Stand Up If You Love God And Country

In the Bible, specifically in Ephesians 6, Paul tells us to “put on the whole armor of God, so that we may be able to stand, or withstand, against the schemes of the devil. Do we as Christians, realize that what is going on around us so much, is the devil scheming? Can you see the degree of division among people right now? Division is now SO common. I will discuss several of these areas of division throughout this post. We now stand at a crossroad in history where if we don’t stand for godliness and truth; our country also will not stand. I live in the United States, but this is rapidly becoming a global problem. I challenge you to stand up and speak up if you love God, Family and your country!

He wants us to speak up for righteousness! There is no need to fight physically or verbally, but calmly state what is right or wrong and why. He expects us to Stand Up and Speak Up! So stand up if you love Him, your family, your country, the global world.

This is what the Lord says:

“Maintain justice
    and do what is right,
for my salvation is close at hand
    and my righteousness will soon be revealed.”

Isaiah 56:1 NIV

And then again, God, when He was angered with His people’s destructive, divisive and dishonest ways, said He was looking for someone to stand up for righteousness and stand in the gap to stay His hand:

“I looked for someone among them who would… stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land….

Ezekiel 22:30a

The Belief That God’s Word Doesn’t Apply To Everything

So many people won’t discuss faith and/or political beliefs. Some believe that their spiritual beliefs don’t merge at all with politics. Some believe that Separation between Church and State means that we can’t mix spiritual beliefs with political positions. That is not what the Founding Fathers and writers of the Constitution meant. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution states something different actually. The faith and beliefs of our founding fathers were very much the foundation upon which they built the Constitution. Even looking at the verbiage of the First Amendment, the founding fathers first said that they would neither impose nor impinge the exercise of a person’s religion. This being before they even addressed the freedom of speech, press, etc. A lot of information exists in the Freedom Forum Institute. https://www.freedomforuminstitute.org/

Fear And Control Drive Actions

People are afraid today, especially as there are so many hateful people who believe that if a person does not agree with them, they won’t listen or even engage in civil discourse. Today, many people even harass those whose beliefs differ from their own. Sometimes, we even see people ostracize others because of what they assume someone believes due to where they live, what they look like or who they associate with. But, should they truly be separated/segregated? Why? The Bible has something to say about most situations that we deal with. His Word applies today, just like it has for thousands of years. “The Word of God is alive and active,”… according to Hebrews 4:12.

Back in the early church, they struggled with divisions as well. They dealt with:

• Racial Divisions = Jews vs Gentile
• Class Division = Slave vs Free
• Gender Division = Male vs Female

Sound familiar? Satan’s effort to divide us doesn’t even have a new playbook… it’s all recycled. Here’s what Paul had to say about it:

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither Slave nor Free, nor is there Male and Female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28, NIV

God’s answer wasn’t to flip the division so that someone else was excluded or oppressed. The answer wasn’t to say one group matters and others can’t even be discussed. The answer WAS that we are all ONE regardless of race, nationality, gender, etc. None of that matters in the face of God’s gift to us through Christ. We are ALL brothers and sisters in Christ, working for a common gospel and allowing nothing to divide us.

A Past Example Vs Modern Examples

If we look at the difference between the Founding Fathers of the United States versus our current leaders, we will see a huge difference. People such as George Washington prayed regularly. Pictures of him praying are readily available. His mother, Mary, taught him well basing his education in the Bible and prayer. Washington even began leading the Senate and House of Representatives sessions with a two hour worship service. How different things are today! What a change this would make if our government was led by godly leaders.

Stand For Godly Parenting

Painting a very different picture, the founder of the 1619 Project, Nikole Hannah-Jones, states that parents should not be able to choose what their children are taught. She has espoused the idea that the state has more to say in the education and beliefs of our children than we as parents do. And people across our nation are abdicating that responsibility for their children.

We as parents absolutely do have the right to decide what our own children are taught whether at school or in the home and also have the right to intervene when the state attempts to teach our children something contrary to our beliefs. This platform played a large part in who won the election as the governor in Virginia recently. Parents were told in Virginia that they could not speak for what their children will learn. The parents in Virginia had the courage to stand up (at the ballot box) and decide who they were willing to partner with in the education of their children.

Stand For Life

Another example: The topic of abortion. Babies are human beings created in the image of God. They have the right to life! We must speak for those who cannot speak for themselves! This very topic is currently before the Supreme Court of the United States as to whether or not the death of millions of babies should be advocated and supported by our federal government. I pray that our country stand up for the lives and voices that have been suppressed for too long!

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;
    ensure justice for those being crushed.”

Proverbs 31:8 NLT

Our Role As Parents And Adults

The pilgrims brought freedom, God and their family when they arrived on the shores of America. Our role as parents is to teach our children truth. We have a responsibility to teach our children right from wrong. And we have the responsibility to teach our children to love regardless of race, color or anything else that Satan or people could use to divide us. Division does not belong in our country, our family or our churches. Division displays its roots in hate. Hate is not solved by demonstrating more hate.

So, I Will Stand, Ready!

Did you notice the image on this post? It is an image of soldiers ready, with armor on, ready for war. We must be prepared and ready to fight the greatest enemy we have. Do you know who or what our greatest enemy is? Satan, the devil, the liar is our greatest enemy. “The rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12), is our greatest enemy. That is a lot that our enemy, Satan, does! This means that we need to know God’s Word, the Bible. Ephesians 6:13 then tells us to put on the full armor of God, so that when that day comes, we will be able to stand and stand for truth and righteousness.

Some are fearful. I understand with so much hate in the world right now, with fighting on the street, hate on social media and lies told on main stream news, that it is difficult to stand for truth. When we are strong though in Christ, we have confidence that the Lord will care for us, that He will fight for us!

“Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. ¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.'”

Exodus 14:13-14, NIV

I hope that all of you have a safe and Happy New Year(2022)!

More Available on Heartshare and Other Resources…

• https://heartshare.blog/2021/11/08/practical-and-actable-faith-in-action/
• https://heartshare.blog/2021/09/09/the-song-i-love-to-hear-again/
• https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2471030046544/1619-project-author-ripped-for-saying-parents-should-have-no-say-in-school-curriculum
• https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2014%3A13-14&version=NIV
• https://www.amazon.com/George-Washingtons-Prayers-Robert-Pelton/dp/1460941918/ref=asc_df_1460941918/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312050258762&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5034869834014613874&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9022931&hvtargid=pla-571123898113&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=61316180879&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312050258762&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5034869834014613874&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9022931&hvtargid=pla-571123898113
• http://Isaiah 56:1-8
• http://Proverbs 31:8