Tag: Spiritual

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

[9] The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Ezekiel 33:11 ESV

[11] Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

I recently watched a video of a man calling for people to pray for God’s vengeance. He said it’s time the Church gets angry and prays for God’s vengeance if we want revival. He even went as far as to say that if you pray for Charlie Kirk’s killer to find Jesus and repent, then you are a masochist freak who believes they have to lose every battle. He said we should be praying that he meets Jesus and Jesus melts him for all eternity. As I watched, I realized this is why there will be so many people shocked on Judgment Day. There will be so many people shocked at the Second Coming of Christ.

Instead of searching the Scriptures for the heart of God, we create our own version of what we want God to be in our own minds. Imagine saying all of this and firmly believing that it is the will of God that this man die in his sin, and then proceed to pray it. That’s not the will of God. The Father sent the Son so that the whole world would be saved. God says He takes no pleasure in the destruction of the wicked. God says His desire is that none perish, but all come to acceptance.

When you don’t know the heart of God, you allow the evil in your heart to influence your idea of God. When you don’t know God, your own evil desires paint a false picture of God that lines up with what you want, not who God is. If this young man in custody is in fact the killer, I pray he admits it, takes responsibility, and repents. I truly do. Hell isn’t a place we should wish on anyone. It isn’t something we should pray anyone experience. The wrath of God is fierce. It’s like nothing on this Earth because He’s not of this Earth.

Therefore, we should pray for God’s mercy on his soul. Yes, I do believe in the death penalty on this earth for a crime of this magnitude, but I do not wish the death penalty on his eternal soul. May the LORD have mercy on him and may he turn from his sin and run to Christ, who already canceled the debt of sin for us all on the cross.

Christians who are seeing the revival right now, aren’t the ones seeking God’s vengeance but His mercy. There’s a revival going on across the world right now. There’s atheists, lukewarm believers, agnostics all deciding to go to church again, some after as long as 30 years others after 10 years of not setting foot in church. The churches were packed Sunday. Worship has broken out all over the streets in cities across the world. We don’t need the LORD’s vengeance for revival. We need God’s mercy, grace, and love.

Dear LORD, thank You for Your mercy and Your grace. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins against You. Help me not to desire judgment, but seek mercy. Help me to see the True You and not the You I have created in my own mind. Show me who You are, oh God, teach me Your ways. Soften my heart to the things of You. Let my heart break for what breaks Yours. Let my heart not grow weary and my angry get the best of me. Instead, LORD, help me to understand righteous anger isn’t against humanity but against the dark forces behind it. For our enemy is not flesh and blood but spiritual beings in the unseen realm. Help me to remember that LORD. Teach me to pray. Teach me to love. Teach me to forgive. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

¹ About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. ² He killed James the brother of John with the sword, ³ and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. ⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. ~ Acts 12:1-5

The last two days have felt like a nightmare that we just can’t wake up from. The kind where you’re moving in slow motion. Nothing quite makes sense. And you keep trying to wake yourself up but just can’t. No matter what you do, your body stays asleep. That’s how it feels right now. That’s how it felt since around 1:30pm on Wednesday afternoon. Just limbo. The craziest part is, I’ve never even met Charlie Kirk. I’ve never even had the privilege of attending one of his events. Yet I feel such a great heaviness of loss as if he were a close friend or family member.

I’ve seen others express the same feelings, so I know I’m not the only one. As I sit here writing this devotional, all I think is, why? Why was his death so impactful? Why has it burdened so many hearts? Was it the way he was murdered? Was it the gruesome heart-wrenching video? Charlie Kirk wasn’t just your average person, just another face in the crowd. He was a voice of Truth on college campuses, a hero of many young and old, and a courageous defender of the faith.

I think the shock, that something like this could happen in America. Today. A free country, really does add weight to his assassination. Things like this just don’t happen. Yet it did. For the entire world to see. Even more so, he was a faithful Christian. He spoke of Jesus and the goodness of God every opportunity He had. As Christians, watching one of our own fall defending and proclaiming Truth is hard. It’s personal. It’s close to the heart.

I’ve seen comments and videos saying it’s time to become radical. It’s time to fight back. But the only thing we should become radical in is prayer. The only fight we should take up is with a spiritual weapon. When James, the brother of John, was mercilessly killed by the sword under King Herod, he didn’t stop there. He then had Peter arrested. He was preparing to kill Peter as well. They’ve just taken our James. It’s not time to allow the weight of grief, pain, or fear overtake us. It’s time to do what the earlier Church did and pray effectual fervent prayers. We are to bombard heaven with cries of mercy and protection for the saints of God. For all who speak for righteousness. For all who stand up against evil. It’s time to become radical, absolutely, but not in the flesh. Not with guns. Not with hateful words. But with prayers. Prayers for the LORD coming to defend His people. Prayers for the LORD to bring justice. And prayers for the salvation of the wicked because they truly don’t know nor understand what they do.

Dear LORD, as we mourn, grieve, and ponder in disbelief, come to our aid. Strengthen the hearts of the broken hearted. Wipe away the tears of the grievers. Hear us from heaven, oh God, and heal our land. Let justice prevail. Let what has been done in darkness be brought to light. Let what has been done for evil be turned to good. Let this horrific assassination cause a revival in the world, especially the United States of America, like we have never seen before. Comfort our broken and tired spirits. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

1 Peter 3:8-12,

[8] Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. [9] Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. [10] For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; [11] let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. [12] For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Today we remember the day the Earth stood still. The day thousands lost their lives. A day that horrified the world and forever changed life as we know it. Yesterday, Wednesday the 10^th, Charlie Kirk was shot and pronounced dead. Another tragedy. Another heartache. Another light seemingly snuffed out.

I watched as people commented on social media cheering his death. As they laughed and mocked. I even read one that said it should be on pornhub because it’s good stuff. He’d even screenshot the moment the bullet hit Charlie Kirk’s neck and made it his profile picture. Others laughed and said he’s now burning in Hell. Thousands upon thousands rejoiced as they saw a great man of God fall yesterday.

When I saw the video, it didn’t even look real. The body just went limp. I’ve never seen horror like this before. This was what they were rejoicing for? A young husband and father of two young children is no longer with us, and we rejoice because we don’t like his opinion. We don’t like what he says. I felt rage and anger try to overtake me as I watched it do to so many others. So many people commented back death on those mocking Charlie Kirk’s death. They responded with anger, rage, wrath, and hate. They spoke death over them and their families. I could feel my blood begin to boil as well, but something caught my spirit first. We are called to more.

We are called to turn the other cheek, yet be violent in the spirit. We are called to bless those who curse us and pray for those who persecute us. We are never called to bring a curse upon anyone’s head no matter how justified it may seem. Why? Because God is our avenger. Vengeance is the LORD’s. And the LORD will not be mocked.

Just as the world has not forgotten 9/11 but has memorialized it forever, so will we never forget the assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025. May it go down as a day that changed the entire world just as 9/11 did, but this time for the better.

Dear LORD, forgive us for returning railing with railing, wrath for wrath, evil for evil, curses for curses, and hate for hate. Please break every curse, death, harm, sickness, and disease spoken over anyone yesterday and today. Let Your Light shine through us. Let the world see that we are different from them. That we act in love and not hate. That we for life and not death. That we desire peace and not war. LORD our country is broken. It’s divided on every angle. Hate fuels both sides. Oh, LORD, come into our midst. Bring peace. Bring healing. Bring revival. Let Charlie Kirk’s death not be for nothing. Let it lead to revival. Let it lead to a great Holy Spirit awakening like we’ve never seen but only heard of in the early Church. Heal our land oh God. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

²⁷ Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the LORD in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the LORD. ²⁸ Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. ²⁹ For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. ³⁰ That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. ³¹ But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. ³² But when we are judged by the LORD, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. ~ 1 Corinthians 11:27-32

The physical manifests in the spiritual. Now, let us consider the significance of what Paul just said. Two words jump out at us as we read what Paul said:

1. Unworthy
   1. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the LORD in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the LORD.
2. Discerning
   1. ²⁹ For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

This is the only time that those two particular words are used in the New Testament. However, the lemma for discerning is used several times.

But as it is, Paul is saying that this is a very solemn time. It’s not a time for fun and games, and playing pattycake. It’s a time to inspect yourself and ask the hard questions that require honest answers:

• Am I living a Christian life?
• Am I sexually pure?
  • Meaning I’m not sleeping with someone who is not my spouse
  • I’m not engaged in pornography or illicit behavior
• Am I mixing the occult with the things of God?
• Am I walking in love, righteousness, and holiness?
• Is there any unconfessed sin in my life?
  • A sin that nobody knows about— but me
  • Hatred
  • Lust
  • Any ungodliness at all

Our physical actions manifest in the spiritual. For every physical action there is a spiritual reaction. So, as we go throughout our take notice of your actions. Is there an area of your life that you are giving into the flesh and making excuses for? Have you asked the LORD to search your heart and show you anything you have missed? Each day is a gift, don’t allow a temporary pleasure of this world to separate you from the love and covering of God. For what would be a blessing can quickly turn to a curse, if taken outside of that covering of God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch Each Action.

So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened ~ Luke 11:9-10

Jesus had just finished telling “The Parable of the Persistent Friend.” In the parable, a man goes to his friend’s house at midnight and bangs on his door. When no one comes to the door, he yells, “Friend, lend me three loaves.” But the friend, probably a little annoyed at the late-night interruption of his sleep, yells back, “Go away, I’m sleeping, my children are sleeping, my family is sleeping, I’m not opening my door for you!”

But instead of taking no for an answer, he continues banging and asking, probably even begging, because he is a desperate man in need. He needs his three loaves. Jesus concludes His parable by saying that the friend of the man will not get up and open his door and give him what he needs or asks for, just because he is his friend, but because of his persistent, continuous banging on the door, and his relentless asking to borrow the three loaves. He will not leave until he gets what he came for.

Here is the thing. Far too often, we Christians miss out on a blessing or on an answered prayer because there is no answer, and we drop our heads, turn around, and walk away, leaving the answer behind.

Now, I want you to notice that the man had a friend but asked for three loaves. If it is one friend, why not one loaf? But he asks for three loaves. Why? It’s a parable about our consistency in prayer and our doggedness in asking. We are offered a three-strand cord according to Isaiah 53:5.

⁵            But He was pierced for our transgressions;

He was crushed for our iniquities;

                         upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with His wounds we are healed.

Here we see that because of His redemptive and atoning work, Jesus offers us Salvation, Peace of Mind, and Healing for our bodies.

This is Jesus’ three-strand sacrifice that we can have; all we have to do is ask. We don’t need to be sick and harassed in our minds. We don’t need to be condemned to eternal punishment. We have salvation, peace, and healing.

Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for us, and then raising Him from the dead as a sign. Thank You, LORD Jesus, for being willing to suffer and die so that we might have life and life more abundantly. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen.