CHANGE

Dear children,

In the last few days, I have witnessed one of the most important days in American history. Americans elected the first ever African American president into office, which is historic in itself, as well as a milestone and a symbol of hope to people of color. But with him they also elected to have liberal charismatic leader, who is certain to appoint leaders who share his values and interpretation of law.

That means that some of the conservative justices on the supreme court will now be replaced by far less conservative justice, who do not share the values and world view of our founding fathers, much less their understanding of the law that was intended to guide the direction of America and it’s government.

We also have a primarily Democratic Senate and House of Representatives, which means that the balance of power has shifted precariously to the Left, with little recourse for conservatives to influence the policies of our nation. Conservatives are now on the outside looking in, as we watch our nation go down a path that we have feared might one day be taken by those who do not share our values.

Our new president elect, Barack Obama, campaigned on a platform of change and reform. As we have watched even the Republican party lurch to the Left in recent years, it seems that the vast majority of Americans are longing for change, largely due to the failings of conservatives to stand for what we said we stood for.

The truth is that even I have longed for change—not change to more liberal policy but change from the liberal policies of so-called conservatives who have veered from the course our founding fathers set for this great nation. That direction was set by men who recognized that the Word of God has profound insights into the nature and governance of men, and who drew from its wisdom to guide the laws, vision and ultimate destiny of what we would become.

That vision has been so obscured in recent years that most Americans no longer remember it or can discern it in the present, let alone see the wisdom that compelled our forefathers to embrace it. Yes, I too long for change, but not the kind of change that can be made by a president who does not share that vision.

Sometimes, change itself becomes the vision, and people shape it as they go with no real direction or compass heading. That is where we are, as a nation, in our day.

However, I believe that what our nation needs—and what God’s people need—is real, heart-shaping, life-altering, transformational change from the carnal world-view and self-centered agendas that have become the norm of our day. We have become a people who are obsessed with our own lives, jobs, goals, schedules, dreams, possessions and desires.

When I say we, I don’t just mean “we as Americans,” or “we the People.” I mean, “we the generation birthed by our culture, who are characterized by vanity and compromise.” That includes Christians, here in America. When I say “we,” I mean ALL of us.

We, as Christians, have become shallow and luke-warm, half-committed, too busy to lead our own families, much less each other, or to stem the tide of our culture and be the light of the world, a city on a hill that points the way to divine truth so that others can find their bearings in a time when the magnetic poles of society in general have shifted and left us with no “true north.”

Even Christians are afraid to speak up and say what is right or wrong, for fear of offending someone with a message that is not politically correct. Even I often hesitate, when I should not, simply because I don’t want to labeled as a religious zealot or extremist or identified with the many hypocrites who call themselves Christians.

So what are we? And who are we? Are we Americans? Are we socially-acceptable “Christians?” Or is there something that remains in us that vaguely resembles the heart and soul of those who once “turned the world upside down” with a message that was greater than they themselves—a timeless message that was conceived in eternity by the mind of a Creator who sees the beginning from the end and whose laws are unchanging because they are founded in infallible truth that predates the world itself.

We need men and women who are willing to rediscover that truth and let it guide every facet of their lives, not just on a national level or in the realm of political influence, but in our homes, in our churches, in our communities and in our culture. That’s the kind of change that America needs.

We need men and women who will abandon their pursuit of worldly happiness and pursue the heart of God every minute of every day of their lives. We need men and women whose goals and decisions are based not on policy or financial stability or even logic, but are guided by the Holy Spirit, whom we seek to know and discern above all else.

It is time for the people of God to stop mouthing the words and going through the motions to declare that God is the number one priority in our lives and that what is important to Him is what’s important to us. It’s time that we make sure our lives, our schedules, our decisions, our pursuits, our influence and everything else that in any way touches our daily lives shows absolute proof that He IS the number one priority of our lives.

We can never again be guilty of putting God on our agenda. He must BE the agenda. We can never again be guilty of fitting Him into our schedules. He must BE the SUM and SUBSTANCE of our SCHEDULES—indeed, the AUTHOR of our schedules.

I’m talking about REAL change! I’m talking about change that is so complete and all-pervasive that we will never be the same, will never be seen the same, will never be perceived or thought of the same, will never be heard the same and will never be felt the same in our influence and effect on the culture around us or the society into which we have been sown by a Holy God to bear fruit and produce and increase for HIS KINGDOM.

I’m not talking about the kind of change that results in a few nights of rival or a few weeks of prayer and fasting or increased fervency. I’m talking about the kind of change that results in months of soul searching and decades of fervent prayer, study, living, submitting, influencing our families, influencing the Christian passion and vision of life and discipleship, and influencing the culture and society that we have inherited as our labor in the fields of the Lord!

The days of be shallow or luke-warm or having the same basic goals, schedules and pursuits as the world in which we live to labor are over.

If this nation wants change, I say we GIVE IT to them! And I say we give them the biggest MOVER and SHAKER and LIFE CHANGER and WORLD SHAPER of all!

Let it start with ME! Let it start with US! If judgment and CHANGE must begin, let it FIRST begin in the HOUSE OF GOD! And let it begin in the houses of those who are members in particular of the BODY of CHRIST.