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Have you ever noticed how people need to be jolted from indifference to do what should've been done all along, things that would improve life for them or other people? Maybe, at times, that could've been you. I know it's been me.
The status quo can be comfortable when life poses no threats. Change may be good, but living with what you know and expect brings peace, albeit from a false sense of security. A day of reckoning is coming sooner than we know it.
America has been adrift from its moral underpinnings, and we may not have noticed how much it has changed. We've been too busy working for sustenance or wealth and entertaining ourselves. Like an unanchored ship afloat on open seas, the latest cultural waves have pushed us off course without us knowing it or doing anything about it.
The Christian faith is exploding in Subsaharian Africa, even in countries where governments oppress Christians, such as Iran (excellent video linked here and article here) and China. Christianity in America is following Europe's decline. The statistics bear out what one sees anecdotally.
There seems to be an inverse relationship between prosperity and a population's waning appetite for connection with God. Living in America right now is easy compared to life in Ukraine or the Gaza Strip.
Fat, dumb, and happy. Is that what we've become? Or is it confused, unfulfilled, and lost on the open seas?
Have you noticed our life expectancy is declining? People are so confused and empty that they're self-destructing through obesity, substance abuse, and suicide. The enemy is attacking from within. God's temple in America is crumbling apart one person at a time.
It's easier to walk the dog on a Sunday morning, sit on the couch with the remote control in hand, or play a game than to be challenged with a word from Scripture and connect with other people. We've kicked God to the curb, or so it would seem.
Our young people have become entitled but drenched in apathy, tech-savvy though biblically ignorant, and unaware of the history that shaped the world before it became theirs. They're also confused about who they are. The sins of our past will return full circle to them. Will they be equipped when hard times come?
Unrest in America is mounting. Violence on its streets, social strife in its communities, and fractures in its polarized legislative bodies suggest God's Spirit is less persuasive now than at any time in recent history. Less of the indwelling Holy Spirit means more chaos, more conflict, and more bloodshed. Is that really what we want?
If mass shootings don't get our attention, war will. Sooner or later, it's coming our way.
Let's not wait for it. Instead, if you're feeling that tug inside to do something about it, I urge you to ask God how you can help reverse the trend in America.
If you're not sure where to begin, here are some ideas:
- say a prayer each day in the weeks ahead
- open a Bible to the Gospel of John and read
- if you're not in one, find a Bible-believing church or a small group of fellow believers and start attending
- engage with people around you on a deeper level
- turn off the devices and tell your children or grandchildren what life was like back in the day
- talk to a friend about taking some of these steps
Listen for the role God has for you and fill it.
We need all hands on deck.
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