By Phil Sanders
Perhaps you’ve felt like Rip Van Winkle, who slept for twenty years and woke up to find his world had changed drastically. At one time the morals of this country were strong, and people were God-fearing. Today the moral fiber of our country is coming apart. No subject is too crude or immoral to keep from exploring it on television. The preachers of our day have been told to stop the hate speech, and most people no longer blush at anything. Our schools can no longer talk about God, parents can no longer discipline kids, and more than 42 million unborn children have been aborted since Roe vs. Wade.
Societies throughout history have shown they can change. Within a generation, a nation can revolutionize its thinking and its morals for better or for worse. When Jacob and his sons went into Egypt, Joseph ruled with Pharaoh and life was good. Exodus 1:8 says, “Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” He enslaved Israel and made their lives very miserable and bitter with their tasks. Life changed in such a short time.
Many years later Joshua led the armies to conquer the Promised Land. Judges 2:7 says, “the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua.” But after Joshua and those elders died, Judges 2:10 says, “there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.” The difference here was a generation that did not know the Lord. Could that be what has happened in our day—we don’t know the Lord?
Each generation is just one generation away from apostasy—that is, falling away from the Living God! We must wonder how so many changes have taken place in America in the last 35 years. Today in America, more marriages end in divorce than death. There are more than a million abortions and more than a million babies born out of wedlock each year. Some are demanding same-sex marriages. Televisions are filled with nudity and gross profanity. Christianity is the most slandered and “persecuted” religion in America.
By a 3-to-1 margin (64% vs. 22%) American adults say truth is always relative to the person and their situation. Most base their beliefs more on their feelings than on what the Bible says. Moral confusion fills our society.
Fran Sciacca in his book Generation at Risk, tells of the four sets of moral standards our country has embraced over the last 150 years. These changes are remarkable and alarming.
First, there was Biblical Morality (1800s-early 1900s). People said, “Certain things are right and wrong, and I know why.”
Second, from the 1900-1950s, there was Abiblical Morality, morality based on things other than the Bible. People said, “Certain things are right and wrong, but I don’t know why.”
Third, In the 1960s and early 1970s, Immorality became acceptable and was widely practiced. People said, “Certain things are right and wrong, but I don’t care.”
Fourth, since the 1980s, we have had Amorality, no morality at all. People said, “There’s no such thing as right and wrong!” Consequently, people do what they want.
In 1952 only 6% of children grew up without any spiritual training, but today an amazing 37% of children grow up without any spiritual training at all.
What can we do to keep faith with God and restore our country?
First, perhaps it is time we humble our hearts in repentance and ask God to for- give our neglect. God told Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:14, 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, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” A better world always begins with me, one individual at a time. I need to do all I can to straighten out my own life, to get myself right.
Second, we need to get serious about our Bible study. The best way to know God, to know God’s will, and to follow His will is to study His Word regularly. Luke said in Acts 17:11, “Now the Berean were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.” Rather than let soap operas and talk shows define our morals, let’s go back to the Bible.
Third, we must know who our real enemy is. It is Satan, the devil. Peter warned, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith” (1 Pet. 5:8-9). The devil has always been a liar (John 8:44), and he knows that if he tells a lie long and loud enough, people will foolishly believe it.
We are in a major spiritual war. Paul said in Ephesians 6:11-13, “Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”
The battle we are fighting is a serious one. It is for our souls and the souls of our loved ones. It is personal, and no one can fight it for you. If you do not realize you are at war, you will most certainly lose. The devil is cunning and strong; he knows your weaknesses. He does not fight fair. If you are not serious and prepared to fight, you will most certainly lose. He is serious and will do all he can to win! James reminds us,
“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:7-8). It is reassuring to know that with God on our side, not even the devil can overcome us.
Fourth, pass your faith on to your children. Teach them about the Lord and His will for our lives. From the time they arrive in the world tell them of Jesus. Paul said in Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Teach them the love the authority of God. Show them what it means to live the Christian life by providing an example before them everyday. Say no to sin in your own life. Say yes to faith.
If our children are ever to know God, parents will first have to know God and follow His will. We need men like Joshua who said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). A better America begins with each of us humbling ourselves before God, denying ourselves and taking up our crosses daily (Luke 9:23).
Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) was a French politician and political philosopher who became known for his book, Democracy in America (1835-40). After he visited the United States in 1831 he said, “America is great because it is good. When it ceases being good, it will no longer be great.”
The solution to our decline will not be found in more education, better psychology, or new pharmaceuticals. What ails America is spiritual, and the only antidote is a return to God. We need a return to the Word of God and to the blood of Jesus. Get back to God and His church.
Study your Bible, pray fervently everyday. Let God’s grace teach us a whole new life, filled with love and righteousness.
