Celebrate America

What a tremendous night Monday, July 6, was at Celebrate America, with Pastors Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne! We are so privileged to be hear. This is exactly what America needs. I am urging every one of you to go to this link and listen to Monday, July 6 and every other night of Celebrate America. If you have to fast forward after worship, please at least listen to the messages of everyone. They all fit together.  

My husband & I took a 6 hour tour of Washington D.C. yesterday. It is my first time here. As we looked at the memorials and faces of people who gave their lives for our freedom, I am even more convinced that we, the body of Christ have a role to play and must be willing to give our lives. It is imperative. It is now or never people. I am going to recap so many good things said Monday night that stood out to me. Some are direct quotes, others paraphrased.  

Before Pastor Rodney preached, he had several guest speakers that took a few minutes. One was Doug Hagmann, the senior reporter of the Hagmann & Hagmann Report. He let us know that we each have a job to do. “You are here to revive the spirit of the America we once were. Many believe it can’t be done, or that it’s too late.” (I have heard many say that lately. They try to give us the fact that The Lord is coming soon and it will happen. Yes, of course, but we are supposed to be the restraining force to hold it back as long as possible.) We are commanded to stand in the gap and to occupy until He comes. He reminded us that we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think we could do something. We have a role and mission assigned to us by our commander and chief, God Almighty! We all have a precise and specific purpose from Him. We need to ask what we can be doing to further His agenda? Our world has been corrupted. We have an assault adjacent to our Christian heritage and beliefs. We must be moved to a course of action. So, my primary purpose in this blog is a call to action. I’m calling up the troops. We each must serve our role.  

These are perilous times for our nation and for us as Christians. There is an agenda to eradicate what they call “our archaic Christian beliefs” and then Christians, period. This has happened in many nations before us such as Russia, China, and others. Before it did, the people of those nations did not believe it could happen or was happening. The ones who see it are ridiculed for conspiracy theories and accused of being pessimistic. We are neither. I am very optimistic. That’s why I am here this week. It is the ones who have backed off the fight that are the pessimistic ones, who have given up or don’t have the stomach for it.  

My Hagmann told us about Dr. Ted Brouer, who gives us a picture of a pre-war nazi Germany through the eyes of his mother. He reminds us that we must be the salt and the light. He tells a story from a book that should cause us to shudder, when a “Nation Forgets God.” The people in this story were eye-witnesses to what happened to the Jews. They were proclaimed Christians but tried to distance themselves from what was happening. I know many friends and family who are already doing that, and I understand why.  Some have said they can’t stand all the arguing taking place on Facebook.  Others have said it is causing them to feel sick. They just can’t take all this misunderstanding and judgment. Others believe that we are not showing enough love so we must be silent or just acquiesce. I was tempted myself, when people whom I love dearly were on the other side, and we felt hurt and separation coming. Yet, I knew deep inside, that I had a moral obligation but this story reminded me of it again. These “Christians,” in Nazi German, livedclose to the train track. They heard the stories of what was happening but refused to believe them. Then, as the train whistle blew, and the train came by their home, they could hear the cries of the Jews being carried like cattle.  Those cries tormented them. It became so disturbing that they learned to sing hymns to cover up the sound. As the train drew closer, they would sing louder until they learned to sing so loudly that they heard them no more.  Later they said, “God, forgive me, and God forgive all of us who call ourselves Christians, yet did nothing to intervene.”  We need to use this example to not cover the screams of others. We need to be activists and stop this agenda of tyranny. We must be the salt and the light.  

In light of the last few weeks, many good people think that giving into sin and perversion is all about freedom and protection and love.  That’s the way propaganda presents itself. To the people of nations that have been taken over by communism, it was “we are for all the people to have what they need and be happy.  We are not just for a few elect. This is for your good.” They had no idea that the change coming would be to wipe out everything Godly, good, and free. Anytime the government steps into what God ordained for marriage to be, and redefines it, we are headed that way. It’s not even about that.  Those people were already free to be together, and to sleep together. It was about changing our laws so that Christians could no longer believe, teach their children right from wrong, change our education system, deny us free speech, etc. Are we going to sit back and do nothing and comply as more and more comes down the pike? We are still free to some extent. The fact that I’m writing this blog means I can use and must use anything in my disposal to stop the tyranny against us.  

We must realize our roles and do them well. There are no political solutions to spiritual problems. We can’t find answers in any man or womanThe only way will be the salvation of our country. The only agent of change is God and He wants us to connect with Him and get our assignment. We must have the courage to stand up to the tyranny and lawlessness and perversions. We must, through our actions, let the people in Washington D.C. know that we won’t tolerate this and will disobey at every turn. My Hagmann reminded us that we had that spirit 23 years ago. They say that only about 3% of the population participated in the revolution. We must win this fight for our children and their children. If one woman could take prayer out of the schools, and one woman, the founder of planned parenthood), could cause hundreds of million of babies to be murdered, what could a few of us do if we would stand up and fight? Our children will ask, “what did our generation do about it?”

Another speaker last night was Coach Dave Daubenmier. He has coached high school football for 35 years, very successfully. He was sued by the ACLU for mixing prayer with coaching. It was a long, tough, 2-year battle for his 2nd amendment rights. However, he won. He then felt led to move out of coaching to coach God’s people and formed “Pass the Salt” about engaging us in a cultural war. He began by quoting Rom. 1:16. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” He said, “we are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus, are we?“ Then he answered for us with “yes, we are.” All we have to do is look at what is happening outside. The salt has lost it’s savor. Jesus said that when that happens, it is good for nothing. Every Christian should have passion. We have lost that and our first love for Him.  What’s wrong with us? We’ve lost our courage and our vision. As a coach, he reminded us that we have to play to the end. We love the beatitudes of Matt. 5.  But after all those nice ones about this group will be blessed and this one will be blessed.  It actually says in v. 11-13 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”  “When was the last time you rejoiced under persecution?”  Uh, oh, I’m not sure that I ever have.  How about you?  

We are the salt of the earth. How real is our salvation to us?  Coach Daubenmier said that when he got born again in 1987, the Holy Spirit did for him what a phone booth did for Clark Kent. He went from serving the king of beers to the King of Kings in one moment. If our salvation is that real, we must become engaged in this culture.  It’s not over yet. Our enemy is organized. The devil isn’t just after us personal, It feels like it at the time.  We should be strengthened for a far greater cause. When the ACLU sued him, he didn’t know what to do at first. He had this great Christian life before, was winning football games, enjoying himself. But now, he knew he could not whine and pray some jelly-fish prayer. He defined that for us. (A Christian without a backbone). This is a war!!! He prayed, “Lord let the world see a Christian man who will not bend.” He knew that he had to be as he told his football players to be. He used to tell them, “When you have your helmet strapped on and$250.00 worth of shoulder pads on, and knee pads that your momma bought you, do not whine because the enemy knocked you on your butte. As Christians, we whine,” they’re mean to me, my boss may not like me, I may lose my job.” He shoe been forgiven much, loves much. Think about the sacrifice that Christ paid and we have an opportunity to stand up for Him and won’t because the enemy hits hard and is viscous.  

All of God’s laws were placed in the Bible for everyone’s protection. For instance, “do not steal” is not to take away your fun but so that the people around you do not have devastating consequences and innocent people will not be hurt. That’s why we are not to commit adultery or fornication or murder. People ask “why are you do bigoted and judgement and against people being able to do what they want?” It is not about me and that person.  It is not about us but the untold innocent lives that will be destroyed by the sin.  

Coach Daubenmier held up two hats that are on his table. They both have a cross on them but one is in blue and red and the other is camouflaged.  The latter was for those Christians who like to hide. LOL As a football coach, when they became successful, it was because he knew the best players were walking the hall instead of on the team and he had to recruit them. So, he walked the halls and did so. He asked, can you clap? Can you do jumping jacks? Then, we need you. We need a hundred guys doing jumping jacks before the game to intimidate the other team. They joined. Once they became part of the team, something amazing happened. They went from doing jumping jacks, to the weight room, and to knocking helmets off the opposing players.  

We need Christians to appreciate the gifts on the inside of us. We need to quit watching, from the bench,  the professional Christians do it. All of us can do something. If you don’t believe you are called to make the big plays, make sure you get the ball to the one who an. Ask, what can I do? God needs you.  It is time for all hands to be on deck.  

This coach began to win. At first it was just by running out there because there were so many of them. It was intimidating to the other team. That’s why we need to unify and why we have come to D.C. this week. When the battle is being waged, we need all hands on deck, but we have not yet come together enough. He formed the Salt & Light Brigade. We can either sit on our couches with a fatalistic attitude or get tired of what is going on while the world goes to hell. In the first Gulf War, they began to bomb the enemy in what was called the “Shock it All.” It was 31 days where they bombed Bagdadbefore even one trooper was sent in on the ground. We have an air force, called“prayer force.” The infantry are the ones who make phone calls, send faxes, and do emails. Then there is the SWAT team, the Spiritual weapons & tactics who are willing take bullets for the cause of Christ.  We have to be strategic. In war, they can’t just bomb or shoot wherever. You can’t win like that.  

Another speaker encouraged us to win the lost.  His name is Pastor Kwabena Kobby Sarpong. I was challenged. We must go out and bear fruit. If you and I are not bearing fruit we are not a Christian, if you don’t know how to win souls you are a fake…plain & simple!  We must rise as a people and bring in the lost.  Ps. 2:8 says, “8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” We must ask God, but then step out and do something. Many are perishing. He’s given us the power to do anything, over all the power of the enemy. We have a responsibility to step out and preach Jesus. If we do not, Isis, Al-Qaeda and perversion of every kind will take over the land. If we do our part God will come down and heal our nation. He promised that He would. He said something that is so powerful. “Christianity without soul winning is mere religion. You must go after souls. We must cry out for those souls and take America by storm. Why are we here?  Jesus said a price for you and me to be here and be saved. He must use us since you use what you pay for or you waste it.  We must be useful to HIm. 1 Cor. 6:19-20 -“19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s."
What are you doing with your body? Are you telling people what He did for you? Are you taking America by force?  Matthew 11:12says, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” Here is a place that I believe the enemy has been very successful in side-tracking us. Everyone is talking about love winning and being peaceful, and not arguing. You can’t win a war like that.  The United States bombed nations and shot rifles. Blood ran and it was ugly.  We did that because we love people and could not let the bad guys win and take over nations and enslave people. It was never against the individual that we had to shoot. We must become radical Christians without fear. Ezekiel 3:8“Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.” We must quit being afraid of their faces. Jeremiah 1:8 “Be not afraid of their faces:  for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.”

The only thing that God ordained us to, was to be a soul-winner. Any of us in ministry were ordained through a church. But the Bible says in John 15:16 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:  that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” He has ordained us to bear much fruit. God owes us nothing.  We owe Him everything. He saved us and gave us life. It is time to give back so that His death on the cross will not be in vain.  

One of the things that I have read on Facebook over the last few weeks over and over is this…the problems of the nation lie at the feet of the church, for not winning the lost. I couldn’t agree more. We have been ashamed to preach the Gospel. Shame on us for even calling ourselves Christians.  However, some have taken it to far and said that’s all we are to do. I disagree. As long as I am free and have constitutional amendments, I must utilize everything to preach, the written page, social media, my mouth, tracts, soul winning scripts, media, advertisement, family gatherings, etc. Let’s take back America.  

My husband served through 3 wars, the occupation of Germany after WW2, the Korean and Vietnam Wars. My father served a year in Vietnam. My son is an officer in the United States Navy. Why? Because they believed freedom was worth fighting for. I still do. So, come on Christians, let’s put on our big boys and girl’s panties, and get the job done. God Bless America!

Dr. Debbie Rich Rester