With all that is going on, I felt the need to pray. But before I do that, we must remember who we say we represent. Does it hurt? Uh yeah and being a follower of Christ doesn’t mean that we ignore what is going on. Jesus was moved with compassion. He became angry and frustrated but He also consulted with His Father to ensure that His Father received the glory from every calculated move He made. As a follower of Jesus Christ, we do not become timid and fearful when faced with adversity. If we be honest, adversity and sufferings are things we should be accustomed to, simply because of who we say we represent. We are in the world, not of the world, but definitely affected by this world’s events. 

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” ‭‭John‬ ‭15:18-20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

• Fear is torment. 
• Worrying means we do not have faith.
• With out  faith we cannot please God. In fact it is totally IMPOSSIBLE. 

Jesus told us what to expect and so we must prepare ourselves. How do we prepare for astrocities and events that make us want to lay aside every moral and belief that we have to “get even?” 

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Light brings hope in a dark place. You don’t lose your light. You allow it to shine brighter. Pick yourself up, and Get ready to shine! Now is the time!!!

Remember that time the thunderstorm was so bad, that it knocked out all of the power in your area? It was pitch black. Kids screaming- scared, asking what will you all do. You had to give them some hope and diffuse the situation IMMEDIATELY. You had to remember where you kept the candles and matches/lighter (nowadays smartphones have flashlights on them but this has not always been the case). When you finally found all the equipment needed to bring a sense of calmness and relief to you and your family, you struck the match and lit the candle. That one candle brought hope. It brought hope and belief that you could maneuver throughout your home to find whatever else was needed to make your family comfortable until you were able to return to your norm- which was  electricity. 

As Christians, we give hope. Not a false sense of hope but real hope. That hope is through the word of God; however, you cannot give something that you do not have. If you cannot find hope in the word, you cannot give that to someone else. 

All is not lost. We post, talk and tweet on what we think is the answer. Whether accepted or not, Jesus is the answer. 

So, let us pray: Father in the name of Jesus. Lord we thank you. First, I have to thank you for affording us the opportunity to even approach your throne of grace with our petitions. You are God alone. You are loving and kind. You are full of mercy and grace, of which you given us an abundance of, but some of us have truly taken it for granted. We thank you that through our sufferings, we are able to show your compassion and demonstrate your love. Lord this world is chaotic right now. I know that you know this. I also know that, just as a teacher cannot offer help to a student who remains silent, so it is with you.  You have given us a powerful weapon. A weapon of prayer. Insomuch that you told us if we humble ourselves, turn from our own wickedness, and seek you, you would heal the land. Jesus I am presenting myself to you as humbly as I know how to. Lord give us guidance and direction on how and what to do. None of us had any control over the color of our skin. That was the beautiful creativity of your hands. What’s even more amazing is that we all bleed the same color. The enemy has somehow conned others into believing that one color is more beautiful than the other. But how can that be? When we are presented with a box of crayons, we utilize multiple colors to represent and bring to life the beauty of the image. If only one color is used to fill in the black and white image, the image then has no depth and its beauty becomes unrealized. We are all beautiful because you made us to be so. The enemy has begun to roar and quite frankly, you did tell us to prepare for these times and to not allow our hearts to be troubled. But, I am asking that you strengthen us for the work ahead that has to be done as you have warned us, and that you give us an insurmountable abundance of peace that can only come from you, in the midst of chaos. Lord you even told us it is okay to be angry but that we do not sin in our anger nor awake with that same anger in our hearts. We must direct our efforts at identifying who the real enemy is and moving forward on how you guide us. I recall you sharing an incident in the Bible, in the book of Joshua, where you gave specific instructions to the Israelities of what to do to make the wall of Jericho fall down; however, the Israelities had to listen and do exactly as they were told. If you are the SAME God, that is the same yesterday, today and forever, and I believe that you are, I am asking that you give your leaders the specific instructions of what to do in this country today, and that we ADHERE to your instructions verbatim. We realize that when we fight our own battles, we offend. But oh God, when YOU fight, you redeem. We are seeking redemption through you. Not revenge but redemption from the enemy and the fury he is pouring out. He has been meticulous in his efforts and has infiltrated his plans slowly but surely, through spiritual wickedness in high places. But he will not prevail. We as your children will do as you command, with Heaven’s armies standing with us, side-by-side. You have not given us the spirit of fear and so I will not operate in it. I REFUSE to claim representation of a God that can destroy an entire country and its existence to never be found, and who also is MY Father, to believe He will allow sin to reign over his people. I do realize this battle is not human vs. human- and we as your children, need to come to this realization as well. But I will NOT live in fear! Thank you for revealing these things to us and I thank you for allowing us to accomplish your will during this time of spiritual warfare. I humbly ask for your acceptance of this prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen 

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1:7, 14‬ ‭NLT‬‬