The times in which we are living are difficult to say the least. Never before has the line been more clear that divides conservatism from liberalism. Yet, even in both of these camps there is even more division and debate regarding how far to go in standing for the issues of our day. So many groups claim to have the "truth" -- a truth they believe everyone ought to submit to. In all the confusion, it is hard to know what to believe or where to stand on the pressing issues of our day. Like Pilate had to say after his conference with Jesus Christ, we are often compelled to wonder, "What is truth?" (John 18:38) Jesus gave us the resounding answer, "Thy word is truth." (John 17:17) Mind you, the Word of God (the Bible) is not a truth, it is the truth.
Our nation was established on the truth found in the principles of the Bible. To this fact, our founding fathers have amply testified. Some have accredited President George Washington with saying, "It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible." President Andrew Jackson put it this way, "That Book [the Bible], sir, is the Rock on which our Republic rests." President Ulysses S. Grant said, "Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet anchor to your liberties, write its precepts in your heart, and practice them in you lives. To the influence of this book are we indebted for all the progress made in true civilization, and to this we must look as our guide in the future." President Calvin Coolidge said, "The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teaching of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country." Throughout our history, the people who have led our country have pointed out the clear and resounding fact that this nation was founded on the truth of the Bible.
America was founded to be a place where people could be free, not to do whatever they wanted, but free to do what God created them and instructed them to do in the Bible. However, in the last century there has been a digression away from this foundational principle. Somewhere along the lines, our culture shifted and society at large decided to put truth up for sale.
Here is what I mean by this. From our birth, America has been a land where people could be free to practice their own conscience before God within the boundaries of God's Word. This is why our national motto was later established to be "One Nation Under God." Our liberty from the outset was tied to law and morality (specifically that which is prescribed in the Bible). So long as America operated within the boundaries set forth in God's moral law, we prospered.
This should come as no surprise, for God promised this would be so to any people who adhered to His Word. In Joshua 1:8, God said, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." President Roosevelt wisely observed this to be so when he said, "We cannot read the history of our rise and development as a nation without reckoning with the place the Bible has occupied in shaping the advances of the Republic. Where we have been the truest and most consistent in obeying its precepts, we have attained the greatest measure of contentment and prosperity."
Sadly, over the last century we have forsaken the foundational pillars that have made us a great nation. From our inception, what made America great was the fact that Americans were challenged to be a good people (the type of people described in the Bible). It was this undeniable fact that compelled some great men throughout our history (including the likes of Eisenhower and Reagan) to state these words about the source of America's greatness, "I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers - and it was not there...[I sought for it] in her fertile fields and boundless forests - and it was not there...[I sought for it] in her rich mines and her vast world commerce - and it was not there...[I sought 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 flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great."
This is the problem of our day: We have ceased to be good. In fact, we have flat out began to call things good that God calls evil and to call things evil that God calls good. (Isaiah 5:20) Our slide to this depth of depravity as a nation has been gradually progressive. It started with the call for relativism early in the twentieth century. This is the idea that there is no absolute truth - that truth is relative to society, culture or historical context. In other words, what is true for you may or may not be true for me or what is true for one generation may not be true for another. As adherents to this false ideology multiplied in our society, the moral foundation of our nation began to be chipped away piece by piece.
The danger with this ideology is that there most certainly are absolute truths. White is always going to be white and black is always going to be black whether you want to see it that way or not. Two plus two is always going to equal four, regardless of what the "experts" have to say to the contrary. Let's get a little closer to home here: a biological male is always going to be a biological male regardless of what he wants to believe about himself of how he may try to dress himself to appear differently. (And there was a time in our history where it wasn't considered hateful to point out such truths.)
After the rise of relativism came the rise of tolerance. This speaks of the willingness to tolerate the existence of opinions or behaviors that one does not necessarily agree with. In the last several decades, tolerance has been the buzzword of the day. The mantras of the day have been statements like "You do you." "Be yourself." "Love not hate." This culture demands that we must simply not express disagreement with lifestyle choices we don't agree with.
But, more recently it has gone beyond just this. Now, it is not just that we must tolerate lifestyles we disagree with, but we are now demanded to verbally affirm our acceptance of them. It is no longer "Let me believe what I want to believe," it is now "If you don't agree with and verbally affirm my lifestyle choices, you are a bigot and you need to be silenced and prosecuted."
How did we get here? How did we get to the place where we feel pressured to allow perverted, sin-sick men to dress up as a woman and parade themselves in front of our children? How did we get to a place where we feel enslaved by the troubling trends of our culture? To put it simply, it is because we have forsaken the moral foundation that made us truly free.
The greatest danger in this is that the forces of evil aren't done yet. If we continue to allow this moral foundation to be compromised, we will wake up one day in an America that we don't recognize - an America that is absolutely nothing like what we were established to be. Who would have thought it would have been acceptable to have drag shows in our local public libraries? Who would have thought that even so-called churches would embrace such wickedness? Yet, today it has become commonplace. The question that nags on my mind is this: Where is it going to stop? Fifty years ago, we would have never dreamed that the things that are happening today would be happening. If nothing is changed, where will we be in fifty years from now? Such questions cause me to shudder at the thought of what could be.
Perhaps the greatest cause for concern is because of my own children. Will they live in an America that looks anything like the one I have been privileged to grow up in? If no steps are taken by the people of this land to turn back to the principles of God's Word, the answer is sadly "no."
What is even more alarming to me concerning our youth is the deliberate attempts that are being made to desensitize and sexualize them with the evil agendas of our day. While the true history of our country is being written out of public school textbooks, the evil agendas of our day are being written in. Now, our young people in their early elementary years are being forced to face questions of sexuality they are not prepared to face. What is taking place right before our eyes is nothing short of child abuse! Yet, the majority of Americans sit idly by feeling powerless to do anything to stop this nonsense out of fear of being labeled a bigot or politically incorrect.
The psalmist asked a piercing question that we must consider today: "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3) What can God-fearing, truth-believing people do in the midst of a culture that is actively trying to tear away the very foundation that has made us what we are? Let me share with you some biblical steps we can take in this day of confusion.
Don't quit.
In Psalm chapter eleven, we read these words, "In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart." (Psalm 11:1-2) The message of the society surrounding David at the time of this writing was intimidating: they said "Give up! Run away! The opposition is too strong for you! We already have the killing blow drawn to take you out! You can't overcome this!" Yet, in spite of the fact that he seemed to be in the minority and the men with him were the outcasts of society, David refused to quit.
There is a tendency amongst God-fearing people today to give in to this quitter's mentality that says, "Well, the Bible says things are just going to keep getting worse and worse. We can't stop it. We just need to hold on until Jesus comes." Shame on us! Shame on us for quitting when we have a God who can do the impossible! Luke 1:37 still says, "For with God nothing shall be impossible."
King Asa faced a day of corruption and the threat of the destruction of his nation. But, he did not quit. Rather, he prayed to God, "Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee." (II Chronicles 14:11) Now is not the time to throw in the towel, but to pick up the baton passed down to us by our forefathers and to fight for the truth upon which we were founded!
Ultimately, the greatest way we can make an impact on this nation is by continuing to stand for the truth, share the truth and bring others to faith in the truth of God's Word. This can only happen one person at a time. One by one, we must help those in our fallen culture understand their depravity of sin, the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus on their behalf and the resurrection power of Jesus to save them from their sin and transform their lives into His image. This is the Gospel and it is the only hope for America. More than anything else, we must not quit sharing this good news!
Speak up.
Psalm eleven continues with these words in verse three, "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" The word foundations here speaks of "the settled order of things." The God-ordained settled order of things was under attack and David wondered what could the righteous do about it. So, what did David do? He refused to remain silent about it. He spoke out. And, in doing so, he won others to his cause.
We are told that we must keep quiet about our biblical convictions. Society tells us we cannot speak out the truth. "Separation of Church and State," they claim. However, in stark opposition to their claims, President Thomas Jefferson gave us this critical reminder about what the separation of church and state is really all about: "The First Amendment has erected a wall of separation between church and state, but that wall is a one directional wall; it keeps the government from running the church, but it makes sure that Christian principles will always stay in government."
Our government and society has corrupted our First Amendment rights, trying to convince us that Christian principles must be kept out of society. In 1958, a Supreme Court justice made this bold assertion in a heated debate: "If this court doesn't stop talking about separation of church and state, someone will think it is part of the Constitution." This is exactly what we have seen take place today - the government and society have made every effort to remove the influence of the church upon the state. The result of the years of attempts at silencing the church has led us now to a place where we are actually beginning to believe that we must remain silent.
The prophet Jeremiah certainly faced this degree of pressure in his day. He lived in the last days of the nation of Judah. For his bold proclamation of the Word of God, he was ridiculed, imprisoned and tortured. At one point in his life, he decided he would just give in and remain silent; but notice what happened within him when he tried to do so: "Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay." (Jeremiah 20:9-10) He tried to keep quiet, but he just couldn't do it.
God give us Christians who refuse to be quiet about the truth of God's Word! May we rise up in the same spirit of the Apostles of old who told the government leaders of their day, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." (Acts 4:19-20)
So, when an institution - be it the government, public school, etc. - tries to force an evil agenda in our society, speak up. Call those in authority, email them, attend public meetings and do whatever you can to make sure the truth is known. Edmund Burke warned that "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Trust God.
At the beginning of Psalm 11, the situation appears to be very bleak. Yet, as you read on, David's whole perspective changes beginning in verse four, "The LORD is in his holy temple, his throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try the children of men. The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright." (Psalm 11:4-7) What changed David's perspective here? It all changed when he took his eyes off of what was going on down here and he looked up to God.
As we look at the evil that is taking place in our nation today, it causes us to feel hopeless and helpless to make a difference. But, the time has come for us to get our eyes off of what is going on down here and to fix our eyes back on the God who alone can work in this godless culture. Like the prophet of old, we must call out to God declaring our desperate need for Him to work on our behalf, "O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years made known; in wrath remember mercy." (Habakkuk 3:2)
Dear Christian, be encouraged today in the Lord. God is still on the throne. (Psalm 103:19) He still sees all that is going on in our world today. (Proverbs 15:3) He is still the Judge over all the earth. (Psalm 75:7) He is still in charge of those who are in authority in the world today. (Proverbs 21:1) And the day is still coming will he will right all the wrongs taking place in our day. (Romans 12:19) You can still trust God!
An Honest Hope
Yes, the days in which we live are evil. Yes, there are those in our society who wish to silence and even persecute those who will stand for biblical truth. Yet, as we courageously choose to do so, we have the assurance from God that "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:7) And we have the power of God to back us, for "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." (I John 4:4)
So, my friends, don't quit. Speak the truth in love. And trust God above all as you do. So long as we do so, we can have an honest hope for the future.
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