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GOD IS NOT JUDGING AMERICA, BUT....
As I prayed about the California fires that have
displaced more than a million people over the last week, the Lord
prompted me to
review the journal I keep of what the Lord has told me. Here is a
representative entry:3/16/06 THURSDAY
God: "Dark days of fear are coming."
Me: "I feel it already. What else is new?"
God: "Urban disasters are coming. Fires are burning and disasters are coming. Ancient hatreds. Anger. There are too few. Too few to stem the tide. Worsening containment."
When in our history have we seen anything like the burning that has driven more than a million people from their homes in the largest metropolitan area in the U.S.? And with winds that have made containment impossible? The Lord has spoken to me many times since Hurricane Katrina about winds and fires. The mega-disaster in California is only the worst of many that have happened since that time.
I do not say God is judging America. I do say that the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him (Psalm 34:7) and that America no longer qualifies for that favor and protection. As a nation we no longer fear Him. Over recent decades we have systematically ruled God out of public life, passed laws to enforce it, and have abandoned His laws as a culture. We were founded as a Christian nation, but have rejected that heritage, even writing it out of the history our children are taught in schools. For many years the debate has raged, but recently the Lord clearly told me that the debate has ended. Arguments over various issues may continue, but the cultural decision is settled and fixed and will not be changed. Because of this, we stand now on our own as a nation, no more or less favored or protected than any other people on the planet. We must now take our lumps and reap the consequences of our sin on an equal footing with everyone else, no longer enjoying the special favor and grace that has sustained us to this point. In all the misfortunes and disasters that have befallen us in recent years - and in those yet to come - this loss of extraordinary divine protection and favor is the cause.
"Lighthouse churches" will therefore play a key role in days to come as cities of refuge for those who come to realize that sin doesn't work and who will be seeking a better way. More on this in a later bulletin. Meanwhile, think "pockets of revival", "signs and wonders" and "demonstrations of power" all undergirded by awe-producing love.
As I prayed today, I received the following that I believe applies to the world, not just the U.S.:
10/25/07 THURSDAY
I had the following sense: A mega-disaster is coming, like it’s edging closer, and it will strike before rising seas from global warming becomes a real issue.
Me: "If true, Lord, what to do?"
God: "Pray that they may see the true importance of it, that they turn to Me. Signs and wonders. Hidden tactics of the enemy. I am there to rescue you and you need have no fear."
Me: "When?"
God: "The near future."
Me: "Whose 'near'? Yours or mine?"
God: "Bush will not finish out his term before it strikes."
Please take the timeline (my question of "when") with a grain of salt. I humbly say that I haven't always been accurate with timelines, so please don't hold me to that, except the part about it coming before the rising seas become a problem. I have, however, been very accurate at hearing God for the actual facts.
So we are being called to prayer, not so much for disaster to be averted, but for the church to rise in the midst as a beacon of hope and healing and shine as it should. Please pray. The hour is urgent.
(Prophetic Moments is an occasional bulletin produced by
Pastor R. Loren Sandford, New Song Fellowship, Denver, Colorado.)
Books by PASTOR R. LOREN SANDFORD. Click an image to visit our bookstore.Other books by Pastor R. Loren Sandford available in our bookstore:
"Burnout: Renewal in the Wilderness"
"Prophetic Worship"
As well as books for John and Paula Sandford.
Music and more....