Pray Network Forum

He’s Not Thwarted By Our Politics

He merely changes his tactic.

Stop, and consider this for a moment.

Where are you on the photo above?

When you consider politics, are you:

• SAD
• MAD
• HAPPY

Where are you?

Maybe a better question is, “Why Are You?”

You see, this is my concern in the church. I expect the world to act like the world, and so should you. But the church is what concerns me?

What Is Going On In The Church

It’s diabolitical (Sorry, Freudian slip) It’s diabolical.

But, do you see it?

Regardless of the side of the aisle we prefer, we are all plagued with THE SAME DECEPTION, namely, the priority our political goals play in our life.

NOTE: We think that if we get more people who think like us in positions of power then we will live peaceful and quiet lives (1 Timothy 2:2m).

Have you ever considered that the promise of that verse is NOT THAT GOD gives us peace and tranquility by giving us the right leaders, but He gives you the peace and tranquility BECAUSE YOU’VE PRAYED, regardless of whether or not your circumstances change!

But, that’s a message for later.

Getting Back To Our Deception

The deception in our politics is our focus.

I have a few friends that work in various positions in Washington D.C. One of them recently shared with me, “The only thing that will fix Washington D.C., is Jesus.”

Before you say, “Yah, yah, Mark, of course.” I want you to consider what winds you up more:

• The political news you see on T.V., or
• Your heart hurting for the unsaved in D.C.?

Depending on your answer, you  might want to stop for just a moment and ask the Lord for forgiveness. Or, you may not want to, but you should.

You see, that’s the problem isn’t it? We’re more wrapped up in what we want, than what God wants.

The Fallout From This Deception

Getting what we want does not thwart sataN.

Do you really believe that sataN packs his bags and runs away when more and more of your political party enters the city limits of Washington D.C.?

NOTE: I’m not speaking out of the other side of my mouth when I say that, if you are in politics, you are to work as if you are working unto the Lord and not man. Meaning, do what you do with excellence.

The evil one will not cease until Jesus throws him into the pit.

So what does sataN do now, if he doesn’t pack his bags and leave, when your guy/gal wins?

Simple

He changes tactics.

And we in the church are missing this. When we “win” at the ballot box, we think we’ve won in the spiritual realm.

Friends, to use a line from a completely different context, when we think this way, “We above all men are to be most pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:19)

So, be on guard, for the evil one roams around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

And be aware that he may fool you, when he comes to you as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)

Whatever else he does, expect him to return to you at an opportune time. (Luke 4:13)

Then What Should We Do

Simple: Follow Scripture.

Instead of telling God what you want, let His Word tell you what He wants.

We like to abide in His Son and in His Word so that we can ask whatever we want and get it, right?

STOP! That’s not what John 15:7 says!

NOTE: It really says, “If you abide in Me (Jesus) and [YOU LET] MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU,  then you will ask whatever you will and it will be given unto you.”

Do you see the focus? The focus is His Word/s abiding in you. The reason you will get what you pray for is because you will be asking for Christ’s will, Christ’s words, because YOUR words will change to match His words.

Do You Believe The Bible

THEN DON’T READ Romans 13:1.

Why do I say, “Don’t read it?” Because you will be faced with an indisputable fact that the guy leading us in Washington D.C. is who God put there, and who God wants there.

And there’s another indisputable fact that you’ll be stuck with:

THE PASSAGE WAS TRUE THE PREVIOUS 8 YEARS ALSO.

So What

You may ask.

Here’s the “So-what.” Are you blaspheming God, by the way you are praying for the current leadership?

Or, did you blaspheme God by the way you prayed for the previous leadership?

How you answer that, will tell you why you are, whichever face you are, from above.

But more than that, I hope that you will hit your knees and ask for forgiveness, either for the way you pray, or the way you prayed.

Further, I hope you will pray for all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity, regardless of political results.

Blessings,

Have you considered determining some things to commit to pray for all year? I have written in earlier blogs about committing to long term prayers. Doing this helps us get our spiritual teeth into more consequential matters. This kind of praying excludes the trivial. You will not be tempted at the beginning of a year to pray for a better parking place at the donut shop. You will have to think about, possibly struggle in prayer to determine yearlong prayers. You may even find yourself praying for things that will cause you pain.

I recently heard a sermon by Tim Keller on Romans 8:28. He emphasized the fact that this verse does not promise that the lives of believers will be easier or better than that of those who do not love God. This verse cannot be severed from verse 29 which says God will use hard things to make us like Jesus.

As I looked at the passage I realized that we also cannot separate these verses from verses 26 and 27 which begin by saying we don’t know what to pray for as we ought. I thank God that this verse assures us that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God. He intercedes for me rather than God answering foolish, selfish and sinful prayers I sometimes pray. I am not alone in such foolishness. Elijah prayed for God to take his life. But God interceded by explaining His will to the prophet. In the same way the Holy Spirit brings us into His intercession. As we grow in the Lord we come to understand how He wants us to pray even when what we are to pray for will be difficult or painful. The angel told Ananias that God was going to show Paul how much he would suffer for the name of Jesus.

I am praying for God’s Spirit to show me what He is doing and how I am to pray for His perfecting work in my life. He has already promised that the joy will be worth the sacrifice.

http://daveswatch.com/ 

http: //watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

DAYS 1-17 ARE HERE

DAY EIGHTEEN:
VERSES:
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge...(Psalm 18:2)
PRAYER:

Most Heavenly and Holy Father, on Christ the Solid Rock I stand, ALL other ground is sinking sand. You are the Almighty, the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the Creator of All Things, the Upholder of the Universe, the Sustainer of All, the Provider, Protector and Standard of Your people! Through You, all was created by and for You and You rule over all. You uphold the righteous, You hug the loveless, You reach out to the hopeless, You guide the careless, You discipline the reckless and You grant favor to the penniless.

You reward those who bless You and pray for Your people. But You turn Your Holy Face against the hard of heart and those who reject You. You sent down fire and brimstone to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. You destroyed Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea.  You wiped out the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom and gave them to the Assyrians. Today, perversion and corruption reigns as the followers of evolution have denied the Creator and worship the creation (Romans 1:22-25). You have given then the ultimate pre-Judgment - You gave them over to themselves. The righteous see them rampaging through and destroying our family structure, the unborn and the great institutions You ordained with no brakes and no check in sight. But this is just for a time. They have a future eternity to think of and regret all of this.

But You oh God, are my deliverer. You sent Your Son the Savior to set the captives free, to deliver us from all evil. While we are set upon, beat up, pressed down, oppressed and spat upon by the lost, from the outhouse to the fanciest house, You stand there for us. You stand in the Gap as our Shield and Buckler. Your guardian angels protect us daily, even in our temporary folly.  Because You are unshakeable...because You always existed and there is none like You...because You are God before the foundation of the earth....because You are sinless, pure, holy, and good and because You see the beginning from the end, You are more than a fortress. You are a bulwark. You are to Whom we run when we seek refuge and comfort. You are to Whom we raise up our hopes and hands because You are the Fountain of Righteousness and Source of All Power! Words cannot describe You. You scoff at the scoffing pagans and heathens of this world as they shake their puny fists like Nimrod did and You can remove them by a single word. Yet You stay Your hand not wanting that any should perish. You are a merciful as well as powerful God and we love You. We worship and adore You. We magnify Your Powerful Name, Oh Lord of Heaven's Armies Who shall one day return to rule the earth, and it is in Jesus' Strong Name I pray, amen.

Have you ever been in a place and felt God was speaking everywhere you turned? A place where revelation was so tangible, it was like dew saturating the air? It was during a recent trip to Philadelphia, the birthplace of our nation, that God gave me a greater revelation regarding the benefits of Kingdom citizenship.

“We the people in order to form a more perfect union…” is how the preamble to the U.S. Constitution begins. The constitution was formed to bring 13 individual city-states together and create 1 governmental structure wherein the power resides with the people. This document was created to give a voice to the people; a document that outlined the benefits of being a citizen in this newly formed United States.
Benefits guarantee the citizenry certain freedoms and privileges.

• The freedom to practice religion
• The freedom of speech
• The freedom of life, liberty and to pursue happiness

So how does relate to being a citizen of the Kingdom of God? What privileges come with being a citizen of this eternal Kingdom?

• We have been adopted into a family, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15
• We are accepted for who we are, “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” Ephesians 1:6-7
• We have an inheritance, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” Romans 8:16-17
• We are overcomers, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Romans 8:37
• We are always on the mind of God, “Can a mother forget the infant at her breast, walk away from the baby she bore? But even if mothers forget, I'd never forget you—never. Look, I've written your names on
  the backs of my hands.” Isaiah 49:15-16a

How to become a Kingdom Citizen

• Admit we are sinners and need to be redeemed from sin, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 “For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is
  eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
• Believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, “But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.”Romans 5:8; “Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God.”2 Corinthians 5:21
• Confess that because we are born into sin we need a savior, “Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth)
  that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

Welcome package, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39