Monday, July 26, 2021

A HYMN OF PRAISE TO OUR GOD

Our King, Creator and Lord of the Universe, all Creation worships You. All who are called by Your Name, most gracious Yahweh, stand in awe of You and one day, every knee shall bow, even those lost to perdition and cry out - Jesus Christ is Lord.


Father, as we come to the final week of what has to be the swiftest month ever, we stand grateful that You delivered us from the dominion of darkness, into the Kingdom of Your marvelous light.

While we were lost in our transgressions and stuck in the filthy miry clay, of rebellion, stubbornness and sin, like even some who call themselves Christians today, You turned to us and heard our cries. 
While we waited patiently, You brought us up from the desolate pit.
While we were sinking in the quicksand of a vortex of sin, You set our feet upon a rock

You put a new song in our mouths. A hymn of praise to our God.
You put a new birth of freedom in our hearts. We rejoice, oh we rejoice.
You put a blanket of shalom over our troubled souls. You are the balm of Gilead
You put our bitterness aside and cause us to run to You. Then Jesus came.

Jesus came, oh Lord, and set us free
Jesus came, oh joy and happy are we
Jesus came, when the dark night threatened hopeless and fear
Jesus came, and fill our hearts with His loving care.

Lord, we are not proud. We are delight in You. We will sing mightily of Your wondrous works. We will tell the world, from the rooftops, even the mountaintops, of the great things You have done for us. 

Your plans will not be thwarted. No man can defeat You. No devil or his demons can place obstacles or bad people in Your Way. 

You are for Your Elect, dear Holy One of Israel. Your Eyes runneth to and fro across the whole earth in search of those few who remain loyal to You. Lord, here we are - send us. We have overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimonials to a lost and dying world of what a good, good Father You are. There is none like You. There is none like You.

So as we come to the end of one and the start of another, help us to remember that Time is in Your Hands. Our Time is in Your Hands.  Eternity draweth nigh. Help us to not play games, to not sin or become narcissists and to not bring shame upon Your Holy Name.

Give us wisdom and direction, day by day, as the times are evil and we never know what one day would bring or the next. May we always trust You completely in everything we do, say, or think and may it all be for the Glory of God, Who sits on the Throne with the Mighty Savior, the Lord Jesus at His Side, in His Name I pray, amen.

Monday, July 19, 2021

PRAYER IN TROUBLED TIMES

Oh Great Father in Heaven, You are alone are worthy to be praised. When Your great prophet Elijah stood on Mt. Carmel in front of the pagan priests of Baal and all their fancy accoutrements, You stood alone with the prophet and in all Godly simplicity and reality, Elijah cried out to You in Heaven, as recorded in 1 Kings 18:36  " “Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel". Lord, You are not only God in Israel but in ALL the Earth.

We face a pagan system, like the Baals,  of rank unbelief today which is markedly absolutely no different that what Elijah faced with those doomed for perdition on Mt. Carmel. Today in the face of secular humanism, there are people who think they can alter the Climate which You created and which therefore, only You can change. 
We face a system of callous disregard for innocent unborn life and those at the end of life, at our senior homes and elsewhere. 
We face a corrupt system that seeks to ruin our children with their education systems from Kindergarten and up through College ages with no regard for the effects of their indoctrination and perversion on young peoples' souls, hearts, minds and emotional make up. 
We face systems in the culture with feeds the beast and leads many astray, ignoring your warning that about the fate of those who harm Your young ones.

All of that at more, we see, as many are devastated, dear Holy Father. But You, oh God, are not asleep. You judge the hearts of all men -   saved and unsaved. 
You see the end from the beginning and not just the end of all evil but the possibilities of those who can be restored.
You see the deeds of the ungodly, but the fullness of time has not yet been reached.
You see the hopelessness and hunger for something real out there.
You see the many who are unable to even make it through another day, sleep at night or just function as we all should.

You, of God, are the God of all Hope. 
You desire that none should perish but that all come to repentance and eternal life.
You desire that all will come to reason together with You as there is no doubt of fear which You cannot put to rest.
You desire that all Your children live together in peace, love and harmony.
All this and more, can happen, but for the prideful and stubborn hearts of even some in Your church.

Lord, bring a fresh wind of revival of spirit, hope and understanding. 
Let Your Holy Spirit inspire Your Redeemed to excellence that we may serve as a beacons of light to draw men, women and children closer to you.
Let us be lighthouses to serve as red flags and warning signals of the days of Judgment to come, so we can lead many to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our Faith, Who for the joy set before Him, endured the Cross.
Let all of this happen, oh great Father in Heaven, and let it begin in our homes, with each one of us with our nose to the heavenly grindstone. We know this cannot be done in a day, Father, but inch by inch, it's a cinch. Yard by yard, it's hard. 

There is nothing too hard for You though, so we surrender all of this and our mission here on earth, at the Foot of the Cross, from whence cometh our Deliverance. Give us the courage and wisdom to discern the times and who the modern day acolytes of the current crop of Baals are, so we can stand like Elijah, strong in our faith and trust in You, the Lord God Almighty, the King of Heaven and the Lord of all the Armies of Heaven, which cannot and will not be defeated....give us the strength to proclaim like the Prophet to all the earth "the Lord, He alone is God"....We believe it, receive it and no one will deceive us, as it is in the Mighty, Powerful and Strong Name of Jesus I pray, amen and amen.

Thursday, July 15, 2021

CHRISTIAN MEN IN CRISIS, PART 2

The latest Barna Survey on Christian men in America looks even worse for the men of God, the deeper into the survey we go. We can begin turning the Titanic of modern believers around "BY FAITH".

The text used here is all of Hebrews 11 (NASB)


Tuesday, July 13, 2021

CHRISTIAN MEN IN CRISIS, PART 1

Barna Surveys 2021 released a stunning series of number of Christian men who are in deep personal crisis and may not know how to get out of it.

In this sort series, we dig into those numbers and then go to the Bible to see how the Lord wants us - His men, His servants to conduct ourselves as Christians and His witnesses here on earth.

Text used in this brief video:  Titus 2:2 and Titus 2:6-8.


Monday, July 12, 2021

PRAYER FOR FREEDOM FOR ALL

Our Father in Heaven, Oh King of the Universe, You, Oh God are the great Liberator of all time. You, Who sent Your One of a kind Son, The Lord Jesus Christ on the greatest rescue mission of all the ages, stand as the Almighty, with Whom there is no question.

We do not question Your Power, Your Majesty, Your Authority.

We do not question Your Grace, compassion and mercy.

We do not question Your ability to see the End from the Beginning – thereby setting in motion plans and purposes which, if we follow them as You intend, will both glorify You and enrich our brief lives on earth.

 

Father, today,  we see the hearts of people – the oppressed around the world, from Cuba to China, from Cairo to Calcutta, from Russia to Peru and Johannesburg – yearning to be free. In most cases, the freedom for which they yearn is due to the sinful heavy hands of evil men and systems. But Lord, You have said in Your Word, that the people living in darkness have seen a great light.

 

That Light came into the world in Bethlehem Ephrathah as prophesied in Micah 5:2 and it was for freedom that He set us free. While it is not the freedom from the demonic tyranny of this world, it is even more glorious indeed.  

 

We thank You oh Lord, that Jesus freed us from the bondage of oppressive sin.

We thank You, that He not only broke the yoke of sin, but killed death at the Cross.

We thank You, that He rescues us from the domain of darkness, that we can walk freely in His Marvelous Light.

Even as more crucial on this side of Heaven, we thank You, that He – King Jesus – sent the Holy Spirit to be our Counselor, our Guide, Our Protector, our Defender and our Seal of Redemption until the day we die.

We thank You, oh Marvelous Father, that he whom Jesus sets free is indeed free and can walk in that solid truth all the days of our lives here on earth.

 

So today, oh Lord, to those to whose ears have received a call to come unto You, may they respond immediately to the liberating truth and freedom of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Your offer is open to ALL peoples from every single corner of the almost 8 billion alive on earth today. We pray, that even though precious few will accept Your free gift of eternal life, may their number increase daily, as many around the world march and cry out for rescue. We ask all of this, in the Precious, Beautiful, Liberating and the Most Powerful Name of Jesus, the soon coming King, amen and amen.