The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of BCNN1. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s).

What does a 9-year-old child know about sexuality? What does a pre-pubescent boy know about the meaning of “gay”? How many boys of that age still dream innocently of marrying their mothers? It is therefore absolutely outrageous that presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg gave a national platform to a 9-year-old who wanted advice on coming out as gay.

This is as shameful as it is irresponsible. That there was not an immediate, national outcry points to the morally confused and spiritually comatose condition of much of our country.

As reported by the New York Post, “A 9-year-old Colorado boy got kudos from openly gay Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg when he asked him during a rally for help telling the world that he’s also gay.”

The boy’s name was Zachary Ro, and his question, which he wrote on a piece of paper, read, “Thank you for being so brave. Would you help me tell the world I’m gay too? I want to be brave like you.”

Not surprisingly, his question “was met with cheers and chants of ‘Love means love’ from the nearly 4,000 people in attendance.”

Buttigieg was so impressed with the question that he brought the boy on the platform, together with his mother. And he commended the boy’s courage, saying, “I don’t think you need a lot of advice from me on bravery; you seem pretty strong.”

The crowd, of course, loved his answer, and the video of their interaction has gone viral. Instead, it should have provoked a national outrage. This, too, is child abuse.

Remember. This child is only 9 years old.

He is pre-pubescent.

He is only a few years removed from thinking that boys who like girls have “the cooties.” (Do you remember hearing that in kindergarten and the first grade?)

And surveys have indicated that plenty of teenagers who identify as gay no longer do so when they reach adulthood. (See below for more.)

I’m aware, of course, that many gay readers will say to me, “You are completely ignorant. I knew I was different when I was 6.”

Perhaps you did. But plenty of others thought they were same-sex attracted as children only to find out later that they were not. (And how many kids identify as heterosexual and then later “discover” they are homosexual?)

As a 2019 article in Science Alert notes (reporting on a major new, scientific health study), “Far from being a fixed preference, the findings suggest that sexual identity and attraction undergo extensive and often subtle changes throughout a person’s life, continuing long past adolescence and into adulthood, with women showing slightly more fluidity than men.”

The lead author of the study was Christine Kaestle, a developmental health scientist at Virginia Tech.

SOURCE: Charisma News

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TEXT: Hebrews 4:14-16

14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

——–

Steve Swartz said, “Cultivate your trust and familiarity with the Lord in prayer now so that when the hammer comes down, when the dam bursts, and when the earthquake hits, the door to the throne room of God is well-oiled and will open easily when you run through it.”

The story is told of a Christian Russian man named Ivan, who endures all the horrors of a Soviet prison camp. One day he is praying with his eyes closed when a fellow prisoner notices him and says with ridicule, “Prayers won’t help you get out of here any faster.” Opening his eyes, Ivan answers, “I do not pray to get out of prison but to do the will of God.”

Warren Wiersbe said, “No Old Testament high priest could minister mercy and grace in quite the same way as Jesus. When an Israelite was tempted, he could not easily run to the high priest for help; and he certainly could not enter the holy of holies for God’s help. But as believers in Jesus Christ, we can run to our High Priest at any time, in any circumstance, and find the help that we need. Now because of the superiority of Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest, over Aaron, two important conclusions can be drawn. First, there is no need in giving up our profession just because we are going through testing and trial. The word translated “profession” means “confession.” These Hebrew Christians were tempted to give up their confession of faith in Christ and their confidence in Him. It was not a matter of giving up their salvation, since salvation through Christ is eternal. It was a matter of their public confession of faith. By returning to the Old Testament system, they would be telling everyone that they had no faith in Christ. This kind of unbelief would only bring reproach to Christ’s name. After all, the great purpose of salvation is the glory of God. It was the glory of God that so concerned Moses when Israel broke God’s Law and made the golden calf. God offered to destroy the nation and to begin a new one from Moses, but Moses refused the offer. Instead Moses interceded for Israel on the basis of God’s glory and God’s promise; and God spared the people, even though He disciplined them for their sin. The second conclusion is this: there is no need to go back because we can come boldly into the presence of God and get the help we need. No trial is too great, no temptation is too strong, but that Jesus Christ can give us the mercy and grace that we need, when we need it. “But He is so far away!” we may argue. “And He is the perfect Son of God! What can He know about the problems of weak sinners like us?” But that is a part of His greatness! When He was ministering on earth in a human body, He experienced all that we experience, and even more. After all, a sinless person would feel temptations and trials in a much greater way than you and I could ever feel them. Christ was tempted, yet He did not sin; and He is able to help us when we are tempted. If we fail to hold fast our confession, we are not proving that Jesus Christ has failed. We are only telling the world that we failed to draw on His grace and mercy when it was freely available to us.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Now, if you are with us today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, your first prayer needs to be what we call the Sinner’s Prayer. First, please understand that you are a sinner, just as I am, and that you have broken God’s laws. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. You have done the most important thing in life. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door, by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.

Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.

He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.

He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.

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Jesus told his followers the world would hate them, and that suffering is a consequence of the Christian faith. So, why are Christians surprised and why do governments and the global church remain silent?

Two thousand years after Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, Christians face more danger than ever before. Around the world, each day 260-million Christians suffer for their faith and the persecution is steadily getting worse. 2,983 Christians died for faith-related reasons last year and nearly 9,500 churches were attacked.

North Korea topped the Open Doors Watch List of worst offending countries.

“There are 60,000 Christians in labor camps for owning a bible and many of them died there,” said Open Doors USA President and CEO David Curry.

North Korea Imprisons Christians and Their Family Members

The Voice of the Martyrs Radio host Todd Nettleton explains it is not only the offending Christians who are sent to prison in the Hermit Kingdom, but also their family members.  

The North Korean government arrests “your parents, they arrest your children, they want to completely wipe out even the idea of a different God than the Kim family,” Nettleton said.

In neighboring China, Christians say they face the worst persecution since Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution. And high tech surveillance – including facial recognition software – is part of the communist government’s effort to limit Christian activities. 

Nettleton said Beijing’s goal is to place 600-million active surveillance cameras around the country by the end of this year.

China’s Pervasive Government Surveillance Hard on Christians

“If you think about trying to deliver Bibles, or you think about trying to meet secretly, how are you going to do that when the government is literally watching everything you do?” Nettleton asked.

Curry explained China is building a blueprint, a road map of persecution for other regimes around the world.

“And they’re doing it with surveillance – with a social score that measures Christian behavior, attending church, taking your kids to Sunday school, as negative things.”

Elsewhere, Islamic extremism is a major driver behind the persecution of Christians and it’s not slowing down.

In fact, Curry said it’s intensifying – particularly in a region of Africa known as the Sahel.

Islamic Extremism and Violence Intensifying

It’s a sub-Saharan collection of countries from the west coast of Africa all the way to Eritrea on the east coast. Nigeria is the focal point where the governor of Borno says Islamic terrorism has created nearly 60,000 widows and 60,000 orphans in that state alone. Many of them are Christians.

Terrorists have abducted Christian school girls like Leah Sharibu. Kidnapped two years ago, she is now believed to have given birth to her Muslim captor’s baby.

Boko Haram and ISIS-affiliated groups are the main kidnappers and killers of Nigerian Christians.

Christianity Disappearing in Some Places

Curry explained “They don’t recognize borders. They want .o set up a caliphate in Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and now in Burkina Faso. So they’re looking to spread out from northern Nigeria.”

And because of ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and other Islamic extremists, Christianity in Iraq and Syria is on the verge of disappearing.

Prior to the fall of Saddam Hussein, nearly 1.5-million Christians called Iraq home and more than a million lived in Syria prior to war there.
 
Today, no more than 250-thousand Christians live in each country.

But as those numbers dwindle in Syria and Iraq, Christianity is expanding in Iran-maybe faster than anywhere in the world.

Muslims in Iran Turning to Christ By the Thousands

Perhaps a million Muslims or more have come to Christ in the Islamic Republic. Many former Muslims have started underground house churches although their conversion comes at a high price.

“They are arresting them, they are you know marginalizing them, they are taking their stuff, confiscating their items and they are giving them the choice of going to jail or leaving the country of Iran,” insisted Heart for Iran Director Mike Ansari.

Although Iran is one of the fastest-growing churches in the world despite this persecution, Ansari told CBN News he expects this persecution to intensify.

“These are people who are coming from [a] Muslim background, [a] Shiite background. They have decided to follow Jesus and they say we have a story that needs to be told and that is a story of transformation and hope,” Ansari explained.

Nettleton urges Christians to remember persecuted, faithful followers of Jesus around the world. 

“Hopefully we understand these are our family members, these are our brothers and sisters so if they’re suffering, if there’s something I can do to help, I want to do that.”  

At the urging of the United States, 27-nations have formed a new religious freedom alliance to combat worldwide persecution. 

But will it be enough?

Nettleton, Curry, and others say it is time for the American church to wake up and make the suffering of global Christians a top priority.

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Gospel Light Minute – Ashley Graham (#265)

She is an American model who has taken the fashion industry by storm, becoming one of the most popular faces in the modeling world and a positive role model particularly for women who are classified as “curvy” or “plus-sized”. Known for her accessibility and body confidence, she has been described as an ambassador of the “real beauty” movement, which celebrates how women actually look rather than the impossible standards set by the fashion industry. With her increasing popularity, she has graced the covers of the world’s biggest fashion magazines, including Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar and has walked the runway for major fashion brands and designers. Her rise in the modeling world and fashion industry as a whole has defied traditional expectations and her presence has created a space in the industry for many other women like her. Along with being a top model and body positivity activist, she is also a television presenter, speaker, designer, podcast host and entrepreneur.

As proud as she is of her accomplishments, she is equally proud of her Christian faith and isn’t afraid to use her platform to share her testimony with fans and followers.

The 32-year-old spoke to Harper’s Bazaar UK in 2019 where she candidly discussed how her Christian beliefs have helped her make sense of her fame as one of the most sought-after models in the fashion industry.

“My [Christian] faith has given me the strength to say no,” she explained. “If I’m not comfortable, or if something doesn’t align with my mission, then I’m not participating. My faith is my balance. My husband and I like to pray together because in the Bible it talks about when two or more are gathered, God is in the midst.”

She also told the outlet that it’s no surprise that her faith continues to impact her career choices. “Growing up in a Christian household, I was constantly questioning what my purpose in life was,” she said. “I believe it’s changing the fashion industry.”

“When I moved to New York, I got away from God. Then I realized that living here, you need something to keep you grounded or you’ll go crazy,” she told the magazine Elle UK in 2017.

“I think that faith is definitely something that got me through the hard times in fashion. It got me through the hard times with body confidence, and the terrible decisions that I had made. My [Christian] faith is something that brought me back to finding truth and value in who I am.”

The 32-year-old met her husband Justin Ervin, also a devout Christian, at church in 2009. The couple wed in 2010 and welcomed their first child this year. She shared how they decided to abstain from sex until they were married. In an excerpt from her book, A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like, she candidly writes:

I started dating at 16. My first boyfriend and I were together for three months, until he said, “I have to break up with you because you won’t have sex with me. And I’m afraid you’re going to be as fat as my mom.” Thus started a pattern of going out with anyone who thought I was hot; I lost my virginity to a guy I barely knew because he gave me compliments like, “Ashley, you look really pretty today,” or, “I like when you wear your hair like that.” (The next day he ignored me in school.) When I left Nebraska to start my modeling career in New York City, my dates followed a similar pattern: A guy took me out, then we had sex, then I wouldn’t hear from him again.

Eventually I joined a church. I didn’t go there to find a boyfriend; I truly wasn’t looking for anyone other than the person I wanted to be [in Christ]. One Sunday my volunteer position was to stand in the elevator welcoming people, passing out candy and pushing the button to the eighth floor. When two tall men walked in, I didn’t bat an eye. One nudged the other and said, “If you don’t talk to her, I will.” His friend left the elevator, but he stayed on.

I shrugged. This guy wasn’t my type. With his short hair, ill-­fitting, baggy Old Navy jeans, white Hanes T-shirt, and Converse sneakers, he exuded a major nerd factor. But there was something sweet about Justin, and I was at church, so I had to be polite. He rode up and down with me a few times, and he seemed to be looking into my soul when we talked. He was smart and funny and had traveled the world. So I agreed to go out for coffee.

The day arrived, and we had a great time—until the check came. I went to the bathroom, and when I returned the check was still resting on the table with his half on top. “Here you go,” he said, handing me the bill. I paid my share of the $5.25 and thought, This is the last date. For a month Justin called, texted, and emailed, but I stuck to my guns. Finally he persuaded me to go out for falafel. “Let me explain,” he said. “I’m going to pay for dinner tonight. And I’m going to pay for the next dinner after that. When you told me you were a model, I assumed you were one of those beautiful women who uses guys for a fancy dinner. I don’t play that game. I do well for myself, and I’ve been burned because of it. I don’t want to go out with anyone who only has me around so I can pay for stuff.”

And just like that, I had my first experience of what it meant to communicate with a man. It was profound; all I wanted to do was keep talking to Justin. The consistency and openness was so new it felt weird. I told him this all the time: “You’re weird.”

My romance with Justin was innocent and sweet. He cooked for me. We went rollerblading and biking; we did karaoke, went to the movies, took an improv class together. Because we weren’t sleeping together—for Justin, abstinence was a firm commitment to his Christian faith—we never tempted ourselves by going over to each other’s apartments late at night. But we’d go to late movies or take walks through the city together. We had a spot on 14th Street and Seventh Avenue where we loved to sit and chat.

Yet despite how wonderful everything was, I still kept part of myself in reserve. While Justin offered so much of himself through our conversations, I answered his probing questions with this: “If I know you in six months, I’ll tell you.”

So how did I finally know he was the one worth putting myself out there for? I brought Justin home to Nebraska. Now, I should probably mention that Justin is black, and that I didn’t grow up around many black people. The sum total of what I learned about African American culture in school was Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and the Underground Railroad. This was more than my mom knew; she didn’t even see a black person in real life until she was 18 years old.

I never told Justin any of this, and I never told my grandparents that the man I was bringing home was black. I naively hoped everyone would be color-blind—which is not what happened. When my grandparents met Justin, my grandmother was cordial but cold. She greeted him and immediately walked away. When it came time for them to leave, my grandparents didn’t even acknowledge him. Instead my grandmother looked me in the eye, with Justin standing behind me, and said, “Tell that guy I said goodbye.”

I had never seen my loving, hardworking, and wonderful grandma be so hurtful and so racist. I was in shock.

After they left I took Justin on a ride to get out of the house. I’ll never forget what he said as we drove around town: “Racism is never surprising but always disappointing.”

Justin made me understand that someone like my grandma only saw black men depicted on television in situations involving guns, rape, and violence—situations that perpetuate racist stereotypes against black people in general and black men in particular. She had probably never looked a black man in the face, let alone had a conversation with him, and now one was in her daughter’s home, dating her granddaughter.

As if his understanding wasn’t generous enough, Justin called my grandmother on her sixtieth wedding anniversary. He’s not a texter or an emailer; he’s a pick-up-the-phone-and-call-you ­person, and anniversaries are a big deal to him. Afterward Grandma called my mom and said, “You’ll never guess who called me.” And from then on out, she loved him. Loved him.

I’m so grateful that happened, and it never would have if ­Justin hadn’t put his hand out there. He always puts love before pride, which is what he did with me. When I was playing games, he called me out on it. When we began dating, he did it with intention, always asking the difficult questions: “What do you bring to this relationship?” and “What role do you see yourself in beyond girlfriend or wife?” I wasn’t always sure how to answer. I didn’t like my mom and dad’s marriage, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. But thanks to Justin’s constant communication, I envisioned a marriage that was more than just two people loving each other. And now we have that marriage: a partnership dedicated to building something bigger than ourselves.

Her name is Ashley Graham.

This is the “Chief of Sinners,” Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International, reminding you of what the Bible says, that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” like you and me. Just as Ashley Graham trusts Jesus Christ as her Saviour, may I encourage you to do the same. Here is how:

1. Accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 7:20: “For there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good, and sinneth not.” Romans 3:23 reads: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” In fact, I am the chief of sinners, so don’t think that you’re alone.

2. Accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

3. Accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” The Bible says in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

4. Accept the fact that you cannot do anything to save yourself! The Bible states in Ephesians 2: 8, 9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

5. Accept the fact that God loves you more than you love yourself, and that He wants to save you from hell. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

6. With these facts in mind, please repent of your sins, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and pray and ask Him to come into your heart and save you this very moment. The Bible states in the book of Romans 10:9, 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Dear friend, if you are willing to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, please pray with me this simple prayer: Heavenly Father, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

Remember, friend, Believe by faith. Share the faith. and Keep the faith!

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Welcome to the Prayer Motivator Devotional Broadcast #768. This is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International. The simple purpose of this podcast is to encourage you, exhort you, and motivate you to Just Pray. This podcast is not necessarily for people who already know the secret and power of prayer and who actually practice genuine prayer on a regular basis, rather it is for those who may find it difficult to pray or for people who claim they do not have time to pray. I am convinced that most Christian people do not need to learn how to pray; they need to Just Pray! If I can get you to just pray, all sorts of wonderful things will begin to happen for you, your family, and whatever God has called you to do. We do not pray based upon our subjective feelings, we pray based upon objective facts in the Word of God.

Our prayer motivator passage from the Word of God today is Matthew 6:12 which reads: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

Allow me to share with you some important points regarding this passage from Matthew Henry’s Commentary:

5. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, This is connected with the former; and forgive, intimating, that unless our sins be pardoned, we can have no comfort in life, or the supports of it. Our daily bread does but feed us as lambs for the slaughter, if our sins be not pardoned. It intimates, likewise, that we must pray for daily pardon, as duly as we pray for daily bread. He that is washed, needeth to wash his feet. Here we have, (1.) A petition; Father in heaven forgive us our debts, our debts to thee. Note, [1.] Our sins are our debts; there is a debt of duty, which, as creatures, we owe to our Creator; we do not pray to be discharged from that, but upon the non-payment of that there arises a debt of punishment; in default of obedience to the will of God, we become obnoxious to the wrath of God; and for not observing the precept of the law, we stand obliged to the penalty. A debtor is liable to process, so are we; a malefactor is a debtor to the law, so are we. [2.] Our hearts’ desire and prayer to our heavenly Father every day should be, that he would forgive us our debts; that the obligation to punishment may be cancelled and vacated, that we may not come into condemnation; that we may be discharged, and have the comfort of it. In suing out the pardon of our sins, the great plea we have to rely upon is the satisfaction that was made to the justice of God for the sin of man, by the dying of the Lord Jesus our Surety, or rather Bail to the action, that undertook our discharge.

Our featured prayer motivator quote is from Kevin DeYoung. He said, “In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus assumes that asking for forgiveness would be a daily occurrence, as would praying that we might be delivered from evil and led not into temptation.”

My personal encouragement for you today is this: Families are in need of a great amount of intercession. Even if your marriage and family seem strong right now, seek out those families in your community who are on the rocks and make it your mission to pray for them daily.

Our prayer motivator devotional today is titled “PRAYING MEN AT A PREMIUM” part 5 from the book, “The Weapon of Prayer” by E.M. Bounds.

E.M. Bounds goes on to say:

Christian people must pray for men. On one occasion, Samuel said unto the people, “Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you.” Fortunate for these sinful people who had rejected God, and desired a human king, that they had in Israel a man of prayer. The royal way to enlarge personal grace is to pray for others. Intercessory prayer is a means of grace to those who exercise it. We enter the richest fields of spiritual growth and gather its priceless riches in the avenues of intercessory prayer. To pray for men is of divine nomination, and represents the highest form of Christian service.

Men must pray, and men must be prayed for. The Christian must pray for all things, of course, but prayers for men are infinitely more important, just as men are infinitely more important than things. So also prayers for men are far more important than prayers for things because men more deeply concern God’s will and the work of Jesus Christ than things. Men are to be cared for, sympathized with and prayed for, because sympathy, pity, compassion and care accompany and precede prayer for men, when they are not called out for things.

All this makes praying a real business, not child’s play, not a secondary affair, nor a trivial matter but a serious business. The men who have made a success of praying have made a business of praying. It is a process demanding the time, thought, energy and hearts of mankind. Prayer is business for time, business for eternity. It is a man’s business to pray, transcending all other business and taking precedence over all other vocations, professions or occupations. Our praying concerns ourselves, all men, their greatest interests, even the salvation of their immortal souls. Praying is a business which takes hold of eternity and the things beyond the grave. It is a business which involves earth and heaven. All worlds are touched and worlds are influenced by prayer. It has to do with God and men, angels and devils.

Now, friend, it is time for us to pray…

Remember, the announcer will provide the information for you to send in your prayer request at the end of this broadcast.

Please join me in prayer……..

We pray collectively and individually for the following:
> 3 million people to come to know you as Saviour
> the revival of the church
> the healing of families
> the healing of this nation
> blessings and guidance for all pastors, church leaders, and missionaries
> Salvation, leadership, and wisdom for the president and for all governmental officials who run this country and all other countries.

Now, Lord, we pray for three people who have sent in prayer requests:

Name: Naeem
Please bless and provide for the revival crusade and bless him with all of the Bibles he needs

Name: Bushebi
Please bless him with the resources he needs to finish building the Bible School classrooms and bless him with the invitation letters ahead of time for USA Traveling Visas

Name: Mary
For an increase in church membership

—-

Holy Father God, we pray for the following people who have accepted you into their hearts. We pray, Lord, that you would confirm them in the faith and have them grow in the faith to become the Holy Spirit-filled Christians that you want them to be. We pray specifically for —-

Vitallis
Fai
Augustine

Now, Lord we pray for the following people who have been saved for a while but who have recommitted their lives to You. We rejoice with them in this decision and pray that they will keep their commitments to you and be strengthened in the faith. We pray specifically for —-

Sylvia
Rosario
Maggy

***

Now, if you are listening today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how.

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9-13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Until next time,

Remember, friend, Pray, Think, Do! God Bless You!

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