Do you know that God uses prescribed fires in our lives? I’ve been thinking about the biblical concept of refinement, and how that applies to us in this year of many afflictions. I pray this devotion will encourage you and teach you something new.
Prefer to listen? Here’s the podcast episode:
Do you want to be more resilient to change? Native wildflowers are experts at being resilient. They have important lessons to teach us about being resilient and strong, no matter the season.
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Do you have hard questions for God today? I’m thinking that you probably do, somewhere deep in your heart. Maybe your hard questions are even on the tip of your tongue.
Are you discouraged about the state of your culture? Today I will share 5 ways to live with hope in a declining culture with you.
Yesterday afternoon, I drove east toward my church and saw something interesting. I always wear sunglasses while driving, because I hate squinting.
I saw a rainbow in the east, and removed my glasses to see it more clearly. But with my glasses off, the rainbow all but disappeared from sight. I slid them back on and it came right back into view. A puzzling paradox – why couldn’t I see it better all on my own, with my 20/20 vision?
I think this is an accurate picture of the way God’s hope is appearing for us in these challenging times. His hope may be somewhat easier to see in the darkness, as opposed to the bright, “normal” views to which we have become accustomed. We must intentionally scan our times for signs of hope, despite the darkness that has settled over our culture. Hope is right there, waiting for us to find, because God’s promises are true.
Remember that the rainbow is a sign of God’s promise to never again destroy the earth with a flood. It’s a promise God has kept for centuries. A sign of hope we see only during or after a storm. I was driving through a single cloud of falling rain when I spied the rainbow, which was hovering in a blue eastern sky for just a few moments.
God wanted me to see this sign of hope with my dark glasses on, rather than without them. There are more truths and signs of hope he wants you and I to see in the darkness, rather than outside of it.
There are signs of hope God wants you to see in the darkness, rather than outside of it. #hope #christianliving #spiritualgrowth Click To Tweet
My audience is primarily American, but the following may apply to other cultures as well. I pray this information educates you as it did me.
Around 2007, I listened to a week-long radio series on the state of America, presented by Focus on the Family. It focused on the decline of our culture and what our future may look like, based on biblical prophecies. I had grown up in a denomination that spent precious little focus on biblical prophecy, and I drank in the sober teachings like water.
Soon after, I began reading books to educate myself. The one I found most helpful was Dr. David Jeremiah’s book, What in the World Is Going On?, published in 2008. On pages 134-135, he shares research that all of the world’s great civilizations lasted only about two hundred years. Each nation progressed through the exact same sequence:
1. Bondage
2. Spiritual Faith
3. Courage
4. Liberty
5. Abundance
6. Complacency
7. Apathy
8. Dependence
9. Return to Bondage
Which point do you think your culture is in on this sequence? I believe, along with many others, that our problems began with the sexual revolution in the 1960’s, which followed the abundance after World War II. We have been in a cultural landslide at least since that time, which is leading us further from liberty and abundance and closer to dependence and bondage.
I despise this cultural decline, which began before I was even born. Yet I trust that God designated us to live in times such as these, for specific purposes as a faithful remnant of believers. It’s no surprise to God that our culture is where it is now, due to poor choices many have made in the past. It’s time we educate ourselves on God’s truth and live with intention instead of acting with complacency and apathy.
Now is the time to educate ourselves on God's truth and live with intention instead of acting with complacency and apathy. #intentionalliving #trustGod Click To Tweet
I am gaining perspective and comfort right now by reading the book of Isaiah, my favorite book of the Bible. In Isaiah 5, we read about God’s judgment poised for the tribe of Judah. In the first few verses, he described the favorable position God created for Judah. God wanted the tribe to display justice, but they chose oppression. God wanted righteousness from Judah, but they acted with violence.
This is what Isaiah stated in verses 12 and 13:
“…they never think about the Lord
or notice what he is doing.
So my people will go into exile far away
because they do not know me.”
Another clue about Judah’s attitude is in verse 21:
“What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes
and think themselves so clever.”
In verse 24, Isaiah explained why God was acting against Judah:
“For they have rejected the law of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies;
they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.”
We can learn how to live in these troubled times by applying the truths in these verses. To be clear, Old Testament prophecy about the tribes of Israel does not have direct correlations for the United States or any other country today. Yet the overriding principles are similar and hold both warnings and encouragement for us.
We can learn how to live with hope in a declining culture by applying these principles in Isaiah 5. #hope #biblestudy #devotion Click To Tweet
Practicing self-control in your thought life is crucial to stand firm in this declining culture.
You must think about God’s character and ways, as well as his will for your life, much MORE than you think about anything else.
More than what you see on the news or on social media. More than the discussions you have with your friends and family.
When you think about God’s ways and will, you’ll be protected from spiritual attacks and more fruitfully engaged in the culture.
God is still at work, even in our dark times. Especially in our dark times.
Don’t believe everything you see, hear or read online. Remember that our culture is sliding toward apathy, dependence and bondage, and don’t join in that downward slide.
Ask the Holy Spirit to give you clues to how he is at work in your world every day. I guarantee he will answer that daily prayer in surprising, joyful and hopeful ways you never expected.
You’ll be seeing rainbows everywhere even when skies are grey, friend.
Have you gone through the motions of the Christian life, but not yet drawn truly close to God as your…
Those are just a few of his names you can discover in his Word.
The more you open your heart to him through prayer, the deeper your relationship can be with your Lord, and the better protected you will be from the storms of this culture. There has never been a better time to really get to know the one who created you for such a time as this.
One of the characteristic sins in our declining culture is arrogance. People cling to their own opinions as if they are gospel truths. But God rewards those who have humble, teachable spirits.
Ask God to show you where you have become entrenched in your own opinions, or perhaps swayed by the culture’s arrogance. Invite the Holy Spirit into your heart, asking him to develop humility in you. This characteristic is one of Jesus’ finest, and when you are humble, you display his nature to the world.
What if I told you that there was one sure way to find hope in this declining culture? You already have this opportunity, my friend.
In these times, it’s essential to get serious about studying God’s Word. The main charge God leveled against the tribe of Judah is that they despised and rejected his revealed Word. We have far greater access to the Bible today than God’s people did then.
To truly find the hope and peace you are seeking, I challenge you to dig into his Word every day.
The more you study his Word, the stronger your faith will be.
Isaiah prophesied during a dark time of Israel’s history. Yet God preserved a remnant of his people just as he had promised. That’s one reason the book of Isaiah is my favorite; it reminds me that through all the turmoil, God is faithful to his remnant of committed followers. He will be faithful to you as well, if you choose to intentionally seek him rather than joining the culture of decline.
God blessed the whole world through the faithful remnant of tribe of Judah, from which Jesus was born. How might he bless your world through your faithful commitment to him in this declining culture?
Through all the turmoil, God is faithful to his remnant of committed followers. How are you being faithful to God today? #faithful #christianfaith #hope Click To Tweet
Heavenly Father,
I praise you as the Blessed Controller over my culture.
You created me to live in such times as these.
I am concerned and frustrated by the decline I see.
But nothing is a surprise to you, Lord.
No culture is outside of your jurisdiction.
Your promises are always true.
You are ever faithful to your remnant.
Sit at the center of my thoughts, Lord.
I want to know you well and notice what you are doing every day.
I refuse to be wise in my own eyes, but focused instead on the wisdom of your Word.
Help me be fully devoted to you, no matter what is happening around me.
I thank you in advance for your faithfulness to me as a member of your remnant.
Show me your promises that may be more visible in the darkness.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Do you have a prayer request to share with me, or feedback on this devotion? Simply reply to me on my Contact page.
5 Ways to Live With Hope in a Declining Culture: Gain encouragement and practical tips in this post. #hope #intentionalliving #spiritualgrowth Click To Tweet
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Have you ever prayed with the Holy Spirit’s direction for others? It’s known as Spirit-led prayer. I have encouragement and guidance for you today.
Our focus will be based on this verse:
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
Romans 8:26 NLT
In my post for Proverbs 31 Ministries last week, I mentioned an 18-month intercessory prayer assignment God gave me. You can read about that assignment HERE.
Many people asked, “How did you know when to stop praying?” I want to address this question here today.
For starters, I need you to know that this entire prayer journey has been somewhat of a mystery to me. God called me to pray over a specific person in July 2018, a person I know only as an acquaintance, at best. In God’s ways that are higher than mine, and his thoughts that are higher than mine, he graciously and mysteriously gave me prayer details through the Holy Spirit. I still don’t understand it all, but I do know my experience was real.
If God calls you to wait faithfully in prayer, you need to accept that God probably won’t reveal everything to you, and he doesn’t owe you that anyway. It’s simply a joy and honor to be assigned to pray on another person’s behalf, as long as the assignment lasts.
If God calls you to wait faithfully in prayer, you need to accept that God probably won't reveal everything to you. But he will give you Spirit-led prayer prompts. #Prayer #intercession Click To Tweet
You must know God’s voice before you begin an intercessory prayer journey. Jesus tells us in John 10:27 that his sheep hear and know his voice. I recognized God’s prayer prompts because I was well familiar with his voice from years of daily Bible study and prayer. Reading the Bible is the best way to discern God’s voice in your life. You’ll be able to differentiate between your own internal voice and Satan’s voice when you become very familiar with God’s Word. It’s a crucial part of intercessory prayer.
God gave me an essential book at just the right time to help me pray with the Holy Spirit’s power. The book is called When You Need to Move a Mountain. It made my top 20 books of 2019 list, and you can check it out HERE.
As Romans 8:26 states, we don’t always know how to pray. But the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. He will also give us specific ways to intercede on behalf of others. Author Linda Evans Shepherd writes, “I have times when the Holy Spirit has flowed in me, not only giving me the words to pray but the burdens to pray about.” That’s exactly what happened to me on my 18-month intercessory prayer assignment.
As Romans 8:26 states, we don't always know how to pray. But the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. He will also give us specific ways to intercede on behalf of others. #Prayer #intercession Click To TweetEvery day during those 18 months, I went on a prayer walk outdoors and lifted known requests to the Lord. Then I would quietly wait for the Holy Spirit to give me more prompts. Some days, I received many prompts. Others, none or just a few. There was no way I could have discerned the prompts with my own knowledge. God made me promise I would not search for information on this person online, and to this day I have kept that promise. I’m glad I did, because God gets all the glory for those amazing and mysterious prompts.
Occasionally, I heard God’s call to drop everything and pray right then and there, at a non-scheduled prayer time. Once it was while I was cooking supper, and almost all the food was coming together. So I simply went up to my prayer bench in my bedroom, prayed this benediction over the person, and returned to work. Other times, I had to pull over in my vehicle or pause silently while out and about. I believe those moments must have been times that the person needed a greater infusion of God’s strength in their struggles.
Every day during those 18 months, I went on a prayer walk and lifted known requests to the Lord. Then I would quietly wait for the Holy Spirit to give me more prompts. #Prayer Click To TweetHow did I know when to stop praying? In January 2020, my church started a 40-day fast. They do this every year, but as a new member, I wasn’t yet familiar with the annual rhythm. While in church on the Sunday before the fast, I heard the Holy Spirit say to me, “I want you to pray specific prayers for this person every day of the fast.” So I obeyed. I heard brand-new prayer prompts from God during that fast – that’s one reason I believe fasting is a way to supercharge your prayer life.
Toward the end of the fasting period, the prompts suddenly ran out. I sensed that God gently yet firmly closed a door. It’s probably because the person’s struggle was over and didn’t require the same prayers any longer. It was strange to abruptly stop praying after 18 months of daily prayer, yet I felt peace that God’s will had been done. My assignment was largely over.
It's simply a joy and honor to be assigned to pray on another person's behalf, as long as the assignment lasts. #Prayer #intercessoryprayer #howtopray Click To Tweet
Now, nearly two years after God first called me to pray, I rarely receive more calls to pray. I’m fine with that. I may have been prompted half a dozen times since January to offer short, to-the-point prayers for the person. I sense that God used my prayers to uplift this person through a difficult season.
I realize that I may not understand how God used my prayers until I get to heaven. And I’m OK with that too. When I agreed to the assignment, Jesus spoke to me: “I am the Alpha and Omega of this journey. It starts with me and ends with me.” It was all for his glory to start with, and it is for his glory now, on earth and in the heavenly places. That’s really all I need to know.
If God calls you to be an intercessor for someone over an extended period of time, I pray my testimony will help you persist in faith. I also hope you’ll regularly meditate on our focus verse today, because it can remind you to rely on the Holy Spirit for Spirit-led prayer. I hope you’ll take the time to read my original post, plus this additional post I wrote on my blog, to gain a fuller perspective. May it inspire you and give you hope for your own prayer missions.
If God calls you to be an intercessor for someone over an extended period of time, I pray my testimony will help you persist in faith. #Prayer #faith #intercessoryprayer #intercessor Click To TweetHeavenly Father,
I praise you as Alpha and Omega over my life.
You make your voice known to me.
You call me to prayer.
Lord, who do you want me to pray for today?
In which situation do you want me to persist in Spirit-led prayer?
Who can I serve through an intercessory prayer mission?
I am open to your will, Lord.
Holy Spirit, thank you for interceding for me.
Teach me how to intercede for others so I can glorify you.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Do you have a prayer request to share with me, or feedback on this devotion? Simply reply to me on my Contact page.
This post may be linked up at these linkups.
If you make a purchase through the provided links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you in advance for supporting my writing ministry!
My weekly newsletter Tea on Tuesdays is delivered at 3:00 p.m. Central time every Tuesday. I write an exclusive devotion for you each week that I share with you first.
To receive the newsletter, please subscribe below. I can’t wait to share personally with you each week!
