The United States Army has a doctrine that has been called "The Three Critical Questions," which should be asked in any situation that requires action, and certainly in this present crisis. These questions are:

1) What is happening?
2) What is not happening?
3) What can we do about it?

Though some of the principles I am about to address can be applied on a wider basis, I am directing them to Christians as a spiritual perspective in relation to how the church should respond to them.

1) What Is Happening?
To answer this first question it is crucial that we understand this attack on our country was the work of the devil, not God. Obviously the Lord allowed it, or it could not have happened. We do need to understand why He allowed it. Even so, we must have established in our hearts that this was in no way the work of the Lord if we are going to have the proper response to the situation. Even the lowest level of discernment will know that the works of the Lord have much more dignity, grace, and honor than to use such terrorist attacks that are so obviously diabolical in their basic nature. Of course, the devil tries to have men blame God for such evil and perverted deeds as an affront to God because if men begin to believe that the Lord is behind something so lacking in honor, it will cause them to lose their trust in Him. Again, we must be resolute in our understanding that this was the work of the devil, not God.

Once we settle the fact that this is the devil, we need to understand why he incited these acts. Because his attacks are always intended to thwart the purposes of God, the devil was obviously trying to weaken, or destroy that which God is using, or is about to use. For him to incite such an attack upon the heart of the United States economy and military is a very good indication that God is about to use both of these in a significant way.

2) What Is Not Happening?
Once again, we need to settle that this is not judgment from God even though He allowed it. We may wonder what the difference is, but there is a lot of difference, and understanding the difference can greatly affect our actions.

In I Peter 4:17 we read, "judgment begins with the household of God." If this were the beginning of God's judgment then these planes should have hit churches, not the government or economic centers. Most unfortunately, much of the church in the United States is currently filled with all the same evil the world is guilty of. It would not be just for the Lord to judge the world for what are now the practices and nature of so many in His own household. This is not in any way to detract from the serious nature of the corruption in the church or in the nation, but we do need to understand that this is not yet judgment if we are going to respond correctly.

Another thing that is not happening is that this is not an attack of Islam upon America. Possibly the most devastating deception the accuser has been able to perpetrate upon the human race, is to sow the tendency for us to judge other people groups and cultures by their most extreme elements. This is just as true of the way the world views Christianity, as it is Islam. The KKK claims to be a Christian organization, but the terrorism perpetuated by that group is as diabolical as that which is perpetuated by the extremists of Islam. If we are going to walk in truth we must discern that the true nature of any group will not be reflected by the extremes on either end. There is a ditch on either side of the path of life, but we must stay on the path of life.

Having said that, I also do not believe it is accurate to say, "Islam is a peaceful religion." For any religion to have a doctrine that states if anyone converts from that religion they should be killed is using terror to control its people in a most basic way. Such teaching could obviously breed terrorism and make it seem an acceptable behavior. Is this what the Koran teaches, or just the teaching of extremists? We will address this in more detail at a later time. Even so, it is wrong for us to judge any people group, culture, or religion by its most extreme elements.

3) What Can We Do About It?
Why did the Lord allow this? He had to. In this age He is compelled to respond to and help those who want Him. That is why He says in Revelation 3:20: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him...." Our nation has basically asked the Lord to leave our schools and our public places. He is now on the outside, but He is knocking, and He does want to come back in. Many are right now hearing His voice, and there is going to be a move on the part of many schools and governments to ask the Lord to come in. He will do it if we ask Him, and He will gladly bring us back under His covering and protection.

As I was shown from Revelation 9:11, these attacks were the work of the "destroyer." That the devil would so viciously attack the heart of our economic and military strength should awaken Christians to even more resolutely pray for the protection and success of both of these. We should begin to pray for our military and economic leaders like we do government leaders. Christians should be encouraged to do anything that is within their power to aid these when opportunities present themselves.

The Lord does not judge the strength or quality of a church by how good the meetings are on Sunday morning, but by how good the people are on Monday morning. Church is not a meeting, but is composed of living stones that, if they are the true church, should be alive with God every day of the week. We must walk in faith, not fear. We need to base our decisions on faith in God, not fear of what the devil is going to do. Let us go about sowing faith, hope, love, and encouragement. Let us determine that we will live by principles of honor, integrity, and good works that are befitting of the sons and daughters of the King.

Let us also reach out to and show hospitality to any foreigners who are in our midst, especially Moslem neighbors or acquaintances. The civil governments have a different mandate from the church, and they are given the sword for the purpose of avenging evil. The authority given to the church is to overcome evil with good. We may be complaining about how the FBI and CIA should have been able to stop these terrible tragedies, but we need to ask how these tragic events could have been changed if Christians had reached out to the ones who carried them out? We need to pray for the government to do its job, while not forgetting to do our job.