Dec. 16, 2008 - Prayer for Our Nation

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and seek your direction and guidance.

We know your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that's exactly what we've done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.

We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of your Word and called it moral pluralism.

We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism.

We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building esteem.

We have abused power and called it political savvy.

We have coveted our neighbors' possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us O God and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by you, to govern this great state.

Grant them your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of your will. I ask it in the name of your son, the living savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

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My aunt sent this prayer to me through an email that was accredited to Billy Graham.  However, going to snopes.com, I found the REAL story behind this prayer.  Rev. Wright is the one who prayed this prayer but isn't the one who originally wrote it.

Regardless of WHO prayed it, this prayer speaks mountains of TRUTH.  

The prayer has a very interesting story behind it! According to snopes.com:

Rev. Wright had been invited to serve as the Kansas House's guest chaplain by Rep. Anthony Powell, a Wichita Republican who was also a member of Wright's church. Accordingly, Rev. Wright read the prayer at the opening of the legislature on 23 January 1996 and then departed, unaware of the ruckus he had created until his church secretary called him on his car phone to ask him what he had

Dec. 3, 2008 - A Message From the Front Lines

A received an email update from my brother. He is stationed 
overseas but we are not allowed to know where. But, my God does! 

“Btw...I am glad I went to Qatar this week for some R&R.  
My room received some fragmentation from a mortar round.  
Went through my wall locker and shredded some of my clothes.  
Not bad cause it passed in between my TV, refrigerator 
and micro wave without destroying them.  I am very surprised. 
TV was the only thing that had a hole in it.  I was moved out 
of my room and I am settling in last night.  If I was in my

room that night I wouldn't be writing this email to you guys.  
It passed right through the area where I sit on the side of 
my bed when I do my homework, work on the computer and watch 
TV.  Crazy!!”

Nov. 12, 2008 - A Prayer for you...

Dear God,

The lady reading this is beautiful, classy and strong, and I love her. 
Help her live her life to the fullest. 
Please promote her and cause her to excel above her expectations. 
Help her shine in the darkest places where it is impossible to love. 
Protect her at all times, lift her up when she needs you the most, 
and let her know when she walks with you, She will always be safe.

Aug. 13, 2008 - Obama and infanticide?

This is the 'creative hand of God' destroyed by the 'creative hand of man'! Oh, what good this hand could have done - saved lives, educated, legislated, governed, discovered, or maybe even rocked the cradle of a new generation!

Father God in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, I pray for those souls that are not yet born, still a fetus in the womb. Grow each fetus for your purpose my Lord.

Awaken the souls of Your people to see the lies and deceit that is going before their faces. Father, rescue these babies that are aborted and those who are born and then throw aside. Father, I ask that all those saved through Christ would intercede and pray for the unborn and born babies, and also for the souls and lives of the mothers and fathers. May followers of Christ do all they can to stop abortion and infanticide using the spiritual weapons that you have given us.

May we not stand by and allow false Christians to preach hate and condemnation rather than God’s love and grace through Christ. May we extend forgiveness unto women who have had abortions in the past and show them love, so that they will not receive future abortions. May we not be focused on the past sinful behavior but future renewal for the mother, the father, and the child through Christ.

Please Lord, may these urgent issues claim the attention of the saints, many of whom have fallen victim to the vain distractions of the enemy. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

**************

Satan and evil aren’t stupid enough to come out and say to the average person, “Hey, let’s do evil stuff!” Satan is subtle, a "good guy", who says ‘let’s compromise.’ We can find common ground. God didn’t REALLY say THAT, did He?

Jul. 27, 2008 - Praying for your lost ones

It hurts to see our loved ones in the pigpen. Cry out to God on their behalf.

Jesus said in Matthew 12:29 to first bind the strong man and then enter his house and spoil his goods.

Pray, "You spirit blinding the eyes of ______________, you stop what you are doing to keep him out of the kingdom of God. In Jesus' Name, you stop NOW!"

Jesus also said in Matthew 9:38, "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."

Pray: "Lord, send someone to ____________ with the Word of God. You know who he will listen to. We claim _____________ for the kingdom of God. We believe we receive his salvation and deliverance. In faith we praise You for it."

Now, it’s your turn…. use the following Scriptures and personalize them for your loved ones.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Isa 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Act 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Eze 36:26-27 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Isa 65:24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

Jul. 24, 2008 - Praying through the Scriptures

At the beginning of the Bible at Genesis 1:3, notice that it starts with, "Then God said..."

In verse 6 it says again, "Then God said..."

In verse 9, the same thing. "Then God said..."

God created the heavens and the earth by speaking them into existence. By praying the scriptures out loud you are speaking God's will for your life into existence.

You can pray the Scriptures silently, if you choose. However, by speaking the Verses out loud will increase your faith.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” ~ Romans 10:17 (NASB)

The repeated word in this verse is “hearing.” Now, I do not believe that it is a misprint. I believe that it says it this way to make a point. The point is to hear the word of GOD to increase your faith. I also believe you can ask for faith when you need it. (John 14:13; Luke 11:11) I am going to save this topic for another article.

1 John 5:14, which tells us we can have confidence in God. He not only hears our prayers but He promises to answer them when we pray in line with His will. He quickly performs His Word.

Hebrews 4:12 says that God's Word is alive and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword. When we speak and pray the Scriptures, we are coming into agreement with God, and His power is released to answer our prayers.

A Win-Win Situation

We are claiming God’s promises when we pray Scriptures. We not only build our faith, but we move mountains in the heavens, thereby offering the pleasing sweet aroma of faith unto God. As God answers our prayers, we grow in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The person receiving the blessing or the answered prayers has their faith increased as a result. It is a win-win situation!

How to pray Scriptures?
The idea is to personalize a text to yourself (if in private) or a group (if in public). When praying Scriptures for others, then change “me” or “you” with "us" or "we".  Best in this venue are Scriptures that are prayer-like to begin with.

Here are some Scriptures that I use:

"Thank You for newness of life-'And I shall give them one heart and shall put a new spirit within them. Then they will be My people and I shall be their God.'" (Ezek. 11:19-20)

"We hold onto the promise-'Though 'there be no fruit on the vines, and the field produce no food…yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hind's feet and makes me walk on my high places.'" (Hab. 3:18-19)

"I agree with Your Word that says-'Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, says the Lord of hosts.'" (Zech. 4:6)

"Thank you, Lord, for Your provision--'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. And test Me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until there is no more need."'" (Zech 3:10)

"We rejoice to hear Your promise, Lord-'Fear not, for you will not be put to shame' neither feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced…for your husband is your maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts.'" (Is. 54:4)

"Thank You, for the reassurance that-'No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that accuses you in judgment, you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from me,' declares the Lord.'" (Is. 54:17)

"Everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them. For I am with you to deliver you. Then the Lord… touched my mouth… "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth." (Jer. 1:7-9)

My challenge to you is this… to pray scripture. To find some Scriptures for your situation use a Concordance or a Topical Bible.