Author: John Page 119 of 172

James 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

The Bible calls us to act on our faith; the Constitution gives us the right to do so. Our faith is hollow if we don’t; our rights are meaningless if we can’t. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution 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.”

We are to exercise our faith, and the Constitution gives us the right of free exercise. The devil would be happy for us to be hearers only. Our earthly opponents would be happy for us to limit our rights to teaching and hearing only. Neither wants us to recognize our mandate to put our faith into action. They want us to deceive our own selves into thinking that teaching and hearing are the extent of our rights and our responsibilities. In a feeble nod to religious freedom, Justice Kennedy rendered the following in the majority opinion of June’s Obergefell v. Hodges:

“The First Amendment ensures that religious organizations and persons are given proper protection as they seek to teach the principles that are so fulfilling and so central to their lives and faiths, and to their own deep aspirations to continue the family structure they have long revered.”

This isn’t free exercise. This doesn’t protect being a doer, and only protects being a hearer. If this is the limit of our Constitutional rights, then we are being deceived. If this is how we limit ourselves in our Christian responsibilities, then we are deceiving our own selves.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD FREELY EXERCISE OUR FAITH. The Bible doesn’t mandate a simple call to teaching and hearing. Instead, it provides a clear and unmistakable call to action!

SET YOUR ALARM: If you’re alarmed (by the dysfunction within our political parties), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!

II Kings 6:17 “And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”

As Captain Eric Brown spent the night at Grove Airfield waiting for the Allied Army to arrive (see previous post), he was worried that his small contingent of seven men would be ambushed during the night by the 2,000 Germans who had surrendered to him during the day. At about 10 pm, Captain Brown heard the rumblings of a loud mob and was sure that they were doomed. As it turned out, the local Danish villagers had heard about their fragile occupation and had come to protect them. Throughout the night, these 250 villagers sat several deep in a large circle surrounding Captain Brown and his men. As it turned out, the courage of a few British occupiers emboldened those who had been previously occupied by the Germans even though they were still vastly outnumbered.

Even when we are alone in occupied territory, we shouldn’t assume that we are truly alone. Maybe our realm of occupation is surrounded by the horses and chariots of God’s protection. Moreover, maybe our small steps of courage will embolden others around us even though we may be vastly outnumbered.

PLEASE PRAY THAT OUR FRAGILE OCCUPATION WOULD BE EMPOWERED BY GOD WHILE EMBOLDENING OTHERS. We may soon be fighting our battles with others round about us if we stay faithful.

Luke 19:12-13 “He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds and said unto them, Occupy till I come.”

Captain Eric “Winkle” Brown is a friend of mine. He is the British Royal Navy’s most decorated Fleet Air Arm pilot. During his 31-year career, he flew a world-record 487 aircraft types and performed a record-shattering 2,407 carrier landings. His aviation experience is nothing short of amazing.

As World War II in Europe was coming to a close in the spring of 1945, Allied leaders realized that they needed to mobilize in order to acquire notable German aviation technology for subsequent Allied use and to prevent the Russians from doing the same. Eric Brown was ultimately assigned as the commanding officer of the Enemy Aircraft Flight and was tasked with leading the British contingent on their mission. His team entered the rubble of post-war Germany to collect the Luftwaffe’s best technology as Allied ground forces gained German territory. Yet, things didn’t always work out as expected in the chaotic environment.

In one case, Brown flew to Denmark to exploit Germany’s jet reconnaissance bomber. Based on Army intelligence, he expected Allied occupation of Grove Airfield where the jets were based. Unbeknownst to him, the Allies were slow in their advance and Brown’s landing at Grove was instead at an active German airfield. The German commanding officer, convinced that the Allied army was just around the corner, surrendered his 2,000 men to Brown upon his arrival. Allied ground troops didn’t arrive until the next day.

In 21^st century America we may feel like we have landed in enemy controlled territory behind enemy lines. We would feel far more comfortable trailing God’s front line advances instead of acting ahead of the front lines. Yet, we need to realize that such mutual support may not be possible. Instead, we need to occupy territory now while trusting that God’s army is just around the corner. PLEASE PRAY FOR ALL CHRISTIANS TO BE COURAGEOUS, OCCUPYING TERRITORY NOW UNTIL GOD COMES. Our orders from God are to enter the rubble of post-Christian America to occupy ground for Him. We must do so!

SET YOUR ALARM: If you’re alarmed (by our government’s failure to pass an on-time budget for the 19^th year in a row), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!

I Kings 19:18 “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.”

Elijah was initially wrong in the previous post. He was not alone. Unbeknownst to him, he had thousands of faithful allies in Israel. Not everyone had bowed his knees to idolatry or secularism.

We are not alone. We have thousands of faithful allies in America. I know this first-hand because my work has given me occasion to travel extensively, and I have always been encouraged by the faithful Christian citizens I have met in dedicated churches around this nation. There are faithful men and women in Knob Noster, Missouri and Las Vegas, Nevada. There are faithful Christians in Goldsboro, North Carolina and Santa Maria, California. There are faithful Christian citizens in Prattville, Alabama and Dayton, Ohio. We have faithful allies in Bowie, Maryland and Albuquerque, New Mexico. We have faithful comrades in Niceville, Florida and Lancaster, California. There are steadfast churches in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Bossier City, Louisiana. There are faithful Christians from coast to coast.

Imagine the power of such an army of believers. Imagine the temporal and eternal impact if Christians in just the locations mentioned above would faithfully do one thing – take time daily to specifically and fervently pray for our nation and its leaders. Imagine the signal it would send if we each stepped out of our workplaces at lunchtime to pray. Maybe it would be a bit disruptive. Potentially it would cause a bit of a stir. Undoubtedly it would send an unmistakable signal. Unquestionably it would cause politicians to take notice.  Probably it would make a point more powerfully than the largest protest.  Possibly it would convict Christians who have been carried along by secular culture. Hopefully it would call down the power of God to make a massive impact on this country.

PLEASE GET OUT AND PRAY FOR OUR NATION AND ITS LEADERS. Those who have not bowed their knees to modern-day Baal can make the greatest impact by bowing our knees to the Lord together.

I Kings 19:9-10 “And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine alters, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

Elijah felt alone. He felt that he had been left without allies by the rebellion of God’s own people, the crumbling of God’s own institutions, and the weakening of God’s own prophets. He felt that he was left alone to fend for God through his own faithfulness.

We can feel alone. We feel like we have been left without allies by the rebellion of God’s own people, the crumbling of God’s own institutions, and the weakening of God’s own prophets. We feel like we are left alone to fend for God through our own faithfulness.

We can feel alone in our workplaces. We can feel alone in our neighborhoods. We can feel alone in our social circles. Our kids can feel alone in their schools. Our churches can feel alone in our communities. We sometimes feel like we should retreat into our figurative caves and surrender to the forces around us.

Yet, we must be encouraged by the fact that we are not alone in feeling alone. A Christian in the adjoining workplace is probably feeling the same way. A Christian in the next neighborhood is similarly fighting discouragement. A Christian in overlapping social circles is also sensing despair. Other Christian kids in different classes are weighed down by isolation. Other strong Christian churches in nearby communities are burdened by feelings of hopelessness.

We are bonded together through Christ by our peculiarity and sense of isolation in today’s society. We should sense solidarity through the struggles of our counter-cultural faithfulness. PLEASE PRAY FOR A SENSE OF UNITY WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS THROUGH OUR APPARENT ISOLATION. We may feel alone, but we are not! Instead, we are inseparably tied together with others who feel the same way.

SET YOUR ALARM: If you’re alarmed (by the racism of abortion), set your alarm (to pray for our nation) — more black babies are aborted than born in NYC.