Over the last 4 years, the American people have been inundated with endless news cycles of election fraud. From before President Trump even took office, the Democratic party was espousing the fraudulent nature of his rule due to Russian interference in our elections. Now the Republican party has been espousing that the 2020 election was filled with illegitimate voters, irregular protocols, and illicit activities. No matter our opinions regarding the left or the right's claims (although to quote a certain politician, "We are entitled to our own opinion, but not our own facts"), I believe the outbreak of fraud at all levels in our government is directly related to the fraudulent condition of another governing body - the church.
I have been and currently am on my knees in intercession for our nation. I have not ceased to pray for America throughout the current election crisis. I gather with prayer groups, share prayer videos on social media, log on to zoom prayer meetings, read prayer declarations, and more. So, hear me, beloved: I am still in this fight. I believe that God wants to restore America the liberties that he granted her at the cost of our Founding Father's blood. I truly believe He wants to see who will stand with Him and fight on the side of liberty, the side of freedom - the side of right. But to be on the side of right is about more than declaring the hope and encouragement of what we believe God desires to do - it's also about speaking the hard even painful truths. Now, please understand - I am not here to throw stones. After all, I myself am a Christian and I make up the very church body that I am about to criticize. Even further, I am a leader within a local expression of the body of Christ, so my accountability is much greater than the average attender. So I share what I feel God spoke to me with fear and trembling, as I am as much to blame as the next believer.
I was in my church's sanctuary praying for this nation last Thursday. I was pacing and weeping and crying out to the Lord for mercy as I laid before him the censorship that is spreading like a fast growing cancer, the topsy-turvy nature of science in our land that calls make-believe irrefutable proof, and the calloused nature of countless men and women who voluntarily end over half a million heartbeats in the womb in this nation each year. Even in spite of these wretched truths, I believe God has a destiny for America to be a shining light for the world. I believe God's will is for our religious liberties to continue and our moral compass to be restored. But just as it's not enough for us to believe something without accompanying action, it's not enough for us to weep for the sins of our nation's society and government without first weeping for ourselves, Beloved. And it is this very truth that I feel the Sovereign Lord dropped in my heart last Thursday in prayer. Through teary eyes, I saw a vision of a golden calf set up in the middle of the sanctuary, with crowded worshippers dancing and singing around it. It took me by surprise since I knew God had shown our Lead Pastor/my husband a vision of angels digging a well of glory in that exact spot. But I was struck motionless as I stared at the image of this massive, gleaming idol set up in the church, and I realized that this golden calf was not simply about our congregation, but about the church in America.
Almost as quickly as the vision began, the Lord spoke these words to me: "How can you pray for election fraud in your nation when my church is full of ELECTion fraud herself?" I knew immediately the play on words the Lord was giving me. We are called the ELECT of God all throughout scripture, Beloved ( Matt 24:31;Luke 18:7; Col 3:12). We are the ones HE has chosen to represent Him in the earth. The church is God's elect. Then the Lord continued, "You have fraudulently elected pastors, fraudulent prophets, fraudulent teachers, fraudulent worship in the church. You must repent."
And so I did.
I wept for allowing compromise to be shrouded in consecration. I cried for allowing profit to replace true prophets. I mourned for our love of popularity over purity, relativity over righteousness, and self-absorption over self-denial. For far too long now, the North American church has branded our own version of worship: it's cool, it's hip, dressed in ripped jeans and flashing pearly white teeth as smoke machines and light shows move around it. It's a money making, crowd gathering, VIP seating, high energy experience. It's a "feel good prophetic word for every year, glittered with promises of achieved destiny, along with growing blessing, success, and followers" kinda worship. And while some of the glitz and glamour has a beauty to it that God loves, much of the genuine-imitation-gold colored shine is being rubbed off in this hour to show the rusty underbelly of this machine we have disguised as true worship. Now is the hour for Fraudulent election to be addressed in the church.
Now, the word fraudulent is a strong word. It is most often understood to mean, "obtained, done by, or involving deception, especially criminal deception" (Meriran-Webster). But it also means, "unjustifiably claiming or being credited with particular accomplishments or qualities," and oh, how that last definition stings us, Church. Think about that in light of what I believe God spoke to me in prayer regarding "fraudulent election" among us: unjustifiable claims of accomplishments and qualities.
The irony is not lost on me that in the spot where my husband/lead pastor saw a glory well being dug, is the place I saw a golden calf fully erected. The Spirit of the Lord whispered to my heart that this is a symbol of man receiving the glory that was meant for God - that we His church "unjustifiably claim accomplishments" for ourselves. In Isaiah 42:8 the Lord said, "I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images." Church, when worship has been about a feeling we receive over an offering we give, we have fraudulent election among us. When preaching has become about a 30 minute pep talk over a word the pierces, corrects, instructs, and establishes doctrine in our hearts, then we have fraudulent election among us. When streaming our church services becomes about convenience to stay home because we want to stay in our pajamas instead of a service offered to those who are truly sick or shut in, then we have fraudulent election among us. We must tear down the idolatry of self-promotion, self-ease, and self-centeredness and return to the humility and perseverance it requires to dig a well of glory that doesn't even belong to us. We humble ourselves in order that HE may be the only one exalted. We work ourselves in order that HE may receive the resting place He alone deserves.
The irony is also not lost on me that in the center of the sanctuary, I saw an extremely large golden bull. The symbol of our nation's wealth is the Bull of Wall Street. As long as we put wealth and prosperity at the center of our success, church, we are worshiping an idol. We all know this. We teach it, we discuss it, and say amen to it. But I firmly believe Holy Spirit is asking us to make sure our worship of God is not tied to our bank account. If everything comes crumbling down around us and our bank accounts are bare, will our faith also be found in the same condition? Will the emptying of our economy also reveal the empty nature of our worship? I am not prophesying the destruction of the American dollar; this is not a 'thus saith the Lord.' But I am asking that we take this unique moment in our history to detangle our worship from our wealth and our faith from our finances.
Now is the moment, church. While it is 'still called today' let us throw off every sin and weight that has entangled us as the Western church (Hebrews 3:7-11; 12:1). Let us get on our faces and search our own hearts and call each other into accountability now before the greater shaking comes. Who knows? It just might be that as we deal with our own election fraud, we will see the government of this land's corruption revealed and healed as well. But it starts with us. It starts with the church (1Peter 4:17) and it must start now.
Comments