PLUS

Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, and do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you”

The next eight-part series provides excerpts from our new book: In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration. The rubber meets the road when we make the concept of trusting in God practical and tangible, giving traction to trust. Beware though, these ideas buck the trends of societal norms and standard practices as we engrave them into our lives.

“In August of 2018 I had just pinned a single star onto each of the shoulders of my uniform. I was now a brigadier general and had just started a new leadership job as the commander of Edwards Air Force Base – a place known as the Center of the Aerospace Testing Universe. During my first full week on the job, a very public attack questioned my character and threatened my future.

An organization that pounces on Christians in the military had their sights set on me. They must have been tracking me all along, and as soon as I became a more public target as a one-star general they launched their attack that included a 22-page letter to the Secretary of Defense suggesting that I should be fired and imprisoned. They pushed articles to the Los Angeles Times and Newsweek that further supported their claims. One of their slogans was: “General Teichert should be doing time behind prison bars, not commanding a Wing wearing a general’s stars.” I have to admit it’s a bit catchy, but not exactly what I was hoping for during week one on the job.

What was my crime? It must have been something egregious for such an attack. In reality, it was rooted in a ministry I had launched five years prior that simply encouraged Christians to pray for our nation and our leaders at lunchtime (PLUS, or prayatlunch.us). How dare I do such a thing?!?!

As I was settling into my new position, it was a bit of shock and awe. After all, I was new in my job and trying to establish my credibility as a servant leader with a focus on our amazing team and our critical mission. That evening, I went home and we had a family conversation about this precarious situation. We prayed about it. And while my flesh wanted to lash out at my attacker, God brought a counter-cultural verse to my mind and my heart – Matthew 5:44.

There may be nothing that runs more counter to the ways of the world than these words from our Saviour! I’ve done my best to put them into practice ever since then. In fact, I go out of my way to pray daily for the leader of the organization that attacked me. I did so earlier today before I typed this section.

How did it work out? First, God gave me a peace about the situation almost immediately. Second, God used the situation to bring national-level attention to my ministry in a way that only He could. That organization had meant it for evil, but God had meant it for good (Genesis 50:20), and the number of viewers to my website in one week eclipsed the previous five years combined. Third, I felt the prayerful love and encouragement of believers around the world who reached out in support. I even enjoyed the superb wingmanship of media personalities, like my friend Todd Starnes at Fox News, who quickly engaged on my behalf. Fourth, the Department of Defense quickly investigated me, determined that I had done nothing wrong, and told me that I could continue with my ministry. Praise God!

There is a bit more to the story. In early 2021, the presidential administration transitioned to one that was hostile to Christians and conservatives in the military. While my career was skyrocketing up to that point and while I had done nothing that had broken any rules, regulations, laws, or policies, the new administration was intent on weeding out faith-filled leaders like me. It was an ideological purge that didn’t make the newspapers because big media was aligned with the administration. As a result, while serving in a position that was already designated for a 2-star general, instead of being promoted I was asked to retire.

It still stings a little bit, but I’m excited to see how God will continue to use that situation for His good. In the meanwhile, I will strive to trust in God even when it is against my flesh or the norms of our prevailing culture.”

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO TRUST IN GOD EVEN WHEN IT IS AGAINST OUR FLESH OR THE NORMS OF OUR PREVAILING CULTURE.

ADMIN: This PLUS post comes from my new book, In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration, written alongside Pastor Brad Wells. You can find it on Amazon here:

Book Link

Psalm 56:11 “In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.”

Psalm 115:9-11 “O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.”

Psalm 37:39-40 “But the salvation of the righteous if of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them; he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.”

In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration is available at the link below. I am honored to have created it alongside my pastor and friend, Brad Wells. Thanks for checking it out, and rating, reviewing, and sharing to your network! If you are interested in bulk discounts and specials, please reach out directly.

LINK

To give you a bit of a taste of the content, the following comes from the Introduction:

Our national motto was relevant in 1776, 1814, 1865, and it’s still relevant today!

In God We Trust!

This is a book about the United States of America that follows the unbroken national lineage of that motto. But it doesn’t stop there! It’s also a spiritual journey designed to make the motto personal.

In God I Trust!

It provides the pathway to transform the understanding of our national motto into our personal declaration. It carefully illuminates the pathway of national dependency and personal reliance. It’s not just academic history. It’s individual hierarchy. And God must be at the top!

I am honored to be joined in bringing this concept to life by my Pastor. His portions are intentionally and powerfully pastoral, and he astutely guides the reader toward the applicability of the history that I prioritize in my portions.

We start with a section that describes the related words that are essential elements of the journey – faith, belief, and trust. The next section describes the trust in God that is inseparably grafted into our founding, followed by one that briefly highlights the consistent application of national trust that has flowed from the headwaters of our history. The fourth section transitions the message to the personal level, providing practical actions to turn national history into personal destiny. No work of this type would be complete without a section on the triggering topics of our age, including separation of church and state and Christian nationalism, tackled in our final section. We acknowledge the diverse religious traditions of our Founders, but are also firmly convinced that Christianity and Biblical literacy played an oversized role in the culture in which they lived. In the conclusion, we each punctuate our claims one last time.

In God I Trust is woven together to celebrate our nation’s250th birthday while highlighting the threads that lead towards national and personal revival.

Each chapter is written by one of us, as noted at the beginning of each, so that the reader will know the perspective of the words contained therein. But the message is consistent throughout … In God We Trust … In God I Trust.

It’s long past time to make our national motto our personal declaration!

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD EACH MAKE THE NATIONAL MOTTO OUR PERSONAL DECLARATION. In God We Trust … In God I Trust!

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

Former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam tells an interesting story about our focus areas in his book Faithful Presence. It centers around a business development trip he made to Hangzhou, China during his tenure as governor to recruit business to Tennessee.

He describes how governors are treated as VIPs when they travel within the United States, but experience little to no fanfare when they travel internationally. In light of his previous experience, he was caught off guard when he landed in Hangzhou. Stepping off the airplane, Governor Haslam was greeted with a band, military fanfare, and gifts before being whisked away in a fancy limousine.

On the ride to his first meeting, he asked the host of the greeting delegation about the ceremonial arrival. The reply: “Do you really want to know?” After insisting that he wanted to understand the pomp and circumstance he just experienced, the host reluctantly shared an important truth: “It’s not about you. Hangzhou is hosting world leaders for the G20 Summit in a month, and we were practicing.”

Governor Haslam and his wife had been used as a training aid – a prop. It wasn’t about them!

Guess what Christians?! It isn’t about me and it isn’t about you. While God loves us and sent His Son to die as a sacrificial atonement for our sins, we must get our eyes off of ourselves.

We are to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. We are to get our minds away from focusing inward and instead shift our attention outward and upward. We are to think on things that are true, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, praise-worthy, and of a good report. We are to guard against ever thinking that it is all about us.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD SEEK TO HONOR, PRAISE, AND WORSHIP GOD AS OUR ABSOLUTE AND UNQUESTIONED PRIORITY. Who is it all about? It’s not about us, and it must always be about Him.

Daniel 1:8 “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.”

Daniel 1:19-20 “And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.”

Daniel 6:3 “Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.”

One of the most iconic elements of Air Force pilot training is the morning standup. During these daily sessions, students are quizzed in front of their peers on general flying knowledge and system specifics. However, maybe the most challenging part of the standup are the emergency scenarios.

During these events, an instructor provides a detailed description of the situation and the emergency indications. They then pick a student and say, “Lieutenant, you’ve got the aircraft!”

The student is then expected to stand up and describe in detail to the instructors and other students in the flight what they will do to handle the situation. It’s a bit nerve racking and disorienting to be put on the spot in such a way.

Yet, there is an important lesson here. It is a lot easier to handle the challenges of the aviation environment during a standup than when a pilot is actually airborne. The stress of the standup is intentionally designed to prepare student pilots for the greater stressors of an operational environment. It is said that it is best to initially prepare for challenges when you are at 1G and 0 knots – as compared to the ever-changing conditions, time compression, and pressure that accompany a real-life emergency.

Daniel did exactly that! He prepared for the challenges to follow before they came. He conducted his own personal standup at 1G and 0 knots, purposing in his heart that he would do right and stay right. As a result, he was able to successfully deal with the ever-changing conditions, time compression, and pressure that accompanied his real-life emergencies.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO PREPARE OURSELVES NOW FOR THE INEVITABLE CHALLENGES IN OUR FUTURE. The preparations we make at 1G and 0 knots will pay great dividends in our ability to handle the real-life emergencies that will follow.

ADMIN: I won’t be publishing a PLUS blog next weekend, but please keep praying faithfully for widespread revival in the United States of America while preparing for the future challenges!

Nehemiah 6:2-3 “That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?”

Nehemiah 12:27 “And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps.”

Nehemiah 12:43 “Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.”

Making progress for God will come with opposition. You will face obstacles in whatever you are doing for Him to bid, buy, or build. God is encouraging you to press on regardless of the challenges.

Nehemiah and his colleagues saw their own share of opposition. They endured mockery, ridicule, anger, and threats of violence. They were bombarded with discouragement, deception, and distraction. Yet they pressed on!

In the end, they resisted, and then rejoiced, and rejoiced, and rejoiced. Their expressions of joy were so powerful that their testimony was recognized throughout the surrounding area.

As you bid, buy, or build for God, expect opposition. Yet press on for Him! And when you successfully resist, then rejoice, and rejoice, and rejoice. The testimony in doing so will be recognized throughout your surrounding area.

It is a formula that follows the leadership of our spiritual forefathers. It also matches the pattern of our national forefathers as we rejoice during our nation’s semiquincentennial for what God has done for us!

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO ENDURE CHALLENGES AS WE BID, BUY, OR BUILD FOR THE LORD. AND WHENEVER WE SEE SUCCESS, LET US REJOICE, REJOICE, AND REJOICE.