Preserving a Nation With Prayer

Hi. This is Dave Olson.

I'm the senior leader of Hartman church located in Ankeny Iowa.

I hope the following message, challenges and courage's and

ultimately changes you thanks for joining us.

This is July 4th weekend. And so man, I tell you what it,

I love our nation. And so I just wrestling with

what to preach on because we are technically in a series.

So you got to find a way to adjust.

Justify getting off track. You know, I'm pulling it in but

I want to talk about this morning, I want to talk about

praying for our nation. I want to, I want us to

understand the responsibility that we have.

I believe that as Believers we have, we all have a general

responsibility, but I would propose to you that as heart,

Landers that. We have a specific

responsibilities that God has called this church specifically

to stand in the gap for this nation.

The nations of the earth and there is a there is an

intercessors mandate on this church to contend for the

purposes of this nation. So I want to, I want to hit face

on this thing. That says that patriotism is at

best a distraction and at worst idolatry because there's people

that will tell you that, you know, patriotism is simply, you

want to Define patriotism. It means a love for your country

and affection for your particular country.

And people will say Well, we're supposed to love all people, and

that's true. And we're supposed to love all

countries, and that's true. God is a global God.

He did. He has the nation's in his heart

and King, Jesus will not be satisfied.

Until every tribe. And tongue has heard, and

there's worship in his Endeavor under every tongue of his name.

And so, God is a global God. He desires that every nation, be

presented, the gospel and every nation be won by him scriptures.

Clear psalm for the Nations are his the world is his However,

God gives us certain things to Steward.

I'm supposed to love all families, but I got a favorite

one. I love all families and I want

all children to be fed, but I've got responsibilities for certain

ones. And scripture says, I'm worse

than an Infidel, if I don't fulfill that responsibility.

Matter of fact in the gospels, there was a time where Jesus

rebuked the Pharisees because they what they've done they

called it Corbin. They said, what was supposed to

go to my parents? I dedicate I devote to God.

Therefore I'm relieved of that responsibility and for you to

say that distraction that to contend for the nation that on

which you were to Citizen the place where you live to say,

That is a distraction from Devotion.

To God, is a form of what Jesus rebuked him for.

What I'm saying is this Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because

they would say, the, the law said they had responsibilities

to their parents but they said, well I'm going to give that to

God. I'm going to devote that to God

and that relieves me of my responsibility to my parents and

the Lord said that is a false teaching.

That they still had an obligation to care for their

own. Paul said that God has chosen

the times and the places in which men should live now we've

touched on this before, but this is a very, very important

principle that two of the parameters of your calling is

the location in which you live and the generation in which you

live, Matthew chapter 11 matter of fact.

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

Let's turn there. I want you to see this for

yourself. So, you know I'm not making it

up. Matthew Chapter 11 This is a

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

very interesting thing, I heard the Lord speak this to me one

day up. In the balcony before service, I

was praying up there and I had never heard anybody say this and

it just so took me back. And he then he took me to

Matthew 11 and showed me that indeed, this is what the word

teaches. Look at Matthew 11, Verse 20,

Matthew 11:20

Jesus is speaking of Jesus, then he began to denounce the cities

where most of his mighty Works had been done because they did

not repent, woe to you chorazin, woe to you bethsaida for.

If the mighty Works done in, you had been done in Tyre or sidon,

they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and Ashes, but

I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment

for tyre and sidon, then, for you, And for and you Capernaum,

will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to

Hades for. If the mighty Works done in you

had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day but

I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment

for the land of Sodom than for you.

Now, what's fascinating to me is that the Lord is addressing and

the population of a city. He's not talking to an

individual here. He there's a corporate rebuked

because there's corporate responsibility.

In other words, as an occupant of that City, they bore

responsibility for which they would give an account.

Let me say it again, as an occupant of that City that

rejected Jesus, they bore a responsibility for, which they

would give an account. So their location was part of

their stewardship. You understand what I'm saying?

The fact that they lived their gave them a level of

responsibility. There should have been somebody

in that City that would have stood up and say Jesus, I'm

staking my claim, I receive you, I bless your ministry.

I'm getting the I believe and stake the claim for that entire

city, God is looking for representatives in cities and

nations of the earth so that he can, he can bless those cities

and nations of the earth. It's called an intercessor.

If you remember Abraham When God said he was going to destroy

Sodom, but the the city that Jesus is speaking of here,

Abraham stood in the Gap and said, what, if you find this

many Believers and this many and this many he was he was dealing

with the principle. The very real principle that we

are Salt and Light and God will withhold, his hand of judgment

for the sake of a small amount of righteous people in a city or

a nation. So here we have the location,

our city. You have a stewardship of the

city, or the nation in which you live, you bear a greater

responsibility for what happens in the United States of America,

as someone who lives here, then you do for what happens in the

Ukraine. Now, some of you may have

Ukrainian blood, you may be a Ukrainian Citizen and you, there

is a level of responsibility that you retain.

But I'm talking about those of us right now, who live in this

nation and especially as Citizens, there's a level of

authority and there's a level of responsibility that we have.

So when Jesus said, God chose the times and places are when

Paul said that he said, God chosen chooses the times and

places in which men should live, it wasn't just some kind of

arbitrary, kind of an interesting fact.

It wasn't like trivia. Hey isn't this interesting?

There was a reason behind his saying that he was saying that

God appointed you to a place and a generation, a location and a

generation and you will give an account for both now.

So we see in this one here. Jesus is.

Thing that he will call to account those people who lived

in those cities. Now, look at later on.

And chapter 12. Look at verse 41 of chapter 12.

The men of Nineveh Nineveh will rise up at the Judgment with

this generation and condemn it. So now he's talking about a

generation a people who lived within a season of time a unique

season of time in human history and God said that the people of

the, the generation of Nineveh would rise up in witness against

the people who lived in that unique period of time in which

Jesus lived, because they had, there was a unique opportunity

that they allowed to pass them by And I am here to tell you

this morning, that this is not an anomaly.

This is true of every generation.

There are purposes. Two seasons.

We talked about it, I don't know.

It was probably about seven years ago.

Now, I was the Lord spoke to me one day and he said, I want you

to do a series on wisdom, but I don't want you to pull out your

old material, you know, sometimes the Lord has to tell

the preacher that because you do it so you can lean on what you

used to know. Bill Johnson has this wonderful

phrase what you know can keep you from what you need to know.

That's a sobering thought. Because if you think the little,

you know, is the whole, then you won't be over open to the rest.

And so the Lord dealt with me and I began to ask him about

wisdom, and he took us on a journey.

And one of the things he really began to talk to me about was

wisdom and time. That time.

From, from a Divine perspective, is not the way you, and I think

of it. You and I think of time as

minutes on a clock and days on a calendar, but to God time and

you can see this throughout scripture from the Divine

perspective in the economy of Heaven, time is a period

pregnant with purpose, it's launched by fresh Revelation and

it's consummated by the Fulfillment of the purpose of

that revelation. Let me say it again that when

God launches a new time or season and Daniel, Daniel

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2 is very clear. God sets the times and the

seasons, God changes the times and the seasons.

And one of the primary ways in which God, shifts Humanity or a

church, there are big enormous blocks of seasons and times.

That are Global and historical in nature.

There's also that's also true of us as individuals in your life.

There are times and Seasons that God has for your life.

It's true of churches times and seasons and we don't have time

to get, I'm getting pulled into something.

I didn't intend to talk about. So let me just make a couple

comments about Daniel chapter 2, okay?

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

Because the Lord has been speaking to me about this for

three weeks now. In prayer, Daniel chapter 2,

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

it's very clear. Daniel, praise out this prayer

and he prays out. He's thanking God because God

had given him a Divine download about what Nebuchadnezzar's

dream is, and Nebuchadnezzar had made a neat.

That all the wise men would be killed because they could not

only could they not interpret his dream.

They first couldn't tell him what the dream was that they

were supposed to interpret Nebuchadnezzar wasn't gambling

that this he could be manipulated, he said you're not

only going to tell me what my dream meant.

You're going to tell me what my dream was.

I'm not going to tell you what it was.

And if you can't tell me, I'll kill you because you claim to be

these diviners these wise men, these Magi and you're a fraud

and they're like, there's not a man on Earth.

That can do this and their knees were shaking and I he said

you're just you're waiting for the time to change.

That's what he said. It's an interesting phrase.

What he was insinuating, his you're waiting for my time on

the throne to be up so that you can manipulate the next guy.

You think you're hoping you can Outlast me so that you can start

manipulating the next guy because you know I won't be

manipulated So Daniel is in his second year of its in the second

year of Nebuchadnezzar's rain that this happens and Daniel and

the three Hebrew children, Shadrach Meshach and Abednego,

or make the bed, and shake the bed.

And into bed, you do you tell your kids?

But he says these four, they were they were captured by

Nebuchadnezzar and it says they were inducted into a three-year

training as wise men. But chapter 2 says in the second

year of Nebuchadnezzar's rain. So at best they were only

sophomores. Okay.

They were in the second year of their training and Daniel gets

word, he's dead. He's going to get killed, they

come to pick him up and to kill him and he says, wait, wait,

wait, why are we in such a rush? Let's not be Hasty here.

He said there is a God in heaven and so he says give me three

days. I'm going to fast and pray and

God is going to give me the dream and then he tells his

buddies no more even worse. Trouble and they go on this fast

and the Lord gives them a download.

He gives him a dream of the dream and then interprets it for

him. And as a response to this divine

intervention, Daniel goes into this praising this worship and

this prayer. And this is what he says.

God, you change the times and the seasons you promote Kings,

and you remove Kings, you give wisdom to the wise and knowledge

to those with understanding three.

Things he says God changes the times and Seasons times are

smaller increments than these major transitions called seasons

in the Hebrew. I want to say the word was Odin.

I don't remember. I'd have to look again but then

it's a small time as a smaller measurement and then the seasons

are major shifts in human history and let me just pause

here. And propose to you, we be in

one, okay? We are in the shifting of a

season in human history and when we get on the other side of this

tumultuous shift, this hinge moment in human history.

Nothing will look the same Financial systems will look

different, the boundary lines of Nations will look different.

There's going to be the rising and falling of Kings in this

season. Because the second thing,

Daniel, Says, is he removes Kings?

And he promotes Kings. What he's saying is this that

from God's perspective time is divided.

Redemptive history is divided. Among the reign of men.

It's where it says of David David served his generation and

he was no more, and he was laid to rest with his father's.

And then it went from being the time of the davidic rain into

the solemn Reign, Solomon, reigned You can see this in

person. Second Samuel, first and second

Kings, and first and second chronicles, it's Redemptive

history divided. Among the reins of men.

What does that mean? See, it says of David David

discerned that he was King, think, didn't take a lot of

discernment. They poured the oil on your head

and then put a crown and you sat on a throne, a lot of

discernment. You got to read the rest of us.

It says he discerned. He was King for the purpose of

Israel. In other words, David leaned in,

and ask God, for the reason for his anointing.

We just let that one land for a moment.

You better know the reason for your anointing.

Because whether you understand it or not, you will give an

account account for whether you fulfill it or not.

And so you better press in and say God what was the purpose of

my life? Because there's a reason God

puts you on planet Earth and you will give an answer for that

assignment whether you know what it is or not, it's on you to

figure it out. That's why Paul said in

Ephesians 5, he said don't be a fool.

No, the will of the Lord, he said time is short know, the

will of the Lord, he said, you are a fool.

If you want walk through life, not knowing the purpose for your

life. You are in danger of wasting

what you have and then you'll come before heaven have to give

an account for what you didn't do.

God is more willing to show you than you want to know.

But no, the purpose of your life.

So God changes the times and Seasons.

How does he do it? He moves people in and out.

You can see this in churches. They'll be a leader in a church.

And when that person's time is over there is a shift in the

calling of that church. When there's a new leader and

that's not always the senior leader, there are times and

Seasons where influential people are in churches, and the Lord

will move people around and it Dawns a new season in a church.

When new people show up and there's an anointing on him,

it'll thrust a church into a new Direction into a new season.

If we're hearing the voice of the lord, we can cooperate with

them and fulfill the corporate purpose of that church.

So God changes the times and Seasons, he does it by removing

Kings, and promoting Kings. And then he does this, he gives

wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.

What he's talking about is Daniel's role in this whole

thing. Nebuchadnezzar's role was that

God had just appointed him. And so God inserted a prophetic

Daniel at the Inception of Nebuchadnezzar's rule because

God had plans for this Pagan King to rise him in power to

shape human history. The nature of the, the necessity

rather of the prophetic in times of transition is really

important for us to understand. Because God has his plans in the

enemy has his matter of fact. It says, okay, that's Daniel

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2. You know what?

Daniel chapter 7 says it says the enemy attempts to manipulate

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

the times. So in those moments of

transition things are fragile, things can be taken off track,

so God has his times, and the enemy has his.

And so it's incumbent upon us to step in.

And in cooperation, with the Lord, hear the word of the Lord,

and fulfill the purpose of the Lord.

Because what it does, is it will stretch the times.

In God's economy. Time is not a date on a

calendar. It's the Fulfillment of a

purpose. That is why an eleven-day

Journey out of the promised land can become 40 Years of

wandering. They had to fulfill their

purpose. That's why it says of Jesus in

the fullness of time. God sent forth his son, born of

a woman born under the law. God is wanting to bring the last

season to fruition, so he can launch us into the next season.

And one of the ways, the enemy manipulates the times is keeping

his God's children, fulfilling their calling.

And it can seize the gears and keep it can prolong the season.

And so we need to yield ourselves to the Lord and

fulfill Our Calling. I don't we don't have time to go

my goodness. This is very, very important.

There have been people who have been prematurely pushed off

their post. And we need to step in and pray

that thing through because there are the purposes of God in God's

economy, the time has to come to its fullness in order to lunch

launches into the next season. And that is what Daniel was

talking about. In that passage the true that

the same is true of your life. There are people who move from

season to season, they get saved.

And in five years there well down the road in their walk with

God going from season to season. From glory to glory and then

there's others who go to Glory. And they stay on the same level

of Glory till they literally go to Glory.

Because they never learned to cooperate with God and fulfill

the purpose for their life. God wants to take you from glory

to glory. He wants to move you through

times and seasons in your life. But again, the times and seasons

of your life, are not dates on a calendar, it's the Fulfillment

of the purpose of that season. So, we've got to discern.

Lord. What is the purpose for this?

What are the lessons? You're trying to teach me.

Their isn't the old-timers? Used to say, don't take laps

around Mount Sinai. Okay, I don't want to spend 40

years walking around Mount. Nigh.

There's an old song. Don't take another lap around

Mount Sinai till you learn your lesson.

I don't remember the rest of it but I can hear it in my it was

kind of a One of those songs, you know, I'm not sure what that

was. It just came over me.

Lily, it was kind of a he ha song but it had a good message

okay? Yes yes it's why I'm not up here

with a mic in my hand during worship.

God told me, I'm on the worship team.

He just wants me down there when it happens.

Okay. But this thing at this is a

crucial thing. And two of the parameters of

your purpose, to of the parameters of your calling are

the generation of the location in which you live.

God has purposes for every generation.

There are things. God is moving.

His story along history is his story, and he's moving things

along and you have a part to play.

Don't Paul said, let no man, steal thy crown.

Don't have God. Don't Make God assign someone

else to your assignment. What are you called to do?

Fulfill that calling. The the enemy loves to get us to

either neglect, are calling out of a sense of unworthiness or

Des get us distracted. So we don't do it.

Sometimes the way we're distracted and we get our eyes

on somebody else's calling. And we think if I don't do what

they're doing, I'm not--that's I'm really not doing something.

If you are called to be a garbage man, That's a good

living. Okay, that I'm not I don't mean

that as a denigration of a form of employment.

If you're called to be a garbage man and you become a pastor, you

will give an answer for Disobedience to God.

Because you need to fulfill the purpose of your calling because

there's people you would face on your garbage route.

You're never going to face in the pulpit.

And God put it on you. So this is a very important

phrase idea. So it's our generation and our

location and God has purposes for every generation purposes.

For every time and season in our life, as individuals in our

corporate Life as a church and you in the life of your family,

there are seasons. And if we are quick about it, we

can learn those lessons and move on or we can stretch em out.

It's up to us. So, part of the assignment on

your life, is the fact that you live where you do. and part of

that is that you live in the United States of America, And

you live here now. During this tremendously

tumultuous time. You need to ask yourself.

God, what were you thinking? Not in the way I just said it,

but believe me. I've asked it both ways.

But ask God, what? What's on your heart?

Why am I here during this hour of human history, God saw fit,

he perfectly formed you and equipped you for this

challenging season in human history. and I'm telling you,

That God placed you here in this nation, to contend for his

purposes. I love this nation, I love a lot

of things about it. I love that we are afforded the

moat, the greatest prosperity, and the greatest freedom of Any

Nation in all of human history. And, you know what?

I pray that in the future, there's other nations pass this

up. I don't want to go back, but I

don't have a problem with them passing this up and the that

they disciple us. I don't love this nation because

I think we're more worthy because I don't I don't think

that we're any more special to God's heart, but I think the

purposes of God for this nation are that crucial and we need to

contend for that. We are the Guardians de Steward

of his purposes for this nation. Those of you in this room, there

are a number of you who are immigrants that have come to

this nation, realize that God sent you here for a reason that

is an amazing thing. Most of us can discount.

It will always just born. Here, it was a, you know, how

was a twinkle in my mom's eye one night and you know, here I

am. That'll take a minute.

But so you know here we are some of you.

God moved, you across the world to come here.

Yes, Hallelujah. And you know what that needs?

You need to feel that that is that's a holy calling Unholy.

Entrustment God puts you in this nation.

Such for such a time as this. We have a responsibility.

Turn with me to Exodus 32. I've Been In this passage since

4 a.m. this morning, I just love this passage.

Because it's the story of a man who saves a nation through

prayer. God willing in the days to come.

We're going to go into a series on how we got where we're at.

I'm talking about the mess, we're in.

How many of you hear people on TV or read things that people

say? And you're wondering what in the

world are these people thinking? Where are they?

They have they lost their minds. There is a logic by which they

are navigating life that you and I need to understand if we're to

engage these people, we need to understand where they're coming

from. And it doesn't do us any good to

just sit back and laugh and say they're losing their mind or get

mad and yell at the TV. Throw your slipper, you know,

I've often said my poor family, I don't watch TV, I talk to TV

so I just kind of stay away from the news.

I do my news by reading because I can't handle the TV.

I'm just I know my weaknesses. Okay.

But we need to understand and God willing in the end soon.

In the coming days will go through a series on this.

We are this close to losing this nation.

We would have never thought that there are people in our Halls of

Congress. Literally voting along the lines

of those. We were defending ourselves from

four decades in the Cold War, There is a demonic seduction

going on in our nation and we need to understand the

philosophical underpinnings to that thing.

But it's going to take more than us understanding.

It's going to take much more than us.

Just being able to engage people and talk.

We need heaven to sweep in, we need God to withhold, his hand

of judgment. Because our biggest danger is

not Russia or North Korea or China or any other Nation.

Our biggest concern needs to be heaven.

How are we with heaven? And this is a story of a nation

that was on the eve of its own destruction, and didn't even

realize it, but there was one godly man who was in the pocket

of intercession one, man saved a nation.

Want you to think about that. One man who found favor with

God. Leveraged that favor to save a

nation. It's an amazing thing.

Look at Exodus 32 verse 1, when when people saw that Moses

Exodus 32:1

delayed to come down from the mountain of people gathered

themselves together to Aaron and said up, well up make us Gods

who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who

brought us up out of the land of Egypt.

We do not know what has become of him because Moses had been on

the mountain for like 40 Days by this time.

And so they just went to Aaron said, hey we you know, he walked

up into that. All during cloud, with peals of

thunder and lightning. And, and man, he's not come

back, we think he's gone. We're not sure.

They acted. Like, they didn't even know this

guy anymore, so they said make us new God.

So Aaron said to them, take off the rings of gold that are in

your ears and the ears of your wives, your son's, your

daughters, and bring them to me. So, all the people took off the

rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron

and he received for the gold from their hand and fashion it,

and carving tool made a golden calf and then said, these are

your God's o Israel. Who Brought you up out of the

land of Egypt. When Aaron saw this, he built an

altar before and Aaron made a proclamation and said tomorrow

shall be a feast for the Lord. And they rose up early the next

day, offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

In the people sat down to eat and drink and Rose up to play.

They got into Pagan revelry as the old way of saying it, and

the Lord said to Moses go down for your people.

Whom you brought out of Egypt have Up to themselves.

Isn't that interesting? That's that's exactly what the

Lord said to him. Moses your people who you

brought out God is kind of washing his hands of them later

on the next chapter, got Moses say God your people who you

brought out That's an interesting Dynamic I would

propose to you. That was very very important in

this interchange between Moses and God.

Because what God was doing his God was provoking that

investment that Moses had already made Listen to what he

goes on to say. They have turned aside quickly

out of the way that I've commanded them.

They have made for themselves at golden calf and have worshipped

in sacrifice to it. And said, these are your God's o

Israel brought you up out of the land of Egypt and the Lord said

to Moses, I have seen this people and behold it is a

stiff-necked people. Now, therefore, let me alone

that my wrath may not may burn hot against them and I may

consume them in order that I may make a great nation out of you.

That that passage just makes me shudder.

Behind what God was saying. There was something he was

trying to provoke out of the heart of Moses.

He said, those people your people, you brought him out and

they have they have made me angry and my wrath is going to

burn hot against him. Leave me alone, so that my wrath

may burn. And then I will make a nation

out of you. You see Moses had found favor

with God. This was a man who had great

favor. He touched things in.

God. That are just I'm blowing to me.

He would God would speak to him as a man speaks to a friend face

to face so much. So that Moses would come down

and his flesh, his skin absorbs glory and he would come down

like a glow worm. And then Moses he would speak to

them and it says, then he would put a veil over his face so that

they would not see that. It was fading.

See a lot of people believe that Moses wore a veil because the

people couldn't handle it. That's not what it was that glow

was his credibility day. What if I showed up on Sunday

morning and I said, hey I've got a real hard message for you and

I showed you my face and that'll get you know you'd be a little

more inclined to listen to Pastor Dave that morning.

He would cover it up so they wouldn't see that it was fading.

Because he wanted to minister from the glory.

So he would go get some Glory talk to the people, cover his

face back up, and go get some more before it faded.

That's good preaching. That's good policy.

We need preachers. Who stay in the glory?

Amen. Speak from the glory.

Pray for your preachers. Amen.

Hallelujah. But God told him, he said I'm

going to make a great nation out of you.

You see? The Lord was testing, Moses.

Heart. Moses.

Will you tolerate the destruction of the people whose

genetic code you share? Will you tolerate the

destruction of the nation that you've invested so dearly?

And and I'm going to entice you I'm going to I'm going to give

you an opportunity. I'll make a nation out of you

Moses. Now, some people say that God

was speaking anthropomorphic Lee, that's just a big way of

saying he was trying to relate with Moses, so we were didn't

really mean it. He was just trying to engage

with Moses. God is not capable of

insincerity. There is no shadow of turning

its in him. If he said it, he meant it.

He would have, he would have made another Nation out of

Moses. But you know what, it would have

done. It would have pushed the

purposes of God back decades, if not Generations, because he

would have had to produce an entire nation out of Moses.

But there was something in Moses that was owning this thing.

God said, they're your people and Moses said, yes, they are

and he stepped in and he owned this thing.

You see. Intercession can only happen

when we own this thing. It's not some disconnected way.

I can't just say, well, God, I hope you move in mind on my

nation because I know I'm going to be okay.

And you know what, I know I am. God's going to take care of me

and my family. God's going to take the worst

case scenario. I just go to heaven sooner.

I can't lose but there's a lot of people who can, if I don't

carry my heart right before the Lord.

And the Moses said, Lord, you can't let this happen.

Lord, he begins to appeal to the Lord on their several points in

Moses prayer. That are very important for you

and I to understand you see, Moses owned this thing, he's

saying yes, Lord, they are my people but they're yours as

well. And they kept as long as God had

a man on Earth. That said, yes, they're my

people and God in heaven said, yes, they're my people, this

thing's gonna work, but as soon as God losses, An intercessor on

earth, when there's no one that will say no, they're my people,

then God's got a scrap, his plan and start all over again, and he

would have done it. John Wesley was famous for

saying, God, does everything through prayer and nothing

without it, not because God's, not sovereign, but because he

has chosen to exercise his sovereignty, through his

delegated authority called, man. God delegates his authority to

us and we will give an account whether we fulfill his purposes

or not. And so, again, you and I need to

understand that God chose that you and I would live in this

generation in this location. I believe there's something

highly significant about Iowa. I'm just crazy enough to think

that the fact that we choose the president presidential

candidates. First is prophetic, there's

something about us that we have a say and the removing and the

removing of leaders and the Of leaders, there's something about

our role in intercession that God wants to use.

There's a weight of responsibility we need to carry

and When God says, this is your nation.

This is your state. This is your situation.

There needs to be something that rises up with us within us and

says, yes, Lord, I agree. I'm going to own this thing.

I'm going to pray this thing through.

When God said, leave me alone that my anger May burned, he was

deadly serious. But Moses red in there and

invitation because he understood what God was saying, is that if

I'm not left alone, then I will withhold my wrath.

And Moses inserted himself in there and he cried out for the

children of Israel. Listen to Moses prayer.

This is very significant, but Moses implored the Lord, his God

and said, oh Lord, why does your Rathburn hot against your people

whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power?

In your Mighty hand, isn't that interesting?

God said I'm going to kill the people.

They're your people and you brought him out.

God said Moses said, but God, why are you so angry with these

people, your people that you brought out and they're kind of

expect, you know, giving each other ownership there.

Reminding each other. Why should the Egyptians say

with evil intent? Did he bring them out and kill

them in the mountains and consume them from the face of

the Earth. Turn from your burning anger,

and relent from This Disaster against your people.

So, the first thing Moses does, is he appeals on the basis of

God's character and reputation reputation again among the

nations of the Earth. He's concerned with God's

reputation and he cries that out, not not for the sake of the

people, because the people did not deserve it, but he was

saying God for your namesake among the nations of the earth

Lord, turn from your wrath. And then he says this, remember,

Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants to whom you swore your

own self and said to them, I will multiply your Offspring as

the stars of the sky. He was reminding God.

Of his Covenant with Abraham. There's something about

reminding God of his past promises and prayer.

I'm telling you, it'll move God's heart.

I always think of this illustration, it's not the

greatest one, but it's it's like when I pull out Kathy and eyes

wedding, pictures, Kathy could still fit in the wedding, dress

me, not so much. I never wore a wedding dress, by

the way, but I couldn't fit in the tux either.

I'm like, 50 pounds heavier. And I had, I had color in my

beard and I had two big windshields called glasses.

They're huge glasses back then and there we are standing there.

And I remember Day that I entered into Covenant with this

woman and it stirs my affections.

Once again, the day that I made my vows, it's good for us to

remind ourselves. There's a reason that the Bible

speaks of the wife of your youth, reminding yourself of

When you entered into that Covenant relationship.

And a very similar thing is going on here with Moses.

He's saying, God remember Abraham, remember this man who

found favor with you Lord for the sake of Abraham and then

remember Isaac Lord that he he also secured favor for you with

you and Jacob who secured favor with you and you made promises

to them and he would use that in prayer to move the heart of God

and God loved it. It's what Solomon was doing in

Psalm, 132 where he says, oh Lord, remember David?

And the sufferings he endured, I'm going to remind you my dad

went through. If you look later on in the

passage, it says, oh Lord now remember David make good on your

promise. As you said you'd always have

one of his sons on the throne. This is Solomon.

Speaking, you see what he's doing?

He's leveraging. His dad's favor on his own

behalf. He's saying Lord Me if not for

me for the sake of my dad. Moses is leveraging his favor in

the favor of other Patriarchs to move the house, the heart of God

to preserve an entire nation. Lou, Engel years ago, he wrote a

book, read digging, the wells of Revival, it's a great book.

I would highly recommend it. And in that book, he was talking

about how one time the Lord began to speak to him, about how

he's going to revisit America, because of Jonathan Edwards.

Jonathan Edwards. The who was a colonial

revivalist, a brilliant philosopher, and a very Godly

revivalist. And he was the primary leader of

the first Great Awakening. And God began to speak to who I

will revisit America for the sake of Jonathan Edwards.

And so as he was just processing, as he writes about

that the those principles in that book and he writes about

this episode, he said, so he was invited to speak at a youth

conference that night. So he went and the title of his

message was going to be God is going to save America because

we're the great, great great, great grandkids of Jonathan

Edwards, that was his title. It's hard to fit on a cassette

tape. So, he's sitting on the front

row, cassette tape for you younger.

That was a little plastic thing that you listen to sermons and

music on. Okay, I'll get you can Google

it. So he's sitting on the front

row, just worshiping and getting ready.

Just meditating saying Lord, you know, just use me tonight.

I want to speak to these young people at which time a young

man, sat down next to him and bumped him and said Lou, I got

to share something with you. He said I just found out

Something today, I am the great. Great.

Great. Great grandchild of Jonathan

Edwards. And it was God's Little

prophetic kiss on lose message. I'm telling you, God will honor

the covenants of our forefathers.

It still moves, the heart of God, there are men and women who

gave their life, and intercession and fasting and

sacrifice for the gospel to be established America.

The United States of America is He's a rare experiment in human

history, it is one nation. That was established on biblical

principles. Do you know that in the founding

of our nation early on in our nation's history Congressman

would stand up and Congress and argue the scriptures when they

were legislating one would stand it.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

You forgot about Exodus 42. Literally read it weathers.

No 42. Hopefully they didn't said

Exodus 32 they turn to that Nick, they would argue this.

Yeah, but what about Deuteronomy 7 that was a safe one.

Got to go low numbers. Don't go hide.

Birds, when you're speaking publica it.

So they're arguing the scriptures, they based our whole

thing of the three, you know, the judicial branch the

executive branch and legislative branch, that was based on the

Trinity. And that there was a tension of

power between the three branches of government based on the

fallenness of, man because they understood that power corrupts

and absolute power corrupts. Absolutely.

So let's create a tension within the government.

Three unique thing, and all the Earth, and we are a nation of

immigrants. It's a Melting Pot, it's an

amazing thing. And there have been people who

have given their life. So that God would Bless America.

But perhaps what we need to be asking is not God Bless America

but God make us a people who are blessed oil, Lord, make us a

people that you can bless for God is a being of integrity and

he will not violate his own principles and answer prayers

that are contrary to his own nature.

He has to find righteousness. There has to be a remnant of

people that are crying out. And God is looking for

intercessors who are living righteously and have found favor

with God and then we'll get in the secret place and they'll

say, God, I'm not going to leave you alone until you give me a

promise. I remind you of my forefathers.

I remind you of Jonathan Edwards and his prayers.

I remind you of Charles Finney and father, Nash and the Second

Great Awakening and the thought the tens of thousands of really

hundreds of thousands of souls that were Wrapped into the

kingdom in the Second Great Awakening.

Lord, I remind you of these other intercessors down through

our history. Lord, remember their prayers.

They still come before the throne Lord, I add my prayers to

theirs. You have a responsibility for

this tumultuous moment in human history and you have a

responsibility. It is not idolatry and it's not

a distraction to pray for this nation.

In fact, it's your responsibility for which you

will give an account and don't let anybody tell you any

differently, we will give an answer for this moment in human

history in this nation. And there is a strategy of foot

by the enemy to erase our history and to cause us to come

on the side of the accuser and curse this nation.

Do you know that there's there was a large group in the

Democrat Party? That just put out this ad over

the holiday weekend, F, the fourth That is a demonic thing

now that that's not true of every Democrat.

I know I know that many there's many Democrats that love the

Lord but I'm telling you, there is a sweeping spirit that is

trying to undermine this nation. There is a hatred for the

history of this nation. They're rewriting history.

A nation without history is like a person with amnesia.

They don't know who they are. And God is calling us to step in

and cry out for this nation. I'll never forget in 2008.

I was up in Toronto, Canada. And John are not.

We were up there at this celebration up at the Toronto

Airport fellowship and John Wimber got up because it was the

stock market was crashing and things were very tenuous and

John got up and he said and these are people from all over

the world. This is, you know, this wasn't

an American Service, this was there, a lot of, you know,

United States citizens are but people from all over the world

and he said, we need to pray for the u.s. right now.

And he made this statement and I was stunned.

It just really hit me. He said, I don't know about you.

He said, but I wouldn't want to live in a world in which the

United States didn't exist. This is a man from another

country saying this, about us. because he recognized the

preservative of peace that the United States has been Now, we

don't ignore those, we don't ignore the sins and there are

things that we have found out about our nation.

And the last number of years, that'll make your hair stand up.

The more I know, the more I had a conversation with some of my

dear Colombian friends. Last time, I was in Colombia, we

need to pray for Colombia, they just voted in a former farc

guerrillas. The president farc is a

communist terrorist organization.

We're living in a very tumultuous time in human

history. I'm telling you, there is a

battle at the gates for this door to swing.

And if we don't pray this thing through, it'll set the to God.

God will have his will eventually, but the timeline can

be stretched. Depending on our obedience in

our engagement, or it can be compressed.

And I was telling them I said because they were talking about

the corruption in their nation. And I said, I said, you know

there's been a lot of naivety in the United States, definitely me

included. Where I didn't realize how the

level of corruption in the higher echelons of our

government, it's been sobering to me, but I refuse to join the

accuser of the Brethren and curse this nation because God

has a purpose for this nation. I won't ignore the sins, I'll

get under the load because I'm an intercessor.

I will confess like, Daniel my sins and the sins of my I'll

bear them before the throne, but I also refused to curse this

nation. We're going to cry out for it

and ask God to stay his hand. If we refuse to let God Alone,

what seemed like a command to The Outsider to those on the

inside. The one who was intimate with

God, Moses, what sound would have sounded like a command

everybody else? Leave me alone that my anger may

burn. Moses because of his intimacy.

Understood it as an invitation, God left.

A crack in the door. He just told me.

He can only let his Rathburn, if I leave him alone, and Moses dug

his heels in and saved a nation. There is hope for United States

of America. But we can't we can involve our

self and charismatic bravado by just claiming.

It's all it's already done. Early on in our intercession

that we do every Tuesday through Friday here, early on a couple

years ago. One of the first things, the

Lord spoke to me during that season was as a very obscure

verse and a very sobering verse when he said it to me, he said,

one who puts on his armor should not boast his one who takes it

off and it shook me because I knew what he was saying.

It was a king of Israel. Rebuked, a pagan King when he

said he's going to invade. And the Lord was saying, don't

act like this thing is in the bag.

At the outset, there's still a battle to be fought and won.

We're in the middle of a battle for the Legacy and the

perpetuate. The legacy of this nation.

And the purposes of God for this nation, David perceived, he was

made King for Israel, and you need to perceive that you were

brought to the kingdom for such a time as this God's hand is

upon you. So that we will contend for this

nation and this generation. Amen, let's stand Want us to

close. In prayer for this nation.

If you would lift your hands to the Lord.

Father, we thank you. We thank you Lord for the

tremendous Prosperity that we have enjoyed.

As US citizens. Lord, we thank you for the

tremendous Freedom. The unprecedented Freedom that

we've enjoyed. But Lord, we also understand

that the sins of this nation have been grevious.

Lord that we have discipled the nation's in pornography and

other perversion, and it's only ramping up in this.

Our Lord, we understand that our our federal money, our tax money

have been used. To export abortion across the

Earth and Lord we ask your forgiveness God, as your people

Lord as representatives of this nation Lord we don't pick up

stones to cast at them. We say we are sorry.

Lord God we ask for mercy on this nation and Lord I ask that

you would establish a beachhead of intercession in this house.

Around these altars in this sanctuary and the prayer

meetings in the mornings. Lord God find it us a friend

like you found in Moses. Lord we ask preserve this nation

God. We ask it for your namesake.

We are zealous for the purposes. That you've placed within this

nation to be realized Lord, your dream.

The dream that you called the United States of America.

Lord, let it be realized in this hour.

God, visit this nation, send Revival.

Send Revival. Lord, send Revival.

Send Revival. In Jesus name.

Amen. Thanks for listening to our

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