Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Eph. 6:13)
As
I have ministered recently on the topic of Living
in the Kingdom of God amidst a Culture of Corruption, I am reminded of the
warrior identity we have in Christ. Much of the church in America is dressed
as a wimp rather than a warrior. We walk more like a lamb than a lion.
Earlier this
year we received a prophetic word that 2014 would be a ‘year of contrast’, contrast between those who wholeheartedly
follow Christ and live in His kingdom, versus those who do not. I see this contrast in this election season. Christian
leaders are being tested to wholeheartedly follow Him to bring contrast in
America. Recently, many Houston pastors received court orders to hand over all
their sermons, emails, and correspondence because of comments they may have
made about a gay friendly city ordinance. We see it in the letters American
pastors receive from a secular organization prior to every election. The
letters threaten IRS retribution if pastors speak out on political issues. The
enemy seeks to intimidate church leadership. The enemy goes about ‘like
a roaring lion’ (1 Pet. 5:8). The enemy seeks to intimidate us by imitating the power of the lion.
Its
intimidation by imitation! Lambs can be intimidated. Lions cannot! It
is we who carry the true lion on the inside of us, the Lion of Judah, the soon
coming King. We do not imitate a lion, because we carry the authentic Lion on
the inside!
Every pastor
and ministry leader in America has contrasting choices ...to stay silent on the
many moral and cultural issues of the day, or to speak out in truth and righteousness
bringing clarity to the cloudy world of politics. I am drawn to Paul’s words
again in Eph. 6:13 that we are called to
‘stand’. We must stand together or fall together.
For each of
you in leadership in America, I urge you to speak clearly with conviction on
the key issues facing this nation in the election. For those of you in other
nations, pray that we in America would have courage to declare truth to America
in this election. Pray that we would
embrace the identity of the Lion and the Warrior and stand against the
imitator!
Be very
blessed as each of you stand, bringing contrast on behalf of the King of Kings
in nation.