Sunday, March 21, 2010

A Nation in Need of Prayer

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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

Our nation is backsliding. We have drifted from a love of God and a desire to do what is right. We have fallen from grace. Our nation, like much of the rest of the world, is sinking. We no longer call on the Lord Jesus. We no longer look to the Scriptures for guidance. There is apathy in the people's hearts, violence in the schools, and perversion in the media.

We have looked for the government to save us. Our hope should not be in a political structure, but in a relationship with Almighty God. Our government is only good when the values of the people are upright. This is why we must pray. We must pray for our nation – that we will return to the foot of the cross. We must repent of our backsliding. We must fall in love once again with the God, who created our land.

In the past, God has visited our nation. There have been great moves of the Spirit. Let us plead with God to bring down His fire once again. Let us repent on behalf of the people of our land. We have chosen unrighteousness over godly living. We have become distracted with so many things. Our hearts have not yearned for the living God.

Let our hearts burn with urgency, an urgency to pray. Let revival visit our streets once again...

Dear Lord,

We are a needy nation. We have turned our backs on You. Forgive us for our wandering. Cleanse us of our many sins and fill us afresh with Your Spirit. Come visit our land and bring order out of chaos and beauty from ashes. Lord revive us once again. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Blessed

Blessed is the man or women who receives Your forgiveness
Freely You give to us Your great mercy
We are accepted just as we are

On the cross You forgave us
For all our ugly yesterdays
For our sins of the present
And for all we will still do
That grieves Your heart

You even wipe away the memory of it
You choose to forget
Your blood cleanses our every stain

Let us never take your forgiveness, for granted
You paid an awesome price

Like the woman caught in adultery
Let Your mercy motivate us to go and sin no more

Happy and blessed are we who have embraced
Your forgiveness

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Looking to Our Reward

“Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
John 14:1-3

One of the ways we overcome trials is to remember Christ's future promise to us. Paul described his suffering as light and momentary afflictions. But he underwent a great deal for the gospel's sake. He was put in prison frequently, five times he received 39 lashes, he was often exposed to death, he was beaten with rods three times, and he was shipwrecked and spent a night and a day in the open sea. These are just some of the things he suffered - for a complete list see
2 Corinthians11:23-29.

In Romans 8:18, Paul said, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” The context of this Scripture describes a longing that creation has for the renewal of all things. One day we will be in heaven. One day we will have glorified bodies. Our suffering will vanish. Today our trials are helping to mold us and make us more like Christ. They ready us for heaven. We are of course saved by grace, but difficulties are often used by our Master to form His likeness within us.

When Moses fled Egypt at forty years of age, he “chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.... because he was looking ahead to his reward.” (Hebrews 11:25-26). Moses chose to leave the luxuries of Egypt in order to obey the calling to live for God. There was suffering linked with this decision, but Moses looked to his reward. His eyes saw heaven.

We too must look upward when we face trials of many kinds. We can learn to rejoice by looking ahead to our reward. The next time our hearts are discouraged because of trouble, we can remember what Jesus said. He is preparing a place for us, and it is a glorious place at that. The book of Revelations describes heaven as a place where the streets are made of gold. It is a city that does not need artificial light, because the Lord fills it with His radiance. It will be a place that is incomparable with anything we have ever witnessed.

We will enjoy fellowship with every believer that ever lived. We will have the privilege of spending time with David and Daniel, Peter and Paul. But the greatest joy will be that we will forever be in the presence of the Lord. It is not wrong to long for heaven. Our desire for this place can be a motivator for us to do good and for us to endure suffering. Moses looked to his reward in his decision to flee from Egypt. We too can look to our reward. One day those of us that have accepted Christ's sacrifice will be there. We will embrace what creation has longed for and we will live in that place forever. A place where there will be no more pain and no more tears.

If you are unsure of your future after this life, if you do not know if you will go to heaven, please pray the prayer included below. It is a prayer that asks Jesus to save you from your sin and to include you in God's family. We are not Christians because we are born into a Christian home or because we go to church. We become Christians when we accept Christ's death and resurrection as the payment for our sin. When we do this, we become brand new on the inside.

Dear Father God,

I thank you for sending Jesus to die for me and to save me. Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God, and I believe you rose from the dead. I confess that I am a sinner in need of Your grace. Lord I ask you to save me. I choose to follow you all the days of my life. Thank you that when I die I will see you in heaven. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

If you have prayed a prayer like this for the first time or if you have renewed your commitment to Christ, tell someone. You may email me at toya_tom@yahoo.com. I would love to further help you in your newfound relationship with Jesus. Have a wonderful day!

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Upside Down

These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. Acts 17:6

From the world's view the kingdom of God is an upside down kingdom. Normal rules do not apply. The world says you must be beautiful or handsome. God looks for the pure in heart. The world will congratulate you for high performance. God looks for our obedience. The world says believe in yourself. God says believe in me and put no confidence in the flesh. The world esteems the talented, but God esteems the poor in spirit.

Don't we sometimes misconstrue things. We must remember that our citizenship is in heaven and not on this earth. Sometimes the Holy Spirit has to discipline us, out of love, to show us where our true priorities belong. We are not to live for the kingdom of darkness; we are children of the light.

I remember when I was a kid. I sometimes would hang upside down while seated on my bed and look at my bedroom ceiling. My room became a whole new world. I wished I could walk around in that place the way I perceived it. When we pray and read God's word, we are learning to view things from God's perspective, and we can walk around freely with Christ as our leader.

So let's make it our ambition to do things God's way. When we miss it, He will be faithful to show us the way back along the path that leads to His throne. He will help us to unlearn the things we held true while we lived in that kingdom that from God's vantage point is upside down.

Dear Lord Jesus,

I love you Lord. Forgive me for mixing up my priorities with those of the world. Help me to see life with new eyes. Teach me to walk according to Your kingdom priorities. In Your name I pray, Amen.

© Copyright 2010 by Tom Toya. All rights reserved.