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Deuteronomy 20:1-4 “When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them:  for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies:  let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”

At the end of August 1776, the Continental Army faced their first major battle after the Declaration of Independence.  In what is known at the Battle of Long Island, the Battle of Brooklyn, or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights the Americans found themselves surrounded with their backs to the East River.  Hour-by-hour, British trenches crept closer to the Continental front lines.  The only way to preserve the hope for independence was to preserve the Continental Army and escape by boat.

General Washington arranged a brilliant retreat plan during the night of August 29^th and 30^th.  It required silence, coordination, and deception.  It also required heavenly intervention.  Specifically, at daybreak on August 30^th, the retreat was incomplete.  As the sun arose, a thick and unexpected fog sprung up and concealed the remaining maneuver, providing the few necessary hours to allow all men and supplies to be out of British range before clearing.  During that night, 9,000 men escaped — the LORD our God had saved them.

Our enemies are surrounding us.  Hour-by-hour, they are creeping closer to our front lines.  Fear not!  The LORD our God goes with us, to fight for us against our enemies to save us.

PLEASE PRAY FOR GOD’S POWER IN OUR CURRENT BATTLES.  They require heavenly intervention – His specialty.

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

Acts 4:19-20 “But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.  For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

In today’s America, Christians are on the defensive.  We are getting bombarded by a progressive and secular culture that has taken the initiative while we cower in the corner.  We let our adversaries move first while carefully countering them in weak and feeble ways.  Unfortunately but predictably, this strategy has yielded ground at every encounter.

Christians in times past had no problem taking the offensive, come what may.  Emboldened by prayer, they took the initiative and brought the battle directly to the enemy.  After all, they could not but speak the things which they had seen and heard.

What is the first step of such boldness among Christians today?  Prayer!  We must call unto God, and He will answer us.  He will shew us great and mighty things, which we knowest not.  Along the way, He will embolden us to speak the things which we have seen and heard.  Predictably, such a strategy will yield results and not ground.

PLEASE PRAY FOR POWERFUL INITIATIVE AMONG AMERICAN CHRISTIANS.  We must call unto Him to see things that we cannot even fathom.

For related thoughts, please see:  https://prayatlunch.us/never-know/

Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

American Christians have forgotten an important facet of our ability in the fight against a sadly deteriorating nation.  We have forgotten that our God is able; that His ways are higher than our ways; that He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.

Our prayers for revival in this nation need to be grandiose, because we have a grandiose God.  He is able to to do exceeding. He is able to do abundantly.  He is able to do above all that we ask or think.  In fact, He is able to do exceeding, and abundantly, and above all that we ask or think.

May our fledgling faith never limit a limitless God.  Though things in this nation seem bleak, our God specializes in working through such circumstances to demonstrate His power.

PLEASE PRAY FOR NATIONAL REVIVAL AS IF WE HAVE A LIMITLESS GOD WHOSE WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN OUR WAYS.  We do!

Daniel 3:12 “There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee:  they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

Daniel 3:28 “Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.”

“A Few Good Men” (see prior post) goes on with chorus and the second stanza:

Men full of compassion
Who laugh and love and cry
Men who’ll face eternity and aren’t afraid to die
Men who’ll fight for freedom and honor once again
He just needs a few good men

He calls the broken derelict
Whose life has been renewed
He calls the one who has the strength
To stand up for the truth
Enlistment lines are open
And He wants you to come in
He just needs a few good men

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were willing to face eternity and were not afraid to die.  They fought for freedom and honor.  They had the strength to stand up for the truth and yielded their bodies in doing so.  These men had a great impact because they willingly joined God’s enlistment lines.

We need men and women in today’s America who are willing to face eternity and are not afraid to die.  We need men and women who will fight for freedom and honor.  We need men and women who have the strength to stand up for the truth.  Such men and women can have a great impact on our land by willingly joining God’s enlistment lines.

PLEASE PRAY FOR GOD’S ENLISTMENT LINES TO BE FILLED IN TODAY’S AMERICA.  They are open, and He wants you to come in.  He just needs a few good men.

Acts 17:6 “And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also”

A few weeks ago, I was able to sing as a part of a small group at the Sunday evening service (those who know about my lack of musical talent are undoubtedly giggling right now).  The song was “A Few Good Men” and you may recognize the first stanza:

What this dying world could use is a willing man of God
Who dares to go against the grain, and work without applause
A man who’ll raise the shield of faith protecting what is pure
Whose love is tough and gentle, a man whose word is sure
God doesn’t need an orator who knows just what to say
He doesn’t need authorities to reason Him away
He doesn’t need an army to guarantee a win
He just needs a few good men

Indeed, what this world and this nation need are a few good men who are willing to serve Him.  They don’t need to be skilled, polished, or educated.  They just need to be faithful.  After all, the apostles were very ordinary men and yet they turned the world upside down.

PLEASE PRAY FOR A FEW GOOD MEN TO RIGHT A CAPSIZING WORLD.  Our world and our nation have been steadily tipped askew and need faithful men to be righted.

SET YOUR ALARM:  If you’re alarmed (that as our nation strangles religious liberty it is erasing its own foundation), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!