Christianity Hijacked in America with Pastor Steve Turner #87

There is a culture war raging in America.  Some are attempting to remove Christianity from our society.  It is a battle or good versus evil and it is being fought in the spiritual realm.

In this edition of Finish Strong, Pastor Steve Turner says that Christianity is being hijacked by seven demonic holds on America.  He will discuss how we got here and what we need to do to free our country from the enemy’s strongholds.  You won’t want to miss this one!

Transcript

Dan Wheeler: 0:02

Christianity is under attack in America like never before. There's an attempt to silence any form of public prayer and to paint biblical Christians as out of touch, old fashioned and naive. I'm being Wheeler and on today's edition of finish strong ruin to talk to a pastor who believes that Christianity is being hijacked in America. Interesting concept in a recent sermon, he said in America, we have crossed the line, the horse is out of the barn, and the barn is burning. And when the barn is burning, the farmer goes in to save the animals. We're gonna have him explain what he meant by that saying, Terry Steen is unable to join us tonight. He has a previous commitment, but my sidekick Brian Rowland is here. And Brian, we have a very special guest today. And since you know him, Well, why don't you introduce them to our audience?

Brian Roland: 0:56

Oh, I'd be happy to and I'm sorry that Terry's not here because it feels like we have a missing tooth. You know, something's not quite right. But but we'll do our best. And I want to reduce to you my pastor, Pastor Steve Turner, I turned his church or Deb and I attend the church, Calvary Chapel villages. And for everyone that's looking for a church as the perfect church you want to be in it's a Bible teaching church. And there's none better than Steve, the teaching the Bible. You know, I we have a lot of people that are mourning cups that say, that was just for me. I think I leave almost every Sunday going. That was just for me. There's so much meat in the sermons. So Steve, we're just so happy that you're with us today.

Steve Turner: 1:34

Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here.

Brian Roland: 1:38

You know, Steve, you recently preached on a sermon called spiritual trafficking Christianity hijacked in America. How did you begin to lay out this? How that how do you begin to lay this out in your heart? As you were going through Matthew, I think it was 1230 through 45?

Unknown: 1:54

Well, I have to say that what really got me turned on to this was Jonathan Kahn's book, the turn of the gods. And I happen to be teaching through Matthew, and we came to that passage, where Jesus is talking about the demon that goes out of a man. And then he is in the dry places, he comes back and bring seven worse with him. But at the end of that, he says, this is a wicked generation. So there's that concept that is more than just one individual. And I believe that that's what's happened to America. And so the spirits that have come in, and if taken such a stronghold across our nation, I believe have hijacked Christianity, and that's what the trafficking comes into the spirits.

Dan Wheeler: 2:41

Wow. Interesting concept pastor, and you've observed actually seven demonic holds on America. Could you tell us what those seven holes are, and then we'll discuss each in detail but just kind of run through what they are?

Unknown: 2:56

Well, I these were ones that just the LORD laid on my heart, I think there may be even more. There's some that kind of work together with these, but seven that are very obvious is divorce and cohabitation, a pornography, abortion, the LBGT cue agenda, human trafficking, of course, the drug culture, and then of course, all of the hatred, the anger in the violence is taking place in our country.

Brian Roland: 3:22

And you said in the sermon, Pastor, that it's really started with slavery in America, and there was a wicked and demonic thing that happened then, and that led to this opening of the of the demons able to come in.

Unknown: 3:36

Well, as I've looked at this back, historically, I felt for a long time that America was in real deep trouble. Even when I surrendered to the ministry in 1965. I was 18 years old, and I had a deep burden for our country is in the middle of the revolution of the 60s With so many things going on, and so many little things creeping his way into our culture. I'm amazed that we've lasted as long as we have in the direction that we've taken. So in that entire process, when I look back to see in our country how this has happened, as far as the demonic hold is concerned, obviously, a very strong demon that that took hold in our country was slavery. And it took a bloody war to get rid of it. And so after that, it seemed that things were a lot better for a long time, but then gradually into the, the 20th century. And by the middle of the 20th century, we see these little things like that was just taken for granted. The horse out of the barn, for example. The gate was left open, and so many of these spirits were able to return like, like kicking prayer out of the schools, abortion on demand took place, the drug culture took place, the sexual sex revolution took place. All of these things came in increments that began to bring about a new stronghold and open up the door for ancient gods An ancient idol that were worshipped. These demonic forces that control those now came back in great force. And I believe that all of these things that we've just mentioned, were a part of that.

Brian Roland: 5:13

Yeah, and the one at the top of the list that we were talking about is divorce and cohabitation. And once you talk a little bit about that,

Unknown: 5:21

well, I think this is one that we often just kind of take for granted. We don't kind of put it in the category of the others, but I think it was the beginning. Divorce, we know is, is it has been around 50% For a long time and is great as among Christians as it is among non Christians. And of course, coming out of that has been the cohabitation. Many people today, don't even bother to get married, because they can just cohabitate. And of course, the Scripture is very clear that it's sin, to for sex to be outside of marriage. And so we've, we've just have a whole culture that's just taken sex very lightly. It's for pleasure, not for commitment. And so those two combined together had been a real doorway for a lot of other things.

Dan Wheeler: 6:08

And then the second one you measure you mentioned is really something that has a stronghold on so many people in America and, and it's pornography, and it seems like even Christians struggle with that one.

Unknown: 6:24

They do and it's so it's so deceptive and easy to get involved in pornography. And I also believe that that is also fed the whole problem with divorce men getting involved in pornography often causes him to be unfaithful to their wives, it leads from one thing to another, it's created a divorce culture is devoid of created a cohabitation culture. And often pornography leads to far greater crimes such as rape, and even some serial killers often come from that that vein. Wow.

Brian Roland: 6:56

So that will take us to human trafficking. And I found that was pretty interesting, because I never tied that together with this, but I can even see how that would happen through pornography leading up to human trafficking.

Unknown: 7:08

Absolutely, absolutely. We see the whole thing with Epstein and what happened there and it's just kind of been an okay thing for for men to just go and do their thing. And especially when they they prey upon young girls, and which is what the sexual trafficking does. And so, again, it just, it's all intertwined together. And of course, pornography is fed much of this. Because men aren't satisfied with just watching anymore. Now they've got to participate. And so the human trafficking has been a big moneymaker for those who want to make the real pornography available to men.

Brian Roland: 7:46

And you see so much of it really happening to at the border from what I understand trafficking going on right now down there.

Unknown: 7:54

Well, I just gotta say that the United States is probably the worst in human trafficking of anyplace in the world. We think about it in other countries, but United States is where it's the worst.

Dan Wheeler: 8:07

Yeah, and they say it happens even at high level events, you know, where the very rich are and people you would never assume but by Satan's he just that lure for money and power and sex is just so strong. And of course, now today in our country, the last year, the hot button has been abortion and, you know, Roe vs. Wade was overturned. But I'll tell you, so many people are not accepting that they, even though they can still get abortions, if you know, as determined the state level, this has just exploded. Let's talk about that one.

Unknown: 8:46

You know, it's it's very understandable when a young woman finds herself in a very compromised situation. She doesn't know what to do. She's confused. And she starts seeking an abortion. Of course, taking human life of any form is sin. And we know many women who have had abortions and of course, God delivers them. God forgives them. God changes their lives, he takes away the guilt. And most women, not all, but most women who've had abortions, especially when they've been pressured into it, live with a sense of guilt that we had, they have to find that forgiveness in the Lord. The problem that has made it so demonic though, is that abortion on demand has become a money making projects, and it's all about the money. And it doesn't care about the woman at all. And then of course, so much of the vehemence and the the anger that has taken place because women feel like they have the right to control their own body, but they they don't understand the rights of the unborn child. And God is considers life very sacred. He created us in His own image and so to take life randomly is one of the words Just things in the world and of course, especially when it's done for the for money making purposes, which is what most of the abortion industry is all about. And of course, it feeds all the others as well. A lot of times it's about a free sex and pornography taking place that feeds a lot of other desires. And then there are there those who get caught in that trap. And so it just it just everything just feeds itself or another.

Dan Wheeler: 10:30

Yeah, how do we how do we make people realize, you know, they always talk about women's rights, and they try to position it as a health issue. This is about another life, how do we make them understand that is a baby and you know, wait nine months, and it's definitely a baby. But, you know, sometimes I feel like there's more respect for animals than there are for the life of a child.

Unknown: 10:55

Well, I think it goes back, first of all, that sex has become cheap. I think that women have been considered as cheap in the eyes of men, that they're there for the pleasure of men. That's what pornography is really all about. It's just for pleasure. And so the consequences of a life of pleasure ends up what with with pregnancies. And so there's a there's a, there's this thing of life has been devalued as a whole. And, of course, God puts a great value on every life. And the first thing has to happen is to come back and understand the value of life itself, which can only be found in Christ, the only one who puts the proper value upon life is Christ. And so it's it's bringing people to the understanding of who God is, and who Christ Jesus is, is the only way that a person is going to ultimately value life in the right way. Life is cheap on our on our on our planning, it's become cheap in our country. Well,

Brian Roland: 11:55

that's a great way of putting it. Yeah. Well, I really see the connection of pornography, human trafficking, trafficking and abortion, what you said about money and how it's all about the money, you know, follow the cash. It's really an a touchy subject now nowadays is on LGBTQ and transsexual agenda. One thing we know is that they're, well, I shouldn't say we know, people, they've been called confused. And like you said, this is one of the the demonic powers that have come out of it started when we open open the barn. But what do we talk about that? How do we talk about the LGBTQ and the transsexual agenda?

Unknown: 12:38

Well, boy, that's a that's a really complicated subject. But just a couple of things to think about, first of all, is that God created male and female, and there's no other genders, just male and female. Now, one thing that so often is overlooked is the fact that, according to the scripture, that any sex outside of marriage is, of course, sinful. So the homosexual lifestyle to start with right off the bat, in most homosexual relationships, are outside of marriage. So that automatically is a sin. But the other thing is, is that ignores the male and female issue. And so there are people who are confused about their identity. I once had someone who used to be in the homosexual lifestyle. And one of the things that he said was, is that sex is a choice. And he got married, and he said, I'm choosing to be, he got married to his, his wife, who was a female, and said that sex is a choice, and I've chosen to be faithful to my wife, well, every man has to make that choice. But the two issues with the homosexual relationship is that it's sex outside of marriage plus, is denouncing the male female relationship that God created in the first place, God only made male and female and he, he made it in a way, I like to think of it in terms of a bow and an arrow. It takes a bow and an arrow to shoot at a target. Two bows don't mean anything to errors don't make anything it takes both male and female together make a bow and an arrow, which is very worthwhile. But but to not have to have one without the other doesn't mean a whole lot. And so I think the whole human dynamic of what God has created in his image, and the male female relationship that he has created, is denouncing the LBGT queue. Now, the problem with the LBGT queue though, is that sin is forgiven. And like living outside of marriage for a male and a female, that sin, we kind of ignore that. That happens to people they're confused about their identity. They're confused about what it means. What sex means. But what's happened as far as the demonic cold is concerned is the LBGT queue agenda is where the demonic holiest. It's, that's a whole different ballgame. I have seen people who have been delivered from homosexuality. However, the agenda of the LBGT queue is Marxist in nature. If you say it loud enough and long enough and and hard enough, then people are going to start to believe it. And so that whole hold on our country has become very severe.

Dan Wheeler: 15:33

Pastor I could you make it clear though, to people that may be are in and a homosexual lifestyle or transsexual situation that God loves them and we love them. And we need to reach out in love?

Unknown: 15:46

Absolutely, absolutely. Just because we don't agree with their lifestyle, doesn't mean we don't love them. I don't agree with the lifestyle of somebody who's living together outside of marriage, a male and a female, I don't agree with that. I still love them, I still want them to come to Jesus, they need Jesus. And the same thing is true with with homosexual relationships. Every sin is before God needs cleansing, it needs to be redeemed, it needs to be forgiven. And so homosexuality is a sin, just like a lot of other sins. All of us are centers, all of us stand in the need of God's grace. And so we extend grace to everyone who's in San regardless of any one of these categories that they may fall into. We extend grace to the woman who has had an abortion, we love her, we want her to know the love of Jesus in her life. We want the abortionist to know the love of Jesus in our life. I want to I want those who are who are in a homosexual lifestyle. And I've seen numbers of people in homosexual lifestyle come to understand the love of Jesus in their life. And they've been transformed by that. I have numerous friends and people who are close to me who have been delivered of that sin, but God's delivered me in my sin as well. And I'm so thankful for that. And so we don't categorize sin, all sin. But all all sinners need Jesus. Right. Jesus died for all centers, as a blood of Jesus cleanses have all seen it. And that's the message we have for anybody no matter who they are.

Dan Wheeler: 17:15

Right? Yeah. Boy in the in the 60s, drugs started coming into the younger generation. And people were you know, what was the same? Brian drop out? Tune in? I don't?

Brian Roland: 17:31

Yeah, you're asking me I don't

Dan Wheeler: 17:33

I forgotten, and I didn't do drugs,

Brian Roland: 17:37

drop out, turn on thread

Dan Wheeler: 17:39

drops, or something like that. But anyway, faster? Where does the use of drugs play another and I guess it could be getting addicted to both illegal and even prescription drugs?

Unknown: 17:52

Well, I've we've seen this, especially in our church, because we have a real ministry to those who are in jail. And those incarcerated and most of those are drug related. We've seen what drugs do to lives not just because it gets stoned out, but how it is just literally destroyed their lives. And once they get caught in that that cycle, it's so difficult to come out of it. I have a number of pasture friends who've lost their children to overdoses, we've seen a number of people that we love very dearly, who have died from overdoses of drugs. And so the enemy comes to rob, steal and destroy and kill. And so we see the drug culture has killed, it's wiped out, in many cases, a large part of a generation. And so the satanists had a tremendous hole upon us. And I think it's not just, again, the fact of the drugs, it's the money. It's the money that drugs create. And when you when you start tracking down the drugs, you wonder how much corruption even within governmental cycles are involved in the drug culture, because we've not done enough to wipe out the drugs. But again, it's it's a terrible crime. It's a terrible sin. It's a terrible condition is this been laid upon our country and again, no one has a bigger drug problem the United States does. But it's been perpetuated because of money. And because of greed, and because of just a devaluation of life, where people don't care, as long as they can get their money for it. They don't care what they're doing to somebody, they don't care that they're destroying a life with these drugs and that's what they do they destroy. And so, and they, they ruin people's minds, their minds are completely altered by the drugs and so it is a terrible demonic cold in our country.

Brian Roland: 19:50

Well, I could see that too good. It's it's, it's perfect that it comes right from Satan. It's it's confusion again, which he is author of each Moses six something in there that's going to keep you away from God. And that's one of those sorts of roadblocks that he throws in people's way. And I know in my family we've seen drug addiction and drug overdoses and that too, and it's, it's, it's amazing the grip that it has, it just has a grip on them. And I could see why, how this whole program is going on. When you let third when you clean out the didn't one demon, and you don't fill the house with the Lord, house, seven more can just rush it right in there. He could see. And I could see how drugs even opens the door to make that happen even quicker. Yeah,

Unknown: 20:38

yeah, well, the drugs actually, in all the hallucinations is the hippies back in the 60s in the 70s, where they were experiencing demonic power and forces in their mind, this is what happens. Even even with even with the drug and alcohol drunkenness, the Bible doesn't speak against drinking, or alcohol per se. But it does speak against drunkenness and drunken drunken This means that a person loses their ability to reason and make good choices. And of course, the influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, completely is reduced, and demonic forces are able to step into a personal life and rule that life because of these substances.

Brian Roland: 21:24

And that leads me to our last one, number seven, which was hatred, fear and anxiety, which, wow, how many times have I seen that happen when somebody's had too much to drink or there or get loaded up, or all of a sudden, fear sets in, they get hit, they're upset about something anxiety has sets in and they start swinging for the fences. You know, that's number seven on our list here.

Unknown: 21:47

Well, the root of, of anger and hatred is pride and fear, and selfishness. And we have a selfish culture. And when people don't get their way, they get angry, and people live with anger. And that anger turns into hatred. And what we have is a culture that is so divided over hatred. You can say anything on social media, and immediately you've got a backlash, and, and any, anytime you just agree with me, I'm going to hate you, I'm going to cancel you. And so because I want you to see things as I do, I want you to agree with me. And if you don't agree with me, I hate you. And of course that hatred leads to violence. It because people want to get their way. A lot of the violence that we see in our country is is a bunch of kids. And I say adults that are acting like kids that are just pitching temper tantrums, because they can't have their way. And that's where so much of the bitterness and hatred comes from, but it's just pure selfishness. And a lot of this is again, is created, a lot of the hatred is created. By these other factors, we can see all of these demonic forces work together. Let's go back to for example, for abortion, we saw this hatred arise when Roe vs. Wade was overturned. I'm not getting my way. I'm not getting things the way I think they ought to be. And so it turns into anger and hatred. And even to the point of where Jane Fonda of course got a backlash just recently, being on television and even saying that pro lifers have the way to do away with a Mr. Killam. I mean it she didn't say it in those words, but she indicated that very strongly. And of course, she did get backlash for that. But this is the thing that again, that that human life just doesn't mean much. And if so if you don't agree with me, your life doesn't mean anything to me. And that's kind of the culture. Yeah.

Dan Wheeler: 23:43

Well, I'll tell you why this is such a rich discussion, time is flying by I have to help ask you, Pastor because we've, we've talked a lot about these demonic holes. But how do we break down? What is the hope for America?

Unknown: 23:56

Well, I think it has to come one at a time. Each one of us need to make sure that we're walking with with the Lord Jesus, that we're living by His Spirit every day that we're walking by faith every day. We need to make sure that in every situation that we are speaking the truth. Truth is the only thing that can set men free. Jesus says that if you keep my word, you're indeed my disciples and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. And so we have to speak the truth. I think secondly, we have to we have to make sure that we're going after those who are in the burning barn. You know, it's not just that the horse is out of the barn but the barn is burning and there comes a point when a barn is no longer salvageable. I think as a country, we stepped over the line. I don't know whether we can go back and we can't go back to the glory days, that's for sure. But the barn is burning and and it's going to be destroyed. Ultimately, it's a matter of time, but we need to To go a farmer who whose farm barn is burning, if you can't say the barn, he's going to save as many animals as you can. And I think that's our, that's got to be a heart, let's save as many as we can, from the barn, burning barn. But we have to stay in and take the authority in Jesus name that he's been given to us to be able to deal with the enemy. Of course, all of these subjects we could go a lot further on and spend a lot of time on. But basically those things I believe, is just what we have to do.

Brian Roland: 25:31

It all wraps up in the spiritual trafficking exactly what you were saying at the top of the show. And how can we as Christians help the stop the spiritual trafficking that's going on?

Unknown: 25:42

The Spirit of God drives out. Evil, we don't get rid of evil on our own. Only God can do that. And he's not here and God only lets evil go so far. And he's going to return. And he's going to get rid of all the evil we know that that's a blessed day that we look forward to. But the way that we we get rid of the evil is allow the Spirit of God and His righteousness, to permeate in our own lives. And when we encounter someone, and we speak the truth to them, and we love them, and we give them the gospel, that in itself is going to be the thing that makes the difference, where evil is present. So it's up to us to to live the life that we proclaim just living the life we proclaim, we say that we we walk with Jesus, we say we love you, well, let's start living it. And the Lord will give us opportunities to confront the evil and deal with it one step at a time.

Dan Wheeler: 26:42

Oh, Pastor, we're so glad you joined us, give us the name of your church and the location. So anyone living in your area can can attend?

Unknown: 26:49

Well, we are Calvary Chapel villages, we are in the villages of Florida. And we we made it the Jewish Temple, which is a wonderful place. God has really blessed us there. So we meet at Temple Shalom of Central Florida. And we'd love to have anybody to come and join us. You can always check us out on our website, cc villages.org. And we'd love to have you if you live in our area.

Dan Wheeler: 27:19

We've loved having you on Finish strong. Thanks for being with us, Pastor. And, Brian. Boy, we need to finish strong by doing what Pastor Steve said it's one at a time. It's getting close to Lord one at a time and reaching out to people and bringing them in. We need to be bold in our witness in these perilous times. That's right.

Brian Roland: 27:41

And I'll tell you Steve said one thing is last Sunday to that really rang rang home to me. He said how many times have you in a restaurant said to your waitress we're about to bless the food here. What can we pray for you could do with us something we need to pray for you about or can we pray with you said you'd be surprised at reactions you get. And that's just one way it's the devil Allenby people just also at a bar by outside of a restaurant. And we sit on the corners and we meet people around us and they all know what we're doing and what we believe in before we leave, we make sure that but that's how you do it. That's how you write people and talk with them.

Dan Wheeler: 28:16

And as we get older, we realize more and more our time here is short, but our life and heaven with Jesus will be eternal. We've got to be working until he returns again. So let's all finish strong. And we'll see you for the next edition of this podcast. God bless.

John Matarazzo: 28:32

Thank you for listening to finish strong. For more information about finish strong and fearless faith. Check out their website F faith.org. Make sure that you rate and review this podcast to help more people accomplish their God given purpose so that together we can finish strong