This letter from Dr. Charles Stanley speaks my heart as well. I invite you to pray with me at the end.
Dear Friend,
When the United States of America was founded, it was unlike anything anyone had ever seenbefore. Never throughout world history had there been a country of the people, by the people, and forthe people—with religious liberty, freedom of speech, and confidence in the common man. This was because out of the fifty-six signatories to the Declaration of Independence, fifty-four of them were believers—men who understood the powerful influence the Savior could have on each and every person.
They sought God’s wisdom in creating the framework that would become the great nation we know and love today. They sowed faith, prayer, trust in His Word, and obedience to His commands—and the Lord blessed them because of their faithfulness to Him. America’s Founding Fathers were not perfect— they were people just like you and me—but what God did through them was absolutely astounding.
As we consider the future and where our heavenly Father is leading us, it is normal to think about the spiritual condition of our nation and what role we have in it as believers. Will our culture continue its drift away from the Lord and continue to struggle against the church? What kind of country will our children and grandchildren inherit? Will they enjoy the religious freedoms we are accustomed to?
It is difficult to predict where a nation is headed—and perhaps more challenging to alter its course. Is there really anything we can do to steer the United States in the right direction spiritually? Do we have any hope of returning our great country to its biblical foundation?
I want to encourage you today with an important principle that the Father has given us in Scripture. Galatians 6:7-9 tells us, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due
time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”
In other words, you reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow. Ask any farmer, and he or she will confirm this principle. You cannot plant beans and expect to harvest peas. If you put tomato seeds into the ground, you are not going to raise an apple orchard.
Why is this important? Because as believers, we need to be very intentional about sowing godly values and being His representatives in our society. Just as our Founding Fathers had an incredible impact on our nation, imagine what would happen today if Christians in America would drop to their knees, seek the Father’s will, and obey Him without reservation. There is no telling how powerfully He could transform our culture.
How do we do this? First, we need to return to the Word of God. When the United States was founded, churches across the nation were faithfully teaching the truth of Scripture. Unfortunately, as time went on, liberal theology began influencing the messages coming from the pulpits. Pastors began questioning Jesus’ deity and shied away from preaching the gospel—and our culture began to deteriorate spiritually. For our country to return to the Lord, we must return to the truth. We as believers need
to be honest, courageous, and steadfast in living out the godly principles we profess to believe.
Second, we need to pray. The apostle Paul instructed, “I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim. 2:1–2). The leaders in this nation are in the hands of God, and He can change their hearts and minds (Prov. 21:1).
If as a country we choose to turn away from the Lord, He will allow us to face the consequences of our decisions. But if we turn to Him in prayer and fight the battle for the soul of this nation on our knees, He has promised, “I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14).
Third, we must stand firm and be counted. We cannot afford to be cowards—we have a responsibility to preach the name of the Lord Jesus Christ with conviction and obey Him with confidence. The spiritual core of our country needs to be repaired, and we must begin our mission with the household of God (1 Pet. 4:17). If we are honest with ourselves, we will recognize that the church is no longer the example to the world that it once was. In order for the Lord to restore us to the beacon of hope we once were, we must be willing to humble ourselves before Him and be the light He has called us to be (Matt. 5:14-16).
If we truly want to correct the spiritual course of this nation—sowing godliness so we can reap a country that honors God—we need to look at our lives and ask, “Lord, how am I contributing to how this nation views You? Is my life reflecting what You want it to? Am I making a difference for the sake of Your kingdom? Am I sowing the attitudes and actions that honor You?”
We need to return to the life-changing truth of Scripture, pray, and live out our convictions. We must sow the godliness we hope to reap. Because if we do, God has promised to hear our cry and restore our land—leading our fellow Americans to repent and trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Will we listen to His call and trust His promises? The eternal futures of the unbelieving citizens of our country depend on how we respond.
Prayerfully yours,
Charles F. Stanley
Pray with me-
Father we pray that your people will return to You and to your Word. Deposit in our hearts a deep desire for your truth and a deep desire to pray your will. Help us to push "our will" out of the way and show us your will for us- as your children and for us- as a nation. May we pray your heart, may we see with your eyes, hear with your ears and love with your heart.
Help us to live "lives changed", standing FIRM and being counted. Give us wisdom and bravery to preach the word to those you send us to, to those we have influence over. Give us the conviction to obey You with confidence and uproot the fear of man from our thinking. Father, help us to truly repent from our individual sins (show them to us), and repent from the sins of our nation (show them to us as well).
We repent now in humility and ask for your forgiveness and grace! We ask for your forgiveness and grace over our country- the United States of America. We ask You to repair the spiritual core of our country, turn the hearts and minds of our leaders to You (all of our leaders in every field of influence- government, education, spiritual, commerse, military, business, arts/sports/entertainment, media, and families). Restore our hope and faith in You. Heal us, Father, and heal our nation.
We glorify Your Name, we thank You for hearing our prayers and petitions and answering them. We thank You for your Word, and we put You in rememberance of Your word now and thank you that You hear us from heaven, You forgive us our sins and You are healing our land! (2 Chron. 7:14) Praise You, Father! Praise Your Son- Jesus in whom we live! We ask that You multiply this prayer and the desire to pray across this nation! Amen and Amen!
Dear Friend,
When the United States of America was founded, it was unlike anything anyone had ever seenbefore. Never throughout world history had there been a country of the people, by the people, and forthe people—with religious liberty, freedom of speech, and confidence in the common man. This was because out of the fifty-six signatories to the Declaration of Independence, fifty-four of them were believers—men who understood the powerful influence the Savior could have on each and every person.
They sought God’s wisdom in creating the framework that would become the great nation we know and love today. They sowed faith, prayer, trust in His Word, and obedience to His commands—and the Lord blessed them because of their faithfulness to Him. America’s Founding Fathers were not perfect— they were people just like you and me—but what God did through them was absolutely astounding.
As we consider the future and where our heavenly Father is leading us, it is normal to think about the spiritual condition of our nation and what role we have in it as believers. Will our culture continue its drift away from the Lord and continue to struggle against the church? What kind of country will our children and grandchildren inherit? Will they enjoy the religious freedoms we are accustomed to?
It is difficult to predict where a nation is headed—and perhaps more challenging to alter its course. Is there really anything we can do to steer the United States in the right direction spiritually? Do we have any hope of returning our great country to its biblical foundation?
I want to encourage you today with an important principle that the Father has given us in Scripture. Galatians 6:7-9 tells us, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due
time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”
In other words, you reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow. Ask any farmer, and he or she will confirm this principle. You cannot plant beans and expect to harvest peas. If you put tomato seeds into the ground, you are not going to raise an apple orchard.
Why is this important? Because as believers, we need to be very intentional about sowing godly values and being His representatives in our society. Just as our Founding Fathers had an incredible impact on our nation, imagine what would happen today if Christians in America would drop to their knees, seek the Father’s will, and obey Him without reservation. There is no telling how powerfully He could transform our culture.
How do we do this? First, we need to return to the Word of God. When the United States was founded, churches across the nation were faithfully teaching the truth of Scripture. Unfortunately, as time went on, liberal theology began influencing the messages coming from the pulpits. Pastors began questioning Jesus’ deity and shied away from preaching the gospel—and our culture began to deteriorate spiritually. For our country to return to the Lord, we must return to the truth. We as believers need
to be honest, courageous, and steadfast in living out the godly principles we profess to believe.
Second, we need to pray. The apostle Paul instructed, “I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim. 2:1–2). The leaders in this nation are in the hands of God, and He can change their hearts and minds (Prov. 21:1).
If as a country we choose to turn away from the Lord, He will allow us to face the consequences of our decisions. But if we turn to Him in prayer and fight the battle for the soul of this nation on our knees, He has promised, “I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14).
Third, we must stand firm and be counted. We cannot afford to be cowards—we have a responsibility to preach the name of the Lord Jesus Christ with conviction and obey Him with confidence. The spiritual core of our country needs to be repaired, and we must begin our mission with the household of God (1 Pet. 4:17). If we are honest with ourselves, we will recognize that the church is no longer the example to the world that it once was. In order for the Lord to restore us to the beacon of hope we once were, we must be willing to humble ourselves before Him and be the light He has called us to be (Matt. 5:14-16).
If we truly want to correct the spiritual course of this nation—sowing godliness so we can reap a country that honors God—we need to look at our lives and ask, “Lord, how am I contributing to how this nation views You? Is my life reflecting what You want it to? Am I making a difference for the sake of Your kingdom? Am I sowing the attitudes and actions that honor You?”
We need to return to the life-changing truth of Scripture, pray, and live out our convictions. We must sow the godliness we hope to reap. Because if we do, God has promised to hear our cry and restore our land—leading our fellow Americans to repent and trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Will we listen to His call and trust His promises? The eternal futures of the unbelieving citizens of our country depend on how we respond.
Prayerfully yours,
Charles F. Stanley
Pray with me-
Father we pray that your people will return to You and to your Word. Deposit in our hearts a deep desire for your truth and a deep desire to pray your will. Help us to push "our will" out of the way and show us your will for us- as your children and for us- as a nation. May we pray your heart, may we see with your eyes, hear with your ears and love with your heart.
Help us to live "lives changed", standing FIRM and being counted. Give us wisdom and bravery to preach the word to those you send us to, to those we have influence over. Give us the conviction to obey You with confidence and uproot the fear of man from our thinking. Father, help us to truly repent from our individual sins (show them to us), and repent from the sins of our nation (show them to us as well).
We repent now in humility and ask for your forgiveness and grace! We ask for your forgiveness and grace over our country- the United States of America. We ask You to repair the spiritual core of our country, turn the hearts and minds of our leaders to You (all of our leaders in every field of influence- government, education, spiritual, commerse, military, business, arts/sports/entertainment, media, and families). Restore our hope and faith in You. Heal us, Father, and heal our nation.
We glorify Your Name, we thank You for hearing our prayers and petitions and answering them. We thank You for your Word, and we put You in rememberance of Your word now and thank you that You hear us from heaven, You forgive us our sins and You are healing our land! (2 Chron. 7:14) Praise You, Father! Praise Your Son- Jesus in whom we live! We ask that You multiply this prayer and the desire to pray across this nation! Amen and Amen!
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