Walking With God in a Divided Nation
When the world celebrates change, the faithful must cling to what never changes.
Psalm 11:2-3 (HCSB)
For, behold, the wicked bend the bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string to shoot in darkness at the upright in heart. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?
There are moments in history that reveal the condition of a nation’s soul more clearly than any poll or policy. Recently, America’s most influential metropolis, New York City, elected its first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani, a Ugandan-born activist who campaigned on equality, inclusion, and reform.
For many, it’s a moment of triumph, a symbol of broader representation within the “American dream”. But beneath the applause, something deeper stirs: not about politics, but about our nation’s spiritual foundations. How can we call it “progress” when the largest city in America celebrates rejecting the Christian God who inspired the freedoms, morality, and civic order upon which this Republic was established? It reveals how far we’ve drifted from the truths that once defined us.
This is not about one man or one election. It is about the direction of a people who have gradually, but persistently, forgotten who they are…and Whose they are.
A City on a Hill—or a Tower of Babel?
There was a time when New York aspired to be a “city on a hill,” imperfect, yet a beacon of hope and freedom to the world.
The phrase has long captured America’s vision of itself as a nation set apart as a moral example. First spoken by Puritan leader John Winthrop in 1630, he drew his statement from Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” It reminded the early colonists that their obedience to God would invite His blessing.
Today, as America’s spiritual foundations erode, that same image stands as both a warning and a call: our greatness depends not on power, but on returning to the God who first set the light in place, not only for America, but for all creation.
Between the 1880s and the early 1900s, millions of immigrants arrived through Ellis Island, enduring hardship and disease in pursuit of freedom and opportunity. The travel conditions subjected them to unspeakable squalor, leading to malnutrition and disease in the steerage of the trans-Atlantic steamships. New York’s harbor once symbolized hope and was the gateway to freedom. Today, our historic, melting-pot city has been deconstructed and is now being rebuilt into something very different: a cacophony of voices, each proclaiming its own truth, its own light, its own way.
New York has always been a reflection of the nation’s conscience. When it mourned, the world mourned. When it celebrated, the culture followed. The new choice of leadership is both symbolic and spiritual, a reflection of the direction our once “One Nation, Under God” appears to be heading.
As Christians, we must recognize these shifts. The Bible warns,
Do not believe every spirit; test the spirits to see whether they are from God. (1 John 4:1)
When the people choose leaders whose worldview doesn’t align with America’s founding documents and Biblical truths, is it cause for concern?
In Dearborn, Michigan, home to the highest percentage of Muslims in America, residents have voiced concern that local mosques “are at times waking us up at 5:30 a.m. with the call to prayer and, at other times, forcing us to listen to the prayers in our yard and in our own homes.” Citizens cited a local noise ordinance that limits amplified sound to certain hours of the day.
It’s worth asking: Would Christians be allowed to broadcast hymns or hold public worship over loudspeakers in Yemen, Sudan, or any Muslim-majority country?
America extends religious freedom broadly and equally. The real test is whether our values will remain grounded in the constitutional balance that protects everyone’s faith and keeps peace in public life.
Near Josephine, Texas, the East Plano Islamic Center is developing a 402-acre planned community called EPIC City, which will feature more than a thousand homes, private schools, commercial spaces, and community facilities, including a mosque. Developers have stated it will be open to all faiths, a promise that led federal and state reviewers to close investigations.
This moment calls for reflection. As new Islamically-focused communities rise, will the education include American history, the Constitution, and the principles of liberty that define our nation? Or will they be shaped primarily by an Islamic worldview and cultural tradition?
Could you imagine a 400-acre Christian or Jewish project being approved in any Muslim-majority country—or in Communist China? America allows such endeavors, but our Christian foundation, our constitution, and our laws must be maintained and followed.
God is testing His people: will we stand firm in truth, or compromise so as not to offend?
Leadership in America
Every leader reflects the people who elect them. A nation walking with God will be led by those who honor Him and uphold laws rooted in His wisdom. But a nation that forgets Him will approve leaders who serve other masters.
They set up kings without My consent; they choose princes without My approval. - Hosea 8:4
That warning has echoed through many civilizations that turned away from the Creator. God gave us free will, including the freedom to choose our leaders, but history shows that when His people choose power over principle, or have honored foreign gods above the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the outcome has been ruin.
What is unfolding in New York is not merely political: it is spiritual. It reveals a generation losing its focus, trading eternal truth for cultural approval, and embracing laws that drift from our nation’s founding values set forth in the Bible. God has not changed. His Word remains His Will. His Son remains “The Way, The Truth, and The Life” (John 14:6).
The Illusion of One-World Faith
You can hear it everywhere: in politics, entertainment, and even some churches: “All paths lead to God,” or “God is love and accepts every lifestyle.” It sounds peaceful and inclusive, but it is deceptive. The world is celebrating the blending of religions. Those who follow Christ must remain anchored in Scripture.
The movement toward a “One World Religion” claims all faiths can merge because there is only one God and all paths lead to Him. But that is not the gospel that proclaims Jesus as Lord.
There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. — Acts 4:12
A Faith That Doesn’t Flinch
Walking with God in the world today, even in America, takes courage. We live in a culture that rewards silence and punishes bravery. Christians are told their faith must stay private, that prayer belongs only in church, and that morality is subjective.
This is the moment for believers to pray for our leaders without compromising loyalty to the King of Kings. We cannot hide our commitment to the Lord under the banner of politeness. Christ didn’t call us to fit in. He called us to follow Him and His way of life.
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. — John 15:18
God is calling His people to stand firm in the truth of the Bible. For believers, this is not a time to retreat. Stand strong in the Lord, even as some seek to reshape our nation into one that adheres to the worship of other gods or adopts laws foreign to our Constitution.
Pray for America. Pray for New York. Pray for Mayor Mamdani, that Jesus would reveal Himself to him. And pray that Christians never lose sight of who we are and Whose we are. I’ve written recently about Christians around the world being murdered and becoming martyrs for their beliefs (here and here). Do you think that could never happen here?
Today’s Prayer
Heavenly Father, we come before You with trembling hearts as the world grows more divided and more violent. Hear our prayers. Teach us to walk in Your peace while standing firm in Your truth. Give us eyes to see through deceptions, ears to discern Your voice, and hearts that beat with compassion for those who do not yet know You.
Strengthen us, Lord, to shine Your light without fear. Help us to pray faithfully for our leaders while remaining steadfast in Your ways, even when the world drifts away from You. When we are tempted to compromise, remind us of Your promises. When we grow weary, lift us with Your Spirit. As darkness deepens, may the light of Christ still burn brightly in our hearts and light our path. In Jesus’ holy name, Amen.
I love what God is doing, for He is guiding me to write on the theme “Be Fearless” based on who we are and Whose we are! Several friends tell me their pastors are focusing their sermons on a deeper understanding of our identity in Christ.
Are we ready to suffer as we stand firm in Christ in the U. S.? Months ago, a Texas woman challenged her readers on Twitter/X to do a search in their Maps app using “Islamic center near me”.
I did. There’s a small one in our rural community.
Jesus said the world will hate us because of Him. It’s all spiritual warfare. Are we ready?
Put on the full armor of God daily, be fearless in Him, love your enemies and pray for them. Many Muslims are coming to Christ!
And, pray for revival world wide.
The East Coast alongside the West Coast seems to be America’s testing ground. May we as the heart of America stand firm, stand in solidarity and unionism with our God, our Christian values, the very essence of what America was built on. The Constitution of America should be the forefront of all that the strength, the courage and determination that was required for our foundation stand in solidarity. Dr Tenpenny, thank you for standing tall amongst the chaos and for your leadership striving to carry forth the truth, thank you for being the outcry that alerts us. May we as Americans listen.