Today, the need for prayer and fasting is more important than ever. Our world is in a crisis: we are facing a viral epidemic, political strife, violence, injustice, immorality. If we are to hear from God, then prayer, fasting, and consecration is necessary in order to bring us closer to Him. To Pray means to speak to God; it is an act of worship.
Prayer was one of the central activities of the life of Jesus Christ. It was the one thing that Jesus never forgot to do. Whether He’d find himself in the midst of victory or in the midst of trials, Jesus always prayed.
“Make every effort to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace (each individual working together to make the whole successful)”- EPHESIANS 4:3 (AMP )
Lord Jesus,
We look to You for help for America. We are praying for unity in the body Christ and we are praying for unity for our nation.
Ephesians 4:3 challenges us to mobilize in unified public prayer, “making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
We are praying for individuals, churches, and spiritual leaders in America, and we humble ourselves and unify in prevailing prayer for the great move of God in America.
We pray, Lord, today on this National Day of Prayer that in America we UNITE, and serve notice on the enemy that America will keep in the forefront Unity of the Spirit through the bond of Peace.
There is no great movement of God that has ever occurred that does not begin with the extraordinary prayer of God’s people.
Amen.
The West Angeles Prayer Ministry taps into the realm of the Spirit through the avenue of prayer. Directed by Evangelist Yvonne Gibson Johnson, our purpose is to facilitate the remembrance of God’s Word through prayer. If you need prayer, contact us:
“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.”
2 Chronicles 7:14
Father,
We come to you first thanking you for being the One who can heal the land. You alone have the power and sovereignty to bless our nation, Lord. Forgive us for our shortcomings and for the times that we have failed you as a people, God. Help us to draw nearer to You, Lord, and strengthen us as a nation to serve and honor You in all that we say and do.
We praise You in advance for guiding us, and for giving us wisdom and discernment in all of our endeavors. We pray for Your “peace that surpasses all understanding” to quicken all hearts and minds today, Lord. You alone have commanded us to make disciples of all nations. Help us to begin within our own hearts. Give us the courage to spread Your Love, whether it be with our neighbors across the street or with lost souls across the globe. Work through us Lord, for without You we can do nothing!
In Jesus Name! Amen!
Evangelist Yvonne Gibson Johnson
Director, West Angeles Prayer Ministry
It’s a hard measure to grasp–that our great nation was shaken, almost 14 years ago. I remember exactly where I was on September 11, 2001. I sat on the edge of my seat as the rest of my fellow students clustered around a television in the middle of my 9th grade English class. Horror gripped my body as I saw ominous smoke bellow from buildings and police officers frantic over the airways. I remember asking my teacher, “Is this a movie or is this real?” With tears in her eyes, my teacher—Mrs. Bridges said, “Antoinette…this is very real.”
September 11 will always be remembered as surreal day of pain and disbelief for the American people.
How could a series of four coordinated suicide attacks fall upon a country that seemed so impenetrable? On that dark morning, 19 terrorists from the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger jets and intentionally crashed two into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a fourth jet—Flight 93—crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania before it could reach its intended target in Washington, DC.
It would be wise for us to pause and reflect on the courageous men and women on that day. Let us reflect on El Shaddai’s grace and mercy on how He opened the gates of heaven and welcomed loved ones. Let us reflect on Jehovah Shammah—a God who is there, comforting wife’s who had lost their husbands and children who had lost their mothers . Jehovah Rapha—healing God who is yet and still bringing back the minds of city officials in FDNY AND NYPD suffering from post-traumatic stress. Jehovah Jireh—a provider to families who have still been unable to identify remains of a family member.
As the years have passed on, the pain may have passed some, but many brothers and sisters are mourning on this day and searching for a need to smile. Tomorrow is truly not promised and as we are considering the feelings of our fellow man, it would be wise for us to also consider ourselves. If we should perish today would we be satisfied with the lives we have lead, would our family be pleased at the example we have left for future generations to emulate? And most importantly…would we hear our merciful father whisper onto us, “Well done.”
May our nation be one undivided. May we continue to have love and understanding in our heart. Treat every verb that comes from your mouth onto someone’s ears as golden.
Change starts within. Shalom.
Presiding Bishop Charles Edward Blake tells a story from the War of Independence which teaches us about the power of service to others.
There was a corporal during the War of Independence who was leading a group of soldiers, and they came, as they went down the road, to a tree that had fallen across the road. The corporal called to his soldiers and said, “Get this tree out of the way! Come on, hurry up and move that tree!”
Just then, a general rode up and asked what was going on. “We’re getting this tree out of the road,” said the corporal. The general said to him, “Don’t you think you ought to help them out?” But the corporal responded, “What, Me? I’m a corporal! I don’t do things like move trees!”
The general got down from his horse and helped the men move the tree out of the way. He then said to the corporal, “Listen: if you ever need a tree moved, then call on a general like me; I’ll be glad to help you. My name is George Washington.”
Some folks are too holy to be any earthly good. There are many who will only do their specialty; they’ll do only certain kinds of good works. But the Lord Jesus would gladly do a thousand things that his servants are too great to touch.
Jesus is doing some things that we may think we’re too big to be involved in; too big to consider. But Jesus says, “If I’m involved in it, you ought to be involved in it also.” God needs servants who will do whatever needs to be done; general servants who’ll do anything and everything for Him.
Lift your hands and say, “Lord, I’ll do anything and everything for You!”
Adapted from the sermon, “A Believer’s Agenda”: Sunday, August 16th, 2015, by Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake, Sr. at West Angeles Church Of God In Christ.
See this entire sermon and more HERE, on West Angeles Video On Demand.
Colossians 1:9-10 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God
The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians was at the center of Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake, Sr.’s sermon on Sunday August 16, titled, The Believer’s Agenda.
“Paul won more souls to Jesus Christ during the period of his life than anybody else on the face of the earth,” Bishop Blake said.
Paul prayed for knowledge of the Will of God for the relatively young church at Colossae because, “It’s important that those who are doing good to do better. Success imposes responsibility. To whom much is given, much is required,” said Bishop Blake.
Highlights from Bishop Blake’s sermon titled “A Believer’s Agenda” follows; please click HERE to see this entire sermon on West Angeles Video On Demand:
“There’s a great hunger and a great need for expert advice in the world today.”
“Everybody wants to give advice. Not too many people are wise enough to seek advice.”
“Abject failures are clamoring to tell us how to succeed.”
“The best advice is from the Word of the Lord. That’s why you have to read the Bible for yourself.”
“The best advice you can get is in the Bible” – Presiding Bishop Charles Edward Blake, Sr.
“The Bible is your constant counselor.”
“Don’t feel that because you’re good you’ll never be attacked. You’re the one the devil wants to hurt. You’re the one the devil wants to destroy.”
“Sometimes God stretches us. Sometimes the archer pulls the bow back until the bow seems to be on the verge of breaking. But the archer says I’ve got to put stress on this bow because [it] can catapult the arrow to the great distance.”
“Don’t cry, don’t moan, don’t groan when you’re distressed. Just let God catapult you into your future. Halleluiah!”
“Success imposes responsibility.”
“You think God blessed you just so you can look good? God blessed you because He intends to get the most out of you.”
“There are many people who will help you when you are down, but when you are succeeding…it takes a strong, secure person to be able to help you and not be envious.”
“Paul was one of the foremost apostles…He wrote most of the NT. He’s right up there behind Jesus Christ as one of the greatest men to walk the earth.”
“When something is filled, there’s not room for anything else. When we’re filled with the truth, there’s no room for error.”
“If we know the scriptures, then we will know the power of God” – Presiding Bishop Charles Edward Blake, Sr.
“The priority of so many people is confused…But it’s not our will. It’s God’s Will that we should seek.”
“Some folks have the nerve to brag about not being sanctified. If you’re not sanctified, then you’re outside the Will of God…the Bible says, ‘This is the Will of God. Even your sanctification.’”
“Wisdom and spiritual understanding come by prayer.”
“Some folk need to have some good old-fashioned common sense.”
“Dumb questions are better than dumb mistakes.”
“You need the Holy Ghost because the Holy Ghost is a teacher…Lift your hands and say, ‘Lord, I need the Holy Ghost!’”
“When you’re filled with the Spirit of God, the Lord will direct you.”
“Let Jesus lead you!”
“When you give your life to the Lord, your question ought to be, ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’”
“Walk worthy of the Lord; this is the responsibility of every believer.”
“When Jesus is in your life, you should act like it! You should talk like it…You should live like it!”
“Children of the King should be royal in their behavior” – Presiding Bishop Charles Edward Blake, Sr.
“God doesn’t sponsor any flops.”
“If you want to serve God, you’ll serve people, too.”
“Doing good is more than not doing wrong.”
“God is looking for somebody who will work for Him.”
“There’s a knowledge of God that you’ll receive when you work for God, that you will not receive any other time.”
“If Jesus has power over death, He has power over everything.”
“God has everything under control.”
“If you stand for God, God will stand for you.”
“Neighbor, He’s here right now…The Lord is here!”
“Jesus gave us salvation just for the asking.”
“Power is yours. Wisdom is yours. The Holy Ghost is yours. Come on and praise Him!”
“Whatever the Lord is passing out, I want it!”
BIBLICAL REFERENCES – Colossians 1:1-14; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; James 1:5; Ephesians 5:17; John14:26 Proverbs 3:5-6; Ezra 8:23; Galatians 6:9; Luke 5:5; Acts 1:8; John 16:7; Mark 16:17; Luke 11:13; Acts 2:4, 2:39, 10:46, 19:6. Psalm 22:3.