AMERICA IN CRISIS: 8.27.22 - Nation Aflame

 NationAflame By Hal Lindsey Angry? Who isn’t? We all see what Putin continues to do in Ukraine, and that nations like China continue to make it possible. Anger seems like a reasonable response. When you see the fear and confusion being sown into youngchildren around the world, does it make you angry? Of course it does! Some are outraged by the raid on Mar-a-Lago. Others are outraged at Donald Trump. Despite their differences, Americans tend to hold one thing in common — anger. For a moment, push your animosity aside. Take a step back from a media establishment that makes its money by making you mad. Whichever side you are on, stop and consider. What does the Bible say? First, the Bible does not condemn anger as evil in itself. Psalms 4:4 (NKJV) says, “Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.” Yes, be angry. When you hear of child abuse, murder, or otherinjustices, be angry. But do not sin. Set your thoughts on the Lord. Pause. Be still. The first part of Psalm 4:4 is quoted in the first part of Ephesians 4:26. “Be angry, and do not sin.” Anger can be a righteous response. But it never excuses sin. The second part of Ephesians 4:26 says, “Do not let the sungo down on your wrath.” Unrelenting anger will harm you mentally, physically, and spiritually. The next verse makes it clear that to hold on to your animosity is to “give place to the devil.” Think about that. If you watch late night comedians or even cable TV news commentators, you will find that many liberals and many conservatives have become professional “scoffers.” They laugh at their political opponents. They make fun of themlike bullies abusing another child on the playground. Psalm 1:1-2 warns against spending time with such people. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But hisdelight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.” Verse 3 tells how much better it is for those who meditate on God’s word than for those who hang out with the scoffers. It says the person focused on God’s word “shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringsforth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” If you want that kind of blessing in your life, think on the things of God. Do not “walk in the counsel of the ungodly,” nor “stand in the path of sinners,” nor “sit in the seat of the scornful.” Instead, delight yourself in God and His word. The NKJV and KJV use the word “scornful.” The NASB and ESB Bibles translate it as “scoffers.” The NIV and New Living Translations say, “mockers.” Proverbs 29:8 says that such people — the mocking, scoffing, scorners — “seta city aflame.” Our country is aflame with rage because as a nation we have chosen to follow the scornful. The second half of that verse says, “But wise men turn away wrath.” Your country, your friends, and your family need you to be wise right now. That harsh meme on Facebook may express your frustration and outrage, but is itwise? Are you inflaming resentment? Proverbs 15:1 says, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Which do you choose? We must criticize America, her institutions, and her leaders when they are wrong. But we can do so in thoughtful, intelligent, persuasive ways. We do not have to choose the path of scorn and rage. Our goal is to win peopleto Christ, not bully them. We want to persuade them, not slap them on the side of the head with “a harsh word.” Remember 1 Corinthians 13:4, 5, and 8. “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked…. Love never fails.” --------------------- The Numbers Tell Us That Americans Are Rapidly Losing Hope As We Head Toward 2023- by Michael Snyder - http://endoftheamericandream.com/the-numbers-tell-us-that-americans-are-rapidly-losing-hope-as-we-head-toward-2023/ If you have hope, you can make it through just about anything that life throws your way. Unfortunately, survey after survey is telling us that the American people are increasinglylosing hope. Conditions are steadily getting worse in this country, and there isn�t much confidence that our current crop of leaders can turn things around any time soon. In fact, most people appear to believe that things will be even worse in 2023. If thatturns out to be the case, will our country be able to handle that? Earlier today, I was stunned to learn that a brand new survey that was just conducted by NBC News has found that a whopping 74 percent of all Americans currently believe thatthe nation is on the wrong track� Nearly three-quarters of Americans think the United States is heading in the wrong direction under President Joe Biden, according to yet another bad poll for the presidentahead of the midterm elections. Despite grappling with low favorability ratings for much of his first term already, Biden�s popularity experienced a deep downturn in recent months amid growing pessimismover the economy. Now, a whopping 74 percent of Americans say the country is on the wrong track, while just 21 percent feel the nation is headed in the right direction, according to a new surveyfrom NBC News. And that same survey also discovered that a solid majority of Americans are convinced that this country�s best days are now in the past� It found more than half of the respondents � 58 percent � feel �more worried that America�s best years may already be behind us,� with just 35 percent thinking the best yearsare yet to come. Prior to the Biden administration, we never saw numbers that were anywhere close to this dismal. And even in Biden�s first year much of the population was still generally optimistic about the future. But now something has changed, and it isn�t just in the political realm. According to a new Gallup poll, the percentage of U.S. adults that are personally �thriving� has hit the lowest level in 18 months� The percentage of U.S. adults estimated to be thriving has steadily declined since it reached a record high of 59.2% in June 2021. The latest estimate of 51.2% is an 18-monthlow. The lowest recorded thriving rate of 46.4% was measured twice � first, in November 2008 amid the Great Recession, and second, in late April 2020, during the initial economic shutdown associated with the outbreak of COVID-19 in the U.S. So why are people so negative about things these days? Needless to say, the economy is a big factor. Inflation is out of control, the housing market is starting to crash, GDP has contracted for two quarters in a row and big companiesall over America are starting to lay off workers. But economic conditions aren�t even that bad yet. If you think that things are bad now, just wait until we get to 2023 and beyond. In addition to a crumbling economy, another big reason for the widespread malaise in this country right now is the fact that our culture is visibly deteriorating all aroundus. If previous generations of Americans could walk through our major cities today, they would tell us that our country doesn�t even look like America anymore. Just about everyform of evil that you can possibly imagine is going on right out in the open, and it seems to get worse with each passing year. Of course all of this degeneracy is reflected in the crime statistics. For example, consider what has been happening in New York City� Year to date, the top seven major violent offenses � murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny and motor vehicle grand larceny � have increased by 36.1%from this time period of 2021, according to NYPD statistics. In the past, criminals would generally restrict themselves to the bad areas of the Big Apple, but these days crime rates are actually rising the fastest in the wealthy areasof the city� Manhattan�s 6th Precinct, which includes the wealthy neighborhoods of Greenwich Village and the West Village, is seeing an 80.2% increase in the top, seven-major crimes yearto date compared to 2021. Crime has risen 65.5% year to date in the upscale 1st Precinct, which includes SOHO, Tribeca, Wall Street and the World Trade Center. There is a general feeling among those on both the right and the left that we are a society that is in decline. Everywhere you look you can see signs of this, and our quality of life is rapidly swirling down the toilet. As a result, our population as a whole is deeply, deeply depressed. In fact, it has been reported that over 37 million Americans are taking antidepressants� Whether or not more people are depressed, prescriptions for antidepressants have been on the rise. By our calculations, more than 37 million Americans are on medications likesertraline, escitalopram, bupropion, trazodone and fluoxetine. Many others try to drown their sorrows by drinking alcohol, taking illegal drugs or engaging in other addictive behaviors. If we are in this bad shape already, what is going to happen as we get much deeper into the �perfect storm� that is now upon us? In the months and years ahead, there will be global famines. In the months and years ahead, there will be more major pestilences. And in the months and years ahead, there will be more war. In fact, a top official in the UK is warning that members of the military need to be prepared to be sent to fightin Ukraine� The Army�s top �other ranks� soldier says troops must be ready to fight Russia � and should alert loved ones to a potential conflict. Warrant Officer Paul Carney warned that the UK military was now �shaping itself to meet the threat from Russia and was ready to counter any aggression�. The time had come to prepare �families and loved ones� for the possibility of being sent to the East. The days ahead are going to be incredibly challenging. But there is no other time in human history that I would have rather lived than right now. What we are facing will be the worst of times, but it will also be the best of times. All of human history has been building up to a grand crescendo, and we get to be here for it. So let us take a message of hope to a lost and dying world, because there are countless people out there that desperately need to hear such a message. --------------------- America�s deadly identity crisis - Bill Wilson � www.dailyjot.com On April 6 2009, Barack Obama told the Islamic nation of Turkey at a news conference, �And I�ve said before that one of the great strengths of the United States is � althoughas I mentioned, we have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation; we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.� He essentially said thatwe are a nation of people who do not stand for anything except for some undefined cloud of ideals and a set of values. His words underscored the drastic and dangerous spiritual and national identity crisis that America continues to face today over a decadelater. The vast majority of the citizens of the United States consider themselves Christians, yet many would agree that the United States is not governed by the principles of theBible because they do not live their lives that way, nor do they believe in hell, nor do they believe that parts of the Bible are intended for today. They also believe that America is the great melting pot where anyone with any belief system can come and callthemselves by their native land with the word American following it. In 1787, John Jay wrote in �The Federalist 2� what it meant to be an American. Jay wrote, �With equal pleasure I have as often taken notice that Providence (God Almighty) has been pleased to give this one connected country to one united people�a peopledescended from the same ancestors, speaking the same language, professing the same religion, attached to the same principles of government, very similar in their manners and customs, and who, by their joint counsels. . .have nobly established general libertyand independence. This country and this people seem to have been made for each other, and it appears as if it was the design of Providence, that an inheritance so proper and convenient for a band of brethren, united to each other by the strongest ties, shouldnever be split into a number of unsocial, jealous, and alien sovereignties.� In George Washington�s 1796 Farewell Address, he said, �The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotismmore than any appellation derived from local discriminations. With slight shades of difference, you have the same religion, manners, habits, and political principles.� America by definition of the Founding Fathers is a Christian nation governed by secularlaws whose origin was the Bible. But the Christian Americans have allowed our nation, through inaction and apathy, to become a nation with an identity crisis. It is our duty upon our honor to reverse this wrong. And as Ephesians 6:13 says, �and having doneall, to stand.� I keep saying this, but it is needed. We are going to have to stand or we will be kneeling to the god of government, if we are not already doing so. ----------------------------