Globally Cities Are Being Transformed by the Presence of God!

By Larry Tomczak, Op-ed contributor Monday, May 05, 2014

Here's a question asked often, yet is basically off the mark: "How can we get God to fix America?" Instead we should be asking: "What is holding back the Presence of God which truly can transform America?"

We need to recalibrate our thinking so that our focus is not so much on our comfort or us winning our cities for God as it is the honor of God and hosting His Presence, which ultimately brings the change supernaturally. As Tony Evans once said: "Multitudes want God to bless America. Few truly want one nation under God."

Everything must start with God, not the blessing or our bailout. That's where Nehemiah started in the magnificent rebuilding of the walls of the city in his day. We must follow suit if we are going to see the breakthrough for which we long.

This is not clever semantics or super-spirituality. Amidst the encroaching darkness, we need more of His light!

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you…" (Is 60:1-4).

George Otis Jr. has travelled the globe in documenting places where God's Presence has invaded a city and brought about genuine revival/transformation. If you have ever watched any of his videos portraying what happens, you will be both impressed and motivated. It's the real deal!

Days ago I participated in a nationwide prayer call where we heard from Dave Kubal, the president of Intercessors for America, and a national ministry of which I've been a board member for 38 years. We serve with George for transformation of cities. Dave spoke to us from Cape Town, South Africa where he was at a prayer summit with representatives from 15 nations. He and a minister from Egypt declared the breathtaking things God was doing to transform cities across the world.

Hearing testimonies of cities where Muslims are being miraculously converted, prisons are being upended by the gospel, youth are being radically saved, crime is dropping, evangelism is exploding, economic conditions are improving dramatically and leaders are uniting together to testify to the manifest Presence of God in their midst imparts hope and encouragement.

An Egyptian brother told of how his country, in the throes of a revolution, has experienced incredible upheaval yet saw in Isaiah 19 how God prophetically foretold Egypt being shaken of its idols so that it would manifest God's unshakable Kingdom. Is this what's happening in our nation so we won't trust in ingenuity and achievements but humbly turn to the living God?

Everything begins when we realize the gravity of the situation and not rationalize that our cultural decline is basically cyclical, manageable and will improve with time. We must have a sense of urgency so that we truly seek Him in desperation, laying hold of the lifeline He's extending to us before it's too late. It's healthy to be jolted!

Recent Developments Reveal Serious Decline

Here's the deal: the ship is sinking; the house is burning. America is not experiencing a temporary malfunction. The foundations are collapsing and the entire structure is teetering on the precipice. This isn't hype!

After 12 decades of holding the number one position, the United States will soon be dethroned by China as the world's leading economic power.
Responsible journalism is disappearing as the mainstream media avoids reporting the news with integrity. The recent Benghazi scandal reveals compromise, corruption and cover-up at the highest levels of the political and journalistic realms. Is this Watergate II?

Three things are in play.

1. Dereliction of duty - the Administration left 4 Americans to die in a terrorist attack. 2. Dishonesty – like falsehoods repeatedly said to pass ObamaCare, an absurd narrative of a video as the cause of the attack continues to be maintained even after a congressional investigation reveals it to be untrue. 3. Disgusting - military code demands rescuing our own yet why was the order never given? Political expediency? Image management?

Imagine if it was your son or daughter abandoned to this horrible death. Would you want answers?

Three lesbians from Massachusetts "marry" (one is expecting) while multitudes argue legalizing gay "marriage" won't redefine matrimony to allow all sorts of configurations.
A med student is auctioning off her virginity online to pay her bills
and a Duke University freshman unashamedly strolls the campus boasting of raising hers doing pornographic films.
TIME Magazine publishes its "100 Most Influential People" featuring a dazed Beyoncé (in what looks like underwear) on the cover plus other "luminaries" like Jason Collins who averaged 1.1 points a year ago, is 35 and stunned his "fiancé" saying he's gay, gaining himself celebrity status, a Sports Illustrated cover plus a call from Obama; naked wrecking ball swinger, pot smoker and twerker Miley Cyrus; liberal director Robert Redford; "Scandal" sex symbol starlet Kerry Washington; Dictator Kim Jong Un; California "Governor Moonbeam" Jerry Brown; and Uruguay's President Jose' Mujica ( his distinction is making his country first to legalize production and sale of pot). Others listed were President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Eric Holder, John Kerry and a host of others.
Alveda King underscores the black genocide in America by citing 16 million black babies aborted since Roe V Wade, yet her race only represents 13% of the population. Mississippi has 72% of their black babies aborted before they're born. In New York City today, more babies die overall in abortion than are born!
A 49-year-old man in Montana rapes a 14-year-old girl and a judge sentences the rapist to 30 days in jail. The girl killed herself.
MTV premieres its new "Faking It" show for young people. It's about two high school girls mistaken for a lesbian couple while one becomes attracted to the other.
A new movie being released is "Neighbors"- a raunchy, drunk fest with gross out, shock, profanity, nudity, cross-dressing and homoeroticism. Critics say it's "Hilarious!" and will be a blockbuster hit for youth.
Fourth-graders in Colorado have been caught selling marijuana secured from a grandfather in the state that legalized pot.
To be more inclusive, a high school has the students saying the Pledge of Allegiance by replacing God with "Allah."

Should we rehearse the alarming stats on out-of-wedlock births, divorce, sexual assault, school shootings, fatherlessness, the radical gay agenda, human trafficking, our obscene national debt, sexually-transmitted diseases, apostasy in the church, crime, illiteracy, fraud and waste in government spending, cohabitation, suicide, plummeting school scores, radical Islam, diminishing respect for the U.S. as a world leader, and on and on and on....?

There comes a time when every one of us has a moral obligation to face the chilling realities of our generation, no longer live in denial, not yield to despair but commit to do our part in fostering a heaven-sent awakening as America experienced in 1720-1760 and again in 1800-1840.

God's promise remains true. "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2Chron. 7:14).

Larry Tomczak is a best-selling author and cultural commentator with over 40 years of trusted ministry experience. His passion is to bring perspective, analysis and insight from a biblical worldview. He loves people and loves awakening them to today's cultural realities and the responses needed for the bride of Christ—His church—to become influential in all spheres of life once again.