The Response: A call to prayer for a nation in crisis

God said, "If My people who are called by My name will 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." (2 Chron. 7:14)  


Our Governor, Rick Perry, has issued a call for God's people to come together and pray on August 6th at Reliant Stadium from 10AM - 5 PM. Now listen, it doesn't matter if politically you are to the left or to the right or somewhere in the middle.  What matters is that God's people have been issued a call to prayer for our state and our nation.  Here is Governor Perry's call:

Fellow Americans,

Right now, America is in crisis: we have been besieged by financial debt, terrorism, and a multitude of natural disasters. As a nation, we must come together and call upon Jesus to guide us through unprecedented struggles, and thank Him for the blessings of freedom we so richly enjoy.

Some problems are beyond our power to solve, and according to the Book of Joel, Chapter 2, this historic hour demands a historic response. Therefore, on August 6, thousands will gather to pray for a historic breakthrough for our country and a renewed sense of moral purpose.

I sincerely hope you’ll join me in Houston on August 6th and take your place in Reliant Stadium with praying people asking God’s forgiveness, wisdom and provision for our state and nation. There is hope for America. It lies in heaven, and we will find it on our knees.

Sincerely, 
Rick Perry

Governor

My family and I plan to be there and I hope you will too!  There is no cost involved, but you will need to sign up.  Please go to http://theresponseusa.com/ for more information and to sign up to attend.

You Are Needed In The Body Of Christ!

Words cannot describe the awesome time we had at camp.  God showed up in a powerful way and touched the lives and hearts of the children at camp…and the adults too, me being one of them!

I must confess.  I never really feel qualified or equipped to serve in any capacity for God’s kingdom.  I go to camp praying that God would somehow use me to share His love, His heart and His character with these kids.  I pray that God would give me everything I need to serve the kids with all my heart and with the love that Jesus has for them.  And in spite of all my inadequacies, something amazing always happens to me as I step out in faith and trust God. 

As I went off to camp to serve Him by serving the children, He served me up a blessing that I am still trying to wrap my brain around.   My life has been impacted and my heart has been changed!  No vacation could ever compare to going off to camp with these kids and being a part of all that God did.  It was AWESOME!  God is AWESOME!  I mean, what else can compare to eating Vienna Sausage with chocolate syrup poured all over them?  Or a bucket of muddy lake water being dumped all over you?   It was priceless; simply priceless!

No joking, my life was tremendously impacted at Camp Marvel!  I would not have wanted to miss that camp for anything!  As I stepped out of my comfort zone, God stepped in and radically touched my heart.  Friends, life is all about serving Jesus and serving others.  There is nothing greater or more meaningful in the entire world.  We were created to love God and love others, and to serve God by serving others.  Friends, we need each other.

Do you know that someone needs YOU?  Do you know that YOU are a part of someone else’s miracle?  Do you know that YOU could be the only person to touch a life with the love of Jesus?  YOU are needed.   God needs YOU to make a difference in the lives of others.  You are part of the body of Christ, and without you, the rest of the body suffers.

Maybe you’re thinking, “I don’t have any special gifts to serve God” or “I don’t really know how to love others” or “I don’t know very much of the Bible” or “What do I have to offer others?”  Listen, I can promise you, it’s not about how good we are, how gifted we are, how smart we are, how much of the Bible we know.  All we have to do is make ourselves available and God supernaturally does the rest!  He is the One who will equip you with everything you need to do His will.

God uses ordinary people like me and like you to do amazing things for His kingdom.  2 Chron. 16:9 says “His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him”.  All we need to do is be willing – He does the enabling! 

Like Isaiah, let’s make ourselves available to the Lord and say, “Here am I Lord, send me!”  And watch what amazing things God will do through YOU and to YOU!  You really can do ALL THINGS through Christ who gives you everything you need to fulfill His purpose for your life!

It Wasn't Possible

Jesus had one ultimate mission from the Father to complete while He was on planet earth.  His destiny was to be slaughtered.  And nothing short of that would satisfy the demands of our sin. 

As Jesus’ time on earth draws close to the end, would you watch as He earnestly communicates with His Father about the difficult road He must travel…

Matthew 26:39 GWT - After walking a little farther, he quickly bowed with his face to the ground and prayed, “Father, if it’s possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. But let your will be done rather than mine.”

Matthew 26:42 GWT - Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”

Matthew 26:44 GWT - So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, using the same words.

Jesus prayed to His Father three different times on three different occasions that He might not have to face the terrible things He was about to suffer; which would ultimately end in His death on the cross.  Friends, do you realize that it wasn’t possible that His cup of suffering be removed.  It wasn’t possible!  The payment for our sins required Him to take the beatings, the spit in His face, the thorns shoved in His head, the blows from fists made to His head, the embarrassment of being stripped, made fun of and falsely accused, the strips on his back and the nails in his hand and feet!  And the reality of what He was about to face caused Him such agony that when He prayed to His Father “His sweat became like great drops of blood! (Luke 22:44)  But He was still obedient. 

In obedience to His Father, He allowed the people to inflict horrible abuse upon Him and ultimately crucify Him.  And then John 19:30 says: “After Jesus had taken the vinegar, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and died.”

Did you see that?  Jesus said “IT IS FINISHED!”  The mission that His Father gave Him to complete was carried out ALL THE WAY!  And now He is seated at the right hand of the Father and the Father is fully, completely, and totally satisfied with His Son’s obedience.  Nothing else has to be done.  The payment for our sins has been paid! 

We can let go of all our past mistakes, all our failures, the guilt, the shame and unworthiness.  And we can come boldly into His presence based on the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.  Friends, we are in right standing with God because Jesus paid it all!  Every bit of it.  It is finished!!!   

Delight Yourself In The Lord

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart”. (Ps. 37:4)  That word delight means: to be soft or pliable; and pliable means: yielding readily to others.  Today I want us to witness the blessings of God that fall right into the lap of a woman who has yielded herself to taking care of things that are important to God.  Let’s pull up a chair and watch the story unfold…

Elisha is a man who has been appointed by God to be His voice, His hands and His feet; he’s kind of a big deal.  While traveling to the town of Shunem, he meets a woman who recognizes that he is a man of God.  She urges him to come to her house so she can fix him up with a nice home-cooked meal.  And he is happy to be her guest.  In fact from that point on, every time he came into town he would stay at her place.

Did you happen to notice that she doesn’t just invite Elisha, but she urges him to come to her house?  She’s obviously discovered something of great significance in this “holy man of God” because she tells her husband, “I am sure this man who stops in from time to time is a holy man of God.  Let’s build a small room for him on the roof and furnish it with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Then he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by.”  Wow!  When Elisha comes to visit, she doesn’t just throw a sleeping bag on the floor.  No, she desires his presence so much that she builds a room for him in her house so he will have a place to dwell when he comes by!  Talk about hospitality at its best!

Alright, once again Elisha returns to her house and heads upstairs to his room to rest.  The kindness and concern this woman has shown him is at the forefront of his mind so he decides to express his appreciation to her.  So Elisha has Gehazi, his servant, call her and say “we appreciate the kind concern you have shown us. What can we do for you? Can we put in a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’”  A good word to the king or the commander of the army???  Wow, what an opportunity for her to rack up some brownie points!  But she doesn’t.  She simply said “no, my family takes good care of me.” 

Now some time goes by and Elisha still wants to bless her in some kind of way.  So watch what happens next…“Later Elisha asked Gehazi, “What can we do for her?” Gehazi replied, “She doesn’t have a son, and her husband is an old man.”  “Call her back again,” Elisha told him. When the woman returned, Elisha said to her as she stood in the doorway, “Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms!”... And at that time the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said.”

How beautiful!  This is another great example of God fulfilling our hearts desires when our eyes are focused on His Kingdom business. This is Matthew 6:33 at its best: “But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you.”  This woman had great care and concern for the things of God and the presence of God.  She wasn’t taking care of Elisha to get something in return.  No, she did it out of the abundance of her heart.  God’s business was important to her!  And because she delighted herself in the Lord and yielded herself to Elisha, God remembered and fulfilled the desires and secret petitions of her heart.  Beautiful, simply beautiful.

You Are Never Too Far Gone

Today, I want to focus our attention on a man who by all natural appearance is a totally hopeless case.  So hopeless in fact, we would probably classify him as insane and needing to be locked up forever.  We do not know his complete story or the events that took place that led him down this dark and troubled road, but we will meet him where he currently resides – in a cemetery.

Yes, he is living in a cemetery.  Now I don’t know about you, but a cemetery is not my first choice of residency – maybe my last, but certainly not my first or second, or third, or forth, or fifth – I think you get my point.  Anyway, he is a man who is controlled by many evil spirits and is living among the dead.  All day and night he walks around the tombs screaming and cutting himself with stones.  No one is able to restrain him.  Whenever chains are wrapped around his wrist and shackles strapped around his feet he would snap them in his rage.

This man is what many of us would deem a hopeless case, mentally ill, an outcast or a menace to society.  As I sit here pondering his story, I can’t help but wonder what in the world brought this man to this rock-bottom place.  Was it rejection, abandonment, fear, insecurity, failure, the loss of a loved one, witchcraft, an addiction, guilt, shame?  I don’t know and God doesn’t give us any indication as to what caused this man to wind up in such a terrible state.  But bless his heart, he is in need of a life-changing miracle and our Father is about to show up bigtime!

According to 1 Samuel 16:7 God does not look on man’s outward appearance, He looks at a man’s heart.  Knowing that, I just wonder if somehow, somewhere, he had the courage to cry out for help from the depths of his heart wanting a fresh start in life.   Or maybe someone that knew him began to pray for his deliverance and God heard their prayers.  Either way, Jesus - who only did what His Father instructed Him to do - makes a special trip across the Sea of Galilee to the region of Gerasenes to set him free.  And set him free He does! 

After this man’s encounter with Jesus he was totally delivered from demonic oppression and clothed and in his right mind!  He was so touched by Jesus’ love and power that he wanted to follow Jesus wherever He went, he never wanted to leave Him.  Obviously Jesus had a much more significant plan for his life because He sent him back to his hometown to tell everyone what great things the Lord had done for him and how He had had compassion him.  Hummm, sounds like He made an evangelist out of him! (You can find this story in Mark 5)

Once again, our Father has given us a beautiful story of His love, redemption, forgiveness, compassion, healing and deliverance. That is what our Father is all about.  Jesus not only came to make this man whole again, but He also gave him a new purpose in life!  Our God is full of compassion on those we consider too far gone and He can do astounding things with those who have been deemed hopeless.  All things are possible with God!  Pray and only believe…

An Intense Renewal of Our Faith

Some friends of ours, Pastor Kevin and Margie Kinchen, are currently over in the Middle East training up young Iranian pastors.  Just this morning they have sent out an update on the progress of their trip.  Would you take just a moment to read what he posted…

Good morning and welcome to The E-quip Devotion...from somewhere in the Middle East. Sorry I cannot tell you where we are, but for the safety of these young Iranian pastors we are training, we must keep it a secret. I do wish every one of you could be here to experience what we are experiencing. The love, the passion, the commitment, and the zeal these people have for Jesus and for people is amazing and most desirable.

Let me be blunt...Christians overall in America are spoiled, especially when it comes to church. When is the last time you were filled with passion, excitement, zeal, and faith...just to go to church on Sunday? People in Iran DREAM about the thought of meeting together publicly to worship God without the fear of being arrested, harmed, or even killed. Sad to say, many of us who live in a country that promotes freedom, we won't go to church unless; our favorite speaker is doing the service, or our friends are going, or we have nothing better to do. In Iran it's a DREAM, in America it's a RE-RUN, and most people don't like re-runs. Harsh but true.

I pray that ALL OF US will get so close to God that we realize what we have IN HIM. I pray we don't take what we have for granted. I pray we find an intense renewal of our faith, our belief, and our commitment to our Lord. I also pray we will commit to taking what God has graciously blessed us with, and share it with the world in any way we can. Renew that "first love" you once had for God. And remember, if you feel distant from God, it's NOT Him that moved away. He is still on the throne...it's US that distance ourselves from HIM. Make the choice to move back home and take your place "seated with Him in heavenly places." 

The Brook Has Dried Up

On Friday we saw how God demonstrated His love and provision to His child Elijah by sending him to the Kerith Brook during a time of famine.  It was there that God provided the water and food that was necessary to sustain him.  Today, however, we will see a new challenge that Elijah is up against. 

After some time goes by, the Kerith Brook – the very place that God had sent him – dries up!  Elijah now finds himself face-to-face with a situation that looks pretty grim.  As far as he can tell, he has run out of water and there is not a single cloud in sight!  And he is getting thirsty…real thirsty!  Probably parched! 

Can we strap on Elijah’s sandals for just a moment?  Alright, we are standing next to a brook.  The very brook that God sent us to and it is now bone dry.  Not a chance of rain in the forecast.  At this point, we could easily be tempted to think that God has forgotten about us, has left us or is mad at us.  Or maybe we begin to question ourselves “Did God really tell me to go to the Kerith Brook in the first place?”  Or while staring at the dried up brook, we decide that God is mean, unfair and is punishing us for something we did wrong.  Or like the children of Israel, we begin to think that God has brought us out to the brook to kill us!  Do you think we would be tempted to think things like that?  I wonder if Elijah had those thoughts.

If we or Elijah were tempted to think any of those negative thoughts, we will soon discover that not one of them would be true.  So let’s give Elijah’s sandals back now and watch as God directs him into a new destination, a destination that has been thoughtfully and lovingly prepared for him.  Our text is taken from 1 Kings 17:8 and it reads: “Then the Lord said to Elijah, ‘Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.’”  A new direction and fresh provision! 

Ok, we cannot afford to overlook the significance of the town where the Lord is sending Elijah.  This is HUGE!  God has sent him to the village of Zarephath, which means refinement.  It also means to fuse, melt, purge away, try.  Can you see where God is going with this?  Not only has God not forgotten about Elijah, but out of His deep love and affection for Elijah, He is strategically using these challenges to refine him for the most amazing, most incredible encounters with the Giver of Life Himself. 

Friends, I don’t know much, but one thing I do know is that God will use challenges to try our hearts to make sure we are firmly fixed on Him, and nothing else.  He wants us unmovable and unshakable.  And because of that, He will purge and melt away all the things that aren’t beautiful in our life, so that we will look like the One who is Beautiful.  His desire is that we become one with Him, you know, fused together with Him.

We must decide that no matter what kind of situation we are up against, no matter how grim the situation looks we will trust our God.  That is what He is looking for – hearts totally sold out to Him.  We can trust Him when famine hits our land.  We can trust Him when our brook has dried up.  If He brought us to it, He will carry us through it!  He is FAITHFUL!