Will America do what’s needed?
Mark 3:24-26, “And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.”
All of us should pay attention to every word God says, but when God repeats Himself, we really need to pay attention. With repetition, He is emphasising something. Here, three times in three verses, Jesus tells us that something divided cannot stand.
First, He speaks of a kingdom, or nation. Second, he speaks of a house, a home, a family. Lastly, He even brings this principle into the spirit realm, telling us that Satan himself cannot stand if divided.
Regardless of your political preferences or your religious affiliation, I think everyone can see that the nation is divided.
I know, divisions have always existed. Jefferson and Hamilton disagreed on how our nation’s banking should be conducted, and differences in religion have existed since before the time of Noah’s ark. However, in America, aside from the Civil War, political violence was rare. Even though we had disagreements, we could live civilly, allowing the next election to decide the matter and often reaching acceptable compromises in the halls of lawmakers. When goals are the same, but there are differences of opinion on how to reach them, that is not division. But in today’s America, we have reached a point where all compromise points have been exhausted, and now two sides with opposing core values face off.
When we look at how things are going in the nation today, many wonder how long it will be before America has another “Ft. Sumter moment.”
In addition to the civil strife within the country, we are making powerful enemies abroad. It seems like Americans remember very well the German side of WWII, as half the country points at the current administration and yells, “Nazi!” However, we never think of why Japan entered the war. Faced with severe shortages of oil and other natural resources and driven by the ambition to displace the United States as a dominant power in the Pacific, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. With our seizure of Venezuelan oil, China is moving into a very similar situation as Japan was in the days leading up to its attack on Hawaii. The circumstances in the world are not exactly the same as they were eighty to ninety years ago. America’s military might is far greater than it was in the early 1940s. If our aircraft carriers were docked at Pearl Harbor instead of being out on maneuvers, the war in the Pacific would have looked entirely different. What will China do? Will it do anything at all?
Everything I’ve mentioned, most people see as political problems. Things that can be fixed, or at least put on the right track, by an election or a change of policy. However, the problem is that a low percentage of people have God in their thought process. On the surface, many of our problems are political, but the truth is that everything is spiritual.
Some will claim that since the murder of Charlie Kirk, there has been a revival brewing. However, I beg to differ. People in positions of influence, people who have cameras on them constantly, in positions that, besides an occasional “God bless America,” would never be heard of talking about Jesus in public or during a speech, are talking about Jesus on stage. This is a very good thing. Yet, sometimes in the same speech, or later in another speech or interview, they will cuss and swear, even use the f-word. If this is the true face of the supposed revival, the revival does not exist. James 1:26, “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.”
Vain equals worthless. If a person’s relationship with Jesus is worthless, then it is definitely not in revival mode. Some will say that a curse word here and there isn’t such a big deal. Well, if you are willing to set aside the fact that the Bible says your religion is worthless, then consider this. During Jesus’ trial, Peter denied Jesus three times. After the first two times, people were insisting that he was one of Jesus’ followers. Doing what he hoped would be positive proof that he was not a follower of Jesus, Peter began “to curse and to swear” (Matthew 27:74). A clean mouth, free of cursing, gossiping, backbiting, lying, and other evil speaking, is an excellent sign that the Holy Spirit lives in someone’s heart. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, revival cannot happen.
Because of our economy and especially our military prowess, many believe America cannot fall. Let’s look at that Biblically.
The Word of God is true. If our house remains divided, the house will fall. The only question is when, not if.
We are the most powerful military in the history of the world. We are well-trained, and our soldiers are brave and courageous. Our troops will take that hill regardless of the cost. Remember what we read in the Bible. The giant Goliath was killed by a teenage boy with a slingshot. Also, God used Gideon’s 300 men to defeat 32,000 Midianites using torches and jars. If it is God’s plan, the size of the army does not matter.
If we reach the point of a divided kingdom crashing down, how God allows it to happen is His prerogative. It could be an economic crash, a military takeover, a catastrophic natural disaster, corruption from within, or a combination of any or all of these.
There is light at the end of the tunnel. 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
The future of America is in the hands of Christians. The verse reads, “If my people, which are called by my name.” That’s us. To humble ourselves, we must admit we are wrong. Whatever it may be in your life, a condition of your heart, an unbiblical doctrine you follow, or actions that are unbecoming to a Christian. We must confess those sins through prayer, and we must seek God’s face to reestablish that right relationship with Him. We must turn from our wicked ways. Sin that is in our lives must be removed, not tolerated. Then and only then, God begins healing the land.
How much time do we have? God only knows. But how much time we have before the division brings its natural result is immaterial. It’s immaterial because if we know that we must do these things, then why should we wait?
