Brother Franklin Graham made this statement just a couple of days ago ... "I don't have any hope that either Republicans or Democrats hold the key to the moral & spiritual revival of our nation. Any confidence & hope are in Almighty God." ... I say AMEN brother! Regarding politics, just consider this for a moment ... Capitalism? .. Socialism? .. Communism? .. Dictatorships? .. Kings or Queens? ... Has any of it EVER worked for any length of time? .. In the approximately 6000 years of recorded human history, not one has ever prevailed. .. Every one has eventually met with utter failure. ...... As for today's world, tonight we have a Republican debate in the continuing saga of choosing the right & perfect candidate to bring our country back again to prosperity. .. Of course, in this process, we are witnessing insults & personal attacks from most all corners. .. It seems they will do & say ANYTHING to win .. and sadly, most of us fall into the trap of believing that this process will be the ultimate answer to 'fixing it all.' .... How tragic! .. Simply, until we 'fix' the real problem of our nation, nothing on this earth will change its course. .. Again, Franklin Graham summed it up quite simply ... "Our nation is broken - it's broken morally - it's broken spiritually - & it's broken politically." .. Again, I say AMEN! ... The only solution is to turn our faces to the one & only hope .. the God of Heaven. ... America has been in existence for some 200+ years, and there is no question that she has contributed some great things during this time. .. In fact, let me mention two of them ... 1) To send missionaries throughout the world to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and 2) to oversee the ushering in of the State of Israel, which took place in 1948. .. Wonderful things of which I believe were the main purposes as to the reason for this nation. But the rapidly accelerating 'separation of church and state' resulting in the near-complete removal of God from our society imperils its very existence. ... It is exactly what Pastor Graham was referring to .. the moral & spiritual fall. .. It seems it all started back in the 1960's when the 'Separation of Church & State' took on a completely new perspective. .. We began the onslaught of removing God totally from all facets .. from all public displays. .. prayer being removed from our schools .... and just look around today? .. More & more militant groups are attacking 'everything God.' ... Secularism is the 'order of the day' in this nation. ... Another huge issue in our nation's possible demise in it's recent attitude toward the Nation of Israel. ... As previously mentioned, it was one of our primary purposes to see this nation come back to 'life' after centuries of exile, which ultimately fulfilled a major Bible prophecy. .. But now, it seems just the opposite is taking place. .. Put this with the total removal of God from our society, and it's simply a deadly combination that will ultimately lead to it's destruction. ... Now on top of all this, the Churches in our nation have also taken on this mantle of political activism which is identified as 'Nationalism.' .. Simply, a very large portion of the Evangelical movement has become very militant and believes that America's destiny is to be the world's protector and will assist in 'ushering in the golden age of peace & prosperity' that they believe will soon come to this earth. .. Sadly, and dangerously, they have put their faith in a secular system they have come to believe will save this nation! ... Simply, as Christians who follow the true teachings of God's Word, we cannot separate God from any part of our lives! .. As an example, let's look at a circumstance which would face a devout follower of Jesus Christ were he or she chose to run for a political office ... "Well Lord, if I win this election, I'll have to leave you home when I go to work today, but I'll see you tonight, and the weekends will most likely be even better, especially Sundays." ... Sound ridiculous? .. Well. it's not. .. It will be the reality. ... Going forward, we first must understand that nothing on this earth, including America, is going to change the course of God's plan concerning this fallen planet. .. Jesus Himself tells us that many ominous things must take place (Matthew 24, Mark 13 & Luke 21) just prior to His triumphant return. .. In fact, He says specifically that these signs will only increase in number & intensity as we approach this day. .. What we as individuals and churches must do is once again trust in the ultimate power of prayer. .. Our primary purpose in our time left is to pray for & witness to those who are lost and caught up in all the chaos of our times. .. As many of you would agree, we as a nation & church have fallen into a stupor as to the true power of prayer. .. It seems we now believe we can legislate righteousness through human efforts instead of trusting in our God for all things. ... Simply, the only hope for more time for this nation is a spiritual revival to come upon the land. .. Without it, there is no hope. ... Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." .. Also, John 14:1 says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me." ... Yes, there is a glimmer of hope in all this craziness, & it lies in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. .. He is waiting for every one of you! ... "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." .(Revelation 3:20) .. Hallelujah! ... Until next time, Red