In a little less than a month our country will be celebrating 250 years of its existence. I'm not sure the citizenry truly understands the magnitude of that accomplishment ... or just how easily that milestone can cease to advance. As a Christian, I am fully aware that the greatness of our nation does not lie in our wealth, the power of our military, or the strength of our government and political parties. The long-term success of a nation depends on whether its citizens and leaders possess and practice moral character, and whether they recognize that it is not man's power that assures their freedom and liberty, but God's higher power and principles that deserve their allegiance, obedience, and observance.
I believe that is the only way that 13 individual and independent colonies could have come together to defeat the Great British Empire 250 years ago and establish a nation that has been able to hang on to its existence for two-and-a-half centuries. But do we still cling to those ideals of our Founding Fathers, and publicly acknowledge that we owe our continuance to the sovereignty of Almighty God?
Do we still adhere to the sentiment that John Adams wrote in this excerpt from a letter to Thomas Jefferson on June 28, 1813? ... Now I will avow, that I then believed, and now believe, that those general Principles of Christianity, are as eternal and immutable, as the Existence and Attributes of God: and those Principles of Liberty, are as unalterable as human Nature and our terrestrial, mundane System".
Or can you agree with this passage from Thomas Jefferson's "Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVIII, p. 237"? ... God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever...".
And here is one more; a quote by Patrick Henry, Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution, from "The Trumpet Voice of Freedom: Patrick Henry of Virginia, p. iii: It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.
From the very beginning of our nation, we have stood upon the principles of God as the guiding impetus for existence. And as leaders, and citizens, we were not shy of proclaiming the authority of the gospel of Jesus Christ as our foundation. So, you can imagine my sadness upon reading that American Christians have begun hiding their faith from their public life! An article on the website Harbinger's Daily asks "Ashamed of the Gospel?" The Lifeway Research survey, called the "2025 State of Discipleship: Living Unashamed", revealed that approximately one in six Protestant churchgoers in the U.S. were less likely to discuss their spiritual beliefs openly and in public!
Scott McConnell, executive directory of Lifeway Research says, "Living unashamed is an indication of spiritual integrity. What you think about your relationship with God should be evident in the substance of your relationships with other churchgoers and be present in your interactions with non-Christians." I'd like to take that several steps further -- If spiritual integrity refers to how we live our faith in consistency and steadfastness according to our moral principles, why are our actions and beliefs focused primarily on churchgoers? A genuine Christian life reflects our commitment to living according to God's will and commands [as illustrated in the Bible], and to glorify Him before the world. If we are afraid or ashamed to proclaim our faith and relationship with Jesus, what kind of Christian are we? And how does that further the gospel of Jesus and the Kingdom of God?
If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels (Luke 9:26). Some will say they are not ashamed of Jesus, but are simply mindful of the offense it appears to others. But I ask you, "Was Jesus intimidated by those who who were offended by His outspoken faith and sharing of the Gospel? Did He put His own reputation and safety before the Father's will? Did He act and speak differently, depending on whether He was in the public square or speaking privately to individuals?"
I'm beginning to see that how we have decided to display our faith is affecting the spiritual environment of our nation. The Bible continually encourages us to "hold fast" to our faith, because first and foremost, it is an essential part of pleasing God... "I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return]". Our faith will not only sustain us as individuals, but provides strength and hope for our nation during challenging times. And these are certainly challenging and testing times!
Just in my lifetime, I have seen my country silence the presence of God by removing prayers to Him in our schools. I believe that this devious obstruction of the foundational connection to our Rock and Refuge has led to the loss of our nation's strength and purpose in the world -- and to the devaluation of life. It has led to abortion access and the murders of over 1,126,000 babies (according to statistics in 2025); a slight increase from the previous year. And the shootings and increased instances of violence in our nation have taken on new parameters that are defining the loss of our spiritual integrity. And we cannot ignore the fact that the world sits on the brink of nuclear warfare. I think everyone can agree that this is not pleasing to God!
When we give into our fears and remain silent about our relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, it gives Satan an advantage in advancing his plans to introduce the Antichrist, his final push to overthrow the influence of Jesus Christ's sacrifice for God's purpose of saving mankind. When we stop openly proclaiming our faith and testifying to the power and goodness of Jesus in our lives, we stop being an encouragement to people who are desperate for hope. We then contribute to the rise of the Antichrist to deceive the masses as he opposes Jesus, declaring his opposition to God's redemptive plan by falsely substituting himself as the world's savior before Christ's return. When our citizenry doesn't know about Jesus and His promises of Hope and Eternal Life, they will look to government to be their savior. And we are seeing the fruits of our legislators who remain silent, as well.
So, as we approach the 250th year celebration of our nation, let us be vocal, outspoken, and uninhibited in sharing our faith. Let the world know that the people of the United States of America still understand that our rights don't come from men (or man's government), but from God -- something that we knew at the founding of this nation. We inherited that understanding from our founding Fathers [as flawed as they might have been], and we will not readily let it disappear on our watch. We must recapture our spiritual integrity, knowledge, and courage by enthusiastically espousing the supremacy of Jesus Christ as our national foundation of liberty and freedom. And that means we must become unafraid and unashamed of proclaiming His Name in every sphere of our lives. In the words of John Hancock, the first Signer of the Declaration of Independence, "Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual ... Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us."
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
