Opening Scripture Reading: “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” — Psalm 11:3
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” — Romans 12:2
Real change must be spiritual before it is natural. Laws can change behavior for a season. Elections can change leadership for a season. Money can change circumstances for a season. But only God can change the heart.
That is why change must begin with the church. If the church is not being transformed by Christ, it cannot help transform the culture. If the church is built on pride, fear, racism, resentment, and political loyalty instead of truth, justice, mercy, and love, then the foundation is not strong enough to carry the gospel.
For generations, Christianity has sometimes been used to justify things that do not look like Christ. It has been used to excuse racism, protect pride, deepen division, and cover injustice. That is not the gospel. That is a distortion of the gospel.
A stronghold is a place where a lie has taken root and become hard to tear down. It can be a wrong belief, a proud attitude, a deep resentment, or a spiritual blindness that keeps people from seeing truth. Second Corinthians 10:4 says our weapons are not worldly; they have God’s power to pull down strongholds.
One of the strongholds that must be named is pride. Proverbs 16:18 says pride goes before destruction. Pride makes people defend wrong instead of repent. Pride makes people judge others by race, class, education, or background. Pride makes people believe they are righteous while treating others unrighteously.
Another stronghold is racism. Racism is not just a social problem; it is a spiritual problem. It judges people by the color of their skin instead of seeing them as people made in the image of God. It divides what God created. It distorts what Jesus died to redeem.
Another stronghold is resentment. People are hurting. Many are worried about the cost of living, groceries, gas, jobs, race, class, and the future. But pain that is not healed can become bitterness. Bitterness can be used to divide people, blame people, and turn neighbor against neighbor.
This is why Hebrews 12:25-28 speaks about a shaking. God allows shaking so that what is false, weak, temporary, and man-made can be exposed. When the foundations are being shaken, it is not always to destroy us. Sometimes God is revealing what was never built on Him in the first place.
The church must ask, “What foundation are we standing on?” Are we standing on Christ, or on culture? Are we standing on truth, or on tradition? Are we standing on righteousness, or on racial pride? Are we standing on the gospel, or on political power?
Traditional Christian values are not hatred, cruelty, greed, racism, fear, or domination. True Christian values are love, truth, humility, mercy, justice, holiness, forgiveness, compassion, and care for the vulnerable. They look like Jesus.
Romans 12:2 tells us not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. That means we cannot simply repeat what the world says, what our party says, what our race says, what our class says, or what our anger says. We must let God renew the way we think.
The battle is not only political, racial, or economic. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that we do not wrestle merely against flesh and blood. There is a spiritual battle underneath the visible struggle. That is why natural answers alone will never be enough.
If the church wants to help heal the nation, it must first let God heal the church. We must confess where we have been complicit. We must repent where we have excused injustice. We must be honest where we have allowed pride, racism, ignorance, grievance, and fear to shape our witness.
After an election, it is easy to point fingers. But the deeper work is not just blaming a candidate, a party, or a group of voters. The deeper work is asking how the foundation became weak enough to support lies, division, hatred, and confusion in the first place.
God is not mocked. He sees everything. He sees racism hidden under religion. He sees pride hidden under patriotism. He sees fear hidden under faith language. He sees when Christian ethics are preached but not practiced.
But there is still hope. A cracked foundation can be repaired if we return to the true foundation. That foundation is Jesus Christ. He is truth. He is righteousness. He is justice. He is mercy. He is the only foundation strong enough to hold the church and heal the nation.
Reflection Question: What stronghold does God need to tear down in my heart so I can stand on the solid foundation of Christ?
Prayer: Lord, shake whatever needs to be shaken in us so that only what is built on You remains. Tear down the strongholds of pride, racism, resentment, fear, and false religion. Renew our minds. Heal Your church. Make us people of truth, justice, mercy, humility, and love. Build us again on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Minister A Francine Green I July 2026