Daily Devotional for Thursday March 11, 2004

Presidential Prophecy Follow-up - Part II

(Jonah Chapter 3; 2 Chronicles 7:14)

What YOU can do to stop God's judgment on the United States. I have been in a "new place" in my relationship with God over the past 10 days. Something has been stirring in my soul well above my normal day to day relationship with the Lord. Even though I have been in full time ministry for over 12 years, these past 54 months have taken me to a deeper and more intimate place with the Lord than I ever imagined. I have had to develop a special relationship with Him for the inspiration on a daily basis to write a Daily Devotional that will encourage the saints, share Christ with the lost, give hope to the hurting, challenge people in their daily lives, while trying to deal with the very real issues we face in our world today. It has only been my absolute faith in God's promises to provide for the ongoing needs of this ministry, when in the natural we should have never lasted one year let alone over 54 months now. It is because of that deep, abiding, daily relationship with the Lord that I know something has been "different" these past 10 days.

I have shared my personal testimony with hundreds of thousands in person, and millions more through radio, television, and print articles. I have always identified with Jonah as he ran from God's calling on his life. Jonah decided he didn't want to do what God was calling him to do so he ran. Likewise, God had a calling on my life but I also made a decision to run from that calling. God could have easily found someone else to do the job He was asking Jonah to do, but for reasons only God knows, He gave Jonah one more chance to be obedient and sent a big fish after him. Likewise, God could have easily found someone else to do the job He was calling me to do, but for reasons only God knows, He gave me one more chance to be obedient and sent the Federal Government after me. (You can read my testimony at www.liveprayer.com/bdy_testimony.html )

For those who have been part of Liveprayer for a while, one thing you have found out about me is that I don't ever give up. I am not a quitter. I have no doubt that is one reason God gave me the vision for Liveprayer, since nobody in their right mind would have even attempted to do this. However, I learned a valuable lesson from the old 19th century revival preacher Charles Finney. Finney said, "we need to work like it all depends on us, and then pray like it all depends on God." AMEN.

I am not giving up our nation to God's judgment without doing everything I possibly can to stop it!

Over the past 54+ months I have done many Devotionals on the spiritual state of this nation. I have dealt with the various pressing spiritual issues that face us like abortion, marriage, family, sexual sin, and the false gods and religions. I have laid out over and over the responsibility of the church, Christian leaders, government, and each of us as individuals in dealing with these spiritual issues. I am very sad to say that the spiritual state of our nation is worse today than when I started Liveprayer. But that only motivates me each day to get up and work harder!

I am convinced that because of the fact we have willingly, deliberately, and blatantly turned our back on God, our nation is OWED His judgment. IF God did not spare the children of Israel, His chosen people, for their gross idolatry, for having other gods, for turning from Him, then why should we expect His mercy? It has only been His mercy that has kept God from unleashing His judgment on our nation. We cannot be so blind, be so foolish to think that God's judgment for our gross wickedness as a nation will not be felt at any moment.

The past night I have been up, back in the Book of Jonah in chapter 3. I have been wrestling with God over the fact that if He had mercy on Nineveh, why can't He have mercy on the United States. The Holy Spirit showed me this. God spared the city of Nineveh from His wrath because the people humbled themselves in sackcloth and ashes, repented of their sins, and turned their hearts back to Him. THE KING NOT ONLY PUT ON SACKCLOTH, BUT ISSUED A PROCLAMATION CALLING THE PEOPLE TO PRAYER AND FASTING AND TO TURN FROM THEIR EVIL WAYS BACK TO GOD!

I am calling for a 40-day period of prayer and fasting for the United States from May 1-June 9. I am calling on every man, woman, and child in this nation to get on their knees and beg God's forgiveness for our nation turning its back on Him. I will be calling on President Bush to make a proclamation that there will be a National period of prayer and fasting for the spiritual state of our nation from May 1-June 9. This will be an opportunity for him to lead our nation back to the God of the Bible. Jonah could not force the King to put on sackcloth and issue his proclamation, the King had to be convicted by God to do it. I cannot force President Bush to put on sackcloth and issue this proclamation, but I pray he comes under the conviction of the Holy Spirit to do so.

I love you and care about you so much. I am asking you to start praying immediately for this period of prayer and fasting. I will be talking more about this in the coming days, but for right now it is critical that you get this message to every church, every ministry, and every elected official that you can. You need to circulate this message in every chatroom, on every message board, and to any forward list that you know of on the Internet. I will be preparing a Press Release in the next day or so that I will email you so that you can get it to every TV station and program, radio station and program, and newspaper.

Please pray that I am able to get this information to President Bush and that he will have an open heart to take a real stand for Christ. I understand that he is a President and not a King, but it was GOD who allowed him to rise to that office to lead this nation. The fact is, those who oppose him will oppose him regardless of what he does. If he really loves this nation, then he must realize we cannot survive without God's blessings. Pray that like the King in Nineveh, President Bush will see that the judgment of God is upon our wicked nation and this is our ONLY chance to stay His judgment.

*Those who know Christ as Savior CAN do something. We have this one chance as a nation to beg God's forgiveness and possibly stay his hand of judgment on the United States. Let the people of Nineveh be our example. They were serious about saving their city, I pray we are as serious about saving our nation. May we be found faithful and save our nation from God's judgment.

"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 Chronicles 7:14