Ron's Insights 2013

America's Flag: Flying Below Half Staff

by Ron Susek

©Golden Quill Publications

         When America is honoring the passing of a great patriot, she lowers her flag to half staff. Now, her flag is dragging on the ground and, I believe, will never rise again without major repentance. The tattered, mud and blood spattered stars and stripes no longer represent the struggle for honor and freedom.

      The flag no longer waves boldly in the forward winds of moral vision, but rather, languishes in the nostalgic breezes of yesteryear. Our forefathers who defined the flag did so by striving for moral excellence. People once skipped a heartbeat and had tear rimmed eyes at the raising of the flag because it reflected the goodness of their hearts.

      Once a global symbol of freedom, today our flag shamefully represents the enslavement of her people. The will of the people in matters such as abortion, marriage, humanistic education (to name a few) is mocked while tyrannical "lawmakers" force them to fund that which violates their wisdom and conscience.

      How did we devolve to this point? One key factor is the passing of laws devoid of any absolute, moral foundation. Such laws do not write themselves. They are written and enforced by men and women equally devoid of a moral base. Disregarding the time-proven absolutes of the Bible has reduced our laws to parched bones without marrow, and a body cannot survive with dead bones.

      Law is intended to teach, restrict, guide and protect. Law must be the one voice that says, "This is the way, walk in it" (Isaiah 30:21). Anything less and Isaiah's words echo from history: "Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, who draw sin as with cart ropes. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil: (Isaiah 5:18, 20). Let our TV talking heads mock, we cannot escape the God of all truth, justice and holiness.

      Good laws require conviction, consistency and courage. Our forefathers bore the moral strength to hoist the flag to the top of the pole. Many of our current leaders are merely the decaying odor from the 1960s; the decade that rejected divine authority for human passion and opinion, the decade that enthroned self over God, the decade that abandoned the laws of goodness to embrace destructive desires. Repeating history, we called for the release of Barabbas and the crucifixion of Jesus.

      Thus, our youth can no longer look up to see our flag flying proudly at the top of the staff. The day is gone for them to see her gloriously representing freedom and goodness around the world.

      This Independence Day I celebrate what the flag meant in my youth: integrity, goodness and power; all with a righteous purpose. It does not take an Old Testament prophet to see the shameless failure of those leaders who are too blind to see the angel crossing the horizon and racing toward our shores.

      The Scriptures describe the end result of America's fallen flag of greatness: 

"After this I saw another Angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. And he called out with a mighty voice. 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons; a haunt for every unclean spirit . . . . For all nations have drunk the

wine of the passion of her sexual immorality; and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living'" (Revelation 18"1-3).

    The Scriptures tell God's people what to do:    "Come out of her my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues . . ." (Revelation 18:4).

      There is only one hope for America, and that is for today's youth to rise up in a spiritual awakening, remove today's fleckless leaders, seek God's mercy and recapture the strength to once again raise the flag to the top of the staff.

      It can be done. Nineveh did it in the days of Jonah. Our forefathers did it with solemn days of fasting, prayer and repentance. It could happen today.

Immanuel: God is with you!

Your friend,

Ron

Ps: I highly recommend Doug Patton's article entitledAmerica Has Ceased to be Great or Good. Click here: