In 2005, I became a citizen of the United States. It was not just a legal moment—it was a sacred one. As one who has traveled to many nations, I have witnessed the spectrum of what governments can do: from hope to horror, from liberty to crushing tyranny.

What baffles me the most is how, in a land so blessed, many use the gift of freedom to fuel their personal hatred toward our country, our leaders, and even the very values that sustain our liberty. Under the banner of “freedom of speech,” a new generation is being indoctrinated—not toward gratitude and hope, but toward complaint, rebellion, and bitterness. They are being taught a counterfeit freedom. What is heralded as freedom is, in fact, unaccountable autonomy. This manner of thinking has historically led to large-scale oppression.

Revolting against God’s divine order has never led to peace. From Mao to Hitler, history repeats this tragic pattern: promises of liberation that end in the chains of tyranny. These regimes did not simply oppose men—they opposed God’s moral law. And in doing so, they became the very oppressors they claimed to resist.

But God has a better way. In His wisdom, He gave the biblical Israelites a form of government rooted in law, justice, and accountability. This model of government is what we would call a republic, where people are ruled not by the passions of men but by principles under God. Our Founders understood this. Though imperfect, they pursued a bold vision: to form a nation governed not by kings or mobs, but by moral law and accountable order.

Today, that vision is under assault. A corrupted education system and media culture have smeared the legacy of the Founders and undermined the principles that once made America godly and great. Were the Founders flawless? No. But were they men of conviction and character, seeking to build a nation under God? Absolutely.

The freedoms I cherish today—and pray my sons will know tomorrow—are the result of that vision. They are inalienable rights, not granted by government, but given by God. But make no mistake: those freedoms can be lost if we reject the God who gave them. It seems many “liberated” thinkers want the freedoms of a godly culture while discounting the God who sustains them.

As we celebrate the 249th year of our nation’s birth, I echo the prophetic words of Alexis de Tocqueville from Democracy in America (1835):

“Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith.”

Biblical faith is not optional. It is essential. Without it, morality withers. And when morality dies, liberty follows.

My prayer is that our nation returns to a deeper pursuit of godliness, virtue, and truth. Let us not be lulled by the empty promises of wicked men who offer “freedom” from God’s law, only to lead us into cultural and spiritual slavery.

I pray that God will raise up a generation that does not mock righteousness but hunger for it. That our children would not only know freedom—but why they are free. And I pray that God would deliver us from leaders and ideologies that crush truth and restore us to the light of His ways. May God forever bless America.