Author: John Page 164 of 166

James 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

‘Meeting situations with prompt action and resourcefulness’ is the military definition of the term ‘initiative.’  Military strategists, from Carl von Clausewitz to Napoleon Bonaparte, have uplifted this principle as one necessary for strategic success.  Bold action is necessary to meet one’s objectives, especially when time is a critical component.

Yet, American Christians have watched the nation drift away from its founding ideals and principles at an accelerating rate with little sense of urgency about the deteriorating situation.  We are content to lament our state of affairs, while ceding the initiative instead of seizing the initiative.

Frankly, the intent of PLUS is to reverse this trend by seizing the initiative through the powerful weapon of prayer.  PLEASE FEEL A SENSE OF URGENCY ABOUT THE NEED TO PRAY FOR OUR NATION, AND ENCORUAGE OTHERS TO JOIN YOU.  Waiting for the morrow may be too late.

Romans 16:19b “but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.”

Sadly, in current day America it is far too easy to be exposed to evil beyond simplicity.  My oldest daughter, a fourth grade public school student, recently wrote the following essay as a part of a timed assignment in order to answer the question ‘What would make the world a better place?’

“Have you ever thought about how the world could become a better place?  If you think it is faster speed limits, or less homework, that’s totally your opinion.  I think that people should be more Godly or have stronger morals.  That would help let there be way fewer crimes, less war or no war, and stronger families.  All those things would be great for our economy.  But those are just a few of the reasons that would make our world a better place.

“Fewer crimes would prevent a lot of things in our world.  Especially nightmares as bad as when things have happened to them in real life.  Like those poor children at the school that had the tragedy, I just can’t imagine what they went through.  When I think of crimes I think of all jet black clothes covered from head to toe, but in the back of my mind, I think of the sound of guns and screams.  So if people were more moral, thinks like the school tragedy wouldn’t happen.  Life without crimes would just be so, so much better.  No more crimes, yeah!

 “Less war would also be an excellent thing that stronger morals would promote.  If we didn’t have wars, we could get to be good friends with other countries that are our absolute enemies.  For example, there could be a war with Iran and North Korea.  War also sounds like a scary and miserable place to be.  I also can hear gunshots, but from miles away.  Over the summer, we went to a place where we learned all about the Revolutionary War.  A lot of people were yelling like they were really mad at each other.  We watched that in a movie.  Life would again be so much better without many wars.

 “Fewer crimes and less war would be good, but perhaps the most important one of them all is stronger families.  Kids should have a mom and dad instead of just one adult.  Adults shouldn’t divorce because kids need both parents.  The dads to work and get money and the moms to take care of the children.  If adults would not get divorced then the family would love and play games with each other.  If they have just one child then both parents can read stories to the child.  When I think of divorce its like sadness and sorrow.  Taking most of the money all for himself, that’s sometimes what the dads do.  I just think of the kids begging their parents not to divorce, and sometimes the children get no say.  I know my parents love each other so much and will never get divorced.

“The world might even be a fantastic place if the world had stronger morals.  Things like fewer crimes, less war, and stronger families are really important.  All three of them the world doesn’t do a good job of.  We have many crimes, a decent amount of war, and a ton of families get divorced.  Truly the world would be a better place without these things, and if people had stronger morals.”

Though we have sheltered her as much as possible, she understands the evil in the world around her far more than we would prefer her to. As one who has not been outside America’s borders, her world is our country.  And this country needs to be more Godly.  Her description of its lack of godliness should break our hearts.  PLEASE PRAY THAT WE WOULD BE WISER ABOUT THOSE THINGS THAT ARE GODLY AND SIMPLER ABOUT THOSE THINGS THAT ARE NOT.

Deuteronomy 11:18-19 “Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.  And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”

Statistics clearly demonstrate that the younger generation is drifting further away from God, and is doing so at an accelerating rate.  They accept things that are clearly unbiblical and ungodly.  The older generations are shocked by such deviations from fundamental Christian values.

Why should we be shocked?  We have failed to stand strong for Christ-centered principles and values ourselves.  As the world has moved away from God, so have we.  As the gap between the world and the Lord has grown, we have tried to keep our gap with the world constant so as not to appear too radical or fundamental.  We have taught our children more about tolerance than about faithfulness.  All the while, we have clearly demonstrated through words and actions that our values are negotiable.

And so the younger generation has continued the trend, beginning their journey from the initial conditions that they inherited from us.  Why is America so different from the past?  It is because of us, and our failure to teach our children as the Lord has commanded.  PLEASE PRAY THAT WE UPHOLD OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO TEACH OUR CHILDREN IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOD’S WORD.  Otherwise, we have no right to be shocked as America continues its march away from God.

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

As the boundaries of our nation have drifted away from God’s established plan, recent American Christians have failed to properly resist.  As our nation has become secularized, we have failed to resist.  As radically liberal influences have invaded our communities, our schools, and even our churches, we have failed to resist.  As we have been pulled in the direction of the world and apart from God, we have failed to resist.

I once had the honor of hearing the following two great Americans speak at a military event.  Major General Charles Bolden, a member of the Marine Corps and the astronaut corps, described his desire to quit the US Naval Academy as a plebe.  His parents’ advice during their weekly telephone conversation was simple – resist the temptation to quit for one more week.  This advice, followed week-by-week, carried him on to graduation, commissioning, and an amazing military career.  Colonel George “Bud” Day, United States Air Force fighter pilot and POW in Vietnam, shared a similar story.  His technique to resist torture-laden interrogation – resist the temptation to give in to his captors for one more hour.  This tactic, followed hour-by-hour, carried him through his extended period of captivity and allowed him to return with honor.

We should heed these practical demonstrations of a firm Biblical principle and be dedicated to resistance against those things that would degrade our Godly purpose.  Please pray that we would collectively resist the forces that would move us, and our nation, away from the Lord.

We have a Lord who is forever unchanging.  In Hebrews 13:8 the Bible reminds us of this important truth: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”  If our Lord doesn’t change, then neither do his expectations of those who identify themselves as Christians.

It is clear that American Christians have steadily drifted away from the Lord, following in the footsteps of an aggressively liberalizing society.  How did we, both as a people and as a nation, arrive at such a position that is largely unrecognizable from where we began?  The answer is a series of small compromises.

Our path is indistinguishable from that of a budding criminal, a rogue nation, or a strong-willed child.  The best tactic to expand the boundaries of the acceptable is to slightly exceed those same boundaries.  Small infractions, not met with resistance or punishment, become the new norm.  Following this iterative process over time creates a set of boundaries that are fundamentally different than the original ones.

Please pray that we cling to the unchanging truths of God’s word, the eternal constancy of His nature, and the unmovable boundaries of His plan.  In a world of shifting boundaries, it is important to rest on the things that remain constant.