in the same mess as the rest of us if we do not take them back and stake a claim on their lives, a claim that says...

"But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD!" Joshua 24:15

Rewriting History

(If you missed it, take a look at part one.)

The United States of America has such a rich history, filled with stories of heroism, justice and freedom. And if all you ever knew about this country was what (I am discovering) very little is taught in our public schools, you would undoubtedly be filled with a sense of pride and privilege to be able to call yourself a citizen of the freest and most blessed nation in the world. However, you would be neglecting a much larger, and quite frankly pivotal, truth about who we are, where we come from, why we are as blessed as we are and how we must behave as a nation if we hope to keep that blessing.

Short of giving you an entire text book of information about the forgotten and untold history of our nation, I could not begin to cover the vast extent to which this nation actually was, despite what we are told in school, birthed and founded upon the Bible, its principles and most importantly, the ultimate foundation, Jesus Christ. This is not the message we are given in school; if you have spent any amount of time in a public school classroom or university classroom, you are probably more familiar with a godless, humanist history. But I am here to tell you that our founding fathers, and their predecessors, were not the deist and atheistic individuals that have been painted into our history books. On the contrary, they were men and women of deep faith, who knew that the only hope we ever had or will have for a healthy and prosperous nation was bound strictly to our obedience and submission to the God of the Bible.

In their own words...

Samuel Adams, signer of the Declaration of Independence and Father of the American Revolution: "And as it is our duty to extend our wishes to the happiness of the great family of man, I conceive that we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world that the rod of tyrants may be broken to pieces, and the oppressed made free again; that wars may cease in all the earth, and that the confusions that are and have been among nations may be overruled by promoting and speedily brining on that holy and happy period when the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and all people everywhere willingly bow to the sceptre of Him who is Prince of Peace."

James Madison, 4th U.S. President: "Cursed be all that learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ."

Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. President, Drafter and Signer of the Declaration of Independence: "God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever..."

Patrick Henry, Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution: "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here."

John Jay, 1st Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court: "By conveying the Bible to people thus circumstanced, we certainly do them a most interesting kindness. We thereby enable them to learn that man was originally created and placed in a state of happiness, but, becoming disobedient, was subjected to the degradation and evils which he and his posterity have since experienced.

The Bible will also inform them that our gracious Creator has provided for us a Redeemer, in whom all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; that this Redeemer has made atonement "for the sins of the whole world," and thereby reconciling the Divine justice with the Divine mercy has opened a way for our redemption and salvation; and that these inestimable benefits are of the free gift and grace of God, not of our deserving, nor in our power to deserve."

These are just a few quotes out of so many more. The history we know is rich, yes. But the history we do not know is richer still. And it is the one we need to acquaint ourselves with if we ever hope to restore this nation to a place of submission to God and retain his favor rather than his wrath.

More in the next post on educating ourselves as well as the next generation...

Church and State

A nation without God's guidance is a nation without order. Happy are those who keep God's law! Proverbs 29:18 (Today's English Version)

Separation of church and state...

Such powerful words that were born out of a specific need and over time have warped into something entirely contradictory to their original intent.

It is probably one of the most widespread misconceptions that the concept of "separation of church and state" is a written law and in fact part of our constitution. In reality, this couldn't be further from the truth.

The belief that this concept is constitutional stems from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution which states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

This amendment clearly states that the United States government is not to infringe upon an individual's right to worship as they choose, nor their rights to peacefully assemble, speak, print news and petition the government.

Our Constitution was created to protect religion and the free practice of it, among other issues, not to do away with it.

The phrase "separation of church and state", and all the weight that it carries, was actually introduced through the writings of various political leaders from our history including a letter from President Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association as well as in a speech by James Madison, given in 1789.

Over time, what was once spoken of with the intent of protecting and preserving the faith of this nation's citizens has been given new life in the form of effectively eliminating the presence, and ultimately the protection and provision, of the very God, and his ways, who allowed this nation to be formed and blessed in the first place.

And therein lies the root, the very crux of the predicament we now find ourselves in as a nation. We are becoming a nation without God. And without God, we cannot hope to ever be blessed as we once were. We cannot shun the biblical truths which this nation was founded upon and still hope to earn God's favor. We cannot have one without the other. It just doesn't work that way.

*              *             *

So what do we do about it?

This dilemma we face is becoming increasingly obvious to those who are paying attention. I have mentioned before two authors who are speaking to this exact issue very boldly at the moment, and just this past weekend, I was introduced to yet a third source, a new documentary that is out and proclaiming the same message as well.

I strongly encourage you to explore these resources:

The Harbinger by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn: The book is a quick and entertaining read, written in a fictional story-like form, but containing massive amounts of mind-boggling FACT about both recent and ancient history as it pertains to the work God is doing right now in this country. If you're not up for reading the book, or just want to get a taste of what it has to offer, you can watch a video clip of the Rabbi talking about the nine harbingers here. Trust me when I say, your jaw will be on the floor by the time you get done with it. You do not want to miss this one!

Implosion by Joel Rosenberg: This Non-Fiction book by Joel Rosenberg is coming out in a couple months and speaks to these same issues: Where does our nation stand right now, and what will inevitably happen if we do not immediately turn back to God? I cannot wait to read this one, and I strongly recommend that you take a look as well.

Monumental: I just saw this new documentary by Kirk Cameron this past weekend, and it was well worth the trip! It reveals to us the TRUE history of our nation, a national treasure that I was completely unaware even existed, and the key to maintaining the kind of rich blessing and favor no other nation in the world has ever known like we have. Here's a trailer:

These are just a few resources that I have found particularly insightful, challenging, and edifying! Take the time to check them out!

Coming up in the following weeks: I plan to spend some time talking about what we specifically can do as individuals and families who desire to see this nation blessed as it once was. Join me as we explore America's real history and work together to seek a better future.

I Dare You...

At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God. -Ezra 9:5

So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. -Nehemiah 1:4

But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; And my prayer would return to my own heart. -Psalm 35:13

Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. -Daniel 9:3

"Now, therefore," says the Lord, "Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." -Joel 2:12

So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer. -Ezra 8:23 

In the last post, I pointed out the fact that God has been repeatedly shaking our world, and specifically our country, in an effort to wake us up, to bring to our attention the fact that we have gone so terribly far astray. I also made the point, and I want to make it again because it is SO important to understand, that when God speaks of those going astray, he is speaking to us, the believers, his own children. We are the ones who need to effect a revival, and it needs to start with each of us individually. I have heard it said that if you want to see a revival, you need to go into a room by yourself, draw a circle around yourself, get on your knees and beg God to change everyone inside the circle!

So how do we start this revival? The answer is simple. We need to get in the Word and on our knees. That's it.

I'm not talking about 5 minutes a day with your little purple paperback "Women's Daily Devotional Inspirational Verse-of-the-Day" book. I'm not talking about a daily scanning of your favorite "spiritual" blog or e-devotion. I'm not talking about praying in the shower while you get ready for work or passing thoughts about all the issues that you "meant" to pray about. I'm not even talking about your regular quiet time of actual Bible study and focused prayer. Now, don't get me wrong, none of these things are bad. Please don't stop doing any of them. I point out these common practices, not to belittle them, but simply to make us all aware that while they may be sufficient to get us through the day, the times in which we are living call for something much more intentional, something much more powerful.

When's the last time you fasted and prayed? Believe me, I include myself in this question. This is definitely an area of worship that I do not observe nearly as often as I should. I recently got to thinking about a practice that many Americans observe around this time of year-- Lent. I have never observed Lent before, mainly because it was not advocated by any of the churches that I have been a part of throughout my life. It is a practice that was started long after the life of Christ, and is in no way Biblical-- it is not necessarily unbiblical either, but it is important to understand that there is no biblical reason to fast specifically during this season of the year. It is merely a religious practice, that unfortunately holds absolutely no real value for the vast majority of people who choose to observe it out of either obligation or tradition.

But then I got to thinking... what if everyone who observed this "practice" actually treated it with the purpose and intent that true biblical fasting is meant to have? What if we all took a 40-day period, whether it be over the traditional time of Lent, or any other time of the year, and gave up something truly significant to us, something like watching television, surfing the internet, reading "fun" books, whatever it is that you spend time doing everyday, and replaced that exact amount of time with prayer-- real, focused, dedicated, specific prayer for our nation, for our leaders, for the lost, for our own sin. How many hours a week do you spend watching television? Looking at Facebook/Twitter/Path/Pinterest? Playing video games? Playing Angry Birds? Whatever it is that you do? What would happen if for 40 days, you sat down during that exact same amount of time and prayed?

What would happen if you sat still and quiet for an entire hour, and simply asked God to speak to you, to reveal to you buried sin, ignored sin, unrecognized sin in your own heart? What might the Lord be able to reveal to you over the course of a month or so? And what if you then acted on those convictions and asked the Lord to make the necessary changes in your life, regardless of what that might mean for your lifestyle? What kind of impact might that have on your life? On your ministry? On your witness and testimony to those around you? On our nation and our world if every Christian did this?

And we need to not only be seeking the Lord for personal reformation and revival, but we need to be humbling ourselves before the only One who has the ability to fix this broken world and begging Him to heal our land. This country is headed for one of two scenarios: either revival unlike anything we've seen since the Second Great Awakening of the 1800's OR complete and utter spiritual, financial and political implosion.

I will quote it again:

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. -2 Chronicles 7:14

I dare you, I dare myself, to take the call of God seriously to pray and to fast and to do it with purpose. Will YOU take the fasting challenge?

*There is a new non-fiction book coming out on June 12 of this year by Joel C. Rosenberg called Implosion. It deals specifically with these issues and talks about the desperate and growing need for national repentance and revival in an effort to avoid the imminent collapse of this nation. I cannot wait to read it!

One Nation, Under Who?

A promise:

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:17 (emphasis added)

And a warning:

"But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. And though this temple is now so imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and say, 'Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?' People will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them-- that is why he brought all this disaster on them.'" 2 Chronicles 7:19-22 (emphasis added)

In the chapters preceding these verses, we see Solomon build the temple and then dedicate it to God. The entirety of chapter six is Solomon's prayer to God, a plea and an oath, both seeking God's protection and provision, but also stating rather matter-of-factly the inevitable judgment that will befall them should Israel turn away from God.

Solomon is unmistakably aware of the fact that ALL GOOD THINGS COME FROM THE LORD!

He knows that nothing they possess or could ever hope to accomplish would even be remotely attainable were it not for the direct willful blessing of the God who created them and promised to protect them. And he also knows that every one of these blessings can be just as easily stripped away in an instant if God so chooses.

He knows this. He acknowledges this, both before God and before men. And he accepts the consequences, be they ever so severe, should Israel ever turn away from God again.

And God does not take such promises lightly. If you make a commitment to God, you had best intend to keep it.

We know from studying history that they do indeed turn away from God yet again, and they do indeed reap the painful consequences.

The standards that God held for the Israelites were different from those he held for the rest of the world. They were his children, his own special possession. God disciplines those he loves. A parent doesn't discipline a child that doesn't belong to them; you discipline your own children, for their own good.

But the Israelites are not the only group of people who God has called his own. When Jesus Christ came to this earth to pay the penalty for all sin, anyone who would believe was immediately adopted into this Jewish family. We are now sons and daughters of God. We are his special possession as well, and because He loves us, our God will discipline us. He now holds us to the same standard that he has always held Israel. Those same promises and warnings now apply to us: Our God has promised to protect us, to provide for us and to heal our land when we repent and turn back to him. And likewise, should we turn away from him, we should not be surprised when two things happen: 1) His provision and blessing cease; and 2) His hand of protection is lifted, and we are allowed to endure pain and suffering.

And while the bride of Christ, the Christian church, is spread throughout the world, there is one nation in particular which is by definition, a Christian nation: The United States of America. While you might be hard pressed to find any evidence of that long-forgotten fact, this country was indeed founded on the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was established as a place where individuals would be free to worship God in spirit and in truth, uninhibited by the religious demands and persecution they were facing at home. Its laws were founded on the principles of God's laws. And, most importantly, it was dedicated to God, just as Israel once was.

In 1789, for the first time ever, our nation had a functioning government, and upon being inaugurated as our first president, George Washington gave the first inaugural address. In it, he gave this prophetic warning:

"...it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect... No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency...; since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained..." (emphasis added) (George Washington's inaugural address can be read in its entirety here.)

And were it not enough that our government was birthed with these words, George Washington, along with a group of our very first political leaders, marched from their present location to a little chapel called St. Paul's Chapel to pray and to dedicate this nation to God. Just as Solomon made vows to God, so our founding fathers did no less.

And all of this took place not in Washington, where our government functions today; at the founding of our nation, the capitol was not Washington D.C.-- it was in New York. George Washington was inaugurated at Federal Hall in New York City. And the chapel that these men walked to after the ceremony, the very site where this nation was ceremonially dedicated to God was at the corner of Ground Zero. And when the attack happened on 9/11, the only thing left standing was this little chapel.

The Lord gave us this land. He has blessed us exceedingly. We committed it to Him. We dedicated it to Him. And we have since turned our backs on Him in ways that aren't even numerable. And on September 11th, 2001, God lifted his hand of protection.

"For this is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. I will shake all the nations..." Haggai 2:6

Our world is shaking, and it's only going to shake harder until the day Christ returns. But this nation has a hope and a promise! God has not forgotten the foundations that we were once built on...

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

This promise is as much ours as it is Israel's. It's time to wake up, pay attention to the shakings, and get serious about surrendering our lives to Christ. I'm not talking to unbelievers here! Absolutely, I pray that those who are lost would be found, but this verse is not written to the unbelieving people and nations of this world. It says my people, who are called by my name. WE have gone astray. WE have tossed God aside to worship worthless idols. WE are the ones who need to throw our precious lifestyles out the window and GET ON OUR KNEES!

More on how we can tangibly do that in the next post...

*This fascinating bit of information about the founding of our nation is just one tiny piece of wisdom and insight that Rabbi Jonathan Cahn shares in his book The Harbinger. It is written in the form of a fictional story, but within it are FACTUAL details, outlining the message that he believes God is sending us. I posted a video interview that he did a while back, here. I highly recommend that you watch the video and get a copy of the book. It will boggle your mind to discover all the detailed ways in which the events of 9/11 literally parallel the warning signs God sent to Israel.

The Harbinger by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn

Rabbi Jonathan Cahn's book, The Harbinger, comes out January 2012. Listen to this INCREDIBLE 2-part message about the nine specific harbingers (or warnings) that God gave Israel thousands of years ago, and has recently given to America in stunning parallel. We can't afford to miss it when God speaks to us.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Matthew 11:15 NKJV