The following is an intro to a previous post, which I’d like to draw to the attention of new followers in particular. However, those who have faithfully followed me from around 2016 when this post was originally written, may also wish to read and refresh their memories.
Whilst I am happy to re-purpose old material, my main desire is to stir up your hearts and galvanise you into action with regards to prayer and intercession.
Given the condition of our world following Covid-19, the implementation of lockdown measures, and the threat of virus variants, I am sure you’ll agree with me that the call to prayer, the call to seek God’s urgent and merciful intervention, is sorely needed.
Do read and please act. Send Jesus your kneemail today!
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Que Sera Sera?
Have you ever looked at this world in despair?
I can relate!
It is a rare event when media reports on current events raise a smile from me, or a sense of belief that all is well with the world. I think I can honestly say that most times after listening to a news channel, or reading a newspaper, I feel disgusted, disquieted or depressed. And sometimes I can even feel ashamed to admit that I belong to the human race – in fact, somebody stop the world – I wanna get off!
If you are looking for a resource that will help you to draw closer to God and develop a consistent and confident prayer life, please don’t hesitate to check out the links below.
One of my favourite comedy programmes is Everybody Loves Raymond.
There is an episode where an Italian aunt comes to stay and she makes a big difference to the dynamics of the family.
They become united, even loving, have singalongs and joyful meal times. Everyone agrees that she is the best thing to happen to them.
But then they discover that she is not their aunt after all and their Italian heritage may not even be genuine! And so, without the aunt’s good influence, they slip back into their old dysfunctional ways.
I wonder, do you recall how you felt when you first gave your life to the Lord… when you invited Jesus to come into your heart… and the difference he made with regard to the way you previously felt about, and lived your life?
A divided heart
Compare those days to your relationship with God now. As time has passed, have you lost that “loving feeling”?
In the book of Revelation, Jesus sent several messages to various churches in different regions.
In particular, I’d like to draw your attention to his message to the Laodicean church. He said:
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth…
…Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
(Revelation 3:15-16, 20 NIV)
Again, in another passage of the Bible, God takes issue with his covenant family, the Children of Israel, because they’d abandoned him as their God and started adopting the practices of the heathen nations around them.
In no uncertain words, He tells them:
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
(Isaiah 55:6 NIV)
Friends and followers, may I ask you where you are at in your relationship with God?
Since around March this year, what we once perceived as normality in our individual lives, in our nations, indeed in the entire world, changed overnight. And we are still endeavouring to negotiate the new paths of uncertainty and change.
Who knew at the beginning of 2020, when we celebrated the New Year and the ushering in of a new decade that, just a few months down the line, our everyday lives would be changed beyond recognition?
Who knew that our liberties would be curtailed? Who knew that our health would be threatened, indeed many lives lost, as a result of an unknown and deadly virus, which hit us out of the blue? Who knew?
Jesus! That’s who!
Our Father God in Heaven. That’s who!
Now I believe that this pandemic is an opportunity for those of us who know the Lord, who confess to be his followers, to examine our lives and our hearts and see whether we are truly abiding in a position of faith and integrity.
It is an opportunity, to draw closer to the three members of the Godhead because they (along with the Word of God), are the only stable and unchanging aspects within a changing and troublesome world. And, if we’ve allowed our relationship with Christ to grow lukewarm, it’s also an opportunity to rectify this, before it is too late!
Now, whilst the Enemy would like to fill our hearts with fear, despair, and perhaps even resentment over lost liberties and livelihoods, as children of God, we can hold onto hope for our future and that hope (the God-type of hope), acts as an anchor for our soul (our mind, will and emotions).
Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.
God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure…
(Hebrews 6:17-19 NIV)
The Laodicean church is an example of God’s people who may believe they are in the right place with God but they have somehow lost their way. The Laodicean church is often considered to be a picture of the Body of Christ during the “Last Days”, i.e. the days before Jesus is expected to return.
If this is the case, are we paying heed to Jesus’ warning? If we examine our hearts and our lives and compare them to how we used to be at the beginning of our salvation, have our hearts grown lukewarm?
Has our commitment waned? Have we allowed compromise or other priorities to creep into our lives? Have we, like the Children of Israel, adopted secular practices, entertained worldly desires and worshipped at the shrine of self-gratification?
If the Lord were to weigh us in his scales and balances today, would we come up short?
Unlike the family in Everyone Loves Raymond, if you are born-again (i.e. you’ve committed your life to Christ), there should be no question mark in your heart on whether you are a true member of God’s family.
And unlike the aunt, who turned out not to be a true relative, Jesus our brother, and God our heavenly Father, will never turn out to be of questionable origin. We can be absolutely sure that any confidence we have, based on our relationship with them, will never, ever, turn out to be unfounded.
So let me ask you, even if you were to wake up tomorrow to find the world you know has turned completely upside down, is your relationship with God such that you share the confidence of Habukkuk?
Listen to his uncompromising confession:
Though the fig-tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will be joyful in God my Saviour.
(Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV)
Now whilst I am not happy that the pandemic has altered the way I live my life, such that I don’t feel at liberty to enjoy normal pursuits such as shopping, entertaining family and friends, and taking trips abroad, I recognise that there is a bigger picture here.
My future is in God’s hands. He’s not only in control of my life, he’s in control of my nation, he’s in control of the entire world, regardless of whether events seem to indicate otherwise.
And there’s an even bigger picture beyond the concerns of this present world. There’s the issue of eternity and where I, and others spend it, once our days on earth are ended.
And there’s also my responsibility to tell others about Jesus, to let them know that he alone is able to offer them peace and safety in this present unstable world, plus a glorious future in the world to come.
And it’s my responsibility through prayer, to invite God into the affairs of my nation and this world, and to pray for his will and purpose to be done.
Now, if you are a member of God’s family, then it is your responsibility too!
With love,
Carol (aka Lady Cee)
A Student in His Secret Place (Psalm 91:1)
Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
Are you familiar with the good news of God’s Gospel?
If you answered “No” to both questions, but would like to know more, please clickhere
Do you need a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life? If so, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.
What’s your response to this post? Please share your thoughts in a comment box below. If you know anyone who would benefit from its message please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.
I came across this 2mins video yesterday and just felt I had to share it with you all. If you’ve seen it already forgive me – maybe God wants to draw this to your attention once again.
It would be easy to make the Covid-19 virus situation turn you into a victim. Don’t! Resist the temptation to complain and/or criticise. Instead, be a part of the solution. Be an instrument of blessing.
Whether through your prayers, and/or through practical, loving action, become a burden-bearer, a joy-disperser, a victorious overcomer.
Women of Warfare followers and visitors, I pray you are keeping safe and well, and taking advantage of any lockdown situation you may be in, to draw closer to God.
Have a blessed week!
With love,
Carol (aka Lady Cee)
Are you looking for a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life? If so, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.
Did you enjoy this post? If so, please share your thoughts in a comment box below. Do you know someone who would benefit from its message? Then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.
Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”
And He took Peter, James, and John with Him and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed.
Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”
He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.
And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me, nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour?”
“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words.
And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.
Then He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.
(Mark 14:32-41 NKJV)
The above scripture passage reveals that Christ’s disciples had been asked to watch and pray, in support of Jesus, while he battled with fear, the prospect of God’s utter abandonment and other conflicting thoughts, in the Garden of Gethsemane. Instead they fell asleep.
On reading this account, my mind turned to the present world crisis with the Corona-virus. I wondered how many of God’s people recognise the season in which we are living and are taking advantage of the enforced period of self-isolation, or lock-down and are using some of that precious time to seek God, as never before, and to pray.
Because my dear friends, there has never been a richer opportunity for us as children of God, to spend quality time in fellowship with our Heavenly Father and in prayer. Unexpected yes! But opportune nonetheless!
Those measures where people are being forced to isolate, forced to take time off work, or work from home, represent unprecedented opportunities for each of us who are alive and well, to appeal to God for his merciful intervention.
My dear friend, if you have not grasped this, then you are asleep spiritually. So my question to you is this:
Why are you sleeping?
Is it because of, slothfulness, selfishness or sorrow?
Your nation needs you! So wake up from your spiritual slumber party and pray! [tweet this]
Sorrow
Perhaps you are sorrowing over the way your life has suddenly changed with the event of the coronavirus pandemic. Perhaps you are disappointed that your plans have gone kaput – just like that!
The disciples had just been told that their world was to be turned upside down. They’d been told that their beloved master and friend was about to be killed. Worse still, that one of them, was going to betray him. The disciples were sleeping for sorrow because their plans, their hopes, their dreams were about to be upturned… because they didn’t know what to do, or what to say.
Are you sleeping for sorrow?
Selfishness
But perhaps you are sleeping spiritually because you are too self-absorbed to recognise the time, the season we are living in, or worse still, you do actually recognise this, but feel too depressed, or disappointed with, or defeated by life to do anything constructive about it. Perhaps you are thinking let others get on with it!
Then again, perhaps you could care less!
Dear reader, if you are a child of God, then responsibility for your life, your family, your nation, belongs to you. Jesus has equipped us with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit knows God’s will, so ask him to help you, ask him to guide your prayers.
“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
― John F. Kennedy
The unprecedented lockdowns provide opportunities for those who are alive and well to appeal to God for his merciful intervention. [tweet this]
Slothfulness
And then again, if the truth were known, perhaps you are just plain lazy (sorry to be so blunt!).
You are used to taking the path of least resistance. You expect other people to step up to the plate and keep your world ticking over nicely, thank you!
To get out of your bed of slumber, or rise from your comfy sofa of self-indulgence, is just too much trouble. Your laissez-faire policy in life has always worked for you before now, so why behave any differently?
Why?
Because these are unprecedented times and unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. As in the natural world, so in the spiritual world.
To all those who are asleep spiritually, God is saying to you today: Arise! Watch and pray!
…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
(Ephesians 6:18 NKJV)
Beloved friend or follower, if you are sleeping spiritually during this global crisis, wake up from your spiritual slumber party and pray! Your nation needs you!
With love,
Carol (aka Lady Cee)
Author of: Petitions From My Heart
Are you looking for a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life? If so, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.
It is easy to become bitter, fearful, complain, stress, and simply be frustrated during this unfolding corona drama in history. I began a list of things that make me grateful for this experience. I know there are hundreds more bullets that could be added to this ongoing list, so please post your thoughts below! Our […]
Heavenly Father, I call on you right now in a special way. It is through your power that I was created. Every breath I take, every morning I wake, and every moment of every hour, I live under your power. Father, I ask you now to touch me with that same power. For if you […]
I came across this beautiful prayer earlier this year and had wanted to share it but completely forgot.
I think it especially relevant now, in this time of fear and uncertainty (what with the spread of the Covid-19 virus), and I hope someone out there might find it a blessing.
Women of Warfare! (WOW!) 