Some Notes

Here are some scriptures a man of our group shared with me yesterday:

Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. [Matthew 6.10 NKJV]

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. [Isaiah 9.6-7]

Now, factor into your thinking of the scriptures above with this one:

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. [Romans 13.1]

We have, no doubt, a responsibility before God to understand the hierarchy of all things and to work within that hierarchy.

Can I just say that our responsibility starts with prayer?

Also, this note was shared with me by one of our group yesterday:

"Just a thought brothers and sisters it early voting starting today, so we need to be adamant about our prayers. Don't let up and be intent on your focus and the Lords will over our voting and all those out there casting their votes right now. Remember it's his will to be done not ours. May God Bless you each and everyone, keep strong in your resolve and let him be your strength. Bless you brother Greg for your continued strength and encouragement you give us all." DB

One more thing... (For those of you local to Sallisaw OK), a woman in our community sent an email to me click here about an event you may wish to participate in (or copy in your own location??).

PLNB! 

Unforgiveness: The Faith Deal-Breaker

I realize some of you, like me, are facing challenges and obstacles perhaps greater than any you have ever faced. But, I have prayed for you today - and I am confident that God's Holy Spirit residing in us will keep you and me through every adversity. 

As we enter the last week of our 40 Days of Prayer for the 2020 US General Elections, I want to encourage you to continue your genuine Kingdom work of forgiving and praying for everyone involved "to be saved and to understand the truth" (1 Timothy 2.1-4).

My immediate goal is to lead you through this 40 Days of Prayer, but my life priority is to help you move into a deeper, more intimate relationship with the Father that goes far beyond this 40 Days of Prayer, affecting your own relationship with the world for whom Christ died and rose again! Read on...

Up against faith, the 2020 US General Election is a small thing. It may indeed appear mountainous, but Jesus mentioned the fact that even mountains could not resist genuine faith:

Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. [Mark 11.22-24]

If mountains cannot resist faith, then these elections cannot resist faith! Right? Right! 

However, there is one caveat revealed by Mark 11.25 that deserves sober focus:

But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” [Mark 11.25]

All the faith in the world - to move mountains or to influence elections - is powerless in the heart or mouth of the unforgiving. A heart of unforgiveness renders its faith a mere presumption.

Every human has been given the measure of faith (Romans 12.3). Every human has been given God's Word to activate that faith (Romans 10.17). And, every human has been given the command to forgive as the environment in which faith actually works (Mark 11.25).

Is our faith "wishing" or is it "working?" The difference is forgiveness!

Why do I continue to preach forgiveness? Because, regardless of the outcome of the 2020 US General Elections, the fight between good and evil will not be over! Increasingly more faith will be required in the days, weeks, months, or years that may remain before Jesus returns. We simply cannot afford to be a powerless Church, rendered so by our own unwillingness to forgive:

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! [2 Timothy 3.1-5]

(If this is the condition of those "having a form of godliness," then what in the world will those with no form of godliness look like??)

If you look at the list above from 2 Timothy 3, you will recognize that Jesus addressed most of these conditions at some point or another in His ministry on earth. However, the one that repeatedly stands out as a deal-breaker for prayer and faith is unforgiveness (Matthew 6.12,14-15) (Mark 11.25).

If you & I learn nothing during this 40 Days of Prayer but to forgive, then we have learned the most important thing! There is POWER in FORGIVENESS!

PLNB!

Focus

It seems prudent today to remind us that distractions are, if we will see it, confirmation that we are on target with our spiritual efforts.

As we pray for the 2020 US General Elections, distractions are at all-time highs. We cannot afford to lose focus.

We must remain fixed on God's goal: that everyone is saved and understands the truth (1 Timothy 2.4). That includes the candidates of our choice AND the candidates that are not our choice.

With all the noise going on across the USA and the world right now, there remains an age-old spiritual battle between good and evil.

This battle between good and evil is raging. We are compelled by Jesus' prayer for forgiveness on the Cross to understand that all of the candidates are engaged in this battle whether they understand it or not. And, because they are all engaged in this battle, they need PRAYER - they need God's help - they need God's forgiveness.

And, as WE understand how the Kingdom of God operates, they need OUR help and forgiveness!

When Jesus claimed "all authority" in Matthew 28, and then commissioned His followers to "go," it was in that same authority that He sent them. It was in that same authority that He sent US!

Let the souls of all the candidates be on your heart as you pray for this election. There is simply no Kingdom allowance for us to hold hatred and unforgiveness. None.

God help and forgive Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. We JOIN YOU with our help and forgiveness! God, save the world, God, save the USA!

18.21

Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” [Matthew 18.21]

I woke up this morning to "18.21." As soon as I considered what that meant, "Matthew" was immediately obvious to me. So, I write...

If you are like me, newscasts and social media posts bring increasingly more angst as we near the 2020 US General Elections. It's a natural response, right?

You want the truth? It is not a natural response, it is a fallen nature response. As such, it is something every true believer must combat. Like Jesus answered Peter to his question above:

“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! [Matthew 18.22]

We have to understand that forgiveness is something that will always be work. And, there are no limits to it - that is, if we intend to be forgiven ourselves. Jesus was very clear about this in the parable of the unforgiving debtor He told in this context. So important is forgiveness that Jesus began His parable with these words:

“Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared... [Matthew 18.23a]

Forgiveness is Kingdom business. Without it, one may be on a 'mission' or a doer of great things, but not on Kingdom business.

Jesus' prayer on the Cross should be our banner: “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” (from Luke 23.34)

Our prayers for our chosen candidates should not differ from our prayers for those we categorically reject! "Father, forgive them!"

They all need what only forgiveness can give: salvation, the Holy Spirit, deliverance, healing, and provision. They need this from God - they need it from us. That is how the Kingdom works - we join God in His will on earth (and we know God desires that everyone is saved and understands the truth).

As the "Kingdom" goes, we not only have the responsibility to forgive, but, like Jesus demonstrated, we have the authority to forgive. Think about that. But don't think too long... act on it!

PrayLikeNeverBefore! (and when you pray, forgive)

Don't Forget

The disciples replied, “Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?” [Matthew 15.33]

A little backstory first...

The same disciples who asked this question, when Jesus suggested they feed 4,000 men (plus women & children), had just recently witnessed Jesus break 5 loaves and 2 fish into enough food to feed 5,000 men (plus women & children)!

How did they forget that?

I believe the answer is plain and simple: they were not spending time in prayer and devotion to God.

How can I make the statement above? Well, mostly because I have a little idea of the whole story of the disciples' three years in ministry with Jesus (the Gospels). It's right there in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 

Jesus, Who was known, and is on record, as a person of much prayer, scolded His men more than once for their lack of prayer. Likewise, He frequently scolded them for their lack of faith. It is no secret that, although Jesus' men were indeed disciples, they were less than exemplary in truly following Him. More often than not, they followed their hearts instead of their example, Jesus. Such was the case at this second feeding of thousands: they looked at the situation and followed the reasoning of their hearts, "we have no food and no way to get so much food" in spite of having witnessed the Word of God in action at the feeding of the 5,000.

The problem with anyone following their heart is that the human "heart" is deceitful and wicked (Jeremiah 17.9). Our hearts will make us forget even the greatest miracles of our lives. The only remedy is to silence our hearts with the Word of God and prayer.

God has historically rescued His repentant people over and over. As we pray for the 2020 US General Elections, we MUST remember that. We must keep our hearts out of it and be absolutely sure we are following the Spirit of God and His Holy Word! If we forget that our God parted the Red Sea and raised Jesus from the dead, then our hearts will forget His KINGDOM plan for the earth. Yes, we will mistakenly pray "heartfelt prayers" for the USA's turmoil and distraction instead of God's will as it pertains to the salvation of the world (1 Timothy 2.4). We cannot allow ourselves to become distracted by human point of view and its attached emotion (Matthew 16.21-23)

Does God want good for the USA? Of course He does (see Psalm 119.68). But as much as we need God to intervene in our present circumstances, we must stay focused on God's main plan - to save the world. Our humble repentance will naturally and scripturally bring God's blessing on the USA (or whatever country we might live in). 

Make no mistake about it, God's plan for the world is not dependent upon the USA - and God's plan for the USA is not independent of His plan for the world (let that soak in).

So, what do we do? We do the Kingdom! Jesus saw the pain and suffering of the Cross as the way to save the world. As His followers, called to take up our cross and follow Him, we should not forget, but instead see our present circumstances as they pertain to the salvation of the world - as did Jesus. The Word of God is crystal clear on this, but our hearts try to deny it and make us forget.

So, don't forget. Spend more and more time in prayer and God's Word. God's Kingdom has to be more real to us than the air that we breath. Otherwise, our hearts will deceive and distract us concerning circumstances we've already seen God remedy before.

Question: “Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?”

Answer: The same place we did last time - from Almighty God. Don't forget it - do the work - feed the people!

Distractions

What are distractions?

Distractions are those things that cause us to lose focus of the goal.

Spiritually speaking, distractions are those things that pull Christ followers away from doing the work of reconciliation that every believer is called to do.

God's priority is the Kingdom. I challenge you to study every place Jesus spoke of the Kingdom... You will find that when Jesus spoke of the Kingdom, He was speaking of people. The Kingdom is all about people.

Why? Because...

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. [John 3.16 NKJV]

And, because the world is God's priority, it was Jesus' priority. Should we wonder what OUR priority is then? I think not.

So, what are distractions? They can be almost anything... say, like 'critical' elections. Or, how about a 'pandemic?' What about social unrest?

But aren't we praying this 40 Days of Prayer specifically for the 2020 US General Elections? How can we call that a distraction?

Interestingly enough, today I read about Jesus and His men crossing a lake and encountering a "storm" (Mark 4.35-41). The lesson of the story was not that Jesus spoke to the storm (which was indeed noteworthy!), but that the disciples did not recognize the distraction and simply speak to the storm themselves!

Not all distractions are sparkly and mesmerizing. Some are just downright threatening and deadly. Our response reveals our focus. You see, the disciples had, for the moment, lost their focus and consequently got a scolding from Jesus in return, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

In the midst of the 2020 US General Elections and a pandemic of medical and social proportion, our mission, as followers of Christ is not the least bit changed. We, like our Jesus, like His (and our) Father, must understand that the world is lost and needs to be saved. 

God "...wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth" (from 1 Timothy 2.4).

We are instructed by Paul that in order for everyone to be saved and understand the truth, we must pray reconciliatory prayer for them. Paul instructed this in 1 Timothy 2.1-4 because He recognized that Jesus demonstrated it.

Faith speaks to the storms - the distractions - because there is greater work to be done. In the midst of the "storm" of the 2020 US General Elections, there are people who desperately need to be saved and understand the truth!

In Tune With God

I had a great conversation with a man from our group last Friday afternoon who shares my sentiment that a lot of people are praying a lot of things these days. Obviously it doesn't confuse God, but it sure stands the potential for confusing us. But we really don't need to be confused, do we? We need to be in unity.

A.W. Tozer once said, “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” [A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine]

Here's the deal - we can pray any number of ways, but now might be a good time narrow those ways down to just one. But which one? What one "tuning fork" puts us all in tune?

Let me suggest God's way. Here is what I mean: God's number one goal for every candidate in the 2020 US General Election (not to mention every human being on the planet earth) is that they be saved and understand the truth.

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. [1 Timothy 2.1-4 NLT]

What might happen if, for one period of 40 days, or a week, or even a day, people actually prayed the same thing? What if we were all in tune with the heartbeat of God?

Here is a clue: Something powerful

What if, at least a contingency of people in the USA, prayed for all the 2020 US General Election candidates to be saved? Forget about praying one wins and one loses... Don't you see that ALL win if they are saved and understand the truth!

The battle is not about nations and their politics - the battle is about the world. The fight is between good and evil on a global scale. Fighting flesh and blood does not reach the source of the problem. The source of the problem is skillfully anchored sin deep in the hearts of men.

...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God [Romans 3.23 NKJV]

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? [Jeremiah 17.9 NKJV]

To answer Jeremiah's question above, God knows the human heart. God also knows that every human  soul needs to be redeemed because it is separated from Him and proudly struggles to remain in its default condition. Because of this, we can pray for help and forgiveness for anyone and everyone at any time. Again, ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

So, what we pray for one candidate, we can pray for all candidates, "Father, forgive them."

And, what we pray for them, we can pray for ourselves.

Why? Because God loves the world. So much so, that He gave His Son to redeem us and show us the way to live. Jesus' final demonstration of how to live was witnessed on the Cross:

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots. [Luke 23.34]

In God's help and forgiveness is salvation, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, deliverance, provision and healing. Who doesn't need these? Who doesn't need more of these?

If we only get one thing right, let's get this right. Let's forgive as we have been forgiven. Let's join Jesus in His joining the Father in seeking forgiveness and salvation for all.

PrayLikeNeverBefore!

Greg