If there has ever been a time for Christians in America to be courageous, it is now.
A tempestuous, terrifying tsunami of unrestrained evil is sweeping across our nation with a vile, vicious, ferocity not seen before. Our culture is coming unglued, pulling apart at the seams because many good, God-fearing men and women are hiding out in the coward’s closet.
Where in the world are courageous followers of the Lord Jesus Christ who will unashamedly take a bold, firm stand for all that is holy, righteous, sacred, honorable, respectful, decent, truthful and right? Edmund Burke hit the nail on the head with his famous words “All that is required for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
I hope not, but you and I may be witnessing the destruction of our republic right before our eyes.
A nation is heading over the dark, bottomless abyss of self-destruction when morality takes a backseat to politics, when truth is gleefully trampled upon by lies, when rebellion against and arrogant defiance of God’s Word, and disdainful disrespect for the rule of law and lawful authority produces a culture of disorder, confusion, chaos, violence and anarchy.
I am gravely concerned about the future of America.  First and foremost, my allegiance is to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I love Him with all my heart, believe the Bible is the truth and do my best to obey His good, acceptable and perfect will for my life.
I am a wholehearted, fully devoted, committed Christian who also loves his country that was founded upon Judeo-Christian principles. I am a legal citizen, military veteran, a proud patriot whose blood flows red, white and blue. The Bible has a lot to say about nations. Our Creator laid out how nations should conduct themselves if they desire His blessing. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen for His own inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12). “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to a people.” (Proverbs 14:34).
Righteousness, being right in God’s sight and doing what is right, exalts a nation. Unrighteousness, what is not right, destroys a people. Personal and national sin is disgraceful. God calls the nation blessed who calls Him Lord.  II Chronicles 7:14 is God’s gracious invitation for restoration of a nation. “If My people who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear them from heaven, forgive them of their sin, and heal their land.”
Sad to say, many American people have become degenerate cowards in the face of challenges, gutless wonders when confronted with destructive forces, and whiney wimps that hide out and hope the seeds of self-implosion we have sown won’t reap a whirlwind of devastation. The Christian community is not exempt.  Why? Because we have turned our backs on God and each other.
In the book of Joshua, we have these words to Joshua who would lead Israel into the Promised Land: “Have I not commanded you be strong and courageous? Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord Your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9). Three times, in verses 6,7 and 9, Joshua is commanded (not a suggestion!) to be strong and very courageous. It would take courage and strength to fight thirty-nine battles in securing the Promised Land.
The Lord gave two assurances of success for Joshua and the Israeli nation. One, God would be with them every single step of the way. No man could stand against them. Two, Joshua would be strengthened and gain courage by meditating on and obeying God’s Word (Joshua 1: 8).
The Word of God builds faith. Faith in God and His Word produces courage. Courage is not the absence of fear. It is faith confronting and overcoming fear. Faith is courageous in the face of fear.
Could it be, we professing Christians are cowardly and not courageous at times because we are not studying, meditating upon and obeying the Bible? Could it be our faith is weak because we don’t build it up with the Word, then put into practice in our daily lives?
Bottom line: Faith in Jesus Christ produces courage.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, our country, our families, our neighbors, our fellow citizens need us to be courageous. I think about my adult children and little grandkids. What will life in America be like for them if some godly folks like you and me don’t stand up and fight the good fight of faith for their future? Do you and I want the generations following us to witness the spiritual/moral/economic/relational implosion of America?
Rubber meets the road: If we do nothing, we lose everything dear and near to our hearts. If we do what God would have us to, we preserve what we hold dear.
God didn’t just call Joshua to be “strong and courageous, very courageous.” He calls all His chosen people in Christ, you and me, to be full of faith and courage. So, what does that look like in our day?
I am asking myself these critical questions. How is my Christian faith? Growing? Deepening? Strong? Courageous? Unshakable? Do I have courage, no matter what the cost, to stand up and stand fast for what I believe? When under pressure to compromise my convictions, do I cower or boldly proclaim what I know is true? If no one else stands with me, am I willing to be courageous in the face of persecution?
Do I have courage to confront evil in our culture? Do I have the courage to be a moral man in an immoral culture? Do I have courage to protect the innocent from injustice? Do I have the courage to repent when I have sinned and done wrong? Do I have the courage to make things right when I have wronged someone? Do I have the courage to witness to an ungodly, aimless, deceived culture that has lost its way? Do I have the faith and courage to rebuke and resist the devil in Jesus’ name?
Do I have the discipline to meditate on God’s Word every day, knowing my success as a Christian is dependent upon the truth guiding my life? Do I have courage to lead my family to follow Jesus? Do I inspire courage in my brothers and sisters in the body of Christ? Would those who know me best call me courageous or cowardly?
These are soul-searching questions that each of must address if we desire that God use us to win a hurting, wayward world to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Courageous or cowardly, which will you choose? I am asking God to help me be strong and very courageous as Satan seeks to destroy the souls of men and women and our great nation.
These are difficult, desperate, defining days in our national life. It is high time for professing Christians, like you and me, to seek personal revival and renewal. TO FALL ON OUR KNEES, REPENT OF OUR SINS, BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND OBEY THE WORD TO WALK IN HOLINESS BEFORE THE LORD AND MEN.
Time for followers of Christ to stand up. Stand out. Stand firm with courage through faith in Jesus Christ.
“Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.” Ephesians 6:10
A Word For Your Week: Be strong and courageous in Christ.

Imagine with me for a moment.


You are near the end of your earthly life and have been taken to stand before the President of the United States. Your lifelong enemies have ridiculed your faith in Jesus Christ, slandered your good name, and labored relentlessly and ruthlessly to ruin your reputation. You have been brought before the most powerful person in the country to defend your belief and behavior as a Christian.


What would you do? How would you handle yourself? What would you say? What would the news media report about you on their bottom of the hour breaking news alert?


Something to think about, huh? While we are thinking, our word for this week reveals to us what the Apostle Paul did when he was dragged in chains before the Jewish King Agrippa to give account of his Christian faith.


“And so, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He should be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”  Acts 26:22-23


Paul stood tall, testifying boldly about his personal belief in the Lord Jesus Christ.


Read his whole testimony in Acts 26. What stands out to me is that Paul not only stood before King Agrippa, but he stood up to him. He stood boldly and unashamedly as a courageous, confident Christian who almost persuaded Agrippa to become a believer in Christ (Acts 26:26-29).


Note Paul says that “to small and great” he gave witness of his faith in Christ. No matter if the crowd was large or small; the person(s) important or unimportant according to the world, Paul stood up and spoke boldly about Jesus.


Under immense personal pressure from Jewish religious zealots and powerful Roman governing authorities, Paul could have shrunk back in silence. He could have compromised his convictions. Or he could have denied his faith. He did none of these things. On the contrary, Paul stood up boldly for what he believed in when it was neither popular nor personally profitable to do so.


Where did Paul get his boldness? Our verse says he stood boldly with God’s help. Look what he writes in II Timothy 4:16-18.


“At my first defense, no one supported (stood) with me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. BUT THE LORD STOOD WITH ME AND STRENGTHENED ME; in order that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear, and I was delivered out of the lion’s mouth. The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
    
Don’t you love what Paul says? His words get my spiritual motor running! Though no man stood with Paul, God did. The Lord supported, strengthened and delivered Paul from men because Paul stood boldly for God before men.


A man can be bold when he knows God is standing by his side.


I believe bold belief produces bold behavior. If ever there was a time for Christians to be bold about their belief, it is now.


Our sad, sin-sick, spiritually, morally lost world needs to hear good news from bold believers who trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Courageous Christians need to heed God’s call to stand against the high tide of unbelief washing over our culture, country and world. Falsehood, deception, and outright lies run rampant and unchallenged in the daily chatter of our fellow countrymen. Satan has pulled out all the stops in his bold, bullying tactics to steal the souls of men and women.


Christian boldness is the need of this critical hour in history.


But barriers to boldness keep too many Christians from standing up for Christ in our society. Some of these barriers include:
    

• Fear of going against the grain
• Fear of being labeled politically incorrect
• Unwilling to suffer adverse consequences
• Desire for man’s approval over God’s approval
• Try to avoid Satan’s attack against bold believers
• Ignorance of what we believe and why we believe it
• Complacency and apathy in the body of Christ
• Silent faith is the religiously correct position

The enemy of our souls and his evil forces are bold, so why aren’t God’s people as bold, if not bolder? I John 4:4 declares “Greater is He (Jesus Christ) that is in us, than he (Satan) who is in the world.”  If the greater One is in us, shouldn’t we be the boldest?


Boldness begins and ends with our relationship with God.


Boldness comes from closeness to the Savior who was bold on our behalf when He suffered for us on the Cross and rose again from the dead. When we know Him, we can show Him to the world.


Christian faith is not for pansies. It’s for courageous men and women who are willing, out of love and devotion to God, to put everything on the line to stand up, stand tall for their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
    
Fellow believer in Christ, I urge you and encourage you with all the passion in my heart: believe boldly, behave boldly, stand up boldly. Pray for boldness. Pray for opportunities to be bold. Prepare to be bold when opportunities come.


Do not two-step with your faith. Stand tall. Be bold. Be counted for Christ. Someone you know needs to hear about Jesus from you, a bold believer.  


“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and to the Greek.”            Romans 1:16


“Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.”   II Timothy 2:8


“And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with BOLDNESS.”                                    Acts 4:31


A Word For Your Week: Be bold about what you believe. Stand up. Stand tall for your faith.

The first Christians were persecuted for their faith.


Professing Christians were forbidden, then ordered by government and religious officials to not speak in the name of Jesus (Read Acts 4:1-31). Sounds a lot like 2023 in America.


If your head is not stuck in the sand as many are, you know how the name of Jesus and those who profess Him are under attack. Publicly and privately, believers in Christ are ridiculed, mocked, laughed at, shouted down, smirked at, vilified, demonized, marginalized and ostracized. Dare to talk openly about Jesus, then watch how “mainstream” people will respond to you. Cancel culture will swing into high gear.


So how did our first brothers and sisters in Christ respond to their persecutors? With boldness! 


“And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:31


No pity-poor-us party for our Christian ancestors. Banding together, they prayed for boldness. Every time I read this scripture I get spiritual goose bumps.


The meeting place was supernaturally shaken. What was that like? I have not experienced our church building shaking when we pray. How about you and your church or small group Bible study? Everyone praying was filled with the Holy Spirit. Refreshed and recharged with resurrection power, the Spirit-filled Christians exited the prayer meeting to speak boldly for Jesus.


Acts 4:33 states “And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord, and abundant grace was upon them all.” I would love to have been part of their Spirit-anointed, Spirit-empowered evangelistic outreach. How about you? 


Christ’s followers could not and would not stop sharing what they had seen and heard. How could they possibly deny the Savior who loved them and gave Himself for them?


Thank you 1st century Christians for setting the standard for courageous, winsome witnessing for Christ. Shouldn’t you and I follow their example today?


My fellow Christians, if you have not noticed, the devil’s crowd is bold. Obnoxiously so, mocking our Savior and the faith we have in Him. But I have good news. Awesome truth. Jesus’ crowd can be BOLDER. Why? “Greater is He (Jesus) who is in you, than he (Satan) who is in the world.” I John 4:4. The Holy Spirit overwhelms, overcomes, overpowers and soundly defeats the devil every single time. Praise the Lord!   


So, what are you and I going to do when we are told to be quiet or silent about Jesus? I suggest we SPEAK BOLDLY! When we are ordered to sit down and shut up, STAND UP AND SPEAK UP BOLDLY!


Choose to refuse to be bullied by unbelieving, spiritually lost, worldly people. When the law of the land contradicts the law of God, you and I must choose who we will serve. Joshua declared. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)


As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father’s kingdom, BE BOLD. Never, never, never cower in fear or cave into oppressive opposition. Stand firm in faith. Courageously share the good news of Jesus Christ that people who are spiritually blind and morally misled need to hear.   


Christians, Pastors and churches, gather together. Pray for courage to stand up and speak up for Christ. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Be anointed with fresh oil (See Psalm 92:10). Then speak with fiery, passionate boldness that comes from heaven above.   


Maybe, just maybe, if we prayed a little less about personal prosperity and a little more about being bold to share our faith, our lives would be truly rich and satisfying.
    
Could it be that you and I who confess Christ need shaken up? How about personal revival and renewal? A fresh, daily dose of the Holy Ghost would set our lives on fire to be courageous for Christ.


Now my friends, not someday down the road, is the time to be bold. Now is the time to be heard. Now is the time to be confident and courageous in Christ. Now is the time to turn an upside down world right side up in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.


If you and I do not stand up boldly for the Lord, who will?   


“And do not get drunk with wine for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  Ephesians 5:18


A Word For Your Week: Be bold about your beliefs.

​What do you believe America needs most at this critical, pivotal time in our nation’s history?
Concerned citizens across our country readily (sometimes without thinking!) offer up their personal remedies for our national ills and troubles.  “America needs income equality. America needs tolerance, diversity and inclusion. Americans need to throw out career, establishment politicians. America needs a global outlook. America needs a female president. America needs more coffee, donuts and chocolate. “    
I would like to suggest, because I believe this with all my heart, that America’s remedy is revival.
To revive means to restore to life. To bring back to life that which is dead or dying. Revival is a sovereign act/move of God. Never man-made or worked up. Revival is sent down from heaven through the Holy Spirit.
AMERICA IS DYING. Revival must begin with the church of Jesus Christ. Sadly, in some quarters, the church is near death, on life support.
Our nation’s soul is sick. Sin sick. Sick unto death. Franklin Graham wrote in Decision magazine “The Scriptures say that “sin is lawlessness” (I John 3:4). Sin corrupts. Sin rebels. Sin destroys. Sin deceives. Sin kills.” The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sin’s payday is always the spiritual, relational death of individuals, families, nations and the world.
My friends, fellow Christians and concerned citizens, our deepest problems are not political, economic or global. They are spiritual and moral.
The shocking truth is a vast majority of Americans have individually and collectively turned their backs on the Almighty Creator and Redeemer of the Bible. “We the people” are choosing to openly and unashamedly defy the moral laws of God. “We the people” arrogantly rebel against His Word. ”We the people” mock and blaspheme His holy name, dismissing and rejecting His plan for our lives.
Death of the innocent unborn, abominable, perverse, immoral sexual behavior, life-enslaving substance abuse, malicious violence against lawful, God-ordained authority and disrespect, prejudice and hatred towards people we disagree with are a few of the many sins we commit against the Lord and one another.
Shame on us that sinful, premeditated misconduct is the modus operandi of so many of our citizens.   
America does not need to be reformed. The United States needs to be revived!
“Revival is nothing less than a new beginning of obedience to God.” Charles G. Finney.
”Revival is a renewing and a reformation of the church for action.” Max Warren.
“The church does not need to be white-washed; it needs to be washed white! We do not need so many new members as we need the old bunch scrubbed up.” Vance Havner
“The best definition of revival is “times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.” J. Edwin Orr.
News bulletin: no individual person, political party or governmental institution can fix America. A new president will not save us. Billy Graham has said “No matter who is elected, America is not going to be saved unless we have a moral and spiritual revival”. Dr. Graham is right on the mark.
God alone can heal the soul of our nation. A revival that turns people to Jesus Christ is our only hope because He is the only Savior of the world. (John 3:16-17).
II Chroniclers 7:14 reveals a biblical formula for people of faith who desire to see the church and America revived.
“If My People, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their land.”  
This verse is an if-then proposition. God is speaking directly to His people. “My people” today is the worldwide church. The body of Christ. If those who confess Christ humble themselves, pray seek God and turn, notice turn, from wicked ways. “Wicked ways” by wicked, evil men and women abound in our society. Is it possible that “wicked ways” can be found in the church? Sadly, they can and are.
There is hope in this scripture. Good news. God says that if you, My people, will do the above, I will hear from heaven, forgive your sins, and HEAL YOUR LAND.  Healing of God’s people’s hearts and land is the goal of God’s invitation to make things right with Him. Also take note that forgiveness of sins precedes healing of our nation’s soul.
Here is a troubling, terrifying thought: No humbling, no seeking, no praying, no turning from wickedness….God will not hear, forgive or heal our land. Not a good picture for America.
Revival, restoration, renewal, and salvation comes when God’s people ask Him to forgive their sins. All of us are sinners (Romans 3:10-18, 23). All of us need forgiveness (Ephesians 3:1-8). All sinners, including you and me, will be forgiven when we confess our sins. (I John 1:9, Romans 10:13).
National revival begins with revival in the church. Oh Lord, wake your people up. The church has fallen asleep on watch. Holy Spirit move Your people to seek Your mercy and forgiveness before it is too late for our beloved nation.   
Evangelist Gypsy Smith was once asked how to start a revival. He answered “Go home, lock yourself in your room, and kneel down in the middle of the floor. Draw a chalk mark all around yourself and ask God to start a revival inside that chalk mark. When He has answered your prayer, the revival is on.”
Be encouraged Christians. Throughout our nation’s history, spiritual/moral revival has come every time when believers in Jesus turned to Him, got their lives right with Him, and then reached out with evangelistic fervor to win their neighbors to Christ. Father in heaven, send revival fire one more time!
Revival: Why not me? Why not you? Why not now?
Why not find a piece of chalk and ask the Lord to breathe new life into your soul through a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit?
“Will Thou not Thyself revive us again, that Thy people might rejoice in Thee?” Psalm 85:6
A Word For Your Week: Seek revival for yourself and America.