What does “Pray for America” Mean?

Let me begin by saying that I am not proposing an answer to this question. I honestly want to know what Christians mean when they ask me to pray for America. What do they mean when they pray for America?

You may be wondering why this is difficult for me. I suspect it has to do with the definition of terms. I suspect America does not mean the same thing to everyone. Furthermore, I suspect – if you are one of the “pray for America” folks – the following will not sit well with you.

Please don’t dismiss me. I am just looking for answers.

Did you know that America was the number one producer of pornography in the world; and the number one benefactor of the sex slave trade? America also leads the world in the number of incarcerated individuals; a strong indication that America is number one in the practice of lawlessness.

It may sound like I have answered my own question: America needs prayer because America is in grave danger of going the way of many kingdoms before her. And we can’t have that; right? We love America.

Honestly, if that was all there was, I wouldn’t be asking the question. Here’s another: Why do we love America so much that we would pray for her – and be offended when others question why?

Conflict Resolution between Christian Businesses and Their Customers

A dear friend of mine, who owns a business directory company (ChristiansinBusiness.com), recently asked me to search out and write an article about God’s way for resolving conflict between businesses and their customers – particularly in light of the growing importance of online reviews. I am blessed and excited that he intends to develop a system that will honor and please God. As a business owner or customer, I hope the following encourages you to find God’s way for conflict resolution.

The Potential Impact of Online Reviews

Customer reviews and ratings have become the “word-of-mouth” for 21st Century shoppers; with two noteworthy differences: Their reach is exponentially broader and, consequently, their impact can have significantly greater impact. This is particularly true for the small business owner.

According to an article on Psychology Today, “People are more likely to choose things based on their need to avoid negative experiences, rather than their desire to get positive experiences … psychologists concluded negative experiences or the fear of them has a greater impact on people than positive experiences.”

According to USA Today, “Harvard business school research says that a one-star increase on Yelp can lead to a 9 percent increase in sales. Four out of five consumers, or 80 percent, reverse their purchase decisions based on negative online reviews.”

If people remember negative reviews more than the positive ones, which one would you want your small business to be remembered for? This is an important question for both business owners and their customers – particularly when those owners and customers are brothers or sisters in Christ.

A Storm is Coming – Strive to Enter into Community

Consider for a moment the following passages:

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Eternal life is in Christ Jesus.

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Romans 12:4-5

We are one body (united community) in Christ. The body of Christ and Christ are inseparable.

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9

Salvation comes through the door that is Christ. He is the only way in.

Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Luke 13:23-24

Salvation comes to those who strive to enter in. Seeking to enter is not enough.

Now, let me ask you: Are you striving to enter into the community that God has positioned around you? Do you know who they are? That community may be your family, your small group at church, your team at work, or your neighbors. It may be a combination or a blend of these; or some other form of community (He is very dynamic in this regard).

Striving to enter into your community is a strategic imperative in your (and their) entering into the kingdom of God. There is no entering without community. I believe, if you humbly ask God, He will help you find and invest in your community (this tool should help).

Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help you find the kingdom of God in community.

Humbly yours and forever His,

A Storm is Coming – The Promise, Provision and Way of Peace

A storm has come to a dear friend of mine and his family. He has been diagnosed with cancer – one of the most challenging and threatening storms a person can face. The peace he has in the midst of his storm is noticeable and encouraging. It is the mark of someone who trusts in his God.

There are other storms, and most in the body of Christ have faced them. There are personal storms, storms that affect families, and storms that impact an entire fellowship community. The way we live through these storms says much about our faith – the depth of our trust in God.

The next storm you face may be personal, familial or broader in its impact. Your trust in God will be evidenced by the peace you experience, and the peace others see in you. Inexplicable peace will be one of the strongest characteristics in those whose houses are standing in the storm. It will draw others to Him.

With that in mind, I would like to share the promise, provision and way of peace for every child of God. It starts with the prophecy of His coming.

But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

This much quoted verse contains something I had not noticed until recently. Not only was the Messiah to be wounded, bruised and scourged, but he was also promised to be chastised for our peace. He took on our chastisement (correction, reproof, rebuke) of the Father; that we might have peace with Him.

A Storm is Coming – Maintaining Your Focus on Spiritual Preparation

As the storm clouds gather and your urgency for preparation ramps up, you may discover that you are having a harder time maintaining focus on the spiritual side of your preparation. While it is important to be physically prepared (as much as the Lord and His wisdom have directed you), we must not allow those concerns to supersede the spiritual preparation required for the days ahead. This is critical for you, for those in your spheres of influence, and (most importantly) for the kingdom of God

We must keep, at the forefront, God’s desires to make us His instruments of refuge, truth and freedom to those He has gather around us. The coming season will provide incredible opportunity for ministry to the lost and wandering children of God. I hope and pray that the following reminders will encourage, edify and equip you in your spiritual preparation.

Let me share two additional thoughts before you consider this list. First, there is nothing here that we should not be doing anyway. Second, God knows you cannot do all this at once. He will direct you, by His Spirit, to the one(s) that will be most profitable to His kingdom.

A Storm is Coming – The Way We Think for the Days Ahead

The way we think about the United States of America and the church that resides here is becoming ever more important. Only when we come to understand the relationship and separation of the kingdom of God and America, can we rightly assess the value and danger of our patriotism. An important question is coming to the foreground: In this day, can we give our hearts’ allegiance to both America and the kingdom of God?

Many of America’s values and beliefs have become contrary to those in the kingdom of God. Two of the most damaging are the spirit of independence and the belief that man has the right to establish his own rule. Without God, the tensions between the two become unmanageable. The United State of America is swiftly becoming an example and object lesson in this regard.

A Storm is Coming – Investing in His Kingdom (Responses)

It has been a little over a week since I sent out a request for help in hearing from God about the issue of investing in His kingdom before the storm. I am very grateful for the five responses I received. I include them here for your edification; and to encourage you to join us in the conversation.

A Storm is Coming – Some Practical Helps

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Let me begin by emphasizing that spiritual preparation is more important that physical preparation. That means that we should be spending more time and energy ensuring we are spiritually prepared for the storm. We should be spending more time with the LORD; to learn what He wants – what He has given us faith for. We should be spending more time studying Scripture; for the truth will make us free from fear and deception.

We should be spending more time mending relationships; for a house divided will not stand. For me, I should be spending more time getting to know my neighbors. They will need my help and the opportunity to love my neighbors as myself will be increased in the storm. So will the opportunity to disciple.

It is hard to say that we should be spending more money on the spiritual preparation, because the physical seems so expensive. Oh my, dear Lord, it just occurred to me: Perhaps we should be investing more in other people’s preparation than in our own. Each will have to hear about that for themselves.

In any case, whatever money we invest must be invested as stewards of the Most High God. This is not a trivial matter. One thing we are doing to help keep our physical preparation in line with the spiritual is to ensure that whatever we do, we do it not just for us and our own, but for anyone God would have us bless.

Now for the immediate topic: I spent most of the day looking into long term food stores. My search led me in a number of other areas (e.g., bug out bags). I have included a number of sites that I found useful. WARNING: Some of the sites recommend things I would not do (e.g., buying Kool-aid Drink Mix). You are going to have to decide what of this is for you and your family. In my opinion, it all depends on three very important things:

A Storm is Coming – Obeying the New Covenant

I have been reading Jeremiah and I can’t help but think it contains a warning for the American church. Check out chapter 11. We have broken our covenant with the LORD. Given His reaction to Israel and Judah over their disobedience, it is frightening (word chosen carefully) to think about the consequences for us. The New Covenant is so much more than the Old; and to those who have been given much, much is expected.

Jeremiah has been a difficult book to read. The Holy Spirit has not allowed me to read it as an historical account. He has not allowed me to project it on a “them”. He has continually reminded me that it was written not only as a warning to those that would come after, but to me as an individual child of God.

I have been challenged with two initial questions; and I am posing them to you:

1. What is the New Covenant?
2. What does obedience to it look like?

Before you give the quick answer, please consider the following passages (you might also want to read the first twelve chapters of Jeremiah):

And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2:21

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” Matthew 7:21-23

It feels like I am stating the obvious, but here goes: The deception that has come over the church in America is much greater than we perceive. We, each one of us, need eyes to see, and ears to hear. We need the truth that will make us free. We need courage to confess and reject our idols. We need to renew our vows. We need the prophets. Pray that it is not too late.

Humbly yours and forever His,

An Independence Day Message

To those with ears to hear and eyes to see:

The America that was established by God to be the protection for His children; that they would have freedom to walk in the good work He prepared for them; this America has become the idol of the church. Please, think about this for a moment. Where do most in the church turn for security, prosperity, comfort and entertainment? Who influences our thinking and the way we do things? Are we counter-culture (changing the culture around us), or sub-culture (be changed by it)? Whose disciples have we become?

To those called to lead the church out of Her idolatry:

First, you must understand that leaders in the church are not just religious professionals. They are the followers of Jesus Christ that God has placed in positions of influence throughout society. To you, I plead: Consider your responsibility. Are you being a good and faithful steward? Or, have you compromised your commitment to the good work that God prepared for you – to glorify Him and prepare His Son’s Bride? Please, consider the awesome and eternal privilege and responsibility you are rejecting for your own glory and pleasure. Please, consider the eternal reward you are trading for such meager and temporary gain.

To those with a desire for restoration and transformation:

Repent and seek first the kingdom of God. Humble yourself. Deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow after Jesus. Reject the spirit of Babylon, the great harlot, who steals the hearts of God’s elect. Love the LORD your God with all you heart, mind, soul and strength. Find your platoon – those that will stand with you, encouraging and exhorting you to be all that you have been created to be. Submit to the power that God has towards you; the power that is working in you to will and do to His good pleasure. Become a disciple of the Master, and a steward of the mysteries of God.

Finally, please, please, please, let me know how I can help you in this regard. This is the desire of my heart.

Humbly yours and forever His,

P.S. Let me know if you need the Bible passages that support what I have shared here.