What are U.S. Christians doing today?

It’s really easy today as a Christian to look around at our great nation and see things that happened in the last eight to 12 years that go against the very gospel of Christ. But really it started before that, although possibly not as noticeable.

If we go back a few years and take a look, say 50 to 60 years, I can relate to that because in the mid-1950,s I attended grade school in a one-room country schoolhouse — nine grades, one teacher. I still remember the traveling minister who would come once a month into our classroom and teach about Jesus, and no one objected. Also I remember that in the farm communities in rural Michigan, there seemed to be a church roughly every 12 miles or so. That meant that in times past, a horse and buggy could make it to church on Sunday in an hour so and people could attend. Now, everybody wasn’t a Christian, but I believe they had been taught about the 10 Commandments and they had heard about Jesus’ saving grace.

Creation was still taught in the schools. In high school, I went to Bible study during lunch break.

In grade school, I remember my ear being twisted a few times by the teacher or a ruler striking the top of my head when I was younger. But you know what? I deserved it. I learned by the time I got into my higher grades to be a better student. I don’t remember many spankings at home; although I did get some and I knew I didn’t like them. After that, when I was corrected verbally I made the necessary adjustments.

What has happened in our God-fearing country? Did it start before prayer was taken out of the schools?

I cannot answer that, but that is a good place to start looking. As Christians, we should have filled the streets to show that was unacceptable at the time that it was brought up before our leaders. When those in Hollywood started pushing their perverted agendas on TV and in the movies, we all should have stood up and been counted, and adamantly resisted. Nowadays, Jesus’ name is used on secular television and movies, but mostly it is used inappropriately as a curse word. There are world religions that would riot and destroy if you were to use their dead god’s name in vain.

As Christians, I don’t believe that we should accept the direction that this nation is headed when it goes against the Bible, I firmly believe that if we unite in prayer and stand against the advancement of Satan’s tactics we can be victorious.

People like to pray “God’s will be done.” That is scriptural, but let’s be specific when we pray for our nation. Remember, Jesus came to give life and give life more abundantly, and Satan came to rob, steal and destroy.

What is happening in United States of America right now?

We are being robbed of our Christian privileges under the overused term “division of church and state.” No, I am no militant, I’m just trying to make an emphasis that the followers of Jesus Christ should get serious about praying continuously to God the father for our nation. We must take the word of God and understand that we have that authority in the name of Jesus, to bind, to resist, to stop the adversary’s advancement in our nation.

There are Christian leaders in our country, hold them up in prayer, pray for all leaders in our nation.

First Timothy 2:1-2 says, “first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for Kings and all other who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.”

Remember, we are Christ’s ambassadors here on earth. We need to get it in our heart and our innermost being that when we pray God will answer those prayers we have requested.

The word of God says pray without ceasing, our country needs it.

Lavon Barve works with Cup of Life Ministry in Wasilla.

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