In spite of all the “how to” books, helps, and seminars that tell us how to achieve the desired results in churches, church is not at all what it used to be.  In some ways, it is perhaps better.  We’ve surely got more resources and opportunities than ever before, but still, there is a missing element.

In Revelation 3:20, Jesus is outside knocking on the door of the church of Laodicea.  In their lukewarmness, they were going right on with their church doings, and Jesus wasn’t in their midst.  Is that the case in all too many churches today?

The invitational hymn, “Just As I Am,” holds forth the truth that we come to Jesus simply trusting Him to empower us to make the changes that would be pleasing to Him, but it may be that some people have the mentality that the Lord is satisfied with us just as we are.

We need a sin-killing revival that would turn people’s hearts back to God.  We need a revival of old-fashioned holiness.

Without waxing too political, I would like to say that I think America is going wrong.  We are going wrong, in my judgment, both politically and morally.

We seem to have evolved from treasuring our freedoms to wanting a guardian.  Do you remember the words to the song that commemorates the United States Marine Corps?  One line says, “First, we fight for rights and freedoms, and to keep our country clean; we are proud to claim the title of United States Marines.”  What rights and freedoms are we talking about?  I would think it would be the right to not have any health insurance, if we don’t want health insurance.  I would think it would be the right to refuse the flu shot, if we don’t want to take it.  I would think it would be the right and freedom to succeed, with the only limits being our own aptitude and ability.  We seem to be leaving that very quickly.

Morally, which is more in my line of expertise, we have come to think that  we can sin our way into prosperity.  We legalize all kinds of things, that our grandparents had no difficulty defining as sin, so we can get the tax off of it, thinking we are going to get a better way of life for ourselves.  The Old Testament book of Haggai speaks of people who didn’t think they needed the presence of God all that much, and God said, “You get it, and I blow it up!”  God will have the last word, and He owes America nothing.

Have you ever heard anyone say that they didn’t feel as though their prayers got any higher than the ceiling? Maybe they didn’t. The Bible teaches that the following five things are essential in order to pray effectively:

1. Confessed Sin. (Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:1-2.) This means you would have, first and foremost, turned to God for the forgiveness of sin, through faith in Christ. In other words, you are saved. But, it also means that you do not hang on to little areas of sin in your life.

2. Believing what you pray. (Mark 11:24; James 1:6-7.) You don’t ask God, then wait to see what happens, but you pray believing. Effective prayer is really a claiming of God’s promise on a particular matter, not just thinking up some wild idea and saying that you are going to believe God for it.

3. Forgiving those who have offended you. (Mark 11:25-26.) About every time Jesus taught on the subject of prayer, He hooked this matter of forgiveness to it. Forgiving doesn’t mean that you are saying it’s okay, but rather that you are not going to call it against the person any more.

4. Treat your spouse right. (1 Peter 3:7.) In this day of political correctness, it is easy to become blinded to this simple truth of God’s word.

5. Pray with a correct motive. (Matthew 6:5; James 4:3.) Why do you want what you are praying for? How will it affect your walk with God?