America has been under a great deal of stress during this global pandemic. Violence, death and division have sought to tear apart the very fabric of this great nation.
Since the start of the pandemic the Lord has given me the declaration, “We will say of the Lord, not for a moment were we forsaken.” I believe that this should be the declaration and prayer of every American heart now more than ever. I am deeply saddened by the words of judgement being pronounced over this nation. The heart of the Lord Jesus is for mercy and not judgment. We need the prophets of God breathing life and not death into the people of this nation.
I will choose to stand with the Lord Jesus and declare, “not for a moment were we forsaken.” This is a nation of righteous people; there are so many Christians in this nation, and the blessing of God upon the righteous is stronger than anything against us. Yes, we should be holy; yes, we should be following godly character and leaders. However, we need to be honest with ourselves and our neighbors that the mercy of God has been the only thing that has kept us alive. It is the mercy of God that has kept us and fans the flames of passion for our Father and Lord Jesus.
The church has to learn mercy; the Lord says, “Go and learn mercy.” This is the time when we learn the mercy of God. We will see the goodness and the compassion of God in this nation. Revival begins with mercy in the house of God!
“While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ On hearing this, Jesus said, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners'” (Matt. 9:10-13, NIV).
Joel 3 says the horn is sounded from Mount Zion and not Mount Sinai. We must proclaim the truth of the finished work of Jesus from Mount Zion and not judgement from Sinai. It is imperative we are sounding the horn from the right mountain! You cannot have a shofar without killing a lamb, and the Lamb has been slain!
This is the proclamation from Zion: We must sound the horn of the finished work of Jesus for all to hear. It is this, you can be forgiven because another has been judged in your place because mercy always trumps judgement!
God is raising up prophetic voices who will sound the horn from Zion, and I proclaim this nation will arise with prophets of Your heart, God! The Lord will raise up an army who will take this message into their homes, workplaces and streets, and we will see radical transformation because this is the power of God unto salvation, healing, deliverance and preservation for everyone who believes. We need to rightly divide the Word of God to understand the current age, Jesus Himself declares where we stand at the start of His ministry.
“‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
“Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing'” (Luke 4:18-21, author’s emphasis).
This is the place where our King Jesus stopped, and we must not go beyond the place where our King goes. If we go back to the parallel verse in Isaiah, Jesus stopped at the portion of the Lord’s favor, He did not proclaim the day of judgement:
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn” (Isa. 61:1-2, author’s emphasis).
We must not deviate from what our King is declaring. America is not under judgment. America is under the mercy of God. The day of judgement will come when the Lord will judge nations who have stood in opposition to His people Israel.
The acceptable year of the Lord’s favor was proclaimed by Jesus Himself more than 2,000 years ago. I pray the year of the Lord’s favor continues because He is willing that none should perish.
“The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness. But He is patient with us, because He does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (2 Pet. 3:9-10a, MEV).
God does want us to turn from wickedness, but mercy is how it happens. The Lord showed me Lady Liberty, and I believe this is the moment where the church learns mercy, and this will be the fire that we will take to the nations.
Yes, we need repentance through the changing of our minds, and the first place that repentance begins is from mixing the grace of God with the law. Jesus went about doing good, healing all who were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him! This is our mandate still; we should be doling out the mercy of God, but the church has to learn it first.
Sin does not stop the mercy of God; it never has. In the case of the 10 lepers, not all of them repented or changed their minds about God and only one expressed gratitude, giving glory to God. Their ingratitude did not stop the mercy of God from flowing. If our sin could stop mercy then Jesus would have never come. It’s time for the church to arise with the light of Zion burning in your hearts for Jesus, and compassion for the lost.
Let’s agree together that the mercy of God and the Lord’s free-flowing favor would flood the streets of American cities and therefore the world. Give us wisdom and open our eyes that we may see You, Jesus, fully. The year of 2020 is the year we will see the goodness of Jesus with clear vision. He is holy, but He is merciful and slow to anger. He is the God who justifies the ungodly.
“Now to him who works, wages are not given as a gift, but as a debt. But to him who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness” (Rom. 4:4-5).
The Lord has been setting up circumstances where we can freely dispense His mercy, but the church has to get hold of mercy first! Arise and shine with the glory of the Lord, America! We must not reflect the glory that comes from Sinai, for this glory that was veiled in the face of Moses has no comparison to the glory revealed in the face of Jesus!
We do not serve Moses; we serve Jesus. We must preach, proclaim and use words that agree with the covenant we are under! It is imperative in this hour, because your words have power. It’s time to learn mercy in order to give it away until the day of judgment.
There is a world that is already hurting and scared. They know they are sinners; God Himself declares in Romans 2 that their conscience condemns them already but they need to know mercy. They don’t know our King; this is our opportunity to tell them about mercy Himself! {eoa}
Christina Perera serves as president, secretary and chairman of the board of directors of Christina Perera Ministries Inc. She is uniquely gifted with a visionary style of leadership while also being equipped with business expertise. Christina is called to help unite the body of Christ as well as to inspire a passion in others to love the Lord and all of His children with God’s extravagant love.
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