Much of this anti-Christian attitude began with the banning of Bible reading and prayer in the public schools when, in June of 1963, the Supreme Court voted in favor of atheist, Madeline Murray O’Hare, who claimed that such was against the constitution of the United States of America.

“From that day to this, not only has prayer been outlawed, God’s very name has been declared anathema to the United States Constitution, and forbidden to be mentioned in any federal, state, county, city or municipal context. Further decrees have revealed the depths of the ouster that initial edict has fostered. Not just prayer is forbidden in the public forum. Display of the cross is forbidden. The Ten Commandments are forbidden. The Bible is forbidden. Nativity plays are forbidden. Even the mere mention of the names, ‘God’ or ‘Jesus’, in schools are forbidden. More than that, anything even suggestive of those names is forbidden.”²

Five months after the American Supreme Court ruled in favor of Madeline Murray O’Hare, John Kennedy, president of the U.S.A. was assassinated. Months later the U.S. was plunged into the Vietnam War where over 200,000 Americans were wounded, maimed or killed. And on Good Friday in April of the following year, “the United States suffered its worst earthquake and tidal wave in recorded history, a 9.2 behemoth that shattered Alaska and sent massive tidal waves roaring across the Pacific coastline….”²

Think, too, of the ever-increasing moral decline that has taken place in the U.S. since June of 1963. Ten years later in 1973 the Roe v. Wade landmark Supreme Court case legalized abortion throughout the U.S. Since then abortion for almost any reason has become, not only acceptable, but legalized—including murderous partial-birth abortion. Gay marriage has been made legal in several states and even approved by some supposed Christian denominations—something that is forbidden in the Word of God.

As the late Chuck Colson so wisely stated, “By rejecting Christianity and its moral framework, Western liberal democracies are in grave peril of collapsing upon themselves. They will no longer be able to preserve human rights and liberties. What comes next is tyranny.”³

Tragically, as a nation, so many have forgotten and/or ignored the fact that, as God’s Word declares, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.”⁴

Keep in mind, too, that while this principle, I believe, applies to all nations, it is referring specifically to the nation of Israel, and we now have political leaders here in the U.S.A. who are anti-Israel. I am not justifying everything Israel has done any more than trying to justify everything that the U.S. and my own country of Australia has done, but never let us forget that God promised Abraham, the father of the Israeli nation, saying, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”⁵

Furthermore, the Christian and moral decline in the U.S. has been further attacked by atheists who are also doing all in their power to tear down and destroy the very foundation that made the U.S. for so many years such a great Christian nation—a foundation that was based solidly on the Bible and on Judeo-Christian ethics, standards and principles. What they are doing is blind, irresponsible insanity. Symbolically speaking, as a nation we are cutting off our nose to spite our face.

America wake up … Christians wake up … stand up and be counted and help spread the gospel message of Jesus Christ—the only hope of our sin-sick country and world. For a simple and effective way to do this, please consider joining with ACTS as a People Power for Jesus partner. For more information click on https://learning.actsweb.org/people_power/.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please open the eyes of my understanding to see what is happening, not only in the United States, but in the world in which I live. Today, with your help, I rededicate and re-commit my life to you. I am available, please use me to be a part of your plans and what you are doing in the world today as opposed to do what Satan is doing through his followers—and allowing to be done through apathetic Christian believers who do nothing. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus name, amen.”

Note: If you prayed this prayer and truly meant it, please let us know by filling in the form online at: https://learning.actsweb.org/decision.php.

1. Psalm 14:1 (NKJV) and Proverbs 1:7 (NIV).

2. “The Day America Spurned God,” http://goodnewspirit.com/america-spurnsgod.htm

3. Chuck Colson, BreakPoint, Dec 28, 2011.

4. Psalm 33:12 (NKJV).

5. Genesis 12: 2-3 (NKJV).

Today is Good Friday, the day we remember with profound appreciation that it was for this day that Jesus came to earth … to die in our place on that cruel Roman cross to save us from the terrible consequences of sin—a disease far deadlier than AIDS or any other disease that is a physical death sentence.

Today, we also remember that Jesus Christ was not an ordinary man. True, he was a man but he was and is the Son of the Living God—the Great Creator who became our Savior—the one who laid aside his external garments of deity, stepped out of the Ivory Palaces of Heaven, clothed himself in a garment of human flesh and came to earth to pay the redemption price for our sin. He died on the cross in your place and mine. In so doing he provided the only cure for the deadly disease of sin whose sentence is spiritual and eternal death.

Today, we remember, too, that without Jesus as our Savior, we would be headed for hell from which there is no escape beyond the grave. Wherever and whatever hell is we can be sure of this, it is eternal disconnection from God the author of all love and life—cut off forever from all love and all loving relationships. Such consequences are unthinkable.

And today we need to remember that Jesus died for us because he loved us far more than we can even begin to understand. As another has said, Jesus would rather go to hell for us than to go to heaven without us! This he did when he died on the cross in your place and in mine.

Jesus gave his life that we might live. In thanksgiving to him for his unspeakable gift, may we give our life to live for him—to help spread the gospel so that others might also live. For without Jesus, people are lost forever!

If you have never thanked Jesus for dying on the cross to pay the price for your sins, I urge you to do this today, and accept Jesus as your Savior and receive God’s forgiveness and the assurance of a home in heaven forever. To help you be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian—without having to be religious at: www.actsweb.org/christian and/or “God’s Invitation” at: http://tinyurl.com/gods-invitation.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, how can I ever thank you enough for loving me enough to give your Son Jesus to die on the cross in my place to pay the penalty for all my sins? And dear Jesus I do thank you from the depths of my heart for what you did for me. Please help me to live a life of thanksgiving to you always in all ways. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV).

Years ago Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) insightfully said, “What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.”

This is true and vital but I would dare to suggest that it doesn’t present the entire picture for, as Pascal also said, “There is a God-shaped vacuum [or cup, as I like to put it] in the heart” of all of us, there is also a people-shaped cup. And while our God-shaped cup needs to be filled with the love of God, our people-shaped cup needs to be filled with the love of people.

If either one of these cups is empty, life can feel void and meaningless. And then we seek to fill the void within and deaden the pain of our empty lives with things, endless activities, seeking approval, super-busyness, illicit sex, alcohol, drugs and stuff, stuff, and more stuff and, at least here in the West, we are left longing in the midst of a land of plenty.

The fact is that God has created us for relationships both with himself and each other. It has been rightfully said that 80 percent of life’s satisfaction comes from the quality of our relationships. Without loving relationships we limp along in the shadows of life and will most likely die long before our time. While it may not be desirable, we can live without romantic love but we cannot live healthily without healthy loving relationships with at least one or two—and preferably more—other persons.

Furthermore, without a meaningful relationship with God, there is a deep sense of spiritual emptiness of the soul. When God created mankind, he created us with the capacity to communicate with him, to be connected to him in spirit. The tragedy is that when sin entered the human race, we were separated or disconnected from God. But because God loved us he sent his Son, Jesus, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for all our sins so we could be fully forgiven and be reconnected to God and then, through Jesus, get our God-cup or god-shaped vacuum filled.

Note: To begin a spiritual connection/relationship with God, be sure to read the article, “How to Know God and be sure you’re a real Christian without having to be religious” online at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to develop healthy, loving relationships both with you and with others. And please reveal to me if there are any barriers in my life that might be hindering either one of these relationships. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Acts 17:27-28 (TLB)(NLT).

Some 2,500 years ago the Bible, as stated by the prophet Zechariah, said that this split (possibly caused by a great earthquake) will take place when Jesus Christ returns to earth to put down all evil and rule and reign forever. As the Bible says, “Then the Lord will go out fully armed for war, to fight against those nations. That day his feet will stand upon the Mount of Olives, to the east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a very wide valley running from east to west, for half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south.”¹

Christ’s first coming is an indisputable fact of history. We can be just as certain of his second coming because he promised that if he went away he would return. Numerous prophecies regarding his first coming were fulfilled in minutest detail. We can be just as certain that all the prophecies regarding his second coming will also be fulfilled in minutest detail. Zechariah’s prophecy and the evidence of the geological fault under the Mount of Olives is just one more confirmation of the validity of God’s Word and the hope we have of Christ’s return for his own. The important thing is to be ready because when we least expect it, Christ will come.

His coming will be somewhat like the earthquakes in California or anywhere else, we know they are going to come, but they strike without warning. The important thing is to be prepared ahead of time. By way of interest, we actually had an earthquake here in Southern California on the very morning I was editing this Daily Encounter.

If Christ should come today, would you be ready? You can be by confessing your sins to him and inviting him into your heart and life as personal Lord and Savior. For help see “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian. See also “What If There Is a Heaven?” at: http://tinyurl.com/g9ugp.

As Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions … I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go … I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, there you may be also.”²

Suggested prayer: Dear God, thank you for the promise that Jesus is coming back again to take all his true followers to be with him and you forever in heaven. Thank you, too, for this wonderful hope. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Zechariah 14:3-4 (TLB)(NLT).

2. John 14:2-4.

“I read about a river town where sand was continually being dredged from the river bed and left in high piles by the river bank. This was a place where boys loved to play. Often times the sand piles, though dry on the top were still waterlogged beneath the sunbaked crusted surface.

“Some years ago two boys were late home for dinner so their parents went looking for them. When they found their bicycles outside the fence where the sand piles were banked high, they called for the boys, but no answer came. The family and other rescuers searched frantically in and around the sand piles and eventually found one of the boys buried up to his neck. He was barely alive when they found him and they dug furiously to rescue him. When he was freed from the waist up, and able to breathe properly, his panic-stricken parents and rescuers asked, ‘Where’s your brother? Where’s your brother?’

“‘I’m standing on his shoulders,’ the boy said.

“One loving brother gave his life so his brother could live.”²

And that’s exactly what Jesus Christ did for you and me. We were spiritually lost and destined for a lost eternity without God and without hope. But because of his great love for us, Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, came to earth and gave his life to die in our place to pay the penalty for all our sins so we could be freely forgiven and receive God’s gift of eternal life.

Have you thanked God for giving his Son as a sacrifice for your sins, and have you thanked Jesus for dying in your place to pay the penalty for all your sins. If not, please do that today.

Note: For further help click on the link below to “How to Know God and be sure you’re a real Christian without having to be religious.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for giving your Son, Jesus, to die in my place on the cross to save me from eternal damnation. And thank you Jesus for dying for me, and because of your sacrifice for me, I offer my life to you as a living sacrifice to live for you all the days of my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Click on www.actsweb.org/christian for the article: “How to know God and be sure you’re a real Christian.”

1. Romans 5:7-8 (NIV).

2. Adapted from a story heard on a Campus Crusade for Christ broadcast.

I read how, some years ago, “a missionary physician in one of China’s hospitals cured a man of cataracts. A few weeks later 48 blind men came to the doctor from one of China’s wilds, all holding on to a rope guided by the man who had been cured. He had led them in this way, walking in chain for 250 miles to the hospital.”²

Would to God that we who were once blind and healed spiritually by Jesus, the Great Physician, would do our utmost to lead others to Jesus, the only one who can cure spiritual blindness, and in so doing give people the gift of forgiveness for all their sins and, with it, the gift of eternal life.

To have our witness be credible, however, it is imperative that we, too, “with unveiled faces reflect the Lord’s glory” and more and more be transformed into Jesus’ likeness so that people will always “see Jesus” in us. “With unveiled faces” means being open-faced, genuine, personally honest, authentic, and not phony in any way. Nathanael is an excellent example to follow. When “Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him … said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit [guile]!’”³

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be a person in whom there is no guile or deceit, and always reflect your glory in all circumstances so that people will always “see Jesus” in me. And please help me to be transformed into your likeness and use me to be a living, effective witness for you in helping to introduce many others to you for your healing and forgiveness. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: To help introduce others to Jesus, please consider joining with ACTS to be a People Power for Jesus Partner. There is no charge. All you need is the desire to bring/introduce others to Jesus, have an e-Mail account, and access to the Internet. For more information see: www.actsweb.org/people_power.

1. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV).

2. Sunday School Times. Cited in Lee, Paul Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, p.1614.

3. John 1:47 (NKJV).

While this Scripture passage was addressed to the nation of Israel, the principle, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,” without doubt applies to every nation whose God is the Lord.

This is certainly applicable to the founding of the U.S.A., the foundation of which was solidly based on Judeo-Christian principles, and whose God was the Lord. Sadly, more and more, as a nation, we are increasingly moving away from this spiritual foundation.

Going back more than half a century we were given a grave warning by Charles Augustus Lindbergh of aviation fame, who, in the early days of flying, at the age of 25 was the first pilot to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. This was on May 20-21, 1927.

At the time of World War II Lindberg, at first, was opposed to the U.S. voluntarily entering the war, but later changed his mind. He had said: “I saw the aircraft I love destroying the civilization I expected it to save. Now I understand that spiritual truth is more essential to a nation than the mortar in its cities’ walls. For when the actions of a people are undergirded by spiritual truths, there is safety. When spiritual truths are rejected, it is only a matter of time before civilization will collapse.”²

It is significant that Lindberg’s foresight into the importance of spiritual truth for the enduring safety of civilization was seen at a time when the United States was becoming one of the most powerful nations in the world. But today, however, it appears that the need for this spiritual foundation is not only being totally ignored, but also being eroded, by so many of today’s leaders and citizens, who are much more concerned with being “politically correct” than they are about the nation being “undergirded by spiritual truths.”

Tragically, Charles Lindberg’s prophetic statement is indeed being played out in the U.S.A. of today. May God have mercy on us.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for your Word that assures us that ‘blessed is that nation whose God is the Lord.’ Tragically, we have as a nation, by and large, progressively turned from you and in so doing have sinned grievously. Please grant a great spiritual awakening so as a nation we will confess our sins and turn back to you and once again, as did most of our founding fathers, make you our Lord. And please start your work in me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 33:12 (NKJV).

2. Lee, Paul Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, p. 1529.

With the woman caught in the act of adultery, Jesus saw beyond her external act of sin—her adultery—to the deeper cause of why she acted out in the way she did.

We tend to see sin as only the external act. But the external act is often just the tip of the iceberg. Sin is anything that falls short of the perfection or wholeness God planned for us. It includes our damaged emotions, our wounded personality, our mixed motives, our unresolved inner conflicts, and our supercharged repressed negative emotions. Added to our sinful nature, these are the pains that keep us in bondage and cause us to act out in sinful ways. These are the barriers that alienate us from God, from others, and from ourselves so that we no longer know who or what we truly are. Sin is the whole “iceberg,” not merely the external tip.

Because of this, when Jesus ministered to the woman caught in adultery, he dealt with her whole person not just her sinful behavior. As already noted, to free her from acting out in sinful behavior, he first met the basic need in her life, the lack of which was driving her to commit acts of sin. Jesus loved and accepted her, and in doing this, possibly for the first time in this woman’s life, she was loved and accepted by a man for who she was rather than for what she had to offer. Jesus knew her sin, her weaknesses, and her hurt. He understood her fully and loved and accepted her unconditionally. In so doing he confirmed her personhood and her womanhood. In other words, the needs that her father didn’t or couldn’t meet, Jesus met. In meeting these father needs for love and acceptance Jesus set her free and could realistically say to her, “Go and don’t commit this sin anymore.”

Or take the person with a drinking problem, a lying problem, a stealing problem, a drug problem, a gossip problem, or any other kind of sin problem. Behind the external act of sin lies a deeper fault, problem, or sin. The external act of sin is merely the symptom of the deeper sin. And when a person is hiding a deeper sin or fault, he tends to confess a lesser sin all the more vigorously.

Therefore, how unkind it is of me, how lacking in understanding, and how unlike Christ to condemn you and make you feel guilty for your sin without ever seeking to understand you and help meet the basic need/s in your life, the lack of which are causing you to act out in sinful ways.

It’s easy to lay rules on you and make you feel guilty if you don’t conform, and in so doing deceive myself into believing that I have been obeying God, which is anything but the truth. But how difficult it is to seek to understand you, to learn why you do what you do, and then attempt to meet your deepest needs—the lack of which are causing you to commit acts of sin. This takes true commitment to Christ and commitment to you—it is my being as Jesus to you.

Being a sinner myself, I do not have the right to tell you not to sin again. I only have the responsibility to accept you as a fellow sinner and help to meet your needs and, thereby, help take away your need for sinning.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me of the sin of being critical and judgmental and give me a spirit of understanding to be able to help any who genuinely need your help, healing, and deliverance. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 3:17 (KJV).

Yesterday we talked about the Pharisees trying to trap Jesus over the woman caught in the act of adultery. The last thing Jesus said to these pious religious bigots was, “Let the man who has never sinned be the one to cast the first stone.”

Their own accusations had boomeranged on them. The silence was deafening. And now, like frightened puppy dogs, they tucked their “religious tails” between their legs and got out of there as quickly as they could.

Jesus was left alone with the woman. He knew she’d been used. He understood her deepest need and gently asked her, “What happened to your accusers? Where did they go? Isn’t there anyone left to condemn you?”

“No, Lord,” she replied, “they’ve all gone.”

Then Jesus made a simple but profound statement: “I don’t condemn you either. Go, and don’t commit this sin anymore.”

The dynamic in this story is that before Jesus told this woman to go and sin no more, he first met the basic need in her life, the lack of which was causing her to sin. This is such a profound truth, it desperately needs understanding.

Let me explain. Counselors tell us that many a prostitute or a loose-living woman, for example, is a woman who has been hurt deeply by her father in her early life. Deep down she is still hostile towards him. He didn’t meet her needs for love, acceptance, and approval. Neither did he confirm her womanhood. For one or many reasons she felt rejected by him. Or he or another significant male in her early life may have sexually abused her. She doesn’t come to this conclusion consciously, but the greatest way she can hit back at her father or men is by becoming a prostitute or a loose-living woman. She is also desperately searching for the father’s love she never received as a child or as a young woman and is unconsciously trying to prove to herself that she is a woman. She is being driven into acts of sin because of unresolved hurt, anger, and by an unmet need for love and acceptance—especially that of a father’s love.

The same principle applies to the man who is running around using women. His problem includes lust, but it goes far deeper. He is not the great masculine figure he pretends to be. He may be angry at his mother and be using other women as a means of expressing his hostility. Or he may be still searching for the mother’s love he never received as a child as well as trying to convince himself that he is adequate as a male.

Behind all external acts of sin, there is almost always a deeper sin, fault, unmet need, or damaged emotion. In other words, all behavior is caused or motivated. There is a reason why people do what they do. This is not to excuse their behavior. Not at all. Jesus didn’t condemn the woman for her sin, but neither did he condone her actions. He told her not to do it again. However, he knew that this woman had a deep emotional need in her life and it was this unmet need that was driving her into acts of sin.

In meeting her unmet need, Jesus could realistically say to her, “Go and leave your life of sin.”

To be concluded …

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to always be sensitive to the true needs of others when they fall, and seek to meet them at that point of need just as you did with the woman caught in adultery. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 8:11 (NIV).

Perhaps one of the most beautiful examples of communicating Christ’s love in the entire New Testament is where Christ ministered to the woman who was caught in the act of adultery.

Why the scribes and Pharisees brought only the woman—and not the man—to Jesus for judgment is a little difficult to understand. How the woman could be caught in the act of adultery alone is beyond my comprehension. If truth be known, the guilty man may very well have been one of the accusers even if he weren’t present in the accusing circle. The whole affair was undoubtedly a setup to trap Jesus.

Regardless, you can just see these religious bigots gloating over their victory. “We’ve got Him cornered at last,” they bragged among themselves with a false sense of anticipated triumph. “He can’t win. And we can’t lose. Whatever way he answers, we have him trapped. If he says to punish her according to the law of God, we’ll accuse him of having no mercy. If he says to let her go free, we’ll accuse him of breaking God’s law.” Quite a scheme … so they thought.

So here they are, encircling Jesus and the guilty woman. They were like a pack of hungry wolves just waiting for the signal to pounce on Jesus and devour Him. What did they care about the woman? Absolutely nothing. They were using her as a pawn in their game.

“Now, Master,” they piously addressed Jesus undoubtedly in a sanctimonious tone of voice, “this woman was caught committing adultery in the very act. God’s law demands that such a woman be stoned to death. How do you feel about that? What say you?”

Jesus ignored them. He stooped down and wrote on the ground. But these men were persistent. They were determined to win their devious game so they kept pressing Jesus for an answer.

So Jesus stood up, looked each one of them squarely in the eye, and agreed with them. “Yes,” he said, “you’re absolutely correct. The law of Moses, God’s law, does say that such a woman should be stoned to death.”

“He’s agreeing with us,” they mused among themselves, and you could see them going for the rocks tucked under their religious robes—the rocks of accusation they were about to hurl at Jesus. They were more concerned about killing Jesus than they were about stoning the woman or defending justice.

“So,” continued Jesus, “go ahead and stone her to death if that’s what you desire.” After a brief moment’s pause and with a burning look that pierced the depths of their consciences Jesus added, “However, gentlemen, wait just a minute—let the man who has never sinned be the one to cast the first stone.”

Thud. The silence was deafening.

To be continued …

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a spirit of discernment so that I will always know when enquirers are genuine or if they have a hidden agenda seeking to hurt a fellow struggler who has fallen. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 8:2-5 (NIV).