A thick blanket of the Holy Spirit covers the crowd as I start my appeal to come to Jesus.  A phenomenon no one but God can explain ensues.  Chains begin falling off of God haters, the homeless, addicts and just plain people who need Jesus.  Souls that would have nothing to do with each other on the street flow together forming a river of humanity forging its way forward to be set free. That happened under the tent tonight.
But I saw something tonight that truly makes me angry with what the devil has done to the American church.

Tonight I saw a group of people who truly want God. Tonight I saw pastors who love one another. Tonight I saw something we used to see before we lost so much. No frills, no perks, just a raw love for God. These twin miracles truly convicted me of what America needs right now.
These believers in Marysville are not just beautiful in Jesus, their pure motive serves as a great rebuke to so much of the attitude of modern church. These soldiers of Jesus want to serve and reach out. What a contrast to the complacent and lukewarm spirit that is so widespread and damaging.
These true Christians did just lay hands on one another, they fought for healing and God rewarded them with many miracles.
More than ever I know Lucifer wanted the spirit-filled army of God missing when America needed her most. It worked…we were missing. It wasn’t because we believed a lie but because we abused truth.

When you hear a spirit-filled Christian say “it’s all in God’s hands and it will all turn out as He wants” it’s a comforting thought that is hard to debate, but it is not what we need now. How can anyone take up the weapons of God in faith if they believe their choices don’t matter? Why try to change the world if you believe it’s solely God’s job?
Grace, a glorious truth that should make us broken with gratitude, and drive us to please God with all our heart became an excuse for some to run wild. Steve Hill heard one of them say, “’You guys are old-fashioned ‘holiness,’ we are modern day ‘grace.’ You live in bondage while we can do anything we want.” They see no point to repentance or sacrifice. How can anyone be an effective weapon with this attitude?
Gloom and doom preaching does the same thing. While it rightly warns of dark days some take it to the point of thinking everything is supposed to get worse. In fact, by attempting to have a moral awakening, you are opposing God’s plan.
This keeps the church on the defensive by telling them to take cover.  Fear sells books, conspiracy theories sell survival, not revival.  Gloom and doom prophets—like good democrats—must cheer on global domination, global warming and global disasters to keep Christians buying.  They do not equip you to confront and conquer evil because they don’t believe it’s possible.

Many are playing games.  Facebook is like a playground for giddy believers.  In one compressed medium, you witness the banal bacteria that excites immature believers today. Witness the games:
Titles like Prophet and Apostle are flung around indiscriminately.  Every garish emotional experience is hawked as being from God.
Conferences promise that you will get “a word from God” for a fee… as if the Holy Spirit was On Demand.  Or they offer formulas to “activate” blessings, using terminology dangerously close to new age.
God is not a force to manipulate—He is an awesome person to be adored and obeyed.  Gifts come as the Spirit wills, to hearts broken—emptied of self—for the lost, the poor, and the forsaken.
Good messages made us passive. But everywhere you look in the Bible it is against passivity and advocates action: “fight the good fight of faith…” “Endure hardness as a good soldier…” “Resist the devil…” “Take the sword of the Spirit…”
God has chosen to act in answer to prayer.  He waits until His people rise and take their rightful place in the arena of battle.  Young David saw the stalemate.  No one challenged Goliath.  David couldn’t stand it. He offered himself to God.  God is looking for someone like that today—someone who can’t live with evil, who can’t stomach the perversion, and is enraged to see God dishonored.  Someone God can use to turn the tide of America.
There’s a miracle growing in Marysville. I am filled with wonder and fear about what will happen next.