Three Ways You Can Pray for America

By Daniel Fleet

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There is no doubt that America was founded as a Christian nation. Despite the secular movement taking place in our country today if we look back at the original compacts, covenants, and constitutions it easy to see that the principles of God’s Word and Christian teachings are at the center of our history. In 1892 the Supreme Court determined that “this is a Christian nation.”

The Bibles says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.” Because God has been our Lord we have been blessed from sea to shining sea. America is arguably the most blessed nation to have ever existed.

However, the Bible also says, “If the foundations be destroyed, what shall the righteous do?”

It doesn’t take long for things to change in a nation and we are always only generation away from become a pagan nation removed from the blessings of God.

For those of us who are Christians it is imperative to pray for our nation. The Bible instructs us: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16). If we want what is good and right for our country then we must learn to pray before we cry, complain, and criticize.

I want to challenge you to pray for three specific things:

1. Pray for wisdom for our leaders

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of meeting with Oklahoma Senator James Lankford. I asked him how we could pray for him and he specifically said pray to for wisdom. He said that Washington D.C. is obsessed with the shiny object of the day and it is difficult to tune out the noise and focus on what really matters. Our leaders need our prayers and we need to be praying for them.

Paul wrote in the New Testament “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

2. Pray for grace for our nation

The famous song, America the Beautiful, says, “America! America! God shed His grace on Thee.” We don’t deserve God’s love, goodness, and blessing but God gives them to us because of His grace. Pray for God’s grace to continue and pray for more of it.

3. Pray for God’s intervention

In 2 Chronicles 7:14 we read, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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.” God made this promise to the Jews thousands of years ago, but we as Christians must pray for the fulfillment of this promise in our nation too.

If you don’t pray for our nation, who will? Would you take a moment right now and pray for God’s wisdom, grace, and intervention for our country?

Seeking God in Your Marriage

By Andrew Calabrese

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Let me ask all the ladies out there a question: when you were a little girl, did you ever dream of growing up one day, getting married to the “perfect guy” with the perfect wedding, having your prince charming carry you over the threshold of the perfect house, loving you, rubbing your back, and doing all the dishes? You probably have dreamed something like that at some point or time in your life.

Now men, hopefully none of you have dreamed that before, but I’m sure you have probably dreamed of one day getting married and doing other things—several times a day. Am I right?

One more question: how many of you are still dreaming? We have a lot of expectations in our minds going into marriage, and a lot of times when we finally do get married, those expectations don’t get met. Therefore, we get disappointed, let down, or hurt.

Statistics say that about 50% of marriages that start will not make it. They will end up in divorce. Of the 50% of marriages that do make it, statistics inform us that the majority of them are miserable, have irregular intimacy or none at all, or are just sticking together for the sake of their children. With that being the case, some may pose the question, “Is a good marriage even possible?” That’s a fair question.

I believe we can draw the answer to that question from God’s Word in Matthew 22:37-39. While this passage doesn’t have to do with the marriage relationship directly, the principle we can draw from this passage can impact our marriages in a significant way if applied.

One man stated, “God is your One, and your spouse is your two.” Honestly, this is one of the most foundational principles to understand in order to have any healthy relationships. God is to be your one. When Jesus was asked in Matthew 22, “What is the greatest commandment?” Notice, He didn’t say, “Love your spouse with all your heart, soul, and mind.” What did He say? In essence, He said, “God is your One. Make Him your One.”

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,” Matthew 22:37-39.

You must always seek your One with your two. Our marriages will never be what God intended them to be unless God is our One and our spouse is our two. So often, we get this all mixed up. We make our spouse our “one,” or our kids become our “one” when that is never the spot God intended for them. We must always put God first.

How do we practically do this in our marriages? I want to suggest the best way you and your spouse can ensure you seek God in your marriage is by faithfully praying together. Some of you may get excited about this and think, “Oh! You’re asking him to pray with me?!” And others of you may be thinking, “I don’t want to pray together. I’ll get nervous; I don’t know what to say. It’s going to be awkward.” I’ll admit, it may be awkward at first, but how important is your marriage to you?

Family life did a survey years ago, and they found that fewer than 8% of Christian couples pray together regularly. They also discovered this: of those 8% that do pray together, less than 1% of those couples divorce. That’s incredible! How important is your marriage to you?

In 2 Chronicles 7:14, the Bible says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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,” or to loosely apply this principle, “I will heal their marriages.”

Pray together. It will strengthen your marriage. You can make it organized—set a time and a place to do this together each day. You can say a simple prayer together before either one of you leave the house for work. You can text a prayer to your spouse.

Think about the benefits this can generate. If you seek God together by praying together, God will answer some of your prayers, and that will build your faith. Beyond that, it’s really hard to fight with someone that you are praying with and for regularly. It’s hard to commit adultery or get hooked on pornography when you have consistent, spiritual intimacy with one another. I challenge you to grab the hand of your spouse sometime today and commit with them that you two will seek God in your marriage for the rest of your lives.

Got all your FACTS straight?

By Jim Ramsey

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What an honor and privilege it is to be a child of God, and to enjoy all the undeserved blessings attached to my position in Christ!  My position is secure in Him, but sometimes my condition as His child is not what it should be due to the infirmities of this old nature that has certainly not been eradicated.   Thank God for the resource of prayer that allows me, if I choose, to be in constant contact with the only One Who can make me what I ought to be for His glory.  

No Answer is Not Always a “No” Answer

By Jesse Becker

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After a year or so of marriage, my wife and I looked forward to having children. Many of our friends’ families were beginning to grow, and we were excited about having the same for us. But our family didn’t start for another 5 years during which we had at least 3 miscarriages. Those years were long and hard, and we prayed and prayed for children. However, our prayers only seemed to be answered with a resounding “no.”

A Higher Rock

By Daniel Fleet

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Have you have ever had a season in your life that was particularly difficult? If you are a human being with breath then you probably have! When life is hard and circumstances are difficult, I almost always look for comfort in the book of Psalms; it’s a great book where you can find help, healing, and hope.