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STAR-SPANGLED PATRIOTISM

In the heart of the night, as the cannons boomed and the air crackled with tension, Fort McHenry stood resolute against an onslaught that threatened to engulf the fort. The Battle of Baltimore, an inferno of chaos and valor, surged through the darkness during the War of 1812. In this epic clash, the fate of a young nation hung precariously in the balance, with the stars and stripes of the American flag, flying rebelliously overhead, serving as a beacon of hope amidst the tempest of war.

As the British fleet arrived and unleashed its fury upon the fort, the relentless bombardment shattered the tranquility of the Baltimore sky. Thundering cannonballs screamed through the air, painting the horizon with fiery trails of destruction. Yet, as the explosions rent the air and as buildings crumbled, the defenders clung to their resolve, their spirits unwavering.

Amidst the pandemonium, a colossal American flag billowing defiantly in the face of peril soared high above Fort McHenry. Each gust of wind unfurled its stars and stripes, a sight that ignited the hearts of the defenders at every fateful flash of light. It symbolized their unyielding determination and an emblem of their unwavering love for country and land.

As the British bombardment intensified, fury was unleashed upon McHenry's walls. Explosions jolted like volcanic eruptions, devouring the night with smoke and flame. The defenders, though few, not only held their ground but held up that flag defiantly through every blast keeping it from falling, keeping it upright, and ensuring it remained intact. Hour after hour, the shells fell on the heads of those poor souls, killing American patriots left and right, painting the dampened soil like rubies from their sacrificial blood. The earth shook beneath their feet all night, and the deafening roar of cannons reverberated through their bones.

But yet, by dawn's early light and by twilight's last gleaming, what the men of Fort McHenry beheld as the smoke and ash began to clear, was far brighter than the rocket's red glares and much more deafening than the British bombs that were bursting in air. What they beheld was proof that our flag had withstood the night and that it was still there. Still there through the bitter onslaught. Still waving, though, hell had been unleashed upon it. Yet, though tattered and torn, it stood proudly, defiantly streaming and screaming at the English Navy that America was still here.

The sight of the American flag still waving triumphantly above became a powerful symbol of American resolve and inspired a deep sense of national pride in the men standing beneath it. And as their hearts swelled with pride and their bodies fueled by an instant bath of adrenaline, those heroic American soldiers valiantly defended the fort, won that battle, and eventually the entire war.

FLAGS AND DECLARATIONS OF WAR

To comprehend the profound willingness of these valiant men to sacrifice their lives in defense of a mere piece of colored fabric, it is imperative to delve into the intrinsic essence of what a flag is. These emblems were not intricately woven to serve as mere decorations or museum relics. Instead, flags embody the very heart of national sovereignty.

When the British beheld that resolute flag fluttering defiantly in the morning harbor breeze, it was not the robust fabric that rendered them immobile but rather the damning symbolism it represented. As the flag soared proudly overhead, the British came to a realization: America was the embodiment of resilience, refusing to fade silently into oblivion like the flag they proudly held aloft. That banner symbolized her undying spirit and unyielding dominion that they could not overcome.

This is precisely why every invading army endeavors to establish its own flag upon conquered territories. Why? Because planting the flag signifies a shift in power dynamics, the rise of a new ruling nation, and the ultimate demise of the former regime. The iconic sight of Marines hoisting the Old Glory amidst the battle-scarred landscape of Iwo Jima epitomized the irrevocable defeat of Japanese imperialism. Likewise, the Soviets triumphantly displaying the hammer and sickle above Berlin's Reichstag symbolized the dethronement of Nazism and the definitive end of Hitler's tyrannical reign.

When a nation plants its flag firmly into the ground, it openly and audaciously proclaims its dominion over that soil. It screams, "We are the ones in charge!" It heralds that our power and our might reign supreme on this soil. And if you do not like that, grab your guns and try to take our flag away from us if you can.

This is why the American flag flies proudly over government buildings, ports, and homes across this nation and military installations worldwide. Because American power and influence reign under every shadow that old flag casts! To put an end to these United States of America, you must wrestle every single flag off every single pole and successfully plant your own before we kill you.

This is precisely why the rainbow-colored flag of deviance and pride must come (and in Christ will come) to a bitter end.

A NATION RULED BY PRIDE

While our forefathers bled and died to keep that Star-Spangled Banner flying high and to repel the trespassing of the Union Jack from slithering up our poles, a new flag has been very surreptitiously and seditiously added in recent years. For instance, on houses across this nation, homeowners of all moral stripes brazenly adorn their abode with a garish rainbow-colored monstrosity as if to assert that pride and moral turpitude reign within these walls. Even the stalwart guardians of law and order, our esteemed police officers, have forsaken the traditional blue and black in favor of gay rainbows, reminding all law-abiding citizens that moral deviancy now holds sway in that town.

Regrettably, this trend is not confined to the local spheres of neighborhoods and communities alone. Since 2012, American embassies scattered across the globe have relinquished the proud hues of red, white, and blue and shamelessly embraced the flag of pride, a testament to our nation's defeat and a damning renouncement of our allegiance to God. In recent years, even the highest echelons of power, under the guise of Biden's despotic militant regime, have callously revoked a previous Pompeo ban, now allowing government buildings to forsake our national symbol in favor of a flag depicting the invasion of demonic terrorism.

As a former soldier, who once served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, my heart aches witnessing the trajectory of this country. To view our beautiful flag being willfully discarded for such repugnant and abominable sin, the very kind that has historically brought nations to their ruin, fills me with profound disgust and outrage.

A CHURCH RULED BY COMPROMISE AND COWARDICE

Yet, even all of this pales in comparison to the abhorrence I feel when I witness that godless flag hanging from so-called Christian churches! Those demonic "houses of worship," which were meant to be sacred sanctuaries where the worship of our magnificent and triune God would go out and go forth unto the nations, have now become synagogues of Satan, decorating their battered lampstands with the technicolor pixels of rebellion and damnation. They have indeed compromised, capitulated, and will bow and kneel down to whatever golden statue society puts before them.

Still, many other churches, maybe even the majority, have taken the glim path of pure cowardice, hiding from the culture behind sanguine smiles and awkward winsomeness, unwilling to take a stand for anything, which makes them primed to fall for everything. Is it any wonder that our national morality stinks like rotten flesh? Is it any wonder that we have an entire month dedicated to the kind of sensuality and debauchery that would make that affectionate Uncle Screwtape squeal with devilish delight?

Our nation has forgotten its symbol of God-ordained power, might, and national sovereignty. Likewise, the church has forgotten who has ultimate authority, sovereignty, and supremacy over all things, which has emboldened this wicked lot in their crimes against our God. Today, if you do not bow down and virtue signal, you will be driven from polite society, canceled, and maybe arrested for hate speech. Unfortunately, amid this insanity, many in the church have either gleefully bowed their knee in worship to the rainbow-colored calf or have shamefully bowed their head in cowardice, refusing to speak. Both of these situations need to change.

A CALL TO WAKE UP

When you look around at how flagrantly immoral this country has become, you must recognize that this was by design. Just as the Brits encamped in Baltimore's harbor and leveled round after round upon the Yanks, so too the LGBTQ community has lobbed rocket after rocket, bomb after bomb upon the moral landscape of this nation. And they will not be satisfied until every man, woman, and child bow down to and participate in their perversions. And we must not be satisfied, like our American forebears, to go quietly in the night.

Today is the day for us to open our eyes and see that an uninvolved and aloof church is not working. Winsomeness is not winning over anyone. Sugar and spice Christianity has been effective at absolutely nothing save allowing evil to fester during our moment of extraordinary negligence. The living Christ called us to be salt in a decaying world. So let me ask, where are the salty ones? Again, we were commanded to bring the light of the Gospel where darkness is still reigning. But, again, where are the ones who radiate the blinding light of Jesus Christ? A light so brilliant and intense that the darkness shudders and must flee from. We were told to advance and watch all the gates of hell come tumbling down in abject terror. Where are those men? Where are those churches? Where are the sulfuric gates piled up from our advancing?

Jesus Christ called us to plant His flag of Gospel dominion among every tribe, tongue, nation, and people. To cover the world with the banner of His glory like the waters cover the seas. And to herald His government, His rule, His reign, His matchless authority till every last creature called by God has converted.

He has not given us the option to compromise or cower! On the contrary, he has given us orders to go and make disciples of all wayward nations under every kind of pitiful power and secular banner so that they will be delivered into the Kingdom of the only sovereign Lord of glory! If this is our commission, will we do it? Will we step into it? Will we do so boldly, lovingly, joyfully, and publicly?

Our nation may be under attack right now. The pride flag may be flying. And, the American people, once known for valor, may now be impotent. But the Church of Jesus Christ shall surely stand, and she shall reign until all His enemies have become a footstool for His feet. The only question is will you be the one who fights and builds His Kingdom? Or will you be one who compromises, cowers, and capitulates?