From the Inside Out.
Day 2- 100 Days of Prayer
I was challenged by the Lord today to take a look at the beam in my eye, before I tried to remove the speck out of someone else’s eye. Although this was not a foreign concept to me, it took me off guard a bit because I was expecting to do the normal confession and repentance before entering into the presence of God but he wanted me to GO DEEPER and look from the inside out. And today I want to share with you the importance of dealing with your own sins before you deal with someone else’s.
Matthew 7:3-5 3And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. All too often we find ourselves pointing the finger at the sins of others, telling them to repent without realizing that we too are in need of taking the time to go before the lord in repentance. During these 100 days of prayer we are praying for revival, reawakening, and repentance and Godly sorrow to fall upon our city, state and nation. But today the Holy Spirit reminded me that if we want to see revival and repentance that it must first start with ME! There is no doubt that our nation is in trouble and we are seeing more and more evil rear its ugly head. And I believe that in answer to the prayers of the saints that we will see the hand of God move upon our nation and he will heal our land. However, as we are praying for others, we must be willing to let the light of God that we are paying to invade the earth, invade us first. Why is this important? Because the word of God is very clear that God will one day come back for his bride and this bride is to be without spot, wrinkle or blemish. So where does this purification process begin? It Starts With His Church! 1 Peter 4:17 lets us know that “judgment must begin at the house of God.” It has always been God’s plan to have a holy people. Those that would stand for Him, live for Him and follow Him. So what does that mean for you and I, His people? That means that we must make a decision to be cleansed by the purifying power of the blood of Jesus Christ. It means that we must lay aside every weight and sin that so easily entangles us. Hebrews 12:1-2 So what is your weight? What is your besetting sin? What is the beam in your eye? Is it gossip? Drinking? Gambling? Cussing? Drugs? Overeating? Selfishness? Lying? Pride? What is it that catches you every time? It is time for each one of us to be honest and go before the Lord with a repentant heart in full confession and ask him to wash, cleanse and create in us a clean heart. So this leads me to believe that the work that must be done on earth, must first be done in us. The repentance that we are crying for the nation to do, but first come from US. The seeking that that nation must move into, must first come from the church. Our prayer today both individually and corporately is that God would shine his purifying light from heaven and search our hearts. I want to encourage you that asking God to search your heart, to cleanse your conscience, and to renew your mind is a good thing. Actually it is the best thing that you and I can do. Let us be the change we want to see in the world. Let us fulfill the distinctive call of God on each one of our lives. And that is to represent a Holy God by following in his footsteps and re-presenting his love, grace, faithfulness and holiness in an unholy world. Lord, let the work begin from the inside out.
From the Inside Out:
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I come to You in the Name of Jesus, and I ask You to forgive me of everything I have done that could displease You in any way. I ask You to cover me with the Blood of Jesus and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Cause my thoughts to be Your thoughts, my desires Your desires, my will Your will, and put a guard across my mouth that I can say no more or no less than You would have me say. Keep me on the path that You have laid out for me today, and show me Satan’s tactics in advance.
I acknowledge the whole armor of God and come fully dressed for battle. I pray that every thought that Satan or any of his kingdom tries to put in my mind will bounce off the helmet of salvation and return to the sender. Heal every memory that could hold me back from being all that You want me to be. I recognize that I have on the breastplate of righteousness, my loins are girded with the truth and my feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. I take up the sword of the spirit and the shield of faith.
I ask You to draw us to Yourself, convict us mightily of our sins, keep us from temptation, deliver us from evil and cover us with the Blood of Jesus. We lay aside: Prideful comparison, Unhealthy habits and affections, sexual immortality, prejudices, obsessions, infatuations, anger, bitterness, fear, smoking, drinking, anxiety, People, situations, comforts, Attachments, Jobs, attitudes, the small foxes that spoil the vineyard, False burdens-false responsibilities, debt, infirmities, past failures (Songs of Solomon 2:15) Lord, cut off everything that Distracts &Brings Death to us
Father anoint me to be a vessel that can be used to “root out” and to “plant” in the Lord’s vineyard, (Jer. 1:10). My heart’s desire is to be a believer of intense prayer, purity and passion. Father, as I press into your presence I come to empty myself of all fleshly desires. I pray that you will hollow me out and fill me with your Holy Spirit and that with fire. Father help me not to get caught in the thicket of carnality that leads to sin. Lord today, I present my body a living sacrifice that it would be holy and acceptable unto you and fit for the master’s use (Romans 12). Purge me with hyssop, create in me a clean heart and renew the right spirit within me (Psalms 51).Lord, let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice.( Psalm 141:2) In Jesus Name. Amen