Our world is an absolute mess! And the country in which we live is no exception. America is devolving into something that former generations would not recognize – And the speed at which this is happening is quickening. The distortions of morality, governance, and the family that are seen and celebrated in our day are grotesque aberrations and they fall far from the founder’s original intent, and what the Bible teaches. But my aim is never really to focus on social-studies or to get bogged down in politics – Political discussion is sadly necessary, but my calling is to teach and focus upon that which lies beneath it. My calling is to point people to the Word, and to the right spiritual lens by which to view these matters.
2Cor. 2:11 – “Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
But here is the real challenge, the spiritual dangers that underlie the issues in this country run very deep – Some of them are easy to identify, while others are more subtle and they have led to many people being ensnared by them. Any biblically sound person ought to be able to discern the truth about the “hot-button” issues of immorality like homosexuality, abortion, etc. But where most Christians have been able to rightly identify these individual things for what they are, they have been taken in by broader ideological fallacies that are far more dangerous. Think about it, for instance, if we are able (although it seems nearly impossible at this point) to abolish abortion – Has the real issue in this country been resolved? Of course not. And I don’t think anyone is arguing that. And we ought to do all we can to oppose such forms of evil. But we can’t miss the bigger picture either. The enemy might be happy to concede ground in one area, if he can win the war by our neglect or ignorance to the real fight.
Satan is a master strategist, and the game he is playing is multifaceted, and laden with many layers of deceit. Some people Satan already owns, because they are given over to immorality and faithlessness. These people have always existed, and Satan uses them without effort to accomplish his ends. But others he deceives more craftily. For those who are not so easily drawn away to immorality, Satan carefully crafts a moralistic seeming platform that would appear to oppose his agenda, but which actually serves his greater ends in the long run. One such recent example can be seen in the promotion of Critical Race Theory. On the surface, it seems as though this theory is about denouncing racism (which, of course, is a horrendous evil), but behind this movement is a misleading and corrupt ideology that has led to the division, downfall, and destruction of many societies. The scope of this article doesn’t allow me the time to go deeply into that right now, but what I want to highlight is the fact that countless otherwise moral people (and even “Christians”) are being swept along by this movement. They think, “How can this be bad? It is denouncing racism? Only ignorant or racist people would oppose this?” The more informed and discerning people can actually see the dangers and so they rightly oppose them. But only the fool thinks that Satan is done yet.
Satan will leave no stone unturned to try and drag all men under his sway. As I said, he is playing a multi-layered game. And so, while he is on one side promoting rank immorality and evil, and then on the other, he is creating falsely moralistic movements to counter those evils, he will also seek to influence those who won’t buy into either one. Thus you have the people, who loath the moral decay of the country, and who can see the crooked political maneuvering, but who still yet are caught up in the winds of chaos that Satan is blowing. It is for this last group of people that I am most concerned. Please hear my heart in this; because my desire is not to condemn, but to sound an alarm for the sake of those who truly love the Lord, who are being tempted to trade in Christ for an idol. The enemy has gotten so many to believe that Christianity is synonymous with Patriotism. And they prove it by how they invest their attention and energies. They are consumed and entirely absorbed with the matter. Several hours of nearly every day is spent reading the articles that fuel their fire, watching the specific news broadcasts that stoke their passion, and scouring the internet for more and more of it. O that they would spend as much time and diligence searching their Bibles! They have a vague idea of what America could or should be, and almost all of their energies go into researching, or debating about it. Surely, Christianity has a part in this America of their dreams, but the faith either takes a back seat in their obsession, or their Christianity becomes one and the same as their American Dream.
Sadly, for many of these, they have long since been unable to distinguish between what the Bible says, and the patriotic messages they hear and read. Because the sources they follow, have a Christian bent, and a Christian audience, and the people they hear often refer to biblical principles or actual Bible verses, and they interview prominent Christian celebrities, and because these sources insightfully oppose the rampant immoralities, as well as the falsely moralistic movements, they think that these must be the true mouth pieces of Christianity. But news anchors (no matter how conservative), and celebrities (no matter their religious pedigree), and talking heads (no matter how insightful) have never been the true head of the church. These others so often serve their own ends, and tomorrow may be found to have been wolves in sheep’s clothing all along.
This article is getting long, and so I need to come to a close. Let me end with this. Any ideology that replaces Christ and His Word as the great focus of our lives is nothing more than heresy. We cannot allow Satan to lead us to replace Christ in our hearts – Not with the pursuit of immorality, nor with moralistic movements, nor with patriotism. Php. 3:20 – “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” We can be thankful for the land in which we live, and we should speak and take a stand against what is false, but let us never make the mistake of trading heaven for America, or Christianity for patriotism, or Christ for any idol.
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