The warnings are sounding across the modern world that by turning its back to God, much worse is going to move in and take His place.

Shedding light on the state of America today, Rabbi Jonathan Cahn joined Glenn Beck’s radio program and discussed just how the country descended into paganism so quickly and the repercussions of it.

Beck shared that Cahn addressed the issues that have millions of American living in fear and uncertainty today in Cahn’s newest book “The Return of the Gods.”

“We are witnessing changes in America that are massive, that are irrational, that even people who are not believers are saying, ‘What is going on?'”

Cahn reveals that the answer to the questions people have about the state of America is it has fully embraced the same pagan practices that the ancient world once held.

Believing Jesus warned His followers that this can happen not just to men but to nations as well (Matt. 12:43-45), Cahn shares that he believes the return of the spirits that orchestrated paganism in the ancient world have returned and are shaping America into their image.

“What’s been happening to America for the last half century or so, and the West, is that what we are witnessing is a repossession. We’re witnessing a paganization. The [goal] of the spirits is to turn a Christian nation, or a Judeo-Christian nation, into a pagan one,” Cahn says.

“If you look at our society and you think ‘How could we have, in eight years, gone from abortion should be rare, legal and safe to shout your abortion?’ How can we go from a society that says, ‘Hey, love is love, and you should be able to marry whoever you want,’ to drag queen shows with our preschoolers? How does this happen? The answer is: evil is real. And it has taken possession of this country,” concurred Beck.

This removal of God from society that has been taking place for decades was not simply shutting the door on God and His covenant with America. It was holding the door open and inviting in these other spirits that would rapidly corrupt and fundamentally alter the fabric of American society.

Rebellion against God and His principles brings with it punishment toward that nation, just like what happened to ancient Israel.

“When you look at the original test case, it’s Israel. Israel was in covenant with God. And when they turned away form God, it didn’t go well. It was not neutral. What happened is these principalities came into the land, they ended up doing exactly what they’re doing [in America]. We are replaying that,” Cahn warns.

“We’re dealing with exactly what happened to ancient Israel. In fact, not only exactly, but the same principalities that came to Israel when they turned away from God, have now come to America” Cahn adds.

As the world enters the victorious Resurrection weekend to celebrate Jesus’ victory over sin and death, Beck beseeches all believers to join him in lifting up prayers to the Lord and fasting for deliverance from these evils plaguing the world yet again.

“I’m asking you, as an audience member, to fast and pray for our nation. …If we don’t fast and pray, we won’t be able to exercise this [situation]. We have to shake this evil and chase this evil out of our own lives.

“So tomorrow, on Good Friday, I ask you to join me in fasting and praying for our nation,” Beck concluded.

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

If Christians in America want to continue enjoying the freedom to worship God as they see fit, or any religious group and people of faith, then there needs to be a stand against radical politicians looking to strip them of their rights.

As the citizenry of the United States becomes less faith-oriented, so too does their belief that religious freedoms need to be protected.

Now, Democratic lawmakers are introducing legislation in two states, Delaware HB 74 put forward by state Rep. Eric Morrison and Vermont Senate Bill 16 introduced by state Sen. Richard Sears, to strip the Catholic Church of its “seal of confession” protections.

Essentially, the seal of confession is the sacred duty of the priest to keep the confessions of a person between them, the person confessing and God. It forbids the priest from sharing any information about the sin itself and the person who confessed its identity.

In the case of the two proposed pieces of legislation, as reported by The Blaze, the bills “would remove priests’ right to a privileged conversation during confessionals if the member reveals information about child abuse or neglect.

“It requires priests to report child abuse and neglect or to give or accept evidence in a judicial proceeding relating to child abuse or neglect,” the Delaware legislation states.

That does not sound bad, right? It is for the safety and protection of the children according to the government, and you can always trust the government…right?

Sadly, no.

The politicians in America have for decades shown they cannot in fact be trusted, and often hide their true intentions with a thinly veiled, innocuous reason that few could object to, such as keeping children safe.

Except that these religious freedoms are some of the last remaining bastions of freedom that the enemy, who is Satan, needs to remove to continue turning America from God and suppressing the very freedoms this country was founded on.

To strip away this sacred duty from the Catholic Church would easily spiral into pastors of all denominations having to report to the government potential crimes, abuse or any situation that falls under the umbrella of government oversight.

No one is saying the abuse or neglect of an innocent child is even remotely acceptable, but when that situation is used, purposefully, to strip away rights from religious groups, then there is a far more nefarious plot afoot.

Do not be deceived into thinking this attempt at removing religious rights is a new occurrence, either. According to President of Catholic Action for Faith and Family Thomas McKenna, “This is not the first time this has come up.

“But what is at stake here is the real persecution of our Catholic faith because confession is not a therapy session … discussion, or therapy group, because when a person comes to confession the priest is acting in the person of Christ. This would be a persecution of the Catholic Church because a priest would go to jail before they would reveal someone’s sins,” McKenna stated.

Rep. Morrison claimed in a post on Facebook that the bill is “in the best interests of our children” and that “all Delawareans should be mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect.”

The day is coming when there will be an attempt to outlaw the Bible. It is already being called a book of hate, and the Word of God rightfully predicted that it would.

The world hates Jesus, and His followers. The attempts to silence the gospel of Jesus Christ will not stop. Instead, it will only become more intense. So much so that the Tribulation will eventually take place because the world has become so engulfed in sin.

As this persecution continues, will Christians in America weather the storm and stand up for Christ as society shuns His name? Or will they conform to the world due to their faith not being built on a firm foundation?

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

Religious persecution takes many forms. It is not always an “in your face” life-threatening situation.

It can be a more subtle, invasive form of discrimination. Persecution can take the form of a cloak-and-dagger operation when the swinging axe of an executioner would be far less effective.

This tactic of persuasion has been an oft utilized weapon in Satan’s toolkit. He deceived Adam and Eve right out of paradise with God, not by waging physical war against them, but by deceiving them and weaving lies which would lead them away from their Creator.

In an interview with Faithwire’s Billy Hallowell, founder of the KAIROS Company Johnnie Moore discussed the impact, growth and evolution of persecution across the globe and the different forms it is taking in various regions.

“I’m always clear when I’m talking about the subject … I have no intention of drawing a parallel between religious discrimination in the United States of America or in the West and people getting their heads chopped off in Western Africa, their whole lives and livelihood[s] being destroyed routinely,” Moore explained.

Pointing to the war that is waged against Christians in other parts of the world, Moore highlights the fact that persecution never starts out as open warfare against the cross. It evolves and gradually grows into physical violence.

While Moore clearly highlights the vast differences between various forms of persecution, he also shines light on the first of two distinct warnings for Christians on the formation and evolution of persecution. It takes root and slowly develops from the beginning stages into larger social structures of discrimination.

“When I’m in the most intensely persecuting places, the persecuted church always tells me, in some way, they’ll say something like, ‘It didn’t start like this here. It started with marginalization. It started with discrimination. It started with our children being treated differently in schools,'” he said. “And so, they always say, ‘Watch out for the early warning signs,'” warns Moore.

America is in these beginning stages that Moore describes.

Children and teachers are chastised and punished by public schools for displays of Christian faith. Even more glaring than persecution of displays of faith is the new reality that anyone who does not bow to the altar of the “pride rainbow” and LGBTQ ideology will be shunned, victimized and pushed out the door of public education, corporate positions and media.

That is the marginalization that is taking root in America.

According to the new American social standards, if you stand up for biblical principles, you are a bigot and therefore you must be silenced.

This marginalization blends seamlessly into Moore’s second observation.

He has noticed in areas suffering severe persecution there has become a mentality of “change your beliefs or else,” mirroring the present latter stages of cancel culture affecting Western nations today.

Moore states that the founding documents acknowledged the rights given by God that have protected America from such horrific persecution for so long.

“There is no parallel between the unrivaled religious freedom we enjoy in the United States of America and all of these other places and circumstances,” Moore said. “It’s the first clause of the first sentence of our First Amendment, and, under most circumstances, when it gets squeezed, it works its way up in our system, and it’s protected.”

Yet many Americans do not realize just how close they are to losing those rights.

All it would take is a Supreme Court that is filled with “activist” judges to allow the religious liberties Americans hold dear to be torn down in favor of the radical gender ideologies infecting the American justice system today.

Even as persecution ramps up, Moore continues to see examples of the church taking a stand for the cross and endure the storm of discrimination, even to the point of death.

“There were more martyrs in the last century than in the previous 19 centuries combined, most of that at the end of the 20th century,” explains Moore. “[The] situation’s really, really bad, and yet the church is so strong and all around the world in the most difficult places of the most difficult times I meet the most amazing Christians that walk off the pages of the New Testament into your life.

“The old adage that, ‘the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church,’ that’s true,” he added. “The strength of the church has made my own faith alive and it encourages me.”

As persecution accelerates its rampage across the globe in the devil’s ill-fated attempt at quashing the gospel message of Jesus Christ, there is strength and encouragement in the blood shed by believers that proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior, even to the point of death.

So, take courage in their faith, and the living Word of God. For the Creator of all things will give those who stand in faith the strength and peace to endure the attacks of the world until the time comes when Jesus returns for His church.

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

With American society in a downward moral spiral for decades now, Christians have been hoping and praying for a nationwide turn back to God.

But is that an event that will occur on a national level according to Scripture?

Charisma News sat down with Messianic Rabbi Kirt Schneider, host of the international program “Discovering the Jewish Jesus,” to discuss if America will ever return to her Judeo-Christian roots.

“My view is a bit controversial, with some prophesying a great revival, the greatest revival the world has ever seen, and there may be a great revival. But concerning the Earth and America and Western culture, I do not think America will ever be a Judeo-Christian country again, in the way that we think of in the past,” Rabbi Schneider explained.

“There have been too many breaches, too much that has been broken. The breakdown of morality of the family…we will not be able to repair what has been broken,” he continued.

Rabbi Schneider points to what Scriptures say in Jesus’ own words in Matthew 24 telling of “famine, epidemics and earthquakes,” and that those are just the beginning the sorrows.

The events of the End Times are not only cataclysmic events that cause suffering, but a corrupting of biblical morality so that the earth will be as it was in the days of Noah.

This does not mean there will not be an active church carrying out the will of the Lord during the End Times and into the Tribulation. In fact, Rabbi Schneider shares that Christians can expect a strong remnant to be on the earth.

“There are some churches that are going to be committed to preaching the Word, they’re going to be committed to dying to self so Jesus can increase; they’re going to be willing to pay the cost to be rejected for their bold stand, that Jesus is the only way; they’re going to be willing to stand up and reject the LGBTQ agenda,” Schneider shared.

“There are going to be those remnant communities of people until the end. But by and large, we’re going to see people compromising more and more, because Jesus said straight and narrow as a way that leads to life. Find it.”

In the book of Revelation, the world must come to such an immoral and spiritually bankrupt condition that it allows for the beast and false prophet to come into power.

Paul also writes about the breakdown of society from a moral perspective in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 saying:

“Know this: In the last days perilous times will come. Men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, slanderers, unrestrained, fierce, despisers of those who are good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying its power. Turn away from such people.”

Anyone who is paying attention knows that in many ways, society is continuing its moral collapse. But this is necessary for the End of Days to be ushered according to the Word of God.

“Chaos is one of the primary manifestations of evil. So I am a voice crying in the wilderness saying ‘Stop looking for some great turnaround,’ that America is going to somehow become this great Christian nation again, because I believe the Scripture says that we’re going to go from bad to worse, and that Jesus will not return until this happens,” says Schneider.

In the meantime, Christians are still called to answer the Great Commission and share the truth of Jesus Christ with as many as will listen. The church is not called to be idle during these times, but to ramp up its efforts to pushback against the spreading darkness and share salvation with as many souls as possible.

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

The story of Noah and the Flood is one of the go-to Bible stories for parents when it comes to raising their children anchored in the Word of God.

Children are taught that the rainbow represents God’s promise to never destroy the earth by way of flood again.

These days, Satan has co-opted this beautiful symbol for a much more deviant movement that has done everything in its power to overwrite the promise God made to Noah.

But what are the deeper concepts that believers should know about this ancient symbol that radiates the glory of the Lord?

On a recent episode of “Discovering the Jewish Jesus,” Messianic Rabbi Kirt Schneider reminds us that the rainbow cannot be taken away from God and that it is a visible manifestation of God’s glory.

“The rainbow reminds us that we can trust the promises of God,” Rabbi Schneider explains. “That He will do what He said He is going to do. That is why it’s so important for us to know God’s Word and to know what His promises are, because we incorporate into our life the fullness of Messiah, His substance, by having faith in His promises.

“We inherit the kingdom through faith in His promises,” he added.

What better way for Satan to get believers to forget the goodness of God’s promises than by replacing the meaning of the rainbow with a lifestyle the Lord finds abominable? People around the world who have never heard of the story of Noah, will instead say that it is a Pride symbol representing the homosexual lifestyle.

Except now even the original seven colors have been twisted and altered.

Next, Rabbi Schneider highlights that the rainbow represents a fresh start with God.

People the world over have regrets, but there is forgiveness, renewal and grace in a relationship with God that erases the sins of the past when one repents with a contrite heart.

“Secondly … the rainbow reminds us of new beginnings. Remember the earth had just gotten destroyed by the flood, but the flood subsided and a rainbow appeared in the sky,” Schneider says. “And what that communicated to Noah and his family is that it was a time of new beginnings. The storm had passed. So, I want you to be encouraged that the same God that put the rainbow in the sky for Noah, is still putting His rainbows in the sky for you and I, His people today, to remember that when we go through hard times, those hard times will not last forever.”

Schneider continues, “There’s going to be a new beginning, that you’re coming out into something brand new. God is always a God of new beginnings, and the rainbow that appeared after the storm should remind us all that Satan will never have the last laugh.”

The devil might win a few battles, but he knows that he has lost the war. This is especially important for Christians who are enduring a season in the wilderness to remember that after their appointed time of wandering, there is something great ahead for them from the Lord.

“The rainbow reminds us…that something good is going to follow something bad in your life,” says Rabbi Schneider.

“You see our lives are cycles, where the Lord brings us through challenges and trials so that we can learn to cling to Him by faith when we’re going through hard times. But those trials that challenge…that you might be going through right now, it’s going to end.

“Remember, something good is coming… have faith, that the trial that you might be going through right now or that you’re going to face sometime in the future, it will not last forever,” Schneider continued.

The Word of God tells of how even Jesus endured trials and tribulations in His life, and that anyone who claims to be a follower of His will endure them as well.

When you look up and see the beauty of God’s glory materialized in a rainbow, do not allow bitterness or anger at how Satan is trying to corrupt this gift, but thank the Lord for His goodness, mercy and strength to persevere through the trials in your life.

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

Satan is trying to take control of young people’s lives, and preys on the world’s lack of knowledge regarding warfare in the spiritual realm.

By convincing people that demonic activities and rituals are harmless and no big deal, they in turn open themselves up to spiritual attacks that can have physical manifestations.

This is what many parents are fearing when 28 young women were hospitalized after collapsing while playing with Ouija boards at a school in Colombia.

The director of the school and several teachers took the young women to a local hospital for medical care and evaluation.

As reported by the Daily Mail, “Hugo Torres, head of the Galeras Educational Institution in Pasto, southern Colombia, said: ‘There were 28 possible cases of anxiety in school students.’

“‘Given the reported cases, a series of comments were unleashed on the community that, rather than helping to resolve the situation, led to confusion and an adverse environment for our work.’

“‘For this reason, INEGA is allowed to report that the students were referred to the local municipal hospital according to protocols in place.’

“‘Directors and teachers accompanied the students during the evaluation process.’

‘The respective parents and/or guardians were informed of the situation at the time.'”

One concerned mother who works at the hospital called on parents to be more proactive about the activities their children are involved in.

“Parents, you have to move, investigate what’s happening at school, because our children cannot continue in this situation.

“Our children always have a good breakfast, and it cannot be said that what’s happening is due to lack of food.”

This is not some isolated incident, either, that can just be brushed off as a mass coincidence.

In Nov. 2022, 11 teenagers were found at another school in Columbia having passed out while playing with a Ouija board as well.

In an exclusive Charisma magazine article, Evangelist John Ramirez shined light on the practices of the devil and his minions after growing up in spiritual darkness for years.

“I learned in my time as a devil-worshipper that demons, principalities, territorial spirits and familiar spirits love culture. They love humanity, but they also are fixated on controlling regions, territories and atmospheres. Some atmospheres and regions have poverty, some areas experience deep addiction and substance abuse, some have prostitution, and some areas are known for suicide. Even the more prosperous areas of the world are controlled by money, power and greed. Demons live there, too.”

So, when the door is opened for demonic spirits to attach themselves to human victims, they take it.

This is why it is so dangerous for these young women and others like them all over the world to engage in rituals like Ouija even in jest. It opens the door to demonic attack and without the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, there is nothing they can do to fight against it.

It is through the spreading of the gospel and saving knowledge of Jesus Christ that one can become equipped with the full armor of God to combat the enemy and his forces that wreak havoc on earth, just as they’ve done in the lives of these young women.

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

Pilgrims from all across the country are still making their way to the campus of Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, to see for themselves this move of God taking place in Hughes Auditorium.

The desire in the hearts of so many Christians to see true revival break out in a country that desperately needs the outpouring of the Holy Spirit has seen travelers reach the point of exhaustion just to get a glimpse of what is taking place at Asbury.

This led evangelist Daniel Kolenda, President and CEO of Christ for All Nations and lead pastor of Nations Church, to drive almost 13 hours from Florida to Kentucky to see for himself what exactly the Lord is doing there.

“When I first arrived, it was three o’clock in the morning and rather than going to the hotel I thought, ‘let me go to the actual service and see what’s happening,'” Kolenda said in an exclusive interview with Charisma News.

“Because they said it was going 24/7. If you told me something’s going on 24/7, I’m going to show up at 3 a.m. just to see if it’s true. Sure enough, there were people in the building, worshipping and praying. It wasn’t packed out or anything…but it was special.

“Very simple worship, just a piano player and acoustic guitar player and people loving Jesus,” he recalled.

When Kolenda went back that afternoon more people were showing up, and by that evening the place was filled and overflow buildings were being used.

But Kolenda noticed the atmosphere had not changed. This was not a “fire falling down from heaven” sort of experience happening. It was gentle, like the river of life that flows from the throne of God. There was still simplicity in the worship, prayer and confessions of sin that were taking place in the auditorium.

“What had been going on at three o’clock in the morning was still happening, very simple. Worship, just people lingering in the presence of God. Singing worship songs, nothing fancy. No rock bands, no lasers and smoke, not some big production. It was literally just students gathering together in a very simple way worshipping the Lord,” Kolenda explained.

That amazing movement is also bringing down the snares of religiosity that are driving critics of what is happening as Asbury. Some are denying this move of God saying it has to do “this, this and this” but God does not work like that. Humans cannot put the Holy Spirit in a box and say “He will only move if certain events occur and it manifests in a specific way.”

God is done with the Pharisees and is pouring out His Spirit how He sees fit.

When God moved in revivals such as Brownsville and the Toronto Blessing, He did so in the way He wanted to. There was established leadership in the form of Steve Hill and many, many others who God established at their particular movements.

Just because God is moving in a different way does not invalidate the revival that is taking place, it is simply unique for the time and place that God is moving. He knows better than any person criticizing the movement what the people experiencing His presence need in their hearts.

“You know, Brownsville was very different,” Kolenda continued.

“These powerful services [were] very different from what we’re talking about in Asbury. There is preaching, but it’s almost kind of like what had already been scheduled before [chapel services]. It’s just worship. It’s completely student led. It’s very unplugged and simple, and one of the things that’s just remarkable…when they’re singing, you just hear the voices. There’s no drummers, there’s no bass players, it’s about as simple as it can get without being acapella.”

This Spirit of God that brings rest and healing is justified throughout so much of the Bible, (Exod. 33:14; Matt. 11:28; Jer. 31:25). What better time than after the stress, anxiety, fear and depression than the pandemic and lockdowns brought to the people of the world? In a time when witchcraft and the occult are becoming social norms and people are spiritually tormented by emboldened spirits, the calming and healing presence of God is badly needed.

Now, rumors are spreading that the gentle fire at Asbury is spreading to other college campuses in America. As Christians should, test these movements to see if they are indeed moves of God as Asbury has proven. Do so not with a cynical heart, but one of expectation of the Lord’s goodness and repentance of sin. With contrite hearts turning back toward the Lord, a whole generation who came of age locked down can be set free by the healing love of Jesus Christ.

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

As spiritual warfare is taking place across the globe, there are epicenters of activity that manifest the physical realities. One such place is the “City of Angels,” Los Angeles, California.

For years there have been attempts by Satan to gain complete control over the city, and the state it’s located in, and remove God from within its borders.

Standing against the forces of darkness and harmful manifestations of poor public policy such as homelessness, addiction, poverty and sex trafficking, the Dream Center led by Pastors Matthew and Caroline Barnett has been the light on a hill in L.A. since 1994.

In response to the recent pandemic and lockdowns that ensued, ministries like the Dream Center were put into emergency mode, and are still working to find what their new normal looks like post-lockdowns.

“I think the days are done of the former Dream Center,” Pastor Matthew shared with Charisma News in an exclusive interview. “We’ve been in emergency mode for three years, where every day feels like an emergency.

“I just walked up to my office…and people [are] lined up everywhere, just trying to get into the rehab program. And that happens now before the office doors are even open. People are lined up down the street, strung out on fentanyl…so we’re never going to be the same again.”

With recent legislative decisions from the state government in California, many crimes are no longer enforced or have reduced punishments. This lack of enforcement has led to a boom of prostitution, homelessness and addiction within L.A.

“[The lack of enforcement] definitely manifests itself in the obvious: more crimes,” Barnett lamented. “There’s that feeling in the air…that mindset that people really can’t be delivered.

“But I think the greatest danger of all is just…this mindset of, ‘We’ve just kind of given up, given up believing people can come off of drugs, that we can enforce the law’…lawlessness rules the day,” he continued. “That’s my major concern more than anything…it’s just kind of a city really gone wild with a lack of faith and belief that it can become more post lockdown.”

Pastor Matthew shines light on the oppressive spirit that is taking hold of people’s hearts all around the world. There is no passion within them, and they are accepting much less than what they are capable of. This spirit fills them with fear, doubt, depression, anxiety and so much more, but the best antidote for it is the love of Christ manifesting in their hearts and igniting a passion to follow Him for the rest of their days.

Even while local and state governments attempt to limit what churches can or can’t do, to the extreme point of regulating giving away food on the street, Barnett continues the successful blueprint of giving practical aid to those in need, but forming lasting relationships with the community first and foremost.

“If there’s ever an urgency to build relationships with people, to be in their life over and over again [it’s now]. That’s the only way people will really make long-lasting change, otherwise they’re just going to keep doing what they’re doing,” Barnett explained.

“Maybe it’s in the four walls of a house, and it’s off the street. Typically, surprisingly, a lot of people that are in the housing first, they end up living on the streets, despite the fact they have a little unit or something you build for them. It’s a mindset. It’s really a spiritual thing that has to be broken,” he continued.

This is the crux of the matter that government intervention simply cannot fix. The spiritual hold that principalities have over peoples’ lives can’t be fixed by throwing government programs and money at the problem.

In the wake of the lockdowns, Pastor Barnett revealed new problems that the Dream Center is encountering within their community, and sadly, communities all across the country.

“The issue of teenagers is out of control,” Barnett shared. “A lot of these kids, they were locked down in projects, and exposed to a lot. We’re finding a lot of physical abuse or sexual abuse, a lot of horrible things that happened to them during that era.

“And a lot of them learned to go online and discover how to find drugs, a lot of them join gangs…something’s got to happen.”

Crises like these, and so many more, are still just the tip of the iceberg with what the citizens of cities like L.A. all over the world are experiencing. Thankfully, there are outreaches and ministries like the Dream Center who are answering the Great Commission that Jesus gave to His followers and are making a tremendous impact on the daily lives of the people around them. Both here on earth and in heaven.

To hear the full interview with Pastor Matthew Barnett, click here. 

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

Read time: 3 minutes 9 seconds

After more than three decades in service to Brentwood Baptist Church, Pastor Mike Glenn has come to the conclusion that God has something more for him and his family.

In a statement released on the church’s website, Glenn explains his reasons for leaving the congregation he has pastored of since 1991.

“Knowing that this day would come doesn’t make it any easier now that it has arrived,” Glenn wrote. “Today, I want to announce to you that 2023 will be my last year as the senior pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church. Thirty-two years—by any standard—is an amazing run, and I’m grateful for every minute. But the time has come for someone else to lead BBC into the future that I’m convinced God has for our church.”

Having been a key figure in growing Brentwood Baptist into a megachurch of 11,000 with eight campuses in total, Glenn could easily have lived out his days as pastor in relative comfort and ease. But that is often not the path God has for His children.

It was obedience to the Lord’s calling and time spent in prayer that has seen him step down and take up a new mantle.

In a time when the church has witnessed many pastors vacate their positions due to a stumbling or controversy affecting their ministry, it is encouraging to see one leave a place of familiarity and comfort to embark on another journey God has for them.

“First, I want you to understand that this is my decision and my decision alone. No one, either in the congregation or among our leadership, has suggested or exerted any force to make me step down. This decision comes after months of prayer and a deep love for you. No one loves this church more than I do,” the statement continued.

Glenn is looking forward to beginning a new call to church planting in the middle Tennessee area starting in 2024 after he finishes his final year of pastoring Brentwood Baptist.

“I need to spend more time working with pastors, church planters and leaders in Middle Tennessee,” he wrote. “I want to work with churches to plant new churches and re-purpose churches in changing communities. The most fun I have right now is working with our campus pastors. I want to do more of this.”

Glenn and the trustees of Brentwood Baptist have set a Christian example of transition that many churches over the decades have failed in. By staying in open and truthful communication with one another and ensuring this move is what God wants first and foremost, they have coordinated a seamless and uplifting transition that will see both sides move on to the new season God has for them.

“We have had the special opportunity to come alongside Mike as he has sought God’s guidance in understanding what’s next. Through prayer, discussion and unity of spirit, we share in Mike’s excitement and confidence about what God has in store for him and our church,” the board wrote in their own statement.

“We are grateful that Mike will take on a new role centered around guiding and developing the Engage Church Network. He is a valuable resource for our church and will continue to offer his wisdom, experience and vision. One thing has been clear in our work surrounding this transition, Mike loves you and our church, and there is much work God is calling us to do.”

In a time when division and secrets abound in society, the unity and love that is being displayed by the leadership of Brentwood Baptist Church should stand apart as an example of godly transition that all believers should strive to attain. {eoa}

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

Life and fasting coach Tammy Hotsenpiller is kicking off the New Year in faith and obedience.

This 21-day fast coincides with her new book “Fasting for Miracles,” where she looks forward to sharing biblical principles and stories where fasting precedes breakthrough!

If you are in need of the Lord’s breakthrough in your life, click here and join Tammy on this amazing journey!

Tammy discusses this topic in depth in her upcoming book Fasting for Miracles, To join her 21-day fasting journey, view the Charisma House website here, “Fasting for Miracles”.