Category Archives: Prayer

July 14, 2015 · 8:35 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for Prisoners (7/14/2015)

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If you watch the above video which shows the Don Bosco slum in Manila, you’ll soon learn that not every prison is made of steel bars and jail cells. Some are built out of poverty and garbage.

Without ever hearing about the King and His kingdom, these slum dwellers will live their whole lives as prisoners to poverty and the kingdom of darkness. Then, they will die and – most likely – go to Hell.

Do we even care?

Today, I prayed:

Lord, destroy my apathy and help me to share freely and give generously to the poor. (Based on 2 Corinthians 9:9)

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for prisoners in Asia, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Why Asia?

1. 4.4 billion people live in Asia.

2.. 85.4% of world’s unevangelized people live in Asia. (Unevangelized means they may have heard the gospel but have no understanding on how to respond.)

3. The world’s three largest non-Christian religions – Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhists – are based in Asia.

4. Of the 37 countries of the world that are less than 10% Christian, 32 are in Asia. Of the 14 countries, that are less than 2% Christian, 12 are in Asia.

5. 85-90% of unreached people live in Asia. (Unreached means that they have never heard the name of Jesus.) (Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation)

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July 13, 2015 · 9:00 am

Do We Still Cast Out Demons? (Part 5)

John the Baptist languished in prison and his spirit was at its lowest ebb. He sent two of his disciples to Jesus to inquire if Jesus was truly the Christ. Jesus answered by saying:

Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. (Luke 7:22)

Jesus did not give a four-point sermon on why He was the Christ, but instead, He pointed to His acts, demonstrating that the kingdom of God had arrived on earth. He was the King of Kings and the Head of the kingdom of God on earth.

The two disciples of John the Baptist were satisfied with Jesus’ answer and departed.

Jesus then spoke about John the Baptist and his ministry. He stated that John was the messenger who prepared the way for Jesus and He added:

“For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist…” (Luke 7:28-a)

You have to remember that Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, and all of the prophets were revered by the Jews. Thus, when Jesus ranked John the Baptist at the top of the list, His words flabbergasted and astounded every listener.

Yet, the second part of Jesus statement was even more amazing –

“…but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than John.” (Luke 7:28-b)

When Jesus stated that the lowest member of the kingdom of God – the one who got in by the skin of his teeth – was greater than John, Jesus was not referring to a person’s eternal rank or position. This could not be the case because all of the Old Covenant’s prophets’ positions for all of eternity were already set in place by God’s word. No one can ever usurp their positions in the kingdom of God.

So, what was Jesus referring to when He spoke Luke 7:28-b?

(Continued in Part 6)

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July 11, 2015 · 8:22 am

Do We Still Cast Out Demons? (Part 4)

If we surveyed one hundred Christians and asked them, “What did Jesus preach?” All would answer that He preached the gospel.

If we then asked the same one hundred Christians, “What is the gospel?” We would then receive one hundred different answers, each having a part of the truth.

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14)

Jesus did not arrive on the scene, give an altar call, and ask everyone to repeat a sinners’ prayer. He preached and taught a life changing message: the gospel of the kingdom of God.

The Greek word euaggelion is translated into our English word gospel in most Bible translations. And the word gospel itself has been handed down to us from the Anglo-Saxon word godspel, which actually means “good story.” Today, we just assume that the word gospel means “good news.”

But what was the good news that Jesus preached? The kingdom of God.

Let’s look at an eyeopening incident, okay?

Jesus cast out a demon that had caused a man to be mute. The people were amazed, but the Pharisees stated that He did it by the power of Beelzebul (or Satan). Jesus turned their words around on them and said –

“If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?” (Matthew 12:26)

What a profound statement, but then Jesus went a little further –

“And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges?” (Matthew 12:27)

This was a “put-up or shut-up” moment for the Pharisees because Jesus knew the Pharisees could not cast out demons. They didn’t have the power. Thus, all of their followers could not cast out demons either.

Yet, Jesus did not leave us in the dark about casting out demons.

But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Matthew 12:28)

(Continued in Part 5)

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July 9, 2015 · 1:38 pm

Thursday’s Prayers for America (7/9/2015)

In 853 B.C., Israel’s King Ahab and Judah’s King Jehoshaphat were working out a military alliance to fight Syria. Jehoshaphat agreed to Ahab’s terms, but also said —

“But first let’s find out what the LORD says.” (1 Kings 22:5)

King Ahab brought out four hundred prophets and asked them whether Israel should go to war against Syria or refrain from doing so. All of the prophets proclaimed that God was with Israel and Syria would be defeated.

Even though there was perfect unity among the prophets, Jehoshaphat asked —

“Is there not also a prophet of the LORD here? We should ask him the same question.” (1 Kings 22:7)

King Ahab replied —

“There is one more man who could consult the LORD for us, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything but trouble for me! His name is Micaiah son of Imlah.” (1 Kings 22:8)

Eventually, the prophet Micaiah arrived on the scene and proclaimed that the four hundred prophets had prophesied according to a lying spirit and not the Spirit of the Lord. Micaiah then prophesied the death of King Ahab and the defeat of Israel and Judea in the battle against Syria.

Both kings ignored Micaiah and followed the counsel of the lying spirit. The prophet Micaiah’s words proved to be accurate.

Today, I prayed:

Lord, send prophets to America who are willing to speak Your words no matter the cost to themselves, but also Lord, I pray for those who have spiritual ears, to listen and to understand what the Spirit is saying to our nation. (Based on Revelation 2:29)

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

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

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July 8, 2015 · 10:24 am

Do We Still Cast Out Demons? (Part 3)

What did the Jews do when a person was tormented by demons?

Now the Spirit of the LORD had left King Saul, and the LORD sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear. Some of Saul’s servants said to him, “A tormenting spirit from God is troubling you. Let us find a good musician to play the harp whenever the tormenting spirit troubles you. He will play soothing music, and you will soon be well again.” (1 Samuel 16:14-16)

In Jewish theology, the scholars believed that everything came from God, even tormenting spirits. They had very little insight on Satan and the kingdom of darkness. Thus, soothing music was sometimes used to stabilize a tormented person. This was, in fact, the reason David was first introduced to King Saul.

The Jews also had exorcists who traveled from town to town. These men were basically fortune tellers, conmen, and magicians who put on a show and received money for their services. Spells and enchantments were uttered by them to heal sick people and to cast out demons.

It’s interesting to note that these exorcists did use a name to command the demons to leave people. As stated by Josephus, the historian, the name used by the exorcists was supposedly that of Solomon because the king wrote a book on magical healing and exorcism.

“In the name of Solomon, we command the demons to leave you!”

How successful were these Jewish exorcists?

A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” (Acts 19:13)

Obviously, the income for the Jewish exorcists had dropped quite a bit when Jesus and the apostles arrived on the scene. To compensate for their losses, the above group quit using the name of Solomon and began using the name of Jesus in their exorcisms.

What then happened to the seven sons of a leading Jewish priest named Sceva is one of the funniest stories in the Bible:

But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered. (Acts 19:15-16)

Why did this happen to the seven sons of Sceva?

(Continued in Part 4)

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July 7, 2015 · 10:35 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for Prisoners (7/7/2015)

Slum in Manila
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We all think of J. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, as a mighty man of faith, but that’s because we can look at his accomplishments on the mission field. Yet, in the mid-1800’s, he was considered a radical and an oddball by other missionary societies who even warned their people to stay away from him.

Why was Taylor considered a radical and an oddball?

Because he dared to evangelize and do missionary work in China far differently than the accepted practices of the other missionary societies.

Not long ago, a biographer said of J. Hudson Taylor:

No other missionary in the nineteen centuries since the Apostle Paul has had a wider vision and has carried out a more systematised plan of evangelising a broad geographical area than Hudson Taylor. (Ruth Tucker)

Today, I prayed:

Lord, raise up hundreds of radical oddballs for Asia who dare to trust Your ways and are willing to ignore the accepted practices of our day. Pour out Your anointing upon them and set them loose in the various nations of Asia.

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for prisoners in Asia, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Why Asia?

1. 4.4 billion people live in Asia.

2.. 85.4% of world’s unevangelized people live in Asia. (Unevangelized means they may have heard the gospel but have no understanding on how to respond.)

3. The world’s three largest non-Christian religions – Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhists – are based in Asia.

4. Of the 37 countries of the world that are less than 10% Christian, 32 are in Asia. Of the 14 countries, that are less than 2% Christian, 12 are in Asia.

5. 85-90% of unreached people live in Asia. (Unreached means that they have never heard the name of Jesus.) (Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation)

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July 5, 2015 · 7:12 am

Will God Judge America? (Part 5)

Let’s study an example of the early Jerusalem church.

Jesus prophesied a Death Warrant for Jerusalem in 30 A.D.

The early Jerusalem church reacted to His prophecy by preaching and living the gospel of the kingdom of God. And as often as possible, they reminded Jerusalem of its errors.

Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified. (Acts 2: 36)

You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. (Acts 7:51)

After Stephen’s death in 35 A.D., many Christians fled Jerusalem, but the apostles remained and continued preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.

Even Herod’s cruel harassment of the church in 45 A.D. did not diminish its presence in the city. It continued to prosper in the midst of on-again and off-again persecutions for the next twenty years.

Luke’s account of the gospel was written in 60 A.D. His info came from eyewitnesses, probably the apostles. Thus, we know that Jesus’ Death Warrant prophecy was still resonating in the church at that time – almost thirty years later.

Then in 67 A.D., a Christian gave a prophetic word to the Jerusalem church. It reminded everyone of Jesus’ Death Warrant prophecy and warned of Jerusalem’s upcoming devastation. The prophecy advised all believers to flee the city.

By 69 A.D., Christians heeded the prophecy and left Jerusalem. So, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D., none of the Jerusalem church’s members perished in the siege.

We Christians need to follow the example of the early church. Like them, we are, first of all, citizens of the kingdom of God. Our American citizenship is secondary and temporary in comparison to our kingdom of God citizenship.

Our orders do not come from a president, a governor, or a mayor, but instead from a King. Whether we stay or leave a city should depend on Him, and not our personal fears or whims. And if we are staying, we need to heed the words Jesus spoke in His parable about a nobleman going to distant country:

“…Do business till I come.” (Luke 19:13 NKJ)

If we choose to stay, then we need to help reduce the pain and impact of the Lord’s upcoming tougher judgments on America so all can run with endurance the race set before us.

What do I believe the Lord wants us Christians to do now?

First, the Vietnam War was a divisive conflict for America. On the one side were the doves, or anti-war groups, and opposing them were the hawks, or pro-war groups. The divisiveness from this war has continued forward into today’s America, and even into the Body of Christ.

So, we believers must check our hearts to see if we harbor any bitterness against America as a whole or against various anti-war or pro-war groups. If we discover bitterness in our hearts, these sins must be dealt with at the cross of Jesus Christ and forgiveness received.

Second, we Christians need to repent of our selfishness regarding the Vietnam War. Sadly, we have only cared about the pain inflicted upon us Americans. We have ignored the anguish suffered by the people of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

Third, we Christians need to ask the Lord to raise up men, women, and groups that will go to the Southeast Asian immigrants in our communities and ask forgiveness for America’s lies, deceits, and broken promises to their native countries. Some Christians may even be asked by the Lord to travel as His ambassadors to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos to ask forgiveness of the people there.

Fourth, Christians need to stand in the gap and make financial intercession for our nation’s failure to keep its promises of aid to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos during the 1970’s. This can be accomplished by giving gifts of money to the poor and needy in these countries, many of who are still suffering from America’s broken promises.

Fifth, we need to seek the Lord to discover what other national sins, besides our treacherous handling of the Vietnam War, have caused abortion, illegal aliens, debt, unemployment, urban woes, drought, lackluster leaders, and Islamic terrorism to fall as God’s judgments on America. And we need to do it now!

Will this be tough to do? Yes, of course, but when has repentance ever been easy for a nation to swallow? (An excerpt from New Wind Blowing by Larry Nevenhoven, Amazon eBook, published 2008)

If we do the above, will we avoid harsher judgments by God in the future?

(Continued in Part 6)

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July 4, 2015 · 10:13 am

Will God Judge America? (Part 4)

If it were possible to develop a software to erase part of American history, I would suggest the time period to be scrubbed would be from 1961 to April 30, 1975: the Vietnam War.

President Kennedy’s suffered a disastrous meeting with Soviet Premiere Soviet Nikita Khrushchev in 1961. Afterward Kennedy told James Reston of the New York Times:

“Now we have a problem making our power credible and Vietnam looks like the place.”

From then on, America’s participation in the Vietnam War snowballed. Kennedy increased America’s military presence by twenty times and was instrumental in calling for the overthrow and assassination of South Vietnam President Ngo Dinh Diem.

Daniel Ellsberg’s release of the Pentagon Papers in 1971 revealed the lies, deceptions, and corruption in the handling of America’s role in the Vietnam War. President Kennedy, President Johnson, President Nixon, Secretary of Defense McNamara, General Taylor, General Westmoreland, and countless other names were shown to be less than pillars of integrity.

All of the lies, deceptions, and corruption resulted in 58,307 dead and over 150,000 wounded U.S. soldiers. The bitterness and division caused by the Vietnam War in America still continue today in the political arena, society, and the Church.

Ah, there’s another side to all of this!

On October 8, 1972, a major breakthrough came in secret negotiations between Dr. Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho. North Vietnam modified their demands. Ten days later, a final draft was drawn up and Dr. Kissinger announced, “Peace is at hand.”

President Theiu of South Vietnam was not even informed about the secret negotiations. When he read the final draft, he was furious and felt America had sold out his nation to North Vietnam. He refused to accept it, but Nixon and Kissinger twisted Theiu’s arm and made promises of continued support and financial aid to South Vietnam. In the end, President Theiu was forced to accept the peace agreement.

On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court issued its Roe versus Wade decision. The landmark decision overturned almost every federal and state law restricting abortion in our nation. From that date on, the war against babies began with a vengeance.

On the following day, Dr. Kissinger and Le Duc Tho signed off on the Viet Nam peace treaty, which was almost identical to the final draft agreed to in October 1972. Then, on January 27, 1973, the leaders of the formal delegations signed the agreement at the Majestic Hotel in Paris.

What were the political outcomes for the three principal architects of the Vietnam War?

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963.

President Lyndon Johnson fled the presidential office in shame after just one term. He then died of a sudden heart attack at his Texas ranch on January 22, 1973, the day the Roe versus Wade decision was announced by the Supreme Court.

Also, in January 1973, the five men who broke into the Democratic National Office at the Watergate complex were tried and convicted. The mushrooming Watergate scandal and cover-up eventually drove President Richard Nixon out of office in disgrace on August 9, 1974.

Were these just coincidences?

I don’t believe so.

Our intervention in the Vietnam War was built on lies, deceits, corruption, financial waste, and promises made, but not kept.

President Theiu’s concerns about the secret agreement reached between Dr. Kissinger and Le Duc Tho proved accurate. America exchanged prisoners with the North Vietnamese and withdrew from Southeast Asia. North Vietnam ignored the treaty, and then, America failed to keep its promises to South Vietnam, not even one of them.

(Excerpt from New Wind Blowing by Larry Nevenhoven, Amazon eBook, published 2008.)

Our lies, deceits, and corruption caused the deaths of a million and a half to two million Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians during the Vietnam War. And then, we broke our promises to South Vietnam after forcing them to sign a peace treaty with North Vietnam, resulting in another three to four million Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians being slaughtered by the Communists.

I believe one of the major sins that has caused the plague of God’s Judgments to fall on Americas are the lies and deceits we foisted on South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos during the Vietnam War.

If I’m correct, what can we do? And will it be enough to stop even worse judgments from happening to us?

(Continued in Part 5)

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July 3, 2015 · 8:01 am

Will God Judge America? (Part 3)

Israel made quick work of conquering Jericho. Then, it was off to fight a little dot on the map named Ai, but the army of Ai proved to be a formidable foe. The Amorites killed thirty-six soldiers and forced the Israelite forces to retreat from the hills.

The defeat melted the Israelites’ courage.

Joshua, the leader of the Israelites, didn’t call a staff meeting and rake his generals and field commanders over the coals for their inept combat skills. That would have been a waste of time because Israel’s success depended on the Lord. Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth in front of the Ark of the Lord, along with the other leaders of Israel. They humbled themselves and put dust on their heads.

“Why, O Lord, have You allowed this to happen to us? What shall I say about our defeat? What will You do for Your great name?” cried Joshua before the Ark.

The Lord replied:

“Israel has sinned and they have transgressed My covenant which I have commanded them…Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.” (Joshua 7:11, 12)

Joshua aggressively searched for the sin in Israel’s midst and radically removed it. The Lord then helped Israel turn Ai into a heap of rubble.

So, how does this scriptural example compare to the actions of American Christians in reference to abortion, illegal immigration, terrorism, national debt, and so forth?

“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 Chronicles 7:14)

2 Chronicles 7:14 is one of the most mentioned scriptures in America since January 22, 1973, the day Roe vs. Wade became law. Every Evangelical preacher and ministry leader has proclaimed the verse over and over again to their followers as if it were the answer for America’s problems, but is it really the answer?

No, not the way we have used it!

Yes, the scripture is a divinely inspired verse for believers. And yes, we are supposed to humble ourselves and pray, but we’ve omitted an important part of the verse: seeking His face. We need to seek Him and ask the same questions that Joshua asked: “Why, O Lord, have You allowed this to happen to America? What shall we say about our defeat? What will You do for Your great name?”

Why did God allow this to happen to America? Why? Why? Why?

To add even more insult to our wounds, Norma McCorvey (aka Jane Roe) is now a Christian and has admitted to perjuring herself in the Roe vs. Wade case. Her lawyers fabricated the figure of 10,000 female deaths each year due to botched abortions, The number was less than 100. Plus, the pro-abortion Supreme Court justices (especially William O. Douglas), knew they had no constitutional precedent, and thus plotted to “finesse” the issue.”

Roe versus Wade became the law of the land because of lies and deceptions by the plaintiffs and the Supreme Court Justices.

So, why did God allow abortion and the other judgments to fall on America? What horrible sin have we committed that has led to 60,000,000 aborted babies?

(Continued in Part 4)

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July 2, 2015 · 8:41 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (7/2/2015)

On the first Palm Sunday, Jesus rode on a donkey heading to Jerusalem for the upcoming Passover. His journey was a short one which began in the neighboring town of Bethphage.

The road was crowded with people. His disciples. Pharisees and scribes. And thousands of pilgrims from the Jewish diaspora.

For Passover, Jerusalem’s normal population of 120,000 swelled to nearly a million people as Jews from all over the Middle East returned to observe the feast. It was a profitable event for Jewish merchants, much like Christmas for today’s retail merchants.

As Jesus rode along, His disciples began praising God, saying, “Hosanna! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David. Blessed is the King.”

In the midst of the hubbub and excitement, Jesus paused at a spot on the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem and the Temple. This was the exact spot where Jews throughout history had mourned and wept over the Temple.

So, when Jesus stopped and wept at the overlook, the people would have hushed and anticipated a historic speech. Then, He said:

“Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes…because you did not know the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:42, 44-b)

Too late! Jesus wept because it was too late to save Jerusalem from God’s Judgment, which happened forty years later.

Today, I prayed:

Lord, send the Holy Spirit to American believers to open our hearts up to the love of Your truth so that we will be saved from our deceptions and lies. (Based on 2 Thessalonians 2:10)

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

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

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