INSIDE: Rights come from God.  God hates sin, and He hates false religion.  If we want to save this nation, that salvation comes from God.  We need to get right with Him. 

Today is just over a week since the midterm elections.  I feel like I should send out some thoughts on the outcome, but honestly, it has taken me a few days to get to a place where my thoughts were worth putting into writing!  In articles like, An Unparalleled And Surprising Thanksgiving Bike Ride, which I wrote about two years ago, I discussed my belief that in the Presidential Election of 2024, the Lord gave us an opportunity to stop our free fall towards our national destruction.  We had our chance to see where we were headed, and an opportunity to turn from our wicked ways in national repentance.  If Americans – and even my home state of Texas – saw that opportunity, and then just told God, “No thanks, we’d rather just stay on the path to wickedness…”, then what hope is left for our nation?  I struggled with this line of thinking for several days last week.  “How can we go back?”, I wondered…  “I don’t want to go back”, I prayed through my own tears… 

Christianity on Display

Indeed, the last couple years have seen encouraging things where we, as a nation, have turned to God more than we have done in the recent past – in many cases, a lot more!  For example, a couple weeks ago, on 31 October, the White House put out a message on Reformation Day, recognizing the importance of that day to the Christian faith (Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Church in Wittenberg, Germany, on 31 October, 1517, beginning the Protestant Reformation).  October 31st is a day the world uses to celebrate death and evil, and our President instead recognized the importance of that day to Christianity!  What a blessing! 

Several good men have posted their thoughts on the election in an encouraging way, including David & Tim Barton with Rick Green, on the Wallbuilders Live podcast they published the morning after the election…  (When did they even have time to record that?)  If you haven’t listened to it, I highly recommend it.  Steady After the Election- WallBuilders Live podcast

What is now clear to me is that, despite my initial feelings of hopelessness, we can’t give up.  It is not reasonable to think that after our election victory in 2024, all the bad guys would give up and never again try to gain ground.  They hate our God, and they hate our national foundation of Biblical Principles.  They are going to keep fighting for lies and evil, and we must therefore fight all the more earnestly for truth and righteousness.  As Jude exhorts us in his Biblical epistle: 

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, verse 3

By the way, this verse is on my mind because I just finished an audiobook by Phillip Anthony Mitchell called Contend, where he uses this passage and calls us to stop wasting our lives and to live fully for Jesus.  This book is not related to the election, but to the Christian life in general, and I want to recommend it to you.  May it point you more directly to our Savior and encourage you in living for Him. 

Another thought I have (and honestly, I have had, even as I have seen the encouraging things over the last couple years), is that the salvation of this country rests with Jesus Christ and turning to Him in national repentance.  I understand the red vs blue fight, but let’s not pretend that’s the answer.  Let’s not forget God’s promise to Solomon upon the completion of the Temple in Jerusalem, and find in it a plan of action to ask God to save our nation:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.   – 2 Chronicles 7:14

Notice this verse is addressed to “my People”.  We don’t save the country by getting rid of the bad guys.  We don’t save the country with conservative principles, or by turning more seats red than blue.  We save the country by crying out to God in repentance and turning from our wicked ways.  We ensure our beloved nation firmly sits once again on the foundation of God’s Word. 

Jesus Saves

Our founders were amazing, and the documents they gave us are amazing.  They created a nation like no other that has ever existed.  But we need to remember, America is great because she is Godly.  We can’t replace Godly with “good”, or “conservative”, or “Republican”, and think we will get the same result.  We need Jesus on the throne.  We need national repentance, and we need to turn back to Him.  As we pursue national repentance, we will undoubtedly find we need more Republicans, and less Democrats, in office because of the wickedness of the Democratic party platform.  However, it is an important distinction that salvation comes from Jesus as we turn to Him in repentance- not from the Republican party.  Honestly, many of the current red seat occupants have been playing games anyway and have not been committed to Jesus, so praise the Lord they are on their way out of their offices.    

As we move forward in January, in a nation with more members in Congress pushing us toward wickedness, and for my home state of Texas which exchanged red for blue in nearly every statewide office, we must more earnestly contend for the faith.  We must more earnestly turn over every part of this state, and nation, to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

We have been learning in our series of articles on the Declaration of Independence, that our rights are endowed upon us by God Himself, and governments exist to secure rights God has already given.  God does not make allowance, or grant rights, to sin.  He certainly NEVER makes allowance, or grants rights, to false religions who lie and lead others away from Him.  May we stop allowing Americans to claim they have “rights” to sinful behaviors.  May we stop meddling with false religions, and pretending they have the same “right” to free exercise of religion that Christians have.  Rights come from God.  God hates sin, and He hates false religion.  If we want to save this nation, that salvation comes from God.  We need to get right with Him.

Let’s get busy. 

Almighty God, we cry out to you as a nation. We completely deserve your judgement, and we know you are completely just in bringing it upon us. We have been the unworthy recipients of your hand of mercy and grace, time and time again throughout our national history. You have blessed us so richly and so often, and yet we have turned away from you, and we have turned back toward our sin over and over. Father God, you are always faithful. We, however, have been so unfaithful to you. In mercy, you have given us opportunities to repent and turn from our wicked ways. However, as a nation, we have once again chosen wickedness. Please forgive us, dear God. Please keep us from sin. May Christians in America seek your face. May we turn from our wicked ways. Please forgive us our many sins – both personal and national. We ask that you once again extend to us your hand of mercy. Please God, save us, your People. Amen.