I. INTERCEDE WITH HUMILITY 6:12-13
II. INTERCEDE WITH CERTAINTY 6:14-15
III. INTERCEDE WITH AUTHORITY 6:16-17
IV. INTERCEDE WITH CLARITY 6:18-21
What is one thing you believe God wants to do for this nation? Write out a prayer that follows the above pattern of humility, certainty, authority, and clarity. Then use it to intercede for our nation.
This Bible study was prepared especially for the Spring 2017 Newsletter.
Read Matthew 24:36-51
This Bible study was prepared especially for the Winter 2017 Newsletter.
A couple of years ago, I shared with you an excerpt from the manuscript of my new book, The Daniel Prayer. The excerpt described the function of lighthouses which serves as an effective illustration of the dangerous, destructive condition of spiritual darkness, and the necessity of a guiding Light if we are to make it triumphantly Home.
I am a lifelong North Carolinian. While I don’t know as much as I should about this beautiful state, I do know that our coast is very rugged. It has been nicknamed the Graveyard of the Atlantic because so many ships have come to ruin on its Outer Banks. So the shoreline is dotted with lighthouses. The purpose of each one is to reveal to the passing ships where they are. Lighthouses help ships find their way safely in the dark. Without them, ships have to guess their way through very dangerous waters and currents. Many ships, although navigating to the best of their ability without the light, have run aground on the submerged rocks and been broken up by the pounding waves.
One can imagine what would happen if there was no guiding or warning light coming from the shore, either because it was dim or had gone out. Ships would flounder in the hostile, changing sea. Some vessels might make it through to safety, but others would wind up wrecked on the shoreline. I used this example to underscore the imperative of letting our Light shine in this dark, dangerous world so that by our words and actions, we point people to the safety that is found in a right relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
As I reflect on this example now, there is another critical message that has come to mind, and it’s this: I can’t imagine a ship passing through the dangerous currents and sandbars without straining to see the beacon of light streaming from the lighthouse. What ship would disregard the critical information of where it is, or ignore the light that warns of danger? What ship would not desperately want what the light offers which is safe passage through the misty foam and fog, the wind and the waves?
Our world today is like the waters of North Carolina’s Outer Banks: treacherous…undulating…confusing…stormy…dangerous.
While some Christians seem to dim the Light because of their timidity, fear of what others think, or a desire to be politically correct, others are simply ignoring the Light. They seem to be guessing their way through the darkness. They seem to have no idea they have entered into very treacherous waters with no guided path to safety. They don’t make time to read their Bibles, or if they do, they don’t seem to connect the dots between what the Bible says and what is happening in our world today. They’re not looking for the Light!
Which are you? Are you letting your Light so shine before others that they can see where they are, and where they need to be in their faith? And while you are helping others find their way, do you continue to stay focused on the Light yourself? Don’t get distracted! Don’t be diverted! Don’t get off course, even a little. Keep watching—read your Bible daily, stay informed of current events–so that you know where you are and can navigate a safe course through the dangerous days in which we live. Jesus is coming! Keep watching!
For the glory of His Name…
Join Anne, with special guests Bill Koenig (White House Correspondent and international journalist) and Rabbi Jonathan Cahn (author of The Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah), in a thrilling, provocative, and very timely challenge to Keep Watching the signs of the times that point to a climactic end to human history as we know it.
Although the world may look like it is falling apart, the Bible tells us that it is really just falling into place — right at the feet of Jesus. Immerse yourself in the book of Joel and expand your understanding of the urgency of biblical prophecy for today. And just as God has a plan and purpose for the human race, He also has a plan and purpose for your life. So…wake up! Don’t miss out on what He has for you! Keep watching!
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Five days before The Daniel Prayer was released, it was announced that I would take Shirley Dobson’s place as the Chair of The National Day of Prayer Task Force. While this had not been pre-planned by any human agent, it underscored that God is the Master of Perfect Timing! And it was drastic confirmation that He is indeed calling me, and His people, to pray with a fresh intensity during these tumultuous days of national storms.
Storms are rocking our world! Environmental storms that include earthquakes, floods, and forest fires; political storms such as Brexit or our own national, state and local elections; racial storms that boil over onto city streets and destroy peace; financial storms bringing despair with 94 million people out of work in America; medical storms as millions of people are enslaved by prescription drugs and heroin; international storms as Europe is invaded by refugees, conflict continues to rage in the Middle East, China builds up its military presence in the China Sea, and North Korea successfully launches long-range missiles. Each and every storm is not only life-threatening, but historically and potentially redefining a new normal. The storms are stunning in their number, in their scope, and in their powerful intensity!
What a privilege it was in July to call the 1300 people who gathered for the Family Leadership Summit in Des Moines to pray as Daniel prayed. And it was a personal blessing to reconnect with four ordinary women whom God used in an extraordinary way to “just give Iowa Jesus” – filling the Wells Fargo Arena for our revival in 2008. (left to right: Lou Gray, Linda Osterhout, Judy Lauterbach and Sherry Griggs)
It’s time for you and me to take a deep breath, quiet our hearts, look up, and listen to what God has to say! Job reminds us that God speaks through storms!
Job was an Old Testament man who experienced devastating storms in his own life that included the total loss of his property, family, health, and reputation. The storms threatened to unravel his faith and his relationship with God. And then God spoke to Job out of the storm. Through His Word, He revealed Himself to Job. He reminded Job of His power. Of His sovereignty. Of His absolute authority over everything and everyone. Job’s response was to bow in worship as he accepted the storms God had allowed in his life… because of who God is.
In April I spoke to those gathered during a rain and snow storm on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, calling them to repent of their sin. Was God using the wretched weather to test the seriousness of our humility, prayer, and repentance as we sought His face on behalf of our nation? While I don’t know the answer to that question, I do know God spoke in that storm.
Ezekiel was another Old Testament man who had been taken captive in Judah, then transported 800 miles east to Babylon. While Daniel and others in his group were taken into the king’s palace where they were put into service, Ezekiel was discarded. He wound up in a refugee camp, sitting on a garbage dump beside a dirty irrigation canal. As he gazed into the distance, he saw “a windstorm coming out of the north…an immense cloud with flashing lightning….”1 Spread out above the storm was a crystal platform, and on the platform was a throne of sapphire, and on the throne was the figure of the Son of Man. Then the Man spoke to Ezekiel from the storm, and Ezekiel listened. He found a new sense of purpose as his life was redirected into giving God’s Word to God’s people.
Rich Bott became a dear friend when I joined the National Religious Broadcasters delegation to Israel in 2014. What a thrilling surprise and absolute blessing to learn that Living in the Light now airs every Saturday morning on the Bott Radio Network that includes 95 stations.
The disciples of Jesus also found themselves in a storm on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus saw them struggling and so He came to them in the storm. But they were terrified! So He spoke to them from the storm, Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid. His Word and His presence then brought peace.
Storms are an ideal time to listen to the Word of God. Because it’s through God’s Word that we refocus on who God is, finding comfort, peace, wisdom, security, purpose, strength, and hope.
As storms break out in our world…as storms break out in your world…double down on your commitment to read your Bible. Every day. Because God speaks out of the storms. Don’t miss what He has to say by getting caught up in the whirlwind of fear, panic, frustration, or anger. Instead. Center down. Listen…with your eyes on the pages of your Bible.
For His glory,
1 Ezekiel 1:4
“Awesome 8 days. GOD is speaking in every area of my life. If your goal was a revival, as far as I’m concerned you succeeded in a great big beautiful way!” – T
“What a life changing time these precious 8 days have been. It was as if I was personally walking through the Bible – there at every scene. Reading and listening was amazing. As a Christian of 27 years it feels as if I have started my walk afresh. If that isn’t enough I then opened my book ‘The Daniel Prayer’ and it was at page 131 that I started! SO, I wrote down my sins, added, subtracted three times and then prayed as instructed and today I feel completely different – a sense of peace I have missed for a long time.” – N
“Thank you so much for your tireless efforts to make God Speaking such a huge success! Stories from the Old Testament and the words of Christ in the New Testament have been absolutely riveting!” – L
“I am from Malaysia and I must thank you for God Speaking. I am still listening to the broadcast and was so inspired (Praise our Great God) that I started a weekly reading of Genesis with my aging mother (94) who reads from her Chinese Bible!! The Lord has kept His Promise to me to bless me when I devote my time to listening. When I heard that you are convinced our Lord Jesus Christ will return in your lifetime, I was very pumped to the point of being rapture ready daily. As a result, I always take the chance to share the Gospel in my community. Psalm 121″ – A
“I can’t begin to thank you enough for inviting me and so many others to receive the special eight-day gift of God Speaking. I knew it would be good but it was so powerful as His Word took hold of my heart in every verse.” – H
Now Available: Audio Book on CD or MP3-CD
Listen as Anne reads her newest book, which is based on Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9. It will help you pray effectively for your nation, for your family, and for yourself.
Changed my life! Practicing the principles daily right now and have given each Board Member of a ministry a copy! — R.
Thank you, Mrs. Lotz, for your testimony of personal struggle with prayer, (that speaks to) those of us who also struggle. — M.
I’ve read your book The Daniel Prayer and reading it again. Very powerful and in-depth teachings on prayer…the best book by far, that I’ve ever read on prayer! Savoring every word! — R.
One of the ladies at a retirement center shared that she’d read an excerpt from Anne’s book, The Daniel Prayer, and wept. She said she felt God telling her to start a prayer group at the retirement center. She is 90 years old! — E.
The Daniel Prayer Audio Book on CD
The Daniel Prayer Hardback Book
Special Discounted Price – Your Choice for $20 Each
Get into His Word using one of Anne’s class Bible Studies. Each study has a DVD and Leader Guide. Participant guides may be purchased separately. We are offering each study at a discounted price of $20 until January 31, 2017. Click here for more details.
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What storm has struck in your life? If you are God’s child through faith in Jesus Christ, He promises you and me five things.
I. YOU HAVE HIS PURPOSE Mark 6:45
II. YOU HAVE HIS PRAYERS Mark 6:46
III. YOU HAVE HIS PRESENCE Mark 6:47-48
IV. YOU HAVE HIS PEACE Mark 6:49-50
V. YOU HAVE HIS POWER Mark 6:51-52
Storms can be sudden, fierce, ongoing until they seem to suck the life out of us. We can become so preoccupied with storms, we are paralyzed by fear. Yet storms can be like God’s megaphone, getting our attention so we listen to what He has to say. Remember…God speaks through storms. Make sure you listen to what He has to say.
This Bible study has been adapted from one entitled, Five Things A Storm Can’t Destroy, published in Into the Word by Anne Graham Lotz, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI, 2010, page 65-69. Used by permission.
This Bible study was prepared especially for the Fall 2016 Newsletter.
