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I prayed and fasted today too. I definitely believe there’s a field white for harvest in America. But as for the country as a whole, including our laws and our culture, regaining a Christian character, that I don’t see happening, barring some catastrophe that’s a true doomsday event, like nuclear weapons being used, and I’m not sure that would even be the Lord’s will. He Himself could make anything happen, and allowing a doomsday catastrophe to happen is how I believe He would bring the country and culture back to Him.

But otherwise, the apostasy today in Western countries at least appears to fall within the realm of man’s free will. On the whole, the people alive now in wealthy nations are mostly getting what they want — to throw off God, lured in by their pride in mankind’s “accomplishments” and their false confidence in their own goodness. They believe in secular science and living for life in this world, and they have no need of God, especially since they’re not sinners and believing in “superstition” is for the ignorant and uneducated. The Satanic vision which the world lives by is so powerful in our time and place that those with the spirit of Antichrist even consider themselves to be the world’s true moral authorities. That’s overwhelming spiritual blindness. Satan has taken over all of our worldly institutions and also holds tremendous power in the Church and among many professing Christians, whom he is more and more often luring away from faith in Christ.

No, the worldliness in our time and place is too strong for the Gospel, which doesn’t mean that God and His Son and the Gospel aren’t truly stronger ultimately, and He couldn’t make people believe differently, but it’s a matter of His judgment on people.

“And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12

Today even many professing Christians take comfort in finding other professing Christians who agree with them that God’s Word doesn’t have to be taken seriously on this or that, as though God can be outvoted by men who profess to serve Him. And why do they believe that getting agreement from others can trump God’s Word when intellectually they must know it can’t? Because they don’t feel like they truly have to fear God. They have a false confidence that they really don’t need Jesus to have died for their sins.

All of the things we have, everything made possible by modern technology, is for the most part a stumblingblock to faith because even many if not most Christians use them in a worldly, carnal spirit, which says all these things are much better used as Satan’s toys than God’s tools. Even many Christians of our time and place don’t want God to “oppress” them, preventing from having all manner of what they take to be fun, but which is really slavery that can’t and doesn’t satisfy. How far many professing Christians are from putting the next world before this one, but doing so is the ultimate in living out one’s faith. Instead Satan’s voice, speaking through this world, convinces so many people that the truly right way to live is as an untrained dog that ever increasingly learns to ignore its master’s voice.

The deceitfulness of riches — an upper middle class spirit of mammon — has overpowered the Church in America. And part of what that spirit does is that it talks about the danger. It talks and talks and talks about it. It’s in the lucrative businesses of writing books and holding conferences about it. But that’s mostly clouds without rain. It’s the Christian faith as a business. That’s what’s here today.

And so no matter what happens, and how bad things get, so many Christians are ultimately content to keep the machine running, keep “peace with Satan” to have a good life here, while expecting “peace with God” for the next life. The Church starts using Satan’s translation of the Bible more and more. Shouldn’t all the evil that’s celebrated in our society today be the cause for more calls for prayer and fasting and returning to the Lord, and that even at holidays? Shouldn’t there be some mourning called for by our “Christian leaders”?

If we want America to be run in a way that’s more pleasing to God, then the Church must live up to its responsibility to be the guardian of “democracy” — the republic. That means fighting for justice everywhere. So many of our worldly leaders have helped to build an unjust society, China, into a tremendous world power, and the secular left, which claims to be the guardian of justice and “democracy” have silently allowed that, but then again, so has the Church here. The Church has often even allowed the blasphemy of the claim that where God’s Word sounds socialist, it must not be followed. We will not follow God if He promotes communism. That perverts the truth. God is not being a communist when He pronounces woe on them that grind the face of the poor or speaks on the evils of wealth. No, follow His Word to do right by the poor while not being a godless communist. Don’t despise the poor and worship the rich to avoid being thought of as a socialist. Don’t disavow God’s Word to avoid being thought of as a socialist. I used to be a Democrat, and now there is just one party for me, the Republican party. But that doesn’t make it without real and awful sin. I idolized the Democratic Party as a Democrat and I wouldn’t do that again as a Republican. Like one’s country needs to be held to account and cleansed periodically, so does the Republican party.

So often, too, professing Christians put the blame on the left, on Democrats, on homosexuals, universities, etc. Yet again, the Church in America is growing so worldly that putting the blame on unbelievers is like preferring to live in Satan City, Babylon, and to “enjoy” all it has to offer, but wanting Democrats, socialists and homosexuals kicked out of it for not being Christian and being the source of sin and its ruin.

In giving up the world, not loving our lives here, not loving the world, God truly has something better for us, which we miss out on we when listen to Satan telling us that we’re missing out on what he has to offer.

WELL SAID!!!!

It’s kind of weird because while I am convinced that we are to pray as we have for this country, I also do not see the kind of renewal and revival we are hoping and praying for.

That’s not to say that I don’t believe God can’t answer our prayers. I think it’s His will we pray that way and that He is working to that end regardless.

But He also has His timetable for the end times, which I see more and more indication that we are living in. And as I see it, that means things are getting worse by the day.

I ran across a message a few months ago about what Christians should pray for and could not have agreed with it more. I’ll see if I can find it.

That said, you are correct about the delusion this country is operating under and how strong it is. It’s absolutely breath-taking at times the lies that people believe.

And you are correct, that it’s because we have kicked God out of our lives as a nation. I think as a result, He is giving the nation as a whole what we collectively asked for.

My prayer and hope is that God would bring in that harvest of souls before the curtain comes down. I’ve been praying for opportunities to minister to people and share Christ with them and that people would come to Him.

I would dearly love to see this country turn around and become a light to the rest of the world, but I think the best we can hope for is a reprieve. I am not at all certain about the outcome of the next election as the dems will have their vote fraud machine all in place. I think they were caught flat footed in 2016 due to over confidence that Hillary would win, and while they tried to flip states, it was too little to late. Next time they will not be so unprepared.

Maranatha, Lord Jesus.......

everything made possible by modern technology, is for the most part a stumblingblock to faith because even many if not most Christians use them in a worldly, carnal spirit, which says all these things are much better used as Satan’s toys than God’s tools.

I appreciate your thoughtful essay on the state of Christianity in America, and share your concern.

May it be of comfort to you that a remnant are using the internet to study the Bible with a speed and comprehensive search function that was never possible before. The remnant can gather at places like FreeRepublic and find one another across the continent, even as we have done on this thread today. I know that many who said they would fast and pray yesterday or today are actually doing so, and there was no social coercion or peer pressure involved like there sometimes is within a local congregation. Those who heard the call, responded!

Shouldn’t all the evil that’s celebrated in our society today be the cause for more calls for prayer and fasting and returning to the Lord, and that even at holidays? Shouldn’t there be some mourning called for by our “Christian leaders” If we want America to be run in a way that’s more pleasing to God, then the Church must live up to its responsibility to be the guardian of “democracy” — the republic.

Likewise, our online congregation associated with the daily AMERICA Prayer Vigil, pinglists of many hundreds within FR like the MAGA list, the Bigly Trump list, the Trump Train group, the Boy Scouts list—over 1,200 freepers—all were called to this thread and its purpose this weekend. Other freepers may have simply happened upon the thread, and may have offered a meal sacrifice or a word with God. "The prayers of the righteous avail much!"

Remember, all true Christians are "the Church," and are a priesthood of believers. The leaders who go on television or sit in councils aren't the only leaders — a leader from our FR community called us today to fast and pray, and yes, to mourn for our country.

The group who post the daily AMERICA Prayer Vigil thread have been praying together specifically for our nation every day since the two candidates for president were finalized in 2016, and many of the leaders long before that. You were called to mourn and rejoice and fast and pray this weekend, and you responded! As have many others. It will take awhile to turn the vast ship of state around, but we mustn't lose hope. Whether the political nation survives or just its Christians run the race to the end, we must always pray, and pray continually for one another. You are welcome to join in any day, or to sign up to receive a daily ping.