We cannot approve that which we do not know but one thing is certain: to
We must know the Mind of Christ and to know that, the first qualification is to belong to Him...to be saved. But beyond being justified and made right by the Savior, we have to be listening to Him and not trying to skate into heaven under the wire like most Christians alive to do. We have been given the authority and power (John 1:12 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name). That is what the word RIGHT means in John 1:12. Therefore, because we do that the "dunamis" (original work in Greek), we may approve and make a judgment on what we support, link arms with and ultimately pray for.
There are many things in Christianity today, which are not just outright sins but hidden foxes which can damage the entire person and thus the Body of Christ. One of them is doing nothing in the face of evil, which itself IS evil! There is a reason our walk, talk and prayers have to be full of wisdom, discernment and powerful Word of God. The reason is - the Day of Christ is coming, where the majority of mankind will NOT stand. They have heard the Word preached many times during their lives and not only rejected but rebelled against God and His/our Savior Jesus Christ.
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things (Philippians 4:8)
So, in brief, this is how we pray for that we may, and those for whom we pray, WILL remain sincere and blameless as we anticipate the rapidly approaching Judgment Day:
Pray from Philippians 4:8
- Whatever is honorable. Honor is in short supply these days...from the top of leadership to the schools and even churches. The word here is "semna" - weighty, serious, dignified, of great importance. Pray for honor in families and thus communities and then pray and demand honor from leaders of all strata.
- Whatever is right. This literally means what is right FIRST and foremost in the Eyes of God. Pray for all God's people to walk before Him with transparent lives which will not bring dishonor to His Name. Too many are living ungodly lives steeped in the corrupt culture and then calling themselves Christians, thereby leaving the unsaved to think "if so and so is a Christian, I want nothing to do with Christianity". Of all the items in Philippians 4:8 this may be the most significant as it speaks to the attribute the Apostle of God speaks of in Philippians 1:10. This is the attribute of being sincere and blameless. If our conduct causes another person to turn from God and Jesus Christ, who later dies in their sins, there will be an accounting for that on the Day of Christ!
- Therefore, pray for authenticity in our walk before God and our fellow citizens, friends and families. The key word from God in Verse 10 above is SINCERE because if we are sincere, we will be blameless and not actively sinning and rebelling in the Face of a Holy God! The word sincere may soon soapy and sweet but it is not. The word sincere is derived from two Latin words (sine- without; cera - wax). What Roman furniture makers kept doing was filling in flaws, cracks and mistakes with wax to make it look good rather than fix the problems. This fueled a backlash and the few genuinely honest furniture makers would advertise their furniture as "Sine Cera" - without wax...and therefore, without a manufacturer's flaw! This led to the English word - sincere....without character flaw....and without blame!
This is the only way to stand before God on Judgment Day. The amazing thing is this - we cannot do it on our own! We just cannot do it - only Christ is blameless...but we can be found "without wax" and thus, sincere! As we pray today as we walk before God and man today, let us search and pray away the dross and the phoniness and the facades and let us pray for each other and ourselves to live transparent lives.
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