Conditions Of Prevailing Prayer

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise” (PSM 51:17). Brokenness is the means by which God conveys maturity and develops character. His discipline in the lives of believers brings each into abandonment of self to God in an attitude of prevailing prayer. 

CONDITIONS OF PREVAILING PRAYER
From the autobiography of George Mueller

Dependence – Absolute trust in the merits of Christ as our grounds for blessing & our oneness with Him.

Separation – Abandonment of all known sin.

Belief – Faith in the complete veracity of God’s character. He is and is the rewarder of those who diligently
seek Him.

Motive – Ask according to His will; for our good and His glory.

Perseverance – Patient waiting on Him

Where these conditions are not met God’s answer would both dishonor His character and damage the suppliant.

THE LIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS

I

 It was December 27. I was sitting quietly in my study reflecting on the day ahead - the year ahead. Our Christmas tree in the living room was standing in the dark. It looked lifeless where only a few days ago it was the centerpiece of much joyful commotion with grandchildren, family, and friends. The ornaments now look somewhat drab and one-dimensional. In a couple of days we would unceremoniously undrape the tree's trappings, put it in a box, and store it in some unseen place in the attic until next year.

On my way to the kitchen to pour myself another cup of hot coffee, I reached behind the Christmas tree and turned on the lights for one more look. Suddenly the tree was once again alive with glitter, sparkle, and glowing warmth. The ornaments that were hanging lifeless and drab popped with color, adding dimension to what I saw. In fact, with the Christmas tree lights on, I could actually see all the way through the tree to ornaments and lights on the other side.

That's when God gave me a vision of what His Church should be. I'm not talking about a building. I am speaking of His people, His Church in a darkened world. "Christmas lights." Followers of Jesus are a reflection of His Light shining through us wherever we go in the world. When we're lit up, every day people see a God who is not one-dimensional but multi-dimensional. The ornaments of our lives are seen as colorful special gifts and acts of love from God. When we're lit up we reflect His Glory, just as the angels did long ago on a dark night in the fields of Bethlehem. "...And the glory of the Lord shown around them...a multitude of the heavenly host praising God..." (Luke 2:9,13). We are His "Christmas lights," His glory.

So, consider this: The celebration of Christmas, as a season, may be packed up in a box in your attic all year long. But the "Christmas lights," Believers in a dark world, must continue to light up the glory of God in Christ. Those lights need to be out all year long.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden" (Mat 5:14). Now, take another closer look at that picture. 

Photo & Story by Roger W Hollar 2010

When Broken Of Sin, Hope Again In God

At times I feel unworthy to pray for revival or some great spiritual awakening because it seems that I have enough trouble having victory over my own sin. I may go for days or weeks when I feel I am experiencing a little sense of victory over sin. Then in one selfish moment I lose it all.

Immediately my soul cries out in failure. Quickly Satan brings condemnation. Look at Psalm 42:3, 4, 5a, 6, & 9-11a. Lots of condemnation. I think of the shame of once again having to go to God for forgiveness; same old stuff. So my soul mourns and I live in defeat.

In the past I have viewed Psalm 42 as one where the writer (or me the reader) has wondered for months or even years from God and then becomes repentant and returns. But I realized today that it might only be a matter of hours or days in which I have been in mourning and living under condemnation. It is then I realize that I desperately need to get back to God where there is hope AGAIN (Psm 42:5b & 11b).

God's outrageous grace and lovingkindness rescues me from that condemnation and defies description or explanation. He is my only hope in my struggle with sin. His grace is always my covering for all my failures of obedience to Him.

God spoke to my heart today and said, "You keep on praying for revival and an outpouring of My Spirit on your nation and on the Church."

It is not time to quit. TODAY you pray for the leaders of our churches and our nation:
    Your pastor, ministerial staff and church leaders
    President Obama
    Vice President Biden
    Speaker of the House Pelosi
    Senate Majority Leader Reid
    Your U.S. House Representative
    Your U. S. Senator

Pray that they walk in humility and brokenness (see The State of Humility post in October) every day before God and before others. Pray the God would root out pride. Show them (all of us) where pride exists in our lives and teach them (us) how to deal with it effectively. Then we may engage God in prayer, seeking His face and turning from our sin. Give them (us) grace to continue a life of humility and brokenness before God.

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HOW TO VIEW HISTORY

A well known TV commentator was addressing the state of our Republic and made the following comments on his March 18, 2010 television show:

“Through the course of American history there have been periods and events that were so dramatic, huge, that they were life-altering for the people involved, the people of America. Some of these were so huge they altered the entire world. It changed people. It changed their daily life, and it changed the course for generations.”

He then sighted things like the signing of the Constitution by our founding fathers; the Civil War and the corruption of the reconstruction that followed; the life-changing New Deal and Pearl Harbor. In our lifetime, 9/11 changed the course of America and still affects us today.

He said of Pearl Harbor, “…we started moving forward again. Pearl Harbor was a hugely important day. But that wasn’t the end of the story. It wasn’t just December 7, ‘Wow! That was a bad day’ and everybody went back to having apple pie and watching baseball. America had a choice to make on that day…That deadly December 7th attack radically changed America’s course [the course of the American people]. We went to war, and it changed everything [including the people].

This commentator went on to talk about the passage of a massive health care bill in Congress. He considered this bill “akin” to any one of the events listed above. He emphasized that this bill would go beyond simply politics. He said that is about “the fundamental transformation of our country.”

He said that “[We] have the answer (pointing to three words on the set – Faith, Hope, and Charity)…We have to make sure that we understand the picture is not about politics. It’s much, much, much bigger. It’s bigger than Obama…Republicans or Democrats, Bush or Clinton…So we have to change. Not just in Washington D.C. We [the people] have to change.”

This health care reform bill represented a radical departure from our free-market system. It is the reason I am writing, but not because I think it is good or bad for America. I am writing because this bill as passed will radically change America. Congressional leaders bellowed, “We are making history.”

How am I, as a citizen and a Christian, to deal with such radical change in which I do not believe? What kind of "history" are Congressional leaders really making? And what about the sovereign God of the universe? DOES HE HAVE A POINT OF VIEW?

My answer came as I was reading the Preface in the book The Imitation Of Christ by Thomas a’ Kempis. It stopped me cold. But it also gave me faith and hope because it reminded me that people are changed by history, not the other way around. It is a sovereign God who is behind history. Here is what the Preface said:

“Most of us think of history in broad strokes, in eras that span centuries; people think and act one way, then with no apparent provocation or motivation, everyone is moving in a different direction [sound familiar?]. Why do things change? Why suddenly do people seem to change their values? [Sounds like our TV commentator in my opening remarks].

Is it people who make history, or is it history that makes people, through forces like disease, technology, or environmental catastrophes [May I also add political or governmental excesses, perhaps potentially radical unrestrained behavior]? Or is it possibly the Spirit of God working in history…to effect His will in creation?”

Stay with it here:


"It is only when we pull aside those broad curtains that describe the history of Christianity and western civilization that we discover the human face of God’s work. [Consider] Martin Luther…It was certainly not this humble teaching monk’s goal to ignite a sweeping movement that would divide the church. Luther’s intention was simply a discussion on the theology of indulgences…How could such a small flint light such a great fire? Because people were ready. Before Luther posted his 95 Theses, there were men and women whose faithfulness prepared the way for spiritual reform, just as John [The Baptist] prepared people for the message of Jesus."

So what may we conclude from this? Why would God allow catastrophic disaster? Why would God allow unrestrained governmental excesses? Is there a plan behind His-story? What of the excesses of the Babylonians, the Assyrians, the Egyptians (immorality, the worship of hundreds of gods, the enslavement of an entire nation of Hebrews)? Consider also the heavy hand of the Roman government on its citizens (higher taxes, extreme monuments to men, immorality, and enslavement of men, women and children, the subsequent persecution of the early church.) So many other disastrous events could be named here. Could it be that the people of God needed a push to shake their lethargy or apathy?

Events in human history become the pathways for faithful men and women who have been prepared through prayer and ardent devotion to deliver the message of Faith, Hope and Charity; the message of God’s love. Sometimes God has to shake the world to get the attention of the church…the people of God. It is not the sin of the world that causes the tumult. God expects no less from a lost world. It is, no doubt, the sin in the church that is under judgment:

“For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News?” - 1 Peter 4:17

Our country, our world is in desperate need of a faith awakening of divine proportions. We are on the cusp of a judging, a sifting. It is the church that must get ready. The faithful, that remnant of God, must prepare for what God is doing in His-story. Are we ready? Are we praying? Are we seeking His face? Are we, the church, even prepared to go face to face with God? We will witness history in the making alright. History is His-story!

Our hope is in the fact that spiritual awakening is not dependent upon us. We must come to God humbly and ask Him to pour out His Spirit on our nation, on the Church, on each of us individually. It is His-story that puts in motion the opportunities for people to change. Would anyone question that change is needed in our nation and its churches?

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