America, Land of the Free?

Throughout 1 and 2 Kings and Chronicles, various kings are shown to be either faithful or unfaithful to God.  The consequences of either are clear in the writings:  those kings who sought after God fervently were blessed, and the people followed God under his leadership.  Those who didn’t were always defeated and eventually killed, the nations suffered hardships, and the people followed pagan gods.  Some leaders were what the New Testament calls “lukewarm” (Revelation 3:14-16) or “double-minded” (James 1:7-8).  They followed God themselves, but did not destroy the asherah poles, shrines, and/or altars the people of the nation worshipped.  While those leaders will still blessed, it still caused problems for the nation. 

Americans today are taught that anything that goes against freedom of religion is hateful and controlling, and that truth is fluid, and we should be mindful and careful of everyone else’s beliefs.  Society accuses those who stand firm on one Truth of Jesus Christ as being intolerant and judgmental.  To those who believe this, accepting everyone means accepting whatever they believe is true and staying quiet.  There are recent controversies over Louisiana creating a law to post the Ten Commandments back in all schools.  Some Christians say the Old Testament has been entirely wiped away by the New Testament.  And while Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law of the Old Testament, He is still the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).  Jesus didn’t sit around and idly accept sinful behavior.  He flipped tables in the temple over selfishness (Matthew 21:12-17).  He constantly rebuked sinful behavior and pointed out that those who follow God produce good fruit, and those who don’t produce bad fruit (Matthew 12:33-34).  He spent time with sinners to CHANGE them, not to ACCEPT their sin.  Society shouts, “Love them! Love them!”  But they forget that God is love (1 John 4:8)—and God requires anyone who bears the name Christian to deny themselves and follow Him (Matthew 16:24-26).  God also commanded the kings of the Old Testament to destroy the shrines of the pagan gods.  Some did, some didn’t.  Christians have begun to believe that “freedom of religion” has given our great nation freedom, but when I look around, I see pain, chains, bondage, and a country that is further away from God than it was when it began.  I see increasing mental illness running rampant and decreased attention spans in our children.  In fact, the upcoming generation of teens who will soon be adults are substantially more likely to never to return to church than any previous generation in the United States.  Perhaps what Americans view as freedom isn’t making them free at all—but instead enslaving them to the very enemy who is deceiving them. 

If God is the same today as He was yesterday, and He told the kings of the Old Testament to destroy the shrines of the pagan gods, shouldn’t America do the same if they want to truly be free?  Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17).  If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36).  American Christians who have begun buying into relativism need to be reminded that Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  Jesus was not a relativist.  America needs a leader who will stand on the Word of God, following Him closely, lead through the Spirit, and tear down the shrines Americans have made idols.  American Christians need to get into the Word of God so they are no longer deceived by all the lies surrounding them, and they need to get off their feet to spread the love of Jesus.  Get busy.  “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” (Matthew 9:37)