Time To Get Real

Psalm 149:6-9 6 May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, 7 to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, 8 to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, 9 to carry out the sentence written against them— this is the glory of all his faithful people. Praise the Lord. II Corinthians 10:3&4 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war in the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) I heard someone read that passage from Psalm 149 today, and it struck a chord with me in regard to the unfathomable rise in terrorist violence being perpetrated against Jews, Christians, and minority groups not belonging to Islam. Yet before I proceed any further, let me preface the following with this statement; I fully believe there are Muslim people who are sincerely horrified by what they see, as the rest of the sane world is. However, if statistics are truly correct, and the number of terrorists flying under an extremist Islamic banner are so low, we should all be shocked out of our comfort zones. For such a relatively small group to inflict the amount of damage they've been allowed to get away with, we have a serious problem on our hands. Shocking, right? And yes, I said allowed to get away with. If you are a practicing Christian, and you understand that the high praises of God still the hand of our adversary (the devil), then I want to know what everyone who claims Christ is waiting for?! You have to know me and where I've been. If I could cut a fool rug and hang from the chandeliers in wild clubs, then I think I can show up and praise God with no concern for what anyone else thinks of my display. I assure you I cared less than zero percent about what anyone thought when I was drunk. Believe that. If you give credence to the scriptures that tell us our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness, then I'm talking to you. For the record, I'm not a pacifist, I believe a STRONG military response should be given from our nation, but our leadership clearly differs in opinion. Terrorists who are given over to such brutal depravity definitely fit into the category of spiritually wicked individuals. I submit to you that the church must take up the call to bring this wickedness under submission by prayer and unfettered praise. It is prayer that uncovers the secret things, it is praise that confuses the enemy. God is waiting for us to invite Him into the situations that arise, and there is no time like the present. There is a cup of wrath that is being filled, and His justice will prevail. He is merciful and long-suffering, and desires for ALL to turn from what drives them away from Him, but there will be an appointed time of vengeance. I believe the words of Julia Ward Howe are entirely appropriate for what we face as a nation, and I leave them with you as I pray that you will be stirred to personal action. "Mine eyes have seen the glory Of the coming of the Lord He is trampling out the vintage Where the grapes of wrath are stored He has loosed the fateful lightening Of His terrible swift sword His truth is marching on I have seen him in the watch-fires Of a hundred circling camps They have builded him an altar In the evening dews and damps I can read his righteous sentence By the dim and flaring lamps His day is marching on I have read a fiery gospel Writ in burnish'd rows of steel As ye deal with my condemners So with you my grace shall deal Let the hero, born of woman Crush the serpent with his heel Since God is marching on Glory, glory, hallelujah Glory, glory, hallelujah Glory, glory, hallelujah Our God is marching on He has sounded form the trumpet That shall never call retreat He is sifting out the hearts of men Before His judgment-seat Oh, be swift, my soul To answer him be jubilant, my feet Our God is marching on In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea With a glory in his bosom That transfigures you and me As he died to make men holy Let us live to make men free While God is marching on Glory, glory, hallelujah Glory, glory, hallelujah Glory, glory, hallelujah Our God is marching on"