Praying for Leaders, part one

Romans 8:26-27 

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

 Spiritual mysteries spark a lot of conversation in some church groups. We talk about what we think the Bible means. However, I’ve found that God says what he means and means what he says. Our problem is that we don’t know what he’s talking about sometimes.

It’s the day after the Presidential election, and some people are happy while others are sad. Some people are wondering why God allowed this to happen, and others are thanking God that it did. That’s the way it goes with elections.

But if you and I are brothers and sisters in Christ because of the unity of the Spirit, we can all pray together as one for God to use us to bless our country. We can show proper respect for our leaders just like God tells us to in the second chapter of First Peter.

I’ve seen the question on faces of people who voted and became frustrated when the other guy won. “How do I pray for someone I don’t agree with?”

God wants us to pray according to the Bible. There are many passages in the Bible which lead us to pray for the protection of others. But God also gives us power by the Spirit of God to pray those mysteries known only to God. This is how we pray God’s will when we don’t know God’s will.

In First Corinthians 14:14, we read, “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.” Our job is to trust God when we understand and when we don’t understand. Our job is to not let the world change us, but let God change us. Change for the better will occur, starting with each one of us, when we let God change us down deep inside. For that to happen, we must keep our focus on God, not social media, not politics, not the weather, not public opinion.

God is able to change anything. Do you want him to change you?

Close Your Mouth

Romans 7:15-18

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

Doesn’t that verse sum up our feelings about trying to do what is right. This world we live in has so many temptations to sin. So many. We have to be on our guard all the time to train ourselves to say no to doing the wrong thing. We have to develop a stubbornness about doing the right thing. But even when we want to do the right thing, we end up doing the wrong thing because we are weak.

Super Bowl Sunday is a day known for parties. People gather around the TV and snack on fattening foods for a few hours. Many of those people have departed from their January resolution to lose weight. They don’t want to overeat, but they do it anyway. Discipline needs a little help sometimes. I tried to limit my food intake that day, but after the game was over, I found a weakness for the carrot cake my husband offered me. I didn’t need it, but I ate it. It was delicious.

One thing I can always count on is the mercy and forgiveness of God. His love is stronger than my ability to be tempted. It always has been and always will be. All I have to do is stay connected to Him. He is willing to strengthen me, if I am willing to run to Him. The bond I develop with Him helps me destroy the power of temptation. But if I stop seeking God, it’s so much easier for temptation to get the better of me.

My plan is to continue to seek God and continue to develop my relationship with Him. Won’t you join me?

A Time To Hate

Ecclesiastes 3:8

a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

There is a time for everything. A specific time. We teach our kids to love and not hate, but the Bible clearly shows us that there is a time for hate.

The wrong time to hate is when God has given direction and we want to do something else. Psalm 50:17 “You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you.” We need to find a way to love God’s instruction and change our selfish priorities. When we hear God’s correction either through the Holy Spirit or through a loving person who sees that we need to be redirected, we should thank them for correcting our steps so we don’t fall. Proverbs 12:1 “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.”

Those who refuse to accept instruction and correction may turn a whim into a firm habit of sin. Firm habits are ruts, and ruts are hard to get out of. We make excuses for ourselves. We rationalize and justify our sin until it becomes hard for us to see. We become so blind to it, it’s hard for us to admit it was ever sin. Psalm 36:2 “For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.”

We should remind ourselves everyday that we are not perfect, but God is. We should keep our ears ready for God’s correction so that we don’t end up blind to sin and hating God and all who love Him. Psalm 81:15 “Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever.”

The time to hate is when we are tempted to sin. If we would allow ourselves to hate the sin every time the sin invites our participation, we would dig a rut of righteousness by standing firm and not following after sin.

In Romans 12:9, we are told plainly, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”