Marc Estes

All of us are familiar with the story of the frog in the kettle. A frog placed in boiling water will immediately jump from the pot. A frog placed in room temperature water where the heat is gradually turned up will fry in the boiling water and never jump. So it is with a nation.

The Bible is filled with the repeated history of man following this unfortunate, yet predictable pattern. We seek God, He shows up. We get complacent in our success and forget God and he removes His blessing.  If you ever want to see just how many times this scenario repeats itself, just open up your bible and underline every time it says, “An Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord.”

Healing in a nation starts with God’s people.  2 Chronicles 7:14 states, “If MY PEOPLE, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.” It starts with us! Change in a nation starts with change in us, in you, and in me.

It is time that we, as His people, examine our lives, our cities and our nation, and recognize that there is more that each of us can do to increase the spiritual atmosphere in our cities. The scripture is clear, if we exchange some spiritual activity for our carnal activities, stuff happens.

Here are some practical things you can DO! Not read, meditate on, study, but DO! God’s Word guarantees us a great reward!

1. Ask God to reveal to you any un-confessed sins or wrong behaviors in your life.

2. Ask God to forgive you of any wrong doing.

3. Seek forgiveness of anyone you have wronged. Humble yourself and repent.

4. Pray for Holy Spirit to fill you and help  you to walk a “Spirit-filled” life, not a “Natural-minded” life.

5. Resist complacency and apathy at all costs.

6. Surrender EVERY area of your life to Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all, or Lord not at all.

7. Ingest the Word of God in large doses. Fall in love with His voice.

8. Increase your times of prayer. Don’t settle for the amount of your current prayer times. Seek Him more.

9.  Add a day of fasting to your schedule.

10. Make a list of prayer needs for you, your family, your church, your city and your nation. Pray without ceasing.

11. Be prompt in your obedience to God. Don’t delay, obey Him in every situation and circumstance!

Let’s not remain content with our lives, situation and condition of our nation. Let’s step up the heat on the Devil, crucify the ‘flesh’ and give God the opportunity to move in us and through us. Exciting days are ahead!