Author: petebeck3

Pete Beck III ministered as a pastor and Bible teacher in Burlington for over 34 years. He is married to Martha, with whom he has four children, ten beautiful grandchildren, and four amazing great grandchildren. He ministers in his local church as a Bible teacher and counselor. He has published two books - Seeing God's Smile and Promise of the Father - as well as a wide variety of Bible-related articles which he has compiled into books in PDF form.

Prayer for Unity

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Ephesians 4:11-16 (NASB)

Insight

God designed the church to be an effective net to catch and haul fish into the kingdom of God. Jesus made this direct analogy in Matthew 13:47. The passage above from Ephesians contains net imagery, too. The Greek word that is translated “equipping” in verse twelve, literally means “mending”. Whenever disunity erupts in a church, it creates a big hole in the net. Any fish caught via the gospel will not want to remain where there is strife, accusation, criticism and general disunity. Strife opens the door to all kinds of evil, but unity always results in increased blessing from God.

Paul gives us some important keys to unity which I will list below. We should use these to guide us in our prayer.

Prayer Guide

  • Unity of Faith – Strife tears down faith and ministers discouragement. Ask God to give us unity of faith and encouraged hearts.
  • Work of Service – When we focus on the work of the Great Commission, it helps us avoid being sucked into the unity destroying schemes of the devil. Pray that God will keep our focus on reaching the lost with the gospel.
  • Building Up – Pray that God will help us to speak encouraging words and that He will stop those who criticize and find fault. Pray that God will put praise in our mouths and faith in our hearts.
  • Knowledge of the Son or God and Maturity – Disunity can only flourish where there is an insufficient revelation of Christ and immaturity reigns. Pray that God will give each of us a greater revelation of Christ and help us to walk in spiritual maturity instead of holding offenses and spreading disunity.
  • Winds of Doctrine and Deceitful Scheming – Disunity is created and fertilized by false teaching and deliberate scheming by those who wish to harm the church. Pray that God will let truth prevail and nullify any schemes of the devil set against us.
  • Building Up Itself in Love – The church can either destroy itself by fault finding or build itself up in love. Pray for grace for the church to build itself up through every person contributing what God has uniquely given them to do. The church net has the ability through God’s grace to mend itself. Broken threads need to be retied. Relationships need healing. Commitments need reaffirming. Ask God that the church will  speak the truth in love.
  • Clarity – We want to see a huge harvest of souls in the coming days; so, it is a great time to mend our nets now. It would be better to have a smaller net with no holes than a larger one that is unable to hold the fish it catches. Pray that those who may be in the “valley of decision” regarding their relationship with the church can make a firm decision either to stay as a fully committed part of the net or move on to where they can be such somewhere else. Undecidedness plays havoc with church unity and morale. “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8)
  • Fruitfulness – After fishing all night and catching nothing, the disciples, weary and discouraged, were commanded by our Lord to let down their nets one more time. After a brief period of resistance, they obeyed and made a miraculous haul of fish. That is what we need Jesus to do for us now as a church. Pray that God will give us a huge catch!
Share this post...

Prayer for Unfailing Faith

But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen and build up your brothers. Luke 22:32 (NLT)

Jesus promised his followers that we will have tribulation as long as we live in this world, but he also told us that we have a key to victory over it all, our faith in God! When we encounter difficulties and trials, it provides us with a wonderful opportunity to be receive God’s grace and care. Anyone can get by when times are good, but when we are able to thrive in the midst of extreme adversity, people will sit up and take notice. When we or anyone we know is in the middle of a test, we should pray, as did Jesus, for unfailing faith.

Faith is one mark of a true disciple. Real faith actually grows stronger when it is tested. God’s grace is only fully realized when we need it, and, as was the case with the Apostle Peter, when we experience the grace of God upholding us in the midst of pressures and testing, we will afterward be able to encourage others to be strong, too. Below is a sample prayer for unfailing faith.

Prayer

Jesus, please give me and (my friend, family member, etc.) grace to stand strong in this present difficulty. I believe you allow these things in our lives to teach us to trust in You alone. Lord, please give us unfailing faith; so, we can be faithful to you and your Word, encourage others, and bring glory to your name. Lord, I surrender my life to you afresh and trust you for the results. Amen!

Share this post...

Prayer to Understand and Apply the Lord’s Prayer to Our Lives

And He said to them,“When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name.Your kingdom come.3  ‘Give us each day our daily bread. 4  ‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'” Luke 11:2-4 (NASB)

The Lord’s prayer in Luke Chapter Eleven lays out what Jesus thought were the essential parts of our daily lives. The simplest outline of this prayer hits upon the following four points.

Purpose

Our first priority in life is to be in right relationship with God, hold him in reverential awe and love, seek his glory, and pursue the advancement of his kingdom. By calling him “Father,” we acknowledge that we have benefited from Christ’s finished work on the cross and his resurrection, which paved the way for us to experience the new birth and become part of God’s family. To make God’s name holy means we do not take him or our relationship with him lightly. Jesus is not our “boyfriend” or our servant. He is Lord of Lords, and Abba Father is greater still. Being his child does not incite us to hold him in the contempt of familiarity. To “hallow” his name means we seek God’s glory. We do not seek to bring him down to our level; instead, we devote ourselves to bringing him glory through all we do. God’s glory is our ultimate priority, and one way we glorify him is by prioritizing what is important to him – the advancement of his kingdom.

‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done,On earth as it is in heaven.Matthew 6:10 (NASB)

Putting God’s kingdom first requires us to act accordingly. We must make the changes to our daily lifestyle that will enable us to be obedient. As Christ’s disciples, it is our responsibility to make the Great Commission our life mission. The first part of the Lord’s prayer requires us to acknowledge that Jesus is the Lord and live accordingly.

Provision

If I had written the Lord’s Prayer, I would have been more spiritual than Jesus by not placing our plea for daily sustenance before asking for forgiveness. That is because I am a religious person at heart, just like you. We like to impress people with our spirituality, but Jesus did not have our hang ups. He unashamedly placed the need for food ahead of the prayer for forgiveness. God cares about the everyday needs of people. I have heard other religious people say that they hate to ask God for personal needs because he is “so busy” and has much more important things with which to concern himself. Such a statement reveals that the person who said it does not have a very high estimation of God, his love, his power, and his desire to help us. It also reveals that such a person probably is not really God’s child. What parent would refuse to feed his hungry child, if it were in his power to do it? When we are unsure of God’s power and his heart toward us, we are afraid to ask for things, or we think he will not bother with us. God delights to provide for his children. He is a good Father, and his heart is disposed to bless us.

Pardon

To forgive is to release someone from the debt owed to us. We all owed God a debt for which we had no means to pay. That is why Jesus came to die on the cross as God’s lamb. He was the perfect sacrifice, who took our punishment and pain to make it possible for us to be released from the guilt and condemnation associated with our sin. When a person places his or her trust in Jesus and what he did for us as Savior, he or she comes into a right relationship with Abba Father and has all the privileges and responsibilities of being God’s child. One of the most important of those responsibilities is to pardon all those who offend or “owe” us anything. Jesus is the king of “pay it forward,” and he requires us to pass on the blessing  of pardon that he gave to us.

Protection

Lastly, Jesus tells us to ask for God’s protection against evil and temptation. In Matthew’s version of the Lord’s prayer, Jesus expands upon this theme.

‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Matthew 6:13 (NASB)

Human beings are weak, thanks to a built in residual connection to the old order of things through our bodies. As Jesus said:

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 (ESV)

This last part of the Lord’s prayer emphasizes that we are unable to stand against evil without God’s help. The world is a hostile place, especially for followers of Christ. Paul warned us that everyone who lives as a true disciple, who boldly shares the gospel and makes disciples, will suffer persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12) In addition, the world system, our own sin nature, and the devil conspire against us to tempt us to depart from our determination to put God and his kingdom first. We all face temptation to live selfishly and independently from God. Immorality and lust are rampant, tempting us to abandon our holiness to God and purity. Life’s many distractions seek to pull us away from pursuing the Great Commission. If Satan was able to lure Adam and Eve away from their devotion to God, how much more are we susceptible to his temptations, since we have a sin nature! It is only because of the indwelling Spirit and God’s protection that we can survive and thrive in such an environment. Jesus does not want us ever to take that for granted.

Prayer

Each day as we look to God in prayer, let us remember the four main points of the Lord’s prayer. Here is a condensed version of this already short prayer.

Father God, let me live today with your glory and purpose always in mind. Order my steps so that I do not waste a single minute of this day. Thank you that you care about me. I trust you to provide everything I need, just as you provided forgiveness to me. I likewise pardon others. Lastly, God I acknowledge that I am totally dependent on your protection from evil, sin, and temptation. Thank you for sending your Spirit to live your Son’s life through me. Amen.

Share this post...

Prayer to Be Able to Hear God’s Voice

In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Psalm 40:6 (ESV)

The ability to hear the Lord’s voice is a gift. Jesus promised that all his sheep will hear his voice.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 (ESV)

It is important for us to cultivate our ability to hear the Lord’s voice. God is speaking, but are we listening? Have we allowed too much clutter in our lives? Have we put other things ahead of being obedient and surrendered to Jesus? Have we allowed our hearts to become embittered or hardened? If so, it is necessary to repent, ask forgiveness, and ask the Lord to soften our hearts and open our spiritual ears again.

The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. Isaiah 50:4 (NASB)

Once we hear his voice in our hearts, it is important that we obey. Otherwise, hearing him will result in greater judgment for us.

Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.” Hebrews 3:15 (NLT)

Prayer

Lord, I want to be able to hear your voice clearly. I believe that you are speaking to me, as you said you would. Forgive me for not patiently waiting in your presence and listening as I should. Please clear my heart and mind of sin, competing voices, and clutter. Help me be obedient when you speak to my heart. Let me be a blessing to others and a conduit of encouragement. Thank you in advance for softening my heart and opening my ears. Amen.

Share this post...

Prayer to Forgive and Have Patience with People

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22 (ESV)

Forgiveness is sometimes more of a challenge than we might expect. Let me give you a couple of examples. If I believe someone has forgotten to pay me back $100 I loaned them years ago, I may forgive them the debt without ever bringing it up to them. However, if I overhear them telling another person how I am a weak person and an easy mark, and how funny it is that I never asked for my money back, I will likely have difficulty with forgiving that transgression. Likewise, if someone acts harshly towards me, I may forgive them because I can mark it off to their having a bad day, perhaps. But if this harshness happens every week over several years, what will I do then?

Confrontation will likely be necessary in both of the above cases, but what if that produces no repentance? We are left with the choice of releasing the person from the debt of offense or holding on to a desire for payback. To forgive is to release someone from the debt they owe us, whether it be financial or some other kind.

Apparently the challenge of forgiving the habitual offender is behind Jesus’ command in the above passage that we should forgive without limits. We sometimes think we have reached “the end of our rope” with people, but that is where the fruit of the Spirit can really grow in our lives. Long-suffering or patience can only be manifested when it is needed, or as Graham Cooke teaches, “The fruit of the Spirit can only grow in poor soil.”

If we loose patience with others and cease to offer forgiveness to them because of their recurring sins, we, in effect, tell God that we want Him to do the same to us; and, that is not a deal that is in our best interests. Remember the parable of the unforgiving servant. (Matthew 18:23-35) He was turned over to the tormentors for not showing mercy in the way it was given to him. Forgiveness is not easy. If it were, no one would struggle with obeying God in this area. Forgiveness is very costly. It cost Jesus His life, and it costs us our pride and desire for revenge. Only humble people can forgive. Below is a prayer for God’s help in the matter.

Prayer

Father, forgive me for the pride that makes me think I have the right to refuse to forgive others! I acknowledge that I am a sinner and in continual need of your mercy towards me. Keep me from becoming hard-hearted and arrogant. Give me compassion towards others and a greater understanding of your loving mercy towards us all. Jesus already paid the price to satisfy your demand for justice; so, I can let people go from mine. You are the only Judge who matters, and you will make sure that everything is handled correctly and justice delivered. That is not my concern. Holy Spirit, I ask you to develop the fruit of long-suffering in my life. Amen!

Share this post...

Prayer for Those in Authority

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks. 2 Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NLT)

If you are a Christian, you are a world Christian. Our identity is bound up with Christ and cannot be limited by nationalistic boundaries or thinking. God’s kingdom is made up of people from every nation, ethnic group, race, socio-economic status, political persuasion, age, and gender. His kingdom will rule over all other kingdoms that have been established by man.

As we pray for those in leadership, let us bow our knees and surrender our hearts to the King of Kings and acknowledge His sovereign rule over our lives and all the earth. The nations and those who govern them are but a drop in the bucket compared to His glorious might. Here is a sample prayer you can use to pray for those in authority.

Prayer

Jesus, I pray for all people, not just those of my nation. Lord, you are sovereign over all the earth! Be merciful to us. Grant us salvation rather than the judgment we deserve. We give you thanks for your goodness and patience towards us and ask you to work in the hearts of those who are in authority. Grant them wisdom and the fear of the Lord. Let them search for you with all their hearts and find you. Grant us the blessing of having a peaceful, law abiding nation where we can live our lives in quietness and dignity. Let us be gripped with your passion for the lost and take advantage of every opportunity to share the gospel with those who do not yet know you. Amen!

Share this post...

Prayer of Thanksgiving

When God puts his Spirit within the person who trusts in Christ, a holy desire to glorify God come as part of the package deal. The Spirit’s desires become ours as we yield ourselves to God’s will. One of the best ways to participate in this process of transformation is to make it our practice to acknowledge God in all things and give him praise continually. We do this because he is always worthy of our praise and he is working everything out for our good. (Romans 8:28)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20 (NLT)

The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God! Psalm 50:23 (ESV)

Prayer

Father in heaven, I thank you for all your blessings in my life through Christ. (Ephesians 1:3) Thank you for supplying my every need and keeping me safe from all harm. Thank you for surrounding me with your love and delivering me from evil and temptation. Thank you that you are always with me, regardless of my circumstances or emotional state. Thank you that you will never desert or abandon me.

Father, I particularly praise you for every test and trial that you allow me to experience. (Name any current difficulties.) I believe you are working these things out for my good and your glory. I know I will see your salvation. Help me to view things from your perspective through the eyes of faith. Amen

Share this post...

Prayer for Healing

When Jesus came into Peter’s home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and waited on Him. 16 When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.” Matthew 8:14-17 (NASB)

God’s healing applies to our entire being – spirit, soul, and body, but Matthew specifically applies what Christ earned, when he endured the grisly beating at the hands of the Roman soldiers prior to his crucifixion, to our physical healing. This gives the sick person great hope when coming to God for healing.

But he lifted up our illnesses, he carried our pain; even though we thought he was being punished, attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done. 5 He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds, crushed because of our sins; he endured punishment that made us well; because of his wounds we have been healed. Isaiah 53:4-5 (NET1)

Jesus made it clear that God’s compassionate heart longs to heal our physical sicknesses.

In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” 13 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. Luke 5:12-13 (NLT)

Everywhere Jesus went he healed all those who were brought to him. There is no record of his ever refusing to heal someone; although, he did test the resolve of some.

When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. Matthew 8:16 (NASB)

Jesus also sent his disciples out to preach the advent of God’s kingdom and confirm its presence by praying for physical healings and other signs of God’s power. Healing is one of the marks of the advancing presence of the Kingdom of God, which comes to us not only in word, but also in power. (1 Thes. 1:5)

And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Matthew 10:7-8 (NASB)

After Jesus’ resurrection, his disciples continued to heal people in order to confirm the validity of the Gospel and to give evidence of Christ’s compassionate reign. Jesus Christ is still alive, his Gospel and Kingdom are still advancing, and his promises have not changed.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (NASB)

Do not believe those who claim that Jesus no longer operates in power today. Instead, go to him as did those sick people who lived when he walked the earth in Israel. Appeal to his compassion, just as did the Syro-Phoenician woman. Do not easily be turned aside; instead, keep crying out to Jesus, as did blind Bartimaeus.

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 (NASB)

If we come to Jesus in faith, trusting him to fulfill his promises out of compassion for us, and ask him to heal us; then, we must leave the fulfillment to him. Faith immediately receives the promise, and hope waits however long it must for the fulfillment. Don’t be among those who never receive because they never ask. Ask and you shall receive.

Prayer for Healing

Jesus, I come to you because you are still the great Healer. You purchased my healing when you allowed those Roman soldiers to beat you unmercifully. I now come to receive the benefits of what you suffered. Heal me, Lord, right now from (name the sickness or disease). I thank you in advance for this healing. To you be all the glory and praise. I pray in your mighty and glorious name. Amen.

Share this post...

Prayer for Revelation

For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:15-23 (NASB)

This is one of my favorite prayers. One of the greatest things we all need is to have our understanding expanded to believe what is true about God and us because of Christ. Below is a suggestion on how to personalize it. This is a prayer you can use every day.

Prayer

Father of Glory, please give me a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that I may know You better. Holy Spirit, open my spiritual eyes so that I will understand what is surely mine because of the calling You have given to me. Open my understanding so that I can comprehend more completely the glorious inheritance You have given to me as your son (or daughter) in Christ. Don’t let me take you or your blessings for granted or live in ignorance. Please open my eyes and heart so that I can understand and truly believe in your great power which is mine in Christ. Help me to understand and believe that Christ rules over all and that He shares His authority with me. Open my eyes so that I may see and believe that all things are under His feet, and, consequently, under mine; even though, it does not appear yet to be the case. Give me understanding of the glorious Headship of Christ over the church and over my life. Help me to willingly submit to His authority and rule every day. Amen.

Share this post...

Prayer for Our Nation Regarding Abortion

According to Solomon, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 1:7) In another place, he informed us that the fear of the Lord is what enables us to turn away from evil. (Proverbs 16:6) The fear of the Lord is based on two key components: God’s glorious power and his commitment to justice. The fear of the Lord teaches us to turn from evil because we understand that God will judge us one day for what we think, say, and do.

Paul wrote the following, which should inspire the fear of God in each of us.

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. Galatians 6:7 (ESV)

The Terror of Looming Judgment

The United States has put to death approximately sixty million innocent unborn children since the infamous Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision. Let that sink in. That is ten times the total number of people put to death by the Nazis during the Holocaust, which we decry as an example of the worst sort of evil. We know what judgment came to that nation. What might be stored up for us, a nation to whom so much has been committed and which has fallen so far from God’s intent for us?

Since God reckons that unborn babies are his creation endowed with a God-given spirit and are indeed people (Ecclesiastes 11:5, Isaiah 44:2, Jeremiah 1:5, Ephesians 1:4), no amount of legislation can ever make it okay to put them to death. To do so is a violation of God’s justice, which he hates and promises to punish.

Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side— leaders whose decrees permit injustice? 21  They gang up against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.22  But the LORD is my fortress; my God is the mighty rock where I hide.23  God will turn the sins of evil people back on them. He will destroy them for their sins. The LORD our God will destroy them.Psalm 94:20-23 (NLT)

This should literally scare the hell out of all citizens of the United States. This is a corporate sin by the nation, and, even if we do not agree with it or contribute to it, we are likely to share in the judgment. Consider that not all Jews participated in the idolatry and wickedness of the majority and the leaders, but all suffered the consequences when Babylon finally destroyed Jerusalem. Afterward Jeremiah wrote these sadly insightful words.

Our ancestors sinned, but they have died— and we are suffering the punishment they deserved! Lamentations 5:7 (NLT)

Sin that is not confessed and forsaken begs God’s judgment (Proverbs 28:13), which may be stored up and fall upon a future generation. Jesus warned the residents of Jerusalem that this was precisely what would happen to them, and it did. (Luke 11:50-51) The blood of sixty million babies is crying out to God for vengeance, and he hears their voice.

And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. Genesis 4:10 (ESV)

We are bound up corporately in life and either blessing or possibly judgment with the people around us. Our nation has enjoyed incomparable blessings over the last two hundred years, but we cannot think God will ignore our blasphemous swerve away from truth and justice in the last several decades. When a nation chooses to shake an angry fist at God and boldly transgress his laws, all those who dwell in that nation stand in jeopardy. That is why we need to pray with great fervency while there is still time. No one knows when God finally may say, “Enough!” and be done with us, but, since we are still here, we assume he is still giving us space to repent as a nation.

A Way Out

Repentance begins with a change of mind which culminates in a change of behavior. The mind is ruled by the heart. If the heart is hard, the mind is unable to recognize and embrace truth. That is why God promises to give his people a new heart, one that is capable of recognizing and receiving God’s truth and properly responding to it.

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27  And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. Ezekiel 36:26-27 (ESV)

Unless God gives us a new heart through the new birth, we will angrily resist God’s truth and keep ourselves on a trajectory to collide with God’s sure judgment. The only way to avoid this future appointment with the wrath of God is to repent and believe the Gospel.

The Good News is that God recognized our hopeless situation and understood that, unless he came to our rescue, we had no hope at all. He sent Jesus to model his love, demonstrate his power, and teach us his ways. Jesus willingly sacrificed himself as a payment for our rebellious transgressions, fulfilling his role as the Lamb of God. When he shed his blood for us, he purchased our forgiveness and opened the way for us to be restored to God’s family. When he rose again, he did so in power and glory as the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, who is endowed with all authority, including the authority to judge all people, which he will do when he returns again.

If we recognize the confess that he is indeed the risen Lord and submit our lives to his rule (believe in him), we will be forgiven, saved, and made new on the inside. The Holy Spirit will come to live in us and daily lead and transform us to be more and more like Jesus. One day, Jesus will finish this great salvation by giving us brand new resurrection bodies. This is what it means to be saved. The more people who become Christ followers, the greater the influence of God will be in our nation. Currently, a majority of our people appear to be quite godless, and they are leading our nation into the spiritual abyss. Paul’s description of the decline of a society found in Romans Chapter One is taking place before our very eyes.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. Romans 1:18 (ESV)

The markers associated with such a society are as follows:

  • The suppression of truth. This is now rampant in our schools and media. We are living in Orwellian times.
  • Refusal to honor God. The first step is to refuse to acknowledge him. The outcome of this is the determination to not glorify him or even thank him.
  • Given over to lust. Our nation is a fountain of sexual perversion, pornography, etc., which is being exported to the world.
  • Given over to a depraved mind. Paul describes the fierce society of the Last Days in Romans and 2 Timothy.
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2  For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3  heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4  treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 2 Timothy 3:1-4 (ESV)

Obviously this describes the nation in which we live, at least the power brokers who control the media and our government.

Addressing the Root Problem of Legalized Abortion

There is a consternation among many today regarding the gross violation of justice going on in our FBI and DOJ. We wonder why those in high places who have committed crimes are not brought to justice. It should not surprise us, however, that there is a lack of honesty, truth, and justice. If we as a nation cannot be honest and forthright about the evil of murdering innocent unborn children in the womb, how can we honestly confront any evil? Until we repent of this horrendous violation of God’s justice, we have no right to expect justice anywhere. This is a wake up call  to our  nation!

Until our people truly change their way of thinking and embrace truth again, we are stuck in a downward spiral of deception, violence, and judgment. God will not be mocked. What we sow, we shall surely reap.  We cannot violently kill sixty million babies and get away with it.

Every nation is built upon the foundation of justice. Unless we restore justice to the unborn, I see little good in our future. God help us!

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. Psalm 89:14 (ESV)

What about you, reader? Individually, we cannot turn the tide in the nation, but we can make things right between ourselves and God. Have you repented on behalf of our nation for this horrible sin? If enough people pray and ask God to turn the tide, perhaps we shall see true repentance sweep our nation – before it is too late. We can turn to Jesus, whose blood pleads for mercy rather than vengeance.

You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12:24 (NLT)

Prayer

Lord, our nation has shed innocent blood in the name of freedom, women’s rights, convenience, and the almighty dollar. Please forgive us for the murder of all those innocent babies, whose blood cries out to you for justice. Forgive me for not taking this as seriously as I should. Please help all those who have had abortions or provided them as a medical doctor or other staff to come to their senses and repent and turn away from this evil. Help them to find true forgiveness and peace through the gospel. (If perhaps you have had an abortion, but now see that it was wrong, you can pray as follows. Lord Jesus, forgive me for killing my baby. Please cleanse me and give me peace again.) Let the fear of God fall upon our nation. Let our people wake up to this horrible evil. Let our lawmakers and judges make just laws and decisions that will end the government sponsored legalized murder of unborn children. Let justice and righteousness once again grace our land and secure our government. Amen.

Share this post...
Share this post...