The Approaching Storm

The Approaching Storm

By Pastor Jim May

This next Tuesday will mark the 6th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D. C. The memories of that day are so vivid that it doesn’t seem like 6 years have passed, but time marches on. Every year, as this date rolls around, our nation goes on high alert. There are a lot of people, including the news media, members of congress, politicians and others, right down to the ordinary man on the street, who seem to lose sight of what happened that terrible day. Thank God that we have a vigilant president, military and law enforcement agencies in this country that never forget that we are at war with a diligent and powerful enemy.

As the date rolls around, suddenly there is a renewed awareness of the dangers to our land. But where are they the rest of the year? Unless something happens almost weekly, it seems that most of the people in the country forget that the danger even exists. We get so caught up in daily living and satisfying ourselves that we just forget that there is an enemy within the gates.

Not all of the people living in America who are of the Muslim faith are bad people, anymore than all of those who claim to be Christians really are. Most of them want to just live in peace just as you and I. But there are always those radical people around. Those who are sold out and whose ultimate goal is either the total destruction of our country, or the conversion of the nation to Islam. These are the ones that we need to be aware of, but the problem is that we really don’t know the heart of a man and only time will tell of their true intentions.

We walk a fine line between enjoying our freedom and becoming a police state, and I believe that we coming closer to being a police state than a democracy all the time. With every law that is passed to protect us from attack, we lose a little more freedom. Just one trip through the airport will convince you of that fact. Fear drives us to surrender our freedom for the sake of safety.

What has brought America to this point? Why are we a nation filled with paranoia? Where is the peace that we once enjoyed? Not only do we have enemies that are outside the borders and infiltrating the country, but worse than that, we have internal unrest that is like a seething pot that is ready to boil over at any moment. We are fearful of walking the streets in many places, even in broad daylight, much less after dark. Peace and safety are getting harder to find and crime in so rampant that stopping it is impossible.

I am convinced that God is sounding the final warning to America as a nation. In my short lifetime I have seen this nation begin to unravel. If you were born more than 10 years ago, this nation is no longer the nation it was when you were born. I shudder to think what will be 10 years from now should the Lord tarry.

I cannot lay the blame for America’s demise at the feet of our politicians. Oh they helped us to get to the place we are now for sure, but it’s not just their fault. We can’t blame any one president for our downfall. No matter what your party affiliation, or who we elect, they can make a difference for good or bad, but in reality it’s not the leaders who are really at fault.

The real culprit that contributes so much to the weakening and who are helping to usher in the day when we will no longer be a free nation under God are those who belong to the Christian church and refuse to serve the God that they are supposed to believe in.

We are walking right down the same path that Israel walked thousands of years ago. The names may be different and the places may not be the same, but the attitude and actions are completely alike.

Turn with me over the Book of Isaiah and the 66th chapter. I want to let you see where we are and why we are a nation on the brink of disaster. It’s only a matter of time before another strike comes and we will be powerless to stop it. Fear is such a powerful force in our country that even the threat of disaster makes us tremble in our boots. And why is that fear so great – It’s because we have cast aside our faith in God. We have thrown our Love for God aside to chase after our own way. We have lost our first Love.