The Path Forward
When I first wrote my book and created the non-profit, Redeem California, I had high hopes of inspiring the church leaders and their congregations of engaging in the political process. I passionately wanted to challenge other believers to take God at his word, that he could do the impossible, and elect Christians into public office, and start the process of taking back California. I developed a plan for the 58 counties across the state, identified church leaders who might be willing to talk about the uncomfortable things from the pulpit, and created action steps for all those who wanted to get involved.
However, that hope quickly waned due to the rapid decline of things labeled political. Most leaders didn’t want to speak out about the erosion of the moral fabric taking place in this nation, with California leading the charge. Activist groups like BLM, and the LGBTQ+ movements have targeted Christians and created polarization in ways I don’t believe existed before, at least not to the extent it exists today. While I am sure they also feel like the target of Christians, by and large Christians can love others without condemnation. Even now! Even after numerous church closures due to the COVID vaccine that was still not enough to get church leadership talking to their members from the pulpit. Now, the state is passing laws stripping parents of their parental rights. Still, those interested in getting involved is very few and so the plan I had created seemed to stall.
I have continued to pray and seek God, never giving up, all the while watching as the condition of our state and our country change so rapidly. It is almost impossible to stay up-to-date, much less have a discussion about what is going on via email blast without it being old news by the time it reached your inbox. We are living on the verge of war in five parts of the world, all of which could drag the US into WWIII.
Recently, I found myself wondering if my efforts to bring awareness were in vain, or perhaps even my own ambition. I wasn’t really sure.
I questioned whether or not I had really heard from the Lord about starting Redeem California. What do you do when the plans you truly believed were from the Holy Spirit lead you to dead ends? For me, I had to take stock and reassess things.
At the end of the day, I believe the book was meant to be written and the ministry had to be launched. I wrote what I felt I was supposed to write. I planned, we researched, made connections, and did what I felt I was supposed to do. The book and the organization is my contribution in seeing change come to a political system that is far beyond one human’s effort to change. It will take a collective force propelled by the power of the Holy Spirit to truly see change.
Therefore, I am shifting my focus from political activism to spiritual activism. The deterioration is growing worse by the day and the only way things will change in California, the USA, and the world is through the intervention of God!
We must pray!
Last year, I wrote 30 prayers to pray over California and the United States. These prayers target six categories facing us as Christians in both the state and the nation. The categories are as follows:
Forgiveness
Family
Schools
Law Enforcement
Elected Officials
Pastors
Over the next few weeks, I will unpack these 30 specific prayers and ask you to pray them with me as we seek God’s divine intervention for California, for our presidential election process and for the world events that many pundits say will lead to a Civil War in the United States and a World War.
If you are like me, you delete most of your emails before reading them—we are bombarded by regular solicitations from many companies. Here's all I ask: please consider reading through my emails over the next several weeks before you click delete.
I am asking that you read through the prayers and the reasons behind each prayer and then pray with me, believing the Lord will bless California and America in the process because “If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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 heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:13 KJV
Thank you for your time and interest in Redeem California. Your voice matters, to me and it matters to heaven!
Kathy J. Chastain (formally Looper)
