While the House Burns: A Loving Exhortation and a Call to Stand

By Chaz Evanson, Candidate for Governor of Colorado

“These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.” Jesus (Matthew 15:8)

“I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees.” Emiliano Zapata (echoed in the hearts of patriots everywhere)

A Time for Truth, A Time to Stand. There is a truth we must face, a sobering, undeniable truth that pierces the heart like a trumpet blast calling a sleeping army to wake. Our house is on fire. Our state is burning, not with literal flames, but with moral confusion, constitutional erosion, spiritual compromise, and civic apathy. And while it burns, far too many are doing… nothing.

They stand on the lawn, sip their coffee, shake their heads, and say, “Well, that’s not my problem. That’s someone else’s house. That’s someone else’s fight.”

But I say this with love and gravity: It is your fight. It is our house. And we are losing it.

Freedom Was Never Free. Freedom is not something we stumbled into by accident. It is not a natural state of human affairs. It is rare. It is precious. And it has been purchased again and again by the blood of the brave, the prayers of the faithful, and the courage of those who dared to defy tyranny.

Freedom was first given as a gift, by God Himself, when He breathed life into man and gave him dominion, conscience, and liberty. It was redeemed on the Cross of Calvary when Jesus Christ conquered sin and death to set us truly free. And it was defended in every war, every battle, every stand where men and women said, “I will not let this gift die on my watch.”

From the frozen ground of Valley Forge to the blood-soaked beaches of Normandy… From the jungles of Vietnam to the streets of Fallujah… From pulpit to picket, from patriot to prophet… Freedom was never free. It was paid for by those who heard the call, who counted the cost, and said, “It is worth it.”

Apathy Is Betrayal. Today, that freedom is not being lost to foreign invaders or open warfare—it is being lost to apathy. Not to violence, but to silence. Not to bullets, but to ballots that go uncast. Not to soldiers storming the gates, but to citizens sitting on their hands, convinced that if they just mind their own business, everything will work itself out. Let me speak plainly, with love: This is not civic peace. It is civic betrayal.

When we turn away from our duty, our duty to vote, to speak, to engage, to protect—we are not just ignoring politics. We are dishonoring the fallen who gave everything for the very freedom we now neglect.

America Is Our Lawn. There’s a sentiment going around: “I’ll take care of my lawn, you take care of yours.” But I say this: America is our lawn. Colorado is our home. If we let weeds of lawlessness, corruption, and tyranny grow unchecked in our neighbor’s yard, they will not stop at the property line. They will choke the life out of all of us.

The republic only works if the people keep it. As Benjamin Franklin famously warned, when asked what kind of government the Founders had given us, he replied: “A republic—if you can keep it.” We are not keeping it. We are letting it slip through our fingers while we binge entertainment, ignore elections, silence our voices, and convince ourselves that virtue is someone else’s job.

What Would the Fallen Say? As a Marine who has stood on foreign soil with my life in my hands, I tell you the truth: those who died for our freedom did not die so we could live in comfort or apathy. They did not die so we could “stay out of politics” or let others do the hard work of preserving liberty.

Can you imagine a soldier on the battlefield watching his brother bleed out while saying, “That’s not my fight”? Can you imagine a warrior seeing the perimeter overrun, the enemy advancing, and simply walking away because “I don’t want to cause division”? Never. They rushed toward the sound of gunfire. They laid down their lives. They fought not because it was easy, but because it was right.

Honor Demands Action. We say, “Home of the free because of the brave.” But many today honor the fallen with their lips and betray them with their lives. We attend parades. We wave flags. We post memes on Memorial Day. And yet, we do nothing to preserve what they died for. James 2:17 says, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” And I say, patriotism without action is dead. You can’t claim to love liberty while refusing to defend it. You can’t honor sacrifice while refusing to sacrifice your own time, voice, or vote.

The Watch Is Here. Too many believe the “watch” is only stood on the battlefield. But in a constitutional republic, the watch is stood at every school board meeting, every town hall, every legislative session, every election booth.

We are the guardians of this freedom now. And the enemy is already within the gates. Tyranny wears a suit and tie. Anarchy hides behind social justice slogans. Moral relativism poisons our children under the banner of tolerance. And apathy hands them the keys to the kingdom.

You Were Born for This. Some will say, “I’m just one person.” So was George Washington. So was Esther. So was Paul. So was David when he stood before Goliath. Each of us is called to do our part. Not all are called to office—but all are called to faithfulness. To love our neighbor. To stand for truth. To speak up when others are silent. To protect the innocent. To vote our conscience. To raise our children in righteousness.

You may not wear a uniform. You may not carry a weapon. But if you carry a voice, if you carry a vote, you are a warrior in this great spiritual and civic battle.

Silence Is Not Love. Some will say, “I stay out of politics because I just want peace.” But peace without truth is not peace, it is surrender. And silence in the face of evil is not love, it is cowardice. Jesus Himself drove out money changers with a whip. He called out hypocrisy. He spoke truth that cut through the lies of the age. And He did it all in love—not a weak love that enables, but a holy love that redeems. If we truly love our neighbor, we will not let their rights, their children, or their future be trampled without a fight.

Let the Next Generation See Us Standing. We are not just fighting for today. We are fighting for tomorrow. What will our children say when they look back? Will they say we stood? That we were faithful? That we protected their inheritance? Or will they say we let the fire consume the house while we sat comfortably watching TV? Let them see us engaged. Let them see us praying, voting, building, speaking, and refusing to bow. Let them say, “My parents stood for truth. My grandparents defended liberty. I will do the same.”

If Not Us, Then Who? This is the question that echoes through history. If not us, then who? If not now, then when? If we don’t stand, we will fall. If we don’t speak, we will be silenced. If we don’t vote, we will be ruled by those who hate what is true and good. It’s not about political parties. It’s about right and wrong, truth and lies, freedom and bondage. We must choose. And we must choose now.

A Final Word: Rise and Rebuild. This is not a message of condemnation. It is a call to repentance and action. Because I believe in you. I believe in us. I believe God has not yet finished with this great nation or this great state. But He will not bless apathy. He blesses courage. He blesses obedience. He blesses those who stand.

So rise. Rebuild the walls. Stand the watch. Speak the truth. Protect the gift.

Let us prove worthy of the blood that was shed. Let us live lives that honor the Cross and the Constitution. Let us show the world that freedom still lives in the hearts of a free people.

We were born for this moment. Let’s act like it.