What I’m Doing Because of What I See

I’m enjoying daily Bible devotions this year using my “original Bible”–the one I cut my teeth on when I first became a disciple. The old, black, leather book is held together with duct tape and contains the New American Standard translation. It’s wildly marked up after decades of study.

I started reading it from cover-to-cover fifty years ago. Daily Bible-reading is probably the most important habit I ever developed in life–and continues to this day. Reading “God’s thoughts” challenges me to be a doer of his words and priorities. 

Last week I shared a 30,000-foot view of what I see happening in the world. I would be remiss if I didn’t share what I am doing about it.

What I’m Doing Because of What I See

Last week’s My View of he World 2022 focused on both great evil and good that appear to be exploding on earth. That reality will eventually lead to one world governance and the final victory of the Kingdom of God. The domain that makes this possible is the media with its instant 24/7 global reach into the lives of nearly eight billion people.

On the positive side, amazing tools including radio, television, the Internet, cell phones, and plane travel make the world reachable for Christ for the first time in history. Negatively, the demonic world uses these channels to enslave and destroy multitudes of people through sin, group think, and controlling governments.

James, the half-brother of Jesus, said we must act on God’s truth in our world.

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves (James 1:22).

He learned this directly from Jesus who went about “doing good” during his three-to-four years of public ministry before dying for our sins.

Here’s what I’m doing because of what I see (qualified by my gifts, calling, life circumstances and age.)

First, I’ve spent the last twenty years building an ark for my family. God nudged me to “prepare” in the early 21st century when I saw where we were headed. This includes becoming debt-free, building extra housing for family members, storing food and becoming more self-sufficient, and being prepared to thrive during possible difficult days. 

Second, I am working more closely with my local church to help them navigate uncertain times. God is guiding us to turn our five-acre/five-million-dollar property into a “multi-church” campus where at least three different congregations can meet, support one another, and reach out in evangelism and discipleship–even during persecution. The renovations begin this month. God wants his people to prosper and multiply during these difficult and exciting days.

Third, I want to pray the biggest prayers of my life during this season focused on world evangelism, unreached peoples, ending Bible poverty, and meeting human needs. What’s a big prayer? One that gives more time to God, greater faith, in unity with others, and according to His revealed will.

To aid growth in prayer, we set-up a new prayer room at the college where I teach and at our church. I’m finding that extensive prayer walks at my age are also one of the wisest uses of my time.

And I’m praying for catalytic events such as The Send, May 14, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City and the fifty-year anniversary of “Explo 72” at the Dallas Cotton Bowl this summer. God is using many young visionaries on all the continents to awaken the Church and mobilize them for completing the Great Commission. 

Fourth, I’ve committed to not move out of state during the coming days. America is rapidly dividing into states that either honor our Judeo-Christian heritage (Red States) or those who want to tear them down and replace them with socialism/communism (Blue States). A major migration from the collapsing Blue States is currently underway to the Red States.

Michael Barone shares the stats:

Millions of Americans fled Democratic-run states and flocked to Republican-run states in 2021, the Census Bureau reported on Tuesday. Washington, D.C., which is not a state and will never deserve statehood, in 2021 lost almost 3 percent of its population.  Idaho, meanwhile, a state that has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1968, saw its population increase by nearly 3 percent.

Not surprisingly, New York experienced the second-largest decline in population (1.6 percent), followed by Illinois (0.9 percent), Hawaii (0.7 percent), and California (0.7 percent), where crime and homelessness are out of control in Democratic-run cities. Much of the population decline in blue states was attributed to domestic migration, with California, New York, and Illinois leading the way.

By contrast, nearly all of the states that boasted a significant increase in population last year were solidly Republican. Utah’s population grew by 1.7 percent, as did Montana’s. South Carolina grew by 1.2 percent, followed by Texas (1.1 percent), and Florida (1 percent).

God has always led people to stay and bring change to their localities from “within.” The Puritans of early America believed in this form of renewal. But God also led others to “leave” their circumstances–like the Pilgrims–and influence the culture from the “outside” This compares to God guiding some folks a generation ago to start Christian schools (Pilgrims) and others to remain as a light in the public ones (Puritans).

My family and I are being led to be puritans in the 2020’s. We’re staying in a blue state to help change it. Many friends are leaving to be pilgrim-like elsewhere. Both are God-led–but we know what He’s saying to us.

Fifth, I have decided to resist the Covid mandates and growing tyranny in our state and nation. After two years of draconian policies, the omicron variant of the pandemic has clarified that lockdowns don’t work, masks are minimally effective, and the Great Barrington Declaration encouraging protecting the vulnerable and not penalizing the healthy stands as the right way to deal with disease.

What we face in the world is not a real health debate. We fight controlling bureaucrats inspired by demonic entities to bring the world into misery and tyranny. 

Dennis Prager describes the battlefield: (How These Western Countries Suppressed Freedom During Covid 19 Pandemic)

With states like Florida and most other Republican-governed states, we have the freest places in the Western world. Going from Canada or Western Europe to Florida is like going from Romania or Poland to Western Europe during the Cold War. Indeed, going from most Democrat-run cities to most Republican-run cities is also like passing through the Iron Curtain.

Thanks to its conservative half and thanks to the Founders’ genius of defanging the national government by giving states great power, America remains the beacon of liberty it was when Abraham Lincoln said, “America is the last best hope of Earth,” and when France gave us the Statue of Liberty.

That’s why fighting the left is the most important thing any American who cherishes liberty can do.

I no longer wear a mask in mandate-heavy Washington. If people ask or complain, I simply reply, “I believe in freedom and science, not fickle bureaucrats.” Usually, they don’t respond–because deep down, they know the truth.

Sixth, I’m working hard to complete the legacy assignments that God has given including writing, mentoring, and caring for others. This is the time to be faithful to your God-given To-Do List.

2022 is a time to act for God’s glory and the salvation of others.  

Micah 6:8 gives us the eternal formula: 

Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.

What are you doing this year?