Part of revival; Avoiding danger in fallen world

Would you avoid something you knew was awful if you could, be it something as awful as a mile fall from a plane or a shark attack, or as simple as spiders or mice, which spook a lot of people?

We all avoid things we think will destroy us. This recent post discussed celebrating the Abundant Life Jesus gives when we trust in Him to save us from our sins, it's so much greater than what we get when we look at only what we can get out of it. And, as much as we say "live life to its fullest," nobody rushes to be attacked by a shark. Even "Shark Tank" has people taking huge precautions. That or falling a mile from a plane without a parachute would be on everyone's list of things to avoid. For some, even something as simple as spiders or mice make them run in horror.

In the wake of the tragic death of Jose Fernandez, I considered that recent post on enjoying the abundant life Jesus gives. It's very appropriate as a subject itself, of course. And, there are so many good thoughts - like these from Philippines 4:8 - which God shows us in His Word are important for us to live happily.

(Notice I didn’t say to be happy? Happy is an adjective. Happily is an adverb which modifies the verb "live" in the old fairy tale ending. They live happily ever after, but that doesn't mean everything is happy. They simply choose to focus on what they are thankful for. Even if Mongols attack there castle or smallpox ravages the kingdom, they can focus on the love they share no matter what happens. We shouldn't let circumstances define us.)

So, God clearly gives us some wonderful things to focus on as we enjoy the abundant life He has given those who trust Him to save them from their sins. It's something we need as only He can give divine protection against evil.
 

However, one should also avoid certain other things just like one avoids the really bad stuff mentioned above. (And as some people avoid spiders, etc.) We can avoid evil, nightmare-inducing things on our own and - as long as we have a relationship with God - improve it. Just as you avoid things that you know will kill you (a shark or a fall from a plane) or that you are really scared of.

Divine Protection From Evil

 The first step to avoiding evil is to make sure you're on God's side so He can protect you - sit in that chair of grace, so to speak.

God is holy and can't touch sin; He can't allow it into His perfect Heaven; I'll explain in the next section where that sin came from originally. You can go to that section if you want and come back, of course, but for now, suffice it to say that God has it this way so those who are covered by His atonement for sin can't have anything bad happen to them in Heaven.

We have a sin problem, though. We are all sinners; nobody is totally, 100% righteous.(Rom.3:10,23, etc.) Though all we like sheep have gone stray, and turned to our own ways, God laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all.(Isa. 53:6)

So, we all have sin in us, but God reconciled us to Himself by bearing our sins in His own body.(1 Pet.2:24) Jesus, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for each of our sins - yours, mine, everyone's and rose fromt he dead. That gift of His grace and mercy is free to anyone who trusts in Him to save them. It's not about praying certain words, it's calling on Him in your heart to save you and forgive you.

A good way to remember that is ABC - Admit you're a sinner, Believe Jesus, God in flesh, died to take your punishment for your sins, and rose from the dead, and Callon Him to save you from yoru sins, Choosing to repent (turn from your sins) and make you new inside.

You can do that right now, in fact. If you haven't, you should do so now because we never know what will happen. You can turn from your sins and tell God something like this: "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner, I know I can't get to heaven on my own, but You died to take the punishment for my sins and rose from the dead. Lrod Jesus, I trust you today to save me from my sins and make me new inside, come into my heart today and save and change me. I believe you have saved me not by anything I have done but by the fact I totally trust in what You did for me. In Jesus' name, Amen."

If you don't know Jesus as Saviour, you can't go to God's perfect Heaven where you'll be free from sin and all those burdens when you die. You'll be separated from that perfect love and peace and goodness forever in a horrible, wicked place meant only for the devil and his angels.(Mat.25:41) So, it's important to trust Jesus as your Saviour first.  Here is a great tract with more explanation. Gotquestions is a great site to help with questions, and online mentors here can help personally.

Anyway, we should love God's grace and mercy because He has given it as a free gift to anyone who will trust him to forgive them for their sins. He will cleanse them from all unrighteousness. A saved person can't be possessed by the devil.

However, a saved person can be oppressed, just like Job when he followed the Lord and the devil was allowed to try to ruin his life, but Job apparently kept his sight on those eternal rewards. And, the devil can certainly possess an unsaved person and, made bad enough, can totally wreck that person.

Thankfully, there is hope for such a person, as we see witht he possessed man in Mark 5, but the best thing is to never allow evil to be in your life in the first place.

Yes, i talked about possession. there is a spiritual realm; indeed, superstring theory has proven there are more dimensions than jsut what we can see plus time. I mentioned it because it, and all spiritual warfare, is very real. We need God's protection from that evil so we can enjoy the freedom from oppression God gives us.

 

Making the shark from Jaws look tame

This leads to the main subject - avoiding Deception like mentioned to some extent in the previous post, though it focused more on the devil counterfeiting things. This centers more on a type that would be a big problem even without a movie about it. it is something which can appear harmless but is really dangerous and is something to avoid at all costs.

Before the Sharknado movies - which I have never seen but which I have heard one could make fun of on the level of Mystery Science Theater 3000 - there was Jaws. A shark attack is one of those really important things to avoid, though thankfully there will not be tornadoes with many, many sharks in real life. They almost certainly won't happen even in the tribulation period, that terrible time when God will judge the evil of the Earth and the devil will try to take as many as he can with him to hell.

Even today, however, the devil is at work trying to lure people away from God's goodness and to his evil. And, he does that through things that look innocent.

As discussed before, the devil was a created being that had untested creature holiness, meaning he had not been tested to see whether he would sin. He chose to try to overthrow God. (Isaiah 14:12-15,Ezekiel 28) This rebellion caused him to lose his place in Heaven and he took a third of the angels with them him(Rev. 12) and they became demons.

So, think about it. When you see images of things that are demonically possessed, these are things that hate God and want to destroy His perfect love, peace, compassion, and all the other good things about God. They do not love His grace and mercy.

These things are real and they can and do possess things and even people. It may seem innocent, and when you walk out of a movie theater or turn off a TV you may think it's okay now" - or at least after about a month when you finally go near the water again after watching "Jaws." However, keep in mind that these things not only hate love, mercy, and other good things, they also hate you. The beasts of the field stalk their prey by blending in with their surroundings till they can pounce. Even so, the devil walketh about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.(1 Peter 5:8)

God gives us hope. he gives us freedom from the terror those evil things cause. However, we need to put our faith in Him to do somust as one must put their whole eight into a chair to sit in it; you aren't trusting it if you think it'll collapse and thus you're ready to spring out of it if it starts to teeter.

How To Avoid Evil

As noted numerous times, revival begins with us. That means not just trusting Jesus as your Saviour and then doing good, but also staying away from things which can hurt us, just like you stay away from a shark attack.

 Yes, demonic things and things which have them in them can hurt us. They want to, in fact, because they hate God's creation. Therefore, we should stay away from them.

How far away? Obviously, some people can handle a little more than others. But, there are some limits all need to have as we trust the Lord to protect us.

First, understand that any so-called games or other activities involving magic really are inviting evil spirits into your life, those bad guys that want you to eventually be miserable even if they make things look fun at first.

Next, remember that Hollywood and other places want to make money. They want to make things seem innocent because if they made things really horrible and gory who would watch? Okay, things have gotten a lot worse than they were with Jaws back then, so maybe people would watch.  But, that just shows that the devil is trying to downplay things so that people can be drawn in.

If you have to deal with the subject, bathe it in prayer. Jesus is more powerful then these things. He cast them out all the time, after all. But some can't be stopped without prayer, and lots of it.

This is where I say that some people can handle it better. Look at a passion play, for instance. Somebody has to play Judas, who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and had so much hatred in him, right? Someone else may play people who shouted to crucify him. Still other performers have played Nazis like the Gestapo and SS. They weren't the bumbling people who were likely in on the prisoners' plans and worked to defeat Hitler in Hogan's Heroes. They were cruel and hateful and despicable people. Some actors and actresses can do that and not have it affect them, well others might find themselves deeply bothered by it.

However, that is when acting is someone's job. There is no need to pretend the scary stuff at other times.

When it comes to certain things, of course, they are urban legends and really can't happen. A youth told me once of a story that if you said "Bloody Mary" she would appear. That is a trick to scare people, although there was a real queen named that - she persecuted Protestants in the 1500s in England. Her spirit won't reappear if you say her name - although it might cause you to then think bout her.

Evil spirits do exist, though, and we should be careful never to attempt to communicate with them or use them. They are not dead loved ones - those types of things are really calling up demons. Same with any sort of fortune telling or astrology. The devil might try to trick you into thinking he's guessing right, but it's usually very vague, and God commands us to live by faith anyway, and He actually does reveal quite a bit to us when we trust Him. He gives us as much as we need to live and the rest, well, some people really want to live an adventurous life, right? Not knowing everything about your future is actually an important part of that adventure. Of course, you want to be sure where you'll go when you die, but that's different.

Things like that prey on the imagination. The imagination can be good, of course. It's great to be creative and use the talents God gave you, of course. The key is, first, people with imaginary friends when pressed will admit they are imaginary, and they serve a developmental purpose anyway, though not everyone has them. They should ot be turning the person away from God, though. In fact, when I got older I prayed and dedicated my stuff ed animals to the Lord to be used however he wanted; because of some developmental delays(possibly very mild Asperger's Syndrome) I knew He could use them to help me and He did.

You know what I found then? They always pointed me toward God or if I was talking with one of them since it was hard to verbalize stuff that "animal" would remind me to talk with God about the situation. Why? because I knew that God was using them. In fact, my biggest struggles in lie came at a time I thought I was grow up enough I'd never need them anymore to help me verbalize things and make sene of thigns in my mind. It was never "them," though - in fact, I readily say I'm them or they're me. That ws God at work using what He needed to use to help me.

Don't let it take you away from God

Whatever it is you are thinking about, then, make sure that God remains on the throne of your heart.

The devil wants control of this world, and one day he'll hve it for seven years of the worst stuff in human history. God will judge the world's sin then. This post tells how to avoid trouble and what to do if it starts and you're still here.

For now, remember that there is great deception out there even without the devil having complete control of things. To avoid deception, stay in God's Word and away from the evil things like the next Ouija movie and any boards or other things like it. There are so many good, family-friendly things you can d, and so many non-spooky characters you can be and things you can write. You don't have to include the Gospel in everything you write - unless God leads you to do it. However, God wants to protect you from bad stuff He knows is out there.

So, stick close to Him, know He is personal and knows you better than you know yourself. You are fearfully and wonderfully made by Him(Ps.139:14) for a special purpose, and that is to glorify Him and show His love, goodness, grace, mercy, compassion, and all those other great attributes of His to a lost and dying world.

The only way to show them is to be following Him and not the spirits of darkness in this world. He died and rose from the dead to give you freedom from all that, and to give everyone else that freedom, too.

Revival will do even better things (exceeding abundantly above all that we may ask or think)

This was inspired by Hollywood, specifically complaints about how "white" the Oscar nominations were.

However, that isn't the main topic of this post, so don't worry if you don't watch many movies - Hollywood becomes sortt of a theme for some illustrations but that's all. Indeed, the need for an end to the old "racial" problems - when there is only one race, that of humanity - has been mentioned in a variety of posts. There are a lot of areas that would be much more diverse with a repentance revival, but that's not the only thing that needs to be impacted.

We need to pray for God to move in hearts as He promises He will give in Ephesians 3:20, "Exceeding abundantly above all that we may ask or think." That adjective translated "exceeding" implies a cup so totally running over that we can't imagine it. And, abundantly means more than enough. The power within us is Him and Him alone, something only believers have through His Holy Spirit, as I've shared before. So, we can pray God gives us far above the peace, comfort, love, etc. we need as we trust Him and grow in Him.

Some of what I could say about TV and movies has been said by many more eloquent than I am for decades.Instead of complaints, I want to focus on the positive; as mentioned before, a lot of people focus only on what God is against and not what He supports. God supports love, mercy, compassion, justice, forgiveness, and so on. Of course, He also supports honesty, humility, holiness, righteousness and other things like that. He wants to be your friend, with a connection through prayer stronger than anything, as noted in posts like this. He's a God of love who always knows what's best.

So, we should focus on praying that such Godly things become commonplace. When it comes to Hollywood, that can mean things like having wholesome relationships where yes there can be struggles, just like the man struggled in War Room and the woman struggled in prayer at first, but where people are not going out of their way to hurt others. Its just like the list of things in Philippians 4:8 that we should focus on, things that are true, just, pure, lovely, and so on.(Edit - a verse which now has its own post.).

Can we have this and still have a good, diverse number of movies with complex plots? Of course. There is a big difference between a good guy who struggles with something and overcomes(Like "War Room") and a hero/heroine that is so bad that he or she really seems to be a villain. (I see plots like Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" as "man versus self," the point there is genuine redemption. Even a rebel like the Fonz at first on Happy Days improved, which is the key to that Philippians 4:8 type of thinking. Despite how poorly he treated women and his general attitude, he had redeeming qualities even at first, and he often wanted to improve. And, he did, with the help of friends who wouldn't stoop to his level but kindly helped him seek improvement; it may not seem luike as much now, but remember it took place from the mid-'50s to the mid'60s.)

I'm not saying that we should be praying for a more diverse version of Hollywood's Golden Age/New Hollywood (roughly 1940s-mid 1980s) just for the sake of wholesome entertainment. As stated before, that would be asking amiss, asking for our sake or for others and not for God's. It would be wonderful if a child star could emerge like Shirley Temple and everyone would enjoy the wholesomeness, but this must be an effect of revival and not the reason to have or desire it. Similarly, a more diverse Hollywood will be the effect of true revival and not the reason to seek it.

Instead, we should pray for things such as for God to fill the holes we have in our hearts.

 It's easy to see right away how that can be even better than, say, more racially diverse Oscars. If a person was filling some need in their heart by acting superior to others, and God changed that person's heart so they are more accepting of African-Americans than they were, they have gained something far better and far more than just a desire to vote for African actors next time. They have gained a desire to accept them in other areas, too, looking forward to the day all we who have trusted in Christ's forgiveness will celebrate around the throne of God together.  This is one reason I pray that God raises up a generation of stars who will honor the Lord for giving them that talent and who will stay away from Hollywood's vices. Their hearts are more sensitive in many ways to the love of God, and they're more willing to realize the need to receive Christ as Saviour and honor Him for giving them such talent.

This is not just directed at those with talents, of course. Each of us is special to God. However, each of us has a special area where we can minister to others through our actions as well as our words, and they have a stage others don't. Plus, this has sort of become a theme illustration for this post, partly because there is so much vice there. However, society as a whole is the same way. For a major repentance revival, we need to pray God's healing, cleansing Spirit will heal everything and everyone.

As noted, we should focus on those things from Philippians 4:8 when we pray for God to change and cleanse us. However, to do that, we need to recognize there are things that are the opposite, though, and how to avoid them

Often, that is the same as what was prayed above - asking God to fill those holes in our hearts that only Jesus can fill. God-sized holes that we try to fill with so many things that don't last, things which will one day disappear and which constantly need refilled before that. Often performers are just like the outside world - it's just that their battles are more noticed because they are in the spotlight.

That is another reason the youth of this country - not just the stars but the ordinary youth who will merely be fans - are so important, most of them don't yet have those God-sized holes, though much prayer is needed for those that do. Some grow up in awful home situations, for instance. Some feel unloved and need to see evidence that God loves them, through those who are Godly who can come alongside them as friends, surrogate moms and dads, and so on.

The devil is constantly trying to disrupt things, of course. He is not as powerful as the Holy Spirit, of course. God is more powerful and will defeat the devil one day, but God gives us freedom of choice to choose Him. In the meantime, the devil has all sorts of tricks to make us think that we have power when we don't. There are even people who try to seek and use him to fill those holes in their hearts. That is very dangerous. But, it explains why some of our entertainment is as evil as it is. The things that are used to start this seem innocent at times. But they are not. For instance, there are some things that should never be played with because they do have real evil components. Ouija boards, tarot cards, seances, magic(as opposed to mere illusion-making), and other such things had demons in them, because they are really being used to access the spiritual realm and get at the powers of darkness.

God calls us into the light, however. Not the false light that the devil can produce but the true light of the Gospel. that's why Jesus says he is the light of the world. If a person has messed with dark spirits like that, Jesus Himself can get rid of them, but it is much better to never dabble in them. It's like being at war and saying, "Would I rather have a major battle with billions of dollars in damage on my soil, or would I rather not  bring the enemy in to cause that battle to be needed?"

(I should note that a believer can't be possessed by demons, but they can be horribly oppressed. However, some nonbelievers have been possessed by evil spirits. Hope is not lost but the spiritual battle will be intense even after they trust Jesus to save them from their sin and come live in them.)

All oppression is really from the devil, of course, even if he doesn't possess people. This oppression has caused the terrible violence in this world as well as all the other sins, as he goads us into sinning with the lusts of the flesh,t he lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; but,t hese things will be destroyed one day.(1 John 2:16-17)

Instead, we need to focus on God's perfect peace, and use the power of prayer to unite in Spirit and - most importantly - in truth. God *wants* to forgive our sins, he *wants* us to repent and turn to Him so he can cleanse us. he doesn't want to browbeat us about our sin; that's the devil that does that. God promises to take our sin as far as the east is from the west. In other words, you can go only so far North till you reach the North Pole; same for the South Pole. But, if you go West, you can keep going more and more west and you'll still be east of something. Same if you keep going East, you'll always be West of somewhere. east and West, in geographic terms, can never meet.

A simpler way to put it is this. The handwriting of ordinances against us was nailed to the cross once we trust Christ to forgive and save us we don't bear the weight of that sin anymore.

So, what we must really pray for is that the people of Hollywood -a nd of America as a hole - no longer be weighted down with sin, but instead that sin would be lifted from them. And, that in repenting, they would turn all things over to Jesus and let Him make their hearts new.

Then, we would get a more diverse Oscars culturally, with more black/African-Americans, because voters would no longer be burdened by the weight of their sin of false pride. they would no longer feel superior to others because of outward appearance. They woudl believe we are all equal.

Then, there would not be the horrible coarseness and negativity and vulgarity in our world, because a spirit of peace would be upon people.

then, there would no longer be a desire to fill one's hearts with so many temporary things, because people would let the Lord fill their hearts with his perfect peace, and we would forgive others as we have been forgiven.

And, so on. Of course, the horrible fate would be avoided that those face who die separated from God by not having let Him save them from their sin. thankfully, while there is life, there is hope that a person will turn from their sins and call on Jesus Christ to forgive and save them. And, while this nation exists, there is hope that people will pray and repent and there will be revival in it.

We need to start now, though, seeking the Lord for that repentance revival by turning to Him ourselves.

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.

Thoughts on loving one another after Charleston - "Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing"

The title is the first line of the 2nd stanza of the great hymn "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." I thought of that hymn after learning of the terror that happened in Charleston.

I'm so thankful for the next lines of that hymn - "...[W]ere not the right man on our side, the man of God's own choosing./Dost ask who that may be?/Christ Jesus, it is He..." That stanza goes on to state He is the Lord of Hosts (yes, that's what "Lord Sabaoth" means, literally calling Him head of the whole army of angels in Heaven) and He is the one who must be relied on if we are to win the battle. (Hence the imagery of the army of hosts of angels.) Just after a post on filling one's hearts with the right stuff, versus the wrong stuff, we've sadly seen an example of what happens when one fills one's heart with the bad.

 The evil attack in Charleston demonstrates how the devil hates God's love and goodness, and will rile people up any way he can. Even the fact that race is emphasized when in fact we are all one race demonstrates that he has ways to seep into our hearts and minds with us not paying attention to the real problem.Sure, there have been many evil deeds done over the years to different people groups, but we are all of the human race, so race should be used as a term to bring us together, not tear people apart.

The problem is a culture which claims to abhor violence yet which does so little to turn their own hearts around so God can cleanse this nation. Hence, a call for repentance revival must go out and begin with us.

The attack was what Charleston's mayor calls "pure evil." And, that is what it boils down to, no matter whether we are talking about that or other acts of wanton violence. However, there is a reason people are into such evil in these days while the Restrainer, the Holy Spirit, is still on the earth. It is because the concepts of evil and violence that exist are allowed to fester in some minds and combine at times with actual following of the occult. These things cause people to do such horrible things as this and the beheadings which have occurred even in the U.S., showing it's not just guns, but a desire to do evil that cause this insanity.

So, how do we respond?

As noted, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers, against principalities, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."(Eph.6:12) This is, as noted, a spiritual attack. We must use the full armor of God, and focus on how we can co-operate, as one race to win the true battle for the Lord instead of fighting each other. We are, after all, on the same side if we choose to be on God's side.

This is not just thinking nice thoughts, though. We are powerless against the devil's wiles, just as we would be powerless against a lion; the devil "walketh about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."(1 Peter 5:8) Just as the attacker let his mind be controlled by evil. Supposedly, one of his quotes seems to show he focused on the evil, satanic concept that races are separate. This is a lie an must be pointed out with the certainty of God's Word. We are all one blood and all from the same place. We are made in God's image, and He makes it quite clear in His Word that we are made in His image and are commanded to love everyone because of that.While we must take stands against sin, we must still love the sinner, and realize that every single person is made in God's image and therefore must be loved - Jesus commands it, and His Word says "He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love."(1 John 4:8)

Love comes from God, though; at least, the unconditional type that is spoken of here. So, one of the big things for us to do as we repent and seek God's face and turn from our wickedness is to call on the Lord to help us love one another better. This is crucial, because for us to seek God's help in doing that, guess what we have to do; Be willing.

That's why there is so much falsehood in some churches, because they don't have that love of others in them. How are they going to bring repentance revival to their communities when they are not loving on each other, let along loving those outside the church?

So, in short, the way we should respond is simple. Love one another. Love with that unconditional love God provides for us. 1 John 4, 1 Corinthians 13(where the King James translators wisely translate it as charity because it is the type of love that is always giving; the original Antiochan texts are only used by the KJV and this is but one example of how the word is much more descriptive), John 3, and others all show the importance of that kind of love.

How do we stand against sin while showing that love?

That is the big question, because I've said that we must also take a stand agaisnt sin.

The key is to look at things like John 4, John 8(woman caught in adultery), etc.; instead of stoning the person, have compassion on them, be willing to understand where they are coming from.

As noted before, for instance, that guy who cuts you off in traffic may be rushing to the hospital to see a dying relative. That kid who plays raunchy music that degrades women, glorifies violence, or both, and drives you up the wall with it may have grown up in a home with such terrible violence it would make your skin crawl. Int he first isntance, you forgive and pray for them. Int he second, you can forgive and share with them how God has a better way and he can fill those holes in his heart with much more pleasant things. it might take him a while to come out of that dark place where his mind is, but that's where that heart-mind change coems from the Bible tells us about in 2 Cor.5:17(new creatures) and Romans 12:2(transofrming/renewingt he mind continually).

It is something only God can do, and people will only want to let Him it when they ssee there is a difference and that we have something wonderful that they will want to have for themselves. They will want to become conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ in their kindness, love, compassion for others, and so on.

That means being kind, friendly, considerate, etc., and listening to others so they can see, "Hey, you know what? That's a mighty nice life they live following Jesus Christ, I want to be part of that. I want what they have."

Some people are just plain rebels, of course, and won't listen t6o that love because they want their own way all the time. But, we shouldn't treat everyone like one, but be willing to understand and help them see how, deep inside, they have holes in their hearts, just like discussed in the previous post. And, they're holes that only Jesus can fill. The problem is they fill those holes with other things - even the rebels. But, when we do show that love toward them, some will realize they've been living wrong and start letting God transofrm them. And others, well, Romans 12:19-21 reminds us that vengeance is the Lord's to do, not ours, and that by loving our enemies and blessing those who persecute us, we heap burning coals on their foreheads. It's like if they don't repent, when they die they will forever regret not following the way of unconditional love they were shown here on earth.

Let's stop filling our hearts with hatred like we saw in Charleston, but filling them with God's unconditional love.

(Author's note - you'd likely see this 1st and the other second, but I borrowed quite a bit from here for a blog our inner city ministry's radio staff have, so I'm letting people know in case some of this sounds familiar.)

Why repentance is crucial

An important question is why repentance? Why must we repent to see revival?

Repentance means turning from one's sins in one's heart, agreeing with God that our sin nature keep us from heaven. It means agreeing with God on the penalty for those sins, that He took the punishment for them on the cross. Including our future sins, hence He tells Christians in 1st John 1:9 if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

So, when we pray seek God's face in ending oppression, bigotry, and all the forces of evil which have crept into this country, along with those which were there from the beginning, we see that we must first decide in our own hearts we want to repent of our own sins. God knows our hearts, and wants to see that we are truly wanting what we asked for. If we don't, of course He is not going to grant it to us.

So, we ask for His forgiveness and we repent, turning away from those sins we have in our hearts, even those things we may not know are sins. There may very easily be things that because of our sin nature, we have harbored. 

God doesn't expect us to remember every time we were mad at someone who cut us off in traffic but who maybe had a very good reason, like they were rushing to the hospital to see a dying relative. It's for sins like such rushing to judgment that Jesus died for us and rose from the dead because we each have a sin nature. When we don't know what those sins are, we simply seek God's forgiveness and ask Him to point our hearts to follow His moral compass, accepting his ways are right. God made this world perfect, but by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin. All the evil and killing and bigotry and depression came after that.

So, let us pray for this country, seeking God's forgiveness for our failures, and then, for those of others who have turn from the absolute right and wrong which He established from the foundation of the world. And, then, let us pray especially for God to return our nation to that right and wrong once again, and to defeat the spirit of wickedness and rebellion which permeates our society.

Though this was directed toward Israel, yet it is still possible for God to heal us just as he promised them in 2nd Chronicles 7:14: If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways then will I hear from Heaven and I will answer their prayer and I will heal their land. If you have called upon and trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior you are called by his name. The church has not replaced Israel, but it has been grafted in, so that we can be sure God will hear our prayers.

We must simply turn from our wicked ways, and seek His face, seek him to bring a repentance revival to our land.