Courage To Face The Fire

I was honored to be the keynote speaker at the 2024 Lincoln Day Dinner, on April 27. This message parallels that speech. I believe the reason for this speech was to speak and release God’s authority into the Republican Party. Being involved allows a greater level of authority. God is releasing His courage and authority to those who will stand against this Marxist-Luciferian system over Michigan and protect His children.
I believe, the most important battle is not who is elected into office, what bill is passed into law, or even upholding our U. S. Constitution. The most important battle is for our children who are being infused with a Marxists-Luciferian ideology. Their souls are being drained of life through sexual abuse, gender confusion, a “woke agenda,” technology-media, and drugs both legal and illegal as parental rights are being usurped by the state.
We can elect the best people, write God-honoring laws, and uphold the Constitution, but if we lose this generation of children to Marxism, who will we pass the torch to? Who will carry the beacon of freedom?
Years before Ronald Reagan became President, on Oct. 27, 1964, at the Republican National Convention, he spoke these words: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day, we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children, what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
It takes courage to stand up and speak the truth about what is happening to our children. As soon as you say “Boys are born with xy chromosomes and girls are born with xx chromosomes; a fact that can’t be changed” you will have to face the fire of Hell as radical progressives will attack you.
They will attempt to get you fired, smear your name, prosecute you for “hate speech,” take your children away, fine you thousands of dollars all because you spoke the truth and would not bow down to the golden idol of transgenderism. All you have to do is use the wrong “pronoun” and you will face the fiery furnace.
What happened in America that caused those who defy and violate God’s moral laws to be exalted and praised, while those who speak the truth in love are called “deplorable haters”?
In the Bible, it speaks about a government that made a golden idol, and wrote a law that everyone had to bow down and worship this idol when the music played. Those who refused would be thrown into the fiery furnace.
Dan 3:14-18 The King of the government said, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? …But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?"
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."
The 3 young men were thrown into the fiery furnace; but they did not burn up.
Dan 3:24-25 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king." 25 "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."
Dan 3:28-29 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!
Dan 3:30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.
When we stand in faith, against the attack on our children, God will give us the courage, the boldness, the power to face the fire and save our children!
Duane and Donna Marks were my neighbors. They are good people. We got along great. Like my wife Karen and I, they had 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls. It was awesome, we had our own sports league! We played volleyball, baseball and football together without having to recruit anyone from the neighborhood. We hung out together. We went to the same church.
Donna had to drive Duane to work because they only had one vehicle.
One summer morning around 5am, I was upstairs in my bedroom sound asleep. I heard someone frantically pounding on my front door screaming.
I heard the shout again, “Help! The house is on fire and I can’t get Candice out, she is inside!”
Being Christian, I had faith in the power of the Holy Spirit. I jumped out of bed, took one step on the stairs, and leaped over the rest. I remember saying, “Come on Holy Spirit, let’s go!”
As I opened the front door, the twelve-year old neighbor boy, Leon, was frantically yelling, “I got Chris out, but I can’t get Candice. She is trapped inside the house! The house is on fire!” I had no shoes on, only shorts and a T shirt.
As I ran off of my front porch and towards the neighbor’s house and gasped. Flames were shooting out of the roof. As I got closer, I could see smoke bellowing out of the windows. It was early dawn and the sun was just about to come up.
The house was a double-wide mobile home. I had been inside before, but I had no idea which bedroom Candice was in.
I ran up to the window and shouted; “Candice are you in there?” I thought I heard a faint moan through the roaring fire and thick smoke. “Candice! Come to the window!” No response. I knew at that moment I had to go in and get her.
I was afraid. I thought of her Father Duane who was my friend. How could I face him as a man and a father if I didn’t try to save his three-year-old baby girl?
I was the one there; I got the call. As a man, this is our sacred honor; to protect our children, and lookout for one another.
God’s supernatural faith from the Holy Spirit rose up inside of me and I felt compelled to go in.
I punched my fist through the screen and hoisted myself into the smoke-filled room. Voices were racing through my mind, “This house is going to blow up and kill you! Get out now!” I knew this voice was fear from the enemy.
I took several steps holding my breath as long as I possibly could. The house was pitch-black from the smoke and the electricity being burnt out. I couldn’t see anything accept sparks flying past my head.
I was in my bare feet and smashed my toe into something. I no longer could hold my breath, I had to exhale…and unfortunately inhale. I sucked in a huge amount of smoke and began coughing.
I started to get dizzy and confused. I didn’t know which way was up and which way was down. I looked back to see where the window was so I could take a breath of fresh air. At first, I could see nothing. The fire was so loud and hot. I took a few steps towards where I believed the window was, and spotted the opening. I stuck my head out, gasping for air.
Fear was telling me to get out of the house you have your own children to live for.
Just then I heard the Holy Spirit say to me, “You have to get her; if you don’t she will die. She is on the floor in the hallway by the door,”
I took another deep breath and got down on my hands and knees and started crawling towards the hall way. I could not see anything as the smoke and sparks roared past my head. Suddenly I felt the thigh of a little girl. I swooped Candice up in my arms and did something very stupid…I stood straight up. The heat and smoke was unbearable. I immediately crouched back down and made my way to the window.
I lowered Candice down as far as I could and then dropped her limp, lifeless body several feet to the ground. I jumped out of the window, picked her up and started running towards my house as Karen my wife came running towards us.
She took her little body and ran back to our front porch. Candice was not breathing, nor did she have a pulse. Her little eyes had gunk around them and her mouth was laced with mucus and soot.
“Give her CPR!” I shouted.
“No!” Karen said as she rolled Candice over and started slapping her on the back. “I believe the Holy Spirit said to hit her on the back,”
Candice started coughing. Praise God! She is alive! Just then a State Trooper pulled into our driveway. My teenage daughter Shawndelin was on the phone with 911. Karen told her to call as soon as I ran out of our house, and into the fire.
The State Trooper kept calm as he took control of the situation. Within minutes the Sandusky fire department along with EMT units were on the scene. The Trooper said he would not have gone into the house and wanted to know if I was ok. I refused medical treatment.
Candice, Leon and Chris spent a couple days in the hospital for smoke inhalation, and then were released in perfect health.
I was honored and humbled to receive the Carnegie Medal of Heroism for saving Candice, but it was my wife Karen guided by the Holy Spirit who brought her back to life, my daughter Shawndelin who stayed cool, calm and collective with 911 on the phone and Leroy who got his little brother Chris out and then came and got me, who are the real heroes!
I was just doing what men do, what fathers do; face the fire and get the job done!
Men, Fathers, I ask you; will you protect our children from the fire of Marxism and sexual indoctrination? From the smoke of evil darkness filling their lungs?
In the Bible, there was a plan to attack the Jews and take all of their stuff, and force them out of their houses. A wise, bold Jew named Mordecai found out about the upcoming attack and told his cousin who he raised from a little girl, named Esther; “You must tell the King and ask for protection of the Jews.” Queen Esther was fearful to approach the King, because if he did not receive her, she could be put to death.
Est 4:13-14 “And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: "Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
The King gave his authority to Mordecai and Queen Esther to write a decree telling the Jews to stand up and fight back against the coming attack. The PLEDGE to protect God’s children is our decree!
Est 9:2-5 “The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could withstand them, because fear of them fell upon all people. 3 And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king's work, helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the king's palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for this man Mordecai became increasingly prominent. 5 Thus the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction…”
God gave His authority and power to those who stood up for His Righteousness, the courage to face the fire! Where do you stand? Men, fathers, are you a protector of God’s children?