Quote from Forum Archives on November 19, 2022, 11:14 am

"Standing Together, Shoulder To Shoulder, As We Fight the Good Fight of Faith"

 

A personal letter of encouragement to You, written solely to "lift up hands that hang down".

SHOULDER TO SHOULDER is a weekly letter of encouragement Bob has written since 1997, covering many

topics selected to motivate people in vocational and volunteer ministry to be strong students of the Word

and courageous witnesses of Jesus Christ.

"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." ---- Albert Einstein

“There is a common, worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have, and think they have enough -- a cheap
Christianity which offends nobody, and requires no sacrifice, which costs nothing, ---- and is worth nothing.” – J. C. Ryle 

"Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness,
examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." -- Dr. Luke (Acts 17:11)

Shoulder To Shoulder #1317 -- 11-14-22

Title:  "Ancient Paths -- The Pathway of Revival - B - Repentant Prayer (part 25) 

My Dear Friend and Co-Laborer With Christ:

 

Greetings from a cool and comfy Yuma, AZ.  This has been a cooler-than-usual Fall beginning with temps running about 5 to 10 degrees cooler than most Novembers.  Morning wake-up hours have been in the 50's with the highs reaching only into the 70's.  But, we'll take it.  According to weather stats, Yuma has sunshine 273 days out of any given year with only nine overcast days.  Summers are, of course, almost unbearable with temps into the 120's at times, and teens often.  But, ---- that's what the mountains are for, and you can be there in four to five hours maximum driving time.

This year's elections have again shown just how dangerously divided we are as a nation.  Elections do far more than determining who "rules the roost"; they are exceptional barometers that indicate the moral state of the nation.  As Andrew Breitbart explained so many decades ago, politics is indeed downstream to culture, so if you want to ascertain the moral condition of a voting block, just look at how they vote.

I recently had a lengthy discussion about the future with our daughter and son-in-law who live next door to us, discussing Jesus' prediction about conditions that will prevail at the time of His return.  I listed them for you in last week's letter, expressing my personal opinion that, apart from another national great awakening, America has sinned so gravely against God that we have reached the "point of no return".  It's my opinion that we are surely in for a very rocky and tumultuous ride downward -- unless there is a sweeping revival.  There comes a point when national sin reaches "critical mass" where nothing outside of Divine intervention can stop the inevitable.

Today we continue our look at America's great need for revival and spiritual awakening, taking a little deeper look at the necessity of prayer ---- but a unique position of prayer stemming from the heart of someone who has been humbled before the Lord.  Before we get to that, however, consider the following: ----

THIS 'N' THAT:

+  Global Persecution of Christians:
>  In Laos: -- https://www.charismanews.com/world/90696-report-pastor-in-laos-tortured-and-martyred-for-spreading-christian-faith

QUOTES FOR THE WEEK:

>  “The great work of intercession is needed for this returning to the Lord. It is here that the coming revival must find its strength. Let us begin as individuals to plead with God, confessing whatever we see of sin or hindrance in ourselves or others. If there were no other sin, surely the lack of prayer is matter enough for repentance, confession, and returning to the Lord." -- Andrew Murray

>  "The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray." -- Samuel Chadwick

>  "A revival may be expected when Christians have a spirit of prayer for a revival. That is, when they pray as if their hearts were set upon it. Sometimes Christians are not engaged in definite prayer for a revival, not even when they are warm in prayer.  Their minds are upon something else; they are praying for something else . . . and not for a revival among themselves.  But when they feel a want of revival, they pray for it; they feel for their own families and neighbourhoods; they pray for them as if they could not be denied." -- Charles Finney

>  'God Has Promised To Forgive Us And Heal Us ONLY If We Pray.  We need God. Our nation is unraveling ...The polarization seems to be paralyzing our government. There seems to be little civil discourse and lots of chaos and confusion. At the same time, we are being threatened by terrorists who are dedicated to destroying us, . . .  God has promised to hear us, forgive us and heal us on the condition that we pray. Therefore prayer is essential. It is not an option, it is a necessity," -- Ann Graham Lotz

>  "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.   Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." -- Apostle Peter (I Pet 5:5-7)

>  "We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results." -- R. A. Torrey

>  "A revival does two things. First, it returns the Church from her backsliding and second, it causes the conversion of men and women; and it always includes the conviction of sin on the part of the Church. What a spell the devil seems to cast over the Church today!" -- Billy Sunday

>  "The coming revival must begin with a great revival of prayer. It is in the closet, with the door shut, that the sound of abundance of rain will first be heard. An increase of secret prayer with ministers will be the sure harbinger of blessing." -- Andrew Murray

>  "It is the tragedy of this hour that many people seem to think that if they know the mechanics of serving God, that is all that is necessary.  May this thought be far removed from your minds.  No service is acceptable unto God unless it is rendered upon the wings of prayer.  Therefore, may we withdraw ourselves to the secret place and there pray until we have an answer." -- Dr. Lee Roberson, Some Golden Daybreak

    >  "The invasion of the Church by the world is a menace to the extension of Christ's Kingdom. In all ages conformity to the world by Christians has resulted in lack of spiritual life and a consequent lack of spiritual vision and enterprise. A secularized or self-centered Church can never evangelize the world.” -- John R. Mott

>  "Some people think God does not like to be troubled with our constant coming and asking. The way to trouble God is not to come at all." -- D. L. Moody

>  "Every mighty move of the Spirit of God has had its source in the prayer chamber." -- E.M. Bounds

>  “If missions languish, it is because the whole life of godliness is feeble. The command to go everywhere and preach to everybody is not obeyed, until the will is lost by self-surrender in the will of God. There is little right giving because there is little right living, and because of the lack of sympathetic contact with God in holiness of heart, there is a lack of effectual contact with him at the Throne of Grace. Living, praying, giving and going will always be found together, and a low standard in one means a general debility in the whole spiritual being.” – Arthur T. Pierson  



SOMETHING BEHIND THE HISTORY:

I've repeatedly raised the question in past letters as to whether or not America is really worth saving,.  My answer has been a strong and resounding "Yes!", based on our early history.  We've examined the founding of Jamestown, Plymouth, the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Providence, the Colony of Rhode Island, New Netherlands, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania . . . and found in every single case that the driving force behind their respective foundings and growth was the strong influence of bold and courageous Judeo-Christian faith.  We saw the wisdom of the ancient proverb, Eccl 4:12b . . . . " . . .  A cord of three strands is not easily broken."   The three strands we have seen prominently displayed in the pages of pre-revolutionary colonial America have been Commerce, Freedom, and Judeo-Christian faith.

It is undeniable that from as early as the late Fifteenth Century the message of the Gospel of Christ had been planted in a land that would 125 years later become the place where the idea of a free nation where religious liberty, societal freedom, and entrepreneurial capitalism would take root.  I don't know if you recognize this or not, but this is one of the world's greatest wonders, for that combination of political freedom, free enterprise, and religious liberty had never existed as far as we can tell anywhere else in human history . . . at least not in the combination and form that it did here.  We are, indeed, living in an exceptional land . . . a land that many do not understand, and a land that many resent.

The outcome of the Judeo-Christian influence, as many of the fundamental principles upon which the American Experiment and our current nation was built first emerged, could be identified as . . .
+  Individual Responsibility and Accountability.
+  Caring for the Needy through individual compassion.
+  Free enterprise system.
+  Judicial system based on "Higher Law" and equal justice for all.
+  The rule of law based on absolutes emanating from the "Higher Laws" of God.
+  Consent of the governed.
+  Representative form of government.
+  A democratic rather than autocratic society.
+  International trade system.
+  Freedom of religion and conscience.
+  An evangelistic missionary fervor that led to the global spread of the Gospel unlike any country in the world.

In 2009 I wrote a series of letters on the uniqueness of America and whether or not we had any Christian roots.  That same year I also wrote an extensive series on spiritual awakening.  How I missed it in the past, I never saw before with such clarity the fact that spiritual awakenings were critical elements in the actual development of our nation and what made us the nation we are today.  The relationship between spiritual awakenings and America's development during colonial days, the American Revolution, and the formation of the United States is undeniable.  There is absolutely a mind-boggling link between spiritual awakenings and America's life.

Depending on how you divide them up, there have been numerous spiritual awakenings, with at least four of them of major proportions  . . . the First Great Awakening, the Second Great Awakening, the Prayer Meeting Revival/Awakening, and the Pentecostal Awakening.  I referenced those and others in my last letter.  It became clear that it has been the spiritual and moral character of our people that has determined our national safety and success.  The interconnection between us as a country and us as a moral and spiritual people is without contest.  If you chart out our history, you will find a distinct pattern that shows the parallel flow between our moral/spiritual condition and our economic/social condition.  You can not only trace the successes and the failures of our nation, but you can see the cause and effect between our social prospects and our spiritual condition.

Sadly, there is an inborn tendency toward deterioration . . . sort of a spiritual/moral "Second Law of Thermo-dynamics" which says the everything naturally evolves in a downward deterioration.  We see this in the spiritual world simply looking at the life of Israel.  Great spiritual vitality slowly diminished over time until the moral condition became so extreme that it caused righteous people to cry out to God in desperation.  God would respond in raising up key leaders who were instrumental in bringing about a fresh move of God that resulted in new spiritual vitality and social reform.  Based on the historical record over thousands of years worldwide, it appears that spiritual awakening is always preceded by moral decay and followed by significant social change and improvements.

OUR NATIONAL SINS THAT OFFEND GOD:

Sometimes we forget two very important things: -- 1) God can be offended, and IS offended, especially regarding national sins; and  2)  Nations pay heavy prices when they offend God.  Mellish Irving Motte (1801-1881), in a sermon preached at the Boston, MA, South Congregational Church on July 5th, 1840, reminded his parishioners that Christian patriotism was essential for national prosperity.  He adamantly declared that religious morality was the very first manifestation of true patriotism, stating, “Public virtue is the strongest spirit of national vitality.”  He further warned that "individual piety and allegiance to righteousness" had to take precedent over allegiance to any political party.

Mott went on to warn that when Christian virtue is not paramount and guiding a nation, sin will grow, and eventually and inevitably God's judgment will fall on that nation.  Using Psalm 144:15 ("Happy is that people, whose God is the Lord.") as his text, he pointed out that because nations do not exist in the afterlife, but only in this life, they would be judged here for their national conduct -- including their sins.  He stated, . . .

"Vice, in the individual, may not always meet its retribution, nor virtue its reward, in this world, because there is to be another, of more perfect retribution for individuals. But nations exist here alone. Unlike the soul, they are annihilated at their temporal dissolution. Therefore, if their fortunes and fate be subject of the Divine Providence, to their present existence, which is the only one, must be applied the principle of its moral rule.

"The scriptures confirm this rule, and do not restrict it to the theocracy of Israel. They say; 'O Israel, thou hast fallen by thine iniquity; your iniquities have turned away good things and withheld them from you.' But it is not of Israel alone, (of whom it might be said, God was, in a peculiar way, a Governor by temporal sanctions,) that he announces this principle of legislation. His declarations are general. 'At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build up and to plant it; if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them. In the hand of the Lord, there is a cup, and the wine is red. It is full mixed, and he poureth out of the same. As for the dregs thereof, all the ungodly of the earth shall drink them'.” (See Jer 18:10).

So, . . . . have we as a nation sinned against God?  It's an absurd question.  We already know the answer is a blatant condemnation -- YES!!!  Time and time again we have told God what Judah told Him repeatedly in Jeremiah's record -- "We will NOT turn!  We will NOT listen!" (Jer 6:16-17)

According to scripture God keeps track of our sins, and He keeps track of nations that turn their back on Him -- particularly those who oppose Israel.  I won't take time to dig into the difference between a geopolitical "nation" and an ethnic one.  The Matthew 25 passage people turn to as evidence of a judgment against geopolitical nations cannot stand the test of accuracy because the word "nation" was an English substitution for the word "gentile" which fundamentally refers to anyone who is a non-Jew.  So, when we see the word "nation" used in such cases, it is merely a distinction between a Jew and a person who is not a Jew.

That being said, it is obvious that God deals with geopolitical entities such as cities and nations as we know them because He repeatedly did so in biblical days -- Tyre, Sidon, Egypt, Babylon, Sodom, etc.

What, then, do you think God has against us as a geopolitical entity made up of individuals?  I suspect it will be a very long list, but let me just point out some of the more obvious:
+  When the U.S. moved from a "cash only" society into one living on borrowed money, making us slaves to financial entities, foreign countries, or printing more unsustainable money.
+  When parents (usually innocently and naively) abdicated their responsibility of educating their children themselves under Judeo-Christian principles.
+  When parents (naively and/or lazily) failed to insist that public education maintain its strong Judeo-Christian traditional values.
+  When federal legislators failed to render just punishment for governmental corruption.
+  When the Bible lost its influence in our educational institutions and was eventually "shelved" in public schools.
+  When public prayer was ruled "off limits" and ultimately deemed "unconstitutional" in public gatherings.
+  When abortion led to the murder of over 65 million unborn human beings, ultimately becoming the norm rather than the exception.
+  When the government began placing the burden of undue taxation upon the citizenry.
+  When the U.S. repeatedly put its political stance in opposition to Israel in ways that threatened the well-being of the Jewish state.

You may think some of what I've listed are irrelevant or totally "off the wall", which is, of course, your right.  There may be others you feel should be added.  The point is that we as a vast mix of ethnicities and yet as a geopolitical entity have a heartbreaking track record of violating God's laws, neglecting His instructions, and rejecting His message.   We justly deserve whatever judgment He chooses to pour out upon us because there is biblical precedent for every single one of these nine offenses against God of which we are guilty.

And yet, God is also a long-suffering God of mercy Who responds with compassionate forgiveness toward those who repent.  It's just a matter of knowing whether or not we hae already reached that "critical mass" or "point of no return" I mentioned earlier.

So, it seems to me that, in order for such repentance to come, we must cry out to Him that He be merciful and grant us revival -- one more time.

PRAYER -- KEY TO REVIVAL AND AWAKENING:

If one is to be historically honest, you cannot divorce spiritual awakening from prayer, you cannot divorce prayer from God, and you cannot divorce God from the founding of our country.  And, as point in fact, you cannot remove one from the three and still come up with a free, independent, just, and compassionate nation.  So, one must eventually deal with the issue of prayer and spiritual awakening when considering the "Ancient Paths" prepared by God, rejected by Judah, and generally ignored today by our own country.

I'm certainly no authority on revival and spiritual awakening, but in what little I do know, I see no evidence of any major move of God . . . be it nation-wide or a local congregation . . . that took place without it being prefaced by and prolonged by deep prevailing prayer.  You see it evidenced in the numerous records of revivals in the Old Testament.  You see it in the earliest colonization of our country.  For example: . . .

+  1.  The establishment of the early Colonies (Jamestown, Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Providence, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, etc.) covered a period of time from 1608 to around 1700.  All of these colonies were created and undergirded by a strong Judeo-Christian religious foundation that had the Bible as its guidelines and prayer as its practice.  Regardless off the variations of economic agendas and the search for liberty, the one constant was the belief that God and His Word held a place of primacy in the moral, spiritual, and judicial formation of the colonies, and that prayer for God's protection, direction, and blessing was a constant practice.

+  2.  This first century of European habitation of the New World included the strong Christian leadership and influence of some amazing people . . . William Crashaw, Robert Hunt, Richard Hakluyt, Captain John Smith, Sir Thomas Gates, Sir Thomas Dale, Squanto, William Bradford, William Brewster, John Carver, Edward Winslow, John Winthrop, Thomas Hooker, John Davenport, Captain John Mason, Nathaniel Ward, Roger Williams, Sir Edwin Coke, William Penn, . . . .  the list is extensive.  I would urge you to take time to read the biographies of these men.  These men and many others were the shapers of the colonial world.  Amazingly, the vast majority of them were devout Christians, and many of them were ministers.

+  3.  As the colonies expanded and thrived, they all invited people of all religions or no religion to be part of the great adventure.  As the migration to the New World continued, and as economic prosperity increased, it was inevitable that the moral and spiritual condition in the colonies would diminish.  Add to that the stresses of an increasingly hostile British Crown, and the spiritual decline increased even more.  The culture became more and more secular as each respective colony moved onward year after year . . . and farther away from its founding date, principles, and leaders.  So, by the mid 1720's, just twenty years into the Eighteenth Century, the spiritual and moral condition of the colonies is seriously deficient.

The good news is, however, that the colonies were ready for a fresh visitation from God.

+  4.  At this point, Jonathan Edwards had gained prominence in the colonies because of his preaching on the holiness and wrath of God against all ungodliness.  People literally gripped the pews until their knuckles turned white in conviction.  George Whitefield heard about Edwards and, already seeing enormous success in England, began making regular trips to the New World, affirming the message Edwards had been preaching, and the First Great Awakening was in full swing.  The Wesley brothers, soundly influenced by Whitefield's preaching, were converted to Christ and also became significant leaders in this awakening.  God moved throughout the colonies from one border to the next year after year.

Most people do not realize the significance George Whitefield had in the formation of America, but his influence is what led the colonial leaders to go ahead and declare independence from Britain.  Whitefield urged the leaders to break with the Crown because he as a British citizen knew what was ahead.  This is why he is called "The Father of the American Revolution".  We can thank God that He raised up men to call us to Himself in times of desperation and need.

So, what is it that moves God to respond to a need?  It is the humbled heart cry of desperation that acknowledges there are no other options than His divine intervention.  Whether it is national, congregational, or personal, God responds to the cry of the one who has humbled himself, acknowledging that there is absolutely nothing he can do to remedy the situation.  The secret to national, corporate, or personal revival is actually no secret.  We have known it all along.  There's only one problem ---- self-sufficiency and pride override what we instinctively know we must do.

HUMBLED -- KEY TO REVIVAL-GENERATING PRAYER:

We're both familiar with that oft-quoted statement on spiritual awakening found in II Chron 7:14 ---- "If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and 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, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the [b]prayer offered in this place." -- (II Cor 7:13-15)

And yet, too often, we refuse to answer this question Moses posed to Pharaoh when he refused to release the Children of Israel to freedom ---- “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?"  That's a question that must be answered if we ever expect to see God bring today's church out of its spiritual atrophy to the point that the culture is actually reshaped.

If you reverse the sequence of God's instruction to Solomon in II Chron 6 and 7, you find that Israel had no stability because they had not had a great moral leader (7:18).  They had no great moral and spiritual leader because those leaders refused to walk in the ways of God's Word (7:17).  Israel's leaders repeatedly refused to follow God's principles and never recognized its importance because he/she never saw his nation as being a people destined to experience God's perpetual Presence and influence (7:15-16).

The nation never experienced the presence and power of God because they rejected His Promise to heal the land (7:14f).  They rejected His promise to heal the land because the refused to repent and beg for His forgiveness and Pardon (7:14e).  The refused to repent and beg for His forgiveness because they were unwilling to turn from their wicked Perversion (7:14d).  Because they would not turn from their wicked ways, they could not seek God's Presence (7:14c).  They would not seek and could not find God's presence because they would not Pray (7:14b).  And, finally, they would not . . . and could not . . . pray because they would not Prostrate and humble themselves.

It was all because of Pride.

So, as we boil this passage down to its most basic common denominator, we find that it is that sense of prideful and arrogant independence and self-serving attitude in the church that keeps it from experiencing the glorious presence and supernatural power of God that will equip it to once again become the culture-changing agent of spiritual awakening.

The Word for "Humble" in the Old Testament is כָּנַע or in English kâna‛ (pronounced kaw-nah').  It means properly "to bend the knee"; hence to humiliate, vanquish: - bring down (low), into subjection, under, humble (self), subdue.  In the New Testament the Greek word is απεινόω or in the English alphabet tapeinoō (pronounced tap-i-no'-o) and it means almost the identical thing as the Hebrew word in the Old Testament -- to depress; figuratively to humiliate (in condition or heart): - abase, bring low, humble (self).

I find these definitions intriguing, because they not only describe a necessary "condition" or "state" of man's attitude, but it also clearly  identifies a required action ---- an expected and anticipated action ---- on the part of the believer.  In other words, there is an enormous burden of responsibility on our part to willfully place ourselves in that condition.

There are some things that God does for us, but there are other things we are to do ourselves.  This word describes a decision and commitment on our part.  Someone said that if we won't humble ourselves, God will do it for us.  He'll arrange circumstances that bring us to a point of humbling.

What does it mean, then, to humble ourselves?  Look again at the definitions I pulled from Strong's Concordance ---- it is the act on our part to lay ourselves low before the Lord, acknowledging that He has vanquished us . . .He has conquered us . . . and we both acknowledge it and submit to it.  It is to bring our stubborn wills fully and completely into subjection to His sovereignty, authority, and purposes.  It is to, by the authority of His Word and the power of His Spirit, bring ourselves absolutely under His Lordship.  It is to renounce all personal authority, control, and power, and yield in "absolute surrender" (as Andrew Murray described it) to anything and everything that is the pleasure of the Father, and die to everything that is displeasing to the Father.

One of the most descriptive pictures we have of what it means to humble ourselves before God is that of the High priest lying prostrate on his face before the alter of God.  Arms extended and face to the floor, the High Priest is acknowledging his total submission and obedience to God.  It is something the High Priest has to do; God does not throw him to the floor or force him to his knees and then to the floor, for God remains on the throne.  The High Priests prostrates himself ---- humbles himself before God.

If we can grasp the real meaning of humbling ourselves, then verses like this makes complete sense to us ---- ". . . God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time," -- (I Pet 5:5-6)  I find it exceptional that James, the brother of Jesus and first pastor of the Jerusalem Church would say almost exactly the same thing (James 4:6, 10).  Not only that, but on numerous occasions Jesus makes reference to the same principle of humbling one's self (Mt 18:4; 23:12; Lk 1:52; Lk 14:11; Lk 18:14).

It is absolutely impossible to expect any serious moral and ethical changes to take place in our country . . . or any other country for that matter . . . without there being a radical humbling in the hearts of God's people.  And, as long as we continue to tolerate and embrace the Laodicean Legacy within our own walls (Rev 3:14-22), we have no reason to hope for any significant change in the cultural and moral plummet into spiritual death and political anarchy we are currently enduring.  It is absurd to thing otherwise.  It's true ---- "If you keep doing the things you've been doing, you'll keep getting the things you've been getting."

However, if we are wiling to humble ourselves before God, we can anticipate Him responding to us today as He did to Manasseh.  Manasseh had succeeded Hezekiah as king of Judah at the amazing age of twelve years.  Inexperienced, he did as America has done, following the idolatrous ways of the world.  However, when God brought rebuke upon him, he humbled himself before God, opening the way for God to pour out His blessings on the land.

"In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea...." -- 2 Chronicles 33:12-13.  All it takes is humble and contrite hearts before the Lord.  What an amazing testimony! ---- humbling one's self before God assures us that God's heart is moved.  AND, . . . He LISTENS to our cries!

The Bible is filled with examples of how God responds to a heart that has been willfully humbled before him.  "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."  -- Isa 57:15

Do you notice the profound connection in this passage between the presence of God, a humble spirit, and a revived life?  The connection is unmistakable.  Take time to study each phrase of this amazing verse; it is absolutely life-changing.  Our sovereign, holy, timeless God resides in eternity With ---- WITH ---- the person who is humbled before Him.  Not only is He high and holy, but He has placed Us, you and me, WITH Him.  He is not distant, and we are not alienated from Him.  And in that rare and holy environment of His presence, He REVIVES us.

Once again, we see that humbling ourselves before God is a prerequisite that qualifies us to pray for revival with the assurance that revival is part of His provision for us.  He specializes in making dead things alive again.

FINALLY!  NOW READY TO PRAY:

In North Korea one way that security agents identify orphans as being Christian is by checking their knees.  The callouses on their knees come from praying for God's help, protection, and courage.  That may help explain what is happening in America ---- Christians here generally have no calloused knees.   If prayer is indeed the doorway to revival, then a humble spirit ---- a humbled spirit ---- is the latch that releases the door to be opened into God's presence.  Andrew Murray wrote, "The coming revival must begin with a great revival of prayer. It is in the closet, with the door shut, that the sound of abundance of rain will first be heard. An increase of secret prayer with ministers will be the sure harbinger of blessing." -- Andrew Murray

I urge you to adopt the prayer Daniel prayed ---- “Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, 'O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments'.” – Daniel  9:3-5

My prayer is that somehow the American Church will humble itself and cry out in abject poverty and helplessness for God to forgive it for its Laodicean Life, set it aflame anew, and America once again feel the transforming power of God to revolutionize us, awakening us to the moral and spiritual Christlikeness He expects of us all.  Our challenges, frankly, are absolutely insurmountable apart from a fresh new spiritual awakening.

Few men have experienced the miracle and magnitude of spiritual awakening like did Scottish preacher Duncan Campbell.  His experiences in the Hebrides Revival of the 1950's were profound.  In describing it, he wrote, "When God takes the field He does a thorough work, but in this connection we do well to remember that it takes the supernatural to burst the bands of the natural." -- Duncan Campbell

In the state in which we find the anemic church and the depravity we see within our culture, it will indeed take the supernatural to break the bondage the natural has placed upon us.  Only God can do that.  Our only hope is to humble ourselves to the point of abject poverty and cry out to Him for mercy.

I just wonder if we have the humility to do it.

The lone remaining question is whether or not we will do it.  We didn't do it on 9/11, so we can probably anticipate a more severe invitation from the Lord.  I believe God wants to bring revival to the Church and awakening to our land.

May it come, and come soon, Lord!

If the doorway to awakening is prayer, then humbling one's self before the mighty hand of God is the latch that opens the door.

In His Bond, By His Grace, and for His Kingdom,

Bob Tolliver -- Romans 1:11

Life Unlimited Ministries
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lifeunlimited@pobox.com

Copyright May, 2017

"If Jesus had preached the same message that many ministers preach today,
He would never have been crucified." -- Leonard Ravenhill 

"The time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep,
the Church will have clowns entertaining the goats." -- Charles H. Spurgeon

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RECOMMENDED WEBSITES:  While I do not endorse all the contents of the following websites, I do encourage you to check them out in order to stay informed of things happening around the world.  I have subscribed to them all and invariably glean valuable information and insight from them.  They have excellent articles worth reading, whether you agree with them or not:
>  http://jesusonlineministries.org/about-us/ ---- Outstanding site on apologetics with scientific and academic proofs as to the Gospel.

    >  https://www.clarionproject.org/ ---- focuses on Islamic extremism and what is happening in that arena.
>  http://mohabatnews.com/en/ ---- Excellent report by former PLO killer on persecution of Christians in Muslim countries.
>  https://www.worldwatchmonitor.org ---- reports on global persecution of Christians.
>  http://www.culturefaith.com/ ---- reports on developments between cultural trends and Christian faith.
>  www.focusonthefamily.com/ ---- Excellent resource for cultural and family related issues and how governmental and social actions impact them.
>  HTTP://afa.net ---- Exceptional source of information and tools from American Family Association on family related issues in government and culture.
>  http://www.frc.org/ ---- Outstanding resource from Tony Perkins and Family Research Council dealing with family and freedom issues in America.
>  http://www.christianaid.org/ ---- reports of indigenous missionaries in third world countries and how they are being trained and supported.
>  http://jerusalemonliinecom. ---- English language news reports from Israel about Israel and other international news.
>  http://www.wallbuilders.com ---- Great resource for information regarding America's deep Judeo-Christian heritage.  Highly valuable.
>  http://theamericanrenewalproject.org/ ---- Excellent source calling for revival and spiritual awakening in American culture and politics.
>  http://gospelbooks.net ---- Excellent source of great buys and freebies for e-books.
>  http://www.albertmohler.com/ ---- Outstanding insight by seminary president Albert Mohler on current events, including links to other related articles.
>  https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/ ---- Exceptional source of thumbnail articles about events in Christianity all the way from First Century to today.
>  http://www.americanminute.com/ ---- one of the very best websites on the role of Judeo-Christian values and the Bible in America's historical record.  Highly impressive and inspirational.