714PRAYER – Open Spiritually Blinded Eyes

This week we are praying for God to open the spiritually blind eyes across the country. The Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians that Satan blinds the eyes of the unsaved.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. – 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NIV)

Satan blinds unbelievers through deception. They don’t recognize the truth of the gospel because they have believed a lie. The problem is, deceived people don’t know they are deceived; therefore they can’t free themselves from the deception. (more…)

714PRAYER – Pray for Pastors

714PRAYER is all about praying for spiritual awakening and revival in our nation, our church and in ourselves. Thank you for your commitment to join me each week in praying for spiritual renewal.

This week our focus is on praying for our spiritual leaders.

Rarely a week goes by without a news story of a pastor or Christian leader who has been caught or confesses a moral defeat.

It seems the Kingdom of darkness is working overtime to bring down our pastors and spiritual leaders. Satan knows that if he can destroy a pastor, it will affect the church, the Christians in the church and the Kingdom’s reputation in the community.

If he is not successful in tempting a pastor with compromise, he will try and beat him or her down with discouragement. With so many churches struggling, it’s easy for a pastor to feel discouraged and disheartened. (more…)

714PRAYER – Pray for Our Leaders

Today we are praying for our nation’s leaders. Our President, Vice President, and other national leaders have a significant impact on our nation’s culture. They can move a country back toward God, or remove God from the national conversation.

In 1 Timothy Paul encourages us to pray for our leaders.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 (ESV)

We may not always agree with our leaders, but we are commanded to pray for them. As Christians, We may disagree on politics, but we can all agree that our national leaders need our prayer.

Here are five prayer topics we can agree on for our national leaders.

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714PRAYER – Heal Our Land

Today, as we pray 2 Chronicles 7:14, we’re focusing on God’s promise of healing. When we pray, He will hear and heal our land.

Our country is in desperate need of healing. Division, anger, and hopelessness abound. These forces are taking their toll on our young people.

When you remove God from your worldview, you are left with nothing but a life of hopelessness.

Could it be that the next generation is suffering the most from removing God from the national conversation? Life is hard. Life without God or hope for the future is often unbearable.

Is it any surprise that their hopelessness shows itself in suicide, gun violence, depression, and anger.

American Academy of Pediatrics, found a nearly 50% increase in adolescent depression over the past 11 years.

After decades of decrease, the suicide rate in the US has been on the rise since 2000. According to the CDC, there was a noticeable spike in 2008. In 2012 suicide was the second leading cause of death for adolescents 12 to 19.

As we pray for God to bring about a spiritual awakening in our country, let’s pray He begins a new work in the lives of the next generation.

Join me in praying for the healing of our country and in the lives of the next generation. Let’s ask the Father to touch this next generation with the Gospel.

Let’s Pray Together,

Father, we join together in praying for healing for our nation. We need You as never before. We know Your heart breaks at the pain this next generation is experiencing. Touch this next generation with your love. We pray for our students and young people. Let them see their need of You.

We agree together, asking for You to release a spiritual awakening across our country. We need You in the forefront of our nation, our churches and in the lives of the next generation. Let them see that hope and peace are only found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Bring about repentance and a return to you in the lives students across our country.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

 

Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

God Will Hear Our Prayer

As we pray 2 Chronicles 7:14 for ourselves, our church and our county, we have the promise that when we pray, God listens.

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. – 2 Chronicles 7:14

Have you ever felt discouraged because you keep praying, but nothing seems to change? Ever felt like surely God had forgotten your prayer, or maybe He never hear them in the first place?

We all have times of discouragement in prayer. Ever thought, “If God would just get on my timetable, things would be a lot easier.” (more…)

714PRAYER – The Next Step in Awakening

As 714PRAYER warriors, we are claiming 2 Chronicles 7:14 for spiritual awakening in our country, our churches, our families and our own lives.
If my people who are called by my name 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.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV)
As the Children of God, we are invited to humble ourselves, seek the face of God and pray. However, there is a next step that separates those who really desire spiritual renewal and those who simply talk about it. God commands us to turn from our wicked ways.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the idea of having wicked ways. Sure, I have sins, I’m not perfect, but wicked ways? That sounds so strong, so unchristian. I like to think that I have some weaknesses, some mistakes, sure some sin, but not serious ones, not wicked ways.

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714PRAYER – Seek His Face

 

Each week we are praying the principles of 2 Chronicles 7:14 together. 

If my people who are called by my name 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. – 2 Chronicles 7:14

God calls us to humble ourselves, pray and seek His face. Seeking God’s face is the beginning point for spiritual renewal and awakening.

Seeking His Face is Seeking His Presence

When we seek God’s face, we are seeking His presence and blessing. Spiritual awakening comes as Christians begin walking in the presence of God moment by moment.

My youngest daughter is a people person. When she shares a story, she wants your attention. When she was younger, if I wasn’t paying close enough attention, she would take her hand and move my face toward her. She knew that when I was looking at her, she had my attention.

Seeking His Face Reveals My Need

The more we experience God’s face (His presence) the more we realize our need. 

When the prophet Elijah saw into the throne room of God, and saw the king of Glory high and lifted up, his first response was that he was a man of unclean lips (Isaiah 6:5)

The more we see God for who He is, the more we see ourselves for who we are. Our pride is made evident when we see His face.

Seeking His Face Reveals Who I am in Him

In that same scene from Isaiah 6 and angel comes and touches the prophets lips and proclaims his sin has been forgiven. As we walk in the presence of God, we see who we are in Christ. We are children of the most high God. Our sin has been removed and we can come boldly into His presence. 

God Hides His Face from the Unrighteous

God only reveals Himself to those who seek after him. God hides His presence to those who are opposed to Him. 

But I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods. – Deuteronomy 31:8

Seeking His Face Must Be Our Priority

God makes a promise to us. When we seek after His face, we have the promise that we will find Him.

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:13

If we are to experience the presence of God in our life, we must seek His face with all that we are. Above all else, we must make walking in His presence the priority in our life. God never hides His face from those who seek after Him.

The Psalmist made seeking the face of God his priority. He heard God’s call to seek after him, and his immediate response was to seek Him

When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, O LORD, I shall seek.” – Psalm 27:8 (NASB) 

Let’s Agree in Prayer

Father today I commit myself to seeking Your face with everything I am. I want to walk in Your presence every moment of my life. My desire it to make seeking Your face the most important thing in my life.

Father, I pray for the leaders in my church. I pray that their priority will be to seek Your face. I pray that in everything they do today will be out of an overflowing desire to walk in Your presence. 

Our country is in desperate need of Your presence and blessing. I know that because of our country’s sin, You are hiding Your face from us. Bring about repentance and awakening in our country. Turn us back to You.

Thank You for the promise that when we seek You, we will find You.

In Jesus Name I pray, 

Amen!

Five Lies Christians Believe – Part 3

As Christians, we know we are to confess our sin. However, how we define confessing our sin and what the Bible means by confessing our sin may not agree.

Our definition of confession means to agree or admit something. Television shows like Law and Order play out the scene in the courtroom. The tension builds as the attorney grills the person on the stand. “Were you with the victim the night of the murder? Is this your knife that was used in the crime? Did, in fact, you no longer loved your wife? As the person on the stand becomes more emotional and sweat forms on his forehead, the District Attorney points to him and says, “Sir, did you kill your wife?” The man on the stand burst into tears and confesses “yes, yes I killed her.” I confess.

When we confess our sin, we are acknowledging to God that we committed a particular sin. We have the promise of 1 John 1:9 that God forgives our sin when we confess the sin.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9

Now here is the lie, what if nothing changes? What if after confessing that sin, I continue to repeat that sin again and again? (more…)

Five Lies Christians Believe – Part 2

A few years ago, I had a co-worker who was Buddhist. Even though we had radically different religious views we developed a great friendship. One thing my Buddhist friend loved was Scotch. He was well educated on what brands were best, even had a story of how he learned how to drink Scotch.

One day while at dinner I noticed he didn’t order a Scotch. So, I asked him about it. He told me that he had stopped drinking because he was trying to be a good Buddhist. As I have thought about his comment, I have wondered, what is the difference between trying to be a good Buddhist and trying to be a good Christian?

How many Christians are trying to be good Christians?

Trying to be a good Christian is a lie.

If you try to be a good Christian your life will be filled with defeat and disappointment. God never intended you to try to be a good Christian. (more…)

5 Lies Christians Believe – Part 1

Five Lies Christians Believe - Part 1

Have you ever been duped? Ever let a fast-talking salesperson convince you to buy something didn’t need? Worse, you have ever believed something someone told, only to find out later it was a lie? At some point, we’ve all believed a lie. Sometimes we have even defended the lie. (At least until we found out the truth.)

Over the next few weeks, we are going to look at several lies Christians believe. These lies keep us from experiencing all God has for us.

Here’s the problem, when you believe a lie, you become deceived. When you are deceived, you don’t know that you are deceived. If you knew you were deceived, you would do something about it.

Satan is the great deceiver. He is always trying to sell us a lie. He deceived Eve by whispering in her ear that God was holding out on her and if she ate from the tree she would be like God. He is still in the deception business, and so many Christians believe his lies.

This week we look at the first of 5 lies Christians believe. (more…)