The Stream provides the refreshing life-giving water that must begin to flow freely if we are to restore freedom and rebuild America before it's too late. Robison's focus for 2016 and beyond is the restoration of the Christian faith and the renewal of an America whose foundations have eroded. The Stream charts a clear path to personal revival and spiritual revolution in our culture, values, morals, and in government.
The Stream provides the refreshing life-giving water that must begin to flow freely if we are to restore freedom and rebuild America before it's too late. Robison's focus for 2016 and beyond is the restoration of the Christian faith and the renewal of an America whose foundations have eroded. The Stream charts a clear path to personal revival and spiritual revolution in our culture, values, morals, and in government.
The Stream: Refreshing Hearts and Minds, Renewing Freedom's Blessings
290
The Stream: Refreshing Hearts and Minds, Renewing Freedom's Blessings
290Paperback
-
PICK UP IN STORE
Your local store may have stock of this item.
Available within 2 business hours
Related collections and offers
Overview
The Stream provides the refreshing life-giving water that must begin to flow freely if we are to restore freedom and rebuild America before it's too late. Robison's focus for 2016 and beyond is the restoration of the Christian faith and the renewal of an America whose foundations have eroded. The Stream charts a clear path to personal revival and spiritual revolution in our culture, values, morals, and in government.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781683973140 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Worthy |
| Publication date: | 06/28/2016 |
| Pages: | 290 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.61(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
The Stream
Refreshing Hearts & Minds Renewing Freedom's Blessings
By James Robison
Worthy Publishing Group
Copyright © 2016 James RobisonAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-61795-758-1
CHAPTER 1
A NATION GONE MAD
* * *
As we reflect on the riots in Baltimore and Ferguson, and other outbursts of violence across the nation, we must recognize this is what happens when people forsake God. Whether it's a rogue police officer who guns down an unarmed man in the back (by no means typical of that brave and honorable profession), or a tide of delinquents "protesting" injustice by burning down innocent people's property, the root cause of the chaotic violence is the same as it was in the time of Noah: abandoning God and His unshakable principles. Doing so enslaves one to uncontrolled appetites, sensual practices, and destruction.
Romans 1:18–32 clearly reveals the progression of this rapid descent to depraved thinking and destruction. The first step is the rejection of God. It matters not how often you say, "I believe in God." It matters only what you say daily with your life. Your life must say with every vibrant act, "I adore Him. I worship Him. I love Him. I believe in Him. I honor Him and I glorify Him, for He is my God." Even while Jesus Christ died on the cross, He said, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46). Yet with His actions He said, "Even if You forsake me, You are still my Father and my God." That must be the testimony of God's divine creation. He is God. When we do not glorify Him as God, we become vain in our imaginations. Professing ourselves to be wise, we become fools (Romans 1:21–22 KJV).
So how should we respond? Even if they drag all Ten Commandments of Almighty God into the political arena and repudiate them, let us proclaim, "Thus saith the Lord God." If the Supreme Court convenes and decides hell is cruel and unusual punishment, let us stand and teach what the Bible says about hell: there is a hell, and the Bible is the measure by which all societies and all men will be judged.
When you read the Old Testament, you will find that the prophets were considered troublemakers. Most of them were never invited back for a second meeting. They were not popular. Real truth-tellers have seldom been popular, and the Bible has not been popular. They stoned the Old Testament prophets. They killed the apostles. They beheaded John the Baptist. Tradition says they beheaded the apostle Paul. Jesus Christ, the only Son of God and the greatest prophet of all time, was crucified. The Bible may not be popular, but it is true. The Bible reveals life as it should be. That's what we need. When we speak truth to a fallen culture, we will not be well liked, but we must stand up for truth and freedom.
America is great not because of her land or her people. America's greatness is not in our military or materials. It's not in our mechanical or mental greatness. America's greatness is in God.
Our Founding Fathers never conceived a nation separated from God. We are seeing a movement today to separate God from government and from our society. Yet America is built on God. When America gets too intelligent for God, she becomes unintelligent. When she gets too big for God, she shrinks. When she divorces herself from God, she crumbles into the dust. When America forsakes the guidance of God, she is dead.
We must return to that which our fourth president, James Madison, called on his fellow Americans to trust: "The guardianship and guidance of that Almighty Being whose power regulates the destiny of nations, whose blessings have been so conspicuously dispensed to this rising republic, and to whom we are bound to address our devout gratitude for the past, as well as our fervent supplications and best hopes for the future."
We are clearly witnessing the judgment and wrath of God revealed against all ungodliness as we see people given over to ravenous and demonic appetites and practices. The greatest horror occurs when God's standard is discarded and, as Romans 1:25 says, His truth is exchanged for a lie. So it is that the highest human authorities in this land have been making such awful decisions. There is great reason to mourn for a nation gone mad. And yet, as we will see, there is still hope.
CHAPTER 2MOBOCRACY IN THE HEARTLAND
* * *
Against the backdrop of a controversial killing of a black man in St. Louis and seething rage across the United States, a young lawyer stood before a small group of men and delivered a speech that would make him famous.
"If destruction be our lot," he proclaimed, "we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."
The young man was Abraham Lincoln in the year 1838. The black man was Francis McIntosh, a freedman who had been chained to a tree and burned to death by a white mob. The Civil War wouldn't officially begin for over two decades, but the twenty-eight-year-old Lincoln already recognized one of the warning signs of an unraveling society: disregard for the rule of law.
Lincoln continued,
I hope I am over wary; but if I am not, there is, even now, something of ill-omen amongst us. I mean the increasing disregard for law which pervades the country; the growing disposition to substitute the wild and furious passions, in lieu of the sober judgment of Courts; and the worse than savage mobs, for the executive ministers of justice. This disposition is awfully fearful in any community; and that it now exists in ours, though grating to our feelings to admit, it would be a violation of truth, and an insult to our intelligence, to deny. Accounts of outrages committed by mobs, form the every-day news of the times.
Lincoln was not "over wary." His concerns would be played out repeatedly until the entire nation exploded into bloody war. Unfortunately, we are again witnessing "something of an ill-omen amongst us" as mobs periodically assemble in various communities across the country, engaging in acts of violence, theft, and swelling unrest.
We are experiencing the attempted destruction of life and liberty in our own heartland. It is all-out rebellion against the rule of law. For years we have seen blatant disregard of laws, from our borders to our very halls of governance. The root of it all is setting aside God's Word, His Law, and disregarding His counsel. At this moment there are evil men who intend to set our nation on fire, burning up forever the greatest national expression of freedom's beauty ever witnessed by mortal man. America, with all of its ills, failures, and need for correction from time to time, is still the greatest example of a nation established on the rule of law as revealed in sacred Scriptures.
Right now in our country, some foolishly zealous people are encouraging a revolt against the rule of law and accusing those who risk their lives seeking to protect our citizens as though they were targets to be attacked, discredited, and destroyed. Many are simply ignorant of the facts, but others are intentional provocateurs, manipulating the media and the crowd for their own selfish gain. Still others are agents of evil, stirring up passions to provoke violence, as exemplified by death chants against police officers. This is worse than nonsense. It is terrorism at home!
Again, Lincoln recognized this destructive spirit:
When men take it in their heads today, to hang gamblers, or burn murderers, they should recollect, that, in the confusion usually attending such transactions, they will be as likely to hang or burn someone who is neither a gambler nor a murderer as one who is; and that, acting upon the example they set, the mob of tomorrow, may, and probably will, hang or burn some of them by the very same mistake. And not only so; the innocent, those who have ever set their faces against violations of law in every shape, alike with the guilty, fall victims to the ravages of mob law; and thus it goes on, step by step, till all the walls erected for the defense of the persons and property of individuals, are trodden down, and disregarded. But all this even, is not the full extent of the evil. By such examples, by instances of the perpetrators of such acts going unpunished, the lawless in spirit, are encouraged to become lawless in practice; and having been used to no restraint, but dread of punishment, they thus become, absolutely unrestrained. Having ever regarded Government as their deadliest bane, they make a jubilee of the suspension of its operations; and pray for nothing so much, as its total annihilation.
After the tragedy in Ferguson, Missouri, President Obama's actions seemed as if he were seeking to undermine the Supreme Court, Congress, and even our justice system. His remarks condemning police officers who were proven to have acted justly and his quick association with supposed victims who, when the facts came forth, were proven to be in the wrong, play a significant part in the lawless spirit pervading our land today. The president may have been playing to the populace, but he was undermining the very constitution he was entrusted to protect. Politicians towing this line will win friends among the mobs but alienate an even greater number of honest citizens, as Lincoln noted:
Good men, men who love tranquility, who desire to abide by the laws, and enjoy their benefits, who would gladly spill their blood in the defense of their country; seeing their property destroyed; their families insulted, and their lives endangered; their persons injured; and seeing nothing in prospect that forebodes a change for the better; become tired of, and disgusted with, a Government that offers them no protection; and are not much averse to a change in which they imagine they have nothing to lose. Thus, then, by the operation of this mobocractic spirit, which all must admit, is now abroad in the land, the strongest bulwark of any Government, and particularly of those constituted like ours, may effectually be broken down and destroyed.
Lincoln took on, as we must, the enemy within. By our own disregard of the Word, wisdom, and counsel of God, we have allowed the enemy of life and freedom to set in motion a tsunami of moral and economic collapse destroying personal responsibility and true freedom. Good people — godly people — must stand up and speak the truth. Pure passion can be misguided and dangerous. We need, as Lincoln pointed out, "general intelligence, sound morality, and in particular, a reverence for the constitution and laws."
This practice of playing to the mobs must end. That means voters must repudiate any politician, regardless of party, who demonstrates this tendency. Instead, we must learn to come together in peace, calm, and unwavering strength to face the enemy for Christ's sake and all who long for and love freedom, or we will watch it vanish from this once-great nation and the world.
Our nation was founded on biblical principles. To these, we must hold. These truths are our only hope, for, as Lincoln concluded, "Upon these let the proud fabric of freedom rest, as the rock of its basis; and as truly as has been said of the only greater institution, 'the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.'"
CHAPTER 3MOST PEOPLE
* * *
If you watch television, listen to talk radio, or read a newspaper, you will repeatedly hear claims about what "most people" think, followed by some assertion. Most people don't like what is happening in our country. Most people want change. Most people are concerned about national direction, the economy, and the future. And, of course, most people are angry about the inaction and ineffectiveness of Congress and other leaders.
Well, I have a question to ask. When are most people going to stop just talking and complaining and decide to make the necessary difference by taking action, accepting responsibility, and helping to correct those things that deserve our attention? Let me make it clear: correction begins at home, first in each individual life and then through actions affecting everything in our circle of personal influence. Each one of us can make a positive difference when we assume personal responsibility and make the commitment necessary for correction. If most people don't think we are headed in the right direction, then it's time for most people to make the commitment to do something about it!
Everyone must understand that the political process is moved and directed not just by those who deliver messages and share their concerns but by those who deliver votes! In our constitutional republic, our national direction, laws, and policies are determined by the power and privilege of choosing representatives — those who pass legislation and establish laws. The democratic process grants us the freedom to influence our future by electing our representatives. Thank God for this great privilege — and may God help us to treasure and understand its value. May the Lord help those who care (who I believe are most people) to stand up and make a difference!
Small special-interest groups obviously wield more power and influence in our day than most people because most people simply complain but do little, if anything, about the problems. Consider the small percentage of the population in groups who really impact national direction, legislation, and policies — the gay activists, environmentalists, labor unions, teachers unions, the NRA, pro-choice activists, pro-life supporters, big business and corporate lobbyists, the anti–God-and-faith-in-the-public-square crowd, as well as partisan activists. These people deliver with determination.
If we want meaningful, purposeful, positive, effective change to the benefit of all, where must the influence come from? Well, from most people! Change comes from those who should care the most about all people. I am referring to the community of faith — those who claim to love God and their neighbors. Christians are the ones who can and should deliver the influence to help determine local, state, and national direction as salt and light influencing every aspect of life (Matthew 5:13–16). It comes first by personal example, then through action or activism, zeal and unwavering determination to change what must be changed through wise counsel, reasonable considerations, and deep-principled convictions.
We can and must choose the best-qualified leaders and insist they also deliver. Most people in America claim to believe in God, even though some do not seem to know the God of the Bible because they have substituted religious association for true, personal relationship and cannot be counted on to take a stand. This is sad but true. It is also a fact that the largest part of the US population — professing Christians — has often made the least impact on national direction because they are the least active and deliver the least effect.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Stream by James Robison. Copyright © 2016 James Robison. Excerpted by permission of Worthy Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Not Too Late to Turn the Tide 1
Part 1 America Needs Healing 7
1 A Nation Gone Mad 9
2 Mobocracy in the Heartland 13
3 Most People 19
4 It's Easier to Love Pets Than Some People 23
Part 2 Spiritual Awakening Is Our Only Hope 29
5 Bottom-Up, Inside-Out: Internal Change First 31
6 Hope and Change 37
7 The Importance of Gratitude 41
8 Return to Wisdom 47
Part 3 Freedom Is God's Gift to Mankind 53
9 Kissing Freedom Good-bye 55
10 Preachers, Priests, and Politics 59
11 Freedom Must Be Protected 67
12 The Restoration of Freedom 71
Part 4 Evil Must Be Fought 79
13 The Face of Evil 81
14 Confronting Evil 85
15 Subtle Evils 89
16 God's Answer to Evil 95
Part 5 Laws Must Be Just 101
17 Know Justice, Know Peace 103
18 The Parable of the School Zone 107
19 There Are Absolutes 115
20 Raising the Standard 121
Part 6 Honest Wealth Is a Good Thing 129
21 America and the Poor 131
22 Thou Shalt Not Covet 139
23 Jesus Started with Inequality 145
24 Don't Kill the Goose 149
Part 7 Smaller Government Makes Bigger Citizens 157
25 America's New Pharaoh 159
26 Small God, Big Government 163
27 The Church of State 169
28 What, Not Who 175
Part 8 Every Life Matters 187
29 Equal Value and Dignity 189
30 The First Issue 193
31 Celebration of Life 199
32 The Precious Is Trampled 205
Part 9 Families Are the Foundation of Society 213
33 A Fatherless Nation 215
34 Unnatural Disasters 223
35 Pandoras Box Unhinged 227
36 Not an Idle Word 233
Part 10 Churches Must Be Agents of Unity 239
37 Divine Diversity 241
38 Common Concerns of the Church and State 247
39 Bold Witnesses 255
40 Answering Jesus's Prayer 259
Conclusion: Americas Only Hope 265
Acknowledgments 269
Notes 271