Anne Graham Lotz: I Believe I Will Live to See the Return of Jesus

and Graham Lotz the daughter of evangelist Billy Graham says it's time to get serious about praying for America and a recent blog Lots writes I believe the future of America hangs on the answer to that question what is that question and joins us now via Skype to explain welcome Ann hey thank you mark glad to be with you explain what you're referring to when you wrote I believe the future of America hangs on the answer to that question well that was taken from the last paragraph of that blog and is just asking myself you know am I really serious about prayer because it's interesting that God says if you seek me with all of your heart you'll find me and he says in Joel chapter 2 to rend your heart not your garments and you know when I'm in churches are part of some prayer meetings and prayer events sometimes I'm struck by the fact that what I'm participating in is an event and the prayers seem somewhat hollow and anemic and not recognize them because I've had prayers like that myself so I'm not pointing my finger at them I'm just saying this is a time to get really serious about prayer and so I was asking myself at the end of that blog am i someone who needs to get more serious about prayer and prayer for our nation that I would stand in the gap for America and I don't believe that the answer to that question does hold the future of America I don't believe that right now the answer to all of our problems because our nation mark isn't a mess and you're not know it you probably know it better than I do because you follow the news more closely but but it's unraveling we're imploding and morally and spiritually for first and foremost and I believe this is the time for God's people to humble themselves pray seek his face turn from our sin that he would hear our prayer forgive our sin and Bless America so it's I don't think the solution is primarily political or social or racial or economical or you know military or some of these other things I believe the solution will be found on our knees before God in your blog entitled it's time to get serious you also write an that America is in a very tough spot and you ask the question could our sin be provoking God's judgment elaborate on that for well it's interesting Romans 1 talks about the kind of judgment I described in the blog because we think of the judgment of God sometimes is like Sodom and Gomorrah when he rained down you know fire and brimstone or in Exodus when he opened up the ground he swallowed all these people or an earthquake or lightning strike but actually Romans 1 describes God's judgment and those are God's judgments but but Romans 1 describes a type of judgment where when we sin and we refuse to repent of our sin then he backs away from us if we continue to sin and refuse to repent he backs further away and you go in through Romans 1 until actually he removes himself from us and he turns us over to ourselves and that's what I think I see in America I believe we're entering into that phase of judgment where God is backing away he's removing his hand of blessing and protection and his favor on our our country as a as a whole and he's turning us over to ourselves because we have enormous knowledge enormous technology but some of the things we're doing have never seemed so foolish it's it's as though we have no wisdom to handle the knowledge that we have and wisdom as we know comes from God you know fear of God is that the beginning of wisdom and when you lose your fear of God and you lose your reverence for God you lose your awareness of God then increasingly you lose your wisdom and you have no ability to handle the great knowledge that we have now at our fingertips so it's a it's a judgment that to me is very frightening and I think we see it in our weather patterns we see it in our political scene we see it in the terrorist attacks we see so many things that are happening in our economy that indicate that what we're losing is the blessing and the favor and the protection of God but how can I say this in Joel 2 it says if you rend your heart and not your garments and return to the Lord and repent of your sin and cry out to him that who knows but that he would return to us and leave behind a blessing so so I wrote that blog with hope in the heart that if God's people here and we respond and we return with all of our heart and we seek him with all of our heart that he would return to us what is the solution you've already talked about this but talk a little bit more for me about the solution to getting America back on track what are some practical ways that each each American what are some practical things that each American can do to help our country turn back toward God you know I'm just going to speak specifically to the followers of Jesus Christ and the most practical thing you can do is to fall on your knees and I have a new book coming out actually of the middle of May that's called the Daniel prayer and Daniel interceded for his nation at a very difficult time and poured out his heart to God in prayer and as a result God set his people free restored them to that foundation of faith that they had lost because God had removed them from that place of blessing and an answer to Daniels prayer they were restored and I believe Daniel sprits Daniel chapter 9 but I believe his prayer holds elements it holds a pattern that we can pray today and that's why I'm saying it's it's time and for myself also include myself marking this that it's time for me to get serious about real prayer interceding for our nation not just having an event not just you know giving lip service and not pointing our finger at other people but getting on our knees and earnestly praying that as we repent of our sin that God would hear our prayer and he would forgive us and he would heal our land I believe the most practical thing you can do is to pray and then then let God lead you from there if he gets you involved in something then so be it but but first and foremost we our nation God's people in our nation need to get right with God that that's the bottom line foundational problem we're not right with God and you also write in that blog that when Americans turn to God it cannot be casual or half-hearted if we want God to return to us talk a little bit more about that in what in Daniels prayer in Daniel chapter 9 Daniel went all the way through and he recognized who God was acknowledged God was greatness as righteousness as goodness as faithfulness but then he went through and he confessed the sin of his nation as though it were his own and you could almost hear his tears in his prayer and he was saying bottom line God glorify your name I want you to keep your word to that you've promised and in keeping your word people would see that and they would give you glory for the answer to this prayer and for hundreds and thousands of years now we have praised God who answered Daniels prayer and restored Judah her to her place a blessing and so I believe that one of the most powerful aspects of Daniels prayer is they took God's word and he prayed it back to God so is taking a promise like second Chronicles 7:14 and praying it back their God you said if your people who are called by your name will humble themselves pray seek your face repent of our sin God you said then that you would forgive us you'd hear from heaven and you'd heal our land so so God we're holding you to your word and God loves to be held to his word mark and so you know the the rending of our hearts I can't go through it now but in my book I list national sins and sins within the church and sins within my own life that sort of mix up with the sins in your life so you don't know exactly we're just rich but it just leads you in a deep heartfelt confession of sin in fact I've talked with a friend this morning who is reading this book and advanced copying and she said that God revealed her saying she had not seen her prayer life and it was her product and I think sometimes our pride we see the sin in the world around us or the secular world and we don't see the sin in ourselves and Jesus said you know you have to remove the plank in your app before you can deal with the speck in your neighbors I so so sometimes we were pointing out the planks in our secular society and we don't we fail to see you know they sit in our own lives and it's time for us me you to repent of our sin and get right with God that he might hear our prayer and and Bless America as a result amen are we the end times and with all my heart I believe so I believe we're at the end of the end times talk a little bit more about that well we could take the rest of the day today I base my conviction primarily on what Jesus said in Scripture and other signs that are given in Scripture Matthew 24 I just listed the signs categorize them I watch for them and so we're seeing sons that he said are like birth pains which means I think they increase in intensity and frequency so when something is record-breaking which the earthquakes that you know snowstorms the floods they're they're record-breaking that's increasing in intensity when you increase in frequency so it's not just one you know historic flood this year but now it's like this month announced this week and it's just you know they're ratcheting up in frequency and in intensity and that's just you know in the Matthew 24 he gives sons in the natural world in the national world in the spiritual world in the personal world the the one that strikes me the most is two signs that he gave in the global or the international world and he said that when the gospel is preached to the whole world mark then the end would come and right now you know I'm in touch with some major organizations around the world the gospel is being preached for the first time in human history to the whole world and a person may not hear it in their first language but they can get it in their second or third language it may not be a live presentation but it can be on the internet or ham radio or printed material the gospel right now is going around the globe to the whole world jesus said then the end would come so so then I asked myself are we living in then and then the other global sign was when the nation of Israel would be re-established reborn and Isaiah said who could believe a nation could be born in the day but Israel was born in a day May 14th 1948 and when she was reborn as a nation just think about it you know it's been my whole lifetime so I have never known a world that Israel wasn't a part of but you think about it for the first time in two thousand years that descendants of an ancient people would go back to their ancient homeland speak their ancient language reestablish their ancient nation and culture that's what Israel did in May 1948 that's a phenomena that's God pulling his people together reestablishing that nation and jesus said when you the generation that sees that take place is the generation will be the last and from me it's meaningful I was born May 21st 1948 so I believe it's my generation what are my lifetime is I believe I will live if I'm about my natural lifetime I believe I will live to see the return of Jesus Christ of this earth what is the role of the American Church in this day and age and well the role of American Church is to go into all the world and preach the gospel make disciples first of all but to make a disciple you have to win them to Christ have them put their faith in Jesus and then help them grow in their faith their understanding of the scripture until they're so stronger in their faith they can withstand the storms of life and share their faith with somebody else and bring that person to Christ I think that's the primary you know you look at Acts chapter 2 when the church was founded and what took place in the church and yes they broke bread together and yes they shared all things in common and yes they did some things that were unique for their particular time and setting but primarily their the purpose of the church is to present the gospel the good news of Jesus Christ that there is a Living God who loves you and me so much that he sent his own son Dan down the cross as his atoning sacrifice for our sin that if we put our faith in Jesus and claim him as I save in that sacrifice for our sin God will cleanse us of our sin he will forgive us he will we can be right with God reconciled to him we invite Jesus through this person of a Holy Spirit to come into our hearts and lives and he does which means that we are permanently sealed as a child of God and when we die when we step into eternity whenever that moment comes we just step into our father's house we're going home we have the hope of a future home not a hope so a confidence that we're going home to live with him forever in heaven so the good news of the gospel is the the shining light of the world that the church is in particular entrusted with it it's entrusted with a message when we get into some of these secondary issues I think we muddy the waters and the trumpet gives an uncertain sound and people they just like you they don't know what the church is for you know is that I sort of a religious social club or what is that building on the corner and I think we need to get back to the clarity and the simplicity of our message and let people know there is hope for the future there is a God who loves them you can have an eternal purpose plan for your life your life has eternal significance and you need to get in in line with God and get to know him and love him and let him take over your life if you want to have the fullness of blessing and joy and peace and hope to come all right Anne Graham Lotz thank you for your time and thank you for sharing what God has placed on your heart we really appreciate it and once again your book is the Daniell prayer thanks again Ian thank you so much mark god bless you you too

Channel: CBN News

Views: 98,695

Keywords: 4856193543001, abstract, prayer, It's Time To Get Serious, downoad, billy graham, america, return of Jesus, Franklin Graham, cbnnewsyoutube, god's judgment, anne graham lotz, CBN News

Id: G7JE9DAntVw

Length: 13min 41sec (821 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 25 2016