Dear Father in Heaven, thanks for waking me this day, and please forgive me of my sins, and hear the prayers of all that pray in faith to be forgiven. Also today, Lord, I pray we can look back and that You will help us to remember the events of eleven years ago when America was attacked. Help us this day, Lord, as we try our best to walk with You. In the name of Jesus, help us to repent. Amen.
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Do you remember where you were eleven years ago when our nation came under attack from those who hate America? My American flag has been lowered to half staff and will remain there until tomorrow morning or maybe even the rest of the week.
This Tuesday we are going to put our nation, our police, firefighters, and military on the front burner for prayer. Let me get to the message. And please today, remember ...
Remembering: Looking back to 9/11/2001 and Looking at 9/11/2012.
2 Chronicles 7:14 - If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (NIV)
1 John 3:16 - This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. (NIV)
I remember back eleven years and remember like most mornings I had Fox National News on the screen. I remember when the first plane hit one of the buildings in New York and called Dolores to come and watch the events. At that point it looked like a really bad accident. Then as we were watching police and firefighters running INTO the building, you could see on live TV the second plane coming in. At that point I said to Dolores "OUR COUNTRY IS UNDER ATTACK." We watched, as most people did, the events of the day. The plane hitting the Pentagon Building in Washington, DC. Then the plane that went down, forced down by passengers in Shenksville, PA.
As you look back to then, and then look at what is going on now, I want you to think about something. Do you remember how President George W. Bush stood strong through the events and how he led this nation? Do you remember the look on his face as he was reading to children in a school room when told of the event? How he pondered the events but did not "lose it" in front of the children. After a few days I remember his standing on a pile of rubble with his arm around a firefighter with the bullhorn saying "we will get whoever attacked our country."
Looking ahead to now, how our current president blames President Bush for all of this country's problems and keeps on blaming him even as I type this message.
Today I am going to say some very bold things, and I would love to hear from you about some of them, or all of them.
Question, has our nation been healed since the events of 9/11/2001? Well, no, for awhile we came together, we even came back to God, or a lot of people did. Churches were filled, yes, churches were filled. People turned to God. I can't help thinking how God might be saying, "so now you call on me." So I put down this scripture again, all of it, and I want you to really read it ...
2 Chronicles 7:14 - If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (NIV)
Did we do what this scripture tells us to do? Well, yes, most did, or at least for a little while. And I can remember cars on the road with the American flag on the windows and the label on the flag saying "Made in China." There are a few things that went on that day that are still going on today.
Firefighters were running into that burning building, and brothers and sisters, they still do that today. I want to thank "Robert Lee Coburn" for all the buildings he ran into as he fought fires and still fights them today, and also for being one of the firefighters who came and gathered me off the street the day of my cycle accident.
Police were running toward the building and helping, and not running away thinking of their lives. And during the next weeks more and more people signed up for our military to go and "catch the bad people." But did we do as the scripture tells us? "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Let me answer that again, we did for awhile, but how long?
Back on that day, and it was just bad, plain bad, all those people killed, and the next day there were about the same amount killed again and we did not hear a word about it, not one word. Then each and every work day since then the event happens again and again and again, people being killed and we do not think anything about it. Or most people don't. By now you know where I am going with this. As I look back on the events of 2001 there was no advertisement in the Yellow Pages of the phone book saying, "Learn to Fly" so we can teach you to fly a big jet into a big building, but there was and still is an ad in the Yellow Pages, and it is the very first ad, that calls for "abortion."
Have we humbled ourselves before God?? HELL, NO!!
Today we have people shooting each other on our streets in our cities and towns, murders in our cities and towns, drugs in our cities and towns, people killed each night across our land and we call it "brotherly love". Why, a city in Pennsylvania, that has some very unsafe areas is called the "city of brotherly love". Black on black crime is bad, just ask some of our senior citizens of color, and they will tell you. Turn on the news in Central Pennsylvania any morning and find out how many people were shot or robbed the night before and they do not all make the paper.
Have we humbled ourselves before God??? HELL, NO!!
We have car accidents happening each day, and while we all them accidents, most are caused by drivers failing to follow traffic rules, and not just those big rig drivers. Talking on the phone, speeding, driving while drunk, putting on makeup, cutting each other off, and yes, that road rage, and it is killing and hurting people each day across our nation.
We have people in this country who say they cannot feed their families, and brothers and sisters, we here at Carry The Light Ministries know of a lot of them, HOWEVER, we have people who come in for food who say they cannot feed their families who have a new cell phone, big screen TV, brand new tattoos, rings in their ears (a lot of them), rings in their lips, should I go on, but they cannot afford food for the family. We have people who will not get out of bed and even look for work, for they get those checks from the government. So I ask this question again ...
Have we humbled ourselves before God? And again I must say, no, we have not!
I want to thank today all those men and women of our military who have given to our nation, for indeed as their saying goes, "All gave some, and some gave all!" And I want to thank all others this day who work to keep us safe and free and who were willing as this scripture tells us.
1 John 3:16 - This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. (NIV)
And today I ask you to address yourself and as you look back, also look at today and let's look at this scripture again, just one more time.
2 Chronicles 7:14 - If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (NIV)
Now brothers and sisters, we cannot do it all, but we sure can get it started. Will you, WILL YOU, today, humble yourselves in prayer with me, right now, before God, and pray for our nation and all the evil that is going on today? Will you please join me at the feet of God ...
Dear Father in Heaven, I am sorry for the wicked ways of our nation, and yes, over the years I confess that in one way or another I have not always been where I should have been when it comes to sinning, for I am indeed a sinner only saved by the Grace of Jesus. I today humble myself before You and seek Your face and pray for our Nation for indeed we are failing, and Father, we cannot blame it on any one person, so please, Lord, I pray our folks stop trying to blame it on one another and look in the mirror and start there. Lord, the mess this nation is in is not the fault of President Bush, or President Obama, it is the fault of we sinners who have let it happen. Lord, help me stand tall for You, and lock arms across this nation, even if by email, and get this thing going. Our Nation needs to come back to You, Lord, and when we come fully back to You, Satan will need to move out. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Now go forth, sharing your blessings, and yes, you may share this, for today my heart is crying out for our nation, for we are indeed under attack each day, by Satan, and we are letting him get away with it. Jesus really loves us, and I love you also. Pastor Dan.
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