Prayer and Repentance
(This
teaching was done by Marvin Gorman sometime back. I having studied
under his teachings had my notes from it. I was asked to preach one
night at a small Apostolic Church in Athens and this lesson is where the
LORD led me. I have added to Pastor Gorman's teaching a few things the
LORD showed me through other sources as well. I pray it blesses you as
it has many others, including myself.)
We forget sometimes how much power one person has in PRAYER!
This is a true story recorded under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through one man.
Nehemiah the cupbearer of king and had been taken away into
captivity. Now some from Jerusalem had some business there where
they were in captivity, so he inquired concerning the homeland.
This is the report they gave him...
Chapter 1 Verse 3- 11
Chapter 2 Verse 17
Nehemiah could only do one thing... PRAY! He was helpless to go
back home, to help the people, to do anything. Only thing he could
do was pray! So, he did one thing... PRAYED! He was helpless
to do anything except PRAY!
God has spoken from this chapter to us if we will only have ears to
hear. Nehemiah had a vision. He saw the situation as it was. He
didn’t try to make it something it wasn't. He saw the city was burned,
the walls broken down, the people distressed.
Nehemiah had a vision. He assessed the situation. He started to
pray. He mourned, wept, fasted, and prayed. If you want to touch
God... a broken and contrite spirit will beacon HIM always.
Point #1-IF you want God to get involved in your situation then
you are going to have to humble yourself! If you are walking around
cocky and a 'know it all'... no way is God going to get involved.
BUT when you are broken, mourning, weeping, fasting, and
praying... GOD IS GOING TO HEAR! GOD IS
GOING TO HEAR and WILL GET INVOLVED!
#2. Nehemiah began to repent. He said WE have transgressed.
"WE" your people have sinned. Nehemiah was a holy man. But
he stepped out and put himself with all the people.
Look at our families today. We don't have to sacrifice not one of
our family members. If we seek God this way... God can save our
household. IF we believe the WORD OF GOD... then we can
claim the salvation of our households! AMEN! God has given
us the right to stand in the gap and intercede making up the hedge.
But the first thing we have to do is BE HONEST with our self!
Don't paint that picture something it is not.
If your kids are rebellious. Then confess it before God... WE have
a spirit of rebellion should be confessed! Not "THEY" but WE!!!
WE the family!!! IF one in the house has a spirit of rebellion... the
whole house is under the attack of the spirit of rebellion.
If it is one in the household it is all the house! Rebellion is a form of
witchcraft. Which opens the door for every demonic power you can
think of to harass you!
How can I break it? Through mourning, weeping, fasting, and
praying and God will then get involved!
A spirit of rebellion can NOT withstand the power of God. He
will break it every time!!!
It hurts my heart to look at families today. Even if the mom, dad, and
children
live under one roof... they are scattered, ripped, torn in every
direction! NOW is the time to begin to pray and repent! Though
you may not DO "it"... it is effected throughout the household.
Think of how a get-a-way driver goes to jail just like the actual bank
robber!
Don't just respond to crisis! Stand in the gap before the crisis
comes! REPENT! Even for the sins of all things that go on in the
house... because you allowed in it! Guilty by association!!!! (Man's
law gets this more than Christian!) We must take our families back!
We must take our households back! WE can't do it... but we serve
a GOD THAT CAN GET IT DONE!!!
God has the POWER and this why we must humble ourselves to
admit helplessness to deal with these things.
Pray for blessings over your children and spouse. Pray for protection
and deliverance. There are mighty armies of angels from our Father's
house to do mighty and great things for us... but we must be willing to
push through in faith to receive these blessings. Amen.
Where the presence of the LORD is... there is liberty and freedom.
He begins to deal with and work with people. He deals with the hearts
of the unsaved. He causes the unsaved to be broken. When the
presence of God comes down... you can't remain the same! When the
Holy Spirit moves in a church service we feel it and love it and praise
the LORD for it but we confine it to only the CHURCH! When
the Holy Spirit falls onto the household... power comes with it!
Every time the children of Israel was in trouble... the prophets and
leaders pray by stepping into the gap and admit THEY have failed.
Remember the story of Abraham... God doesn't punish the righteous.
When hell breaks loose in our house... WE have failed in our keeping
the presence of the LORD!
When you begin to pray you buck against the force of evil. Satan
hates the family! That is why he tried to destroy the first marriage and
the first brotherhood!
He wants to cause as much turmoil as possible within our homes and
families. If you think you are exempt from this attack on your family...
you are living in a fools paradise! Satan is after your family. He is
after my family! He wants to cause as much turmoil and bitterness as
he
possibly can! Don't think when you take a stand against the devil...
everything is going to just instantly get sweet and nice!
The first thing Nehemiah faced was mocking! Get ready for that!
We are in spiritual warfare!!! It is battle after battle after battle!
BUT PRAISE GOD WE WILL WIN THE WAR!!! Your
family will probably taunt you, mock you, say nasty things to you...
so as to discourage you!
ENCOURAGE YOURSELF IN THE LORD! "I
KNOW THE GOD OF HEAVEN WILL PROSPER
US!!!"
Stay strong in the faith of the deliverance of our Father. Stay
strong in the faith of the repentant heart. Remain steadfast in
prayer for the promises of God to be fulfilled in your household.
The family is the target of hell! Hell is fighting against the family.
TV is programmed to disrupt the family. Anti-family is pumped
into your home daily. The only salvation in your family is through
weeping, mourning, fasting, and praying.
You might say, "You don't know how bad our situation is!" Well,
let's look at Nehemiah again!
The people had lost hope, been in captivity, came out of captivity,
and now were setting in the debris. 99 years they had been back
home setting in the filth and the broken down walls, and burned
gates.
In 52 days one man praying to God... changed everything!!!
This church needs just a few of you to stand up and say... MY
FAMILY IS NOT GOING TO HELL! MY FAMILY
IS NOT GOING TO BE LOST! MY CHILDREN
ARE GOING TO BE SAVED! MY MARRIAGE IS
GOING TO BE HEALED!
In this 52 days with just a few helping, Nehemiah, they sometimes
kept their clothes on and a sword in their hands while they slept,
and while they worked. They were ready to fight and ready to
pray at all times! In 52 days they were back to restoration!!!
AMEN~! Of course during the whole time... there were people
standing around saying, "YOU ALL MAY AS WELL
GIVE UP!" "YOU CAN"T DO THAT!" "DON'T
YOU KNOW OTHERS TRIED AND FAILED~!
" But Nehemiah said.. they didn't know my GOD!
You might say, Well, God hasn't put that on my heart. God
didn't PUT that on Nehemiah's heart either. He looked at
the hopeless situation and sought the LORD for what he might
could do to assist the LORD in anyway possible!
When are you going to look at the conditions of your home
and say... "This is not right for my children to disobey me!"
"This is not right for my children to disrespect me!"
"This is not right to have some evil spirit in my home!" GOD
BY YOUR GRACE AND BY YOUR PRESENCE
YOU ARE GOING TO CHANGE THIS
SITUATION!
When are we going to fill our homes with praise and worship
instead of this demonic spirited music of today? I am speaking
about rock and roll, rap, country, and so on the list goes! As
long as you allow the "HELL MUSIC" to go on in your home...
HELL is not going anywhere! You say "THAT IS NOT
HELL MUSIC!" WAKE UP!!!! We want entertainment...
folks, that kind of stuff is NOT of God~! This can only change
when mommas and daddies say we have had enough and we are
going to pray this thing through. Amen?
Let family members say what they want too. They will have to
answer for their own. Tend to your household.
God is dealing in mercy right now. I want you to hear me... God is
dealing in mercy RIGHT NOW~! Family is in trouble! God's
mercy is burdening hearts with this issue so that you will pay
attention! Watch and see... how many families will be saved and
filled with the spirit! Because some of you are listening tonight
and will adhere to this teaching! Mark it down... there will be
WHOLE families saved in this church! Because some of you
have the same strong will as Nehemiah and you have the faith to
do it God's way! AMEN!
Don't get discouraged. Go on and bawl and squal and pray!!!
You can pray your children through anything!!!!!!!!!!! When we pray
we get God involved!!!
Your family is going to be attacked. Satan is setting a trap. They
are going to get involved in drugs, gangs, drinking, violence... IF we
don't get God involved!!!
Young people... the devil is out there to set a trap for you! Get a
hold of God for your family and for your friends.
If you are divorced, my heart goes out to you. BUT no one can
be a dad to your children like you can. No one can be a grandpa
like you can.
The man in your home... whatever spirit is in him is in your family.
The woman in your home... whatever spirit is in her is effecting and influencing your family.
"BUT I CAN"T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE
OTHER ONE!"
Remember Nehemiah... he prayed and affected a WHOLE
NATION when he prayed!
Stop making excuses! Stop saying it's ok when you know it's not!
We have got to restore the respect. Don't expect your house to
respect you if you don't respect our Heavenly Father!
The following article was
written by Brother David Rice. He is with The Herald of Christ's Kingdom
magazine and lays out this study beautifully. We encourage you to visit
their site and also consider subscribing to their publications. They
offer free booklets, a bi-monthly publication magazine, and other
biblically sound teachings. We have found them to be generous, kind, and
in total submission to following the way of our Lord Jesus. You can
click on the title below and quickly find their site through the link.
