Our official Country Motto is “In God We Trust,” adopted by a unanimous joint resolution of Congress on July 30, 1956. It first appeared on the 1864 two-cent coin and is required on all paper currency due to a 1955 law. The Congressional resolution was signed, declaring this phrase as our national motto, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. (ESV – all emphasis is mine)
Of course, there have been objections by the atheist crowd, saying it violates separation of church and state. However, the Supreme Court has consistently ruled there is no violation, as no particular religion is mentioned, and it does not sponsor any “State Church.”
There are numerous Bible passages that reference trust of our Heavenly Father from the Old Testament and throughout the New Testament. For them to mean anything, one must first accept that the Bible is the true, inerrant word of God, which means it is incapable of being wrong. Needless to say, this refers to all “true” translations of the Bible, not the man-made “ear-tickling” versions that do not follow the original Holy Spirit-inspired word (2 Timothy 4:3-4). To be of any value in our lives, it needs to be read regularly.
Paul states in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
In 2 Peter 1:20-21, we read, “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Peter goes on to say in 2 Peter 2:1-2, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false prophets among you who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.”
In 1 John 2:22, “Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.”
Going to 1 John 4:2-3, “By this you know the Spirit of God; every Spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist which you heard was coming, and now is in the world already.” Note: this was written by John between 95-96 AD.
Romans 10:9-13 tells us we must Admit that we’re all sinners in need of a Savior, and Believe our Savior is Jesus the Christ, Son of the Most High Heavenly Father. All who truly Call out to Jesus to forgive and accept them will be added to His precious flock and will have a Home with Him in Heaven forever. (A-B-Cs of Salvation)
Sadly, more people will follow the ways of the world than will call out to the Savior. Jesus knew this would be so, as given in Matthew 7:13-14. They trust in the evil influence of this world – Satan – more than in our true Savior. They need to follow Proverbs 3:5-7: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes, fear [trust] the Lord and turn away from evil.”
There is a false concept that we must do more in order to earn or purchase our eternal Salvation. This is the belief of man-made religions or cults that have no problem with pushing their own ideas upon their followers. The ones Jesus had the most problems with were the so-called religious leaders who had changed all of God’s commandments to suit their own hypocrisy.
Matthew 23:27-28, “Woe to you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites. For you are like white-washed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones, and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
Jesus taught about true love for each other and why it’s so important. Matthew 6:14-15 sums this up: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Our Savior gave the best illustration of this on the cross when He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). This does not mean He liked what they were doing, nor did He even have to like them personally. He loved everyone back then, just as He does today, for their immortal souls. The only unforgivable sin is to pass from this life without having called out – verbally or mentally – for Jesus to forgive you and be your Savior.
A very recent example of following the Lord’s will was demonstrated by Erika Kirk when she spoke about her husband Charlie’s killer. She stated, “That young man, I forgive him.” She said she did this because it’s what Charlie would do, and she was following the Gospel that tells us to love our enemies and even those who persecute us.
This in no way implied she condoned the killer’s actions, but in effect, she put her full faith and trust in our Heavenly Father. She was leaving all judgment of the young man to our God.
According to our Father’s word, if the young man truly changes and calls out to our lord to forgive him and to be his Savior forever, he would have a home in Heaven. This does not mean he would not have to face the consequences of his actions here.
Some may say his sin was too great to forgive, but look at Peter and Paul for examples of this topic. Peter adamantly denied even knowing Jesus three times when the Savior was being prepared for delivery to Pilate. Yet when the Holy Spirit entered the apostles on Pentecost, Peter became one of the most adamant voices for the Savior in spite of any persecution he would face.
And then there’s Paul, who was a persecutor of Christians, and was pleased when they were arrested and even martyred for their faith in Jesus. Yet, after his encounter with the Savior on the road to Damascus, Paul became one of the strongest voices proclaiming eternal life through Jesus the Christ.
Because of his absolute trust in the Father, Paul became the author of most of the New Testament books. His message in Philippians 1:21-23 shows how much he had changed and was an example of totally putting his trust in God for whatever his future held. “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me, yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”
This world is changing rapidly, and not for the better. We’re getting closer to the time that Jesus told us about in Luke 21:28, that when we see all this beginning to happen, to look up for our redemption is near. False prophets and antichrists were here during John the Apostle’s lifetime, and we’re told that as we near the end of this age, their activities would only increase. This is definitely happening right now.
There have been recent reports of a new revival taking place because of Charlie Kirk’s death. What will become evident as time passes is which soil those “seeds” fell on. We’re hoping for the majority to be on good soil (Matthew 13:8).
Our Jesus is there to accept all who truly call on Him to be their Savior, but it is a free-will choice. Our Father will force no one to accept His Son, but will honor the true choice of all who do.
It’s an excellent time to call out and become a part of our Savior’s precious flock. We’re absolutely getting to the day and hour that this era will end, and the start of the worst seven-year period of time this earth has ever seen (Matthew 24:36).
Our Father has promised that no one that has Jesus as their Savior will go through the tribulation/wrath. That’s found in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, and Revelation 3:10. For anyone who believes they can call out to be saved when the Rapture takes place, it will be over in the “twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52), which is less than one second.
The best plan is to have Jesus in your heart right now. Then, it won’t matter when the Trumpet of God sounds and there is a shout from an archangel, because you’ll be ready to rise up to meet the Savior in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
Please note, there are only two places where souls will spend eternity. All who have received and accepted Jesus as their Savior will be with Him in Heaven forever. All who were out of the will of God pre-Calvary and all who did not receive and accept Jesus from Calvary to the end of time on this earth will be in hell, also known as the lake of fire, forever. No matter what any false prophets may say, there’s no other option.
Please, seriously consider asking Jesus to be your Savior if you haven’t already done so. It will be the best decision you will ever make. Trust in God! He never lies and He always keeps any promises He has made.
Hope to see you at Home!