Godly Values In America

So, most leadership for revival is going to have to come from young people who still have youthful ideals and courageous energy. 1st Chronicles 12:32 describes the men of Issachar as men, “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” The cause of Christ needs young people who understand the critical times in which we live and are willing again to pledge their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to reclaim the values that made America blessed.

I think we have more reason to start a revolution now than our forefathers had in 1776. They rebelled against England because of taxation without representation. We have imposed morality without representation. Unelected activist judges are overriding the laws passed by the representatives of the people.

My friends, our government is to be a government “of the people, by the people, for the people.” The people pass a law against partial birth abortion, and yet a district judge overturns it. Our representatives pass a law disallowing gay marriage, but a liberal judge overturns it. We pass a law attempting to protect children from Internet exploitation, but the Supreme Court overturns it. There is an attack on the family and the Bible without representation.

We need young people who understand the times and are perceptive enough to know what should be done and who have the courage to do it. Surprisingly when young people step up to the plate and take the lead, the older people will follow, though the opposite is not always true.

Something else Josiah teaches us is that: Spiritual renewal demands dramatic measures. Josiah took drastic steps that disturbed a lot of people. He removed pagan shrines that were the source of pleasure for many. He eliminated the false prophets, who were relatives and friends of a lot of people. He acknowledged the Word of God as the basis of morality and insisted the people follow, and many undoubtedly resented that.

The prophet Jeremiah began as a contemporary to Josiah, but after Josiah was gone, Jeremiah was treated with disdain by people. He was later imprisoned and beaten. Surgery hurts and Josiah initiated spiritual surgery that was painful.

When our forefathers grew tired of King George’s oppressive tax and heavy-handedness, they took drastic action. In frustration, they sneaked onto the English ships that had just delivered tons of tea and dumped all the tea into the harbor. It was called “The Boston Tea Party” and it cost British merchants a lot of money.

There were many colonists who thought that was too extreme. That was going too far. The King of England retaliated by sending troops to suppress the revolt and enforce the tax. The colonists responded by forming their own military and then signing a Declaration of Independence. When that document was signed there was no turning back. People had to make decisions to either be pro-revolution or against it. Some returned to England, others attempted to remain neutral, but it was almost impossible to do so.

If you saw the movie, The Patriot, you know that Mel Gibson played the part of a colonist who attempted to remain neutral to the revolution because he rightfully hated war. But when the English troops shot and killed his own son, this Patriot became very much involved.