Law Or Justice?

I have been pondering an interesting thought this morning. It has occurred to me this morning that our nation's courts, judges, and lawyers are more interested in law than they are justice. Perhaps this is why I am so often flummoxed by the things that lawyers say and do. If this were not the case, how else could a lawyer get someone who is clearly guilty of breaking the law off on a technicality?

An acquaintance of mine is a law student and had the following question on an exam:

Assume that you finally have graduated from law school and have moved to the State of Nirvana, a jurisdiction which follows the general law of criminal procedure that you studied in this course. You have begun work in the Trial Division of the Nirvana Prosecuting Attorney's office and have been asked to evaluate a case in your office. Your task is to write a detailed and candid report to your supervisor, the Chief Prosecuting Attorney, determining the legal issues involved, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses, and predicting the probable outcome of each issue at trial. Structure your report around the items of evidence that the Prosecuting Attorney probably will want to use against the defendant in this case. Following are the agreed-upon facts and procedures up to this point.

The defendant in the criminal case you are analyzing is Xiao-Ling (XL). XL is a 29-year-old woman and a recent Chinese immigrant with an only moderate command of the English language. At the time of the alleged crimes, XL was living in a small apartment at the back of her restaurant. XL is part-owner and manager of the restaurant, working there about twelve hours a day, every day.

Local Nirvana narcotics detectives have long suspected that members of the large local Chinese community were involved in the importation, sale, and distribution of illegal narcotics, particularly cocaine and heroin. The police believed that the narcotics were being brought in from a drug ring in Beijing, dominated by the Dong family. Police officers had no individual suspects locally but generally were watching the activities around the twenty-five Chinese restaurants in Nirvana, including XL's restaurant, in the hope that they might discover evidence of narcotics trafficking.

Two weeks ago on a Friday evening, undercover narcotics officers Able (A) and Baker (B), dressed in casual clothing, went to XL's restaurant at about 7:00 p.m. A and B had dinner and lingered at their table after eating. After a few minutes, A got up from the table and went back near the rear of the restaurant to the men's restroom. Meanwhile, B walked up to the front of the restaurant to talk with XL, who was sitting behind the cash register near the front door. B began to comment on the menu and asked XL how busy the restaurant had been lately. B then asked XL if she knew of the Dong family in Beijing, and XL responded: "Yes, we buy food from them." B then told XL that he was in the market for about ten kilos of high quality "Beijing coke" such as that available from the Dong family and asked XL if she could provide it to him. XL responded: "Tomorrow; noon; I have." B then left the restaurant.

As B and XL were talking up front, A left the men's restroom and looked across the hallway into the kitchen. Seeing no one in the kitchen at the time, A walked through the open doorway into the kitchen. In the far corner of the kitchen, A saw an unopened package addressed to XL and with a return address of "Dong Family; Beijing, China." Just at that moment, the cook came into the kitchen and asked A what he wanted. A mumbled something about looking for the men's room, and the cook directed A to that location.

Once out of the sight of the cook, A walked to the far rear of the hallway to the doorway to XL's apartment. An elaborate curtain covered the doorway, but by standing right next to the curtain and peering through the curtain's few openings, A could see into the apartment. On a table in the apartment, A could see a small weighing scale and small plastic bags such as often were used to divide up large quantities of drugs into small packages for sale to individuals. A wastepaper basket was sitting just inside the apartment doorway on the other side of the curtain. A reached around the curtain and grabbed a small paper bag out of the basket, noticing some sort of residue at the bottom of the bag. He stuffed the bag under his coat and walked through the restaurant and out the front door, joining B outside. The subsequent laboratory analysis of the contents of the bag showed traces of heroin.

The next morning, A and B applied for a search warrant for XL's restaurant and apartment. A and B told the magistrate that they had found the heroin bag in a trash can in the men's restroom, had seen the unopened package with the Dong return address on a table next to theirs in the dining area, and had seen the small weighing scale with white powder on it through an open, outside window into XL's apartment. The magistrate issued the warrant to search for illegal narcotics.

At noon, A and B returned to XL's restaurant with the search warrant but not telling anyone that they had the warrant. Not seeing XL out front in the dining area, B walked quickly back to the rear of the restaurant, pushed aside the curtain hanging at the doorway to XL's apartment, and stepped into the living room of the apartment. XL emerged from her bedroom and told B to wait for her out front. Instead of stepping back out of XL's apartment, B walked over to the table with the scales on it. B picked up a cardboard box from the floor, opened the top flaps, and saw plastic bags of white powder inside the box. B said "Is this the stuff I asked for?", and XL responded "No! Mine! Leave alone! Get out!"

Screaming in Chinese, XL stormed out into the restaurant where she encountered A talking with the cook. The cook had told A that the restaurant gets many packages from the Dong family in Beijing, and XL takes the packages back into her apartment. A approached XL and started to say something, but XL screamed at him: "I get lawyer!"

By then, B had come back out into the restaurant and walked up to XL. B read XL the Miranda warnings and asked if XL wanted to waive the rights. XL did not respond to B's question about waiving the rights but instead asked A and B "You cops?" B answered "yes," and XL responded "Then not talk!"

A and B then placed XL in handcuffs and put her in the backseat of a police car, along with the cardboard box full of white powder found in XL's apartment. Subsequent laboratory tests indicated the white powder was cocaine. A and B sat in the front seat of the police car and began driving down to the police station. B remarked: "Well, we finally found the Nirvana connection to Beijing's Dong family." A replied: "Yup, I think we hit the jackpot." At that point, XL said from the backseat: "Dumb narcs know nothing." B replied: "Sure, lady. We know all we need to know." XL then began to describe her involvement with the Dong Family. By the time the police car had reached the police station about 20 minutes later, XL had made several admissions as to her involvement in importing and selling cocaine and heroin out of her restaurant.

When they arrived at the police station, a retired real estate attorney named John who was a frequent customer of XL's restaurant was just walking by on the sidewalk. XL called out to John, and John came over to her and the officers. XL told John that she had been arrested and that her restaurant had been searched. XL then asked John whether she should be talking with the officers about all of this. John replied: "If you've got nothing to hide, you always should cooperate with the authorities. I'm sure this is all a big mistake and that you can explain everything." John then walked on his way, and XL and the officers entered the police station. XL then agreed to make a full, written confession to the police, which she did, taking over ten pages to complete.

You are now preparing the case for trial and have been asked by the Chief Prosecuting Attorney to write a detailed and candid memorandum structured around the items of evidence that the Prosecutor probably will want to use. The Prosecutor has listed the evidence which presumably will be used as follows:

1. "Yes, we buy food from them."
2. "Tomorrow; noon; I have."
3. Unopened package with Dong Family return address
4. Paper bag with heroin residue.
5. Cardboard box with bags of cocaine.
6. "No! Mine! Leave alone! Get out!"
7. Cook's statements as to packages from Dong.
8. XL's admissions while in police car.
9. XL's 10-page written confession.

Write your report.

Now I'm not a law student or an attorney, but based on the things that I have read and seen on TV, I would dare say that Xiao-Ling would stand a decent chance at getting off (with a good attorney) because of the unethical (and probably illegal) way that the police put their case together and handled her arrest.

That's not justice. That's law. Justice would demand that all of the parties that broke the law would be punished even if the evidence were not gathered legally.

Or for a more practical and common situation; is it just for people to be able to get out of a speeding ticket by hiring an attorney? What is just about that? That arrangement deprives the poor of the same "justice" afforded to the rich. Justice would demand that punishment be required of those who violate the law. No, our society does not love justice.

Perhaps this American mindset regarding the law is why so many have trouble understanding God's justice. God's justice is absolute and cannot be bribed. There is only one thing that will cause you to avoid paying the penalty for your crimes in God's court and that is the surrender of the lordship of your life to Jesus Christ. When we submit ourselves to Him and cry out for His mercy then He begins to advocate for us.

But even this advocacy isn't without justice, for Jesus satisfied the requirements of justice when He died for us. God poured out on Him the wrath that was reserved for those who ran to Him for mercy. But sadly, that wrath is still reserved for those who have not done so. If you have never surrendered your life to Jesus, please do so and hide yourself in Him from the wrath that is to come.

Tsunamis

Back around the time of the election I wrote a couple posts that were prophetic in nature. Some of the elements of those prophecies have come true and some have yet to come to pass, but based on the accuracy of the parts that have come true, I am convinced that the rest will eventually be manifested.

In that first post I wrote the following about prophecy:

I believe that God still speaks to His people. Down through the ages this communication has been called prophecy. And God often reveals his plans to His people through individuals called prophets. Many of you probably have real doubts about whether prophets even exist in the world today. I can assure you that they do. I have known quite a few and can testify that their words have proven true.

A group of prophets, that included one man that I know personally, accurately predicted (in 1999) the current war against radical Islam. (They also predicted that the war would involve China and that it could be averted by prayer. I am hoping that the China part was turned away.) Months ago another friend of mine predicted the stock market crash that we have been witnessing over the past weeks.

What is prophecy? Prophecy is merely accurately reporting what God says about a situation or a person. The real rub is in the "accurately" part. It is pretty serious business to claim to speak for the Almighty. However, it is clear through the Scriptures that God speaks to His people through prophets. It occurred in both the Old Testament and in the New: Jesus spoke to his disciples about the blessing of receiving prophets, Paul commented that he wished that all of the believers in Corinth would prophesy, we are even encouraged to ask for the gift of prophecy.

Modern prophecy is no substitute for the scriptures. It is by the Word of God that all prophecy is judged. Any prophecy that does not agree with the Bible is false. This premise is critical to grasp. This truth, however, does not change the fact that God also speaks to His people about the things that are going on in their lives beyond the written words of the Bible. He is eager to speak to those who are willing to pursue intimacy with Him.

On January 13, 2009 I believe that I had a conversation with God in my prayer time. In that conversation God spoke to me very clearly about judgments that are coming to our nation and about the church's lack of preparedness for what is coming. I have been pondering this message now for several months and feel that the time is right to share it. The message is alarming. There is a very real physical danger that we are facing. The events of this prophecy will be the most distressing that any of us who have only lived in the United States have ever seen.

The purpose of sharing this message is not to create fear though. I realize that such a statement seems rather counter to common sense. However, when there is danger coming, forewarned is forearmed. My prayer is that each person who reads this prophecy will become sober and vigilant and will begin to prepare in earnest for what is about to happen in our nation.

The best way to prepare is to get serious about knowing God. To that end I would recommend greatly reducing the amount of time spent on entertainment. 24 hours is such a short period of time. If eight hours are devoted to work, eight hours are devoted to sleep, three hours are devoted to meals, one hour is devoted to travel, and two hours are devoted to other necessary personal activities, each person only has about two hours' worth of time left for "leisure." A single 30-minute TV program that promotes the godless systems of our world uses ¼ of the time that is available to seek God. Most people watch far more TV than that.

How can we know God? One of the best ways to start is to begin practicing the disciplines that you have always heard about in church: daily Bible study, prayer (both corporate and individual), fasting, meditation on the scriptures, and scripture memorization. These things will not in themselves cause you to know God, but you won't know God without doing these things.

Quiet yourself and remove as many distractions as possible from your life. Part of the reason that we have so much trouble hearing God is that we have too much sensory input. We are so distracted we cannot be still enough to hear God. Get honest with God about the things that are going on in your life. Look at your life and confess every area of sin that you are aware of, and ask the Lord to help you to be free from these sins. Allow God to begin to speak to you about the areas of your life that the enemy has used to hold you back, and allow Him to begin to heal those areas. Most of all, don't give up. Stick to your pursuit of God like your life depends on it - it very well may.

Below is the text of the conversation between God and me from January 13, 2009. The text in bold font is what I believe the Lord was speaking to me and the normal font was what I said to Him.

My people are not ready. They have not been heeding the warnings. They need to dig down into Me. Be ready. The first waves will catch most of them by surprise. They will need for you and the others that I have prepared to show them where to go. They will need you to help them to get their feet back under them.

It is going to be a lot like the tsunamis that hit Asia a couple years ago. The judgments that are coming will come in just like that, but there will be multiple waves. If My people will respond properly when the first wave comes in many can be saved. Keep your head and direct people to safety.

(I keep seeing images of the tsunami. It will be destructive just like that. I sense that there is a military element to it, but I am not sure if it is terrorist or actual militaries.)

How long do we have?

Not enough time.

Can it be averted?

No.

How do I pray, Lord? What do I pray for?

Pray for their eyes to be opened.

Father God! Open their eyes! Help them to see the truth!

"As in the days of Noah..." life will be going on just as normal and suddenly calamity will come.

Open our eyes Lord! Open our ears that the alarm may register!

Your nation has grown complacent. They do not believe that they are vulnerable to attack, but attack is coming. Their sin has caused Me to remove My protection from them. How I would love to protect them, but they have refused.

You must begin to pray protection over those that you love. Be ready at a moment's notice to pray for your brothers and sisters around the country. For I will arrest you at different times to pray for them. Be ready even in the middle of the night.

Father, will You not help your prophets to warn the people? Will You not help them to uncover the enemy's schemes?

Son, I will tell the prophets, but those in authority won't listen. My message to the prophets will end up saving the lives of the elect.

Father, this is a fearful word.

Remember it is for good. This will end in the liberation of your nation. Your nation will be liberated from the bonds that the enemy has used to enslave it and to derail its destiny. I am rescuing Your nation through My love and mercy, but sin is costly. Its wages are death. They have sown wind, but they will reap the whirlwind.

How do I guard my heart, Lord? How do I prevent the despair and the sorrow from being too much?

You must press in to Me. You must give it to Me. You must come to Me for perspective. I promise that I will be here when you come. I promise that I will comfort you.

Defend my family, Lord. Defend my friends. Defend my brothers and sisters. Defend the helpless and the widows and the orphans. Defend the poor. Protect them from this wave. Let it wake them up. Let it drive them to action.

Later that night there was more:

Much of the damage intended against your nation can be mitigated, but it will not be averted. Even mitigated the damage will be severe.

Father, I pray that the damage done by the attacks will be minimal. Please spare us - especially in the first wave. Give people time to recognize that the prophetic words are true and give them the chance to repent and seek Your face.

There will be loss of life. The degree to which that happens will be determined largely by how effectively and diligently the intercessors stand in the gap.

God, help us to stand mightily.

Many of you will, son. Many will, but there will not be enough to avert the judgment. My people in America largely do not know how to seek My face. They have not been instructed. They have allowed themselves to be distracted by entertainment and by the worries and cares of life and by the desire for things. This initial shaking will wake many of them up from their slumber. Shake as many as you can before the time comes. Wake them up!

Father, anoint my words. Grant them the power to wake them up. Help them to understand the urgency of the hour. Help me to be a faithful watchman. Give me the courage to tell them the truth. Father, break the teeth of the enemy and smash his hands and fingers. Cause him to loose Your people. Force him to uncover their ears. Send Your angels forth to enforce this. Teach me how to pray. Teach me how to unleash Your wrath against the enemy. Teach me how to unlock the passion of the hearts of Your people. Call Your people to action. Uncover their ears so that they can hear the call of the trumpet. Break off of them the spirit of slumber - the spirit of slothfulness - and cause them to respond to the call.

With the inauguration of President Obama my protection will be lifted. It has remained because President Bush has loved Me and fears Me. You and the other intercessors will help to replace that covering, but it will not remain over the entire nation until the nation again returns to Me with a whole heart. The intercession will produce covering in different regions. Some will be as large as entire states and others will be as small as even individual households. Still, you can accomplish much through prayer and even more through prayers of agreement with other saints.

Father, I ask that prayer become a foundational pillar of our new vision at (my church). Please put in the people's heart a desire to pray. Please put a burden in their hearts to pray. Help us, Lord, to spare this county. Help us to join with the other believers around our county to spare us. Help us to desire intimacy with You and not just deliverance from the calamity that is all around us. Help us to seek Your face and the joy of Your presence and pleasure. Forgive me for not seeking this place more often. Captivate my heart - captivate the hearts of Your saints and show them that You are more precious and fascinating than anything that has held their attention before. Help us to connect to Your heart so deeply that we tremble from the joy and passion that we find there....

Who is like You, O God? There is none like You at all. You are glorious and beautiful beyond comprehension. Your love is amazing and overflows to Your creation. Who are we that You have loved us? You are merciful and gracious. Thank You for the treasures of Your mercy and grace.

This is the end of what I believe that I received from the Lord. A friend of mine had some specifics about where some of the attacks may come. This revelation was received on November 10, 2008.

You will see cities burning....

It will be a terrible time for Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Detroit, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Wyoming, and Raleigh. “They” will go after the capital cities in every state, trying to bring down the governments. Austin will be ready because of My prophets there (in TX). Alabama will be ready. Detroit will suffer greatly, as there are many poor people there....

It will not come severely in the first year, but it will crescendo toward 3 years from now. This process will take longer than you would like, but stay faithful. You will see the Great New Awakening that I AM bringing to America, and indeed to the whole world. This is the last great harvest before the end time events are loosed.

Things are no longer “business as usual.” They never will be again. They will first be much worse, then much better. You will rejoice to see it....

Because of the personal nature of other parts of this revelation I left them out, but one of the things included the failure of a major bank. It also talked about the dark times that some have suffered in recent times and how that is part of their preparation for the coming darkness. The struggles that many of God's people have faced will have prepared them to rescue many during these extreme times.

It is beyond time to get ready. If you are reading this and are a Christian, then make your preparation for these events as urgent as if you already saw them happening in your city. There is not time to completely prepare yourself, but you will be happy if you start now instead of waiting for later.

If you are reading this and are not a Christian, then you really should become one. I have explained how to do that many times on this blog. God is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. This is not to say that your life will get easier if you become a Christian - it very likely will not. I will tell you that it will make your life far better in the long run - you will be eternally happy you submitted your life to Jesus Christ. The good news is that those who call upon the Name of the Lord will be saved. Well, actually that is just the beginning of the Good News.

God is good and His lovingkindness endures forever. God loves His children, and He cares for them. Even when we suffer loss and when we suffer hardship, the Lord uses it to bring us to maturity and to bring us to greater trust in Him and His goodness. During these times God will expose your fears. He will expose everything that you lean on besides Him, and sadly, as Americans we lean on many things besides God - even though we claim that we do not. Our fears are proof that our trust is not fully on God and prove that we do not know and love Him as we should, for perfect love casts out fear. Brothers and sisters, trust in the promise that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Finally, take heart that the judgments that are coming against this nation are not for its destruction but instead for its salvation. God has promised to remove everything that hinders love for Him. The shaking that is coming will help to accomplish this purpose and will usher in a Great Awakening in our nation that all who love the Lord will rejoice to see.

Revival

For God to revive our nation as we look to the future with hope

Then we will not turn away from You; revive us, and we will call on Your name. Restore us, O LORD God Almighty; make Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
—Psalm 80:18

O Holy God, only You are worthy of the praise of our lips and the songs of our hearts. Only You are worthy of glory and honor and majesty above all rulers, powers and authority! All hope is found in You and there is no hope apart from You. You are the Lord and master of time and I am so grateful that You look on us with love and compassion.

Today, O God, our nation is in need of a fresh wind from You. We are wearied by sin and disobedience to You and Your ways. We fall short of Your standard, and worse, we sometimes deliberately move away from You and toward sin and evil that will steal, kill and destroy. Revive us today, O Lord, revive us. Bring a spirit of repentance as we seek Your face. In Your kindness, renew our passion for holiness and righteousness today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

This is the latest in the series of prayers led by the Presidential Prayer Team for the new President and for our nation. If you are interested in receiving the email with each day's prayer assignment you can click here and sign up.

God Enhanced Abilities

For God’s grace to fully rest on the President- and Vice President-Elect enabling them to act beyond their innate abilities

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
—2 Corinthians 9:8

Mighty Lord, You know all things, and nothing is hidden from You—even the deepest intentions of hearts. Your knowledge and authority rule over all the affairs of humankind, and Your ways govern over all our ways.

God, thank You for being a God who can provide more than we are able; give more than we ever need. There is no limit to Your provision or to Your ability, so let Your grace blanket our President- and Vice President-Elect and let them seek You, and You alone, for the ability to govern. Generously give them more than they expect, and allow them to abound with Your wisdom and direction so they make wise choices as they serve. We praise You for doing this, O Lord, in the name of Christ Jesus, amen.

Here is one that I didn't get a while back. I missed yesterday's too and it wasn't in the archives yet. I'll post it as soon as I can.

Issues

For Appropriate Submission to Authority

The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.
—Proverbs 29:7

Holy God, I praise You this day for Your authority and power which govern the affairs of humankind. Thank You for looking on us with compassion and mercy, calling us to justice and righteousness for the least, the last and the lost.

Today I pray for the spouses of the President- and Vice President-Elect, asking that they will seek Your will as they decide the causes and concerns to which they will give their time, energy and attention. Guide them to the issues You desire they lift up, and may they choose wisely so that Your will can be accomplished in their efforts. In Jesus’ holy name, amen.

This is the latest in the series of prayers led by the Presidential Prayer Team for the new President and for our nation. If you are interested in receiving the email with each day's prayer assignment you can click here and sign up.

Powerful Song

Scripture For Today

Psalm 91

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
8 Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.

9 If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13 You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”

General Quarters

In the aftermath of the Obama victory, many Christians are wondering, "What now?"

I believe (as I posted the day before the election) that the key issue at stake here is the heart of our nation. I believe that the choice that was made was a true reflection of the attitudes of the people of our country. That is the thing that concerns me most.

If you read the post that I referred to a moment ago, you will recall that I believe that the Lord showed me that shakings are coming to our country very soon. As I prayed about the election and this prophecy yesterday, I believe that the Lord gave me additional instructions for His people that I will share with you later in this post.

It is a weighty thing to bring a message from God. I do it with a great deal of seriousness and caution. Indeed, I have been rebuked by the Lord even today for not having a heart and mind aligned with the message that I have to bring. I hope that my error has been corrected.

To set the stage for these instructions I would like to explain some things about the nature of what the Lord has shown me. First of all, I want to make it clear that the Lord is saddened by the fact that judgment is coming. He does not delight in it. Secondly, I want to say that the discipline of the Lord is not mean-spirited. It is just. It is severe, but it is for the good of His children.

Let's consider the state that our nation is in. We are a nation that murders millions of its unborn children every year. We have shed much innocent blood. We are a nation that has perverted justice. Our rulers accept bribes and determine public policy on the basis of who will give them the largest campaign contributions. Our nation is perverse in almost every way imaginable. It is impossible to escape sexual images in our culture. We are bombarded by them constantly. Our nation is consumed by greed. Our corporations do not care who is hurt by their actions or decisions as long as they are making a profit. Our companies exploit workers the world over to satiate their (and our) lust for more. We hold to a form of religion but deny its power. We have perverted the Gospel of Jesus Christ and substituted a doctrine of good works or amorphous 'spirituality' in its place. We have abandoned the Scriptures and we have been systematically evicting God from public life. Our nation is full of lies. Our media cannot be trusted to tell the truth. To make a long story short, as a nation we have broken every one of God's commands, and sadly the Church is as culpable as the rest of society.

God spoke to Jeremiah saying, "Shall I not punish them for these things? And shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?" (Jeremiah 5:9) Fearsome words. When I read the prophets I fear for my people because I believe that God is just. If He punished Israel He must certainly punish us.

Brothers and sisters, punishment is coming. I believe that it is coming soon. There is a very small window of time before it begins. I do not know the extent of it, but I know that it will be severe. Let me share with you the words that I believe that I received from the Lord.

There will be a grace period before the shaking begins. During this time President Obama will show his true colors. I will use this to give My people who have been deceived the chance to repent of their mistake and to turn to Me. This is their window of opportunity to shield themselves from the wrath that will be unleashed.

The things that are coming against America will be staggering. It will cause even those who love Me and know me to be dismayed. My people MUST learn to press into Me. They must begin to start devoting time to knowing Me NOW. This is the real deal. It is no drill. The only way that My people will not become overcome by fear and despair is by pressing in deeply into Me. Many will be scorched, but I will protect those that are Mine.

Pray fervently that I will place My people in strategic and influential positions around the President. I will reveal them at the right time. I will give them apt words to speak at just the right moments. Pray for them because these will be the most trying days that your nation has ever seen.

Tell My people to pray that President Obama will repent. Tell them to ask for a complete change of heart. Tell them to pray for those in the Congress who will stand against the measures that he and the others will try to implement. Pray for their courage and pray that they will trust me - even in the face of threats against their lives and the lives of their family members. Pray for strength for them to stand.

Weep for those who will be lost. They have chosen their doom, but how tragic it will be.

Guard your hearts. Cling tight to the truth that I am good. Never lose sight of this. The enemy will do his best to convince you otherwise.

During this time I will reveal the true hearts of those in leadership and those of the people. The fire will show what is there. I will expose things that have been hidden in secret. Carefully hidden plots will be revealed to broad daylight for all to see. I will expose this country's corruption and idolatry and the truth of it all will sicken the people. Then I will be able to bring healing.

When I have removed the stumbling blocks - when I have taken away those who refuse to come to Me and are determined to take others to hell with them - then I will bring an awakening to this land. It will be glorious beyond anything that you could ever imagine. It will not be localized like many of the outpourings in your land have been. It will be a great wind that will sweep through the entire nation simultaneously. It will not be driven by personalities or men - it will be completely orchestrated by My Spirit. Entire regions will be completely converted.

Once again, I pray that I am wrong about this - well, the judgment part. But I feel it to be true as certainly as anything that I have ever heard before. Please take advantage of this opportunity to seek the Lord. Dig into the Word of God and pray that He will drive its truth deep into your spirit. Pay close attention to God's nature as you read. See what He is like and cling to that. In the midst of judgment the enemy will lie to you and twist the truth about who God really is.

I have seen in my own life that the Lord's discipline is sometimes quite severe. It often lasts much longer than we would desire, but it is always for OUR best good. God does what must be done to heal us - and sometimes that requires breaking us first; much like a physician sometimes has to re-break a bone that is not set correctly. The process is painful but is GOOD.

I know that this is a fearful word. I know that it is not pleasant. We were not promised pleasant. We were promised that God would look after us and that He would cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) He has seen fit to allow us to be alive at such a time as this. Be brave and seek your strength in Him. He will not let you down.

PRAISE GOD!!!

California's voters have passed the constitutional amendment banning homosexual marriage!!!!

I am also very grateful that the Republicans managed to hold on to enough seats to retain the ability to filibuster. I hope they know how to....

UPDATE: 11/6/08
Arizona and Florida also passed amendments to their state constitutions that define marriage as being the union of a man and a woman. A law was also passed in Arkansas that prevents unwed couples from adopting. Good news in the midst of a pretty bad news sort of day.

No, But Give Us A King...

As many of you know I have had a deep and abiding interest in politics that has been demonstrated through the years that I have maintained this blog. In fact, that interest goes much further back. I remember some of my first political interest going all the way back to the Nixon administration (when I was a VERY young child.) I suppose it was only natural to have some curiosity about politics back then. They were troubling times, much like the ones that we face today.

This entire election cycle has been attended with turmoil. It is the longest campaign season that I have ever witnessed, and it has had one of the largest slates of candidates to winnow that I can remember. In fact, it is the first time in my lifetime that I recall both parties scrambling to find a candidate at the same time. This has created its own set of problems and surprises. However, the process has somehow worked, and we are left with two very distinct choices for president.

On the one hand we have Senator John McCain who is running on a platform that at its core stands for the protection of the unborn. He also is campaigning for less government and to maintain accountability in all levels of government - even promising top to bottom audits in every department if he is elected. He wants to eliminate waste and corruption from Washington. He is a man with many years of experience in Washington and someone who is as sick of the nonsense that goes on up there as I am. He is promising to do his best to reform our government. He is promising to lower taxes. He has military command experience. He has suffered for our country in ways that most of us cannot imagine. He understands the world that we live in and understands its dangers. He believes that peace comes through strength.

On the other hand we have Senator Barack Obama whose platform promises to continue the slaughter of the unborn. Whose voting record has shown him to be in favor of the indirect murder of children who somehow survive an abortion procedure. He is in favor of redefining marriage. His words have shown that he is easily confused when trying to discern what truth is. Such things are "above his pay grade." He has mocked Christians' belief in the Bible and demonstrated great confusion on his part in accurate handling of its truth. His policies are unashamedly socialist while his charitable giving prior to the beginning of his campaign seems to paint a dramatically different picture of his true heart toward those less fortunate. His background is filled with questionable associations, and there are many unanswered questions about how someone from such humble beginnings managed to get the funds to travel and go to the schools (Columbia and Harvard) that he attended. His experience in government is almost nil - most of his tenure as a Senator has been spent campaigning. And he has promised to gut our military in the face of the incredible dangers that we face in the world today.

The choice couldn't be more clear. There is almost no overlap between these two men. They are as different as it is possible to be. It is with this fact in mind that I want to write to you, the readers of this blog.

I believe that God still speaks to His people. Down through the ages this communication has been called prophecy. And God often reveals his plans to His people through individuals called prophets. Many of you probably have real doubts about whether prophets even exist in the world today. I can assure you that they do. I have known quite a few and can testify that their words have proven true.

A group of prophets, that included one man that I know personally, accurately predicted (in 1999) the current war against radical Islam. (They also predicted that the war would involve China and that it could be averted by prayer. I am hoping that the China part was turned away.) Months ago another friend of mine predicted the stock market crash that we have been witnessing over the past weeks.

What is prophecy? Prophecy is merely accurately reporting what God says about a situation or a person. The real rub is in the "accurately" part. It is pretty serious business to claim to speak for the Almighty. However, it is clear through the Scriptures that God speaks to His people through prophets. It occurred in both the Old Testament and in the New: Jesus spoke to his disciples about the blessing of receiving prophets, Paul commented that he wished that all of the believers in Corinth would prophesy, we are even encouraged to ask for the gift of prophecy.

I do not consider myself a prophet. I have never seen myself in that light, but lately my prayer times have been more of a two-way communication than I have experienced for most of my Christian life. During these prayer times I believe that the Lord has shown me some things that are going to happen in our country as a result of tomorrow's election. I hope that as I share some of these insights that they will serve to encourage you.

As I have been praying over the past few weeks about the state of our country, I believe that God has shown me that He is in the process of taking away the externals that America has relied upon. He is going to force America to realize that it is not by our might or by any inherent goodness that we have achieved our place in the world but that it is only by His grace and His operation on our behalf.

As America has rejected the foundational pillars that He placed in our nation at its founding the Lord has been removing His blessing and protection over our land. It is really our own foolishness that has removed His covering and support. Our nation is like the foolish woman in the Proverbs who tears down her home with her own hands.

In a large part the Church in America has rejected the Bible as its foundation. We have been influenced by our culture more than we have influenced it - which is why only about 9 percent of America's Evangelical Christians could be said to have a biblical worldview.

The choice between the candidates this year is clear. It really couldn't be more so. On the one hand you have Senator McCain and Governor Palin who are standing on the traditional values that I enumerated earlier. While he is not perfect, Senator McCain is clearly much more in line with the admonition of Scripture than Senator Obama who has tickled the ears of many on the campaign trail this year.

I believe that the Lord has shown me that the majority of the people in America have rejected Him and His wisdom. This will be dramatically illustrated by a convincing Obama victory tomorrow. Just like the children of Israel rejected God as their king and demanded a king like all the other nations, so America will do tomorrow, and God is going to honor their wish. I believe God told me:

The nation has asked for its Saul, and I will give him to them. Shakings are coming. Not a shaking, but multiple shakings. Because the heart of this nation that has chosen this man is evil, there will be shaking. But don't be afraid because I am going to work through this to turn the heart of this nation back to Me. First I will turn his heart and then I will turn the heart of the nation, but it will be difficult. You will see many things that make your heart grieve. Stay anchored in Me. Let me carry Your grief. Let me give you My joy in its place. It is imperative that You remain close to me during this time. Remain close to me always and you never need fear. Do not give in to cynicism. Do not give in to bitterness and hatred. Do not allow anger to darken your mind. You will be angry, but bring it to Me. I am the Lord. I will defend the helpless. I will protect the downtrodden. You will see me glorified in this man.

...You will also see the end to abortion and infanticide. You will see marriage restored to its proper place.

...Trust Me that I am bringing another great awakening to your people. It will be a harvest like you will not believe. It will fill you with great joy. But first, like it was for my people, Israel, there will be great distress first to turn them from their idols.

I realize that there is a lot in this message that isn't exactly good news. I didn't think so either. But this isn't about what we think - it is about what God has sovereignly chosen to do.

Do not despair if these things come to pass. I truly hope that they do not. I hope that prayer has changed the outcome. I even hope that I totally missed it, but I want to share this message in the possibility that if the predicted outcome of tomorrow's vote does come true then the encouragement that is also in the prophecy will ring true.

Regardless of who wins the election tomorrow they are going to need our prayers. (With all of the troubles facing our country I can't imagine anyone wanting the job.) If the outcome that I have reported occurs, much prayer will be needed to turn Mr. Obama's heart to the Lord and much will be needed to prevent him from being able to take away our freedoms and reverse the gains made towards ending abortion. When his heart turns he will need our prayers to give him wisdom and protection in the face of the outrage that will be turned against him. We must take very seriously the commands of Romans 13 and 1 Timothy 2:1-3.

Watch your mouths and your hearts. Cry out to God not to each other. Complaining to each other will only make it harder to pray and believe. Take your grief and fear to the Lord and let Him take it away. Remember that it is God who chooses our leaders and gives them their authority. He also directs their heart. Our prayers will influence that.

And we need not fear if we are following Christ because He will protect us. Remember the glorious promises of this prophecy too. God will turn his heart. God will turn our nation. There will be incredible harvest and awakening in our land. Abortion will end. Any one of these things would be cause for great rejoicing.

The road will be difficult, but it will be worth it to see our nation healed.

PS - this revelation will not change my vote in any way. I fully intend to vote my conscience and will be voting for John McCain. I can do nothing else.