Notes from this week's podcast: Christian Response to Muslim Leadership

Within the Christian community, it should cause us to pause and ask: What next?

It gives us great concern. We don't bury our head in the sand.

What is happening to our culture? What is happening to our world around us? What is happening to the next generation? When our spiritual landscape, our nation takes such a shift (wickedness is not even hiding its face), what do we do? Does it cause us to fear what will happen next? Retreat? Panic?

Or could God be using this as a very distinct moment to cause us to rise up with a holy boldness and to take action? Could this be the moment that God's been waiting to move us into the forefront -- out of our complacency and move us into the moment to do something? 

This is not a moment to say that we're defeated, that we've lost the battle. 

We need to get more intentional. 

The Israelites were taken into exile into Babylon -- a pagan place, wicked, ruled by pagan leaders who were opposed to God. But what did God tell them? Don't hide in the moment.

In the midst of all this wickedness, this is the opportunity for us (the Church, the body of Christ) to rise up and to be the testimony, the witness to watch God bring us out of the wicked, pagan ideology around us and to set us free.

Through the church, we've really had it comfortable. We've had some smooth-sailing days. And in America, we've enjoyed a lot of comfort and prosperity. But what has happened in our comfortable environment, we've slipped into the culture, that has surfaced among us. This election is a stark awakening to reveal just how weak we as Christians are in this culture to where we have relied on the political forces, the political influences, the political powers rather than God's spiritual authority that He has given to us as Christians.

Because far too long, we've leaned into a false hope. We've allowed it to rise up and replace the hope that comes through Jesus Christ.

God intended our political arena, our governmental forces to protect our holy righteous convictions to live for Christ.

The early church went through something similar. How did they fight this? They had the greatest influence when there was great persecution, when there was great opposition to sharing the Gospel. They went full force for the Gospel.

Our first response is a holy boldness. The early church cried out for God's help.

My prayer for us is that we won't retreat, we won't bow to the antichrist spirit but that we'll take our territory -- that we would know Christ and make Christ known.

Take the name of Jesus wherever we go -- with courageous conviction, to be the light.

Be reminded that God is sovereign.

God can use this for our good -- to advance the Gospel. We're just passing by. This is our opportunity.

Every day should be a testimony that our God reigns, a testimony to the lost world what they truly need is Christ as Savior.

Prayer: Lord, I pray that in this moment what You have allowed to happen within our nation, to open our eyes that it would give us great wisdom that we don't just see it, that we don't just know it but we act according to what the Holy Spirit is causing us to do. And we act with such courage under the power of the Holy Spirit. That in humility, Lord, we have compassion for those that are lost, for those that have been led astray, for those Lord, that have lost their way and they need to find The Way. They need to find Jesus. 

So Lord, in this moment, stir our hearts, not to be angry, not to cower down, not to run and hide. But let us be bold to share our faith. Let us be bold to live according to what we really believe that Jesus is the Savior of the world. That You, oh God, would restore the light in the midst of our darkness. In Jesus' name, Amen. 

Scripture for further study: Jeremiah 29:7, Ephesians 6:12, Acts 4:29, 1 Peter 3:15, Daniel 2:21, Philippians 3:20