In light of this week’s troubling news, it’s encouraging to know that followers of Jesus can actually influence world events.

IT’S NEWS TO ME

Trump Admin May Deploy 4,000 Troops to Middle East After U.S. Embassy Attack In Iraq

Trump Ordered Strikes That Killed Two Top Iran Military Leaders, Bigger Than Bin Laden [Developing]

Obama’s White House Guest Was the Leader of Attack On U.S. Embassy In Baghdad

Pro-Iranian protesters target US embassy in Iraq, ambassador evacuated 
Iraqi people burn a U.S. flag and a picture of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest after an airstrike at the headquarters of Kataib Hezbollah militia group in Qaim in Kirkuk, Iraq:December 30, 2019 (photo credit: REUTERS, AKO RASHEED)

ISIS Murders 11 Christian Captives On Christmas In Revenge For Baghdadi Death

China and Russia Come Collaborate on Naval Drills, Creating Concern Among Americans

Putin Threatens the World with “Unstoppable” 7,000 mph Hypersonic Missile

Iran’s Afghan mercenaries threaten Israel: Final target is the Golan 

Schiff Goes On MSNBC, Suggests Dems Will Set Sights On Pence After Trump Impeached

Senior Palestinian claims Jesus was an Islamic martyr

Magazine Sends Christmas Card Illustrating Assassination of President Donald Trump

War-Hardened Refugees in Turkey Learn of Love

A Federal Judge Just Blocked Voter ID Laws From Being Implemented In North Carolina

United Nations Begins Cracking Down on Free Speech

The Kwanzaa Scam: A Fake Holiday Created by A Racist, Con Man, Rapist, and Torturer 

 

SETTING OUR MINDS ON THINGS ABOVE

Partnering with God in 2020

  

If this week’s news stories are any indication of what 2020 will bring, we’d better buckle up and prepare for a bumpy ride. Are we approaching the days of “wars and rumors of wars” as warned in Matthew 24:6? Possibly. Does it look like the situations In North Korea, Iraq, Iran and Syria will worsen? Probably. These are only a select few of the world’s hot spots. If we are where many “prophecy experts” think we are, the evil that permeates our world is only going to intensify. Israel and the United States, as well as Jews and Christians worldwide will be the prime targets. Here at home, the freedoms we take for granted will come under fire.

This isn’t what we want to hear, but we need to be prepared. Most of all, the Church needs to start acting like the Church, utilizing the world-changing power that resides within its individual members. It’s time for Christians to take seriously their responsibility to pray God’s will into existence, not just for our private little worlds, but for the entire world. God had something infinitely great in mind when He planned the system of prayer.

To step into our responsibility to pray for our world, we must first get beyond a common hang-up. We know that God only answers prayers that are according to His will. We’re also aware that we can’t bring any “new information” to Him and He doesn’t need our ideas. So, why bother praying?

To answer this important question, imagine that you have a safety deposit box in a bank vault. In the box are your most valuable possessions and important papers. The banker has a key and you have a key. Neither key alone will open the box. Both keys must be inserted. When they are, all the treasures inside become available. Prayer is like one of those keys. Heaven holds the key by which decisions governing earthly affairs are made, but we hold the key by which those decisions are implemented. The bottom line is this:

If the Church will not pray, God will not act.

This applies to world affairs as much as to our private little worlds. Once we understand our responsibility to pray God’s will into existence, we must learn to see everything from His perspective. What’s important to Him must become important to us. If we pray according to our personal desires, we will likely find ourselves at odds with God’s plans. My point is that true children of God can actually influence world affairs, but we get so wrapped up in our own perceived problems that we seldom even consider our role in bringing God’s will to earth, especially in world affairs.

Yes, Satan is currently the god of this world, but he is no match for the power residing in Jesus Christ, through Whom everything was created, including Satan. All authority in heaven and in earth has been granted to Him (Mt. 28:18), and He now resides within every one of His true followers. Let that sink in.

Prayer isn’t overcoming reluctance in God or persuading Him to do something He’s unwilling to do. It’s “binding upon earth that which already has been bound in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). Are we guilty of being too busy to pray? Is there just not enough time in a day? Are there more important things that must be done first? What about time for me? What about my time? Christ is to be our all in all. We are not our own. We were bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). By our failure to pray for our world, we are refusing to partner with God, and are robbing the world of God’s best plan for it. How will your prayer life change in 2020?

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it.

ATTRIBUTIONS

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