America Archives - FollowingJesusUS.com

Have We Forgotten Who Truly Helped Us On September 11th?

I remember sitting at the kitchen table with my husband. We were still waiting to hear if my Aunts and Uncles and Cousins were safe in New York. We knew that some of them worked in the Twin Towers and many lived in New York. Both of my parents were from New York. Gradually, through the next few days we heard that they were safe.

I remember taking my son out of school and bringing him home so I knew he was at home. My daughter was already with me.

I remember watching the news with my husband and wondering if we had enough bottled water and food stored away for our children. We heard the military helicopters and planes overhead. (We lived in a suburb of Cleveland). We watched a lot of TV following September 11th!

And most of all, I remember praying. All the time. It really was the best and worst of times for this country. It was the biggest terrorist attack on U.S. soil, but it was also a time when the entire nation seemed to turn back to God. Christians songs played on the radio on every station. People throughout the country were praying, and not afraid to share that.

And we all knew, without a doubt that Jesus gave every single person in those Twin Towers a chance to go to Heaven.

We were united completely, as One Nation Under God. And we were not afraid to say so!

Fast forward around 20 years and our country has turned so far away from God, it’s hard to even bear witness! Are there people who truly love the Lord Jesus, absolutely! Thankfully, many have remembered that Faith and Family always come first!

But there is a large, growing number who have turned away from our Lord or they claim to Follow Jesus, but do not!

Will our nation turned back to our Lord? I don’t think so. At least, not as a nation. Like Franklin Graham, I believe those days are in the past.

And sadly one has only to look at those who have been elected in Washington to see what our nation has become.

Once upon a time, our nation was so greatly Blessed by God, but our nation has rejected God. Where once we returned God’s Love and put serving God first in our lives, that is no longer the case.

We were a nation based on Faith, Family & Freedom, but we are not now. There are still Americans who put Faith, Family & Freedom first, but our nation does not.

So what should we as Christians do? Pray for one another. Pray for the lost as well. And pray for those you love. Before it is too late!

There are those among the American people who can still be Saved. If they have turned away from our Lord Jesus, pray that they turn back-in time. Pray for their Salvation!

In Jesus’ Name,

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

Does America, As A Nation, Still Do This?

“Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.” -Isaiah 58:2

Does America, as a nation, still do this?

If we are no longer a Christian nation, can we still expect God’s Blessings?

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

Warning: The Story of Baasha

“Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins;Behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.”-1 Kings 16:3

So who was Baasha? It has been written that Baasha was a king in the late 800s BC. He came to power by murdering the previous king. He was an evil man and was at war most of the time and lost much territory. Jehu the Prophet prophesied the downfall of his “dynasty” and it has been written that Baasha’s son Elah was assassinated and his “dynasty” did fall.

Baasha sinned in many ways, but perhaps the sin that angered God the most was that he “made my people of Israel to sin”.

Many in America have also committed many grievous sins without repenting! One has only to look at the recent headlines to see that! And in our country, we all know what is happening with the current presidential election. Will we even have a free and fair election?

While no man (or women) can make us sin, they can sure encourage it and make it very difficult for all those who choose not to. And how many times have we seen Christians persecuted in this country for following God’s Will? But God is stronger than all of those who want us to join them in committing these grievous sins! We have only to turn to Jesus and ask for His Help, and He Will Help Us!

Last note. Those who would destroy American had best read the story of Bassha and remember that God is NOT limited. Just because a story is in the Old Testament, does not mean that it can not happen today!

We don’t have to fall into sin and stop following God, it’s our choice, given to us by God Himself.

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

The State of America

“If you pick up a dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between man and dog.”
Mark Twain

Clearly, God has greatly Blessed America. Does the Mark Twain quote not remind you, sadly, of America right now?

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

Ukraine & The American Soldier

While Praying the Rosary for Ukraine, I saw American soldiers.

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready !

What is “Highly Esteemed Among Men Is Abomination In The Sight Of God”

“And he said to them, You are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knows your hearts for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”-Luke 16:15

There can be no doubt that many Americans, millions even, justify their actions by the approval of other human beings, rather than the approval of God. The problem with that choice (for they choose to do so) is that God does NOT approve!

We need to seek God’s Will for every choice we make in our lives. Daily prayer and the daily reading of G0d’s Word can help us to make more Godly choices. Ending every prayer with a prayer that “God’s Will Be Done” can really help 🙂

All of our choices should be chosen based on what God’s Will is for us, not man’s.

Prepare, Pray and Be Ready!

My One Safe Place :)

A fellow Christian asked on line yesterday, “what do we do now?” Clearly, America is not what it used to be.

Andrew Peterson has a song called “My One Safe Place”. In the song, he sings, “You are my oasis in the eye of the hurricane”. God IS our One Safe Place. We need to run, not walk, to His Shelter.

And we need to Pray. Even when we don’t “feel” like it. Especially when we don’t “feel” like it. And a prayer can be as simple as “Help, In the Name of Jesus”. And that is enough. Another great prayer is also very simple, “Thank you, In the Name of Jesus”.

We also need to look for the beauty in our world-and find it. Because God created it. The smile of a child. A hug from someone we love. The love of a mother and a father, a wife and husband, a child. The laugh of a grandmother or grandfather. A phone call from a friend. A letter from someone we care about. The sun sparkling on the water creating a million lights. The beauty of nature. The list is endless and it is still here…

And we can be kind, especially to each other. We can smile at one another. Carry the groceries for someone elderly or sick. Reach out to a neighbor. Reach out to a stranger. Love God and Love one another.

And share the Gospel with those who want to hear the Good News. There are many searching for something to believe them, help them find the way.

America may have changed, but being a Christian has not.

Our Father is still here and He loves us. Jesus is still here and He still saved us. And the Holy Spirit is still here to help us.

Despite appearances, we need not fear, for God is here and He is with us!

Taking A Stand For God!

Persecution of Christians is Growing, both here and abroad! We need to stand up before it’s too late!

In India for example, the main religion is Hinduism. India is not a country that we usually think of when we think of Christians being persecuted, but it is definitely becoming one! Those who follow Christ or who share their faith are sometimes murdered-simply because they are following Jesus. They are sometimes interrogated and beaten, while the government turns a blind eye to it all. There are 66,194,000 Christians in India. Please pray for them.

In America, we are so Blessed. And yet, how often do we fail to realize just how Blessed we are? In India, a person may lose their life for simply following Jesus. In America, all we really have to do is stand up to peer pressure, and yet how often we fail to do so?

There are many types of “bullying”. There’s the physical bullying as we see in India and there is the emotional bullying that we see in America. But how often did our parents tell us that “sticks and stones may break your bones, but names will never harm you.” We can take a stand now-or wait until the emotional bullying becomes physical.

After all Jesus suffered for us, should we not be willing to stand up to the bullies in our country?

We “were born for such a time as this! It’s our choice, we must pray that we choose wisely. Be the Light!

How To Change The World :)

A friend sent me this, just had to share 🙂

“It was the ninth week of SEAL training, which is referred to as Hell Week. It is six days of no sleep, constant physical and mental harassment and one special day at the Mud Flats. The Mud Flats is in an area between San Diego and Tijuana, where the water runs off and creates the Tijuana slues – a swampy patch of terrain where the mud will engulf you. It is on Wednesday of Hell Week that you paddle down to the mud flats and spend the next 15 hours trying to survive the freezing cold mud, the howling wind and the on going pressure from the instructors to quit. As the sun begins to set that Wednesday evening, their training class was ordered into the mud. The mud consumed each person till there was nothing visible but their heads. The instructors told them they could leave the mud if only five of them would quit – just five – and all could get out of the bitter cold.

Looking around the mud flat, one individual noticed that it was apparent that some students were about to give up. It was still over eight hours until the sun came up – eight more hours of bone-chilling cold. The chattering teeth and shivering moans of the trainees were so loud it was hard to hear anything. And then, one voice began to echo through the night – one voice raised in song! The song was terribly out of tune, but sung with great enthusiasm. One voice became two, and two became three, and before long everyone in the class was singing! They knew that if one person could rise above the misery then others could as well. The instructors threatened them with more time in the mud if they kept up the singing – but the singing persisted. And somehow, the mud seemed a little warmer, the wind a little tamer and the dawn NOT so far away!

If you learn anything in your moments granted on earth, it IS the Power of Hope! The power of one person – Washington, Lincoln, King, Mandela, a young girl from Pakistan named Malala – and YES, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! When you are up to your neck in mud – tired and shivering from the cold of the world, attempting its best to try to make you quit – start singing Praises to your Heavenly Father – thanking Him to give you Hope, that no matter how tough it gets – He IS ALWAYS there to help your life have Joy and Peace. Know that He IS your Hope, your Comfort, your Light in the darkness – your Son come up! Be His Example – change the world! In Jesus’ Name. Thy Will be done. Amen. “

“Faith Without Works IS Dead” -The Last Days

“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will wax cold.”-Matthew 24:12 KJV

First of all, what exactly is iniquity? Webster’s dictionary defines it as “gross injustice” or as a “wicked act (sin)”. One thing we can all agree upon is that iniquity has grown. And sadly, Matthew 24:12 is right, the love of many has grown cold.

To see that, one has only to turn on the news or go outside.

In Portland and Seattle they are killing people, beating them in a manner so cruel and wicked, it’s impossible to watch. The looting and rioting scares us all, and that makes many of us angry.

Then there’s the Homeless. How many times do we see people walk or drive by them as if they don’t exist? And yet, great is their suffering! Who cares how they got there, they are hurting human beings! When did we become a nation that really doesn’t seem to care about their plight?

And then there is abortion. The murder of a child. Let’s put aside for a moment all of those who truly regret that choice, because our Lord forgives them! And let’s focus on those who advocate for it. Those who take advantage of so many women who are in desperate situations. When did we as a nation stop caring not only about the babies, but the women involved?

And how often are people afraid to simply voice their own point of view? And people are afraid right now. They are afraid of being beaten or killed simply for voicing what they feel. When did that happen? When did we become a nation that allowed such evil?

And when did we become less kind? Kindness and generosity used to be the American way. And it can be again, but we have to choose it every single day!

And yet these are just a few examples, there are many more…

There can be no doubt that our natural love for one another in this country has grown cold. As a nation, we simply don’t “love our neighbor” the way we used to, the way God commands us too!

But we can change that. Today! Now!

Because there are still millions of Americans who love our Lord and do truly care about each other! But we need to ask God for the courage to act, for “Faith without works is dead”- James 2:14-26

God can and will help us to love more, just ask Him ?