Transcript

Welcome to another edition of the Awakening podcast

Bishop EW Jackson: Welcome to another edition of the Awakening podcast. I'm your host, Bishop E.W. jackson. Great to be with you again today. and as always, I want to thank you for your prayers, for your support, because we could not do what we do without your prayers and your support and your contributions, and in all the many ways you helped make this network possible. I am so grateful to God for this network because in my view, it is unique. We can come on and give you biblical worldview without apology, without equivocation, without fear of the network being upset because we've said something that offends people. because we just come on to give you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help us God, folks, there aren't a whole lot of places now where you can do that. They really aren't. So I'm grateful to God for this network. I know you are, too. So please continue to pray for us and support us in whatever way you can.

We just came through the 250th anniversary of our nation's existence

Now, look, there are always lots of issues to talk about, but since we just came through the 250th anniversary of our nation's existence, I'm going to skip the current events. Some of those will come in and what I want to say. But I want to talk to you today about the meaning of the 250th and our approach to it, because I really believe that we are, faced with two fundamentally different reactions, and they are grievance or gratitude. In other words, we have those people who are angry, hateful, bitter. They are American citizens, but they hate our country. They want to see it fundamentally transform. They think we need a revolution. these democratic socialists are arising more and more, calling for the fundamental change in the way we do things. Get rid of private property and take property from people and put taxes on people who are too rich. And I mean all of this. They're just angry, bitter people. Grievance. But the other response, and I really believe this is the proper response of the Christian gratitude. Gratitude. let me begin by addressing something that I hear often. And it really grates me. It just. It really irks me because either it is a gross misunderstanding of what it means to be a Christian, or people are intentionally trying to smear us as believers in Jesus Christ, but it's this. Our patriotism is idolatry. I mean, even Christianity today, Russell Moore has argued that churches shouldn't sing patriotic hymns. And, you know, we shouldn't be, so caught up in our country even. He's supposed to be a Christian too. Calling us Christian nationalists. Let me just address this. I hope in a definitive way that helps you because it certainly it helps me. I think you are an abject fool not to be grateful to God to be a citizen of the United States of America. And I think that you are a bigger fool to somehow suggest that thanking God, celebrating that praising God for that is some kind of idolatry misplaced priority. to me, that is the height of stupidity and frankly, spiritual malpractice for somebody who claims to be a Christian. Because look, folks, I'm grateful for the home I live in. I don't, I don't worship the home. It's a thing, God forbid. But if it burned down, sure, I'd feel terrible about that. But my life goes on because I'm caught up with the giver, not the gift. And the same God who gave me and my wife the home we live in will give us another one. The same God who gave us the car as we drive will give us other cars. The same God who gives us the clothes we wear will give us other clothes. But if I can be grateful to God for those things that are readily replaceable are, you, you mean to tell me I shouldn't be grateful to God for a nation that gives me more opportunity, more hope, more ability to fulfill my God given potential than any other nation on earth? And I shouldn't be grateful that I'm a citizen of that nation. I shouldn't be grateful to God that I live in a nation that is more prolific at sending the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world than any other nation that's ever existed. I shouldn't be grateful to be a citizen of that nation. I shouldn't be grateful to God that I live in a nation that does more for charity than any other nation on earth. In fact, almost as much as all other nations combined because we give at least 50% of all the charity that goes for international missions, International rescue, international relief. 50% of that money comes from the United States of America. That means we, we as one nation, 4% of the population give as much as all the other nations combined. And I shouldn't be grateful that I'm part of a nation. I'm citizen of a nation with that wonderful charitable spirit. Well, for the people who Attack us and accuse us. Oh, you're a patriot. As Sunny Hostin said recently. You, know, she sees a bunch of flags and it makes her fearful and uncomfortable. And she associates the flag with white supremacy because some people have appropriated it. You know, I want to, you know, I want to talk to her and say, you're the one who's appropriating it. You're the one who's saying that because you're ignoring all the veterans who honor that flag because we served under that flag or fought under that flag. You're ignoring all the people who, like me, began with nothing. And God blessed me to live a prosperous, joyful, meaningful life from a broken home in foster care. And it would only have been possible in this great nation where there's so much freedom and so much opportunity that a kid born to a father with a sixth grade education could end up graduating from college and going on to Harvard Law School. My story is an American story. That flag represents that story. And that hope, she's completely ignoring that. And you could tell that story millions of times, and people could tell it from all kinds of backgrounds, all ethnicities, all ancestral origins, could tell the American story of having come from nowhere or come from nothing, or come from dangerous circumstances or difficult circumstances and having risen to a life of meaning and purpose and prosperity and hope, and we shouldn't be grateful for that. So those people, particularly the ones who call themselves Christians, who think, well, you shouldn't be patriotic and you shouldn't be singing patriotic hymns in church, you know, I don't mean to be flip about this, but you can just go take a, big, long flying leap into the biggest lake you can find, because I'm not paying any attention to that. And I'm not apologizing. I mean, when we stand up in church and sing, God Bless America, Land that I love, it's a prayer. That's a prayer. Stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above. From the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam. God bless America. My home sweet home. I'm acknowledging God he's the one who gave me this wonderful home. So, folks, you know, I've gotten to a point, really, where I've lost patience with that nonsense. I really have. And I, just don't intend to put up with it. I tend to speak up, not that I haven't before, but more forcefully than I ever have before, frankly, against this kind of pseudo, moral superiority. I'm, I'm above patriotism. I'm, I'm bigger than that. Yeah. What it is, you're. You're. You are perfect in great. And you're looking for, in my view, turn it around. You're looking for an excuse not to be grateful to God. And I'm looking for every reason to be grateful to God because there are thousands of them, but chief among them is being a citizen of the United States of America. I, will say this. You may have heard me say this before. Some people may find this to be a shocking statement. But I challenge anybody to disprove what I'm going. What I'm going to say right now. I believe that other than the gift of salvation through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, which is the penultimate gift, the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, that is the ultimate gift. And it may be distant, way behind. but I believe that the second greatest gift God has ever given to any group of people is the gift of the United States of America. I don't think any group of people can point to any greater gift that they've ever been given than a gift, the gift of the nation that we have been given. And I really believe God gave us this gift through the hands of our founding fathers. They're the human agency. God used to bequeath it to us. But I believe that God is the ultimate origin. God is the. Is. Is the source of the idea of, the United States of America. And I don't intend to apologize not one lick for loving my country. And I don't intend to apologize one lick for that flag that is over my right shoulder. And I don't believe I'm doing any disservice or dishonor to God in doing so. In fact, I'm expressing to God my great gratitude for what he's done for me. So we're going to continue to be patriots, we're going to continue to love this country, and we're going to continue to thank God for it. And we're going to continue to do everything we can to preserve this wonderful constitutional republic God has given us. Not a perfect country, no, but this is not heaven. There are no perfect countries in heaven. But I'll tell you what, America stands head and shoulders above every other nation that has ever existed. And I was thinking about this. I mean, Israel obviously is the second nation, and really the only biblical nation that God talks about and sets forth that he is the creator of that nation, both assembling the people and giving them the land where they would reside. You can see similarities and ready comparisons between us and Israel. But Israel is a biblically, set forth a biblically stated covenant nation of almighty God. But you know what? Israel was a biblical monarchy. When I say a biblical monarchy, I mean Israel was supposed to be governed by the word of God. But remember when the people of Israel first demanded a monarchy, God told him no. God said, you don't want that because you have a king. And that king will abuse you, use you, enslave you, enslave your family and so forth. And God said, you don't want that. Samuel tried to tell the people, that's not what you want, that's not what you need. That's not what God wants for you. But God said, go ahead, that's what they want. Give it to him. And of course we know that after Solomon they had a bunch of corrupt kings. Israel went completely into idolatry. Judah eventually followed Israel, the northern kingdom. Judah eventually followed. They only had about three or four decent kings after David, Hezekiah, Uzziah, Josiah, and there were one or two others, but there weren't many. Over hundreds of years, God has given us, even though America is not set forth or talked about in the Bible, but God has given us a constitutional republic. M we don't have a king. No matter what these idiots do, running around talking about, you know, Donald Trump's trying to be a king. No he's not. Donald Trump knows, you know, I know we don't have a king. We are a constitutional republic. And that republic and its sovereignty is in the hands of the American people. And the Constitution says we the people of the United States of America, the Founding Father speaking for all of us. That's where the power lies. That's where the sovereignty is. We the people. Why? Because God sovereignly placed in we the people the gifts of liberty and fundamental rights.

The United States celebrates its 250th anniversary this year

Free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, freedom of assembly, the right to self defense both against crime and tyranny, the right to own one's property and not have it confiscated by some potentate or prince or king. God gave us these rights. The government didn't give them to us. The Constitution doesn't even report to give them to us. The Constitution the preamble says was written to secure those rights, didn't give them to us. It acknowledges that those are rights are inherent in us as human beings, given to us by Almighty God. I tell you, I don't know how any American citizen who has any inkling of what we've got here could not be grateful and not patriotic, but apparently some manager. And that's one of the reactions to the 250th. Bitterness, hatred, anger. Some are indifferent, okay? Some, all they care about is a party and, you know, doing a bunch of drinking. And whatever they, whatever they do, it's just another excuse to have a good time. They don't think about the deeper, the profound implications of a nation having reached the point of one quarter of a millennium, the semi quincentennial of this nation's history. I praise God for the United States of America.

Donald Trump is the only president who will have been in office when America celebrates 250

I want to share with you, therefore, a scripture that I'm sure you're all familiar with, and I'll talk a little bit about the implications for us as Americans. It's in first Chronicles, ah, chapter 12. I want to read for you verse 23. And then we're going to drop down and read a couple of verses later on in the chapter. But verse 23 says, now these were the numbers of the divisions that were equipped for war and came to David at Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him according to the word of the Lord. And then verses 31 and 32 say this. Of the half tribe of Manasseh, 18,000 who were designated by name to come and make David king of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do. Their chiefs were 200, and all their brethren were at their command. You know, we often read that verse about the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do. Their understanding of the times and knowing what Israel ought to do meant they selected David to be their king and not Saul. So their understanding of the times was they needed a particular leader, a particular kind of leader, and they knew that David was the right man. You know, I said this. if you have been listening to, Pastor Jeff Schrieve's program, I substituted for him earlier, in the week, and I said this, and I had a caller call in and say, you know, I really believe that you just confirmed what I was thinking. I said, Donald Trump could have been born too early, could have been born too late, could have run for president at a different time, but God saw fit for Donald Trump to be president of the United States. While America celebrates 250 years, he is the only president who will have been in office when we reach 250 years, a milestone. I mean, who knows whether Jesus will come back before we reach 300. But 250 is under the leadership of Donald Trump. And I really believe that's a divine appointment. And it's because you and I and so many others who voted for him understand the times and knew what to do. Folks, I can't even begin to imagine what would have happened to our country if we had elected, Kamala Harris or some other demon crat who thinks that America needs fundamental transformation. America does not need fundamental transformation. America needs to restore the fundamentals. And I think Donald Trump understands that. I think you and I know that too. We need to come back to first principles. We need to come back to what this country really represents. We are a constitutional republic founded on Judeo Christian principles and values, the essence of which is that we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal and endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these, are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Now there it is. God's the one who gives us rights, and we delegate some of that, those rights and those freedoms. We delegate that to our government, not to rule us, but to serve us. A whole lot of politicians have failed to grasp that. But, but that's the truth of the matter. and unfortunately, there are a lot of people, sadly, in our country today who are either indifferent or hostile toward this wonderful nation that God has given us. You know, for those who are indifferent. Proverbs 1:32 says the complacency of fools will destroy them. Words, people being indifferent and apathetic. They don't realize that that's not, they're not just standing on the sidelines like, well, I don't have anything to do with it one way or the other. The Bible says the complacency of fools will destroy them. They're engaging in self destruction. and guess what? And the nation will suffer as a result. Because if the sovereignty of our country is in the hands of the people and the people abdicate that responsibility, guess what happens to the country, right? It ends up in the hands of the wicked, the evil, the people who have a, selfish power agenda to exercise control and tyranny over others. Our founding fathers gave us this constitutional republic with checks and balances, because as James Madison said, enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. They didn't even trust themselves. They made sure that power had to be dispersed and divided so that no one person or group could exercise absolute power in the United States of America. But if the people don't take our sovereignty and don't take our authority seriously, and we abdicate all that is necessary for evil to. To. To, What? For evil to triumph. That's the word I was looking for, is for good people to do nothing. And then, of course, the hostile people, the people who run around acting like America's the worst place in the world. In my truth tour, I address one of the big lies. There's several big lies that I address in some detail. You know, the Constitution defined black people as only 3/5 human. That's a lie. It's never been true. That's something people made up to try to make black people embittered and to try to make other people feel guilty. But it is simply untrue. It is. It doesn't even. It's not even close to the truth. But I won't get into all that. Now, you, If, if you come to. I'll be speaking, at Emmanuel Baptist Church in. In, Vicksburg, Mississippi, on June 20th. I mean, June. June is over on July 26th. and I would invite you to come and you'll. You'll. You'll get some of the What I'm. What I'm teaching on these truth tours to people about the nature of the country. let me see if I've got that here. Yeah. Emmanuel Baptist Church, 6949 U.S. 61, Vicksburg, Mississippi, on July 26. I'll be there starting at 9am and be there until, I guess, I think I'll be, teaching to the. Teaching the Sunday school attendees and then teaching the church later on. But we're going to have a wonderful time. But I'll get into all that if I do it now. I'll take up all of my time talking about that.

There are so many lies that have been told about our country

But there's so many lies that have been told about our country. I mean, for example, one of the things I talk about, I'm sure you all are familiar with. I was at a big conference and I asked people, how many of you have heard of Howard Zinn? And a m. conference with a thousand people there, only a handful of hands went up. Yet Howard Zinn wrote a book called a, People's History of the United States. And it is one of the worst history books ever written. Ah, a polemic against our country. And yet it is the most influential history book ever used in schools in our country. And the whole thing is written by a man, Howard Zinn, who was a self professed Anarchist and socialist, but he was really a communist. But he would always say, well, I've never been a member of the Communist party. Well, he was a Marxist and a communist through and through and hated America and wrote a book to help other people learn to hate America. And it worked because I had a guy in the navy approach me before leaving my church and told me that after three years of sitting under my ministry, he was leaving. A patriot, he said. But when he came, he just read Howard Zinn's book and he was ready to quit the Navy and try to figure out some, some way to help bring the country down. That's how bad that book is. So it's one of those books that perpetrates a bunch of lies that tries to get people to hate our country. And people need to know the truth. Jesus said, you should know the truth. The truth shall make you free. That's the scripture for the truth tour. You, you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Well, if the truth makes you free, lies put you in bondage. And why people, why do these books and these leftists and these demon crats, why do they tell lies about our country? Because they want to capture people's minds and use people to do their bidding. That's why. They don't want people thinking about freedom. They want people thinking about their dependence and their need to be rescued by, by these leftists who really could care less about their well being but need them to get and keep power. I said I might get a little bit into, the, the current events. I mean, this guy, Graham Platner, who, I don't know whether ultimately by the time you hear this, whether he's dropped out, but of course, another shoe dropped of a woman accusing him of having broken into her home and forcibly raped her. And now some Democrats who had endorsed him were withdrawing their endorsement. But the fact of the matter is he should have never had the endorsement. The man was an America hater. I mean, denouncing, a Purple Heart recipient, because he got wounded. Denouncing, white people. Rural, rural white people. I mean, they're all racist and wearing a Nazi tattoo on his chest. And on and on it goes with this guy. But none of that was, all that was okay because they were reading the polls and the polls said the guy could still win and that's all that mattered. But apparently now with this last shoe to drop, the polls are saying something different and they're trying to get rid of him just as quickly as they can. And Whether they'll be able to is another matter. But because they don't care about the people, they care about power. And they'll do anything, say anything, support anybody in order to get it and keep it. and they accuse, thinking of speaking of the Nazi symbol, remember that they've been accusing the president of being a Nazi and Hitler and all that. And they're the ones who are expressing all this hatred and venom against the Jewish people and against Israel. They're the ones who are going out holding these vicious, ugly, violent protests. They're the ones who are shooting Jews and attacking Jews and attacking synagogues. And they've got the nerve to accuse Donald Trump and. And his supporters of being Nazis. Well, their hypocrisy knows no bounds. But we should not be surprised that they're willing to lie, because as Jesus said to some others who were opposing him and opposing his truth. Remember he said to Pilate, he said, I came to bear witness to the truth. All who are, of the truth hear my voice. Well, he said to a group of scribes and Pharisees and detractors, he said, you are of your father, the devil. The deeds of your father you will do. He was a liar from the beginning, and the truth is not in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own resources because he's a liar and the father of it, saying, you are just like him. You are liars, too. And I think that's what we've got. We've got a bunch of liars on our hands. Will say anything about the country in order to manipulate the people they want to manipulate. Look, and here's. Here's some of their little pet groups that they, you know, that they use, that they manipulate or some of the labels that they use to manipulate their little pet groups. So with the Muslims, we've got to protect you from Islamophobia. With the homosexuals, we got to protect you from homophobia. With the transgenders, we got to protect you from transphobia. With black people or Hispanic, we got to protect you from the white supremacists and the racists. I'm not interested in being protected by these people. My country does not. In fact, I need to be protected from them. As I told you, I travel with security now because I've been threatened by them, but they want to convince me somehow. Oh, no. The. The real threat. Whoa. Oh. America is a white supremacist country. Well, that's a lot. Another lie out of the pit of hell. Are they race in our country? Yes. People of all backgrounds who hold some sort of irrational hatred of other people because of the way they look or because of where they come from. It's all the same thing, because complexion is just one iteration of that. But I tell you one thing, what I found traveling this great nation is, a reservoir of goodwill and decency and honor and love and concern and friendliness. And, folks, I've spoken in every state in this union, other than Hawaii. If you're watching me or listening to me from Hawaii, invite me. I'll come. But all the other 49 states, spoken in every single one of them, including the District of Columbia, haven't spoken to the outside territories of the country. I haven't spoken in Puerto Rico, or spoken in any of our other territories. But every state in the Union other than that, other than white. And I'll tell you what, I've loved every minute of it and met some of the most wonderful people you'd ever want to meet. I've never been mistreated. I've never been called out of my name. I've never been, It's been wonderful. The American people are decent people. I mean, they're not perfect any more than I am. I'm an American. I'm not perfect, but they're decent. You got, these people running around talking about, I see the flag, and I get afraid. I see the flag, and folks, I fill up with emotion because I think about those veterans who have died for our liberty and bled for our liberty and put themselves on the line, had to leave their families to go stand up for our liberty. And I think about all those people who have sacrificed in so many ways throughout our history to make it possible for you and me to inherit unprecedented freedom. Man, I love the red, white and blue. I love what it represents. Yeah, I get triggered, but in a positive way, in a wonderful way. I mean, frankly, I think about the flag, I start smiling. I really do. Because, man, I just think, wow, praise God. And I get to be a citizen of this great nation. You know, I'll tell you, I have, probably made a lot of people mad who hear me say this. But I. I say, you know what? I don't care how my ancestors got here. I'm just glad they got here, because they got here. I get to be born into a land of freedom, the land of the free and the home of the brave. You know, I say those early slave traders and the people who were engaged in that evil practice, and they weren't just Europeans. It was people all over the world who were engaged in that practice. All over the world. So please don't, don't, don't. I don't even want to hear these people somehow want to point the finger at America, like stupid Tim Cain, the US Senator in Virginia talking about America didn't inherit slavery. America invented it. And I think, well, you got to raise his IQ 200 points to get the dumb to say something that's stupid. Of course we inherited it. That whole generation during the time that our country was being birthed, that whole generation inherited it. None of them started was a common human practice to conquer and subjugate and enslave people all over the world. Don't point the finger at my country. Oh, that's America's original sin. Well, that's weird. That's like saying my sin is the original sin. No, Adams and Eve was the original. I inherited sin from them. But thank God for Jesus Christ, because I've inherited righteousness from him. For he who knew no sin was made to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Hallelujah. There is now therefore, no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. Let me stop before I preach. Well, look, and you know these negative people, these naysayers, these people who are hostile, these people whose whole lives are caught up in grievance. And some of these people are fabulously wealthy, live in mansions, driving quarter of a million dollar cars and wearing the most expensive designer clothes. And they're whining about, my rights are being taken away while they stand on a major platform speaking to the entire country and the world. They're whining about how their rights are taken away. And these are the same people who celebrate denying an unborn baby of the right to live. I don't even want to hear it. You kill that innocent baby, you celebrate the death of that innocent baby and then want to whine about how your rights are being deprived when all you mean is you got somebody in the White House who you don't like because he happens to have a Judeo Christian worldview. That's all. That's all they mean. Look, I, would say to those people, folks, and I am not trying to be, nasty about this, but I'm being very, very sincere. And to me this is very, very practical. If they hate this country that much, why don't you leave and not come back? Really? I think all of us have enough common sense that if we were in a situation, circumstance that we just hated and just thought was just bad, bad, bad, we would take the option to exit and find something else to do. I tell people all the time, you know, if you're working a job and that job makes you absolutely miserable and you just can't abide it for whatever reasons, find another job. Don't stay around and make yourself and everybody else miserable. Well, if you hate the country that much, there are planes and ships leaving these shores every single day. Get on one and head on out, partner. And don't let the doorknob hit you on the way out. I'm serious. because I think if they're, if they're truly sincere, wouldn't they be happier? I'll tell you one thing, I would, I mean, if that, if I felt that way, I'd be happier to go somewhere else. And by the way, since they feel that way and they want to continue to push that nonsense on the rest of us, I think the rest of us certainly would feel better if they just stop and go somewhere else, you know, and go somewhere where you can brag about the country you live in and say, this is a wonderful place, I really love it, I'll be glad for them, but please leave us alone. I, don't know whether you have heard about this, but People for the Separation of Church and State. You know, one of these organizations that believes, that that old saw, which is a lie, that somehow the Constitution, Constitution calls for separation of church and state. It does not. The only thing constitute constitution prohibits is the establishment of religion. I am against that too. The Constitution does not allow any government to say, okay, we're all going to be Presbyterians. Church on Sunday, everybody. 10:00am Ah, we're not allowed to do that. We don't do that here. okay, we're all going to be Baptists, 11am Sunday morning. Everybody over there. No, we don't. That's not who we are. But the fact that our government cannot and should not establish any religious practice that we must follow does not mean that we should deny what is essential, the essential element of our culture. We are a Christian nation. We're not Hindu, we're not Buddhist, we're not Muslim, not. Our culture's not. We're not atheist. We are Christian. Everything about our institutions, everything about our legal system is informed by Judeo Christian principles. It can never be illegal to acknowledge that. And it can never be illegal for our legal system to acknowledge that, that, that is the nature of our culture. But you got these people who want to deny that and they want to basically sanitize America of our Christian culture, or they want to denigrate it's white Christian culture. Christianity is not white. Christianity is the love of God toward us by sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross for all of our sins, regardless of where we come from or our ancestors come from. But, you know, you can't tell these leftists that because the Bible says the natural man does not receive the things of the spirit, neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned. So they, they, they just, they can't receive it. Well, people for the Separation of Church and State sent out a communique in which they said, as we get closer to the fourth of July, the floodgates of Christian nationalist disinformation are going to open, a biblical deluge meant to drown you in claims that America was founded as a white Christian nation. Disinformation used to justify policies and judicial decisions. This is a sinister exclusionary movement that seeks to redefine America according to the Christian nationalist disinformation and then reshape our law accordingly. for example, this is what they use as examples of this Christian nationalist disinformation. We are one nation under God. Well, we are in God We Trust. Well, we do. I mean, look, I'd rather be one nation under God than one nation under the devil, which is what they want. And I'd rather say in God We Trust than in George Soros. I trust they said in the Founding Fathers that the Founding Fathers prayed at the Constitutional Convention. Well, this is another one of those instances where they just twist history. Ben Franklin stood up at the Constitutional Convention, said, the longer I live, the more convincing proof I say of this truth. God governs in the affairs of man. If a, sparrow cannot fall from the sky without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We read in the sacred Scriptures, unless the Lord builds a house, they labor in vain that build it. Ben Franklin said, I, I believe this. And I also believe that without his concurring aid, we will be no more successful in building this house than they were in building the Tower of Babel. Then he proposed that there be prayer every day because he said, God has been with us every step of the way. Now, I'm paraphrasing a little bit, but that's basically what he said. And the delegates said, no, but they didn't say no because they were against Christianity. And they didn't say no because they were against having chaplains. They said no primarily for one reason. They had passed a rule of secrecy when they started the convention that they would not invite outsiders into their deliberations or speak to them about their deliberations. They wanted to keep it among themselves so they didn't spread discord among others. And they thought, most delegates thought that if we go out looking for the chaplain from, outside to bring that chaplain in, A, we revealed the proceedings to an outsider, and B, we convey, well, maybe things are going wrong. And now suddenly they need a minister to go in there and try to referee. So they said, we're not going to do that. But George Washington proposed an alternative. He said, let's dedicate July 4, 1787, to prayer and to worship and to ask God for his guidance in these deliberations. See, they don't tell you that, and they don't tell you why they didn't have prayer every day. And they don't tell you that George Washington proposed something that all the delegates agreed with and participated in for the most part.

The reason why America can thrive and prosper is because we put our faith in God

Well, look, folks, we have a wonderful nation. We just passed our, 250th, and I really believe this, that the reason why we, as the United States of America, can do what other nations, according to Jon Cabot Grubb, have not done, which is crash through that 250 mark and continue to thrive and prosper. The reason why we can't do that is because we put our faith in Almighty God. The nations that didn't do that put their faith in idols, put their faith in the devil, put their faith in each other, but we put our faith in Almighty God. I said we've got one or two choices. The left would have us make a Psalm 9, 17 choice which is the wicked shall be turned into hell. And all the nations that forget God. That's the socialist choice. That's the Marxist choice. That's the communist choice. That's the godless choice. And we as believers, the Psalm 33:12 choice. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Not cursed with hell, but blessed by heaven. And that's the key to America becoming an even brighter shining city on a hill. That's the key to America continuing to be the the land of the free and the home of the brave. That's the key to America being one nation under God. Instead of a bunch of warring tribes led around by the nose by the devil. That is what's going to allow us to continue to be the last best hope of mankind among nations, the place that the whole world looks upon with envy and wants to come to because they know that here they will find hope and opportunity and prosperity like nowhere else in the world. And you and I, I believe, have a stewardship responsibility from Almighty God to preserve that, to make sure that as Abraham Lincoln said, that this nation under God has a new birth of freedom, that government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth. Well listen, God bless you and thank you all so much again for all that you do to make this network and this podcast possible. Keep it up. And of course we want the United States of America to continue to thrive and prosper. You know what to do. Stand up, step up, speak up and refuse to back up because we cannot be defeated if we will not quit because we are on God's side. God bless everybody.