Category Archives: Christianity

September 11, 2018 · 7:52 am

Prayers for America (9/11/2018)

 

On September 11, 2001, I was sitting in Jefferson, Iowa. Carol and I were in the process of moving from Virginia Beach to Southern California. As I checked emails, Uncle Phil said, “Larry, look at the television.”

What I saw stunned me: New York’s Twin Towers being hit by two airplanes. Even as I watched I couldn’t grasp what was going on. How could this happen to America? I thought.

The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart later that day: “America is at war!”

After seventeen years, I now realize that the war I thought was just against terrorism and Al-Qaeda is far greater than that. Every part of America is under attack. Our culture. Our political system. Our faith. Our future. Everything.

And sadly, America doesn’t realize who is behind all of this.

For thus says the LORD of hosts: “Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,” says the LORD of hosts. (Haggai 2:6)

My prayer today:

Lord, open our eyes and move on our spirits so that we turn to You with all of our hearts, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. So that we rip our hearts apart in grief for our sins rather than just going through some more religious motions. Help us, O Lord, to return to You, believing You are gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great understanding, and desire to offer us a reprieve. (Based on Joel 2:12-13)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me to fast and pray for America.

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September 10, 2018 · 7:24 am

The Apostles: Men Condemned to Death (Part 3)

praying

 

In 2007, I had a weird dream in which I saw a bunch of five bananas. Four of the bananas in the bunch were rotten and one was perfect. End of dream.

I told Carol about the dream, but even with her help, I had no clue what the dream was about. As with all of my dreams, I wrote it down in a notebook so I could review it sometime in the future.

Afterward, I walked into the kitchen to make myself breakfast. I poured cereal into a bowl and grabbed what looked like a perfect banana. As I peeled it, I was surprised to learn the fruit was rotten. Not one portion of it was fit to eat. I tossed it into the trash can.

Next, I grabbed another banana and began peeling it. Surprise! Surprise! It, too, was rotten. Then, I grabbed a third and a fourth one. Nothing was eatable on the rotten bananas. The trash can looked like a compost bin.

Finally, there was only one banana left in the bowl. I picked it up and checked it over. Just like the others, there were no marks on the peel.  It looked perfect from the outside.

What do I have to lose? I thought.

I peeled it. And in fact, it was perfect in every possible way, not one bruise on it.

As I stood there looking at the banana, the Holy Spirit spoke to me heart: “The first four callings have been restored to the Church and are mostly rotten. The fifth calling is now ready. It will be perfect.”

The Holy Spirit was referring to the five-fold callings –

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers. (Ephesians 4:11)

But even more, I felt the Holy Spirit was especially referring to the end-time apostles when he mentioned the fifth calling’s perfection.

The rottenness of the first four callings – teachers, pastors, evangelists, and prophets – is due mainly to the traditional church system rather than to the personal character traits of the people in these callings.  The traditional church system has shoved these four callings into a box and sculpted each of them by its traditions and hierarchy.

The end-time apostles are not coming to fit into the traditional church system’s mold, but instead, they’re coming with sticks of dynamite to blow it apart.

(Continued in Part 3…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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September 9, 2018 · 7:50 am

WWJD With Colin Kaepernick?

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What would Jesus do with Colin Kaepernick?

Probably very little.

You see, Jesus depends on His church to be His working partner on earth. And guess what? We are not called to bash Colin Kaepernick, but instead, we are called to pray for him.

Will praying for Kaepernick work?

It changed me from an agnostic into a believer. It changed you. It changed a man named Saul, who murdered and imprisoned believers, into the Apostle Paul. Who knows what God will do if we pray for Kaepernick?

My prayer for Colin Kaepernick:

Lord, I pray for the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, to give Colin Kaepernick the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of his understanding enlightened; that Colin may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of His glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe. (Based on Ephesians 1:17-19)

As for Nike, I won’t be wearing their stuff anymore because it brings division, which is what we don’t need in American right now.

 

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September 7, 2018 · 5:37 am

The Apostles: Men Condemned to Death (Part 1)

Praying

 

“He’s dead! He’s dead!” exclaimed the courier from Rome as he walked toward us.

I stopped working and stood up. The other tent makers did the same. “Who’s dead?” I asked.

“Paul’s dead,” said the courier, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “He was beheaded in Rome about a month ago.”

Even though I knew the Apostle Paul’s ministry would eventually have a sad ending, the news stunned me. O Lord, why? I thought.

I turned away from the group, not wanting to talk about the apostle at that moment. It was just too painful. I walked down to the Aegean Sea and sat on a rock, hoping to sort out my emotions and thoughts. There, I looked back over my years with Paul.

The first time that I met Paul, I was not impressed. His stature was puny, only 4 feet 6 inches tall and 120 pounds in weight, and his public speaking skills were  limited when compared to Apollos and the other orators. Yes, he was brilliant and could write, but these were facts that I learned later and did not figure into my first impressions of him.

Yet, there was something about Paul which drew me to him. Maybe, it was his fiery passion for the gospel or his fierce boldness or his love for the church. I can’t put my finger on it, but anyway, I joined up with Paul and traveled along with him as his aide.

On our first journey to Rome, we ended up swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. Somehow, the Roman soldiers did not execute us and we were able to swim ashore to Malta. We eventually arrived in Rome.

Next, I spent two years, waiting for Paul while he was under arrest. When we finally resumed traveling again, everything became a blur of afflictions, hardships, distresses, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, sleeplessness, and hunger.

Then, the fire in Rome changed everything for us Christians, from bad to worse. Believers were blamed for the fire and Paul became a marked man. Nero sent soldiers to hunt him down in Asia.

The stress wore me down. I couldn’t take it any longer.

“Paul, I didn’t join your ministry to be killed by Roman soldiers,” I said on the day of my departure. “I’m going to Thessalonica, start a business, maybe marry a young woman, and start a family. I haven’t really enjoyed life yet.”

Paul was disappointed, but what could he do? I fled on a boat.

It had been almost two years since I last saw Paul and now he was dead. My mind wandered here and there as the blue waves splashed against the rock I sat on.

Did I make the right decision when I left the Apostle Paul? I wondered.  And how will I be remembered by future Christians?

For Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica…(2 Timothy 4: 9)

Demas’ decision has earned him a shameful legacy in the Bible for all to read. But still, before we are too hard on Demas, we should consider how we might have dealt with an apostle like Paul.

(Continued in Part 2)

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September 6, 2018 · 1:17 pm

Prayers for America (9/6/2018)

Many believers are praying for America to return to its past glory, but I believe those days are gone. We need to learn how to walk in our now and then into our future. Both are uncharted territories, in which we will need our Good Shepherd to lead us each and every day.

My prayer today:

Lord, help American believers to forget about those things which are behind us, and instead to reach forward to those things which are ahead. So we can press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Based on Philippians 3:13-14)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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September 5, 2018 · 10:14 am

What’re Your Plans for 300 Years from Now? (Part 6)

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In the Book of Revelation Chapters 2 and 3, Jesus gives seven promises to believers who overcome, with the greatest promise being:

To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. (Revelation 3:21)

Nancy and Chuck Missler wrote about being overcomers in their powerful book – Kingdom, Power & Glory: The Overcomer’s Handbook —

Okay, so why is learning about being a faithful overcomer so important? Why make such a big deal about it?

It’s important because the Bible teaches us that overcomers are the only ones who will inherit the Millennial Kingdom and possibly rule and reign with Christ. Revelation 21:7: “He that overcometh shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be My Son.” Overcomers are the ones who will have various levels of responsibility in the coming kingdom.

What we are saying is that all Christians will enter the Millennial Kingdom, be “with” Christ” and have eternal life (John 14:3; John 3:16). But only the faithful overcomers – the ones who have fulfilled the conditions set down by God in His Word – will inherit and possibly rule in that kingdom.

Some of these conditions are found in Romans 8:17 and 2 Timothy 2:12, which say, if we don’t suffer with Him, we will jeopardize our being able to reign with Him. Matthew 24:45-47 says the if we are not faithful, we could endanger our being made “rulers” over His household. And finally, James 2:5 warns that if we don’t love (agapao) Him, we could forfeit our being heirs of His kingdom. In addition to these scriptures, Ephesians 5:1-5 gives us a list of other things that if we do, we will not inherit.

So, scripturally, there’s a huge difference between simply entering the Millennial Kingdom and being a “subject” there (which all believers will do) and actually inheriting that kingdom and being a “sovereign” there (which only the faithful overcomers will do). All born-again believers will enter, but only the triumphant overcoming Christians will rule and reign. The deciding factor is how we live our lives here and now.

CHARLES STANLEY (Baptist pastor, radio preacher, and author of forty-five books) in his book Eternal Security wrote: “Does our behavior matter once we are assured of our salvation? You bet it does. Are there any eternal consequences when a believer sins? Absolutely. Will eternity be the same for those who follow Christ faithfully and those who live for themselves? Not a chance. Our God is a God of justice as well as a God of grace. His offer of grace is continually extended to even the most vile sinner. But His justice moves Him to keep a careful record of those who remain faithful and those who do not. His grace moved Him to sacrifice His only Son to provide a way for our salvation. But His justice causes him to take special note o those believers who are willing to sacrifice for His Son.

(Excerpt from Chapter 1 of Kingdom, Power & Glory.

What we do 300 years from now depends on our decisions now.

(Continued in Part 7…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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September 4, 2018 · 6:13 am

Prayers for the Church (9/4/2018)

Christ Church Stellarton

The Church should be good at discerning the times and seasons of God but it is not. It usually fails to recognize moves of the Holy Spirit until years after the Spirit has moved upon a group(s). The reason for this is that the Church’s spiritual eyes are blinded by its structure, hierarchy, and programs.

This happened with Azusa Street, the Jesus Movement, Toronto Blessing, Brownsville Revival, and countless other major moves of the Spirit throughout history.

Will it happen again?

For the last fifteen years or so, many American churches have watched committed believers walk out their doors and not look back. These churches have assumed most of the believers were back-slidden or a part of the “great falling away.”

But these churches are wrong in their assumptions because it has been the Lord who has led them out of their churches. He is preparing them for a new move of His Spirit, outside of the traditional church walls, and not under its repressive leadership.

You see, the Lord wants to take His place as the head of the Church and its Teacher.

What many American churches have seen so far as a trickle of departing believers will soon see it turn into a roaring gusher as the Lord empties the pews of believers who are called to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These callings are not being trained or readied in these churches and the Lord needs them to be prepared for His end-time plans.

My prayer today:

Lord, I pray that You will build Your church so that the gates of Hell will not prevail against it and that You will proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. (Based on Matthew 16:18 and Isaiah 61:1)

Join me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for the American church.

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July 19, 2018 · 8:40 am

Prayers for America (7/19/2018)

 

Jesus said that in the last days, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”

It’s easy for us to look at His words and only think of China or Russia or another nation fighting America, but there is also another meaning. The Greek word ethnos is translated into our English word nation in most translations, but ethnos also means people groups.

People groups could be blacks and whites, Democrats and Republicans, NRA members and anti-gun groups, LGBTs and straights, Christians and Muslims, and more. The possibilities are endless.

My prayer today:

Lord, raise up peacemakers in America who love You and also will love their neighbors, even though they may disagree with them on certain issues.

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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July 16, 2018 · 3:39 pm

What’re Your Plans for 300 Years from Now? (Part 5)

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Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26)

From the beginning, God’s plan was that Adam, and all of mankind after him, would rule and reign on earth. But Adam threw a wrench into God’s plans by sinning and handing over his position of earthly rulership to Satan.

Because of Adam’s sin, all of creation was placed in bondage, subjected to God’s curse. Creation’s only hope was that the sons of God would come forth and take their positions as rulers once again.

Then, in the fullness of time, God sent His Son to redeem mankind at the cross. So, after the Son of God’s death, resurrection, and ascension, there are now sons of God on the earth once again.

But something is missing. What is it?

For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. (Hebrews 2:5)

At creation, God placed mankind under an angelic form of government. His angels were supposed to serve and minister to mankind, but because of Adam’s sin, Satan and his demonic angels became our adversaries. Now, Satan and his demonic horde sit in the governmental positions created by God as principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places ruling over mankind.

Even though the church has authority to make known the wisdom of God to the demonic governing powers in the heavenly places, we haven’t really walked in that authority as yet. Hopefully, we will soon do that.

But even so, Satan’s angelic government will not be overthrown until after the great tribulation and Jesus returns to earth.

Here’s an important fact to remember: God never rescinded His words about mankind having dominion on earth. Thus, it’s still His plan for us, not under an angelic government, but under the Son of Man – Jesus Christ our Lord and King.

What must we do to prepare ourselves to rule and reign with Christ?

(Continued in Part 6…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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July 15, 2018 · 7:49 am

Prayers for our Children (Conclusion)

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Grace, Grace, Grace

Maybe some of you will read this book, follow its advice, pray a few prayers, and see instant miracles in your children’s lives. If so, praise the Lord. And if you write me, I will praise the Lord with you, but I may even drive to your home and shake your hand. You see, I prayed for over fifteen years for my son, daughter-in-law, and my daughter.

But paraphrasing a statement by the late Rev. R. W. Schambach: “Sink or swim, live or die, I will not let go of God’s promises until God moves in my children’s and grandchildren’s lives because all I need is a little faith in God.”

This is the persistent type of determination we must have when we pray for our children and grandchildren. Period.

My prayer for parents:

 Lord, help us to remember when we pray for our children to walk in their divine destinies that it will not be accomplished by our might or our power, but it will be done by Your Spirit. Remind us, Lord, that we can speak to the mountains in our children’s lives and these obstacles will become plains for our children to walk on and when the chief cornerstone −Jesus Christ −takes His place in their lives, we will shout, “Grace, grace, God’s amazing grace.” (Based on Zechariah 4:6-7)

(The above is an excerpt from Praying for the Frozen Chosen: Our Children by Larry Nevenhoven, © 2016, Amazon eBook)

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