Healing A Nation

The first President  of the  USA (232 years ago) and every President until  the 46^th President in 2021, gave an inaugural speech to a live gathering of people.  On January 20, 2021 instead of citizens, there were thousands of soldiers guarding the government from the people.  What is wrong with this picture? The government has slipped away from “by the people, of the people, and for the people” (at the federal level at least).

Our first President, George Washington stated in his inaugural address, “ Since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained: And since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”

Basically, what this is saying is that God’s order of creation must be honored and respected by all who call themselves citizens of the great experiment called the United States of America.  God’s sovereign rule is the authority above all nations, forms of government, and policies that dictate the rule of law. Anything short of acknowledging this Truth, will revoke God’s blessing and lead to the downfall of the USA.

The reality is we, as a nation, have turned away from God, and are guilty of the faults our Founders (Washington included) warned us against.  As we disregard the God who made us great, we dismantle our greatness. Turning back to God is our only hope for greatness. Turning back to God is our only hope to solve the problems we face.  Turning back to God is our only hope for unity (by the people, for the people, of the people) to return to being blessed by God. Not that our Founders were perfect in all the ways they themselves acted, but their pursuit of God was leading their way.

Our problems are not chiefly political, although politics is certainly involved. Our problems are a struggle between good and evil. Tyranny is evil. Our Founders fought a battle against tyranny, and won. In recent decades, forces of tyranny have been gaining ground from within our major institutions (especially government, media, and education). Examples are the authoritarian style state Governors using the Covid pandemic for excessive control, the so-called “news” media being hijacked to promote a narrative of fear and mob hysteria, and Big Tech companies using their digital savvy to systematically squash peoples’ opinions they don’t like. Killing unborn children, blurring clear boundaries of male and female biology, and trying to mainstream sodomy by redefining marriage, are abominable ad destructive to civilization. Tyrants are attempting to “cancel” our history and redefine the virtues that made America the greatest nation on earth.  We must fight and resist this tyranny.

Please note, by “fight” I do NOT mean causing physical harm or individuals’ character assassination. The very reason I have to make this qualification is because of tyrants calling evil good, and good evil. The American ideal of civil debate (as a means of fair “fight”) seems to be gone. We must speak up.

The greatest threat to evil tyrants is our good God. Therefore, squeezing God out of our nation’s heritage, culture, institutions, and lifestyles is the tyrants’ greatest aim. Unfortunately, if we are honest with ourselves, those of us who are God-followers must admit we have allowed evil to also invade our own ranks much too deeply. Immorality among  God’s people is rampant, and the Bible as the absolute authority of God is spurned by many who call themselves Christians.

As citizens of the US, at what point do we say, “The tyranny must stop” and engage the evil with resistance? The Germany of the 1930’s waited much too long to resist and paid a high price. Can we learn from history?  Now is the time to fight back the tyranny before it’s too late.The more power a government is given, the more controlling it will become of its people. American ideals hold tolerance in high value. Tyranny is a hypocritical use of tolerance.  We must become intolerant of tyranny within, similar to the way our Founders had to fight tyranny from distant forces.

I believe in America’s right to exist and defend her liberties (“America-first”), as a good political strategy in the global view of things.  However, my primary citizenship is in the Kingdom of God. As Christ-followers we cannot confuse our loyalties. The Church is called to a “Jesus first” strategy. Father God sent his only Son Jesus into the world to save the world from its brokenness (John 3:16-17).

For those of us who are citizens of God’s Kingdom we must first fight tyranny at our own personal heart level. With Christ as Lord our heart is being liberated from the tyranny of the devil’s imprisonment (see Isaiah 61:1). The Bible warns us that the “devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  The book of James says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:6-7).  And resist we must. Distractions and deceptions are more common than ever to cause watering down and numbing of our full devotion to Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:3).  Hebrews says, “Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God (Hebrews 3:12). The Church in America desperately needs revival. A revived Church is the best hope for healing a nation. 

Seeing revival in our land begins with being revival in our hearts. Our personal transformation journeys together can change the course of our nation’s demise. See some of my other articles for what inner transformation looks like. 

          My prayer is that we can make the following often-quoted Bible verses a part of our everyday lives.  God says,

“If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land”   (2 Chronicles 7:13-14).

God’s healing is conditional on our response to him. Seeking his face in prayer Is a huge part of it. God also requires repentance. Everything in our lives that leaves even the slightest hint of an open door for evil to slip through, must go. Resistance starts with giving no assistance, to ungodly thoughts which lead to ungodly actions. Why not get “all in” today? What is there to lose, when Christ is our gain?

And after our hearts are right with God, speak up to make him known in our land. Ask God to heal our land, and proclaim his authority especially to those who deny it. Speak up Church! Speak up?

Note:  I realize some may perceive some statements above as “too strong.” I do not think fighting tyranny and showing the world the compassion of Christ are antithetical. I believe this is not an “either/ or”, but a “both/ and” course of action needed. Sometimes the “loving” thing to do is to take a stand against evil. Jesus himself did just that. We need to distinguish between the promoters of evil and the average person who gets caught up in it. We must also recognize the difference between the “spiritual warfare” behind tyranny; not seeing people as the problem, but their actions stirred up by the common enemy of our souls.  I recommend a book, “Bold and Broken: Becoming a Bridge Between Heaven and Earth” by David & Jason Benham

by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry

May God Be Made Great, in America, Again!

         For decades some history writers have been trying to minimize the religious heritage of the founders of the United States of America. The truth is, America's success (or failure) is directly connected to it's citizens' view of God, and their actions based on relationship with (or without) God.

         An individual doesn't have to be a God-follower to reap the benefit from freedoms guaranteed by the founders' intent in the Constitution. The privileges we enjoy as a "free society" are evident in all areas of life including family, commerce, church, education, entertainment, and government.

         The founders based their view of government on principles found in the Bible. When these principles are honored, things go well. When God is dishonored by not granting supremacy to his ways over human ingenuity, things fall apart. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Psalm 33:12). It doesn't take long to make a huge list of problems in America today. Each problem on our list can somehow be traced to a further distance from the original design (although not perfect) for our government. We are paying huge consequences for forsaking godly principles.

         The solution to America's problems is not in finding a "perfect" political leader. America could be made stronger by shrinking the size of bureaucracy, wiping out our national debt, and re-empowering our military to accurately identify and fight our enemies, Putting our hopes in one person to achieve even the most noblest of goals is futility. America can only become great again if the hearts of its people honor God's greatness. John Adams (2nd President of the USA) once said, "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . . Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

         If you are a person of moral and/or religious conviction, it is imperative you participate in our system of government wherever possible. At the very least, make sure you vote in the upcoming election. There is absolutely no reason not to vote. "I don't like any of the candidates," "They're all corrupt," "Both parties are equally at fault for our problems," and other similar comments are all lame excuses. There maybe some elements of truth these statements, but our system is designed to work, one vote at a time. America needs your vote.

         You're not just voting for one person. Yes, the "office" of President is held by one person. But, our system of electing that person includes that person belonging to a larger organization of like-minded individuals called a party. The candidate who wins the office of President selects a "cabinet" of key persons who also hold offices of top leadership in the government. This cabinet also selects key persons to serve in leadership to carry out the mission of its respective function of government. Generally all these top positions of the government are filled by people from the same political party as the top office of President. A vote for a presidential candidate therefore, is a vote for what is called the party platform.

         The party platform is the formal statement of values and beliefs held by the members of the organization. The two main parties in the US (Democratic and Republican), have each adopted a platform at their respective conventions last month. These two platforms have never been more divergent in our history as a nation. Since all the top leaders of our government will come from one of these two parties, it becomes very important to understand the contents of each platform in order to make an intelligent vote in the election. A vote in the Presidential election coming in November, is more a vote for a set of values in the platform than it is about voting for one person whose name happens to represent their party on the ballot.

         The platforms are quite different on social issues, friendliness towards Israel, free enterprise, religious liberties, and morality. The people helping the President to select the next few Supreme Court justices will be representing one of these two platforms as well. The choice is very clear, although watching the “mainstream media” you would never obtain enough truth to make a good decision.

         So for at least three months, turn off the television. TV has become a propaganda tool promoting ideologies very destructive to Americans.  Even so-called "news" broadcasts,

often defy standards of common sense.  The aim of propaganda is to distract you from thinking for yourself. Don't fall for it. You can think. You can make good choices. And if you allow God (who designed your personhood) to influence your decisions, you can make “God” honoring (godly) choices. That's really how God can be made great in America, again!

         If you like living in America, whether you believe in God or not, your best hope for America to thrive is for God to be made great in America, again.

Note: A book I authored Escaping the Pain of Offense: Empowered to Forgive from the Heart discusses truth for dealing with disappointments, offense and finding freedom through forgiveness (from a Christian perspective). See more about the book by clicking here: http://bluerockbnb.com/healing/book_main.htm .

 by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry