God may abandon a people, but He will never abandon His people

By: American Decency Staff

By Bill Johnson

Here are my remarks at our “Meet at City Hall” event in Fremont, MI.

The National Day of Prayer – celebrated all across this country in large and small communities, at the U.S. Capitol and state Capitols.

The first Thursday of the month of May is the National Day of Prayer.  Enacted in 1952 by the U.S. Congress, it is traditional for the President in office to issue a proclamation each year recommending prayer – as President Barack Obama has again issued this year.

Its origins date back to George Washington who referred to God repeatedly throughout his public and private life. Just before the Battle of Long Island on August 27, 1776, he told his assembled forces, “The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army.”

So here we are on this special occasion. 

In 2007 at a National Day of Prayer Event in Colorado Springs, Pastor John MacArthur gave a message entitled “When God Abandons A People”   – Dr. Dobson played McArthur’s message on his then radio show Focus on the Family. 

When God Abandons a People.  McArthur was making the case that America long ago had turned its back upon God.  – let me count just a few of the ways:  abortion on demand, (54,559,615 abortions 1973–2011), our airwaves filled with hour after hour of godless programming and millions of Americans – even American Christians who actually watch the programming; an expanding and rapid expansion of secularism, secular humanism, relativism; the shoving and pushing of the homosexual agenda by network television and the media since at least 1996 and more recently the immense pressure and indoctrination of President Obama in regard to homosexuality and same-sex marriage – a direct assault upon Biblical marriage.

Many times over the years one would often hear people asking this central question:  “Why has God continued to be merciful upon our sinful nation?   But increasingly in recent years, haven’t we all noted the changes – the immense changes.

Has God abandoned a People?

Years of rampant godlessness – taking God for granted, disobeying  – often times mocking – His Word, the Bible.

Our grandparents and great grandparents were faithful, but with each generation we have slipped to new depths of depravity

Application can be found in Judges.

Judges 2:7,8 and Judges 2:10b

And the people served the Lordall the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lordhad done for Israel. ⁸ And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years…  And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lordor the work that he had done for Israel.

And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lordand served the Baals. ¹² And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lordto anger. ¹³ They abandoned the Lordand served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. ¹⁴ So the anger of the Lordwas kindled against Israel,and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. ¹⁵ Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lordwas against them for harm, as the Lordhad warned, and as the Lordhad sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.

Consider the following recent happenings in our country:

1.    Abortion.  Kermit Gosnell. He built his abortion clinic in the middle of a mostly African American community. His targets were mostly unborn minority babies. He treated black women like they were cattle.   Quotiing the grand jury "When you perform late-term "abortions" by inducing labor, you get babies.  Gosnell had a simple solution for the unwanted babies he delivered: he killed them. He didn't call it that. He called it "ensuring fetal demise."

2.   Despite all of this disgusting/unspeakable news, President Obama accepted the invitation extended by Planned Parenthood to Keynote a recent fundraiser.  Standing there before Planned Parenthood, Obama had the perfect opportunity to denounce Gosnell.

But at the end of his speech, President Obama did something truly astonishing. He said, "Thank you, Planned Parenthood. God bless you. God bless America.  Thank you."

3.    This week, this Administration launched a major outreach effort to young, teenage girls. The Food and Drug Administration has issued new regulations allowing the sale of the abortifacient drug Plan B to 15 year-old girls.

Fifteen year-old boys all over America are giving each other high fives.  … "You won't get pregnant, sweetie — I have a pill for you!"

4.    Anti-Christian bigotry and the assault upon Religious Freedom.   Just 18 months after the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," we have gone from tolerance for homosexuals serving in the military to intolerance for men and women of faith serving in the military.  The Pentagon has released a statement confirming that soldiers could be prosecuted for promoting their faith: "Religious proselytization is not permitted within the Department of Defense…Court martials and non-judicial punishments are decided on a case-by-case basis…”.

Continuing:  An Army Reserve unit in Pennsylvania was recently given a briefing on extremism listing extremists groups.  Al Qaeda was listed fifth. Hamas was sixth. The KKK was eighth on the list and Catholicism was tenth.   At the top of the list was "Evangelical Christianity.”

5.    President Obama applauds NBA basketball player Jason Collins for coming out and acknowledging that he is a homosexual.  President Obama states that the country should be proud that young gay and lesbian people will have a role model like Collins “who is unafraid.”   “… Everybody’s part of a family and we judge people on the basis of their character and their performance and not their sexual orientation. So I’m very proud of him.”…

6.    Yet, God calls homosexuality an abomination. Man’s word vs. God’s Word.  The President’s word vs. God’s Word.  The attack upon the authority of the Word of God. The Boy Scouts of America succumbing to the pressures of declining spiritual mores all about them is emblematic of the decline of Biblical mores in America.

7.    The undermining of American security.  We refuse to acknowledge the causative nexus between Islamic supremacism and the terrorism committed by Muslims. . .Until activity happens, we take no note of someone’s beliefs … unless they are right-wingers, Second Amendment defenders, or pro-life advocates.  But once again, just as he did after the Fort Hood shooting by jihadist Major Nidal Hasan and also Benghazi, Obama notably did not describe the Boston marathon event as terrorism. Why on earth is he constantly reluctant to use the word? No matter who is found to be responsible, blowing up civilians obviously constitutes terrorism.

May God jolt us from our slumber in this late hour.

We are an embattled nation – not only from without but also from within.  We have taken our freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom to worship, to bear arms, our Constitution for granted.  But, most importantly, we are not a nation that fears the Lord. 

We are called to pass on – to teach, preach, discipline, train, love, stand on the promises, fight the fight of faith – not succumb to politically correct but look to God, look to God and His Word – to win the lost to Christ! 

There are those who get it who have paid the price.  One of my mentors has been and remains the Rev. Donald E. Wildmon, founder and long time president of American Family Association – also the founder of AFR radio.

He wrote these compelling, prophetic words:

October 1986

The very future of not only our society but the whole of Western civilization depends on what those in positions of Christian leadership do or fail to do.  The struggle will not be easy nor be won without great suffering and sacrifice.  The cross is still at the very heart of the Christian faith.  We must never forget that.

Our own worst enemy is us.  There is no glory in fighting a war, even a spiritual war.  There is only suffering and pain.  Does the Christian community have enough of what it takes to turn this tide, to stop the decay of Western Civilization?  Do we have enough Christians who are willing to pay the price, to make the sacrifices necessary so that they can provide the leadership needed in their pulpits, in their homes, and in their communities?  The answer to that question remains to be seen.  An in the balance hangs the future of Western Civilization

March 1988

Where are the good people?  They are where good people always can be found.  They are in their homes, churches, schools, businesses.  History has taught us one thing.  If we are to be successful in our efforts to stop the moral decay and roll back the tide, we had best not count on the good people.  If we are successful, success will not come from the efforts of good people.  It will come because of the efforts of God’s people.  There is a difference.

Hear God’s Word:   

Psalm 33:12.  Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.

Joshua 24:14-15.

Now therefore fear the Lordand serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.¹⁵ And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

God may abandon a nation, my friends, but He will never abandon His people.

Pray without ceasing – I Thessalonians 5:17

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