What does God do with all of our prayers? Incense is mixed with the prayers of all saints to be offered to God. Christ as our Mediator mixes the incense of His “intercession for” (Hebrews 7:25 KJV) us with our prayers, then it is cast to the earth to achieve the formidable judgments of the apocalypse. Our prayers are not like lost letters at the post office. With the Spirit of Christ’s “intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26), our prayers drive His judgments upon the earth. “3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake” (Revelation 8:3-5). Father, may we not underestimate You or the efficacy of our prayers, when You add to it the incense of Your Son’s intercession for us. May we stand by You in agreement with Your actions in the judgment of the earth. Return quickly, in Jesus name. Amen.
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Slain for the Word of God (Revelation 6:9)
The fifth seal judgment of the Book of Revelation is the “souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held” (Revelation 6:9 KJV). A Pre-Tribulational Rapture would leave a significant number of newly converted Tribulation Christians in its wake. Their martyrdom will be just as common then, as martyrdom is uncommon now. The world will not be saved, but God will reap the greatest harvest possible. LORD, be merciful to our brothers and sisters of the Tribulation. Make all of our testimonies to count. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Pale Horse of Death (Revelation 6:8)
The fourth horseman of the Apocalypse rides a “pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:8 KJV). Concentrated, unprecedented, unavoidable, unnatural death for every fourth person on planet earth gets everyone’s attention. God the Judge is only beginning to deal with humanity’s rejection of Himself. LORD, You are the one to be feared because man’s death cannot be worse than God’s death. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Fiery Red Horse of Conflict (Revelation 6:4)
The second horseman of the Apocalypse rides a fiery red horse representing warfare, which normally comes after the failed diplomacy of man. Just as our Father desires earth to reflect heaven, Antichrist’s world will reflect hell. No doubt “a great sword” represents a proliferation of weapons, smart weapons, as well as weapons of mass destruction. “And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword” (Revelation 6:4 KJV). The unpleasantness of hearing the judgments of God upon the world is motivation to spread the good news of a second chance before it’s too late. LORD, energize and motivate us to share Your Word, Your Gospel, and Your prophecies that You might be magnified, and they might be benefited. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Set Before Thee An Open Door (Revelation 3:8)
If we could compare the Church of Philadelphia to the stage of Church History subsequent to the Reformation, possibly touching the times even of recent, then we can see a missions minded, evangelistic church, striving to be revived. “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My word, and hast not denied My name” (Revelation 3:8 KJV). Philadelphia and Smyrna are the only two churches of the seven, who are not reprimanded. O LORD, may we be counted among that number! In Jesus’ name, amen.
Standing By Faith
“By faith ye stand” (2Corinthians 1:24 KJV). We hope to encourage others, as a good example; but, whether anyone at all is watching or listening, we want to stand by faith for You, LORD. You are the One we aim to please, because You are worthy. You created us, saved us, sanctify us, sustain us, commune with us, and give us hope for the future. Right in the corner where we are, we want to hold down our spot for You LORD, we are grateful to You for the opportunity to serve You, and we pray we will justify and glorify You for all the trouble we have put You through for paying any attention to us. Father, we love You and appreciate Your sending Your Son to die for us. We pray we will allow Your Spirit to work in us to will and to do of Your good pleasure. We ask that the adversary would be rebuked, and You would take back what He has attempted to devour. We ask that You would be magnified for all the wise decisions You have made. We pray that your Promises would be kept and Your Prophecies fulfilled. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Working Out Better Than It Should’ve
Complain? Absolutely not! “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20 KJV). How many times have things worked out better than you could have expected? Human accidentalists may not give you an even chance of things working out; and then, they may write off your success as a statistical error or an anomaly, kinda like the probability of there being a God, or that miracles really occur. Not to worry! When our humanist friends are backed against the wall of their statistical probability without hope for the future, then God finally can address their need for Him. He plans to mercifully be there to prove He is the God who is, and He will abundantly pardon. LORD, humble us, and humble our humanist friends, that we all can truly appreciate our necessity of You, for You always intended to be our All in All, satisfying every legitimate need, “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (3:20). Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we can now finally pray. Amen.
How to Get the World’s Attention
“Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek Thy name, O LORD” (Psalm 83:16 KJV). How does God accomplish His will in the world? What does filling their “faces with shame” (83:16) mean? In context, the Psalmist referred to “Thine enemies” (83:2), the ones, who said about Israel, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance” (83:4). For us, shame means a loss of control in protecting our dignity, which is a loss of whatever we confide in to support us, e.g., our world view. This may represent a rearrangement of our circumstances (religious, cultural, political, economic). “Seek Thy name” (83:16) refers to “seek, and ye shall find” (Matthew 7:7). For whom we pray, all may not be subsequently converted; but unquestionably, this must be how some will be converted. The question is not whether Almighty God is capable of answering such a prayer, but whether we have the confidence to pray it. LORD, You deserve the world to seek Your name. We know that there is salvation in no other name than Jesus. Cause Your net to draw in a great harvest for Your kingdom, especially of those, whose purpose is that “Israel may be no more” (Psalm 83:4). Return quickly. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen and amen.
The House That Jesus Built
“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” (Psalm 127:1 KJV). Solomon the Psalmist stressed the importance of building the LORD’s house through the wisdom, power, and the instrumentality of the LORD. How much more does the New Covenant Body of Christ possess the Holy Spirit to build the Church! Until the Spirit of God impresses us with the need of His empowerment, providence, and working, we will continue to view the challenges and shortcomings of the NT Church as our own problem to manifest our skill and cunning in building or fixing the Church. But, when it finally occurs to us that the ups and downs of the Body of Christ are all part of the Holy Spirit stirring up His Church to become The House That Jesus Built (Matthew 16:18), then we will begin asking that Holy Spirit to build His Church. LORD, may Your Spirit impress our consciousness with Your Presence, Power, and Working, that You may receive the glory for building Your Church. In Jesus’ name, build Your Church, we pray. Amen and amen.
O Grave, Where Is Thy Victory?
The Resurrection of Christ is the assurance of our future resurrection from the dead. “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory” (1Corinthians 15:55 KJV). If Jesus did not conquer death, neither will we. Atonement is bringing humanity AT-ONE-MENT with God by making amends for our sins. Christ’s death satisfied God’s Perfect Law — “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). His atonement for our sins satisfied Public Justice, where Christ’s perfect sacrifice made possible God’s offer of amnesty to all of us rebels, who now take sides with God against ourselves. Otherwise, the offer of forgiveness of sins to whomsoever repents is an impossibility. “If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins” (1Corinthians 15:17). Hallelujah! Jesus defeated death and arose from the dead! “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (15:57).
We Need A Miracle 
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