It’s your birthday United States of America! Purpose precedes birth. America, what is your purpose? Have you lost sight of it? The Lord said you have lost your identity because you have compromised. You have been bending your back, walking on egg shells and afraid to be who you are so much so that you have forgotten who you are, and therefore, you have forgotten your God, in whom you trust. And you have been paying the price (suicide, shootings, bullying, envy, terrorism, pride, selfishness, disease). Let’s make this year different.
As I was looking at my Lion King pajama shirt in the mirror to make sure it fits, I noticed Simba’s picture, above his face was a crown, below his face were these words: REMBER WHO YOU ARE. Those words leaped out at me and I began to cry. I looked to heaven and said “Oh God”. I went to YouTube and typed in “Simba remember who you are” to see if there was a clipped attached to it. There was! I watched the two-minute clip. Simba was lost in his identity. He was afraid. He looked at his reflection in the water and then he saw his father’s face. The clouds opened up and his father spoke to him in the clouds: “Simba you have forgotten me because you have forgotten who you are”. (Interesting your birthday is a few days before the new Lion King movie comes out)
Are you still trying to please everyone, are you still agreeing with opinions that God hates because you’re afraid people will call you judgmental? Are you afraid of conflict? Why are your motivations and decisions made in fear and not love? Dear America, “perfect love cast out fear” (1 John 4:18) You’ve convinced yourself of this new age identity that never belonged to you. You let foreign idols deceive you because you wanted to please everyone, you wanted to be liked by everyone. But it has costed you. You have been paying the price. Shootings, 911, diseases, hurricanes and so on. Was it worth it? Is it worth it? You celebrate evil as if it is good. You’ve been dying but it’s disused by riches. You define success in things that please your 5 senses, material things. America, “before you were born, the Lord knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5). You have made mistakes and have done intentional wrongs. You’ve had slaves, you’ve been divided, you’ve taken the bible and twisted deceiving many to even hate the bible because of the way you have misinterpreted it. But God still loves you. He works through people, so He’s waiting on you to want to willingly repent and trust Him. You’ve done things your way, for a while now, you see the results. Try God’s way.
This is not to discourage you but encourage you. See, the Lord has not forgotten you even though you’ve forgotten Him. His love is patient and kind. He hasn’t given up on you. You are so loved. A love that is not comprehendible. His love enables you to repentance, His love will protect you from yourself (shootings, violence, disease, terrorism, evil, pride, selfishness, hate,
, bitterness, envy, suicide, bullying). His love will change you. Don’t worry about who’s watching you as you change. You live for an audience of one. “For God so loved the world, (that includes you) that He (God) gave His only Son (Jesus) that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16) America, you’ve been through a lot. But this is just the beginning. Before you have the problem, God gives you the answers. Don’t be afraid to say no. And don’t be afraid to live your yes’s. Be bold, be strong, be you, the you that God knew before you came. You are so loved. Happy Birthday.