The Declaration of Independence was a statement against all odds. To some, it could have been called, The Declaration of Insanity.
How could thirteen fledgling colonies win a war against the mother country?
How could rough pioneers and poor farmers advance against a highly-trained military?
How could an under-paid, poorly-clothed, and ill-fed bunch of soldiers fight the deep pockets of support flowing to the enemy?
But they did.
Signers of the Declaration of Independence pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to stand by what they had signed. And by the time the war was over, they had indeed given their lives and fortunes. Of the fifty-six who signed, every one of them suffered deeply through the war.
Today, through the grace of God and the courage of Americans 237 years ago, we stand a free nation.
Today, I’d like to draw your attention to another need in our land—one as great (actually greater) than that of freedom. The need for a spiritual revival.
Like the idea of independence in 1776, the idea of revival doesn’t look very plausible. The odds are stacked against us. Lawmakers bent on legalizing godless lifestyles, judges who care nothing for our nation’s founding documents, citizens who resist and outright reject Christian influence in society—can revival happen today?
I believe it can—simply because of 2 Chronicles 7:14:
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Yes, the odds are great. But I’m concerned our carelessness is greater. We complain about the state of our nation, but we do little to confront it.
At Spiritual Leadership Conference last month, I suggested an eight-fold call to pastors to reengage our nation with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Each pastor in attendance received a 110-page action plan. This session is available for free audio or video download, and the book is available for free as well as a pdf, mobi (kindle), or epub file. You can find all of this at ministry127.com/AmericaTomorrow.
If we will overcome our greatest obstacle—complacency—I believe we can see revival in America today. But I believe that, as pastors, we will have to pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor to see it happen. We’ll have to invest ourselves and act.
Against all odds we can see revival, but only if we confront the odds.
