This morning I’m responding to a conviction God has given me (and Burt Sr.). It’s a mandate to pray for our nation. I’d rather look at on-line catalogs and dream of Christmases past. I’d rather not think about the fact that our government is in a mess; that we can’t trust those in charge of our affairs. As much as I would like to remain quiet and not call attention to my passions, the words of Edmund Burke ring in my head:
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Satan’s lie is that there is nothing we can do. But according to Ephesians 6 and II Corinthians 10:4-6 (and other references from Genesis to Revelation!), there is something we can do—and it’s powerful and effective!
II Corinthians 10:4-6
For although we live in the natural realm, we don’t wage a military campaign,
employing human weapons, using manipulation to achieve our aims. Instead,
our spiritual weapons are energized with divine power to dismantle the
defenses behind which people hide.
…Since we are armed with such dynamic weaponry, we stand ready to punish
any trace of rebellion, as soon as you choose complete obedience.
Photo credit: Strange Farms
Choosing complete obedience is the area I have difficulty with.
We don’t know where the enemy is—but we do know WHO he is. We know the real enemy is the same one who tried to kill Jesus when He was a baby via Herod’s command, and the same one who thought he’d killed Him when he nailed Him to a cross.
The last few weeks I’ve felt weak and powerless to do anything about our political situation. And then came the conviction.
In Ephesians 6:18 (TPT), Paul writes,
“Pray passionately in the Spirit, as you
constantly intercede with every form of prayer at all times.”
There’s no wrong way to pray. Just come to the Father and Lord of all and let our requests be made known.
I’m praying for honest answers to emerge from all the confusion and accusations and lies we hear from all the Talking Heads.
I’m praying for humility and respect for God and other people to be restored.
I’m praying that those of us who consider ourselves followers of Jesus will behave the way He would.
I’m praying for the judges who are making decisions that will affect us and our posterity forever.
I’m praying for protection and energizing of those who are trying to do the right thing and for the efforts of the evil forces in the unseen realm to be thwarted.
But mainly, I’m praying that I’ll be obedient; that I’ll have the courage to speak out when the Spirit urges me to.
Jesus challenged His disciples to pray and NOT GIVE UP. In fact, that’s exactly what He says in Luke 18:1 (TPT).
“One day Jesus taught the apostles to keep praying and never stop or lose hope.”
So I’m challenging myself, as well as anyone else reading this, to PRAY for the next 10 days in particular. Pray as if your life depended on it.
Because it does.
I want to feel the satisfaction of Jesus’s words after Mary Magdalene poured costly oil over His head.