“But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place
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God is love and because that is his character, he easily gives love as it was also easy for him to send his one and only son to the cross of Calvary for the sinner man. Man has a problem of giving love, even when a person expresses love to someone, most often it is conditional and that is why we find a lot of broken relationships around us. In Revelation 2 above, God is still standing on his side of the bargain, and calling man to come back to the love table from where man has fallen. God is really good. Else, why will he even bother? He is a keeper of his word. The reason why a man falls away is because man has all these self-centered, selfish, and self-seeking ways. As in Revelation 2: 14-16 “But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. In the same way, some of you also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth”. It is only because of our self-seeking tendencies, that push us into ungodly paths. God bought the church with his blood and thus he owns the church. Why should we the church follow other teachings that are not biblical? Additionally, people do not even take time to read/study the word for themselves and thus anything they hear goes. The church in America has fallen from grace and we must pray for its restoration. Generally, if we focus on Jeremiah 5:7 “"Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken Me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery and assembled at the houses of prostitutes”, there will be no need or way for God to forgive but the truth is if there is someone standing in the gap praying, then there is the creator of heaven and earth who is able to hear and answer prayers. The church in America is entering a dangerous era as noted in Jeremiah 13:26-27 “26So I will pull your skirts up over your face, that your shame may be seen. 27Your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution on the hills and in the fields— I have seen your detestable acts. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! How long will you remain unclean?” where God will expose and judge the church.
“So far as there is a kneeing intercessor, there is a prayer answering God.”
1. Pray that the church in America will come to the place of understanding and revelation, acknowledge their sin, be ashamed of it and turn to God in true repentance. Jeremiah 31:19 “19 After I strayed, I repented; after I came to understand, I beat my breast. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.” . Act 3: 19 “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord”.
2. Pray for true acknowledgement of sin and repentance without which we will continue to go in cycles. The only kind of repentance that leads to real relationship with the father is when we truly see our sin for what it is: 2 Corinthians 7:9-10 “9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”
3. Pray that the church in America will go through a Saul experience in Acts 9:3-4 “3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” so that they can come back from where they have wandered to: 2 Peter 2:15 “They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.”
4. Proclaim through your intercessory prayers what the Lord is saying to his church- that the church should remember when they were in a true love relationship with God. Jeremiah 2:2 "Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem that this is what the LORD says: 'I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown”.
5. Pray that the church in America will arise, come to the place of repentance, and for the blood of Jesus to wash the evil in its heart, so it may serve God as expected by God alone. It is only at the place of repentance where the blood of Jesus is effective in cleansing a life: Jeremiah 4:14 “Wash the evil from your heart, O Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts within you?
6. The church heard the gospel but has fallen. Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring to remembrance, the word of God that tells us how to walk in righteousness, holiness, love, humility, etc: Revelation 3:3 “3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.”
7. Pray for the ministers of the gospel in America. Pray that they will preach the word of God, be ready irrespective of the season, avoid being entangled into any political drama: 2 Timothy 2: 1-2 “1I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom: 2Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction”.
8. Hate what God hates and pray against it: Proverbs 6:16-19 “16There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, 19 a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community”
a) Pray that America will repent from shedding innocent blood. This Land has a lot of innocent blood in their hands, yet see what the Lord says in Proverbs 6: 17 above. Deuteronomy 19:10 “Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.”
b) Lying is an abomination before God. You see the politicians stand on the TV that is watched by the whole world and tell lies very easily. We must stand against the spirit of lies and arrogance and seal every mouth that lies: Psalm 31:18 “May lying lips be silenced--lips that speak with arrogance against the righteous, full of pride and contempt”. Proverbs 12:22”Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.
c) We must ask for the wrath of God against slanders: Psalm 101:5 “Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not endure”.
9. Pray for all those in leadership in the church and public offices. Pray for the president and his team: 1 Timothy 2:1-2 “2 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness”
10. Pray for the prosperity of America. You live here. It is very important that America prospers as that will affect you as well. Ask the Lord to give you a burden for America. Jeremiah 29:7 “Seek the prosperity of the city to which I have sent you as exiles. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for if it prospers, you too will prosper."