Greetings,
"and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed." Exodus 17:11
Why did the Texas school shooting in Santa Fe, and why the shooting in GA happen yesterday? Why does abortions continue? Why does the LGBT agenda continue to advance? Why does the church grow more powerless and more unholy? Why does Christianity continue to shrink in Europe and North America?
To all the other questions of 'why', and there are many more questions to be asked of this day and time. The answer to that question is found in Exodus 17:11. The Amalekites had come to attack Israel as they came up out of Egypt. I did a study of the Amalekites in all the Bible a while ago. These were the pawns of Satan to attack, assault, to destroy, to kill the children of God. Even though the tribe people of Amalek are no more found, the devil never misses out on using a nation, a people, a movement as a means to assault and attack the children of God. Any that you see come against the church, the children of God, or the ways of God is the same as these heathen, ungodly, vessels of hell, the Amalekites.
And when they come, the time of warfare, spiritual warfare is at hand. I have often preached, taught Paul's words to Timothy, 'war a good warfare'. Oh, brethren, I confess to you, that in these past days, knowing that the amalekites were coming, I was not prepared, nor watchful. All of our prayer targets are means that Satan uses, allowed by God due to our nation/church sins for remedial judgements are consistent. We see the murder-suicides, the drug epidemic, the cancer epidemic, the family demise, laws and judicial edicts, and natural disasters all heightening due to our provoking the Lord. And because God and holiness is removed from our midst, for God and sin cannot co-exist, the wrath of God upon our sins is experienced and permitted. For years I have seen these repeated judgements and prayed toward this end, 'in wrath, O God, remember mercy'. For I still believe that the US, the church in North America has the potential, the means, the ability to complete the task of the great commission.
Yet, our carnal, sinful lifestyles have choked, robbed us of that which is most needful -- the Powerful, Presence of God. We let our hands down. I let my hands down. Each morning I take my boys to school and on our way there we pray. Almost every day, that preventive prayer against school shootings is offered up for safety and 'deliver them from evil'. But every day this year that there has been a school shooting, that me and my boys have not prayed in the morning going to school for no other reason, than sheer laziness, sloth, on that day, there has been a school shooting. So how else can I say it, but my failure in prayer for God's restraint and mercy allows for evil to prevail. Allows for the Amalekites to prevail against the children of God. Oh, the shame in this and the understanding of how much more we could do but have not done, because our hands are let down.
And will it not be revealed, will it not be shown us that every time our hands dropped down, Satan and evil prevailed. Which would lead us to the assumption that evil can only advance and prevail, when God's children cease to pray. But it may be truer than what most believe, of how much prayer is intricate with the affairs of this life and men. History is defined as hands lifted and prevailing; or hands dropping down and evil prevailing. In this one truth is the call for us to pray, and much more than just pray but pray so as to prevail. And brethren, we are not prevailing. I go back to Ravenhill's statement: "God does not answer prayer; God answers DESPERATE prayer" and I agree. Yes, I know the Word of God, and the truths 'ask, and it shall be give'; 'call and I will answer' 'pray' but too many jusitfy themselves of 'praying' and yet evil multiplies. so much so that I am convinced that, yes pray; but how do you pray? People are praying but they are not fulfilling the rest of those directives on prayer. Which are: "pray without ceasing'; ''the fervent prayer of a righteous man"; 'urgent' 'desperate - 'Give me children lest I die' In these is found a more profound way of praying. This is a difference brethren, and we cannot just assume that because we are praying that all is well. When we see the headlines we know this to not be true. Therefore, don't let your hands down brethren, lest evil prevail.
Remedy:
Learning and confessing of this folly before the Lord leads me to do 1 thing - PRAY. Resolved to enter in to more prayer times. Now this is not just 'saying' prayers, but it is to pray the specifics that God reveals His heart and will in these public and private matters of our nation, church, familiy and our own hearts. Resolved not to let hands down so enemy prevails.
PRAYER TARGETS:
--drug epidemic;
--cancer;
--mass shootings - school; church; streets; public;
--plagues - strange sickness afflicted; this is small numbers right now; but will increase to epidemic proportions
--war; pray for spiritual awakening among troops for salvation before this happens and comes;
--North Korea doors to open praying for missionary groups preparing and seize the opportunity;
--boko Haran & ISIS - our modern day Amalekites;
--economy;
--Supreme Court rulings to come out within the month on religious freedom to impact our future;
--LGBT agenda; planned parenthood huge loss of funding by Trump;
--SBC convention in Dallas next month;
UPDATE:
--bible reading up through Numbers; haven't missed a day in May;
--A Word - finished Isaiah 52; haven't started back into chapter 53 yet because I want to complete most of the verses in chapter 52, 15 verses;
--24/7 prayer chain; the above devotion is directly related to this challenge and call to pray; You are desperately needed in this spiritual warfare
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090945a4aa2da75-broken
--Sermonindex Conference prayer partners needed and continue to next 4 and 1/2 months in preparation;
--sermons uploaded to youtube page - Dan Biser channel; National Day of Prayer broadcast and prayer targets; and last week I did a Special Broadcast for Sermonindex Conference and the SBC meeting next month; I will do more of these live broadcast for prayer times;
--"The Activity of God" I finished Genesis after a month and 1/2; starting Exodus; found on my blog at danbiser.blogspot.com
Until,
dan
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