I live in the United States of America. I was born here in 1949. America is what I know. This is where God placed me. And, so a lot of what he gives me to share is related to my nation. But, some of this may apply to other nations, too, so if you don’t live here, just let the Lord speak to your heart regarding your nation, and the church in your nation, and your own life, too.

The church at large in America and America as a nation have been on a massive spiritual and moral decline for a long time. I know that A. W. Tozer was writing about this in the early 1940’s, even before I was born, so this may have been going on my whole life. I don’t think I really became aware of what was going on, though, until about 1999. That is really when my eyes began to be opened, but the Lord greatly opened my eyes in 2004.

That is when the Lord revealed to me the crisis situation today’s church in America is facing. And, it has only gotten much worse, not better, with the passing of time.

For, the church invited the world and the government and big business into union with them back in the 1950’s. And, it only got much worse with the megachurch (Rick Warren) movement that swept across America’s churches, regardless of church denomination, in the 1990s or earlier, and continuing on to the present.

So, the church at large in America shifted away from feeding the sheep of God’s pasture to marketing the church to the world, and thus they changed the focus of their gatherings to what would draw the world into their meetings. Thus, the church began to compromise with the world to attract the world, and thus they also compromised the gospel message to make it more palatable and acceptable to the world, too.

So, the vast majority of the church went the way of the world and of big business, and thus they stopped teaching on sin, judgment, repentance and obedience to Christ. But, they made salvation from sin a mere acknowledgement of Christ or some words repeated after someone else in a prayer, which then guaranteed the adherents eternal life with God, unqualified, regardless of how they lived their lives from that moment forward. Many of them even encourage continuance in sinful practices.

And, so the Lord has been calling his wayward church back to himself for some time now, perhaps my whole life. And, he has been warning of judgment if they did not repent (such as in Rev. 2-3). But, he has been promising healing and restoration for the repentant and for the obedient.

But, it would appear as though most of his church, which has wandered away from him and from the purity of his word, is not listening to his warnings and his calls for repentance and obedience. But, they have continued on in their worldly ways, mostly ignoring God with regard to their day to day lives. For, they don’t appear to be taking his warnings seriously, although God has many warnings to the church in the New Testament.

So, I believe God is now judging America and the church in America, and perhaps in other nations, too, for their adultery, their idolatry, their corruption, their unfaithfulness, and their refusal to heed his warnings and his calls for repentance and for obedience to his commands. And, that is why we are going through what we are going through right now. But, God has a purpose in it all, and I believe good is going to come out of it.

But, too many people are looking to humans to save them from all of this, or they think if they do all the right things that they will be safe, but that is a false sense of security, for God is our only hope for salvation in all of this.

Isaiah 57:14-21 ESV

And it shall be said,
“Build up, build up, prepare the way,
remove every obstruction from my people’s way.”
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
For I will not contend forever,
nor will I always be angry;
for the spirit would grow faint before me,
and the breath of life that I made.
Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry,
I struck him; I hid my face and was angry,
but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart.
I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,
creating the fruit of the lips.
Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the Lord,
“and I will heal him.
But the wicked are like the tossing sea;
for it cannot be quiet,
and its waters toss up mire and dirt.
There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

So, the call here, again, is to repentance, which is a forsaking of our former lives of living for sin and self, and it is a transformation of heart and mind of the Spirit of God away from sin to walks of obedience to Christ. So, God is saying to his church to remove every obstruction which stands in the way of us walking in purity of devotion and in faithful surrender to him as Lord.

And, he is letting us know with whom he dwells. He dwells with those who are contrite of heart and who are humble in spirit. He dwells with those who walk (in conduct, in lifestyle) according to the Spirit of God and not according to the flesh; who walk with him in obedience to his commands (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; 1 Jn. 2:3-6).

So, even though God is allowing us to go through this time of trial right now, and we don’t know how long this is going to last, it will have its time when it will come to an end. But, he may take us home to be with him before it does end, too. But, that is ok, for he sometimes rescues his righteous ones from calamity through death (see vv. 1-2).

But, so many who call themselves Christians are not yet taking this to heart. They are not yet calling on God in truth, seeking his face and his counsel, and they are not humbling themselves before God. But, many are going on with their backsliding, and some of that may have even increased.

But, we serve a loving God who is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And, his goal in all of this is to bring us to repentance and obedience to him so that he can heal us, and so that he can revive us, and so that he can restore us to pure fellowship with him.

For, he wants to lead us in his ways and in his truth. He has a purpose for our lives, and it isn’t for our own self-pleasure and self-indulgence. But, it is that we would be for his praise and glory, and it is that we would honor him with our lives in all that we are, and say, and think, and do.

But, many will still refuse him, and they will go on in their wickedness, so there is no peace for them, for those who will not bow to God and submit to his will, and who refuse to walk in his ways – in the ways of righteousness and holiness (Gal. 5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6; Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8).

So, don’t be like the wicked who refuse to repent and to humble themselves before God. For, the Word of God teaches us that if we walk (in practice) in sin that we will not inherit eternal life with God, but that we will die in our sins, instead (Lu. 9:23-26; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

But, for those who do repent, and who turn away from their wicked ways to follow our Lord in obedience to his ways, there is a promise of healing and of restoration and of revival. For, our God is completely faithful in all that he does. So, put your trust in him today, and let him be Lord (owner-master) of your life, if you have not yet done that.

And, if what we are going through as a nation, and as the world, is troubling you in spirit, and you are afraid, and you don’t know which way to turn or who to believe, please, please don’t put your trust in humans to save you. Put your trust solely in God, for humans are going to fail you, most certainly, but God will not fail you. If you put your hope in him, he will not disappoint.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Thomas O. Chisholm / William M. Runyan

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

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