In new year, pray, trust God the Holy Spirit to guide nation

I've often written about how many problems occurred in what many call the "good old days."

As we pray for God to work mightily in our own hearts, lives, families, communities, and ultimately nation, it's great to recall the War Room movie which has done so well. It shows very effectively that we wrestle not against flesh and blood.(Eph.6:12) We are fighting God's enemy, the devil - as noted, the devil was a created being with "untested created holiness" who chose to rebel against God.(Isa.14:12-15,Ezek.28, etc.) The devil's end will be hell and the lake of fire. He wants to take as many with him as he can.

Most readers here are laypeople, but that isn't a problem. Laypeople can and should be determined to go to God to pray for revival; in fact, God deserves all the glory, anyway, since He alone is worthy - we've all sinned and come short of the glory of God. So, just as in 1857 a concerned layperson began a prayer meeting that led to a great revival, you can, too.

 The Holy Spirit's Work

It's our job to be Christlike and lovingly guide people to trust Christ as Saviour so they can go to Heaven instead. We have the Holy Spirit's help - how God lives in each believer. In "War Room," for instance, the father's heart is moved because he apparently has trusted Christ as his Saviour already, and so he has the Holy Spirit in him and is convicted of some sins he is doing or about to.(Hope that doesn't spoil anything. :-))

However, Jesus promises(John 16:7-12) that the Holy Spirit is also here to convict unbelievers of their need for repentance, of the need to do what's right - and how we all fall short of God's perfection - and of judgment on those who don't trust Jesus to forgive them. The Holy Spirit is free to do that because at the moment of Christ's death on the cross, atonement was made for all mankind's sin, and the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.(Matt.27:51) The Holy Spirit was free to roam around the world and indwell believers and work in nonbelievers.

So, when we seek God's face for revival, after repenting of our own sins - those over the last 350, not just the last 50 - we can do two types of things. For each believer, pray that they follow Godly principles,stay faithful,put others first, especially family, etc.. And, for each nonbeliever, pray that God convicts them and that they come to know Jesus as Saviour and let Him change them on the inside, but in the meantime, also pray that they do what is right, not be corrupt, accept responsibility for actions, and so on.

it's not our job to convict of sin or to force others to do what's right, but it is our job to pray and seek God Almighty to intercede on our behalf. And, to know the Bible so we can know what those Godly principles are, of course, such as how to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit(Gal.5:22-23) and thus pray for others to, also. Because, Jesus says we'll be known by our fruit.

That fact, by the way, is why it's easy to trust God's Word to show what it means to be Christlike - loving, caring, gentle, meek, etc. - and when people aren't acting like Him.

Two problems - Counterfeit Christians and Heads Versus Hearts

The post before illustrates how to do things nationally by using the example of revival efforts in Los Angeles ,and ways the Holy Spirit can work and ways the devil counterfeits it. Now, let's examine something else the devil counterfeited - actual Christians. Mankind's meddling improved some things, and changed others on the outside for a while, but it has not gotten to peoples' hearts, and that is why there is still so much more evil and why what was there has gotten much worse.

Originally, there were many things we did right in being Godly examples. We respected others, were thoughtful, courteous, compassionate, and so on. However, we were like that poem about a little girl, often thought to be a nursery rhyme. We were either very good or horrid, and there was little in between. We were often only good when it suited us. However, God's Word instructs us to see everyone as equal and to look on the heart. God says to ignore mankind's system, because the world's system - the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life - ignores God; it will pass away someday and mean nothing.(1 John 2:15-17)

We have improved in some ways, as noted. Our laws prohibit the terrible brutality, injustice, and segregation of the past. In other words, the counterfeits of the past don't have legal authority to act in the way they did. However, these things merely impacted head knowledge. Oh, it has helped a lot, there are far fewer people, because of education and being able to live and work together, who think the way people did a century ago. However, while hearts were impacted in that way, we have not improved the heart in the most important way - too many people think mankind can dream up any system it wants and ignore God.

This ignoring of God's laws is what has caused so many problems. While injustice and oppression aren't supposed to happen, laws haven't prevented cases like Tamir Rice's. Without as many people praying and seeking His Holy Spirit to move in peoples' hearts, people more and more act unjustly, and the love of many waxes cold, people are without natural affection, and other signs that Jesus is returning soon.

Another example is in how society was never this vulgar decades ago, because we all felt a responsibility to others. however, because we have ignored God, we now have a nation of people who hound the good ones with their awful vulgarity and tear others down consistently instead of building them up.

There are many other examples, but the key is to seek God's face to end the horrid stuff and heal our land. Then, the meanness, hatred, and so on will diminish not because people have to, but because people want to; because they want to serve the loving, living God who graciously saved them from their sin. And, the spirit of Godliness will be caught by those who don't believe.

What the Spirit's Movement Would Look Like

For the Holy Spirit to work, there must be a conscious effort to let Him  work in us first. We should be "filled with the Spirit"(Eph.5:17) - that verb implies a continual action, which can only happen if one is relying so much on the Spirit as to be controlled by Him.(Yes, the Holy Spirit has qualities of a person just like the other parts of the Godhead.) We can't do that in our fleshly natures, but we can continue to strive for it. And, when enough people seek the Lord in prayer, great things can happen.

As to what it would look like, both War Room and the 1857 Prayer Revival link show great examples. Not only do people trust Christ as Saviour in a revival, but people get right with the Lord. Businesses stop being crooked, people stop harming others, and so on. These are spiritual blessings, after all - God can't suddenly give everyone a million bucks because God's nature is to focus on the eternal, although he will reward those who He knows will use that in a way that will help others or help them grow closer to Him.

The increase in honesty, respect for others, and so on will in turn, end oppression because those doing the oppressing will be following Jesus instead. Yes, there will still be sinners around, but thepower of the Holy Spirit will move people to do right.

So, why doenst it now? Isn't God just as powerful? Yes, of course He is; He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. However, He is a gentleman and won't go where He's not wanted.

God wants you to want Him to move in this country.

As to how to pray, we've discussed numerous key points in this blog. As the new year starts, just reemember that each believer has a personal relationship with God. When we pray with a repentant heart, we're showing that we understand God doesn't have to honor our prayer requests, but He chooses to when we are right with Him becasue of His love and peace.

So, for  saved person, it would mean unselfishness, concern for others, putting God first on the throne of your heart, etc.

For those who have not placed their trust in Jesus yet, please still pray. As you seek God with all your heart, you will find He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.(Heb.11:6) You will find He gives you total peace and comfort when you trust Him - He gives peace that passes understanding, in fact.(Phil. 4:6-7) he gives perfect, Godly wisdom to anyone who asks.(James 1:5) There are many other promises in the Bible of His goodness to you. No matter who you are, you have been fearfully and wonderfully made by Him(Ps.119:14) - I have numerous handicaps myself but He has still used me for quite a few great things. He will relieve your burdens - His yoke is easy and His burden is light.(Matt.11:28-30) It is simply a burden of following Him and sharing the Good News of His salvation, and he will give you the strength to overcome - He will be your strength, in fact. he will cotinually strengthen you.(2 Tim.2:1)

I've missed quite a few promises and even of those I did, I may have missed some cites, but if you want a really good, encouraging short video on who He is, this is an excellent one. The important thing is that one must simply call on Jesus by faith to save them from their sins, trusting that he is God in flesh and died to take the punishment for their sins and rose from te dead in order to be saved.

We won't just spend our time praising God when there's a revival, though. As noted in the 1857 one, many people repented of their wicked ways, people started to behave justly, families would be restored and many other great things happen in a repentance revival, too, with people treating others as they should, with love and respect.

There will be evil until the Lord returns, of course. However, seeking Him can allow us to truly see thigns change as the Holy Spirit moves. Right now, it is as if God is saying, "This is a big job, a problem that only i can solve, do you want Me to work or do you want to keep trying it yourself?"

We keep trying it ourselves, and it doesn't work. Let's do like that man in 1857, let's get together in the new year and start praying fervently with others. It's a much bigger nation, meaning more problems and mroe of a need to see the Lord work. However, we serve the same God who spoke the world into existence, and He do wonders here, too.

Praying the devil not counterfeit things, planned Los Angeles revival shared as illustration

This post is about prayer, spiritual warfare, and - believe it or not - counterfeiting.

Whenever God creates something, the devil tries to counterfeit it for evil means. Indeed, he even twists Scripture, like when tempting Jesus in the wilderness(Matthew 4, Luke 4) The devil was created as an angel, like all the others they had untested creature holiness, meaning they hadn't yet chosen whether to accept or reject God. Then, however, the devil rebelled(Ezek.28:11-19,Isa.14:12-15),taking a third of the angels with Him.(Luke 10:18,Rev.12)

Thankfully, we still haveGod,all-powerful,all-present,all-knowing, manifesting Himself in three ways and 2/3 of the angels of Heaven on our side.

But, how do we stop the devil from drawing people away with a counterfeit, and more specifically, what counterfeit should we be watching out for?

I've shown how the whole armor of God is vital in spiritual warfare. You know the battle is intensifying. However, the battle has several facets, and one is making sure there is no counterfeit revival once the Lord sends it.(In other words, having one's loins gird about with Truth.)

God can send revival anywhere, at any time. However, there is one place in particular I will use as a case study. It will be in Los Angeles in early April, 2016. Please pray for it specifically and as a model for others, in what to do and what to be cautious of - plus, how to combat it if you see it.

After all, we want to see God heal our communities, neighborhoods, cities, and ultimately our country. That means we have to be ready for God to call us at any time, to do anything for him. We can't just put God in a box and say He has to work in this manner. However, we also must make sure that it's the Gospel being put forth, and true repentance, not just flashy things with no sign of changed hearts. Things must still line up with what Scripture says, because God's Word is Truth.(John 17:17) He can't lie, and so won't go agaisnt His Word.

How to Pray: Why Los Angeles as a Case Study?

Los Angeles is filled with an incredible array of communities. People will run into many different situations and need the Spirit's guidance as to what to say and how to present the gospel in a loving way.There will be potential dangers and obstacles. And, the devil will have the opportunity to counterfeit thins without God's hedge of protection around it. So, spiritual warfare will be intense.

In other words, it's like anywhere else, but on an immense scale. Readers in small urban areas, and even small rural areas, face a few things, but they will face bunches.

So, while people should both pray for and attempt to reach their own areas, and spread the word on doing that so others may also do so, I also ask that you please pray for God to use this for His honor and glory, and to bring healing to Los Angeles.

Big Push

Yes, revival is being attempted in Los Angeles in early April. A Christian college is going down, as a whole group, the way we should be praying over our neighborhoods and going out and reaching people with the Gospel.

This push will be of monumental proportions - a whole Christian college! But, the devil won't take this lying down,a nd will fight it tooth and nail to distract, to destroy testimonies, to do many things to thwart God.

Without prayer, the devil will either stop them, divert attention, or counterfeit things. If we let him do so, we'll be distracted from the real spiritual battle and be sunk. We don't know when the Lord will return, after all, so every battle is crucial from here on out in the Age of Grace. Anything from transportation to awful weather to violence to illness to a number of other things could keep people from going and/or  being used by God once there. Rees Howells was an incredible prayer warrior and intercessor during World War Two. While a few things early in his biography are wrong doctrinally - an intercessor can't literally "take on" a person's infirmity - only Jesus Christ can do that because only He was sinless - they can merely empathize to an incredible extent. Also; there is talk of penance which is not Scriptural in the book, because Jesus paid the entire prrice for all of our sin. However, this doesn't take away from the fact he was a mighty prayer warrior who spent many hours in prayer with his team of prayer warriors before each major battle of World War Two. His biographer's mistakes were simply cases of not totally understanding the Word of God.

however, such misinterpretation can happen elsewhere, too. This is where our problem is. Because it was basically churches that already believed one had to live holy lives to be saved - rather than salvation being by grace through faith - that brought about the problems.

 But, salvation is by grace through faith - it is never by works.(Eph.2:8-9) And, we can't keep ourselves saved - Jesus must do that. And, he is able to keep us from falling.(Jude 24) Nothing can seperate us from Him.(John 10:28-30,Rom.8:36-39,etc.) Each believe is sealed with the Holy Spirit.(Eph. 1:13-14) and so on.

So, since if anyone is in Christ, they are new creatures - old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new(2 Cor.5:17) - that means there is incredible potential for God to change lives.



Big Potential

There is huge potential here. In Matthew 5:16 Jesus says, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven." And, there is much light to shine in the darkness.

For instance, the racial problems in our country can end with black and white mingling and worshiping together. This happened in the 1906 revival.

Gangs are the family many members never knew. But, God's love can unite people into a better family of unconditional love without the violence involved with gangs otherwise.

Violence can stop in many other places, and people can begin to build others up and help each other, without wanting to see what's in it for them. In other words, people can put others first consistently, one sign of a changed heart which is necessary in true repentance revival.

Many more signs of changed hearts can also come. There can be an end to much of the sin in that area. There was a famous preacher, Billy Sunday, who it was joked would shut the saloons down just by his preaching. Of course, it was really the Holy Spirit at work. People were convicted of sin and they trusted God to change them and make them new inside and they turned away from that sin.

As with the prayer at the end of this, here have been mentioned just a fwe of many changes which God has the potential to bring about. However,  the big potential means there is also a major problem which could occur if we don't stop the devil and his wiles.

Big Problem

The devil has counterfeited things of God from the start when made Eve doubt what God had said.  He lied and convinced them they would be gods. He has tempted people to rule in very corrupt, nasty, and cruel ways instead of the loving way God leads us. And, many other things. The parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13 shows he'll even convince people they can be religious and looked just like Christians on the outside, when in fact they are not. Only someone who has trusted Christ as Savior - meaning they have called on Him by faith to forgive them, save them from their sins, and make them new inside - has salvation.

It is not just false Christians, however, that this is about. It is instead about false signs and how some distract from what is true repentance revival.

The Azusa Street Revival was a wonderful work of God begun in April, 1906. And, it is an example of how the devil can take something Godly and turn it to his own selfish advantage. Hence, it's a cautionary tale for those who pray for this revival.

The spreading of the Gospel was a wonderful thing:
1.People of all 'races" mingled together praising God, showing the truth proclaimed many times here, that there is only one race - the human race - and all are equal before God. This occurred at a times when normally such people were very separate.
2. There was repentance, tears were being shed, people were weeping and asking God for forgiveness, something noted repeatedly here as being necessary for revival; Revival isn't just a bunch of people getting saved, it begins with Christians getting their hearts right with God. As noted before, the relationship is always there, but when it is strained He can't work as He wishes.
3. Reportedly, people were speaking in the native languages of immigrants who had recently come to the area, even though those people didn't know the languages before. In the Bible, "tongues" always refers to known human language and is used to communicate the Gospel in the other person's language.

However, those who believed in holiness as being necessary for salvation, or that one could lose one's salvation, saw the devil able to twist their already erring doctrine to make it appear that one *had* to speak in tongues to be saved, when this is clearly false doctrine. Salvation is by grace through faith an taht not of ourselves, it is teh gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast.(Eph.2:8-9)

Remember the difference between the Fruits of the Spirit(Gal.5:22-23) and Spiritual gifts. Think of it this way - every healthy fruit tree bears fruit. Not every fruit tree gets the pleasure of a bird building a nest in it. That's a gift. True, everyone has some spiritual gift, but everyone is given different ones. This is why 1 Corinthians 12 talks about the body - everyone has a different gift just as the eye is not the ear, nor the hand the foot. The big toes seem much less important than the heart, yet they are essential for balance.

So, there is another error that the devil used to influence people in the wrong direction. Not only is it not essential for salvation, it wasn't even a gift given to everyone in the Book of Acts.

Another thing the devil does is that those who believe in tongues, many times, become puffed up with pride over the gift rather than focus on reaching people with the Gospel. The experience is their focus, when in fact experience and feelings should never be placed over Scripture to define one's believe. After all, while in prison John the Baptist, who earlier had said truthfully that Jesus was "the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world"(John 1:29), began to doubt.

Speaking of experience, the devil counterfeited it in another way, too. He allowed people to start speaking gibberish instead of what the Bible says is tongues. And, this gibberish isn't the only thing which comes from what some people call tongues - barking, even vomit has been said to come from these things, and it is most disorderly, just like the church at Corinth was corrected for. It's clear from the Bible that vomit is not going to be a work of the Spirit - these false tongues are not part of the Spirit becasue the Bible clearly states, against, that tongues are always referred to as the Greek "glossalalia," meaning human language.

(Side note: Romans 8:26 is sometimes used to describe a "private prayer language." the word used here is not "tongues," it is groans and utterances, but first, even people who use this term generally agree it is a private thing between the believer and God since it "can't be uttered," and second and more important, this is the Greek word "stenagmos," a deep sigh, according to Strong's Concordance. So, it is not tongues and, if anything, should be called prayer.)

The problems of counterfeit tongues doesn't even get into whether tongues actually happen - as the one link showed, it's very rare if it happens. If you know of someone who - as an example few readers likely know - didn't know Danish and they suddenly walked up to someone and said "Thi således elskede Gud Verden, at han gav sin Søn den enbårne, for at hver den, som tror på ham, ikke skal fortabes, men have et evigt Liv."(John 3:16 in Danish) then that is a miracle along the lines of others which have happened. Perhaps we will all speak in tongues in Heaven - it makes sense that we'd be understanding others in our own language. For now, though, I believe tongues have ceased. If they are in existence, it is very, very rare and - as noted - always human languages. And, such miracles do not just happen for little things, but - just as in Acts - always for the spreading of the Gospel.

But, remember that the big potential for repentance revival must be our focus, and not the false doctrines. So, here is a final link to a radio show discussing what was said here on tongues in more detail, and now on to the chance that we have if we persevere, how to pray, and a long but helpful prayer like what we can pray in our own words.

So, that coutnerfeiting of tongues and other miracles is our big concern. Which is why we need you and everyone else to be mighty prayer warriors before, during, and after this revival.

Big Prayer

I've seen a church service where hundreds come forward to pray for repentance, after a bunch of things this church went through and the Spirit healing rifts, etc.. Tears are shed for repentance and crying out to the Lord, and it's real. Peoples' hearts can turn back to God, but we must pray the Lord brings true repentance revival.That is how He will change things, end oppression, and so on.

I'm going to finish by posting a *long* sample prayer. Remember, Jesus warns us never to pray in vain repetitions in Matthew 6.You'll probably say, of course, that this is too long to be repeated :-) ) However, if you choose to read and pray in your own words, you can, or you can just read it and pray as long as you're believing as you pray and not just saying words.

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"Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for your love for us. Thank you for your free gift of salvation, that it is instantaneous the moment a person believes and calls on you to save them from their sin. Thank you that Bethel has such a desire to see you bring people to you in Los Angeles.

"Now, Lord, I come to you humbly asking for your hedge of protection around the young people going to minister there. May they do only what is Godly, and not be drawn away by temptation. May they be true ambassadors for Christ, sharing the Good News in a loving way and allowing people to see your awesome grace and how it blots out so much sin in this nation's past as well as their own and the sin of those they come in contact with .

"Lord, please help them, as the Bible says, seek a more excellent gift, that of the Gospel, because if we have not charity, if we have not your love for others, then we are not going to do the job effectively that you call us to do.

"Lord, they will come in contact with people from many backgrounds. Lord, to those who have been abused, may they.share the wondrous Healing Touch of Your hand upon their hearts and souls. Because healing it is not just physical, for you use me with my handicaps to be a great inspiration to others and to do other things I could not have done fully sighted, but healing is foremost spiritual, and emotional, and so much is that is needed in our nation.

"Lord, to those different faiths, please give them the wisdom to know how to explain that wonderful relationship we can have with you, our Creator, our sustainer, the one who came to this earth and took the punishment for our sins, the just for the unjust, dying for me on the cross and rising from the dead. Lord, may they be able, to express in words those people understand, the love that you have for them. And the fact that with each religion there's something they're doing to reach Heaven, but instead you came down to this earth and ask only that they trust in you to save them instead of doing it their own way, which will ultimately fail because it is the ways of man. Whereas only youcan save , for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved except for that of Jesus Christ.

"Lord, some of these people will have wrong impressions of the Bible or of Christians.  Lord, give those in this mission trip wisdom to know how to answer each in a loving way. How to explain to Muslims that Sonship does not mean physical relations, but instead it means that you have all the attributes of God Lord Jesus, for you are God in flesh. They can see an example in how you call James and John the sons of thunder because of their personalities. Like the Arabic word ibn, and not walad, because walad means physical relations, but ibn is that perfect likeness.

"And Lord, for those who have negative opinions of Christians because of what so-called Christians have done, may they explain successfully that's just because one calls themself a Christian doesn't mean one is one, that we must be known by our fruits. And, there are many who called themselves that over the years but not been in Christ. For if anyone is in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.(2 Cor.5:17) Just as if I say I'm the king of Belgium and do all sorts of stuff, that has no impact on what the real king of Belgium is like.

"And Lord, may they be able to share your love without any interference from the outside world or from the devil. Lord, the devil is going to throw so many roadblocks in their way if they are not protected, things that only serve to divert the conversation from the gospel. Lord, please protect them from these things, and may they share your love and free gift of salvation openly and freely. Please, Lord, quiet the dogs, calm the crying infants, prevent the phone calls and other things which can distract, and overall may your hedge of protection allow each person the ability to share the gospel in a way that each person they encounter will understand.

"And, Lord, please use this endeavor to bring repentance revival not only to Los Angeles, but to our nation. Lord, we don't know how much longer we have, so in this time remaining they would be about your business. May this endeavor be one that brings millions, literally, into churches shedding tears and crying out in prayer to you in repentance and calling out to you for your healing touch upon our nation. As you promise in 2nd Chronicles 7:14, and if that is just for your people Israel, as you promised in Jeremiah 18:5-10 when you speak of the nations meaning the heathen. And you prove that promise true in how Jonah spoke to Nineveh and they repented.

"And, Lord, do not allow the false tongues or false manifestations to occur, but only allow your Holy Spirit to reign freely and overwhelm this are and the nation. Please forbid any of the gibberish and things as disgusting as even vomit from occurring, for while we know that when we come in contact with you we are but flesh and we cannot stand without your help, you do give us strength to stand when we trust in you, so let the people instead be as Isaiah, feeling undone before a holy God in chapter 6 but not drawn away by distractions that divert from the Gospel. May the focus be on that and true repentance, healing spiritually and emotionally, communicating the Gospel however you mean for them to, with whatever words you intend.

"So, please, Lord, prevent the devil from putting anything counterfeit into this revival.  May people instead be focused on getting their hearts right with you and going out and sharing your great salvation, not being jealous of any particular gift and not feeling puffed up because of certain gifts, but instead desiring to know Christ and Him crucified. May it be clear to people that you are at work and not the people, that Jesus Christ is saving souls and healing this land, through what you say in your Word.

"Because, Lord, we need not just Revival but a Great Awakening of your love and the truth of the gospel. Lord, may that Great Awakening come; may people turn back to you by the millions - not just to be saved but truly let you work in them to make them more Godly, loving, gentle, good, with self control and peace and humility. And with all the other fruits of the Spirit of Galatians 5:22-23. Cause the people to stop worship in all of their false gods and that includes not just other religions, but the false gods of pride and power and money and lust and so many other things we as a nation put ahead of you. Make it so that people burn their pornography like those in Acts burnt their occultic stuff - and cause them to burn that stuff too if they have it. Lord, cause them to end the vulgarity, the looking at people as objects, and to speak words of love and joy.

"Lord, bring all people home to You, and May the nation turn back to you in a way that is truly miraculous, and may the power of the media that supports such ungodly agendas be broken, and may the powers of darkness that have hold of our politics be broken, and may many, many people turn to you. Dear Lord, raise up a Josiah who the people will rally to support in the 2016 election, if Lord willing we are still here.

"Lord, turn the hearts of the people toward the children, born and unborn, to support them and show them Godly love, and where there are no adults who are willing, may the young people themselves take that spiritual lead and follow you and guide their siblings, cousins, friends, neighbors, and everyone to follow you as well.

"Lord, may the gangs they encounter in Los Angeles disband in the way of being mean, embittered young people, and turn them away from the violence, infidelity, and lust, causing them instead to become people who will show love and compassion to others instead, being part of the family of God.

"Lord, of course there are so many more, who will need you. I do not even begin to tell of the addictions that some in Hollywood and elsewhere have. They need you to cure them all, to free them and change their metabolism and their very brains Lord, because that's what addictions do is change the brain. But you can heal people of that, I pray that you will.

"Lord, there are probably many other things I'm not thinking of, but these things and all the others I do pray that you will bring this nation true repentance revival and use this occasion to spread true repentance revival and do not let the devil have his way in confusing things. May they go in your power, and prepare hearts beforehand and may pockets of Revival even be breaking out before then so that when they come things will be all ready for the Gospel to be spread, and may you not allow anything to hinder it. And we will give you all the honor and glory for it. In Jesus name I pra, Amen."

Why prayers don't work without repentance

In the wake of the horrible San Bernandino attack, one hashtag which trended for a bit was that prayers don't work. This post will explain why some prayers don't work.

It all has to do with repentance, and it's pretty simple.

We Have A Friend in God

God is personal, He desires a personal relationship with each of us. First John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." God is always willing to forgive us, He just wants us to come to him and accept we need forgiveness for our sins. That word cleanse helps to explain why repentance is needed by our nation, and why if we harbor sin in our hearts God won't hear our prayers - because truly turning from our sins lets Him cleanse our hearts.

Let's use a personal example. Most of us have had arguments with friends but remain friends. Let's say  one friend asks a favor of another, say helping them to move. The one says okay but then brushes it off and does something they think is more important but put in reality could have been easily put off, and doesn't seem to care they broke a promise.

Now, they remain friends but there would be something between them. The one promises to do something and doesn't care that they really inconvenience the other. If they had wanted to do something different, it would have been easier to just say no I can't do it, although the words I can't bring into question whether its true. For instance, if we're talking something like babysitting and the child is old enough, the kid could come along and entertain the moving person's baby or help to sort small things. But, "Sorry I can't this weekend" usually is just accepted among friends.

Anyway, so if the one that had to move is asked by the other friend to help them, that friend who moved is likely to say, hey, "ait a minute dude, I had to move and you promised to help and then didn't and didn't say why or anything". Ignoring the different layers of things (the reason, difficulty of move, etc.), in general the other should just have to apologize and - being friends - it would be forgiven and things would be back to normal.

The Part Repentance Plays in Prayer

It's the same way with God and our prayers. The first prayer He'll hear and answer "yes" to the person praying it is the sinner's prayer of repentance, which establishes that relationship. The person realizes they're a sinner in need of a Saviour. "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."(Rom.10:13) That is, calling on Him to save them from their sins and come into their heart and make them new inside, as clearly shown from the context of the previous verses.(This is why not all who cry "Lord, Lord" are saved, they say it with their mouths but don't trust Him to save them with their hearts.)

You may ask, "What about that prayer I prayed that He answered before I knew Jesus?" There could have been someone else praying, or he did it(saved you from ana ccident, helped you do something, etc.) because he knew it would bring you to Him. John 16:7-12 shows the Holy Spirit is at work even among thsoe who don't know Jesus, after all. There are also Muslims who have had dreams where Jesus appears, often after they pray asking God to reveal Himself to them. This is proved by Hebrews 11:6, that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.It usually won't happen where the Word of God is readily available, but yours truly, when global Media Outreach, had a chat experiment, had a person from a Muslim country say he'd just awakened from a dream and needed to receive Christ. Likely, that person had been to a site like Jesus2020.com and had been pondering it.

Anyway, so when someone has trusted Christ as Saviour and invited Him into their heart through the Holy Spirit, they have a relationship with God. Jesus call His disciples "Friends," just like God called Abraham "Friend." And, let's say - like that example with the friends above - that person harbors sin in their heart. Maybe it's hatred of some group, or trying to push God away, or lusting after someone while trying to pray.

All of a sudden, God's like that guy who was moving and his friend wouldn't help him. When he or she goes to ask god for something in prayer, It's like God saying, "Dude, you've got something in your heart/life that's come between us. We can't be close again till you get rid of that." We're still saved, but that relationship is strained, just that like guy who wouldn't help his friend move after promising to, then asks a favor of the friend who moved.

Of course, we're all sinners in need of a Saviour, and we will be till we die because of that old, sinful flesh/Adamic nature. We don't have to confess every sin each time we pray - if we did, those quick emergency prayers for wisdom or the words to say to someone or whatever else wouldn't be possible. God *wants* to hear and answer those prayers, just like any others. He knows each situation, and understands sometimes there are times you have to just shoot up a prayer.

Say, for instance, someone told you they just found they have cancer and you pray for the right thing to say. You don't have time to ask God to forgive you for snapping at someone foolishly and not apologizing to them. (Of course, if you let that anger fester, it can turn into sin in another way - you won't be trying to think of how to offer words of encouragement because you're too busy fuming about the other problem.) However, if you're kneeling in prayer over a bunch of things, and plan to pray for several minutes, that's when you need to let the Spirit remind you to repent of that foolish fury and, if needed, apologize to the person you offended.

Application To San Bernandino, etc.

So, that brings us back to San Bernandino and prayers in general for our country.

Remember that prayer involves a lot of spiritual warfare.I've posted about the whole armor of God as just one of a number of messages on that warfare.The devil doesn't wnt people to get saved - instead he wants people to be as violent and mean as they can and to take as many people with him. So, what's his strategy going to be with the saved world, those who can't be taken from jesus because He is able to keep us from falling(Jude 24) and nobody can pluck us out of His hand(John 10:28-30) and nothing can seperate us from the love of God(Rom.8:36-39)?

The devil's strategy, since he can't have our souls, is to block our prayers. Because prayer changes thigns, but if he blocks our prayers, he can have his way a lot more.

And, that's just what he's done. To prevent evil like San Bernandino, it takes lots of prayer warriors calling for these thigns to be exposed and calling on the Lord to protect us and to revive our nation. But, our country has a problem - we have turned so far away from God that national repentance is necessary. Only then will God heal the land - and, even if 2 Chronicles 7:14 is only about Israel, Jeremiah 18:5-10 contains pretty much the same promise to Gentile nations.

Mucch has been written in this blog before about praying not just for forgiveness for the last 40 years, but for the last 400. Indeed, we also must pray for God to change our hearts - we need to turn from our wicked ways, not just say "I'm sorry" but just keep doing them.

Thankfully, He understands how hard it is. He knows we are just flesh, and that we need His heelp to cleanse this nation. He is still longsuffering toward us, and just waiting for us to turn our hearts toward Him; then, he can be the one to point us int he right direction.

the next post - as long as nothing else intervenes - will discuss one place they are trying to have revival, and also a warning of how we need to pray the devil not counterfeit it. For now, however, just remember that God wants to heal our land. he is always waiting with open arms, just like the father of the Prodigal Son.

The question is, are we willing to answer the call. Not so we can just change overnight, but so the Lord can change hearts once we trust Him to forgive and save us. Only then will He pour out His Holy Spirit and convict people of sin and bring more people to Him and give them that perfect peace, love, comfort, wisdom, etc. he offers to all who trust Him.

it doesn't have to be millions at once praying. But, it does take consistent prayer, with people praying like peter and John in Acts 4-5 that the Lord would intervene and move in the nation despite what leaders want, because we ought to obey God rather than men. And, when you look at the fruits of the Spirit (Gal.5:22-23) you see that against such there is no law.

So, let us go tot he Lord in prayer and seek His protection regardless of what leaders want. They have tried to remove Jesus from public discourse. Let us pray and call on the Lord to return, not jsut by saying Merry Christmas, but by actively seeking the Lord and turning from our sins ourselves, being the kind, peaceful, tenderhearted, temperate(self-controlled), meek(power under control), wise, joyful, etc. people he calls us to be. Not by our own strength, but by Him working in us.

Only then can we - in the Lord's strength - bring about change and end the oppression in this country.

What we stand for, not just against

It can be easy to forget to show what we are for if we spend so much time attacking sin - there must be positive messages, too; especially in this era where there is so much criticizing in our attack culture, instead of forgiving and loving, being thankful for what we have. It is that thankfulness and encouragement which we should be using to combat our attack culture, instead of some of the things we do. I'll link to several half-hour radio programs which will hopefully encourage you, too.

(If you prefer reading, you could even read a fun "Full House fanfic (what one writer saw as the best 200th episode if they'd have a 9th season) here if you want, it got a great compliment about how it presents the Gospel and what Christians believe.)

Of course, the last post and a number of others were needed because we, as a nation, must repent of our sins for the last 400 years, not just 40. However, in being light to a dark world, we must shine our lights so that God may be glorified, through how we care for others, help them through things, bear their burdens, and so on as Jesus commands: "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven."(Matt. 5:16) Not so people can see what we are against, but what we are for. God wants us to be edifying - building others up - and the world needs positive things.

We're not perfect - Christians are all still growing closer to Christ. Salvation is an instant event,(Rom.10:9-10,13; Acts 16:31; etc.) but sanctification  is a process. (This is why one must beware of modern Bible versions that use the Alexandrian text, modern texts do things like changing 1 Peter 2:2 to make it sound like you grow in your salvation when the King James, from the original Antiochan texts, show clearly growth is through he Word of God and is only in one's sanctification. This page gives a great description of sanctification and shows it's different from salvation.)

We are human, and thus still sinners saved by grace. If a person who says they are saved doesn't show any fruits of the Spirit, they might not be saved, but they also might be saved and simply struggle for a variety of reasons; including only slowly grow because of things from their background that stunt them, too. While we each must participate in resisting temptation, ultimately we must humbly accept God's guidance in doing so, since we can't do it on our own. God is the one who keeps us saved.(John 10:28-30,Romans 8:36-3,Jude 24,etc.)

Also, anyone can lie and say they are Christian just like I could lie and say I am the king of Belgium, and yet whatever I do has nothing to with what the real king Belgium is like. Jesus says we'll be known by our fruits, we should be known by our love, etc..So,one should look at God's Word for the truth.

One thing we know from His Word is that God is gracious, loving, and personal. He desires a relationship with each of us. He manifests Himself in three ways, but this is just like me saying I am legally blind, male, and of medium build. Three attributes, one person Jesus is God in flesh, as shown here and here, among other places. The Holy Spirit is also God. That's why the Word is so important, and why the term "begotten" in John 3:16 is so meaningful. It means a perfect likeness, having all the attributes; Jesus as the Son of God is like the Arabic Ibn, not Walad, because it does not imply physical relations. Jesus is Son of God and also God in flesh; He just manifested Himself as a person because he had to become man to die to take the punishment for our sins. Yet because he was also God, He was sinless and He could rise from the dead, His resurrection shows we are free from the penalty of sin once we trust Him and call on Him to save us..(Note - that is a different link, there are 2 shows on the resurrection)

God's grace is full and free. We can't do anything to earn or deserve it.Just as we can't keep ourselves saved, we can't do anything to earn our way to Heaven, because it is "by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast."(Eph.2:8-9) This is why true, Biblical Christianity(as opposed to the traditions some churches have) is all inclusive. God's gift is free and full for everyone, no matter what - good people by the world's standards and people who have messed up, because if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new."(2 Cor.5:17)

That person, like the Apostle Paul, who trusts in Christ has the Spirit in them and the holy Spirit will constantly work in them to turn them toward the things of God and away from sin. They must fight that temptation, but the Lord will be there to continually help,guide,comfort,etc. He will give wisdom whenever a person asks. And, that person will eventually go to heaven where there can be no sin - it'll be impossible for them to sin in heaven because Jesus will change them and they won't have the flesh nature anymore.

Christians are to be ambassadors for Christ. We see more and more signs that the world is spinning out of control, and we must show who He is to a world searching for answers. our home is Heaven, but we are here to save sinners from a lost and dying world. WE should participate in making things better, but ultimately, we must realize this isn't our final home. .  I don't know if you've ever thought about how our closest allies felt about Watergate - this article provides a glimpse into British thought. Ambassadors of friendly nations tend to be reserved when it comes to internal problems, but a nation powerful enough to help will certainly offer to help whenever there is a natural disaster. Just like we must help others when the disasters caused by man's sin hurt them.

(Speaking of which, the first of this series (why there is suffering) on Apologetics does a great job of discussing why bad things happen. Also, you will enjoy shows 2, 3, 4, and 5.

God will never leave or forsake a believer.(Heb.13:5) he will discipline - just like He disciplined His people Israel when they kept wandering from Him, including following false gods and doing horrible thigns like sacrificing children to the false god Molech. God will again deal with Israel as His chosen nation one day, and almost all Bible scholars believe that 1948, when Israel became a nation again, was the starting point to where God would eventually do this during the Tribulation.

Here are five shows on the Millennium, and before that the End Times, showing God still loves Israel - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

There are others, of course, at this page, including a summary of each show. Speaking of man's ways versus God, for instance, here are 4 shows on how Catholicism strays from Biblical salvation and other Bible doctrines. 1, 2, 3, 4. The truth is told in love in every show, as with others where false doctrines are exposed, with the intent to share Christ's love and forgiveness as it is shown in the Bible. These have been linked here as excellent shows where doctrines are discussed if you, the reader, wish to listen.

So, why do some Christians focus so much on attacking? Part of it is human nature, and the general attack culture we have, whereas Jesus says to love one's enemies, and the Bible says a soft answer turneth away wrath. Part of it is that social media increases the temptation to just lash out rather than construct a well-reasoned discussion and explain one's points and listen to counterpoints. Part of it is that we don't trust God to be the one to change people who are engaging in certain sins. However, we can't change others, we must rely on the Lord to work in their hearts. And, part of it is that in some areas - like the way some people used to bash lefthandedness - we don't understand that the Bible doesn't label certain thigns as sins, we just do because of that sin nature.

So, I'm sorry if some have acted too judgmental. Just remember that God's Word is the key, not what people say, and in it we are all called to be saved and then to go out and tell others about that wonderful saving grace. And, as clumsy as I am in doing it, hopefully I have reached someone. Finally, if you want to ask more questions, you can not only e-mail that ministry site, you can talk (well, type) with a volunteer at a site like www.Godlife.com/gospel.com or, in Spanish, here.

Finally, this may become part of a post in the ministry's blog I do, in case you see this elsewhere I figured I'd better edit this and let you know why it looks familiar.

Repenting not just for what we've done, but failed to do

I've said numerous times that we failed to preach against racism as much as we should have. One major example I use is that evolution is a racist theory, whereas the Bible says we are all one race and all equal before God, there are no differences between us. So, we could have used that fact to refute evolution. Instead, some selfishly used evolution to support unbiblical, ungodly thinking.

That, however is only one of the things we have failed to preach, and while one could debate which is worse, it may not be the worst. So, whereas before I have spoken of how we as human beings are sinners and need to repent for the things we have done, this post talks about how there are things we have neglected through our history, and that neglect has caused us to need to repent and call on Jesus Christ to forgive us and save us.

Of course, the important thing is to share that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. God provided Himself the Lamb to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, because only a perfect, sinless sacrifice could take away our sins. There is no other name given under Heaven by which man must be saved, except Jesus Christ.

One must still, when talking with someone one on one, try to understand what they have been going through, just like Jesus did with the woman at the well. Even when preaching, one must speak the truth in love and not consistently attack people. There is enough of that from the terrorists like those who attacked Paris, and we must show that God is different. He is a God of love. He gained followers by giving his life. Giving it for all of us.

One is to preach the whole counsel of God, indeed we are all to go into sllthe world and share the Gospel. And yet, while people denounce violence and terror by others, and some work on their own to protect the weak, there has been little preaching that I have ever heard which blasts domestic violence.

Yes, you will hear ministers declare that Eve came from Adam's side, not from his head or foot. But, we fail miserably to proclaim that the fruits of the spirit - including gentleness, goodness, temperance (self control) and so on - apply within the family, to, and in fact it is even more vital with those one loves to exercise kindness and tender heartedness. Yes, one of the requirements of a deacon or pastor is that he be no striker, that he not be the kind to hit someone in anger. But this should be true of everyone.

We have failed in other areas too. Often, we get so worried about things like jobs we fail to notice immigrants are here and need Jesus. Are some here illegally? Yes, but you know what? We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are all guilty of breaking God's law. We deserve hell, but God and His mercy came to this world to save us from our sins by dying on the cross to take our punishment, then he rose victoriously from the dead. 

We must reach these people in our Samaria, and do so humbly. Then - as someone who gets saved is a new creature and then becomes discipled and grows in Christ, choosing to do away with the old ways - those who are here illegally, once saved, may choose to go about things in a legal way.

Are there problems?  Yes, problems exist everywhere. We are each accountable for our own sins once we reach the age of accountability. That is, when we can understand that our sin causes to fall short of the glory of God and that we need to trust that He took punishment for our sins, calling on Him by faith to forgive us and save us.

However, we are also responsible for reaching out to others in saving them from a lost and dying world. We should also be trying to make the world a better place. That is not to be a priority above getting people saved from there sin. It is still important to God, though.

That is why so many Christians throughout history have been building hospitals, working to help the poor, and so on. Not because they are working their way to heaven, because they are doing good works to glorify God.

The purpose for this has been twofold.

First there are no doubt many things I left out as far as things that we, as Christians, should have been doing. Our identity as Christians should not be simply that we stand for certain things and don't believe in others. It should be that we are followers of Jesus Christ. We just choose to avoid sin out of thankfulness for what he has done for us.

The second purpose is to demonstrate that, because we have failed the Lord, we must repent of our sins not only in the things we have done, but what we have not done. And, we should do those things that we have failed to do, such as standing against domestic violence. And, I'll grant that I haven't been in every church so perhaps this has been preached against more than I think. (While others might say that the people in church wouldn't *need* it preached against, they generally shouldn't need drunkenness, as one example, preached against either, but many powerful sermons have been preached against the dangers of alcohol. Women and youth must be empowered to follow the Lord and be used of Him to change things, as noted in this blogged book, just as the Shunemmite woman was when her husband was emotionally absent while physically there.)

We must impress upon people that the fake manliness of our society is built on pride. Remember, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. A leader must not be egotistical, thinking they are better than others, but a leader must instead be loving and compassionate and always putting others first, and realizing that because they have power they must exercise responsibility and not use it in a mean way. After all, that's what meekness is, power under control. There is never any reason to use power to use threats, intimidation, etc. to force lover, spouse, girlfriend, or anyone else to do something, and even discipline of children must be in love, with tenderness, mercy, gentleness, etc. - again those fruits of the Spirit.

God doesn't force us to love Him - He loves us and shows it so we will choose to love Him.

So, what I share with others the need to repent of our sins not only for those we have committed, but for our feelings as a people. And God promises that if we repent and turn back to Him, and plead for our nation to be healed, and turn from their wicked ways, He will heal our land.

Why God's justice & God's love, not man's, in seeking justice or else

I'll be honest, I don't watch TV news anymore; too much violence, too many mean people, etc.. Radio & Internet are enough.

So, I wanted to comment on a recent Million Man March I missed till the day of it, but one of the slogans on Twitter and probably elsewhere, "Justice or Else," caught my eye and it inspired this blog post, which will - as I disclosed with another - in the event someone should read both - likely go on our inner city ministry's blog with very similar wording.

We must seek to make sure the justice system runs fairly, but there are reasons why we must pray and let God deal with the details instead of we ourselves.

The phrase "Justice or Else" reminds me of numerous Psalms, one I've quoted here - "Why dot he heathen rage" from Psalm 2 - and a number of others. There is so much evil in the world, and racism is one of the biggest human rights issues. It's so sad, because we're all one race - the human race. Racism is just an excuse invited by people to selfishly try to get their way, ignoring the fact we are all equal in the eyes of God - man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart.(1 Sam. 16:7)

This problem, however, shows why justice from man, woman, or any person, is not as good as God's justice. We all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.(rRom .3:23)

I have one example I use in a context showing why we must repent ourselves - perhaps to regular readers I use it too often, but here it will at least seem a little different. It is that of being cut off in traffic. We often criticize the person who did so without bothering to think that they may have a loved one in the hospital who has just been hurt seriously and who they are worried may be dying. Of course, it would be wrong to try to seek justice or revenge on a person who is rushing frantically to see a possibly dying loved one. Yet, in our selfishness as people, we end up doing so if only our justice is used. I read, for example, of a horrible case of a woman chastising a man who had just come out of the hospital after his little boy had just passed away. All she could think about in her selfishness was the fact he tripped over a purse and kicked it. Here for more worries on his mind and her job was to simply forgive and not pay attention. At the most, she could have said in a kind way,"Uh, you just tripped over my purse." Then if she did, she would have had the moral duty to listen politely while he lamented on his terrible loss.

We are all guilty, myself included, of jumping to conclusions and being too upset at someone, not knowing the pain they were feeling. (It's harder for me because with my handicaps I can't see there gestures as well to know if something might be a problem, so I try a lot harder to be nice, but I'm still human.) This is why we should not be thinking we must have justice on others in a rash manner, but must look at our own selves first and, then, seek the Lord. He states several times that vengeance is His, and that He will repay. He'll do a much better job than we ever could.

Why? God knows our hearts. He knows what each of us is thinking at any time. "You know my thoughts afar off," as part of Psalm 139 says. He knows exactly when we should have compassion on someone and when we should seek justice. He knows who is hurting terribly and who may realize they have done something wrong but just needs us to kindly speak to them and show forgiveness. And, he knows what needs a tough response.

America has had a lot of horrible things go on in its history. I've always said, we need to repent not just for the last 40 years, but the last four hundred years of our history. It could be argued that God's justice is deserved, but we also need to remember God's mercy.

The Bible shows God is love many times. Even when his people turned from Him so much, even as they crucified Him, He cried out, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."(Luke 23:34) I don't have time to get into great detail, but the Godhead(explained a bit more here) is how God manifests Himself in three ways, just as I might say, "I am a legally blind male, I am a baseball fan, I am such and such height." One person, three attributes.(Here is another good site to explain some questions Muslims have about the Bible, etc. Or, you can visit here and click that you make a decision or not and get connected to talk to someone personally.)

So, one of the big names of God is love. He is a very personal God who desires a personal relationship with each of us. He wants to give us justice. However, it's delayed sometimes because, first, sometimes His divine justice contains so much wrath against sin many innocents would die unless He waited and gave people time to repent; and, second, we ourselves need to get right with God and He is waiting on us.

Jesus made full atonement for us on the cross when He died, then rose from the dead. This way, punishment was handed out for our sins, and yet He also showed His mercy. Since Jesus was God in flesh, He went to the cross willingly for each of us. It is our job to share that mercy and grace and love with others.

When we don't Romans 12:20-21 says it's as if we heap burning coals on their forehead when we have been forgiving and they have continued to be defiant instead of ending the terrible oppression of this world.

You can see, then, how that divine mercy plays out. This doesn't mean America is off the hook, of course. But, that is because one must trust Jesus Christ to forgive them and save them first. And, in the same way, this country must repent. That means each of us.

What is Repentance and How do I do it?

When we repent, we are simply agreeing with God that our sins dispease Him and then turning away from those sins by accepting that He took the punishment for those sins. Nobody else could do so becasue all of us are iperfect. Only Jesus couldbe the perfect sacrifice because only He is perfect.

So, repenting of our sins and trusting Jesus Christ to forgive us is vital for a personal relationship with God. Then, we can pray anytime, anywhere, about anythign, we aren't limited by any strict rules. God comes to live in each beleiver through the Holy Spirit in this age of Grace.

It's as easy as ABC, one might say - Admit you're a sinner and don't deserve His perfect heaven, where there's no pain, no suffering, no tears, none can imagine the wonders; Believe Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for your sins and rose fromt he dead; and, call on His to save you and turn from your sins, trusting Him to make you new inside. You're only a single,s incere prayer of repentance away from eternal life - and that life starts the moment you believe. You can pray something like this, knowing the words don't save you, it has to be your own words from your heart asking Him to save you. "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner, I know you died to take the punishment for my sins so I could go to Heaven, because I can't make it myself. Lord Jesus, come into my heart and save me, I turn from my sins and trust you to make me new, to give me the "want to" to follow and serve you and to not sin. Thank you for hearing my prayer, for saving my woulk, and coming into my heart. In Jesus' name, Amen."

And, what of America's fate?

Trust the Lord to save you, and when you pray, you will be a mighty voice crying out for God to heal this land. This land really does need healed, but it is not we ourselves who can heal us. There is a spirit of decay that set in centuries ago and which only got partly fixed several tiems.

Now, America is at a crossroads. Justice is a very real need - and God is waiting. But, in the meantime, we all need His mercy becuase of our sins.Not only that, but when we do repent and trust Him by faith, he will reward us and hear those prayers. I don't know what exactly God's plan is, but He wants you as a great prayer warrior.

So, when it comes to justice, just remember, God will prevail. He has already promised it, showing how much damage will come partly becasue of man's own evil ways. Revelation bears it out - the devil's time is short and he wants to cause as much destruction as possible.  So, justice will be done.

It's important to remember God's divine mercy, too, so we ourselves can be saved and we can share that mercy with others. Becasue, in times past many people pretended to know God but didn't. But, He still exists and He wants to be part of you, guiding, helping, comforting, and so much more as He has me for 25 years and counting, and for as long as the Lord tarries His return.

Receive God's free gift, plus what to do if many disappear, you are left behind?

There may be many blogs like this, written before the disappearance of millions all at once. This video is the best summary I can find. It may not happen for quite a while. I don't know what all people will have to endure before then - especially if America is judged as some feel it will be. This is why this is being written to everyone.

Such disappearances have not happened as of this writing.

However, if millions disappear, this must go viral in every social media imaginable..Same with that first link above.

God makes some covenants without us having to do anything. He promises "by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest anyone should boast."(Eph.2:8-9) You must only receive it, and "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."(Rom.10:13)

Saved from what? The penalty of sin. We're not perfect. We've each said, though, or done bad things that displease God; lying, stealing, being mean, etc.. Not everyone commits all sins, but all have sinned.

That sin separates us from God. God made this world perfect, without any sin, pain, suffering, etc, but by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, so that death passed unto all men, for that all have sinned.(Rom.5:12) That sin nature we all have is because of man's free will. And, God can't let any sin into His perfect Heaven.

But, God wants us to go there. His first words to the first sinners were "Where art thou?"(Gen.3:9) He was calling out to them to come repent so He could forgive them, instead of hiding from Him. He promised to make a way for each person to be forgiven by simple faith.

Then, He did. He came to this world as a man, Jesus Christ, and lived a perfect life. He died to take the punishment for your sins and rose fromt he death so you could get to Heaven.

it's as easy as ABC - Admit you're a sinner and fall short of God's perfection; Believe Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for your sins and rose fromt he dead; and, Call on Him to save you, Choosing to turn from your sins and invite Him into your life to make you new inside and cleanse you.

You can talk to God right now in fact. the words alone aren't what saves you. Jesus saves you when you call on Him by faith to forgive and save you. "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner and don't deserve your perfect Heaven. I believe you died in my place so I could be saved, and you then rose from the dead. Lord Jesus, come into my heart and save me. Make me new inside and forgive me for all my sins. In Jesus' name, Amen."

You can visit here at Godlife for more on spiritual growth, etc.. Here is that simple plan of salvation; aqui en espanol y otros(and others). Aqui (or the first one in English) to scroll down, click on a decision, and receive Next Steps & 30 Day Guide; aqui is the start of the Look to Jesus series..

Of course, we aren't in the End Times right now, but JD Farag's updates are great at sharing why we may be close to the Tribulation period. However, regardless of how close we are, we are told not to worry about it but to simply be aware of the signs of the times(just like when you can tell a storm is coming) and otherwise to "occupy till He comes."(Luke 19:13) This means to share the Gospel, grow in Christ and help others grow, and essentially to do His work and be the light and salt of this world.

In the meantime, it's a good idea to have things set aside for those left behind whenever that happens. This video is a perfect summary of what to do. It's for a pre-Tribulation rapture. Please copy the link and have it stored away just in case.

His covenants with Abraham and his seed(Gen. 12:1-3,etc.) are examples of promises God makes where we don't have to do anything but call on Him by faith, just as Abraham trusted God and it was counted to him for righteousness. This doesn't mean he was perfect. It means he had trusted in God's future salvation, which would come through Messiah, Jesus; just like Adam and Eve had at the beginning, when God had cried out for them to come to Him and receive that forgiveness by faith and as everyone else who had trusted Him by faith.

 The Tribulation period - called the "Time of Jacob's troubles" in the Book of Jeremiah - is for the nation of Israel to be dealt with as God's chosen people again. This is why most scholars believe the Church will not be present during the Tribulation period; that and the fact God has not appointed us to wrath. It's always good to be ready for anything, though - especially since there are some who believe they are saved but aren't becasue they are trusting in being a church member or something else, not in Jesus Christ. So, anyone reading this after the Tribulation period starts who thinks, "Wait, why was I left behind," call on Jesus Christ to save you NOW!

It's vital to know Jesus Christ as Saviour first, That must be heart knowledge, not just head knowledge. Just calling oneself a Christian doesn't matter. This is because Jesus Christ died to take the punishment for your sins, he is God in flesh. He stepped out of His home in Heaven to live a perfect live and die for us, the just for the unjust, because our sin keeps us from God's perfect heaven. He bridged the gap between us and God, so  you could have that relationship with God restored. (Here is a good PDF explanation, this a good short video, and this a good written summary to explain it.)

It's not about anything you do, for it is "by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."(Eph.2:8-9)
 
You don't have to know what all your sins are right away, when Jesus saves you He begins a good work in you(Phil 1:6) that will keep going till you get to Heaven. You become a new creature in Him.(2 Cor. 5:17) But, your flesh nature will still battle the Spirit in you.That's why it's vital to be filled with (controlled) by the Holy Spirit, which is God's promise that He will keep you saved.

That's why I'm going into all this now. Because, Salvation is just like that covenant above. It's a free gift(Rom. 6:23), all you have to do is receive it by simple faith, and He is able to keep you saved.(John 10:28-30,Rom.8:36-39,Jude 24, etc.)

We are in the Age of Grace as I write this. God will still save people afterward, but the conditions will be very different. There is horrible persecution in some places now, but overall it's much easier than it will be during the Tribulation period. So, please, if you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour by faith along in Christ alone, do so now so you can go to Heaven. Because, nobody can promise you one more minute of life.

Reading this after millions have disappeared

If you read this after millions have vanished, what's above is vital about being saved from your sin.

However, it will be much more difficult for you to live, and in fact you will most likely die a martyr's death.

The penalty for sin is still the same - spiritual death and separation from God forever ina  horrible place called Hell which was only meant for the devil and his angels. However,God will start to pour out His wrath on this fallen world because of the sin in it. It's like when you're caught out in a driving rainstorm without a covering, and everything gets soaked.

Here is a good longer summary of what will happen. Raptureready also has a bunch of good stuff, including "Left Behind Letters" for others. This is also very good - I'd trust Terry Malone's videos, since they go just on what the Bible says and call speculation just that. This summarizes a few things about Terry's Tribulation Survival Guide.

These are very important because we don't know exactly how certain things will happen. We do know that God is always right, though. When Israel was founded in 1948 miraculously, people figured television was how 2 witnesses would be look upon by the whole world after they were slain in Jerusalem. In the 1990s, it was computers and webcams. Then, it was cell phones and as of this writing, something called Periscope has become a popular app which lets people observe everything another is doing in real time. Who knows for the future.

The main point is to never, *never*, NEVER  take the mark of the beast. The one-world system will make you swear allegiance to it - either to the system or to the person - and nobody will be able to buy or sell without the mark. It may be voluntary at first but will eventually be mandatory. Remember that you will seal your fate if you take this mark - you will be swearing allegiance to the devil himself and sentencing yourself to a devils hell forever. Some people ask how a loving God could send someone there, but there you can see that He is not the one sending people there, they choose t6o go, and right here you can see in Revelation that He warns you specifically not to do it.

(I should note that the King James, which was the Bible in English for 250 years, says this mark will be in the hand or forehead, modern ones say on - well, just make sure you don't take either, to be safe. These "modern Bibles" are from the Alexandrian texts, which are corrupted from the earlier Antiochan ones. similarly, Daniel 9:27 in the King James and the original Hebrew of Srong's Concordance says the antichrist will confirm a covenant with many, instead of simply making one, a term which implies strengthening it. But,the important part is, that there will be a 7-year covenant signed, and the antichrist will break this covenant with Israel halfway through.))

The wonderful thing about the Internet is that many people can view videos(like the one above and this, a more specific one with much specifics and 1-2 bits of speculation that we don't understand the exact meaning though we know what will happen, like a covenant with many with the antichrist), etc. which tell about it. You can help others to understand. Share this blog, videos, these pages, etc., with everyone.

PS: here is something like what's on some of those sites. Check out the Left Behind Letters at raptureready also. Below is a great summary of more Bible verses, etc..

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YOU HAVE BEEN LEFT BEHIND

     If you are reading this letter, chances are that you were trying to find us after millions of people have disappeared. This has been left behind in the hope that whoever finds it may know what has happened. I really hope that you will repent and turn to GOD right now. This letter may seem harsh, but it is written with love. You may or may not have any religious background, but now is probably a good time to catch up. Jude 1:21‑23 says; "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference,and others save with fear, pulling [them] out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh."

     I think it is safe to say that all bets are off now and that those left behind need to be pulled from the fire of God's coming wrath.

     I will say right away, that whatever the media or world leaders are saying, most likely it does not point to the awesome power of the one true GOD of heaven and earth. Make no mistake friend; this was the long awaited "RAPTURE" of the true church of Jesus Christ. Look around for a moment. Everyone missing was a true Christian. Not a churchgoer or just a good person, but only those who believed in Jesus Christ and His blood alone being the atonement for our sins.

 I Corinthians 15:51‑53 states; "Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality."

 Again, I Thessalonians 4:14‑17 says; "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

     There are many other scriptures related to the events that have occurred, but most importantly, there are quite a few that you need to know about what is going to happen now. My intention here is to give you a briefing on just that. Of course, there is no way that I could know exactly what the impact has been on the earth since our disappearance, but I can say that there is probably great fear among all those left behind.

     There has always been a debate over the Rapture being true doctrine. The debate is now over. Be especially alert to the fact that the religious leaders and possibly the televangelists may be saying that only the carnal Christians were taken to be judged. This is NOT true! You may be told that aliens took us... this is NOT true! This link is around 2 hours long, but it's a video from December, 2011 that talks about how demonic creatures may appear from other realms pretending to be aliens, but THEY ARE NOT. that link, starting at about 29 minutes, starts talking about string theory and why there are multiple dimensions we can't see. Starting about 1 hour in, you'll hear the connection Genesis 6 and the Nephilim.

     You may even hear that mankind has made some type of evolutionary leap or you have all been changed to gods.... This is absolutely NOT true.  There is still only one true GOD!

     The New Age movement people may be saying that "the christ" is coming, or has come. They may say that all those that believed in just one god, were taken to the karma plain by the 'ascended masters' for re‑education. This is also NOT true!

     NOTE: THE 'CHRIST' THAT THEY REFER TO IS NOT JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, BUT A CHRIST CONSCIOUSNESS OR EMBODIMENT OF SOMEONE.

     If this is way off, forgive me. These were just some of the lies being told by Satan in the world before the Rapture and I can only guess that one or maybe even all of them are being propagated right now. You must know that the deception being unleashed on the world now has been foretold in the Bible over thousands of years ago. II Thessalonians 2:6‑12 states; "And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way. And then shall

that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: [Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness

in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

     The Church, the salt of the earth, the restraining of sin by the Holy Spirit, has been removed for the plan of GOD to come to completion and the righteous judgment on all of mankind. Satan will now be able to make his last stand against GOD and his last attempt to draw as many into

worship of himself (and into hell with him) as he can. A leader will rise up among you as foretold in the books of Daniel and Revelation as well as other areas of the Bible. He will seem to have all the answers to the world's problems and he will speak great things. The Bible calls him the Antichrist or the wicked one, the son of perdition, etc..... The main idea is that if you see someone rising up to power like this, or someone has risen to power like this, do not follow him. He will be standing for peace and harmony and may solve the conflicts around the world in an effort to band together humanity.  He will take a special interest in the Nation of Israel and bring peace

to the Middle East.

     The book of Daniel foretold well over 2500 years ago that this time would come.  Daniel 9: 24‑27 "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in

everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, [that] from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, and threescore and two

weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troubled times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

     The 70 weeks that are referred to are known as the "seventy seven's". A week is defined as one seven year period. That would make 490 years total until the end of the world. Obviously 490 years passed without an end. Here is the reason why. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, came into Jerusalem riding a donkey exactly 483 years from the command to rebuild Nehemiah's Temple. Then he was crucified and buried. After three days, He rose again and ascended into heaven. He came and shed His blood for the sins of the world and promised that He would return one day for all those who accepted His free gift of salvation.

     Now that only covers 483 years of the prophecy. What happened to the last 7 years or the "seventieth week"? You see, GOD's prophetic timeclock, if you will, stopped when Jesus entered into Jerusalem and it had been widely known that it would start again after the Rapture of the

Bride of Christ.  Jesus prophesied that the temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed after He left. This happened in 70 A.D. by the Romans. Daniel was prophesied to that "the people of the prince to come" would destroy the temple. The prince to come is the Antichrist. It was widely held that he would rise out of the European Union (the revived Roman Empire) or maybe the UN, but you will have to be alert now to where he is actually coming from. Be especially attentive to the One World Religious system that is being "put together for the good of mankind". Revelation 17 and 18 will illuminate this prophecy for you. The Antichrist will most likely be lifted up by the religious system of the day, thereby making him look holy or pure.

     Daniel 8:23 describe him as "A king of fierce countenance" and say that "he shall understand dark sentences" (meaning mysteries of the occult). Read verses 23‑25 very closely. At any rate, he will make/strengthen a 7 year peace covenant with Israel and after 3 and a half years he will break it. Revelation 13 depicts him as a great beast rising out of the sea (an idiom for the world), then he will be wounded in the head or possibly killed. He will seemingly be 'resurrected' and the world will marvel after him. Then he will proclaim himself to be GOD and demand that he be worshipped by all the people of the world. This will occur in the rebuilt temple of Israel.

     You see, Satan ultimately wants to destroy the Jews, God's chosen people, and then the Christians. We believed that Satan would actually indwell him at that point, only you will know now.  No Jew or Christian will bow down to him and that will begin a period of horror on the earth that has never been before. Read Matthew 24, Luke 21, Revelation specifically 6, 12, 13, for more on this. The last 3 and a half years of his reign will be pure terror. Hitler was a great guy compared to what this man will do. He will require some kind of mark on or in the forehead or right hand in order to buy or sell.  Really, this will just be a sign of allegiance to him.

     Revelation 20:4 states; “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received

[his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

     Unfortunately, you will have to make a choice between GOD and Satan. If you take the Mark of the Beast, you will be damned forever. Many of you will be murdered by his followers, because you stand for Jesus Christ.  Revelation 7:13‑14 says; "And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." You will, in effect, be the ones who come to salvation out of the tribulation period.

     Now I don't want to get real cosmic or anything, but as I said before, only you know what is happening on the earth now. There may be mass UFO sightings or landings. The media and the government did an excellent job of desensitizing the public over the years. One of the prevailing views before the rapture, was that UFO's and aliens would probably be "the great lie" spoken of in II Thessalonions. My point is, don't believe anything that is being fed to the world through the media or the government. Cling to Jesus Christ and his saving work of atonement on the cross for your sins. Romans 10:13 says; "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Call upon his name now, you may not have another chance!

     You need to find other people who now believe in Jesus Christ. Study the Bible, learn everything you can about what is coming to come on the earth. GOD is about to judge the earth and purge the sin from it.

     We have gone to the Wedding Feast spoken of in Revelation 19. We will come back with Jesus when he sets up His Kingdom and reign with him for a thousand years. If you never believed any of this before, my prayer is that now you will.

     This is a rather long passage but it needs to be put forth. Luke 12:35‑48 states the following; "Let your loins be girded about, and [your] lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and

knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed [are] those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second

watch, or come in the third watch, and find [them] so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom [his] lord shall make ruler over his household, to give [them their] portion of meat in due season?  Blessed [is] that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not [himself], neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many [stripes]. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more."

     Let the Holy Spirit speak to you about this passage. I believe that if you are still here, He is doing just that. Prepare to open up the door immediately to Jesus when He returns from the wedding feast with all His saints.

     There is no way that I could cover everything that is going to happen.  You will have to seek GOD and read the Bible for your instructions  concerning this period in which you are entering. I hope this letter is a fire that burns throughout the land now.  Make copies and get them to everyone you can. All of us are with the Father and we pray that you will join us. May the Holy Spirit come in power and save the perishing during these final hours of human history

     "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to

come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:7‑8