Greetings,
"The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. . . turn ye unto Me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. . . turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto Me, saith the Lord . . . .according to our ways and according to our doings, so hath He dealt with us." Zechariah 1:2 - 6
Last year, Prayer Link was seeking where the prayer life of the SBC was. The desire was to be more active to encourage, enable and employ prayer in a greater part of our service for the Lord. But before one knows what to do and where to go, one must know where they are at. The prayer life of the SBC presently has not been what it should be. Especially when considering the need to confront the lostness, darkness and evil of our day. Contacts were made among state conventions, associations and regional leaders, as well as individual churches and pastors of what their prayer life looked like. It was also sought of what prayer was done time wise and employed annually, semi-annual, monthly and weekly to help answer this question of what the prayer life looked like. The individual prayer life is one thing, but the corporate prayer life of the SBC was what was being sought to see what it looked like.
Found among states, associations and churches was the result that we are not houses of prayer. Nor, are we a people given unto prayer. Found among the SBC's 42 state conventions, 47,000 churches, over 1,000 associations and regions, and SBC entities there was, during a month's time, less than 20% are having any kind of corporate praying. Meaning that over 80% are not corporately praying in a month's time. This was expected, but nonetheless, still alarming and convicting. We are guilty of the sin of prayerlessness.
Now that we know where we are at, the questions becomes, what do we
do? We seek to change that testimony and witness and become that which
the Lord declared that He is pleased with. We should seek to become a people of
prayer and become houses of prayer.
In Isaiah 59, 'when evil comes in like a flood, God raises up a standard against that evil'. God's people during these days of increased evil, as many lost souls, nationally, in our churches and world wide, we must seek the Lord and be that standard. Therefore, we such a time as this upon us, that we seek throughout this prayer to be very intentional about corporately praying. I have always believed that the corporate prayer meeting can never be more than what the individuals secret closet prayer time is like. Absent from the secret closet, will hinder the corporate prayer meeting. The two do work as one.
It is the urgency of the hour that is pressing upon us as a nation. Our very future is at stake. It is time to get serious about prayer. Decades have now come and gone, judgements have heightened, and our very existence as a nation is in jeopardy. This is to contact you about your position, your walk with the Lord to draw together and employ means to call for prayer among the brethren.
May we identify 3 areas and employ our hearts to pray as never before.
RECOGNIZE OUR SITUATION
We are in trouble!. Every fabric of our society and existence is in jeopardy. We are seeing great losses and crises on the streets, in the homes, in the minds and in the churches. Every part of society is being impacted physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Now the last one, spiritually, if made right would heal and restore the other 3 areas. We need desperately need God! But finding a desperation for God is a hard thing to find. Even among God's people, the church, the standard is a continual operation of normal activities. There is not much desperation, anguish or heartache, until it hits home.
The Lord's hand has gone out against our nation, our homes, our families, and the church. Our ways and doings before Him has not been right for a long time. God has warned us and given us opportunities to respond, but we have not turned to Him with a whole heart as we should. The judgements and evil of our nation has only increased over the decades. The handwriting of God is on the wall for our nation and for the church in North America. This may be our last opportunity to turn to Him rightly. Great is His mercy, but also is great is wrath!
Our current plight and situation is needful to understand just where we are. We are seeing record levels of natural destruction's upon our nation through droughts, floods, storms, and fires. Our streets are seeing record number of homicides. Our young people, military are seeing record number of suicides. Drugs and alcohol are consuming an entire generation and leaving a far worse scenario for the near future. Police officers are being gunned down and killed as never before. And the church, who has the means to do something about it, has lost its Holy filling and Ichabod is upon too many fo the church and pulpits of today.
We are in a great crisis. A fight for our future and for our very existence. But you could not tell this by the activities of our nation, and of the church. There is a large haze over the eyes and ears of the people. We seem almost content as we steam roll to destruction. Of any, the church should be sensing an alarm and be aware of our plight. We are not in good way, brethren. But there is hope! And that hope is found directly in a prevailing spirit of prayer by God's people. Corporately praying each week, each month among brethren, we entreat the Lord for His hand of grace and mercy, rather His hand of anger and fury. But the sands in the hour glass are running out, and we must see the urgent need.
IMMEDIATE RESPONSE
God has given us a means to save us. This hope is not in man; it is not in means or methods; it is God Almighty. "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord" He has promised, an absolute promise, 'if you turn to Me, I will turn to you'. But God requires a response from us. Now it cannot be expected that DC or state capitals will speak and do the right response. But it is easily expected that God's church and people should respond rightly.
Therefore let us turn to Him. Let us resolve throughout this year to correct our sin.
1. Intentional prayer times to be set monthy; bi-monthly and weekly.
2. Let these prayer meetings be set with a specific agenda of worship - confession - supplication
--worship - to acknowledge Almighty God and all His verses of His Names, Attributes and Deeds;
--confession - let us acknowledge our sins, transgressions and iniquities as a nation, the church and our own hearts;
--supplications - a pleading of urgency and fervency with Him for His Divine Presence (Revival); help and fullness of His Spirit;
CONSISTENCY OF MAINTAINING
This is not a "one and done" moment. But it is must be resolved and determined by the church to stay until we prevail. As we read the phrase in the Old Testament, 'they grabbed hold of the horns of the altar' and would not let go; as Jacob held the angel and would not let go; so must we. Until those words are spoke from God's holy throne, "I have seen your tears and broken heart; I have heard your wails and cries; and I will grant you the desire of your heart for My Names' sake." Pray so as to prevail.
This is not done with haphazard praying. This is not done with sporadic praying. This is not done but by whole hearts, souls and minds given unto the Lord, for the weight of what is at stake presses us to pray such. The command was the same for the disciples from Christ resurrection, to ascension to prevailing in prayer in the upper room. 'Wait until you be endued with power form on high.' They waited, they prayed, they were united, and they prevailed. All such times in history of God's Manifest presence coming, came in such like fashion. We must be like minded an resolved also.
Let the resolve be then to encourage and enable each other to persevere and steadfast in weekly and monthly corporate praying. Often it is seen that in the moment of crisis, there is heightened prayer. but as the moment passes, or the flesh grows weary, prayer fades away. Satan is more than willing to allow a moment of prayer, but he will work hard against a unified, enduring, persevering spirit of prayer. Let the brethren be so minded and set such a standard to maintain.
Brethren, this is my heart cry. This is my suggested means to wage a successful war for souls, against evil and prevail against the destruction of our nation. It will be found if, and only if, the church rises to meet this flood of evil with the weapon of warfare that our Lord entrusted us with, the weapon of prayer.
Until,
Dan Biser
rdbiser@live.com
Started: January 15, 2019
Continued: 1/17;1/18;1/19;
Finished:
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