After the past few years of fairly mild summers, this July began with extremely high temperatures, heating things up here in Chattanooga. This is true in the national arena as well, with emotional temperatures escalating due to senseless shootings, racial unrest, and general turmoil in America.

With political conventions now underway, we have the promise of more controversy as we move toward the fall elections. Scandal, mistrust, and corruption seem to dominate the political scene. Political expert Dick Morris recently referred to the fall election as Armageddon!

So… what do we do? How do we respond?

Our current social climate is much like Biblical times. When faced with the turmoil of his day, the prophet Habakkuk was told to “write the vision“. This was another way of saying “pen a new future for the nation”, even as Paul testified centuries later…

“… God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” ~ Romans 4:17b

The content of that prophetic word was, “The just shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). Likewise, in the days of Jesus and the apostles, the nation writhed under the lash of a new world order led by the dominating international power of Rome, and local politicians who were cooperative surrogates to their overlords.

The call of Habakkuk to God’s people was to do kingdom work. Habakkuk didn’t call for street demonstrations, but rather for “demonstrations of the Holy Spirit and power”. In fact, amidst the chaos, oppression, and despair of His day, “Jesus went about doing good” (Acts 10:38).

The Apostle Paul cited Habakkuk’s vision of faith three times in his writings. Like Paul and those of the early church, our journey remains one of faith that does good in the face of evil — as salt preserving the good, and as light in the midst of encroaching darkness.

This is why The Big Event conference this year is built around the theme of Transforming Faith. We all need to have the gift and anointing of faith released in our lives. Faith will carry us through. In these chaotic and disturbing times in which we live, it is faith that will keep us on the solid footing of a firm foundation.

We need to gather together at this season prior to the election and empower ourselves for the journey ahead, building up our most holy faith.

Will you come worship and pray with me August 17-21 at The Big Event? I pray that all of you reading this can come and join me for these 5 days of teaching, encouragement and faith-building. I need all of you to stand with me this year as we, by faith, tell the truth in a time where truth is not tolerated. Unprecedented challenges face each of us. We need courage to launch out by faith and move forward with the life of faith to which we are called.

During The Big Event, Dr. Dwain Miller, Walter Hallam, Dr. Bob Rodgers, Dr. Ronnie Phillips Jr., and I will bring and release the word of faith. There will be passionate worship, dynamic teaching, and wonderful fellowship, as well as a few other sessions you may want to be a part of.

I would love to see you at The Big Event! Please register NOW at…

 www.ronphillips.org/bigevent