Loving the Word with the MudPreacher

The fourth of July is our national holiday, a day set aside to celebrate our independence from British rule over 230 years ago. Our nation has come a long way. We have surpassed Great Britain in every way. Our founding Fathers prayed before a God whom they referred to as “Sovereign.” Their allegiance was to this Sovereign God, not to the sovereign King of Great Britain. They refused his laws and the Revolutionary War began. America became a great and mighty Nation, yet this morning as I think about celebrating the 4th, I am troubled at what my America has become.

We have always been known as the land of the Free, home of the Brave! We have those words in our National Anthem. Are we really free? Are we really brave? All the revelations of spying and malfeasance by government organizations sends shivers down my back. How can we be free when the level of spying by our government touches the very keyboards we type on, the very cell phones we text on? Anyone brave enough to decry such indecencies is branded a traitor and pursued as an enemy of the state. A few congressmen show outrage but then quiet down as soon as they discover that the vast majority of Americans simply don’t care. So what is the reply I hear the most. Ho Him! Now who won the game? Tell me something really important.

I understand how the Anti-Christ will be able to take control. I understand how he will be able to control purchasing and travel. We will all have been conditioned into letting the government do whatever it needs to do to “protect our safety.” Every ounce of bravery that could possibly lead to a Revolution will have been sucked out of every American man, woman, boy and girl. Our government has become so obtrusive into our daily lives that we have sacrificed our bravery and our freedom for the comforts of ‘security’ and ‘provision.’

The truth is that this Sovereign God whom our founding Fathers worshipped is no longer important to the ideals and purposes of our National leaders. In fact, in the secret chambers, I believe Psalm 83:5 is coming true: “For they conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant…” The America I knew as a little boy is no more. The America Abraham Lincoln knew is no more. The America George Washington envisioned has vanished into the vapor of expediency, comfort and control. We have exchanged our bravery for comfort, and surrendered our freedom for security. We have sacrificed our Sovereign God to the control of godless leaders.

Is there any wonder that Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” I fear the only faith He will find will be the mis-placed faith we place in our godless leaders. Faith that has slowly, but willingly, given up our freedom.

Mel Gibson as William Wallace wearing woad. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As William Wallace said in Braveheart:  “Aye, fight and you may die, run, and you’ll live… at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin’ to trade all of that from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take away our lives, but they’ll never take our freeeedoooomm.”

Sorry Bill, but they have taken our freedom, our lives, our courage and most of all, our spirit. That fierce Revolutionary spirit that would rather die than surrender its freedom to tyranny has been slowly sucked from the soul of Americans. We may feel more secure, but it is a security that leaves us empty, devoid of character, resolve and courage. We have become a soulless nation. Happy (in)dependence day…dependence on government.