(dramatic music)

- Well, COVID cases are surging again,

and that's because holiday gatherings

and the number of people who traveled

during the Christmas break.

- Meanwhile, vaccines are slow

to get to those who need them most.

Lorie Johnson has more.

- [Lorie] In a race against time,

America's most vulnerablehope to get vaccinated

before being infected by the coronavirus.

The latest concern is theemergence of two new variants

that are both as muchas 70% more contagious.

Experts say the good news is it appears

neither variant is more deadly,

and both are covered by existing vaccines.

Meanwhile, there's frustration about

the slow vaccine rolloutas agencies tasked

with putting shots in armshave only used about a third

of the vaccines they weregiven back in December.

Some governors threatenedto fine hospitals

and other vaccine centers

if they don't speed up the process.

Most states put healthcare workers

and nursing home residentsat the front of the line,

followed by the elderly who live at home.

Health experts say holiday gathering

caused an increase in cases.

Many hospitals are nowat or near capacity,

meaning overflow patients needto be transferred elsewhere,

elective procedures mustbe canceled, or both.

- Well, medical reporterLorie Johnson joins us now,

and Lorie, I've got to,why are hospitals being

so slow in rolling out this vaccine?

- Well, Gordon, it appearsto be administrative,

sort of an organizational problem.

We know that each state is

rolling out the vaccine differently.

The vaccines were given to the governors,

and the health departments of each state,

and then they were then given

to the hospitals and other vaccine centers

and given guidelines on howto give out the vaccines.

And you know, a lot of peoplewere off over the holidays.

It takes a while to get people signed up.

So it looks like thingsare getting ramped up now.

We now have about a half a million people

being vaccinated each day,

and that is expected to go up to about

a million vaccines each day.

About 21 million vaccineswere sent out in December.

So far, only about 7 millionpeople have been vaccinated.

- Well, if you want to get that vaccine,

if you want to get vaccinated,what do you do to get one?

- Well, people who live in nursing homes

and work at hospitals are being contacted.

They don't really need to do anything.

They will be contacted.

But other people need tocontact their doctors,

or their health departments.

For example, in Florida,anyone over the age of 65

is eligible to get a vaccine.

So call your doctor, orcontact your health department,

and sign up, and you'llbe given instructions

about where go, and so forth,

so call your doctor or health depart.

- Well, with the surge in cases,

a lot of people are getting it,

and then the people that are getting it

are being told recover at home.

What should they bedoing to get well faster?

- Well, that's right.

20, or rather 12% of everyone

who gets the coronavirus are hospitalized.

So that means 78% of those whodo contract the coronavirus

are being told to recover at home,

and the CDC says threethings to keep in mind,

get plenty of rest, drink lots of liquids,

and take acetaminophen, you know, Tylenol,

if you're feeling achy,or have other conditions.

Many of the doctors I've interviewed

tack on three other things,

vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc,

and then still even moredoctors will say things

like budesonide, whichis an asthma medication,

Mucinex, which is anover-the-counter drug,

helps clear congestion in the lungs,

because remember, COVID isgenerally a lung condition.

Just treat the symptomsthat you're experiencing.

- Well, we've got viewer questions.

Here's one from Instagram.

"Has there been any documentation,

"or information on how those

"who have received the vaccine are doing?

"Any symptoms followingtheir first vaccination shot?

"Any symptoms followingthe second injection?"

- Well, that's a great and veryintelligent question to ask,

and the answer is yes,there are some side effects.

We know that people who get the vaccine

oftentimes have sort of achy feelings.

They have pain at the injection site.

They feel sick a little bit

for maybe anywhere from one to three days.

These are common symptomsof getting the vaccine.

We also know that there,but that's very temporary,

and we also know that thereare some very rare instances

of severe allergic reactions.

Again, those are very rare,

and all of the people who have

experienced those have recovered.

We do know that there is one death

that may be associated with the vaccine.

We know that a Miami-based physician,

an obstetrician gynecologistin the Miami Beach area,

died a couple of weeksafter getting his vaccine,

although Gordon, it's importantto note that at this point,

there are no evidence thatthe vaccine caused the death,

but that is being investigated

by health officials in Florida.

- All right, we've got another question.

This is Lynn.

"There are reports of new COVID strains.

"Would the vaccine cover this,

"or will we need a new vaccineand a shot every year?"

- Another great question.

So right now, it looks likethese variants, these mutations,

one came out of the UK,and the other South Africa,

they do make the virusmuch more contagious.

So we are at even greater risk

of contracting COVID vaccine,or rather the COVID virus.

The good news is it looks likethe vaccines do cover these,

and also it doesn't look like

that they make the virus any deadlier,

although just like with the flu,

doctors are keeping aneye on these mutations.

Mutations are very common with vaccines,

or rather with viruses,

and sometimes the vaccinedoes need to be altered,

and that's why we have tohave different flu vaccines

every year, because thevirus, the flu virus,

does mutate so much.

It doesn't look like right nowthe COVID virus has mutated

that much to require a different vaccine.

But obviously, that'ssomething that health experts

are going to be keepinga very close eye on.

- Well, I've got to ask, doesthe vaccination wear off,

and you know, like flu,

you've got to get it renewed every year?

Are we going to have to take aCOVID vaccination every year?

- Yeah, another great question.

These are all things thatpeople are thinking about,

and right now, health experts are hopeful

that we will not needto get one every year,

like we do with the flu vaccine,

although it's unclear, andas far as how long it lasts,

it looks like immunitywill last at least a year,

several months to be sure.

And so, that still remains to be seen.

- All right, well, theseare uncharted waters.

Thanks for your insight,

and you can always get thelatest COVID-19 updates.

We have lots of informationon the CBN News Channel app,

so download it today, and stay informed.

This is obviously a fast movingarea of medical technology,

and you need to be informedhow you can stay safe

and protected from the virus, Ashley?

- All right, well, upnext, he started drinking

by the time he was just 12 years old,

and it wasn't long before heneeded something stronger.

(dramatic music)

- [Andrew] When I was 15 years old,

that first time tryingprescription painkillers,

immediately from day one I decided

I don't ever wanna stop feeling this way.

(dramatic music)

- Find out how he gotclean right after this.

(dramatic music)

Andrew began drinking at age 12,

and by 15 years old, he was introduced

to the world of prescription painkillers.

Before long, he wasliving for his next hit,

and he was killing, he was willing to kill

to feed his addiction.

(light music)

- I looked at my dad, I said,

"Dad, if you try to take my drugs from me,

"I'm gonna kill you."

(light music)

I grew up in a traditionalSouthern American family.

We went to church regularly,

and when I was eight years old,

I was actually baptized at my church.

Soon after I was baptized,

I remember actually spendingtime with some friends

from school who came over to my house.

They got on the internet,

and they showed me these websites

with images that I had never seen before,

and I was exposed to evil and bad things.

It began to show me that there was

a whole 'nother world out there.

After having those experiencesat eight or nine years old,

I really found myselfgoing down a path of anger

and depression and startedrebelling from my parents

and rebelling at schooland getting in trouble,

and around the age of 12 and 13 is

really when I started drinking

and doing drugs on a regular basis.

When I was 15 years old,one of my best friends,

he told me that he had stolen

some prescriptionpainkillers from his dad.

And I'll never forget that first time

trying prescription painkillers.

When I began to feel its effects,

the feeling that overcameme was really a feeling

of peace, of calmness, of confidence.

It was like everything thatI was hoping that I could be,

everything that I washoping that I could feel,

I began to experience as Ibegan to take those drugs.

Immediately from day one I decided

I don't ever wanna stop feeling this way.

At the age of 18, my friends,

some of them started using heroin,

and when they started doing that,

that's when I was firstintroduced to street drugs.

At first, I would beginto, you know, pray to God,

or ask God to change my situation.

But then really quicklyI began to believe a lie

that my problems, my issues,

the way that everything had worked out,

that it was God's fault.

I was, you know, at aplace where I was like,

"I don't believe in God anymore."

I completely walked away from him.

(ominous music)

I packed a bag, andended up living homeless

on the streets of Atlanta.

I remember just being out there,

and was basically stealing

and selling everything I had to survive

and to get my next fix.

And on a Sunday morning,

I was in one of my drug dealer's houses.

That morning, apparently my parents,

they had gone to church,

and they had told theirSunday school class

that they had no idea where I was,

and they didn't know if Iwas alive or if I was dead,

and the Sunday school class prayed for me

that Sunday morning, and itwas just a few hours later

I call my dad.

Someone had told him about aprogram called Teen Challenge.

So when I call my dad, he was excited,

and he said, "Andrew, I foundout about this program."

He's like, "We'll help you again.

"We'll help you get into thisprogram if you're ready."

And I just told my dad, Iwas like, "I'm not ready."

And the next morning I was awakened,

and a voice spoke to me, not audibly,

but just like it was in my head,

and the thought that came into my mind,

it happened three times,was if you don't get out

of this situation, something really bad

is gonna happen to you.

So I thought I was going crazy.

Then I ended up calling my dad.

I said, "Dad, I need youto come get me, I'm ready."

So my dad ended up coming into the city,

and he was looking around for me,

and by that time that he got downtown,

I had already changed my mind,

and I had gone and bought more drugs,

and I was hiding behindan abandoned house.

And when my dad found me,

he ended up coming backbehind this abandoned house,

and then I looked at my dad.

I said, "Dad, if you tryto take my drugs from me,

"I'm gonna kill you."

My dad said, "I'm not gonnatake the drugs from you."

He's like, "Son, I love you.

"I just want you to come with me."

And my dad sat there and he watched me

for the next 30 minutesas I used all the drugs

that I had on me, and finally,I just laid the needles down,

I put the crack pipe down,

and I just said, "Allright, dad, I'm ready,"

got in the car, and mydad took me to a detox,

and then they got me intoa Teen Challenge program.

When I got into the program,I was really angry with God.

I wanted nothing to do with Christians,

or with church, or with the Bible.

And suddenly I was immersedinto an environment

that was full of Christians,and the church, and the Bible,

and I actually really hatedbeing at Teen Challenge,

and I broke all the rules,

did everything that Iwasn't supposed to do,

and ended up getting in trouble.

And Sunday evening, one of thestaff members came up to me

and he just began to talk to me,

and as he talked tome, he began to tell me

that God had a plan formy life that was greater,

that God was gonna use me,

that God had all these amazingthings in store for me.

As he was saying it, I beganto actually experience,

I don't know how to explain it,

I just started to experience God's love.

I felt it.

I knew it.

It became real.

I began to have this understanding

like, wow, God's close to me,

he loves me in spite of my wickedness,

in spite of my failures,

in spite of me actuallyeven in my heart hating him.

He still loved me.

I got on my knees, and Ijust said, "God, I surrender.

"I'm gonna stop fighting

"what you've been trying to do in my life.

"I'm gonna give you my life.

"I'm gonna give you my heart."

I completed the program, and I ended up,

you know, really growingin the Word of God,

learning the Word of God, was discipled.

I was challenged.

My selfishness, my desireto do things my own way,

all those things were challenged

as I was growing in the Lord,

and God really started to shapeme, and transform my life.

Today, I lead a ministrycalled Take the City.

We have an opportunity to share the gospel

with thousands of people,not only here in our city,

but all over the world,where we help to train

and equip others who have apassion to reach the lost.

No matter what kind ofsituation you're dealing with,

or what you're going through,

no matter if the situationfeels dark and hopeless,

I just wanna declare thatthere is hope in that situation

and that Jesus is able to do miraculous

and incredible things,

no matter how dark andhow hopeless it may seem.

(bright music)

- Yeah, Jesus is willingand able to deliver you

from whatever you are facing right now.

And we've got some testimonies

from people who also faced addiction,

and God has delivered them.

This is Connie on Facebook, and she says,

"In 1999, I was deliveredfrom all drugs and alcohol.

"Recently, I was set freefrom 45 years of smoking.

"He spoke to me, God spoke to me one day,

"and I put them down, and I'venot picked them up again,"

praise God.

And this is Jakob on Facebook saying,

"I was addicted tocrystal meth, marijuana,

"and various othersubstances for seven years.

"Due to the Lord, my fianceand I have been set free

"from the evil chains of addiction.

"We've found life in Christ,

"and could not do it without him.

"Words cannot explain how thankful we are

"not only to be cleansed and renewed,

"but also alive."

Friends, only Jesus,

Jesus is the answer to whateveryou are struggling with.

If you're watching right now,

and you're struggling with addiction,

and you want God to set you free,

the answer and the solution is simple.

Pray, pray to the God who delivers.

It is only through and bythe rock of Jesus Christ,

who was able to set you and Ifree from the bondage of sin

and death, and that looksdifferent for some people.

It could be drugs, it could be alcohol,

it could be pornography.

Whatever you're struggling with right now,

Jesus is willing and able to set you free.

There was a beautiful momentin Andrew's testimony,

and he said that his dad came to him

when he was hiding behinda house, doing drugs,

and his dad said, "Son, I love you.

"I just want you to come with me."

And that is what your heavenly father

is saying to you right now.

"I love you, son.

"I love you, daughter.

"I just want you to come with me.

"Come as you are.

"I love you, even in themess that you are right now."

All you have to do iscome to him today, friend,

and he will do the rest.

Pray with me right now toreceive Christ into your life.

Lord, I want you to show yourself,

show yourself to me, God.

If you're real, reveal yourself to me.

Do what you did in Andrew'slife, and Jakob's life,

and Connie's life.

Do that in my life, God.

I'm done doing it my way.

I want you to come into my life,

infiltrate my heart, mymind, my soul, and my spirit.

Thank you, Jesus.

I want you in my life.

Transform me.

I believe it, and I declare it,

in the mighty name ofJesus, amen and amen.

And friend, if you prayedthat prayer with me,

I want you to do one more thing.

Give us a call at 1-800-700-7000.

Tell somebody you justprayed with someone on TV.

I just gave my life to the Lord.

We've got some amazing resources.

It's gonna help you in this new journey.

God bless you.

All right, well, comingup, division and chaos

have dominated the media recently.

With rioters breaching the Capitol,

many are unsure how to move forward.

What's the biblical response?

Gordon and I will try to answer

that question for you when we come back.

(dramatic music)

Well, less than 48 hours ago,

rioters breached the Capitol Building,

leaving many Americansfeeling angry, embarrassed,

and upset, which is whatwe're gonna talk about

with you today, Gordon.(Gordon laughs)

So from a biblical-- Angry, embarrassed,

and upset, are you angry,and embarrassed, and upset?

- Initially, I was angry.

I'm like, "Why is this happening?

"What in the world?"

Now I'm just kind of like,

"Okay, it's time to move forward.

"It's time to move forward."

But I wanted to ask you-- I was shocked-

- Yeah.- My reaction is,

as I'm watching it on television,

is you've got to be kidding.- Yeah, exactly, mmm-hmm.

- You've lost all sense of what,

you know, this, that makes no sense to me.

- [Ashley] Mmm-hmm.

- Why are we doing this to ourselves?

- [Ashley] Yes, yeah.

- You know, and on some level you can say,

"Well, this was just a fringe,

"and a fringe of Trump supporters,

"who refused to accept theresults of the election."

And then, it's, in our internet age,

where false informationgets spread so quickly-

- [Ashley] Yeah.

- Now I'm hearing fromvery earnest Christians,

these, the Bible-believing Christians-

- Yeah.- That, well,

it wasn't really Trump supporterswho invaded the Congress.

It was all Antifa, and theypoint to various pictures,

and I'm going, "Uh-uh."- Yeah.

- You look at,

were Antifa members in there?

Probably, but the vast majority

of those who invaded ourCapitol were Trump supporters.

Several of them were heads

of white supremacist organizations.

The really famous guy, who'sthe bison head, you know,

he's intentionally drawingattention to himself.

- [Ashley] Mmm-hmm.

- I heard from a dear friend of mine,

he's said, "Oh, no, we have proof

"that he was part of theBlack Lives Matter movement,

"he's Antifa," all this kind of stuff.

But the picture that they show of him

is that cropped picture on the left.

- Yeah.- When you see

the full picture ofhim, he's part of QAnon.

- Yup.- And he's saying Q sent me.

So people are intentionallymanipulating photographs

from that to try to convinceTrump supporters that,

oh, this really wasn't us.- Yeah.

- And it really was.

- Yeah, yeah.

- Of great concern to me,and this is as a lawyer,

not as a Christian, althoughit's tough to separate 'em,

as a lawyer for asitting president to call

the Secretary of State of Georgia

and ask for him to somehow change

the result of the election,

I think that was the clearimplication of the call,

for that Secretary of State to say no,

and then when CBN broadcast a profile

of the Secretary of State of Georgia,

and the reason he said no is that he said,

"I can't, I'm a Christian,I can't do this.

"This is, this would be againsteverything that I believe.

"I've looked at the results.

"We've gone through a hard recount,

"and the results stayed the same.

"I'm not going to changeit by 11,800 votes

"just because the Presidentof the United States calls,

"and asked me to do that."

So we put out a profilesaying we should applaud him

for what he did.

He spoke truth to power.

He stood up to what was obviously

a pretty hard pressure on him.

And then you had two UnitedStates senators calling

for him to resign because of, you know,

in the recount, the results didn't change.

All of this is, in my viewas a lawyer, that's crazy.

We don't do that in America.

But then when we publish a defense,

he did this because he's a Christian,

in our social media accounts,

we're getting people comingback, "No, he's not a Christian,

"he's a Satanist," and I'mgoing, "What is that from?"

And then I dig into it, and it's all part

of this QAnon nonsense thatthere's some Satanist cabal

that's trying to control the government,

and it's all a bunch of hooey.

But it's gotten Bible-believing Christians

going down this rabbit trail,

and it's come close todestroying our country,

destroying our very values that we hold

free and open elections.- Yeah.

- I said it earlier, I'll say it again.

We need to really tip ourhat to Mitch McConnell

for standing strong to say wecannot overturn an election.

Mike Pence, we need to honor him.

The president dishonored him

for holding on to his oath of office.

And he said, "Under the Constitution,

"I do not have the powerto reverse this election.

"I don't have the power tosend it back to the states.

"The states have the powerto determine their electors,

"and to determine theresults of their elections.

"They have done that.

"It's my constitutionalduty to just count it,

"and not to question it."

So for him to be vilified,

Trump tweeting out is just, I'm sorry,

we can't go along with that.

But here's the good news.

People stood up to it, and said no,

we're not going to do this.

We're not going to overthrow an election.

- Yeah.- That should bring us

great hope, but in the aftermath,

I worry are we going toget into recriminations?

Are we going to get into an indictment?

I'm already hearing everyRepublican in Congress

and the Senate shouldbe voted out of office,

all of these things.

We need to hold on to a two-party system.

Was it careening out of control?

Yes, indeed, it was.

And those who were responsible

for the invasion of the Capitol

should be brought to justice.

But at the same time, we need to realize

our democracy stood strong.

People fulfilled their oath of office,

and we should honor that,and honor what they did.

- Yeah, definitely, therewas a quote, actually,

it was a promo for your dad's new book,

and God told him, "Do not fear the future,

"for I am the future."

And I was like, man, if thatis not a word for right now,

I mean, it's so true.

We have to remain in love,

remain in Christ as we move forward, so-

- And keep that in mind come,

there will be a change in administration.

Keep that in mind.

God is still on the throne,and he still loves you,

and he still wants you to bewith him for all eternity.

Trust in that.

Trust in his unfailing love.

Here's a scripture from Matthew.

"Come to me, all of youwho are weary and burdened,

"and I will give you rest."

For Ashley, for me, forLorie, for all of us here,

God bless you, and mayyou have a peaceful day,

and a peaceful weekend.

We'll see you again next week.

(upbeat music)