On September 16, 2022, Pete Hegseth, sitting in for Jesse Waters, boldly proclaimed the base cause of our nation’s ills and what we must do to get back on track. In short, we have turned our back on God. If we are to reclaim our nation we must first seek out God Almighty. I was amazed to see this pronounced on one of the most popular shows on cable television. I still have my differences with Fox News but I am grateful for this message.
For anyone who has visited this blog before, there’s a good chance you’ve seen firsthand how much I am in agreement with Mr. Hegseth. Of course, my very premise that our very nation, our Constitutional Republic itself is a gift from God Almighty is where I prefer to begin any dialogue.
Among Christians, we like to say “God is in control”. Indeed He is but we often stop short of this admission particularly when circumstances are going against us. While we might thank God for Donald Trump, do we also thank Him for Joe Biden? Believe me when I tell you, this last is not at all easy for me either. Think hard on this… is God only in control when things are good? Of course not. God doesn’t suddenly “lose control”. Even if Joe Biden ultimately succeeds in utterly destroying this nation, giving away our sovereignty to the United Nations or China, God will still be in control. Where does that leave us?
Consider the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah in the time of the prophet Jeremiah. At this time, God’s chosen people were split into two separate kingdoms. Both were ruled by evil kings. God was in control. Jeremiah and other prophets of his time warned God’s people to repent of their sins and turn back to God or their kingdoms would fall to Babylon. Neither kingdom heeded his words. Instead Jeremiah was imprisoned for his message. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple built by Solomon, As prophesied, he took both kingdoms captive. What was their sin?
Mostly, they turned their back on God. Certainly they were guilty of a wide range of trespasses but the one straw that broke the camel’s back was they worshiped other gods. He likened it to someone divorced his wife and she went and married another:
Jeremiah 3:1 They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.
Still, God said, even though His people did worse than that, He would still forgive them. Time and time again, God pleaded with His people to return to Him. All would be forgiven. Time and time again, they rejected him. Compare this with the parable Jesus related, often referred to as the prodigal son (though it may be better referred to as the forgiving father.):
Luke 15:11 He said, “A certain man had two sons.
12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them.
Read the record for yourself if need be but the story goes that the son returned intending to beg to be granted the humble place of a servant. His father would not hear of that but instead slew the fatted calf and threw a party to welcome him home.
If Israel and Judah had returned to God, He would have welcomed them also. He said as much. Nebuchadnezzar would not have invaded and conquered these kingdoms. All would have turned out far differently. How so? We cannot know. Only God would know what could have been. Similarly, if Israel had not rejected Jesus, if they had taken the Messiah to heart and welcomed him instead of calling for him to be crucified, this world would be very different today. Speaking of today, let us fast forward to our present condition.
As Pete Hegseth stated in his segment, our nation was formed by godly men who clearly believed this nation would prosper as long as we followed God. He showed a chart where just one generation, a bit more than twenty years ago, over 90% claimed to be Christians. Today, this number has 
dropped to 67%. Hegseth cites a Pew Research study. While I personally doubt very much that 90% of our nation claimed Christ in my lifetime, I’ll go with this as the actual numbers are not all that relevant. More important is the fact that so many of our nation has turned from God and from His Christ. I’ve talked with more than one Christian who admits they don’t believe in God’s Word, the Bible. How can this be? Have they not read what God says about his own Word?
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Psalms 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
It is simple, either one believes the above verses or they don’t. If the verses above are true then God’s Word is true. After that, the only problem we face is discerning between God’s Word as He originally gave it and that which was corrupted by man. While this is no easy task, well more than enough of God’s Word remains clear so we can accept Jesus as Lord and live a decent life.
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Pete Hegseth called for a revival. I agree. If our nation is to be saved, WE must be saved from the wrath to come. WE must turn to God Almighty. WE must become the prodigal sons and daughters. For those of us who have accepted Jesus as Lord and believe God has raised him from the dead, we must speak out. We must boldly proclaim the truth so others may hear and believe.
If you do not believe God’s Word is true, I suggest you start reading and studying it for yourself. For those who find the King James English too intimidating, I suggest trying the World English Bible (WEB). Not only is it easier to read but it is known to be quite accurate as to how God’s Word is rendered. My own preference for the KJV stems from my own longtime use of this version and the fact that the Strong’s numbering system makes for far easier study of individual words. All my study materials are linked to the KJV. That said, I very much like the WEB version and I often refer to it when I want to see a passage rendered a bit differently.
Siblings in Christ, I urge you to actively seek out our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Messiah. Study God’s Word. Fellowship with other believers. Forsake your sins. Ask God for guidance and forgiveness regularly. Speak the truth with all boldness.
One other note on Pete Hegseth’s segment. Pete made a point to say he asked for forgiveness every day. He admitted that, though he has accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior and he is saved from the coming wrath, he is far from perfect. This confession raised my assessment of the man to new heights. Plainly speaking, I found myself nodding my head in agreement. It is a struggle we all have as Christians. Those on the outside looking in seem to expect us to be above reproach in all matters. This is rarely if ever true, certainly not in my own case. I too need to come before God several times daily to ask for forgiveness though I accepted Christ more than four decades ago. One might think someone like myself has this whole “Christianity thing” down by now. They are wrong. I’m still learning, still growing, still fighting my sinful nature. I will likely continue my own struggles until the day I die. Do not let your sins stand before you and our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus. Jesus died for our sins and God raised him for our justification. He made us righteous so we may stand before Him without any sense of sin, guilt, or condemnation. I still find this hard to wrap my head around but I know this is true because God says so. More than that He said:
Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
God IS in control. HE “chose us before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love”. Accept that. Believe it. Stand on it. Then go forth and tell the world.