Our Nation on Defense
Hi Friends,
I hope all is well with you and your family. The vision that I am sharing with you today concerns our nation. It seems that on every front and in all sectors of society, we are facing trials. It seems hard to simply “chill,” in our social/political climate. Seemingly bad news is the only news. We can only take in so much before it can become overwhelming. So to keep our inner peace and guard our hearts, we need to keep our focus on the Lord. “For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:5
We also know that he will be with us in our times of trouble. “No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:1
The Vision - George Washington
I saw a man, who I believed was George Washington. He was in a squatted position low to the ground, similar to a pistol squat. One leg was deeply bent, while the other was extended in front with a slight bend in the knee to allow both soles of the feet to be in contact with the ground. He held a rod or bow vertically in his right hand, with his arm fully extended. He wore a ring on the fourth finger. His focus was intense and straight ahead. He looked determined to defend himself, yet his body was in an unstable position. No one can hold this position for long. It is extremely fatiguing and he could easily lose his balance and fall over.
Just behind G. Washington were two young men who were not dressed in military attire as he was, but in casual civilian clothing of their day. They were both standing with their arms folded in front, looking on to see what might happen. One young man had a serious look—concerned for the outcome. The other young man’s expression was quite different, he had the look that said, “Yeah bring it on—he's going down!”
The two young men were in total opposition to each other, yet they were standing side by side. All three men were looking in the same direction, anticipating the attack.
I believe that this vision describes the social-political conflict that is in our nation is today. G. Washington represents our nation as it was founded, a republic with a representative government elected by the people. The Bill of Rights and the Constitution were created as a framework for all men to live, work and govern themselves while respecting the rights of everyone.
I believe that the Lord selected George Washington to represent our nation in this vision because he was anointed by God to lead our nation in the War for Independence and then to lead our new Constitutional Republic as the first president of the United States. He was a man of prayer who called the nation to intercede for the new undertaking in freedom, and who dedicated the United States to God, making a covenant with Him.
In his first inaugural address, he dedicated our nation to God and made a covenant with him. This is an excerpt from that address:
“No People can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the Affairs of men more than the People of the United States. Every step, by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency. And in the important revolution just accomplished in the system of their United Government, the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities, from which the event has resulted, cannot be compared with the means by which most Governments have been established, without some return of pious gratitude along with an humble anticipation of the future blessings which the past seem to presage. These reflections, arising out of the present crisis, have forced themselves too strongly on my mind to be suppressed. You will join with me I trust in thinking, that there are none under the influence of which, the proceedings of a new and free Government can more auspiciously commence.”
“Since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained: And since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” April 30, 1789
And this is an example of Washington’s call for intercessory prayer on behalf of the United States:
“Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that Thou will keep the United States in thy holy protection that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government, and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for the fellow citizens of the United States at large. And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplications, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
(Written in 1783, and sent to the Governors of all the States.)
George Washington experienced God’s divine protection throughout many battles, in both the French and Indian War and in the War for Independence. Some of his men referred to him as “Bullet-Proof Washington.” In the Battle of Monongahela the French and Indians were picking off the British and American soldiers with bullets flying every where. When the British general was shot, Washington took over the battle. Two horses were shot from under him and many soldiers fell around him. When the battle was over there were four bullet holes in his jacket, and a bullet hole in his hat, but he was untouched. Later an Indian Chief in that battle said that he himself fired at Washington seventeen times and no bullet was able to stop him.
Washington won the war for independence with his last two battles—the stories are truly remarkable:
George Washington Inspired by Prayer- Miracles in American History God’s hand was on Washington.
By this vision, the Lord is warning us that our nation is in great peril. The freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution have been undermined by the legislative actions of Congress and the numerous Executive Orders which have reversed the former president’s policies.
The agenda of the elite Left is to destroy American nationalism, our patriotic traditions, redefine morality, close churches, isolate people from functioning collectively, canceling conservative voices, removing our borders, elevating illegal aliens above U.S. citizens, and encouraging people to stay home and collect welfare instead of working. Their goal is for the nations of the world to be border-less to facilitate the unification of people under one central government. Their global agenda, supersedes our nation’s security and its citizens’ well-being. By sabotaging our economy, our middle class and our jobs, and by recklessly spending and printing money they will cause untold harm to our nation. Every decision they make is designed to destabilize our country. They release prisoners, they welcome illegal aliens, they encourage and fund riots in our cities, all the while accusing conservatives of fictitious “crimes,” to create a distraction from their devastating policies. They use the government agencies to abuse conservatives by bringing charges, costly lawsuits and endless investigations against their political opponents.
Returning to the vision, we see the ring on Washington’s hand represents authority, as the three branches of government are separate and having limited power. The rod he holds represents the power of the government to enforce its laws and defend its boundaries against foreign and domestic enemies. However, Washington’s bodily position is very unstable, showing that the United States is also unstable. It is very possible that the many conflicts, the dangerous governmental policies, and our foreign and domestic enemies could overwhelm our nation causing it to fall. We must seek the Lord and pray earnestly! Our nation needs to return to God!
The two young men represent the opposing polarized groups in our nation today. We have the conservative group on the right, which holds to the Constitution as it was written. This group acknowledges that we were “endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights: the right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” And that we were founded by God-fearing men who based the laws of our land on the Bible. Opposite to this, we have the left, which is Marxist in philosophy, desiring to implement a social-political system that controls every aspect of human life. Their plan is to take away our individual freedoms and national sovereignty, and move us closer to a global and communist society under one authority.
Our nation’s Christian heritage is seen in the Constitution and in the laws of our land that were created following Biblical law and principles. But with the concerted effort of the left, our laws no longer align with God, but now reflect the world’s values.
Today, the plan of ambitious men and women is to destroy our nation and to “Build Back Better.” To them, “better” means greater government control over people’s lives. They want to control how people think and what decisions they make. They will not stop until they reach their goals, because they themselves are driven by a force that is beyond themselves.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12
It is the sinful nature of man that causes a person to desire wealth, prestige, power, notoriety, and to seek pleasure rather than God.
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5
Every day the battle for control continues. The political Left who controls the mainstream news and two of the three branches of government fight to increase their control. They make every effort to establish laws that will perpetuate their control of the government. They do this by:
Re-writing laws that govern elections.
Diminishing the financial stability and size of the middle class, in favor of big business.
Diverting attention from important issues by controlling the narrative of the news media.
Inhibiting group dialog and actions by restricting group gatherings.
Eliminating the church’s moral influence on our population by restricting worship and gatherings.
Promoting a “new morality” based on New Age values, secular philosophies and Eastern religions.
Encouraging self-love and self actualization.
Encouraging indulgent spending for material goods and pleasures.
Discouraging marriage to reduce births.
Promoting the employment of women to reduce births.
Focusing educational effort on Marxist philosophy, and critical race theory, to cause disunity and subvert the belief in the American dream, which is available to all and achieved through hard work and personal initiative.
Controlling the planet’s population with increased wars, disease, birth control, abortion, and childless homosexuality.
Creating a defenseless population through banning the lawful ownership of guns.
Creating economic instability by reckless government spending.
Creating a welfare state where people are dependent on the government for their livelihood.
Converting national pride into a globalist mentality in order to establish a one world government, facilitating trade and creating greater profits for those in power.
Establishing the Chinese model of capitalism with a Marxist culture and government.
So we must take this vision as a serious warning. If G. Washington could be toppled, so could the United States. However we cannot be like the two young men who are watching to see whether Washington (America) will survive the onslaught of attacks against the Constitution, by wicked men and their hellish ideologies. God does not want us to be on-lookers, he wants us to be engaged, and to follow his instructions.
God is our Deliverer
Because only God knows what lies ahead, We should place our focus on him. If God could protect George Washington in over 200 battles, without receiving a scratch, shouldn’t we trust him with our nation right now? We need look no further than to God himself, to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the one who redeems us. He is our refuge and our strong tower.
But first we must recognize how we opened the door to socialism, sin, corruption in government and everything that undermines our freedom.
I see many parallels between Israel and their unfaithfulness to God, and our nation and its wandering away from our Lord. With each generation that passes, the relationship between us and God seems to have grown further and further apart. We have so much apostasy in our nation. We have departed from the truth. We have not brought up our children as we should have. We compromised with the world, allowing ungodly influences in our homes, on television, in music, and in our schools. Now we have schools teaching sexual preferences to small children. Middle School and High School students are taught from books that resemble pornography. They are taught critical race theory at all ages. How, and why have we lost control? We have abdicated our responsibility to teach our children the fundamentals of morality, and history from a Christian perspective. We have allowed the government to dictate to us whether we can teach the Bible in public schools or pray. We have not kept the faith in the public sphere. We have planted the seeds of neglect, and now we are reaping what we have sown. Where the Bible was not allowed, secular humanism rushed in to fill the void.
God has allowed our disobedience to reach the level where corruption has taken over. Now we see weeds and thorns growing where there should have been a bountiful crop of righteousness. Our negligence in restraining wickedness has now come to take over our land. We now have wickedness in all its forms: rebellion, strife, theft, assault, murder, sin, sexual immorality, prostitution, abortion, drug abuse, pornography, deviant sexual behavior, co-habitation without marriage, children born out of wedlock, violence, hatred, and every vice. What a mess we have made of our nation. Lord, please help us!
We have to repent and trust the Lord to deliver us out of all the circumstances that we have brought on by our own sinfulness. We have preferred almost everything to God. We have placed our comforts, our children and their education, our jobs, our status, our well-being ahead of God. We are those who need to repent.
The Lord knew that Israel would fail God and fall far from him. And now it is our turn. We have had the blessings of God as a nation because of the faith of our founding fathers. And now our sin has grown to an unbelievable level. We are like Sodom and Gomorrah. We deserve fire and brimstone, but we pray for mercy.
So, in the Lord’s great mercy, he made a way for Israel to return to God. “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
Washington knew that they needed God’s intervention to overcome their enemies, so he called the people to pray for the nation. I believe that God is asking us to do the same. Let us fast and pray, knowing that the Lord is faithful and will keep his promise to us. If we repent and turn to him, he will “forgive our sin and heal our land.”
Not long ago, there was a meeting of Christians in Washington who gathered for the sole purpose of seeking God on behalf of the nation. Calling on all to repent. But just as Isaiah 58, our fast cannot be “only a day for a man to humble himself.…for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sack cloth and ashes.”
No, repentance is a total change of mind, a change of direction. We are the ones who abandoned our responsibility to watch over the affairs of our country. We allowed prayer to be removed from schools. And instead of retaining the knowledge of God and teaching it to our children, we allowed the public schools to teach humanism and secularism. We allowed the schools to purchase books that removed God from our history books. No wonder there is no fear of God in our culture, and even with our own children. The mottos of the 70’s “Do your own thing,” and “Make love not war.” have taken root in our thinking. Now everyone decides for himself what is right and what is wrong. We have become our own gods. This is absolute rebellion against God, and his authority.
Where do we begin? How and things change? How can we reverse the damage that our self-indulgence and sinful nature have caused?
It is in seeking God, and coming to him with a contrite heart, looking to him for forgiveness and another chance to do things right, that we will find favor with God. In our sincerity and with a humble heart towards him, he “will hear from heaven, and forgive our sins, and heal our land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) And that’s it. That is what is needed.
Let us remember to pray for our leaders and our enemies as well. “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:44-45
Let’s pray that the Lord will send a revival to our nation, for we know that this is his will. Almost twenty years ago, the Lord asked me to pray for a revival for our nation. So, I have been praying all this time, for a Holy Spirit revival and an end-time harvest of souls.
If you have never experienced a revival and don’t know what it is, it is a spiritual awakening, and new sensitivity to the manifest presence of the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God came on upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost, 2000 thousand or so years ago. (Today May 23, 2021, happens to be Pentecost Sunday!) Pentecost was the feast that the Jews were celebrating in Israel, just 50 days after the Lords death and resurrection. It was the day that the fulfillment of the Joel’s prophecy came to pass in Jerusalem, and the Church was born that day. Over 3000 people became born again and filled with the Holy Spirit upon hear the gospel preached in all their various languages! Awesome! you can read this story to know more in the Book of Acts Chapter 2.
When the Holy Spirit is poured out upon “all flesh,” the supernatural power to perform signs and wonders, to heal sicknesses and diseases, and to deliver people from demonic oppression. This is a wonderful blessing of God. Every problem that our country faces can be resolved when we turn to God and he pours out his Spirit and his blessing. Everything changes!
So even though the social-political atmosphere is unsettling, and we have no guarantee that things will ever be “normal,” we know that God is allowing us to face these trials. The Lord is shaking the church out of her complacency. It is time for her to wake up and take him and his word seriously. We cannot afford to be complacent, self absorbed, and so busy that we have no time for him. It is time to get real before God and humbly submit to his will. And as we overcome these trials, we grow stronger and our faith in God increases.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4
Let us place our trust in God alone, and persevere in prayer. Let us do our part and leave the outcome to God.
Come Lord Jesus! Maranatha!
Please share this post with those who need to be encouraged. God bless you all!
These are links about George Washington that show his reliance on God:
George Washington Inspired by Prayer- Miracles in American History
The Battle of Monongahela by Richard Wheeler
George Washington a Man of Prayer - Testimony of Issac Potts
About Arnold Friberg’s Painting of Washington in Prayer at Valley Forge