“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” –Isiah 40:31
What can one Christian do? What difference can you make in the face of widespread infiltration of evil in America?
You see blatant corruption literally sucking the life out of America: a two-tier justice system, a wide-open border , presidential administration beholden to America-hating interests and a federal government persecuting anyone who questions or stands in the way of its agenda.
Some days the gravity of our situation is wearying and some days a feeling of powerlessness dominates. Can I get an amen?
We feel this way because the news is mostly bad. Even on conservative websites, many published articles can leave one sighing in despair over the madness of our situation and the willful destruction of our economy, laws, society and military.
We can respond to the world’s standards or God’s
As Christians we have three responses to our current situation. 1) We can surrender in a foregone conclusion that America is over; 2) we can return evil for evil; or 3) we can reference our Bibles for a Godly response.
The first example implies a serious lack of faith. So does the second; with you now showing that you know better than God. The third action is rooted in God’s word and therefore, faithful.
Faith is the key word. Specifically, where do we place our faith? If you find yourself reading news or commentary more than your Bible, your faith in God may be or is already lukewarm.
I must confess that there have been recent periods where I have done exactly that; studying political commentary more than my Bible. That wearing feeling mentioned earlier, is the barometer of this shift in priorities.
Powerlessness comes from taking our eyes off of Jesus
Powerlessness comes when we’re not trusting in God. Power comes from faith in God.
We must keep our eyes on Christ and not on the current state of our country. That doesn’t mean we ignore what’s going on because we have to live in the world. However, we must also remember that when we accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, like Him, we became no longer of the world.
This means our true home is heaven. This world is not a final destination, but merely a flash on our way to eternity.
This truth is an important concept that we must resolve to remember, no matter how much the culture deteriorates. With that in mind let us look at what God tells us to do in the face of corrupt government officials and a pagan culture.
The Bible commands us to submit to government authorities and pray for those in power. Yeah… submit and pray.
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.–Romans 13:1(New King James Version)
This means we peaceably obey the government by not fomenting rebellion against obeying laws and paying our taxes. Keep in mind, that Paul wrote this during the time of Nero, one of the cruelest Roman rulers.
Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.–Romans 13:2(NKJV)
You think things are bad for Christians now? Nero used to have Christians cast in wax and lit on fire like candles for his amusement. This depraved Caesar would also feed Christians to the hungry lions in the coliseum or have them killed in gladiator spectacles.
Paul wrote Romans during the reign of this madman. Does this mean we obey all government edicts without question? Of course not.
Why do you think those Christians were persecuted by Nero? It was because they did not follow his laws to remain silent and not worship Christ. Those Christians were martyred because they placed God above government.
We choose God over government
This is the only instance in which we are not to follow government. When it comes to obeying the government and worshiping our Lord, we defer to the latter and not the former. Peter explicitly obeyed this principal in Acts 5:29:
But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.
Government as ordained by God is supposed to protect the righteous while being a terror to the evil doer.This is the explained in Romans 13:3-5
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake.
Our current government has become a terror to good works and not to evildoers. Therefore it is not carrying out its God-given duty to protect the good. It prioritizes abortion, transgenderism , division and paganism. Are we to obey it blindly? No, for it is anti-God and anti-Christ. However, this does not give us license to foment rebellion. We choose not to follow laws that glorify evil and not God,while at the same time praying for elected officials.
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.–1 Timothy2:2-4.
So if you want peace of mind and joy, do what God commands us to do . It totally goes against the world’s standards and as a result, calls us to faith and obedience; which is really what God is looking for in his children.