Photo
credit: Breitbart
Kristi
Noem says that no single person can save the nation [1] and she is absolutely right about that. No single person can. We all have a part in saving our nation from
falling to those forces that would enslave us and take away from us everything
we hold dear which includes the very liberties and freedoms that we have
enjoyed but sadly have taken for granted but the problem is that we do not all
know what our respective part in that is aside from supporting and voting for
political candidates whose platforms are as like-minded with our values as we
can possibly find.
Influencers, deliverers, and standard bearers may be raised up to encourage us, give us hope, inspire us to action, and to counsel us in the way we should go, and to set precedents upon which to build but it is up to us to maintain, build upon, and expand those precedents. They can be vessels of ideas, information, and profitable counsel and instruction but it is up to us to share with as many as possible and apply that which we receive from them but we must also bear in mind that the leaders and influencers who are raised up to our benefit and edification will not always be with us to guide us forever which is why we need to learn as much as we can from them while they are with us and make as productive use of the resources, knowledge, and instruction as we possibly can and when they have passed on, to carry on the beneficial legacies that they have established.
But sadly, we who profess to love the freedom wherewith we have been blessed, have failed miserably to maintain the legacy of those who made it possible for us to enjoy the liberties that we have so taken for granted because we have not abided in the precepts, virtues, and principles that inspired our liberty in the first place because we have largely and abandoned and forgotten the Spirit who is the source of those things that have made America a nation of freedom.
We need
to petition presently governing officials for those policies that we know will
serve the public interest, maintain peace, order, and safety, enable a strong and
prosperous economy, the proper administration of justice when needed, preserve
the freedoms and liberties our Constitution was designed to protect, and which
will empower our law enforcement and military powers to do what is needed to
ensure that our nation is protected from both foreign and domestic attack.
But there is much more to saving and maintaining a free and prosperous nation than just a change in policy.
The
dangers and evils that we do see and recognize are not the problems but rather
they are the symptoms and results of a danger and threat much more subtle and
from which the evil and perils we do see arise.
The foundational threat to the freedoms protected by our Constitution is
not political or academic. It did not
suddenly arise from the media, the entertainment industry, or the private
business sector. It did not suddenly
manifest itself within our religious institutions either. It infiltrated every once trusted institution
and sector of our nation because we were not careful to maintain the integrity
of the institutions and entities that influence the course of our nation but
instead blindly trusted that the governing system and institutions of influence
would simply purge themselves of any evil, corruption, treachery, and injustice
that entered into their ranks but this has sadly throughout history proven
itself to be false. It almost never
happens.
It is not by mere chance that nations and people rise and fall. In order to understand what it is that weakens, destabilizes, impoverishes, and even puts a nation and people to an end, look no further than the religious and moral foundation of that nation or people and likewise, in order to understand a key to a nation and people’s rise to power, maintaining of stability, and how it is made prosperous, again, look no further than the religious and moral foundation that it has adopted unto itself and abides in.
There is a Spirit of liberty that though desires all to embrace His truth, has seen fit for the wheat and the tares to co-exist until such time that He returns to separate the two and therefore, it must needs be that different religions, doctrines, creeds, and philosophies be left to battle for the minds, hearts, and souls of men. It is not given unto any man or earthly governing system the task to separate the wheat from the tares lest the wheat be destroyed with the tares because mankind is too corrupt and sinful for this task, but this is a duty left to be carried out by God alone who knows what lies in the heart of every mind, heart, and soul.
Until that day comes for the wheat to be made separate from the tares, that Spirit of Liberty continues to call as many as will come unto Him, persuading as many as can be persuaded, to turn away from their evil and selfish ways, repent of their sins, and to reject the lies whereby they have been deceived.
He will do all He can to convince all men of His truth and to persuade as many as will be persuaded to embrace His mercy and gift of redemption and salvation and to submit themselves unto Him but He will not force Himself upon any because He desires that men seek Him out and come to Him willingly and of their own volition and therefore sees fit that a choice always be set before mankind as to who and what they will follow and serve.
This Spirit to whom we owe our liberties and whose will and permission all nations were established is the very God who created all things, both seen and unseen, whose power holds all things together, who has determined that which is right and wrong, good and evil, and who alone has determined the rights and liberties of man and who will judge all people according to their works.
This God is not defined by any man’s understanding, but rather we are defined by Him, nor is He the work of any man but rather we are the His work. It is His authority upon which we must stand and not that of any man. It is in His power, being without limit, in which we must place our faith and not in the power and strength of men or even of our own selves which is limited and subject to fail. And it is in His perfect wisdom to which we must look and not to the faulty wisdom of those who profess themselves to be wise and knowledgeable, nor in our own limited understanding; to His authority, laws, and precepts must we submit and to no other.
But there is also a spirit
influencing, guiding, and leading they who would suppress all knowledge of the
truth in their wickedness, who would rob us of the liberties we hold dear,
enslave us, and hold us captive in prisons of darkness. That spirit may offer what appears to be
freedom, but the freedom he offers is but an illusion designed only to bring
chaos; a chaos that will drive the masses to cry out for order and security
which he will also promise but that order and security that he offers is designed
to lure mankind into a place of bondage in which the order he establishes will
be immensely burdensome, in which his security will bring nothing more than a
false peace and punishment to any who would even so much as bring against him a
complaint.
But the Spirit of Liberty brings an order to our lives, not designed to oppress or bring misery, but for our good and well-being; the security provided under Him created to keep His peace and to protect all who would seek to do that which is good and pleasing in His eyes.
There has been an age long war against this Spirit of Liberty and this spirit of tyranny and oppression beginning in the third Heaven where the throne of our Maker resides. It began when this spirit, who was made the greatest of all the heavenly host, in his pride and arrogance, attempted to make Himself equal with God but then was cast from his high place and position (Is. 14:12-21, Ezek. 28:12-19)
From that day on, in his rage against his Creator, he has relentlessly attempted to corrupt and destroy all that God has created and to make evil all that was made to be good. It was this same fallen angel who led man into sin promising that which appeared to be freedom and empowerment but instead brought only misery.
Before man was led into sin, there was perfect and fellowship between man and his Maker and perfect harmony between man and nature. There was no death or decay. There was nothing in the world to cause suffering, pain, hardship, or futility but there was only one thing forbidden to man and that was a tree called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Sin taints, defiles, and corrupts more than we can comprehend, including our own righteousness which is why we are unable to achieve redemption by our own efforts because even when we try to do good, we still sin in some form or fashion: We may praise God one moment and curse our neighbor the next or else the other way around. We may act kindly towards one person and harbor contempt and hatred towards another, even to the point of wishing death upon them. We may embrace our spouses and yet be tempted by adulterous thoughts at night. This is why it is written that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23)
But the effects of sin have not been confined to just mankind, but it has subjected the entire creation to diverse pains, sufferings, miseries, hardships, tumults, and catastrophes which include death coming not just to mankind, but because of the curse, has also extended to all life as well and to this very day (Rom. 8:19-22)
It is because of its damaging and destructive affects that all sin, no matter how great or seemingly insignificant, will be called into account and punished, for God cannot allow sin to abide forever and a day is coming when the evil and darkness of this world will reach a measure that will require judgment but there is good news in that God is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9) because though He must eventually put an end to all evil, He is also an immensely loving and merciful God and in His mercy, He has done for us what we, in our fallen state, could never do for ourselves and that is redeeming us from our sins which was done in Christ Jesus who, coming as God in the flesh, gave Himself for our redemption by satisfying the demanded penalty for our sins by His death and resurrection so that anyone placing their trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of sins will not be sentenced to eternal damnation, but will have everlasting salvation and eternal life.
And with the cleansing of our souls from sin by the blood of Christ comes reconciliation to the Father from whom we were once separated and estranged by our sin and just as we have been liberated from spiritual death by the blood of Christ, so we will also be liberated from bodily death when our bodies are changed from that which is corruptible and subject to death to that which is incorruptible and free of death (1 Cor. 15:51-55, 1 Thess. 4:13-18) and lastly, creation itself will be liberated from the curse with which it has been afflicted when this present world passes away with all its death, decay, sin, evil, various sufferings, pains, and griefs, and a new one is created in which neither sin nor evil will have any place, where death is no more, and in which there is no curse, nor any decay, hardship, suffering, grief, or pain of any kind, and one in which God will make His dwelling among men. (Rev. 21-22)
Man has longed and looked for an external liberty; liberty from war, poverty, famine, heartbreak, sickness, what he perceives to be oppression, injustice, victimization, and from anything he views to be an inconvenience and which would bring him discomfort. He would also liberate himself and anyone or anything he holds dear to himself from death itself if he could.
But Jesus came to bring a liberty beginning not with the liberation from external evils and adversities but rather a liberty beginning with the liberation and transformation of the inward man which would then lead to the external liberties that we have all longed for and hold dear.
It is a liberty that begins with a liberation of the soul from darkness and from what would otherwise be a terrifying judgment that would bring an everlasting punishment if that soul should pass into eternity stained with the sin that prevents entry into the Kingdom of Heaven where the throne of God, who is holy, dwells.
It is also a liberty that instills in the repentant sinner a new nature; a spiritual nature that makes them no longer want to serve the things of darkness but that which is of the light, to no longer take pleasure in the things that are displeasing to God, but to honor and please God in all things, to no longer walk in the lies that abound in this dark world, but in the everlasting truth of God who is the source of all truth, to no longer pursue after the temporal things of this life, but instead store up for themselves honors and treasures in Heaven which are everlasting, just as the world to come will be from everlasting to everlasting, to no longer seek the praise and approval of men, but instead rely upon the approval and affirmation of God, to no longer walk in the ways of fallible men subjected to error, but only in the infallible ways, precepts, and laws of Almighty God, no longer fearing what men may do to them, but only fearing the God before whom all men must stand to give an account for their deeds as well as even the very thoughts, motives, and intents of their hearts, no longer being indifferent to the evil and wickedness that abounds but rather seeks to expose, stand against and even vanquish it, no longer placing trust in their own goodness, but in the goodness of the God who redeemed them from their sins, no longer trusting in their own power, but in the power of God to work in them and through them, and no longer relying on their own courage in the face of evil, but rather looking to the God who is able to give them the courage they need to make the stand required of them in His name and to make the sacrifices required of them as they trust in a reward to come that will supersede what they may sacrifice in their service to the that Almighty King and redeemer, not keeping the faith by which they have been redeemed and transformed to themselves, but rather sharing with as many as many as possible that Gospel of salvation and doing what part allotted to them to persuade as many as will be persuaded, to also submit themselves to the God who made them, to embrace the gift of redemption offered to them, and to serve Him as faithfully as possible.
The economic woes, the corruption harbored within our government, the deception of our academic institutions, the depravity of our entertainment industry, the instability and breakdown of our households and family units, the dishonesty rampant within our media, the decline in morality, and the failures of our religious institutions to be the light that they are supposed to be to the world and to serve as the moral and spiritual conscience of society, the ongoing epidemic of substance and alcohol abuse amongst many, the hopelessness and despair within multitudes of souls, the injustices and exploitations that we witness, the increasing unrest and discord that we see, and the ineptitude of the law enforcement institutions that we have trusted to maintain order and safety are but symptoms of a spiritual problem to which many of us have been either blinded, indifferent, or even refuse to face and only when we are willing to address the foundational cause to all the evils that see, can we even hope to turn our nation and society in the right course that will bring it back to a course of blessing, liberty, and prosperity.
No matter how honorable, respectable, influential, inspirational, or edifying any man, institution, or establishment may be and no matter how we may benefit from their works, they are but vessels raised up for our good but are just as subject to error and corruption and therefore must always be held to account if we are to keep them dependable and trustworthy and in order to do so, we have a responsibility to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the establishments and institutions from which we do benefit operate upon principles and virtues consistent with what has been handed down to us by our Creator but in order to do this, we must know what those divine precepts are and apply them to our own lives first before they can ever be implemented throughout society and the more people abide accordingly, the more widely implemented they will be.
But the one to whom we must cry out to for guidance and deliverance is the God who raises up for us those standard bearers who serve as vessels of inspiration for every generation. It is before Him we must examine ourselves and it is His standard, laws, and precepts that we must apply to our lives in order for them to be implemented throughout society, but this is not something that can happen from the top down. Such lasting change has to begin from the bottom up, beginning with ourselves, our families, and places of worship which then must expand to our academic institutions, our media outlets, the private business sector, our entertainment industry, and then the halls of government.
It is only in the God who made us can we find and discover the respective role that He has given each and every one of us. It is He alone who is able to impart talents and gifts according to the purpose that He has called each and every one of us to whether that role be great or small and how we are rewarded by our Creator will depend upon how we use those gifts and talents that He has given us or if we bothered to even use them at all.
What we adopt to serve as our spiritual and moral compass will always, for better or for worse, affect the basis for the choices and decisions that we make, especially at the most critical conjunctures. What a nation adopts as its spiritual and moral compass will determine the manner in which education is taught, how news is reported, the quality and nature of our entertainment, how commerce is conducted, the nature of our economy, and finally, what form of government we will be subjected to because what serves as the spiritual and moral foundation of any nation will affect its course be it for better or for worse and will determine the degree of its stability, the liberties enjoyed by its people, how prosperous and powerful that nation is, and even the length of its years.
And what each person is rewarded with will depend upon their attitude towards their Maker. If they choose to follow and serve the Lord God who made them, they will joy and honor everlasting in His presence, but if they harden their hearts against and set themselves at enmity against Him, then they have nothing to look forward to except a dreadful everlasting punishment from which there will be no relief.
For if we should continue to reject the God upon whose precepts and laws this nation was founded in the first place and which largely inspired the Constitution that we have placed our trust in to protect those freedoms its authors professed to have come from God alone, then how can we expect any favors from our Maker or for His hand of protection to remain over us? By what right do we have to expect a reward of prosperity from Him if we will not give Him His due honor and reverence in everything we do?
And most importantly, why should God allow into His Kingdom and into the world that is to come those who refuse to abide in His truth, commands, laws, and precepts? If we choose to be subject to our Maker in all things, then we will be made citizens of His everlasting Kingdom and of the new world to come, but if we choose to reject Him and his ways, then He will withdraw Himself from us, taking His blessings, peace, and protection with Him and will have no part in His Kingdom nor in the world to come because if we will not serve and devote ourselves to our Maker now, how shall we ever do so when we are brought into His presence?
There are a lot of dangers from without and within that threaten us and a lot of gloom and doom predictions set before us to discourage and dismay us and if the so-called prophets and prognosticators of doom are proven wrong, if all of our enemies from without and within are defeated, if our economy is not subjected to irreversible ruin, and if we are not entirely plunged into darkness and subjected to the tyranny, oppression, and loss of freedoms that we fear may take place before that time of darkness foretold to come upon the face of the earth, (Rev. 3:10) then it is only by the grace and mercy of God that we should be spared such nightmares and that we have been thus far spared from insurmountable and irreversible disasters and terrors is only because there is a God in Heaven who has been very patient with us and with this nation, not desiring destruction but would rather that we turn away from our rebellious and wicked ways and give ourselves over to Him, commit ourselves to walking in His ways, and giving glory to Him in all things.
Only then when we receive the gift of mercy and redemption that He has offered us through Jesus who purchased our redemption by His death and then rose again from the grave and surrender ourselves to a transforming of our minds, hearts, and souls by way of His Spirit which comes to dwell within those who have repented of their sins and have turned to Christ will we then know what it is that our Maker desires that we should do with our lives and how we should serve His Kingdom and in serving His Kingdom, we will then be able to redeem, preserve, and build up the earthly nation and society that He gave to our forefathers and to us as a possession.
For the Lord has given all people and nations this promise in that if they will turn to Him and away from their sin and commit themselves to serving Him alone, then He will turn away from the evil He has thought to bring upon them. (Jer. 18:8)
God has instilled in each and every person gifts and talents intended to be used unto His glory, but instead, we have used that which He has given us for either our own selfish ambitions or to serve the forces of darkness. Many of us do not even know what the intended gifts and talents that our Maker has desired to place in us because we are not actively seeking out the Lord for guidance in what He would have us do in this present life; not for ourselves but for the Kingdom that is to come but if we would all seek Him out and surrender our lives to Him, placing our trust in Christ alone for the redemption of our souls, walk in His ways, abide in the teachings and instruction of His scriptures, placing our trust in the infallible authority thereof and in its sufficiency, and relying on God to reveal to each and every one of us our own respective purpose and then afterwards, make use of the gifts and the talents that He has given us, and actively pursue the passions and dreams that He has placed upon each and every one of us, then we will all be doing our part in the Kingdom and in doing our part in the Kingdom, we will then be doing our part to save and preserve the nation given to us as well as the freedoms He has blessed us with because a day is coming when all the nations of the earth will be under the rule of the God who established them and their boundaries in the first place (Rev. 19-20)
For those of you who may already profess to follow Christ you may think that your part in the service of the Kingdom may seem insignificant, but every role carried out in the service of Christ, in the eyes of God is considered equally important and if you are not sure what your role is, then ask God what He would have you do and then take a step of faith and pursue that which He has called you to, using the gifts and talents that He has given you to His glory, no matter what the odds against you may seem to be because with God all things are possible and in His name and power, we can accomplish anything that He has called us to and there is not a single enemy, inhibitor, handicap, adversity, or debilitation that will be able to stop us if we are but willing to take a step of faith.
You may not think that anything that you yourself may do will make a difference for the Kingdom of God nor in bringing the nation back to abiding in the principles and precepts of God but if everyone felt and thought that way, then the Kingdom of God would never have advanced beyond the city of Jerusalem and darkness would prevail without restraint, and while it may seem that one person cannot bring about the badly needed changes within our society, the more people who pursue their respective God-given roles, the more likely we will see the desired spiritual and moral impact made upon our nation for the better. It is not enough to simply complain about the wickedness and evils of this present world or to merely be disheartened and grieved over them; we need to take action against them according to the capacity given to each and every one of us by our Maker. It is not enough to simply be aware of what is happening in our world or to simply understand the times in which we live. We need to do what we can to open the eyes of as many people as possible to make them aware as well and of the increasing evil that they may turn away therefrom and to the God of righteousness, calling on His name for the forgiveness of sins that they may be saved from an eternity of unimaginable torment, be conformed to His laws and precepts, submitting themselves to the divine authority of His Word, and commit themselves to be dedicated servants of the Kingdom to come according to the calling that He has given to each and every one of them.
God has created us to do more than such simply exist. He has called to us to greater things than to just simply survive and to establish a legacy that goes beyond just the preserving of a bloodline or lineage. He has called us to an everlasting legacy that will endure even when the lineage should cease to be; a legacy that draws men away from evil to righteousness, from sin to redemption, that rescues them from damnation and gives them salvation, that provides them an unfailing hope, that instills in them an ever-present sense of purpose all of which are found in a legacy that can only be established upon and carried on in Christ Jesus who is from everlasting to everlasting.
But if you happen to be one who does not know the Lord, He is calling out to you today to turn away from your own evil, your own sin so that you may be redeemed from what would otherwise be a tormenting and unending punishment beyond what we can possibly imagine and so that you may then be transformed into a new person made fit to confront and battle the evils and darkness within this present world and in the authority and power of God Almighty who is able to deliver us from all evil and dispel all darkness and who is also able to turn all who will submit themselves to Him into the vessels of light needed to draw other lost souls out of the darkness and into His light that they may repent of their sins and be saved from what would otherwise be eternal damnation.
In Him is a peace that surpasses all understanding and that remains within us even in the midst of turmoil as well as a purpose and meaning to this present life that can never be found apart from Him. It is He who is able to set each man in the way that He should go and is able to instill in each person the gifts, talents, and resources needed to carry out the respective purpose that they were created for and called to.
In Him is an unfailing hope and from Him will come honors and rewards greater than the sacrifices made on His behalf and whose ability to restore surpasses the suffering we may experience on account of His name for that epitome of evil, being the enemy of God, the adversary of our very souls, and the defiler of all creation has, through various means and clever methods of deceit, manipulation, intimidation, and wicked acts, has lured, driven, and held captive multitudes of souls. He is an experimenter given to change who has raised up various creeds, doctrines, philosophies, and even political systems designed to blind men to the truth of God and thus keep from them the way to redemption and true liberty. He has by, what is made to appear and feel pleasurable, brought ruin to many lives. He has, through false peace and security, kept multitudes unaware of the dangers facing them causing sudden destruction to fall upon them.
That adversary of Almighty God has both invented new lies and deceptions and repackaged old lies once told before; every system devised has failed to win the world over at large and so he devises another one and another and even combines together multiple systems to take captive as many minds, hearts, and souls as he can and is always given to change when it suits his purpose.
And he has also infiltrated and corrupted institutions and establishments once honorable having at one time being built upon the fear and reverence of God and founded upon His principles, but were by way of subtlety and craftiness were led away from the good and godly precepts in which they once abided and lost sight of the original intent and purpose for which they had been designed.
One clever lie and deception that the devil may present to one people may be different from what he may present to another people and what form they take in one generation may be different in another but the truth that comes from the living God remains the same and His laws, precepts, and Gospel of salvation remain the same from generation to generation and were made for all people of every tribe, kindred, and tongue for our God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34) and will judge all people by the same standard. He has not made one standard for one people and another standard for another people but applies the same standard to all people and therefore will apply the same standard of judgment to all people; the redeemed to everlasting glory, peace, and joy and the wicked and unrepentant to everlasting shame, torment, and grief.
But we have been lazy, complacent, cowardly, faithless, selfish, and placing more trust in those things, institutions, establishments, and in high profile figures than we ought to deliver us from out of all our troubles, right every wrong, and vanquish every evil when we should be when we should be crying out to the God of Heaven who is able deliver us out of every trouble, sustain us in times of adversity and hardship, who is able to right every wrong, and vanquish every evil and no longer give the devil any more of a foothold than he has already obtained.
Our first battle cry needs to come in the form of daily prayer during which every fear, worry, burden, and need is brought before our Maker, every sin confessed, and also during which thanksgiving and praise are offered up as a pleasing aroma to our King.
The armor and weaponry that we must first equip ourselves with must be those of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and the Word of God being the scriptures divinely inspired of Him (2 Tim. 3:16) in which is found all things necessary and sufficient for the governance of our lives and whose authority is without error and unfailing, having withstood every test and challenge and to which we must diligently study (2 Tim. 2:15) that we may better know the God who made us and redeemed us and so that we may be better able to live godly lives pleasing in His sight and, when called upon, better able to instruct others in the ways of the Lord, and to persuade lost souls of their need to repent of their sins and to place their trust in the Savior in whom is forgiveness and redemption that they may escape the never-ending torments of Hell itself and the fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For the war that is waged is not against flesh and blood but against those wicked unseen forces (Eph. 6:12) for which the material may be used as their vessels and instruments of evil, just as Christ also uses the material as His vessels and instruments for good.
What we need to rally behind is not a political figure, entertainer, scholar, clergyman, media personality, movement, denomination, ministry, or even a war hero for these things are but instruments and vessels raised up by God to lead us in a right way, but they too can err and go astray just the same as anyone else and they too can make poor choices and disgrace themselves just like anyone else. For just because they are elevated to a certain status, that does not mean that they are any more pure or holy than the rest of us or any less subject to err and corruption.
We need to rally behind is that perfect example which is Jesus Christ who knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21, Heb. 4:15) and who will not err or fail us, who will not disgrace Himself or lead us astray and it was to Him that the Church in its first generation looked as the perfect example of godliness, righteousness, and holiness. It was to the inspired scriptures alone and the teachings of our Lord that the Apostles appealed for their doctrine and instruction and nothing more.
But after the passing of that first generation, the Church began a long sad history of departing from the purity of the teachings and doctrine upon which it was once founded and because of a lack of vigilance and unquestioning trust in lesser authorities than that of the Lord, false doctrines began to creep into the ranks. Instead of keeping itself set apart from the world as commanded in the scriptures, the Church began appeasing the world. Instead of building the Kingdom of God, it sought to build a kingdom for itself upon the earth. Instead of holding its members accountable for their actions, behavior, and for the doctrines that they were bringing into the Church, they were affirming them in the name of loving man while forgetting their love of the truth of God by which the souls of men are saved.
Instead of relying upon the sufficiency of scripture, the Church began looking to worldly philosophy and counsel and in the process has undermined its divine mission to reach the lost having believed that the instruction and counsel of scripture was simply not enough. It began to rely upon the understanding of men and placing its trust in worldly counsel rather than calling upon the name of Christ in whom all wisdom and understanding resides and rather than measuring and testing all things by the authority of the scriptures, the scriptures are now being tested and measured by the things of the world and because this, diverse falsehoods and errant doctrines have deceived many and have caused the faith of some to be overthrown.
That is not to say, however, that there have not been godly men and women throughout the ages who have loved the Lord and have sought to walk in His truth alone and rely only upon the teaching and authority of scripture; there clearly have been, but even they have fallen into errors of their own which is why the Church should not aspire to follow any Pope, early church father, historical hero of the faith, denomination or ministry, but instead the Church should follow the example set forth by the Church of the Apostolic generation, abide in the counsel thereof, abide in the teachings of our Lord and in that of all the scriptures which speak of Him and deliver His Gospel.
But the Church, which was established to not only bring the Gospel of salvation to the world, but to also serve as the spiritual and moral conscience, is just as much to blame for the wrongful course that our nation has set as any other establishment and institution in which we have placed our trust, but even more to blame for it has been silent when it should have spoken, it has cowered and appeased when it should have stood firm in the faith, it has affirmed that which is sinful and wicked in the eyes of God when it should have been exposing and condemning all things evil and sinful and calling to repentance in Christ all partaking in those things that will face judgment, it has feared man more than the God by which all men will be judged, has loved money more than the God who established it, has sought to build kingdoms on the earth rather than advance the Kingdom of Heaven which is for all eternity, has relied more upon the doctrines of fallible men rather than the infallible Word of God and instead of testing all things by the inerrant scriptures has instead attempted to interpret them by philosophies, creeds, and doctrines that challenge its teachings, has valued the praise of men above the praise of God, has feared men more than the God before whom all men will be judged, has been caught up in the cares of this world rather than in those of the world to come, has made unholy alliances and partnerships when it should be aligning itself with they who are like-minded in Christ, has been lazy in its service and devotion to God when it should be diligent in its commitment to the Lord, has walked in lies when it should be walking in the truth of God’s Word, has allowed itself to be defiled when it should be striving to keep itself pure and spotless, has been apathetic when it should be retaining a zeal for the Lord and a high morale for the cause of the Gospel, and has been conforming to the ways and system of this present world when it should be standing apart from it; and it is not just the leadership in the Church but also too many professing followers of Christ as well; and sadly a great many who claim to know Christ but do not really know Him at all.
It has been frequently said by those who are faithful in the things of God that the only hope for America is if there was a Great Spiritual Awakening that brings the nation back to Christ but if there is to be any kind of a spiritual awakening that takes the nation back in that direction, it must first begin within the Church before it can begin anywhere else because the Church is suppose to be the light of Christ to the world but its light has been darkened because it has largely not been careful to faithfully obey and serve the Lord in all things nor has it relied upon Him for the wisdom, counsel, power, and resources needed to carry out its mission in bringing the lost to repentance and raise them up to be disciples and followers of the Christ who takes away all sin.
In order for that awakening for which so many within the body of Christ have prayed to begin, the Church must first purge itself of all sin and falsehood that it has harbored within its ranks. It must resolve to preach no other Gospel and no other Jesus than what has been delivered to us by the divinely inspired scriptures and to follow no other creed or doctrine other than that which is taught by the Word of the Lord and is consistent therewith, to rely on no other authority than that of the scriptures which were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to be ready to earnestly contend for the faith delivered unto all the saints (Jude 3) and to be ready to give a defense thereof as often as required, (1 Pet. 3:15) to not appease sin and falsehood but reprove them and hold accountable they among the ranks of the saints who do them, to not affirm that which is evil in the eyes of the Lord but to call they who are in sin out of their sin that they may be saved from what would otherwise be eternal damnation, to not fear what man can do but what the God before whom we will all stand can do, to seek the favor and honor of God more than man, to set its hopes in the things of the world to come rather than in the things of this present life, and to seek after the honors and rewards of Heaven rather than the rewards and honors of earth.
For we are engaged, not in a political or economic battle, nor is the war we wage against academia, the media, the entertainment industry, or even governing authorities but rather we are engaged in an age long war in which it is:
This
spiritual war that has been waged since time immemorial may manifest itself in
various forms which can include political rivalry, corruption within our
trusted institutions, civil unrest, wars, divisions and discord amongst they
who should be united, injustice, and oppression but only when we consider and
acknowledge the spiritual conflict at work behind the evils, turmoil, and strife
we are witnessing, can we ever hope to wage our part in this age long war
rightly and only then will we begin to see the victories that we long for.
Each of us will be made to choose a side. We either side with God or we side with Satan.
And which
side we choose will determine not only the course our life takes but where we
spend our eternity.
When Adam sinned by eating that forbidden fruit, Satan claimed lordship over the entire earth which is why he declared the kingdoms of the world to be his (Mt. 4:8-9, Lk. 4:5-7) and he thought that he had defeated Christ by killing Him on the cross but Christ’s resurrection from the grave proves His victory over Satan and even death itself. His resurrection assures us that the days of Lucifer’s dominion on the earth are numbered and that he will find himself cast out and that his final defeat will be made certain and that all evil will be brought to an end.
Will you be on the winning side today? If you have not done so already, you can be on the winning side today if you are willing to turn away from your sins and call upon the name of Jesus for salvation and in doing this, your soul will be cleansed of all sin and your place in Heaven and in the new world to come will be certain.
If you sense the Holy Spirit calling you to repent of your sins and to embrace Christ and are not sure of what to pray, here is an example of what you can pray:
"Lord Jesus I need you.
In your name Lord Jesus, I pray.
Know that God is not concerned with
the words that you use to call upon Him forgiveness, but with the attitude of
your heart and if you have, with all sincerity, have asked Christ to forgive
you of your sins, placing your trust in Him only for your salvation and in
nothing else, then your sins are forgiven and your place in Heaven is certain.
End
notes:
1. Isaiah 14:12-21
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