Author: John Page 98 of 166

Esther 4:14 “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed:  and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

This past Friday I walked out of the Pentagon to end my assignment there.  Every day for the last two years I walked through the Marine Corps corridor on my way into work.  Along this corridor, there are murals of prominent Marine engagements (my favorite was that of America’s first post-Revolutionary engagement – the Barbary Wars) and displays of famous quotes (my favorite was from an Army General:  “The safest place in Korea was right behind a platoon of Marines.”).  Along this corridor are also displayed portraits of each Marine commandant.  One portrait particularly interested me; the one of the 4^th Commandant Anthony Gale (see the next post to see the portrait).

Gale had come to office under scrutiny because of suspect business dealings, concern about his character, and questions about his fitness for duty.  Nevertheless, he was appointed Commandant.  Gale’s challenge was to define the role of the fledgling Commandant’s position, and he was unsatisfied with the guidance he received from the Secretary of the Navy.  Instead of rising to the challenge of the office to which he had been appointed, Gale “neglected his duties.”  This shortcoming caused President Monroe to ultimately replace Gale whose successor rose to the challenge.  The Marine Corps successfully moved on, and Gale left in disgrace.

Like Esther and Gale, American Christians face a substantial challenge for which we have been specifically called to this place at this time.  Like Esther, we could rise to the challenge in faithfulness to our calling, or like Gale, we could neglect our duties in faithlessness and folly.  God’s plan will successfully move on, with or without us.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD NEVER NEGLECT OUR CALLING TO THIS PLACE AT THIS TIME.  We must never neglect our duties or we will leave in disgrace.

SET YOUR ALARM:  If you’re alarmed (that our lack of safety actually stems from our degraded spiritual condition), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!

Daniel 9:18 “O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name:  for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.”

Speaking to President Lincoln about the Civil War, a group of ministers boldly proclaimed the following:  “Mr. President, our cause will prevail, because the Lord is on our side.”  Lincoln wisely responded: “Gentlemen, the question we should always ask ourselves is: ‘Are we on His side?’”

This nation will not prevail over the challenges of the day because the Lord is on our side.  Instead, we will only prevail if we are on His side.  Christian Americans will not prevail over ungodly forces because the Lord is on our side.  Instead, we will only prevail if we are on His side.  Conservative Christians will not prevail against cultural progressives because the Lord is on our side.  Instead, we will only prevail if we are on His side.

We must spend far less time assuming that God is on our side, and far more time ensuring that we are on His side.  We must not presume that God will side with us, and instead strive to perfectly side with Him.  We must not assume His alignment, but instead assure our alignment.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD PERFECTLY SIDE WITH GOD.  Let us constantly assess ourselves with the following question – are we on His side?

Matthew 12:25 “And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand”

On June 16^th, 1858 Abraham Lincoln stated the following about slavery in America:

“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become lawful in all the States, old as well as new — North as well as South.”

The same can be said about a Christian America in 2016. We cannot claim to be a Christian nation and act with a willful disregard to Christian principles. We cannot endure, permanently, half unrighteous and half righteous. This nation will likely not be divided, but will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of godlessness will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public minds shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction, or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become the standard in all the land.

Christians must fight or our Christian America will fall. A house divided against itself cannot stand. We will either return to a land used by God for great good in this world, or we will proceed down a path that we will be used as a mighty tool in the hand of Satan himself.

The results will unavoidably stem from the path we choose. As Lincoln once said:

“If we do not do right I believe God will let us go our own way to ruin. But if we do right, I believe He will lead us safely out of this wilderness, adorning our arms with victory.”

PLEASE PRAY FOR CHRISTIAN AMERICANS TO UNITE OUR NATION ONCE AGAIN AROUND THE CAUSE OF CHRIST. A house divided against itself cannot stand.

SET YOUR ALARM: If you’re alarmed (that an American seven-year-old boy was blatantly denied his religious liberties at school lunchtime), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!

Romans 13:1 “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.”

After receiving Lee’s Resolution, the Second Continental Congress appointed a Committee of Five – Adams, Franklin, Sherman, Livingston, and Jefferson – to draft a full and formal declaration of independence. This declaration made clear that the Founders relied upon God for far more than just the adjudication of the rectitude of their intentions (see previous post).

Our Founders recognized that God Himself is the source of all human rights and liberties. Specifically, man is given rights and liberties “to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them.” To these humble men it was self-evident that man is “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.”

So, according to our Founders, what was the role of government? Our Declaration of Independence makes this role clear: “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Make no mistake, the foundational and fundamental role of government is to preserve rights given to us by God. Government is never to be the source of rights, only the securer of rights. Any governmental power is to be ordained of God and consented to by man.

PLEASE PRAY THAT THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT WOULD RETURN TO ITS GOD-ORDAINED RIGHTFUL ROLE. We should never be content with accepting rights given to us by government, nor should we allow rights to be rescinded by government. God has given us our rights. Government is only useful to protect and preserve what God has given us. These are the sole reasons that governments are instituted among men; all else is illegitimate and beyond the powers ordained by God.

For similar thoughts, please see:
https://prayatlunch.us/self-evident/

I Samuel 2:10 “The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

On June 7^th, 1776 Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed the following:

“Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is, and ought to be, totally dissolved. That it is expedient forthwith to take the most effectual measures for forming foreign Alliances. That a plan of confederation be prepared and transmitted to the respective Colonies for their consideration and approbation.”

These words formed the basis for the Declaration of Independence a month later. In that latter document, the Founders (in one long sentence) closely paralleled Lee’s thoughts:

“We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.”

Our founders turned to the one and only Ultimately Authority. They didn’t appeal to other nations. They didn’t appeal to foreign military powers. They didn’t appeal to their own reason, education, or philosophy. They didn’t appeal to the prevailing cultural morality. Instead, they appealed to God, thus turning to the Supreme Judge of the world. It was to Him that they sought adjudication of their righteous intent – the rectitude of their intentions.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO TURN SOLELY TO THE SUPREME JUDGE OF THE WORLD. It is His approval we seek. It is against His righteousness which we are to be measured. We must turn to Him alone for the rectitude of our intentions.

SET YOUR ALARM: If you’re alarmed (that the Military Religious Freedom Foundation regularly bullies the military into denying religious freedom), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!