"How to Pray for Your Nation" | Pastor Steve Gaines

now take your Bibles and turn with me please to Jeremiah chapter 29 Jeremiah one of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament they call him the weeping prophet because he wept literally because of the sins of Judah he loved the Lord the Bible says that God never allowed him to marry he was chosen literally from his mother's womb to be a prophet of God and it's very interesting that Jesus Christ quoted Jeremiah more than any other Old Testament prophet I think that says a lot about this man and he was in Judah during the day is that the Babylonians started coming in and taking some of the leaders out of Judah Judea and they were taking them to Babylonian exile and you might have heard the name of Shadrach Meshach Abednego Daniel other people like that those are some of the people in the days of Jeremiah that would be taken being taken away and some of them were there and they didn't want to stay they didn't want to stay in Babylon so they wrote a letter and got it back to Jeremiah and they asked how long will we be here and Jeremiah and Jeremiah 29 wrote a letter back and he said you need to settle down you need to plant your crops you need to build your houses you need to give your sons and your daughters in the marriage you're going to be there for seven decades they didn't really like that but at the same time God knew exactly what he was doing and later on they would come back from the Exile they call that the post-exilic days but right now I want to talk to you about something that Jeremiah said to these people they were in Babylon now I want you to think about that one of the most pagan cities and nations of the whole world they were in a place where God's name was really not revered at all and yet he told them to pray for that city and literally for that nation while they were there I want to say this to you I thank God that I have been able to be growing up and to live in America all of my life but you know America I don't know if we can really call ourselves right now a Christian nation there are a lot of Christians in America I'll say that readily but I can't really say that everything we do is pleasing to Jesus Christ and so when I look at our nation I say man we need prayer our families need prayer so many of our churches need prayer but our nation needs prayer and I'm going to read to you something that Jeremiah said to these people in exile and at the very end I want to talk to you a little bit about praying for our nation look there in Jeremiah 29 look at verse 4 if you will here's what the Bible says thus says the Lord of hosts the God of Israel to all the exiles who might have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon now listen this build houses and live in them plant gardens eat their produce take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters and takes wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands that they may bear sons and daughters and multiply their and do not decrease now verse 7 is the key verse seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile and pray to the Lord on its behalf for in its welfare you will have welfare God was saying I want you to pray for the land where you're living I want to pray for wicked Babylon and I just want to say this to you if Jeremiah if God was speaking through Jeremiah which he was and he told him that you need to have them pray for that land because in that lands prosperity they would also have prosperity I believe that you and I are supposed to pray for the United States of America just like I believe that people in Canada ought to pray for Canada people in Venezuela ought to pray for Venezuela people in Brazil I can go on and on you get the picture wherever you are on this earth if you're a Christian you are literally an alien and a stranger you are not really a part of this earth in the sense of being connected with them in their heart God has saved you he has redeemed you and you are an alien and a stranger walking in a strange world on the way to heaven but while you're here you're supposed to pray for the place where you are that's why we talked so much about praying for Memphis that's why we talked so much about praying for Shelby County in the mid-south that's why we talked so much about praying for the state of Tennessee and maybe some of the people who come to our church many of them are from Arkansas and some of them are from northern Mississippi pray for the place where you live and pray for our nation because God wants us to he told through Jeremiah he told these people in exile to pray for their City for their nation wicked Babylon so if they can pray for Babylon guess what you and I can pray for the United States of America I do it every day I literally say Lord from Maine to Florida to Texas to California to Washington to Minnesota back to Maine all across the continental United States Alaska and Hawaii father I pray for America and I just go off and I start praying for our nation you say well brother Steve what do you pray well that's what I want to share with you tonight take a pencil you cannot remember all the things that I'm going to share with you and I hope that you'll be able just to get this video or get this tract or whatever this sermon and listen to it again but get as much as you can make sure you get the main points and start praying for this nation the first thing I would encourage you to do is to pray for governmental leaders pray for governmental leaders I want to ask you a question would you want to be a leader in any government position now in the United States of America I'm telling you they take shots from every side people criticize them people talk negatively about them people second-guess every move that they make now I'll be honest with you I'm a very conservative political person I mean I'm to the right I'm just telling you I I lay my cards on the line I am pro-life anti-abortion I am Pro biblical marriage anti homosexual marriage I am Pro Constitution anti anything else like that progressivism liberalism whatever you want to call it I am Pro capitalism and anti socialism I am Pro American I am anti global ISM I'm not against the world God loved the world but I thank God for the country where I live but I want to say to you we need to pray for it and the Bible talks about that now what can you pray for America pray for governmental leaders proverbs 21 1 write that down proverbs chapter 21 verse 1 write that reference down and I believe you'll be able to see it on the screen there if you're listening by radio listen to this the King's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord he turns it wherever he wishes I pray that every day I pray for our president I pray for other leaders will talk about that momentarily and then there is to come in some people said well I'm not gonna pray for that the Bible doesn't say we're gonna pray for that oh yes it does first Timothy chapter 2 verses 1 and 2 first of all then Paul says I urge that in treaties prayers petitions now listen to this and Thanksgivings God wants you to thank God for these politicians be made on behalf of all men now listen for kings and for all you know it all means all means all and that's all all means for all who are in authority so that we as Christians may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity I want to say this to you if every Christian in America would pray for our leaders that God will let their hearts be like channels of water in his hand and that he would just turn them wherever he wanted to and we would pray faithful of him I want to say this to you we'd have a better nation are you praying for people in governmental leadership well Who am I supposed to pray for well nationally pray for the president you said well I didn't vote for him it doesn't matter it doesn't matter he's in the office respect the office and pray for whoever is there you said well I don't know if that person really knows the Lord that's not the issue they were told to pray for Babylon I'll guarantee you at first the king their Nebuchadnezzar he didn't know the Lord but he came to know the Lord you're supposed to pray for our president whoever it is Democrat Republican independent whatever pray for the vice president pray for our senators I pray for Lamar Alexander and Marsha Blackburn and all the Senators everyday I don't call them all by name I call the ones from Tennessee I called Donald Trump named Donald Trump's name every day pray for him and Mike Pence and then I pray for the Supreme Court justices and I thank God for them and I pray for them every day my name's John G Roberts Clarence Thomas Ruth Bader Ginsburg Stephen Breyer Samuel Alito Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan the ogor suits and Brett Kavanaugh pray for him every day pray for them because they've got a big responsibility in the Supreme Court I pray for the federal judges I pray for federal politicians their spouses their families and their staff and then I pray for governor's the state the state leaders I pray for Bill Lee and all the governors I don't pray for all there's my name but I pray for Billy every day here in Tennessee I pray for our senators state senators State House of Representatives state Supreme Court judges state judges state politicians their spouses their families their staff I pray for the local mayor's I pray for the local politicians I thank God for Jim Richards and and for all of the the City Council members they're in Bellevue I thank God for Lee Harris and also for all of our County Commission I pray for them all over the nation I pray for mayors and commissioners and councilmen and judges and school board members and law enforcement officers and firefighters and first responders and then I pray for the military my dad was in World War two in the Navy I saw a man yesterday we were out in Arkansas seeing our children and he was a veteran he had a hat on as a veteran he was in the Vietnam War I stopped him and we prayed right there in the grocery store and what a great guy he was he was a deacon at a Baptist Church and he was just a plain simple guy but he loved the Lord pray for the people in the military we wouldn't have the right to be able to stream this right now if we didn't have a military that fought for us what a thank God for our military personnel pray for them the Bible says in Psalm 140 verses 7 and 8 o Sovereign Lord the strong one who rescued me you protected me on the day of battle pray that for them that God will protect them on the day of battle and say Lord do not let evil people have their way with our military do not let their evil scheme succeed or they will become proud so pray for all these people you're commanded to in 1st Timothy 2 just pray that their hearts that these politicians hearts will be like channels of water in the hands of the Lord and that he will turn them wherever he wishes secondly right after you pray for these political leaders I would encourage you to pray for the true churches across America now I want to say this to you I want you to pray for God's churches I want you to pray for the ones that are really his some will have the name Church on there but there's so far you'll never hear the word of God there and nobody ever gets saved I want to say to you that's not a church that's just some kind a religious country club I'm talking about the real churches where the gospel is being preached you just pray for God's church the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ not just Baptist not just Methodist not just your denomination but pray for God and pray for his the Bride of the Lord Jesus Christ now what do I pray my favorite verse by far to pray for the churches in America is this acts 9:31 I pray and I'm just gonna they'll put it on the screen but I want you to hear how I would pray it and how I do pray I pray it every day father I pray that the church across America I pray that it says here throughout all Judea Galilee and Samaria but across America will enjoy peace that will be built up will go on in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit that's the strength of the Holy Spirit and we will continue to increase I pray that every day for the churches in America and I also pray 2nd Corinthians 13 verse 14 that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the Fellowship I love that of the Holy Spirit will be with us all I need the grace of God the church needs the grace of God we need the love of God and we all need the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit of God those are just some verses you can get other verses and pray for the church but I would encourage you to do that pray for not only just general prayers for the church but pray for your pastors and your staff and your leaders again it's not an easy day and I'm not complaining I thank God for the ministry I've been doing it for around 40 years now a little bit over 40 years been preaching but I want to say this to you it's not an easy day to be a leader in a church we need your prayers we need your prayers constantly and here's one verse that I would pray I'll give you two for your pastors and for your staff members and for your leaders at your church that we will according to 2nd Timothy 4:2 preach the word that we will be ready in season and out of season that we will reprove rebuke and exhort with great patience I'll pray for that and with instruction and then pray also first Peter chapter 5 verse 2 I love this text Shepherd that we will Shepherd the flock of God among us that we will exercise oversight not under compulsion but rather voluntarily according to the will of God not for sorted gain not just for a paycheck but with eagerness that will never lose sight of the fact that we are the ones that are shepherding the Sheep that belonged to the great shepherd the good shepherd the Lord Jesus Christ pray for your pastures I want to say this to you pray for your preacher pray for your pastor pray for your staff leaders they'll do better if you'll pray for them better all right and then pray that your house also your church will be a House of Prayer God says in Isaiah 56 verse 7 and Jesus quoted this verse after he cleansed the temple in the New Testament he said even those I will bring to my holy mountain I will make them joyful in my house of prayer their burnt offerings their sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar and my house will be a house of prayer for all the peoples pray that God's house will be a house of prayer for all people that people will flock to the house of God and pray and spend time calling out and crying out to God O God have mercy on me O God have mercy on my family o God have mercy on this church God have mercy on this city God have mercy on this nation and upon this world oh we need to be a house of prayer and then pray that your church will be very involved in evangelism you know Jesus he prioritized evangelism when he first called the disciples here's what he said in Matthew 4:19 he said follow me and I will make you fishers of men he was calling fishermen and so he says I'm just gonna make this customize this for you follow me you've been catching fish now I want you to catch people I want you to snag them with the gospel hook I want you to throw out there the bait of the gospel and I want you to catch the throw out the net of the gospel and I want you to catch all kinds of people I want to see people saved follow me and I'll make you fishers of men I would say this to you if you're not a soul winner you're not following Jesus as closely as you should be if you're not concerned about people's souls what's going on in your heart if you're not concerned about people that are lost how can you not be concerned about people that are lost I want to encourage you have the passion that Jesus had for those kind of people and then also remember acts 1:8 pray this say father I just thank you that I'll receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon me I will be your witness I'll be your witness in Jerusalem and that's wherever you live for us that's Memphis I'll be your witness in Judea for us that's Shelby County in the mid-south in Samaria and even the remotest parts of the earth Lord I'll go all over the world and if I can't go out pray and give for those who can go god I want to pray for your church pray for evangelism in your church and then pray for discipleship in your church Paul said in second Timothy 2:2 the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others there are four levels there he said the things which you heard from me it started with Paul and then Timothy heard it and then Timothy was with witnesses when you're and he taught it to faithful men who taught other people also four levels of discipleship right there I want to ask you to pray for the church pray for the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ his house is to be a house of prayer and that's what you and I need to focus on prayer for the church and prayer in the church the third thing I would encourage you to do is pray for our schools now we all know that our schools they're not perfect but there are a lot of godly people that are in our schools and many of them are frustrated they get tired you know the school the public school especially but any school nowadays is a mission field our own was a teacher in a city school here in Memphis and it was a very rewarding job but it was also challenging she needed prayer my wife is a teacher and she used to teach and I could remember her needing prayer when she didn't know what to do she she was encountering these young people and she needed help well we need to pray for our schools one of the things that I would encourage you to pray is to pray for the students and the principals and the teachers pray for the school board members pray for the volunteers pregnant the curriculum home I would not be ungodly nowadays some of the curriculum is just socialism some of the curriculum is so filled with sexual immorality we need to pray for all that we can't just be moan it we can't just criticize it we've got to pray and say god bless our students god bless our principals give us godly people a couple of texts that I would encourage you to pray for especially for our students are these I pray these for my kids I pray these for the people they've married I pray these for my grandchildren Isaiah 54 verse 13 I've prayed this for years that all of my sons literally I say all of my children will be taught of the Lord and the well-being of my children will be great why don't you pray that for the students in our schools Lord I pray that those students all of them will be taught of the Lord and the well-being of those children will be great and then one of my favorites it describes Jesus when he was growing up Luke 2:52 that they will increase just like Jesus Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men one of the greatest Bible studies you'll ever do is study the favor of God but he says pray for them and so I pray for them Jesus I pray for these children in these schools that they'll increase in wisdom and in stature as in good health and then Lord in favor with you they'll grow spiritually and in with their fellow man that they will grow in good relationships with other people pray for our schools number four pray for businesses and our economy you know I don't leave that God wants everybody filthy rich and all of that I I'm not there but I do believe God wants to supply all of our needs and one of the verses that I pray for our nation is for everybody from the poorest person to the wealthiest person I pray Philippians 4:19 that our God will supply all of our needs according to his riches in glory through Christ Jesus I pray that for a lot of people I don't know how many times I've prayed Philippians 4:19 for people that God would provide for people I pray for people all the time in our church that God will provide them a job it's amazing to me I was talking to a pastor the other day and he lost his job and he's been working in a secular job and he wants to be back in the ministry and the Lord just laid him on my heart and I called him up and I said hey I want to pray with you and we prayed God is my witness the next day a church contacted him and there talking to him about coming to be their pastor now my prayers are no better than your prayers but I'm telling you things happen when we pray that don't happen when we don't pray I don't understand prayer I don't understand God I don't understand salvation but I thank God for all of it so you need to pray pray for people pray for the businesses pray for their economy one verse that I pray all the time third John there's only one chapter so it's third John - some people say third John chapter 1 verse 2 that's fine whatever you'll say I say beloved I pray that in all respects they will prosper be in good health just as their souls prosper there's a lot of things you can pray for people but one of the things is pray for their businesses pray for their the economy pray for the business of the economy in our nation I just won't stop there and say I am against socialism I am against a big government governing everything that is done in our economy I believe it's a lot better when you've got millions of regular citizens who are entrepreneurs and they're out there taking care of their own businesses I know the government has to give some leadership but I don't believe that the government ought to be taxing people 50% and all that and given all this stuff away like it's free it's not free somebody's paying for it and I believe that we have in our nation a way for anyone to make a good living and for those of us who have been blessed we need to reach down to the people who need a helping hand and lift them up we don't need to hoard it all for ourselves I want to encourage you to pray for the economy of America and pray for the least of these pray for those who need help and pray that God will bless them as well businesses and economy number five and this is huge for me pray against abortion pray against abortion I believe that modern-day bail worship modern-day Molech worship when they would sacrifice their children to bail because he was the fertility God if they would give their child their daughter or their son as a sacrifice they would throw them into the fires of bail or Molech so that they could have good crops that's what they thought that would work he said brother Steve that is just absolutely barbaric yes it is and so is abortion killing an unborn child blows my mind and everybody knows everybody knows it's a child that it's not an it anymore it's a he or she everybody knows the gender all you have to do is look at 4d imaging and you just see you see the little wrinkles in their faith you see everything their little fingers and you know that that is a living human being inside that mother you say how do we know in Scripture Psalm 139 verses 13 through 16 he's talking to the Lord he said four Lord you formed my inward parts you wove me in my mother's womb I will give thanks to you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made wonderful are your works and my soul knows it very well my frame that is my skeletal frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret where was that in where was he made in secret in his mother's womb and skillfully wrought sin the depths of the earth your eyes have seen my unformed substance and in your book there were all were all written the days that were ordained for me when as yet there was not one of them God ordained our days God fashioned you in your mother's womb you are not an accident you are not the results of millions of years of random mutation you are created in the image of the Living God and the moment you were conceived in your mother's womb you became a living human being with a soul and I'm telling you it is wrong it is wrong it is wrong for us to kill and butcher and murder and slaughter over 2,000 babies every day in America and I want to say this to you God could very easily just for that one sin alone that we commit every day across our nation he could easily wipe this nation out and be justified in doing so oh god help us to pray that abortion will end in America you know Jeremiah we started off with him three times he wrote these very words in his prophecy I'll just read one Jeremiah 19 verse 5 they have built pagan shrines to Bale and there they burned their sons as sacrifices to bail now listen I never commanded such a horrible deed it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing that's what God said about sacrificing babies and I believe that abortion is sacrificing babies on the altar of convenience you know used to be that people saw a child as a blessing now they see a child many of them as a blight and they have even seen some girls bragging about the fact on social media that they've had an abortion they'll even show you the place where they went to have the abortion it's barbaric friend pray that God will remove abortion from our land and then sixthly pray against sexual immorality we are a nation that is filled with sexual immorality I'm talking about fornication adultery pornography bisexuality transgenderism pedophilia all these things homosexuality lesbianism all of it drag queens all that stuff it's not of God it's not of God and God wants us to be pure and holy one of the prayers that I pray every day for many people all of my children all of my grandchildren all of my children spouses all the people on our staff that I can pray for is Psalm 51 10 through 30 no God created me a clean heart O God renew a steadfast spirit within me do not cast me away from that presence do not take thy Holy Spirit from me restore unto me the joy of thy salvation sustain me with a willing spirit then I will teach transgressors thy ways and sinners will be converted into me under the O Lord God help me to have a clean heart and a steadfast spirit don't cast me away from your presence I don't want to be away from the presence of God and then I also pray 2nd Timothy 2:22 lord I pray that we will flee from youthful lust that we will pursue righteousness faith love and peace with those who call upon you from a pure heart I pray that for my family every day I pray that for our staff every day I pray that for many people every day that God would help us to flee you know some things you fight but when it comes to youthful lust you don't fight it you flee from it just like Joseph did when Potiphar's wife tried to come on to him he fled you said well he got thrown into prison you know what I'd rather be in prison and be innocent than to not be in prison and to be guilty of what she was trying to get him to do so you pray that we will flee I pray that you will flee from youthful Aspray against sexual immorality and the number seven oh this is huge in our nation pray for racial reconciliation I believe that the enemy I'm talking about the devil has done everything he can to try to divide us racially I want to say this to you I believe there's one race the human race I believe we all come from Noah's boat and Noah's family and then we all go back to Adam and Eve we're all related to one another biologically every one of us you said well how do you explain the different colors we're all a different shade of brown I'm lighter colored some are darker colored but we are all different shades of brown we all come from one blood we are all connected together biology please don't talk about well my people well my people look at me your people are simply all of humankind all of mankind we are connected biologically and we need to pray for reconciliation for those of the different people groups out there first Corinthians 12:13 pray that by one spirit we'll all Miguel gets saved will all be baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks slaves are free we're all made to drink of one spirit you know when you get saved you're just connected to all these people it doesn't matter what color the skin is they've all been washed in the blood and there are their souls are all cleansed from all iniquity so all of us Jews or Greeks slaves are free male or female doesn't really matter we're all baptized into one body and we drink of one spirit the Bible says again acts 17:26 for one met from one man talking about Adam God created all the nations throughout the whole earth he decided beforehand when they should rise and when they should fall and you determine their boundaries and again Paul says in Galatians 3 verse 28 there is neither Jew nor Greek there's neither slave nor free man there's neither male nor female you're all one all one in Christ Jesus pray that God would give us unity and the body of Christ that we might show the world what real unity even in race issues can be and then number 8 pray against a cultic activity now I want to say something to you a lot of people don't believe in demons a lot of people don't believe in the devil but I want to say this to you Jesus did and the Apostles did the Old Testament did the New Testament did all the believers understood that not only is there a God in heaven but there is a fallen angel he is nowhere close to as powerful as God but he is roaming this earth and he is seeking to devour anyone he can he is destined for hell the Bible says and he will burn in hell forever but until he gets there he's so perverted he wants to destroy people's lives jesus said the thief has come to steal kill and destroy and that's what the devil is doing so how do we fight against the devil I want to encourage you to realize that you've got an enemy and you can't fight him God has given you weapons to fight him the Bible says in Deuteronomy 23 verse 5 nevertheless the Lord your God was not willing to listen to Balaam that was a man a soothsayer he was a fortune-teller in the Old Testament he was a false prophet but the Lord your God turned the curse that is the curse of Balaam into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves you every day every day I say Lord if they're out there people in the occult out there that are cursing Belleview that are cursing me or my family just like you did in the days of Balaam just like you did Lord God in that time turn every curse into a blessing you say I've never heard anything like that for my life well you just did and I'm telling you God can still cause their curses to fall to the ground impotent and he can turn a curse into a blessing I pray that over my family and over our church all the time now what has God given us to protect us he's given you the whole armour of God listen to this very quickly from Ephesians chapter 6 verses 11 through 18 put on the hole or the full armor of God so that you'll be able to stand firm against the schemes the strategies of the devil for our struggle is not against flesh and blood people are not your problem it's the demonic spirits that are your problem but against the rulers though the powers against the world Force's of this darkness against the spiritual for of wickedness in the heavenly places therefore take up the full armor of God so that you'll be able to resist in the evil day and friend we are in an evil day and we need to resist so that you'll be able to resist in the evil day and having done everything to stand firm and it he gives the the parts of the armour here stand firm therefore having girded your loins with truth having put on the breastplate of righteousness having put on shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace in addition to all this take the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows the fiery darts of the evil one and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God I love that and then he says with all prayer and petition pray at all times in the spirit and with this in view be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the Saints I dress my family and our staff if you will in my prayers every day with the whole armour of God you said brother Steve you've lost it no I haven't either I'm not gonna walk out into a day that hasn't been prayed over I don't want to and I'm not going to walk out there without the whole armor of God and I won't go back to it I put on every piece every day over my family over our staff over other people that I dearly love over my grandchildren my children their spouses I pray that every day you know why because we're in a war and if you're not dressed if you're not don't have the whole armour of God on you dad's out there you need to start covering your family your spouse your wife and your children and their families you need to start covering them with the whole armour of God and I love this verse in Revelation chapter 2 12 verse 11 and they overcame him talking about the devil because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony and they did not love their life even death every day I pray O God let the blood of Jesus the name of Jesus the word of God the spirit of God the favor of God be upon us and O God let us have the strong word of our testimony and Lord we will not love our lives even on to death I want to say this to you are you in the battle are you in the battle there's a war going on don't you see it can't you sense it don't you feel that terror all around all the time this fear that's trying to grip you and don't you see the battle from right between right and wrong going don't get in the battle get in your position get on the whole armor of God and start praying and crying out to God pray with your spouse pray with your family now is the time now is the time and in number nine pray for protection pray for protection I constantly am praying for protection again for my wife my kids their spouses my grandkids our staff this church our city this nation I can go on and on these are some of the verses that I pray now this verse numbers chapter 6 verse 24 through 26 is one of the greatest blessings in the Bible I say Lord I pray that you will bless us and keep us that keep us right there talks about protection bless us and keep us Lord make your face to shine upon us be gracious unto us lift up your countenance upon us and give us your shallow and give us your peace I pray Psalm 3 verse 3 but Lord you O Lord are a shield about me your the glory and the lifter of my head I pray Psalm 91 verses 10 through 11 every day that no evil will befall us no plague will come near our dwelling that he will give his angels charge concerning us to guard us in all of our ways I pray every day for my family I pray every day for this church I pray for our leaders I pray for our nation Isaiah 54 verse 17 that no weapon that is formed against us will prosper that every tongue that accuses us in judgment we will condemn this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and our vindication is from the Lord I pray that I've prayed it today I got up early I pray that every morning I want to encourage you to pray these same verses and then one more thing and I'm through pray for revival pray for God to pour out his Spirit upon his people upon his churches Oh pray for of I preached this morning about the church at Laodicea the Church that was lukewarm oh how they needed revival they thought they had it all together because they had a lot of money in the bank and God said to them jesus said to them your poor your wretched your naked you don't have anything without me oh listen we need to pray for revival and I still pray a second Chronicles 7:14 I had some guy tell me I shouldn't well you know what I was praying that long before he was ever even out of high school all right I'm not mad at the guy I think he's totally mistaken I think it's a great promise for the people of God that anybody can pray for any nation at any time and I pray this every day oh god I pray that we your people called by your name Christians in America called by your name that we will humble ourselves that we will pray that we will seek your face that we will turn from our wicked ways and that you will hear from heaven forgive our sin and Oh God would you heal this land I believe if we had thousands of people praying that every day I believe with all my heart God would do something in our nation that he has not done in about four or five decades the last great revival was in the Jesus Movement the late 60s and the early 70s started in California came all the way across the nation and the highest baptisms Southern Baptists have ever had were in the early 70s for about five years all because of the Jesus Movement I got turned on to the Lord in 1976 right at the very end of the Jesus Movement and God called me to preach God could still do it the tide of revival has been out but pray that that tide will come back in I pray also these verses and I'll be through Psalm 85 verse 6 if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray that's that's Isaiah second Chronicles 7:14 I'm sorry some 85 verse 6 will you not yourself O Lord revive us again that your people may rejoice in you O Lord will you not revive us again we want to rejoice in your Lord revive us again where there's no him that I grew up singing that's got the title revive us again and then I'll close with it Habakkuk you know a lot of us don't read the book of Habakkuk I had a professor in seminary say you better get to know all these books you better read all these books because one of these days when you get to heaven a little Jewish guys gonna come up to you and say how'd you like my book and his name is gonna be Habakkuk Habakkuk chapter 3 verse 2 Lord I've heard the report about you and I fear that's the fear of reverence I revere you I fear Oh Lord revive your work in the midst of the years I love that Lord do it right now in the midst of the years nobody expects it there's the coronavirus there's the Democrats against the Republicans there's this terrible debate going on about presidents and all this there's a declining stock market right now there's so much confusion in the world Oh Lord in the midst of the years make it known in Wrath remember mercy in wrath Oh God remember mercy would you start praying for our nation quit griping about it quit complaining about it quit being all afraid about it God's not given you a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind and with that sound mind that he gives you would you start crying out to God

Channel: Bellevue Baptist Church

Views: 3,277

Rating: 5 out of 5

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Id: HNHJIzXkMc4

Length: 43min 48sec (2628 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 16 2020