PRAYER WARRIORS

Revelation 12:11 NIV

They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 


The children of God overcome the world and any problem that arises, every time.  The source of this assured victory lies in the absolute power of the Word of God.  Yet, the Bible also states that.....The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much (James 5:16 ASV).  One must begin to explore what makes a prayer effective.  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Mark 11:24).  Every child of God has prayed without doubt in her heart, only to see that specific prayer go answered. God never fails to meet a need.  So, prayers can go unanswered because the desired thing does not fit into God's plans for the believer's life.  Other times, the believer has not realized fully the explosive combination of supplication and speaking the Word. 

Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word (Psalm 103:20 NIV).  These heavenly hosts are the servants of God who do His will and obey His Word.  These soldiers in heaven's armies are standing at attention, waiting. The act of speaking the Word sets these agents of God into motion so that they can fulfill their marching orders.  The body of Christ can declare war on every life issue.  The cancer diagnosis is reversed because.....with his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5 ESV).  We find success at work despite the backbiting co-workers because of the promise: "The LORD will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven! (Deuteronomy 28:7)  The infertile married couple knows that the child is coming because He makes a woman who is in a childless home a joyful mother. Hallelujah! (Psalm 113:9 GWT)  The battle is not ours, but the Lord's.  We can be at peace because He will not fail us or abandon us.  We win every time.

Those called by His name must plant the Word in our hearts by reading and studying the Bible daily.  God promises: so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11).  We must be like our Father in heaven.  When the Word is known "by heart", it can pour out of us anytime a prayer is needed.  Even if a Bible is not readily available, the Word goes forth from our mouths in our prayers.  It achieves the purpose for which it was sent.  We advance the kingdom of God by always walking in this power.  We are triumphant when our prayers are full faith and the Word.

Living Large: Preaching Prosperity

I Corinthians 2:9 NLT
That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him."

The children of God have become deaf, dumb and blind.  Jesus testified that the thief (Satan) came only to steal and kill and destroy and that he came that we may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10 NIV).  It is true.  The bounteous love, grace, and mercy that God showers upon us every day cannot be experienced adequately with our five senses.  It is only through our spirits that these blessings can be appreciated truly.  We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us (I Corinthians 2:12 NIV).  Our spirits fellowship with the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, so that we can have good spiritual sight and hearing; this allows us to speak the Word of God that brings life more abundantly. 

Those called by His name have willingly given up this right to live in the overflow.  We have become resigned to living hand to mouth.  Let's not be fooled into thinking that this is a discussion about financial well being, only.  A millionaire living in the lap of luxury is living in lack if he is ill or does not have someone with whom he can share love.  The Bible is full of the specific promises from God.  Each gift offered is more wonderful than the next.  God has made sure He inspired the writers of the Bible so that the Bible is full of stories, parables, and words that guarantee the same thing over and over again.  Jesus came so that everyone could have life and have it more abundantly.  This means that each and every one of has been given the power to get wealth.  One must look inside and outside of the box of material possessions.  Prosperity can be but is not limited to the ability to give and receive love, having the joy of the Lord that overcomes the sorrows of this world, and knowing the peace that comes with laboring to advance the kingdom of God.  Riches is any good thing that grows out of the grace and mercy of God.
  
Jesus clearly states, "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you."  ( Matthew 7:7 NIV)  The ball is in our court.  The body of Christ that is called to action.  God has laid down the ground rules.  This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us (I John 5:14).   What is God's will for each of us?  Life on this earth can be seen as a drama filled with laughter and joy.  God is the director of actors who must willingly and obediently fulfill their respective roles.  God is in the wings feeding us the best lines and stage directions.  We are expected to follow God's commandments.  But, are we spending time in our prayer closets listening to His advice on how to conduct our day to day affairs?  A majority of the time the answer is no.  We disconnect from our rightful power source: Jehovah.  We lean on the arm of the flesh and to our own understanding.  The cares of the world become a heavy burden.  We lose flight and crash to earth.  The people called by His name become spiritually deaf, dumb, and blind.

We are destroyed because we allow ourselves to forget.  No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind as imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.  But, there is no mentioned of a tongue that has never spoken.  The power is in our words.  "You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." (Matthew 17:20 NLT)  We are made in the image of God.  We can be like our heavenly Father.  He speaks so that the dead can be raised and something new can be made out of nothing.  True believers are blessed to be a blessing.  Prosperity will overflow into a needy world.  The lives we save will not just be our own.  Now, that is living large.

Hell Will Never Freeze

As the seed of Abraham, we are expected to declare ourselves to be "the redeemed".  We were shown favor when someone told us that the best gifts in life are God's grace and mercy.  Now, it is our responsibility, as the body of Christ, to declare boldly that Jesus is Lord.  It is time to get out the megaphones and to stand on the corners testifying that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6  NIV).  The world around us is dying a slow and painful death for lack of this knowledge.  The antidote to the moral decay, the increasingly shocking acts of violence, and the unending sorrow seen in the world today is putting God first, no matter what.  The world is crying out for relief .  The body of Christ has failed to answer those cries by pointing out the difficult but true answer.

God desires that mankind bask in the sunshine of His love here on earth and in Heaven, forever.  Since God is a God of action, He sees a need, formulates a plan, and sends assistance, immediately.  The children of God are his agents of change.  Anyone who has read the Bible knows that God puts a high value on servanthood and showering love on his most precious creations, humans.  The body of Christ must be committed to being like our heavenly Father.  We are His eyes, hands and mouth.  We see the problem.  People are dying, spiritually and physically, because they do not honor God above all else.  We can touch the people around us and pull a suffering world into an divine embrace that will literally heal all pain.  We are the collective voice that will herald this one truth:  The only two choices are life or death.  God, in heaven, is life and Satan, the ruler of this world, is death.  Humans are not the flesh and blood we see and touch every day.  Each one of us is really the spirit, made in God's image, placed in the fragile vessel called a body.  There are only two eternal destinations offered to this spirit: Heaven or Hell.

Christians have become too mealy mouthed.  The Bible is clear.  There is not one worthy human who has walked this earth, is walking this earth, or will walk this earth.  Jesus excluded.  Therefore, not one person should open her mouth in judgment of the person standing next to her.  However, each person must open his mouth with the confession that Jesus is Lord; this means believing Jesus was raised on the third day.  This is the one and ONLY way a sinful human can be reconciled to God.  The free gift of the remission of sins opens up the floodgates of blessings that cannot be contained.  Joy in the midst of adversity is a constant companion.  Peace in the middle of the worst battle is a given.  And, there is always hope.  This would be enough, but God who lives by the motto of  "above and beyond" offers one last gift.   He extends an invitation to spend an eternity with him.   

God is a God of justice.  He makes it easy to win and hard to lose, but He values free will to the utmost.  God will allow the ones He adores to go Hell if they ignore his clear warnings and make the ultimate poor choice by rejecting His free gift of salvation.  The Bible is a testament to the fact that he does not want anyone to suffer unspeakable horror on this earth only to face an eternity of unimaginable torture in Hell.  I will not join the debate about the existence of Heaven and Hell.  One must read the Bible and pray to receive revelation.

 

The Separation of Church and State

2 Chronicles 7:14

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

A country works best when its citizens feel like they have a voice even if they are in the minority.  So, I believe very strongly in freedom of religion.  I do not think any group of people should be made to feel like they are not free to practice their religion as long as the laws of the nation are respected.  No person should feel like his religious beliefs are being devalued or mocked.  But, America must take a stand and choose to believe in something.  The Pledge of Allegiance was written with a promise to make America one nation under God.  The forefathers wrote about trusting God on their money.  These lofty aspirations have not been reached by any means, but the forefathers had the right idea.  Would it really be so bad if America was a nation ruled by God?  I think not.  God can be trusted.  He is the best example of how love is a powerful weapon that can overcome any foe.  He values free will.  God teaches how to maintain order and peace through forgiveness.   He promises abundance to those that follow his commandments.  This is just the healing that our nation should be seeking.

This has begun to sound very theoretical.  So, let's look at how God's words can be manifested and made alive.  God sent us the Bible which contains excellent advice about how to address any issue that could arise in our personal lives and in the nation.  "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Luke 10:27 NIV).  We could suggest that this is a good starting place, but allow each citizen to choose how to proceed.  Not everyone will believe in God or even agree on how He should be worshipped.  But, at the very least, America could expect honor from its citizens.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  We adults would have to undergo a transformation.  The petty judgments, biases, and selfishness would be moved out of the way so that we could hear the children begging for help.  We should give them what we want.  An America where everyone feels valued and protected would be lovely.  Our diverse and loved children could learn how to treat themselves and the people around them with kindness and gentleness.  They will become our nation's leaders as adults.   Honesty will be valued.  What a joy to see a nation where politicians tell the hard truths and get elected.  Citizens will say, "We understand that sacrifices have to be made so that everyone can prosper."  Leaders in the business and financial world will worry less about the bottom line because they will know that providing a good product and good service bring the victor the spoils.  The news will be the truth and nothing but truth without the vicious spin.  Our entertainers will be more emotionally stable and more likely to really live the good life.  The best gift comes when our foreign policy reflects an attitude of respect.  Other countries will know that we will help when asked, leave when unwanted, and never try to steal a desirable natural resources.  America could be a friendly, powerful nation; this does not mean that we would leave our borders unprotected or allow our citizens to be abused.  The impossible becomes possible when God is involved.

America would flourish with each thoughtful act, but more is required, now.  A call to worship is being made.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.  Those who are called by the name of God must pray more openly.  The state will be saved when the church prays for it fervently.  So, I am challenging all believers to be bolder.  Let's be brave and say we will call upon the Lord to heal our financial woes.  A national day of prayer should be scheduled.  We must believe God will hear our cries (Psalm 34:17 NIV).  An answered prayer will encourage the church, our nation, and the world.  Then, we could get cocky and pray about every national issue.  One nation under God could mean liberty and justice for all, finally.  Even if you don't believe, you must admit that would be GLORIOUS!