COLLEGIATE DAY OF PRAYER: THIS THURSDAY

This Thursday February 28 is the Annual Collegiate Day of Prayer across America. Many of us have signed up to pray for more than one college. As men and women of prayer, we encourage every praying Christian to take this challenge up to really pray hard for our young people in college.

  

If there ever was a time to pray for our kids in college and high school it is now. Everything ungodly and unwholesome is aligned against them. From indoctrination into the denying the existence of Creator God through Evolution, to deny the Commands of God for specific roles and functions of the human body in holiness, sexuality, daily and contented living, our next generation are being confused on purpose, while being taught that there is no such thing as absolute truth or one true God.

ADOPT A CAMPUS TO PRAY FOR 

Facts:

• 70% of college age kids who grew up in church, and/or Christian homes lose their faith in college (Campus Renewal 2017)
• 47% of young people/millennials and college kids, think that sharing their faith is wrong! (Barna February 2019)
• Only 33% of so-called “evangelical” young people (high school and college)  believe Jesus is the only way to Heaven! (Christian Post 2013)

What to pray for on the Collegiate Day of Prayer:

• The salvation of the souls of these young people in our college. The majority are oblivious to the facts of the brevity of life or heaven and a literal hell, which will be overpopulated if they ignore the facts.
• That campus ministries be allowed to flourish, even in some of the Midwest and friendly western states which still believed in the US Constitution of freedom of Assembly and Religious Liberty.
• That churches around our campuses will invest time and effort and outreach to college age young people as is done in North West Arkansas.  Cross Church, formerly First Baptist Church of Springdale, invested in a campus pastor – Brian Mills – who has devoted his  home and his life to the current and next generations of college kids, not just from America but from ALL nations, at the University of Arkansas. Pray for more men like Pastor Mills.
• Pray for mentors to step up and reach out to these young people - men and women, mentoring young men and young women respectively.
• Pray for a renewed love of the Savior by those who grew up in church but walked away, as well as those who are yet to encounter Christ.
• Pray for the Word of God - the Bible - to be distributed into the hands of every college student in America, and that they will read, comprehend and find comfort and salvation in God's Word

THE COLLEGIATE DAY OF PRAYER STARTED IN 1823, WHEN COLLEGES LIKE YALE, BROWN AND OTHER AMERICAN COLLEGES WHICH WERE CHRISTIAN AT THE TIME, SET ASIDE THE LAST THURSDAY IN FEBRUARY AS A DAY OF PRAYER FOR ALL COLLEGES IN THE NEW AMERICAN COUNTRY. IT HAS CONTINUED SINCE THEN.

UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER, PART 2 - OUR PRAYER LIFE

Most praying Christians may disagree with this statement. However, in order to have a truly fulfilling prayer life, one must next, in this process of Spiritual Growth, surrender that life to the Lord.

Why should we do that? There simple answer can actually be found in one little verse from Romans 8:26. Please note every word in this verse "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words".

The key words here for our discussion is directly from God, in context: 

     -  Weakness

     -  The Spirit helps us

     -  We do not know HOW to pray

     -  As we should

     -  The Spirit Himself intercedes for us

We may be the person who prays down heaven in the group prayer meeting at noon, or before church, or during a special prayer assembly.  But we are still mortal, weak and vulnerable to spiritual attacks humans who are completely dependent on Holy God, even if we do not wish to admit it. 

We may be in prayer ministry for 10-15-30-50 years, but we still must stay plugged into the Source and rely on Him. We must do this daily.

We may even write books on prayer, like I did, still - that means absolutely nothing if we are not, first acknowledging our weaknesses right now, and then surrendering to the Lord.

So what do we surrender? How do we surrender? Let us proceed to pray like this:
Father, in the Name of Jesus, I know I am a completely frail, weak and mortal creation, susceptible to the influences of world and noise around me, no matter how passive I may think it is. You said to concern ourselves about today, because today has its own evil. Help us to NOT gloss over that. Help us to not rely on the mountaintop prayer moments with you from the past. Help us not to jump ahead of today to the next thing down the road in the future, when the giant is in front of us right now. So Lord, I surrender, by that acknowledgement, my entire Prayer Life to You. I pray that Your Spirit - the Holy Spirit Who is God Himself - will not only assist me, guide me, direct me, protect me, but I pray that He shows me the way I should pray. Not in mindless repetition and chants like the pagans and the religious do, but in a humble, surrendered spirit, which confirms that You are my Helper, my Advocate and my all in all. I willingly give my prayer life to be directed ONLY by You now, in the Mighty and Strong Name of King Jesus, amen.

This prayer, or a similar one, doubles back to Romans 8:26. A winning strategy, for a successful prayer life, is one which blossoms out of a surrendered humble heart. Building on Praise and Scripture, this foundation can only grow us closer to the Lord, in the way which He would have us approach Him. If you add prayer and fasting unto this, on a regular basis, the resulting life of true Christian Faith, is one full of peace, joy and fulfillment in the Lord.

TOWARDS HOLINESS PART 3 - "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER"

When we think of the term "Unconditional Surrender", the image of Defeat comes to mind. When a nation is vanquished in war, as Japan was in 1945, the Emperor had to surrender without conditions to the United States of America. The terms of post-surrender are different from the actual act of giving up all weapons and rights to aggressive action. During World War II, for the guarantee of peace, the Japanese had to give up every aspect of any militaristic aggression. It was dropping all weapons PLUS.....a lot of current and future actions.

In the Spiritual Realm, which is not just important in the long run, but now, for life as a Christian. This is not just for adult men and women, but for every young person who is born again, even at the youngest age.  Absolute surrender to the Holy Spirit and the Will of God for us is imperative for the Fullness of the Lord Jesus Christ to work in us.

The question that we, who live surrounded by Cultural Christianity, must ask - if Jesus were to knock on the door of our souls, would He have access to every part, every nook and cranny, every compartment and every aspect of our lives? Are we the Fake News of Christians, living under the dignity and privilege of having the "Title of Christian" but being a practical atheist like the majority of people in this country, hemisphere or the world? Many who claim Faith in the God of Heaven do a really good job of walling off the most significant parts of their lives from the very Same God Who can deliver from all death, distress and despair. 

This kind of life is NOT what the Lord expects of His people. Motivational speakers posing as preachers present us a false picture, Sunday after Sunday on television, books, seminars, all over this country. None of that would first, get a person into heaven and secondly, even if a person is saved, help them to grow into the Christian, whom Christ would be able to say one day "well done, good and faithful servant".

The individualistic nature of the western is not the main reason why Christians, who enjoy the fruits of modern life, are afraid to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. It basically the selfish nature of all humankind, who thinks more highly of self than anything else. Then, we note that the main goal of churches, pastors, altar calls, evangelists etc. is for those, to whom they preach, to accept Jesus as Savior....and HE IS YOUR SAVIOR AND MINE.

Unfortunately, this is where many stop. If a modern christian were to really study all 66 Books of the Bible, what would jump right out at them how many times the word LORD appears down to the final chapter of the Bible. The Lord Who forgives. The Lord Who gives. The Lord Who is patient. The Lord Who is kind. The Lord Who saves and the Lord Who judges in righteousness. Accepting this Jesus as Lord AND Savior is the only way to live and walk in His Ways. 

Therefore, here, for as long as it takes, we begin the process of a REAL COMMITMENT to Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, item by item, a few at a time, so that the Spirit can begin to clean us up now. We do all of this not in our own power, but through His. 

BE AWARE THIS CANNOT BE DONE OVERNIGHT ALL AT ONCE. BUT IF THE PROCESS IS NOT STARTED NOW, CHRISTIAN - YOU WILL LIVE IN DEFEAT AND DISAPPOINTMENT ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE, ABSENT OF COMPLETE PEACE, JOY AND CONTENTMENT.

COMPARTMENT #1 OF MY LIFE TO SURRENDER TO GOD NOW:

-  Every aspect of my Faith Walk. This is of supreme importance. 

It matters not that a person goes to a "Bible-preaching church". It matters if the correct exposition of the literal Scriptures are presented in an orderly and simple manner, reflecting the fact that the preacher actually studied what he is teaching. 

To surrender every aspect of my Faith Walk with Christ, I will have to be VERY careful of the following, seeking the Lord for absolute discernment and wisdom in choosing: 

-  What translation of the Bible should I use? If your church is using the New International Version (NIV) or NLT (New Living Translation) or other paraphrase as the main text and even if the preacher is spot on, the Lord will expect us to NOT follow them but instead get a real literal and comprehensive Study Bible which is closer to the original text than the aforementioned paraphrases. The most literal, Word for Word translation of the Word of God is the New American Standard Bible (click).  The most fluent AND literal is the English Standard Version (ESV) and the Christian Standard Bible (CSB). There is absolutely nothing wrong with the King James Version (KJV) or the NKJV. Beware of preachers and teachers who use the Message Bible as their primary text. This may seem like a little thing, but the Word of God is the Plumb Line against which ALL humanity will be judge and the Lord is serious about it. Do NOT compromise on your own understanding and reading of the accurate Word of God, because another mortal human being, a preacher or teacher, reads from a weak version of Scripture. This is one thing we MUST give over to the Lord for His direction, so we can be Faithful to His True Word.

-  What kind of music are we listening to? It goes without saying, that we should not listen to death metal, gangsta rap that degrades women and glorifies violence or songs that promote immorality. Some of the so-called Christian Contemporary music around though, may sound good, but do not mention Jesus, or  even imply Him. Not all people are inclined to listen to hymnal music or Keith Green from the 1980's (a Christian musician). Here is  good place to surrender our lives to the Lord, in the music we listen to. There was some good clean secular music in the 1970's and 80's. Does it mean that a Christian cannot go to a Doobie Brothers' or Chicago concert? No, but do so in the knowledge that a concert is all it is and we are just as accountable to pray for the souls of those talented musicians as ever. Alice Cooper, who popularized outlandish (and scary) costumes in his concerts over 40 years, is a good example. He still plays his old music but as the born-again son of an Arizona preacher, his message is completely different on stage, according to those who have seen his act to whom I have spoken. Also, Alice Cooper (real name Vince Furnier) can be seen without his scary pancake makeup, in a local baptist church, every Sunday in the town where he has a concert, every time. At home in Arizona, he and his faithful wife of 43 years, are members of the Camelback Bible Church. 

These are two important parts of the Christian's Worship Life which MUST be under the full authority of God. There is no option or Plan B. The Word of God is too important to be treated with disrespect as is done today, in even good churches where the Bible is not carried into the building by congregants. Even if every church in town does not turn off the main reading of the Scriptures from the television screen, you and I....we walk with our Bibles. People will say the following "we have the Bible on our phones".  This is nice. However, most never open the Bible App and read.

Music has become significantly more important - even more so than prayer - in today's worship service. However, surrendering the nature of the music, the lyrics and the reaction to it, reflects the heart of the worshiper in us. The classic hymns will never go away. While they have been replaced by the modern worship song in the majority of modern churches in the West and Australia, the hymns with which we grew up, remain standard among the majority of Christians in the world (in the Third World and other persecuted lands). These hymns are the story of Jesus and are full of theology. None of us have control over the songs played in church, for the most part. We do have control over the next 99 % of our daily life, in our homes, cars and  offices. Let us then choose and select that which will considered appropriate, if Jesus Christ were sitting in the car with us (which He is)!

NEXT - PRAYER LIFE

TOWARDS HOLINESS, PART 2 - THE CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS

The current state of affairs is this -  we have a bunch of Lots running around Western Christianity, in a vivid display of “Cultural Christianity”. It is undeniable. In a sense, it is even defined by the Favorite Bible Verses of those of us in North America, compared to the rest of the World.

Now, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with either scenario. In fact, the choices (of favorite bible verses) are not because of Sin, but due to Circumstances on the Ground. YouVersion is the most popular Bible App in the World. It was started by now Life Church Pastor Bobby Gruenewald from a church in Decatur, Illinois, not far from where we live, who was in line at a busy airport wishing he had a bible to read while waiting…..and waiting. YouVersion is the result and as of 2018, over 950 Million downloads of the Free Bible software. This is a worldwide total and could be up to one billion Bible downloads by now,  2019.

YouVersion can track searches on their App and their findings are very telling. In America, the most popular verse search is, of course – John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only beloved son that whosever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life". HOWEVER, in the rest of the world outside North America, the keyword searched in the most trackable Bible research in the world is FEAR! Not Love, as in the comfort of our beautiful air-conditioned churches, but Fear as in – Christians who are constantly under the threat of persecution.

In 2017, the most popular Bible verse in the entire world, outside of America was Joshua 1:9, which says "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

In 2018, then, the most popular Bible verse which the world looked up was Isaiah 41:10, which says "'Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’".

Note the basic underlying themes here, in order of their occurrence:

• Anxiety and doubt in the hearts and minds of God’s people
• Combined with circumstances on the ground, this anxiety and doubt leads to Fear.
• But, God ….God shows His love to His people under persecution and distress.
• He does so by PROMISING to be with them wherever they go (Joshua 1:9)
• He even promises to strengthen and hold them up, physically, emotionally and spiritually…with His Most Powerful and Righteous Right Hand (Isaiah 41:10).

It will serve us, as well as sober and alert us to what is really going on in our world.  The mundane things we do, which is called "doing life", are necessary. We must work, provide, pay bills, eat, sleep and go to church. But these are the things WE DO, so we can work on WE ARE.

Who are we, really? We are created in the image of God, for good works - absolutely. However, we are also created to glorify God, believe Him and live for Him.  Where we live has an impact on how we believe what we believe. While, we are not literally, yet, under the gun as our brother and sisters in Christ in foreign cultures and dangerous lands, are still accountable for the things we trust, put our faith in and pass on.

Let us, therefore, carefully consider, not just the reason the types of popular verses exist in different parts of God's world, but how we can grow and mature as Christians and then pass this legacy on to the next generation.

TOWARDS HOLINESS, PART 1: RIGHTEOUS LOT AND CULTURAL CHRISTIANITY

How does a believer stay faithful to our God, our Creator, in the midst of an increasingly hostile and pagan world? Over 3500 years ago, the nephew of the great patriarch Abraham, Lot, faced the same circumstances. Lot lived as one of the elders in Sodom and Gomorrah. When Jesus sent the two angels to completely destroy those two dens of iniquity, only Lot, his wife and two daughters were spared. 

Lot would seem a very unlikely person to be quoted by the Lord's first main shepherd - Peter - as "righteous Lot" in 2 Peter 2:7. The Bible says that "He (the Lord) rescued righteous Lot,  (who was) greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked..." While it did not seem so, when Lot offered his two virgin daughters to be violated by the perverted mob who were lusting after the two beautiful angels from heaven, Lot's faith must have been solid enough to be quoted in Scripture as "righteous"....which means, he believed God and was made right before God.

Before we start questioning God why He included Lot in the New Testament as a good man of Faith, it would behoove us to look into our own souls. This requires us to do a soul check ourselves. 

Sure, Lot, in a moment of greed, took the best when offered by Abraham, only to find himself in the middle of the biggest template of corruption in history - Sodom and Gomorrah. 

Sure, he prospered in those wicked and ungodly cities, while becoming one of their leaders. 

Sure, he cared so little for his own innocent daughters as to offer to "throw them under the bus" in front of a demonic mob. 

Sure, he got drunk in a cave, after trying to the end, before his flight from Sodom, to make a deal with God's angels.

Sure, he had to know his own first daughter engaged in immorality....and then again. 

What about us? Do we watch stuff streaming on Netflix, which are R-Rated? Even the PG and PG-13 stuff have inappropriate content in them which would have been unimaginable in our own owns, 25 years. go. Do we laugh when celebrities and others use words which blaspheme God? Do we engage in the culture by reading books which take liberties with the Holiness of God and all His Glory?

Sometimes, we are even casual during the most important corporate hour of the week - the Church service. The coffee cup has replaced the Bible, even in solid evangelical churches. Yet, even in all of this distraction and cultural infiltration in the House of the Lord, we can remain faithful. 

The Bible does not tell us how Lot made it into the Hall of Faith, after all his shortcomings, but it does tell US how what the Lord requires of us:

-  We must walk in Holiness

-  We must walk humbly before Him

-  We conduct ourselves worth of being called a Christian

-  We must not have fellowship with the sin, corruption and idolatry of this world

-  We must deny our own flesh, thoughts and sins and follow Jesus.

This is not an easy task. In the next post, we will go into series of practical steps to begin this intentional walk of Holiness with the Lord, rather than the current camaraderie too many Christians have with Practical Atheism, while fooling themselves that they are in fellowship with Christ.

A LIFE LIKE AN EVER-FLOWING STREAM

..."let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream (Amos 5:24)

This sounds like a beautiful kind of quote, doesn't it? It could even end up as a meme or in a Daystream greeting card that sells at Hobby Lobby or Walmart. But one look at what precedes it should send some shivers down the spines of many church attendees; faithful believers and even the growing number of "nones" these days. (The "Nones" being those who believe in absolutely nothing and they are the growing number of millennials and generations X, Y and Z).

Look again at the Lord Himself said in the preceding verses:

"Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!  Why would you have the day of the Lord? (verse 18)

"Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light,  and gloom with no brightness in it? (verse 20)

"I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies" (verse 21)

"Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them" (verse 22a)

"and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them" (verse 22b)

"Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen" (verse 23)

Now let's look at the words highlighted in yellow and check their meaning:

Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! - Are you really ready for Judgment Day? It begins the split second just before we die, and when heaven or hell becomes real. if you are not certain of your eternal standing with God, do NOT wish to leave this life right now, no matter how difficult you and I may think it is, how tough it is or how financially broke you are. This is nothing compared to the eternity a person faces in hell, FOREVER, away from the presence of our Holy God. Those who believe in nothing, especially, should beware that coming day, because as sure as the sun rises in the east, that day is fast approaching.

Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light - all through the Bible, there are ample warnings of what the "Day of the Lord" really means. It is even called "terrible day of the Lord" in Joel 2:31, Zephaniah 1:14-15 and Acts 2:20. In case some Christians are wondering what that means, Jesus gave a preview which should scare us all. In Matthew 7:21-23 He warns that not everyone who calls Him "Lord, Lord, will be allowed into Heaven"... Not everyone who teaches Sunday School, goes on Missions Trips, feeds the hungry and even preaches from the pulpit will get into heaven. Why? Because they were never forgiven or repented or born again.

Therefore the Lord says this of those whose service in the church is all about what they do, how they feel and what they get out of their "Kingdom Word". God says:

I hate, I despise.....I take no delight (in your "work for me" in verse 21). He says "I will not accept them......"I will not look upon them" (verse 22b)

"Take away...I will not listen" (verse 23).

Those are hard words, and while many today do not, will not and have no interest in finding out if they are even true or not, if we could, ask those who have lived before us and are now forever separated from God. The great (in terms of man's greatness) French author Voltaire lived around the time of the French Revolution. One of his primary goals in life was to do away with not just the Bible, but Christianity. He predicted Christianity will be dead within a hundred years of his life. He hated Christ. He disputed the divinity of Christ and called for the abolishing of Sunday, so Christianity could be gotten rid of. On his deathbed, the priest in attendance asked Voltaire one more time, to renounce the devil. Voltaire's reply was "this is not time to make new enemies"! His house was later sold to the French Bible Society.

After the Lord gave all those warnings to His people through the ancient prophet Amos, one which still is in effect today, He gives an opening for us, if we can JUST SEE IT! Our Heavenly Father exhorts us to "let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream". In other words, if we just live right, according to the teachings and precepts of the Lord Jesus Christ, our lives would be like an "ever-flowing stream". This stream is like ones we see rushing down the side of a crisp green fertile mountain, where the cool clear water just rushes over the rocks down to the valley below....and never stops. It flows forever.

The Christian whose identity is found in Christ, who is redeemed, sealed by the Holy Spirit and living in the fruits of this Same Spirit, Who is God, will always be a constant source and font of peace, love, joy and grace to all around him/her - day afer day, night after night - year after year. This is the choice we have. The "Nones" and those who play games with God will face ALL of those things highlighted in yellow above, because they are written as a last warning for them. Those who fully rely on God, in Christ, will reflect His Justice and His mercies and love, which endures forever.

RISE AND SHINE - TWO DISCIPLINES TO START YOUR DAY RIGHT

When is the best time to set your mind on a peacefully, happy and productive day? Of course, it is either before we physically get out of bed or the first act, thereof. Ideally, the first words of out our mouths should be words of gratitude to the Lord, that we made it another day. Each day many do not have that privilege and blessing, and of course, one day, it will be our turn to transition into eternity.

But for now, the best discipline after rising is not heading for the coffee pot but towards prayer. Prayer to the Lord Most High, Maker of Heaven and earth, Who regardless of what non-believers say, made the earth six literal days - yet He has existed from Eternity Past. His goings are from long ago, the Bible says. He is the Ancient of Days, the Alpha and the Omega, beginning and the End Who sees the end from the beginning.

As we progress in physical age, we do need to stretch when standing downright upright and push-ups, backstretches and more are the way to go. The best stretching, however, is the one we do in order to benefit our very souls. Here are just a couple easy yet sometimes difficult to maintain, steps to begin this process more productively. These are actually a better use of time to engage the Bible with your prayer life and not lose interest or the zeal to continue.

Most Christians who follow these disciplines will sit down and start reading a chapter in the Bible, or pick out something at random. Very few, but enough actually follow a Bible reading plan. Picking a book or passage of the Bible at random to read through and then pray sometimes only lasts THAT long for the average person.

The best way to do this is:

    -   Step 1: FIRST - RIGHT OFF THE BAT - read a Psalm in the Bible and/or start reading through the entire New Testament, one chapter at a time. The Books of the New Testament are not just shorter than those of the Old Testament, but their chapters are shorter and to the point of the Life, Ministry and Expectations of Christ. If you decide to read a Psalm, read only ONE Psalm per day, or 8 or so verses of another long one, and then, close the Bible, thereby getting ready to proceed to Step 2.

     -  Step 2: In this daily morning time, we continue in  our chair or quiet living room or study, and proceed to prayer time. What the reading of the Bible BEFORE praying does is to remove the tendency for our minds to stray off into la-la land and be easily distracted. The discipline (and it is a learned habit or discipline) engaged in here, focuses our minds and spirits right away on "The LORD says" in His Word, and no attack from the prince of darkness, who rules the air temporarily, can distract from this Truth! The other way, if you pray first and have a long list of requests for others and yourself, by the time you get to the Bible, the flesh and the mind are not in full alignment and the goal is to get this over with as soon as possible. If this is the case and a hard habit to break, it is better to continue with the Bible reading in the middle of the day at work, or during the lunch hour. This way, the Word of God is never disengaged from us, and we fulfill Psalm 1:2 where Scripture exhorts to meditate on the Word "day and night".

These two steps, when activated on a daily (preferable) or as much as possible, will not only enhance our Spiritual Maturity and Growth in Christ, but will, in very short time, become second nature. The key to enabling, activating and executing these two simple steps is Time. Each Christian can spare 5-10 minutes per morning to spend with the Lord in Bible reading and Prayer. He or she can most definitely spend that and more, during a busy day, if you and I prioritize, even if the kiddos are screaming for breakfast at 6:30 am and you are unable to find even two minutes to pray. 

Make time for the Lord, when you can. It is the best investment in your day, you can ever make. The stock market is not even a close second. Rise and shine, and give God the Glory - and watch Him grant you and I, His peace, grace, love and mercy. Amen.

HOW TO GROW IN THE LORD DAY AFTER DAY

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW MY 31 DAYS OF PRAYER 

Many make resolutions to do this or that, as another new year rolls around when the answers are provided for us, way in advance. It is actually very simple - the Lord wants us to come closer to Him and to fellowship with, talk to and meet with Him daily.

To being this and any new year, we have decided to do something which will be easy to do, require no more than 5 - 10 minutes per day and can inspire our souls. It can also light a huge burning fire in our hearts to become will with a passion for the Lord in a new way, which may have not seemed possible before.

We start each day in this 31 Days of (short) Prayer for the month of January, by focusing on a different word daily. Then we look at the Bible verse associated with it and the explanation with it. This is followed by a simple thing or things to do that day or week, to get the most of this devotion, to pray and then to maximize its impact.

Some may do so by writing in the Bible margin or notes and some more are already using a prayer journal to record and track with the 31 Days of Prayer by monitoring their daily progress in the Word and Prayer.  

So click the LINK below and catch up with all which you have missed and then let this take you through the year, as you and I do the exercises associated with it:

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW MY 31 DAYS OF PRAYER 

 A FRESH DAILY WORD/THOUGHT.ACTION AND PRAYER 
 DAY AFTER DAY

A LOOK AT GOATS AND HOW NOT TO BE ONE

The legendary late-night television host Johnny Carson, who will never be replaced, no matter how many comedians try, had this joke one night. He said "There was this billy goat at a movie studio who found and ate a can of film. When a nanny asked him how he liked it, he said, "It was all right but I liked the book better." 

Goats are pretty interesting animals. I was speaking just very recently, to a friend, who could not wait to get a small farm in the Midwest so she can get pet goats and raise them for show.  I have seen amazing goats of many kinds over a lifetime, including being the owner of one as a boy. We kept the goats at my grandmother's house because we were not allowed animals where we lived, but quickly had to get rid of it as it kept butting me and chasing me out of the pen, each time I tried to play with or feed the thing. 

I have seen the mountain goats of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and

watched in amazement that they can stand on the steep mountain side, without slipping and falling. It is believed that there are 15 types of goats (according to Farmcradle.com) and they range from Alpine and Angora to Pygora, Pygmy and Yemenite (the latter gives us the great Shofar as found in the Bible). 

There are even some great goat sayings. For instance: ...so and so football team got "beat like a tied up goat" or "he goat this other guy's goat this time"! We even have a type of facial chin hair call a "goatee". But what does the Bible say about goats? Actually quite a lot. 

The Old Testament's best reference to goats is the Scapegoat. The Scapegoat was the vehicle, designed by God, unto which the sins of the Jewish people were cast by the Attending Levite Priest that year, as an atonement, and then sent  away out into the desert. It is from the Law of God given to Moses for the Israelites of the Pre-Christ era (CLICK HERE).

This is a foreshadow of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who paid the FULL satisfactory to God, price for sin, on the Cross of Calvary. He did this once and for all. Therefore there is not a need anymore, for scapegoats or any other of "sacrifice". All people need to do now, is to seek the forgiveness of the Lord, accept His finished work on the Cross and be saved. 

Because there is no need anymore for ANY other type of Sacrifice, the Bible tells us that "neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He (Jesus)e entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh (Hebrews 9:12-13). For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins (Hebrews 10:4).

In all of this talk of goats above, and the Spiritual significance of goats in the Bible, there is one very critical and deadly serious mention of goats, which people - friends and family of yours and mine - should be wary of and actually correct immediately. We do this by getting right with God in Christ, through Salvation. 

ACTION:  Read the following verse, then search your heart to make 100% sure, that neither us or anyone we know, will be classified as a GOAT on the Great and potentially Terrible Day of the Lord - Judgment Day:
"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left". Matthew 25:31).