Continual Prayer Changes Lives!

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV

When we see, all around us

The Evidence of ungodliness

Instead of just shaking our heads,

By Faith, We continue, before returning to dust,

To seek God and His righteousness

By praying–never stopping to talk and listen,

Acknowing Him for Who He is,

Thanking Him for creating who We are,

And pleading for changes of many hearts,

For Those from whom His Word have departed.

God, of our fathers and mothers old and new,

Create in all a desire to live for You.

Remove the scales from blinded eyes to truth,

Unstop the ears, making plain the truth to our youth,

So, they will be able to make Godly decisions in life,

No matter what wrongs they see or hear, or all the strife,

One might endure in order to Please You, not others.

Give those of us whose time may be limited to teach,

Your Word, without compromise, or sugarcoating,

To all show Them the better way, of living, Your Plans

For all for a future with hope–no need for ungodliness,

That serves as a rope that chokes out life without Christ,

And mocks all who live in opposition to God, dangling,

Daring the enslaved to break free, influencing death,

Naturally and Spiritually–when Truth is not received.

Help us to Change the Environment in which we live,

Constantly praying, teaching and preaching, as we give,

Our all to save lives and change directions of those who are lost,

Leading to salvation, to God through Jesus who hung on that cross,

Willing to die for all, sacrificing Himself so We all could find,

Peace and joy, health and happiness, in Him and Him alone.

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Obedience Changes Lives!

Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. Acts 5:16-21a NIV

When people are jealous and envious of those who obey The Lord, they concoct all manner of complaints against them. We know because of what happened with Jesus the night He was arrested. That was all part of God’s plan–the sacrifice for our sins–by one who had not committed any sin.

Jesus also told us that if people hated Him–the Son of God–they would also hate those who followed Him and loved The Lord with all their heart and soul. Since Jesus could not lie, we should not be amazed at the treatment of Christians today. They were treated horribly by those who did not understand the force of their faith. They were set on fire and used as lights in the night for the games for the cruelest man on earth–Nero. They were wrapped in animal skins and attacked by other vicious animals for sport. They were killed because of their stance–remaining faithful to God–and in obedience to His Word.

Are we worthy of the same hate displayed towards those who came before us? Are we obeying God in all we do so lives will be changed? Has He spoken to us in the middle of night and we arose and obeyed? Are we hated because we refuse to back down from those who choose to follow Satan? Are we tormented because we obey God in all things and teach others to do the same?

What we have to realize is that when Believers obey God, the enemy will hate us and do everything they can to destroy us. With God on our side, nothing the enemy does will matter. No weapon formed against us shall prosper. And even if it seems that all is lost, we must maintain our stance–our faith must be unshakeable–as we move forward in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Satan has tried to stop the move of God for centuries and has never been successful and he won’t succeed now. We must remain steadfast, immovable in the face of the persecution, belittling and mockery demonstrated by the ungodly who are actually fearful of us. When there is a possibility that lives will be changed for the better, the enemy is afraid of losing his influence on the masses so he influences those with either weak faith or no faith in God to hate those of us who love God.

Today, just like so many years ago, the unbelieving are jealous of our obedience to God and they hate it when lives are changed for the better because of the faith instilled in them by our teaching God’s Word. We need not fear the enemy, but maintain our faith in teaching The Word and let the enemy fear us!