Scripture to Pray for US 

and for us (church)

Abiding in God includes repentance:

Pray for our nation, for the church, for ourselves.

2 Chronicles 7:12-14 "Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people,  if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."   

"Behold the kindness and severity of God" (Rom 11:22). "It is Gods kindness and mercy that leads us to repentance" (Rom 4:2). "Lord have mercy on me" (Luke 18:13).

Is it difficult for us to humble ourselves and receive forgiveness or confess sin? Ask God for the grace we need grace each moment.

It is God's Grace working in us (not just an old experience but a present and ongoing effect in our lives and relationships that enables us to accept one another and ourselves in all our brokenness and sin and be transformed together.

For prayer and meditation:

1. We are watchmen for God and responsible to speak and warn the people He tells us are in danger: Ezekiel 3:16-21

Pray for those in authority that we may live godly peaceful lives and all men be saved 1 Timothy 2:1-8

2. We can follow these examples of Corporate and representative repentance by just reading these Scriptures: Daniel 9:3-19 and Nehemiah 1:4-11

3. Judgment can be averted. A famine was ended by the leader hearing God and making restitution for sin after seeking God 2 Sam 21:1-21.   So we pray and ask God to guide our leaders to do justice and mercy and humbly keep covenant. Judgment can at least be postponed by righteous leaders renewing covenant: 2 Kings 21:11-13 (read the whole story in ch 21 and 22).

4. Ezekiel 16:48-50; 59-63 although they were prideful and selfish the Lord kept covenant with Israel and atoned for all their sins. So it is not “IF GOD.” it is “IF MY PEOPLE”... God so loved the world he gave His Son, so He is well able to SAVE our nation.

-PD

The Beloved Disciple

By Richard Lineberry

The Four Gospels present Jesus from four different viewpoints.  Matthew was specifically writing to Jews.  Mark wrote for the Roman mindset.  Luke wrote for Gentiles (particularly Greeks).  John wrote to try to attract all of them. 

If you want theology, read Paul.  If you want the heart of Christianity, read John’s writings.  Before he met Jesus, he and his brother James were fishermen with their father, Zebedee.  Simon Peter was his long term partner.  Having a tender heart, John was evidently a little hot headed whereas Jesus called him and his brother “sons of thunder” because they wanted to call fire down from heaven upon the heads of some other men who were preaching about Jesus but weren’t a part of the main 12 disciples.

John was an extra loyal disciple and the only one who followed Jesus to the crucifixion where Jesus delegated the care of his own mother to John as He was about to return to heaven.  At the last supper, John is known for leaning on Jesus’ breast as they reclined at the table, thus signifying a deep desire within John for intimacy with the Lord.  John saw something about Jesus that many of the others seemed to miss.  He saw that the heart of the Lord’s mission to earth was the Father’s love for humanity.  John proceeded to reflect this understanding in writing five books which are included in our New Testament.  History tells us that when John was very old and people would gather to hear him talk that all he would say was, “Little children, love one another.”  That’s a great summation of the Christian life.

History tells us that John outlived all the other disciples and was the only one that didn’t die a martyr’s death.  It’s no wonder that the symbol the church has used to stand for John is the eagle.  It was a long hard road to travel from bad temper to a heart of tenderness.

“He that has the Son has life.”

The Beloved Apostle, I John 5:12

When Truth Comes

By Dr. Richard Lineberry

In the book, Well Intentioned Dragons, Marshall Shelley comments on the “dragon of personal criticism,” by saying we must pay attention to the criticism that is leveled towards us from time to time.  “Solitary shots should be ignored but when they come from several different directions, it’s time to pay attention.  If someone calls you a mule, ignore him.  If two people call you a mule, look for hoof prints.  If three people call you a mule, get a saddle.”

Proverbs 9:8 says “reprove a wise man and he will love you.”  It is, however, one of the ways God uses to improve us.  When truth first comes to us, it is often in a negative form because we really don’t see ourselves as others see us.  That’s the problem!  God speaks to us as we really are while we often try to act like someone we aren’t.  God speaks to me at the reality place, not the wishful place I think I occupy.

The hope of the Christian is to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit into the image of Christ.  That is a lifetime process, not a single experience.  There is lots of unraveling to do on the inside of us.  Remember the story of how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead?  As soon as he came out of his grave, Christ gave the order to remove the grave clothes.  When we give our lives to the Lord, He wants us to disassociate ourselves from everything that smacks of our old nature.  For that to happen, we must hear God’s Word and believe that what He says about us is true and trust that He will change us into new, different and better people.  A change in our thinking about God, ourselves and others is part of the program.  The ways we react to difficulties and fears change as we draw closer to the Savior.  Overall, the change is for the best.  From the Gospels, we see Christ’s life so much different than our own and usually wonder how we could ever be like Him.  We must remember that He has given us His Holy Spirit to bring glorious changes in us.  If we stay faithful, we become people equipped with heavenly resources for the best kind of life.  Let us not despise the correction that comes from the Lord.  Like a loving parent, He has better things for us. 

 

My prayer for us today is that God’s Spirit will bring healing and spiritual freedom that we may walk more closely with Him.

I believe in the Holy Ghost. 

(Words to Declare over us)

God makes us stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (2 Cor 1:21-22)

As one of God's elect, I am a stranger to the world, chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood: grace and peace be ours in abundance (1Peter 1:1-3).

I believe in Holy Spirit, the Counselor, who when He comes, convicts the world (and me) of guilt, sin, righteousness and judgment (John 6:18-11)

I believe in Holy Spirit who dwells in me as a temple (1Cor 3:16) and who lives in me and is jealous over me. (James 4:5)

I believe in the Comforter, Counselor, Spirit of Truth, who guides us into all truth, who brings glory to Jesus by taking what is His and making it known to us. (John 16:15) He brings all things to remembrance that Jesus said, and gives me what to say when I testify (Matt 10:19-20).

I believe in the Holy Spirit who is the Anointing and abides in me and teaches me (1 John 2:20, 26), in whom we are baptized into Christ (1 Cor 12:) and are all made to drink of one Spirit (Eph 4:4).

I believe in the one Spirit of God who anoints me with power to do good and to heal in the name of Jesus (Acts 10:38).

I believe in Him who gives me life, leads me and because I have my mind set on the things of the Spirit I have life and peace (Rom 8:6-7)  and am renewed in my mind (Eph 4:24). I am filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:19) and power (Acts 1:8).

He quenches my thirst (Jn 7:37-39), prays in me for the saints according to the will of God (Rom 8:27-28), prophecies through me (1 Cor 14:1-3), gives me strength as I wait on the Lord, quickens my body, enlightens the eyes of my heart (Eph 1:17), gives me revelation from the Father, uses the Word of God as a Sword in my mouth (Eph 6:17) and gives me a NOW word that has proceeding application and power (Mt 4:4).

I am born of the Spirit (Gal 4:28), born from above (Jn 3:7).

I have received the Spirit by faith not by works (Gal 3:2) from Him who supplies the Spirit (Gal 3:5) and since I began in the Spirit (Gal 3:3) I can continue to live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:25) for God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts; so, I am no longer a slave but a Son (Gal 4:6-7) and His Spirit bears witness with my spirit that we are children of God. (Rom 8:15-17).

I believe in the Holy Spirit who bears in me spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5:22-23).

The Holy Spirit helps me walk in the spirit so I will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Gal 5:16) but I will be led by the Spirit (Gal 5:18).

I believe in the Holy Spirit who gives manifestations of grace through me as He wills, and I earnestly desire spiritual gifts, especially that I may prophesy to the building up of the body in love (1 Cor 14). I also ask Him and He gives through me by the same Spirit words of wisdom and knowledge, supernatural faith, healing and working of miracles, discerning of spirits, tongues and interpretation of tongues (1 Cor 12)

  

I Believe in Holy Spirit