By Michael Hernandez
(Editor’s Note: William J. Federer is a Salt and Light Biblical Citizenship Ministry Content of Character Series speaker—defending and promoting life, natural marriage, and constitutional and religious liberties. Eight events have been hosted since September 2017. The Ventura County Content of Character event is Oct. 25-26. For more information: see https://saltandlightcouncil.org/content-of-character-series/.)
NEWBURY PARK—“In America, people rule through representatives,” said William J. Federer at Godspeak Calvary on Sunday. “The citizens are co-kings.” According to Federer, Chief Justice John Jay said in 1777: “Americans are the first people whom heaven has favored with an opportunity of choosing their form of government.” According to Federer, “before America, the most common form of government was a king.”
President Ronald Reagan said, “In this country of ours, the founding fathers established the idea that you and I have within ourselves, the God given right to determine our own destiny.” Ralph Waldo Emerson would say, “America appears like a last effort of divine providence on behalf of the human race.”
Federer supported Emerson’s comments by recounting “Miracles in American History”—32 “amazing stories of answered prayer” written by Susie Federer (2012) and adapted from William J. Federer’s American Minute.
“After the Battle of Monongahela, George Washington wrote from Fort Cumberland to his younger brother, John Augustine Washington, July 18, 1755: ‘But by the All-Powerful Dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me!”
Federer spoke of the many times, American Presidents called for a “solemn day of fasting and prayer.” On March 23, 1798, President John Adams (the nation’s second president) declared a day of prayer and fasting. He would again ask the nation to go to prayer on March 6, 1799 and the result was war with France was averted and America’s second great awakening revival broke out in Kentucky and Tennessee.
President James Madison (the nation’s fourth president) declared a day of prayer during the war of 1812 on Sept. 9, 1813 and the very next day on Sept. 10, 1813, 28-year-old U.S. Captain Oliver Hazard Perry with many of his sailors being free Blacks from Ohio, confronted the British squadron commanded by Commodore Robert Barclay and won—the first time in history an entire British squadron had been disabled at once.
“God wants to bless you; but God can’t bless sin,” said Federer. “Sin attracts judgment. Before we can ask God to bless us, we must repent of our sins.”
Another example of bravery and God’s providence happened during World War I when Sergeant Alvin C. York took charge and proceeded to take out 32 machine guns, kill 28 of the enemy and capture 132 after an American battalion was pinned down on Oct. 8, 1918 along the Decauville rail-line north of Chatel-Chehery in France. Sgt. York received the Medal of Honor and went on to open up a Bible school after the war.
According to Federer, “God gave us this country so we could have the opportunity to share His love with hurting humanity.”
(Editor’s Note: William J. Federer, author of more than 20 books including “Miracles in American History” Volume One: “The Revolutionary War Era” Volume Two: “Independence…War of 1812” and Volume Three: “Battle of New Orleans…Great Depression,” is president of Amerisearch, Inc., a publishing company dedicated to researching America’s heritage. He has a television show “Faith in History” and daily radio feature called “American Minute.” For more information go to: www.AmericanMInute.com or call 1-888-USA-WORD to request him to speak at an event).
Michael Hernandez, Co-Founder of the Citizens Journal—Ventura County’s online news service, founder of History Makers International—a community nonprofit serving youth and families in Ventura County, is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor. He has worked 25 years as a middle school teacher. Mr. Hernandez can be contacted by email at [email protected].
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