April 19, 2022

Impossible People

There is an obvious diversity of thought in the body of Christ regarding the future of America and, indeed, the world. Some believers hold no hope for a great, worldwide revival. There are various reasons for this. One of them is due to an eschatological view that there will be an across the board, worldwide increase of evil and deterioration of righteousness, including within the Church. In their thinking, a pre-tribulation rapture of the church is the only thing that can and will save us. Others do not see a revival and turnaround in America simply because of the degree and depth of our sin, compounded by the fact that more Americans aren’t repenting of and turning from our evil ways. (I write of my feelings toward this in my book, An Appeal To Heaven.) They also would point to the continued trending toward darkness by so many. This thinking that America is heading toward destruction has recently been confirmed in their minds by recent dreams and prophecies warning of America’s judgment and destruction.

While I am not disputing anyone’s dream or word in this post - as yesterday’s post stated, great shakings are coming - I am contending that judgment can be lessened and, at times, stopped by intercession (Genesis 18:22-33; Ezekiel 22:30-31). I am also contending that if judgment is reaped/does occur, it will be redemptive and America will survive. God is not finished with America!

I first heard the words, “America shall be saved,” from the late Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, who contended that he heard it from Holy Spirit. Then, God gave a powerful dream to our friend, Gina Gholston, in which an angel announced the words at the U.S. Capitol. I know there will be some shaking, but I also know America SHALL be saved.

My friend and fellow-believer in America’s unfinished destiny, William Ostan, agrees and wrote the following case for continued prayer for our nation. His belief in prayer’s effectiveness is why he introduced me years ago to the Appeal To Heaven flag. Will knows, “It still works.” He states:

“As world events have continued to spiral out of control with massive inflation crippling an already weakened America, a resurgent Russia’s illegitimate war in Ukraine, and an aggressive China making its intentions plain for eventual world domination by the end of this decade, the church now has a stark choice on how it responds to these and other difficult circumstances. Will we retreat in the face of overwhelming odds and prepare for what some deem an inevitable defeat? Or will we stay engaged in the culture through prevailing prayer and a resolute determination to overcome the odds, becoming ‘impossible people’?

“In his book, Impossible People: Christian Courage and the Struggle for the Soul of Civilization, author Os Guinness[1] writes,

“‘In the golden era of the Roman Empire, Pliny the Younger advised Emperor Trajan that Christians should be executed solely for their tenacity and intransigence. “Whatever the nature of their admission, I am convinced that their stubbornness and unshakable obstinacy ought not to go unpunished.”’[2].

“Christians in the early church confronted far more dire consequences than we do today, including instantaneous death or dismemberment for illegally proclaiming the gospel, yet they refused to stay silent and cower in fear! Instead, they became known as ‘impossible people’ because of their courageous stand marked by ‘unshakable obstinacy.’ We would be wise to draw inspiration from their strength for our current cultural moment!

“Guinness accurately describes the thinking in America by stating,

“‘Christians throughout the West often appear to be on the back foot. They have been told repeatedly that their prospects are hopeless. In a thousand withering dismissals we have heard that we are fighting a losing battle and the game is already over. [As] Christians…our day is done, our disagreements with others are a matter of bigotry, and we are reactionaries and on the “wrong side of history.”’3]

“We are fed these lies by the world daily and, sadly, at times by some leaders in the church. For years, countless books, articles, and speeches have stated that a ‘post-Christian’ America is fait accompli, and her eventual doom is imminent.

“How did we come to believe these lies? In my opinion, one of the reasons is that some leaders have constructed an idol of comfort in the hearts of millions of American Christians. But instead of being lulled into complacency, we need to be reawakened to our holy calling as ‘impossible people,’ those who will suffer anything for the glorious cause of Christ and stand resolutely in the face of cultural decay, come what may.

“Guinness teaches us that,

“‘As salt and light in today’s extraordinary world, our contribution is indispensable. We are not simply guardians of some of the best of the past, but pioneers whose task is to stand against the world for the future of the world – and for the very sake of humanity.’[4]

“‘Standing against the world’ simply means to resist the unbiblical ideals and control of those who oppose the church. And I want to home in on Guinness’ ‘very sake of humanity’ phrase. Recently, there have been some prophetic words and dreams matriculating through the body of Christ that predict several states seceding from the union, significant food shortages, and a total dismantling of our monetary policy. I’m not qualified to say if these predictions are true or not.

“However, I am confident that if these things occur, there will be major rioting and looting, leading to much death and destruction. The ‘thin red line’ between order and chaos will rapidly cease to exist. Storing up a few cans of food and bottles of water would likely be the least of our concerns. If the dreams are from God and come to pass, I believe we will experience widespread suffering in America at a level unknown since the Civil War.

“One of the reasons God gives His people dreams of this nature is so we can pray fervently for mercy and turn the tide of history. At times, however, the unintended consequence of hearing a warning dream can be to short-circuit the praying church, causing them to acquiesce and hunker down for the inevitable. This is human nature. The worst may indeed come to pass. BUT, I believe ‘history belongs to the intercessors’[5] who are willing to change it through prayer and fasting.[6] Mercy may once again triumph over judgment!

“Some of you may be thinking that I’m ‘Pollyannish’ or ‘blindly love America too much’ to see the impending judgment. I ask you to consider the heroes in the book of Hebrews’ ‘Hall of Faith.’ Their incredible exploits compel us to continued engagement. Allow these words from Hebrews 11:32-34 and 12:1-2 to permeate deep into your heart and mind:

“‘And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets – who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight…Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.’[7]

“Overcoming overwhelming odds by being ‘impossible people’ is not just in our spiritual DNA, it is our destiny. Winston Churchill echoed this truth during WW2 by teaching the following to all freedom-loving people, ‘When great causes are on the move in the world…we learn that we are spirits and not animals, and that something is going on in space and time, which, whether like it or not, spells “duty.’”[8]

“Friends, if a time of worldwide crisis is imminent, that is precisely why this is the greatest time to be alive, courageously following in the footsteps of the mighty men and women of the past who did their duty as ‘impossible people!’”

Pray with me:

Our Father, we ask You to show mercy to America. We plead with You to send another Great Awakening to our beloved country. We remind You of the memory of all the “impossible people” You used in our founding, during the civil war, the two world wars and other times of national crisis. Help us to do our duty today as “impossible people” while we serve Your purposes in our generation.

Lord Jesus, help us to run the race in this life while we look to You to for strength and encouragement. We acknowledge that the course laid out before us hasn’t changed; the conditions have simply become uncomfortable and unfavorable. Therefore, Holy Spirit, fill is afresh and anew as we set our faces toward the mark and run with endurance…for the sake of humanity.

Our decree:

We decree that as “impossible people” we will stand against the world, for the future of the world, and that America shall be saved!

Bio:

William J. Ostan is a medically retired U.S. Army Major and combat veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is the Founder and President of Arc of Justice, a nonprofit organization that advocates for wounded warriors still on active duty. Will is currently spearheading the Wounded Warrior Bill of Rights (H.R. 6043) in Congress. You can find out more about his story at www.arcofjusticeusa.org

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

[1] This post draws heavily from insights gleaned from Os Guinness’ books. In my opinion, he is one of the most important public intellectuals for the church today. He is extremely intelligent, humble, and sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I’ve found this to be a rare trifecta. Os still has a paradigm for the possibility of nation-wide reformation through another Great Awakening. I highly recommend all his books but especially Renaissance, Last Call for Liberty, The Magna Carta of Humanity, and Impossible People.

[2] Os Guinness, Impossible People: Christian Courage and the Struggle for the Soul of Civilization (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2016), 30. Quoting Robert Louis Wilken, The Christians as the Romans Saw Them (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1983), 23.

[3] Guinness, Impossible People, 26.

[4] Ibid., 27.

[5]https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/8333426-history-belongs-to-the-intercessors---those-who-believe-and

[6] In World Order, Henry Kissinger wrote “Each generation will be judged by whether the greatest, most consequential issues of the human condition have been faced, and that decision to meet these challenges must be taken by statesmen before it is possible to know what the outcome might be.” Accessed in Guinness, Impossible People, Quote Section. Put another way, the future is never inevitable so we must face it full of fiery faith empowered by the courage of our convictions while believing that we can partner with the Lord of History to fulfill His purposes in our generation (Acts 13:36). To choose abdication, appeasement, or acquiescence is to lose by default as nature abhors a vacuum and evil will inevitably fill the void. British statesman Edmund Burke put it best by stating, “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

[7] ESV

[8] Guinness, Impossible People, Quote Section.