Apostle Dr. Peggy Elliott

In 1999, just days after the Columbine High School murders, I was listening to a national Christian radio talk show host and child psychologist, Dr. Chuck Swindoll, give a prophetic word.  He said, “Regarding mass school shootings, they will not decrease in America.  This type of violence, students going into schools and killing teachers and fellow students, is only going to increase.” That prophetic word was released nineteen years ago. Much to our dismay, it has come true.  School shootings have significantly increased throughout America.

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            Saeed Ahmed and Christina Walker, columnists for CNN, on Friday, May 18, 2018, reported, “…that there has been, on average, one school shooting every week this year.  So far, only 22 weeks into 2018, there have been 22 school shootings where someone was hurt or killed.  That averages out to more than one shooting a week.”  The most recent school shooting occurred this past Friday May 18, 2018, when a 17-year-old student walked into Santa Fe High School, in Santa Fe Texas, opened fire, gunning down 8 fellow students and 2 teachers. Ten others were wounded.

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            Here is a partial listing of U.S. school shootings:

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May 11, 2018:  A 14-year-old male student went to his former school, Highland High with a semiautomatic rifle and began shooting.  A 15-year-old was wounded.

April 20, 2018:  A 17-year-old student, resident of Ocala, Florida, was shot in the ankle allegedly by a former 19-year-old student.

April 9, 2018:  In Gloversville, New York, a student shot another student with a BB gun.  Both were middle school students.

March 20, 2018:  The shooter, an armed student, shot two students in the town high school.  The shooter was killed by a resource officer.

March 13, 2018:  A high school student at Seaside High School, was shot by a teacher whose gun was accidentally discharged in a public safety class.

March 7, 2018:  In Huffman High School, located in Birmingham, Alabama, a student was killed and another critically wounded after an accidental shooting as students were being dismissed from school.

March 7, 2018:  A student was shot inside a dormitory at Jackson State University

 

February 14, 2018:  A 19-years-old man gunned down students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL.  17 were killed.

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Gun violence is a crisis in the United States, especially within junior high and high schools.  The place where children go to learn and expected to return home safely, has become a war zone.   Approximately 170 primary or secondary schools, with a combined student population of 150,000, have experienced mass shooting since Columbine High School in 1999. 

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Why is this happening?  Why are school-age students feeling as if they are going to war, walking into a battlefield of mines, when they walk into their schools?  What revelation did God give Dr. Chuck Swindoll, that allowed him to prophesy that the gun violence in schools would increase?  I cannot ask Dr. Swindoll, because he has crossed over into glory.  I can make some safe guesses and you won’t be surprised. I contend that taking prayer out of schools in the 1960’s opened the door for the enemy to kill, steal and destroy school-age children. Prayer in schools was like what a safety-net is for trapeze artists – if, perchance they fall, not to worry, a net is there to catch them.  Removing prayer from schools gave the enemy easy access to destroying innocent lives. The safety net is gone.

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How many times have we heard Hosea 4:6a quoted?  Most of us have memorized the first part of this scripture.  Yet, it is the latter part of verse 6 that speaks life or death concerning our children.  “….  Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of God, I also will ignore your children.”  How could this be?  How utterly cruel is a God, who would allow the gunning down of innocent students in their school hallway or classroom?  The answer to this question is ignored by far too many parents, teachers, and even pastors.  Often, we only want to see Jesus as being filled with grace and mercy, one who answers prayer.  He never expresses anger or wrath, does he?  Some say Jesus may have been a little upset, maybe even a little angry when he whipped the money changers, threw tables and tossed people out of his Father’s house. He was more than a little angry.

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            God is not a man that He should lie.  If He says in his Word, that because priests ignored His law, He will ignore the children, this is what will happen.  Whose children?  Any children.  Replace the word ‘priests’ with the word ‘parents.’   If parents ignore God’s law, if teachers ignore God’s law, if pastors ignore God’s law, God will ignore the children.  This sounds harsh, I know.  Yet, while we are very comfortable with the God who is merciful and gracious, He is also a God of justice.  If we ignore His law, His commandments, we will suffer His wrath.  God’s laws and commandments, if followed, are a safety net for us.  If disobeyed, that net is gone.

Here is an analogy of how we have treated God.  Let’s say that a man keeps coming to your home, knocking on your door, wanting to be let in.  No matter how often he knocks, you never open the door.  At some point-in-time, the visitor will get the message that you don’t want to be bothered and that you don’t care to know why he is even attempting to visit you.

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            This is how we have treated God in America.  Revelation 3: 20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and sup with him and he with me.”  God has pled with us to open the doors of our hearts, and let Him in.  God has quit knocking.  Until Americans develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, open the doors of their hearts to let Him in, until we repent, until we pray without ceasing,  until we quit ignoring God, our children will remain targets of the enemy, easy targets, even innocent children. Some of the students gunned down in these mass killings, came from Christian homes.

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            It was not easy for me to write this article.  I thought about what it must be like to lose a child to gun violence.  I also decided that if I were a Mother or Father reading this article, and my child had been killed in school from gun violence, I would be so angry with the author of this article, because the author is making me sound like a bad parent.  I understand that.  Here is the harsh reality, America.  Until we get back to putting God first, to obeying His laws, our children will continue to be ignored.  God help us!  While students walk-out and demand new gun laws, this may be somewhat helpful, but new laws will not stop Satan’s plans.  Our weapons are not carnal for the pulling down of strongholds…(2 Corinthians 10:4)

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We have the tools to stop evil from becoming pervasive anywhere, even within our schools.  Prayer changes things!  We have the power in the name of Jesus, to stop Satan in his tracks!  What we must do is lift up the name of Jesus everywhere we go! We must do more than recite 2 Chronicles 7:14. We must activate this scripture!  Then, watch Satan and his minions flee! If we do this, we will begin to see miracles!

My heart hurts for our children.  My heart hurts for teachers. The only way to avert the prophetic word God gave Dr. Swindoll, is to allow people to pray in public places without worrying about legal retaliation!  Have you noticed that the one thing teachers are not allowed to do, to publicly pray, is the first thing teachers tell students to do when a school shooter is on a rampage? What if teachers and students openly prayed that evil would not even enter their hallways?  How many more children must we lose before we take prayer and spiritual warfare seriously? America, we need a miracle!

Yolanda Adams sings what is in my heart regarding our children today.

 

Song:  What About the Children? 

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“Tears streaming down, her heart is broken

Because her life is hurting, so am I.

He wears a frown, his dreams are driven

And because he stands alone, his dreams will die.

So humbly I come to you and say

As I sound aloud the warfare of today

Hear me, I pray…

What about the children, the children?  To ignore is so easy

So many innocent children who choose the wrong way

So, what about the children?  Remember when we were children?

And if not for those who loved us and who cared enough to show us

Where would we be today?

Sir, where is your son?  Where lies his refuge?

If he can’t come to you, where will he run?

Such a foolish girl, yet still she’s your daughter

And if you will just reminisce your days of young

You see, it’s not where you’ve been or what you’ve done

Because I know a friend who specializes in great outcomes

His love overcomes

And what about the children?  To ignore is so easy

So many innocent children who choose the wrong way.

What about the children?

Remember when we were children and if not for those who loved us

And cared enough to show us, where would we be today?

What about the children, don’t just turn and walk away

What about the children?  They need our love and help today.

What about the children?  Remember when we were children

Remember those who loved us and cared enough to show us the way?

Where would we be today?  Where would we be today?

What about the children?”