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Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses:  but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”

In mid-April, an American missionary couple in Beijing, China (names intentionally omitted) had their church raided in the middle of a Sunday service by local authorities and the service was broken up.  These same authorities ruled that all church services there were to be permanently cancelled.  A few weeks later, these same authorities dictated that the couple’s visas would not be renewed and they were to leave the country by mid-June.  Sure enough, a few weeks ago this couple who had been faithfully serving on the Chinese mission field since 2001 sadly left the land to which they had been called.

Stricter regulation of spiritual life is becoming the norm in all of China, not just in Beijing.  The root of these control measures is the government’s desire to retain its sovereignty over the affairs of its citizens. As the New York Times article ‘Decapitated Churches in China’s Christian Heartland’ suggests, these actions “reflect the government’s longstanding fear that Christianity could undermine the party’s authority.”  The Party wants the Chinese people to trust in them and them alone.  Yet we know that there is one thing that should be trusted above all else – not military might, economic influence, or political control.  Christians everywhere must remember the name of the LORD our God.

PLEASE PRAY FOR CHRISTIANS WORLDWIDE TO TRUST IN GOD ALONE AS SOVEREIGN.  Controlling governments across the globe have a longstanding fear that we would do so.

See this link to read the entire New York Times Article:  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/22/world/asia/china-christians-zhejiang.html?_r=0

SET YOUR ALARM:  If you’re alarmed (that progressive regimes throughout the world see God as a threat to their authority), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!

Hebrews 11:1-2 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  For by it the elders obtained a good report.”

The USMC corridor displays their hall of fame.  As described in my previous post, this hallway contains a portrait of each commandant.  Yet, the one of Anthony Gale is different from the rest:

Unlike every other portrait, Gale’s portrait doesn’t show his face, instead displaying an empty silhouette.  The Marine Corps maintains its integrity by acknowledging that he was once their Commandant, but denies him the honor of a proper portrait.  Though he was their 4^th Commandant, he was not worthy of the office.  In this way, the Marine Corps omits him from its hall of fame while making his disservice a cautionary tale.  What a tragedy!

The Bible lists its hall of fame in Hebrews 11, but maybe there could have been other names on this esteemed list.  Maybe there were many other believers who God intended to include through their faithful service, but these individuals instead failed to live up to their calling.  Their story is a cautionary tale; what a tragedy!

Maybe in the hall of fame in heaven, there are many 21^st Century Americans who God intends to be on that esteemed list.  What a tragedy it would be if we fail to live up to our calling and instead end up as a cautionary tale.  PLEASE PRAY FOR CHRISTIAN AMERCIANS TO RISE TO THE OCCASION THROUGH FAITHFULNESS.  The alternative would be tragic!

Esther 4:14 “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed:  and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

This past Friday I walked out of the Pentagon to end my assignment there.  Every day for the last two years I walked through the Marine Corps corridor on my way into work.  Along this corridor, there are murals of prominent Marine engagements (my favorite was that of America’s first post-Revolutionary engagement – the Barbary Wars) and displays of famous quotes (my favorite was from an Army General:  “The safest place in Korea was right behind a platoon of Marines.”).  Along this corridor are also displayed portraits of each Marine commandant.  One portrait particularly interested me; the one of the 4^th Commandant Anthony Gale (see the next post to see the portrait).

Gale had come to office under scrutiny because of suspect business dealings, concern about his character, and questions about his fitness for duty.  Nevertheless, he was appointed Commandant.  Gale’s challenge was to define the role of the fledgling Commandant’s position, and he was unsatisfied with the guidance he received from the Secretary of the Navy.  Instead of rising to the challenge of the office to which he had been appointed, Gale “neglected his duties.”  This shortcoming caused President Monroe to ultimately replace Gale whose successor rose to the challenge.  The Marine Corps successfully moved on, and Gale left in disgrace.

Like Esther and Gale, American Christians face a substantial challenge for which we have been specifically called to this place at this time.  Like Esther, we could rise to the challenge in faithfulness to our calling, or like Gale, we could neglect our duties in faithlessness and folly.  God’s plan will successfully move on, with or without us.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD NEVER NEGLECT OUR CALLING TO THIS PLACE AT THIS TIME.  We must never neglect our duties or we will leave in disgrace.

SET YOUR ALARM:  If you’re alarmed (that our lack of safety actually stems from our degraded spiritual condition), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!

Daniel 9:18 “O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name:  for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.”

Speaking to President Lincoln about the Civil War, a group of ministers boldly proclaimed the following:  “Mr. President, our cause will prevail, because the Lord is on our side.”  Lincoln wisely responded: “Gentlemen, the question we should always ask ourselves is: ‘Are we on His side?’”

This nation will not prevail over the challenges of the day because the Lord is on our side.  Instead, we will only prevail if we are on His side.  Christian Americans will not prevail over ungodly forces because the Lord is on our side.  Instead, we will only prevail if we are on His side.  Conservative Christians will not prevail against cultural progressives because the Lord is on our side.  Instead, we will only prevail if we are on His side.

We must spend far less time assuming that God is on our side, and far more time ensuring that we are on His side.  We must not presume that God will side with us, and instead strive to perfectly side with Him.  We must not assume His alignment, but instead assure our alignment.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD PERFECTLY SIDE WITH GOD.  Let us constantly assess ourselves with the following question – are we on His side?

Matthew 12:25 “And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand”

On June 16^th, 1858 Abraham Lincoln stated the following about slavery in America:

“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become lawful in all the States, old as well as new — North as well as South.”

The same can be said about a Christian America in 2016. We cannot claim to be a Christian nation and act with a willful disregard to Christian principles. We cannot endure, permanently, half unrighteous and half righteous. This nation will likely not be divided, but will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of godlessness will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public minds shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction, or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become the standard in all the land.

Christians must fight or our Christian America will fall. A house divided against itself cannot stand. We will either return to a land used by God for great good in this world, or we will proceed down a path that we will be used as a mighty tool in the hand of Satan himself.

The results will unavoidably stem from the path we choose. As Lincoln once said:

“If we do not do right I believe God will let us go our own way to ruin. But if we do right, I believe He will lead us safely out of this wilderness, adorning our arms with victory.”

PLEASE PRAY FOR CHRISTIAN AMERICANS TO UNITE OUR NATION ONCE AGAIN AROUND THE CAUSE OF CHRIST. A house divided against itself cannot stand.

SET YOUR ALARM: If you’re alarmed (that an American seven-year-old boy was blatantly denied his religious liberties at school lunchtime), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!