Call to Prayer: It’s Cold Out There in More Ways Than One

Brutally cold arctic weather is affecting many parts of the US with some places buried in snow. Pray for the poor and homeless to have a way to keep warm. And when it’s 32 degrees and below it’s too cold for pets. Bring them inside; God calls for us to take good care of them also (Proverbs 12:10; Matthew 10:29).

Pray for the sick. Flu season started early this year; and according to the CDC it’s widespread in most of the nation. People are reporting it to be particularly brutal this year — long-lasting with complications ranging from ear infections, to bronchitis, to pneumonia or all three.

Pray for the families of the Coptic Christians killed by ISIS in Egypt this week. Islamist terrorists, as commanded in their Qur’an, hate those who name the name of Christ as much as they hate the Jewish people. And pray for the Coptics and others who base their salvation on works, to come to the knowledge that salvation is based only on the finished work of Christ on the cross.

Pray for the people in North Korea who are suffering terribly under the brutal regime of a madman. A few North Koreans who recently managed to escape to South Korea were found to have been exposed to radiation and anthrax.

Pray for the Christian couple, Aaron and Melissa Klein, who owned Sweet Cakes Bakery and whose livelihood was taken away. They just lost their appeal and will be forced to pay $135,000 to the lesbian couple who claim they felt “mentally raped” when the couple wouldn’t bake a cake for the celebration of their gay marriage. Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian even demanded that this Christian couple be “rehabilitated.”

During all this they’ve been subjected to threats by gay advocates, such as calls for Aaron Klein to be raped and shot, and wishes for illness to befall their five children. One email stated, “You stupid bible thumping, hypocritical b****. I hope your kids get really, really, sick and you go out of business.” There are others – Christian bakers and florists – going through the same thing, no doubt having been specifically targeted.

Pray for the children, as always, who are being relentlessly targeted by Satan and his minions. The liberal-left CNN this week promoted a children’s book for ages 4 to 8 that depicts Santa Claus as a homosexual, married to another man. Yet CNN says the movie classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” should be retired for allegedly being “sexist.” This should come as no surprise since CNN’s Chris Cuomo earlier this year called parents “intolerant” who wouldn’t want their 12-year-old daughter to look at a “transsexual” man’s penis in a locker room.

Also in the news this week, in California it’s now a law that Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, etc. history must be taught in schools, including elementary schools, and parents are not allowed to opt their children out of it. These books list historical figures that they suggest could have been gay, with no proof whatsoever.

A study just came out that claims 27% of teens between the ages of 12 & 17 in California consider themselves to be “gender nonconforming.” The study (error margin of 6% give or take) was based on inclusion of two questions in the California Health Interview Survey that were asked of 1,594 of the state’s young people between those ages.

At the infamous Bethel church in California, their children’s pastor, Seth Dahl, teaches children telepathy (Eastern Mystic and Occult practice) and how to summon spirits with Ouija Boards disguised as angel boards.

Bethel Church is the flagship of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), known for tossing chicken feathers (they claim are from angels) and glitter from the rafters (they claim is gold dust) and for ‘grave sucking’– from graves of their dead charismatic leaders (claiming they’re soaking up anointing) – and for using tarot cards (they claim are Christian). This is one example of many in these prophesied last days of apostasy in the churches and false prophets teaching doctrines of demons.

Pray for the young adults being deceived in colleges. In the news this week is Swarthmore College that considers itself “interfaith.” Their liberal arts department is offering “Queering the Bible,” a class that surveys “queer and trans readings of biblical texts.” The school’s religion department is teaching a class that questions the sexuality of Almighty God called, “Queering God: Feminist and Queer Theology.” Yet this college has been ranked the best liberal arts college in the United States six times by US News & World Report. It is currently ranked 3rd best liberal arts college in the nation.

And for those who used to enjoy watching the Olympics before it became a liberal-left spectacle? Who could forget the opening ceremony of the summer Olympics in Brazil in 2016?! In the upcoming Winter Olympics, men who claim they are now women are welcome to compete with the women, and vice versa.

Pray for our military. On January 1st the US military will have to begin accepting those who call themselves transgender, as ordered by the federal courts who blocked the president’s transgender ban for the military. Taxpayers will have to pay for all those operations they’re joining for — money that should be used for our defense. But then again, the agenda of the liberal-left Marxists is to weaken our defenses and the morale of our troops.

2 Timothy 3 tells us about the awful state of mankind in the last days. Verse 13 says “But evil men and seducers (impostors; sorcerers) shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

Jesus said of the last days, “And because iniquity (wickedness; lawlessness) shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matthew 24:12).

Pray for the lost. It’s a cold world indeed in these returned days of Noah and Lot, prophesied by Jesus Himself in Luke 17 to be the case when He returns. But one thing that isn’t cold (temperature-wise) is Hell. Many will go there who refuse to turn to Christ as Savior—God in the flesh who came to Earth to die for the sins of mankind. God doesn’t desire anyone to go to Hell; however, only the shed blood of Jesus—the Lamb of God— can cover man’s sins and give him eternal life in Glory. The time for salvation  is now!

Come, Lord Jesus!

There is much to be thankful for at Christmastime…and much to pray for.

The world is spinning out of control, but those of us in Christ should be comforted in the knowledge that God’s Son — whose miraculous birth we’re celebrating, who came to Earth in the flesh so He could take the punishment we all deserve — will soon rescue us from the judgment to come. Pray for those who are finding it hard to rest in that knowledge because of all that is going on around us and the attacks we’re under increasingly. Pray for the Lord to grant the scared and the weary His peace that passes all understanding.

Let us pray for lost family and friends — and for ALL those whose hearts are far from the Lord — to turn to Him today as their Lord and Savior. Let us keep that prayer going until we draw our last breaths on this earth.

Pray for our troops who are spending Christmas away from home and family. Pray for those who are experiencing loss this Christmas: those who are sick, those who have lost their jobs and homes, and those who are grieving over loved ones who are no longer with them…or soon may not be. At this time of year, that loss is felt harder than ever. Pray for those who have nowhere to lay their head or enough food to eat.

In the news this week:

Pray for the southern Philippines where over 100 people are reported killed, with dozens more missing, as a tropical storm swept through.

Pray for those who are being deceived, even in the churches in these last days. In the news this week is a church in San Jose, California where… well, I’ll let this quote speak for itself:  “Breathe deep and blow harder,” intoned Pastor Grant Atwell after distributing marijuana joints to 20 worshipers on a recent Sunday. “Nail the insight down, whether you get it from marijuana or prayer. Consider what in your own life you are thankful for.”

Speaking of California, sadly the Thomas Fire is still only 65% contained and is now the largest wildfire in California’s modern history after torching 273,400 acres. Thousands have lost their homes. Two people have lost their lives as well as a number of horses, including much wildlife.

Pray for the children, whom the enemy is working hardest to destroy. In the Dec.23rd Rapture Ready News, we read that there is a transgender site specifically targeting children. The mother of a “young transgender” is selling fake penises for little girls. Her web site, TransKids.biz, offers products such as tiny silicone penises, genital “pack holders” and transgender books for kids.

And as I’m sure you’ve all heard, the great majority of UN nations passed a resolution to nullify Pres. Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Iran’s Ayatollah in a speech called Israel a “fake nation” and called for its annihilation.

Also, Iran-backed Hezbollah and the Syrian army have taken over a key village in southern Syria near the border with Israel. Israel has warned that it cannot allow Hezbollah aka Iran to get near its border. Pray for the Druze people who are under siege there and those fighters whom Hezbollah is demanding to be turned over to them, claiming they’re backed by Israel’s IDF.

We’re reminded of Psalm 2, and Zechariah 12 and 14, Isaiah 17, Ezekiel 38-39, and Joel 3. God will deal with ALL nations who come against Israel soon enough, but in the meantime we are called to pray for the peace of Jerusalem—the true peace that we know will only come when Christ returns to Earth. Pray for the glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to catch us up to be with Him.

Come, Lord Jesus!