Greetings,
The New Year is upon us. Much of what is to be for us this new year is unknown. Yet there are certain truths that are consistent with time. We see these consistencies throughout each year: sickness, death, great memories, special moments, success, defeats, victories, etc.
1. The Lord desires to work through the prayers of His people; we cannot afford in this most crucial time to be found guilty of the sin of prayerlessness.
2. Satan knows this truth and works without ceasing to make sure we do not pray.
3. There is much work that lies in front of us for this year and we must be attentive to be fervent, urgent and earnest in our prayers.
In my word studies through the Scriptures, I am seeing these words stand out to me and leading me to make sure they are a part of my themes and my prayer initiatives. Allow for me to share these with you for the hope that they may help, lead and encourage you to pray them as well. The "D's" to be prayed are for the following 5 areas: Future; Nation; Church; Family/Home & for the personal heart;
"D's"
1. Deliver - this is a word study I did last year throughout all the Scripture; almost 600 times this word is used; It has been a blessing and insightful word study to its usage and directive.
How do we incorporate it into our prayer times? Again be reminded to adapt it into the 5 areas of prayer to cover: Future; Church; Nation; Family/Home & Personal life & heart, for each other and one's own self.
Jesus prayed it in the Lord's prayer, 'deliver them from evil (or from the Evil One)'; and in this day of evil how much more should we be praying that for ourselves each day, as well as all our brothers and sisters in Christ to be delivered from his temptations, influence, thoughts and ways.
With so many Christians trapped, defeated by some sin in their personal life, it is the most needful prayer for deliverance from 'the sin that does so easily beset them'. We have much confession, but little repentance. Deliverance from all sin is the way to holiness and we must pray and ask and seek it for it to be so of His bride today. this deliverance from sin and evil is 'godly sorrow unto repentance'.
Our enemy is coming against us, the church, in so many ways today. In the passage of laws and edicts against our freedom, our opportunities, we must recognize the devices of our enemy to pray for deliverance from our enemies plans and way. so many in the church quote the verse 'I know the plans I have for you. . .'; but I don't know many that does spiritual warfare against Satan and hell for the plans that hell has for us as Christians. And be assured that Satan seeks to kill, maim, destroy, wound us inside and out. Pray for deliverance from these Satanic plans.
Deliverance for the souls that are held captive in sin and lostness by Satan. They are chained and bound in his control and darkness. Wanting no light, no truth to reach them, lest they should be delivered from their lost estate. Brethren, it is the most urgent of times for our lost loved ones, for this may be their last year. And if they die in their sins, they will perish in eternal hell for all eternity. Deliver them from O Lord from his evil clutches, chains, lies, half-truths and set them free. Remember His promise, 'if I set you free, you shall free indeed.'
All these prayers for deliverance are a continual, daily prayer that needs to be offered before the throne of grace to help in these times of need. It is the most necessary prayer for success throughout this year, 'deliver us'; ''deliver me'; 'deliver them' and be glorified in each deliverance for Your glory O Lord.
Know that this prayer of deliverance is ever present and future. As the New Year begins and unfolds before us, God is able to go before us in His power and might to help in deliverance from Satan's plans and from our own folly. Preventive prayers see this and respond to pray now for what may be in ways of deliverance for our nation, church, family and own soul. God's attribute of Omnipresence is able to go before to undo the works of darkness that await or are being schemed against our loved ones and the bride of Christ. This prayer for the future is a prayer of deliverance by the mighty hand of God; 'Speak O Lord, and it shall be done'.
2. Desire - this word is found 181 times in Scripture; Not as numerous as some of these other 'D' words to pray but a very important one. The Christian that is lacking in desire to serve and prevail will be one that finds themselves backsliding this year. Satan makes most of the souls that lose their desire to 'finish well'; that lose their desire to go after God with all their heart. But the soul that rises up each day and sets their desire for the things of God will not find their cup empty, but say with David, 'my cup runneth over.'
that healthy prayer for us to make with this word, 'desire' is for the church and for our personal hearts. Let my heart/soul desire Thy ways O God. Let my desire be right in Your sight O God. And if there be any desire within me or by me, that is not pleasing to Him, let us put it away from us. Flee from all that harms our walk, witness and ways with and before the Lord.
Is there a healthy, spiritual desire to be found among the church today? I fear the church's desire has been more bent in years gone by for self, entertainment, temporal and earthly things. This must be recognized, repented of and forsaken. To much our desire has led our time, energy, abilities and opportunities to take away from our Lord's kingdom. May our desire for heavenly, eternal, spiritual be priority one. Pray to this end.
And can we not recognize when desire is sin? When sin, self and Satan causes our desires to be priority rather than holiness, the Savior and for the heavenly Kingdom, we should know our desires are evil. There is too much desire for this world by the church and Christians, yet, there is no conviction or correction of this evil. We go after the world, rather than going after God. Time, money, energy is exhausted on sport, entertainment, and ease rather than the pursuit of holiness.
3. Destroy/Devour - word study, destroy is found in the bible almost 500 times; Devour is found 138 times; I was led to this word study for this time reading through the Bible. And it was mainly in the negative sense of God judging a nation, a people that had sinned against Him and provoked Him to anger. And in that wrath and anger He destroyed them. In Deuteronomy 28, the chapter of blessings & cursings, He declares how He will destroy and devour the people for their folly. And in our headlines today, every city, street, church, home we see the destruction. All our standard foundations are crumbling and heading toward destruction.
The cry of God's people must be to safeguard against this destruction and devouring. It is the Watchmen's job on the wall to protect and deliver from this destruction. It is the role of the intercessor to stand in the gap to preserve life, to preserve future against this destruction that has gone forth against us. The power of prayer is able to stop it and turn it back. Failure to pray, to ask for these specific answers simply allows for the reaction from God or allowed by God to be done. Much of what takes place today in our lives, is because of prayerlessness.
But knowing this destruction and devouring is happenign and coming, we are allowed to intervene and stay it by the power of God's might. Now this is praying for His Divine will to be done and we are not to ask amiss. Yet, see a few of the examples in the Bible that accomplished this.
1. Abraham was told of the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah; yet, Abraham knew Lot was there. He was allowed to pettion for a stay if 10 righteous souls could be found. There was not, yet God in His mercy to Abraham delivered Lot from being destroyed.
2. The enemy was on its way with a massive army; yet Jehosaphat called upon the Lord for mercy and not to destroy the people. God heard him and answered in a powerful way.
3. God was angry and going to destroy all the children of Israel numerous times after they came out of Egypt. Yet, Moses stood before the Lord and prayed for God to repent and restrain Himself, God did so. And the destruction did not take place.
How much more so, not simply to pray for deliverance from the destruction but for evil and sin to be destoryed? Is this not the work of holiness in the body of Christ, that sin may be put away from us? Christ came to save us from our sins and deliver us from that destruction, 'for the wages of sin is death, destruction, devouring in hell for ever and ever.'
4. Deny - found only 26 times, but of eternal importance here on earth and before the throne of God;
Deny that which Satan seeks to unfold and employ for the destruction of our nation, church, home and hearts. Deny him entrance to the ways of those that we love. This will require of us to be ever vigilant that our Lord's enemy wants to destroy our loved ones. We must fight for them, especially when they are walking contrary to the Lord. Deny Satan from influencing them, tempting them, devouring them. This is at the heart of spiritual warfare, were we are attacking hell's agenda. Satan will come against those that pray such in fury and rage.
May we not do anything as the church, in our personal lives that would deny the Holy Spirit from using us and filling us. Our great sorrow in the church today and in personal hearts is that we allowing, compromise and permit sin and evil that grieves the Holy Spirit from us. The four things not to do against the Holy Ghost: 1. restrain; 2. grieve; 3. limit; 4. quench. And when we do not deny sin an devil in our minds, words, hearts and intents, we cause these things to happen. Deny self, embrace the Spirit in fullness. It is ever important that Christians learn today to deny sin in all forms, ways and inroads to cause us much damage and harm. Satan wants this, Christ has made a way for us to be victorious over this. Deny sin.
Our ways of living have been greatly influenced by the world. The Scripture teaches us 'that the lust of the world and the lusts of the flesh is enmity against God.' We are to deny our thoughts, behaviors, routines, traditions that align with these wordly ways, rather than foloiwng Christ
5. Depart - found 349 times in Scripture; "The time of my departure is at hand". Some will depart this earth of great impact and significance for our Lord's kingdom. May they depart in peace, strength and leave a blessing behind them. As well, for us that we be ready at any given moment to depart from this world to the next. Our time is unknown to us, but depart we shall; may we be found ready. And as the wise servants that had their oil and wicks trimmed they were escorted in and counted as wise; but the foolish had to go get oil. We know not who may be the next to depart from us in the faith, but may we be able to say, 'they have finished their course and finished well'.
Paul wrote the words and we should express them as well, 'I have desire to depart, but must remain for a season.' Let us understand that soon enough, and as the Lord sees fit, we shall leave this corruptible and put on incorruptible. But until that time, expecting to depart, we remain for His service, love and loyalty. But the Christians desire should always be to depart, but until then, remain faithful right till the end.
Also, let us depart from all wickedness. Let nothing be named among us to associate us with sin, self or Satan. Depart from the accursed thing, lest be found in its demise. The Lord shall judge every secrete thing, whether good or evil; depart from evil, cleave to that which is good. Departure from all that we have been taught is good and acceptable by man, is not so with the Lord. We must understand this truth to fulfill 'come ye out from among them and be ye separate.
6. Death & Dying - 'It is appointed unto men, once to die, and then the judgement'; 'the wages of sin is death';
The certainty of this, physically, is more and more on my mind. My time is coming and so is yours. Being prepared for that time is of the utmost necessity, especially if it is this year. We know not the hour or day, but are committed unto the Lord for His perfect timing in calling us home. But to be ready to hear those words, 'Well done'; should occupy the intents of our heart. Our motto: 'when our time comes to die, I shall be ready'.
But the prayer of death and dying is two fold. It is not just the physical death of our ownselves, but as we too much know, it may be for our beloved. Are they ready? Have they 'fought a good fight, kept the faith, ready to finish?' And more than likely, death shall meet us this year with someone near. We may all walk through that 'valley of the shadow of death' sometime this year. And of our loved ones, it will be revealed if they have dealt with death and dying in the spiritual sense, 'death to self, dying to sin'. Ravenhill said there are two kinds of people on this earth, 'those that are dead to sin, and those that are dead in sin, which one are you?'
The prayer focus then becomes to prepare me, my loved ones, my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ and cause us to die afresh each day to sin, and self. and that dying to self and sin, we will be ready to die or have confidence if they die this year. So our prayer becomes for this season of death to prepare for our own, and for theirs.
The other part of this prayer focuses not on the physical death and standing before the judgement seat, but the death and dying to self daily. 'If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and come follow'; this is the death of self and death to sin. This is the soul, vowing to be before Him loyal and true in rising each day to understand that the 'the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak'.
Started: January 1, 2018
Continued: 1/3; 1/5; 1/8; 1/9;
Finished:
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