Regaining Lost Ground

Pastor Shane Idleman: If you are not a morning person, are you a night person? We need to get back to seeking God in that hunger and that desire. God uses the least likely. He uses those who are hungry, hungry for more of Him.

The alcoholic, someone who barely graduated high school, those with dyslexia, or those struggling with anger and addiction. Then God says, "That's a voice. He is crying out to Me, humbled himself, and I'll get that because he speaks the truth. I'll get it out there for others to hear." He uses the least likely, those who are on fire for Him, those who want more of Him. We are not perfect, but God, we need to hear from You. We need to know You.

Guest (Male): Thank you for joining us here at Westside Christian Fellowship, located in Leona Valley, California, one hour north of Los Angeles. Today on Regaining Lost Ground, we hear the third and final part of this special Liberty message titled, "If You Can Keep It."

In 1775, founding father Patrick Henry said, "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

Are you weary of apathy and complacency? Is the flame that once roared now a dim whisper? Take your faith into action today. Be transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit and God's living, breathed-out Word in this powerful war cry from Pastor Shane to get off the sidelines of faith and charge the front lines of battle here on Regaining Lost Ground.

You can hear the whole message at Pastor Shane's YouTube and Rumble channels. Make sure to subscribe today. For more information, visit us online at westsidechristianfellowship.org. We also encourage you to hear more truth from Pastor Shane with the Idleman Unplugged weekly podcast. And now, from Westside Christian Fellowship in Leona Valley, California, here is Pastor Shane Idleman.

Pastor Shane Idleman: The founders introduced approximately 1,400 official prayer proclamations prior to 1815. 1,400. How about this? Twenty-four of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence received what today would be considered a seminary education. Half the signers of the Declaration of Independence. They wanted God's Word so entrenched in society.

Remember, that's what started in 1620. The Pilgrims come over on the Mayflower to Cape Cod Bay to start to the glory of God and to the advancement of the Christian faith. From that began this incredible what they called experiment. The Supreme Court in the early 1800s ruled that public schools should teach the Bible. Noah Webster went on to say that education is useless without the Bible.

You are not progressing if you are digressing from the truth. So, all these people that say, "We're progressing, I'm a progressive," no you're not. You're a digressive. You're leaving the truth. You're never progressing when you're leaving the truth.

Think of what this will mean to our children and grandchildren if the foundations are destroyed. What can the righteous do? I wish I had a checklist: do this and do that. The Titanic has sunk. It's been hit. All I know is to trust God and to seek Him like never before. I do know in the darkest hour there is often the greatest hope.

The foundations must be maintained: the foundation of moral integrity, God's Word, and fearing God. This is a spiritual battle for the very soul of our nation, and it's our choice whether we stand or fall. Again, I'm not being overly patriotic and what they call Christian nationalism, which is just a way they love to twist terms.

They call you a homophobe. No, I just speak the truth in love. They call you an Islamophobe. No, it's just that you have a lot of terrorists killing people. That's just the truth. They call you a Christian white supremacist nationalist. No, I'm just wanting to get back to God. That's all. I love God. I love our country. You can call me what you want. You're the liar, you're the deceiver, not me.

I'm being truthful. I don't think there's anybody really here this morning that would disagree with most of this. I'm going to do this to you again. I know I'm a repetitive person, but I can't find new hope and new truth. There is hope, though. Praise God, this is the only thing that keeps me going.

Second Chronicles 7:14 calls out from the past with resounding clarity to America today. Now, let me break down a straw man argument really quick. A straw man argument is something somebody puts together that really holds no weight. They say this does not apply to America. And to some degree, they're right.

The context is actually for Israel. If you want to get technical, it's when Solomon was king and he prayed this incredible prayer. God told him, "My people are going to wander, by the way. And when I bring pestilence, when I bring famine, when I bring drought to you, My people, when I bring these things, if My people humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I heal your land, Solomon."

However, the context may not support America, but the principle does. In other words, does this verse apply to us? Of course! If you think it doesn't, I've got some oceanfront property in Arizona to sell you as well. What Bible are you reading? Everything is fixed through humility and prayer and seeking God and repenting, even a nation.

Benjamin Franklin probably wasn't even a Christian. The guys couldn't agree, and he said, "Hold on, guys. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We need to get back to humbling ourselves and seeking God like never before. That's our only hope."

So, you negative Nellies who say this verse doesn't work, I want to challenge you to get off your high horse and get back to seeking the heart of God. Absolutely, this verse applies. By the way, humility, prayer, seeking, and repenting are not separate things. This is all one package. This is how you change America. Men, humble yourselves in your home. Get back and repent if necessary. Lead your family to the cross. Put on worship instead of the MMA at the White House.

I want to read a portion from a former Chief Justice of the great state of Alabama. I'm glad those who gave their lives for our nation are not here with us to see the mess we're in, how we've given up our righteousness for a life of indulgent sin. For when abortion isn't murder and sodomy is deemed a right, then evil is now called good and darkness is now called light.

But with man as his own master, we fail to count the cost. Our precious freedoms vanish and our liberty is lost. Children are told they can't pray in school and they teach them evolution. When will they see that the fear of God is the only true solution? Our schools have become battlegrounds while all across the land, Christians shrug their shoulders, afraid to take a stand. And from the grave, their voices cry, the victory's already been won. Just glorify the Father as did His only Son. And when your work on earth is done and you've traveled where we've trod, you'll leave the land we left you, one nation under God.

We have a responsibility. I don't care if you hate America. You have a responsibility to seek God and pray and fast and ask God to revive us. I don't want it to be said of us like in Judges, "And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord."

Other than Scotland, we were the land of revivals. I have a whole list from during the Revolutionary War, the First Great Awakening, the Second Great Awakening, all the different times where God revived us. That is our only hope, and it still can be that today. We don't have to live in the past.

Somebody's got to dream. Somebody's got to pray. Somebody's got to contend. Somebody's got to fuel the flames of passion. Somebody's got to intercede. Somebody's got to cry out and ask the question, "Where are the weepers? Where are the men and women who are going to find themselves on their face before Almighty God and praying down heaven and not letting go until God answers?" Who's going to answer the call?

Oh God, we've heard stories of Your glory filling stones and buildings, but oh God, would You fill our hearts again? I don't want to read in the Old Testament where His glory came and the Shekinah glory covered the entire temple and the mountain shook because of His presence, but we come into church and we're dead to the things of God. God, fill this temple again. Fill my heart again. Oh God, here's my heart. Come and seal it.

We are here, we are hungry for Your nearness. God, we need You. God, do something. Break us. Humble us. So many people get excited and motivated, but motivation will be gone tomorrow. You've got to get disciplined. Discipline keeps the motivation going. Motivation's gone tomorrow.

We've also got to humble ourselves. If My people humble themselves and say, "God, I need You," humbling is hard, isn't it? We don't like to humble ourselves. But the sad reality the Bible says is if you don't humble yourself, God says, "I will." And trust me, you don't want that.

So, as we go into worship, there's no checklist. I don't know what to tell you to do. Of course, I always get the critics. "Shane, America's going to hell in a handbasket, just wait for the Rapture." What Bible verse do you use on that one? Because that's a coward. That's an arrogant coward who doesn't want to fight for the next generation. How dare you want to leave this mess for our kids.

When we call for prayer meetings, I want to encourage you to be here. We have morning worship on Sunday mornings, every morning for 10 years, where we pray for our nation. We contend for our nation. I don't mean to make people feel bad, but over the 10 years, people have asked me, "Shane, why aren't more people here?" That's the number one question I get, and I say, "I don't know." We shrug our shoulders. We don't care to take a stand. I'd rather sleep in and be comfortable.

We will not change this nation with lukewarm, comfortable Christianity. It's impossible. So, you need to make a decision, whether you're here or not, to have your own home time. If you're not here, are you at home up praying? Okay, you're not a morning person. Are you a night person? Are you turning off Breaking Bad and opening the Bible? Are you opening the Bible at night if you're a night person?

If we could do that, could you imagine the worship service? I can tell, I've been to a lot of different denominations and churches. A lot of people are dead in the worship services. I don't think it should be a circus, but many people are not excited to be here. We roll in sometimes 10, 15 minutes late. It's my duty. We're not going to see God move His hand powerfully in our nation with that kind of lukewarm, apathetic attitude.

There needs to be a fire for the things of God again. The reason I say this is to bring out of you what's already inside of you, to be stirred and be convicted, to hear the hard things. That's how you get revival. I'd rather have a thousand people upset at me, but 900 come back hungry.

Isn't that true? We've got to get back to passionately pursuing God, and that means removing some things. What a title. It's almost as if God's saying that. Again, not the flag, but can you keep the freedoms, God-given freedoms to worship? Because the way things are going, the more Islam and the Democratic Communist Party get into office, it might be peace now, but there may be a time when your kids and grandkids will be forced to bow to Allah.

I'm just shooting you straight. The way things are going, they are praying to Allah in New York. Have you seen the videos? More elected officials, they just won a whole bunch of offices. And our attitude is just, "I'm doing good. My business is going good. I'm doing good financially." It doesn't affect you yet, but it will affect the next generation.

What we do now will affect the next generation. I'm not saying get a full gun safe, I'm saying get a full prayer closet. If you want to come and just kneel and get that fire back, that's the key, isn't it? The fire of the Spirit. You want to contend, and we'll have different callings. Not everybody's like me. You might go to a school board meeting and be very gentle. I might go and I might chew them out. God's using His people to make a difference.

Some of you should be running for office. Some of you should be noting legislation, writing it, or at least praying and interceding. We just shrug our shoulders. It's no big deal. And here's what happens with all things biblical: when it is a big deal, it's too late. By the time we see it, it's often too late.

Christians, we've lost our passion. We've become apathetic. That kind of Christian doesn't move the hand of God. They just get through life. At least get up and pray in your house and worship. Join us in spirit. We need to get back to seeking God in that hunger and that desire.

I should be the last person up here: alcoholic, barely graduated high school, dyslexia, anger, addiction. Then God says, "That's a voice. He is crying out to Me, humbled himself, and I'll get that because he speaks the truth. I'll get it out there for others to hear." He uses the least likely, those who are on fire for Him, those who want more of Him. Not perfect, but God, we need to hear from You. We need to know You.

I know that fire's lost for many lives. I could go back there and watch. During worship, I can see those who are bored. I can see those who are callous and hard and arrogant. I can see those who were dragged here or who are hoping it doesn't go too long. They come as if they're doing God a favor. You think that's going to cut it? You think that pleases God? What pleases God is a broken and contrite heart.

Isn't that amazing? The God of the universe who hung Saturn and the sun, He said, "There's something you can give Me: a broken and contrite heart, and I will never, never cast that away." What does that mean? It means, "Lord, I need You. I'm broken. Our nation needs You." I'm interceding on behalf of the innocent blood we shed, like Daniel did it, Nehemiah did it. Intercession. God looks for those who are interceding.

He told Ezekiel, "I sought for a man from among them who would stand in the gap before Me and the nation that I might not destroy it." I'm just looking. Is there any gap fillers? God's saying, "I'm just looking. Is anybody going to intercede like Moses? Lord, no, stay Your hand of judgment. Let me intercede on behalf of the people."

We've got to get rid of this apathetic approach to Christianity and just pray for that hunger and that desire again. Lord, I pray for that this morning. God, wake us up. Lord, fill our little ones with Your Spirit. They're going to have to fight this battle. It's going to be even harder. Lord, I pray that we would see a national spiritual awakening. And I do pray it starts in California. Lord, the odds are impossible for it to start in Los Angeles County, but Lord, I pray You would do that. The city of angels.

God, revive Your people, revive Your church. Lord, we are desperate for more of You. I pray for those—I don't want anybody leaving discouraged. Nobody is perfect that's here, but we want to be surrendered to You. We want to repent. If there are things you need to repent of this morning, I would encourage you to do that. Come to this altar, repent of them, deal with them with God. You don't want to hold on to them: anger, attitude, arrogance, addiction, strongholds. Lay them at the foot of the cross. Let God cleanse your heart. If you don't know Him, just repent and believe. Say, "God, I need You. I repent of my sin. I believe in Jesus." And God will save you. He will set you free.

Hello, this is Pastor Shane Idleman. I wanted to let our listeners know that due to budgeting issues, we will be removing Regaining Lost Ground from some of the radio stations that we currently air on. Therefore, to continue listening to the sermons, I want to encourage you to follow me and Westside Christian Fellowship on YouTube and Rumble today, as well as other social media platforms. Again, due to budgeting issues, we will be removing Regaining Lost Ground from some of the stations that we currently air our program on.

Therefore, to continue listening to the sermons, I want to encourage you to follow me as well as Westside Christian Fellowship on YouTube and Rumble and also follow us on all other social media platforms as well. If you have questions, please reach out to us at westsidechristianfellowship.org. Again, that's westsidechristianfellowship.org.

Westside Christian Fellowship is located 60 miles north of Los Angeles in Leona Valley, California. Thank you again for listening to today's message of Regaining Lost Ground where we are reminded daily: times change, truth does not.