God in Country

What is the difference in having God and Country and God In Country? Those of us in here that are Americans understand that we are taught from an early age to compartmentalize. This mentality becomes a serious issue when we get to our Faith. As we are so used to compartmentalizing our lives we often do so with our Country and our God. We want God and Country and not necessarily God in Country. Today we will look at the difference that will determine if you believe in God and Country or God In Country. Today we will explore the attributes of those who establish God as their leader. This is not a figure of speech but an true living in reverence and expectation of God’s rule in our lives. The ones who operate in this manner are not democrat or republican, they are not citizen or non-citizen. These are kingdom bound and not stopping. These people live with 3 concepts in mind and with these 3 concepts they change the world around them. These people understand that no amount of political activism will change the world but only living daily your beliefs. These people understand that heart change is the only way to have a Country that is truly one nation Under God. Today we will be in Psalm 32.

Read with me Psalm 32:1-22

In Psalm 32 we are introduced to 3 concepts that will change any country when its people begin to live them out. First you will see that Godly People Praise Him.Secondly you will see that Godly People Fear Him. Lastly, you will see that Godly People are Protected by Him. Do you want to see real change in our Country. Do you want to see these political games stop and people live lives that honor God? Start with yours.

A Godly People Praise Him

Psalm 33:1–12 ESV

1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. 2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. 4 For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. 5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. 6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. 10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

One of my favorite times of the year is fathers day. It is shortly after my birthday and I drop hints about what I want all year long. I will randomly use my wifes phone to look up something and I will leave it on the page for the new battery powered leaf blower I want. I will do things like look up the new Airpods and when she asks what I am doing I will say oh nothing. I am constantly dropping hints of what I want for my Birthday and for my wife if she misses the mark on my birthday she can always correct her mistake on fathers day. It is a real benefit for her. However as the years have gone by I have found that there is nothing more rewarding as a father than the simple hand drawn cards and words of affection from my kids. Nothing in this world can make my heart smile the way it does when my kids tell me they love me and appreciate me.

This is exactly how our Father feels. In Psalm 32 David is saying to us that people who change their world and are assets to their Country Praise God. They lift their voice and they honor God. A Nation that praises God is blessed. What does this mean for you? A Christian is to spend their time Praising God and lifting Him up. A few weeks ago you heard about making God’s Word a priority in your life and today we are adding to that. Praise of our Father is a priority as well. When you look at your social media posts or your text messages. When you look back on your time in the last 6 months, is your characteristics more to praise God or is it to talk about things you want or don’t want? Is it more about praising God or more about your feelings and desires? A Christian is marked by their affection towards the Father. What does the Bible say about being people who Praise our Father?

2 Samuel 22:50 ESV

50 “For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.

Deuteronomy 10:21 ESV

21 He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.

Luke 19:40 ESV

40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Psalm 104:33 ESV

33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

Psalm 147:1 ESV

1 Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

If we are to see our Country turn around it takes place first in our homes. It takes place first in our hearts. We must be people who Praise God. Our country has many many problems but the solution must start with us. God’s chosen people, His new covenant. We are the Children of God, His new nation. Not America but us, the believers. If we want to live in a Nation that is blessed by God we must lead our lives as examples and change our homes, when our homes are changed we must change our neighborhoods, then our cities, then our states, and then we can drive change in our country. Godly people Praise Him but they don’t simply Praise Him, they also Fear Him.

A Godly People Fear Him

Psalm 33:13–19 ESV

13 The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. 16 The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. 18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19 that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.

We do not like this idea of fear because it indicates subordination. The life of a Christian and the life of one who desires to have a Nation that is blessed by God, is one who understands their position in reverence to God. Biblical fear is less of the idea of cowering because we do not know who or what we are dealing with, but having seen God’s power being fully aware of who we are dealing with. Let’s be honest Our country has lost its reverence and fear of God. In many ways so has His church. Take for instance how we approach God in prayer. Have you ever taken time to consider that when you pray you are taking to the King of the Universe? Do you realize what being in his presence is like?

Isaiah 6:1–5 (ESV)

Isaiah 6:1–5 ESV

1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

The Angels that are in the presence of God literally have to have wings that cover them entirely because of how Holy our God is. That is not the only scripture though that reminds us who we serve.

Exodus 33:18–23 ESV

18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

Our God is not some golden statute or some monument that can be made by mans hands. God cannot be described or contained. A Godly person who changes their world and is an asset to their Country Fears God. It is time that we all begin to place ourselves into the proper state to our Father and that is on our faces before Him. Godly people in every community can turn this Nation into a godly Nation. It is possible and is not an unattainable goal. It is however not accomplished through politics and laws. It is accomplished in the homes of believers and in the neighborhoods of believers. A Nation that Praises God and a Nation that Fears God will be a Nation that is protected by God.

A Godly People are Protected by Him

Protection is the centerpiece of our democracy. Tomorrow we celebrate our Independence as a Nation that can protect itself. We no longer needed the King and his armies to fight our battles, we worked together as people of all races and backgrounds to build a Country we could be proud of. America has missed the mark on many issues and made it on others. America I believe is still the greatest country in the world and is a blessing from God to us. It has seemed to many to be experiencing great decline recently and I am here to tell you that I agree. I do not agree though that it is a political issue. The issue is we are a Country that has forgotten who has blessed us with our Country. We are a country that has forsaken their God. We have decided that we no longer want His protection. How can we get back to this?

Psalm 33:18–22 ESV

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19 that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

When you believers get back to understanding that there is no political power in place that God has not set in place then you can make the proper adjustments in life. What do I mean? In the kingdom of Israel when the people turned away from God and did not desire to Fear God and to Praise God. They removed themselves from the protection and provision of God and one of two things happened. The Israelites were either turned over to other rulers or God placed in front of them evil rulers that ruined the Country. Remember what Psalm says? Psalm 33:16-17

Psalm 33:16–17 ESV

16 The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.

Proverbs 21:1 ESV

1 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.

Isaiah 46:9–11 ESV

9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ 11 calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.

God is in complete control. Politicians may feel as though they are in control but they are wrong. You may feel as though you are in control but you are wrong. The only thing that you are in control of is whether or not you are going to fear and praise God. Outside of that dependent on your decision God will control the other factors either to bring His blessings or to bring about the destruction that is promised for those who do not honor God. There is hope for America to remain the world power and to remain the leader in our world. It is not however through military might and power it is through humbleness and reverence to our Father. It does not start at the federal level it starts in our homes. We are called to be a people that Praise and Fear our God. When we are people that do so then we find ourselves in the protection and provision of our God. Let’s start today changing our world. Let’s get out of politics and into our Bibles. Let’s get off the streets with signs about abortion and rights and lets start flooding the streets with proclamations of our Father. Let’s not be pawns in the devils cup game called politics and lets work to bring our Nation to a Fear of our God that leads to Praise so that we can find ourselves in His protection and provision.