Psalm 23:1-The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. Oh, yeah, then where is my Shepherd taking me? Why does the path that I am on not seem to be headed in the right direction? These are good and valid questions. However, to get an answer to those, you have first got to answer this question. Is God my Shepherd? Most of us are quick to say 'Yes.' Jesus said in John 10:27--My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: If we are His sheep, then His sheep know His voice. Have you heard God say something to you today, or even lately? Now don't go rattling off all of the things that you do in church or the fancy-schmancy position you might have. Take a moment to read Phil 3:3-8. Paul rattles off all of the things that USED to be important to him when he was a CHURCH MEMBER. But verse eight says--Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: In verses three thru seven, Paul relates all the THINGS that made him feel important in the church. And, we do the same thing. We put positions ahead of an up to date relationship with Jesus Christ. Listen carefully. IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO HEAR THE SHEPHERD'S VOICE THAN IT IS TO HAVE ANY POSITION IN ANY CHURCH.
Oh, yeah? Well, the path I am on right now doesn't make any sense. Further down it talks about walking through the valley of the shadow of death. I will deal with that on my next blog. Right now, let's look at verse three--He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Let's also look at Jer.29:11--For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Isaiah 55:9--For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. The Hebrew word "thoughts" also means "plans." So, Jer 29:11 tells us that God has plans to do us good. Isa 55:9 says that His plans are greater than ours.
Let's notice Psalm 23:3 again but with a different emphasis. He leads me in paths of RIGHTEOUSNESS. The Hebrew word righteous means --that which is right. Even though we do not understand why we go through some things, we need to trust our Shepherd that this is the "right" place to be at the "right" time. Also notice the next portion of verse three--for HIS name's sake. If you are His sheep and you are following hard after Him, you have to trust that He has you right where you are right now for His purpose and not necessarily yours. Listen, His faith in you is why you are "right here, right now." Look around. Someone walking with you needs help. Someone around you needs an answer that maybe only you can give. Someone watching you needs an example to follow. Are you going to accept God's will and march through the situation bravely until He brings you out? Or, are you going to wimp out by griping and complaining? Does that soul that was searching for an answer and looking to you as an example of a Christian give up on Jesus or give in to Him? Have we acted like His sheep or like one of Satan's goats? We're all going to stand before Jesus one day. After He opens the book of Life to find our name, He's going to open up the book of works. Enough said.
Let's look at the lives of some of our heroes of faith. Joseph. the favorite son of Jacob did not deserve to be sold as a slave and taken away from his family. When he served Potiphar as a Godly man should, he did not deserve to be lied about and thrown into prison. In everything that happened to Joseph, he firmly believed what he told his brothers in Gen 50:20--But as for you, ye thought evil against me; [but] God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as [it is] this day, to save much people alive. Here again, the words "thought" and "meant" are the Hebrew word for "plan." Sometimes, people PLAN junk against us and we wonder why God let bad stuff happen to good people. That's because He has the ULTIMATE plan in mind for us. If we can just stay close enough to hear his voice to know that we are on the right track, God will take what's happening to us and "work" it out for our good, Rom 8:28.
Now, who said that? Paul did. In 2 Cor 23-30, he lists all the things that God brought him through for the cause of the gospel. He never, never, never deserved the things that he went through. But he had an up to date experience with Jesus Christ and knew that he was right where God wanted him and doing exactly what God wanted him to do. Remember, no one outside of Jesus Christ has done more to spread the gospel and reach the lost than the apostle Paul. Through the letters God had him write, people are still getting saved and churches are being built. He heard from the Shepherd and that's what it is all about. If this has helped you, pass it on. Someone else you know needs it, too.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Saturday, May 1, 2010
What is God Doing?
Yes, it's been a couple of months since I last posted. If you have followed many of the previous posts, you might remember that I have been praying for an unbridled revival. As a matter of fact, I have been praying for an all out move of God's Holy Spirit for close to eight years. God began getting me up at 4:30 a.m. and a couple of times at 3:30 a.m. just to pray and seek Him for revival. So, where is this revival and where is this mighty move of God? That's a good question. The only answer I can come up with is----it's coming.
I have had two of the hardest, darkest months I could ever remember. God seems so far away at times. There is no outward evidence of answered prayer. Have you ever wondered like I do---What is God doing?
Did you know that between the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, and the first book of the New Testament, Matthew was a long dry period of about four hundred years? No prophets prophesied, there were no open visions. There was no mighty move of God or even a small move of God. What was God doing?
Around 334 B.C., Alexander the Great began to conquer that part of the world. He took slaves of the cities and nations he conquered and made them soldiers. Since almost every place he conquered spoke a different language, he made all the countries learn to speak Greek. That way, he and his troops could easily communicate with the conquered nations. Around 264 B.C., the Romans began their conquest of the Mediterranean World. To better facilitate their ability to conquer and control these areas, they built roads. The original intent was to make their own progress to the conquered areas easier. They not only built them, but they maintained and guarded them. Keep in mind that the Roman rule did not end until around 450 A.D. That's a long time. I'll get back to that.
So, here's the picture of the land of Israel. They were conquered by two armies. Some of them were made slaves. They all had to pay taxes. They were no longer free. So, where was God all of this time? I am sure that Godly people prayed. I am sure that they were hurting and needed deliverance. Yet, for four hundred years, it seemed that heaven was shut up and God had gone on an extended vacation. Have you ever felt like that?
Here's the rest of the story. Just before He ascended, Jesus gave this command in Acts 1:8-But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Because of Alexander the Great, His disciples could easily spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Everybody spoke Greek. Communication was no problem. Because of the Romans, they had easy access to travel. Remember, the Romans not only built them, but maintained and guarded them, also. The early Christians enjoyed four hundred years of safe travel to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. And the Romans thought that God's people were their slaves. No, No, No, No, No! On the contrary, the Romans did just what God wanted them to do. They thought they were conquerors but they were actually slaves to a Sovereign God. The Romans didn't have a plan. It was God's plan all along.
What was God doing during the silent years from Malachi to Matthew? He was busy getting the area ready for HIS PLAN. What was God doing when He let Joseph be taken as a slave to Egypt? He was busy getting Joseph and Egypt ready for HIS PLAN. What was God doing while the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt for four hundred years. He was busy making Canaan land fertile and prosperous for HIS PLAN that He had spoken to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
What is God doing when it's all quiet on the Heaven front? He's busy doing exactly what He said He would do. He hasn't forgotten any one. He hasn't forgotten His Word. Instead of looking at how bad it is now, let's set our hopes and dreams on His Word. Let's give Him praise in advance for what we KNOW He is working on for us right now. He's got a plan and it's a doozey. Pass this word along, will you?
I have had two of the hardest, darkest months I could ever remember. God seems so far away at times. There is no outward evidence of answered prayer. Have you ever wondered like I do---What is God doing?
Did you know that between the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, and the first book of the New Testament, Matthew was a long dry period of about four hundred years? No prophets prophesied, there were no open visions. There was no mighty move of God or even a small move of God. What was God doing?
Around 334 B.C., Alexander the Great began to conquer that part of the world. He took slaves of the cities and nations he conquered and made them soldiers. Since almost every place he conquered spoke a different language, he made all the countries learn to speak Greek. That way, he and his troops could easily communicate with the conquered nations. Around 264 B.C., the Romans began their conquest of the Mediterranean World. To better facilitate their ability to conquer and control these areas, they built roads. The original intent was to make their own progress to the conquered areas easier. They not only built them, but they maintained and guarded them. Keep in mind that the Roman rule did not end until around 450 A.D. That's a long time. I'll get back to that.
So, here's the picture of the land of Israel. They were conquered by two armies. Some of them were made slaves. They all had to pay taxes. They were no longer free. So, where was God all of this time? I am sure that Godly people prayed. I am sure that they were hurting and needed deliverance. Yet, for four hundred years, it seemed that heaven was shut up and God had gone on an extended vacation. Have you ever felt like that?
Here's the rest of the story. Just before He ascended, Jesus gave this command in Acts 1:8-But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Because of Alexander the Great, His disciples could easily spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Everybody spoke Greek. Communication was no problem. Because of the Romans, they had easy access to travel. Remember, the Romans not only built them, but maintained and guarded them, also. The early Christians enjoyed four hundred years of safe travel to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. And the Romans thought that God's people were their slaves. No, No, No, No, No! On the contrary, the Romans did just what God wanted them to do. They thought they were conquerors but they were actually slaves to a Sovereign God. The Romans didn't have a plan. It was God's plan all along.
What was God doing during the silent years from Malachi to Matthew? He was busy getting the area ready for HIS PLAN. What was God doing when He let Joseph be taken as a slave to Egypt? He was busy getting Joseph and Egypt ready for HIS PLAN. What was God doing while the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt for four hundred years. He was busy making Canaan land fertile and prosperous for HIS PLAN that He had spoken to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
What is God doing when it's all quiet on the Heaven front? He's busy doing exactly what He said He would do. He hasn't forgotten any one. He hasn't forgotten His Word. Instead of looking at how bad it is now, let's set our hopes and dreams on His Word. Let's give Him praise in advance for what we KNOW He is working on for us right now. He's got a plan and it's a doozey. Pass this word along, will you?
Friday, February 12, 2010
Prayer-Shake the Nations Part 4
Eph 6:12-For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].
The definition of the Greek word that is translated "wrestle" means a contest in which the winner is the one who is able hold his opponent down with just his hand on the opponent's neck. Now that's a lot of whippin', folks. If you are so mean that you tear up your opponent so bad that he is so weak that you can hold him down with one of your hands on his neck..........THAT'S A LOT OF WHIPPIN' FOLKS.
As a whole, the church gives up to the devil without a fight. We see our kids going astray and we just shake our heads and say "What a shame." We see drugs, prostitution, alcohol taking over our streets and we just shake our heads and say "What a shame." We see Congress and the President passing laws and turning our nation upside down, we fuss and cuss but then we shake our heads and say "What a shame." We hear rulers of other nations and terrorist groups make and carry out threats to our nation, we fuss and cuss and shake our heads and say "What a shame." Jesus said this in Luke 10:19-Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Jesus gave us power over ALL the power of the enemy. He said that nothing shall by any means hurt us. But the Christians of the world just sit idly by, watch all the hell going on and shake their heads and say, "What a shame."
Yes, it is a shame. I am ashamed that I did not realize what Jesus expected of us for so long. Jesus gave us the shining example of a successful child of God. The apostles told us a lot of prayer secrets that are dynamic........but we never use them.
Let's see what James said in James 4:7-Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. First, he says to submit yourself to God. If we did that, we would be walking around looking for the works of the devil to destroy like Jesus did. (1 John 3:8) The next thing that James said was to resist the devil. The Greek word for resist in his statement means to "set one's self against--oppose." Have we missed this? Sure we have. We have to ask ourselves the question, "Have I really set myself against the works of the devil in my family.......in my church.........in my nation.........in this world?" The majority of Christians haven't. The fact that sin runs rampant in the world today and our lives are in danger is evidence that we ACCEPT what the devil brings along. We tend to just sigh and say, "Oh, well. That's just the way it is. It's awful, but that's just the way it is." It might be the way it is, but that's not the way it has to stay.
What do we need to do? First, take James' advice and set yourself in opposition against the horrible things that are attacking your family and people all over the globe. Next, take Paul's advice in Ephesians and begin to wrestle the devil until you whip him. Jesus told us we had the power over all of his power. We learned in Part 3 that the nations and those who set themselves to hurt others are controlled by demonic forces......which you have the power over.
Meditate over the fact that the devil is actually powerless when you pray. Quit meditating on how powerless you are against him. Remember, YOUR creator and HIS creator said that YOU had power over HIM. Spend time in God's presence. The presence of God is not a wimp. The heart of God is to destroy all the works of the devil. The heart of God is to bring "whosoever will" into a victorious relationship with Him. Come before the Lord and ask Him to teach you how to stand against the devil. He will show you. You'd better believe He knows how to do it and will begin moulding you into a prayer warrior that knows how to take care of business.
Find the scriptures in the Word of God that talk about victorious Christianity. Meditate on HIS WORD and not what the devil is doing right now. The Word of God is always the key to victory in any situation. Heb 4:14 tells us-Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] profession. Profession of what? Whatever the Word of God says about us. God's opinion of us is the one that counts. If He said we are successful, we're successful. If He said we had power of all the power of the enemy, then we have power over the enemy. Heb 10:23-Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;) The writer of Hebrews tells us to hold fast to our profession of faith. Hold fast to God's statement of who you are and what you can do. God's the boss, not the devil or the bad circumstances you are in.
The word 'profession' in those verses is the same Greek word that is translated confession in 1 Timothy 6:13-I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and [before] Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; As I have said in previous blogs, Jesus stood before Pontias Pilate battered, beaten and bloodied. He did not look like a king. He did not feel like a king. The angry mob did not tell Pilate that He was a king. The mob accused him of being a sinner worthy of death. BUT, when Pilate asked Him if He was a king, Jesus said in John 18:37, that He was born a king. He held fast the profession of His faith. If I was to ask you where did He get that stupid idea from, you'd get all huffy and tell me that He got that crazy idea from what the Word of God said about Him. You'd whip out your Strong's concordance and proceed to give me the lecture of a life time about all the prophecies that the death, burial and resurrection found in the Bible that Jesus fulfilled. Then you'd look at me with that wild-eyed 'Dear God you're so stupid for a preacher look' and slam the concordance down on the coffee table and say "There. Dispute that."
We need to use that same dogged vehemence about what the Word of God says about us being powerful over the enemy and begin resisting the devil like James said to do. We need to wrestle with him over our loved ones, our armed forces, the Congress and our enemies just like Paul said to do. We need to get down into our hearts the desire to destroy the works of the devil like Jesus had. Let's be determined to set the captive free. (Is 61) Let's be determined to bind up the broken hearted. Let's be determined to fight until the bands of wickedness are broken. (Is 58:6) Take the gumption to call on the name of Jesus over our Congress and President. Have the audacity to cry out in prayer against the drugs, prostitution and alcohol in our cities. In other words, SHAKE YOUR FAMILY, SHAKE YOUR CITY AND SHAKE THE NATIONS IN PRAYER.
The definition of the Greek word that is translated "wrestle" means a contest in which the winner is the one who is able hold his opponent down with just his hand on the opponent's neck. Now that's a lot of whippin', folks. If you are so mean that you tear up your opponent so bad that he is so weak that you can hold him down with one of your hands on his neck..........THAT'S A LOT OF WHIPPIN' FOLKS.
As a whole, the church gives up to the devil without a fight. We see our kids going astray and we just shake our heads and say "What a shame." We see drugs, prostitution, alcohol taking over our streets and we just shake our heads and say "What a shame." We see Congress and the President passing laws and turning our nation upside down, we fuss and cuss but then we shake our heads and say "What a shame." We hear rulers of other nations and terrorist groups make and carry out threats to our nation, we fuss and cuss and shake our heads and say "What a shame." Jesus said this in Luke 10:19-Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Jesus gave us power over ALL the power of the enemy. He said that nothing shall by any means hurt us. But the Christians of the world just sit idly by, watch all the hell going on and shake their heads and say, "What a shame."
Yes, it is a shame. I am ashamed that I did not realize what Jesus expected of us for so long. Jesus gave us the shining example of a successful child of God. The apostles told us a lot of prayer secrets that are dynamic........but we never use them.
Let's see what James said in James 4:7-Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. First, he says to submit yourself to God. If we did that, we would be walking around looking for the works of the devil to destroy like Jesus did. (1 John 3:8) The next thing that James said was to resist the devil. The Greek word for resist in his statement means to "set one's self against--oppose." Have we missed this? Sure we have. We have to ask ourselves the question, "Have I really set myself against the works of the devil in my family.......in my church.........in my nation.........in this world?" The majority of Christians haven't. The fact that sin runs rampant in the world today and our lives are in danger is evidence that we ACCEPT what the devil brings along. We tend to just sigh and say, "Oh, well. That's just the way it is. It's awful, but that's just the way it is." It might be the way it is, but that's not the way it has to stay.
What do we need to do? First, take James' advice and set yourself in opposition against the horrible things that are attacking your family and people all over the globe. Next, take Paul's advice in Ephesians and begin to wrestle the devil until you whip him. Jesus told us we had the power over all of his power. We learned in Part 3 that the nations and those who set themselves to hurt others are controlled by demonic forces......which you have the power over.
Meditate over the fact that the devil is actually powerless when you pray. Quit meditating on how powerless you are against him. Remember, YOUR creator and HIS creator said that YOU had power over HIM. Spend time in God's presence. The presence of God is not a wimp. The heart of God is to destroy all the works of the devil. The heart of God is to bring "whosoever will" into a victorious relationship with Him. Come before the Lord and ask Him to teach you how to stand against the devil. He will show you. You'd better believe He knows how to do it and will begin moulding you into a prayer warrior that knows how to take care of business.
Find the scriptures in the Word of God that talk about victorious Christianity. Meditate on HIS WORD and not what the devil is doing right now. The Word of God is always the key to victory in any situation. Heb 4:14 tells us-Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] profession. Profession of what? Whatever the Word of God says about us. God's opinion of us is the one that counts. If He said we are successful, we're successful. If He said we had power of all the power of the enemy, then we have power over the enemy. Heb 10:23-Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;) The writer of Hebrews tells us to hold fast to our profession of faith. Hold fast to God's statement of who you are and what you can do. God's the boss, not the devil or the bad circumstances you are in.
The word 'profession' in those verses is the same Greek word that is translated confession in 1 Timothy 6:13-I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and [before] Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; As I have said in previous blogs, Jesus stood before Pontias Pilate battered, beaten and bloodied. He did not look like a king. He did not feel like a king. The angry mob did not tell Pilate that He was a king. The mob accused him of being a sinner worthy of death. BUT, when Pilate asked Him if He was a king, Jesus said in John 18:37, that He was born a king. He held fast the profession of His faith. If I was to ask you where did He get that stupid idea from, you'd get all huffy and tell me that He got that crazy idea from what the Word of God said about Him. You'd whip out your Strong's concordance and proceed to give me the lecture of a life time about all the prophecies that the death, burial and resurrection found in the Bible that Jesus fulfilled. Then you'd look at me with that wild-eyed 'Dear God you're so stupid for a preacher look' and slam the concordance down on the coffee table and say "There. Dispute that."
We need to use that same dogged vehemence about what the Word of God says about us being powerful over the enemy and begin resisting the devil like James said to do. We need to wrestle with him over our loved ones, our armed forces, the Congress and our enemies just like Paul said to do. We need to get down into our hearts the desire to destroy the works of the devil like Jesus had. Let's be determined to set the captive free. (Is 61) Let's be determined to bind up the broken hearted. Let's be determined to fight until the bands of wickedness are broken. (Is 58:6) Take the gumption to call on the name of Jesus over our Congress and President. Have the audacity to cry out in prayer against the drugs, prostitution and alcohol in our cities. In other words, SHAKE YOUR FAMILY, SHAKE YOUR CITY AND SHAKE THE NATIONS IN PRAYER.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Prayer-Shake the Nations Part 3
Eph 6:12-For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].
This is an interesting statement from the Apostle Paul. Could it be that we as Christians are supposed to fight something.........or someone? The meaning of the original Greek word that is interpreted 'wrestle' in this sentence is:
pale-1) wrestling (a contest between two in which each endeavours to throw the other, and which is decided when the victor is able to hold his opponent down with his hand upon his neck)
Outiside of Jesus Christ, who is the best soul winner that is ever known? Why, it's the Apostle Paul. After his conversion, he spent all of his energy winning souls to Christ everywhere that Jesus would send him. Since I am not as good as he is at soul winning, then I need to check out his writings a little bit closer to see if he can give me some tips on winning souls.
Notice he did not say to wrestle with the deacons, pastors, worship leaders or church members that don't want to do the way you tell them to do. Paul says that one of the keys to his success in soul winning is not to wrestle people---flesh and blood. But he does say to wrestle against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places. If this successful church builder doesn't wrestle against the people in the church, then why do we bother with them? Why do we fight among ourselves? Because when our only enemy, satan, the greatest ruler of darkness, can get us to fight one another, (read the meaning of the word wrestle again) he has thrown us and is the decided victor because satan is holding us down with is hand upon our necks. When you hold somebody by the neck, you control the direction they look. When satan gets you to look at your fellow christian in a demeaning way and fuss at him, HE HAS CONQUERED YOU. When he gets people in the church to speak against one another HE HAS CONQUERED THEM. No wonder our churches are powerless and are no longer reaching the lost.
2 Cor 10:3-For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
2 Cor 10:4-(For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Pretty plain, huh? Paul tells the Corinthians that our fight is not against each other. That's why the churches are losing souls. We are not fighting the right opponent. Our war is not necessarily with the leaders of nations or terrorists. Our fght is not against the Congress and our elected officials---but with spiritual powers that rule over them.
Luke 10:19 declares-Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Jesus GAVE us power and authority over ALL the power of the enemy. But, how much do we use that power. Now, keep in mind, that Jesus never built up the massive following that He had by bashing the High Priest and berating the church leaders or the people who attended the synagogues. People thronged around Him because He destroyed the power of the devil that had been destroying their lives.
John the beloved declares in 1 John 3:8- For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
John walked and talked with Jesus for three years. Surely he picked up this valuable information by what he saw Jesus doing. Everywhere Jesus went, He was bent on destroying the works of the devil, not people who were oppressed by the devil. Jesus never picked a fight with anybody. Our only enemy, satan, has conquered us. He is holding our neck and forcing us to fight each other while he gets some of his slaves to sell dope to our children. HEY! WAKE UP CHURCH. IT LOOKS LIKE WE ARE THE DOPES. As long as we argue with each other, we are conquered.
The enemy is not the ruler of Iran or Columbia or the President of the United States. Our fight should not just be with the terrorists or with Congress. Paul says that a successful soul winner will fight against the evil powers that are behind all of these that oppress us. We should not seek to apprehend and bind with chains these people. We should seek to apprehend and bind the "powers" that govern these people. That's what Paul did. He wrestled against the evil powers that ruled the darkness of the region that he was in. Jesus said that we could bind the devil and loose his grasp from people (Matt 18:18).
How do we do that? We do that by prayer of course. That's the same way Jesus and Paul did it. That's the way that any revival ever got started. It started by getting in tune with the Liberator of souls, Jesus Christ. It began to grow and grow inside saints that would daily spend time in His presence. To be honest, the more you spend time with Jesus, the more you become aware of His awesome Presence. You also begin to realize how physically powerless we are against the power of sin. The more you are in His Presence, the more you realize your total dependence on Him.
Let's take a look at two of the pieces of the armour of God mentioned in Ephesians 6. The first one is the shield of faith in verse 16. Faith becomes a shield to you when you begin believing that what God says is true and what man says contradictory to the Word of God is false. In verse 17, Paul declares that our weapon of choice is the 'Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." The Word of God is the weapon that we use against the principalities, the powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world. Instead of using our tongue to cut people down to the quick, we can stop the evil rulers by attackin the spiritual force that is causing them to oppress others.
How many times have you gotten angry at these overbearing rulers and politicians for their ungodly ways? Have you ever wished you could get them alone in some back alley and pop the stew out of them a time or two? We all have, but we all know that we could never get the chance. BUT, every day that we are alive, we have the chance to war against the powers behind them. I will never get the chance to go to Iran, or Columbia or to the Congress. However, everywhere that I am, I can call on the name of Jesus over them and use the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Every day and all day, I can bind the powers that are pushing the rulers of Iran into their wickedness. I can't be with the soldiers as they look for and fight the terrorists. But, I can declare confusion into the camp of the enemy (see Part 1 of this series). I can't walk around Savannah and try to break up the drug deals I see going on. But, I can bind the ugly spirit that drives men to buy and sell drugs. I can't be everywhere to do all the things that need to be done in our nation. But, I can plead the blood of Jesus over this nation while I am praying at home, driving my car or walking about the town.
Folks, it doesn't depend on how much of our weight we throw around. Our petty fusses in church have never brought the lost thronging to the alter. However, prevailing before the throne of Grace in prayer day and night has always brought revival. Let's get acquainted with the Word of God and begin standing on it in prayer. If nothing else, let's plead the blood of Jesus over our particular area and cry out for lost souls to be saved.
This is an interesting statement from the Apostle Paul. Could it be that we as Christians are supposed to fight something.........or someone? The meaning of the original Greek word that is interpreted 'wrestle' in this sentence is:
pale-1) wrestling (a contest between two in which each endeavours to throw the other, and which is decided when the victor is able to hold his opponent down with his hand upon his neck)
Outiside of Jesus Christ, who is the best soul winner that is ever known? Why, it's the Apostle Paul. After his conversion, he spent all of his energy winning souls to Christ everywhere that Jesus would send him. Since I am not as good as he is at soul winning, then I need to check out his writings a little bit closer to see if he can give me some tips on winning souls.
Notice he did not say to wrestle with the deacons, pastors, worship leaders or church members that don't want to do the way you tell them to do. Paul says that one of the keys to his success in soul winning is not to wrestle people---flesh and blood. But he does say to wrestle against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places. If this successful church builder doesn't wrestle against the people in the church, then why do we bother with them? Why do we fight among ourselves? Because when our only enemy, satan, the greatest ruler of darkness, can get us to fight one another, (read the meaning of the word wrestle again) he has thrown us and is the decided victor because satan is holding us down with is hand upon our necks. When you hold somebody by the neck, you control the direction they look. When satan gets you to look at your fellow christian in a demeaning way and fuss at him, HE HAS CONQUERED YOU. When he gets people in the church to speak against one another HE HAS CONQUERED THEM. No wonder our churches are powerless and are no longer reaching the lost.
2 Cor 10:3-For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
2 Cor 10:4-(For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Pretty plain, huh? Paul tells the Corinthians that our fight is not against each other. That's why the churches are losing souls. We are not fighting the right opponent. Our war is not necessarily with the leaders of nations or terrorists. Our fght is not against the Congress and our elected officials---but with spiritual powers that rule over them.
Luke 10:19 declares-Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Jesus GAVE us power and authority over ALL the power of the enemy. But, how much do we use that power. Now, keep in mind, that Jesus never built up the massive following that He had by bashing the High Priest and berating the church leaders or the people who attended the synagogues. People thronged around Him because He destroyed the power of the devil that had been destroying their lives.
John the beloved declares in 1 John 3:8- For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
John walked and talked with Jesus for three years. Surely he picked up this valuable information by what he saw Jesus doing. Everywhere Jesus went, He was bent on destroying the works of the devil, not people who were oppressed by the devil. Jesus never picked a fight with anybody. Our only enemy, satan, has conquered us. He is holding our neck and forcing us to fight each other while he gets some of his slaves to sell dope to our children. HEY! WAKE UP CHURCH. IT LOOKS LIKE WE ARE THE DOPES. As long as we argue with each other, we are conquered.
The enemy is not the ruler of Iran or Columbia or the President of the United States. Our fight should not just be with the terrorists or with Congress. Paul says that a successful soul winner will fight against the evil powers that are behind all of these that oppress us. We should not seek to apprehend and bind with chains these people. We should seek to apprehend and bind the "powers" that govern these people. That's what Paul did. He wrestled against the evil powers that ruled the darkness of the region that he was in. Jesus said that we could bind the devil and loose his grasp from people (Matt 18:18).
How do we do that? We do that by prayer of course. That's the same way Jesus and Paul did it. That's the way that any revival ever got started. It started by getting in tune with the Liberator of souls, Jesus Christ. It began to grow and grow inside saints that would daily spend time in His presence. To be honest, the more you spend time with Jesus, the more you become aware of His awesome Presence. You also begin to realize how physically powerless we are against the power of sin. The more you are in His Presence, the more you realize your total dependence on Him.
Let's take a look at two of the pieces of the armour of God mentioned in Ephesians 6. The first one is the shield of faith in verse 16. Faith becomes a shield to you when you begin believing that what God says is true and what man says contradictory to the Word of God is false. In verse 17, Paul declares that our weapon of choice is the 'Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." The Word of God is the weapon that we use against the principalities, the powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world. Instead of using our tongue to cut people down to the quick, we can stop the evil rulers by attackin the spiritual force that is causing them to oppress others.
How many times have you gotten angry at these overbearing rulers and politicians for their ungodly ways? Have you ever wished you could get them alone in some back alley and pop the stew out of them a time or two? We all have, but we all know that we could never get the chance. BUT, every day that we are alive, we have the chance to war against the powers behind them. I will never get the chance to go to Iran, or Columbia or to the Congress. However, everywhere that I am, I can call on the name of Jesus over them and use the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Every day and all day, I can bind the powers that are pushing the rulers of Iran into their wickedness. I can't be with the soldiers as they look for and fight the terrorists. But, I can declare confusion into the camp of the enemy (see Part 1 of this series). I can't walk around Savannah and try to break up the drug deals I see going on. But, I can bind the ugly spirit that drives men to buy and sell drugs. I can't be everywhere to do all the things that need to be done in our nation. But, I can plead the blood of Jesus over this nation while I am praying at home, driving my car or walking about the town.
Folks, it doesn't depend on how much of our weight we throw around. Our petty fusses in church have never brought the lost thronging to the alter. However, prevailing before the throne of Grace in prayer day and night has always brought revival. Let's get acquainted with the Word of God and begin standing on it in prayer. If nothing else, let's plead the blood of Jesus over our particular area and cry out for lost souls to be saved.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Prayer-Shake the Nations Part 2
We need to understand that our God is a sovereign God. Even though He allows man to rule his own life, God is still the final say in any matter. You can find God's final say. It is called the Holy Bible. Whenever mankind makes their stand against God's Word, God shows up and interrupts man's plans any way He wants to. He is still the Lord of lords and the King of kings.
As praying Christians, we should never be hindered in our prayers by what we see mankind doing. Too often, we never bring our prayers to the throne of grace simply because some ruler of some country makes bigoted remarks and threats. We see this man has power. This man has an army. This man is in the newspaper and on TV. This man has a history of doing dastardly things to people who stand against him. We don't see anyone else standing against him or even say that they are praying for him. We act like we are helpless to stop this maniac.
God's Word is our basis for prayer. God's Word portrays His will for mankind. Most folks do not know how or what to pray about in these situations because they don't know what the Word says about it. In Part 1, I shared with you some of the scriptures that I use when I pray for the leaders of the nations. I not only pray for the leaders of the nation, I pray for the nations themselves. God sent His only begotton Son so that "whosoever" believeth in Him should not perish. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God's will is that "all" come to repentence. If it's God's will that they be saved, then I have a right and a demand from the throne of Grace to pray for them.
Let me give you a Fox News Alert about God and His will. As much as some of the leaders and terrorist groups brag and blow, God never has to ask any of them for their permission to answer prayer. God never has to ask for their permission to confound and confuse their plans against innocent people (See Part 1). God DOES, however, pay attention to believers who will hold fast to His promises and pray in the manner He prescribed. (1 John 5:14) He never asks if it is OK or would they mind. If a believer stands on God's Word and prays and believes-------God sovereignly answers. He will honor His Word no matter who doesn't like it.
God promised Abraham that his children would be slaves in a foreign land for 400 years. He promised that He would bring them out with great substance and judge the nation. God spoke to his great-grandson, Joseph in dreams that his famil would all bow down to him one day. That excited his brothers to no end. They plotted to fake his death and sell him into slavery to the Ishmaelites. It was all part of God's plan. The Ishmaelites sold him to Potiphar as a slave. It was all part of God's plan. Later on, he was put in jail. God's plan, again. Pharaoh's cup bearer got thrown in jail and had a dream. Joseph interpreted it. God's plan, again. A few years later, Pharaoh had a weird dream that nobody could interpret. He was upset with his soothsayers until his cup bearer told him of Joseph. Wow. What a coincidence. Nope. It was God's plan. God orchestrated the whole thing from the beginning. Joseph knew God would honor His Word to Abraham and honor what He told him in his dreams. That is why Joseph was so successful in Potiphar's house and the jail. They all saw that God blessed Joseph in adverse circumstances. Why? Joseph's faith in God's Word gave him a great attitude even when he was surrounded by evil and harsh circumstances.
Now, did God ask Pharaoh if He could operate that way? After all it was his country. He was the supreme ruler, wasn't he? He might have been supreme ruler over Egypt at that time, but he was not the supreme ruler over God's promises. God never gave a promise He could not keep. Pharaoh, who thought he was the supreme ruler over Egypt, actually became a pawn in God's hand so that God could keep His promise to Abraham and to Joseph. God did not need Pharoah's approval to do anything. God stood by the believer who held on to His Word.
Four hundred years later, there was 2 million Hebrews in the land of Egypt and it was time to come out. In Exodus 2:23, we find that the children of Israel finally began to cry out to God. Most of them could count and knew that it was about the 400 year mark. God tapped Moses on the shoulder, talked to him from the burning bush and told him it was time for His children to inherit the promised land. I don't know about your Bible, but I have never read where God pleaded and bribed Pharaoh to let His people go. I don't find where God even ASKED Pharaoh. He TOLD Pharaoh to let His people go. In the middle of unbelief, God showed up in power and majesty. He toyed with Pharaoh just enough to make him mad. After he let God's people go, Pharaoh changed his mind and ran after them with his mighty army. That really scared God, didn't it? God put a cloud between His children and Pharaoh's army so they could not attack. Then, when Pharaoh and his army tried to chase the children through the sea, he destroyed the entire army. Did God ask them for their permission? No. Did He warn them? No. Pharaoh had many, many chances to honor God's people but, instead, made their lives harder and more miserable. God sovereignly moved in a way that brought Pharaoh to his destruction. All because His people stood on His Word and cried out for His deliverance.
The ruler of the nations, the nations themselves, and the individual terrorist groups have had ample opportunity to bless people. Instead, they have chosen to oppress and destroy innocent lives. When God's people begin to humble themselves and pray, God moves sovereignly. When we cry out in line with what the Word of God says, God will honor that Word at the expense of any of the mighty men. God's love is towards all men. His favor is towards the righteous. If men chose not to receive God's offer of love, they also chose not to be in His favor. There are elected officials here in he United States that have turned a deaf ear to the cries of the poor. They, too, have had choices to make.
As God's people of prayer, we have the command from God's Word in Ezekiel 22:30-And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. We have been called to stand in the gap for those who are oppressed and burdened so that they will not be destroyed by the rulers and the hardships of this world. As an individual with limited resources, I can't do much to help, but I CAN stand in the gap and pray. Joseph and Moses experienced a "God thing" as I call it. A time when the Almighty God of all creation comes down and moves anybody and everybody any way He wants to because a believer is praying. That's what I am praying for. A "God thing." Our Christian history has seen several revivals that swept through areas and closed up hell holes. Entire towns came to Jesus. And it all started out with 2 Chronicles 7:14. God's people humbling, repenting, turning to God and praying instead of expecting politics to bring us the answer. Next, God promises a "God thing." We get to hear from heaven. Let's join together in seeking Him. Now, pass this along.
As praying Christians, we should never be hindered in our prayers by what we see mankind doing. Too often, we never bring our prayers to the throne of grace simply because some ruler of some country makes bigoted remarks and threats. We see this man has power. This man has an army. This man is in the newspaper and on TV. This man has a history of doing dastardly things to people who stand against him. We don't see anyone else standing against him or even say that they are praying for him. We act like we are helpless to stop this maniac.
God's Word is our basis for prayer. God's Word portrays His will for mankind. Most folks do not know how or what to pray about in these situations because they don't know what the Word says about it. In Part 1, I shared with you some of the scriptures that I use when I pray for the leaders of the nations. I not only pray for the leaders of the nation, I pray for the nations themselves. God sent His only begotton Son so that "whosoever" believeth in Him should not perish. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God's will is that "all" come to repentence. If it's God's will that they be saved, then I have a right and a demand from the throne of Grace to pray for them.
Let me give you a Fox News Alert about God and His will. As much as some of the leaders and terrorist groups brag and blow, God never has to ask any of them for their permission to answer prayer. God never has to ask for their permission to confound and confuse their plans against innocent people (See Part 1). God DOES, however, pay attention to believers who will hold fast to His promises and pray in the manner He prescribed. (1 John 5:14) He never asks if it is OK or would they mind. If a believer stands on God's Word and prays and believes-------God sovereignly answers. He will honor His Word no matter who doesn't like it.
God promised Abraham that his children would be slaves in a foreign land for 400 years. He promised that He would bring them out with great substance and judge the nation. God spoke to his great-grandson, Joseph in dreams that his famil would all bow down to him one day. That excited his brothers to no end. They plotted to fake his death and sell him into slavery to the Ishmaelites. It was all part of God's plan. The Ishmaelites sold him to Potiphar as a slave. It was all part of God's plan. Later on, he was put in jail. God's plan, again. Pharaoh's cup bearer got thrown in jail and had a dream. Joseph interpreted it. God's plan, again. A few years later, Pharaoh had a weird dream that nobody could interpret. He was upset with his soothsayers until his cup bearer told him of Joseph. Wow. What a coincidence. Nope. It was God's plan. God orchestrated the whole thing from the beginning. Joseph knew God would honor His Word to Abraham and honor what He told him in his dreams. That is why Joseph was so successful in Potiphar's house and the jail. They all saw that God blessed Joseph in adverse circumstances. Why? Joseph's faith in God's Word gave him a great attitude even when he was surrounded by evil and harsh circumstances.
Now, did God ask Pharaoh if He could operate that way? After all it was his country. He was the supreme ruler, wasn't he? He might have been supreme ruler over Egypt at that time, but he was not the supreme ruler over God's promises. God never gave a promise He could not keep. Pharaoh, who thought he was the supreme ruler over Egypt, actually became a pawn in God's hand so that God could keep His promise to Abraham and to Joseph. God did not need Pharoah's approval to do anything. God stood by the believer who held on to His Word.
Four hundred years later, there was 2 million Hebrews in the land of Egypt and it was time to come out. In Exodus 2:23, we find that the children of Israel finally began to cry out to God. Most of them could count and knew that it was about the 400 year mark. God tapped Moses on the shoulder, talked to him from the burning bush and told him it was time for His children to inherit the promised land. I don't know about your Bible, but I have never read where God pleaded and bribed Pharaoh to let His people go. I don't find where God even ASKED Pharaoh. He TOLD Pharaoh to let His people go. In the middle of unbelief, God showed up in power and majesty. He toyed with Pharaoh just enough to make him mad. After he let God's people go, Pharaoh changed his mind and ran after them with his mighty army. That really scared God, didn't it? God put a cloud between His children and Pharaoh's army so they could not attack. Then, when Pharaoh and his army tried to chase the children through the sea, he destroyed the entire army. Did God ask them for their permission? No. Did He warn them? No. Pharaoh had many, many chances to honor God's people but, instead, made their lives harder and more miserable. God sovereignly moved in a way that brought Pharaoh to his destruction. All because His people stood on His Word and cried out for His deliverance.
The ruler of the nations, the nations themselves, and the individual terrorist groups have had ample opportunity to bless people. Instead, they have chosen to oppress and destroy innocent lives. When God's people begin to humble themselves and pray, God moves sovereignly. When we cry out in line with what the Word of God says, God will honor that Word at the expense of any of the mighty men. God's love is towards all men. His favor is towards the righteous. If men chose not to receive God's offer of love, they also chose not to be in His favor. There are elected officials here in he United States that have turned a deaf ear to the cries of the poor. They, too, have had choices to make.
As God's people of prayer, we have the command from God's Word in Ezekiel 22:30-And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. We have been called to stand in the gap for those who are oppressed and burdened so that they will not be destroyed by the rulers and the hardships of this world. As an individual with limited resources, I can't do much to help, but I CAN stand in the gap and pray. Joseph and Moses experienced a "God thing" as I call it. A time when the Almighty God of all creation comes down and moves anybody and everybody any way He wants to because a believer is praying. That's what I am praying for. A "God thing." Our Christian history has seen several revivals that swept through areas and closed up hell holes. Entire towns came to Jesus. And it all started out with 2 Chronicles 7:14. God's people humbling, repenting, turning to God and praying instead of expecting politics to bring us the answer. Next, God promises a "God thing." We get to hear from heaven. Let's join together in seeking Him. Now, pass this along.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Prayer-Shake the Nations Part 1
One of the leaders of the Scottish Reformation in the mid-1500's was an ex-Catholic priest named John Knox. He was a man of strong prayer. The ruler of Scotland for a time, Mary Queen of Scots, was quoted as saying, "I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe." That speaks highly of a man of God. The prophet Elijah prayed and it stopped raining for over three years. Then, he prayed and fire came down from heaven. He prayed again and it began raining. He prayed two other times and fire came down and consumed a couple of bands of soldiers sent to kill him.
The prayers of mighty men have shaken nations. I firmly believe that we as Christians can turn the tide of current events by the way we pray. This is for certain, if we DON'T pray, things will NEVER change. Jesus said this in Mat 21:22-And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. John the Beloved wrote in 1 John 5:14-And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1Jo 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
I know that you are going to say, Bro. Henry, God will only answer if it is according to His will. Boy! You catch on quick, don't you?
Let's look at the following scriptures.
Psalm 37:7-fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
David, the great king and psalmist, said not to worry about the man who brings wicked things to pass. Do you know any world rulers who bring wicked things to pass to make us afraid? Do you know any religions that do it? How about rulers in this nation? How about local, state and federal legislators?
Let's group several scriptures and then talk about prayer for a minute.
Psalm 10:2-The wicked in [his] pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
Psalm 9:16-The LORD is known [by] the judgment [which] he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
Psalm 35:4-Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.
These are prayers of King David that became songs that the Israelites sang during worship. The Holy Spirit breathed these words into existence though him. Here we find the will of God for wicked people. It specifically talks about the wicked people who persecute the poor, seek after our souls and devise or plan things that hurt us. Does this describe people on planet earth today? How about some of the rulers of the nations? Yes, you have several groups of individuals that would love to inflict harm on the United States. You have several nations that would love to wipe out Israel. And, these groups have been planning to hurt us right now.
Let's touch another subject. How about the local, state, and federal branches of our government. Have they persecuted the poor? Do they seek after our soul and devise laws to our hurt? Some of the things they have done, not all, have wound up hurting more people than they have helped. We have seen over the past several months that some people in our government are not carrying out their duties in an honorable fashion. But, how do we know their hearts and their intentions? How do we know which ones are good and which ones only want to make dishonest gain?
Take a look at this scripture- Ecc 12:14-For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil.
For over a year, I have been praying for our Congress, state and local officials, our armed forces an our police and fire departments. I have prayed for the rulers and those who have authority over us. (1 Tim 2) In the past several months, I have seen God answering those prayers. God is bringing the wicked down. I know that it was not just my prayers but prayers of thousands of Godly men and women all over the world praying for the same thing.
Here's how I pray. I keep these scriptures handy to help me pray them until they are committed to memory. I do not claim to be an expert in the political realm and don't want to be. I want to be an expert in the Word of God and an expert in prayer. I firmly believe that we can shake the nations through appropriate praying. First, since I am not a political expert, I ask God to bring every work into judgment. Bring the good ones into judgement and bless them and bring the bad ones into judgement and stop them. (Keep referring to the verses in Psalms.) I ask God to confuse the counsel of those that are seeking ways to hurt His people. I speak confusion into their committee meetings. I speak confusion into their battle plans. I declare that their weapons formed against us would not prosper, Is 54:17. For the Congress as well as the armies that stand against us, I pray that they be snared in the work of their own hands.
There is no telling what can be done in this earth if God's people begin praying strong prayers. If we truly believe that God is a prayer answering God, then let's get down to the business of doing it. Don't pray in a haphazard manner. Find scriptures that deal with the particular need that you have. Listen for the unction of the Holy Ghost. If you are sincere in building a strong prayer life, God is more that willing to help you. It is His desire that we live in peace. Peace doesn't come through politics. It comes through peace. If you feel that this blog has been helpful to you, pass it on to friends.
In the next part, I will share some more about praying for the nations, expecially ours.
The prayers of mighty men have shaken nations. I firmly believe that we as Christians can turn the tide of current events by the way we pray. This is for certain, if we DON'T pray, things will NEVER change. Jesus said this in Mat 21:22-And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. John the Beloved wrote in 1 John 5:14-And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1Jo 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
I know that you are going to say, Bro. Henry, God will only answer if it is according to His will. Boy! You catch on quick, don't you?
Let's look at the following scriptures.
Psalm 37:7-fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
David, the great king and psalmist, said not to worry about the man who brings wicked things to pass. Do you know any world rulers who bring wicked things to pass to make us afraid? Do you know any religions that do it? How about rulers in this nation? How about local, state and federal legislators?
Let's group several scriptures and then talk about prayer for a minute.
Psalm 10:2-The wicked in [his] pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
Psalm 9:16-The LORD is known [by] the judgment [which] he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
Psalm 35:4-Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.
These are prayers of King David that became songs that the Israelites sang during worship. The Holy Spirit breathed these words into existence though him. Here we find the will of God for wicked people. It specifically talks about the wicked people who persecute the poor, seek after our souls and devise or plan things that hurt us. Does this describe people on planet earth today? How about some of the rulers of the nations? Yes, you have several groups of individuals that would love to inflict harm on the United States. You have several nations that would love to wipe out Israel. And, these groups have been planning to hurt us right now.
Let's touch another subject. How about the local, state, and federal branches of our government. Have they persecuted the poor? Do they seek after our soul and devise laws to our hurt? Some of the things they have done, not all, have wound up hurting more people than they have helped. We have seen over the past several months that some people in our government are not carrying out their duties in an honorable fashion. But, how do we know their hearts and their intentions? How do we know which ones are good and which ones only want to make dishonest gain?
Take a look at this scripture- Ecc 12:14-For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil.
For over a year, I have been praying for our Congress, state and local officials, our armed forces an our police and fire departments. I have prayed for the rulers and those who have authority over us. (1 Tim 2) In the past several months, I have seen God answering those prayers. God is bringing the wicked down. I know that it was not just my prayers but prayers of thousands of Godly men and women all over the world praying for the same thing.
Here's how I pray. I keep these scriptures handy to help me pray them until they are committed to memory. I do not claim to be an expert in the political realm and don't want to be. I want to be an expert in the Word of God and an expert in prayer. I firmly believe that we can shake the nations through appropriate praying. First, since I am not a political expert, I ask God to bring every work into judgment. Bring the good ones into judgement and bless them and bring the bad ones into judgement and stop them. (Keep referring to the verses in Psalms.) I ask God to confuse the counsel of those that are seeking ways to hurt His people. I speak confusion into their committee meetings. I speak confusion into their battle plans. I declare that their weapons formed against us would not prosper, Is 54:17. For the Congress as well as the armies that stand against us, I pray that they be snared in the work of their own hands.
There is no telling what can be done in this earth if God's people begin praying strong prayers. If we truly believe that God is a prayer answering God, then let's get down to the business of doing it. Don't pray in a haphazard manner. Find scriptures that deal with the particular need that you have. Listen for the unction of the Holy Ghost. If you are sincere in building a strong prayer life, God is more that willing to help you. It is His desire that we live in peace. Peace doesn't come through politics. It comes through peace. If you feel that this blog has been helpful to you, pass it on to friends.
In the next part, I will share some more about praying for the nations, expecially ours.
Monday, January 4, 2010
John 4
If you are not familiar with the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in John chapter 4, please take a moment and review it. In this story, Jesus meets a woman who had made a lot of mistakes. This woman had a lot of animosity toward Jesus because he was a Jew and maybe because he was a man. She was argumentative and quite defensive at Jesus' questions. Are you like that? Do you know anyone like that who needs to be saved? Then this word is for you.
The first thing we need to look at is that Jesus had more love than she had anger. Often, we view some types of people as being beyond hope. They seem to be too mean and beyond all hope of ever coming to know Jesus as their personal Saviour. We might be personally wrestling with some situations that seem far beyond our ability to handle. No matter how angry, bitter or defensive this woman became, Jesus had more love than she had anger. Whatever we are facing, Jesus is more than enough. As a Christian, we need to have more of God's love in us than sinners have anger. That's the challenge to us as soul winners.
Here is something else you might not have thought of in this situation. Jesus was her answer when she didn't even know the right question. This woman threw argument after argument at Jesus. Do you know anybody like that? Have you argued with anyone like that? Have you faced anyone that brought up the same old, tired defensive statements over and over again? Have you faced Jesus with the same arguments and defensive statements. Jesus is still the answer. He hung in there with her like a Holy Ghost bulldog until His love wore her down. When you pray and as you deal with the lost, Jesus is still the answer and He always knows how to reach them. Our challenge is to spend more time with Jesus and become more like him. Then the Jesus within us becomes more of an answer than they have questions. The questions she posed were all religious arguments. Sound familiar? You'll never win in a religious argument. Her real need was a relationship with the Father.
She kept looking to the physical for deep satisfaction. Jesus knew that real satisfaction came out of a relationship with the Father. (Does it sound like I am repeating myself? There's probably a reason.)
Her slaps and jabs at a Jewish man did not originate in hatred. Hatred and anger are the fruits that grow from the root of bitterness and hurt. Remember that in dealing with the lost. Remember that as you pray for the lost. Anger and hatred are false shields that people through up to keep from obeying Jesus. Remember also, that sinners are not the only ones that are filled with hatred and anger. Christians get caught up in them also. If you find your life entangled with these two poisonous attitudes, get alone with God and deal with your own root of bitterness before trying to reach someone else. Remember, Jesus's love was greater than her hurt. His love has to be the greater factor in our own lives as well.
1 Corinthians 13:8-Chaity never faileth. Jesus' persistent agape love never, never, never, never fails. His love disarmed every question and broke every defense mechanism she had. His Love. His Love. It was His Love for her that looked past her arguments and saw her real need. Her real need was a relationship with the Father. Again, we need to spend time in prayer until God's Love is perfected in us.
You need to notice, that at every defensive statement she made, Jesus came back with the same answer. He said it in different ways but the answer was the same. Jesus persisted until her vertical relationship with the Father was corrected. When that was corrected, her horizontal relationships became corrected, also.
The point to remember is this. Jesus' persistent love prevailed. If we are to be successful Christians and, most importantly, successful soul-winners, we have to spend more time developing our love relationship with Jesus first. Agape love never fails.
The first thing we need to look at is that Jesus had more love than she had anger. Often, we view some types of people as being beyond hope. They seem to be too mean and beyond all hope of ever coming to know Jesus as their personal Saviour. We might be personally wrestling with some situations that seem far beyond our ability to handle. No matter how angry, bitter or defensive this woman became, Jesus had more love than she had anger. Whatever we are facing, Jesus is more than enough. As a Christian, we need to have more of God's love in us than sinners have anger. That's the challenge to us as soul winners.
Here is something else you might not have thought of in this situation. Jesus was her answer when she didn't even know the right question. This woman threw argument after argument at Jesus. Do you know anybody like that? Have you argued with anyone like that? Have you faced anyone that brought up the same old, tired defensive statements over and over again? Have you faced Jesus with the same arguments and defensive statements. Jesus is still the answer. He hung in there with her like a Holy Ghost bulldog until His love wore her down. When you pray and as you deal with the lost, Jesus is still the answer and He always knows how to reach them. Our challenge is to spend more time with Jesus and become more like him. Then the Jesus within us becomes more of an answer than they have questions. The questions she posed were all religious arguments. Sound familiar? You'll never win in a religious argument. Her real need was a relationship with the Father.
She kept looking to the physical for deep satisfaction. Jesus knew that real satisfaction came out of a relationship with the Father. (Does it sound like I am repeating myself? There's probably a reason.)
Her slaps and jabs at a Jewish man did not originate in hatred. Hatred and anger are the fruits that grow from the root of bitterness and hurt. Remember that in dealing with the lost. Remember that as you pray for the lost. Anger and hatred are false shields that people through up to keep from obeying Jesus. Remember also, that sinners are not the only ones that are filled with hatred and anger. Christians get caught up in them also. If you find your life entangled with these two poisonous attitudes, get alone with God and deal with your own root of bitterness before trying to reach someone else. Remember, Jesus's love was greater than her hurt. His love has to be the greater factor in our own lives as well.
1 Corinthians 13:8-Chaity never faileth. Jesus' persistent agape love never, never, never, never fails. His love disarmed every question and broke every defense mechanism she had. His Love. His Love. It was His Love for her that looked past her arguments and saw her real need. Her real need was a relationship with the Father. Again, we need to spend time in prayer until God's Love is perfected in us.
You need to notice, that at every defensive statement she made, Jesus came back with the same answer. He said it in different ways but the answer was the same. Jesus persisted until her vertical relationship with the Father was corrected. When that was corrected, her horizontal relationships became corrected, also.
The point to remember is this. Jesus' persistent love prevailed. If we are to be successful Christians and, most importantly, successful soul-winners, we have to spend more time developing our love relationship with Jesus first. Agape love never fails.
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