Revival

Floods of selfishness and greed have been inundating our country gradually, but surely. “Apathy and entitlement” have been the description that Dr. David Jeremiah, gifted Pastor and writer gives of America in his book, Is This The End? This book and T.V. series speaks about civilizations life span. About 200 years for any culture based on a scripted journey from independence and patriotism where people serve one another and the unity of the country to one of apathy and decay. This attitude changes over time as government grows along with taxes and entitlement until it cannot be afforded or tolerated. This country has long since reached this state where we are the largest debtor nation in the world, having once been the largest creditor nation.  Now a $20+ trillion debt, the interest of which is nearly $1-trillion is crushing our strength.  As the flood fills the land with pessimism and immorality we begin to unravel and divide in purpose and desires. Why this has happened I believe has a lot to do with throwing out the basis for our Declaration of Independence signers source documents, the Bible and Judeo-Christian principles. These not only seem not to apply now, they have been replaced with a “humanism” that comes from the logic that mankind is first and the author of our lives, not God. Three major decisions have been representative of this movement.

1.     Rowe vs. Wade brought the legalizing of abortion for whatever reason. The nearly 70,000,000 fetuses aborted since have been almost entirely for personal convenience. I sadly can say that this has stained me.

2.     Taking Prayer and Bible out of schools in the chant for the “separation of church and state” has caused a loss of compass.  This incredibly distorted and mortally flawed decision has said that no public entity may speak of any God or their creation or influence. Thomas Jefferson, famously and stealthily blamed for this decision, said that the State or Federal Government should not authorize a specific church, or denomination. The Church authorized  in England is the Anglican Church for example. The real results have been the removal of God from public life in every way. I fear that we are not far from worship being controlled and persecuted increasingly after the national election of 2016.

3.     In 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States rewrote the God ordained institution of marriage by saying that it is now between any two willing people. The Bible says 43 times that marriage is between a man and a woman.

There have been many other decisions at local and national levels that have taken or threatened religious and personal freedoms. These are bringing adversity and rapid moral decay? Yes, I think particularly it is Christians who will experience scrutiny and persecution ramping quickly unless our country has a revival of faith. We have had many such revivals since our founding as groups of praying people have repented and turned to God in obedience for His Holy Spirit sovereign control, not their own. We will have setbacks and troubles but God will deliver us.

Revival starts in our own hearts as we turn away from ourselves and to God’s sovereignty. Help our country, one person at a time, to realize that we are reliant upon God not ourselves for our welfare.  I struggle at work with those who would impose their plans instead of God’s every day. It is becoming increasingly apparent that we no longer serve a Creator God, but prefer, as I have written, “a God of Convenience.”

Revival is not easy; it is one sole at a time. Turn to God and repent. Confess your transgressions and be changed.