
In 1940, as the Battle of Britain raged and the future seemed bleak, Winston Churchill said to the nation:
“Death and sorrow will be the companions of our journey; hardships our garments; Constance and valor our only shield. We must be united, we must be undaunted, and we must be inflexible.”
Factor in the fact that bombs were exploding in the streets on London and the courage of the statement leaps off the page.
In another speech dated June 4, 1940 concerning the miracle at Dunkirk, he stated:
“We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the street, we shall fight in hills; we shall never surrender.”
Why am I quoting words of courage to you, words that inspired Western Civilization to rise to the occasion of fighting and winning WWII? Simple! We are in the prelude to a far more devastating attack on the very foundations of Western Civilization than the one faced by Churchill. If, as Napoleon Hill’s nihilistic statement posits, “Nothing matters,” is true, the question arises, why fight for anything? Sensible people understand that many fine and noble things do matter. Anarchist, that cause the atrocious Hitler to pale by comparison now run rampant in seats of usurped power across our nation and the bulk of the free world.
True faith matters. The home and hearth of the righteous matters as does the life of the unborn. Worship unbridled by political chains, matters. The financial welfare of our seniors and our veterans matters, matters much more than the invading hordes fleeing from totally socialistic empires of tyranny.
The drift of today’s letter may read a little like a rant. I am sorry that I lack the vocabulary to make it more so. Isn’t it past time for more of those of us who enjoy the bounty and beauty of our purple mountains and amber waves of grain, to use the phrase from Katherine Lee Bates in her attempt to convey the wonder of our free and majestic nation; to stand up and be counted for the ideals and ideas that produced a nation that towers far above anything the world has seen?
On the 19th of May 1940 Churchill closed his first speech as Prime Minister with this line from the centuries old Celebration of Trinity Sunday: “Today is Trinity Sunday. Centuries ago words were written to be a call and a spur to the faithful servants of truth and justice. ‘Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valour, and be in readiness for the conflict; for it is better for us to perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and our altar. As the Will of God is in Heaven, ever so let it be.’”
To clear up any confusion here, I submit it is time, past time actually, to follow the lead of Paul, who also lived in a rampantly decadent age, to put in place, the “whole armor of God,” as shown in Ephesians 6:11-18. Obviously the “weapons” are metaphors and mean to be prepared fully in our spiritual warfare for the context clearly teaches that this and any war is primarily spiritual in nature. To stand in the “evil” day the whole armor of God is essential. Truth, righteousness, mobility using the gospel of peace, the protection afforded by the shield of faith, a salvation minded brain, energized by the sword, which is the Word of God. All of this bathed in prayer. There is still time for God’s people to act like God’s people!
Copyright © 2015 Larry Lilly
For Great IT work click Oral Deckard
Comments are appreciated!
“Death and sorrow will be the companions of our journey; hardships our garments; Constance and valor our only shield. We must be united, we must be undaunted, and we must be inflexible.”
Factor in the fact that bombs were exploding in the streets on London and the courage of the statement leaps off the page.
In another speech dated June 4, 1940 concerning the miracle at Dunkirk, he stated:
“We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the street, we shall fight in hills; we shall never surrender.”
Why am I quoting words of courage to you, words that inspired Western Civilization to rise to the occasion of fighting and winning WWII? Simple! We are in the prelude to a far more devastating attack on the very foundations of Western Civilization than the one faced by Churchill. If, as Napoleon Hill’s nihilistic statement posits, “Nothing matters,” is true, the question arises, why fight for anything? Sensible people understand that many fine and noble things do matter. Anarchist, that cause the atrocious Hitler to pale by comparison now run rampant in seats of usurped power across our nation and the bulk of the free world.
True faith matters. The home and hearth of the righteous matters as does the life of the unborn. Worship unbridled by political chains, matters. The financial welfare of our seniors and our veterans matters, matters much more than the invading hordes fleeing from totally socialistic empires of tyranny.
The drift of today’s letter may read a little like a rant. I am sorry that I lack the vocabulary to make it more so. Isn’t it past time for more of those of us who enjoy the bounty and beauty of our purple mountains and amber waves of grain, to use the phrase from Katherine Lee Bates in her attempt to convey the wonder of our free and majestic nation; to stand up and be counted for the ideals and ideas that produced a nation that towers far above anything the world has seen?
On the 19th of May 1940 Churchill closed his first speech as Prime Minister with this line from the centuries old Celebration of Trinity Sunday: “Today is Trinity Sunday. Centuries ago words were written to be a call and a spur to the faithful servants of truth and justice. ‘Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valour, and be in readiness for the conflict; for it is better for us to perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and our altar. As the Will of God is in Heaven, ever so let it be.’”
To clear up any confusion here, I submit it is time, past time actually, to follow the lead of Paul, who also lived in a rampantly decadent age, to put in place, the “whole armor of God,” as shown in Ephesians 6:11-18. Obviously the “weapons” are metaphors and mean to be prepared fully in our spiritual warfare for the context clearly teaches that this and any war is primarily spiritual in nature. To stand in the “evil” day the whole armor of God is essential. Truth, righteousness, mobility using the gospel of peace, the protection afforded by the shield of faith, a salvation minded brain, energized by the sword, which is the Word of God. All of this bathed in prayer. There is still time for God’s people to act like God’s people!
Copyright © 2015 Larry Lilly
For Great IT work click Oral Deckard
Comments are appreciated!