America: Graduating from God? Part 2 ~ By Chuck Norris

There could not have been a more appropriate way to open this prologue to Part 2 of Chuck's awesome series, "America: Graduating from God?" and the related columns I have posted here last night and this morning. (See RELATED STORIES at the bottom of this column.) Chuck wrote: "Glenn Beck put it well in one of his radio broadcasts earlier this year (April 20, 2010): "I beg of you to help me get this message out … faith is the answer. Get on your knees. Don't let it take a Sept. 11. Please, get on your knees. I don't care what church you go to … just turn to Him." Here's the video of Glenn in that glorious moment:

Glenn Beck: Turn to God!

Video provided by rightscoop

Normally, I am usually posting columns on another blog (Blogging in Our Time 2 Escape) on Monday mornings. However, there were these columns that I found that all referred to our need to ask God for his help in getting us through all that is facing us at this time, and it is definitely the only answer. This all started with Pat Boone's column, "Can things get any worse? You betcha." Pat was right on the money, in my humble opinion. The things that are happening in this world are way beyond our pay-grade to solve... Or maybe even over the pay-grade of "The One" (You know who I'm referring to, right? You will know that answer when you read this column by Chuck!).

And then there was Greg Laurie's absolutely outstanding column admonishing Christians to quit staying silent. America needs us. I took his advice. Apparently, so did Chuck Norris! In this column, Chuck reinforces the need to make sure that people in America understand what gave our Founding Fathers the strength to bring this country to Freedom. Yes, he notes that Obama seems to be trying to make America a secular nation, and he explains, from the point of view of Benjamin Franklin, why that is the wrong thing to do.

I must tell you that I am all for diversity of religions in America, and we must keep the freedom to keep it that way. And I believe the video of Glenn Beck's segment, that you saw above, says it all, and completely ties the posts I've put on this blog today all together. This column by Chuck Norris is an excellent conclusion, too, as it tells us that the man in the White House wants us to believe it is all about Man's solutions, and there is no need for the Lord. It is all about Obama and the government to be our savior. And folks, that just isn't working out so well. Just sayin'...

Ben Franklin could have been speaking before the president and Congress today when he gave these words at the Constitutional Convention:

In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for the divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard; and they were graciously answered. All of us, who were engaged in the struggle, must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor. To that kind Providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need its assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, That God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?

These are three questions every Washington politician in particular needs to answer: "And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need [His] assistance? And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise [again] without his aid?"

By Chuck Norris

Posted: June 14, 2010 ~ 1:00 am Eastern

© 2010

Last week in Part 1, I discussed a series of evidences about how God is being omitted from American life, culture and politics. In Part 2, I will detail the No. 1 advocate for a godless society: our president.

I believe there is no greater proponent of disposing deity and godly influence over government and society than President Barack Obama, who is right now spearheading a purely secular progressive agenda unlike any leader since America's inception.

First, even during his campaign for the presidency, Obama sarcastically belittled America's Judeo-Christian heritage and degraded its adherents with trite remarks typical of any atheistic antagonist: "Whatever we were, we are no longer a Christian nation"; "The dangers of sectarianism are greater than ever"; "Religion doesn't allow for compromise"; "The Sermon on the Mount [is] a passage that is so radical that our own defense department wouldn't survive its application"; and "To base our policy making upon such commitments [as moral absolutes] would be a dangerous thing." (See the YouTube video below)

Barack Obama On The Importance Of A Secular Government

Video provided by godbegone

And gone but not forgotten is Obama's religiously belittling statement on the campaign trail in April of 2008 about many residents in small-town America. You might recall, at a private California fundraiser, when he addressed the economic hardships of those in Pennsylvania, he quipped: "You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. … And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion … as a way to explain their frustrations."

Second, Obama has already denied America's rich Judeo-Christian heritage before the eyes and ears of other countries, as he publicly declared in Turkey on April 6, 2009, for the whole world to hear: "We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation." (Who are the "we" to whom he refers? Would our former presidents agree with his "we"?)

Obama In Turkey "We Do Not Consider Ourselves A Christian Nation"

Video provided by Speakmymind02

Overseas, Obama avoided both America's Christian heritage and his own alleged Christian faith. He was proud to share, "I have Muslim members of my family," but avoided any declaration like, "But I am a Christian"? My primary problem with his choice of words is that, while building up himself and his leadership before the Arab world, he repeatedly belittled the country he led, and that is unbecoming for any president.

By saying America was not a religious nation of any type, Obama implied that America is a secular nation with a secular heritage, which is also an incorrect notion of our people and our history. Any of a number of statements would have been more accurate: "America is a religiously free nation – both people and government." "America is a nation in which we welcome religious diversity." "We are a religiously diverse people, in which the majority still profess Christianity." "We have a religiously free government in which its citizens are encouraged to practice their own religious convictions freely without federal coercion." But Obama used none of these or similar statements.

For Obama to convey that "We are not a Christian nation," intentionally overlooks both our religious heritage and the Christian majority still in America. He could have even said, "America is no longer a Christian nation," but he didn't say that – and even that would have been incorrect. How is it he could speak to largely Arab nations and refer to them all as Muslim, but he can't call America a Christian nation, even though Christianity is the religion to which the majority have always adhered since our founders started it?

By contrast, Thomas Jefferson, hailed as the great separatist who fought against the tyranny of denominational sectarianism in the state (and vice versa), nevertheless endorsed the use of government buildings (like the Capitol) for church services, signed a treaty with the Kaskaskia Indians that allotted federal money to support the building of a Catholic church and to pay the salary of the church's priests, and repeatedly renewed legislation that gave land to the United Brethren to help their missionary activities among the Indians.

Third, quite contrary to Obama's negative tone and sentiments about Judeo-Christian belief, in countless speeches over the past year he has sympathized and supported pro-Islamic theology and practice. The New York Times recently published a multiple-page report on how the "White House quietly courts Muslims in the U.S." Obama even refused to say anything when the Muslim jihadist and president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, publicly accused the U.S. of actively planning and plotting to stop mankind's real savior: i.e. Mahdi, the Imam that Muslims believe will be the ultimate savior of mankind.

Fourth, Obama advocates his secular agenda like other progressives because (so they naively believe) if God can be disposed, government is no longer accountable to a deity. In fact, in so doing, government vies for omnipotence and usurps the position of God. As Obama emphatically declared early in his presidency, "only government" is our savior. That is what's so disheartening about America's present political environment: The majority in Washington is truly convinced that more and bigger government is America's primary solution for recovery, future growth and security.

A clear example of this came out just last month through Obama's Faith-Based Initiative Committee recommendations. Not only is the federal government seeking to minimize the language preachers use through politically correct hate-crime laws, but now the feds are seeking to alter the message they preach as well – from saving souls to saving the earth. Obama's Faith-Based Council specifically recommends, "Bringing the power of 370,000 houses of worship across the country to the fight of climate change by greening buildings and promoting environmental stewardship in their congregations."

READ FULL STORY at WorldNetDaily.com

RELATED STORIES:
    Can things get any worse? You betcha ~ By Pat Boone
    Christians: Infiltrate, don't isolate ~ By Greg Laurie
    America: Graduating from God? Part 1 ~ By Chuck Norris

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Christians: Infiltrate, don't isolate ~ By Greg Laurie

This column, along with the one by Pat Boone I just posted prior to this one, "Can things get any worse? You betcha," greatly inspired me. I hadn't been using this blog very often, and I have many regrets about that. Greg and Pat gave me the ONE-TWO punch that God needed me to receive today.

While I realize that the political columns are great tools to help teach people what is going on in America and the world today, Pat's column was like a beam of light shining into my eyes from a lighthouse. I wrote the following in the prologue to Pat's column: "If God is not in our lives, then who - or what - will we turn to for helping us through these times? Just sayin'..."  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I needed to remind people the ONLY source of peace in our hearts comes from God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

And then, Greg's column (this one) comes along, and reminded me of why I needed to return to speaking up about the only Truth that will really matter when it comes down to it. As Pat said, things may get a lot worse before it gets better. It is my belief that there will be a time when people will have a choice to make. Will they be willing to follow a man, like the one that promised hope and change? Or will they realize that only through Jesus Christ will they truly have salvation for their soul? Just sayin'...

...but attempting to isolate ourselves is not living out a biblical worldview. Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? … You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden ... let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:13–16 NIV). Jesus used two word pictures: salt and light, because the world is corrupt, and the world is dark. The world needs salt (a preserving agent) because it is corrupt, and the world needs light because it is dark.

However, as we go out to impact our culture with the good news, we must also realize that, by and large, people are not always supportive of and receptive to what we have to say. But we must say it anyway.

As Christians, we may try to withdraw into our own subculture, but that is not what we are to do. The objective of a Christian is not to isolate, but to infiltrate. It is not to evade, but to invade. We want to influence the world – not have the world influence us. We are to impact our culture without being compromised by it.

By Greg Laurie

Posted: June 12, 2010 ~ 1:00 am Eastern

© 2010

A few years ago I arrived home to one of California's rolling blackouts. The lights wouldn't turn on. The streetlights were dark. The Internet was down. People in the neighborhood had walked out into the middle of the street and were standing there as if to say, "What do we do now?" There was no light anywhere. All I had was my cell phone, which had a low battery, but there was a little light emanating from it that I used to find my way around. And what I discovered was that a little light can go a long way.

We are living in a very dark time culturally, where a little light can go a long way. Today, an entire generation of young people seems to be adrift morally and spiritually. Research has found that most Millennials, also known as Generation Y, don't pray, don't read the Bible and don't go to church. One expert was quoted in USA Today as saying that if the trend continues, "the Millennial generation will see churches closing as quickly as GM dealerships."

Part of the fault lies at the feet of my generation, the baby boomers. We are obsessed with being forever young. We are the generation that effectively started what we know as the youth culture today, and a lot of us just can't let go. As Glenn Frey of the Eagles joked on tour, "Welcome to the Eagles Assisted Living Tour." That is pretty accurate. Their hit, "Heartache Tonight," could now be changed to "Heartburn Tonight." Our generation has gone from acid rock to acid reflux.

The baby boomers have been so obsessed with themselves that we have forgotten to raise our children in God's ways. We have been so busy rebelling from our moral upbringing that we have raised a generation that doesn't seem to have any moral bearings whatsoever.

That is why the Gospel is so desperately needed today. The Bible teaches that the culture will not get better with time; it will get worse. Despite the fact that we have increased in scientific, medical, historical, educational, psychological and technological knowledge to an astounding degree, we have not in any way, shape or form changed our own basic nature, and we have not improved society.

Sure, our confidence has increased, but our peace of mind has diminished. Our accomplishments have increased, but our sense of purpose and meaning have all but disappeared. Instead of improving the moral and spiritual quality of our lives, our discoveries and accomplishments have simply provided new ways to show ourselves for what we really are: depraved, sinful and wicked.

There was a buoyant optimism in the 19th century, a time Mark Twain described as the Gilded Age. A new philosophy for living was emerging, and everyone felt that as the millennium had just dawned, man literally would build a heaven on earth. It was actually thought that humankind would best nature, and even God, through its version of modern technology.

READ FULL STORY at WorldNetDaily.com

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God helps those who ... ~ By Greg Laurie

Commentary from WorldNetDaily

By Greg Laurie

Posted: January 30, 2010 ~ 1:00 am Eastern

© 2010


Some people think the Bible teaches that God helps those who help themselves. But you won't find this quoted in the Bible. In fact, it is not a biblical concept. The fact is that God helps those who can't help themselves. God helps those who see how radical their condition is, who recognize there is no way they can save their own souls.

The Bible tells the story of a man like this, a man who was in a very difficult state – a seemingly hopeless situation. I think it may even have been his utter helplessness that drew Jesus to him. He had been abandoned. He was a desperately lonely man, a man who, for all practical purposes, was an outcast.

Paralyzed for 38 years, he spent his days by a pool in Jerusalem called Bethesda, hoping for a miracle. All alone and in need, he was surrounded by people who were blind, lame and paralyzed. Each were waiting for the stirring of the water – believed to be the work of an angel – because the first one to step into the pool would be healed.

Perhaps the night before, this man had offered up a prayer to God. Maybe he prayed, "Lord, if you would just help me be the first one into the water when the angel stirs it up, I would be so grateful." Little did he realize that God himself would come in human form and give him far more than what he asked for. Instead of sending an angel to stir up the waters, God was about to stir up his life – not just physically, but – more importantly – spiritually. The Bible tells us that God is able to do above and beyond that which we could ask or think (see Ephesians 3:20). And that is what happened in this man's life.

The Bible says that "Jesus saw him lying there" (John 5:6 NIV). What I find interesting is that he wasn't the only person there at the pool. There were a lot of people. But we don't read that Jesus saw them. The Bible says that Jesus saw him. And that is important to realize, because when God looks into a crowd of people, he sees you. He sees you as an individual, just like he saw this man. In the midst of all this activity Jesus had time for an individual whom he knew by name.

Then Jesus asked him – and in a broad sense, all of us – a poignant question: "Do you want to get well?" (verse 6 NIV). Or to expand the question, "Do you want to change your life?" Jesus was essentially asking, "Are you willing to put yourself, just as you are, in my hands? Are you ready for me to do for you what you are unable to do for yourself?"

Now this may seem like a strange question. We might think, What kind of thing is that to ask a guy who is paralyzed and unable to move? Of course he wants to be made well. But not everyone wants to change. Not every drug addict wants to be free from the power of drugs. Not every immoral person wants to be a moral person. Not every person who has chosen a certain lifestyle wants to break free from it. So it is a valid question: Do you want to change your life?

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The real beginning of Christmas ~ By Greg Laurie

Commentary from WorldNetDaily

By Greg Laurie

Posted: December 19, 2009 ~ 1:00 am Eastern

© 2009


How often do you look at your watch in a given day? Or check the time? Or ask someone else what time it is? Why do we do that? We do it because we govern our lives by time. There is a time that we get up in the morning. There is a time when we go to work or school. There is a time when we go home. There is a time when we go to bed and when we get up the next morning and repeat the process. We live our lives by the clock, and we have a constant awareness of time.

According to the Bible, we even live our lives for a certain period of time – not a moment longer and not a moment shorter. You can eat free-range chicken and organic vegetables and use all of the lotions and potions and special vitamins available, but you will not live one day longer than God wants you to live. Nor will you live one day shorter. The Bible says, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die" (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 NIV).

As one person said, "Men talk of killing time while time quietly kills them." The problem is that we spend a lot of our lives doing things we would rather not be doing. We have control over some of these things, but not all of them. For example, the average American will spend six months of their lives sitting at traffic lights, one year searching desk clutter for misplaced objects, five years waiting in lines, three years in meetings and eight months opening junk mail.

As C. S. Lewis said, "The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."

We live by time, while God exists outside of time. I am not implying that God is unaware of time, because He is completely aware of every minute and second of our lives and everything that is happening in them. But God lives in the eternal realm. Therefore, we might say that God's interpretation of time is quite different from ours.

God has His own timing, and there are times in life when it appears to us as though God is late, as though God is somehow disengaged and not paying attention. And sometimes as we look at the way the world is going, we wonder whether God is aware of what it is like right now.

That is how it was at the time of Jesus' birth. Israel was tired of waiting. They felt it was time for the Messiah to arrive. They were difficult and dark days in the history of Israel. In fact, the time in which they were living when Christ finally came was almost as bad as it was under Pharaoh's rule in Egypt, because they were under the control of Rome and the tyrannical rule of the puppet King Herod.

While Herod was known for the great buildings he erected, he was also known for his paranoia. He would have anyone he saw as a potential threat to his throne killed. He had two of his sons put to death because he thought they would try to lead a coup against him. It was said of Herod that it was better to be one of his pigs than one of his sons.

The fact is that 6 B.C. was a lousy time to be living in Judea. People were wondering when God was going to intervene. They had not heard from him for 400 years. Not a single prophet had delivered a message from heaven. There had been no miracles and no angelic appearances – only a stony silence from heaven. The people were probing. They were searching. They were wondering when things were going to change.

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