What’s Ahead in 2023 for America?

“The counsel of the LORD standeth forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations.  Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD: and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance.”  Psalm 33:11-12

First of all, I am not a prophet, a seer, or a fortune-teller, thus I do not know what the year 2023 will bring specifically to the people of our nation.  I can see what has already taken place over my lifetime so far, and it is not a pretty picture.  The United States of America, if we can still call it that, is not God’s chosen nation.  That is Israel.  No amount of replacement theology can change that.  However, I believe that God led men and women to come to the shores of our land in search of freedom to govern themselves, and freedom to believe in God or even not to believe in Him without any interference from those elected to rule over the nation.  That right is stately clearly in the First Amendment to our Constitution.  There is no ambiguity at all as to our rights to worship as we choose and to be able to freely voice our opinions and beliefs.  Neither can Americans be forced to believe in a Higher Power or forced to accept ideas and philosophies which are contrary to one’s beliefs.  Jesus never forced anyone to believe in Him or in the gospel.

The Psalmist wrote that the nation who honors God as Lord, which means that His commandments are followed, that people love Him above all others, and love each other as they love themselves, will be blessed by Him.  However, if we reverse that promise of God, it could say that not honoring God as Lord over all will not bring His blessings, but rather bring His judgment.  This is His world.  He created it, and He created men and women with the intention that they will worship and serve Him, but He gave them free will to acknowledge His sovereignty and rule across the globe or either reject it, and it appears that far more people have rejected Him than have acknowledged Him as Lord.

So, what does this mean for us for 2023?  We just ended 2022 as a bad year in my opinion regardless of how those in charge spin it.  Perhaps the leaders see it as a good year because of the success of all the ungodly acts that they have promoted.  Most of those things they support are completely in opposition to God’s word.  How far will He let them go before He brings a halt to their sin which affects every person in the world.  Paul warned Timothy in II Timothy 3 that in the last days, perilous times would come.  People would become unholy and despisers of those who are good along with displaying many other sinful traits.  Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12 that our real battle is “not against flesh and blood”, but rather “against the rulers of darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places”.  In his book, “Elijah, A Man Like Us”, David Roper wrote, “Men and women who embody evil are not the enemy.  They are the victims of the enemy, ‘taken…captive to do his will’ (II Timothy 2:26).  It does little good to rail and rage against those whom the devil has cruelly blinded and deceived; we must rather do battle with the devil who has deceived them”.   Believers know that politics is not the answer.  At this point in our nation’s history, I think that it makes little difference in who is “running the show”.

However, we who are believers know that we can’t fight the devil on our own.  That would be like fighting an entire army of soldiers with a stick.  Mr. Roper goes on to write that the only weapons that we can use to fight against Satan are “prayer, proclamation, and personal righteousness.  These are the devices that make a difference”.  When we go to our knees in prayer to the Lord of all the earth and heaven, we have the entire arsenal of every spiritual weapon that exists.  When we proclaim the good news of the gospel, we are speaking with power and authority, showing others Who we depend on and on Whom they can also depend on to stand firm in this battle of good and evil.  However, prayer and proclamation yield very little success if our lives do not match what we profess.

I don’t know what 2023 holds for Americans, but unless a whole bunch of folks get a really good dose of Holy Ghost conviction, I don’t see things getting any better any time soon.  If we keep on this downward trajectory of spiritual darkness, I fear this year will be worse than last year.  I hope that I am wrong, but there is no climbing back up that slippery slope without a miracle from the Lord.  I have been publishing my blog for four- and one-half years, and our nation has continually been slipping further away from the Lord during that time at an ever-increasing speed.  Even so, those of us who belong to Jesus need not fear for He has us in the palm of His hand.  As the old saying goes, “I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know Who holds tomorrow”.  Thank You Jesus!