leaders

A Prayer for America

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

This is not original, and it is a bit lengthy, but it is worth the extra time to read. I think what this nation needs more than any Republican or Democrat answers is revival and spiritual awakening in the hearts of the people of God first and foremost, followed by many of the lost in our land coming to faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Let your revival fall in our time and in our land, and let it begin in me.

“Let’s Pray for America:

Father, we plead the blood of Jesus over our nation, and call on the power and the presence of God to sever all cords that would cause principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places to control the leaders of our nation in local, federal, and executive offices in our generations. Father, give us godly leaders who will carry on the heritage of the dedication of our nation to Jesus our Lord. Father, Your Word, the Bible, said that when godly men reign, the people rejoice. It also says that the people cry out under the rule of the ungodly, deliver us from the oppression of the ungodly, and appoint us Christ centered, bible believing, righteous, godly leaders to rule.

Have mercy on our nation, forgive the sins of our forefathers and those of our present generation. Forgive us for every law that builds strongholds in the mindsets of the present and upcoming generations through perversion and the bloodshed of the innocent. Remove from our eyes the veils and scales of welcoming false religions and idolatry into our nation. Let all leaders who promote idolatry, sexual perversion, illegal activity be delivered and exposed immediately and be delt with. Let every under-cover agenda of the enemy which promotes, satanic networks, racist spirits, witchcraft, antichrist spirit rising in political and religious offices be exposed and be delt with.

Let every agenda set to hinder, cause compromise, and calls for persecution against those who preach the gospel of Jesus Christ be judged.

Father, we pray for the people and leaders of our nation that they might live peaceable lives in goodness and honesty (1 Tim. 2:1-2). Raise up leaders in our nation who will worship and serve You (Psalm 72:11). Raise up leaders who will help the poor and needy find deliverance (Psalm 72:12-13). We declare that there is no deliverance without Jesus. Father, we pray for revival on Capitol Hill that will cause America to sing a new song of praise to Jesus our Lord. (Psalm 96:1-3). Raise up leaders in our nation who will call the people to tremble before the Lord. Give us leaders who love your Word, listen to your Word, obey your Word, who will cause ethe families of our nation to be blessed (Gal. 3:14).

Let your glory be declared among the people of our nation and let the healing waters flow in our nation (Ezekiel 47:9). We pray for repentance that will bring healing to the land, and that every leader in this nation will submit their rule to the reign of Jesus Christ. Jesus is Lord over America and the nations. In Jesus name we pray Amen” (Fady Al-Hagal).

Living on this Side of the Election

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment
  • “It’s not about how the worship music makes us feel on Sunday morning, but how we live poured-out lives of worship from Monday to Saturday.
  • It’s not about how many verses we can quote to defend our political viewpoints, but how well we embody the Word made flesh to our politically opposite next-door neighbors.
  • It’s not about how pious our prayers sound during Sunday School, but how our hearts hear the whisper of God both in our hidden rooms and in our lived-out interactions with others” (Asheritah Ciuciu).

Now that we’re past the dreaded elections (or at least they were for me), we can hopefully return to normal. We can hopefully reach out across party lines to embrace and love those who voted differently than we did. We can understand that there is room in the Kingdom of God for blue and red (as well as many other colors).

The point is that we’re called to love our enemies, period. It doesn’t say to love them if they show remorse for their bad behavior. It doesn’t say to love them if they promise to reform. It says to love them the way Jesus loved those who crucified Him. And how did He do that? He forgave them. He died for them.

We’re also called to honor our leaders, according to Romans 13. That doesn’t mean only those who share my political ideology. It doesn’t mean those we like and admire and can respect. Remember when Paul wrote those words, the ruler was Nero, who was just about as bad and corrupt as they come. Nero was responsible for the martyring of many followers of Jesus. But Paul said to honor him because God in His infinite purposes sets up rulers, good and bad, to accomplish His will.

Ultimately, it helps to remember that we’re all broken. The problem isn’t just out there. We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and can share the blame for the problems of this country. We would be wise to drop those stones we want to throw at the Trumps and Harrises of the world and their followers unless we can prove that we’re sinless.

If we live out of love as citizens of a Kingdom more than of a country, we do well. Our ultimate allegiance isn’t to any president or to any flag or any political party or ideology. It’s to a King and a Kingdom. It’s to Jesus who will still be on His throne long after all the presidents and kings and emperors are long gone.

The Kingdom of God and My Expectations

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

kingdomofheaven3

In the Gospels, there’s a part where the crowds that had been chanting hosannas about Jesus suddenly did a 180 and started shouting for his crucifixion. I”ve always wondered why the sudden about-face?

Then I got to thinking. Maybe it’s because Jesus didn’t fulfill their expectations of what the Messiah would show up and what the Kingdom He ushered in would look like.

They were fixated on the idea of a political Messiah routing the Romans and restoring the rule of Israel to the Israelites. They looked for Jesus to lead an army prepared to fight, but what they saw was Jesus teaching a rag-tag following about going the extra mile and turning the other cheek. So the crowds turned on him.

I wonder if I don’t have false expectations of the Kingdom of God. Maybe we all do.

Maybe we think of the Kingdom of God in terms of electing Christians into Congress and the Senate and getting our kinds of laws passed. Or maybe the Kingdom of God is seen as a kind of utopia where there are no poor people and where we all share and share alike.

I personally have thought of the Kingdom of God in terms of where Christians are the majority and where we have a lot of power and influence.

But the truth of the matter is that the Kingdom of God is nothing more or less than the presence of God among His people. It is His rule and reign. It is now AND not yet.

Sometimes, I’ve thought the Kingdom of God meant an uninterrupted pathway to peace and prosperity and success. I’m finding out that it’s not. More often, the Kingdom of God looks like persecution and suffering. It looks like losing.

But Jesus said that in the Kingdom, the first would be last and the least would be the greatest. He said that whoever wanted to save his life had to start off by losing it.

In my own experience, it means that I’m not promised a 100% success rate or comfort or prosperity. I am promised that Jesus will always be with me and never leave or forsake me.

I know there’s a whole lot more to the Kingdom of God, but these are some thoughts I’ve had recently and I thought I’d share them with you. May these words bring you comfort and hope and may the God of all comfort and hope be with you.