IS AMERICA BEING CALLED TO ANGUISH?
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THE PROFOUND VALUE OF MILITARY CHAPLAINS
REAL STORIES OF HOW EASY IT IS TO GET GENDER TRANSITION SURGERY & HORMONES
THE ANSWER TO OUR NATIONAL DISCORD
WHITE PRIVILEGE & AN IMPENDING RACE WAR?
IS AMERICA BEING CALLED TO ANGUISH?
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“When God determined to recover a ruined situation, he would find a man and baptize him in anguish” (David Wilkerson). . . .
Anguish is defined as severe physical or emotional pain or distress. Spiritual anguish is when we feel deeply the things that reflect the heart of God. Prophetic voices have always sounded the alarm and called people to weep over the things that break the heart of God. . . .
In the New Testament, John the Baptist was the “voice of one crying in the wilderness” (John 1:23). Even Jesus experienced deep anguish when he cried out, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Luke 13:24). . . .
ANGUISH OVER THE RUINS
The book of Nehemiah begins with Jerusalem being in ruin: “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days, I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” Later in the book, Nehemiah said to the king, “Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” (Nehemiah 2:3).
We only need to look at the devastating drift from God’s moral standard in America to understand Nehemiah’s lament. From the school districts to the courtrooms and from the media to manipulating news outlets, the outright perversion is extremely alarming. . . .
The gates of the city represented security, commerce, and justice, all of which had decayed. As it was then, so it is today. The ruins are all around us as well. Security and justice are being exchanged for corruption and manipulation, and commerce is being replaced with socialism. Again, where is the anguish? . . .
We need true prophetic voices again to sound the alarm: “‘Return to Me’, declares the LORD of hosts, ‘that I may return to you'” (Zechariah 1:3).
ANGUISH SPARKS SPIRITUAL AWAKENINGS
Anguish is where a deep prayer life and revival are born: “Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out before You day and night. May my prayer reach Your presence; listen to my cry” (Psalm 88:1-2 HCSB). Anguish fears judgment but also knows that there is hope: “When Zion travails, sons and daughters are born” (cf. Isaiah 66:8).
In 1930, there was a powerful awakening at a school for the sons of missionaries in South India. It was traced to three young boys who were in anguish over the lack of spiritual fervor at the school. God answered their prayers and brought intense spiritual hunger.
In 1949, The Hebrides Revival in Scotland began when two elderly sisters were in anguish over the desperate need for revival. They told the pastor that both of them would pull down heaven by praying from ten o’clock at night until two o’clock in the morning. . . .
ANGUISH OVER A LACK OF SPIRITUAL HUNGER
To awaken our spiritual appetite, there must be a continual hunger and thirst for God. Matthew 5:6 tells us that only those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. Are you in anguish over the spiritual condition of our families, nation, and church … over the lack of righteousness? Then ask God to awaken your barren and dry soul by setting aside time to fast and pray.
Evangelical author Neil T. Anderson once asked a high priest of Satanism this question: “Based on your experience of the other side, what is the Christian’s best line of defense?” The Satanist responded, “Prayer, and when you pray, mean it. Fervent prayer stops Satan’s activity like nothing else.” . . .
ANGUISH OVER SIN LEADS TO SALVATION
Another important aspect of anguish involves us realizing our utter depravity and our need for complete reliance on God. Jesus cried out in deep anguish on the cross for us, and we must cry out to Him: “Oh God, save me, a sinner … have mercy on me.” . . .
Paraphrasing C.H. Spurgeon, “When Satan tells me I am unworthy, I remind Him that I’ve always been unworthy, and yet, God still loves me.” Feelings of unworthiness do not prevent you from having fellowship with Him. Make the choice today and turn your life completely over to Him. Your anguish over sin will be turned into tremendous peace and joy: “Who the Son sets free is free indeed” (John 8:36). . . .
How were you challenged or encouraged by this article?
(Excerpt from Christian Headlines. Article by Shane Ideleman. Photo Credit: Unsplash.)
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I anguish over the vast number of souls that are unsaved in our nation, including most of my family. It is painful to see how easy it has been for people to succumb to the beliefs and attitudes that please the enemy, particularly in today’s world. I am also pained by the general condition of the “church” itself. People have lost their fervor and show apathy towards God and His righteous commands. Lord God, I repent for our nation, for we have reached a level of sin and perversion that has angered you. Please hear our prayers and rescue our nation with a great revival and repentance. Lord, may our deep passion and true worship for you be restored. You are just and merciful, Heavenly Father. May we honor you with our lives.
Thank you for this encouraging article. To be honest, I don’t think I could survive without the Lord Almighty God on our side. Lord, we cry out to You in these perilous times and help us to be Your hands and feet in this world; help us to represent You well Lord. In Jesus holy and precious name, amen!
Let us weep and wail, between the porch and the altar, and teach our daughters and sons to do the same.
Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider and call for the mourning women, That they may come; And send for skillful wailing women, That they may come. Let them make haste And take up a wailing for us, That our eyes may run with tears, And our eyelids gush with water. For a voice of wailing is heard from Zion: ‘How we are plundered! We are greatly ashamed, Because we have forsaken the land, Because we have been cast out of our dwellings.’ ” Yet hear the word of the Lord, O women, And let your ear receive the word of His mouth; Teach your daughters wailing, And everyone her neighbor a lamentation.
Jeremiah 9:17-20 NKJV
O my soul, my soul! I am pained in my very heart! My heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war. Destruction upon destruction is cried, For the whole land is plundered. Suddenly my tents are plundered, And my curtains in a moment. “For My people are foolish, They have not known Me. They are silly children, And they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, But to do good they have no knowledge.”
Jeremiah 4:19-20, 22 NKJV
When 2 Chronicles 7:14 is recalled or recited the ‘…HUMBLE themselves and pray…’ part is passed over with little comment. The primary way that we humble ourselves for the purpose of prayer, besides introspection, repentance, and confession- IS fasting. That’s why the 1st Friday Fast is so important; although at this time in human history extended fasting is critically warranted. Intercession in the Greek is ‘agonistos’ which reveals the level of personal and corporate trauma that results when we seek and find the broken Heart of GOD over the rebellion of mankind, so often even in ‘the church’.
When we enter into the tears of the Father it changes our prayers as it changes our hearts.
Join our hearts Father to seek Your Face and sense Your Heart as ours… that we may pray aright, knowing that You are faithful to answer our prayers that are Your Prayers prayed through US by Your Holy Spirit… in Jesus’ Name, AMEN!
https://zionsgate.wordpress.com/2007/07/01/the-joy-of-fasting-discipline-deliverance-and-delight/
So encouraging! Nothing can happen without prayer. Having our armor in place and our weapons in hand, we can (being full of God’s power and listening to Him as our Commander in Chief) hit satan where it hurts and cause major damage to his kingdom Eph.6:10-18
Great article!! “Hit the nail on the head!” Thank you!
Thank you for this article. Some of the articles I read as I learn of America’s departure from godliness put me in terrible anguish. I cried and wept over the article about the lab in Illinois and the ungodly use of human embryos.
Father in heaven, hear our cries. We are sorrowful and in anguish over what’s broken, sinful and against Your ways. We ask You to hear, forgive, and heal. Bring spiritual awakening and revival fire to this country that the whole world will know there is a God in heaven. Amen.
Just as in the day of Nehemiah ” When I heard these things, I sat down and wept” Father, may we weep and anguish in our hearts for the assault against our children. May they be a generation raised up who will know Our God and know the wonders of our God. Return us to yourself O Lord, that You may return to us. We need Your Holy Spirit to walk in the resurrection life through Christ. We are Your people and our children belong to You, build a wall of fire around them as You draw them into the day of their salvation. May You be glorified in the work of Your hands.
Thank You Toni for sharing your prayer with us to AGREE in prayer with!!! I say Yes and Amen!!! 🙏💕
Love that you quoted Charles Spurgeon, he was a terrific teacher/preacher!! Good Work!! May God give you the strength and power to continue in this fine most excellent ministry!!
Yes, this is an encouraging article. We all know the depravity and difficult issues that we have to deal with in our society. I personally don’t know how I would survive without the mercy and grace of Jesus as my reference point. Yes, we need to take authority over Satan and his minions. A serious battle is taking place in the heavenlies. We need to be crying out to the Lord in a fervent fashion, remembering that in Him, we ARE more than conquerors! In Jesus’ name we pray.
Abba Father,
We do cry out in anguish and great sorrow for we share in the responsibility of the deteriorating condition of our culture! We have been lazy and complacent drowning in our pleasures and clinging to what temporal things distract us from facing our sinfulness. Oh Lord, we have left our first love. Our family, schools, communities and government reflect hearts that are selfish and hungry for power and control. Even our churches wade in apostasy. We seek knowledge from science without the moral grounding of God’s Word making it and the environment our treasured idols! We find answers from Hollywood and news outlets that seek to fulfill our emptiness and loneliness but that only lead to more isolation and separation from each other and from You, Lord. We are in desperate need of You! Proverbs 19:3 “A man’s own foolishness leads him astray yet his heart rages against the Lord.” We are raging against You, Holy God! Please forgive us. For those who belong to Christ, we pray for courage and strength! To stand firm on Your Word and to preach the gospel as the days grow darker! Things are not getting better, yet we have hope for our eyes are fixed on Christ and His promises! We are the Redeemed and Christ is preparing a place for us and He will receive us to Himself! (John 14:3) It is our desire to magnify Your Name and to bring You all glory and honor! Lord Jesus, help us through the power of Your Holy Spirit to finish the race proclaiming Your soon return and pointing others to salvation before it’s too late In Your Name we pray! Amen
Denise there is portion that really spoke to me. Thank you for your prayer.
Lord I pray that You will show us how to recognize those idols that we have allowed in our lives and those that have crept in unawares, that we may deal with them at the foot of the cross and the throne of grace.
Thank you that You are a Merciful and Gracious Father when we come to You in repentance. Amen
Amen!!! Forgive us, O Lord!
Lord,
My anguish for our nation and families has been quenched by hope deferred and an increase in busyness. Lord, please forgive me and draw me back into your purposes and plans for me that I am used by you and my life reflect your light and glory in a dark world. Father, I know in my heart that you are the only answer to all that ails us and our society is so sick. Father, please forgive us. Our walls and gates are broken and evil has come in to our nation, cities, and families. Only you Lord can save us. In your mercy Lord breathe revival into our children, marriages, families. Lord I pray for you to awaken all people to the devastation of our sin and turn us from our wicked ways. Father, please protect your people as you work thru the process of our repentance. Lord have mercy. Thy kingdom come Lord, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. In Jesus Name I pray.
I had no idea so few in this generation believed in God.if this statistic is even close, I know why Hod has told me 5here is to be another reset in which the “drag queens” will find their match in intensifyimg Intercession.
May God prepare the Righteous for the intensity of this war.
AMEN
Thank you for this reminder and call today. Over the past year as I have driven into work, many mornings I have been brought to tears as I have prayed for my family and the community we are in. It aches to see how God wants to be at work in our lives and how we all too quickly push Him away and embrace the very things He hates. I keep praying that our churches can be pockets of Shaloam in our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces…where God can use us as His hands and feet to reach our communities that DESPERATELY need Him.
yes yes
I have been in anguish for the longest time over the lostness in those who call themselves saved
Jesus warns in Matt 7:21-23 not all who even call me Lord are
Luke 9:23-26 tells us why.
We are not His disciples unless we are ready to suffer and die