For Freedom’s Sake

God never wanted His people to live in bondage. He always wanted a family through whom He could bless the families – the nations – of the world. When God gave Joseph wisdom to share with Pharaoh to save the people from famine, the wisdom came from above, not from Joseph or Pharaoh. But when a leader rescues people, they have a tendency to look to the person rather than the true source. Joseph’s own family made the mistake of selling out to Pharaoh and the very chosen people through which God wanted to bless the nations of the world found themselves in bondage.  This cycle of recurring defeat has continued to repeat itself throughout history.

We must come to realize that the church, the body of Christ, is now the family through which God has chosen to bless America and all nations. Believers must depend on the wisdom and principles of God, not the sectarian, religious traditions of man or partisan political platforms. All believers in the church must hold up the truth and standards of God to every person, including all in authority, leadership roles, including politicians, candidates and all who have the great freedom to vote. Christians should be active in every aspect of society, but we do the will of God by declaring and living out the word and truth of God. We never move one word, standard or principle found in God’s Word to accommodate anybody’s opinion, practices, or desires. Jesus commanded us to look straight ahead with our hand to the plow and never looking to the right or left, aware that even the slightest deviation will, over time, take us far from His perfect standard.

We will never find or elect a national leader who is perfect. There are no perfect leaders and no perfect members of the body of Christ. We are all flawed. There is one perfect Lord and Savior who we must faithfully point people to. He will forever be, “The Way, the Truth and the Life.” When people change His Word into a lie or depend upon any source other than our Father God, we will find ourselves in bondage personally and ultimately nationally. Living outside the shelter and shadow of the Almighty, we lose freedom.

Believers must not stop praying for those in authority. God has always used imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will, so I will pray for every leader, whoever that may be. Because of freedom, America has been one of the most prosperous, benevolent nations in history. We have enjoyed the blessings of freedom and experienced great joy sharing them. Remember, only God can make a nation great and only He can keep it great. 

Those who advocate an anti-biblical worldview are encouraging every person to do what’s right in their own sight, rejecting God’s reliable standards. My wife Betty and I cannot sit back enjoying the blessings of a life lived for God without considering the future for your family, your children, and your grandchildren. Right now, many in our world are wandering around in a spiritual darkness, but God wants us to reveal the light of Christ and the transforming effect of the Gospel not only declared, but demonstrated by all who are committed to His Kingdom purpose.

It is important for every Christian to understand that the King is not only coming, He has come and He announced clearly, “His Kingdom is at hand.” He told the disciples and taught that His kingdom is established now in the life of every believer. It is imperative that God’s family, members of His body, begin now to pray and make the necessary Kingdom impact as the faithful witnesses He has left us here to be.

Pray for the wisdom of God to prevail in the church and nation.  The only way to preserve the blessings of freedom is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, transforming hearts and minds. This must be the message of the church. The power of the Gospel must be clearly revealed through the Spirit-filled lives of those who “love God with all their heart and their neighbors as themselves.”

Betty and I, along with many concerned Christians, are praying for God to give the church and nation clear 20-20 vision in the critically important year 2020. I believe what Paul shared in Acts 20:20 should become the practice and message of every God-called preacher, pastor, and minister in America. He wrote, “I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ”. This is what I am totally committed to doing – publicly declaring through every means of communication the principles of our Lord to every person, party, denomination, sectarian group, and all with ears to hear. I pray you will stand with me as we watch the family of God  become more adorned in the glory and grace of our Lord. As we yield our lives to the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, His Spirit will flow out of us like a river of unconditional, redemptive love. Let’s take the gospel in word and deed to the ends of the earth. Together, we can witness the greatest spiritual awakening and harvest of souls in history. When this happens, we’ll see the restoration of freedom in individual lives, communities, our nation and beyond.

Remember, as Paul proclaimed in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ set us free.” Our Father desires freedom for all people.