This coming year is going to be one of the most important years of our lives and the world. As I began saying years ago, every election in the U.S. from now on will be more important than the last one, because we are entering times of such intensity. I think we can say this has been accurate so far, and believe it or not, even though the 2010 elections will not include a Presidential election, they will be even more important than the 2008 election. Because of the intensity of the times, our choices will have magnified consequences—this...

The beginning of a New Year is always a good time for evaluation. Most of the time we want to say “good riddance” to the old, embracing the hope that this New Year will be better. Certainly it can and should be a much better year for every Christian. We are told in Proverbs 4:18: “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day.” If we are on the “path of the righteous,” or the right path, our lives will get continually brighter, as will...

In order to have a true prophetic perspective on the world that enables us to discern the times accurately, it must begin with a basic Christian worldview—to see the world as Christ does. To have His perspective, we must see from His perspective, which is from above. This is why we are told that we are to be seated with Him in the heavenly places in Ephesians 2:4-6:

As we discussed last week, the grace of God is not just the forgiveness of repeated sins in our lives—it is the power to live a new life as a new creation that does not continue to be subject to the old nature. However, the battle is long and hard against our old nature, and the grace of God certainly does forgive us for our repeated failures while we are fighting. The deception of many is that they do not have to fight—that they can continue to live in sin and God will still forgive them and bless them. This...

As we have discussed, studies have shown that most Christians in America are no longer members of a local church. Other studies have shown that only a tiny percentage of Christians in America have a biblical worldview. These are obviously two major reasons for the weakness of the church in America. Because the salt of the church has lost its savor, and the light has become dim, we have also witnessed evil coming in like a flood. This can be turned around, but only if the church in America turns around, becomes established in the truth, and lives with the...