Challenging Christians to Pray — September/October 2012

Matthew Skariah

If we allow the

world to creep into our homes with its corrupt ideas and twisted logic; then

we have forfeited our God-given

responsibility as caretakers of children!

The moment we receive Christ

as Savior and Lord, we step out of the world’s parade and ignore its applause. We shall acquire a new viewpoint: a

new attitude will be formed in us:

a new power takes over our lives in such

a magnificent fashion.

Crisis in the Home and Nation (Part 2)

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Christian ideals are the bedrock of a godly home.

God’s plan for the home is unchangeable; it has no expira- tion date. Don’t trivialize the importance of Christ-centered homes where the father

is the spiritual leader and mother is the comforter and helpmate in matters of spiritual training! However, today, it seems that many parents have relin- quished their sacred responsibility of raising their children over to the state, community and the entertain- ment media in general. Is it any won-der that our homes are coming apart and our children show very little or no interest in the faith of our fathers and mothers?

Let the seeking “father and mother” reach a place where life and lips join to say lovingly and prayerfully, “Be thou exalted, O, Lord,” in our home, and a thousand minor problems will be solved at once. The foundation of our faith is based on a promise; God has promised He would never “leave nor forsake us.” His living presence is not an unseen ethereal force but a living presence (person) whose name is Jesus. If we allow the world to creep into our homes with its cor-rupt ideas and twisted logic; then we have forfeited our God-given respon- sibility as caretakers of children! The moment we receive Christ as Savior and Lord, we step out of the world’s parade and ignore its applause. We shall acquire

a new viewpoint: a new attitude will be formed in us: a new power takes over our lives in such a magnificent fashion.

If things go right in the home, chances are they go right everywhere else. Beloved, church life can never rise above home life. Our Christian beliefs

are instinctive, it is in our core. How can we flip-flop in sacred matters when we have

core beliefs! Be honest about who you are; don’t try to please someone at the expense of displeasing God. Don’t be afraid of the word righteousness; to love righteousness is to make it grow, not to diminish it or undermine it. Beloved, don’t be like the world; build your home on the foundation of Christ and practice Christian virtues without regret or apology. Live a lifestyle that pleases God, not man.

The current approval of obscenity on national television illustrates an embarrassing trend: the subjugation of wholesome language and plain decency to a vociferous, outspoken few whose vocabulary is very lim-ited. Some time ago, George Wills on a news program said, “Americans like famous people.” That is true in religion as well. One can be famous without being great and vise versa. As a believer, I do not want to waste my time with trivia’s, religious or other- wise. I don’t want to be brow-beaten or intimidated with the trivialization of Christianity. Furthemore, I do not want to become a slave to an “elec-

tronic gadget” because my life has more value and meaning than the passing fancy. When

TM

Every social breakdown,

every rudeness, every bad idea, every

form of disrespect, every quarrelsome behavior

emanate from not having a godly home

where Christ is revered. Prayer is the spiritual

glue that holds families together in times of

social and moral debacle; prayer transforms a

house into a home where the living Christ is loved

and worshipped. Let’s practice the principles of Christianity, their critical importance

in the building of our homes, the future of our county, and the future

of the world.

man ceased to commune with his God simply and naturally, he took refuge in speeches and endless conversations. Make conversation your servant, not your master. Personal communion with God is very vital to a Christian’s spiritual survival! How do we expect to advance in our Christian pilgrim-age, if we do not have a hunger and desire to be in His presence?

All too often, the pressures and busyness of modern living turn the inspirational side of our lives to blur. Once God exposes our spiritual defi- ciencies, we’re confronted with a trauma —and we don’t even know which direc- tion to go. Our culture is in trouble because it’s trying to go around God’s will and purpose. Mothers have been persuaded to kill their babies in their womb by feminists and some medical professionals. Is it any wonder that we are in the midst of a mother-less society?

Whatever has happened to the nobility of motherhood and father-hood? In our “culture of death”— it is wrong to be right, and right to be wrong. “What we have to do is upgrade motherhood. It is the most important job in the world. In the so-called civilized countries girls today are not prepared for child birth, for family life and dealing with small children. We don’t need sex education as much as we need edu-cation in family responsibilities.” (Dr. Cecily Williams, Doctor to the world’s children — Reader’s Digest — January 1977 — page 39)

Every Christian ought to pursue after godliness. Our lives should re-flect the image of Christ. God expects no less. It seems many in the Christian circle are very eager to compromise with the world when it comes to matters of “Christian purity and godliness.” Yet any advocacy of main- taining biblical morality and our spiritual values have been fiercely denounced by the same crowd. Godliness endures. It has a timeless attraction and a universal value. People may forget one’s theology, but they will always remem-ber the spiritual quality of one’s fragrant centered life and devotion to Christ. The anointed words

of Charles H. Spurgeon are worth remembering, “Believers are not sometimes holy and some- times unholy; they stand in the beauty of the Lord at all weathers. The child of God flourishes like a palm tree, which pushes all its strength upward in one erect column without a single branch.” So Christians, let’s push upward and look up and see our Lord in His glorious throne!

Beloved, fight for your home and your children the way you’d fight to save your heart, your mind, even your body. Use the weapon of the power

of prayer now. We are doing a great dis-service to ourselves, to our families, and

to our children and to our nation if we do not exercise the precious privilege of building a ‘prayerful home’. Earthly success is elusive but heavenly realm is eternal. As Christians, it is not our job to seek great things, but to save and preserve our Christian homes out of the present chaos and to realize that it is the only thing we can carry as a cherished possession from the burning building. My earthly father didn’t have any wealth to speak of, but he gave me a wealth of spiritual guidance and taught me the importance of having a ‘prayerful home’! I thank God for pray-ing fathers and mothers.

Every social breakdown, every rude-ness, every bad idea, every form of disrespect, every quarrelsome behav-ior emanate from not having a godly home where Christ is revered. Prayer is the spiritual glue that holds fam- ilies together in times of social and moral debacle; prayer transforms a house into a home where the living Christ is loved and worshipped. Let’s

practice the principles of Christianity, their critical importance in the building

of our homes, the future of our county, and the future of the world. One doesn’t have to be wealthy to enjoy the peace and tranquility of a blessed home. We need more godly fathers and mothers in the home to show their love for Christ by their lifestyle, not establishing a set of rules and regulations. “Examples are better than precepts.” “Purity is learned in private, never in public.” Personal holiness is the foundation of all moral excellence.

As believers, our job is to reveal

Christ to the world and live for Him.

No agenda, no program, no pandering—simply

Christ and Christ alone. When we throw away the mantle of decency

and godliness, we find ourselves crouching to secularist, cowering

before an enemy smirking at our

unwelcome condition.

The enemy deprecates the morals of our nation, prompting its citizens to come up with a flimsy argu- ment which excuses sinful and unholy behavior. I call upon you my fellow Christians to pray for our homes before it’s too late! Lord, give us Christian homes where thy love reigns supreme and thy light shines brightly and thy grace supersedes all forms of carnality. May we give heed to the Word of God, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalms 33:12). May God help us as we com-mit ourselves in the rebuilding of our broken down family altars!

Beloved, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to live a godly life because wherever you turn someone is always reminding you that times have changed and we must change with the time. Our inability to live a godly life is rationalized because “nobody does it”—nobody takes the godly walk seriously. The moral lapses are ration- alized because “everybody does it”—everybody enjoys it. It is not surprising how Christians are losing their moral compass. Times have changed, we’re told, sin doesn’t matter—it is just a little

word. Sin loses God. The Lord requires that we should love Him with an undivided heart.

Are God’s requirements different today than they were in years past?

What Christians need at the moment is a revolution, a revolution that will change the very atmosphere of our homes. A Newsweek survey shows that 83% of all people are in a moral crisis, but many are in denial, includ-ing some Christians. I believe current social and moral conditions present unusual opportunities for us Chris- tians to pray for revival in the homes. May God help each one of us to act NOW judiciously before these prec- ious opportunities slip away. We need to pray with passion and act with urgency.

Building a godly home takes time. So does building a Christ-filled life. It takes time to be holy. Don’t be in a hurry. Don’t be swayed by trends and fads. Just

stay with Jesus. Remember, doing the will of God is what success is all about, if you must know about success. Remember, Satan will always tempt us to pursue goals other than the Father’s, but don’t take the bait.

Copyright © 2012 by World Prayer Band

Revivalwith

Matthew Skariah

In Love With Jesus

I am not a fossil, but a living, breathing human being capable of loving and worshipping my God who sent His beloved Son to die on a cruel cross for my salvation. I will serve Him with all my heart. I will

trust in Him always. I will live by faith. These are not mere impulse or reverie or fleshly desires, but a wholesome commitment and delight from the very depth of my soul.

As for me, my eyes well up with tears when I think of my beloved Savior and His love for me and the world. I simply want to live out the rest of my life in concert with the will of Him who knows me better than any of my earthly friends. I feel most comfortable and blessed when I comply with my Father’s will and purpose.

—Matthew Skariah

September 23-28

Grace Baptist ChurchDurant, Oklahoma

Pastor Anthony Williams

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