The Shield Wall

Joining the Shield Wall isn't an empty gesture, a platitude, or just something you can say you asked for via email; it's a commitment: A commitment to begin living out your faith in real, culture-changing ways. Because Jesus is Lord over all, we must bravely apply all of Christ to all of life -- especially the public square. We must stand for the powerful truth of God's Word, come what, for our place and our people. And we do this because we love God, and because we love our neighbors.

So what does joining the Shield Wall mean? It means committing to the following prophetic actions:

The least we can do is pray - and the most we can do is pray. Pray for the Lord to fight for us now in big ways and small, and to continue strengthening the spines of Colorado's Christians to finally stand and contend for the faith. Pray for our leaders, our people, and that Christ would be glorified in every nook and cranny of life here in Colorado.

And pray against the enemy and his allies. We oppose evil because God opposes evil (Ps. 5, Prov. 8, Ps. 97, Rm. 12), and we stand and fight for truth because it is the truth of the Lord that brings freedom (Jn. 3:31-38).

Regularly post on your social media feeds about current, ongoing issues that relate to public life in Colorado. Share clearly and boldly, modeling for others how to think about important issues through the lens of scripture as our ultimate authority.

We need every voice in this fight; there is no room for idle, passive spectators too insecure or comfortable to do their part -- especially if that person is a pastor and overseer. We must be faithful shepherds, faithful Watchmen on the Wall.

Participate in local processes, like school boards, party committees, town halls, and opportunities to impact business at our state capitol, like testifying, protesting when appropriate, and joining prayer walks. We want those filled with the Holy Spirit to infuse His voice and influence into these vital spaces; failure to do so surrenders those spaces and processes to those NOT filled with the Holy Spirit, which is how we end up with laws, measures, and policies that fail to honor the Lord.

If you are a Pastor or faith leader with some kind of platform, then God has put you in position to affect important policies and public perception. And like the Prophets of the Old Testament or the Apostles of the New Testament, we must never fail to prophetically speak God's truth into and over every aspect of life (Jer. 22, 2 Tim. 3, 2 Sam. 12, Acts 2, Matthew 23).

We need all faithful men to steel their spines, recover their voices, and once again refuse to surrender any inch to the enemy -- especially those places and processes that impact how our people think about applying faith to life. We must model the discipling and formation of culture through courageous clarity and boldness.

One of God's greatest gifts to us is each other, and in a constitutional republic, this is especially important to understand. As we learned in Fight1312, no man is an island, and no soldier is victorious alone. While courage begats courage, we need each other to succeed and retake valuable ground for the Kingdom.

So as iron sharpening iron, we must push each other to step out of our comfort zones, stand for the faith, and then continue to stand, come what may. Discuss important issues with your family, friends, and neighbors; resist the temptation to feel insecure when applying faith to life; and do not give into bullying that wants to silence your voice as you stand for truth.

And if your Pastor or faith leaders are struggling to clearly stand, push them especially to do so. Now is not the time for complacency, cowardice, or compromise -- we need bold leadership that knows what time it is and responds accordingly. Strongly push yours to be those kinds of leaders -- because we love God, and because we love our people!