America will either bow on her knees before God or be brought to her knees as a consequence of sin and by a refusal to build on biblical standards and founding principles. If we fail to respond to God’s invitation and receive His forgiveness, grace, and the divine guidance found only in the shelter provided by His presence, we will prove to be humiliated.

Bow Down or Be Brought Down

America will either bow on her knees before God or be brought to her knees as a consequence of sin and by a refusal to build on biblical standards and founding principles. If we fail to respond to God’s invitation and receive His forgiveness, grace, and the divine guidance found only in the shelter provided by His presence, we will prove to be humiliated. But I am most hopeful that people of faith, along with those who love their families and appreciate freedom, will respond to the call of God.

As I write this commentary, I am riding in a bus in Mississippi on the way to Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma to sign copies of our book INDIVISIBLE. The co-author Jay Richards, his wife Ginny, and their daughters Gillian and Ellie, as well as Betty are on the tour. This week my beautiful wife and I celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary while on this important missionary journey across our great nation. At the same time, our mission team is literally sleeping on the ground in tents or whatever shelter they can find while seeking to help alleviate the suffering of people in Sudan. We received an email today from a team member. She reported that the people are so desperately hungry that an average of two children are dying each day from starvation while trying to get to the feeding lines. Our hearts break and loving Christians along with compassionate people around the world will come together attempting to help. My concern for impoverished nations increases my burden for America. If we do not turn back to God and liberating truth, we are going to lose the ability to see our own needs met, along with the ability to help others.

Every day I find myself shocked and amazed by the public response and especially the attention given by the media to any statement concerning the spiritual realm. Remember years ago when George W. Bush answered the question, “Who do you respect most in history? Who has had the greatest influence?” When he answered, “Jesus Christ,” you would have thought the world had come to an end. How dare anyone make such a claim! Certainly he couldn’t possibly really mean it. The fact he used it was portrayed as an attempt to gather the support of the brainless religious crowd. Sincere faith, biblical references, and respect for Jesus Christ are openly ridiculed.

This week Sen. Santorum referenced Satan as an enemy of America. (The Apostle Paul called this power “principalities and rulers in the heavenly realm of darkness and deception.”) The senator indicated Satan has focused the fury of his assault on the United States, a free nation professing to be “under God.” We probably won’t be able to say that much longer and get away with it. Many wish to purge it from the pledge! Granted, if Americans don’t really believe we need to live under God, then there’s no need to leave it in the pledge. The Bible declares heaven’s blessings are on nations “whose God is the Lord.”Total commitment to God and His truth does not mean you are imposing those ways on others, but certainly holding up the standard of truth while seeking to encourage and inspire people to line up with it.

Betty and I attended a play in New York City that presented a hypothetical debate between C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud. One of the statements that stood out was when Freud referred to a crooked line, and Lewis responded, “How do you know it’s crooked if you don’t have the standard of a straight line to measure it by?” Freud was taken aback, and the audience knew that Lewis had landed a solid blow. We do have a reliable standard and our founders knew it. The Constitution they left us is not an ever-evolving, unreliable document. It has proved to be the greatest founding document upon which a nation has been built. As a result of its soundness, Americans have prospered and blessed many nations with an outpouring of compassion.

We are very excited about the incredible acceptance our book INDIVISIBLE has received in its first week. It reached number #1 out of all books both on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. Hopefully you have ordered a copy or plan to go to the nearest bookstore. It is very important for church and business leaders to receive a copy and it would make a meaningful gift to any friend or family member.

We have sought diligently to present the answers that can help correct our nation’s perilous course. Every American should ask the question, “Whom do you trust?” Do you first begin by being able to affirm that “in God we trust” or is it back to the false hope found in the ways of the world, in the systems of Egypt that Jeremiah referred to as the shadow of Pharaoh? I observe people today seeking false hope in progressive socialism that masquerades as hope and change rather than pursuing truth and correction to be found only in God’s shadow. We the people must be salt and light, and with other believers become a city set on a hill shining that light and sharing the wisdom of Divine Providence.

Jeremiah rebuked the people in his day telling them that they had more gods than they had cities. He went on to say, “God has rejected those in whom you trust and you will not prosper with them!” The problem was not just with the leaders, but with the belief system. They believed lies and had false hope as a result of their idolatrous worldview. Sadly, many people who profess to have faith and to know God have tragically also bought into the lies. In chapter 4, Jeremiah said, “Lift up a standard” (God’s Word). Then he said to every individual, “Break up the fallow ground in your life. Become productive, bear fruit. Stand up. Blow a trumpet. Sound a warning! Lift up the banner of truth.” Every one of us is commanded to do it. Jeremiah declared, “Lies and not truth prevail in the land” and referred to people as “foolish and stupid” with no understanding. (According to Proverbs, understanding is wisdom.) The prophet told them they were “shrewd to do evil” but didn’t know God. They were foolish people who had eyes to see, but couldn’t see; ears to hear, but couldn’t hear. Now is the time when we must open our ears and tune in to the power of God’s Word. Jeremiah indicated that if our ears are closed, God’s Word becomes a reproach.

The general public and much of the media seem to make fun of anyone that references or expresses confidence in the Word of God and eternal truth. Jeremiah continued, “People live greedy for gain, full of selfishness, and indifferent toward the needs of others.” We point out in INDIVISIBLE that the successful people and the blessed people who have earned their wealth and prosperity should focus much of their attention on alleviating the suffering of the downtrodden and the poor. I know many successful people who are filled with compassion and eager to help. We must not continually turn our challenges over to the federal government allowing ever-increasing tax burdens to be accepted while never finding effective solutions.

Americans must also recognize the importance of a healthy free market which makes it possible to be successful, create opportunity, jobs, and prosperity as a blessing and not a curse. Greed, envy, and ingratitude are major problems. But creating wealth and opportunity is the only way we can meet any need. Stop the insanity – NOW!

When people reject God’s truth, they reach a point where they are unable to recognize truth. As Romans 1 says, “They are controlled by unhealthy attractions, appetites, and compulsive addictions, ultimately given over to depraved thinking.”

We know many truly concerned Americans do not like the direction our nation is heading, but they don’t know how to help. This is why God led us to address virtually every serious issue we are facing in the book INDIVISIBLE.It is very clear that some of the challenges that we face will only be settled by a healthy civil conversation when reasonable people diligently seek to find effective solutions. With God’s help and with the counsel of those who love truth, we don’t have a problem we can’t solve and the process must begin immediately. I find myself many times where Jeremiah was in chapter 9 crying out, “Oh that my head were water and my eyes a fountain of tears that I could weep day and night for my nation” because lies and not truth prevail in the land. I personally believe the enemy has over played his hand, dare I say, “satan”? Yes, the father of all lies has over played his hand and this upside-down world view is about to be exposed for what it is. It is deceptive, depressing, discouraging, debt-ridden, and destructive. To be honest with you, my wife just heard me dictating this article and she said “demonic” referring to the damaging worldview. Excuse me, but I say, “Amen!”

Returning to the shelter, the shadow, and divine guidance of the Almighty is our only hope. We will either bow to our knees before God or be brought to our knees by foolish choices.

 

To learn more about INDIVISIBLE and James’ and Jay’s bus tour, visit indivisiblebook.com.

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