We need to pray for the persecuted, the innocent, the lost, the war torn and those who struggle with depression. We need to pray for our country, for other countries and for every eye to look up and seek the face of our Savior! Jesus died for all of our sins so that we may LIVE!! Christmas was never intended to be about going into debt. It wasn't intended to be nothing more than a commercialized day of greed. It wasn't intended to be used for celebrating a fictional character who "comes delivering gifts." I am noticing each year a major decline in a true celebration of Christmas with it being replaced by hate mongers, the "offended" voices who are "seemingly" winning the war to preserve tradition from the Christians, and the greed of spending an enormous amount of money on things that are meaningless! People are getting too far removed from the REAL reason we are celebrating Christmas. We have got to be living in one of the most dangerous, hate-filled, evil and violent periods in history. People are turning against people. Parents are turning on their own children, their own flesh and blood. People are turning on what IS the ONLY Hope for us all: JESUS CHRIST! Everywhere we look, every single day, we can see more and more crime and corruption, an increase in the effects of a growing hatred toward the things of God and towards the children of God. We can see the evil perpetrated towards our children, elderly and humanity. We don't even need to LOOK for it because it's right there in front of our faces. Suffering is all around us. We mustn't forget those less fortunate! The needy. The spiritually conflicted. The lost and unsaved. When I was a young girl, my mom always used to tell my sister and I that no matter how bad things may get, or how hard life seems, there will always be someone, somewhere, worse off than us!!! She was right! I've been in some very difficult places in my walk and in my life, still going through some of those hard times, but I'm blessed! I'm blessed because Jesus is my Savior and He has never left my side! He has went before me in all things. I also know that someone, somewhere is worse off than myself and I understand their plight! Sometimes, just a smile, a touch of a hand, an act of kindness is all it takes. When we can't do any of those things, when it's impossible to reach across the other side of the world, then we must PRAY! And NOW is the time to do just that!
The most beautiful part of becoming a born again Christian, and being a born again Christian, is our direct line to talking to the Lord God Himself directly. He answers prayers. He hears our cries. He knows our hearts. Even if you don't always have the right words to say sometimes, all you need to do is just speak from the heart and He will listen. Pray. Talking to God can improve your life in so many ways, while at the same time, it can give a peace that is beyond understanding. Praying for others is one of the most unselfish acts that we can do for His Kingdom because it's through prayer that someone will be saved, fed, clothed, helped, healed, delivered and witnessed to. Pray with an expectant spirit and heart! He may answer your prayers or maybe even give you answers to those questions that you didn't even know you were asking. He can take your prayers for others and do amazing things.
Here are some Scriptures on prayer!
Psalms 4:1, "Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress;
Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer."
Proverbs 15:29, "The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous." (Authors Note: the prayers of the righteous can turn the wicked towards the Lord!)
Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."
James 5:16, "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."
Psalms 145:18, "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth."
Colossians 4:2, "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;"
1 Chronicles 16:11, "Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!"
Luke 18:1, "Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,"
Philippians 2:3-4, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."
Job 42:10, "And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before."
1 Timothy 2:1-5, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, "
(All Scripture taken from the New King James Version)
We are living in an evil, cruel, violent and sinful world where bad things happen to people every second and where people are tempted to sin. By us praying for other people, it not only helps that person, or persons, find God in the midst of trouble, but it also helps us to recognize the blessings that God gives us on a daily basis! Let's take a look at one other verse that helps battle spiritual warfare. It can be found in Ephesians 6:18-19, "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel," See, this specific exhortation to a constant, fervent prayer life comes as the conclusion to Paul's instruction to "put on the whole armor of God." We can clearly see how prayer is a necessity in the activity of spiritual warfare, according to Paul. Specifically Paul has in mind intercessory prayer: "praying always...for all saints." When we're praying for others, for other countries and governments, we are putting on "the whole armor of God". Once we put on the full armor then we are actively participating in the spiritual warfare of the kingdom of Christ. This is a powerful action! I wrote an article about the Full Armor of God that can be found here. It's worth a read if you'd like to learn a little more about what the armor is and what it does and CAN do if used daily!
There are several examples of praying for others throughout Scripture. Here are just some to name a few. I won't go into detail about each one, but just a brief sentence or so to point out the power of praying for others. Moses interceded for Israel after catching them in an orgiastic idolatry at the foot of Mount Sinai. He was willing to forfeit his own life for his people, even though they were guilty of their wicked rebellion! In Acts, while being stoned to death, Stephen followed the example of the Lord by praying for the salvation of his executioners. Then standing among those who eventually killed Stephen was a young man named Saul of Tarsus. He later became Paul, the great apostle. His salvation was actually an answer to Stephen’s own prayer. Many years later, the apostle Paul communicated the depth of his concern for his people Israel. In Romans 9, he sounds quite a lot like Moses. God honored those men’s prayers for the souls of the lost and He will honor yours too. Whether friend or foe; whether moral or immoral; whether you know them or not, pray for the lost. Pray for the hurt. Pray for the sick. Pray for the light to be shined into the darkness of the lives who are blinded to the truth! Pray for healing. Pray for peace. Christmas is a time that can elicit many emotions among many people, many nations. It is also a season with a lot of suicides and deaths. We need to pray daily for all things, all people, all nations. But let's take time this season to spend a little more time doing so! Miracles happen every day!
There is religious intolerance in our country right now! Every other "religion" is being tolerated EXCEPT Christianity! In the very country that is the land of the free. In the very country that was built on freedom OF religion and the expression of it. Christians are being squashed. They are being silenced. I believe we need to be in fervent prayer, not only for each other, our brothers and sisters in Christ, but for everyone who NEEDS the TRUTH! To those who needs to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Joel 2:12 says, "Now, therefore,” says the Lord, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." The ancient Hebrew prophet spoke to a nation in full on crisis. God’s solution was the above scripture! So just why did God desire fasting, weeping, and mourning from the people? Well it seemed to provide them with a real opportunity to gather before God in acknowledgement of their nation drifting away from its original foundations in morality and faith. Joel 2:15, "Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly;" As you can see, it was because of this moral decline, (much like we are experiencing in this world right now!) the people weren't prepared to face any or all of the threats, and impending threats, that were rising up against them. God wanted His people to clearly and fully understand that their moral decline was far greater than the threats of any economic crisis or military invasion. God ordained in that very hour of history that prayer would serve as the ONLY way for them to escape their mounting troubles. And there were many! Only God has the power to solve both a nation’s internal and external threats. God has a solution that can only be found in His great mercy. It was true then and it IS true NOW!
One of the most definitive calls that seems to be a resonating factor throughout the great nation of America today is to pray and for repentance, which both promises powerful results! In 2 Chronicles 7:14, it's clear! "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 will forgive their sin and heal their land." I know America has been resonating with prayer and repentance and I'm seeing other countries with the same resonance through their lands!
It's because of our Lord’s faithful promises, that there is, and ALWAYS will be hope. It is only when we seek God, turn from our sin, repent and submit to His will that our nation, and our world, will be free and the lands be healed! As we spend time with the Lord each day, and during this season that is coming upon us, we MUST remember to pray with passion and perseverance for our churches, our and other country’s leaders, and the challenges facing our nation. We must pray with an expectant heart with thanksgiving! And let’s remember to thank our heavenly Father for His love and His willingness to heal our lands, His people and restore LOVE into the hearts of mankind!
May the Lord lift each and every one of you in spirit, keep you and hold you through any trial or tribulation that you may be facing. May He comfort you and direct your steps and be gracious to you. I pray that He will call the names of the lost and unsaved and send His chosen to cross their paths to witness to them. I pray for this country, and every country, to return to the Lord! To find Him waiting with His arms wide open......He is waiting. He is listening. And He is with us all!
Let us all be in PRAYER!
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