Faith Through the Journey

Days like today make me SO proud and thankful to be an American. We need to remember often how truly blessed we are, how unique is our heritage, and how great is our responsibility to show the rest of the world how successful a free society can be. I fear we are fast losing sight of our unique position as an example to the rest of the world how important it is to make responsible choices in the way we live our lives. The seeming direction of our country is to have someone else take care of us so we don’t have to be “bothered” with the trouble of decision-making. There are many places in the world where citizens are “cared for” in this manner, but I really don’t want that for my life or the people of America either. Of course people will make wrong choices and have to figure out to turn those around into something positive, but if you’re never allowed to make decisions for yourself, where is freedom? It has been sacrificed for a seeming life of ease.

When a person or a group of people seemingly goes off track, often the best remedy is for them to go back to where they first went off the rails and make a course correction. I’m not so sure that will work for America. There are so many different areas that have been compromised that an alternative remedy may be necessary. If people in places of responsibility in a number of key areas of American life are willing to try to implement changes to return us to the roots from which we came as a people, I believe it’s still possible. Wherever there are free people or people trying to be free, there will always be someone or something trying to take that away. After all, conquering and controlling others is part of history that has been around since the Garden of Eden. Satan wanted to control Eve, right? He gained that control by getting her to do what he wanted, and by the time she figured out it wasn’t what she wanted at all, it was too late for her to go back and change history.

I truly believe that we in America still have a chance to change the course of our country. As long as there are still some men and women of principle in places of leadership who are grieved at where America is headed, there is still hope for us to turn things around. It will take work and sacrifice, but it is definitely worth the effort if it keeps Americans free to live their lives without excessive regulations and interference from our government. The first thing we each need to remember is that Jesus Himself is the Author of true freedom. “If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” When Jesus sets us free from slavery to our sins by faith in His forgiveness, we will never again be in bondage. We still have the opportunity to choose Jesus, and when He sets us free we can NEVER be enslaved in our spirits. That’s why Christianity has survived amid some of the most brutal dictators the world has ever known, beginning with Caesar and Nero. Those godless men could not quench the “freedom” the Christians knew was theirs no matter what their earthly circumstances turned out to be.

“Thank You, Lord, that we still have the opportunity to choose You in this country. Thank You for those brave men and women who came here and had the courage and audacity to declare their independence from a heartless king 236 years ago. Help us to hold their sacrifice in high regard and never forget how blessed and privileged we are to live in the country they founded. Help us to do all we can to point people to You and the true freedom You offer, and the freedom they can have as they follow You. We humbly and earnestly ask You to continue to bless, and have mercy upon, the United States of America. We ask this in the name of the only true King, Jesus Christ. Amen.”