“Our God will fight for us” Nehemiah 4:20
I hope you’ll join many of us, ministry leaders and intercessors, now in thirty nations, during all or part of this next National Day of Repentance, set for November 29-30, 2013.
It’s called a “National Day of Purity and Humiliation.” This bold call to the body of Christ first to Australia and now internationally grew out of a prayer to the Holy Spirit for His Wisdom after a Bible study in the House of Prayer For All Nations in Canberra, Australia on November 5. Politicians in that Australian capitol had just voted for same sex marriage. We saw this as a key breach in the wall, a spiritual attack on the Christian roots of Australia, earlier declared in prophecy to be part of the “Great Southland of the Holy Spirit.”
After prayer we were unified in believing the spiritual attack required the spiritual response found in the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:13-15. The battle and the victory would be the Lord’s if we, His people, humbled ourselves, prayed, sought His face and turned from our wicked ways.
Compared to the Lord’s Purity we all are “wicked” — as humans we all fall short of the glory of God. But thanks to His Blood and His Name and His Love, He gives us the privilege of repentance because He loves us (Revelation 3: 19-21.) He restores our souls; He leads us in His Path of Righteousness for His Name’s sake (Psalm 23:3) because we are made in His image (Genesis 1:27).
As Nehemiah pointed out, we pick up idols from the world; we need to “cleanse our rooms.” (Nehemiah 13: 7-9.) When we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9. The Holy Spirit chastens us for our profit so that we may be partakers of His holiness. (Hebrews 12:10.) And there’s then this blessing: when we repent we have greater intimacy with Him; His wonderful joy follows repentance !
Personal repentance acts as a cultivator to break up the hard ground of secular disbelief in any nation. It’s also like mortar. As we invite Him into our hearts (Revelation 3:20-21) to help us renounce the old patterns of sin, we build up the fullness of the Spirit of Christ within us and become overcomers. “Humiliation”— repentance– is a spiritual “mortar” to rebuild the wall of Purity that the Lord wishes to place around His body of believers all over the world. We are to be in the world, but not of it.
As thousands of us, maybe someday millions of us, join in a solemn, collective act of repentance on a given day, the lukewarm body of Christ will be rebuilt and strengthened. No weapon formed against us will prosper; the gates of hell will not prevail against His called out ones.
Question: As in Nehemiah’s time, will you take your place on the “wall?” As a living stone will you add your “mortar” to the wall to strengthen the body of Christ? As His servant will you join us—in your prayer closet, in a Bible study, in a local church service — at some point during this National Day of Purity and Humiliation?
If so, you and I can count on His promise: “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us, therefore we His servants will arise and build…” (Nehemiah 2:20).
God bless you,
Pastor Jeff
