Have you ever noticed the “God Bless America” bumper stickers when you’re out driving? How about the social media venues? I’ve noticed more and more that some folks are apparently realizing we are in trouble as a nation and are posting these words on vehicle bumpers and social media sites.

When we think about it, we immediately understand, or at least we should, that God has certainly blessed America … really, really blessed America.

From the beginning many of the people He sent to this land had a strong belief in the God of Israel and the Church, and just wanted to be left alone to worship Him. I emphasize the God of the Bible because He is the one and only true God and He is our founder, not Mohammad, Buddha, Maharishi, or any other false leader of man-made religions.

I don’t agree with everything our forefathers did, and I’m sure God doesn’t either, but nevertheless He, the God of Genesis through Revelation, started this country and set it up via men and women who believed in Him and believed in having a nation that guaranteed freedom of men. Many of our forefathers literally put their lives on the line for our freedom, and sacrificed everything they owned, which for some of them would be in the millions in today’s dollars.

God made this country into the strongest military power the world has ever seen.

It has sent more missionaries to foreign lands than any other country.

We have produced everything imaginable for the material use of mankind. America has brought the world from the horse and buggy days into the space age via the genius of many inventors.

The citizens of this country live like kings and queens compared to the living standards of most other countries. Even the “poor” in this country are better off than most people on the globe.

When we say, “God Bless America,” are we asking Him to continue blessing us? If that be the case, it is this writer’s opinion that the days of our blessings have come to an end. Why would I make such an outlandish statement? Maybe it is because I am reminded of the following verse and our failure to honor God over the last 50 plus years.

“… From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48 (NIV)

Yes, God has blessed us beyond belief, but as the verse above indicates, we are required as a country to live up to what God expects of us, and we have failed to do so.

The year 1963 marked the beginning of the end for America. We as a nation of millions stood silent as one lone woman began chipping away at removing God from every area of our lives. In that year the Bible was removed from our schools. The sad part is if our hearts had been right unto the Lord, she would not have been successful. So what does that mean? It means that we were already hardening our hearts toward God and forgetting the real source of all our blessings. We stand just as guilty as she.

No nation is ever without sin, just as no person is ever without sin, but from the latter half of the 20th century to the present, we as a nation have “let it all hang out.” The corruption of our souls has been laid out on the table for all to see. What only God could see before is now visible for every eye.

We have turned from a nation blessed by God materially more than any nation in history to a corrupt cesspool of amalgamated stench.

If we do not lead the world in the following areas, we are certainly right up there at the very top: abortion, pornography, drug problems, murder, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, greed, pride, theft, narcissism, corruption of every kind, false religion, apostasy, and the list goes on and on.

God Bless America? How can we even think of asking God to bless us when we have already murdered over 50,000,000 babies and continue to do so at a rate of nearly 4,000 every day? How can we even classify ourselves as civilized when we bash in the skull of an innocent child, suck out its brains, then cut it up in pieces and tossed it in a garbage can?

God Bless America? Before long it is likely that every state in the nation, by imperial decree of the United States Supreme Court, will be forced to accept “gay” marriage. Only an idiot cannot see that God is vehemently against homosexuality when reading His Holy Word, the Bible. This sin has destroyed nations and we are wallowing in it. God Bless America?

Our Constitution and Bill of Rights are documents that I believe God inspired in our forefathers. In case you haven’t noticed, our leaders, especially the current administration, is busy at work destroying both, while we, the American people, continue to vote for politicians who are corrupt and have nothing for God. Yet we say, “God Bless America.”

Israel and Judah had some good kings and they had some bad kings. They prospered under good kings and they suffered mightily under the bad kings. Why? The good kings honored God, while the bad kings did not. If you’re still wondering what kind of king we have, you just haven’t been paying attention.

As rotten as we have become as a nation, we are on a road now that will seal our fate as the leader of the world. That “road” is turning our backs on Israel. The current administration is more anti-Israel than all the others combined. God told Abraham, “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)

Many of our politicians in office, in all three branches, despise Israel and are working overtime to make her continued existence most difficult. With an avowed Muslim as our leader, who hates Israel and is hell-bent on destroying us, and then the village idiot as second in command, we are in deep trouble. Pile on top of that the people’s representatives in the Senate and House, who represent nothing but their own interest, and we are in a bottomless pit of no escape.

Folks, instead of bumper stickers that say, “God Bless America” and social media posts that say, “God Bless America,” we need to be saying, “Forgive Us, For We Have Sinned Against You.” True repentance is the only hope we have.

Is it possible that one day soon, very soon probably, there will be someone in America praying a prayer very similar to that of Daniel?

“3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

7 “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.

“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.

15 “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.

17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” Daniel 9:3-19 (NIV)

Do I believe we will repent as a nation? No I do not, but I would rejoice in being wrong. Would God stay His hand of judgment upon us, at least temporarily, if we were to repent as a nation? He did with Nineveh.

What I really believe is that Almighty God is allowing us to dig our own grave as a nation as He concludes the Church age. He is closing out the Church age and preparing for the remaining seven years He promised Israel. In my opinion, time is almost up. Soon Jesus will remove His bride from coming world judgment and take her home, while He deals with Israel and her enemies.

God Bless America? No. God bless all who come to Him through His Son Jesus Christ, for they will inherit eternal life. They are those who are truly blessed.

Grant Phillips

REPENTANCE

“Repent” means “to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins.” In other words, “I recognize myself as a sinner bound for hell, and accept God’s gift of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.”

That decision has brought me 180 degrees in the opposite direction, and I now follow Jesus because I belong to Him.

Repentance has been swept under the rug by popular worldly opinion, and even most churches. “It is not necessary to repent,” they say, “just have faith and all will be well.” However, repentance and faith go hand in hand when it comes to saving faith. Without repentance, there is no real faith. It is merely a weak statement we verbalize with no heart for God behind it. Faith without repentance is egocentricity at its best.

Some state that “repentance” was for Israel but only “belief” is for the Church age. On the day of Pentecost one of Jesus’ Apostles states the following:

“Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38 (NASB)

Yes, the majority of the audience was Jewish, but what about the few who were not? Does that mean there was one method for the Jews and another for the Gentiles? Of course not. The message was clear. (1) Repent and believe. (2) For those who repent and believe, because of the forgiveness of your sins, now be identified with Jesus Christ by being baptized in His name. (3) The gift of the Holy Spirit is to all to repent of their sins and believe in Jesus alone.

True repentance is simply a part of true faith. One cannot have true faith in Jesus without seeing Him as God and Savior. Obviously what follows is seeing our self as “a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5), and repentance accompanies our belief because we know we have sinned against a Holy God.

Some will say “Paul just says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. He says nothing about repentance.” That isn’t true. Please read what the Apostle Paul says in the following verses.

“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,” Acts 17:30 (NASB)

“but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.” Acts 26:20 (NASB)

In Acts 17:30 “all people everywhere” includes all people everywhere. Therefore, all must repent.

In Acts 26:20 notice that Paul specifically includes the Gentiles. Therefore, all Jews and Gentiles “should repent and turn to God.” All must repent.

Paul follows up his statement in Acts 26:20 by saying, “performing deeds appropriate to repentance.” This leads us into considering “works.”

WORKS

I would like to repeat a paragraph I stated earlier about works in relation to salvation:

“The Word of God, the Bible, is very clear that we are saved by grace and grace alone. We are saved by the works of Jesus Christ and not our own. We will never see Heaven, let alone be a part of the family of God, if we rely one iota upon our own efforts. If we claim 1% credit and give Jesus 99% we miss the boat. It’s 100% His works or none at all.”

Now let us read what God says,

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10

But what about works that come from one who is saved; i.e. a Christian? The real question is, “Will true saving faith produce a life that reflects the works of Jesus in our life.” Can others see Jesus in us? Will works follow salvation?

Again, Paul says in Acts 26:20, “performing deeds appropriate to repentance,” and he now also states by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Many people today claim to be a Christian for many different reasons. They say they believe. They claim to have faith. They belong to a particular church or religious organization. They walked an aisle or said a prayer. They get a warm fuzzy feeling now and then. They like religious music. Their Mother was a prayer warrior and their Dad was a pastor. They pray now and then. They’re a good person. The list could go on page after page after page.

How many though have truly repented of their sins and turned to Jesus in true faith? How many have called upon Him to save their soul and have submitted their life to Him? How many trust Him with their very soul? Has their life been changed?

Jesus changes lives. No Christian is perfect, and no Christian is without personal battles in their life, but there should be a change from what we were to what we are now. Jesus changes lives. Yes, I know I repeated that. I repeated it because it is important that we get it registered in our mind that Jesus changes lives.

Many non-Christians think they should change their life and “get saved.” It won’t happen. It is impossible. We must “get saved” then Jesus will change our life.

If we have rested our faith in Jesus, we will start seeing His works taking place in us. It of course will start with our attitude. Our way of thinking will start changing then our actions will follow. Allow me to provide an example.

Prior to our being saved, we are like a dead body. We are lifeless. Upon being saved, the body comes to life. The arms and legs move. The eyes see. The ears hear. The mouth speaks. The mind thinks. The nose smells. The body and all its parts are in action in their respective positions.

Now think about this. Can any of these things happen without the body being alive? Do they happen first and then the body comes alive? No. The life that is provided to the body causes the body parts to react. Without life there is no reaction. With life there is a reaction.

When Jesus gives us eternal life we react to that life. Godly works are produced in our new state as a child of God. We start out as a baby in Christ and mature just as we do physically. The point is, if the eternal life provided to us by God’s grace is within us, we will react and mature just as we do physically. However, if we remain in our sins, living apart from God, are we really saved or just kidding our self?

I repeat, no Christian is perfect or without sin, but where do our interests lie? Are we interested in the things of God? Do we want to please Him? Are we grieved when we sin? Are we ashamed?

A true Christian will be miserable when out of fellowship with Jesus Christ. If we claim to be a Christian, and it doesn’t really bother us that our thoughts and actions are contrary to what God says in His written Word, the Bible, then we need to be deeply concerned about the welfare of our soul.

If Jesus lives within us His light will shine from us. It may be just a flicker sometimes, but there will be a light. Otherwise darkness can come only from Satan.

CLOSING STATEMENT

I personally believe that many of us are making real, legitimate faith in Jesus much too complicated. Believing in Jesus is recognizing ourselves as a lost sinner bound for hell; recognizing Jesus as God and the only way to God the Father; recognizing Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection; recognizing that we are given eternal life; recognizing that we are adopted into the family of God; recognizing that nothing will ever separate us from Him; recognizing it is all an irrevocable gift; and recognizing that Jesus changes lives.

Coming to Jesus, believing this in your heart is not gifts plus works. It is simply all these things and more included in one short phrase; “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” (Acts 16:31)

Grant Phillips