Independence Weekend: Why I pray for America
Hope you had a safe and blessed Independence Day. Since it is a holiday weekend, I will be taking the rest of the weekend off from my blog to celebrate the freedom this nation still enjoys (and by the grace of God, will increasingly embrace and defend).
I wanted to repeat a portion of what I wrote on June 12. This is because it is my passion to inspire you to continue to take your place before God on behalf of our nation, standing in the gap wherever He places you and in the manner in which He leads you. No one is a non-essential partner in this massive prayer initiative; you just have a differing role to play and a custom-made way in which He uses you. And you do have a role; you are used before the Throne of God in a unique, perfect-for-you approach. This nation needs you to refuse to back off in prayer on her behalf.
This is why I pray for America:
As I look at my nation, I must pray. It’s in my DNA; it is built into the very fabric of my relationship with God. When I see obstacles in my nation, I am challenged by my rich heritage to stand my ground and trust God. I feel I owe it to the Founders who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to guard, nurture, protect, and defend the fledgling nation. I owe it to Charles Finney, D. L. Moody, William J. Seymour, Billy Sunday, Aimee Semple McPherson, and all the rest, both known and unknown, who took full advantage of their American liberty to pour out their lives for the cause of Christ. I owe it to my dad, who although he never claimed to know God intimately, was willing as a young man to risk his life in the service of a country which guaranteed that his daughter, yet to be born, would bear the sacred right to lead her own life, speak openly, and worship God freely without fear.
I must pray. I must pray the Word of God over my nation. I must seek her deliverance when evil threatens her. I must stand my ground even if it takes the rest of my life. I can do no less, so help me God.
God bless you and God bless the U.S.A! Don’t give up on her!
Dorothy
Read MorePraying for America on her birthday
I love being prayed for on my birthday. About a decade ago, however, I realized that I never really prayed for America on her birthday. So I started a new personal tradition—every 4th of July morning, I spend some quality time praying for my nation.
Each year is different. Some years I pray about issues. Other years, I pray for specific government leaders. One year, I gathered a group of praying people at my home for breakfast and we interceded primarily for the church in America.
With so many different national concerns to bring before the Father, you may wonder where to begin. You have a unique and specific piece to this puzzle about which to pray, so a good place to start is to ask God! I’ve noticed that as I spend time thanking, praising, or worshiping Him, a direction typically bubbles up from my spirit, and I pray over that in whatever way I sense the Lord is leading me.
Let me tell you what happened on the morning of July 4th, 2009. I began praising God and seeking Him about His specific prayer direction for the nation. I expected to pray for the president or for one of the many issues our nation was facing at the time.
Instead, I couldn’t get the portion of Scripture I had read earlier in the morning out of my mind. It was Luke 2:41-51, about twelve-year old Jesus’ adventure in Jerusalem. Verse 43 haunted me. “…the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it.” Panic began gripping my insides as evidently I was relating on a very deep level to what Mary and Joseph must have felt when it dawned on them that their Son had been missing for an entire day! (Things were a little different back then when communities traveled in a caravan. Back off of the lawsuits against Joseph and Mary, OK?)
I reread verses 44-46. “…[They] went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. Then, after three days they found Him...” My attention was fixed upon the horror of having a missing child, not knowing whether he was dead or alive. Since I could not shake the sense of heaviness, I yielded to it and began praying for the children and teens of the nation.
In particular, that July 4th Saturday morning, I found myself praying for all children, ages 0-18, to be safe in their activities for the entire holiday weekend. I prayed against children getting separated from their parents and teens losing their friends in a crowd. I prayed in the name of Jesus against abduction attempts of all sorts—that they would be thwarted and for adults in charge of kids to be on high alert.
When I realized that I had prayed along this line most of the morning, I honestly felt a tad disappointed. I had wanted to pray for the nation, but I ran out of time and needed to leave for a holiday event. But on the inside of me, I sensed the correction of God. “You did pray for the nation.”
Monday evening, July 6th, I was in the kitchen listening to the teasers opening the local news from the TV in the other room. “Tonight we will take you to a local church where an alert volunteer stopped a child abduction Sunday morning.”
I dropped what I was doing and raced to the living room, waiting for the opening story. And this is what I learned.
A 10-year old girl was attending children’s church Sunday morning at the church I used to attend. A registered sex offender–a pedophile–had been skulking outside her class, unobserved. He motioned to her to step outside, and when she walked into the hall to see what he wanted, he put his arm around her and started walking her out of the building. However, an alert volunteer noticed what was going on just in time and abruptly demanded the offender to stop. The girl was led to safety by another volunteer and the pedophile was arrested.
I remembered my intense time of prayer two days before on the 4th, interceding to thwart child abductions. I realized that God’s desire is for each of us to yield to His leading, whatever that may be, and as we do, our prayers will hit the target. And as more and more of us make ourselves available to God to direct us in prayer on behalf of the nation, more and more bull’s-eyes will be hit, effectively producing the change we long for in America and around the world.
Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!
Dorothy
Read MoreJugglers
“But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” 2 Timothy 3:13, NASB
“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” 2 Timothy 3:13, KJV
In the King James Version of 2 Timothy 3:13, impostors are called “seducers”. According to the Encarta Dictionary, a seducer is a persuader who uses deception to get what he or she wants sexually. However, the same reference further reveals that the term isn’t limited to sexual enticement; a seducer also tries to talk someone into doing other things they wouldn’t normally do by painting a picture of how “amazing” or “truly noble” those things are. Lastly, the same source states that the term seducer can be used to describe a person who manipulates others into giving them their support or agreement.
The term “impostor” used in the NASB indicates the false, illegitimate character of this type of person, whereas “seducer” further reveals the manipulative, self-serving motivation lurking within the individual.
Now look at the Greek definition for the word impostor. That word is goēs and indicates not only a deceiver and an impostor, but also reveals some other very interesting peculiarities (see < http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G1114&t=KJV >).
The first definition right out of the box for this Greek word is “a wailer” and “a howler”. Remember, impostors lie and manipulate, so this wailing and howling is not the genuine cry of pain or remorse—no, the wail and howl of an impostor is a grand charade in the interest of furthering his agenda to con and deceive. Would you be surprised to learn that one of the strategies which activist Saul Alinsky included in his book, Rules for Radicals, to force societal change was to loudly, disruptively, and continuously complain–to howl and wail–against the status quo?
Another definition of goēs is an enchanter, who, according to the source, would utter incantations in a sort of a howl.
But to me, the most intriguing definition of all is included in the second meaning along with enchanter: a juggler. You may wonder how this word, juggler, could possibly be related to impostor or seducer. This is where it gets very interesting.
Think about this: information—extremely important information—gets thrown at Americans constantly. Any attempt to make sense of current events is dizzying and makes you feel as if you are watching…well, a multi-object juggling routine in hyper-speed! You start to learn about one change in society and before you know it, a second, and then a third, and then a fourth fly into view. Changes in health care laws, changes in gun laws, changes in privacy concerns for travel, communication, etc., changes in the military, changes in taxation, changes in prices, changes in the genetic makeup of food, changes in voting laws, changes in immigration, changes in age-old marriage definitions, changes in regulations, changes in China, Russia, and the middle-east, predicted changes in America’s status as the world’s economic leader and number 1 super-power, changes in what is commonly accepted as right and wrong—all these things and so much more fly at us from every direction at the speed of light.
Most of us do not have the reading capacity of JFK who was reported to read four newspapers in 15 minutes every day. And yet the juggling of volumes of important, highly detailed events before our eyes daily intensifies more and more, mocking our inability to comprehend even one piece, let alone grasp the entire scope of information.
Most people just throw their hands up in the air, let the info fall to the ground, and walk away. Who can keep up with it all?
I propose that this is by design to keep men and women of good will and honest heart off-balance as they attempt to bring order to chaos.
But I believe with all my heart that there is a strategy from the Throne Room of God to empower His people to deal effectively in the face of this constant juggling act of disastrous, poisonous events.
It was rumored that baseball legend Ted Williams was able to see, as if frozen in space, the seams on any fastball hurled his way. Could it be that God has been “magnifying your vision” with one or two of the very serious issues facing our nation? Are you passionate about any of the above listed changes going on in our culture? What angers you? What makes you uneasy? What is attempting to rob your peace? Could it be that the issues that bug you the most are the “seams on the baseball” flying at you? Could it be that the Living God has prompted your ire and is giving you the assignment to hit that issue out of the park in consecrated, heartfelt prayer?
It is my belief that God’s will in these difficult days is to freely send assignments to His men and women, boys and girls, “freezing in space” for each one of us the details about whatever He prompts us to pray for. Look. He’s so much greater than any impostor, seducer, or juggler of oppression that ever existed.
So when you see alarming information being juggled at warp-speed before your eyes, thank God that He has His “Ted Williams” prayer people stepping up to the plate all over the nation and around the world, ready, waiting, bats in hand, anticipating those fastballs, and, seeing the seams, prayer muscles bulging, swing with a force that could only come from God and connect—sending those balls way out of the park.
Get ready to play ball, Ted Williams—you.
Dorothy
Read More
Folly
“But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all…” 2 Timothy 3:9
“But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” 2 Timothy 3:13
The above verses couldn’t seem any more contradictory! And yet they both appear in 2 Timothy 3 in the Apostle Paul’s description of the last days. Both verses are about the same type of people, evil men and impostors, men who oppose the truth, have depraved minds, and who are rejected in regard to the faith (see 2 Timothy 3:8).
Verse 9 tells us that these truth-haters will make no further progress. Verse 13 says that they will proceed from bad to worse.
Could both verses be true and about the same godless folks?
Let’s muddy the waters a bit more before we clear them up. Did you know that the word for “progress” in verse 9 and the word for “proceed” in verse 13 are one and the same word?
Both words are prokoptō in Greek. It means to promote, to further, to advance, to go forward, and to make progress (see <www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G4298&t=KJV>).
According to the Word, evil men and impostors will prokoptō (proceed and advance) from bad to worse. And, also according to the Bible, these evil men will not make further prokoptō (progress or advancement)!
If the evil operatives of the last days:
- will make no further progress, while at the same time they
- are proceeding from bad to worse
then something very interesting is being revealed here.
I believe that the Holy Spirit is letting the generation alive in the last days in on important truth.
1.) We can put our faith in what God has said about those who oppose the truth, have depraved minds, and who are rejected in regard to the faith. And that is this: They will make no further progress. Why not? For their folly will be obvious to all.
How will their progress be halted? By having their folly openly displayed before all—the rest of the population.
How will it be exposed and made obvious before the eyes of the full population? That’s where we believers come in: We are to pray for truth to prevail and evil to be exposed in God’s way and God’s time.
But then, you may ask, if evil men are supposed to make no further progress, why are things clearly getting worse? My response? This show’s not over! God’s not done. Don’t tell me you’re done!
2.) We also can bet our bottom dollar on the fact that evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse. God said they would.
Here’s the difference. These evil men and women will make no further progress in their agendas, in great part, because of their folly. Folly has neither the ability nor power to cause the one who embraces it to flourish forever. Many godly souls see right through the impostors and their lies, and many more will start to wake up to the folly of what is being foisted upon them. Our part, as believers in all of this, is to pray for truth to prevail, for folly to be openly and explicitly exposed for what it is, and to cry out to God to intervene on behalf of our nation.
However, the poor souls clinging to their agendas of folly will themselves proceed from bad to worse as they deceive and become even more deceived themselves. Unfortunately, they will be successful in deceiving some; but again, our job as believers is to pray for truth to prevail, for folly to be seen openly for the evil that it is, and for the advancement of the agenda of those who hate the God of the Bible to be set back and restrained on our watch.
May God strengthen, direct, and gird you for your part in this prayer battle as you cling to Him and His Word.
God bless and empower you,
Dorothy
Read MoreImpostors
2 Timothy 3 describes in list format the types of godless people who will be alive in the last days. Each generation since Christ likely saw some characteristics of its own unique time in that chapter’s description, to be sure, but now, unfortunately, in our time the list in 2 Timothy 3 appears to be a perfect fit.
Verse 13 says, “But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
I would like for you to look more closely at the word “impostors” in this verse. First, consider the definition of impostor—one who “assumes [a] false identity or title for the purpose of deception” (MerriamWebster.com). To assume an identity or title that is not your own is lying.
Next, impostors are grouped in verse 13 with evil men. Since lying violates the Word of God, it’s not hard to understand why impostors are placed alongside evil men in Scripture as those to watch out for in the last days.
The verse continues to reveal that impostors will proceed from bad to worse. A lying individual who supposes he or she will not get caught in their falsehood will, more than likely, continue in the lie. In fact, their lying gets more and more far-fetched as they increase in the assumption that they will not face consequences. And since lying violates the Word of God, obviously telling a lie is bad. However, as the person continues and their lies snowball, they get worse. Impostors—unless they repent—will proceed from bad to worse, just like the Bible says.
Last of all, verse 13 tells us how impostors spend time. They are busy deceiving and being deceived on an ongoing basis. If a person spends his time deceiving, he will eventually end up believing his own lies. Deceivers become very deceived. In other words, impostors don’t live in reality. And if those in leadership posts throughout the nation are involved in any part of the deception cycle, their grasp of reality is, at best, faulty.
This scenario spelled out in 2 Timothy 3 has caused many in the Body of Christ great concern. If the evil men and impostors among us are going to proceed from bad to worse, then what hope is there for us to even dream that our prayers will be answered?
In Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s blogs, I want to show you some “inside facts” I discovered while studying this chapter which gave me great encouragement and resolve. It is my desire that you also will find comfort and be fueled to continue in effective prayer for our nation despite what you see with your eyes.
Stay tuned!
Dorothy
Read More