Prayer

This is a 2 part blog guys but they go so well together I'm keeping it as one. It's all centered around prayer. Prayer is such a powerful thing! It strengthens your walk with God, helps you stay on track, allows you to keep a close and intimate relationship with Jesus. But I believe that prayer is not used as much as it should be and often times misused. WHOA! WAIT! Did you just say misused? Yes I did. But I'm getting ahead of myself, let me explain.

I want you to take a quick look around you and at your life. Is it comfortable? Is it spacious? Do you feel free? Are people constantly telling you cannot do this because it's illegal? Well hopefully your answers are all pretty positive. Except for maybe that last one. People may not literally be telling you it's illegal to do this or it's illegal to do that, but slowly our freedoms are being taken away! Here just recently the University of Tennessee came under fire for their pregame ritual at Neyland Stadium, that ritual was nothing but a 30 second invocation or prayer, whatever you would like to call it. Now in the Constitution it says we have freedom of religion and a freedom to express that religion, we also have a freedom of speech. The Freedom From Religion Foundation aka FFRF is saying that what UT is doing is illegal and should not be allowed. It also says what is going on is offensive towards individuals that do not share the same beliefs. Now I had no idea that saying a prayer that no one asked or said you had to be involved in would cause you to be offended simply because someone was saying a prayer in the facility you were in. Maybe it offends me that you find me doing this offensive; maybe I find it offensive that you’re trying to take away my right to express my religious beliefs. If the courts decide to rule on behalf of the FFRF that will cause a very steep and slippery slope that this Nation is not ready to go down and should never have to go down! Therefore we need to do something about it! In the 1970's Martin Luther King Jr. Saw the injustices happening and did something about it! His actions are what started the civil rights movement. His prayer, transferred into action! James chapter 2 talks about this.  Faith without works is dead. If you do not put action to your faith, what good is it? MLK Jr. put action to his faith, he saw an injustice and changed the face of this nation! We as believers must do the same thing!  We must rise up and begin putting action to our faith if we want to see change. 

When will we as Christians begin to act as the disciples did in the book of Acts? When Peter, Paul and Stephen were all told to stop preaching, to stop bringing the message of Jesus Christ out to the people, how did they respond? They responded by saying do what you need to do and we shall do what we need to do! If you so deem it necessary to make it illegal to preach these things and spread the gospel then you will just have to arrest us! That was the meaning, but of course I paraphrased and used different words. Things are beginning to get so bad that people are getting fined over home bible studies! (http://www.examiner.com/article/venice-florida-family-faces-fines-for-home-bible-study) Now how can this be? We live in The United States of America! You cannot fine an individual or a family for having a Bible study in their home. It is unconstitutional and it is wrong! What would be happening if the people, if the Christians of the country ROSE up and prayed? Would this happen if we ROSE up in numbers against the government for the things they have started to do to us and the things they have started to say? I don't believe so! I believe they would leave and back off and allow us to freely express ourselves! We need to start acting like the early Christian church! We HAVE to start acting like the early Christian church! We need to start acting as the disciples did in Acts! We have to begin to do this before it is too late!

                There are many Christians out there, praying for the judgment of God to fall upon this Nation, to judge it of all of its wickedness and perversions. This saddens my heart deeply! We should not be praying for judgment upon this Nation, we should be praying that this Nation be spared! That God would show us his mercy and give us a chance to prove ourselves! Not only that but let’s get Biblical, the Bible says in 1 Peter 4:17 “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” I know I am personally not ready to be judged by God almighty. I’m still working on my walk. Are you ready? Are the people praying this ready? Or even taking this verse into consideration? These Christians are saying that if God doesn’t judge this Nation then he will have to apologize for destroying Sodom and Gomorrah! #1 that all happened in the old testament before Jesus came and paid for our sins! And brought us grace! #2 Abraham prayed and fasted to God to spare those cities! In Genesis 18 Abraham begins to speak with the Lord. The Lord tells him “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.” Yet Abraham responded saying “Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” And the Lord answered his request saying “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” After the Lord could not find fifty righteous in the cities, Abraham stayed with God and continued to intercede and pray for the cities, all the way till he finally said “If you find ten there will you not destroy this city?” And the Lord said “I shall not destroy the city for the sake of ten.” Abraham knew the city was evil, yet he continued to pray and intercede for the city! God did not find any righteous in the city and he only tried to spare Lot and his family because of Abraham! Because of Abraham’s righteous cries to God, did he spare them! We need to have the heart of Abraham and pray that God will spare this nation for the sake of the righteous! Because “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference.” Romans 3:22. How many righteous are here? How many righteous are in the entire Nation, not just a city, but an entire Nation? We need to pray that God spares this Nation for the sake of the righteous, however if we pray this, the righteous need to rise up! We need to rise up as children of God as spoken of in Isaiah 60! The entire chapter talks about the children of God rising up and the light of shining upon his people, to the extent the gentiles, kings and all the people of the earth will recognize and come to us! They will be converted because of the light we show! For the presence of the Lord will abound! If we want to take this Nation we have to be as the children of Israel were in Joshua 6:16-20! We shall raise our voice's in one accord and make this spiritual wall fall! We have the power through Christ Jesus to do this! We must do this! 

                2^nd Chronicles 7:14-16 says “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there forever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.” How powerful are these scriptures during this time in our Nation! People, rise up! Read your Bible, seek the face of the Lord! Search for God’s heart! More of you oh Lord and less of me! Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways yours.” Saith the Lord. Pray and focus on God! He knows what he is doing and going to do! Just TRUST in him. Give thanks unto God for he is the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end.

                Look at Acts 12. Peter is delivered out of the hands of Herod and there are many people gathered praying for Peter in the house of Mary the mother of John. When Peter does finally show up NO ONE believes it is him! They say it must be his angel! For he is in the hands of Herod! But Peter continually knocked upon the gate to be let in. When they finally answered and opened the door they were astonished to find him standing there. James 4:3 says “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” Let’s take a look at this and break it down. James 3:4 is explained to an extent in Acts 12. Why would you pray and ask God for something if you DO NOT expect him to deliver and answer your request! For it is an empty prayer. For God knows the intent and desires of our heart. He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4) If your desire is to see God move he will move! The beginning of the verse says “Delight yourself in the Lord.” Delight oh children of God! Seek him and he will be found!  Secondly pray with the RIGHT desire in your heart. If God knows what you are praying and knows the desires of your heart to be wicked then he will not answer those prayers because “you will consume it upon your lusts.” God knows if the desire of your heart, if the intent of your heart is in the right place! Allow us to thank God continually for the blessings he has bestowed upon us! 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says “Give thanks in all things, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Proverbs 3:5-6 also states “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all they ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

                I hope everyone enjoyed this and I also hope it encouraged you in your daily walk with God. I pray this will also change your outlook upon the world we live in and stir you up to pray for our Nation and our world! We need to once again become the light on the hill that Ronald Reagan referred to us as, likening us to the Light in the world and a city on a hill in Matthew 5:14. Let us remember that this nation was founded on principles that are here forever. The rock of this nation, the foundation of this nation, the cornerstone was for us to find religious freedom! So we may FREELY worship God! God has blessed us throughout the last 250 years and I believe he will continue to bless us if we as in 2 Chronicles 7:14-16 says “Humble yourselves and PRAY!” PRAY children of God! PRAY, for this nation depends on it! Your heart, your life, your families lives depend on YOU PRAYING! “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:16. Be not lukewarm any longer! Become HOT and on fire for the things of God! Rise up for this is YOUR calling in the Lord Jesus Christ! Let US be the Light to the world! A city upon the hill which cannot be hidden! RISE UP!