Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. Psalm 33:12
What will be required for God to bless America before our Lord returns? Jesus said: “Some of you won’t taste death until you see My kingdom come” (Mark 9:1). What did He mean? Everyone who heard Him say that died physically. But many of them did see His kingdom come. They experienced the fullness of His present-day ministry.
Peter saw Christ’s kingdom come, and people were healed just by his shadow falling on them. Paul saw Christ’s kingdom come, and people were healed when pieces of his clothing were placed on them. John saw Christ’s kingdom come in the midst of a prison island, surrounded by the worst elements of society, when he was caught up in a vision of the end-times seeing Jesus in all His royal, heavenly power.
These “God wrestlers” saw Christ’s kingdom come in all its glory. They saw Christ’s ministry fulfilled on this earth. This is the kind of power needed for the Church to throw down the gauntlet in the face of the Enemy who has come to steal our country, kill its citizens, and destroy the lives of God’s people.
Western culture has softened us, cause us to settle for a comfortable what’s-in-it-for-me style of Christianity, rather than sacrificing in order to have God’s power and presence. I was once in the office of a presidential candidate who had publicly proclaimed his faith in Christ. I asked him what his political stance would be on what were once considered the hot issues in Christianity, like abortion.
“The way you win elections is to avoid those black-and-white issues,” he responded. “Abortion is really a non-issue.”
“But why?” I asked in consternation. He replied, “Because our polls show that as many Christians have abortions as non-Christians. In fact, there is little difference in the polls between people in the Church and those outside it.” How sad. The Church doesn’t vote its conscience because its conscience is guilty! So politicians stay neutral, and morality is nullified.
Twenty-eight civilizations have risen and fallen. Ministries and visions have come and gone. No matter how powerful each was, they are now no more! Will that be the fate of our nation, our generation? Let’s get onboard with what God is doing, so that we are not left behind. If we as Believers do what we’ve done in this decade, then we’ll have what we had in the last decade: very little.
We must pray for Christ’s mission to be accomplished. Joshua said: “Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, and tomorrow God will do amazing things among you” (Joshua 3:5). We need a pure understanding of what it means to have Christ in us, and the effectiveness of prayer to complete His mission.
If we are truly the salt and the light of the earth, why have the worldly taken over the Church? Have you been vaccinated with a mild case of Christianity so as to protect you from the real thing? Those who have tried salvation without dying to the flesh will soon fall away. In Matthew 13:3-7, Jesus related the parable of the sower:
“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.”
The ground of our hearts determines the results of our prayers. Stony hearts do not produce powerful and fruitful prayer lives. We must first look inside ourselves rather than toward others when we ask God for His forgiveness, cleansing, power, and blessing. A Believer walking with God is a powerful blessing to any nation.
The 2024 Presidential Election
And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” —Genesis 18:23-26
Though it is true that the solution to America’s problems lies in the church house rather than the White House, it is also true that it matters a great deal who leads this nation. As citizens in a republic, we have the privilege and responsibility of helping to choose our leaders. There are two vital responsibilities every Believer has in the upcoming election.
First, we need to be part of the righteous remnant that can defer God’s wrath against a sinful nation. There is no doubt that America, like Sodom, has turned its back on God’s declared law. We have leaders boasting of defying morality and decency. We have a culture wallowing in sin and rejoicing to do evil. And yet we see from the story of God’s conversation with Abraham that as wicked as Sodom was, if there had been enough righteous people there, the city would have been spared. The Bible teaches that one of the judgments God places on nations is to give them poor and unqualified leaders (see Isaiah 3:4). America needs good leadership and that depends on the righteous remnant.
Second, we need to pray diligently for the outcome of the election, and for whoever is elected as the next president. The prayers of God’s people for their leaders are a vital part of His plan. If we are going to tell Satan that he can’t have our country, we must do it on our knees!
A PRAYER FOR AMERICA
(from Nehemiah 1:5-11):
I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded of Your servant Moses. Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name…
