TEN DAYS OF PRAYER FOR AMERICA

What is FAITH?

You know what I’m going to say…  we’ve all heard it and we spout it off so fast because from childhood it’s been drilled into our memory bank.

 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  – Hebrews 11:1

That’s not the version I memorized, but regardless, simply put, the biblical definition of faith is “trusting in something you cannot explicitly prove.”

God needs no one, but when faith is present He works through anyone.  – A.W. Tozer

While researching and studying to prepare for these posts, something smacked me right between the eyes (yes, it did hurt – thanks for asking).  The laws of our land are dependent upon PROOF.  When we go to court, there is a burden of proof – you have to prove your case or you are toast.  But in the spiritual realm, there is less fear about having to prove something and more faith, which is not based on proving anything – because God doesn’t have to prove Himself.  We just lean on Him for all the answers.  It sounds simple, doesn’t it?  We’re human, and we are always going to want to fix stuff – which means we will always want to DO something about something.  Don’t sit there acting like you don’t know what I’m talkin’ about.  It’s true.  I’m the same way.  If something is wrong, I want to make it right again.  If it’s broken, I feel the need to fix it.

To have faith is to believe the task ahead of us is never as great as the power behind us.  – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I can’t fix our country and neither can you.  All we can do is what we are able to do.  We pray, first of all.  We vote when it’s time to vote.  We get involved as opportunities present themselves and doors open.  We write blogs (my hand is raised), and we express opinions on facebook, for all the “good” that seems to do (I don’t think it does much except get everyone upset).

I’m adopting a positive outlook about our country’s future, and I’m committing this verse to memory:

There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.  – Proverbs 23:18

Today let’s pray that God will give Christian Americans more faith.  Where does faith come from?

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  – Romans 10:17

Stay in God’s Word.  Read, study and put as much of it in your mind as you can stuff in there.  It’s amazing how many times you will find yourself in a situation and it is Scripture that comes to mind along with God’s Holy Spirit.  What do people do when they don’t have that kind of comfort in tough circumstances?  I don’t know, but I’m so thankful for God’s provision in my life.

One more thought before we pray.  Did you know we can’t please God without faith?  That is a sobering fact, isn’t it?

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.  – Hebrews 11:6

Well, we began in Hebrews and ended there.  Isn’t there a joke about Hebrews and coffee?  Never mind.  Let’s pray for more faith in Christian America:

Dear Heavenly Father,  Today is a day You created just for us and we humble our minds and hearts before You to say thank You.  Here in America it’s easy to look around and lose heart.  It’s easy to think about throwing in the proverbial towel and giving up on society sometimes.  People seem to be more rude than they used to be.  Mankind seems to have fallen into a pattern of selfish behavior like never before.  Today we call upon You, the Great Physician, to heal our cynical thoughts toward others.  We ask You to bring to mind the good in our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We want to be positive, not negative in our thought patterns, our attitudes, our behaviors and our lifestyles.  In order to live a life that is truly pleasing to You, we need more faith.  Help us to study Your Holy Word and hear the preaching of it from men who are truly anointed and not afraid to preach sermons from any part of the Bible.  We think of the old hymn “Faith Is the Victory” – that overcomes the world.  It’s only with You in our hearts and minds that victory can be ours.  Please help us to live victoriously here in America, with faith that pleases You at all times.  We ask all these things in the precious and matchless Name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Lucinda and I chatted on facebook yesterday about how it would be great to have the PERFECT recipe to get God’s PEACE in our country.  Just the right mix of faith and hope…  love and respect for everyone, regardless of their race, religion, etc.  Guess what?  She wrote a poem – and here it is!  We need COMFORT FOOD – GOD’S OWN BREAD in America today! 

May God replace my cynicism and sarcasm toward others with a better sense of humor and some thick feathers on my back so the things that bother me can just roll off like water from a duck’s back.  Lord, give me more faith, hope, optimism, love, charity and good, strong coffee that is not decaf.  🙂

TEN DAYS OF PRAYER FOR AMERICA

Written July 3, 2013

Fourth Of July
Our Flag

I was looking at the flag like I always do each morning, standing back after saluting it, thinking about what we have and are taking for granted.

I have flown the flag all these years, not as a duty, but as a privilege. See, I did not need Congress to tell me I could solute the flag in my civilian clothes. I have done it every morning from the time I retired from the Army, just as I did every day while I wore the uniform.

While I was looking at the flag this morning, I saw faces of the past peering from within. I saw faces that I have seen firsthand, with lifeless bodies and death in their eyes. I saw the tears that were shed on the battle fields by their peers. I saw the faces of all people in the support groups, no matter what service, doing their best to get the necessary, needed munitions and equipment, without which they could not survive. I saw the tired faces of the communicators, as their hours ran into days, the days into months, and the months into years, with untiring efforts to get the traffic back to the people so they could plan the tactics to win the next battle.

I saw the faces in the support units working hour after hour to fix and get the needed materials back to the troops that needed them. I saw the happy faces of the loved ones as they returned to their families after having been away, supporting our country and what they believed in. I saw the faces of sorrow and heartbreak of the families as they gave their loved ones back to this land, returning their bodies to the land they gave their lives for.

I saw the faces of the people who remained here and supported, defended, and worked with pride in the defense of this country. I saw the majority of these faces putting God as the Real Commander and Chief at the forefront of this country. I saw the faces of the majority of people flying our flag with pride and dignity. Without all these faces, I could only see a flag.
Now I see these faces fading and getting fewer… I see other activities taking away the people who once lined the streets waving the flag with pride. I don’t see parents teaching their kids the pride that they not yet understood, but knew how to sing AMERICA and say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, that one day would mean the same to them as it did to their parents.
I see the educators of our children teaching them not how great this country is and how much they have to be proud of, but that this county is “flawed.” I see fewer and fewer flags displayed with pride, without care of how they are properly displayed, or even taking the time to find out about Flag Etiquette: When and how you put them to full staff and half, etc. I see the dwindling of pride. It saddens me to see our values, ideals and pride of our country continually disappear…

I pray that people once again put the real Commander In Chief at the head of the nation, that the flag once again has a meaning of what the country stands for, taking the time to display it to the world, showing that we are still here and still fighting for what we believe in and what our forefathers passed on to us. Let this Fourth of July be the turning point of putting this country back on its way to again be the shining light to an Idea that all men are created equal and endowed with life, liberty and pursuit of happiness… Today make the commitment to restore America to the greatest nation this world has ever had, and putting the Constitution back as the document that protects our rights from a government that would slowly but surely take away all our rights granted to us by this great document. Remember, without your sacrifices and dedication, this will not happen. Be willing to stand up for what you believe in or you will never stand up for anything.

Thanks for letting this old man ramble on through this. I know you can tell that I am not an author or a connoisseur of words. I am just one of the people that are not liked very much by the people in DC nowadays. I love God, Our Country as it was, and the right to do what I have to in order to protect my family, which is my responsibility that was given to me by my Father in Heaven, and the Constitution. Without the faces I saw in the flag when I looked at it, it’s once again just a flag.

God Bless You and Our Country. Spend the 4th with some time and thoughts of what this day means and what the flag represents. YOU are the country’s destiny. Live up to your obligations as an American. God Bless!

Thomas Ponder
1SG, USA
Retired.

*************************************************************************************************************************

My father used to say, “If you don’t stand up for something, you’ll fall for anything.”  Do you know what you believe, or do you just sort of wander around the buffet table picking and choosing a little of this philosophy and a bit of that ideal?  We are a society of Weebles.  You remember Weebles, right???  They wobble but they don’t fall down.  Nobody stands strong because the virus called political correctness has made us afraid that we will be profiling or judging another if we disagree with them.  It’s maddening. 

I know this was for the 4th of July, but it’s always appropriate to post good thoughts about patriotism.  If our educators could get children to put their phones down and get off the computers for just a few hours, then teach some very basic lessons such as the song AMERICA and the Pledge of Allegiance.  Wow, how about a prayer?  I remember prayer in school.  We didn’t have one tenth of the grief they have in school these days.  Hmm…  I wonder why?

Well – class is in session.  Let’s pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, You are our Commander and Chief forever.  Politicians come and they go in America.  We may agree with their ideology or not, but Father God, we keep our eyes fixed on You.  We know that You will take care of us regardless of the circumstances that surround us.  Please Lord, we ask that You will supernaturally protect the U.S. from radical Islāmic Terrorists.  Help us to use common sense and wisdom in deciding whether to allow more refugees into our country, knowing that terrorists could infiltrate and enter our country in this manner.  We want to be the people You want us to be, but we want to be safe in our country from the radicalized threat.  Lord, please help us to embrace more of our heritage in the classroom than we have in the past.  Our children need to learn about patriotism and have a positive attitude about America instead of being taught that we are somehow flawed or bad.  May we teach our young people the importance of respecting our country’s flag by teaching them the rules of flying it.  Lastly, Lord we pray that Christian parents will be strong about what they will and will not allow in the classroom.  We pray we don’t get too busy making a living to know what is going on in our children’s lives.  School is a strong influence on developing minds and hearts.  We pray that America will wake up and make You the ultimate Commander and Chief.  It’s in the wonderful Name of Christ Jesus we pray, Amen.

In the light of events in Dallas, TX – there’s a poem written by Lucinda that I want to post here today.  Please take a moment to pray for the families of fallen officers.  What a tragedy!  My heart is broken for those families in blue.  😦  As I told her earlier – well said! 

TEN DAYS OF PRAYER FOR AMERICA

Christians know that they are only strong as long as they take the time to kneel…  in prayer to God through Christ Jesus our Lord.  We believe that the time we take to pray is the most important time spent in our day.  Would you try to drive your car out-of-state after it’s dinged at you to let you know it needs fuel?  Um…  nope.  You’d pull into a gas station and fill ‘er up!  Prayer is spiritual fuel for our souls.  It is essential for our spiritual wellbeing.  God wants to hear from us and He looks forward to hearing from us on a daily basis – for me it’s like a pray without ceasing thing…  moment by moment.  It’s how I roll…

God sees how the wheels are coming off our world.  He is also in control, so America, we need to stand as a united front to the rest of the world, and the world needs to see that we are strong and our strength comes from God.  The one true God.  There’s only one.

Let’s pray for peace and healing in America:

Dear Heavenly Father,  We acknowledge You in all our ways and humbly ask for healing and peace in America.  There is division like we’ve never seen before, but we know that You are watching and You are more than able to work on our behalf and heal our hurting land.  We know that in this life we will probably not all hold hands and sing Kum-ba-ya, but we pray that somehow You would show us how to combine Republican ideology with Democratic ideology so that somewhere we can find some real middle ground and common sense solutions to the issues we need to fix in our country.  We need Your wisdom, Your Word, and Your will to be done in our lives individually so that it will be done in our nation.  Help us to begin to heal instead of fighting more.  Please Lord, grant us Your peace and Your love in America.  Make us the people You want us to be and guide us as we remember the golden rule:  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Help us to treat everyone with dignity and respect even if we disagree with them about other issues.  We want to show genuine and sincere concern for our neighbors regardless.  We can only do this perfectly with Your help everyday.  May we learn well how to sharpen iron in this journey called life.  We ask these things in the altogether lovely Name of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, Amen.

More peace, less war.  More love, less hate.  More healing, less hurting.  More unity, less division.  Yes, Lord, yes!  🙂

TEN DAYS OF PRAYER FOR AMERICA

INTEGRITY:  the quality or state of being of sound moral principle; uprightness, honesty, and sincerity.  

As a female, Republican, conservative, Christian voter, I want to see our leadership in Washington have decency, honesty and INTEGRITY!  It begins with IN and ends with GRIT.  People with integrity are strong and courageous enough to stand against what is morally wrong.  Did you ever see the movie TRUE GRIT with John Wayne?  That kind of attitude without the whisky – sort of.  Wow…  let’s get some backbone in there mixed in with morals and values – wouldn’t that be fantastic?  I miss Ronald Reagan.  There, I got that out of my system.

SOUND MORAL PRINCIPLE.  Are we quite certain that this is what our Republican candidate has?  I don’t know, but I’m not sold on it.  Is he the lesser of two evils?  I don’t know that either.  I know for sure and for certain I will not vote for the Democratic candidate.  Will I vote at all?  I just don’t know.

Take a look at this link from Max Lucado:

https://maxlucado.com/decency-for-president/

It has occurred to me that if I don’t vote at all, I’m opening the door to the possibility that the Democrats will win.  I know our country can NOT continue its downward spiral under their agenda of redistribution of wealth and throwing other people’s money at every problem that comes down the pike.  And letting in thousands of refugees when we have homeless veterans on our streets makes me sick – literally sick.  Our vets deserve the best America has…  ugh.  Respect the veterans still living! 

So today we will pray a prayer asking God for clear thinking and wisdom.  I really need it, don’t you?

Let’s pray:

Dear Heavenly Father,  We have read Your Holy Bible and we know right from wrong as we live our own lives; however, as we quickly approach November, we really need to think clearly with wisdom straight from You.  We don’t pretend to know these candidate’s hearts, values or motives.  All we can do is look at their past record of behavior.  We hunger and thirst for decency, morals, backbone, and sincere integrity.  Anyone can stand before a group of Christians and read a prepared speech filled with ear-tickling phrases that are specially written to persuade them to vote in their favor.  Lord, only You know who needs to be our next President.  We ask that You would please guide us as we decide who to vote for, or whether to vote at all.  Wisdom from You is the greatest tool in a Christian’s toolbox.  We need fresh wisdom, clear thinking, discernment, and conviction that we’re doing the right thing on election day.  We ask all of this in the precious and matchless Name of Jesus, Amen.

At this point I do want to remind you (and me too) that no matter who the President is, Jesus Christ is the KING!  As Lucinda and I chat, we are encouraged by those words, we hope you are too!  The Lord wants us to put HOLES in the Darkness!  We’re in the last days, I believe.  We know things will get more challenging, but we also know that God will protect us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TEN DAYS OF PRAYER FOR AMERICA

Who remembers VBS – Vacation Bible School?  If you’re as old as I am, you may have slept since you were in an opening assembly.  Adult Christians (like me) who are not working in VBS probably need to brush up on the various pledges that the kiddos can recite with no hesitation.  I remember when I could recite them without hesitation, but as I say, I’ve slept since then.  Let’s review the pledges:

Did you read them?  Did you put your right hand over your heart as you read them?  Okay…  read them again, slowly, absorbing the meaning, with your right hand over your heart.  I’ll wait.  La la la la la…  whistling…  twiddling thumbs…

Have you truly committed to the values you were taught a long time ago back in VBS?  Life gets busy and sometimes it gets too busy.  As adults, we become responsible for others – and it’s as it should be.  We’re supposed to grow up and expand our horizons and become contributing, responsible members of society.  If you’re successful in life, it’s a good thing!  If you’ve become successful in one aspect of your life while leaving behind the basic allegiances you once had for God’s Word, Christian values and your country…  well, maybe it’s time to reassess the meaning of success.

Let’s say a prayer of rededication to the things of God:

Dear Heavenly Father,  We the people of America are individuals.  Some of us grew up in church, making VBS an essential part of our summer.  We learned how to pledge allegiance to Your Holy Word, to a Christian way of life and to the belief that there should be liberty and justice for all.  These are ideals and values we want to recommit to starting today.  Please forgive us for letting anything else get in the way through the years.  It seems the demands of life and responsibility of family has gotten in the way.  We want our relationship with You to be the top priority from which all other things fall into place.  You have promised in Your Word that You will bless us if we give You first place in our lives.  Help us to not only make sure our children and grandchildren know these pledges by heart, but to make sure we know them and hide them deep in our hearts and minds.  We know that the only way America will be a Christian nation and be blessed by You is for its citizens to individually commit to You and to Your ways.  We know that there is a way that seems right to man, but it leads to death.  May we not be deceived into thinking we are on a true path.  We want to be on the path that leads to eternal life when this life on earth is finished.  Right now we pray You will speak to our hearts and lead us in the way we should go.  We hunger and thirst for You and Your righteousness.  America needs You, Lord.  We pray all these things in the precious Name of Jesus, Amen.

VBS June 1971…  that’s how it’s done – you round-up the neighborhood kids and haul ’em to the church.  BOOM!  LOL.  🙂

TEN DAYS OF PRAYER FOR AMERICA

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!  You know, folks, we have a general election coming up!  We have some issues to be sure, but we have a GREAT GOD and He is listening to our prayers.  If I didn’t believe that, would I really be doing this?  Nope – I’d be raiding the fridge.

Let’s pray!

Dear Heavenly Father,  Today as we celebrate our country’s 240th birthday, we humbly come before You to say thank You for guiding America safely to this point.  You’ve kept us safe and sound thus far and we trust that You will see us through to the end.  Lord, we continue to pray for our country’s leaders.  There are too many to name individually, but we do pray You would intervene in the life of President Obama in his last days in office.  We pray for Vice President Joe Biden.  Keep Your hand on him, Lord.  Our Attorney General Loretta Lynch comes to mind, Lord.  Please guide her as she makes decisions that affect our country.  May we finally have a country where there are rights for ALL people, even Christians.  Everyone in America needs to have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Father, may there finally be proper housing for our veterans.  It’s shameful that we open our arms to refugees but cannot provide housing for the ones who fought to ensure our safety.  Father, may someone find some common ground on the gun issue.  Please give our government wisdom about what kinds of guns we need and who should be using them.  Sometimes we are so frightened when we see the sickness and disease around us.  There’s hate and division by all sorts of methods.  Hatred by gender, economical status, social status, race, and sadly, religion.  There are people in another country who want us dead because we are Christians.  Radical Islamic terrorism is a threat to the entire world, including the U.S.A.  We’re scared, but we know, God, that this is all Your timing and we’ve read the back of the book and in the end, Father, YOU WIN!  Lord, WE THE PEOPLE ask for Your divine wisdom as we go to the voting booth in November.  Our country needs YOU.  We need Your guidance, direction and wisdom as we vote.  Holy Spirit, I personally invite You to go into that booth with me.  I ask that You help me as I make decisions about who should be in charge of America.  We love our country, Lord, but we love YOU more.  We trust You to help us through.  In Jesus’ precious and matchless Name we pray, Amen.

 

Oh…  that cupcake looked good!  Now I’m gonna go raid the fridge!  Have a happy and safe 4th!  😉

TEN DAYS OF PRAYER FOR AMERICA

FREEDOM is something to thank God for everyday!  He has blessed this nation so abundantly with His grace and mercy.  God is good to America and today we need to thank Him for being so good to us!

Precious Father, You have ensured our freedom here in America.  We know that without You we are nothing as a country.  Thank You for freedom to practice our faith as we believe is right, freedom of speech.  Under a dictatorship I could not be posting prayers in a blog, or saying them aloud.  Thank You that I am not oppressed, but free to express my love for You without fear of punishment or worse.  The press in our country is free – to be left of center, right of center – or to be on target with You.  We are free to agree or disagree with others on facebook or in person.  We are free to unfriend a friend on facebook if things get too intense.  We are free to read the Bible in public.  We are free to choose right or wrong.  You gave us a free will – that came from You.  America is great but You are greater.  May we wake up and realize that our freedom to do what we want and choose to follow You – that freedom comes from You, not from laws on the books in the U.S.A.  Our laws are based upon the fundamental Christian values we hold dear.  I pray that as a country we never stray away from that truth.  If we begin making laws that support sin, we are surely in dangerous territory and we will lose Your blessing.  We know You cannot look on sin.  You will always forgive us our sins, but You will not tolerate sin to continue in Your presence.  We don’t want to lose Your blessing in America.  May we have the wisdom to know right from wrong and make laws that support the right and shun the wrong.  We want our nation to please You always.  Thank You for our freedom.  It’s in Jesus’ matchless Name we pray, Amen.

TEN DAYS OF PRAYER FOR AMERICA

http://www.sedgwickcounty.org/government/elected.asp

Dear Heavenly Father,We come before You today asking that you bestow Your wisdom and good judgment upon our local county officials.  May they exercise common sense in their decision-making and keep the people of their county in mind at every turn.  If there are those in office who do not know You as their personal Lord and Savior, we pray that they would come to a saving knowledge of Christ Jesus, Your only begotten Son.  May America begin to turn back to You, starting with our county officials.  By name we pray for Your blessing on our County Commissioners:  Dave Unruh, Tim Norton, Karl Peterjohn, Richard Ranzau and Jim Howell.  We ask this in the Name of Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.

https://www.facebook.com/cityofwichita/

Dear Heavenly Father, We pray that You would guide and direct our Wichita City officials in their capacities as part of our local government.  We pray for Mayor Jeff Longwell and Council members Lavonta Williams, Pete Meitzer, James Clendenin, Jeff Blubaugh, Bryan Frye and Janet Miller.  May Your blessing be upon them as they discuss and vote on vital issues here in Wichita.  We lift USD 259’s Board of Education to You today and ask that You will guide the decisions made there.  We pray for each district member by name:  Betty Arnold, Joy Eakins, Barbara Fuller, Jeff Davis, Mike Rodee, Lynn Rogers and Sheril Logan.  Children are the future of our city, our state and our country.  Please help the BOE to make wise and common sense decisions regarding their education.  In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

https://www.kansas.gov/government

Dear Heavenly Father, We humbly ask that You keep Your mighty hand on our state government.  Bless the Kansas executive branch, led by the Kansas Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals and the Kansas District Courts.  May their decisions reflect the values learned from Your Holy Word.  As they uphold the rights of individuals and businesses, leaning on the Kansas Constitution, may they also take into consideration Your will in every case.  We pray today for Governor Sam Brownback.  Lord please help him to see the best decisions to make are the ones that uplift the people of Kansas and not the ones that burden them down even more.  We pray for Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer as he performs his duties.  We pray You will guide Secretary of State Kris Kobach in doing his job.  Please be with Attorney General Derek Schmidt as he continues to work toward a gang-free Kansas.  Bless his efforts to keep our state safe.  We pray today for Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer and State Treasurer Ron Estes.  Father, please bless the economy of Kansas.  I pray that every person who needs a job will find one here in the great state of Kansas.  I pray for our educational system and that common core, which is not so common and makes no sense, will soon be a thing of the past that we can look back on and laugh.  Help all the people of Kansas to do their part to conserve resources so that the state as a whole can preserve our resources.  Father, what our leaders do, what they say, how they vote, it all matters and affects all of us.  Please lead them to do the best things for Kansas.  If any do not know You as their personal Lord and Savior, we pray that they come to a saving knowledge of Christ Jesus.  Thank You for all the many blessings You have bestowed upon our state.  Our people trust in You and love You.  We ask all these things in the matchless Name of Christ Jesus, Amen.

TEN DAYS OF PRAYER FOR AMERICA

Lord, teach us to pray. 

Now Jesus^[a] was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” ² And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
³ Give us each day our daily bread,^[b]
4 and forgive us our sins,
    for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”

⁵ And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, ⁶ for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; ⁷ and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? ⁸ I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence^[c] he will rise and give him whatever he needs. ⁹ And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ¹¹ What father among you, if his son asks for^[d] a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; ¹² or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus and Beelzebul

¹⁴ Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. ¹⁵ But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” ¹⁶ while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. ¹⁷ But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. ¹⁸ And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹ And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²¹ When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; ²² but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. ²³ Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Return of an Unclean Spirit

²⁴ “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ ²⁵ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

True Blessedness

²⁷ As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” ²⁸ But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

The Sign of Jonah

²⁹ When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. ³⁰ For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. ³¹ The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. ³² The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

The Light in You

³³ “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. ³⁴ Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. ³⁵ Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. ³⁶ If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”

Woes to the Pharisees and Lawyers

³⁷ While Jesus^[e] was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. ³⁸ The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. ³⁹ And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰ You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.

⁴² “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”

⁴⁵ One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” ⁴⁶ And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. ⁴⁷ Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. ⁴⁸ So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ ⁵⁰ so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. ⁵² Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

⁵³ As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, ⁵⁴ lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.  – Luke 11

How should we pray for America?  The first prayer is one filled with love, praise to God through His Son, Christ Jesus, and brimming with thanksgiving!  We can never out-love, out-give or out-thank our Lord.  He inhabits our praises.  Let’s pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, we humbly bow before you today to ask for nothing but Your presence to remain with us.  We thank You for blessings that are too many to count.  You have seen us through dark days and we thank You.  You are oxygen to our weary souls and we need You every moment of every day.  Thank You for providing for us in every way and leading us in the way we should go.  Our hands are raised in praise and surrender to You today and every day.  We acknowledge You in our everyday lives and know we are nothing without You.  We love You for Who You are and for what You’ve done.  Please keep America safe in the palm of Your mighty hand.  Thank You in advance for what You will do.  It’s in the precious Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

photo courtesy of Terri Boggs Rowe

 

 

 

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER

We have a day set aside in the fall to humble ourselves and give thanks for all our blessings – it’s called Thanksgiving.  But as life progresses beyond fall and we begin to shovel snow, we hang on to that feeling through Christmas as we celebrate the reason for our faith.  But winter passes and springtime comes along.  Ah – here comes Easter when we celebrate the last week of our Lord’s life, His death and resurrection.  Then we don’t have a major reminder to be grateful again for a while.  We do have another day that reminds us to be thankful for what God has done in our lives – and it’s also a day to pray for our country, for our government on federal, state and local levels.  The spring observance was established by President Harry S. Truman in 1952 as the National Day of Prayer.

I believe since this is an election year, I will take this opportunity to pray for the process.  It’s been different, to say the least.  It’s been predictable in some ways, yet there have been a few surprises.  If you enjoy following politics, it’s not been business as usual.  I wouldn’t say it’s rigged, but I’d say it’s important to understand rules that have been the same from the beginning.

The most important thing to remember is that no matter who the president is, Jesus Christ is still LORD!

On that note, let’s pray:

Our Father in heaven, we come before You today, acknowledging You as our Creator. You are the God of Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac, the One who established Your chosen people and through whom You gave Your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. You established the promised land of Israel and demonstrated time and time again that if Your people sought You, worshipped You, and obeyed You, that You would bless them with guidance, provision, and protection. But that if they turned away, then You would remove Your hand and allow judgment.

Lord, we also acknowledge that just as Israel was dedicated to You at it’s founding, that another country years later would also seek Your blessing and dedicate themselves and their land to You. The first president of these United States of America, on the day of his inauguration sought Your hand, Your guidance, and Your blessing on our new country, and the people prayed and celebrated in agreement.

In the following years, Lord, You did more for us than we deserved. You blessed us with military strength, economic strength, with inventions, medical discoveries, academic achievement and national prosperity. You lifted us up to lead the world as we proclaimed that our blessings came from You and that “In God We Trust”. Our constitution acknowledges You as our Creator and our founding fathers noted that our people should never be led without Your Word.

But as You blessed us, we eventually became prideful in our success, believing that it was also by our own hands that our nation was elevated, and that You owed us blessings and protection. In time a generation rose that became calloused toward You, Oh God, and we chose our own prideful logic above Your truth, abandoning You in our schools and ignoring You in our courts. Yet, You showed patience and mercy, and called out “Return to Me, America. Return to Me.”

But instead we embraced our sin, claiming we were Lord over ourselves. We abandoned You by giving credit to the creation of our world to astronomical chance, and began throwing out Your moral boundaries for our selfish pleasure. We oversaturated our hearts and minds on immoral entertainment until our conscience was seared, and began shedding the innocent blood of our unborn children who were an inconvenience to our lives. Yet You kept calling, “Repent, America. Repent and return to Me!”

But we responded that, “We’ve done no wrong.” And we justified our sin as our right and liberty. We chased money, physical pleasure, and the belief that we are entitled to what we do not deserve. And now we stand on the precipice of redefining what You have already called “sacred” for a definition of our own.

Lord, what You call wicked, we now call good. And we’ve now begun persecuting those that proclaim Your truth. You’ve sent warnings, allowing breaches in our security, and instability in our economy. You’ve allowed drought to begin touching our land, and civil unrest in our cities.

Lord, even the people who claim to still acknowledge You have become apathetic and complacent in our comfort. Our worship has been lukewarm and our prayers passionless. We shake our heads in shame as our nation weakens around us, instead of repenting of our apathy and inaction. Where are the people of God? Where are those that still cry out to You with broken and contrite hearts?

Lord, we deserve judgment. We deserve Your wrath, for we have sinned and sinned greatly. And we know that Your judgment starts in the house of God. Our righteousness is as filthy rags, and our hypocrisy as a cancer in our land. But we cry out to You, Lord! We have nowhere else to look but You! There is no other answer. Man cannot redeem us. Remember Your mercy! Remember Your compassion!  Break our hearts, Oh, God! Help us to love what You love, and to hate what You hate. Give us the courage to call sin what it is, and to define our lives by Your truth. Remind us of Your love for us, and call us to repentance. May every heart that knows You as Lord seek You this day! May we grieve over our sin this day; that You might show us mercy and forgiveness.

Lord, for those that heed Your words, and repent with open hearts, restore us to You. And unify those that love You. Raise up a generation that seeks You and worships You with their whole heart. Raise up a generation that is not ashamed of the gospel, and that hates to be lukewarm. Grant them faith, love, and courage to live according to Your Word, and to pray with power and to act with conviction.  Raise up leaders, Lord, who will not compromise when under pressure, or abandon You for the approval of men. Raise them up, Lord, that they may call upon Your name, and confess Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Break up the hard soil in our hearts, Lord, that You may take joy in our worship of You, and bless us again. Call us to holiness, that we would once again be the light of the world and draw all men to You. Awaken us, Lord! Rekindle our fire, and stir our hearts. We confess our sins, and we seek Your face.  Forgive us, Lord God, that we can again proclaim, “Great is Thy Faithfulness”.

We ask for Your forgiveness and cleansing. We pray against those who reject Your truth. Turn their hearts to You or confound their logic. But don’t let wickedness take our land. Don’t let them succeed. Stand in their way, Lord. For America is Yours! And like Israel, may she remain undivided and in Your care. Keep our bond strong with Israel, Lord, and our leaders loyal. Or remove them from office. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.

– Alex Kendrick

May God bless America – and may His people continue to bless Him!  🙂