CALIFORNIA 40 DAYS OF PRAYER & FASTING   

"TURNING HEARTS OF FATHERS and CHILDREN TO BE RECONCILED"

A Prophecy for fathers: Located in the last chapter of the last Book in the Old Testament is a final prophecy for planet earth. God promises to send the message of Elijah to His family before Christ returns:

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."  Malachi 4: 5, 6

Restoring the family is high priority on God's mind as He looks at preparing His Church for the return of Christ. This is why the enemy is working so hard to destroy family values, including marriage. This term "great and dreadful day of the Lord" is referring to the return of Christ. One of the greatest areas of need for the church to be ready is for fathers to turn to their children. The loss of fathers in the home accounts for much of what is wrong in our society. Statistics show the devastating impact on fatherless homes or homes in which the father is mostly absent:

    -90% of all homeless and runaways are from fatherless homes

    -71% of all high school dropouts are from fatherless homes

    -75% of all adolescent drug abusers are from fatherless homes

    -80% of all rapists are from fatherless homes

    -85% of all youths in prisons grew up in fatherless homes

    -63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes

     
Revival in the Home is the greatest need in America. It's time for fathers to erect worship altars in the home. This means altars we have to the enemy need to come down. It means that fathers need to become priests in the home and lead worship and prayer. It means that fathers need to learn how to bless their children. If we are going to have authority over what the enemy is doing we have to live His truth in our homes.

     
The fathers' Blessing:

There are five elements to a fathers' blessing as seen in Scripture. In ancient times children came to their father to be blessed as in Genesis 48 where Jacob blesses Joseph's sons and in Genesis 49 where Jacob blesses his sons. The blessing usually involved a word picture to convey the Five Elements of Blessing:

    1)  Words of Love and Affirmation

    2)  Touch conveying Love and Affirmation

    3)  Communicating High Worth and Value

    4)  Imparting a Special Future over the child

    5)  Commitment to support that Special Future

     
I have asked believers in many different types of Churches to rate how their father did in blessing them by rating the above elements on a scale of 1 to 10. I have found that typically 2/3 of the congregations will fail the test with very low numbers. The good news is that the blesser who really is God can still give the blessing. I have also noticed that it is almost never too late to give the blessing. Children are never to old to need it. I have personally given it to men in their 90's who wept when it was given to them. Godly men may also give the blessing in absence of a dad who can give it. In a household without a male covering, a mother should ask her Pastor to bless her children plus  she too has the authority in Christ to bless her children and release them in to their destiny, in Jesus' Name!

     
Adventures in Prayer:

Go over the Five Elements of the Father's Blessing. Ask God the Father to give you each of the five blessings. Fathers can write out a blessing to their children. Ask yourself what strengths stand out about your children. Affirm these in them. Help them to see their high worth and value to you and to God. Make sure you tell them "I Bless You to be who God made you to be."  As mentioned, in the absence of a father a mother who has been blessed by her father can convey her own father's blessing to a child because they are passed down the family line. (Exodus 20: 5) Tell them it is coming from Grand Pa. In reading Exodus 20: 5 please notice that a curse is passed down a family line to the fourth generation while a blessing is passed down a thousand generations. The Blessing defeats the curse.

    
    -Pray for Protection over Families and Marriages to be God-centered

CHRIST IN CHARGE, CHRIST IN US!  Psalm 133:1

CA 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting

 

 
"THE CHURCH OF LAODICEA: REPENTANCE OF RELIGIOUS PRIDE AND SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS"

The City of Laodicea spoken of in Revelation 3: 14-22 once stood near the town of Hierapolis, which still boasts an incredible hot spring. The water flows by an aquaduct to the valley below past Laodicea. By the time it reached Laodicea the water was lukewarm. This city represents the modern Church of today. Jesus describes its condition as being lukewarm towards Him. It sees no great need of Him because it is "rich and increased in goods and in need of nothing." It is the church of a materialistic society. The Churches have grand buildings and budgets. Its people are prosperous and dressed nicely for church but Christ takes out His magnifying glass and says, "Things are not as they appear."

He goes on to give His evaluation of the modern Church and sees it as spiritual lacking because its people do not see their true spiritual condition. He says "You are blind to your true condition 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." (Rev 3: 17)  He offers three solutions to man's spiritual blindness and the self righteousness that blinds us to our desperate need of Him. We are to buy from Him, the God of Forgiveness, the eye ointment of the Holy Spirit; and the white robes of Christ's purity. Jesus is then pictured standing at the door of each heart knocking to come in and dine with us in verse 20. Imagine Christ having to stand at the door of His own Church asking to come in. He says to us "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (verses 19-22)

Adventures in Prayer:

This counsel to the modern Church is really a call to return to intimacy with Christ. He is standing daily at the door asking to come in and dine with us but we don't see our great need. He wants us to see our need for His righteousness and to see our true condition. It is time to peel off the robes of self righteous religion and put on the robes of humility in admitting our programs and religious activities apart from knowing Him mean nothing. It is time for us to ask for the ointment of the Holy Spirit so we can see our true condition and then be able to repent and turn to Him more fully. We so desperately need the Faith of Christ that works by love in and through us in the modern church. When we seek His spiritual riches because we see our true need of Him, we will once again see the priority of prayer and the Word return to the lives of His people. A lukewarm people can become an "on fire people" who are "Hot" after the heart of God. Why not take some time and ask God to apply His three solutions in your life and them pray them for your church and community.

    
    *Gold tried in fire = Faith that works by love

    *Eye Ointment = Work of the Holy Spirit to show us our condition

    *White Robes = Righteousness of Christ/ His purity

CA 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting

CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA: LOVE FOR GOD'S WORD AND FOR THE LOST

The city of Philadelphia is situated on a volcanic plain that still produces a harvest of the finest grapes. It was considered to be the "Gateway to the East." The name of the city comes from an experience of two brothers named Attalus and Eumenes. When it was reported that Attalus, who was the ruler of this city, was assassinated while abroad, his brother Eumenbes was persuaded to take the vacated throne. Later when Attalus returned in good health, Eumenes immediately relinquished the throne. Eumenes became known as "Philadelphas," meaning brotherly love. This city later became known as a missionary city for the spread of Greek culture. It was evidently successful in its task by the fact that by AD 19 the population of the entire area spoke nothing but Greek. This church represents the church period of the 2nd Great Spiritual Awakening from 1755 to 1844. During this era missionary societies took the message of Christ around the world. A love for God was manifested through prayer, love of God's Word and a sense of Christ's soon return. Jesus affirms that this church "Kept His command to persevere."  The result was a passion for the lost. He promises He will keep them from the hour of trial coming upon the whole world and then He says to us, "Behold, I come quickly! Hold fast to what you have."  Rev 3: 7-13    
There is a need for another Great Spiritual Awakening in our day to prepare for the return of Christ. It's not going to come through great programs. It is going to come as it always has with a few committed to pay the price through seeking God in weeping and in travail for the lost. Such a revelation of God's heart fills them that they pray what is in His heart for them. Around the turn of the century Frank Bartleman was involved in the Azusa Street Revival. He gives some pointed observations in his day as to those who were really seeking God for a spiritual awakening and those who were just attending meetings for the fun of conference hopping. Here is what he says about one such meeting:

"In the moonlit evenings, I poured out my soul unto God, and He met me there. There was much rattle in the camp. Most were seeking selfish blessings. They rushed to meetings, like a big sponge, to get more blessings. They needed stepping on. I found my soul crying out for God far beyond the seeming aspirations of most of the Holiness people. I wanted to go deeper, beneath the mere emotional realm to something more substantial and lasting that would put a rock in my soul."

On another occasion he explains about the role of travail in the revival:
"At Smale's church one day, I was groaning in prayer at the altar. The spirit of intercession was upon me. A brother rebuked me severely. He did not understand it. The flesh naturally shrinks from such ordeals. The 'groans' are no more popular in most churches than a woman in birth pangs in the home. Soul travail does not make pleasant company for selfish worldlings. But we cannot have souls reborn without it. Childbearing is anything but a popular exercise, and so with a real revival of newborn souls in the churches. Men run from the groans of a woman in travail of birth. And so the church desires no 'groans' today. She is too busy enjoying herself." (Azusa Street, Bartleman pp. 23, 24)

Prayer Adventures:
The message of the Church of Philadelphia is one of LOVE. We so love God and His people that we begin to seek Him on their behalf. We will give up our "thrones" to see them restored. We will pray God's heart and weep for what breaks His heart. This is what true revival looks like. The multitudes begin to come into the Churches because the people of God take His Word to them and pray them in. Frank Bartleman is right that "where there is very little groaning with God's heart for the lost, there will be very little fruit of the lost being reached." Why not ask God today to give you His heart for the lost and a new love for taking His Word to others. Ask Him with Frank Bartleman to put a "rock in your soul.

CALIFORNIA 40 DAYS OF PRAYER & FASTING

"CHURCH OF SARDIS: A CALL TO WATCH AND STRENGTHEN WHAT REMAINS"

The Church of Sardis had a spectacular natural fortress setting. It was built on top of a sheer cliff with sides that dropped 1,500 feet to the valley below. It seemed no one could ever conquer it. They had great wealth. Unfortunately the people became self-satisfied and grew prideful and self-sufficient. This church represents the period of the Great Reformation and beyond from 1517 to 1755. This church is one of two churches among the seven which receives no commendation from Christ. In fact, the Lord tells them they are almost dead (Revelation 3). This is a fitting description of the Church of the dark ages which boasted of wealth and past glory, but was was dying spiritually. Jesus tells them to remember what they have received and return to it that they might strengthen what they have heard from God. Martin Luther headed God's call to remember and rediscovered the message of righteousness by faith. The result was that God breathed new life into the church of his day. There is a Sardis Call needed in California for us to remember what God did in our midst when we first started on our journey with Christ.

Early California worship was based on the power of prayer and an anticipation of the coming of Christ. The first 16 years of statehood from 1850 to 1866 were characterized by a concert of prayer in and around the Sacramento area. Weekly prayer gatherings were held and bible studies were conducted to prepare for the coming new millennium and the return of Christ. Monthly corporate gatherings of churches took place to pray for revival and the city. Pastors exchanged pulpits and preached on "unity and the need to pray corporately" for revival. Prayer gatherings were also held in neighborhoods throughout the city on the first Friday of the month. This concert of prayer helped to birth our state and bring forth its purposes at its very beginning. It may be time to re-dig this well. The beginning of the century saw the birth of the Pentecostal movement at Azusa Street in Southern California as week after week, believers bombarded the doors of heaven for revival. Pray that God will rise up a new passion for corporate prayer that will prepare this state for the coming of Christ. One of the fruits of this kind of prayer was that denominational walls came down. Following a fire in Sacramento one of the pastors of a black church was carrying wood to help rebuild his church. A white pastor saw him struggling to restore his church. He stopped what he was doing and helped the pastor by carrying wood on his back. Kingdom thinking is when we realize we need each other to restore our state. It will take all churches working TOGETHER to restore the Church of California.

Christ's warning:  "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch (pray), I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you." The solution Christ gives is to make watching and prayer the priority of the hour. (Rev. 3:3)

Adventures in Prayer:

How can you become a part of corporate prayer for revival and express unity? What is God already doing in your area that you can strengthen and be a part of? Pray for pastors and leaders in your area to enter into greater unity. What is God saying to you about re-digging the wells in our history to strengthen your own passion for preparing for a visitation from Christ?