As I was in prayer recently I was impressed by the Spirit of the Lord to minister about our country and our responsibility as disciples of Jesus Christ to be salt and light in our society. I want to encourage you today; let’s pray for America.

We need to be reminded what the Word of God says. Psalm 33:8-12: “Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.”

The writer is not speaking of formality or past experience or giving lip service to something. He is talking about a nation, a group of people who reverence the true God and worship and serve Him with their whole hearts.

I think we who follow the Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible can see that our nation as a whole has lost its moral compass. It’s so important that we as disciples of Jesus Christ remember that we must rise up and take our place in society. We cannot afford to be intimidated by our fellow citizens who do not believe like we do and we cannot afford to be affected by them. What we must understand is that the church must be the change agent in this country.

If we think we can change our nation by governmental power, money, human influence alone or a strong military than we are deceived. First we must look to God our Father who gave us this great land and this great nation.

Awhile back I went to a Political Meeting because I was asked by a friend to pray at the meeting. I went because I was willing to serve and I found that many people there were more interested in the constitution than they were the Bible. They were more interested in freedom than they were Jesus Christ who purchased our freedom. This country was raised up by God, founded upon Godly principles of freedom, religious freedom and equality based on the truths of the Bible. We must remember that and celebrate that if we want God’s blessing on our nation.

It’s truly interesting to study the real history of America without a bias of agenda. God did many miraculous things in the history of our nation. Several years ago I wrote an article for our local newspaper and I quoted from the Mayflower Compact. A lady wrote to the editor and said, “I’m tired of people looking at the history of our nation from a Christian perspective.” After I read that article I thought what other perspective is there. If you truly study the early documents of our nation and look at the writings of our founding fathers it is very clear that the Bible directed their thoughts. I wrote a rebuttal to the editor in response and shared the truth of the Bible and what our Founding Fathers declared about our nation.

I want to warn and encourage you today as Americans that we must seek God in this hour. If we think we can live anyway that we want as a nation and as an individual and not find ourselves eventually judged by God then we need to read the Bible again and study history because we’ll clearly see we’re on the wrong path. It is true that our God is long suffering, but if we push it too far as a nation God will respond. God has always warned His people and reminded them that they need to seek Him and obey Him.

Deuteronomy 8:11: “Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day.” I want you to notice God said, “Beware.” It is the Hebrew word shamar which means to hedge about as with thorns, to guard something, but also to heed, pay attention and be alert. This is a warning from God for you and me to put Him first in our lives. Many people would say today, “We haven’t forgotten God as a nation. We believe in God. We have His Name on our money: ‘In God We Trust’.” However, the real question is do we have Him on the throne of our hearts. Notice in this verse that God said not to forget Him by not keeping His commandments and judgments. In God’s estimation when we disobey Him we have forgotten Him. That doesn’t mean we don’t believe in His existence, but we have forgotten Him as the guiding factor of our lives. We must not drift away from the ways of God as a nation, a church or an individual. If we do it will eventually cost us in our quality of life and if we do not repent then we will face judgment.

Heed the Warning

As I was in prayer the Holy Spirit brought to me the book of Jude. It’s a letter to the church and to us as individuals, but there is a truth in it that we need to understand as a nation also. Jude is a wonderful book that speaks to us in many ways and it gives us a warning about some things. We need to understand the principles revealed here and apply them to America and our lives. Jude 1:2-3: “Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

Jude was pressed in his spirit to speak to the church about something. As we look into this verse we find that Jude says, “I give all diligence” which is the Greek word spoude and it means to have diligent or businesslike care of the matter at hand. He said, “I’m pressed in my spirit to speak to you about the common salvation.” That meant the salvation that was to Jew and Gentile. He said, “I feel it necessary for me to write to you that you should earnestly contend for.” Notice that phrase it’s the Greek word epagonizomai and it comes from two Greek words epi which means something that’s intense and then from the word agonizomai and that word comes from the Greek word agon to struggle, to compete for a prize and to contend with an adversary. We actually get our English word agony from this word. It was a word that the Apostle Paul used in his writings which spoke of the Grecian games of their time.

What Jude was saying is that we must fight and work to stand for the truth and not be moved from the foundation of faith that we have in our lives and in our nation. Why was Jude so concerned about this? Jude 4: “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Today there are people on a mission to turn America from our roots. They don’t live in other countries. They’re right here in our nation in the political arena, in business and even in the church. They have an agenda and it does not include God’s plan for our nation.

Jude warns us to take heed to what we believe and stand for truth and then he shares three very graphic stories from the past. Jude 5: “I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.”

The Hebrews

The first group of people he talked about was the Hebrews who came out of Egypt by a strong and mighty hand. They experienced a great deliverance. They saw the power of God in the parting of the Red Sea, but when it came time to enter the Promised Land, they failed and died in the wilderness under the judgment of God.

The Angelic Host

Jude 6: “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” This is a part of the angelic host of heaven that fell with Lucifer. They were created to be part of God’s Kingdom throughout eternity, but now they are bound by darkness and will eventually be thrown into the Lake of Fire. They fell because of rebellion in their hearts.

The People of Sodom and Gomorrha

Jude 7: “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” This is a direct reference to sexual sin and clearly shows that judgment will come to those who commit this type of sin. They were blessed by the Creator with a beautiful planet and given a beautiful life, but they were deceived into a vile and perverse life and died under the judgment of God. If we study history we will find that every great empire fell from decay on the inside by lust, greed, corruption and sexual sin.

Jude is trying to get us to look at history and learn some things. If we don’t learn from history then we are destined to repeat it. Whenever God’s creation turns from the truth and will not repent and respond back to God’s call; then judgment will eventually come.

Receive the Encouragement

Should this make us afraid? Yes, but not afraid of God or that we might fall in this same manner, but it should cause the fear of the Lord to rise within our hearts and help us to humble ourselves before Him. It should encourage us that we’re on the right track as long as we’re seeking Him with our whole hearts. If we’re reading the Bible and obeying what it says; entering our prayer closet everyday and following the Holy Spirit’s direction and influence, attending church weekly and serving then we should be encouraged that it will all work out.

To Be Forewarned is To Be Forearmed

Jude 17-19: “But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.”
Notice where it says those who separate themselves. The New Living translation says, “Those who are creating division among you.” The International Version says, “Those who divide you.” People who want to take us from our roots in America are not of the right spirit.

Let’s Follow God’s Advice

Jude 20-21: “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

What is Our Mission?

Jude 22-23: “And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

We should be God’s ambassadors living and telling the truth. We should be out in the harvest fields sharing the good news of the Kingdom and harvesting everywhere we can.

I want to ask you to join me in praying for our country. If you live in another country then please pray for your nation. Let’s seek God with all our hearts for His glory and that the needs of people could be met. That people would find true salvation in our true Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.