HOME IS WHERE IT BEGINS!

Never underestimate the power of praying families to turn the nation back to God. I believe that there has never been a time in the history of this nation where we stand so close to losing all our blessings of freedom and liberty. Not from enemies from the outside, but as President Abraham Lincoln stated, “by enemies from within.”

 

However, before these lying and stealing enemies from within get their way (and they are rapidly gaining ground), Christian families need to understand they can make a huge difference. Especially through our prayers and intercession. As we gather our families together for breakfast and evening meals, we can use these opportunities to humbly, and yet boldly, cry out to God to bring these evildoers off their thrones and pray that the righteous will be exalted to take their place. If ever there was a time to pray with your family for this nation, IT IS NOW!

 

Praying families have the unique and amazing privilege to change the nation as well as the world. If you are not doing this in your home, I would encourage you to begin now, and never quit, no matter how much the enemy of our souls will endeavor to stop you. Praying families are one of the biggest threats to the kingdom of darkness.

 

Jesus said in Matthew 18:18-20: “Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

 

Families with two children (or maybe only a husband and wife) praying prayers of agreement can have their prayers answered. Even one child makes for three in a small family, and they can experience the presence of Christ. Yet how much more power and effectiveness in larger families praying together.

God has been answering our prayers for rain here in Tennessee. But we also pray that spiritual rain will bring revival, not only on our Hilltop, but all over our nation. This nation is in great need of the rain of the Holy Spirit to revive the souls of those who are dried up because they have not encountered the presence of God which comes from the rain of the Holy Spirit.

 

But just as God is wonderfully answering our prayers for natural rain, even so God will answer our prayers for heavenly rain to bring revival and refreshing all over our nation.

 

The climate here in Tennessee has been very dry and hot for several weeks. Much of the western states of the USA have been suffering tremendous drought over several years resulting in massive fires and loss of life and property.

 

One cannot help but notice, if one has eyes to see, that there is often a corresponding link with states that primarily do not fear God and states that fear God. Therefore we conclude that spiritual drought leads to natural drought which in turn leads to death and destruction (Amos 4:7, .

 

During Labor weekend my wife and I drove to Mississippi to speak at an Above Rubies Family Retreat. When we left on Friday our front lawn was dry and dead and as we traveled, we noticed many crops were brown and withered. We were thrilled to hear that rain came on the weekend and we arrived home on the Monday to a lawn that looked lush and green.

 

We were blown away that everything turned green so quickly. God answered our prayers for natural rain. How much more will God be pleased to send the rain of His Holy Spirit on the parched and dry land of our nation if we will pray and turn from our wicked ways (Psalm 85:6; Acts 3:19; and 2 Chronicles 7:14).

 

Revival must start somewhere! Why shouldn’t it start in our humble homes? We do not have time to wait for our over-programmed churches to squeeze prayer for revival into their busy schedules. Home is the greatest place for it to begin. Can we extend our morning breakfast and evening supper times a little longer to earnestly pray for national repentance and a turning back to God?

 

I earnestly believe God will readily favor the families that commit to do this. Your home becomes very important to God when you use it for this godly purpose. Jesus said, “My house is the house of prayer” (Luke 19:46). Our churches should be houses of prayer, but firstly our homes. If your home belongs to God, it will be a house of prayer.

 

Christianity must never be practiced only within a church structure one day per week. It must be lived out in our homes every day of the week.

 

Here are some Scriptures for you to read regarding natural rain and the rain of the Holy Spirit.

 

Isaiah 44:3: “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.” This sounds like revival to me. And what a wonderful Scripture to pray over our children in this hour that God will pour out His Spirit upon them.

 

Hosea 6:3: “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD . . . and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.”

 

Hosea 10:12: “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”

 

Zechariah 10:1: “Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain, so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.”

 

James 5:7: “Be patient therefore brethren unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. “

 

This Scripture shows that natural rain is a type of spiritual harvest, a revival of people coming back to God. In typology, the early rain of the Holy Spirit began at Pentecost where thousands of people were converted to Christ. In Bible days in Israel, the early rain was the moderate rain at the beginning of the harvest. The latter rain was a much heavier rain for a larger harvest. The latter rain of the Holy Spirit can be understood to be a greater spiritual awakening and ingathering of people into God’s kingdom.

 

John 4:13, 14: “Jesus said, Whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up (leaping up) unto everlasting life.”

 

John 7:37-39: “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” This undoubtably happened at Pentecost.

 

We should always be very grateful to God for sending us refreshing rain to end a time of drought. Even more so, we must realize that God desires to quench the spiritual drought that is over multitudes of thirsty and spiritually dying people. He longs for us all to experience the rains of revival. However, God, in His own wisdom uses our prayers to bring it about and when it happens, you will be surprised how quickly things change.

 

COLIN CAMPBELL