“I sought for the greatness of the United States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her fertile fields, and boundless forests—and it was not there. I sought for [this greatness] in her rich mines, her vast world commerce, her public school system, and in her institutions of higher learning— and it was not there. I looked for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution—and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!”
LISTEN to the audio teaching at the SHINE BRIGHT Church YouTube Channel here!
Our President Elect has had the motto ever since his first term back in 2016, MAGA – Make America Great Again. And certainly, by his policies he may do a lot to restore to us our economy, our political process, our social structure, the cleansing of corruption found in our government, academic halls of learning, our mainstream media and national identity.
But can any of these things restore goodness to America?
Speaking of national identify: How many of you believe we live in a Democracy?
Recall the pledge of allegiance that we recited daily in school:
“I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of American, and to the Republic for which it [our American flag] stands…”
We live in a Constitutional Republic which is “the rule by just law” which our founding fathers based on several sources, among them the Scriptures.
A democracy is a rule by the people – and we use the democratic process in our voting system, but it’s not our form of government in America.
Trump’s administration has developed a new department, The Department of Government Efficiency, and wants to trim the heavy, bureaucratic fat that’s wasting our tax money.
His administration has promised to cut taxes for the middle class, to rescind taxes on tips earned by restaurant servers, on overtime pay, and on retirement benefits.
His administration wants to restore our national borders and escort illegals that are criminal or subversive in any way out of the country and ensure a smooth transition for foreigners who are encouraged to enter our land by legal immigration process.
His administration wants to restore integrity in our news media, as well as get our schools back to real education (reading, writing, ‘rithmatic) and disband the Woke (read that Marxist) agenda that’s found in both, which have become propaganda centers for the Left.
His administration wants to tackle the FDA, Nat’l Institute of Health (Note: This author does not necessarily agree with everything in this preceding article), and the massive global corporation called Monsanto that’s been bought out by Bayer Corp. and scrutinize them carefully in order to root out the corruption there, that has made us one of the most unhealthiest nations in the world – the up-and-coming administration wants to Make America Healthy Again.
Recently I saw a video by President Elect Trump where he promises to protect the right of Christians to practice their faith, without reprisals or denigrating retaliation – and he says we need to Make America Pray Again. He wants to ensure that Bibles and prayer are both accessible (not mandatory) to all our students in every school across our nation. I’d like him to see to it that Creationism was taught side by side with evolution theory also.
CHECK OUT the TTUF article on An OPPORTUNITY For TRUTH: Providing Creation Science in the Classroom.
And yet even with the success of all of this: a leaner, more efficient, less invasive federal government, major tax reform that will result in greater take home pay, a secure border with a preserved national identity, a news media with integrity, with schools that will allow our students to achieve academic excellence free of political propaganda; a population that grows strong and robust with healthy diets and with ensured religious freedom… even if all that is successful… Can any of these things restore goodness to America?
We still won’t Make America Great Again, until we Make America Good Again.
And as Alexis de Tocqueville pointed out, he found America’s greatness when he entered into our nation’s churches and heard “…her pulpits aflame with righteousness.”
You recall the account of the rich young ruler who approached the LORD Jesus Christ and said to Him, “Good Master…”
And the LORD replied with, “Why do you call Me good; no one is good but One, that is GOD…” Jesus was in a roundabout way declaring His Deity. If there is any genuine good in this world, it derives from the only source of goodness, which is GOD.
As children of GOD, “goodness” is grown in our lives as the fruit of the Holy Spirit (GAL 5:22). Goodness and godliness are inseparable – you can’t possibly have one without the other!
I believe in MAGA with all my heart, but it’s not about Making America Great Again – it’s about Making America Godly Again! And ONLY then will she be great again!
Because without godliness, even if Trump is successful with every enterprise he hopes to succeed in and bringing an unprecedented turn-around for our country, we will still have the greater majority of 330 million souls dying and going to hell!
It's easy to kick back and relax because the guy that will be in the White House will be on our side. We won’t have to deal with Woke Culture and Marxist dogma that’s going after our youth – at least not nearly so much.
But our mission from Christ Jesus, the Head of the Church has not changed one bit! We can’t afford to “kick back” – why? Because time is short!
MATTHEW 5:13-16
13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Scripture tells us that “…GOD is Light and in Him there is no darkness at all.” (1 JOHN 1:5). The darkness – that’s all about disorderly evilness and devilish plots, conspiracies and revolutions against godly authority. It began in heaven when Lucifer said, “My will be done” rather than “Thy will O GOD be done.”
And that started the kingdom of darkness that’s running this planet. This darkness continues in our nation that won’t be satisfied with “separation of church and state” but “separation of church from State”! They don’t want the presence of the church anywhere – not in putting a manger in the city square, not in local Bible studies in neighborhoods, and certainly NOT in our schools!
Yet the Constitution plainly states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Which means that no state religion may be established in our nation – or our schools, but that doesn’t include simply making the Bible and prayer available in schools.
They were both present in our American culture for hundreds of years before the Supreme Court stepped in and denied their presence in the classroom (And since their removal and the Ten Commandments, our schools have declined considerably by almost every measure!). There is a lot of assertion being made that because schools are funded by taxation, that they are part of our Federal government. HOWEVER – our government is “by the people, of the people and for the people” and they are the ones who pay the taxes, NOT any branch of government!
There are those in America who don’t want GOD, they don’t want the Word, they hate the Light and love their darkness. It’s found in our government, our universities, in our streets, in our neighborhoods and GOD help us, even in our seminaries!
And listen carefully – a more moral America won’t make this darkness go away! It won’t Make America Godly Again! An atheist can be very moral, that doesn’t make them godly! Only GOD can make a person godly!
The Light of GOD exposes that evil, and the Light is hated for it: Let’s read:
JOHN 3:19-20
19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
The LORD Jesus Christ said to His biological family:
JOHN 7:7
The world cannot hate you but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.
JOHN 15:18-20
18 If the world hates you [we, who are His disciples], you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
Salt and Light – both are effective at preventing corruption or at the least keeping it under control.
Question: Do we see corruption in our nation? Has it gotten worse? WHY? The church of Jesus Christ isn’t absent in this nation! We’re still here! And yet, why aren’t we being effective as salt and light? Why is the corruption getting worse?
Some churches don’t want to be salt; they want to sugar-coat the truth of GOD! It’s an offense to a HOLY GOD and a betrayal to JESUS CHRIST!
What does salt do to an open wound? It stings, doesn’t it? In a spiritually and morally corrupt society, the truth of GOD stings! And too much of the church is afraid to offend and sting the minds of the spiritually blind.
They’ve lived in the darkness for so long, that for a saint of GOD to shine the Light upon them, it’s painful! And the church wants to be an inoffensive friend to the world, and make nice, and speak comforting lies that will ease them on their way to hell!
JAMES 4:4
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world [that is, this fallen, sinful world-system governed by darkness and deception] is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
What did the Cross of Christ accomplish? The LAMB Of GOD was nailed there as an atonement for our sins! Was that the objective? In a way, but it was also the means by which GOD sought His ultimate objective:
You see, GOD does indeed love everyone! But He can’t have fellowship with anyone, because of the sin issue (we’re all sinners by nature!). So, Christ came to Earth, died on the Cross to take away our sin, and that enabled GOD to have fellowship with those who come to Christ, and then as a Father with His children, He can freely love us! And how He loves us!
A dear saint and prayer warrior for GOD was once asked to describe the love of GOD. His response, “Picture yourself under the Niagara Falls. Imagine that deluge of thousands of tons of water pouring down on you. Then think of every single drop of water in that deluge being representative of an OCEAN of GOD’s Love!!” WOW!
But the Cross of Jesus Christ is offensive to a lover of darkness – there’s just no way around that! The Cross testifies of this world that I sometimes call Planet REBYL!
It testifies alongside the Light of GOD that every single soul is a sinner from birth, lost, blind, and over time grows in their rebellious, unholy, and evil practices! The heart is desperately – that is, incurably – wicked (JER 17:9).
That isn’t a ‘feel-good’ message. But it’s GOD’s own truth!
Anyone listening to this message would ask, “And THIS is the Gospel? This is what you Christians call the Good News?!”
Any doctor has to tell their patient the truth, that they are dying of a disease. They have to receive that bit of bad news before the doctor can then tell them, “But we’ve recently discovered a cure that has a 100% recovery rate!”
Telling them that they are dying is what gives the good news of a cure any meaning!
Before a soul can esteem the Cross of Christ, they have to understand where they stand with GOD:
“this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil”.
Saints, we must earnestly petition GOD on behalf of those we are prepared to share the Gospel with; praying that GOD will open their eyes to their own deplorable, sinful condition. We need to run them through the Ten Commandments, the Law of GOD and show them how ALL of us “have sinned and fallen short of the glory of GOD” (ROM 3:23).
And then we can deliver the cure – that has a 100% redemption rate: the LORD Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
But the effectiveness of sharing the Gospel is always proportionate to the degree in which the saints of GOD will labor in prayer. Because we don’t enter into this ministry alone – or we ought not to! – you and I are yoked together with Christ Who works alongside us (MARK 16:20).
Intercessory prayer is vital: it’s like the vanguard of warriors that march at the frontlines and is the first to take down the enemy and all who oppose by argument and mockery Christ and His Truth!
2 CORINTHIANS 10:4-5
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal [not physical, worldly weapons] but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
Speaking of the Light of GOD once again:
Suppose you had two lanterns: one has glass that was crystal clear clean; the other was filthy, caked with mud. Which will shine its light brighter?
Ah! Trick question: if both have the same amount of oil and the same kind of wick, they will shine bright equally! The issue is you won’t SEE the Light as clearly from the dirty lantern!
And this is another reason why so much of the church is unable to combat the corruption and the darkness. We live muddy lives, lives that aren’t endeavoring to live holy, lives that are not daily washed in the water of the Word.
A clean, uncompromised, consecrated Christian is a conquering Christian! That is to say, a Christian who is a true disciple of Christ, following faithfully – not flawlessly, but faithfully – will know victory, both for themselves and those that they minister to.
After reading Andrew Murray’s small but powerful book Absolute Surrender, the LORD gave me an acronym: A.V.R.A.S.
Absolute Victory (in life) Requires Absolute Surrender (to Christ).
What about 90% surrender? I think that will get you 90% victory. And you might say, I can live with that! 90% is pretty good!
But that 10% is an area that the enemy can work on, and patiently, quietly, subtly push the envelope, and work corruption there that will spread to the other 90% if not eradicated (GAL 5:9).
Think about our LORD – was He 90% surrendered to the Father’s will? His love for the Father, as well as His love for us, demanded 100%!
Saints, doesn’t He deserve the same from us in response? Remember – you’re not in this alone! That lofty goal of 100% surrender, can we say, that heavenly goal is obtainable through Christ Jesus Who strengthens us!
Being absolutely surrendered to Christ doesn’t mean that you have achieved spiritual perfection though. It just means that everything is on the table, subject to the LORD’s direction in our lives, to change us, mold us, prune us; He is free to take from us what He knows is wrong and destructive, and to add to us what He knows we need. It means you’ve surrendered your will for His in every area of your life!
We are in danger in this upcoming presidential term of thinking that GOD will bless us again because we reject the Left, the Woke culture, the slaying of the innocent babies from a moral standpoint.
If we as a nation want to see spiritual restoration, then by necessity is up to the church to repent of our lukewarmness, of our negligence in not hearing GOD’s call to be salt and light. Remember, “Judgment begins at the house of GOD” church (1 PET 4:17).
We need to repent of our carelessness in our relationship with the LORD (many professing Christians live lives of “practical atheism” as pastor Sonny calls it. There are unsaved people who claim to know GOD but deny Him by their lifestyle; TITUS 1:16).
“One nation under GOD” is part of that Pledge of Allegiance. A pledge being a vow, or a sacred promise. And if we pledge as one nation to be under GOD, that means submission to the Holy will of GOD.
As former President Ronald Reagan once said,
“A nation not under GOD is a nation gone under!”
The danger is that America may feel justified in claiming the blessings of GOD because they’ve adopted a morality of sorts, while still not repenting of their personal sins of adultery/pornography, fornication, lying, stealing, drug and alcohol abuse, malice – and most of all, refraining from making Jesus Christ LORD of all.
HOMEWORK: When you get home, I’d like you to read ISAIAH 1 and see if you can’t spot some parallels between Israel of that day and America today!
They have Jesus in the closet and bring Him out now and then when the religious mood strikes them, but back He goes in the closet when they want to live out their lives as they see fit.
That makes them LORD and not JESUS.
If JESUS is LORD, He is LORD over the whole house! And anything hidden in any dark closet, any pet sins that we want to keep for ourselves, He as LORD demands that it be taken out and tossed in the trash curbside!
If we are truly to be One Nation Under GOD again, then repentance must be evident in the church first, then the nation may follow. If revival doesn’t happen from shore to shore, we can expect such in towns, cities, perhaps even regions!
And while we may experience revival in this land, let’s not lose sight of the fact that America will one day come to an end, as will all things in this world.
We may see a glimmer of GOD’s Glory restored here, but compared to the eternal Kingdom of GOD that awaits us, that glimmer will pale compared to the intensity of the glory we will witness in heaven when we see our LORD Face to face!
Finally, let’s turn to 2 CHRONICLES 7:14 please, can we all stand for this reading?
Now, I understand that this verse was directed specifically to Israel, but there are spiritual principles that can apply to us here in America, specifically the Christian nation that lives within America?
2 CHRONICLES 7:14
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
1) Are you a people who are called by GOD’s name?
2) Do you know how to humble yourself?
3) You know how to pray and seek GOD’s face!
4) Can you turn from any wicked or sinful way that’s in your life today?
If we do these four things, GOD has promised to do three:
1) GOD will hear us from heaven.
2) GOD will forgive our sin.
3) GOD will heal our “land” that is, the church, His body and restore us to holiness, and by salt and light, may we see revival in America, may we once again be One Nation Under GOD. May GOD Make America Godly Again
But can any of these things restore goodness to America?
Speaking of national identify: How many of you believe we live in a Democracy?
Recall the pledge of allegiance that we recited daily in school:
“I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of American, and to the Republic for which it [our American flag] stands…”
We live in a Constitutional Republic which is “the rule by just law” which our founding fathers based on several sources, among them the Scriptures.
A democracy is a rule by the people – and we use the democratic process in our voting system, but it’s not our form of government in America.
Trump’s administration has developed a new department, The Department of Government Efficiency, and wants to trim the heavy, bureaucratic fat that’s wasting our tax money.
His administration has promised to cut taxes for the middle class, to rescind taxes on tips earned by restaurant servers, on overtime pay, and on retirement benefits.
His administration wants to restore our national borders and escort illegals that are criminal or subversive in any way out of the country and ensure a smooth transition for foreigners who are encouraged to enter our land by legal immigration process.
His administration wants to restore integrity in our news media, as well as get our schools back to real education (reading, writing, ‘rithmatic) and disband the Woke (read that Marxist) agenda that’s found in both, which have become propaganda centers for the Left.
His administration wants to tackle the FDA, Nat’l Institute of Health (Note: This author does not necessarily agree with everything in this preceding article), and the massive global corporation called Monsanto that’s been bought out by Bayer Corp. and scrutinize them carefully in order to root out the corruption there, that has made us one of the most unhealthiest nations in the world – the up-and-coming administration wants to Make America Healthy Again.
Recently I saw a video by President Elect Trump where he promises to protect the right of Christians to practice their faith, without reprisals or denigrating retaliation – and he says we need to Make America Pray Again. He wants to ensure that Bibles and prayer are both accessible (not mandatory) to all our students in every school across our nation. I’d like him to see to it that Creationism was taught side by side with evolution theory also.
CHECK OUT the TTUF article on An OPPORTUNITY For TRUTH: Providing Creation Science in the Classroom.
And yet even with the success of all of this: a leaner, more efficient, less invasive federal government, major tax reform that will result in greater take home pay, a secure border with a preserved national identity, a news media with integrity, with schools that will allow our students to achieve academic excellence free of political propaganda; a population that grows strong and robust with healthy diets and with ensured religious freedom… even if all that is successful… Can any of these things restore goodness to America?
We still won’t Make America Great Again, until we Make America Good Again.
And as Alexis de Tocqueville pointed out, he found America’s greatness when he entered into our nation’s churches and heard “…her pulpits aflame with righteousness.”
You recall the account of the rich young ruler who approached the LORD Jesus Christ and said to Him, “Good Master…”
And the LORD replied with, “Why do you call Me good; no one is good but One, that is GOD…” Jesus was in a roundabout way declaring His Deity. If there is any genuine good in this world, it derives from the only source of goodness, which is GOD.
As children of GOD, “goodness” is grown in our lives as the fruit of the Holy Spirit (GAL 5:22). Goodness and godliness are inseparable – you can’t possibly have one without the other!
I believe in MAGA with all my heart, but it’s not about Making America Great Again – it’s about Making America Godly Again! And ONLY then will she be great again!
Because without godliness, even if Trump is successful with every enterprise he hopes to succeed in and bringing an unprecedented turn-around for our country, we will still have the greater majority of 330 million souls dying and going to hell!
It's easy to kick back and relax because the guy that will be in the White House will be on our side. We won’t have to deal with Woke Culture and Marxist dogma that’s going after our youth – at least not nearly so much.
But our mission from Christ Jesus, the Head of the Church has not changed one bit! We can’t afford to “kick back” – why? Because time is short!
MATTHEW 5:13-16
13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Scripture tells us that “…GOD is Light and in Him there is no darkness at all.” (1 JOHN 1:5). The darkness – that’s all about disorderly evilness and devilish plots, conspiracies and revolutions against godly authority. It began in heaven when Lucifer said, “My will be done” rather than “Thy will O GOD be done.”
And that started the kingdom of darkness that’s running this planet. This darkness continues in our nation that won’t be satisfied with “separation of church and state” but “separation of church from State”! They don’t want the presence of the church anywhere – not in putting a manger in the city square, not in local Bible studies in neighborhoods, and certainly NOT in our schools!
Yet the Constitution plainly states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Which means that no state religion may be established in our nation – or our schools, but that doesn’t include simply making the Bible and prayer available in schools.
They were both present in our American culture for hundreds of years before the Supreme Court stepped in and denied their presence in the classroom (And since their removal and the Ten Commandments, our schools have declined considerably by almost every measure!). There is a lot of assertion being made that because schools are funded by taxation, that they are part of our Federal government. HOWEVER – our government is “by the people, of the people and for the people” and they are the ones who pay the taxes, NOT any branch of government!
There are those in America who don’t want GOD, they don’t want the Word, they hate the Light and love their darkness. It’s found in our government, our universities, in our streets, in our neighborhoods and GOD help us, even in our seminaries!
And listen carefully – a more moral America won’t make this darkness go away! It won’t Make America Godly Again! An atheist can be very moral, that doesn’t make them godly! Only GOD can make a person godly!
The Light of GOD exposes that evil, and the Light is hated for it: Let’s read:
JOHN 3:19-20
19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
The LORD Jesus Christ said to His biological family:
JOHN 7:7
The world cannot hate you but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.
JOHN 15:18-20
18 If the world hates you [we, who are His disciples], you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
Salt and Light – both are effective at preventing corruption or at the least keeping it under control.
Question: Do we see corruption in our nation? Has it gotten worse? WHY? The church of Jesus Christ isn’t absent in this nation! We’re still here! And yet, why aren’t we being effective as salt and light? Why is the corruption getting worse?
Some churches don’t want to be salt; they want to sugar-coat the truth of GOD! It’s an offense to a HOLY GOD and a betrayal to JESUS CHRIST!
What does salt do to an open wound? It stings, doesn’t it? In a spiritually and morally corrupt society, the truth of GOD stings! And too much of the church is afraid to offend and sting the minds of the spiritually blind.
They’ve lived in the darkness for so long, that for a saint of GOD to shine the Light upon them, it’s painful! And the church wants to be an inoffensive friend to the world, and make nice, and speak comforting lies that will ease them on their way to hell!
JAMES 4:4
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world [that is, this fallen, sinful world-system governed by darkness and deception] is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
What did the Cross of Christ accomplish? The LAMB Of GOD was nailed there as an atonement for our sins! Was that the objective? In a way, but it was also the means by which GOD sought His ultimate objective:
You see, GOD does indeed love everyone! But He can’t have fellowship with anyone, because of the sin issue (we’re all sinners by nature!). So, Christ came to Earth, died on the Cross to take away our sin, and that enabled GOD to have fellowship with those who come to Christ, and then as a Father with His children, He can freely love us! And how He loves us!
A dear saint and prayer warrior for GOD was once asked to describe the love of GOD. His response, “Picture yourself under the Niagara Falls. Imagine that deluge of thousands of tons of water pouring down on you. Then think of every single drop of water in that deluge being representative of an OCEAN of GOD’s Love!!” WOW!
But the Cross of Jesus Christ is offensive to a lover of darkness – there’s just no way around that! The Cross testifies of this world that I sometimes call Planet REBYL!
It testifies alongside the Light of GOD that every single soul is a sinner from birth, lost, blind, and over time grows in their rebellious, unholy, and evil practices! The heart is desperately – that is, incurably – wicked (JER 17:9).
That isn’t a ‘feel-good’ message. But it’s GOD’s own truth!
Anyone listening to this message would ask, “And THIS is the Gospel? This is what you Christians call the Good News?!”
Any doctor has to tell their patient the truth, that they are dying of a disease. They have to receive that bit of bad news before the doctor can then tell them, “But we’ve recently discovered a cure that has a 100% recovery rate!”
Telling them that they are dying is what gives the good news of a cure any meaning!
Before a soul can esteem the Cross of Christ, they have to understand where they stand with GOD:
“this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil”.
Saints, we must earnestly petition GOD on behalf of those we are prepared to share the Gospel with; praying that GOD will open their eyes to their own deplorable, sinful condition. We need to run them through the Ten Commandments, the Law of GOD and show them how ALL of us “have sinned and fallen short of the glory of GOD” (ROM 3:23).
And then we can deliver the cure – that has a 100% redemption rate: the LORD Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
“Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe,
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow!”
But the effectiveness of sharing the Gospel is always proportionate to the degree in which the saints of GOD will labor in prayer. Because we don’t enter into this ministry alone – or we ought not to! – you and I are yoked together with Christ Who works alongside us (MARK 16:20).
Intercessory prayer is vital: it’s like the vanguard of warriors that march at the frontlines and is the first to take down the enemy and all who oppose by argument and mockery Christ and His Truth!
2 CORINTHIANS 10:4-5
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal [not physical, worldly weapons] but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
Speaking of the Light of GOD once again:
Suppose you had two lanterns: one has glass that was crystal clear clean; the other was filthy, caked with mud. Which will shine its light brighter?
Ah! Trick question: if both have the same amount of oil and the same kind of wick, they will shine bright equally! The issue is you won’t SEE the Light as clearly from the dirty lantern!
And this is another reason why so much of the church is unable to combat the corruption and the darkness. We live muddy lives, lives that aren’t endeavoring to live holy, lives that are not daily washed in the water of the Word.
A clean, uncompromised, consecrated Christian is a conquering Christian! That is to say, a Christian who is a true disciple of Christ, following faithfully – not flawlessly, but faithfully – will know victory, both for themselves and those that they minister to.
After reading Andrew Murray’s small but powerful book Absolute Surrender, the LORD gave me an acronym: A.V.R.A.S.
Absolute Victory (in life) Requires Absolute Surrender (to Christ).
What about 90% surrender? I think that will get you 90% victory. And you might say, I can live with that! 90% is pretty good!
But that 10% is an area that the enemy can work on, and patiently, quietly, subtly push the envelope, and work corruption there that will spread to the other 90% if not eradicated (GAL 5:9).
Think about our LORD – was He 90% surrendered to the Father’s will? His love for the Father, as well as His love for us, demanded 100%!
Saints, doesn’t He deserve the same from us in response? Remember – you’re not in this alone! That lofty goal of 100% surrender, can we say, that heavenly goal is obtainable through Christ Jesus Who strengthens us!
Being absolutely surrendered to Christ doesn’t mean that you have achieved spiritual perfection though. It just means that everything is on the table, subject to the LORD’s direction in our lives, to change us, mold us, prune us; He is free to take from us what He knows is wrong and destructive, and to add to us what He knows we need. It means you’ve surrendered your will for His in every area of your life!
We are in danger in this upcoming presidential term of thinking that GOD will bless us again because we reject the Left, the Woke culture, the slaying of the innocent babies from a moral standpoint.
If we as a nation want to see spiritual restoration, then by necessity is up to the church to repent of our lukewarmness, of our negligence in not hearing GOD’s call to be salt and light. Remember, “Judgment begins at the house of GOD” church (1 PET 4:17).
We need to repent of our carelessness in our relationship with the LORD (many professing Christians live lives of “practical atheism” as pastor Sonny calls it. There are unsaved people who claim to know GOD but deny Him by their lifestyle; TITUS 1:16).
“One nation under GOD” is part of that Pledge of Allegiance. A pledge being a vow, or a sacred promise. And if we pledge as one nation to be under GOD, that means submission to the Holy will of GOD.
As former President Ronald Reagan once said,
“A nation not under GOD is a nation gone under!”
The danger is that America may feel justified in claiming the blessings of GOD because they’ve adopted a morality of sorts, while still not repenting of their personal sins of adultery/pornography, fornication, lying, stealing, drug and alcohol abuse, malice – and most of all, refraining from making Jesus Christ LORD of all.
HOMEWORK: When you get home, I’d like you to read ISAIAH 1 and see if you can’t spot some parallels between Israel of that day and America today!
They have Jesus in the closet and bring Him out now and then when the religious mood strikes them, but back He goes in the closet when they want to live out their lives as they see fit.
That makes them LORD and not JESUS.
If JESUS is LORD, He is LORD over the whole house! And anything hidden in any dark closet, any pet sins that we want to keep for ourselves, He as LORD demands that it be taken out and tossed in the trash curbside!
If we are truly to be One Nation Under GOD again, then repentance must be evident in the church first, then the nation may follow. If revival doesn’t happen from shore to shore, we can expect such in towns, cities, perhaps even regions!
And while we may experience revival in this land, let’s not lose sight of the fact that America will one day come to an end, as will all things in this world.
We may see a glimmer of GOD’s Glory restored here, but compared to the eternal Kingdom of GOD that awaits us, that glimmer will pale compared to the intensity of the glory we will witness in heaven when we see our LORD Face to face!
Finally, let’s turn to 2 CHRONICLES 7:14 please, can we all stand for this reading?
Now, I understand that this verse was directed specifically to Israel, but there are spiritual principles that can apply to us here in America, specifically the Christian nation that lives within America?
2 CHRONICLES 7:14
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
1) Are you a people who are called by GOD’s name?
2) Do you know how to humble yourself?
3) You know how to pray and seek GOD’s face!
4) Can you turn from any wicked or sinful way that’s in your life today?
If we do these four things, GOD has promised to do three:
1) GOD will hear us from heaven.
2) GOD will forgive our sin.
3) GOD will heal our “land” that is, the church, His body and restore us to holiness, and by salt and light, may we see revival in America, may we once again be One Nation Under GOD. May GOD Make America Godly Again
For More on this check out: IN CASE OF EMERGENCY - BREAK GLASS: A Message by pastor Shane Idleman
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