Sharing Faith

     Most people love to listen to music as they travel in their car or as they work.  They enjoy the pleasant sounds coming from their speakers.  Sometimes I also listen to music on the radio also, but usually I choose to listen to talk radio.  I enjoy driving along or sitting at work and hearing the political news, financial discussions, or family advice that talk show hosts choose to discuss.
    One of the many things that I've been impressed with as I've listened to these radio personalities is the number of them that choose to share their zeal for religion over the air.  Financial guru Dave Ramsey always ends his show by saying, "There is really only one way to financial peace, and that's through our Lord, Christ Jesus."  (The quote may be slightly off, but it carries the point of what he is saying.)  As you listen to his show, you'll learn that he councels people to trust in God when making their financial decisions.  I've heard him say many times that he would make one choice given the set of circumstances that the caller is presenting and that the caller should also, unless God is telling them otherwise.  And Dave Ramsey always emphasizes that last part.  You can listen to him and know that he knows, loves, and trusts his Lord and King.
     Dave Ramsey isn't the only one either.  Dennis Prager loves to share his beliefs as a Jew through his radio.  This intelligent man regularly devotes an hour of his show to discussing family values and relationships between men and women because he believes it is eternally important.  In addition, he often devotes an hour of his show to discussing verses from the Bible.  Dennis Prager loves God and wants the world to know it.
     I've also heard other talk show hosts share their religious beliefs.  Examples include Doctor Laura, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Steve Kelley, and so many others.  Talk show hosts aren't the only ones so open with their religious beliefs either.  Politicians, such as Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum aren't afraid to share their zeal for religion.  Religious leaders are also very open with sharing their faith in God.  Examples include the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Thomas S. Monson and Pope Benedict XVI of the Catholic Church.  And then there are the millions of people who quitely work behind the scenes sharing their faith in God with the world.
     In the world we currently live in, nobody can deny the need for sharing religion with the world.  So many people are striving with all their might to strangle religion and remove it from every part of our lives.  We can use the United States of America as a perfect example of the fight against religion today.
     No matter how much people want to deny it, it is a fact that the United States of America was founded as a nation under God.  The founding fathers of the United States believed in and loved God.  They were not ashamed to announce it to the world either.  This is why the Declaration of Independence, composed by these founding fathers, opens with two references to the rights given to man by God.  It also closes with an appeal to God for aide in declaring independence.  And a fourth reference to God comes immediately after the appeal to God, as the founding fathers declare they are relying on God for protection.
     Does anyone reading this miss the significance of these words written in the Declaration of Independence?  The men who acted in courage to defy the most powerful nation on the earth had the courage to do so because they believed God supported their cause.  The had faith He would support them.  And they courageously announced to the entire world with written documentation that they were calling on the Supreme Being for support in their case for freedom.
     If you examine the history behind the war for independence in the United States, you will also recognize that freedom from Britain would not have been won without divine intervention also.  There is no way the farmers of America could have beaten the hardened troops of Britain without help.  The Americans were outmanned, outgunned, and lacked the needed supplies, training, and support.  They won only because God intervened.
     This nation has stood under God ever since.  The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag declared it.  United States currency has declared it.  Prayers were common place before political venues.  And our history demonstrates it because of the many times the United States would have fallen without divine intervention.  I can quote multiple instances where this has been the case.
     Yet we now stand in a world where the Pledge of Allegiance cannot be spoken in the schools of America.  Attempts are being made, seemingly successfully, to remove God from our currency.  Our current president has declared we are no longer a religious nation, but entirely secular.  Religious and family values are mocked and denigrated.  And the dividing line between those who live with faith in God and those who don't is growing ever more divisive.
     In such a world where faith is under constant attack, it takes faith to stand up for God and religion.  This is why it's so impressive that talk show hosts, political leaders, religious leaders, and so many others are so willing to stand up and declare to the world their faith in God.
     I submit to you that world needs more people willing to stand up and declare their faith in God.  Pick your venue and do so.  There are so many ways to stand up for God, religion, and faith.  You can start speaking up in public arenas.  You can discuss religion with your friends and neighbors.  You can start a blog.  You can write a book.  It doesn't matter how you do it, but the world needs your voice for God.  Share it.