In 1961, President John F Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
Today, in 2022, it's time for followers of Christ to ask ourselves the same question.
What can I do for my country?
Because, let's be honest, even as we prepare to celebrate the birthday of the hands-down greatest country on earth, as we grill our hot dogs and prepare to watch fireworks, we cannot ignore the fact that our country has a lot of problems.
Rising inflation.
Out-of-control gas prices.
Heartbreaking school shootings.
A culture and government that calls evil "good" and good "evil."
These days it's hard to watch the news (or even scroll through social media). Still, other than complaining and putting up political memes, what can a patriotic follower of Christ do to help our country?
1. We can pray
We've all heard the phrase "elections have consequences" used to motivate people to vote wisely. However, prayer also has consequences. While we can only vote once a year, we have the opportunity to pray for our country every single day.
We can pray for revival.
Pray for our leaders.
Pray that God will forgive the country of our many sins and bring us back to Him.
We can pray for our judges—that they will make wise decisions.
Pray for our neighbors.
While the Bible doesn't say, "if my people protest, if they share memes, If they follow the right political candidate, I will heal their land," it does say "if my people pray ." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
The #1 thing we can do for America is commit to regular prayer for our country.
2. The church needs to be the church.
All the news pundits say they have the answers to America's problems. Democrats have their answers, and Republicans have different ones.
However, none of their answers provide real solutions because they aren't addressing the real problem.
Ultimately, the problem isn't a gun problem, a race problem, a mental health problem, or a security problem. The core of its issues is that America has a sin problem.
For decades, we've allowed God and Judeo-Christian values to be removed from our culture, homes, and lives.
Because we don't want to offend anyone, we've removed the concepts of sin, heaven and hell, and the truths of the Bible.
We've replaced the concrete Biblical foundation given to us by our forefathers with a sandy foundation of tolerance and acceptance.
We are no longer walking in God's ways or His will. The result is the chaos we're experiencing.
America doesn't need the church to be more political; it needs the church to be Biblical.
We need to preach the truth. Stand for truth. Stop sugar coating sin and preach salvation.
America needs the church to be the church, even if that makes us unpopular.
This means standing up for righteousness and against evil in our communities. For example, a few weeks ago, a nearby school board meeting focused on whether or not to allow an After School Satan Club in its elementary school. The story was all over Fox News. They didn't show on the news a local Assemblies of God pastor, his wife, and members of their congregation at the school board meeting opposing the club. With their prayers and presence, they said, "No! We don't want this in our community". Ultimately, the school board denied the club's request.
What would have happened if the church and the community members stayed home so as not to be "political" or "offend anyone"?
Thankfully, we don't know because the church acted like the church and stood against the darkness that week.
3. The church needs to deal with its own sin problem.
One of the big reasons the American church isn't helping our country deal with its sin problem is that too many Christians are busy participating in the same sins.
It's time for this to end.
If we want to save our nation, the church needs to stop entertaining sin and start repenting and overcoming it.
2 Chronicles 7:14 says more than just "If my people pray"…it also says we must repent and turn from our wicked ways.
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Individually and corporately, the American church needs to stop being a reflection of the sinful society and start being a light in the dark world.
Do you want to help your country?
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you are tolerating sin in your life.
Repent.
Stop sinning and go in a new direction.
Read your Bible, learn what it says, and live by Biblical standards.
Be a light in your community.
Get involved with a body of believers who have the same goals.
Know the truth of the Bible.
Share it with others.
Speak truth.
Stand for truth
Don't compromise.
Show people the way to Jesus.
Pray, pray, pray, pray, pray for our country.
Then vote for candidates who will stand for Biblical principles.
Ask the Holy Spirit how you can get involved in your community to be a light, to speak the truth, and lead those in your community away from even and toward God.
In a crazy world where we all wonder, "What can I do?" these are things we can do.
Generations before us were called to war. We are called to spiritual warfare. Will you answer the call to save the country you love?
To follow in our founding fathers' footsteps and do our part for the land we love.
Adessa Holden is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God specializing in Women's Ministry. Together with her brother, Jamie, they manage 4One Ministries and travel the East Coast speaking, holding conferences, and producing Men's and Women's resources that provide practical Biblical teaching for everyday life.
When asked about herself, she'll tell you "I'm a women's minister, a sister, and a daughter. I love to laugh and spend time with people. My favorite things are chocolate, the ocean, sandals and white capris, anything purple, summertime and riding in the car listening to music. It is my absolute honor and privilege to serve Jesus and women through this ministry."
