"Excellent post, brother. As somebody here said, we serve the Living God, not a country."
Why does your god need humans to serve him? Is he incapable of accomplishing anything without human assistance? Why do you reject your country?
"Yes, it makes me sad that my country has, in effect, died. Life here is not the same as it was even 15 years ago."
Unfortunately true.
"Our freedoms are being eroded..."
Because of neocons like yourself who mindlessly stood on the sidelines and said nothing about (or actively supported) the Patriot Act, warrantless surveillance (which is watching your online activity right now), illegal detentions, military tribunals for U.S. citizens and foreign nationals, the Real ID Act, random strip-searches on subways and in airports, mass arrests of peaceful protestors, checkpoints on highways, restrictions on political activities...
"... those who do the right thing are being attacked. Evil reigns and rules."
See my above comments. Brainwashed neocon fools such as yourself have done much of the attacking you have described, and have aided and abetted the "reign and rule" of corrupt thugs.
"But, we are told to take heart for "I have overcome the world." (Jesus)."
Those words were attributed to Jesus by a HUMAN author, who probably lived centuries after Jesus is supposed to have lived.
"We know how it ends and who wins."
Again, you know what the human author of Revelation - who was either mentally deranged or under the influence of hallucinogenic substances - wrote, and you are accepting the veracity of his writings for no conceivable reason.
"I saw a picture of Jesus standing at the gates of heaven, and the caption underneath said "I never said it would be easy, but it will be worth it!"
You are describing a painting which was created by another human. Do you accept that all paintings were divinely-created? If not, how do you know that this painting - and the caption - was divine? Where is your evidence, Ort?