God’s will be done. That is what we pray right? THY kingdom come, THY will be done – I’m pretty sure it’s not MY kingdom come, MY will be done. There has been more prayer, more rallies, and more fasting for this Presidential race than any in current history and yet the Republican candidate was not elected. Is it possible that you - Evangelical church were wrong and that God is right? Because if not, then that sounds like you are god - not Jehovah. His ways are higher than our ways and we can’t possibly know all the reasons behind His divine plans, but our pride and arrogance is glaring brightly in the face of this loss. I personally have not heard one evangelical pastor, leader, or prophet publicly talk about the fact that the Lord’s will may not be for Donald Trump to be president. God may still intervene to expose corruption or He may not. But it has to be the Lord’s will not our will. Our hope is in Christ. Fight for the name and cause of Christ and let Him do whatever He wills.How could this presidential loss possibly be better for the church or for America? I don’t know - how did persecution affect the early church? Did suffering stop the apostle Paul? How did Jesus suffering and death make a difference anyway? We preach Christ crucified – foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews. When did we get the idea that God’s plan was always to win? Isn’t it about the final victory not about the here and now? It is tough for you to kick against the goads. Now you have the option to fight and kick and cheat to try and get your way or to repent in dust and ashes like we need to in America and the church anyway. God was always our only hope. Repentance is our only chance at victory – not a political candidate or a Supreme Court justice. Do you still not see your trust and hope in man instead of in God?
I’m not saying that everything is great and that times of refreshing are right around the corner without repentance. But I am saying that God is in control and that this is exactly how He has ordained it to be for whatever reason for this period of time. Submit to Him and His purposes and deal with our failure to uphold the church and America over the past 50 years. Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand! Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord and then you will see your victory. The transition has begun - moving away from the age of the church to the kingdom age and the sooner that you come in alignment with God’s plans the better. Jesus said, “my kingdom is not of this world”. Our weapons are not fleshly but spiritually powerful for the breaking down of strongholds not governments. Do you want the land or the kingdom? Because if you want the land then you are not acting much different then Jesus’ disciples who didn’t understand His mission to go to the cross. THY kingdom come; THY will be done.
America Is Guilty
You say in God we trust
But killing babies is a must
We come to church to worship God in you
And give up tips from our treasures
But please don’t ask us to be true
Because the commandments we don’t measure
We love our money, our games, and our pleasures
But don’t ask us to tackle the racism endeavor
God instituted marriage as man and wife
But we like our own way better
Our courts pass laws that cut like a knife
Because how we live doesn’t really matter
We pray God please bless America
But putting you first is quite hysterical
We were founded with Godly principles
But remembering that is completely conditional
Our constitution says we were endowed by our creator
But our schools only teach there was no maker
One nation under God we say
More like I don’t care about it anyway
Certainly God shed His grace on thee
But his blood evidently doesn’t matter
Because Jesus died to set you free
And you laughed at Him and pretended to flatter
Our soldiers fight and our pastors pray
To no avail we want to get our own way
Now this election seems like a bust
Starting over seems to be a must
God is our only hope it’s true
Otherwise it’s taps to the red, white and blue.
We are at a critical time in American history. Over and over again I am hearing ministers and pastors communicate this truth, and not even necessarily about the upcoming election. In general, America is in trouble with racial tensions, pandemics, financial uncertainty, weather anomalies, political divisions, and even unsafe conditions on some of our streets. Everyone knows it. It is all around us and everywhere we look – in the news, social media, and even in sports. We have not seen challenges in this country of this magnitude since times of war. The good news is that in the church we have the answer to these challenges.
It is not going to help anyone or anything to ignore the obvious condition that we are in. It also will not be beneficial for us just to keep on pressing forward without the recognition of our challenges. God has allowed us as a country to come to this point in history to realize our need and dependence upon Him for our well-being. If we press ahead without change, without repentance, without transformation, then things will only grow worse. It is like someone who has a serious infection and needs medical attention but insists on not going to the doctor. You can see the swelling, redness and puss, but there is that allusive hope that it will all just go away. But without a miracle from God, it will not just go away; it will lead to dire and devastating circumstances if left untreated.
Like it or not, that is where we are at in America, and we can not ignore it; we cannot push through it; we must turn to the Lord and have breakthrough, or the consequences will be catastrophic for our country. On the one hand I am very encouraged to hear about ministries and Christian organizations all over America emphasizing prayer and repentance. On the other hand, I am very aware that the reason that so many ministries are focusing on prayer and repentance is because they recognize the seriousness of the moment that we are in.
America is in a cocoon right now. It is called the chrysalis stage, and the worst thing that you can do for a butterfly when it is in the chrysalis stage is to cut it open and try and let the butterfly out. The cocoon is meant to provide protection and resistance so that the butterfly can gain strength in its wings and gain the ability to fly. If the cocoon is opened or if the chrysalis stage is incomplete, the butterfly will never fly and it will eventually die. America needs to work through the chrysalis stage and resolve issues like systemic racism and address other injustices like abortion. If we do, then we will fly; if not then we will eventually die.
We don’t need a vaccine. We don’t need the right president. We don’t need more conservative Supreme Court justices. No matter how much I would like these things right now, what we really need is the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the truth of our condition right now. Don’t seek the counterfeit alternative to the cure. Don’t take the pain killers. Go to the One who can cure you. That is my encouragement for the church and for you as followers of Christ. Now is the time to press in, and now is the time to pray, fast, repent, and turn to the Lord. Don’t fall asleep in the 11th hour!
~Pastor Jeff Niederstadt
Life Lesson: God is Good - Be Good
It's hard to believe how far we've fallen. From a nation founded with Godly principles to not even being able to watch a baseball game without commercials that require my kids to cover up their eyes. Our only hope is repentance, but first we have to recognize our guilt before we can mourn our condition.