“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the Law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.” – Isaiah 5:20-24

If there is one thing that I have noticed over the years, is that what we see in America today, for the most part, is judgment turned backwards.

What happened? When in America did right become wrong and wrong become right? When did evil become now good and those who stand for good become evil? When did pulpits become silent against sin (I John 3:4) and a perverted sense of love that never tells the truth come in?

America has turned its back on God. God has not turned His back on America. There is a big difference.

America is sitting in darkness. But…

If you found yourself sitting in a room and someone came in and turned off the light, what would you do? Would you sit there and whine about how dark it was and how you could not see anything, or would you simply get up and turn on the light?

Today, America is much like sitting in a dark room. You see all that is going on out there and at times you feel like, how can we prevail against all this evil? You see corruption so deep that its roots sink down into the very earth. You see men who are not willing to take a stand and women who are afraid to speak against what is wrong because they may get ridiculed and torn down for speaking the truth.

When did it become hate to warn men to flee from sin and the wrath to come? (Matthew 3:7) When did saving the life of an innocent child become a “war on women?” When did standing on the Bible and marriage (by its very definition between a man and a woman) become “hate-speech” and persecution smack the face of anyone who stands by Biblical truths? (Ephesians 5:31)

When did a nation founded upon God’s Word take prayer out of public schools? When did universities, which once had mottos such as “For Christ and the Church” and “For the Glory of Christ,” now become cesspools of atheism, evolution, and an outright, blatant war against God?

Kids, who were once exhorted to read the Bible and pray, are now being humiliated by teachers because of their faith in Christ. And if all this wasn’t bad enough, you see a state-controlled media ready to push your head back under the water if you receive any gasp of fresh air and breath of hope.

So what do we do?… plant an apple tree!

Say what?

Martin Luther, that great Reformer and man of God who shook the world, said this:

“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”

He had hope.

Though hunted down for his life, he still fought for the truth and would not be silenced, even in the midst of tyranny and oppression. He was accused of tearing the world apart for the TRUTH of the Gospel’s sake and took those who attempted to destroy him (even the pope himself) head on.

He planted his apple tree. He did not give up. He did not back down, and we live in a different world today because of it. Over 600 million people now worship in churches that were inspired by His reformation because he dared to take God at His word and preach the truth, come what may!

Now, the world did not end in Martin Luther’s day. No, the world did not end during WWII. And no, the world didn’t even end during the American Revolution that birthed this great nation (even though we were outnumbered, outgunned, and had every reason in the world to roll over and die in the face of our tyrannical enemy).

The greatest generation stood up, our Founding Forefathers stood up, and even one lowly man, Martin Luther, dared to stand up by himself.

So I say this… Enough whining. Enough complaining. Enough whimpering about the darkness. We know it’s there, it’s just a matter of who is going to turn on the light!

Stand up, pull yourself together, turn on the light of truth, and get moving. Faith without works is dead, the Bible says (James 2:26). Faith will get you up with hope every morning, works (or hope in action) will plant the seed, and truth with be the sunlight that will shine on your apple tree and inspire your posterity for generations. It’s time to turn judgment right side up!