As a Nation, by the grace of God, we celebrate our 246th year of Independence as a sovereign Nation. It took courage and determination to become the United States of America. Yet, for far too many in our educational system seem to not only forget, but purposely disregard that truth. The evening news indicates that far too many have even turned their backs on America. 

 

A while back, I saw a video interview of American youth at the beach, that left a lasting impression on me. Only two of well over a dozen knew what the 4th of July represented. The majority did not even know what year the Declaration of Independence was signed, or who we got our independence from. 

Let begin with prayer for our Nation on its 246th birthday. Dear heavenly Father we pray for our Nation that it isn’t just a time for fireworks and barbecues. But one in which we recognize our dependance on You and the blessings You have poured out on this Nation for these last two centuries. Do not abandon us Father, but strengthen our resolve as Your people, that our prayers may reach out to you both day and night. Open the eyes of those in government at all levels, to understand that our blessings come directly from you. Strengthen our resolve and determination to turn back to you as a people and as a Nation. We ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A little background on our Declaration of Independence that declared us as a united nation and united people, no longer 13 colonies of the British Crown. (slide)

Those five men, as noted, defined the basis for our independence. Over the course of seventeen days, in between meetings and other governmental affairs, Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence under the advisement of the Committee. An act that secured Jefferson’s name in history forever. 

The formal signing of the Declaration of Independence took place at the Pennsylvania State House, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, on July 2, 1776, by Delegates to the Second Continental Congress. George Washington, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison are counted as “Founding Fathers” but were not delegates at the time and did not sign the Declaration. Washington resigned his position as a Virginia delegate when Congress formed the Continental Army and appointed him commanding general on June 14, 1775.

Each of the 56 delegates came forward to sign the Declaration of Independence as representatives for their respective newly declared states, versus British colonies.  

Opening words of the Declaration, continued on next slide.

Acknowledging that our rights come from God, and not decreed by the will of government, which still holds true today, unless we willingly or unwillingly relinquish those rights--God forbid. 

In signing this document, each man placed his life, liberty and fortune on the line. Five of those signers were captured by the British as traitors and killed. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured. Nine of those 56 signers fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

The Original 13 States. 

At great risk, many even losing their life, migrated west to build the Nation "from sea to shining sea". 

Almost 12 million immigrants were processed through the immigration station on Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954, at which time the station closed. They arrived with a desire to become American and an integral part of the American dream they sought after. 

Shown are views of unregistered and uncontrolled illegal immigration flowing unrestricted across our Southern border…  It's estimated that there are between 15 million and 23 million illegals in USA, with additional millions still pouring in over the last 1 ½ years. 

Are you familiar with this project? Many aren't. 

It refers back to this part of American history. Yes, slavery was morally wrong. It was a question of cheap labor for large Southern plantations. A system that was eliminated at the cost of a bloody Civil War. Little is mentioned that slave labor existed across much of the world at the time. Little known or noted, is that there were also whites who came here from Europe as indentured servants for a prescribed period of time, with the same standard of a slave. 

Let’s take a closer look at the 1619 project, which is not based on facts, but one writer’s opinion with the support of the N.Y. Times Magazine staff. Of course, it’s a radical rewriting of American history, which has made its way into and is being taught in many of our public schools. 

Again, slavery mostly focused on large southern plantations, as a form of cheap labor. It did not shape America elsewhere, and as previously stated, was eliminated at great cost of both lives and fortunes, by a bloody Civil War, with the death of approximately 620,000 union soldiers, from combat, starvation, and disease, not counting the wounded.  No nation in the history of the world was perfect, but America truly has been a “shining city on the hill” in its defense of liberty around the world. 

This has made significant progress in America’s public schools—and it’s spreading as part of the “Woke” curriculum and agenda. 

It is what's being taught in many public schools, undermining 1776 with emphasis on the Founders as slave owners. It is also a push for reparations for American Blacks none of whom were slaves to be paid by those who never owned slaves. 

American schools in the 1950s. We will discuss this more in next week’s posting. 

Schools in 2020 where the pledge is no longer a routine part of school curriculum, since students are not obligated to say the Pledge.

I can only hope and pray that our pledge, including the words, "One Nation under God" and prayer are turned back toward God both in the schools and across the Nation. Today's schools are shaping tomorrow's America. 

President Ronald Regan had the vision and foresight to profess these words in his inaugural address on January 5, 1967. 

Just as stated by President Reagan, our future as a Nation and its cultural values, rests not only with our youth but even more so with those who teach them. 

Truthfully, I can’t pray this enough these days. 

As God’s people, the Body of Christ, we cannot underestimate the "Power of Prayer.” God hasn’t forsaken His people. Nor should we underestimate the power of prayer. Some may say that this is an overkill, but prayer is never an overkill. 

Why pray? As stated on the slide, God is sovereign over all things. He is not the author of evil but can and does use it to accomplish good. The ultimate evil that gave us the ultimate good was the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, intended for evil by Satan and the Jewish leaders, yet is the very foundation of our salvation. Just as the Nazi Holocaust and murder of Jews was intended for evil, God used it to return His Chosen people back to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Never underestimate the power of prayer, even during the darkest days.

Let’s turn to God’s Word here and continued on the next slide. 

For He is our God, and we are His people!

Pray for America turns back to its foundational values resting squarely on the Bible. 

Amen!

This is our history as "One Nation under God". Have we already lost it, or will it remain as such going forward? 

We’ll close on this… with a “Please God, don’t abandon us!”  

As stated before, all of history, from the time of creation (Genesis 1:1), until the very end of time (Revelation 21:1), is laid out before God! History is not a series of independent blips in time, but everything fits into God’s Providential plan, both good and evil. God is not the author of evil, which is the consequence of man’s sinful thoughts and deeds. God's coming wrath on a sinful world will come as we are told in the Book of Revelation. It is only by His grace and mercy that He has spared us so far. 

Was the birth of the United States an accident of history or God’s Providential plan, and are we still seeing that plan unfold in today’s uncertain times? We can be confident that it was by God’s decree and not the sole actions of the Founding Fathers or King George of England. 

The Declaration of Independence expresses "the value of life" as an integral part of our founding values, and that we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. 

Does America still cling to the value of life clearly stated in our Declaration of Independence and professed in the Bill of Rights, including the right to worship without government interference? Has our Nation changed? If yes, how much and in what direction? 

Worth repeating, as stated on the slide: Our independence as a Nation and as a people, began with these words. Are they still as relevant in today’s United States of America? Is it something our children are still learning in school as a corner stone of our Nation and culture?

One can’t help but take note of the ages of the young people in this protest in Washington D.C. and the signs they are carrying. What exactly are they demanding? The right “to kill unborn children”, or “the right to engage in casual sexual activities” free of concerns or consequences? 

The Bible clearly tells us that a baby in the womb is a living, individual soul. By the grace of God, both women, Mary and Elizabeth, were with child as part of God's Providence and plan. 

The “baby” in Elizabeth’s womb leaped for joy, as stated in Luke. That baby of course, was John the Baptist.

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  (NKJV).  God had a special calling for John the Baptist, even before his birth. Of the 63 million aborted babies in America, perhaps one had the key for discovering the cure for cancer? What special gift did another aborted child have that would never come to fruition? Will God reveal that when we all stand before Him? 

There is still a ray of hope in America. Thank God for these women and their precious babies. 

The sign being held speak of America’s Holocaust. Abortion follows careless sexual engagements, with the only consequences being the killing of an unborn child. 

Once upon a time, this was a daily occurrence in America’s schools. But that all ended in 1962, and we are now reaping the consequences of that decision and the havoc it has reaped on our youth and society. 

The same is true here, with open and inclusive student prayer no longer welcome in schools. The next slide speaks volumes regarding the lack of tolerance for public prayer in any school activity.  

A H.S. football coach’s felonious act was to pray with his team. Oh my. How would this be viewed by earlier generations or even the Founding generation? What lesson is this for his high school team? 

What is the lesson to be learned from history? We can be certain that Satan is very much at the forefront of this transition away from God and away from prayer, just as he was with Hitler and Nazi Germany. 

We’ll let the photos speak for themselves. Whether it’s on the Left or on the Right, without Christ, the results aren’t good. Prov 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. 

Hard times are often the threshold to tyranny? How will the people respond to today’s difficulties? How will the Church respond? How will Christians respond? Every Communist nation’s rise to power began as stated by Hitler, by indoctrination of the youth. The rise of the Antichrist will follow a similar path, swaying the youth and shaping their ideology, as we are beginning to see in the programs being introduced into the schools down to the lowest grades. 

As example of the current focus in America’s schools, shown here and on the next slide. The powers of this dark world as we are told in Ephesians 6:12? I think so. 

This is based on a 2016 statewide survey of almost 81,000 Minnesota teens (six years ago, oh my!). Why would they even be asking school children their gender preference, regardless of the grade level? Based on what I read, it is even being discussed in the very lowest elementary grade levels. 

As recently reported on Newsmax TV, dated April 2022: “Secret Gender Transition Closets”. Let that sink in for a moment. This is taking place without parental knowledge. 

As kids, we all had a favorite Marvel comic character. Mine was Captain America because he represented the image of how I saw “America”. All of which raises this question as noted on the slide. Are the changes for the better or worse? Will we be a different America from what the Founders established? Are we still “One Nation under God”?

I think most would agree that a very different America has emerged, being evident over the last 1 ½ years. One that is almost totally unrecognizable for most of my generation, including a weakening of America on the world stage, relinquishing its sovereignty with open borders, and leadership authority within the Western World. As American influence weakens on the world stage, it also reduces any deterrent to the rise of the Antichrist as we are told in the Book of Revelation and prophesized in the Book of Daniel. We have seen evidence of this with Putin's invasion of the Ukraine, North Korea's missile launches, and Communist China's saber rattling in regard to Taiwan. 

President Ronald Reagan’s words are as relevant today as when he spoke them.  The cure for America’s ills is to turn back to God as a Nation and as a people. I can only wonder if President Reagan realized just how far from God we would drift, at all levels of government, society and culture.

Ronald Reagan’s July 4th 1986 speech is noted on the slide. Definitely a call for prayer for Christians and churches. 

We are seeing the emergence of evil, even in our Capitol. Only God can use these circumstances to bring about good. Let’s pray that He has mercy on these United States of America!  With all the evil in the world, the Bible clearly shows us that God can use it to accomplish good, as we see below...

In Genesis 37:18-36, Joseph’s brothers, with malice in their hearts, sold him into slavery, but God used it for good, even to redeem those very brothers.  Gen. 37:18-20 18 When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. 19 “Here comes the dreamer!” they said. 20 “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

Gen 50:19-20 But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. 

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul tells us to stand firm against the Devil. And pray on all occasions, for God is greater than any evil and all of Satan’s destructive powers. 

May we forever be mindful with prayer and praise, of what God did for us, and who we are in Christ Jesus, bestowed, bestowed on us by His loving grace and tender mercy. Amen!

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