An Approaching Crisis

by Fidel "Butch" Montoya

Pastor R. Loren Sandford of New Song Fellowship in Denver, Colorado wrote a prophetic warning about a year ago of the very crisis we facing today in 2011. Pastor Sandford called upon the Church to turn to prayer and ask God to change the consequences of the sin and anger in our hearts.

A year ago he wrote of a "intense crisis at the presidential level....coming at or before the beginning of President's Obama's fourth year in office." We are now at that point in time, and Pastor Sandford's prophetic plea for the Church to turn to prayer has largely gone unheeded.

Pastor Sandford's warning stated, "It can be a wonderful and historic turning point for the nation or it can be the beginning of the shattering of our country with depths of division beyond any we have seen since the Civil War. Much depends on what believers choose to do now in the months we have in which to prepare."

As I read Pastor Sandford's warning again, and sensing the serious crisis our country is facing today, if we do not heed the warning again and turn to prayer - the crisis of which we were warned of a year ago by Pastor Sandford, will only grow into a dangerous time of national crisis which Pastor Sandford says we have not faced since the Civil War.

Read the prophetic warning again, only remember we are now in the time period of which we were warned about a year ago, and yes, our country is in deep trouble. Will we heed the plea to turn to prayer this time, or continue on the road of hate and anger?


AN APPROACHING CRISIS
(reprinted)

I sent out the following almost a year ago. You would have to be blind not to see this scenario unfolding right now in the events of recent weeks and in what must certainly come. I therefore felt it appropriate to re-republish this and call us once more to prayer.

We, the United States of America, are headed toward an intense crisis at the presidential level, the outcome of which will determine the direction of this country for a number of years to come. I sense this crisis coming at or before the beginning of President Obama’s fourth year in office. I am therefore issuing an intense call to prayer because the prayers of God’s people, together with the spirit in which we offer them, will shape the aftermath of this crisis for either good or ill. It can be a wonderful and historic turning point for the nation or it can be the beginning of the shattering of our country with depths of division beyond any we have seen since the Civil War. Much depends on what believers choose to do now in the months we have in which to prepare.

Please note that I am making no political statements here. I merely point out that a crisis is coming, whatever form it may take, that it will directly affect our president and that the outcome of the crisis will be either restorative or destructive for us as a nation.

In order to be effective in praying toward and shaping the outcome of this coming crisis, we must first shed the anger that many of us with a conservative political orientation seem to allow to so easily overtake us. James 1:20 teaches that “the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” and yet I continue to hear growing choruses of anger and bitterness coming from those who should know better.

Many of us will have to learn the meaning of Romans 12:20-21, "But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” We must prepare ourselves to be servants, even to those whose opinions – or sins - offend our sense of what is right.

All of us must plumb the depths of I Timothy 2:1-2 and understand the true heart of Father God whose nature is love: “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” No prayer offered in any spirit but His will be heard in heaven.

Even more importantly, we must understand the meaning of our true citizenship. “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). I love my country and am glad to have been born an American, but I will never allow my love for my country to become an article of faith. I belong to the kingdom of God. America is a place on a map. The kingdom of God is an eternal state of being in which the rule and reign of God are realized. Therein lies my allegiance. When patriotism becomes an item of faith, hatred is birthed and people always get hurt.

We are rushing toward a nexus in time, a very narrow passage in which even small events and minor decisions will loom large in their effect. We, the church, will need the intervening hand of God to achieve a good outcome and enter a season of hope. Saints pray! Pray in whatever way the Lord guides you to pray, but above all, pray in His Spirit and with His heart. We can affect the course of history.


(Prophetic Moments is an occasional bulletin produced by Pastor R. Loren Sandford, New Song Fellowship, Denver, Colorado. To sign up for this emailing click HERE and choose Prophetic Moments.)

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Fidel "Butch" Montoya is Director of H. S. Power and Light Ministries - Latino Faith Initiative.
Served as Vice President/News Director of KUSA - TV Channel 9 News from 1985-1990, and worked at the news station for 24 years as a journalist.
Served as Deputy Mayor of City and County of Denver from 1995-1999; and in law enforcement as the Manager of Public Safety, responsible for the Denver Police Department, Denver Fire Department, and Denver Sheriff Department for the City and County of Denver from 1994-2000.
Licensed to preach in 1972.
Serves on the Executive Council for the Hispanic Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
Founding member of the Latino Ministerial Alliance in Greater Metro Denver.