The Judgment Of Prayer

It's been many weeks since I last made an entry here. It has been a time of recovery in some sense. After the debacle of this last "election" and the unscrupulous actions of leftist in D.C. and their thugs in the street destroying property and assaulting any who disagrees with their agenda, my heart was very heavy with sorrow for our nation. I believe I can say correctly that I was in a frame of lamentation and godly sorrow. 

The pastors of our churches were, for the most part, silent about the sins and wrongs taking place. Those who did speak up were usually some form of crackpot, making "prophecies" and predictions about the outcome relating their outlandish visions.  After a few weeks my heart began to lighten, and although I still grieve for my country, my grief is eased by a growing awareness that all these wrongs done in the last four years, and around this "election" were done in the sight of God Himself. He is fully aware of the blasphemies, the bearing of false witness, corruption, and cowardice. He see's the blood spilled across this nation's streets, and the lies vomited into the air waves by a lying, propaganda type media. Those in power whether Republicans or leftists, are all accountable to Him, the Source of all power and authority.  They will answer to Jesus Christ for how they used and misused the authority entrusted to them. This somehow gave me peace. I love my nation, but my real love is higher.  

Now my prayer has been for judgement. My prayer has been for God to confound the agenda of those wicked persons who have usurped power and are now in places of authority. My prayer is for God to raise up men and women of principle, place them in leadership, and give them courage to act and a path for action. I was pleasantly surprised to read a passage in Revelation 8:1-5 about the prayers of the saints, and the judgement of God orchestrated by our Lord Jesus. 

There, Christ is breaking the seals of judgment, and as He does an angel comes with a gold censer with incense, which we're told are the prayers of the followers of Christ. The smoke of those prayers went up before God, and then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar of God and threw it to the Earth. Then followed thunder, lightning and an earthquake, all indicators of the judgment of God being unleashed upon a rebellious humanity and corrupted creation. It is only after the prayers of the saints are cast to the Earth that the trumpets of judgement begin to sound. 

It encourages me to know that the prayers of God's faithful are not only heard and received by our Savior and Lord, but are instrumental in His final judgment of the wicked, whether they be human or spirits. It gives me a tremendous incentive to commit more earnestly to prayer. I'm not advocating we pray for harm or injury upon people, Christ desires all who will be saved to be saved. Rather we pray knowing that righteousness will prevail and that the "Lord our Righteousness" will bring about His just recompense in those final days of history. It is certainly a mystery, but somehow our prayers are a very real part of that recompense. 

So, go ahead arrogant leftists, you know not what you do.  The discord and violence you have sown over years of manipulation and dishonesty, will return a hundredfold harvest upon your heads in those days promised by our Lord. The saints of God who pray daily for you and for His will to be done will one day cast their hand against you, when you stand face to face with the Lord of all creation-Jesus Christ. 

Faithful prayer warrior, you who bear the marks of spiritual battle, remain constant in prayer, seek the righteousness of Christ in all things. Know for sure, that the glorious day of Christ is even at the doors. Let our prayers be as incense before the throne of God Almighty, in Whose hand is perfect and righteous judgment. Rejoice and know that our prayers are a fragrant contribution to the righteous plan of the Righteous God.

Careful How We Listen

 I was talking with an elderly lady the other day, and as we talked she told me how she was very concerned for her soul. She knew she had but a short number of days on this Earth and wanted to make sure that her soul was ready. I shared the gospel message with her and of the grace and saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. I was distressed because none of it seemed to matter to her because she was of a religion that required a priest to come in and give her the "last rites." She was adamant that she wanted a priest to come and administer "the sacrament." In the facility where she lives priests are not allowed because of the Covid restrictions and she was upset about that as well. 

 I read some verses in the letter to the Hebrews about Jesus' high priestly ministry, trying to show her that when priests or ministers are not available to pray with us we still have access to Christ because He has risen and is at the right hand of God with all authority and compassion to hear our prayers.  I read that we all have access to Him by faith, without any need for an intercessor because He lives to make intercession for us. He is or priest, we do not need another. We can come on our own, anytime. It didn't matter to her. She was so intent on "receiving the sacrament," that the beauty of the Gospel message was lost on her. Her longing was misplaced, her hope was in vain. I prayed with her after about 10 minutes or so, and before I was finished praying she interrupted with more anxiety that a priest was unavailable, when all the while we were praying to our Great High Priest- Jesus Himself. 

I left her troubled, just trusting the Lord to act and perhaps overcome her misplaced trust and reveal Himself to her as she was in such distress and He being merciful may consider her hearts turmoil. I also left with a sense of indignation, maybe even anger because of the teaching she had believed for so long. It was the very teaching that she held dear that was preventing her from receiving the mercy of Christ. It reminded me of Jesus' warning to take care what we listen to. 

Doctrine matters. In our time of emotional, self centered teachings about Christ and Christianity and weak inaccurate translations of the Bible, we have to recommit to sound teaching and biblical instruction. Especially in our time in the U.S. when we are seeing abominations erode the very foundation of our society and culture. Take care what we listen to. May the Holy Spirit of truth guide us into sound teaching that grounds us in a deep assurance of salvation and reality. He will create distress over our souls need of mercy, but then will also show us that Jesus Christ is the answer and the one Who grants mercy to our troubled souls. 

I pray for the woman I write of today. But she is a reminder of the bondage we are susceptible to if we do not, take care what we listen to.

As I Live

 "....Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are rotting away in them; how then can we survive?"   So asked the people of Israel in the recorded words of Ezekiel 33:10. They had good reason for that question.  The promise of God's judgement for generations of sin, immoralities, oppression, and idolatry had come upon them, and more was to follow.  They were in exile in the Babylonian kingdom, and the liberty and sovereignty of their own kingdom was lost, and they were suffering under the harsh hand of their captors.   

Their question is filled with despair and a sense of doom as they had to take a hard look at themselves, and the decisions and actions that brought the wrath of their God upon them.  Now that the words of the true prophets were fulfilled,{for there were many false prophets, that was part of the problem} they were forced to acknowledge that what they had sown they were now reaping, and that the reality and Lordship of God was nothing to trifle with, as they had for so long. The question for them was, how were they going to survive, how can they go forward from here, if there even was a way forward.  The answer is one of sure hope if any were disposed to hear it. God answers in verse 11, " As I live declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back  from your evil ways!  Why will you die O house of Israel?" Gods answer is what it had always been, recognize sin, personal and national, and confess them and turn away from wrong. That is the way to find mercy and restoration, even from the desolation of exile that Israel was experiencing in Ezekiel's time. 

Our nation is not in the desolation of exile, but we are on a slippery path to destruction and perhaps the final loss of our national identity. We have an president dishonestly placed, a congress composed of virulent leftists and cowardly,  myopic conservatives. The political philosophy of the former are more in line with National Socialism of 1930's Germany than our own American ideals. The latter has betrayed our ideals, their constituents and their sworn oath before Almighty God.  We have immoralities and perversions of all stripes, corruptions, oppression, racism, idolatry, false prophets of our own preaching a false gospel, resulting in false christians.  Mayors and Governors stood by and watched their cities burn and allowed businesses and the livelihoods of their citizens to literally go up in smoke. After decades of trifling with the One True God, and sowing lawlessness and rebellion, we are "rotting away" in our sins.  What is the answer for these United States going forward? Is there a way forward?  It's the same as in Ezekiels' day, turn back from our sins. 

"As I live," declares God. God does live, and because He lives we have hope. The hope of mercy lives, hope of restoration lives, the hope of the overthrow of wicked agendas lives, the hope of eternal life lives, because He Who is Lord and Savior lives today.  Because He lives the church of Jesus Christ must be first to pray for and demonstrate unity and true repentance. We must be the first to show what it is to lament before God because of our guilt and sins. We must be first to recognize that Christ alone is Lord, and that He is in control, even of the destructive situation we have brought upon ourselves. 

Christ Jesus is merciful and long suffering. He paid the price for the worlds sin on that dark day on the cross.  Our ultimate victory is assured because of His resurrection on that triumphant morning. Yet, He leaves the choice with us. Will we turn  back? Do we at least recognize the dire situation we face? Are we able to confess, intercede, demonstrate before a confused and troubled nation where hope lies? May the Holy Spirit come upon the household of God like never before, so that we will hunger and thirst for righteousness, and mercy.  May the renewing Presence of Christ Jesus create a brokenness and deep conviction in our hearts first, so that we can share Christ with integrity and genuine love. 

Hope lives, not because of a religion or belief system. Hope lives because God says," As I live."  The reality of God gives us all hope in the most hurtful of circumstances. May hope be yours today. May God help this great nation of ours and give us hope.