Jesus is near, even if eclipse not a warning, so share the Good News

I've blogged before about whether America would soon be judged. Some feel it already is being judged, of course. The major eclipse on the 21st may not be a sign of doom - but many other things show that we need to return to God, anyway. We must do more, so people know what we're for, not just against, and see God's love in us.

In fact, if you can't do any more, this post should be spread everywhere, in every social media, even if that's all you can do, but there are so many ways to rescue people from evil that we see all around us.

Jesus warns of signs in the Heavens making people very fearful - He doesn't say the signs will *cause* anything, but that the terror will be part of the End Times. We may not have 40 days from the eclipse till judgment as some believe, but we could have only 40 minutes, we don't know when the Lord will return.

How do we prepare?

1. Get Your Heart Right

We must repent, as I've said in various posts, not just what we've done, but what we've failed to do.

Young people can do so much good.You can let the Lord use you even to be the leader of your family, as I wrote in this free blog book and encourage everyone to share.

You are only a single sincere prayer of repentance away from a personal relationship with God who will be that constant guide, comforter, Helper, and friend we all need now, the start of eternal life. 

It is single. Only one time you need to call on Him to save you from your sins, and to make you new inside, then you will be reconciled to him.

It must be sincere. You must truly want Him to save you from the penalty of your sins, which is separation from him forever any horrible place where there is no love or compassion, it is all evil and pain.

And, it must involve repentance. It's as easy as admit, believe, and choose.

Admit you are a sinner, and don't deserve his perfect heaven. Believe Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for your sins and rose from the dead. And, call on him to save you, choosing to let him forgive you and make you new inside.

You can pray something like this. "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I'm not perfect and I don't deserve your perfect Heaven where there is no pain, no suffering. But, I know you died to take the punishment for my sins and rose from the dead. I believe you Lord Jesus are God in flesh and you made a way for me to have that eternal life and peace that passes understanding, with a relationship with you starting now so you can use me to make a difference here. Lord Jesus, I call on you with all my heart to save me and make me new inside. Forgive me Lord, and come work in me so I can be more loving and everything Christ-like. In Jesus name, amen."

You know we can't do it ourselves. This world has too much evil in it. But, we can trust God. You can call and God will answer and move in your situation and community once you know Him. Maybe not exactly the way you want it but according to his perfect plan. And, he is not willing that any should perish but all come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9.

Young people often have hearts more ready to hear of God's love and forgiveness. 

God is personal and wants to help you understand Him. People may have told you different but they have an agenda to control you. They want to make you think like them and feel you're just an animal. However, God gives you freedom to choose Him. We don't do it because we have to. We follow Him and His love and commandments because we want to, out of devotion for what he did for us.

That means letting God the Holy Spirit move in our lives once we have trusted him as Savior. You can go here to learn more but this aloen will help, too.

2. Let the Holy Spirit Move You

Of course, we can't command the Spirit, and we must pray the devil not counterfeit things, as I posted here with a prayer a while back. So, we can't ask God to move ehings for selfish reasons - which connects back to having your heart right above. However, when we step out in faith with our hearts right, the Spirit will lead.  We must beware of the Great Deception, as I posted about a few places.

However, we can trust God the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and in others when we pray and are filled with his guidance and put on the whole armor of God and bear more and more fruit of the Holy Spirit and be filled (controlled by) His Spirit..

God wants to move, but we have quenched the Spirit by ignoring God.  And, we are told we must avoid quenching the Spirit. This quenching is what has caused fires of revival to die, just like throwing water on a fire to quench it.

So, you could say that we have so many problems in this world, with racism growing worse when we are all one (I've posted numerous times, such as this, on how to unite and let God end such evil), with mean people still hurting others, with so many turning away from what is right, because we have quenched the Holy Spirit. We, being the church.

We have refused to be Christ-like. We spend too much time criticizing and complaining and not showing the love that Jesus showed. Yes, we must tell the truth about sin but we must tell it in love, showing that there is a Saviour who can make them new and change them so there "want to," changes, so they desire much better things than they have been chasing after, eternal things, so they want to follow what is right.

We must edify one another  and ensure that we, too, want those better, eternal things so people can't see a difference in us. So we can focus on our home in heaven and not wealth or power or control or this country or anything that will pass away.

The fruit of the spirit, in Galatians chapter 5 verses 22 and 23, show what we should have.

3. Trust the Lord to grow His fruit in you

Love is unconditional love that can only come from the Lord. Family love is very strong but even that is breaking down nowadays. God's unconditional love will give you all that you ever need and fill all the holes in your heart left by people who have disappointed you.

You can find joy and perfect peace in the good things in life, not tear others down. This is why the Bible says to edify one another, we should be building them up so they can know they don't have to turn to the raunchy and mean lifestyle and don't have to follow or heed such awful things.

There cannot be true goodness if we are just animals. And yet, there is good in this world.

There is so much good out there, so many people doing things with altruistic motives that it must be that God created us. He created everything, this world had no sin in it when it was formed.

By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so that death passed on to all men for that all have sinned. Romans 5:12

God gives us freedom to choose to follow him, as noted before, so that we don't have to do good, we get to do good.

That includes being gentle with others, being slow to anger, not showing the wrath of man because it will never produce the righteousness of God. James 1:20. That is also where meekness comes from. Meekness is power under control, using self control which is temperance, another gift of the Holy Spirit.

That self-control is important because we are also to be long-suffering, that is to be patient. We must not keep jumping at each other's throats, but talk cordially. That friendliness is something that is lost so much nowadays because we have turned away from the Lord and quenched the Spirit.

We must have faith that God can provide. We must turn to Him in faith, because Hebrews 11:6 says He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He will bring that Revival when His people turn to him and call on Him for help, knowing that we can't do it ourselves.

There are other things, such as Ephesians 4:32. Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. That is something which comes from the fruit of the Spirit as well, as does thankfulness, grace, mercy, all those other things which God wants to give us freely and where we should not be quenching the Holy Spirit. Only if we stop quenching it can God give us freely.

That means turning away from the idols of this world, things we put ahead of God, and following Him. If we give those things we treasure over to God, He will use that for His glory and could give them back so that we can use them for His glory.

4. Pray without ceasing

We need to not only repent and turn toward the Lord of again but we must pray consistently. I don't know if we have only 40 days, that is what some say but we could have only 40 minutes. We don't know when the Lord will return. We must pray and witness in love and give out Gospel tracts now.

Let us pray now, with a sample prayer like I have done at other times you can read and pray over so that we can turn to the Lord at this time and call on Him to save this land. Remember, of course, that the first prayer He hears is the prayer of Salvation so you must know Him personally and be right with God before turning to Him on behalf of your family, community, and country.

"Dear Lord Jesus, we realize we have quenched the Holy Spirit. We have failed to show the love and kindness and everything else you want us to show, and turned to meanness and tearing others down rather than building them up. We have followed our own ways and not yours.

"Lord, today we turn from our sins, I first repent of all I have done and said and thought wrong and I invite you to change my heart oh Lord and make me new inside.

"Lord Jesus, please come to this community of mine, my home, my family and  friends, my nation,  and revive us, we no longer want to quench the spirit, Lord we want you to flow down with your unending love and change our hearts. Lord, we need you desperately. We know that there is so much wickedness and evil and it will continue to the end, but we also know that you are full of mercy and grace and can still save. Lord, we know that your Holy Spirit still works in this world, the restrainer is still keeping back the full extent of the evil until it is time.

"So, Lord, we pray that you will work wonders first in my heart and then other's hearts, unite us as one people to accept other races especially and not to put one above another. We do not ask for physical healings and all those other things that draw attention to people. We ask for emotional and spiritual healing and change away from idols and toward you; we pray for a revival like none other. Lord, we invite you, we beg you, come to our churches, even if it is just the youth departments because they are not set in their ways yet, with all of the wickedness we have put in this world, but please come to all of us.

"Lord, we especially ask you to bring revival among the young people. May they all turn from the evil and sensualness of this world. May they share their faith and share their testimonies with Incredible boldness. May their kindness and goodness toward others be so much greater than that of the world, so that people can see there is a difference. Oh, may that Christ-like attitude be evident among your people everywhere, young and old. May an attitude of goodness and grace while standing for what is right be apparent in all of us.

"Lord Jesus, change our hearts, move in a mighty way so that true tears of repentance are flowing, so that people will truly want you at the head of their lives and make you that head, change the wicked ways of this nation and turn us toward you. May all of the young people, teenagers and younger, get saved, covered by your blood before your return, for there being led astray by such evil and they're so impressionable now, and may they share their faith and proclaim the gospel and may many souls be saved in whatever time remains. In Jesus name, amen."

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."

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.

Seek Jesus to change hearts, lives with intercessory prayer, not just "civilization"

The most recent post shared our need to return to a nation of kindness, decency, etc., and how we must all do our part. However, I wanted to use this one to caution that a Christian civilization does not mean everyone has a relationship with Christ, and that is where we have messed up.

Winston Churchill most famously used this term in his "Finest Hour" speech concerning the soon to come Battle of Britain. (The sound excerpt with that phrase is here.) Set against the backdrop of Hitler's overrunning of Europe, of course, it's easy to see the greatness of nations dedicated to Godly principles and the virtues of that freedom - in fact the story of one great prayer warrior, Rees Howells, though he had flaws in his teaching, is overall very valuable for how he prayed during that terrible conflict. However, it's also very easy to see their flaws when compared to what Jesus commands and also places such as James 5:1-7, one of numerous verses which warn against rich people taking advantage of and oppressing the poor. There were horrible examples of false pride which came from those who thought it was their way of life which should be exalted, when it fact it is Christ which must be exalted. The Bible warns of often that pride cometh before a fall, and of the danger of worshiping the creature and not the Creator.

Overall, of course, the expectations of honesty, compassion on the poor, care for the less fortunate, kindness, gentleness, and so on certainly urged some to behave that way even if they didn't want to. Indeed, given the intense violence, mayhem, greed, and so on in today's culture, one could argue that it caused many people to behave in a Godly manner even though they merely had "a form of godliness, yet denying the power thereof."(2 Tim.3:5) The difference being that whereas before, such people honored God with their lips and their actions, but didn't have Him in their hearts, in these last days (the subject of 2 Timothy 3 as, for instance, this radio show describes) they merely honor God with their lips and not even their actions.

This shows why it is necessary to have changed hearts and lives, not just changed actions. It's not too late for this nation (and world), though time may be incredibly short. However, the choice is clear.

We must start with the Church

I've noted before that the Holy Spirit works in hearts, but the purpose is to convict people of their need for a Saviour, and that Jesus Christ has taken the punishment for their sins by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. If that person is not saved, He moves in their heart to lovingly woo them to Jesus. If they are, they will realize their need to repent and turn back to Him. After all, just becasue a person has been saved doesn't mean they stop needing Jesus' guidance, comfort, peace, help, correction, etc.. We all still have that sin nature, after all.

That's the first thing the Church must realize; we can't do it all ourselves, and we are not going to bring the Kingdom by changing the world ourselves. "Christian civilization was an important, stark contract to the evils of Hitler, but it was never going to change hearts. The Holy Spirit is needed for that.

However, when people come to Christ and repent, they are conceding to God that He is able to judge right and wrong and they turn away from that sin.

This is why those who emphasize what they believe in or don't believe in have it all wrong.  That's not what should set Christians apart; Jesus says so Himself. "He who hath the Son hath everlasting life" - not "He who does these things."

Now,if your significant other is afraid of heights you aren't going to force them to skydive, and you will likely be a bit more understanding if they beg you not to do it. In fact, God might use that to save your life if he knows you would die in a terrible accident if you try. So, there are things we choose to do or not do because of our love for Him and what He has done for us. But, they are not done because we have to, but because we want to, like we don't want to get that SO so anxious by makign a death-defying skydive froma  ridiculous height.(Okay, can you tell I'd be scared to death of it? :-) )

Praying for transformed nation must be because people want it

We've seen major differences between the civilization spoken of at first and true Christianity. All point back to a focus on the outward appearance. it must be a heart and mind transformation that is sought.

That is hard in some areas. Some hearts are so hardened by the evil out there that while they might be easily swayed to trust Jesus Christ to save them, it will be hard for them to give up the intense vulgarity, anger, pain,a nd so on they have lived with their whole lives.

However, that is where we come in with how we treat them, lovingly coming alongside them and helping them. The Fruit of teh Spirit, showed in Galatians 5:22-23, has things that the Holy Spirit gives everyone, but while the Spirit is what helps them grow, it's also true that we can water while God gives the increase, just as when Paul, Apollos, and others led people to Christ at Corinth.(1 Cor.1-3) We can do that by lovingly encouraging that patience, self-control, meekness, and so on. They will see a difference and, while they might struggle, the Spirit in them will be working, becuase "He which hath begun a good work in you will be faithful to complete it."(Phi.1:6)

Thsi highlights another problem we've had, and that is not emphasizing why it's important to be kind, polite, respectful, etc. - there is so much noise out there agaisnt these and other Godly virtues. Any lust seems to be one that the world says to follow right away rather than focusing on other things.

This is where we need God to work. This is where we need to repent as a nation. GBut, even that must be done by individuals, as I mentioned Daniel doing in earlier posts.

But, some action must be done on our own, too, with God's help. These items can be divided into 3 main parts I can think of, though I'm sure there are others and subparts of these:

1. Items God let us handle but we haven't done the best. Let's face it's we're all one race, the human race. This is something people tried to show on their own in a Star Trek style of "let's jsut have everyone get along," becasue God allowed it, since churches were being really bad at ending racism. We've done okay, but as events hve shown in Charleston, Baltimore, etc., it hasn't ended the problem because it's a heart issue, and God's Holy Spirit needs to come down and bild from where we've come. But, we're okay here; this is like a 2YO who tries to dress themself and got halfway there, but pants are backward and a head and arm are in the neck hole and you have to help them a little.

2. Items where we've rebelled against God's ways. In the other direction, there are things we've gotten wrong. We have such voracious lust for money, sensual lusts, etc., that these override our senses and lead to many bad things, including eating disorders because girls think they have to look like models instead of seeing their inner beauty.  Some of this stems from a "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality which is totally unBiblical - God tells us "Be content with such things as ye have, for He hath said, 'I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.'"(Heb.13:5)  These items also include things which have come due to not focusing on things which are good, such as the many things of Philippians 4:8, or seeing the proper way to use something God created which is wonderful in its proper context, for "Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled..."(Heb.13:4) even in things where God has rules, He gives us fun choices within the rules. Just like that partner might not enjoy skydiving, but you can do other fun things together and get thrills other ways.

3. Common sense items. This is one God has to change the most, but people can start that process by encoruaging the thinking process God is needed to restore common sense to America becasue we can't do it ourselves, it requires that people begin o think about consequences, but there are so many individual examples I can't go into them all. Ending the litigious nature of society would be a big example of one that is tied to #2 on the list(ending the lust for money), whereas others are not tied to any particular one but just show a lack of thinking. The entire focus on the outward appearance insted of looking on the heart could be considered a bit of both.

Remember, it comes down to seeking God's face and repenting

It can be argued whether 2 Chronicles 7:14 is meant only for Israel or Israel and the Church, but Jeremish 18:7-10 is clearly speaking of any nation. Plus, Nineveh repented and was spared for a while when jonah preached there, and they were not Jewish. So, God is willing to forgive.

He needs us to turn to Him, though. Notice that the Laodicean Church in REvelation 3 doesn't even have Jesus in it - He is standing at the door and knocking because the people have forgotten Him.

Let's not forget Jesus. let us pray for America like never before, seeking God and turning from evil just as it says in 2 Chronicles 7:14. Remember that we must rely on the Holy Spirit to save, but that once a person has trusted Jesus Christ as Saviour, they become new on the inside and hve the right to go boldly before the throne of grace.(Heb.4:15-16)

Let us use that freedom God has give us to pray for America and to pass on the word, interceding on His behalf, and if you have never trusted Christ as your Saviour, it is very easy to do so. You're only a single, sincere prayer of repentance to Jesus Christ away from everlasting life.

Who is burning black churches? Pray God uses this to bring repentance revival

I hope this isn't too rushed, but I didn't want to wait till tomorrow when I heard that a new crisis has emerge, 1 which shows what I have said about the spiritual battle that awaits all of us. Black churches are being burned in the south.

It is with a heavy heart that I note few are talking about this like they did about Baltimore, Ferguson, etc. The devil wishes to blind us, those who are African American, and those who stand with them, though at times uncertain of how to express the agony and frustration at the Pharisees who cause us to need to repent not for the last 40 hours, not for the last 40 years, but for the last four hundred years of oppression.

I have said numerous times in this blog that the answer to our problems what is the gospel. It is simple - we are all one race, the human race, made in God's image and thus with him desiring us to fellowship freely and lovingly with each other as God created us to do before man brought sin into the world.(Gen. 3, Rom.5:12). And, His Salvation means that a person becomes a new creature in Christ.(2 Corinthians 5:17) That new creature will still struggle, like a butterfly which was a caterpillar, and is just learning to fly. But that new creature still should have a desire to put away the evil ways of the past.

Because the church has been filled with so many who have resisted that desire, it is vital that the church lead the way in repentance by turning to God and seeking His face and turning from our wicked ways. Only then does He promise to hear from Heaven and heal a land.

As I said, we have all sinned. We have all done things such as lying or being upset with that one that cuts us off in traffic, when they might be headed to the hospital to see a sick relative.(apologies to readers who are getting tired of that illustration. I promise to try to find a new one, I just like it because it is so understandable on both ends, the driver and the person with a sick relative.) But, that is why it should be easy for us to forsake our sins, to ask God to see if there be some wicked way in us.

Once we do that, we can pray. And, we should pray and seek God's face and repent not just of our sins, but of the evil which has been part of this country for centuries. In total opposition to God's statement that we are all one race, all made in His image. As I have said, Daniel did the same thing in chapter 9 of his book. He prayed and forsook grievous sins which had been done by his forefathers long before he'd been born. 

I say this not to brag but to be an example, I routinely pray for God's forgiveness for the evils of slavery and oppression and so on, even though my forefathers supported integration long(granted here in the North) a century ago, and fought on the side of the north to free the slaves in the Civil War. I do so because I know God is unhappy, but I know He is also merciful. He wants to save us, He wants to heal us. He wants us to raise up GOdly leaders no matter what age, just as in this free blogbook at takethespirituallead dot blogspot dot com concerning spiritual leadership in the home and community.

It is up to Christians of both races to seek God's face, to be united in this battle which so clearly is of the spiritual variety. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us we wrestle not against flesh and blood. We are on the same side. it is the evil forces which stir up trouble which we must battle. We must battle not just in the physical area, such as with symbols, we must battle for the hearts and minds of those who need God the most.

Because, this nation - which honored God with its lips though quite a few in it had hearts which were far from Him - has stopped even honoring God with its lips. Let us be the ones to call I love God and please read that in His mercy He will send His Spirit and a Holy Spirit, Heaven Sent Revival would break out, with the true mark of repentance revival being shown, that tears would be shed, mighty tears, of repentance with many people seeking God's face to have him turn us away from all manner of evil.

Let's go to the Lord in prayer. And, urge others to, also; we need mighty prayer warriors of all races to unite and seek god's forgiveness and healing. Then, hearts will change and souls come to Him, once we the church leads this repentance revival.