State of the Nation
Friends, permit me to rant. I hope it is coherent.
The State of Things:
We have reached a point in this country which is almost beyond description. How have we come to the place that two branches of the Federal government willingly and enthusiastically ignore the Constitution and the easily discernible intent of the original founders? That is exactly what happened, and it was instigated by one of the most diabolical, wicked, calculated socialists ever to hold the office of President of the United States. If I am speaking evil of our authority then may God forgive me, but I am speaking the truth. President Obama believes that the “right to health care” is more important than upholding the Constitution of the United States. Other Presidents may have violated their oath of office, but I would doubt any have done it so quickly, or so blatantly. And the other leaders, that we have elected by the way, have enthusiastically followed the President into the most amazing shredding of the Constitution I’ve ever heard of . (I’m not that old, but I have been around and learned a lot of stuff.) Washington, Adams, Robert E. Lee, and maybe even Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, are spinning circles in their graves and probably doing cart-wheels!
If that wasn’t enough, we have so many other evils in our land that it boggles the mind. The generation before us would never have believed that things could have been so bad or so depraved. My late grandparents would be absolutely shocked! We have every kind of filth and despicable evil available with just the click of a mouse, and much of it is free. Millions of mothers kill their children every year. If ever the children of Israel caused their children to “pass through the fire to Molech” (they burned their infants to death) then we have certainly done at least as bad. And fathers around the country are neglecting and even, at times, abandoning their children in favor of their own selfish pursuits, be that sports of all kinds, women of any flavor, or the acquiring of wealth. How many idols do Americans worship? The answer is a LOT!
The Cause of Things:
My dear friends, God has allowed these evil people to take control of our nation. Scripturally that is something that God allows when a nation has turned their backs upon him. The fact that such evil people rule our land, and the fact that our nation has come to the place of such extreme evils, is due to the fact that the people of God have turned their backs on God’s Truth.
Why do we have such rampant immorality in the nation? Because God’s people have justified and embraced divorce and remarriage. Not to mention that immorality among the Church members goes largely unchecked and uncorrected by the church leadership. Maybe this is because the church leadership are compromised themselves.
Why do we kill millions of babies a year? Parents that kill their children do so because they don’t want to be bothered with the “burden” of a child. It is often a selfish motivation. How many Christians have the spirit of abortion, and don’t want to be “bothered” by children? How many look at children as a burden instead of a blessing? How many stop having children for selfish reasons? How is the spirit of this different from the spirit of abortion? And I won’t even mention the fact that churches all over the country split families up every Sunday, on purpose.
The problems and evils we have in our land are a judgement from the Lord upon his people because of their neglect of his Word and the Truths therein contained. The World serves it’s idols because we serve ours. It reminds me of what Joshua said to the children of Israel: “Put away the idols from among you!”
Where do we go from here? What is the means of reformation? And make no mistake, we are way beyond “revival” time. We need another great awakening, another nationwide movement of the Spirit of God that brings about genuine repentance and a reforming of pretty much every facet of our society. (I’ve only mentioned a fraction of the problems in our land/churches.) I guess that means prayer needs to our primary weapon, and that we should simply and determinedly seek the Lord’s face. God’s people need to become like Christ. Many of us are not even pursuing that goal. Not really. We are double-minded, seeking the world and seeking Christ at the same time.
That doesn’t work. Trust me. I’m double-minded, and I’m sick of it.
Perhaps you have a thought on where we go from here?
About The Author
Preacher Dad
Jarod has been a pastor, construction worker, restaurant manager, ministry administrator, children's story teller, author....in no particular order. At heart he is passionate about the Truth, and has been called to proclaim that Truth from an early age. He is committed to his wife and eight children, and seeks to have a lasting impact upon the future by discipling his family. He blogs at PreacherDad.com on parenting, preparing, and cultural impact.
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In response to Michelle’s comment on Facebook, included below:
“I don’t know whether you wrote this yourself or not, Jarod. I agree with most of it. I’m a very conservative person and do not agree with most everything this current administration is doing. I do feel that our country’s destruction is because we have kicked God out of our country so to speak. Our own president states that we are not a Christian nation, which was news to me when he said that.
However, there were a few statements in there that bothered me. First of all, my husband was married to another woman. His wife of 10 years cheated on him and left him. I understand that a lot of people marry and divorce and get remarried again and then divorced and think nothing of it. However, I think that when one person commits adultry and walks out on another person, why is it sinful for the other person to move on and find happiness with someone else. Not all divorced people are sinful…some of them were just caught in a bad situation. Secondly, I resent the statement about how Christian woman don’t keep from having children for selfish reasons. So because I’m on the pill….I’m selfish? I’m on the pill because with our economy being as bad as it is at the moment, we couldn’t afford to pay for another child even if we wanted one. To bring a child into the world without the means to financially take care of a child is, in my opinion, neglect. I’m not saying abortion is okay because I’m against abortion, but for someone to take the steps to keep from having more children, i.e. tubal ligation, birth control, etc. is not sinful nor is it selfish. Not everyone was meant to have 10 kids in each family.”
Thanks Michelle. I did write this myself. Let me explain what I said in a little more detail, but I also want to make clear that I know we have a lot in common and I feel like we are on the same side. Also, remember that I was ranting and sort of blowing off steam.
Divorce – Michelle, it is not my intention to offend you, but I’m afraid I may. You have asked about this, essentially, and so I am trying to answer. It is my hope that the Lord will use what I say somehow to glorify himself. Just remember that I am presenting the truth as I understand it.
Divorce is not the unforgivable sin, and I have many good friends that have this in their past. But I do believe it is a sin. This is why. Jesus said that if anyone “puts away” his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery. So, saying it a little differently, unless she is already an adulteress, you are causing her to commit adultery. The interpretation of this passage that says “As long as one of the marriage partners has been unfaithful, then divorce is OK” is a misinterpretation.
There are several things I could say but one of the biggest things is that I believe Jesus was talking about a situation in which the husband found out that his wife wasn’t a virgin when they got married, when he was under the impression that she was. That is why Jesus said “fornication” and not “adultery.” (If one is married and has sex with another, that is adultery. If one is single and has sex, that is fornication.) Jesus was speaking to a middle-eastern audience and they understood what he meant, but in our western mindset, this is lost.
But let us say, for the sake of argument, that Jesus was giving an exception for divorce. Jesus follows this by saying “Whosoever marries her that is divorced commiteth adultery.” That seems to be pretty clear against remarriage even if divorce is allowed. And if that isn’t clear enough, we can go to Mark chapter 10: “And he said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.'” This seems very clear to me and I don’t know how any argument for remarriage can stand against this clear teaching.
(Also, I do believe there are times for a seperation between husband and wife, and in no way am I suggesting that God reqires a woman to stay with an abusive husband or something like that. She just should not divorce him.)
Birth Control – I was not trying to say that all birth control, in all situations, is wrong. Indeed, I do not believe that it is. I was pointing out that many Christians (I did not say all) choose to limit God’s blessings because of selfish reasons. Lots of parents decide not to have children because they don’t want to give up certain things in their lives that take money. It would require them to give up golf, or movies, or fancy cars, and lots of time, in order to have children or more children. Certain types of birth control in certain situations are not wrong, but neither is it ALWAYS right to do so.
I was speaking against a wrong spirit and view of children as a burden instead of the Biblical teaching that they are blessings. All the time. Regardless of the circumstances of their birth.
There is probably more I could say Michelle but I hope this helps you to understand what I meant to say. (Which, btw, is the original sub-title of my blog.) :o)
I agree with your position on divorce and remarriage to a point. I have found the following paragraphs and would like to share as it says my point of view better than I could.
“The controversy over whether divorce and remarriage is allowed according to the Bible revolves primarily around Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:32 and 19:9. The phrase “except for marital unfaithfulness” is the only thing in Scripture that possibly gives God’s permission for divorce and remarriage. Many interpreters understand this “exception clause” as referring to “marital unfaithfulness” during the “betrothal” period. In Jewish custom, a man and a woman were considered married even while they were still engaged or “betrothed.” According to this view, immorality during this “betrothal” period would then be the only valid reason for a divorce.
However, the Greek word translated “marital unfaithfulness” is a word which can mean any form of sexual immorality. It can mean fornication, prostitution, adultery, etc. Jesus is possibly saying that divorce is permissible if sexual immorality is committed. Sexual relations are an integral part of the marital bond: “the two will become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5; Ephesians 5:31). Therefore, any breaking of that bond by sexual relations outside of marriage might be a permissible reason for divorce. If so, Jesus also has remarriage in mind in this passage. The phrase “and marries another” (Matthew 19:9) indicates that divorce and remarriage are allowed in an instance of the exception clause, whatever it is interpreted to be. “
These are good points. However, the person expressing this position used the words “possibly” or “might be” several times. This doesn’t sound very convincing. Also, I would say in response that we must also consider the context of the word, not simply it’s definition, in properly interpreting Scripture. If the definition mentioned is all we go by, then Jesus was giving “permission” for divorce when any man looked with lust at any woman, for any length of time. This seems to be a standard that no husband would ever live up to, and does not sound like something Christ would say.
And I’m still not convinced that remarriage is permissable, regardless of any “exception” Jesus might allow. Again, my friend, I don’t say this to offend you, but to simply state the truth.