To know Jesus in all His goodness, faithfulness and love is to be transformed. When we know Him, we are His disciples and as such He commands us to “make disciples…” not church goers, not Christians, not believers, but DISCIPLES! Why did Jesus use this particular word? It’s the word He most frequently used to describe His followers.
Day 4 of 40 Days of Prayer for America
Bible Text
Isaiah 28:23 (NLT) “Listen to Me; listen, and pay close attention.”
Hebrews 3:15 As it is said, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden our hearts as in the rebellion.”
Matthew 7:24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Jeremiah 29:11-14a (NLT) For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord.
God says that it is not enough to just hear Him. We need to listen to Him. I can remember when our kids were growing up, and there were times when you would say something to them and you could tell it just went in one ear and out the other. You could not only sense it, you could see it, the eyes glazed over. Now don’t get me wrong. I love my kids. They are good kids, but there were times that you had to get in their face and look them in the eye and say, “Listen to me. It’s not enough to hear, listen. Listen to my voice. Listen to what I’m saying.”
And that is what God says to us. He says, “Listen to Me. Don’t simply go through the motions and go through the actions, but do what I tell you. Because faith shows itself in obedience.” As we listen and seek Him with all our heart, He responds in incredible ways
Our God is a God who does not operate the way the world does. The world loves pomp and ceremony. It loves titles and it enjoys being honored, but God chooses the things that the world often laughs at to accomplish His plan and purpose. And do you realize what a powerful promise that is for you and me? God uses people like us to accomplish His purpose. And when we listen to His voice, it doesn’t mean it will be easy. Usually what He asks is not easy, but He calls us to follow Him no matter what.
The purpose and plan of the Living God is worth suffering for it. It is worth risking for it. It is worth losing for it. It is worth being ridiculed for it. It is worth being called crazy for it, because what He says is true. And throughout the ages the truth that God speaks has often been ignored, because people can hear without listening, and understand without obeying.
He says to His children, “If you hear My word, and you listen to My voice, I will do everything I’ve said. I will keep my promise. I will bless and I will be honored.” That is the word of the Living God for us, and it’s a word that we need to take to heart.
Prayer: Lord, move in power over America and her people and do a mighty thing. Bring her to her knees in humility before You. Bring forth a revival in this nation. Lord, let now be the time when people will listen to Your voice, hear You and return to You. This is the prayer of my heart. Amen
By Pastor Chris Dodge
Day 3 of 40 Days of Prayer for America
Bible Text Isaiah 6:5 (NLT)
Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
“I’m sure glad I’m not like THAT guy”… “he’s got real problems”… “I’ve got troubles, but that guy’s a MESS…!” How natural it is for us to compare ourselves to others and come out smelling sweet! We can always find someone “worse off” and think that by that standard, we are “good” with God. But the prophet Isaiah had no such illusions. He saw a vision God showed him. In it, angelic beings were worshipping the living God with the words, “Holy, holy holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah instantly recognized he’s in the presence of a holy God, and he is undone!
What convicts Isaiah? His mouth. He says, ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’ He recognizes just how serious the problem is, both for himself and his people!
Are we any different in America? Are we even shocked anymore when someone uses Jesus Christ’s name, God’s most precious name, as a swear word? Or when we joke about sexual things, describing private, intimate things that belong in couples’ bedrooms? Has it become perfectly acceptable to tear apart a person’s reputation by gossip, by calling it ‘being honest?’ When we carelessly get sarcastic or insult a person, are those meaningless words, or have we done real damage? Do words actually have the power to kill, or give life?
We, too, need to confess our personal and national sin of “unclean lips” before our Father in heaven. As Isaiah came clean before God, look what God did. One of God’s angelic beings brought a live coal and touched Isaiah’s lips, and declared Isaiah forgiven! We are forgiven, too!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I confess that I have used my lips, my mouth, my words to destroy, to lie, to mock, to …. And I am sorry. Forgive me, forgive us, through Jesus and the awful price he paid on the cross! Forgive America’s people, Lord, for the careless, even destructive words out of our mouths. Touch our lips with a coal and cleanse our words, that they speak only life and honor You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Additional Bible passages: Ephesians 4:29; Proverbs 12:18, James 3:5b-8
Pastor Kevin Schuessler
Day 2 of 40 Days of Prayer for America
Bible Text 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Our land, our country, the U.S.A. needs healing, do you agree? There is a brokenness that goes beyond the political, the economic, the social; do you sense it, too? Will the right candidate, another law, more funding, etc., heal our brokenness? Throughout history when God’s people recognized their country going down a destructive path, they called on God, their Father for help. They recognized their profound need and cried out to God out of desperation.
God, out of his deep love for US(A), who has called us to be His own, spoke these words of promise. He said, “If we will humble ourselves before Him, and pray, and seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways…” (stop!). Can we do that right now? Wherever you are, would you pause, pull over, stop for a minute, and tell God you are sorry for the things we have done, for turning away from Him and for making decisions and pursuing paths that were and are not good….
Can we take time now to confess our waywardness on behalf of our country?….
We are a land that desperately needs healing and our God desires to pour that out in abundance. God says in 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV), “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Prayer: Lord, we recognize we’ve made a mess of things. We need your help. We have turned from You and even pursued evil. We are sorry. I am sorry. Thank You for Your promise that You HEAR US, that You FORGIVE US, and that You desire to HEAL OUR LAND! We stand on that promise. Thank You for Your Son, Jesus, who took on Himself the punishment of humanity when He went to the cross. Thank You for the hope we have in His resurrection. Heal our marriages, heal our schools, heal our business, heal our government, heal our country, through Jesus! We believe You can and will, through Jesus! Amen
By Pastor Kevin Schuessler
Day 1 of 40 Days of Prayer for America
Bible Text:
James 4:10 (NKJV) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
The devil loves to keep people in a place where they are not listening to the Lord. When God’s people are OK with rebellion, joyous with perversion, when God’s people are comfortable with half-hearted religion, the enemy shouts for joy.
But when God’s people hear the true voice of the Living God, and understand how pure and holy and righteous He is, and yet also how good and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love He is, the only response can be one of daily humbling oneself before God.
We need to understand that true faith begins with a repentant heart, and an understanding of the truth begins with humility before God. In these days when the nations are shaking, and when the powers that be are wondering how do we stop the powers that are? What God is saying is, “Come back to Me, and let Me deal with the most important issues of the heart and soul, so that the heart and soul of the nation may be changed and transformed.” Because the path we go on as human beings, rebellious against our creator, is a path that leads to destruction, but the path of faith and repentance and trust in the Living God is a path that leads to renewal, and forgiveness, and hope, and life, and joy.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, lead us back to You that the heart and soul of America might be changed and transformed. We are in a rebellious time, Lord, and we need what only You can give. Bring renewal, forgiveness, hope, life and joy to the heart of each one of us in Jesus’ name. Amen
By Pastor Chris Dodge
Intercede for America
In these uncertain times, God is pleased when we take Him at His Word and cry out for our nation to know and follow Christ.
Introduction to 40 Days of Prayer for America
Bible Texts:
”The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16 (NIV)
“You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14 (NIV)
Tomorrow we begin 40 days of intentional prayer for America. We hope you will join us over the next 40 days as together we humbly come before the Lord on behalf of America.
Jesus says, “You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14. Now think about that for just a second. Jesus says in the gospel of John, “I am the light of the world.” But as His followers, and every one of us who call on His name, Jesus, the Light of the world, says to us, “You are also the light of the world, because My light has shown into your life.” You and I have been brought out of darkness into His marvelous light. We’ve come to understand that we are not better than others, that we are all beggars who need what only the living God can give. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Everyone of us cannot stand in the presence of a Holy God on the basis of our own accomplishments. We understand that God is good, that God forgives, that God did not spare his only Son but gave Him up for us all. We understand that in Jesus, by faith in Him, receiving Him as Savior and Lord, God changes everything in our lives. And because of that Jesus says to us that we are the light of the world if we know Him as our Savior, if we understand His incredible love for us, if we understand that we’re sinners and that we need Him as our Savior.
Jesus gave His life for me. He gave His life for you. Because He did, because He is risen from the grave, we believe what He says. We believe His words are true because every part of the Scriptures are the true word of God. And that word of God says that you and I, by faith in the Lord Jesus, are the light of world!
Now let us go forth into the world with the Light of Jesus shining. Let us testify to His love with everyone we interact with today. Let His Light shine bright in the darkness.
Today, we prepare our hearts to come before the Father in faith and hope, secure in His love and knowing that ”The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16 (NIV)
Prayer: With our whole hearts let us truly seek His face and on bended knees, come in humble repentance for ourselves, our families, our churches, our cities, our states, our leaders and our country. From the depths of our hearts let us cry out in sincere remorse for the sins of America and ask God, by the blood of Christ, His Son, to cleanse America and to turn us back to Him.
Our prayers over the next 40 days will be asking God to: Heal our land, turn hearts back to Himself, restore families, rebuild homes, remake marriages, restore communities, break down hostility between groups, and that He would bring revival to each of us, then the church and then to America. Our prayers will be for a wave of revival to break out across America and beyond. Lord, hear the prayers of our hearts!
By Pastor Chris Dodge
PS:
During these 40 days, we will offer an evening to gather together online. Our gathering is planned for Tuesday, November 1st at 6:30pm CT, Day 33 of our 40 days.
I am extending a personal invitation to each of you to join us as we gather for the Lord’s Supper, prayer and worship via an online Zoom gathering.
Pre-registration is required.
PRE-REGISTER by going to our website.
40 Days of Prayer for America
Dear Friends,
For 40 days, we at Awake Us Now are going to be focusing on prayer for our country leading up to Election Day. We invite you to join us as we bring America before the Lord beginning Friday, September 30 through Tuesday, November 8, 2022.
Each day we will provide a new topic, Bible text, devotional and prayer points as we focus on our personal relationship with God, the church’s relationship with God and our country’s relationship with God.
We serve a God who hears and answers prayer! He says, “You will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:12. It is with this verse and the truth it declares that we will seek God’s face, pray for our country and pray for revival.
During these 40 days, we will also offer an evening to gather together online. Our gathering is planned for Tuesday, November 1st at 6:30pm CT, Day 33 of our 40 days.
I am extending a personal invitation to join us as we gather for the Lord’s Supper, prayer and worship via an online Zoom gathering.
Pre-registration is required.
When: Nov 1, 2022 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
PRE-REGISTER by going to our website.
Please join us in praying for America.
God bless you and God bless America,
Pastor Chris Dodge
Hebrews: Soul Anchor – Week 2
As our soul anchor, Jesus is to be the most important person in our lives. It is He we want to be following, and this study will encourage us to place Him first before anything else in our lives.
Rekindle… Authority
In a world dominated by moral relativism, does anyone have real authority? Shortly before His ascension, Jesus made it clear that He does: “All authority in heaven and on earth have been given to me.”
Awake Us Now 