Play? No! Pray!

Hi Friends,

I hope you are all well.  My post today is about the second vision, in a vision of seven parts.   It concerns the Church and its response or lack thereof to the events of the day.  This is an urgent message because there is much to be done, and the time is short.

The Vision

In the vision, I see the word: PLAY.

This is a great word for children who use play to practice life skills, and to use their imaginations.  Play for children, can be sliding boards and swings, dress up and dolls, splashing in a tub, or building a fort.  Play is a good word—it means fun!

For older kids, play represents video games, sports, and laser tag.  For adults, play can mean a round of golf, cards, board games and games online.    

But when “play” is used by the church with regards to the church, play is not a good thing.  And unfortunately, this is the message I believe I have received from the Lord:  “The church is busy playing church.”

We are a pleasure seeking people.  We are comfortable and complacent.  We love social gatherings. And church is not only a place of worship, but it is also a place of fellowship.

I believe that the Lord is giving this message to us now, for time is of the essence.  This is not the time to be playing church.  There are some serious events taking place in our nation, and it is not a time to rest our feet on the coffee table and watch our nation go up in smoke.  Those of us who are alert, will hear the call of God.  Those of us who are asleep, will be held accountable.  We must be ready.  We must act.  We must be willing to say to the Lord, “Here am I.  Do with me as you will.” 

God is calling us to fast and to pray.  He is calling the church to take its position on the wall as watchmen.  We are to be actively engaged in protecting our nation’s freedoms, our right to assemble, to practice our faith and seek the presence of God.

Can you imagine if we are the generation to blame for our nation’s lost freedoms?  How could this be?  Perhaps it is an attitude—perhaps it is an excuse:  “We didn’t want to get involved. It’s not our responsibility.”  We are quite good at calling out others’ faults.  We can point fingers with the rest of them.  But what are we doing to be helpful?  

The church is silent. It is not speaking out.  We are keeping our opinions to ourselves.  That is not what we have been called by God to do.

In the Lord’s sermon on the mount, he states:  “You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? it is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”  Matthew 5:13

Too many churches, want to simply wait until it is “safe” to venture out.  They are using the virus to stay at home, read, work in the garden, make a few calls to friends, and wishfully exclaim, “Won’t it will be nice, when we can get things back to normal?”

Do you really believe that God is pleased with our complacency?  Do you really think that it is all about waiting until the vaccine is here, or until the protesters, give up and go home?  Do you really believe that it is just going to go away like a bad dream?

The lawmakers in Congress and the mainstream media are speaking from two sides of their mouths.  On one hand, they say that some businesses should stay on lock-down, and that restaurants should only allow 25% of capacity.  They say that everyone should practice social distancing and wear masks whenever they leave the house—even while in their own cars.  It is obvious to some that they want to cause fear so that people will choose to stay home rather than go to work. They want to cripple the economy and dash the hopes of a great recovery.

At the same time that they sell fear regarding the contagion, they claim that the “peaceful” protests are not affecting the rise in Covid cases. These protesters march shoulder to shoulder without masks by day, and by night, they cause mayhem and destruction. They tear down historical monuments, burn down buildings, loot stores, occupy city blocks, and mandate the defunding of the police departments. These destructive mobs are applauded by the mayors of cities, who refer to them as peaceful protests.  Who are they kidding?  Of course protesters are allowed to demonstrate as the Constitution makes provision, but only so long as they are peaceful.  These people holding public office want to tell us to stay at home, wear masks, and practice social distancing but at the same time they give protesters special dispensation.  

Are they really concerned for our health, or is it a political tactic?  We know from the last three and a half years, that the agenda has always been to undermine the current administration in any and every way possible. They do not care who they hurt. I have been concerned for the children. The statistics bear witness that children are not greatly affected by this virus, but this never carries weight in lawmakers’ decisions. Why should the facts get in the way of a good political opportunity?

The following is an excerpt from an article in US News and World Report dated June 29, 2020 “Pediatric Group Calls for Children to Return to Schools Despite the Risks,” Laura Camera Senior Education Writer

"The importance of in-person learning is well-documented, and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on children because of school closures in the spring of 2020," the group representing 67,000 pediatricians wrote. "Lengthy time away from school and associated interruption of supportive services often results in social isolation, making it difficult for schools to identify and address important learning deficits as well as child and adolescent physical or sexual abuse, substance use, depression, and suicidal ideation."

"This, in turn, places children and adolescents at considerable risk of morbidity and, in some cases, mortality," the guidance continued. "Beyond the educational impact and social impact of school closures, there has been substantial impact on food security and physical activity for children and families."

Please join me in praying for the children to be allowed to return to school. Please pray also for school choice, so that the quality of education will improve due to a healthy American thing called “competition.”

The ultimate motive behind the marketing of fear is winning the election. Fear benefits those who want to win an election by hook or by crook. If fear is high enough, brought on by violence in the streets or by the virus, people will choose to go along with the plan for state-wide mail in ballots instead of voting in person. Mail in ballots are almost the perfect opportunity for fraud and for changing an election outcome. Ballot harvesting, same day registration, counterfeit ballots, and the counting of illegitimate ballots from deceased voters, ballots from voters who have moved away, and ballots from non-qualified voters are all methods to steal the election from legitimate voters.

There is no sin uncommon to man! There is no fear of God, in their eyes!

Now, regarding our rights as American citizens, why did the states shut down churches, and small businesses, but allow liquor stores and large national stores to remain open?  Aren’t small businesses equally important, or as essential as large stores?  Who gave these leaders the right to trample upon our first amendment rights—the right to assemble and the right to practice our faith?  

The Constitution clearly states:  “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

When a rabbi and a Catholic priest brought suit against the State of California, the Supreme Court ruled that the state of California did not discriminate against the Church when compared to the other large gatherings.  But the ruling was not made on the right basis.  Discrimination was not the issue.  There is no Constitutional provision for the right to watch sporting events, but the Constitution does provide protection for our rights to assemble and to practice our religion. 

Contrary to their oath of office, the justices of the Supreme Court did not rule on this case according to the Constitution.  Their job was to judge the validity of the mandate as it aligned with or did not align with the Constitution, as it was written.  Yet we see that there was corruption and politicization in their decision.  Our liberties and our nation are at stake.  

Do you remember that the governors issued orders to release criminals from prison due to the potential spread of the virus in close or crowded quarters? But when the lock-down came, a single man, entirely alone on a beach was arrested for simply not staying home.  This was outrageous at the time.  Even though he was certainly practicing social distancing, they made it a point to arrest him!  

Now several weeks later,  these same power hungry governmental leaders allow protesters to destroy property, to loot and murder without any police intervention.  If there were arrests, the “no bail” policy forces the police to release them, allowing them to continue their destructive behavior.  We see shootings on camera, with the police car driving by as if nothing were going on.  Leaders are commending the looters and those who ransack businesses, and tear down statues.  The mayors tell their police forces to stand down.  The media goes along with the narrative, describing these events as peaceful.

To say that everything  is topsy turvy, upside down and backwards is putting it mildly.  People have lost their moral compass.  

“Thou shalt not kill.”

“Thou shalt not steal.”

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”  (Exodus 20:2-17)

There is no sense among them.  There is no restraint to this evil.

So we have leaders that are blinded by selfish ambition, and believe that they are accountable to no one.  They are forever trying to justify their actions and to convince us that their decisions are for the greater good.  

Yet actions speak louder than words. Do you remember how the governor of NY treated patients who were struggling to overcome covid-19? The New York nursing homes pleaded with the governor to not send these  patients to them, because they were not equipped to care for them.  The nursing homes were concerned that the covid patients would certainly infect the residents.  This governor insisted on sending them anyway, even though there were great facilities available to him.  The Navy hospital  was greatly underutilized at the time, as well as the Javits Center which was newly outfitted and staffed as a Covid prepared facility.  In spite of this the governor forced the nursing homes to accept these patients and in so doing his decision caused around 5,000 deaths.

We need to be praying.  There are too many wicked people in high positions in our nation.  We must pray that all wickedness is exposed and dealt a swift blow.  I do not want anyone to be harmed.  I do not seek a person’s demise.  But  I do seek to have them removed from office.  We must pray that God will give us god-fearing men and women who will have a heart for the people of this nation, and will stand up for truth, justice and freedom for all.

We, the church cannot afford to remain silent.  We must stand up for our rights.  We must support our nation with prayer and fasting.  We pray for the destruction of the Corona virus. We pray for the removal of corrupt politicians. And we pray for the Lord’s victory over lawlessness and anarchy.  Don’t forget that the Antichrist is called the Man of Lawlessness.

Our God is a God of order.  The Ten Commandments are the primary rules for us to live at peace and harmony with each other. “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.”  Psalm 133:1       

Are we the salt of the earth or a salt substitute? Are we the church that is unshakable and stands upon the word of God? Or are we the church of hypocrisy and outward politeness, or rather “political correctness?”  Are we taking a stand for freedom or are we “going with the flow, “ and not “rocking the boat?”

What happened to the Americans who stood with each other against a great foe?

“We pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”  (Declaration of Independence)

“I do not know what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.”  (Patrick Henry)

“Do not ask what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”  (John F Kennedy)

Other great men to their countrymen:

“Never, Never, Never Give up!”  (Winston Churchill - British Prime Minister)

And those from the ancient past:

“As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”  Joshua 24:15

God is calling us to get ready.  He is coming back, for his bride, the Church.  Are we seeking him?  Are we giving witness to others about their potential salvation or eternal damnation?  Let us remember these words from the Lord: “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters”  Luke 11:23

The Lord’s words may seem harsh, but he is giving warning to us the church. In the parable of the foolish and wise virgins, five were ready and able to go inside to the wedding supper.  Five were foolish for they had no oil for their lamps.  After going to buy oil, they returned and said, “Open the door for us!’ 

But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’”  Matthew 25:11-12  

Another time the Lord said, “Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers!”   Matthew 7:21-23

We must understand that it is imperative that we know the Lord, and that he knows us.  If we are not doing the Father’s will, we will be left outside.  “But outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”  Revelation 22:15  

The Lord is asking us to seek him for the answers and to partner with him for the solutions.

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.”  Isaiah 55:6

“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me.  Night is coming  when no man can work.”  John 9:4

“Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.”  James 4:8

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will direct your paths.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

Please share this with friends, and family and members of your church.  It is important—now is the time to fast and pray.  If we do not act and seek the Lord, then we will be held accountable for the sins of this generation.  Remember we are the watchmen on the wall!  

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.  When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.  But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.” Ezekiel 3:17-19

So please join me in fasting and praying for our country. God bless you and your family!