Call for Revival!

A CALL FOR PRAYER FOR A REVIVAL IN OUR NATION

March 18, 2019

Dear Praying Friends,

Thank you once again for your prayers. I can see and feel the power and effect of them in very real ways. God continues to provide me with His peace and joy. Our daily prayer circle each evening after 9:00 count continues to grow with more and men joining us each week.

But my real joy comes from the in-depth study of God’s Word just a handful of other men join me for. This past Saturday, they were like little kids in a candy store, as we looked up various places in scripture where it speaks of us having to go through “thlipsis” – the Greek word found in Romans 12:12 where Paul tells us to be patient (or persevere) in tribulation. The actual root meaning of the word is to “crush, compress or squeeze.”  It is a grievous affliction or distress, a pressure or burden of the spirit of man. We are crushed like grapes in a winepress, or olives being formed into olive oil. The outcome is something pure and tasty and pleasing. Until olives are aged and pressed, they are of little value. And so, we.

But, what I enjoy, is when the men get so excited not just about the issue at hand, but when they can’t stop reading, but say, “Well look at what it says a few verses later — wow!” They can’t seem to get enough! I love the tangents we go off on!

My prayers, since I have been here, is that I might exemplify a life truly transformed by the Holy Spirit, bearing the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

I encourage you to invite your neighbors and acquaintances to study God’s Word with you in your home, and to share such similar excitement. I remember while in college having the same experience, but in spite of God’s prompting, I failed to obey to do the same later in my life! If every believer would reach out in this manner, I believe it could revolutionize the nation for Christ!

But our secret weapon as believers, I am becoming more and more convinced, is prayer!  That’s why we are told to pray for our enemies repeatedly, and even for those who persecute us.  As long as we pray for them, they can never achieve victory. It is an impossibility!  For there is hope even in martyrdom. Our hope is an eternal hope, a concept our enemies cannot grasp.

I pray specifically, for circumstances and divine appointments with God’s elect servants for my enemies and for the convictions of the Holy Spirit to reveal their depraved and sinful nature to themselves, and their need for reconciliation with God. This would indeed be the greatest miracle, just as it was in my life at one time! And, so I pray their lack of peace and their emptiness might torment them in such a way that they realize only Christ can fill that void, and once they repent and turn from their sin, embracing Christ’s shed blood on the cross for the redemption of their sin, making Him Lord of their life, their guilt and anguish and emptiness will be lifted and they will find complete freedom in Christ! That is the miracle I long for more than any other.

And prayer, I am becoming more acutely aware, must be the secret weapon we utilize in calling our nation back to God. Only then, in unified and concerted prayer, will revival break out in individual hearts in a massive way. And in turn, revival will sweep our nation!

We must pray this passion for revival will be instilled in the heart of pastors throughout our once great nation, and that revival might begin within their own hearts, and spread to their congregations, into the homes of their parishioners, out into their local neighborhoods, communities, schools and places of employment!

And pray that God simultaneously will raise up godly men and men completely surrendered to Him to enter every walk of life – particularly, those areas we believers have greatly abandoned in past years to the devil’s soapbox. Places of influence such as politics, the courts, media, education and statesmanship.

Indeed, Satan is our number one adversary. He is our enemy. And so, we must fervently utilize our secret weapon – prayer – in these areas, as well.  Let’s cover the whole gambit of warfare in prayer, until an army of godly warriors is raised up to be the example of what righteous leadership should be.

We believers, myself included, have neglected this powerful weapon for way too long. And it is a weapon, for which the enemy has no defense!

Thank you again for standing in the gap for me, Kathie and my family. I feel very unworthy, but greatly appreciative!  Let’s wield the power of prayer to come against not just your and my enemies, but against the power and delusions Satan has over the eyes of so many people in our country and throughout the world – even many who claim to be Christians.

May God bless you. And thank you!

In His service,

Philip

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16