2 Timothy 3:16-17, New Living Translation

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”

Now more than ever, the church needs to get to a place of humility and repentance. With sins stacking higher and higher, and God's anger growing towards these sins that are prevalent throughout our nation, it is only a matter of time before our Father has to take disciplinary action if we don't heed to the warning signs He has given us. In reading the book of Jeremiah, I was enlightened, and encouraged, but there still remains concern for the nation in which I was born and the nation that I love.  

You see, in the book of Jeremiah, the Lord gives Jeremiah message after message to the Hebrew children to repent and turn from their wicked ways. But time after time, they stood fast in their rebellion and continued to worship false gods and idols. They abandoned the God they had known, for gods that really were just pieces of wood or metal that had no ears to hear or mouth to speak, or emotion to love and respond to the children of God. When things went bad to worse, they said God was not in this place, He had abandoned them. They wanted the blessings of God without submitting to God. The Lord warned His people for roughly seventy years before the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of His people that would last seventy years. His mercy was great, but their rebellion was worse.  

In all of the Hebrew children's rebellion, God's mercy far surpassed them...you see, He used the kingdom from the North, the Babylonian empire, to bring the discipline necessary to turn them back to Himself. But also, God dealt with the Kingdom from the North for mocking and being so brutal to His people.  

American's have placed themselves in the position where God should be. They have decided that they will do what pleases them and fills their sinful desires. They have said, take God out of our schools, take Him out of our government, we don't need Him. Where is this God? With hearts hardened to God, how could anyone expect to see Him? It's like when the people asked Jesus to perform a miracle and then they would believe...but even after all they saw, they still didn't believe. History is being rewritten so that our young people won't even know the truth of the founding of this nation. They don't know that before the Puritans came on land of America, they made a covenant with God. They came to America to have freedom to worship the Lord. They don't know that our founding Fathers, though they weren't all "Christian" they had a knowledge and respect for the Almighty and recognized their need for His guidance for the Independence of this nation to be. George Washington himself humbled himself before our Lord and prayed during the bloody revolution that led to our freedom and independence.  

Scripture that spoke to me during my reading of Jeremiah comes from Jeremiah 15:19-21 (NLT). It says, this is how the LORD responds: “This is how the LORD responds: “If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you! They will fight against you like an attacking army, but I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze. They will not conquer you, for I am with you to protect and rescue you. I, the LORD, have spoken! Yes, I will certainly keep you safe from these wicked men. I will rescue you from their cruel hands.” The Lord was speaking to Jeremiah here, but as Scripture reminds us, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NLT) In knowing this, we know that God is calling us to return to Him. He wants us to partner with Him to share His heart with the world. He wants us to be influencers, not be influenced, to rise above the ways of the world! He promises, with our obedience to Him, that He will protect and rescue us!

Regardless of what happens in America, we can have a confident hope in our Lord. He will raise up a remnant, just like He did to those who were exiled to Babylon. He will restore this nation...but we must humble ourselves. We must repent from our sins and turn back to Him! The Bible tells us, “And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6, NLT) With humility and repentance, God will be gracious to give the grace we need for each moment, each situation, each encounter. We must stay strong in what we believe. Jesus tells us in Luke 21:34-36 (NLT), ““Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.” Paul tells us in Colossians 2:6-10 (NLT), “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”

We need to be aware of what is happening around us. We must continue to stand strong in what we believe, praying to God, and allowing our roots to grow deep in Christ. Otherwise, we could fall to deception and lose our way. Jesus said that He is the truth the way and the life. He is the light in the dark that the dark cannot overcome. We cannot compromise. We cannot stand by and watch things unfold and not play our part in all of this. Jesus calls us to be the salt and the light of the earth. With the grace of God, we will continue to march on as Christian soldiers sharing the gospel truth in love so that by God's grace and mercy, revival will break out and this nation will truly be "One nation under God" again.