{"id":3653,"date":"2014-09-18T12:36:37","date_gmt":"2014-09-18T12:36:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=3653"},"modified":"2014-09-18T12:36:37","modified_gmt":"2014-09-18T12:36:37","slug":"one-nation-under-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=3653","title":{"rendered":"One Nation Under God"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I rarely raise political issues or concerns through my blog. And while I\u2019m not going to discuss any particular issue, I will mention how tiring it is to watch political ads. You know the ones I\u2019m talking about. So and so isn\u2019t the right person because they are too something.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"flag\"<\/a>It seems like these ads have been running for months\u2026and maybe they have. But right now, I\u2019m tired of it. I want the election to be over, but we still have 6 weeks to listen to this bashing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A couple of years ago, I read a book by David Butts called, \u201c40 Days of Prayer for America: Desperate for Change.\u201d It\u2019s a little book and as I pulled it of my shelf, I\u2019ve decided it\u2019s time to read through this gem once again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mr. Butts starts out by saying \u201cPrayer is critical to any nation, especially a nation that proclaims a connection to God.\u201d[i]<\/a> If you believe this statement like I do, we have an obligation to pray for America.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My questions today: Are you praying for the leaders of our country? Are you praying for the citizen of America to return to God as a nation? Are you willing to pray? There is still time for God to do His mighty work within our country.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We should at least be willing to try!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So here are my suggestions for you. If you can get a copy of Mr. Butts\u2019 book, do so. He will encourage you to focus on very specific areas of prayer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is just one man\u2019s tool to pray for America. God has His own tools in Scripture to lead us in praying for our nation. Let\u2019s begin with God\u2019s command for Israel.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After the temple was complete, God appeared to Solomon and shared these words with him. \u201cIf my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their land.\u201d<\/em> (2 Chronicles 7:14 \u2013 NIV) God is willing to heal our land, but we must do our part. Humble prayers are the perfect place to start.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Paul urged Timothy to pray for the \u201ckings and all those in authority\u201d<\/em> in 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NIV). But the reasoning behind it is also mentioned in this section of Scripture. \u201cThat we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.\u201d <\/em>I will allow Scripture to speak for itself.<\/p>\n

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I also believe that as we live godly and holy lives, we will be good citizens of our nation. By following God\u2019s commands and His words, we are able to be the right kind of people America needs. People full of grace. People who show kindness to strangers and the poor. People who love their enemies.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And Titus 3:1-2 (NIV) adds a few more words of encouragement. \u201cRemind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Good countries are made up of good citizens. Titus 3:14 (NIV) adds another element. \u201cOur people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I certainly am not willing to live an unproductive life. I pray that you feel the same.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, what I\u2019ve come up with is that we must humble ourselves before God, pray for our nation and leaders, and be good citizens. To be honest, this is just the skeleton. As you study Scripture, you will find other things to add to this list. And I would encourage you to do so.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let another day go by where America is not in your prayers. Hand it over to God. Allow Him to do mighty things with people who are willing to humble themselves before Him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let the healing begin!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Donna<\/p>\n

[i]<\/a> \u201c40 Days of Prayer for America: Desperate for Change,\u201d David Butts, PrayerShop Publishing, 2012, page 3.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  I rarely raise political issues or concerns through my blog. And while I\u2019m not going to discuss any particular issue, I will mention how tiring it is to watch political ads. You know the ones I\u2019m talking about. So and so isn\u2019t the right person because they are too something.   It seems like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_s2mail":"yes","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,16,246,602,14,21],"tags":[3100,3102,1959,3106,3101,3104,3098,3099,3105,195,197,3103],"class_list":["post-3653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asking-god","category-following-god","category-honoring-god","category-illuminating-god","category-seeking-god","category-trusting-god","tag-40-days-of-prayer-for-america-desperate-for-change","tag-1-timothy-21-2","tag-2-chronicles-714","tag-be-good-citizens","tag-davi-butts","tag-humble-ourselves-before-god","tag-one-nation-under-god","tag-political-ads","tag-pray-for-our-nation-and-leaders","tag-prayer","tag-titus-31-2","tag-titus-314"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3653"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3653\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3656,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3653\/revisions\/3656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}