Our lives have certainly changed since September 11, 2001. When those planes crashed into the World Trade Towers in New York and the Pentagon Building in Washington, life in America changed forever. Who can forget the pictures of the towers as they crumbled to the ground; rescue workers who rushed in to save the victims, only to become victims themselves; those with pictures of their missing loved ones; the smoke billowing through the streets of New York and Washington; and the countless lives this tragic event left in shambles.
Yet, out of all this sorrow has emerged a renewed love for country and thoughts of God. During the past few months, prayers have been uttered in places where for years they had been unheard--in schools, in stadiums across this country, at major sporting events; and what about all those politicians in Washington. Many speeches I've heard, from those given by the President of the United States, to one given by a local mayor in some small city, all ended in the same phrase--God Bless America.
This great nation was founded on Christian principles and belief in a supreme power greater than herself. But that was a long time ago. This so-called "Christian nation" has long since lost her way and has, for several decades, been moving away from God. Please don't misunderstand; I believe America is the greatest country on earth. I've been to other places in the world, and none compare to this land of the free. Still, I believe an honest study of God's word indicates that there is no way God will ever "bless" America as long as she pursues the course she is now following. Let me offer some examples to consider.
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionists will inherit the kingdom of God." {1 Corinthians 6:9,10} How can this nation consider homosexuality "an alternate lifestyle," promote that lifestyle to our children, and in the same breath, ask for God's blessings? How? More than 50 per cent of prime-time TV sitcoms portray the homosexual lifestyle in a favorable light--as "normal." The more correct language is "their preferred sexual orientation." God's word says those who practice such things cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
"For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting." {Romans 1:26-28} How much clearer could God be? Today, those who teach the truth about homosexuality are called hate mongers. Such is not, and never has been, the case. We hate the SIN, not the sinner.
While we spend billions of dollars a year in search of a cure for AIDS, the scriptures contain the formula for wiping out this dreaded killer. Homosexuality is one of the leading causes of AIDS. God's word teaches that the marriage relationship is honorable and for man's betterment. Please read Genesis 2:18-24; Hebrews 13:4; Proverbs 18:22. God said: one man, one woman, for life! Why doesn't one of the superstars who wears a "red ribbon" to support "AIDS awareness" start preaching God's plan for dealing with AIDS? Simply put--it's not want the majority wishes to hear. Those who engage in such conduct, if they do not repent, cannot inherit God's blessings--just His eternal wrath.
"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." {Galatians 5:19-21} Let us examine a few items from this works-of-the-flesh list that will also keep those who practice them from entering heaven.
Every year, millions of mothers in this country abort their children. Women say their bodies belong to them, and they have the right to make decisions about the things that affect those bodies. Really? Who speaks for the unborn? Do they have any rights? To "soften" what really takes place, we've changed the way we refer to certain things. A baby is not a baby; it is a "fetus." These pregnant women are merely removing something unwanted from the body, as one would remove a tumor, or take a pill to ease flu symptoms. My question is: How can doctors hold in their hands, and successfully perform surgeries on, premature babies while they are still in the womb, sometimes weighing less than two pounds. A careless driver who kills a mother who is six months pregnant is charged with two counts of murder. Yet, the mother can abort the child up until the seventh month! Exactly what is the difference? Haven't both babies been killed?
This story illustrates my point. A mother who is six months into her pregnancy goes to the doctor, saying she has decided to end the pregnancy. When she goes to the doctor's office to tell him what she's decided, her two--year-old son accompanies her. She explains to the doctor that she just doesn't want to have another child; and the doctor has a solution: he offers to kill the child she has. Why take such an unnecessary risk with her body? After all, the pregnancy is pretty far along. The shocked woman grabs her son and tells the doctor, "that would be murder." Yes it would; and please explain to me the difference in what you are suggesting doing to the child you are carrying? He shows her the recent ultrasound taken of the boy in her womb. This woman saw the point, and she left the doctor's office with BOTH children!
How can this nation, which now has an abortion pill, continue to kill millions of unborn babies and with the same breath, ask for the blessings of a merciful God? All life, including the life in the womb, is sacred. I see Americans all over the country shedding tears over the thousands of lives lost on that fateful September day, and for those who have given their lives to defend this great nation. Yet, they shed NOT ONE tear for the millions who, thanks to the selfish decisions of mothers and doctors, never saw a day of life! This is indeed a national tragedy. Until this nation awakens morally, God will not give her His blessings. Thinking that He approves of one kind of murder, but not the other, is simply "whistling in the proverbial wind."
Need I go on? What about those who rebel by living together, instead of getting married? What about encouraging fornication through all the emphasis on "safe sex," passing out condoms, and giving young women birth control pills. We say we want them to wait until marriage--but just in case. Until this nation returns to "godly morality," God will not fully bless her. I pray for a day when God can truly BLESS AMERICA again!