Today I want to share with you the 3 things America needs. This will be a four-part blog presented in the coming weeks.The first three of the most important things in which we, as Americans and Christians, need to be engaged.
It’s a time of intense national chaos.
We’ve probably never seen such division, perversion, or corruption in the history of our country. The killing of the unborn surpasses the death toll of the Holocaust. People are so confused about their identity that they are resorting to permanent bodily mutilation. Racism is burgeoning. The handling of COVID has wrecked the economy and put communities in a state of fear. The South Border situation is out of control. And threading through it all is a blatant mockery of God, like one big fist raised to the heavens. It looks hopeless and we feel helpless. I get it, because I’ve felt that way too.
But the truth is that it’s not hopeless, and we are not helpless. We might feel tired from the fight, but we have to stay in the fray. This leads me to my first point.
America needs us to stay engaged in prayer.
A wise pastor once said that prayer is not the least we can do. It’s the most we can do. Prayer is asking for God’s intervention. He invites us to do so. The Bible says that our prayers rise up to His throne like a sweet savor. Do you ever think when you pray that you are being a blessing to the Lord?
Your prayers are sweet to Him, and He longs to answer them! He calls Himself a loving Father who desires to give us, His children, good gifts. So what should we be praying for? Sometimes in our indignation over the wickedness of society we’re tempted to pray down fire and brimstone. Jesus’ disciples felt that way in Luke 9 when the Samaritans refused to receive Him. His response?
“For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”
That needs to be our spirit.
America needs us to have a prayerful spirit. I would encourage you, when you pray, to think of the souls involved. Try to love them as Christ would (and does) love them. After all, we were once lost, too. Pray for their salvation. Pray in Jesus’ name that Satan would be stopped and these souls reclaimed from his grasp.
The Bible also commands us to pray for justice and vindication for the oppressed. It’s not wrong to want evil exposed and punished and righteousness rewarded. You might feel that it doesn’t make much
difference if you pray for that person you heard about on the news who got fired or harassed for their faith, but it does. Jesus said,
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall
receive.”
Might it be that we are not receiving because we’re asking without much faith?
We pray, but we don’t really think God is going to do anything. I say, pray as if you’re staking your life on it. That’s what
faith is.
America needs us to stay engaged in your church.
The Christian church is almost worthless in the United States. We’ve reached a level of apathy that must make the Lord feel as disgusted with us as He was with the church at Laodicea.
“So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.”
It’s little wonder that young people are leaving the church in droves.
Going to church is not a tradition that we partake in when it’s convenient or because it’s fun and entertaining. It shouldn’t be dull either. Have you ever been to a church that’s full of on-fire believers? People who sing with their hearts and welcome visitors with love and warmth? Led by a pastor who’s bursting to preach something from God’s Word because it’s just
that, God’s Word? It does exist, though in few places. You can make your church that place. America needs churches like this.
The word “church” means “a called-out assembly of kingdom citizens”. This term is even used in the Old Testament, before Jesus came and established His church. If we’re Christians, that means we’re already
citizens of God’s kingdom.
Shouldn’t we be representing that kingdom with joy, love, and selflessness?
When a stranger walks into your church, they should see people who have a mission for Christ, even if it’s dusting the sanctuary or cleaning the bathrooms. Serve the Lord with your ability in your church. It
matters. I’ve heard it said that we never know how close someone is to the brink. Your kind word or hug might keep someone from suicide. Maybe using your musical talent might soothe a mourner. Even your work as a teacher or nursery attendant might help a tired mom or teach a child about Jesus.
View church as not just the place to feed on Scripture and pray with other believers.
Go there to be a blessing. Actually, the good works you do here are sent ahead, so to speak, to God’s kingdom, and when you stand before Him on Judgment Day, He will reward you according to how you invested your gifts on earth. I want to stand before Him and hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!” I want you to hear that as well.
America needs us to stay engaged in our school systems.
This can be a tough one, especially with all the backlash against parents on the part of school boards in recent months, but with unification and persistence, we can redeem our schools. I’m mainly talking about public schools, but private and Christian schools are not immune to the infiltration of dangerous ideas. Even homeschoolers have to deal with local and state authorities and laws depending on where they live. It can be hard and you might not have the ideal situation. Yet there are things you can do. Make the best choice you can in selecting a school. Get to know your child’s teachers and principal. Stay fully up-to-date on all their curriculum and activities. Go to board meetings and vote wisely for town or county officials who are involved in the education system.
America needs us to keep our children’s hearts.
The best safeguard you can have is to already possess your child’s heart.
A parent’s most precious task is to bring up a child, and as Christians, how can we skimp on that by not doing it as unto the Lord? Once you discover that there’s been any kind of off-color material or activity pushed on your child, fight it. Alert other parents so you aren’t fighting alone.
If you’re not a parent, you can still play a role.
You might be a teacher. Integrate solid morals into your teaching, even if you can’t speak outright about the Lord. Love your students and befriend them and their families. We must remember that these aren’t just kids who go to school and come home every day. They’re the next leaders, the next teachers, the next parents. If we just let them wander along into the world, Satan will snatch them up. He preys on the children. So does every Godless government.
Jesus had a somber warning against harming children. He said it would better for a man to have a millstone tied around his neck, and be cast into the sea, than for him to offend a little one. That’s how much God loves children. Let’s all show that same love for these innocents by engaging in
every aspect of our children’s education.
Dan Q Carr
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