Prayer and Prepare

Conversations That Matter

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Welcome to another edition of the Conversations That Matter podcast. My name is John Harris. We have a situation as many of you know in our country, multiple situations that are causing us as Christians and those of us who are also patriotic individuals much concern.

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I would say based on the messages I'm getting a lot of anxiety and worry. Anger, I think would be another emotion.

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There's a lot going on and we don't have time to get into all of it right now. I'm sure by the time we put this up, there will be more developments of people getting deplatformed.

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Organizations pulling funding and advertising from conservative voices, conservative Christian voices, etc.

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And what I wanted to do this morning is introduce you to two voices that I consider to be reliable, trustworthy, uncompromising when it comes to truth.

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They understand not just I think what what biblically is required of Christians right now, but also our civic duty as Americans.

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And that's very important right now. And it's obvious to me that a lot of pastors don't understand that unfortunately.

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And so what we're going to do is what Christians should always do. I think first and that is we're going to pray.

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We're going to pray for our country. The situation that's unfolding before us may seem a surprise to us, but it's not a surprise to God.

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And I am take comfort in the words in Scripture in the book of Esther that it is for such a time as this that God has put us here and make no mistake about that.

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God is sovereign. He has us here for a reason. And so the first guest I have with me who's going to open us in prayer is

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Pastor Matt Truella. You can find his sermon audio link in the info section of this video.

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If you want to follow his sermons. He's also the author of the Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrate, which

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I have recommended to all of you. And then I have my actually my dad for the first time on the podcast

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Pastor Scott Harris. He is going to lead the second prayer and then I'm going to close and the goal is just to cry out to God to give an example of how to do that in a situation like this.

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And then I want you to just be familiar with these two men moving forward. So Pastor Truella, would you please open us in a word of prayer?

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Sure. Hallelujah father. We give thanks and we give praise to you. Oh God Lord. We look to you

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Lord. You see our hearts are broken when we look at our nation. We've watched the rebellion for decades here in our lives.

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Oh God. We've tried to do right by you to point men to you to point the magistrates to you to do right by you to honor you

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Lord. You seen our weaknesses are failings. You've seen the whoredom of the churchmen by and large across this nation not being true and faithful to you.

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Oh God and the consequence. It's had upon our land. Lord, we just cry out to you today that you would do a great work across this land.

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Even in the midst of all this wickedness that is going on that we would remain faithful to you that we would understand that brothers and sisters went before us days gone by in dire circumstances like these and even worse

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Lord and they saw your hand and Lord we just ask and pray that you would use us in the condition that we find ourselves in now in this country where those who name your name now have the target drawn on their back.

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Oh God and Lord that we would not flinch that we would not falter. But that we would be true to you in these days that we continue doing those things which you've given us to do to proclaim your law word and gospel to men to be men and women of prayer.

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To look well to our homes and do right by our wives and our children. Lord, we just ask and pray that we would be faithful with all you've given us to do to resist tyrants to confront evil to topple the idols of our culture.

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Oh God so important Lord. We know when the righteous are an authority the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule the people grown and Lord you see the groaning of your people across this country right now.

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I pray you use it for good Lord when you have a form of Christianity like we've had for so long here sitting in its fatness and it's ease

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Oh God Lord the greatest cure is persecution and judgment as hard as that is for us to accept.

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We see it in scripture. We see it in the history of your people. And Lord, we just ask and pray that you would use that for good to revive your church to reform her to purify your bride

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Lord. We look to you for these things and I ask and pray oh Lord that we'll do right by you in the midst of it.

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All that will understand that yes, we are worthy as a church and as a nation of your persecution of your judgment, but may we never?

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Stop speaking against the evil that is being done. May we confront it? May we speak against it?

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May we take action against it? May we show love to our neighbor to our brothers and sisters?

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May we call the magistrates to repentance to do right in the sight of you

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Oh God to honor your law and your word regarding the things they do in their legislative holes their judicial halls

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Lord in their executive offices Lord. We give thanks and praise to you that you redeemed us that we're not walking around in the dark like so many around us and may we be used by you to point people as times of calamity cause men to think about you and the things of you and eternal matters

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Lord. May we be faithful to you and pointing men to your son Jesus Christ. Yes, Lord.

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We look to you for these things. We you are the vine and we are the branches and we can do absolutely nothing without you.

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We are utterly dependent upon you and we look to you for the strength to do right by you in the days ahead.

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Oh God glorify yourself take the smallest things. We do magnify them to the glory of your name.

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We pray and we ask these things in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen.

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Pastor Harris. Will you follow that prayer up? I will but I'd like to read a section of Daniel 9 first.

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I find much encouragement in the word. Certainly there's been so many that's gone before us that have been in much worse situations and the situation

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Daniel was facing wasn't quite the same but I always found his prayer here both convicting and encouraging as he cries out to God to fulfill his word to them starting in verse 4.

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He said I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said alas so Lord the great and awesome

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God who keeps his covenant and loving kindness for those who love him and keep his commandments.

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We have sinned committed iniquity acted wickedly and rebelled even turning aside from thy commandments and ordinances.

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Moreover, we have not listened to my servants the prophets who spoke in thy name to our kings our princes our fathers and all the people the land righteousness belongs to thee

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O Lord but to us open shame as it is this day the men of Judah the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all

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Israel those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which thou has driven them because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against thee.

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Open chain belongs to us O Lord to our kings our princes and our fathers because we have sinned against thee to the

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Lord our God belong compassion forgiveness for we rebel against him nor have we obeyed the voice the

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Lord our God to walk in his teaching which we have set before him which he set before us through his servants the prophets indeed all

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Israel has transgressed thy law and turned aside not obeying thy voice. So the curse has been poured out on us along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God for we have sinned against him.

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Thus he has confirmed his words which he has spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled a who ruled us to bring on us great calamity for under the whole heaven.

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There has not been anything like what has done was done to Jerusalem as it is written in the law of Moses.

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All this calamity has come on us yet. We have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from thy our iniquity and giving attention to thy truth.

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Therefore the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all his deeds which he has done but we have not obeyed his voice.

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And now O Lord our God who has brought thy people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and has made a name for thyself as it is this day.

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We have sinned we have been wicked the Lord in accordance with all thy righteous acts. Let us now let now thine anger and thy wrath turn away from my city

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Jerusalem by Holy Mountain for because of our sins the iniquities of our fathers Jerusalem and my people have become a reproach to all those around us.

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So now our Lord listen to the prayer of thy servant to his supplications and for thy sake O Lord let thy face shine on thy desolate sanctuary.

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Oh my God incline thine ear and hear open thine eyes and see our desolations the city which is called by thy name for we are not presenting our supplications before thee on account of any merits of our own on account of thy great compassion.

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O Lord hear O Lord forgive O Lord listen and take action for thine own sake.

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Oh my God do not delay because thy city and my people are called by thy name. Father I take comfort in this and certainly

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United States is not Israel and the city shining on a hill is is not

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America. Yes, but as as Daniel remembered the promises you've given the warnings you had given all of the parallels are the same.

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Father a people that has had such a heritage as this nation has had we have been so blessed from our very founding.

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And father that makes what has been occurring really since throughout my lifetime.

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But here in the last couple decades so appalling. Yes that the heritage we have had we as a nation have turned our backs that people so evil.

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In all levels of government as we have seen here in the last couple of months. Have usurped any quest for truth righteousness justice while claiming that they are father people of depraved minds even as you warn in Romans.

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This is what we have been seeing going on for so long father.

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It's hard to see a nation decline in this kind of manner.

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But it has happened so often in history. And yet you're faithful you have always had a remnant.

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You've always had those who will stand up for truth and righteousness that have a backbone. They're not afraid of the future for they know it lies in your hands and your hands only.

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So father especially this last section of the prayer of asking your forgiveness begging your mercy.

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Yes father. It seems like I have been praying the pulpit prayers for so long. You would heed even as Abraham prayed for Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of the few there to be just 10 despair.

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The father as of today it that has not what you've given to us as a nation.

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We are seeing your judgment and the judgment is us. Yes as a nation the depravity of mankind demonstrated throughout 2020 and now into 2021 but yet father there is a remnant here.

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There are those who are faithful to you. Yes, we desire your mercy father.

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We desire that you will raise up those who are of strong character to battle these evils for that is what you've always called the righteous to do whether we are able to be successful in the current time or not.

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We are still to stand firm to move forward and speak the truth. But yet father we understand it is speaking the truth and love.

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Father more appalling to me than anything that's happened society is what has happened in your churches as I've watched this.

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In my 62 years, especially the last 50 years when I finally became old enough to be able to be aware of what was going on to see church after church that at one time was proclaiming your gospel turned to a different gospel as Jonathan is you've raised him up and I'm blessed to be his father to see what you're doing through him to warn of the apostasies that have occurring in and churches.

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We thought at one time were co -laborers brothers and sisters in Christ who love the

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Savior love the gospel turning to other things their own gain and glory their own positions of power.

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The father you've always had to run and raise us up raise up men and women in political leadership that will stand firm.

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I thank you for the few videos. I've been able to see that there have been those even at the the rally that it was out on Wednesday the videos coming out left after there were men who stood strong father.

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I thank you for people like Ted Cruz that were in the Senate and they stood strong for this.

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We are blessed father. I thank you for people in sound churches that have stood strong father where their large mega churches.

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I'm grateful for John MacArthur and father the training I received under him so long ago now and know that there's others who have stood strong in small churches such as this one to guide your people toward a hope in you that transcends anything that happens in the present the father we recognize in our own history, whether it's the

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Revolutionary War or any of the wars since then it's those that know Christ of the most bold because they're not afraid of.

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Persecution not afraid of being at the receiving end of even torture or death because I know their future is solidly in your hands father.

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That is what I would ask in your mercy to be raising up men and women of stalwart faith that we will not bend.

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We will not bow. We will stand firm. If that means that we have to be thrown like the three children of Israel in the fiery furnace than so be it.

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We know our God is able and even if he chooses not to do so we still will not bow our knee to the bail that has been risen now in this nation of socialism.

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As Jonathan has been pointing out critical race theory, I had no idea how insidious this evil has been but it is certainly displayed itself now.

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Men and women who just want power at all costs father of a nation that has turned its back on even any kind of logical sensibility or cowering behind masks because of a bad cold.

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We've done it to ourselves and destroying ourselves. Churches that have remained shut instead of striving to meet together to do what you have commanded to do the fellowship to use our gifts to encourage each other to walk in holiness and righteousness.

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Father glorify yourself in us whatever the future may be for us as individuals glorify yourself in us.

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Father if we have to do like the reformers of old that were burned at the stake that we would do so singing glorious hymns to your praise as they burn us.

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How that we never bend and shame your name by kowtowing to these who are so evil.

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Father we know you have your people and we know right now it's becoming extremely difficult even to communicate with each other.

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I know for myself is just very rapidly trying to pull everything we have on YouTube off because we know they're going to cancel us and probably soon.

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And we want to be able to still. Reach people through other mediums as we can.

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Yes father we desire to be able to do all these things in a way that's going to glorify you.

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You tell us to speak the truth but yet to do so in love. And so in that manner in that vein father we pray even for enemies you could manage to do so the

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Nancy Pelosi's of the world the Biden's the Kamala Harris's. I'm just grateful.

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It's a different line of Harris's than us. These have been surrounding them these that are causing insurrection

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Supreme Court judges that have no backbone except to do what is right.

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Father you are the God of mercy. You're the God who convicts you tell us in your word.

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The Holy Spirit is sent to convict of sin of righteousness and judgment. So for even these who have caused so much harm that you would yet convict them of their sin.

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Yes, the victim of their wretchedness father you are capable of turning the souls of this world into Paul's creation.

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May you do that? Yes. May some of those who are in the midst of the horror that's going on within our society now not horror of what those who gathered in Washington on Wednesday did the horror of those who are inside making bad decisions for the nation the horror of a nation that is turned its back on its heritage.

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It's turned its back on you father even these would turn and become brothers and sisters in Christ those whose lips would then begin to glorify your name father.

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We are encouraged when look through history because we've seen you do that over and over and over again, even in the present time those were part of Milton Islam who were murdering people.

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And they turn the father that you'd glorify yourself in this manner. Yes, we do understand what your scripture says about the future.

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We know that it doesn't get better. We know that there's going to be turmoil of unprecedented nature before the return of the

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Lord father. We know you glorify yourself in the remnant. Allow us the privilege of doing so in Jesus name for his sake for his

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Glory. Amen. Amen. Hallelujah God. Amen. I'd like to read a prayer from a man named

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Jacob Duche who opened Continental Congress after there was a rumor that Boston had been bombed and this resonated with a lot of people at the time.

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This is just one example of the kind of men who and pastors who existed at the time of the founding of this country.

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And this is the prayer. Oh Lord our Heavenly Father high and mighty

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King of Kings and Lord of Lords who does from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all kingdoms

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Empires and governments look down. We beseech thee on these our American states who have fled to thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on that gracious protection desiring henceforth to be dependent only on thee to thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause to thee.

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Do they now look up for that countenance and support which thou alone can't give take them there for Heavenly Father under thy nurturing care give them wisdom and counsel and Valor in the field defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries convince them of the unrighteousness of their cause and if they still persist in their sanguinary purpose.

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Oh let the voice of thine own unerring justice sounding in their hearts constrain them to drop the weapons of war from their unnerved hands in the day of battle be thou present.

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Oh God of wisdom and direct the councils of this Honorable Assembly enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation that the scene of blood may be speedily closed that order

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Harmony and peace may be effectually restored and truth and justice religion and piety may prevail and flourish among thy people preserve the health of their bodies and vigor of their minds shower on them and the millions that here represent such temporal blessings as thou seest expedite expedient for them in this world and crown them with the everlasting

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Glory in the world to come all this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ.

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I son our Savior. Amen. Thank you gentlemen. I know this country is not the same as it was during Duchesne's time, but there are as as you said

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Pastor Harris, there is still a remnant out there who does care and does want to be the salt of the earth and and that's what we're endeavoring to do.

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So if anyone listening wants to follow the sermons of either of these men the link is in the links for them are in the info section.

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You can go and check those out. Thank you. Once again. Well, I hope that was helpful for you. I hope that if you don't have a pastor like Pastor Truella or Pastor Harris, I hope that you find one if you do then thank

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God for that man and cling to him. Thank him. He needs your support. He needs your encouragement right now stick with him.

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We are heading for some some very dark times. I'm afraid and I don't think there's any any any way to recover what has been lost over the last few weeks months years decades.

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We have we have been seeing the chipping away the chipping away at the moral foundation of this

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Republic for a long time. And I think it's finally the waters have burst at this point and and and it's time to double down guys.

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It is time to get ready. It's time to prepare. It is time to to be to if you know the truth, especially if you're someone who understands how the the word of God applies to the civil realm because you understand the civil realm.

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It's time to be loud. It's time to be very vocal in any way that you can not to be silenced and that's one of the problems we have guys.

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I hope I hope you've seen this. I hope you've noticed over the past almost two years.

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I focused a lot on the social justice movement in Christianity. One of the things one of the reasons this has happened guys, and I'm convinced of it is because the those who

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I'm not talking about the seminary people who are being indoctrinated essentially. I'm talking about those at the top who understood this plan and implemented this plan those and and I think the

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Almolers of the world are good examples of this the Lincoln Duncans. I think are good examples of this and there's many many more.

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I think those who allowed this to happen helped it happen, etc. Knew that it was a means of survival.

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They knew what was coming in some way or they suspected it very highly and they wanted to be able to survive in the post -constitutional post -truth world that we are living in now and we have a ministry of pop propaganda called the media.

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We have I mean if this isn't a conspiracy, I don't know what a conspiracy is at this point if this all these major corporations overnight.

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I mean, it's like they were planning it from the beginning the deplatforming on social media mainstream conservatives anyone who says basically that there was fraud you're going to get your video banned that kind of thing, you know going after even like parlor alternatives.

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We can't have an alternative if you know, Salem radio network now,

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I guess there's I just saw something about advertisers want to pull out or Salem's going to threaten those who say that there might have been fraud that kind of thing.

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I'm not sure I can't confirm that one yet, but it's coming at us so fast so quick and what do you see from the social justice wing of the church, which is most of the leaders now who are vocal they're saying things like, you know, the problem is

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Christian nationals and the problem is conspiracy theories. They don't know what they're talking about and their sense of proportion is so off.

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It's unbelievable that they're not there. Are they concerned? I mean the few that I've seen that say hey, you know this deplatforming might not be a good idea.

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They have to say in the same breath something like well, Donald Trump needed to go, you know, they can't even they don't even have the right facts or getting them from the wrong sources.

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And and that's one of the things I want to address is going to the right sources. We're going to talk about that. But but now is the time to prepare because but because these guys in mainstream evangelicalism have been attempting.

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I think to ingratiate themselves to a state narrative and I know many of you back when kovat started in the lockdown started.

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I was very against churches shutting down. I gave you all kinds of arguments. I was swinging from trying to convince you guys.

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No, this isn't good. And many thought well, this isn't John focus on the social justice stuff. That's not what this is.

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No, it is what this is guys. It is it is completely connected go to the World Economic Forum right now and you'll see that there's they're talking about social justice and the

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Great Reset and lockdowns and all these things at the same time. They are all connected. And the reason is because we have we are in a post -truth era and there is a ministry of propaganda.

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There are those who are promoting an alternative reality that we're supposed to be living in and to prepare the church to survive that these guys know they're going to have to go along with the narrative and the easiest way many of them knew how to do it was to progressively take steps to chip away at things like Christian teaching on sexuality like Christian teaching on on the nation like like race and and ethnicity and these kinds of things in the

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Harmony in Christ to twist that to misuse it to try to always conform it to whatever the state is doing the in the media.

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I mean, there's a lot of there's a lot of collusion here. If you can't see it now, I don't know how to help you between the government and what's happening in Congress right now and what's happening from Big Tech from big corporations, etc.

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So I don't say that all that to freak you out, but I say that to just at this point. I'm just pointing out the obvious that's that's what's going on guys.

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It is a mechanism by which the those who are pushing the social justice movement intend to survive and their seminaries and their institutions survive, etc.

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And it won't work. It won't work. It didn't work in Germany. It's not going to work here. And I've extensively studied what happened in Germany with the church.

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You have the German Christian movement. You had the Confessing Church. Both of them tried their best to essentially pacify be pacified and allow the state to do what the state does.

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The Confessing Church eventually said, wait, hold on. You don't have the authority over the Ecclesia. You don't have ecclesiastical authority and that was really their hill that they were willing to fight on, but they were so pietistic.

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They were so run down by neo -orthodoxy. They didn't have the means to be able to really resist effectively.

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Then you have the German Christian movement. That's basically the social justice movement today. If there's a parallel there and they were the ones that were saying, yes, the state narrative is correct and they were changing the way that they interpreted scripture and all kinds of things in their traditions, etc.

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Everything was changing to conform to the state narrative to then prove to the state that they were useful and they were not.

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And if things had kept going and the Nazis had won, there's no way the German Christian movement would have survived.

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So that's what's going on and we can see both wings very clearly. Most of the conservatives are the Confessing Church types.

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They understand ecclesiology. They do not have hardly any understanding of civics. Ask your pastor, perhaps, and this isn't meant to be,

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I'm not condemning anyone, ask your pastor if he's read your state constitution, your state.

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I'm not talking about the federal. I mean, you can ask him that too. Have you read the federal constitution, the Federalist Papers?

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Look, this was stuff, civics was stuff that was pretty basic probably 50 years ago, understanding how our government works.

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It's not anymore. And those are my generation and younger. Don't expect them to understand anything about the founding of this country, what our system's supposed to be.

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And then they don't understand it. They're not going to be able to apply scriptural principles to it. It's just that simple. And so, look, if you're behind the curve on this, you need to start, you know, read your state constitution.

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Understand why the men who crafted not just the federal constitution, the national constitution, but your state constitution, why they thought the way they did.

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Start reading about those times. Start reading about those men. Because the purpose is to protect our civil liberties.

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And the one that probably would be the most relevant is, to Christians right now, is our freedom to worship

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God freely. But that's protected by a Second Amendment. Our freedom to defend ourselves and inform militias.

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Which, if you look back, that's what the Second Amendment was about. If you look at all the other civil liberties, they're all part of one.

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They're all connected to each other. They're part of one kind of way of thinking. That our civil liberties are connected to responsibilities

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God has given us. It's a uniquely Christian understanding. And that is what's being torn away. And it's been chipped away for years.

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And we've had to endure, from the social justice side, these social justice driven corporate apologies for things we didn't do.

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Things supposedly, in many cases, or things actually some of our ancestors might have done.

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And then things that we're supposedly complicit in, but we're not. Because it's not a sin to just function in the economy that we have.

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But supposedly, it allocates privilege to those who are certain genders and races, etc.

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So therefore, it's a sin to participate. And you're a racist or sexist if you are part of this system, whatever that is.

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Those kinds of things, this is what I'm talking about with the state church. These are the kinds of things emanating from the media, from the world, from the academia, etc.

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Hollywood, entertainment now. It's all, every institution just about, is giving us a new list of sins.

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And what does the church do? Many who are in the woke social justice, that kind of movement, those in that, who want to ingratiate themselves, have twisted themselves in every single way possible.

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Twisted the scripture in every single way possible to conform to that narrative. And they're taking things, like the

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Daniel passage we just read, were legitimate things about corporate repentance. And they're twisting the whole thing. They're inserting a worldly version of sin that is not in scripture.

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Then they're going to go to passages like Amos, let justice roll down like waters. They don't have any understanding of what the justice meant, why it was there.

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They just smuggle in all sorts of stuff from sociology. And you've been seeing this play over and over and over and over again.

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And it has pacified many Christians. There are actual sins out there that we've needed to address.

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But we've been so on our toes, trying to defend against this movement. Many of us. That, and this is what

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I said from the beginning, that it has basically, it has made the church, those who are

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Orthodox, who do have resources to fight this kind of stuff, who do have knowledge, they've been exerting so much of their effort on trying to stop those who would pervert the gospel and pervert

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Christian social teaching, Christian ethics. And it's, that's what's happened, guys.

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It's drained resources. And it's, it's ingratiated large parts of the church to the media narrative and, and isolated those who want to take a stand.

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And I understand many of you feel that way. You feel isolated. You feel all hope is lost. And listen, all hope is never lost.

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For a Christian, we don't, we are not those who are hopeless. We don't, even when we die, we don't die as those who have no hope.

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We always have hope. And this is the time, guys. This is the time God puts you here for such a time as this.

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Find the men, locate the men, even if it's one or two, locate the men who are going to be real spiritual leaders that are strong, follow them.

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If you can't find them, be that man. All right. And I'm talking about ecclesiastical authority here. Look, if you're in a community that doesn't have a church that's preaching the truth, that's going to actually be useful and actually answer the questions that everyone has right now that need to be answered biblically, then you need to go form one, guys.

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Network with your friends. So I'm going to give you some practical things here. And I want to, everyone wants practical right now, okay?

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Everyone wants practical. And part of my, I've been apprehensive about this a little bit. I just thought we got to build a foundation.

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I've been trying to do that over the last few weeks, especially to build a foundation for what's coming. I'm going to be plain with you.

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I'm going to, we're going to keep building foundations, but I'm just going to give you some things to think about. All right. Number one, health.

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Let's talk about this. You need to be spiritually and physically healthy. And I'm preaching to myself here too, okay?

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I'm with you on this. We have got to cut out the fat in our lives. And if that means social media, this might be a good thing.

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Now, I don't think we should just abandon social media, but maybe reduce your time, you know, cut out some of the things.

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Listen, those who are in the social justice movement, the divorce has already happened, guys.

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It's already happened. I may respond to some of their stuff, but you got to realize they're in a different camp now.

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The split has happened and it was inevitable. I have said that for over a year now, that the split has happened.

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It's just a matter of working it out and seeing where people go. But the division is there and there will be continue to be division in some of these denominations.

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But the unity doesn't exist. People like J .D. Greer, who just put out basically his 50th reworking of Resolution 9, you know, here's my 50th statement on critical race theory and how there really is unity between both camps of those who are against it and for it.

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And yeah, no, it was just a replay of Resolution 9. That's a fantasy. It doesn't exist.

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And J .D. Greer probably is coming to the conclusion that this doesn't exist. I think he knows that, but they're desperately trying to keep their denominations together.

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Won't happen. Don't waste your time on people who are fools. Proverbs has a lot to say about this. So cut out the fat guys.

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Cut out whatever the fat is. If it's entertainment, if it's something that just doesn't matter in the grand scheme, cut it out.

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That doesn't mean hobbies can be good. Relaxation. You need that. You need some of that. But God even instituted a day of rest.

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But if it's excessive, you know when it's excessive. Cut it out. You need to be physically ready. You need to be going to the gym.

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If you don't have a gym, you need to be doing push -ups and sit -ups and pull -ups. You need to be running. Those are basic things we should all be doing anyway, if you're able to do them.

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Some of you aren't and I get that. But you need to be ready for whatever comes.

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We don't know, but it's going to be the time for, if we get to the point of civil unrest, because I'm telling you guys, we're not, those who think right now, the few that think that, well, we need to go do 1776 in Washington now or something.

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Listen, it's coming to you. Look, the gun grabs and all that, that's going to come eventually.

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I don't know how fast. Could be years, could be weeks, could be, I don't know, even, well, weeks at the very least.

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President Trump's going to be in for, what, nine more days, eight more days. But it's going to come to you.

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You need to be fit. You need to be ready, spiritually healthy. You need to be spending some time with the

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Lord in the scripture, thinking through the mechanics of how it applies to the situation you're in now.

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You need to organize. So that's, this is another, actually I'll only get to that one last. Number two, you need online security.

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You need to look into VPNs. If you don't know what that is, Google it. Actually, DuckDuckGo it. Go to DuckDuckGo.

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That's a better search engine. Google is suppressing all kinds of things. Google VPN. You want to look into getting a

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VPN. You need encrypted communication right now. I think it's very possible, if you've been communicating on mainstream social media platforms, a lot of that stuff's going to come out.

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There's going to be, they're going to root out those who have views that have been inconsistent.

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If you told a joke five years ago, you know, that may be used against you. That's very possible. It's within the realm of possibility.

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And they're saying, there's, for all of us, everyone knows, there's things that we've said, that had a context to it, that were to a certain person, that might have been an inside joke, that if it were shared to the whole entire world, that it would look horrendous.

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And every single person's like that. Well, that's going to be used against you. So switch to doing some encrypted communication.

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Signal is one of the apps, but there are other apps as well out there. You want to get on alternative social media, okay?

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I'm not telling you that you have to close down your accounts or anything on mainstream social media, but you want to get on alternative.

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That was, most people were on Parler up until what, yesterday? It just, the servers were pulled, and in a week, they're going to try to get it back up.

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But who knows? Gab's another one, MeWe, WeSpeak. I'm on all these platforms.

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You can go to the info section, you can see where I'm at. And there's more popping up every day, but get on some of these alternatives.

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Number three, physical stuff, physical goods. You want to just, this is always good to be prepared. Whether there's an emergency situation or not, you should always be prepared.

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Food, water, maybe a generator, ham radio, a means of defense.

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You need all that stuff. That's just a basic thing that you should all have anyway. But if you haven't gotten it, guys,

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I've been saying this now for weeks. You got to go get that stuff. And then organize. I want to leave you with this one.

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During the American War for Independence, committees of correspondence were formed, which were basically a shadow government.

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All across the 13 colonies, committees of correspondence were where organized opposition happened.

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And I'm saying something much more broad than just the committees of correspondence. But for those who know, who understand civics, who understand what just happened, and how the revolutionaries were those inside the building who put their stamp of approval on fraudulent election, the state laws that were completely violated, etc.

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And beyond that, with what we're going to see in the next few days with civil liberties being cracked down on, next few weeks,

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I should say, in months and years. You know, some of you are thinking in those terms already. Well, we need to, there needs to be, you know, some of you want to be in militias, some of you want to be just in shadow government type groups, groups that feel like, that you feel like can represent you because you've lost faith in the system, etc.

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Well, there was something like that. Look up the committees of correspondence in the War for Independence. So my point is much broader, though.

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I think whatever, I'm going to apply this to the church, whatever institution you're part of, including the church, you're going to want to start thinking in terms of, especially if you're a pastor, okay, what if persecution really comes?

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How do we prepare for that? And how do we divide the church up into house churches or do whatever we need to do?

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Of course, we're going to take a stand. But what do we do if it's severe? And you know, the pastor's arrested.

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What do you do now? You need to think through those scenarios and form communication networks.

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And, and look, if someone wants to, I'm just gonna be playing with you guys here. And I was going to do a couple podcasts trying to work up to this, but we're just, people want practical answers right now.

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If you're going to involve yourself in any kind of militia or start a militia, this is something that according to our system, according to the thought that behind the

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Second Amendment, even if you read the Second Amendment, you'll find it's not about hunting. It's not even about personal self defense.

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And those who say that it's, it's rebellion and stuff, I would need to do a whole podcast on it to show you why it's not.

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It's actually integrated into the system of government we have. It should be. That's our system though.

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The revolution's happening. We're in the middle of it. So the, the, the idea of having a militia or being part of it is not an unconstitutional idea.

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On the contrary, it's actually one of the means that have been used to protect the rule of law and the

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Constitution, et cetera. So there is nothing wrong if you are doing this in a smart way.

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Now I said, and this is, look, I'm covering myself here, guys. You need to hear me say this. I said this a few days ago as well.

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If you're in a mob, if you're going into the Capitol as a mob, that is wrong. That is, you, you, you, being mob rule is never right.

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Mobs are bad things. When there's no leader, there's no plan, there's no organization, we're just angry, not good.

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If there's a vague plan, not good. Our system is supposed to come from, the, the, the authority comes from the consent of the governed, essentially.

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Now, the authority is actually, it's derived ultimately from biblical principles that have been distilled over years through British common law, et cetera.

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Also, that's where the moral justifications for, for our laws, et cetera, come from. But the check on that, the, the, um, the authority, uh, to, um, to apply that, uh, ultimately comes from the consent of the governed.

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That's what it's supposed to come from. And that's been abrogated now. That's been, that's been, uh, short circuited, essentially.

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So in a case like that, forming committees of correspondence, which could include, which did include, uh, back in the days of the formation of our

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Republic, um, militia groups, et cetera, there's nothing inherently wrong. I'm not telling you to go join one.

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Um, but what I'm saying is that, uh, you do not, um, you do not need to feel guilty for being part of, uh, some kind of an organization whose purpose is, and this is what you need to hear me say, whose purpose is to defend the rule of law.

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Let me say it again, whose purpose is to defend the rule of law and the defenseless. That is the purpose of forming something like that.

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Okay. It is, it is not to be a mob. It is not to overthrow things that are legitimate.

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Okay. It is to overthrow usurpers in certain instances. It is to represent your local community.

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If you're not getting that representation. Now, I need to say, in addition to this, it may be, you gotta, you gotta assess where your community is and what they're like in your community, et cetera.

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But, uh, being involved in local politics is a really good idea for Christians. And I've thought this for a long time.

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Um, I have, let me give you, um, I got a call from someone, the story in the mainstream media.

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And I'm, I can't say where, who, but, uh, mainstream media a couple of weeks ago. And basically the question was,

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John, you know, I don't know, should I become a pastor? Should I preach? Cause this country needs the gospel bad.

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People on the right need it. People on the left need it. Uh, everyone needs it. And should, should that be the thing

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I devote my time to? Or, and he gave me his, the prospect and they were incredible prospects. Or should I, should

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I take these jobs? And I said to him, look, not everyone has the opportunities you have. And, and we've gotten away from this idea, um, of the, um, of the magistrate being an authority from God, but that's what scripture says.

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And, and look, uh, you in, in his position, wasn't being a magistrate or anything, but it was, it was in, in media.

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And I just said, this is an incredible opportunity. I'm not telling you to take it. You got to do, do what the Lord you think wants you to do, but not everyone has this kind of an opportunity.

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So, um, I encouraged him, I encouraged him. And, uh, I think he'll probably go for the media thing and you need to assess where you're at.

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What can you do if you're in a local community? And, and look, you may not, you'd be, you're probably in a local community.

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Many of you, they may not have used a minion machines. There may not have been much funny business.

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Uh, I mean, it's all politics comes down to a local community. Uh, you may have a very legitimate local government, get involved in it, make your voice heard as a

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Christian in that environment. That's what, that's what, uh, we need. And the pietistic idea that, well, that, that just doesn't really matter because it's not the gospel that, that needs to go, needs to go.

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No, it's very important. How about defending the right to share the gospel? Is that important? Well, then getting involved in politics is important.

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So you may want to do that. Um, but depending on where you are, you may want to form a local committee of correspondence type thing as well.

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Uh, classical schools, you, you, this has been a movement that I think is very positive. And I'm not saying all classical schools are good, but you need to look into probably alternative education for your children, et cetera.

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Um, you need to start new civic organizations. And this is something we can all participate in. Okay. There is a place for you.

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God put us here for such a time as this. All right. And, and you can preserve, uh, the freedoms that you've had, uh, in this country, um, on a local level, as best you know how, uh, you can fulfill the responsibilities

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God's given you to educate your children. Um, you can preserve some of the really good, true and valuable things that have come from, uh,

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America and the culture that produced it, uh, stemming, um, from other places. You can do this.

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You, you can fulfill the commands of God, uh, in all politics is local. You can, you can, you, it's not all over guys.

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Don't think that your whole way of life in some, some ways it is over, but not everything is over overnight.

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Only if you let it be. Okay. Um, so, so I, that's what I would encourage you to do.

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Um, and, and if you're in an area that doesn't have a good, solid church, you need, you need to start pastoring. You need to, hey, you're a construction worker.

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Well, now, now you're going to also be a pastor. Um, I, and I, I know some will give me some flack for that.

47:42

You know, oh, you need a new Hebrew, you know, Hebrew and Greek and stuff. Look, uh, if, if, if you're a paramedic and all the doctors are, are, you know, there's a man dying and none of the doctors want to assist the man.

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Looks like the paramedic is going to be the one to do it, even if he doesn't have all the knowledge because the doctors aren't doing it. All right.

47:58

Um, so those are the, the four basic categories, uh, make sure that you're healthy, make sure that you're secure online, uh, make sure that you have the physical goods you need, uh, and then organize.

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Okay. And, and those are some just practical things. People have asked for practical things. Those are some practical things.

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Uh, I am not, um, and people need to hear me say this. I'm not calling for any violence. I'm not calling for, um, any kind of insurrection.

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I think an insurrection has happened and it wasn't, uh, what everyone is saying it is.

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I think it is the, the circling of the wagons that we have been seeing over the last few days, uh, by politicians and by now big tech companies to, uh, promote the idea that, uh, anyone who wants to stand up for election integrity is somehow, uh, a conspiracy theorist who must be canceled, who must be doxxed, who must be fired, et cetera.

48:51

That is the real revolution. That is the real insurrection. If you want to call it that, that is the real coup.

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And by the way, Nancy Pelosi, when she contacted the joint chiefs of staff, uh, to basically ask them to, uh, not let

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Donald Trump command them anymore to, to command the military forces. Uh, that was an actual coup.

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That was an attempt at an actual coup. We're in the middle of a coup guys, but it's not what you're being told.

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And that's, that's one of the big, that's it up is down, down is up, right is wrong. That's, that's kind of where we are.

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Take courage though. Okay. There are some men out there and there's more than you think who know what's going on.

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Many are afraid to say it. Many aren't even on social media anymore. They're there though. And network with each other, find encouragement with each other, get ready for what's coming next.

49:37

Hard times are not something to be afraid of. I know, I know there's a lot of fear, uh, right now, but look, hard times are, these are things that Christians have gone through, uh, for thousands of years.

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We've enjoyed such a, uh, we've had such a blessing having the freedom to do what we've been doing the last, um, a couple hundred years in this country.

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And that freedom is waning. And, um, and, and, uh, you will, if you don't think it now, you will understand in a few months,

50:04

I think what I'm talking about. So anyway, um, Hey, I love you all. Thank you so much for all the encouragement, et cetera, and God bless.