My Prayer for Revival in America - Part 1 of 4

Title: What will it take to Have Revival in America?

Text:

2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV)
¹⁴ if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Observation:

One of the conditions for revival is for God's people to humble themselves. This is not an appeal to the Government. Rather, it is an appeal to God's people.

The word of God says, "If my people". In your heart, child of God, do you sincerely want to please God? If so, then humble yourself before God in prayer.

Trials and temptations are the common lot of all. The good news is that God will give his people sufficient grace in every circumstance.

James 4:6 (ESV)
⁶ But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Would you be willing to join with me in prayer for humility among God's people that would result in God healing our nation?

"Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer."  -- Joseph M. Scriven

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, by your divine power, will you create a burning desire in the hearts of your believing people to humble ourselves at the feet of our almighty heavenly Father. In Jesus name, Amen.

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Romans 1:16-17 (HCSB)
¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
¹⁷ For in it God's righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

Daily Prayer_July 13, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 19:8 (HCSB)
⁸ The one who acquires good sense loves himself; one who safeguards understanding finds success.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 10:17 (HCSB)
¹⁷ LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts. You will listen carefully,

The Word of God for encouragement:

Romans 2:4 (HCSB)
⁴ Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

My observation:

Do I realize the source of my hope and help? Do I know where my blessings come from? These are questions that I am pondering after reading the first two chapters of Romans.

Today, the mercy and goodness of God is on my heart. I am so grateful to God for his kindness to me. Has the Lord been good to you? How does that make you feel?

Psalm 107:1-3 (HCSB)
¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever.
² Let the redeemed of the LORD proclaim that He has redeemed them from the hand of the foe
³ and has gathered them from the lands— from the east and the west, from the north and the south.

I know it was the lovingkindness of the Lord that brought me from where I used to be to where I am today. I shudder to think of where I would be if it was not for the Lord searching for me, and drawing me to his bosom. God is the reason that I am on my way to heaven.

Luke 15:17-19 (HCSB)
¹⁷ When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger!
¹⁸ I'll get up, go to my father, and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.
¹⁹ I'M no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired hands.'

My prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, with my whole heart, and with a loud voice, I lift my song of praise to you. Father, I just want  to say how grateful I am that you searched for me and found me, and drew me close to your precious bosom.

Father God, I  am so thankful and grateful  to you for all of my blessings. Father, I acknowledge that everything I am or ever hope to be is because of what you, in your lovingkindness, have done for me. I am forever grateful to my heavenly Father.  I am Herb, a slave of Christ Jesus. In Jesus name, Amen.

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Romans 1:16-17 (HCSB)
¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
¹⁷ For in it God's righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

Daily Prayer_July 12, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 19:6-7 (MSG)
⁶ Lots of people flock around a generous person; everyone's a friend to the philanthropist.
⁷ When you're down on your luck, even your family avoids you— yes, even your best friends wish you'd get lost. If they see you coming, they look the other way— out of sight, out of mind.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 9:11 (HCSB)
¹¹ Sing to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; proclaim His deeds among the nations.

The Word of God for encouragement:

Romans 1:16-17 (HCSB)
¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
¹⁷ For in it God's righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

My observation:

The two verses from Romans are key verses in Paul's letter. Here he tells why he is writing this letter to the church at Rome. The gospel was Paul's priority. He spent his life for the sake of the gospel. Does the gospel grip you?

Religion is man searching for God; Paul was not about being religious. Rather, he was about the gospel because the gospel is God searching for man. When you discover the "Bread of Life", that is how Jesus described himself; you can't help but tell everybody where to find Him.

Here is one more nugget of truth to encourage you in your walk with the Lord.  Paul gives one of the reasons he wants to visit them.

Romans 1:11 (HCSB)
¹¹ For I want very much to see you, so I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you,

The Apostle Paul wanted to strengthen these believers in the Lord. He had heard about them, and the fruitful work they were doing in Rome, and in the regions beyond. However, even fruitful believers need to continue to grow.

Think about this. When you build a house you need a solid foundation. The same is true for the church. The church built on a solid foundation has the highest ceiling for growth. Like Paul, let's encourage the faithful and fruitful.

My prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I praise and thank you for the love and compassion that you have for the lost. Father, I thank you for being relentless in your search.

Luke 19:10 (HCSB)
¹⁰ For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost."

Father God, I pray that the gospel of Christ would find the lost, and lead them to the Savior. In Jesus name, Amen.

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Romans 1:16-17 (HCSB)
¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
¹⁷ For in it God's righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

Daily Prayer_July 11, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 19:5 (HCSB)
⁵ A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 9:19-20 (HCSB)
¹⁹ Rise up, LORD! Do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your presence.
²⁰ Put terror in them, LORD; let the nations know they are only men. Selah

The Word of God for encouragement:

Romans 1:1-7 (HCSB)
¹ Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and singled out for God's good news—
² which He promised long ago through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures—
³ concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh
⁴ and who has been declared to be the powerful Son of God by the resurrection from the dead according to the Spirit of holiness.
⁵ We have received grace and apostleship through Him to bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations, on behalf of His name,
⁶ including yourselves who also belong to Jesus Christ by calling:
⁷ To all who are in Rome, loved by God, called as saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

My observation:

My daily bible reading plan takes me to the book of Romans today. What an important book for God's people. There are pastors who have spent years preaching through Romans. In my devotional readings I will just be picking out nuggets of truth to comment on, and write down and share what that truth said to me, and how I can apply it to my life.

The nugget of truth that gripped my heart today is the man Paul. He had another name that was Saul. That name fit at his birth because he was of the tribe of Benjamin, and from that tribe came Saul, who was the first king of Israel.

However, the Lord had another plan for his servant Saul of Tarsus. So he gave him another name. Saul the persecutor of Christians was to become Paul the slave of Christ. He was first called Paul here.

Acts 13:9 (HCSB)
⁹ Then Saul—also called Paul—filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at the sorcerer

Paul was not a famous name at the time, the most famous name then was Nero. The other Saul didn't turn out well either. This shows that it is more important how you finished than how you start.

Proverbs 10:7 (HCSB)
⁷ The remembrance of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

My prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so thankful for the life and the legacy of the Apostle Paul. His writings have so blessed and informed my life and my walk with the Lord.

Father God, your servant Paul was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, and I am happy to associate myself with him in saying that, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ". In Jesus name, Amen.

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Romans 1:16-17 (HCSB)
¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
¹⁷ For in it God's righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

Daily Prayer_July 10, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 19:3 (HCSB)
³ A man's own foolishness leads him astray, yet his heart rages against the LORD.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 9:10 (HCSB)
¹⁰ Those who know Your name trust in You because You have not abandoned those who seek You, Yahweh.

The Word of God for encouragement:

Acts 28:30-31 (HCSB)
³⁰ Then he stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him,
³¹ proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with full boldness and without hindrance.

My observation:

Today's reading in Acts concludes our reflections on the Acts of the Holy Spirit. The Lord was faithful to keep his promise to the Apostle Paul.

Acts 27:23-24 (HCSB)
²³ For this night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me,
²⁴ and said, 'Don't be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. And, look! God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.'

Paul arrived safely in Rome just like God promised he would. He spent two years living under house arrest in a house he rented. The Apostle redeemed the time; he preached the gospel in the heart of the Roman empire.

There were so many verses to choose from in this wonderful closing chapter in Acts. However, I believe that verse thirty-one is the key verse in the chapter, and that the key phrase is in verse thirty, "He stayed two whole years".

God is faithful to keep his promises to his people. How faithful are you in keeping your promises to him, and to his people?

My prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, I am so thankful that the God I serve is a loving and faithful God. Father, you are a God who goes the distance with his people. As you stood by Paul, I have the confidence that you will stand with and stay by me. Father God, I praise you and thank you, In Jesus name, Amen.

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Acts 1:8 (HCSB)
⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

 

 

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Daily Prayer_July 9, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 18:24 (HCSB)
²⁴ A man with many friends may be harmed, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 8:4 (HCSB)
⁴ what is man that You remember him, the son of man that You look after him?

The Word of God for encouragement:

Acts 27:23-26 (HCSB)
²³ For this night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me,
²⁴ and said, 'Don't be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. And, look! God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.'
²⁵ Therefore, take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me.
²⁶ However, we must run aground on a certain island."

My observation:

One of the things that I am most grateful to God for is that my disobedience does not determine my destiny. However, I hasten to add, this is because of the unmerited favor of a loving and forgiving God. This grace gift is not a license to sin. Rather, it is the precious gift of freedom to fulfill the purpose for which he made me.

Romans 6:1-2 (HCSB)
¹ What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply?
² Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

The men on this ship had not listen to the advice of Paul, and because of this they could have all lost their life on the stormy sea. But God spared them by his grace, and because of the man of God that was on that ship that God was not finished with yet.

Paul had received a word from God that he would arrive in Rome safely. When you have faith in God, and the word of God it gives you hope and assurance. It will be an encouragement to you when you are going through the storms of life. Stay close to God, and stay in the bible.

My prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, I am so thankful that you have placed a burning desire in my heart to read and heed the word of God. Father, I thank you for making me free to live for you.

Father God, I delight to come to the table of bread, and eat extravagantly from the gourmet meals that have been prepared by your hands.

O, Bread of Heaven, feed me until I want no more; Father, fill my cup until it overflows with your amazing love, grace, forgiveness, and mercy. Father, I am a receiver, I hunger and thirst for every promise in the bible that has my name on it. In Jesus name, Amen.

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Acts 1:8 (HCSB)
⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

 

 

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Daily Prayer_July 8, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 18:22 (HCSB)
²² A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 107:24-28 (HCSB)
²⁴ They saw the LORD's works, His wonderful works in the deep.
²⁵ He spoke and raised a tempest that stirred up the waves of the sea.
²⁶ Rising up to the sky, sinking down to the depths, their courage melting away in anguish,
²⁷ they reeled and staggered like drunken men, and all their skill was useless.
²⁸ Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress.

The Word of God for encouragement:

Acts 27:21 (HCSB)
²¹ Since many were going without food, Paul stood up among them and said, "You men should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete and sustain this damage and loss.

Acts 27:33 (HCSB)
³³ When it was about daylight, Paul urged them all to take food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and going without food, having eaten nothing.

My observation:

The  scriptures for our meditation today show the devastating results of not listening to sound advice. We find this happening in the passage from the Psalm and Acts.

The waters of life are dangerous. We need a tried and trusted captain to guide us. We need to listen to the one who knows the way. How long will you go without listening to God?

As we travel through this world, we need an unfailing guide, and we need a pattern for living, and for surviving during the storms of life. We find that guide in Jesus, and we find that pattern in the word of God.

In this world, we are all in the same boat. All of us need to get into, and stay in the word to make it safely to the other shore. Get on board the Old Ship of Zion, and the Master, and the bible will guide you safely to the Father's home.

Psalm 119:11 (HCSB)
¹¹ I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You.

My prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so grateful that you have provided in Jesus, the person we need, and in the bible, the book we need.

Father God, keep me near the cross, where Jesus paid the price for my redemption, and keep me near the bible, that will provide the pattern, the provisions, and the power to enable me to survive the storms of life, and make it safely to my home in heaven.  Amen.

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Acts 1:8 (HCSB)
⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

 

 

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