A CALL FOR PRAYER FOR THE YOUTH OF OUR NATION

God is calling leaders and the Body of Christ to pray, fast and stand for the safety and souls of the youth of our nation, rather than solely being civicly and politically engaged. An accumulation of deaths signals that the nation is deteriorating from a spiritual attack and that there is a need for a collective spiritual response. There are already churches and communities coming together against this demonic presence throughout the nation. We are assigned to pray for the president, the nation, ourselves, the church and other people. We must intensify our prayers with respect to preserving God's moral authority over future generations as well as their protection.

Brave young people are sacrificing their lives for friends and teachers. It happened at UNC Charlotte recently and again a week later at a Littleton, CO high school. Two young men used their bodies as barrier between shooters and their targets. They both died saving others.

Think about the context of the incidents and the setting. Students are on their way to/from class, just getting picked up/dropped off, headed to/from the bus or lunch. All of a sudden a series of random pops, screams, running, and confusion melts into chaos. Think about the last time you heard a similar story. It would not be that long ago.

I'm from a generation that considers this behavior strange and resist accepting it as normal; deaths in school were few and far between when I was growing up. School used to be a place where you could go to learn and the least of your worries was whether you would walk out alive or have to protect yourself or those around you from sudden attacks. No student should have to think this way. These are two examples of school shooting deaths out of 34 occurrences since last fall, CNN reports.

It should not be this way. Our nation is better than this. From multiple angles EVIL is destroying our society. Life is a sacred gift, much more than physical matter. We are losing far too many lives of young people to senseless killings and both the victims and perpetrators are getting younger and younger. The next generation is looking for guidance and direction. For those of us who believe in GOOD vs EVIL must continue under the power of the Holy Spirit. John 3: 20 teaches: "Everyone who practices evil hates the light."

Immorality will always be a part of a dying world. Should we just let it be? Or should we strive to obliterate it? The Bible also teaches that the "lamp of the body" is the eye. That means what we see must be addressed.

Each time someone loses self-control and acts out to the point of ruin, there is potential for each of us to become more desensitized to loss. Is this the type of nation we want future generations to inherit? We can not discount the presence of mental illness, yet some of the shooters are influenced by pure darkness. Only light can dispel darkness. This is not about liberal or conservative, black or white, gay or straight. This is about standing up for the HUMAN CONDITION.
We must face and fight these demons together.

Yes, we must pray. But we must also demand change from our government because a constantly deteriorating society isn't civil or free. It is not the America we all love.

Please join me in intercessory prayer on this crucial matter throughout the month of May.