Tremors of Revival at the National Day of Prayer
I am still in Washington, D.C. where the 65th Annual National Day of Prayer took place on Thursday, May 5. In my thirty five years of participating in the NDP, this one was the most powerful I have ever attended.
Maybe that’s because we have never needed God more than in 2016 to intervene the affairs of a nation that is going off a leadership, moral and financial cliff.
I saw some tremors of revival at this year’s NDP…
Here is a report from John Bornshein, the Vice President of the event. I will make some personal comments between his commentary.
“Every year, the National Day of Prayer (NDP) Task Force facilitates several events on Capitol Hill including the National Observance at the Cannon House Office Building. With speakers like Tony Evans, Chuck Swindoll, Oliver North, Max Lucado, Beth Moore, and Franklin Graham, the expectations are always high and the response is overwhelming.”
“More than five hundred thousand people tune in live each year, via video stream and televised broadcast, for what is sure to be a prayer event highlight reel as representatives from each branch of government, prominent ministries and businesses share encouraging and convicting messages with ambassadors, delegates, and individuals from all walks of life in the historic Caucus Room – and the 65th annual National Day of Prayer observance did not disappoint.”
This year’s NDP featured up to 47,000 different prayer events all over the nation with millions of people involved. It was the largest day of Americans crying out to God in the history of the nation.
The morning began promptly at 9:00 a.m. eastern with the presentation of the colors by the Joint Armed Forces Color Guard and the National Anthem. Mrs. Shirley Dobson, Chairman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, kicked off the momentous celebration with a warm greeting and introduction of Rabbi Jonathan Cahn. She then had everyone on the edge of their seats when she made the following statement: “
“’In 1988, the late Vonette Bright began petitioning Members of Congress to support a bill that would designate the first Thursday in May as the annual National Day of Prayer. By a joint resolution of the United States Congress, it was signed into law by President Reagan on May 8th of that year.'”
“‘Mrs. Bright continued in leadership until 1991. Then she and the National Prayer Committee asked me to succeed her as chairman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force. After much prayer and careful consideration, I accepted the responsibility and have now served for 25 consecutive years. The Day of Prayer has been observed by more than 33 million people at 630,000 prayer gatherings around the world…and today, another chapter begins.'”
“‘I am pleased to announce that Mrs. Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of Dr. Billy Graham, will succeed me as the new chairman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force. It is imperative that we preserve this American heritage to insure that this powerful expression of our religious freedom will continue for generations to come. I couldn’t be more grateful that the Lord has laid upon Anne the mantle of leadership for national prayer. She is eminently qualified to serve the nation in this capacity. We honor her for accepting this responsibility.’”
I truly believe that Anne Graham Lotz is God’s chosen leader for the next era of the NDP. Her strong evangelistic voice, commitment to God’s Word, and prophetic understanding of the dark days we’re in are utterly crucial to what lies before us.
“The National Observance continued and Rabbi Jonathan Cahn (author of The Harbinger) took the podium first and blessed the occasion with eloquent words and a personal challenge for how we should view the exercise of prayer and solemn assembly. He then put the Shofar to his lips and belted out what seemed to be the longest held note to echo throughout the halls of Congress in the history of our nation. At that moment, we knew the prayer event had begun and not just in Washington D.C.”
Cahn was powerful and moving–like hearing a modern-day prophet of God. We must turn from our sins or America will cease to be, The atmosphere was electric as he called the nation to repentance.
“The line-up of speakers that followed were second to none with each building on the other, emphasizing repentance and a return to the God of our Fathers. After a series of convicting messages and prayers of reverence to the Almighty, Dr. Tony Evans, the 2016 Honorary Chairman, concluded the gathering with the National Prayer that was spoken aloud in unison by the standing-room only crowd that had remained steadfast throughout the full 3-hour plus gathering.”
The biggest tremor of the day occurred when Glenn Sheppard called us onto our knees and faces to cry out to God. Groans and cries for mercy were heard all over the chambers of the Cannon Office Building for a number of minutes. We had touched the agonized heart of God for America.
“It was a powerful and fitting way to conclude the National Observance while serving as a springboard to more than 47,000 similar gatherings that took place from coast to coast. In addition, an estimated 90 nations participated in the annual observance along with South Korea, India and Australia where prayer coordinators mobilized thousands to fast and pray for the United States.”
“From pilots flying over capitols to petition from above, to balloon launches, parades, park gatherings and more, there were millions of prayers lifted up at an unprecedented level. President Barack H. Obama and all 50 Governors unanimously called on Americans to pray.”
“Truly, the 65th annual National Day of Prayer was a historic moment in time for God’s church, across the oceans, to unite in prayer in One Voice. It was the largest such day of prayer in the modern era and already, many have started their planning efforts for May 4, 2017. “
Following the Capitol Hill event, In late afternoon, local believers gathered as God’s rainbow coalition to pray for the city. Prayers were offered in many languages, Pastor Lon Solomon repented on behalf of the city’s pastors for pride, isolation, and division between churches. The young generation was prayed and for and encouraged to take their place in a genuine American revival. It was an awesome experience of praise, tears, prophetic words, and thundreds of prayers going up to God on the west lawn of the US Capitol.
When the day had finished, I was convinced that God had heard our prayers and His tremors of revival had begun,
“Immediately following the National Day of Prayer, the NDP Task Force, announced that it was partnering with Pulse Ministries to rally intercessors far and wide back to Washington D.C., July 14-17 (National Prayer Summit and Together 2016) for what will be one of the largest gatherings of prayer at the National Mall.”
I was privileged to be a part of the first large prayer gathering for revival in America–Washington For Jesus–on April 29, 1980. God used that event to bring many streams of renewal into our land that lasted for nearly a generation, Together 2016 is the rallying cry of the next generation for God to do it again.
It has never been more needed.
But be encouraged.
After National Day of Prayer 2016, some tremors of revival have begun.
The Narcissism Epidemic
It’s all about me.
That incredibly narrow statement is the opposite of the first sentence in Rick Warren’s best-selling book, The Purpose Drive Life. It begins with these words:
It’s not about you.
However, the other phrase now seems to be the reigning philosophy in the West–a terrible phenomenon called narcissism. I’d never heard of narcissism when I was a kid. But I know about it now and see it everywhere I go.
Let’s take a look at the narcissist epidemic of our time and what needs to be done about it.
In researching this subject, I consulted a favorite dictionary: Webster’s 1828 Edition–the first one written by Noah Webster in the middle of America’s Second Great Awakening. It’s yuge!, and is sitting on my desk right now opened to the “N’s.” The word narcissist or narcissism is nowhere to be found.
Hmm.
I wasn’t surprised. In my readings of history, I learned that “self-consciousness” and even writing in the first person is relatively new. In fact, historians agree that Augustine of Hippo and St. Patrick of Ireland (in the 5th century AD) were probably the first humans to write books through the eyes of “self.”
In other words, ancient peoples saw the world through the eyes of God, the gods, or the group they identified with. They thought about others, considered themselves a part of others, and didn’t really even think about themselves. To them, a self-centered view of life was narrow, petty, not worthy of comment. It didn’t matter what “I” thought. Life was about others and to be lived for others.
My how times have changed.
Getting back to narcissism, I pulled up an on-line dictionary and here’s what popped up:
- Narcissism. noun. 1. excessive or erotic interest in oneself and one’s physical appearance. Vanity, self love, self-admiration, self-absorption, self-obsession, conceit, self-centeredness, self regard, egotism.
For thousands of years, the above definition didn’t apply to many human beings. Yes, there’s always been sin and self-centeredness. But at least in past centuries, it was oftentimes restrained internally and not expressed outwardly except in the case of thugs or deviants.
But in our day, many selfless concepts just as duty, moral obligation, “loving your neighbor as yourself,” or putting God at the center of your life (the first two Commandments) have gone by the wayside.
A large portion of 21st century Westerners seem completely obsessed with self.
Narcissism shows itself in many forms:
- Education – Children are no longer taught the Golden Rule, respect for authority, and living a life for the common good. Rather, life is all about having good “self esteem” and studying what you want to get what you want out of life. No wonder our schools are failing and kids are bored.
- Vocations – Young people in the West are taught that life is about “doing what you want” and making a lot of money so that you can be successful and happy. In the Christian worldview, that’s backwards: each of us should submit our lives to the Loving God and find His purpose for our lives–not what we want, but “Your will be done.”
- Marriage – Have you noticed how many young couples are no longer doing church weddings where the focus is on God bringing them together for His glory and purposes? Rather, the wedding is “all about us”–going where we want, saying what we want, and having the attention be on two human beings without reference to their Maker and Savior.
- Entitlements – Europe is already composed of many cradle-to-the-grave welfare states, and America is not far behind. Many people don’t vote for good leadership, or what’s good for their nation, but rather “what’s in it for me?” They feel entitled to food, housing, health care, even an abundance of leisure. The work ethic and personal responsibility are dying a slow death. In America, fully 20% of the population have not one family member working.
As America and Europe have become more secular (turning away from their God-and-other-people-centered roots), then narcissism has arisen. The addiction to social media by people of all ages in the 21st century says it all.
It’s all about me. My tweets. My photos. What I had for lunch. What mood I’m in. Much of what goes for healthy social interaction today is simply self-love on steroids.
Narcissism also shows up big-time in our politics. President Obama is the United States’ second narcissistic president, after Richard Nixon. But Nixon lived in a time period when Christian values were still in vogue and love of God and others, civic duty, etc. were widespread. During Obama’s term, those noble qualities have evaporated.
The rise of narcissism is also what makes the present US presidential race so alarming. Four of the five final candidates are garden-variety narcissists.
On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders is a Socialistic who wants to give “free stuff” to everybody. He’s the Robin Hood/Santa Claus of the 2016 race–and hundreds of thousands of people (especially Millennials) have been drawn to his message.
Like attracts like.
Hillary Clinton talks about “Working for You,” but her whole life has been the pursuit of power and money through self ambition.
The front-running Republican, Donald Trump, is unashamedly narcissistic. It’s all about him. Look again at the definition of narcissism above and you will find it can also be spelled T-R-U-M-P. Only difference is it’s an angry version of the Democrat form.
The only non-narcissist of the bunch is Ted Cruz. He’s the one candidate remaining with a solid Judeo-Christian philosophy and outlook. For Cruz (and Fiorina), it’s not about them. It’s about the Constitution–which was meant to be a restraint on self interest.
So what do we do about the narcissistic tidal wave enveloping us?
We do what honest human beings have always done. We pray for ourselves, our neighbors, our friends and our nations. We ask God to invade and change our hearts. The Bible calls this inner transformation conversion, repentance, being born again, or loving God supremely and your neighbor equally.
The only way to accomplish it is to die to yourself (with God’s help).
Life is not about you. It’s about loving Him and others.
In many parts of the world I have given a message called “The Secret of Happiness.” You can watch it here whenever you have the time. Putting God at the CENTER of your life is how we defeat the cancer of narcissism.
Leonard Ravenhill tells us:
“The man who has died to self has no ambitions so he has nothing to be jealous about. He has no reputation so he has nothing to fight about. He has no possessions so he has nothing to worry about. He has no rights, so he can’t suffer any wrongs. He is already dead so no one can kill him.”
The Apostle Paul put it this way:
“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24).
Or Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
“The Cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise God-fearing and happy life. Rather, the Cross meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a person, he bids them to come and die.”
Here’s a final meditation on killing the narcissistic spirit:
“When you are forgotten or neglected and you don’t complain and hurt with the sting of self-pity, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ—that is death to self.”
“When your good deeds are misunderstood, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you don’t let your anger arise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient understanding—that is death to self.”
“When you near with any disorder, tardiness or annoyance, and when you stand face-to-face with greed, extravagance and abuse, and endure as Jesus endured—that is death to self.”
“When you are content with any food, clothing, climate, circumstances, or any interruption by the will of God—that is death to self.”
“When you don’t care to focus on yourself in conversation, or bring attention to your accomplishments, or seek the approval of men—when you can truly love to be unknown—that is death to self.”
“When you can see others prosper and can honestly rejoice in the good fortunes of others and not envy and question God while your needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances—that is death to self.”
“When you can receive correction or reproof from someone of less stature than yourself, and can humbly submit both inwardly and outwardly, finding no resentment or rebellion rising up in your heart—that is death to self.”
“Are you dead to self yet?”
Fittingly, the author of those insights is anonymous.
It was not about them.
How about you? It’s time to learn the lesson while there’s still hope. Because when you die, and arrive on the other side of eternity, the first lesson you face when you meet God is this:
It was never about you.
Corporate Bullies and Gender Confusion 4.1
The worldview battle in Western culture is reaching the point of force and stupidity.
At war on both sides of the Atlantic are the Judeo-Christian values of freedom, family, sexuality against the opposite principles of atheism. I know “atheism” sounds strong, but I’ll use it because it best represents reality. I could use the terms secular or humanist, but a lot of people don’t know what those words really mean.
“Atheism” they understand. And the value system now being forced down the throat of Western culture by progressive activists and an unthinking populace is clearly anti-God, anti-Christ atheism.
Now it involves corporate bullies and gender confusion.
I’ve talked about this subject before. Beginning in the 1950s, the USA began to drift away from its faith-based origins, including our socially-accepted understanding of sex. Satan’s ideas began to replace God’s maxims of human love and sexual relations. It was slow, deliberate, and satanically-inspired.
And it was progressive–just like the upgrades of computer software.
Here are the first four versions to date:
Sexual Atheism 1.0 – The first domino to fall in corrupting God’s view of sex was toleration for adultery including easy divorce and re-marriage. This was initially popularized by movie stars who slept around with their married co-stars and started an affair/divorce revolving door. Elizabeth Taylor is a prominent example who did it seven times. After a decade or so, the American public began to tolerate both adultery and divorce as never before. Today, adultery is common–and in some ways, expected.
Sexual Atheism 2.0 – Next, the Baby Boom generation, who’d grown up idolizing the unfaithful movie stars and now rock stars of their generation, made fornication fashionable. In that era it became “okay” to sleep around with anybody of the opposite sex–even if you weren’t married. Venereal diseases increased, babies out of wed-lock sky-rocketed, and over a number of decades, sex before marriage became the new norm for many singles.
Sexual Atheism 3.0 – From the 1980’s until recently, the next logical deception in sexual practice became sex between members of the same gender. In some ways this was a reaction to the debasement of marriage, but it still came from the same source–the satanic world. Same sex relationships are not normal–they are abnormal when judged by universal and biblical norms. But in the last twenty years, the American nation has moved so far away from God and his principles that love itself has been re-defined to mean “doing what I want with whomever I want.”
Secular Atheism 4.0 – In 2015, the newest version of sexual atheism burst onto the American scene with Bruce Jenner, now Caitlyn Jenner, channeling trans gender ism into mainstream culture. Not only could people change their gender identities physically (by operations and hormones), but if they just “thought” they were a boy when they were born a girl, then that mental switch should be celebrated by everyone around them.
At this point, I must remind us what is really behind these “sexual releases.” It is a diabolical, satanic world that has one goal for human beings: to destroy the image of God in them and separate their souls from their Creator forever.
In 2016, enter Sexual Atheism, or should l call it, Satanic Destruction 4.1. Here is its goal:
1. Change all the bathrooms to let trans genders go where they want.
2. Enlist business sponsors and sporting groups to force states to comply.
Target became the latest corporate sponsor to announce it would boycott states that tried to stop the move to trans gender-ize bathrooms. They join a long list of companies, entertainers like Bruce Springsteen, and even the NBA and NFL who are economically bullying 330 million Americans to accept the trans gender confusion of 990,000 people.
That’s .3 percent of the population.
And we should let men who think they’re women pee in the girl’s locker room?
I can’t explain it better than columnist Ben Shapiro.
“Your Daughter Must Pee Next to a Man and You Will Be Compelled to Agree”
“The rules of bigotry according to the left represent a constantly shifting kaleidoscope of nonsense. This week, we learned that if you don’t want your small daughter peeing next to a giant man who thinks he is a woman, you are a bigot; if you are a woman who is uncomfortable with a man who thinks he is a woman whipping out his male genitalia to urinate in front of you, you are a bigot; if you are a religious person who doesn’t want to participate in an activity you consider sinful, you are a bigot.”
“Conversely, if you are a man who thinks he is a woman and you want to force a small girl to pee next to you, you are a freedom fighter; if you are a large man who thinks he is a woman and you want to be one of the girls, right down to hulking into a Macy’s ladies room, you are a hero; if you are a gay man and you want to force a religious person to serve you, you are a hero.”
“If all of this seems odd, that’s because it is.”
“It’s obviously logically incoherent, to begin with. The left insists that a man who believes he is a woman must be treated as one, even if his biology dictates that he is a male. However, if a man believes he is a man, he cannot discuss vital issues of national import (like abortion) since he lacks the vital prerequisite: a womb. Men cannot understand women, the logic seems to run, unless they are women. But men cannot be women, of course, except in the fevered imaginations of people on the left. Even the left doesn’t believe that. Leftists simultaneously want to enshrine unchangeable sexual differences (although, according to them, men and women are inherently and unchangingly different with regard to their abortion perspectives) and deny that these differences exist in the first place.”
“’This is nonsense,'” you say.
“‘Shut up,’” they say.
“In the end, leftists don’t have to be coherent — they just have to control the government gun.”
“The baseline definition of freedom in Western Civilization has been this: You do not get to force me to serve you, and you do not get to force me to think the way you want me to think. As follows, you cannot force me to think that you are a woman if you are a biological man. You cannot force me to spend my taxpayer dollars to pretend along with your mental illness. You cannot force me to run my business as you see fit because I have no affirmative duty to you.”
“But the left doesn’t believe in freedom — except the freedom to destroy the right. Thus, leftists believe that Bruce Springsteen has an absolute right to cancel concerts in North Carolina, but that bakers in North Carolina can’t stop baking wedding cakes for same-sex couples. The left believes that the government must compel elevated pay rates for women, but government should compel men to be treated as women based on their subjective feelings on the subject.”
“The kaleidoscope of leftist morality never stops shifting. But in the end, only one moral counts: the left’s ultimate insistence on use of government force to compel obedience to their kaleidoscopic morality.”
I don’t use the terms left and right because they’re directions, not philosophies. And what we are fighting to the death in the West is the philosophical worldview of atheism–which, as Ben describes, wants to force you to believe that any sexual perversion should be exalted and celebrated–against the principles of Judeo-Christian culture that gave the world a moral foundation that truly blesses individuals, families and nations.
God’s views of sex and gender produce identity, meaning, wholeness, and life. Atheism’s perversions, based on Satan’s lies, give birth to confusion, apathy, disjointedness and destruction.
Let me show you how deep the gender confusion has been engrained in the Millennial generation via our public schools who once had a Judeo-Christian basis of teaching–and have now gone atheistic.
You’ve got to watch this short video by my friend Joseph Backholm, head of the Family Policy Insitute of Washington, on Gender Confusion 4.1. It is absolutely brilliant–and tells you in four minutes what happens when we lose the concept of right and wrong and absolute truth. Watch it here.
The video’s so good, it’s gone viral nation-wide.
It will make you laugh–and should make you cry.
Most of all, let it motivate you to resist the corporate bullies, live for the truth, and love your lost friends back to freedom in Christ.