I have been watching intently the current events that are shaping our world. Just today I was reading a quote by Franklin Graham. He said that “Christians Will Lose the Power to Pray Outside Church Walls ‘Maybe in My Lifetime’. Franklin Graham recently was told he could not speak at the Pentagon for the National Day of Prayer because of remarks he made about Islam. There is an open hostility and an assault on Christian values brewing in our nation. Jesus spoke of persecutions that would take place before He would return. He also said He would give us a mouth and wisdom in which we would use to respond to our persecutors. God always give us what we need.
Luk 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
Luk 21:13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Luk 21:14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
Luk 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
The greatest need for our nation and our churches is a spiritual awakening to God. One of the four things that God laid on my heart in 2009 was the “Outpouring of the Holy Spirit”. Without Christians standing up and praying for this great outpouring of God’s Spirit we as a nation and a church will be greatly diminished. The Bible speaks of a great spiritual awakening in the book of Joel. God desires to give HIS church what it needs in these last days. An outpouring of His Spirit.
Joe 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
Joe 2:29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
Now is the time to pray, now is the time to seek God with all our heart. You may be asking, “How do you know that?” (Remember one of the things that we were supposed to be praying about was insight of the seasons or being able to discern the time in which we live.) The Bible speaks about the nations in Joel Chapter 3.
Joe 3:1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
Joe 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
Notice in verse two it says “ALL NATIONS”. All Nations were involved in parting the land. In verse one it talks about the captivity of Judah (West Bank) and Jerusalem. This is the topic of discussion among the nations as I write this letter. The nations are discussing these two areas of land that God gave to Abraham and his descendants. Our nation was one of the last countries in the world to stand with Israel. The U.S. is increasingly distancing itself away from Israel to appease radical Islam. While we witness a growing hostility toward Israel, we will witness a growing hostility toward believers. But God, always will meet our need. As we witness these events unfolding we will experience one of the greatest spiritual awakenings this world has ever seen. The event coinciding with the nations forming their alliance against Israel will be the great outpouring of God’s Spirit. This is the time to seek God with all your heart. It is a time to rejoice because our redemption draws near.
Pastor Mitch