Month: July 2020

Praying For America: Make It Personal

FATHER IN HEAVEN, WE PRAY FOR THIS GREAT NATION

AS WE WOULD A DEAR FRIEND:

Lead this dear lady, America, to develop a hunger for and obedience to God’s word

Prevent Satan from blinding her from truth

Lead this dear lady to want to know more and more about Your love and forgiveness

Lead America to think about why she needs Jesus to forgive her sins

Send an anointed messenger who will tell America about Jesus

Lord, make me brave enough to speak to this dear lady, given any opportunity

Convince America she needs to turn from her sin and follow Jesus

Put it into the heart of America to really trust in Jesus

May this dear lady, America, truly believe that Jesus is Lord

Praying From Psalm 145:1-7 (The Message)

May America once again exalt you Oh God and King. May she praise your name forever and ever. May she praise you every day. Yes, praise you forevermore.

You are great Oh Lord! You are most worthy of our praise! No one can measure your greatness. May the generations of children in this nation tell their children of your mighty deeds; may they proclaim your power.

May this beloved nation meditate once again on your majestic glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles. May your awe-inspiring deeds be on every tongue; may America proclaim your greatness.

May everyone share the story of your wonderful goodness again; may she sing with Joy about your righteousness.

AMEN

Where Is The Church In 2020?

AMERICA, yea even the world has been experiencing an upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, major social unrest and devastating economic fallout. The entire world has been in lockdown, sheltering in place, to slow the spread of a deadly virus. In midst of this life altering lockdown has come the cries of “police brutality” after the death of an African-American man in Minneapolis. The streets of cities large and small in America and around the world have been filled with protests and violence. 

I found myself expressing the notion to some that during this time in 

history, the church seems noticeably absent.

With “shelter in place,” cover your face and social distancing orders, people are not only cut off from each other, but Christians have had no voice. In fact they have been told not to gather for worship and if they did gather they were told, “Do not sing.” Couple this with the social unrest and clashes within our culture, there is a perfect storm. 

Where is the church? Why, she is locked away at home. Muzzled by a mask and not allowed to get close enough to anyone to have a conversation. Having a conversation is what the church does best. Let alone taking to streets and being at risk of not only a pandemic but also violence. Christians have been neatly stashed away while Satan, the evil one, the enemy of the hearts of men, runs loose in the streets and operates unhindered by the likes of any Holy effort inspired of God. 

The church has been reeling. BUT, she is getting her legs back under her. Christians have stepped up with online posts, blogs and webpages. They are online and they are not silent. Pastors are preaching to more folks than ever, online. New avenues of ministry are being sought after.

In addition, the numbers of online prayer calls have increased. Thousands of intercessors around the world are breaking the barriers in the atmosphere of cyber space. Their voices of praise, adoration, confession, repentance and surrender to a holy God are being lifted to the throne room of heaven daily. The church is showing up online with force and the power of the Holy Spirit to win the hearts of men. 

We are seeing answers to our prayers.

We are seeing clarification for parents and teachers about starting school up again in the fall. We’re not there yet, but we’re getting there. The spike in COVID-19 cases in Fla and Tex has begun to plateau.  

CBN News, July 21, 2020: 

Mike Ansari, who runs Mohabat TV, one of the most popular Christian satellite channels in Iran told CBN News that Mohabat TV is recording 10 times more online [conversions to Christ] than this time last year.[1]Ansari says, “We are registering around 3,000 personal decisions by Iranian Muslims to leave Islam for Christianity during this ‘COVIDF revival’” That’s three thousand people each month who have decided to follow Jesus Christ since the pandemic began in March, [2020]. 

The large number of people leaving Islam is causing a backlash against the church. Dozens of Christians have been arrested and imprisoned for responding to the gospel message since March, [2020].

Kingsley Clement Reports on July 19, 2020, hundreds marching for Jesus over the Brooklyn Bridge.[2] This is the church taking Jesus to the streets

A friend working in Church Relations at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention reported to me on July 13, 2020, that SBTC pastors and SBTC staffers are proposing, “RETHINK.” Rethink ministry. Re think Evangelism. Rethink opportunity. Rethink church. Rethink, Rethink, Rethink.

So … Where Is The Church In 2020?

“She IS here. She IS present and she IS accounted for. 

Jesus Has NOT Forsaken His Beautiful Radiant Bride!”

ALL GLORY TO GOD!

[1]https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2020/july/spiritual-pandemic-of-hope-grips-iran-as-thousands-accept-jesus-christ-amidst-covid-19

[2]https://www.facebook.com/kingsley.clement.39/videos/2723506047932856

A Response To What God Is Doing In 2020

Friend and fraternity brother posted the following thought on FB recently. I added a couple bracketed comments to it:

“America… God’s incredible miracle….Under attack!  A call from Almighty God to humble ourselves!

1st gut punch to [the security of our nation]…9/11

2nd gut punch to [the health of our nation]…COVID-19

[3rd gut punch to the economic stability of our nation…lockdown every business]

[4th gut punch the heart of our nation…Social-Cultural Upheaval]

When will we acknowledge our ways before God?

2Chronicles 7:14 “Humble yourselves… turn from your wicked ways….I will heal your land.”

_______________________

Two people can experience the same tragedy in life but have two totally different responses. One may shake his/her fist in the face of God and curse him, turn their back on him. The other may fall to his/her knees and seek for God’s mercy, grace and deliverance. 

This is a time for personal reflection. What is my personal response to what God is doing in 2020? Here’s a sobering thought from the Psalmist, David:

“O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you? Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies.”

It would be so easy for David [for ME] to sit back point fingers and judge everyone else. BUT…David continues…

“Search [ME], O God, and know [MY] heart; test [ME] and know [MY] anxious thoughts. Point out anything in [ME] that offends you, and lead [ME] along the path of everlasting life”(Psm 139:21-24). [1]

It’s not about everyone else. “It’s me, it’s me O Lord, standin’ in the need of prayer.” This is about how I am living MY life. 

It is not my place to point my finger at the Church or the world around me. It is for me to be on my knees interceding for the beautiful but often wayward and complacent Bride of Christ, his Church, of which I am a part. It is for me to be on my knees interceding for a broken, hurting, frightened, sin-sick humanity for whom Jesus gave his life on a cruel cross. 

Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”(Mat 11:28). King David said, “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” (Psm 50:15)

ONE TRAGEDY, TWO RESPONSES: Turn a back on God or humbly seek his forgiveness and grace. Lord, may I choose the later. May I humbly put the good of others ahead of my own. May I make the good of thy kingdom my priority. I am weak, but you are strong.

The fate of the world is not yet sealed. God is long suffering with men (Romans 9:22-25). Final judgment has not yet been fixed. While the world may be crumbling around us, the mission of every follower of Christ remains unchanged. The mission of the church is to point men to the gospel message of Jesus Christ.

I am asking God this day to make certain my faithful witness to a lost and confused world. It’s not my job to judge or condemn the church or the world. That is too easy. It is my job to intercede and to witness. It is my job to encourage the church and to share hope with the world. It is up to me to be obedient to what God asks of me. 

I don’t know that we have faced as turbulant times as these in 2020. I have personally not seen such turmoil in America since the mid to late 1960s. I was on the streets of Detroit, Michigan during those riots. It was ugly. The images of those days are emblazoned on my memory. I pray the church today is quicker to respond than it was then. But in the 1960s, God was also gathering an army. The 1970s ushered in a powerful movement of God that brought a counter balance to the weight of the revolution of the 1960s. It was called “The Jesus Movement.” It was a cold drink of water in the fires of turmoil; a time of refreshing by the Spirit of God.

DO IT AGAIN LORD!

Lord, your return is near. It may be tonight; it may be yet a ways off. But I pray that there would be in progress, a great gathering of mission-minded young men and women. May they usher in a spiritual awakening that will sweep across the landscape of America like a great prairie fire. May the fires of revival be fanned with the inexhaustible wind of your Spirit in churches across this land. May there be an in gathering, a spiritual harvest, of souls, the likes of which America or the world has never seen. May there be a healing in the hearts of men that will stand the test of time. If the Lord shall tarry, I have my eye on the rising sun of 2025, 2030. What shall be the outcome? May it all be to the honor and fame of your holy name, O Lord. 

No matter what, God remains sovereign!!!

[1]Brackets added for emphasis

Bringing The Children To The Teacher

Praying through the dilemma of students returning to school this fall. How to pray? The Lord gave me a picture of what our prayer effort might look like from Mark 10:13-16.

13 People were bringing children to Him so that He would touch and bless them, but the disciples reprimanded them and discouraged them [from coming]. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and He said to them, “Allow the children to come to Me; do not forbid them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whoever does not receive andwelcome the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He took the children [one by one] in His arms and blessed them [with kind, encouraging words], placing His hands on them. (AMP)

Hopeful PARENTS, maybe grand parents, were bringing their CHILDREN to Jesus (the TEACHER), while the disciples (those in AUTHORITY) looked on with some dismay at overwhelming the Teacher (they were trying to do the right thing – they just did not have God’s perspective). All four players in this story can be seen in our circumstances today: PARENTS, A TEACHER, CHILDREN, AUTHORITIES. Each of these was making hard choices, just as they are today. Of course we know that Jesus was the only one who stood outside that element of concern. But for the sake of illustration, much was and is at stake. 

We ought to pray that the AUTHORITIES (public health officials and school administrators) who govern school starts this fall will be pointed to godly counsel and wisdom. May they have clarity and certainty in their deliberations. Give them a culture of honesty, order and integrity. May they see God in their counsel & decisions.

Pray that TEACHERS are filled with a righteous compassion. Lord, unlike Jesus, teachers today are challenged beyond their experience and often overwhelmed. They are learning new multilevel platforms – methods of teaching. They need a spirit of righteous compassion; loving kindness toward students, parents and administrators. May they trust in God and see God at work in their daily lives.

Pray that PARENTS are pointed to godly wisdom and know what they are to do; their fears and anxiety be moderated. Give parents wisdom and clarity. Help them to overcome fears for their children’s safety. Lift any financial burdens that families are experiencing. May they trust in God fully. Pray that God be glorified and his name given fame in the land.

Pray that CHILDERN will be blessed, kept safe and pointed to Jesus. May they be blessed and protected. Pray their needs be met: medical care, nutrition, and vaccines. Pray their physical, emotional and mental well being be secure; free of any abuse. Abba knows their names. He cares for each. Father, may we make it a priority to bring the children to Jesus, first and foremost. Pray that God be glorified in all. Father, would you raise up a generation of young men and women who trust in God and love God unconditionally. Raise up students who will take the Gospel into the next generation.

MAY I ADD HERE…If there is to be sweeping revival and awakening in America it must begin with the most intimate and personal of relationships. What could be of more use to God than the family unit and parents bringing their children to Jesus?

Father, I pray that in the midst of all these decisions that you would be honored; that your fame would be spread throughout the land as the deliverer of this nation from Corona Virus pandemic. I pray Father, that your providence will guide this nation again, as it has before, and that it will result in a national turning to Jesus, Lord of all. AMEN!

When God’s People Prayed, Revival Swept India

In1904 a little known man by the name of John Hyde left America to serve as a missionary to India. He was in a place the where the Spirit of God had been prohibited. A call was sent out for prayer. That call resulted in what would be called the Punjab Prayer Union. This union of intercessors, Prayer Sentrieslike us, was the forerunner to the 1905 “Sialkot (sā-âl-coat) Conventions,” where great seasons of prayer and Spirit-filled preaching ignited a revival. John Hyde, “Praying Hyde,”as he was called, and his spirit of prayer, was an inspiration to this movement of God’s Spirit.

From the book, Praying Hyde: A Man of Prayer, by Basil Miller we learn that the members of the Punjab Prayer Unionsought to answer and succeed at five questions or principles. We too, as intercessors, as Prayer Sentries, ought to seek to succeed at these principles:

“1.  Are we praying for quickening in our own lives, in the lives of our fellow workers, and in the Church?

“2.  Are we longing for greater power of the Holy Spirit in our own lives and work, and are we convinced that we cannot go on without this power?

“3.  Will we pray that we may not be ashamed of Jesus?

“4.  Do we believe that prayer is the great means for securing [revival in our churches and] spiritual awakening [in the land]?

“5.  Will we set [time aside] each day to pray for awakening; willing to pray till the awakening comes?”

Basil Miller goes on to say this: “Revivals have never been the product of [a] spontaneous combustion of spiritual forces; rather [revival] is paid for by prayer…So now in Hyde’s life, as the revival of 1905 was about to dawn, men and women were paying the purchase price.” Just as we are today.

Praying Hyde and two other men joined in prayer for thirty-one days and nights leading up to the Sialkot (sā-âl-coat) Convention of prayer. Miller says, “…that for those days and nights the Throne of God was bombarded in prayer by these three men. Men who had long ago consecrated themselves to the task of bringing spiritual life to sin-deadened souls.” Awakening comes when an investment of time is spent in cleansingand prayer.

Miller concludes, “The record of those thirty-one days and nights of prayer is closed in the Book of Heaven, for no word of them has ever seeped through to the outside. Those [intercessors] were not on dress parade. They went forth to battle with their only weapon [PRAYER], with as much earnestness as soldiers in any king’s army.”

I think it appropriate that another question be added to the five questions of the Punjab Prayer Unionlisted above?

Here is the question:

6.  Are we willing that no man know the record of our prayers offered on behalf of our nation and for the churches? Will we be satisfied in all humility that our prayers are offered in our closet, in seclusion, and for the eye of God alone?

Take this list of six questions/principles (above) into your prayer closet with the Lord. Over the next few days converse with God about them. Answer them carefully and honestly. Then watch and pray for an awakening of faith the likes of which man has not seen in this country and the church in over 100 years.

about them. Answer them carefully and honestly. Then watch and pray for an awakening of faith the likes of which man has not seen in this country and the church in over 100 years.

Cry In America’s 2020 Culture Wars

The cry in the midst of an American cultural war, when tearing down historical monuments is vogue, has been to preserve our history? 

Herein lies OUR HISTORY. In 1937, JP McBeth wrote these words in his commentary on Romans (8:22):

“Creation is faulty from the ruins of man. Man has defiled whatever he has touched. Man’s sin put thorns on the roses. 

HISTORY is but the sin of the nations and the record of the ruins of man. HISTORY is little more than a war record. 

CRUMBLING CITIES ARE THE MONUMENTS OF MAN’S HANDS. Wherever man has labored there are seen the heaps of ruins in his memory. There is nothing so pure on earth but that it has been polluted by man’s corruption. 

Soon after [man] saw the morning light of creation, midnight darkness terrified the fallen souls. And those who [should have] graced the beautiful garden [of Eden] became homeless, murdered and murderer, and vagabond in the earth; and sorrow and sin began to multiply exceedingly.” This is our HISTORY AS MAN

McBeth explains our hope for the future (8:24):

“BUT LET NONE DESPAIR, for hope is in the very nature of our salvation – we were saved in hope. We were not saved upon the grounds of what we could see but in faith [in Christ] as we trusted the word of God. We are saved in hope, the saved are sustained by hope and they are living for hope.”

Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. – Jesus 

(John 15:13,14)

[Compiler’s emphasis noted in CAPS]

Revival Starts Not With Intercession, But With The Intercessor

We don’t know how really desperate is our need to see Jesus. Anne Graham Lotz makes the point that even Isaiah, the prophet of God; the intercessor (God’s sentry on the wall) did not fully understand the depths of sin and its toll even on his own life. He had a head knowledge of sin and its solution. But this knowledge needed to make the journey 18 inches from his head to his heart.[1]

Isaiah had just pronounced five chapters of “Woe” on Judah and Israel. BUT when Isaiah himself had a VISION of God he cried out, “WOE UNTO ME!”

Isaiah 6:1-4 says, “It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2) Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having two wings to cover their faces, two wings to covered their feet, and with two wings they flew.

3) They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” AND 4) Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.” (NLT)

When Isaiah saw God he said, “It’s all over for me! I am doomed. I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips and I live with a filthy lipped people (6:5).” (NLT)

Isaiah thought his heart was right. But when God showed up, Isaiah realized how dirty even he was before a holy God and even he had to repent. When he did, God cleansed Isaiah’s filth and called him to service (6:7-12). 

Like Isaiah, we don’t know how desperate is the condition of even our own heart. But when we get a vision of God, everything changes. Before God, none of us is as good as we think.

We seek revival, but often it is just a plea for God to help us to get back to where we once were…you know, when things were better (before 9/11; no terrorism. No horrible hurricanes or treacherous wild fires. No deadly COVID-19. No economic turmoil. No social and cultural upheaval – darkness, fear and despair). Can’t we just go back to when life was good? 

But with God it is never about the way back; the way we were. It’s always about the way forward, what we need to become – humble, repentant and surrendered. Then the burning coal from the altar can touch and cleanse us. The Seraphim says, “See, this coal has touched your lips Roger. Your guilt is removed. Your sins are forgiven.” Oh, what cleansing I need.

As intercessors we are all in the same need. As we pray for God’s intervention, for revival and awakening, consider these questions about the people of God…about ourselves, before a holy, yet merciful God. 

  • Do we have a truly deep and abiding hunger for God’s word?
  • Do we neglect private prayer or the corporate gathering to pray?
  • Are we satisfied with our level of spiritual health and vitality?
  • Are we 100% available to the Holy Spirit for mission?
  • Are we witnessing for Christ or do we fear what men think?

Oh Lord, how we need an expanded vision of who you are and a cleansing from within.

[1]Lotz, Anne Graham, Expecting To See Jesus (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2011) 68-84.