What Kind Of Nation Do We Become Without God

Smoke-like days. A heart that feels withered. A prayer that has no energy left for polite words. We start with Psalm 102 because it tells the truth about what distress feels like and because it refuses to end the story there. When life is heavy, we need language that can carry grief, anger, and exhaustion straight to God without pretending we’re fine.

From that Scripture foundation, we respond to hard headlines and the emotions they stir up: sorrow for victims, anger at evil, and the question of what a nation owes its families in terms of safety, justice, and moral clarity. We also talk about immigration and assimilation through a blunt, values-first lens and why we believe a freedom-loving culture can’t survive on drift and denial. You may not agree with every conclusion, but you’ll hear exactly how we connect faith, responsibility, and public life.

We then read Song of Solomon 2:1–7 as a marriage verse and move into John 1:29–51, where John the Baptist points to Jesus as the Lamb of God and Jesus keeps it simple: “Come and see.” We camp on the claim that it’s Christ alone, the only mediator and the only way back to the Father. We close with Proverbs 14 on prudence, a Medal of Honor rescue that highlights courage, a Reagan quote on unity under God, and the Lord’s Prayer.

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Transcript

Psalm 102 Cry For Help

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Psalm one o two starting with verse one. Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my plea, don't turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen and answer me quickly when I call to you. For my days disappear like smoke, and my bones burn like red hot coals. My heart is sick, withered like grass, and I have lost my appetite. Because of my groaning, I am reduced to skin and bones.

A Violent Headline And Anger

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February twenty seventh, twenty twenty five. Twenty-four year old woman in Win Wednesday borough, UK raped in a shop toilet by Hotak. Why do yalla? Seventeen-year-old Afghan Muslim asylum seeker who had entered the UK in 2023. God, it's hard not to get just furious, folks, with the fact that we have just abandoned our wives and daughters and granddaughters, and even sons and grandsons to be abused by these people.

Welcome And Opening Prayer

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Hey folks, this is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well wherever y'all are, whatever part of the day you're in. I sure do appreciate you joining me, giving me a little bit of your time and attention, a little piece of your day, I will try and use it wisely. For those of y'all who continue to share the podcast with others and tell others about it, thank you. For those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast, thank you. Very, very grateful for your prayers. Father, thank you for today. Thank you for you, Father, and your son Jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your love and your mercy.

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Your grace. Your forgiveness of sin. Be with those who are hurting. Be with those who are falsely accused.

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But for nefarious reasons. Be with those who suffer, Father, please. For the sake of your son Jesus Christ, for his name. Help us all to do so. To remember that that's a blessing and a privilege. To remember that if we are hated, your son was hated first and foremost. That we're hated because the world hates him. Be with our military, our law enforcement, our firefighters, EMS, comfort them. Ease the anxiety, the depression, the concern, the brokenheartedness. And bring us all home to you and to your Son Jesus Christ. And God, my words, here, Father, please, in your Son's name we pray. Amen.

Song Of Solomon On Love

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Marriage verse is for today. Song of Psalms two, one through seven. I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the young women. Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. Let him lead me to the banquet hall and let his banner over me be love. Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love. His left arm is under my head, his right arm embraces me. Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you, by the gazelles and by the does of the field, do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires. We don't pay enough attention to Song of Solomon inside the church, I'm afraid.

John The Baptist Points To Jesus

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Among other verses, John 1, 29 through 51. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one I was talking about when I said, A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me. I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water, so that he might be revealed to Israel. Then John testified, I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn't know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the chosen one of God. The following day, John was again standing with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, Look, there is the Lamb of God. When John's two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus. Jesus looked around and saw them following. What do you want? he asked them. They replied, Rabbi, which means teacher, where are you staying? Come and see, he said. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day. Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother Simon and told him, We have found the Messiah, which means Christ. Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, Your name is Simon, son of John, but you will be called Cephas, which means Peter. The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, Come, follow me. Philip was from Bethseda, Andrew, and Peter's hometown. Philip went to look for Nathaniel and told him, We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about. His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth. Nazareth exclaimed Nathaniel, can anything good come from Nazareth? Come and see for yourself, Philip replied. As they approached, Jesus said, Now here is a genuine son of Israel, a man of complete integrity. How do you know about me? Nathaniel asked. Jesus replied, I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you. Then Nathanael exclaimed, Rabbi, you are the Son of God, the King of Israel. Jesus asked him, Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this. Then he said, I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth. Nothing else, right? You don't see Jesus say, Hey, you have to also belong to this denomination, or you have to, you know, pray or have faith in Mary or Joseph or the disciples or Pope or pastor, priest, cardinal, bishop, just Christ. That's what you see. Just Christ alone. The only mediator between God and man, the stairway between heaven and earth.

Psalm 102 Read Straight Through

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Psalm 102, verses 1 through 28. Lord, hear my prayers, listen to my plea. Don't turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen and answer me quickly when I call to you. For my days disappear like smoke, and my bones burn like red hot coals. My heart is sick, withered like grass, and I have lost my appetite. Because of my groaning I am reduced to skin and bones. I am like an owl in the desert. Like a little owl in a far-off wilderness I lie awake, lonely as a solitary bird on the roof. My enemies taunt me day after day, they mock me, curse me. I eat ashes for food, my tears run down into my drink because of your anger and wrath, for you have picked me up and thrown me out. My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows, I am withered away like grass. But you, O Lord, will sit on your throne forever. Your fame will endure to every generation. You will arise and have mercy on Jerusalem. And now is the time to pity her. Now is the time you promised to help. For your people love every stone in her walls and cherish even the dust in her streets. Then the nations will tremble before the Lord, the kings of the earth will tremble before his glory. For the Lord will rebuild Jerusalem, He will appear in His glory, He will listen to the prayers of the destitute, He will not reject their pleas. Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord. Tell them the Lord looked down from his heavenly sanctuary. He looked down to earth from heaven, to hear the groans of the prisoners to release those condemned to die. And so the Lord's fame will be celebrated in Zion, his praises in Jerusalem. When multitudes gather together and kingdoms come to worship the Lord, he broke my strength in midlife, cutting short my days. But I cried to him, O my God, who lives forever, don't take my life while I am so young. Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment and discard them. But you are always the same. You will live forever. The children of your people will live in security. Their children's children will thrive in your presence.

Proverbs On Caution And Wisdom

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Proverbs fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen. Only simpletons believe everything they're told. The prudent carefully consider their steps. The wise are cautious and avoid danger. Fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence. There's a lot in there, folks, especially in that psalm if you're struggling or feeling down and depressed, brokenhearted. Countryside, the Book of the Wise.

Book Series Plug And Reviews

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If you're looking for a middle-grade fantasy book series like The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Fablehaven, The Hobbit. If you would check out the Countryside series, there's two books so far. And if you enjoy them, if you'd leave a review online, this is a little bit of a five-star review by Mandy George on Amazon. The character development in the beginning is superb and could absolutely be used for lessons on character traits in the classroom. I also enjoyed the great attention to detail throughout the story that kept me involved as the reader. As a sixth grade teacher, I know my students will relate to the characters and will really enjoy reading this book. It's a very kind review. Also, if you get a chance, if you're feel like you're getting something out of the podcast, if you'd leave a review online somewhere, I would appreciate that. Those help immensely both for the book and the podcast. And if you have five or ten dollars you can donate, there's a link in the show notes where you can set that up. And that helps both uh writing and the podcast as well. So thank you.

Honor Killing And Cultural Warnings

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March 26, 1998, Derby, UK. 19-year-old British Pakistani woman and mother of two, she was seven months pregnant, was strangled to death by her mother, Shaquila Nas, and her brother, Shazad Nas, in an honor killing after she became pregnant by her boyfriend while trying to divorce her arranged marriage husband and refused an abortion. So she refused to kill her own children. She wanted to divorce her husband that she'd been forced to marry, and her mother and her brother strangled her to death. Again, folks, Islam is a disease. It's it's a cancer. You can't have a liberty-loving society, people. It's like trying to have a healthy body, a healthy host with cancer growing inside of it. And and the only solution is to get rid of it. You know, whether you're talking about chemotherapy, poisoning it, radiating it, cutting it out. There's no possible scenario where you can peacefully coexist inside that body with cancer still there. And no, you can't section it off in some little corner and forget about it. Because eventually it'll spread. Eventually you'll have a catastrophe.

Medal Of Honor And Immigration

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Medal of Honor for today, Thomas Burke, rank seaman, interim 1865 to 1870, USS Winooski, U.S. Navy, May 10th, 1866, off Eastport, Maine, for heroic conduct with two comrades and rescuing from drowning James Rose and John Russell, seaman of the USS Winooski off Eastport, Maine, 10 May, 1866, right after the Civil War, accredited to New York, not awarded posthumously, born 1833 in Ireland, died October 27, 1883, Pensacola, Florida, buried St. Michael's Church Cemetery, Pensacola, Florida, United States. Again, recognize the difference in the quality of immigrants that we've gotten throughout our history. Not that they were all perfect, folks, they weren't by any means. Even some of these Medal of Honor winners that we've read about were probably not the greatest character in the world. But the huge, overwhelming difference between what we've gotten throughout the history of our nation and what we're getting today, predominantly, almost universally, through illegal immigration and mass Muslim immigration, is we used to get people that wanted to assimilate to the United States of America to our faith in Christ and our principles based on his teachings. Today that's not the case. And you can't have America survive when that's not the case, right? We're going to read one more of these inaugural addresses.

Reagan On Unity Under God

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Ronald Reagan, January 21st, 1985. And may he continue to hold us close as we fill the world with our sound, sound in unity, affection, and love. One people under God, dedicated to the dream of freedom that He has placed in the human heart, called upon now to pass that dream on to a waiting and hopeful world. There's nobody else coming, folks. You see that meme online all the time. Nobody's coming to save you. Nobody's coming to save you in the United States of America. Except us. And the only way we can do it is by turning to God first and foremost and his Son Jesus Christ.

The Lord’s Prayer And Blessing

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Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not to temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. God bless y'all. God bless your families, your marriages, if you're married, your nation, wherever you are around the world, listening. God bless America. We'll talk to y'all again real soon, folks. Looking forward to it.