PARTISAN POLITICS, IMMORALITY AND CORRUPTION IN WASHINGTON, ALONG WITH THE FRUSTRATION OF THE WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST COMBINED TO CREATE THE POLITICAL SITUATION OUR COUNTRY FINDS ITSELF IN TODAY.

THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL SERMON. I DON'T PREACH POLITICAL SERMONS, ONLY SPIRITUAL ONES. MANY OF US STILL LOOK AT OUR COUNTRY AS ONE BASED ON SPIRITUAL AND BIBLICAL VALUES, BUT WE ARE CONCERNED AT THE DIRECTION OUR COUNTRY SEEMS TO BE HEADED.

THIS MORNING WE HAVE HONORED OUR VETERANS AND I'D LIKE TO CONTINUE THE VETERAN'S DAY THEME BY NOTING THAT THE BIBLE SAYS THAT ALL CHRISTIANS ARE VETERANS OF GOD'S ARMY AGAINST THE POWERS OF EVIL, UNDER THE COMMAND OF THE FALLEN ANGEL, SATAN. SCRIPTURE TELLS US TO BE GOOD SOLDIERS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST SIN AND GODLESSNESS.

2ND CORINTHIANS 10: 3 SAYS: 'THOUGH WE LIVE IN THE WORLD, WE DO NOT WAGE WAR AS THE WORLD DOES. THE WEAPONS WE FIGHT WITH ARE NOT THE WEAPONS OF THE WORLD. ON THE CONTRARY, THEY HAVE DIVINE POWER TO DEMOLISH STRONGHOLDS.'

OUR WEAPONS ARE PRAYER AND FAITH. OUR ENEMY ISN'T A COUNTRY OR AN IDEOLOGY; IT IS THE SOURCE OF ALL EVIL AND SIN, THE EXILED ANGEL, LUCIFER. 1ST PETER 5:8 READS: 'BE SELF-CONTROLLED AND ALERT. YOUR ENEMY THE DEVIL PROWLS AROUND LIKE A ROARING LION LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO DEVOUR. RESIST HIM, STANDING FIRM IN THE FAITH''

NOW, I KNOW THAT MOST OF US DON'T THINK IN THOSE TERMS, BUT THE IMAGE OF JESUS, IN THE BIBLE, IS THAT OF A WARRIOR. LISTEN TO THE WORDS OF JOHN, AS HE WRITES ABOUT A VISION HE SAW. THIS IS FROM REVELATION 19:11-14 'NOW I SAW HEAVEN OPEN, AND BEHOLD, A WHITE HORSE. AND HE THAT SAT UPON HIM WAS CALLED FAITHFUL AND TRUE, AND IN RIGHTEOUSNESS HE DOES JUDGE AND MAKE WAR. HIS EYES WERE AS A FLAME OF FIRE, AND ON HIS HEAD WERE MANY CROWNS, AND HE HAD A NAME WRITTEN, THAT NO MAN KNEW BUT HE HIMSELF. AND HE WAS CLOTHED WITH A ROBE DIPPED IN BLOOD: AND HIS NAME IS CALLED THE WORD OF GOD. AND THE ARMIES WHICH WERE IN HEAVEN, FOLLOWED HIM UPON WHITE HORSES. CLOTHED IN FINE LINEN, WHITE AND CLEAN. AND OUT OF HIS MOUTH CAME A SHARP SWORD, THAT WITH IT HE SHOULD DESTROY THE NATIONS: AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON: AND HE TRAMPLES THE WINE PRESS OF THE FIERCENESS AND ANGER OF ALMIGHTY GOD. AND HE HAS ON HIS CHEST AND ON HIS THIGH A NAME WRITTEN WHICH IS KING OF KING AND LORD OF LORDS.'

THAT'S AS MILITARY AS IT GETS AND IT'S A PICTURE OF JESUS AS HE COMES TO JUDGE THE WORLD.

AT THE END OF HIS LIFE PAUL SAID, 'I HAVE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT, I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH'.

EACH ONE OF US WHO BELIEVES IN JESUS AND HAS ASKED HIM TO GUIDE US THROUGH LIFE IS ON THE SIDE OF MORALITY AND FAITH THAT OUR LORD, OUR COMMANDER, TEACHES AND DEMANDS OF HIS FOLLOWERS.

FOR OUR SCRIPTURE THIS MORNING I'D LIKE TO DIRECT OUR ATTENTION TO THE BOOK OF EXODUS, CHAPTER 17:8-16: HERE WE FIND THAT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL ARE IN THEIR 40 YEARS OF WANDERING, AFTER LEAVING SLAVERY IN EGYPT. THEY HAVE ENTERED THE LAND OF THE TRIBE OF AMALEK, WHO DON'T WANT THESE NOMADS CROSSING THEIR LAND. THIS IS MOSES' ACCOUNT OF WHAT HAPPENED. '8 THE AMALEKITES CAME AND ATTACKED THE ISRAELITES AT REP-HID-IM. 9 MOSES SAID TO JOSHUA, 'CHOSE SOME OF OUR MEN AND GO OUT TO FIGHT THE AMALEKITES. TOMORROW I WILL STAND ON TOP OF THE HILL WITH THE STAFF (ROD) OF GOD IN MY HANDS.'

10 SO JOSHUA FOUGHT THE AMALEKITES AS MOSES HAD ORDERED, AND MOSES, AARON AND HUR WENT TO THE TOP OF THE HILL. 11 AS LONG AS MOSES HELD UP HIS HANDS, THE ISRAELITES WERE WINNING, BUT WHENEVER HE LOWERED HIS HANDS, THE AMALEKITES WERE WINNING. 12 WHEN MOSES' HANDS GREW TIRED, THEY TOOK A STONE AND PUT IT UNDER HIM AND HE SAT ON IT. AARON AND HUR HELD HIS HANDS UP---ONE ON ONE SIDE, ONE ON THE OTHER---SO THAT HIS HANDS REMAINED STEADY TILL SUNSET. 13 SO JOSHUA OVERCAME THE AMALEKITE ARMY WITH THE SWORD.

14 THEN THE LORD SAID TO MOSES, 'WRITE THIS ON A SCROLL AS SOMETHING TO BE REMEMBERED AND MAKE SURE THAT JOSHUA HEARS IT, BECAUSE I WILL COMPLETELY BLOT OUT THE MEMORY OF AMALEK FROM UNDER HEAVEN.'

15 MOSES BUILT AN ALTAR AND CALLED IT 'THE LORD IS MY BANNER'. 16 HE SAID, 'FOR HANDS WERE LIFTED UP TO THE THRONE OF THE LORD. THE LORD WILL BE AT WAR AGAINST THE AMALEKITES FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.'

MOSES LEARNED A VALUABLE LESSON THAT DAY WHICH IS A LESSON THAT ALL OF US NEED TO LEARN. AS LONG AS HIS HANDS WERE LIFTED TO GOD, GOD HONORED HIM, AND HIS PEOPLE. BUT THE OPPOSITE WAS ALSO TRUE.

WE, AS INDIVIDUALS, AND WE AS A CHURCH FAMILY, FACE TOUGH TIMES EVERY DAY. WHEN WE CALL ON GOD AND HAVE FAITH IN HIM, WE WILL THEN WIN THE DAY.

AS LONG AS MOSES HELD HIS HANDS UP TO GOD AND PRAYED FOR VICTORY, GOD ANSWERED HIM.

IF YOU WANTED, YOU COULD GO THROUGH THE BIBLE AND WRITE DOWN DOZENS OF PRAYERS THAT WERE OFFERED TO GOD, ALONG WITH THE RESULTS.

EVERY PRAYER LISTED WAS PRAYED IN FAITH, BELIEVING THAT GOD WOULD ANSWER THE PRAYER.

1. ELIJAH PRAYED THAT GOD WOULD HONOR HIS FAITH BY BURNING UP THE SACRIFICE HE OFFERED WHILE THE IDOL WORSHIPPERS OF BAAL STOOD BY MOCKING HIM.

2. THERE ARE 12 PRAYERS OF DAVID.

3. HANNAH PRAYED FOR A SON AND SAMUEL WAS BORN. GOD USED SAMUEL TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF JEWISH HISTORY.

4. QUEEN ESTHER PRAYED AND ASKED THE WHOLE CAPTIVE NATION TO PRAY---AND A HORRIBLE PLOT TO KILL ALL JEWS WAS STOPPED.

5. JONAH PRAYED AND A NATION WAS SAVED FROM DESTRUCTION.

6. SOLOMON PRAYED FOR WISDOM AND IT WAS GIVEN TO HIM.

7. JESUS PRAYED EVERYDAY AND WE ALL KNOW HOW HIS FATHER ANSWERED HIM.

8. THE DISCIPLES LEARNED HOW TO PRAY FOR STRENGTH AND FAITH, AND THE GOSPEL WENT OUT TO THE KNOWN WORLD.

THOSE ARE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF PRAYER IN THE SCRIPTURES.

THERE ARE MANY REFERENCES AND TEACHINGS ABOUT PRAYER, IN THE BIBLE. WE KNOW THAT WE ARE TO PRAY WITHOUT CEASING, IN OTHER WORDS, ALWAYS BE READY TO PRAY. WE ARE TO PRAY FROM OUR HEARTS AND NOT JUST FROM OBLIGATION. THAT MEANS WE TALK TO GOD AS IF HE’S IN THE ROOM WITH US.

WE NEED TO BE DETERMINED AND PERSISTENT, SHOWING GREAT FAITH THAT GOD WILL ANSWER US.

WE NEED TO BE SPECIFIC IN WHAT WE WANT. A BLIND MAN NAMED BARTIMAEUS CAME TO JESUS AND ASKED HIM FOR HELP. IN MARK 10:51 IT SAYS THAT JESUS ASKED HIM 'WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?' FINALLY, BART…. SAID, 'I WANT TO SEE.' AND HE DID!

WE MUST PRAY IN GOD'S WILL FOR THINGS THAT ARE A PART OF HIS PLAN FOR US, OUR FAMILY, OUR CHURCH AND OUR NATION.

JESUS TAUGHT US IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT (MATTHEW 6:33) 'BUT SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS;AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU'.

IF WE ARE TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN OUR BATTLE AGAINST SIN AND ITS EVIL CONSEQUENCES, THEN WE MUST SHOW GOD OUR FAITH AND OUR RIGHTEOUS DESIRES THROUGH OUR PRAYER LIFE. PRAYER IS OUR GREATEST WEAPON IN ANY SPIRITUAL BATTLE WE HAVE.

TODAY WE HONOR OUR COUNTRY’S VETERANS, BUT NEVER FORGET THAT WE ARE ALL IN GOD'S ARMY OF FAITH, TRYING TO BRING PEACE AND LOVE TO THE WORLD.

LET'S PRAY