What Happens When A Nation Stops Praying

Doubt gets treated like sophistication these days, but John 20 treats it like a turning point. We start with the resurrection account: Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb, the disciples behind locked doors, and Thomas drawing a hard line: no wounds, no belief. Then Jesus shows up anyway, speaks peace, and invites Thomas to look and touch. It’s a blunt, hopeful picture of Christian faith: Jesus does not dodge honest questions, but He does call us out of faithlessness and into belief.

From there, we bring Scripture into the places people actually feel pressure. We read Genesis 2:24-25 and ask where we’re getting our marriage advice, what “one flesh” means in real life, and why God’s design for husband and wife cannot be swapped out for whatever is popular. We also read Psalm 119 and Proverbs 16 to underline mercy, truth, peace, and the danger of power used without wisdom.

We close by honoring sacrifice with a Medal of Honor spotlight, then reflect on Benjamin Franklin at the Constitutional Convention, urging daily prayer and warning that nations built without God drift toward division and confusion. If you care about the resurrection of Jesus, biblical marriage, Christian living, and faith in public life, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review wherever you listen.

#ChristianNation

#AmericanHeritage

#BenjaminFranklin

Transcript

Cold Open On Doubt

SPEAKER_00 0:02

John twenty starting with verse twenty-four. One of the twelve disciples, Thomas, nicknamed the twin, was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, We have seen the Lord. But he replied, I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands. Put my fingers into them and place my hand into the wound in his side. 2025, 2026 case, Lake Charles, Louisiana, Jose Lopez Montoy, 12-year-old girl who was a relative of his. He raped the girl, resulting in her becoming pregnant, giving birth to his child.

SPEAKER_01 1:00

A Honduran national who entered the U.S. illegally in 2011.

Welcome And Listener Thanks

SPEAKER_00 1:13

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. Sure to appreciate y'all joining me, giving me a little bit of your time and attention. I will try and use it wisely. For those of y'all who continue to share the podcast with others, tell others about it. Thank you. For those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast, thank you. And if you're getting to join us on the Sister Podcast, the American America's Christian Heritage Podcast, we should have another episode out on the 25th, I believe, of this month. So hopefully you can join us over there.

Opening Prayer For Strength

SPEAKER_00 2:03

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, your grace, and your forgiveness of sins through the merit of your son, Jesus Christ alone. Forgive us when we go astray, Father. Forgive us our sins, forgive us our doubts, our cowardice, our unbelief. We do believe. Help us to overcome the Help us to love you with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. To love our neighbors as ourselves.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

Help us to care for the widow and the orphan, the poor and the needy. Help us to care for our veterans. Help us to care for their wives and children, their widows and their orphans.

SPEAKER_00 2:56

Be with our leaders in the pulpit and an estate. Give them wisdom and courage and a strong faith. Help them to rule in fear of you. Bless our marriages across the nation, strengthen them. Be with those who are listening to the podcast, Father. Bless their families, their marriages, their children, their nation, wherever they are around the world listening.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

Comfort those who are alone.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

Scared, abused, abandoned, anxious, depressed, suicidal, fearful. Like I doubt. Comfort them.

SPEAKER_01 3:46

Help us to encourage one another.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

Be with our farmers and our ranchers. Fishers, foresters. Give them bountiful crops. Bless them and their families. Keep them safe. And God, my words here, Father, please. Your son's name we pray. Amen.

Genesis Marriage And One Flesh

SPEAKER_00 4:10

Genesis 2, 24 through 25. This is the reason the man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife, and they become one flesh. The two of them were naked, the man and his wife, but they weren't embarrassed. Again and again, folks, where do you get your marriage advice from? Wherever it is, it better line up with scripture. It's the only relationship in our entire lives, the only one that God tells us to become one flesh with, to cleave to each other. Are we and and do we live our lives this way? Are we are we embarrassed when we're naked together as husband and wife?

John 20 Resurrection And Thomas

SPEAKER_00 4:58

John 20, verse 1 through 31. Early on Sunday morning while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him. Peter and the other disciples started out for the tomb. They were both running. But the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn't go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in and he saw and believed. For until then they still hadn't understood the scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. Then they went home. Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept she stooped and looked in. She saw two white robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. Dear woman, why are you crying? The angels asked her. Because they have taken away my lord, she replied, and I don't know where they have put him. She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize him. Dear woman, why are you crying? Jesus asked her. Who are you looking for? She thought he was the gardener. Sir, she said, If you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him and I will go and get him. Mary, Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out Raboni, which is Hebrew for teacher. Don't cling to me, Jesus said, for I haven't yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them I have seen the Lord, then she gave them his message. That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leader. Suddenly Jesus was standing there among them. Peace be with you, he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord. Again he said, Peace be with you, as the Father has sent me, so I am sending you. Then he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. One of the twelve disciples, Thomas, nicknamed the twin, was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, We have seen the Lord, but he replied, I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands and put my fingers into them and place my hand into the wound in his side. Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but suddenly as before Jesus was standing among them. Peace be with you, he said. Then he said to Thomas, Put your finger here and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe. My Lord and my God, Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, You believe because you have seen, because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me. The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in additions to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of His name.

Psalm 119 On Mercy And Truth

SPEAKER_00 8:47

Psalm 119, 153 through 176, Rush. Look upon my suffering and rescue me, for I have not forgotten your instructions. Argue my case, take my side, protect my life as you promised. The wicked are far from rescue, for they do not bother with your decrees. Lord, how great is your mercy. Let me be revived by following your regulations. Many persecute and trouble me, yet I have not swerved from your laws. Seeing these traitors makes me sick at heart because they care nothing for your word. See how I love your commandments, Lord. Give back my life because of your unfailing love. The very essence of your words is truth, all your just regulations will stand forever. I rejoice in your word like one who discovers a great treasure. I hate and abore all falsehood, but I love your instructions. I will praise you seven times a day, because all your regulations are just. Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble. I long for your rescue, Lord. So I have obeyed your commands, I have obeyed your laws, for I love them very much. Yes, I obey your commandments and laws, because you know everything I do. Tall. O Lord, listen to my cry. Give me the discerning mind you promised. Listen to my prayer, rescue me as you promised, let praise flow from my lips, for you have taught me your decrees. Let my tongue sing about your word, for all your commands are right. Give me a helping hand, for I have chosen to follow your commandments. O Lord, I have longed for your rescue, and your instructions are my delight. Let me live so I can praise you, and may your regulations help me. I have wandered away like a lost sheep, come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands.

Proverbs On Power And Favor

SPEAKER_00 10:43

Proverbs sixteen, verse fourteen and fifteen. The anger of the king is a deadly threat. The wise will try to appease it. When the king smiles, there is life. His favor refreshes like a spring rain.

Reviews, Books, And Monthly Support

SPEAKER_00 11:01

If you are looking for a family-friendly middle grade read along the lines of uh Narnia, the Hobbit, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Fablehaven, one that promotes faith and family values, traditional values. If you would check out the countryside series, I would appreciate it. And if you enjoy it, there's two books in the series: The Tears of Adina is the second book, the Book of the Wise is the first. If you enjoy it, either one, if you'd leave a review, those reviews help immensely, especially the five-star ones. Same thing for the podcast, the American Soul Podcast, and our sister one, if you're listening to America's Christian Heritage. If you feel like they're worthwhile, if you're getting something out of them, if you would leave a review online wherever you listen to the podcast, I would be very grateful for that and tell others about it. And the last thing is if you have the price of a cup of coffee each month, if you have five or ten dollars, uh there's a link in the show notes where you can set up a monthly donation, and that helps uh both podcasts and the writing. So thank you for any or all of those. Very, very grateful uh for that.

Crime Reports And Mass Immigration Warning

SPEAKER_00 12:17

Brighton Beach. Three asylum seekers gang raped a woman, Iranian national, Egyptian national, two Egyptian nationals, early to mid-twenties, Muslims. October 4th, 2025, East Sussex. Victim was separated from her friends after a night out, highly intoxicated. All three of these Muslims were living in a home office hotel near Horsham, West Sussex, which was one of the asylum accommodation centers. Arrived via small boat at different times, met the victim, led her to a secluded area, attacked her, filmed the assaults, sent the footage to others.

SPEAKER_01 13:13

They repeatedly did this violence, laughing, kicking.

SPEAKER_00 13:23

And of course, just left the woman traumatized. If you haven't seen it yet, you really ought to check out a little bit of some of these reports about the Muslim rape of Britain. And the numbers are astounding, folks. The hundreds of thousands of young British girls who have been uh raped. And the cover up really that has gone on. I saw one person compare it to uh in degree or talk about the fact that we really ought to be having some kind of Nuremberg-type trials uh for the politicians that have knowingly aided and abetted this in the U.K. It's really horrific. And that's really what we're setting up in the United States. That's what we're offering our wives and children really across the board, because they do it to boys, too, uh daughters, sons and daughters, granddaughters, grandsons. Uh there's just no way to support illegal or mass Muslim immigration, vote for it, and not support these actions.

Medal Of Honor Spotlight

SPEAKER_00 14:44

Medal of Honor for today, Lumen Lewis Cadwell, sergeant, highest rank, first lieutenant, U.S. Civil War Bravo Company, 2nd New York Veteran Cavalry, U.S. Army, September 20th, 1864, Alabama Bayou, Louisiana. Swam the Bayou under fire of the enemy and captured and brought off a boat by means of which the command crossed and routed the enemy. Accredited to Troy, New York, not awarded posthumously, presented august seventeenth, eighteen ninety-four, born may twenty second, eighteen thirty six, New York, died july ninth, nineteen twenty five, Iowa. Buried Phelps Cemetery, MHC Tac seventy seven, Decora, Iowa. Lumen Lewis Cadwell. Add that name to the list. Swam the Bayou. Tell you what. That would bother me more than the fire, I think.

Franklin On God Governing Nations

SPEAKER_00 16:03

So I think we're going to end up doing a podcast on the America's Christian Heritage podcast about this whole scenario with Benjamin Franklin that went down, the speech that he gave that saved the Constitutional Convention. If you don't know anything about it, it's interesting for a number of reasons, but a couple of them. One, the Constitution was Constitutional Convention was very bitter, especially the divide between small and large states. And the delegates had just had enough. And Franklin stood up and gave this speech. And really pretty much, I think, from what I've read, saved the decl the convention. And the other interesting point is Franklin is always held up as this deist, right? But when you start to read about him, just a little bit even, you kind of have to wonder at how much of a deist he really was, uh, or if he really just disdained religion. But we're just going to read just a little section here. And as I said, I think I think we're going to do a podcast at some point on the America's Christian Heritage Podcast, we'll see. So this is just a little couple little sections out of that speech. I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings that except the Lord builds the house they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this, and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel. We shall be divided by our partial local interests, our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance despair of establishing governments by human wisdom and leave it to chance war and conquest. I beg leave, therefore, to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of heaven and its blessings on our deliberations be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service. Whatever you want to say about Franklin, in this moment he managed to pull the delegates back together from the brink, and he did so particularly by turning to God and seeking God's guidance and telling the convention that they needed to do that every single day, which they did.

A Call For Public Prayer

SPEAKER_01 19:12

Today's the same, folks.

SPEAKER_00 19:15

In our city councils, in our Congress, Senate, House of Representatives, in our courts, our military, in our education of our youth, we need to be turning to God, the only true God. Every other is false. It's not Buddhism, Hinduism, atheism, Mother Naturism, Islam. God the Father of Jesus Christ the Son, and ask for his guidance and his blessings every single day. 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 as a kingdom in the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. God bless y'all. God bless your families, your marriages, your nation, wherever you are around the world, listening, your children. God bless America. We'll talk to you all again real soon, folks. Looking forward to it.