Looking Back - The Christian Online Magazine

The Christian Online Magazine -

Recently I have been thinking of the Twin Towers tragedy and America’s loss of peace and safety. I can’t help remembering that only a few short months ago, screaming across our television screens were live shots of planes flying through massively tall buildings, buildings that were virtually indestructible.

In my thinking I remember how we as American’s, were at our best that day, strangers sharing the same sanctuaries, the same water, the same sidewalks as they scurried to leave that terrible place of destruction with it’s burning flames, ashes and soot flying through the air. Strangers who didn’t even knowing each other helping to guide those less fortunate, sharing everything they had with them. This was America living up to her heritage.

The churches filled up, people got saved, the fireman were praised for their bravery as many lost their lives, policemen received their well-deserved praise for a job well done, the mayor was honored for his role in keeping NYC at it’s calmest in time of great turmoil.

All of America looked on that day as we watched the horror by television, then were told via the media of all the unsung hero’s who were aboard some of the planes. Surely there were many people aboard the planes and those who died in the buildings, that cried out to an almighty God in those last minutes for salvation.

Our peace and safety had all came to a halt. Suddenly, America was thrown into even more chaos, as we were plagued with yet another act of unknown terrorism in our mailboxes as yet another fear was made known. The anthrax fear was rapidly making it’s place in the average American’s heart until many were afraid to go to the mailbox or open a piece of mail.

I have since that terrible day on September 11^th, 2001 gave a lot of thought to WHY? How could a loving Father allow us to lose our peace and safety? What had happened that would allow America to come under such a horrendous attack? I begin to ponder on this thought. Have we always had it “too good” in America? Really, we have had it all. Have we forgotten God in getting caught up in things? Have we turned our back on all that the Father has put into our possession?

I thought of the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:29 and Genesis 2: 16, 17. They had it all in their perfect garden and yet they focused on the tempter instead of the creator. They didn’t even honor the commands that God had given them. They had a perfect environment, all the food they could possibly eat, perfect weather, perfect water for growth and drink; No wild animals, dangerous spiders or poisonous plants to contend with. Yet, they lost their peace and safety because of disobedience.

I wonder how disobedient America has been. We have had peace and security for approximately 200 years. Yes! We were bombed at Pearl Harbor (a United States possession) in 1941 and England invaded the United States in 1812 – But for the most part we have enjoyed peace, safety, security, freedom and liberty like no other nation has ever had.

No other nation ever gave it’s people the freedom of religion like America has, the freedom of speech like America has, the freedom of the press and freedom of the people to assemble peaceably like America has. America is so free - we let people criticize our nation that makes them free.

America has gotten her peace and security from God. Our forefathers in the Declaration of Independence used four things that base this nation on God. We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

They believed in a creator.
They believed God created them in His own image.
They believed that God’s supernatural act to create mankind should continue to be extended to every person.
They believed in absolute truth which they call inalienable rights or self evident truths.

Yes! America has turned more to God in these past few months. People are praying that have never prayed before. National leaders have asked us to pray. America has confessed her need for a Savior and her new prayer is “God Bless America”. However we have not seen America repent of her sin. We are scared, but not enough to tell God we are sorry for taking prayer out of schools. We are not sorry enough to stop Hollywood and Television from ridiculing our God. Are we sorry enough for allowing media, entertainers, musicians and politicians to take His name in vain? Have we yet confessed our sorrow in the fact that we are still allowing young lives to be destroyed everyday through the Abortion Clinics in the United States of America?

Is America turning away or toward a loving God who has given her everything? You decide! Has the enemy deceived our country just as our forefathers were deceived? When the serpent was tempting Eve in the garden, Adam was by her side and yet he committed the sin of silence as he did nothing to stop this sin from happening. Many times we see the sin of silence in people’s lives and maybe we have been turning a deaf ear to it among our national leaders. I ask you the question today. Have you always spoken your heart? Have you always voted your conscience at the polls? Satan hit Eve with a full broad side attack and she fell victim to his devices.

The bible speaks about the three weaknesses of man, “The lust of the flesh”, “The lust of the eye” and the “Pride of Life”. The serpent used all of these in his conversation with Eve.

I John 2:15-16 – If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world.

Notice how these three areas of temptation applied to Eve.

First the lust of the flesh (Gen. 2:6) the woman saw that the tree was good for food.
Second the lust of the eyes – the woman saw that it was pleasant to the eyes. (Gen. 3:16)
Third the pride of life – The woman saw.... A tree to be desired to make one wise. (Gen. 3:6)

Has America been focused more on the tempter than on Almighty God? What has been the predominant temptation that has drawn America away from God? She has been tempted by the lust of the flesh. We have sex running rampant on the Internet, X-rated film from Hollywood and Theaters, More explicit sex on Television, Magazines such as Penthouse, Hustler and Playboy. There is so much sex everywhere that is almost impossible to stay pure and clean before God. We see sex advertising almost every item on television that our young people watch.

America is guilty of the lust of the eye. This is the desire for things. One of the greatest blessings of America is her financial wealth, however it is also one of her greatest weaknesses. We must have the latest toy, the latest car, the biggest house, the largest screen television and the latest electronic toy. We must have bigger vacations and more expensive trips. We are a nation consumed with making more money, spending more money, enjoying more money and loving more money. We are a nation that lives for money.

I Timothy 6:10 – The love of money is the root of all evil.

America is focused on the pride of life and how is this America’s sin? We teach our young people “I’m OK, you’re OK – we teach them to find themselves to be strong, to look out for number one. What ever happened to denying ourselves in meekness and humility.

Adam and Eve had forgotten the commands God gave them. (Gen.3: 15) and the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to dress it and keep it. Adam had a two-fold job – first he was to dress the garden. In other words he was to prune the trees so they would grow, pick the fruit and nurture the garden – second he was to keep the garden. Did that mean to keep out weeds, animals, etc? I don’t think that’s what God meant at all. I think that Adam was to be spiritually aware – he was to be aware of Lucifer who had tried to rule heaven and now he would come down and try to rule the garden. It meant that Adam was to keep the garden from spiritual harm.

When Satan came down in the form of a serpent, Adam should have taken the initiative to keep the garden. Adam did nothing to keep his garden safe. There is no record that Adam gave any resistance to the serpent when he entered the garden, there is no record that Adam did anything to obey the command given him by God.

What has my generation done? At the end of World War II when my generation entered adulthood – we were without a doubt, one of the greatest Nations to ever be conceived upon the earth. We lived when the United States was at her pinnacle. We had fought the greatest enemies, Germany, Japan and Italy and won. We had invented more technology to give us a better way of life than ever. We made more money and gave more away to missions than any previous generation in the history of Christianity. We gave our young people the best education in the history of the world. We had the best highways, the best airplanes, the best kitchens for our wives that money could buy. We had the best means of communication, the best entertainment, we had the best of everything, but have we protected it?

Satan seemed to corrupt every good thing we have had. God gave us music to praise him with – but we wanted Rock and Roll. He gave us media to communicate the gospel with – but we used it to communicate sin and corruption and to destroy the Christian way of life. God gave us money, a life of ease but we have become soft. The church has become powerless and the Nation seems to have lost her bearings.

A few blocks from the World Trade Center there is a small Assembly of God Church who did something that stands out in my mind today. When the people were running for their lives from the trade center, this young Pentecostal preacher grabbed a bullhorn and charged out into the streets of New York preaching through the bullhorn “Turn to God”! He filled his church with the medical needy, not only his credit card, but all the members who were at the church spent everything they had providing necessities for the needy. What he did is what we must do. We must give everything to God. We must call people to turn to God.

II 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.