Despite
his reputedly fragile ego, Trump is humble enough to admit one thing:
Only
Jesus can save America. [1] Trump seems to
recognize that he is but an instrument of deliverance, but not the deliverer
himself and understands that it is Jesus, the Savior of mankind, to whom we
must look and cry out to for the deliverance of America from perils without and
within and to sustain our nation during difficult times.
Granted
that Trump can set a precedent, inspire the masses, bring important matters to
the forefront, and champion much of what we believe in and hold dear, and the
nation benefited in more ways than one from his first term in office and we
should appreciate and be grateful for what he did accomplish as President and
what he is still trying to do though he is not in office but what we need is
not a political deliverance, nor one that is economic, or academic, or even one
that is militaristic.
We
need a spiritual and moral deliverance before we can ever hope to see an
academic, economic, or political deliverance because what a nation looks to as
its spiritual and moral compass will determine the choices its citizens make,
the stability of family structures, how our children are raised, the manner in
which we are educated, how the media reports information, how business is
conducted in the private sector, what is affirmed, promoted, and propagated in
our entertainment, and finally, what manner of authority we have over us be it
for the better or the worse.
If
one wishes to know what makes a nation prosperous, or why ongoing misery
abounds in a nation, or what leads to a nation’s eventual downfall, you need
not look any further or dig any deeper than the kind of spirit its people have
given themselves over to and the ideological principles upon which it has
rested.
Political
corruption and oppression, economic turmoil, civil unrest, lawlessness, and the
moral decline of the masses are but symptoms and results of a spiritual
condition in which a nation and people have embraced and fallen into.
It
is not enough to just cut off the branches of a bad tree. That tree must be uprooted and then replaced
with a better tree and so it must be done within a people and nation who seek a
lasting change for the better but to change the spiritual and moral course of a
society is no easy task but one that is most difficult and cannot be expected
to be completed overnight, but may take several generations.
Though
there be most who would see the symptoms of a bad spiritual condition gone,
most yet still are blind to the foundational cause of the symptoms and even if
they are not blind to it, they still cling tightly to the root cause of all
that dismays and perplexes them thinking that they can somehow rid themselves
and society of the manifested evils and miseries around them and yet still
retain and adhere to that from which they spring; they want to be free of the
manifested evils, injustices, corruption, and oppression, yet refuse to
relinquish the ideologies, traditions, religions, and philosophies that have
caused them.
It
may be an arduous, painful, and extensive undertaking to discredit within the
hearts and minds of the people those things responsible for the manifested
evils suffered, yet it must be done in order for the people to embrace a new
and better spirit whose precepts will set the nation on a right, prosperous,
orderly, peaceful, morally sound and stable course.
When
those foundational ideologies and principles are assailed as relentlessly and
as actively as the branches that are produced from them, we should expect
resistance and hostility to be much more fierce than if the branches are simply
being attacked because if the foundational doctrines and philosophies are
discredited in the hearts and minds of the people, they may then abandon them
in favor of a spirit and a set of principles they are persuaded will serve them
better.
There
are two foundations upon which a man’s life is built and upon which a nation is
established and what foundation and building materials are chosen determine the
course of each life, of each people, nation, culture, society, kingdom, and
empire.
There
is that foundation and spirit from which the principles of truth, order,
justice, purity, love, selflessness, kindness, compassion, mercy,
understanding, faithfulness, generosity, liberty, uprightness, morality, peace,
unity in all things essential, tolerance in what is non-essential, and
prosperity spring forth; a foundation of life and which respects life and which
is the source of life and all things that are good, defining right and wrong,
good and evil, purity and perversion, holiness and unholiness, righteousness
and unrighteousness, the sacred and profane, light and darkness.
And
then there is that foundation and spirit upon which death and a disregard for
life rests, which condemns the innocent and justifies the wicked, which
despises those who seek to do good yet takes pleasure in evil and in they who
do that which is evil, is filled with pride, selfishness, hate, greed, lust,
deceit, perversion, lawlessness, oppression, darkness, which sows needless
discord and division amongst those who would otherwise be united, lulls the
unsuspecting into a false sense of security, poisons minds and hardens hearts
against that which is truth, presents what may appear to be freedom but which
leads only to lawlessness, disorder, and eventual oppression, and suppresses in
its wickedness anything that would challenge and eventually discredit its lies
and deceits.
And
it is between these spirits over which an age-long war for the souls of men is
fought and what manner of spirit each person, community, nation, kingdom, and
empire side with will determine their course and eventual final fate.
That
age-long war began when a certain spirit who held a high position at the throne
of the Lord God who made all things, exalted himself against his maker and as a
consequence, he, and all who followed him, were cast from their respective
positions in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Is. 14:11-21, Ezek. 28:12-19)
He
then took his evil to an undefiled creation and led its first inhabitants into
disobeying their Creator.
But
before then, when God created the earth, it was undefiled, pure, and
pristine. There was no evil therein and
neither death, decay, nor corruption were anywhere upon the face of the planet
or anywhere in the universe because sin had not yet entered into the
world. There was only life, peace, and
harmony between God, man, and nature.
But
there was set before the first man Adam and his wife Eve, first woman, two
trees in the midst of a garden that was made to be their dwelling place. These two trees were called the tree of life
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Gen. 2:9) The tree of life
would have enabled Adam and Eve to live forever (Gen. 3:22) but the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, they were warned, would bring them death if they ate
the fruit thereof (Gen. 2:16-17, 3:3) but sadly, at the behest of that old serpent
who is called the Devil and that Lucifer who, in his pride, tried to make
himself equal with God, led Adam and Eve to eat of that forbidden fruit and
when that happened, sin entered into them and when sin entered into them, death
eventually came to them as well for just as they were warned, for as it is
written, the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23) but it didn’t stop there with
them, for the sin that had entered into them also entered into all of mankind
because all men descend from them and because we all descend from them, we are
all inherently sinful which is why we all sin and therefore, we all die (Rom.
5:12) and with death, came the curse upon all of creation which groans and
travails in pain because of sin (Rom. 8:19-22) and furthermore, man’s
disobedience gave Satan cause to claim dominion over the kingdoms of the earth
(Mt. 4:8-9, Lk. 4:6-7) which is why he is called the prince of this world (Jn.
12:31, 16:11) but worst of all, we are all born estranged from our Creator
because of sin, and therefore are unable to dwell in the presence of the Lord
like Adam and Eve were once able to do before sin had entered into them.
And
if sin prevents us from being able to dwell in the direct presence of the Lord,
then it will prevent us from entry into Heaven and for they who die in their
sins, there is nothing to look forward to except an eternity of never-ending
torment without relief, day and night.
The
day is coming when the sin and wickedness of this world will reach its measure
and be judged, punished, and eliminated because sin affects, distorts, taints,
and corrupts more than we can possibly
comprehend and not only will sin face judgment and destruction but all things
tainted by it and all men who remain in their sins because our Creator in His holiness
and righteousness cannot allow evil to go unpunished and unavenged forever lest
it should consume and destroy all that is good.
But
God, in His love and mercy, is not willing that any should perish but that all
come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9) and therefore redemption was made on our behalf
when God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and King, to die
upon the cross for our sins and be raised from the dead afterwards so that any
placing their trust in Him for the forgiveness of sins and salvation would not
perish and face eternal damnation but be given everlasting life. (Jn. 3:16)
Because
our own goodness, no matter how good we try to be, falls short of that which is
required of God to escape death and eternal damnation (Romans 3:23) it required
the sinless Christ (2 Cor. 5:21, Heb. 4:15) to die and face the required
punishment for sin in the place of sinful man for it is upon that cross that
the demanded penalty for all sin was satisfied and mercy was shown to all men
and it is the resurrection of the Savior from the dead that justifies our faith
in Him alone for our redemption (Rom. 4:25) and for those of us who have
already given ourselves over to the Savior, just as our souls have been
cleansed from the stain of sin by the blood of our Lord and just as we receive
within ourselves a new nature in Christ which is different and contrary to our
sinful nature, a nature that desires to honor and please God in all things, (2
Cor. 5:17) so one day, our own bodies will be liberated from death and decay
itself when they are changed from their corruptible forms to into forms
incorruptible (1 Cor. 15:51-55, 1 Thess. 4:13-18) and then finally, creation
itself will be freed from the curse that afflicts it when this present world,
along with its darkness, wickedness, sin, misery, suffering, griefs, pains,
sorrows, violence, hardships, adversities, and struggles, is done away with and
a new and better world is created in its place; a world wherein there is no
sin, death, decay, evil, darkness, sorrow, grief, or pain of any sort, but only
goodness, light, peace, happiness, joy, comfort, and contentment and in which
God dwells among men. (Rev. 21-22)
But
until then, the war between good and evil continues to rage on and grows even
more intense as the day of judgment upon this wicked world and all the evil in
it draws near and that wicked adversary of God being Satan continues to fight
relentlessly to discredit and suppress the Gospel message and anything that
might lead men to repentance by way of his many devices which include his many
elaborate and cunningly devised lies and falsehoods by which multitudes are
deceived and his efforts to suppress anything that might open men’s eyes to the
truth of the Gospel of salvation and lead them to embrace and follow the Savior
of our souls.
And
what Satan is not able to destroy from without, he is destroying from within
those institutions of God which He raised up for the purpose of proclaiming His
truth and glory to the entire world and yet rather than remain set apart from
the darkness of this world, they have instead been led to appease and affirm
the evils thereof and rather than preserve the truth entrusted to them, they
have become far removed by the falsehoods they have embraced from those things
they were established to carry out, and far too many of those professors of the
faith have neglected the things of Heaven and have been diverted to the things
of this present world, and too many professing saints have feared what men
might do to them but can do no harm to their souls rather than God before whom
all men must stand and give an account for all the things done in this present
life (good and bad) and who is able to cast both body and soul into Hell
itself.
Too
many professing Christians seek the approval and favor of men rather than that
of God from whose hand every reward and honor will be given to all who
faithfully serve and follow Him. Too
many within the Church have counted the divinely inspired scriptures (2 Tim.
3:16) by which the Gospel of salvation is delivered to be insufficient for
their doctrine and instruction and even irrelevant to a certain extent and
there seems to be so few congregations in which the Word is preached and taught
in its full counsel from the first verse in Genesis to the last verse in
Revelation.
In
far too many churches are the things declared evil, perverse, and wicked in the
eyes of God tolerated and affirmed rather than condemned and there is a lack of
accountability for the conduct and behavior of those within the ranks of the
saints whose way of living is in defiance of the teachings of our Lord and of
the scriptures to which He points us and which testify of Him.
Too
much faith is placed in the things of this world to provide for our needs and
not enough faith in the God who is able to meet every need, sustain us in
difficult times and in difficult situations, and who is able to deliver us from
all evil.
People
of influence are elevated more highly, even amongst professing Christians, than
they ought to be by those who forget that those men and women of influence are
fellow servants of Christ just we are and are just as subject to frailty and
fallibility as any of us and that it is the perfect of example of Christ to
which we must look.
We
underestimate and dismiss too greatly and far too often the unseen forces
attempting to influence the course of every life and of every culture, society,
and nation when we should be learning as much as we can about the adversaries
who seek our destruction and demise and who do everything they can to make us to
be of no use to the Kingdom of Heaven so that we might be better prepared for
every attack they bring against us and to withstand and counter every device of
theirs.
And
in our cowardice and apathy, we give away victory that we otherwise could have
had because we are unwilling to pay the required price for the sake of our Lord
and Savior because we do not trust enough in Him to vindicate us and compensate
us with that which is either equal to or greater than that which we may be
called upon to relinquish.
I
don’t know as to how well Donald Trump understands the spiritual nature that is
at the root of every manifest evil and crisis within our nation and throughout
the world, but we can and should at least give him credit for having the
humility to recognize that we need to fall upon our faces before God Almighty
for the deliverance we seek, but if we are to expect any favors from Him, we
must be willing to turn away from all those things that displease Him and which
He has called evil and it is those who already know our Lord and Savior who
need to be actively about the business of calling as many to repentance as we
can for before there can be any Great Awakening that turns men back to God
Almighty, there must first be a reformation within the body of Christ:
A
reformation that returns the Church to trusting in the authority and
sufficiency of the divinely inspired scriptures for its doctrine and
instruction and which brings, which brings the full counsel of their teachings
from the first verse in Genesis to the last verse in Revelation back into our
fellowships and congregations.
A
reformation in which all are admonished to daily read and study the scriptures
for themselves and not just rely upon a preacher or religious teacher for their
doctrine.
A
reformation that brings back the preaching of the Gospel in its purity and a
defense thereof without apology.
A
reformation that readies the saints to give as reason and as sound of a defense
for their faith as possible as often as may be required of them and to defend
pure and sound doctrine against anything brought into the ranks of the saints
that may be contrary to what the Word of God teaches.
A
reformation in which all those professing to be of the faith know who they are
in Christ, the promises they have inherited in Him, and what their duties are
to Him and who faithfully carry them out.
A
reformation that causes the saints to use the gifts and talents instilled in
them to the honor and glory of God.
A
reformation in which all those professing Christ honor Him in everything they
do and in every choice and decision they make.
A
reformation in which sin is not tolerated or affirmed but condemned.
A
reformation that brings accountability back to the ranks of the saints.
A
reformation in which sound doctrine is taken seriously and upheld, leaving no
place for any teaching or way of life contrary to what God has commanded and
what is taught in His Word.
A
reformation that leads the followers of Christ to fear God more than man, to
value the honors and praise that comes from God above that of men, and to
pursue the riches and rewards of Heaven rather than that which is worldly.
A
reformation that leads the saints to place their faith in God to provide for
their needs, to sustain them in adversity, and to deliver them from evil
instead of the institutions and establishments of this world.
A
reformation in which people of influence are but fellow servants of God raised
up for our edification and deliverance but are still just as fallible as the
rest of us and that Christ is our perfect example and the Bible is our perfect
doctrine.
A
reformation that instills in the Church a much-needed understanding of the
powers that wage war against it and that makes the saints ready to withstand
and repel the attacks of the evil one and in which the followers of Christ do
not remain ignorant of his various and many devices.
A
reformation that instills a zealous and undying commitment to preach the Gospel
to all who are willing to listen and without apology.
And
a reformation in which the saints are ready to make whatever sacrifices that
may be demanded of them for the sake of the Gospel, trusting that their efforts
will be vindicated and that the reward that they receive for which they
relinquish for the sake of their faith will be equal to, if not greater than
the price required of them.
But
this reformation must take place within each professor of the faith before it
can take place within each congregation and once it takes place throughout the
body of Christ, only then can there ever be any hope of a Great Awakening in
our nation.
Are
we going to fall upon our faces before Almighty God and look to the One who,
although never promises a life of ease, will nonetheless, never fail to sustain
us in times of hardship, will always provide for our needs, and deliver us from
evil, and who is able to reward us with that which is greater than any losses
that we might sustain and any sacrifices we might be required to make on for
His name’s sake, and are we going to rely on His wisdom to assist us in making
the best choices possible that are set before us?
Or
are we going to place our trust in fallible men and corruptible institutions
subject to failure and either cannot or will not fulfill all the promises that
they make to us, and place our hope in the wealth and resources of this world
that are limited and can vanish away in an instant, and place all our reliance
in our own understanding and in our own strength and power which are limited
and will fail us at the most critical conjunctures?
Are
we going to embrace the God of all truth in whom is found redemption, purpose,
peace and order, and who is the source of all life and light and who has
promised to us a new and better world to come than the one in which we dwell?
Or
are we going to side with the prince of darkness and take pleasure in unrighteousness
and delude ourselves with lies to our own eternal destruction?
Just
as Adam and Eve were given a choice between life and death, so each and every
one of us is given that choice as well.
If
we choose Christ, then we choose life eternal, but if we reject His offer of
redemption and forgiveness, then we are only choosing death of both body and
soul.
God
did not create us for death, hell, and damnation. He created us to live and desires that we
should dwell in His presence in peace and joy before Him and therefore to this
day, is calling all men to repentance and doing everything He can to open their
eyes to the spiritual darkness in which they dwell and to show them their need
for redemption that they might turn away from their sins and repent.
Therefore,
if anyone reading this post has not yet received Jesus Christ as their Savior
and Lord, I urge you today to turn away from your sins and call upon His name
for the forgiveness of sins so that you may escape what would otherwise be a
Christless eternity of darkness and torment.
All it takes is a sincere simple prayer:
"Lord
Jesus I need you.
I
realize that I am a sinner
who
has fallen short of the glory of God
and
that my goodness falls short
of
your standard of Moral perfection.
Please
forgive me of all of my sins.
Come
into my heart and into my life
to
be the Savior and Lord of my life.
Make
me into the servant and follower
that
you want me to be.
In
your name Lord Jesus, I pray.
Amen."
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. “Donald Trump Tells America The Real Meaning
Of Christmas – ‘Our Country Has A Savior And That’s Not Me,’”
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