STILL ONE NATION UNDER GOD

Over the past few weeks, I have been extremely mindful of the countless sacrifices men and women have made over the history of this great nation—those who began the taming of this land to the Pilgrims, who, at such great cost (many at all costs), and came to form a new nation. That nation is ours, a nation founded upon freedom from tyranny and freedom of religion, freedom to worship the God of their choosing—the God of Abraham and Isaac—the One who sent His Son Jesus Christ to redeem all men unto Himself. I think of how they chose to allow the freedom of religion for all men in this nation and to allow men to choose for themselves the god of their choice, even the ability to serve and believe in no god. They made this choice because they knew and understood the tyranny of forcing a people to worship one god one way and because they desired to be and remain free, for all men to choose whom they served. They placed within our very constitution that right of choice, along with many other freedoms of choice. These leaders, in their wisdom, knew there was only one supreme God, and in an effort to encourage all men to know the truth, they based the very foundation of this nation upon that truth—the truth of His existence and supreme moral authority. We are a nation founded upon the belief of the Ten Commandments; the moral statutes laid out so clearly in the Bible. Argue this truth as you may; you will find no truth to support it, only conjecture, theory, and lies created to change the truth, yet this is not the reason for my writing today. I write today as a man who is more than concerned for this nation, this nation of free people who are daily losing and giving away these hard-fought freedoms, these freedoms that cost so many all they had. It is as if we have decided we no longer desire to be free men, but rather we desire to be governed and controlled. It is as if we, as individuals, have determined that the cost of freedom has become too costly; that we are in a battle that can be fought by others, yet we have lost the desire to fight it ourselves. We have become an extremely selfish people, people who desire what we want, when we want it, and we don't care what it costs or whom we harm to achieve our momentary satisfaction. We have become people of pleasure rather than people of purpose and conviction. The moral absolutes we were founded upon are now not accepted by most, and those responsible for keeping the truth have acquiesced in fear or persuasion: fear of offending, fear of financial loss, fear of being judged, and more—all in fear. Our fear of man has overcome our fear of God, and any nation that fears man more than it fears God is a nation doomed to self-destruction; a fact proven over and over again historically. Our nation of freedom in the name of freedom has become a nation of ever-tightening restrictions with freedoms daily being given over to leaders who have, in fact, turned away from our very foundation and the moral absolutes of our founding principles. In the name of freedom, activists have created laws that restrict the freedoms of those who do not agree with them. Fines and punishments are now being levied at an ever increasing and alarming rate, all in the name of freedom, yet nothing could be further from the truth. Children who once played with toy guns are removed from schools for pointing fingers. The reading of the Bible has been forbidden in many classrooms, and those who profess Christ are being ridiculed in many greater learning institutions. In schools, couples in biblically moral relationships are not allowed to make public displays of affection yet homosexuals are protected under the law of man from being prevented from doing so. Those who discipline their children for misbehavior are jailed and their children often removed from the home. Yet if they had killed them before their birth, they would have been praised by the very same agency that condemns their right to raise those children as they see fit (no, I am not condoning child abuse). We are forced to support a government agenda through the guise of healthcare reform, and the control of and responsibility for our own health-related actions are now no longer our responsibility or right. We cannot support our own people, those who have worked and sacrificed to be citizens of this great nation, and yet we allow illegal aliens to flood our borders all in the name of humanity. They speak not our language, take the jobs from our own citizens, and burden our healthcare and social systems. The reason, no, it is not for humanity, but rather for power, the power to cast a vote, the vote to further the agenda of those who have brought us to this very place of sacrificing our freedoms. We are not unique; we are not so wise. No, we are simply repeating the actions of those before us: those founded upon God, and we have failed to learn. The book of Judges tells the story of the Israelites, God's chosen people, how they were to start a new life and conquer new lands, how they were to obey God and live in peace, and they too rebelled. They lost their freedoms, and they too have suffered the consequences. As a nation, they now thrive and have the blessing of God upon them, along with the hatred of most men. Why? They have the blessing because they have and continue to repent and turn back to God; they have the hatred because they are the chosen people of God. You see, the reality is that the love and acceptance of man is not a blessing. It is not a sign of moral or Spiritual success; no, it is most often a sign of the opposite—compromise! I am not saying that all pastors and leaders of big churches are the results of compromise; however, unless I see the power of God, it does raise the question (2 Timothy 3:5). You see, our message, the true message of the Word of God, is not accepted. Why? Because it is a message that requires a moral standard, one that requires sacrifice, denial of desires, and repentance; everything we desire is not all good! In Revelation 3, Jesus writes to the church of Laodicea and says to them these telling words regarding morality: "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth." He then goes on to say this: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent." Folks, whether you desire to believe it or not, being a Christian comes with requirements, absolutes, realities, things accepted and things not accepted. Galatians 5 gives a very readable list of things accepted and those things not accepted, and there are plenty more. This is not a call to judgment; this is a call to repentance! If you feel angry or anxious, maybe, just maybe, it is the Holy Spirit convicting you, and rather than being mad at me you should repent, for I am not convicting you, He is. So what does this have to do with our great nation? Let me say this. God knows no party lines. He loves and died for our president, for every crooked businessman and politician; He died for all mankind, and He loves all mankind. Therefore, the real issue is with us. We must repent, we must turn away, and we must stand up and be whom God has called us to be. Our freedoms are being taken away not by men but by a spirit that hates God, the spirit that hates men, all men! The devil does not love anyone but himself, and he has fooled far too many already. Men and women of God, the Lord is true and faithful and He never changes, and He has promised us this very thing: "If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). Here is the hope we all seek. It is not a new president that we must hope for; it is rather a president who has given himself over to Christ. It is not a new congress, senate, or house; it is not a new Supreme Court; it is a revival we must seek, a turning away from sin by all of these and more; then and only then will we see "One Nation Under God" again. It all begins with you and me, no hype, no conjuring, no great music or messages, simply repentance in our hearts and prayer for the revelation of God in men. This is the power of God! Gene Burroughs, Navarre, FL, Author, "Jesus Paid the Price"