Lord, Heal Our Land

Lord, Heal Our Land

2 Chronicles 7 : 14, If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

The key to revival and to the restoration of our country is found in today’s scripture. The Bible gives us many accounts of God’s people calling upon the Lord  when they were in affliction and distress. They interceded to God concerning the plight of His people, and God answered their pleas for help with great delivering power.

In Exodus 2, the children of Israel cried out because of the hardships the new king of Egypt forced on them. God heard their prayers and sent Moses to deliver them. In Exodus 17, the Israelites had to fight against Amalek and his people. While Joshua and his warriors fought against Amalek, Moses stood on the hill above the battle and lifted his arms toward God. As long as Moses held his hands up before the Lord, Joshua and the Israelites would prevail. Nevertheless, when Moses grew tired and his arms dropped, Amalek would prevail over the Israelites.

In Genesis 18, the Lord told Abraham that He was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. However, after hearing God’s plans, Abraham began to pray to the Lord on behalf of the righteous people who might live in these cities. He asks the Lord if He will destroy the righteous with the wicked. To this question, God tells Abraham that He would stay His hand of judgment against these wicked and vile cities for the sake of only ten righteous souls. 

I’ve given you only three accounts of where someone interceded (prayed) to God, and God answered their prayers with deliverance in each situation. However, there are many more instances, in both the Old and New Testaments, where God heard and answered the prayers of His people and delivered them from evil and possible annihilation.

As children of God, we have been given the power to have our prayers heard by the Lord of all creation through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Jesus tells us in Matthew 18 that we have the power, through prayer, to affect change on the earth. We can pray for God’s will to be done and for Satan’s will to be stopped, and our prayers will change the outcome of situations. The key to answered prayer is believing. Jesus tells us in Mark 11:24, “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

As Christians, you and I have the privilege and the responsibility to go before the Lord in prayer whenever we see evil at work in our land. If we pray fervently and believe that God hears and answers our prayers, we will see God’s hand at work on our behalf.

For nine years, I have had the honor of being a part of Awake America prayer gatherings. The sole purpose of these prayer gatherings is to pray for revival in America. We also lift up our leaders on every level of government, as well as the presbytery (ministers) of the churches in America. There’s no doubt that we need God to move in America again and to bring a spiritual awakening to the church. America is also in need of a revival of true repentance.

Here’s the best part! You can be a part of this growing prayer movement in your town or city. Currently, we meet in the following counties: Towns, Union, Fannin, Gilmer, Hall, and Cherokee, N.C. It’s an honor to stand together in prayer with the elected and appointed leaders of our communities and call on the Lord in prayer on behalf of our great country.  For more information about Awake America in your area, contact Lydia Long, prayer coordinator at 706-374-6175 X – 302.

Prayer is the Key,
Pastor Asa Dockery

 

 

One Decision

2 Corinthians 6 : 2, For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. NKJV

I’m sure that you, like me, have had days that started out very demanding; you had to address one issue after another. Some matters are easy to deal with; however, there are also those that we tend to put off until the last minute because they’re so difficult for us to tackle.  

What is it that causes us to delay making certain important decisions? As a pastor, not only have I been guilty of procrastinating, but I have counseled many who have struggled with the stress of making a life-altering choice. If having to make a decision causes us to be anxious, uptight, and worried, then we need to remember what the Lord has promised in His Word. God promised us in Hebrews 13 : 5: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

When you realize this truth, and you decide to place your trust in the Lord’s faithfulness, He can empower you to face your fears of the unknown; and you can make the correct decision for your life.

However, out of all the decisions that you have made or will ever make during your lifetime, there is only “one decision” that determines your eternal destiny. The Word of God is very clear concerning this decision; we must all make it before we leave this earth. Further, if we should choose not to make this decision, then we have decided already.

I’m reminded of a passage in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” The Lord is patient with us, giving us time to repent of our sins and to turn our hearts and lives over to Him. We’re not promised tomorrow; that is why today is the acceptable day of salvation.

Far too many people believe they can wait until the very last minute of their lives to make this extremely important decision. Perhaps they believe that choosing to accept the gift of salvation will keep them from something pleasurable in this life. If you feel this way, let me share the words of Jesus. Matthew 16 : 26 says, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Perhaps no one has ever asked you about accepting Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord. If not, allow me to give you an opportunity to accept Him TODAY. Paul teaches us in Romans 10 : 9, “that if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”

If you haven’t prayed to the Lord and asked Him to forgive your sins and fill your heart with the Holy Spirit, please invite Jesus into your heart today. It will be the greatest decision of your entire life. In addition, let a pastor, a family member, or a close friend know that you have made this decision to live for Christ. As you confess the Lord to others, you will become stronger in your new walk of faith. We would love to hear from you as well. You can contact me at prayer@whcnorth.org.

Living by Faith,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Keep the Dream in You Alive

Keep the Dream in You Alive

Genesis 37 : 23 - 24, So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it. NKJV

If you haven’t read the story of Joseph, I encourage you to do so. The Lord has given us great wisdom in it that will help anyone who has a dream, yet feels as if it will never come to pass.

The Lord showed me a truth by His Spirit that will greatly encourage “dreamers.” Dreamers are people that God has given an inner-knowing, plan, or vision about their destiny in Christ. When we have this unction or knowing from God, it gives us great expectancy and hope, even when it looks impossible in the natural.

Before I go on any further, let me ask you an important question. Do you feel like your life is on the wrong track and the situations you’re facing aren’t taking you toward your vision? Be very careful that you don’t allow these disruptions to discourage you from pursuing your dream. A pit was never mentioned in the dream God gave Joseph. Therefore, can you imagine how Joseph must have felt when he found himself being sold into slavery, and later, when he was thrown into prison? Life has a way of “throwing” a curve that we don’t expect; nevertheless, it is all a part of the vision.

No enemy and/or no situation can keep us from fulfilling our destiny in Christ, as long as we don’t give up along the way. We can’t see the big picture right now, and we don’t know how the things that we have experienced, or are experiencing can ever get us to our goal. Nevertheless, we must remember to keep our eyes on the Lord.

God used the adversity that the enemy brought against Joseph (because of the dreams) to build character and to develop his abilities to be a leader in hard times. Consequently, Joseph succeeded when he arrived at the destination. Joseph’s example teaches us that we have choices to make when adversity hits us. We can allow them to tear us down and see ourselves as victims of our circumstances, or we can choose to look to God for guidance and allow Him to build the characteristics that we need to sustain us when we arrive at our destination. How we choose to respond to adversity will greatly determine how long we will be in the process.

Paul teaches us in Philippians 1 that God is doing a work in us, and He won’t stop until that work is complete. We are in this world, and God is using it to develop some things in us that we need to fulfill our destiny in Christ. Let me leave you with a powerful truth: When we become a covenant friend with God, the world will hate us. However, if we keep our eyes on Jesus, He will cause our enemies to be used to assist us in completing the process and fulfilling our dream.

Here’s an example: Jesus told His disciples that He was going to Jerusalem, and that He would be tortured and crucified there. At that moment, Simon began to rebuke Him by saying that he would not allow those things to happen to Jesus. However, Jesus rebuked Simon; He said, “Get thee behind me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Later, while Jesus was in the garden praying, Judas leads Roman soldiers to Jesus and kisses him as a sign to them that Jesus was the One they were seeking. When Judas kissed Jesus, He called Judas, friend. Why would Jesus call Simon, Satan, and then call Judas, friend? It was because God was using Judas to fulfill His vision for Jesus, and Satan was exploiting Simon in order to get in Jesus’ way of fulfilling His destiny; it was all centered around Jesus’ suffering.

Satan doesn’t want you to suffer for Christ because you will learn how to obey God through suffering. Instead, Satan wants you to protect “self,” and then suffer the loss of your eternal reward...because of disobedience to your calling in Christ. So once again, we all have a choice to make; when life offers us adversity, what will we do? Remember, your adversity comes because of God’s dream. Allow God to fight for you; you be still and see God’s salvation on your behalf.

P.S. I want to thank all of you that have subscribed to Kingdom Moments. I felt that this devotion was perfect to end on. Keep dreaming and God bless you on your journey.

It’s All About the Lord,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Going Stealth

Matthew 16 : 13 - 15, When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"NKJV

There is a very good reason why Jesus commands us to keep His sayings. Our heavenly Father wants us to be protected from our adversary, the Devil. You may be thinking, “Doesn’t Psalm 91 teach us that God protects us from the enemy by keeping us under the shadow of His wings?” Yes, He does; however, if you read that psalm, you will learn that there are a few things you and I have to do in order to bring God’s protection on our lives.

The Lord wants us to follow His leading so that He can give us wisdom from above. When we speak according to God’s will, and then obey the instructions of the Holy Spirit, God empowers us with the ability to outsmart the enemy, who by-the-way is invisible to us. We are given several examples in the gospels of when either Satan or people tried to figure out who Jesus was... even though they knew He was the Son of Joseph and Mary. There was something very special about Jesus that caused His enemies much discomfort and curiosity.

There were also times that both Satan and men tried to “trip or tempt” Jesus. Nevertheless, He ALWAYS outwitted them. He never fell prey to their deceptive and manipulative lies. Whenever the scribes and Pharisees felt their power was threatened by the miracles and wisdom of Jesus, they would devise plots to destroy Him. However, He would mysteriously escape from their trappings. What made Jesus “stealth” or undetectable to the enemy?

In Luke 4, we see that Satan is tempting Jesus. Satan was trying to discover Jesus’ spiritual identity; he wanted to know if Jesus was the Son of God. However, because Jesus didn’t give into Satan’s seductive offers, the enemy left in defeat; he didn’t learn anything that gave away Jesus’ identity.

There are two points that you must take away from today’s word: Number 1, Satan and the enemies of Jesus didn’t know Jesus’ identity; and Number 2, they couldn’t form any weapon or trap that could stop or kill Jesus. (Until it was time for Jesus to die on the cross) Even then, they still didn’t know who Jesus was. Even so, why is this important to you as a believer in Christ? When you and I operate under the direction and authority of God’s Word, and His will, we are shielded from the weapons of Satan. Neither Satan nor the religious rulers could apprehend, prevent, or distract Jesus from doing God’s will. Because Jesus did only those things that pleased the Father, He couldn’t be detected on the enemy’s radar.

Likewise, when we only do those things which please the Father, we, too, become stealth. No weapon that is formed against us shall be able to prosper; and every tongue that rises up against us in judgment, we will condemn by our righteousness in Christ. Now let’s compare Jesus’ ability to overcome all that the adversary plotted against Him with what happened to Adam. Adam didn’t obey the commands of God; neither did he choose to obey God’s purpose for placing Adam in the garden. Consequently, it wasn’t hard for Satan to figure out a way to get to Adam. Through Adam’s disobedience to God’s commands, Satan was able to lock on (radar term) Adam in the natural. In other words, Satan knew what would work on Adam... what would cause him to sin.

We have a choice every single day of our lives. We can choose to obey the Lord and “fly undetected” by Satan’s radar, or we can choose to serve the lusts of our flesh and fall prey to Satan’s devises and his arsenal.

Our military in America uses stealth technology on some of their airplanes. These planes have flat surfaces and hard edges. They’re not designed with the same curvature as commercial airplanes because they serve a DIFFERENT purpose. When you accepted Christ, you were enlisted into the Lord’s service for a specific purpose. The contractors who build the stealth planes also coat the fighter planes with a material that absorbs radar signals. If the enemy’s radar doesn’t receive its signal back, they will believe that there is no aircraft near a specific area. This technology allows us to hit without being detected prematurely and therefore, escape before the opposition knows what has hit them. In this same way, God has clothed us with the righteousness of Christ; nevertheless, we must choose to walk in the ways of Christ in order to remain undetectable to our enemies in the spirit realm.

If we will choose to live and walk in the Spirit, Satan won’t be able to define us by our human identity; and he won’t be allowed to keep us from our destiny in Christ. It’s time to go stealth on the Devil!

Undetectable in Christ,
Pastor Asa Dockerywww.whcnorth.org 

The Power Of Agreement

Genesis 1 : 3 - 4, Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. NKJV

If you’ve ever wondered why the Word says “good” after each time God made something, it’s because God saw on earth what He had declared in heaven. Whenever God saw something that He had spoken, He knew that there was agreement between heaven and earth.

We live in the natural world or realm because that is what God desired. However, God and Satan exist and operate within the realm of the spirit. Proverbs 18 : 21 teaches us that death and life are in the power of the tongue. Nevertheless, how can our invisible words generate the power that is necessary for death or life to operate in our lives? By the words that we choose to use, we are either speaking death or life over ourselves and our families. Jesus tells us in the gospels that we are either justified or condemned by our words.

Even though you and I live in a human body, we were created by God, who is Spirit. Therefore, we are a spirit; we possess a soul, but we live in a body. When we speak as a spirit being in an earthly body, we are empowering either the kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness. Faith moves God, but doubt, fear, and unbelief move Satan. Let me give you a few examples to help you grasp this word today. Consequently, with new understanding, you can align your words to agree with God and combat Satan.

Jeremiah 1 : 11 - 12, Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" And I said, "I see a branch of an almond tree." Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word." NKJV

Please notice that God gave Jeremiah a vision in the Spirit, and then God asked him what he saw. When Jeremiah spoke the words from his mouth, God heard what He had already purposed when He initially gave Jeremiah the vision of the almond branch. God had agreement with Jeremiah. Before God created man, God did everything from speaking to creating. However, when He created us (mankind), God turned the power over to us to speak what we want to happen in the natural realm. Once God had agreement with man on the earth (Jeremiah), He was released to empower Jeremiah’s prophecy and to bring it into existence in the natural realm.

Genesis 3 : 4 - 6, Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate... NKJV.

In this scripture, Satan is speaking (words) to Eve about his will and, at the same time, opposing God’s will. Once Satan convinced Eve that God’s Word wasn’t the truth, but his was, she acted on what Satan had promised her. Instead of Satan creating life, he used Eve and her agreement on earth to produce death in mankind. Even so, Satan couldn’t do anything in the natural realm without first getting agreement from man. Jeremiah spoke life, and Eve spoke death. One activated God, and the other activated or released Satan in the earthly realm.

Let me leave you with this final example from God’s Word:

Luke 4 : 3 - 4, And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'" NKJV

Jesus, who is the Word incarnate (made flesh like man) was approached by Satan just like Eve and was, likewise, tempted. Satan hoped to get Jesus’ agreement so that he could spoil God’s plan just as he did with the first Adam. Nevertheless, Jesus never agreed with Satan about anything. Jesus never opposed Satan with His own opinions; He chose to quote the Word of God in response to Satan’s offers. Instead of speaking or agreeing with Satan and producing death, Jesus spoke the Word of Life out His mouth. The result of Jesus’ decision to speak life empowered God in the earthly realm to bless mankind with eternal life through Christ.

Although you and I were born under the rule of sin, we don’t have to speak death. We can choose, as Jesus did, to speak the Word of Life over ourselves and our family. Are your mouth and life in agreement with God? If so, then you will have life and enjoy life. However, if your heart and mouth aren’t in agreement with God’s will or Word, you will speak death. If we want to live and prosper, then we must begin speaking life out our mouth and walking in agreement with God. Only Jesus has the Words of eternal life. Therefore, speak Jesus.

I Speak Life Over Your People, Lord,
Pastor Asa Dockerywww.whcnorth.org 

Reaching Out in Love

Revelation 3 : 14 - 21, "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' -- and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked - I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. NKJV

You’ve probably read and/or been taught by a minister about how the believers in Laodicea had become lukewarm in their love for Jesus. Today, the Lord has given me fresh insight into this scripture that we need to know, especially in America.

There is a mindset that exists within the body of Christ that has probably been there since the fall of man. Whenever someone doesn’t act responsibly, or they have sinned, there have always been folks who believe these wrong doers should be thrown out of the church. This mindset of cutting people off isn’t based on Paul’s teaching on correcting and restoring a fallen brother. Rather, it is one that prejudges a person as unredeemable.

When we read the passages from Revelation today, we can clearly see the heart of Jesus. Although the believers had allowed their hearts to grow cold toward their relationship with Christ, He took the time to reach out to the church in love. First, He told the church very specifically what their spiritual condition was. We must not try to discipline someone, unless we first let them know what exactly they have done. Jesus let the believers know that they had fallen away from their intimacy with the Lord.

Secondly, He let them know that they had deceived themselves into believing they were fine spiritually. James tells us that if we don’t obey the Word that we hear, we will become deceived. We must be more than just hearers of the Word; we must also be doers as well, if we desire to be blessed by the Lord.

Finally, we reach the point of today’s word. After Jesus rebuked the church at Laodicea, He then counseled them, so that they would know where they had erred from the faith. Afterward, He let them know that He rebukes and corrects those He loves. Isn’t that amazing? Jesus loved them, even though He was about to spew them out of His mouth; He loved them even though their love and worship for Him had grown cold, and He loved them enough to correct them for the error of their ways.

Jesus loved that church enough to “go to them” and reach out in love as only our Lord can do. He sought to restore them through love. He also told them that He was standing at the door and knocking, if anyone would hear His voice and let Him into their hearts, He would come in and dine with them. Wait a minute! Why does the Lord of the church have to knock on the door of the hearts of the people? He knocked because they had shut the Lord out; they had become so blinded by their love for earthly blessings that they had forgotten from Whom those blessings had come.

Jesus is knocking on the hearts of believers all across America and in various nations around the world. He wants us to allow Him to reenter our hearts and lives so that He can commune with us. Jesus wasn’t trying to cut this particular church off. He sought them out so that He might restore them into a right-relationship with Himself. Where is your love today? Is your heart consumed by the things of this world? If so, won’t you allow the Holy Spirit to redirect your desires back to the Lord so that you can be restored today?

It’s Time to Dine with the Master,
Pastor Asa Dockerywww.whcnorth.org 

Fellowship

1 John 1 : 5 - 7, This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. NKJV

In today’s scripture, John is teaching believers in Christ why we have fellowship with one another. Simply put, it is because we have believed and obeyed the truth. God’s Word brings us into fellowship with the Lord and with each other. As long as we walk in the truth, we are walking in the light and will have fellowship with other believers.

Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians 6 : 14 that we are not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. He goes on to ask these questions: For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? What communion does light have with darkness? Fellowship and communion have similar meanings- in that we aren’t to be partakers of unrighteousness and darkness. Therefore, as believers in Christ, we’re not to allow sinners to influence us, so that we begin to partake of their evil ways.

I’m writing this word today on fellowship under the leading of the Holy Spirit to shed some light on the subject of Christians crossing cultural barriers in order to share the gospel with the lost. Let me begin by addressing an issue that many Christians will face at one time or another in their faith walk. Have you had a friendship with someone who was a believer, nevertheless, they decided to go back into sin? Whenever you discovered their choice, how did it affect the dynamics of your friendship? More importantly, how did it affect your fellowship? Did you notice that their decision to sin brought a barrier into the relationship that didn’t exist previously? The barrier of sin should have caused you both to feel uncomfortable in each other’s company.

Sin kills fellowship! The book of Amos asks us the question, “If we don’t agree, how can we walk together?” Without agreement in a friendship about what truth is, how can a saint and a sinner agree and/or walk with each other in fellowship? It can’t happen unless the sinner repents or the believer compromises their convictions about the Word of God. However, having stated the obvious let me ask an important question. How can we, who walk in the light commune with sinners and reach out to them for Christ’s sake? Since we are of the Light (Jesus) and sinners are of the world, there can’t be true communion or fellowship.

Therefore, when we reach out to a lost person, we will sense a barrier. In the body of Christ, this barrier has prevented Christians from sharing the love of Christ with sinners, and this ought not be. It has also caused believers to “kill their witness” or “influence” with sinners because they have treated the lost with disrespect.

One day, Jesus went to the house of Matthew (Levi) who was known to be a tax collector for Rome. Matthew was a newly appointed disciple of Christ, who had invited Jesus to his house for dinner (communion) along with some of his friends, who also happened to be tax collectors and sinners. Nevertheless, when the scribes and Pharisees heard that Jesus was having fellowship with sinners, they accused Him of befriending them. Why? The scribes and Pharisees knew that “their law” didn’t allow them to eat (fellowship or partake) with sinners. Consequently, they accused Jesus of becoming a friend of sinners. What they didn’t know was this: Jesus wasn’t “trying to become like the sinner” at the dinner table; Rather, He was there to offer the “sick” hope and eternal life through evangelism.

When Jewish believers sat at a table with publicans and tax collectors, sharing the meal meant that they were entering fellowship or communion with darkness. However, although Jesus was eating with sinners, He wasn’t communing or partaking of their unrighteous ways. Instead, He was evangelizing them around a meal. In other words, Jesus broke down the wall that separates us from evangelizing sinners by showing us how to reach out to the lost without compromising our convictions.

In His day, Jesus was a “Friend of sinners.” He is still a friend to sinners; however, today, He chooses to operate through us as His ambassadors in the earth. Therefore, we must show the same love toward sinners that Jesus did that day when He sat to eat with them in Matthew’s house. There is much friction between the body of Christ and certain sects of society. Consequently, today’s teaching can empower the body of Christ to overcome the barriers and reach out to the lost in love without fear of compromise. Let’s love the sinner and hate the sin. Isn’t that the method that Jesus used when He saved you and me?

Now Let’s Eat,
Pastor Asa Dockery