Friday, March 16, 2007

A Prayer for the Nation and the Body of Christ...


Heavenly Father,

I thank you for the opportunity of writing this prayer for all to see. God, I write You in my state of brokenness. Yet I know that in Christ, I am whole. Father, sanctify people all over the world. God renew our minds, give us the the mind of Christ. Lord, you know who has your Spirit. Father as You can see clearly and as Your Word foretells this a difficult time for the world, especially for the Western World. You have given us so much, and yet we take it for granted, regardless or our eternal status (saved or lost). Father, please forgive us. God , many of us, including myself, in the Body really haven't been representing Your Son very well. Father I thank you for your abounding grace. Please Holy Father, separateYour people out of this broken culture and make us a agent of transformation as You would have us to be.

Christians in America:
Right now in America, it seems like Christians are the enemy. Mostly due to how we are perceived in the media. If we are liberal we're the good yet nonvocal. If we are conservatives, we are racial bigots, homophobes, heartless, women-hating, greedy/materialistic, self-serving, hypocritical, just plain unloving. Yes, there is a element of truth in these statements. But God, You look beyond the labels and you see whether Your Spirit is in us or not. You promised us that if repented of our sins, and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. You through Your servant Paul said that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Yet God, do You dwell in unclean temples? I don't believe so. God I pray for the Bush administration. God we on both sides of the religious and political debate have been very critical of this administration whether justified or not. But God, please give wisdom and grace toward our leaders. Father, You're are the King of the universe, and nothing is out of Your sight. Be the vision of the world. Lord Jesus, You are the light we desperately need. Please forgive us so-called Christ followers for misinterpreting You from the Scriptures to fit our personal agenda. You taught your disciples that You came to do the will of Him who sent You. The Beloved Apostle John taught us that he who does the will of God the Father lives forever. May the Body of Christ fully recognize through Your Holy illumination what that really means.

The Oppressed:
Father also I pray that we as the real Body of Christ have a heart for victims of HIV/AIDS and poverty. Father I know that the root of poverty is living in a fallen world. Whether caused by personal actions or corrupt systems of government, God please give the Church a fresh wind of the Holy Spirit to righteously judge our neighbors. God many people teach and preach that You are the God of the underdog, the poor, and the oppressed- that You are on their side. Father, I see You as a just God who shows no partiality towards the poor or the great. Thank You for being who You are. Your Son came to save us all, whether Hitler or Ghandi. We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

The Others:
Father, I write a special prayer for the GBLT communities around the world. Father, there is a lot of deception going around the world, deceiving millions. Especially from those claiming to belong to You. Father have mercy on us all, and God I believe that your Word is eternal, and that we cannot go beyond that is written. Within those pages of the Good Book there liberation for all, according what you have laid out, not Marxism, liberalism, queer theory, dare I add conservatism. Our human rights stop when we violate your Law but God by your grace you have showed us freedom in Christ. Thank you. There so many children with gender dysphoria. God I still don't understand the theories behind this phenomenon. Also Father I pray for the intersexed. Father all I know is that your word is truth. I believe the Scriptures which Your Son Jesus taught and preached from. Please help people see the truth that is Christ the Liberator of all people. He doesn't free us to do what we want to do, or be what we want to be. He frees us to be like You. Thank you for the that is Christ.

Holy Pink and Blue:
I pray for my sisters in the Body of Christ. Father, I pray that you give us fresh anointing to see what You see in Your daughters. I pray for my brothers. Forgive us for being chauvinistic and androcentric knowing that there is no male and female in Christ. I pray for the women in the world. I pray that you Father are beyond gender definitions and that there is no oppression in serving You and calling you Father. I pray for the men in the world. I pray that they hear the cry of the Spirit to repent and believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus. God I pray for the children. I pray Father that you raise up a generation of children who will serve You.

The Afflicted:
Father I pray for all who are diseased and/or disabled. God You are a Healer and a Great Physician. Father you are Sovereign Lord. Bless all my disabled brothers and sisters. I pray that their witness is strong in the Lord. I pray for my afflicted brothers and sisters. Father I pray that if You don't heal them, God strengthen them to know that their healing is one the way whether on this side of Glory or on the other side.

Compassionate Warriors:
Father, raise up teachers, preachers, thinkers, and seers God who walk in your way speaking truth in love. God we have so many websites and blogs "exposing" false doctrines. God please expose the spirit behind the blogs and sites so that apologists will write the truth so all might be saved including false prophets and teachers. In our quest to glorify You, don't let us win debates and lose souls in the process. You told us the try every spirit, whether behind doctrines, practices, attitudes, beliefs- whatever! Even assess the spirit in what we do in our quest to glorify You and the Son.


Myself:
Father lastly, I pray God that You would keep me and strengthen me. Father lead me on the path You have set for me to walk from the foundation of the earth. Thank you, Father for reading my heart.

I pray all of this in Jesus' name,

Amen