Not too many weeks ago was a day I don’t think any of us anticipated. The brutal assassination of Charlie Kirk struck a chord in me that I didn’t even realize existed. I became so angry, so fed up with the direction of our country, I just wanted to strike out against the people who hold the far-left ideologies so prevalent in America today.
But the very next day, my nephew posted a Scripture on Facebook that stopped me cold—Matthew 5:43-44. Jesus spoke these words:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
(Matthew 5:43-44, ESV)
And almost immediately, I was convicted in my heart—convicted of my thoughts, of my anger, of my desire for vengeance. I asked God to forgive me.
Then, as if that wasn’t enough, I read another passage—Romans 12:19:
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”
(Romans 12:19; quoting Deuteronomy 32:35, ESV)
Now, let me be perfectly clear: the assassin should absolutely face the justice demanded for his actions. But as I’ve said before, I don’t hate anyone enough to want them to spend eternity in hell. I believe Charlie would want us to pray for this assassin's salvation and to show him the love Christ has for all of us sinners.
But in the wake of all this, a far deeper question haunted me: How did our country—the greatest country ever to exist—get into the mess we’re in today?
I think we can look to the words found in Deuteronomy 28 for the answer.
We won’t cover the entire chapter here—it’s 68 verses long—but I encourage each of you to read it at home, to read it together as a family. Ask God through the Holy Spirit to show you where you and your family might need to work to improve your standing before our Holy God.
Let’s look at just a portion of it—Deuteronomy 28:1-14, spoken by Moses to the people of Israel:
“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.”
(Deuteronomy 28:1-6, ESV)
God’s promised blessings for keeping His covenant were spectacular. He would bring prosperity to every area of life—abundance in the city and in the field, in crops and children, in business and in battle. Israel would be exalted above all the nations, and the blessings would not just trickle in—they would overtake them.
It continues:
“The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. The LORD will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. The LORD will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in his ways.”
(Deuteronomy 28:7-9, ESV)
God’s vision for His people was that their obedience would bring blessings so abundant, the nations would stand in awe. He says:
“And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you... The LORD will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God.”
(Deuteronomy 28:10-13, ESV)
Notice, too, the economic promise— “You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.” God would make them the lender, not the debtor—the head, not the tail.
Friends, I believe this is precisely what happened to America in our early years. As long as our nation broadly followed the commands of our Holy God, we were blessed above and beyond all other nations, just as Israel once was. America became the world’s chief lender, the head and not the tail. A country where God was honored, and His blessings were obvious.
But, as Paul Harvey used to say—now for the rest of the story.
The next section of Deuteronomy 28 contains a stark warning:
“But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.”
(Deuteronomy 28:15, ESV)
“But”—that little word is a big turning point. Because here comes a tragic reversal. Listen as the curses harshly reverse the blessings:
“Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.”
(Deuteronomy 28:16-19, ESV)
And God goes further:
“The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed… The LORD will strike you with wasting disease… the LORD will make the rain of your land powder… The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies… You shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.”
(Deuteronomy 28:20-25, ESV)
Instead of blessings overtaking God’s people, curses would overtake them if they turned from Him. Instead of prosperity—poverty. Instead of peace—confusion. Instead of safety—defeat. Instead of lending—borrowing.
Let’s not sugarcoat this: the curses listed here are gruesome. But they were given for a teaching purpose: that when the people found themselves in an awful mess, they could remember God’s promises and realize that it was because they had failed to obey Him in times of prosperity.
Moses made it crystal clear: faithfulness to God’s covenant would grant the people everything. Rejection of the covenant would cost them everything. Nobody could claim they hadn’t been warned.
My friends, I believe there’s a sobering message here for America. Just as God raised up Israel, I believe He raised up this nation for His purposes. But we haven’t continued to follow God’s commands as a people.
We have removed God from our government. We have removed prayer and the Bible from our schools. We have filled our lives with idols: we worship comfort, celebrities, athletes, money, and pleasure.
We spend our Sundays on the ball fields instead of in church. We take weekend vacations and skip church no matter where we are, because, after all, we’re on vacation. The pornography industry, illicit drug use, broken families, sexual promiscuity, and vulgar entertainment have become normalized.
Since Roe v. Wade in 1973, America has conducted over 65 million abortions. In all our wars combined, we have lost just 1.3 million souls. Think about that.
And as of September 2025, our national debt is over $37 trillion—over $109,000 for every single man, woman, and child in America. We have become a debtor nation, just as God warned would happen to any nation that turns its back on Him.
All of this, I believe, is a reflection of what happens when a people turn from God—when the curses of Deuteronomy 28, instead of the blessings, overtake a whole society.
So, what can we do? Is there any hope?
Scripture gives us the answer, and I want to point you to Ezekiel 14:6:
“Therefore say to the house of Israel [and I would say to America], Thus says the Lord GOD: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations.”
(Ezekiel 14:6, ESV)
It’s clear to me that God has removed His blessing from this nation. We are spiraling out of control toward a massive collapse. As a people, we tolerate sin. We idolize the world. We sit quietly by while Satan and his minions work to destroy our families, our children, our churches.
Yes—as a nation, we must repent. We must turn away from sin and turn back to God. We must follow His commands, not our own desires.
But let me be clear about something else: the turnaround of a nation always begins with the transformation of individual hearts. You and I are responsible for our own obedience.
Let’s listen closely to Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and hear God’s call:
“Hear, O Israel (America): The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
(Deuteronomy 6:4-9, ESV)
Who, today, will commit to loving God with all your heart, soul, and might—to teaching your children His Word, to talking about Him at home, on the road, at bedtime, and in the morning? Who will commit to reading the Bible every day, to worshipping even on vacation, to searching your heart and repenting of sin?
Let us not wait for others to repent. Let us—each one of us—turn back to God. Let us be the ones to start a new chapter. Let us experience again the blessings, not the curses, of the Lord.
The Bible promises, in 2 Chronicles 7:14:
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
(2 Chronicles 7:14, ESV)
Let us search our hearts, repent from any sin we find, forgive one another, and carefully follow God’s will for our lives. Let us pray as a family, as a church, as a nation.
Would you join me?
Lord, we come to you humbly, acknowledging our national and personal failures. We see how far we have fallen, and we know the blame lies not just in the halls of government or in broader society, but also in our own hearts. Forgive us, Lord, for seeking comfort and pleasure above Your commands. Forgive us for failing to teach our children Your ways. Give us courage to turn from every idol, to obey Your Word, and to love even those who oppose us. Heal our land, O God—but begin first by healing our hearts. Restore us to Yourself, and let us once again be a people who bring glory and honor to Your great Name.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
May God turn His face again toward this nation as we turn our hearts fully to Him.
