Right now, in my state, there is a battle going on for religious freedom. The majority of the other 50 states have similar state legislation in their law codex. For some reason, though, as Georgia has taken steps to incorporate such protection for religious freedom into theirs, the very forces of hell have arrayed in battle against the legislators' efforts. House Bill 757 has passed both the GA House and the GA Senate. It now sits on the Governor's desk. I hope that, if you are reading this in "real time", you will call Governor Nathan Deal's office at 404-656-1776, to voice your support for this bill. I have done so and continue to pray he won't veto it.
Why should we need this piece of legislation in our state anyway? Don't we have an amendment to the Constitution that specifically protects "freedom of religion"? Isn't it the very first of all the amendments written, over 200 years ago? The answer is that although we do have the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution, renegade courts in the land are making unconstitutional rulings which are abridging those very freedoms.
I'm sure that many of you, like me, get very disturbed about the direction you see our society moving. I hope and pray that your concern goes beyond wailing and "hand-wringing", which are of no use whatsoever. It is important to, as citizens, take actions to "fight" for our freedoms. Getting involved enough to contact legislators, volunteer in political campaigns are worthwhile efforts. There are other ways Christians can be used by God to "turn things around", though, and they have nothing to do with political activism...
We find powerful solutions in 2 Chronicles 7:14.
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Let's break this down:
1. First of all, the solution is placed squarely on Christians, the people of God. "If my people"... So often we, as Christians, say something like this, "Oh, if only we could have revival!" "If those ungodly people would just come to the Lord, all our problems would be solved." Surely, we want people to turn to Jesus. But, that is not the way to get God's attention in healing our land, is it? As the old hymn says, "Revive US again". Revival, a turn-around, begins in the house of God with the people of God. To be more specific, it begins in the heart of each believer.
2. Second, "humble themselves" ... This is a hard one for some of us, who are prone to treat others unlovingly, look down our noses condescendingly, think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. It takes humility to look honestly into one's own heart and confront one's own sin, doesn't it? So much easier to point to the sins of others!
3. Third, "and pray" ... A few months back, my church, which regularly runs about 800 in worship services on a Sunday, did an initiative to get 500 members to sign up to pray over the church regularly. I don't think we ever reached our goal of 500 members to participate. I don't give this example to condemn my particular local church, but merely to point out that American Christians are largely prayer-impoverished people.
4. Fourth, "and seek My face". How do we do that? Well, it's one thing to pray. We can pray for all sorts of things. The key is to discern the will of God as revealed in the Word and to pray in line with that.
5. Fifth, "turn from their wicked ways" ... God makes it clear that when judgment is falling on a nation it is because the people of God are allowing wickedness to permeate their lives. It is an indication the people of God are not walking in holiness. If you don't believe me, look at the Scriptures. God rarely speaks about pagan peoples - - they are expected to live godless lives because, well, they are godless. More often, He speaks through His prophets to address the waywardness of His own chosen people. In this Church age, folks, that is we.
As I was writing this post just now, the Governor held a news conference to announce that he will veto the bill I mentioned earlier. The crux of his reasoning was "it could not happen here, and it has not happened here." Basically, he caved to "the money", those special interest groups who argued that HB757 would cost Georgia millions and millions of dollars in lost revenue. This is a hard blow to religious freedom in the state of Georgia.
One battle lost, but the war rages on. As Christians, will you engage? Will you fight the ever-encroaching tide of godlessness, sweeping across our nation? Will you fight from your knees? There, we fight in the position of greatest power.
Father, my heart is heavy as I finish today's post. I trust in Your sovereignty, but I fear that we Christians have, again, dropped the ball in this specific battle. My prayer is that all of us will search our own hearts and seek You in this fierce spiritual conflict for the soul of America. Make us to be in greater numbers people of prayer, Lord. Root out the complacency, the materialism and the more flagrant ungodliness from our souls. Purify us, Lord, and then empower us to expand Your kingdom. May "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, in Earth, as it is in Heaven". In Jesus' name, amen.
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