The November election revealed our great need—not for a red wave or a blue wall—but for a wave of the fear (respect) of the Lord to wash across our nation.  Election outcomes don’t make us spiritually healthier; they simply reflect the heart condition of the people. Our assignment is to engage our culture with the Truth of God, so our elections reflect a more spiritually healthy nation.

As we approach the end of 2022, I’d like to tell you that we’ve finished the race, and we can sit back and rest. But the reality is the turmoil has increased. Until good triumphs and Jesus’ name is exalted throughout the earth, we’ll continue to press forward. I believe the response of God’s people is a key to our future. He is calling forth a generation of men and women to make a difference in His Kingdom.  He didn’t awaken us just so we could fix our hair and coordinate our fashion for a church service. He awakened us to put on armor.

If you’re going into a conflict, you’ll pick up any available weapon. The Ukrainians will take every weapon system they can get. They’ll gladly accept help from people who are still in training. They understand they’re in a conflict, and their survival is in question. The Church isn’t acting that way yet. Too often we imagine the weapons God has presented to us are just optional—prayer, reading God’s Word, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and fasting. God has provided everything we need to be triumphant!

We tend to think that if we had enough faith, or a deep enough revelation, or enough wisdom, life would be easy, and the trouble would stay away. Paul’s life shows us a different truth. In 2 Corinthians, chapter 1, verses 8 to 10, he writes, “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.  Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us…”

Paul and his companions didn’t avoid adversity, and we can’t either. Paul reminds us that God has delivered us, He will deliver us, and we’re being delivered right now. He has our past and our future, but in the middle of that, we must be overcomers. That’s an awkward truth, but it’s also incredibly empowering—God is with us!

We don’t stand in our own strength, but in the strength of the Lord. When you choose to honor the Lord, you gain strength. When you’re willing to say what you believe about God, You bring His strength to bear. When you align yourself with His truth, you bring His authority into your life. That strength is absent when you simply share your opinion or deviate from the truth of God that you know. When you choose ungodliness, unforgiveness, resentment, hatred, bitterness, immorality, or greed, your strength decreases. We’re in a spiritual battle, and what increases and decreases your strength is important to recognize.

Sometimes we don’t want to step into the conflict because we know there will be pressure, so we decide to stay in the shadows and be quiet, praying that God would raise up a leader. I have a different approach I’d like you to consider: Select a path toward God and lead with your action. Stop waiting for it to be safe, applauded, or legislated. Stop waiting for your peer group, your family system, or whoever’s approval you’re seeking. If you know the right thing to do, go do it! Use the influence you have, and the voice God has given you.

Over the past several months, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with pastors and Christ-followers in many different regions of our nation. Some churches permanently closed due to COVID, others had to sue to reopen, and still others are battling against the apostasy within their denominations. God’s people are exhibiting a courage we have not witnessed in many years.

In the midst of this turmoil, every day we receive reports of God actively and purposefully moving in people’s lives. People are hungry for God’s Truth!  I want to thank you for your partnership—it’s making a difference for the gospel in our generation. As you make your year-end plans, please consider making an investment in our ministry so we can continue to encourage and equip people. Now is an especially good time, because through the December 31, every donation will be matched, doubling the impact.

Also, please join me in praying for the Church in our nation—that God will continue to awaken us to what’s happening around us, and that we’ll be willing to bring His Truth into our world with a new determination. Pray that the people of God will fear and respect the Lord more than we fear being labeled or cancelled. This is a time for understanding, courage, boldness, and faith. God is looking for people who are fully devoted to Him. Together we will extend and strengthen His Kingdom, and as He leads us forward—we can trust Him!

Onward in Him,

Pastor Allen Jackson

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