WHY THE CHURCH MUST REDISCOVER THE POWER THAT FLOWS FROM A CONSECRATED LIFE

Where is the American Church? American institutions continue to fall like dominos to the woke, ungodly culture, with Disney being the latest to succumb. Disney executives announced that they will no longer use gender distinctive language such as "ladies and gentlemen" or "boys and girls" and that they will target children with new transgender-affirming programming.

This should cause every Christian to ask if we are not missing something. As the Church of Jesus Christ should we not have more influence on our culture than LGBT activists? Did not Jesus call His followers "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world?" Why is our influence so small? The surprising answer came to me during a recent time of prayer.

As I sat in my chair late one night communing with the Lord, my heart began to grieve because of America’s cultural descent into godlessness and moral confusion. I also grieved over the feckless state of the American Church and its inability to stop or even slow the enemy’s onslaught. I then heard the Lord speak to my heart, saying, “There is a lesson for the Church today from the life of Samson.”

As I then read and reread the life of Samson in Judges 16, it was clear that the word God wants to speak to the Church today is “Consecration.” You see, Samson was consecrated as a Nazirite while in his mother’s womb. "Nazirite" comes from the Hebrew word Nazir meaning "consecrated" or "separated.” That which is "consecrated" to God is completely given over to Him.

We Cannot Divorce Power from Purity

The Nazirite vow was a solemn commitment that Samson would live a “separated” life unto God, wholly dedicated to His purpose. The outward sign of this consecration was that he would never cut his hair. His consecration was the key to his power. 

So long as Samson lived in this consecration, he was invincible. He was able to face and overcome everything the enemies of God threw at him. On one occasion he alone killed a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. 

There is no reason to believe that Samson was bulging with muscles as portrayed in modern movies and art. It wasn't the size of his biceps that gave him power; it was the depth of his consecration.

Samson lost his power when he compromised his consecration. He compromised his consecration by consorting with a Philistine woman named Delilah and revealing to her the secret of his power. Having lulled Samson to sleep on her lap, she then called in the Philistines who cut off his hair while he slept.

Shorn of his locks and his power, Samson could no longer stand against his enemies. He was taken captive by the Philistines who gouged out his eyes, bound him with bronze fetters, and put him to work pushing a turnstile in a circle all day grinding grain. How the mighty had fallen!

Is it possible that today’s church lacks the power to face down the rampant godlessness and immorality engulfing our culture because, like Samson, we have consorted with the world and compromised our consecration to God? 

There is Still Hope

Even in his weakened and broken state, there was hope for Samson. Judges 16:22 tells how Samson’s hair began to grow as he toiled day after day in the prison. This was an outward sign that there was a renewal of his Nazirite consecration to God.

Then one day, during a great celebration in a massive theater, the Philistines brought out Samson to entertain the gathered throng as an object of mirth and ridicule. He was forced to “perform” for the crowd so they could revel in the humiliation and devastation of the one who had caused them so much pain in the past.

What the Philistines did not realize was that Samson’s hair had grown back—at least to a degree. His consecration had been renewed and there would now be one final display of God’s power through him.

After being taunted, mocked, and ridiculed, a young man led the blind and broken Samson to a place between the two giant pillars that supported the stadium. Samson placed a hand on each pillar, and prayed, Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God!

Samson no longer feared death. He wanted victory again more than life itself. As he pushed against the two pillars with all his might, he cried out to God, Let me die with the Philistines! The two pillars gave way, and the stadium came crashing down killing thousands of Philistines, and Samson with them.

I am here reminded of the prayer of Jonathan Edwards just before the Great Awakening transformed New England. Having consecrated himself to God, he desired an Awakening more than life itself. With great passion, he prayed to God, “Give me New England or let me die.”

We Must Rebuild the Altar of Consecration

When Elijah confronted the 400 false prophets on Mt. Carmel, his first act was an act of consecration. At a time when Israel had compromised their faith in Yahweh and were consorting with Baal, Elijah called the nation to renew their consecration to God. I Kings 18:30b says, And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.

The altar was a place of sacrifice—a place of consecration. After repairing the altar of the Lord and placing the sacrifice upon it, Elijah prayed a 20-second prayer and the fire of God fell from heaven. The mass of people gathered there fell on their faces, crying out, The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God! (I Kings 18:41)

In Roman 12:1-2, Paul called on the Roman believers to consecrate themselves to God by making their bodies living sacrifices. He wrote,

Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God . . . Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

My Father Builds an Altar and Sees a Display of Power

When my older brother, Pete, was 7 years old, he was run over by a farm tractor and fatally injured. With blood bubbling from his eyes, mouth, nose and ears, my Dad rushed him to the nearest hospital. Three doctors examined him and agreed, “He won’t live more than 10 minutes.”

They went on to explain that, even apart from x-rays, they knew from the bleeding that a broken rib had punctured a lung. They then wheeled Pete away for x-rays and my Dad was left alone with his thoughts and questions.

As he stood alone in silence, the thing foremost on his mind was that for 5 years he had ignored the call of God to full-time ministry. With only a fourth grade education and a family to care for, it seemed an absolute impossibility that he could become a pastor or minister.

But facing the death of his son, he knew he had to respond by building an altar of consecration. He, therefore, stepped into a nearby restroom, raised His right hand and said, "Lord, I'm ready!"  It was only 3 words, but those words came from the depth of his being. It was an act of total surrender. It was an consecration!

Immediately the power of God fell and the gift of faith dropped into his heart. I heard him tell this numerous times growing up, and in his words, “I suddenly knew that Pete was going to be okay. I didn’t know how I knew, but I knew.”

He came out of the restroom and had to wait, but his heart was at peace and full of faith. After about one hour, one of the doctors emerged and said, “Mr. Hyatt, there has been a higher power here tonight.” He then said, “We know your son had a broken rib that had punctured his lung. But we have finished the x-rays, the bleeding has stopped, and there is not a broken bone in his body.”

A nurse who attended the same church as my parents testified that she had never felt the presence and power of God as she did in Pete's room. My Dad’s act of consecration and the ensuing miracle launched him into the ministry. Despite his lack of education and training, he went on to be a successful pastor for many years before his death in 1994. 

This is the Time

It is time all across America for pastors, leaders, and churches to rebuild the altars of consecration that are broken down. We must repent for being more concerned with what modern culture thinks of us than what God thinks of us. As we rebuild the altars of consecration, the fire of God will fall, His power will flow, and we will see this nation turned back to God.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, Bible teacher, revivalist, and church historian. His books documenting America's birth out of the First Great Awakening are available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.   

RECONNECTING WITH AMERICA'S FORGOTTEN ROOTS OF FAITH AND FREEDOM

These 5 books are the fruit of an unexpected 7-hour encounter with the Lord in 2010, at which time He assured me that America "could" see another Great Awakening that would restore national peace, civility, and morality. I also saw for the first time that the First Great Awakening had a direct bearing on the founding of this nation. These books are great tools for personal and group study and as textbooks for Christian schools and Christian colleges. For pricing on bulk orders, send an email to dreddiehyatt@gmail.com.    

                                                     

                                    

                                         

AMERICA'S FOUNDING PRAYER WAS OFFERED IN THE NAME OF JESUS

The First Continental Congress opened with Bible reading and prayer on September 5, 1774, at Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia, PA. Fifty-six Delegates were present from all 13 colonies except Georgia. Among those present were George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, and Patrick Henry from Virginia and Samuel Adams and John Adams from Massachusetts. The delegates met to discuss how to deal with Britain’s oppressive mandates toward the colonies.

Beginning with the Stamp Act of 1765, relations between the colonists and Great Britain had steadily deteriorated as King George continued to pile on tyrannical taxes and regulations about which they had no say. With the outbreak of protests, especially in New England, George had sent six regiments of British soldiers who had locked down the city of Boston and closed its port.

Before beginning their discussions, the delegates agreed to open with Bible reading and prayer. Samuel Adams, a Puritan from New England, suggested they invite Rev. Jacob Duche, an Anglican minister of Philadelphia who was known as a man of deep spirituality, to come and lead them in payer.

As the elderly, grey-haired Duche stood before the Congress, he began by reading the entire 35th Psalm, which powerfully impacted everyone present. It is a prayer of David for deliverance and begins with the words, Plead my cause O LORD with those who strive against me; fight against those who fight against me. The Psalm ends with praise for God’s deliverance.

After reading the Psalm, Duche began praying for the delegates, for America, and especially for the city of Boston and its inhabitants who were under siege. As he began praying, the Anglicans, such as George Washington and Richard Henry Lee, knelt in prayer, according to their custom. The Puritans, according to their custom, sat with bowed heads and prayed. Others prayed according to their own, unique customs.

But although their outward manners differed, there was a singleness of heart and purpose as they all united in prayer for God’s assistance and intervention for America. Duche lifted his voice in prayer, saying,

O Lord, our high and mighty Father, heavenly king of kings, and Lord of Lords, who dost from Thy throne behold all the dwellers of the earth, and reignest with power supreme over all kingdoms, empires, and governments. Look down in mercy we beseech thee on these our American states who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee. To Thee they have appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support which Thou alone can give . . . Shower down upon them and the millions they represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world and crown them with everlasting joy in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ Thy Son and our Savior. Amen (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 108).

This was America's founding prayer and it was recorded in the official proceedings of the Congress. John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, of the impact of the Bible reading and prayer on the delegates, saying,

Who can realize the emotions with which they turned imploringly to heaven for divine interposition and aid. It was enough to melt a heart of stone. I never saw a greater effect upon an audience. It seems as if heaven had ordained that Psalm to be read that day. I saw tears gush into the eyes of the old, grave pacific Quakers of Philadelphia. I must beg you to read that Psalm (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 108).

Rev. Duche was then invited to be the chaplain for the Congress and begin each session with Bible reading and prayer. He agreed and this first Congress became a place where God's word and prayer in the name of Jesus were valued and given priority. 

Sadly, these historical facts have been censored from the secularized modern versions of America’s history. It is, therefore, vital that we restore them to the American public for as Carl Sandburg said, "When a nation goes down or a society perishes, one condition may always be found; they forgot where they came from, they lost sight of what had brought them along."

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

IMPLEMENTING GEORGE WASHINGTON'S BATTLE PLAN COULD TURN THE TIDE FOR UKRAINE

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has evoked comparisons of David and Goliath because of Russia’s superior military might and the brave resistance of the Ukrainian people. We must never forget, however, the key to David’s victory. While Goliath trusted in his size, his military experience, and his armament, David declared his trust to be, in the name of the LORD of hosts the God of the armies of Israel (I Samuel 17:45). 

David's strategy for defeating Goliath was George Washington's strategy for defeating the mighty British war machine. Like David facing Goliath with his slingshot, Washington knew his ragtag colonial army was no match, in the natural, for the powerful, well-equipped British army. 

Therefore, upon accepting the call of the Continental Congress in May of 1775, Washington began to instill in the colonial troops a sense of the importance of prayer and faith in God, for as William Novak said,

Washington knew his only hope lay in a profound conviction in the hearts and daily actions of all his men that what they did they did for God, and under God’s protection (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 114).

Washington issued an order stating that each day was to begin with prayer led by the officers of each unit. He also ordered that, unless their duties required them to be elsewhere, every soldier was to observe “a punctual attendance of Divine services, to implore the blessing of heaven upon the means used for our safety and public defense.” 

He also forbade profanity, swearing, gambling and drunkenness, explaining that, “We can have little hope of the blessing of Heaven on our arms if we insult it by our impiety and folly.” He went on to express his desire that, “Every officer and man will endeavor so as to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 114).

At one point, during a particularly difficult part of the war, Washington and his men were quartering at Valley Forge. Rev. Henry Muhlenberg (1711–1787), pastor of a nearby Lutheran Church observed Washington’s activities. He wrote, “Washington rode around among his army yesterday and admonished each one to fear God.” Muhlenberg went on to say,

This gentleman does not belong to the so-called world of society, for he respects God’s word, believes in atonement through Christ, and bears himself in humility and gentleness. It appears that the Lord God has singularly, yea marvelously, preserved him from harm in the midst of countless perils . . . and hath hitherto graciously held him in His hand as His chosen vessel (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 115).

Not only did Washington and his army pray, but the Continental Congress issued no less than 15 calls for national days of prayer and fasting during the war. Although it was a grueling seven years, numerous answers to prayer occurred protecting Washington and his troops and giving them victory when victory seemed impossible.

For example, in the early part of the war, Washington and his 12,000 troops were trapped on Long Island by a British force at least twice that size. The British took up positions and got ready to march forward and pin Washington and his troops against the East River. Confident of their position, the British decided to wait until morning to make their advance and put down this rebellion.

During the night the Americans prayed and scoured the area for boats of any kind that would take them, their cannon, and their armaments across the East River to Manhattan. As dawn approached, it was obvious they had not achieved their goal. 

However, at that point a heavy fog rolled in and remained until the army and all its cannon had been moved across the river to Manhattan. As soon as they were safely across the river, the fog lifted. At this point, the British were amazed to see that the colonial army with their armaments had disappeared, as if into thin air. 

This was just one of the many “signal interventions” of which Washington made mention. And at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Benjamin Franklin called the delegates to prayer and reminded them how God had answered their prayers during the war. Addressing Washington, who was the Convention President, Franklin said,

In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain when we were sensible to danger, we had daily prayers in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers, sir, were heard and they were graciously answered (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 119).

After the British General Cornwallis ended the war by surrendering to Washington on October 19, 1783, Washington appointed Israel Evans, a chaplain in the Revolutionary Army, to deliver a Thanksgiving sermon to the troops that same day.

Addressing the massive crowd, Evans exhorted the troops to give thanks to God, knowing that their victory was not the result of their own strength and prowess. He also declared that the same God that fought for Israel in days of old had fought for them. In poetic verse, he declared,

To Him who led in ancient days, the Hebrew tribes, your anthems raise.

The God who spoke from Sinai’s hill, protects His chosen people still.

Not in ourselves success we owe, by Divine help we crushed the foe
(Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 119).

When David went out to face Goliath with a slingshot, he declared, You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. In other words, David’s trust was not in natural human resources or military armaments. His trust was in the name of the LORD. The same was true of George Washington and the Revolutionary Army.

I would, therefore, encourage President Zelenskyy to proclaim a day of prayer and repentance for the people of Ukraine. Let it be a day in which they, as a nation, ask God for His help against a larger and more powerful foe. Perhaps they will find that the God of David and George Washington still responds to sincere prayer.

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's books that document America's birth out of a great, spiritual awakening. This article is derived primarily from 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

WHY FREDERICK DOUGLASS AND DR. KING HAD SUCH GREAT RESPECT FOR AMERICA'S FOUNDING DOCUMENTS

Those of the modern Left who are disparaging America's Founders and her founding documents, have departed from the vision and thinking of the great Abolitionists and Civil Rights leaders of the past, including Frederick Douglass and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Both Douglas and Dr. King showed great respect for America's founders and America's founding documents. In a July 4th speech delivered in 1852, Douglass said,

Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men too—great enough to give fame to a great age. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men.

The difference in Douglass and King with modern anti-American pundits is that they understood history and, therefore, the significance of what happened in 1776 and 1787. They realized that, although imperfect, the Founders struck a bold and clear blow for liberty by formulating anti-slavery founding documents at a time when slavery was  accepted and practiced throughout the world.  

Indeed, America's Founders were turned against slavery by a great, spiritual awakening that transformed 18th century colonial America and ignited an anti-slavery movement that turned multitudes against the institution. These facts led the noted African-American scholar, Dr. Thomas Sowell, to write,

Among those who turned against slavery in the 18th century were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and other American leaders. You could research all of 18th century Africa or Asia or the Middle East without finding any comparable rejection of slavery there (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 90).

When the time came for separation from Great Britain, the Founders formulated founding documents that were designed to also oppose slavery. As a result, Abolitionists and Civil Rights leaders from Frederick Douglas to Abraham Lincoln to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. have used these documents to combat slavery and racial inequality.

Dr. King, for example, in his “I Have a Dream Speech,” exhorted America, not to dispense with her founding documents, but instead, to live up to them. Speaking from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he declared,

When the architects of our Republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" (Hyatt, Abolitionist Founding Fathers, 54).

Then quoting from the Declaration of Independence, he proclaimed,

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

Both Douglass and Dr. King had studied the U.S. Constitution and understood that there are no classifications based on race, ethnicity, or skin color. The words “slaves” and “slavery” are not mentioned. Instead, it speaks of “citizens,” “persons,” and “other persons.” The language was purposeful for James Madison said, “The Convention thought it wrong to admit in the Constitution the idea that there could be property in men"(Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 122-23).

In the 1852 speech noted above, Douglas, took the nation and the church to task for allowing slavery to continue, but he praised the Constitution as "a glorious liberty document" and extolled the Founding Fathers for their courage and their wisdom. On another occasion, he said of the founding documents,

Anyone of these provisions in the hands of abolition statesmen, and backed by a right moral sentiment, would put an end to slavery in America (Hyatt, Abolitionist Founding Fathers, 54-55).

Yes, in the founding documents, the Founders gave Abolitionists the legal instruments with which to combat slavery. A 1784 gathering of Methodist leaders in Baltimore understood this and when they issued a statement denouncing slavery, they based it on both the Bible and the Declaration of Independence. They declared slavery to be, "contrary to the golden rule of God as well as every principle of the [American] Revolution” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 97).

The revivalist preacher, Samuel Hopkins (1721–1803), used the words of the Declaration in a pamphlet he wrote against slavery. Confronting those who argued that slavery was God’s way of bringing Africans from their pagan land to hear the gospel, he exclaimed,

What sort of “gospel” message is being conveyed when people are enslaved because of the color of their skin? The Declaration of Independence says all men are created equal with certain unalienable rights. Oh, the shocking, the intolerable inconsistencies (Hyatt, 1726: The Year thatDefined America, 90)!

Abraham Lincoln also understood the anti-slavery character of the nation’s founding documents. In 1858, Lincoln, who had become the new Republican party’s first candidate for president, declared that the anti-slavery platform of the new party was built on the vision of the nation’s Founders. He said,

In the way our Fathers originally left the slavery question, the institution was in the course of ultimate extinction, and the public mind rested in the belief that it was in the course of ultimate extinction. All I have asked or desired is that it should be placed back again upon the bases that the Fathers of our government originally placed it upon (Hyatt, Abolitionist Founding Fathers, 59-60).

The modern claims that America’s founding documents are racist are not based on facts. The historian, David Azerrad, was correct when he said, “The argument that the Constitution is racist suffers from one fatal flaw; the concept of race does not exist in the Constitution” (Hyatt, 1726:The Year that Defined America, 127). 

To save our country from the anti-American Marxist forces, we must know and proclaim this truth of America's founding documents. Douglass would agree, for in the same speech noted above, he referred to the Declaration of Independence and then exhorted his audience,

The principles contained in that instrument are saving principles. Stand by those principles, be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, and at whatever cost.

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt’s books, 1726: TheYear that Defined America and Abolitionist Founding Fathers available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.