Do Not Be Cowardly

Deuteronomy 20:2-4
We are in a culture war in America that has been going on for decades but has been heating up over the past few years. We’re moving from One nation under God to one nation under Govt.
We used to allow to each his own, but now there is a convert or be destroyed ethos
It’s a moving target with no defined structure, leadership or clear goal but its clearly anti-God. Its propagated through the media, facebook, twitter, google, amazon, apple, governmental powers, institutions of education, books, blogs, videos and validated by multinational corporations of influence that now are an economic enforcement arm of compliance
Its hypocritical, nonsensical, unscientific, coearcive, demanding and demonic. Its forceful.
It’s a war that wants to control what you can say, where you can go, tells you who you are and what you can be, wants to change the way you think, and what you’re allowed to think. How to act, live, and worship. What you can and cant eat and drink. Demonizes what you hold sacred. It wants to destroy the nuclear family. It normalizes and accepts criminal behavior and enables addiction and vagrancy. It blames. It distorts. It withholds truth. It wants to control what you watch and see. It wants to fundamentally change the way you view the world and encourage you to abandon the things of God as antiquated. It redefines words. It demonizes some groups and elevates others. It identifies you by your external qualities. It restricts freedom. It’s a form of totalitarianism that seeks to control every aspect of your life. Its illogical and forces you call something that is clearly what it is, clearly what it is not. Its veiled in promises of personal pleasure and utopian ideals and progress. It changes God to a theistic pleasure giver instead of creator who must be submitted to. It has infiltrated churches to teach that God wants you to have pleasure more than truth, action as salvation with no requirement for conversion It changes scriptures, destroys orthodoxy, and wants you to reject the truth of your eyes and ears. It wants you to accept without protest falsehoods and propaganda and to just acquiesce to its demands of submission. It has been happening in plain sight for decades and as the proverbial frog in the boiling water can attest- many haven’t been paying attention to what has been going on. Its cultural Marxism, secular humanism, worship of the State and destruction of the Holy. It is churches that refuse to preach the Gospel of repentance and succumbs to the ideals of the world and offers a hedonistic licentious self serving Gospel that turns Jesus into a long haired genderconfused weed smoking hippie who walks around and approves of sin
And it is coming for and in the Church. Call me tin foil black helicopter guy but the Bible promises it.

You are going to engage in battle

You have to wake up to the reality that we are engaged in a battle- we’re not in the same world
We are in an idealogical fight that can simply be defined as reverential and deconstructivist
One side reveres God, his structures, institutions and freedoms and the other seeks to destroy them at any cost and elevate the desires of the individual at the cost of any institution.
Reverentialism admits that God is great and I am not while the deconstructivist declares I am great and God is not. I am my own God. I answer to no one. I can do what I want to whom.
This is the battle and you are either Going to be engaged or you are not. You must as they did in acts- Acts 5:41 count it worthy to suffer shame for His name.
Mat 10:34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
Matthew 10:16( Persecutions Are Coming ] “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
This battle is not a physical take up arms get ready to get physical battle but a spiritual one.

Matthew 26:52 But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword
1 Samuel 17:47 Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
This is a war for your mind, soul and allegiance and you will have to choose to fight.
This is the moment as it was when the prophet Joel said Joel 3:9 “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men” NOW is the TIME- DRAW NEAR AND WAKE UP- The stakes couldn’t be higher
The end result is the destruction of what you hold dear and what you aim to do- Honor God, live for him and raise your family to do the same.
The infighting with Christians needs to stop and from this point forward I’m not allowing it in our church. The dissenters, gossipers, and relationship dividing people is not the battle.
At this church you get one week to forgive people and move on or you’re both going to be asked to leave. I’m done with bad attitudes, grudges, infighting, gossip and factions
We’re on mission to redeem the lost and protect Christ’s church and I don’t need people who have more heart to fight with their fellow Christians than they do to fight the prince of darkness

Don’t be cowardly

Cowardly is someone who lacks the courage to endure dangerous or unpleasant things
Its not going to be easy- its not going to be pleasant to be in this battle it just wont
You are going to have to speak up, change your plans, remove the idols, readjust your life, plan ahead, give up your comfort and change how you live.
You are going to have to stop watching certain things, take the time to talk to your children, decide how you are going to educate them, choose where you are going work, and what you will allow. It will take more intestinal courage than many of you have ever mustered to stay the course. You must prepare your mind and body for the siege- and do not grow faint
Do you know how much America has changed in the last 100 years?
Motion picture code of 1927 from Wikipedia Pointed profanity—by either title or lip—this includes the words God, Lord, Jesus, Christ (unless they be used reverently in connection with proper religious ceremonies), every other profane and vulgar expression however it may be spelled; Any licentious or suggestive nudity—in fact or in silhouette; and any lecherous or licentious notice thereof by other characters in the picture; The illegal traffic in drugs; Any inference of sex perversion; Ridicule of the clergy;Willful offense to any nation, race or creed; and International Relations (avoid picturizing in an unfavorable light another country’s religion, history, institutions, prominent people and citizenry); Arson; The use of firearms; Theft, robbery, safe-cracking, and dynamiting of trains, mines, buildings, et cetera (having in mind the effect which a too-detailed description of these may have upon the moron); Brutality and possible gruesomeness; Technique of committing murder by whatever method; Methods of smuggling; Sympathy for criminals; Attitude toward public characters and institutions; Sedition; Rape or attempted rape; First-night scenes; Man and woman in bed together; The institution of marriage;The use of drugs; Titles or scenes having to do with law enforcement or law-enforcing officers; Excessive or lustful kissing, Furthermore it stated that All criminal action had to be punished, and neither the crime nor the criminal could elicit sympathy from the audience

Basically everything you see on network TV goes against all of this- Not to mention movies.
There used to be standards and codes. What we revered and held sacred. Now its mob rule.
As the prophet Joel said in Joel 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ”Going to go head on-
That’s where it starts- Even if you’re scared- even if you’re weak start to say “I am strong”
Rev 21: says the cowardly will “ have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone”
And we don’t want that. We don’t want to be a coward- we want to be as
1 Cor 16:13 ESV Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
This ideological battle must be fought in your mind and in your homes.
You have to train your kids and your family to recognize what is not Christian and speak about it
Its what you watch, read, allow with your kids. You have to turn off programs and disallow books. You have to be engaged to look at everything through a lens of what the Bible teaches
The coward capitulates and accepts. The warrior engages and defends.
If you find yourself in conversation you might need to remove yourself, or kindly defend your position. You are the king of your kingdom and you must come to terms with you will allow.
It’s easy to continue to watch. Its easy to accept what others say is false. Its hard to speak the truth in love and reject what is common amongst men.
2 Ti 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
You must settle in your heart what you value and what you desire and what end you inherit
Luke 17:33 Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
Are you scared- Good- We all are. But you Got to kill the coward that lives inside. Kill him.
Deuteronomy 20:8 “The officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart.’
Don’t infect others with your cowardice. Talk about it- be honest- we will fight this together.
Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.

Don’t be afraid, alarmed, or terrified

This is not the time to be afraid. Comfort is the enemy. Public perception and loss of reputation are the greatest fear- “what will people say about me” “how will I care for my family”
We, as Judeo Christian people have been here for thousands of years. We will endure until Christs return. The church will prevail. The Gospel will go forward. If you have any fear, it would be that you wouldn’t resist and fall into apostasy and fall away from Christ- because honestly- that’s the greatest fear- your personal salvation- and the effects on it.
We are not going to change the world. We’re just not. I have heard many a preacher say ‘we’re going to save this city’ for the past 30 years and I’ve never seen it. At best we can hope for an endtime revival before the return of Christ.
We are a people who have walked through without fear- hundreds of times told to not fear
We have to Keep my fear in check- going to just do it scared- “you do the thing you are afraid of and get the courage for it after.
Psalm 118:8 It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man.

Luke 12:4 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Fear comes when you worry about your livelihood, your family, friends, etc. What you are going to do and how you are going to live-
Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.
Run to the Lord- make it about HIM- find your peace, joy, and value in HIM- be a person of LOVE
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
When you live a loving exisitence- you don’t live in fear because you love God more than anything.
You have fear? You don’t have enough Jesus in your life- SEEK HIM- Go after HIM
Psalm 34:4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.
Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
ways.

The Lord will give you victory

This isn’t on us- The Lord will give us the victory- it may not look like we want it to look-but he will bring his victory. In his time. Either in the right now or the hereafter- The meek inherit
Do you know what the greatest victory is? Not caring about this world any longer
John 15:19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
If this last year has taught me anything its that Jesus, his church and his people are all I need.
let me say this- Don’t go looking for a fight- Don’t go to work tomorrow and yell at your boss
The greatest way you engage in this Battle is fully submit to God in all areas of your life and decide to honor Him, his word, his ways, no matter what the cost- And the Promise?
Deuteronomy 28:7 “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven
God has vengeance- we don’t need to do it- “Vengeance is mine says the Lord of Hosts”
This is the God who said. Ezekiel 25:17 I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I lay My vengeance upon them.”
The God of Battle who moved through Israel spoke about in Joshua 23:10 One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you.
So we trust in God- We stand courageous Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Its for his glory- its not for ours- we want people to give God glory. That’s Our Goal.
Jude 1:20-23 Do the work necessary to lead others to the Truth- Build relationships with your neighbors and coworkers. Lead them to the freedom in Christ- Watch what God does!
But this battle is not YOURS- Its not our Job to fix the world- Its just not. It our job to revere God, love his bride, live according to the Scriptures and pray that his will be done.
He will keep us in perfect peace if our minds are stayed on HIM- HIM HIM HIM.
Live life- Enjoy it- Feast before the Lord- Don’t live in fear- life is to be enjoyed-
2 Chronicles 20:15 ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
The ideological battle is far more than I can fight or accomplish I just cant. But I can create a small pocket of the world where we live as God intended and hope our influence spreads
But its not our battle- Its HIS. HE WILL DO IT>
Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
He will deliver us if we stay in his grace and mercy. Stay under the shadow of his wings.
Exodus 14:14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold[a] your peace.”
2 Kings 19 The angel of the Lord killed 185000 assyrians instead of war
Eph 6:10-18