What America Needs Today
By Rob Hood (09/01/06)
It can be said today that America is a divided nation, but divided about what? Once again war has been the dividing issue. The Civil War temporarily split the United States in half, but we were made whole again later after the war.
Wars do split people, families, and nations. Everyone has their own personal feelings about what goes on during a time of war, but everyone seems to agree that war is terrible, tragic, and at the same time, almost inevitable. Cultures clash, ideas confuse and anger, and actions often result in counter action.
It's more than just the war on terror that has America split right now. It's a combination of many things that has America in an uproar. Of course the war on terror is probably number one and both sides of the political spectrum seem to share their unchanging views on how that war should be fought. The left side believes that the armed invasion of Iraq and the ousting of Saddam Hussein has created more terrorists. It's hard to say whether or not they are right. Perhaps they may be right, but then again we are fighting enemies that have been around much longer than the war in Iraq. The terrorists that we fight in Iraq are from Syria, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, UAE, and numerous Middle Eastern places. Not all Middle Eastern countries view us as a threat but there are factions of radical Islam that view the West as evil and must be destroyed. PERIOD!
We are not in Iraq to obtain oil. That could have been done much easier and with much less time. We are not in Iraq to "Christianize" the Iraqi people even though hundreds are coming to know Jesus Christ as their personal savior now that Saddam's secret police are gone and the people have more freedom. We are not in Iraq to harm the Iraqi people. We are in Iraq because Saddam Hussein refused to follow resolution after resolution of the UN and that the UN was too weak and ineffective to do anything about it. We did not want Saddam Hussein selling biological and chemical weapons to foreign terrorist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Al Qaeda. The United States could not afford to take a strike from a WMD that any terrorist group would surely use if they ever got their hands on some.
The same goes for Iran as well. We don't have a real dispute with the Iranian leadership building a nuclear weapon because we know that the Iranians are not stupid enough to use one against us. They know we would shoot it down and deploy our own and obliterate Iran into dust the very hour that they decided to attack. The Iranian leadership may be bold and arrogant but they are not stupid. However, what if Iran did build a nuclear weapon and sell it to a terror group? What would happen? That is a dangerous thing to think about and it could happen. That is the reason we have engaged the Middle East so aggressively. We are trying everything in our power to keep WMD out of the hands of terrorist groups who wish to annihilate the United States, Irael, and our allies from existence.
Many feel that diplomacy is best, but I disagree on that grounds that negotiations are not possible with someone who wants to cut off your head because it will win him a title in the afterlife. Of course this won't really happen, but the fanatical Islamic extremists actually believe that if they kill Americans and Jews they will obtain 70 virgins in Heaven and obtain Allah's approval. That is indeed and sick and twisted way of looking at any religion. How can you negotiate with someone like this? It's impossible.
On the second front, the subject of religion has America split as well. On one side, it is believed that there is actually a wall of "separation of church and state". For the most part they are right. There is such thing as a separation of church and state. The state cannot declare a certain religion to be the religion of the land that everyone has to follow. Outside of that, the separation is a myth. The fouding fathers never meant for public prayer and Christmas decorations to be against the law.
People are divided because the right feels like we are being betrayed and persecuted. Day after day we see our symbols torn down, outlawed, and attacked both verbally and physically. Christmas time is no longer a time of peace, but a time of lawsuits and strife because one side wishes to ignore 2006 years of history and over 200 years of American tradition by replacing Christmas with anything that ignores the real meaning thereof.
The Ten Commandments continue to be torn down, evolution is infiltrated into the minds of the young confusing them about the truth and fiction, and our young people are bombarded by myths that homosexuality is normal,extra-marital sex is normal and o.k. and that abortion is a choice, instead of being taught about personal responsibility and truth.
What America needs today more than anything is Godly leaders and prayer. When was the last time you heard one of our nation's leaders earnestly pray for this land and the people? The prophet Jeremiah actually wept for his nation in prayer. When was the last time you prayed for our country? Today our country is being torn apart by strife that is totally unnecessary and absolutely solvable if only we take the time to get on our knees, repent of our sins, and ask God to heal this land. We need to be on our knees every day asking God to provide us leaders in whom He will be pleased that will do His will and that will, through Him, bring stability and healing back to America and put things back to the way we once were.
It's not exactly a problem what we need to as it is who we need to ask to help us. Politicians will not solve America's problems and surely won't resolve world problems, but God, if we ask Him, can. We need better, Godly leaders today who are not afraid to take a stand for what is right, and not be ashamed of Who allowed him/her to be a leader.
I want to make a challenge to those of you who are reading this. If you are a Christian I want to make a challenge to you. Every day for the next 90 days, I want you to be in prayer for our nation, our troops, the problems in Iraq, and our leaders in America. I want you to pray that the people in America see where we are headed and that we obtain God fearing leaders who will put us back on the right track before it is too late.
For the next 90 days I urge you to pray for :
1)more Godly leaders to guide the nation according to His will
2)safety and comfort of our troops in Iraq and abroad
3)wisdom and knowledge necessary to know the difference between the Godly leaders and the unGodly ones when choosing one
4)wisdom for our leaders both political, religious, and military to know what to do in difficult circumstances
5)for our president as a our political leader and commander in chief that he will seek God's will and not his own for America
Go ahead and take The Hood Challenge and pray every day about these things for the next 90 days. Prayer does work and it does change things but we must be willing to change our ways first and only then can our land be revived and healed. More than ever, America needs prayer. In conclusion I am reminded of a particlular verse in the Bible that speaks so plainly about our nation today:
If My people who are called by My name humble themselves,and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
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