A Vision for America
A Vision for America by Prophets Russ and Kitty Walden
The American Flag, Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam:
I saw a night vision an American Flag. It was folded up like a beach umbrella so that the flag itself wrapped around it’s pole completely. It was suspended, horizontally about 5 feet off the ground.
To the left of this flag I saw a figure with dark curly hair and tanned skin dressed in an “Uncle Sam” outfit. He opened His mouth wide and ran toward the flag with his mouth wide open. He threw himself upon the flag with a great roar and devoured it whole.
I am still praying about what this means, but it reminds me of a vision my wife Kitty had many months ago. She saw the Statue of Liberty holding her torch, looking out across the Atlantic Ocean. As she watched the torch in Lady Liberty’s hand turned into a hand gun and she turned and fired upon the homeland of America.
This second vision can have many meanings, but I find it interesting that the vision of Lady Liberty with the gun in her hand speaks to so many critical issues that have arisen in our country since Kitty saw this. This would specifically be – the immigration issue and the issues of second amendment rights and gun violence on our streets.
Is American Liberty Equivalent to Radical Individualism?
Lady Liberty represents just that – “liberty.” The scripture speaks of those who take the liberty given to them and turning it into license to disobey, (2 Peter 2:19).
In this country in the last 50 years the principle of liberty has been interpreted as being equivalent to a form of radical individualism. This interpretation of individualism or an ethos of personal expression defies all cultural norms, gender roles and accountability to any authority beyond personal choice.
Rather than pursuing life, liberty and happiness in our society the result has been the pursuit of debauchery, licentiousness and finding anything but happiness has been the result.
Has Lady Liberty Closed Her Heart to the Unwashed Masses?
The “Lady Liberty” vision also speaks to the current public sentiment toward immigrants and immigration. In our country we have defied the saying on the plaque held in Lady Liberty’s arms:
Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
The sentiment expressed in this poem has generally been rejected by the American people today.
Since 911 this country has largely given itself over to xenophobia and protectionism. These attitudes that run so strong against immigration and free trade were seen in the years leading up to WWI and WWII and were a part of why these conflicts boiled over into world-wide devastation, as goat nations emboldened by the unwillingness of America to get involved sought to devour the peoples of the earth with an open mouth.
What About Gun Violence and Race Relations?
The gun issue and the violence in our land may or may not be politically connected but it is absolutely a sad fact that murder rates and violent crime are on the rise at an almost unchecked rate.
In spite of militarizing our police forces – mass killings and now public uprisings are continuing with much more frequency. The police culture in this country is adopting a fortress mentality and more and more seeing their role as an “us against them” perspective that is resulting in more and more unjustified deaths of our citizens.
Make no mistake – police forces across this country are putting themselves on a war footing against their own citizenry.
As a white person, I cannot imagine what it would be like to have my sons’ lives in jeopardy on the streets of the nation by public servants who profile them as dangerous offenders just because of their youth and the color of their skin.
The church – and not just the BLACK church – must speak up. The silence of the WHITE church is deafening as innocent civilians are gunned down doing nothing other than reaching for their wallets to give an officer their driver’s license.
Are We Wrapping Ourselves in the Flag?
In the vision of the “Uncle Sam” figure devouring the flag I hear the Father say this: perverted patriotism is devouring godly nationalism and unity in this country.
Loyalty to personal agendas and political ideology is swallowing up our national solidarity as citizens. There was a time in this land where in spite of our differences when one people group was assaulted or suffered that EVERY citizen, of every ethnicity and political leaning rose up to defend those that we considered our brothers and sisters.
Today the battle lines of adversity are drawn by political party and race and a house divided cannot stand. Men and women in this country are beginning to identify more as conservative or liberal than as Americans.
From the years of Bill Clinton in the White House, politicians routinely wrap themselves in the flag (as Uncle Sam does) and declare that anyone who doesn’t agree with their politics is unpatriotic. There was a time that such an accusation was scandalous. Now it is the norm.
In the political dialog of a presidential election cycle conservatives declare that if you aren’t a republican you are not a patriot.
Likewise, democrats impugn conservatives as being unpatriotic because they disagree with the liberal agenda. This sectarian spirit is so strong that in Texas and Colorado the call for secession is gaining strong and alarming traction among state populations once the very definition of national pride and patriotic solidarity.
What Now God?
Abraham Lincoln predicted that America would never fall to invaders from without but would most likely one day be destroyed from within. Many today are so committed to their personal perspectives and ideology that they would rather LEAVE AMERICA than fight for her survival.
Is this the end? Is all hope lost? Is there nothing we can do? God always illuminates truth so that whatever our decisions are as individuals or a nation we make them with our eyes wide open. For believers in Christ we take solace and great consolation in the overarching truth that one day the Seventh Angel will sound:
“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our LORD, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever,” [Revelation 11:15 KJV].
Augustine said that there are two cities in the earth: One built on love of self and one built on love of God. He said that the intrinsic value of any governmental system is measured in how liberally it’s policies facilitate the spread of the gospel.
In that perspective, our nation, the United Kingdom and the nations of the west are faltering greatly. Radical, aggressive Political Correctness is savaging the purveyance of the gospel and threatening the propagation of our faith.
In Russia, the brutality of the Soviet era against those of faith is coming back online with a vengeance. Where once politicians could not distance themselves from faith issues without losing an election now are marginalizing the expressions of their faith to mere lip service while they promise radical self-serving agendas that continue to divide our peoples in the US and in the United Kingdom as well.
As a believer, I hear the words of Jesus “fear not” when you see these things coming upon us – but don’t put your head in the sand either.
The Sky Isn’t Falling – The Kingdom is Coming:
Regardless of what may be ahead for the Western World know that as believers we are hidden in the strong tower of the name of the LORD.
Trump cannot save us. Hilary cannot save us. Politics is not the answer. Neither are the more radical and revolutionary solutions in play going to give us any more hope.
“It’s not by Might, Not by Power, but By My Spirit says the LORD,” (Zechariah 4:6).
What God is doing in the earth is not built on politics, or on the military/ industrial war machine that tries to solve problems at the point of a gun or in the targeting sites of an unmanned drone.
Our hope is in the LORD and on our knees in prayer He will answer from on high. From our place of prayer, we will see Him answer from heaven to preserve and protect and defend His people in the midst of the chaos that has come, and is coming and will continue to come upon the earth.
As the early Christian were fond of saying when they met one another in the streets:
“Do I find you praying?”
~ Prophet Russell Walden
Prophet Russel Walden and wife Kitty were founders of Father’s Heart Ministry of Branson, Missouri, traveling internationally and in the USA ministering in the prophetic. Prophet Russ brings a new dimension to the prophetic through activation and impartation of God’s voice in your life. Russ comes from a long history in business world and full time pastoral ministry.
Amen!