HOLD THE LINE! DO NOT GIVE UP!

 I BELIVE IT WILL BE JUST AS IT WAS TOLD ME  ACTS 27:25
 
CAN IT GET ANY WORSE?
I woke up with this thought the other day; "Lord, can it get any worse?" The answer to this question, I believe, is yes, and it might get worse before it gets better. Why? Because there is a principle in life: it is that people don't usually take action until they are actually forced to. We see the butterfly in a transition; it takes their personal force to make the transformation. We can look at Science—it takes a catalyst to make a change. When threatened with a serious illness, folks are ready to change their lifestyle or diet. Many examples could be cited. When our very freedoms are being threatened, we take action. And we are seeing this, of course.
Many folks are waking up to the reality that something must be done, because the enemy is trying his best to bring our nation down, and to ultimately remove all of our freedoms: the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to bear arms, freedom to gather, etc. But unfortunately, many people are still sleeping or just not taking any kind of action.
When this whole thing started last year, many of us got excited. You see, many have been praying for a great awakening in our nation for many years. Many have seen the condition of the church and have been praying for a breakthrough! So last year, many saw that a ‘catalyst’ came to wake up the Laodicean church. Do you remember the National Day of Prayer last year? Do you remember the Return? And the many other gatherings of the church?? This was the response to the catalyst. It was a great start! The church began to rise up. We saw the face of the church in America online and in person! It was amazing!! We saw that we are actually a mighty army all over our nation!
WHERE ARE WE TODAY?
 Is the great awakening here?  Well, no, not quite yet. We are still ‘in the birth canal’. We are like a woman in labor, and we are in the transition stage. That stage is so painful! And it is so urgent. The closer we are to the birth, the more intense the pain becomes. There is no turning back at that point! You have no choice—you have to stay focused and wait for the time to push! If you have had a baby, you know the intense pain. The transition phase is the most painful but the most important. At that point, you have no other choice but to stay in the game! (You can't 'check out' or give the assignment to someone else! You have to move forward in your destiny.) ​And you can’t start pushing until the right time, right? I remember the doctor saying ‘Don’t push yet! It’s not time!” That is where we are now, still in the birth canal; we want to push! But it isn’t time yet. But after the birth, you forget the travail. When you see the new birth, the new baby, you are so happy! Let me assure you, the baby IS coming….
Another analogy is at the Red Sea. We are crossing over the Red Sea and trusting that everyone will get across before the water comes over Pharaoh and his army. Many prophetic words have come forth about this picture.
Another picture is the one about Lazarus coming back to life; it is about death first and then resurrection after. I love the recent vision that Veronika West had, about a tree stump. The tree stump represents a tree that has been cut down—a nation and leader that were cut down. But what we don’t see is the root system below the stump! That root system is still there, and the tree is being restored, even though we can’t see it in the natural. You see, the tree had to be cut first. Everything of the old had to be removed before the new could come. But then the branches started to regrow, and soon the tree became even bigger and better than before. THIS IS WHERE WE ARE, AND WHY IT IS TAKING SO LONG. The old ‘republican and democrat’ system has to be uprooted and pulled down. The prophets are doing exactly what God told Jeremiah to do, they are declaring what is going to happen and speaking it out loud and clear: Jeremiah 1:10 “See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.” The old must be removed before the new can come. Evil must be removed. Then the new growth can come.
ENDURE HARDSHIP AS A SOLDIER
What is happening to us, as believers? Well, like I mentioned above, we are dying. We as a nation, are dying to the old and getting ready for the new. We, too, are dying to our self, and sowing to the spirit. We are stepping up in our prayer and declarations, and most of all, our authority! We are becoming like Christ! Wow. We are being tested in every way! As believers in this process, we are exercising our faith and patience. No one is immune. We are all being challenged; in fact, this evil agenda is worldwide. Some, of course, are luke-warm, complacent or have their head in the sand. Others are on the sidelines ‘waiting till it all unfolds’. But many are being strengthened and alert!
HOW THEN SHOULD WE LIVE?
So, this is the best question at this juncture. What is our role? What can we do? Well, we are in a spiritual war. And usually in war time, it’s ‘all hands on deck’! So, there is something for ALL of us to do. Everyone is needed! It’s time to get off the sidelines and find our place.
I will end with some suggestions:
1. DO NOT JUMP SHIP! This is not a time to stop your fellowship with the Lord and with the body of Christ.  Stay connected! Get in a church, prayer group, small group, etc. We need each other. It’s no time to be a lone ranger; there is too much at stake. When you are isolated, you become a prime target for the enemy. And his goal is to take you out.
2. STAY IN FAITH! KEEP YOUR FAITH ENGAGED! KEEP YOUR ARMOR ON— DON’T DROP YOUR SHIELD OF FAITH! Take time to read Bible stories where God wins! (There are plenty of them!) Or listen to preaching, or testimonies. I like to listen to the prophets, since they show us what is happening in the spirit realm and what is coming. Try not to watch the doom and gloom stuff; it will short circuit your faith.
3. FIND YOUR MOST EFFECTIVE PLACE OF SERVICE. What mountain are you called to? Should you be running for office? I heard that there are a thousand openings across the nation in school boards, city council, judges, senate and house—local and state. Are you qualified? Why not run for office? Are you a prayer warrior? Then keep praying! You know the mountains—whatever one you are called to, step out in that mountain and let your light shine.
4. HOLD THE LINE! DO NOT QUIT!! Watching the Olympics always shows us a real-life example of people who seriously do not give up. They put their bodies through rigorous training, and even end up with sprains, breaks and bruises. But the ones who make it never give up. I think it is very fitting that the Olympic games are taking place now, as a prophetic picture of what we should be doing: 'keep fit, stay in the game and win'. . The truth is that they had a goal before them, to win. Theirs was a personal goal, but we have an even greater goal. Ours is for freedom for our children and grandchildren. Ours is to plunder hell and populate heaven! We are ALL in this battle for the life of our nation and for the lives of our descendants. We are reminded of the words of Winston Churchill: “Never, never, never, never, never surrender”.  This should be our mantra: “We will never comply. We will never surrender. We will never give in to the enemy’s plans. We cannot be defeated (with God on our side) and we will not quit! God will do exactly what He has said, and we believe it. We believe the prophets and it will be just as God has spoken through the Word and prophets of God!! America is being resurrected. Justice is coming! Exposure (of evil) is coming! America will not fall into the hands of the devil but she will be rescued by the hands of our living God! And we WILL see the great awakening come and the huge harvest of souls in America! We will find our place on the wall, with our work piece in one hand and our sword in the other. And as the pressing continues, we will STAND and not quit, for we were brought here for such a time as this, in Jesus’s name, Amen”.
Acts 27:25 Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.