General
Let There Be Light
This past week, Sean Hannity produced a powerful faith-based movie called “Let There Be Light.” It ran in 373 theaters nation-wide and eclipsed many supposed block-busters and bigger name movies. People are craving God’s truth–his light. (Go see it when you can.)
We also launch today a new US Renewal website. It contains blogs, books, and videos that I’ve been updating for four years to preserve what God’s given (legacy items) to help fill your life with “light.”
This blog is one of the most important ones I’ve ever done. I boldly ask you to share it with all of your networks–especially with people who will pray.
Let there be light.
I have been writing for weeks on the growing forces of organized evil that the Western World faces in this part of the 21st century. It’s true that I gaze through a U.S.-centered lens, but my vision includes the entire world. We live in a flattened earth (Thomas Friedman’s term) where global trade, the Information Age and weapons of mass destruction mean that what happens here affects all.
Currently, a battle rages in our culture over what’s true and which worldview will prevail. My new book, River of God: Where Religion Began and Why Grace and Love Will Triumph, debuts in a few weeks. The first chapter mentions the “Lies” that currently cascade upon us. The final chapter explains the worldview battles we face–and which one will triumph.
Today I want to expose some of the lies and deceptions being hurtled at us and hopefully ignite a tsunami of prayer for God’s light to prevail.
Interestingly, both The International House of Prayer and the Mission America Coalition called for heightened intercession this week. I learned of IHOP’s call from a prophetic warning by George Otis, Jr. whom I deeply respect.
New Mission America president, evangelist Nick Hall, simultaneously mobilized the MAC network for special prayer for America as they embark on a 70-city tour to call the nation to revival. Dr. Billy Graham said this about the MAC project:
“Our nation stands in great need of a genuine spiritual awakening. I strongly support the goals of the Mission America Coalition and pray God will use it to bring a new wave of evangelism and spiritual awakening to our nation and our world.”
I will list in point form some areas in which we must cry out passionately to God for His Light to fill our nation and drive out the darkness. After each point, I will help you “pray the information” by concluding with:
Let There Be Light.
Living and Loving God, hear our prayers:
- That the special counsel investigation of possible Trump collusion with Russia in the 2016 election will reveal the truth and nothing but the truth, and not be used for political purposes.
Let There Be Light.
- That facts will confirm or deny a recent Newt Gingrich assertion that Obama Administration was one of the most corrupt U.S. administrations of all time–using the Justice Department, IRS, and other forms of power to manipulate the American people and weaken the United States
Let There Be Light.
- That George Mueller’s special prosecutor power and the recent indictments will stay focused on their sole mandate–Russia collusion with Donald Trump–and not meaningless rabbit-trails that obscure the truth.
Let There Be Light.
- That the corruption and selling out of the American people over the Uranium One deal, spear-headed by Bill and Hillary Clinton (in which over 140 million dollars came to the Clinton Foundation) that allowed Vladimir Putin to gain control of one-fifth of America’s uranium–the core substance for making nuclear bombs–will be exposed and judged.
Let There Be Light.
- That those involved in paying for and peddling the fake Trump-Russian Dossier will be exposed and brought to justice. Clinton campaign, Obama campaign funds, and Democratic Party monies (to the tune of millions of dollars) paid for the fictional dirt. This is the real Russian collusion story that is not being reported by the secular mainstream media.
Let There Be Light.
- That ALL Deep State operatives and moles, currently embedded within vast government departments in Washington, D.C., will be flushed out and fired. That America will not become a corrupt and unjust banana republic without rule of law and respect for our God-ordained Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Let There Be Light.
- That George Mueller, James Comey and Rod Rosenstein’s knowledge of Russian bribery, money laundering, and racketeering efforts related to the Uranium One deal with be exposed and prosecuted. That George Mueller will realize his clear conflict of interest and step down from his special prosecutor role.
Let There Be Light.
- That the truth will become known about who killed John F. Kennedy from the release of the archive papers by the Trump Administration. May it either confirm the lone gun-man actions by Lee Harvey Oswald, or break the back of the Deep State conspiracy that led to the assassination of our 35th president.
Let There Be Light.
- Reveal the associations, money sources and true designs of the Antifa movement in America and break the back of its power to tear down the America nation through propaganda and anarchy. Crush and eliminate the evil power of anarchist booster George Soros.
Let There Be Light.
- Silence the enemy’s voice regarding the desecration and removal of American statues and artifacts that honor our founders. Yesterday’s heroes and patriots must not be be-smirched by today’s politically-correct activists.
May the leaders of Christ Church of Alexandria, who voted to remove a plaque of George Washington (one of their founding members) from their church for “inclusivist” reasons, change their PC policy.
Let There Be Light.
- Send revival and godly administrators & professors to our institutions of Higher Learning where a growing “snowflake culture” portends to undermine future generations of leadership in America.
Let There Be Light.
- Open our high school and college campuses and their venues to wholesome and constructive free speech events and movements that will sharpen and not diminish the desire to know the truth which will set and keep us free.
Let There Be Light.
- That both the Republican and Democratic establishment leaders, desperately trying to hold onto power in our nation’s capital and not serving the needs of the people, would be exposed and voted out of office by a renewed electorate–beginning in the 2018 elections.
Let There Be Light.
- That the Democrat Party blockade of pro-Constitution judges who are being voted on in the United States Senate would be stopped by an outcry of the American people.
Let There Be Light.
- That Congress would pass historic tax cuts for American tax payers and businesses to increase their competiveness in the world economy and our ability to bless the world.
Let There Be Light.
- That revelations of sexual harassment in Hollywood and business would lead to real change and nation-wide cleansing from ALL the evils of sexual sin.
Let There Be Light.
- That the persecution of followers of Christ in many nations would be halted in the name of compassion and justice. That those being persecuted would be strengthened by God to be faithful to the end.
Let There Be Light.
- That North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be removed from power and that North and South Korea would be re-united as were East and West Germany a generation ago. That all nuclear weapons would be removed from the Korean Peninsula.
Let There Be Light.
- For a revival of truth and honesty in the American media so that the United States will be encouraged to stay the “land of the free and home of the brave.”
Let There Be Light.
- That the Church in the USA would experience a Heaven-sent revival that would impact every city, town and neighborhood for the glory of Jesus. That the love and fear of God would be restored to our families and institutions in every part of the American nation.
Let There Be Light.
Five hundred years ago today, the German church woke up to Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, nailed to the Wittenberg Door. His heart-cry for renewal led to the Protestant Reformation which blessed the world for half a millennia.
in 2017, we stand at a water-shed turning point in American and world history. This could be our darkest hour–if evil forces prevail. Only desperate, repentant prayer to a just and holy God can eradicate our nation’s malevolent moral cancer.
God is Light (1 John 1:5). Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12). He commissioned his followers to be salt and light for Him. (Matthew 5:13-16).
Shine, Jesus, Shine by Graham Kendrick remains one of my favorite all time choruses. Let us unite in agreement around his powerful words and pray them into reality.
Lord, the light of your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness, shining
Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us
Set us free by the truth you now bring us
Shine on me, shine on me
Shine, Jesus, shine!
Fill this land with the Father’s glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze
Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth your word
Lord, and let there be light!
The Wisdom of Profiling–And Why We All Do It.
It appears that the dark days of anti-police sentiment is on the decline in the United States.The current Administration believes strongly in Law & Order and supports those who fight crime and defend our shores.
Because of this commitment to enforce our borders, a renewed pledge to fight crime in our cities and neighborhoods, and a refreshing willingness to push back evil around the world, common sense is once again making a comeback in America.
These types of social renewals are usually based on God-given truths and simple ideas. One of them making a comeback is the simple tool of police profiling.
It’s right, makes sense, and saves time and lives.
Here’s to the wisdom of profiling and why we all do it. Read More
Neil Gorsuch and the Spirit of Lawlessness
This month in my morning devotions I finished reading the book of Deuteronomy. Eugene Peterson calls it the world’s longest sermon by the world’s oldest preacher.
I love Deuteronomy because it clearly lays out the landscape of the moral world. This fifth book of Moses is really an “Instruction Manual for Wise Living” from ancient times. The main idea is still relevant. When we love God and obey his commands, great blessings flow. But when we turn away from God’s blueprints for living, all hell can break loose because right and wrong have consequences.
By Friday the US Senate will confirm Neil Gorsuch as an associate justice on the United States Supreme Court. Gorsuch probably shares my opinion on Deuteronomy. It was the most widely quoted book during the Constitutional Convention.
Neil Gorsuch is a Constitutionalist.
Will God use his appointment to help stop the tide of lawlessness in our nation?
The Bible is pretty clear that in the last days, (prior to Christ’s Return), lawlessness will increase. People won’t obey God’s laws for living and will cut themselves loose from his commands.
Notice the Apostle Paul’s prophetic words in two New Testament passages:
“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
“For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:7-10).
To highlight a few items:
- The first list of “bad behavior” comes from loving self and pleasure instead of loving God i.e. turning away from his standards.
- This involves a breakdown of “self control” including family disintegration.
- All these ugly and selfish actions come from a spirit of lawlessness.
- The ultimate immoral mind behind the lawless one (Anti-Christ) is Satan.
- Many folks will be deceived by the lawless spirit and reject God’s truth and salvation.
Sounds pretty bad to me. Lawlessness brings disobedience, godlessness and chaos. This philosophy comes from the pit of hell where Satan and his demons try to add human beings to their rebellion.
They operate out of a spirit (mind-set) of lawlessness.
On the other side, godly people love the order and beauty of law (Psalm 119). They know that societies that love, respect, and keep good laws are more peaceful and blessed.
Which brings us to the present. Have you noticed the growth of lawlessness in the Western World (Judeo-Christian based culture) in the past six decades? Do you lament the acceleration of that spirit of lawlessness in the past few years?
Here’s a brief overview of the growth in lawlessness (20th century):
1. The 1960s saw a wholesale revulsion of God’s precepts when millions of teenagers rejected their parents’ authority and moral standards and began to rebel, smoke dope, and sleep around. I know because I was there. It was a time of casting off inner restraints (self control) for pleasure -oriented hedonism.
2. In subsequent decades we tossed the Bible and prayer out of the public schools and even decided we would re-define murder to exclude killing your own baby (abortion). Lawless people changed God’s laws to cover up their rebellion and sin.
3. During this same period, we threw away God’s laws on debt and sound money–running up a staggering twenty trillion dollars in government IOUs (plus trillions more in personal debt). I noticed reading Deuteronomy that when you obey God’s principles, you become the lender, not the borrower (Deuteronomy 15:6). In two generations the United States went from being the world’s largest lender (think the Marshall Plan), to become the world’s greatest debtor. Tragic.
4. An incredible breakdown of the American family highlights the past few decades of lawlessness. The American two-parent home was once the bedrock of our society. Today, nearly 40% of American children have been ripped away from father or mother, and in some cities, single-parent homes are up to 70%. We’ve forgotten the good laws make families stable and great.
5. Did you notice that from 1960 to today we lost most of our wars–Korean, Vietnam, and now conflicts in the Middle East? Deuteronomy details that consequence of lawlessness: “The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven, and you will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms on earth” (Deuteronomy 28:25).
Now let’s examine the 21st century acceleration of the lawless spirit:
1. The Obama Administration greatly advanced the rejection of biblical laws and mores by re-defining marriage, promoting gender confusion, and using the US presidency to govern by fiat. In eight years, the US Congress passed no budgets (a Harry Reed tactic). They simply operated by Continuing Resolutions that bypassed Congress and doubled the national debt in eight years.
7. Groups like Black Lives Matter, emboldened by the Justice Department, started a lawless war against police in large American cities. Dozens of cops have been mowed down during this season of anarchy. Occupy Wall Street made violent protest normal across the land.
8. Both in Europe and America, politicians laughed at sovereignty laws and proclaimed lawless “Open Borders” for many immigrants. Some European cities are powder kegs of rape and Muslim terrorism. In the United States, millions of illegal criminals are welcome in “Sanctuary Cities” in direct violation of federal law. We even changed the wording from “illegal aliens” to “undocumented workers.” Clever and lawless. Signs at many rallies say that “No One is Illegal.” Really?
9. A large scandal envelops our national security agencies as documents leak, intelligence laws loosen, and recent evidence points to one administration using the powers of government to collect information on their political opponents. This is unheard of lawlessness in American high places.
10. The Democratic Party knows it can’t win with its ideas at the ballot box (losing 1200 seats nationwide in eight years), so it resorts to pushing its agenda through the courts. Harry Reid changed 200 years of Senate protocol in 2013 by eliminating a 60 vote norm for approving federal justices. He did so to allow the Obama administration to pack the federal courts with lawless judges–those who do not respect the Constitution. They want to force a lawless secular agenda upon the people of the US.
We arrived at the 2016 election with a lawless spirit exploding on many fronts. Though Donald Trump was an unusual candidate, millions of Americans realized he needed their vote to help reverse the tide of lawlessness.
A major battlefield? The US Supreme Court.
Constitutionalist (lover of law) Antonin Scalia had died suddenly. The Court was grid-locked with four anti-law justices (Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan) along with four generally law-respecting jurists (Kennedy, Thomas, Alito and Roberts).
The American people realized that generations of lawlessness–and maybe disaster–could sweep the United States if Hillary Clinton won and nominated another lawless judge. And then another. And maybe another.
America might not survive a lawlessly tilted Supreme Court.
So people turned out en masse to vote. One of the goals was to elect a president who would appoint a law-loving judge who could put his finger in the crumbling dike of American law and culture and help stop the explosion.
Donald Trump did the right thing and appointed Neil Gorsuch.
The Democrats are now screaming against an eminently qualified judge while threatening to filibuster a US Supreme Court nominee for the first time in history. They know that the only way governmental lawlessness can continue unabated is through SCOTUS overriding the will of the people.
But they won’t prevail on this one. Neil Gorsuch will win confirmation.
Here’s Gorsuch’s view of the law:
“I respect, too, the fact that in our legal order it is for Congress and not the courts to write new laws. It is the role of judges to apply, not alter, the work of the people’s representatives.”
“Standing here in a house of history, and acutely aware of my own imperfections, I pledge that if I am confirmed I will do all my powers permit to be a faithful servant of the Constitution and laws of this great country.”
I believe Neil Gorsuch will do his part.
Will you do yours to combat the spirit of lawlessness?