Last year, Intercessors for America welcomed Chinese Cultural Revolution survivor Xi Van Fleet to an IFA webcast, where she shared firsthand warnings about the dangers of communism and the importance of preserving America’s founding freedoms. As our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, Van Fleet is once again urging Americans to remember what makes the United States unique—and what is at stake if those principles are forgotten.

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From Breitbart:

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, we should be compelled not only to celebrate, but to reflect.

History offers a powerful comparison.

In the 18th century, American colonists declared independence and launched a revolution in the name of liberty. In the 20th century, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) carried out its own revolution in the name of liberation. Both promised a new world. Both rejected the old order. Both spoke the language of justice.

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I have lived in both worlds.

I spent my first 26 years under Mao’s iron grip. My formative years were stolen by the chaos and violence of the Cultural Revolution. Freedom was foreign to me—I was never allowed to make choices. The Party controlled every aspect of my life: where I could live, how much I was rationed—not just for food, but for all daily necessities—whether I could attend college, and what job I would be assigned. I obeyed, like hundreds of millions of my fellow Chinese. From a very young age, I understood exactly what would happen if I complained or resisted.

When I came to America, I felt as though I had been given a second life. It was a completely different world—people saw me as an individual, not a label. Above all, no one dictated what I could say or how I should live. This was the freedom I first experienced in America. I loved my new country and was determined to assimilate and become a true American.

…

As we mark 250 years of American independence, many are tempted to focus on the nation’s flaws and declare the great experiment a failure. But we should remember that the Founders never sought to create a perfect world—that belongs to God alone. Instead, they created a system rooted in the belief in God-given rights—a system that not only provides maximum freedom to individuals but also allows for self-correction and renewal.

The contrast Van Fleet draws is one rooted in fundamentally different worldviews. America’s Founders declared that human rights come from our Creator, not from government. This conviction became the foundation for the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and a limited government designed to protect liberty rather than grant it. By recognizing God as the ultimate source of rights, the Founders established principles that have allowed generations of Americans to pursue freedom, faith, and opportunity.

Van Fleet argues that communist ideology begins with an entirely different premise. Rather than recognizing God-given rights, Marxism places the state at the center of society, making government the ultimate authority over speech, religion, property, and even family life. Having endured the Cultural Revolution herself, she warns that ideas such as compelled speech, identity-based politics, and expanding government control should not be dismissed simply because they appear in different forms than they did under Mao. Her perspective serves as a reminder that freedom can erode gradually if citizens fail to defend the principles upon which it was built.

America’s 250th anniversary is an opportunity to thank God for the unique blessings He has bestowed on this nation while recognizing that liberty is never self-sustaining. Our freedoms rest upon biblical truths about the value of every person and the reality that our rights come from God, not government. As we celebrate our nation’s history, let us also pray that future generations will faithfully preserve the principles that have made America a beacon of freedom for nearly two and a half centuries.

As America celebrates 250 years of independence, how are you praying for our nation’s future? Share your prayers and scriptures in the comments below.

(Excerpt from Breitbart. Photo Credit: Jeff_Hu/Getty Images Signature via Canva Teams)