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Honoured Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: US
Posts: 2,203
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Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Call to Repentance and Prayer
On this election day in America, may we heed the call of the prophet Joel to repent as followers of Christ and to seek the Lord and call out to Him to heal our land. Thanks in advance for reading this post, and I pray the Holy Spirit uses it to encourage you to seek Him.
"Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes. Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God? The seed shrivels under the clods; the storehouses are desolate; the granaries are torn down because the grain has dried up. How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep suffer. To you, O Lord, I call. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field. Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness." - Joel 1:15-20
In Joel 1, we find a warning about the "day of the Lord" and a time of retribution and punishment. The prophet Joel depicts a wasteland where the once flourishing land laments the loss of its harvest and resources. The portrait these verses leave us with is a vivid illustration of the consequences that follow when we walk away from God. The weeping is not only about physical loss but also about spiritual destruction.
Life can be messy, but its messier when we choose to live apart from God. As a follower of Jesus and a Pastor who is committed to sharing the Gospel, I know that sin destroys everything holding us together -- our joy and peace -- leaving the door open for loneliness to enter our lives.
The call we have from Joel is urgent. Friends, I know no greater hour of urgency than today for us, the people of God, to repent of our sins and return to the Lord with a sincere heart. Repentance opens the door to restoration, allowing God to heal our brokenness.
Today, I urge you to invite the Holy Spirit to examine your heart, help you to repent, and allow Him to begin a new work in your life.
First, examine your heart: You know, we are often quick to question the motives of others but, friend, we do not know their hearts. I urge you to ask the Lord to reveal anything in your life that needs to be confessed to Him and that as you confess those sins, you repent. You can say, "Lord, what are the sins in my life hindering my relationship with You?" I urge you to be still and allow the Holy Spirit to work as He reveals the sin and then confess that to Him.
Second, pray for forgiveness. As you examine your heart and the Lord reveals things for which you need forgiveness, write them down, confess them to God, and tell Him of your desire to return to Him. The Lord is faithful to forgive, so I urge you to confess your sins and receive all that God has for you. (If you have never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I will share how you can do that in the latter part of this post.)
Third, seek restoration: You can seek restoration by asking the Lord to help you identify one action you can take this week to demonstrate your commitment to Him. Your action might include:
- Spending time with God in prayer and reading His Word.
- Reaching out to someone you've hurt.
- Serving in your community.
I urge you to only take the actions where the Holy Spirit has prompted you in seeking restoration, whether with God or someone else, and not to act on your own.
Fourth, pray for others: I urge you to pray for your restoration and those around you. You can begin by asking the Lord to soften hearts, draw people back to Him, and seek His help so they do not wander from the path of life.
Pray with me:
Lord Jesus, I admit that I need You in my life. Lord, I repent of my sins and ask for Your forgiveness. Heavenly Father, give me the strength to return to You with all my heart, soul, and mind. Lord, I ask that my life exemplify Your love, mercy, and grace as I seek to restore my relationship with You and pray for others. In Jesus name, amen.
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I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people -- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4
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