Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… I’m feeling drawn to write about the crazy times in which we are now living. It seems that each day when my alarm goes off, I awaken to events and news headlines that make me want to pull the sheets over my head and continue dozing until the world comes to its senses! What is going on? Sometimes I have to pinch myself to see if I’m really awake or still in la-la land.
I awakened a few days ago to hear that the Mayor of Philadelphia was dancing around the atrium of city hall proclaiming with glee, “We are a sanc-tu-ary city!! Today I awaken to hear the libs proclaiming how unfeeling our President is for wanting to tear families apart by separating innocent children from their parents at the southern border. Wow! The irony of it all. I mean, Philadelphia…the cradle of our Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights is now celebrating lawlessness? And the libs, who vote in block to support the funding of Planned Parenthood’s agenda of ripping unborn babies from the mother’s womb, are now concerned about the poor, innocent children at the border? Jeeeeesh! When will this hypocrisy stop?
America is a country that was founded on prayer. In fact, when our founding fathers reached an impasse with the content and wording of the Declaration of Independence, they adjourned for a week so they could return home and devote themselves to prayer. When they returned to their task, their inspired wording produced these timeless documents. And again, on April 30, 1789, after the inauguration of our first President of these United States, President Washington, his Cabinet and Congress adjourned to St. Paul’s Chapel, and on bended knee dedicated this new country to God and asked Him to bless America. No doubt God freely poured out His blessing on our country because we did for many years try to stay in line with His will. But that was then; this is now.
In the insightful words of Messianic Rabbi and author of “The Harbinger”, Jonathan Cahn, “A nation that turns away from prayer will ultimately find itself in desperate need of it. Therefore, the removal of prayer, the Ten Commandments, and religious symbols and practices from public display have all contributed to our country’s fall from God.” We can’t expect God to continue blessing our country when our culture brazenly blasphemes Him! I can’t help but harken back to Isaiah 5:20, 25: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who call light darkness and darkness light; who call bitter sweet and sweet bitter. Therefore, the Lord’s anger burns against these people; His hand is raised and He will strike them down.” I referred to this Scripture because within the last half century, what used to be honored, held as sacred, or even worshiped is now ridiculed, demeaned or vilified; what used to be dirty, shameful, or down right disgusting is now basking in the spotlight and has become the new norm. In referencing the above Scripture, can you see why God might be angry?
For the past few decades an insidious movement has been festering in our country, progressing at a patient, methodical pace, but with a very clear goal in mind – to fundamentally transform America. I have often referred to this movement as the Liberal Progressive Agenda (LPA), and it is hidden in what was once the Democrat party. The very heart and soul of the movement is the unmitigated desire for power and control, and that is manifested through the decimation of many of the fundamental pillars of our society. Targets of assault are: the traditional family structure; religious freedom; casting doubt on the stability of our founding documents (the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights); a concerted attempt to divide rather than unite people; challenging and rewriting our country’s history; challenging and diminishing the effect of laws and law enforcement; the final coup d’etat has been the exaltation of human thinking and worldly philosophy over God’s wisdom. This is their ultimate goal: a big government that will eventually become our provider and our god. And to no one’s surprise, the driving force behind this silent coup is a media and the entertainment industry working in tandem with the LPA to disseminate their propaganda in order to numb down and dumb down our society. Does this sound Orwellian to you? The scary thing is…it is Orwellian…and more.
During the Obama administration the LPA was making great strides toward achieving its goal, and that plan would have continued at break-neck speed if the election had gone as scripted. But in November of 2016, the impossible happened! An election that was in the bag slipped through their fingers leaving the LPA in a state of shock. Not only were they in a state of shock, but totally deranged and determined to go to any length to undermine the will of the people. It’s eighteen months into the new administration and that evil-driven mind-set is still very much alive and at work. We see it manifested in a frenzy of hatred, name-calling, finger-pointing, accusations, lying, cheating, and whatever is deemed appropriate to regain their almighty power and control. This has become their signature: Accuse and obstruct!!
Unfortunately, the political swamp runs deep in our nation’s capital, and it is not relegated to one particular party. Both parties are contributors to the LPA because their agenda is fueled by elite, liberal thinkers who believe they know what is best for the masses. They share a common view of utopia, and from what they have divulged so far, it looks a lot like socialism. Unfortunately, socialism has never been beneficial for the masses because it is contrary to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. While it is often portrayed as a philosophy of “promoting the common good”, can you point to a socialist country where people are waiting in line to get citizenship? Usually the opposite is true; people are willing to risk life and limb to get out. The freedoms guaranteed to us by our founding documents are what has always made America “that shining light on the hill”; a light that has always been the beacon of hope to people throughout the world.
But the America of today is a country that has lost its direction, and one that is morally and spiritually bankrupt. Expunging God from our midst has left us without a defining moral compass, and it shows in every aspect of our culture. The liberal, secular thinking that has set itself up as the new norm tells us we are free to make our own moral judgements; we don’t need to answer to a higher authority; we can be our own god. (humm…that’s the same lie the serpent used to deceive Eve in the Garden) So when you look at the insanity that is so prevalent in our culture today (not clinically speaking, but socially speaking), what you see and what you are experiencing is man’s best effort to be his own god. As you can plainly see, the human elements of hatred, anger, fear, distrust, jealousy, greed, lying, deception and anxiety are certainly contrary to the love, forgiveness and blessings of the one true God!
Throughout the Bible and world history books, the fall of civilizations have common elements. The big three are the desire for wealth, power and control. It all started with Satan’s rebellion in heaven. He became envious of God’s power, so he amassed his own army of rogue angels and challenged God’s authority. The result of that failed attempt was banishment from Paradise. That pattern has continued throughout the Bible and can be substantiated by secular history books. When people and cultures are in line with God’s will, they are blessed, they prosper, and they flourish. (America is a good example of that.) When they were out of line with God’s will, there was fire and brimstone, plagues, famines, pestilence, wars and horrific natural disasters. (Nazi Germany is an example of that.)
I believe America is in a time of reprieve right now. Before the last election there was a concerted push by the Evangelicals to get the missing voters, who failed to show up for the 2012 election, motivated enough to vote in 2016. The difference between the Republican platform and the Democrat platform could not have been more drastic. Consequently, 14 million more Evangelicals turned out for the 2016 election to protect the America they loved.
Right now there is a culture war in our country, and the LPA is fanning the flames of secularism. Our culture has bought into what has been wrapped-up as a really appealing message: “Hey…be your own person. Who has the right to tell you what to do? You can be in charge of your own destiny…go for it. Right and wrong is relative; Being part of the crowd is your pathway to popularity; everyone’s doing it!” The result of this appealing message is backed-up by these staggering statistics: the highest divorce rate ever; the suicide rate is sky-rocketing; addictions are off the charts; depression and anxiety are at epidemic proportions, and STD rates are on the rise. But the LPA will continue to tell you that the Bible is out of step with our enlightened society, and that our founding documents are musty and outdated. (Let me humbly add one gem of wisdom here; “Newer and bigger doesn’t always produce better.”
Again, let me repeat an earlier statement: “The culture you are seeing and experiencing today is the result of man’s wisdom and his best effort at being god!” Compare that with this promise: “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) I mentioned the term “reprieve” earlier, but a reprieve is only an opportunity to change directions. It must be followed by action. The Bible has consistently presented this proclamation: “Repent! Turn from your sin and turn to God.” I believe that same opportunity is being offered to America right now. It’s time to restore our relationship with the one true source of strength, not one that’s man-made, but the true Lord God Almighty!
Feel free to respond to this message, and please “like” and share it with other social media friends.
May God bless you, and continue to bless America,
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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