It seems that everyone is sensing the destabilization of America. Books could be written on how we got to this point. Books have been written, for example Robert Reilly’s America on Trial. But let me offer just a few thoughts from a biblical perspective. 

Destabilization by False Information

Unless you have beaten Elon Musk to the punch and have been on Mars for the last decade, you’ve clearly seen how many in the secular media purposely create false narratives, and use lies and carefully edited half-truths to push their agenda. They withhold information, such as all the black police officers who have been killed recently, or statistics on support for police. By deliberately failing to highlight the positives alongside the negatives, they create the illusion of an imbalance where one does not exist.

For example, two years ago a deputy sheriff who attends our church in southern California had to pull over on the 101 freeway and resuscitate a black female suffering from a drug overdose. I tried to contact several news outlets. No one wanted to run the story.

The lesson here is to be very careful about where we get our information. Much of the media would love to see America fail. (Notice, for example, the glorifying of the anarchist Antifa’s “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” or CNN’s Chris Cuomo asking, “Who says protest has to be peaceful?” Or the New York Times pushing the lie that the United States was really founded in 1619 with the first slaves, not 1776 when we declared our independence from England. ) This is appalling; we should not tolerate it.

Destabilization by the Enemy Within

Many are coming to believe we are witnessing an orchestrated attempt to destroy our economy and disrupt the November elections. Peaceful protests are infiltrated by hate groups paid by individuals with deep pockets to create confusion and chaos.

Why is there such a huge upheaval? It’s simple. The current administration is working to minimize the murdering of babies. They are also very concerned about trying to do the right thing the right way with racial issues. They are being a terror to terrorists and are bringing the Bible and God back to Washington and the nation’s schools. And they want to remove the pulpit-silencing Johnson Amendment.

Christians with godly values are being promoted to some of the highest offices in America. The president is surrounding himself with godly counsel. There is a love for Israel. They are honoring hard work and minimizing free handouts. The list of biblical accomplishments is impressive.

Now you see what the real battle is: A battle for the soul of our nation. God doesn’t judge a nation based on the character of one man, He judges it based on the spiritual health of its people. Never forget that.

Destabilization by Intolerability

Those waving banners of tolerance are often the most intolerant of those who oppose them, as Birmingham pastor Chris Hodges discovered. Tony Perkins writes, “A handful of likes were all it took to make the biggest church in Alabama homeless.” Believe it or not, “a local English teacher decided to catalogue” the pastor’s likes on Facebook and then share them with the press. This motivated local high schools to revoke the church’s lease — a church that has spent decades helping the less fortunate in Birmingham, most recently during the COVID-19 crisis. (Read Stream founder James Robison’s conversation with Pastor Hodges about those efforts here.)

Am I the only one who sees the hypocrisy of school district “leaders” and teachers who behave in this manner while crying out for tolerance and justice?

Destabilization by Stoking Division

Even though Rasmussen recently reported that there is a 40 percent approval rate for our president among black voters, if you listen to the secular media, you would think that it’s closer to 4 percent. Yes, racism runs deep in America, but only changed hearts can solve that. And keep in mind that revisionists began to rewrite history many years ago, portraying all white people as racists. The actual numbers are very small; the vast majority are not racists, and there are black racists too.

We realize that we are all Americans and must unite against our common enemy: It’s a sin problem, not a skin problem. White people feel the dynamic too. There are certain places in my community, such as parks, where I can no longer go, for fear of being profiled because of the media-created false narrative. You won’t find it in many of the modern history books, but the truth is many of the Founding Fathers in America abhorred slavery and fought against it.

Destabilization Fueled by the Passive Pulpit

But where is the church in this? I recently saw a survey on Facebook that asked: “Do you feel that most church leaders speak up about the real issues facing us today?” The overwhelming response was a very loud and clear “No!”

Pastors, our people are looking to us to lead the way, but too many are exchanging truth for tolerance, boldness for “balance,” and conviction for cowardliness. Many don’t want to offend for fear they might lose their audience.

Pastors, and Christian leaders alike, we must take responsibility for the spiritual health of our nation. And make no mistake, whether we accept that responsibility or not, God Himself will hold us accountable. The pulpit inevitably sets the tone of the religious climate of the nation. A culture void of God simply reflects the lack of conviction in the pulpit as well as the pew. The silent pulpit is not God’s pulpit. We must bend when needed, but not capitulate.

As Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. put it, “Leadership never ascends from the pew to the pulpit, but invariably descends from the pulpit to the pew.”

Destabilization Because Kingdoms are Colliding

I believe that the next hammer to fall — if the riots don’t accomplish their intended purpose — will be a spike in COVID-19. There is also a great deal going on behind the scenes with former generals and other elected and unelected officials working to undermine President Trump. The real reason, in many cases, is because many of these people are holdovers from the last administration (or are Deep State fixtures). So of course they are upset and seeking to be divisive. It’s a strategic ploy designed to protect themselves, especially as subpoenas are being served, crimes investigated, perversion exposed.

This is a key reason behind the huge upheaval. Kingdoms are colliding. All of this is a clear case of the latter half of Romans 1. People are rejecting God, and He is giving them over to a debased and corrupted mind. How else can they justify killing children while promoting deviant sexual behavior? There is no fear of God in the land.

Psychological Warfare

What’s happening in America is a form of psychological warfare. Elevate stress to the point of exhaustion (“Stay at home!”). Then fuel fear so that people give up their rights (“Go to church and you may be committing murder.”). Then put blame on you for the wrongs of the nation, if you have a certain skin color. (“You’re a racist!”) How do we win this psychological battle (the battle of the mind)? We must saturate our minds in the Word and ways of God.

We need to look up at God and not look around at what is going on. Churches need prayer meetings and worship nights, even if it’s just a small group of people. God doesn’t look for huge crowds, He looks for broken hearts. America’s heart needs to break so that deep repentance will take place.

Yes, much of the chaos does have to do with the upcoming vote on Donald Trump’s re-election. (For example, note the spike in Black Lives Matter, Inc.’s activities in 2016 and 2020. Election years. Or blaming Trump, who was a real estate developer until four years ago, for “systemic racism,” while supporting Democratic politicians who have run the system in major cities for generations. Or have been in the halls of Congress for decades.)

But do we really think that we can flood our homes with porn, murder millions of children, satisfy the gods of alcohol, lust, and addiction, mock God’s Word, declare war on the family, excuse racism, promote self-centered politicians, and idolize celebrity pastors who tip-toe around sin, and expect a wonderful life for our nation? No, we cannot.

Patience is Not Approval

Something else is coming down, too: an ungodly foundation. Isaiah 30:1 sheds much-needed light on what is happening: “Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “Who execute a plan, but not Mine, and make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, in order to add sin to sin.” (NASB)

As in the prophet Joel’s day, “joy has withered away from the sons of men” (Joel 1:12). Instead of complaining, though, we need to obey God, who says, “Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord” (v. 14). Is it no coincidence, anti-faith zealots like New York’s Mayor Bill DeBlasio worked so hard to keep churches and synagogues closed?

In a sense, God is saying, “How bad do you want deliverance?” Will you turn to Me with all your heart? Will you starve the flesh in order to be filled with the Spirit via prayer and fasting? Will you humble yourself and repent? If we do, God is merciful and slow to anger. But we must stop confusing His patience with His approval.

You can hear the impactful sermon, “The Destabilization of America” here.

 

Shane Idleman is the founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Southern California and the creator of the WCF Radio Network. His program, Regaining Lost Ground, points us back to God and reminds us that although times change, truth does not. His books, blogs, and sermons can all be found at ShaneIdleman.com.