A Prayer of Confession for our time

A prayer prayed by Pastor Joe Wright at the opening of the Kansas State Senate. Not sure when it was but sometime before 1999. Still relevant today.

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, “Woe to those who call evil good,” but that’s exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that:
We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism.
We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism.
We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it a choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.
We have abused power and called it political savvy.
We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the airwaves with profanity and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state. Grant them Your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your
will… Amen

Word for Australia from Brian Simmons Sept 2014

Delivered at H.I.M. Conference, Brisbane 23-26 Sept 2014

God has a wonderful word He wants to speak over Australia. The land down under will become one of the most desirable places to live on earth as the Holy Spirit begins to fall, kissing the hearts of His worshippers. Throughout your nation, the Great Southland of the Holy Spirit, a wave of God favor is about to sweep over you. Churches will grow, new converts will bring more, and churches will be filled with more new converts. Established churches will be like the fathers and mothers of this great move of God. Expect to see many who have migrated to Australia, especially Iranians and middle eastern refugees become mighty evangelists after they come in contact with God’s power flowing in the churches of Australia.

My wife and I just returned from a three week ministry tour of the beloved nation. While there we both received a number of dreams from God, Holy Spirit inspired visions, and words of prophecy for that beautiful land. Allow me to share the 7 prophetic words He spoke to my wife and me. Although Australia is highlighted, I believe these words apply to the wonderful nation of New Zealand as well! These will begin to manifest immediately and move into greater fulfillment throughout 2015:

1. Australia will experience an immediate Holy Spirit shift that could be compared to the WINDOWS of heaven being open over your nation. This involves great financial blessing that will increase (Malachi 3:10-11), but even greater will be the revelation of the Holy Spirit that comes over the nation. Of all the nations, Australia will be given insight into global events that will startle the powers that be. You will be given eyes to see and ears to hear and the Spirit of Understanding will rest upon your political leaders, intercessors, and pastors. Expect to see an even greater alliance forged between Australia and Israel.

2. Australia will be a healing center. Many healings will come to the praying believers who have great faith for healing. The anointing of Smith Wigglesworth, the noted healing evangelist of generations past will be re-deposited in the church. Healing services will begin to fill with people turning to Jesus Christ. I awoke this morning to the sounds of, “I am the Lord who heals you, I am the Lord your healer.” As a sign that you will be healing nation, there will be a great healing of the rift between the native Australians and the government. Watch a tearful move of God sweep into Canberra.

3. Truth will prevail. Aussies love the truth, hate the hype and have been given great discernment. God has put a root of truth into your DNA. You will help the global church navigate many thorny theological issues that will soon arise. Authors will be anointed to point us to truth. You will carry the Spirit of Truth and the Word of Truth as discernment flows through you. Never fall back from your calling to preach the truth.

4. The Battle of Hope continues. The Hope of Christ must win over every pocket of fear of the future. Hope is the answer and will become a great invitation to the lost in your nation to come to the God of Hope. Every state of your nation must bring forth your message of hope! Hope come back and burn bright in Oz! Hope will win in the end! I saw Perth give birth to a move of mercy, giving compassion to the Asians that have come to your land. Perth will soon be called “a global City of Refuge” (See Joshua 20).

5. Judah praises. I see high praises rising from all over the nation. Aboriginals will join in as the celebration of freedom and power sweeps through the church. Expect new moves of God, much like Hillsong, to come forth with a brand new sound that will cause shaking and trembling in God’s presence.

6. You will move from following the pack to leading the pack. As my Aussie friend says, it smells better up front anyway! Your leadership calling will not be stifled. An apostolic renewal will come. What was cut short and went dormant will now break forth with new grace as true apostles begin to emerge. This move of leadership grace will startle Australians who have been content to let other nations lead the way, but now grace has come for you to lay hold of your destiny and use your voice to bring wisdom to global decisions. Your greatest export to the nations will be the move of God’s Spirit.

7. The Gift of Fellowship (Mateship). The redemptive calling of Australia is to model community, fellowship, partnership in the gospel, fighting for your brother and sister, serving them as you display the love Jesus speaks of, “So I give you now a new commandment: Love each other just as much as I have loved you. For when you demonstrate the same love I have for you by loving one another, everyone will know that you’re my true followers.” John 13:34-35 TPT

Lead the way Australia, we’re waiting to celebrate your victories! So we will watch the nation of Australia experience God’s kiss this coming year. May the lovers of God take the nation!

Brian Simmons is known as a passionate lover of God. After a dramatic conversion to Christ, Brian knew that God was calling him to go to the unreached people of the world and present the gospel of God’s grace to all who would listen. With his wife Candice and their three children, he spent nearly eight years in the tropical rain forest of the Darien Province of Panama as a church planter, translator, and consultant. Brian was involved in the Paya-Kuna New Testament translation project. He studied linguistics and Bible translation principles with New Tribes Mission.
After their ministry in the jungle, Brian was instrumental in planting a thriving church in New England (U.S.), and now travels full time as a speaker and Bible teacher. He is also the lead translator for The Passion Translation Project which will result in a new, dynamic version of the Bible for this generation.

The Secret Place

Gordon MacDonald, in his book, “Restoring your Spiritual Passion” talks about us running on empty; like a motor car which has run out of petrol. We push our empty selves hard up the hills and then, exhausted we coast down the slopes. It’s not the life God wants us to have!

Somehow in the busyness of our lives and the demands of our culture we have lost our energy for God. We suspect that there is something wrong and think that either, we are not working hard enough, or God is ignoring us. Or perhaps both.

MacDonald says quite plainly that we are so spiritually flat because we have lost our intimacy with God. It is this intimacy which gives us fuel for the journey of life, which leads us into the abundance of what God offers us.

The various writers of the Psalms discovered this and have unburdened their souls about their own intimate journeys of discovery. Sometimes we need to share in their exclamations of praise, sometimes in their struggles and disappointments but, more than anything, we need to join with them in their delight in God.

As far as we know, the psalms were all written by men – a number by the priests and worship leaders in the Temple, but mostly by men who spent their time out in the bush. Almost exactly half of the psalms are attributed to David (another 18 can be added, if we follow the ascriptions in the Septuagint). David was the original bush poet. He was an out doors man. A man of the desert, who lived in the bush, slept in caves, hunted for his food.

He was a soldier. A man who had been in the thick of battle, who led his army from the front. He was a king, chosen by God as a child, who had lived in a palace as a boy and died at the head of a dynasty which was to lead all the way to Jesus.

David knew God. He knew God intimately as One whom he could address as the Almighty, as his Shepherd and as his friend. He knew God as the One who confronted Him, helped him, guided him and loved him. David knew the abundance and wonder of the real life of the Spirit.

The secret, says Gordon MacDonald, is to be found in time spent with God. He specifically highlights our need for a safe place, still times and special friends. As I was reflecting on this in preparation for the sermon on the Psalms today, I realised that these are exactly the things which have been taken from us in our modern age. The psalmists knew them well, especially David the Shepherd. Returning at night with the flocks, the shepherds would see them safe in a cave shelter and then sit together, as special friends to reminisce on the day, to marvel at the stars and to just be quiet together before the fire. We don’t have much of that anymore.

But we can, with just a little effort. We will be setting up a Prayer Room here at the church to run from August 22 to 30. These kind of Prayer Rooms were initiated by the 24-7 Prayer Movement which started in England in 1999 and which is rapidly bringing new spiritual energy to tired Christ Followers and a new excitement to people who had already rejected Christianity. It is really not anything new though; just a rediscovery of ancient practices which are still relevant in our modern world.

People have discovered that spending just one hour alone with God is a dramatic life-changing experience. A still time in a safe place with a special friend. There is no “training” or “teaching” or “formula”. There is no expectation, or performance required. This is God changing us from within. I will tell more about it this morning and over the next few weeks. I believe that with some basic Doctrine (Alpha), the Bible (E100 Challenge) and Prayer (24-7 Prayer Room) we build a foundation for the abundant Kingdom life which Jesus has promised to those who follow Him. He said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” and He invites us to follow Him into the life which is worthy of the Lord.

God bless and Amen