Compromise in the Church: Eve of the 2016 Election

            We call ourselves Christians, but do we truly understand the cost of bearing that name? Are we truly living as Christ decreed; serving Him and upholding the Word of God with abandon? I’m not so convinced we are. You see, there is an epidemic within the Body that calls itself and purports itself to be Christianity, but it is the farthest thing from. It is sly and conniving, deceptive and manipulative, and hides under the guise of change. This epidemic is one of secularism and liberalism, a movement of the glorification of carnality and ‘me’.  

            To add to the severity of the danger we face, this deception hasn’t stopped merely at our culture or our churches, it is seeking to settle in the hearts and minds of every child of God. Danger rises when Christians endorse, support, and advance practices and ideals that have no place in the minds and lives of the body of Christ. We, as a people, have accepted and supported things that are entirely contrary to His Word, things that are evil in the eyes of God.

            A great danger hovers at our doorstep, and just by cracking open that door, the breach allows darkness to enter and take hold, blinding those who desperately need to see.

            God has called us to go out into the world and preach the Gospel, to influence the world. But, what happens when instead of influencing the world, the world influences us?  God called us to clean up this corruption, but instead, we have become a part of it. There is so much chaos in our country because the standard has been muddied and misunderstood.

            Either the Christian is advancing on society, or society will advance in the church. What do you see? There are far too many Christians today that look the very same as the forsaken, Godless society we have been called to change.

            We are to promote righteousness, virtue, and purity, and if anything does not honor God, it has no place in the life of a true Christian. Too many Christians have caused Christianity and America to be humiliated and degraded; an issue that we have either ignored or endorsed.

            We can no longer do this, we can no longer sit on the sidelines and watch our nation go up in flames, because guess what? You’ll go down with the ship. We have been called to be morally responsible of what God gives us, and that includes our nation. And of what we have been given responsibility over, we will also be held accountable.

            It is high time for the body of Christ to once again raise the standard, set our faces like flint, and take this country back from perdition. We must stop evil in its tracks and set our nation back on the right track with God at the helm. This is not about tomorrow’s election; this is about the state of the nation and the Church as a whole. Will you continue to be lulled to sleep by the deceptive song of the enemy, or will you let God lead you to make the decision to vote prudently? It is high time for us to cast aside our prejudices, petty arguments, and grievances with one another and join together as one body of Christ, united in truth under the banner of God.  

Not Ashamed: A Call for Revival in our Hearts and Minds

     Over the past year, God has given me an entirely new topic to write about. More than halfway though completing my first fiction trilogy, I initially questioned why God would suddenly switch gears on me and re-direct my attention. 

     Fiction had been the only thing on my mind, as well as the only genre I was interested in writing. That quickly changed when He gave me an entirely new subject to focus on; the current state of our nation and the Church as a whole. 

    I must be honest, I hesitated fully taking on the project at first, because I feared that I, a college student, wasn't adequate enough to write a book of such serious nature. However, that was simply a fear and not the truth at all. I was reminded of 1 Timothy 4:12, which says; "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in faith and in purity." I'm certain 'in writing' fits in this category. 

     Looking at the world around me, I find it frighteningly obvious how off-track we as a nation and a people have become. Despite this, the last thing I wanted to do was to write another 'doom and gloom' book heralding of our destruction and telling us to "hang in there" until Christ returns and raptures us all out of here. You see, that's not the right mentality at all. We, the Church, should be standing in faith, holding back the tide of darkness until the very minute Jesus returns. 

     But are we doing that? Are we really being the Church Jesus created us to be? Are we standing boldly, proclaiming our faith without fear of the consequences? Or have we been infected with apathy and sickened by carnality? The Church is in trouble, there's no denying it. And the greatest problem doesn't lie outside its walls, but from within. When we, the people, have become more like the culture we were called to influence than the other way around, we'd better take notice and make sure we're in right standing with the truth. Far too many Christians have been promoting, voting, and accepting for things that don't line up with the Word of God. Too many have bowed down to the tide of moral relativism and humanism, instead of standing solidly on the only truth, which is God's Word. 

     I will explore these situations, as well as many more, in Not Ashamed, a book intended to bring awareness to these situations, as well as provide insight and encouragement. I know it won't be an easy book to write, but I also know that it is absolutely critical that I must.   

Something New

     God has given me something entirely new to write about. The following is an excerpt from 'Not Ashamed: A Call for Revival in our Hearts and Minds', my newest book project. 

     "We say we're Christian, yet we often hide the banner of Christ when we're faced with opposition. We talk of our beliefs, but do we even practice them? 

     Even worse, will we even speak of His name in the public square, or do we hide in fear we'll be challenged? You see, the greatest paradox is born when a Christ follower lowers themselves to a Christ admirer. 

     Then, seemingly without fault, we amass in churches every Sunday morning, and joyfully sing praises in His name. But are we really living our lives as committed followers of Christ? Are we really worshiping Him in spirit and in truth? 'Christian' is more than a 'religious' title. It is a way of life. There's no room for lukewarm faith in the mentality of a soldier of the cross. 

     Our door is swinging in a hinge of history, but the question remains; whose side are we truly on?"