714PRAYER – God Moves in Response to Our Prayer

God moves in response to our prayer. Prayer is at the heartbeat of the Christian life. God invites us to bring our every need to Him in prayer. He invites us into His presence as His children. The very throne room of God is open to us, and we are to come boldly into His presence.

As Christians, we are often reluctant to pray. We consider prayer as a last effort instead of a first response.  Too often we talk about prayer, but don’t spend the time before God in prayer. The book of James puts it this way,

 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. – James 4:2 (NASB)

We do not have because we do not ask. Could it be that God is waiting for us to pray before He moves in power? How many nights have we spent in worry instead of in prayer? How many days have we lived in fear because we haven’t brought our needs and concerns to the Lord? How many times have we spend 2 minutes in prayer and then 2 hours in distress?  (more…)

714PRAYER – Repentance, the Pathway to Awakening

Repentance isn’t usually a positive word. Repentance sounds negative and feels condemning. It brings up images of old street preachers with megaphone crying “Repent; the end is near.” Maybe that’s the reason we hear so little about repentance. When was the last time you hear a sermon on repentance? Repentance doesn’t seem to fit into the current positive Christian message.

However, repentance is an important Biblical word and principle. Repentance always proceeds a new work of God. Before God moves two things must happen; We must ask, we must repent.

Repentance is the pathway to a new work of God in our country, our churches, and our lives.

We need repentance because our sin keeps us from experiencing all God has for us. Here is what the prophet Isaiah said.

Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. – Isaiah 59:1-2

For the Christian, repentance is all about lordship. As a Christian, your sin is forgiven. When Christ died on the cross, all your sins were forgiven when you placed your faith and trust in Christ.

However, sin is a choice to move away from God. It’s choosing our desire over God’s will for us. It is a choice of disobedience. The book of James says it this way.

But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.  – James 1:14-15

For the Christian, sin is always a choice. We choose to follow our own lusts instead of the leading of the Holy Spirit. Repentance is returning to the Lord. Repentance is turning from our sin and once again making Jesus Lord and master of our life.

I’d like to focus on one area where Christians need repentance. It’s a silent sin of the modern Christian. It is destroying families, relationship and lives. A quick look at the statistics and it’s easy to see we need repentance.

As Christians, we have lowered our standards and allowed the culture to influence what comes into our homes and lives. I’m talking about Pornography.

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