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The Danger of a Church Without Salt

Do you go to church? If you do, why do you go? What do you think the purpose of the church is? Culture and religion have greatly affected people’s views of the church. Growing up in the church and observing it over the last five decades, I found differing opinions amongst those who led and attended. Some referred to it as “a soul-saving station,” while others felt it was “a hospital for the hurting.” It then moved on to being “Seeker sensitive.” Though these sound nice, shouldn’t we be looking at what Jesus said was the purpose of the church?

We have allowed culture and religion to both define and shape what the church has become. It began with wanting church growth which seemed like a good thing. We then began changing the “language” we used, how we dressed, and the length of the service so it wouldn’t feel like church. The was hope people would feel welcomed and come again because it didn’t disrupt their schedule too much. Then we changed the message and stopped preaching on subjects that might be too intrusive. Instead of teaching the whole truth with conviction, we left out all the “how to live a Biblically holy life” parts because we didn’t want people to feel judged.

But when the church forfeits her boundaries, she has lost her salt. She is no longer effective. In that environment, no one is correctible. Even those in leadership begin living without boundaries. Scripture is clear. The church belongs to God, and He corrects whom He loves. (Hebrews 12:6) God starts dealing with sin in His house first. (1 Peter 4:17)

So what is the purpose of the church? Jesus gave us the answer in Mark 11:17 (NKJV).

17 Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.'” (NKJV) Jesus said this after turning over the money changers’ tables and driving out all those who were selling their wares. But if we back up a few verses, we can see this picture more fully.

Mark 11:11 11 “And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.”

Jesus had taken a good look around at everything, but because it was late, he decided to deal with it the next day. Now let’s look at it in John 2:13-16. 13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”

Jesus literally took all night to think about what He saw. He then made a whip while looking around and watching what they had turned His house into. And with righteous indignation, he cleaned His house.

Jesus had declared the “what” of the church’s purpose in Mark, but in Matthew, He tells us the why. Matthew 21:12-14 12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.'”

14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.

It is imperative that we get this right. If we want to help the sinner find salvation, the misunderstood find acceptance, the broken made whole, the bound find freedom, and the sick made well, we must keep the proper purpose of the church.

We can’t be led by the culture any longer. We must lead the culture. It’s time to bring back the salt. We must be praying, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” If there is going to be a revival, it must start in the church with its leaders. And when they are revived, they will lead the people into revival. We have allowed the unchurched world to lead the church for too long. It’s time for the called to take their place and lead with fire, conviction, and holiness. If we do, then the blind, the lame, and the lost will make their way back into the church and be saved, healed, and delivered.

We don’t have time to waste. Jesus is coming for a bride that is without spot or wrinkle. Let’s be the salt and light to a tasteless and dark world. This resurrection season, let’s be the revived.

Jaime Luce

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Do The Hard Thing!

Do the hard thing even when people don’t understand you. Paul had it in his spirit to go to Jerusalem. His friends, who were believers, even prophetic, told him not to go. They tried to convince him not to do it. But Paul knew what was in his spirit. He told us in 1 Corinthians 4:4 that he conducts himself in all good conscience. In Acts 24:16, speaking of Paul, “So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.”

Don’t disobey to please people if you know that you have heard from the Lord. Keep your conscience clear. Men won’t always understand. That’s because God didn’t speak that to them. They weren’t on a zoom call with you to hear what God said to you. People have good intentions, but they won’t always understand.

If Daniel were facing his choice to be thrown in the lion’s den today, people would have told him, “Dude, listen. You don’t have to do this. Just close your windows and pray in secret. That way, you won’t offend anyone and not risk your life.” But Daniel did what Daniel knew to do. Daniel going headlong into the lion’s den was the very thing that brought glory to God and influence with the king. It was the exact place Daniel was called to serve. His actions caused the removal of those with corrupt influence and the establishment of righteous influence.

If the Three Hebrew boys were facing the fiery furnace today, people would have justified them bowing down and even encouraged it. They would have told them, “it wouldn’t be God’s will for you to die. If you die, how will you do anything for God? That isn’t necessary. God sees your heart.” Ehhh—wrong! The act of being thrown into the furnace influenced the king, causing him to declare that God is the only real God. It was their willingness to do the hard thing that caused their bonds to fall off, and it was that hard thing that brought glory to God.

The kingdom of God is the invisible, influencing the visible. It is the unseen influencing the seen. Like the wind, you see its influence without ever seeing the wind itself. People won’t see that God is influencing you. They will only see later what the impact was. People won’t understand you. Accepting that will help you go from being a people pleaser with no influence to a God pleaser with tremendous influence. Do the hard thing!

Trouble may come before the thing is finished, and people will say, “See, I told you.” But you can’t worry about that. Those same people don’t ask you for your opinion before doing what they think they should do. They aren’t worried about what you think or if you agree. In fact, for Paul, Daniel, and the three Hebrew boys, it looked like they were right.

Let’s look at Paul. If he had listened and not gone to prison, we wouldn’t have most of the New Testament. The influence and reach of Paul’s obedience to what God put in his spirit still speaks over 2,000 years later. We still cling to what he taught us about following Christ.

Don’t waste time judging others. It isn’t your business, and it isn’t your calling. Do what God speaks to you to do so you can influence and make the impact you need to make.
Do the hard thing!

Jaime Luce

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The Hard Truth

Truth is truth regardless of how hard or offensive we may think it is. Our culture has programmed the masses to believe that truth is only truth if we like or agree. Those of this mindset Jesus confronted. After feeding 5,000 people, the number of followers Jesus had multiplied. They were entertained by the miracles and satisfied by what Jesus provided them. But as soon as Jesus told them the hard truth about what they really wanted and what was really necessary to follow him, they were offended.

John 6:60-64 60 Therefore, many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” 61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are Spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.”

Jesus let them know that they would find the life they were seeking if they believed the truth. Without it, all of their efforts would profit them nothing. The hard truth was that they would need to change their minds. They would have to let go of their preconceived ideas. They would need to relinquish the control they clung to. The culture to reject truth was so pervasive that Jesus turned to the twelve and asked if they would leave Him too. Would they be like those who were hard-hearted and only see from a carnal natural perspective? A perspective that only wanted to satisfy their flesh. Or would they be those who lived after the Spirit? Those who would live for eternity and not just the here and now.

Those who love truth respond like Peter. John 6:68-69 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also, we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 

What was the game-changer? How did Peter jump from the dull of hearing to the rock the church was built on? The answer is in verse 69. He knew Jesus. He continued with Him, followed Him, sought Him, and came to believe. It’s ok if you’re in the process of knowing Him. Stay the course and seek the absolute truth. Not the false truth that makes you feel good or that you and everyone else agrees with. Be a seeker of real truth, the hard truth, that you must eat Jesus’ body and drink His blood. That your life is not your own and that you are called for a purpose greater than yourself.

That group is much smaller. But that’s the group that can stand through any storm. Those are the ones who see the miraculous take place. That group of people carry boldness and are not timid or fearful but full of faith and power. This band of believers will get out of the boat and walk on water, and this group of people will shake the world for God’s glory. They will make an impact. They are those who love and proclaim truth! 

I challenge you today. Take a hard look at what you accept or criticize about the Word of God. Jesus said in Mark 8:34-38 34, When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

The choice remains yours. Choose wisely.

Jaime Luce

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You Have What It Takes

There is a misconception that is prevailing in the church. The dangerous and misleading belief is that you just need to say a prayer of salvation, and you’re good. You’ve got a ticket to heaven, and all will be well. Why it’s misleading is because you can receive the mercy and grace of God by just asking. But once you have moved from the children of darkness into the children of light, there is something for you to do. And what he calls us to do has great consequence for us and the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 25:14-30 tells us the parable of the talents. Verse 14 begins like this. “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.” In this parable, the man is dealing with his own servants. He isn’t talking about strangers or outsiders. He is talking about those are his. He then gives one servant five talents, one servant two talents, and the last servant one talent. He gave each according to their ability, so nothing was required of them that they could not handle.

Heaven operates this way. We’re given what we have the capacity to increase. There are no excuses. We should be doing something to grow what we have been given. To bury it is to bury your future and, ultimately, your eternity. It is that drastic!
The servant given five talents made five more, and he heard the words in verse 21, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

Likewise, in verse 23, the second servant was given two talents and heard, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

However, in verses 24-25, the third servant who was given one talent made excuses while placing blame on his lord and said, “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.”

But look what his lord said to him in response. “You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming, I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

This parable closely resembles another parable Jesus gave of the wedding feast in Matthew 22. Someone comes into the wedding without the proper garments on, and the king said to the servants, “Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into out darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

I know this can sound hard but hear me out. You won’t be required to do what you aren’t capable of doing. However, sometimes you’re called to do what you think you can’t do. Moses thought the people wouldn’t listen to him and that he was insignificant and asked the Lord how. The Lord asked him a question in response. “What do you have in your hand?” He then successfully led millions of people to freedom with the rod that was in his hand. And God will do the same with you. You do have what it takes. There are no excuses. God has given you everything you need to be fruitful in this life and the next.

Don’t worry about the one with five talents or the one who has two. Just do what you’re called to do with what you have, which will produce an increase. And when you do, what a reward you will receive when you hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” What a day that will be! So go for it. Do something with what you have and watch God do the impossible through you.

Jaime Luce

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It’s An Opportunity, Not a Setback!

Can you imagine? David, just a shepherd boy, singing and playing his instrument while watching his father’s sheep. When out of the corner of his eye, he sees a lion jump from his hidden position to attack the sheep. By himself, David jumped and ran toward the lion, killing him and saving the sheep.

Now, can you imagine that instead of celebrating his great victory, David instead sits down to say, “Why God? Why did you allow that lion to attack us? I’m no good at this. This is too hard. I guess I shouldn’t be a shepherd. You must not want me to do this.”

Let’s take it even further. David is again worshipping the Lord and watching the sheep graze when out of the shadow comes a bear that is running full force straight at them. Alone again, David kills the bear and saves himself and the sheep.

David could have thought, “Why does this keep happening. I’ve already had to fight a battle. God must not be with me. What am I doing wrong? Why do I always have problems?”

When faced with another problem or another battle, the temptation is to take the victim mentality even if you’ve won the previous battles and think you have a setback. If your self-talk sounds something like, “Just when things were going good, this had to happen.” Or, “Why does this always happen to me?” Then you’ve got to shake yourself loose from the grip of self-pity.

Like David, your past battles had a purpose. They worked for you to enlarge you. The fight you are facing right now is not a setback. It is an opportunity. You can take even more territory. God has more for you!

You can be like David doing a task that seems menial and mundane. You may think this is all there is. Well, I’m here to tell you it’s not. God has opened an opportunity to enlarge you. But taking territory and enlarging is a battle. Anyone who has tried to grow a company understands that enlarging is hard work. It’s an uphill battle with many obstacles. And at every place of enlargement comes a more significant, more intimidating struggle.

David was just delivering bread and cheese when he heard Goliath vomiting his threats and mockings. At that moment, David could have thought, “not again…,” “not another fight.” I’ve already had to deal with a lion and a bear. What more does God want from me?” Thank God he didn’t think those things. Instead, he said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine who defies the armies of the living God?” After finding out the reward, David’s immediate reaction was to run toward the battle. Ours should be the same.

Revelation 1:6 says we are kings and priests unto God. We are overcomers, not down and outers. We advance the kingdom of God and take territory. Like David, we don’t shrink back. (Hebrews 10:38) That day, David was positioned for the palace. The previous battles prepared him for this giant. Just like before, David took that giant down and cut his head off. And saints, so can we!

We are not living in a setback moment. It’s time to advance. It’s time to take new and larger territory and slay our giants! Don’t be intimidated. Don’t listen to the lies and tricks of the enemy. Think from the proper perspective. Take every negative and defeatest thought captive. Deny fear any entrance and march forward in faith. Your victory will position you for your greater purpose and will bring deliverance to you and all those around you.

Jaime Luce

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Misinformation

We’ve all jumped to conclusions. We see something, hear something, or imagine something because we saw nothing and heard nothing. Relying on senses alone will lead to a conclusion that is just as imagined.

After selling Joseph to traders, Jacob’s sons brought Joseph’s coat that was shredded and dipped in blood to their father. They simply asked, is this your son’s coat? Immediately Jacob’s mind took him to the worst-case scenario. He declared that Joseph had certainly been attacked by wild animals and was undoubtedly dead.

Satan uses this method with precision. We watch professional propagandists while ignoring missing facts. News stations and social media platforms hurl accusations as “misinformation” but with no investigation. Though these sources are no longer trustworthy, countless conclusions are made. Finding truth means uncovering all pertinent questions and answers, but the enemy keeps the most valuable information hidden, simply showing us a shredded bloody coat.

Saints, we’ve got to quit falling for this tactic. We don’t have to settle for the devil’s lies. We don’t have to fear the devil or the plans he has for us. We are overcomers. We overcome sin. We overcome death. We overcome oppression. We overcome poverty. We overcome sickness and disease. We overcome fear. I could go on and on. Our God is not mocked. When we know the truth, we are free indeed. Instead of jumping to conclusions, we must say by the Spirit, “and in conclusion.” We need to be declaring it to ourselves and each other. The conclusion is that God has already defeated the enemy. He has pronounced his punishment and declared our victory.

Go to the Word of God. Declare His promises over your life. Ignore the “false evidence” that the devil is waving at you with an “It is written.” Don’t agree with your enemy. Instead, speak life and promise. God’s word is the final say on the matter. Psalm 138:2 “I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.”
There is no higher truth than God’s word. Declare truth today and receive your victory!

Jaime Luce

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If You’re Not Careful, It Will Be To Late

For those who are awake, not woke, but awake, we share a feeling of urgency. Some, because of how uncomfortable the state, ignore it while others are driven by it. Still, others feel trapped and don’t know what to do with it.

The scriptures always contain the answers. If we want wisdom, if we want to know what to do and make the fewest mistakes possible, we must be people of the Word. In what sounds like sadness, or a realization that comes late, Moses prays this prayer recorded in Psalms 90:12. “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

Doesn’t everyone want to know what to do? Yet, there is a second and equally powerful need. To know when to do it. Former chairman of Chrysler, Lee Iacocca, once said, “Even the correct decision is wrong when it was taken too late.” 

We must understand that time is the only commodity that you can’t get back. It’s more powerful than money because you can’t get more. You only have what you have. The body of Christ must act now. Whatever you’re planning to do for God must be done now. Whatever witness you are going to be, be it now. Whomever you are going to reach, reach them now.

To us as a country. We must take action now. There is no more time. It isn’t enough to know what must be done. We must do it now, or it will be too late. We know what wisdom tells us, so let us not be fools. Whatever happens, will be because of what we did or did not do.

Dt. 31:7 “Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.”

Our children will inherit what we cause them to inherit. The burden lies with us. Don’t wait any longer. Be strong. Take courage. Take action. Pursue an inheritance of great value and help them lay hold of it before time runs out.

Jaime Luce

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What Does Surrender Look Like?

What does real surrender look like? Surrender doesn’t mean laying down or throwing up your arms in defeat. Surrendering means wrestling.

God had spoken to Jacob through a dream and told him it was time to go back home and become the man God had purposed him to be. But going home meant facing his brother, whom he had run from and who vowed to kill him, leaving Jacob in the middle of two undesirable scenarios. He was currently mistreated by his trickster uncle Laban who’d deceived him into marrying off his oldest daughter, stole his livelihood by changing his pay ten times, and accused him of theft. All the while, Jacob had caused Laban to prosper greatly. Neither staying nor going was promising, yet God had spoken, and it was time to go.

The original trickster had no more moves. When Jacob realized he had no way to save himself, he prayed this prayer of surrender in Genesis 32:9-12 (NLT). 9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’ 10 I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps! 11 O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children. 12 But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.'”

In this prayer, Jacob faces who he was. He had done nothing to deserve God’s love or kindness and was asking for God’s help. After this prayer and by faith, Jacob sent his family and all he owned ahead and was left alone. We want to think that at this time, God would swoop down and encourage Jacob, give him a pep talk, and assure him that everything would all be alright, but that is not what happened. Instead, a fight ensued.

A “man” came and wrestled with Jacob. Wait. What? Why would God come and fight with Jacob when he was trying to obey? He was already terrified? Because God knew what Jacob did not. For Jacob to go home and face Esau and inherit the promise God made him, he would need to do it as Israel and not Jacob. Verse 28 (NLT) says, 28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on, you will be called Israel because you have fought with God and with men and have won.” The KJV says, “prevailed.” He needed to go back as a victor.

Surrender means we must now contend for the promise God has made us. We realize that on our own, we can do nothing. Left to our own devices and old natures, we will fail. God wants to give us every promise we are believing for, but that means becoming God’s man or woman. He never blesses flesh. What’s born of the flesh is flesh. Jacob’s conniving to receive blessing only birthed Laban’s false blessing in his life. Real blessing, the blessing that was spoken over Jacob before his birth, was that of the Spirit. We wrestle with God over it. We contend and don’t turn loose of it until we get it!

That wrestling match is for your growth. God is not intimidated by you wanting to wrestle it out with Him. He intentionally initiates it. The result will be a change in your walk that’s permanent. No longer will you lean on your own strength but on the surety of God’s word. You will have prevailed. You will walk into situations knowing you are already the victor. Like Jacob, you can advance and face your fear because your identity is no longer that of the guilty or undeserved. Your name has been changed, you’ve received the blessing, and only promise lies ahead. 

Don’t lay down and quit. Surrender, and get in the ring. And don’t turn loose until you get what God’s promised.

Jaime Luce

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Let My People Go

Regardless of the state of a man, God is just. In Exodus, He did not demand that Pharoah worship Him, nor those who lived in Egypt. His command to Pharaoh was simply to allow His people the freedom to do so. He knew at the end that Pharoah would allow them to go and do as He commanded. Still, because He is just, He allowed Pharoah to let them go and worship Him before any judgment would be pronounced against the Egyptian king personally, his land, or his people. God is so good that He gave this defiant, earthly king the ability not to do battle with the King of Kings. And in His mercy, He still gives this ability to the kings, presidents, and officials of today. God is not slow in His deliverance, folks. He is deliberate. And He will always win. Our part is to continue to proclaim the message during the waiting.

But to harden your heart and deny Him will always bring consequences. Pharoah refused 10 God opportunities. Each opportunity was a chance to allow God’s people the freedom to worship when, where, with whom, and for how long He chose. Each act of defiance led to the strong arm of God’s judgment until the eventual plundering of Pharoah, his army, and his people. Make no mistake about it. If God say’s “let them go,” He plans on setting them free.

Today, your lack of freedom may be because of a “Pharoah’s” government interference. It may be an addiction or sickness. You could be financially struggling from a crippled economy. Maybe you live in the chains of bad decisions or past pain. Or perhaps you are sitting in an actual prison.

Let’s begin to do as Moses did. We must cry, “Let my people go, that they may worship me.” Don’t let fear stop you. Moses took his brother with him to help him have the courage. This is why we must stand together in this battle. We are to be each other’s encouragers. And we must stand in faith. Moses expected that God would do the mighty signs and wonders He said He would do. We, too, must trust Him in that same way. God wants to use us to show forth his mighty power in this day and hour. The command has gone out. “Let me people go, that they may worship me.” Who will you be? Moses or Pharoah? The choice is yours.

Jaime Luce

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To obey or not to obey. That is the question.

Christians everywhere are trying to determine what is right and what is not. Our government and media as a whole are crying “foul” against Christians who say anything contrary to their agenda.

The pressure is causing many who are weak in faith to succumb to mandates and ideologies that are contrary to scripture. From the beginning, God made us free. In the garden, we were given freedom of choice. Galatians 5 says, “It was for freedom that Christ has set us free.” The entire book of Exodus is about the dramatic deliverance from slavery to freedom. Our own United States Constitution was written so that we, the citizens of this great nation, would know our freedoms and fight for them when necessary as our forefathers did. In our bill of rights, we are told that our very first freedom is that of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. Right now, every single one of these is under attack.

How should we as Christians respond? I would answer by saying we should respond exactly as God would expect us to. If you fear God, you are not to fear man. Acts 5:29 says, “We must obey God rather than human authority.”

In the book of Exodus chapter one, we read how the children of Israel increased in number and power. So much so that Pharoah and all Egypt feared them even though they had made Israel their slaves. Pharoah then tells the midwives Shiphrah and Puah that if a girl is born, let her live, but if it is a boy, to kill him. This is what Exodus 1:17 says, “But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, also.”

I am sounding the alarm and battle cry. This is a call to action. The people of God are to stand strong. We have our strategy in Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.” Ephesians 6:13-18 Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

We have marching orders as Christians and as citizens. Freedom is Godly and worth fighting for. It’s time to stand and be counted. It’s time to live what we preach. Today I challenge you. Stand for righteousness! Stand for freedom!

Jaime Luce

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