I trust and pray you are staying strong and knowing that Jesus is with you through all things. This truly is a time of everything being shaken. But we have an unshakable Kingdom!
One of the difficult parts of this time is that it is almost impossible to talk about anything that is happening without it being politicized, and you risk misunderstanding if you take a stand on an issue. But it is so clear to me that we are witnessing one of the greatest wars in the heavenlies we have seen in my lifetime. And why should we be surprised?
If we know we are in the final hours, it makes sense that Satan would unleash every power in hell against believers. It is so much bigger than politics. The answer is Jesus. The answer is transformed lives in Jesus.
But we have entered a unique time (for us) where the hostility to Jesus, and believers, is so visceral in the media and out in the streets that it is shocking. I’ve been in street evangelism for most of my life. And you expect some negative reactions. I was with brother (David) Wilkerson in San Francisco, and we hit every subculture in the city in a week. Some welcomed us. Some were mocking. Some were indifferent. And only in one place did I experience raw hate, and that was in the gay district. I got punched hard in the mouth. By God’s grace, I did not react but was able to give a Holy Spirit, loving response.
Mostly, people considered street evangelists like the cartoon guy with the sandwich board that says, “The End Is Near,” and they are ignored. That has changed. Now believers are being targeted like never in our history as a nation.
In this extremely incendiary time, we cannot forget that our first call is to bring people to Christ. When people start to attack us, how will we respond? The devil will taunt through people, blaspheme, mock, and even assault. We must learn to speak truth in love.
In this extremely incendiary time, we cannot forget that our first call is to bring people to Christ. When people start to attack us, how will we respond? The devil will taunt through people, blaspheme, mock, and even assault. We must learn to speak truth in love.
Truth will pierce the hearts of those who are unsaved. Some it will pierce to repentance, some to rage. But we must still speak it plainly and boldly. We forget that Paul was most often NOT welcomed, but was severely persecuted wherever he went (2 COR 11:24-27). Since we have become a post-Christian pagan society, the rage is going to be palpable, and sometimes violent in days to come. They are already burning Bibles. They are already gunning for believers to punish them for centuries-old crimes they had nothing to do with.
Watching a black Canadian street preacher, David Lynn, has been jarring and insightful into how the plain preaching of the Gospel actually causes some of these crowds to enter a frenzy of demonic attack. (I urge you to see some of his videos under his YouTube Channel Christsforgiveness. I believe he has the right stuff, and it shows how the plain preaching of the Gospel is being reacted to these days.
Part of the strategy of the enemy is to provoke us to human anger. Is there righteous anger? Absolutely. But remember that “the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God.” (JAMES 1:20).
Watching a black Canadian street preacher, David Lynn, has been jarring and insightful into how the plain preaching of the Gospel actually causes some of these crowds to enter a frenzy of demonic attack. (I urge you to see some of his videos under his YouTube Channel Christsforgiveness. I believe he has the right stuff, and it shows how the plain preaching of the Gospel is being reacted to these days.
Part of the strategy of the enemy is to provoke us to human anger. Is there righteous anger? Absolutely. But remember that “the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God.” (JAMES 1:20).
We must respond according to the Spirit of God. There will be times we may call out someone and pronounce a judgment of sorts. (ACTS 13:8-12 where a sorcerer is judged). And there will be other times when we entreat as Paul did to Felix and the Roman soldiers on the ship he was on.
But it’s never been more important to respond with godly words and not human pride and anger. As one person said, we have to keep our heart rate below the ones we are speaking to.
Unfortunately, my perception is that there are few believers with the boldness to speak truth to the lost in love. I am afraid we have raised a whole generation of “leaders” who are still stuck in seeker-friendly mode and think that’s working. It didn’t work then, and it won’t now. We are at a precipice and if you want to reach unbelievers, you have to be walking, speaking and witnessing in the power of God and the love of God. And you must be willing to say what He says, even if it goes against your training of thinking more games and fun and social activities will reach the world for Jesus.
Make no mistake; believers are being corralled. And frankly, I have gone beyond the point of pretending that some of these attending issues don’t matter. Abortion matters. The LBGTQ issue, and where we stand on it, matters. (And yes, of course, poverty and injustice matter as well, and we need to be tending PRACTICALLY to those things as the church.) California has just passed a bill making it easier on pedophiles in the court system, which the organized pedophile groups like NAMBLA (North American Man-Boy Love Association and MAPS (Minor Attracted Persons) are rejoicing over. (By the way, I recently got “fact-checked” by Facebook for “false information” for a post about that. The “independent” fact-checker was USA Today, a newspaper that has been radically biased for thirty-something years. “Independent fact-checkers?” Not a real thing in Facebook Land.
Speaking of pedophiles, Netflix recently released a series called “Cuties” which is as close as you get to child pornography as you will see outside the criminal world, exposing nearly naked little girls in sexual dances for talent shows. Where are the court systems? Where are the PARENTS? I am afraid that so many parents just let kids watch whatever they want. Netflix even has a series that includes a hard-core sex scene in the opening first 5 minutes, and if parents don’t have control of what their kids watch, this is what they will see under a series that has a completely innocent name! Netflix is satanic and hypocritical. (They just released a series on the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein, then they put out this trash.) It’s time to lose your subscription to Netflix, folks.
The next thing I need to mention will likely lose me some friends and perhaps support, but the truth must prevail. I will start by first stating the obvious—black lives matter. Any Christian who doesn’t get that is probably not even saved or needs to repent. But we shouldn’t HAVE to say it; it’s in our Jesus code and should be in our actions toward ALL. Those that know me know my heart. I don’t operate in racist circles, and I never have or will.
But the recent racial divide is seeking to force believers in a corner. And I am sad that so many believers have simply signed on to the BLM movement without a clue who they are or what they want or stand for. It isn’t a social justice movement. That is a COVER. It’s a tool being used to upend the nation from top to bottom.
Make no mistake; believers are being corralled. And frankly, I have gone beyond the point of pretending that some of these attending issues don’t matter. Abortion matters. The LBGTQ issue, and where we stand on it, matters. (And yes, of course, poverty and injustice matter as well, and we need to be tending PRACTICALLY to those things as the church.) California has just passed a bill making it easier on pedophiles in the court system, which the organized pedophile groups like NAMBLA (North American Man-Boy Love Association and MAPS (Minor Attracted Persons) are rejoicing over. (By the way, I recently got “fact-checked” by Facebook for “false information” for a post about that. The “independent” fact-checker was USA Today, a newspaper that has been radically biased for thirty-something years. “Independent fact-checkers?” Not a real thing in Facebook Land.
Speaking of pedophiles, Netflix recently released a series called “Cuties” which is as close as you get to child pornography as you will see outside the criminal world, exposing nearly naked little girls in sexual dances for talent shows. Where are the court systems? Where are the PARENTS? I am afraid that so many parents just let kids watch whatever they want. Netflix even has a series that includes a hard-core sex scene in the opening first 5 minutes, and if parents don’t have control of what their kids watch, this is what they will see under a series that has a completely innocent name! Netflix is satanic and hypocritical. (They just released a series on the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein, then they put out this trash.) It’s time to lose your subscription to Netflix, folks.
The next thing I need to mention will likely lose me some friends and perhaps support, but the truth must prevail. I will start by first stating the obvious—black lives matter. Any Christian who doesn’t get that is probably not even saved or needs to repent. But we shouldn’t HAVE to say it; it’s in our Jesus code and should be in our actions toward ALL. Those that know me know my heart. I don’t operate in racist circles, and I never have or will.
But the recent racial divide is seeking to force believers in a corner. And I am sad that so many believers have simply signed on to the BLM movement without a clue who they are or what they want or stand for. It isn’t a social justice movement. That is a COVER. It’s a tool being used to upend the nation from top to bottom.
I will not bow the knee to anyone but Jesus Christ, and neither should you.
I will and have joined hearts, arms, and ministries with my black brothers and sisters across the nation since the first time I preached at a black church in Arkansas in 1976. In Christ, there is no black or white. Are there racial issues? Do people do terrible things? Yes. But in Christ, He has made one blood those who are His. One family.
The racial issue is seeking to divide even the body of Christ. I have stepped back and stayed quiet on this issue because of the political traps attached to it, but I have seen many Christians, and even young believers I at one time helped to raise up, fall for the guilt-trap of supporting Black Lives Matter because they want to be seen as accepting and relevant. Again, as believers, these matters of justice are clear and things we should be doing. But the BLM MOVEMENT and its founders are rooted in ungodliness and occultism. Most believers don’t have a clue.
For my millennial friends, the best way to SHOW that ‘black lives matter” is to actually reach out to those who are black, invite them to church, go to theirs, get to know them, help and encourage when there is a need.
For my millennial friends, the best way to SHOW that ‘black lives matter” is to actually reach out to those who are black, invite them to church, go to theirs, get to know them, help and encourage when there is a need.
Just going to a rally is not just a (possibly) well-intended but useless gesture, (virtue signaling), but it associates you with an organization that is founded and rooted in (1) Marxism (“We are a collective of liberators” . . . “We actually do have an ideological frame. Myself and Alicia (Garza, a BLM founder)) in particular are trained organizers.
We are trained Marxists. We are super-versed on sort of ideological theories,” says Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of BLM) (2) LGBTQ radical causes, (“As a network, we have always recognized the need to center the leadership of women and queer and trans people.” . . . “We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual…”) and pagan religion.
Study it for yourself, it’s all on their website, except the pagan aspect. One of the cofounders, Patrisse Cullors, was very open in an interview with BLM supporter and professor Dr. Melina Abdullah from Cal State University. Cullors said, “I’m calling for spirituality to be deeply radical," Cullors said. “We’re not just having a social justice movement, this is a spiritual movement.” Cullors went on to talk about how they were “resurrecting the spirits so they can work through us to get the work that we need to get done.”
Also see video: BLM Leaders Discuss ‘Resurrecting a Spirit So That It Can Work Through Us’
When you see BLM going into a site where someone died and pouring out water and saying, “Say his name!” or “Say her name!” people think they just want to have people remember the name of people killed by police. Not so. It is a ritual of the Yoruba religion. (Yoruba is very close to what we know as “Santeria.” It is called Ase. (Pronounced A-she). If you have heard them saying that word after saying, “Say his name,” it is literally calling on the dead victim to help them in their cause. Saying “Ase” is a ritual that is spoken to “conceive the power, make things happen and produce change.” (Or, “Power, authority, command.” )
“I started to feel personally connected and responsible and accountable to them, both from a deeply political place but also from a deeply spiritual place,” Cullors said. “In my tradition, you offer things that your loved one who passed away would want, whether it’s like honey or tobacco, things like that.”
“When we say the names, right, so we speak their names, we say her name, say their names, we do that all the time, that you kind of invoke that spirit. And then those spirits actually become present with you,” Abdullah added.”)
When you understand the roots of BLM, no Christian should have anything to do with it. It is not uncommon now to see BLM, Church of Satanic Liberation, radical LGBTQ and Antifa all wrapped up together.
Also see video: BLM Leaders Discuss ‘Resurrecting a Spirit So That It Can Work Through Us’
When you see BLM going into a site where someone died and pouring out water and saying, “Say his name!” or “Say her name!” people think they just want to have people remember the name of people killed by police. Not so. It is a ritual of the Yoruba religion. (Yoruba is very close to what we know as “Santeria.” It is called Ase. (Pronounced A-she). If you have heard them saying that word after saying, “Say his name,” it is literally calling on the dead victim to help them in their cause. Saying “Ase” is a ritual that is spoken to “conceive the power, make things happen and produce change.” (Or, “Power, authority, command.” )
“I started to feel personally connected and responsible and accountable to them, both from a deeply political place but also from a deeply spiritual place,” Cullors said. “In my tradition, you offer things that your loved one who passed away would want, whether it’s like honey or tobacco, things like that.”
“When we say the names, right, so we speak their names, we say her name, say their names, we do that all the time, that you kind of invoke that spirit. And then those spirits actually become present with you,” Abdullah added.”)
When you understand the roots of BLM, no Christian should have anything to do with it. It is not uncommon now to see BLM, Church of Satanic Liberation, radical LGBTQ and Antifa all wrapped up together.
And while I appreciate some people’s attempt to support legitimate causes to better people’s lives, it is crucial that you understand that, at its root, this is about destroying our nation, and as they say on their website, “We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement.” (Note: Since this CLEAR goal on the BLM website has gotten so much attention, they have since removed it. But make no mistake – it is foundational to them!)
[Note from James: For more on this, check out The TRUTH Under FIRE article by pastor Sonny Islas of SHINE BRIGHT Church: UNMASKING BLACK LIVES MATTER.]
I have taken a huge risk laying all this out, but I am required by God to tell the truth and do so no matter what the risk. I never indulge in politics, and this is not that. This is to forewarn you about the spiritual poison underlying what we see on the streets. As believers, we must pray for the people, but you cannot align yourself with anyone, left or right, who proclaims a different god. I hope this is clear.
I am so concerned that the church in this hour is getting farther and farther away from its understanding of the prophetic times we are in. In fact, I am seeing that this pandemic and the racial unrest and violence is pushing the “Kingdom Now” movement to the forefront. Kingdom Now is the idea that Jesus is not going to return for His people before or in a time of tribulation (according to your time view) but rather, we are going to invade and infiltrate and eventually take over all the centers of society –Then Jesus will return when it’s all under our control, and we will just hand it over to him.
This is a dangerous teaching, and so many are caught up in it. But Jesus was clear that the time of the end would be a time of such tribulation that the world had never seen and never would see again. (MATT 24:21-22) He said unless He shortened the days, there would no flesh be saved.
Does that sound like “church in charge over the world”? No! And we are not called to that! We are called to preach the Gospel in a time of darkness and save whoever will come. God is calling the church to radical evangelism in this hour.
I am concerned as we are distracted by the awful things around us that we are still letting our guard down and letting deception grow in our midst. Zondervan (remember when they were a Christian company?) is about to release a movie extolling the healing virtues of the Enneagram, a highly occultic and occult-based “tool” that is being used in churches everywhere, who wrongly think it is just a helpful tool to figure out who we are and how to navigate relationships.
Even more disconcerting is to watch several leaders from one of the signs and wonders churches gathering to do a “declaration” to stop racism, which involved imitating Galdalf the Wizard in the Lord of the Rings when he faced down a terrible demon called a Balrog, took his two staffs, pounded it into the ground and said, “You shall not pass!”
I am so concerned that the church in this hour is getting farther and farther away from its understanding of the prophetic times we are in. In fact, I am seeing that this pandemic and the racial unrest and violence is pushing the “Kingdom Now” movement to the forefront. Kingdom Now is the idea that Jesus is not going to return for His people before or in a time of tribulation (according to your time view) but rather, we are going to invade and infiltrate and eventually take over all the centers of society –Then Jesus will return when it’s all under our control, and we will just hand it over to him.
This is a dangerous teaching, and so many are caught up in it. But Jesus was clear that the time of the end would be a time of such tribulation that the world had never seen and never would see again. (MATT 24:21-22) He said unless He shortened the days, there would no flesh be saved.
Does that sound like “church in charge over the world”? No! And we are not called to that! We are called to preach the Gospel in a time of darkness and save whoever will come. God is calling the church to radical evangelism in this hour.
I am concerned as we are distracted by the awful things around us that we are still letting our guard down and letting deception grow in our midst. Zondervan (remember when they were a Christian company?) is about to release a movie extolling the healing virtues of the Enneagram, a highly occultic and occult-based “tool” that is being used in churches everywhere, who wrongly think it is just a helpful tool to figure out who we are and how to navigate relationships.
Even more disconcerting is to watch several leaders from one of the signs and wonders churches gathering to do a “declaration” to stop racism, which involved imitating Galdalf the Wizard in the Lord of the Rings when he faced down a terrible demon called a Balrog, took his two staffs, pounded it into the ground and said, “You shall not pass!”
These leaders recreated this scene in a bizarre ritual meant to stop racism. And I have to wonder, how have we fallen into such a state of disconnection from spiritual reality that we think this is acceptable?
Then after that, I saw a huge “prayer conference” with well-known Christian leaders in which worship was a Native American rain dance by someone in full Native regalia. They explained that the Native Americans used the rain dance to expel dark forces, and we would use it to expel demons! How desperately we need to return to the truth and house-clean all this deception!
We need to look at all that we are seeing right now through scriptural eyesight, and realize ALL of what we are seeing is written in the Word. As Peter said, “This is that which is written…” (ACTS 2:16) If we know the Word, nothing will catch us off guard. Gird up your armor. Pray fervently. Work while it is yet day. In patience possess you your souls. And remember that the choices we make in the next few months may well determine how much time remains for us to do the work of the Lord with the freedom to do so we have had. God help us to make godly decisions in every area in the days ahead.
The half-hour shows that I did with brother Ray Craddock for his program “The Bottom Line” has begun to air (video unavailable) and be posted on Life! Christian TV YouTube channel. I hope you can take the time to view these shows.
We need to look at all that we are seeing right now through scriptural eyesight, and realize ALL of what we are seeing is written in the Word. As Peter said, “This is that which is written…” (ACTS 2:16) If we know the Word, nothing will catch us off guard. Gird up your armor. Pray fervently. Work while it is yet day. In patience possess you your souls. And remember that the choices we make in the next few months may well determine how much time remains for us to do the work of the Lord with the freedom to do so we have had. God help us to make godly decisions in every area in the days ahead.
The half-hour shows that I did with brother Ray Craddock for his program “The Bottom Line” has begun to air (video unavailable) and be posted on Life! Christian TV YouTube channel. I hope you can take the time to view these shows.
And again, look into my Podcast, Extreme Times. I am a little slow at getting them done but hope to be more diligent in the days ahead.
I am reminded in these difficult times of Jeremiah, who in his whole ministry really only had two people respond: his scribe Baruch, and a eunuch who rescued him. His times were much bleaker than ours, yet in the midst of it, God told him to buy a piece of land from a relative. Hope. Investing in the future. We don’t know how much time we have left, but we must not despair, and we must invest in the Kingdom, our kids, and whatever future lies ahead. Every day, I try to write something, play music, thank God for everything I have been blessed with, and watch a spectacular sunset and remember that God is still in control. Hope fills my heart. “Let nothing disturb thee, let nothing affright thee, all things passeth, God never changeth.” Stay in hope, beloved!
Thank all of you who continue to support this work in the wilderness. I am deeply grateful for every gift and every prayer!
In His grace,
Gregory Reid
Box 370006 El Paso TX 79937
www.gregoryreid.com legendaryseeker@gmail.com
YouthFire is an affiliate of American Evangelistic Association
(Donations can also be made through PayPal)
I am reminded in these difficult times of Jeremiah, who in his whole ministry really only had two people respond: his scribe Baruch, and a eunuch who rescued him. His times were much bleaker than ours, yet in the midst of it, God told him to buy a piece of land from a relative. Hope. Investing in the future. We don’t know how much time we have left, but we must not despair, and we must invest in the Kingdom, our kids, and whatever future lies ahead. Every day, I try to write something, play music, thank God for everything I have been blessed with, and watch a spectacular sunset and remember that God is still in control. Hope fills my heart. “Let nothing disturb thee, let nothing affright thee, all things passeth, God never changeth.” Stay in hope, beloved!
Thank all of you who continue to support this work in the wilderness. I am deeply grateful for every gift and every prayer!
In His grace,
Gregory Reid
Box 370006 El Paso TX 79937
www.gregoryreid.com legendaryseeker@gmail.com
YouthFire is an affiliate of American Evangelistic Association
(Donations can also be made through PayPal)
[Final Note from James: Again, I'd like to direct readers to the pertinent article:ARE YOU PERSECUTION PROOF? We need to prepare for the perilous times ahead!]
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