Heaven on earth

 Revelation 20:4

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

There is going to be a glorious time on earth in the future, called the Millennium - a word which is a combination of the words mille, meaning a thousand, and annus, meaning year. The above verse is taken from Revelation 20, where the words “a thousand years” appear no less than six times – strong affirmation of the fact that such a time actually will exist!

It is not only here in the book Revelation that the Millennium is spoken about. Altogether there are more than 400 verses in more than 20 different passages in the Old Testament alone that deal with this time when Jesus will personally rule and reign over planet earth. We read about it in numerous places in the New Testament also.

The controversies surrounding the Millennium are easily silenced if we just decide to read and accept the revelation as given to John by God. For instance, the timing of the Millennium is clearly given in our quoted verse – John saw the Tribulation martyrs, who were beheaded because they had not received the mark of the Antichrist or its image and had not worshiped him. They were resurrected and then reigned with Christ a thousand years - the Millennium therefore begins after the Tribulation.

The belief that there is no literal Millennium, but that God’s Kingdom already started at the cross and we are therefore now living in the Millennium, cannot hold water as we clearly read in Revelation that Jesus will first physically reign here on earth for a thousand years before the rest of eternity unfolds. The fact that it has now already been more than two thousand years after the cross adds to the impossibility that this belief is true, it also is plain to see that Satan is not bound at the moment! And if you believe that the Millennium will only start after the church has prepared the earth for His coming, working diligently until peace, righteousness and prosperity is to be found all over the globe – then I am afraid that the utter chaos and destitution and wars that will be a sign of the end times will make this an impossible goal to accomplish.

What is the reason for the Millennium? It is so that God’s promises to Israel and also His promises to the church can be fulfilled. Among others, God promised that Israel will be the Head Nation on earth, occupying the whole territory given to Abraham and his offspring in Gen 15 and not just the sliver of land that currently comprises Israel. He promised that living water will flow from Jerusalem into the Dead Sea, redeeming it so that fish will be found there. He promised that old men and women and young children will be relaxing in the streets of Jerusalem. For the church, He promised that we would rule and reign with Him here on earth. All these will happen in the Millennium, where we will really experience heaven on earth!

Points to ponder:  Paul exhorts us to encourage one another with all the wonderful blessings that God has promised us if we only keep our faith to the end (1 Thess 4:18). The Millennium is one of those blessings – imagine a world where animals do not kill each other anymore; where a child can play with a cobra; where the earth will bring forth what is sown into it in abundance and where nobody will have to work extremely hard to let that happen.  A time when Satan is locked up! Let us look forward to it with eagerness and joy!

Victor's Crown

Legalism

 

John 5:8-10

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!”

There are many stories in the Gospels where Jesus healed people on the Sabbath, clearly disagreeing with the learned men of the day about whether or not this constituted work, which was forbidden according to Sabbath law.

Jesus was born a Jew here on earth, and therefore kept all the commandments and statutes as given to them by God through Moses (Gal 4:4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law). In this situation the Jewish leaders did not primarily object to the healing as such but were very upset that the man was breaking the law by carrying his sleeping mat. Christians easily dismiss this carrying law as being only a rabbinic add-on to (or interpretation of) the laws of Moses, but it is actually based on a biblical verse - this prohibition is found in Jeremiah 17:22 Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors. It is not recorded anywhere that Jesus ever carried something on the Sabbath, nor did His followers. He never spoke about this law publically; He did not attempt to correct the leaders on their interpretation of it; He did not stay behind to argue the point with them. He therefore did not deny the validity of it. Why then would Jesus specifically order the man to violate the law?

He never intentionally overturned Jewish tradition unless He had a sound reason to do so, and in this case He justifies his action based on the fact that He puts compassion for human beings way above ceremonial concerns (Matthew 23:23 But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’). Think about it: this man had been lying there for 38 years. His only worldly possessions were the clothes on his body and his bed! If he had to get up and not take his bed with him, because of the carrying law, he would have had nothing. Jesus instructed him to ignore the law so that he was not left destitute – compassion from the Law giver indeed!

Points to ponder:  Are you perhaps caught up in a legalistic type of religion? Where rules and regulations define your worship, often to the detriment of people around you? Is it more important, for instance, to control the way people partake of communion, than to encourage them to engage with their God in this intimate way? Is a code of dress enforced to be able to come to church, often putting poor people at a disadvantage? Do restrictive clothing regulations only have bearing on some followers and not on others? Remember that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom, not oppression!

There is freedom

Choose how to meet your God

 

Amos 4:12

“…… prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

On the surface, things were going well in the northern kingdom of Israel – the people were enjoying unprecedented economic and political prosperity, not experienced since the days of Solomon. The enemies on her borders were subdued for the moment, peace reigned.

When Amos stood up to bring the word of the Lord, I am sure he was applauded all the way, because he brought news of the Lord’s impending punishment for the age-old enemies of Israel – destruction was decreed over Damascus (capital city of Syria); Gaza (city in Philistia); Tyre; Edom; Ammon and Moab. I can just see those heads nodding in agreement and faces lighting up with glee as the places and nations of their adversaries were mentioned!

But then the atmosphere changed. Because Amos, the uneducated shepherd with no social standing whatsoever, announced the severe judgement that the Lord was bringing against Judah (southern kingdom) and Israel (northern kingdom).

As Amos started listing the reasons for the dire condemnation of the Lord, it transpired that, underneath the surface, things were not at all going well in the prosperous kingdoms of Israel. The most extreme social injustice was prevalent throughout society; self-indulgence and pleasure-seeking was the motivating force for all economic activity; financial gains were brought about through oppressing the poor and outright robbery and even selling people as slaves for trivial things like a pair of sandals. Gross idolatry took place, the practice of which included making use of temple prostitutes.

Against this backdrop, Amos calls out the words of the Lord to Israel quoted above, namely …prepare to meet your God, O Israel!” And in the next verse, God reminds them of Who their God is: Amos 4:13 For the LORD is the one who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds, and reveals his thoughts to mankind. He turns the light of dawn into darkness and treads on the heights of the earth. The LORD God of Heaven’s Armies is his name! The supreme Ruler over everything, the Creator of heavens and earth.

Israel had chosen, through her rejection of the God Who has always loved and protected her, to become His enemy, His adversary. And in this role Amos called on her to prepare to meet her God – and face the terrible judgement that she so righteously deserved.

Points to ponder: Jesus, through His death on the cross, bought for us (at a great price) the privilege of being called sons and daughters of the Most High God. If we choose Jesus as our Lord and Master, we can now confidently enter the Holy of Holies and meet with our Heavenly Father to experience His loving-kindness and mercy. We can, however, choose to reject and ignore Him and stay in wilful sin, and then meet God - only to experience His wrath and judgement. Which do you choose? To face God as His adversary, or as His child?

Abba

Healer, heal Yourself

 

Luke 4:23

Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’

Jesus had not been back to Nazareth since His baptism six months earlier. The people from the village had heard rumours that the village carpenter had left to become a rabbi; that He had a following of disciples; and that He had performed miracles in amongst other places, Capernaum.

On this particular Sabbath morning in the synagogue, He was called up to read a portion from the Torah and the Prophets because He was a regular attendant there, and well-known to the synagogue leaders. They no doubt offered Him the opportunity to give a teaching as they wanted all these rumours explained! They had no idea that the living Torah, the Word made flesh, was standing before them reading the words of God. The passage that He read from the Prophets was Isaiah 61:1-2, where a prophecy about the Messiah is given.

He then made a startling statement: “Today this passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”  And in doing so, declared Himself to be the Anointed One, the Messiah. There definitely were mixed reactions from the people in the synagogue – some were amazed by His teachings, sensing that His eloquence and learning was supernatural (Luke 4:22). Their surprise over this indicates that He had never spoken as skilfully in Nazareth before. Others wondered greatly at the source of His wisdom and miracles that they had only heard of so far. This means that they had never seen Him do a miracle in their midst. Then there were others who took offense because they had known Him and His family all these years and regarded Him as just one of their own - the local carpenter whose siblings had probably married people in the community and maybe even started families.

The words “Physician, physician, heal your own limp!” means “Prove your claims”, and Jesus knew that this indeed was what his local townsmen required of Him before they were prepared to believe that there was anything special about Him. Little did they know that their unbelief would block the very thing they asked for: Jesus did not do many miracles there! Instead, He took His ministry elsewhere at that time.

But there was grace for Nazareth - some people from there faced their unbelief and turned around. Jesus’ family and other people of Nazareth later became believers. His brothers and cousins rose up as leaders in Christian assemblies. In fact, followers of Jesus came to be known as the Nazarenes.

Points to ponder:   Let us think about the people, places, and situations that we had no right to judge, question, or label but we did, and sometimes still do. What about the ways we belittled, demeaned, and rejected the messengers sent by God into our lives, just like the people from Nazareth did with Jesus. Sometimes truth hits so close to home and asks so much of us that we refuse to see it. We close our eyes and turn away. Start trusting Jesus and believe like a child - without asking for proof of clearly revealed truths from the Bible!

I believe

Is my lifestyle a clear sign

 Numbers 21:9

So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived

Hebrew words can mostly be traced back to a parent word, from which several ‘children’ are derived. This root word is usually a verb depicting everyday actions in the Hebrew culture. The Hebrew word for pole is nes which comes from the verb nasas, meaning ‘to gleam from afar, to see a sign from far off.’ The snake elevated on the pole in the wilderness could easily be seen by everybody who wanted to look up and search for it.

We can then understand that the word nissi, meaning banner is also derived from nasas - in ancient Israel, every tribe of Israel identified with their own unique banner which would hang at the entrance of their cities, seen from far off as people travelled through the land.

The event described in Ex 17:15 - Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner happened just after Joshua defeated Amalek, with the help of Moses standing on top of a hill holding up the rod of God. When Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and when he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. Once again, as Moses was uplifted on a hill, he was a sign easily seen from far off.

We read in John 3:14-15 that Jesus too became an elevated sign to be seen from afar:  Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up [on the cross], so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

 Because the three words pole, banner and cross all originate from nasas, they are connected! They all depict a sign being lifted up, so that life and salvation can be given to the dying.

Leaders in ancient Israel would erect a nes (pole with a flag) high on a hilltop, visible to all who were living in the surrounding areas, whenever they needed their troops to rally together. This knowledge explains the meaning of the words of Isaiah 11:10,12 In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. Isaiah sees the Messiah Jesus as the standard-bearer of the Lord, Who summons the exiles of Israel and musters the nations. This gives special meaning to the words of Jesus in John 12:32-33 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

Points to ponder: Is my life, my way of going about my everyday business, a sign that can be seen from afar? A sign that shows the way to life and salvation to the spiritually dying people around me. Or do I live a life of compromise with the worldly ways of the culture I live in? Can people easily see that I follow Jesus - because my life displays His purity and truth - even if it goes against what my culture regards as acceptable behaviour?

Purify my heart

Fulfilled prophecy

 Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

It might upset some readers to realize that this well-known prophecy originally referred to a child born to King Ahaz of Judah, and not primarily to the birth of Jesus some 700 years later. The child was to be a sign to Ahaz pointing to the fact that, before the child reached adulthood, the Assyrians would invade the north of Israel. The mother of this child could have been one of Ahaz’s wives, taken into his harem while still a virgin, and then becoming pregnant in the normal manner. This sign of Isaiah came true, as history proves.

Some believers find it difficult to accept that Biblical prophecies that have already been fulfilled somewhere in the past, could have any bearing on events that might still happen in the future.

But the apostles themselves believed that the words of the prophets did not only apply to historical events, but specifically also to their own time as well, as we read in Acts 3:24 “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days.” This is because the Holy Spirit inspired the prophets to write about the messianic future, even if they themselves did not understand the full application of their own words.

We see this clearly in Isaiah 7:14, because although Ahaz’s child fulfilled this prophecy in history, it is also true that:

This prophecy refers to Jesus because the Holy Spirit says so through Matthew in Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

This prophecy refers to Jesus because it is addressed not only to Ahaz, but to the entire house of David.

This prophecy refers to Jesus because the words “the virgin will conceive” was literally fulfilled when He was born.

This prophecy refers to Jesus because the designation “Immanuel” was fundamentally true of Jesus in His lifetime, and not only used as a title. God with us shows His deity (GOD with us) and His nearness to us (God WITH US).

In the same way, we can know that many other biblical prophecies give us a template of things still to come, even though they might have been fulfilled in history already.

Points to ponder: Am I open to see Bible prophecy as markers for the future, waiting for another fulfilment? Do I then see end-time prophecies becoming real-time events all around me as time goes on? Ask Holy Spirit to convince you of the godly interpretation of the times we are living in and ask Him to show you how to truly discern and understand those prophecies in the light of His Word. Do not merely rely on the teachings of man.

Days of Elijah

Are you the one

 Ps 106:23

So he declared he would destroy them. But Moses, his chosen one, stepped between the LORD and the people. He begged him to turn from his anger and not destroy them.

What Moses did here, was to intercede for his nation, to “stand in the gap” as it is often referred to. The Hebrew word for gap means a breach in the wall, where the defensive protection has broken down and the enemy can enter in. God heeded the intercessory pleas of one man and spared His nation.

The effect of one man interceding on behalf of a whole nation is extremely powerful. Earlier in Israel’s history, when the sins of her people were so great and numerous that God could no longer avoid pouring out His wrath upon the nation, He looked for just one righteous man to plead the cause of this wayward nation:

Ex 22:30 “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.”

God then destroyed the nation and the temple and sent the people into captivity. The point I want to stress here is that God was not looking for a thousand praying men, only one.

We find our ultimate Intercessor in our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is interceding for us day and night, standing in the gap between us and God (Rom 8:34). Undeserved grace indeed!

The following poem (unknown author) really touched my heart. Listen to God speaking to us:

Give me a man of God, one man/ Whose faith is master of his mind/ And I will right ten thousand wrongs/ And bless the name of all mankind./ Give me a man of God, one man,/ Whose tongue is touched with heaven’s fire,/ And I will flame the darkest hearts/ With high resolve and pure desire./ Give me a man of God, one man,/ One mighty prophet of the Lord,/ And I will give you peace on earth/ Bought with prayer and not a sword./ Give me a man of God, one man,/ True to the vision that he sees/ And I will build your broken shrines/ And bring the nations to their knees./ One man.

Points to ponder: Who has God placed in our world for us to be an advocate for? Most assuredly our family. But what about that difficult neighbour; that casual acquaintance from the tennis club; that co-worker who is spreading all kinds of lies about you at work; that person standing in front of you in the grocery check-out line? God has planned for certain people to cross our paths in some way or other, purely so that we can intercede for their deepest needs - that only He can meet. It might just be that no one else in their lives will ever pray for them. Are you prepared to fight for them? Are you the one?

My prayer for you

Our hope in troublesome times

 Daniel 7:25

He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall oppress the saints of the Most High ….

A few years ago I became aware of the testimony of a member of the underground church in China, where the person lamented the fact that the church had not prepared them for martyrdom. The message they had received consistently was that as Christians, they would all be protected from harm, while not realizing that God chooses some to be martyrs for Him. (He blesses all who are persecuted for His sake and holds them in great honour - Matt 5:11). Many Chinese believers then fell away from the faith when serious persecution started.

Daniel is referring to the Antichrist in the verse quoted above, and how he will treat all believers in Jesus at the end of times. The Hebrew word used here for oppress means to wear away; wear out; to harass constantly. At that future stage, the Antichrist will be operating under the full power of Satan himself (Rev 13:4), and we are therefore speaking of the constant, unrelenting demonic harassment of believers during that time.

Jesus warned us that the signs of the end times will present themselves as birth pangs do with pregnant women - the same pain is felt throughout, but with increasing frequency and intensity (Matthew 24:8). We can therefore anticipate that believers everywhere, who are currently already being harassed by the enemy forces to some extent, will be worn down in ever increasing measure, until the worst-case scenario plays out at the end of the age where the saints will be persecuted relentlessly and beheaded when found (Rev 20:4).

Since none of us knows whether we will be martyrs for God or not, it seems prudent to be prepared to face such circumstances. Like soldiers who are trained to be prepared for battle, even if not all are even called into battle. Knowing the tactics the enemy uses against us is crucial if we are to counter them successfully.

In line with the verse from Daniel above, the testimony from many believers coming for inner healing sessions currently, is: I am so tired! What wears out the saints? A few issues were identified by Estell Brink – busyness; unresolved disappointments/offenses; trauma from prolonged sickness; financial delays to fulfil the calling; continued strife/conflict; allurement – what holds your fascination?

Stephen, as he was being stoned to death (Acts 7:56), saw a wonderful vision of Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father - waiting to welcome him home. He showed us that our hope ultimately lies in Jesus our Saviour, no matter what the circumstances, because He will never leave us, nor forsake us! The end-time church will be singing love songs to Him, even under persecution, which will be totally beyond the comprehension of the rest of the world who rages against Him!

Points to ponder:  Look for areas in your life that would hinder your faith in difficult situations. What wears you out? What pulls your eyes away from beholding Him? What can you do now to prepare for challenging times of persecution that might come your way?

In Christ alone my hope is found      

Will Jesus acknowledge me

 Matthew 7:22-23

On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’  23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

Many of us struggle to understand these verses. It is difficult to comprehend that a person can prophesy, cast out demons and perform many miracles “in the name of Jesus”, and then hear Jesus say, “I never knew you”. It seems that it could be possible for someone to think that their actions are in service to God, when in reality they are not - evidenced by the fact that here they are shown to be standing before Jesus on judgement day, calling Him Lord, and claiming to have been in His service. They must have believed this to be true.

This is not something that outright atheists or Satan worshippers or simply non-believers would do. Even those from the dark side who were sent into churches to destroy them, and who would be doing these miracles by the power of Satan in order to deceive many, would not call Jesus ‘Lord’ on judgement day, they served another.

Is it even possible for unbelievers to cast out demons? This was something that I immediately considered upon thinking about the above verses. In Matthew 12:27 Jesus speaks about the sons of the Pharisees driving out demons; Acts 19:13 also refers to Jewish exorcists, and these were not believers in Christ. Were they successful? It would seem so, even if only to a certain degree. I believe that there are two possibilities here: either God allowed them for His own purposes to have authority over demons in some cases, or it is through demonic power.  This is indeed possible - the Bible shows that angels can perform miracles (Gen 19:11), therefore we know that Satan and his followers can also do the same. In the future, Antichrist and the False Prophet will perform many lying signs and wonders through the power of Satan (2 Thes 2:9). He will certainly orchestrate the casting out of his own demons to mislead people into believing that it is a believer performing an act of God operating here, when in actual fact it is not, and bystanders will then easily be led astray.

Jesus’ words “I never knew you” implies that the people referred to in our quoted verse were not Christians to begin with, and therefore did not operate from God’s power. They might have grown up in a Christian environment but never personally chosen Jesus as Lord; or seen first-hand that ministering in a church could bring fame and power; or relied on their works to gain them entrance to heaven - and never come to realise that all Jesus really wants is for us to have an intimate personal relationship with Him. To “know” Him in other words. How? Just love Him - 1 Cor 8:3 “But the one who loves God is known by God.”

Points to ponder: How deeply do I love God? Are the following signs of loving worship for my heavenly Father; and for my Beloved Jesus; and for my Companion Holy Spirit present in my life: do I obey His word; do I do everything for Him and offer everything He has given me back to Him to be used for His purposes; do I connect with Him through prayer; do I obey His commands?

I will love the Lord        

The land mourns

 Hosea 4:2-3

You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere— one murder after another. 3.  That is why your land is in mourning, and everyone is wasting away. Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea are disappearing.

We do not normally consider what effect, if any, our way of living has on the land itself. Hosea is telling us plainly that sinful lifestyles have a great negative impact on our environment. He names broken vows (which would include divorces; unethical breaking of business agreements; broken promises), he names murder and violence, he names stealing, and adultery. These are all transgressions that were not exclusive to Hosea’s time - we are seeing the same happening around us in ever increasing numbers.

In verse 1 Hosea lists the causes leading to this sorry state of affairs. There is no faithfulness, love, pity, and mercy anymore. And these have all disappeared because there is no more knowledge of God from personal experience with Him, in the land. As we continue reading, we encounter the often-quoted verse 6, where God states that His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. He is not referring to religious knowledge about Him here, He is talking about a personal knowledge of Him, gained through pursuing an intimate relationship with Him. In fact, He says very clearly in Hosea 6:6 that He desires and delights in steadfast love and goodness, not sacrifice, and in the acquaintance with God more than burnt offerings - in other words, He looks more to the heart that is turned towards Him than to that person’s formal religious practices.

People’s rejection of God leads to His judgement over the land they live in. We see it all through the Bible, from Genesis recounting how Adam and Eve now had to live on a cursed earth, all the way up to the final judgement of God when earth is completely destroyed, as written of in Revelation. We certainly also see the consequences of dishonouring God which Hosea spoke about, in our own neighbourhoods, cities, provinces, and countries as we witness the land mourning under droughts and other extreme adverse weather conditions. Sea creatures like certain populations of whales, dolphins, seals, turtles, and many fish are critically endangered. Land animals like rhinos, leopards, gorillas, asian elephants and even small creatures like frogs and bees are disappearing.

Points to ponder:

How do we stem the tide? One way is that we, as Christians, need to occupy our land! It starts with you and your family claiming your property for God, then joining other intercessors in moving into your neighbourhood, your city, your province, your country. Anoint the boundaries of your property, sealing it off under the blood of Jesus, and ask God to set His angels along the perimeter, also angelic gatekeepers at your entrances. Make sure that no sin door-openers are practised in your home. Then start moving into your neighbourhood and city with prayer walks and cover more distant areas in prayer.

The following website has good pointers on what to pray for during your walk: https://myheartscry.org/2022/06/16/how-to-pray-over-land/

Start by praying for protection both physically and spiritually. God knows your plan to pray, but the enemy does too. You may be tempted with distracting thoughts, insecurities, or anything Satan can use to dissuade you from your commitment to walk and pray. Include worship. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Whoever may own the property you walk, God is still over them. God has a plan and purpose for each parcel of land. Thank God for the land and his creation. Ask God to bless the land where your feet tread. Bless the land, the people, the animals, the foliage, the water. Any of God’s creations that actively use this land. Ask God to bless houses, businesses, churches, and institutions while passing by. Pray for residents to be good neighbours towards each other. Pray for crime to be exposed and prosecuted. Pray for divine appointments. By that, I mean I pray that God would have you at a particular spot at a specific time to meet a physical need or have a conversation with anyone He chooses. Pray for the Christians in the community to be a beacon. A guiding light to their neighbours and communities. Pray for the lost, depressed, handicapped, and penniless. Pray for children to be safe in the streets, walkways, and at play. Ask God what His heart is for that particular area.

We'll walk the land