America; Perilous Times Ahead

America, my beloved nation is in a moral melee. She has skidded off the runway of moral clarity. She has leapt over the precipice of moral restraint and is in a free fall of decadent behavior.

What kind in behavior? The killing of innocent babies in the womb. Rampant immoral sexual behavior and homosexuality that is now the "new normal." Violent street "games." Public shootings - malls, schools, theaters and homes. Widespread use of drugs and alcohol. Politicians and other leaders who ignore the people, lie, cover up their misdeeds and participate in all manner of ugly and shameless partisan vitriol...and so much more.

America has rejected and ignored God. She has removed God from the halls of government, education, and the marketplace. The church and Christianity has been pushed to the margins of the culture, ignored as an influence in public discourse, mocked and ridiculed as extreme. Soft persecution is here. A rise of more intense persecution may be expected.

For America, the train has left the station. She has forgotten/left behind the foundational principles and Biblical values upon which she was built. For this she will pay a heavy price. Like Judah of old, she will find herself in a "captivity" of her own making. She will find herself in perilous times. She will find herself dealing with the God who loves her and set her apart as exceptional.

God did not make a mistake when ordaining this country as a light, a beacon of freedom and liberty against the tyranny of kings and dictators. I believe that we may expect God to orchestrate all of our circumstances (good and bad) in His providence in order to bring us back to faith in Him.

When this beloved nation faces the consequences of her rejection of God (and she certainly will) she can count on the same advice given to Judah (Jer 29:4-14).

1) Accept your circumstances and your plight as from the hand of God. You may as well settle down, you will be in this place for a while. I would also add that she (we) should be thankful if this judgment is temporal and not yet permanent. So long as there is time to turn, to repent, there is hope. When permanent judgement comes there'll be no turning back.

2) Pray for the peace of this country. We must pray to the Lord for it. It is only His peace that will carry us through the coming storm. We must pray for those in authority over us. We must pray for our friends, neighbors and families.

3) Do not listen to the voices which tell you that everything is okay. I would equate these voices to the minions of political correctness. They wish only to push their own agenda, to neutralize any thought of a God who is involved in the affairs of men. Do not believe them.

4) Fully rely upon God, trusting that He will accomplish His word toward this beloved nation. His desire is to return us to a place of usefulness to Him. It is His desire to give us a future and a hope." He wishes to be in a love relationship with this beloved nation. One where we once again call upon His name in full surrender and repentance.

5) Seek Him with all your heart. Search for Him with all your heart. He will be found. He will make Himself know. He will once again speak and we will listen and know Him fully.

6) Expect God to return us to the joy of being rightly related to Him. He will redeem us from captivity. He will restore the prosperity and the greatness to the land. Expect God to gather us again to Himself that this beloved nation may once again be a light for freedom and liberty.

All of our hope is in Him.

5 Myths About Global Christian Persecution

Reprinted from Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs; Georgetown University.
Timothy Shah
Foxnews.com, December 10, 2013

As the world's more than 2 billion Christians -- one-third of the global population -- prepare to celebrate Christmas, a major conference in Rome will explore the myths and realities of global Christian persecution.
Not far from the catacombs where the martyrs of the early church are buried, dozens of experts will discuss why today's Christian martyrs — and other victims of persecution — deserve far more attention than they're receiving.

Most of these victims will continue to be ignored, however, as long as five myths continue to cloud popular thinking about global Christian persecution. Based on an abundance of new evidence, the experts in Rome will show that the myths don't stand up to the facts.

Myth 1. Just a phenomenon in the Middle East. The persecution of Christians in Egypt and Syria made headlines this year, and it was at the top of the agenda when Vladimir Putin met Pope Francis at the Vatican last week. But the fact is that anti-Christian persecution is spiking well beyond the Middle East. And it is spreading to countries known for their relative stability and religious moderation -- such as India, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka.

Myth 2. Christians aren't greatly impacted. It's widely thought that the world's Christians are mostly Western, wealthy, and powerful. And so the assumption is that the most serious persecution they are likely to face is a cold stare when they say "Merry Christmas." But the fact is that Christianity has ancient footholds throughout the world. Furthermore, its unprecedented global dispersion has spread Christians to the poorest and most unstable corners of the earth. And according to non-partisan sources such as Pew, the resulting reality is that more Christians face more persecution in more countries than any other religious community.

Myth 3. Ramifications are just cultural. The myth is that, whatever persecution there is, the damage is superficial -- more a loss of multicultural diversity than anything else. But the fact is that societies that systematically persecute Christian minorities are doing themselves major political and economic harm. They are preventing productive citizens from participating in economic life or forcing them to leave altogether; they are sowing sectarian divisions that undermine stability; and they are making vibrant, pluralistic democracy impossible to achieve.

Myth 4. Christianity has been a net nuisance, bringing persecution onto itself. It's often assumed that Christian missionaries and proselytizers invite persecution. But the fact is that Christians have made longstanding and unique contributions to their societies. Christians may proselytize. But even more often their faith motivates them to build hospitals, serve the poor, educate children, and aid victims of disaster. There is statistical evidence that regions of the world that have welcomed these kinds of Christian efforts have reaped enormous economic, political, and social benefits

Myth 5. It couldn't happen here. A common myth is that it is just fear-mongering to imagine that Christians and other religious groups could suffer serious restrictions in Western countries. Of course, Western countries have been free of the kinds of violent attacks on Christians and other religious groups that have occurred in countries such as Egypt and Syria in recent years. But the trend lines are not encouraging. Non-partisan sources such as Pew show that government restrictions and social hostility against religion -- including Christianity -- have risen dramatically in recent years. Claims of restrictions on religious liberty are real, such as those by Hobby Lobby and other corporations, which the Supreme Court decided this week to consider in the coming months. Such claims should not be dismissed out of hand but taken seriously -- precisely to ensure that the rampant persecution of Christians and other religions occurring outside the West does not come to the West.

This article was originally published by Foxnews.com.