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Land of the Free, Home of the Brave!
by Kristenea M. LaVelle (Kristenea's bio)
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As the waves of terrorist destruction ripple across America, people throughout the nation are united in spirit and purpose to lend a helping hand to those in need. Donations pour in from all over the world as disaster relief agencies mobilize to scenes of mass destruction. People everywhere are uniting in prayer and supplication on behalf of the country, the terrorists, the victims and their families. For a brief moment in time, America is startled from her deep slumber and forced to look to God for His mercy in this time of tragedy. This devastating event in our history has ushered in a spirit of harmony and a subtle change of heart in the American people.
This is not business as usual. The nation as a whole is not known for its warmth and affection within its borders or without. Many other countries see us as a threat and a bully while our own people seek to destroy each other in the political arena and court systems. Entire organizations of people freely throw slanderous and hateful accusations at each other in the name of self-gratification. America the Beautiful, once founded upon godly principles, has long since turned her back on God while exulting herself through the power of the American dollar. All of this from a nation whose political leaders and judges have tried to systematically eliminate God from every aspect of our daily lives, yet who do we run to in times of great need? Almighty God!
We, the people of the USA exhibit the same pattern of behavior as did the people and leaders of the great nation of Israel spoken of by the prophets of old:
"Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:" Isaiah 29:13
"Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the Lord. I will surely consume them saith the Lord: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them."
Jeremiah 8:12-13
"And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stiffhearted." Ezekiel 2:3-4
Time and time again, the people of Israel sought God only for deliverance from their present circumstances. For a brief period they followed in His ways, then quickly departed to again embrace the gods and idols of the age. Does this sound familiar? America seems to have followed in these footsteps for some time now as we bound from destruction to destruction. We have forsaken the ways of God and put them to death on the altar of Self. Suddenly, things are looking a little bit different. God no longer has His mighty hand of protection upon us, and we begin to reap that which we have sown…
A Sign of the Times
In these drastic circumstances, many come to God with the losses they have suffered. There is no doubt that God uses these times to draw people unto Himself, even for the healing and comfort He can provide them. But, to what extent will the nation, as a whole, retain this influence upon its people? The hope is that our judges and leaders will turn from their wicked ways and repent before the Father of all creation so that He can restore our nation to its original state, but is this reasonable, according to the scriptures?
"And ye shall hear of wars, and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places. All these are the beginning of sorrows…and then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."
Matthew 24:6-12
"And even as they did not like to attain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgement of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." Romans 1:28-32
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Timothy 4:3-4
Society in general is self-seeking and self-glorifying. They have no need of God except in the face of a tragedy. In which case its obvious that people abruptly remember that ultimate Truth still prevails: there really is a Sovereign God who rules all things with justice and mercy. Suddenly, the nation reaches to embrace a God they have tried so hard to walk away from and cast aside. For only a fool hath said in his heart, "There is no God." Nobody wants to be a fool.
True Repentance?
What will the outcome be? The nation wants to unite at this tragic time and call upon God for mercy and forgiveness, but what will the attitude of heart be after the dust settles and the rescue efforts are complete? Are we truly seeing an attitude of repentance or are we just looking for God to bail us out again? Will humility and repentance remain in the hearts of the people, or will things resume just as they were before the disaster?
It is evident that the world is dying physically and spiritually. Many people have chosen to walk the wide road that leads to destruction and care nothing for hearing about the narrow road to eternal life. I find very few who want to hear the gospel message, let alone turn from their sins to a righteous and holy God, yet these are the very people God is trying to reach. Now is the time to reach out in Christian love and forgiveness to those who are in bondage to sin and let them know that God is the answer to their pain and suffering. Now is the time to mobilize the forces of the church and send workers into the fields. The harvest is ripe and the time is short. We must purpose to be about the Father's business.
There is Hope!
God has just sent a very powerful wake-up call to the church and I pray we are all listening. We are called, as children of the Most High, to be prepared in season and out of season to preach the gospel message to a lost and dying world. Regardless of the status of affairs in the nation, the church body should "abide" in a state of repentance and humility before God. It is imperative that all Christians hold to a personal standard of holiness, purging all known sin and ungodliness from their lives. We are the living example of Christ on this earth and our walk with God directly effects the salvation of those around us. Use this opportunity to evaluate your life and line it up with the Word of God. You may not get another chance to reach them.
Copyright 2001, Kristenea M. LaVelle. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
| About Kristenea M. LaVelle: I am a wife of 10 years and a homeschooling mother of five dedicated to teaching and living the truth of Jesus Christ. David and I make our home in Spokane, Washington where we can serve our family and friends with the love of Christ. It was through His direction that I began writing and found myself on a fascinating new journey in life. Now my joy is made complete by writing for Him and about Him. E-mail Kristenea |
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