The Eclipse's Lesson

Yesterday I noticed the effects of the eclipse even here in Arizona. As the moon began to be blocked by the sun’s light, there was an eerie diming of light that came over the area. That’s when I thought about the world that we now live in. There is a plague on our nation called “radical secularism” and it is seriously blocking out the light of God.
 
America is experiencing a near-total eclipse of evil across our country. Secularism continues to make gains and is taking more and more space in our nation’s families, morals, laws, politics, and education. Darkness is being protected and normalized while light is being vilified and criminalized.
 
Secularism is fueled and strengthened by a lack of light in our culture. And that’s when Satan takes full advantage of the darkness in the hearts of society and the emptiness in the minds of young and old.

In Celebrate Recovery last night the phrase, “truth decay” was mentioned. Just as a person's recovery from addiction is hindered without biblical truth, when God's truth is abandoned by a nation, sin begins to smell pretty bad! Scott Turner said last night, "When something smells rotten, it's time to take out the trash." America has some serious cleaning up to do!
 
Eclipses throughout the ages have been a source of fear and superstition because people thought that omens and curses where coming on their land. Yesterday’s eclipse is a reminder for America – we are doomed without the light of God permeating throughout our country’s cities and especially throughout our churches!
 
Let’s take this growing darkness seriously as God’s people! As our culture grows darker, we have to take a look in the mirror. If there’s not enough light to see the mirror, then we have become part of the problem! Is it possible that we need to repent just as much as the unbeliever who is also contributing to the darkness?
 
We can only combat the darkness of secularism in three ways. 1) live in the light of God’s word. 2) live in the light of worship. 3) and walk in that light. As the apostle Paul says, believers in Christ are not children of darkness, but children of light.
 
I believe that God’s light still shines and He is calling us to shine His light even with this growing darkness. I'm convinced this crisis stems from our view of God. We have to get back to the God who is revealed throughout Scripture and reject our culture’s reinvention of God that really leads to godlessness and hopelessness.

I love the lyrics from the song that we sing from time to time, Forever Reign:
 
You are light, You are light
When the darkness closes in
You are hope, You are hope
You have covered all my sin
 
Let’s reclaim the promises of those words as we shine through the darkness in our land. There is still hope as long as the Light of the world is proclaimed by His children of light!
 
I believe that it's not too late to say, “God bless America!”
 
Pastor Dave