"Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people." Prov.14:34

"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." 2 Timothy 3:13

About a mile or so down the road from my home is a poultry farm. Often, during the night, I hear the roar of the big trucks on their way to the market. The passengers must have sensed that life, as they once knew it, had taken a dramatic new turn.

The residents that grew up there, had someone, seemingly, who cared for them and nurtured them to health, prosperity, and maturity. All their needs were met -- with the end goal of seeing them become healthy and prosperous. As they partook freely each day of all their caretaker's provisions, never in their wildest dreams would they have suspected that their best interests were not in the forefront of the farm manager's mind. They paid little, if any, attention to the rumbling sounds of the flatbeds, or the rattling of the cages as they arrived in plain view -- perhaps to whisk them away to a better world.

As their handlers prepared them for the ride, they were blind and oblivious to the outcome of the trip they were about to embark on. A journey which would prove to be ill-fated from the outset. Down a road of despair; which would soon cross the county line of no return. It would continue on a collision course with an end of which they were unconscious and had no perception of. As they began being loaded for the last ride of their lives, they had no idea of what awaited them on the other end. The remnants of their journey could be seen alongside the roadway, as the turbulent ride scattered their feathers to the winds of history.

The foregoing scenario could have implications and applications to the fate that awaits many deceived and deluded Americans. Unfortunately, unlike the poor fowl whose fates are inevitable, humans can't use the trump card of ignorance. Have we, as citizens, been loaded on a vehicle that is headed for a different destination than what our leaders would have us believe? Has the driver left out, signaling our departure on an ill-fated last ride?

Are America's hopes and dreams scattered along the side of the roadways like so many poultry feathers? Representing all of our good intentions...but bad choices. Choosing to follow our deceptive hearts and human reasoning, rather than the truths of God's word.

Have we, like ancient Rome, climbed aboard the flatbed and into the waiting cages of our own volition, enroute to a dire fate that we are not even aware of? The good news is that -- unlike the fowl and Rome of old -- we don't have to climb aboard. Also, if we have been deceived and boarded, there's still time to disembark. We can seek the answers and glean light from the same source the founders of our nation used.

The words of admonition that George Santayana is credited with still ring true today. Will we take heed to that advice, or follow in the footsteps of every civilization and nation that forgot God and now lie on the ash heap of destruction?

The Bible tells us of the judgments that have followed all the nations in history that have rejected God and his word. It also tells of the blessings and good fortune of all who have trusted the true and living God of creation throughout earth's existence.

Let's cast off the wings of despair and get back to the light of God’s word.