Bound4LIFE Blog

B4L in Delaware

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:06:55 GMT

The following story was sent to us from our Delaware chapter. Bound4LIFE's impact is not only being felt in our Nations capitol but in neighborhoods all across the country. Let's remember that even in the most desperate of times the one liberty that we must protect is the right to live.

Ian Kelly

Asst. Director

We were able to save a baby's life the other day at the clinic!!!!

Colleen and I arrived to a full parking lot on Wed am. One of the cars held a mother and father and child about 18 months old. They sat there as we prayed, then drove out of the lot and parked on the street behind us. The father came over and asked what we were doing and whom we were. I shared about our mission to pray for an end to abortion. He asked me when I thought life began and I was able to share with him. It turns out they were pregnant and very concerned about the state of the economy and whether it would be better to have an abortion than to worry about 4 mouths to feed. I listened to all his concerns...he was obviously conflicted about what to do. I don't think I have ever been faced with such a huge situation and I felt very small! But thankfully I have a big God to rely on!!! I was able to share with him in love about the Lord and how He had plans for this baby's life and that his baby was no surprise to God. He allowed me to pray for him and I also shared some practical help with info about A Door of Hope. He got in his car with his family and left planning to visit A Door of Hope. He left the abortion clinic obviously affected by the Lord. God is so good!!!!!!!

What a huge experience that was! I praise God that He knows everyone and everything and sets up divine appointments for each of us! It's Him who does all the work, we just show up...and SUDDENLY! This man's heart was obviously prepared in advance by God to receive the truth. We, just as God would have it, showed up at the right place at the right time with the right message. Thank you Lord! And thanks to each of you for your continued prayer!! Your prayers are plowing the hard ground at this abortion clinic and saving babies lives! Please keep this family, Daniel and Nina, and the countless others who are faced with these difficult situations in your prayers.

God Bless You,

Maureen and Colleen

Response, Repentance, Regrouping and Relentless

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:45:29 GMT

To the pro-life remnant in America,

I’m sure this email finds many of you still trying to process and make sense out of last week’s election. No doubt there are more questions today than answers. If you’re like me, then you’ve been looking for responses from Christian leaders to help understand where we are today. Please bear with me as I attempt to construct thoughts regarding what has happened and what it means for Bound4LIFE and the pro-life movement.

Response
First of all let me express my sincere gratitude to all those that have followed through with their vows concerning prayer for the ending of abortion, voting for pro-life candidates and obeying God when it comes to compassion and justice. I believe the Life Band represents something larger than any of us realize right now. It helps us align with God’s heart and purposes in the earth, and we can never go wrong following this simple path. As always God has moved through a remnant to make his will known.

It has become quite clear that the majority of the American Church has chosen to promote pro-abortion agents and pro-death policies. I believe God is grieved over these choices. It was within our ability to propel life-saving efforts for the unborn and plead the cause of the helpless, but because we have rejected that sacred responsibility I believe judgment will begin with the house of God. I also believe it will cost us dearly. Some will be tempted to dodge their culpability declaring “Well, it happened so it must have been God’s will all along.” This would be flawed thinking in the extreme. To quote Dutch Sheets, “Too much emphasis on God’s sovereignty and we’re worthless; too little and we’re hopeless.”

A rule of thumb that I have embraced is “A casual approach to the prophetic word will produce casualties.” In this case, the cry for “change” was greater than the cry for “mercy.” We have asked for a king, and a king has been given to us. We will now collectively drink from this cup, and concerning the pre-born children the casualties are quite literal. Today we find ourselves standing knee deep in the blood of 50 million children asking God to bless us and fix our economy. So still it must be said “the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether”.

Repentance
The responsibility lies with the Church. We are supposed to lead the way; we are to be the head and not the tail, and we will be forced to live with the consequences of our choices. Please forgive me if this sounds overly harsh. My intent is not to accuse; instead it is for us to accept responsibility. After all the Church is the hope of the world.

Now is the time for God to work repentance in our hearts; deep repentance on behalf of a confused Church and wayward nation. We should all review Daniel 9 as a model for this. May God do a quick work in us and restore us to our proper place. The scripture remains just as true today as it did before the elections, “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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Ch 7:14)

Regrouping
If I learned anything during this campaign, it was how powerful it can be when a people that feel disenfranchised from government mobilize at the grassroots level around a singular, unwavering message. As we pick ourselves up from this moment and move forward let us not depart from the place of intense prayer and fasting. God has driven us here for a reason, and it must continue. We are all in the School of Prayer now. God is bringing forth a revolutionary prayer movement in the earth, and it is still in its infancy. The Church must learn and embrace that the prayer meeting is the governmental center of the universe. Not only does prayer directly effect change for God’s purposes, but we should also expect an explosion of creativity if we will remain focused in the place of prayer.

Creativity for new pro-life strategies
Creativity for public policy
Creativity for unity and mobilization
Creativity for shifting culture through media
Creativity for adoption reform

Our prayer mandate remains the same: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Ti 2:1-4)

Relentless
Moral authority is on our side. Abortion and the pro-death culture is heavily entrenched in the American psyche. The blood of the innocent has fueled the demonization of our culture for nearly 36 years. That is no excuse, however, to give up or even slow down now. On the contrary let us double our efforts and continue to face the giant that dares to mock the armies of the living God. Yes, we have lost an important battle. Yes, our efforts have experienced a great setback. Yes, the days ahead will be difficult to say the least. But history reminds us that the light of revelation can dawn on even the most difficult of social evils—slavery. Decade after decade passed while God relentlessly raised up voices for righteousness ultimately aligning the nation to His divine will.

There is good reason to think that without the steady drumbeat of Christian condemnation from the abolitionist preachers, there would never have been sufficient antislavery sentiment—to say nothing of antislavery interest—to enable the nation finally to go to war over the issue. Equally important, there might never have been sufficient antislavery preaching if not for the tireless evangelizing of such abolitionists as Charles Finney and his protégé Theodore Weld, who successfully targeted, among their many audiences, young college students who would, they knew, be the nation’s future leaders. From town to town they went…at every stop bringing their message that slavery was contrary to the Gospels. Until, finally, people came to believe it.
Stephen L. Carter, God’s Name in Vain

President-Elect Barack Obama has stated that ”culture wars are just so 90’s and their days are growing dark.’ Let our posture reflect that we are just beginning and that we will not give up on America and the next generation. We will continue to pray for this President, Congress and Supreme Court and then for those that come after them. Let the government of earth know that God has already installed His King on His holy hill.

ALSO: Please stay tuned for an important and BIG announcement coming next week regarding DC and the Supreme Court!

Continuing to strike the arrows (2 Ki 13:17-19),

Matt Lockett
Executive Director
Bound4LIFE Intl.

“I’ve Got a Bracelet Too.”

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:44:18 GMT

Last night during the Presidential debate the candidates took a moment to discuss the finer points of their bracelets. I’d like to do the same and remind the 325,000 people out there that wear the same one as me to remember their commitment.

The simple red wristband that marks so many wrists represents a set of priorities that is unpopular to say the least. Beyond the rhetoric it calls the wearer to a standard close to the heart of God–perhaps something that all the other issues hinge on–ending the shedding of innocent blood. Those that have voluntarily taken this solemn pledge have made a sober commitment to three things.

1) PRAY

First and foremost, all those that have chosen to wear a life band agree to pray daily for the ending of abortion. There are many strategies out there aimed at protecting human life in the womb and many ways to get involved, but we must not forget the most important and most powerful form of activism available to us–prayer. Without deliberate, intensive prayer all strategies are doomed to fail.

There can be no substitute, no rival for prayer; it stands alone as the great spiritual force, and this force must be imminent and acting. It cannot be dispensed with during one generation, nor held in abeyance for the advance of any great movement–it must be continuous and particular, always, everywhere, and in everything. We cannot run our spiritual operation on the prayers of the past generation.
-E.M. Bounds, “Prayer Has No Substitutes”

2) VOTE

The wearer commits to voting for political candidates that are pro-life. This is where we begin to put legs on the conviction that has seized our hearts. You cannot hope and pray for the ending of abortion and then promote those that support it. The battle rages for the ideologies of the culture, and those that win the highest seats gain influence over those ideologies. Voting is a privilege and an honor, and we must not take it for granted.

Forget party politics. Lay down traditional loyalties. Break unholy alliances.

3) OBEY

Finally, everyone wearing a life band has made a promise to obey God in however He leads in acts of compassion and justice. We must be pro-life and not just anti-abortion. For some it may mean volunteering in a Pregnancy Resource Center or taking a pregnant young mother into your home. For others, and I hope most, it will mean adopting unwanted babies saved from abortion. Will you cry out with me for a massive adoption movement to sweep across the Church in America? “Give us a spirit of adoption Lord.”

Get a life band NOW.

If you don’t have a life band, get one right now at https://bound4life.com/store. If you’ve already got one, I challenge you to multiply yourself. Talk to your neighbors, family and coworkers. I believe there is a great window of opportunity right now before these elections to explode the LIFE message. The abortion debate is about to hit the family dinner table like never before. Let’s believe together for a massive shift in public opinion and public policy for a culture of life.

Matt Lockett

See You in DC Oct. 6-Opening Day

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:46:15 GMT

In 2004, a small band of young people dared to believe that their prayers and fasting could shape history. On October 4th they gathered in front of the Supreme Court before the elections to pray for a pro-life President and a shift for the Judges to protect the unborn. It was opening day. What began to take shape seemed ridiculous, even silly, to others gathered there and passing by. Complete silence met angry yelling as 50 young people stood in prayer with a simple piece of red tape covering their mouths. The single word “LIFE” was put on display–it was God’s word.

“It’s not a protest. It’s a prayer meeting.”

In just a few days we’ll celebrate the four-year anniversary of Bound4LIFE’s stand in front of the Supreme Court. During that time, two seats on the Court have opened and been filled, we believe, by Judges that will judge rightly. A wave of pro-life legislation has begun–the most notable being the 2006 abortion ban in South Dakota. Even though struck down by voters over public conscience regarding rape and incest, a new well-crafted measure will be put to voters on November 4th. This one will pass! (Vote YES on Initiated Measure 11)

Opinions have surprisingly changed. Justice Kennedy, while he does not like being viewed as a swing vote, broke with the liberal side of the Court and sided with the Judges upholding the Partial Birth Abortion Ban on April 18, 2007. In fact, he wrote the opinion and cited the startling testimony of post-abortive women describing the devastating aftermath that the abortion industry doesn’t want you to know about. (Moral of the story- the Court is now listening)

Anecdote
On the evening of April 17th a small Bound4LIFE team was standing in front of the Court praying. We looked up and were surprised to see Justice Kennedy standing in a front office window looking at us. It was late in the day and there wasn’t really anyone else on the sidewalk. “What was he thinking about?” was the question on our minds. The next morning was when they released their surprise ruling on PBO. Do you think our prayers are having an effect?

There are many other instances of striking advances for the cause. Recently the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit upheld a 2005 South Dakota “informed consent” law requiring abortion doctors to tell women that “the abortion will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being.” They cited conclusive scientific evidence detailing this as FACT and not ideologically-driven agenda. Science is declaring the glory of God!

God is raising up deliverers in Colorado. Voters will decide very soon whether to amend their state constitution to define life as beginning at conception. (Vote YES on Amendment 48) This great work began with a 21-year-old!

The only way that the ground battles can succeed is if you first prevail in the heavens.

The stakes have never been higher. For two years God has led us to pray the simple prayer, “Drive abortion like a wedge into the 2008 elections.” Until recently, it seemed that the abortion issue would be neatly tucked away in the campaigns. Now, it’s as though God himself has force fed the words uttered in our prayer closets right into the mouths of the media. Everywhere you turn the headlines and commentators are declaring, “Abortion is the wedge in these elections.”

Former Mayor of NYC, Ed Koch, recently declared

“I predict that the outcome of the presidential election will depend not on the economy, not on the Iraq war, not on the price of gasoline or the issue of national health insurance, but on the issue of the right to abortion.”

I declare that the Church will not be courted or comforted by a puny platform plank. Do not insult us with feeble attempts to make us feel “comfortable.” I don’t want to feel comfortable. And this isn’t about imposing religious beliefs on someone else–arguing “If you don’t like abortion, then don’t have one.” No, this is a justice issue, and it’s never the wrong time to demand justice. #siege

And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.
(Lk 18:7-8)

Now is the time to pray like never before. It’s time to step onto death ground with our fasting. We’ve dedicated September 24 to November 2 to be 40 days of fasting for our nation. Strategic strikes are taking place everywhere. 40 Days for Life has mobilized thousands to fast and pray at abortion clinics in 177 cities. There is opportunity for everyone to get involved right where you live.

I want to invite you to come and stand with us at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC on October 6. This will be an all-day stand from 9 AM to 5 PM. Join us on this historic day to pray for breakthrough. America hangs in the balance, but you can make a difference.

Matt Lockett

Announcing Bound4LIFE LIVE

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:41:21 GMT

Think of it as a one-stop shop for everything Bound4LIFE to keep you in the loop. Beginning during the 40-day fast before the 2008 Elections, Bound4LIFE is launching a new web portal to keep you up to date…well really up to the minute...well, actually up to the second.

Sept 24–Nov 2

You’ll be able to watch, read and connect with the Bound4LIFE team in Washington, DC as we feed Silent Sieges, prayer rumbles, personal insights, news and events leading up to November 4th when America casts their votes. Using the most current real-time web-based tools to communicate, you’ll be able to follow along and interact with the team via Twitter, Qik, 12seconds, Ustream, YouTube, Flickr and Facebook. We’ll also be rattling off some lengthier things in a blog, which you can get the RSS feed if you like. The best news is that all of that content will funnel into a single convenient location.

I believe we are yet to see all the twists and turns that this election cycle has to offer. Having access to real-time prayer mobilization tools could prove to be instrumental. When the news media breaks a story and describes it as “…developing,” you can now take that to heart. We invite you to join with us in the “developing” moment.

Go to Bound4LIFE.com/live to follow along and join in.

“Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, ‘The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!’” (Ne 4:19-20)

We are spread out extensively along the wall in our nation contending for LIFE, but there is a growing unity in this hour. Listen for that virtual trumpet blast and gather in prayer with us there. Let’s stand together in faith believing that there is still hope for America.

Matt Lockett
Executive Director
Bound4LIFE Intl.

Flood Waters of Crisis

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:32:42 GMT

Last Friday I was with Lou Engle in Washington, DC. We watched in shock as the muddy flood waters of the Mississippi River broke through the levees in Missouri. A few minutes later Lou declared in a CBN News interview that the boundaries have been removed and the “moral levees” in the nation have broken.

“Everyone has to start sandbagging now!”

What a vivid parallel the news is broadcasting as we watch this devastation taking place in our heartland. Consider the images of those in the path of destruction as they feverishly build walls out of sandbags in an effort to restrain the incoming muddy waters. In this moment of crisis, those walls are necessary to protect their homes, crops and livelihood.

Right now, the nation is in a moment of spiritual crisis, and it demands that walls be built. Not walls of sand but walls of intercession.

“I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.” (Ez 22:30)

With the coming elections looming large on the horizon so much is at stake. One of the walls that’s imperative right now is the one we’ve built in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. That wall has been standing daily for nearly four years. Even now this summer it stands 24 hours a day–seven days a week. My team and I have been in DC this month holding that line while temperatures soared to 110°. We continue to contend for a third seat on the Court that will be filled with a righteous Judge that will stand for LIFE. We are challenged to stand in faith like Abraham believing that God is able to perform all that He has promised.

At the same time we stand and cry out for mercy for our nation. Heaven kissed us last week during a brief rain shower. We looked up as we silently prayed in the rain and saw a rainbow stretch out over the Court. A few moments later a second rainbow joined it. Then our eyes filled with tears as a third rainbow became briefly visible as well. We caught this image with one of our camera phones. It’s hard to see, but trust me it’s there. Our hearts were encouraged and strengthened that day.

What happens with the Court in the next couple years is of the utmost importance to us all. This wall of intercession must continue to stand. This wall must thrive. At the beginning of the year we launched The Patriot Campaign as a way for you to help mobilize Bound4LIFE everywhere. 154 Chapters have been established in America and seven other nations. I ask you again, would you please consider helping in this way as we pursue LIFE. Would you stand with us as we make plans to increase the number of young people being trained in DC? Would you join with us to build a wall that will not fail, come what may?

God end abortion and send revival to America.
Matt Lockett

Let It Rain

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:09:24 GMT

The forecast shows that most of The Mercy Seat could take place during showers of rain. Grab an umbrella or poncho and come stand on behalf of the nation. Rejoice as the Spring rains refresh the earth.

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.

9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Is 55:8-11 NIV)

Let it rain, let it rain.
Open the floodgates of Heaven

The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad
Let the distance shores rejoice
Clouds and thick darkness surround him
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne
A fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side
His lightning lights up the world
The earth sees and trembles
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord
Before the Lord of all the earth
The Heavens proclaim His righteousness
And all peoples will see His Glory

Let it rain, let it rain.
Open the floodgates of Heaven

T Minus 24 Hours

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:51:18 GMT

With just one day left until The Mercy Seat my heart weighs heavy with so much at stake. I hope the last seven days have been a time of internal inspection and preparation for you. The overall arch of prayer tomorrow is to be selfless, repentant and intercessory in nature. We will stand on behalf of a nation of people that “know not what they do.” This individual preparation is what will allow this mercy cry to hit the necessary spiritual volume before the throne. Could it be that, in the past, our cries for revival have not been louder than the cries for justice? Being able to hit the correct pitch is not a matter of skill or sheer quantity. One of the great principles of love is, “He that is forgiven much loves much.”

The quality of our stand in united prayer tomorrow will flow from hearts and minds that have all been washed white as snow by the blood of Christ. Our petition and intercession will swell from hearts of gratitude toward God alone.

He has made a way for us! The veil is torn in two. With clean consciences we come before Him in confidence. The perfect blood of His son Jesus has saved us to the uttermost (He 7:25). David prayed in Psalm 51, “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” It’s the hyssop branch dipped in the blood of the sacrifice for purification–the blood of Christ. It’s the washing for cleansing–the washing of His Word.

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. (He 10:19-22 NIV)

Nearly 6000 souls will cry out for mercy with you tomorrow in front of every supreme court in the nation. For the next 24 hours let your heart burn as His burns. Refuse distraction. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Worthy is the Lamb!

City Budget Line Item

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:10:34 GMT

Birmingham, AL's mayor Larry Langford calls for repentance and prayer for the city. This is an incredible example of God using those in governmental leadership to lead the masses in the way we should go. He even tells the entire City Council that he needs them to be there!

Psalm 51 for 51 Courts

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 14:44:23 GMT

For the last few days the thoughts of the previous post “David’s Cry for Mercy and Restoration” have continued to weigh heavily on my heart. This moment in our nation is so critical. This is a year like no other, and it demands that we walk lightly and live differently. I believe all of our best-made plans and ideas to remedy our afflictions closely resemble trying to put a band-aid on a mortal wound.

13 “From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. 14 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace. (Jer 6:13-14 NIV)

The point is this–David tried to cover up and live in denial of his guilt. He thought that he could somehow dodge the consequences. Fact: It doesn’t work that way. C’mon, that old trick never works. Like David, America is desperately looking at the consequences of our bloodguilt instead of dealing with the much deeper problem. We’re channeling all of our resources to treat the symptoms, and we’re bankrupting ourselves in the process. The result is that this is already a year of blood. Ezekiel’s words press down on us, “Because you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you.” It’s inescapable and unavoidable. We have become willing participants in our own demise.

But I believe there is still opportunity to respond to the Lord.

The Mercy Seat on April 26th was created for that very purpose. It is to be a corporate CRY FOR MERCY for the nation. But before we can do that we must prepare ourselves ahead of time.

In all his splendor with the world at his fingertips, David came down off of his throne and laid down in the dust of humility. He exchanged a comfy pillow for the cold hard surface of mourning. He fasted and prayed for the life of the next generation, and threw himself with abandon on the mercy of God. You see, we cannot try to stand in our own strength anymore. The only course of action right now is to turn to Him. Just as David spent SEVEN DAYS in this posture, I believe we are in seven days of preparation of our own hearts. Yesterday was officially Passover. April 19 was the day on the Hebrew calendar that the lamb was slain, and its blood smeared on the doorposts of the individual homes. Leviticus 23 then outlines how God instructed His people to observe Passover for seven days. This coming Saturday will mark the close of the Passover season, and it will be a day that thousands and thousands of intercessors gather to pray at 51 COURTS on behalf of the nation.

During those seven days of mourning, David wrote Psalm 51. I believe it is an outline of prayer, a blueprint of repentance for bloodguilt. It has exploded in my spirit this weekend, “PSALM 51 FOR 51 COURTS.” Use this Psalm as a guide this week to prepare yourselves. Make David’s cry your own. Something about this solidified in David’s soul. Later, when confronted with choosing God’s punishment for sin, he declared that it was better to fall into the hands of a merciful God than the hands of men. Beloved it is better…infinitely better.

“Psalm 51 for 51 courts.”

David's Cry for Mercy and Restoration

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:54:45 GMT

David messed up. He messed up real bad, and now there was a baby involved. We all know the story of how King David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then had her husband Uriah killed in an effort to avoid the consequences and cover his tracks.

God sent Nathan to press David into the corner of conviction (2 Sa 12). The full weight of his hidden sin fell upon his shoulders with the words, “You are the man!” With his sin exposed the king repented of the bloodguilt on his hands, yet it became clear just how serious God took the bloodshed. The truth of Ezekiel’s words (Ez 35:6) suddenly became reality, “Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you.” There were consequences; real consequences. From that point on David was told that the sword of war would never leave his house. That aspect of his kingship was the very thing that prevented him from being able to build the house of the Lord (1 Ch 22:8, 1 Ch 28:2-3)–the very thing he had it in his heart to do.

After Nathan’s confrontation it says that David, “fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground.” During this time David wrote Psalm 51. The words we quote so often and sing, “Create in me a clean heart O God,” were uttered in the context of bloodguilt before a righteous and just God. In absolute bitterness of soul, David threw himself upon the mercy of God and pleaded for restoration.

Read Psalm 51. Retrace David’s steps as he appealed to God’s unfailing love. Seek the washing away of iniquity. Realize the offense of our sin before Him. Cry out for complete cleansing and the restoration of His presence. “Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. Save me from bloodguilt, O God…”

Could it be that the bloodguilt on our hands is what’s preventing fruitfulness in evangelism? Does revival tarry because there’s a cry of justice that’s louder than our cry for awakening? Let’s seek the redemption outlined in Psalm 51 on an individual level, and then we will cry out for it corporately on April 26th.

Secret Identity

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 09:56:04 GMT

This evening will begin the first Jewish month of the year Nisan and the beginning of the Passover season. I just wanted to make a brief declaration to you as we officially begin this time.

It begins with a man named Mordecai, the adoptive father of Esther. The spirit behind Haman’s decree of death was already at work. Mordecai, a Jew, had previously been concealing his identity, but something shifted. He seemed to move out of identity crisis, and he began to stand against the evil man Haman by not bowing down. Ultimately, the stage is set for Haman’s demise, but it is the words of Haman’s own wife I would like to highlight.

...Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief, 13 and told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him—you will surely come to ruin!” 14 While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet Esther had prepared. (Es 6:12-14 NIV)

You see it was Mordecai coming to a realization of who he really was that set events in motion. Now take a look at another case of questioned identity.

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Mt 16:13-18 NIV)

Our identity comes from the revelation of who He is and who He says we are. Beloved I ask you, are you the children of the Living God? If that’s really who you are, if that’s your true identity, then I declare that no decree of death or even the gates of Hell itself will be able to stand against you.

One Mother's Intercession

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 08:50:50 GMT

The wounded mother Rizpah moved beyond her own pain and into the role of an intercessor. Her extreme stand on behalf of the nation paved the way for healing and restoration on a massive scale and serves as an example for us as we seek to reverse the curse that’s on our land.

There had been a famine in all of Israel and no one, not even King David, understood the cause. For three years straight this went on until David sought the Lord for insight. A curse had come upon the land, and its source was traced to a broken covenant under the previous leadership. It was because of King Saul’s bloody house, and no one knew what to do about it.

David asked the remnant of the Gibeonites what could possibly be done to make things right. The answer was surprising. They didn’t want money. They didn’t want land. They said, “Give us the seven sons of Saul to be hung before the Lord.” It wasn’t revenge or restituition. It was atonement. And so David delivered seven descendants, two of which were the sons of Rizpah. All of this took place during the Passover season.

What happened next is somewhat perplexing. The famine didn’t end. The scriptures tell us that Rizpah, this distraught mother, stood guard over the bodies from the barley harvest until the first rains came.

10 Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds of the air touch them by day or the wild animals by night. 11 When David was told what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, had done, 12 he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead… 13 David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up. 14 They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land. (2 Sam 21:10-14 NIV)

Rizpah kept watch over the sacrifice for month after month after month. Presumably, she was there for more than five months before the fall rain came. Commentaries, however, will tell you that the bodies would have fully decomposed after two months and that there would have been nothing left to protect. So why did Rizpah stay? The answer is stunning. Rizpah moved beyond being a grief-stricken mother to being an interessor for the entire nation. Her continued watch sent the crystal clear message, “The sacrifice cannot be in vain. I will not leave until we get rain!”

This intercession moved the heart of the king.

We are faced with a very similar scenario in America today. Perhaps you feel as though abortion does not effect you or that it’s not your responsibility. Jesus’ words bring the fear of God in our hearts as we read Matthew 23.

29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers! (Mt 23:29-32 NIV)

This same story is recounted in Luke.

47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them. 48 So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs… 50 Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all. (Lk 11:47-51 NIV)

We may entertain thoughts like, “I would have stood against the Germans that slaughtered the Jews in WWII.” The reality is that we approve of the legal aborting of innocent children if we do nothing to reverse it. This begs the question, “What will it mean for us if the bloodguilt of 35 years of legal bloodshed is downloaded on one generation?”

A generation has hung on the hill like the seven sons of Saul. And yet we have the promise of a better blood that God’s people can apply. The blood of Jesus speaks better things than the blood of 50 million children crying for justice. If we do not exalt the atoning blood of Christ in the nation, then another generation will have to hang on that hill. We must recognize that the land suffers under the curse of bloodguilt. This is tragic. But we must move even beyond our own pain and into intercession. Who will take a Rizpah stand on behalf of the nation exalting the blood of Christ? It is a determined, extreme stand to take. It is one that says, “The sacrifice must be honored. I will not leave until we get the rains of revival.”