Let Us Pray

Father, on this National Day of prayer we find ourselves broken and need of a savior. We have strayed from your word and followed our own way in the United States. Our families are in a shambles, our schools are failing and our country is on a path toward socialism. The freedoms that you granted us are being eroded and we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Lord your word says that if we will humble ourselves and seek your face with a repentant spirit, you will heal our land and restore our souls. Father, it is with a humbleness and heart felt sadness that I approach your throne of grace for my country, my government, my school system, the media, families across this country and most importantly the Body of Christ. Father, we have fallen and we need your hand to help us up. We have allowed ourselves to believe the lies of the Enemy and he has had his way with the institutions that have made this country great.

I pray for all levels of government today Lord from the President down to the town councils and mayors of this country. I pray for a spirit of repentance and against corruption by money and power. Heal our land starting with our leadership. I pray for a Daniel spirit in our leaders that those who are called by your name Lord will stand up for what they believe in the face of persecution. I lift up their decisions that they me be examined in the light of your word.

I pray for the safety and security of our military forces and their families. Renew their spirits and strengthen them in their efforts. Breath life into families who have lost loved ones to the senseless violence of war. Keep the children of lost fathers and mothers under the comfort of your loving touch.

I pray for an open news and media complex that the spirit of truth and not deception be upon it. I pray for role models to stand up in the media and the entertainment industry. I pray for sound policy within our government that would allow free speech to continue and not be shut down because it may be damaging to a political agenda.

I lift up families that are headed by a man and a woman. I pray for the strengthening of fathers and their role as leaders in the household. End today child abuse and apathy within our households. Change the hearts of parents who have lost their way and are not being positive influences on our children. Protect Lord the lives of the unborn in this country.

Help us Lord on this day to remember all that grieves your heart and soften hardened hearts. Restore us Lord to our once greatness. Let the truth reign and let lies be exposed and eliminated. Return prayer to our schools and show us where lies are being taught to our children their. Give us wisdom and courage to promote Christian education and find the resources to keep good schools open. Give parents a heart for giving their children a better life than they had and draw families to you Lord.

Finally Father, unify your Church. We have let denominationalism and false doctrine creep in and have lost our way. Send revival to us both individually and collectively. Help us through your Holy Spirit once again to return to the church as it was in the days of your apostles Paul and Peter.

I pray in earnest through your Son and our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen!

God and Politics

"And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." (John 8:11)

There has been much chatter on the Internet about the "new breed" of Evangelicals who are bucking the "so called" right wing conservative Christians. I see this noise as being another political move to capture more voters to bolster left leaning ideals. Maybe so but in the end , God is in control and the book writers and MSNBC pundits are just pumping up their wallets and egos as they wax greatly on the six o'clock news.

Whatever, the position of these folks on gay marriage or abortion, the Word is clear on the definition of sin whether it is abortion, homosexuality, or any other political football that seems to be popular. He is aware of our obligations as Christians to pray for and come under the authority of our elected leaders even if we disagree with their rational for using military force or appeasing terrorists.

The Church is under the authority of God and we as believers are obligated to have a relationship with Him and our fellow believers and help each other in our walk with God. We are to become more Christ-like as we draw nearer to God. At the end of our lives, God will not judge us on our political positions or even how much we gave to the poor or spoke out against the death penalty. He will judge whether or not we received the free gift of salvation bought through His Son's shed blood on the cross.

Conservative Christians like Dr. Dobson and others who are opposed to gay marriage and abortion are exercising their free speech and making moral arguments that are aligned with the truth of God's word. So called evangelicals or conservative Christians who truly walk daily with the King do not hate homosexuals or abortion practitioners, they hate the sin of homosexuality and abortion. I believe these conservative Christians, like me, love these sinners; and, like Jesus did with the woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-11, neither condemn the sinner nor condone the sin. Rather we all pray that those who are trapped in these sins will confess their sins to God and repent (turn away) from the sinful behavior and seek a relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ.

My Prayer. Father, again we find ourselves torn by politics and power rather than joined by the love that you taught us to give to one another. I pray in earnest Father for those trapped in the sin of homosexuality, and trapped by the guilt of abortion. Father I ask that you would empower us as believers to come together in agreement on the sinfulness of homosexuality and abortion and to reach out in love to our brothers and sisters in Christ so that we may take these sinners by the hand and lead them to the foot of the cross. May we do this Lord with a spirit of love and not condemnation. Help us Lord to channel our energies toward unification as the body of Christ rather than tear ourselves apart that we fall prey to the Enemy. Thank you Lord for your Word. May it ring true to all believers this Christmas season so that we may be more Christlike in 2009. I pray in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen!

Be Careful What You Wish For

"Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day."
But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles."
When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king." 1 Samuel 8:10-22

God continually amazes me. "Give them a king, if that is what they want," (my paraphrase) the Lord tells Samuel. Even after he told them what a ruler would do, the people still wanted one. Why?----Because that's what the "other" nations had!

Never mind that "the other nations," (Philistines, Amorites, etc) were constantly trying to kill them. Never mind their neighbors worshipped false gods that told them to sacrifice their children! Never mind that Yahweh had brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and gave them a beautiful land with bountiful resources. No. they wanted to be like "the other nations."

Does this sound vaguely familiar. I can hear a politician now, "Elect me and I will make sure that we are "respected" again by the rest of the world." Why do we keep listening? Why would we want to be like nations who have forgotten their Christian roots; where beautiful churches are empty, turned into museums, theaters and mosques and God is no longer relevant to them?

"Let them have a king to lead them," God said. I believe he cried that day because he knew how it would turn out. I believe he is beginning to cry again in 2008.

My prayer. Father, forgive us for wanting false gods and putting our trust in rulers and governments over You. This election year help us to choose leaders who fear You and who will not place their trust and our future in the world. Help us to realize that You are our King and that you will faithfully do what is best for us because you love us. In Jesus name I pray. Amen!

Divided We Fall

"Take counsel together and it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it
shall not stand: for God is with us." Isa 8:10


Our country is engaged in a battle for the very freedom our forefathers fought and died for. We as a society are generally unappreciative of what we have and we do not really understand what is at stake in the war against global terrorism. Although our all volunteer military lays itself on the line every day, we safe in our homes go about our lives and do not sacrifice alongside our soldiers and sailors. Consider the division of our politicians and interest groups battling over their slice of the pie while our sons and daughters bleed for our security.

Division is the Enemy's best weapon. We see it in families, people with addictions, and in our country. Those who isolate themselves are more susceptible to the words of despair and anguish spewed forth from the demons that wander around seeking whom they may destroy. God tells us that a house divided will not stand. The early church in the Book of Acts cared for one another both physically and financially. They would not let one of their own be alone. James 5:16 says that we are to "confess our faults one to another and pray for each other so that we may be healed." This scripture demands that we care for each other and do not let our brothers and sisters isolate themselves and fall prey to the Enemy.

Our nation needs to wake up and end divisiveness in time of war. We must stand together and sacrifice for the good of our nation. Its time all of us feel the pain of sacrifice and join together with our military brothers and sisters and fight for our freedom. The next time you fill up your gas tank think about the money you are spending to fund another roadside bomb. It is time we stop wasting gas and start praying for God's intervention. It is time we end petty political fighting and support the president in his efforts to end the tyranny of radical Islam. Tear down the walls that divide us before the Enemy establishes a stronghold.