Save America Ministries

Guest: This is Viewpoint with attorney and author Chuck Crismier. Viewpoint is a one-hour talk show confronting the issues of America's heart and home. And now with today's edition of Viewpoint, here is Chuck Crismier.

Chuck Crismier: His hands were chopped off by his own relatives. Why? Because he had converted to Christianity. The relatives of a man in Eastern Uganda chopped off his hands after he converted from Islam to Christianity. He said, "I gave my life to Jesus in early March. My family members were not happy. My elder brother approached me and pretended to ask about my whereabouts, and suddenly he grabbed me and others surrounded me. They took me into a house and cut off my hands while reciting Islamic scripture."

But that was not all. Faruku is still undergoing treatment, but his father justified the attack by saying, "That is what Sharia or Islamic law instructs us to do to those who deny the religion of Allah." And this attack was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda.

Perilous times. Jesus said that perilous times would come. The Apostle Paul told his ministry sidekick Timothy that perilous times would come. And perilous times are perilous. So, I welcome you to Viewpoint. I'm Chuck Crismier. This conversation is always with ever-increasing conviction, talk that transforms. And today we're going to take a look at how God provides provision for us in perilous times. How God provides provision for perilous times.

God isn't ignorant of the ravages of persecution that are increasingly sweeping the earth, immediately preceding Christ's return. In fact, Jesus himself warned of both the fact of such persecution and the supreme testing that it was going to present to his followers. Jesus made every reasonable effort both to warn of that which would come and to prepare the minds and hearts of all of us who would claim to be his disciples.

He put things into ultimate perspective, helping us to properly perceive the comparative value of preserving fleshly life on Earth as compared to eternal life rooted deeply in faith. Showing that he himself would lead the way, he announced that his own hour of suffering, ultimate persecution, had come, but then he applied the necessary mind and heart set to endure to those who would follow. And here are his words: "He that loves his life more than eternal life shall lose it. And he that hates or much loves less his life in comparison in this world shall keep it unto eternal life. If any man serve me, let him follow me. If any man serve me, him will my father honor."

So, we have to perceive and value God's provision for perilous times. How do we do that? In order to perceive and value God's provision, we have to first come to not only cognitively admit, but also to spiritually embrace the promised reality of the perilous times that are now sweeping across our world, and that will soon become a veritable tsunami. Indeed, again, as I said, perilous times are perilous.

And they're being experienced throughout the non-Western world. But in the Western world, historically known as Christian Europe and Christian America, the reality of the true nature of the word perilous hasn't yet been either admitted or experienced to a degree recognized as truly perilous. And that's where part of our problem is. We don't perceive it as provision that God provides because we do not yet perceive the perilous nature of our times.

So, today on Viewpoint, we're going to take a little bit, a little bit further look at some of the things that are developing around our world. And I'm glad that you've joined us. This conversation is always with ever-increasing conviction, talk that transforms. And again, if you do not have my book, "When Persecution Comes: Preparing Hearts for Perilous Times," I urge you to get a copy of it so that you might be encouraged, so that you might be prepared to prepare your own family, your children, your grandchildren, those in your sphere of influence, pastors, that you might be better prepared to prepare those in your flock because Jesus did not mince words. He just didn't mince words. Neither did the Apostle Paul, the Apostle Peter, the Apostle James, the Apostle John. They all warned of the persecution that would come upon us. So, it's not that we celebrate that, but we have to be ready for it because the times are intensifying worldwide.

In India, actually, it was in America, a viral video made the rounds in India this last week captured something the world rarely sees. Senior leaders of the radical RSS organization were caught off guard and unwilling to answer important questions, and it happened right here in the US. On April 23rd, these two leaders of RSS walked out of the Hudson Institute in Washington D.C. An American journalist, Peter Frederick, was waiting for them, and he asked point-blank why the RSS stands accused of orchestrating or tolerating attacks on Christians, including mob lynchings. But neither man would respond and said not a word. Inside the building, only minutes earlier, the mood could not have been more different. The session was titled "New India."

The RSS General Secretary delivered a script saying, "Hinduism is not a religion in the conventional sense, but an ancient civilization." He went on to say, described the RSS as a grassroots movement focused on character building and national service. From what viewpoint? Well, we'll find out. It's not that India, that the millions of Christians, minorities, and tribal communities know. That's not the India they know, as described by the RSS General Secretary. If Hinduism is truly a civilization, why is there such an extreme clampdown on the Christian faith? Across several Indian states, particularly in the North, extremist groups continued to disrupt Christian worship, vandalize churches, harass families simply for praying together.

The so-called anti-conversion laws, now in force in more than a dozen of those Indian states, cast wide and indiscriminate net. A home prayer meeting, the sick and dying gathering to be healed, a personal decision to follow Jesus, just ordinary acts of faith are now treated as crimes. The updated Freedom of Religion Law now considers the decisions of just two members of a family to follow Jesus as mass conversion, carrying devastating penalties. And behind the whole charade is the RSS's long-standing ideological project to transform India into a Hindu nation defined first and foremost by Hindu identity. That's exactly what their President Modi has declared.

The RSS-led power structures prevent ordinary Christians, pastors, and Christian organizations from even visiting India because of their faith. This is in India, the largest population-wise nation in the world. Then we go to our South. A new campaign has been launched aimed at restoring special protection to religious leaders in Colombia. Following a series of killings and kidnappings by armed groups. Eleven religious leaders have been killed, disappeared, or kidnapped recently. Among them was a pastor. In another case, a mass grave holding the remains of eight religious and social leaders was discovered. Colombia has returned to levels of violence reminiscent of the dark days of. What's happening? We'll talk further about it.

Guest: Once upon a time, children could pray and read their bibles in school. Divorces were practically unknown as was child abuse. In our once great America, virginity and chastity were popular virtues and homosexuality was an abomination. So what happened in just one generation? Hi, I'm Chuck Crismier and I urge you to join me daily on Viewpoint where we discuss the most challenging issues touching our hearts and homes. Could America's moral slide relate to the Fourth Commandment? Listen to Viewpoint on this radio station or anytime at saveus.org.

Chuck Crismier: To whom are God's promises of provision amid perilous times directed? Well, we must say honestly, with integrity and straight face, those promises, sobering promises are extended not to the unconverted, but also but only to those who are true followers of Jesus Christ. Not just unconvinced people, unconverted people filling our church pews. Can we pander with holy promises to people whose lives do not remotely reveal their genuine faith requiring discipleship? And that's why when we talk about when we talk about persecution and provision under persecution, we need to understand to whom that provision is promised. It's promised only to those who truly are walking with the Lord in the light of his word.

True disciples. As Jesus said, "If a man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." So when, what does it mean to take up your cross? It's not an idle one-time blithe confession of full-fledged exchange of a person's previous unregenerate life. It's one who is committed to doing the will of my Father and willing to suffer for persecution for his name's sake, even to losing his own life. That's taking up one's cross. It's not merely a one-time intention, but rather a daily, life-directing and motivating conviction of mind and heart. As our Lord clearly admonished, when he said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake," Jesus said, "the same shall find it."

"For what does a man advantage if he gain the whole world and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come into his own glory and in his Father's and of the holy angels." So, cheap grace, the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross. And so, when we're going to focus today on provision amid persecution, we need to understand that that provision is not promised just to anybody. It's promised only to those who are walking truly as genuine disciples, willing to take up their cross daily and follow him.

So, we're going to talk about that provision here on the program today. But before we do, I want to share a few more illustrations of what is happening around the world. And these are just illustrations. These are not the full expression of all the persecution happening around the world. In Kenya, a suspected Muslim Muslim extremists, let's put it this way, posing as motor-motor tax drivers killed an evangelist in Central Uganda, shortly after he preached at a gospel event. His name was Alfred Alfred Kaga. He was beaten and stabbed after he and his wife spent the evening preaching as part of an evangelistic team. Four people who identified themselves as motorcycle taxi drivers approached them, saying they were Christians who had attended the event and offered them free transport home. Well, that was the seduction. But what followed was sudden and violent. The attackers turned on the couple, beating them severely, and during the assault, they stabbed Mr. Kaga, fatally wounding him. Church leaders expressed shock and grief, describing Kaga as a dedicated evangelist committed to spreading the gospel, particularly among Muslim communities. A painful loss for the body of Christ.

Then, in Finland, we've talked about this a number of times, but it's ongoing because this is happening in a Western nation. Finland. Finland's Member of Parliament, Päivi Räsänen, is appealing her country's Supreme Court decision to criminally convict her on account of hate speech for a decades-old pamphlet referring to homosexuality as a, quote, "developmental disorder," unquote. She intends to appeal her case to the European Court of Human Rights to uphold her free speech rights after the narrow 3-2 ruling last month, making her a criminal. The failure of the Finnish Supreme Court to uphold freedom of speech has set a dangerous precedent in my country and across Europe, she said. "It's my duty to appeal this decision to reinstate respect for the basic human right that all are free to peacefully express their views in the public square."

But friends, this is not primarily a matter of free speech. This is a matter of persecution of Christians who hold to the teachings of the Bible. That's what they're against. She went on to say, "I know I'm not alone in facing unjust persecution under hate speech laws that make sharing Christian beliefs a criminal offense." Peacefully expressing one's beliefs is never a crime. The charge centered on a pamphlet. Räsänen originally published in 2004, 20 years ago, titled, "Male and Female He Created Them: Homosexual Relationships Challenge the Christian Understanding of Humanity," where she argued that homosexuality could be considered a negative developmental disorder. Well, that pamphlet was initially a, what you might say, a tangential investigation that emerged in response to criminal complaints against her for a 2019 tweet that quoted Romans chapter 1, verses 24 to 27, to rebuke the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland for promoting LGBT pride events.

The grandmother of 12, that is, this Member of Parliament in Finland, questioned at the time how an ostensibly Christian church could agree with shame and sin being presented as a matter of pride. The Finnish Supreme Court acquitted Räsänen on that tweet, finding she had justified her view by citing a biblical text. She suggested to that the prosecution seized on the decades-old pamphlet because it would be easier to convict her over a text describing homosexuality as disordered than it would be for simply quoting the Bible, which is exactly why she wrote that in the first place. She said her book was about homosexuality challenging the Christian view of man, and argues that such behavior is self-evidently not normal compared to the biblical standard of marriage between male and female. In that respect, homosexuality is some kind of disorder of this original purpose of God, and that was the reason why the Supreme Court found me guilty, she said.

So, if she quoted the scripture, she got by with it. If she wrote it in a pamphlet and didn't quote the scripture, then she doesn't get by with it, even though the foundation is exactly the same. This is how seriously people in the Western world are going after Christians. And if you think that it's just in Finland, it's not just in Finland. No, it's here in the United States. The Department of Justice has released a report detailing anti-Christian bias under the Biden administration. The new report reveals that Biden administration treated Christian organizations and individuals much harsher than their secular counterparts, pointing to a pattern of what acting Attorney General Todd Blash calls "the devastation of Christians." That's the United States of America, friends, under the Democratic Party. Devastation of Christians. The report, which spans about 200 pages and contains over 300 pages of exhibits, was compiled by the Trump administration's task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias.

"No American should live in fear that the federal government will punish them for their faith," said the acting Attorney General, who serves as the chair of the task force to eradicate Christian bias. "As our report laid out, the Biden administration's actions devastated the lives of many Christian Americans." So, welcome to persecution, American style, even under a presidential administration dedicated to rule against Christians because of what Christians, real biblical Christians, stand for in our country. Same thing in Finland. Exactly the same thing. Satellite imagery has confirmed the demolition of two historic Christian churches over there in Azerbaijan. Armenia's church authorities calling it a deliberate campaign to erase Armenian religious heritage from the territory. These churches were destroyed by the Azerbaijanian government by intent. Azerbaijan is Muslim.

The Caucasus Muslim Board, a religious body affiliated with the Azerbaijani government, confirmed the state-planned demolition of both churches. Get rid of any representation of the Christian faith. The same thing is happening in Egypt. Egypt has been a centerpiece of the Christian faith for 2,000 years. But a new report is raising fresh concerns about religious freedom in Egypt, warning that Christians and other religious minorities continue to face systemic discrimination despite signs of progress. This is the ongoing repression by the what, 90% Sunni Muslim population. A very troubling picture. One such case involves Christian convert Said Abdrabou, who was charged in July of 2025 with contempt for Islam after sharing his faith online. During pretrial detention, he suffered repeated beatings by national security agents, was denied access to worship materials and Bible. In Egypt.

Again, these are merely illustrative, friends, of what is actually happening worldwide. You say, "Well, why do you bring that, why not you just say nice things? Why don't you just say encouraging things? Why don't you just don't we have enough troubles? Uh, don't we have?" Well, the answer is both yes and no. If if your view concerning this is correct, then you do not believe that Jesus was correct in warning of the persecution that would come. You don't believe that the Apostle Paul was correct when he warned of the perilous times. You don't believe that Peter was correct when he said, "Don't be surprised at the fiery trials that are to come upon you." You would also not be in favor of the Apostle John, the Apostle James, warning of the perilous trying times that would come. The reason those warnings were given, friends, is because Jesus knew and his apostles knew that there were going to be very perilous times just before the return of Christ.

So, we want to be prepared for the return of Christ. People think, "Well, I'm prepared for the return of Christ because I confessed Jesus as my savior 20 years ago." That doesn't make you prepared. Are you able to stand in the evil day and having it all to stand, stand? Have you even understood the nature of what it means to take up your cross daily and follow him? See, the problem in our Western world, particularly in America, is we just have hardly anything to relate to, but they do around the world. Increasingly in Europe. Yes, so-called Christian Europe is now falling away rapidly from the Christian faith. In England, Islam is taking over. The churches are being taken over either by bars or by Islamic mosques. This is what's happening. It's real. And today, I want to provide at least some measure of encouragement from the standpoint of how God provides amid persecution.

If we would purport to stand on the promises of God, we have to first have standing through faithful obedience to claim them. In other words, we have to be true followers. True followers. Not just pretend followers. Not just those who believe in God. Even the devil believes and trembles. Not just those who believe that Jesus was the son of God, because even the demons believe that. It's a matter of whether our life and convictions truly line up with what we say we believe. In the Psalms, we're talked about, we're we're told that there's a requirement for of what I call standing. It's a legal position for the right to be heard and for provision to be made in the day of trouble. You can read about it in Psalm 50, verses 15 to 23. It says, "I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me."

But under the wicked, speaking to Israel as heirs of the promises, God says, "What have you to do to declare my statutes, or that you should take my covenant in your mouth, seeing that you hate instruction and cast my words behind you?" We want to have standing. True standing for the promises. Now, what are those promises? That's what we want to focus on. The bells of the program today.

Guest: There is so much more about Chuck Crismier and Save America Ministries on our website, saveus.org. For example, under the marriage section, God has marriage on his mind. Chuck has some great resources to strengthen your marriage. First off, a fact sheet on the state of the marital union. A fact sheet on the state of ministry, marriage, and morals. Saveus.org. Marriage, divorce, and remarriage. What does the Bible really teach about this? Find all of this at saveus.org. Also, a letter to pastors, the Hosea Project. Saveus.org and many more resources to strengthen your marriage. It's all on Chuck's website, saveus.org. Again, you can listen to Chuck's Viewpoint broadcast live and archived, Save America Ministries website at saveus.org.

Chuck Crismier: Welcome back to Viewpoint, friends. I'm Chuck Crismier. This conversation is always with ever-increasing conviction, talk that transforms. And today, what we're attempting to do is, shall we say, prophetically prepare. Prophetically prepare for the times that are already upon us, but are coming quickly across the oceans toward the West, toward the United States of America, where you and I, most of our listeners, live. If you don't have a copy of my book, "When Persecution Comes: Preparing Hearts for Perilous Times," you owe it to yourself to get one and to get it quickly. It's a $25 book, yours for $20 on our website, saveus.org, saveus.org. You can give us a call at 1-800-SAVEUSA, 1-800-SAVEUSA, or write to us at Save America Ministries, P.O. Box 70879, Richmond, Virginia 23255. Writing a check at $6 for postage and handling. And I do not think you're going to be disappointed. I can almost guarantee you're not going to be disappointed because this book is going to, yes, it lays out the seriousness of the matter, but also it provides the direction, the encouragement that we need for times like these. That's what it's about. It's as if I have become a coach, shall we say, to encourage, to strengthen God's people for the ultimate game of the life of their life. The time when Jesus, just before Jesus returns. This is the big game, friends. This is the big game. It's not all the previous games. This is the big game, and victory is on the table.

Will we be victorious or not? Will we be able to stand when all of the chips seem to be down or not? Well, that's what this book is about and how to stand, how to be prepared, how to understand the times. And it speaks to to men, it speaks to families, it speaks to congregations. It covers the whole gamut and it will be encouraging to you. So, today we want to talk particularly about God's promises for provision amid persecution. Throughout the Bible, God often promises victory amid battle, and provision amid difficult times. But did Israel believe that none would suffer loss, despite the victory? No, they didn't. They well understood, and to this day continue to believe, that the promises were to a people, not to individuals. The promises of God are primarily to a people that qualify as the people of God. Not primarily to individuals. That individualistic thinking in the Western Greco-Roman world where we live, has brought us to misappropriate or misapply God's promises as if they're primarily to individual persons. So, because of that, it's somewhat perverted or distorted the meaning and implication of the promises.

So, this is a problem that we face amid the pain of persecution. The Western, and particularly American, Christian mind thinks inwardly, "I myself will not truly suffer or die because God has promised victory." But that individualism has to a to a significant degree actually, set up professing believers for a lack of preparation of heart and life to endure suffering. But even of greater concern, I think, is that untold numbers will fall away, both for their lack of spiritual preparation, and for the profound sense that God has somehow betrayed them by not keeping his promises. So, in that, that then would have the inevitable consequence of the light bubblegum faith that has been served increasingly in our churches since the early 1970s through the church growth movement and the secret sensitive movement, and most recently through the emerging church movement, all of them progressively exalting the Lordship of our feelings over faith. We've got to reverse that thinking. That thinking of the of the Lordship of feelings over faith has got to change in America. It has got to change from the pulpits of America. We cannot try to sell the Gospel anymore, to try to market it to fickle feelings of Americans. We have to do it the way Jesus said. We have to do it the way Paul said. We have to do it the way Peter said. We have to be straight out and prepare people honestly with integrity for the times that are coming.

Now, that brings us to talking about the provisions. Broadly speaking, we could outline the promises that God makes to us amid these times as promises of provision, promises of protection, promises of fearlessness, and promises of courageousness, or courage. So, while these promises are given to a people claiming to be the Lord's followers, his kids, they must also be embraced individually. So, they're made to a people, but then they have to be embraced individually by you and with me, as with salvation itself by grace through faith, which requires our trust and faithful obedience that reveals that trust. So, that's the mind and heart set that we have to come to this with. Something is required of you and me daily, and that is trust revealed in obedience to the spirit and word of God against the loud daily demands of our flesh and carnal nature. In other words, receipt of God's provision and protection in times of intensified persecution requires us, you and me, also to be persistent overcomers in the equally intensifying battle of our flesh against the spirit. That's why, friends, I have written the new book, "The Power to Overcome."

And today it goes out to several endorsers for review. "The Power to Overcome." It is, shall we say, a sequel to "When Persecution Comes." In other words, it's it's like a a coach preparing the people for the ultimate game of a lifetime, the ultimate battle of a lifetime. Will we be victorious or will we not be victorious? So, but today we're focusing on the promises of provision, protection, fearlessness, and courageousness. So, first of all, we need to understand that God is the God of I am. God declared to Moses, "I am." I am what? Well, I am Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah, our provider. I am Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah, our healer. I am Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah, our banner. I am Jehovah Shalom, Jehovah, our peace. I am Jehovah Raah, Jehovah, our shepherd, and so on. In other words, I am your provider, I am your healer, I am your banner, I am your peace, I am your shepherd, I am your commander-in-chief, and my kingdom army of righteous warriors in which you serve. I am, I am, and I am. I'm your provision, I'm your protection, I'm your fearlessness, and your courageousness. Now, if we understand it that way, then we begin to understand that you and I, shall we say, have a kind of partnership with God in this matter. Our attitudes, our behavior, our thinking, our faithfulness, our trust, our obedience are all conditions of these promises.

So, what level of provision is promised by God? Well, he promises to meet all of our needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus, right? So, even in the face of growing persecution, he's promised to provide our needs and an abundance for every good work that he that he expects of us to do. However, as persecution rises, it places increased pressure upon otherwise normal circumstances and the provisions to which we become accustomed, right? For those who are not spiritually prepared to endure rapidly expanding persecution, their faith in the Lord is going to quickly become frayed. That's what I'm afraid of. Seriously testing their trust in God, and because of that, many are going to fall away and apostatize from their once claimed faith, shifting their trust to temporal promises of the rising beast empire and of the counterfeit Christ. So, these coming levels of persecution are going to try and test the faint of heart whose faith is not deeply rooted.

Now, when we say that God is going to provide, he doesn't say exactly how he's going to provide, but that he will provide to enable you to be able to stand in the evil day. Now, you remember Elijah, he was one of the greatest prophets of Israel. In fact, following Moses, he was the greatest prophet. And he stood before the 400 prophets of Baal, and put them to the final test, and then ultimately had them destroyed. It seemed like a great expression of power and authority from God. Indeed it was. But, all of a sudden after that great victory, he was terrified. Why was he terrified? Because the woman who ruled Israel at that time was godless. Remember Ahab and Jezebel? Ahab was king, but Jezebel ruled the roost. And she was furious because these were her prophets, the prophets of Baal. And she put out a death warrant on Elijah. She put out an APB, all points bulletin, on Elijah, right? And Elijah fled for his life. And he ended up at a place called the Brook Cherith. And what was he going to do? How was he going to eat? How was he going to drink? How was he going to survive? And he was beside himself because after the great victory at Mount Carmel, all of a sudden, he's the victim. All of a sudden, everybody and his brother is out to kill him, at least on behalf of Jezebel. So, he's here at at the Brook Cherith, and God meets him there as Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who provides. How did God do it? He sent a raven. A raven. Was this a black crow? I don't know. A raven. He sent a raven to bring him food, and he had water there, and that's all he needed to live. Now, you wouldn't consider that provision, would you? But God did. We'll be back.

Guest: Have you ever considered what the early church was like? Many people are developing a heart longing for a greater fulfillment in our practices as Christians. A recent study showed 53,000 people a week are leaving the back door of America's churches in frustration. What is going on? Why has there not been even a 1% gain among followers of Christ in the last 25 years? Could it be that God is seeking to restore first century Christianity for the 21st century? Jesus said, "I'll build my church." Is Christ by his spirit stirring to prepare the church for the 21st century? The early church prayed together and broke bread from house to house. They were family, and it was said by all who observed, "Behold how they loved one another." Incredible, but the same can be found right now. Go to saveus.org and click "Sell Church." We can revive first century Christianity for the 21st century. It's about people, not programs. It's about a body, not a building. That's saveus.org. Click "Sell Church."

Chuck Crismier: Promises of protection in perilous times. Are these absolute promises? No. Because if they were, then nobody would ever lose their life for the faith. If they were, the man who had his hands chopped off would not have lost his hands because of his faith. If the if that were absolutely true, the churches in Abyssinia would not have been destroyed because of their Christian faith. The point is that God wants us to trust him absolutely. When we talk about God's promises of protection, we're talking about generic promises, not individual promises to individual situations necessarily. Through God we shall do valiantly, for he it is that shall tread down our enemies. Yes. That is a promise to a people. God only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not be greatly moved. That is a promise to an individual. Trust in him at all times, ye people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. That's a promise to a people. But individuals may not be excluded from having to suffer, even lose their lives. And that's why Jesus said, "If you're not willing to lose your life for my sake and the gospel, you cannot be my disciple."

On the other hand, David says, "For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion, in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me: and shall set me up upon a rock." That is a promise to an individual. David is claiming that as an individual. "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. We have to have that confidence, friends, otherwise you will not endure to the end. You won't. "What time I am afraid, I will trust in you. I will not fear what flesh can do unto me." "Blessed is the man that fears the Lord, that delights greatly in his commandments. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord: his heart is established, he shall not be afraid." So, we have protection from from fear if we put our trust and our confidence in the Lord. That's not kind of a a willy-nilly sort of, "Yeah, I trust God." No. It has to be proven and borne out in our lives. So, then we have provision of courage. Courage is manifested by our choice in a time of challenge and conflict. It's proven not in the absence of persecution, but in the face of persecution.

So, maybe that's the reason why the writer of Hebrews reminded us and said, "Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, that is failed to advance courageously, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." "But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition," that is shrink in the face of persecution, "but of them that believe, that act courageously by faith in the face of serious trials to the saving of the soul." Now, those are promises, those are statements, or promises made to a people group. Are you part of that people group? Then they have meaning for you. But it might be shocking, but true, God never promised courage. Never promises courage. On the other hand, God expects us to live courageously as a clear and convincing demonstration of our alleged faith. In other words, in spiritual reality, courage wanes when our faith wanes and our trust in God. His character and his promises become absent when tested. So, courage arises in response to our sense of the call to duty as part of the kingdom of God. But duty is no longer easily defined because we have done cultural violence in our our country to the sources from which that duty flows.

So, if I step out from under God's authority in whole or in part, either by direct decision or by my behavior over time, I lose my sense of the duties that emanate from that relationship. Therefore, courage wanes or is lost. I have no confidence. I realize I'm out of sync with God, his plan, his purposes, and I have no confidence anymore. Courage requires absolute confidence in God's plans and purposes so as to face fear in the face of persecution. So, courage is revealed not in the absence of fear, but when confronted with the test of fear. So, when God enjoined Israel repeatedly to fear not, it's not that the Lord who removes fear, but it is we who absolutely place our trust in him who choose at any particular moment to challenge, to respond in fear or in courageous faith. That's the pattern by which we find ourselves challenged throughout scripture to live courageously, notwithstanding potentially fearful consequences. So, the Holy Spirit is encouraging you and me to re-establish courage now for the promised times of testing encompassing the Earth in the future, including the apostatizing Western America.

Now, we we all love those passages in Joshua, don't we? Be strong and of good courage. Only be strong and very courageous that you may prosper whithersoever you go. I command you this day, be strong and of good courage. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. See, if you don't have the fully full confidence that God is with you because you're doing his will, then you do not have the ability to be strong and of good courage. You don't have that confidence. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses talks to the people of Israel, not to individuals, but the people. He says, "When you go out to battle against your enemies, you shall say, 'Hear, O Israel, let not your hearts faint, fear not, do not tremble, neither be you terrified because of them, for the Lord your God is he that goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to save you.'" Who is he talking to? A people group. He's not talking to individuals. Because he knows that in the battle some are going to fall, but the victory is going to be to the saints. Not just individuals. "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" "Though a host should camp against me, my heart shall not fear." "Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." So, the question I have right now for you is, what is your courage quotient? See, courage is not needed very much to do what I want, but is much needed to do what I ought to do. Courage is forged in the what you might say, the crucible of faith-infused conscience. When our conscience is seared by disobedience in whole or in part, then the word, the will, and the ways of God as expressed in his word, the word courage has a hollow ring then. How am I going to have courage when I know that I'm out of sync with my Father's will? So, conscience in the soul is the root of all true courage. If a man or woman would be brave, let him or her learn to obey his or her conscience. In other words, a conscience infused by the authority of God and his word. That's what it means to fear the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and it's also the foundation for courage. Because if we'll fear God, we won't fear man. This is how we have to understand these things. And we may not want to hear about them. We might not want to hear the term, "the fear of the Lord." But believe it or not, all the promises of God, every single one of them, including salvation itself, are predicated on the fear of the Lord. That's why I wrote the book, "The Secret of the Lord." It's about how to understand and embrace the fear of the Lord and see his promises bring brought forth in our lives if we'll truly embrace the foundation. If you don't have that book, I urge you to get it. It's a hardbound book, $10, excuse me, $15, we'll put it in your hands. "The Secret of the Lord." On the website, saveus.org. "The Secret of the Lord is with those who fear him, and to them and them only will he show or manifest his covenant." Psalm 25:14. These things, you see, they all work together in synergy. We're talking about God's provision in times of peril. If there's anything that we need, it's courage. Courage is the backbone of our moral character and genuine faith. And when courage weakens, it's like your back just slumps. And the moral back of the American church is slumping seriously right now with every week that passes. And courage is inextricably linked to all aspects of our character and moral behavior. The simple truth is that courage links all of character, morality, and faith into just one single operative body that enables a man or woman to, shall we say, take a stand. A decline in courage, said Alexander Solzhenitsyn, is the most striking feature which an outsider observes in America. He said, "From ancient times, declining courage has been considered the beginning of the end." So, how shall we respond? Take courage. So, let's take an honest inventory. What is your courage quotient? Are you known in your family, among those with whom you associate as courageous or as a compromiser? Are you always looking for the easy way out? Does persistent fear paralyze your faith? Will rising persecution prove your lack of courage? And what has to happen to change or prepare your heart for the persecution that Jesus promised would try his followers as we approach the very end of time? That's those are the questions that kind of hover over us here today as we prepare our hearts for perilous times. Get a copy of the book, "When Persecution Comes," friends. It really will encourage you, strengthen you, and enable us to have the kind of spiritual background that we're going to need for the times that are coming. It's a $25 book, yours for $20 on our website, saveus.org. When Persecution Comes. Give us a call, 1-800-SAVEUSA. Write to us at Save America Ministries, P.O. Box 70879, Richmond, Virginia 23255. Give us a call, 1-800-SAVEUSA. And seriously consider becoming a partner, friends. Do it today. Don't delay. Time is running shorter and shorter with every day that passes.

Guest: Thanks for listening to Viewpoint with Chuck Crismier. Viewpoint is supported by the faithful gifts of our listeners. Let me urge you to become a partner with Chuck as a voice to the church, declaring vision for the nation. Join us again next time on Viewpoint as we confront the issues of America's heart and home.