Wake Up Church!
Hi Friends,
Today is a very emotional day. There is much unrest, uncertainty, and fear in America. I know there are many events going on simultaneously. It is even hard to watch the news. Yet we need to know what is going on, so that we can pray. However, when you don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes through us.
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.” Romans 8:26
I am sure that the Lord is grieving over all the hatred and wickedness in our cities. The violence seen over the last few days began with a terrible murder initiated by a criminal in a police uniform. This man who was supposed to keep the peace, acted with evil intent to kill a man who pleaded for mercy, but was given none. The policeman’s three partners having no sense of right or wrong, simply did nothing to stop this man from killing the other. Onlookers were able to film the murder which moved the Police Department to fire the men the next day. Yet they did not arrest him or his partners until three days had passed.
We need to pray and to fast. The nation is hurting; it is divided. How can it continue to stand? The church needs to wake up, and seek God for everything is at stake. Circumstances are way beyond our control. Our leaders need to make the right decisions. We need to seek God on their behalf. We need our nation to heal—please heed this scripture:
“If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
The Lord gave me three visions and one verbal word. I would like to share them with you.
Vision - 77
First I saw the number 77. That is not good. It means incomplete. It is not finished.
Years ago, the Lord asked me to pray over every seat in the youth room. After praying for each seat individually, the Lord gave me the vision 777. He told me that it was complete, and finished. I had done what he had asked me to do.
This vision of 77 is a message for the church. God is finding the work of the America church incomplete. “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds incomplete in the sight of my God.” Revelation 3:2
The church has been comfortable. The pews are upholstered and the seats are cushioned. The coffee is hot and the people are not.
“I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other! So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth!” Revelation 3:15-16
Where is the fear of the Lord? Why are people not convicted of sin? Why is sin not addressed? Is church a numbers game? Is the offering and the tithe more important than salvation for those attending? Is it more important that people have a good time, feel good about themselves or make friends, than it is to please God?
Could we care more about the church’s lawn and curbside appeal than for those that are suffering or need deliverance?
Is it easier to give money than to give time? Is it easier to go to a church social than to a prayer meeting? Is it easier to watch Christian entertainment than to spend time with God?
We all have 24 hours in a day. I am blessed to not be working outside the home, so I do have more time to devote to the Lord than other people. I am blessed. But God is asking us to check our priorities, for we have been asleep, and slack in our devotion to him.
The Lord knows our hearts and our ways. He has been waiting for the church to wake up. The church has been “playing church,” doing as little as possible. Many just wish to coast to the finish line comfortably, and then enter into eternal bliss. This is not God’s plan for the Church. We are to be a city on a hill, a light to the world. We are to go into all the world and preach the good news (the gospel) to all the nations.
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14
A Young Black Couple
Next I saw a young black couple standing in their home, near the front window of their living room. The scene outside showed that the house was in a quiet older neighborhood. There was a paved sidewalk and a large mature tree in the front yard. The couple was nicely dressed. The young woman wore her hair in a medium length Afro. Her shirt was made of a tattersall check with a white ground and soft blue-grey lines. It was crisply pressed with a center placket and collar. Her head and hands were raised high as she sang her praises to God.
Her husband was standing to her right, closer to the front window. He had neatly cropped hair and an oxford shirt in a light blue. He was looking forward, with his hands lifted high, he offered God his praises too.
I believe that God is showing me this black couple is an example of how we are to live. The clothing being neatly pressed and the hair well groomed shows orderliness. The hands raised to God shows that they are purposeful in their devotion to him. The woman’s head turned upward, shows that she is sincere in her devotion to God. He is her treasure and her great reward.
The Lord wants everyone to give him honor. He wants couples to marry and live together in peace and harmony. This couple demonstrates God’s blessing to those who set their hearts on him and choose to live according to his ways. They live at peace in their own home, in a quiet neighborhood. The Lord has promised to take care of our needs, if we will seek him first.
As a nation, America has been blessed because our founding fathers dedicated our country to God at its very beginning. But for our nation to have the favor of God, we must return to him.
A scripture came to mind as I thought about this vision: “He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and the spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.” Micah 4:4
This is God’s answer to my prayer, for I have been praying for a revival in our nation for years.
We need a revival in our nation, for emotions are running high. There is confusion, anger and blame. Racial tensions seems to be at their peak. For the past four years, our citizens have been fed a constant diet of fear and uncertainty by the mainstream media. The imposed social distancing and the forced home confinement have only added to the feelings of tension and anxiety. This has been extremely detrimental to the welfare and mental health of our otherwise normal, healthy population.
The nation is at odds and angry. But more importantly, I believe that God is angry. We have left him out of the equation, we have not sought the Lord in prayer for our nation. We are not following the Lord’s most important commandments: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31
We deserve judgment. You may want to read a recent post Holding Back Wrath.
However, many of us in the church have been praying for mercy and a turn-around in our country. We have been praying for god-fearing men and women to be elected this fall to positions all across this country. We are praying that the politicians who care nothing for their own constituents to have a change of heart. These power hungry and greedy leaders use their positions to funnel federal money away from the intended purpose, into their own pockets.
We are asking the Lord to help these leaders turn to him in repentance. Yet, if they will not change, we ask the Lord that he would remove them from their positions of power, and that god-fearing leaders will take their place.
“Holtzman and….”
As I was praying the next morning after the two previous visions, I heard a voice say, “Holtzman and…..”.
I continued to pray, and God gave me another vision. I saw two playing cards. They were two red queens, the queen of hearts and the queen of diamonds. Both cards were in full view facing up, but one was placed directly above the other.
After prayer, I decided to check online for the name Holtzman. I didn’t know anyone with that name, so I typed in “Holtzman and,” to see if perhaps there was a partner associated with it.
After typing in “Holtzman and,” the google search filled in the name “Sharpe.” These two individuals: Linda Holtzman and Leon Sharpe have written a book together called “Media Messages: What Film, Television, and Popular Music Teach Us About Race, Class, Gender and Sexual Orientation.”
This is a description of the book: (Amazon website)
“The new edition of this widely adopted book reveals how the popular media contribute to widespread myths and misunderstanding about cultural diversity. While focused on the impact of television, feature film, and popular music, the authors reach far beyond media to explore how our understanding, values, and beliefs about race, class, gender and sexual orientation are constructed. They analyze how personal histories, combined with the collective history of oppression and liberation, contribute to stereotypes and misinformation, as well as how personal engagement with media can impact prospects for individual and social freedom. Along with updated media examples, expanded theories and analysis, this edition explores even more deeply the coverage of race in two chapters, discusses more broadly how men and boys are depicted in the media and socialized, and how class issues have become even more visible since the Great Recession of the 21st century and the Occupy movements. Special activities and exercises are provided in the book and an online Instructor's Manual is available to adopters.”
I decided to read an e-book copy to see what the Lord might be showing me about Holtzman and Sharpe, and their point of view. After reading the introduction and the first twenty two pages, and then taking one of their personal surveys, I realized that these people have an agenda.
As I read the book, I could see that they were promoting the idea that our culture needs to be redeemed. They have a totally different idea of what would improve our culture. I would call this a different morality or a progressive morality. This ideology goes against what most people would think is obvious, or common sense.
It is the agenda, and this progressive morality that the Left tries to sell the American people. It stands in direct opposition to God’s moral law.
I am thankful that the Lord wants us to know such things. He would not have given me this name, had he not wanted me to be aware of how this thought influences people.
There is no doubt that much of what they say is true, however they come to the wrong conclusions as to how society needs to change. Without a God-given moral compass, they reason with their human understanding and make their own judgments as to what is right and wrong. Their ideology is humanistic, so they cannot help but come to the wrong conclusions.
Humanistic thought is always counter to God’s thought - that is why we are so polarized here in the United States. The academia, the entertainment industry, the mainstream media, and political left are pushing this progressive morality which goes counter to our Christian culture, capitalism and the U.S. Constitution.
It is up to the church to seek God on behalf of our divided nation. If we want healing in our land, peace on our borders and love and compassion among our people of many races and backgrounds, then we must pray for a nation-wide revival. For every problem, God is the answer.
The Two Queens
The two red queens, I believe, represent sin and perversity. The position of one card in direct alignment over the other card reminded me of a game called Golf. During the play of the game, when one card matches the card below it, the score is cancelled and the value becomes zero.
In the vision, one queen was directly below the other queen, so that together they cancel each other’s value.
Once I saw and read a portion of the book “Media Messages,” the meaning of the vision was confirmed. The two queens are red queens. Red can mean blood, bloodshed or sin. The two queens represent the sin of both lesbianism and homosexuality. A man who engages in homosexuality is often referred to as a “queen.” And two women who engage in lesbianism are committing an act of perversity which is a sin. So the two queens represent both sins, as they are similar and opposite at the same time.
The vision of the two queens, I received after hearing the words “Holtzman and.” So they should be interpreted together. The book covered the topic of sexual orientation. These writers believe that sexual orientation is not to be determined by the God given physical attributes, but rather, it is something that one would choose for himself or herself. Morality, as these writers would have us believe, is the unquestioned acceptance of a person, born as a man, to desire to be and to act as a woman, or for a man to have sexual desires for another man. They believe that in their view of what is right and what is wrong, that this should be nothing more than a personal choice. We are not to judge this as wrong, but to accept it, and validate the person’s choice.
I am told that children in public schools can declare for themselves who they are. And should a male child declare that he wants to be a girl, and that everyone should call him “Rachel,” the teachers and administrators are then obliged to validate that “truth.”
In a godless society, this makes perfect sense, “To be and let be.”
But we are living in a world that was created by God and for his pleasure. We are his creation, and we are to bring him joy by being obedient. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15
“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man commits is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.” 1 Corinthians 6:18
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
“Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
“Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” Romans 1:20-32
So we see that those who engage in sexual immorality, among other sins, “deserve death.” (eternal damnation)
But when we turn away from sin with a repentant heart, seeking to be reconciled to God, he will respond. It says in the word that, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteous.” 1 John 1:9
So we pray that the people who have given themselves to sin, will recognize their behavior not as a choice but as it truly is -- a sin. We pray that they will come to repentance, for that is God’s very heart. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
In Summary and Final Thoughts
In the first vision, 77 we see that the Church is sleeping, not doing its job of being a light to the rest of the world. We are playing church rather than making a real difference in the lives of those around us.
In the second vision of the young black couple, God shows us this couple as an example of a family devoted to the Lord, one who follows his ways. Americans needs to return to God with all their heart. Peace and unity can be achieved when we stop living for the things in the world, and start living for God. Let us pray for reconciliation between all of our citizens and the Lord. Salvation and the Holy Spirit unite us as the family of God. Let us no longer allow race or class to stand between us as Americans. We should treat everyone as equals. We are one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. “If at all possible, live at peace among all men as much as it depends upon you.” Romans 12:18
The Third message came as a voice “Holtzman and,” to show us the ideology that needs to be torn down and demolished with the word of God.
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
We are to expose these lies with the word of God, as Jesus did: “It is written…..”
In the fourth vision of the two queens, we see the manifestation of the lifestyle sin that our culture has condoned. The church needs to stand fast and teach our children and the next generation to fear God and keep his commandments.
Please fast and pray for our nation. It is so important because we are at a turning point in our country. If we do not elect God-fearing men and women to office this fall, our liberties, our constitution, our right to practice our faith and our right to assemble will be taken away. Our right to free speech and the right to bear arms is under attack as well.
Persecution is now at our doorstep. The Supreme Court just ruled in favor of the California governor’s mandate to forbid church meetings. The Supreme Court did not do its duty to uphold the United States’ Constitution. It ruled on the the issue, not based on the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, but by calling the church a venue or gathering, saying that since theatres, and sporting arenas were also closed that they were not discriminating against churches. But this of course is not the issue. We are not guaranteed by the constitution to be entertained by sports or theatre. But we are guaranteed by the Constitution to practice our religion or faith.
President Trump gave notice to the governors over a week ago, to open up the churches immediately. Suicide, drug abuse, domestic violence have increased many times over because of this unlawful shut down of our businesses and churches. We must pray that the governors will change or that we have the spiritual fortitude to stand against the government in civil disobedience. If the church does not take a stand, then woe to us!
We must fight against wickedness with fasting and prayer. It is a time to draw close to God and to trust him in all things. Let us speak out and not cower under difficult circumstances. Let us keep the faith! And share that faith with those around us!
God bless you and keep you under the shelter of his wings! If God be for us, who can be against us!
